I have never posted here, but after 2.25 yrs, the Covid finally got our house and I'm in solitary and climbing the walls. I put the return of the TB Mexican pizza on our family calendar, and I had better be well enough to eat one next week! Dolly's TB musical is just further confirmation that she is one of my people. And the Mexican pizza is going to be next week's treasure if it kills me.
My kids acted like they didn't understand what was happening in the "boneless" video, but I'm on to them. Unfortunately, my 9yro resting his head on the counter mid-way thru making his breakfast was probably an indicator that he's the next Covid domino to fall in our house.π
Also, the Water Buffalo song is a timeless classic, so take that, John Newton and Charles Wesley!
I've long believed we should be ignoring more people. I don't know why we reply back, comment, highlight, talk about on camera...the remarks by trolls and people being mean. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
I think my fave Mason Mennenga take is that the Newsboys could have written a song about oceans but Hillsong could never have written a song about not being served breakfast in hell.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to rework my Scotland trip. The original (2020) plan was to rent a car and road trip it, but car rental prices have almost TRIPLED. Renting a car for a week would cost the same as another transatlantic, round-trip airfare. It's insane.
The heat this weekend is not supposed to be quite as extreme and my dog appears to be over her tummy bug, so here's hoping we get in a walk tomorrow. I think we could both use it.
π«€ No change on the attempt for a vacation; both sisters have set themselves against it (it doesnβt fit their personal schedules). Iβve allowed myself a period of mourning for what could have been and now am looking at maybe taking just the 2 nights I can get to stay in a hotel. Iβll have to abandon my grand plans of a writing/planning retreat but maybe I can just use it as a silence retreat instead. Still pondering it.
Good afternoon Swipes! Itβs been a while since I commented & Iβve just been lurking around the comments instead. Happy to participate today!
[this comment brought to you by a water table that 2 of 3 kids are fighting over & itβs the older ones, please pray for my summer sanityπ€ͺ]
-my 3rd grader had her Wax Museum project today and it was so cool to not only see her shine as Laura Ingalls Wilder, but to have at least 2 other adults tell me βLaura Ingalls is my favorite! Iβm glad she chose her!β β€οΈ
-we have an extended family trip to Gatlinburg this summer with 6 of my cousins and all their children and I cannot wait for the chaos. This side of my family is bonkers and hilarious and I love those weirdos.
-my middle girl turns 6 next week! π
To all of you crawling through the last few weeks of May, Iβm right there with you. May we find joy and REST (please, Jesus, Iβm tired) in the busyness β€οΈ
This week has been a little weird, but I am happy to be here, bringing my treasures!
ππ»ββοΈ I am writing this from a salon chair where I am getting a haircut and some new color. Very excited to splurge on this particular form of self-care. π
π I decided to invest in a Created Colorful consult last month, and it took about a three weeks, but I got my colors back! I am not particularly confident about fashion most days, so finding out I am a ~Cool Summer~ (and then learning what colors to shop for) has been a GIFT (and also made wandering through the Target aisles so much easier haha). It also made some little things make sense - like why I always gravitate towards a couple of my nail polish colors more than others. I would absolutely recommend it, if itβs something youβve been eyeing!
βοΈ Next Wednesday my husband and I are leaving on our long-awaited trip to Europe!!! We have been saving for this trip for 4.5 years, had it booked for 2020 (lololol) and finally rebooked it in February. Weβll be going to London (with an afternoon in Cambridge), Rome (with 2 days in Montepulciano/Tuscany), and Dublin. You guys, I can hardly believe that we are actually GOING. But because this is a place where we get to be all the way real, this week Iβve noticed a bit of travel anxiety rise up. I think I feel equally anxious and excited? So, yesterday in therapy, I started (again) the hard work of feeling my feelings and not brushing them off or logic-ing them away.
Oh man...the Bruenig article knocked the wind right out of me like a fall off a skateboard. I'ma need a burrito under the lunar eclipse to feel better...
This is my first crazy May/June, since our oldest was in kindergarten in 2022 and π΅βπ«. I need a nap.
Treasures this week:
- I read three book gems in a row: Both Finlay Donovan books and Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I loved them all, but especially Book Lovers, which I loved so much I stretched it so it wouldnβt end. Itβs my favorite of hers, and I adore Beach Read. I now have a book hangover.
- Iβve been listening to womenβs country from the 90s and 00s all week long and WHERE DID ALL THE WOMEN GO, COUNTRY MUSIC? Are they being held in the basement of the Ryman, barefoot and only wearing bikini tops and cutoff jeans?
- A discussion with friends led down a rabbit hole of lines and scenes that always make us cry. This is mine from Alias which is one hundo p a major spoiler. https://youtu.be/e1bdyC9CC8c Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber have my heart.
That burnout tweet/email is GOLD. Iβm nearing the finish line for my piano teaching year- piano recital is Sunday afternoon and make-up week is next week. Then SUMMER!!! Treasures this week: Erin and Kendra on the Lazy Genius Kitchen YouTube show- I died over the spoons. It was my little treat to myself on a rough day this week and it was *chefβs kiss* perfection.
My almost 5 year old has preschool graduation on Saturday (thatβs right folks, the day before my studio recitals) and he is beyond excited. Iβm hopeful that I donβt blubber like a babyπ€π
The worst part of the week- a local musicianβs club that Iβve been a part of for almost ten years held its last official meeting. Everyone is old and tired and done. I am so sad and I will miss all of those crazy old ladies so much. I was okay until we sang our closing song and then ππππ. On the plus side, one of my students played for the program and her mom and I about died of pride for how far sheβs come this year #superproud
My treasure this week is Evolving Faith and how I SQUEALED with delight when I saw the announcement that our very own Erin will be speaking! Whenever I have felt stressed or wayward in my faith, Evolving Faith has usually helped me find equilibrium and comfort.
My other treasure this week is finding out this morning that I am having a BOY in November. We had been Team Green and didnβt want to know, but a series of events led me to accidentally finding out, and now I get to keep it from the husband for six months. We also found out that baby came back low risk for a host of chromosomal conditions, and after a really risky start to pregnancy and two episodes of threatened miscarriage, this is the best news ever.
I shared about a friendβs son, Frankie, a few weeks ago. He had an infection that affected his heart and was briefly on life support before being on the mend on his 17th birthday and then released back home. Unfortunately, things turned back to terrible quickly. He was back in ICU after just a day at home and the following 7 days were nearly unbearable. He had prom in the hospital before an exploratory surgery that brought no answers, crashed a couple of times, was read his last rites (twice), heart in complete failure, and back on life support and put on transplant list on May 4th. They did lift him from sedation as part of transplant prep and a did a neuro assessment that was encouraging. On Motherβs Day, they got word there was a possible heart match and on Monday morning (his momβs birthday), he received a transplant.
The transplant went well and he did not immediately need ECMO or other support, the heart was pumping well on its own.
The family has acknowledged too that their chance at a miracle meant another loss of life. How devastating it is. What a burden to have to hold with all the other trauma.
There have not been updates this week since word of the transplant. We are assuming and hoping that no news is good news. Praying his body will allow the new heart, that he suffered no other permanent damage, and for complete recovery.
I donβt know how they are functioning. Constantly Sending all the prayers and thoughts and frustrations and pleadings out to God and/or the universe. They are having a benefit for him next weekend.
I am looking forward to a treasure filled weekend!
Avery is coming to Minnesota and I am just over the ding dang moon about it. We get to eat great food and see a skating show together. I'm sooooooo excited (and I just can't hiiiiide it)
Also, our family is getting a rescue puppy! We interviewed with the org last weekend. His rescue name is Chester but we are renaming him Waldo. He's a terrier/Chihuahua mix and we are so so excited to get the little guy. My instagram is going to be very very much a Wally McGee stan account.
There are some turds in my life, but I'm just being in denial of them at the moment and focusing on the treasures for as long as I can.
Good morning! This will be quick---such a busy day today with some of my husband's friends coming in from out of town this afternoon and then tomorrow leaving early for a 48 hour trip to Wisconsin for my niece/goddaughter's confirmation.
The tweet about the small pile of clothes next to the husband's side of the bed IS REAL. Except for my husband it's shoes. It would be clothes except I put the hamper within his arm's reach. His shoe drawer is immediately under his side of the bed, but pulling out the drawer is significantly more work than reaching for the hamper. So, shoes it is.
This week, I finished the book "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger. I would recommend it highly. It's a beautiful story about some of the difficulties of being a person, specifically a person who is growing up. But underneath that narrator-who-is-a-grown-up-looking-back-at-being-an-adolescent is also some wonderful commentary on the complications of being an adult. Overall, a really lovely and poignant read. And the descriptions are *chef's kiss.*
My front yard garden is going well. We have cardboarded and mulched the grass, so, basically, we're shouting "Die, grass" to the whole neighborhood. My whole goal by the end of the summer is "less brown than green." It's a slow work in progress. But all my perennials from last year came up, so that's fantastic. God bless perennials.
That's about all I have time for this week. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, or as good of a weekend as possible. Sending love and hugs!
Greetings Swipes. I've already worked 60+ hours this week, so I am taking the day off. To go work on the new property. Whomp whomp. Which is OK, because I am giddy that I finally got ahold of a painter that will come to the house to give us an estimate today. If this guy can even remotely work with our schedule, I will probably cry.
My treasures this week are people. My husband and I have been in a lonely season after losing a lot of friends. But two people made meals for us. And two others said they would come help us do house projects this weekend. One lent us some tools. And another bought a gardenia bush for our new garden. These gestures of kindness and fellowship felt so healing after so much pain.
I didn't do anything cool on the internet again. Still watching old episodes of the Good Place. In bits and pieces, I read that Atlantic article about politics+church (it is good. And sad.). And I read a little of Deacon King Kong for book club. Thats mostly it, so I don't have any fun links to share. Looking forward to reading all your fun stuff in the comments!
My boyfriend PROPOSED Saturday!! It was absolutely perfect. And yes he always has a pile of clothes next to his bed.
I have never posted here, but after 2.25 yrs, the Covid finally got our house and I'm in solitary and climbing the walls. I put the return of the TB Mexican pizza on our family calendar, and I had better be well enough to eat one next week! Dolly's TB musical is just further confirmation that she is one of my people. And the Mexican pizza is going to be next week's treasure if it kills me.
My kids acted like they didn't understand what was happening in the "boneless" video, but I'm on to them. Unfortunately, my 9yro resting his head on the counter mid-way thru making his breakfast was probably an indicator that he's the next Covid domino to fall in our house.π
Also, the Water Buffalo song is a timeless classic, so take that, John Newton and Charles Wesley!
I've long believed we should be ignoring more people. I don't know why we reply back, comment, highlight, talk about on camera...the remarks by trolls and people being mean. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
My husband has a pile of clothes next to his side of the bed. Why?!
Also, Mexican Pizza: The Musical is coming next week and Dolly Parton is involved. Shut up and take my money!
I think my fave Mason Mennenga take is that the Newsboys could have written a song about oceans but Hillsong could never have written a song about not being served breakfast in hell.
This is a great article about why the fitness industry is so weird about beginners: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/04/hampton-liu-working-out-pe-exercise/629696/?fbclid=IwAR3h6yVnL7JAEMh3Oc7CJNhihYsoESq4KL-wpre5GrrvzKUevRklJAsmdkw *Cue Bernie meme* I am once again asking everyone to listen to Maintenance Phase.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to rework my Scotland trip. The original (2020) plan was to rent a car and road trip it, but car rental prices have almost TRIPLED. Renting a car for a week would cost the same as another transatlantic, round-trip airfare. It's insane.
The heat this weekend is not supposed to be quite as extreme and my dog appears to be over her tummy bug, so here's hoping we get in a walk tomorrow. I think we could both use it.
Late to the party today because (a) the usual upside-down sleep week and (b) more π© than π this week. Blerg.
βοΈIt can all be summed up in two statements: Jillian Nightingale and Jenny Tillay are lights in my life π and Texas got too freaking hot, too frakking fastπ©. Everything that happened this week was impacted by those two realities. There were lots of showers to refresh from the heat, and several Marco Polo videos to talk about it. lol What a weird existence.
π«€ No change on the attempt for a vacation; both sisters have set themselves against it (it doesnβt fit their personal schedules). Iβve allowed myself a period of mourning for what could have been and now am looking at maybe taking just the 2 nights I can get to stay in a hotel. Iβll have to abandon my grand plans of a writing/planning retreat but maybe I can just use it as a silence retreat instead. Still pondering it.
π My biggest disappointment this week was getting ALL IN on the newest Emily St John Mandel book β even having to reread the first chapters when I saw the pieces falling into place β but then running out of time to complete it before the library loan expired. π© Itβs a 4-month wait to get it back, and Iβm sooooo sad. It was a great lot of fun! Iβm now avidly avoiding spoilers.
Wishing you all a weekend full of whatever you need it to be.
Good afternoon Swipes! Itβs been a while since I commented & Iβve just been lurking around the comments instead. Happy to participate today!
[this comment brought to you by a water table that 2 of 3 kids are fighting over & itβs the older ones, please pray for my summer sanityπ€ͺ]
-my 3rd grader had her Wax Museum project today and it was so cool to not only see her shine as Laura Ingalls Wilder, but to have at least 2 other adults tell me βLaura Ingalls is my favorite! Iβm glad she chose her!β β€οΈ
-we have an extended family trip to Gatlinburg this summer with 6 of my cousins and all their children and I cannot wait for the chaos. This side of my family is bonkers and hilarious and I love those weirdos.
-my middle girl turns 6 next week! π
To all of you crawling through the last few weeks of May, Iβm right there with you. May we find joy and REST (please, Jesus, Iβm tired) in the busyness β€οΈ
Good morning friends!
This week has been a little weird, but I am happy to be here, bringing my treasures!
ππ»ββοΈ I am writing this from a salon chair where I am getting a haircut and some new color. Very excited to splurge on this particular form of self-care. π
π I decided to invest in a Created Colorful consult last month, and it took about a three weeks, but I got my colors back! I am not particularly confident about fashion most days, so finding out I am a ~Cool Summer~ (and then learning what colors to shop for) has been a GIFT (and also made wandering through the Target aisles so much easier haha). It also made some little things make sense - like why I always gravitate towards a couple of my nail polish colors more than others. I would absolutely recommend it, if itβs something youβve been eyeing!
βοΈ Next Wednesday my husband and I are leaving on our long-awaited trip to Europe!!! We have been saving for this trip for 4.5 years, had it booked for 2020 (lololol) and finally rebooked it in February. Weβll be going to London (with an afternoon in Cambridge), Rome (with 2 days in Montepulciano/Tuscany), and Dublin. You guys, I can hardly believe that we are actually GOING. But because this is a place where we get to be all the way real, this week Iβve noticed a bit of travel anxiety rise up. I think I feel equally anxious and excited? So, yesterday in therapy, I started (again) the hard work of feeling my feelings and not brushing them off or logic-ing them away.
πͺπ¦Έπ»ββοΈ This tweet about Doctor Strange had me rollingggggg ππ Itβs not a spoiler if you havenβt seen the movie yet (but of course it will hit different it you have). οΏΌhttps://mobile.twitter.com/joshcarlosjosh/status/1523718862000123909?s=12&t=idqvb_ovYCLQ7xAh9Y3Tug
Okay, see you all in the comments! Love ya, mean it. ππ
Oh man...the Bruenig article knocked the wind right out of me like a fall off a skateboard. I'ma need a burrito under the lunar eclipse to feel better...
Hello, Swipes! β€οΈ
This is my first crazy May/June, since our oldest was in kindergarten in 2022 and π΅βπ«. I need a nap.
Treasures this week:
- I read three book gems in a row: Both Finlay Donovan books and Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I loved them all, but especially Book Lovers, which I loved so much I stretched it so it wouldnβt end. Itβs my favorite of hers, and I adore Beach Read. I now have a book hangover.
- Iβve been listening to womenβs country from the 90s and 00s all week long and WHERE DID ALL THE WOMEN GO, COUNTRY MUSIC? Are they being held in the basement of the Ryman, barefoot and only wearing bikini tops and cutoff jeans?
- A discussion with friends led down a rabbit hole of lines and scenes that always make us cry. This is mine from Alias which is one hundo p a major spoiler. https://youtu.be/e1bdyC9CC8c Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber have my heart.
That burnout tweet/email is GOLD. Iβm nearing the finish line for my piano teaching year- piano recital is Sunday afternoon and make-up week is next week. Then SUMMER!!! Treasures this week: Erin and Kendra on the Lazy Genius Kitchen YouTube show- I died over the spoons. It was my little treat to myself on a rough day this week and it was *chefβs kiss* perfection.
My almost 5 year old has preschool graduation on Saturday (thatβs right folks, the day before my studio recitals) and he is beyond excited. Iβm hopeful that I donβt blubber like a babyπ€π
The worst part of the week- a local musicianβs club that Iβve been a part of for almost ten years held its last official meeting. Everyone is old and tired and done. I am so sad and I will miss all of those crazy old ladies so much. I was okay until we sang our closing song and then ππππ. On the plus side, one of my students played for the program and her mom and I about died of pride for how far sheβs come this year #superproud
Hi everyone! Happy Friday βοΈ
My treasure this week is Evolving Faith and how I SQUEALED with delight when I saw the announcement that our very own Erin will be speaking! Whenever I have felt stressed or wayward in my faith, Evolving Faith has usually helped me find equilibrium and comfort.
My other treasure this week is finding out this morning that I am having a BOY in November. We had been Team Green and didnβt want to know, but a series of events led me to accidentally finding out, and now I get to keep it from the husband for six months. We also found out that baby came back low risk for a host of chromosomal conditions, and after a really risky start to pregnancy and two episodes of threatened miscarriage, this is the best news ever.
Praying for sunny, fun filled weekends for all!
I shared about a friendβs son, Frankie, a few weeks ago. He had an infection that affected his heart and was briefly on life support before being on the mend on his 17th birthday and then released back home. Unfortunately, things turned back to terrible quickly. He was back in ICU after just a day at home and the following 7 days were nearly unbearable. He had prom in the hospital before an exploratory surgery that brought no answers, crashed a couple of times, was read his last rites (twice), heart in complete failure, and back on life support and put on transplant list on May 4th. They did lift him from sedation as part of transplant prep and a did a neuro assessment that was encouraging. On Motherβs Day, they got word there was a possible heart match and on Monday morning (his momβs birthday), he received a transplant.
The transplant went well and he did not immediately need ECMO or other support, the heart was pumping well on its own.
The family has acknowledged too that their chance at a miracle meant another loss of life. How devastating it is. What a burden to have to hold with all the other trauma.
There have not been updates this week since word of the transplant. We are assuming and hoping that no news is good news. Praying his body will allow the new heart, that he suffered no other permanent damage, and for complete recovery.
I donβt know how they are functioning. Constantly Sending all the prayers and thoughts and frustrations and pleadings out to God and/or the universe. They are having a benefit for him next weekend.
Hey lady gang!
Really quick reply as work is Buh-NA-Naaaas
I am looking forward to a treasure filled weekend!
Avery is coming to Minnesota and I am just over the ding dang moon about it. We get to eat great food and see a skating show together. I'm sooooooo excited (and I just can't hiiiiide it)
Also, our family is getting a rescue puppy! We interviewed with the org last weekend. His rescue name is Chester but we are renaming him Waldo. He's a terrier/Chihuahua mix and we are so so excited to get the little guy. My instagram is going to be very very much a Wally McGee stan account.
There are some turds in my life, but I'm just being in denial of them at the moment and focusing on the treasures for as long as I can.
Happy Friday all!
Good morning! This will be quick---such a busy day today with some of my husband's friends coming in from out of town this afternoon and then tomorrow leaving early for a 48 hour trip to Wisconsin for my niece/goddaughter's confirmation.
The tweet about the small pile of clothes next to the husband's side of the bed IS REAL. Except for my husband it's shoes. It would be clothes except I put the hamper within his arm's reach. His shoe drawer is immediately under his side of the bed, but pulling out the drawer is significantly more work than reaching for the hamper. So, shoes it is.
This week, I finished the book "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger. I would recommend it highly. It's a beautiful story about some of the difficulties of being a person, specifically a person who is growing up. But underneath that narrator-who-is-a-grown-up-looking-back-at-being-an-adolescent is also some wonderful commentary on the complications of being an adult. Overall, a really lovely and poignant read. And the descriptions are *chef's kiss.*
My front yard garden is going well. We have cardboarded and mulched the grass, so, basically, we're shouting "Die, grass" to the whole neighborhood. My whole goal by the end of the summer is "less brown than green." It's a slow work in progress. But all my perennials from last year came up, so that's fantastic. God bless perennials.
That's about all I have time for this week. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, or as good of a weekend as possible. Sending love and hugs!
Greetings Swipes. I've already worked 60+ hours this week, so I am taking the day off. To go work on the new property. Whomp whomp. Which is OK, because I am giddy that I finally got ahold of a painter that will come to the house to give us an estimate today. If this guy can even remotely work with our schedule, I will probably cry.
My treasures this week are people. My husband and I have been in a lonely season after losing a lot of friends. But two people made meals for us. And two others said they would come help us do house projects this weekend. One lent us some tools. And another bought a gardenia bush for our new garden. These gestures of kindness and fellowship felt so healing after so much pain.
I didn't do anything cool on the internet again. Still watching old episodes of the Good Place. In bits and pieces, I read that Atlantic article about politics+church (it is good. And sad.). And I read a little of Deacon King Kong for book club. Thats mostly it, so I don't have any fun links to share. Looking forward to reading all your fun stuff in the comments!