I’m SO grateful that I was finally feeling better and able to resume my normal pace this week! It felt good to jump back into life after being down and out for so long!
While everyone did so well at keeping things running while I was recovering, I did discover a few things that proved I’m still needed around here. 🙂 For instance, I found this pan (see above picture) put away in our cupboard.
We may have a slight misunderstanding in our home as to what constitutes “clean dishes”. Just possibly. And now I’m wondering if there was a whole load of dirty dishes from the dishwasher that someone put away trying to be helpful. I do not want to dwell on that thought, though.
This dirty pan discovery wasn’t the worst discovery of that day, though. Nope. I had been smelling a nasty smell in my car and I decided I should investigate further… only to discover a half-eaten frappe in the back seat cup holder.
For the record, if you leave a half-eaten frappe in a hot car for half a week, it will turn green and smell like a mix between skunk and sour milk and throw up. It’s really lovely… especially in your car!!
{I am nice enough not to take a picture of said moldy, green frappe ruins. I decided that might be taking the over-sharing just a little bit too far!}
It was a full week and I had trouble narrowing down the list of things I am loving this week to just 5 things. But here’s what I finally decided upon:
#1: New Colored Pencils
You all were so very, very right! Cheap colored pencils just don’t hold a candle to the more expensive kind.
A reader named Jennifer sent these new coloring pencils to me last week and they are AMAZING. Seriously! Watch this video here to hear me swoon over them.
You can see the ones Jennifer sent me here. Here’s my first coloring project with them (see above). {You can print this free coloring page here.}
One reader suggested getting them at a craft store with a 40% off coupon. Or maybe, if you’re as obsessed with coloring as I am, you could even ask for them for Christmas??
Y’all, I’m not sure what we’ve come to when colored pencils make me so giddy that I almost want to squeal. 🙂
#2: Loom Bands
We spent this morning cheering on Silas’ baseball game and loom-banding it up.
Currently, my kids have traded in their hours spent creating with Legos for hours making loom band creations. While it means that I’m constantly finding stray loom bands in odd places around the house, I love to see them exercising their creativity, making gifts for others, and learning new patterns together.
(Thanks to YouTube for the endless supply of new loom band creation ideas!)
#3: Leggings!
I celebrated the first day of fall this week by pretending that it was crisp fall weather outside. Thus, the wearing of the leggings.
Never mind the fact that it was actually 81 degrees outside. Please let me just stay in my little fall fantasy world, okay? Because it was a l-o-n-g summer!
{Please note that I wore said leggings in compliance with The Jen Hatmaker Rules of Legging Wearing. And if you don’t know what I’m referring to, please stop what you’re doing and watch this video. You’re welcome.}
#4: Getting Lost in a Story
I finally had a quiet afternoon to really get into reading The Bronte Plot! And I truly enjoyed it.
While I didn’t feel like the plot and story engaged me quite like Dear Mr. Knightley did, it engaged me enough that I wanted to keep reading even though I’d planned to take a break and finish a few other projects. 🙂
The Bronte Plot is a story of redemption in spite of past mistakes and a story of becoming a victor instead of a victim of our circumstances. It’s a lighter read and I got through it in one afternoon.
{I also enjoyed Lizzy and Jane and adored Dear Mr. Knightley — both by this same author. If you read only one book by this author, definitely read Dear Mr. Knightley.}
#5: A Girl’s Day/Night Out
I may have been a wee bit excited to get to have a completely kid-free 24 hours with some of my favorite people. No, we didn’t move to another country or go on a 4-week trip… I just sometimes like to channel my inner Boy Scout (i.e. “Always Be Prepared”).
I brought a few different outfits and multiple pairs of shoes (for real!) because we were planning a fun night on the town and I couldn’t decide what I wanted to wear. Plus, I kept finding more things to throw in my bag “just in case”. That often happens to me when I’m really excited about something.
{Taylor Swift was in town that night. We didn’t go to her concert — we just pretended like we were 12 and asked someone to take our picture next to her trailer! :)}
The night was filled with laughter, tears, deep conversation, and a whole lot of us being our crazy selves, too. We also stayed up entirely too late. But we just couldn’t help it! 🙂
I love these four women something fierce. They are part of our weekly Monday Group and they are some of my dearest local friends. They are women who will speak truth when you need to hear it, be a safe place to honestly share about struggles and triumphs, drop everything and bring you coffee when you’re having a hard day, and make you laugh so hard that you cry off all of your mascara.
What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments.
kariane says
This week I’m loving fall weather (we’re getting true fall weather here in the Rockies — we even have color-changing leaves, which are gorgeous!).
I’m also loving Paleo S’mores. Yum! We make them like this: http://everydaymindfulliving.com/paleo-smores/
Laura says
When I first saw that Jen Hatmaker video on leggings, I was like: “Yes, reason 5, 692 while I love you so much, Jen!” That book, For the Love, is just my fave.
Happy for you that you got a great girls night out. So fun!
Kelly says
I saw the loom band container in the picture and it makes me curious if anyone has a good suggestion on what kind of container to get? We currently have baggies of loom bands ALL over our house and it is making me crazy.
Need A Nap2 says
I hate when unwashed dishes get put up from the dishwasher! I start taking everything from the bottom, like the silverware or plates since I know our kids put the “clean” stuff on the top. 🙂
So excited for your family to be visiting SA.
MindaC says
1) The discovery of Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte at the campus coffee shop. Even better the coffee ones!
2) Beautiful mums waiting for me to re-pot them.
3) Finding a good book after letting a “dud” get me off path with my reading list
4) Soup weather!
and most of all,
5) My little boy is feeling better after double ear infections and bronchiolitis.
Crystal Paine says
I am just LOVING fall! It sounds like you are, too!
[email protected] says
I am completely loving this weather recently. We have the windows open all day long and have turned off the air conditioning.
Crystal Paine says
Hasn’t the cooler weather been amazing?!?
Theresa Little says
Spending the weekend at my BFF’s house.
My 5 year old is learning to read! I’m amazed how quickly he’s picking it up!
My favorite show is back!!
Crystal Paine says
Oh yay! So glad you got to be with your BFF! And isn’t it SO amazing when your child learns how to read?? It’s one of my favorite things to watch!
Emily says
1) Getting out all my autumn/Halloween decorations. It may still be 80 degrees in Iowa, but our house is spooky and smells like pumpkin spice 🙂
2) Having an excuse (a grad school assignment) to watch the movie Crash. Really powerful.
3) Flowers from my husband
4) Long walks with the dog
5) Tonight’s moon!
Crystal Paine says
PUMPKIN SPICE!
And yay that you got to see the lunar eclipse! It was cloudy here. 🙁
Hannah Beth Reid says
Love the leggings video! Perfection! Your leggings outfit looked lovely too.
Crystal Paine says
😉
Christy says
I would rather step on loom bands any day barefoot than a lego!!!!
Jean says
I totally agree! And loom bands won’t damage the vacuum cleaner either!
Crystal Paine says
So many good reasons to love Loom Bands!
Denise@Life With the Lid Up says
Thanks for a great post! This week I’m loving fall temps, date night with my husband, and some cool responses to blog posts!
Crystal Paine says
Yay for fall temps, a date night and great blog post responses! Woohoo!
Penny says
Crystal, thank you for your lovely posts. They either make me think or giggle. Or both.
Crystal Paine says
Oh yay! This makes me so happy! You’re so welcome!
Jamie says
I am loving the awesome lady at the ER who let my son wait in the quiet chapel and then came to get us when it was our turn. (He had an awful migraine.)
This beautiful weather we are having! Perfect for sleeping in, but still feels like summer during the day.
Having our goats back after they were gone for a month and a half.
Long walks.
A freezer full of yummy food.
Crystal Paine says
This is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Ramona says
If you get a colorless blender ( it’s like a marker with no color), and use it on the colored portion of a drawing using the Prismacolor pencils, it makes it look like a watercolor painting. It’s a nice effect.
Crystal Paine says
Oh! I’ll have to check this out!
c says
The video was GREAT – thank you for sharing. We often use that line in our house ‘leggings are not pants’. How do you foster deep, meaningful friendships? Those who will “speak truth when you need to hear it, be a safe place to honestly share about struggles and triumphs, drop everything and bring you coffee when you’re having a hard day, and make you laugh so hard that you cry off all of your mascara.” That is something I really long for.
Thank you for all you do!!
Lisa says
Would love to learn more about this too!! Was the Monday night group something you just jumped into when you moved, Crystal? Or did y’all start it? I’d love to make some close local friends, but it seems so hard to get to that point after college! 🙂 As we get older (and moved), I find that a lot of women already have their friends/groups, and it’s hard to find anyone who is interested in doing things on a regular basis enough to get to know each other well.
Crystal Paine says
We were a part of a larger group when we first moved here that was modeled in the same way. That group ended up just getting too big and so the group leaders encouraged people to start their own smaller group in their area. Ours is made up of 6 very different families and we have forged really, really close relationships this past year. It’s been such a beautiful thing to see happen!
We truly feel blessed to have found “our tribe” here. Some of what made this possible was our willingness to step way outside our comfort zone and put ourselves in situations that felt awkward and then to reach out and be honest about how much we were craving community and real-life relationships. The thing we’ve found is that there are many, many people who are craving deep community but it takes courage to voice that and then commitment to follow through with investing in people’s lives.
Even though it felt really vulnerable to do so, once I found a few women whom I thought might be women I could foster deep relationships with, I was super honest with them about my desire to invest in them and forge really deep relationships. And then I was intentional about investing in their lives — asking good questions, texting to see how they were doing, looking for tangible ways to show that I cared, and making relationships with them a priority.
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Crystal!! I’m intrigued!! I hope you don’t mind if I have a few more questions. 🙂
You mentioned that you were super honest about your desire to forge deep relationships with those women. That sounds kind of scary! Did you sit down and talk to them about it? Were you worried that it might seem like too much pressure? Did women that you talked to all react well?
I have some women that I would love to get to know better, but I can just see them backing away like crazy if I were to actually approach them and tell them that I want to for ma deeper friendship with them.
Thank you so much!!
Crystal Paine says
Yes, I actually did. I waited until I was sure they were a safe person (not a gossip, someone who seemed committed to investing in me, too) and then I just flat out told them where I was in life and what I was craving. I didn’t say, “So will you PLEASE be that kind of friend to me!” Because that would be putting too much pressure on someone. But I found that by being honest about what I was looking for in friendships and clearly stating my commitment to want to get to know them better and invest in their life, some beautiful friendships have emerged.
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Crystal!! Ahh . . maybe I will have the courage to step out and do that someday. They are lucky to have you as a friend!!
Tracy says
Thanks for sharing that Crystal. I truly appreciate it.
Crystal Paine says
Glad you loved the video!
Here are some posts I’ve written on developing deeper friendships that might encourage you:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2014/06/find-good-friends.html
https://moneysavingmom.com/2015/09/3-ways-to-be-a-better-friend.html
https://moneysavingmom.com/2014/06/find-time-friend.html
~jennifer in TN says
It’s a great boost to get out with friends and kick it up a little! I’m so glad you got a picture to hold the memory. It took me a few minutes of looking at it, though, to figure out what was going on with the two gals on the right. I couldn’t figure out whose HAND that was! 🙂
Crystal Paine says
After I posted the picture, I noticed the whole weird hand placement and texted my friends to say, “What on earth was going on with Tammy’s hand??” We hadn’t noticed that and we all had a good laugh over it! 🙂
Davonne says
Seeing you with so many bags for one night cracked me up. I love how happy & excited you look in that photo – it reminds me of sleepovers with friends as teenagers and packing way too much stuff (in a good way!).
Five things I’m loving this week are:
1) Friday I wrapped up my last week of overtime hours!!!
2) Making plans & working on details for a Praying through Proverbs marriage series this October with Darlene Schacht of Time-Warp Wife.
3) We cleaned the house in record time yesterday and it felt so amazing and cozy last night with candles lit and lights dimmed.
4) On Saturday, our home was filled with neighborhood friends who have been counting down the days to my last day of full time work.
5) Stepping out of my comfort zone and coaching two soccer teams this fall – I’m really enjoying it so far and my girls love that I’m on the field with both of them.
Have a wonderful, unplugged Sunday!
Crystal Paine says
Per your second item, what a FUN idea! Can’t wait to hear more about it!
Tracy says
Please tell me more about your weekly Monday group. I’m convicted about intentionally building deeper relationships with a few women but actually don’t know where or how to start. It’s kinda scary for me, actually…..but I know it will be fruitful if done well.
Crystal Paine says
Our Monday group is made up of 6 very different families. We all were craving community and it’s turned out to be one of the best gifts ever! We get together for dinner and just to hang out every Monday night. It’s super informal — we all pitch in and bring stuff and then we eat and hang out. Sometimes, we have very serious discussion because someone is really struggling. Sometimes, we laugh our heads off while different people try to learn dance moves (that was last week). But each week, we come away feeling encouraged and built into as a result of our time together.
{Scroll down to read my response to Lisa on how the group got started.}
Victoria says
I will have to check out the legging video. I found pans like that in our cupboards frequently when the children were first learning how to do the dishes …although not quite that bad! I am so glad you are feeling better.
5 Things I am Loving This Week
1) My hubby found a Denny’s off an exit we took to go to our son’s soccer game and literally screamed for joy—seeing him get so excited over Denny’s really cracked me up…I love my simple pleasures man (by the way I am not as big of a Denny’s fan as he is so I already told him this could not become a regular date night stop which made him pout) .
2) The wonderful warm (HOT) days we have been having followed by cool nights and mornings. I don’t want them to end.
3) Awesome soccer games! My son’s team might not be winning every game but they are playing some great soccer.
4) Watching my son’s talent as a defender grow.
5) My daughters growth in sewing skills lately.
Crystal Paine says
You and I agree on the Denny’s thing. 🙂