Kathleen Smith's Blog, page 27

Shopping at Hannaford

Over the weekend I realized I needed to come up with a new blog to write for Monday (Today). As my husband and I were driving into the Hannaford parking lot I told him I couldn’t come up with anything for this weeks blog. It was frustrating me a bit. He suggested I write about how much I like shopping at Hannford and why. I pretty much gave him this look and told him nobody wants to here about why I like to shop at Hannaford!

Well here I am Monday morning and I still have nothing exciting to write about. Nothing that will get to the hearts of people like last weeks post about how we adopted our family dog. So I guess you’re all going to find out about Hannaford today. Aren’t you lucky!  (Sarcasm)

Okay so here’s the deal. I really do like to shop at Hannaford. They may not have the lowest prices in town,but what they do have makes it worth it.  I love the fact that I’m only a few minutes from Hannaford. This means I can buy my families supper fresh that day. Fresh meat that tastes great. Fresh veggies that my family will actually eat and loves especially the broccoli. Their deli meats and cheeses are so good.  They have these pretzel rolls that my family absolutely loves and bacon and cheese hamburgers.

When I need to get out of the house for a few minutes, Hannaford is right there for me to go to. I don’t have to spend any money,but I usually get a little something. Another nice thing about this store is I don’t have to drive 20 minutes to get what I need at PriceChopper or Walmart anymore. This is a nice feeling. I also have to say that the workers at Hannaford are a lot more friendly then any other store I’ve been to as well.

Over all I really like shopping at Hannford. Fresh food. Tasty food and when you consider the gas money I’m saving from not needing to go 20 minutes out of my way. I would say good prices too.

If you live anywhere near a Hannaford I suggest you check them out for yourself. You won’t be sorry!

 

Adopting A Dog

For years now my kids and I have been wanting a dog. We have always thought it would be cool to get a puppy and watch it grow up with our kids. My husband on the other hand didn’t like the idea of having a dog, so the answer to “can we have a dog” was always followed by “no”.  

A little over a month ago things changed. One night while eating supper we started talking about wanting a dog AGAIN. The conversation didn’t last long. A couple of nights later, while I was making supper, my husband said to me “so if we did get a dog”. Well that stopped me from making supper real fast. I couldn’t believe my ears! All I could think to say was “What do you mean if we get a dog?” I then found out my husband had started doing research on dogs and what type of dog would suite our family the best.

So the search for a family dog began. We agreed we didn’t want to spend lots of money at a pet shop and buy a dog. We also agreed we didn’t want a puppy. We wanted a full grown dog that was house trained and such. We did some more research.  That’s when we decided our best option was to look at animal shelters, see what kind of dogs they had and take it from there. 

The first animal shelter we went to only had 3 dogs and they didn’t look family friendly. We felt a bit discouraged so we did more research again. This time we found a couple of animal shelters not to far from where we live. That is when we found  Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter. The people there were very nice and friendly. They had a bunch of dogs but only 3 that our family thought would suite us. Out of those 3 dogs only one showed any interest in us. He came right to our family and right away we knew. The next day we went back to the shelter. We took the dog for a walk to see how he would react with us. It went well. When we got back to the shelter we spent at least an hour with him. We played with him and fed him treats. We quickly grew very attached to this dog. It was pretty evident that we liked him and he liked us. We all agreed this is the dog! 

We adopted our new dog Yogi that weekend. We have had him for a month now. We love him and he loves us. I’m thankful we were able to Adopt Yogi. He has shown himself to be a loyal and loving family dog. Our family loves playing with him, taking care of him and going for walks with him.  So if your ever thinking about getting a family pet, please consider adopting an animal from a shelter instead of paying hundreds of dollars at a pet store. It will be worth it!  

Don’t Be So Curious

Have you ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat?  I don’t know if curiosity ever really did kill a cat, but I do know that being to curious about something can hurt a persons feeling. 

Have you ever noticed how fast people get curious over lots of different things. It could be something they read on Facebook. Some commercial they saw on TV. Something somebody said at random. Or even something they saw while walking or taking a drive somewhere. Their curiosity will get to them just enough that they will want to look into it further. To find out what that particular thing is. Sometimes this is good and the person will learn something new. Sometimes this is bad and the person will find out something they didn’t want to know. 

I find with myself I tend to get very curious about all sorts of different things. I then need to make the decision whether or not I really want to know or if I should leave it alone. Sometimes I’m glad I decided to let my curiosity get the better of me and ask questions. Other times I end up wishing I hadn’t asked any questions at all. Sometimes I find stuff out that ends up hurting my feelings. Sometimes what I find out makes me so stressed I get a serious stomach ache. On these occasions I wish I would listen to myself or even my husband when we say “Don’t Be So Curious”.  We both know I’m only going to get hurt, but at the same time there is that part of me that says “I’ll be fine I won’t let what they say get to me.” Of course I let the other people get to me. I let my curiosity get the better of me and I get hurt. 

So sometimes yeah it’s okay to be curious. Other times not so much! 



Loving My Husband

I love my husband very much. I want to be the best wife that I can be for him. Even though I know he considers us to be equals in our marriage I still do my best to show respect to him as the head of our household. Of course like any marriage we sometimes have our disagreements. We sometimes let our emotions get the better of us. Maybe me more so then him. 

I started reading the book Messy Beautiful Love by Darlene Schacht a couple of weeks ago. I’m a slow reader so I am only up to Chapter four, but her book has already made me look at my marriage and how I deal with different situations in a different way. Like how she talks about love not boasting. It was a reminder for me not to say hey look at what I did today and wait for my husband to praise me. Or to show off with something else and compare him to myself. I’ve realized that really doesn’t make either one of us feel good about ourselves. Quite the opposite. Her book has been a good reminder for other things as well. Like remember that it’s better to love my husband then winning an argument or cheering for him instead of saying something negative. 

I love my husband with all my heart. I love standing by his side wherever we go or whatever we are doing. I want to be the best  wife I can be for him. I’m thankful for his Godly leadership in our house. I understand that marriage isn’t 50/50 it’s 100/100. I am thankful for the reminder from this book to not just love my husband, but to give him the support and love that he needs and deserves. To not say hey look at me, but to be there for each other.  



Acting like My Mom

Over the last couple of months or so I’ve noticed different things that I’ve been doing are the same acts that my mom would have done. Or I will say something that my mom would have said. I end up stopping what I’m doing in those moments and I start smiling. It makes me laugh when I realize I’m doing or saying something that my mom use to do.In a way it makes me feel closer to her. Other times it makes me cry because of how much I miss her. I know if my mom was here watching me she would be laughing with me.

My husband has also noticed different things about me lately that reminds him of my mom. The other day I was standing with a cup of coffee in my hand watching TV. He looked at me with a smile on his face and said “you look like your mom standing there like that”. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

To me my mom was an amazing women,wife and mother. So when I hear someone tell me I act like her or what I happen to be doing in that moment reminds someone of her, that means a great deal to me. My mom was a strong Godly women and I know how much she loved God. So to be told I’m like her is one of the nicest compliments anyone could ever give me.

Folding and Praying

The other day I was talking with my husband about our wants and needs. More specifically we were talking about wanting a new pool and needing to get our driveway done. We were talking about when we could afford to do them and then I told my husband I’ve been praying about both. I was telling him how I like to pray about my wants and needs while I’m folding the laundry.

After I said this to him I realized I do some of my best praying when I’m folding my laundry. That is just what I told my husband too. The more I thought about it the more I realized how true my statement was. I really do all my best praying while I fold the laundry. On those days it’s just me,in our bedroom,folding clothes and talking to God. I tend to look out our bedroom window while I’m doing this.

This is my alone time with God. This is when I can talk with God out loud about what ever is on my mind. This is when I tell Him about what I want.Whether or not I’ll ever be able to have it or not. This is the time when I tell Him about my needs and my families needs. This is the time when I ask Him why certain things are happening or not happening. Do I ever get an actually answer from God right there and then, no, but I love talking to God at those moments. I know in time He will answer me. I’m thankful for those quiet moments I have with God while I’m folding my families laundry.

My Mom & Famous Amos Cookies

When I was growing up my mom almost always had a big bag of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies in the house. She loved these cookies! Whenever she was eating them she would always offer some to me. Of course I accepted her offer. I too loved chocolate chip cookies.

The last couple of days I’ve been thinking about my mom and those cookies. Just the memory made me miss my mom. It also made me want some Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. So I decided the next time I went to the store I would get a bag.

So Friday I went to Walmart. They didn’t have any. Yesterday my family and I went to BJ’s. As we were walking down one of their isles I happened to look up and to my delight and surprise there they were. A box of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies! I grabbed a box and put them in our cart. As I did that I explained to my husband about my mom and how much she liked them. I told him how I’ve been thinking about her and those cookies the last couple of days. I told him I was buying it simply for its sentimental value. He told me he completely understood.

Taking It One Day At A Time

A few years ago my best friend at Church was getting ready to go half way around the world with her family. I was really sad about her leaving. I didn’t like that God was sending her and her family away from me. He was taking my best friend away from me. Our friendship started out in a strange way, but then again I think that was God’s doing as well. The day before she left, she came over to my house. We said our last goodbyes over coffee. Before she left we hugged and cried. After she left I wasn’t sure what to do. That’s when I decided to take it one day at a time. It was the only way I knew how to get through the pain of my best friend leaving.

Since then she has been back twice to have two babies. Both times I reminded myself to just enjoy the time I have with my dear friend and take it one day at a time.

When my mom was sick and dying in the Hospital I was having a hard time with it. I didn’t want to loose my mom. I loved my mom and still do. I realized then that I needed to do the same thing. I had to take it one day at a time. It was the only way I was going to get through my mom being sick and eventually passing away. Then there was the anxiousness about her funeral. Again I had to take it one day at a time.

I finally came to the conclusion that no matter what I do or where I am I just need to take it one day at a time. That’s really all I can do. As a matter of fact that’s all any one can do. Take it one day at a time.

Matthew 6:34a

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Hymnal VS Projector

When it comes to singing songs in Church I like it when we use both Hymnals and a projector. Even though I like using both I find myself liking the projector more and more.

With the projector we can sing songs in Church that I also like listening to at home with Pandora. Songs like “I Will Rise” and “Whom Shall I Fear” and many more. These type of songs to me have a certain worship type quality that make me feel like I can do anything as long as I have God standing next to me. They make me want to smile,look up and give God a great big smile. They make me want to do my best for Him. They remind me of how strong God is.

With the Hymnals I can sing the old time songs like “At The Cross”, “My Redeemer”, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and many many more hymns. These songs remind me of God’s love for me. For His faith fullness to me even when I may not be completely faithful to Him. These songs remind me of how much God loves me and so much more.

I don’t think there really are any pros or cons when it comes to hymnals vs using a projector. They both allow us to sing great songs with different styles. I think it just depends on what generation your from that might determine what you prefer. I think the older generation for the most part prefer their hymns where as the younger generation prefers using a projector. Me, I like both.

What do you prefer when singing songs in Church, a hymnal or a projector?

A Mom’s Perspective on Basketball

I love watching my son play basketball! That’s just what I got to do this past weekend. I watched my son play in three basketball games at a tournament over the weekend. The first game he played in he almost fouled out. So his coach took him out before his fouls did. His second game he did better without out fouling. My son’s third and last game of that day was awesome. I’m not sure what got into my son,but all of a sudden he became just aggressive enough. All of a sudden he got this confidence and speed in him. It was awesome to see. He managed to get the ball from the other team, dribble it down to his teams court,shoot and score. He did this a couple of times.

Watching my son do this was so exciting for me! I was screaming in excitement. I was jumping out of my seat with joy. I was rooting for my son with excitement and a heart full of joy and pride in my son. Watching him doing what he loves and seeing how good he is at basketball was a great experience for me.

Here’s the funny thing. I didn’t always like to watch basketball. To me it was just a bunch of guys running back and forth on a basketball court trying to get the ball in a basket. I didn’t see the point. Then one day my son starts getting into basketball. He starts to watch it on TV. He starts playing it wherever he can. One day I found myself sitting on the couch watching basketball with my son and enjoying it. When I didn’t understand what was going on he would explain it to me. All of a sudden I started to like this sport. It was something I could try to do with my son and have a great time!

Now I watch every basketball game that I can that my son plays in. Now I’m willing to watch a basketball game on TV, understand it and enjoy it. Some day I would love to go to a pro basketball game with my son and my husband. I also want really good seats if we go so I can see the players. If you could see my height you would understand why I say this.

So this mom went from not seeing the point of playing basketball to understanding it and loving it! All thanks to my awesome son!