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Outside my window…
Summers are grey and foggy but October is our hot month and it has been living up to tradition with 90 degree weather this week. Today it was in the high 70’s and normally that would be considered heat wave, but after the last few days’ heat, it felt heavenly!
Moments of gratitude…
This section counts as Day 6 of the series 31 Days of Gratitude. Today I am especially thankful for…
I was at the Mission earlier and I snapped this photo with my phone. It brought back memories of nearly 15 years ago when I was standing at that spot in my princess wedding dress waiting for the moment I was to take my dad’s arm and walk down the aisle. I still remember the big smile on Brian’s face as he watched me enter the church. It was like a dream.
Fast forward to the reality of today. Life is often loud and hectic with the kids and this past year has been a trial with the cross of Brian’s cancer. (For an update on Brian’s health, see the On the Homefront section.) However, this whole situation has brought us closer together and right now things are really in sync between us and in our marriage. I know in some marriages the years draw couples apart but, by the grace of God, instead they have made us stronger and closer. Yesterday Brian came into the kitchen and stole a kiss from me. I couldn’t help but laugh and say, “After 15 years of marriage…” and he finished my sentence, “We’re still going strong, baby.” So yeah, today I am super grateful for one of the biggest blessings in my life – Brian.
Praying…
- For Brian’s continued recovery from the side effects of his chemo.
- For those fighting cancer or illness.
- For those in troubled marriages.
- For our single friends who feel called to the vocation of marriage and are looking for a holy spouse.
- For those who are suffering physically, mentally and spiritually.
- For pregnant moms, moms dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and for women trying to have a child.
- For some special intentions.
On the homefront……
A couple of people have been asking how Brian is doing so here’s an update. He is doing well, considering. He finished his chemo in July but he is still dealing with the side effects, namely numbness in his hands and feet. Sometimes it is not too bad but other times he is in pain and he can’t button a shirt or his walk is unsteady. (There is medication he can take but the doctor told him that the side effects are often worse than the ailment.) Time will tell if these symptoms will fade or remain. It is still too early to know yet.
Except for that, he is doing well otherwise. His last scan was a month ago and all his organs and lymph nodes were clean. He has to go for more testing at the end of the month and if he passes that then he passed his 3 month waiting period and he can get the chemo port removed from his chest. We are praying that this cancer chapter is forever closed!
Pondering…
I’ve been pondering the how long I will be able to continue with the 31 Days of Gratitude challenge. I love the idea and the concept but I wonder when I will burn out and skip a day. I haven’t so far buuut I am not exactly known for sticking with one thing until it is complete. The only exception is when an idea gets “in my head.” In those cases I will not give up until I make it happen. But normally, I’m more of a jump around from one thing to another type of gal. I can still remember distinctly the conversation my mom had with me before I was married. She basically told me I better be serious about this marriage because I can’t get tired if it and move on to something else. It is for life. Don’t worry Mom, this isn’t in the fickle category. This is the “in my head” category and I’m determined to give it my all. 😉
In the kitchen…
Monday: Leftovers from Bella’s birthday party. (Pizza and salad bar)
Tuesday: BBQ chicken and broccoli slaw.
Wednesday: Enchilada casserole & salad.
Thursday: Breakfast dinner – scrambles eggs with leftover enchiladas.
Friday: Grilled Cheese and slow cooker lentil & kale soup
Saturday: Turkey burgers and Southwestern black bean and corn salad
Sunday: Dinner at Oma & Opa’s
Around the house…
I’s been so busy I haven’t really had much time to work on any cleaning projects. The good news is that we had five of Bella’s best friends over yesterday for her birthday party so my front room looks awesome. The bad news is that we threw all the junk into my bedroom and closed the door, so that room looks like a tornado hit it. Sigh. Such is my life.
Reading…
I haven’t been reading much since I usually read before bed but I am too tired and never get past a page or two. These two books have been sitting on my nightstand for way too long.
Danielle Bean’s book Momnipotent
Listening to…
The soundtrack for the movie Chef. Perfect music while cooking in the kitchen!!
Watching…
At the movies – I haven’t been to as many movies this month, although, since I was averaging one movie every two years when the kids were much smaller, I am doing good! I saw Dolphin Tale 2 with Bella and her friends yesterday. It was a sweet, clean family fun movie. I also saw If I Stay, which was bittersweet. It was slow at moments but I still enjoyed it. Lastly, I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy again but took Brian this time for a date night. The movie rocked but being there with my love, priceless.
On TV – All the new shows are starting up! I’ve set the DVR to record many of them, although it takes us nearly the whole year to get to them. So far sitting in the queue are Masterpiece Miss Marple, Masterpiece The Paradise, Sleepy Hollow, Gotham, The Middle, Parenthood, Gracepoint, Cedar Cove and more. Who knows which ones we’ll get to and which ones we’ll just delete. What are your “must watch” shows this fall?
On the blog…
Tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct 7) is our monthly Pinterest Party. I baked pumpkin mini donuts tonight and I’ll share the recipe and results tomorrow. (UPDATE : The recipe is here.) 🙂
In the blogosphere…
My Bloglovin feed has over 300 entries so tonight I will be skimming over some and deleting many. I’ll come back and update you with which ones I starred.
Pinned…
Photo Credit – sugarbeecrafts.com
I love how Mandy used a backdrop for a close up shot. I’m using that idea! 🙂
Linking-Up with…
The new host of Currently – Joyful Life! 🙂
Have a blessed week!
PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram (It’s set to private but I’ll approve you.) 😉
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