Just Slightly Transparent

 A few months ago I decided that I was tired of being fat.  So tired, in fact, that I joined the YMCA.  I have never, ever done such a thing before.  Ever.  Last September I started walking at the track with my sister. I'm pretty sure that the last time I had exercised was back in high school when my PE teacher made me do it.  It's not my thing.  

But, I decided recently that being unhealthy is really the thing that's not my thing.  God didn't create me to be this way.  The Bible says that I am wonderfully made, but the truth of the matter is that I don't feel wonderful about the way I look.  I don't even feel okay about it.  At all.  

So, we joined the gym at the beginning of the summer.  I've been diligent and I'm seeing some results.  Not as quickly as I would like, but I'm making progress.  

Awhile back, I started another blog.  A weight loss blog.  It's honest, and it's private.  I made a deal with myself that I would open it up to the "public" when I hit a certain goal.  I have a long way to go before I hit that goal, but I am getting closer.  And I need some support.  I know lots of people who are losing weight, or attempting to do so.  So, here's what I decided.  If you'd like to read the other blog, send me your email address and I'll send you an invite.  I'm not trying to be cliquey or selective.  I need some camaraderie from people who are going through this with me and I'm just not ready to shout all of my struggles with weight from the rooftops.  Yet.  One day, when I have a weight loss success story to add to my testimony, I most definitely WILL shout it from the rooftops.  

So, this is my attempt to be slightly transparent.  Maybe someday soon I'll be transparent all the way.  :)

Squash!

I don't have a green thumb and I don't garden, but my family does.  This year, especially, they've been overrun with green beans and squash.  So they pass their bounty along to me.  I've been freezing the green beans because my mom's been passing along more than we can eat.  The other day she gave me a bucket of squash that needed to me cooked by the next day.  

Mostly, when I think of squash, I think of frying it.  I love fried squash.  So do my kids.  But that day I didn't have any corn meal or "frying" oil.  Only olive oil, which my Granny says is NOT suitable for squash frying.  

I decided to make a squash casserole instead.  "Casserole" might be stretching it...maybe "Super Easy Squash and Zucchini Rice Dish" would be a better description.  

I used:
1 box of brown rice, cooked.

zucchini and squash-  I don't remember how many I used.  A lot.  Maybe 8?

red onion- maybe 1/2 an onion

1 pack of frozen spinach, cooked and drained

sour cream

pack of ranch dip (I usually use onion powder to season, but I had some extra packs of dip and decided to go with it).

sharp cheddar cheese


I diced the squash, zucchini, and onion and cooked it with Pam until tender.

I mixed everything together in a bowl and then cooked it in a greased casserole dish.  My family devoured it.  Violet ate 4 helpings the first night, and everybody else ate at least two huge servings.  And they wanted it for lunch the next day.   

So easy, and I'm sure I won't be winning any awards for my cooking skills, but my kids ate their veggies and loved them!  I'll definitely be making this again. 

Shopping for School

School starts for Jordan in about 2 weeks.  2 weeks from this Tuesday, specifically.  He's very excited and so am I.  I've been a little sentimental since Spring.  During those rare, quiet moments when I'd be getting lunch ready and the boys would be sitting quietly at the table and the couch, working away, I'd think to myself, "Well, it won't be like this for much longer.  We won't have days like this anymore".  And get a little teary-eyed.  And then, like a snap, the tranquility would end and the fighting would begin and I'd think, "Yup.  Thank goodness it won't be like this for long!".

Ha ha!

In all seriousness, I will miss Jordan like crazy.  Not just him, but the idea of all of us being together.  I'm so happy for him, though.  God answered our prayers and he was accepted into his first choice of schools.  I heard there was only 1 spot open for 3rd grade, so we were all nervous.  I do worry about him adjusting to a "classroom".  I won't say a "typical classroom" because when we visited his soon-to-be class, it didn't seem like a typical classroom at all.  God bless Charlotte Mason and her techniques!  Still, there will be rules and schedules to follow, and Jordan's accustomed to kind of doing his own thing.  I think he'll manage and I also have high hopes that he will thrive in his new adventure. 

Now, on to the main point of this post:  shopping for school supplies.  One of the many things I love about homeschooling is that there is no mad rush to buy supplies.  We school year-round, so we always just replenished our supplies when we needed to.  No mad rush to fight the crowds at Target and Wal-Mart and Office Depot on the Tax Free Weekend.

Jordan's new teacher emailed her school supply list last week and I was pleasantly surprised.  Jordan has never been to school before, but Shaun was in public school for three years.  One of the things that stands out in my memory from his time there is the giant enormity of the back to school supply lists.  I mean, really.  So much stuff!  So expensive!  Thankfully, my mom always helped with our back-to-school shopping.  She helped me this year, too, even though our list wasn't nearly as extensive and long as I was anticipating.  

The kids and I went to Target yesterday and just got it all done.  I let Jordan pick out the things that mattered...his backpack (a Star Wars one that makes noise...really hope this won't be a problem, but it was the only way I could talk him out of the 40 dollar backpack that only cost 40 dollars because of the headphones that came with it), the color of his pencil box, etc.  Then I sent him to the toy aisle with Shaun so I could finish in peace.  Violet and I found everything on the list except for a Prang water color set (I had never heard of these and had to Google it!), a sketch pad, and a nice set of colored pencils.  We'll visit Michael's tomorrow and then the list will be complete.  

Even though the list was short and the Back-to-School aisle at Target wasn't crowded at all, I still felt that crazy rush...darting around trying to find everything on the list in the order in which it appeared to that I wouldn't forget anything.  Thank goodness I was only shopping for one.  I can't even imagine.  Shaun will need some supplies for co-op this year, but not until September.  We'll deal with that later!

All in all, shopping for school supplies was a pleasant experience.  Now let's just see how I hold up on the first day of school.  

The 4th of July. 10 Days Later.

I'm so behind!

We had a pretty good Fourth of July.

Chris went in to work in the morning, but the rest of us slept in. We just lazed around the house all day until 3:00.  Then it was time to cook out at my parents'.  

We had a feast.  Ribs, chicken with special sauce, fried squash, baked beans, green beans from the garden, cake.  Oh, and I contributed some slaw.  Homemade, not store-bought!  I got in big trouble with my mom at a cookout last year.  I went to get cabbage for slaw at the last minute and Kroger was fresh out.  I showed up with store-bought slaw and got a tongue lashing.  

Anyway, the family had a nice afternoon together.  The kids played and the adults talked.  

Later on that night, we went to see some fireworks at a small church near our house.  We've been going there for a few years now.  They put on a pretty impressive display, it's free, and we don't have to fight traffic.  We met up with my sister and her family and a few more friends.  I was sitting in my camping chair, watching my kids run around in a field, playing football with friends while watching fireworks and thought, "at times like this, I really like living in the country."  I guess my friend Kelli is a mind reader, because she looked at me and said the same thing.  Ha ha!   We entertain the idea of moving to Gainesville sometimes, but other times, I like being far out in North Hall.  I didn't take many pictures.  I mostly just soaked everything in.  We did take one of Violet in her 4th of July attire

and this one, the one good shot I could muster of the fireworks with my iPhone.

After the show was over, we hugged our friends goodbye and five minutes later we were back home.  

It was a good day. 

At the library.

I love the library. Always have, always will.  

I even joined the Adult Reading Program at our library.

I only wish that the prize at the end of the summer was a sleepover at the library the way it was when I was a kid.  That sleepover was one of the best nights of my life!

I used to love going to the library with my children, but that's over.  The oldest one sulks because he "only wants to read on his Kindle", the middle one whines to play Minecraft, and the little one... well.  She likes books.  A whole lot.  She loves going to the library and pulling all of those wonderful books off the shelves.  

Going to the library with my little darlings is not fun anymore.  

Lately I've been doing this:  googling books that kids (and teens and adults) like to read, reserving said books, waiting for my email confirming that our books are in, and finally going to the library.  I park by the door, leave the kids in the car, run in and get our books.  

Today, the whole family was together and some of our books came in.  So we all went on the way to the YMCA.  Chris stayed in the car but Jordan wanted to come in.  I knew that some of the kids' books were in.  I had reserved a few for myself, too, but I think they're in high demand.  I picked out a book to hold me over until the book I really want to read came in.  (Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, if you're interested.  I'm on a Gillian Flynn kick.  I just finished Dark Places.  Very scary.  But now I'm hooked.)

We ran into the boys' chorus instructor at the checkout desk and had a nice chat.  The mail man came in with his delivery while we were talking and the librarian had started to check in all of the reserved books that came in.  When we were finally ready to check out, I saw Gone Girl right on top of the pile.  I couldn't help it.  "Oh, is that for me??  I reserved that!" I shrieked at the librarian. I'm so glad that librarians like to read as much as I do.  She didn't even think my excitement was odd.  And, as it turned out, it was my copy of Gone Girl.  Going to read it now. 

And, for the record, I feel so guilty about not actually taking the kids into the library.  This has to change.  I want them to love it as much as I do.