The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY . . . September 27, 2011

Outside my window . . . it is cool and clear. There is a heavy dew on the grass and it is only 49 degrees.

I am thinking . . . that I am proud of myself for helping dh with a new Bible class this past Sunday at church. I got up and spoke (briefly) to the class, and I felt that the whole class went really well.

I am thankful . . . for encouraging words from several different people of late. Moving outside my comfort zone is less painful with kind words ringing in my ears.

From the learning rooms . . . we're nearing the end of the first quarter/nine weeks. Grades are definitely better than in the past, but there is a lot of work looming at this grading period ends.

In the kitchen . . . tonight is baked tilapia, steamed green beans with slivered almonds, and cheesy squash casserole.

I am wearing . . . my "I am the Lorax" t-shirt, my summer weight robe, and blue Target "crocs". As you know by now I am quite the fashionista!

I am creating . . . still working on that afghan, but also on a new Sweet November scarf for a friend. I am using Spa: A Silky Soft Bamboo Blend in rose bisque. I really like the way it feels and looks.

I am going . . . to the library today to pick up a book on hold, to turn in overdue books (and pay fines), and to renew a book that is overdue that I haven't even started yet! I am NOT the poster child for good library citizenship this month!

I am wondering . . . about cobwebs. Where do they come from exactly? I seem to have more than my share of them this fall inside and outside my house. I've heard that a plethora of cobwebs in fall is a sign of a snowy winter. If that is true I have mixed emotions. We had plenty of snow last winter!

I am reading . . . lots! I started Fall Into Reading 2011. I've got to make time to get this reading and reviewing done, because I signed up to do it, but mostly because I really, really want to!

I am hoping . . . to get some fall decor out today. Wait a minute didn't I say that last week?

I am looking forward to . . . new episodes of Castle and The Mentalist. Shallow I know, but I do enjoy those two shows!

I am hearing . . . nothing but the twitter of birds and distant traffic.

Around the house . . . dh and the kids worked on the bonus room some this weekend. It's not all better, but there is definite improvement.

I am pondering . . . the random things that strangers share with me. Yesterday at the grocery store, the gentleman who bagged my groceries shared with me about the struggles he is having in his marriage. I have no idea why, but I was blessed that the Lord gave me something to share. I am adding Jason and his wife to my prayer list.

One of my favorite things . . . is my new hedgehog air freshener from Bath & Body Works



A few plans for the rest of the week . . . working on that balance between fun and productivity. It is a real struggle for me.

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

last week my neighbors had a huge fairy ring it their yard!

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Fall Into Reading 2011: Are You Up to the Challenge?

Katrina over at Callapidder Days is doing her Fall Into Reading challenge again. I tried to participate last year, and didn't do very well. Anyhoo. I'm going to try again, so read along with me and share what you're reading at the link below.

1. The Book of Daniel (NIV) -- okay I'm listing this one first because I'm in a Bible study and I'm really determined to not fall behind.

(I admit, I've got a head start on this since our study started on the 8th.)

2. Manner of Death by Stephen White

The past resurfaces in ways that are as intimate as they are frightening when Dr. Alan Gregory and Dr. Sawyer Sackett-a woman he once loved-are plunged into the private nightmare of a killer who knows about the terrifying power of mind games. (This one's already checked out from the library, and waiting on my desk!)

3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

In a wonderful display of storytelling verve, Martel takes a distinctly unpromising premise--a "story that will make you believe in God" about a boy trapped on a lifeboat with an enormous tiger--and pulls it off with complete and winning confidence. (I started this one in MAY! I got sidetracked from it, but I really want to finish it.)

4. Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity. (I picked this one up at Border's going out of business sale and started it right away. It's a bit depressing, so I put it aside. We'll see if I'm up for now or not.)

5.  One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming (maybe!)

On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their experiences in Iraq. What they will find is murder, conspiracy, and the unbreakable ties that bind them to one another and their small Adirondack town. (This one is dependent on time and availability. I don't buy fiction as a general rule, so I have to wait for my HOLD from the library on this one.)

to see more participants go to Fall Into Reading 2011