Sunday Seven

1. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern during the recent Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs. For non-local friends: the fire is almost 100% contained (I think they're expecting full containment today) and we've actually been getting some rain. Rain at this point is both good and bad--good because we need the moisture but bad because the terrain that was burned cannot absorb it and will likely result in flash flooding in those areas that have already experienced so much trauma.

The pre-evacuation notice for our neighborhood had been lifted by the time we arrived home from our vacation last Sunday. We spend the next day putting everything away that our friends and house-sitter packed up and moved out for us. Of course we came across dozens of things we would have grabbed had we been her to prepare for evacuation ourselves, but we were just so grateful for our friends and their willingness to jump in and take care of us in that way during our absence. I ran some errands on Friday and was finally able to see some of the burn scar. It was pretty hard to take it all in and pretty hard to process what happened. I feel somewhat disconnected from everything because we were away during the most intense week of the fire, but we are so grateful that of the many friends we have who live in the fire-ravaged area, NONE of their homes were lost. That is obviously great news for our friends, but my heart aches for the families who lost everything. I simply cannot imagine.

2. Will left for YoungLife camp last night. He's at Lost Canyon in Arizona this week and although we'll miss him (already do), the girls have lots of girly stuff planned, including Sarah's 14th birthday celebration. You might want to pray for the lone male in our house this week...

3. I have lots of photos from the beach that I want to post and I hope to do that this week. We had a such a GREAT time! I've always considered myself more of a mountain girl than a beach girl, but after this trip I'm open to changing that. Sand, sun, and surf? Yes, please! It was such a relaxing vacation. I hope we can do go again next summer.

4. I didn't take many pictures on the 4th of July but it was a little non-traditional for us this year. Our neighbors that have always hosted our 4th of July neighborhood pancake breakfast moved last summer, so my next-door-neighbor and I hosted a potluck breakfast instead and it turned out great! Our small town-parade that I love so much was cancelled for reasons relating to the wildfire. I think everyone was pretty bummed about that but my neighborhood rallied and hosted our own kid parade and street carnival and I must say it was AWESOME! Kids decorated their bikes/wagons and even built floats and paraded around the block a few times. Afterwards, kids went from yard to yard for different carnival-type games and activities, one of which included making thank-you cards for local firefighters! I've said it before but I need to say it again: I LOVE our neighborhood! Our local fireworks show was cancelled long before the fire broke out in our area and even though it was understandably the right thing to do, it was still hard to not end the day that way! However, we were thankful to see not one but TWO fireworks displays when we were driving through Dallas on our way back to Colorado the weekend before the 4th. We drove so close to one that I made John roll down the windows so I could smell the smoke from the fireworks. I love that smell! Even though things felt different than normal this year, it was still a very fun day!

5. I have to go to court tomorrow for the speeding ticket I got at the beginning of June. Yuck. I'm sure I'll have a hefty fine. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. After buying new tires for the van before our trip, and replacing a valve on our hot water heater this week, July is proving to be a spendy month. Blech. I'm thankful for provision and for a husband who works hard to take care of those necessary things and still take us on fun vacations and send our kids to camp!

6. Speaking of vacations, John and I are going to get away by ourselves for a few days next month and we're trying to decide where to go. We want to stay in Colorado and we'd like to go somewhere we haven't been before. I think we've narrowed it down to Telluride or Crested Butte. Anyone been to either place? Have opinions? Recommendations? Favorite places to eat? Hike? Please tell!

7. We're taking the girls to see Spiderman this afternoon. We're kinda movie-crazed these days! We took the kids the other day to see Brave, but I was pretty disappointed with it. Have y'all seen it? I loved the Pixar short film at the beginning of it, but I just didn't think the storyline was very good. Definitely not my favorite Pixar film. One night last week John and I trekked down to the Kimball to see Moonrise Kingdom. We LOVED it. It's one of those indie films that some will find weird, but that's kind of our speed and we both want to see it again.

I took this picture of the theater marquis that night... I think it sums up the feeling of our entire community! Again, thank you for all your prayers for my community.

Peace out, peeps. Hope you have a great week!

Safe, but heartbroken. Please pray for Colorado Springs.

Good morning, friends.

As you probably know by now, much of the area where we live is being threatened by a wildfire. My family is safe and sound on the Gulf Coast and we're keeping an eye on things from 1400 miles away.

The images we're seeing online are heart wrenching. Many, many friends have been evacuated from their homes and they are not out of danger yet.

Yesterday, we were alerted to a pre-evacuation notice for our neighborhood. At this point it is NOT mandatory but precautionary. If the fire progresses north of Colorado Springs (we live just north of the US Air Force Academy) then evacuation will become mandatory. Our house-sitter, along with the help of some friends and neighbors gathered up the things most valuable to us and moved them to a safe place. One of them even videoed the contents of our home. We are so blessed to have amazing friends looking out for us.

Despite all of the scary images and uncertainty of this fire, we are having a GREAT vacation. We're obviously a bit distracted by the fires back home but being here has it's perks. I just wish I could dump a fraction of the water we've spent our days staring at onto the parched soil of my beloved Colorado.

Please pray that the winds would die down and that those who are working SO hard to manage this beast of a fire could see some containment soon. We have lots of firefighter friends who are working the front lines on very little sleep and in some pretty extreme temperatures. Pray for supernatural strength for them. And pray for rain! We need it desperately.

Ho-hum...

It's just another summer Thursday around here but I have a few minutes to blog and nothing really exciting to blog about. Since I tend to be listy, how about a list?

1. Sarah gets home this afternoon from YoungLife camp! Yay! I've missed that girl. She was home for about 24 hours last weekend in between a church trip and camp so needless to say, we've all missed her. Abbey has had a harder time than I expected without Sarah around--those two are pretty close and it's very, very sweet.

2. The smoke from the wildfire in Fort Collins about 2.5 hours north of here has permeated the air outside. It's weird. It's super hazy and smells smoky and I'm hoping and praying that they can get that fire contained. So devastating. We need rain so desperately.

3. We ate dinner with some friends last night and she made the Barefoot Contessa's Chinese Chicken Salad. Oh my gosh, it was so good. I could have eaten the entire bowl, I think. I'm going to have to make it soon because John and I both loved it.

4. I have to go swimsuit shopping very soon. Is there anything more dreaded than swimsuit shopping? I have one suit that I like but I'd like to have another for the beach. Any suggestions on where to look? I don't mind spending money for a good suit, but I'd really like to keep it reasonable.

5. I got a speeding ticket a few weeks ago. I find it upsetting because I hardly ever speed, but on this particular day I was out shopping with Sarah and she was chatting my ear off and I didn't notice the posted speed signs in the construction zone (if you're local, it was Powers/Union--so be careful--I saw five others get ticketed that same day). I knew the normal speed limit (and was actually driving the same speed as everyone around me) but I got pulled over and ticketed. Ugh. I don't know what the fine is yet;  I have to go to court. And I actually have to go to the courthouse tomorrow because my court date is the day we leave for vacation and I have to appear in person to change it. It's such a pain in the butt and such a costly mistake. When I think about it, it makes me sick. John was super cool about it though and I love him even more for that.

6. Yesterday we pulled out our ice shaver and made sno cones! I was telling some friends about the recipe I use for homemade sno-cone syrup. Super easy and super yummy and super duper sugary!!

7. I'm obviously not being as careful with my sugar intake lately as I was last summer/fall. In fact, I came across this dessert yesterday that I can't wait to try. And I'm going to make this cobbler for dessert tonight. I use frozen mixed berries and it's really, really good!

8. Okay, that's all for now. I must get to work. We have a friend coming to dog/house-sit while we are on vacation and I feel the irrational need to leave my house in immaculate shape, so I'm on a mission to clean every nook and cranny. And just so you know, that is an impossible task to accomplish, but I'm determined to give it my best shot!

Peace out, peeps.

Catch-up-palooza

I've been a terrible blogger lately. May was so incredibly crazy around here. The kids got out of school before Memorial day and I feel like I'm finally catching my breath and settling into my summer pace. And it's g-o-o-d.

It would take forever and a day to fill you in on all the happenings around here but I'll hit the highlights!

We enjoyed a having my mom here for a week-long visit in early May. One day while the kids were in school, we rode the cog train up Pikes Peak. I'd never done that before and it was really cool!

In case you were wondering, it was c-c-cold at the top! Awesome, but cold. 

Part of the reason my mom chose early May for a visit was because Sarah was confirmed at our church and we wanted her to be here for Sarah's special day. We were really proud of Sarah and this faith-step. One part of the confirmation process for her was writing her faith statement, outlining her beliefs about things such as the Trinity, grace and forgiveness, scripture, prayer, the body of Christ, communion, baptism, etc. I'm continually amazed at kid's ability to grasp big concepts. I guess I shouldn't be, but I am. She took a trip last week to South Dakota with our pastors + all of the kids in her confirmation class and they further explored some of their confirmation promises. She had a GREAT time.

I love this picture! I have lots more but they're on John's computer--which is with him at work.

May was a big month for Sarah. She also finished middle school and had her 8th grade continuation ceremony. Can't believe I'll have TWO kids in high school this fall. 

Other than that, May was filled with lots and lots of year-end activities and lots of work craziness for me with two huge back-to-back fundraising events. Yikes! I was so run-down that it's not surprising I got really sick the last week of school. Thankfully, I survived and still managed to pull off a simple "Welcome to Summer" neighborhood party after the last day of school. Thank you, Pinterest. 

Movin' on to June...

I had so much fun with my neighbors last year when they had their annual garage sale that I decided to see what I could scrounge up to sell. When I say scrounge, I mean scrounge because we'd donated a ton of stuff to the Young Life garage sale a few weeks prior. I didn't make a ton of money (shocker!) but I did have a fun time hanging out with my neighbors.

I've also been hiking a LOT this month which makes me crazy-happy! Here are a few pics from recent hikes.

The pics above were from Stanley Canyon on the USAFA property. The pics below were from Roxborough State Park. If you're local and you've never been to Roxborough State Park, then you absolutely MUST go. It is so beautiful and is like a hidden treasure tucked away just south of Denver. Honestly, it was stunning!

Sarah is at YoungLife camp this week and we're all really missing her. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to back-to-back trips for her! We're leaving next week for vacation--to the BEACH--and we're all very excited. We've never taken a beach vacation as a family and even though I consider myself more of a mountain girl, I'm really looking forward to parking myself in a sunny spot and staring at the ocean. I'm counting on it being pure relaxation!

That's all I've got for today. I'm going to try to get my blog groove back this month!

Pigs must be flying!

If you should happen to look up and see a flying pig, it's probably because I (finally) gave in and joined Pinterest. Wow. I had vowed more than once not to give in to the Pinterest craze but one night I found myself desperately trying to stay awake until midnight (to report for my after-prom volunteer shift) and Pinterest seemed like a logical way to kill a couple of hours. It's probably been a good thing that I've been too busy to spend much time searching and pinning. There are some seriously creative people out there with some amazing ideas and creations!

My weekend-o-sloth and other thoughts on self-care

Hello friends...it's been awhile.

Blogging has been on my to-do list for weeks now, but it's the first thing to get bumped when I feel overwhelmed and honestly, the pace of life has been pretty overwhelming lately. If you know me, you know I dislike being busy. I dislike it very much. Interestingly I've found that as the school year winds down, activity winds UP. It's nearly impossible to avoid busyness this time of year.

Like many of you, I've been going pretty much non-stop for the last several weeks. On top of that my mom was here visiting (more on that in another post) and I don't know about you but when I have company I feel like I have to be "on", even if it's someone I'm comfortable around like my mom. I was talking to John last Thursday afternoon and had a little epiphany about caring for myself. I've been missing my hikes with friends and some other things I love and I guess I was kind of whining about it all. John looked straight at me and said, "Mer, the only person who can care for you is YOU." I nodded emphatically and started making a plan to restore some of my joy and energy this week.

Thanks to a wet and cold forecast, the Young Life garage sale that we were supposed to help with over the weekend was postponed. I may or may not have cried tears of grateful relief when I learned of the decision. That postponement allowed me to experience the most delightful weekend of rest I've had in a looooong time. I dubbed it the weekend-o-sloth because I pretty much stayed in my pjs all weekend while doing a whole lot of nothing. I told John that all I wanted for Mother's Day was to veg on the couch. Not only did I get one day like that but I got two and it was amazing. I napped, read, watched television, and re-watched Downton Abbey with my girls. By Sunday afternoon I was feeling like myself again and to my great surprise, I wasn't completely wiped out and ready for bed by 8pm.

Rest. It does a weary body good.

I also cancelled a few activities for this week, dropped one recurring commitment that I just cannot keep any longer, and scheduled some time to hike. Being outside energizes me. I need and crave that time and like John said, if I don't make it happen it probably won't, especially during busy seasons of life. I got together with some friends today and have plans with two other dear friends later this week. Sure, there's still lots of activity and commitments but at least there's also some fun in the mix--some great things to look forward to! That's so important for my mental outlook.

The kids have school this week and next until summer begins (I think I can, I think I can!) and I am looking forward to a relaxing summer but until then, I'm reminded that during seasons of utter crazyness, I MUST take time to nurture my heart and to not feel guilty about it. It's a simple lesson with such great reward.

What about you? How do you care for your self? Have any other great thoughts on self-care that are too good to keep to yourself?

Five On Friday

1. I don't know about y'all but I eat the same thing for breakfast every single day. It used to be two slices of Ezekiel bread but since last May (when I quit eating sugar and wheat) it's been a brown rice cake smeared with almond butter. If I get really crazy, I'll have a couple of eggs. Anyway, I'm kicking myself because I let myself run out of almond butter earlier this week and haven't remembered to grab some when I've been out and about. I'm tired of eggs (after two days), so this morning I ate a bowl of cereal--and I'm not a fan of cold cereal. Mental note: get thyself to the store for almond butter today.

2. All of my kids have the day off from school today. I'm usually pretty OCD about transferring dates from the school calendar to our family calendar but for some reason I didn't have this particular day noted. Imagine my delight when I realized that our week would be short and our weekend would be long! Happy, happy, happy!

3. After five years of faithfully hauling all of our recycling to the recycling center, I finally signed up for curbside recycling. I am giddy. Seriously. I put it off for a long time because I really thought I shouldn't have to pay to do something good for the environment (more like hey, you should be paying ME), but mainly because I'm very loyal to our disposal company and didn't want to switch to different one just for the recycling service. Our disposal company finally began a recycling program and now all is right in the world. I am so happy I can just haul a receptacle to my curb every two weeks instead of sorting, loading, and making a special trip downtown to drop it off!

4. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I volunteered to help with after-prom this weekend. Check in time is 11:30pm. I think someone caught me in a weak moment. Not really. I happily said yes. Prom is only for juniors and seniors so Will isn't going but they were trying to recruit help from the parents of freshmen/sophomores. I'm kinda excited about it, just really dreading the lack of sleep. I'm normally in bed by 9pm each night. I see myself taking a super long nap on Sunday afternoon.

5. I'm just gonna be honest and tell you guys that I'm not doing okay these days. I'm dealing with some really messy relational stuff. It's not marriage, thankfully, because John is my strongest ally. It's pretty much sapped my energy and my joy for the last week or so and I'm trying to pray/discern what I need to do next. The sad part is that this path has been all too familiar to me for the last year--different characters but similar situations.  I'm feeling pretty beat up and it's all too easy to start believing certain things (lies) that the I believe Satan continually throws my way. If you're a praying person, I would covet your prayers for peace, wisdom, and discernment. Happy Friday, y'all.

Popping in with some random schtuff

I only have a few minutes before I have to wake Abbey up and get her off to school but wanted to pop in and say post something on this neglected blog.

It's Monday. Sometimes I like Mondays, sometimes I don't. I'm choosing to embrace this particular Monday and hoping that it brings with it fresh start for the week ahead.

Our weekend was really nice. It was a good mix of busy and restful which is how I like to roll. We woke up on Sunday to several inches of snow and it continued off and on throughout the day. It's a good thing we haven't packed away our boots and coats because we needed them yesterday! Back to flip-flops tomorrow though--just the way I like it! And by the way, most of the snow has already melted. What's left will be gone today or tomorrow.

Sarah's big news from the weekend is that her sweet daddy bought her tickets to a One Direction concert in Denver in July 2013. Twenty-thirteen. I sure hope she still likes One Direction when the concert finally rolls around. For now though, she's thrilled. She is slightly obsessed with One Direction at the moment. John texted me while I was at Costco on Saturday and told me I would have the pleasure of accompanying her next summer. Woohoo! (I think!)(The last concert I went to was sooooo loud and I ended up leaving early.)

Will had a track meet on Saturday and afterwards he worked on making food packets to be sent to Haiti. He is required to earn five community service hours each semester so he knocked out about half of them on Saturday at a non-profit center in Co Springs. I love that our district makes community service a requirement for students. I think it's very important to get kids thinking beyond themselves and to encourage them to be civic-minded.

Today is my designated domestic day. I have big plans to clean and organize, and work on a couple of small projects I've been putting off. I have high hopes for what I want to accomplish today, so I bid you farewell and hope your Monday is off to a great start!

Impromptu date night

It was a long, hard week around the Lifeat7000Feet casa and we were all grateful when Friday afternoon rolled around. I was thrilled when John told me not to worry about dinner--that we'd go out. We don't eat out a lot but if I had to pick a night when I most welcome the break from cooking, it's Friday.

When John got home from work and it came time to decide where to go, none of our children wanted to leave the house. That's probably because two of the three had already changed into their pjs. They definitely inherited our homebody genes. Eventually they decided they'd like food food from various places with drive-thru windows which is not what John or I had in mind at all, so I suggested we make a run for the border by way of the golden arches, drive back home and drop the sustenance off for the starving children in our home, and then he and I go and dine somewhere alone. Win-win! We've entered a season in which our children are old enough to be left at home alone when we need to sneak away for dinner or meetings or errands, and let me tell you it's a beautiful season!

We ended up at a local mexican place where we had uninterrupted conversation over chips and salsa and enchiladas. I love time alone with my husband and it was the perfect end to a really long and hard week. When the check came, we laughed so stinkin' hard because the type on the receipt was so small that NEITHER of us could read it. John was holding it about two feet away from his face and squinting and I was laughing so that I was crying...which made it even harder when he handed it to me to decipher. I'd left my bi-focals at home, dang-it, but I sure hope we read that amount right and left our server enough tip!

I decided last night that we are growing old. Old enough to have kids who can babysit themselves. Old enough for us to both need bi-focals. And old enough to come home from dinner and need a pre-bedtime nap.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Happy Sigh of Relief

Remember when I went for my mammogram last week? Yeah, well, I got a call a couple of days later right as we were leaving for Denver that my doctor had reviewed the images and ordered additional views. Sigh. I reluctantly scheduled another mammogram and ultrasound and tried not to think about it too much. Impossible. I wasn't too worried until I realized that the request was for additional images on the right breast--the opposite one with the lump that I had biopsied last year. My appointment was this morning. I'm happy to report that after my tests today, the area of concern turned out to be a simple cyst. BIG HAPPY SIGH OF RELIEF. I'm sad to report that the radiologist, the ultrasound tech, and the mammography tech each told me to expect this kind of scrutiny each year. I guess I need to be thankful that they do a thorough job, even if it does cause me some mental angst.

Big exhale. 

Moving on.

Today was a rude awakening for all of us after a week of being "off the clock". Everyone got up on time this morning but I'm not sure anyone was cheerful about it, including me. It didn't help that temps were in the 70s/80s all last week and weekend and today is c-c-c-cold, dreary, and windy. I traded my shorts, tank top, and flip flops for jeans, my down vest, UGGs, and my winter coat! How rude of mother nature to jolt us out of our lovely spring pattern. It's soooooo dry here and we need moisture badly, but I sure wish that the weather system heading our way would bring rain instead of the frozen stuff. Wishful thinking I'm afraid.

Our spring break was wonderful. We went to the movies (I really liked Mirror Mirror), shopped, ate out, hiked, had a couple of sleepovers, grilled out several times, visited with friends, and John and I even went on a date one night. I loved having a week to do a whole lot of nothing. Traveling is nice, but it's not as restful as staying home in my book.

(Photos for the grandparents)

We picked up Abbey's new glasses last Friday. The sides are a fun pink-blue-purple pattern which is precisely why she chose them. John and I think she looks so grown up in them and Abbey thinks they make her look smart. She's pretty smart as it is so I don't know about that...

Oh, I most certainly DID make everyone hike with me last Friday and surprisingly they had a good time. I wanted to say "I told you so" but I zipped it instead. I've learned that it's best not to say that too often.

And yes, I have three children but one of them is a 15-year-old boy who does NOT like to have his picture taken. :)

This week is back to business with schedules and track meets and homework (loved our break from that) and carpool. Eight more weeks of school until summer break and I am definitely counting down! Spring break gave me a really bad case of summer fever. Hope everyone's week is off to a great start.

Friday Five

1. I woke my kids up a little bit ago and told them we were going to hike, hit Costco, and then have lunch somewhere. They moaned and groaned about all of it, even lunch, which surprised me. They have a huge case of the lazies this week. I've indulged them almost every day. They're not thrilled that I'm making them hike today, but I'm not budging. It's too beautiful today to stay cooped up inside.

2. Why does the week of spring break seem to pass more quickly than regular weeks? This one has flown by. We still have a few days left though and I intend to milk every ounce of fun out of them!

3. This is the first spring break I can ever remember where the weather has been nice the whole week. It's not unusual to have snow and cold over spring break but it is definitely unusual to have warm temps for an entire week in March. I'm not complaining though. I've hiked in a tank top and capris several times this week. LOVE it!

(My friend and I hike the Incline yesterday. I'm completely addicted to that workout. I love it.)

4. I've been praying like crazy for a friend who had brain surgery on Wednesday. She just texted me a picture of herself up and walking around--amazing! I'm sooooo thankful that her surgery went well and that her initial pathology reports look good.

5. Sarah made those cake pops I mentioned the other day and they turned out so cute. I forgot to take a picture, but this is the tutorial she followed. They were a little too sweet for my taste, but everyone else loved them. I did however take a picture of our yarn eggs (we used embroidery floss) and I think they turned out really pretty!

Happy Friday, everyone!!!!

One-on-one time

Yesterday I was able to spend some one on one time with each of my children. It was one of those days when things just fell into place perfectly and it all felt very right.

First up was Abbey. She had an appointment for an eye exam yesterday morning. About a month ago, her math teacher let me know that she seemed to be squinting quite a bit and she suspected that Abbey was having trouble seeing the board. I made an eye appointment for her that got bumped a few times due to TCAP testing and the optometrist being on vacation but we finally got her eyes checked and sure enough, she needed a prescription for her distance vision. She picked out some VERY cute frames and we got her glasses ordered. She can't wait for them to arrive and I know she'll look adorable in them. She chatted my ear off all the way there and all the way home (and all the time in between). That girl LOVES it when she has a captive audience.

Shortly after Abbey's eye appointment, I had to leave for an appointment of my own and Will wanted to tag along because I was headed to Colorado Springs and he wanted me to let him stop by the video game store. He was horrified when he found out my appointment was for a mammogram but he put on a brave face and waited patiently for me to finish. On the way to the game store, he asked me a few (tentative) questions about my appointment. Mostly he was concerned that I was okay (I had a biopsy last year after an abnormal mammogram) and we had a good conversation about the importance of preventative medicine and taking our health seriously. I thought it was sweet that he was worried about me. After our video game store errand, he was hinting around that he needed a snack so much to his delight we grabbed some hot wings and soda to-go and chatted over our favorite snack while I drove back home. He's fifteen and not super chatty these days so any time he spends talking to me is time I cherish. Needless to say, our afternoon together was really sweet for me.

Abbey spent the night with a friend last night so I told Sarah she was welcome to invite a friend or two to come for a sleepover. She thought about it but told me she'd rather go see The Hunger Games with me instead, so we had a movie date! I read the books and liked them but to be honest, I really had no desire to see the movie until she said she wanted to see it with me. It ended up being pretty good and true to the book, and I loved the time with Sarah. After the movie she wanted to go to Starbucks and I obliged, but by the time we got there it was closed. She was sad because she really wanted one of their cake pops. I told her we should figure out how to make them but she was already a step ahead of me. She'd found a recipe earlier and rattled off everything we needed to make our own. Since our Starbucks plan had failed, we headed to Walmart to buy the stuff to make cake pops later today. I'll let you know how they turn out. We also bought the stuff to make these yarn eggs that I saw on Deidre's blog. Sarah was chatty the entire night (except during the movie, of course) and I loved every minute of it. As did she. She loves attention as much as her sister. Must be a girl thing!

One-on-one time with each of them is so special to me and it was the PERFECT way to spend a day of our spring break! More fun is on tap today too! Have I mentioned that I love spring break? I really really do!

It all started with mashed potatoes...

On Saturday, I went to Denver with a group of friends to meet the Pioneer Woman at a book signing for her new cookbook. It was SO much fun!

I wasn't truly a fan of the Pioneer Woman until early last spring. Oh, I'd read her blog from time to time but I always ended up on her photography blog and to be honest I'm not a photographer OR a fan of dogs or horses or ranch life so I wasn't a regular reader. But sometime last year I used a Groupon I had for Amazon.com and bought her first cookbook and I became an immediate fan. Not only is she hilarious but that woman can cook! Pretty much all I have to do to ensure my family licks their dinner plates clean is say "this is a Pioneer Woman recipe."

Right before Thanksgiving I shared her recipe for Creamy Mashed Potatoes with a friend who was stressed about feeding the huge crowd of people she was hosting for Thanksgiving dinner. (The best thing about these mashed potatoes is that you can make them ahead.)(The second best thing is the butter, cream cheese, and half and half.) My friend tried them, loved them, and shared the recipe with a friend who shared with a friend, who shared with a friend, and voila! -- a group of fans willing to stand in line for a really long time to meet Ree Drummond was born.

We got there pretty early and I'm so glad we did because over 800 people came out to meet her. Luckily we were numbers 98-104 in that long, long line. It was crazy-packed and unless she stayed until the wee hours signing books I'm not sure everyone had the same opportunity we did.

Here are a few pics, which is the part I know you'd rather see anyway! They're all cell phone pics so sorry about the quality.

 She gave a hilarious presentation. And even SANG! It was awesome.

Someone needs to tell me to stand up straight. And suck my stomach in. Geez.

Our motley crew. One of us is slightly obsessed with all things Pioneer Woman. I won't name names, ahem, Terri (cough cough)(who had NINE books for Ree to sign), but I'm thankful she corralled all of us (get it? corralled? ranch humor--ha ha) for this fun day! 

The Pioneer Woman was gracious and kind (she complimented my necklace!) and there's no telling how much her mouth ached from smiling and her hand cramped up after signing all those books! And by the way, her newest cookbook is fabulous! John paged through it yesterday afternoon and he may or may not have been drooling by the time he got to the end. Seriously.

After we left the book signing, Terri took us all to NoNo's. Oh my gosh. If you live anywhere remotely close to Denver, you must eat there. I'm glad I got over my dislike of the LSU Tigers flag they were flying on the porch outside (Go Hogs!) because the food was amazing. I had the gumbo and it was delicious, but next time I'm having Catfish Monica because the owner brought us all a plate to try (after we had ordered, darn it!) and it was outstanding! I finished things off with a piece of strawberry cake which was still warm and out-of-this-world-delicious. Shouldn't a visit to meet the woman who makes your tummy happy on a regular basis be finished off with an evening of great food? Yep. We thought so too! Thanks, y'all. It was such a fun day!

weekend happies

gorgeous weather. flip flops. a favorite hike with my favorite guy. a sunday afternoon nap. meeting the pioneer woman (will post about that soon!) an amazing piece of strawberry cake at a newly discovered restaurant. a fun day with friends. a fun girls night out. a little more birthday celebrating. sleeping late-ish. sun-kissed shoulders and face. burgers on the grill. no school tomorrow so no sunday night blues. and the premiere of a new season of mad men. it's been a weekend full of good things.

The birthday girl and the cake she requested--a smiley face with a tongue sticking out. Easiest cake I've ever made! 

Super Quick Friday Five

1. I am so sick of posting nothing but lists on my blog. But I'm soooooooooo uninspired lately. Ugh.

2. In regard to the post I wrote yesterday...believe me when I say I KNOW I am incredibly blessed.

3. Believe me when I also say that we are not perfect and neither is our marriage. We are a work in progress.

4. I have been to the grocery store every single day this week. And I have to go back again today for a few more things I forgot. Have you seen my brain? Maybe it's hiding out with my motivation and my creativity.

5. Less than four hours until SPRING BREAK begins. You have no idea how close I am to collapsing in an exhausted heap. This week has kicked my tail, but the end is in sight! Happy weekend, y'all!

45 Reasons Why

I didn't buy my husband a birthday gift. Well, technically, I did buy something for him but it was from the kids and not me. He needs clothes and we're going Denver next week to do some shopping and he asked me to wait and let him pick some things out then. He knows me well though and knows that not having a gift for him on his birthday would be really hard for me so he specifically asked me to not spend money on "something he doesn't want or need". Working within the "don't spend money" parameter, I decided to make a list of forty-five reasons why I love him.

Drumroll, please.

1. Every time I get in my van after he's driven it, my radio station is set to an AM easy-listening station. Every single time. He jokes that he's analog in a digital world. It's true. I usually roll my eyes when that AM station comes on but it never fails to make me smile.

2. He helps me with laundry when I fall behind. And that happens often.

3. He works very hard to provide generously for our family. Lately he's been doing a ton of freelance work in addition to his full-time job so we can send our kids to camps and such this summer and take a really nice beach vacation! He's tired a lot of the time but he never complains.

4. He makes me laugh. Even when I don't necessarily want to. And his laugh is the BEST!

5. He keeps gas in my van. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've had to fill it up myself in the last twelve months. I love that he takes care of me in that way.

6. He still holds my hand. And opens doors for me. Sooooo chivalrous.

7. He calls and texts me throughout the day...just because.

8. He prays for me. All the time, but especially when I'm having a hard day or when I'm facing tough stuff.

9. He watches stuff I like on TV with me. And doesn't get mad when I speak of my infatuation with hunky actors. :)

10. He likes to hike with me. We don't get to go together as often as I'd like but when we do it's always nice.

11. He likes to surprise me and our children with fun things!

12. Every single time he helps me put clean sheets on our bed, he races me to get the pillowcases on our individual pillows. Every. Single. Time. We'be been doing that since our early married days. Sometimes I let him win. Sometimes.

13. He unloads the dishwasher for me every single morning. I gave him the day off today since it's his birthday and all. 

14. He is an amazing dad. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. He's incredibly patient and always engaged with our kids. When he gets home from work he is able to disengage from "work" and focus on them. I'm pretty sure if you asked Will, Sarah, and Abbey who their favorite parent is they'd all say, "DAD!" And I'm okay with that because watching him love them well brings me unspeakable joy.

15. He is generous beyond belief--with his money, his time, his praise, and his affection.

16. He rarely raises his voice to me or our children. I betcha I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen that happen in almost twenty-two years of marriage. Believe me, I know what a blessing that is.

17. He tells me I'm beautiful. Even when I feel anything BUT.

18. He listens to me try to work through personal stuff over and over and over with patience and grace.

19. He helps our kids with their homework. They prefer his help over mine because he's smarter and more patient. :)

20. He cleans the kitchen most nights after dinner. Sometimes by himself, sometimes with my help but ALWAYS cheerfully.

21. He stops by the store for me on his way home from work when I've forgotten something. I know he's just ready to come home and he doesn't really want to, but he does it anyway.

22. He hardly EVER says anything unkind about anyone and always finds the best in others. I could take a few lessons from him. 

23. Not only does he listen to that AM easy-listening station in the car, but he turns our television to the easy-listening music channel every night before dinner so we can have some easy listening background music. A couple of weeks ago, we were setting the table and Will automatically went and set the television to that station. I don't know if John has ever been prouder.

24. He takes our kids to the mall when they need something. He knows I don't love the mall and he knows we have teenagers who want to be hip and stylish and shop at cool stores so he takes them. He usually takes them one at a time for a little bit of "dad indulgence". I think it's very very sweet.

25. He calls his parents at least once a week to check in. He loves and honors them. It's not uncommon to see his eyes get a little leaky when they leave our home after a visit.

26. He's not afraid of his tears. You know when something stirs him.

27. He gets as excited about Christmas as our children do. Like a "kid-in-a-candy-store-excited". He LOVES Christmas.

28. More often than not, he offers to pick our kids up from their evening activities. The older our kids get the later our evenings have become and he knows I just want to get in my pjs and "be finished for the night" so he turns into the evening carpool king. It is a huge gift to me!

29. He pays attention. To things I say, to things I do, to appearance, and by doing so makes me feel valued and important.

30. He responds with grace instead of anger. I accidentally washed and DRIED one of his favorite (and expensive) shirts and it shrunk enough that he can't wear it any longer. That's a nice way of saying I ruined it. He just shrugged it off an accident and forgave me for making a mistake. Flash back to a couple of summers ago when he accidentally dried one of my tops and it shrunk to a too-small size. My response was quite the opposite and I'm pretty sure I reminded him of his mistake long enough for him to buy me replacement. (Hangs head in shame).

31. He is admired and respected by so many people.

32. He can string words together beautifully. God has gifted him with the ability to write and his writing has already touched so many lives. I pray that God continues to bless him and open doors for him. It is a gift to me to see him get to do something he loves.

33. He loves to linger around the dinner table with our family each evening. Talking. Laughing. Playing games. Whatever. I can just sense his peace and contentment when we are all together.

34. He locks up the house every night before bed. That brings me such a sense of security. Just knowing he's "got it under control" is one way he offers me his strength.

35. He always always offers wise advice. He is able to discern what is really going on when I come to him with questions or problems and he steers me in the right direction. Not just in some logical direction but in the direction of wisdom and truth, with a huge measure of grace.

36. He is quick to forgive and even apologize when he's wrong. He doesn't like it when things between us get wonky and he strives to rectify things quickly. Again, I could take a few lessons from him.

37. He plans dates for us and makes time together as a couple a priority.

38. He is always calm and rational. And even more so when I'm NOT.

39. He calls me "kiddo" all the time. I love that so much. It reminds me of Big and Carrie from SATC.

40. He always drives on long road trips. I only get nervous when he starts getting drowsy. :)

41. He gently tells me when to "back off" as a mom. I tend to hover, especially with our 15-year-old son. He was fifteen once and knows when I'm crossing a line I'll come to regret later. I don't always appreciate his frankness but because he's gentle about it I've come to respect it. I'm trying at least.

42. He keeps himself physically fit. He runs and lifts weights several times a week. He'll tell you it's to keep stress at bay but I'm grateful that he takes care of himself in that way.

43. He recognizes beauty and responds to it. I'm not necessarily talking about physical beauty here. He sees beauty in nature, in words, in song, and in simple, mundane things.

44. He is incredibly humble and puts others before himself day in and day out.

45. He is a beautiful human being--inside and out. He grows more and more handsome to me with each passing year. I love him simply because of who he is and am honored to journey through life as his wife and friend.

I love you, John. So very much. Thank you for choosing me. Happy Birthday.

Pushover Parents

So today is a double birthday day at our house. My husband is celebrating his 45th birthday (my, my) and our youngest daughter is celebrating her 10th--and her arrival into double digits! It's a fun day!

John told me this morning that he was sorry for making this a hard day for me. One birthday is hard, but two is harder. I told him there was no need for apology--because I truly love that they share a birthday--and reminded him that WE chose this day for her to be born. We chose it because my OB was in private practice and was leaving on the 23rd for a spring break trip. I really wanted him to deliver Abbey (and not some strange doctor) and since I was several days past my due date he agreed to induce. Abbey thinks it is super special to share a birthday with her dad. John is a good sport to share the spotlight.

ANYWAY... the title of this post is pushover parents. That's us. 

Abbey's birthday has never fallen on a school day; it has always always fallen during spring break. This year our district moved our spring break to a different week and consequently Abbey's birthday fell on a school day. And a day of standardized testing as well. BOOO!

She started begging a few weeks ago to let her open gifts on the night before her birthday. Her reasoning? Everyone is gone for work and school by the time she gets up in the mornings (she starts 1.5 hours after Will/Sarah) and she'd have to wait until after dinner on her actual birthday for us all to be home again. Evidently that is torture when you're turning ten years old.

We thought it over and it made sense. Will has a track meet this afternoon that will run into the dinner hour tonight and I actually have a meeting after dinner that I can't miss. So, we caved and had our family celebration last night.

Abbey chose Noodles & Co for a family dinner because her favorite food in the world is macaroni and cheese, and theirs is dee-lish-ous. We haven't eaten there in years (and Abbey reminds us of that frequently). 

Then we came home and let her open gifts! She got a bed for her American Girl dolls and let's just say she was VERY happy. John opened his gifts too, but they weren't nearly as exciting. Grin.

We had some ice cream and started making cupcakes for her to take to school to share with her class this afternoon. And then we just let her play with her stuff. 

I think she had a great night. And of course the celebrating continues today...

March 22 is a super fun day at our house! And obviously, March 21 is too. Smile.

Currents:::March

Sometimes I need these kinds of blog posts to help my writer's block!

Current Books: I'm getting really ashamed of reporting how uninterested I am in any kind of book these days, but in the interest of keeping things real I'll just go ahead and tell you that I've read basically nothing besides my Lent devotional lately.

Current Playlist: A mix of 80s tunes. I loved the 80s. 

Current Color: Lime green! It's sooooo springy!

Current Drink: Water, and my expensive tea, of course. The good news is that I've used almost all of  that loose tea (it barely lasted two weeks) so I can quit talking/blogging about it. Aren't you glad? :)

Current Food: I bought some Tortilla Land uncooked flour tortillas at Costco the other day. OH MY WORD--they are the BEST TORTILLAS EVER! (Yes, I'm shouting! Because they're THAT good!) You have to cook them before you eat them but it only takes about a minute or so and they taste so much better than any kind you buy on the bread aisle. I couldn't help eating them straight from the pan with butter on them. I need to see if I can find someplace that sells their corn variety because the flour/gluten wasn't my friend. 

Current Favorite Favorite: This nail polish. Taupe on a rope. It goes with everything. (I would have taken a picture of my nails BUT my phone is telling me I have no more space for photos. Guess I need to upload the 899 photos on my phone to my computer.)(Am I the only one who never does that?)

Current Wish List: Can't think of one single thing.

Current Needs: Spring/summer workout attire. We got our REI dividend yesterday which should come in handy for that purchase. :)

Current Triumph: I have a fitness goal for myself of hiking the Incline 2x a month. Well, so far this month I've been THREE times. I consider that a triumph!

Current Annoyance: Every clock in my house (and our vehicles) is set to a different time. I'm just a teensy bit OCD and it's driving me cuh-razy! It doesn't seem to bother anyone else in my family though.

Current Indulgence: Gluten. I wish it made me violently ill so I'd quit eating it! I just can't help myself sometimes--tortillas, pizza crust, pie on Pi day--I'm paying for it but can't seem to care enough to stop! I sense a detox coming soon.

Current Mood: Happy!

Current Blessing: Will's track meet for this afternoon got moved to a different day so I'm off the hook for working concessions this afternoon AND I got some unexpected time at home with my family. Double blessing.

Current Outfit: I'm still in my workout clothes from the Inline this AM--black tights, lime green fleece, hiking shoes. I need to finish this post and shower!

Current Excitement: I get to celebrate two birthday peeps this week!

Current Link: I mentioned yesterday that I have some friends who are passionate about certain issues. One of those issues is fair trade and I've learned a WHOLE lot from this friend about how our purchasing patterns affect others around the globe. This website--SlaveryFootprint--is fascinating. When you have a minute (or five) take some time and read the main page, then take the survey. My results indicate that my buying habits keep about SIXTY slaves working for me. That literally makes me feel sick. Awareness is the first step to change.

Five...times five

Five things I'm enjoying today:
1. Not having to pack lunch for my 4th grader today! I think she's eaten at school three times in the last three years. Seriously.
2. Pioneer Woman's Restaurant-Style Salsa. You guys have GOT to try this stuff. A friend gave me some on Friday and we devoured it. I made a batch yesterday afternoon and I don't think I'll ever buy salsa again. My kids go through about a quart of salsa a week so I'm guessing I'll keep ingredients for this stuff on hand from now on. We all love it!
3. Smart Wool ballet flats socks. I am in love with these socks. They're small enough that you don't see them when wearing ballet shoes but are enough of a layer to keep my (always) cold feet warm!
4. Pebbles in my shoes. I know that sounds weird but I love it when I take off my hiking shoes and see all the small pebbles/grit in there. It gives me a weird sense of accomplishment. And makes me even more thankful for my Dyson!
5. This tea strainer. I bought this strainer the same day that I bought the ridiculously-expensive-tea and I was planning to return it because I felt sick about how much money I spent. John talked me into keeping it and now I'm glad because I really, really love it.

Five things I'm looking forward to:
1. Celebrating John and Abbey's birthday this week!
2. Will's track meet!
3. Spring Break! It begins Friday at 4pm!
4. A trip to Denver to The Pioneer Woman's book-signing!
5. The return of Don Draper on Sunday!
(Lots of exclamation points in that list!)(Smile!)

Five things on my to-do list:
1. Recruit and schedule volunteers for a school event next month.
2. Call and schedule a mammogram. I was waiting for them to send me a reminder card but it looks like that isn't going to happen.
3. Pull out Abbey's "First Year" scrapbook in anticipation of her birthday. Wrap her gifts and do a little birthday decorating. BUY a birthday gift for my husband who is incredibly hard to shop for and whose birthday is the same day as Abbey's! Running out of time and ideas!
4. Schedule haircuts for my kiddos.
5. Figure out what my kids are wearing for Easter. It's really the only day that we dress up for church here, but we always seem to find more than one occasion to wear those clothes again so it's money well spent.

Five people who are on my mind and in my prayers:
1. A friend who is having brain surgery next week. Praying for her family too. She's not sure if the mass they're removing is malignant or not.
2. A friend in Peru on a medical mission trip this week. She's hoping not to meet an anaconda. :)
3. My kids and a couple of situations they're facing--each situation is unique but all have interesting parallels.
4. Another friend facing an impossibly hard family situation.
5. For my friend, Joanne. ------------------------------>
I think about her and pray for her so often.

Five random things:
1. The week before spring break is cuh-razy!
2. There are a few days each month that I am a complete grump to live with. My husband is saint to put up with me and offer grace instead of anger in return for everything I dish out during those few days.
3. I hate it when our dog eats my lip balm. Yet another tube of Burt's Bees met it's demise yesterday afternoon. It was my last remaining tube (that I could actually locate when I needed it) and holy cow, it's been so dry here that I've been using it constantly. My lips are in desperate need of relief.
4. I'm pondering the idea of relationship without trust. Or more specifically, relationship without risk. I just don't think it can exist. Maybe it can but it's more along the lines of "familiarity" than relationship. That's a thinky thing I'm trying to sort out. It actually might be the subject of a good blog post once I unpack my thoughts a bit more.
5. I have some really beautiful and brave friends. Their passion for things like fair trade, trafficked girls, adopting foster children, working with special needs children, and just being a blessing to those around them INSPIRES me so much. I am so deeply thankful for the friendships God has given me.