What's Up Wednesday

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm winning at this week and remembered in time that today is What's Up Wednesday linkup day. I never ever remember this day, so you see why I'm winning at the week, right? I'm linking up with Shay from Mix & Match Mama and her friend Sheaffer for this Wednesday blog post. 

I'll jump right in and begin!

What I'm eating this week:

On Monday night I made spaghetti and garlic bread. I figured Drew and Noah would be ready for a good meal at home, and they were! I added the turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's to the spaghetti and because a couple of my pickier eaters weren't home, I combined in all in one pot. It was so good! I haven't had spaghetti in ages and it was so delicious topped with parmesan cheese.

Tuesday we had salmon, rice and crowder peas and the other nights I'm still unsure about. 

What I'm reminiscing about:

Normal life, life without masks, hugging, not having my temperature taken when I eat out, people being nice—you know, the usual.

What I'm loving:

I still love our new kitchen table set. Because there is no longer a restricted view out those windows, it opened up the whole kitchen and makes our small space feel large. I love the updated look!

What we've been up to:

We are ALL all over the place. One thing I've recently begun doing is attending a Monday night Bible study for high school students at my friend's house. I'm there to lend a hand if needed, but I also help out with the meal each week. Last night I didn't stay, but I made the fixings for a taco bar, set it all up at her house and then left to come back home to spend time with my family that have been out of town. I love it, and I love that the students are hungry for the Word of God. I've never seen anything quite like it, actually, and I helped lead a high school community group for five years on each Sunday night. They are serious about studying, and I am loving getting to know some new faces. They're the sweetest students I've ever been around, and they're all very welcoming to my new self.

About this: God clearly called me out of youth ministry a few years ago and planted me more solidly with women in the body of Christ. That doesn't mean I don't need to show up sometimes, though. Over the summer, the Lord kept putting younger ladies in my life for me to get to know: one I met with once and the other we only talked via texting. Especially in this day and age, we need to always be willing to say yes to whatever God is calling us to do. A lot of younger people are anxious and because of that, they're in need of older women who are solid in their faith in Jesus. Just like Isaiah just showed up when the Lord asked him who would go, that is what my goal is to keep doing: showing up for anyone who may need me. 

Being a consistent presence each week will help build a relationship, that way if anyone ever needs anything, they will know they can reach out to me and trust me. 

What I'm dreading:

Honestly? The rest of 2020, especially as we get closer to November and also whatever comes after the new year. I don't think all this is going to just mysteriously go away, this pandemic we're in the middle of, the question is more of how long we're going to let it rule us? Surely at some point in time, things will resume back to normal. Then again, maybe not. 

About November of 2020, I always dread the nasty that comes from a Presidential election year. It's on every side.

What I'm excited about:

I have a fun sisters trip coming up mid-October that I'm forward to; Trish and I are going to Colorado to see our sisters. I can't wait! I haven't been in ages.

What I'm watching/reading:

Don't laugh, but I'm rewatching all the Twilight movies because I want to read the latest new book in the series. I have forgotten so much, so I want to be able to remember when I decide to read it soon. 

I'm on book eight of the Glenbrooke series by my favorite author, Robin Jones Gunn. I have one last book in the series after this one, and then I'll move on to my other favorite author and series, The Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson. I'm excited about reading them!

What I'm listening to:

Ben Rector on Spotify, JJ Heller and worship music by Elevation Worship. It's all so good! 

What I'm wearing:

One of these plain neutral colored shirts that I recently bought. I can rotate them with white jeans, blue jeans, boyfriend style jeans, black pants or shorts. I love easy and versatile. 

What I'm doing this weekend:

I have plans the majority of Saturday and Saturday night and church on Sunday. I'm hoping to celebrate my mom's birthday with her on Thursday night. I have no idea what we'll eat, but it'll be good.

What I'm looking forward to next month:

I always put out my fall decorations on September one. I can't wait! They'll stay put until Thanksgiving night, when we put up all the Christmas decorations.

What else is new:

I'm in the studying and writing process again! I'm working on our new Spring 2021 Bible study with the writing team at my church. I'm hours in and two verses down. It's a slow starting point, but once it gets going, the words seem to fly. If you think of me during this process, will you pray for the five of us writing? I can't disclose the book yet, but it's a new testament book! It's a big responsibility, putting out Bible study curriculum and the weight we carry with it is burdensome. We could easily cause someone to stumble with our words, so how we handle the Word of God is so very important. It's a process that is steeped in prayer. 

This is another random thing I did Tuesday: Do you ever watch videos on YouTube? My friend Andrea turned me on to this girl who puts out great content about cleaning and decluttering her house, so I watched a ten minute video and then jumped up and cleaned the downstairs bath, my kitchen and I ended with vacuuming. I'll dust in the living and dining rooms tomorrow and I'll probably mop the floors, then I'll work on the upstairs Thursday. It helps having a routine with cleaning, so I like to come up with a plan to try and stick with. Things I do every day include vacuuming (hello dogs who shed), wiping down the bathroom counters and cleaning in my kitchen. It's easy to keep those areas clean and I am the type gal who cleans as I cook. And I can't cook until my kitchen is clean! It may sound weird, but I need fresh and open spaces because I don't have a ton of room in my kitchen and on the counters. The girl on YouTube is Love Meg. She motivates me like no other! 

How do you go about this? I'd love to hear!

Thanks for reading along! Love to all.