Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Rain, Lunch Bags, Football and Sore Muscles

Well, believe it or not, I actually intended to post something sooner than now, but it just didn't happen for one reason or another. That's life I guess. Monday we saw the sun for the first time in days which was a nice reprieve from all the rain we have been getting. I, however, didn't really get to enjoy any of said sunshine because I was in front of a computer all day, but at least it peeked out from behind the clouds and hopefully some of you were able to enjoy it. 

My weekend was rather uneventful and in fact the epitome of boring. In addition to having the fourth as a holiday, we also had the fifth off and so I was at home for four straight days. I had grand intentions of doing some yard work and even buying some much needed gravel for where I park and new mulch for the flower beds and none of that got done because of the rain. Now I'm thinking I will wait until some time in the fall before doing these things so it will be cooler out which makes for much better working conditions. Then again, I might get a wild hair one weekend soon and go ahead and bite the bullet and get it done. You just never know. 

I did manage to get out of the house and peruse the aisles of Wal-Mart and Target for a couple of hours last Friday. I bought a new lunch bag at Wal-Mart for all of $8.88! I figured if it ends up stinking really bad after multiple uses I won't mind too much throwing it since it was less than $10. My friend Melissa had suggested a Thirty-one lunch bag and I have actually used one of those before as well, but it became stinky too and also was worn out and starting to tear at the ends. Maybe I'm just really rough on lunch bags. At any rate, I have a new one that is very brightly colored which isn't really my style, but hey, it's not like I had a lot to chose from. 

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. I did some grocery shopping at my local Publix on Saturday and went to church on Sunday and other than that, there wasn't much else going on unless you count a visit to the funeral home which seems to happen more often than not these days. 

Monday night my dad and I went to the VBC to watch the Alabama Hammers play in the Professional Indoor Football League Championship game. I can't say it was the most exciting night of football, but it was something to do and it was nice to get out of the house for a change. My brother joined us as well, arriving just a few minutes before the game started. We all ended up leaving the game with multiple coupons for free Parmesan cheese bites from Domino's since the Hammers scored a ridiculous amount of points. My dad also sun the wheel at the Papa Murphy's booth and won a $15 gift card and I did the same, winning a $10 gift card. So, we all walked away winners, even the Hammers who crushed the other team, Richmond. 

Tuesday night I had another WOW session and the personal trainer who usually leads us was out of town so we had Josh, whom I suggested I might add. Well, Josh worked our tushes off and I was beyond exhausted by the time I left. I had no doubt that I would find walking and sitting for that matter difficult come Wednesday. I went to bed about 9:30 and I don't remember the last time I fell asleep so quickly. 

Today is Wednesday and just as I suspected, walking, sitting, and just moving in general comes with pain, and guess what? We get Josh as our trainer again tomorrow! Bring on the ibuprofen

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Book Review and Giveaway: One Thousand Gifts

~~ This Giveaway Is Now Closed ~~

It goes without saying that this year has been less than stellar. It seems as soon as I or my loved ones get back on my/our feet from one tragedy another one happens. I've honestly lost count of the deaths of people I know this year, some of which I haven't even mentioned on this blog. If I tried to put a list together I have no doubt I would leave someone off. I was hoping against hope that the second half of the year might bring some reprieve and yet some members of my family has already experienced another death.

I say all of this as an introduction of sorts to a book I was recently asked to review and the book has really come in a year when it is very much needed. The book is One Thousand Gifts and is written by Ann Voskamp. The subtitle or short script of the book is "A dare to live fully right where you are," and if anybody needs a dare like that it's certainly me.

In this year of heartache and heartbreak, living fully right where I am is not really something I've been able to do. I'm not saying the reading the book made me jump up from the couch and automatically become happy with the current circumstances of my life, but it did cause me to think a little more deeply and even be grateful for some blessings that perhaps I had never thought about previously.

Back in the winter, our Wednesday night Praise and Prayer sessions focused on "Ten Thousand Blessings" - 'tis the season I guess. It seems that everyone tries to think about their blessings around Christmastime. One Wednesday night in particular we were given postcards which we addressed to ourselves and were asked to write down 10 things we were thankful for - 10 blessings. Then at some point in 2013, the postcards would be mailed to us. I'm ashamed to admit it but I took me a long time to think of 10 things to write down. It's not that I am ungrateful for all the things that the Lord has blessed me with because I am truly grateful; but, when it comes to putting it down on paper I guess it's just hard to think of some things. You give it a try.

Ann's book focuses not necessarily on the big blessings, but on the small ones, on things you may not even realize you are thankful for - such as a gorgeous sunset or rainy days. Ann talks about living a life based on the word Eucharisteo - a life of grace, thankgiving and joy - and she goes on to describe what that means for her throughout the course of the book.

Ann brings her personal life experiences into the book as examples of how she herself has struggled with this worldly life and what God wants from her. The book is very well written and a beautiful reflection of how Ann found the way to incorporate Eucharisteo in her own life.

On her blog, Ann has provided you a way to be thankful for a blessing from God each day of the year by putting together a calendar of sorts. It's called the Joy Dare collection and each day lists something for you to take a moment and reflect on - for example, July 3 is a "Gift in Faith, Family, and Freedom". At the end of the one year period, you should have written down a total of 1,000 gifts. Even if you start now, you can continue until July of next year. It's a positive exercise that will surely help you and me to realize that God has blessed us beyond measure, even when it seems that nothing is going your way.

There is also an accompanying devotional book which I wouldn't mind having for myself and hope to buy in the near future. I think it would be helpful in keeping me on track and assisting me in realizing all the blessings in my life.

If you are looking for a way to challenge yourself to more clearly see the thousands of blessings the Lord has given you; to help you discover joy right where you are, then I would encourage you to read Ann's book. In fact, the nice folks at Zondervan are providing one lucky reader with a copy of Ann's book One Thousand Gifts. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on this post.  Since we're talking about blessings, tell us about a blessing in your life when you comment. The winner will be drawn Wednesday night and announced on Thursday morning.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Friday, July 5, 2013

A Rainy Fourth

As expected, it rained and rained and rained some more on the Fourth of July; but I've got to be honest, I really didn't mind it at all. I'm a fan of lazy rainy days. The rain came in waves, sometimes slow and steady and other times a heavy downpour. Rain is forecast for the next three days as well so everything should be lush and green in the coming days.

I spent the morning of the Fourth watching le Tour (of course) and I once again had French toast for breakfast. Thursday morning's batch finished off my French bread so no French toast for me today which is probably a good thing. Mostly it was just a supremely lazy morning as I didn't do much of anything in terms of productiveness.

Later in the day I made my infamous coleslaw and a peanut butter pie to take over to my parents' house for the cookout they were hosting. I had no idea how many people were going to be there and just made a little larger batch of coleslaw than normal in case there was a larger crowd.

The cookout started at 4:00 and about 20 minutes til I finally headed towards their house. I often forget that it takes longer than usual to get to their house these days because of the massive amount of road construction that blocks the road going to their house. So, I ended up getting there a few minutes late and being the last one to arrive which is highly unusual for me.

There were about 15 people at the cookout so the larger batch of coleslaw was a good decision. My dad cooked Khalua Pig (I'm probably spelling that wrong) and there was also potato salad, baked beans, bread, and a plethora of desserts, most of which contained coconut which was weird. I'm not a fan of coconut so I stuck with my peanut butter pie.

I stayed until about 7:00 and then came home and watched a movie, Looper, which was really good. I had heard good things about it but had never seen it until Thursday night.

So, it was a low-key and relaxing day which is really all a girl needs on her day off. The only bummer of the day was that I did not witness any fireworks. I could have driven down to the Space and Rocket Center but I don't think they held their fireworks show until late in the evening. Lots of people in the neighborhood were shooting off fireworks into the wee hours of the night, but I never ventured out to take a look. I'm sure the same thing will be taking place tonight so perhaps I'll enjoy the view from the front porch.

Hope your Fourth was relaxing and fun and filled with good friends, good family and good food!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Fourth

Hope you and your family have a safe and happy Fourth of July!


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Stinky Lunchboxes and Cool Evenings

Serious question here - does anyone know of a type of lunchbox that will not stink after multiple uses because I am in need of one. You see, I bring my lunch to work probably 95% of the time and the lunchbox I'm using right now stinks so bad I can hardly stand to be around it. I'm definitely going to throw it out soon and look for a new one because the stench is about more than my poor nose can handle. 

I've always had a strong sniffer and smelling is the strongest of my senses (I could probably write a whole post on that alone); so, I don't know if it is my overly sensitive sense of smell or if everyone that comes within five feet of my lunchbox can smell the stench. The bad smell comes from leaks and spills that occur during transport - right now there is a strong smell of Clausen pickles and pineapple. No matter how many times I send my lunchbox (it's a Vera Bradley soft cooler type bag) through the laundry cycle, it still reeks. So, if anyone out there knows of a good lunchbox/lunchbag that will come out smelling like a bed of roses after multiple uses then please do tell. Inquiring mind desperately want to know. 

Moving on to lovelier things... Monday night my aunt and I ventured out to Concerts in the Park to listen to Strings of Pearl and Olde Towne Brass. We left my house a few minutes after 6:00, found a parking spot and walked over to the park, setting up our chairs under the magnolia trees. We had made plans earlier in the day to get a pizza from Pane e Vino and we did just that. We got the white pizza, or Van Gogh as it is called on the menu, and it was really delicious. That was the first time I had eaten anything from Pane e Vino and I would recommend it and will certainly be going back again soon. Our pizza was ready about 6:45 and I walked over and picked it up and we ate while listening to the bands and catching up on this and that. 

The evening was absolutely delightful! I have never enjoyed July weather in Alabama as much as I did on Monday night. There was a slight breeze blowing and the humidity wasn't bad and the temperature was in the high 80s and after the sun started going down it was probably in the low 80s. It was quite enjoyable and I didn't even break a sweat! I seriously cannot get over how nice it was outside. We have really lucked out so far this summer with minimal blazing hot days so far. I'm sure July and August will have some scorchers in store for us, but in the meantime I am really enjoying these cooler summer nights and have my fingers crossed that there will be a few more!

The weather was also nice on Tuesday evening and I actually rode my bike to the gym for my WOW class. The class that night was a combination of cardio and weights and by the time our hour was up, I was pooped. One of the girls in the class offered to give me and The Blonde Adonis (my bike) a ride home and I took her up on it to save what little energy I had left. 

I spent the rest of the evening putting the finishing touches on mine and my dad's photo books from our trip in May, eating French toast (each batch seems to get better) and watching le Tour. Tuesday's stage was the team time trial which is my favorite event. Unfortunately, my favorite team did not win. C'est la vie. 

I've got Thursday and Friday off from work for Independence Day and am looking forward to having some time away from the office for more than just a weekend. It's supposed to rain for most of the next few days, but I'm sure it won't put a damper on the festivities.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Farm Party

After getting all the yard work done on Friday night, as well as most of the laundry, I was able to get up bright and early Saturday morning and cook myself some bacon and French toast for the first stage of le Tour. I also needed bacon for a salad I was taking to a cookout at the Five Points Farm later that evening so I cooked two pounds. One of the packages was maple bacon and my house still smells like maple bacon and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, my French toast turned out delightfully delicious - it was a great morning! 

I spent the afternoon doing some cleaning and napping and made a broccoli salad to take to the farm party that evening. My friends Jane and Joe (names have been changed to protect the innocent) were having a cookout at their house which was otherwise known as the farm party. Why, you may ask? Well, Jane and Joe live close by and in addition to their two dogs and one cat, they also have a goat, a sheep and three chickens which do in fact produce eggs. I think I overheard Jane say that everything but the sheep is legal per city ordinance. What the city has against sheep, I have no idea; and just in case you were wondering the cookout did not involve the cooking of any chickens, sheep or goats. 

I headed over to the home of J and J with salad in hand close to 5:30. Before the night was over there was probably 20 people or so there. Some people came late, others left early, all ate. We feasted on grilled burgers and hot dogs and in addition to my broccoli salad, there was also potato salad, pasta salad and all manner of chip and dip. 

Not long after arriving, Jane had some eggs to collect from the hen house and I went out with her to collect. I didn't actually go into the hen house, but I did see the eggs in the nest. I also petted the goat and of course the dogs. The sheep is a little skittish of people though, but after we ate the sheep was cornered so that one of our friends could hold it.

Jane also made a pinata and some of us donned the blindfold and took a whack at the paper machine box filled with sour candies. I actually got a couple of good smacks in and was quite proud of myself. After the pinata various yard games were played and there was also lots of good conversation, or "Girl Talk" as our group calls it. 

I called it a night close to 9:00 p.m. full of food and fellowship and well, farm life... in a round about sort of way. It was a really fun night and I was thankful to have the opportunity to spend such a nice evening with my friends at the Five Points Farm. 






Monday, July 1, 2013

Halfway Through The Year 2013

It's July, which means we are halfway through 2013, and y'all, I have never been so thrilled to be halfway through a year before. As you know, this has not been the greatest year for me between deaths and sheds blowing away and everything in between. My saving grace was my vacation in May - if it had not been for that vacation, I would probably be in the looney bin by now. At any rate, here's to wishing and hoping and praying that the second half of 2013 is better than the first. I've got my eyes on 2014 - no doubt about that!

Friday afternoon my aunt rounded up all her people (otherwise known as her boyfriend (Chris) and the man who might as well be her son-in-law (Robert)) and they loaded up all my "junk" and brought it over for us to load up my shed. I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome this new shed is. I had planned on cleaning out and throwing out some items as I loaded up the shed, but didn't really throw out all that much (surprising, I know). Really, it was just so darn humid and hot that I didn't want to deal with going through tubs and hopefully when the weather cools off I will actually tackle that daunting task. The new shed is a lot taller than the old shed was and I can stack things higher which makes for a lot more space to walk around inside. Robert even had some hooks in his truck and hung them up in the shed so that I could hang up my weed eater. It's the little things in life, people! It took us all of about 40 minutes to load up the shed which was a lot quicker than I anticipated it taking. After we finished with the shed, I chatted with my aunt for a while and then I took on the lawn. 

In the midst of mowing, my brother showed up while I had my back to the house. So, when I turned towards the house on one of my laps in the yard, I saw him standing there and it scared me nearly to death. I, of course, let out a big scream. I finished up mowing and my brother graciously did the weed eating for me. I really loathe weed eating. Honestly it's not that I mind it do much as I am completely terrible at it. As my brother says, it's an acquired skill and man do I believe it. 

My brother had stopped by to fork over some cash for our upcoming white water rafting trip on July 13. We are going with some folks from the class I attend on Sunday mornings, or have been attending I should say as I have actually changed in the past few weeks. I don't know what came over me when I agreed to go. Don't get me wrong, I do love white water rafting, but this is July, which means le Tour is in full force and clearly I had a momentary lapse of judgement when I didn't even consider that I would rather be piled up in front of and screaming at the TV than paddling down the Ocoee River. Nevertheless, I'm sure it will be a fun day and I can watch le Tour when I get home that evening. 

After Justin left I picked up some dinner from Tender's because I was too lazy to cook and had already decided in my mind that I would, in fact, be buying myself something for dinner as a reward for all of my hard work that afternoon. I don't know why I always expect Tender's to taste better than it does, but I am always disappointed after eating there. The best part of the meal is always the Texas toast - would you agree? 

I spent what was left of the night watching TV and playing Bejeweled which, thanks to my dad, has become my latest game addiction. Thankfully, I think the newness of it is wearing off and I'll soon move on to the next game. I had never played Bejeweled until we were on vacation and I downloaded it to my Kindle. Now I play while watching TV for hours and hours. I've reached a point where I don't even get frustrated when I lose which probably means I'll be giving it up soon, thank goodness. 

I spent Saturday evening at the Five Points Farm, which I will tell you about in my next post, so you'll have to stop in tomorrow for that. Tonight, I'm headed to Concerts in the Park and dinner at Pane e Vino, and I'm really looking forward to it. The weather hasn't been to terrible so far this summer and if you don't move too much, the humidity isn't even that bad. Some time before and after the show I will have to squeeze in the remainder of today's le Tour stage. I started watching at 5:30 this morning and got a good 45 minutes in before leaving for work. I think it goes without saying that I'm a little tired today.

I've having a difficult time finding an ending point here today. So, I'll just bid you adieu and will hopefully be back tomorrow. Until then!