this episode was brought to you by the use of gross-overhyphenation because whyever not?

So it's possible I bought my very own self a Kindle for Christmas.

It was basically an accident, no lie.  They were crazy cheap (inexpensive? does that sound better?) on Black Friday & I was peer-pressured into it by my daughters with the (ever-present) thinking in the back of my head that because it was a preorder I could (of course!) change my mind before it actually shipped.

Then it shipped early.

And I was left holding the steal-of-a-deal Kindle in my hot little hands.

I think we all know how this turned out.  There was no way I was venturing forth to the actual Post Office to deal with this terrible alleged mishap, so there you have it.  I am now the proud owner of a device that fits in my hand and will not only hold a little Jim Gaffigan but also Andy Griffith.
I'm just saying, it's a miracle of modern times is all.

However, after dealing with my self-indulgent guilt, I now face a much bigger crisis.  I am very afraid I might end up liking this new-fangled contraption, and by new-fangled I mean several years old because I never do brand new because #notajoiner.

Anyway, liking it even at all feels awfully disloyal to my long-abiding, avid love of paper and dog-eared corners and blue-ballpoint-pens on delightful/funny/insightful/dumb strings of words.

Whatever, man.  All I know is I just wasted entirely too much time renewing my library card and figuring out how to get free books without ever leaving my sofa, and my concern for my paper-page-loving soul is deepening by the minute...as is my rapidly growing fear that this already-can-stay-inside-for-a-week-at-a-time-and-not-hate-it, self-proclaimed hibernator may never see the light of day or Target again.

#PleaseSendPepsi

Sunday Six: How Ya Been?

1.  So much has happened since our last visit!  For starters, I rediscovered Raisin Bran this week, and since said rediscovery I have eaten Raisin Bran at least once (twice on Thursday but who's counting?) for the last 5 days in a row.  I guess some people might find that strange or even unwise, but once I remembered the delight that is pouring cereal in a bowl and calling it an actual meal there has been no going back.


2.  In other news, I cut my hair and don't hate it.  However, I will not be posting a picture of my full hair glory here anytime soon because I'm the boss of me and also the only picture I have where you can kinda tell what it looks like is a, and I'm just going to say it, selfie.  Let it be known that I am no fan of the selfie and pledge anew right here & now to keep them to a minimum here at ABinc.

(This should not be much of a problem as it has been exactly 1 year and 8 days
since I was last here at, you know, ABinc.)


3.  Confession time.  I have fallen into the deep, dark hole that is Investigation Discovery.  I am not proud of this but do have a question for you.  Does the narrator on Snapped make anyone else entirely uncomfortable and a lot more than a little annoyed?  I don't want to be mean, but her diction seems all off and I'm pretty sure I could read the script way better.  (Call me, ID; I could use the $$!)

On the plus side, I think her actual voice has finally given me the strength to break free of my growing fascination with "true crime."  (I make no promises!) It's hard to say goodbye.
(Three words:  Southern Fried Homicide.)  (HA!)


4.  



What?  This isn't a selfie.  But it is my littles and me on Christmas.  We were making silly faces because duh, so fun.  We had a sleepover on Christmas Eve Eve!  It was wonderful!  It was loud!  I was so very tired!


5.  In honor of the New Year and all it's shiny promise I have restarted my sourdough starter, which is bubbling on the counter as we speak.  It was touch-and-go a couple of times this week, which, after spending entirely too much time on the worldwideweb doing alleged research, I blame on keeping my house a bit chilly now that I have crossed over to the other side, chronologically speaking.
 (I had a birthday in the fall!)   (It was a big one!)

Anyhoo, when I fed said starter this morning it started bubbling and making that lovely sizzly sound that indicates hope for my family's carbs-laden future.  I'll be kneading out some dough on this very day and is it weird that I'm all nervous?  I suppose if it fails to rise all will be lost and my shiny new year reduced to just another Sunday in January but let's get real, there's not a thing wrong with a Sunday in January :)


6.  In the interest of full disclosure, I leave you with this fun fact that hopefully will make you feel better about your life in all the ways:  My Christmas tree, it is still up.  You're welcome.


Happy New Year!

eyes fixed

And just like that, it's a new year!

And I've already failed the sensitivity test!  (Might as well get it out of the way early...)

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and, as is the case for many this time of year, I could tell she was flirting with the melancholy.  She was feeling all The Big Feelings and thinking Many Big Thoughts associated with year-end.  

Now I tend to veer quite far from melancholy-ville, and (unfortunately) my response was to Reign it in, Sally!  There might have been a "Danger, Will Robinson!" thrown in* for good measure as I blithely reminded her that New Year's is "just another day."  (And while that's true, I'm pretty sure I was zero help to her at the time.  Oops!)


Yes, another(!) year has come and gone, and yes, there was a fair amount of hard and it looks a lot like nothing much has changed.

Here we are at 2015 and there is still precious little money, energy, or time.  The hard things are still the hard things.  Treasures lost are still long gone and "triumphs" sometimes seem few, so when we sit down and analyze the previous 365 days they can look more "eh" than "yippee!!"

However, in my humble opinion, we just need to look through the right lens :)


Alas, there is still precious little money, time, and energy, but I'm here to tell you that every single day God provided every single thing I needed...

...and yes, I suppose being alone could lean toward lonely, but, well, I wasn't :)  Because every single day God plopped down beside me & pulled me close.  He listened to me bellyache about this & that and he forgave me for my many trips & falls along the way.
 What He never did was leave me all alone.

Of course I get tired, and I wish 2014 had delivered a new car, and I hope that 2015 will be the year for that Very Awesome Vacation (#fingerscrossed!)...and I certainly have twinges of regret for all the projects I failed to complete, the people I failed to love properly, and the person I failed to be, but through every single failure on my part He remains faithful.  

He is enough.  

He is everything.

(And He loves me!)


So this I know, through firsthand experience...Resting in Him, relying on Him, and praising Him for all He does and Is, through each of my days, makes for the very happiest of years! 


"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 


Happy New Year :)


*name that show!