The Simple Woman's Daybook

::Outside my window... Probably the croaking of tiny frogs, the singing of crickets, the occasional bark from a country dog, sprinklers... but the gentle whirring of the window air-conditioner we purchased a couple of weeks ago masks those lovely sounds.  And that's okay.  I'm actually covered up with a blanket.  In my house.  In late July.  I love that whirring.  (I could be emulating Frank Navasky.)

::I am thinking... that it's quite possibly going to be a long night, seeing as I just put Gideon back to bed for the seventh time in forty-five minutes.  The first time, I lifted him back onto the top bunk to shave off a few seconds from the ladder climb, but my arms nearly gave out.

::I am thankful... that I didn't drop him.  Although that would teach him.  Perhaps better than what I WAS doing.  Hmmmm...

::In the kitchen...  I've got a pan of granola on low in the oven.  There's nothing like that honey and cinnamon smell to wake up to in the morning!

::I am wearing... Yoga pants, an old yellow Empty Tomb Gear t-shirt.  No makeup.  (Sunday is usually the only day I wear makeup.  I love Sunday evenings.)

::I am creating... Well, spoon dolls are done.  ~smile~

(Sometimes their clothes fall off.  Major giggles.)

(Giant outfits that double as blankets?  Check.  Giant books?  Check.  Giant watchdog?  Check.)

So now, it's on to making a pillow slipcover.  Kevin and I were blessed by a sweet friend with an afternoon/evening out last week, and we stopped in at the fabric store (which is forty-five minutes away) so I could try to use my coupon.  A stroke of genius and fifteen minutes later, we'd chosen a lovely silk fabric to make a decorative pillow for our bed!  (I say stroke of genius because I so rarely create anything for our house with his input- he is so easygoing and appreciative of my taste.  He's the one who found the fabric and ultimately chose it- now I'm praying it turns out the way I told him it will!)

::I am going... to pack up the three youngest children and go visit Kevin and Corban at camp for a couple days this week.  Kevin grew up first attending this camp, next becoming a counselor, then the director, and is now the speaker for it, and we are so thankful that our children can now be a part of something that their father has so deeply invested in.  And that he can be there with them!

::I am wondering... if they'll remember to use sunblock, though.

::I am reading... Dandelion Fire.  Cor asked me to read 100 Cupboards (the first book in the series) over a year ago (he loved it!), and so I (semi-reluctantly) picked it up last week.  Then blew through it.  Then couldn't wait to start the second book.  So far, I like 100 Cupboards best, but this second book is intriguing.  And we love that the author lives in Idaho!  My boys are on a first-name basis with him.  I mean, when they refer to him, they're all, N.D. Wilson would totally love this secret door, or, Yeah, N.D. would probably tell you to keep trying till you unlock it.  It's so cute.

I'm also flipping through Discover Nature at Sundown for the second time.  I just love this book; so far the best information (for us and our location) has been about owls, bats, and frogs.  All of which live in and around our backyard, so I can teach from the comfort (and safety) of the back door.  ~grin~

::I am hoping...  that I've finished compiling school book lists for the coming year.  We finished our school year last Monday (the boys wanted to do it all in one day just to finish- and they did!), and I literally sat down the next afternoon and began mapping out next year.  (I may or may not have been humming It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year while doing so.  Love it.)  (This time of year, I mean.  I only love the song if Andy Williams sings it, and that's only because my husband loves it because his mama loved it.  I am nothing if not loyal.)

We are on our second overlapping year of Ambleside- meaning, this is the second year we haven't had to purchase any school books for Micah (except Math) because the non-consumable nature of the curriculum means Cor's books from years four and five have been and will be handed down.  By the time Eliana reaches second grade, we will only be purchasing books for Cor's level!  What a blessing.  Then we can work on really stuffing the free reading shelves!

::I am looking forward to... August.  With two communities to minister to (which also means two sermons to preach each Sunday), and many camp lessons to prepare, Kevin's July is always packed.  August is our breathing month.

::I am learning...  to let my three-year-old finish his sentences.  (I know, right?  Just now, Elise?  He's your fourth.  Honestly.)  But truly, he's in that stuttering stage where he's trying to get a story out, but he keeps getting interrupted by older siblings "helping" him with the words; I'm realizing that it's doing more harm than good.  He was having an even harder time finishing sentences, so I'm calling for silence and attention when he begins speaking, and now I think he's doing better.  Poor little man.  So many smart people thinking they know what he's thinking.  Wouldn't that be so annoying to us?  Why do we do it to them?  *Sigh.*

::Around the house...  there are so many little jobs that have piled up.  The window tracks are full of dead box elder bugs, the living room blinds are coated with the dust of this small town, and I'm positive that all the baseboards are harboring entire cities of legos.  I usually don't let myself start any new projects until I've caught up on jobs like this.  I'm going to allow myself the indulgence of finishing the pillow cover (I want to have it done before Kev gets back!), but the antique desk that's sitting in the garage waiting to be sanded, coated with Huntington Green, and distressed so it can hold my sewing machine?  It's going to have to wait.  I'll hold it out as bait.

::I am pondering...  Sally Clarkson's wise words to her family: Wrong is always wrong, even if everyone else is doing it.  Right is always right, even if no one else is doing it.  ~The Mission of Motherhood 

I spoke these words to Corban during a heart to heart last night, thinking of camp and encouraging him to be a child of God in all of his actions while he's there.  Oh, how I'm praying for him.  And again, oh, how thankful I am that his father is there, too.

::A favorite quote for today...  This morning, an altercation between my big boys led to an intervention by Mama.  After a less-than-repentant response from Cor, he quietly finished washing the dishes, then came around the corner, drying his hands.

Hey, Mama?  I was reading Proverbs the other day, and the chapter I was in said something like, "Rebuke a fool and he will hate you.  Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.".  I don't want to be a fool!  I'm sorry I didn't take your words very well.

I stood there with my mouth open.  And then I hugged him.  (Then I looked it up- it's Proverbs 9:8, if you're wondering.)  How thankful I am for grace, and for the ultimate Parent who leads my children in spite of me.

::One of my favorite things... is hearing Gideon sing at the top of his lungs, Yes, our God is, all He says, all He says He is!  Jesus in the neighborhood we can change the world!

Hee.  It's Jesus in Your Name we could change the world, but I think Gideon's lyrics work just as well!  ~grin~

::A few plans for the rest of the week...  I'm pretty sure I already covered that, remember?  Window tracks.  Blinds.  Baseboard Lego cities.  Sewing.  Camp.

Definitely going to squeeze in some Wii time with my man, Micah.  Even though he's totally killing me in bowling.

Lots of fort-building.  Sprinkler-jumping.  Book reading.  And coffee-drinking.  Probably not a lot of sleeping.  Although, Gideon has not come out in quite some time, so I'm thinking I should wrap this up.

A blessed week to you, kind friends!

(Visit other lovely summer daybooks here.)