I hope y'all had a great week.
Mike was in Boston this week, so not only was my nest SUPER empty...
It was SUPER quiet, too.
And it kind of fit my mood.
RANDOMNESS #1 - As I told you in last week's Weekend Happenings, Mike and I went to Hartselle late Saturday morning to have a Pumpkin Party with Judith and her sweet cousin, Sara Grace.
I was a pretty happy and content Chick last Saturday morning.
There is a little park about ONE MINUTE from Josh's apartment, and we met there and claimed one of the picnic tables under the gazebo.
It never rained, and we pretty much had the park to ourselves.
Mike gets Judith as soon as she arrives. Always.
And she sucks on her paci and holds it in her teeth at an ever-so-slight angle.
We straighten it out...
And she angles it again.
For some unknown reason, Judith was very aggressive with the "J" jack-o-lantern Courtney brought for pictures.
We couldn't keep her off of it.
She was like a tiny pumpkin wrestler.
How cute is she in her candy corn jumper?
After a few minutes, Courtney wrestled Judith into her Halloween costume.
Actually, Courtney AND Josh wrestled her into the outfit. It took both of them.
She's tiny, but tough.
So much wrestling pulled the pretty purple quilt up in several places revealing the ugly blue plaid waterproof blanket underneath. A little "photoshopping" should take care of that little problem.
No matter what, she was a precious little flower.
Next, it was time to make Sticker Pumpkins.
Look at the concentration in that little face.
She did a good job, didn't she?
Josh and Courtney.
Josh and Judith.
A rare (but very attractive) photo of me and Judith.
Like I mentioned earlier, it was a really good morning.
RANDOMNESS #2 - After the Pumpkin Party was over, Mike and I drove a little further up the road to Madison, Alabama. I had gone to an estate sale on Thursday and purchased a really pretty bedroom suite for one of my now empty upstairs rooms.
However, I didn't have anyone to help me load and move on Thursday, so Mike and I decided to make Saturday a very productive day.
A Pumpkin Party AND moving large furniture.
Guess what?
I actually moved a lot of the furniture.
In the rain.
I messed up praying earlier in the day when I asked for no rain for the Pumpkin Party. I didn't think to include a "no rain for moving our furniture" prayer.
Big, big mistake.
Thankfully, Mikie had brought exactly what we needed...
Forty-two quilts/blankets AND 103 bungee cord thing-a-ma-jigs.
And tarps.
I mustn't forget to mention the tarps because they were more than a little beneficial for our little project.
I had already paid for the bedroom suite, but there was also a Pottery Barn mirror AND a beautiful white turkey platter I had spied Thursday. I talked myself out of spending the money on Thursday by convincing myself if those two items were still in the house Saturday, it was a "sign" those items should go home with me and live at my house.
Guess what?
Those two items were still there, and I DICKERED...
That's right.
Super-NON-confrontational Enchanting Belinda dickered with professional estate sales personnel, and instead of paying $78 for the Pottery Barn mirror, I paid $30!
And instead of paying $16 for the elegant never-before-used turkey platter...
Are you ready?
I paid $5.
I was awesome, I tell you.
Awesome.
Mike had to drag me out of the nice house kicking and screaming because I was running from room to room trying to buy anything and everything I could find.
I was such a good dickerer, you see.
And now, I will explain the pictures of the geese below.
We were in such a pretty neighborhood in Madison, Alabama, we decided to ride around in the rain for a few minutes before heading home, and we came across a gaggle of geese just walking down the middle of the road.
I think living in a neighborhood where a gaggle of geese walk freely to and fro would be lovely, and I've decided to put it on one of my many bucket lists.
Quotable Quotes
I am STILL reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
Most of the book is now underlined.
"A child loses a book, has an exam, is late for practice. I stress over the trite, a phone call, what's for dinner, a deadline. And there are far longer, higher bridges: Where is a child's heart headed? Am I living God's best for this life or am I bankrupting any legacy of faith?" Ann Voskamp
Pioneer Woman's Overnight Oatmeal
Okay. I watched Ree make this recipe last week, and I made it my way this week...
And I am hooked.
You will need the following:
1 cup Quaker Oats (in the cylinder container)
1/2 cup your choice of fruit, nuts, etc.
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/8 cup heavy cream
1. Ree used chopped Granny Smith apples as her fruit choice, but I bought a bag of Ocean Spray Cranberry, Nut and Chocolate Trail Mix for mine. (That's right. We go WAY back, and I call her "Ree." Just not to her face.)
2. Add your fruit choice with all of the other ingredients.
3. Stir well.
4. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator overnight.
5. Eat the next morning (hot or cold).
NOTE - When Ree made it, she sprinkled two teaspoons of sugar on the top of the oatmeal before eating, and used a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.
All I want for Christmas is a kitchen torch.
Someone tell Mikie.
I love this oatmeal. I tried it cold, but I am obviously a hot oatmeal kinda Chick.
Pinterest Stuff
More Date Ideas
1. Attempt to set a Guinness World Record. (I would SO try to do this. It sounds fun to me.)
2. Get lost, on purpose.
3. Play Farmers Market ABCs. See who can find something that starts with every letter of the alphabet first. Try lots of free samples.
4. Have an entire meal of Costco samples.
5. Take a free DIY class at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
6. Have a Chopped competition to see who can make the best dish out of whatever you already have in the fridge.
7. Take your laptop somewhere and have a DIY outdoor movie screening. (I think this would be fun to try at a nice, nearby park in a gazebo or sitting on a swing.)
8. Pick a random place and plan a whole detailed vacation. (I do this all the time by myself, but I wouldn't mind some Mikie input.)
9. Record the story of how you met for posterity.
10. Play Walmart Bingo.
11. Hit up the arcade, earn a ton of tickets and cash them out for something awesome. (Love the arcade... especially pinball and skee ball. I'm really, really good, too.)
12. Buy cheap, hideous and outdated clothing at a thrift store and have a mini photo shoot. Visit a low budget portrait studio, a photo booth or have a friend snap the pics. You could even borrow or buy a cheap tripod, set the timer on your camera and take the photos yourself.
A Few Ways to Make Your Home Happier
1. Say "YES" to your children more often.
2. Find a chore system that works with your particular family.
3. Date your husband, even if you think you don't have time.
4. Figure out how much sleep your family actually needs, and work on helping everyone obtain that much rest.
5. Read aloud to your children.
6. Make the most out of family scripture study.
7. Give your kids experiences instead of stuff.
8. Teach your kids gratitude.
9. Declutter!
10. Teach your children to pray by example.
11. Stop having crazy mornings. (If things don't go well in the mornings getting your family out the door, get everyone to bed ten minutes earlier and up ten minutes earlier in the morning. It might not seem like a big change, but sometimes ten minutes is enough to take the strife out of the start of the day. If it is better after you try it, but still not completely smooth, try adding another five minutes every day until you find the amount of time that makes the difference for your family.)
Weekend Happenings
1. The Chick is coming home later today. She will be visiting with friends and going to a concert, but in town she will be. (Imagine The Enchanting Belinda doing her Happy Dance right about now.)
2. I am not allowed to talk about Saturday morning right now, but I will tell you I believe Judith will be involved in our day in some way.
Will we go there?
Will they come here?
Will we meet in the middle?
You'll just have to wait and see.
3. Sunday will be a church-goin' kind of day, and The Chick and I have some major shopping to do within a 45-minute period before she heads back to Auburn. I had hoped she would be able to shop for more than 45 minutes at a time once she turned 19, but that has not been the case.
The following is our shopping list for Sunday afternoon...
A short dressy dress for a formal next weekend.
Two pair of blue jeans.
New comforter and pillows for the new bedroom suite I bought in Madison, Alabama in a neighborhood where geese roam freely.
Yeah.
I agree.
It ain't gonna be easy.
But that's my problem, and I will not worry you with it any longer. Have a fantastic week. I'll be back next Friday with more pics of Judith and other family members!
Take care, and I will talk to you later.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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