Move It Mondays

Wow, I've really let this blog go!  I hate to admit it, but some days I just don't have anything new or particularly interesting to write about.  Life is busy and there's much to do, but it isn't anything out of the ordinary so I don't stop to blog about it.

For instance, I've been barbecuing more often now though today was definitely not a day to be outdoors.  It turned dark at about 11:00am but it didn't start raining until after 1:30pm.  I did my grocery shopping this morning and picked up some flowers for my backyard planters.  I'd planted petunias in the large brick planter but heavy rains destroyed them.  I planted vincas instead.

The white ones on either corner were already there, I just planted the ones in the center where the petunias once resided.

I also bought this torenia because the color fascinated me.  It's called Midnight Blue.

I think it's more of a deep purple, but either way it's stunning.

You might notice in the pictures that everything is wet.  Once the rain started, it meant to stick around.  It's now past 6pm and the rain is still falling.  Thankfully it isn't raining terribly hard.  It's just non-stop.

Our pastor is doing an amazing series called Momentum.  This Sunday he talked about what to do when the desires of our hearts are not fulfilled.  It has me thinking a lot about how things don't always turn out the way I expected.  It's not that God isn't listening, it's that His will is different from mine.  I have to find out what His will for my life is.  I'm gonna be praying about that.

We went bowling on Saturday.  Our local bowling alley has a really great deal:  $34.99 gets us 2 games per day for up to 4 people all summer long till September 2.  What's really nice is that it doesn't include my youngest son because he gets the games for free anyway!  Kids 15 and under can sign up for their Kids Summer Fun deal, 2 games per day for free.  I hope we can go at least a couple of times per week so we can be ready when my sister and brother-in-law come to visit.  My brother-in-law is a great bowler, so we have to be in tip top condition come December.  I printed off the free movie schedule from our local movie theater as well.  I try to find as many free or low cost entertainment for the summer as I possibly can so my son doesn't have to complain about not having anything to do.

The last day of school is June 6.  My son has field day this Thursday, so although he's in school he won't be going to any of his classes.  Next Monday is Memorial Day which means no school as well.  So officially he now has 11 days of school left.  There are no words to describe how happy he is that the year is almost over - he is ready for a vacation!

Speaking of endings, this Wednesday is our last day of Awana - awards night.  I'll be saying goodbye to my sweet third grade girls who will be moving up.  It's a joy to serve at Awana and see how God's word starts to penetrate into their little hearts.  Kids are kids for a very short time - use that time wisely!

Hmm, I guess I did have plenty to write about after all!  Have a wonderful week everybody!  God bless.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday!  It's been a busy day, as is usual for Mondays.  It's a good thing I get a whole weekend to rest up and prepare for it!

Today was grocery shopping day, which was necessary since there wasn't a whole lot of food in the cupboards.  I like shopping on Mondays because the stores aren't as crowded as the rest of the week, and definitely less crowded than the weekend.  I was able to get all my shopping done, got gas in the car and made it back home by 10:30am.  Gas was a bargain at $3.37/gallon.  :P

I'd made the week's menu for all days except today.  I figured I'd decide what to make based on what I purchased.  When I started putting the groceries away, I noticed a small package of ground beef my daughter had bought and the plastic had torn.  It was starting to get freezer burned.  My solution?  Hamburger Helper!  I could make it quickly, have lunch and start on my next task:  washing cars.

I got outside and started vacuuming my oldest son's car.  I managed to finish it but then I went back inside.  It was so hot out today!  It was 67 degrees this morning when I took my youngest son to school, but it was a sweltering 84 degrees with the sun blaring down on me.  There was no way I could stand being out there any longer.  I think I'll try again tomorrow or Wednesday morning while it's still cool out.

Other than that, it's been a nice, calm day.  I'm praying for some friends today that have requested prayer, and that has kind of kept me relaxed.  I know that seems hard to understand, but that's the power of prayer. It brings peace in the most difficult circumstances.  God brings us comfort in the worst storms.  I'm very thankful for that.

I'm gonna get the kitchen cleaned up, then get some rest after my busy day.  Have a blessed week!

Move It Mondays

It's Monday, and the sun is coming out again - just in time to set in about an hour.  The weather went from sunny and warm in the early morning hours, to sunny and breezy later in the morning, to showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, and now in the evening the sun is back out.  Ah, spring.  Season of confusion.

I had a pretty busy day today, but I found myself even more organized than usual.  Why, you ask?  Because of Any.DO.  It's a free app on my iPhone that's basically a to-do list that I carry with me wherever I go.  When I remember something that needs to get done, I record it on Any.DO so I don't forget.  I plan out my week on Any.DO, and whatever doesn't get done gets moved over to the next day.  What I love most is that I scratch off the items on the list as they get done, and at the end of the day when I erase them, the app says, "Good job!" or "Way to go!"  I need all the encouragement I can get ;).

First off, I got my son to school nice and early.  One of the ladies in my Sunday school class made a breakfast quiche and I brought some home for my son E, so I didn't have to make breakfast for him.  I barbecued yesterday and made enough so I could pack him a burger and a hot dog for lunch, so I didn't have much to do there either.  My breakfast consisted of chocolate Fiber One cereal, cinnamon raisin toast with a little Olivio (spread made from olive oil), and coffee.  After dropping him off at school, I proceeded to do my weekly grocery shopping.  I'd made my shopping list last night and put everything on the iPhone as well.  I find that grocery shopping goes much faster on Friday than any other day of the week.

When I got home I was pleasantly surprised to see that my oldest son R was getting ready to make lunch - an offer I never refuse!  He made fried pork wontons, and they were delicious!  I put away all the groceries, and took advantage of this unforeseen blessing by using the time to mow the lawn.  I'd read that we're supposed to get rain this week, so I figured it would be best to tame the beast before the rain made it grow any taller.  Good thing too, because about a half hour after I'd finished the rain started!  It took just an hour to get the entire lawn mowed, and after my shower I was treated to lunch.

I only rested a short while before I had to pick my son E up from school and take him to the barber.  His hair grows fast, like mine, and is much harder to tame.  Good thing boys get to wear their hair short!  We got home and had dinner - fried pork wontons again, since my son made 44 of them - then I sat and helped E with his science homework.  He's doing some additional homework on the computer, then he wants me to help him with language arts homework.  We counted this morning, and there are only 28 days left of school, which his teachers apparently want to load with as much work as possible!  He's so looking forward to the summer.  I am too - I got an email from our local bowling alley stating that they're having their Summer Unplugged offer again.  Kids 15 and under get to bowl 2 games per day everyday for the whole summer.  We did it last year and really enjoyed it!  For the rest of the family we got a summer pass for $29.95 for the same amount of games, but this year the price has gone up to $34.95.  I'm still going to get it though.  It's way cheaper to pay for the summer pass than it is to pay every time we go, and bowling is a fun and healthy sport.

One other thing I'm working on:  I'm making an apron, by hand.  I found the pattern at Walmart on clearance for $8.97.  I don't have a sewing machine, but I figured an apron shouldn't be too hard to sew by hand.  So far it hasn't been, and I'm really enjoying doing something with hands.

That's the fabric after cutting it out.  I'm in the process of hemming the apron before I add on the flounce that goes around the bottom.  I'm really excited about how pretty this apron is looking!  Hopefully I'll have a picture of the finished product soon.

That's it for now.  Hope everyone is having a delightfully blessed Monday!

Move It Mondays

It's a cloudy, slightly rainy Monday in South Florida.  It's been a cloudy, partly rainy weekend, too.  Our rainy season has started earlier than usual, which is fine because we had a very dry winter.  It makes the days kind of dreary, though, not what I need right now.  My kid's dad has been pretty annoying lately, and having days like these doesn't help.

I'm working on losing the extra pounds I've gained lately, and I'm doing better than I expected.  So far I've lost over 6 pounds and I'm back into the 140's, but there's plenty more that has to be lost.  I've cut out the chocolate (except for my breakfast cereal; I found chocolate Fiber One, and I couldn't pass that up!), and any other sweets I had craving.  I'm measuring my food and making sure I get plenty of water.  Already I'm feeling more energetic, which is a good sign.  I downloaded Runtastic onto my phone to help me count by steps and make sure I'm getting enough physical activity as well.  I'll admit I ate way too much pizza yesterday, but it was Sunday and we got Little Caesar's and I couldn't resist.  I paid for it later though; my stomach was not happy after several days of salads, fruits and veggies.  All the good stuff made my digestive system happy.  Cheese and pepperoni pizza?  Not so much.

I got up early and followed my usual morning routine:  get breakfast ready for my son E, pack his lunch, and have my own breakfast.  I've been eating cereal with almond milk so my breakfast is easy.  My son is 13 and growing like a weed; cereal won't cut it for him.  So I made him a scrambled egg, bacon and a hash brown patty.  I was surprised to find that he'd eaten the hash brown and a bite of his egg, but none of the bacon.  That is not like him!  He said his stomach felt a bit weird, but that has happened before when he has to get up early in the morning.  It usually settles, so I told him to get ready so we could leave.  As we were on our way to his school he mentioned again that his stomach was hurting a bit.  I thought it might be hunger, since he hadn't finished eating, or again the fact that he was up early after a weekend of sleeping in.  I told him he could call me if he felt bad enough to come home.  He saw his friend and ran to catch up with him, so I figured he was okay.

I was off to Winn-Dixie with my pedometer and shopping list on my phone.  I'm so thankful my kids got me the iPhone!  What a great gadget!  I finished at Winn-Dixie and headed out to Walmart.  Halfway through the store my phone rings; it's my son's school.  Sure enough, he felt worse.  Thankfully my daughter was able to pick him up so I didn't have to leave my groceries in Walmart to run and get him.  I then went to Costco to buy a large package of toilet paper.  The youth pastor at our church and his young family are going through some rough times financially, so the youth leaders decided to throw them a "pounding party".  I'd never heard of this, but what I understand is it's a party where you give gifts of needed items by the pound.  This package has 30 rolls of TP which is way more than a pound, but it's definitely a necessity, and one that has gotten ridiculously expensive.  I'm glad folks are willing to lend them a helping hand with diapers, wipes, (they have a toddler) and any other stuff.  I love seeing the body of Christ at work!

Once I got home and put away the groceries, I made kielbasa with onions, yellow rice with mixed veggies, fries and a salad for our lunch.  Now I'm off to clean the second bathroom which didn't get done this weekend, then hopefully I can relax awhile (yeah, right!).  One thing I need to start doing is looking for work.  Much as I enjoy being at home with my son, I realize I can't continue being dependent on someone who then thinks he has authority over me while living with his girlfriend.  It's such a complicated situation, but one that needs to be remedied.  I have faith the Lord will lead me to make the wise decisions.

Have a blessed Monday everyone!

Move It Mondays

Today I had a "brain-fart" day.  Ever had one of those?  Where you seem to forget everything?  Those days where you wish you could go back to bed and start all over again?  That's been my day.  Is this what old age is gonna be like?

I got up early this morning and made breakfast as usual, then started my son E's lunch.  He doesn't like any of the school lunches so he takes a pack lunch with him.  We sat down to have breakfast, then I ironed my son's pants, got dressed, fixed my bed, the normal things I do every morning.  My son was dragging his feet because today was the start of the FCAT's, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests.  He knew he had to take his math exam today, and it was making him so nervous he couldn't get ready fast enough.  We were already 10 minutes late walking out the door when he asks if I have his lunchbox.  That's when I realize, I didn't pack it!  First time in I don't know how long that I totally forgot to pack his lunch.  That made us an extra 5 minutes late.  Thank God I had made the lunch and only needed to pack it, otherwise it would have been much worse.

We made it to his school just in time (thank You Jesus!) and I went on to do my grocery shopping.  My first stop was Winn-Dixie.  I like that their mobile app allows me to prepare a shopping list of their specials which I can then compare to my weekly shopping list.  I always prepare a shopping list to take with me so I know I'm not forgetting anything.  I looked at both lists, got what I needed, checked out and headed to Walmart.  Once inside Walmart, I reached into my purse to get my shopping list.  I couldn't find it.  I checked again.  Nothing.  I emptied out the entire purse, checked every little nook and cranny, and had to accept the truth: I'd lost my shopping list.  Ugh!

As I went through Walmart reviewing in my mind what I could remember from the list and what the menu for the week was, I also made notes on my phone of the things I remembered I needed to get from Costco.  I think I got everything; of course I won't know until I try to find something and realize I don't have it.  I left Walmart just as a rain shower was starting; thankfully I had my umbrella in my bag.  I loaded the car and headed to Costco where I also got gas at a bargain $3.509/gallon :P.  I went into Costco with my new list, got everything I needed, and made it to the checkout just in time for an old man to cut in front of me so he could get to the register first.  I made a mental note to teach my boys better manners, then as I was ready to start putting my purchases on the conveyor, I remembered we have no toilet paper in the house.  I had to go back and get TP or we'd be in trouble!  And wouldn't you know, the toilet paper is waaaaay in the back of the warehouse, on the absolute opposite end of where the registers are.  Oh well, at least I remembered before I'd left the store.

By this time the rain had stopped, and I was thankful that I was done with my errands and could go home.  I loaded the car and left.  As I got to the last traffic light before entering my neighborhood I remembered that I was supposed to get a referral from my doctor for an appointment I have tomorrow morning.  How could I forget that?!  I had it on my mind all weekend!  I didn't want to turn around, so I figured I'd go after lunch.  I got home and started unloading the groceries when I noticed I'd forgotten to start the dishwasher before I left the house.  Great.  We'd be eating on paper plates. :P

After lunch I hopped into the car and drove over to the doctor's office, only to find it closed.  Really?!  I'd gone out of my way for this?!  It was at that point I decided it might be best to ask for a redo of my day, or just accept that there are days like these and it's best to laugh it off.  So I shook it off, picked up my son from school, took him to the dentist for his cleaning, and came back home to relax.

Everyone has days that are more upside down than right side up.  And for some strange reason, those days tend to be on Mondays ;-).  It's okay.  Everyday is a blessing.  Enjoy today.

This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

 - Psalm 118:24

Move It Mondays

Happy Atheists Day!  What, you didn't know today was Atheists day?  The Bible tells us so.  "The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” - Psalm 14:1.  Chew on that for a bit.

Our weekend was an extraordinary and very busy one.  We had a beautiful Good Friday service Friday afternoon.  Communion is so special on that day; it's like reliving the last supper Jesus had with His disciples before He was carried off to be crucified.  Pastor Matt gave such a moving sermon.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the whole church.  What a sacrifice the Father made to give us eternal life!  We who are nothing more than wretched sinners!  It just shows God's enormous love for us.  We can never be thankful enough.

Saturday night the church where my daughter interns had their first Easter service and I was asked to help with one of the children's ministry classes.  It gave me the opportunity to listen to my daughter lead worship, and teach the 2nd and 3rd grade children about Jesus and the Resurrection.  The teaching was excellent, the class time was phenomenal, and I left there feeling content and joyful because I'd had the chance to share with these great kids.  I feel so incredibly blessed.

Sunday morning we had our Resurrection Sunday service, and once again Pastor Matt hit it out of the park!  The first service was pretty full, I can only imagine what second service was like!  Worship time was inspiring, too.  We did upbeat and happy songs, celebrating the risen Christ, and it was just awesome.  After church we came home and I grilled up some chicken breasts, pineapple spears, made some pasta, and we relaxed after a very busy but very fulfilling weekend.  I won't forget this one anytime soon.

Today was back to our routine.  School started up again, and I ran errands most of the morning.  I bought some annuals at Lowe's and planted them in the planters on the backyard patio.  It livened things up!  This winter has been extremely dry, so I didn't plant anything waiting for the rainy season to start.  I've been hearing thunder all afternoon, but other than about 5 drops we haven't gotten any rain.  My cousin, who lives about 25 minutes south of us, says it was pouring rain by her, so it may very well be sneaking up on us soon. My grass will be most appreciative.

For lunch today I made our family favorite:  ground beef and rice.  My kids would happily eat this everyday! It's fast and easy, which is good since I was tired after running errands all morning.  After picking up my son E from school, I got an email from Menchie's with a new sorbet flavor:  pink lemonade.  Since we have BOGO coupons from Menchie's, and I love pink lemonade, it was the perfect treat!  I can still taste it now, so cool and refreshing.  They've got green apple sorbet as well, so yummy!  While their specialty is frozen yogurt, the sorbets are delicious and perfect for 70 degree weather, which is what we're currently enjoying.

Around the house, I put away some laundry I'd washed, tidied up a bit, but other than that I haven't done anything.  I guess it'll have to wait till tomorrow.  I'll clean up the kitchen now, help my son with his homework, then get ready for bed.  Goodnight to all, God bless you this Monday and everyday.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday!  It's a cloudy day here in South Florida, cool and just a bit humid.  The weather has been really dry lately which is unusual for us, but we're happy for the break.  Rain is in the forecast for this week, something the lawn is looking forward to.

As of today my income tax return hasn't arrived.  I was getting bummed because my oldest son's birthday is on the 27th of this month, and I was really wanting to get him a collector's edition of the Nintendo 3DS he's been wanting.  Come to find out this morning he bought it for himself!  Ugh, now I have to figure out what else to get him!  Don't you just hate when that happens? :/

My daughter is doing much better this morning.  After the surgery she could barely open her mouth to drink a smoothie; yesterday she was able to eat some macaroni and cheese.  It's still hard for her, since she can't bite down yet and the swelling is still going down, but we're seeing improvements daily.  She attended church yesterday though she couldn't lead the children in worship.  She's at the church office today, puffy cheeks and all, and it's wonderful to see her on the mend.

My youngest son got an interesting topic for his language arts class:  make up a mythological god, complete with drawing and characteristics.  His first choice was Earth, The God of Idiots.  I thought it was pretty funny, till I remembered I live here :P.  We tossed around ideas, and he came up with a really good one:  Money, God of Greed.  The report will show how detrimental it is to worship the god Money, how it turns human beings into selfish, self-centered creatures, and how easily it leaves those who are so devoted to it.  I'm super excited to help him with this project!

I got up early this morning - too early, since this weekend marked the end of Daylight Savings Time (or is it the beginning?  I never get that right).  It wasn't too bad, though.  I found I never got used to the time change back in October or November, whenever that was, and I was awake at 5am most days just tossing and turning in bed.  It wasn't the same for my son E.  He hated having to get up so early!  After dropping him off at school, I came home and vacuumed up mega amounts of dog hair, dusted, and brought out my little popsicle stick cross that my son made when he was 5 years old.  It holds special meaning, especially because he made it for Easter back in 2005.  I'm thinking of starting my spring decorating this week.  It would be a little earlier than usual; I like decorating for spring on the first day of spring.  However, the church my daughter interns at has asked that I come by next week and help prepare some gift packages for the children for Easter Sunday, and I can't resist.  I'll be too busy next week, so decorating starts now.

For lunch today, it's chicken pot pie.  If I chop up the chicken small enough my daughter should be able to eat it, otherwise she can have just the veggies and pie crust.  She's willing to eat anything that isn't pudding, gelatin, or mashed potatoes.  Add a salad to the mix and I've got a quick, easy and healthy meal.

I've got a hair appointment for tomorrow (much needed - my ends are toast), my daughter's follow-up visit at the dentist's on Wednesday, and our church is doing a production on Saturday called The Story - The Musical.  We got a preview yesterday and it looks amazing!  It's a reminder of Jesus's story and how it has changed history.  We're really looking forward to it.

Hope y'all have a blessed and fun week too.  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

Move It Mondays

It's 11:35 in the morning, and this is the first opportunity I get to sit down (other than eating breakfast).  It's been a busy and productive morning.  Feeling good about that!

First off, though, let me talk about the weekend and Casting Crowns!  Oh, the concert was amazing!  The drive was long but we got there in time to park up close to the venue.  It's an outdoor amphitheater in a park, with VIP seating in front of the stage or bring your own seating behind and around it.  Since my daughter won the tickets she and her friends were sure we would get preferred seating.  I wasn't convinced, so we brought some folding sports chairs.  Boy, am I glad we did!  We went to Will Call as instructed, gave our names and, lo and behold, we were not on the list.  That kind of scared me a little, since we'd driven an hour to get there and the cheapest seats were $30 each, which I didn't have.  Thankfully, they had someone check in the computer, and when my daughter was asked where she'd gotten the tickets it was sufficient.  We got stamped, but found out we were in general admission, meaning no chairs for us.  I'm not upset about it, though.  The VIP seats were nothing more than folding chairs - our chairs were more comfortable!  The only rough part of the evening was the weather - it was in the low 50's and windy, meaning it felt cold!  I had on jeans with a sweater and a top over it, my warm coat and a blanket and I was still shivering.  Even my daughter, who doesn't typically complain about cold weather, was tucking herself under a blanket.  Glad we thought to bring those too!

The concert started about 15 minutes late but lasted 2 hours with a 15 minute break in between.  What I really love about Casting Crowns is that it isn't just about the music.  It's a ministry, with the goal of bringing the Gospel message, and what an encouraging sight to see many come up to receive Christ as their personal Savior!  It was really inspiring.  The music was great too, don't get me wrong.  I cried during a couple of the songs, danced, sang my little heart out and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  But there's something about seeing people get saved that really makes the evening special.  I'm so thankful that my daughter and I got to experience that night together.

Next morning it was hard to get out of bed, thanks to 52 degrees outside and warm, cozy bed inside!  Service was amazing once again.  Pastor Matt is such a dynamic and passionate speaker.  Since he came in January to serve as our lead pastor, the church has been getting more and more packed.  I'm excited to see what kind of a turnout we get this Easter!

This morning was the coldest we've had all winter.  It was the first time I had to turn on the heat!  It was 43 degrees when I got up, and the wind made it feel like 41.  I don't care where you hail from, 41 degrees is cold!  It's 61 degrees now but it still feels chilly.  The windows are open so the house can air out.  I much prefer having days when I can open up the windows and let the cool air come in instead of having the a/c running all day long.

Since my daughter will be having her wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday, I decided to get her room cleaned up really good.  She's working at both her jobs today so she won't have a chance to do it.  I washed Molly's bedding, dusted the room from top to bottom, and mopped up her floors.  Then I moved on into my son's room.  I cleaned up the same in there but also helped my son get the desk a bit more organized.  Boys can be pretty messy if you let them :(.

I knew I'd be busy today, so last night I filled up the crock pot with the ingredients to make jambalaya.  All I had to do this morning was take it out of the fridge and turn it on.  I put the shrimp in a few minutes ago, and lunch should be ready in about 40 minutes.  The house smells so yummy!  And jambalaya is perfect for crisp, cool days like today.

I finished putting away 2 small loads of laundry, so after lunch I'll clean up the bathrooms, then see about getting the branches from the backyard into the trash can, since tomorrow is trash day.  It looks like it's gonna be a hectic week, so I'm thankful I have Monday to get myself in gear!  Have a blessed one!

Move It Mondays

This post should really read "Moved It Mondays" since it's now almost 8pm.  I didn't even pull out my computer till a little while ago.  Once I get my momentum going it's hard to stop.

After a breakfast of one fried egg, one slice of bacon and one English muffin, I took my son E to school and had my morning walk dropping him off.  I came home to fold 3 loads of laundry, clean the kitchen, vacuum and mop the family room, kitchen, dining room and living room, cleaned the family room ceiling fan, then finally sat for a few minutes to catch my breath before making some tilapia, fried plantains, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli and salad.  Not long after lunch I picked up E from school again, and just a little while ago I helped him with his Civics and Language Arts homeworks.  Now he's watching an old Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon.

My son R was covering for one of his coworkers and had to leave for work early.  My daughter A started her first day at Elevation Burger.  She really liked working at Old Navy, but working 4-8 hours per week wasn't going to pay the bills.  Most of her money was going just in gas, now that it's creeping up to $3.85/gallon.  She knew she had to find something close, and until the church is able to hire she is still interning.  Bills have to be paid, so a burger place it is.  At least this place is a little more upscale; they serve organic burgers.

The church carnival was a blast!  Especially Saturday, when my daughter and the church's youth band performed.  I videotaped the performance but I'm having a hard time downloading it.  My computer is an old dinosaur :P.  I'll have to wait till my daughter has time to download it using her Macbook.  It was a joy to listen to her powerhouse voice as she belted out songs by Jesus Culture and Hillsong.  I was afraid she wouldn't be able to sing the next morning at church, but the pastor said she sounded great!  That's God's gifts for ya, always available to use for His glory.

It's getting close to shower time, so I'll be packing up the computer soon.  Have a blessed night everyone!

Move It Mondays

Happy President's Day!  It's a day for super sales at the stores...oh yeah, and remembering our past presidents :P.  Let's face it, many of these holidays aren't true holidays at all, just excuses for the stores to get you to spend some money.  Plenty of people have no idea what today is, other than it's a day the kids get off from school and government workers get to stay home.

Okay, back to my reality here.  Let me mention the weather we've had for the last couple of days.  After 80+ degree weather all last week with heavy rain showers that started Thursday night, it's been in the 40's yesterday morning and today.  Forties!!  That's frigid cold in our neck of the woods.  We even have wind chill factors - in South Florida!  We should get into the upper 60's today.  That's perfect weather for oven cleaning, which I'll be doing later on when it's not as cold and I can open a window.

Another thing I have planned for today:  get a new television.  No, I'm not taking advantage of the President's Day sales.  I got my two Costco rebates which add up to $245.  Perfect timing, since our family room television has been giving us problems.  It's an old (almost 13 years old) set, a very large one that we got when we first moved into the house.  It still technically works, when it wants to.  It takes some coaxing to get it warmed up, and yesterday it went haywire for no reason (which it's done in the past), and I've known for some time that it's on its last leg.  With the rebate money I hope to get a 32" set for my bedroom, and move the 42" TV from my bedroom into the family room, since that set is really too big for the bedroom anyway.  Thankfully my son R is off from work today so he can help with the set up (read:  do all the setting up himself since I have no clue how to attach the Wii to anything).  The kids are excited; our old set has a pretty bad picture.  The colors are all faded and it doesn't look anything like the new HDTV's.  I can't wait to play Just Dance 4 on it ;).

My son has plenty of homework to keep him busy.  Yesterday he did math, science and reading.  Today he will finish math and work on a language arts project.  Mom is always here to help, so we'll see about getting that stuff taken care of.  We're having ground beef empanadas for lunch/dinner, to my kid's delight.  It'll be a busy, but hopefully productive day.  God bless, have a great President's Day!

Move It Mondays

It's the first Monday of the new year, and while I've been doing some moving, I admit I've done so a bit lazily ;).  The weekend was uneventful except for one very important event:  our new pastor is here!  Pastor Matt and his family moved down from Las Vegas and preached a great message this weekend.  The church was electrified with the presence of the Holy Spirit as we were challenged to step out of our comfort zones to reach our world with the Gospel.   I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us!

I did some grocery shopping today, and went over my budget by $20 :P.  It's hard to stay in the budget with food prices going up all the time.  After putting away the groceries I made some rice to go with the pot roast that cooked overnight in the crock pot (my favorite invention).  I sat with my lunch and my Nook.  Last night I decided I needed to start reading again, since I've spent waaay too much time in front of the TV watching cheesy Christmas flicks.  I found a book I'd downloaded months ago called Paradise Valley.  It's an Amish story.  I'm on chapter 7 already, and I'm enjoying this time reading again; I missed my books :).

I'm gonna clean up the kitchen now, then help my son study for a couple of exams he has coming up.  He just got back to school today and already he has a science test tomorrow, possibly a language arts test as well, and a civics test on Wednesday.  Thankfully he got all his winter break homework done :P.  These teachers don't give a break!

I've gotta take some pictures of what I've done in the living room since putting away the Christmas decorations.  Let's just say Kirkland's and I have an even closer relationship now :D.  I'll try to get that later today or tomorrow.  In the meantime, Happy Monday!

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday y'all!  It's the last week of school before winter recess - boy has the time gone by fast!  Not fast enough for my son, though; he'd like school to be over already!  He has several exams this week that he's been studying for, and it puts some serious pressure on a kid.  He's looking forward to the time off more than anyone else here.

I've been pretty busy preparing the house for a going away party this Thursday.  Friends of ours from church are moving to Sweden next week and we volunteered our home, since our yard is large enough to hold a big group.  It's sad for us, especially for my daughter, because she was just getting close to this sweet young lady.  She found out that, not only are they moving to another country, but they're leaving on her birthday.  She was pretty heartbroken about it, which is why this party is even more important to her.

Having people over means lots of cleaning and fixing up to do.  I cleared out a bunch of branches from the backyard.  It's possible the grass will have to be cut before Thursday, but I'm waiting to see.  There's lots of weeds back there, more than I care to look at.  Inside I've cleaned the family room and the dining room, but from here till Thursday there will have to be plenty more done.  What's most upsetting to me is getting everything cleaned up only to find that within a day the floors are filled with dog hair again.  Honestly, I don't know why this dog isn't bald.  The way she sheds, I could have contributed to Doggy Locks for Love and donated to several hairless dogs.

We had fish tacos for lunch.  I'm just gonna have a sandwich for dinner, and the rest will have something quick and easy as well.  The oven is gonna be used for baking very shortly; it's time for me to get those cakes in the oven for our neighbors.  I don't deliver them all at once.  I typically bake a couple and deliver those, then bake a couple more and take them, etc.  That way I don't have to worry about ants invading my home because of all the goodies.  They can take over very quickly.

I did some grocery shopping this afternoon before picking up my son from school.  I made a 2 week menu plan so that I don't have to go grocery shopping next week.  I want to spend as much time with my family and away from stores as possible.  I'll be finishing my shopping tomorrow.

Wednesday is our Awana Happy Birthday Jesus party.  The children have so much fun!  I have to remember to buy Capri Suns for the event.  We won't be having Awana for 2 weeks after that so I'll be missing my girls tremendously, but we'll all be having a wonderful time celebrating our Savior's birth.

It's a busy week ahead, and that's okay by me.  I hope y'all have an enjoyable Monday and a blessed week.

Move It Mondays

It's closer to the end of the day than the beginning, but I've been moving quite a bit despite not feeling well.  My stomach has been upset since yesterday, and actually kept me awake from 4am on.  I had to go grocery shopping though, so I drank some bicarbonate of soda and ran my errands.  I was able to accomplish much, and for that I'm thankful.

Have you started watching any cheesy Christmas movies?  I rarely watch network television these days, but I don't mind tuning in to a few Lifetime or Hallmark movies during the most wonderful time of the year.  Either that, or a DVD.  It can be a movie or a cartoon, I love both equally.  

Breakfast this morning was my new standard, pumpkin spice Eggo's.  Incredibly enough they are still easily found in stores.  I didn't think they'd be around this far into the Christmas season, but hey, I'm not complaining. :)  For lunch and dinner, we had fried chicken, stuffing, corn on the cob and salad.  I really should have thought that one better; I repeated that fried chicken so many times the very smell of it became repulsive.  It was delicious when I first ate it.  It was not good the second (or third) time around.

So, do ya wanna know something special about this week?  It's my birthday this Friday.  I will be turning 29 for the 20th time ;).  It's also my sweet brother-in-law's birthday.  He is one day older than me.  Since my daughter gets Thursdays off we decided we'd celebrate my birthday on my brother-in-law's birthday and go out for a late lunch.  Or early dinner.  Depends on your perspective.  Friday, my actual birthday, is our church's Christmas concert, so I get to hear my favorite kind of music - Christmas worship music - on my birthday.  Isn't that a wonderful blessing?

I'm looking forward to some fun this week.  Hope you have fun too!

Move It Mondays

Happy 1st Monday in December!  Can you believe it, this year is quickly coming to an end!  For those of you expecting the world to end on the 21st it may not be a happy time, but for those of us who believe Christ will come as a thief in the night with no forewarning, it's the greatest month of the year!  At our house it's even more special - not only are we celebrating the Lord's birthday, but mine, my daughter and my youngest son's.  It's always festive for us this time of year!

I got up this morning and had a pumpkin spice Eggo, bacon and coffee breakfast.  After dropping my son off at school I came home to get my daughter so we could go grocery shopping.  I needed to get a hair appointment but I couldn't find the girl's number, so I figured I'd call after I got home.  As I was driving to Walmart my daughter was checking out Facebook and said, "My hair salon has an event this week - bring in a brand new unwrapped toy and get a free haircut."  Now, my daughter goes to one of these upscale salons that charge $65 for a haircut and blow-dry, so I never go there to get my hair done.  I go to a place next to our Winn-Dixie, get the $30 shampoo and cut, then come home and blow-dry it myself.  When I heard this deal, though, I got super excited!  I know where the special clearance aisle is at Walmart, and they put some really neat stuff there at great prices - like the Sorry Sliders Cars 2 Edition board game I got for $11.50!  That's the game I'm taking to the hair place tomorrow to get my free shampoo and wash!  Blow drying would be an additional $35+ so I'll still be drying my own hair, but who cares?!  I'm getting a high end haircut for $11.50, so I know I can't go wrong.  That there is a blessing from heaven!

Lunch/dinner today is jambalaya which I made in the crock pot.  It's nice and spicy and oh so delicious!  After lunch I went to finish grocery shopping.  I get my canned and dry goods primarily at Walmart, but deli meats and cheeses I get from Publix (along with some gift cards to stuff in my kids' stockings) and meats I get from Winn-Dixie.  Of course I didn't need meat this week since I doubled up last week, but I went to Winn-Dixie for salad fixings and rice.  That's another thing I don't get at Walmart - produce.  It never looks as good as the produce at Publix or Winn-Dixie.  I think the Walmart produce is over-priced; the fruits and veggies are small and don't look nearly as fresh.  The salads go bad faster too.  It doesn't pay to save a few pennies if it'll get thrown out later on.

Well, Molly's been fed, E is watching some cartoons on his computer before starting his homework, and I'm munching on an apple.  I think I'll watch a Christmas movie with dinner again tonight.  I've watched just about all the Christmas movies on Netflix, and now I'm going through my own library of Christmas DVD's.  Some people think Christmas movies are cheesy, but they are my all-time favorites!

Have a fun filled rest of your Monday everyone!

Move It Mondays

Happy last Monday in November!  The month is almost gone, Thanksgiving is but a memory, and Christmas decorating is in full swing.  I've decorated the inside of the home, but I still have the outside to go.  It won't happen today, though; today was shopping day.  Grocery shopping.  I usually go on Fridays, but there was no way I'd be caught in the madness of Black Friday.  So I got caught up with food shopping and I also gassed up the car at $3.39/gallon.  It's cheaper than it's been, but it still takes $50 to fill up the tank.

So after a trip to Winn-Dixie, Walmart, and Costco, I came home and put everything away just to start lunch.  We had fried chicken, stuffing, corn on the cob and salad.  Yum!  I have a happy tummy :).  I'm gonna clean up in the kitchen, then I'll be leaving to pick up my son from school in an hour.

I got a call from a dear friend today, which made me smile.  She was out of town visiting family and just got back, so we got interrupted twice.  It's still nice to get calls from old friends.

Hmm, maybe I can start putting up those lights this afternoon.  Let's see how much homework my little boy gets.  My sons and I can go out and do this together.  Have a blessed Monday, wherever you are.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday before Thanksgiving!  It's a week of thankfulness - what are you thankful for?  Today I'm thankful that both my older children will be off from work on Thanksgiving Day, so they can spend it relaxing at home with food and fun!  There are no 3 people in the world I'd rather spend my Thanksgiving Day with.

So for today, I've started getting the house ready.  I cleaned both bathrooms, vacuumed but haven't mopped yet because I paused to give Molly a bath.  She'd been digging in the backyard and had gotten quite filthy, but now she's as pretty as a peach.  Her bedding is in the washer, too.  I washed towels today, and tomorrow I'll be washing the people bedding ;).

In the kitchen I've got a pot roast in the crock pot and rice in the rice cooker.  The pot roast is ready; I put it in last night and it was done this morning.  I made it the easy way - potatoes, carrots, and Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix.  No muss and no fuss.  It allows me to get more things done around the house if I don't have to worry about cooking.  I moved the turkey from the freezer to the fridge to start the defrosting process.  I brine our turkey a la Alton Brown, and that will happen Wednesday night, so the turkey needs to start defrosting already.

I organized the presents in my closet last night.  Honestly, I just look for stuff in the stores, and when I find a good bargain or something I know my kids will particularly love, I go ahead and buy it, bring it home and wrap it right away.  Then I stash it all in the closet where I forget at least half of what I've bought, LOL!  There are 6 presents for my son R, 6 for my daughter A, and now 11 for my youngest son E (my daughter got him his present last night and she wrapped it up & put it with the others).  I've also got some books ordered for him from Amazon.  I think I've done pretty well this year.  I've purchased all the gifts without using the credit card so I won't have any balances to cry about for months on end.  There's a nice amount of presents and they're all paid for - yay me!  I made a promise to the Lord that I would do all my shopping without getting into debt, and I intend to keep my word.

It's noon, which means it's lunch time, which is a good thing because I'm starved!  Have a wonderful and thankful Monday.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday!  It's officially 10 days till Thanksgiving - the countdown has begun!  I did some grocery shopping on Friday and bought some of the food items for the big day, so that I wouldn't have to get everything in one shot.  Besides, this is sale time, and I'm stocking up!  I have 17 boxes of Stove Top stuffing in my garage because it's going for half price right now, and even cheaper at our local Publix.  I've also got about 12 boxes of several varieties of Duncan Hines cake mixes which are also buy one get one free.  Those I'll use to make cakes for my neighbors as Christmas gifts.

Today is a no-school day, as we honor our veterans.  We owe so much to their bravery and hard work.  I'm having my breakfast now, a pumpkin spice Eggo waffle with 2 slices of bacon and my morning coffee.  I'll be doing a little cleaning soon, but mostly I want to focus on helping my son E finish his science fair project.  It isn't due until next week but all he needs to write is the conclusion and then he can turn it in early.  Of course I have to wait till he wakes up; there's no getting up early on a school free day!

My daughter will be gone most of the day for work and a training.  I think it'll be a quiet day, but who knows? It can change at the blink of an eye!  Have a wonderful day everyone.

Move It Mondays Update

I've gotta post this and give some praise to God for His goodness!

On Friday, as I was doing my grocery shopping, my car radio started acting weird.  It was playing a CD, when suddenly all the controls froze.  The CD player was still working, technically, because the CD was still playing, but I couldn't get any of the controls to work.  I couldn't raise or lower the volume, I couldn't take the CD out, I couldn't switch to radio; it simply would not respond.  When I got to Walmart I turned off the car and hoped that when I came back the radio would have reset itself and would work.  Quite the opposite happened; the radio was completely dead.  It wouldn't turn on or anything.  Worse yet, the CD was still in the player and I had no way of getting it out.

I knew I'd have to take the car to the dealership to see if the radio was still under warranty, since the car is just 15 months old, but I didn't have time on Friday, and I certainly didn't want to go during the weekend when the dealership is packed.  It wasn't anything urgent, so I decided to wait till Monday.  Saturday I went out shopping and to dinner with my daughter, and the radio didn't work.  We went to church yesterday morning, and still nothing.  I was prepared to spend the morning getting the radio fixed.

This morning, as we got ready to have breakfast, my son E and I prayed and thanked the Lord for a new day, for the food He'd provided, and while I was at it I prayed for the car radio to be fixed and not to cost me anything, since I wasn't sure the warranty would cover the radio.  I got in the car, turned the key, and to my shock and surprise the CD started playing right where it had left off on Friday before getting stuck!  I pressed the button to remove the CD, and it popped right out!  The radio works, the CD player works, everything works as though nothing had ever happened!

It reminded me of Jesus' words, "You have not because you ask not." (John 16:24).  It's not that God can't do for us what we want, it's that we don't ask Him because we think our request is too menial, not important enough to bother God.  But He wants us to approach Him with all our requests, all our desires, and trust that He will take care of them.  He certainly took care of my car radio!  Thank You Jesus, for Your kindness and generosity!

Move It Mondays

Happy start of the week!  It felt nice to get an extra hour's sleep, courtesy of Daylight Savings Time having ended yesterday.  I'm currently fixing breakfast, and I have a full day ahead of me, but I'm wondering how it's gonna play out.  See, I have to take my car to the dealership because my radio died on Friday.  Just stopped working.  And with my new Wow CD in the cd player!  That needs to get taken care of right away!  I just don't know how long I'll be there.  I'm hoping the problem is minimal, like something got loose and just needs tightening.

On the menu today is pasta with meat sauce.  The meat sauce is already made, so it's just a matter of cooking the pasta and heating up the sauce.  There's cleaning to be done, as usual, and my son E and I have to work on his science project.

Much to do this first Monday in November!  Have a blessed day.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday!  Well, if you live in South Florida it sure is.  If you live in the Northeast, not so much.  Hurricane Sandy has gotten stronger, incredibly enough, and it looks like it's headed towards New Jersey, but of course this system is so huge it will impact multiple states.  To make matters worse, it's colliding with another system which means this will bring wind, rain, snow, flooding, all kinds of ugly scenarios.  Boy, do they need our prayers!

Here is South Florida, I'm enjoying 68 degree weather.  The humidity is at 49%, and the dew point is 49 degrees, making it a picture perfect day.  The windows are open, letting in a scrumptious breeze.  It was 62 degrees when I took my son to school this morning, and we were both loving it!

Thanks to this pleasant weather, I was able to mow the entire lawn without breaking a sweat.  Of course it wasn't the easiest task, since our lawn mower is approaching its final hours.  The grass clippings kept spraying out of the rust holes and into the motor.  I had to stop and clean it off halfway through the yard because the mower started smoking.  I'm thankful I was able to finish the job!  I'm still hoping and praying the lawn mower will last until income tax time so I don't have to touch my savings to get it replaced.

Right now I have a rack of spare ribs in the oven - they are just done, and the entire house smells amazing!  I put them in the oven at 300 degrees at 8:30 this morning.  As I was cutting the grass I could smell something delicious, and realized it was my own food!  That was a great feeling!!  We're having these ribs with Bush's baked beans and a salad.

After lunch I'm gonna fold and put away a couple loads of laundry, then I have to pick up my son from school.  We'll be working on his science fair project.  The actual project work was completed; now it's all about putting in into a power point presentation.  I've never done anything like that before, and neither has E.  This should be a good learning experience for both of us!

I hope you're enjoying your day.  If you're in the Northeast, rest assured, many prayers are being lifted up for you.  May your day be blessed.