A blog? That's nothin'! (But I digress...)

Yeah, so, I have a blog.

Someone convinced me to do this a while back because, "You're a good writer, you love to talk about God, and setting up a blog is easy."

So I did.

But that doesn't mean I'm a techie--setting up a blog IS easy.  That's as techie as I get.  (BTW, writing about God is hard. And I'm not so convinced I'm a good writer.  This post isn't about God. See previous post.)   Techie stuff (beyond blogging), well, it escapes me.  (So it's extra funny that I am on the IT committee for our school district.  I'm certain that's fodder for another post.  I wonder if I'll be able to post while at IT meetings?)

Anyway...

Last week, my husband replaced my almost five-year-old flip phone which I used only for calling people (mostly just him and Mac) with whatever-version-iPhone-was-free-because-they're-bringing- out-whatever-version-iPhone-is-next.  I have to mention here that I received my new old phone on the same day Steve Jobs died.  My son says I'm responsible for Mr. Jobs' death.  Yeah, that's how tech inept he thinks I am.  Techie Armageddon.

Anyway again, Brad handed me this phone, and I was quick to realize (with his help as I didn't even know how to turn it on), that NONE of my numbers were transferred.  Fortunately I know Brad's and Mac's numbers by heart, so I was good for a few days.

Come Saturday morning, I was determined to figure this thing out.  I know this is easy for the rest of you, but here's what I learned:

• How to enter contacts (purged some).
• How to set up a new iTunes account.
• How to pick a ring tone, "How Great is Our God," for most, "Broken Road" for Brad, and I think some Oasis song for Mac.  That one's undecided.
• Then I played with the camera (at school on Friday, my kids said they'd help me, but I did want to try myself before asking a nine-year-old for help.)
• Posted one facebook status update.

Took a break...

• That night at church, while waiting to learn how to serve communion, I purchased my first app, the NLT version of the Bible!  (Of this I am proud.)
• Set the font on the app to a size I can read.
• Then, I realized I was waiting in the wrong spot for communion training when I figured out how to access my gmail and read. "meet at the beverage station," when I was in fact standing by the cafe.
• Hustled across the atrium to find someone who would know where to find the person I was supposed to have met for training, keeping my gmail open to show said person's name!
• Served communion (I know that's not tech stuff, but it's God stuff which IS more important)
• Used said Bible app during the pastor's message. 
• Took the above picture of the communion table...must learn more about camera settings.

That was enough 21st century progress for one day, here's what I did for the rest of the weekend (which isn't yet over, thank you evil ol' Columbus!)

 Bought a new welcome mat.  Convenient that all our names start with S, don't you agree?  Hoping this one doesn't blow away.

 

Took care of my neglected pansies and planted one more mum plant.

Refilled the counter candy jar of our fall display.
Those mellocreme pumpkins (just bought on Saturday) are almost gone, so I think that jar isn't long for the counter (it's been filled three times and there are only two people living here, do the math).  However, Brad is not above taking the candle out, the base out, and swiping candy from the candle holder...

Darned if I do, darned if I don't.

 Finished a mini wreath for school. 

(And got a great idea for kids' Xmas gifts to their parents...mini-er wreaths!  Found a great web site for them.)

Moved my maxi-yarn wreath (yes, I'm taking maxi back) from the door to the basement bannister, added a bow, loving the new location for it, and hung last year's bat wreath (which I still like) on the back door.

Started a pumpkin project. We'll see if you'll see them when done...

Added these cute little pine cones to my vase of lil' pumpkins for our table centerpiece.

Sometimes a walk outside is a great idea (versus the treadmill)!

Paid some attention to my inside mums.

Walked about ten miles all totaled, wintered some geraniums, added worms to the compost bin, napped, took in a movie with my favorite man, and no one, not all weekend, called me 

Miss Stewart.

The break I needed.  Putter time.

I'm starting to miss my kids, and this is a good sign, and I do have some homework to do for the week...but not yet.  

Right now, I'm savoring simple pleasures.

How was/is your weekend?

October Equations

     September was busy, overwhelming, tiring, frustrating and heartbreaking.  Normally I work to focus on the positive, but September just wore me out.  It's fitting that I fell asleep on the couch last night by 8:15 (after messily painting my nails red and with both arms hanging off couch), got myself upstairs at one point, and slept until 8:11 this morning.  (Brad was so snoringless at his usually heavy sleep and breathe time, that I wondered if he was even in bed.)
     I woke to realize we're in a new month.  Looking ahead I have much to do work wise, the exhaustion isn't going to abate,  but today I'm going to focus on the good stuff:

Haircut today = good-bye mullet (no photo available!)
Library books turned in today = avoiding collections 

(one is a week overdue, and yeah, collections has already been threatened)

Rare warm days = a few more bike rides
The arrival of these = fun bling for Art and me

Columbus the wretched = a day off from school

Learning a new science unit = smarter Ellie

Mac coming home for a wedding = happy mom

His friend Julie visiting from Paris  = we're saving for a dinner out

Tomorrow a 5K = Today asking, "Will I make it?"

Three weeks from now a 5K = Today asking, "Should I try another?"

Birthday month = first coupon in email for a free burger (Red Robin)

Phone dying + birthday month + contract ending = new phone

Halloween (ugh) = reason to put Snoopy and Charlie Brown on my stairs (cute)

Blue skies on a weekend = drive to pumpkin farm, even though we're just two old folks

(photo taken at Kuipers last year)
Seeing how long we can go without turning on the furnace = smaller gas bills for as long as possible!

What's your simple pleasure math for this month?

It's Fall Y'all...

Before I begin, I just want to thank the surprising number of you who left comments, sent me personal emails, and contacted me on facebook over the past week.  I'm not going to get into it tonight; suffice it to say, it's been a tough start to the school year.

More on that another day though.

You are all such blessings in my life.

And now on to the Non-Martha Stewart me.
Tonight all you get is fluff.

     I'm not fall crazy like so many people.  I know why, it's because fall is followed by winter, and I hate to be cold.  Winter here seems to go on forever, and I endeavor not to whine about it, but have I told you I hate to be cold?  

     However, in effort to be more optimistic and embrace the coldish season that leads to the longest and coldest season, I've been considering ways to celebrate fall.  Truth?  It was easy to actually ignore fall until this week when the temps turned from the 70s on Wednesday to a balmy 30 yesterday morning.  Wednesday night we were bringing flowers inside to keep them from perishing when that 30 smacked us.

     Just last weekend I had told Brad, "I'm not going to do any fall decorating until October 1."  He pointed out that would leave us little time to enjoy the season, so I acquiesced, and during my bloggy break, I started bringing fall in and I made this wreath.

     I had seen some I liked on etsy, but they were priced over $25, and that just seemed ridiculous to me.  Looking on-line I found lots of tutorials, even one on my stepdaughter-in-law's blog.  Easy stuff for this non-crafty girl.  I spent less than ten dollars on this one (thank you dollar store ribbon and Michael's coupons and teacher discount.)  It only took a few evenings, a little bit at a time, the perfect project as it required no thinking.  I was thought out by the time I made it home each night.
     (No tutorial here, it doesn't really require one, but I did use a skein and a half of cheapo yarn, it just was too thin with only one.  And it looks a little uneven because, as it turns out, the wreath itself was far from even.  Like fine crystal, it has it flaws. That's how you know it's handmade!)
      Brad likes it, and I think it looks okay.  I do love that the felt for the leaves was made from recycled soda pop bottles!  Green crafting.
     I may hang it here instead...

     What do you think?  There's no point in hanging it on our front door.  No one, not even us, uses that door.  Selfishly, I want to see it!
      And if you're impressed by that craftiness, hold on, and take a gander at these:

tonight I actually took a few moments to paint my toenails.  Oh they were long over due.  Can one have roots on toenails?  If so, I did...

     All this is in effort to forget the bags of work I left in my car:

     Oh wait, I promised that for another post.   Happy weekend to me, happier weekend to you!

Coming soon, our new second compost bin!  Can you stand it?

Some wild living's happening around here.