N Is for New Notebooks (even when you don't really need them)!

 

April A to Z Challenge Continues with the letter N!

N is for New Notebooks (even when you don't really need them)

There is just something about new notebooks.

I don’t care how old I get—or how many I already have stacked in a drawer—I will never outgrow the thrill of fresh school supplies. Crisp pages. Clean lines. Possibility sitting quietly between two covers. It feels like a new beginning every single time.

Yes, I’m “old”… but I’m also still a student. And maybe that’s part of why I refuse to let go of this simple joy.

Now, let’s be honest: I am a paper snob. Mark is a beer snob. I, on the other hand, am a paper snob!

Not all notebooks are created equal, and I will stand by that. The feel of the paper matters. If it’s too thin, the pen bleeds through and ruins everything. If it’s too slick, the ink doesn’t settle right. But when you find the one—that perfect balance of weight and texture—and pair it with a really good pen? That’s magic. Pure magic.

Most days start the same way for me: with my steno notebook.

There’s something wonderfully grounding about sitting down and writing out a daily to-do list by hand. Not typing. Not tapping. Writing. I list everything out, big and small, and then throughout the day I get the deep satisfaction of marking things off. Mark loves to laugh as he tells people that I have been known to add something to the list just so I can check it off immediately—and he is correct and I’m not even sorry about it.

Each steno notebook lasts me a couple of months, depending on how many pages I fill (and how ambitious I’m feeling when I make those lists). And when I reach that last page? There’s a strange mix of pride and excitement—because it means I get to start a new one.

And then there are my class notebooks.

Even now, I still take notes the old-fashioned way for some of my classes. There’s something about physically writing things down that helps it stick better. Page after page, thought after thought—it becomes more than notes; it becomes a record of the journey.

This semester, I have filled an entire notebook with notes from my New Testament class. Every page represents something I learned, something I questioned, something I wrestled with or understood more deeply. That notebook isn’t just paper and ink—it’s growth. It’s time spent leaning in. It's time listening to my professor as my mind is blown with new information.

So no, I don’t need another notebook.

But I will absolutely buy one anyway.

Because sometimes a blank page isn’t just a blank page.
Sometimes it’s an invitation.

What about you? Do you love new school supplies? What about notebooks? Do you make lists?

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

Joyce writes the questions and we answer! Join us at From This Side of the Pond and link up! I apologize for two posts today but I couldn't figure out a way to combine them without it being a really long post! If you want to read my April A to Z post, please check out the previous post. The challenge was set to post at 1:00 a.m. this morning and the Hodgepodge was set to post at 5:00 a.m.

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately? 

I am married to a retired CPA who was the CFO of a local company. I haven't done my own taxes since 1983. Actually, we were dating in 1983 . . .so Mark probably did my taxes that year, too! What have I found taxing lately? The pollen! I would love to be outside in this amazing weather, but nope. I can't. Dealing with high pollen counts can be very taxing on the body!

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. 

Normally, I plan what I am going to pack and make a packing list. I like to lay it out and pack a week in advance. Back in October, that did not happen before we went on the cruise and I was packing the night before. It worked. Yes! Yes! Yes! I struggle to pack light. As I'm packing, I think "I might need this!" A packing tip that has helped me is to purchase a set of packing cubes. I ordered a basic set from Amazon and have used them multiple times. I also roll lots of my items.

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? 

I did not know that they had their own month! I love a grilled cheese sandwich. I use Lewis Keto bread and 2 slices of Kraft Deluxe 2% cheese slices (not the individually wrapped ones). I prefer to use a pat of real butter, but due to weight control, I usually use butter spray. Toast the sandwich in a small skillet. Cut off the crusts AND EAT THEM FIRST! I am a grilled cheese purist. I don't want a lot of additions. When we were kids, I do remember adding dill pickle slices to our grilled cheese. I'm not sure I would like that addition now. Mark wants mustard on his grilled cheese. We all think that is so weird. Does anyone else want mustard? If I add anything, it would be a tiny bit of Hellman's light mayo!

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd  

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? 

Constant growth is necessary. I've always heard that if you aren't growing, you are dying. I want to keep growing!! In my development class, we are studying older adults at this point. Continued learning is very important as we age. Don't stop learning!!

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

• daffodils or tulips - tulips, but I do like daffodils
• lemonade or iced tea - iced tea
• gardening or hiking - neither haha!
• ladybugs or butterflies - butterflies
• umbrella or raincoat - raincoat with a hood so my hands are free
• floral patterns or polka dots - Polka dots . . .though I do have lots of floral patterns. I am assuming we are talking clothing? I don't have any floral or polka dot furniture!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our two year old granddaughter is saying so many words since she had tubes put in her ears. I think she hit a developmental leap at the exact same time. She is still calling us Bop Bop and Ghee because she can't say Pop or Pops or Gran. Her momma told her that we are all going to the beach together this summer and she is saying "beach" in the cutest little voice! We FaceTime with them a lot. This generation of babies is learning how to have relationships over a screen. I'm glad we get to see and hear her.

M Is for My Favorite Chair(s)

 

Continuing on with April A to Z Blogging Challenge

M Is for My Favorite Chair(s)

My original title was simply My Favorite Chair, but as I began thinking about the post, I realized I had to add an "s."

My posts for this challenge are all about the things (some are just "things" and some include people) that make life a little better. 

Enter "My Favorite Chair."

I love this Pottery Barn recliner. When we first moved into this house back in 2014, we went to Pottery Barn to pick out some new furniture. I wanted a leather recliner. Mark, on the other hand, felt like sitting in a recliner is the pinnacle of laziness. Did I care that he thought that? Nope, I did not because I am confident in the knowledge that I AM NOT LAZY.

She is a really good chair. Yes, she has to be a girl because she is a little daintier than some sister chairs! You want to know something funny? Over the years, Mark has taken quite a few naps in this chair hahaha! When we came in from the surgery center last week, guess which chair he immediately sat in?? Yes, he snoozed in my recliner!

Let me be totally honest here. Unless he is infirm in some way, in the evenings . . .this chair is all mine.

But I wanted to share a few chairs that rate "honorable mention."

Mark and I have had the chair below since we were newlyweds. It belonged to someone in his family and we got it after they died. I can't remember who owned it first. Anyway, it has been recovered numerous times over the years. This chair was in the room that had the heaviest fire and water damage and I thought the chair would be like the bed in that room. I thought it would have to be thrown into the dumpster. My brother-in-law took it away and reworked all of the wood and then brought it back to us. I found this funky velvet at Joanne's Fabric and had the chair recovered. It sits in a corner of our bedroom and is the perfect chair. It squeaks everytime you move and for some reason, I love that about it!

Here is another chair that is in our upstairs "loft" area - like a den/sitting area for the bedrooms upstairs. Mark and I purchased two of these chairs at an expensive furniture store in Birmingham - once again, when we were newlyweds (almost 42 years ago). The other chair is across the room - I figured you only needed to see one. I thought this chair was destroyed in the fire, too. Our whole upstairs was heavily damaged - everything was taken to the studs and the roof beams, etc. had to be replaced. Anyway, they were stored while we were rebuilding and when they were returned to us, I decided to buy new fabric and have them recovered. The removal company had cleaned them several times so there was no smoke damage. I've used the same family re-upholstery company for years and I asked him to replace any stuffing if he saw any sign of mold. I found this fun fabric online. These chairs are comfortable and cute!

Only two more -- chairs are worth more than their sitting value. Chairs provide a space of rest for our bodies and souls. The chair below was my mother's. My mother died when I was 15 years old so when I sit in this chair, I feel her love. I actually remember sitting in my daddy's lap when he was in this chair. I wrote about the chair a while back - my niece found it in her mother's basement (my oldest sister) when she died and she asked if I wanted it. Mark and I picked it up and took it along with the fabric to the same family who upholstered everything else.

I did not go with a practical fabric. This is the softest velvet you can imagine and when I sit here, I feel the love of both of my parents.

The chair below has zero family ties. As a matter of fact, when we did the last renovations at the church, these chairs were no longer needed and I said, "me! me! me! May I have them?" I don't think Mark has ever really liked them, but I have one in each of the guest rooms upstairs. They are actually comfortable to sit in and they are the perfect place to sit to put on shoes, etc.

So . . .tell me about your favorite chair. Where do you sit to relax? Did the chair belong to someone else before you?

L Is for Laughter that Comes Easily!

 

Continuing with the April A to Z Challenge

My theme is Things that Make Life Better

L is for Laughter that Comes Easily

I have no idea whose baby this is - found it on the
internet. There is nothing like the sound of a baby's
laughter. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

One of the reasons I fell in love with Mark was
that he made (and still makes) me
laugh! We were laughing in the photo
booth.

Look at this baby laughing! I know
her!!

Here we are in October 2024 - laughing
hysterically and acting like fools. We were
in Greece or Turkey (I think!).

It was hot as everything - we
must be in Egypt in this photo. We
were laughing at ourselves.

L is for laughter—and if you know me at all, you know this one fits.

I love to laugh. Not the quiet, polite kind of laugh either. I mean the kind that bubbles up before you can stop it. The kind that turns heads in a room. The kind that makes your stomach hurt and your eyes water and leaves you wondering, “What was even that funny?” The kind that often gets me in trouble - even at 67 years old.

That kind of laughter.

We love to laugh—our family, our friends, our people. It shows up around dinner tables and in car rides and in the middle of stories that take way too long to tell, but Mark will tell them anyway -- more than once . . .or more than twice. Sometimes it’s sparked by something genuinely hilarious, and sometimes it’s just one of those moments where everything feels light and easy and good.

And honestly? A good belly laugh makes me feel better every single time.

It doesn’t fix everything, of course. Life still happens. Hard things don’t magically disappear because we laughed. But laughter softens the edges. It gives us a break. It reminds us that joy still lives here, even in the middle of busy days, hard seasons, or unexpected turns.

There’s something deeply connecting about laughter, too. It pulls us out of our own heads and into shared moments. It says, “We’re in this together.” No explanations needed.

I think sometimes we forget how important that is. We get serious. Focused. Responsible. (All good things.) But somewhere along the way, we can lose our willingness to just… laugh. Loudly. Freely. Without worrying who’s listening.

I don’t want to lose that.

So I’ll keep laughing—the loud kind, the uncontrollable kind, the kind that might be just a little embarrassing. Because it feels good. Because it brings people together. Because it reminds me not to take everything so seriously.

L is for laughter.

And I’m grateful for every single bit of it.

What makes you laugh the hardest? Do you laugh quietly and politely or are you like me?

K is for Kind Words at Just the Right Time

We are getting closer to the halfway point for the April A to Z blog challenge.

Today's letter is K!

K is for Kind Words at Just the Right Time

There are moments in life when everything feels a little heavier than usual.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing that would make the headlines of our lives. Just the quiet weight of responsibilities, disappointments, or the lingering question of am I doing enough?

And then—almost unexpectedly—someone offers a kind word.

Not a grand speech. Not a perfectly crafted solution. Just a simple sentence:

“You’re doing a good job.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”

And somehow, that’s enough. Bobby Scales is one of our retired pastors and he is an encourager. Bobby is in his mid-80's and has seen a lot of life and realizes how a kind word goes a long way. He pops into my office regularly to tell me that I'm doing a good job and his words usually come at just the right moment.

Kind words, when they come at just the right time, have a way of settling into our hearts. They interrupt the negative thoughts we didn’t even realize were growing - which as a #1 on the Enneagram . . .those negative and self-critical thoughts are on a roll in my head. They remind us that we’re not invisible. That what we’re doing matters. That we matter.

What’s interesting is how small these moments often are. A passing comment in the hallway. A quick text. A note scribbled in the margin. They take almost no time to give—but their impact can linger far longer than we expect.

I’ve been on the receiving end of those words more than once, often when I didn’t even know I needed them. And if I’m honest, I can also think of times when I could have said something kind—and didn’t. Not out of unkindness, but simply because I didn’t think it mattered that much.

But it does.

Kind words don’t require perfect timing—just a little attentiveness. A willingness to notice. A pause long enough to say what we’re already thinking but might otherwise keep to ourselves.

So maybe “K” is a gentle reminder.

If you think something kind about someone today, say it.

Send the text. Write the note. Speak the encouragement out loud.

Because you never really know what someone is carrying.

And your few kind words—offered at just the right time—might be the very thing that makes their day a little lighter… and their world a little better.

Share with all of us -- when has someone shared a kind word with you recently! We would love to hear!

Sunday Stealing - Tell Us Something

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week's meme was stolen from Ken and Dot's All Sorts. This blogging duo was asked to share things about themselves their readers may not already know. Their answers have been used as the basis for this week's questions. 

Tell Us Something

1. Can you touch your nose with your tongue? Yes. Did anyone besides me have to do it to make sure they still could? No? I didn't either haha!

2. What foreign language did you study in school? How much of it do you still remember? I studied Spanish in high school and when I was at UAB. I should have kept it up. I was good at it and took quite a few courses.

3. What recipe did you most recently prepare? Where did you get the recipe and how did it turn out? I made stuffed peppers for us one night this week. I made up the recipe. They were good.

4. What song have you listened to over and over and over again? Overcomer by Mandisa is one I have played many times! I've also listened to some of Lauren Daigle's songs over and over. I had this one on repeat back in 2005 . . .for several years. Give Me Jesus

5. Are there currently any pets in your household? Are you considering adding another? No. We had to have our Harvey put to sleep about a year and a half ago. I miss him, but we probably won't be adding another due to my allergies. We shouldn't have had him then. . .but we did.

Harvey watching the birds

Every blanket was for Harvey!

6. As an adult, have you ever performed with a drama group? (Student productions don't count.) I have been in a skit or two during a retreat or for an event 

I should remember this -- I was pretending to be
an old pregnant woman - Eve (gardening hat) is to the right
of me. I can't remember the other characters!

My friend, pastor Laura, and me
working at Night in Bethlehem

I am Mona Lisa in this skit (see below)

I'm on the far right in the orange shirt - speaking as
Mona Lisa - through her painting

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

J is for Joy

 

April A to Z

J is for Joy

My April A to Z posts have been centered around “Things that Make Life Better,” and most days I’ve written about small, tangible things—dinners with friends, books you can’t put down, simple comforts that brighten ordinary days.

But today feels a little different.

J is for Joy.

Joy isn’t something you can pick up at the store or plan on the calendar. It doesn’t require a reservation or a special occasion. And yet, it might be the very thing that makes the biggest difference in how we experience our lives.

I used to think joy and happiness were the same thing. But over time, I’ve learned that happiness often depends on circumstances—things going right, good news arriving, plans working out.

Joy is much deeper than that.

Joy shows up in the middle of real life—the messy, imperfect, sometimes hard parts. It sits beside us in hospital waiting rooms, walks with us through uncertainty, and somehow still finds a way to whisper, there is still good here.

For me, joy often looks small.

It’s the sound of the Diet Pepsi early in the morning . . . when I first twist the cap.

For Mark, it is the first sip of coffee when he wakes up.
A text from a friend at just the right moment often brings joy.
Laughter around the dinner table brings joy to my heart.
Joy is often a sense of peace that doesn’t quite make sense given the circumstances.

These are the kinds of moments that don’t demand attention—but they change everything.

I think joy grows when we notice it.

Not when life is perfect, but when we pause long enough to recognize what is still good, still steady, still full of grace. It’s less about chasing something new and more about seeing what has been there all along.

And maybe that’s why joy makes life better.

Because it doesn’t wait for everything to be fixed. It doesn’t require us to have it all together. It simply meets us where we are—and gently reminds us that even here, even now, there is something to hold onto.

Today, I’m grateful for joy.

The quiet kind. The unexpected kind. The kind that stays.

What has brought joy to your life in the last week?