Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Wednesday, March 9, 2016

In the great outdoors...day 2 of the great spring 2016 deluge. This is supposed to last through Saturday. Yesterday was muggy and heavy until the rain finally started to fall in the early afternoon hours. Storms came and went through the afternoon, evening, and night. Now it’s just a mostly soft rain – sometimes we can’t even tell if it’s raining or not. But, it’s SO dark outside. Not great for the motivation.

The other thing we see outdoors, though, is the arrival of beautiful blooms and blossoms! They really are gorgeous. Sadly, our bodies don’t like them as much as our eyes do. First spring in a new location = having to get used to new allergens.

Oh, and one more thing we have in the great outdoors! Seven new trees (1 pecan, 3 apple, and 3 peach) and 75 strawberry plants! We got everything planted Saturday. I’m hoping the strawberries survive the deluge – and the cat. She decided the nice, soft ground made for the perfect litter box. Grrrrrrr. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t digging up the plants in the process.

Within our four walls...much sneezing, sniffling, and coughing. But, at least Steven’s fever is gone. Over the weekend, it appeared that his allergy mess was turning into a sinus infection, as his fever spiked to 102° Saturday night. But, he was showing marked improvement by bedtime Sunday night. The real evidence of renewed health, though, was the fact that his appetite started returning yesterday. When a growing boy isn’t interested in food, you know something’s wrong!

A heart of thanksgiving...for a house on a hill; for the beauty of spring; for a roof that doesn’t leak.

A heart of prayer...for some friends dealing with an unexpected health issue; for a neighbor dealing with the loss of a family member; for our church; for health in our home.

Random observations...a couple of quotes from a recent blog post of Doug’s:

“The secretive nature (of spiritual disciplines – referring to the “do in secret” of Matthew 6) is not to hide one’s spiritual life but to expose it in the right direction.

“Consider this pictured in plants and their phototropism: a plant is not turning its back on the shadowed side of the yard. It is growing toward the light, and anyone who looks can see it. Spiritual disciplines are oriented toward the Father: others should see the effects though the efforts are not theirs to note.”

Here’s another one: “A person’s prayer life can be so secret that none are aware of it—and this could be bad.”

My silly children...could really become famous if they wanted to. And I don’t just say that as a biased mom. These kids have talent!

Thoughts from the kitchen...teriyaki beef is on the menu. I’m debating, though. It’s a little cooler today, which means we could actually enjoy the potato soup that’s on the menu for tomorrow. We’ll see.

On my bookshelf...I still need to read Risen and the newest Andrea Carter book for review. And I want to get back to my non-fiction stack. Reading. How I love it. But, I just have to find times to do it!

Projects...I MUST make progress on some writing. And birthday projects. I have some ideas. Just have to get going on them. Meanwhile, Angela is bemoaning the fact that there are no cute dresses in her size. She’s just not a fan of the adult-style clothing available for girls her age and size. So, between the two of us, we might be making most of the new stuff she needs for spring and summer. 

Sounds of the moment...rain as it gets a little harder, at least for a bit. Otherwise, silence. Not sure what the kiddos are up to.

From Hibbard Academy...a week off, decided upon rather spontaneously. We’ve been pushing through, hoping to get done as close to early June as possible. Our summer is already filling up! But, we also need a break now and then. On Monday, the unanimous consensus was that this needed to be the “now and then” moment.

A favorite thing from last week...the beautiful weather allowing open windows and fresh air!

The planner...well, we were supposed to enjoy a zoo trip on Saturday, but that looks like it might have to be altered a bit. Thunderstorms and zoo trips don’t exactly go hand in hand.

Because visuals are fun...birthday sweatshirt from my family

a little something Angie whipped up to go with it

I have such a fun family!