Simple Woman's Daybook 1.27.12

Needing inspiration today, I'm using a favorite slice-of-life meme from a blog called The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Outside my window...
It's rainy and grey, or is that grainy and rey? My head is as foggy as the mist that hovers over the earth this morning.

I am thinking...
about all the things I want to improve-- internally, externally, maternally, you name it. If it's got a "nally" at the end of it, I probably want to change it.

I am thankful for...
the commitment that my husband and I have to each other, and for God's sustaining grace in our marriage. I am proud of my man, and feel secure in his love, even when the hot water heater of life isn't working. By that I mean, on some days the marriage feels like a cold shower on a winter morning--you're tempted to jump out before the job is done. But on most days, marriage is like a warm bath--soothing and healing to the mind, body, and soul. Either way, you're naked and need a good cleansing to be the best person you can be for another person.

From the kitchen...

the pantry screams, "Reorganize me!"

I am wearing...

a pink Myrtle Beach hoodie and burgundy sweatpants. Pink is not my color at all, and I actually had to buy a pink accessory to wear to my future DIL's bridal shower. The invitation said, "Wear pink, black, or a combination of both." So I found a hot pink boa at a thrift shop for $3.99 and paired it with black and white I had. Pink is really not my color, but a warm pink hoodie on a cold January day is better than any alternative available this morning.

I am creating...

perhaps a small quilt in the near future. My husband thought of me yesterday when he heard about a quilting club that makes quilts for needy babies. At least I think that's what he said; I was half asleep, but smiled at his thoughtfulness. I told him I've only made three quilts in my life and that I'd feel nervous joining a quilting club with my elementary skills. But making quilts for needy babies is certainly motivational.

I am going...
to yank the air freshener out of the wall plug. Too much of a good thing is giving me a headache!

I am reading...

The Water Giver, by Joan Ryan

Best book I've read in a long time, it's the true story written by a mother whose 16-year-old special-needs son suffered a traumatic brain injury while riding a skateboard without a helmet. Up until the accident, she had never really felt like a nurturing mom, but one who was preoccupied with "fixing" her child by shuttling him from one therapist to another, reading one book after another to try to change him into a "normal" son, rather than just being the mother he needed. It took nearly losing him for her to accept and love him the way he was.

The book is written by a journalist, so I appreciate the factual medical lingo she includes, as well as her emotional tone. A couple of times she drops the "f" bomb, so I wouldn't give it a 5-star rating for language.


I am hoping...

for a good blizzard soon.

I am hearing...

the whirring of the mini-heater's fan blowing inside and the cling-clang of the wind chimes on the deck, and the pitter-patter of not-so-little dog feet hopping around the tennis ball that Reilly Pup is entertaining himself with.

Around the house...

I see nothing but projects and repairs calling out to me and Mr. Fix-it. A kitchen makeover, a master bathroom makeover, a broken table leg, drawers in disarray, the Youngest's bedroom to be converted to a Baltimore Ravens nest. The second son moved lickety-split into the vacated older brother's room when he moved out, and it is already painted, thanks to him and his girlfriend. Best part: it cost nothing. He was content to use a calm, handsome (like him) blue paint we already had, and I can't for the life of me recall where we used it. That blue exists nowhere in the house. Stranger things have happened.


















I asked Ambrey to stand there like a model doing a paint product photo shoot. Isn't she cute?
























One of my favorite things...

is finding a handwritten note in my mailbox, either at home or at school. Yesterday I got a thank-you note at school from parents who pick a different teacher each week to pray for. They go a step further and write a note, which the secretary delivers to our boxes. I must've read that thing three times in one hour. Such encouragement on a day I was pondering bad news and big, unexpected expenses.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

The rest of the week? Since today is Friday, that's a short list for a change. Tonight I am going out for Chinese with my former co-teacher and friend, just to catch up on life. She's an excellent listener and an engaging talker. A good conversationalist. The funniest part is predictable when it comes time for us to pay for our meal. I take the check, try to figure who owes what, hand it to her for verification, and then she quotes a line from a movie: "It was my understanding there would be no math."

Tomorrow is a "free Saturday," which means there are no outside obligations on the calendar. But make no mistake, there is no such thing as a free lunch or a free Saturday. Hubby will find plenty of work for us all to do around here.

A picture thought I am sharing...
After the bridal shower, we went for Dee's dress fitting. My daughter started looking around and called me over to check this one out. She called it her dream dress. Well, she couldn't keep a straight face and she was snorting, so I knew it was gonna be ugly. Well, not ugly, just outdated and straight-laced, no pun intended. "Modest is hottest," she said, doubling over laughing, and then snapped a picture of me (in aforementioned pink boa) giving the dress the "oh yeah, baby, what a beaut" look.