Five on Friday

I haven't done a Five on Friday in months!!! I'm linking up with some other cute bloggers for this post, but I'm doing mine on five things that made my week!!

1. Monday night we had the Feast of Lights/12th Night Celebration at church. It is the "grand finale" of our holiday season and happens to be my favorite service of the season. My boys participated as usual, but their parts changed a bit this year. Sam was a page to the wise men. Fulton was an angel and Oliver was my baby sheep, of course.

The coolest part is that Fulton got the dime in the King Cake and is "The Investor" for the church for 2014!

If you don't practice this custom The Pioneer Woman explains the concept perfectly. We do our trinkets a little differently though. Some cakes only have 1 trinket, but our church's King Cake has three.

Ring - "The King/Queen" of the next Feast of Lights
2 Almonds - "The Host/Hostess" of the next Feast of Lights
Dime - "The Investor" takes the dime and generates money for the church over the next year.
 

 

 

 

 

2. Tuesday and Wednesday it was REALLY cold here. Unusually cold! The school districts decided it was in the best interest of ALL students to delay the start of school by 2 hours. It seemed a little silly at first, but my boys don't have to stand at a bus stop for an hour in the frigid temps! So I just took it as an opportunity to snooze a little longer and ease back into the routine after the holiday. 

The funny thing is, we're expecting temps in the 60's this weekend and next week! Gotta love SC!

 

3. Our heat went out during the "Polar Vortex"! That did NOT make my week!! We woke up Wednesday morning to it being 55 degrees in our house and it got as low as 48 degrees!!! FREE-ZING! 

 

It was miserable, but we made do around space heaters.

What DID make my week was when it came back on and the fact that we saved $1000 by getting a second opinion. Do your homework people!! Don't just go with the first quote because they drive fancy trucks and are popular! I have a great heat/AC guy now if you're in my neck of the woods.

4. I got new glasses! It had been waaaay too long since I last got a pair. I always opt for using the insurance allowance on new contacts because I wear those all the time. Not to mention, my glasses get right pricey with my REALLY bad prescription! They have to upfit my lenses so much that it ends up being $$$ "spancy". This year we decided to use up the rest of our insurance flex spending account on some new specs for momma. I really like them!

5. Thursday night was down-right comical for a couple of reasons. We had a our Junior League January General Membership meeting and my dear ol pal, Misty locked her keys in her car. {I'm pretty sure this has happened before. But then again, it could be a very vivid de-ja-vu.} Well, homegirl lives 45 minutes from these parts. So getting a spare key was not an option. I waited with her on AAA to come unlock the car. We decided we were hungry and ate a savory dinner from Chick-fil-A in my car staying toasty. While it's not glamorous, it was the perfect time to sit back and catch up from our bustling holidays.

 

 

Then, at home, just before bed, I got into a bizarre and hilarious text convo with my friend Anne. It went on FOR-EVER! It was one of the really good ones that you look back at the next day and laugh hysterically. I think we were delirious. Here are a few snipits...

 

 

 

And that's my five! 

So. What made your week?

 

Dysfunctional

My blog posting is as dysfunctional as this moment in my house.

While trying to edit a post I wrote 2 days ago, this is happening...

I'll set the stage of the last 30 minutes...
It's 25 degrees in Columbia, SC. The kids had a delayed start at school and weren't allowed to play outside. The sunshine is completely misleading because it's freezing!!!

Protester 1: (after already having 45 minutes on the PS3) Mom, can I have my phone (Shannon's old iphone - no phone service, that all 3 share)?

Me: If you want "screen time" you need to earn it by cleaning your room and making your bed.

Protester 1: I can't stand this house! Why do I have to do all this stuff? Why do I have to earn screen time? What is wrong with y'all?

Me: Ok. No. You may not have your phone! You are not going to talk to me like that.

Protester 1: Fine! I'm going outside. (wearing jeans, 1 pair of thin socks, a t-shirt, and a hoodie)

Me: Ok. You need on more clothes. It's freezing!

Protester 1: I'm fine!

Protester 2: I'm bored! Why does it have to be so cold? I want to jump on the trampoline.

Me: You can jump on the trampoline but you need to have on plenty of clothes because it's freezing.

Protester 2: (Also wearing jeans, 1 pair of thin socks, a t-shirt, and a hoodie) I have on plenty of clothes! I'm fine!

Protester 3: I want to jump too!

Me: Ok. Let's get some extra layers on. (I get out red soccer socks to put over regular socks, a hat, and gloves.)

Protester 3: I don't like these bumpy socks! They won't fit in my shoes! (Crying) Why do I have to wear all this?

Me: Well, slip your Keens on over them because you're just running out to the trampoline.

Protester 3: It feels weird (crying, shoes on wrong feet).

Protester 2: (Coming in and running back upstairs) I can't feel my feet. I'm going to get more socks.

Me: Why?

Protester 2: Because it's freezing outside.

Protester 1: (also coming back inside) Where are my gloves? It's too cold out there.

No one EVER listens to me.
And I can't EVER get a thoughtful or memorable blog post done.

I try {in blogging and parenting}. I really do.

 

Letting Go

Well. Happy New Year!

It's 2014 already? So hard to believe.

My New Year post is a little delayed, but then again, it's doing a lot better than my Thanksgiving and Christmas posts that never even made it to the blog.

 I love the fresh start of the new year! For me, it's a chance to wipe the slate clean; out with the old, in with the new. I thought about doing a post on my resolutions, but then I remembered that resolutions and I don't get along. I do better resolving to make changes randomly throughout the year...as they come to me. I definitely have goals for 2014 in mind. I just don't necessarily feel like I have to change everything starting January 1st. I get too overwhelmed and fear failure.

I've spent the last few days reflecting on 2013 and what kind of year it was. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I think the most distinguishable theme of last year is "letting go".

I'm not a "let-goer" by nature. I usually hang on for dear life.
Afraid of change, I cling to people, events, traditions, and idols. Letting go is hard. It can be liberating and bittersweet in some cases. Painful in others. Sometimes letting go of something hurts so badly in that moment, but it only means God is preparing us for something better.

It seems like I had a lot of that this past year.

I am still in the process of letting a few things go. Unfortunately, they didn't disappear at midnight on December 31, 2013!

I'm still trying to let go of my long-time idol and crutch called ANXIETY {it's a daily struggle}.

 

I said SEE-YA! to a few friendships that were often one-sided and a few that were recently very hurtful.

I am still letting go of the idea of not having my Aunt Laynie. The holidays make it rough!

 

I had to let go of an awkward and hurtful situation where my help was requested and was in turn perceived as invasive. 

I let go of the idea that I was still 18 {or at least 25}, as I celebrated my 20th high school reunion.

 I let go of my baby Ver and our 9-12 preschool days when he went to big-boy school with his brothers.

It was very long overdue that I purge the baby gear, so I let it go too. {It served me VERY well through all three.}
I also let go of having any more babies.

 

And as always, I tried to find a little humor in letting go of certain things...

 

I had to let go of my fear of operating heavy "machinery" {a 4-wheeler on a very steep mountain} and flying by myself.

 

Though it may not be a big deal to the average person, it's HUGE for me. I let go of my need to create thematically coordinated Halloween costumes and let the boys pick and design their own. (I only helped where asked.}

And at the end of 2013, I let go of a seven year volunteer tradition that is near and dear to my heart.

 

 

 

I am sure I let go of many other little things along the way, but in my heart, these were pretty big things.

 

I let go feeling a little heavy hearted but a little lighter at the same time.

 

Letting go is a weird thing.

 

But as The Truth states:

 

Forget the former things;

    do not dwell on the past. 

See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland. -Isaiah 43:18-19

 

I must move forward, excited for the "NEW things".

 

God's Peace to you in the New Year!