I mean, yes. I’m happy to listen to Billy Joel sing that tune. Super Bowl halftime show has become the who-can-lip-sync-while-wearing-the-fewest-clothing-garments contest, and I’ve moved on. 😂
Hi, hi fellow swipes. It's been a hot minute and I've missed y'all!
Erin - thank you so much for sharing your experience and the resources for the Derrick Barnes situation. I'm a children's librarian and he's one of my favorite authors to promote. I'm so angry and so sad. It does give me so much hope to see so many people jumping in to promote his work, help him recoup the lost fees, and put his books in the hands of children in that community.
I'm extremely tired today - apparently I'm now at the age where staying up til 3 AM one night will take weeks to recover from so yay! Otherwise, life is pretty good right now. Of course, there are some hard things but aren't there always?
I have two huge treasures to share:
- I don't think I've been able to comment on a newsletter since this happened so I'd love to share that I FINALLY finished my graduate program! I officially have a Master of Library and Information Science! I got the actual diploma in the mail last week and it made everything so much more real.
- I started a podcast and I am enjoying it so much! It's called Tales From a Bibliophile and it's about all things books and the communities they create. You can find it on all major platforms but here's a link to it on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-a-bibliophile/id1667710063
I guess because it's awards season, several theaters here have limited screenings of several Oscar contenders. I went to see Everything Everywhere All at Once, and months after it's original release, I am in danger of becoming insufferable about it. I want to throw roses at Michelle Yeoh's feet. I want Ke Huy Quan's phone to be ringing off the hook with offers. I desperately wanted to correct the woman at the theater who said it was some of the worst two hours of her life, but I forced myself to walk on.
For those keeping score at home, a year after announcing my intention to do so, I have finally signed up for ice skating lessons. It's a 5-week course starting Feb. 24 (normally 6, but this batch overlaps with Spring Break), and I'm very excited about it. I have to have wrist guards and struck out at my local Dick's and Academy, so if that's something you know about, please give me recs!
Florida update: it's real bad here. My sister teaches kindergarten here, and she now faces a literal felony if someone objects to any of the books she has in her classroom. I'm stuck between helplessness and rage, and I don't know how they don't see that this is just going to push even more teachers out of the profession.
Treasures:
My nephew's second birthday party last weekend was lovely, and it's always such a delight to spend time with him. He's starting to talk more, and I'm so excited to hear what he has to say!
I start to feel like the red string bulletin board meme when I think about everything happening in Florida for more than 0.2 seconds, so SOLIDARITY to the Floridian Swipes. Hang in there.
Hey friends, it's Friday, hooray! I was not a theater major in college, but I'm here for any campus tour guide who uses mastery of their major to sell the school.
I just had lunch and shopping with a dear friend, and bought these sweet overalls at Duluth Trading Company: https://www.duluthtrading.com/s/DTC/womens-heirloom-gardening-bib-overalls-16760.html?color=HGG Stretchy straps! Lots of pockets! Special compartments for kneepads! I haven't owned overalls since college (1996 - everything old is new again), and I'm happy that they are still cute on me even after all the ways my body has changed since then.
I am so thankful for little snippets of "normal" life that also help me know what day of the week it is. My 21 yr old daughter that has been struggling with a multitude of lupus issues and misdiagnosis since early 2020 started having tonic clonic (Gran Mal) seizures a week ago today. She had 4 within 48 hours and even though it's been almost a week she is still having significant memory, word recall and balance issues. So we were admitted yesterday for more tests and scans. She's currently wearing EEG sensors and having seizure meds withheld to see if they can catch one while scanning. Unfortunately, due to lots of reasons, there's no available rooms on regular floors so we have been stuck in tiny ER room for over 24 hours. I come from a medical family and have made it my mission to educate myself on the INS and outs of medical world surrounding her issues because I want to be able to fight for her to get answers and help. This is definitely the hardest battle yet, though. I'm exhausted, but since she can't communicate well and has no memory of the seizures or even conversations and events before and long after, she has to have someone with her for when they come around for consults to help answer questions. And that can happen any time.
So I try to rest in the super comfy triage reclining chair and keep my brain busy by reading and podcasts and ASMR videos. We can't have any other visitors in ER and we're an hour from our house so switching off isn't easy either. I'm coping with comedy and trying to lighten her mood when I can. It's an awful conundrum to be wishing your child would have another of the seizures that have made everything so hard because you know it would mean better answers on how to help her.
On a happy note...(looking for joy anywhere I can, y'all) my son and DIL bought a puppy and the breeder has been posting all kinds of photos and videos of them as they grow. I'm totally NOT the type who would consider this like a grandchild, but I'm very thankful for the frequent seratonin boost I'm getting from that Facebook page. The litter is named after Schitt's Creek characters, so there's Stevie, Ted, Johnny and my son's pup, David. ♥️🤣
Oh gosh that is a LOT on all of you! Wishing for a seizure & being stuck in an ER! Please let her know we’re sending her & you do much love! Health issues stop you in your tracks. Wish I was local & could bring you goodies or hot chocolate. And dogs truly do bring so much joy.
Carrie, that's a LOT. I'm praying for you and your daughter today, for rest, clarity, and peace. I hope they can move you to a regular med floor soon! The ER sucks.
For the Chessy Gang, these oversized button-ups from Abercrombie are my favorite. I never buy them at full-price; they’re on sale all the time. They come in fun colors, but also just classic white. Happy Chessy-ing. :)
Coming into the treasures really late today because it's been a busy work day for me! I told y'all last week that I was going to be going to the mall and making banana bread and both of those things were hilariously disastrous.
First, the mall. I'm an introvert, I know this, but when I went to that mall it was like every shred of overwhelm descended upon me and my brain left my body. The second I walked in, I should have known I needed to leave. All the sounds, the people, the HEAT. Oh past Grace, why didn't you see that coming? I did buy that Aerie Chessy button-down but that is the only good thing that came out of that trip. (Side note: I felt ancient in that store and I'm not even 30. Will shop online next time.) Otherwise I completely lost the ability to form coherent thoughts and needed 16 hours of silence to recover from my excursion out of the house. (I am being dramatic here but also I am not being that dramatic.)
Then the next day I thought, oh I'll make banana bread today, that's a fun quiet activity. I hadn't made banana bread in probably ten years. All was going well until I smelled burning. Why did I massively overfill the pan instead of just making a second loaf? Why didn't I put a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the baking pan? I do not have good answers to these questions. All I know is when I realized the batter was just flowing out of the pan and onto the bottom of my oven, it struck me as delightfully silly. I turned off the oven, removed the pan, waited for the oven to cool, and used the opportunity to clean my oven. Then I transferred some of the batter to a mini loaf pan and returned the half baked batter to the oven. Surprisingly it turned out quite tasty - my boyfriend's office sent their compliments. And now my oven is clean, so win-win.
Treasures:
I'm very proud of myself for getting to the bottom of some negative feelings I had this week and informing my significant other as to how he could help me address them. It felt like a really big step.
My parents' dog unexpectedly died a few weeks ago, and yesterday they picked up a new little guy to foster-to-adopt. My dad has been so sad about his pup's passing, and I'm happy to see him in happier spirits again as he takes care of this new dog!
I managed to do pull-ups this week! I've been going to my gym since July and honestly thought it would take me more than a year to get to the point where I'd be able to a single pull-up. I used resistance bands for support, but y'all I did it! I truly cannot believe it.
Hello everyone! Here in Northwest Arkansas we have had this WHOLE WEEK off for snow/ice, so I have been working from home and enjoying the quiet.
🤰🏻 12 weeks (or less) until babies! My baby question this week: what the heck do babies even wear? There are so many clothes, you guys. Short sleeves, long sleeves, fleece pajamas, what do we do??? Anticipating that they will be smaller than average (because twins), I've been advised to have a few preemie things on hand and that they could be in newborn sizes longer than other babies. That being said, for babies born in April and living in a warm place...what do they really wear around the house for the first several months? (fwiw they will be home over the summer, not in daycare till the fall)
🤧 I am pretty sure I'm on my 3rd or 4th cold since getting pregnant. These sweet babies are leeching my immune system.
🍪 The Crumbl menu this week is *chefs kiss*. If you are near a Crumbl, get your paws on as many of those blueberry muffin cookies as you can.
I really liked those sleep sacks for my babies (I had twins too! Mine are twelve now). They can kick all they want, and it's easy to just pull up the bottom for diaper changes.
Onesies and sleepers. You will be changing clothes a lot so complex clothes get tiresome. Especially with twins. I will say that it is easier to blow raspberries on a baby tummy if they are in a tshirt. 😊
My baby was a big fan of layers, so a onesie then sleepers over top, and socks/sweaters if it’s chilly. I don’t think he wore “real clothes” until he was 4 months old because sleepers were just so comfy and he didn’t like anything with a waistband. There’s no wrong answer to how to dress them as long as they’re warm enough.
We always dressed our babies in sleepers for the first couple months (although 2 of the 3 of them were born in winter). Either way - zippers are your best friend for middle of the night changes. And blueberry muffin cookies?! YUM
Spending the morning luxuriating in free time reading today’s Lil Treasures! 🥰
I got laid off from my church job this week after almost 20 years. Other than figuring out finances and facing the unknown, I feel at peace and have faith that it will turn out for the better. There was a lot of heavy baggage with working at a church where I’ve changed and they haven’t.
Happy to be free and to have more focused time with my family! Sometimes treasures come in unexpected packages. ❤️
🎧 No one is talking about the podcast The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods and I'm determined to change that! It is so captivating! <Stefon voice> This podcast has everything: Missing people, Japanese culture, detective school (with karaoke!) </Stefon> https://www.campsidemedia.com/the-evaporated
I feel like this week has been a whole month, but somehow we made it. PHEW.
As a pastor at a college and a (trained!) practical theologian (so fun and scary to type that, as it is technically not in my title, but is what I do!) I have two books that I want to recommend: Reading While Black by Esau McCualley and The Next Evangelicalism by Soon-Chan Rah. Esau is actually speaking at a lunch my team is hosting on campus for local youth pastors on Tuesday (and also at chapel for our students), and I am so excited to hear from him in person!
💊 My trashy turd from this week (besides the fact that it has been long, emotional, and draining), is that my psychiatrist and my therapist gave me contradicting advice about taking or not taking my ADHD meds over the weekends. And so, I am feeling a bit anxious about what to do. (Where one recommends taking “med vacations” on the weekends, the other recommended continuing to take them.) How do you decide what to do when two doctors give you opposite advice? 🫠
🦁 But my treasure is that my husband and I (finally) got to see The Lion King last night! The National Tour is in Los Angeles for the month, and man, is it spectacular. I’ve been hearing about how good it is for 25 of my 29 years of life, so it was so fun to see it live! Barbra Brown Taylor asked the oft-quoted question “What is saving your life right now?” And live theater (or an original cast recording) is nearly always at the top of that list.
Okay, I hope you all get lots of rest this weekend and can spend some time with people who love you. ❤️
My husband has ADHD and when he doesn't take his Adderall he has several withdrawal symptoms. Which really stinks because there's a shortage right now.
Conflicting information about meds like this can be so frustrating. I’d suggest talking to your pharmacist who can give you the lowdown on each perspective and help you figure out what’s best for your particular situation.
Pharmacists are one of the most easily-accessible health care professionals out there, and have a wealth of clinical knowledge about this exact kind of thing (I might be biased since I’m a pharmacy technician so I get the skinny on everything they can do). Good luck!
Obviously not a medical professional, so honestly, just don’t listen to me...BUT I tried a med vacation on days when I wasn’t working and it was miserable. I do know folks for whom it works really well. It may be inconsistent from the doctors because there isn’t a clear pattern for everyone. There are few things as frustrating as figuring out the right med strategy - sending you a lot of solidarity and hope for a clear answer!
Anne, that is so helpful to hear your experience! I appreciate the reminder that finding the right med strategy is a process, and it’s not just hard for me. 😆
I'm gonna start off with some turds so I can get them out of the way. Life is very hard and chaotic at the moment. I had a stress induced panic attack this week, there's a first time for everything, and I keep having nightmares. Fingers crossed I make it through February 😬 😂😵
Ok, on to treasures!
🍰 Today I'm taking a break from all things hard and stressful in favor of baking cakes. https://twitter.com/BritishBakeOff/status/1619402428125773824 (So far, I've mainly been scraping batter from the bottom of the oven since both cake tins leaked but hopefully I can turn things around this afternoon 😅)
🧡 I got a birthday card in the mail yesterday from our very own Sarah Clark. I definitely wasn't expecting a card all the way from across the pond and it made me so happy. Lil Swipes truly are the best people. Thank you so much, Sarah!!!
🎄 We didn't get to celebrate Christmas here since a bunch of us had COVID but my sister's family is coming in from out of town tonight so we can have a meal and exchange gifts. It'll be really nice to see them!
A day to of cake baking sounds delightful. Wishing you better luck this afternoon, I’ve put a cookie sheet under cake tins before to make clean up at least a little easier if I think they might leak or overflow.
👎🏻I got the no we are unable to pay you for my ministry position that I have been serving in for a while now, partly because they hired a young guy to come in and help in both worship and youth that had been in the works. I know him, he’s a good guy, humble, willing to learn but now I feel like that is even more work to do in mentoring and figuring out what we want him to help with in student ministry. My team of volunteers is going to help figure it all out too and I do very much trust our pastors. Plus there is an off ramp in May if it’s not working out. All that to say it’s just a new situation with unknowns and maybe some awkwardness. I thought when they eventually hired someone for student ministry, that person would basically take over my role, but I guess in this way, he is teachable and not coming in to just take over and change everything. There are pros and cons and we’ll just have to see how it goes. (Also, I know I didn’t explain this all very well. Hard to do without typing too much.)
👎🏻My son didn’t make his 5th grade bball team at school and all his friends did so he was super bummed last Friday.
💎So, I literally prayed for the Chiefs to win (he is a HUGE fan) and they did (I don’t believe it was bc of my prayers) but he just needed them to go to the Super Bowl so badly because it’s on his birthday!
👎🏻Would be super great if Super Bowl tickets were reasonable prices.
💎Sandwiches...Jen Hatmaker has a grilled cheese in her new cookbook that my oldest and I are loving and we have not even added the bacon to it which I’m sure only enhances it. It’s raspberry jam, potato chips and gruyere cheese, toasted with a mix of butter and Duke’s. So freaking good.
Your daughter's senior pictures are gorgeous! I'm very intrigued by this grilled cheese, I like all of those things, but have never thought about combining them on a sandwich.
So sorry all, but I remembered 2 more things, one sort of like the cancellation issue in Bham. In my town, they have a Diversity breakfast and this year to celebrate the LGBTQ community, they had drag queens. The show they did was just lip synching some songs, nothing “sexual”. However, several (maybe 30) of our public school students were in attendance. They had permission to be there but them maybe didn’t know exactly what was on the agenda. So like 2 parents complained about it which caused an people in the community to become outraged. And I can see both sides (sort of) but it just annoys me that it was 2 parents complaining, took it to a conservative State Senator and you can see where it probably went from there. So that leads me to my second thing...my real life friend (and Popcast fan) Sarah Bohl’s Substack. She wrote a great response to what has taken place. Plus I just love her newsletter in general. It’s called The Civilian.
Thank you for this weekly treasure trove of goodness. Every Friday, I flood the IG group chat with my 3 adult daughters with your fun tweets and treats. Today when I ended with your footnote, "Rage. It's rage." I was DYING. I'm beyond middle aged (three-quarters aged, maybe??), but this week I've been set to simmering rage for a variety of reasons (Tyre Nichols, Christian nationalism, miscommunications at work, etc.). I've never identified more strongly with you or felt more seen. Thank you.
So excited for the new episode of I Kid You Not! I loved the first one so much - you and Meredith are filling such a need with this show. ❤️
There are a lot of hard things in my life right now, but one shining light is that I started meds for ADHD for the first time (I was diagnosed in December) and HOLY MOLY. I feel like I have a secretary for my brain for the first time and it's unreal. And breaks my heart that my poor brain has had to work so hard to compensate my whole dang life.
Also, my baby girl is turning 8 on Sunday and it feels like a leap into big-kidhood. She is a super thoughtful, sweet, funny, creative kid and has bloomed so much since starting 2nd grade. So many feels! 🥳😭🥰
Mary, welcome to the ADHD club! I am also a newcomer (diagnosed over the summer and started meds in September), so I am with you on feeling the stark difference in my brain after starting meds. I am celebrating with you! And I hope learning about your ADHD also shows you all the cool ways your brain works too. ☺️💛
Thank you!! Congrats to you as well for getting diagnosed. ❤️ I'm hoping to start leaning more into the cool ways after several months of "THAT'S why xyz thing is so dang hard for me?!"
I mean, yes. I’m happy to listen to Billy Joel sing that tune. Super Bowl halftime show has become the who-can-lip-sync-while-wearing-the-fewest-clothing-garments contest, and I’ve moved on. 😂
Hi, hi fellow swipes. It's been a hot minute and I've missed y'all!
Erin - thank you so much for sharing your experience and the resources for the Derrick Barnes situation. I'm a children's librarian and he's one of my favorite authors to promote. I'm so angry and so sad. It does give me so much hope to see so many people jumping in to promote his work, help him recoup the lost fees, and put his books in the hands of children in that community.
I'm extremely tired today - apparently I'm now at the age where staying up til 3 AM one night will take weeks to recover from so yay! Otherwise, life is pretty good right now. Of course, there are some hard things but aren't there always?
I have two huge treasures to share:
- I don't think I've been able to comment on a newsletter since this happened so I'd love to share that I FINALLY finished my graduate program! I officially have a Master of Library and Information Science! I got the actual diploma in the mail last week and it made everything so much more real.
- I started a podcast and I am enjoying it so much! It's called Tales From a Bibliophile and it's about all things books and the communities they create. You can find it on all major platforms but here's a link to it on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-a-bibliophile/id1667710063
Congratulations!
I guess because it's awards season, several theaters here have limited screenings of several Oscar contenders. I went to see Everything Everywhere All at Once, and months after it's original release, I am in danger of becoming insufferable about it. I want to throw roses at Michelle Yeoh's feet. I want Ke Huy Quan's phone to be ringing off the hook with offers. I desperately wanted to correct the woman at the theater who said it was some of the worst two hours of her life, but I forced myself to walk on.
For those keeping score at home, a year after announcing my intention to do so, I have finally signed up for ice skating lessons. It's a 5-week course starting Feb. 24 (normally 6, but this batch overlaps with Spring Break), and I'm very excited about it. I have to have wrist guards and struck out at my local Dick's and Academy, so if that's something you know about, please give me recs!
Yay ice skating lessons!! That is so exciting Beth! ☺️
Yay, ice skating lessons sound amazing! They just took out our ice rink and replaced it with a roller rink 😞
Florida update: it's real bad here. My sister teaches kindergarten here, and she now faces a literal felony if someone objects to any of the books she has in her classroom. I'm stuck between helplessness and rage, and I don't know how they don't see that this is just going to push even more teachers out of the profession.
Treasures:
My nephew's second birthday party last weekend was lovely, and it's always such a delight to spend time with him. He's starting to talk more, and I'm so excited to hear what he has to say!
This chili is so delicious and so easy and every time I make it I'm surprised at how good it is https://smittenkitchen.com/2020/10/skillet-turkey-chili/
Oh my word. I can't even imagine what that must be like for your sister. 💔
I start to feel like the red string bulletin board meme when I think about everything happening in Florida for more than 0.2 seconds, so SOLIDARITY to the Floridian Swipes. Hang in there.
Gosh, we here in Florida are really doing the most. 🤦🏼♀️
Hey friends, it's Friday, hooray! I was not a theater major in college, but I'm here for any campus tour guide who uses mastery of their major to sell the school.
I just had lunch and shopping with a dear friend, and bought these sweet overalls at Duluth Trading Company: https://www.duluthtrading.com/s/DTC/womens-heirloom-gardening-bib-overalls-16760.html?color=HGG Stretchy straps! Lots of pockets! Special compartments for kneepads! I haven't owned overalls since college (1996 - everything old is new again), and I'm happy that they are still cute on me even after all the ways my body has changed since then.
The garden gnome print!!!! 😍
And you can get them in kids sizes too, so you could be garden gnome twinsies!
Omg. My daughter would lose her mind. 😂
I am so thankful for little snippets of "normal" life that also help me know what day of the week it is. My 21 yr old daughter that has been struggling with a multitude of lupus issues and misdiagnosis since early 2020 started having tonic clonic (Gran Mal) seizures a week ago today. She had 4 within 48 hours and even though it's been almost a week she is still having significant memory, word recall and balance issues. So we were admitted yesterday for more tests and scans. She's currently wearing EEG sensors and having seizure meds withheld to see if they can catch one while scanning. Unfortunately, due to lots of reasons, there's no available rooms on regular floors so we have been stuck in tiny ER room for over 24 hours. I come from a medical family and have made it my mission to educate myself on the INS and outs of medical world surrounding her issues because I want to be able to fight for her to get answers and help. This is definitely the hardest battle yet, though. I'm exhausted, but since she can't communicate well and has no memory of the seizures or even conversations and events before and long after, she has to have someone with her for when they come around for consults to help answer questions. And that can happen any time.
So I try to rest in the super comfy triage reclining chair and keep my brain busy by reading and podcasts and ASMR videos. We can't have any other visitors in ER and we're an hour from our house so switching off isn't easy either. I'm coping with comedy and trying to lighten her mood when I can. It's an awful conundrum to be wishing your child would have another of the seizures that have made everything so hard because you know it would mean better answers on how to help her.
On a happy note...(looking for joy anywhere I can, y'all) my son and DIL bought a puppy and the breeder has been posting all kinds of photos and videos of them as they grow. I'm totally NOT the type who would consider this like a grandchild, but I'm very thankful for the frequent seratonin boost I'm getting from that Facebook page. The litter is named after Schitt's Creek characters, so there's Stevie, Ted, Johnny and my son's pup, David. ♥️🤣
Oh gosh that is a LOT on all of you! Wishing for a seizure & being stuck in an ER! Please let her know we’re sending her & you do much love! Health issues stop you in your tracks. Wish I was local & could bring you goodies or hot chocolate. And dogs truly do bring so much joy.
Carrie, that's a LOT. I'm praying for you and your daughter today, for rest, clarity, and peace. I hope they can move you to a regular med floor soon! The ER sucks.
Thank you. It does suck but at least these Drs are taking it seriously. I've had to fight complacent docs way too often
For the Chessy Gang, these oversized button-ups from Abercrombie are my favorite. I never buy them at full-price; they’re on sale all the time. They come in fun colors, but also just classic white. Happy Chessy-ing. :)
https://www.abercrombie.com/shop/us/p/oversized-short-sleeve-poplin-button-up-shirt-47788320?seq=03&faceout=prod
Coming into the treasures really late today because it's been a busy work day for me! I told y'all last week that I was going to be going to the mall and making banana bread and both of those things were hilariously disastrous.
First, the mall. I'm an introvert, I know this, but when I went to that mall it was like every shred of overwhelm descended upon me and my brain left my body. The second I walked in, I should have known I needed to leave. All the sounds, the people, the HEAT. Oh past Grace, why didn't you see that coming? I did buy that Aerie Chessy button-down but that is the only good thing that came out of that trip. (Side note: I felt ancient in that store and I'm not even 30. Will shop online next time.) Otherwise I completely lost the ability to form coherent thoughts and needed 16 hours of silence to recover from my excursion out of the house. (I am being dramatic here but also I am not being that dramatic.)
Then the next day I thought, oh I'll make banana bread today, that's a fun quiet activity. I hadn't made banana bread in probably ten years. All was going well until I smelled burning. Why did I massively overfill the pan instead of just making a second loaf? Why didn't I put a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the baking pan? I do not have good answers to these questions. All I know is when I realized the batter was just flowing out of the pan and onto the bottom of my oven, it struck me as delightfully silly. I turned off the oven, removed the pan, waited for the oven to cool, and used the opportunity to clean my oven. Then I transferred some of the batter to a mini loaf pan and returned the half baked batter to the oven. Surprisingly it turned out quite tasty - my boyfriend's office sent their compliments. And now my oven is clean, so win-win.
Treasures:
I'm very proud of myself for getting to the bottom of some negative feelings I had this week and informing my significant other as to how he could help me address them. It felt like a really big step.
My parents' dog unexpectedly died a few weeks ago, and yesterday they picked up a new little guy to foster-to-adopt. My dad has been so sad about his pup's passing, and I'm happy to see him in happier spirits again as he takes care of this new dog!
I managed to do pull-ups this week! I've been going to my gym since July and honestly thought it would take me more than a year to get to the point where I'd be able to a single pull-up. I used resistance bands for support, but y'all I did it! I truly cannot believe it.
Pull-ups are bonkers hard - go you!!! Congrats on all the other wins this week too. 🏆
Hello everyone! Here in Northwest Arkansas we have had this WHOLE WEEK off for snow/ice, so I have been working from home and enjoying the quiet.
🤰🏻 12 weeks (or less) until babies! My baby question this week: what the heck do babies even wear? There are so many clothes, you guys. Short sleeves, long sleeves, fleece pajamas, what do we do??? Anticipating that they will be smaller than average (because twins), I've been advised to have a few preemie things on hand and that they could be in newborn sizes longer than other babies. That being said, for babies born in April and living in a warm place...what do they really wear around the house for the first several months? (fwiw they will be home over the summer, not in daycare till the fall)
🤧 I am pretty sure I'm on my 3rd or 4th cold since getting pregnant. These sweet babies are leeching my immune system.
🍪 The Crumbl menu this week is *chefs kiss*. If you are near a Crumbl, get your paws on as many of those blueberry muffin cookies as you can.
That's all for now! Happy Friday!
That's so exciting! I recommend the Merlin's Sleep Suit when they get a little older. It really helped my sleepless son get some rest at 6 months.
For your immune system, have you tried probiotics? Check if they are safe, but I like the Pearls brand. You can pick them up at Target. :)
I really liked those sleep sacks for my babies (I had twins too! Mine are twelve now). They can kick all they want, and it's easy to just pull up the bottom for diaper changes.
Onesies for everything else!
Onesies and sleepers. You will be changing clothes a lot so complex clothes get tiresome. Especially with twins. I will say that it is easier to blow raspberries on a baby tummy if they are in a tshirt. 😊
My baby was a big fan of layers, so a onesie then sleepers over top, and socks/sweaters if it’s chilly. I don’t think he wore “real clothes” until he was 4 months old because sleepers were just so comfy and he didn’t like anything with a waistband. There’s no wrong answer to how to dress them as long as they’re warm enough.
We always dressed our babies in sleepers for the first couple months (although 2 of the 3 of them were born in winter). Either way - zippers are your best friend for middle of the night changes. And blueberry muffin cookies?! YUM
Spending the morning luxuriating in free time reading today’s Lil Treasures! 🥰
I got laid off from my church job this week after almost 20 years. Other than figuring out finances and facing the unknown, I feel at peace and have faith that it will turn out for the better. There was a lot of heavy baggage with working at a church where I’ve changed and they haven’t.
Happy to be free and to have more focused time with my family! Sometimes treasures come in unexpected packages. ❤️
Christina, I’m so sorry about your job. Praying for you!
Oh wow - that's a long run. Hope the finances aren't too stressful and you enjoy your family!
🎧 No one is talking about the podcast The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods and I'm determined to change that! It is so captivating! <Stefon voice> This podcast has everything: Missing people, Japanese culture, detective school (with karaoke!) </Stefon> https://www.campsidemedia.com/the-evaporated
Happy Friday Swipes!
I feel like this week has been a whole month, but somehow we made it. PHEW.
As a pastor at a college and a (trained!) practical theologian (so fun and scary to type that, as it is technically not in my title, but is what I do!) I have two books that I want to recommend: Reading While Black by Esau McCualley and The Next Evangelicalism by Soon-Chan Rah. Esau is actually speaking at a lunch my team is hosting on campus for local youth pastors on Tuesday (and also at chapel for our students), and I am so excited to hear from him in person!
💊 My trashy turd from this week (besides the fact that it has been long, emotional, and draining), is that my psychiatrist and my therapist gave me contradicting advice about taking or not taking my ADHD meds over the weekends. And so, I am feeling a bit anxious about what to do. (Where one recommends taking “med vacations” on the weekends, the other recommended continuing to take them.) How do you decide what to do when two doctors give you opposite advice? 🫠
🦁 But my treasure is that my husband and I (finally) got to see The Lion King last night! The National Tour is in Los Angeles for the month, and man, is it spectacular. I’ve been hearing about how good it is for 25 of my 29 years of life, so it was so fun to see it live! Barbra Brown Taylor asked the oft-quoted question “What is saving your life right now?” And live theater (or an original cast recording) is nearly always at the top of that list.
Okay, I hope you all get lots of rest this weekend and can spend some time with people who love you. ❤️
My husband has ADHD and when he doesn't take his Adderall he has several withdrawal symptoms. Which really stinks because there's a shortage right now.
Conflicting information about meds like this can be so frustrating. I’d suggest talking to your pharmacist who can give you the lowdown on each perspective and help you figure out what’s best for your particular situation.
Jen, that is really helpful advice! I honestly didn’t realize I could ask my pharmacist about it, but I will absolutely try that.
Pharmacists are one of the most easily-accessible health care professionals out there, and have a wealth of clinical knowledge about this exact kind of thing (I might be biased since I’m a pharmacy technician so I get the skinny on everything they can do). Good luck!
I absolutely agree with live theater being one of those life-giving experiences. Hooray for getting to see The Lion King!
Honestly there’s nothing like hearing a love orchestra play songs you know by heart! 🤩
Obviously not a medical professional, so honestly, just don’t listen to me...BUT I tried a med vacation on days when I wasn’t working and it was miserable. I do know folks for whom it works really well. It may be inconsistent from the doctors because there isn’t a clear pattern for everyone. There are few things as frustrating as figuring out the right med strategy - sending you a lot of solidarity and hope for a clear answer!
Anne, that is so helpful to hear your experience! I appreciate the reminder that finding the right med strategy is a process, and it’s not just hard for me. 😆
Hello Swipes!
I'm gonna start off with some turds so I can get them out of the way. Life is very hard and chaotic at the moment. I had a stress induced panic attack this week, there's a first time for everything, and I keep having nightmares. Fingers crossed I make it through February 😬 😂😵
Ok, on to treasures!
🍰 Today I'm taking a break from all things hard and stressful in favor of baking cakes. https://twitter.com/BritishBakeOff/status/1619402428125773824 (So far, I've mainly been scraping batter from the bottom of the oven since both cake tins leaked but hopefully I can turn things around this afternoon 😅)
🧡 I got a birthday card in the mail yesterday from our very own Sarah Clark. I definitely wasn't expecting a card all the way from across the pond and it made me so happy. Lil Swipes truly are the best people. Thank you so much, Sarah!!!
🎄 We didn't get to celebrate Christmas here since a bunch of us had COVID but my sister's family is coming in from out of town tonight so we can have a meal and exchange gifts. It'll be really nice to see them!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
I hope your cake turns out delicious and that your time with your family goes well!
A day to of cake baking sounds delightful. Wishing you better luck this afternoon, I’ve put a cookie sheet under cake tins before to make clean up at least a little easier if I think they might leak or overflow.
That is such a good idea! Why didn't I think of that? 😂 Definitely tucking that one away for next time.
👎🏻I got the no we are unable to pay you for my ministry position that I have been serving in for a while now, partly because they hired a young guy to come in and help in both worship and youth that had been in the works. I know him, he’s a good guy, humble, willing to learn but now I feel like that is even more work to do in mentoring and figuring out what we want him to help with in student ministry. My team of volunteers is going to help figure it all out too and I do very much trust our pastors. Plus there is an off ramp in May if it’s not working out. All that to say it’s just a new situation with unknowns and maybe some awkwardness. I thought when they eventually hired someone for student ministry, that person would basically take over my role, but I guess in this way, he is teachable and not coming in to just take over and change everything. There are pros and cons and we’ll just have to see how it goes. (Also, I know I didn’t explain this all very well. Hard to do without typing too much.)
👎🏻My son didn’t make his 5th grade bball team at school and all his friends did so he was super bummed last Friday.
💎So, I literally prayed for the Chiefs to win (he is a HUGE fan) and they did (I don’t believe it was bc of my prayers) but he just needed them to go to the Super Bowl so badly because it’s on his birthday!
👎🏻Would be super great if Super Bowl tickets were reasonable prices.
💎Well, my Target says it’s not available for anything but I have this one in white on recommendation from Big Boo Cast and really like it. I usually wear it buttoned and tied at the bottom. https://www.target.com/p/women-39-s-long-sleeve-oversized-button-down-shirt-universal-thread-8482-white-s/-/A-85337522
💎Sandwiches...Jen Hatmaker has a grilled cheese in her new cookbook that my oldest and I are loving and we have not even added the bacon to it which I’m sure only enhances it. It’s raspberry jam, potato chips and gruyere cheese, toasted with a mix of butter and Duke’s. So freaking good.
💎A while back I asked about how to get my daughter to get Senior pics taken. Well she did it and we love them. Just wanted to show her off. https://www.instagram.com/p/CndGz0sJ8F1/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=
Oooo, I have her cookbook and forgot about that sandwich. Trying it next week for sure!
Your daughter's senior pictures are gorgeous! I'm very intrigued by this grilled cheese, I like all of those things, but have never thought about combining them on a sandwich.
Thank you! We were very happy with how they turned out.
I hadn’t either but the flavors together were delightful to my daughter and I at least. My husband said “there is a lot going on here”. 🤣
So sorry all, but I remembered 2 more things, one sort of like the cancellation issue in Bham. In my town, they have a Diversity breakfast and this year to celebrate the LGBTQ community, they had drag queens. The show they did was just lip synching some songs, nothing “sexual”. However, several (maybe 30) of our public school students were in attendance. They had permission to be there but them maybe didn’t know exactly what was on the agenda. So like 2 parents complained about it which caused an people in the community to become outraged. And I can see both sides (sort of) but it just annoys me that it was 2 parents complaining, took it to a conservative State Senator and you can see where it probably went from there. So that leads me to my second thing...my real life friend (and Popcast fan) Sarah Bohl’s Substack. She wrote a great response to what has taken place. Plus I just love her newsletter in general. It’s called The Civilian.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thecivilian/p/culture-wars-find-their-way-to-our?r=1mkbm&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Erin,
Thank you for this weekly treasure trove of goodness. Every Friday, I flood the IG group chat with my 3 adult daughters with your fun tweets and treats. Today when I ended with your footnote, "Rage. It's rage." I was DYING. I'm beyond middle aged (three-quarters aged, maybe??), but this week I've been set to simmering rage for a variety of reasons (Tyre Nichols, Christian nationalism, miscommunications at work, etc.). I've never identified more strongly with you or felt more seen. Thank you.
I feel like we could make a "Rage. It's Rage." shirt and it would sell out very quickly!
So excited for the new episode of I Kid You Not! I loved the first one so much - you and Meredith are filling such a need with this show. ❤️
There are a lot of hard things in my life right now, but one shining light is that I started meds for ADHD for the first time (I was diagnosed in December) and HOLY MOLY. I feel like I have a secretary for my brain for the first time and it's unreal. And breaks my heart that my poor brain has had to work so hard to compensate my whole dang life.
Also, my baby girl is turning 8 on Sunday and it feels like a leap into big-kidhood. She is a super thoughtful, sweet, funny, creative kid and has bloomed so much since starting 2nd grade. So many feels! 🥳😭🥰
A secretary for my brain sounds amazing! Congrats!
Mary, welcome to the ADHD club! I am also a newcomer (diagnosed over the summer and started meds in September), so I am with you on feeling the stark difference in my brain after starting meds. I am celebrating with you! And I hope learning about your ADHD also shows you all the cool ways your brain works too. ☺️💛
Thank you!! Congrats to you as well for getting diagnosed. ❤️ I'm hoping to start leaning more into the cool ways after several months of "THAT'S why xyz thing is so dang hard for me?!"