Random-Listy-Life-Sch-tuff

1. I caught my husband getting into the Halloween candy last night. It made me laugh because of the five of us, he is the least likely to eat candy. I had to hide it in a closet to keep it away from ME and the kids. I rarely bake these days, but I should probably bake that man some cookies or something.

2. Speaking of 'that man', he took me on a date last weekend. It was so nice. We went to dinner and then we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and bought a bedskirt. I've had mismatched bedding since earlier this year and it was driving me cuh-razy. Not the most romantic date ever but time alone with him is high on my list of loves. It was a nice night.

3. Last week I got a "change of address" card in the mail from a friend. I stuck it on my fridge so I'd see it and remember to update my Christmas card list (which is basically my address book). I glanced over at it last Saturday and my heart sank. My Christmas card list was on my hard drive that failed. I nearly cried. There's no way I can start making that list from scratch and I don't have a hard copy. Not sure what that means for cards this year…

4. I am desperate for a haircut! My last appointment was the end of July. When I called at the beginning of the month they said it would be NOVEMBER before I could get in. I'm looking and feeling shaggy. My appointment is next week and I'm literally counting the days…

5. I posted this picture on Instagram a while back but just saw it on my phone. I use lots of spirals for work and realized on this particular day that I'd inadvertently matched my outfit to my notebooks. Actually Abbey pointed it out to me. Made me laugh. By the way, I love chevron and I love that scarf which I bought here.

6. I've been working my way through some social media training for work and it is fascinating! I've learned a ton and I'm starting to feel very tech-savy, or at least social media savvy. I still have an intense love-hate relationship with it though. 

7. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of giving our elementary students the day after Halloween off from school but I want to give them a big 'ole kiss! Getting kids to be at a decent hour after trick-or-treating and prying candy out of their hands is hard! Will and Sarah have school tomorrow but Abbey is off so I took the liberty of scheduling a dermatology appointment and haircut for her. She gets to sleep in a bit though and she's excited about that!

8. Last week was ROUGH. I heard the word "cancer" a few too many times in regard to a few too many people I love. I cried a LOT last week. I hate cancer and all that it robs us of. Ugh. A couple of weeks ago, John pointed me to this blog. Wanna join me in praying for Kara and her family? Warning: read this blog with tissues nearby. 

9. Must sign off and get ready for a Halloween party with Abbey's class! Happy Halloween!

Six on Saturday

1. Our Friday nights are changing. Since school began, we've had *one* Friday night with all of our kiddos at home. The new norm is for at least one of them to be out with friends or at at football game or a sleepover or something. The one Friday that we had was because one of the parents in this home insisted we all stay home together. I am happiest when all my peeps are home with me! But I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that this is changing.

2. Today would have been my dad's 68th birthday. He was only sixty-three when he died--way too young. I was doing okay until I walked into the new Pendleton store while we were out doing some shopping last night. My dad used to take me to the one in Memphis and I have some good memories of ending our family shopping trips with a stop in "his" store. I think I'll cheer for the Hogs tonight in my dad's memory...even though this season is proving to be a tough one for Razorback fans.

3. We woke up to snow yesterday morning. We've had a few days of flurries but this was the first snow to accumulate. Aren't you jealous? I'd prefer for fall to stick around a bit longer (and it will--we're back in the 60s today) but it did make me look forward to snow days!

4. I think (I hope) the worst of my caffeine detox is behind me. I have five-coffee free mornings under my belt, which were aided in large part by ibuprofen and herbal tea. Some of you asked if I could do decaf coffee. The short answer is yes. The long answer is no...because I don't want to wait for John to finish his pot of regular coffee then make another. The solution might be a Keurig but I don't want to buy one just for that. I'd rather go without. L.A.Z.Y.

5. I've had some conversations/experiences over the course of the last three weeks that have completely affirmed some decisions and hard choices I had to make earlier this year. It's very freeing to realize that those choices, while very hard were, for my ultimate good. Deep down I knew that when I made them but it's nice when God affirms that with such clarity. Especially on days when doubt creeps in.

6. Alright, gotta get this day started. On tap: coffee with a friend, errands, laundry, and some football! I love Saturdays, especially if it falls during a long weekend. Makes for a much more leisurely day!
** "Coffee with a friend" really translates into "coffee for her and tea for me". Just wanted to clarify. :)

Currents: October

Current Read: Becoming Myself by Stasi Eldredge. I got this book in August right before we left for Arkansas but I wanted to wait to start it until I could read it slowly. I returned from that trip and got caught up in back to school stuff and honestly didn't remember I even had it until a few weeks ago. Lame. I pulled it out last week and started reading. It's very, very good so far.

Current Playlist: I am all over the place when it comes to music right now. I've been putting my iPod on All Songs>Shuffle>Play and letting it surprise me. 

Current Color: Gray.  

Current Drink: Today begins my caffeine detox. It's for real this time. Over the weekend I stocked up on herbal tea. Ugh. I really like coffee and got hooked (again) back in the spring but caffeine really seems to affect my sleep patterns and I know that I feel much better without it in my system. So buh-bye coffee, hello headache. I stocked up on ibuprofen too...to get me through the first few days detox headaches. 

Current Food: We've had some great fall weather lately which is perfect for soup and stew. We've enjoyed some of our favorites and tonight I'm making another soup we love-- white chicken chili.

Current Favorite Favorite:
These NFL mini-helmets have been keeping me entertained lately. I've wanted a set for a long time (even asked my family for them for Christmas for a couple of years) and finally resorted to buying them for myself. Every week I match-up the teams who are playing and my picks are on the left. I'm slightly football-crazed, but guess who is #1 in BOTH of her fantasy leagues right now? That's right, this girl is. Thankyouverymuch.

Current Addiction: If you couldn't tell, I have a slight addition to all things football.

Current Wish List: I keep thinking I want to try one of these Scentsy warmers. Also, I really really really want a big Le Creuset dutch oven. I have a small-ish one that belonged to my grandmother (very vintage!) and I use it all the time. My family can eat more mine holds though and I'd love to have a bigger one but they are incredibly pricey. I just keep telling John that one day I could pass it on to our grandchildren. :)

Current Need: I need nothing. Except maybe some sleep, a long weekend (we get one!), and a vision exam. My bifocal prescription is no longer strong enough. UGH!

Current Triumph: I survived last week. John was out of town and so many crazy things happened. Isn't that always the case? It sure is for us. All is well in our world now that he is back home. Hallelujah.

Current Annoyance: My computer crashed last week. Turns out it was the hard drive which they replaced for me yesterday. However, I didn't have time to wait for technician to retrieve my files and photos from my failed drive (who has two weeks to be computerless?) so I'm basically starting from scratch here and constantly remembering files I need but don't have!!! I will take my old drive back soon and have them retrieve my pics and files--which hopefully aren't lost forever. I'm optimistic. I know, I know. First world problem. 

Current Mood: I'm in a good mood!

Current Blessing: Friends! I had dinner last night with a group of friends that I love dearly...and I'm super thankful for each of them. Another blessing? A really nice pace of life right now.

Current Outfit: Yoga pants and fleece top right now, but it's very cold here today and I have to leave the house for some meetings so I'm changing into jeans, a sweater, and boots.

Current Excitement: A short week and a long weekend! 

Current Project(s): Clean out my email inbox! Reconfigure my computer desktop and customize my settings since everything is new! Work on a wreath for my front door!

Current Link:
This post by Whimzie had me laughing out loud. Especially if you dislike running as much as I do.

Current plans for the day: Work, meetings, carpool, laundry. Lather, rinse, repeat!

10 years...

Last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of our move to Colorado.

Ten years. That's the longest John and I have lived anywhere.

To celebrate the day, we took a day trip up to Divide, CO to see the aspens, where they are a little more  plentiful and more intensely colored than down here at seven-thousand-feet-above-sea-level. The drive did not disappoint.

Our children were each about their own thing on Saturday so we decided we could either force them to go with us and endure their grumbling or we could go alone and enjoy the time together. We chose the more pleasant of the two options. Of course we did. And it was a perfect afternoon.

On our drive, we talked about our ten years in Colorado. About how straight the path getting here seemed to be, but how crooked it's been ever since. 

We talked about the people who have been a part of our journey--leading, directing, cheerleading, and befriending us. People who have spoken deeply into our lives. We feel blessed to know some some truly amazing people. 

We also talked about this physical place where we live. Not one day goes by that we're not grateful for the beauty that surround us. Mountains. Aspens. Blue sky. Evergreen. It stuns us. Daily.

We do not know if Colorado is our forever home but on the chance that it's not, I never want to regret not having explored as much of it as I could.

 It was c-c-c-cold in the mountains on Saturday. I threw my boots and a light coat in the car and was so glad I did...

but really wished I'd  brought a hat too!

We were having dinner with some friends a few weeks ago and talking about moving here and I was reminded of one of my favorite songs--Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks. It has become my Colorado theme song.

My heart needs wide open spaces and I think that's why I love the West so much.

We have no idea what the next 10 years will hold or if God will move us some other place, perhaps even back to Arkansas? No doubt about it though, Colorado has a HUGE piece of my heart.

Winners!

Sorry I meant to post this yesterday but we decided to take a little day trip to the mountains to see some fall color! It was gorgeous! Next weekend will probably be the peak weekend for the golden aspens but we saw some beautiful color.

(And this photo was actually one of my outtakes! I'm working on a post for later this week.)

I let random.org pick the winners. The first five corresponding commenters win a book!

That means I'm sending a book to:
#12 Julie
#14 OMom
#10 Rae
#17 Amanda
#18 Shopestewart

I will be emailing you in a few minutes. Congratulations!
Thanks everyone for being excited with us. Wish I could send all of you a book.

Friday Five

1. I must confess that I stooped to an all-time low yesterday. One afternoon this week, Abbey and I stopped at Walgreens on the way home from school to pick up a birthday card and some plastic cups (random) and I could not resist the allure of the Hot Tamales. Knowing I would eat the entire box and feel miserable later, I asked Abbey to hide them when we got home. Yesterday afternoon a sugar craving hit hard and I remembered there was almost full box of candy hidden somewhere in the girls' room. I spent the better part of ten minutes searching it out but eventually found it and polished off the box. The hiding spot? Inside her boots.

2. Those boots? She's going to need them today. I'm not quite ready for this. I've even heard our meteorologist used the word "snow" a few times lately. NOOOOOOO!!!!!

We are having beef stew for dinner tonight and I'm trying to decide if I want to spend a couple of hours sitting on cold metal bleachers for the high school football game or stay home in my pjs by the fire. Hmmmmmm. No brainer. I'm staying home!

3. iOS7 has been out for a couple of weeks now but I'm afraid to install it on my phone. I'm the holdout in my family and everyone tells me it's wonderful. Should I believe them? Surely there are some strong opinions out there.

4. I'm trying something new today--yoga. A friend invited me to go and I said sure. I'm a little nervous because I've never done it but she's confident I can pull it off without embarrassing myself. I keep telling myself that my grandmother used to do yoga so I should be fine. Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my friend and being inside where it's nice and warm today.

5. Thank you for all the support for John's book! It sold out on Amazon on it's release day. Should be back in stock soon, but is available here in the meantime. There's also still time to enter the giveaway I'm having.

Peace out y'all! Have a great Friday!!!

*FYI: 10 minutes after I posted this, it started to snow. SNOW. In October. Ready or not...

Homecoming 2013

Sarah's high school Homecoming dance was last weekend. So many kids here go in big groups and I love that. It wasn't really like that when I was in high school but it's such an inclusive and fun way to go! Sarah went with a big group of friends and invited a few of them to come over to our house beforehand to get ready and have dinner. I offered to order pizza, grill steaks or burgers, or take them out to eat (sans parents, of course) but she wanted takeout from Chipotle. So that's what we did! It was fun having them here and taking them to the dance. I actually REALLY like being around teenagers and I think my kids have some pretty great teenage friends. It's fun to wonder what paths God will lead them down in the future.

Here are a few pictures! Sarah is in the green dress.

 They're spelling out YOLO--You Only Live Once. It's a popular teenage phrase.

This picture makes me smile. I snapped it as they were walking inside the gym. 

By the way, Will chose not to go to his Homecoming dance this year. His was a few weeks ago (they go to different high schools). John was out of town the weekend of his dance and the girls were both at parties so he and I had a Saturday night date at Buffalo Wild Wings. Win-win.

Know When To Hold 'Em: Giveaway!

So.......

I've mentioned at time or two ten that my husband has written a new book. I'm super duper proud of him! It officially releases TODAY!

Know When To Hold 'Em: The High Stakes Game of Fatherhood is a collection of personal short stories about fatherhood. Most are about John's experiences fathering our three children, but there are some other fatherhood stories mixed in there too. It is a beautiful collection that reflects his fierce and tender love for his family, and believe me, the man can string words together like no one else I know.  I really think you will love reading it.

I'm helping John celebrate his book's release by giving away FIVE copies to FIVE lucky blog readers.  I could probably cash in some favors and have them autographed as well. *wink wink*

If you'd like a chance to win, simply leave me a comment below. You can tell me something about your dad or a dad you admire, or you can just say "Hey, Meredith. Pick me!" Comments will close on Saturday morning 10/5 around 8AM MST and I'll randomly choose five winners sometime that day, notify them, and mail books on Monday 10/7.

*Important! Please make sure I have a way to contact you in your comment (i.e. email address) should you be one of the five lucky winners.

*If you want an extra entry, share this post on Facebook and come back and leave another comment stating that you shared it. I no longer have a Twitter account, but feel free to share there too. And sure, you can have an extra entry for a tweet! I don't have a fancy-schmancy "share" to social media button so you'll have to copy/paste the link. Thanks!

Of course if you don't want to wait to see if you win, you can certainly purchase a book here!

Our celebrated last night in anticipation of an exciting day today!

 I love these people!!!

A round of applause for YOU!

Do you see that BlogHer ad over in my sidebar?------------------------->

I became a part of the BlogHer ad network several years ago and every time you visit here or click around or load a page I earn a little bit of money. Some bloggers make a substantial chunk of change each month but my blog income is pretty modest.

Early last spring, I was doing Jen Hatmaker's "7: A Mutiny Against Excess" book study and one of the non-profit organizations that she highlighted in a video was Kiva.

Kiva is a non-profit organization that facilitates lending around the world. Kiva lenders (individuals like you and me!) can make a micro-loan as small as $25 to individuals around the globe who are trying to better the lives of themselves and their families. The overarching goal is to encourage economic stability and eliminate global poverty.

While in the midst of that book study,  I decided that every penny I earn from this blog will go directly to Kiva lending. And guess what? By visiting my blog, you've helped me fund FOUR Kiva loans since February 2013!

Together we have helped:
1. Nana in Georgia (the country, not the state). Nana purchased grocery stock in order to start her own grocery business. To date she has repaid 15% of her Kiva loan.

2. Nyota in Kenya. Her loan was used to purchase ingredients to make food she sells to fellow villagers. To date she has repaid 33% of her Kiva loan.

3. Kadie in Sierra Leone. Kadie used her loan to purchase items to sell to her fellow villagers. She is trying to earn an income to pay her children's school fees. To date she has repaid 14% of her Kiva loan.

4. Felicien in Rwanda. Felicien is a potato farmer and he used his loan to buy fertilizer and quality seeds to increase his potato production. This loan was funded in the last couple of weeks so he isn't yet in the repayment phase.

THAT IS AMAZING and I just want to say thank you!

As you can probably tell, when it comes to lending I'm partial to women and/or countries in Africa. The cool thing about Kiva is that you get to choose the loans you want to fund and you can narrow it down by gender, country, sector, etc. I like that they include photos and profiles of the folks applying for Kiva loans.

Know something else very cool? Kiva has a 99% repayment rate meaning that very few folks default on their loans. When you receive repayment, you can keep it or re-invest it. I keep re-investing mine!

I'd love for you to visit Kiva.org and check it out.  Here is a link to my Kiva page. Please know this is a referral link. There is no pressure to join or make a loan--my goal in sharing this is to make you aware of how you've already partnered with me simply by visiting my blog. Thank you all so much!

SMP 9.26.13

SMP = Seven Minute Post

I don't know about where you live but fall has arrived in Colorado and I am LOVING our weather of late. It has been perfect! Look at this forecast? Seriously perfect!

We had great luck last week shopping for a Homecoming dress for Sarah! Afterwards, we bopped in Charming Charlie and found some jewelry (cheap!) and still need to find some shoes but we have a day or two to get that wrapped up. Homecoming is this weekend. She's going with a group of friends which is just the way I like it. :)

I am SO excited about the season premier of Parenthood tonight. I'm sort of sad that NBC moved it to Thursday nights because it now conflicts with Thursday Night Football, but I can deal. Smile.

Funny story about Parenthood: Last month I was having dinner with some friends and one of them said, "OH my gosh you guys, I FINALLY watched Parenthood and I am hooked." Another friend, not realizing that our friend was in the process of working her way through all the seasons inadvertently gave away a pretty big spoiler which may or may not have caused our friend to break out in concerned tears over this plot line. Tears. Real live tears for a fictional character. It was sort of funny and yes, we LAUGHED, but it was also sort of sweet because if you watch the show you know that the characters feel real to you. They're very well written and so very relatable! This friend may or may not have texted me a few days later to tell me she was praying for that same fictional character. Good friends can handle each other's "crazy". 

Hope y'all have a rockin' day! I'm going to try my very best to find 20-30 minutes to take a much-needed nap. So I can stay awake for the Bravermans tonight. Wish me luck!

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

This is my very favorite quinoa recipe. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is technically a seed, not a grain and is high in protein and also gluten-free.

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red, yellow, or orange pepper, finely chopped
1 small purple onion, finely chopped
6 green onions, white and light green parts only, sliced thin
1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cups cooked quinoa. Here's how to cook quinoa perfectly every time!
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I use chipotle powder)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Cook quinoa. I seriously use this method every time and have never had a quinoa fail!

2. Chop and dice veggies. Mix with cooled quinoa. Add rinsed/drained beans.

3. Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce and pour into quinoa/veggie mixture. Stir well. I add chipotle powder here if I haven't used a minced chipotle pepper. Chipotle has a lot of heat so go easy at first and add more gradually. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Chill and serve. We like ours cold, but it's good warm too!

5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food&Wine

SMP 9.20.13

SMP = Seven Minute Post

I haven't done a seven minute post in awhile and it's a perfect fit for my limited window of time this morning! 

I'm SO happy it's Friday. It's been a full week and I'm ready for a weekend. All of my kids are out of school today so we have a long weekend. We need it. Two of my three have some cold/allergy stuff going on and they're simply not getting enough rest. Rest is on our weekend agenda.

I'm heading to Denver later this morning to take Sarah shopping for a Homecoming dress. FUN! And later this afternoon I'm sending Abbey off camping with some friends. She is SO excited. The original plan (about a month ago) was for them to camp in Estes Park, but Estes Park has been incredibly affected by flooding so they changed their plans last week and will be a little bit closer to home. This friend's family doesn't camp like we do--they have a large camper and the campground has a heated pool. Abbey may never want to camp with her own family again!

I had originally planned to hike my last 14er of the season tomorrow but it's off now. September weekends are full and all but one of my hiking partners had to back out for various reasons. I'm okay with it. I need a Saturday at home and I'm a little unsure of the snowpack at 14,000 feet after all the rain we've had. I'm just going to get several on the calendar for next summer.

My seven minutes are up (I've been typing fast!!!!) and I'll sign off for now. Happy Friday!

The Color Run II

The Color Run returned to Colorado Springs this year so I signed up team of friends from my church. None of them had done any version of a color run before so it was all new to them and we had a blast! It's seriously such a fun event. If you've never done one, I highly recommend it. Don't let the running part scare you--lots of folks walk instead, including me!

 We were team Blue By You. Corny, but clever.

Gorgeous backdrop for a morning run, huh? I was SOOOOOOO grateful the sun came out and the rain held off until the race was over. Original forecast was 80% chance of rain at race time.

We HAD to get a jumping photo...but it took several attempts. This one CRACKS me up. There are so many things that make me laugh but my favorite part is the photo bomber behind us.

This one is super funny too! Oh. My. Word. My one friend got cut entirely out...and I have some sort of shadow mustache going on. Sooooooo funny. They might kill me for posting this picture.

 But hey, we finally got a good one!

It was a SUPER fun morning with friends...we got some exercise together and we laughed a LOT. It was a great way to spend a morning!!!

Schtuff

1. If you watch the news, I'm sure you've seen all of the flooding around Colorado. It is so odd and so sad at the same time. In the almost ten years we've lived here, I've never seen anything like it. We weren't affected by flooding but I think my town got around 7 inches of rain over three days. I'd be surprised if we normally get 7 inches of rain a year since most of our precip is snow! It's so bizarre. And the devastation is so heartbreaking. I'm hoping the worst of it is behind us. The sun was out yesterday (praise the Lord!) and there is no significant rain in the immediate forecast.

2. I came home from work one day last week to find Jack-the-fat-and-greedy-and-rotten-beagle had somehow managed to pull this cake pan off the countertop and help himself to what was left of my coveted, highly rationed Trader Joe's vanilla cake. Ohhhhhh man. I was not happy with the d-o-g.

3. John and the kids gave me a new nick-name a few weeks ago. Def-mutha.
"Def" because I really do not hear well and John insisted that's a cool way to spell deaf. Same with "mutha", I guess. I probably need to go in for a hearing test. My family is tired of having to repeat things over and over, and I got myself into a half-funny, half-embarrassing spot at a high school football game last weekend because I had to ask my friend to keep repeating something. Def-mutha. That's me.

4. I am loving my schedule this fall. I think I've finally found the right balance of work, home, and social time. I scheduled a day at home last week to catch up on household stuff and it was great. Also had some time to catch up with a couple of friends and get some big work tasks done as well. So perfect...I'm really liking the flow of my days and my weeks.

5. I saw a fox this morning on my walk. It came running across the trail about fifty feet in front of us. So cool! Makes me laugh that the fox didn't startle me, but the tumbleweed that blew across the trail a few minutes later did. Yikes.

6. When I got home from my first round of carpool yesterday afternoon, there were two big boxes on my front porch and this is what was inside.

I am so incredibly proud of John! This book releases on October 1st. It's available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes&Noble. Stay tuned. I think I can probably sweet talk him into letting me do a giveaway here.

7. This just makes me laugh. Every. Time. I. See. It. Guess what day it is?
Over and out! Have a great day, people!

Currents: September

Current Read: So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore. A friend let me borrow this book a few years ago and I sort of just skimmed it. I decided to buy and re-read it in hopes that it would give me some insight into the role that insecurity plays in female friendships (because oh boy, I believe it to be a huge issue). It's been an interesting read so far and while I've never considered myself insecure, my eyes have been opened to some ways that insecurity does indeed manifest itself in my life. Ugh. Convicting.

Current Playlist: Still stuck on 1D, but I throw Chris Tomlin in there pretty frequently too. 

Current Color: Pink. Which is surprising for a girl who's never been much of a pink fan. 

Current Drink: I really need to quit drinking diet soda. Lately I've had entirely too much. Yuck. It's so bad for you.

Current Food: I'm going to start a 10 Days of Real Food challenge next week. It basically means NO processed food for ten days. I eat a fairly clean diet anyway but am trying to get my family on board to do this with me because they love their processed food a little too much. :) 

Current Favorite Favorite: Stitch Fix. I've gotten two different "fixes" and think this is such a fun thing. Here's the post I did about my first Stitch Fix box. I forgot to take pictures of the second one, but I kept a top and necklace. By the way, that link is a referral link. I had enough referral credit after my first fix to keep the two items from my second box for free! 

In a nutshell, when you sign up for Stitch Fix, you pay $20 to fill out a style profile and receive a box of five hand-selected items. Keep what you want and send the rest back in a pre-paid mailer. Your initial $20 applies to the price of the items you keep. If you keep all five items, you get a $25% discount on the entire order. It's fun and different and you can customize what you receive (tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories). My advice is to be as SPECIFIC as possible and to offer SPECIFIC feedback, especially on price point. Let me know if you try it and love it! 

Current Addiction: Fantasy Football. Oh my word, I love it and can't get enough. 

This is my afternoon carpool-line indulgence.

Current Wish List: Honestly, a good night's sleep of 10+ hours would be wonderful. I'm not getting enough rest these days. 

Current Need: New running shoes! Mine have many, many miles on them and are starting to show some wear. Let's be clear though--I do not run. I just call them running shoes.

Current Ring Tone: Arkansas Razorbacks fight song! 

Current Triumph: That's right--a 123pt word! Maybe my highest score ever!

Current Annoyance: My washing machine's spin cycle keeps getting stuck and I open the lid to find that the load didn't finish spinning and is sopping wet. It doesn't happen all the time; maybe 2 out of every 10 loads. I have to giggle things around, but it eventually I can get it spinning again. I should probably let that be my sign to call a repairman because I'm not ready to buy a new machine just yet. 

Current Mood: Happy! (I'm such a morning person!)(My kids tell me I'm too happy in the mornings!)(John describes me as "Sunshiney"!)(I'm A-OK with all of the above because being happy is good for the soul!)

Current Blessing: Finally being able to identify and eliminate a pretty big source of agitation for me. The result? P-E-A-C-E.

Current Outfit: Jeans, t-shirt, cardigan. Really ready for fall weather and fall clothing!

Current Excitement: My husband has a new book coming out next month! I am so proud of him!!! Here is a link if you're interested in pre-ordering. More details soon!

Current Project: I don't have anything on my plate right now project-wise...that's a good thing. 

Current Link: I loved this post by Kelly (my real life friend!) about doing hard things. I can so relate.

Current plans for the day: Work, make a menu plan/grocery list, and do some laundry and cleaning. 

Happy Hump Day, people!

Friday Five

1. I had the most productive day yesterday! I got so many of those small mundane things on my to-do list crossed off. Schedule haircuts? Check. Mail birthday gift? Check. Paperwork? More paperwork? Check. Check. Those are the kind of things that weigh me down, but by noon I was feeling on top of my game again. I love feeling productive. It helps to have an uninterrupted block of time too. That is in short supply around here and the reason those little tasks accumulate so quickly!

2. I have never really liked wearing dresses. I maybe have two hanging in my closet, one of which I bought this summer to wear to John's parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I knew when I went shopping for it that it needed to be classic, timeless, and black! I found one that I really liked and is super flattering and best of all, I feel good wearing it. I get to wear it again this weekend because John and I have an event to go to at a fancy-schmancy place. I've never put much stock in the "every woman needs a little black dress" idea...until now. It's so true. I have zero stress about this event because of that dress.

3. I feel like some things in my life are shifting a bit. It's not the first time I've felt this. Webster defines shift as a slight change in position, direction, or tendency. I'm still processing some of this but a shift is definitely happening. And it's a good thing. A very good thing.

4. I texted this picture to Whimzie yesterday.

She asked me on Facebook not long ago if she was remembering correctly that I was the friend who would wash, dry, fold, and put away my kids' clothes in the exact condition I find them in the hamper. The answer is YES. I quit turning things right side out and unballing their socks and unwadding their skinny jeans a long time ago. I just don't do it. My kids are 16, 15, and 11 and are fully capable of doing this for themselves. We've had umpteen hundred discussions about it yet they remain unfazed. {Sigh}
So, yeah, those are "clean" socks in that photo above. They were washed, dried, "folded", and put away just like that.

5. I'm so happy it's the weekend. Weekends are so much more appreciated during the school year! Ours is a mix of fun and rest. Hope yours is happy!

Last things

Last thing I did before bed: Set my alarm and set my ringer to silent

Last thing I ate: Just finished up some Almond Butter pancakes--my favorite breakfast!

Last thing I bought for myself: Revlon lip butter in pink truffle--a great neutral shade and cheaper than my Clinique chubby stick.

Last place I swiped my debit card: Freddy's. I took my older kids for custard after school yesterday. Shhhhhhh...don't tell their little sister.

Last person I talked to on the phone: My friend, Terri.

Last person I texted: My boss.

Last photo I took with my phone: Abbey 'thought' she was taller than me on her tip-toes and I told her she wasn't, so she made me take a photo to prove it. Looking at it now, she might have been right.

Last song I listened to on my iPod: Best Song Ever (chosen by my carpool kiddos!)

Last time I went to the doctor: April. For my yearly exam. Awe.some.

Last thing I lost: My mind? Just kidding. I lost my earbuds but found them yesterday!

Last time I laughed out loud: At dinner last night. We always have the craziest dinner conversations at our house. Our kids are funnnny!

Last time I cried: Last night while listening to this song by the Goo Goo Dolls because my husband called me his "sweetest friend". I am so blessed I tell ya.



Last thing that frustrated me: realizing that a load of laundry got washed with liquid fabric softener instead of detergent. I asked one of my kiddos to start a load for me and in hindsight, I probably should have given that particular child a refresher course first. For the record, I re-washed it with detergent and now it's super soft and smells twice as nice.

Last tv show I watched: Duck Dynasty.

Last thing I gave away: Well, I tried to give a bag of kid's clothes to my friend but she was so influenced by Jen Hatmaker's book "7" (which was our spring Bible study at church) that she graciously declined to accept them. Her reason was that she already has a ridiculous amount of clothes for her daughter and has no business adding more. I tried to tempt her but she stayed strong and helped me brainstorm about whose hands I could put them in that *really, truly* needs them. I think several in our "7 group" finished that study last spring with true change taking root in our hearts and lives. I LOVE that. SO much.

My brain thinks it is Tuesday

Long weekends are GREAT but they play tricks on my brain. I know today is Wednesday but my brain is in Tuesday mode. And yesterday felt like a Monday.

Anyhoo.

Here are some pics from my phone from our weekend.

Our teenagers were out with friends on Friday night so John and I got to hang with our "baby" and our baby wanted ice cream. It was a nice evening! We drove around Palmer Lake for a little bit as we were leaving, hoping to see a bear (that's always my wish when I'm in Palmer Lake) but had to be content with seeing a handful of deer.

Saturday, the five of us trekked down to Costco and grabbed some Mexican food on the way. Hacienda has GREAT outdoor seating but it started raining so we ate inside.

Of course we had to see the 1D movie. I thought it was great! Abbey did too. Sarah went with friends on Friday and evidently they had a theater-full of crazed fans. Our showing was pretty tame.

Monday morning, I got up and walked and our usual trail was overtaken by hundreds of runners. There was a marathon that morning (America's Discovery Trail, or something like that) and it was really neat to see those runners out en masse. I got home from walking and ran to Starbucks for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and had to stop at the crosswalk for the runners to cross...and there were lots of them. Very cool! An the latte wasn't so bad. I love how the fog is lower than the mountains in the photo below.

I might have been sad Monday evening about going back to school and work if I hadn't had my fantasy football draft party to look forward to. Oh my word. It was a HOOT! About 3/4 of our league showed up to draft together and it was super fun! I have a great team...I'm so excited about football.

That's all I've got this morning. I have a VERY full day ahead so adios, amigas! Happy Hump Day!

Friday Five

1. What do you do when you get really bad customer service? I'm tempted to vent here about my local big box office supply store that has overcharged me around $20 in the last two weeks and then insufficiently credited those funds back to me AND told me I was in the wrong to point out the shortage. Ugh. Instead of telling you the long, drawn-out version, I'm just going to tell you that I intend to never again set foot in a store that rhymes with 'maples'.

2. Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch? Which Wich offers free sandwiches for summiting a Colorado 14er. My friend and I cashed our Bierstadt pic in for a free lunch yesterday! Fun!

3. I posted this picture on Facebook yesterday--it's what I was reading in the carpool line.

I'm in a girls-only fantasy football league with friends so I'm doing some 'research' for our live draft next week. My cousins also invited me to be in their league and I'm super stoked about that. It's going to be a fun season.

4.  John told me this morning that he is craving chili. I don't know about you guys but I can barely think about that kind of heavy food when the temps are still in the 80s. Ugh. I need to make a meal plan/grocery list today and I think here for another month or so we will be eating 'summer meals'. Does your menu change seasonally? I love soups and roast and comfort foods in the fall and winter but in the summer and spring I want fresh, light meals. I may throw some tailgate/football food into my menu plan since ya know, football season is here. See? I love football so much that I can bring most any conversation around to that topic! I need help.

5. It's FRIDAY!!!!! It's a long weekend!!!!! I am so happy!!!!!

Mini-Lists

You know I'm a fan of lists. I made these short ones while sitting in a room at our county courthouse yesterday waiting to see if I would be called as a potential juror. I wasn't. They released me around 11:30am, just in time to meet my husband for lunch! I wouldn't mind serving as a juror someday, but if I could choose I'd prefer that experience to fall at a time when I don't have children at home and a dozen things going on on a daily basis.

On to the lists...

Extra-Excited about:
1. Football! High school, college, NFL, fantasy--you name it, I'm ready for it, and this is the weekend.
2. The One Direction movie. It opens this weekend and all the females in my house are excited and already have tickets.
3. The long weekend coming up. Boy, I need it.
4. The upcoming season of Parenthood. Do y'all watch this show? It is our very favorite.

Favorite Finds:
1. These new Kind granola bars. Really, really tasty.
2. Who Do You Think You Are? I recently discovered this show on TLC and it's fascinating. I've been working my way through the episodes I missed this summer.
3. Fall candles from Bath and Body Works. Fall scents are my favorite!
4. Like-minded people.

Sanity Savers:
As much as I don't like to be busy, the reality is that I am. Especially during the school year when I spend a LOT of my time in the car. These few things help me stay on top of my game.
1. Meal planning.
2. Two loads of laundry per day. This doesn't always happen but it sure helps me stay caught up. If I miss a day, I feel like I am buried in laundry and have to play catch-up. I don't do it alone anymore. My entire family helps out and that's another sanity saver.
3. Exercise.
4. My planner. I rely on this more than I want to admit!

My Everyday Essentials:
1. Moisturizer. It is soooooooo dry in Colorado.
2. Lip balm/lipstick. This is my favorite kind.
3. Mascara. I bought an expensive tube of mascara at the beginning of the summer just to see if there really was a difference between that and the $4 tube I normally buy. Guess what? I prefer the cheapie tube by a long shot.
4. Earrings. I rarely leave the house without them.

I've decided I like posts with photos in them so I'm leaving you with this one. :)