monthly review

  • Jumping from June to July…and Grace and Truth Link Up

    I threw a party.  For the reunion of my favorite show Friends.  That’s how I kicked off my month and it was fun! 

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    Friends themed decorations and name tags for everyone featuring supporting characters of the beloved show.  Ugly Naked Guy?  Frank Jr. Jr., Spackle Back Larry?  They were all in attendance.  Did you watch?

    We piggybacked on my inlaws’ generosity and took a little jaunt to the beach.  My daughter and her friend baked themselves crispy fried on the first day despite many warnings and pleadings to reapply the SPF.  We took in the Texas State Aquarium where we saw a flamingo couple guarding a nest.  Shelby fell in love.

     

    I began serving as a subject matter expert for NETA to help them develop their next certifying exam – an interesting process during which I get to meet fitness instructors from all over the country.  We have two Zoom meetings under our belt and several more to follow.

     

    Shelby attended her first of two summer camps.  This one sits only an hour away from home and gives her dad and me a nice respite from caregiving.  Super bonus – she has a blast!  The report I got?  She had a great week and was the happiest camper there.  That’s my girl!  My youngest volunteered at three sessions of children’s day camp at our church and lead worship for the youth.  That’s my other girl!

     

    The whole extended family (almost) sat out in stifling heat with zero breeze to support my niece in her dance recital.  That’s love.  My husband and I caught the That Sounds Fun Podcast Tour with Annie F Downs when it came through Dallas.  It was funny and endearing and I felt like God had a message for just my husband and me.  Now THAT’S a good show.  And the same week we got to pick up Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck and deliver to family over a Father’s Day celebration.  I have a good one and I’m married to a good one.  And there was much rejoicing.

     

    It’s been a movie month for us.  So glad to see new quality films coming to theaters.  We got to Finding You, which may be my new favorite.  After taking it in with my husband, I took my daughter to it the very next day.  It’s a sweet and clean romance (a rarity) with a lot more going on than the love story.  I can’t wait until it’s streaming so I can see it again.  We saw Queen Bees.  Not as clean but funny and sweet.  And at home we caught an edited version of football movie The Replacements and an oldie – The Fortune Cookie starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.  Last, the whole family plus my sister enjoyed In the Heights.  I may be in the minority, but I love, love, love a good musical.

     

    Lastly, I was glad to see Juneteenth become a federal holiday!  And that about wraps up the last 30 days.  I hope all the daddies out there had a great Father’s Day.  Shout out to the ones in my life and especially my Heavenly Father.  And as always, I love you, I thank you and I hope July treats you well.

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the linkup!

     

    I found Katie R Dale‘s blog bipolarbrave.com for the first time this week.  And I’m so thankful.  Her vulnerability in sharing her struggles with mental illness and the intersection of God’s healing and grace gave me much pause for thought.  If you suffer from, are curious about or have experience with someone else’s mental illness, do a deep dive on her sight!  Especially It Happened One Summer.  Thanks, Katie.  Grab the button below for your site.

     

    Grace and Truth_Rules

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate)

     

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    Now Let’s Link Up!

     

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  • May 2021 Monthly Muster

    a blue circle in the middle of sunflowers

     

    On the very first day of the month we invited one of our favorite couples over for game night.  They brought dinner.  We provided Celebrity Throw Down! and Code Names.  The later is one of our current faves.  So fun to play.code names board game

     

    A couple of days later, my two yoga classes went live.  I have been leading them over Zoom for months, but now teach a hybrid format – some participants in person and some online.  This is quite a challenge, but one I’m thankful to be figuring out.  If a chair yoga class geared toward seniors sounds interesting to you, click this link to join my live class on Tuesdays at 1pm or choose a pre-recorded class to practice at your convenience!  I am unable to share the hatha mat class.

     

    I spent my mother’s day a little stressed over some unfortunate family dynamics, but I got to see my mom.  That makes a lot of things better.  And seeing my dad, grandad and sister makes for a pretty good day, too.  If you think about it, I would love some prayers for a tough situation in my clan.  God knows and I appreciate you talking to Him about it.

     

    My husband went out of town for a few days and my 16 year old had 3 AP exams.  That makes for even more stress.  But we survived and persevere.  That same 16 year old got her first vaccine so we are one shot away from the whole family being vaxxed!  Yay!  She gave her last choir performance, had her end of year choir banquet, camped out with some of the youth from church and sailed through her final week of school.

     

    For a little light escapism, the hubs and I watched Sesame Street:  50 Years of Sunny Days with my 20 year old daughter.  She very much loves still loves Elmo and the whole gang.  We are in process with Big Shot on Disney+, a nice family show with John Stamos as a hot tempered NCAA basketball coach (aka Bobby Knight) who is banned.  He can only get a coaching gig with a girl’s team at the private high school.  My only advice to the show runners – don’t have Stamos jog anymore.  It’s awkward.

     

    Tom Clancy's Without Remorse Movie PosterWe watched Without Remorse on Amazon Prime.  Lots of action and Michael B. Jordan!  I don’t even think Chuck fell asleep once!  That’s saying a lot.  We tried Shrill on Hulu and quit it in a matter of minutes due to language and a scene that I hope I can one day scrub from my mind.  We quickly gave up on Dickinson on Apple+ too.  As a writer, I wanted it to work.  But alas…  We went to an actual theater to see Triumph.  I love just about any overcomer movie and this one about a boy with CP is a heart warmer.  My daughter Allie and I (what?) decided to binge together the very light hearted and silly Baby Daddy.  It’s an old school sitcom and those just seem to be my favorite.

     

    I read Maggie’s War by Terrie Todd.  My mom, who likes to read in bed at night, passed it on to me.  She tears paperbacks apart so she can comfortably lay on her side with a section at a time.  Yes, she’s a librarian…tearing books.  And after she finishes, she rubber bands all the dismantled sections together and passes it to me.  Although it this point, I can’t imagine chopping a book up myself, I have to admit I don’t mind reading them this way.  I can throw a small section of a book in my purse and off I go!

     

    I checked out When Breath Becomes Air on ebook from the library.  I can’t remember who recommended it to me, but I can’t really recommend it to you.  Paul Kalanithi is a beautiful writer and obviously extremely intelligent, but I’m not sure how someone who says he is a believer can grapple with the meaning of life and death without talking about God or an afterlife.  For this reason it fell very flat for me.

     

    The last thing I’ll share, my husband and I took another couple to the drive in movie theater for a simulcast Bon Jovi concert.  In the rain.  So we watched and listened inside our truck – even running the battery down and having to get a jump in the middle of the show.  But some good company and tunes made the evening a win.

     

    That’s it for May.  I hope you cruise into June and enjoy the start of your summer.  And as always, I love you, I thank you, and I hope next month treats you well.

     

    And now for this week’s featured link up post!

     

    Back in January, I shared with you that my word for the year is trust.  Barbara Lee Harper of Stray Thoughts:  A Home for the Stray Thoughts of an Ordinary Christian Woman hit on the #1 thing I struggle to trust God with in this season – my children.  Read Trusting God for Our Children’s Safety for an interesting perspective.

     

    Grace and Truth_Rules

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

     

    Grace Truth_Button

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    Now Let’s Link Up!

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

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