My hubby and I started the Love & War marriage series at church last night. We love being married. We love marriage. And we think everyone else should too. This book {and DVD series} is so good. You should read it.
We then lost power late last night in a most magnificent display of lightning, thunder, wind and rain. Our daughter sat, snuggled between us, on the couch, flashlight in hand, at 11 o’clock last night…exclaiming, “we’re watching a lightning show!” every 5 minutes. It was swell.
The next 12 hours were spent without power. Boy is country living quiet when the hum of the fridge is removed.
This morning I had to retrieve our little plastic Adirondack chairs from the back yard, that had relocated themselves some 100 feet away on our front lawn. I also “got to” {see…I’m being positive about it!} repot several plants that were hurled off our deck last night, along with some of our deck furniture. Not so swell. But my jasmine survived. O’ happy day.
I have failed miserably at recording my 100 Day to Healthy. But I’m chugging along. I have buckled only to the degree of devouring half a pack of graham crackers and sneaking a handful of our ginger cookies {I was devastated to see “cookies” on the side of the container…was SO hoping to see “crackers”}. I just ate an apple while I typed my second article for a new online magazine coming soon {oooh, hint hint}, even though I really wanted more ginger cookies crackers. Ahem.
I’ve lost 9 pounds – whoop whoop – and am 11 away from pre-baby blissdom. I feel great. But I’m not fooled…I’m fully aware that things aren’t where they used to be and what fitted pre-babies, may never look good on this bod again. What used to be tighter is jigglier, what used to be this wide is now that wide, and what used to be perky is now saggy {and can be rolled up nicely like this, to fit perfectly into those}…but hey. I got two wildly wonderful babies out of the deal and I’m totally down with that. Besides, that’s what Spanx are for.
On another note, I’m realizing I spend entirely too much time on this computer. Doing perfectly good, wonderful stuff. I’m not talking naughty.
In my rebellious {read: selfish} effort to thoroughly enjoy every ounce of “me time” I can squeeze out of my day, I’m shooting myself in the foot. And I’m not talking a water-pistol here.
I seem to forget that even though I don’t feel like doing laundry after I’ve just cleaned the kitchen {which is after I’ve made dinner, which is after I’ve just put both kids down – my hubby works nights, remember}…this laundry is still there. Looming. Multiplying {I’m sure of it!} Begging to be folded and put away.
It’s as though my decision to avoid it altogether and rather spend the evening catching up on email, getting inspired by reading other people’s blogs or looking at brilliant crafty or design sites, will cause the mountain to vaporize. It doesn’t. In fact, I climb into bed – usually closer to 2am than I’d like to admit – feeling empty, inadequate, unqualified, and fully aware that I’ve wasted this precious alone time that I could have used actually accomplishing something that actually builds up and blesses {myself, my family or others} rather than squandering it sitting on my duppah. My silent declaration that I’ll do whatever the heck I want to – now that no one is depending on me to function/eat/poop/bath/dress/survive.
Flawed thinking, I know. But I’ve been working on it…and I’ve been climbing into bed at a more reasonable time, feeling fabulous about catching up on laundry, a good book, or a little extra shut-eye. Seducing my husband on his occasional night off is always a bonus.
Speaking of reading a good book…a friend and I are starting a book club, called “Bloom Together”. We talked years ago about hosting a women’s retreat called “Bloom”. Then life happened and the only things blooming were our bellies. 4 years and 4 kids later, a little facebook-driven book club has emerged.
We’ll be alternating between parenting and marriage focused books, starting with Momology: A Mom’s Guide To Shaping Great Kids, in October.
I’m geeked. There are so many incredible books out there {or even on our very own bookshelves} and my fabulous friend and I both know we need the accountability of a group to take them off our bookshelves and actually dig into them. Well, she’s better about reading. It’s me that stinks. Not literally. Well, come to think of it….don’t worry about it. Join us here.
It looks as though our wonderful tenants in our other home {in Lansing…our “first” house} will be moving out much earlier than anticipated. I’m not a big fan of the whole two-mortgage-payments things. Praying for the perfect solution. Or a house fire. Just kidding. Would love to sell the sucker, as renting {to anyone other than these fabulous people} scares me. A lot. It was on the market for a year and a half and dropped to lower than we owed on it. We finally took it off and God provided tenants in the nick of time {hubby got laid-off…we lived with my parents for 11 months, had our 2nd child, and then we moved an hour away}.
The sun is shining. I actually remembered to take the tilapia out of the freezer for dinner tonight. It’s time for tea. Life is good.
