Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Monday, February 16, 2015

In the great outdoors...ice. It won’t be the fun snow we were all hoping for, but it’s definitely beautiful!

Within our four walls...warmth. A functional heater and a warm fireplace. Thankful.

A heart of thanksgiving...for the aforementioned heat; that the power is still on; for the ability to be at home today while still continuing with normal life. Homeschooling and working from home have their challenges, but they also have their awesome days!

A heart of prayer...for those who do have to be out today; for the power to stay on; for a friend having surgery this week; for a variety of challenges facing a variety of people.

Random observations...the sleet is coming down hard right now. Interestingly enough, though, the slant is east to west. It’s usually west to east.

My wonderful children...make me smile. They are disappointed that we’re not getting playable snow, but that doesn’t hinder their delight over the beauty of what we are getting. They appreciate it, no matter what. I love watching them grow and show maturity, even in little things like this.

But, I still have to mention silliness. Steven asked for this picture and said, “Can you put it on the blog?”

2015-02-14 17.16.53

He hates spikey hair, for the most part, but Olivia loves it spiked. So, it has become a game to spike it every time I go to give him a haircut. Then, and only then, is he proud of it – and he has to call Olivia in to see it every time.

And in other silliness news, Olivia has a radar for new violin music. Whenever she hears a new song, she comes running. (Funny how her hearing improves dramatically in moments like that.) And she can usually pick Lindsey Sterling out – Olivia loves her style. We’re still praying over violin lessons. So far, the only affordable option is a weekly thirty minute lesson, which is great – except that it’s an hour and forty-five minute drive. That’s just not something that fits into the schedule right now, regardless of the budget! Trusting that God has this taken care of!

Thoughts from the kitchen...something warm. I don’t know what, but I know we need something warm.

On my bookshelf...I’m finished with my novel and almost done with the non-fiction. So, it’s time to pick out what will be next. A Janette Oke review book arrived last week. I snagged that one for Angela, the child who has taken after me. I read Oke’s books voraciously when I was Angie’s age! Angie’s already read it, and now I’m trying to convince her that she can write the review for me. Hee hee.

Projects...it’s time for an annual writing project. This will be my third year to write a portion of the material for our state’s annual missions offering. I’m working now to get everything organized so I can start writing this week to make the mid-April deadline. 

Sounds of the moment...instrumental music from Doug’s computer as we both write; the vacuum cleaner in the background.

From Hibbard Academy...Olivia’s almost finished with pre-algebra! I’m so proud of her! Math has probably been her hardest subject – well, aside from anything requiring handwriting. She’s good at math, but she has to work for it. About mid-way through her elementary years, we pulled back and just let her go at her own pace. That meant she did not start pre-algebra in 7th grade like we originally planned. But, that was okay. She got a good, solid foundation, and I knew it would be fine for her to do pre-algebra in 8th grade and not start Algebra I until 9th grade. But, she’s progressed beautifully through pre-algebra, has really grasped it (and has realized just how much she already knew very, very solidly), and will be starting Algebra I in just a couple of weeks! And she’s actually excited about it! We did switch this year from Horizon’s math to Math-U-See, which she loves. The video teacher has her daddy’s sense of humor, which makes her automatically like him. And, also like her daddy, Mr. Demme is able to express things in a way that truly clicks for her. Meanwhile, I’m excited because, between the MUS lessons and Doug’s help, I might actually be able to really learn algebra for the first time, too!

A favorite thing from last week...being able to enjoy a very simple Valentine’s and still have fun. I used to feel so guilty because I wasn’t very good at emphasizing holidays and making them special for my family. But now I’m just thankful that they are good with my simplicity.

The planner...the kids and I will be pretty much home this week, except for Bible study for me tomorrow night. Doug has some stuff going on, though, weather permitting.

Because visuals are fun...I love that my kids love each other.

2015-02-14 13.24.10

Comments

I love the spiky hair photo ;D And well-done Olivia on the math. I'm going through Algebra for the FOURTH time now... (me, Wyatt, Tate, Gunnar) so maybe I'll really GET IT.

We had a very simple Valentine's too... as long as there are cookies and chocolate, we're all happy :D

Julie

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