Thankful Thursday -- October 28th

On this Thankful Thursday I am grateful for:

1. My dd is home from her program in Missouri. I am so proud of the work she has done. I am also proud of the progress she has made. Pray for a job for her and a good transition back to life with the family.

2. A wonderful vacation with dh in Mexico. We saw and did SO many amazing things! Hopefully over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of it with all of you. 

3. Learning new things! Last week in Mexico I learned to snorkel and scuba dive -- two things I never thought I'd do!

4. My wonderful ds! He is growing into such a fine young man. He has shown great responsibility over the last couple of weeks, and I am just so proud.

5. Beautiful autumn colors! We were blessed by seeing so much of God's beauty in Mexico last week, and then to come to the states and drive through country full of changing leaves!

May your Thankful Thursday be full of blessings. Check out Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more sharing of gratitude.

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . . October 27th

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sky is blue and the leaves on my neighbor's sugar maple are a brilliant orange. I took the dogs for a walk this morning and the temperature is in the high 50's right now.

I am thinking...about changes. Dd is home from her stay in Missouri. We are reconfiguring our schedules. I am feeling positive.

I am thankful for...safe travels! Dh and I spent a week in Mexico last week (more on that later), and Monday dh, ds and I drove to Missouri to pick up dd, and then home yesterday. No real problems. We are all a little tired!

From the learning rooms...ds is still struggling in American History and he needs to pick up the pace in German II. On the upside he is enjoying reading Frankenstein.

From the kitchen...a bare cupboard and refrigerator means a trip to the grocery later today.

I am wearing...black exercise pants and my Blue Mountain Beach shirt with pseudo-crocs.

I am creating...plans! I got to go to the Hancock's store in Paducah, KY, and bought more fabric. Spent more than I meant too, but even dh said I got good stuff!

I am going...to unpack, do laundry, grocery shop, walk with dd, and generally try to find order from chaos today.

I am reading...The Feast and The Myth of You and Me.

I am hoping...that things will begin to settle into a calmer routine over the next week or so.

I am hearing...birds chirping and the wind blowing as I have all the windows opened.

Around the house...order must be regained. We also have a sick doggie. Squeaker, ds' half beagle half dachshund, has a mass in her abdomen. The vet doesn't think it's cancer, but she will be having surgery on Friday. Pray for a good outcome!

One of my favorite things...is this kind of weather! Sunny and cool in the mornings. Sunny and warm in the afternoons. Beautiful autumnal colors to view, and small animals foraging for the winter.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible studies, readjusting to having dd at home, making plans for crafting.

Hosted by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Saturday Poetry -- The Revenant by Billy Collins

I am the dog you put to sleep,
as you like to call the needle of oblivion,
come back to tell you this simple thing:
I never liked you--not one bit.

When I licked your face,
I thought of biting off your nose.
When I watched you toweling yourself dry,
I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap.

I resented the way you moved,
your lack of animal grace,
the way you would sit in a chair to eat,
a napkin on your lap, knife in your hand.

I would have run away,
but I was too weak, a trick you taught me
while I was learning to sit and heel,
and--greatest of insults--shake hands without a hand.

I admit the sight of the leash
would excite me
but only because it meant I was about
to smell things you had never touched.

You do not want to believe this,
but I have no reason to lie.
I hated the car, the rubber toys,
disliked your friends and, worse, your relatives.

The jingling of my tags drove me mad.
You always scratched me in the wrong place.
All I ever wanted from you
was food and fresh water in my metal bowls.

While you slept, I watched you breathe
as the moon rose in the sky.
It took all of my strength
not to raise my head and howl.

Now I am free of the collar,
the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater,
the absurdity of your lawn,
and that is all you need to know about this place

except what you already supposed
and are glad it did not happen sooner--

that everyone here can read and write,
the dogs in poetry, the cats and the others in prose.

Feel Good Friday and Brief Hiatus

Well it's been a crazy week around here -- 

not feeling well, dh business trip, 

ds PSAT and tests and Spirit Week. 

It has come to my attention that I'm going 

to be a little busier than usual for 

the next couple of weeks. 

I'm taking a brief hiatus, 

but will hopefully have a VERY good 

FGF post when I get back. 

Until then, I hope everyone has a great 

Friday, weekend, and next couple of weeks!

I'll see you on the 29th!

Feel Good Friday is hosted by The Girl Next Door Grows Up.

Thankful Thursday -- October 14th

On this Thankful Thursday I am grateful for:

1. An expected and pleasant call from dd last night.

2. Less self imposed guilt for not having "it" all together.

3. Some time on Tuesday with my bff, LBB. It is so wonderful to have a friend in my life who knows everything about me and still likes me! Thirty plus years and counting, and she still chooses to spend time with me!

4. Beautiful fabric to match 2 coordinating fabrics I came across in my stash recently. Now if I can just get the bag made before fall is over. LOL!

5. More lovely autumn weather and a good soaking rain yesterday. We have been pretty dry around here, so the rain was good for the earth, as well as my soul.


May your Thankful Thursday be full of blessings. Check out Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more sharing of gratitude.

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . . October 12th

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is just coming up, but we have clouds and the possibility of some rain today. We need it.

I am thinking...that the next few weeks are going to be crazy busy, but lots of fun!

I am thankful for...my clean house! I forget how much it helps my mood to have the WHOLE house clean at once. Do you think my insurance company would cover maid service as part of my mental health coverage?

From the learning rooms...ds has another American History test today. I hope he does better than he has on the last two.

From the kitchen...I found a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins. I'm hoping to get motivated to make them today.

I am wearing...my chintz robe and knockoff Crocs.

I am creating...not much right now. I'm on a hiatus until we get back from our anniversary trip.

I am going...to spend the day with my bf. I don't know what we'll do, but I know it will be fun!

I am reading...The English American  (still!)

I am hoping...we gut that rain they are promising. A rainy day at home could be really good : )

I am hearing...the dogs asking for breakfast. Crickets outside my window and stillness.

Around the house...the bathroom is coming along. The drywall is up and mudding has begun. We picked out paint this weekend, a lovely blue gray.

One of my favorite things...having a clean house! (Did I mention that already?)

A few plans for the rest of the week...finishing my online PADI course; packing; Bible study

Here is a picture for thought that I am sharing...

Where I will be spending lots of time next week!

Hosted by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Planned Fall Reading?

I'm not big on planning what to read in advance, but this blog hop looked like it could be fun. My reading schedule has been a bit wonky lately, so I'm keeping my list fairly short for now. I might update it as time goes by (lengthen or shorten). For now here's my projected list:


1. The English American by Alison Larkin

2. Rechurch: Healing Your Way Back to the People of God by Stephen Mansfield

3. Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

4. The Feast: How to Serve Jesus in a Famished World by Joshua Graves

5. Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston

6. Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World by Lee C. Camp

"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World"

Richard Wilbur 

The eyes open to a cry of pulleys,

And spirited from sleep, the astounded soul

Hangs for a moment bodiless and simple

As false dawn.

Outside the open window

The morning air is all awash with angels.

Some are in bed-sheets, some are in blouses,

Some are in smocks: but truly there they are.

Now they are rising together in calm swells

Of halcyon feeling, filling whatever they wear

With the deep joy of their impersonal breathing;

Now they are flying in place, conveying

The terrible speed of their omnipresence, moving

And staying like white water; and now of a sudden

They swoon down into so rapt a quiet

That nobody seems to be there.

The soul shrinks

From all that is about to remember,

From the punctual rape of every blessed day,

And cries,

``Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,

Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam

And clear dances done in the sight of heaven.''

Yet, as the sun acknowledges

With a warm look the world's hunks and colors,

The soul descends once more in bitter love

To accept the waking body, saying now

In a changed voice as the man yawns and rises,

``Bring them down from their ruddy gallows;

Let there be clean linen for the backs of thieves;

Let lovers go fresh and sweet to be undone,

And the heaviest nuns walk in a pure floating

Of dark habits,

keeping their difficult balance.''

Feel Good Friday -- October 8, 2010

How can I not feel good today!?!


The weather is beautiful. Pleasantly cool this morning, with sun and warmer temps in the afternoon. The finches are at my bird feeder now, and earlier it was blue jays and doves. Add to that today I am a guinea pig client for a new cleaning service here in town! Three lovely ladies showed up at my house this morning to deep clean my house at a discounted rate! And oh how my house needs cleaning! Of course I've spent the entire week picking up and putting away, but I did not clean a thing (well, okay, I did dust the desk and the movie cabinet!). I am trying really hard not to worry about what they are saying about me in the back of the house  -- "What a filthy house? Who lives this way?" -- etc.


Anyway once they finish, my house will be picked up and clean -- a rare occurrence in my home! Yes it will cost me some $$$, but I'm betting it will be worth it!


So my FGF is the clean house I'm going to enjoy this afternoon and weekend.






Feel Good Friday is hosted by The Girl Next Door Grows Up.

Thankful Thursday -- October 7, 2010

Happy October, fellow bloggers! We are having true autumn weather here and it is lovely! After a summer of sizzling heat, we now find ourselves with BELOW normal morning temperatures. I have told myself I will not complain, but remember how I longed for cooler weather all summer long. Sweaters, jeans, scarves and boots!

So for this Thankful Thursday I am grateful for:

1. An improved attitude, which I think is the result of asking for and receiving prayers. I tend to forget that (1) it's ok to ask for prayers (and help), and (2) it really makes a HUGE difference.

2. A straighter house thanks in large part to my dear friend, KFH, who came yesterday to craft, and instead helped me pick up and put away because I have a cleaning crew coming on Friday!

3. New Bible study friends in my Beth Moore class. Last night was a video and I sat next to a woman I am just getting to know. She surprised me by telling me that she had been praying for dd and us. DD will be coming home the last week of October. While I am excited, we are also all (even dd) a little nervous. A friend reminded me this week that worrying and stressing won't help or change anything, so that has become my new mantra.

4. More new fabric bought on clearance. Now all I need is the time (and motivation) to make some goodies to sell.

5. Peace and a return to balance. It's a cyclical thing with me. Maybe it's the PTSD or maybe it's just my human nature, but I tend to cycle between peace, contentment and balance, and panic, stress and depression! I'm glad to be back in the positive spin of the cycle.

May your Thankful Thursday be full of blessings. Check out Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more sharing of gratitude.

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . . October 5th

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...it has become autumn overnight! We actually had frost warnings overnight. I've put the down comforter on the bed and turned on the heat. Wasn't it just a few days ago we were in the 90's?

I am thinking...about the schedule I have set up for myself this week. It seems a little more realistic than I usually plan. 

I am thankful for...so many blessings that have come my way recently. Telling the truth of my abuse is getting easier, and I'm feeling much better about dd!

From the learning rooms...the first quarter wraps up this week for ds. Grades are mixed. He's really struggling in American history and I don't really know why, unless it's like a friend mine said, "He is smart, but he is lazy." Could be true. LOL!

From the kitchen...a good menu list for this week. I think I can stick to it!

I am wearing...workout clothes, as I am heading to yoga class in just a little bit. 

I am creating...not much. I have several projects that need finishing up. Thankfully I've set aside a couple of afternoons this week for sewing.

I am going...to hang out with friends for sewing and crafting again this week. I don't know if I get much done, but it sure is fun!

I am reading...The English American.

I am hoping...to hold on to the better mood I seem to have acquired. Answered prayers!

I am hearing...the dogs wanting breakfast and ds eating his breakfast.

Around the house...I've hired a cleaning service to come in and do some fall cleaning, which means I have to focus on picking up this week! They probably can't clean the floors if the can't SEE the floors. LOL!

One of my favorite things...is cooking when I enjoy it. Not so much when it just feels like something else to have to do.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible studies, PADI lessons (online, since the class got cancelled -- yeah that's another blog!), picking up around the house, hopefully some sewing/crafting as well.

Hosted by The Simple Woman's Daybook