Halloweenie strikes again

I know I've written about this before.

I love dressing up. Dressing myself, my kids, my man (when he plays along.)

Here is my costume this year. Inspired by the lovely Leslie Knope.

I'm currently searching for any and all past costume-y photos.

Here are a few of Halloweens past. Going back in time.

Last year: (I really hope he was trying to make an ogre face.)


I think I skipped a year when we were in Tennessee.
The year before that, I wore this.


The year before that:


And the year before that:


See what I mean?

Here's my kiddos from last year.
(I can't find one of my daughter. She was a nurse.)

We recycled the shark attack costume again this year. It still fit and, I mean, really. It's just awesome.

I did find this pic of Livy as a cheetah.

We've had block partys at camp (the 70's hippie pic is from one of them. I reused that costume for halloween.) They are always more fun when you dress up. 

This is what I wore for a Yee-Haw fundraiser.

Here's hubs from our very first trunk or treat. (Same year I did the Alien van.)

And the year after that, he was a Jonas Brother, but I can't find a pic. (Pam, do you have one?)

This is us at the very first camp block party. It was 80's night.

Big 80s Hair falls for Mr. T.

 

Ok. I've made the case that I LOVE to costume myself and others around me.

Who's with me? 

I know that Pam has pulled off some fabulous costumes, but that's a post she'll have to write. Maybe after her Trunk or Treat this weekend? *hopefully bats eyelashes*

Happy Halloween, everyone!

~Jen

Click below for the 31 days series.

Seven for Sandy - Part 2

Part Two of my list!  (Part 1 is here.)

5)  I'm starting to make a Christmas list.  Seriously thinking of buying my kids an ipad Mini to share.  But hubby thinks it will just cause more fights.  Any thoughts on sharing gifts?  (They are 17, 15, 12, 8.)  They honestly "need" nothing.  Trying to find a gift that will be used all year long and not just more wasted money!

6) My hubby and the eldest are going to Colombia on a mission's trip in November.  They will be gone for Thanksgiving.  I am sad.  And worried.  Sending two parts of my heart out of the country...on a holiday :(.

7) I ordered my camera.  Decided to stick with entry level DSLR, Canon Rebel T3.  It shipped out last Saturday and should be here later this week, early next week.  Of course, it also shipped from New Jersey so....yeah.

All righty, well, there's two whole days of posting.  Big hugs to the BFF, she truly carries PJs til Noon!  And, no, you can't have her.  She's mine.  I will let you read her blog posts, but that's it.  

Pam

Seven for Sandy - Part I

Here's where I usually apologize for being a bad blogger, but let's be honest we all know that now so I will just jump right in with a list. (And in order to milk it for all its worth, I am splitting it into two parts!)

1) Last week I started another class, bringing me to full-time student status.  I'm a bit overwhelmed, but it's all good.  When I'm overwhelmed, I seem to shut down on the "regular"stuff as well as completely obsess on things completely unrelated.  How's that for a coping skill?  I'll tell you how it is, not very effective. 

2) We got some wind and rain from Sandy.  Thankfully nothing as severe as they were predicting for our neck of the woods (Central Virginia).  We kept power the whole time (very unusual) and only lost internet for about 14-16 hours.  

3) My kids got an extra two days off school compliments of Sandy.  They were out last Friday for a teacher workday, Monday and Tuesday for the storm.  They will be out next Monday/Tuesday for a teacher workday/election.  Thankfully, hubby understood my plea for help (demands from a crazy woman), and we met him in town for dinner tonight.


4) I have a hair appointment on Saturday.  I've been rocking a straight bob for over a year now (rocking..snicker).  Here's what I'm thinking ---->
(Tried to find original location but it was from a pin.  No luck.)


I'll post Part 2 later this week!


Pam 

Milkshake brings the girl to the CookOut

We just got a Cook Out in our town.

O Boy! My hips aren't going to love it, buy my tastebuds sure do.

They have every milkshake flavor you can imagine.

I got a Pineapple tonight.

Mmmmm.

I've been editing pics today.
Amazing, that you never seem to be satisfied with them. Just have to stop and move on. It can get a bit hairy.

But that pineapple milkshake sure helped.

OH OH!!! The kids have a 2 hour delay tomorrow! Yay us! We get to sleep longer! That is serious cause for celebration!

Well, back to Lightroom I go, slurping all the while.

Saying a prayer for the Northeast tonight. Lord keep them safe.

~Jen


Click below for the 31 days series.

Sunday Sundries

Sundays are not good days to blog. I've found this out. Just look at the time stamps from the last 2 weeks.
But, get this in, I will.

~I'm reading The Crowd, The Critic, and the Muse by Michael Gungor.
I'm also participating in an online book club for this book. So much fun. Y'all know I love talking books. Y'all also know I'm at my best behind my screen. This is perfect!
I was struck by his assertion that we are all creative. Just the fact that we put words together to form thoughts or ideas or express them to one another is creative. I've always known that I am creative, I have never considered myself an artist. That's a lofty goal, for people much better than myself.
I'm thinking about reconsidering that stance.

I'll let you know.

~I had my very first gig today!!

I'm pretty stoked. I shot some senior photos for a young man in our youth group. He was such a handsome model. I had fun. I know he was just happy to be done with it. Hopefully we'll get a happy mama out of it!

~Pam and I Instant Messaged tonight. It is always a balm to my soul, typing and laughing with her! Never fails to make me feel better.

~I'm a tired girl. I did not get my Sunday nap today. I was working.

~Imma let you finish, but my bed is the most comfortable place in the world.

And I'm going to it.

Nighty, Lovlies!

~Jen


Click below for the 31 days series.

Love me matte-ly.

Remember when I posted about my fave base coat?
Well, this is my second favorite nail polish product.
Matte.
O I love this stuff.

I kept seeing matte polish on Pinterest and wondered where I could find it. (I am NOT willing to shell out close to $10 for Essy, and nobody carries thier matte coat anyway.)

One day, walking through the Walmart makeup aisles, the Hard Candy sang to me. It was right at eye level, and said, "Jeeeeeenn. Come get me."

You have to listen to singing nail polish. So I did.

Then, more recently, I saw the NYC.

I think they're pretty comparable. The NYC leaves a bit of a smoother finish. And the finish. Feels. Like Buttah.

I have a strategy for my matte. I incorporate it into my chip repair; my 'let's not repaint for a few more days' routine.

When I get a chip, (ususally from washing dishes WITH MY HANDS LIKE A PEASANT. (I feel like I've told you this before.)) I do a quick fix, complete with a new coat of 3 min. Then all the nails get this matte coat. It smoothes out just about any bumps, ridges, fixes, etc.

The best part? These both go for around $3.

I love it.

I haven't had my nails painted in a few days, and I'm feeling weird. Going to fix this now.

Happy polishing!

~Jen


Click below for the 31 days series.

No more anonymous

I'm keeping with the theme from yesterday.
Since I changed the comment setting to a popout, we got 3 Anoymyous comments. They don't exist here. I only get the email that they do.
I came over here to delete, and apparently our Blog Fairy had taken them out.
I don't know.
Anyway.
I changed the settings.
Anonymous can't comment here anymore.
We probably should have done this long ago, we just never had any trouble with it.

BUT!

The most recent comment cracked me up.

"I truly find this a interesting subject. Never looked at this subject in this manner. If you are planning to create more articles relating to this subject, I definitely will be back in the near future! "

This, on a silly post about comments! 
Oh, spammers, you're so funny.

I'm a little worried about the day that they wise up and actually make sense. We're all in for it then, But until that day we can all chuckle at your silly generalizations and threats that people are spreading nasty rumors about us.

~Jen

Click below for the 31 days series.

Comments!

Change is a good thing.

I love getting comments here, but lately it's only been us BFFs commenting on each other's posts.

I admit it.
I've been a lazy blog reader/commenter.
We all know that the way to get comments is to comment.

And yet, I have not done this.

I was reading/commenting on a blog today. (Pat on my back.) I came to a startling realization.
(It doesn't really take much to startle me. You'll see...)

I LOVE when you go to comment and a little comment window pops up. You get to still see the post you're commenting on while you type your well thought out reply. If you need a quick refresher of what the heck you're talking about, it's a glance away.

So I changed our comment settings right away. We now have a lovely pop out window. I think you'll find this extrememly helpful because, as we know, I tend to ramble, jump subjects, rabit trail, bird walk, and what have you.

Now.
I'm going to ask. (I probably won't change the setting back, though.)
Which comment form do you prefer? Embedded, or pop out window?

~Jen

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So tired

Ever wonder what people do when they need to post but they also need to go to bed?
Me too.
Wonder no more!
Nighty,


Jen

We provide a service here. That's what we do. Share valuable info with the world wide web. Valuable.

Quiet is the new Black

I am on this new kick.
Introverts get a bad rap.
I'm very interested in this because I feel it. I rub up against that expectation to be outgoing and "friendly." Somehow friendly has come to mean that extroverted personality trait that wants to meet all of the people, all of the time.
Being reserved, quiet, cautious means you're standoffish. That's not a good thing in ...well... any circle. Be it church or kiddie football.
I refuse to accept these labels. And I am pushing back. Observing the crowd does not mean that I'm stuck up, it is part of who I am.
I have just enough strong-will in me to stop bowing to the extroverted expectation.
Now. I don't mean that I'm refusing to meet new people, or be friendly or extend a smile. I do all of these things.
Here.
If you have time, watch Susan Cain explain much better what I mean.
I recently read her book, Quiet. So, so, so good! I learned so many things about the reason I feel certain ways in certain situations. Just goodness.
If you see people you know while shopping and go down the other aisle, hoping they didn't see you, well you might be an introvert. My sis and I have discussed this one several times before. I do this. I admit it. I'm also a weirdo, so don't chalk up everything I do to introversion. ;)
Well. I love my TED. I feel like I've told you this before.
I'm going to stop now.
I promise.
It's getting close to my bedtime.
Night, Lovlies!

Say Cheese!

I'm getting ready to bite the bullet and make the switch to an SLR camera.  (More accurately, I have some extra grant money and I'm taking a photography class next semester so...yay!  I'm getting a new camera!)

I spent the other night watching youtube videos and researching websites comparing the Canon Rebel T3 and the Nikon D3100.  I've narrowed it down to these two, they are in my budget and same price.  So here's my brief overview after my intense research:  the Nikon has more "technical stuff" but the Rebel is supposed to be more user friendly.  I think user friendly might win out ;).  Plus I have two friends with Canons who are close by for moral support.

The BFF suggested I get my paws on each of the cameras before I made my decision.  So when I was at Sam's Club last week, and since they don't have any over-zealous salespeople at the counter, I started handling all of the options.  They're all still attached but you could get a pretty good handle on them.  So I picked up the Nikon, (you're right, Jen, it has a good feel).  

Then I picked up the Canon, and that's when all heck broke loose.  Every camera in the entire display starts blinking a red light and emitting an ear-piercing screech.  So I stand there for like a minute, waiting on somebody to come help me (or arrest me).  And nobody, I mean NOBODY (it was the early morning business-only hours) even looked at me.  I looked around for another minute.  Still nobody.  So I finally just walked off.  But OH MY GOODNESS, I'm pretty sure my face was flaming.

I had to go back to Sam's this morning and seriously I'm pretty sure my face flared up when I walked by the cameras.

And there's my embarrassing moment for the week!

Pam

Sunday Sundries

The BFF went to see Tim Hawkins this evening. How do I know this? Because of this. ------------------------------------------------>
Poor Jilly.
We should start a twitter campaign!
#getthekidanautograph!!!
(I RT'd, but I don't know how much pull I have in the Christian Comedian Circle, or the CCC. Probably not a heckova lot.)

And I went to help paint my pastor's house. Hmm. I have done this for my last 2 pastors. I'm detecting a trend. ........

I'm also on the lookout for a church that is doing Election Day Communion. I'd love to participate. I'll even drive a bit if I have to.
Have you heard of this? Check it out. I love the idea.

How's Sunday treated you?

The Internet. It's become a staple.

I. CAN. NOT. LIVE. WITHOUT. IT.
Seriously.
Ok. I guess, if I absolutely had to, I could.
But if I'm doing that, I'm going to live on the prairie with Pa and Ma and Laura and Mary.
Chop up some firewood, and put me a hand pump in the kitchen. Don't forget that picture window. Or the orange for Christmas. Or wanting to bop Nelly a good one.
Sorry.
I just flashbacked to my childhood. All of those episodes, Laura either running or crying.
Where was I? Oh.
It really has embedded itself into my everyday life.
I love my online world.
Twitter, Pinterest, Google, Netflix, Ted, Amazon, Facebook. That's the order of importance.
Facebook has become a nuisance lately, what with the election looming. Ugh.
So I stay away, mostly.
Oooh! Oooh! Did you see the most recent Parks and Rec?
I just realized I'm Tom Haverford!

I do too, Tom. I wish you could click those.
OK.. Maybe I'm not that bad.
But I do love me some clicking.
How else would you be reading this? See?
It's all for good!

I got nothin'

I'm sorta-kinda taking a day off.
I drove to the half way point today to get my husband. He's been out of town (at MY parents' house--SO NOT FAIR!) all week. He was hunting with my dad.
He's tired. I'm tired.
We're all taking it easy.
(As if I don't ever do that.)
So this post will be so shallow, it's barely there!
Ha!
Let me see. There has to be something I can share.
-It was foggy and glorious this morning, so I drove around and took a few photos. Lovely.
-My car is a filthy mess and I'm ashamed.
-Apparently, you can glue a red solo cup to a candlestick and sell that puppy for $6. Cracker Barrel  thinks so, anyway.
-We have a new Cook Out in town. Their milkshakes are out of this world.
I'm thinking I could use one right now.
See ya!



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Taxi's taking a break

I have been running around just about all day.
I'm sitting right now at my son's football practice, just enjoying the quiet. My husband is one who will get out, talk to the other parents, watch practice from the stands.
Not me.
I have my book, or books, and stay in the car. It's like an insulated bubble.
Quiet.
Still.
Did I mention quiet?
Sometimes I'll listen to an audiobook or a podcast. I've even watched PBS from the mobile app.
It's just a nice bit of uninterrupted solitude.
I much prefer it to the nights that I have to drop him off and go back home for whatever reason.
Hmmm. Let me see. Right now, I'm listening to The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm about 1/3 of the way in and it's so good. Lots of things not in the movie. But isn't that always the way?
I'm also reading (again) Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne. Good, timely stuff.
I've also started John Dies in the End. Not so sure what to think about that one.
Oh, I'm also working through a blogging book, and a 30 day devotional.
Lots to cover in a single practice.
You working on any good books? Crafts? Activities?



Jen



Update: I quit John Dies. It was not the crime thriller mystery I expected. Too much weird paranormal for me. Just knew you wanted to know that. I started A Prayer for Owen Meany instead.





Want to see more of the 31 day experiment? Click the photo below.

Winning at Pinning

I read a very good blog post today by Jessica Turner at The Mom Creative. 10 Tips for Using Pinterest Well.

Got me thinking.

One of the tips is to have specific boards. Crazy willy-nilly boards don't attract as many followers as pinpointed ones. (Is that a word?)
If you've been pinning for any length of time, you know it can be so easy to just dump pins in a very broad category.
I am working on making my boards more me-friendly.

I have one board that has 677 pins! 677! And that's AFTER I went through and removed right at 100 to a new board.
If you're curious, it was my "I want to make it" board. But I changed the name. Too vague. Now it's all about fabric, or textiles, rather. I left crochet and knitting in there. Hmm. Maybe I should name it The Softer Side of Life, or some other spiffy title.
I'm still working on that one. I have to pull out paper projects. They'll go in my Dunder Mifflin board. I can't express to you how much I love that name for that board.
I have yet to pull out all homey projects that don't involve textile.
I still have a lot of work.

So.

Learn from me.
Have specific boards. Don't dump.
It will make things much easier to find later on when you, you know, actually USE the pin to do something.

Did you know that you can get to the bottom of a page? I had no idea. I have so many pins in that board, I had to click "Get more pins." I could feel Pinterest judging me.

Well. I feel productive. I accomplished something that matters to no one else on the planet but me.
Great way to spend a morning in my pjs.



Oh! If you just crawled from under your rock ;) and need an invitation to Pinterest, please leave me a comment with your email and I'll invite you STAT! (Yes, it's that important.)

Ode to my iphone

I love you.
I love having a smart phone.
I love not having a home phone.
(It's how we justify the "smart.")
I know we could technically do without you,
we choose not to.

We need to be reachable in ministry.
My husband uses his every day in ministry,
I use mine every day in mundane.
I play games every day with my sister.
I check Twitter regularly,
Facebook, not so much.
I Google everything.
At all times.
I want to know for sure,
settle the argument, answer the question.

But still, that bill comes around and I cringe.
When not thinking about the bill, I remember how thankful I am for you.

File this under silly and unnecessary poetry, if you must.
It is silly and unnecessary.
I celebrate silly and unnecessary,
I celebrate not so silly and unnecessary.
I celebrate staying close despite distance.
Finding answers, pinning the beautiful, learning,
hearing books, experiencing lovely melodies,
having light in dark places.
Capturing moments otherwise uncapturable.
Toting my Bible in my pocket.

For all of these things, I'm grateful.

Sneezy, Dopey, & Grumpy Live Here

And yes, I am all three of those dwarves at this moment.  Still Sneezy, feeling a bit Dopey from my cold meds, and, most definitively I am Grumpy.

Didn't sleep well last night at all. My cold meds are non drowsy so I stay far away from them after 6 p.m.  Theoretically this was so I could sleep better last night.  Unfortunately, the whole "not breathing" thing interfered with my trip to Never Never Land.

So after I put my kiddos on the bus this morning, I went back to bed!  Thinking a little rest, maybe a tiny nap.  Ha!  Around 11 a.m., I finally woke up enough to make myself get up and get a cup of coffee.  (Full disclosure, it's 2:23 p.m. and I'm working on Cup 2.)

Then in order to make myself feel better I baked off three pounds of thick cut bacon.  Mmm...Hormel Black Label Thick Cut Bacon. (I buy the 3 lb. package from Sam's Club.  And, yes, I'm totally buying into the bacon shortage of 2012-13, and have fully implemented a stockpiling plan.)  I line baking sheets with foil, and bake, bake, bake. Then pile it up into freezer bags and freeze!  It's so nice to have yummy "heat-and-eat" bacon at my fingertips.  Tonight's menu will most likely feature breakfast for dinner, too, in order to help use up the bacon.  (Hahaha!  Oh I kid, like anybody ever needs to "use up" bacon.)  I think some warm waffles and bacon sounds like a nice easy meal for a mom feeling under the weather.

Bonus:  Here's my favorite waffle recipe.

And just in case you are as obsessed with bacon as I am.  Here's my Pinterest Board "Bacontastic."

Yours In Kleenex,

Pam

GAAAHH!

Update: I posted while driving last night. I used Siri, spoke the following sentences and posted the link. First Drive-blogging ever? We're groundbreaking around here.
Anywho, I had to come over this morning to clean it up a bit. I just couldn't leave random capital letters in the middle of sentences and neglect adding a necessary comma. (Definitely a Necessary Necessity!) And I somehow, have this compulsion to tell you about my neuroses.
Ah, well. Enjoy the quick, last minute post.

Okay I'm using my phone to post. Racing against the clock. Just thought I'd share a link. Since it's Sunday I figured I'd share a sermon podcast. Really, all of these have helped me so just pick one, any one.
http://www.renovatuschurch.com/media.php?pageID=5
xoxo
Jen

WARNING: Rant ahead! Also: My house if FULL of Angel Orbs! Yay!!!

My sister showed me a photo on her Facebook feed today. It is a lovely photo of kids worshipping at night in Tanzania. In case you didn’t know, Africa is a dusty place. There are dust motes captured floating above the children. Someone used a flash.
Someone (not my sister) commented on the photo. “Look at all the Angel Orbs!”

Y’all, she was serious.

Jada and I had a good laugh, then I Googled.

Well.

THIS IS A THING! People actually believe that dust reflecting light back to the lens are angels taking spherical form.

There are Celtic, Christian, even New Age Angel Orb websites. There are all kinds of websites de-bunking Angel Orbs. There’s even a Christian website, ranting about Christians “attacking” other Christians’ belief in this phenomena. They then go on to give detailed directions about how to capture Angel Orbs via camera. You must have a flash.

I decided that this is so silly, that I have to participate and add my very own Angel Orb documentation to the Cyber World.

I had my sister beat an old sofa that came from my grandmother’s house, and I snapped away with a point and shoot. (Apparently, the closer the flash to the lens, the better. It also seems to help to have a dark background.)

So. I give you. The Angel Orbs of My Childhood Home!


While we were talking about this dumb theory, my mother, who has been to Africa, said “Angels ended up all over my clothes, shoes, everything, the entire time we were there.” I love that lady!

Now if you don’t consider this an Unnecessary Necessity, I honestly don’t know how to please you.

Enjoy your Silly Saturday!
                                                           
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