Spinning through life

So yesterday I decided to try a spin class at the gym. I've been working out consistently for two years now and I've been riding a bike since, oh, I don't know...age five. So how hard could it be right? Um...yeah.

The girl next to me, who I'm pretty sure has never given birth, probably rode to the top of Mt. Everest and back while sitting on that tiny seat. Me? Suffice it to say that within the first 10 minutes of class I began writing my eulogy, imagining what might be said at my impending funeral - but I kept peddling. Let me tell you, I wanted to quit so badly I could hardly stand it. I envisioned myself getting off the bike and walking out of the room at least ten times, but I stuck with it. I didn't give up. As the final seconds of the final song ticked down, I was so relieved. Relieved I was still breathing and relieved I hadn't given up. I hadn't quit when the spinning got tough.

I thought about how much that spin class is like life. There are some smooth, easy parts where you can coast a bit and catch your breath. Those are nice. There are some uphill climbs you think will never end. Those teach you perseverance. Then there are some parts so grueling you just feel like giving up. Those are the ones that make us who we are.

So why do we keep going? Why do we continue on in the face of such adversity?

I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me-the crown of righteousness that the LORD, the righteous judge, will give me on that great day of his return. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

That's why we do it. That's why we fight on when we feel like giving up and throwing in the towel - we do it for the eternal crown that awaits us at the end of it all. While I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from hanging in there when I want to hop off the bike, the feeling of knowing I'm fighting the good fight is worth far more.

Fighting the good fight - yeah, I'm up for that. Another spin class? Mmmm...not so sure.

Kids summer reading fun

Today is our first "official" day of summer vacation. Kids are done with all their work and we have agreed to not even think about school for at least a month! [insert loud cheering]

To celebrate we took a trip to Barnes and Noble and each one picked out a book. Austin has been chomping at the bit to read the latest in the Warrior series. Connor chose a book by his favorite sports author. No surprise there. Greyson decided to wait because the Warrior book he wanted is out of stock for a few days, so it looks like we'll be making a return trip very soon. Little Miss Emma picked out an American Girl paper doll set. Oh.my.goodness. What fun! She is spending the afternoon in her room decorating and arranging Kit's house. So many fun little pieces..."little" being the key word.

Watching her play brought back so many memories of hours spent arranging and decorating with my Barbies and paper dolls. I was never much into the actual playing and acting out stories. For me it was all about the set-up. Hey, maybe that's why I love to rearrange and decorate my house so much! Just made that connection.

So now my house is unusually quiet while the kids enjoy their new reads. That my friends is worth the price of the books right there. Yes, summer break is now "official" and I couldn't be happier. Of course if I were a really good mom, I'd have pictures of the kids with their new books to post, but hey, I know my limitations.

Magic gadgets

Well, we've arrived. No really, we have. Yesterday we purchased the Magic Bullet Deluxe at Costco. We didn't go to Costco with the intention of purchasing a new gadget, but who can leave that place without at least one thing they hadn't planned on buying? The Magic Bullet promises to make my life easier and since I'm so sure I can believe everything "as seen on TV", I'm just waiting breathlessly to see what happens.

What is it about blogging that brings out the sarcastic side of me?

Seriously though, it is a pretty cool set-up. We tried it out last night making milkshakes. With so many different cups and attachments, everyone gets to put in their own ingredients and customize what they want. Of course in letting everyone decide just what they wanted in their milkshake, it took three times longer than just making one big batch in a regular blender. Three times longer doesn't really make my life easier now does it?

The one thing I was super excited about was the claim that you can use it to grate cheese. We eat a lot of cheese...as in we buy cheese in boulder sized packages. So you can imagine my disappointment this morning to learn that in fact it does not grate cheese, but only smashes it into a mushy ball. Hmmm...guess you really can't believe everything you see on TV.

But it makes great milkshakes...as long as you've got the time.

Movin' on up

I like changing things up. Just ask my friends. Not that I change them or anything. But ask them how often I rearrange my furniture. I think they like to come over just to see what's new...that and they really like my coffee...or so they say.

Once Mike was blessed with a new job and we knew we would be staying put, I was ready to start making changes. I'd been plotting for almost a year. If you know me at all you will understand how much self-control it took for me to wait that long. Once I get an idea, I'm ready to go - NOW!

Of course moving furniture and people around seems to have a domino affect. Moving one thing leads to moving another and so on and so on. Problem was our "dominoes" were quite heavy and had to be moved up and down stairs. The "dominoes" looked a whole lot like a sleeper sofa, love seat, overstuffed chair, treadmill and four beds.

The first domino was moving everything from the upstairs "media room" (fancy builder name for TV room) to the downstairs playroom. I tell ya that sleeper sofa weighs a TON and it will never, as long as we live here, go back upstairs...ha, who am I kidding?

The second domino was moving all three boys, their beds and all their junk upstairs to their new "dorm room". They love sharing a room, but had really outgrown the smaller bedroom. Now they have the biggest room in the house and lots of room to spread out. Plus they have their own bathroom up there...their own little "man cave".

So now the playroom is the new TV room. It's a bit small, but it works. And since hubby decided to purchase a TV the size of Rhode Island, I can watch the news from the kitchen and see just fine thank you.

Of course we couldn't leave little Emma out of the moving mix, so she now resides in what was her brothers' room. We painted it a very girly color and she couldn't be happier. This leaves her old room currently empty, but don't worry...I'm sure I'll move something in there soon.

I am so thankful for my sweet hubby who puts up with my crazy whims...more than puts up with them, he actual rolls up his sleeves and helps me out. What a guy!

Think I'll go rearrange my living room now.

Summer schedules

There are so many reasons I love summer. One of the biggest is the laid back schedule. It's so nice to get up in the morning and linger a bit over my quiet time and coffee, to be able to tackle projects we've been putting off and just simply relax together. Having said that, we also recognize the need to continue to use our time wisely as the LORD leads. Too much free time = bored and unmotivated kids (and mommy!). Our body and mind were designed to be active. I think our grandmothers use to say, "Idle hands are the devils playground"...or something along those lines.

So how do we keep the kids focused and still have a relaxing summer? One of our favorite end of school traditions is the family meeting. We take an entire morning and discuss our plans for the summer. We pray over what our priorities should be and then help each other set some goals. This year the boys each made 3-4 spiritual goals, as well as a few other things they wanted to accomplish over the next couple of months. I've typed them up and given each one a check list to help them keep track of their progress. We discussed the need to be able to quantify their results. Rather than setting an arbitrary goal of memorizing scripture, they each chose a certain number they felt they could memorize per week. Rather than saying, "I want to read more this summer", they each set a specific goal...some with a certain number of books, some with specific titles. At the end of the summer they will be able to look back and see what they've accomplished.

It's amazing to me how much more excited they are, even about their free time, when given a bit of structure and a goal to work towards. I think this will give us the down time we all need, but help us to use that time for HIS glory.

Aaahhh...did I mention I love summer?

Random Friday thoughts on funnel clouds and chocolate cake

Oh the weather outside if frightful...Spent the morning watching the sky for funnel clouds. Texas weather is never dull that's for sure. At least we got our science in for the day.

Ever sat down to blog, but all the topics rolling around in your head started to run together? I just attempted to write something that I'm sure had my son turned in for his assignment, I would have made him start over. Funny thing is that the topic of the post was organization. Ha! Yes, I'm aware of the irony.

Personally, I'm blaming my lack of cohesiveness on the weather and the Texas Sheet Cake cooling on my counter compliments of that Pioneer Woman again. Dang it if I haven't gained weight already! Between the cake and the fudgey frosting there are almost FOUR sticks of butter. No, that is not a misprint...four sticks, as in one POUND. I'm disgusted by it and yet I can't wait to sink my teeth into it. Sharing it with girlfriends will make it even better. I'll let you know how it is...as if there's any question.

Me and Ree - French Breakfast Puffs

Breakfast this morning was compliments of our lovely friend Ree Drummond (aka. The Pioneer Woman). You might just want to hop on the treadmill and eat one of these while you run. Maybe it will counteract the calories. Son #2 was pretty sure he'd died and gone to heaven...at least that's what he said no less than 20 times while consuming his muffin.

These are not your mama's muffins. Nope. In fact, they're so good they've been elevated to "French" status. French makes things sound more snooty elegant don't you think? Only made one change to this recipe. Miss Ree said to coat the ENTIRE muffin in butter, then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. That's two CUPS of butter...yes, two! I cut the butter and sugar mixture in half and just coated the tops. Take a look at these little beauties. (Unfortunately, the quality of pics taken with my camera phone do not do justice to Miss Ree's amazing creations.)

Me and Ree - My Chicken Piccata

(picture from Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Tonight's Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe was My Chicken Piccata. OK, it wasn't MY Chicken Piccata. It was HER Chicken Piccata.

I'm not even sure where to start on this one. Seriously, if it weren't for the copious amount of fat in the recipe, I would probably be sitting here at the computer with a straw sipping on the leftover sauce. My sweet hubby, who by the way loves my cooking, said "This is the best chicken recipe you've EVER made!" Dear son #3, who will often opt to eat nothing until breakfast rather than try something new, said it was delicious and rated it a 9 out of 10! Get out! Seriously?

I made a few minor changes...two because I had to and one because, well, I can't ever follow a recipe exactly.

To the dredging flour I added granulated garlic because I really can't cook without garlic.

Second change was due to the fact that the large supermarket I frequent (which shall remain nameless, but has a giant yellow smiley face as it's mascot) was out of fresh parsley. Really? How does that happen? So I substituted basil. Basil and lemon are a tasty combination and it did not disappoint.

Next time I would cut the juice of two lemons down to one. Maybe my lemons were extra juicy. It was very tart, so I threw in a teaspoon of sugar to cut down on the tang...perfect.

Served with fresh summer sweet corn. Oh my.

Me and Ree - catchy don't ya think?

You may have seen the movie Julie and Julia. Well, I've decided to go for my own version and work my way through The Pioneer Woman Cooks website. Yep, me and Ree...we're gonna be best buds by the time I'm done. And yes, I will weigh at least 400 pounds, but hey, I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it.

I love her site for several reasons. All the recipes I've tried so far (OK, so I've only tried one, but I've made it twice...I've just drooled over the rest) have been amazing, but the BEST part is the pictures. Hellooo, visual learner here. She has step by step photos of ALL her recipes. If the recipe name doesn't grab me that ooey, gooey photo sure will. Pretty sure I'm planning my entire menu next week off her site.

Not only does the Pioneer Woman find time to prepare amazing food, complete with color photos, she also writes books, dabbles in photography, gardens and oh yes, did I mention she homeschools her kids and runs a ranch? Yep, I want to be like her when I grow up...minus the ranch part.

Need a good recipe to start with? Try the Olive Cheese Bread. I guarantee you'll be hooked. I've even eaten it cold...for breakfast. Yeah, it's that good.

Mall reflections

For the first time in forever I found myself in the mall today. Since I'm sure you're all dying to know why, I'll tell you. We were celebrating (still celebrating) Connor's birthday from last week by taking the kids to Amazing Jakes. In case you're not familiar with Not So Amazing Jakes, it's one of those places with go-karts, Tootsie rolls redeemable for a small fortune ("Oh look Mom, it's ONLY 10 tickets!") and something slightly resembling a pizza buffet...yes, it's every boys' dream and every mother's...well...you know of what I speak.

In an attempt to escape for a bit of quiet, I took a stroll around the mall. Now, before you freak out and call CPS, Mike was with the kids. I did not leave my kids running around unsupervised...good...glad we cleared that up.

Back to my stroll. After a few short minutes, I remembered why I don't shop at the mall. OK, I remembered several reasons why I don't shop at the mall.

#1 - Victoria's Secret - Can someone please tell me just WHAT she is keeping secret, because it looks to me like she's lettin' it all hang out! Put your clothes on for pities sake. Enough said.

#2 - Forever 21 - Seriously? Do I need to tell you all the things wrong with this one? I thank the good LORD I am NOT forever 21 and if I'm at least twice that age, I certainly don't need to be dressing like I THINK I'm 21. Where's the Pushing 40 store...that's what I want to know.

#3 - Shoes - OK, I thought at least this one would be safe, but have you SEEN the shoe styles for this summer? Seriously? They look like a case of gold lame and Gladiator gone bad. Uh uh...I don't think so. I'll keep my flip-flops thank you very much.

Which brings me to another pet peeve - why do they hide the women's size 9 shoes in the v.e.r.y back corner by the men's clearance section? Should I be so ashamed at having an ample sized foot that I have to shop in the back corner after walking past all the cute, petite little shoes up front? Good grief.

Needless to say my saunter around the mall was brief and I didn't spend a dime. Made Not So Amazing Jakes look a bit more amazing.