What's Up Wednesday ~ May 2022

 

Link up on the last Wednesday of every month with Sheaffer and Shay!

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MAY 2022

What We're Eating:

We've been grilling a lot lately.  Mostly burgers, hot dogs, pork chops and chicken.  My Dad grilled THE BEST pork chops.  He's the grill master around here ;)

What I'm Reminiscing About:

This month was Mother's Day and I spent time reminiscing about my grandmother, aka Gram.  Even though it has will be 20 years this August since she passed away, this is still hard to write without tearing up.  I miss her so much!  Here is Gram with her beloved rose bush.  Wasn't she beautiful?

What I'm Loving:

I'm loving the fact that this is Laken's (youngest daughter) last week of school work!  Summer, HERE WE COME!

What We've Been Up To:

Nothing but schoolwork around here!  Laken was sick (Lactose Intolerant) for most of the school year and ended up being Cyber Schooled.  She got behind from all dr's appointments and just being sick in and of itself.  After we figured out the whole "Lactose" situation, she's been pulling double over-time to finish up her work on time.  She's worked so hard and I'm super proud of her.  But that means we haven't had much time to do anything else.  Come Friday, we're going to PARTY!

What I'm Dreading:

I go to my dr. on June 3rd for my annual check up.  Enough said...

What I'm Working On:

I'm working on a new granny square afghan that I'm calling Sunny Blue Hawaii 2 :)  You can read more about it and how it got it's name HERE.

What I'm Excited About:

Did I mention this is the last week of Laken's school?????   :) :) :)

What I'm Watching/Reading:

I haven't been watching much of anything lately but we are going to the movies to see the new Top Gun movie, Maverick, on Friday.  It will be the first I've been to the theater since before March 2020!

This month I've read the following books and I'm currently reading "Fourth and Long" by Liz Isaacson.

What I'm Listening To:

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

Going to see "Maverick" at the theater and possibly going to the local amusement park on Saturday.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

~Sleeping in!

~No School!

~Church Camp!

~10 Book of Summer

Colletta

Weekly Weigh In ~ 5/25/2022

Once again (for the bazillionth time), I'm starting on a weight loss journey.  

My first mini-goal is to get below 280 lbs.  I'm giving myself a deadline of June 3, 2022 as that is my next doctor's appointment.  Yikes!  No pressure!

I'll be weighing in on Mondays and posting my results on Wednesday.  If you'd like to join in on the journey, I'd love to have some weight loss friends and support!

Feel free to use the "Weekly Weigh In" graphic and create your own post with as much (or as little) info as you are comfortable sharing and leave a link in the comments.  Or you can just report your results in the comments.

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I really don't know how I lost this week other than the fact that I had a touch of a stomach bug over the weekend.

Exercise:  none

Tracking:  non-existent

Putting that behind me, my goal for this week is to get back on the tracking and exercise band-wagon.  I gave myself Monday off to fully recuperate from the "bug".  But after that, I'm hitting it hard.

Only 1.5 weeks until my dr. appt.  I don't know if I'll manage to lose 3.6 pounds by then, but I've lost almost 17 lbs!  That is BIG for me :)  And I don't plan on stopping :)

Weigh in #9:

Highest Weight ~ 300.0 lbs

Last Week's Weight ~ 5/16/2022 ~ 285.0 lbs.

This Week's Weight ~ 5/23/2022 ~ 283.6 lbs.

This Week's Total:   -1.4 lbs.

Grand Total: -16.4 lbs

Please let me know in the comments if you are on your own weight loss journey!  I'd love to follow along :)

 
Colletta

Book Review ~ Third Time's the Charm by Liz Isaacson

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Title:   Third Time's the Charm by Liz Isaacson

Series:  Three Rivers Ranch Romance

Pages:  181

Date Published: December 1, 2015

Publisher:  AEJ Creative Works

 Blurb:

First Lieutenant Peter Marshall has never felt as safe and whole as he does at Three Rivers Ranch. With massive scars covering most of his upper body, he's self-conscious and searching for his life's purpose. He thinks he's found it in Courage Reins, an equine therapy program for veterans he's starting out at the ranch. He didn't plan on the beautiful Chelsea Ackerman looking at his deformities with admiration.

After her second failed engagement, Chelsea vows she'll never wear another diamond ring. But as she and Pete work together to train the horses and launch Courage Reins, she heals faster than she thought possible. Pete has a truckload of debt and no way to provide for a family, but Chelsea helps him see past all the obstacles, all the scars. With so many unknowns, Pete and Chelsea will have to develop the love, acceptance, and faith needed to find their happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in this series by Liz Isaacson.  I really enjoyed the first book, "Second Chance Ranch."  You can read my review for that book HERE!

When I picked this book up, I knew it would be good.  What I didn't know was that I would read it completely from front to back in one afternoon.  That hasn't happened to me in forever!

I adored the characters, Pete and Chelsea.  I don't want to forget the horses either as they were a big part of the story.  There was Peony, Baywatch and Hank :)

The setting was once again amazing!  I wish Three Rivers Ranch was a real place that I could go visit, especially with Courage Reins.  I'm a little bit afraid of horses so I'd have to overcome that!

I didn't want this story to end!

I'm so glad I get to go back and that this is a long series with 11 books :)

I already have books 3, 4, 5, and 6 waiting for me to read :)

I downloaded this book through Kindle Unlimited.

Onto the next book :)

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 5/23/2022

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello, and Happy Monday!

The weather outside is:

It was gorgeously hot this weekend!  At the time I'm writing this 3pm-ish on Sunday, we're supposed to get a thunderstorm this evening.  After the thunderstorm, the temperatures are supposed to be more seasonably cool but not TOO cool.  Just right!

On today's to-do list: 

My regular list of dailies and cleaning.  I took last week off from exercise for no reason what-so-ever, so I want to work on getting back into that.

Happening this week:

This is Laken's last week of cyber school!  She has until Friday to finish everything for her classes but if things stay on track, she should be done Thursday.  Then we're going to PARTY!  This has been a rough year and I pray that things go smoothly this week!

The hubby is on first shift this week.  It should be his last week of first shift for the foreseeable future.  He's on vacation this Thursday, Friday and then is off Monday for the holiday.

I think this weekend we are going to go to the movies and possibly go to the amusement park, Delgrosso's.  My brother and sister-in-law got us all season passes for Christmas and this weekend is the opening weekend for the whole park.  And did I mention we're going to PARTY!  lol

I don't mention Kaylee very much because she's busy working and settling in to married life.  I talk to her just about every day.  She has been working on her flower garden in front of her house.  She has really gotten into flower gardening lately.  She still has a few shrubs to plant and I'll try to get a picture :)

Currently reading:

I am reading "Fourth and Long" by Liz Isaacson.  This is the third book in the Three Rivers Ranch Series.  I wish it were a real place that I could go and visit!

On the TV:

Not much this week but we are going to go see "Maverick" (Top Gun Sequel) this coming weekend.  I haven't been to the theater since before March 2020, so I'm looking forward to it :)

Listening to:

This week for "Songs on Sunday" I featured "I Believe It Now" by Sidewalk Prophets.  I hope you'll check it out :) 

On the menu today:

Chicken Bundles

In the Craft Basket:

I picked up yarn for a new project.  Teal, Yellow and White.  I'm calling it "Sunny Blue Hawaii 2 :)  Check out my Sewing Saturday post for more info!

Picture from the Camera

Sunny Blue Hawaii "1"

Memory Verse

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

Galatians 5:13

Have a great Monday!

Colletta

Songs on Sunday ~ I Believe It Now by Sidewalk Prophets

What an amazing video!  A must watch!

Enjoy :)

Colletta

Sewing Saturday ~ Sunny Blue Hawaii 2 ~ 5/21/2022

I'm going to be featuring my sewing, crocheting and crafting projects on Saturdays.  Some weeks this will include a finished project, a FNSI or FNWF or just a WIP.

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Since finishing Adalynn Audrey's Baby Blanket, I needed a new project to work on while sitting on the deck or watching TV on the couch/bed.

I remembered an afghan I had made and absolutely adored the colors.  I called it Sunny Blue Hawaii and you can see the finished post from 2015 HERE.  It was gifted to a friend in the Summer of 2015.

I decided to make an afghan with Sunny Blue Hawaii as inspiration.  I'm calling it "Sunny Blue Hawaii 2"!  Original, right?

The colors are basically the same but I'll be switching up the granny squares just a tad.

The squares are a bit smaller and alternate colors.

The plan, for now, is to make the afghan 6 squares by 8 squares.  I'll then add borders depending on how much yarn I have left

Here's a small sample of what it will look like.  I have 8 squares completed so far.  I have 40 more to go!

I have a friend in mind to gift this to but I'm not sure if she likes these colors.  I'll find out and let you know :)

Colletta

My Weekly Bookishness ~ 5/20/2022

All things bookish!

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What I Read:

 You can read my review HERE!

Review to Come Soon!

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What I'm Reading:

Blurb:

Can one summer together make up for eight years of separation?

Commander Brett Murphy left his family’s construction firm in Oklahoma City for a life of hard work at Three Rivers Ranch. Alone, without a wife and kids, Brett needs the camaraderie he enjoyed while serving overseas with his Army buddies, Squire Ackerman and Peter Marshall.

What Brett doesn’t need is the reappearance of his ex-wife. Fiery Kate Donnely has come to Three Rivers to confess to Brett that they’re still married, and oh, he has a seven-year-old son she never told him about. At least not in letters she mailed.

Eight years ago, Kate left Oklahoma City only weeks after Brett’s first deployment, shamed because of her bad choices and the unborn child of a man she’d already asked for a divorce. She needs him to sign the papers now or she can’t have access to her hefty inheritance. But Brett absolutely does not want Kate to take his son away from him again.

They strike a deal: She’ll stay at Three Rivers for the summer so Brett can have the opportunity to get to know his son. How far will they have to go and how much will they have to forgive in order to become a family?

First Lines:

"The presence of Kate Donnely's son had never been such a burden."

56%/Page 56

"He normally didn't have time to simply ride on the range.  He tipped his head back and let the hot wind zip past his neck."

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What I'll (Probably) Read Next:

Blurb:

When Eva's film star sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Cornwall, where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina's ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs. But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. 

When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived - and died - long before she herself was born. Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards. 

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Book Haul:

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Book Blogger Hop:

Q.  Do you drink tea or coffee while reading? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

A.  No, I don't usually drink tea OR coffee while reading.  I don't drink coffee EVER, as a matter of fact.  I enjoy a good cup of tea, especially Vanilla Chai, but usually only in the winter when I'm cold.

My drink of choice while reading is Diet Dr. Pepper!

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Bookishly Yours,

Linking up to: 

   

  

 The Sunday Post, Sunday Salon,  Mailbox Monday

Weekly Weigh In ~ 5/18/2022

Once again (for the bazillionth time), I'm starting on a weight loss journey.  

My first mini-goal is to get below 280 lbs.  I'm giving myself a deadline of June 3, 2022 as that is my next doctor's appointment.  Yikes!  No pressure!

I'll be weighing in on Mondays and posting my results on Wednesday.  If you'd like to join in on the journey, I'd love to have some weight loss friends and support!

Feel free to use the "Weekly Weigh In" graphic and create your own post with as much (or as little) info as you are comfortable sharing and leave a link in the comments.  Or you can just report your results in the comments.

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I did NOT improve my consistency this week with exercise.  I did GREAT Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and walked for an hour each day on top of my regular movement.  The rest of the week had movement but not "walking for exercise".

I think I'm getting hung up on the thought of walking for an entire hour and then not doing it.  This week, I'm trying a different strategy.

I'm going to walk for 1/2 an hour each day for exercise.  30 minutes doesn't seem as daunting as a full hour does.  I'll give it a try for a week or two and then reassess.

I managed to lose 1.0 lb, even though the 100 calorie granola bars are becoming more of a liability than a quick snack.  I can't stay out of them!  I don't think I'll buy any this next week and see how I do without having a fix of chocolate!

BTW, losing that 1.0 lb this week put me at 15.0 lbs lost!  I'm so excited!  My next mini-goal is get to 280.0. 

That June 3rd dr's appointment is coming quickly!

Weigh in #8:

Highest Weight ~ 300.0 lbs

Last Week's Weight ~ 5/9/2022 ~ 286.0 lbs.

This Week's Weight ~ 5/16/2022 ~ 285.0 lbs.

This Week's Total:   -1.0 lbs.

Grand Total: -15.0 lbs

Please let me know in the comments if you are on your own weight loss journey!  I'd love to follow along :)

 
Colletta

Book Review ~ All Things by Kim Kirby

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Title:   All Things (Finding God in Ordinary Life) by Kim Kirby

Series:  

Pages:  232

Date Published: November 13, 2019 

Publisher:  21st Century Christian Inc.

 Blurb:

Can we really live our whole lives for God? We know we bring God glory when we study our Bibles, sing in church, or serve others. But what about all of those in-between moments that make up the bulk of our lives? What about the moments when we're getting ready for the day, sitting in traffic, preparing meals, or even going on vacation? What about the ordinary moments of our lives? Can they, too, connect us to God and bring Him glory? 

"My days involved normal things, like going to grad school, doing laundry, helping my husband with his youth ministry work. I could see how the youth ministry fit into the picture of the Christian life, but what about reading the novels required for my graduate English class? What about mopping the floor of the parsonage in which we lived? What about paying bills and shopping for clothes? Did those mundane, unspiritual activities fit into my Christian life? Did God care about them at all?" 

The teaching of Scripture tells us that our whole lives are meant to be lived in God and for God. We are to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and we are to do all things to His glory. In this six-week study, Kim Kirby explores what a life lived fully for God looks like, even in the ordinary moments of our lives. In studying the Scriptures and imagining how they might apply to the most mundane moments of our lives, we will begin to unlock the exciting truth that every moment can indeed bring us closer to God. 

My Thoughts:

This 6 week Bible Study was my daily devotional for a few weeks before "I'll Start Again Monday" took place and then I picked it back up to finish.

It posed a question the very first week:  "Can We Do All Things for God?"  Some of the "All Things" verses were Psalm 119:91, John 1:3, Romans 8:28, Romans 11:33-36.

Throughout the study we learned how we can do "All Things" for God in work, body, relationships, spare moments and leisure.

I learned so much about how I can incorporate God into EVERYTHING that I do.

I enjoyed every topic but I especially learned so much about relationships and how we are to encourage one another and build one another up.  This is an area that I need to work on, especially with those closest to me.  I tend to take out my frustrations on them instead of having an encouraging attitude.  I also am looking at strangers in a whole new light!

This Bible Study was very enlightening, encouraging and informative.  I enjoyed Kim Kirby's writing style.  This was the first study I've done by Kim Kirby but I would definitely look for more :)

The next study I'll be doing is "Fighting Words" by Ellie Holcomb with Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.  It starts My 31st so there is still time to sign up and get the book!

Onto the next book :)