Plans Change

My first baby

Second baby

A friend of mine used the expression yesterday, "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." It has been awhile since I've heard it said, but it was somewhat apropos for me yesterday.  I attend a Bible study group once a week and this years first session was yesterday.  I had gotten a call from the children's leader asking if I could help them on the first day in the nursery.  I helped them last year and if you've ever volunteered your services you're probably familiar with the subsequent calls for help that follow from time to time.   The children's leader is a delightful person, and I often have a hard time saying no to delightful people in need.  I'll be honest, I love children, but not babysitting children.  I enjoy the ages between 3 to 5 when kids are imaginative and start to become little people. Last year I helped in the 1 to 2 year old room filled with tears, difficulties sharing, and not wanting to pay attention to the lesson.  I should also add I don't have much patience for teaching lessons.

This year I had a plan.  I was going to state what I wanted and ask for the 4 to 5 year old room.  I walked into the church with a new found confidence instead of dread.  Surely, she would agree to my request.  No such thing happened.  As soon as I could get the words out she replied with force, "you are with the infants."  Before I could even mutter a "but I" she explained that several people called in sick and they were short handed.  God had a new plan for me and I wasn't too happy about it,  at least at first.  My neighbor's granddaughter happened to be in the room which was a nice surprise.  There were eight babies from 2 to 10 months old and three adults.  We were besieged by beautiful bouncing babies who were crawling, curious and sometimes crying.  Normally my blood pressure would have hit the roof, but I remained calm and was a source of comfort.  It was hard work at times especially when half of them decided to be hungry all at once.  I've always felt a tad awkward around infants, but this time I felt confident and at ease.

Lately I have been mourning the fact that my kids are older and don't think they need me as much except for when it comes to finding something they've misplaced.  They don't need the constant comfort a baby needs.  There is a HUGE part of me that is grateful my children aren't hanging on to my legs anymore.  There would be something wrong if they still were at 13 and 16 years old. However, I guess a tiny part of me misses being able to hold my babies and have them fit on my lap.  What I was dreading turned out to be just what I needed.  The next time the children's leader calls I'll ask for infants or maybe I should just let God decide and have faith it's what I need. 

Apple Dip

Apple Dip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apples have numerous health benefits. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "an apple a day helps keep the doctor away."  I like apples, but they aren't one of my favorite fruits.  I prefer to eat them sliced.  Since it's apple season I thought I'd share one of my favorite dips to eat with apples other than the traditional caramel dip.  It's super easy.  

Apple Dip

• 8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla

Beat together the above ingredients and stir in 6 oz of toffee bits. You can use less sugar if you'd like a less sweeter dip.  Serve with apples.

Hall & Oates

Gotta love the price!  It made me smile as well. 

My gratitude Monday posts have sort of evolved into things that make me smile.  In a way they go hand in hand.  Something that makes me smile is listening to old songs on the radio that remind me of my youth.  I'm a big fan of XM radios 70's and 80's stations.  Do you ever have flashbacks of where you were when a particular song comes on the radio?  For example, "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO and "YMCA" by the Village People bring me back to the days of the roller skating rink.  I can still picture myself going around in circles in my white skates with orange pom poms and enviously watching others skate backwards with ease around the corners.   I was an okay skater, but not someone who skated with reckless abandon.  My friend Anne remembers skating to "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates.  I'm a few years older so by that time I'd given up skating and was watching MTV instead.  "Maneater" was one of my favorite MTV videos.  This weekend my husband and I had the privilege of seeing Hall & Oates in concert with Anne and her husband. It was a beautiful evening for an outdoor concert filled with great songs and good memories.  

Project Organization

Before Photos

Teenage Daughter's Bathroom Sink



Underneath Sink

After Photos

Organizing isn't a one time deal.  It's a lot like doing laundry.  There is a feeling of satisfaction when everything is clean and in its place, but you have to continually work at keeping it that way.  Every approaching change in seasons brings with it a feeling of new beginnings for me.  I seem to get in organization mode and feel an urgency to declutter.  I have several areas of my home I'd like to tackle this Fall such as my bathrooms, laundry room, linen closet and hopefully garage.  I find it inspiring when other people share their organizing tips and photos so I thought I'd share mine to possibly inspire you.   When I'm stuck on how to organize something I also find it helpful to ask for a friend's perspective.  I find it easier to organize other people's things than my own.  Sometimes the solution is so simple, but I can't see it because I have arranged things a certain way for so long.

Every week or so I'll  be tackling a space in my house that has gotten out of hand.  This week I worked on bathrooms.  Anyone with a teenage daughter knows that their bathroom sink could even rattle Deepak Chopra.  Every time I walked into my daughter's room it made my heart race to look at her bathroom sink.  The first step was to purge any old makeup and things she wasn't using.  The items she uses every day I put in containers and left them displayed on her sink because I know it would be unrealistic to think she will put them in a drawer.  Sometimes it's a matter of having the right size container to store things. I bought all of mine at Target.  Keeping with the same color scheme gives it a more uniform look.  I also bought plastic caddies to contain extra items underneath the sink.  My daughter can pull the whole container out when she needs something and things don't get shoved to the back of the cabinet. 

It gives me great satisfaction to open a cabinet and see it neatly organized even if it's just for a short period of time.  Since I share a house with three other people and a miniature schnauzer it's not always possible to keep it organized.  For some reason, my family doesn't feel the same joy I get from organization.  I haven't given up faith though that one day they will.  I hope this inspires you to clean one of your spaces.   There are a ton of great blogs and websites that give tips on organizing.  One I found particularly helpful is www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com.  Jen has a lot of great ideas and her blog is a great source of inspiration.

Sea Salt Caramels

Sanders Sea Salt Caramels

I first sampled the delicious chocolaty goodness of these caramels at a neighbors house.  As my friend Amy would say, "they are to die for."  They can be purchased at Costco and cost $8.99.  If you aren't a Costco member find a friend who is or become one.  For a short time I couldn't find them which was a good thing because I'm trying to lose summer pounds which creep up on me every year. My dear husband found them again though on a recent shopping trip and came home with not one, but two canisters.  He likes to buy things in multiples.  Sander's sea salt caramels are one of those things that make me smile, but at 100 calories a piece too many can lead to regret.  Let me know if you give them a try.   

Distractions

via Pinterest

I'm someone who gets easily distracted.  There is always some random thought or to do running through my head.   I'll also spend two hours in Target talking to friends I run into while perusing the aisles to see what's new.  I find the more time I have, the less I get done.  I often beat myself up about not completing a project or goal I set out to do on any given day.  Sometimes my expectations are unrealistic, but most of the time I've wasted half the day away with distractions.  What should realistically take one hour to complete takes four.   I also have to factor in the exorbitant amount of time it takes to finish a project when learning something new.  Did I mention I'm also an impatient person and not a fan of learning by trial and error?

I've been told I over think things too much.  I'll admit that I do, and I think (no pun intended) that it's because I can be a perfectionist. I have a burning desire for my closets to look like Martha Stewarts.  I want to find the perfect solution so I spend a lot of time researching for inspiration instead of just doing.  It's no coincidence I have a love affair with the website pinterest.  It's a gold mine of ideas and one of my favorite distractions.

Instead of continually berating myself about being easily distracted I'm going to embrace it.  Taking the time to say hello to a neighbor or talk to a friend are good distractions.  It's important to put people before things and work.  There will always be work to do, but not always certain people in my life.  Distractions can be a good thing especially if it's a quick 20 minute nap or 10 minutes of meditation to recharge.  Goodbye guilt, hello distractions!   After all, you are a part of life and will always be around so I may as well quit fighting with you.  

Will Ferrell

A good friend of mine showed me this skit with Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon fighting over their tight white pants.  I thought it would be appropriate to share today since it used to be a fashion faux paux to wear white after Labor Day.   Will Ferrell is one of those comedians who makes me laugh even if he is just staring at a wall.   I loved him in Elf, Talladega Nights and most recently The Campaign.  I hope he brings a smile to your face as well and encourages you to wear your tight white pants.