Tuesday, April 03, 2012

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 4.3.12

I was on a once-a-month kick with this for most of last year, but haven't done one of these since December. So, a little Simple Woman's Daybook for this afternoon, to come out of the recent blogging lull...

Outside my window...
abundant sunshine, and enough heat that we caved and turned on the air conditioner. On April 3. OY! In other news, we also have gotten our first mosquito bites already--in March. Are you kidding me? The neighborhood is beautiful, though--we enjoyed these sights on our morning walk:

 

 

 

I am thinking...
that I'm working on borrowed time; the boys will be up soon and there is still so much I wanted to accomplish today...

I am thankful for...
women who trust me with their hearts.

From the kitchen...
probably going to make salmon croquettes for dinner (doesn't that sound so much more sophisticated and delicious than "fried salmon patties"--ew--which is basically what they really are?). I'm pondering the possibility of making a traditional Passover meal on Thursday night--which means I need to get going with printing recipes and grocery shopping.

I am wearing...
too-small jean shorts (ugh...none of my favorite clothes fit!), a gray tank top and a pink t-shirt, plus the black Reef flip-flops that generally don't come off my feet from April-September. I have just about worn completely through the soles in one spot, so I may have to invest in a new pair this year.

I am creating...
that prayer guide for parents that I first mentioned the better part of a year ago--I really have been working on it. I also created some cards over the weekend for the first time in a long while. It feels good to get my supplies out and be creative...I need to make time for that kind of thing more often, and provide creative outlets for my children.

I am going...
to be joining a little "Biggest Loser" competition with some friends starting on Sunday. I don't have a ton to lose, just about ten extra pounds or so, but I definitely need to lose them so I don't have to buy a bunch of new clothes. This competition is just the motivation I need to get back in shape with exercising and eating better since my internal motivation seems to have gone missing.

I am reading...
a variety of books: just finished Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5). I'm thinking and arguing my way through Doug Wilson's Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (a bit frustrating at times since his tone makes it clear that the subtitle would more accurately read, "THE Approach"--but still very helpful and provocative). My Kindle switches back and forth between Reliving the Passion, a Lent devotional (only $3.99 for Kindle!), and Paul Tripp's Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It. And I've now picked up The Fellowship of the Ring, in an attempt to give the famed Lord of the Rings trilogy a fair trial. I haven't touched Tolkien since reading and hating The Hobbit in junior high, but I've discovered a few fantasy series I've loved since then, so we'll see.

Bible-wise, I'm in Isaiah and Psalms. Loving the reading plan I'm using, though struggles to get up early have left me a little behind recently.

I am hoping...
to book plane tickets for an exciting trip soon.

I am hearing...
the sounds of Elijah talking to and for his stuffed animals instead of napping :) Plus lots of bird songs, and loud trucks driving by.

Around the house...
laundry needing to be folded (Jude likes to "help")...

 
books scattered everywhere...

 
"hopscotch" squares on the patio...

 

...and the anticipation of progress on projects! Steve's parents are coming soon, which means he and his dad can work on the house. Yippee! My arbitrary goal for myself is to have the upstairs bathroom painted before they get here--which means I need to decide on a paint color...

One of my favorite things...
a shower at the end of a long, hot day and then climbing into bed with fresh, clean sheets.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
unlike the last few, this is a pretty low-key week. I'm looking forward to prayer with friends tonight, and hoping to take the boys downtown to run a couple of errands and enjoy Centennial Park later this week. Steve has to work all weekend, so I'm not looking forward to that--but the reward is extra vacation days, one of which we plan to use next week by checking out the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail. I've been told there's a huge railroad trestle bridge that Elijah will just love.

A picture thought I am sharing...
I think I've shared plenty of those already :) Happy Tuesday!

7 comments:

Danielle said...

Yeah, any book by the Wilson pair definitely has a non-grace filled tone to it. ;)

Zoanna said...

I started reading Paul Tripp's book forever. He has good things to say, but seems to say them over and over in "the same way, only different." Hate to be critical, but I've read several of his books only 1/4 of the way thru for that reason. My hubby pointed out a Doug Wilson book at the library and asked if I'd read it and I said, "No, and I don't want to. He's graceless."

Zoanna said...

Forever with a capital F:)

Amy said...

Interesting that within the first hour of this post being up, the two of you immediately chimed in with agreement about Wilson's tone. I'm glad it's not just me!

Zo, yes, I think you're absolutely right. For whatever reason I tend to have a fairly high tolerance level for that kind of repetitiveness, at least when it's a topic that's really hitting me (as this one is). I am still enjoying Forever, but you're right, he does kind of keep saying the same thing in slightly different ways. I keep reading expecting that he'll develop it more in the next chapter :)

Danielle said...

I too agree with you two about Tripp. I find his books challenging to read for the same reason.

I hope you like "Treasured." As you know I loved that book and found it full of truth written in a creative way--hard to do I think. I still need to read Harry Potter. Maybe those will be my summer books.

I just finished "The Hunger Games" trilogy and my, are they heart-wrenchingly good. They take a lot of mental processing, but honestly, I've not read fiction that stayed with me the way these books have in a very long while. They bring up so many questions and I feel a bit emotionally wrecked, but they are worth it. It's affected me the same way "Braveheart" and "Hotel Rwanda" did: Thinking this stuff through is worth the emotional drain. :/

Amy said...

Danielle, I really did enjoy Treasured. I just finished it the other day and am really wanting to do some writing of my own, inspired by her last chapter of "what's in your box?" --haven't gotten that far though.

Definitely get into HP this summer! So far #3 is my favorite. Steve's hooked now too...he's going to pass me even though I started months ago because of his long commute on which to listen!

Seems like The Hunger Games is all I've heard about for months now...I'm not super interested but I'm sure it'll be like Harry Potter, I resisted the fad and then I finally cave and end up understanding why they are so popular. Am I the only one, though, who finds the protagonist's name endlessly annoying? I mean, KATNISS? Really?

But wow, Hotel Rwanda comparison? That's saying a lot. That was a monumental movie for me. I'm hesitant to start the trilogy, though, because everyone says you can't put them down and that's about the last thing I need when I already have a hard time engaging with my boys and not escaping/being distracted...le sigh.

Danielle said...

I felt like you about Hunger Games until I started reading them--not interested. But I've also become fascinated with the author's inspiration for the books: footage of the Iraq war and noticing a connection with reality TV. Not to mention the fact the story is drawn straight from classical myth.

Definitely pick them up when you don't have a lot of obligations. I wasn't too addicted until the end of book 1, then all I could think about was finishing the books! The other interesting thing is you think the books are a love story in the backdrop of war, but really it's not. It a commentary on war itself and what it does to people. That's why I connected it to Hotel Rawanda. That's what makes the end of the final book so heavy.