Happy Friday, Friends! I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for this blog post.
If you're new here, or if you haven't read my blog before, this past week and a half was not my favorite. Two of my four sons had their wisdom teeth extracted last week. Jonah had SIX teeth removed last Monday and Drew had his four removed on Friday. This is not for the faint of heart! You know who is my favorite, throughout all of this? My husband. He made things so much easier. I don't remember when I've been so thankful for him...and I try to always be thankful for this man of mine. He's the best.
They're much better now, the two of them and are almost completely back to normal and eating just about anything they want.
Scripture writing is my favorite, and Shannon from Swtblessings.com posted the new August plan. Would you like to join me in this? I have been doing this for at least five years now, and I can honestly say that sometimes the days that I read the passage before I write, it's like the Lord Himself reached out and picked the verses out just for me. The Word of God is living and active! I love what my Pastor says—that as a believer reads the Word, the Word reads the believer. That's what that "living and active" means...it's able to perceive our thoughts and intentions.
I know from experience in doing this that the more you write out Bible verses, the more you remember them.
My favorite author is Robin Jones Gunn, and that top book you see pictured is maybe the best series of books I have ever read. That's saying a lot, because I love series of books. I flew through that book way too fast. The second one you see pictured is an older series by her, and this book in particular, Secrets, was her first adult fiction novel! It has a bunch more in the series and I already owned the first three books, but barely remember reading them. I bought the other books to finish out my series the other night, and they're on their way to me as I write this. Books are my favorite and I love receiving copies of them that are new to me.
This is my favorite brand of spiced chai tea. I've been on a kick with this lately in the afternoon. It reminds me of Christmas!
I needed to get out of my house on Wednesday, so my mom came and picked me up and we spent the morning together. She needed to run an errand and I needed to run an errand, so we did that and ate lunch at my favorite Mexican food place. Our days out together are always some of my favorite times.
These are a couple of my favorite verses I came across last week. I love creating images for them on my YouVersion app on my phone. I have a whole file in the photo section of my phones for these, and I love sending them to people in a text.
This is one of my favorite pictures of my niece Erika, taken the night before she delivered her second set of twin girls! Isn't that something?! I cannot wait to report to you about these little angels that are new to our family, but out of respect and privacy for Erika and Kyle, I'll wait until after the weekend is over before I share about them.
Other favorites from the week:
I love the current color on my nails, it's my favorite magenta-pink. I love getting my nails done every few weeks, it's definitely a treat for me.
We've had some good dinners this week—hamburgers, which are always a favorite for all of us, and grilled chicken with veggies. My husband has perfected the grill over these hotter months. It's been nice not having to depend upon the stove or oven for dinner a few nights a week.
I bought a new immersion blender this week from Amazon. I've mentioned my favorite coffee drink on here beofre that I love to make at night...well, I needed a new immersion blender to make them, because I accidentally fried the motor in our old one. Also, it was 24 years old, so it was time for an upgrade. This one came with attachments, including a milk frother! I can't wait to use that part.
For anyone who is interested, my favorite coffee drink is low calorie and tastes somewhat like a milkshake. All I do is pour leftover coffee into a big plastic cup, add in a few ice cubes, a splash of milk and a tablespoon of chocolate syrup and blend it all together. It gets all frothy on top, then I add in a few more ice cubes, one more tablespoon of chocolate syrup and stir it together. It's so good! If I had to guess on the amount of leftover coffee, I would guess it was two cups worth of leftover, room temperature coffee. Not two mugs—two actual cups as in the measurement. You should try it, it's delicious.
Well, that's about all I've got for this week. Thanks for reading along! Love to all.
P.s. If you're new, follow me on Instagram! My username is jenlloydgoodwin.
Last week when I mentioned that two of my sons were having wisdom teeth removed this week, I didn't think that it would occupy me to the point of not writing on my blog. This post is a catch up of sorts and for the sake of my own memories.
Jonah was first with the wisdom teeth, and oh the videos! They did not disappoint after they got him into the vehicle. I have to stop there and tell you how grateful I am for my husband. He is always a great guy, but this week, he was a lifesaver. He stayed home all of Monday and all of Tuesday. We tag teamed that afternoon and night while he had to have ice packs every half hour or so. We laughed at the end of the night and we acknowledged that we were exhausted. I'm laughing as I wite that.
On Monday while I was waiting on them to get back home, I worked on Bible study homework. Let me tell you, the timing of the Lord is perfect. I knew the Scripture I studied that morning and I needed it right then. The Lord knew that and is sovereign over time.
I've been having a bit of a moment with people being rude lately, both online and in person. I've witnessed several moments of this just this week alone, and I think this reminder above is a good one for all of us. Let's all stop being mean about people and masks—either wear yours and be quiet about it or don't wear yours and be quiet about it and let's remember we are not in control of everyone on this planet, praise God for that. Let's all live out our own convictions whatever they may be and leave everyone else alone! My nerves cannot handle confrontation and meanness. As a believer and follower of Jesus, my job is to love and to be kind...compassionate, humble and patient. I've had some setbacks this week and at one point I said something online and then was attacked and called every name in the book but a godly woman. I deleted my comment and moved on with life...I try to live that way all the time, but I had one slip and BAM. All kinds of thoughts and feelings arose and I found myself being sucked in to what people were saying. It happens to all of us, I know that, but it was good to witness that kind of attack. It reminds me of the enemy who is very real, just waiting to do the same. This reminder above is for me as well, though I was never mean or rude; I have to remember this "be kind even when I don't feel like being kind" thing.
Just days before that happened, I posted this picture of my dining room that I've been working on here and there lately. I love to "shop my house" and move things from one place to another, and this room has been my currrent focus. I think I finally have it the way I like it for now, but on Instagram this week here is what I said about it: This has been the year of being forced to do things, both negative and positive. I'll leave the negative things alone, because everyone is focusing on that right now. I'll look at all the good things from this year: this was the year we did all the projects in our home, it was the year of organizing and purging and repurposing things, it was the year the boys showed to us they're capable of things we didn't know they could do—deck building and demolition. It's been the year of being at home a lot and spending quality time together and it's been a year of taking back our health, both for me and for Drew. It's been the year of buying all the things from Lowe's and enjoying our labor and it's the year that even though we had to look a little harder for the good things, good was there to be found. It's been a year that more than I've witnessed in a long time, that the Lord has shown up and shown out for me as my strength, my Deliverer, my Helper, my Lord.
He is right there for all of us who know Him and love Him, and He can be there for you as well. Do you know Him? I'm easy to find if you'd like to talk—just reach out!
On a lighter note, about this picture of my dining room, would you believe this is the most well‒loved and used table in my home? The boys all eat lunch at this table every single day. I kid you not. I, on the other hand, do not ever sit in there and prefer the kitchen table for the light and the blue tooth speaker.
Friday was Drew's turn at the oral surgeon and his experience was so different. The biggest pain about his was that his sockets wouldn't stop bleeding—once that happened, he was in very little pain. He's taken less medicine and has kept completely to himself since these pictures on Friday. Also, everyone should get them a husband like mine. I moved him to superstar status in our home and never would have survived this without him. He had to change the gauze for both sons because neither had feeling back yet and needed help. That's not my forte. I love that Crash was there beside Drew while he slept on the couch.
I got these new dog beds for the pups a couple of weekends ago and took this picture of Callie because she NEVER lays on one like this. She always prefers her kennel and she looks hilarious sitting on this. I wish she'd do this more, I love her being in here with us all the time.
I'm still trying to eat healthy. I say "trying" because I've hit a wall I feel like and am out of options of ideas that sound good to me. I'm still avoiding bread as much as possible, but this was whole grain wheat bread, which is better than just white. If you have suggestions, I'd love some. I drink a protein drink for breakfast every morning, then I usually have something similar to this for lunch, though yesterday I had a sweet potato. For dinner I mostly do meat and veggies, and if we have hamburgers, I just eat mine on lettuce with tomato and pickles and a fork and knife. I snack on Skinny Pop and if I'm craving a sweet something I eat either a healthier option of an ice cream treat or I'll eat a pudding cup. I eat all the fruits and veggies I want, though and I'm still trying to eat smaller meals and more often. Other things I'm eating are tortilla chips, a piece or two of sliced cheese (I buy the big blocks of cheese at the grocery store) and almonds or, on rare occasions, a spoon of peanut butter if I'm really hungry. Last week I made some cucumbers with red wine vinegar and a little of olive oil. It was so good! I love pickles and that's what it reminded me of.
Look how cute this picture is I found last week of my sisters and me. I'm the little one on Lisa's lap, then it's Trish and Debi.
Other things not related to dental work: I will miss all the fresh fruits and veggies that the summer months bring.
I am so glad we are already a homeschooling family—I don't say that in jest. I am witnessing all kinds of fear and turmoil on social media for all the friends I know and love who work full time (both parents) and are wondering how "hybrid school" will work. (Two days on campus learning, three days of learning remotely.) I am praying for my friends who are figuring things out and I cannot imagine what they must be feeling trying to navigate this crazy time.
I'm so glad for my Mom. She has been a lifesaver to me twice recently and I always appreciate her listening ear and advice.
Church has been so good lately and I'm so glad we're back in person. These times are strange and I need my church family right now more than ever. Choir practice for us starts back this coming Sunday and I can't wait! I may cry. We're all really close and I've missed them all!
I miss movies...anyone else? I don't go often, but I miss going and eating popcorn and laughing and sitting there with my best friend until they come and turn the lights on to clean up.
Todd brought Chip a new stuffed toy home, and he's the cutest thing ever. This dog loves a squeaky toy and he licks it, carries it around and sleeps with it beside him.
I read this book last week.
It was so good! Too good, actually, because now I'm mad that I'm done with it. If you've never read her books, what are you waiting on? I still need all the good fiction books I can read because the world has officially lost its collective mind.
Speaking of books, I'm starting on a new writing project next week! Our first Bible study as a writing team is in the process of being worked on with the final graphics and such, then it will be printed. I can't wait to hold it and smell it and run my hands over it. We've prayed and decided what to write on for the spring semester of 2021, but I can't say which book it is yet. I can't wait, though! I hope to start reading and studying this week and look forward to getting started next week. The good news is that it'll be our second Bible study as a writing team and it will get a little easier each time. Our Fall 2020 Bible study is open for registration, which is so exciting to me. I have missed being in Bible study with people. I've done it on my own, but it's not the same.
I think I've gotten all caught up. I will try to get back in the habit of blogging again this week in a regular way. If you read this and are on Instagram, look me up and let's be friends that way too! I am JenLloydGoodwin on there. I'll have to approve the request, and will send you one back. Thanks for reading! Love to all.
Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for this blog post.
It was a great week...a little different that what I expected for the week, but I'll catch you up in a minute. I'm sharing some favorites from the week: both things that are useful and events or memories.
This is one of my current favorite songs. I had it on repeat most of Thursday. Here it is:
Also on repeat is the song Authority by Elevation Worship, and here's the song below.
I love music, I've mentioned that a time or two.
On a lighter note, this new purse is my current favorite.
I bought it last weekend at Ross' and paid $15 for it. I love a good bargain! Add to that the cute factor, and I'm happy.
I love a good memory, and thanks to Facebook, I get them daily.
One of my favorite things to do with my kids was summer camp. This is Jonah and Noah when they were in about the second grade, and they're still friends with these other boys Ben and Andy. I love long friendships like theirs and consider that a huge gift from the Lord.
Again with the quiet time theme this week...my time with Jesus each morning has been so sweet. I want to encourage you in this—do not neglect this time each day! If you're sick, if you're rushed, if you're frustrated with the world—take the time and spend it with Jesus. You'll never do anything more important. I've been in Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Proverbs, Psalm...basically all over the place and I have loved every moment. This time with Jesus each morning is my favorite time of day.
Thursday mornings have become my new favorite weekday morning because I've set aside some time in the early morning hours to pray...other than that, it seems a little too sacred to mention anything else about that time with Jesus.
Once again, on a lighter note, coffee is my favorite.
Up until the quarantine, we bought and ground (grinded?) our own coffee beans from Costco. We've used the Don Pablo brand for years, and it's about $14 for a two pound bag. (Todd told me this after he checked—people were asking me on social media.)
Other favorite things from the week include the following:
I spent Saturday with Mom and Trish. Anytime I'm with them is a favorite time.
I listened to an entire podcast on Thursday about books from my childhood. I love Sophie Hudson and Melanie Shankle, and if you've never listened to their Big Boo Cast, do yourself a favor and listen. They're my favorites. So are all the books they talked about in episode 193—it makes me want to re-read all my childhood favorites like Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High.
My mom and dad-in-love came for dinner Thursday night. Spending time with is always a favorite time. We ate good food, we had good conversation...it was a good night.
I got to see Dad on Friday! I made us lunch again and we stayed here at my house. I love our Fridays.
Some not so favorite moments include Drew being in excruciating pain in his jaw and ear—he went to see our dentist Monday morning and was told he needed to get all four wisdom teeth pulled asap. As does Jonah, but Jonah is not in pain. Thursday morning found them and Todd at an oral surgeon's office and they've scheduled both procedures. Jonah will get his out on Monday morning and Drew on Friday morning. Drew was offered the Monday morning time slot first because he's in pain, but he doesn't want to miss work at all, if he can help it. He's hoping to be able to return on Monday after he recovers some over the weekend.
The Lord did some really cool things regarding all of this, but I'll save that for another day. Will you please join me in praying for them both? I'd love for the procedure to go smoothly and for their recovery to be normal. I am praying and hoping they don't get dry sockets—I had that and I still remember the horrible pain it was. I'd really appreciate your prayers for them both! I plan on stocking up on soft foods for them over the weekend.
Thanks for reading along, friends. Have a great weekend! Love to all.
Happy Wednesday, friends! I hope your week has been good...as usual, I can't believe it's already Wednesday. I don't know how I manage to stay so busy without working outside of my home, but I do and the days fly by.
I love to share devotional type posts on these days, and I pray they somehow encourage you. I'm going to share a bit of how I have my quiet time each day, and I pray this inspires and encourages you to pray—I always say that prayer is the most under-used tool we have in our spiritual tool box. I really do mean this and the Lord has been faithful to show me the proof of this over my years of walking with Him.
Take this picture below, for instance. I was praying on Monday morning and the Lord caused me to remember this verse. {I believe with all my heart that because His word is in my heart, He often brings it to my mind. I love to memorize Scripture, and that also helps.}
I've written this before, but in case anyone is new here, I always prefer to start my quiet time with prayer. I believe that praying helps still my mind and my heart, and when I pray I like to start by thanking the Lord for the new day. I quickly turn that into praising Him for Who He is and I offer up more thanksgiving throughout that time of adoration—to me, that often goes hand in hand. After that I ask the Lord to show me any sin I have in my heart, like if I was gossipy or judgmental about someone, and I confess that to the Lord and ask Him to forgive me of that and to change me. I pray for myself after this and right off the bat, because as wives and mothers, we are the emotional barometer in the home. An older friend of mine told me this once, Mrs. Teresa, my friend Sunday's mom and I know it's true from being married for almost 24 years and from being a mom for a good portion of that.
How many of you have experienced something like this: your day start out great and you're in a great mood all day long, but then one of your kids smarts off to you and it makes you mad and that's all it takes. You snap and yell {well, this is what happens to me} and when your husband gets home, you're frustrated with the kid still, but instead of talking to him about it and communicating what's going on, he says one thing that you take the wrong way and you lose it on him.
Check out this passage in Ephesians 4:26-30a.
Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, and odn't give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has somethign to share with anyone in need. No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don't grieve the Holy Spirit.
This is what happens, and this is why it's important to never neglect praying for yourself. An older friend of mine told me that once, because I used to feel selfish praying for myself. She compared it to the flight attendant's speech before the plane leaves the ground: she demonstrates how to use the gear in case of an emergency and they usually say something along the lines of helping yourself first, because if you miss that one step, you will be no good to anyone else. So it is with yourself and praying for yourself. Don't skip that, because nobody else knows what you go through everyday—and why would they? We don't go around broadcasting all of our "ugly".
After this, I pray for my husband, my sons and their future spouses, all the extended family, my faith family and pastor, my friends who are missionaries, and our governing officials. About praying for my husband, though, there are books that every married couple should read either on their own or go through on their own and then share about it together. I'd show you mine, but I don't know exactly where it is. Here's Todd's copy, not that he's ever read the book. 😂 My dad bought him this as a gift for one of our first Christmas events as a married couple.
I had this picture on my phone today because I shared it with a young friend of mine who's getting married next spring. I have worn my copy just about plum out.
It's vitally important to pray for your husband—nobody else will ever know him like you know him and nobody else knows his business like you do. I feel like when you spend time with Jesus talking about your husband and pouring your heart out to Him about your spouse, that the time you spend doing that is sacred. Our marriages should represent the love of Jesus to others. We should treat each other better than we treat our ownselves and we should always be kind and loving, patient, compassionate and gentle. We should represent the Lord Jesus well to those who don't know Him, and we can do that by honoring God in our marriage. Nobody is perfect in this—I am the furthest from it, but the Lord is faithful to teach me from His word every single day on how I can improve in my role as a wife first, then as a mother, a daughter, sister and friend.
When I was praying on Monday morning, I was thanking the Lord that He is the Giver of every good gift {James 1:17} and everything we need required for life and godliness. That was what I prayed and the Lord reminded me of that verse in 2 Peter 1:3. And speaking of how the Lord reminded me of that verse, the Word of God is living and active—that is from Hebrews 4:12. My pastor says that as you read the Word of God, the Word of God is reading you. That's why a certain verse will jump out at you during your reading.
I like to have a journal or a notebook to help me stay focused when I pray. I don't always do this, but I've learned that I can pray easier when I have a prompt of things to remind me to pray for each day. I use a composition notebook for this, but you can use anything. I use the same list for a few weeks and try to update it once a month; I like to ask friends on social media how I can pray for them on those days when I think about it.
I don't always pray my entire list, but I sure do if I have the time. Did you know that as you draw near to God, He draws near to you? {That is according to James 4:8.} I'll give you an example: lately it seems as I go on and on in prayer, I can sense the presence of God. Now before you get off this page because of this statement, hang with me and read these next sentences. I love to pray God's Word back to Him and it's when I do that, that He seems right there with me. And He is! Read this verse below.
As I abide in Him, I am often reminded that He abides within me! I woke up troubled Saturday morning and I can't explain why, but I prayed Psalm 121 to the Lord as I sat at my kitchen table. Before I even realized it, tears were streaming down my face, because every word out of that Psalm is true—and I know that to be so, deep in my heart. I was humbled and honored that He would choose to sit and have this fellowship with me as I sit here in my kitchen, pouring my heart out to Him. There's nothing magic or mystical about this, by the way. The Lord knows what is in your heart and it's an overwhelming sense of peace and calm that I feel when I sense Him near. I almost feel as if He is wrapping me up tightly in His arms, like my dad used to do when I was a little girl.
Before I end my prayer time, I submit my plans for the day to the Lord, because I love and revere Him. His name is Holy and Awe-Inspiring, the Psalmist tells us. I ask the Lord to teach me from His Word that day, to help me understand what I read and to help me practically apply it to my life. He is always so sweet and faithful to answer this request. I continue to talk to Him all throughout the day and oftentimes, someone will walk in on me doing this. Just ask them if you don't believe me. They also "catch" me worshiping Him in the kitchen or talking to Him fairly loudly as I vacuum. I also pray every Thursday morning at 3:00 for thirty minutes and I've been known to walk my house at night and step into their rooms and pray over them, or at least pray for them at their doorway. I kid you not—just ask my husband and he would confirm all of this to you.
I'm going to wrap this up with all of Psalm 121—it's just a few verses.
I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The LORD protects you; the LORD is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. The LORD will protect your coming and going both now and forever.
I know every word of this to be true. I have experienced it personally and on a very daily basis. There is something coming up for me later today that is way outside of my comfort zone, but I know the Lord will help me to navigate through it.
Thank you for reading this, if you're still here. Love to all.
P.s. I am going to leave you with some worship music that I currently love. I have some version of worship music playing all throughout the day, and some of these songs I listen to as I get dressed or shower or just sit about in the kitchen. I pray they're a blessing to you. The first one is The Blessing by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, then it's Authority by Elevation Worship, and lastly Graves to Gardens by the same group.
It's been ages since I've done a blog post of random things. I feel like I have #allthethings in my head right now and I need to get them out.
① I am like most people, believe it or not—and like you, maybe, I have #allthethoughts and #alltheopinions on #allthethings going on lately in our world and especially in our country. That being said, my best and oldest friend lost her dad recently. This is him in the picture below, on the left. Larry was exactly what this picture depicts—loving, hilariously funny, refreshing, always surprising, affectionate, the life of a party, the bright light that lit up a room just when by entering. I can see him in my mind and I can hear his laugh when I look at this picture. This was Dad with him almost one year ago to the day, when they buried my best friend's mom and Larry's wife.
And this is my best friend Stacy pictured with Dad and her sister Paige standing behind Dad. I love their whole family so much, and was so saddened to hear that funerals are still events that are being closed off to anyone but immediate family. I am not okay with not being able to attend the funerals of loved ones right now. I'm not okay with how "they", whoever "they" may be, let other nonsense go on and decide funerals will remain shut down. I think it's ridiculous, and this will probably not gain me any friends, but I am not here to debate about it—it's my blog and my own little private space of the interwebs, and I have the right to voice my own opinion.
Moving right along...
② This picture below shows my youngest son, Noah. He's the one with the white hoodie. In November of last year, his best friend Jacob asked him to go to California with him for about five days. It was the trip of a lifetime! I am so glad Noah got to do this—who'd have known it would be the last time he traveled for a long time? He traveled with Jacob, his mom Amy and Amy's sister in law. Noah worked hard to earn the money for his own plane tickets and to have souvenir money.
They left Memphis way before the crack of dawn and when they landed in LA, they hit the ground running. This is them at Warner Brothers and do you know what this kid told me? I'm laughing. Well, before I tell you what he said, know that he brought home gifts for all of us and mine was a beautiful picture of the skyline of LA. I love it and have it hanging where I see it often. But this is what he told me: that he knows I love the Gilmore Girls and he can't figure out why he didn't buy me a souvenir from that show since he walked through and saw the town of Stars Hollow. 😲
I don't know why either, Noah.
③ I miss my friends that I don't live near. Please note that we do live in the same city, I just stay close by my own home a lot. I'm not sure why I do this, but we go to church two minutes from my home, and I suppose I like to stay in my community. That makes me sound terrible. I just don't get out much.
In this picture above, this is one of my best friends Christa and me. I am pretty sure we met for lunch on this day at a Mexican restaurant and caught up with each other. We do have plans to see each other soon, and I can't wait. Also, on a related note, I miss Mexican food. I'm not going out much these days because it's too hot to wear a mask, and because masks are mandated in my county now. I have asthma and technically could get away with not wearing one, but I hate confrontation, so there you go.
④ I love my summer makeup routine. It's so light and easy. I was wearing a different brand, but I guess it felt a little heavy to me and I decided to stop wearing it for now at least, but maybe forever. After I brush my teeth, I put on my Cerave moisturizer and while that soaks in, I make my bed and fold a load of laundry. Then I use that Elf illuminating primer and let that soak in while I pick out my clothes and hang up things in our closet. I use blush next, then set it all with a tiny bit of powder. After that I do eyeshadow (the brown and then the cream color), eyebrow tint {to fill in where I'm losing them, hello mid-forties}, eyeliner and mascara. That may sound like a lot, but trust me—it's not. It all takes less than five minutes.
Sidenote: this blush that's the orange/peachy color is the best blush I've ever used and it cost $5 from Amazon.
⑤ This is my handsome nephew Austin. He and Mike (his dad and Debi's husband) hiked these mountains a couple of weeks ago, and Mike tagged me in this picture on Facebook. Seeing those mountains makes my lungs hurt, and they were at an altitude of above 13,000 feet. I don't know if you know this about me or not, but remember how I said I have asthma? I do, but I don't struggle with it all the time, I only battle it when I exercise. {I'm rolling my eyes.} Mike had a picture of the number of feet they were above sea level and just seeing that number made my eyes burn.
Also, how cute is he? I've always thought that he resembled Zac Effron. His eyes are beautiful and bright blue, just like his pretty mama's. I don't get to see Austin often, but everytime I do, he always gives me the biggest hug and we just talk and talk like we see each other everyday. {This is so random because I just saw his picture on FB—I'd forgotten all about it.}
⑥ I miss Christmas.
Anyone else? I tried to talk my husband into letting me go ahead and put the Christmas tree back up, but he won't let me. I'm laughing.
⑦ Does anyone other than me need to see this today?
No? Just me? I feel like our entire nation and world need to remember this right now.
⑧ I still love my new purse. I wore it as a crossbody on Sunday night when Noah took me grocery shopping. 💕
⑨ Does anyone need a pool sitter? I would love to swim again soon! I have had two chances so far this summer, one time that a friend nearby let me and a day I swam with my sister Trish a couple of weeks ago.
⑩ I mentioned above that Noah took me grocery shopping Sunday night. I think I had a genius moment and decided to go on Sunday night when the store was empty. The shelves were mostly stocked and there were very few people there. The downside to this is there was only one girl checking out, but on the bright side of that, she was really friendly and crazy fast. So was the young man who bagged my groceries. I love talking to the people at my grocery store and getting to know them.
Well, I think that's about all the random-ness I can handle for one day. Thanks for reading along!
Happy Monday, friends! It was a pretty good weekend, considering all the things. I had so much heaviness when I woke up on Saturday morning, that it felt like it was weighing me down. I was just heavy in heart and in spirit and I woke up right before six and couldn't go back to sleep. I came downstairs to drink some coffee and tried to watch something lighthearted on tv, but never found anything. I ended up just turning the television off and started reading my book and then I went into the kitchen for my quiet time. I love this time of day, and especially lately, I've been pouring out my heart to Jesus. Sometimes just to say the prayer to Him out loud makes me feel lighter in spirit...but more than that, I know He hears me and that His ear is inclined to me.
How do I know?
The answer is simple—I have faith.
I love how Hebrews 11:1 defines faith.
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
Anyway, back to my quiet time. I was praying, then I started reading in my Bible and read some verses that jumped out to me from the book of Psalms. I actually prayed the verses over a friend of mine who was going through a hard time that day, but then I realized that the Lord meant for me to see those as well.
You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. Psalm 115:11
...he will bless those who fear the LORD — small and great alike. Psalm 115:13
I felt like those were meant for me as well, though I did text them to my friend and let her know I'd prayed those over her. That's how the Word of God works, though—He lets us see certain verses at the exact moment we need to see something from Him. That's how He communicates with us—through His Word.
It was very timely, and right after this moment, I had a very sweet time of prayer and worship. I sometimes like to play worship music during this time with Jesus, and I felt Him so very close to me this morning. His Word also tells us that as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us in James 4:8. I just started reading the chapters in Psalm out loud to Him and I turned them into my prayer. Do you ever just sit and soak in His presence like that? If you don't, try it for yourself—turn on some worship music, and as you pray, close your eyes and think of the words you're hearing being sung...and pray them and experience Him drawing close to you. I promise, He is near, if He is your Lord and Savior.
Before all the heavy of Saturday morning, I started my weekend off by making lunch for Dad.
Lunch that day consisted of pimento cheese sandwiches on wheat bread, chips with French onion dip , fruit salad I made that morning and peach tea. We don't go anywhere these days that he comes over—I make us something delicious to eat and we stay home and talk, solving all the world's problems. He comes around eleven thirty and we leave for me to take him home around three thirty. Sometimes I go in and chat with them a bit, but yesterday I just dropped him off after walking him to the door. While Dad was here, we spent a little bit of our time listening to my current favorite worship song.
I found a version of it on YouTube with the lyrics written on the screen and the print was so large that he was able to read it along with me. At eighty nine years young, he struggles with his vision. This is the song The Blessing by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes...and it's one I like to play on repeat.
For dinner, Todd grilled out for us again, this time chicken, squash and zucchini. It was really good, except for the zucchini marinated for too long, thus causing immediate high blood pressure. 💁
Todd and I have started watching a new show on Netflix, and it is SO GOOD. It's called Somebody Feed Phil and it stars Phil Rosenthal, the writer and creator of the show, Everybody Loves Raymond. He is the sweetest man and everywhere he goes, the food seems amazing. He learns about their culture and traditions, the food they eat and he makes friends with everyone he meets. I want to meet him and have him over for dinner—both him and my "friend" Bob Goff.
I lasted for one show then I went to bed.
I tagged along with my mom and Trish on Saturday—we ate lunch and Mom had one place to go, but then we made one last stop and I scored some things.
Look at my cute new purse! It's the perfect size...I am so picky about purses. I like them to able to stand up nice and tall {I hate a slouchy purse}, and I love pockets and zippered sections. This has both, and it's not too small and not too big. I can use the handles or it has a strap that I can carry it as a crossbody. It was $15 at Ross. Bonus! I like my purses to look cute, but I don't like paying a lot for them.
That night Todd and all the guys in the house went to his friend's house to watch some fights that are happening tonight on ESPN. His friend got them on Pay Per View and they were pretty excited about going out there to swim, eat and watch some fighting. I will never understand men, by the way, as I finish that sentence. While they were gone I watched one of my favorite movies {Sleepless in Seattle} and ate some soup I bought from Costco this week.
I loved reading in the book of Colossians on both Friday and Saturday. I created these images on the YouVersion app on my phone and ironically, that is where my pastor is preaching from for the next few weeks. He started a new series on Sunday when we went to church on Sunday. Also on that day, I got to spend the time of worship with my friend's sweet little girl while her mom sang on the praise team that morning and then again at the end of the service. Those are some of the best moments, in my humble opinion, getting to spend time with my little friend. Bex loves to listen to the music and she sat so sweetly with me and "sang" and clapped her hands when the music played. She got really excited when her sweet mom sang the first part of one of the songs for that day. It was the cutest thing.
That night, Todd and Graham worked, so it was just a few of us at home. I watched tv and wrote some blog posts for this week.
Thanks for reading along, friends. I hope your weekend was great. Love to all!
