A Memorial to a Really Good Monday

Some weeks Mondays just stink! But not today. Today was a really good Monday. This post is to remind myself that some Mondays are really good.

*I felt really good on my run this morning.

*I finally found cute Christmas headbands!

*I purchased some fun gifts.

*I got to eat Chick-fil-A with Elisabeth while we watched the final episode of season 1 of Doctor Who. 

*Midway through the episode, Patches came and sat on me! She stayed there for over an hour!

*We ate warm chocolate chip cookies for snack this evening.

*It's Christmas time!

What I Learned in November: The Cat Edition

November always is a special month for me. I celebrate my birthday. We have the luxury of a whole week off for Thanksgiving. We end the month by beginning the Advent and Christmas season.

Even with the expected fun and joy and challenges (finding the right present at the right price on Black Friday or Cyber Monday), I have learned new things this month.

*Even though the production of the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker only changes minimally, I enjoy watching my ballerinas dance in it every time. This month Hannah danced in her fifth (I think) production, and Abigail and Elisabeth danced in their third, and I still loved watching them dance. 

I grew up with cats and we have had cats for over ten years now. I thought I knew most everything I needed to know about cats, so I was surprised to learn a few things this month about my feline friends.

*Cats have ACLs. I never thought about whether or not my cats had ACLs, but I learned this month that indeed they do because I learned that

*Cats can tear their ACLs. When Patches started limping, I thought maybe her arthritis was acting up or that she'd injured herself. So I brought her to the vet, who informed me that Patches had torn her ACL! I asked about her prognosis and treatment options and learned that

*Cats can have surgery to repair their ACLs, and our clinic has a vet on staff that performs such surgeries. The surgery costs only a tiny fraction of human ACL surgery, so we decided to schedule her for surgery the Monday after Nutcracker. The surgery was successful, and Patches was able to come home after only one night at the vet. Then I learned

Patches before her surgery.

*I baby injured pets. Patches could barely walk and would even growl at her injured leg! I carried her to the litter box for the first few days and generally catered to our pitiful kitty. When she did start walking, she limped around pitifully in circles. Poor kitty! Fortunately

Patches after we brought her home.

*Cats heal amazingly quickly. In less than a week she was walking with a much smaller limp, and now she is barely limping at all! She is jumping on and off beds and is back to her sweet self (except for the shaved leg!).

I am thankful for skilled veterinarians who were able to help Patches live a longer and happier life! And I am thankful for a husband who was willing to pay for cat ACL surgery!

Compassion for Each Other

Compassion. It's a beautiful word. And a more beautiful idea. Until we start fighting over the right way, the only way, even the Jesus way to show compassion.

With the confluence of the Syrian refugee crisis, the Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris and other cities, and the ever-present U.S. presidential race, my Facebook and Twitter feeds have been filled with people's comments, shares, opinions, diatribes, and judgments on what our response as Christians should be. 

Some offer this information with humble spirits, and respect that other Jesus-loving people might read the same verses in the same Bible and come to very different conclusions as to how to live out compassion. I am grateful for these, even when my own conclusions differ from theirs.

Others appear to question the love, faith, and motives of any who disagree with them. This makes me sad, because as Christians we should seek to unite, to inspire, and to love even other Christians with whom we disagree! We are family, not enemies, yet I sometimes see more respect, compassion, and love for those not yet in the family of Jesus-followers than for those who are but who have different opinions.

Jesus did say to love the homeless, the hungry, and the foreigner. And He said to love our enemies. But He also told us to love each other. We need to do both of these well if we want the world to see that He is the life-changing Savior we know him to be. We need to help encourage each other in love as we navigate what is wise and compassionate. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His and that He is the Son of God by our love for each other in John 17.  I want my interactions with other believers, especially those who have different convictions, to be steeped in love. I want the watching world to see that the Jesus in both of us is bigger than our disagreements. I want them to see love and respect and compassion for my fellow believers as well as for those who do not share my faith. 

What I Learned in October

After blogging for (almost) 31 days straight, I took a day off. But that doesn't mean I didn't learn so much in October. Here are some of the things I learned:

1. I can blog (almost) every day. I participated in the 31 Day Blogging Challenge and only missed two days! But I realized that thinking of something new on the fly every day is hard, as the month went on, my posts became shorter. Although I don't plan on blogging every day now that the challenge is over, I do think this experience has helped jump start the regular blogging habit. And I realized that if I do another 31 day challenge, I'm going to choose a topic that I can plan out somewhat. (I already have several in mind.)

2. Gilmore Girls is returning! Netflix will be producing and streaming 4 new episodes! I'm looking forward to catching up with Lorelai and Rory.

3. Working out on our new elliptical is the hardest exercise I have ever done! I'm not new to working out. I can even run over a mile and a half. Without stopping! But the first time I worked out on the elliptical, I had to rest after 10 minutes. I've since worked up to about 30 minutes at a time, but I'm usually counting down the minutes toward the end of that time!

4. I have a better day if I can get out and walk or run before anything else. I don't know if it's the exercise or the being outside, but I feel more awake and have more energy. I'm going to have to try jumping on the elliptical for a few minutes on rainy days and see if that also affects my morning energy level.

5. Rugby. When I turned on our local TV station to check the weather, they were showing a rugby match. It was fascinating. And violent. And those guys wore no pads or helmets. We saw several players bleeding. I looked up some information about the game, so now I have a very basic understanding of a game that I knew nothing about before today.

The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

The rain rain rain came down down down today.



Our church's Trunk or Treat was cancelled. So we had a relaxing day of staying indoors, and when Hannah went to a costume party, the rest of us dressed like couch potatoes and watched the end of the fourth season of Doctor Who.

Great Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins gives us a chance to use our creativity. I don't thing we've ever chosen just the basic face. Every year we choose things that are fun and reflect who we are. This year we had been rather busy and almost didn't carve pumpkins.

To simplify a bit, several of us shared pumpkins. My wrist was happy about this!

Rebecca made the 11th Doctor from Doctor Who. The rest of us haven't met him yet, but we will soon.

Abigail and Elisabeth chose the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Paul made Captain America's shield. 

And Hannah and I did Tigger!

We made a party of it listening and dancing to the Wicked soundtrack and some Tangled songs. I'm really glad we did not let tiredness or busy-ness keep us from our fun Halloween tradition.

More Waffling

After our great waffle experience last Friday, we went ahead and ordered a new Belgian waffle maker. Our research showed that this one would cook great waffles and would cook more of them at once.

We tried out our new appliance tonight, and we were not disappointed! The waffles were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I've never really been all that excited about waffles. Now I know that was just because I'd only had average waffles. They were often either soggy or too dense. This recipe (and our new waffle maker) has made me a fan of waffles!

Pinterest for the Win

Yesterday we had a family celebration. Dinner* was done in stages because of church and ballet, but we shared this dessert. The celebratee it!

This is a picture from the recipe website. My spiraling skills were not this good! 

Mine wasn't quite so pretty, but it tasted really good! We used to often get the refrigerated Pillsbury sticky buns. This cake tasted like a giant, fresh sticky bun. Much better than the Pillsbury kind! I already had requests to make it again.

Pinterest for the win!

*Dinner was a Pinterest favorite: brown sugar garlic chicken.

Cattitude

One of my favorite things about today was holding Patches for a good ten minutes. She usually spends most of her time in the girls' rooms, so this is always a special treat!

I can't get up because there's a cat on my lap is one of the best reasons not to do something.

A Story Worth Watching

I love stories. Particularly those that are either utterly beautiful or those that are intriguing and intricate and complicated.

Last night Elisabeth felt bad and stayed home from ballet. Since the others were either at ballet or Bible study, she and I watched an episode I hadn't seen from the first season of Doctor Who. (Three of my girls and I are watching season three together.) When I started watching Doctor Who, I did not realize how much I would like it. The creativity of the writers is amazing. And the character of the Doctor is compelling. And the show does a wonderful job of affirming life and humanity and the sacredness of the ordinary.

Then Hannah, Rebecca, Paul, and I watched Blind Spot. I love the mystery and complexity of this show. It has a similar feel to Alias (my favorite) and The Black List. The twists and turns are fun, and I really like Jane's character. She manages to be both tough and vulnerable.

I am thankful for the opportunity to immerse myself in stories that entertain, inspire, and challenge me.

Sunday Afternoon Nap

I normally am a huge night owl. And the concert Saturday night made it even harder to fall asleep. So today I so appreciated a good nap! It may not seem like much, but it really was a blessing.

Saturday Night Worship

Paul, 3 of the girls and I drove to a nearby town yesterday to worship Jesus with Chris Tomlin and Rend Collective. Even though the event was billed as a concert, the hearts of the musicians made it a time of worship.

I hadn't listened to much Rend Collective, but I really enjoyed their music. We liked it enough to buy 3 CDs. (Plus some Tomlin shirts and his new Christmas CD!) And getting to worship with a kilt-wearing bagpipe player made me so happy!

And Chris Tomlin was terrific as always. He said that after his first time to publicly lead music, a godly man said he would become the psalmist for his generation. And I think that is an apt description of Chris' music and his heart for worship.

And, since our generation likes a party, our time ended with a celebration as we sang "God's Great Dance Floor."

Let the future begin!

Waffles and a Movie

We made our first recipe from Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook last night: waffles. We like them so much we are now researching buying a second Belgian waffle maker! These weren't quite as good as the Mickey waffles at Disney World, but they were certainly cheaper!

And my youngest were super thrilled to watch our new blu-ray of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Since we all love complex stories, the aspect of a big overarching story appeals to all of us. And I feel like the writers and actors did a terrific job of giving these characters based on comic books depth and dimension.

Witty Banter Must Cost Extra

I remember watching Gilmore Girls when it first aired and wanting to have a Christian version of Lorelei and Rory's relationship. I loved their friendship and communication. Of course, our family would add a great dad, some siblings, and parental authority, but I wanted my girls to be able to talk with me and have fun with me.

And now that they are teens, I'm seeing some of this. Minus the super fast witty banter. Yesterday one of my girls came to me when she was troubled. I love that she and her sisters feel comfortable confiding in me!

And I was able to go shopping with my girl who doesn't always like to shop. She found shirts, sweaters, skirts, and even a pair of boots. And because we shopped at Target, we didn't even break the bank. We both enjoyed finding new fall clothes for her to wear. (And for me to borrow!)

The season of parenting teen girls can be challenging. (Hormones are real!) But I have found it to be so rewarding as my girls are becoming not only my daughters, but some of my best friends!

Valley Days

Some days are hard. Misunderstandings occur. Feelings run amok. Bodies tire or ache. Those are the days I feel like I'm walking in the valley, far from the sun.

Yesterday was one of those days. And finding blessings and grace took more work.

Some days, like yesterday, blessings look like a quesadilla made with homemade tortillas. 

Dinnertime

Food. I so often take it for granted, but having enough food, let alone having food I truly enjoy eating is a blessing I don't stop often enough to count or savor.

Yesterday my new Pioneer Woman cookbook, Dinnertime arrived. We plan on making our first recipe from it tomorrow, but I already know our family will eat some delicious meals because of this book. Several of her recipes are already family favorites. This week we've been enjoying Ree's malted milk chocolate chip cookies from one of her previous cookbooks.

Sometimes I can view cooking dinner as a chore or even a burden, but I would like to start seeing it as a blessing as I provide (always) tasty and (usually) nutritious meals for us to enjoy together. I look forward to enjoying new favorites at our family's Dinnertime.

Simple Joys

This blogging every day thing can be a challenge. Somewhere during the month I missed a day, and I know I forgot yesterday. That doesn't mean my small moments of joy don't happen, I'm just too busy living them to chronicle them here.

Sunday I was able to be a part of joy. Paul and I had stopped to talk to some neighbors during an afternoon walk. Our dog, Callie, discovered a sprinkler in a nearby yard and gleefully began to try chasing the roving drops of water and drinking out of this unorthodox fountain. She ran. She chased. She shook her wet fur.

And the neighbors' daughter delighted in the show and added her own giggles when she got too near the range of the sprinkler and was showered with a drop or two. 

Even when I pulled a reluctant Callie away from her fun, she continued to entertain us by rolling in the grass to dry herself off. 

Such a simple thing. But full of joy.

Saturdays Are for Relaxing

Saturdays are often more of a Sabbath for me than Sundays are. Because I am such a night owl, and since homeschooling means we don't have to begin our weekdays particularly early, I often go to bed at my normal (late) time on Saturday and am tired on Sunday.

Saturdays I can sleep in. (And I usually do.) And I can often avoid going anywhere! I like having a day not to leave the house.

Even though I exercised and washed sheets and even popped in for a quick visit to a friend, I still felt rested today. 

I'm thankful for days of rest, whether they come on Saturday or Sunday or any other day.

A Winning Game

Hannah and Rebecca had a friend over yesterday. We all went to see Pan and came home to eat some fabulous burgers and pork loin Paul had grilled. After dinner, the older girls and their friend invited Paul and me to play Scattergories with them. I won the game, but that wasn't the best part. The real win was that the girls want to include their parents in their friendships.

I am so glad that my girls like spending time with Paul and me. Even when they have friends over. I know that isn't always the case with teenagers, and I don't want to take that for granted.

Girls' Night Out

Last night I was able to check out the new Starbucks with my friends. The store was too echo-y to hear well, but the weather had cooled down enough (from 93 degrees earlier!) to be quite pleasant. I don't like coffee, but I really enjoy their hot chocolate, which was good.

The best part was the company. We shared about children and family. About extended family. About pets. We laughed. And we shared some things that had been troubling us.

Even though my week had already been rather full, taking this time with girlfriends was good for my soul!