InstaFriday - Thanksgiving Week

Happy Friday after Thanksgiving!

You may be yawning as you read this. Hopefully not because you're already bored with the blog, but because you started today a bit earlier than normal trying to catch a sale or two. I had a couple with the last name "Harris" brave the crowds for a couple of hours myself.

But I'm rushing ahead.

My cell phone was handy this week and it's a good thing it was. Lots of "firsts" for us.

Mary Grace started the trend with her first ever USTA tournament. You'll know how she did when I say it was a good learning experience. Looking forward to taking what she learned to the next tournament.

Our Faith and her movie making friends were back over at the house doing a little more filming. Their chutzpa wows me.

The first picture I've ever taken of our water tower. I've been thinking about taking it for-ev-er because every time I see it, I think of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. And, like the Tin Man, anybody who climbs this thing does not have a brain.

Another first - an evening picture of our courthouse with the moon perched over Lady Justice's head.

I'm not going to dwell on the lightbulbs that are burned out. I'm going to act like it doesn't drive me crazy. 

And here we have the crew - minus Luke and plus Alex - enjoying a laugh watching a "Bad Lip Reading" video. This marks the first time I've ever seen Alex look quite so...mature.

And this is the first time Mary Grace has been in the back seat of the the TL with her two Texas cousins. Cozy.

This is thankfully, not the first time my good friend, Allyson Bishop, has come to visit. Nor the first time she, Marla Kemp and I have spent a fun day together catching up. Don't you love the gift of lifelong friends?

Marla didn't get the striped shirt memo, but we let her in the picture anyway

Here's a first - a Bishop/Harris kid picture without our Luke. Unfortunately, the people at Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville kind of insisted he work this Thanksgiving holiday. We missed him.

Danny, Jay, David, Will, Elizabeth, Hannah, Faith, and Mary Grace

This is not the first beautiful sunrise picture I've ever taken. I actually have to make myself not take pictures of the many sunrises and sunsets God paints for us. Thank you, Lord, for eyes to see this.

Thanksgiving day dawned unseasonably warm with rain predicted for the afternoon. So we decided we'd better walk in the morning - before food and before the rain.

 Thankful for technology that makes it possible to connect with a loved one.

FaceTiming Luke, who enjoyed Thanksgiving at a friends after a full day at work

Snapped a picture of where Elizabeth spent hours on Thanksgiving. She is a puzzle maniac.

Captured my Lou's picture before his first ever Black Friday shopping experience. He and David went and conquered. They were home from their successful shopping trip by 2:30 a.m.

 And then today, Friday, we've been busy little elves. The girls decked the halls, while the boys chopped some trees.

It looks like this log is levitating...

The cousins were recruited to help do the manly chores

Had to document my first ever french braid done by Elizabeth. This is a new skill for her, and if she walks by and sees hair that's braid-able, she pretty much grabs it and starts braiding - when she's not working on the puzzle.

 And to finish, the first ever picture of me and Faith together since she turned 18. I love that girl.

If this is the first time you've visited my InstaFriday - Welcome!

If it's not, thanks for coming back and sharing my week with me!

May God bless as you head into this Advent season. And, if you don't have any other plans, I'd like to invite you to join me for my Advent Series. It's called God, You, & Luke 2. Check it out here.

InstaFriday!

Don't you love busy, crazy, full of life days at your house?

You have to focus on the "full of life" part of that sentence to answer "yes." We'd all say things are sometimes too busy and sometimes too crazy or (cra cra, as Elizabeth would say) in our lives. But too full of life? Don't think so.

So, because my life is so full of life, I'm typing at warp speed so I can post this InstaFriday. Still gotta run to the store, exercise, go to Meet the Liberators tonight, and host a bonfire. Whew! Thankful for the ol' iPhone which is with me wherever I go!

My heart always flips a time or two when I see one of the kids helping their grandmother out. Here, Elizabeth is reading her...my blog!

Cold days meant we finally had a fire. If you only knew how many days that could only be described as "coolish," Mary Grace begged to have a fire, you would understand how wonderful that first really cold day was for her. I don't think she moved from this spot for hours.

More live music filled my life this week. This time, Faith and Mary Grace serenaded their grandmother with some Christmas carols they've been practicing.

Whenever all 4 of the girls are home, I usually make them pose.

Hannah was home. I made them pose.

See the word on 3 of their shirts? That's what I feel when I look at this.

On Monday afternoons, I teach Essentials at Classical Conversations of Bolivar. This note was on my board when I arrived.

These kind of words will keep a person keeping on.

Ann Voskamp, over at A Holy Experience, described and provided a free printable family Thanksgiving Activity, The Thanks Giving Tree. This is new to our family, but I think it will become a tradition.

Every leaf has a different verse. The back is left blank so you can write your own "thankfuls."

Thankful for Mary Grace and Grace - they helped  put ours together.

This next picture was taken right after supper one night. I had to take it because every other sentence of our conversation that night was, "Faith, your hair just looks beautiful tonight."

All natural

Elizabeth showed me some of her "doodling."

I love her artistic bent.

If you know my doctor husband, you know he is all about the Paleo diet. I'm even on board with the Paleo diet.

Except at Thanksgiving. This southern girl is not even thinking about any kind of diet on Thanksgiving.

This was advertising a class at HyVee

My fourth child celebrated her 18th birthday this week. Sweet Faith. What a beautiful girl - inside and out. She brings such joy to our home!

Party of her day's festivities? A 3 mile run with her sister. That's what I'm talking about!

Mary Grace and Faith

Rounded out my week at First Baptist Church sorting clothes for our church's annual clothing drive. They let me work it when I told them I about my years of experience doing laundry for 8 people on a daily basis.

Shout out to Valerie for her leading out in this!

Sunday afternoon, this same building will be bustling with people picking out some free clothes they need for their families. Very cool ministry. Thankful for it and the people who make it happen.

Looking forward to heading in to Thanksgiving week!

Thanks for stopping by!

God, You, & Luke 2: An Advent Invitation

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but I'm guessing most of us have already given Christmas a thought or two.

I have already had the thought that I have every year: "This Christmas, I'm going to keep focused on what Christmas is really all about."

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy all the festivity surrounding American Christmases. I like giving those I care about  a something that I think they would really enjoy. And Christmas was, hands down, my dad's favorite holiday. He enjoyed every aspect of gift buying, gift giving, party throwing, and party going. Remembering how much he loved it all makes me love it even more.

But, all of that can cause one to look at the manger scenes peppered here and there as just another part of the festivities instead of "the reason for the season."

God became man. The salvation plan of God entered a new phase on that night in Bethlehem. All of life for all time and eternity was affected.

That is not small. That is not a cute "side" to the Christmas tradition. It really is what Christmas is all about.

A few years ago, a friend told me about something she did one Christmas when her three boys were young grammar school age. Every night before bed, they'd all go sit around the Christmas tree and she would read to them from Luke 2. Good conversation was sparked amid wiggly bodies and by December 24 - and as an added bonus - the boys had it memorized!

A couple of years ago, I decided to do something similar. Every day starting on December 1 and ending on December 24, I would read through the first 21 verses of Luke 2 some time during my day, asking God to show me something new from it every time I read it.

It was a powerful, beautiful time and I benefited so much from it that I've decided to do it again this year. And then God started stirring my heart to invite any of you, my readers, who are looking for a little something to help keep you focused this Christmas season, to join me!

Here's what I was envisioning. Every day from December 1 through December 24, we'll set aside a few minutes to read through Luke 2:1-21.  I plan on posting a short blog every one of those days. Sometimes there will be suggestions of things to look for or do as you read and sometimes, I'll just share something of what God has shown me.

I putting this out here now just to give you a heads-up. And get you excited.

It will be God, You, and Luke 2.  We'll have the creator of the universe as our teacher and our guide. He'll be revealing things about Himself to us.

If you don't have any other Advent plans, I hope you'll join me in December for:

God, You, and Luke 2.

InstaFriday/InstaSaturday

My post, A Note to My Sons - Lessons from Taylor Swift, threw me off this week. Publishing it late in the week (Thursday) crowded my InstaFriday. But my phone pics screamed at me every time I scrolled through them, demanding their place on my InstaFriday roster. I listened to them because I recently added a page to my blog called Why I Blog. One of the reasons I blog is to have a record or snapshot of everyday life, and my InstaFridays are a huge part of that.

So, late (which drives me crazy!!!) or not, here we go.

It looks here like my man and I are about to go on a serious bike ride, doesn't it? Nope. All dressed up for a Trivia Night where we, and fellow Mathlete teammates Kelly and Sue Roweton, and Kelly and Teresa Holt dominated all the other teams there! All 2 of them. 

It was still fun and we still won. Always good for this competitive soul.

Scrolling through this week I found yet another phone commandeering. This time from my Elizabeth. And this time, extremely precious. She loves her grandmother. The only bummer about this pic is that Elizabeth used the front camera which is grainier than the one on the back of the phone.

About 6:50 a.m., I snapped this. She does not love practicing in the morning, but I love her practicing in the morning. How many people in the world have live violin music while they are fixing breakfast!?

And yay! yay! yay! for our local grocery store, Woods. I turned the corner in the produce section this week and this new little deal greeted me. They are making it easier to eat healthily!

And another early morning picture of Mary Grace...this was 7:30 on Wednesday. Twice a month we mosey down to Springfield for her violin lesson. We yawn a lot on the way, but it's sweet time. And obviously, Mary Grace does her part to brighten the world. 

Even though she's shy and hates to draw attention to herself. 

She painted those shoes at a birthday party.

I don't know why this next article kind of bugged me. I just thought it was silly. 

Go to an equestrian center as a reward for reading - Yes!

Have first graders read to horses - No! 

Have I forgotten how first graders think? I think my kids when they were first graders would have felt silly reading to a horse. Maybe I just need to lighten up. 

I also don't get that title.

On to something I do get...friends and tennis. 

Mary Grace doesn't just play the violin in her spare time, she also plays tennis. It was extra fun for her when our friend, Erin Burlew (a former Evangel tennis player), came to Bolivar and hit with her. 

Speaking of tennis, somebody (not gonna say who...I'm clearing my throat), neglected to put their tennis stuff away. Usually, this really annoys me. But when I saw this, my first thought was how nice it is to be doing life with people you care about. (Note to my kids: This is not license to leave your stuff out. See the sentence above that starts with the word, "usually.")

Another shout out to Wood's Grocery store! Because of their rewards system, I bought 20 gallons of gas for this price this week. My suburban owning self thanks you!

Friday evening, I sent these 3 off for a weekend retreat called MOG/WOG. (Men of God/Women of God). They are watching Andy Stanley's video series The Principle of the Path. Praying God stirs their heart in a powerful way.

Those three are gone, and this one came home! I told her I needed someone to go with me to all our Christmas Open Houses here in Bolivar this weekend. Here's another grainy front camera pic we took at Ralph's Grill on Friday night.

Hi Hannah.

It's a bit warm today, November 10, but I'll take warm November days any time!

Warm or cold, our days are gifts from our good God.

Hope you are enjoying yours!

Blessings!

A Note to My Sons - Lessons from Taylor Swift

I am 51 years old and I love Taylor Swift.

My whole family loves her too. Even my boys, now 23 and 19, have been heard humming a T. Swift tune.

God has gifted her as a songwriter, and she is happily (and profitably) sharing that talent with the world. She just captures the ecstasy and angst of young love, doesn't she?

Her latest album Red, has one song that I especially like, "Begin Again." It's beautiful and haunting and hopeful.

I'm including all the lyrics to the song below, but there are a few specific lines that, when I heard them, I thought, "I hope Taylor Swift could have written that about my boys."

Begin Again

Took a deep breath in the mirror

He didn't like it when I wore high heels

But I do

Turn the lock and put my headphones on

He always said he didn't get this song

But I do, I do

Walked in expecting you'd be late

But you got here early and you stand and wave

I walk to you

You pull my chair out and help me in

And you don't know how nice that is

But I do

And you throw your head back laughing

Like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause

He never did

I've been spending the last 8 months

Thinking all love ever does

Is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a cafe

I watched it begin again

You said you never met one girl who

Had as many James Taylor records as you

But I do

We tell stories and you don't know why

I'm coming off a little shy

But I do

And you throw your head back laughing

Like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause

He never did

I've been spending the last 8 months

Thinking all love ever does

Is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a cafe

I watched it begin again

And we walked down the block, to my car

And I almost brought him up

But you start to talk about the movies

That your family watches every single Christmas

And I want to talk about that

And for the first time

What's past is past

And you throw your head back laughing

Like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause

He never did

I've been spending the last 8 months

Thinking all love ever does

Is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a cafe

I watched it begin again

But on a Wednesday in a cafe

I watched it begin again

As you probably figured out, I highlighted the lines that hit me - and in different colors. I did that so I could get all fancy and match the lesson I saw to the highlighted words above.

Yellow: Be on time. Please be on time. Nothing says my time is more important than yours than making people wait on you. Better yet, adopt your grandfather's practice of "Never later than 5 minutes early." If you say you're going to be somewhere at a certain time, be there.

Green: Be a gentleman. Honor the girls you are with. It's the right thing to do and it never goes out of style.  They are somebody's daughter and somebody's sister. Think about how you want the guys who take your sisters out to treat them.

Orange: Be unself-conscious. Be natural and genuine. Be real. And, really listen to people. Think more about what they are saying than what you are going to say in response. And, when they say something funny, throw your head back and laugh like a little kid!

Aqua: Be protective. Call me old fashioned, I don't care. Walk a lady to her door or her car - where ever she happens to be going, see her there safely.

Now, I know my boys have heard all this. And, I'm hoping they already do all of this. But just in case they've forgotten, and because I love them, I'm taking the opportunity to remind them! And I'm smiling thinking about how Taylor will remind them every time this song plays on the radio!

Oh wow, Taylor. When you wrote this song, you had no idea a midwest Mom would write such a post. And boy oh boy, do I sound like a mom in those "Be" statements above.

But that's what I am. A mom who loves her sons and aches for them - prays for them - to be real men. Men who care for and honor the young women they know and date.

Luke and David - as little kids

InstaFriday - End of October

Three days of R&R.

That's how I ended my October.

Can I say it was great? It was great. Just some good "thinking" time. A big time bonus to those three days was visiting with my brother and his family in Rochester, MN. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let me backup to around October 23 - that's where these iPhone pictures start.

On those glorious nice days in October, this is where you'd find me for part of it. I love combining exercise and errands. This particular ride was to the Post Office and then to a friend's house in Park Ridge before heading back to our hacienda. That 6.83 mile loop took me 31 minutes and I burned 356 calories. Oh yeah.

My baby is an artist!! At her school's parent-teacher conference, she showed me her print making skills, which I didn't even know she had! Whooo gave her such talent??

Every week I stop by my doctor husband's office at least once, and this week was no different. One of his exam rooms was empty and the door was open.  I peeked in to remind myself of just what we had on the walls and took a walk down memory lane. Saw this old pic and smiled.  Not gonna lie, though. Kind of glad Luke is out of his long hair stage.

And, as is my recent habit, I stopped by The Cup on one of my trips to Springfield. Seriously cute pumpkins hanging out in there.

Speaking of Springfield, my man and I enjoyed a night out in the Queen City on the 26th. We got all gussied up, ate a fancy dinner and topped it off with a little chocolate for dessert.

He has my heart

I ate the whole thing!

And here we have the ever present, ever welcome, commandeering of my phone. Mary Grace and best buddy, Grace, before their chilly soccer game.

After that soccer game, Mary Grace did a little presto chango and got all gussied up for her violin recital. I love her hair. And her.

Early on the 28th, Lou and I jumped in the car and headed for Minnesota. He had a meeting at the Mayo Clinic, and I, as was mentioned earlier, had some blessed R & R. These guys were my buddies as we all huddled around my brother's fireplace.

Munford,  Finn, and Scout

But precious beyond precious, were two "greats" that I loved on while in Rochester.

My great niece, Naomi

My great nephew, Marcus

When I picked up Lou one afternoon from his meeting, I saw this statue. What were these men like? I've decided the next biography I read will be about the Mayo brothers.

I am a biography freak, just fyi. I love learning about what makes people tick.

We returned home late on Halloween. Elizabeth had her friend capture this moment and send it to me while we were en route. I think the toddler and tiara thing works for her...

It's always good to end with a chuckle - which is exactly what we did when Lou brought this shirt home that one of his medical compadres gave him. Who thinks of these things?

All I can say is how thankful I am that my Lou really is fine - now.

Hope you are doing well, too!

Thanks for stopping by.