Did you know…

• It’s really easy to leave a comment on any of my posts? Just click the speech bubble next to the title and voila! (How do I get that French accent-thingy over the “a” to show up??)
• I’ve woken up at 6 am for FOUR DAYS IN A ROW?
• I woke up this morning (6 am) and saw myself in the mirror and freaked out a tiny bit? (Forgot to take off my make up last night. Bad, bad idea.)
• That it was so cold yesterday, I had to wear winter socks and boots so my feet wouldn’t freeze?
• Happy Endings wasn’t on last night and I miss the Friends-on-steroids-meets-Gilmore-Girls-fast-and-witty-banter and am feeling a little discombobulated?
• I’m still debating whether or not I’m going to read The Hunger Games?
• Saturday Night Live’s parody of Andy Cohen and Watch What Happens Live this week had me in tears? In. Tears.
• I’m now totally addicted to Shahs of Sunset? Because I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — BravoTV could make a show about people shucking corn and I’d tune in mesmerized week after week after week. (Don’t judge me!)
• That TV has obviously been a big part of my week?
• I haven’t had a manicure in three weeks? Or a pedicure in eight months?

I spewed out all this randomocity for a reason: I think it’s important we establish upfront where my mind is at this week, and if you guessed “all over the place” then you’d take home the BRAND NEW CAR that’s some gawd-awful color you’d never really pick in real life. (Teal, I’m talking to you).

This was one of those weeks where my routine was thrown off and oh my heavens when did I become the old bitty who cannot handle her routine being thrown off? It was all good stuff — great stuff even — but it left me a little frantic. Which left me playing catch up. Which left me with no time to write like I’ve planned to do since Sunday. And whether or not what I write is actually anything — I gotta have my writing time. Even if it’s to try to tie together randomocity and make it seem like this one big, clever and creative post was supposed to be this way.

‘Cuz it is, you know.

(Is it obvious I’m drinking coffee as I write, and that the caffeine hasn’t quite kicked in yet?)

Thankfuls for this week!

1. Easter Weekend. What a fantastic and glorious weekend! From Good Friday to Easter Sunday…it was beautiful, meaningful and simply gorgeous. Here’s a mini photo-dump of Easter Sunday – and yes, Virginia…that is seersucker! (We are in the South, y’all.)

Isn’t my family just the cutest??

2. Cheat Days. So I’m doing this plan (I won’t say diet…I won’t say diet…) where you eat really well six days a week and then on the seventh day you can cheat and be totally gluttonous. (That’s in Genesis somewhere, you can look it up.) And if there’s anything I can stick with best, it’s a plan that lets me make myself sick with food once a week. Jaana now looks forward to that day, because she knows it means doughnuts for breakfast and pizza for dinner. (Although she has no idea why, because I never, ever talk about my weight or diets or anything like that in front of her.) I am seeing some results…I have to say…and I’ve been really good with this for a month now. The problem is this: I’ve always (is there a stronger word for ‘always’? Because that would totally apply.) had a sluggish metabolism. Even at 18 years old. Add on top of that a lifetime of yo-yo’ing and two kids. What do you have? A metabolism that has rolled over, died and has birdies twirling and chirping around its head. So while I am seeing results, they aren’t the ones I was hoping to see, especially after a month. However, it could possibly be due to pints of ice cream and pans of brownies once a week. But I just don’t know.

3. Mature, Seasoned Ladies. At our Women’s Retreat last month, during our small group time, I shared something that I’ve been struggling with. One of the very godly, mature (and might I add, hilarious) ladies later found me and said, “We need to get together soon.” And this week we finally did. She took me to lunch and asked more information about what I had shared. And then told me all about her struggles with the exact same issue. And I have to say, it was so incredibly encouraging! She didn’t have any words of wisdom, or any formula to fix it…but said, “I just wanted you to know I’ve been there. And if you need an empathetic ear, I’m here. Anytime.” And that, my friends, is living out Titus 2. I am so incredibly thankful that she reached out to me and made us getting together happen. I so, so needed that.

4. Gym Time. I mentioned last week how our neighborhood clubhouse is once again open, so this week Paxton and I hit it up and I got in a treadmill workout while he played in the kids room. He can only handle about 30 minutes of me not being with him…but it’s 30 minutes I didn’t have on a treadmill before. Feels good to be getting back into it. In fact, going to sign up for a 5k soon so that I can get back on this running bandwagon. I miss it.

5. Date Morning. Greg and I haven’t had our Thursday date morning for two weeks — one due to Spring Break, and the other due to Mama having to Easter shop. But we’re back on today and I can’t wait! Need some alone time with my man. At a restaurant. Where they serve my food and refill my coffee for me.

6. Talent Show. So, my girl is going to be in the school Talent Show tomorrow night and is singing “Party in the USA” with a classmate. They sound just precious when I hear them practice, and are all sorts of excited and nervous about it. Just for kicks, Jaana busted out with a British interpretation of it the other night that sounded like a spoken word performance, and I simply died. It was hysterical. So I put it on Facebook, naturally. Well, she found out I did that and now I’m in the dog house. So I can’t post the video here of my Spice Girl. But I love her talent and perseverance to get out there and try something totally new even though she’s nervous. I could care less how she does tomorrow night, and I’ve told her that (although she’ll be great). I’m just so proud of her for doing it.

7.  Second Grade Theology. Out of the blue the other day, Jaana started asking me about Jesus and the other two men who were being crucified next to Him. And if they went to heaven. And it opened up this 20-minute discussion on why the thief was being crucified, and why he was going to heaven, and how your actions…good or bad…have absolutely no bearing on your eternity. How your belief in Jesus Christ is it. Jaana asked some brilliant questions, and I was trying my darndest to not over-explain anything, because I wanted it to make sense to her eight year-old mind. It was a really beautiful conversation and I loved just watching her mull over and contemplate all these things related to Easter weekend.

I love each stage of life that my kids are in…but I especially love where we are with Jaana right now because of these things. We can talk and share on a whole new level. We even spent time talking this week about how she wants to be President, and how she’d really need to make sure she spent time reading the Bible and praying if she were President, so that God could help her make the right decisions. God has given her some unique wisdom and insight, and watching that flourish is just breathtaking.

(And as an aside, for the Talent Show, I tried to get the girls to change the words to the song and call it “Prayin’ in the USA” and talk about a “Jesus song was on…” but all I got was crickets and a blank stare.) (Can’t win ’em all.)

8. Habanero BBQ Almonds. Because eating raw almonds is like licking sawdust.

9. Cleaning Out Closets. I finally took time to clean out and organize my closet this week. Out went the clothes I haven’t worn in a year, or ones that I’m just waiting to eventually fit back into. Life’s too short to live with taunting and ugly reminders of what’s not happening. So now, I can wear about 85% of the stuff in my closet at any given time…instead of only about 50%. And that, my friends, is what I like to call progress.

10. Shoes. I got two great pairs of shoes this week on sale and spent $30 for both of them. What’s better than a shoe bargain? Cheat days. And that’s about it.

Your turn! Let me know what you’re thankful for this week and share the love. Leave a comment below or link up with Candra. It’ll be like having your own show on Bravo, except a lot more normal.