Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Tuesday, October 2, 2012

In the great outdoors...hints of color on our peach trees. We anticipate a brown fall because of the drought, but we are hoping for color on our fruit trees since we watered them all summer. We shall see!

Within our four walls…much fresh air! We figured out a way to hang a screen in the front doorway. The increase in cross-circulation is phenomenal! It makes a good 3-4 degree difference in the house, which can mean keeping the windows open a little longer when the temps climb again.

A heart of thanksgiving...for the flexibility to take an extra week off when we need it. This week we need it.

A heart of prayer...for family members who are struggling.

Random observations...administrative tasks suck up a lot of time. I know they need to be done, so it is productive time. But, they just look so small in the grand scheme of things, so I forget they take so long.

Thoughts from the kitchen...we’ve had a bag of cheesy potato, ham, and broccoli soup in the freezer since just before our cool days ended last spring. I’ve wanted to pull it out so many times, but it’s been too hot. Not today!

Oh, and my children have decided to enjoy soup!! They’ve always complained about soup, so I didn’t make it very often just to avoid the fight. Now they like it. That makes me very, very happy.

On my bookshelf...still finishing The Bible in World History, and then I need to read a historical novel I’d forgotten about entitled Beloved Enemy.

Projects...getting ready to start organizing pictures for Christmas calendars. And I need to organize Christmas craft projects so nothing slips through the cracks or catches me off guard. Organization is a project, right? It sure is fun enough to be one! 

Sounds of the moment...pages rustling as the girls check each other’s math lessons. Why have I never thought of having them to that before?

Last week we (Doug and I) learned...that the cycle of sin, judgment, and restoration from Deuteronomy is reflected in the Passion Week. It was such a thrill to sit under our religion professors again and soak up the learning.

A favorite thing from last week...the pastor’s conference and the delight of my children each time they expressed thankfulness that Grandma & PopPop not only got to stay much longer than usual this time, but they also got to stay at our house instead of needing to head back to their hotel. That just made the kids’ week!

The planner...an extra week off school to try to be prepared for our busy fall schedule. We have a lot of weeks off from school coming up, but they are not really breaks. So, this week will be helpful.

Because visuals are fun...Angela loves these sparkly pink shoes. They were almost too small, but we decided she could get a little more wear out of them. Then she discovered that there was a missions-related shoe collection, and she decided that it was more important to donate these shoes while she could than it was to hang on to them a little longer. So, Sunday night she proudly added them to the shoe barrel.