making someone a meal, sending a card...

I like the word proactive. It makes me think of of being active with some planning involved. Here is an article about being Proactive in your Christian walk. Seeking to do things for others. Cool idea.

I plan to be proactive today, what about you?

bye mom

John and Marisa have an apartment now. They have been blest with lots of furniture. John didn't have to work today so he has spent the day moving. He made several trips this morning and after class Robert joined him to help with the heavier furniture.
John used all his bags, backpacks and several suitcases to get all his clothes and things gathered together.
I know my job is to send all the birds out of the nest but it is still hard. John has been home full time since May and he is ready to spread his wings, but it is still hard. I am excited for this new phase of his life and even mine, as we readjust to 'new normal' around here.

I will miss sharing the little bits of life with John that happen with the day in and day out living together. I have two more months to share day to day life with Marisa before she joins John.

I don't think John realized the gravity of the situation as he left with his last load. I know he is excited but I had to quickly find a place to sit down. There goes my baby, now a grown man, but he will always be my baby.The days seem long but the years are so short, very short indeed.

11-1, 8+2, 1x10

What a cool date today is! So in honor of the coolness of it here is a list of ten random things

1-Simple Fall Dessert Squares

1 box of yellow cake mix

8 T unsalted butter, melted

4 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 eggs

1 jar Muirhead Pumpkin Pecan butter or 1 jar Williams Sonoma Cranberry Relish

2T milk

1 T flour

1/4 c sugar

1t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350, lightly grease 9x13 pan

Reserve 1 cup cake mix. In a bowl, stir remaining cake mix, 8 T melted butter and 1 egg. Pour into pan. In another bowl, stir together pumpkin butter or cranberry relish with the remaining 2 eggs and the milk. Spread over cake batter. Add flour, sugar and cinnamon to the remaining cake mix and stir together. Add 4 T of cold butter. Cut the butter in with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture clumps together. Crumble over the top of cake batter in baking pan. Bake til golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares.

Kaitlin made this with the Pumpkin Butter. It was fabulous. I will get some more soon and we also plan to try with the cranberry relish too.

2-College Football especially when my team wins

3- this week's to-do list. I need to mail some things to Andrew and Taylor, go to PT 3 times this week, eat lunch with the Wilson's at 5 Guy's, copy a map to put into the wedding invitations, help address the invitations, organize the rearranging of furniture as we shuffle bedrooms, around as my youngest seeks to fly from my nest and begin the making of his own, sit outside and enjoy fall, talk to my brother, John, and sister in law, Elaine, on Thursday, be available to the needs of all those that I am blest to have in my home.

4- Andree Seu wrote an article this week on prayer, encouragement and friends. She said that there are two kinds of counsel you can get from other Christians- that which tens to decrease your faith or that which tends to increase it. I am praying this week for friends that will increase and that I'll be one of those too.

5- The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton are the books I am reading now. I am so caught in both of them that I am surprised that anything else is getting done around here.

6- clean sheets. I just love them and the first night sleeping on them.

7- There are 16 pumpkins that I can see from where I am sitting right now. I love me some pumpkins.

8- Corn dogs. If you ever need to bring something to a covered dish lunch and are wondering what to bring, you can't go wrong with corn dogs. Add a jar a mustard and folks are all kinds of happy.

9- If you read my blog you will probably be getting an invitation to the wedding. Be sure and notice the stamps that Marisa found to use on them. If you don't get an invitation- I'll be sure and post the stamps.

10- Thanks for reading my blog. Thanks for KimT and Hazel for the encouragement to start a blog. Thanks to Lydia and Brianna for mentioning some of my thoughts in your blog. A special shout out to KimB's mama in Birmingham, who I've heard is a faithful reader. I am praying for you and Mr Monroe and I truly am sorry, for your sakes, that your team lost yesterday.

where is your mission field?

When I was a new bride the buzz book was The Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund. I still refer back to that book and all I learned from her. Here is a wonderful read from her daughter in law, Jani. She is also an author.

I love you, Addie Lou

Today would have been my sweet and precious mama's birthday. I miss her. I miss sharing life with her. I miss her advice. I miss laughing with her. I miss her point of view, mostly-she was a big democrat :) , I miss her seeing her grandchildren and loving on them.

I walked around my home and took pictures of her things that now live with me. I realized as I was taking these pictures was that mama's things are all over the house.


this lives in John's room
dining room
kitchen
my bathroom
my bedroom
my bedroom window

Kaitlin's room
She gave me this dictionary, hers that is just like this, now lives with my brother, John and his wife, Elaine.
I loved my mama and she loved me. I am realizing more and more that that is rare. I was very blest to be the apple of my mother's eye. She believed in me and the confidence she had is still an encouragement to me today.

I will always miss my mama. I am thankful for the 38 years I had her and that we had such a wonderful time for all those years.

I love college football.

Twentytwo words is one of my favorite blogs. It is written by Abraham Piper. Low and behold this is what I saw today.

Enjoy

War Eagle

I live in a park

I am blest to live where we have a beautiful yard. We have some wonderful yard art!
We have had such wonderful weather lately that I have so enjoyed sitting outside. I think I am enjoying this fall because we had so much HOT weather this summer.


Isn't that blue sky just beautiful?!?I hope you enjoy this October Fool's Day!