Wednesday 10

October 17, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Forgive me for the lack of alliteration. :)

Don’t get me wrong…yesterday’s post was a fun one. There’s something healing about the opportunity to throw out the things that really get under my skin for the world to see. (As long as I don’t do it too often. :)) But it sounded so negative! Which is really not me.

So, today, you get another list…and fyi, I left off the standard God, family, and friends. Well, duh. Of course they’re my very favorite. 😉

My Ten (Current) Favorite Things

10. Gray, orange, lime green, and turquoise…I think they look fantastic together. :)

9. Crocheting. Yeah, I’m a dork. A dork who creates some pretty cool stuff, though.

8. Bailey’s Creme Brule Coffee Creamer. Oh, happy day!!!

7. Insane clearance deals. My big score was a $2 shirt yesterday.

6. Coffee, a friend, and a chat.

5. Just-wanted-to-say-hi texts and phone calls.

4. Intense workouts that make me hurt for days. (Really.) 

3. A good book and a fuzzy blanket.

2. Pinterest and lots of DIY things. (Yes, I completely caved…bring on the furniture re-covering!)

1. Dancing with my girl.

What are some of your favorites today?

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, where I am

Tuesday 10

October 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Linking up today with one of my favorites.

And it’s a FUN one today!!!

In my opinion, Tuesday 10 is perfect for this morning/day that has required an insane amount of coffee for this girl. Hoping Mae and I will pull ourselves out of the house for at least a little while. We need diapers or, more specifically, MAE needs them 😉 so a trip to Target is inevitable. Maybe some grocery shopping if I’m feeling super brave, but let’s not push things here.

In the meantime, I bring you, in no particular order, though they ARE numbered…

My Top 10 Pet Peeves

Oh, Boy! :)

10. Superficiality.

9. Mean people.

8. Light blue jeans. (sorry…)

7. People who are late/waste my time.

6. Being really cold. (though I don’t mind running in the cold…)

5. People working at cash registers who have better things to do than talk to me.

4. Climbing into an unmade bed at night. (I have been known to make the bed at 11 p.m. just before I climb in. :))

3. That flap of baby belly fat that I think will never, ever go away. No matter how many crunches I do and how much chocolate I deprive myself of.

2. Drivers who follow me too closely. “Get OFF my tail!” That may or may not be a phrase I use frequently while driving…

1. The sound of fingernails being clipped. In my opinion, there is never, EVER a reason that it should be done in public.

Golly, this sounds negative. I think I’ll have to post my ten favorites tomorrow. :)

What about you? Any burning pet peeves you’ve just got to get out there? :)

G’nite!

LenaBActually

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Serve MORE

October 15, 2012 by · 2 Comments

I really love my church.

I think I’ve talked about that here and there. :) 

About a week ago, Tobin, Maelie, and I participated in an outreach called Serve MORE. It was really, really great. And I love Immanuel even MORE after it…what a beautiful picture of the body of Christ coming together to be his hands and feet.

A man from our church put this video together. I really wanted to embed it onto my blog, but for whatever reason, Tobin and I couldn’t figure out how. So you’ll have to click here…but that’s ok. It’s worth it. :)

And here’s a pic of us at the nursing home. (Mae was a bit wiggly by that point, but we did get her to sing Jesus Loves Me…right into the microphone. ;))

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, church, friends, just life, what I'm learning, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 51)

October 14, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) Frosted cherry pop-tarts. I love them. (A confession I haven’t made on the blog yet. Well, there ya go. ;))

:) Rainy days that give me a taste of my Indo-life.

:) Outdoor concerts in the almost-freezing cold.

:) Blue toenail polish.

:) Black fuzzy slippers.

:) Hour-long cuddle time with my girl. My favorite.

:) New skinny jeans for a STEAL. Bonus? They actually look GOOD on me. I think. (Guess I better take them off my I-don’t-like list, huh?) 😉

:) Blog posts that are encouraging and full of Truth. Read this one. A story of God’s grace and faithfulness that is worth your time. Promise.

:) Friends who take the time to pray with me. (And drink coffee with me!)

:) Having a Father Who holds me in the palm of His hand.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, friends, just life, Maelie, where I am

Five-Minute Friday: Race

October 12, 2012 by · 8 Comments

Today I’m linking up with Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama for Five-Minute Friday.

Join me!

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, overthinking, or backtracking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Race

I’m a runner.

The kind that gets up early (too early…before-coffee-too-early) to put in her miles before the routine of life starts.

It’s all part of how I am, how I function, how I get ready for the race.

If we’re being honest, I’ve usually got some kind of ACTUAL race looming on the horizon. Part of the reason is, I need a tangible goal to work toward…it’s too easy to slack if there’s nothing to push for. A 5k here or there to keep me motivated.

Though I am planning to run the Chicago next year…WHAT am I thinking?!?!

Ok, ok, back to racing. :)

I’m really talking about the race of life.

When I first began seriously running about a year and a half ago, there was so much pain. I was running on a body with 40+ pounds of baby weight and one that was really not in shape, either. UGH.

There. Was. Much. Pain. Involved.

Ugh. Again.

But it was necessary pain…the kind I had to learn to push through and keep going in order to reach my goal. GoalS…there were a lot. :)

I relate that so much to life now…that pesky baby weight is gone and I’m in much better shape than I’ve been in, in…well…two decades, probably.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that, much like a race you run, there are lessons learned along the journey…lessons in discipline and perseverance and dedication. Those lessons can’t be learned until we are stretched and pushed to limits.

There are days when I don’t want to keep going in life, days when I wish with everything in me that there was no pain or heartache and that I could splash a few rainbows on the walls and cartwheel my way through days, but that’s just not how it is.

This race that we’ve each got to run…it’s there for a purpose to teach us the lessons He has for us.

All the while remembering that the prize at the end is pretty sweet.

Five Minute Friday

Sig

Filed Under: Five Minute Friday, just life, running

Random on a Sick Day

October 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

We are home sick.

As in, Mae is sick, I am home. Poor, sleepless, both of us. But mostly her. She’s just miserable. :(

But rather than go on and on about that, here is the random of life from the past week or two.

Oh, come on…you know you love the way my brain jumps from subject to subject with almost no warning. 😉

This is Mae’s current favorite.

I have to admit that it is, by far, my favorite Veggie Tale so far. There are a few that rank up there, but I love the message. And who cares if it’s Christmas-themed? She can watch it all year for all I care…and I’ll be right by her side, glued to it every time. :) If you stream Netflix, it’s available. Just fyi…it’s so good.

As my husband put it, I turned into a crocheting machine. Six hats so far. I’m planning to put a few on my Etsy store to see if they sell. And I reasoned that I needed to “practice” making a few before I sell them. They’re cute…like, super. And a few of you will probably be getting a free hat with a flower because I don’t need six. 😉 (If you have any color preferences, you should get in your request now while I’m still in practice mode. ;))

This was my first try. I’m keeping it for two reasons. There are a few mistakes. 😉 And, I like it.

This one is for sale. (I think.) Any takers? 😉

Mae asked for a hat. She even picked out the colors…I think it turned out really cute. :)

And, even though she’s not feeling very well, she looks adorable in it!

My mom recently took up pottery. She’s dabbled in a few artistic arenas in her life, so it wasn’t a total shock. (But, dude, she has a potter’s wheel in the basement. And is getting a kiln…) So when I was in Iowa last week, I got to see a few of her pieces. Out of all of them, I fell in love with this one…which I stole borrowed forever to use as a coffee mug, but it could probably be a few different things. Even though she insisted it didn’t look very good, I like the uniqueness of it. (And by the way, yes, I am wearing fingerless gloves in this photo. In the house. I am COLD. And WHO thought that fingerless gloves had any purpose at all? Someone made a lot of money off of the fact that people’s fingers are going to freeze. But they are cute, aren’t they? ;))

I got to see these two amazing girls last week. Ok, so I know we’re women, but when you grow up with two people, it’s just hard to call each other women. Even though we are. :) I think there is a photo of the three of us together somewhere, but I don’t have it…so you get these two pics instead. I’m so blessed and thankful to have them in my life…we’re the kind of friends who pick up exactly where we left off before. The kind that can dress alike and go out in public, even though we’re in our 30’s. The kind that, for our night out, go to Walmart and walk around and come back to the house to eat candy corn and peanuts and gab about life until 2 a.m..and it’s the best night ever. Love them.

My girl is funny. Here she is, trying to throw leaves into my coffee. And, true to form, me being overly dramatic to stop them from landing in the mug. I smile, though. :)

Supposing that’s probably about enough random for the day…though there might be more tomorrow. Hoping Mae is on the mend. Would appreciate prayer. :)

Love you all. Thanks for stopping by…even if it’s just for the random. G’nite! :)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, coffee, family, friends, just life, Maelie, random, where I am

Just a Few Words

October 9, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Long day.

Preceded by a night of little sleep.

This morning we crammed in three errands, a trip to the doctor for Mae, and a trip to pick up a prescription. Then we came home and kind of crashed. Well, crashed minus sleep. (Does that make any sense? ;))

My poor girlie is sick…thankfully I took her in right away and her doctor got her started on something to help. Deep cough, feeling miserable, difficulty sleeping…those things just don’t work for a toddler. It’s hard to see her like that.

If you’d say a quick prayer for Mae, that would be wonderful. :) Nights are the hardest…for the most part, during the day, you’d never know she wasn’t feeling well. (She’s kind of on a permanent bounce-o-meter…or something like that. ;)) She even played outside in the leaves with Sammy tonight. But when the cough kicks in at night, it just doesn’t seem to stop.

Tomorrow is going to be a take-it-easy, stay-at-home day…hopefully it will help.

Seeing my kiddo sick and miserable makes me so sad…praying that this doesn’t hang on too long.

I’m off to get as much sleep as I can…from the couch cushions we put on the floor of her room…there’s no other place I’d rather be tonight. 😉

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie, prayer

Sometimes We Just Chat…

October 8, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I like a good chat. Especially when there’s coffee involved. :)

Sadly, I drank too much coffee this morning and really shouldn’t have more tonight. Plus, it’s been awhile since I’ve had it at night…it would probably keep me up.

Nothing too exciting to chit chat over, really.

It was a Monday minus the workout. Which means Tuesday will start with a morning run, but that’s ok. I kinda like running when the morning temp is in the 30’s and I have to wear a hat. I haven’t run for a week and have missed it a lot…it’ll be good to get back to routine. I have a race in a month, and it would be nice to post a PR. Highly unlikely, though, since it’s such a crowded race. Hopefully I at least won’t get beat by people dressed like Hershey’s Kisses…not like that’s ever happened or anything. 😉

Mae and I had a low-key day, and that’s ok…we needed it, I think. We both slept in, so it was a later start to our day. She was such a sweetie, though…we played Strawberry Shortcake dolls and watched the Veggie Tale episode that is her current obsession, and she “cooked” for me in her kitchen. Watching her personality develop is so amazing, and with her in particular, entertaining. She makes me smile so much. :)

I also love how compassionate her heart is.

On Saturday I went to a nursing home to sing with a couple friends, and I took Mae with me. She spent over an hour talking to the residents, shaking their hands, handing out necklaces. It was so much fun to see. She truly cares about people, and my heart literally melted just watching her. Even though I’ve only been a mommy for a little over two years, I’ve definitely had those thoughts of what qualities I’d like to see in my daughter and, possibly, future children. I think compassion is at the top of the list…I can think of no greater character trait for someone to possess than something that completely defined our Savior. What a blessing she is. And not just to me. :)

Hope you all had a happy Monday…g’nite!

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, just life, Maelie, random, running, where I am

Confession Time

October 7, 2012 by · 2 Comments

They say it’s good for the soul, right?

In my case, my confessions are probably just more good for entertainment than anything. :)

I totally opened a box of Maelie’s fruit snacks. There was already another box opened, but I wanted a different flavor. As a bonus? This citrus lovin’ girl got a packet of 7 orange, 2 lemon, and just 1 grape! (I know. I’m a dork. For multiple reasons, but mostly because I count my fruit snacks. ;))

Hang on, because I could potentially get dorkier as this post goes on…

I crocheted a hat. Last week my awesome friend, Becky, taught me to do a double stitch, and the rest is history. I was hooked. BAHAHAHAHA! 😀

Please tell me you at least cracked a smile?!?!

A big thank you goes out to youtube and the b-gillion tutorials they have for crocheting everything from a sweater to gloves to a sleeping bag. Ok, ok, I didn’t really find that on youtube. But I’m sure it is out there…somewhere.

Ok, so back to crocheting. I’ve literally been lusting over those uber-cute hats with flowers. Kinda like this one.

Are you ready for my big news?

I MADE ONE! And it’s super, super cute…like, I kind of can’t believe that Mel+a crochet hook+yarn made something that awesome. (But I can’t show you a picture yet ’cause I need to figure out how to attach the flower…come back tomorrow.)

Thinkin’ I love this crocheting thing. Yeah. :)

I’m really, really tired. It’s barely 10 p.m. and my eyelids are droopy. I crashed early last night, too…and realized I’ve kind of been go-go-going a lot in the last week. Thankful for a Monday and a chance to just hang out with my girl without having to be anywhere. Though I think some coffee is definitely on our morning agenda. Should you be in the area, hop over. As long as you don’t mind if my house is kind of a mess.

I wore sandals to church this morning. So I put them on when I was running around the house getting ready, mostly as a way to keep the bottom of my pants from getting all dog-hairy. Hey, it happens with two goldens in the house. 😉 Fully intended on putting real shoes on before I left…and fully forgot. It was in the 30’s/40’s. My toes were ice by then end of church. Lesson learned, I guess.

It is exactly 10:03 p.m. and I’m crashing.

I’ll be back tomorrow, though. Hope your weekend was a good one!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random, uncategorized, where I am

Aaaaahhhhh…

October 5, 2012 by · 2 Comments

So, we’ll see how long this virtual coffee date (without the coffee) lasts tonight.

For now, it just feels good to sit down.

But, Happy Friday, friends!

I saw the BEST quote on facebook the other day. Something to the effect of…

Yay! It’s Friday! Oh, wait…I’m a mom.

So stinkin’ true. Most of the time I really don’t mind that, for the most part, my days get all mashed together and the general routine of them is the same, but about a week ago…

Well, this is tough to admit. Really.

My eyes filled up with tears, and I looked at my husband when he got home from work, and I told him I wanted to walk away from my life for the night.

Just a few hours.

I couldn’t believe how completely glorious it sounded to take a book to a coffee shop, order a steaming latte, crawl into a comfy chair (and probably cover up with a blanket…yes, IN the coffee shop ;)) and disappear into another world for a couple hours.

I didn’t do it…but it was a wonderful dream. One that I plan to make a reality soon. Blanket and all. 😉

But I did get somewhat of a break earlier in the week.

Mae had some awesome grandma time in Iowa, and I?

I had two days with my best friends. You know, those girls who know every single detail about me. It was wonderful and bittersweet and memorable and sad all rolled into a short 30ish hours. One of them is going through a valley so dark that I can’t even begin to imagine.

Yet, she shines.

She inspires.

She’s one of those people who reminds me, on days when I feel that there is no hope, that there is.

HOPE.

In every circumstance, no matter what. Will you pray for her? I know she’d be so thankful.

We had some good time together, complete with the misadventure of my van briefly going kaput, and as always, our time together was way too short.

But I always leave thankful for the time we do have. :)

Mae and I made the trek back yesterday, and she really was a very good traveler. The poor girl doesn’t like to be restrained, but she managed well despite being strapped into the evil confines of her carseat…she played with her toys, dolls, books, sang, talked, ate. It was good mommy/daughter bonding time, and I’m so thankful for her. What a sweetie pie. :)

It’s a busy weekend. Our church has a big day of serving in the community tomorrow. After six hours of my own personal concert (aka: the drive home) 😉 and two music rehearsals (last night and tonight), I somehow need to find my voice for tomorrow morning and Sunday morning. Hopin’ it’s there. :)

People from our church will be doing all kinds of things for people in the community…fixing up houses, cleaning yards, collecting food, making blankets and hats, putting together care packages for soldiers and shoe boxes of Christmas gifts for kids in need.

It’s so incredible to see the body of Christ at work in such a tangible way…really looking forward to tomorrow! :)

And even though there’s probably a lot more that I could go on (and on and on) about, I should probably end this for the night. My morning starts early, and life is just easier with a full eight hours. Ya know? :)

Hope you’ve all had a good week…have a happy weekend! Love you all.

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, being mommy, blessings, church, coffee, friends, just life, Maelie, travel, where I am
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