Friday Favorites {edition thirteen/still quarantined}

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals, and her friends, for this blog post.

Today is my Drew's twentieth birthday.  Twenty!  No longer a teenager.  It's weird, when they pass from one decade to the next.  It's a strange birthday, and one he will never forget.  He was struggling with the thought of it last week, as he found out that his work was closed for another week, but this week he seems better.  I think he's just accepted it, because he knows there is nothing he can do about it. 

I appreciate the fact that my family is still making him feel special, and that they're making the effort to get him their cards in person.  And the same is true of his friends.  On Wednesday afternoon his friends Emma and Leah dropped this off.

This kind gesture made me want to bawl.  I really appreciate thoughtfulness! 

Speaking of birthdays and favorites, this handsome fella turned 89 on Sunday.  My sister Trish and I met at his house to drop off cards, and we sat and visited with him and Sandy from a safe distance.

I love him so much and cannot wait to be able to have him back over on a Friday and to hug him. 

Wednesday was one of my favorite days of the week.  I got to "see" my sweet friend Amy, and I enjoyed hearing her teach on Psalm 24.  After I watched the live video on Facebook, I went back and read the chapter and made notes in my own journal using the HEAR method: Highlight, Explain, Application, Respond.

Pictures of my bible are always my favorite, because I love my She Reads Truth bible.  I love the wide margins, because writing notes in my bible is my favorite thing.  I had one that was falling apart, and then just a couple of months ago at a Lifeway women's event, I won this one!  I'm still in shock.

Also, in my quiet time right now, I'm currently in the book of Judges, and this is the artwork at the beginning of that book.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book in the bible.  And how scary are those words you see pictured above?!  It's amazing how quickly God's people would forget Him-just from one generation to the next.  There would be a generation of people who would walk in His ways, and the next generation would forget Him. 

Here is what I'm reading currently.  These are my favorite books.  She is one of my favorite authors, and this month she's coming out with a new book!  I can't wait. 

Online church services are one of my favorite things right now, and my oldest son picked this up in preperation for our Sunday service.  We will watch and take this together.

I loved the way Graham's truck looked Wednesday night when I walked to the mailbox.  I took this and sent it to him right away.  His truck is NOT my favorite, but I'm glad he loves it.  😂

I saved my favorite for last.  On Tuesday, Todd and Jonah spent the day out in the garage building that new shelf you see up high, and hanging the ones to the right of the fridge.  Since I took this, we also got rid of the baker's rack you see on the far right of this picture and added more of the same white shelving.  I love how it turned out!

Clean garages are my favorite.

I'm also loving this new Scripture writing plan for April.  Have you started yet?  We have nothing but time these days, so let's spend it wisely.

Another thing that isn't necessarily my favorite but necessary is good quality nail polish colors.  My go to brands are OPI and Essie.  I soaked the dip powder off of my nails last Friday and have been keeping them polished with an Essie color that's my current favorite. 

Share some of your favorites from your week with me, I'd love to hear them!  Thanks for reading.  Love to all!

another post while we're quarantined

I know you must be bored of me, and I get it~I am bored with myself!  Do not feel like you have to read, or like and comment on every blog post I share.  I always share them on social media just because it's habit, but sometimes I forget and don't do that, which was the case for yesterday.  Or I don't share them, because they're more for me.  Remember how I always say that these are more for me than anyone else, because I love to document life. 

Yesterday was another really good day.  It started as usual, and my friend taught on Psalm 24 at 9:30, so it was good "seeing" her and being taught by her.  (If you are interested, let me know and I can invite you to our women's ministry page on Facebook where she does the teaching.)  That helped make the morning go by, because when it was over I went upstairs to get dressed and to fold laundry and make the bed. 

After that I came downstairs and started more laundry, and I ate lunch.  Todd and Drew left to take Crash to the vet again and they went to the chiropractor.  While they were gone I finished a book and watched a show or two on Netflix.  They came home and Todd started another project in the garage with Jonah.  They added more shelving to where the stairs are in the garage that lead into the house and they threw away the old baker's rack that was there.  That was the first thing Todd ever bought me, by the way, but neither of us are super sentimental with things, so we just tossed it.  (And it's broken~I should add that bit of info, lest you think I'm heartless.)

Here's the book I started reading last night.

I just love all these Sisterchicks books!  My bestie and I are reading them simultaneously almost, and when she finishes each book, we're going to have a book club phone date.  I love this idea!  Also, I miss her.  (I'm listening to her teach as I write this blog post on Wednesday night.  I'll take seeing her in any form I can, and I'm loving her chronological bible teaching.)

While Todd and Jonah were working on the garage shelves, Drew's friends came by and dropped this off for him, in honor of his birthday that will be on Friday. 

I think this is the sweetest thing ever!  Emma and Leah have been really great friends to him, and I love that they helped make him feel so treasured for his 20th birthday.

Another thing that happened yesterday was that when Graham was coming home from a job here in town, he stopped by our church and picked this up for us to take together this coming Sunday.

Never in my life did I ever think we would be at this point in life.  I am not naive, it's not that I don't think bad things won't happen to us.  I am a realistic person; that being said, these times are just unprecedented.  I'm so thankful for the fact that we have social media to use as positive outlets to stay connected to friends, and I am so thankful for all this wonderful technology!  I never thought I'd say that, but it's true.  Here another little piece of advice for you~if you're not on social media, now is a great time to be there.  I love seeing my friends and what they post each day, whether it's a story or pictures.  I had gotten to where I tried not to overly share on there, but I've thrown all that out the window.  I think I posted four times yesterday alone.

Maybe more.  Who knows?  You can scroll on by, if it's too much.  Anyway, we will be taking this communion you see above together as a family this coming Sunday.  I can't believe it's Palm Sunday!  I'm so sad about not meeting collectively on Resurrection Sunday, that is my favorite Sunday of the entire year. 

The day we reunite will be that much sweeter though.  I'm looking forward to that time! 

Thanks for reading, friends.  Love to all. 

Garage Project

If you're on Facebook as my friend, you can stop reading this now, because you know about it already. 

Tuesday was a great day around here!  Todd, Graham, and Jonah kept busy all day and that made the day go by really quickly.  Graham had a job to do here in town, and he just went and picked up the piece of equipment and brought it here to work on.  And Todd and Jonah worked on the new shelving in the garage that Jonah dreamed up last week. 

They had bought the material prior to this, so all they had to do was wait on a nice day, and yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day, so it was perfect.

Before they did this, they had thoroughly cleaned out the garage.  They worked on this the week before last, and Jonah actually went through and cleaned it out a second time.  They started by pulling everything away from the back wall in the garage and cleaning the floor.  They swept and wiped up a couple of stains and got to work. 

I couldn't quite see the vision of what they had in mind, especially when they started nailing things into the wall studs, but as they worked, it all started to come together. 

It's built into the studs of the walls and ceiling.  Jonah was finishing up the last part of the project.  Todd got up there too and helped do the other side. 

We also had this wire shelving that they built for shoes before they called it a night. 

All put back together.  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for the six of us living in this house and with as much stuff as we all have, this is remarkable.  They all love to play basketball, they have tools and work stuff out here, the lawn mower, leaf bag holder, leaf blower are all out here, along with extra dog food, camping gear, detailing products and tools, rakes, shovels, and ladders.  Everything has a very specific place now, and hopefully this will help it stay organized.

Chip and Crash had to come check things out.  They approved. 

It was a long day, but it sure feels great to have it finished, even if Todd is paying for it for the next few days.  It was about an eight hour project. 

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.

Tuesday, March 97th and a few odds and ends

I saw that in a meme a couple of days ago, and it made me laugh.  "In case you're wondering, today is March 97th.", or something along that line.  It feels true, doesn't it?  If I think too far ahead, I could easily get overwhelmed, as we all recently learned that the "shelter in place" has been stretched to April 30, a whole month away.  So I don't look far ahead, I take things slow, and by just one day at a time.  That's my quarantine advice for the day. 

I was looking at a couple of my sons last night, and they are really starting to need haircuts!  I have to laugh, as I wonder what we'll all look like, because my own hair is in need of highlights. 

I soaked the dip powder off of my nails Friday night and cut them all back to short again, which is how I prefer them, and painted them.  And then last night, I cut them a little shorter, and gave myself a pedicure and manicure. 

I found a show to watch on Hulu every morning!  I've not watched the news at all for the past week, because I cannot bring myself to turn it on.  I found Counting On, which is a continuation of 19 Kids and Counting, and a lot of the siblings are now grown or married and with kids of their own.  I loved that show from years ago, and I don't know if you remember, but it ended very abruptly when it came out that one of the sons, Joshua, had inappropriately touched girls when he was younger.  And then a few weeks after that leaked, it also leaked that his names was one of the names found on that dating website that encouraged people to be unfaithful to their spouses.  Remember that whole scandal?  Some of that is talked about on this show, Counting On.

My dad turned eighty nine on Sunday!  That picture of him and me was the day after I got married.  All of our parents came to eat breakfast with us before we left on our honeymoon.  And this is him just a couple of days ago, on his birthday.  Because of the quarantine thing, we wanted to respect that and not get too close to him, so though we didn't hug him, we sure did spread the love by spending a few hours outside of their house on Sunday afternoon.  It was a gorgeous day, and we all sat far apart and had cake and caught up.  It was such a sweet afternoon.  It was just my sister Trish and myself that went, as I didn't want to overwhelm him with too many people.  It was so good to see him and to be able to give him his birthday cards.

Here's the new Scripture writing plan for April!  It's hard to believe tomorrow is April 1.  My Drew turns 20 on Friday, and he's a little bummed to be spending the day and evening alone. 

Well, thanks for reading, friends.  Love to all! 

how we're staying sane during quarantine

I know everyone is in the same boat, and that the novelty of being quarantined has started to wear off.  If I'm being honest on here, and I always try to be honest, I will confess that everyone's fuse seems to be a little shorter than normal.  At one point last night, my husband was so bored that I think delirium set in for a few minutes.  We had a good laugh about it, and I'm glad the emotions came out as laughter, because sometimes it could be through tears that we express all these feelings.

My fuse is shorter than normal, too, and I really have to stay in the word of God and pray my way through these times.  I discovered a couple of days ago that though I'd been having quiet time each morning, by the time I would be ready to start praying, that everyone would start coming downstairs.  These days remind me of when the boys were little.  I had to push to get up earlier than them, and I am going to have to start doing that again.  Prayer is vital to my emotional well being.

Those are two ways I'm staying sane: being grounded in God's word and through prayer.

Another thing I've been doing is trying to get out of the house every few days.  I still have to shop at the grocery store, and the other day I delivered some things to my dad, because they were out of a couple of things, and I was talking to Sandy right as I was pulling up to Kroger.  I am glad I had that opportunity to do that, it was good to be outside, and it was really good to see them.

I delivered birthday cards to Dad yesterday, so because I'll be out today, I will probably stay in again until Tuesday or Wednesday.  I've basically been getting out once in the week, and once on weekends.  Prayerfully, all this will be over soon.

Praying about my attitude has done wonders for me.  Having a husband who has made the boys all chip in with chores has helped tremendously. 

I'm still reading a lot, my favorite series of books, and I'm trying to stay busy.  I pray this encourages you in some way...I'd love to hear what you're doing to stay sane.  This week, we have some projects we're hoping to complete.  That will help a lot, and it'll be exciting to see them all done.  I'll post about it another day.

Thanks for reading!  I'd have written about the weekend, but we've not done anything noteworthy.  Until tomorrow.  Love to all!

Friday Favorites {edition twelve/quarantined edition}

Happy Friday, friends.  Or, happy just another day at home.  That made me laugh.  All the days are running together, as I'm sure they're doing for all of us.

I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals, and her friends Erika and Narci, for this blog post.

I have been loving and looking for the bright side of all this crazy all week.  I have found things that have moved me to tears, I've found things that have made me laugh out loud, and I've been sharing them with the people I love.  I thought I'd do that here, now.  These types of things are my favorite thing about what we're all going through right now.

Anyone else have the munchies nonstop?  I laughed really hard when I saw this.

SO MANY TIMES I've missed hugging people.

My own included!

Let's just say we all may looking a little rough by the end of all this, those of us who use salons for services like nails and hair and botox.

I have dip powder on my nails right now, but they're really long and in need of a refresh, so I'm going to have to soak the powder off this weekend and just paint them.  I can't go another week with them as they are and I can hardly type, they're so long.  (I am the opposite of most people and hate long nails.)

Another favorite thing is that many recording artists are using their time at home to do sing-a-longs or hymn sings.  This is Keith and Kristin Getty and two of their three daughters.  I listened to most of this a couple of nights ago.  I've also loved watching/listening to Natalie Grant and her husband Bernie Herms.

Easy mornings spent drinking coffee and watching shows on Hulu or movies are another favorite.  So is the Christmas mug you see.

Pineapple salad is one of my favorite things to eat, and this was lunch a few days ago.  It's been ages since I've had it, and I enjoyed every single bite, even it may have given me an ulcer in my mouth from the pineapple juice.

Last Sunday a very small group of people met and helped put on our church's livestream service.  I was so glad to have been a part of it, and helping lead worship is one of my favorite things, but this was one of the most strange things I have ever done.  Trying to lead in worship without "performing" for the cameras that were directly in front of us was interesting.

This is the chronological bible I'm reading along in, and coming across my dad's words is always a favorite thing.  He and I passed this bible back and forth over the years, taking turns reading in it, and this was a surprise on Saturday when I opened up to that day's reading.

Isn't the eighties everyone's favorite?!  One of my favorite human beings had a birthday yesterday, this handsome fella and patriarch of the Goodwin family.  My father in law turned seventy-seven and we look forward to celebrating him when all this stuff is past us.

Well, that's about all I've got for this week.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all.

a few things about the people in my house

I used to do posts about the people in the house a long time ago, and I think I titled them "He".  I was inspired by another blogger to do this today, though, and to have it to look back on someday.  Crazy times!  

Graham and Todd have been working from home ever since mid-week last week, so it's still the same.  Today they both actually had to put on real suitable-for-the-public clothes and go do a couple of jobs.  Graham has worked on his truck, detailed his truck, deep cleaned his room, and binge watched tv shows on Netflix.   I think I heard him on the X-Box a couple of nights ago, too.  Periodically he will get in his truck and go drive.  His truck is a diesel and it really does need to be cranked and driven every day or so.  I think the dogs have enjoyed him being at home so much.  At least Crash has. 

He's gone and gotten takeout a few times since we've been told to stay home, and he comes downstairs every once in a while and sits and does this. 

I think more than anything he misses going to truck shows and meeting up with the friends he's made there.  Who knows when that will start back up.

Drew has been enjoying some much appreciated rest and relaxation.  His schedule is crazier than anyone I know, and I know he has loved the mornings to sleep in and the nights of not having to be anywhere.  He works from 7:15 to 9:15 every morning, most weeks, and also 3:15 to 6:15 at a Christian daycare.  In between that, he goes to school and keeps up his grades.  He came down at two today for lunch and told me how messed up on time he is right now, because he's been sleeping in every morning and staying up until 3 a.m. playing X-Box with friends over the internet.

His daycare has been closed this week for cleaning and it'll be closed again next week, and it hit him yesterday that he'll be away from his beloved kiddos there that he adores and that he'll be here and alone on his birthday a week from tomorrow.  Poor guy.

Other than that, he's loving the online school thing, because just last night Todd caught him "in class" while playing a video game.  He also thoroughly cleaned his room this week. 

Jonah has been bored out of his mind.  I've not made them start back to school yet, like I said I would, but he's been keeping busy.  Or trying to.  He's cleaned the garage out two different times now, and detailed three vehicles.  (For free.)  He stayed up until three a.m. one morning watching YouTube videos on how to construct some high shelving in the garage, and dreaming up the plans.  (And today they went and purchased the materials needed to complete the job.)

He's cleaned his room, he's gone to get takeout, he's gone for drives, he's been to the store for me, and he's played video games and watched a new show with Todd. 

Jonah loves to be busy and is very social, so this hasn't been the easiest for him, but overall, his attitude has been great.  He's been battling a sinus thing all week, and in the midst of all this, he's not been feeling great.  Just imagine what he can do when he feels great.

Noah has gone to work several times, and a couple of those times, he's been sent home early because they weren't busy.  He's played video games, cleaned their room, gone to the gas station and to get takeout, and laughed his head off with Drew. 

He's also really social, but he's also okay with being at home.  He offered to help his twin clean the garage the other day, but Jonah actually said he preferred to work alone, that everyone else would get in his way.

Todd has been binge watching a show on Netflix that I am ready for to be over, he's messed around in the garage, he's done a couple of honey do things for me, he's helped me by shopping at Costco, he took Crash to the vet, and he's worked. 

And you know what I've been doing. 

So that's us for now, and how we're all "handling" this.  Some days are really good, like today because of the sunshine, and some days are sad when things hit them, like Drew being at home alone on his birthday.  We're just taking things like everyone else, one day at a time, and staying off of all the media outlets.

I'm leaving you with my new favorite thing on the internet.  Click here to go listen to an incredible video of a bunch of singers in Nashville collaborating for a hymn sing type thing.

Thanks for reading!  Love to all.