It's Party Time!

That's right - I'm hosting a Pampered Chef party at our house this Thursday, April 29th! And if you didn't receive an invitation, email, or facebook invite (or some combination of all three!), this blog entry will serve as your welcome to come on over! Have a seat! Chow down!

This is kind of an unorthodox approach to a P.C. party. The sales rep, Jenny, actually lives far, far away from me. But she's the only P.C. rep I know. And I wanted to have a party that would benefit her. So, I concocted a kind of hybrid party idea. I've passed lots of catalogs around so it's kind of a catalog party. But I'm also having everyone over to my house that would like to come by. Jenny won't be there to do the cooking demonstration, but I am going to whip up some P.C. yumminess & lay out all the P.C. tools I use to accomplish the work & voila! That's a hybrid party!

The best of both worlds, that's what I like to call it!

So get your party clothes ready. Eat a salad for dinner Thursday night. Bring your camera. Lots of fun should ensue. That's just how it works - fun people, fun food, fun times!

Random Rant

There are some things I just don't understand. These things kinda make my hair curl. Just because they get under my skin, if you know what I mean. And since you are also human (I don't think my blog readership includes any aliens...) I'm sure you will understand just what I'm talking about.

It all started in the Wendy's drive thru. Some days at work I feel like the only thing I'm needed for is to get my boss his lunch. That is it's own story. Maybe for another day. Probably really not worth the telling. Anyway, I'm getting my boss his lunch at the Wendy's drive thru. The line was kind of long so I was more than ready for my turn at the speaker. I'm greeted with this line, "Hello. How are you?" Shaking my head just a bit in confusion I answered, "I'm fine. Thank you." And then I waited. I didn't know if she was ready for my order. I had been caught a bit off guard & I was a bit befuddled. Did she ask that question to stall so that she could get ready to take my order? What was going on in there? So I finally asked, "Are you ready for my order?" Her answer, "Yes."

Grrr. Does that annoy anyone else? What's wrong with, "Welcome to Wendy's. Can I take your order?" I'd be glad to be there. I'd know I could proceed with my order. It would all be so simple & easy.

Part II of my rant. When I pulled up to the window to pay & collect my boss's heart attack in a bag, she took my money, gave me my change (which was incorrect - thanks for the extra five cents!), & told me to "Have a nice day!" That's a kind sentiment. I appreciate hearing that. My response was, "Thank you." As I drove away I realized that the little exchange we had just had was typical of almost everywhere I am laying down my money. The worker doesn't say "Thank you for shopping/eating here." Somehow I appreciate hearing them thank me more than I appreciate hearing myself thank them.

Maybe I am splitting hairs here...maybe I'm super cranky...maybe I need a vacation...maybe I need to get a life...

Thank you for reading this post. And a big super thank you if you actually understand my point of view.

And if you happen to see me in real life I promise to be nice & really try not to over analyze anything that has to do with you & how we interact.

:-)

*YAWN* Gettin' Weary

Ever have one of those days when you think to yourself, "Self, I realize that it is only 5:30 in the evening, but I think we should just call it a day & go to bed. Yep, that's a good idea!"
That's how I felt last Wednesday.
Wednesday's tend to be a struggle for me. I don't know if it is just b/c it's the middle of the workweek or what, but Wednesday usually ends up being Bad Attitude Day.
Last Wednesday was no exception. I had a very atypical work day. I ended up making deliveries & being out of the office for most of the day, including an extra two and a half hours after my normal quitting time. I didn't get off of work until 5:30. Then I had to race to the gas station for a fill up (or I might as well have just decided to walk home b/c the amount of gas I had wasn't ever gonna make it). Then I had to race home, scarf down dinner, & then race to church. And I was late. So late that I wasn't even sure where Pastor was speaking from in the Bible. Grrr. That makes me irritable. Did I mention that it was pouring down rain & I got soggy on my way into church?
After prayer group (which I must mention, is always uplifting even if it does sometimes makes me a little drowsy - just keepin' it real!), I headed up for choir practice. My mistaken notion was that practice would be really short. We had just finished longer rehearsals for the Easter cantata so I assumed Aunt Ruth (a.k.a. The Choir Director) would pull out something familiar & easy. About 40 minutes later we had drudged through several hard songs & still had nothing for the following Sunday. Grrr. It doesn't help that I am super opinionated about music & I didn't even like the hard songs we were practicing. Finally we got something familiar & easy out, ran through it & then we could head home. *sigh*
I got home around 9:30 & announced to Mike that I was done with the day. There were dishes that needed washing, rooms that needed tidying, planning to be done for the next day but I just checked out. My grumpy, tired self sat on the couch vegging for a while & then I went to bed.
The night's rest brought a little clarity to my weary mind. The next morning I was ashamed of myself. The Lord reminded me of Galatians 6:9, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
I don't think I've ever really reflected on that verse much. My thought used to be, why would I ever get weary doing what pleases the Lord? Why would I ever get that lazy/discouraged/tired/etc.?
Let me tell you why - my sinful nature. I just get so caught up in what has gone right or wrong according to my plan for the day. My thinking tends to be so me-focused. The Lord used all of the events from last Wednesday to remind me that it's all about Him. What He wants in my days & what He wants from me in my actions & probably most of all what He wants to be reflected in my attitudes.
So when I am weary of:
showing the love of Christ to others (especially those who are unlovable)
being faithful in church attendance (in spite of circumstances)
being faithful in devotions
being faithful in witnessing
being faithful in praise & thanksgiving
and so many other things...
I need to remember that "the joy of the Lord is my strength."
And I need to remember, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
I hope that you aren't weary this Wednesday. I hope that I can do a little better to please my Lord this evening than I did last week!

Visitors From Kentucky

My brother's family came for a little visit this weekend. Poor guy, he didn't get to come. Too many items on his Honey Do List. I think he spent some quality time patching drywall. We spent some quality time hanging out at the black light mini golf course!

Here are M&D with Whitney & Aidan. I couldn't get Aidan to be still for the pic. Kinda reminded me of trying to get his pic at the wedding. He was the best ring bearer - all over the place causing some hilarious commotion. The kid can't stop moving. I think that's why I love him!

He's got a great smile, doesn't he? He looks a lot like his mom's side of the family, but most of his facial expressions remind me so much of my brother. He's a blonde Andy. Sometimes it freaks me out.

And here's Whitney. She's gotten so big I can't hardly stand it. She is in first grade now & loving her Spring Break this week. She had her own little personal cd player to listen to in the car. She was crackin' me up with her singing. One of the songs had the words, "Chicken noodle soup" over & over. Not sure what that was all about.

Here's Safari Joe a.k.a. my Dad. He was hilarious during the mini golf b/c he didn't want to play. All he really wanted to do was coach us. And he did. Every hole. Every swing. Too funny.
Have I mentioned that I don't really putt the ball? I'm more of a scooter/scooper. It was driving him crazy. I like to drive him crazy *evil laugh*

And here we are again. I was so totally posing in this shot, wasn't I? Too funny!

It was a great little outing with my parents, Whitney, & Aidan. I don't usually tag along for those little fun times, but I'm glad I did. It made getting up early to mow the grass totally worth it!

A Productive Saturday Morning

This is what the hem of my jeans looked like after mowing our grass for the first time in 2010.
And here are the old grass mowing sneakers. I love to see them by the front door. That means it's hot outside. That means the grass is growing. I love this time of year.

Whew - and what a workout! We have lots of weeds & Queen Anne's Lace in our yard. When it starts to get high, I really gotta work to get that mower to push. I found some muscles that haven't been used since last mowing season.

I love the smell of freshly cut grass. What's your favorite spring-y outside job or fragrance?

Easter 2010

We had a packed, family-filled Easter weekend. We had a nice dinner with my family on Saturday night. Since I hate ham I tried to ignore the fact that I would be eating veggies all weekend. That did not hurt me one bit, I can assure you.
After dinner at M&D's, we colored eggs with Caleb & Maddie. I got to help out. It was so fun. We watched the Butler vs. Michigan State game at the same time. It was a wonder that we didn't smash all of the eggs with all of our hollering & jumping. We are a very animated family.
Here's Caleb with his Easter smile. He is such a great kid. All sweetness with just a smidgen of rascal.

And here's Maddie & me with her set-up. She had to have some help from her Aunt MeeMee. I was more than happy to oblige.
The next morning we were all gathered at church. We presented a cantata with several great songs & a good drama. It wasn't anything really fancy, but so meaningful. Easter is such a blessed day. I love being in church & being so focused on what Christ did for us when He died on the cross & rose again.

My mom always wants to take pics with us after church. She loves to have shots of us in our new duds. Since there is a terrible epidemic of ugly dresses out there (i.e. too short, too low cut, too much-ain't-never-gonna-look-good-or-presentable-on-me), I just bought a new blouse to wear with my black skirt.

Here's the first shot she got of me & Mike. As you can tell, we weren't ready. It looks like I'm try to give him an elbow up the nose. Poor guy!

I was really just winding up to put my arm around him. And yeah, I'm a couple inches taller than my hubs. And I was wearing a couple inch heels. He's not a midget.

So here we are with Momma. We all look so happy & springy!

*Update - I obviously decided against bangs. And I took all that advice you guys gave me about bronzer & I didn't buy it. The coppery shades freaked me out. I bought some sheer color illusion stuff instead. I think it's doing ok. I can give myself some really rosey cheeks with it!

And here is Beth's crew. They were smart & had their pic snapped outside. I love to see Caleb in a suit & Maddie's hat is fabulous. She was so excited to wear it.

I'm so grateful that we get to spend time worshipping at church as a family. I'm also so glad that we have so much family that we ended up having four Easter dinners that weekend. We had fabulous egg hunts, great meals, great conversation, & lots of hugs. Mike & I have decided that we need a vacation to get away from all the food *grin*

Hope you had a blessed Easter, too!

Meeting Miss Lauren

I have some great friends. We seriously go way back. Way back as in second grade. I remember being best friends with a skinny little red-headed girl whose name was Amanda. A girl who chewed her finger nails down to the nubbins. We were such good friends that I started chewing my nails, too. My mom had to paint them so that I was afraid to chew them. Good Momma, huh?

Anyway, my friend from way back has been like one of the family. Beth calls her a great friend, too. And Amoke' is in that crew, as well. So even though she now lives an hour away, when big things happen, we are all there. Big things like having a baby!

Recently we all piled into my faithful little Corolla, armed with fixins for a couple of meals, lots of diapers & presents & we drove over to see Amanda, Steve, Merideth, & their new little girl Lauren.

We had fun. We took pictures :-)

They have the most luscious furniture. Don't you love the looks of that love seat? Cozy, comfy, wonderful. If I could have loaded it up in my car & taken it home with me I would have!

Here's the sweet momma & her new little cuddle bug! By the way, Amanda doesn't chew her nails anymore. I think she would want me to tell you that.

Beth & Merideth spent some quality time together. This little gal is a treat! I enjoyed playing with her quite a bit. She is already learning to be a good big sister. Beth can teach her a lot of things about that!

And just to answer the question that I know is humming around in your mind right now. Holding sweet little Lauren did not send my hormones into orbit. They weren't raging a bit. Might have had something to do with the fact that Amanda was limping around like I was after I had my gall bladder surgery. She had to have a c-section b/c Lauren was breech. Something about that whole story was a big 'ole dose of birth control for this little lady! But Lauren is such a sweet dolly. We were there all evening passing her around & she only cried once. That's a good baby.

Don't you just love their miniature-ness? The little ears, little nose, little lips...so precious.