Not Quite Ordinary Observations

Something about Today…Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Our plan was to take Angie’s birthday pictures today, anticipating the rain that should start tomorrow. The morning was pretty overcast, so I wasn’t sure how the light would be. But, then the sun came out right on time, and it was perfect! Oh, and we have open windows! Love the fresh air.

It’s life as usual here in our corner of the world, but my heart is heavy for those whose normalcy has disappeared, and especially for those who will have to find a new normal in the coming months.

Something about the Week

The last week of August. Wow! Despite a few “extras” being squeezed into the week, it’s actually a full school/work week here. That seems to be harder to come by than I expected as we have started the new school year.

Something I Have Observed

All of the news of relief work highlights this organization or that, but rarely is Baptist Disaster Relief publicly mentioned. But, they are there doing so much of the grunt work without seeking the praise or acknowledgment. While many were trying to flee Harvey, disaster relief folks were heading south, choosing to face the hurricane so they could be in place to serve as soon as possible.

Something I Have Read or Heard

“I think it’s one of the dirty little secrets of the church of Jesus Christ that many of the things we do are done out of fear and not faith.”

- Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies, Aug 26

Something on My Mind

Those already impacted by the hurricane, of course, but also our beloved farmers. Storms like this are devastating for crops this time of year!

Something I’m Thankful for

The lovely cooler temperatures! Technology that keeps people in touch. Kids that have learned to hold to routine and diligence and get things done. I love that my kids still need me, but that they are also greatly growing in independence in so many ways.

Something about My Kids

Yesterday as we were discussing prayer requests, they all had friends on their hearts. They hungered to find ways to encourage and help strengthen those friends in their walk with Christ. They’ve prayed for friends before, but never quite that way, and it was so precious to me!

Something I’m Working on

I actually sat down to sew on Friday for the first time since Christmas!! It was so fun! And productive! We had been needing better storage for our knives. Actually, we had WAY too many knives. So, we narrowed them down to our steak knives, favorite paring knives, then five other knives. We had talked for a while about making a pouch for those five knives to make storage more versatile.

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So, I dug around in my fabric stash and found some lightweight canvas.

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It wasn’t as heavy as what might be recommended, but I double up the thickness of both colors in hopes of extending the life of the pouch.

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A little ribbon, and we were good to go!

Something from Hibbard Academy

Olivia is taking art history this year, which I anticipated would be an easy half credit. Um, no. It’s a full credit, including three projects, a paper, and an exam each quarter. She doesn’t thoroughly love all of the reading (even though she does enjoy history), but she is definitely engaging beautifully with this course. For her first project she designed a mask and made it from scratch. She just came to me requesting approval for a unique project not in the list – one that stretches her jewelry making skills. I’m excited to see what she comes up with!

Something That Makes Me Smile

Olivia was having issues with her composing software. So, she pulled up her phone for a video chat with her composition “tech support” – aka Benjamin Choate. The kids have absolutely loved having the Choate kids back in the US. We haven’t had a whole lot of opportunities to spend time with them because of the many directions both families are going. But, every couple of days I’ll hear sudden laughter and extra voices, and I’ll see that my kids are huddled around a chat screen or two here with Choate kids huddled around their screens on the other end. Even Sarah, who recently moved off to college, has been able to join in for a 3-way a time or two! I love the enduring friendship between the seven kids, and I’m so thankful for the technology that keeps us connected whether we are separated by an ocean or by schedules.

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Something Coming

Let’s see…someone has a birthday coming up soon. The last one of the year. My babies are growing up, and I’m loving every minute of it!

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