Normally, I'm not real fond of cold weather, but I have to admit - it's kind of put a smile on my face this week. Especially, when my mom showed up at work yesterday with a Caramel Apple Spice. So, so good. A gift of love....

What was not a gift of love was what McDonald's gave me today. About once a month I feel like I just have to have a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and today was that day. What I thought would be a reunion with an old friend turned out to be a brutal betrayal. Apparently, the QPw/C decided it didn't want to be my friend anymore and made war with my stomach. I have decided to breakup with McDonald's. It is now dead to me. It was that bad.

Thankfully, I was feeling much better by the time I got to Church. I'm doing Beth Moore's "Here and Now... There and Then" study on Revelation. Each week I am amazed that I get to see a small glimpse of Heaven. It is humbling and exciting all at the same time.

Now I'm home and all toasty because Hubs has a fire going. I think I'll keep him. He makes my heart smile.





It's gettin' cold up in here!

It's officially winter here in Alabama! We've had some below freezing weather and you know what that means.... massive amounts of people flocking to the grocery store to stock up on milk and bread. Thankfully, we have milk and bread at our house and more importantly - grape Fanta.

I made our first pot of winter chili and it did not disappoint. I love it when it's so spicy that my nose runs. I just can't decide if I'd rather have chili or taco soup. Love, love, love them both.

On another note, Hubs got an Airzooka. If you're super geeky like us, you might have a lot of fun with it! I apologize in advance for the horse laugh you'll here at the end.

11-28-11 Airzooka from Jill Sharpe on Vimeo.

My Pants Feel a Little Tighter

So, I decided to wear a skirt today. That's how I'm dealing with my big, bloated belly full of turkey, ham, dressing, apple pie, etc.

I have LOVED this long weekend. After I got off work Wednesday night I got my hair done, convinced Hubs to go to the grocery store with me and then came home and made a chicken cheese ball. (I refused to go to the in-laws with just ice.)

We had a great time with Hub's family Thanksgiving Day. It was my newest nephew's first holiday and we loved having a baby in the house! It was so sweet to look over and see Hubs with his niece and 2 nephews on his side of the family all on the couch together.

Friday was absolutely wonderful. I spent the entire day in my pajamas napping, reading, and watching TV. I did get online early that morning and did about 95% of my Christmas shopping. Total score for not having to battle the crowds (or get out of my pajamas)!

Saturday, Hubs and I ran a few errands before he went to watch the game with friends. (If you're from Alabama you know exactly which game I'm talking about.) Sunday, I woke up to the most beautiful sound - RAIN - and it hasn't stopped all day. I know it's not ideal to most, but I absolutely love it.

Can't wait to see what this week holds!

Ice Ice Baby

We're spending Thanksgiving Day with Hub's family this year. I called my sweet mother-in-law last night on the way home from work and asked what I can bring. She told me all the things she and my sister-and-laws will be making. And then told me to bring ice.

ICE

Should I pull a Phoebe?

Phoebe: Yeah well, that's 'cause I'm in charge of cups and ice, and Monica is gonna rue the day that she put me in charge of cups and ice.

Run Baby Run

I have really started to love running. For some, it comes easy. Me, not so much. I struggled for 2 years to even be able to run 3 miles and every.single.second of it was stinkin' HORRIBLE. I mean, pretty much every step left me wanting to turn around and crawl back to my car begging for sweet mercy the entire way.

But, I kept at it and a couple of months ago, Hubs convinced me to sign up for the Vulcan Run. 6.2 miles seemed impossible at the time. I thought I would run as long as I could and then walk the rest. I was good with that because my personal running goal didn't go past 3 miles. (Yes, I am an overachiever.)

About a month before the Run, I went out running by myself on a Sunday morning before Church. Normally, J2 runs with me but she wasn't feeling well. I headed down to an area close to my house with the intentions of running 2 miles. It was wonderful - I was listening to my praise and worship music, talking to my Lord and before I knew it, the 2 miles were up. I decided to try two more and after that, another two. 6 MILES!! Holy Cow, I think I became a runner that day.

The next Sunday we ran 7 and the next 8. The Vulcan Run has come and gone and I look forward to my morning runs with my friends. It's hard to get up so early (we all work) but I love being out as the sun comes up. It feels like a sweet treat God gives us. It really has become a special time of prayer and worship.

I never thought I'd be a runner. I especially never thought God would use it to give me more time with Him.

I caught my Mom telling someone the other day that I had run a marathon. I had to explain to her that I ran a 10K, not a marathon. BIG DIFFERENCE - BIG! So, if my Mama told any of you I ran a marathon, you probably already guessed that wasn't true. Or maybe you just thought I had turned into Super Girl. If that's the case - I'm good with that.

It's been a while...

Hello, my name is Jill. You may remember me. I used to post here somewhat regularly.

Well, life got in the way for a while and I let this blog take a back seat. Actually, it's more like I left it crying on the curb. I may not have left comments as much as usual but I have been keeping up with all of you. I think I've now rectified this broken blog relationship and I think we're on good terms again.

I've missed being able to tell you all the mundane details of my life. Like how there's an hour of my life I desperately wish I could get back that was spent watching Top 20 Most Shocking Moments - the Backyard Boneheads edition with Jay. #12 was the story of a man who pulled his tooth by tying a string from his tooth to a board and then taking a hammer to the board. He said he used to use pliars but "it hurt too much". I would expand on that but there are no words.

Thankfully, that wasn't the most exciting part of my weekend. Yesterday, we had Thanksgiving with all my family at my Mom and Dad's house. It was wonderful! I do believe my Mama may be the best cook in the world. Her dressing is out of this world! Hubs and I had leftovers for lunch and it was just as good today as it was yesterday.

Unfortunately, Mama Hen's youngest hadn't been feeling good and threw up not too long after we got there. He spent the rest of the afternoon in the back bedroom watching Kung Foo Panda. He did come out long enough to blow the candles out on his birthday cake but then turned around and walked out of the room. You know a 5 year old is sick when he blows the candles out and then makes his way back to the bedroom without any cake. We all thought about his recent projectile experience, the amount of spit that probably came out while blowing out the candles and decided it might not be in our best interest to eat that cake. I had Mama Hen's apple pie instead. Yes, I think that was a wise choice.

All in all, it's been a great weekend!