Links to Like

Here are some things out on the interwebz that I’ve liked lately.

Things a Mom Does For A Picture.  I will never get this kid’s expression out of my mind.  Next time I’m having a bad day, I’m going here.  Instant smiles.

Why I Lost Faith In the Pro-Choice Movement.  A gal explains what turned her opinion from pro-choice to pro-life.  A quote: “But when I took a hard look behind the closed doors of the pro-choice movement, and demanded full information, and acknowledged the dignity of women of all ages (even those not yet born), and asked hard questions about what women’s reproductive freedom really means, that is when I became pro-life.”

Project Life.  A way of scrapbooking made easy.  I don’t use this method, but I hear many, many wonderful things about it.

5 Things I’ve Learned in the First Year of Being a Mom.  Not written by me (I’m not there yet!), but I love many of the things she says.  One thing that really hit home with me: “If you happen to look like you’re fourteen years old, they’ll give you even more unsolicited advice (don’t ask me how I know that!).  At first, I was offended by this.  I wanted to defend my mothering skills (though in fact I often didn’t—and don’t—always feel confident in them).  I began to realize, though, that it was my pride that felt the need to insist that I had it all together.”

Lay Me Down By Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman.  One of my new faves!

All good stuff!

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Weddings: Pinterest Style

I was talking with a dad a while back and he told me how his 13-year-old daughter is already pinning wedding ideas on pinterest.  I don’t know if it’s a major problem or not, but I think that’s pretty common. When my sister and I were in elementary school, we’d devour the latest JC Penney catalog section that had wedding and bridesmaid dresses.  Pinterest is to young girls what JC Penney was for me.

But pinterest is more than just theoretical wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.  They are pictures of real life brides, real life hair styles, real life photos, real life programs and receptions.  20 years ago, if you wanted to get ideas for your wedding, you had to cut things out of magazines or from weddings that you’ve been to.  Today the comparision isn’t with the few weddings you’ve personally been to – instead its with the hundreds that are online.  Thousands if you start looking at wedding stuff when you’re 13!

It can become a crazy game if you let it.  If you compare your wedding to the best that’s out there on the internet, you’ll feel disappointed.  It can be hard to forget when you’re in the middle of planning, but your wedding isn’t about the best programs or the reception or the dresses or hairstyles.  Look at pinterest.  Get ideas.  Find out what options are out there.  But remember: your wedding is a success if, at the end of the day, you’re married.  It isn’t the best day of your life – at least it shouldn’t be, but it is the first day of your marriage.  And that’s a wonderful thing!

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If I had my way…

If I had my way:

• Toilets, like ovens, would be self-cleaning.
• Coca-Cola would sell a variety pack: 6 Cokes, 6 Diet Cokes, 6 Cherry Cokes and 6 Sprites…that’d be great for a party!
• Grocery stores would tell you a month in advance what will be on sale each week.
• Chipotle would have a drive thru.
• There’d be a heating & cooling system that would keep your house at the right temperature even on days when it starts out super cold, then goes to hot within a few hours.  One temperature = that’s what you get.
• A Starbucks Carmel Apple Spice wouldn’t cost $23.90/gallon.
• Window blinds would be self-cleaning too.
• Cable companies would let you order channels ala-carte.  I could get just HGTV without all the other stuff.
• Nebraska Huskers would be on a non-cable channel each week.

I’m probably not going to get my way, am I?

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Coca Cola Ad

There are some amazingly talented people out there that put together commercials.  I’m not one of them.  The best I can do is enjoy their work.  Here is one such ad that I enjoyed.

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Fun Friday: Stuff Christian Girls Say

Guilty of any of these?  I am!

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Fun Friday: Great Birthday Idea!

The Dating Divas had a great birthday idea that anyone could use. Basically, she just arranged for 28 birthday letters to be sent to her husband on his birthday – written by family and friends.  Genuis!  Check it out!

There’s nothing that says you have to do this for a husband. Do it for a roommate.  A mom.  A sister.  A friend.  No reason not to!

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Fun Friday: Grown Up Bike Gangs

I know that if I ever did this, I would die.  Or would want to from all the pain I’m in.  Kudos to them for the bravery I don’t have!

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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

I’m not a big celebrator of St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the extent of my celebrations:

• When we were kids, I’d wear green to school. I think my mom even used food coloring once or twice to ‘dye’ my thumb green.
• My mom used to make Reuben sandwiches for dinner. Not my thing, but I loved the Kraft Mac & Cheese that she served with it.
• Occasionally, I’ll make a green dessert. This Wednesday, for work, I made green cookies with chocolate chips and mint chips.
• Once, in college, I went to a Surge party. Remember Surge? It was a green pop. They had all kinds of drinking games just with that beverage instead of beer. Disgusting drink. Not that fun of a party, but I’m not a big party girl.

That’s it. That’s as much as I’ve celebrated. Lately, I’ve seen some good ideas for “celebrating” that are kind of fun. Do you have roommates? Co-workers?  Friends?  Family? Try some of these out on them – it could be quite fun!

(Yes, I know traditionally people ‘celebrate’ St. Patrick’s Day with lots of drinking. So some people could say that they don’t want to do anything that links up with that. Your call. These are just ideas that I think are fun!)

Note: On these, click the pictures to go to the website that has the details.

Dye the milk green!
(Hopefully, no one is going to try to use the milk in baked potato soup and end up with green soup!)

Switch shoe laces to green ribbon!

Decorate a doorway with a rainbow!

Tell Some St. Patrick’s Jokes!

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe: Grasshopper Mint Cookies

 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Reuben Sandwiches

 

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Fun Friday: Making Work More Fun

This won’t go down as one of the most fun Fun Fridays in the world, but I was just at working thinking about how much better my days go when I listen to music at work.

Do you have the ability to do that? Alot of jobs probably wouldn’t like that, but mine has no problems with it. I have a mostly desk job, pierced by interruptions all day long, so music is a great thing for me to listen to for a bit, leave, come back.

A co-worker of mine brings in her iPod and listens to that. I just listen on my computer with my head phones. I don’t have CDs or MP3s loaded or anything. Instead, I go to air1.com and listen to their radio program live. We don’t have an Air1 station in Omaha, but we do have a K-Love which is a sister station of theirs. Air1 is like their edgier, more upbeat sister. I’m a fan.

Give it a whirl!

How do you help your work days be more fun?

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Fun Friday: Playing Pool

I don’t play pool. It’s not that I don’t like it; I can tolerate it well enough. It’s that I’m not any good at it. And for me, too frequently not good at something means I don’t like it.

But I’m impressed with people that can make crazy shots. I just can’t seem to make my hands do what my eyes and brain have said are the thing to do.

These people would be fun to watch.

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