Category Archives: Memes and Link-Ups

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXVII)

Posted on by

#5Faves

One

Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Insoles. The commercials for them are pretty lame but those suckers are incredible. I felt like I was walking on air this morning. Now if only the scraped-up toes would heal…

Two

Every State Described by a Single Sarcastic Line from a Bitter Resident. The one for Montana is painfully true. Go read it here.

Three

NCIS: New Orleans. It’s not quite as good as the regular NCIS but it has definitely grown on me, especially the team of Pride/LaSalle/Brody. I’m also a fan of Sebastian.

Four

People who vaccinate their kids. Dead serious here… every time a parent takes their unvaccinated kid out in public, they put Daniel and my father-in-law at risk of whatever preventable diseases their kid has picked up. Measles is not a joke. You and your small podunk town in the Midwest might have gotten off lightly but those of us who live in places with actual populations actually know real people in our lives who have suffered some kind of complication from it.

Five

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. I love anything that can buy me 15 minutes of time to take a shower and comb out my dreadlocks. It’s also not the worst thing to have to watch if you have to engage in some screen time with your kiddos so you can get some rest.

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 1, 2015

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY February 1, 2015

Outside my window… dark. Yet again, I’m writing after everyone else has gone to bed.

I am thinking… about some of the things I’m hearing in the Rachel Held Evans video I am listening to. I seriously want to be her when I grow up.

I am thankful… for the snuggle and nap with Daniel during the Super Bowl.

In the kitchen… darkness as I sit in here typing.

I am wearing… my Online Debate Team shirt and black sweats from Target.

I am praying for… healing from my fibro flare-up, a call for Jon, some special intentions, and for the needs of my #Cathso chicas.

I am going… to be spending tomorrow morning scanning auto loan paperwork to email to my credit union.

I am wondering… if I need to order more yarn for Daniel’s “big boy blankie”.

I am reading… Yarn Over Murder by Maggie Sefton.

I am hoping… I get some entries for my giveaway in which I’m offering the winner the option to pick my Lenten discipline.

I am looking forward to… Bible study at church on Wednesday morning. I’m the youngest by quite a bit but it’s fun to go and listen and the other women there are wonderful.

I am hearing… the Rachel Held Evans talk.

Around the house… darkness.

A favorite quote for today… “Now invariably after I’ve gone through this whole litany of things [on what millenials want in the church in terms of social justice], someone in the back will raise their hand and say, ‘So what you’re saying is we need a cooler band?’ And I proceed to bang my head against the podium.” — Rachel Held Evans

One of my favorite things… time to just sit and read.

A few plans for the rest of the week: lots of walks (with my foot taped up — gotta love bursitis!), bonding with my core ball, errands, Bible study and inquirers class on Wednesday, and whatever else come up.

A peek into my day… the video I have been referencing!

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Car Buying, Sick Kids, and Jen Hating Planks

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Pick Jen’s Lenten Discipline 2015. The second annual “Pick Jen’s Lenten Discipline” giveaway starts today and goes for ~2 weeks. Click here for details.

— 2 —

Panic attack myths. If you get panic attacks or love someone who gets them, I highly recommend you read this.

— 3 —

Progress on the plank challenge. I accidentally abandoned it this weekend as I had too much going on and then was taking care of Daniel who decided to scare the pants off of me and spike a fever of 104F. Instead of going back and making up missed days, I decided to just do 4 60-second planks this morning… and found that being up for 60 seconds was a piece of cake… something that it hadn’t been at the beginning of the month.

— 4 —

Some interesting perspectives on the vaccination debate. There is an outbreak of measles stemming from an unvaccinated person and I’m seeing a lot of things left and right about it. There are parents writing letters to parents with unvaccinated children, someone on BuzzFeed showing what measles looks like, and someone talks about their kid having to be quarantined because someone brought a measles patient to the doctor and the kid was too young to vaccinate, forcing the parents to quarantine her for a month.

And as always, here’s the opposing viewpoint (who I do not endorse and think is seriously misguided).

— 5 —

Small world. I was my father-in-law’s “plus-one” for the Respect Life Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday and was walking with him to an accessible ramp for his walker when I hear the words, “Hello Jen!” I look up and it’s a seminary classmate of mine who is apparently representing the same pan-Lutheran group as my father-in-law. Once we found our assigned seats, he came back to where I was sitting and we caught up on the last 12 years since we have run into each other. It’s pretty pathetic that this is the first we’ve seen of each other because right now we live about 5 miles apart. Still, it was good to see him.

— 6 —

New Year’s resolution update. The read through the Bible is going well. I’ve gotten through Genesis and am in Exodus in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, I’m almost to the crucifixion scene in Matthew. I’ve also discovered some new Psalms (new to me, that is) that are really pretty.

— 7 —

Car-buying. Jon’s car decided to die on the 57 last Friday and repairs were going to be $3000. The car was only worth $1000 so we had to come up with another car for transportation. (The situation we’re in at the moment makes being a one-car family pretty impossible.) Thankfully, his mechanic had a used 2003 Volvo station wagon for sale and allowed us to purchase it for under the Kelly Blue Book value. (It is in impeccable condition.) Currently, I’m trying to get loan stuff done so I’d appreciate your prayers as I’m working on all of this over the weekend.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: NFC Championship Game, Police Lip-Syncing, and

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

NFC Championship Game. I was watching the game in Seattle with my extended family which was pretty entertaining because Green Bay was shutting out Seattle until almost the 4th Quarter… and then came back to win in OT. I think it’s probably for the best that my long-suffering sister-in-law (she’s married to my evil twin) wasn’t watching the game with us — she’s a Green Bay fan and there would have been some good-natured abuse directed at her.

— 2 —

Crocheting. The yarn for Daniel’s big boy blanket arrived just as I was leaving on Friday so I stuffed a couple skeins into my laptop bag and started the blanket while flying to Seattle. I’m almost two skeins in and had to order more because I’m pretty sure that the 5 skeins I have are not enough. Oh well… I’ve got about 2.5 months to get this done and I can catch-up on all my TV stuff while I work on it.

— 3 —

Apparently, some people think I’m “sheenazing”. Click on the image to vote for me in the “Best Blog by a Non-Papist” category. Please and thank you. 🙂

I'm Sheenazing.

While you’re voting, I’d really appreciate your votes for Mary of Passionate Perseverance in the “Most Inspiring Blog” and the “Miss Congeniality” categories. She deserves to win both this year purely because of how much encouragement she gave to us other moms of special needs kids while she was watching her daughter Courtney slowly die. She is honestly a bright spot in the Catholic blogosphere.

— 4 —

Totes amused. I have relatives who are in law enforcement so I’m finding this pretty awesome. 🙂

I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I know a Taylor Swift song…

— 5 —

This is pretty cool. A Massachusetts teacher won $150,000 and donated it all back to the school. Ellen had her on the show and gave her a few surprises. This video seriously restores some of my faith in humanity and it also makes me love Target even more.

— 6 —

Coming attractions. I tried writing the post on being a Titus 2 woman last night but fell asleep. I’m going to try and get it up this weekend.

— 7 —

New Year’s resolution updates. Today’s plank time was 3 minutes. I am having some bursitis issues so I’m having to do a modified version of it. I tried being up for the whole 3 minutes but had to quit halfway because Jon needed to get into our room to get ready for pastoral meetings. (I was doing the plank on the floor of our bedroom.) Oh well… I can try for the whole 3 minutes tomorrow!

The Bible reading is on track and I’m really enjoying it.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: MLK Day 2015

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY MLK Day 2015

Outside my window… dark. It’s technically after midnight on January 20th but I’m doing a continuous day.

I am thinking… about various things from my weekend.

I am thankful… for an AMAZING weekend with extended family in Seattle — I’ve really missed this in the last couple of years because of the cost and because Daniel wasn’t ready for it yet. He definitely “showed” well and I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures.

In the kitchen… nothing at the moment. I cleaned everything up before I went online. I also haven’t really cooked today because it was a travel day.

I am wearing… light gray v-neck and black sweats.

I am praying for… Mary, a call for Jon, and some special intentions.

I am going… to sleep pretty soon.

I am wondering… if the Seahawks will win the Super Bowl.

I am reading… Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. I’m also keeping steady on the Bible reading plan.

I am hoping… to at least keep up on the 30-day plank challenge. (I’m having to do a modified plank position because of a bursitis flare up in my foot.

I am looking forward to… sleep.

I am hearing… Jon’s CPAP machine.

Around the house… all dark and quiet. Again it’s 12:30 a.m. here.

A favorite quote for today…“Ninjas? In Oklahoma!?!?!?!?!?” (My parents have addicted me to “The Librarians”.)

One of my favorite things… quiet and sleep. (Can you tell I’ve been up since 4 a.m.?)

A few plans for the rest of the week: choir concert on Saturday, class for church on Wednesday night, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… I’ve been nominated for a Sheenazing Award in the “Best Blog by a Non-Papist”. I’d *LOVE* votes. (Hint. Hint.) Click on the image to vote. I’m ::Meditatio::.

Sheenazing nominee.

If you want a list of the other nominees, click here. The only other vote-related request I have is to vote for Mary of Passionate Perseverance in the “Most Inspirational” category and the “Miss Congeniality” category. Girlfriend is awesome in every way (but especially those) and her awesomness needs some recognition.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Let’s Pretend This Has An Interesting Title

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Washington bound! I’m flying to Seattle with Daniel tomorrow to see my grandmother. She’s doing OK right now (for the most part) but she’s 94 years old and my mom and I are of the opinion that it would be good to see her before it’s “too late”. (My mom is paying for our tickets and is going to be watching Daniel so I can spend some uninterrupted time with my grandmother and not have to chase him down the hall.) I’ll also get to see my evil twin and his wife again as well as other members of my extended family who I haven’t gotten to see in a really long time.

— 2 —

Ellen Degeneres pwns a critic. A pastor and self-proclaimed cultural commentator published something in the Christian Post about Hollywood and the gay agenda allegedly espoused by the entertainment industry, calling out Ellen Degeneres for “celebrat[ing] her lesbianism and ‘marriage’ in between appearances of guests like Taylor Swift to attract young girls.” Ellen replies in the video below.

— 3 —

Thankful. My mother-in-law offered to let me take yesterday afternoon for myself while she watched Daniel. I was able to get some prayer time in and get some computer work done before heading to something at church. Thanks Victoria! You are the best mother-in-law in the world!

— 4 —

MapMyRun. Is anyone else on MapMyRun? I’m definitely not a runner but I track my walking mileage on the site. If you are, let me know and I can add you as a friend.

— 5 —

Seriously?!?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!?!? I don’t know how many of you heard about the woman’s funeral that was halted 15 minutes into it because the pastor found a picture of her kissing her partner. This is probably not going to be a popular opinion but… I am seriously pissed off by this.

Why am I pissed off?

Because the church where this took place was founded by the pastor and his wife to be a place where people fighting drug/alcohol addictions and gang violence — it’s a place that was founded to minister to outsiders. Yet, the pastor (who could have refused the funeral up until the time it started) decided that this woman was not worth his time once he found out that she was a lesbian. Seriously dude, she was a child of God and you were being asked to help her family pray for her and remember her, not perform her wedding.

— 6 —

Prayer request. This is related to the first Quick Take. I’m flying by myself with Daniel and would appreciate prayers for good travel, ease in getting through security, and ease in boarding the plane with him. Please and thank you! 🙂

— 7 —

Progress on my New Year’s resolutions. Let me just say that I *HATE* planks and my persistence in doing them is due to stubbornness on my part and not actual stamina. On the other hand, the Bible reading is going well and I *am* making it out to walk or at least do *something* most mornings that Daniel is in school.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

#5Faves: Miscellanea (XXVI)

Posted on by

#5Faves

One

Kelly. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t gone to read This Ain’t The Lyceum, you need to hurry as fast as your browser can load to do so. She has a wonderful post up today about the Sheenazing awards. Girlfriend also created a planner which is made of awesome.

Two

Stalking my possessions. This week’s installment of “where is Jen’s stuff” involves a shipment of yarn for a blankie that I will be crocheting for Daniel’s birthday in April. The last record of it was leaving Illinois on the 12th and I’m hoping it arrives on Friday before I have to leave for the airport so I can take some of it to Washington with me when I fly up that evening.

Three

Nights when Daniel stays in his own bed. It’s a bit unnerving to wake up and find one more body on the bed than there was when you went to sleep. I don’t know why he is waking up at midnight but that’s when he usually climbs into bed with us. Right now, he’s in a bit of an awkward position so I’m going to have to move him when I’m done with this post.

Four

Fernando Ortega. His music brings me closer to God. What I especially love about his music, especially when he covers older hymns, is that he leaves the verses about the Cross intact. The Cross is so central to our faith as Christians and I love that he gets that.

Five

Family. I will get to see my 94 year old grandma this weekend (I haven’t seen her in 4 years) and various other family members. I am so excited!

Go love up Jenna and the others.