Only 1 Item On My To-Do List

Yep. Sweet. Just 1 item on that To-Do List to check off. I know...you're jealous. But you can be like me. Here's what my list looks like:

:)

So...not looking like this one's gonna get checked off anytime soon! I do like lists, but sometimes find them overwhelming. Does your To-Do list overwhelm you or make you feel like it's all manageable?

I am a procrastinator and one would think that making lists would help me be more organized and get things accomplished in a more timely manner. But I did read part of a book once about procrastinators {decided to read the rest...um, later} and there are different types, apparently. And one of those types should not make to-do lists. Why? Because that's just another form of procrastination. And that is me. I'm happy to make lists of all kinds and plan out the days etc. which will take up all of the time I had to actually DO something!

If you're not good at accomplishing lots of tasks from your list, why not try avoiding the list in the first place? Do you really need the list? Aren't some of your to-do items just staring you in the face anyway? Ah, but where to start? Start with what's closest to you...right now. What task needs doing today and is closest to you at this moment?

For me, that would be straighten the family room and then I know that dishes must be done so that'll be next. After that? Who knows - I'll just look around and do the next thing. No time spent thinking about what should be included on today's to-do list. No time spent deciding what's priority and where to begin. Just.Do.

Off I go. How about you? Are you a list-maker? Are you a procrastinator? Are lists helping or hurting you?

Do leave a comment - I'm so interested to hear whether or not lists work for you!

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Have a blessed day friends!

Ending or Beginning?

One week until school starts here! Has it started yet for you? If not, when does it start? Or do you not have to worry about school anymore?

I'm wondering how you think about the new school year. Do you think of it as an Ending {end of Summer, end of relaxation & fun, end of chaos} or do you think of it as a Beginning {beginning of Fall, beginning of learning & self-discipline, beginning of new adventures}?

Though I definitely think of it as the end of Summer and sleeping in {sigh}, I mainly look at back-to-school as a new beginning. The end of August and beginning of September have the same feel as January to me. It's a time to take a step back, reevaluate, make new plans and move forward. I don't have any specific big plans, but I feel that twinge of excitement like I'm getting a fresh start!

It's time. Time to get back into a routine - or maybe a new routine. Getting' up early? Oh yeah - it's gonna happen! Family time? Totally doable. Menu planning? Sure. Exercise? Try and stop me. Dishes and Laundry? Watch out - I'm comin' your way! Blogging? Writing? Yes and Yes! <----Pretty sure hubs is thinking he should print all that out in case he needs proof that I said those things. :)

This is a great time for a fresh start on my blog, too. I feel like it has all stalled out a bit. Readership and traffic have dropped. Connections have been lost. Comments are almost nonexistent. I have no desire to start a new blog, but I want to look at my blog through a new blogger's eyes. I want that excitement of beginning something and delighting in each new milestone. I hope that means you'll see more {and better} blog posts from me and more attempts to connect with my readers and the blogosphere in general.

I do so appreciate the few of you that have been with me for the long haul, whether I post or not, whether I have a message to share or not, whether I respond to you or not. You.rock.

So, we come to the end of the post, but begin the planning and preparing for things to come. One week to go!

How about you - Ending or Beginning?

Have a truly blessed day friends!

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!

Pretend Like This Title Sounds Clever

My plan was to have a well thought-out, clever sort of post for you. The problem is that waiting for *that* to happen just seems to delay my blogging even further. Sometimes I just need to talk here, ya know {old-school blogging style}? And while I'm at it, how are you today? You look good - those yoga pants make you look like you've lost 10 pounds. :) <--- That seems like one of those sentences where I should add a "Tweet That" link, but I won't because I've never done it and that's just too much work for a post like this.

 

I'm thinking and thinking about my little old blog space and what I want to do here in the month of April. You see - April is my Blogaversary and birthday within a few days of each other. One is 5 years {wow} and the other is a lot more than that. :) And 5 Minutes For Mom happens to have their Ultimate Blog Party right during that time - so I like to claim that all the celebrating is just for ME!!

So, April will include the following {always subject to change because I can be flaky}:

• Participating in the Ultimate Blog Party
• Celebrating a 5-year Blogaversary
• Using my ad spots to share blogs I like to read 
• Challenging myself {and maybe you if you blog or write and want to join in} to blog every weekday for the month of April
• Hopefully getting at least one series of posts ready to share
• Continuing to have FB Friday Fun on my Facebook Page

That's really all I had to say. I just wanted you to know that I'm here - staring often at my blog, thinking about writing posts rather than actually writing them. But I feel like April is the time to change that, get back on track and reconnect with you. Because I like you and sometimes I just wanna say "Hey!" & "How's it goin'?" & "Where *did* you get those yoga pants 'cause I really do need a new pair?" And then I want to give you a virtual hug and some chocolate and tell you to take a deep breath and go back and face your day because I know you can do it because you rock, you really do.

What's going on in your world for the month of April?

Have a truly blessed day friends!
You.Rock. :)

Lisa

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!

Coming Up On The Blog

I'm currently on a trip visiting family, so the posts are lacking around here - but hey, family comes first! :)

I thought I'd let you know about a few things that I'm planning to share on the blog.

My story of how I went from career gal to the imperfect homemaker I am today! I'll probably do this in a series of posts {4-5} because I'm wordy like that and I like to tell the whole story. :) Why do I want to share it?

 ~ When people that only know the current *me* hear the story, they are often surprised by it.
 ~ To share the things I still struggle with as I know many others struggle.
 ~ To encourage you  - if I can make these recipes or do these projects, anybody can - truly!

I hope to start that series in August. Stay tuned!

A new link-up opportunity on Saturdays so we can share in each other's blessings and hopefully share smiles and encouragement at the same time. It will include:

 ~ Sharing a picture.
 ~ Sharing Scripture.
 ~ Sharing bloggers or blog posts.
 ~ And more!

Since I'm on vacation, I make no promises, but I will try to post an explanation of the link-up this Saturday so you all have a week to prepare in case you want to join in!

There will eventually be another theme week. I had some good suggestions and was thinking about a healthy recipe week. But then the word crockpot was mentioned and a week of crockpot recipes really appeals to me! Feel free to add more suggestions in the comments as I don't have anything definite yet and this won't happen until September or October.

A hint of what we were doing yesterday on our vacation. :)

Thank you for being a part of my blog! I do so appreciate all of you!

If you want to make sure you keep up with future series and posts, just click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS! 

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!!

Monday Musings

I'm joining in with my friend Charlotte this morning to share a few musings...

What I'm thinking: I'm thinking about how far behind I am in everything - housework, homeschooling (just a bit behind), organizing, reading, planning.  I know I can't be caught up on everything all at once, but further along would be nice!  :)

What I'm reading: Trying to do my daily Bible and devotional reading and still trying to finish Raising Your Children for Christ by Andrew Murray - so close to being done!

What I'm listening to: The clinking of a spoon in a bowl while kiddo eats some cereal and some chirping birds outside.

What we're learning: In Bible, we're finishing up the book of Acts.  In History, we're starting a chapter on the Reformation and in Science, we're starting a unit on the atmosphere.  Math is the usual pre-algebra stuff; we're about 2/3 of the way through the book.  And in kiddo's writing class, he's finishing an outline for an oral presentation at the end of the month.

What I'm watching: Watched a couple episodes of a hoarding show yesterday on instant Netflix.  We like to watch a few of those occasionally - it inspires us to go get rid of some more clutter & organize more things!

What's cooking: Tonight we'll have pork loin for dinner (I put a rub on it and roast it in the oven).  We'll also be having salmon loaf this week - something I grew up eating that people either think sounds disgusting or fantastic.  :)

What I'm buying: I need to buy a wedding gift and possibly a new skirt or dress to wear to a wedding.  Also have a couple of returns/exchanges to take care of this week.

What I'm thankful for: My wonderful husband - he really is amazing!  And ever so thankful for sunshine which is here for the moment but rain is coming back.  Also thankful that we don't live in an area with tornadoes and am praying for all those that have been affected by the storms.

What I'm creating: Making plans for my blog in April.  It will be my 4-year blogiversary and I have some ideas for a kind of, sort of relaunch/refresh/re-whatever you want to call it - LOL!  :)

What I'm praying: Praying for my husband as he has many things going on in his work this week.  Praying for me to stay focused on getting caught up.  Praying for friends with financial and medical struggles.

What I'm planning: Keeping up with the weekly out-of-the-house activities: writing class, tennis lessons, performance group, Boy Scouts, Lego class.  And kiddo has a fun Boy Scout campout to go to this weekend!

What we did this last weekend: Caught up some on cleaning & chores.  Kiddo had a friend spend the night, which is always fun!  And I cooked up a bunch of food for our church potluck - I'll be posting some of those recipes here soon.  After church and our potluck yesterday, we ran a few errands and then came home to relax.

What I'm looking forward to: Looking forward to the wedding we'll be attending on Saturday!  The couple both attended the Christian school that we are involved with and their families attend our church.  So we've watched them grow up over the last several years and it will be delightful to watch them get married!  They are such a sweet couple!!

A picture to share:

Our son's new hat that he received at the Boy Scout Court of Honor last week for achieving First Class Rank!  He was very excited!  He had to give a speech too and he did a great job!  We're very proud of him!

What's going on around your place?

Have a day full of blessings my friends!!

Monday Musings

I'm going to copy my friend Charlotte today by posting Monday Musings...

What I'm thinking: That I am so very far behind in so many things that I don't know where to begin.
What I'm reading: A daily devotional, my Bible, and A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens.
What I'm listening to: Computer hum, tree trimmer/shredder somewhere in the neighborhood, wind chimes, son clearing his throat.
What I'm learning: That even though I'm not a schedule kind of person, I need some sort of schedule to get me on track.
What I'm watching: Tree branches swaying gently through the window, the dog curled up on his bed.
What's cooking: Tonight we'll have Cheesy Chicken Carbonara With Fettucine and leftover Slaw With Poppyseed Dressing (recipe will be on my blog tomorrow).
What I'm buying: Need some t-shirts for the hot weather that will be here soon and more things to make up the tea party favors for an upcoming church ladies tea.
What I'm thankful for: Beautiful sunshine and that my kiddo is home with me (though it's because he's sick).
What I'm creating: Must come up with Mother's Day gifts to send to Mother-in-law and Stepmother.
What I'm praying: That the Lord would give me clear direction of what I'm supposed to be doing and that He would help me to be a better homemaker.
What I'm planning: Working on menu for ladies' tea, planning menu for the week, trip details for Summer, trying to work on some sort of housecleaning schedule, getting back into exercise routine.
What I'm looking forward to: Bible study with friends, my son getting over his illness, a baseball game, some thrift store shopping.
A picture to share:

 Camping trips and the dirt that goes along with them make us happy!  It's been far too long since we've gone and I'm really wanting to plan a trip!

What are you thinking about today?  Have a wonderful day friends!

It's March?

*MARCH*

Really?  It's March already?  Well you non-procrastinators (complete opposite of me) better get on that Christmas planning/shopping.  ;)

I'm just thinking about what all is happening this month, besides the time change that takes away an hour of my sleep.  We've got Open House at school, a church potluck, a tea class, a baby shower, Opening Day for baseball plus all the practices and games, a dessert social for church, a field trip, the start of Spring, the start of Spring Break (yay), friends' birthdays and more!  How about you?

I have been thinking about bloggy plans for the month of March.  First I should mention that I won't be able to do a slow cooker week after all.  I just can't seem to get everything together for a whole week of that.  I could do a 1-day linkup, but it seems like there are already plenty of those.  What I do want to do this month is promote Etsy shops!  I have Etsy shops that I have purchased from and Etsy shops that have donated giveaways in the past and I have real-life and online (still real) friends who have been opening new Etsy shops.  I want to spread the love!  I have no schedule for it at this point, just expect a lot of Etsy love!  I'll also have some giveaways this month, so stay tuned!

How's March looking for you?  Have a marvelous Monday friends!