Page 8

Inspired

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

Yesterday, we were working on the boy’s “homework” for school, and it inspired me. It was just a simple All About Me page, but it gave me a starting point when I’ve been drawing up so many blanks lately.

Basics:
Name: Jolie Gray
Age: 30, but not for too much longer!
Height: 5’6″

Favorites:
Favorite song: How can I ever pick just one? Probably
Favorite movie: I think it’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Maybe it’s Step-Mom.
Favorite color: pink
Favorite place: New York City
Favorite breakfast food: potato, egg, and cheese taco from Matamoras
Favorite lunch food: sushi
Favorite supper food: Filet Oscar

Ideal day:
I would wake up at 9:00 (to me that’s the perfect balance of sleeping in but not wasting the day).
In the morning I would workout, shower, and read a book.
In the afternoon I would shop, have coffee, and watch a show.
In the evening I would have dinner with friends followed by a dessert date with my husband.
I would go to bed at midnight (that’s my perfect bedtime any night; I get lots done without being over-tired).

crafts/create/journal/me time/mom/reading/spa

Making Time for Me

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 2 Comments

I make it a point to do some things just for me on a regular basis. I don’t want to be rundown, tired, and not at my best when trying to be the best mom and wife I can be. Sometimes it’s just as important to think about and remember them as it is to do them!

1. I worship: journaling, singing at the top of my lungs, prayer time, reading my Bible or a devotional, but I get in time with Him and re-center.

2. I create: maybe it’s a mail subscription box I dreamed up, maybe it’s a blog post, craft, or new recipe, but I let my creative juices flow.

3. I read: mindless, non-fiction, whatever I’m feeling at the time, but I love getting lost in a good book.

4. I turn up the music: I open the sunroof, crank up the music, and belt it out! Such a release.

5. I wander the aisles of Target: I might not need a thing, but just walking into that glorious building releases all my stresses.

6. I go for a run: it might be a short run, but it’s a run nonetheless. I’d sure love for cycling to be the same time of release, but I have to focus too much when trying to balance.

7. I give: maybe it’s time, talents, or money, but I give something. It’s my love language! I love to give gifts!

8. I grab a coffee: I snuggling up with a cup of coffee and taking that first sip. It just makes things right again.

9. I chat with friends: girls night, play date, lunch, afternoon dessert, anytime is a good time to caht with good friends.

10. I take a spa day: not necessarily the whole day or a myriad of spa services all at once, but I love being poked and prodded, so I’ll take any chance I can to have a spa moment!

What do you do for you?

eos/favorites/Friday Five/LuLaRoe/subscriptions

Friday Five: Favorites Edition

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

1. Y’all, it’s Friday, and the boy is napping! I have a moment to catch my breath. This week resembled normal and routine. I love it! I feel so much more productive. Routines are my favorite.

2. Have I mentioned how much I am loving Rocksbox? It’s a fun way to trade out jewelry and keep it fresh. Use purposeboxoxo to try it out and get your first month free! Fun mail is my favorite.

3. I’m obsessed with LuLaRoe’s Amelia Dress. Check out my friend Laura’s shop to find them–and other great stuff. I’ve lost count on how many I have now. It’s a real obsession. Dresses with pockets are my favorite.

4. I bought my first retractable lip brush a week or so ago because I had a lemon EOS that detached from the base in the car. I’m loving this new application style. Lip brushes are my favorite.

5. I had no idea how much I was missing having a shaker cup in my life until I had a Blender Bottle. Then I got another one. It has a ball that acts as a whisk inside. It shakes all the things. Blender Bottles are my favorite. (Affiliate link: I might make a few cents if you buy.)

football/giving/Happy House/journal/Legos/sharing/teaching/TOMS

Tuesday Ten: Back to School Edition

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means. I managed to string a thought or ten together here.

1. We had our first easy transition day at Happy House yesterday. The boy is not even worried about doing any transitioning, but he played like a champ and tried to reach out to a new friend who was nervous. Plus, we’ve got Mrs. Kristi again, so it was glorious.

2. Probably months ago, the boy bought four sets of Legos for children who don’t have many toys. I have yet to find a home for them. Isn’t that horrible. Anyone know anyone who would enjoy them but can’t afford them? We’d love to share.

3. We are headed to Schlitterbahn today. I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to Schlitterbahn. (I think I’ve only been twice in my whole life.) Hooray for winning free tickets!

4. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was a teacher, but it’s still weird not to have a first day of school. (Don’t get me wrong, I would likely be devastated if I did have one.)

5. I kind of feel like I’m losing a little of my identity in our time in the camphouse. Some of it was just creating a good balance, others, I’m slipping a little far. I’m hoping the school year and being back in a normal-sized home with all my cooking and cleaning supplies will help me get back on track some.

6. The football countdown is getting smaller and smaller. We’ve resorted to watching preseason NFL on TV. I won’t make it much longer with these conditions.

7. Super lice. That’s a thing now. Makes my head itch just thinking about it. One year when I was teaching, I had a student who couldn’t get rid of them. I had long hair, and I was terrified I was going to have a head full of lice. I started wearing my hair in a bun or ponytail every day and running my flat iron through it multiple times a day because the heat was supposed to kill lice, and on the off chance they got in my hair, I wanted them dead soon. Ahhh, memories.

8. I bought the cutest TOMS backpack the other day with laptop sleeve. Then I forgot about it and have never used it. I need to get it out and get packing!

9. Every time I have to fill out forms for my son, I try to write my mom’s name where it says “mother’s name” instead of my own. I wonder when I’ll get that figured out.

How long do I have to be mom before I stop writing my mom’s name in the mother’s name field for my child?
Posted by The Gray Matters on Monday, August 24, 2015

10. I bought some really neat journals a while back, and I can’t wait to use them in my new quiet time space in the new house. I am so excited for that time and space for me to connect with the Lord and really be intentional about it.

#mailthatmatters/2015/Baby Gray/family/fun/Mr. Gray/Purpose Box/summer/travel

A Bit of a Recap

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

Y’all, what a summer. It has been a whirlwind of emotions, coordination at the new house, plans that changed, changed back, and changed again. It’s been a test of faith, and I’d like to think I leaned in rather than running away. I held my boy a little tighter, snuggled close when he asked me to lay with him for just one more second, and said yes to far too many treats!

We’ve had a lot of fun as a family this summer, and I feel like I didn’t really document any of it. When I look back in a few years and try to remember, I’ll wonder why this was a summer of silence.

+ I had the chance to back away from the computer and phone some, which was nice. In June, Mr. Gray and I took our first trip in over five years that I didn’t have to have my phone for work. It was glorious.

+ The boy has almost worn a track around the new house with his Gator, and he’s got a giant spot of “yard” that he turns into a muddy mess with his sprinkler on the regular. We’ve spent lots of evenings painting, cleaning, throwing trash away, brainstorming, and just being together in our big empty house. I can’t wait to make it a home. (No, I do not know when we are moving in.)

+ Purpose Box has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two shipments. This past shipment was our fastest sellout ever–by a long shot–and we’re upping our number of boxes for the next shipment. We hosted our first event with some friends from fadedology in New Braunfels, a shoe cutting party for Sole Hope. I met lots of new friends who quickly became Purpose Box supporters.

+ We took a babysitter to Short Course in College Station this year, and it was our best decision all summer. I got some me-time, which is scarce while the boy isn’t in school, we had some date nights, and we all had fun.

+ We’re squeezing every last drop out of summer this year–we haven’t been to the beach at all, but we’re headed to the Kilgore Resort this weekend to swim, rest, and getaway for a few days before fall activities take off.

+ Football is only 17 days away–seventeen. Praise. (Also, I bought us tickets for a ZZ Top concert on A&M’s opening day. I thought it was away, away–turns out it’s in Houston. Oops!)

+ Also, completely irrelevant as far as summer goes, I want to do this to a staircase. I don’t know which staircase, but a staircase somewhere. I feel that’s important for everyone to know about me. I’m a closet (or not-so-closet Drake fan).

faith/family/grief/growth/loss/suicide awareness

That Tuesday in August

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

About mid-July, my subconscious starts to remind the rest of my being that the beginning of August is approaching. Scriptures, memories, timing, it all starts bubbling to the surface. Y’all, it comes out of nowhere–and it has, every year since.

I remember the bath I gave Baby Gray after fish fry and sharing that last laugh while Baby Gray was delirious and tired as we headed to College Station. I remember lunch and the phone call. I remember specific prayers people prayed with me over the phone as I called, or they called, or word got around. I remember how God provided those prayers for me to use to pray with him when I had the opportunity. I remember the hospital–what I ate for lunch, that my iPad wouldn’t charge so I could read, the Dr Pepper I went and got that afternoon. I remember the song, the promise. I remember friends showing up to feed us, to take care of our son, to talk, laugh and cry. I remember the conversations I have been able to have about Jesus as a result. I remember the relationships that changed and the break-throughs that have come. I remember it was a Tuesday, then a Thursday, then a Saturday. I remember the longing to get through December. I remember knowing if we could get through December we would make it to the next chapter.

I don’t remember any other time in my life where a season has been so clearly defined. I know exactly when it started and when it ended. It was such a distinct time in my life. It was a time to lean in to God and grow in my faith.

“being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 1:6

friends/love/notes/texts/thank you

Tell It Like It Is

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

Sometimes the very simplest things you could say to someone make the most difference. It reminded me that I don’t always tell people what I’m thinking and feeling.

Let someone know today that you love and appreciate them. It can be something as simple as a text, or as detailed as a hand-addressed, hand-written letter.

So, what are you waiting on? Reach out to someone today. They’ll smile and be encouraged. Your light doesn’t shine any less bright by sharing it with someone else.

CIZE/Shakeology/sweet tooth/sweets

I’ve Got the Cure

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

If you’ve been around for any length of time at all, you know I have an incurable sweet tooth. I’m talking my dream day would be cake for breakfast, a cookie while the boy naps, dessert after his bedtime. No amount of sweets is too much. (Notice how most of those involve the boy sleeping or being otherwise not there. What kind of role model would I be if I taught my son eat like that?)

Well… I thought that sweet tooth was incurable, anyway. It turns out I found a cure! I have several friends who kept talking about Beachbody (yep, the CIZE kick I’ve been on) and Shakeology. They went on and on about how it kept away their cravings for sweets. Ever the skeptic, I ordered some, not believing at all that it would work for me and my sweet tooth. There was just no way. I couldn’t imagine blending something, taking the time to make it everyday, or that it would taste good. BUT, I just had to know.

What’s in my cup? You guessed it! A shake!

So it came in. I tried it. It was good. It took less time to make than seemed possible. I didn’t crave a cupcake in the afternoon. I didn’t eat cookie dough after supper. I’d have it for breakfast and be good to go for the day. If I had regular breakfast, I’d have it for lunch or an afternoon snack. It definitely doesn’t mean I’ll never eat a cupcake again (I certainly will–and I have) but I don’t want to eat cupcakeS (yes, plural) all day, every day!

Want to cure your sweet tooth? Let me know! I’ll tell you more about it and help you get started!

cancer/death/loss

BTHO Eugene!

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 1 Comment

Lots of our friends have gotten married over the years. We’ve been in many weddings and made many new “friends” for the weekend. We usually end up friends on Facebook or something similar, and then within a couple of months, I see their name and can’t remember who that is or why I’m friends with them. (OK, maybe it’s not quite that bad.)

Other times, it turns out we like all the same TV shows, the same College Station college-style delicacies, and we really connect, get to know each other, and become friends. The latter was true of Sam. In the eight years since we met in our friends’ wedding, we have developed a friendship. She passed away yesterday after a hard-fought battle with her nemesis, Eugene. Take some time to read her story, laugh with her, cry with her, and pass it on.

Baby Gray/busy/CIZE/Purpose Box/VBS/workout

Pile It On

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Mrs Gray / 0 Comment

This week will be a wee bit crazy. I managed to sign the boy up for a camp in the morning and a Bible school in the evening without noticing it until it was too late to do anything about it. I’m considering it a win, though, because I’m teaching his class at VBS in the evening, so the morning will be some nice me time.

I can do my CIZE videos without tripping on Lego people or stepping on a little boy dancing next to me. (He happens to be really cute when he dances next to me, it’s just not conducive to me getting the whole workout done. Have I mentioned 4329648974234 times on Facebook yet that it doesn’t even feel like a workout? Contact me to order yours!)

I’m also slated for jury duty this week, a meeting at the boy’s school, a board meeting for an organization I work with, several deliveries to the new house, a meeting at church, and some fun Purpose Box stuff. Luckily, one thing I’ve learned in my plate over-filling days is when to delegate or say no, so I actually have things kind of in check.

Although, about that me time…