Friday Night Lights

I suppose it would be redundant to tell you guys that I love football. You know that already. College football is my favorite, but thanks to fantasy football I'm starting to get back into NFL football again. And high school football? Yep. I love that too.

Friday Night Lights is one of our favorite television shows. John and I started watching Season 4 on dvd this week. If you've ever lived in a small town and/or like football then there's a great chance you'll love Friday Night Lights too. It's no secret at our house that I have a crush on Coach Eric Taylor--he's a big reason that I love the show.  It's also not a secret that John has a crush on his wife, Tami, so it all evens out. Smile.

Anyway...............

We went to a high school football game--a real life Friday Night Lights game--last night with some good friends.

Despite being very COLD and very WINDY, it was loads of fun.

The game was a big match-up between the two high school teams in our town. They've never played each other before so they're not really rivals at this point, and I sort of hope it remains that way. I have so many friends who teach, coach, or have kids at each of the two schools that it was hard to choose who to cheer for. In the end, we chose to cheer on the high school that Will will attend next year.

Oh my gosh. Did you catch that? Our son will be in HIGH SCHOOL NEXT YEAR. How in the world did that happen?

High school football games are such a community event. We've lived in this town for seven years [this weekend is actually the anniversary of our move to Colorado!] and in that time we've gotten to know LOTS of people. I feel blessed to call many of them my friends.  Last night we saw old friends, new friends, friends we go to church with, friends we know from work, from school, and we even made brand new friends. [The lady sitting behind me joined the conversation my friend and I were having about Friday Night Lights while waiting for the game to start. She practically told me her life story--probably because she's from the South--ha!]

We left with a resolve to go to as many home games as we can next year. I think I might be out for the rest of this season though simply because it's just getting downright cold at night. I wore my parka and took my Slanket. Oh yes, I did. And our children, who repeatedly balked at my instructions to wear their winter coats, were thankful.

People and football are two of my favorite things, and both are on the agenda for today and tomorrow as well. [Big, contented SIGH!]

I'll just hit the highlights...

Wow. Wednesday already, huh?

It's been a busy week. And it's not over yet. Thankfully, next week I get to revert back to my usual non-busy pace. Or at least it will be less busy. I just think that April and May are busy times of the year.

Anyway, enough about my schedule.

Here's some of what we've been up to...

Spring track season started for Will. He's working hard and enjoying himself, and he's been sleeping really well at night. He's pretty tired (and hungry!!!) when he gets home each afternoon!

Sarah tried out today for her school's version of American Idol. She and two friends sang "Fireflies" by Owl City, and they did GREAT! The judges voted to send them on to the next round, and their performance was videotaped for the whole school to see. The students get to see all the performances and vote for their faves. Even if she doesn't win, I'm super duper proud of her. I think it takes a lot of guts (and confidence) to sing in front of people!

Glee!!! It's back!!! There are nine remaining episodes left in the season and the first of those nine premiered last night. My neighbor invited a bunch of us over for a Glee premiere party. We went after we all got our kiddos tucked in, so we wore our pajamas. That's my favorite kind of party! It was SO GOOD and it was very fun to watch it with friends! (Thank you, Heather!!!) (Gosh, this paragraph has lots of exclamation points!)

John's workload has him swamped right now so I let him off the hook for Wedded Wednesday. For those of you that care, we'll be back next week.

I'm trying to stay well. I woke up with a super sore throat and I think my allergies are starting to flare up. Before we moved to Colorado I used to declare that I was allergic to spring because my allergies were SO bad. They're not nearly as bad here, but the wind has been hideous lately, and I think it just blows pollen and other allergens straight into my sinuses. Ugh. I don't have time to be sick this week.

Okay, I've rambled long enough. I got My Big Fat Greek Wedding from Blockbuster.com today and I want to watch a little bit of it before bed. It's one of my favorite movies ever!

Peace out, peeps.

Books and Movies

I'm on a reading kick again. It's not like I never read, it's just that sometimes I enjoy it much more than others. I'm in one of my "enjoying it immensely" phases.

Here's some of what I've read/am reading/want to jump into lately.

Have read:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. This was a book club selection which we discussed last week (over bagels and coffee at Panera--yay!) I really liked it which came as a surprise, even to me! One of the things I like about this particular book club is that they push me to read things outside of my norm, and this book was no exception.

Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines by Valerie Hess and Marti Garlett A friend suggested this book when I asked her about some Lent resources for kids and I remembered that another friend had given it to us a few years ago. It's based on Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline and honestly, I can't say enough good things about it. The authors include ideas (for children as young as four) on disciplines such as Prayer, Simplicity, Solitude, and Service. Y'all, this is an excellent, excellent book.

Everyday Food, March 2010. I pretty much devour this magazine the day it arrives in my mailbox. Every issue has easy and delicious recipes--like roast pork with squash and onions. One of my favorites. EverdayFood has an awesome website too!

Am Reading:

Photoshop Elements for Dummies This program is awesome, but the learning curve is steep. This book makes it feel a little more manageable for me. In retrospect, I probably should have bought this book which is more along the lines of what I hope to use Elements for. My friend spent four hours with me at Starbucks one day this week giving me a private tutorial. It took me four hours to make this one page but I think I'm off to a great start!!!

The Message Remix by Eugene Peterson I'm still on track with my read thru the Bible in a year plan. Started Leviticus this week and that makes me even more thankful for The Message translation. There is a group of us doing this together, and if you're super motivated to catch up on almost two months of readings, you can join us! I'm using this plan.

Going Rogue by Sarah Palin This isn't included in my photo because I haven't bought it yet, but it's the selection for next month's book club. Have any of y'all read it? [I'm really asking you, Lisa!]

Want to jump into:

Patched Together by Brennan Manning This book released earlier this month and my husband helped the author work on it, so it's top on my list right now.

The Family Cloister by David Robinson When I was looking for that Valerie Hess book last weekend I stumbled upon this one on John's bookshelf. Looks interesting. Same with Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn. If they're worth the read, I'll let you know.

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian I've never read anything by this author but I've heard he's great. John brought this one home to read for himself, but as soon as he's finished, I'm next in line. Bonus: I think my other book club might choose this selection for next month.

And movies? I love movies. Period.

I watch an episode of Glee pretty much every day. Not sure what that says about me. It's not a movie, but that's what makes it even better. I can barely stay awake for an entire movie after my kids go to bed, but I CAN stay awake for a 45 minutes television show. Win-win.

Bruce Almighty. Seriously one of my favorite movies EVER. I've been searching for it on the $5 rack at Walmart for two years (not even kidding) and when I was in Walmart last week I caught sight of it while walking past. I literally stopped my buggy/cart and said out loud: NO WAY!" I backed my buggy up and tossed that dvd in my cart faster than you could say "Alrighty then", smiling the entire time. My kids aren't allowed to watch it but I may or may not have watched it twice this week while doing things around the house. LOVE it.

The dvd teetering on top of Bruce Almighty in my stack of books/movies is The Brady Bunch. My kids are working their way through Season 4 and they love it. Last night we ate pizza and watched the episode where Marsha gets hit with the football --"Oh, my nose"--and hunky Doug breaks their date because "Something suddenly came up". I can pretty much quote The Brady Bunch line for line. If you're my age, I bet you can too!

Monday Mash-Up

My morning didn't start off very well. I considered going back to bed but decided to put my courage on and face the day head on. I'll let you know how that goes. Tomorrow.

For now, I'm giving myself 10 minutes to sit here and blog. About whatever comes to mind.

We had a fabulous weekend. Saturday we went to the wedding of one of our favorite friends. She waited a very long time for "the one" to come along, and come he did! Their day was beautiful and glorious and John and I felt honored to be a part of it.

Sunday was a true Sabbath for us. We rested well. Yesterday was the fourth Sunday we've intentionally unplugged (from the computer). It really is a nice change for us and I find myself looking forward to it. Never thought I'd say that either.

This week is shaping up to be busy, but next week is going to EAT MY LUNCH. I flipped my calendar over today and wanted to cry. I've been pretty non-busy since my dad died. I let go of most of my volunteer commitments and responsibilities and have been able to focus on self-care (and it's been wonderful). I haven't jumped back into all that but everything I do have going on seems to be hitting this week and next. Wow. Deep breaths.

I'm feeling ill-equipped as a mom these days. Our son turns 13 next week. THIRTEEN. Just not possible. This is unchartered territory for us and we've already had a glimpse of some of the challenges that lie ahead, and to be honest, it scares me. It scares me a lot. Especially since John and I aren't always on the same page about how we should handle things. Yowza. Trying not to let fear overwhelm...

My ten minutes is up (even though I've been interrupted twice by the yapping beagle and his antics--he's not on my good side today.)

Did you fellow "Gleeks" catch my attempt at alliteration in my post title? Let me add that on this particular morning, I'm really feeling like "My Life Would Suck Without You". My kids have never seen an episode but they know almost every word to every song on the soundtrack including that one. (Mother of the Year?) Do ya'll have a favorite Glee song? It would cheer me up to know what yours is!

10 on the 10th!

It's once again time for 10 on the 10th. I tried this afternoon to come up with a list of ten things I learned in 2009, or ten goals I have for 2010, but honestly it was much easier to come up with ten random things about myself. So that's what I'm rolling with.

10 Random Things About Me

1. John and I are going to start unplugging on Sundays. He did that for a long time but I was always too chicken to join him. He's gotten out of the habit over the last several months and he mentioned over breakfast today that he was ready to start back up. I'm joining him and we start tomorrow. I'll be honest; I'm scared.

We try pretty hard to make Sundays look different than the other six days of our week. We limit the time our kids spend on "screens"--video games, computer, television--and we want to be a better example to them. Much easier said than done.

2. I'm addicted to The Bachelor. Every season I tell myself that I'm not going to watch. And every season I get sucked in. I watched the premiere last week and don't know if I can avoid tuning in this week. I don't watch a ton of television (besides football!) so that's how I justify it.

3. I'm also addicted to Twitter. I waste way too much time there every day. Because it's just fun. Fun, but addictive.

4. I seem to be on an addiction confession kick so I'll go ahead and let you know that I'm also addicted to my tweenagers music. Miley Cyrus? Selena Gomez? Yep. I like 'em. The kids all got iTunes cards for Christmas and I helped them download a bunch of songs last weekend. I put all their songs on my iPod too.

5. Back before Christmas, Kelly posted a link to this hair-poofing video on her blog. I desperately want to tell you that it has transformed my daily hair routine but I don't want you to think I'm superficial. I have lots of thick hair (a blessing, I know) but the weight of it pulls it down and my style doesn't hold it's shape very long or very well. I'm not about to buy a BumpIt (hello, Elvira) so this video was just what I needed. Go watch it. It's kinda long and the girls are from Arkansas so they have a twangy accent (which I love because I'm an Arkansas girl) but maybe it will revolutionize your hair too!

6. I loved all your questions from my last post. Some of you were disappointed and some of you were curious about why I closed the comments. I did it because I was getting overwhelmed with the questions. I want to be able to answer them all but if I let you keep asking I would be answering questions into 2011. Definitely have some great blog fodder though! Thank you!

7. After FOUR years of not using any artificial sweetener (aspartame, saccharine, Splenda, etc) I caved and started drinking diet soda again. I'm a big fan of Diet Dr. Pepper these days. It satisfies my sweet tooth without sugar. I usually drink one every couple of days.

I gave up on artificial sweeteners because they're really, really bad for you. Sugar isn't great for you either but it is more natural. It sorta feels like I'm just trading one bad thing for another, but as long as my scale keeps following a downward trend, I'm okay with it. By the way, I do not like Stevia. At all.

8. I got a new coat for Christmas. I can't remember if I blogged about it or not, but my husband did and his post made me cry. Wanna see a picture?

(Hey look, proof that I really do wear make-up. And notice the poofed hair?)

9. I get really sad sometimes that my kids are getting so big. Next month my son will be a teenager. Oh my gosh. Sarah is so close on his heels (they're only 17 months apart) and my baby is no longer a baby. These days are golden. And I'm very aware of it. If anyone figures out a way to make time stand still or for me to have a baby without ever being pregnant again, please let me know.

10. I have Season I of Glee on dvd and I'm dying to start it because I've heard so many great things. I cannot wait. If I can get this post finished in time we might even start tonight!!! And maybe it will be so wonderful that I can resist the lure of The Bachelor on Monday. Ha. Doubt it.

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Okay. If you want to play along, just post a list of ten things (ANYTHING you want) on your blog and link up below. I'll be offline on the 10th but I'll be anxious to read your posts on the 11th!

Spring Cleaning and Stuff

It was gorgeous here yesterday!

I unplugged from the computer and spent my day doing some spring cleaning. 

I've had the itch to really clean for awhile now, but have been so busy with other things that I haven't been able to jump in and tackle it. Yesterday I had the entire day at home (one of my favorite things) so I got up and got busy. I opened all the windows and let some fresh air inside and at the end of the day I felt like I'd accomplished a TON!

I don't know if you guys have ever intentionally unplugged for a day, but I am amazed at how focused I am when I'm not distracted by the computer. My goal since the first of the year has been to unplug one day a week. 

In other news...

I really think it's safe to say it's spring. We're supposed to see 76 today! My iris are coming up and I also saw buds on my lilac bushes. YAY! I'm not going to pack away all my fleece just yet though (more cold temps this weekend) but it looks like I can switch out the majority of our winter clothes for spring/summer ones. 

I've gotten totally sucked into American Idol this season all because of that Arkansas boy, Kris Allen. Until a month ago, I had never watched AI, but since I'm loyal to my home state and all the homies there, I decided to tune in and help Kris by voting for him. He's in the final three now AND going home to Conway for a parade this weekend. Any of you Arkansas peeps going??? (I totally would if I could).

I had a cup of yogurt yesterday that was out-of-this-world-delicious. It was this brand/flavor. I'm not a big yogurt girl, but I might be now. I just about died though when I read it had 14g of fat. Next time I'll buy the fat-free kind. 

About that grey/gray question? I googled it. Seems everyone in the world spells it grey except Americans. We use gray. I like grey better. And now I wish my previous post had been titled "Old Grey Mer". Anybody else read that and think of Meredith Grey?

Have I mentioned we have a four-day week? Today is my Friday. I am so happy about that!

Some of you have emailed me to ask about my dad. Thank you! He's doing okay. Not bad, but not great either. He had some complications last week...an infection from his port and a kidney stone. Coupled with chemo, that's made for some unpleasant days. If you want to pray for him, I know he'd be grateful. I would too.

One of the things on my to-do list yesterday was clip coupons. When my purse was stolen so were all my coupons, including the file that I've had for 15+ years. I felt so lost at the store last week without it. It seems silly to say that I miss my coupons, but I do. Starting over from scratch is a pain.

Sarah has a big project next week for which costumes are necessary. I know from experience (Will did this project last year) that the contents of the school costume box are extremely limited, so I've been gearing my costume-challenged self up for figuring something out for her to wear. Imagine my surprise and giddiness when she told me she'd chosen to be a guide and she gets to wear regular clothes!!! I love her even more for that decision.

I had a great mail day on Monday! My sweet friend, Joan, sent me a Starbucks gift card to replace the one that was in my stolen purse. Joan was my next door neighbor in Arkadelphia. She is one of the kindest, most giving people I've ever met. When I was pregnant with Abbey and so, so, so, SO sick, she made me mashed potatoes. (Joan, I'll never forget that!) She called me every day to check on me and one day she asked if anything sounded good to eat. I said, "yeah, mashed potatoes" and that sweet friend made me some and brought them over. She'd also do nice things like make John banana pudding (his fave!) and leave us meals in our fridge when we returned from trips. I miss her, and when I opened her note with the Sbux card, I just started crying.

I cried even harder when I opened the package from John's parents right after that. Inside was a new Vera Bradley bag. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for all that John's parents do for us...and for ME. I have lots of friends that struggle in relationship with their in-laws, but I love mine dearly. They love me and have gone above and beyond to make me a part of their family. It was a special gift and I am so thankful. (I just tried to find a picture of my bag online and I can't...I'll show it to you another time, but trust me, it's CUTE!)