What I Learned This Fall: September-November 2017

Oh Alexander, I can relate!

As I write this, my Mom is celebrating her 91st Birthday!! I am thankful that she was born, thankful she met and married my amazing Daddy Vaughn, thankful that she had my two older sisters and me and thankful to have her as my Mama! She is very young-at-heart and it's hard to believe she's been on Earth for 91 years! I choose to believe that my kind qualities come from her! She was a teacher her whole life; to students and her children. She graduated from Depauw University, earned her Masters degree from Ball State and she taught at  College Wood Elementary in Carmel, Indiana from the day the school opened until she retired. She was the BEST 5th-grade teacher ever and she passed on the teaching gene to her three daughters and three of her grandchildren.

(The Story "girls" on my visit this Fall.)

Besides all the lessons I've learned from my Mom, here are some other things that I learned this fall:
1. Some people can sleep with their cats, but not me!
My one-year-old, always hungry, growing daily, red kitty wants to sleep on my pillow on top of my head or on my neck! He makes it difficult for me to breathe, let alone sleep! I can really only snuggle with him when I'm sitting on the couch.  Oh, Thor!

2. I finally figured out how to clean and shine my teapot.
For some reason, when you leave your teapot on a burner while you fry or cook, it gets coated in residue that just won't come off with dish detergent. After years of frustration, I hunted online and found that a paste of baking soda with white vinegar makes a gentle scrub that takes off the gunk and leaves the finish. Thanks, Martha! 

3. Being a "Great-Aunt" is super fun and gives me a glimpse of how amazing it will be to become a Grandma someday.
Thanks to my nieces and nephews in Indiana, I have nine Greats! I didn't get to see them all on my trip back to the Midwest this Fall, but I did get to see five of them including the two new twin baby girls. 

4. Sometimes life gets hard and things change quickly.

I thought my part-time job was always going to be "my spot."  Finding out my hours were being cut was HARD. Throughout my adult years, I have spent time as a waitress, teacher, full-time Mama, and sales clerk at the baby boutique. What's next? It's time to start hitting the pavement and find my next $pot. 

We knew my husband's job was probably going to end. (I'm proud that he hung in there as long as he did! ) When it really happened a few weeks ago, it was HARD. 

When our five-year-old front-loader washing machine stopped working and even with the new part wouldn't work, that was ANNOYING. My sweet friend let me use her home like a laundromat until our new top-loader was delivered. Thanks again Dawn!!

Deciding to sell our dream home was HARD! Not knowing if it's the right solution has us awake at night. I'll let you know what we decide... Which leads me to #5.

5. TMJ is a THING and I have it!

Headaches. Every day. All day and night. I have been trying to rule out the causes. My doctor sent me to an ENT, Ophthalmologist, MRI and guess what I found out at the Dentist this week?... I have TMJ and my pain is exactly like the picture below. I wish I had found this article months ago! I suffer from all of it. I could be the girl in this photo!

So...I'm now going to be wearing my night guard, taking Advil every four hours, and applying moist heat. (Not sure about the don't speak too much and don't bite your nails mentioned in this article.) Perhaps my stress level is through the roof?...

6. Do you want to become a minimalist? Put your house on the market!

We actually got our home "on the market" one week after we made the decision. I sped through each room, pulling items to get rid of. Some things were boxed up and are stored in our garage. Daily trips to Goodwill happened. My bible study friends got used to me schlepping in bags of "stuff" for them to look at. Two of my best friends did a walk-through and advised me what else I needed to remove to make our home look VERY uncluttered and tidy. Then, the deep cleaning began...

I really miss my family photos and "GOD is Good" artwork, but other than that, everything left "sparks joy" as in Marie Kondõ's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. 

If you're serious about decluttering and purging, you might want to check out a book coming out next month called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson that I discovered while looking around on Amazon. Basically, the premise is "Let's not leave our cr__ for our family members to deal with." I can't believe some of the stuff I've been saving!

Perhaps I need to write a book on how this transplanted Midwest-turned-PNW-recovering-sentimental-hoarder is learning how to say goodbye to stuff?!

For those of you who have read my posts this month, I don't really have an update on my current situation. Are we selling? Moving? Finding jobs? 

I've always loved Fall, this year's Fall just hasn't been my favorite. Alexander in the book at the top had a terrible, horrible, very bad day, and I've been feeling like we've sort of had a very bad month. I DO know God knows and sees and has a plan, and so we will just continue praying for wise decisions that are God-honoring. 

I am linking up to Emily P. Freeman from Chatting at the Sky. Enjoy! 

Only 25 more days until Christmas!! Let the joyful merriment celebrating Jesus begin!

In His Grip,

xo Jane

What I Learned This Summer

At the end of each season, I think back to all I've learned, and link up with other bloggers on Emily P. Freeman's Blog called "Chatting at the Sky." What a fun summer I enjoyed! Highlights included being with all my kids during Hoopfest weekend, deck time with friends, learning to eat healthier resulting in some weight loss, spending four days in Napa, and celebrating my birthday with my family in Spokane. 

Here are ten things I learned:

1. The Grammarly App should have been put on my computer years ago!

Better late than never... Grammarly helps me stop making grammatical errors when I write. It underlines words in red that are misspelled, or if I need to add punctuation. Who knew all those Happy Birthday messages I sent on Facebook needed a comma...

2. My dog Sydney is NOT a good neighbor, so it's a good thing we live where we live, and not on 5th Ave in New York City!

Have you heard of the Good Canine Citizen test that is required in order to live in many NYC condos? Check out this article. There are so many behaviors that are inappropriate in my rescue puppy. Some days, (like yesterday when our Vet bill was over $300 for her allergies and eye infections) I get frustrated. Then, I look at this face and remember how sweet she is at home.

Sydney has loved napping in the sunshine this summer (so has her pet Mama), but one day she skidded off the deck by accident. We're thankful she landed in the Ivy and didn't hurt herself! The new railing goes up this weekend!

3. Even when you know your child is about to become engaged, when it happens it is SO EXCITING!

Our youngest daughter's boyfriend (now fiance') had asked "the question" of my husband, and we knew the ring was in Nick's possession. That did not take away from the surprise of where and when it happened, (at the top of a mountain in Montana on a Sunday evening) and their JOY made me scream cheer and cry when they Facetimed us.

4. Be specific when you ask Google to find "Mother of the Bride" hats.

When my son got married I got a cute white "mother of the groom" baseball hat. It is now a traveling hat; I loan it to friends when their sons are engaged and then they return it and I pass it on...Think, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". Anyway, I googled hats expecting to see baseball caps with lettering but instead, I got this:

Hmmm...perhaps if the wedding next Summer was happening in Great Britain!

5. Phlebotomists can tell if you're dehydrated by how hard or easy it is to stick the needle in your arm.

When I got some blood drawn, my Phlebotomist asked if I'd been drinking enough water because my skin was "tough" to poke. Great! I suppose since I finished Whole 30 last month my water bottle isn't always by my side... (You can read about my Whole 30 journey here.)

6. Even six years after a fall on your front teeth, followed by a root canal, you still should cut up your apples.

I wondered why my front teeth have been achy this week, and then I remembered I ate a whole apple on the way to church Sunday. Normally I cut them up because my teeth are still SO sensitive due to that ridiculous fall that happened years ago...

7. Some people move before they pack!

We've moved a lot over the 34 years we've been married. I'm a list-maker and  gather supplies person, who has the boxes labeled and ready-to-go before "Moving Day." Some of my favorite Millennials do not prepare this way. When we arrived to pick up our now 28-year-old from her Sophomore year in the dorm, she'd barely started packing! When we arrived to help our son and daughter-in-law move out of their apartment and into a rental home this summer, they also weren't packed. The moves still happened. 

My heart is hurting for ALL the displaced people in Houston who were forced to move out of their homes due to Hurricane Harvey and flooding. Even if they packed a few special items knowing the waters were rising, no one could possibly be prepared for the devastation that happened. 

8. Kirk from The Gilmore Girls has two big roles in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies.

The actor, Sean Gunn, not only plays the Ravager named Kraglin, but he is also the motion reference actor for Rocket the Raccoon. (Bradley Cooper only does the voice of Rocket.) Sean is really talented at moving about on all fours, is most likely less expensive than Bradley, and his brother James is the director and a co-writer for the Guardians movies.

I really enjoyed the movie, and the soundtrack is SO good! "Alexa, play the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Soundtrack please..." Shoot, I have to be a member of Amazon Music unlimited. ($3+ fee a month)

9. My family is sort of famous.

My daughters and I peeked inside a Wedding Dress store while in Spokane last weekend. I grabbed the thick, free "The Wedding Resource Guide" magazine on our way out and flipped through the pages. All of a sudden I noticed familiar faces! What a fun surprise to see my son and his bride's wedding from October 2015  featured on two pages! Aren't they adorable? 

10. Something new is in store for me.
For the last four+ years, I have worked part-time at a baby boutique and loved learning about the business and meeting all the babies and their parents and grandparents. My sweet boss needs to be in the store more, so I have to move on to another adventure... I have ZERO ideas what my Fall will look like, but I DO know that God has a plan for me and I just need to trust, obey and wait. Are you in a season of waiting?...

Here's a bit of last-minute summer joy my daughters experienced on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho last weekend. May their joy be contagious!

Thank you for reading SJL, and please join me in praying for Houston. Our prayers matter as much as our financial contributions! 

In July, Max Lucado tweeted the following: "Our prayers may be awkward.But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do matter."

What did you learn this summer?

In His Grip,
xo Jane

What I Learned This Spring

Lots of lessons learned and things discovered this Spring:

1. Graduations, kitties and babies bring family and friends together. 
My #3 graduated with his Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (T.J. is in the photo at the top, along with his sisters Sarah and Allie.) so we headed over to spend the weekend in Spokane, WA. While there we had lots of time around tables of food, met the newest kitty in the family (Layla) and bumped into a friend from our former church small group while visiting a newborn baby. 

2. We had the wettest weather in 122 years here in the Pacific Northwest. 
I really didn't need the news to inform me of this fact; I lived through it! SO not fun. SO sick of rain. SO realize that the East Coast was hammered with snow and there was horrible rain last month in the Midwest. BUT... we had relentless wet, gray days. UGH. We've finally turned a corner and had a warm, sunny Memorial Weekend!

3. Seattle's Governor passed a bill allowing sunblock to be allowed in schools without a doctor's note. 
Did you know this was an ongoing battle? Did you know that sweet kids often get sunburns at recess or field days because teachers haven't been allowed to apply sunscreen without a doctor's note because it is considered a pharmaceutical? As a fair-skinned blond who has had skin cancer twice, I say "good job!" I do think it's ironic that Washington is the State to issue this, considering our lack of ongoing sunshine. I am not sure if other states have passed similar bills.

4. Talking honestly about beauty and insecurity gets a lot of reactions. 
My little blog doesn't have many subscribers so I normally post a link on Facebook where I get much more "traffic." Back in March I wrote a post entitled Let's Get Real: About Beauty. You get check it out here. I got SO many people giving it a thumbs up or thanking me for being real. Golly, guess we all have a bit of insecurity. And then I remind myself that God looks at the heart... 1Samuel 16:7

5. Spring Break Get-Aways with adult daughters are so fun!
Between the desperate need for warmth and sunshine, plus wanting to spend time with my two daughters who teach on the other side of the State, we were excited to head South to San Diego. I wrote a three part series on our trip including food, what we did and where we stayed. Check out Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Looking at all the pictures makes me want to go back!

6. One of my favorite Bible Study teachers/authors, has a famous Dad.
I am just finishing up the study "Armor of God" by Priscilla Shirer. It's SO good! I also enjoyed Priscilla as an actress in the Christian movie called "War Room." I watched it at our church's Women's Retreat. 

I did NOT know until page 127 of my study, that her father is Dr. Tony Evans, a well-known Pastor. That explains her passion and quest for knowledge and sharing the Gospel. I think it's impressive that she doesn't bring up his name or identity unless it's relevant. He was the first African-American to earn his doctorate in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Here's one of his quotes that I love:

"Faith is acting like it is so, even when it is not so, so that is might be so, simply because God said so."

7. My Ancestry DNA results weren't quite what I'd hoped for...
My sweet husband gave me the kit for Christmas. All I had to do was spit in a little vile, send it in, and WAIT. I waited three months (they claimed a big Christmas rush) and finally got the email with the little pie-chart diagram of my origins. Here's what I got:

•  75% Great Britain
•  8% Scandinavia
•  5% Italy/Greece

No offense Princess Kate, but I was really hoping for WAY more Norwegian to show up vs. Great Britain. Meh. I do have a tiny bit of Irish and Scottish blood, which is good! The results also concluded that my genetic communities settled in the Ohio River Valley. Yep, I was born and raised in Indiana. Would I recommend the DNA test? Well, if you're really curious and interested in your ancestry you might get more exciting results than I did. It was kinda pricey. I believe about $90. 

8. Mystery foot injury causes weight gain to dog (and me!)
I woke up a couple months ago with my foot throbbing. I might have strained it on a bench press machine at the YMCA. An X-ray didn't show a fracture, but I continued to limp and wasn't able to work out or take walks with my dog for about two months.  I finally began P.T. at the beginning of May and after three weeks of therapy I am much better! Due to my mysterious injury, not only did I gain five pounds, but my puppy dog is chubbier too! I am starting to take Sydney on walks again, and we're BOTH on diet food.

I almost forgot about our dreadful Winter weather over the Memorial weekend since we enjoyed three days of summer-like warm temps and sunshine. When it is pretty here, it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

 "I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1-2

Thanks for reading about my little corner of the world. (At the end of each season, I link up with Emily P. Freeman from "Chatting at the Sky" and other bloggers to share what we've been learning...)

What did YOU learn this Spring?

In His Grip,
xo Jane

What I Learned This Winter

Before I turn in on this "Fat Tuesday" I'm looking back at some of the things I've learned over the past three months. 

1. Just GO:
When my Mom (who is 90) was admitted into the hospital back in January I had a few days of battling internally whether or not I should fly back to Indiana quickly. After four days and lots of prayers, God gave me clarity and that evening I was on a "Red Eye" headed East. I'm SO glad I went! We had great faith talks, I got to spend time with family, and thankfully I was there to see her condition improve. She's now back in her independent apartment! I have zero regrets about deciding to drop everything, cancel weekend plans to go see three of my kids, and purchase a plane ticket. I should have remembered that my word of the year is NOW! (I wrote about my word here.) Don't hesitate if your heart nudges you...just GO!

2. I learned current hospital vocabulary: E.D. vs. E.R.
Someone needs immediate emergency medical attention; where do they go? In the past it was called the E.R. (emergency room) but apparently it is now referred to the E.D. (emergency department). Names can get confusing. See #3.

3. There are two ways to spell my nickname:
My name is Jane. Pretty simple, and even though I'm not a good speller, I can handle my four letter name. (The name Jane is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Jane is: Gift from God.) 

Family members and close friends often use my nickname. Growing up, my  family always spelled it  J-a-n-i-e , but lately, I've noticed people spell it 
J-a-n-e-y when they write me notes. My husband even spelled it with a Y on my Valentine's card envelope! What should I do?... What looks correct?... What would YOU do if you were me?... 

4. We're having fun cooking together:
We joined Hello Fresh right after Christmas and have been ordering three meals about two or three weeks per month. The food is indeed fresh and healthy and very tasty. The recipes are easy and fun to prepare and my husband often makes dinner; it's his way to unwind after a busy day on the phone or traveling for work. We've really cut back on our trips to the grocery! 

Photo source: http://www.splendry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hello-fresh-cover.jpg

5. Do not let a repeating ad on your computer suck you in...
A photo advertisement of a coffee sweatshirt kept popping up every time I was on social media. It was from Shein. After a couple weeks I decided to order it.

Do you notice how cropped the sweatshirt looks in the picture? Guess what? It IS that short! This 50+ "girl" will not be wearing my new top out in public. (Too much trouble to return it and it was cheap.) Perhaps it's extra motivation to work on my core?...

6. Snow in Western Washington always shuts everything down.
There are just too many hills, not enough plows and salt trucks, and definitely not enough drivers who know how to operate a car when there is snow and ice on the roads. Schools gets closed. Charlie Barnes where I work even closed one day! So pretty...

I finally got Sydney out for a run in the park at dusk.

7. Mistakes happen:
We ALL make mistakes (well, all except Jesus.) Some mistakes are just seen by more people than others. If you watched the last five minutes of the Oscars, you know what I'm talking about. "What have you done Warren?!"

8. You can have a "Fat day" on any day of the year, not just Mardi Gras:
Thanks to my wonderful husband, I had a "Fat Sunday." I wasn't feeling super after church and he brought me a MacDonald's Shamrock~Chocolate milkshake and a Mac Jr. and small Fries too. THAT friends, was very unhealthy as far as nutrition goes, but quite healing to my sore throat and very much love-in-action.

Thanks for reading about my little corner of the world. What did YOU learn this winter? I'm linking up with Emily P. Freeman at Chatting at the Sky. 

In His Grip,
xo Jane



 

What I Learned in May~2016

Here's a  look back at what I learned in May, besides the fact that my Loft sneakers totally match the furniture at the Davenport Tower Hotel in Spokane, Washington...

1. That tummy roll of mine that seems to have inflated the last several years has an official name: Meno Middle.

Anyone else out there in their 50's who is wondering what that roll is that won't seem to go away?Yep, another lovely side-effect of growing older. 

Photo source: alovelyflock.com

2. Preschool Art Tip:

When I substitute taught Preschool this month I learned that if you add a tiny bit of dish soap to paint (especially red paint) it will wash off hands, tables and clothes more easily. This tip was shared by a wonderful veteran teacher, Mrs. Rohn, who will be retiring next week. She looked at the mess I was cleaning up after our fun Ladybug project and realized she'd forgotten to add the soap...I'm amazed I escaped without getting ANY paint on my clothes! I forgot to snap a photo, but the project was a lot like this:

photo source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipLcwEhp3yk

3. Siri can be a nutritional coach:

I've talked about my love of Pao's donuts before. They are the BEST! One afternoon I was almost ready to pull through the drive-through for a snack, but decided to ask Siri how many calories were in a chocolate frosted cake donut. When I received the answer (370 calories!!) I was able to gain enough self-control to just drive straight home. I obviously need to talk to Siri more often so I can lose the "meno middle," (See above.) Update: after my doctor visit this morning (I've been sick in bed for over a week) I said to heck with Siri, Meno middle and calories and got myself a donut on the drive home. #sorrynotsorry

photo source: commons.wikimedia.org

4. One of my issues has a name in the dictionary:

Do you sometimes have trouble making plans, choosing paint colors, or ordering at restaurants? If you do, you might have Decidophobia!

(Decidophobia is, according to Princeton University philosopher Walter Kaufmann, a fear of making decisions. He coined the term in his 1973 book Without Guilt and Justice in which he writes about the phenomenon at length.) Wikipedia Dictionary

5. My budget won't allow me to dress like Reese Witherspoon:

Have you heard of the new line called Draper James? I consider myself someone with grace and charm, but obviously I don't have the right clothing budget or paycheck to order anything from her new Nashville store. Even her sale items are out of my reach! Sorta, kinda, fun to look and see what I would order if I could...

photo source:http://williamsonsource.com/witherspoon-opens-store-in-nashville/

6. Nashville is coming to an end:

The series "Nashville" came to an end this month. I did NOT like how it ended, but apparently the writers wanted to leave us hanging in case another network picks up the show. You can read about that here. 

My daughter who lives in Nashville is also ending her adventure. She moved there two years ago without a job and made quite a fun life for herself. She made SO many dear friends, loved her first grade teaching job, was very active in her neighborhood church, and enjoyed ALL that Nashville has to offer! 

She felt God calling her back to the Pacific Northwest so she's obeying. She'll be helping to plant a new church in Spokane, and hopefully she will quickly find just the elementary school that needs her experience and heart. She'll be in the same town as her younger brother, sister and sister-in-law; let the shenanigans begin! Stay tuned for updates~the sisters will be doing a cross-country-camping road trip to move her back!

When she arrived back in 2014 after our cross-country road trip

7. I have very compassionate family, friends, co-workers and employers:

I have been a bit like the character in The Grouchy Ladybug for the last week, while I've battled this cold/infection. I haven't had the energy to do ANYTHING. My husband has waited on me "hand and foot," my sweet friends have sent me texts and brought by flowers, and my work associates have been totally understanding when I've called into work sick. I am thankful! 

8. The world thinks I have four independent adult children:

Our baby girl graduated from college, signed a year lease on a charming wouldn't pass code apartment, and is interviewing for jobs. For 30 years we've given our four love and roots and wings and $ and now they are all living life under their own roofs, not ours. They are independent adults, but they're still my babies!

"I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always.

As long as I'm living, 

My baby you'll be."

Robert Munsch

I'm linking up with Emily P. Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.

What did you learn in May?

In His Grip,

jane