School Supply Date

Good Thursday morning!

I added a picture of a crepe myrtle to the Gallery today. Gardendale is beautiful with these blooming trees (bushes ?) everywhere. I think they make July such a pretty month to live in the south, so I just wanted to share... especially if you live in another part of the country.

NOTE TO BEV - I would love a picture of a campground alligator... from afar... without my nephews or niece in the general vicinity. I hope you are all having a good time. I'll talk to you tonight.

200th Post Contest

1. For every person you share my blog address with (www.belindafaulkner.blogspot.com), your name will be put in a bowl one time. (If you tell ten people about A Simple Life, your name will be put in the drawing bowl TEN times.) It's that easy.

2. If you have a blog of your own, and you mention A Simple Life in your blog, your name automatically goes in the drawing bowl TEN times.

3. If you don't tell anyone about the blog, you can still have your name put in the drawing bowl by leaving me an e-mail OR comment with the word "contest" somewhere in the text. (It doesn't even have to be in a sentence.)

4. You need to let me know how many people you have shared the info with by midnight, Monday, July 27. The drawing will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 28.

5. I hope it goes without saying you need to share the website with people who actually use a computer. (Two year-olds and great-grandmothers who have never heard the term "blog" do not count!)

The prize is a $15 gift certificate to Wal-Mart OR Chick-Fil-A OR the scrapbook store of your choice. Not $1,000, but FREE nonetheless.

Seasons

What are my thoughts about soon entering the Autumn Season of my life? Well, I know I'll be further away from re-obtaining my Spring body than ever before. (That's a negative.)

I know all of my children will be beginning their own independent lives... if I've done my job correctly. (That's a negative. I know, I know. It's really a positive.)

I know my laundry pile will one day be small again. (Definitely a positive!)

I know Mike and I will have more and more time to spend as a couple. (A wonderful positive, and something I'm very much looking forward to.)

I know EVENTS will once again be on the horizon. (That's a positive for me. Some people do not like showers, weddings and births, but I've always thought of it as an excellent reason for a new outfit and a manicure.)

I hope and pray some of those EVENTS will personally involve my children. (Code for SOMETIME IN THE AUTUMN SEASON OF MY LIFE I WOULD LOVE TO OFFICIALLY BECOME "BELINDA, THE GREAT" OR "GRANDMOTHER SUPREME." I heard that one the other day, and I thought it was kind of catchy.)

I'm also aware that as short as the Summer Season of my life has been, Autumn will be shorter still. I will need to make the moments count more. I will need to be kinder, more patient and have more of a servant's heart. (If you don't mind, while you're reading this, could you hum Trace Adkins "You're Going to Miss This." I don't know how to put a playlist on the blog, but if I did, that song would go right here!)

I will not enter this Season kicking and screaming, but with a mixture of tears and excitement. Tears for what once was (do I need to say it... Spring body), and excitement for what is around the corner for some of the most important people in my life today. It will be a bittersweet Season, I think.

I can't even begin to imagine everything the Autumn Season will hold for me and my family. And to be honest, I won't try. Wondering too much about the future takes too much time away from today... and today is what I have in my hand right this very minute.

Will I age gracefully and with dignity from 50 to 75? Hmmm. That, too, remains one of life's little mysteries. All I know for certain is I will try to take the life lessons I've learned from my Spring and Summer Seasons of life and apply them to the next Season.

I will try to find some joy in each and every day. I will try to not be too judgmental about others without having walked in their shoes. I will try to continue to see things through the eyes of a child. I will attempt each and every day to let others see Christ living through me. I will try to be aware of others who have a need and fulfill that need if at all possible.

The above are things I should have been doing all Spring and Summer long. And to be honest, sometimes I was successful. But in the Autumn Season of my life, I hope to do a much, much better job.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain. A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away." Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5-6.

Weekend Family Fun

Argo Drive-In - The Drive-In is still showing Ice Age 3 at 8:20. Friday and Saturday they will have the same double feature (Ice Age 3 and Night at the Museum 2). As always, it is $10 a carload. Call first at 467-3434.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - The Gardendale Community Theater is putting on the play tonight, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10 each, and if you have never been to one of their productions, you are missing something fun. Roxie, Katie and I go every year. (This year, Katie is camping in Florida fighting off alligators as we speak. Heavy sigh.) You can pick up your tickets at the Gardendale Civic Center.

School Supply Date

Before school begins, plan a date with one of your elementary age children for a Wal-Mart (or Target) run. Buy whatever supplies you may need for school, taking your time and not rushing. Let your child pick out the colors of the notebooks, etc. (If you already have a supply pack waiting for you at your school, you can pick up one or two fun items and a lunch box.) Sneaker shopping is also something you could add to this date. Girls AND boys like to shop for a new pair of sneakers.

After paying for your items, finish the evening with a snack at whatever fast food restaurant is located in the store. (In our case, it would be McDonald's at Wal-Mart, and Pizza Hut or Star Bucks at Target.) Take a little time and talk to your child about the coming year. Are they excited? Are they nervous? Are they ready? Is there any way you can help them transition into a new grade or school easier?

Drive home enjoying a summer evening with your child. Before you go into the house, be sure to pray for your child's school, teacher and his/her first day in class.

Have a stupendous Thursday. (What other kind of Thursday could you possibly have?) Remember to enter the contest. The bowl is quickly filling up! I'll have a magazine suggestion tomorrow instead of the usual Book of the Week. You may all be subscribers, but in the off-chance you haven't picked one up yet, I'll give you the info.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.