Category Archives: Uncategorized

SUPER-Moonin’

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In our neck of the woods we have a supermoon to see tonight and apparently it is going to be so big and bright and awesome that it will prevent us from seeing the meteor shower at its peak.  (Check it out HERE for the astronomy side of the of the deal).  Last night, the moon was pretty bright, even hidden behind those clouds above.  Cool for moon gazing but a little disruptive to the sleep pattern (it’s like your neighbors have their motion detector lights stuck in the “on” position and aimed at your windows all night).  I’ll have to get up a little early and see about the meteors; I’ve seen several when I used to walk in the early morning hours–it made it completely worthwhile to be up that early!!  Either way, the tides will be higher than usual at the beach this weekend and Hubby is excited about learning to surf on Sunday when the “surf is up”.  Dude.  Happy weekend!

And we have a few more players for our “blog-every-day-in-May” challenge.  Check ’em out!  (Comment your blog if you want to join in)

Laura

Lynnell

Apurva 

MB

Brite  

Amanda 

Lea 

First Friday and Quick Takes!

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— 1 —

So.  Glad.  It’s.  Friday.  It’s been a busy couple of days for some reason and I am looking forward to some downtime this weekend.  I texted a friend today who’s been on my heart and asked her if there was anything I could pray for her.  She was fine and caught me up on the busy happenings in their family and just asked for prayers to be who God wants her to be in spite of and in the middle of all the busy.  And as tonight came to a (grateful) close, I realized I am so NOT who God wants me to be when I am tired and stretched too far.  And I really need to work on that.  really.

— 2 —

This week brought the beginning of the “Blog-Every-Day-In-May” challenge.  My friend Lea started it five years ago.  Ironic that she started it in May because it has to be THE busiest month of the year (next to December) with all the end-0f-the-school year activities and bustle and why wouldn’t you want to add to the craziness with blogging daily???  My other friend, Brite, calls it the challenge you love to hate–especially by the end!  I did get some interesting insight that apparently May is INTERNATIONALLY busy with the end of the year/semester as Ellie (in Ireland) is doing the calendar juggle as well.

— 3 —

It’s not too late to join our challenge.  Really you can join in at any time.  I’m not too serious and hard-core.  And if you don’t  post EVERY day, no biggie.  You can use words, pictures or both.  It’s all good!  Just comment and include your blog and I’ll add you to the roster below:

Apurva 

MB

Brite  

Amanda 

Lea 

— 4 —

My girlfriend sent me my birthday present yesterday.  She’s way early and I opened it.  I can’t WAIT to shower this morning!!!  It’s a new shower scrub and bath gel called AWAKEN.  You can get it from Amanda HERE.  (Teacher gifts, hint, hint)  Shameless plug, but I really love Arbonne.  It is the bomb-diggety!!!  (to steal a phrase….)  I started using their skin care line when my face was SO dry when my oldest was a baby—14 years ago!!!!  Anyway, I love their makeup and skin care, but I don’t treat myself to the luxury of the scrubs and gels….so she treated ME!  I’ll just have to hide it from my girls…..

— 5 —

I am up WAY too early, but one hour from now and my workout will be over!  Woo hoo!  We were so busy yesterday at work, I didn’t get to the gym at lunch–worked straight through–but I did manage to squeeze in a walk when I got home to save my sanity.  somewhat.  That may be a lost cause!

— 6 —

Hubby’s tomato plants are growing like crazy and we even have little tomatoes already.  It’s only been about 4 weeks.  maybe 5.  Last week he planted cucumbers and they are sprouting, too!  Our first foray into gardening.  Very exciting.  He gets all the props though, I’m just standing back watching and he’s doing a great job!!  I’ll get some herbs to add to the mix this weekend and I foresee SALSA in our summer future!!

— 7 —

As another week comes to a close, may your weekend be blessed, whatever it brings.  Hug your babies, because tomorrow they’ll be 6 inches taller than you and one foot out the door.  Enjoy each day because it truly is a PRESENT.

Now, go grab a cuppa somethin’ and join Jen and everyone else for the Friday recap!  Blessings!!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

I really didn’t want to but….

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I’m glad I did.  Go to the gym yesterday that is.  That’s the good thing about having accountability partners, you do NOT want to be the only one who didn’t work out–(not without a good reason anyway).  I was feeling lazy yesterday by lunch time and really just wanted to go nap somewhere, but the other girls had already gone and were giving me the “eye” and asking me what my plan at the gym was going to be, soooooooo.  I went.  Mostly because I do better when I have someone to account to.  I am a little competitive.  I remembered we are having a luncheon today to celebrate May birthdays (mine included) and I’ll surely be partaking of some delicious fare.  And I’ll be going again today at lunch.  Mostly because of the luncheon.  But also because I’ll have to do legs.  Since my arms and upper body are sore, I can’t ignore my legs!!!  Friday I am meeting a friend in the wee hours of the morning (urgh!) and that will wrap the week up for strength training.  Here’s the deal though:

  • I can complain all I want, but the truth is I’ll get out of it ONLY what I put into it
  • After 4 months of consistent exercise, I HAVE SHOULDER DEFINITION!! Yup.  It’s not crazy muscle magazine fitness, but I clearly have muscle peeking through and confirmed by Hubby, daughter and son.
  • I may not WANT to work out, however, when it’s done…..I never regret having worked out
  • Nike has it right.  Just do it.  Lace up the shoes and go around the block. 20 minutes is gone before you know it.
  • I do have more energy.  I do sleep better.  My clothes fit better.
  • It’s the one thing I do for ME and it benefits my entire family!
  • God gave me this body, this temple, it’s MY job to take care of it and glorify Him through it.
So find some time today to give your body what it needs.  Excuses are abundant.  What do you have to lose?
1 Corinthians 6:19  

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Here’s our growing list to May’s challenge.  Check ’em out and join in!  Comment and I’ll add you in!
Have a blessed day!!

Apurva  (new to blogging…hope we don’t scare off forever!!)

MB

Brite  

Amanda 

Lea 

And so it begins…..

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In the beginning…..everything seems so exciting, shiny, full of promise and hope.  New school clothes.  Unopened packets of pens, paper, folders, dividers.  Unscathed backpacks.  Unscuffed tennis shoes.  And then you settle into a routine and as you near the end, ripped shorts, crumpled paper, graffiti’ed backpacks, holey shoes and you plug on with your eye on the prize because the end is just. around. the. corner.

Ah.  And so it realistically be with the blog challenge.  Every day in May.  Seems fun.  Exciting. All these ideas floating in my brain.  And then finding the time to put them down.  Struggling between what I want to say and how it’s coming out of my brain.  Often not even on the same hemisphere!!

The reality is, I LOVE a challenge.  I always work better under pressure with a specific goal in mind. Whether it was when I used to run and was training for a race or with my girlfriends at the beginning of the year when we decided we could do ANYTHing for 12 weeks!!  (here it is into our 4th month and still plugging along in our new routines!)  I’m a structured person.  I wish I was more relaxed sometimes, but it’s not where my comfort zone is…a first-born, goal-oriented, nurturer.

HOWEVER, you may be more free.  Less inclined to stay inside the lines.  YAY! for you.  I’ll live vicariously through you and maybe gain some courage to step outside the box once in a while.  So, join me in our blogging “challenge” for May.  Blog each day.  Blog some days.  Use words.  Use pictures.  Use both.   Send your blog name in the comment section, I’ll add you in.  So far, we are FOUR.  I look forward to sliding into the end of May, tattered, blogged and having “met” other bloggers and styles to steal learn from throughout the 31 days!

Have a wonderful day!!

Brite  (this awesome Mama is the sweetest and gentlest!  with 4 little ones–including a newborn, she homeschools, farms, sews, cooks and sometimes includes great pictures of life’s ups and downs)

Amanda (I just met her yesterday through her blog, and Brite, and I enjoyed her pictures and her theme for May–pictures and Scriptures–FABULOUS combination!)

Lea (her 5th year of this challenge, I stole it from her, she’s crazy busy, the MOST creative person EVER, a God’s girl through and through and after all these years of knowing her I finally figured out how she gets it all done.  She doesn’t sleep.  Which is why I’ll never capture her cape!  I love sleep too much.)

The piano recital that wasn’t…

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Yesterday afternoon my oldest daughter and I went to support her BFF at her first piano recital (we thought).  It was at a local church and her piano teacher is the music director at the church (I think).  As it turned out, the recital was actually a fund raiser for the church with a variety of musical talent performing.    (my friend–mom of daughter’s BFF–was unaware as well).  Either way, after the 2nd act I realized this was a) going to be longer than the 1 hour I told Hubby and b) he was going to have to make pizza for dinner.  Getting all the dinner texting out of the way, my daughter and I settled in to the most wonderful treat of an afternoon.

In addition to her BFF playing piano, only 8 months in and did a lovely job, we were also blessed by the following acts:

A group of 8 women singing in harmony first to a traditional hymn and then led by one of the women singing an African-American gospel “Down in my Soul” that gave me goosebumps to my bones and hands that began clapping on their own.  This youtube video is a good idea of the song, you have to get past the first 2 minutes or so of talking…..

A Rock Band playing LOUD.  playing WELL.  and glorifying God in every note.  The kicker was “I can only imagine”, by MercyMe.  UGH.  That song slays me!!!  My daughter thought it was pretty cool that there were likely some kids that were able to say their grandpas were in a band—since they were about grandpa’s age.

A 93-year old Baritone singing in a lovely and heart stirring DEEP voice in memory of his late wife, supported by his two daughters and wife’s childhood friend.  I felt a tear…

After some technical difficulties and delaying his act a few times, a young man, choreographed and danced to He wants it all.  Not only was the song fantastic, but the young man’s strength, grace and God-glorifying routine was heart stirring.  He had to leave for another performance immediately after his spot, so I was unable to praise him personally (I’ll do it here).  WOW!

A singer/actor, Harry Burney, performed a song he wrote “Changed my Name” hearkening back to Christian slaves and what it means to be Christian.  Not an easy road.  But one taken trusting that Jesus will guide each step of the way.  Spectacular.  Riveting.

A trumpeting missionary, in which I had to actually get up to make sure it was truly a trumpet, it was played so softly and gently, accompanied by the piano, I swear I could hear it sing!

A legally blind pianist playing first classical, “Rhapsody in Blue” and followed up by “I love being here with you” joined in by the band….in B flat, the bridge in D.  She was a hoot!!

A mime.  At this point, my daughter moved from our seats in the last row to join her friend in the front row because her friend was a afraid of clowns.  Please.  She knew what she was doing.  Front and center.  And that guy was mind-blowing.  I thanked him after the show, to which his reply, “To God be the glory”.  And yes.  It was!  Who knew?!?!?

A group jam to “Shackles” finished up the afternoon and I felt like not only did I start my day with the Lord at Mass, I finished it up with an eclectic group of people sharing in their gifts and talents to further worshipping and glorifying God in spite of this world, it’s trials and tribulations.  His goodness and mercy reign.

I can’t think of a better way to end the day with my sweet girl.