All Hallow's Eve Magic

"O daughter of She, much power has been gifted to you. It is the power of Love. Tonight, by candlelight or by the light of the full moon in your backyard, commit to use your power wisely for the Highest Good of all. You have no idea of the countless lives you touch in the course of your lifetime. Souls searching for Wholeness that could be healed with the magic at your command. Go directly to the Source. Acknowledge your lineage and your authentic gifts with a grateful heart. "I am sure there is Magic in everything," Frances Hodgson Burnett observed. "only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us."

"Now we do."

--Simple Abundance

Halloween! What a fun day! We spent the first part of the day at a UNICEF Carnival at my church - all kinds of fun! We were surrounded by witches, storm troppers, bumblebees, princesses, cowboys, firemen, the Gilligan's Island crew, clowns, and a Travelocity Travel Gnome! (The hubby and I just threw on our backpacking gear this year... Nothing too creative, until the hubby reminded me that this was our own version of "Heaven and Hell." I'll let you figure out who was who! Ha ha ha.)

Then we came home and took some naps... We were out late last night for the concert, and any big church event sucks the energy right out of me! But after our naps, we planned some fabulous meals for the rest of the weekend and went grocery shopping - we got home just in time for Trick-or-Treators! Yeah - a whole 8 kids in three hours. We have a lot of left over Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

It was a slow night, but we've started our own traditions on Halloween - a yummy, homemade dinner, candlelight, good music, and Trivial Pursuit in front of the fireplace. (We made the Barefoot Contessa's "Croque Monsieur" tonight - ooey, gooey, baked ham and cheese sandwich. Delish!)

I hope you had a nice Halloween!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. The hubby kept the dog busy so I could sleep in. Then they both woke me up - so cute!

2. A great turnout at the UNICEF carnival! Double what we've had in past years!

3. Lots of laughter and smiles.

4. Fun playing with the little kids.

5. Football - always lures me into a nap.

6. Penny lending me her Barefoot Contessa in Paris Cookbook. Yum-o.

7. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

8. Croque Monsieur - who knew?!

9. Our dog being so excited for the kids who came to our door. So funny.

10. A warm cozy night at home.

Friday Fave Five - October 30th

It's Friday!!! Yippeee! Here are my Friday Fave Five things of the week - if you'd like to take part, link up at Suzanne's Living To Tell the Story!

1. Ohmygosh! There's blue sky outside my window right now! We haven't seen much of that this week... Sunshine and blue sky is easily one of my favorite things of the week!

2. Feeling inspired and excited about work. We're planning some fun things to really connect people to different ways of living out their faith over the course of the next year - I'm having a lot of fun with the planning process!

3. Sunday, I got to introduce our new music director's daughter (a 3rd grader) to our church. I sat with her in worship and introduced her to a lot of people - she was so cute and fun. The best was when she looked up at me and said, "I think I'm going to really like this church!" Made my heart melt...

4. Book Group this week was so fun! We talked about the book, we laughed, we laughed, we talked about stuff going on in our lives, we laughed some more. I needed it. They're great ladies!

5. Tonight we're going out to dinner and to a David Gray concert. I know it hasn't happened yet - but it will be great! We could both use a fun night out!

Have a good Friday!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Blue skies.

2. A day off.

3. The hubby only worked a half day!

4. Easy, cheap, parking downtown!

5. Finding a seat at the bar at the Rock Bottom Brewery - the place was PACKED!

6. An awesome bartender - he was attentive, funny, busy, professional, and so nice! I would go back just to see him again. (He got a great tip!)

7. A yummy dinner, too! BBQ pork sandwich and mac and cheese!

8. A wonderful concert! So much MORE than I expected!

(This is one of my favorite parts of the Orpheum Theatre - isn't that ceiling beautiful? It looks like velvet... I always want to reach out and touch it!)

9. I love disco balls and the special effects that come from them... During one song, it looked like it was snowing in the theatre. Beautiful!

10. The song, "This Year's Love."

Happiness

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
--Mahatma Gandhi

Friday will be here in 25 minutes. It's my day off. And we're going to see David Gray in concert. I think it's going to be a good day. I will say it's a good day. I'm pretty darn sure they will be in harmony. I'm happy.

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Getting up on time.
2. Sting's new album - I love the song, "Soul Cakes."
3. Adele's version of "To Make You Feel My Love." Great song.
4. I got my new boots today! My feet are happy!
5. Dinner with the hubby at a favorite cafe.
6. Emailing with my brother-in-law. He's a good guy.
7. The dog being oh-so-playful tonight!
8. Finally being home to watch "Grey's Anatomy" with the hubby.
9. Looking forward to tomorrow.
10. Oh! My little sis was accepted to both the colleges she's deciding between! Congrats, Kay!

Ladies of Grace - October 28th

I believe the blog carnival "Ladies of Grace" has been discontinued... But I'm stubborn. I like the idea of looking back over my last week and noticing when grace entered - or didn't enter - into my life in some way. If you have a story to share - when your heart was warmed or softened, or cold and hardened, by a situation - please leave a note in my comments! I really think we learn from each other when we share these parts of our lives!

This week, I will suck it up and share a common situation when my heart is not so graceful... Ready? Not only am I stubborn, I'm also impatient. There, I said it.

I've been in a lot of meetings last week and this week where people are supposed to ask questions and share ideas... and I get so frustrated with people that seem to be off in their own worlds or ask the same questions over and over... or simply cannot understand the goal or project at hand. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who gets annoyed by this, right?

It's selfish and stupid of me - and it just proves that I'm not the entirely open-minded, patient person that I like to think I am.

So that's my prayer this week - that God will open my mind and heart, strengthen my patience, and help me to see where others are coming from, and be more kind in guiding them back to the focus of the discussion.

We all have faults. This is one of mine. Care to share yours?

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Oversleeping. Not good, but much needed.
2. A fun visit with Michele today!
3. The whole church smelled like turkey and pie all day long.
4. Getting lots of work done amidst the chaos.
5. It's been a good week to work with my pastor. Lots of fun.
6. Greeting people tonight at the Turkey Dinner.
7. My first turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and pumpkin pie dinner of the season!
8. Meeting Lance tonight - a man that goes to different church dinners all over the metro area just for the good food and meeting new people! So interesting!
9. A hot shower...
10. My hubby. I like him a lot.

Money - Blech

"The problem of money dogs our steps throughout the whole of our lives, exerting a pressure that, in its way, is as powerful and insistent as any other problem of human existance. And it haunts the spiritual search as well."

--Jacob Needleham

"Think of our relationship to nature, to ideas, to pleasure," he challenges us. "Think of our sense of self-identity and self-respect; think of where we live and with what things we surround ourselves; think of all our impulses to help others or serve a large cause; where we go, how we travel, with whom we associate - or just think of what you were doing yesterday, or what you will be doing tomorrow, or in an hour. The money factor is there, wrapped around or lodged inside everything. Think of what you want or what you dream of, for now, or next year, or for the rest of your life. It will take money, a certain, definite amount."

--Simple Abundance, quoting Jacob Needleham

I spent most of my day yesterday reading about the Spiritual Discipline of Stewardship and Generosity for work. We're planning to focus each month of the coming year around one of the Spiritual Disciplines, or practices, and we're starting off with a BANG - talking about money and giving! So I started educating myself this weekend - and the more I read, the more I was thinking about how I spend money - where and for what.

As the holiday catalogs are already rolling in (I had 6 in the mail just yesterday!), and as we look ahead to talking about the Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity throughout Advent... It's making me take another look at how we give gifts, how we buy ourselves those things that have great sales at Christmas, how we save for the future, and how we give some away...

Today's reading in Simple Abundance talks about our spending habits (how appropriate, huh?). It encourages you to look back over your life - all the jobs you've had, the big ones and the baby-sitting or dog-sitting - and start to estimate how much money you have earned in your life... Depending on your age and salaries, you could have let millions of dollars slip through your fingers already! That's just crazy to think about...

Then, the book suggests, that for one week you write down every penny you spend and whether you used cash, credit, or check. At the end of the week, list your expenditures under these headings: Necessities, Comforts, Wants, Indulgences, Extravagances, Insanity (and I would add, Charity). At the end of the process, look over your list - what purchases were worth it? What made you smile? What made you feel regret? What could you have passed on? And how much money would you have saved if you had skipped the purchases that made you sigh?

I don't know about you, but I crave a simpler life. I crave to live differently - more simply, and less in the rat race to be like everyone else. So this is where I'm going to start... I don't think it's going to be easy - but maybe this is just the re-focusing I need to get me started!

I leave you today with a prayer I found in my readings this weekend:

(Take a dollar bill out of your wallet and place it in front of you with the "In God We Trust" facing you.)

"Guard me against the arrogance of privilege, against the indulgence of feeling that I don't have enough, and the poverty of spirit that refuses to acknowledge what is daily given to me. Keep me truthful in knowing where I spend, where my values actually are. Let me not skip this monthly knowing. Instruct me in judicious spending and in gratitude with no holds barred."

--Gunilla Norris

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Sore muscles from working out yesterday.
2. The hubby bought me cereal.
3. Everyone liked my ideas today! Woo-hoo!
4. I really like our new music director - she's cool.
5. Getting lots of chances to be helpful to people.
6. Signing up to do The Walk to End Hunger on Thanksgiving! (The Walk raises money for the local food shelves in the Twin Cities area - I'm walking specifically to support Neighbor's Inc.)
7. Most of my book group doing the Walk with me!
8. Book group was back to normal tonight - good discussion, lots of laughs, supportive friends.
9. The hubby cleaned the bathrooms!
10. Diane's chocolate chip banana bread recipe - yum-o!

A Simple Woman's Daybook - October 26th Edition

I'm baaaaack! Sorry about the week off - I just needed it. I've been sick with a bad cold, and had a busy week at work - and I just needed to "step away from the blog" for a few days. I was scolded by my parents yesterday as they informed me that people all over the world anticipate reading my blog every day and that I was letting them down! Ha ha ha.

I'm so grateful for each and every one of you that stop by! If you have a moment today, leave me a note to say "hi!" I'd love to come visit your blog or simply acknowledge your visit with a "hello to you too!"

I hope you have a blessed Monday!

Megs

For Today...

Outside my window... gray skies, slight breeze, beautiful red and orange trees - at least it's not snowing today! I am thankful... for a fun evening with my family last night. Lots of laughing and telling stories from my childhood - very funny! (Apparently I was really rude on the phone as a kid - I wouldn't talk, and then I would just hang up... Funny, I'm still not much of a conversationalist on the phone... Oh! And the story of me trying to put Mom in a better mood at the dinner table - I think I was about five years old and Mom was crabby - so I sat across from her wiggling my eyebrows as fast as I could to make her giggle. It worked - and it still does! Ha ha ha. My hubby said I do it to him when I've gone shopping and he asks me if my clothes are new... Apparently it works with him, too!)

From the kitchen... hopefully, simple and healthy food this week. My stomach has been a little finicky ever since I got sick last weekend... So we're keeping it light!

I am wearing... Ha ha ha. Pajama pants - pink, white, red, and lime green candy striped! A red tank top. And a red cardigan sweater. Another cozy Monday at home!

I am creating... ideas for a Halloween costume for the hubby and I. We've had a lot of ideas, but nothing has stuck yet... Suggestions? (If you give us an idea and we go with it - I'll send you a $5.00 gift card to Caribou Coffee!)

I am going... to the David Gray concert this Friday! I'm SO excited! If you don't know David Gray, click here for one of my favorite songs of his. Good stuff!
I am reading... "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus Christ," by Peter Gomes, and "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon.

I am hoping... for some sunshine. These gray days are keeping me tired! I'm in need of some ENERGY!

I am hearing... the tv in the background (Waiting for the Bonnie Hunt Show to start. The Pioneer Woman is making an appearance today!).

Some plans for the week... work, book group, open sanctuary, meetings, the concert, a UNICEF Halloween party with the kids from church, and who knows what else may pop up?!

One of my favorite things... one of my youth group kids is dressing up as the Travelocity Travel Gnome. I LOVE IT! I can't wait to see him, I probably won't stop giggling.

A picture thought I am sharing: Dinner at my parents' last night. Mom did good work! Chicken Parmesan and Acorn Squash - both a la Pioneer Woman's recipes. Yum.

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Other blogs - so fun to read! TheProvidentWoman is having a "sweet" giveaway this week! Check her out here!
2. "Fainting goats" video. Makes me chuckle! (Don't worry - it's genetic, they're ok!)

3. An hour workout! Yeah me!

4. Feeling really excited about stuff at work.

5. Going for a nice long walk with the hubby and the dog.

6. Little kids asking to pet our dog - she loves it!

7. Making chocolate chip banana bread.

8. The hubby and his experiments... Makes me laugh.

9. My stomach seems to be much better! Finally!

10. My Pioneer Woman cookbook shipped today! Should be a fun weekend of trying new recipes!

A Simple Woman's Daybook - October 19th Edition

For Today...

Outside my window... another gray fall day. But kind of warm - 55 degrees! Our neighborhood trees have finally turned red and orange and yellow - they're a little muted this year, but still so pretty!

I am thankful... for a quiet day at home.
From the kitchen... turkey apple sandwiches - my new favorite!

I am wearing... black sweat capris and a natural colored henley top. Comfy cozy!
I am creating... my newsletter page for work... I'm a little behind this week already!
I am going... out for dinner tonight. I'm hoping for some yummy soup... That would be splendid!

I am reading... "So You Want to be a Innkeeper" and "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus Christ," by Peter Gomes, and "An Echo in the Bone" by Diana Gabaldon.
I am hoping... that I feel better very soon! I have a very busy week!

I am hearing... the tv in the background (another "sell your gold" commercial - blech).

Some plans for the week... dinner out tonight with a friend, book group tomorrow, a high school football game on Wed, open sanctuary and a meeting on Thurs, and Fri and Sat to relax!

One of my favorite things... chai tea. Makes everything better.

A picture thought I am sharing: This picture of my dog makes me laugh everytime - doesn't she look like one of those old crabby-looking teddy bears?! Ha ha ha!