Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Monday, March 5, 2012

Outside my window...beautiful sunshine and a calm day, unlike the intense wind we’ve experienced in recent days.

I am thinking...about my grandmother’s life. This morning the call that I’ve been expecting for nearly a week came. Grandma Polly, my dad’s mom, passed away this morning. When I saw her and Grandpa last week, they were both sick. Grandma turned 91 last August, and she and Grandpa would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary this year. I’m going to miss her, without a doubt, but right now I’m just overwhelmed with thankfulness because I’ve had her for so long and my children have had the chance to know both her and Grandpa Russell. That makes me smile, even though I know the sadness will set in very soon.

I am thankful for...the bright sunshine on a day like today. It makes the smiling easier.

I am wearing...jeans and one of my favorite navy tops.

I am creating...organization in all of the bedrooms.

I am remembering...Grandma on the floor with her great-grandchildren. She loved getting on the floor with them, even if that meant she wouldn’t be able to move the next day! It was worth it to her!

I am going...to be flexibly productive this week.

I am reading...The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer. Finally! It’s so good – in fact, it’s all I can do to stick with my tasks for the day instead of going to finish it!

I am hearing...the kids playing so happily together. One of the most beautiful sounds.

From the learning rooms...Visual Latin, which the kids are loving, and keeping up with things like piano and typing practice. Other than that, the goal is to get the school room ready for new books and get that order placed soon.

Noticing that...my writing juices are flowing better today than they have been in a while. That seems a bit odd to me.

Pondering these words...If you start to edit as you write, you are climbing into your “editor” self, the self that reads. You’ve done plenty of reading, you don’t need practice right now. (Does anyone recognize this quote? I didn’t write down who wrote it, but I like it! I’d love to find the source again!)

From the kitchen...I’ve asked the kids to make a list of the things they want to learn how to cook this month. Then I’ll menu plan accordingly.

Around the house...the calm before the storm. Whenever I organize, chaos ensues first. Just a fair warning if you decide to stop by to say hi this week!

A favorite thing from last week...a good visit with my sister Renay. The prayers that bathed it were so obvious during the visit.

A picture worth sharing...Steven finally learned how to get his fitted sheet on without any help. He was so incredibly proud!