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!)

Old Gray Mer

My husband is actually the only person who can get away with calling me the "old gray Mer".

The truth is I'm not old. I'll be thirty-nine soon, but that's NOT old.

The truth is I'm not really gray either.

You know what I found one day last week though?  Three gray hairs. 

And then on Sunday, I discovered three more.

I have no doubt that the stress of last month put every single one of them there, but the sad reality is that I'm likely going to start seeing more. I like the stress excuse rather than the age one, don't you?

John took no pity on me. Why would he? He's got 1,000 gray strands for each of my SIX. And they make him look extra handsome and distinguished. 

Anyway, the point of this post is to ask you a question. 

Do you color your hair? For fun or to cover up gray "blemishes"?

I've done highlights before and I love them, but I don't love paying for them. My haircut is already a splurge without adding $60+ to the price tag. Seeing those stray grays though has me re-thinking the whole color scenario.

*One more question: Is it gray or grey?

Gladitude Monday

A few things that are adding some glad to my 'tude today.

1. The sun is shining. I repeat, the SUN is SHINING. Man, we've had some cold and dreary days lately, but I woke up to sunny blue skies this morning. Makes a huge difference in my mood!

2. My week is NOT busy. Makes me so happy.

3. This is a four-day school week! The kids are off on Friday and Monday, so that means that next week is a four day week too!

4. And not only that, but we only have 13 more school days and they're full of fun things...band concerts, field trips, celebrations, and my personal favorite--field day!!!

5. Glad that I'm getting my hair cut on Friday. It's been 14 weeks (way too long) and needs some serious attention. 

6. Glad that my kids all love to read. I was sighing really loudly while picking books up (off the table, off the couch, off the floor, off the bed, etc.) last night and it dawned on me that I might choose instead to be thankful that they are enamored with books. And I am.

7. Glad that John is not traveling this week. He was gone for part of last week and my anxiety was greater than normal since his trip followed so closely on the heels of my purse incident. Thanks to those of you who prayed for me/us. It made a huge difference!

8. Glad that it's May! Lots of good things happen in May! Abbey has chosen "Tulip" as her name of the month. That kid is so stinkin' sweet. She's funny too. She walked in the den last week, fresh from the tub and all wrapped up in her bathrobe, and said "Hey Peeps! What's up?" It was adorable. Equally adorable was the morning she told me she was going to "fiddle-faddle with Maggie (her Webkinz) for awhile" since she was ready for school before the rest of us.

I'm ending with eight things...just to shake my left-brained-OCD-list-making self up a little. Happy Monday. Hope you also have some glad in your 'tude. (Who else thinks Gretchen needs to do a Mr. Linky???)

Staggering Stats

Alternate Title: Evidently this is a weather blog

Alternate Title: I Kid You Not

Alternate Title: Spring? Yeah right.

Alternate Title: Thinking of moving to_______, CO? I might know of a house for sale.

If you've read my blog anytime during the month of April, you know that it was a snowy month. It's weird, but it's normal. 

I just came in from checking the mail. Given my OCD tendencies, it's surprising that I'm not a check-the-mail-every-day kind of girl, but I'm not. Anyway, I spotted the May edition of our local community newspaper in the stack of mail and I anxiously flipped through it until I found my favorite part--the monthly weather wrap feature. A local meteorologist writes an article listing all the weather statistics from the previous month, and I find it highly interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I thought I'd share it here.

Ready for these April stats?

High temp (April 23): 73 degrees 

Low temp (April 6): 2 degrees (that's quite a span, huh?)

Monthly snowfall: 54.9 inches

Let me say that again. 54.9 inches. In April.

Our snow is measured from July 1-June 30. Our season to date snowfall is 131.9 inches which means that more than thirty percent of that snow fell in APRIL. 

Isn't that crazy??????????

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus...

...because I'm finished with my project!!! Well, technically, I'm 95% finished. I just need to do one final proof and get it to the printer on Monday. It turned out fabulous! If you're wondering, my project has been the yearbook at the girls' school. I'm the coordinator. It's a big project that rises to nightmarish levels when you BEGIN in April. 

...I'm not in charge of that project next year. Three years was long enough. I am determined to finish well, but I'm gladly passing the baton to two friends next year.

...my fridge and pantry are full after a busy day of grocery shopping!

...Joanne brought me two new zippys today to replace the ones that were in my purse when it was stolen. I got the two on the left. They're super cute! Was bummed that she delivered them to my door and I wasn't even home to see her. 

...I got my replacement debit card in the mail! Of course it was after I wrote 4 checks at 4 different grocery stores today. Does anyone write checks anymore???

And, I have nothing on the agenda for the weekend. It's going to be another dreary and cold one, so my plan is to stay in my pjs tomorrow and READ!!!

A Broken Record

I haven't blogged in two days. That's rare for me.

No, I haven't contracted the over-hyped swine flu (thanks for asking though, B) I just haven't had anything interesting to say. 

Do I ever have anything interesting to say? 

Shhhh. That is a rhetorical question.

This isn't a weather blog, so I didn't feel like telling you about the snow we got on Monday. Or how soupy and cold it was here yesterday. However, I did take this pic (while driving) for our third grade friends in AR. Flat Stanley was the only one at our house loving the late April snow. 

I also didn't feel like telling ya'll that I'm having another crazy-busy week. It seems like almost every blog post in April has been about me being busy or about weird spring snow. I'm like a broken record.

Here are some snippets of a few things going on in between snow and busy-ness.

• Still waiting for my new debit/credit cards. I hate writing checks. But I hate carrying cash even more because if I have it, I spend it. Hoping my replacement cards come soon.
• Seeing some light at the end of my project tunnel. My deadline is Friday. I feel like I might have a life again after that.
• LOVED my alone time on Sunday afternoon. Did a little eating (Pei Wei), did a little shopping (TJMaxx, Whole Foods), and did a little driving/exploring. Wasn't gone too long, but it was quiet and it was perfect. 
• Sent my kids to school in shorts and capris in anticipation of 70 degrees later today. They were thrilled. I'm afraid to tell them I heard the "s" word again for Friday. There I go with that broken record thing again. Sorry.
• Counting down the remaining school days. Including today, we have 16 more fun-filled and jam-packed days. I'm giddy about that. I LOVE summer and I am SO ready to have days where I have absolutely nowhere to be. I mandate rest for the first week of summer, because after the whirlwind finish, the kids and I are exhausted.
• Been embracing my inner curly girl and letting my hair do it's own thing. Yesterday was the first time in 10 days I dried and straightened it. I still prefer it straight, but the curls are growing on me. What I'm really loving is how quickly I can get ready in the mornings when I go curly.

That's all I have time for today! My to-do list is calling. Bye, peeps.

Mental Health Day

I told John last weekend, even before the craziness of this week unfolded, that I needed to take a mental health day.

I've been overwhelmed lately with all that's on my plate and I know when I feel like this that one of the best things I can do (for myself and my family) is to get away and decompress. I planned to get away this afternoon because Sunday is a low key day for us, and it's generally a good time for me to leave.

I've been looking forward to this date with me, myself, and I all week long.

I have no idea what I'm going to do.

I was hoping to go see a movie because I love going to the movies by myself (don't have to share popcorn!) but there is nothing on that I care to see. I was bummed that the new Matthew McConaughey & Jennifer Garner movie isn't out yet. It looks cute, and I never ever mind watching MM on the big screen.

I could go to Michael's and look around.

Or TJ Maxx. Or Target. But NOT the mall. I hate the mall.

I could go to Starbucks, get a chai, hang out with my laptop and get caught up on all my blog reading.

I could browse the scrapbook store. Or my favorite downtown bookstore.

I could go on a hike, even though it's a bit chilly today.

I could hang out at the library with a stack of books or maybe a magazine.

I will probably grab something yummy for dinner. I love eating by myself at restaurants.

I thought about asking a friend to join me, but you know what? I just really enjoy being alone. My introverted soul needs some rest from the madness. Some space to breathe and just "be". As much as I love my friends, I know that today needs to be about caring for me.

So...my afternoon is wide open. I have no idea how to best spend this time, but I'm so looking forward to it! Ciao!

A Doozey of a Week

I've had a heck of a week, friends.

The project I've been working on is wrapping up (thank God) but there have been many, many loose ends to take care of. I've been a ball of stress and my poor husband has been on the receiving end of my stress more than a few times this week. He's a good sport and I love him for trying to make me laugh when my stress is through the roof (even though I don't always feel like laughing in the moment). Midweek, he told me that he didn't see me taking very good care of myself in the midst of all this craziness. He knows I love the outdoors and he knows I am refreshed after spending time outside, so he suggested I try to let go of some responsibility for an hour or so and go for a hike or a walk or a bike ride.

The weather here has been awesome this week (though there are still a few patches of snow left from last weekend's storm) and I decided he was right. I made a plan to meet my friend, Leslie, on Thursday morning at a nearby trailhead after we dropped our kiddos off at school. 

We had a GREAT walk and kept within our time parameters, and I was very thankful for the exercise and conversation. We got back to our cars and she looked over and said, "Hey, Mer, what's wrong with your van window?"

OH. MY. GOSH.

MY WINDOW WAS SHATTERED.

I immediately ran over and realized that my purse was gone. 

And the freaking out began.

I called the police (though it was slightly comical that I could SEE the police station from the trailhead). While I waited for an officer to arrive, I looked around to see if someone had perhaps grabbed my purse and ditched it after fishing out my wallet. Remember my cute, red Vera Bradley bag? Yeah, that's the one that was stolen and if it had been tossed, it would have been easy to spot on the piles of snow. 

No purse. 

I quickly did a mental inventory of what was in my purse. 

My wallet--driver's license, credit card, debit cards, NO cash

My coupons

Some gift cards (Starbucks and the teahouse--boo hoo!)

My house keys

Wait! My house keys??? Now I was really freaking out. I looked in the van for my garage opener, and thank goodness it wasn't taken. Nor was my camera that was in between my seats. If you happen to know the project I'm working on, you know how amazing it was that my camera wasn't in my purse!

I called John and he got to work canceling all my bank cards.

Now...just so you know...I didn't leave my purse in plain sight. I can't even believe I brought it with me, but for some reason I did. I tried to hide it behind the passenger seat, and I thought I did a decent job. Evidently not. Also, this was a BRAZEN act that happened in broad daylight at a busy trailhead in a heavy traffic area. It's not remote in the least. CRAZY.

The policeman got there, fingerprinted everything, then wrote up his report. I told him I was skittish about going home because my keys had been in my purse. He followed me home, searched the house with me, and then sat me down and talked me through the steps I needed to take next.

About this time I realized that my iPod was also in my purse. The iPod that John bought for me and that I'd only had for 45 days. It slowly sunk in that it was GONE. I nearly cried. Okay, I did cry. Because it made me sad AND mad.

John arrived shortly after the officer left and sent me to Home Depot to buy a new deadbolt and door locks, which it turns out is actually quite challenging to do without your wallet and ID. 

It was about this time that I glanced in the mirror and realized that I needed to put some lipstick on. A nanosecond later, I realized that every single tube of lipstick I own (except the gaudy hot pink one) was in my purse. GONE. Arghhhhh...

While John vacuumed all the glass out of my van and changed the locks, I spent a great deal of time on the phone with my insurance company and the glass company. Thankfully, I found a guy who was able to put in a new window yesterday afternoon.

The bottom line, friends, is that I learned an expensive lesson about leaving my purse in the car.

$100 - glass deductible for new van window.

$  50 - new door locks. Peace of mind, however, is priceless.

$  21 - new CO driver's license. I was in and out of the DMV in five minutes today--a small miracle.

$  15 - new lipsticks at Ulta! I even had a coupon at home.

I still need to buy a new wallet, but I'm gonna have to wait awhile to replace my iPod and purse. My kids were awesome though. Each of them offered me their iPod. How sweet is that?

Anyway, it's been a week I'm happy to see end. I'm wiped out emotionally and physically. I'm still very angry too. I didn't really need the hassle or the expense of all this. Especially this week. But what can you do?

I sure hope you guys have all had a better and less stressful week. If you leave your purse in your car--regardless of whether it's locked or not--please think twice. Trust me, it's not worth the headache. 

OCD? Me? Really?

I spent 10 minutes this morning on the phone with the Naval Observatory Clock (which gives updates to the second) and getting every. single. clock. in my house and car set to exactly the same time. My clocks have all been messed up since daylight savings time and it was beginning to drive me c-r-a-z-y.

So yeah, maybe just a tad obsessive-compulsive.

You still love me though, right?

I've Got Nothin' Today

Nothin'. Nothin'. Nothin'.

Oh wait, that's not true. I have lots of somethin's. 

I have a nose that will NOT quit running. I'm afraid I've lost the battle with my allergies. 

I have some huge project deadlines looming, and therefore I have tons of stress right now. 

I have Brownies this afternoon. Only one more meeting after today, and yes, I'm counting.

I have 22 more days to pack lunches. A thousand hallelujahs!

I have many evening activities this week.

And many unanswered emails, phone calls, and texts.

I have more than 250 unread posts in google reader, so please be patient with me as I work my way through it. I haven't forgotten about you guys, I've just been overwhelmed with life and this project I've got going.

I have dinner in the crockpot! And I have a new menu plan posted.

I have a smile on my face because the sun is shining and I know that today is a new day! Hope yours is blessed.

Glatitude Monday

Once again, I'm copying the idea for this post from Gretchen.

Some things I'm glad about on this Monday.

1. The sun is shining and the snow is MELTING! We're supposed to be near 70 all week! That makes me more happy than you can know!

2. Glad to have reconnected with some more of my college friends via Facebook. I've had so much fun catching up with all those girls from Perrin 3...the floor we lived on in the freshman dorm!

3. Super glad to have also been found on Facebook by my long lost friend, Meredith. She and her husband lived next door to us in seminary housing. We shared the same first name and the same anniversary date (we both moved in just a couple of weeks after getting married!). We had lots of fun with those guys but lost touch about 10 years ago.

4. Glad for Trader Joe's vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I may or may not have licked my plate clean last night. SO delicious. (I need a TJ's supplier. Anyone???)

5. Glad for a good night's sleep. I've slept so hard for the last few nights! 

6. Glad for 23 more days of school! FIVE weeks left, and two of those are four-day weeks--woohoo!

I'm sure I can think of more, but it's early and I've only had one cup of coffee so I'll stop for now. Got a SUPER busy week so I've gotta run! Happy Monday.

When Spring Gives You SNOW...

Get outside and enjoy it!

Sitting inside watching it stack up will only make you grumpy and want to eat (trust me, I've got the snow cave plan down really well), but getting outside and laughing with your family while pelting each other with snowballs and building a snowman and making snow angels will change your attitude in a heartbeat!















Obviously, it was still snowing when we took these pictures yesterday afternoon. It finally tapered off around 8pm last night and we ended up with over 2 feet of snow. CRAZY. It was wet, heavy snow (great for snowballs and snowmen) and should start melting quickly. In fact, the sun is shining now and the great meltdown has already begun! Now we get to look forward to lots of mud. Ugh.

I'm a bit of a weather geek and so I want to share two geeky things with you.

1. Until I lived in Colorado, I just assumed that any massive snowfall was a blizzard. NOT so. A blizzard is a combination of wind (35mph+) and heavy snow accumulation. The snow that we got this weekend was a winter storm. At times the wind was blowing and creating blizzard conditions, but technically, it wasn't blowing hard enough to deem it a blizzard.

2. Snow totals are strongly dependent on elevation. Without being too location specific I'll tell you that we live somewhere between Denver and Colorado Springs. We also live on what is called the Palmer Divide, which is an east-west ridge that extends from the Front Range out towards Kansas. Because we live on this ridge our elevation is HIGHER than Denver (about 1500 feet) and HIGHER than Colorado Springs (about 1000 feet) and that difference in elevation often results in WAY more snow in the winter and cooler temperatures in the summer!

Case in point: We went to Co Springs to eat dinner last night. It was still snowing when we left our town, but when we got about 6 miles down the road it was sunny, dry, and there was absolutely NO SNOW. I was stunned--you saw my pictures of our snow--we'd been getting pounded all day long!!!

Last month, John and I were in Seattle when our area got slammed with a blizzard. We noticed as we were driving home from the airport that Denver's snow had already melted, but as we left Denver and climbed up in elevation, the snow was still piled up everywhere. Seriously, it is CRAZY the difference in elevation makes.

That's your topography lesson for the day. If you ever consider moving to Colorado and want to live where you'll be assured of getting snow and LOTS of it, give me a call. I know just the town for you.

Hola!

Greetings from the North Pole.

Seriously, it has been snowing pretty much non-stop since late Thursday night. We are getting slammed. Our weather forecasters hit it on the nose this time. 

We had two short breaks from the snow yesterday, and the sun even popped out for an hour yesterday afternoon, but then it started pounding us again. 

I'm in my pjs (again) today. I just get up, take a shower, and put a clean pair back on. Why bother getting dressed if I'm not getting out in this mess?

I actually did get out for Bunco last night. The beauty of a neighborhood Bunco group is that your plans cannot be deterred by a winter storm. We all just put our snow boots and parkas on over our pjs (Pajama Bunco--yeah!) and walked down to our neighbor's house. We had a blast...and I so needed a fun night out! Evidently a winter storm can deter prom though. One of the high schools in our town had to cancel theirs. How sad for those kids.

Here are a few pics for those of you (and there are a few of you) who are enjoying this spring snowstorm vicariously.

Poor Jack. I feel so sorry for him when he has to go outside.

This is all fresh snow. I cleared about 8 inches off this bench yesterday afternoon.

I took this pic from inside my garage while I was watching John shovel. The piles on the side of my driveway are pretty impressive.

My front steps are buried under all that snow.

Poor John. I think he's shoveled four times since this all started, and he'll be out there again when it finally stops pouring down (hopefully) later this evening.

So...who wants to come visit next April???

I have to laugh or else I'll cry...

Just saw this graphic on the news website. See that dark blue shaded area that says 2'+ of snow? Yeah, that's the area I live in and these are the forecasted snow totals.

Ya'll feel my pain? Can I please have permission to whine???

Note(s) to Self:

1. Chili's french fries are best consumed at Chili's. Reheating them, even in the oven, will not yield satisfactory results.

2. French fries are NOT your friend, Mer. I know you love them, but they are no respecter of the hips and thighs. Next time order steamed veggies. 

3. That "lost" parking pass you need for today wasn't lost after all. It stayed exactly where you left it. Your mind, however, is another story.

4. Think long and hard before you go to the trouble to mop. Your floors will only stay clean for a few minutes before the dog or the family mucks 'em up. Save your sanity; live with dirt.

5. Be careful how far you actually stretch the cord on the vacuum cleaner. It might damage the plug and render your vacuum inoperable, which until repaired will cause you to notice every. single. white. wiry. hair. that. your. beagle. sheds. and will drive you slowly insane.

PJ Day

Just checking in quickly to say good morning.

I've unexpectedly found myself with a day at home and I couldn't be happier. I'm home today with "Sunflower", my youngest daughter who has some serious allergy stuff going on. I'm pumping both of us full of Emergen-C and hoping we feel better soon. (I have a really, really sore throat).

I'm still in my pjs because my sweet friend, Molly, took Sarah to choir for me this morning. Yay for pjs and yay for Molly!

I don't know if it's just me, but I work best when I'm in my pjs. If I can get up and get the laundry going and get in my cleaning groove, I can maintain the momentum. If I stop and get dressed, I lose it. If I'm gone for the morning, I have a really hard time getting in a groove in the afternoon. I occasionally find my afternoon groove, but it seems to take a lot more effort to overcome my inertia. Anyone else like that?

I'm actually thinking about unplugging for the rest of the day because I have SO much that I need to get done around here. The girls don't have school Friday (it's a mystery to me why they're out THIS Friday and not last Friday) and tomorrow I'm going with Sarah to a school competition she's in. That means I have today to get my "stuff" done, and since I'm still in my pjs and all...

*4PM UPDATE: Plugged back in (man, you guys love staying in pjs too!) because I got four loads of laundry done, mopped the floors, re-cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, dusted, windexed (yes, it's a verb), planned menus, got dinner ready, cleaned the inside of my van, AND kept Sunflower aka DIVAgirl happy. I did change out of my pjs when I went to get Will from school (he would die of embarrassment if I picked him up in pjs) but I still haven't showered. I also did not wash the outside of my van because guess what's in the forecast for the next three days?

Gladitude Monday

My friend, Gretchen, does a blog post every Monday of happy things that put some GLAD in her ATTITUDE. My heart is brimming with happy stuff today so I'm copying her Gladitude Monday idea.


1. Glad that the sun is shining and yesterday's snow is quickly melting. I've only got a few patches left in my yard!

2. Glad that my husband had the day off and we got to spend it together! He was also off on Friday and we had big plans, but just as we were leaving for Co Springs, the school called telling me that Abbey had a fever. (She's fine now, but I was feeling pretty grumpy that our plans got shelved).

3. Glad to have discovered this song (One Thousand Hallelujahs) at church yesterday. Hallelujah is a celebratory word and we refrain from using it during Lent, so One Thousand Hallelujahs was quite appropriate yesterday. Sarah loved it as much as I did and asked if I'd find it on iTunes for her. I did and I've been listening to it over and over. LOVE it.

4. Glad that Coldstone Creamery was open today and that the kids got to redeem their gcs after school.

(Will was there too, but he didn't want to be in the pic. I guess it's a 12-year-old boy thing.)

5. Glad about the sweet conversation with Abbey at breakfast this morning. Every month she asks me to call her something different. In October, she asked me to call her "Pumpkin". In December, she chose "Candy Cane", and this month she decided she'd like to be called "Sunflower". So stinkin' sweet.

6. Glad to have my husband "back" this week. Whew. It was hard living with the lord (lord with a little "l") last week. John played Jesus--one of four--at our church's Easter drama and I had a HUGE time teasing him.
Conversation was pretty fun at our house. I enjoyed singing the following responses (and more) to him and he loved rolling his eyes back at me.

"Have thine own way, lord, have thine own way."

"It's all about you, it's all about you, jesus"

"lord, whatever you ask, I want to obey"

"Draw me close to you..."

7. Glad for the creativity of our church leadership and SUPER glad they sang Chris Tomlin's, "How Can I Keep From Singing" yesterday. Seriously, I think it is THE BEST Easter song EVER.

I was struggling a little bit during our service yesterday. The message was good, the music was good, but I just wasn't connecting with the day, UNTIL I was in line for communion and we started singing this song. I couldn't hold back my tears of gratitude.

How can I keep from singing Your praise?
How can I ever say enough?
How amazing is Your love?
How can I keep from shouting Your name?
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

8. Glad for a doubly clean bathroom. I cleaned bathrooms this morning and evidently cleaned one that John cleaned last night. I thought it looked better than normal. (Thanks, J).

9. Glad about some plans that are taking shape for late summer!

10. Glad for laughter. John and I have laughed together a LOT today. So good for our hearts!

Happy Easter!

Alternate Title: Merry Easter?

Alternate Title: Another Snowy Sunday...

Alternate Title: I Dreamed of a White Easter and My Dream Came True

Alternate Title: Seriously? 

Alternate Title: You know you live in Colorado when...

This is the view from our front door when we woke up this morning. I could have posted this same pic yesterday too. It's been a snowy weekend. Typical weather for spring in the Rockies. (That doesn't mean I have to like it though).

I thought it was funny when we moved here and people told us that it snows every year on Halloween and Easter, but I stopped laughing when year after year those words proved to be true. I think I remember one Easter that was actually sunny and warm. 

I could let it get me down but it just makes all those hymns John and I grew up singing even more meaningful. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow.

Anyway, here are some pics from before church this morning. Man, I love these guys. 


It snowed hard all morning and most of the afternoon. I took this pic driving home from church. It was a wet, heavy snow and will probably be gone tomorrow. 

The kids got Coldstone Creamery gift certificates from the Easter Bunny, and because our high temp was 35 degrees and wind chills were in the 20s, we thought we'd add insult to injury and go out for ice cream.  I'm not a big ice cream lover (yeah, the dislike of chocolate AND ice cream may be too much for some of ya'll) so I requested that we go by Starbucks first. It was my first sip in about 8 weeks (I gave it up for Lent, but had been deprived for a couple of weeks before Lent began) and OH MY GOSH...it was heaven in a cup.

Would you believe Coldstone was closed? My kids were really sad. The sign on the door said they were closed for inclement weather (huh?). We had some ice cream at home so we turned around and went back home and enjoyed some Breyers while watching Bedtime Stories (another gift from our rockin' Easter Bunny).

It's been a really good day filled with lots of things I love, including 1000 Hallelujahs!

I hope your Easter has been joyous as well!
*The 10PM news just said that we got 10.5 inches of snow today. So yeah, Merry Easter to you too.*

10 on the 10th!

I caved to the pressure (you guys know who you are) and decided not to disrupt this 10 on the 10th thing I started. So...here is my list of ten things:

My All-Time Favorite Books

1. Plainsong by Kent Haruf  (John and saw the play last spring and loved it!)

2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 

3. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger. Enger's writing is beautiful. I can't say enough about how much I adore this book.

4. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

5. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. Mrs. Annie Lee Parker, my high school English teacher introduced me to Thomas Hardy and I've been a fan ever since.

6. Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner

7. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner 

8. A Year By the Sea by Joan Anderson

9. The Jesus Storybook Bible. If you have children and don't own this, I highly advise you to buy it...the stories are written equisitely and the illustrations are equally beautiful. I love reading out of this one for family devotions!

10. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird. Miss Bird shares my deep affection for the Rocky Mountains, and specifically Estes Park.

There is one more book that should be on this list, but I can't find my copy. If I've loaned you The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge, please let me know. I've looked everywhere for my book!

Please feel free to join in with your list of ten things (it can be ANYTHING you choose) and add your post to Mister Linky below. The more the merrier, so link away!

A couple of things to mention. Feel free to copy the cute 10 on the 10th button and use it in your post. If you're new to Mister Linky, please be aware that you need to enter the url of your 10 on the 10th post and NOT the url to your blog. If you click on the title or date of your post, the complete url should appear in your browser window and you can cut/copy and paste it in the box below. Type your name as you wish it to appear in the list of links. I usually type LifeAt7000Feet in place of my actual name. If you have questions, leave me a comment and I'll try to help you as best I can.

1. whimzie@Snoodlings 2. pursuits of heart&home 3. Kendra@Kendra\'s Keepings 4. Gretchen 5. TheGardenOfEaten 6. afamiliarpath 7. Jackie@Our Moments, Our Memories 8. Tiffani 9. Mama in High Heels

10. stephanie@{Olive Tree} 11. Suzanne @ Sugarloaf Cottage 12. Lauren Kelly 13. Tami 14. Becca~TimeWellSpent 15. Holly @ Crownlaiddown 16. Rachael @ Days of Our Lives 17. Steph @ Thanks4Lemonade 18. IdahoAngie

19. Lisa@SliceOfLife 20. Ginger @ From The Cocoon 21. Jenster 22. Amber@Raising Rascals 23. His Girl Amber 24. Suzanne 25. Angie 26. Life in Our Small Little Corner of the World

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Today has been palmy but definitely not balmy...

(Sorry for the kitschy title.)

Many of you know today is Palm Sunday.

I was very happy when the greeter handed me a palm frond this morning as I walked into church.

My heart was a teensy bit sad to celebrate Palm Sunday differently today than we have for the last several years. Typically, we'd gather outside of church, read some scripture, then all walk into the sanctuary together singing hosanna! and waving our palm branches. 

Our pastors did something creative so my sadness was fleeting. And it was probably best we didn't gather outside because it FREEZING and still snowy from yesterday's winter storm. 

This was the view from my front door this morning.

See why we stayed inside all day yesterday??? (I think we ended up with 8 inches of snow and drifts up to 3 feet!) 

And here are some pics I took while driving to church. It look so pretty doesn't it?

Here, let me zoom in on that temperature sign for ya.

Brrrrrr....

I had planned to unplug this week. And then I realized that I started this 10 on the 10th thing and the tenth of April happens to fall on Good Friday, which falls during my week of being unplugged. A dilemna. Hmmmmmmm...

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about that. Maybe work on it tonight so it will auto-post? Or maybe just skip this month? Or maybe do a late edition? An Easter edition? Any ideas?

Honestly, I can't completely unplug because of my ongoing project, but I am definitely taking a break from blogging/reading blogs/Facebook/Twitter. I know it will be hard, but I also know it will be good.

So...

I guess this is good-bye until next week. *sniff sniff*

(Oh, and it just started snowing again and Sarah's been singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Easter." I wouldn't be surprised. It's sorta the norm where we live.)

Saturday Happies...

Just a few things that have made me happy today...


Sleeping in! 7AM is much, much better than 6AM, don't ya think?


Fried eggs for breakfast. John is the BEST egg fryer in this house. He even made one for Jack-the-beagle and not just because we're all being a little nicer to Jack after watching Marley & Me. He actually makes Jack a fried egg every Saturday. (Sugar daddy.)


Coffee, coffee, coffee, and ginger peach green tea with honey. I'm a hopeless caffeine addict.


The girls playing together all day long. I haven't heard one mean word from either of them (rare!) and that makes me SO happy. And grateful.


Snow. Yup, I said I was happy about snow. It's been snowing since I woke up, but it's super fine snow and they down-graded our "blizzard" to a mere 3-6 inches. I can live with that.


Listening to Will practice his trumpet.


A short nap!


Blue Sky creamy root beer. YUM!


Staying home all day! I took a shower and put my pjs right back on. (Bliss!)


John and I sitting side by side on our bed working on our laptops. He's been working on some freelance stuff. I've been working on my volunteer project. I think he got more done than I did. I got sucked into Twitter.


John wearing his Harry Potter toboggan. In the house. All day long. (Maybe it's magically keeping him warm.)


Making cupcakes with the girls.


Potato soup for dinner!


And maybe another movie night. It must be something funny this time. Marley & Me had us all sobbing last night. What a tear-jerker.

Mumble Jumble

It's Thursday night and I'm writing this to auto-post on Friday morning because I've been trying to unplug on Fridays during Lent. I also sorta remember telling Kellie that I would "go dark" with her during Holy Week, which is next week. Yikes!

I just finished up my massive two-week grocery shopping list. I don't mind the menu planning part of it, but the list-making is intense and the shopping even more brutal. I was watching the news last night (because we had a massive blizzard blow through and my kids got all excited about a possible snow day) and there was a local blogger being interviewed about her couponing blog. I spent some time there tonight and was delighted that she took about 95% of the work out of my list making. She's already figured out the weekly grocery deals and basically all I had to do was make a list for each store and pull the coupons she mentioned. If you live in the Colorado Springs area check out this fantastic blog! 

Like my earrings? I've been wearing them this week because it has been snowy. 

(Pretty soon ya'll are going to be as sick of me and my whining about the snow as I am of seeing it.)

I love snow. I just don't love it in March and April and May. We haven't had much snow this year and we really, really need the moisture but I'd much prefer rain over the frozen precipitation. Another blizzard is heading our way Saturday and the meteorologist said our area could see 8-18 inches. Loverly. The one thing that I do like about spring snow is that once the storm passes it usually melts pretty quickly.

I really don't intend for this to become a weather blog but I like to document stuff like spring blizzards because this is after all a web log, and one day we might not live in Colorado and might think that April snow is amusing.

Moving on.

Have I mentioned that I'm the coordinator for a very big volunteer project at my kids' school? Yep, I am. I was almost finished with this same project by this time last year, but sadly, I'm just getting going this time around. Not so fun. This project is the source of my stress and busy-ness these days. I know it will all get done, but I'm not convinced it will be a stress-free month. 

It does, however, make my decision to unplug next week a little easier. I may schedule some posts but if I do I will probably disable comments like I did last time I took a break so I can keep my email box empty when I return. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.

The blog world has been abuzz lately about this conference, A Woman Inspired. My friend, Trish, is giving away a conference ticket. The conference starts next Monday and you don't even have to leave your house to attend--it's an online conference! If you're interested in winning a ticket, go here to enter Trish's giveaway! (Hurry...giveaway ends on Sunday!) Two of my favorite bloggers, Lisa and Natalie, are scheduled to speak! 

Well, this wasn't as wordy as I thought it would be. Or was it?

Happy Weekend to you all!

I can't keep my mouth shut about this...

I heard it again this morning. And I cringed. 

In fact, I've heard it so much lately that I just want to scream.

What exactly is it that makes you want to scream, Mer?

I absolutely CANNOT STAND to hear someone say "God whacked me with a 2x4" or "God had to knock me upside the head" or "God smacked me between the eyes" in order for that person to get whatever message God was trying to convey.

I don't know about you, but I've never heard God speak to me in harsh or condemning voice. Never. 

His voice is gentle and kind. He speaks correction into my life but it is never with brute force--whacking, knocking, smacking--ugh! Those words just make me cringe because they are not fitting for the God I know. The God I know speaks with love and compassion. Always.

We watched a short clip of The Passion of the Christ during church last Sunday and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend shortly after we'd first seen the film. She was telling me that the crucifixion scene was incredibly hard for her to watch and she buried her face in her hands and just couldn't do it. And then she heard God say to her (and imagine here with me the most condescending voice you can think of because that's the voice she used to relay what she heard), "Don't you DARE turn your face away. You watch EVERY second of this scene so you will KNOW what I sacrificed for you."

I was dumbstruck. 

I understood the importance of really "seeing" Jesus' sacrifice, but what I didn't understand was the tone she used to describe God's voice. It sounded mean and bullying to me. 

And honestly friends, I've never felt God was a bully. It seems more like God to say, "Dear, dear Meredith. Please let your eyes take in all of this scene. I know it's hard to endure, but I love you so much that I gave everything for you and I want you to see, to really see, the depth of my love."

Which sounds more like God to you?

I don't know. Maybe I'm off. Maybe I'm way off. 

But maybe, just maybe the voice we mistake as God's is our own voice of condemnation. And maybe, just maybe, we need to listen a little harder for that voice that sings over us.

Afternoon Chat

Most of the time my son is pretty quiet but occasionally his talkative side emerges. I love it when that happens.

When I picked him up from school yesterday afternoon he was in one of his chatty (and funny) moods. Here are some excerpts from our conversation which had me rolling:

Will: My friend's dad just got a new Prius.

Me: Really? That's a cool car.

Will: Yeah, and it's really roomy.

Me: A Prius? Are we thinking about the same car, bud?

Will: Yes, mom. And it's probably just as roomy as our van.

Me: Hmmmm, okay. (Rolling my eyes while NOT arguing with a 12 year old).

Will: Hey, dad and I saw Mrs. P run a stoplight this morning on the way to school.

Me: You mean my very good friend Mrs P? She ran a stoplight?

Will: Yep. It was her. Dad told her she needed to slow it down. But of course she didn't hear him.

Me: (snickering).

Will: Can I have a coke when we get home?

Me: I don't think we have any, bud.

Will: Yes, we do. Mimi and Papa bought some cans and left them with us.

Me: Then sure, you can have one.

Will: I think I'll pop some popcorn too.

Me: Great idea.

Will: Hey mom, these two kids got in trouble at school for fighting. Now they have in-school detention every day and they have to stay in this little room during lunch. Not together though. They're in different rooms.

Me: What were they fighting about?

Will: I don't know but one kid hit the other on the back and they got in a LOT of trouble.

Me: So add that to your list of reasons not to fight at school, bud.

Will: Oh, I'd NEVER get in a fight, mom.

Me: Why's that?

Will: Because I'd lose!

(I'm pretty sure I couldn't hold the laughter in at this point).

Will: (Sticking the popcorn in the microwave) I know exactly how long to pop popcorn.

Me: I believe you, but I bet if you added another minute to your pop time you'd have all popcorn instead of half kernels, half corn. 

Will: Nah, that's okay. The kernels make my teeth strong. Most people don't realize that.

Me: (grinning) Okay, bud, whatever. (Too bad we don't have dental insurance for all those cracked teeth you could end up with).

Will: Can I play some Wii after I eat my snack?

Me: Sure, bud. You can. (Though I really wish I could keep you here talking with me.)