a moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. This is great, for it is all the time I have to blog right now. Joining in on "this moment" at SouleMama.

And now it's almost the next Friday, but better late than never, right?

We have moved. There are some beautiful sunrises and sunsets here and the flatness of the land enable them to be seen a little better.

What's in your bag?

Kirsten asked, "What's in Your Bag?" this week, which was good inspiration for me to empty mine out and start to use a new one that was recently picked up at Kohl's.

Have you seen Anita Renfroe's monologue on the topic of purses? If so, I fit into the "tiny toter" category. And for as long as I can remember, I have carried a purse that can go across the body. I really like to have both hands free and yet know that my purse is securely attached to me. If I carried a bag that had to be set down while looking at something or paying or whatever, I would have walked off and left it several times over by now. And my lack of fashion sense plays in to this as well. When I find a purse that suits me, we're friends for life (well, the length of its life anyway). The one I have now has been with me for about 4 years and is still doing pretty well, but the strap has started coming unhooked from time to time.

Contents: Large wad of keys, sanitizer, lip gloss, Blistex, lipstick, concealer, band aids, grocery/errand list, sunglasses, a pen, and $5 (plus the usual assortment of library, AAA, Sam's, bank and credit cards).

I don't like carrying something big, though from time to time I will carry a larger black bag when other items are needed, such as a camera, Bible, or book, in which case I often throw the small purse in the bigger bag and carry it all together. This is the new one. It isn't as light and bright as I was hoping for, but fits all the other criteria and is slightly larger than the black one above, which will be nice sometimes. Those sunglasses are kind of big for that purse and they will fit better in this one.

So what's in your purse/bag? Let me know if you share!

Today...

Playing along with two of the blogs I read daily, when in the normal routine (here and here):

Outside the window...the dog is doing his "psycho" routine, because it appears to be thundering about 25 miles away.

I am thinking...about way too many things, but at the moment that I should be cleaning the refrigerator instead of blogging.

I am thankful for...greatly improved behavior from my eldest the past 72 hours and praying it continues.

From the kitchen...last night baked ziti - a recipe from Patty P. years ago, and tonight a new one called Boka Dushi (Dutch West Indian Chicken Kebabs).

I am wearing...jeans & a light green and white top with my all-time favorite pair of sandals (well, at least for the past 10+ years anyway - I'm on the second pair).

I am creating...not much right as there are way too many other things needing my attention, such as planning and ordering school for the fall, cleaning and purging the house, reading some books, watching a few movies we have home from the library that are going to need to be returned, etc. Sometimes I feel a huge need to create something, but am thankful not to feel that way at the moment as there really isn't time. To be honest, there are a few sewing projects in the works for B who is beginning to desperately need new summer jammies, and is also growing out of many pairs of shorts, but will not be gotten to for a few more weeks.

I am reading...Ann of Green Gables with the kids and reading through the Bible in a year. I have been itching to get to some titles on my nightstand ASAP. Hope to do a post related to them soon.

I am hearing...the kids watching an episode of Five Mile Creek in the other room.

Around the house...the kitchen floor is gross and it isn't the only thing!!!

One of my favorite things...is having a day or two to read a really good book to completion.

A few plans for the rest of the week...a couple of get-togethers, violin lessons, and the frequently aforementioned mile-long "to do" list.

A picture (or two) to share...

Hope the rest of your week is great!!!

Seventh folder, seventh photo

First of all, has anyone else who uses Blogger had issues with pasting text into your blog posts? It is a problem...

Kristin tagged me quite a while back. Here is the game: Post the seventh picture in your seventh folder and tell about it. Then tag seven others...

The 7th picture in the 7th folder for this year was this Valentine's cookie, which is making me want to go eat something bad for me, so I'm going to stop writing and looking at it.

25 things

This was something I posted elsewhere online, but there is a handful of you reading this that wouldn't have seen it there, so I am including it here.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1. I’m ultra practical and logical, which is usually a good thing but can sometimes go too far, as well as diminish opportunities to have fun and enjoy life!
2. Cooking is a pleasure not a chore; though as more of my time goes to schooling the kids each year that has shifted a bit.
3. I used to be able to spot a forged prescription a mile away, as well as a person with “drug-seeking behavior” – not a highly useful skill in my current line of work.
4. I have little to no sense of style/fashion and occasionally wish I did, but not enough to spend hours trying to figure it out. (There are lots of other things I like to spend hours doing more than that!) Sometimes my more fashionable friends help me out a little! J
5. Big crowds are typically not my thing, though I will brave them for my children’s benefit, or in order to feel “included.” It is much more satisfying to sit down with one person and really get to know them.
6. We didn’t have a TV for most of my childhood, and have one currently, but can’t get any channels – just use it for watching videos, etc.
7. There isn’t really anything I can do about my hair (short of spending hours that aren’t available on it). Those products that promise to tame frizz? Maybe for some people.
8. My husband and I met in Albania.
9. I had never been west of Kansas prior to meeting him, but in recent years have been on both coasts in the same summer on more than one occasion.
10. Crafts are a huge distraction for me. Creating something nice makes me happy.
11. I hate, hate, hate to hurt people’s feelings or let them down, but know it happens often. Then I worry about it for days. I’ve had to let go of this a little as a mom. Gossip also makes me very uncomfortable and I will have a guilty conscious for days if I think I shared something that might have fallen under that category.
12. Along with that, I’m very sensitive (perhaps discerning) to what others are thinking or feeling (which can be a double-edged sword), and am often concerned about how others are responding to various situations, such as comments made in small groups, life circumstances, etc.
13. My farm background has been much more appreciated as an adult and parent.
14. There are some aspects of home-keeping that I am a little OCD about (keeping on top of the laundry) and some that I am not (pretty much everything else).
15. I have a tendency to try out new recipes on company.
16. We love snow! If it is going to be cold outside anyway, bring it on!
17. I also love rainy days, which are very rare in this “neck of the woods.”
18. We are more of a musical family than an athletic one.
19. I love getting letters in the mail, and communicating with people in most forms except the phone.
20. I usually prefer to listen rather than to talk, especially about myself (filling this out feels weird as well) and really enjoy learning about other people.
21. We have two guinea pigs.
22. I’m very nostalgic and sentimental and sometimes dream of life in bygone eras.
23. While teaching my children, I’ve discovered that history can actually be pretty interesting!
24. All sorts of ethnic foods appeal to me – it’s fun to try new things, as long as they aren’t too spicy and don’t involve raw meat.
25. Being a Christ-follower has been a great adventure, and though sometimes I get distracted or discouraged, I look forward to what God does the rest of my life.

Tagged...

My friend Jennie got me with a book tag. Can't resist that! Here's how it goes:

Rules: Find the book nearest to you with 123 pages or more. Turn to page 123 and find the fifth sentence on the page. Provide the title and author, and then type in that sentence.

Tricky because there are probably at least 40 books within easy reach, but I'll go with the top of my stack. It is Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals by Susan Wise Bauer.

The sentence is: "Student: The cat ate the mouse." Exciting stuff, huh?

The second book down has a more interesting result. Soul Guide by Dr. Bruce Demerest and the sentence is: "How was my reaction different from what Jesus called the disciples to do?"

I'm tagging Alicia, if she's up for it, and anyone else who reads this!

While on the topic of books, I am trying to renew my mind in preparation for starting school up around here again before too long. I am needing a paradigm shift - a change in how I view life, my children, and parenting - and am trying to squeeze in some reading to help point me that direction. Starting out with For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School, by Susan Schaeffer Macauley. Not particular reason for starting with this one other than it was loaned to me by someone and I want to read it and return it.

One word MEME

I'm playing along with Emily. Care to join in? (A few of my answers may be the same...)

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse.
2. Your significant other? Missed.
3. Your hair? Ultracurly.
4. Your mother? Involved.
5. Your father? Generous.
6. Your favorite thing? Quiet.
7. Your dream last night? Zero.
8. Your favorite drink? Diet.
9. Your dream/goal? Eternal.
10. The room you’re in? Stuffed.
11. Your church? Youthful.
12. Your fear? Coasters.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Together.
14. Where were you last night? Parents'.
15. What you’re not? Petite.
16. Muffins? Batter.
17. One of your wish list items? Desk. Strike that. Solitude.18. Where you grew up? Farm.
19. The last thing you did? Photographed.
20. What are you wearing? Hoops.
21. Your TV? Ancient.
22. Your pets? Four.
23. Your computer? Necessary.
24. Your life? Blessed.
25. Your mood? Semi-comatose.
26. Missing someone? Always.
27. Your car? Dependable.
28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes.
29. Favorite store? Kohl's.
30. Your summer? Full.
31. Like(love) someone? Geoff.
32. Your favorite color? All.
33. Last time you laughed? Hmm...
34. Last time you cried? Movie.
35. Who will repost this? Anyone?

6 Word Memoir Title

Emily gave me a little something to do here. I'm feeling a little time crunched and my brain is on overload, consequently, my sarcastic wit has gone missing at the exact moment it could really be useful, so here is my 6 Word Memoir Title as it would be written this particular week:

LIVING ABOVE AND AROUND THE FRAY

(love the definition of fray found here - fits almost perfectly)

Here are the rules:
1. Write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person that tagged you.
4. Tag five more blogs.

Here's the other hard part, finding 5 people to tag...I lack connection at this point to very many bloggy people!
RITA - my hip local friend of the past 10 years
CANDEE - my hip not-quite-as-local friend of the past 16 years
ANGIE W - from the Home School Lounge
JENNIE - just in case she needs something else to do
MOLLY - who I've been acquainted with longer than I care to confess to (really, I just celebrated my 29th birthday...again), because I wonder how she would describe her life

There are several I could/would tag if you only had blogs... (hint, hint)

My first meme...for Emily

Emily has to get the credit for getting me started on this blogging business. And I have to mention, in her honor, that I was drafting this meme out on my bulletin in church Sunday (since I can't look at the back of her head way up there in the front any more because she LEFT to go back to Washington). And, no, I don't know what the definition of "meme" is, but I DO know that you can "slurp your blog into Blurb" if you ever want to publish it in book format! Scary, huh?


Anyway, here are the "rules:"
1. For each letter of your name, write a word that describes you.
2. For each letter of your name, write a word that describes GOD.
3. For each letter of your name, write the name of a character in a movie you like.
4. For each letter of your name, write the name of a song that is fitting for your life somehow.



Tiffani is...
T-timorous (though less than I used to be)
I-indecisive
F-frugal (told ya' this would come up often)
F-fairly fatigued frequently, friendly, full of it on occasion
A-artsy/craftsy
N-not so neat and tidy
I-inefficient

(This was hard. I tend to be fairly self-deprecating, but didn't want to overdo it. On the other hand, what would I write? T-terrific, I-impressive, F-fantastic, F-fabulous, A-awesome, N-nifty, I-inspiring... gag)

Ok, that's it. I give up on numbers 2, 3, and 4 above. This requires too much thought.