Mixin' It Up on Monday

Here we are in the midst of another Monday.  It's a rather cold and snowy one here, but I'm feeling thankful that the roads are clear.  The road crews were out and on the job bright and early this morning.  Thanks, guys...you are my winter heroes!  Just remember to be out there tomorrow if/when the predicted snow storm hits.  Sounds like it's going to be a mess with some significant accumulation.  And God....if you could time it so that it either doesn't start until the kids are home or hits at the right time to call a cancellation, that would be awesome.



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Still flying high here after a great weekend.  Tim was off on Friday (he's going to be working 4 10-hour days until work picks up) so in between my morning and afternoon bus runs I rode along with him to Home Depot to get some materials he needed at the church and we had an early lunch at Bob Evans.  Saturday Tim went to church with me.  It was the first time in quite a while.  Not only did he enjoy it, he was able to talk to and be friendly with the ones he was so upset with just a short time ago.  I don't know what happened at that breakfast with our pastor's husband and another friend, but Tim has a whole new outlook and attitude.  Thanks and praise to God!  Tim even went with me to the baptism service yesterday, which ended up taking most of the afternoon instead of just the hour or so expected....and again, he enjoyed himself.  He isn't, however, going to be attending Tuesday night Bible study with me like he'd promised.  I'm okay with that, though.....because while he was at church he heard the men talking about their Thursday night class that is starting this week.  It's a class to train men on how to be leaders at home and in the church.  Tim decided he'd rather do that.  I'm thrilled and so proud of him for turning his anger around so completely.


 
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I've been doing a lot of thinking about the blog lately.  I've shared some of it in earlier posts.  I still want to shake up the look, but first I have to decide if I am going to keep the same name or change that, too.  I pitched out a couple of ideas here and to friends.  There wasn't much response to them.  I don't think I put my favorite idea on here....I thought of calling the blog Trailerhood: Tales from a Double-Wide Paradise.  I had cute ideas for each page.  The main blog would be The Front Porch, links to other blogs would be Socializin', archives would be Up On Blocks, Killin' & Grillin' would be about cooking, The Li'berry would be about books....  Well, you get the idea.  It's cute, but a friend and I wondered if it wasn't TOO cute and might be a real turn-off for anyone that didn't already know me.

So, I came up with a few more:

• Baggage Claim
• Notes to Self
• Set This Circus Down
• If I'm Over the Hill, Shouldn't the Pedaling Be Easier? 

Then this weekend on my Saturday Share post I gave the links to two of my former blogs that still exist out there in the blogosphere.  For some reason they didn't get deleted when their time was up.  I just thought they'd be fun to look at.  I ended up getting caught up in the one, though.  It was and still is probably my favorite of all time.  It was after the "church implosion" but I was seeking and growing and basically pretty happy with life.  It showed.  I was stunned as I sat reading to realize how different I am from the woman blogging back in 2006.  All I can say is a LOT of water has gone under the bridge in the last 6 or 7 years.  That blog was called The View From the Porch Swing and in my very first post I wrote this:

**** commented that this blog has a real "Mayberry feel" to it. Being the Mayberry devotee that he is, it doesn't surprise me that he picked up on where I'm hoping to head with this blog.....simple, hometown and friendly. I want it to be like a neighborly visit over the back fence or a hug from the older lady at church that's always glad to see you or a cold slice of watermelon on a summer day. Nothing exciting, just one of the things that makes life nice and puts a smile on your face. 

I succeeded.  That little blog that only lasted 6 months had that feel.  I felt good writing it and the people who visited it said it made them smile, too.  THAT is what I believe I want to recreate here.  I'm still thinking of names, but the one that is jumping out at me is A Mayberry Soul and there's a reason for that.  Also taken from the old blog:

A Mayberry Soul

Becky Freeman is one of my favorite Christian writers. Her light-hearted thoughts on serious matters so often reflect what's going on in my own head. Take for example her book, A View from the Porch Swing. I picked it up today, prompted by the recent changes in my blog, and started rereading it for the first time in several years. Opening those pages was like meeting up with a good friend I hadn't seen in a while and delighting in getting to know her again. It's too hot to visit on the porch this afternoon so ice-cold tea and the livingroom sofa had to do....

Becky: I was sharing with my mom the other day how I want to know how I can live out the rest of my days with a greater sense of laid-back joy.
Me: Holy cow! Stop the presses! That is exactly what I am looking for in my life. Did your mom offer any insight?
Becky: Well, she said she understood what I meant.
Me: Really?
Becky: Yeah. It surprised me, too. She said she was watching an old rerun of The Andy Griffith Show the other day and there was this scene where Barney and Andy were sitting on the front porch swing, chatting and chuckling and stopping here and there to sigh at the stars. She said something inside of her jumped and she thought, "We aren't doing enough sitting and swinging and shooting the breeze anymore."
Me: Wow. I understand that. It's peaceful. I want peace in my life. What do you want, Becky?
Becky: I want to swing on the porch, glide back and forth in an easy rapport with my husband and kids and friends. I want to prop one leg up, lie back, look at the stars - and shoot the breeze with the One who made them. I want to slow down, simplify - be at home in my own head. What I need is a Mayberry Soul!

A Mayberry Soul. I like that.

Are you tired? Worn out?...Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly. (From Jesus' invitation, Matt. 11:29,The Message)

I've even got ideas for blog design if I run with this.  What do you think?  Would you like to sit on the porch and visit with this Mayberry Soul?  Or is the Trailerhood (or something else entirely) more your style?

Talk to me!



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And last, but not least on this snowy Monday....I've decided to start counting the things I have to be thankful for again this year.  I'm off to a late start and Ann Voskamp isn't doing 1000 Gifts link up on Mondays any more or at least not the same way so I'm just going to do it on my own on Mondays because I think it's a good idea.

1. A funny guinea pig video shared by a daughter.  Made me laugh.
2. A poodle who appears NOT to be in heat after all.  We thought she was yesterday based on how the male dog was acting...not a happy thought because she's already been spayed.  Today everyone is acting "normal."
3. Road crews who get out there at the butt-crack of dawn and clear the snow and salt the roads.
4. Seven people who got baptized yesterday!
5. Wedding soup for lunch.
6. Orders packed up and ready to deliver from my Thirty-One party.  Only thing on back order is mine.
7. Duck Dynasty!
8. Long-johns.....hey it's cold!
9. The promise of mild weather by the end of the week.
10. Cake with sprinkles IN it.