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A Monthly Muster for May

May 30, 2019 by Lauren 32 Comments

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

I love alliteration.  But I don’t historically love May, or Maycember as I’ve heard it referred as for the first time this year.  All the end of school activities make this month just as busy as December, but in my opinion, not nearly as fun.  On the day this goes live on the world wide web, my kids are experiencing their first day off for a much needed summer break.  From studies anyway.  Now that one of mine is headed toward high school sports, the athletic commitments never stop.

 

This month we have had 2 choir concerts, 2 athletic banquets, 3 year end celebrations, 2 volleyball tournaments and private lessons, a choir contest and audition, and more finals and state mandated tests than I can count on both hands.  And somehow we managed to sneak in a visit from our daughter-in-law and grandkids, 2 date nights – one with another couple, and getting the kids to both sets of grandparents.

 

In our SPARE time, we took our special needs daughter to see DUMBO (not earth shattering, but cute), and rented The Hate U Give as a family.  If you haven’t seen this movie, I recommend it for it’s poignant portrayal of modern day race relations, told from the vantage point of a teen.  That part is important if you want a 14 year old to watch with you.  And speaking of the constant search for something Miss I-have-all-the-entertainment-I-need-on-my-phone will watch and discuss with us, we have landed on Beverly Hills 90210.  The OG.  Starting with season 1.  I don’t mind at all taking a trip back to the cross country move of Brandon and Brenda Walsh, but my husband is less than thrilled.  He gets out voted, though, because my daughter is into it!  We also wrapped up season two of Cobra Kai.  I’m not sure I can recommend this one across the board.  There is more language and course talk than I usually indulge in, but the content was so much fun for this child of the 80’s.  One minute a 45 year old Johnny is driving his Camaro (yes, the same one) down the highway, and the next he is daydreaming back to the All-Valley Karate Championship.  So campy and fabulous.

 

In activities a little more cerebral, I picked up some good books.  Stolen Jesus:  An Unconventional Search for the Real Savior and Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors:  How Less-Than-Perfect Parents Can Raise (Kind of) Great Kids by Jami Amerine top the list.  If you have yet to discover this little gem of an author, I am pleased to make your introduction.  She writes beautifully real, broken and Jesus filled words.  She also blogs at sacredgroundstickyfloors.com.  Do yourself a favor and subscribe.  As a part of my ongoing efforts to improve this craft of writing, I devoured The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and Big Magic:  Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert – content as different as day and night.  And just in time for your light and breezy summer reading, It’s a Love Story:  From Happily to Ever After by Lincee Ray.  Inside this pretty pink jacket you’ll find funny, clever and touching personal anecdotes wrapped up in a Jesus bow.  She podcasts too for those obsessed with pop culture (and especially the Bachelor franchise).  I’m currently working my way through The Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge.  This lengthy piece of fiction is like a cross between Ken Follett and L.M. Montgomery.

 

I found some new favorites that I want to share with you in case you happen to be in the market for some new favorites. 

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My current snack obsession is Enlightened Roasted Broad Bean Crisps in Mesquite BBQ flavor.  I know, I know.  What is a broad bean and how can they possibly taste good?  I don’t know and I don’t know.  But I LOVE them.  They are low in calories, high in protein and fiber, and gluten-free all while masquerading as a delicious, crunchy carb!  I’m also a new devotee of this Vitamin C Foot Cream.  As a passionate fan of the flip-flop, my feet stay about as soft as asphalt – until now.  I slather this lotion on after every shower and my feet are now as supple as 45 year old skin can expect to get.

 

I’ll round out the wrap-up with what is most important.  As God continues to prick my heart with lessons on obedience, I am listening to the audio book The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinburg on the recommendation of my life group and studying Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer with said Life Group.  Both books cover the topic of hearing from God in different ways.  I’m circling the Shirer book for the second time as well as God Moments:  Recognizing and Remembering God’s Presence in Your Life by Alan D. Wright.  I ordered this last one on a whim after telling a friend how ginormously it changed my prayer life years ago.

 

A Memorial Day weekend celebrating my daughter’s spiritual birthday and enjoying the company of family made the already-too-hot days a little sweeter.  I pray in the coming week you take time for that which feeds your soul.  Ready or not, summer, here we come!

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, please share to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe!

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

Mix it Up Linky, InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

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A Monthly Muster for February

March 1, 2019 by Lauren 40 Comments

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

February is one of my favorite months.  And not because it’s national potato lovers month, but you do you.  It’s short, it’s usually a little dreary (well, in Texas it looks like freezing drizzle one day and spring the next – which makes me a tad cuckoo), but God brought two of my very favorite people into the world in the 2nd month of the year.  Chuck on the 22nd and Allie on the 23rd.

 

Because only 1 day separates their birthdays, Chuck usually gets forgotten amidst the hoopla and histrionics that surround my youngest daughter’s extravaganza.  But not this year!  My man turned 50 and his brothers did not disappoint.  With the help of my deceptive mind and secret suitcase packing skills, his bros rang our doorbell at 7am in grim reaper costumes and exclaimed, ‘You must come with us now.”  They then swept him away to New York City for an all expense paid weekend of fast paced fun, sight-seeing and culinary adventures.  He was utterly surprised and completely delighted to spend 3 days with no responsibilities in the company of his best life-long friends.

 

Not to be completely outdone, Allie hosted 14 of her closest 14 year old friends for a fancy dinner, movies and hang time in a pillow fort and a sleepover.  This involved moving and rearranging the furniture in 3 rooms, fine china and crystal, and stringing Christmas lights from the ceiling.  14 year old girls are loud, but they are also sweet and fun to host.  My girl is fortunate to have so many precious friends who wanted to help celebrate her.

 

To quote the old program Wild World of Sports, the month started with “the thrill of victory” and ended with “the agony of defeat”.  Such is common with youth sports.  My daughter’s select club volleyball team won the North Texas Region Nike Bid Tournament for their division and secured their regional tournament bid one weekend, and 2 weeks later looked like they had never played together before.  Sigh.  But there are still several tournaments left for them to (hopefully) get their groove back.

 

February Entertainment and Resources

 

I’ve been studying Priscilla Shirer’s Awaken:  90 Days with the God who Speaks with my new Life Group.  As a writer, I luxuriate in her use of language and research of scripture.  And I’m privileged to be participating in two book launch teams right now.  Mended:  Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters by Blythe McIntosh Daniel and Helen McIntosh drops April 9.  This subject captured my attention because parenting a teenage daughter is only slightly less challenging than swimming the English Channel with one arm tied behind your back.  I want her to survive to adulthood with some love still between us,  and I haven’t got the slightest idea how to accomplish that.  Wild Hope is my friend Meg Weyerbacher’s second small-town romance novel.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first, but this one is even better!  I have been training my brain with so much non-fiction lately that this sweet fictional story is breathing fresh air and restful calm into my soul.  And I’m being thoroughly entertained!  Wild Hope releases on March 7, but both books are in pre-orders now!  Just click on the names of the books above for more info or to order.  And don’t forget to check out the pre-sale for Perseverance:  30 Devotions for Faith that Moves Mountains.  Read here for more details.

 

When I wasn’t reading, my best friend and I watched the TV show “Playing House” on Amazon together.  And by “together” I mean I watched it in Texas and she watched it in Alabama and then we called or texted each other and laughed!  It is a stupid kind of humor, that for some reason really appeals to me.  It’s an escape from everything hard and serious, but I was particularly drawn to the central characters – two best friends deeply devoted to one another.  I have all kinds of romantic notions about best friendship – including the dream of one day living with Patsy again.  Since we both have husbands and children it’s not looking likely.  We did both marry slightly older men, though.  So maybe we can Golden Girl it some day (but honey, if you are reading this, I want you to live a long, long time).

 

I’ve also been imbibing in some self-help resources.  I need all the help, from self or otherwise, I can get.  I’m working through a free Blogging Made Simple course from Elite Blog Academy and watching videos from firstfriday.com/influence about the book Influence.  I want to continually grow and improve my writing so I am ready for any mission God chooses to bring my way.  I am also loving resources from axis.org.  If you have a teen or love one, go immediately to their website.  I’m currently watching a free Parenting Relationships Summit (interviews with experts in the field).  I’m learning a lot that will help me preserve my daughter’s life in days to come.  I also subscribe to their Culture Translator.  In their own words, it is “weekly insight into how pop culture, technology and media are influencing your students while equipping you to start biblically based conversations.  It’s so hard to keep on top of what are kids are exposed to since they have a computer in their hands at all times, but this has been so helpful for me.

 

Back to friends, the highlight of my month was probably time with a couple of particularly sweet ones. 

I know girlfriend time is not an official love language, but I’m still pretty sure it’s mine.

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Coffee with one dear lady and dinner plus movie with another filled my love tank and brought me joy.  I’d love to know what has brought you joy lately.  Drop a comment here and join the conversation!

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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