Yes, I do have a blog.
Yes, I intend to keep writing on it.
Yes, I am still alive and kicking.
Yes, I have been distracted. But is that a bad thing? Probably not.
Warning: disjointed writing ahead. Read at your own risk.
Megan was home last week and we got a lot accomplished towards the wedding planning. We met with the decorator/flower lady, the wedding planner, the hairdresser, and the caterer. That all sounds so professional but in reality they are all really good friends that are being gracious in helping us with the wedding planning.
We had Zach's mom and sister (and oh so adorable nephew) come visit and help crank out the invitations. They were such a big help They've been mailed and we have received a couple of the RSVP postcards. We also helped Zach's mom find a dress for the wedding.
Yesterday a friend and I planned a shower for Megan. She comes back home in 3 weeks for our church family to be able to celebrate her getting married by throwing her a shower. I am amused that my friend and I are so uncreative, yet we seem to plan multiple showers. Oh well. All that really matters is the food and the presents, right?
I am so incredibly thankful that this has been a record breaking March weather wise. This is the first March since weather records were recorded that there hasn't been any snow here. The average is 10"! I was not looking forward to begging someone (Zach) to clear the driveway for me since the hubby is at his new job. Today I was driving around town with the sunroof open. And I saw a true sign of spring: a Street Cleaner! So exciting to get all that sand cleaned off the streets!
My question of the week: Why do I feel like all I have been doing around here is clean, clean, clean? Our house gets the For Sale sign stuck in the yard next Monday. I had someone clean the carpets in a couple of rooms yesterday and today called on a couple strong men from church to help moved the furniture back. Maybe after the house in on the market I won't feel like I'm always cleaning. Oh who am I kidding?
I think that's all the disjointed writing I have in me for tonight.
I seem to be lacking in my own original ideas for blogposts. Thankfully there are some people out there in Blogdom that are quite creative. One of those creative bloggy people is Mocha with Linda. She started this Flashback Friday thing and I thought I would join in. You can click over to her blog and participate or read other flashbacks.
When was your first date? You can choose either your first date ever or your first date with your spouse - or both! How old were you? What did you do/where did you go? Did anything memorable - either good or embarrassing? If it was your first date ever, did you continue to date that person? If so, how long? If you are sharing the story of the first date with the person you married, did you know then that he/she was "the one" or did it take a longer for love to bloom? Any other memories you wish to share about those wonderfully awkward first dates?!
I was 15 when I went on my first ever date. It was with a friend of my brother's and we went to a weird Woody Allen movie and my brother was along. It was a weird, awkward night and I didn't really end up dating the guy.
I'd rather remember my first date with my hubby. Well, kind of a date. More like the date that wasn't, or shouldn't have been. I was 21. I was dating a guy I had met in Colorado the summer before who went to school in Texas. (Long distance. Ugh.) Pete and I were very good friends by this point. We had known each other for several years through our involvement in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
Pete and I wanted to see the movie Reds. It was showing in a town about 30 miles away. We decided to go out to dinner before the movie. (I lived in the dorm, Pete lived in an apartment.) I told Pete to pick the restaurant. He picked me up at the dorm in his 1980 Mazda GLC. I cringed when we pulled into the parking lot of Long John Silvers. Now, I could eat basically any where, but that place was my absolute least favorite place. (But I didn't tell him this until a long time afterward.) I just remember looking at that plate of golden fried ickiness. I think I pick a lot of the breading off.
**A side note here. A few months ago when we were driving to see my mom, we were looking for a place to eat and actually stopped at a Long John Silvers. Mostly to be funny because we hadn't eaten at one for 27+ years. Kind of sad they are still around... Here's a picture of my dear hubby about to enjoy the golden fried ickiness that smelled so fishy:
He's so goofy. I love him.**
Okay... back to the date that shouldn't have been...
We got to the bigger town where the movie was and pretty sure we got lost trying to find the theater. The movie was good and very long. So long there was an intermission. I remember standing in the lobby talking. My only other real memory of that night is after we got back to our college town, we both decided that the whole go out to dinner and to a movie thing seemed too much like a date and since I was dating someone else, that we shouldn't do that any more.
I was pretty serious about that other guy and was pretty sure I'd marry him. But he broke up with me a couple of months later. (That guy ended up being a pastor and I have often thought that I just don't think I was cut out to be a pastor's wife.)
What did I do after that break up? I turned to my best friend for support. Any guesses who that best friend was? Well, he's still my best friend 28 years later. I certainly didn't know that night at Long John Silvers I'd end up spending the rest of my life with him. We started dating for real about 6 months later. We dated for 9 months, were engaged for 13 months and have been married for almost 26 years! That's a lot of life together.
I remember when I went home that summer I knew Pete was my best friend. He wrote me a letter every week that summer. Unfortunately, I don't have those letters. That fall when I headed back to school I remember looking at my letters from Pete and the letters from the guy from Texas. I was still hoping for a renewed relationship with the Texas guy, so I kept his letters and threw away all of Pete's letters. Sad. Although we still joke about the restaurant and me throwing the letters away.
Thankful for... a conversation I had with a very dear friend last week. It was way more than just a surface-y exchange of information. Refreshing.
Enjoying... an orderly house. I've been very busy getting things in order to put the house on the market.
In the kitchen... not very much since I'm the only one around. It will be busier next week when Megan is home! I got a phone call from her today requesting steak. I'll be happy to indulge. I hope the snow on the deck is melted so we can use the grill. Sewing... a quilted cover for my sewing machine. I'm using scraps from a wall-hanging quilt I made from Mary Engelbreit fabrics. The fabric makes me happy.
Reading...Pretense by Lori Wick. She is one of my favorite authors.
Striving for... exercising more days a week than not.
In the yard/garden... melting snow. Finally! The pile at the end of the driveway was still as tall as the trash can yesterday. But it is melting. I am so ready for spring.
Praying for... a job for my son and son-in-law-to-be.
In the CD player today... David Crowder's Church Music. Good stuff for sure.
Watching...Gilmore Girls. I never get tired of watching that show. So many great lines delivered. So many quirky characters. I think Kirk is my favorite. Followed by Suki.
Just Finished Reading... Francine River's Leota's Garden. I read it several years ago and it was just as good the second time through.
Studying... Matthew in our Small Group. I will really miss this small group when we move.
Over-indulging on... my new smart-phone. How did I ever live without even just a plain cell phone? Now I am so spoiled with this smart-phone thing. So cool.
Trying out... watching a friend's baby four days a week starting next month.
Gearing up for... our daughter's wedding!
Looking forward to... a weekend with our daughter's future mother-in-law and sister-in-law (and baby nephew). They are coming to help get the invitations for the wedding put together and addressed.
What fun. I don't have a lot of that to do around the house to prepare for putting it up for sale and for the move, but there is some. For example, there are the shoes and clothes that seemed like a good idea at the time, but now all I can think is, "What was I thinking?"
This morning I decided to sort through a couple of drawers in the bathroom. You know, those drawers where you dump all sorts of things. Some things of interest that I found were 6 sewing kits (the kind you get in a hotel or on an airplane) and no less than FOURTEEN shower caps. I could shower and not get my hair wet for a very long time. Longer than anyone around me would like and not a good idea. I'm thinking I can stop "collecting" those for a while. The interesting thing is some of them have the hotel name on them. There is one from the cruise we took to Hawaii a couple of years ago, one from The Shangri-la hotel in Singapore, and there is even one from a hotel in Chang Mai, Thailand. The Thailand trip was 11 years ago. I guess it's a good thing I have been collecting shower caps since I obviously use them often. (insert sarcastic font here)
I know this is such a riveting post. But hey -- it's my life right now.
I should hit the Publish button and go scrub that laundry room floor. I don't think I'll take pictures.
I thought it was time for another recipe. I made these yummies over Christmas and they were a big hit! These are high in butter, sugar, and chocolate. Can life get any better? Enjoy!
Almond Chocolate Toffee Crunchies Recipe Ingredients:
1 sleeve of saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Line crackers on cookie sheet close together.
Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium pan on medium-high heat.
Stirring often, heat the mixture for about 3-5 minutes until it turns into a nice caramel looking sauce. (*note* I have used generic brown sugar without success. Not sure why it does not caramelize, but instead the butter starts to clarify and the brown sugar clumps. I recommend using C&H Brown Sugar.) Pour the sauce over the crackers until they are completely covered. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the cookie sheet. The chocolate should start to melt. Spread chocolate over the toffee mixture and top with toasted almonds. Allow to completely cool before breaking toffee up in pieces. Enjoy!
We have just a bit over 90 days before the daughter's wedding. It's been fun to work with my daughter in the planning.
One fun thing I have been able to do is to look for flower girl dresses. Last week I ordered a couple online and after they were delivered, I just had to have the adorable flower girls come over to try them on. Thankfully they fit perfectly! Aren't they sweet sisters?
Then, because this is an important little girl thing, we tested them to make sure they twirled properly:
Pretty sure they passed the test! Love the smile on the girls' faces!
I came across this saying in a book I have been reading:
Sticks and stones may break my bones, words destroy the heart and spirit.
That struck something in me.
I experienced some incredibly hurtful words spoken to me a few months ago. Satan has tried to use them to destroy my heart and spirit. I know the words were spoken in the midst of great stress and personal pain, but I think maybe those are the times when we need to guard our words the most. When you are hurting is when it's easier to say hurtful things. Words are powerful. I almost wish the person would have thrown a rock at me. In time, that wound would have healed and probably not left a scar.
Proverbs 15:4 says:
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Recovering from hurtful words is very difficult. Healing from being crushed takes a long time. Those words, only five words, have affected how I look at all my relationships.
I realized yesterday that when I don't look at myself through my Father's eyes, I don't see what He sees. I don't trust His lavish love for me. I don't trust His plan for my life. It affects my relationship with Him.
I struggle with this with my husband too. I don't trust what he sees in me and how he loves me and why he loves me. It affects our relationship.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1a
I have been praying to see and feel that lavish love of God's. I know He showed it through Jesus and what Jesus did for my sins. I have asked God to show me in my everyday life.
I came across this quote in an article I was reading. (I don't remember who wrote it so I can give them credit.)
God can heal wounds and turn them into "holy scars" that declare God's grace, mercy and purposes.
I look forward to the day that I can look at this scar left by five words, and only see God's grace, His mercy and His purpose.
