Life at 7000 feet

Popping In

2012-02-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

Popping in for just a minute or two to say hello. I'd love to keep the blogging rhythm that I had going last week, but man, some weeks it's hard to find extra time. It's been a good week so far. Busy, but good.

Ever have one of those days where you just ROCK the to-do list? I had one on Monday. I ran errands, cleaned, got some appointments/meetings scheduled, organized some of my February projects, and felt like I got most of my "mental sticky notes" transferred from my head to paper! Such a great feeling--I wish every day felt that productive!

Tonight I'm taking Sarah to register for HIGH SCHOOL! My oldest two are only one grade apart in school so it really does seem like yesterday that I was doing this with Will. Here's the kicker--they're going to different high schools. Our town has two. Will goes to the one we're zoned for but none of Sarah's really close friends are going there. After a year of thinking and talking and praying about this, we made the decision to keep her with her core group of friends and choice her into the high school we're not zoned for. [Side note: this is the decision I was referring to last week that is the best one for Sarah and is also the decision that makes my crazy life even crazier!] She's very excited about it, and I know with absolute certainty it was the right thing to do. That being said, I still break out in a cold sweat when I begin to think about all the details and scheduling this will involve.

Two kids in high school makes me feel old. So does the fact that our oldest turns FIFTEEN this week. That is so hard for me to wrap my mind around. Where does the time go???

More later, peeps. Hope you're having a happy hump day! :)

Got Snow?

2012-02-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I got that snow day and three-day weekend I was hoping for. We probably have about 20 inches of snow outside and I think the flakes have finally stopped flying. The sun is trying to come out now and Toboggan Hill is calling our name for some afternoon sledding! Woohoo!

Yesterday was a nice day. It's amazing what you can get done when you're not running kids back and forth to school and activities. I got caught up on some projects I'm managing, I got my closet cleaned out, and I got to enjoy some down time too! And last night was Bunco. The good thing about neighborhood Bunco is that not even a blizzard can stop us from getting together! We just put our snow boots and parkas over our pajamas and walked to Bunco--or in my case, walked next door! I love my neighborhood peeps so much. We are soooooo blessed to be surrounded by great friends.

I'm getting out in a bit for a grocery run--gotta get fueled up for the big game tomorrow. I'm still conflicted about who to cheer for. I think I'll be okay with whoever wins. So....Go Patriots! Go Giants!

I'll post some snow pics after we get out and play in it! Happy Saturday, peeps!

Five minutes

2012-02-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

I've got about five minutes to blog and thought I'd try to continue my streak of daily posting. Not sure how long I can keep it up so I'm just gonna roll with it while I have the urge.

My friend came over this morning so we could pow-wow about a big project we're coordinating this month and she came bearing Paula Deen's French Toast. Oh my word. YUM! Totally have a gluten headache right now but I'm thinking it might have been worth it. :)

It's supposed to snow tonight and it sounds like we could get a good bit. I'm so convinced that tomorrow is going to be a snow day that I keep thinking and saying today is Friday. I could reallllly use a snow day. Here's hoping we get one! Here's hoping I get all my necessary stuff checked off of my list today.

I love wearing hats.

I hate going to the post office. And by the way, when did the price of stamps go up?

I love planning Super Bowl junk food fests.

I don't love watching my friends suffer. Too many friends going through some really tough stuff right now. Makes my heart ache.

I love the feeling in the air when snow is on the way.

I think I'll end on that note!

Much to do, folks. Happy Thursday! (Or Friday if you're banking on that snow day/3-day weekend like I am!)

100 Mile Challenge--DONE!

2012-02-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

When I hung my 2012 calendar it looked so blank and boring (Ha ha, that didn't last long!) so I started writing down the mileage from my daily walks. I get up and walk almost every morning with five of my neighbors--in the dark, in the frigid temps (never thought I'd think of 30 degrees as warm!), in the snow, in the wind, in the fog, etc. You name it, we've braved it. I also think I've mentioned a time or twelve that January has brought many beautiful spring-like days that have necessitated some terrific hiking! Anyway, I decided I'd try to track my walking/hiking mileage for one whole year. And that's why that Pedometer GPS app I mentioned yesterday is one of my must-haves.

About three weeks into January, I came home after a morning walk and tallied my mileage up to that point. I was at 66 miles with 9 days remaining in the month when John said, "Why don't you go for 100?"

I quickly offered every reason in the world why I could never accomplish that while he just sat there and grinned at me. So I finally shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll do it." AND Y'ALL, I DID IT! I logged 103.8 miles in January. All outdoors. All trail. And all 103.8 miles with some of my favorite friends!

I'm feeling really good about pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do! I don't expect (or desire) to repeat that in February but come summer, oh yeah, I'm aiming for a few more 100+ mile months!

Happy hump day, peeps! Hope you're enjoying your week.

Tell About It Tuesday: My Favorite iPhone Apps

2012-01-31T06:49:00.002-07:00

I got an iPhone for my birthday last May and have discovered several apps that I can't live without so I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Camera+ ($1.99)
I use this app instead of my phone's built in camera 90% of the time, but especially when I want great photos. It's worth every penny.

2. Pedometer Pro (Free version or $2.99 for the upgraded version)
I discovered this app last fall when I was in St Louis for a few days. I wanted to get out and walk but I had NO idea how to navigate my aunt's neighborhood or how to estimate mileage. Pedometer Pro to the rescue! It has a GPS feature that literally guided me through her neighborhood and the mileage is surprisingly accurate. I walk almost daily so I upgraded to the $2.99 version because it keeps track of my mileage history and will generate and send a report to my computer of all my monthly stats in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. The only downside is the GPS feature which, if accidentally left on, will drain your battery lickety split! Otherwise I give it two thumbs up.

3. Fandango (Free)

4. Pandora (Free)

5. Arkansas Razorback Football Bytes ($.99)
Between ESPN, ESPN3, and CBS I was able to watch almost every Arkansas Razorback football game last fall. There were a couple of weekends that I was traveling and this app was a lifesaver because it allowed me to stream audio coverage of the games. The audio streaming is my favorite feature but it also refreshed periodically and updates the score on game day and keeps track of stats, the season schedule, the team roster, SEC standings, and has links to news stories about the Hogs. It's an AWESOME app for Razorback football fans!

6. Around Me (Free)
Love this app when I'm in an unfamiliar place and want to find a coffee shop or restaurant or retail store.

7. Cash Cow ($.99)(Or the free lite version)
A game I'm hopelessly addicted to.

8. Words With Friends (Free or $.99 for the ad-free version)
My user name is Lifeat7000Feet. And I'm not very good (right Angie? right Betsy?) so the rest of you can probably beat me too!

9. Fruit Ninja ($.99)(Or the free lite version)
Just a fun, mindless game.

10. This one just makes me laugh. It's hilarious. And free.

I'm sorry but I'm not a fan of Angry Birds, Cute the Rope, My Fitness Pal, or Kindle but I'd love to know what YOUR favorite apps are!!!

Goodbye, Weekend

2012-01-29T20:43:00.002-07:00

Ugh. The Sunday night blues are starting to hit me and I'm already dreading sending everyone off to school and work tomorrow. I like it best when we're all together at home. Sigh.

We've had a good weekend. Today was a really restful day for which I was thankful! Here's some listy stuff on my mind right now.

1. Sarah had a speech meet yesterday in Woodland Park and was gone for FOURTEEN HOURS. She had to leave the house at 5:30AM (yuck!) and she didn't get home until after 8PM. However, she won FIRST PLACE in her event and we are so, so proud of her! She got a trophy and everything!

2. I'm feeling good about the upcoming week. It's not too full (at this point) and that is such a nice feeling going into Monday. Can you believe that we're only a few days from February? January flew by entirely too fast.

3. We tried a new burger place tonight and it was pretty good! The french fries were really thin (and really good!) but oh my gosh, they were super salty. I am sooooooo thirsty right now.

4. John and I helped one of our kids make a big decision last week. I'm not quite ready to talk about it on the blog but it was absolutely THE best decision for this particular child. That being said, it was also a decision that puts me squarely in the driver's seat of the crazy train for the foreseeable future. I'm okay with it, I'm just trying to wrap my mind around all that it's going to involve. :) More details soon, I promise.

5. I can't decide who I want to cheer for in the Super Bowl next weekend. I LOVE the Giants and had half of their offensive line on my fantasy football roster this year. But I LOVE the Patriots (and I really love Tom Brady) too. I think it would be awesome if Brady could get another Super Bowl ring! And it would be equally awesome for the Giants to win. I almost wish one of those two teams had lost their championship game so that I wouldn't be so conflicted! Which team are YOU rooting for?

6. Speaking of football, I really didn't know what to do with myself this afternoon without any games to watch. To pacify myself I went hiking with two friends from church. Hiking with those two is quickly becoming a Sunday afternoon tradition...and one of my favorite parts of Sundays!

7. The rainbow cupcakes that Abbey and her friends made on Friday turned out REALLY great! They had a blast making, decorating, and eating them! Here's a (not-so-great) picture of ours before the frostingpalooza began. There is a recipe link in the post below this one.

Alrighty. It's almost time for Downton Abbey--our current favorite show--so I must say goodnight and sign off. Have a great week, everyone!

Life::: the random and rambling edition

2012-01-27T05:25:00.010-07:00

I am so glad it's Friday! I have big plans for today that include laundry, cleaning, and preparing for a little after-school soiree for some cute fourth grade girls. Yesterday I bought the stuff for them to make these cute cupcakes and we have some fun crafts planned as well. I'm looking forward to a fun afternoon with giggly girls.

It's been a very full week but it's been full of some fun things! We had a couple of fabulous weather days so of course I managed to squeeze in a couple of hikes, including one of my favorites--the Manitou Incline! I didn't take any pictures this time, but I wore my trax and didn't even need them. All the ice that was there earlier this month had completely melted and I was thankful! [Local friends, that link is to a YouTube video I found about the Incline and it's super interesting. It's long, but worth it. And Part II is worth watching as well.]

It's also been full of necessary things. I've had some appointments and some meetings and some work stuff and some volunteer obligations. And of course there's always carpool and laundry and dinner and those kinds of "daily" things.

I would LOVE a slow weekend. But I'm not too hopeful about that at this point. Sigh.

Here's a few random phone pics from the week that I took for one reason or another, along with my rambling commentary. Random and rambling. That's how I roll.

Abbey is almost finished with Phase I of her orthodontic treatment. She gets her expander taken out next month and her brackets taken off as well. Not sure how long before Phase II begins. She chose purple and black bands this time and you'll learn why a few pics down.

SCORE! I found this cake mix in the deep recesses of my pantry a couple of weeks ago and finally made it last night. Trader Joe's vanilla cake is something I stock up on whenever I'm in St Louis or Santa Fe (or anywhere else we travel that has TJs!) Can't remember where this one came from but who cares? Because rumor has it that Trader Joe's is FINALLY coming to Colorado. Yay. No more mailing my loot home because there's no room in my carry-on luggage!

I think these TOMS are so cute. Abbey got them for Christmas but the size/style was goofed up, so one month and two trips to Denver later we finally ended up with the right pair. She loves them. I bought a pair for myself in October but didn't love them and ended up returning them (for boots) because I was afraid my feet would freeze all winter long (and they would have). Abbey's are wool so I think she's okay. And NOW do you see why she chose black/purple bands for her braces? Evidently she wanted her teeth to match her toes. That girl.

This was my dinner plate one night this week. Spaghetti and meatballs is a go-to dinner around here. It's quick, easy, and delicious especially when paired with greek salad. I found this gluten-free pasta that I really like so now I'm able to enjoy pasta dishes again. Oh, and my best tip for making meatballs is to wear gloves!

I just thought this picture was funny. Jack-the-Beagle sleeping on the floor BESIDE his bed. Why? Why? Why? I will never understand that dog.

That's all, folks. Happy Weekend everyone!

iHike

2012-01-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hiking is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. I love love LOVE it. It feeds my soul.

John and I were out hiking a few days after Christmas and he looked over at me and said, "Mer, when I married you twenty-some-odd years ago, I never really pictured the two of us out hiking together". It's true. I have come a long way. Living in this beautiful, temperate place without too many snakes or mosquitos or humidity has certainly helped grow my appreciation of the outdoors!

We've had some really gorgeous days this month and I'm trying to milk them for all they're worth so I've been hiking every time I get a chance. If I'm honest it's partly because I got new hiking shoes for Christmas and I love wearing them! I came home from a hike with friends in early January that involved some rock climbing and when I saw a gash in the smooth leather of my new shoes it made me smile with pride. I don't want my hiking shoes to look perfect. I want them to bear evidence of every single mile of rugged terrain they've traversed.

Here are a few pics that I've taken with my phone while out...

There is no blue quite like the blue sky in Colorado!

LOVED finding this tree still decorated in early January! LOVE that someone thought to brighten the trail with festive decorations too! So fun. And I also LOVE these two girls

Most of the trails around here are still pretty snowpacked and icy requiring me to wear trax (those things are AWESOME!)

Don't those scenery photos just make your heart sing? I LOVE WHERE WE LIVE! I don't ever take for granted the fact that we live in a place of stunning beauty. I feel happy and deeply thankful when I'm driving along the front range and see the mountains on my west and know that I've explored so much of that terrain. If God ever moves us away from Colorado, I will leave knowing that I made the most of my time here and got to experience as much of the beauty of the land as I possibly could. It's so much a part of ME!

Currently

2012-01-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

Current Books: I'm feeling some shame that month after month I have to admit I'm not reading much of anything. I'm definitely experiencing a dry spell. Two books on my to-read list are Beautiful Outlaw and Odd Girl Out. Maybe next month I will have finished one of them. Cross your fingers.

Current Playlist: A worship mix.

Current Color: Red.

Current Drink: I have seven caffeine-free months under my belt so that really limits my choices. I mostly drink Good Earth tea, water, and occasionally Zevia caffeine-free cola.

Current Food: I've been enjoying some amazing blackberries from Costco lately. I'm also hooked on goat cheese--on (gluten-free) crackers, on salads, and just by itself.

Current Favorite Favorite: Downton Abbey! It's sooooooo good, y'all. Also, I rediscovered my dutch oven. It was actually my grandmother's and my mom gave it to me a few years ago. I've been using it a LOT lately and I love it!

Current Wishlist: A black and white chevron scarf. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what I want and of what I don't. Sadly, I can't find one like the one in my mind's eye. Oh, and I also really like these touch screen gloves.

Current Needs: New dishwasher. Joy.

Current Triumph: I'm caught up on laundry! That's a biggie!

Current Annoyances: The crazy wind we've had this week. Lying. Passive-agressiveness.

Current Indulgence: A 10-15 minute nap in the afternoons. I get up super early most days and lately I've needed that little power nap to get me through the evenings!

Current Mood: Quiet.

Current Blessing: Getting to spend time with one of my best friends from high school. She was in Denver last weekend visiting her in-laws and we met for a day of shopping (hello, IKEA!) and got to catch up a little since our (short) visit last summer. I wish she lived closer so we could do that more. Love you, Jennifer. :)

Current Outfit: Jeans, UGGS, long-sleeved tee, down vest, and scarf.

Current Excitement: It's supposed to be nice outside today so I'm hiking with some friends. Plus, it's Thursday--one day closer to the weekend...and football! Hooray!

Current Link: A few actually...
25 Ways to Wear a Scarf (really cool YouTube video)(it's worth the 4.5 minutes!)
A Letter from my 90-Year-Old Self (A post on my husband's blog)
A movie that I watched this week and LOVED!

Newsy schtuff

2012-01-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the kids last day of break. School resumes tomorrow and my guess is that this week is gonna be long and hard. We have a fun outing planned for later today--our way of saying good-bye to a fabulous winter break.

Can you believe we're almost one-third of the way through January? I'm super thankful for some pretty mild weather so far this year. We were in the 60s for a couple of day last week and it was glorious! I was able to get out and hike and I had to keep reminding myself it was January and not April. Of course, it snowed a couple of days later, but thankfully just an inch or so. I am very anxious for spring to arrive and to stay!

We had some friends over on Saturday night for appetizers and soup. It's always risky to try a new recipe when you're having guests but I took the risk on a pot of soup and was not disappointed! Of course I wasn't too worried since it was Paula Deen's recipe for Poblano Chicken Chowder and Paula doesn't usually steer me wrong. Y'all, it was REALLY, REALLY good and probably my new favorite winter soup! It makes a ton though. I was feeding a crowd so I did not adjust the recipe but when I make it for my family, I will probably halve the recipe.
Side note: the group of friends we had over was the same group that we had over last January when Jack-the-beagle had his unfortunate incident. We try not to let (bad) history repeat itself so Jack saw the vet on Saturday morning for his "massage therapy" and I'm happy to report the party was incident free!

Moving on...to football!

I was SUPER DUPER HAPPY that the Razorbacks won the Cotton Bowl! Bunco happened to fall on the same night as the game so I got a sub for Bunco (because I'm a football fanatic) in order to stay home and watch the game without distractions. We only have one television hooked up to cable and one of our nameless children was throwing a holy fit about having to miss the series finale of Wizards of Waverly Place because of the Cotton Bowl so we watched the first half at home, then kept the peace and moved our viewing vigil to a sports bar down the road and watched the second half over hot wings and brats. About half of my Bunco group came and joined us for the last quarter--it was really FUN! Poor John was at a table surrounded by six women. Not sure if he loved it or was overwhelmed by us all!

The Broncos WON their playoff game last night too! I hate to admit that I had my doubts about their ability to pull it off but even more than that I hate to admit that I DIDN'T EVEN WATCH THE GAME! That wasn't necessarily by choice. John and I listened to the first half on the radio while driving to Divide, CO yesterday afternoon. Our friends, Steve and Gwen, have a beautiful retreat center there called Potter's Inn and on the first Sunday of each month they host a Sunday Evening Dinner at the Inn. The speaker last night was John Eldredge. He shared from his new book, Beautiful Outlaw, about the personality of Jesus and reading scripture with an understanding of that personality. It was very, very good. And dinner (prime rib!) was a-mazing. If you're local, check out the happenings at Potter's Inn.

Alrighty. I must get up and get movin' and get this day-o-fun started! Happy Monday everyone!

Listy

2012-01-04T08:56:00.002-07:00

I almost titled this post "First List of the New Year" but caught myself because this is January 4 and I've already made half a dozen lists since the year began. If you're listy like me you just can't help yourself!

1. On Monday I took Abbey to the orthodontist. On Tuesday I took all three of my children to the dentist. And today I'm taking Abbey back to the dentist to have a small procedure. She keeps letting me know in no small voice that having three dental appointments in three days is torture and deserves some kind of reward. I sort of agree with her but trust me, her reward will NOT be something sugary that might necessitate a fourth dental visit!

2. John went back to work today. Bah-humbug. I like it best when we're all home but I am very grateful for the time he was able to spend with us. Also thankful for his job and the dental insurance it provides!

3. I'm having trouble remembering what day it actually is because they're all running together in my head. Ahhh...the uncomplicated days of holiday break! I'm going to be in for a rude awakening next week! We all are.

4. Only two more days until the Cotton Bowl. I've only watched one other bowl game this year. I really lose interest in post season college football unless I have a vested interest in a specific team. NFL football is another story though. I like it much better as a whole. By the way, I won THIRD place in my fantasy league this year and was pretty pleased with that finish.

5. I'm outrageously late to the Words With Friends party but I've been playing for the past week and I'm officially hooked. And officially mediocre. I'm just gonna throw it out there that one goal I have for 2012 is to beat my friend, Jen, at least once. She's won every game we've played and it's bringing out the ugly competitor in me.

6. Another lofty goal I have for 2012 is to teach my children to appreciate the non-chain restaurant. We went to Denver on Monday afternoon and when it came time to choose a place for dinner our family was divided against itself. John and I eventually used our veto power to override the kids' unoriginal chain choices and we ended up finding a fabulous Mexican dive that has the potential to become our new favorite. Score one for live! live! live!

7. Just ripped this photo from Moriah's blog! She was in town last week and we met for lunch. We've been blog friends for a LONG time and it's always fun to get to see her when she comes to Colorado to see her family. I think her kids loved the snow!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Twenty Twelve.

2012-01-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love love love turning my calendar page to a new month but there is something even more exciting about hanging a brand new calendar with twelve months of blank space ahead. I am genuinely excited about what 2012 might hold for us!

I actually do make goals for each year and while I didn't openly share mine last year, I'm proud to say made significant progress towards each one. The only one that I totally flaked on was "learn to make really good buffalo wings". Shoot! That one will get bumped to 2012 along with some others that I'm not going to jinx by sharing.

We had a great time on New Year's Eve. We got together with friends and ate decadent food and played hysterical games! I LOVE to laugh with friends! I made both of these recipes over the weekend and both were a hit and too yummy not to share. Blue Cheese Bacon Dip and Stuffed Mushrooms. You're welcome!

John and I started the new year off with a climb up the Manitou Incline.

We've never done this hike together so that was kinda fun. Climbing up was the easy part. Going down was HORRIBLE because most of Barr Trail looked like this--that's icepack not fluffy snow. I took my trax but left them in the car because I didn't want to carry them on the hike up. That was a stupid, stupid mistake. I fell once on the way down and it wasn't pretty! It usually takes me about 35-40 minutes to walk/jog back down but it took us 1.5 hours yesterday. Anyway, it was a fun albeit treacherous start to the new year!

Other than that, we've been eating, watching football, eating, playing games (we love Just Dance for the Wii!), eating, and I think today we're going to get out for one last hurrah before John goes back to work. We've LOVED having him home with us. It's going to be sad to send him off to work on Wednesday after twelve days of family togetherness.

I mentioned in my last post that I'd share my word from 2011.
My word was: SHIFT
It means a slight change in position, direction, or tendency.
I definitely saw a shift in priorities, relationships, finances, and parenting this year. On top of that, I picked up a part-time job that shifted the structure of my days a bit.

I also mentioned that we came up with a family slogan for the year of twenty-twelve. It's live! live! live!
John blogged about it here (and he says things much more poetically than I do) but basically, we want to live life and enjoy it to it's fullest this year. I think we're already off to a good start. Happy New Year!!!

Well hello there!

2011-12-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

I seem to have forgotten that I have a blog.

Actually, my hiatus from blogging wasn't planned but it was nice. Our family of five has been enjoying a lot of family time and it's been wonderful. Because I try to keep a chronological record of things here on my blog, I'm going to fill you in on some of what we've been up to.

We enjoyed a visit with John's parents the week before Christmas. One night we opened gifts with them and one afternoon we drove up to Denver to see White Christmas, which by the way, was superb! They also helped us get our Christmas cards and letter stuffed, sealed, and stamped in record time and they kept the kids while we went to a Christmas party. It was a short visit but it was a really nice one.

The kids got out of school SO late this year. Their last day was December 21st. Abbey's winter break began a couple of days early because of fever and a stomach bug. Yuck. I felt so sorry for her having to miss her Christmas party at school. She seems to have a knack for missing school parties, but thankfully she didn't share that bug with the rest of us!

We got a really big snow last week. I never heard the final snow totals but it was at least a foot (on top of the 3-4 inches that fell earlier in the week). I love snow in December but it definitely gets in the way of my morning walk with friends! We keep plowing through it anyway...and it's always worth it.

On Christmas Eve Eve (I love saying that) we drove up to the 16th Street Mall in Denver. We'd hoped to take John's parents when they were here but we ran out of time. We walked around and looked at the lights, shopped a little, and enjoyed a delicious dinner. It was a nice family day!

Our Christmas Eve was very low key. The kids played outside in the snow, we cleaned and cooked, watched holiday movies, and stayed in our pjs until church that evening. Abbey kept saying all day that it just didn't feel like Christmas Eve. John and I agreed that it really sort of didn't and we just figured it was because school got out so late this year and no one really had time to relax and let the anticipation build. Abbey leaned over to John in the middle of Christmas Eve worship and said, "Now it feels like Christmas, Dad." I'd be lying if I told you that our eyes stayed dry.

Christmas day was perfect! The kids got up SUPER EARLY to open gifts and I must say that Santa was VERY good to all of us this year. We made the choice to stay home this year--and it was the right choice--but it was sad for us not to be with our families. On Christmas afternoon, we played around with a pocket camcorder and made this video for our family in Arkansas. The people who live in my house may disown me for ~~embarrassing them~~ sharing it with you but I'm going to anyway because I think it's fun...and yet slightly embarrassing. If you watch "The Middle" on television then you'll get the ending...if not, then you need to watch that show because it is seriously funny!

John has been on vacation this week and we've been out and about almost every day since Christmas doing something fun--the movies, the mall, and a DATE!

I'm so thankful that after twenty-one years of marriage, we still love spending time together. The kids and I have another week of him at home with us and we couldn't be happier! School doesn't start back until JANUARY 10. You know I'm loving that, right? I really truly am!

John asked each of us at dinner the other night to think of one word that would describe 2011. I've been thinking about my word and I hope to be back to share it with you all soon. He also came up with a fun family slogan for 2012 and I'll probably share that too!

Things I learned over the weekend...

2011-12-12T07:25:00.001-07:00

1. Your keyless remote will NOT work if you're pointing it at the wrong car. Yep. A true senior moment. Go ahead, laugh. I did too.

2. I don't need to watch the entire Broncos game. I can tune in for the fourth quarter and catch all the excitement. Side note: I haven't really been much of a Tebow fan...until now. I'm a believer!

3. Lunar eclipses are worth getting up for. In the past I've just kinda been "eh" when I've heard one was happening. I got up early to walk with my neighbors on Saturday and to our surprise and delight we got to see the eclipse from start to finish while we were walking. It was AMAZING! Did you see it?

4. If you accidentally rip an entire toenail off it will hurt. It will hurt a LOT.

5. These enchiladas are fantastic. I usually prefer to eat enchiladas at a mexican joint because I can't ever get the taste quite right at home. Not anymore. This recipe is a game changer.

Holiday Currents. Not to be confused with Holiday Currants!

2011-12-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

My December currents...

Current Books: How pathetic is it that I haven't read a book in ages!?! Even if I had time to sit and read, I don't think I have the attention span to finish a book. L-A-M-E.

Current Playlist: Anything Christmas! I'm especially loving Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Point of Grace, Jim Brickman, and Glee Christmas!

Current Color: Black, red, gray, and lime green. Though not necessarily together!

Current Drink: Same 'ole, same 'ole--Good Earth tea, water, and occasionally Zevia soda.

Current Food: I really, really love red meat and seem to crave it all the time. And this time of year those clementine "Cuties" are soooooo yummy.

Current Favorite Favorite: THIS CANDLE from Bath and Body Works. It makes my house smell so good and Christmasy!

Current Wishlist: Yaktrax and Cotton Bowl tickets. Santa has been informed.

Current Needs: More hours in my days! And someone to do my laundry.

Current Triumph: Well, I've got several. 1. I survived an insane week. 2. John and I got our basement cleaned and organized last weekend! 3. I found a unique gift for my very-hard-to-buy-for husband and have successfully hidden it from him. 4. I've blogged more in one week than I have in a very long time. TRIUMPH!

Current Bane of my Existence: The snow plows that bank snow in front of our driveway AFTER we have cleared it all away make me want to say really bad words. Huge piles of heavy, wet, snow got pushed up against the curb two days ago and now we have this frozen hump of snow that we have to drive over when we pull into our driveway. It's gonna be there awhile because it's so packed that it won't be melting anytime soon. Such a pain. Grrrrrr.

Current Indulgence: Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses! I love those things.

Current Mood: Most of the time I think I'm pretty merry and jolly--just like the season. But every once in awhile Grinchy Mer pops in for a visit.

Current #1 Blessing: It's hard to list only one so here are a few: a warm house, vehicles that start faithfully every morning, children that love each other, a fulfilling marriage, and good health!

Current Outfit: Well, my favorite part of any outfit these days is a scarf because it instantly adds color and interest to an otherwise plain outfit. My favorite place to buy scarves is Forever 21 because they're cute and they're cheap! I bought this one the other day and I'm loving it.

Current Excitement: John got tickets to the stage production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas in Denver next weekend. SOOOOOOOO stinkin' excited! His parents will be here and they're going with us. YAY!

Current Link: I posted a bunch of links yesterday but came across this one last night for some great teacher gift ideas, and these peppermint cookies look pretty yummy too!

Happy weekend, y'all!

Inspired.

2011-12-09T06:46:00.007-07:00

Got a few links to share with you guys today. Links to things that inspire me or are too good not to share!

My real-life friend, Angie, made these ADORABLE and (very inexpensive!) leg warmers to wear with boots. Sarah and I want to try making some this weekend! If you only click on one link in this post make it THIS one!

We also hope to make some of these rice-heat bags. I bought one a few weeks ago and I use it daily because it's been so stinkin' cold here! The one I have is wonderful.

This feta dip is sooooo good and sooooo easy. Make it! Seriously! I made a small bowl of it for lunch yesterday. I ate it with some leftover pita chips we had because I didn't that kind of bread on hand. Pita chips aren't gluten-free but I've found I can tolerate small amounts of wheat once or twice a week. It's just the everyday consumption that really affects me.

Another friend directed me to this blog last week and I LOVE it. She has some really great gluten-free recipes and I made these steak tacos with cilantro lime rice one night this week and they were delicious! My family gave them two thumbs up.

These chewy gingerbread bars are not gluten-free but they look wonderful! Maybe I'll find some time to bake soon because these are definitely on my list!

Raise your hand if you're glad it's FRIDAY!!!! Yep, me too! Have a great weekend, people!

thirteen minutes...

2011-12-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I have thirteen minutes before I have to leave for my afternoon carpool round so I thought I'd sit here and spill the random contents of my brain.

1. This is so superficial. I got my hair cut and colored yesterday. The last time I had my hair highlighted, my stylist went really light. I liked it but I didn't like my dark roots when my hair started growing out. I told her yesterday that I didn't want to go that light again so she suggested I go a little more natural. I thought that sounded like a good idea but wowza, I didn't realize how dark my natural color was. It's dark, y'all. I'm not sure I like it. At least I don't have to worry about dark roots when my hair grows. I don't go very often for color so I'm guessing maybe around Easter I can lighten it up again. I'll probably be counting the days...

2. John took the day off yesterday and we went to Denver to do some Christmas shopping. I did a little bit prior to yesterday (on Black Friday) but we bought everything on yesterday's list and only have a few more things left to buy before Christmas. YAY!!! It was a fun day!

3. The "check engine" light came on in my van at the end of last week. We took it to our wonderful mechanic yesterday before we left for Denver and we stopped back by there on our way into town to pick it up. Something was clogging the air filter and guess what? They didn't charge me a dime to clean it! I heart our mechanic. Especially when he saves me money in December!

4. I'm excited about our Advent service at church tonight. Our entire church staff is at a conference in California and so they asked John to teach tonight. I can't wait. He's my favorite speaker EVER. I'm also excited that I don't have to cook tonight because we have a soup supper before the service. I signed up to bring two pies but between our trip to Denver yesterday and volunteering all morning at the elementary school I ran out of time to bake. Thank goodness for the Village Inn. I picked up a cherry and a chocolate pie to bring tonight. They'll probably be better than any pie I could have made from scratch!

Okay...my time is up. Minnie-the-van is calling. Happy Wednesday, peeps.

Tell About It Tuesday: 3 Things

2011-12-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've done a Tell About It Tuesday post so today you're getting three in one. My blog readers are sooooo lucky.

1. New-Skin Liquid Bandage. Y'all. This stuff is amazing! It's exactly what it says--a liquid bandage. Over Thanksgiving break I got a small cut on my index finger that would not heal. Between cooking all week and the constant washing of hands (I'm an admitted germaphobe and wash my hands obsessively) and the need to do normal things that require the use of your index finger (like buttoning jeans) my cut kept splitting open. And it was painful. I remembered that I'd bought this liquid bandage for John when his knuckles kept splitting open from our cold, dry air and would not/could not heal either and so I tried it. You simply brush it on with the applicator and let it dry. It burned like crazy for a few minutes because it has an antiseptic in it, but then the New-Skin dried and formed a waterproof seal for my cut. You can reapply if you need to, but one application did the trick and lasted for four to five days--long enough for my cut to completely heal despite the all the cooking and hand-washing and jean-buttoning. I LOVE this stuff. It retails for around $4. Two other things to note. One, it stinks. It works great, but it smells bad. Two, it comes in a glass bottle which isn't shatterproof when dropped on a tile bathroom floor. Not that I'd know anything about that.

2. Emergen-C. I swear by this stuff. Last week I started coming down with a cold. Stuffy head, headache, congestion, runny nose and one night I even felt achy all over. I immediately started chugging Emergen-C. And you know what? I kicked that cold to the curb! It didn't happen instantly (or even overnight) but by drinking Emergen-C a few times a day my symptoms never worsened and were completely gone within three days, which is great because who has time to be sick during the holidays?

Basically, it's a packet of flavored powder that you dissolve in water that turns into a fizzy, vitamin-packed drink. Each packet has 1000mg of Vitamin C (plus other vitamins and minerals) and I've found that the B vitamins give me a little burst of energy (bonus)! You can buy it at Walmart, most drugstores, and health food stores. My health food store sells individual packets which is nice if you're trying to find a flavor you like, but it's much cheaper to buy a box. It'd be terrible though to be stuck with a box in a flavor you can't tolerate. Personally, I like the Tropical flavor best, though the Orange and Tangerine aren't too bad. The packets are usually around .50 each and the box retails for around $8. When I feel myself starting to get sick, I usually mix and drink three packets a day--morning, noon, and evening.

3. Microfiber cleaning cloths. I'm a clean freak. I wish I could deny it but I can't. My friend, Molly, told me about these cloths last summer and I am crazy addicted to them. They are amazing. I use them for so many things--cleaning my computer screen and electronics, cleaning stainless steel, polishing faucet fixtures, windows, countertops, and any dusting any surface imaginable. They pick up dust and trap it so you're not spreading it all around and the fibers leave glass and stainless steel shiny and perfectly streak free. Seriously. STREAK-FREE! They're super absorbent too which makes them perfect for cleaning up spills. I bought several of the ones I linked to above (because they were cheap!) but they're so big that I ended up cutting each large square into four smaller ones making them the perfect size for dusting or cleaning. Note: If you cut your microfiber down to a smaller size, you'll need to "seal" the edges so they won't fray. I just ran a lighted match around the edges to kinda melt/seal the edges and have had zero problems.

Yes, I really just blogged about liquid bandages, vitamin drinks, and CLEANING cloths. I'm a dork. A liquid-bandaged, cold-free, and cleaning obsessed DORK.

A snow day and a mystery solved!

2011-12-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose a word to describe December (so far) it would be SNOWY! We're only five days into this merry month but we've had snow almost every one of those five days. Since December began, the kids haven't had a full day of school thanks to weather delays or closures and today is ANOTHER snow day--let the celebrating begin! I'm actually glad that it worked out this way. Sarah was at a Wyldlife Winter Camp all weekend and came home very tired and Will isn't feeling super great. They could both use a down day and I was thinking yesterday how nice a three day weekend would be!

Yesterday, Abbey helped solve a perplexing mystery. I picked her up from a birthday party yesterday afternoon and as we were getting in the car, she said, "Mom, I kept feeling some kind of metal thing in my snow boots and when I pulled it out it was an iPhone." HUH? An iPhone? In your snow boots? Hooray! I knew immediately that it belonged to my niece. When we were leaving Winter Park last New Years, Mikenzie could not find her iPhone. All eleven of us searched every inch of our condo, our cars, our luggage, etc and could NOT find that phone. I guess I never thought to look in Abbey's boots, though I did look in every other nook and cranny for most of January. Abbey was so proud of herself for solving the mystery some forty-eight weeks later. Thankfully the iPhone still works despite Abbey walking all over Walmart and ArtSports with it in her boot because she thought having something metal inside snow boots was perfectly normal. Sorry about that Mikenzie! Case closed.

It's DECEMBER!

2011-12-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

I flipped my calendar to December yesterday--a happy thing for me. I'm determined to have a stellar attitude about this wonderful, fun, activity-filled month! The kids get out of school for Christmas much later than they ever have and so our weekends are packed with activity, and if you've read this blog for any length of time you probably know how I feel about weekends that leave no room for rest. I'm going to stay positive though...I think I can I think I can I think I can. Smile.

I've got some scattered thoughts in my head this morning. Lucky you.

I think I have a sensitivity to gluten. I eliminated a whole bunch of things from my diet back in May, including gluten. I've added everything back at this point with no problem except for gluten. It just makes me feel YUCK! Things flared up for me over Thanksgiving break so I eliminated it again and felt 100% better until yesterday when I ate something with regular flour in it. I guess I'm going to join the ranks of gluten-free friends. Will you please leave me a comment if you're gluten-free? I'd like to have some people to dialogue with and share recipes!

You know yesterday when I mentioned that we had to have our heater repaired this week? Yeah. We found a leaky pipe in our basement yesterday afternoon and had to have that repaired as well. It's been a costly week for home repairs. Sigh. Seems like something big either breaks or needs to be replaced at our house every year in December. Last year it was our refrigerator. Again though, I'm thankful we had the money to take care of things, thankful things are working now, and thankful things weren't worse!

The only reason I have time to blog this morning is because our schools are on a two-hour delay. We had snow and icy roads yesterday and things are still slick this morning. My kids are still sleeping--hallelujah!!! They are so wiped by the time Friday rolls around. This extra sleeping time is a gift for them. (And it would have been for me too if the text message relaying the delay hadn't woken me up at 4:24AM! Drat!)

Oh oh oh! Remember that earring I thought I lost at Kohl's last month? I was sitting in the pick up line at school one day this week and decided it was time to clean all the trash out of my van. I reached down in the door pocket to grab some trash and something caught my eye. I might have squealed when I realized it was my earring! I'm sure the lady in customer service at Kohl's will be relieved to know I found it. I've checked the lost and found there um, several times lately. It's always the same employee and she always looks at me with a sad and slightly annoyed face and says, "Sorry, no earring has been turned in."

I thought of several other things earlier that I wanted to mention but now I'm drawing a blank. I should probably get up and get moving though. Two-hour delays are great but that means fewer hours in my day to get all my Friday things finished up! Happy weekend, peeps!

Twenty-Eight. Twenty-Nine. Thirty!

2011-12-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

I guess technically I should have finished this series yesterday.

#28 I am thankful for a heater that works. We woke up Monday to no heat in the house. Honestly, it wasn't that cold outside so it wasn't too big of a deal. The repairman came and replaced a part...a teeny-tiny part that cost a small fortune...and voila! we had heat again. I'm thankful we had money for the repair in our checking account, thankful for jobs that keep money in our checking account, and I'm SUPER thankful we have heat today because it's snowy and frrrrreeeeeeeezing cold outside.

#29 I am thankful for small things that bring BIG joy! A sweet text message from a friend, a friend bringing me my favorite candy (Bit-O-Honey--thank you, T!), a phone call from a friend I haven't talked to in awhile, a FOUND earring, a "thanks, mom" from one of my kiddos.

#30 I am thankful for our church's soup suppers and Advent services. We went to our first Advent service at church last night and it was beautiful. There's something about sitting in a quiet, candle-lit sanctuary that really stirs me. The music we sing and and the scriptures we read are very centering and I love the opportunity to quiet my heart and mind and REALLY focus on what's important this season. It's sooooo good. And I'm sooooo thankful for that time.

Gratitude is something I believe we can (and should) express every single day of our lives!

Twenty-Two. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. Twenty-Five. Twenty-Six. Twenty-Seven.

2011-11-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

I am doing a poor job of blogging lately. Sorry!!! I keep finding things I'd rather be doing but I still have so many things I want to give thanks for!

#22 I am thankful for family! I am so blessed to be a part of a big family and I am so blessed to be a part of John's family too! It was a little sad not to spend Thanksgiving in Arkansas and we definitely missed seeing all of those that we love, but we were deeply thankful for a week of rest and relaxation at home.

#23 I am thankful for perspective. A friend told me last week that her cancer is back--her brain cancer. Understandably she's not doing so well. Another friend is watching her marriage crumble before her very eyes and struggling to understand how this could be happening to her. It's sad and gut-wrenching and I feel so helpless. All the things in my life that seem difficult don't even register on the scale compared to these two. Perspective makes gratitude easier. Much easier.

#24 I am thankful that my sister taught me how to make homemade cranberry sauce last year. Oh my word. It's delicious and easy-peasy and was a great addition to our turkey dinner on Thursday. I was also grateful that I could share a delicious meal with my family (and some yummy desserts with friends) and grateful for a pre-meal hike with my husband!

#25 I am thankful for my wonderful neighbors! I've told y'all before (many, many times) how much we love our neighborhood and it's all because of the people we call neighbors. They're the kind of folks who will watch your dog when you're out of town or will let you borrow a cup of sugar when you're in the middle of baking cookies or will shovel your driveway for you when your husband is out of town or will take you Black Friday shopping and make it so much fun that you forget how tired you are! They've become dear friends to us in the time we have lived here and I'm quite certain that they will all be our friends for LIFE! We are so blessed by them.

#26 I am thankful for a fun day with my family. Yesterday we trekked up to Denver for some shopping at our favorite mall. We didn't end up buying a single thing (except lunch!) but it was fun and I think John and I have a very good idea of what our kids need/want for Christmas. We came home for a couple of hours and I managed to squeeze in a most wonderful nap before we headed down to meet some friends at the Broadmoor hotel for their Christmas tree lighting ceremony. It was GORGEOUS but it was so so so so so so cold! I loved the heat lamps scattered all around the grounds! I really should have taken pictures of the gingerbread houses made by the hotel chefs and of the ice sculptures. I think our family has a new tradition!

#27 I am thankful for my church family!
I was sitting in church this morning and started looking at all the people around me and I really just felt grateful for the way that the lives of those people overlap with ours and grateful for a shared faith in Christ. Today was the first Sunday of Advent and I'm grateful for this season that quiets our hearts and minds and helps us focus on the meaning of this holiday season.

Happy Sunday, y'all. And GO BRONCOS!

Twenty-One.

2011-11-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

#21 I am thankful for my (faux) wood floors!
Honestly, we waited sooooooooo long to replace the ugly vinyl and carpet throughout our house but this summer that flooring came up and new flooring was laid and I am grateful for it every single day. It looks clean even when it's filthy (a huge improvement over the white vinyl and light carpet!) and it's super easy to clean. As I was cleaning those floors today I knew exactly what I wanted to blog about being thankful for!

I'm also thankful for clean sheets! Climbing into a freshly made bed at the end of the day is one of my favorite things ever. AND...clean sheets are even better when they're washed, dried, and put back on the bed by my sweet husband!

Did you hear that? My bed is calling. Goodnight!

Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.

2011-11-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Continuing my Thirty Thankful days...

#16 I am thankful for our mechanic. John's car has been doing weird things since May. Something has been causing the battery to drain overnight but neither our local mechanic or the dealership could figure out what it was. John thought he had figured it out a couple of months ago, but with our first big snow it started acting up again and he began having to jump his car every single morning. What a pain! Last week he took his car to the shop to have new tires put on. The mechanic called the next morning and said he found the electrical problem and it was less than $100 to fix! His car has started perfectly since then. It was such a random thing that the mechanic even found it but we are very grateful!

#17 I am thankful for my girls!
I love these two so much. They are sweet and funny and smart (they both have straight A's right now!) and creative and big-hearted and just a joy to be around! I love that they love and enjoy each other. It is such a gift to have a sister and I don't think that is lost on them. Last night, they gave each other facials and Sarah rolled their hair before bed using a sock and instructions from a video she saw on YouTube. It turned out cute...and curly...this morning but their smiles and giggles last night were music to this mama's ears. I am thankful for the privilege of being their mom!

#18 I'm thankful for my bifocals. You might remember I had to get bifocals after my visit to the eye doctor this summer. I don't love wearing glasses but I love that I can actually SEE when I do. I've been relying on them more and more--to read, to drive, to watch television or movies. They help tremendously and I'm thankful for them!

#19 This is kinda superficial but I am thankful for my new boots. Last month John gifted me with a pair that I'd been wanting and I really really love them. They're super casual but they're very comfy and VERY warm! My feet are happy these days.

#20 I am thankful for my couch and our big comfy sofa pillow. Those two things together make for the perfect Sunday afternoon nap! It was wonderful.

Catching up...

2011-11-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm playing catch up in all areas of life right now...including THE BLOG! But, it's easy to catch up when you have things to be thankful for.

#12 Last Friday I made my big grocery run to two grocery stores plus Costco. Therefore I am thankful for a full fridge and pantry. I really don't know if I can convey how grateful I am when I open the pantry or refrigerator door and see full shelves. Some of the twenty-one years of our marriage have been leaner than others and I know how to pinch a penny pretty hard. I pray that I will never take the blessing of provision for granted.

#13 I am thankful for dear friends. Our weekend was very friend-centric. Some highlights include a very fun 50th birthday party for a fun friend and getting to see some other dear friends who recently had a baby. We got to meet their sweet baby and spend a little bit of time catching up over Pinkberry! We also had a delicious dinner with friends on Sunday evening and I even managed to squeeze another friend's holiday party in there too. Friends make life so much sweeter, don't ya think? We feel so blessed to call some of the most amazing people on the planet our friends!

#14 I am thankful for a slower-paced week! Yesterday was really nice. I spent some time at home yesterday morning restoring order after a full weekend. I spent some time working. And then I went to Target just for fun. Can't tell you the last time I went somewhere "just because". It was very, very nice! I have some things scheduled for the rest of the week but honestly, I'm finally feeling like I'm not going full speed 24/7 and it's a beautiful feeling!

#15 I am thankful for my mom. I talked to her for a long time yesterday and it turns out that we're both facing some similar stuff--some similar hard stuff. I think we both sort of helped each other process some of it. It was good and I'm thankful for her! And hate we live so far away from each other.

Alright. My blog time is up. Hope you're all having a good week! Peace out, peeps.

Five on Friday

2011-11-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm copying my friend, Susan (aka CarpoolQueen), and her Five on Friday idea. I'll resume the thankfulness tomorrow...

1. I am sooooooooo glad it's Friday. Our weekend is going to be full of good things and good friends and I'm excited about it! Let the goodness begin!

2. Abbey and I ran to Kohl's last night to return some things. I guess while I was there I lost one of my favorite earrings. I'm so sad about it. I'm going to call them later and see if they possibly found it. Don't you hate it when you lose things you love!?! My earring might be lost, but I found some adorable Christmas pjs for my nephew while there last night. Gotta get them packaged up and mailed to my sister today!

3. We're not traveling for Thanksgiving. I'm sad to not be with our family but I know it was the best decision for us. John recently finished some big book projects and he's mentally, physically, and creatively drained. He wanted us to have the holiday break to spend time resting and recharging as a family (and let's face it, driving 2000 miles isn't really all that restful). So we're staying put. I'm cooking a big turkey dinner and we've invited some friends to join us. I'm looking forward to a week of family togetherness, and football, and possibly a trip to the mountains. And NO homework. Man, am I ready for a week of that!

4. This time change has really messed up my sleeping pattern. I usually wake up around 5-5:30 but since the time changed it's been more like 4-4:30. NOT COOL! Not cool at all. The good news is that I get a lot done in the mornings. The bad news is that I'm toast by 7:30pm. It's pathetic.

5. Today, I'm thankful for a lunch date with my favorite person in the whole wide world (#11)! I'm meeting John after I finish some stuff for work. We had to reschedule from earlier in the week and so I've been anticipating this all week. Yay, yay, yay!

Happy Friday, peeps! Hope your weekend is fallish and fun and full of things you love!

#10

2011-11-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

#10: I'm thankful for these teenage girls.

Sarah brought some friends over after school today. They're staying for dinner and I'm taking them to Wyldlife tonight. I love listening to them laugh and talk. They're sweet girls and they've been Sarah's friends for a while now. I love that they're comfortable at our house (like comfortable enough to open the pantry and grab a handful of chocolate chips)(or get a drink from the fridge) and that they talk to me! I enjoy having them around so much and I'm grateful for their presence in the life of our family!

#7, #8, #9

2011-11-09T06:17:00.002-07:00

Blogging every day is not easy, y'all--which is why I find myself playing catch up with these Thankful Days posts.

#7 (Monday): I was thankful for an extra day of weekend!
The kids were out of school Monday. {Big happy sigh}Will spent Friday-Sunday at a Young Life Winter Camp so it was nice for him to have a catch-up day at home. We did homework, cleaned rooms, shopped, got haircuts, and just enjoyed the day together. I love three-day weekends! I wish we had three days of weekend all the time!

#8 (yesterday): I'm thankful for my son.
Will is a great kid. We've been pretty hard on him lately about grades and responsibility. He's still adjusting to the workload and expectations of high school and we're trying to help him him navigate some of this stuff. I'll be honest and tell you it's been pretty hard. Yesterday, however, I think we made a small breakthrough and it was so encouraging. For all of us.

I loved listening to him late Sunday afternoon telling us all about his weekend at camp. After he finished telling us his stories (a mix of hilarious and spiritual), he said "Thanks for letting me go, Mom and Dad." That was priceless.

Will is smart, funny, courageous, compassionate, and a great brother to his little sisters. I love that kid so much and am grateful I get to be his mom.

#9: I'm thankful for my kids' teachers and for my Bible study group at church!

Today I'm helping with a teacher appreciation luncheon at the elementary school. I love that school and I L-O-V-E the teachers there. They've invested so much in my childrens' lives and I'm grateful.

Also grateful for the ladies in my Bible study group at church. I love Bible study days! We're studying The Patriarchs (love Old Testament!) and I'm continually amazed by how relevant these narratives are to my everyday life.

It's gonna be a great (but very, very full) day. Are you grateful for anything in particular today?

*This post needs some pictures, but I'm out of time! Happy Hump Day!

#4, #5, and #6

2011-11-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm playing catch up with my Thirty Thankful Days...

#4: I'm thankful for a strong, healthy body, for good friends, and for the amazing beauty of Colorado!

Also thankful for new fleece pj pants! So warm and comfy.

#5: I'm thankful for a lazy day at home with my family.

#6: I'm thankful for an extra hour of sleep last night. And I'm beyond grateful for daylight on my morning walks thanks to Daylight Saving Time. I've been walking in the pitch dark since September!

We've had a great weekend! Hope you have too!

Feathers and HOME!

2011-11-03T06:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday as I was putting away some Halloween decorations, I was reminded that I need to cut some feathers for our thankful turkey so that my entire family can participate in Thirty Thankful Days. Our tradition has always been to write things we're thankful for on slips of colored cardstock and stapling them together to make a simple chain but last year I came up with the turkey idea and it was a hit!

#3: I'm thankful for our home.

I'm not always content within these walls but it is home and I'm grateful for it. I am happiest when all five of us are together in this place. Today, I'm particularly grateful for the warmth it provides from a wintry morning!

Husbands and Snow Days

2011-11-02T07:48:00.000-06:00

I was walking with some friends earlier this week and our conversation turned to gratitude. We all agreed that an attitude of thankfulness isn't always first and foremost in our thoughts which is silly because we've all been given SO much. I was inspired by some friends yesterday who are participating in Thirty Thankful Days (on Facebook or on their blogs) and decided before bed that I want to try to do this too. I'm not promising a post every single day in November (that thought instantly overwhelms me) but I will try to post thirty things this month!

Here goes.

#1: I'm thankful for my husband.
I'm continually blessed by my husband. He's the most generous person I know. He makes me laugh each and every day. He unloads the dishwasher every single morning and fills my van up with gas so I don't have to. He helps me when I get behind on the laundry. He tells me I'm beautiful. He listens to me talk and talk and talk about everything (and nothing) and doesn't sigh or act bored; he gives me his full attention. When he comes home from work, he puts work behind him and is engaged with his family. He's quick to forgive. He works hard to provide for our family. He's a good friend to his friends. He's extremely gifted with words. He's insightful and wise. He rarely complains. He's honest. He listens to our children and he truly "sees" them. He's respected by many. He's handsome and rugged. He makes life fun! He's my favorite person in the world to spend time with and I honestly can't imagine sharing life with anyone else. I am so deeply thankful for him.

#2: I'm thankful for a (snow) day at home with my family.
It's snowing here today. Actually, it's blizzarding! I learned several years ago that a blizzard isn't necessarily massive amounts of snow as much as it is snow + wind. We have CRAZY wind right now which is making a mess of the nominal amount of snow out there. Our district cancelled classes for the day which is a huge gift for this tired mama. Halloween-ing all weekend long is exhausting! I'm extremely thankful for a day at home with my peeps and snow days are my absolute favorite kind of day. John is working from home this morning, our kids are still sleeping, and I'm hoping the rest of today is slow and lazy!

If you want to participate in Thirty Thankful Days, please do! My friend Dawn even has a linky up on her blog so that you can share your daily gratitude. I love that idea!

Rats! Not one single Bit-O-Honey.

2011-11-01T07:18:00.002-06:00

I'm not really tempted by Halloween candy. It's probably because I don't like chocolate. HOWEVER, I really do love Bit-O-Honey and Hot Tamales and Sour Patch Kids and ahem, we won't even mention candy corn. My kiddos dutifully dole out those treats from their Halloween haul to their sugar-deprived mother and I gladly receive them. But this year? Not one single Bit-O-Honey. Not one single pack of Hot Tamales. I walked away with one (ONE!) little packet of Sour Patch Kids. What is this world coming to? Ha! It's okay though. I'm still very careful about my sugar intake so I guess I should be thankful.

Here's some pics from our night of trick-or-treating.

Will was a Razorback fan (because in an effort to drive his mother crazy, he changed his mind at the last minute and we had to throw something/anything together) and Sarah was a yellow crayon. I made her costume and it was super easy! I think it turned out cute!

Abbey was a pirate (a really cute one, I might add) and I think her favorite part of the costume were the gold hoop earrings I let her wear.

Will and Sarah trick-or-treated with a posse of friends so I took Abbey around our neighborhood while John (aka Harry Potter) stayed home and passed out candy.

Yesterday was a day of fun and exhaustion. Can't believe today is November 1st, but I'm ready for the craziness of October to be behind me. October rivals December and May in terms of calendar busy-ness and I love how November lets me catch my breath a little before we head into the holidays!

Gotta run. Gotta fend off the kids wanting CANDY for breakfast! Have a great day, peeps.

Three Photos on Friday

2011-10-28T07:05:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get back in the swing of regular blogging so I'm sharing three photos with you today--three photos related to yesterday morning's hike with a friend.

I mentioned that we got some snow this week. One thing I've learned after living in Colorado is that snow on the ground drops overnight temps drastically. When we started at 9am, this was the actual temp...Brrrrrrrrr!

I hate being cold. I wore three layers plus my coat and hat and gloves. By the mid-way point, I was burning up even though it had only warmed up to about 20 degrees. Twenty degrees and sun makes for some beautiful Colorado days! And with views like these who wants to stay inside?

I'd forgotten what a mess melting snow on a dirt trail makes. My shoes and pants were covered with mud splatters when I got home.

I wish you could have seen me trying to bend over and take this picture. I was laughing so hard at myself.

Okay. That's all I've got. Hope your Friday is sunny and happy and mud-free!

October Currents

2011-10-27T11:45:00.000-06:00

Two blog posts in two days...wow...you'd think I just finished up a big project and found some extra time or something. Grin.

Current Books: I haven't been doing much reading lately, but I did love this book!

Current Playlist: John brought David Crowder's Christmas album home the other day so I've been listening to it and it's really good. And after the Chris Tomlin concert I went to last week, he's getting a lot of play time too.

Current Color: dark gray

Current Drink: Good Earth sweet and spicy tea (the caffeine free one) and Zevia caffeine-free cola. And of course WATER.

Current Food: Sweet potatoes. And green chilies. But not sweet potatoes and green chilies together.

Current Favorite Favorite: Gray nail polish. Ooh-la-la. And a cute brown knit hat that my friend, Terri, gave me.

Current Wishlist: A new fleece pullover.

Current Needs: Absolutely nothing!

Current Triumph: I had to buy new dress pants for our banquet the other night because all my others were too big! I bought a pair THREE sizes smaller than the ones hanging in my closet! That felt good. And one more triumph? I finished the girls' Halloween costumes last weekend. Glad to have that checked off of of my list. Pictures soon...

Current Bane of my Existence: Laundry. If it would only stop multiplying. Sigh.

Current Indulgence: Napping!

Current Mood: Happy and relaxed!

Current Blessing: My "snow day" yesterday. Oh, and another blessing? I forgot to tell y'all that the issue with my car last week WAS the battery after all so it was a quick and fairly inexpensive fix.

Current Outfit: Jeans, sweater, clogs, and SmartWool socks (of course)! It's cold here today!

Current Excitement: Well, it's Thursday which means it's almost the weekend! Which means it's almost time for football!

Current Link: This post has some amazing candy corn ideas. And I sorta want to try this white-chocolate and candy corn popcorn. I don't have a candy corn addiction. I don't have a candy corn addiction. I don't have a candy corn addiction. I'm hoping candy corn disappears from grocery stores soon because it's getting harder and harder to keep passing it by.

What I've Done Today

2011-10-26T16:11:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day in a very, very long time that I didn't make a to-do list. I don't even have words to describe the wonderfulness of that statement.

Even without a list I managed to get some stuff accomplished.

Here's a little of what I've done today:

Slept late. Six-thirty is BLISS for me!

Ate breakfast.

Went back to bed. Can't even tell you the last time I did that.

Showered and put clean pjs on.

Made lunch.

Ate a few spoonfuls of Snickerdoodle cookie dough. Yup, RAW cookie dough. It was very sugary and it was very good!

Took an afternoon nap.

Watched some television.

Helped Will study for a Spanish test.

And I think that's pretty much it.

It was an amazingly stress-free day and you have no idea how much I've needed it.

I've been going pretty much non-stop for the last four to five weeks. Last night we had the annual fundraising banquet for our area Young Life chapter and I had a key role in organizing the event. The banquet was a great success and we met our financial goal but I was completely wiped out.

The weathermen were predicting "significant snowfall" for today so I was REALLY counting on today being a snow day. There was great disappointment when I woke up this morning to maybe an inch or two of snow on the grass but not a stitch on the roads. Our district ended up calling a two-hour delay but I made an executive decision and let the students in my house have a snow day! Snow has continued to fall all day long so the kids and I have had a pretty cozy day. To be honest, we all needed it.

Sarah made cookies (AND cleaned up the kitchen!) in between episodes of her favorite show, What Not To Wear. Abbey has been playing, reading, and snuggling up next to me. Will has been studying (he has three tests tomorrow) in between playing video games. And me? I think you gathered from my list that I've been LAZY and HAPPY.

Life will return to normal tomorrow, but thankfully the insane busy-ness is behind me for a good while. I kinda like not making a to-do list...

Life

2011-10-18T07:20:00.001-06:00

Just popping in for a few minutes with some random news from mi casa.

We had a great long weekend! I definitely felt rested by the time Monday rolled around. I think we all did!

I went to all the kids' parent-teacher conferences last week. I know a lot of parents dread them but I actually enjoy those conferences. I always leave with a sense of gratitude. Gratitude for my kids and their unique strengths and gratitude for the teachers who pour into them daily.

Will had a great time at his Homecoming dance. His friend's parents hosted the entire cross-country team for dinner before the dance and it was so nice. They invited parents to drop the kids off but stay as long as they liked to take pictures. Then they shuttled kids to the dance. I loved that set up. Here's a pic of Will with his "date". You can see their feet but he had on his Vans and she had on a cute pair of sparkly Toms. They're all about comfort!

Yesterday morning I was driving carpool and it was cold and drizzly. The kids piped up from the back seat and asked if I had any Christmas music in the car. I found a lone Christmas cd (Jim Brickman) but that wasn't really doing it for them so Abbey found some Glee Christmas on my iPhone. I dropped them off and listened to Christmas music all the way to Denver. It made me happy!

I had to be in Denver yesterday for a training meeting for my J-O-B. I hinted at that in an earlier post but it's official now. I'm going to be the administrative assistant for our area Young Life director. It's part-time but it's a perfect job for me and a way to get my feet wet after many years of not working. I think it's going to be a good fit!

In other news yesterday...my van is dead. I got back from Denver with about 25 minutes to spare before picking Sarah up from school. I pulled in the school parking lot to wait and catch up on email and phone calls. When Sarah got in the van it wouldn't start! My sweet friend took us home until John could break away from work to help me jump the van. Turns out we couldn't jump it so I don't think it's the battery. We had it towed to the auto repair place and should find out what's going on soon. I AM SO THANKFUL that none of this happened while I was in Denver yesterday morning! SO SO SO SO THANKFUL!

Things I'm looking forward to this week? A beautiful hike with friends, crisp fall days, a Chris Tomlin concert, getting some big things knocked off of my to-do list, and a couple of mornings at home! Those little things make me crazy happy!!!

Ketchup

2011-10-12T14:01:00.001-06:00

hello, friends (and family)(and the rest of you who lurk around here).

life is (crazy) busy these days. busyness isn't something i choose but rather seems to come with the territory of having growing children! i'll survive. i don't love it, but i love that our weekends are very low-key and unstructured. i love weekends more than ever right now.

speaking of weekends...

will and i went to arkansas last weekend for a mini family reunion and the arkansas-auburn game. we had a BLAST! we saw my brother and sister and lots and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. we also saw a fantastic football game. i love razorback football!!!

know what happened while we were gone? it snowed at our house in colorado. it was the first snow of the season and we missed it. can't say that i was sad. we had absolutely gorgeous football weather in arkansas.

we were in st. louis part of the time. in fact, we flew in and out of there and drove down to fayetteville. i think st. louis is a fun city! we ate some really great pizza at pi (evidently our president loves pi too) and i finally got to go in charming charlie. such a neat store and really great prices! there are a couple in denver but they are not really in the neck of the woods that we frequent.

this is a short week of school for my kiddos. the girls are out tomorrow and everyone is out on friday. can you say LONG weekend? i am beyond thrilled about that.

let's see...what else is going on???

well, i'm cooking dinner for church tonight. i love being able to eat dinner at church but we've had such crazy evening schedules that it hasn't worked until tonight. we're having chili tonight which is appropriate for our cool fall weather.

will has a date for homecoming this weekend at his school. he asked her a few weeks ago. he was so non-chalant about it. i was running to the store for something and he asked if i'd buy him a rose so he could give it to the girl he was planning to ask. she said yes and evidently carried the rose around all day long. anyway, the dance is this weekend (as is the game) and he and his date are going with their whole cross-country team. fun! i'll take pics, don't you worry.

it's almost time to start my afternoon kid-pick-up round(s) so i suppose i should sign off.

happy wednesday, peeps.

Two great loves...

2011-10-05T06:05:00.001-06:00

I love lots of things but two of my great loves are FALL and HIKING.

I hiked yesterday with two friends (that I also love!) and was stunned by the beauty of that hike, particularly the aspen grove near the summit of Eagle Peak. It was simply gorgeous. So gorgeous that I want to share a couple of photos here.

Yesterday's hike stirred my heart in both physical and spiritual ways. The beauty that surrounds me in this place I call home is something I cannot take for granted!

Rule Breaker

2011-10-04T06:38:00.000-06:00

This meme is called Fill in the Blank Friday. Today is Tuesday. I guess that makes me a rule-breaker.

I'm either a rule-breaker or one busy girl who can't seem to find time to blog without some kind of prompts.

Both are true. So without further adieu, here are my Tuesday blanks...

1. My current obsession is football. My poor family groans when the weekends roll around. We only have one television that is hooked up to our cable receiver and it's a fight for control of the remote around here on weekends. Thankfully my family got to watch whatever they wanted on Saturday because I went to Boulder with some friends for the CU game--so FUN! (I listened to the AR game on the drive up until half-time and then turned it off in thorough disgust. Imagine my surprise when I got to the Folsom Field and saw the score! It was a good day for the Hogs; not so much for the Buffs.)

Aren't the mountains behind this field awesome? Here's the view from the other end of the field. I have to say that those views are slightly distracting for me. I almost want to stare at the scenery instead of watching the field action. Almost.

2. Hiking makes me happy. Can't wait to hike this morning with some friends! We're doing a very challenging hike that I haven't done in awhile and I am really excited about it.

3. My greatest strength is responsibility. You can count on me.

4. Responsibility is my greatest weakness. You can count on me to get things done...which also means that I end up picking up others' slack because I NEED things to be done and be done well. It's hard to find balance sometimes.

5. My life is very VERY blessed.

6. In high school I was awkward, but surrounded by a GREAT group of friends that remain very dear to me!

7. When I'm super tired I seem to cry at the slightest thing. Also when I'm super tired (like I have been the last week or so) I try to take naps! I took a short one yesterday afternoon and it was just what I needed!

Alrighty! Hope your day is a good one.

Love,

Rule-Breaker/Girl-on-the-Go

My Favorite Place on Earth!

2011-09-30T05:00:00.003-06:00

Here are some photos from our little getaway to Estes Park last weekend. Sit back and enjoy (and wish you lived in Colorado too!)

Sliding down the rainbow slide and riding go-carts at Fun City are absolutely must-dos for us when in EP! The girls also did the bungee-jump-thingy this time but I only have videos of that and no time to upload them. Besides, all the up and down motion would probably make you dizzy.

Love this pic so much!!!

The weather and the colors were GORGEOUS on Sunday. Most of these pics were taken at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I also want to note that all of these pics were taken with my iPhone camera...using the Camera+ app which I adore!!!

Don't be surprised if you see one of those two family pics on our Christmas card this year!

Happy Friday everyone!

Quick Catch Up

2011-09-29T07:51:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting in a quiet house right now. John took Will and Sarah to school on his way to work and Abbey is still asleep. I have a few minutes before I have to wake her up and since I haven't blogged in over a week I thought a blog post was in order!

--I have a weird backache/chestache going on. It started last night and it hurts! It feels muscle-related so I'm hoping the muscle relaxant kicks in soon.

--I had a cup of coffee last night for the first time since May. My book club met at Village Inn for free pie night (we're suckers for pie)(especially FREE pie) and I ordered a cup of decaf. Wow. It was good. I haven't had any caffeine since mid-May and I feel so much better with it out of my system. I'd drink decaf coffee if I could ever get John to switch but that's NEVER going to happen. He's a fully leaded guy.

--Abbey got brackets on her two front teeth this week. Her orthodontist will put more on next time. I think she looks pretty cute!

--We went to Estes Park with John's parents last weekend. Estes Park is my favorite place in Colorado. It was beautiful. Last time we were there we saw a bear. And guess what we saw again this time? A BEAR! In a TREE! My pics aren't great but here's proof. I'll share the rest of my pics from EP in another post (hopefully tomorrow). The fall colors were gorgeous!

--Speaking of fall color--I think the trees in my little town have literally been changing overnight. Everywhere I drive (and I'm in the car a lot these days) the leaves are brilliant red and gold and orange. Who doesn't love fall colors? I ooh and ahh over this group of trees when I walk past them on the trail every morning. I went back one afternoon to take this photo...

--I think I might have a part-time job soon. I'm kinda excited about it.

--I'm getting my hair cut and colored tomorrow. It's been three months. My hair has gotten so long and scraggly. I'm kinda ready to chop a few inches. We'll see.

--My time is up. Must wake my littlest kiddo up and get her to school. And then? THEN I get to spend my entire morning at home. That is such a rare treat these days!

Good stuff!

2011-09-19T05:15:00.000-06:00

I only have a minute or two but I have three good things to share this morning...

1. My husband arrives home this afternoon! Hip hip HOORAY! He's left for a conference in Chicago last Wednesday and then flew to Arkansas to spend the weekend with his parents. Their last Sunday at the church his dad has pastored for 25 years was yesterday. I was so thankful he got to be there for their special day (and so sad the rest of us didn't) but I am more than ready for him to come home. I have missed him like crazy! I'm not too fond of single-parenting. Hats off to those of you who do this day in and day out. You have my utmost respect.

2. Yesterday was absolutely GORGEOUS! I went on a great hike with some neighborhood friends. We had originally hoped to hike Pulpit Rock but the main road to the trailhead was closed and we couldn't find any access so we ended up going to Ute Valley Park instead. It was fabulous! We live in a place of stunning beauty.

I can't figure out how to zoom with my iPhone camera but if you look close, you can see the snowy summit of Pikes Peak just over that rocky ridge. BEAUTIFUL!

Local friends: Have you ever hiked Pulpit Rock? Is there another way to access the trailhead besides going north on Nevada?

3. Sarah and I made these pumpkin spiced oatmeal pecan cookies on Saturday and they were SOOOOOO YUMMY! I've been very strict with my sugar consumption since May but I could not resist these cookies. Fall just begs for pumpkiny treats, don't ya think?
*I used walnuts instead of pecans and regular oats instead of quick oats. I also didn't have any pumpkin pie spice but my friend Kellie had just posted directions for mixing up your own. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for directions!

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!

Saturday Morning Post

2011-09-17T07:27:00.000-06:00

It's Saturday. Hooray! I was able to sleep a little later than normal, but not nearly as late as I'd hoped I could. I'm just happy the hour hand was on the six this morning. I've had a couple mornings lately where it was on the four and even one morning it was on the THREE! And that's no bueno.

This week was very good, but very full. I can't seem to find that pace (slow, but purposeful) that I really love and I'm hoping things settle down a bit in the next few weeks. I've always tried to have a couple of days each week that I spend at home and those kind of days have been few and far between lately. I think I might have to start scheduling them on the calendar to keep them free!

>begin rambling<

John walked in the kitchen one evening after work and ~~found me slaving over dinner~~ asked me to close my eyes. When I opened them he was holding a Spiced Pumpkin Yankee Candle. He'd read my last blog post about wanting a new candle for fall and so he picked one up for me. Sweet, eh? He also sent me to the mall with a very liberal shopping allowance to buy some jeans. He always has a generous heart towards me and our children but he outdid himself this week!

We had two rainy, gloomy days this week that brought record amounts of rain to our area. I was thankful for the moisture, but I really miss the sun when it's overcast for that many days in a row. I'm so spoiled by Colorado's 300 days of sunshine a year. I picked Will up from a post-practice pasta dinner for his cross country team on Thursday evening just as the sky was starting to clear and in addition to a gorgeous rainbow spanning the sky, we noticed that Pikes Peak was wearing a fresh coat of snow! It was really beautiful! I was in the Springs yesterday and saw people everywhere stopping to take pictures. (I took a couple of pics but they're not very good!)

Gloomy fall days make me wish I could sit on the couch with my Slanket (ha!) and watch You've Got Mail. I think it's time for my annual viewing.

Will had a cross country meet yesterday afternoon in Denver. I'm so proud of him because he set a new PR of 23:18. His last run was 27:10 so that's almost FOUR minutes that he shaved off!!! Wow.

John's parents are coming for a visit next week! We're getting excited about that. They'll get to go to one of Will's XC meets and we have some other fun things planned. His parents are retiring and we're hoping more visits like this are in their future! We love where we live but often wish it weren't so far away from our family.

On tap for this weekend:

Cleaning (since I didn't get much done this week!)

Laundry

A hike with friends

FOOTBALL!!!! (Not too excited about the Razorbacks non-conference game this week but next week things start to get fun!)(I am excited about NFL and my fantasy team though.)

Church

Bible study homework (we started The Patriarchs this week. I loooooove Old Testament! So excited!)

A meeting

Rest

And hopefully that's it.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

>/end rambling<

PS: I thought I was being all cute with my HTML code for rambling but I guess blogger read it as actual code and made it invisible so I inserted the words "begin" and "end". It still read it as (invisible) code so I had to reverse the < symbol to get it to appear as text. Interesting, huh? Looks like I still have much to learn. If you're not an HTML geek then you probably have no idea what I just said. Just nod and smile.

Currently

2011-09-12T15:16:00.001-06:00

I copied this from my friend, Stephanie. Here are my September currents...

Current Books: Last week I finished reading Bossypants (for book club) and I'm a few chapters into Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (also for bookclub). I have Odd Girl Out beside my bed as well. I'm not in much of a reading groove these days though.

Current Playlist: Gosh, I've been enjoying silence so much lately that I can't even remember the last time I listened to my iPod.

Current Color: orange!

Current Drink: Water. And the very occasional Zevia caffeine-free cola.

Current Food: Red meat. I love it. Can't get enough lately.

Current Favorite Favorite: Micro-fiber cleaning cloths. Yes, I'm the biggest geek on the planet.

Current Wishlist: a fall candle, fall sweaters, warm(er) workout clothes for chilly mornings! It was around 40 degrees every morning last week! Brrrrr.

Current Needs: New jeans!

Current Triumph: I hiked the Manitou Incline with some friends yesterday. It's 1 mile straight up, 40% grade, and a 2000 foot elevation gain. It was exhilarating! I did it last year but I was pretty out of shape after taking most of the summer off to recover from my hip injury. I felt GREAT yesterday.

Current Bane of my Existence: Evening activities and weekend homework.

Current Indulgence: Pinkberry!

Current Mood: Mostly happy but worried about a couple of friends...

Current #1 Blessing: My husband. We had a great weekend together and I'm beyond grateful for him.

Current Outfit: capris, tee, and flip flops. Gotta milk it while I can since it will be sweater weather before I know it.

Current Excitement: Monday night football, a fun hike with friends tomorrow followed by lunch with another friend, and Bible study begins on Wednesday. It's a good week.

Current Link: I got nothin'. Except for maybe these Snicker Bar Blondies that I made this afternoon to take to a Younglife BBQ tonight. I'd try of of them if I liked chocolate, but I don't. Hate me if you must...

Random 9

2011-09-09T06:23:00.000-06:00

1. I have been crazy-busy lately. If you know me, you know I don't like being busy. Thank goodness our weekends have been slow-paced and relaxing, which makes me appreciate them all the more! The only things on my schedule for tomorrow and Sunday are happy things!

2. Some of those happy things include football! Have I mentioned I love football? I'm so excited about Fantasy Football starting this weekend (even though I guess it technically started last night) and excited for week two of college football. I have a hard time getting into Arkansas' non-conference games though so I have a few more weeks to get geared up for the Hogs' ~~real~~ SEC competition.

3. I experienced my first Grilled Cheese Thursday yesterday. Every other Thursday, our local Younglife makes a gazillion grilled cheese sandwiches for the students at both of our local high schools. The kids come in droves to devour them...and seriously...they can put away some grilled cheese! I think we went though sixty loaves of bread yesterday, which explains why I smelled like grilled cheese for the remainder of the afternoon! I also learned what a fluffernutter sandwich is. I will share that recipe soon.

4. Speaking of recipes...I made this this tequila-citrus grilled chicken last weekend and it was delicious! And I think I could eat this southwestern flank steak every single day.

5. We've had some great fall weather lately and I love it. I should be clear here. I like cool weather. We've had a cold day or two mixed in and I'm NOT ready for cold. I like to experience fall before winter.

6. We have a fun family getaway planned for later this month. I am so excited. More on that later.

7. I'm hosting Bunco tonight! I love my Bunco friends! It's rare that all twelve of us can make it every month (we usually have several subs) but it worked out all of us can come tonight. Should be fun. I am really looking forward to laughing with my peeps!

8. So...that situation I didn't want to talk about in my post last week about people thinking rules didn't apply to them? I was referring to the carpool line at our elementary school. I'm happy to report that the afternoon pick up procedures were tweaked a bit and my blood pressure has been normal all week! Hooray!

9. Anyone know why my phone keeps scrambling text messages to look like this?

John was TRYING to tell me to wear my bear bell on my hike. You got that message loud and clear, right? I've gotten three messages like that this week. Does this happen to you guys too? I'm so confused!

Happy Friday!

Wiser Now

2011-09-03T06:24:00.026-06:00

Some things I realized, learned, or remembered this week.

--I learned it's very expensive to have a van window repaired, but it's sorta nice to be able to roll it down and have it go all the way back up again. I must say though, our body shop ROCKS! They found a part they were able to use instead of ordering a brand new one. Total repair cost ended up being $100 less than the price they quoted us just for the part.

--I realized (again)(much to my chagrin) that my body clock has no regard for Saturday and the fact it's the only day I can sleep in. I was up at 5:15 just like almost every day this summer. WHY can't I sleep late even when I want to?

--I learned that lightning, rain, and Friday night lights don't mix.

--I realized that I don't miss caffeine all that much until I drive past Starbucks and think about pumpkin spice lattes. Sigh.

--I remembered that swimming is the most intense cardio workout in the world (for me). I have a new respect for swimmers after swimming laps at the pool this week. Wowza. Swimming makes walking/hiking/theoccasionaljog feel like pseudo-cardio.

--I realized yesterday after a grocery/Costco run that the price of food is climbing. Either that or my family is just eating more these days. It's probably both. Realized too that we should probably re-evaluate our grocery budget since I can't seem to stay within it.

--I remembered that homework is a necessary fact of life and that I'll never be a fan.

--I also learned/realized/remembered that I really like blogging! And that I've missed it.

What about you? Learn anything new or realize something (again) this week? Wanna share your great wisdom? :)

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-09-02T06:17:00.001-06:00

1. One thing that is completely superfluous, but that I could never give up is Biolage shampoo. I quit buying it a few years ago and went with some much cheaper brands but that didn't last long. I'm addicted to Biolage.

2. Hugs from people I don't know very well or feel very close to make me feel awkward. And then there's the whole issue of front hugs? Sideways hugs? Quick or long hugs? And what to do with my hands? See? Awkward.

3. I can't make it through a single day without making some sort of list.

4. Edamame is my favorite snack. Besides being yummy, it's fun to say! It's also fun to convince your friend that she's pronouncing it incorrectly then listen to her use the made up pronunciation the rest of the evening while everyone plays along.

5. Lately I've been trying to find my new school year groove.

6. If at first you don't succeed take a breath, don't over analyze it, and try again.

7. Fall is such a cozy season. I'm looking forward to crisp mornings, some yummy comfort food, and of course FOOTBALL!

I'm so glad it's Friday AND a long weekend. And glad I could link up at the little things we do today!

Happy Sad Crazy

2011-08-31T14:16:00.001-06:00

Two blog posts in two days. I KNOW! Please don't faint.

Some things that have made me happy lately:
:::Catching up with friends at church and school after a busy summer!
:::Walking with my neighborhood posse in the evenings
:::Picking kids up from school and seeing smiles on their faces!
:::My adorable nephew is ONE YEAR OLD today!!! Happy Birthday, J!
:::Sunshine
:::Air conditioning
:::Spending time at the (almost completely deserted) pool while the kids are in school! And evening out my funky flip flop tan.

Some things that have made me sad lately:
:::Watching people compromise who they are to be liked and fit in with a certain crowd
:::Mean girls
:::Costco no longer sells the 4lb container of strawberries. It's a 2lb container instead. It means summer is on it's way out and is taking it's bounty with it. Sigh.
:::Will got new glasses this week and they're awful. He has one eye that has basically NO vision in it and when I took him for his checkup the doctor strongly encouraged him to wear glasses to protect his one good eye. He picked out some cool frames and was finally coming to terms with the fact that he needs to wear them regularly but when he put them on for the first time, the lens in his non-seeing eye makes that eye look four times larger than the other one. Not cool for an oh-so-cool 9th grader. I've got to call the eye doctor this afternoon and see what we can do to fix this.

Some things that have made me crazy lately:
:::Autocorrect. OH. MY. GOSH. I have a love-hate relationship with this feature. I love that it catches words I misspell when texting but I hate that it changes some words I DO spell correctly. John sent me a text this afternoon sharing some exciting news. I replied with the word: Woohoo! which autocorrect subsequently changed to Elohim! Now, I happen to know from my Old Testament classes in college that Elohim is a Hebrew name for God. John knows that too and was trying like crazy to figure out why I replied back with "GOD!" in Hebrew. Autocorrect is maddening.

:::Facebook. I know I'm in the minority but I don't love Facebook. I actually deactivated my account for a few weeks earlier this month in an attempt to step away from some drama and the people who were creating it. I'm back now, but it's starting to feel too much like Twitter to me. And you might recall that I'm a Twitter quitter.

:::People who think that certain rules don't apply to them. I SO want to elaborate on this one but I don't want to put myself in a bad mood.

:::Maybe I should have ended with my list of happy things. Oh well. I'm still happy and I hope you are too! And hey, it's hump day. ~~Elohim!~~ Woohoo!

State of the Family: Back to School Edition

2011-08-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally feel ready to blog more and as luck would have it I seriously cannot find the time! Having three kids in three different schools is pretty nuts! I'm hoping I find my bloggy groove soon!

Here's a little of what is going on with each of us!

John: He's plugging away on a manuscript that is due in early September. This is actually a freelance job so it consumes most of his nights and weekends. It's hard on all of us, but especially on him. He's told me repeatedly that after he finishes this project he's going to need a break from freelance stuff for awhile; his mind is just tired. I think that a break is a wise idea. Anyway, he has two books that he co-wrote releasing soon. This one and this one. He's gotten some advance copies of both from the printer and is very pleased! I'm really proud of him.

Me: I'm feeling like I'm in hyper-mode when it comes to organizing my family for daily survival. Everyone is going a dozen different directions and it's my job to keep things running smoothly. I do manage some down-time/self-care each day and honestly, I need/crave it. I'm getting super excited about football season and am really looking forward to a weekly hiking group that my friend has organized! I'm also hoping to jump back into Bible study at church as well as some Younglife volunteer stuff.

Will: He's enjoying high school so far! He's running cross-country this fall and it's been such a great way for him to meet some upper classmen and feel a part of a team. School begins for him around 7:30am and he doesn't usually finish practice until 5pm so his day is SUPER long. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but he's adapted really well and is getting stronger and faster almost every day. His first official meet is on Friday. I'm kinda bummed (he is too) that 90% of his meets are on Fridays. We were really jazzed about going to all of his school's football games this season. We'll still get to go, we'll just be going late!
Here's a pic from his first day of school.

Sarah: She's doing great! She loves school both for the academics AND the social interaction. She is so my child. Smile. We have about an hour alone together in the afternoons before retrieving Abbey so she usually tries to persuade me to take her to get some fro-yo and I usually say yes. I love how chatty she is when she gets in the van! She and Abbey are constantly changing the photo background on my phone--they each want it to be a solo picture of them with me. She snapped this one day last week on a fro-yo run. She's stepped into some great leadership opportunities this year and she's going to run for Student Council again too (she was on it the past two years). She's such a great kid and is always so happy and confident. I love that about her.

Abbey: She has adjusted very well to 4th grade AND to her palate expander! She had an orthodontist appointment this morning and will get her braces put on at her next appointment. She's been a champ about that whole process! She really likes her teacher this year (she got a fabulous one!) and she has some sweet girls in her class that I'm hoping she'll get to know better as the year progresses. She got her ears pierced for her birthday in March so one of the highlights of her morning is picking out earrings to match her outfit. It's really cute. She's also crazy about Jack the Beagle. Thank goodness someone in this family dotes on that dog. Smile.

That's all I've got for now! Stay tuned...

The End

2011-08-22T16:21:00.000-06:00

Today is officially our last day of summer. School starts tomorrow and my heart is a little sad about it. I love summer and it's unstructured days so much. But I also love structure, so I have a feeling that the rhythm of the school week will probably lure me in quickly. The kids are excited about starting back; I'm just a few (reluctant) steps behind them.

Our last few weeks have been packed with as much summer fun as we could manage: swimming, spending time with friends, hiking, sleepovers, camping (in the backyard), trips to the North Pole and Elitch Gardens, and a neighborhood (outdoor) movie night. And so much more. We've tried to cross as many things off of our summer list as we could!

I'm sad to see summer end but new beginnings are exciting too. Farewell Summer 2011. Here's to a fabulous fall.

Needed to hear this today...

2011-08-12T08:56:00.001-06:00

I think I've shared this video already (maybe just a link?) but I just watched it again and realized how very much I needed to hear the words at the end...good, good stuff.

Nine on the Ninth (Except it's the 8th!)

2011-08-08T08:28:00.003-06:00

Stephanie caught my date snafu. It's the 8th not the 9th. I'm such a dork.

1. I'm taking Abbey to the orthodontist today. She's getting fitted for her palate expander which will be put in on Thursday. It sounds like a torturous device and I think we're both a little nervous about it. The poor girl has absolutely NO room in her upper mouth so it must be done.

2. We have two weeks of summer left. And they're already feeling full. Ugh. We've checked lots of stuff off of our summer list and have a couple more fun things we're looking forward to.

3. The kids had their first "campoline" experience of the summer last night. I stole the term campoline from my brilliant friend, Gretchen! Gravity really doesn't allow for spacious sleep while on the trampoline, but in this case, that big blob of bodies, blankets, and sleeping bags is probably a good thing since it's been dipping down to around 50 degrees at night!

4. I've been craving chicken salad lately. I've made it twice and it was okay but I really don't have a good recipe. Anyone have one that they want to share?

5. I keep meaning to write this down so I won't forget. A couple of weeks ago, Abbey got up from the table, looked at me and said, "BRB". That's texting lingo for "be right back". Realizing what BRB meant made me laugh out loud. LOL. I have my hands full staying on top of things these days. OMG.

6. I think Sarah and I are going to see "The Help" this week. I hope it's good! I typically tend to like a book much more than the movie. It looks like it comes out on Wednesday. That seems weird to me. Don't movies usually open on Fridays?

7. I can barely contain my excitement about football season. Football is consolation for the end of summer.

8. John is planning to take the kids to Elitch Gardens before school starts. I told him he could just drop me off at IKEA on the way. IKEA opened in Denver the week we were in Arkansas. I've been trying to find a time to go (sans family) and that sounds like the perfect arrangement to me.

9. Have a lovely Monday.

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-08-05T07:57:00.002-06:00

I've been wanting to do this meme for awhile and today is the day!

{photo by Caroline of Coeur de La Photography}

1. My go to outfit for a dress up occasion like a wedding is a black dress that I bought at Target a couple of years ago. Interestingly, I bought it for a wedding and have only worn it once (Christmas Eve) since then. I don't dress up very often and I'd truly rather wear pants when I do.

2. This week has been full of appointments and meetings and shopping for back to school supplies/clothes and catching up on things around the house after being gone for two weeks. Yesterday was a completely down day and we didn't leave the house. I even took a short nap. It was bliss.

3. When it's dinnertime and I'm feeling lazy, I'll usually eat spaghetti or sandwiches or scrambled eggs. I actually like to cook and find it relaxing so I typically don't balk at dinner preparation. Having a flexible meal plan helps tremendously too.

4. My favorite pair of shoes is this fun pair that I bought in Arkansas last week. I love them. I don't love that my stinkin' flip flop tan is so obvious when I wear them though. Guess I need to work on evening that out. Or quit wearing flip flops. Can you say DORKY?

5. A random item that I own that is completely unnecessary but that I could never part with is a foosball that is signed by some friends that I consistently defeated at the foosball table back in the early 90s. Betcha didn't know that I was a fierce foosball player back in the day.

6. My favorite person is my husband. I'd be lost without him.

7. If I were going to write a blank to be filled in, it would say: This weekend I want to spend some time outdoors!

Want to link up too? Fill in your own blanks and link up here.

Gotta Start Somewhere...

2011-08-03T22:50:00.000-06:00

I'm having the hardest time finding my blogging groove this summer. I think part of my issue is that I like to blog chronologically so when I get behind on events that I want to write about here then I have a hard time blogging at all.

The other day I started a post about our 4000 mile summer road trip but it got so long that I lost interest and therefore it's not finished yet.

So how about some randomness instead? This is really just stream of consciousness stuff. Because I've gotta start somewhere...

:::I've never loved Colorado more than I've loved it this week. The temps all over the nation are INSANE! I think everyone is having record-breaking heat but us. I'm tempted to talk about our weather but that would just be cruel.

:::The kids and I knocked out most of our school supply shopping this week. I'm not completely finished because my son doesn't find out what he needs until the first day of class. I'm sure it will be loads of fun to search for specific things with thousands of others trying to round up the same items AFTER school begins.

:::I always take some time at the end of summer to evaluate what I want on my plate for the fall semester. I've added a few things this fall and am dropping some stuff too. I like how my schedule is shaping up.

:::I watched Toddlers and Tiaras tonight for the first time. OH MY GOSH. I found it quite disturbing. Makes me wonder what kind of message those young girls are getting about self-image when every aspect of their appearance "needs" to be altered to be pageant worthy. Actually, I don't have to wonder at all. It's pretty evident.

:::I'm definitely trying to milk all the fun out of our last few weeks of summer. Our school calendar got shifted around this year and the result is that we start school later than I can ever remember. I am NOT complaining!

:::I cleared my google reader today. I had over 400 unread posts when we got back from our trip last weekend. I wanted to read them all but that number just kept increasing every day and it overwhelmed me, so I took a deep break and hit the "mark all as read" tab. Serenity ensued. Seriously.

:::It's WAY past my bedtime, so I'm signing off and I'm not even going to go back and edit this post because I'm too tired.

Peace out, peeps.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

2011-07-19T07:59:00.000-06:00

Last week we celebrated Sarah's "golden" birthday. I don't know if everyone calls it that, but that's what we call it when your age and the date of your birthday are the same--example thirteen on the thirteenth!

We took her out to dinner the night before her birthday and let her open her gifts from us when we got home. She LOVED getting to open things one day early! We also got "cool parent" points. Smile.

Her big gift from us was a Nook. Sarah is a HUGE reader and almost always has her nose buried in a book. She's wanted an ereader for awhile so we researched them and decided upon a Nook. She's loving it! The first book she downloaded was Waterfall (the author is a friend of ours) and once she finished that, I let her download The Help.

She also got a pair of TOMS and a really cute purse! I think our days of American Girl and Barbie are over...Sarah is quickly becoming a young lady.

Some friends of ours gave Sarah a bouquet of thirteen gold balloons and all sorts of "golden" gifts like Golden Grahams, Rolos (gold wrappers), gold pens and gold nailpolish in a gold bag! She loved it. It was so fun!!! And so thoughtful!

I felt really bad for Sarah because most of her friends were out of town the week of her birthday and that put a crimp in her big party plans. She ended up having one friend come hang out and spend the day/night with her. I took them to see Monte Carlo and with the exception of her diabetic friend's blood sugar plunging way too low from too much insulin (and scaring me half to death) they had a pretty uneventful evening! Overall it was a really low-key birthday!

We love you, Sarah! You are such a bright spot in our lives and we are so proud of you! You are beautiful...inside and out! Happy Birthday, sweetie!

5 minute post

2011-07-12T06:49:00.001-06:00

I'm giving myself five minutes to write a post. In other words, expect a lot of rambling!

My dermatology appointment went well yesterday. I had him look at six spots/moles that were worrying me. He said all of them were normal and looked fine, including the age spot on my face! He said my skin looked great (yay!) but that my arms and shoulders were way too brown (I knew that was coming). I asked how often I should come back for a full-body check and he said every 3-4 years! Great news. I feel so much better knowing things are okay. After my breast lump scare this spring, I don't ever want to take my health for granted!

We are experiencing what the meteorologists here call the monsoon season. We've had rain and thunderstorms almost every day for a week. I LOVE it. I especially love the moisture and how it cools everything off in the afternoons. The only thing I really don't like is that it usually continues raining through dinnertime and that has forced me to cook inside versus grilling! I made this last night and it was delicious. (I'm still avoiding sugar but I figured 1.5 tsp of honey wouldn't hurt!)

Speaking of avoiding sugar, I found a soda that I can drink! Thanks, mom! It's Zevia and it tastes pretty good if you're feeling deprived! It's sweetened with stevia instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners (which I'm also avoiding these days because even though they're calorie-free, they exacerbate my symptoms).

Okay...that was more like 8 minutes. Sorry about that. Happy Tuesday. The kids and I are off to hike with some neighborhood friends and John is taking Jack to the vet to get his nails clipped and his rear end "massaged". John definitely got the short end of the stick.

Monday morning confessions

2011-07-11T07:20:00.000-06:00

1. I'm going to the dermatologist today to get a few moles and spots checked out. I'm a little nervous because I've never been very careful about protecting my skin from the sun, and the sun in Colorado is INTENSE. I'm currently sporting sunburned shoulders and am dreading the lecture I'm probably going to get about that. I wish I didn't love the sun so much. Sigh.

2. I really thought I could pull off a summer bible study but I'm afraid I can't. My group only meets twice a month but I haven't been since early May. I'm going to miss (again) this week because of Sarah's birthday and we'll be out of town when they meet later this month. I'd love to say that I'm working through it on my own, but I'm having a hard time staying motivated without the accountability.

3. We offered Sarah cash instead of a birthday party this year and she took us up on it. She was getting discouraged because a lot of her friends were going to be away and unable to come to a party. I told her she could have a friend or two sleep over instead and so that's what we're doing. That certainly makes it easy for me, but I feel guilty for not doing more. Especially because this is a kind of big birthday.

4. I keep hearing about Pinterest and how much people love it. I wish I could get excited about it, I really do, but I don't need another way to waste time on the computer. Giving up Twitter was liberating for me and so I think I'll be just fine staying far away from Pinterest. If you love it, please don't hate me.

Ketchup, with a side of iPhone photos

2011-07-07T09:06:00.000-06:00

I haven't been blogging much but that doesn't mean we're not enjoying summer. In fact, we're enjoying it immensely. Here's a little of what we've been up to!

::Appointments, appointments, appointments! Doctor, dentist, vet, orthodontist, etc. We've known for awhile that Abbey was going to need some orthodontic intervention. We went for a consult last week and set up the first of her treatment appointments for the day after we return from vacation. Fun, fun, fun---cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching! (She looks a bit apprehensive, huh?)

::Lots of fro-yo. That's frozen yogurt for all you uncultured folks (get it? cultured? yogurt? I crack myself up). John and I are Pinkberry snobs but the kids have decided they like LuLu's almost as much. I think they really just like that they can add their own toppings at LuLu's. Well, that and the hula hoops! If you're local, you need to check BOTH of those places out and tell me which one you like better!

I've cheated on my no-sugar restriction a few times...and all of those cheats have been with fro-yo. It didn't really affect how I felt, but I ate white flour last night for the first time in 7.5 weeks and felt pretty yuck. I think I'm going to try to eat gluten-free indefinitely.

::I like my new bi-focals and I really like how well I can see with them! I'd been warned that it can take up to three weeks to adjust to them but thankfully, I was fine after a few days. I wish I had NOT gotten the transition lenses though because I don't like how dark they get in the sun. I know that's the point, but I'm vain enough to not like how they look. Oh well. Live and learn.

:: New flooring! We ended up going with a wood laminate and we love it. LOVE it. The one we chose has a hand-scraped finish which seems to help disguise footprints and smudges. I also love the color and the alternating plank size. We're so pleased!

:: Celebrating 21 years of marriage! Our anniversary was last week. John and I are going to Santa Fe in a couple of weeks (sans kiddos! yay!) so we decided to celebrate our actual anniversary with our kids. We went to one of our favorite places--Bella Panini--and had a really nice dinner with our three favorite people. The girls made this fun banner for us and hung it over our bed. Sweet.

::Other stuff that I don't have ~~any lame~~ pictures for?

Hanging out with friends

Grilling almost every night and dining al fresco! Colorado evenings are AMAZING.

Enjoying pics of our newest cousin! Annapearce surprised us all by making her debut several weeks early. We can't wait to meet her in a few weeks when we go to Arkansas.

Getting ready for a certain tween girl's conversion to TEENAGER. Sarah will be 13 on the 13th! She's excited about her big day and her excitement is contagious!

I Love the 4th of July!

2011-07-06T06:52:00.001-06:00

July 4th is my absolute favorite holiday and my favorite day of the year. I love EVERY SINGLE THING about it!

We began the day with our traditional neighborhood pancake breakfast and flag raising ceremony. It's always a fun event! We LOVE our neighbors and our 'hood!

The kids made new tie-dye shirts this year. I REALLY like it when they get into wearing red, white, and blue!

I didn't have any face paint and the girls wanted "tattoos" so we just used our Sharpie markers instead. Inventive, huh? I love love love Miss Abbey's freckles!

After breakfast, we headed down to the Monument 4th of July parade. It's the best little slice of Americana that I know of and one of my favorite traditions!!! There are floats and horses and marching bands and politicians and sports teams and cheerleaders! Oh, and elephants! Lots of local businesses and churches have floats and they always throw candy (and other fun treats) to the kids. It's such a great parade with lots of local flavor. Emily and her family joined us and sadly I don't have one picture of her cute little family!

It was REALLY hot at the parade this year. We came home afterwards and grilled brats for lunch and then just chilled! We made some homemade ice cream and grilled chicken kebabs for dinner. YUMMY!

Our community has a really great fireworks show but it is sooooooo crowded. We usually stay home and watch them from our cul de sac with our neighbors. The great thing is that we can actually see TWO fireworks shows from our street and when it's over we can just walk inside and hit the hay instead of sitting in a gridlocked traffic for an hour! Our kids love hanging with all their neighborhood friends and SO DO WE! It's always a lot of fun and a great way to end a great day!

It is SO dry here so we weren't allowed to shoot any of our own fireworks or even light sparklers...and we had to keep explaining to all the kids who are so used to doing that every year why we couldn't this time...I'm not sure they ever totally understood why none of their parents wanted a $600 ticket!

I always feel so blessed at the end of this day--blessed to live in the USA and have all sorts of freedoms and blessed to have amazing friends and family to celebrate with! I hope your 4th of July was fantastic!

Three Things on Thursday

2011-06-23T22:26:00.000-06:00

1. I went to the eye doctor yesterday. It had been NINE years since my last eye exam and my prescription reading glasses weren't working for me any longer. Neither were the non-prescription readers that I bought at Walgreens earlier this year. I expected to hear that my prescription had changed drastically because I've had a lot of eye fatigue lately and have found myself holding things at arm's length just to read them, but I was not expecting to hear the doctor say: You need bifocals. Sarah was in the exam room with me and she immediately started laughing. My first response was NOT laughter. I'm pretty sure I said a few choice words under my breath. As if the gray hair and the wrinkles and the creaky knees and joints weren't enough, now my eyes have decided to join the hey-you're-slowly-falling-apart-party. I found a cute pair of frames and ordered the progressive lenses. They come in next week and I'm excited to be able to see without straining! I'm also mucho thankful for good optical insurance.

2. I completely faked my way through book club tonight. I actually read the book a few years ago and intended to refresh my memory by skimming it before we met. Yeah, that didn't happen. I found myself remembering more and more as our discussion unfolded but I also did a whole lot of nodding and agreeing. It was a fun night (as usual) and I don't think they'll kick me out for not reading the book. Thank goodness we did a LOT more talking and laughing than actual book discussion!

3. This pizza looks delicious, doesn't it? I want to figure out how to make pizza on the grill. Have any of you done that? Do I need a special pan or rack for it? I suppose I could google it but I wondered if any of you had great tips to pass my way.

Thank you, Emily, for letting me steal your Three Things on Thursday idea!

Tell About It Tuesday: Berries!

2011-06-21T06:04:00.002-06:00

My family LOVES strawberries. I've been buying them at Costco lately (4lbs for $5) and we've eaten 16 (SIXTEEN!) pounds of strawberries in less than two weeks! I spend a ton of money on fresh fruit and veggies in the summer but I'm convinced it's money well spent.

ANYWAY, I can hull four pounds of strawberries in record time because of this handy dandy little tool that I have.

I've had it for probably 10+ years. It's from The Pampered Chef and honestly, it has wrangled with my garbage disposal more than a few times and has seen better days. It's wonderful, though! (I just clicked on the Pampered Chef site and this tool appears to be discontinued. Maybe there's something similar at a kitchen store?)

I use it to remove the stem and any bruise spots from strawberries. I also use it to core tomatoes, and scrape the seeds out of bell peppers. It gets a LOT of use in the summer months.

(Forgive my amateur photography skills.)

The only downside to strawberries is that they go bad so quickly. I'm fortunate that ours usually get eaten before they have a chance to go bad, but I read this great tip last summer for a quick vinegar rinse to kill the mold and keep your strawberries fresh a little longer.

I like to wash/hull my berries and store them in the fridge. I've found that it helps to get them completely dry before storing them. If they're wet, they seem go bad more quickly.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes with strawberries.

Smoothies (try pouring any leftover smoothie in popsicle molds for a yummy treat on a hot afternoon!)
Homemade strawberry ice cream
Skinny strawberries Romanoff

I've been eating them plain because I'm still avoiding sugar. My family hasn't had to sacrifice though. I made this (super quick and easy) strawberry pie for them last week. It took every ounce of willpower not to give in to the sugary sweetness...they said it was good!

Who's hungry?

Feathers

2011-06-17T06:32:00.000-06:00

I took Will and Sarah to get their hair cut yesterday. It was a long overdue cut for both of them!

Sarah has been asking for awhile if she could get feathers in her hair. Is that the trend where YOU live?

When we walked in the salon and saw the advertisement for them, the begging and the sad puppy eyes began. I said "yes"--partly to make my daughter happy, partly because I think they're kinda cute, and partly because they were actually quite inexpensive.

Honestly, I say "no" a lot with my kids. No to certain movies and media and clothing styles that are ever-so-popular with their friends, and no to certain activities that I just don't think are wholesome or appropriate. I LOVE being able to say YES.

Doesn't that smile say it all?

-------------------------

PS: Sarah had a FANTASTIC time at camp! She's been so sweet since she got home too. She brought her little sister a special gift from the camp store (it was something Abbey had really wanted) and was SO excited to give it to her.

She told me she couldn't find something at the camp store that she was really looking for--a copy of My Utmost for His Highest. Evidently, her uber-cool camp counselor uses that book for a daily devotional and Sarah wanted to give it a go as well. I laughed because we have that book on a shelf downstairs. John helped her find it and she read about two sentences before deciding it wasn't really what she was hoping. I took her yesterday to the bookstore and we picked out a very hip, teen devotional that she's much more pleased with! Yay!

I like to share!

2011-06-16T08:51:00.000-06:00

I want to share a few links today!

I'm always on the lookout for fun summer boredom busters and I love these ideas:

Liquid sidewalk chalk. My friend, Kendra, made this with her boys and now I'm dying to try it too!

Design-Your-Own-Sprinklers. I saw this link on my BlogHer sidebar the other day. WAY fun!

Rainbow cookies. This is right up my girls' alley.

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We bought a new grill a couple of months ago and are enjoying it SO much. Here are two yummy recipes for grilled chicken:

Chicken Bryan (like at Carrabbas). Delicious and decadent.

Mexican Chicken Salad (it's rare for me to find a recipe I don't have to alter with all of my current dietary restrictions but this one fits the bill!)

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My husband has been consumed with a book project for a really long time. Things are finally wrapping up for the book's release this fall. John posted the video trailer on his blog yesterday if you want to take a peek. It's good--really really good! (And it's only 1.5 minutes long.)

Also, he wrote about shopping for swimsuits with our girls last week. It's a very sweet post. Maybe one of my very favorites. My girls are so lucky to have him as their daddy, and I am so very grateful for the way he loves our three children.

Happy clicking!

Today I am thankful for...

2011-06-15T08:43:00.001-06:00

Lilacs...oh my word...they smell soooooooooo delicious. I clipped some and brought them inside so it can smell as amazing inside as it does outside!

For kids that love each other...

For a girls-night-out last night with good friends!

For a husband who works hard so I can stay home with my kiddos!

For gorgeous weather outside this morning!

Life is so, so good.

Thirty Days

2011-06-14T05:43:00.000-06:00

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

Save February, with twenty-eight days clear,

And twenty-nine each leap year.

I remember my nana teaching me this poem when I was very young.
I also learned to remember which months had more than thirty days with the alternating knuckle count. Anyone else learn that?

Too bad the fine folks at Stein Mart didn't learn either of those handy ways to remember how many days are in each month.

Either that or they know something the rest of us don't. Smile.

Makes me smile

2011-06-13T08:20:00.000-06:00

I took this picture when I went to wake Abbey up for church yesterday morning.

She slept on her bedroom floor in her sleeping bag (so she wouldn't have to make up her bed) and Jack-the-beagle snuggled close to keep her from being too lonely while her sister (and roommate) is away at camp this week.

I just walked past her room and saw the same exact thing this morning and it makes me smile. That girl loves her dog and I love that girl!

Things I've realized lately

2011-06-11T06:40:00.001-06:00

1. It's very easy to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day when water is all you can drink! No soda, no coffee, no tea for me. Just agua.

2. There is a BIG difference in what boys and girls pack for a week of camp. Oh my word.

3. Our house stays a lot cleaner during the school year. A whole lot cleaner. And the fridge and pantry stay fuller longer as well. Still, I wouldn't trade these summer days with my kiddos home for anything!

4. Tweens/teen girls really just want to hang out together--all day everyday. It doesn't matter if they're doing anything special or not, they just want to be together. And it helps if you feed them. I've said yes to lots of togetherness this week and it makes me happy that they seem to want to hang out at our house.

5. Manners matter. Maybe it's my southern roots but kids who have good manners are so much more enjoyable to be around than kids who have none at all.

6. There are very few good summer movies to look forward to this year. Harry Potter is the only one I'm really excited about.

7. That's all, folks. Enjoy your weekend!

Loves of late...

2011-06-07T07:20:00.001-06:00

Some things I'm loving these days...

This blog. Oh my word. I totally relate to her on the teenage boy front. Plus, she's witty and just downright fun!

My Chaco flips. I've tried the toe-strap Chacos but just can't stand the way they feel on my foot. The flips are perfect! (I got them for free with my REI dividend! Woohoo!)

This salad and salad dressing. I can't have any kind of vinegar these days so this is my go-to salad. I omit the feta (can't have dairy either) and the black olives and add whatever veggies I have on hand and it's soooooooo good.

My iPhone. Duh! My kids have dozens and dozens of apps for their iPods so I haven't really bought ~~much~~ anything at this point...what are some of your faves??? I'll share mine soon but I'd love to know which ones you love!

This moisturizer. It's just the right amount of light, non-greasy moisture + sunscreen. I have sensitive skin and I've found this stuff to be excellent!

My list of things I'm loving wouldn't be complete without mentioning SUMMER! I love days with no where specific to be. I love the sun. I love the warmth. Love the green grass and the flowers. Love the smell of sunscreen. Love the plentiful fresh fruits and veggies. Love throwing dinner on the grill and eating outside. Love hearing my kids play together. Love saying yes to all kinds of fun. Love love LOVE it.

Anything you're loving lately that is too good not to share?

Monday's this and that

2011-06-06T08:34:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling listy and random today....

::: We sent Will off on his confirmation trip yesterday after church. He's going with the nine other kids who were confirmed with him on a fun trek all over Colorado this week. They're accompanied by our pastors and I think they're in for a super fun week! They'll do different service projects, have focused Bible time, and they have some awesome hiking and fun planned as well! I already miss him like crazy but hope he has a great week! I realize I still haven't blogged about his confirmation (and I intend to!) but John posted his thoughts here.

::: Within a few hours of his return, Sarah leaves for Younglife camp. I'm only going to have two kids at home for the next two weeks. That is so weird.

::: Speaking of Younglife, John and I recently agreed to be on the Younglife committee for our area. We're looking forward to serving with a lot of great folks!

::: My yard sale weekend was a success. I made more money that I thought I would and had a BLAST hanging out with some of my favorite neighbors! I also have cleaner closets and MUCH less junk. Win-win-win!

::: Abbey has a yucky summer cold. It started as a cough and progressed into a full blown cold. Poor thing. It's no fun to feel bad in the summer!

::: Since Will is gone this week the girls and I have some girly shopping days planned. Sarah needs a few things for camp next week and they both need a new swimsuit. I'm kinda dreading the swimsuit shopping a little bit...but shhhhhhh...don't tell them that.

::: We're getting excited about going to Arkansas in July. My brother and his wife are expecting a baby girl in mid-July and my kids are anxious to meet her! They're also excited about seeing their other little cousin (he'll be ten months old when we're there), and of course hanging out with their two cousins who are much closer in age. Sometimes I feel sad that we live so far away from our families.

::: Some of our other vacation plans are still coming together. Looks like John and I are going to get away alone for several days and we are both excited about that! :)

::: I'm considering turning our AC on today. It's supposed to get pretty warm. Isn't that just comical to those of you who live in the south and have been running your air conditioner since, ummmm, February? Can I confess that the one part of our Arkansas trip I dread is the suffocating July heat and humidity?

::: That's all I've got today, folks. Hope your Monday is happy!

Happenings...

2011-06-01T07:09:00.000-06:00

It's been a week since I've blogged? Really? Where has my blogging mojo gone?!?

Well, we're still here and still enjoying summer. It feels like everyone is easing into a nice, slow pace and a daily routine around here. I especially love the quiet morning hours. John and I get up early and our kids get up late and it just makes for some peaceful time together in the morning.

We had a really great Memorial Day weekend. It feels like our warm weather might actually be here to stay! Hooray for summer!!! I love holiday weekends but man, I am so thrown off when the week starts on Tuesday. At least this week will be short and the weekend will be here before we know it.

I turned forty-one over the weekend and my family spoiled me rotten! I'm really not a big birthday person. The older I get, the less that kind of stuff matters to me, BUT I've got to admit that it was fun to be pampered! Last Friday afternoon, John took me to get a pre-birthday gift: an iPhone! I realize that "stuff" doesn't fulfill you, but my phone does make me ridiculously happy! Big thanks to Will for giving me his upgrade. They also took me out to dinner which was kinda hard with all my dietary restrictions right now, but I found something I could eat that was DELICIOUS! They also took me to buy flowers for the planters on my porch and patio. Flowers make me ridiculously happy too! It was a great birthday!

In other news, I'm eating crow.

After my last yard sale...probably 10 years ago in Arkansas...I swore up and down I would never have another one. Too much work for too little profit. I find it's easier and much more enjoyable to give things away. HOWEVER, I succumbed to neighborhood pressure and am joining in with some fun neighbors this weekend for a multi-family yard sale. My pickins' are slim since I just donated a whole bunch of junk to the Younglife fundraising yard sale in May. I'm quite surprised though by the amount I've collected by cleaning closets and rooms in the last week. I've got a couple more areas to go through today. If I can make enough money to buy a steam vac, I'd be happy. We'll see!

Alrighty. Must get moving! Happy Hump Day, peeps.

Blahg

2011-05-25T08:21:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't noticed, I've been feeling blah about the blog lately. It's certainly not been for lack of blogging material; it seems to have been more of a motivation issue.

Today, however, I woke up feeling bloggy instead of blahgy. Yay! Here's some of what we've been up to.

It's officially SUMMER at mi casa. We're only a few days into it, but so far it's been good!!!

Will finished middle school last week. In a few short months, he will be a freshman in high school. That's hard to wrap my mind around! He had a pretty big week last week. He was confirmed at our church (that's another blog post that I want to write this week) and then he "graduated" from 8th grade. John took him and some of his best buds to Elitch Gardens last weekend to celebrate. He had a blast and it was a fun way for him to kick off the summer!

I keep saying it's summer but our weather hasn't gotten that memo. We've had a few nice days mixed in with some cold, rainy weather. It even snowed (briefly) one day last week! It was in the 40s yesterday so we stayed home and cleaned out closets. I hadn't packed away the kids' winter clothes so we tackled that and deep-cleaned everyone's bedrooms. I love starting summer with a clean/purged house. The girls' room was a DISASTER. I don't know about your kids but those girls of mine are packrats. I ended up with two huge trashbags of stuff after tackling their room. I save very little and I'm definitely not a clutter person. I'm at a loss as to how to help them tame the mess monster...I'm just hoping and praying they outgrow the need to save every piece of paper and craft they've ever made.

We're going to watch the Thunderbirds with some friends later. Today is the US Air Force graduation and the Thunderbirds always perform after the ceremony. We're going to pack lunch, secure a good viewing spot, and just enjoy. We usually get to watch them practice for a few days before graduation (they fly right over our house!) but the weather has been so weird lately that they haven't been out as much. I never get tired of watching them...it's seriously one of my favorite things about living here!

Okay, changing subjects. I'm on a super restricted diet right now because of a recurrent health issue. I quit drinking coffee (cold turkey--yikes!) and am feeling much MUCH better. I also cut out all sugar (this temporarily includes fruit), white flour, gluten, dairy, fermented products, starchy veggies, and artificial sweeteners. I was desperate for relief and after talking to a lady at my health food store I followed her diet recommendations and did all this cold turkey. I don't recommend that. I've had to figure out exactly what I COULD eat on the fly. I've sorta found my groove now (today is Day 12) and am feeling fantastic! It took a while though; last week was R-O-U-G-H. I can basically eat veggies, meat, eggs, almonds, quinoa, and brown rice. I have almost two weeks under my belt and need to go about two more after that and then re-introduce things back into my diet gradually. It's basically a cleanse for a yucky infection that isn't pleasant to talk about. The good news is that my symptoms disappeared almost immediately once I eliminated all those foods! If you're just dying to know more, email me and I'll give you the lowdown.

Alrighty. This is longer than I expected so I'm signing off for now. Happy Hump Day, peeps.

Short + Linky = Slinky

2011-05-19T09:16:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a few links...

This post of Gretchen's made me laugh out loud.

So did this one by Angie.

I really want to copy Beth and let the girls make one of these in the next few weeks. SO cute!

I tried this recipe--cheeseburger macaroni-- a few weeks ago and it was really good and super easy. It's back on the menu plan for this week. I think that cheese sauce might be perfect for homemade mac and cheese!

Speaking of delicious food, I'm loving this stuff these days...the classic almond on brown rice cakes. I'm on a super restrictive diet right now (no cheeseburger macaroni for me. sigh). Not because I want to be but because some health issues have forced my hand. More on that soon...

Something wonderful happened during my unintentional blog break last week. Four months after her stroke, Joanne, got to leave the rehab hospital for good!!! She's been home for almost a week! Her sister wrote this heartfelt post yesterday...she's come so far, but she still needs much prayer as she and her family find their new normal.

Today is the-next-to-last day-of-school-for-us-day! Seems wrong to be sending my kids to school in long pants and heavy jackets but (sigh) that's my reality. Peace out, peeps!

Pondering...

2011-05-17T12:47:00.000-06:00

Hello, blog peeps. It's been awhile.

I'm alive and well and surviving the last week of school. Did you catch that? This is our LAST week of school. I am so ready for some long and lazy days with my kiddos at home. They are ready too.

Life has been good lately. Very good, actually. Very good, but yet hard. Good and hard seem almost inseparable sometimes.

While it's been quiet here on "the blog", it hasn't been quiet in my head. I've been pondering (i really love that word)...relationships...words...life...and other weighty things. Pondering has given way to clarity. Some clarity that I really needed. Seems I see and hear better when I take a break from some of the noise in my life. I think I feel ready to step back into the noise. Well, maybe not today, but tomorrow. Yes, definitely tomorrow.

Saturday Confessions III

2011-05-07T07:55:00.001-06:00

Have a fun and super busy day ahead but I have a few things I need to confess:

:::I've been a total laundry slacker lately. If it weren't for my husband, I'm afraid we'd have no clean clothes to wear. Zip, zilch, nada. John is responsible for 98% of all the laundry that has been done lately. Thank you, J.

:::Because of my extreme laziness in the laundry room, I had to get creative and "make" a short sleeve white t-shirt to wear under a sweater last week (both of my others were dirty!!!) I cut the sleeves off of one of my long-sleeved tees. The result? Jagged, uneven sleeves that are oh-so UNclassy, and yet perfect because they are unseen when worn under a sweater. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have tried to cut the sleeves AND talk on the phone at the same time.

:::Last night at Bunco, I dropped a jellybean on the floor. My friend, picked it up and we laughed before deciding to put it back in the bowl with the others. We're nice like that.

:::I painted a door in my house yesterday that has been bugging me for years. It looks so much better and even though that task was nothing but a distraction, it was time well spent. I felt so lame when I realized I was leaning against it before the paint was dry. Stink.

:::I had planned to take some items to our school's teacher appreciation luncheon last Thursday. Except the luncheon was on Tuesday. OOPS! They had plenty of food and plenty of help so thankfully I wasn't in the doghouse with anyone.

:::I accidentally found one of my mother's day surprises yesterday...in the REFRIGERATOR. Huh? What? WHY? Evidently someone placed it on the very top and it fell inside when the door opened. I think it's in my best interest to act surprised when I see it again tomorrow.

:::I say "we" a whole lot when I actually mean my husband. Here's an example or two. "We" should really mow the back yard today. "We" should get Jack's nails clipped. "We" need to call about that insurance thing. "We" need to sort that recycling. I think he's on to me because he's started rolling his eyes when I begin sentences with "we".

:::We (not "we") are having friends over for dinner tonight. The last time this bunch of folks joined us, John missed the ENTIRE party because of our dog's unfortunate incident. In what I consider a preemptive move, "we" took Jack for his monthly "massage". Hopefully there will be no dog emergencies (or subsequent vet bills) tonight!

Happy Saturday, peeps.

Our Summer List

2011-05-06T07:38:00.000-06:00

We had a little dream session around the dinner table last night and came up with our annual summer list! Some of it's realistic, some of it's not but here's some of what we'd like to do in Summer 2011.

Go to the beach
Go to New York City
Rockies baseball games
Weekend road trips (Estes Park and Santa Fe were mentioned!)
Go to Arkansas to see cousins (my kids are getting a brand new cousin in July!)
Eat on the patio at Amanda's Fonda
Have dinner at The Mona Lisa in Manitou Springs
Buy a new television
Ride bikes
Neighborhood Happy Hours!
Go out for breakfast (Adam's Mountain Cafe!)
Eat lots of Pinkberry
Make homemade ice cream and maybe gelato
See the last Harry Potter movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Visit Mount Rushmore
Vist the Sand Dunes
Participate in the library summer reading program
Have lots of sleepovers (I stifled my groaning for the sake of my kids)
Have friends over for dinner
Grill...a lot
Plan Sarah's birthday party
Have outside movie nights
CAMPING!
Elitch Gardens
Bedroom makeover (John and I need one!)
Hike
Eat outside

Oh my gosh...I love summer and am SO ready for it to begin. It's close. REALLY close. As of today:
Abbey has 9 more days of school (she's out today and Monday)
Will has 10 more school days
Sarah has 11 more school days (poor Sarah)

DEFINITELY seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Hip, hip HOORAY!

Hodge-Podge

2011-05-04T07:51:00.001-06:00

1. Have you ever been served breakfast in bed? Do you enjoy that? If someone were serving you breakfast in bed this coming weekend what would you hope you would see on the tray?
Yes, I have and yes, I enjoy it. I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day (2 pieces of toasted Ezekiel bread) so IF someone served me breakfast in bed this weekend, anything different would be nice. There are very few foods I don't/won't eat! ;)

2. What is one piece of advice you would give a new mother? Trust your instincts. God gave them to you for a reason!

3. When is the last time you wanted to scream? Explain. Two days ago in the carpool line at the middle school. I actually did kinda scream. Twice. First, because I arrived about five minutes later than normal and I thought I might actually be able to pick Sarah up on the street level and not have to enter the dreaded parking lot. There is a window of time that makes the parking lot experience a smooth one and if you miss it, you're toast. I'd missed that window but there was hope I could still avoid the parking lot if only Sarah would hurry. Sarah was goofing off with her friend and not paying attention to my insane motioning for her to hurry. I ended up having to pull in to the parking lot (grrrrrrr!) and then some woman decided she was queen of the ~~world~~ parking lot and made her own personal lane through it, then STOPPED and PARKED in the middle of the lane she made (double grrrrrrr!). I said some not-so-nice words to her (that of course she didn't hear).

4. Can you hula hoop? Yep.

5. What is something people do in traffic that really bothers you? Pick their nose. Ha! That really does bother me, but it bothers me more when people drive too fast in traffic.

6. What do you do when people don't admit they're wrong? What can you do really? Sometimes it makes me mad, but mostly I just feel sad for the person. And (sigh) sometimes the person is ME!

7. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "fun"? SUMMER!!!

8. Insert your own random thought here. It's really unfortunate that my older kids leave for school at 7am because they don't get the caffeinated version of their mom. I'm MUCH more happy and energetic when I wake their little sister up in the mornings because I've had my two cups of coffee! Caffeine is a miracle drug for this tired momma.

Tell About It Tuesday: Screen Shots on a Mac

2011-05-03T07:07:00.001-06:00

I learned something a few weeks ago that is too good not to share with my fellow Mac users/lovers. I can't help you PC folks. Sorry.

How to take a screen shot on your Mac:
Press Command + Shift + 3. You'll hear the click of the camera lens (unless you have your sound turned off) and a photo file (.png) will be saved. Mine are saved to my desktop, but on our super old iBook4 they're saved to photos. Use the Today menu in Finder if you need help finding yours after you take it.

[I opened my photo with Preview and used it to edit out all my top secret classified information in this screenshot.]

----------------------------------------

How to capture only part of the screen on your Mac:
Press Command + Shift + 4. A cross-hair target thingy will appear on your screen. Move it where you want it on your screen, then drag it over the area you want to capture. When you release your hold on the trackpad/mouse then you'll hear the lens of the camera click and the image is saved to your computer.

COOL, huh?

Perhaps you already knew this, but I did not and I've already found it to be useful...and fun....and pointless. Here are a few of my recent screen captures...

I know enough of you use a Mac for me to share this because my StatCounter tells me what percentage of readers use which browser. See? Interesting, no?

These are some of my recent StatCounter search results. I told you I had no idea that this post would generate so many blog hits.

(By the way, I LOVE Preview, and I especially love the quick photo editing features!)

Here's a screen shot from iTunes. I imported my Camelot cd on Sunday because I woke up singing "It's May, it's May, the SNOWY month of May" only to discover it wasn't on my iPod!

(BTW, my husband prefers the original lyrics to that song. Of course he does.)

A sampling of random pictures/albums in iPhoto...

And in case my husband wonders what I might want for my birthday, I might use this feature to send him some not-so-subtle hints....

So there ya go. Mac lovers, do you have a favorite Mac tip or shortcut? Do tell.

It's MAY!

2011-05-02T07:52:00.001-06:00

It's May! Let the crazy begin.

May is always super duper busy and this year is no exception. I flipped my calendar page on Saturday night and almost cried. We have three more weeks of school and that means we have three weeks of crazy. (I know that crazy is usually an adjective, but in this case it is most definitely a noun.) Lots of good and exciting stuff though so I'm not going to complain!

Our weekend was good, but very full. All three of our kiddos had a school project to work on over the weekend. I'm so over projects. SO OVER THEM. Definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel though.

In other random news...
Our dog is shedding like crazy and it's driving me nuts.

We woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning and had snow flurries off and on all day yesterday. I sorta wish that snow would confine itself to winter months, BUT moisture is moisture and my grass is getting greener by the day! I'll pack our winter coats and gear away in July. Sigh.

I started a new bible study several weeks ago and I must admit to loving it. It's Believing God by Beth Moore.

Some neighbors left May Day baskets for my kids while we were at church yesterday. I love that idea and want to repeat it with my kids next year.

This week is teacher appreciation week at my kids' schools. I REALLY appreciate my kids' teachers and am trying to do a little something each day this week to show them!

I have a bad habit of rambling, and now seems like a good time to stop. Happy Monday, peeps.

Saturday Confessions II

2011-04-30T08:33:00.001-06:00

1. I have never been so ready for a month to end. April was full of so many hard things and I spent a lot of it in a funk. The good news is that May begins tomorrow! I love turning the calendar to a brand new page.

2. I had absolutely NO idea that Kate Middleton's sister was named Pippa when I titled my last post. I had NO idea the number of hits my blog would receive because of it either. Wow.

3. I watched a ton of royal wedding coverage and loved every single minute of it. I slept until 5am so I missed the actual wedding ceremony but saw the procession to Buckingham palace and everything after that. We don't have a DVR but I was able to find enough coverage yesterday afternoon to satisfy my curiosity. The girls loved it too!

4. I felt guilty enjoying the pageantry of the royal wedding knowing that many friends in the South were facing a much more stark reality. The tornados and the flooding have taken so much from so many...and it simply breaks my heart.

5. I went to Will's track meet on Thursday afternoon and realized after I'd parked my van that I was at the WRONG school. UGH. I'd looked up directions to Challenger Middle school earlier that morning and saw that it was on Lexington and thought I knew how to get there because we've had events at that school before. When I pulled in the parking lot I noticed the sign said Mountain Ridge Middle school. John was already there (and wondering why he couldn't find Will or any of teammates at the track meet going on there.) Duh! I felt so stupid. My girls and their friends who were with us were laughing so hard at my goof-up! In my defense, BOTH schools are on Lexington and are less than 2 miles apart! I bet I'll never confuse Challenger and Mountain Ridge middle schools again.

6. I am tired of wearing sweaters. And jackets. And winter coats. I nearly froze at that track meet and I've worn a sweater almost every day this week. Tomorrow is MAY for crying out loud. We have had plenty of nice days though so I really should not complain.

7. I was ~~way more excited than I should have been about a television show~~ giddy last night when I realized that this season of Friday Night Lights is available on Comcast On Demand. We've missed the first three episodes (because we don't have a DVR!) but now we can catch up! You do know that is our favorite show on television, right?

8. I mentioned in confession #1 that I've been in a funk. I feel like I'm slowly emerging from it, but I also feel like I'm emerging with my eyes wide open. Some of the hard things from April that I alluded to have caused me to examine my priorities and all the different things that I put my time and energy into. I'll be honest, I didn't like everything I saw. I'm making some positive changes but I'm a little fearful too because it means stepping away from what is familiar and comfortable. Change is good, but change is oh-so hard.

Pippi-style and the royal wedding

2011-04-27T07:55:00.000-06:00

When my children were smaller I was very good about writing down the funny things they'd say. I've slacked off on that over the years but these two things are things I want to remember and since my blog is the closest thing to scrapbooking that I do these days, this is the perfect place to "write" it.

I took the girls to Colorado Springs to see a local production of Pippi Longstocking last night. It was VERY cute! When Abbey woke up this morning she told me (in a highly exasperated voice) that she TRIED to sleep Pippi-style last night--feet on your pillow, head at the foot of the bed--but that sleeping that way was IMPOSSIBLE. Cracked me up.

About a month ago, when all the William and Kate wedding hype began I asked the girls if they wanted to see the royal wedding. I told them all about watching the wedding of Charles and Diana when I was a young girl and how exciting an event such as this would be. I went on and on and on until they mustered up some enthusiasm and agreed to watch it with me. I told them we might have to get up really early to see it on television. Abbey looked me square in the eye and said, "What? You mean we have to watch it on the stinkin' TV? I thought you meant we were GOING TO THE ROYAL WEDDING." That girl is a keeper!

Easter wrap-up

2011-04-25T08:38:00.002-06:00

I'm going to document our family's Easter weekend events in this post. I had not one but two debates with my family yesterday about how we celebrated Easter last year and the blog was able to prove me right both times. Sweet justice!

Good Friday:

The kids had school but John had the day off! That means we had a date! We went to lunch, did our "Easter Bunny" shopping, and shopped for men's black dress socks. Doesn't get more exciting than that.

I did this again this year. Just a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice for ME, for you, for all of us. I got the idea from Wendy a couple of years ago.

We also went to our church's Good Friday service, and after the kids went to bed, the Easter Bunny visited. Our Easter bunny comes on Friday night instead of Saturday. Here's why.

Good Saturday:

I don't know if it's really called Good Saturday or not, but it seems like a good descriptor for a Saturday.

The kids woke up to a (shared) basket of candy and Coldstone gift cards. Last year our Easter bunny outdid himself and brought movie tickets but I think this year he knew that John and Meredith didn't want to sit through Hop or Diary of a Wimpy Kid II. We're indulgent parents, we just prefer not to spend upwards of $50 for a movie we'd rather see on dvd in two months, so thank you for notching it back down this year, Mr. Bunny!

My rule on Saturday is that kids can eat candy all day long (or until it's gone) and so that's what they did. It was mostly gone by 11am. Sarah went to an Easter egg hunt that she and her middle-school friends organized for themselves and there were tears when she got home and realized her brother and sister ate all the Starburst jelly beans. Those things are tasty!

I ended the day talking to one of my dearest friends. She called to tell me that another dear friend's father had passed away earlier that day. My heart aches for my friend and her family...loss is never a slight thing...but that was a timely reminder of what Easter Sunday is all about...death is not the end of the story...

Easter Sunday:

Church, of course, was first up.

My friend, Paula, took this picture of us after the service. I sent my mom some pics of the kids and she asked why John and I weren't in them. It's because this is the only one we got so thank you, Paula!

I looked at some Easter pictures that friends posted on Facebook last night and wanted to cry at all the lush, green foliage in the backgrounds. There's a reason all of our Easter photos were taken inside. We woke up to snow yesterday and it was 32 degrees when we left for church. It's typical, but it's disheartening when it happens year after year after year. The picture below makes me laugh because the girls were NOT happy when I told them they needed to grab their coats before church.

We came home from church and had lunch: ham, potato casserole, roasted asparagus, roasted brussel sprouts, and rolls (Sister Schuberts!) with cherry pie and Blue Bell for dessert. (I include this information for my own future personal reference should my family insist that we ate at Chilis for Easter dinner!)

We finally got around to dyeing eggs on Easter afternoon but I didn't take one single picture. They were pretty though!

We ended the evening the way we end most Sunday evenings, watching AFV and The Amazing Race.

Easter is the one holiday that makes me more homesick than all the others. I think it's a collective longing for spring and flowers and sunshine and family and old traditions. Easter in Colorado makes me SAD. I try to make it special and fun for us, but I never fully feel like my heart is in things like it is on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm still feeling tired from riding the emotional roller coaster of the last couple of weeks with my breast lump/biopsy saga too. It's fair to say that I wasn't the happiest chick to be around yesterday. Still, the meaning of the day wasn't lost on me and I feel like overall it was celebratory.

The kids are out of school today. I'm not complaining about a day off but I much prefer it when our day off is Friday. When our school week starts on Tuesday, I feel like I'm off kilter for remainder of the week. This one is already super busy, so I'm going to have to be ultra-organized and on top of things! Happy Monday, peeps. Strangely, the word "peeps" seems especially fitting today.

Accepting Condolences

2011-04-23T09:34:00.000-06:00

Pink is my new favorite color

2011-04-21T12:09:00.002-06:00

[Pink is primarily a color for girls. That's a nice way of attempting to persuade my male readers to stop reading at this point. There's a lot of female-related information that you might not want to know in the paragraphs below. For the rest of you, I apologize for the length of this post.]

Remember when I casually mentioned last month that I had my first mammogram?

Well, it came back abnormal. I kinda figured it might because I'd found a lump in my breast at the end of January. It took a few weeks to get an appointment with my doctor but she didn't seem overly concerned about the lump. She ordered a mammogram and it was about three weeks later before I went in for that.

The mammography tech was great. She explained things in detail and asked if I had any questions. I didn't, but I did mention the lump I could feel. She mashed around on it and like my doctor, she didn't seem too concerned either, but she did tell me that about 10% of women get called back for a second set of images. Sometimes it's because the radiologist sees something suspicious and doesn't have anything to compare it to (a baseline mammogram) and sometimes it's because they just need more information. I left that day with the feeling that I'd probably be one of the 10% that was called back. And I was.

I still wasn't super concerned. No one had really given me a reason to be fearful or in a hurry to follow-up so I scheduled that second mammogram for several weeks later at a time of the month when I'd be the least sore AND at a time of the month that my hormones would be similar to the stage they were in during the first mammo. It made sense to me at the time.

Now is a good time to mention that for as long as I can remember, I've had lumpy breasts. Sixteen years ago, a doctor in Dallas diagnosed me with fibrocystic changes. My breasts get lumpy and sore towards the end of my cycle and all of that completely disappears when my cycle starts over. The lump I'd found seemed cystic in nature to me. It would get bigger, then shrink depending on where I was in my cycle. I was optimistic.

The day of my follow-up mammogram, they called to tell me that their mammography machine was down. I ended up being rescheduled three times that week. It was a tad nerve-wracking, but mainly just annoying. I think I started to feel a tiny bit fearful when they told me that I was "high priority" as far as scheduling went because of my previous mammogram.

I ended up having an ultrasound instead of a mammogram when I finally went back in. I guess I wasn't totally surprised when the technician found SEVEN lumps--five in one breast and two in the other. Of those seven, four were definitely cysts and three were solid masses. Cysts are good; solid masses aren't so good. The radiologist came in to take a look and wanted to biopsy the largest of those three solid masses--which was the one I'd discovered at the end of January. You know why I could feel it? Because it was 2 cm in diameter. That's close to an inch and that's rather large for a breast lump.

Before I left that day, I set up the biopsy appointment and drove home. I was concerned, but not really worried. John left for Oregon within minutes of me arriving home from that appointment and I was a single parent for five days so I think I pushed any anxiousness I was feeling far, far away for the sake of my kids. I mentioned it to a handful of friends but talking about it stirred up unpleasantness for me, so I was pretty tight-lipped.

The night before the procedure (it was last Thursday) I used the world wide web to look up ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted core biopsy. Big mistake. There are some things that should never be googled. That and 14-guage hollow core needle are two of them. It's pretty safe to say that I was freaked out. I just kept thinking of my friend, Joanne, who had endured multiple brain surgeries and telling myself that this was much more routine and much less invasive and asking God for courage!

I'll refrain from detailing the actual biopsy procedure. I made sure I had relaxing music on my iPod, put my earbuds in, closed my eyes to avoid what was playing out on the ultrasound screen, and tried (unsuccessfully) to relax. I couldn't feel anything, but the noise of the needle was freaky so obviously I didn't turn my iPod up loud enough. There was one minor complication which necessitated a second incision but thankfully they gave me more lidocaine. The worst part might have been finding out that I had to have a mammogram immediately after the biopsy to find out if the tiny marker they inserted was in the right place. They put the marker in (via the needle)(ick) in case they need to go back in later to remove the mass and/or to monitor growth. That's not alarming or anything, right?

I think the giant cloud of fear descended on me the second I walked out of that clinic. My mind went crazy with all the possible scenarios of how my life could change depending on those results. It wasn't pretty and the wait was torturous.

I tried to focus on the positive things I knew like the fact that my doctor and the mammography technician both seemed unconcerned at those initial visits and that there is no history of breast cancer on my mom's side of my family. But, I also kept running into women with bald heads--at Walmart, at the mall, and even at church--I saw four women in three days! That was tough. It also seemed a bit uncanny that I reconnected with a friend on Facebook who (unaware of what I was going through) told me that she is just emerging victoriously over her own battle with breast cancer. I wasn't sure what to think of all these crazy coincidental things (there were several more) but I was certainly paying attention. I thought of all the women I know who have survived breast cancer--including John's mom and two other friends--and I was moved by their courage and bravery.

Did I mention that the wait was torturous? I prayed. I cried. I asked friends to pray. I cried some more. I tried to let go of the fear (I had one semi-successful day out of the SIX that I had to wait) but it was just always lurking. I kept myself busy almost all weekend just to avoid the "what ifs" that surfaced in the quiet moments. I also have to mention here that I have THE BEST friends in the world.

There's so much more I want to say but this is already so long, so I'll just get to part you're probably all waiting to read--the biopsy results.

I got good news. My lump is a fibroadenoma, which is a fairly common, solid, rubbery BENIGN mass. The other two masses (which weren't biopsied) may or may not be the same thing but they are soooooo tiny that at this point, they're okay to be monitored via mammogram in six months. I'm more than okay with that. And believe me, there were MANY prayers of thanks offered up yesterday as well as tears of joy. The relief I felt yesterday was E-N-O-R-M-O-U-S.

I'm very well aware that today would be a very different day if I'd gotten different news. Sadly, not everyone facing this kind of scare walks away hearing the beautiful word benign. I think that going through all of this testing/waiting/testing/waiting has softened my heart towards women going through similar health issues. Those bald women I kept running into all weekend? I don't know exactly what they're facing or what their story is but my heart was drawn to them and I know God heard the prayers I whispered on their behalf. This whole ordeal has made me wish to be a gentler, kinder woman because there are people in pain ALL around us...almost ALL the time...who maybe just need a smile, a nod, or a stranger to look them in the eye and let them know that they've been "seen".

One more thing. I've never liked the color pink, but I was shopping earlier this week and purposefully bought a pink top. Most of you probably know that pink is the color for breast cancer awareness. My new PINK top is going to be a reminder of these past couple of months and a symbol/statement of gratitude. I'm determined to love the color pink for all the women out there who have battled and/or are currently battling breast cancer, and I bet every one of you reading this can name at least one.

HAZMAT day!

2011-04-20T21:53:00.000-06:00

We had the day off from school today because there was a tanker on the railroad tracks close to our house that was leaking hydrochloric acid. YIKES! The neighborhood next to ours was evacuated early this morning, and when I say early, I'm talking get called out of bed, gather everything you might need for 48 hours including your pets, and be out of the house in twenty minutes. We were on standby (all of us had packed a bag except John) to evacuate for most of the morning and early afternoon until the crew from Texas (Texas???) arrived and began cleaning things up. Fun times I tell ya.

John was scheduled to go in to the office for a while this morning. He worked from home instead, and I was very glad because this morning they were telling residents of our 'hood that if we left we wouldn't be allowed to return for 48 hours.

Needless to say it's been an exciting day!

Lots of friends WERE evacuated and displaced from their homes today but as I'm writing this, the evacuation order has been lifted and they're settling back into the beds they were so groggily ejected from this morning. I'm so happy for them. They've had a LONG, EXHAUSTING day!

We had literally dozens of voice messages, texts, call, and offers of lodging from sweet friends. That was such a blessing, but the bigger blessing was that we got to stay in our home! It was sorta like a snow day without the snow. Sorta. But not really. It was a weird day that I couldn't let end without documenting on "the blog".

John worked all day but the kids and I ended up having a pretty lazy day which we really needed. I also got some REALLY GOOD NEWS that I'd been praying and hoping for. I will share all of that tomorrow! It deserves it's own blog post.

So peace out, peeps!

----------------------------------------------

PS: I still haven't called the dentist about my tooth. I hate the dentist.

PSS: I have a hair appointment tomorrow. I was willing to risk not being allowed to re-enter the neighborhood in order to keep that appointment. Thank goodness I don't have to make that call now.

Monday-Schmonday

2011-04-18T20:22:00.000-06:00

I got some loose ends wrapped up today that were pestering me. I got to cross some things off of my running to-do list. I love crossing things off of lists. I think that may be the reason that I make lists in the first place.

We had a pretty good weekend. We found Easter outfits for the kids quickly, easily, and without drama which might go down in the Lifeat7000Feet record book as a first! I even enjoyed the mall, which might also be a first.

I laughed at those of you who commented on my Confessions post about sandwiches being perfectly acceptable as a dinner option. I totally agree. It's just that I really really like to cook, so when my family gets sandwiches it's because I'm super tired and or have lost my cooking mojo. Last Friday, I think it was both.

We had dinner with some friends last night and the weather was so nice that we were actually able to sit outside. Makes me so ready for summer!!! They grilled burgers (which also makes me excited for summer!) and at one point I chomped down on something really hard. My tooth (molar) has been hurting ever since. I'm not sure what I did but all I know is that there is pain when I bite on down on that side. I need to call the dentist in the morning but I'm wondering when in the world I can squeeze an appointment into my week! Until then, I guess I'm on a diet because when it hurts to eat, well, you just don't want to eat. :(

This is really random but I keep wondering if any of you experience this too. Almost every single morning (and sometimes throughout the night) I wake up with crazy pain in the cartilage in my ear. It hurts worse when I lift my head up to roll over and switch sides and it usually always takes 10-15 minutes to completely go away. It's worse in my right ear, but it affects both. The pain is not inside my ear, it's not the lobe, and it's not from being folded over--it's the cartilage. I can't figure out what causes it; all I know is that it HURTS! Does anyone else experience that? Anyone?

Saturday Confessions

2011-04-16T08:03:00.006-06:00

I'm linking up to Melissa's Saturday Confessions this morning. I love Melissa. I know if I still lived in Arkansas, we'd be good friends.

Here's me being confessional:

1. I fed my family sandwiches for dinner last night. I usually save sandwiches for lunchboxes but the truth is I didn't have anything more than sandwiches in me last night. I did try to make them a little more fancy--I called them paninis and made them on the George Foreman grill.

2. After that gourmet meal, I helped John clean up the kitchen then put on my pjs and got in bed. At 7pm. I watched a movie on my laptop before I fell asleep, but I totally ignored my family who were all together in the den watching Disney. I loathe Disney.

3. This week, I had a major conflict with a volunteer project that I'm in charge of and an appointment that I really had to keep. I didn't realize the conflict until two days before. I did something I typically don't like to do and delegated the whole thing to three very capable moms. Sometimes I delegate, but when I do I don't think I ever fully release things. I turned a corner this week and did both. It was a HUGE help and those moms handled it beautifully.

4. My house is a disaster. I'm not even kidding. This week has thrown a few curveballs my way and between dodging those and the general BUSYness of this time of year the house has fallen apart. Of course (and you all probably would agree) it doesn't take much for things to fall apart quickly. Housekeeping is a daily affair.

5. I am feeling very restless and unsatisfied with some things in my life right now. So is John. We had a really great lunch conversation about all of this earlier in the week. I don't know that we walked away with a lot of answers but just acknowledging our feelings and realizing that we're both in the same place felt huge.

6. I love my husband! I've had to depend on him for some big things this week and he has been nothing short of amazing.

7. I am pea green with envy over all my friends who are in Little Rock this weekend to see Beth Moore. PEA GREEN WITH ENVY. I think half of my Arkansas friends were there last night based on their Facebook statuses.

8. Speaking of Facebook--I am totally annoyed with it lately. For lots of reasons. That could probably be an entire post for another day.

9. Happy Saturday! My family is heading out later to do some Easter outfit shopping. That will probably involve a trip to the mall and if you know me, you know I despise that place. I feel my attitude sliding south even now. Oh brother. I'm going to try to be positive for the sake of my family! Wish me luck.

Thirteen

2011-04-13T07:07:00.001-06:00

1. I sometimes wish my blog was private. I'm a word processor, meaning I process things through words/writing. I have some stuff I'm processing and yet this forum doesn't feel quite private enough these days. I'm afraid my husband is tiring of my verbal processing though he'd probably never admit that.

2. I took the kids to see Soul Surfer on Saturday. It was EXCELLENT!

3. I love Sour Patch Kids. I ate a whole stinkin' box all by myself at the movie.

4. I am feeling MUCH better! Super thankful for that!

5. John was in Oregon the last several days. He sent me this pic (Multnomah Falls) on Saturday and asked me to start searching vrbo.com for some places on the coast this summer. He didn't have to ask me twice.

6. He got home really late Monday night and I woke up on Tuesday feeling more rested than I had in days. I don't sleep well when he's away, but I do get caught up on all the shows I like on Bravo that he won't watch with me. :)

7. We only have 27 more days of school. Abbey technically only has 25, but Will and Sarah have 27. That's less than six weeks until summer! Woohoo!

8. Abbey has decided she likes white American cheese since trying it on her sandwich at Subway the other day. However, she insists on it being white American and she insists on having me cut it into triangles like they do at Subway because that's "the only way it tastes right". She packs a turkey sandwich on french bread in her lunchbox every single day, but Monday she requested turkey with triangle cheese on Italian bread. I just sliced french bread differently and told her it was italian. She totally bought it.
*By the way, I'm so thrilled she's eating cheese on her sandwich that I don't even mind cutting it in triangle shapes!

9. Our television remote is broken. The volume control works but the channel control doesn't. It is super annoying to have to get up to change the channel manually. Good thing we have slaves, er, I mean children.

10. We filed an extension for our income taxes. That seems to be our MO. Modus Operandi.

11. John and I are like most couples and have days/weeks that we're either in sync with each other or entirely disconnected. We've been in a really good place lately and I am so grateful for that. I much prefer the ups to the downs. Who wouldn't?

12. I've been working on this post since SUNDAY when it was the tenth. Now it's the thirteenth. I'm having a hard time blogging lately. I have much I want to say, but again, this isn't the the place to say it. [See #1 above].

13. I'm working on a shopping list for my big trip at the end of the week. I asked Will if there was anything he needed and without missing a beat he said, "Yeah, shaving cream". That threw me for a bit of a loop. How is he old enough to be needing shaving cream?!?

Good garlicky morning

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

I woke up much earlier than I'd planned this morning. The hour hand was still on the four. Yuck. The insane wind + the inability to swallow without pain are to blame. Despite copious amounts of Emergen-C and extra veggies and fruit and rest, I seem to have succumbed to the cold that my family has been sharing. Life goes on whether the mom is sick or not though. Blech.

I also woke up with really, really bad garlic breath. Last night, I made pita pizzas for dinner. The kids had plain ole cheese and pepperoni but I had more of a gourmet pita pizza in mind for the grown-ups. Warning: clicking that link might make you suddenly crave pita pizza. John wasn't home for dinner last night but the kids insisted on pizza so instead of taking time for one of those amazing-looking recipes, I made mine with whatever I could scrounge up from the fridge. I threw some spinach and tomatoes (I'm really addicted to these yellow tomatoes) in the skillet. At the last minute I decided I needed some garlic and squeezed a clove through my garlic press. Evidently I didn't saute the garlic long enough because it was basically still raw when I bit into my pizza (which by the way, was delicious). Raw garlic is really good for you though so I'm hoping it gave my immune system a boost since it didn't do anything pleasant for my breath. Wow.

All of my kids are out of school for conferences today so we have a long weekend ahead of us. We only have six weeks of school left and that remaining time is feeling remarkably full so it thrills me when we have a day like today. Everyone is going different directions this morning but I think we might go see a movie later IF we can all agree on which one. I've been lobbying for Soul Surfer because the thought of another terrible kid movie is just painful (Gnomeo & Juliet was awful!) but on second thought, I could probably catch up on missed sleep if Hop isn't engaging. And let's be honest--a bunny that poops jellybeans? I could probably sneak in a great, albeit expensive, nap.

It feels a little weird that I can blog about garlic and sleep and movies without effort in the midst of a possible government shutdown. I'm not sure I completely understand all that's happening (where's my smart friend, Lisa, when I need her?) but considering that I rarely watch the news and I overheard rumors of the shutdown yesterday in the carpool line I'm okay with my quick catch up work. What is this world coming to?

Alright...gotta get moving now that I've been up for a couple of hours. At least the sun decided to finally join me! So happy it's FRIDAY!

Wednesday Hodge Podge

2011-04-06T21:09:00.002-06:00

I'm joining the Wednesday Hodge Podge meme tonight--perfect blog fodder when nothing else you have to say is bloggable. I think I just made up a new word. Bloggable. I like it.

1. National Read a Road Map Day falls on April 5th. Would people say you have a good sense of direction? Do you rely on a GPS when you drive somewhere new? When was the last time you used a map?

Yes, people would say I have an excellent sense of direction. I have a GPS but I dislike it very much. I used it last month to find an obscure place in Denver, but honestly, I studied the map before I went and didn't even need the stupid GPS. My friend, Angie, was with me and probably thought I was a huge nerd because I didn't even know how to turn it off. I finally just muted the woman with the bossy voice. I think I prefer a map!

2. What's your favorite cookbook? Well, I've had The Pioneer Woman Cooks for less than a month, so I'm still pretty enamored with it, but honestly, I think the Southern Living Annual Recipes cookbooks (I have lots) are my favorites.

3. What painting would you like to "walk into" and experience? Why? Hmmmm...that's hard. Really hard at this time of the day when my brain has essentially turned itself off. Maybe I'd ask Mona Lisa what she was thinking? Or ask Jackson Pollock to tell me EXACTLY what I'm supposed to see in his paintings. I don't know. What about you?

4. What annoys you more- misspellings or mispronunciations? Misspelled words REALLY annoy me, but so does incorrect pronunciation (or usage for that matter). My children will tell you I'm a stickler for both.

5. What is something your mother or father considered important? Faith and family.

6. Do you like or dislike schedules? I prefer structure, but I also need unstructured time. I typically like to my weekdays to have a schedule but my weekends to be schedule-free. Life doesn't work out quite like that though...

7. Let's have some fun with National Poetry Month (that would be April)...write your own ending to this poem-

"Roses are Red

Violets are blue..."

Send someone a smile, and they'll smile back at you!

8. Insert your own random thought in this space.
Confrontation never plays out as well in person as it does in my head. Sadly, I've experienced this plus some residual awkwardness this week. Blech.

Want to read more? Or link up with your own Wednesday Hodge Podge post? Then click here.

Mixed Monday

2011-04-04T07:21:00.001-06:00

I have mixed feelings about today (Monday).

It's a happy day here at my house because my husband is turning in a completed manuscript that he's been working on for a long time.

We were planning to celebrate by going out to dinner...BUT...he and Sarah are both sick. I'm keeping Sarah home from school today but John has to go in to the office (after three months of working from home) to wrap up lots of manuscript related stuff. That plus his cold-like symptoms make me doubt he'll feel much like celebrating five o'clock. I'm praying that Abbey and I stay well. We're the only ones who haven't succumbed to the stuff the rest of my family has been passing around. I don't have time to be sick.

I'm thankful for a new week. Last week was R-O-U-G-H in multiple ways. Today sorta feels like a clean slate. Especially since we have a fresh blanket of clean, white snow on the ground. I'm not even going to complain about snow in April (or the fact that my thermometer this morning read 16 degrees) since we're down on our snow totals by about 50% these days.

There's some other weighty stuff going on today too...stuff that I need to hold close and tight for now...but stuff that makes me feel like a yo-yo methodically moving up and down. I'm hoping it ends on a high note, but I know Who is with me regardless of where I land.

Peace out, peeps. Happy mixed Monday.

"D" list

2011-03-31T07:33:00.001-06:00

John was out of town earlier this month and he teased me one day on the phone that I was probably not missing him at all with my double D's to keep me company--Draper & Dyson. It was funny at the time because I was really into season 4 of Mad Men (Don Draper is the leading male character and he's very handsome) and I was doing some heavy duty spring cleaning with my Dyson (true love).

John's quippy comment made me begin thinking of other things I love that start with the letter "D".

While I'd really love to share some of the DRAMA that played out at my house yesterday, it's not completely my story to tell so here's my D list instead.

Don Draper (dreamy)

My Dyson (bought on sale, with a coupon, AND got Kohl's cash too--BOOYAH!)

Daffodils, Daisies, and Dogwood trees (minus the pollen, of course)

Determination

Dreary Days (but only every once in awhile)

Mr. Darcy

Date nights!

Dallas (John and I lived there as newlyweds)

December

Dinner with my peeps around my table

David Crowder Band

Denver

Diet Coke (after almost four years of no aspartame, I caved and now I'm addicted again)(sigh)

Debbie, Dawn, Dana, DeeDee, Deena, Deidre, and all my other friends whose names begin with D!

What's not on my "D" list, you ask?
Drama (especially of the girl variety)
Dog food (the smell makes me gag)
Dora the Explorer's voice
Dusting
Dark chocolate (or any kind of chocolate for that matter)
Dieting

Searching for crazy

2011-03-29T08:01:00.000-06:00

Last week, I was out with some friends and the conversation turned in a roundabout way towards blogging. One of my friends that night didn't know much about blogging or that I even had a blog and I'm 90% sure she thought the whole idea of it was crazy. And that's okay because she still loves me and I still love her...and I still love blogging.

Her concern was all the crazy people who were out there reading what I wrote! Umm, yeah, that would be YOU. {Snicker.}

I told her that I have two different site counters that monitor traffic on my blog and I have a general idea of who's reading and I know what does and doesn't alarm me. I mean, I guess you never REALLY know who's reading, but I'm okay with my monitoring systems that are in place. [By the way, if you don't have Sitemeter or Statcounter on your blog, I highly advise you to install one or both of these free applications today. If you'd like more info, email me privately--my contact info is in the orange NavBar above.]

ANYWAY...

One of the features of my site counters is that I can see what google searches land people at Lifeat7000Feet. Most of them make me laugh. I've kept a list of some of my favorites and now seems like a good time to share. The snarky comments in italics are mine!

Smoking at 7000 feet
Really? You needed to google the side effects of smoking at 7000 feet? Maybe you already were smoking something.

How to make an Advent reef
Reef? I believe that's a brand of flip flops. And my kids wonder why I harp on them about spelling. Good greef.

Chex mix at 7000 feet
I've got nothin'

Happy Clinique in Turkey
I think they were really inquiring where to buy perfume in Turkey, but their search took them to my thankful turkey centerpiece post.

How much salt is in the ocean at 7000 feet?
I'm really not smart enough to answer that and evidently google isn't either if it landed them here!

How deep is the ocean at 7000 feet?
I'm no oceanographer, but I'd be willing to guess it's 7000 feet deep.

Letting my hair go gray
Really? That landed you here? When have I ever said I was going gray? It's not happenin'.

I hate living in Colorado
This just makes me cry. I LOVE Colorado. LOVE it.

Ruben from Ocean's 11
What's with the ocean theme? And for the record I live ABOVE sea level! That search actually took them to this post.

Making a lint centerpiece
Lint? Check your belly button. And your dictionary.

How deep is 7000 feet really?
Well, since you keep asking. 7000 feet = 1.32575758 miles

Google told me that. I guess it's good for something.

Harpy Monday

2011-03-28T20:40:00.003-06:00

Spring break was lovely. I already miss the unhurried mornings and the relaxing pace of last week.

But...we only have 35 days (Abbey) and 37 days (Will and Sarah) left in the school year. That is roughly eight more weeks until summer, and the best part is that half of those eight weeks are short ones! I think I can I think I can I think I can.

Will started track today. He came home from practice tired and ravenous. We always always always have leftovers but tonight we had NOTHING left. Not even a crumb. Note to self: fill him up with veggies and salad and bread or you won't see leftovers until track season is over.

I've been really irritable lately. I-R-R-I-T-A-B-L-E. There's a few people that I'd like to give a piece of my mind but instead I've been biting my tongue. Pretty sure it's still bleeding.

My girls have started talking with a Jersey/joisey accent lately. It's hysterical. I tried to record a voice clip of them tonight but they kept cracking up and turning it off. I wish you could hear them...

I can't believe March is almost over. I also can't believe we've barely had any snow in March since it's typically one of our snowiest months. This has been the driest winter we've experienced since moving here in 2003. I'm worried what that might mean for us this summer!

Here's a funny video that we took the other night at dinner. We went to our local mexican place and were quite surprised by the harpist who was there serenading guests. Have you ever seen a harpist at a mexican restaurant? It was definitely different. He played La Bamba (the clip below) and the Macarena at our table but his rendition of Jingle Bells threw me for a loop. No Feliz Navidad? Really?

This guy was really good! Sarah and her friend enjoyed stuffing money in the cut out section of his harp that was marked "Tips".

Buenas noches, peeps.

Sunday Letters

2011-03-27T13:18:00.001-06:00

{John asked me last week what happened to my Sunday Letters. That was just the motivation I needed to start back up!}

Dear Abbey,
What a fun week we had celebrating having YOU in our lives for NINE years. I really think you love being the center of attention and I really think we all kinda like giving you our attention. In addition to your birthday and getting your ears pierced, you also got to have your first sleepover at a friend's house. Mom and Dad missed you like crazy but we were thankful you had a great time. I think my favorite moment of the week was when you told me on a scale of 1-10 your birthday was a 200! I'm so glad it was everything you wanted!!! We love you, sweetie. So very much.

Dear Sarah,
You are simply awesome! You were a HUGE help to me with Abbey's party and you were really in your element. Thank you! You loved going to the mall this week (three times--whew!--that was a LOT for me but you sure were happy). I'm so glad you found some cute stuff that we both liked and I am always struck by your gratitude, Sarah. I bet you told your dad and me "thank you for my new clothes" at least ten times. You're welcome, sweetie, you're very welcome. And we love you so much!

Dear Will,
We definitely haven't found our stride lately, have we? Seems like I annoy you more often than not these days but I really think you're such a great kid and a super big brother to your sisters. They look up to you so much whether you realize it or not. I'm glad you got to have some fun with your friend this week because track starts tomorrow and that's going to keep you busy (and probably exhausted)! My favorite "snapshot" of you this week was seeing you looking through our family scrapbooks. We got Abbey's baby album out for her to look through but you got each one out and read them from cover to cover. It was sweet and made my heart happy to see you reading "our family story". We love you, buddy. Very much.

Dear John,
You turned another year older this week. As you like to say, "The older the violin, the sweeter the music". That's so, so true. I loved celebrating you! I know you don't mind sharing your birthday with Abbey but I feel guilty that so much of the focus gets shifted away from you. You're a good man, JB.

Your book deadline is just a few days away and I know you will be so glad to have that behind you. I'm proud of the job you've done and can't wait to read it. You are my favorite writer EVER. Finish strong (you can do it!) and we'll be ready to celebrate with you on April 1.

I love you, J. Even if you wear square pants. ;)

Abbey's Spa Party

2011-03-26T10:55:00.001-06:00

It's almost past the point of blogging about this but since this blog is sorta my scrapbook too, I'm rolling with it.

INSPIRATION

A couple of weeks before her birthday, Abbey started thinking about her party. Last summer she bought this book at the American Girl store.

I ixnayed her slumber party dreams because y'all...I just can't handle sleepovers with multiple kids hyped up on cake and ice cream (such the mean mom--ha!). Most of the ideas in the book can be adapted to afternoon parties though so I told her I could totally roll with the spa theme. IF you have girls, this book is really worth the money! Abbey flipped through it choosing ideas and activities and in about five minutes we had her party planned.

The AG book even has suggestions for cute, themed invitations. Abbey and I tried making ours like the pedicure flip flops they suggested but honestly they were a big FLOP. Instead she helped me make a cute one in PhotoshopElements with cupcakes and polka dots.

We also used this book that Sarah got for Christmas--it's wonderful as well--especially for tweens. Sarah is always mixing up scrubs and masks and soaks and I usually always have the ingredients called for in the recipes since it's all natural stuff. Again, totally worth the price tag and makes a great gift!

PREPARATION

Sarah helped me make a list of every ingredient we needed for our "concoctions" and then we went shopping for the girls' treat bags. They all got stretchy headbands to pull their hair away from their face for our mask, fun nail files, nail polish, toe separaters (for their pedicures) and lip gloss. I don't know about you but my girls have a million bajillion bottles of lotion (in every scent imaginable and I betcha they'll never be able to use it all before they leave for college).

Then Sarah helped me make "signs" for each spa station the girls would be visiting.

Handy-Mani for manicures. One girl looked up at the sign and said: "Does that sign really say Handy Mani?" At which I cracked up laughing. Why yes, yes it does and Sarah and I thought it was terribly clever.

Best Foot Forward for pedicure.

Let me interject here how awesome it is to have a creative tween like Sarah. She was TOTALLY into helping with this party. If I had a quarter for every time that Abbey told her that she was a great sister that day, I'd have enough for a latte from Starbucks. Sarah was AWESOME! And so was her friend, Sabrina, who gave up a day at the mall to come help.

Hairapy for the hair station. (In hindsight, this wasn't a great idea. Sarah got a really bad curling iron burn and even though Sarah's friend was also here helping us, there just wasn't enough time do this and do it well.)

and the Facial Mask.

PARTY TIME!

Abbey invited four friends to join her. She wanted her party to be on her actual birthday which was kinda tricky since it fell during spring break. Thankfully all of the invited guests were in town this week and able to come! After they arrived we played a couple of spa-themed games--one was a version of "Go Fish" using spa-themed items hidden in a bag (it was straight from that AG book and the girls LOVED it). I let them keep some of the items too--mini-soaps, hair bands, bath scrubbies, sleep masks, etc. FUN!

Then we had them rotate to each spa station.

Here's the manicure station where they soaked their hands in warm buttermilk to soften them. Buttermilk also whitens your nails. Did you know that? Afterwards they rubbed their cuticles with olive oil and then Sarah and her friend painted their nails. Oh, and I bought some of those nail stickers for them to put on after their polish dried. It was cute.

(Sarah and her friend "decorated" the table with a beach towel that just happened to match perfectly with my bowls. See? Tween helpers are THE BEST!)

And here's the facial mask station, before I mixed things up. You simply take 1/2 avacado and 1 wedge of lemon. (I doubled that!) Squeeze the lemon into the avacado and mix. Ours was kinda chunky. Directions say to spread it over face and leave for 10-15 minutes. I think the girls left it on for about two-three minutes. Ha! No worries. They all thought their faces were super soft after we washed it off.

You should also put a towel underneath your neck and protect your clothes. I kinda learned that the hard way!

For the pedicure station, the girls soaked their feet in warm water, Epsom salt, and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...smelled so good and their feet were so soft!

After all the spa treaments, we had cake and ice cream and opened gifts. Abbey requested a beagle cake. No matter how hard I tried to convince her to go with a spa-themed cake (I personally lobbied for the sleep mask) there was no changing the birthday girl's mind. I ended up using my Blue's Clues cake pan (from her 3rd birthday) and changing the colors to black and brown. She LOVED it. And I have to admit it was pretty cute.

We sang Happy Birthday to Abbey and her daddy, opened gifts, and then the girls jumped on the trampoline for a little while until their parents came. It was a really fun afternoon. Abbey woke up the next morning and said, "Only 364 days until my next birthday!" Guess I better start workin' on that. Grin.

Break and Birthdays!

2011-03-23T10:05:00.000-06:00

Our spring break officially began last Friday afternoon but I've been going ninety-to-nothing since last week and am FINALLY feeling like I can breathe again. In fact, the only thing on my schedule for today is laundry (always), rest, and a Lenten service at church tonight. That's it. I am soooooo ready for a day like this! So ready to feel like it's spring break.

To say the last week or so has been very full might be the understatement of the year.

But, it's been full of good things-- like time with friends and family and BIRTHDAYS!

Yesterday, two of my peeps celebrated a birthday. Aren't they cute?

We didn't plan for them to have the same birthday...it just sorta worked out that way...and it's pretty special but I also feel bad for John because the attention REALLY gets shifted away from him. He says he doesn't mind, and he probably doesn't, but I decided last night (after a BIG day of celebrating Abbey) that next year we may celebrate them on different days!

One of Abbey's birthday gifts from us was getting her ears pierced. Sarah got hers pierced for her ninth birthday and even though Abbey has been begging us to get hers pierced for years, we made her wait. My kids think things need to be fair and square around here and Sarah was intent on making sure Abbey didn't get any advance privileges. Grin. The funny thing is that we took her the night before her birthday so she actually did get that gift a tiny bit early! :)

She's happy!

She picked these cute, sparkly flower earrings and she was VERY brave!

Here she is showing dad her new ear gear. I love this pic for two reasons--she's got her lollipop sticking out of her mouth and I can tell from her profile that she's smiling.

I hate I didn't get a pic of the fist pump they exchanged before this last pic. It was priceless.

Two more cute pics.

Abbey made the cutest card for John. The outside said: To Dad, Love, Abbinator (love that!)

Yesterday afternoon was Abbey's "Spa" Party. It was awesome and we had a great time! I think that's going to have to be a separate post though so stay tuned for some cuteness!

Deep(ish) Thoughts

2011-03-17T08:07:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I get introspective and thinky. Sometimes.

When I'm having one of those days I ponder things like:

1. Does love win when Christians throw accusations and judgements at each other and call each other names such as heretics? Does it? I kinda think it makes Jesus sad.

2. How do we love well AND keep boundaries in our relationships. Our sermon Sunday was about the Good Samaritan who loved his neighbor sacrificially...it was risky, it wasn't convenient, and it was costly. I get that. I really do. I want to be that kind of person. BUT I also see the need for boundaries in certain relationships. FYI, I do not believe boundaries and conditions are the same thing.

3. How does the Pioneer Woman not weigh 1000 lbs. SERIOUSLY?!? I made her creamy mashed potatoes this week and while they were out of this world delicious and got rave reviews from my family, I couldn't help but feel that the insane amount of butter and cream cheese were going STRAIGHT to my thighs. How does Ms Drummond stay so svelte?

4. Gray hair just stumps me. I wake up with more and more each day. I'm curious if existing hair turns gray overnight or if only the new growth comes in that particular shade. I suppose I could ask lord Google.

Peace out, peeps. Happy Thursday.