I LOVE Blogs

I don't really know what the difference is between a website and blog, so I asked "The Google", which is what Lawrence's law partner says to do whenever someone has a question about something.  Most definitions I found said a website is more static, while a blog is an informal media for sharing news, information, views, and ideas about a niche topic.  Well, whatever the definition, I've found myself over the last few years becoming increasingly addicted to blogs.  It started with a few scrapbooking blogs, and while looking at those I stumbled across a few other blogs, and before I knew it I was reading four of five blogs on a daily basis.  I would say these days I check in on about six friends' blogs, two scrapbooking blogs, two blogs of people I don't know, but whose blogs I found a few years ago and think are really cool (so I feel like I know them, is that creepy?), and my current favorite, The Pioneer Woman (she is so funny, and her site is amazing).  I find all these blogs so inspiring...they lift me up and give me ideas...they make me more creative and motivate me to try new things.  I love to read people's thoughts and travel along on their journeys.  Pictures, ideas, rants, recipes...no matter the topic, I love it all. 

I LOVE Book Club

In the fall of 2005 some friends and I started a book club up at Hurstbourne Country Club.  Throughout the summers, several of us would notice each other reading at the pool, and after much talk, we finally put a date on the calendar to meet.  Our first selection was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd.  Five years later we are still going strong.  We meet once a month (except in December) for drinks and dinner in the ladies "tee" room at Hurstbourne.  The group ebbs and flows...some members love "chick lit", others love classics, some epic dramas, some mysteries. We try to pick varying selections to accomodate the different tastes.  There are two things I really love about book club.  One is that I've been exposed to a lot of different books that I would never have otherwise been exposed to.  Two, is that I've gotten to know so many interesting women from the club, who I also otherwise probably wouldn't have crossed paths with.  It's so refreshing and fun to talk about something other than our husbands and children.  I confess there are many women in the club who I never thought were very "deep", because we tended to have shallow, surface conversations while standing around a swim meet or pool party (they probably thought the same thing about me!).  But in book club, you are exposed to an entirely different side of people...their opinions, insights, ideas...you learn about each other, and I always come home enriched.  Whenever I think about paring down my calendar, taking book club off is just not an option.  Reading and discussing the books is something I really love.

I LOVE Having a Girl AND a Boy

I never really gave much thought to what the make up of my family would be.  I grew up with just one sibling, but that didn't really shape how many kids I thought I would one day have.  Lawrence always wanted two, no more, and no less, and he also wanted one girl (first) and one boy.  You would have thought he custom ordered our children, because that's exactly what he got!  I always wanted a girl, but I wasn't so sure about a boy.  Since my only sibling was a sister, I didn't have much experience in the boy department.  Now I can't imagine my life without my boy.  I sometimes am sad that Sarah doesn't have a sister (because I love having one so much), and conversely, John doesn't have a brother.  But God did a cool thing and gave Sarah two girls cousins her exact age, and He gave John three boy cousins, ranging in age from 18 to 9.  So really, what we lack, He always provides.  


Boys and girls are different, and not just in the obvious ways.  I wouldn't say Sarah is a real "girly-girl", but I love going through the various stages of girlhood with her.  The Disney princesses, American Girl, Hannah Montana, lots of sports, it's all been fun.  John is rough and tumble, competitive, loud...like a boy.  He is eating me out of house and home, and he loves to hang out and watch TV with no shirt on (my pet peeve!).  I like to think about what each one will be like when they are grown...Sarah says she'll maybe be a pharmacist (nice and stable)...John says it's the NBA or NFL for him (the PGA would be okay too).  They are different, they are fun, and I love experiencing a girl AND a boy.

I LOVE Bible Study

I haven't been in a formal Bible Study since last winter, and I really miss it when I'm not participating in one.  It's just that life has been so busy since this summer.  I was telling Lawrence the other night that one sports season has just faded into another.  In the spring it was baseball, then All Stars, then swim team started, and I remember saying "as soon as swim team is over we can slow down."  Then a week after swim team ended, football started, then field hockey, and then a week after that all ended, the winter swim season started.  And basketball!  Oh my goodness, have I ever seen so much basketball as I have this winter?  Lawrence told me a few days ago, "Just hold on...in one more week swimming and basketball will be over."  Ummm, honey.  Hate to bring this up, but baseball starts in about two weeks.  And here we are full circle.  I know to not let these things be the priority in my life.  I know my time with God is more important.  But I'm tired.  And someone needs to be picked up.  And where is John's uniform?  And what pool is Sarah practicing at tonight?  What are we eating before practice? Is it my night to drive carpool?  


Well, as God often does, He is working through my friends to slow me down.  Denise mentioned she wanted to do a Bible study, and Katie picked this one:

This could not be more perfect for me right now!  We met last week, and the first video hit me right between the eyes.  I know where to look to help me prioritize competing demands...and it's great to be making time again for something I love.

I LOVE a Trip Down Memory Lane

Today I had a free afternoon so I thought I would put that time to good use and clean out my office/scrapbooking room.  This was a terrible thing to try to do in one afternoon, as evidenced by the fact that I can now barely sit here at my computer because I have so much junk piled up around me.  I cannot believe how much stuff I've let accumulate in this one room of the house.  I'm really not a pack rat, but my old pictures, albums, craft supplies, etc. have gotten out of hand.  Anyway, while tackling this chore I came across these two old boxes of comic books (do kids still read these?) and books from my childhood.  The fact that the comic books are in a Ziggy Latch Hook kit box tells the story that I've always loved crafts, and the books made me laugh.  Judy Blume (LOVED her books) and a book about the hot TV stars in 1979.  That's Marie Osmond on the cover (John Travolta and Shaun Cassidy too).  There is absolutely no reason to keep these things, but I can't bear to toss them out.  Maybe I am a pack rat.  Or maybe I just love to take unexpected trips down memory lane, and I know if I keep things like this I'll always know the way to get there.  

I LOVE My Godson, Oliver

Tonight was a real treat...I got to spend the evening with my 10 year old godson, Oliver.  Oliver is the son of my oldest childhood friend, Mary Oliver Humke.  We met in the fourth grade and were inseparable until we went to different high schools.  Through the years we always remained close, and it such an honor to be Oliver's godmother.  Tonight we went to a Stage One production of "Tuck Everlasting" down at the Kentucky Center for the Arts .  Afterwards we went to Graeter's for ice cream and milk shakes.  Oliver is a wonderful young man, and I love spending time with him.  

I LOVE My Job

I have a love/hate relationship with working outside the home.  Truth be told, I'm a homebody...I like to be at home, puttering around doing chores, scrapbooking, watching TV and reading books and magazines.  However, other than for a brief time after John was born, I've always worked outside the home.  I say "outside the home" because let's face it, all wives and moms work inside the home...they're just not financially compensated for the work they do.  I hate it when people act like "stay at home" moms don't work.  Anyway, although I would prefer to be at home all day, I feel blessed to have a fantastic part time job that brings me satisfaction in so many ways.  First of all, it's flexible...although I work a pretty set schedule, I'm able to come and go as I please.  Second, the work I do is in my sweet spot.  I love to administer things, and my job is a lot of project management and administration.  Third, I have a great boss who shares my same values and is very respectful of my desire to balance my work and home life.  Fourth, I work with a lot of fun people who have become dear friends over the last eight years I've been here.  And fifth, my office is five minutes from my house (so convenient!).  Sometimes I get whiny, and I complain I have too much on my plate, and why can't I stay home and blah, blah, blah, but honestly, this job is heaven sent.  I know deep down I would miss being here and would miss the relationships I've built.  I would miss the sense of accomplishment and contribution I feel after completing a large project, and I guess I would miss the financial aspect of it too.  I feel very lucky to have landed here...in a job that I love.

I LOVE a Daughter With Determination

My beautiful Sarah is a handful these days.  I've been fussing at her quite a bit, and she frustrates me with her soon to be teenager attitude.  But I hope she knows how proud I am of what a self motivated, determined young woman she is.  She likes to say she can't do something, that it's hard, and that she wants to quit...but I know if I just back off and give her some time she will get busy and do the work.  An example of this is her pre-algebra.  She comes home from school and is defeated.  It's difficult, she doesn't understand, she'll never finish the homework.  But later in the evening she'll be sitting on her bed, working out those problems, checking her work, and going for that "A".  I don't have to tell her to do her homework, or check that she's done it, and I love that she takes pride in her work and wants that "A."  Swimming is hard these days too...not quite at the highest level, but she needs to keep working to help the team.   Going to the state championship as an alternate is humbling...it would be fun to know she was going to swim.  She's ready to quit...who wants to keep working to be an alternate?  I know I don't need to tell her quitting isn't an option.  She'll determine on her own to do the right thing, and I love that.  

I LOVE Homemade Valentines

I have always loved making valentines.  Must be the crafter in me.  When I was looking up ideas for John's class party on familyfun.com (which I also love), I came across some cute homemade valentine ideas.  John has always liked to pick out the boxed ones at the store...something like Power Rangers for the boys and Hello Kitty for the girls.  I knew it was a long shot, but when I asked him if he would rather pick out the store bought ones or make his own, he surprised me and said he wanted to make them.  His exact words were, "Sometimes you gotta put some extra effort into things Mom!"  So this morning before church we sat down and made these cute bumblebees out of pipecleaners (with plastic googly eyes and tissue paper wings), and attached them to red construction paper hearts with pixie stix.  He wrote MINE on the heart so it looks like "Bee" Mine.  He loved making these and said he felt bad for ever giving out store bought ones in the past.  I'm not sure if that means his future wife will receive really sweet, sentimental valentines that she will love, or if she'll curse me for not teaching him how to pick out a nice gift at the store!  Either way, this was a sweet way to spend the morning.  

I LOVE the Saturday Morning Paper

Nothing starts out my weekend better than a Saturday morning with nowhere to be (I am so lazy).  We only subscribe to the Courier Journal weekend editions (I just never got around to reading the weekday editions, no matter how good my intentions), and I love to get up on Saturday morning and have my yummy cup of coffee and read, in this order, the Home and Garden section, the Scene, and then the front page and editorials.  If it's a really good Saturday morning, Lawrence has already gotten up and walked Duncan and gotten the paper out of the mailbox, which means I get to stay in my robe throughout this entire ritual, which is oh so lovely of a thing to be able to do (I love my robe too).  Sometimes I'll get crazy and read the sports page so that I can throw out interesting tidbits later in the day and catch Lawrence off guard.  I love the comfort of home, the couch, sleeping in...an extra measure of time in the morning hours.  I guess you could say I like to eat the bread of idleness.  I probably need to work on that.  

I LOVE TLC

One of my and Sarah's favorite things to do is watch all the crazy reality shows on TLC.  We go through phases...sometimes it's "Nineteen Kids and Counting", then we get into "Cake Boss."  Our latest addiction is "Toddlers & Tiaras", which is a reality show about the crazy world of child beauty pageants.  We cannot get over how insane these people are!  Our family now has all sorts of inside jokes we say...like "I want my NINNY!!!", which is what one of the little contestants would scream all the time (which tells you she's too young to be in a pageant!), or our new favorite is "Sparkle and Monsters!", which is what one mom would say to her three year old to remind her to "sparkle" and show her fake teeth (which the little girl called "monster teeth").  This mindless activity has provided us a lot of fun.  Not the most productive use of our time, but sometimes a girl just loves to laugh.

I LOVE e-mealz

e-mealz is an online menu service that has changed my domestic life.  A few days ago I posted about how my mom has always carefully planned out her weekly menus and is so gifted at preparing a nice meal.  Well, let's just say I didn't exactly inherit that trait.  I've been running my own household for over 15 years now, and I still struggle with what to put on the table each night.  I'm lucky that neither Lawrence or the kids are very picky, but when I go to make out my menu each week I just stare at a blank page and can't think of anything to serve.  I found this e-mealz service on Becky Higgins website a few months ago (I think she asked out on Facebook what everyone's menu planning system was and lots of folks responded with this).  It's perfect for me!  Every Sunday they post a new menu, complete with seven meals and a grocery list for your selected grocery.  It's my dream come true.  I now print off the new menu every Sunday morning, and after church Lawrence or I head to Target and do the shopping.  The meals are far from gourmet, but they are definitely simple, weeknight, quick meals, and so far we've enjoyed almost all of them.  I try to serve dinner at home at least four nights a week, and this service is definitely something I've come to love.

I Love My Sister

Today I had the rare treat of having lunch with my sister.  I adore my sister, and while I don't see her as much as I would like, we talk almost every day on the phone.

I don't know that we could remain as close as we do without our cell phones.  One of us calls the other almost every day on the way to work.  Some days it doesn't work out to talk, but more often than not we are able to catch one another.  We share quick stories about the kids, husbands, jobs, friends, tv shows, world events (to include the most recent People magazine cover story)...all the random things of day to day life.  We have always found the same things to be hilarious so it's usually a good way to start the day.  I love her, and I love our daily chats.  

I LOVE Dinner at My Parent's House

No matter how old I get, I love the warmth and comfort of being in my parent's home.  My mother is such a wonderful homemaker...she has always planned her weekly menu with care, and it is such a treat when she invites us for dinner.  It's not just that she is a good cook...it's that she also blesses her table with the little details that make a meal a meal.  Candles.  Fresh tea (with fresh lemons).  Salad.  Bread.  And always, coffee with dessert.  So many of my friends have lost one, or both, of their parents, and I know at my age I am beyond lucky to still have both of mine, and to live in the same city, and to get to have dinner on a regular basis.  I don't take this for granted.  Every time I'm there I take a mental snapshot and hide it in my heart.  Every time is a gift, and something I truly love.

I Love Seasonal Decor

Some people find it cheesy, but I have always loved seasonal home decor.  I'm really not that much of an interior decorator, but I love to put up little signs of the season.  For some reason it makes me feel like I'm taking the time to notice and enjoy the different phases of the year, rather than just letting them pass by without notice.  I only have two things I put out for Valentine's Day...my heart wreath on the front door, which I've had for a really long time, and some little heart candy plates in my kitchen plate rack.  Just a few simple things, but they make me happy whenever I see them.

I Love My PEOPLE Magazine Subscription

OK, this is so shallow, I know...but I look so forward to Fridays when my weekly People magazine arrives in the mail.  I think Lawrence got me a subscription several years ago (maybe someone in his office was selling magazine subscriptions for their kid's school?), and I think I even told him that was a stupid thing to spend money on.  Little did I know the countless hours of enjoyment I would get out of reading pointless information about celebrities (and hey, there is the occasional feel-good human interest story about everyday people).  For some reason on Friday afternoons I am exhausted.  It's like I've run this marathon all week...up early, get everyone out the door, pick everyone up, take them somewhere else, fix meals, clean up the kitchen, go to work (do you feel sorry for me yet? I hear a tiny violin playing).  I LOVE to come home on Friday afternoons and assume "the flop", which is what I call it when I flop on the couch with my People.  It typically takes me an hour to read it cover to cover, and then, if I'm really lucky, I take a nap.  A simple joy I love.

I LOVE My Project Life 2010 Album!

Anyone who knows me knows I love to scrapbook.  I've been a avid scrapbooker for about 15 years, since attending a Creative Memories party at Stacy Yates' apartment.  One look at that paper, stickers and glue and I was hooked.  One thing I've prided myself on for the last ten years is that I keep an annual family scrapbook of all our family memories for the year.  I have lots of ongoing albums...the kids school albums, their sports and activities albums, and small albums of vacations or other special events, but my annual family album captures all the holidays, birthdays and seasons that make up our life.  One of my scrapbooking "gurus" is Becky Higgins (yes, there are actually professional scrapbookers who design products and write books and are therefore "famous" among scrapbookers).  Becky Higgins has designed an album called "Project Life" and you may do it in paper or digital format.  I decided in 2010 to try something new, and did my annual album in this digital format.  I loved the design of the album...it provided a two page layout for each month, and space to put up to seven photos with journaling.  I just had to upload the pictures for each month, add my journaling and hit the "order" button.  My finished album arrived in the mail today and I truly LOVE it.  It took way less time than my traditional scrapbooks, and I love the clean look of the book.  I did miss my stickers and glue, but I still have lots of other scrapbooks where those supplies are being used in full force!  I love any sort of scrapbook, no matter what the format - recording memories is a good thing.

Happy Birthday Lawrence!

Today was Lawrence's 45th birthday (when did I agree to marry someone that old?).  We started celebrating a few days ago by surprising him with an iPad.  The kids were sooooo excited to give this to him.  I'm a big believer in giving birthday gifts on someone's actual birthday, but he is leaving for a ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the morning, and I knew he would want a few days to get everything set up before his trip.  He had lots of TV shows and movies to download, email, pictures, etc.  He loves it!

Today he had a great day getting everything cleared from his desk so he can go on his trip stress free tomorrow.  He went by his dad's for a visit this morning and had lunch with his mom at Wild Eggs.  He always gives his mom a gift on his birthday to say thank you for having him, and he gave her a Keurig brewer, which she loved.


Tonight we went to Shogun for sushi and the hibachi grill.  This is one of our family favorites.

After dinner we came home to open a few more gifts, and had a yummy Graeter's ice cream cake.  I pray this next year brings him as many good memories as the past 45 have.  Happy Birthday Lawrence!

I LOVE Dinner With Friends

Nothing recharges me during a busy week like dinner with girlfriends.  Last night I met up with Anna and Jill for a yummy meal and good conversation.  Time with girlfriends is good for the soul...I remember hearing a radio program several years ago about the importance of female friendships, and how vital they are to a woman's life.  Women often look to their husbands to be their sole confidant and sounding board, and while our husbands certainly do hold the primary place in our hearts, they just aren't wired to hear us the way girlfriends do.  Girlfriends allow us to share our stories and struggles down to the most minute detail, and they just get it.  Time together fills my cup, and I always leave them feeling a bit better about life in general.  I love my friends.

What I LOVE First Thing in the Morning

I am hopelessly, shamelessly, completely in love with my morning cup of coffee.  It's the very first thing I do when I get up...head downstairs to the kitchen and start my Keurig brewing machine.  A teaspoon (okay, maybe two teaspoons) of sugar and my Coffeemate Vanilla Caramel creamer, and my day begins.  It's really the first cup of the day that steals my heart...the one I have at work later in the morning, while prepared the exact same way, doesn't have the same magical appeal.  My affair with the bean began in my early twenties.  I was fresh out of college and working at BellSouth Mobility, and I started to choke down a cup here and there to try to make myself feel like a grown up.  It didn't take long to develop a taste for it, and soon a habit had been formed.  However, the word "habit" seems negative and dirty, like something I should quit or get control of, but I could never see my delightful cup of joy in this light. The smell, the warmth of the cup, the taste...consider me charmed.  

A Month of What I LOVE

Happy February!  I can't believe the first month of 2011 is in the history books.  Where did it go?  Time is moving so fast...I feel more aware than ever of the fleeting nature of our earthly lives.  In honor of Valentine's Day (which is such a cheery thought during an otherwise gray and dreary time of year), I'm going to try to post each day in February about something or someone I love...the everyday pleasures and people that make my life mine.

Today, I'm in love with my husband.  We have been married 15 years (16 in June), and I can honestly say our marriage becomes deeper and more fulfilling with each passing year.  Lawrence is such a good, good husband.  When you first get married, you don't know to consider what living with someone day in and day out for a lifetime really means.  It's usually just the two of you, and you have no way of knowing what this person will be like in five, ten or twenty years.  What type of father will they be?  How will they react when things are tough?  When I was 25 years old, the vows I took seemed like merely words...for richer or poorer?  In sickness and health?  For better or for worse?  I couldn't have imagined on that day in June 1995 that we would ever have any "worse" times.  And now, 15 years into this adventure, I feel so blessed and yes, just plain lucky, to have chosen this man as my partner in life.  When finances are low, he still finds ways to provide.  When I'm sick, he cares for me.  When I'm just down, and going through a "worse" time, he gives me space and time and support.  He cherishes me, is true to me and enriches my life each day.  He is my Valentine, and I love him.