It rained all weekend long - glorious! But kind of put a snap in my RACKs. Aside from church, we stayed in all weekend - it was awesome. I've been feeling so overwhelmed lately that it was nice to take some time to cold chill for a weekend. We got the Christmas tree up and watched lots (and lots and LOTS) of football.
Last night was the women's dinner at the church. It was a total blessing. The room was gorgeous and I got to spend some time with a sweet friend and her sister. The speaker was Kristi Brown - her voice is beautiful and her testimony is so sweet. What a lovely lady - she just shines from the inside out! We received her Christmas CD as a gift and I've been listening to it in the car - so relaxing and jazzy. Love it.
Today me and my fellow room moms went Preston's 4th grade classroom to decorate for Christmas. I was all "okay cool - here's my RACK for today - we'll decorate so the teacher does not have to". I took pictures of all the kids for our Christmas craft and the other moms hung some decorations. Well, turns out this is a responsibility of the room moms. Ha! So it wasn't really a RACK - but his teacher felt the love nonetheless. At least she didn't have to do it! And man - these sweet teachers. They are just sainted. It's been so wet and cold that there was no recess. With 2 weeks before Christmas. The kids were climbing the walls! I could not do their job. Totally sainted. Well, I didn't take any pictures, but it was really cute. One of our room moms is a total rock star and makes us look so good.
I have a fire going in the fireplace and a pot roast in the oven. I love winter so much. Have a great day y'all!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
You've Been Rack'd - December 2nd
Merry Christmas! We had a truly stellar day yesterday. After getting some work done, I went to a wonderful women's seminar at a local movie theater. The speaker was an amazing women's minister from Prestonwood - so funny and so on point. It truly solidified my desire to turn my focus of Christmas from me and stuff, to others. I love being "filled up" while sitting next to my best friend.
Joe took the day off to take care of some things, and spend the day with Biggie B. He's been a little squirrely lately and time with Daddy is just what the doctor ordered. They had a ball. When P-Diddy got home from school, we loaded up and headed to Main Event for some family bowling. I am not a good bowler, but I do enjoy laughing at myself and hanging with the family. So much fun! And I have 2 cute pictures from my phone, but for some reason they are flipped and I can't get them edited.
I did realize while we were there, I had not RACK'd anyone yet. I have a few cute ideas, but with the rain, I have to wait on them. I decided to get a $5 Game Card and started praying over who to give it to. There were several corporate parties there, so I was trying to avoid the people who were already playing for free. I walked that place up one side and down the other and finally found a mom and her son - probably about 6 years old. I gave her the card and said "Merry Christmas"! I hope she needed it - I mean as much as you can *need* a game card. But I hope it made her day. It made mine.
It's not my intention to make this little project a money-based mission, but when I don't plan ahead, that's kind of where it ends up.
I think my project is rubbing off on P-Diddy because he keeps asking if his actions are random acts of kindness. So sweet. I need to send him to school with a Diet Coke for his teacher so he can have one all to himself. Sweet boy.
We ended our day at Lava Grill with hibachi and sushi. My kids love them some hibachi. We ran into some friends we don't get to see very often, so that's always fun!
I hope you all have a great weekend! Merry Christmas!
PS - you all know that saying RACK'd makes me giggle - it's the 12 year old boy in me. RACK'd...giggle. It's the little things!!
Joe took the day off to take care of some things, and spend the day with Biggie B. He's been a little squirrely lately and time with Daddy is just what the doctor ordered. They had a ball. When P-Diddy got home from school, we loaded up and headed to Main Event for some family bowling. I am not a good bowler, but I do enjoy laughing at myself and hanging with the family. So much fun! And I have 2 cute pictures from my phone, but for some reason they are flipped and I can't get them edited.
I did realize while we were there, I had not RACK'd anyone yet. I have a few cute ideas, but with the rain, I have to wait on them. I decided to get a $5 Game Card and started praying over who to give it to. There were several corporate parties there, so I was trying to avoid the people who were already playing for free. I walked that place up one side and down the other and finally found a mom and her son - probably about 6 years old. I gave her the card and said "Merry Christmas"! I hope she needed it - I mean as much as you can *need* a game card. But I hope it made her day. It made mine.
I think my project is rubbing off on P-Diddy because he keeps asking if his actions are random acts of kindness. So sweet. I need to send him to school with a Diet Coke for his teacher so he can have one all to himself. Sweet boy.
We ended our day at Lava Grill with hibachi and sushi. My kids love them some hibachi. We ran into some friends we don't get to see very often, so that's always fun!
I hope you all have a great weekend! Merry Christmas!
PS - you all know that saying RACK'd makes me giggle - it's the 12 year old boy in me. RACK'd...giggle. It's the little things!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
You've been RACK'd! December 1st edition
Have you heard of Pinterest.com? It's a virtual bulletin board where you can not only organize your recipes, craft/decorating/style ideas - but you can spend hours (upon hours...upon hours) looking at other's pins as well. Friends, strangers, come one - come all.
I have found lots of great recipes and ideas on Pinterest. My favorite right now is a list of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACKs). This lady posted about doing random acts of Christmas during the season of advent to help us remember, it's about giving, not receiving. And you know, random acts tend to roll forward, and hopefully form a snowball of kindness during this wonderful, stressful season.
Tonight the little Turkey needed some dinner, and upon hearing his older brother had Sonic during a playdate, he decided he needed some too! Perfect opportunity for a RACK! So I order his kids meal, and asked if there were any open orders that I could pay for. He said no. Great. So I did the next best thing. I taped a piece of paper around a 5 dollar bill and attached it to the speaker. I hope it stays there for someone to enjoy.
I hope the start of your advent season started out well. I have to admit, the devil has been working on me today. My stress has been through the roof, and leaving this little 5 dollar bill really made me feel a little better. It helps to stop being so self-centered and grab on to some perspective. I'm really wanting to make this Christmas season more about Jesus and loving on others and less about stuff and things.
Merry Christmas! We only get 25 days in December for Christmas. Make them special!
I have found lots of great recipes and ideas on Pinterest. My favorite right now is a list of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACKs). This lady posted about doing random acts of Christmas during the season of advent to help us remember, it's about giving, not receiving. And you know, random acts tend to roll forward, and hopefully form a snowball of kindness during this wonderful, stressful season.
Tonight the little Turkey needed some dinner, and upon hearing his older brother had Sonic during a playdate, he decided he needed some too! Perfect opportunity for a RACK! So I order his kids meal, and asked if there were any open orders that I could pay for. He said no. Great. So I did the next best thing. I taped a piece of paper around a 5 dollar bill and attached it to the speaker. I hope it stays there for someone to enjoy.
I hope the start of your advent season started out well. I have to admit, the devil has been working on me today. My stress has been through the roof, and leaving this little 5 dollar bill really made me feel a little better. It helps to stop being so self-centered and grab on to some perspective. I'm really wanting to make this Christmas season more about Jesus and loving on others and less about stuff and things.
Merry Christmas! We only get 25 days in December for Christmas. Make them special!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
30 Days of Thanksgiving - My own worst enemy
Ok, so that didn't go as I planned. I thought of something every day, but really never sat down to write it. I'm so thankful for GRACE that saves me from my procrastination!! I am really my own worst enemy when it comes to goals and assignments. But, I'm not going to harbor on it. I was totally in the Thanksgiving mood and mindset, even though I didn't write it down every single day. But for those keeping up at home, here is the remainder of my list.
5. Warm house full of love
5. Warm house full of love
6. Plenty of food on our table and in the pantry
7. DVD player in the car - to keep my sanity on hard days
8. Owning my own business - and those who helped me set it up
9. Joe’s great job
10. Amazing Friends who lift me up and keep me grounded
11. Freedom to worship - not everyone has this. It's a gift!
12. Wonderful extended family and visit at Thanksgiving
13. Swimming in November - so fun for the kids
14. Target
15. My 80% off Fall Décor at Hobby Lobby - it's so pretty I don't want to take it down!
16. Pepperoni Pizza, with black olives - my death row meal
17. Red Wine - for the heart...hee hee
18. Modern medicine
19. Clean water
20. Our Babysitter
Raychel - she's amazing!
21. Bergen’s school
and teacher
22. Preston’s teacher
23. Sephora - the mothership
24. My Awesome Book
Club and the ladies who challenge me each meeting
25. Facebook
26. XM Radio
27. Coffee - with cream only - Coconut milk cream, to be exact
28. Shellac Nail Polish - love
29. Today - because no one is promised tomorrow
30. Jesus, who died
on the cross to save me from my sins
I'm afraid to admit, I have big things planned for the advent season. I hope I don't procrastinate too much. Check back to see if I follow through!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving season!
Friday, November 4, 2011
30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 3... and 4
Ok so you didn't really think I'd do this every day. So much pressure!! Tee hee - I had a busy one yesterday and P-Did had a game at 6:00, followed by dinner and running to Target for slippers for the Biggie B to wear to silly slipper day. All exhausting - but good.
On day 3 I was going to be thankful for my in-laws. I was blessed to marry into an amazing family (although I'd say my husband did too!). My mother-in-law is a beautiful person. She is Godly, warm and super supportive of us. I say she has a direct line to God because she is amazingly in tune with God's hand in her life. She raised an amazing man and a wonderful father and husband. My father-in-law went to be with the Lord last October. He was one of a kind. I miss him everyday, but I'm thankful for the impact he made in our lives. A gentleman, hard working Cowboy - we miss him so much!
And on Day 4 - I'm thankful for FRIDAYS!! I gotta lighten things up every now and then! I love Friday. As a kid, I loved Friday night football, hanging out at the church after the game for the "5th quarter" to have fun with whatever awesome things our youth ministers came up with. I had this one youth minister that would rent movies on the VHS (it was the 80's folks). He would watch them, and take note of the bad words by the timer count. Then he would fast forward when the word came up so we would miss it. It didn't quite work that way. It was kind of like this: "Frankly my dear Scarlett, bzzzzzzzzzzz (that's the FF noise).... a damn". He would fast forward before the word, press play, then we'd hear the word. So hilarious. But I digress.
We work hard all week - TV Joe at work, and me working and playing taxi driver for these kids. Friday means the weekend! The gateway to relaxation. We get to sleep a little more, relax a little, watch some little league baseball and hang out with our amazing friends. So yay for FRIDAY! Y'all have a blessed one!
On day 3 I was going to be thankful for my in-laws. I was blessed to marry into an amazing family (although I'd say my husband did too!). My mother-in-law is a beautiful person. She is Godly, warm and super supportive of us. I say she has a direct line to God because she is amazingly in tune with God's hand in her life. She raised an amazing man and a wonderful father and husband. My father-in-law went to be with the Lord last October. He was one of a kind. I miss him everyday, but I'm thankful for the impact he made in our lives. A gentleman, hard working Cowboy - we miss him so much!
And on Day 4 - I'm thankful for FRIDAYS!! I gotta lighten things up every now and then! I love Friday. As a kid, I loved Friday night football, hanging out at the church after the game for the "5th quarter" to have fun with whatever awesome things our youth ministers came up with. I had this one youth minister that would rent movies on the VHS (it was the 80's folks). He would watch them, and take note of the bad words by the timer count. Then he would fast forward when the word came up so we would miss it. It didn't quite work that way. It was kind of like this: "Frankly my dear Scarlett, bzzzzzzzzzzz (that's the FF noise).... a damn". He would fast forward before the word, press play, then we'd hear the word. So hilarious. But I digress.
We work hard all week - TV Joe at work, and me working and playing taxi driver for these kids. Friday means the weekend! The gateway to relaxation. We get to sleep a little more, relax a little, watch some little league baseball and hang out with our amazing friends. So yay for FRIDAY! Y'all have a blessed one!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
30 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 2
I hope my blog doesn't explode when I post something two days in a row... Poor neglected blog.
Before I get into day 2, I have to share - last night at dinner, in the quaint, heavy metal blaring environment of Freebirds, I told my family that we would be sharing something we are thankful for every night at dinner. I told them it didn't have to be fancy or perfect, just something they think is awesome and that they are thankful for. P went first and said he was thankful for his baseball coach, who takes time out of his day to coach their team. Man - sweet kid. I think he gets how parents are busy and pulled in 100 directions. Pretty cool. Biggie B was thankful for...now give me a minute because this one almost made me cry. He's thankful for P-Did, because he's the best big brother in the whole wide world. I'm not making this stuff up. I almost died right there. TV Joe was thankful for Freebirds, and the Ramones, who happen to be on the (loud) radio during this tender moment.
Day two - I'm so thankful for my parents and the home we were raised in. My dad sold insurance while we were in school. He had a local office and was home at lunch and dinner, and attended every event under the sun for my brother and me. Having a husband who commutes and is in the car *a lot*, I now know how awesome this was. Joe is at every event, and we eat pretty much every dinner together, no matter how late - but it's stressful beating traffic home and dealing with all that. My mom stayed home with us. It was nice to be able to come home to her and have a snack waiting and help with homework. She's a strong, strong lady - stronger than she thinks. She always made things feel super normal, even when it was hard for her. When things are a little out of control around here and I'm feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I think about how she dealt with struggles and lean on what I've learned from her. She's had some difficulties in the last 3 years and I'm so thankful that she's healthy and recovering. We had a great childhood - one that I treasure. We were at church every time the doors were open, and I'm certain that shaped who I am today. They are Godly parents who prayed for us and with us and kept me on the "straight and narrow". We had everything we needed, most everything we wanted, and lots of love to go around. I'm thankful for the example they have set for me in parenting and in marriage, and for the legacy they started that I can carry on.
Before I get into day 2, I have to share - last night at dinner, in the quaint, heavy metal blaring environment of Freebirds, I told my family that we would be sharing something we are thankful for every night at dinner. I told them it didn't have to be fancy or perfect, just something they think is awesome and that they are thankful for. P went first and said he was thankful for his baseball coach, who takes time out of his day to coach their team. Man - sweet kid. I think he gets how parents are busy and pulled in 100 directions. Pretty cool. Biggie B was thankful for...now give me a minute because this one almost made me cry. He's thankful for P-Did, because he's the best big brother in the whole wide world. I'm not making this stuff up. I almost died right there. TV Joe was thankful for Freebirds, and the Ramones, who happen to be on the (loud) radio during this tender moment.
Day two - I'm so thankful for my parents and the home we were raised in. My dad sold insurance while we were in school. He had a local office and was home at lunch and dinner, and attended every event under the sun for my brother and me. Having a husband who commutes and is in the car *a lot*, I now know how awesome this was. Joe is at every event, and we eat pretty much every dinner together, no matter how late - but it's stressful beating traffic home and dealing with all that. My mom stayed home with us. It was nice to be able to come home to her and have a snack waiting and help with homework. She's a strong, strong lady - stronger than she thinks. She always made things feel super normal, even when it was hard for her. When things are a little out of control around here and I'm feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I think about how she dealt with struggles and lean on what I've learned from her. She's had some difficulties in the last 3 years and I'm so thankful that she's healthy and recovering. We had a great childhood - one that I treasure. We were at church every time the doors were open, and I'm certain that shaped who I am today. They are Godly parents who prayed for us and with us and kept me on the "straight and narrow". We had everything we needed, most everything we wanted, and lots of love to go around. I'm thankful for the example they have set for me in parenting and in marriage, and for the legacy they started that I can carry on.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Season of Thanksgiving - Day One
Ive been missing my blog lately. Sometimes in the rush of life, the blog can be a burden. Kind of the same reason I don't scrapbook - the pressure of it weighs me down. I can't simply sit down and type something out. I feel like it needs to be funny, have lots of pictures and be super satisfying. So I just don't do it. Some would call this lazy. And when I say "some" - I mean me. So I'm going to make a better effort, and what better time than my favorite month - November.
I love November so very much. Because it's my birthday month, it's the season of Thanksgiving and a way to prepare ourselves for the holiday season. Like most moms out there, I long for a perfect holiday season - stress free, illness free - totally happy, total bliss. But that doesn't always happen. Ok, that never happens. At least not in our minds, it doesn't. But it doesn't mean it's not perfect for the family. I told my mom one particularly stressful Christmas "I wish it was 1984 again and life could be simple for me". She started laughing - apparently 1984 was a very, very hard year for them, and she had felt Christmas had been a letdown. I remember it as pretty awesome. That really goes to show that kids really don't see the "perfect". They just remember getting together as a family, keeping traditions - even when it's hard to keep them, and celebrating our Lord's birth.
This November I'm focusing on the things I'm most thankful for - one per day, and really in no particular order. Some will be grand, some will probably be downright silly. But maybe if I enter December in a spirit of thankfulness, I will be easier to embrace the true meaning of Christmas instead of striving for my mind's perfection. After all, it's not really about the perfect tree and the right Christmas music, keeping the house clean at all times, baking thousands of treats and having the perfect presents under the tree. It's about the birth of a baby - Jesus - who loves me enough to save me from my sins. And I'm going to focus on Thanksgiving, and not just skip ahead to Christmas. Poor Thanksgiving is like the middle child between Halloween and Christmas. I love Thanksgiving so much!
So today - November 1st - I start my list. Today I'm thankful for my amazing family. I have pretty much the most awesome husband on the planet. He works very hard to provide for us, and plays just as hard to make a fun, crazy life for us. He's ridiculously good at his job, and really well known in his industry. After all, he is the "wizard of the web"! We laugh a lot and we have a great time. He loves me more than I often deserve. I'm truly blessed to be married to an amazing man and an incredible father to our boys. I'm so thankful for our kids. They are anything but ordinary. P-Diddy is so smart and gifted, but he's also the most caring child I know. He stands up for his friends and makes sure everyone feels loved. He can carry on a conversation about anything with anyone - many adults have told me talking to P is like talking to an adult. He knows so much about his true passions - baseball and football. He's loving, honest and faithful - and he knows his awesomeness "comes from above" - his words. He's also a great brother to Biggie B (most of the time!!). Now Biggie B is in a class of his own. You won't meet a happier boy - pure joy oozing from his very pores. He truly embraces life and lives to the fullest. He's so very funny and like P, also very kind. His teacher counts on him to be a leader and he always helps her out. He's a momma's boy who loves to snuggle and I thank God every time I hear the words "snuggle with me mommy". Bliss! He's very smart and loves board games and puzzles. He's also really, really good at t-ball. They are both healthy and happy - along with Joe. And for that, I'm thankful. The rest is just gravy.
I love November so very much. Because it's my birthday month, it's the season of Thanksgiving and a way to prepare ourselves for the holiday season. Like most moms out there, I long for a perfect holiday season - stress free, illness free - totally happy, total bliss. But that doesn't always happen. Ok, that never happens. At least not in our minds, it doesn't. But it doesn't mean it's not perfect for the family. I told my mom one particularly stressful Christmas "I wish it was 1984 again and life could be simple for me". She started laughing - apparently 1984 was a very, very hard year for them, and she had felt Christmas had been a letdown. I remember it as pretty awesome. That really goes to show that kids really don't see the "perfect". They just remember getting together as a family, keeping traditions - even when it's hard to keep them, and celebrating our Lord's birth.
This November I'm focusing on the things I'm most thankful for - one per day, and really in no particular order. Some will be grand, some will probably be downright silly. But maybe if I enter December in a spirit of thankfulness, I will be easier to embrace the true meaning of Christmas instead of striving for my mind's perfection. After all, it's not really about the perfect tree and the right Christmas music, keeping the house clean at all times, baking thousands of treats and having the perfect presents under the tree. It's about the birth of a baby - Jesus - who loves me enough to save me from my sins. And I'm going to focus on Thanksgiving, and not just skip ahead to Christmas. Poor Thanksgiving is like the middle child between Halloween and Christmas. I love Thanksgiving so much!
So today - November 1st - I start my list. Today I'm thankful for my amazing family. I have pretty much the most awesome husband on the planet. He works very hard to provide for us, and plays just as hard to make a fun, crazy life for us. He's ridiculously good at his job, and really well known in his industry. After all, he is the "wizard of the web"! We laugh a lot and we have a great time. He loves me more than I often deserve. I'm truly blessed to be married to an amazing man and an incredible father to our boys. I'm so thankful for our kids. They are anything but ordinary. P-Diddy is so smart and gifted, but he's also the most caring child I know. He stands up for his friends and makes sure everyone feels loved. He can carry on a conversation about anything with anyone - many adults have told me talking to P is like talking to an adult. He knows so much about his true passions - baseball and football. He's loving, honest and faithful - and he knows his awesomeness "comes from above" - his words. He's also a great brother to Biggie B (most of the time!!). Now Biggie B is in a class of his own. You won't meet a happier boy - pure joy oozing from his very pores. He truly embraces life and lives to the fullest. He's so very funny and like P, also very kind. His teacher counts on him to be a leader and he always helps her out. He's a momma's boy who loves to snuggle and I thank God every time I hear the words "snuggle with me mommy". Bliss! He's very smart and loves board games and puzzles. He's also really, really good at t-ball. They are both healthy and happy - along with Joe. And for that, I'm thankful. The rest is just gravy.
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