Category Archives: Life

7 super quickety quick takes

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Joining Jen and gangster bloggers for the 7QTS this week!!  Woop Woop!

And so in my usual bon-bon fashion….I am leaving myself with 6 whopping minutes to post this before I need to get ready for work.  Fortunately, I’ve showered, eaten and my lunch is mostly ready.  Ready set GO:

1.  This week I flipped back to old school style planner.  Paper.  Pens.  Pencils.  Still love my iPhone calendar, but I’m a tactile person and I need paper.  My anxiety is decreasing already….this will do until I find something super purty…feel free to leave your suggestions in the combox!

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2.  This past weekend (Sunday) counts as the week start correct?  We did a huge ole bed swap…our bunk beds to the neighbors (below right) and my girlfriend’s daughters trundle to our girls (below left) and my girlfriend’s daughter moved a futon into her room for hang/sleep/teen stuff (not posted)….can you say WINX3?!?!?PicMonkey Collage

3.  Back to school is right around the corner…..Our sophomore had orientation and our 6th grader as well.  2 down and 2 to go.  Sweet structure is almost here.  orient4.  I’ve been walking all week while our youngest has cheer practice for about 45 minutes each night (in addition to my morning classes) and am down 3 pounds.  BooYA.  Meh, the weekend is coming, all subject to change!

5.  I’m taking one last road trip before school starts with my girls.  We leave in the a.m. for a fun and packed weekend of friend visiting….hence the 3 pounds are subject to change.  You feel me?

6.  Oh no…..3 minutes over my time.

7.  Have a great weekend!!!

Buh bye Facebook. For now anyway…

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For the last couple of Lent seasons I have given up Facebook and it is a glorious 37 days.  (it takes a few days to shake the habit and then I’m good).  This year, when I signed back on Facebook was different.  Not so much the layout but the content.  People are posting videos, news reports, Pinterest recipes, ecards and there are Advertisements and countless game requests.  I’m not saying all that is bad, however, where are the pictures, my people?!?!??!  I’m in it for the updates.  Tell me you are drowning in back to school supply lists, basking at the beach, meeting friends for a run and post pictures….THAT is what I want.  I have YouTube for videos, Pinterest to feed my inner Martha Stewart, CNN, National Catholic Register and The Weather Channel for my news feed, and WordsWithFriends to satisfy my gamer needs—Candy Crush and all that nonsense just infuriates me.    It’s overload.  I come away more often than not, anxious and frustrated; I mean, when I start “hiding” family members due to ridiculous ranting….it’s a problem.   All I really want is to see my family and friends enjoying life, pics of their growing-way-too-fast kids and some silliness.  So, I’m deleting my account and removing it from my phone.  I might reactivate it now and then, however, something tells me once I’m over the first few days it will be more less than often….

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In the meantime, I plan on picking up the pace with phone calls, emails, texts, heck…even snail mail and IN REAL LIFE conversations to keep up with friends and family.  Crazy, right?  Probably.  So, if you’ve got my number, call me.  Maybe.

Monday Meme…

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BethAnne made me do it…..she’s coming down off a 7 day blogging high and threw this one my way.  So here’s how this one goes:

Rules
1.) The first rule is to post these rules.
2.) Post a photo of yourself then write 11 things about you/your life.
3.) Answer the questions for you set in the original post.
4.) Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5.) Go to their blog/twitter to tell them you have tagged them.

IMG_4977that’s me on the left….

and 11 things about me are as follows:

  1. I am a forty-something Mom to 4 lively redheads married to my high school sweetheart.
  2. For the last 9 years we’ve lived in my hometown after living away for 12 years.    It’s true, you never really can go home again, you start all over.
  3. We have a cat.  I am more of a dog person.  I don’t really like cats.  He picked us and I guess that’s the way it goes with cats.  He’s a total PIA, fluffy to the Nth degree and I love him.  Call me sucker.
  4. I’m in a constant weight struggle/body image.  Currently working on the healthier aspect pretty hard.  It’s coming along, but I far prefer instant gratification.
  5. I finished my Bachelor’s degree 2 years ago and STILL don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  Fortunately, I enjoy my job (just not the politics that go along with it).
  6. I have a sister who lives in our former city with her husband and my two nephews.  We fought like regular siblings growing up and are now the best of friends.  She rocks!!  So does her family!!
  7. I am a friend KEEPER.  One of my biggest struggles in this town is that the friends I grew up with are on a totally different planet from me and making new friends has been a huge challenge to go beyond surface level.  It makes me truly miss and appreciate my friends in our old city.  And then I beg them to come visit.  It’s called throwing on the Catholic guilt trip.  Guilty.
  8. I love the beach.  Salt air, sea breeze and sand in my toes cure any and everything.
  9. One day I will go on a pilgrimage to Medjugorge.  Somehow.  Someway.  It will happen though.
  10. I am a judger.  I try not to be, but I am.  Everytime I do, God shows me the ginormous plank in my own eye and I have a huge slice of humble pie.  It’s getting old.  Sigh.  Daily struggles.

the questions for me to answer are as follows:

  • What is your favorite way to shop (online, in-store, yard sales, etc.)?  Online.  Or thrift stores.  
  • What was your favorite vacation?  Hubby and I took a trip to Arizona for my friend’s wedding (see pic, gal on the right) and we hiked, went sightseeing and visited other friends for A WEEK!!!  I have the best mom EVER!!!!
  • If you could go anywhere where would it be and why?  Medjugorge.  I just finished a book on the apparitions there and feel a strong pull to experience it for myself.
  • If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be and why?  Princess Diana.  I have always found her fascinating, lovely, wounded and a genuine heart for the downtrodden despite her station in life.
  • What is your favorite app?  IHeartRadio.  We get crapola for reception at work and it helps the day go by, plus we love to torture each other with trying to win the annual Vegas trip to the IHeartRadio concert.  You can’t get through, people.  It’s completely rigged.  (it’s what I tell myself)
  • Do you prefer ebooks or real books?  Real books, but if I’m impatient to read a book, e-book is the BOMBOLA!
  • What is your preferred web browser?  Right now Google Chrome, but I find them all annoying.
  • What is your favorite Disney movie?  Brave
  • What is your favorite Theme Park?  Disney World
  • Do you send Thank you notes?  Yes, of course!!!  They might not be timely, but they do get sent!
  • What was the most unusual thing you’ve ever seen at a wedding? (or event if you haven’t been to many weddings)  A mirror in the women’s restroom that made EVERYONE look tall and thin…we really wanted to take it home!!  Aside from that…everyone gets cray cray at weddings after a certain hour, right?

My 11 questions for the next peeps to accept this challenge:

  1. Single or married?
  2. Kids, furbabies, how many and ages?
  3. What kind of car do you drive and what was your first car?
  4. Best live concert you went to?
  5. Favorite TV show growing up?
  6. Best road trip?
  7. Favorite way to unwind?
  8. If you could pick a reality show to be on, which would it be?
  9. Jillian or Bob?
  10. Coffee, tea or Mountain Dew?

I’m tagging, Grace, Micaela, Jen, Mary Kate and Angela!

 

Back to school. Halt! Not yet!!

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Back to school is coming quickly.  For the kids it means earlier bed times, earlier wake times, scheduled days, band practice, cheer practice, homework.

But….we have 3 more weeks.  In that time we’ll* finish school shopping, stay up late, sleep in, enjoy the lazy days, soak up the sun and fun of summer.  So go eat ice cream, play in the sprinkler, and take naps.  Summer is still on.

*we refers to the kids.  Madre and Padre have no summer and yet….it’s still lazy and awesome!

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Yes, that is a baby shark in my baby’s hands. *2 summers ago, I just moved all my photos onto external hard drive

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Sand castles never really get old….*also 2 years ago

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This view never gets old either!

Day 6. Martha. Mary.

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Adoration. Time to rest and recharge.

Adoration. Time to rest and recharge.

I’m Martha.  To the core.  Last Sunday’s reading reminded me to step back and work toward Mary’s take on life.  I get so caught up in what needs to be done:  the feeding, the cleaning, the laundry.  I don’t stop.  It’s time to stop.  Step back.  Take that deep breath.  Our pastor’s bulletin message on Sunday was so right on target with Martha and Mary and how busy our lives are.  That busy-ness leaves us all leaning toward living like Martha with no time to try Mary’s approach.  No wonder we are so tired.  We don’t stop.  We don’t seek.  We don’t rest.  Let’s rest.

Excerpts from our pastor’s bulletin message last week:

Rest is not just good for the soul. It is also good for the body. In our Christian tradition we
believe that the body is something of value. Genuine spirituality is concerned with the care of the
body as well as the soul. Rest is one way that we can accomplish this.
Medical science has demonstrated that the effects of rest are significant, indicating the great
role that rest can play in our physical and emotional well-being. Lack of rest and relaxation is
associated with inattentiveness, inability to concentrate, impulsivity, moodiness, learning difficulties
and health problems. On the other hand, rest, quiet time, and meditation have been shown to have
positive effects on the body. If you must have your blood pressure checked, take a couple deep
breaths first, think of a special place in the mountains or at the beach. Imagine yourself in the arms
of the Lord. These kinds of meditation may help you stay off blood pressure medication and
anti-stress pills.
St. Thomas Aquinas is known of the saint of moderation. He taught that all things in moderation can be good. A little wine, a little food, a bit of time of laughter, etc. are all needed in life. Only
when one or more of these things get out of balance is there sin. I hope that this summer provides
you an opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends, maybe an outing to the beach or a taking in
a ballgame. But, may it also be a time to reorder priorities so that the important things don’t get
forgotten.