I similarly also had my first Costco hot dog experience this month and let me just say that this side of heaven it’s the closest I’ve felt to Jesus. The bread, the weiner, the Diet Pepsi, and the aggressive staff literally slinging hot dogs into aluminum foil?? Transcendental is all I can say.
I would use “I need a grown-up” at least once a week. At least. Loved the Andy Squires post. I always appreciate it when someone points out the unlikeliness of Christianity since I have those thoughts all the time. I’m on “vacation” with my husband and 3 year old and 5 year old. Really it’s just parenting in another location with uncertain and treacherous scenarios abounding. Extreme parenting. It will be fun though. We’re going to the zoo. Pretty sure that we could’ve gotten by with just dragging them around our hometown with the wagon that we bought for the occasion and had the same positive results 😂😂😂. Seriously though, I’m very grateful for the chance to literally get away. Hoping that others are having a restful weekend in these chaotic days.
Greetings from no-soup-for-us North Texas. My days will look the same for another couple months, but I am finally starting to creep out of my Gollum girl cave a little. The past 6 months have been ruufff and I realize now that it started at the beginning of March when I had a c-r-a-p birthday. Everything went downhill from there, and I can only recall 2 good weeks since then. That’s a *terrible* stretch of misery, lemme tell ya. So the moral of the story is: always find a way to celebrate your birthday and make a good memory. If you lean into the crappiness, the effects could be devastating. 🥴
Treasures of Note, Summer Edition:
😴 I’m mostly sleeping like a human again, leaving the night living for the actual vampires. 🎉 Even when I’ve seen 2-3am, I’ve still been waking 8-9 hours later and fully rested. Huzzah! It’s true that good sleep is the key to health. I’ve felt more stable and sane this past month than I’ve felt for years. And the TIME I’ve gotten back is astounding. So much productive time! Although I don’t always use it for actual productivity... ⬇️
📺 Despite my mom’s insistence on bingeing the One Chicago series (she finished all 10 seasons of Chicago Fire – I liked – and is currently on season 4 of Chicago Med 😝), I’ve been able to catch up with some long-delayed bingeing of my own. I finally saw Only Murders in the Building (reminding me how charming Steve Martin has always been), and I did some Marvel catch-up (LOVED Ms Marvel; enjoyed Moon Knight bc of Oscar Isaac but *so weird*). I’m now catching up on Snowpiercer for the new season (Daveed Diggs 4eva), and I tried Westworld but it may be too creepy for me. My bingeing time will end soon because Mom still does network/broadcast tv and all the series start up again in September. But it’s been nice to feel a little “caught up” with the hype I missed out on.
📚 I tallied my summer reading and discovered I’d given the books three 5-star ratings, two 4.5 stars, six 4-stars, and one 3.5 stars, plus only one DNF. Either I’m really into my reading experience this year or the books have been truly great. (Both.) It’s been a very satisfying reading year, for sure! My faves were The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (sorry I missed book club!), Upgrade, What Just Happened, Sea of Tranquility, and Trust. My library says Carrie Soto is due to me in 18 days, so I’m finishing up summer reading to prepare for that one.
🎁 It’s time again to celebrate my longtime pen pal’s birthday, and I finally pulled together an idea I’ve been hoping to accomplish for at least 7 years. She’s a fan of all things pirate-y + Disney and even hopes to write a pirate novel someday, and I finally found just enough perfect items to build around that theme. She’ll be receiving a box with: t-shirt that says “why be a princess when you can be a pirate” (links below), a gorgeous mermaid pattern mug from her own wishlist, a candle called “But Why is All the Rum Gone?” 😂, some pirate-themed temporary tattoos, Pirate’s Booty snacks (of course!), and a sticky notepad titled Plan of Attack (because I love a good pun 😄). Each item is wrapped in this truly ugly-awesome paper covered in old maps with compasses, sea creatures, old ships, and bizarre Michelangelo cherubs in clouds. 🤷🏻♀️ This package hits all the marks between my friend’s love of pirates and my weird sense of humor, and I could not be more proud of myself TBH. 😂
Lastly, the constant 💩 in my life remains: the chronic hives are still a problem but I may have narrowed down the cause a little bit. I found an article by a pharmacist connecting sudden hives to Hashimoto’s (which I have), and she suggested that a specific bacteria (protozoa) in the gut can lead to a random onset. Her protocol was 2 months of S.Boulardii supplement plus diet changes of gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, sugar-free, and caffeine-free. I’ve been taking the pills and doing fairly well on the gf, but not 100% diligent with dairy and certainly not sugar or caffeine free (Dr Pepper is a daily NEED). But still, this week I’ve had several days’ reprieve from the misery. 🙌🏻 I haven’t needed antihistamine most of the week, and I’ve not had the welts on my skin come up as usual. But then last night (TMI), I experienced severe digestive disturbance before bed and woke up this morning covered in the itchy hives. So now, at least, I can definitively say the hives are related to gut distress. So that’s good? It’s misery, but maybe I’m solving the mystery. Good with the bad, I guess. 🥴
I was wondering how you were. I'm so sorry you've had a tough time, and glad that your sleep is better and that you have some things to try for the hives. I have some low-level autoimmune stuff too, and it is always better when I eat "clean". But man. That is hard. And when other things are also hard, clean eating is always the first to go for me. 😒 Wishing you all the best on all the fronts! (And your pirate present sounds delightful!)
Jules, I'm so glad you're sleeping better. We'll take all the wins we can, right?
I love, love, love the pirate present. That's amazing! I wish I had the ingenuity to come up with presents like that for the people in my life.
So sorry about the hives but congratulations on getting closer to solving the mystery. I've never been happy about getting a diagnosis but at least it's better than not knowing what is causing all the problems... I hope you feel better soon!
Re: the domestic arts, the Facebook group "Quilting" is visually stunning. Yesterday someone posted, "Show me your cat quilts." Over a hundred cat-themed quilts appeared on the comment thread and they were all so beautiful and different, I wanted to make one too. I don't even like cats.
Treasure of all treasures! We finally got keys to our house this week and are moving in this weekend! 2 months of living out of suitcases in a 1BR apt with 2 kids and 4000 legos was 😅🤪 but I can now say the words I’ve longed to say since my son could walk, “GO PLAY OUTSIDE!”
Yay! We've been living out of suitcases for over 2 months now, but we close on our house in 3 weeks. I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend in your new house!
I moved into college last week. Am I exhausted? Yes. Am I loving every second? Also yes. I’ve never been happier. Started counseling yesterday. She asked me to consider the concept of EMDR. Ya girl may be more traumatized than expected. I live with all of my best friends. My neighbor has an ESA and he’s the cutest lil kitty in all the land. One of the ed professors has golden retrievers that he brings to work on a regular basis. So, this ed major uses that resource ALL. THE. TIME. Anyways, I’m just so freaking happy and I needed y’all to be aware.
Living at college was the most fun I ever had. And that’s still wild to me as I now realize I was in full-blown depression and suffering from a digestive disorder! 😳 Yet it’s still a season of life that meant the most. Congrats on a new start and a truly important chapter of life. I hope it remains everything you need it to be.
That domestic artistry piece got me.... I am a firm believer that we are all artists. That creativity just comes out in different ways in different people, and I hate that we have hierarchies of what "counts" as art.
I have a co-worker who told me she "doesn't have a creative bone in her body." Meanwhile, her house is beautifully decorated and she plays the most elaborate pranks on her husband that are perfectly calibrated to be hilarious and not too much/ too mean. I tried telling her that I would literally never think to visit my husband's work to put reindeer antlers on his car to confuse/ annoy him at the end of the day, etc.
I will not be shifting into soup mode and I’m very afraid of who I will become should the power go out. The predicted temps for my area are as follows: 103, 102, 106, 111, 111, 108, and 101. I am unwell.
I’m with you, in Texas. We finally broke through the 100+ days but it’s still 90s for a long while. Soup mode doesn’t begin until November, at the earliest, and sweater weather for me won’t happen till January. We know nothing of Autumn. 😢
Erin, I lost a tooth in a Costco hotdog when I was about 6, so maybe stick that in your pocket for when Cyrus has some wiggly teeth...
Treasures:
- When I moved to Arkansas two years ago, I really missed my favorite coffeeshop in my Oklahoma college town. Turns out you can order their chai powder in bulk on Amazon (so authentic), so I have been slowly working through several pounds of chai powder for the last two years. My "fall" tradition ("fall" because it is still about 82 degrees) is to put a scoop of chai powder in my coffee, so that is what we've got going on this rainy morning. Here's the link if you need 3.5 pounds of pretty sugary chai powder in your life. https://a.co/d/5tx74ok
- We moved into our new house a few weeks ago and the microwave is built into the kitchen. We've discovered that when your food is done and the timer beeps, instead of zeroes or whatever, the screen reads "GOOD". Here's to microdosing affirmation from a kitchen appliance.
- Found out I'm pregnant this week. :) This is our first, and we're excited and nervous and all the things. verbal gif, elsa from frozen, into the unknooown!
Hi Swipes! Good luck Erin Sports Mom. May the odds be ever in your favor. The question is - what kind of hotdog does Jesus like? Is he a full Chicago dog guy? Chili dogs? Classic mustard? CORNdog? (It's Corn!)
🙏 Anyone who is the praying sort, would you pray for my teammate Lisa? She is going through something (many things?) And seems to be struggling, but won't tell us what's up or let us help. We are worried about her but can't find a way to connect. Reached out to her manager yesterday, and am hoping she can figure out how to support her.
So bonkers busy this week, but as I become a person again, I have more Tweetering Time.™
💰 This tweet with comments of the songs people sing to their dogs/pets. (Beware the initial cussing, but the way people are with their pets was charming to me). We have several around here: You're the Very Best Dog (In the Whole Wide World); Whiskey Tron is the Tronniest Tron; We Are the Cuties with Waggly Booties; Its Time for Foodie Time; and fan favorite - There's a Giant Tube of Poop inside your Body.
📻 The other day I wanted to sit in my hammock and listen to a baseball game. I love baseball on the radio. There were no games being played/broadcast, so I did some googling and found a vintage broadcast. Game 1 of the 1974 championship Dodgers vs Pirates. It was perfect - right down to the old commercials:
Ok, that New Yorker article is fascinating, and I'm glad the author went to the effort of finding the information. Hopefully future Bidens will appreciate it, even if the current ones aren't so sure. I have a lot of admiration for Joe Biden because he has dealt with far more than his fair share of grief and absolutely no one would blame him if he became a bitter old man. Instead, he appears to have chosen joy and service and is so generous in sharing his difficult experiences with others who are dealing with similar situations. He holds his hand out, and he's under no obligation to, and I just think that says a lot about him.
Your tweet treasures! 😂 The one about the hammock and raccoon *sent* me. I got hung up on him using a WALKMAN 🤯 and it took me a minute to shift gears that it was a funny story. lol
I read that blog post from Sarah Bessey about the Tozer family and it absolutely broke my heart. I was obsessed with books like The Pursuit of God and Knowledge of the Holy when I was a bright eyed wide eyed Christian in my early 20s. I may need to do a second look for research purposes because I’m sure my mind will have changed about at least some of his writings in that light. 😭
The good news is that I got those two books for free on Kindle years ago, so at least financially, the research won’t cost me. I need to go back and read some other classics like Blue Like Jazz and Ragamuffin Gospel (among many others) to see how they hold up.
FWIW, I read the Ragamuffin Gospel for the first time a couple of years ago, and it blew my mind. Also, it was very rude of Brennan Manning to keep calling me out like that. There are a few passages that come across as pretty dated now, particularly one section extensively referencing Bill Cosby as a positive example, but I think the good far outweighs the bad.
I kept BLJ, but I am sad because Donald Miller's shift into life/biz/marketing guru has been so dramatic. He's happy in his new life, but I sure feel like his "old voice" was so powerful and I miss it.
I completely understand wanting a change into something different, I haven’t read much of his marketing stuff yet. I did win a free copy of his new book Hero On A Mission in a giveaway with 100 or so other people, and I like the concept of it anyway, so I’ll give it a shot one day. After all, that won’t financially cost me either! 😉
Old man coworker has been back on his BS this week and I finally asked him why he's been coming in early and doing all the work before I got there. He happily explained that if we didn't have to work together then their wouldn't be tension... so, this 60yo man is just avoiding the problem by avoiding me! I tried to explain that this was weird. When I came in the next day he was sitting at his desk in the dark, didn't even turn the lights on himself. I went to our boss after work.
Aside from that, it's actually been a really good week!
📚 I finished House on the Cerulean Sea yesterday and it was a delight! It took me a bit to get into it, but I loved it.
💖 I've been helping a patron learn Canvas all summer for the course she's teaching this fall. She's three weeks in, it's going great, and she came by the library with the kindest note and little gift for me.
✨ When I was in StL a few months back, I randomly ran into my hs pastors ex-wife and learned that this man not only didn't help my family, he was hurting his own. It's made church hard the last few months even thought I know and love my current pastor and his family. I was finally ready and able to talk to my two close church friends about it last Saturday and it was so reassuring to just have people I love sit in that grief with me.
😍That conversation was made possible in large part by K.J. Ramsey's new book. If you haven't read it, read it! If you have, I'd love to chat about it!
That's all for me. I'm planning on doing some serious sewing this weekend, eating whatever I want and quite possibly staying in my cozy introvert home all weekend. I hope you have the best weekend available to you!!
I love the House by the Cerulean Sea. I feel like it should be a book club option for aspiring educators. I read it the same summer I read What You Wish For (Katherine Center) and both books felt like hugs and inspiration and being seen in the midst of pandemic educator burnout.
Having a guide through Canvas is SO important! I'm glad you were able to help her through that and that she was able to acknowledge your help! (Off to set up next week's module for my course...)
KJ Ramsey’s new book gave me so much language to a lot of what I needed to hear, especially as I am a victim of church abuse and neglect myself (two different situations), but I know I got off easy compared to KJ and her husband. It has made me even more determined to learn theology (shoutout to The Bible Project!) so that I can counter the bullshit theology that leads to spiritual abuse. I am so sorry you had to go through that abuse yourself, I hate how rampant it is here in the US.
I would just like to give a hearty round of applause for the tweet about being unwell until October 21st…. I imagine this was referring to Taylor Swift’s new album… but that happens to be my due date for Baby #6. So to say THAT SPEAKS TO ME would be an understatement.
I was thinking how fitting it was that this album’s theme is about her middle-of-the-night musings. Given that this human keeps nocturnally wrestling against my bladder
- I think today may be the last day of 90 degree weather where I live 👏 I got a sweater at Costco yesterday to celebrate. Ugh I hope I didn’t jinx us 😩
- college football is back and so is tailgate food! My husband’s fave food is Buffalo chicken anything, so I will make him Buffalo chicken everything. Started off last night with a simple buff chicken sandwich, but I will eventually work up to buff chicken spring rolls, pizza, tots, and dip of course.
- my husband works in the banking industry and periodically has to attend “banking schools” for professional development. He just finished the Alabama Banking School last week and he was named Salutatorian of his class AND his team won their big group project! I am so proud of him! It’s made him super happy 😊
- I finished reading House in the Cerulean Sea and Sea of Tranquility and loved them both
What kind of special foods/recipes do y’all like to cook in the fall/autumn?
Congrats to your husband! And to you if the temps stay down. I have a menu rotation I follow to make weeknight meals easier. In the fall I slowly swap out bbq items for crackpot and roasted items. And I start making spiced apples for all sorts of things. And every week I make soup on Sunday.
My favorite fall recipes are both soups from Joanna Gaines’s first Magnolia Table cookbook. One is a kale sausage clear broth soup and the other is a dark beer chili.
My parents and I made this buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe for a mac and cheese cook off that I did with my old small group years ago and I won! I know I have the recipe somewhere...
OK, who do I talk to about getting a What We Do in the Shadows/Schitt's Creek crossover?
My head is spinning this week because I've just been told I have to move out of the apartment where I've lived for 13 years. Just like that, completely out of the blue. I'm panicking slightly because my (lack of) health and finances is going to make it very difficult to find another place but I also feel like I am ready to move on and I've been craving a change for a long time so fingers crossed the right solution/home/winning lottery ticket turns up before I need to start packing.
The Great British Bake Off is coming back in less than two weeks and I cannot wait!
On Wednesday a friend and her 16-month old daughter came for a visit and we had a lovely time. I'd made brownies and got lots left over so I may or may not have been eating my feelings since they left. Basically, this has me this week: https://twitter.com/paddingtonbear/status/1563470851713818625
Hope you're all well and I'll see you in the comments! 🧡
Oh no! I'm so sorry about the unexpected move. And just when you'd discovered movies on your deck! It's different when you chose it for yourself. Praying for you to find something perfect and just right for you. (And thar crossover would be awesome.)
I never remember to get on here and comment. But here is my treasure of the week, for y’all’s entertainment:
We just moved from Vermont to Mississippi, and I am now teaching in a predominantly black school after being in a rural almost completely white school for five years. Definitely lots of culture shock and fun experiences!
The other day one of my six graders said, “Mrs. Evans, I bet you wish teachers could still spank students.” I said, “Actually, student name, I don’t even believe in spanking my own kids,” to which she replied, “Ohhhh Mrs. Evans, there is a place for you in heaven!”
I similarly also had my first Costco hot dog experience this month and let me just say that this side of heaven it’s the closest I’ve felt to Jesus. The bread, the weiner, the Diet Pepsi, and the aggressive staff literally slinging hot dogs into aluminum foil?? Transcendental is all I can say.
I would use “I need a grown-up” at least once a week. At least. Loved the Andy Squires post. I always appreciate it when someone points out the unlikeliness of Christianity since I have those thoughts all the time. I’m on “vacation” with my husband and 3 year old and 5 year old. Really it’s just parenting in another location with uncertain and treacherous scenarios abounding. Extreme parenting. It will be fun though. We’re going to the zoo. Pretty sure that we could’ve gotten by with just dragging them around our hometown with the wagon that we bought for the occasion and had the same positive results 😂😂😂. Seriously though, I’m very grateful for the chance to literally get away. Hoping that others are having a restful weekend in these chaotic days.
Good luck on you extreme parenting journey!
Greetings from no-soup-for-us North Texas. My days will look the same for another couple months, but I am finally starting to creep out of my Gollum girl cave a little. The past 6 months have been ruufff and I realize now that it started at the beginning of March when I had a c-r-a-p birthday. Everything went downhill from there, and I can only recall 2 good weeks since then. That’s a *terrible* stretch of misery, lemme tell ya. So the moral of the story is: always find a way to celebrate your birthday and make a good memory. If you lean into the crappiness, the effects could be devastating. 🥴
Treasures of Note, Summer Edition:
😴 I’m mostly sleeping like a human again, leaving the night living for the actual vampires. 🎉 Even when I’ve seen 2-3am, I’ve still been waking 8-9 hours later and fully rested. Huzzah! It’s true that good sleep is the key to health. I’ve felt more stable and sane this past month than I’ve felt for years. And the TIME I’ve gotten back is astounding. So much productive time! Although I don’t always use it for actual productivity... ⬇️
📺 Despite my mom’s insistence on bingeing the One Chicago series (she finished all 10 seasons of Chicago Fire – I liked – and is currently on season 4 of Chicago Med 😝), I’ve been able to catch up with some long-delayed bingeing of my own. I finally saw Only Murders in the Building (reminding me how charming Steve Martin has always been), and I did some Marvel catch-up (LOVED Ms Marvel; enjoyed Moon Knight bc of Oscar Isaac but *so weird*). I’m now catching up on Snowpiercer for the new season (Daveed Diggs 4eva), and I tried Westworld but it may be too creepy for me. My bingeing time will end soon because Mom still does network/broadcast tv and all the series start up again in September. But it’s been nice to feel a little “caught up” with the hype I missed out on.
📚 I tallied my summer reading and discovered I’d given the books three 5-star ratings, two 4.5 stars, six 4-stars, and one 3.5 stars, plus only one DNF. Either I’m really into my reading experience this year or the books have been truly great. (Both.) It’s been a very satisfying reading year, for sure! My faves were The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (sorry I missed book club!), Upgrade, What Just Happened, Sea of Tranquility, and Trust. My library says Carrie Soto is due to me in 18 days, so I’m finishing up summer reading to prepare for that one.
🎁 It’s time again to celebrate my longtime pen pal’s birthday, and I finally pulled together an idea I’ve been hoping to accomplish for at least 7 years. She’s a fan of all things pirate-y + Disney and even hopes to write a pirate novel someday, and I finally found just enough perfect items to build around that theme. She’ll be receiving a box with: t-shirt that says “why be a princess when you can be a pirate” (links below), a gorgeous mermaid pattern mug from her own wishlist, a candle called “But Why is All the Rum Gone?” 😂, some pirate-themed temporary tattoos, Pirate’s Booty snacks (of course!), and a sticky notepad titled Plan of Attack (because I love a good pun 😄). Each item is wrapped in this truly ugly-awesome paper covered in old maps with compasses, sea creatures, old ships, and bizarre Michelangelo cherubs in clouds. 🤷🏻♀️ This package hits all the marks between my friend’s love of pirates and my weird sense of humor, and I could not be more proud of myself TBH. 😂
** https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09TSJM49H/ref=yo_ii_img?customId=B075386ZHD&ie=UTF8&psc=1
** https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07H5BZBPV?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
** https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09C7JPBX4?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Lastly, the constant 💩 in my life remains: the chronic hives are still a problem but I may have narrowed down the cause a little bit. I found an article by a pharmacist connecting sudden hives to Hashimoto’s (which I have), and she suggested that a specific bacteria (protozoa) in the gut can lead to a random onset. Her protocol was 2 months of S.Boulardii supplement plus diet changes of gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, sugar-free, and caffeine-free. I’ve been taking the pills and doing fairly well on the gf, but not 100% diligent with dairy and certainly not sugar or caffeine free (Dr Pepper is a daily NEED). But still, this week I’ve had several days’ reprieve from the misery. 🙌🏻 I haven’t needed antihistamine most of the week, and I’ve not had the welts on my skin come up as usual. But then last night (TMI), I experienced severe digestive disturbance before bed and woke up this morning covered in the itchy hives. So now, at least, I can definitively say the hives are related to gut distress. So that’s good? It’s misery, but maybe I’m solving the mystery. Good with the bad, I guess. 🥴
I was wondering how you were. I'm so sorry you've had a tough time, and glad that your sleep is better and that you have some things to try for the hives. I have some low-level autoimmune stuff too, and it is always better when I eat "clean". But man. That is hard. And when other things are also hard, clean eating is always the first to go for me. 😒 Wishing you all the best on all the fronts! (And your pirate present sounds delightful!)
Ahh, I loved Invisible Life of Addie LaRue!
Jules, I'm so glad you're sleeping better. We'll take all the wins we can, right?
I love, love, love the pirate present. That's amazing! I wish I had the ingenuity to come up with presents like that for the people in my life.
So sorry about the hives but congratulations on getting closer to solving the mystery. I've never been happy about getting a diagnosis but at least it's better than not knowing what is causing all the problems... I hope you feel better soon!
Re: the domestic arts, the Facebook group "Quilting" is visually stunning. Yesterday someone posted, "Show me your cat quilts." Over a hundred cat-themed quilts appeared on the comment thread and they were all so beautiful and different, I wanted to make one too. I don't even like cats.
Treasure of all treasures! We finally got keys to our house this week and are moving in this weekend! 2 months of living out of suitcases in a 1BR apt with 2 kids and 4000 legos was 😅🤪 but I can now say the words I’ve longed to say since my son could walk, “GO PLAY OUTSIDE!”
Oh yay! Finally. I'm so happy for you!
Yay! We've been living out of suitcases for over 2 months now, but we close on our house in 3 weeks. I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend in your new house!
Hooray!!! So happy for you!
This is the best news!!!
Yay!! This is such a wonderful treasure!
I moved into college last week. Am I exhausted? Yes. Am I loving every second? Also yes. I’ve never been happier. Started counseling yesterday. She asked me to consider the concept of EMDR. Ya girl may be more traumatized than expected. I live with all of my best friends. My neighbor has an ESA and he’s the cutest lil kitty in all the land. One of the ed professors has golden retrievers that he brings to work on a regular basis. So, this ed major uses that resource ALL. THE. TIME. Anyways, I’m just so freaking happy and I needed y’all to be aware.
This is such wonderful news, Riley!
Hooray! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! (And EMDR was very helpful when I did it. Our brains are amazing!)
Living at college was the most fun I ever had. And that’s still wild to me as I now realize I was in full-blown depression and suffering from a digestive disorder! 😳 Yet it’s still a season of life that meant the most. Congrats on a new start and a truly important chapter of life. I hope it remains everything you need it to be.
That domestic artistry piece got me.... I am a firm believer that we are all artists. That creativity just comes out in different ways in different people, and I hate that we have hierarchies of what "counts" as art.
I have a co-worker who told me she "doesn't have a creative bone in her body." Meanwhile, her house is beautifully decorated and she plays the most elaborate pranks on her husband that are perfectly calibrated to be hilarious and not too much/ too mean. I tried telling her that I would literally never think to visit my husband's work to put reindeer antlers on his car to confuse/ annoy him at the end of the day, etc.
Hope your long weekend is great, fellow artists!
Your creative friend sounds hilarious. 😁
Yes to us all being creative and it comes out in different ways.
🙌🙌
I will not be shifting into soup mode and I’m very afraid of who I will become should the power go out. The predicted temps for my area are as follows: 103, 102, 106, 111, 111, 108, and 101. I am unwell.
I’m with you, in Texas. We finally broke through the 100+ days but it’s still 90s for a long while. Soup mode doesn’t begin until November, at the earliest, and sweater weather for me won’t happen till January. We know nothing of Autumn. 😢
Won't be ready for soup mode for a few months, at this rate!
I can remember that I made chili exactly one time last year, and that was two weeks before Christmas. Last winter was so hot!
Neither will I. At least our highest temps in FL are now in the low 90s instead of the high 90s. NO SOUP FOR ME.
Same. Excessive heat warnings. 🔥 🔥 🔥
Erin, I lost a tooth in a Costco hotdog when I was about 6, so maybe stick that in your pocket for when Cyrus has some wiggly teeth...
Treasures:
- When I moved to Arkansas two years ago, I really missed my favorite coffeeshop in my Oklahoma college town. Turns out you can order their chai powder in bulk on Amazon (so authentic), so I have been slowly working through several pounds of chai powder for the last two years. My "fall" tradition ("fall" because it is still about 82 degrees) is to put a scoop of chai powder in my coffee, so that is what we've got going on this rainy morning. Here's the link if you need 3.5 pounds of pretty sugary chai powder in your life. https://a.co/d/5tx74ok
- We moved into our new house a few weeks ago and the microwave is built into the kitchen. We've discovered that when your food is done and the timer beeps, instead of zeroes or whatever, the screen reads "GOOD". Here's to microdosing affirmation from a kitchen appliance.
- Found out I'm pregnant this week. :) This is our first, and we're excited and nervous and all the things. verbal gif, elsa from frozen, into the unknooown!
Congratulations!
Oh my goodness! Or GOOD as the microwave would say. Congratulations on the bebe 💗
Congratulations!!!
AHHHHH CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🎉
Hey, these days we need as much affirmation as we can get. 😆 And congratulations!!!
Hi Swipes! Good luck Erin Sports Mom. May the odds be ever in your favor. The question is - what kind of hotdog does Jesus like? Is he a full Chicago dog guy? Chili dogs? Classic mustard? CORNdog? (It's Corn!)
🙏 Anyone who is the praying sort, would you pray for my teammate Lisa? She is going through something (many things?) And seems to be struggling, but won't tell us what's up or let us help. We are worried about her but can't find a way to connect. Reached out to her manager yesterday, and am hoping she can figure out how to support her.
So bonkers busy this week, but as I become a person again, I have more Tweetering Time.™
💰 I want to do this so bad!
https://twitter.com/Yoda4ever/status/1565354143866241031
💰 This tweet with comments of the songs people sing to their dogs/pets. (Beware the initial cussing, but the way people are with their pets was charming to me). We have several around here: You're the Very Best Dog (In the Whole Wide World); Whiskey Tron is the Tronniest Tron; We Are the Cuties with Waggly Booties; Its Time for Foodie Time; and fan favorite - There's a Giant Tube of Poop inside your Body.
https://mobile.twitter.com/raxkingisdead/status/1554473312381804544
💰This video of mom's tackling their football player sons:
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1562812804599402497?s=20&t=AV3lIIygff62viJpRUda3Q
💰 This one is old, but I first saw it yesterday:
https://mobile.twitter.com/aaronreynolds/status/1275287134203777030
💰 I have never done this, so I can't vouch for accuracy, but of all the memes of this I saw yesterday this one made me laugh the hardest:
https://twitter.com/DaveMcNamee3000/status/1565125073089966080
💰 Got this one from Beth Moore liking it:
https://twitter.com/pastorjgkell/status/1565157174124462081
💰 Preach.
https://twitter.com/PatrickKMiller_/status/1565304429980549120
📻 The other day I wanted to sit in my hammock and listen to a baseball game. I love baseball on the radio. There were no games being played/broadcast, so I did some googling and found a vintage broadcast. Game 1 of the 1974 championship Dodgers vs Pirates. It was perfect - right down to the old commercials:
https://youtu.be/xLl15j3aLcA
📺 Emma (2020) - gorgeous, but meh. Miss Potter - cute
📚 A Hole in the World by Amanda Opelt. - almost done. The chapter covering the mirrors was good!
🃏 Uno with the hubs during dinner.
📝 Sad reads to balance out the funny teeets, I guess:
A New Yorker article about how the earlier generation of Biden family lost wealth. Sad tales of alcoholism and bad choices. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/the-untold-history-of-the-biden-family
And Sara Bessey sharing about Ada Tozer. 😔 I have read so many stories like that. Some by the pastors at the end of their lives realizing they had blown it with their families. And it doesn't just apply to ministry jobs. Any job can do this. Or volunteer work. It is a good reminder. https://sarahbessey.substack.com/p/pursuit-of-god?r=1vmrh&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct
Looking forward to seeing your 💰 and 🗑in the comments!
Ok, that New Yorker article is fascinating, and I'm glad the author went to the effort of finding the information. Hopefully future Bidens will appreciate it, even if the current ones aren't so sure. I have a lot of admiration for Joe Biden because he has dealt with far more than his fair share of grief and absolutely no one would blame him if he became a bitter old man. Instead, he appears to have chosen joy and service and is so generous in sharing his difficult experiences with others who are dealing with similar situations. He holds his hand out, and he's under no obligation to, and I just think that says a lot about him.
Yeah. These things could have crushed him or made him bitter, but he just doesn't seem that way.
I cannot stop laughing at the raccoon story! Amazing. 😂 And before today I didn't know I wanted to pet the hands of an otter. Praying for Lisa!
Thank you. ❤️ And those otters look so happy!
Your tweet treasures! 😂 The one about the hammock and raccoon *sent* me. I got hung up on him using a WALKMAN 🤯 and it took me a minute to shift gears that it was a funny story. lol
Right? So funny! And that this is not his first mistaken wild animal encounter. Lol 😆
Yes! A groundhog? What a life!
I love pet songs! We always sing I'm a Little Charlie to our dog!
It is so goofy and delightful. Gah! Dogs bring out the best in us.
I read that blog post from Sarah Bessey about the Tozer family and it absolutely broke my heart. I was obsessed with books like The Pursuit of God and Knowledge of the Holy when I was a bright eyed wide eyed Christian in my early 20s. I may need to do a second look for research purposes because I’m sure my mind will have changed about at least some of his writings in that light. 😭
😔 I thought of doing that too.
The good news is that I got those two books for free on Kindle years ago, so at least financially, the research won’t cost me. I need to go back and read some other classics like Blue Like Jazz and Ragamuffin Gospel (among many others) to see how they hold up.
FWIW, I read the Ragamuffin Gospel for the first time a couple of years ago, and it blew my mind. Also, it was very rude of Brennan Manning to keep calling me out like that. There are a few passages that come across as pretty dated now, particularly one section extensively referencing Bill Cosby as a positive example, but I think the good far outweighs the bad.
Brennan Manning is great at the callouts, for sure! I’ll have to keep an eye out for those dated sections, that’s always hard. 😣
I kept BLJ, but I am sad because Donald Miller's shift into life/biz/marketing guru has been so dramatic. He's happy in his new life, but I sure feel like his "old voice" was so powerful and I miss it.
I completely understand wanting a change into something different, I haven’t read much of his marketing stuff yet. I did win a free copy of his new book Hero On A Mission in a giveaway with 100 or so other people, and I like the concept of it anyway, so I’ll give it a shot one day. After all, that won’t financially cost me either! 😉
We made it to the long weekend!
Old man coworker has been back on his BS this week and I finally asked him why he's been coming in early and doing all the work before I got there. He happily explained that if we didn't have to work together then their wouldn't be tension... so, this 60yo man is just avoiding the problem by avoiding me! I tried to explain that this was weird. When I came in the next day he was sitting at his desk in the dark, didn't even turn the lights on himself. I went to our boss after work.
Aside from that, it's actually been a really good week!
📚 I finished House on the Cerulean Sea yesterday and it was a delight! It took me a bit to get into it, but I loved it.
💖 I've been helping a patron learn Canvas all summer for the course she's teaching this fall. She's three weeks in, it's going great, and she came by the library with the kindest note and little gift for me.
✨ When I was in StL a few months back, I randomly ran into my hs pastors ex-wife and learned that this man not only didn't help my family, he was hurting his own. It's made church hard the last few months even thought I know and love my current pastor and his family. I was finally ready and able to talk to my two close church friends about it last Saturday and it was so reassuring to just have people I love sit in that grief with me.
😍That conversation was made possible in large part by K.J. Ramsey's new book. If you haven't read it, read it! If you have, I'd love to chat about it!
That's all for me. I'm planning on doing some serious sewing this weekend, eating whatever I want and quite possibly staying in my cozy introvert home all weekend. I hope you have the best weekend available to you!!
Ugh, I'm not a fan of old man coworker... Your weekend plans sound lovely, have the best time!
I love the House by the Cerulean Sea. I feel like it should be a book club option for aspiring educators. I read it the same summer I read What You Wish For (Katherine Center) and both books felt like hugs and inspiration and being seen in the midst of pandemic educator burnout.
Definitely need to read KJ Ramsey's book
Having a guide through Canvas is SO important! I'm glad you were able to help her through that and that she was able to acknowledge your help! (Off to set up next week's module for my course...)
KJ Ramsey’s new book gave me so much language to a lot of what I needed to hear, especially as I am a victim of church abuse and neglect myself (two different situations), but I know I got off easy compared to KJ and her husband. It has made me even more determined to learn theology (shoutout to The Bible Project!) so that I can counter the bullshit theology that leads to spiritual abuse. I am so sorry you had to go through that abuse yourself, I hate how rampant it is here in the US.
Sorry for the pain, but glad you found some companionship in your grief. K.j Ramsey (and her books) is/are a gift. Your weekend sounds wonderful!
Those weekend plans sound amazing!!! Hopeful that your boss can help you out.
I would just like to give a hearty round of applause for the tweet about being unwell until October 21st…. I imagine this was referring to Taylor Swift’s new album… but that happens to be my due date for Baby #6. So to say THAT SPEAKS TO ME would be an understatement.
Labor playlist? 😁 (And hooray for baby!)
I was thinking how fitting it was that this album’s theme is about her middle-of-the-night musings. Given that this human keeps nocturnally wrestling against my bladder
Nice. Well, then maybe it will accompany you during midnight feedings etc.
Good morning sweet swipes!
- I think today may be the last day of 90 degree weather where I live 👏 I got a sweater at Costco yesterday to celebrate. Ugh I hope I didn’t jinx us 😩
- college football is back and so is tailgate food! My husband’s fave food is Buffalo chicken anything, so I will make him Buffalo chicken everything. Started off last night with a simple buff chicken sandwich, but I will eventually work up to buff chicken spring rolls, pizza, tots, and dip of course.
- my husband works in the banking industry and periodically has to attend “banking schools” for professional development. He just finished the Alabama Banking School last week and he was named Salutatorian of his class AND his team won their big group project! I am so proud of him! It’s made him super happy 😊
- I finished reading House in the Cerulean Sea and Sea of Tranquility and loved them both
What kind of special foods/recipes do y’all like to cook in the fall/autumn?
Can’t wait to catch up in the comments 💗
I love the thought of celebratory sweaters!
Me too. Equal parts cozy and "Yay!".
Sea of Tranquility is a top 3 book for my reading year! Loved it so much.
Congrats to your husband! And to you if the temps stay down. I have a menu rotation I follow to make weeknight meals easier. In the fall I slowly swap out bbq items for crackpot and roasted items. And I start making spiced apples for all sorts of things. And every week I make soup on Sunday.
My favorite fall recipes are both soups from Joanna Gaines’s first Magnolia Table cookbook. One is a kale sausage clear broth soup and the other is a dark beer chili.
My parents and I made this buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe for a mac and cheese cook off that I did with my old small group years ago and I won! I know I have the recipe somewhere...
Buffalo chicken Mac and cheese. Sweet fancy Moses, that sounds good.
It was sooooooo good and I miss it.
Hello hello!
OK, who do I talk to about getting a What We Do in the Shadows/Schitt's Creek crossover?
My head is spinning this week because I've just been told I have to move out of the apartment where I've lived for 13 years. Just like that, completely out of the blue. I'm panicking slightly because my (lack of) health and finances is going to make it very difficult to find another place but I also feel like I am ready to move on and I've been craving a change for a long time so fingers crossed the right solution/home/winning lottery ticket turns up before I need to start packing.
The Great British Bake Off is coming back in less than two weeks and I cannot wait!
On Wednesday a friend and her 16-month old daughter came for a visit and we had a lovely time. I'd made brownies and got lots left over so I may or may not have been eating my feelings since they left. Basically, this has me this week: https://twitter.com/paddingtonbear/status/1563470851713818625
Hope you're all well and I'll see you in the comments! 🧡
That is so stressful! I hope you're able to find a good affordable place
Thank you!
My gosh, that's so stressful! Hoping you find a place easily!
Thanks, Melanie!
Oh no! I'm so sorry about the unexpected move. And just when you'd discovered movies on your deck! It's different when you chose it for yourself. Praying for you to find something perfect and just right for you. (And thar crossover would be awesome.)
Haha, that's exactly what I thought when I found out. 😂 Thank you so much!
Ugh noooooo moving is the worst! I hope you can find a good place where you can make new memories that is also nice and fits your budget! 🙏🏻
Thank you!
Wellllllllp.
That Andy.
I was unprepared.
Thank you for sharing at just the right time.
I’m packing my little bag (reading this instead) to go to have surgery today. It’s o think my 11th surgery? I lost count.
Anyway. I’m tired of doing it.
I am tired of asking my husband to meet me after recovery. I get scared of the IV every time.
And the idea of God meeting is in prayer every time being such a wonder, such a ridiculous, such a sure thing..man do I need that today.
Love y’all.
🙏 I'm sorry you have to go through this again. Praying for a smooth procedure and a gentle recovery.
💗💗💗 Prayers for stamina, for peace, for easy and quick recovery. You said it beautifully: “such a wonder, a ridiculous and sure thing.” 🥰
I never remember to get on here and comment. But here is my treasure of the week, for y’all’s entertainment:
We just moved from Vermont to Mississippi, and I am now teaching in a predominantly black school after being in a rural almost completely white school for five years. Definitely lots of culture shock and fun experiences!
The other day one of my six graders said, “Mrs. Evans, I bet you wish teachers could still spank students.” I said, “Actually, student name, I don’t even believe in spanking my own kids,” to which she replied, “Ohhhh Mrs. Evans, there is a place for you in heaven!”
6th graders are such a fun and totally bonkers group!
My favorite age is Middle School/Jr high. 😍
😂that is too good! I can’t even imagine what a transition from VT to MS must feel like! I hope you enjoy yourself!