Friending

Lifechurch has a new series. Before you stop reading this post because I mention church hear me out. While we may not agree on God, church, religion we can agree on friends, friendship friending. Go & watch the first segment of this series on line at this link - Friending.  I learned some things from this message.  Craig Groeschel points out that if you show him your friends, he'll show you your future. List your 5 closest friends. You are the average of these five. What do your friends bring into your life? Support, wisdom, joy or negative, drama, pain. A friend is someone who loves you at all times, through the good & bad they lift you up. They also love you enough to call you out on your crap.

Do you even have 5 close friends? The average person today has 1 or 2 close friends due to work hours, divorce rates & social media. Believe it or not all your Facebook friends are not close friends as it says. Social media should be supplementing your friendships not replacing them in your life.

We must rediscover the lost art of friendship. Did you know a new study shows that most people have a "phone phobia". Yes, that's what I thought. People don't want to answer the phone anymore due to not being able to control the conversation like in texting or email. People don't know the art of conversation anymore. They also don't know how to close out a call. Think about it.

We must be present, get open or transparent to our friends. Stop developing your on-line image & develop true friends. We may impress people with our strength, we connect through our weaknesses. Be real people.

We are not created to be alone. Go be a friend today. 

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Not Friending Like...

Get Ready, Get Set, RUN!

Hi, friends! Mrs. Albright here, your 'running' housewife. I thought I'd share about my training, thoughts, etc., about the upcoming OKC Memorial Run on Sunday. In case you missed how I got started running last year, you can catch up here. I literally went from being a non-runner who had never even ran a 5K to training for a half-marathon. What's that running sticker saying?! 13.1, Only Half Crazy?!? Yes, that's me.  Training last year started in August and the Rt.66 was in November. As painful as it was, I was pretty darn proud of myself for sticking it out and finishing. It's a big freaking deal to run long distance and even a bigger deal to go from not being a runner to running a half-marathon. You'll never hear me say, "Oh, it's nothing." Lots of sweat, pain and tears goes into preparing for a half or full marathon.  When I finished that last race I said I wasn't going to do another half. I felt like I accomplished what I set out to do and had no "need" to do it again. Seriously, I'm still not even sure I like running. What I know I do like is my running friends. I love being a part of that special group of people called runners. To put it more perfectly here is what a dear running friend shared on my Facebook status recently: 
"Dana Cullop Teubner You are now (as a runner) part of a community of people who are 
fierce. People who do crazy things--like run 13.1 miles for a t-shirt and a medal. People who
 come together with like minds and share their energy, cheer each other on, and know that 
they have it in themselves to surprise themselves. Enjoy this "back-off" week, and then get out 
there and run your race your way:-) Best of luck to you, Dawn!"

I truly have some of the best, supportive friends on Facebook. It's great to have runners supporting me, but it's just as great to have my non-running friends encouraging me as well. They even laughed and showed sympathy when I posted about getting stuck in a sports bra I was trying on at Fleet Feet in Tulsa! They are good like that. Ha!  This week is our back-off week. I ran my last small run this morning. I'm happy to have a couple of days off before the race. This week, like last year's back-off week, is an emotional one for me. I start getting anxious about the race. I question whether I'm ready or not. I'm not ever certain I am. I just remind myself that I can walk more than run, if needed. It's important to finish and not just finish with a new PR. Oh, and add the extra anxiety due to the Boston Marathon tragedy. The fact that OKC Memorial Run is in remembrance of the Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing makes it even more profound.  We have a much smaller group of ladies running this particular race. Two are going to be running a half-marathon for the very first time. I'm beyond proud of them. I've put together this little collage of us in case you'd want to say a little prayer for us. Yes, I feel like I'll be running on a wing and a prayer! (Or lots of prayers in my case!) There are a few others running from our local YMCA that didn't train with us so please just remember all the runners this weekend in your prayers. 

If you are interested in running, I still highly recommend picking up Jeff Galloway's Running: Getting Started book. His method makes is very do-able. It is interval running and don't think it will make your times slower, it is just not true.  Here's to wishing all 24,000+ runners this weekend a wonderfully fun, smooth and non-existent injury run! There's truly nothing more exciting than being with runners before, during and after a race. The adrenaline is high and everyone is supportive. 
~Mrs. Albright (Dawn)  Running through the pain and facing down my anxieties, like... 

Just Your Typical Saturday Morning

It's a typical Saturday in the Priss home.  The Doc has run off to play golf.  Michael wakes me up to ask for breakfast.  Jacob starts whining about the breakfast and takes an hour to eat it and to drink his water (side note: Jacob has to drink a 8 cups of water per day for health reasons). There's a lot more to the story, but that is the gist.  Got it?

This particular Saturday, I was tired of fighting Jacob about eating in a decent amount of time.  He can't be trusted not to toss the meal and water down the sink when we leave the room.  I can't stand hanging around the kitchen for an hour begging the poor child to do what he needs to do.

Eventually, he ended up here.
Dog poop duty.
Poopy attitudes are often improved with some dirty work.

It was cold outside, so I opted not to supervise the whole time.
Ten minutes after he started, he came screaming into the house, "SSSSSSNNNNAAAAKKKKEEE!"

After running outside, I found this little guy swimming around our pool.

Honestly, my reaction was to remind Jacob that there isn't any dog poop near the pool.
Geesh.

But of course, he wouldn't stay outside without his mom watching over.
I was nursing a migraine, so I threw on my hat and sunglasses with my pajamas and flip flops and stood outside making sure the job got done.  I'm stubborn that way.  Who cares if I got nauseous afterwards?  The boy picked up poop.

And I called Patrick, the RHOK mascot, for his expert snake removal service.  Via text, Patrick and some housewives determined that the snake was poisonous.  We are snake experts when we need to be.

Patrick showed up three hours later with an ice scraper and two shovels.
I'm not kidding.

He played tag with the snake using the ice scraper.
That's how our new friend ended up being eaten by the pool piggy.

Oops.
And this is when the Doc shows up to offer advice... from a distance.
The Doc was all too happy to let Patrick risk his life to save our family.

Just before he was cut in half, I grabbed a picture. He was a little guy but he wreaked havoc on Jacob's sanity.

And Patrick was disappointed to find out our snake was only a tad larger than a worm.
The End.



Mrs. Priss

Dealing with snakes in the pool like...

I *Mustache* You to Have a Little Fun

If you don't have a dinner group with friends, then you really should form one.  The Doc and I have enjoyed being in our group for many, many years now.  If it weren't for these gatherings in all of our busy lives, we might almost never see these friends!

At the last minute, I was feeling a little more festive than usual.  I was already planning to have us celebrate the Doc's upcoming birthday but something was missing.  Then, I remembered that I had twelve friends coming... and I had twelve self-stick mustaches.  A mustache party plan was hatched with only two hours before the guests arrived.

I let the Doc take care of grilling the meat.  I took care of the mustaches.

There are all sorts of mustache signs available on Pinterest, so I printed and placed signs on the walls throughout the living room.  Fancy? No.  Easy and fun? Yes!

Our guests were met with a bowl of mustaches to choose from.
They weren't really too sure about it.

They didn't mind taking a group picture, though!

Note: if you have a runny nose, your mustache will not stick as well.
You probably didn't want to know that.

Next, came the games.  I love games, but games need prizes!  Since I only had two hours, I ran to the grocery store and bought a few candy bars to put in the gift sacks with random whatnot I found around the house (like Christmas Bath & Body soaps that were never used) to make some silly prizes.

The first competition, they didn't even know they were playing.  I had a prize for the person who wore their mustache the longest.  If you noticed the unibrow in the group picture, that was our winner.  Since he already had a mustache of his own, the unibrow was the next natural choice.  He won a pack of disposable razors, a pack of gum and a Skor candy bar.

Before dinner, I put the second mustache game in action - Which stache am I?  I placed a sticker on everyone's back that had the name of a famous person who had a mustache.  Everyone had to ask yes and no questions until they figured out who they were.  A pack of gum and a candy bar went to the friend who figured theirs out after asking only two questions.

The next game came from (a little of this and that) blog.  We played Name That Stache using cropped pictures of famous and infamous people's mustaches.  I gave copies of the game sheet to each of the players and set them to work!
All of the downloads for the game are available for free on her blog.

They were serious about winning a prize!

To my amazement, the winners had 17 out of 23 correct.  I'm pretty sure I would not have gotten more than 3 if it were up to me.

And just when they thought the games were over, I threw in the very last game of the night from Archie McPhee's Slightly Less Disappointing Blog.

Pin the Mustache on 70's Burt Reynolds.

Most of them tried to cheat and feel around on the wall and sheet.  Who knew what lengths people would go to for a pack of gum of Christmas soap?

The only other thing I would like to note is how much I love to keep fun party items on hand.  I bought these mustache straws a few years ago and put them to use.  My other favorite novelty is drink markers.  These stickers were a fun way to mark our drinks so that we could keep up with our cups.

With advance planning, this party could have been incorporated with coordinating food, well-named drink options, and more.  If I had thought of this one day ahead, I could have prepared some Pom Selleck cocktails.  See how much fun it can be?

Who is ready to host a mustache party?

~ Mrs. Priss
Who would love to stay and chat but I really... 

like...

Seasonal Depression

Do you believe in seasonal depression? 

I'm in a funk. 

Not sure if it's the weather or a spring break hangover.

You know you have those days where you are down, 

you just can't get it together & life is just grey.

 I feel just like the sky outside; 

hazy, cloudy, gloomy.

I could go to sleep & stay there for a few days.

So is it seasonal, weather related? 

Can the weather actually affect our moods?

I'm not sure. 

I do know I've been going, going, going & 

just feel like I'm very tired.

When my emotions get this "funky" I try to reflect on my life. 

What is going on during this time? 

Is there something God wants me to deal with in my life? 

Or is this a matter of circumstances and 

it will pass as quickly as it appeared? 

I believe we should go deeper into the darkness 

so that we know the light.

So eating my favorite junk food, laying around in my pjs and watching Lifetime movies doesn't really help much. 

I do find reading encouraging books, scripture, prayer and listening to inspiring music does help. Talking and hanging out with girl friends also encourages me. My hubby tries to encourage me, however he doesn't really get it so this is one situation where I go outside of my family for inspiration.

How do you beat the Spring Blah's? What is your favorite way to improve your mood? 

Be Happy Friends. xoxo ~ Mrs. Montgomery Not Poppin' Happy Pills Like...

St. Patrick's Day Family Style

If you are like me, you have nothing green for this St. Patrick's Day. I will share the cute ideas I found with you. My girls wanted green nails. Found this polish at our corner Walgreens for 99 cents.

Saw this idea & thought it was cute AND easy. Great idea for lunch boxes or friends.

Free Printable Here
I love to do crafts with the kids. This idea from Parenting Magazine is just too cute. Cute to display for  future St. Patrick's Day decorations.

In our house poop is a popular topic. I even receive poop texts from time to time. When I found this idea I just knew I had to make  it for St. Patrick's Day. 

Free Printable Here On behalf of all the RHOK girls we wish you nothing but green this St. Patrick's Day. Here is a little blessing for you.

Free Printable Here

What do you do for St. Patrick's Day? Share your ideas with us. xoxo- Mrs. Montgomery Chasing that Pot O' Gold, Like...

Connected

We all have friends from different walks of life, but there is always something special about people who knew you way back when.  They know who you were and who you are.


At least once a year, I try to get together with some of these girls to reconnect.  Some of our friends were unable to join us, so... darn... we will need to plan another trip!

Our group usually meets up in our hometown, Fort Worth.  This year, we decided to go to Napa Valley in California and it was deeeeeeelightful!  Kudos to Jen who made all of the arrangements for our trip and even got us some freebies thrown in.

We went to the smaller boutique wineries.  These were really fun because their wines are not available here in Okeelahoma.

Jessup Cellars

Wine tasting sheet at hope & grace

Handwritten (my favorite logo, by the way!)

Medlock Ames sells organic wine

At J Vineyards & Winery we went on a behind the scenes tour.  This is where I figured out why I like wine.  See those brown bags stacked on the left?  That's sugar.  

I like sugar.

J Vineyards & Winery

Besides sampling wines (yes, sampling - not chugging!) we snacked and ate and ate and snacked.  

Well, most of us anyway...

I loved learning what specific foods were paired with which wines.

Napa is a very calm and reserved area, but we still had plenty of time to be silly.

Because - why not?

Maybe next time we will be able to agree on the hotel room temperature.

But, I doubt it.

Fun fact - The 2012 Napa wines are expected to be phenomenal.  Be looking for them when they hit the shelves!

Mrs. Priss

Educated about wine like...