the weekend

Friday was a teacher in service day for the schools in The Ville, so I gave my kids the day off, too.  :)  Really what happened is that they finished their work early enough to earn that day off.  We had lunch with my dad and ended up coming back home, when we found out the gym at our church was closed.  A couple hours later, though, my friend texted me and told me her hubby was going up there to unlock it, and they invited all my kiddos plus an extra along.  They went, happily.

Friday night Graham and Drew went to McAllister's with some friends, so Todd, Jonah and Noah enjoyed a good dinner at home.  After dinner, Todd took the two littles to a friend's basketball game and some girls from church came over and we made cupcakes to take with us Saturday.

We listened to loud music and sang while we mixed and baked.  :)  I love these girls~they are all so much fun to be with and I am glad my boys have them as friends.  They've known each other since kindergarten.

Afterward, they might have had a small~ish fight that involved icing.

I made the boys clean up after they went home.  :)

Saturday we lounged around until noon.  I was on the laptop and I watched television.  (Exciting stuff, right?)  It was a lovely, lazy morning.

I'm not one for mushy Valentine stuff, but this was an image I loved.

We loaded into my car around one, made a couple stops, and went to see some of the kids from Street Reach they met last summer.

Graham was so attached to this little boy~and he to Graham.  Every time D'Korian sees Graham, he throws himself into Graham's arms.  It's the sweetest thing ever.  We go to see them, because they live in an area that isn't always included in the kids clubs that Street Reach does for the kids.  Their site is included only depending on the number of kids they have in a week to serve.  If there aren't enough kids to serve, the Treadwell site gets left out.

:(

They have come to expect us, and we like to go see them once every few weeks.

For dinner Saturday night, Todd and I made steak, roasted potatoes, asparagus and garlic bread.  And then we took the boys bowling with some friends.

Drew is crazy, and I have found that I can't take him anywhere.  He has acted weird all weekend, and then he goes and does this and lets me get a glimpse of his personality that I miss when he acts weird.  He said he was really tired all weekend.  Today he seems back to normal, though, much to my relief.

Yesterday after church, we went to Steak Escape for lunch.

I took this on the sly.  ;)  He wore this sweater that our friend who lives in Iceland made him.  It's not ever cold enough to wear it, so when it is, he takes advantage of the moment.  I love him so much.  On Instagram, I captioned this, "He's my lobster."

He is.

My mom brought me a Valentine's present yesterday.

She knows me so well!  Fleece pajamas.  :)  I love them and have them on right this moment.  They are so warm, and perfect to enjoy our snow day in.

We had community group last night, then came home and had dessert and watched our favorite shows.

The local schools closed, and when we woke up this morning, we woke up to ice.  Not snow.  Ice.  But it's okay, because ice is better to sled on!  I plan on taking them later this afternoon.

They have all been out already, but currently are back inside warming up.  I made them eggs and biscuits for breakfast and we're working on our second pot of coffee.  I do love a good and cold day off.

How are you spending this wintry day?  Love to all!

Friday Favorites

My favorite weekday again~it's the end of our week, and we get to see my sweet daddy.  :)  I have NOT been feeling the blog love this week.  I have gone to post several times and ended up deleting it each time.  I have so much I want to say, but when I wondered about it being taken wrong, I wrote in my journal instead. Some things are better left between just me and God, ya know?

I am linking up with Momfessionals for this post.

For those of you who know me well, you know that Valentine's day is not my favorite.  It should be named, "single's awareness day", instead, right?  I feel for the ones who long for a spouse on this day and always try to be kind on social media.  And by being kind, I mean not bragging about what I get from my husband.  In the spirit of keeping things real, I will tell you that we don't really celebrate this day.  Sometimes he forgets and will bring home flowers, but he brings those home on any day, and at random times.  He is so good about that.  We don't even buy gifts for our anniversary~gifts are not my thing.  I much prefer a written word or an expression of love, not a tangible thing.

I know.  I'm weird that way.  All that being said, tomorrow will be one of my favorites for sure!  Not because of the day, but because of what I am taking some teenagers to do.

When we went to visit these kiddos a few weeks ago, we made promises to come back on Valentine's day.  I plan on having a cupcake making party tonight.  We'll take them some yummy treats tomorrow and go love on them.

I do love my city, and this place has become one of my favorites.

I love that we can love the people around us~because He first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)

Some other favorites of mine~

I thank God for allowing me to be a part of the lives of teenagers.  I love these girls so much and I look forward to next weekend and spending the whole weekend with them!  This picture right above was taken at D-Now last year, when we met a sweet elderly couple, Frank and Audrey Stallings.

We have always loved our kids' friends.  I feel so fortunate that they have such great friends, but I know that is because I prayed for them!  One of my favorites of Jonah's and Noah's friends is this boy.

I love his heart and his laugh and his love of hugging.  :)  Is that not the sweetest picture you have ever seen?

This book is quickly becoming one of my favorites that I have read so far this year.

Funny story about this~this is the book that I thought my friend Angie recommended for me to read.  But when I told her about buying it, she got this blank look on her face.  Turns out she did not recommend this, but the Lord allowed me to find it at Lifeway.  It speaks directly to me, I feel like, and I have written and underlined so much in the pages.  And just a fun fact~Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith, singer in the group Selah.

My favorite coffee mug came out of hiding this week.

I love my morning quiet time.  And this mug that Jonah bought for me a few years ago.

My favorite author's latest book is my current fiction read.

I am making myself savor the read.  If I tried even slightly, I could read the whole book in a couple hours.  I fly through her books, because I love them that much.

Wednesday was one of my favorite moments, when my Bible study homework was so good that I worked through lunch.

I am loving this Precept study on 2 Timothy.

Yesterday when I went to wake up everyone for our homeschool group, I saw this.

It is my favorite thing when Jonah and Noah sleep together.  Twin problems.  Or perks, depending on how you look at it.  ;)

What have some of your favorite moments been this week?  I'd love to hear about them.

Love to all!

a little weekend stuff

Friday night found me all alone.  !!!  That rarely happens, when you're a homeschool mom.  :)  Todd, Jonah and Noah went on a one night camping trip, and Graham and Drew were invited to a sweet sixteen birthday party.  (It's weird that all their friends are driving!  And ridiculously scary.)  I seized the opportunity and invited my best friend out to dinner.  We always have so much fun catching up.

After I took her back home, I went to pick up the older boys and stayed and talked to my friend for a bit.  And a few minutes usually turns into an hour.  It's like we never see each other and we always have so much to say that it takes forever.  Ha!  Teenage kid problems.

Saturday was so lazy and amazing.  I did laundry and cleaned a bit, then I just watched television and finished reading a book~Keep It Shut, by Karen Ehman.  I took a few notes.

 

In taking notes, I found a surprise in my Post It Notes from Drew.

I love that kid.

I started another book right after finishing Keep It Shut.

I'm halfway through this already.  It's that good.

It was the greatest day.  I'm on a nonfiction kick with books right now, so that's all I've been reading.  I forced myself to put the book down, then we went to my mom and step-dad's house for dinner.  Minus Todd and Graham, but plus a friend.

Aren't they cute??  And yes, they are the same age.  This is their friend Cole.

It was a fun night.  Yesterday was church, and while it was amazing, it was also very emotional.  Our youth pastor and his family are moving to Virginia!  While we will miss them so much, I am excited for them and for the person God has in mind to fill the new slot.  I bawled all morning because I am really going to miss the wife in this family and their kids, and her hubby is so good at making sure all his leaders are fed spiritually.  He is a wonderful shepherd of the flock.  I know the Lord already has someone in mind, and that's exciting, but it's definitely bittersweet.  I also cried because everyone else was, and I am an sympathetic crier.  You cry, I cry.  That's all there is to it.

In our Bible fellowship class time, Mrs. Audrey came to see us.  It was one year to the day of when we met her and her sweet husband, Mr. Frank.

That was a day I will never forget.

Special times, indeed.

It was a great weekend with some sad moments, but it was still great.  And God is so good.  I hope you had a great one as well!  Love to all.

Friday Favorites

I'm linking up with my favorite mom blogger today, Momfessionals.  If you have never been to her blog, you should go there.

I have some strange moments that made it to my favorites list this week.

One.

These teenagers are a bright spot in my week.  Depending on how you view the week, they're either the perfect ending or the perfect beginning.  We had so much fun at our community group super bowl party Sunday night.  We laughed and laughed and laughed with these people whom I love.  Laughter is truly good for your soul.

Two.

I know it might seem strange, but I love phone conversations.  Too often, we only text or rely on social media to connect with friends.  I believe that it is crucial to friendship to actually schedule the time for a call.  Even better than a call would be to spend time with a friend, but sometimes distance prevents that.  A phone call is better than nothing.  I love my friends.  I thank God for them, and they all add such depth and meaning to my life.

Even when that phone conversation makes me cry, like the call I received this morning.  :/

Three.

Beautiful and sunshiney days and tire swinging.  In between the school work this week, the boys have been outside a LOT.  I am so thankful for the beautiful weather!  It's been cold a couple days, but I even love that.  I am also very thankful for the friendship that my boys have with one another.  I know they're not perfect and that they argue, but more often than not, they get along really well.  I've said over and over again that they would be bored if they didn't have each other.  

Four.

I found a product for my hair that has been life changing.

And no, I am not four years old with tangley hair.  I am thirty eight years old with a mess of curly hair.  It's a problem, trust me.  My sister Trish told me that I needed a detangler and I finally took her advice.  So thanks, Trishy!  

Five.

Last night while my hubby and kids watched Cars, I watched all seven sessions of Francis and Lisa Chan's video portion that goes along with their newest book, You and Me Forever.  After watching all seven sessions, I will be purchasing this book.  Preferably this weekend.  I am three chapters away from finishing Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman.  My plan is to finish that tonight and start this one above tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.  

It's been a great week.  There have been some unexpected moments and some moments of grace and some moments of laughter and heart break.  But through it all, God is good and He is faithful.  He amazes me each and every single day.  His timing is perfect and His providence is amazing.  I am humbled by Him.  

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.  

on being intentionally thankful & oh yeah

One of the moms of a girl that I teach gave me this great little journal for Christmas.  It was the perfect size for me to carry around in my purse, and that birthed an idea in my brain.  Since the journal is a dated journal, I decided to use it as my one sentence a day (well, most of the time) gratitude journal.

I always make that space in my journal every November, but I thought it would be really neat to do a whole year.  So, I packed up my colored pens one day, threw the journal in my purse and headed to the park with my boys.

The point of the journal is to be intentionally thankful for something every single day.  We have breath, therefore we have something to rejoice in.  The more you focus on being thankful, the more you start looking for Jesus in the everyday things.  Will it mean you never have a bad day?  Of course not.  It will, however, turn your mind to Him, and to thank Him in the midst of trials.  (Like the Bible says in the book of James.)

I said 'most of the time', because often, I end up with more than one sentence.  But that's okay.  The point is just to be intentionally thankful every single day.

The above is just a small sample of what each entry looks like.

Another thing I do is something I read recently in an article.  This is keeping an 'oh yeah' list~a list of things about your husband that you love, but otherwise would have forgotten about, had you not written them down.  The point of this is to focus on all your man's wonderful qualities, not the nit picky things you nag him about.  This is such a small and simple idea, but let me tell you~it will change your marriage.  I read over my list yesterday, and when Todd got home, I was extra glad to see him.

If you tend to focus more on negative than positive, I encourage you to give these two small and simple ideas a try.

Love to all.

catching up

Wow.  A lot has happened since last Wednesday.  I'll hit the highlights.

Thursday was awesome at Renewed Moms.  I took a picture of my boys being gentlemen on the way in.  I had a ton of stuff that day, and before I knew it, all of them disappeared with all my bags.  :)  Sweet boys that my hubby taught well.

When I got home, I had a new book waiting on me!  Blogging For Books gave me Love Without Limits to read and review on my blog.  So consider yourself warned.

Friday we went to Evergreen Presbyterian Church to hear the Memphis Symphony Orchestra play bits and pieces of Handel's Messiah.  There was even a chamber choir.  It was amazing!  My mom in love went with us and afterward, we ate lunch at my kids' favorite chicken joint~Abner's.

Friday night and all day Saturday was spent at a conference with some youth leaders from our church.  I took one picture.  One.

It was awesome, and all about discipleship.  I've been sharing nuggets of good stuff with my boys each day.

Saturday night we went to my mom's and step dad's for dinner for the first time since Christmas.  No joke.  It was good seeing them again!

Sunday~church!  My favorite day of the week.

We had someone take our picture Sunday morning.  :)  I adore them.  And these four girls are crazy and hilarious and only a small part of who was at our super bowl party Sunday night at community group.  We laughed and laughed and laughed some more.  I know I say it often, but seriously.  I love teenagers!

Yesterday was beautiful and the boys were outside a lot, in between school subjects.  And Todd hung a new tire swing this weekend!  They love it.

I had to take a clean hair selfie, because last night I washed my hair for the first time in five days.  Curly hair problems~I can't wash it that often because of how bad it dries it out, so I use detangler and a little conditioner on the in-between days.  :)  I went to bed with wet hair and it finally dried by this afternoon.  (I try not to use the hairdryer.)

Today's lunch consisted partly of fresh pineapple.  I took this picture and Drew said to title it hashtag Transformation Tuesday.  He's crazy.  But I did.  I also spent thirty five minutes standing at the sink peeling carrots.  That was my lunch~carrots and a banana.  And I made Jonah some more of his favorite no bake cookies.  Because he keeps eating them all.

I scheduled Graham's driving test today and I journaled about a dream I had last night.  It was a sweet and romantic dream about my husband, but the Lord turned it into a metaphor for me this morning and I wrote it down before I forgot.  And I've not journaled in a while, so I'm starting again.  I've been writing lots today, including some verses that jumped out at me.

So that's what we've been up to.  And why I haven't been on the blog for a few days.  I hope your week is going good!  Love to all.