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date/date night/I couldn't live without/marriage

I Couldn’t Live Without… Date Night

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

It’s fun to think of the things I couldn’t live without. I always enjoy joining in with Katie and Lindsay.

Date night. Date day. Lunch date. Breakfast date. Any date. Let’s talk about this for a bit. Right now we have a million things going on; dates are fewer and farther between than normal. We have to make it even more of a priority than usual to make sure we are staying in tune with each other. We have to go the extra mile to ensure we are at the top of each other’s list. If it means waking up early and having coffee together or catching a movie on the couch with dessert after the boy’s bedtime. However we get it in, dates are non-negotiable.

Our dates are time to focus on each other and our marriage. It’s time to plug in and get connected without the interruptions of everyday life.

Do you have regular dates with your spouse? What’s your favorite thing to do?

(I talked a lot about dating your spouse during my Marriage Matters series; I know I kind of sound like a broken record. It’s important, though.)

avocado/interview/Mr. Gray/pie/Recipes

Oh, Avocado!

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 1 Comment

You might remember a while back when my husband was sharing his last meal request in a little interview, he mentioned a pie our dear friend Elizabeth makes. (Made. She made it once, and it lives in infamy.) I tried to make it once. The avocado wasn’t the right amount of ripe (I’m not at all sure if it was under-ripe or over-ripe, but it was definitely not right).

So today, imagine my surprise when my Macaroni Kid newsletter hit my email (side note: if you have a Macaroni Kid* in your area, be sure to sign up for the newsletter–awesome info) inbox and a very similar chocolate mousse recipe was in it. I hopped up immediately and made it.

In a matter of just a few minutes, I had delicious chocolate mousse. I’m even pretending it’s good for me.

Original recipe here. (I used MooTopia instead of almond milk.)

*No Macaroni Kid in your area? I’d love to tell you more about how to get one!

#mailthatmatters/celebration/date/Little League/Monday/purchase with purpose/Purpose Box

Celebrate Monday

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 1 Comment

Friday I had every intention to celebrate some things, but my internet had different plans (hooray country living). So, what better way to start off the week than with some celebrations?

+ Purpose Boxes went out last week! It’s such a cool feeling sending them out into the world! As feedback rolls in, my heart just swells. I know I keep saying I wanted to “do something,” but that’s the best way I can describe it. I have always had a desire to do something, but I never knew what.

+ We had a date night Friday. It was a serious of hilarious events that mostly kept ending with me being hungry, but we had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. We topped it off with a breakfast date Saturday morning. Two dates–one weekend! With all we have going on lately, we haven’t gotten to do that much. (We followed up our date with Little League photos. Lots of melt-your-heart moments.)

+ We are going to see the Rolling Stones in June! I’m really excited! I have no idea what to expect, but I have my outfit picked out. That’s what’s actually important, right?

What are you celebrating today?

2015/make up/who I am/writing

Gimme That Girl

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

I was inspired by my friend at Autism in Our House when she wrote I wish I was the kind of girl who… yesterday.

And that’s just it! I wish I was the kind of girl who:

+ could create the smoky eye look without looking like I got punched. When other people do it for me, it looks great. However, I should not be left to my own devices on such matters.

+ didn’t get motion sickness. I love planes, trains, and automobiles! I love to go. I don’t want to be sick en route, though.

+ enjoyed fruit. Seriously. Who doesn’t like fruit? This girl. Why, oh why? Texture issues. Ick!

+ could go a whole day without looking at the new house. Those poor workers probably get tired of seeing me drive up every few hours.

+ could braid my hair. I’d love to be able to braid my own hair in any capacity, but it would really be fun to be able to do cool braids.

+ was less cautious and a little more try-it-on-a-whim. I want to be spontaneous. I want to climb to the top of the rope swing and jump into the river. I want to climb big slides. I want to set that example for my son, who is now quite cautious himself.

#buildingthegrayhouse/30/Baby Gray/Facebook/goats/Mr. Gray/Purpose Box/t-ball/thirty/Tuesday 10/Tuesday ten/TV/vacations

You’ve Goat to Be Kidding

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments

Let’s just roll with a Tuesday Ten–lots of thoughts all in one place.

1. Planning vacations is so much fun. It’s also a little scary–what if we have another crazy hotel stay? (By the way, where is your favorite beach destination?)

2. These two melt my heart. I hope he grows up to be just like his daddy.

3. Purpose Boxes ship this week. Shipping is the scariest part. What if people don’t like them? Ah! In all reality, though, I am so pumped for this whole shebang. I don’t know where it’s going or where it’ll end up, but I know that I’m finally “doing something,” which has been a goal of mine for quite sometime. (I’m nothing if not specific. Ha!)

4. Things like Uber and Airbnb kind of scare me. Who regulates that stuff and makes sure no one gets me?

5. I need a computer bag/brief case/mini, portable office. Yes, all one thing. Help! Tell me about your favorites. I have an 11 inch MacBook Air, but I also need to be able to put papers in there–most likely in folders. I don’t even have any leads. Really.

6. I’m helping man a new page on Facebook. Give it look and a like. Lots of good writing being shared. (Because I don’t spend enough time on Facebook as it is.) Speaking of Facebook, I found this over the weekend. Good stuff. (Not sure where it originated; let me know if you know so I can give credit where credit is due.)

7. We’re getting goats this week–babies! (See, pun intended.) I can’t wait! I’ve only seen their pictures, but they are so cute! (They are not pets, though; they are livestock. Just a reminder to anyone who might be confused! Not me, Mr. Gray; I’ve got it down.)

8. I love Timehop because it helps me remember dates to things I’d never usually think about–like when I got my grandmother’s engagement ring (a year ago last week, by the way). Stuff that wouldn’t be on a calendar but still has an impact.

9. Our new home is coming along. It’s crazy to see how fast they work!

10. Some days I think I should re-watch Friday Night Lights. It was so good. Almost immeidately, though, I become scared to watch it again. What if it ruins it? I’ll just keep it perfectly tucked away in my memory instead.

2015/Baby Gray/chick pics/Easter

Good Day, Son-Shine

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

The older I get and the older my son gets, the more Easter weighs on me. The more I begin to grasp the sacrifice that was made for me to freely receive God’s grace.

God gave up His only Son for you and for me.

I can rest in the joy of a risen Savior.

We can love like crazy, be generous, and spread the good news.

We can celebrate an empty tomb all year long!

2015/cascarones/classroom treats/confetti eggs/Easter/Happy House

EGG-cellent Friends

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

I’m not a repeater of things. Once I have a great idea, I challenge myself to have an even better idea for the next go ’round. However, we loved our cascarones from last year so much that I just changed up the printable and did it again. The boy loves them–how could I not?

I did what I love to do–made a cheesy play on words–and we printed them out. Baby Gray signed his name to each card, then we packaged them up. (By we, I mean I packaged them up while he went outside and confetti-ed the cats.)

They’re so fun–and not candy! You’re welcome, classroom parents.

Click here to print your own! (Print on business card templates and you don’t even have to cut!)

Baby Gray/mom/parenting/Target

Not That Mom

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments

As it goes, we’re in 2015, and blogs full of mom feelings are floating around the ol’ world wide web. What I find most often, though, is that I don’t actually identify with them–at all. You see, sometimes I think I don’t have the “mom gene.” Mostly, though, I think I’m a different type of mom. Not good or bad, just different.

Before becoming a mom, I taught elementary school for five years. Maybe it jaded me. Maybe it shifted my perspective. Maybe I would have been like this anyway. When our son was an infant, I was asked all the time if I was sure he was my first. (That’s not just something a woman overlooks.) Of course I was sure. I’m laid back with him–it’s not even laid back, it’s just at ease. I feel at ease parenting our son. I don’t react immediately to every cry. I’m not a germ freak (most of the time; let’s not go to a thrift store, though). I don’t rush over for every fall, every bump. My son wears Target clothes–sometimes they match, sometimes they don’t. Usually they have his initials on them.

I do not see my son as an excuse to have a messy house. Nor have I missed a shower on his account. We don’t feel guilty about getting a babysitter and having a date night–our marriage is a priority! I do buy in to the whole “the days are long but the years are short” quote that’s always floating around. Those are pretty much the only internet parenting words that resonate with me. My child is growing before my eyes. I expect a ton out of him. We let him make choices and be responsible for what he chooses (within age-appropriate bounds, of course). He has consequences. We follow through. He eats too much dessert. He dresses himself. I pick my battles. Will it matter in a day? A week? A year?

He is kind and compassionate. He is always thinking of others. He acts like a four year-old. (We learn from that and go on.) I know he knows how much we love him. I know he knows we want him to know Jesus. Those are the things that matter to me. Those are the things that will matter in a day, a week, a year, or a lifetime.

GD/GM/TV/Wheel of Fortune

Lessons from the #WheelMobile

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

My grandparents had an open den and dining area before open spaces were cool (their formal living and dining area were also combined). When I’d go over in the evenings when I was younger, we’d all sit down to supper while Wheel of Fortune was on TV. It would usually linger over into Jeopardy! as well, but I wasn’t very into that. I remember many evenings sitting and watching Wheel from the backside of the table; I always wanted to sit on that side so I could see. I almost always had a guess for the puzzles–Before and After is my favorite.

I had no idea then how people got to go on Wheel of Fortune. My guess was that they lived near by and just showed up for a taping with Pat and Vanna. It sure looked fun.

I still don’t know how any of that worked back then, but I do know that nowadays, you just show up where the #WheelMobile is, drop your name in a bucket, and hope you get picked. Some get picked for an on-stage audition, others get chosen by random lottery for a final audition. How do I know, you ask? Well, I went to a #WheelMobile audition, of course!

I learned a few lessons from the ol’ #WheelMobile:
+ If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again! The very last contestant of the day had been there all six shows of the weekend. She was chosen dead last–the very last name out of the hat. Persistence pays off. If you want it, go for it.
+ Ask a trusted loved one to give you honest feedback before you tell anyone you’re good at something. If they’re not a good enough friend to be honest, find a new friend. (You know in your gut whether or not they’re being truthful.) The singing portion of these auditions (yeah, people were singing, performing poems, dancing–you name it) could be likened to the funny audition outtakes from American Idol.
+ Think before you speak. Even if you only have three seconds, think–at least a little–before shouting something out.
+ Sometimes it really just comes down to the luck of the draw. Sometimes no skill is involved; it’s really just a lottery. Take your chances, show up, see what happens. You might get lucky.

#buildingthegrayhouse/#mailthatmatters/baseball/Little League/purchase with purpose/Purpose Box/reading

Friday Five

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 1 Comment

1. The second shipment of Purpose Box is now available! It is so incredible to me to see all the orders roll in–they’re from people I know, people I don’t know, places I’ve heard of, and places I never knew existed. I know I said it last time, but it’s so cool seeing God use this to share stories of children, women, families, and more.

2. Framing has started on our new home. The boy got to go stand in his room yesterday. It’s getting very real (and still looking very small) around here!

3. Opening day of Little League is Saturday. I can’t believe our bitty boy is now a big boy–big enough to be playing t-ball! I have a feeling it’s going to be hilarious.

4. Wheel of Fortune auditions are coming to Austin this weekend. Everyone cross your fingers I get drawn to audition; then cross them again that I get to be on the show. How cool would that be? I am so stinkin’ excited about it! Are you a Wheel watcher?

5. I read Still Alice this week. It resulted in several dreams that I had Alzheimer’s. Now I’m reading about a boy who ended up with a severed head on his lap during a roller coaster ride. I hope I do not dream about that!