Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Wednesday, Dec 31, 2014

In the great outdoors...bright sunshine. What a treasure!

Within our four walls...lots of playing. Enjoying the last little bit of Christmas break.

A heart of thanksgiving...for Christmas break, for friends, for time to lay the groundwork for a good start to 2015, for the chance to read more than usual lately.

A heart of prayer...several in need of salvation lay heavily on my heart these days; also, a couple of church members dealing with serious health issues; and friends who need wisdom and provision.

Random observations...I’m sitting here thirsty, forgetting that I have a cup still half full of water sitting beside me on the desk. How often do we do that in so many aspects of life? (Oooh…I think that’s a post starter!)

My silly son...loves bouncy balls. I have no idea how many he has. A bucketful…

But what he does with them is even more overwhelming sometimes. He goes into the foyer where there is hard floor and a very enclosed space, and he dumps or throws them! They bounce everywhere. Loudly.

But, he is always diligent to clean every single ball up. I don’t find them all over the house (my firm stipulation for allowing this many bouncy balls to be collected over the years!). So, I let him enjoy his little balls.

Thoughts from the kitchen...let’s see…Angie cooked spaghetti yesterday. Olivia is supposed to be making chicken noodle casserole today. And we have a plan completed for January. Works for me!

On my bookshelf...currently reading a review book, The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen. She is one of those writers who doesn’t fall into the standard romantic fiction mold – my favorite kind of author. Makes me want to go back and reread the book of hers I reviewed several years ago: The Girl in the Gatehouse.

Projects...creating a writing plan. I’m realizing that most of my creative energy is going into HEDUA right now. Which means I’m not writing here or on my Joy of Writing blog. So, I’m brainstorming some post starters and a plan for getting them up on the blogs. It’s reigniting my excitement about writing.

Sounds of the moment...truck rumbling outdoors, music playing, kids playing, keys tapping.

From Hibbard Academy...Christmas break! Although, I am fully prepared for next week. Yay! Okay, so maybe I’m not all the way caught up on grading, but we’ll get there.

A favorite thing from last week...Christmas celebrations all around. A wonderful and relaxing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home with my family. Christmas Eve candlelight service at church (my favorite of the year!). Christmas with the Browning side. And yes, in my writing planning, I do intend to share more of such celebrations with you!

The planner...Christmas with the Hibbard side in Monroe this weekend. Then back to normal life next week!

Because visuals are fun...Olivia commented the other day that she just doesn’t get “selfies.” Frankly, I don’t either, and I’m usually no good at taking them. But, when she made that comment, I couldn’t help but say, “Come here…let’s do one!” I think this one turned out all right!