i keep falling off of the face of earth

well, not actually falling off the face of the earth...just being very busy living life.  this quote sums it up today:

finish each day & be done

with it.  you have done what you

could. some blunders & 

absurdities have crept in;

forget them as soon as you can.

tomorrow is a new day. you shall 

begin it serenely & with too

high a spirit to be encumbered

with your old nonsense.

-- emerson

blessings,

i fell off the face of the earth...

yep, i did it again...kept meaning to blog, but got so busy with life it just never happened!  so i will have to catch you all up with the bluedot happenings since may 2012.  but not today....

today i am going to tell you about my awesome, wonderful, fantastic, great weekend!  friday night we grilled out and enjoyed a night in with great food, company and a movie.  saturday bluedotdad and i snuck away for breakfast at overeasy.  we had a fun afternoon picnicking with some friends and their children at veteran's park, followed by watching auburn almost get beat and alabama rolling all over arkansas.  our saturday night was spent with our life walk group.  i cannot even begin to put into words how much i love these people!  sunday began with bible study and worship, which was awesome!  then, bluedotdad and i used our living social deal from my birthday at the gun range.  we went shooting!  i loved it!

it took me a minute (half an hour) to get used to the gun shots without jumping.  but then i got pretty proficient at loading the magazine and shooting.

ok, my first target i didn't realize was a hostage target and i pretty much killed the hostage, but hey i got lots of points, see:

so the next target, bluedotdad and i shared:

it was so much fun!  this weekend was just what i needed!

it's wednesday, so why not? let's have a hodgepodge...

i am linking up today with joyce over at from this side of the pond

1. What is a pet peeve you have when vacationing?

being rushed...i want to stay out on the beach all day, as in until the sun sets.  i don't want to have to rush in and get ready to rush here or there...i want to relax and enjoy my surroundings every second!


2. Would you describe yourself as a light packer or do you need everything in your closet plus the kitchen sink?
me, a light packer? ha!  i need my full closet, because you have to be prepared for any event...i always pack too much and then as i am packing to come home tell myself you are not packing this much stuff ever again for vacation.  but alas, the same thing happens the next time we go on vacation.


3. What's the best lesson a child ever taught you?
my children have taught me so many lessons...you think before you have children that you know everything, but realize very quickly once that baby is born that you know nothing!  i think the most important lesson i have learned from my children is unconditional love.


4. Share one piece of advice you'd give a recent graduate as they attempt to enter the job market?
be patient through the process of resumes and interviews.  if you are offered money to work a job take it.  it is much easier to find a job when you are employed.


5. What's your favorite lemon something?
lemon in my tea...being a good southern girl means drinking iced tea and good iced tea always has lemon in it!


6. Flat sandal, wedge, heel...your favorite footwear?
flip flops...they are not great support shoes, but i love flip flops!  i think they should be a year round shoe source!


7. What do you like best about a beach holiday? If you're not a beach lover (GASP!!) what do you dislike the least?
a trashy magazine or book, an adult beverage, toes in the sand and feeling the breeze on my skin.  ahhhh, i need a beach vacation so bad!


8. Insert your own random thought here. 
something that i often had told my husband, thanks to @uberfacts i now know is true:
Approximately 80% of a child's intelligence is acquired from the mother.


y'all have a great wednesday,

ahhhh! and we are all moved!

this past friday and saturday we moved...

• 6 rooms of furniture
• a million boxes
• 3 full closets of clothes
• 12 trips total cars & moving truck 
• 20 amazing people 
• only 2 broken items
• a gazillion trips up and down the stairs carrying boxes and furniture
• contact paper queens 
• unpacking rockstars
• countless hugs
• the sweetest, kindest, encouraging words
• dinner for all the helpers on day 1 of the move
• a delicious homemade dinner for us day 2 
• immeasurable laughs
• oodles of deep breaths
• incalculable prayers

we could not have did it without such amazing friends and family.  thank you cannot express the appreciation we feel for you all:

laura

shane

marty

melissa

alex

laura gail

whitney

michael

hunter

andrew

dana

elizabeth

david

ernie

todd

chris

alisha

god has blessed us beyond measure in so many ways!

blessings,

what a difference a day makes...

so yesterday i was really down...today the sun is shining and i feel

• happy
• content
• thankful
• peaceful
• loved
• filled up
• enough

i am going to enjoy today, cherish it!  hopefully, next time i am down, my memories of today will keep my little roller coaster chugging along...

special thanks to my friend karen for checking up on me...you always seem to do that when i need it!  and god has blessed me with an amazing husband, special, special thanks to bluedothubs for the sweet talk he gave me last night.  you said just what i needed to hear!  i love you so much and am so thankful for you!

i hope y'all are having an amazing thursday,

in a funk & overwhelmed!

i have a lot going on this week..a whole lot!

• we are moving on friday and saturday, yippee!  i am excited about that so why am i in a funk?  maybe it is because even 6 weeks ago i was so unsure about the future.    
•  i feel like a jumbled up mess of emotions.
• a black cat ran across my path this morning...am i doomed for 7 years now? or is the 7 year thing for broken mirrors?
• i am struggling
• i feel like i make no sense
• working on your character flaws when you are in a funk is not a good thing
• maybe if i had some m & m's i'd feel better...it always helps at lifewalk meetings!
• why is giving things over to god so hard?
• why do i have so many whys?
• i don't like having a facade and i want to be transparent, but it is a scary thing
• i wish everyone were safe or at least there were some visible, tangible way to know who was a safe person and who was not

sorry for such a blah post,

it's time for a hodgepodge!

it's wednesday and time to link up with joyce over at from this side of the pond

1. Spring is in the air (at least in my neck of the woods) and the birds are singing...what's your favorite bird?
birds....ack!  i don't like birds of any sorts.  they scare me.  and seriously, i had a friend tweet that crows recognize faces...just another reason to shy away from them, no need to ask for an attack!

2. Speaking of birds...do you tweet? If so tell us your screen name and we'll come flocking to your Twitter site. Even if you don't let's all pretend here that we do-in 140 characters or less, sum up your week so far.

i love twitter!  no surprise, my screen name is @bluedotmom  my tweets are protected, but if you want to follow me let me know you read my blog.

to sum up my week so far: chaotic, busy, lists with lists, feeling full of hope and thankfulness!

3. Its been reported recently that employers are not only viewing the facebook pages of potential hires but they're also requesting your facebook password to have a look at what you've kept from public view. What say you?

absolutely not!  that is a violation on many different levels.  i have read articles about companies requiring people at interviews to log into their facebook account and let the interviewer or a company representative peruse the interviewees account.  now, while saying i don't think they should have access to your personal account, i do think people should grow up and realize that anything they put online that you wouldn't want to stand up and tell the entire public.  people in general need to use a filter, ie we don't need to know everything you are doing, done or are going to do, much less see all of your personal business.  

4. It's April and you know what that means-Major League Baseball is back in action. What's your favorite baseball movie? If that's too hard, what's your favorite sports themed movie?

field of dreams is hands down my favorite baseball movie!

5. Something else this season brings-asparagus. Yes please or no thanks? If it's yes please what's your favorite way to have it prepared?

why yes please!  i love asparagus.  my favorite way to prepare it is to saute it in olive oil with garlic and pepper!

6. What drives you? (Don't you love how I sandwiched that one in between asparagus and jugglers???)

joyce, you are killin' me!  because of my smartassediness (yes it is one of my made up words) literally,  a chrysler pacifica!  figuratively i would have to say that it is the new journey i am on.  if you had asked me this question just 3 months ago, i probably would have said my family, and trying to be everything and give everything to make them happy.  now, while i still want them to be happy, i realize that their happiness is just that 'theirs' and that i can only control me.  

7. April 18th is International Jugglers Day...can you juggle?

well i can throw things up in the air and can actually catch them, but i wouldn't call it juggling!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

i'm feeling a little sad...my baby boy will be graduating from high school in a few short weeks...i can't believe how incredibly fast the time has flown by.  i am so proud of that young man! 

hope y'all are having a splendid week,