Re-Living with Lady

Monday

We had such an amazing start to the week, a new friend showed up at the feeder! Gwyn noticed his orange head and suggested we call him OJ; how could I say no to her!? Then J sees the new hummingbird and suggested Cinnamon. So, I present to you- OJ Cinnamon. I spent the evening sitting out with my birds, trying to gain that trust. It was then I learned OJ Cinnamon is a bit of a bully. He did not like any of the other birds coming near the feeders and I had to raise my voice a few times to settle down now.

Dinner

Mexican Chicken

By: Linda’s Low Carb Menus & Recipes

This one is so easy and simple, and is always well-received! I left a portion of it cheese-less for Cal and served it in tortillas with shredded lettuce. So good!

Tuesday

We played a little guess the total, Target Edition!

I came in here looking for a few things including some basic tanks and tees and left shaking my head at Target’s selections these days. I am looking for something that is a little looser, maybe considered cropped (but doesn’t show the belly), and that I can just throw on with a pair of shorts. Doesn’t seem too hard, right?! WRONG. With a long torso, it’s all just too short, or just not the style I am looking for. If you have any thoughts on where to find this, I’d love to hear them!

But if you want to take a glass of wine to the bathtub, Target’s got ya covered. They do have my new favorite (thank you so much for the recommendations!) creamer, though, and tends to be in stock when I check there, so at least there’s that. 

   

We also had a few tears this morning when Franklin discovered his fish didn’t make it. He did find comfort in giving him a little burial in the backyard by his fort, though. He even made a little cross which I thought was pretty perfect.  A sweet friend suggested we plant flowers by his grave and Franklin was very excited to do this! Not really knowing what to expect with Dollar Store flower seeds, we threw some and planted some in the ground. Not sure if anything will bloom, but it made him happy. We ended the evening all together outside watching the hummingbirds come in and the deer eating in the yard, even Bruce was happily watching. It was truly one of my favorite evenings we’ve had in a long while.

The real part that got me, though, was watching these two stay outside a little longer. They’ve really been bonding lately and catching this sweet moment is something that I think will be ingrained pretty deep in my heart. Actually, in all of ours. While I wish I could relate to having a relationship like this with my dad, it’s something I cannot, but it just makes me all the more grateful that they have it.

Wednesday

I shared how our mornings used to look a lot different. They were a big struggle for one of our kids, and it resulted in all of us being frustrated.  J decided to take over and woke our soon-to-be teen up at 6 am the next morning. She obviously wasn’t thrilled about this but he did everything with her that morning; he helped make her bed and do her chore (the dishes), they took Bruce on a walk together, and came home and made breakfast for everyone. It is now a routine that has stuck with them. They do it every morning, and Gwyn even asked J to continue their morning walk on a Sunday when she could have slept in.  They both cherish this time so much and her demeanor in the morning is now so pleasant. I accompanied them on their walk one time but I wanted to keep it something special between the two of them. What I would have given to have something like this.

We also had a fun night out with friends and went to play some Trivia. I admit, I am not a big asset to the team when it comes to trivia, but I did get a few. One of the categories was “pirates.” Pirates?! I didn’t get a single one.  Good thing I have such smart friends because we ended up winning the whole thing! The guy behind us was the MC, and the girl behind him is… hiding?! From us?

Thursday

I started off the morning at Bible Study where we continued our reading in Unoffendable. Part of the book discusses a woman who was assaulted by her gymnastics coach when she was a teenager and how she chose to ultimately forgive him.

She states, “I trust in God’s justice and release anger and a desire for personal vengeance. It does not mean that I minimize or mitigate or excuse what he has done. It does not mean that I pursue justice on earth any less zealously. It simply means that I release personal vengeance against him, and I trust God’s justice, whether he chooses to mete that out purely, eternally, or both in heaven and on earth.”

As a group, we talked about what an extremely difficult, yet commendable, thing that is to do. And how God is the one who has the final say and how maybe knowing that can help heal and allow those who have been so wronged to let go of that anger and pain.

I shared with my group how something (somewhat) similar happened to me when I was sixteen. I was lucky enough to be able to get control of the situation(s) before things ended up very badly, but this book has made me think about my own situations in life where I have been wronged and how harboring that anger and resentment will only be a disservice to myself. (I wrote about this story a while back, and you can read that here if unsure what I am referring to.)

I also had a Shan with a Plan day! We have an antique mail sorter that I use to store all of our art/craft supplies and it needed a little organizational help. I took everything out, sorted it all, consolidated glue bottles, crayons, and markers, and put everything nicely back into its place.  I used chalk markers on the labels to make everything easily visible. I even have empty space now! I will say, my absolute favorite thing about the cabinet is that there are a few names still written on the slots; what a beautiful piece of history.

Dinner:

Texas Cowboy Stew

By: 100k recipes

I love how many veggies are packed into this meal and out of the huge pot that it made there was very little leftovers. Everyone loved it.

Friday

I have been eating this for years and I’m not sure that I’ve ever shared it. It is the perfect blend of protein, healthy fats, and carbs. It’s delicious and it fills me up!  I truly look forward to it, even after all of this time. You use plain Greek yogurt with honey drizzled on top, sliced apples (I dip them into the yogurt), nut butter of your choice and I use frozen pomegranate seeds (you could use any fruit you like) on top of the yogurt as well.

 

Random Thoughts:

I’ve learned that I am a cryer in church. Whether it’s the music, the message, or something else, I more often than not cry at some point while there.

Every week during the closing song, the pastor invites anyone who would like to go to the corner of the room where people are standing, waiting to pray if they feel like they’d like someone to pray with or over them. I’m not usually sitting where I might notice those who walk to this area, but today we were sitting right there where most would need to walk by us to get there. I watched a mom, about my age, walk to this corner with her son who was maybe around seven years old. And I couldn’t help but watch. I watched this mom and this little boy bow their heads. I watched as the people praying put their hands over this boy. I watched this unbelievably beautiful prayer circle of people who most likely have never met, come together as one. And I cried.

The mom and son then came and stood right next to me while the song finished. And I couldn’t help but tell her, through tear-filled eyes, that I noticed the two of them and what a beautiful thing I thought it was. She thanked me, got a little teary herself, and then told me her son asked to be prayed over. Annnnnnd then I started crying even harder and told her just how wonderful that was.

We can learn SO MUCH from our youth. Walking up to be prayed over is something that makes me feel nervous, yet there was a young child asking to do just that. What an inspiration.

***

Gwyn’s 13th birthday is this coming week and I just canNOT believe we are about to have a teenager. We will also be sharing a big surprise with our girl this week, as well as celebrating her special day with her friends over the weekend. I can’t WAIT!

I know there are so many things you could be reading on the internet and you have chosen to be here. Your presence and time mean so very much to me and I am just incredibly grateful you continue to be here with me each week. Thank you.

<3 Shannon