Monday Musings {6/17}

Copying my friend Charlotte by doing some Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: That I love Summer and the break from school just as much as my son does! . :)

What I'm reading: Reading the book of Isaiah in the Bible and not much else at the moment though I have about a gazillion Kindle books to read - LOL! At least it feels like that.

What I'm listening to: The sounds of a squirrel chattering/chirping/whatever you want to call the warning sound they make and wind chimes in the breeze. I've got my coffee and my laptop outside this morning.

What we're learning: That we are actually capable of keeping some garden plants alive! We planted a few things in planter boxes just to see what would happen. Killed off the cucumbers and strawberries very quickly, but 2 pepper plants and 4 tomato plants are alive and well! But don't let me forget to water them while I'm out here. Kiddo is learning basketball skills this week - he's going to a basketball "camp" today thru Thursday. I'm interested to see how he does and if he enjoys it.

What I'm watching: I don't watch that many TV shows these days, but I do like Food Network Star. And we enjoy the show North America that's been showing lately on Discovery channel - such amazing sights! I wish I could travel all around the U.S. and see all the sights.

What's cooking: Leftovers from a Father's Day dinner out - which means no cooking for me, which is almost like it's Mother's Day! :) I have a couple new recipes I'll be trying out this week. If they work out, I'll post them on the blog.

What I'm buying:  Hopefully nothing this week. All stocked up!

What I'm thankful for: Thankful for my wonderful husband! Thankful for his auto mechanic skillz {though it's nothing close to what he does for a living} - he put new brake pads on my car yesterday. He saves us SO much money and time by doing the work on our cars. Where did he learn those skills? In high school auto mechanics classes. Do they even teach those in schools anymore? They should - important skills to have even if you aren't going into it as a profession. Ideally, dads would teach it to their sons {and daughters too - my dad showed me how to change a flat tire, check the battery, and even change spark plugs}, but not all adults are handy with auto repairs.

What I'm creating: Hopefully an organized, tidy, peaceful home. Now that it's Summer, I feel like I have a chance to catch up and make it happen!

What I'm planning: Need to get my menu figured out for the week, and we'll have company for dinner on Saturday so I have to figure out what to make!

What we did this last weekend: We spent all day Saturday up in the mountains at a rustic old camp helping get it ready for the Summer as it's where our boys go for their Boy Scout Summer Camp. Was nice to be up there though I spent the whole time in the kitchen sanitizing dishes {mice get in the cupboards in the winter}. Sunday was church and then should have been a relaxing day for hubs since it was Father's Day, but he needed to put new brake pads on my car.

What I'm looking forward to: Lunch with a friend! And getting organized...maybe...this *could* be the week that it finally happens. :) Also looking forward to my son having pain-free toes! Poor kid has been struggling with infected ingrown toenails for quite a while, even after seeing the Dr. We did manage to get rid of the infection, but finally had to go have a little surgery to remove the sides of the nails on both big toes. Ouch!! But so much relief after having it done. His toes look ugly right now, but feel great - he is so happy about that!

A picture to share:

A math award that my kiddo was very excited to receive on the last day of school. So proud of him!! Aren't you glad that I didn't share a pic of the ingrown toenails that were cut from son's toes?! LOL!!


What are your plans for the week?


Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {4/29}

Copying my friend Charlotte again by doing some Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: That I will never ever never be caught up with housework. *sigh* And that it gets expensive to have a son who won't quit growing - LOL! We just bought him size 13 shoes and ordered a few more school uniform pieces so he'll actually have something to wear during the last few weeks of school. :)

What I'm reading: Reading Ecclesiastes and 42 Days to Fit by Brandy Ferguson, Emma Swanston, & Stacy Karen on Kindle.

What I'm listening to: The sounds of washing machine and dryer and Hubs listening to talk radio while he works from home.

What we're learning: I learned that I can run 3 miles! :) Son is still taking his computer programming type class and tennis. But next up is basketball! He's decided that he likes it {which is nice considering his height} and wants to play on the school's team next year. So he may be attending a basketball camp for a few days when Summer starts just to get him up to speed.

What I'm watching: Finally watched the movie War Horse. Good movie! Probably a bit too realistic for young kids with the war scenes and death, but we enjoyed the story. Also watched the last episode of our latest show obsession - Naked Castaway. The guy filmed himself attempting to survive with next to nothing on a deserted island for 60 days - interesting stuff.

What's cooking: Leftover beef stew and cornbread tonight. Definitely roasting a pork loin this week {I follow this recipe to make a rub for it}. And I still have to figure out what to make for our upcoming church potluck which will have a Mexican theme - it's Cinco de Mayo you know! :)

What I'm buying:  Well we just bought the clothes & shoes for kiddo - ugh! I might make a small Costco run this week, but I don't think I have other things to buy at the moment.

What I'm thankful for: Thankful for all my WONDERFUL friends! I ended up with all kinds of belated bday gifts this week, but also time to fellowship with friends. Even met up with a fellow blogger at my fave thrift store this past week - hi Julie!

What I'm creating: A plan for being completely and totally organized in all areas of my life that requires no effort! hahahahahahahaha :D

What I'm planning: Starting the 42 Days to Fit program {simple program with fitness and eating goals each week} to.day. I wanted to wait until after the 5K so I could focus better on it.

What we did this last weekend: So many errands! Did my Saturday run for 30 minutes. And then we ran errands most of the day, but at least we are somewhat caught up on things now. Watched the movie War Horse. Sunday was church and then hanging out at home.

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing how I feel at the end of the week after no desserts and no sweetened drinks other than 1 morning coffee! And *not* looking forward to attempting to run today in the 90-something degree heat. :/

A picture to share:

A beautiful homemade cream currant scone from my friend K! And the saucer goes with the teacup she gave me! :)

What are your plans for the week?

I'm totally behind on my posting challenge - this is Post #15 for the month!

Have a blessed day friends!
 

Monday Musings {4/15}

Copying my friend Charlotte again by doing some Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: Well I was going to do this post early today but then got sidetracked by laundry and then further sidetracked when the tragedy happened at the Boston Marathon. So sad and our prayers go out to the people in Boston.

What I'm reading: Still reading Song of Solomon in the Bible and finishing Organized Simplicity ~ The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider . Reading 42 Days to Fit by Brandy Ferguson, Emma Swanston, & Stacy Karen on Kindle.

What I'm listening to: Hubs watching TV - currently American Pickers.

What we're learning: Son is learning HTML and CSS and a little Javascript {that's all computer language lingo - used for creating websites, etc for those of you who don't know} through a free class at his school on Saturdays. He's coming along really fast and he loves it! He also started Tennis classes again, so he's relearning those skills! Me? Hmmm...not sure what I'm learning other than trying to learn diligence. :)

What I'm watching: Hubs has been gone a lot lately, so I've been watching a lot of movies on Instant Netflix. Hard to find a lot of good new ones there! But I did see a cute PG romantic comedy if you're a David Tennant fan and like Scottish scenery - The Decoy Bride.

What's cooking: Tonight was Parmesan Chicken and I think some Mini Meatloaves this week. Still working on planning the rest!

What I'm buying:  We need to buy some plants to put in planter boxes in our backyard, but we haven't fully decided what we want yet. Need to get on that ASAP!

What I'm thankful for: Thankful for another birthday! :) And thankful that such a special group of ladies have stuck with me to do the Couch-to-5K program and have signed up to do a 5K with me this week!

What I'm creating: Blog post? I really got nothin' this week - LOL!

What I'm planning: To jog a 5K this Thursday!! Woo Hoo! I really hope I can jog the whole thing, but I'll go as far as I can and walk the rest if I need to. And possibly a belated birthday outing with friends later in the week.

What we did this last weekend: Hubs and son were gone on a Boy Scout campout, so I just went for a jog, did some cleaning and tried to relax for my birthday. The relaxing part would have been a lot better if there hadn't been an ant invasion in the kitchen. :/ We quietly celebrated on Sunday after church - got my fancy coffee drink & hubs got one of our favorite family meals to-go from Tahoe Joe's, including my fave cheesecake! :) Oh - and how could I forget? We finally finished up our taxes and filed them using Turbo Tax. This is the first time in years & years that we have to pay something {only to Federal, getting some back from State still.}! But it has always been our goal to get it to even or as close as possible as we would rather have use of our money all year than let the government keep and use it. Did you get your taxes done early or just in time?

What I'm looking forward to: Completing that 5K!

A picture to share:

 

Field Day at son's school last Friday. They worked hard, but lost the Tug-o-War.

What are your plans for this week?

Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {3/11}

Copying my friend Charlotte again by doing some Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: That I have lots to do today and was going to start it right after this post, but now that I look at the clock, I think I better go do a few things right now! Meet ya back here for the rest of the post after I finish a few chores - OK? LOL! :)

Aaannd we're back! Ate breakfast, finished getting myself ready, started laundry, put clean dishes away, loaded dishwasher, filled out our weekly schedule, backed car into driveway for windshield chip repair guy, and made a list of everything I must remember to get done today. Now I can continue the post guilt-free. :)

What I'm reading:  Reading Song of Solomon in the Bible and trying to finish Organized Simplicity ~ The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider . Still reading Early To Rise - Learn to Rise Early in 30 Days by Andy Traub on my Kindle.

What I'm listening to: The dryer tumbling and that's about it - pretty quiet here at the moment.

What we're learning: Well, we all learned CPR this weekend! Actually son and hubs already knew it, but needed to be recertified. I had never taken a class so thought it would be a good idea since the Boy Scout troop was doing it together along with family and school staff members. We learned CPR, First Aid, AED and we're certified for 2 years now! Definitely important info to know - I recommend it for anybody! And son finished up a First Aid merit badge class for Boy Scouts, so as a result we now have an official family first aid kit {can't believe we didn't have one put together before - now if there's an emergency we can grab it and go or even take it along on car trips}. 

What I'm watching: Didn't have much time to watch much of anything. Have any of you watched Duck Dynasty? We've seen a few episodes and I think it's hilarious! They claim the show is non-scripted, and maybe the words aren't written, but the scenarios are obviously planned out. Even knowing that, the characters are quite entertaining. And I like that they end each show with the family around the table praying. 

What's cooking: Pork loin later this week - roasted in the oven with a rub on it. And thank you - that just reminded me I have to take it out to thaw!!! Be right back - LOL! Whew - so now can I claim that blogging saved dinner?! :)

What I'm buying: I need a few things from Trader Joe's and I hope to find time to get to the thrift store to look for more shorts for the kiddo. He prefers to live in shorts year-round {even in forty-something degrees} except for part of the year when he's forced to wear pants to school as part of the dress code! Just 2 more weeks until Easter Break and then when he goes back to school after that, he can wear shorts to school the rest of the year - he's seriously counting down!

What I'm thankful for: This week I'm thankful for beautiful sunshine!! And for everything starting to bloom as Spring is almost here! Spring is such a lovely time, though Summer is still my favorite season, I think, or is it Fall? Hmmm...maybe anything but Winter. :)

What I'm creating: Creating reports of the current numbers as part of my Treasurer duties for our Boy Scout troop. Doesn't that sound exciting? And maybe a new recipe to add to the backlog of recipes that I need to post on this here blog.

What I'm planning: Figuring out meals, etc for the week as a brother-in-law will be our house guest. More C25K jogs - they'll be 30 minutes long this week. Going out for a belated birthday celebration for a friend and maybe celebrating another friend's birthday on another day! Also planning to continue getting up early each weekday as part of the Early To Rise challenge.

What we did this last weekend: CPR and First Aid! That made for a long Saturday and then we had some errands too. So I didn't get my weekend jog done. Yesterday after church son & hubs got their First Aid merit badge class finished up. That means 5 scouts just earned another merit badge! And in between all those things, son did tons of homework {some of it his fault for not doing ahead of time} and was overwhelmed by it all. But proud of him for working through it and getting it all done - including his opening statement as prosecuting attorney in a mock trial in Junior High. So cool.

What I'm looking forward to: Easter Break - 2 more weeks!! That means I don't have to drive back and forth to school or prepare lunch in the morning. And there is usually sleeping in involved. Hubs will hopefully get a couple days off and we'll try to go do something fun.

A picture to share:

Son got a cast for a broken wrist over 3 weeks ago, but his arm was so sweaty that the cast was driving him crazy and he was worried about his skin underneath with all the moisture. So we went Friday to have it checked and got a fresh & clean new cast {no cost} put on! Son was very happy about that and has less than 2 weeks to go until this one comes off! Yay!

What are your plans for this week?

Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {3/4}

It's been quite a while since I've joined my friend Charlotte with some Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: That I can't believe I even got up before the time I was trying for this morning! I'm doing the 30-Day Early to Rise Challenge with Money Saving Mom. My goal is 6am right now and this morning I took a pic of my alarm clock at 5:56am!

What I'm reading:  Reading Ecclesiastes in the Bible and trying to finish Organized Simplicity ~ The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider . Also reading Early To Rise - Learn to Rise Early in 30 Days by Andy Traub on my Kindle.

What I'm listening to: The hum of appliances and...silence. I'm up before my family! There were loud chirping birds earlier.

What we're learning: Son is learning HTML from a free class that meets at his school on Saturdays! He's so excited about it! Maybe one of these days he can redesign my blog for me - LOL! I am learning how to jog 3 miles - jogging over 2 miles at this point with a group of ladies who are doing Couch-to-5K with me!

What I'm watching: Watched Amazing Race - I enjoy the show because of seeing all the different countries and the interesting competitions. We watched some of The Bible on the History channel last night. Interesting to see it all in action, but as expected we didn't quite agree with the way they portrayed some of the stories.

What's cooking: At this point I don't even know what we're having for dinner tonight - oops! I do know that I want to make these Chocolate-Cranberry Energy Bites from My Blessed Life this week - yum.

What I'm buying: Hopefully not much this week - other than gas in the cars. And not sure how much gas is where you live, but here in northern CA it's basically back to $4 a gallon. Ick. I already bought plenty of things last week - did a Costco trip plus I got new running shoes!

What I'm thankful for: So very thankful for my sweet little family! I am so blessed with a wonderful husband and son! And I'm always thankful for hubs' job, which has been stable in this ever-changing economy. He's worked there for over 12 years.

What I'm creating: Does a clean home count? :) I'm trying to catch up on all the areas that got so behind and fixing the decor as I go.

What I'm planning: More C25K jogs this week - 28-minute jogs this time. Our Christian School's Open House is tonight so we'll go take a look around. The Junior High kids will have their science project reports and display boards out {kiddo did his on Super Cooled Water}. And Saturday I'll be taking a CPR/First Aid class with our Boy Scout troop.

What we did this last weekend: Went on a 25-minute jog with my C25K ladies while son was at his class. Then son had a friend over who spent the night - I just tried to catch up on cleaning. Yesterday we went to church and then home so hubs and son could go to a class to learn more about first aid. Not really an exciting weekend.

What I'm looking forward to: The beginning of Spring and kiddo's Spring Break starting at the end of the month - woo hoo! :) What I'm *not* looking forward to - just saw a comment on another blog that reminded me about the time-change coming next weekend! I don't want to lose that hour - LOL!

A picture to share:

New running shoes to protect my feet and keep me motivated to keep on going! :)

What are your plans for the week?

Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {10/22}

Wow - I haven't done any Monday Musings since August! Happy Monday to you all!! I'm joining my friend Charlotte today with Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: That hubs should have stayed home from work today and built a cozy fire for me since it's our first dreary/rainy day of the season! LOL. :)

What I'm reading: Reading through Proverbs in the Bible and finally reading Organized Simplicity ~ The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider {who will be speaking at the conference I'll be attending!}.

What I'm listening to: The dryer running and the clock ticking.

What we're learning: Hubs and I have been attending a parenting class called Case For Kids by the Tripp brothers. We took a class years ago based on Shepherding a Child's Heart but now we really need the teen info based on Age of Opportunity. Really good stuff - already changing our approach to the kiddo {he's 13} all over again since the point isn't just to change outward behavior but to reach the heart.

What I'm watching: Just watching along with the hubs as he's lately obsessed with shows like American Pickers, Yukon Men, Storage Wars, and the many car restoration shows. I have to admit that I find them all fascinating myself. :)

What's cooking: Hubs cooked venison burgers last night from meat that the neighbor gave us. They were good & we'll have leftovers tonight. Making some homemade granola and biscotti today.

What I'm buying: Since I'm heading out-of-state to a conference this week for the first time ever, I have been shopping like crazy. If you keep putting off buying things you need, sure enough, you will need all of them at once. Not to mention that I had to run out last night to get kiddo a new sweatshirt and jacket to wear to school since the rain was coming {and he has grown out of the old stuff}! :)

What I'm thankful for: Thankful for my sweet hubs & son who take good care of me and keep me on my toes at the same time! :) Thankful that hubs gave me the gift of letting me go to this conference {Allume Social Media Conference}!! And thankful for the lovely community of online and offline friends that I have - love you all!

What I'm creating: When one attends a blogging conference, one takes business cards. When one has a blog name like Stop and Smell the Chocolates, one must attach chocolate to those business cards {some of them anyway!}. That's what I'm working on!

What I'm planning: To fly all the way over to Pennsylvania for a blogging conference and finally meet many of my online friends in real life! Trying to get everything done before I leave - yikes!

What we did this last weekend: Well I shopped of course. And cleaned a little. And we were watching over our sick Basset hound {Buster}. He has a kidney infection. He's not doing too well right now - fever is down, but he's not eating and not keeping the antibiotics down. :(

What I'm looking forward to: The Allume conference! And it's also our wedding anniversary though we'll celebrate it next week - 20 years!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

A picture to share: 

A pic of Buster "frolicking" in the Fall leaves a couple years ago!

How was your week? What exciting things are happening this week?

If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!

Have a blessed and fabulous Monday friends!

Monday Musings {8/13}

Happy Monday!! I decided to join my friend Charlotte today with Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: How amazing it is that after just 1 day of being back to doing 30-Day Shred, I already hate strongly dislike Jillian Michaels all over again. This is going to be a looooong 30 days - LOL!!

What I'm reading: Still working my way through Psalms in the Bible - over halfway through! And I'm about halfway through One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

What I'm listening to: The fan blowing - it's another triple digit day here! Other than that, it's quiet - hubs is at work and kiddo is reading in his room.

What we're learning: How to use a Kindle Touch! We surprised kiddo with one for his 13th birthday and we are all figuring out the details {'cause like it or not, he'll be sharing it some with us!}.

What I'm watching: Watched Batman Begins over the weekend. Plan to watch The Dark Knight this week. Working our way up to the final Batman movie. :)

What's cooking: Chicken soup tonight. Tried a new lasagna recipe over the weekend - yum! And we finished up the Creamy Baked Cheesecake from kiddo's birthday.

What I'm buying: The kid {who has now reached 5'7"} needs new Boy Scout pants and shirt, so we'll be headed to the Scout shop soon. And we still have school supplies to buy. And I need to pick up a few groceries so I think we'll try and do all the errands at once. Maybe. :)

What I'm thankful for: I'm thankful for such a wonderful son that we've been blessed with for 13 amazing years!!! Also thankful for a hubs that works so many hours at his job and provides for our family.

What I'm creating: Will be trying a new recipe for a guest post on another blog and maybe attempting another small craft this week. I also need to create a schedule for myself for when kiddo starts back to school.

What I'm planning: Getting caught up on many things this week and getting everything ready to go for kiddo to start school next week! His first day is next Tuesday and so is mine {I'll be helping at the school 1 day a week}!

What we did this last weekend: Caught up on a few chores. Hubs washed the dog - thank YOU!! Kiddo went on a bike ride with friends. And I broke out in hives and took benadryl and slept. So fun...not! Things seem to have cleared up for me, but I don't know if it was food -related or something else.

What I'm looking forward to: This last week of Summer before school starts! Also, another Savor 7 {Saturday} - a great way to share blessings and encouragement! I'd love it if you join me by writing up a post and linking it on Saturday. Or just share your own blessings in the comments!

A picture to share: 

I posted this pic on my Facebook page {hey, you can come "Like" me there so we can hang out more!} and thought you might like it here too. It's strange knowing there's a teenager in the house! :)

How was your week? What exciting things are happening this week?

If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!

Have a blessed and fabulous Monday friends!

Monday Musings {7/23}

Monday night is still Monday! I'm joining my friend Charlotte and doing Monday Musings! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: How nice it is to be out of the car after 2 long days on the road! I'm on the couch and relaxing in comfy clothes right now!

What I'm reading: During the road trip, I've been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine. I'm also slowly working my way through Psalms in my Bible reading.

What I'm listening to: Hubs watching TV and typing on his laptop and a fan blowing.

What we're learning: That using Instagram and Facebook check-ins make a road trip more fun! :)

What I'm watching: News about the movie theater massacre. So sad. My prayers are with the victims' families as well as with the shooter's family.

What's cooking: Had salmon from Costco tonight. Will be eating out a lot while on vacation this week. Looking forward to dinner out for hubs' birthday tomorrow!

What I'm buying: Probably some clothing or other items since I'm visiting a state with no sales tax! And definitely some candy from my favorite candy store!

What I'm thankful for: Very thankful for safe travels all the way from California to Montana!

What I'm creating: I completed the craft I mentioned last week. That is amazing for me!

What I'm planning: Celebrating hubs' birthday tomorrow! Happy Birthday honey - I love you!!

What we did this last weekend: Drove and drove and drove. :)

What I'm looking forward to: Hubs' birthday, hanging out with Dad, sight-seeing, and more!

A picture to share: 

Sunset in Nevada on our first day of driving - amazing that I could capture that with my phone through the car window while the car was zipping along on the highway!

How was your past week? What do you have going on this week?


If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!

Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {7/16}

Yes, it is still Monday here in my time zone {at least it was when I started the post}- so this counts - LOL! I'm "borrowing" from my friend Charlotte and doing Monday Musings again! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: How amazing it is that *every* time we go through boxes in the garage we find a carload of stuff to give away {taking it to the Christian school for their upcoming yard sale}!

What I'm reading: Haven't finished Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews yet. Still behind on my blog reading. I just read about "The Husband Project" over at Joyful Mothering and am considering joining up {How about you?}.

What I'm listening to: The whole house fan cooling things off and the hubs watching late-night TV.

What we're learning: My kiddo learned a lot during Boy Scout Summer camp! He took the following merit badge classes: Emergency Preparedness, Cooking, Home Repairs, Electricity, and Chess. He enjoyed them all and I look forward to assigning him some cooking duties so he can keep practicing {maybe one meal a week?}. :)

What I'm watching: Started watching a Christian movie from a friend - Time Changer. We're enjoying it so far.

What's cooking: Made Tex-Mex Chili Pasta yesterday and will use the leftovers to make Spicy Taco Soup tomorrow. I might try a new cookie recipe this week if I have time.

What I'm buying: I don't really have much to buy this week, but I do have returns to do. I dislike making returns so I let them build up and now I need to go to 3 different stores to return 3 items. I must get that done this week!

What I'm thankful for: So thankful that the Lord brought my hubs safely home from his week of meetings and my son safely home from Boy Scout camp! I miss my boys when they're gone!

What I'm creating: I actually attempted a craft today! At first it was looking good, but now it looks like I may have ruined it in the final step. Argh! Will double-check in the morning and decide if I want to try again.

What I'm planning: Our trip to Montana and son's 13th birthday. I think we've mostly got things figured out for both!

What we did this last weekend: Hubs and I had a fairly quiet day waiting for kiddo to get back from camp. I finished stuff around the house, including finishing the homeschool grading {um, yes I was a bit behind!}. Then kiddo got home and talked and talked and talked about all the fun times at camp! :) Sunday was church, some errands, and then kiddo had a friend over the rest of the day.

What I'm looking forward to: A trip to Montana, hubs' birthday {there is no way he'll let me tell you his age so let's just say he'll be over 30 - LOL}, son's 13th birthday - just to name a few!

A picture to share:

Those are lemon cucumbers! First time I've ever heard of them or seen them. Had one in a salad yesterday - tastes basically like a regular cucumber. Purchased these beauties from a local friend: CJ's Family Farm.


What fun things did you do last week? What are your plans for this week?


Have a blessed day friends!

Monday Musings {7/9}

Joining up with my friend Charlotte for Monday Musings again! Feel free to post your own musings ~ tell me in the comments so I can come visit! :)

What I'm thinking: Thinking about the many many many ways I need to get organized! Going to work on some lists and goals this week so I can focus more!

What I'm reading: Still working on Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews. And I will try to read more blogs this week so I can feel like I'm "in the loop."

What I'm listening to: The sounds of silence other than the clock ticking. Kiddo is at Boy Scout Summer camp for the week! I like the quiet for now, but I'll miss his sounds before the week is up {SOME of the sounds}. :)

What we're learning: Well my friends will be learning how to bake! They've been wanting me to teach a little baking class for them, so I'll be doing that this week. We'll see how it goes! 

What I'm watching: We're still watching a lot of Leave It To Beaver on instant Netflix - my son just loves it! I think I need to catch up on a "chick" flick or 2 this week - do you have a favorite?

What's cooking: There will be some baking, but the rest I'm not sure of yet. I have leftover pork loin and green beans for tonight, so that's something!

What I'm buying: Hubs and I stopped at Kohl's to take advantage of sales and a credit I had. Finally got a couple pairs of flip-flops to replace other pairs. I always have to have a white pair, a brown pair, and a black pair at least!

What I'm thankful for: Friendship! I am truly blessed by the amount of friends I have - offline and online. God has blessed me abundantly and I take that for granted far too often.

What I'm creating: Lists. I need lists to get focused, but I've also read that some procrastinators {oh hello, like me} use lists to further procrastinate! In the time it takes to make all the lists, you could probably finish up a few tasks! :)

What I'm planning: The baking class with friends, finishing up my never-ending file cabinet organization, and figuring out what we'll do for my son's 13th birthday {less than a month away!!}.

What we did this last weekend: Took my car in to be worked on {nothing major}; picked up a piece of exercise equipment from Craig's List to put in the garage {mainly for son & hubs}; packed for kiddo's Boy Scout camp and discovered several lost items from the last time he camped {anybody find a pocket knife, flashlight, compass or bug spray? LOL}; ate Chipotle {yum}; sent kiddo off to camp {he LOVES it}; went to church {of course!}; ran errands {Trader Joe's, Kohl's, *Starbucks* - um, that's an errand, right?}; quiet time. A good weekend! :)

What I'm looking forward to: Getting my house clean and organized! Maybe with the kiddo gone this week I can make it happen! Also looking forward to our Summer trip coming up soon - to Montana of course {where I grew up}!


A picture to share:

Son in the pool at a friend's house for 4th of July - he had so much fun!

What's happening for you this week? Anything fun?


Thanks for listening to my musings and have a blessed day friends!!