7 Quick Takes Friday–March 30, 2012

OK, so it’s Saturday, but let’s not get picky, OK?

1. My mother-in-law is visiting for the next ten days!  The kids have their Spring Break next week (from homeschooling – the public school is only off Friday and Monday) so they’ll have lots of Grandma time.

2. After balmy temperatures and the need for air conditioning last week, we’ve had cold and rain for the last couple of days.  Not only do the weather changes give me headaches, but it’s incredibly dreary out!  Thankfully, though, my current medication regimen is keeping my mood pretty stable these days even when it’s dreary out.  I’m also trying to stay pretty active on my non-headache days by doing things like walking to the shop instead of driving.

3. I got in a psychotic organizing mood early in the week and cleaned out some little shelves in the kitchen.  I’ve got my eye on a bookcase in the dining area as well as the area where we keep our cell phones and chargers.  When I’m headache-free for a few hours, those shelves are in serious danger of cleanliness!

4. Last week, I got the white clothes washed, dried, folded, and even put away before they became a cat bed!!  Yes, I’m very proud of myself!!

5. The first three months of the year for The Knitting Nest have been very successful!  Not every day is busy, but we’re getting a steady flow of customers and we’re able to purchase new yarns and other inventory regularly.  I have some weeks where I get to be at the shop almost every day and other weeks where I’m hardly there at all, but I love it when I’m there and PWM and I both enjoy owning our own business.

6. One of my new favorite authors is Joshilyn Jackson.  I first read Between, Georgia a year or two ago and really enjoyed it.  A couple of months ago, though, I read A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty and decided that I really wanted to read her other books.  A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty had a more complex plot and deeper characters than I remembered from Between, Georgia.  I listened to both The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and Backseat Saints on audio recorded by the author and was impressed by the writing, but also by the performance.  It turns out that the author has some theater background and is very good at vocalizing characters.  I was more than a bit concerned that I would have a hard time differentiating characters in the two books because they were read by the same person, but she did an excellent job of voicing the characters.  I haven’t yet read gods in Alabama, but I see that the local library has it.  I’ll be checking it out tomorrow.

7. Wild Man is playing bass guitar with the adult worship team at church tomorrow.  It really is amazing to see how much of an adult he is becoming!  He did an excellent job at practice (I’m told) and has been continuing to work on his music throughout the week.  Wow!

What’s going on in your corner of the world?  Check out 7 Quick Takes Friday to see what others have been up to!

 

Our Week In Review–March 24, 2012

Educating teenagers is different than teaching little kids.  There are very few skills that need to be taught, and since they’re mostly math-related, PWM gets that task!  My job is mostly motivation.  And, when I’m down with a migraine, PWM gets that one, too!  Poor guy!  Well, let me tell you what’s been going on around here.

Wild Man

History/Geography.  We’ve been watching a series on Ancient Rome.  I was appalled to find out a few days ago that Wild Man didn’t know off the top of his head where Minnesota was (he said he tried to block it out because the Minnesota Vikings football team is from there) so we’re reviewing US state geography.  It turns out that he can actually locate quite a few states on the map.  But, I’m going to make him learn them all.  Because I’m an evil mommy that way.

Math – He and PWM are still working on ALEKS fractions but also getting more math facts stuck in his head.

Reading – He’s reading Eagle of the Ninth and seems to enjoy it.

Writing – He wrote 2 paragraphs this week.  As a joke, he wrote one made all of sentences from Wikipedia.  As I read it, I was getting rather concerned, but as my face was looking more distressed, he started giggling.  I asked what was going on and he ‘fessed up.  He then wrote the “real” assignment on a different topic without the help of Wikipedia.  (And did a much better job!)  He is learning some basic comma rules right now.  I have to agree that they can be pretty confusing.

Spelling – He spent longer arguing with me about the lack of need to do his 10-step spelling word review for the one word he missed on Tuesday than it actually took to do the ten steps!!  Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!  The good news is that he can now spell “neighbor”.  In fact, it was a very good week for spelling.

Band – He’s having a blast.

Other music – Wild Man is playing bass guitar for regular church services next weekend as well as continuing to play for the middle school Wednesday night service.  Pretty awesome!

Science – We’ve been pretty casual about this over the last month or so.  This week, we watched some astronomy videos.

Rosie Girl

College Prep – Rosie Girl takes the ACT again next month so she’s been doing some prep with PWM.  In addition, we’ve got visits scheduled with the three other colleges that she wants to see (we visited her first choice last fall).  In the meantime, I have been trying to get her course descriptions put together.

History – She’s studying the 1990’s now, so we can talk about events that have impacted her life more directly and that PWM and I remember clearly.  Pretty interesting.

Math – Lots of ALEKS and ACT prep

Literature – 20th century literature mostly, although she is reading “The Tempest” right now and we just watched a DVD.  We’ve agreed that we prefer the DVD of “Much Ado About Nothing” with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Brannagh.  Maybe we’ll try “The Taming of the Shrew” later this week.

Writing – The research paper is finally over after much wailing and gnashing of teeth on everyone’s part!!!  And after all the stress, she made all 5’s – i.e. a perfect score!  So, not only does she not have to take it again (which she would have had to do as well as pay for it if she had made less than 4’s) but we also rewarded her with a microphone for music recording that she’d been wanting.

Art – In her public school art class, she’s making a miniature mini-golf course based on one of her favorite Zelda games.

Music – Piano Festival is coming up!  Yes, she’s practicing a lot!!  She still plays her guitar and ocarina, but not nearly as much for the next few weeks.

Science – With her new microphone, Rosie Girl will be doing a project showing how sound is made on different instruments.  I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Other – Rosie Girl learned to use her drop spindle a few weeks ago and has made several yards of 2-ply yarn and then knit it up into a little square.  Now she’s working on spinning another bunch of wool and making more pretty yarn.

The kids are probably going to see “The Hunger Games” tonight.  We read them last fall and really enjoyed them.  We just finished reading the Bartimeus trilogy this week and loved it.  I hope we can read C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy series soon. 

That’s what’s been going on around here.  Anything exciting at your place?  Check out what others are doing at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

Mondays

Mondays are our days off around here.  When I was working in medicine, we generally looked forward to the weekend unless I was on call on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  Otherwise, we looked forward to the day after I was on call (because I was off after I was done finishing up everything from the night before).  With the yarn shop, though, we don’t have a full weekend free.  Not only is the shop open from 10-3 on Saturday, but we schedule classes for Friday night, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon.  Sundays are often pretty busy, too, because Wild Man has to be at church early to help out with Children’s Ministry in both services and PWM often plays bass guitar in both services, and then Wild Man has Youth Band practice most Sunday afternoons.  Rosie Girl often works weekends as well.

By the time we get to Monday, we are often a tired family, so Monday is our day off.  The kids still have to go to their public school classes, but we otherwise try to just relax and do some things around the house.  If I had a weekend without migraines, then I quite often do some laundry and house cleaning.  If not, I don’t get much housework done.  PWM likes to get to the basement to work on his lathe when he can, but sometimes Mondays become errand days.  And if it’s been a busy week and weekend, we sometimes spend a lot of time just reading and watching movies and relaxing.  We need Mondays.

A couple of weeks ago, the public school had a teacher’s workday, so we decided to take a day trip to MagiQuest in Wisconsin Dells.  My brother and his family had gone to a MagiQuest in another part of the country and really enjoyed it, so they gave Wild Man and Rosie Girl money for admission and wands for Christmas.  The trip was a great success!  We purchased our wands and got started on our adventures to find different things.  We would get clues and then point our wands at items when we found them.  The wand would remember what we found, and tell us when we finished a quest.  The hardest thing was that the activities were spread among four stories!!  We were running up and down stairs like crazy people!  I gave out before the end and found a corner to rest and knit, but PWM, Wild Man, and Rosie Girl pooled their resources and beat the dragon!!  It was one of our better Mondays!

While the rest of the country dreads Monday because it’s the start of the workweek, we look forward to Mondays and some rest.  Tuesdays, on the other hand . . . .

What are Mondays like for you?

Our Week In Review–February 25, 2012

Yes, indeed, we are still homeschooling.  As life goes on, our homeschooling becomes more relaxed, and I’m more amazed at what the kids are learning.  This last week, I think we got a little too relaxed with Wild Man, so I need to add a little more structure to his life.  And Rosie Girl got a little off schedule, so she’s going to have to get back onto her schedule that’s already been planned out, but I think they’ll be fine.  The short version is that the kids are getting educated.  The long version is:

Wild Man

• Social Science – This is where we are the most relaxed.  I’ve had him watch some videos about Mesopotamia and Sumerian culture and then look at some websites.  We did the same thing, but in more depth with Egypt.  In the last couple of weeks, we’ve repeated this with Ancient Greece and next week we’ll start Ancient Rome.  When Wild Man starts learning about a culture, he often goes back to Weapon and Warrior that he used last semester to look up some of the thing he learned about then.  I want to do a quick overview of the major cultures up to the time of Christ by the end of the year.
• Reading – He finished Hittite Warrior this week.  I’m finding that he reads one chapter a day unless I assign more, so I’m going to need to be proactive on his reading assignments.
• Writing – This is so frustrating for us.  Wild Man has great oral communication skills, but he has a hard time translating that to written/typed communication.  I told him to write a paragraph on any subject he wanted 2 weeks ago and gave him two days to complete the assignment.  In one day, he researched and did probably three paragraphs worth of information into a Power Point presentation.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t a paragraph with the topic sentence and supporting sentences that we had discussed.  I was really pleased with his ability to research and do Power Point, so I wasn’t very negative about it at the time.  However, next week, I am going to go back to basics and have him copy a paragraph so we can then move on to writing a paragraph and not get sidetracked with bells and whistles.
• Spelling – Wild Man enjoys Spelling Power more than All About Spelling, but I find that it’s good to also have him use the online SpellingCity (we paid for the premium version) for added review.  I was quite concerned that the Spelling Power would “let him off the hook” if he spelled a word correctly and then he wouldn’t see it again until the review a week or so later.  By having him review on SpellingCity as well, he sees whether he really does know the word.  I understand, though, that he likes that All About Spelling moves along faster.
• Bible – Wild Man is happy with his reading through the Bible and writing about what he read.  The only problem I’m having is that he wants to give me a complete one page summary of what he read when all I want for his journal is 2 sentences about what he read – something he thought was interesting or something he learned.  He’s having to learn to read and then interpret and not just summarize.  Definitely a higher-order skill.  I know he can do it, but now he also has to write it.
• Math – He is doing math facts and fractions with PWM several mornings a week.  When he goes up to the shop with PWM in the morning, he also gets the register ready and counts the money, etc., so he’s learning some real world math skills as well.
• Music – Oh, so much music in this house!!  Wild Man played at Solo and Ensemble today.  He got a “2” on his timpani solo and on  the mixed percussion ensemble – Yippee!!!  He’s been spending a lot of time after school practicing by himself and with the other percussionists.  He’s also been staying after occasionally to help with music department fundraisers.  The church youth band has now been split into middle school and high school bands, so Wild Man is the middle school band leader.  He plays drums and percussion most of the time, although bass guitar occasionally.  He’s also getting some voice lessons to help with his leading skills because his voice is changing so he’s not quite sure sometimes which octave to choose when he’s singing.  And, at home, he’s playing acoustic and bass guitar for hours on end!!  I’m not complaining – except when I want him to do his other schoolwork or chores, of course!!
• Life skills (AKA chores) – I’ve been having the kids cook one meal each week.  Wild Man is relatively adventurous when it comes to cooking.  One week, he made a Cajun Chicken pasta dish from the Food Network site.  Other times, it’s spaghetti.  Being an extrovert, Wild Man is also very active in the Children’s Ministry at church.  He has to be there at about 7am on Sunday morning to get everything together and he helps run things in both Sunday services.  Once a month, the Wednesday night Children’s activity night is Family Night, so Wild Man does that instead of his usual Junior High group.  Yeah, he’s never met a microphone that he doesn’t like!!

Rosie Girl

• Social Science – Rosie Girl is studying 20th century history this year, which is interesting because PWM and I have actually lived through some of it.  Rosie Girl has been studying some of the events of the 70s, so we’ve had some interesting discussions.
• Literature – Her reader this week is The Old Man And The Sea.  I haven’t read any Hemingway, although I did try a few years ago and just didn’t find it to my liking, but since I grew up in South Florida, I heard a lot about “Papa” and his life in Key West.  I’ll be interested to hear what Rosie Girl thinks about the book.  (And I realize that not having read Hemingway makes me a completely uneducated clod.  Especially since I was appalled that there are people in this country who don’t know where the fertile crescent is!  Alas.  Maybe I’ll read it when Rosie Girl is done and my life will be complete.)
• Writing – Rosie Girl is taking a research paper workshop through WriteAtHome, an online company that provides writing classes and workshops for homeschooled students.  We’ve had great success with all of her previous classes except the research paper workshop.  So, she’s doing it again.  The issue is that she never really understood the process for doing the research, making source cards, making research information cards, and then writing the paper from the information cards.  Rosie Girl writes quite well, but we’ve had a stressful week with her struggling to master this new set of skills and finish the first draft on time.  But, it’s done and sent in!!
• Bible – I love to read Rosie Girl’s take on Paul’s epistles.  She comes at them very straightforward and isn’t afraid to give her opinion!
• Math – She’s working her way through Algebra 2 and hoping to finish by summer, otherwise she’ll be doing math during the summer!
• Japanese – She’s about halfway through her Japanese semester.  I’d like her to be done by summer and start the next one during the summer so she can be done well before the end of her senior year.  In any case, we’ve been happy with doing these courses through BYU. 
• Music – More music . . . . She’s still taking her piano lessons at Lawrence, which include some intense music theory, even though she’s not taking the music theory class.  She’s also been playing her guitar a good bit.  I haven’t heard her clarinet or ocarina much lately, but she’s been pretty busy.  She will be playing ocarina for the Good Friday service.  She is arranging some Lord of the Rings music for her guitar.  She’s an introvert and more of a behind the scenes music person.  She also tends to turn to music when she’s stressed or doesn’t want to do schoolwork. 
• Life Skills (AKA chores) – When I ask what she wants to cook each week, her answer tends to be along the lines of whatever is easiest.  I don’t think she’s going to be our gourmet cook.  But I’m really glad she has her driver’s license because she’s been driving Wild Man to church for all of his activities and not been fussing about it.

Don’t expect quite such a novel every week, but I figured I’d catch you up since I hadn’t blogged on our homeschooling in so long. 

Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to see what others are up to!!

7 Quick Takes Friday–February 24, 2012

We’ve made it to the end of yet another week!!  Here’s some of what’s going on around here.

1. Our local library is putting on a yarncraft show, and The Knitting Nest, as the local yarn shop, has an exhibit.  I put together a “science-fair-type” board with information about different knitting techniques and then displayed on the tables lots of projects and books with those techniques.  I was only at the exhibit for an hour today, but I’ll be there most of tomorrow.
2. Wild Man has Solo and Ensemble tomorrow.  He will be playing a Timpani solo and also participating in a mixed percussion ensemble.  PWM and I have to be here in town, one of us to keep the shop open and the other for the library exhibit, so we won’t be able to hear it – bummer.
3. Rosie Girl got a short tutorial today on spinning with a drop spindle from a friend who was doing a spinning exhibit at the library yarncraft show.  Rosie Girl has a drop spindle of her own as well as some blue roving (wool), so maybe this will inspire her to try working with it again.
4. We are getting a real phone again!  We were so proud of how “techno” we were a few years ago when we went to having cell phones for each member of the family.  And it has worked out reasonably well except for one “little” problem.  The kids don’t keep their phones on.  When PWM or I call them and we don’t get an answer when they’re supposed to be at home, we don’t know if their phones or off if they’ve been abducted.  There’s a bit of a difference.  PWM found out that we will actually pay less by adding a phone line to our cable service (something about the cable company owning the phone lines or something . . . ) so the installers came out today.  Wild Man and I could not find the phone jack despite 15 minutes of looking (and creating quite a mess), so they tied the phone into the cable.  So, back to the future we go . . .
5. Rosie Girl decided to write her research paper on how Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings is the best score in modern cinematic history.  This, of course, means that she’s had to watch the trilogy and appendices multiple times in the last few weeks.  And PWM and I have had to support her in this endeavor. 
6. So, I’ve been watching Downton Abbey with the rest of the country.  Rosie Girl teases me about it – and then sits and watches it with me.  And then I tease her.
7. On Monday, I had three errands to do: get my blood drawn, pick up medicine from the pharmacy, and stop by the accountant office to sign papers.  I did the first two, but managed to forget the third.  And I didn’t remember it until later that night.  I ended up with a headache on Tuesday, so PWM drove me to the accountant Tuesday evening for me to sign my name twice for the tax papers to be done. 

So, what has your week been like?  Anything interesting?

Check out 7 Quick Takes Friday to see what others are up to!

Mardi Gras

I spent nine years living in Louisiana after high school – five years in Baton Rouge at LSU for college and four years in New Orleans at Tulane Medical School.  PWM and I moved from New Orleans to Kentucky after I graduated in 1994 and then in 1997 from Kentucky to Wisconsin.  So, it’s been 18 years since I lived in Louisiana, but I still miss Mardi Gras.  Of course, when I first started at LSU, I thought it was kind of strange to have a couple of days off in the spring for Mardi Gras, but I got used to it pretty quickly.  I didn’t spend Mardi Gras in New Orleans until I lived there in medical school, and I never spent it in the French Quarter – not my style.

But, I loved the parades, even (and perhaps, even, mostly) the Baton Rouge parades.  After PWM and I married, we were just a couple of blocks off the Metarie parade route, so we saw several of those, except for the year when I had my appendix out a few days before Mardi Gras (but that’s a story for another day).  I loved the beads, all the cups, the bands, the floats, almost everything.  I wasn’t crazy about the half-dressed little girls strutting down the street – really, why do you need do dress up your six year old like an exotic dancer?  But, we always had plenty of plastic cups!  Every year, right when winter was getting so dreary, we had a couple of weeks of Mardi Gras madness to lighten things up.

I’ve lived up here for the last 18 years and I still think of Mardi Gras every spring.  Having TV, the internet, and Facebook certainly makes it easy when I see all my friends posting about parades, etc.  But, the dreariness of winter up here also makes me think about Mardi Gras.  By the middle of February and certainly by March, we’re ready for something besides the short, cold days of winter (even mild winters like this year).  This year, we were planning to go to a Mardi Gras event put on by Wega Arts and we were invited to a Mardi Gras party the same night hosted by a friend of mine from college (she lives a couple of hours away, but it certainly would have been feasible), but we didn’t get to go to either event because I had a terrible migraine.  I was really bummed because the local event was catered by a Cajun restaurant just an hour away from here that we hadn’t heard of before; I think we’ll by trying out their cuisine soon!  The Knitting Nest had a Mardi Gras themed window for a couple of weeks as well, although I hope I do better planning next year and get a little more creative.  In any case, I’m trying to remember a little bit of Louisiana here in Wisconsin.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Laissez Les Bon Tons Roullez!

Raising Good Kids

I’ve got good kids.  They generally do what I ask them to do without fussing.  They each cook one meal a week.  They take care of their own laundry.  They don’t argue with each other too often.

 

I used to think that having good kids was the goal of child rearing.  When they left the house at age 18, if they well-mannered, didn’t do drugs, didn’t drink, were virgins, and were off to college or a decent job, then PWM and I had done a good job.  Right?

 

I don’t think so.  Don’t get me wrong – I think raising good kids is a great thing.  I don’t regret that we could take our kids to restaurants and not have leave a trail of destruction behind us.  I love that my kids know how to be helpful and useful.  But, that’s all secondary stuff.  Sure, it will make them useful in society.  But it’s not the main thing.

 

My primary job as a parent is to teach my children about Jesus.  Hopefully, through all the day to day teaching of reading, writing, math, manners, etc., PWM and I have also managed to teach our kids that Jesus loves them and that grace is available to them.  I want them to know that actions have consequences in the real world, but that God gives us grace even when we screw up in big, bad ways.

 

This is harder to balance than I realized.  When one of the kids makes a mistake, there must be consequences.  That’s life here on this fallen planet Earth.  Yet God is different.  He gives us second, third, up to a zillionth chances.  No matter how much I disappoint God, He’s always there.  I want my children to go out into the big world understanding the reality of earthly life but also knowing, even if just a tiny bit, the immensity of God’s grace.

 

We’ll see how it goes.  I’ve got a few more years left with them.

 

 

Life Sucks But God Is Good

Also known as John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble, but, take heart, I have overcome the world.”

I haven’t written much lately.  You might have noticed.  Or not.  But that’s OK, since I don’t write this blog to get rich or famous.  But, lest you think that I haven’t been writing because I’ve been out getting rich and famous elsewhere, let me disabuse you of that notion.  I have not.

In fact, the beginning of 2012 has been pretty icky.

I’ve had a headache pretty much all the time.  How is that different from usual, you may ask?  Ummmm, it’s not really.  It’s just that for some reason, in January 2012, my mind and body have decided to stage a full-scale rebellion.  The all-the-time headache has been worse.

And I’ve been more depressed.  The cry-at-the-drop-of-a-hat kind of depressed.  (Although why people would drop hats is kind of beyond me . . . )  And sit in my rocking chair and stare at nothing kind of depressed.

All of this while I’ve been on medication for depression.  Because people with chronic pain tend to get depressed – big surprise.

I emailed (I love technology) my doctor to ask about increasing my dose of citalopram like we did last winter, but it turns out that the FDA has decided sometime in the last year that we shouldn’t go above my current dose of citalopram.  Bummer.  But, my doctor and I were already talking about changing from cyclobenzaprine to amitryptilyne (I have no clue if that is spelled right – and I used to be such a spelling psycho) because of my insurance company.  When all was said and done, I stayed on the citalopram dose and started the unspellable medication and stopped the cyclobenzaprine.

Did anything get better?  Does life still suck?

My head still hurts, but my mood seems to be a bit better and I don’t cry nearly as much.  In fact, we went on a family outing to MagiQuest (more on that in another post) on Monday and I even had fun!

But, I had two wicked awful migraines this week, both of which would have usually sent me to the ER for medications.  I have figured out, though, how to use my home medications and hang on through the migraine to avoid the trips to the ER, which aren’t fun anyway.

 

So, life still sucks . . . . so how do I know that God is good?

I ask myself that sometimes.  As I’m leaning over the bucket vomiting (lovely image, I know), I ask where is Jesus?  What is the point?

And a lot of times, I just don’t know.  All I know is that Jesus said “Take heart, I have overcome the world.”

But other times, I see glimpses of Jesus in my sweet children and husband.  I watch the snowfall and thank God for His creation.

But mostly I just hang on to the fact that I know that God is good and that He loves me.

 

John 16:33

 

Lagniappe 1/4/2012

Since I’m sure you’re dying to know what’s going on around here . . .

• Rosie Girl made cheese soup, pasta, and broccoli for dinner tonight.  Delish!!
• The LSU football team left Baton Rouge this afternoon for New Orleans and the National Championship Game.  I imagine that they’re already in New Orleans since it’s only about an hour’s drive.  Still, it’s exciting!
• I’m glad I’m not in New Orleans this week with all the craziness that is the Sugar Bowl, BCS Game, and NFL play-offs, but I seriously miss the beignets and po-boys!
• I had my annual phone call with my disability insurance people today to confirm that I am, indeed, unable to work because of my migraines and remain a drain on society.  About the time I think I’m emotionally stable, something like this happens to remind me that no, I have not worked through all my issues and yes, it is a good thing I’m seeing my counselor next week.   
• I’ve had a bad run of headaches, but I think having a bit of an upper respiratory infection hasn’t helped my cause much.
• I’ve been increasing my Topamax and been feeling the cognitive side effects.  The word-finding difficulty is most obvious, although I’m also noticing that I am slower with doing calculations in my head and being able to spell words, etc.  Other than that, it’s mostly been noticing numbness in my feet and occasionally my hands and having a much decreased appetite.  It could definitely be worse!
• I’ve been working on a pair of socks for Rosie Girl that I started about a year ago!  For some reason, they just got put to the side and never finished.  Well, they will be done within the next few weeks.  I’m also learning to crochet – it’s not hard, but frustrating to try to get my hands to learn a new motion.

So, what’s up in your neck of the woods?

Simplicity

I like to make plans, goals, lists, and other organizational kinds of things.  Set me loose in an office supply store and I’m a happy girl!!  A year or so ago, I looked back at some of my professional goals from when I was working, and I had met most of them.  I was a Daytimer Diva and proud of it!!!

Life is not the same any more.  I’ve never really been in control of my circumstances, but it’s become more obvious in the day to day living of life in the last five years.  I’ve quit making New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals with hard and fast deadlines.  However, I’ve come across a great idea to replace it.  Instead of making resolutions, I’m going to have a word on which to focus this year.  And the word for 2012 is Simplicity.  Inherent in simplicity is the non-necessity of organizational strategies and trips to office supply stores.

The only way that something (except meal plans) is likely to get organized differently in this house this year is to get thrown out!  Overall, we have plenty of shelf and storage space.  If stuff falls on the floor, it’s because we need to quit being lazy and pick it up or it’s because we have too much stuff and need to get rid of some.  What will simplicity look like this year?  Here are some things I’m thinking:

• Menu Planning.  A friend gave me a subscription to PlanToEat, an online menu planning program.  So far, I’m loving it.  I’m only using it for dinner but it helps me plan out five dinner meals per week and then puts together an appropriate shopping list, which I can add to for all the other stuff we need.  There will, hopefully, be less stress about what to have for dinner.  We have five menus.  Whoever is scheduled to make dinner has five options with the recipes printed out and in a notebook.
• Limiting choices.  One of the main sources of complexity in life is the plethora of choices.  Choices are wonderful – most of the time.  But they also can add stress to our life by making us worry about whether we made the “best” possible choice (even if it was just which movie to watch) and take up time because of all the time we spend perusing all the choices.  I’m specifically limiting my time surfing the web, seeing what’s on TV, checking what’s new at the library.
• Making better use of time.  I know this sounds crazy, but I really feel almost guilty about not finishing books that I start.  What if it gets really good in the next chapter?  I’m getting more “brutal” about my audiobook as well as traditional book reading time.  If I don’t enjoy the book, I’ll quit reading.  (That being said, I’ve tried to read a novel about a knitting shop at least twice, and just could not get into it.  Someone brought a copy into the shop, so I decided I really need  to finish it, even if just to say that I’ve read it.  I got it on audio and this time I made it through the fourth chapter and now I’m hooked.  This is why I’m afraid to not finish a book!)
• More silence.  I’m used to having some kind of noise around.  I’m such a multi-tasker that I like to have audiobooks or music going while I knit or clean, etc.  I’ve started to be deliberate about spending some of my knitting time each day in silence.  Of course, part of that reason is because I’m trying to learn brioche knitting which requires more brain power than other kinds of knitting, but I’m trying to do some of my “easier” knitting in quiet as well.
• Less stuff.  PWM and I are gradually getting rid of stuff.  When we did the Christmas decorating, we filled a couple of boxes for Goodwill.  The front room probably has some more stuff that can go.  We’ve made a lot of progress since the Fall, but we can still do better.

These are some steps that I hope will get our family on track to a more simple lifestyle.  I’m not interested in homesteading or getting rid of technology (don’t even THINK about taking my Kindle!), but I want to be wise in our use of the time and talents God has given us.  If nothing else, the chronic migraines have helped me to see more clearly that our life on earth is not about the stuff – it’s about following Jesus.  And following Jesus is much easier when we don’t have to worry about full houses and full schedules.

What changes (if any) are you planning for 2012?

7 Quick Takes Friday–The Last of 2011

This is the last time I’ll do a “7 Quick Takes Friday” this year!  Can you believe that we’re already to December 30?  It seems like we were just welcoming in 2011 and now we’re telling it good-bye.  Well, here are 7 highlights of the last couple of weeks.

1. Christmas Eve was as busy as usual for PWM, Rosie Girl and Wild Man.  PWM did sound for the three church services, while Wild Man played percussion and Rosie Girl played keyboard.  I, on the other hand, had a migraine all day and didn’t make it to any of the church services.  Yippee.

 

2. Christmas Day, though, was wonderful!  I made scarves for both kids using a double knitting technique so that both sides have the same design, but in opposite colors.  Rosie Girl has a keyboard design while Wild Man has the silhouette of his bass guitar.

 

3. Wild Man was excited because he finally got his own ipod.  Rosie Girl got some money from Santa.  She added that to some of her own money and went with PWM on Monday to buy herself a guitar – it’s a classical, nylon string acoustic electric with a built-in tuner.  She’s a very happy young woman.

 

4. One of our Christmas traditions is to have tomato soup (actually a ham and tomato cream soup) during the week of Christmas.  We eat ham during the first or second week of December then during the week of Christmas, I use the ham bone to make the stock for the soup and make a huge pot of soup so we don’t have to worry about cooking.  Things were no different this year.  Easy and delicious!

5. We don’t have much of a tradition for Christmas dinner except that we don’t do it on Christmas Day.  We do our Christmas Dinner on the day after Christmas so we can enjoy Christmas day with each other and not stress about cooking.  We decide each year what we want to eat, and it’s rarely turkey since we have that on Thanksgiving.  We were going to do lamb until we realized how expensive it would be.  Instead, we decided on individual Beef Wellingtons.  Unfortunately, they were overcooked – the casualty of an oven that isn’t very consistent.  We had leftover roast and filling (the recipe called for a mushroom filling instead of a liver pate), so we tried again on the 27th and they were much better.

6. Rosie Girl has found some added benefits to working at a cheese factory, even if she is working just in the retail portion.  She got a cash Christmas bonus and a HUGE box of cheese and chocolates!  Very nice!!

7. We don’t usually watch football except for Packers and LSU, but we turned it on the other day and watched the Saints game (partly because we knew that PWM’s brother was at the game).  It turned out to be the game where Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s record for single season passing yards!  Talk about good timing!

So, what’s up with you?  How have your holidays been going?  Check out Conversion Diary to see what others have been up to!

 

7 Quick Takes Friday–December 10, 2011

 

Yep, I missed Friday again.  I guess I didn’t completely miss it.  I mean, I was here.  I just forgot to do any blogging.  But, I’ve remembered now and I’ve got plenty to say!

1. Last Sunday, Wild Man played Congas (hand drums) to accompany two singers and a guitar player at our church’s Women’s Christmas Tea.  What a wonderful job they all did!  It’s hard to believe sometimes that he’s just 13.

 

2. On Thursday night, Wild Man played percussion with the rest of the 7th and 8th grade band at the Middle School.  It was a wonderful concert!!

 

3. Rosie Girl got her PSAT scores yesterday and they were quite good, particularly the reading and writing scores.

 

4. Wild Man was in the other room playing bass guitar when Rosie Girl got home yesterday.  She went in to show him her scores and he was very excited for her.  I love seeing my kids happy for each other!

 

5. Wild Man is playing drums today at a Christian camp Christmas event – I’m sure he’s having a blast.  He’s such a performer at heart.

 

6. Rosie Girl was sick last week and only got to work a couple of hours (and missed her piano recital, although she wasn’t too terribly upset since performance isn’t her favorite thing), but she’s working a full day today which will make her bank account happy!

 

7. I’m still slowly increasing my Topamax.  I think the migraines are marginally better, but the side effects are annoying (well, except for the loss of appetite).

 

So, how was your week?!  Anything exciting?!  Check out 7 Quick Takes Friday to see what others have been up to!

An Epiphany

I’m reading Flunking Sainthood by Jana Reiss, a memoir of the author’s year of trying out different spiritual practices, including fasting, lectio divina, and more.  I’m about halfway through and have been quite interested in her insights.  She has finished each month so far not by not being successful at the spiritual practice, but at finding that the attempt at practicing it is bringing out deeper spiritual issues in her life.

The chapter I just read is about simplicity and the author’s task was to avoid any non-essential purchases for a month.  What she learned through the month was that shopping and consumerism aren’t real problems for her, but the underlying spirit of coveting is real and problematic.

I read that a little self-righteously because, after all, I’m not big on conspicuous consumerism.  Our furniture is old, our TV is dying, we wear socks till they have holes in them, etc.  You get the drift.  But, as I considered what she had written, I realized that I am not content with my life in many ways – and it’s not the “holy discontent” of wanting to walk more closely with Jesus or even having goals in life.  I’m not content because I look around my house and think “If we had less stuff and clutter and were more organized, I’d be happy.”  Really?  Will a clean house and organized meal plan make me happy?  They aren’t bad things, but they certainly aren’t top-of-the-list most important, either.

My epiphany this morning (which I don’t think was due to the two-day headache and Topamax) was that I’m once again waiting for contentment and happiness when they are  right here in front of me.  PWM and I try to impress upon the kids that relationships are more important than things – but I’m not doing such a great job living that out.

The Great Commandment says (paraphrased) to love God and love others.  The stuff is of secondary importance.  I’ll still declutter and give away a bunch of stuff in the next few weeks.  And I hope to have a decent system of meal planning in place by the first of the year so we can save some money.  But, I’m praying for the grace to remember to love God and love others and let the rest fall where it will.

7 Quick Takes Friday–11/26/2011

So, it’s Saturday, but let’s not quibble about details, especially when it’s Thanksgiving week!

1. The Topamax appears to be helping my headaches.  The chronic headaches are much less, so I’m getting a real break between the migraines.  I feel the cognitive slowing more than I’d like, but it’s not very noticeable to the rest of the world.  I’m not going to ask my doctor to increase my dose for a while to see if the side effects will decrease a bit.  In any case, I’m feeling better overall (although today is a pretty rough one).

2. I felt really well on Sunday and made it to church, which made for a successful day in and of itself.  But, it got even better.  PWM and I decided to go see Les Miserables on it’s last night playing at the Fox Cities PAC.  Sure, we had seats in the nosebleed section, but it was wonderful anyway!!  Such amazing music – and a wonderful story!!

3. Rosie Girl got a Kindle in lieu of payment for babysitting this summer, but she hasn’t been using it nearly as much as she expected that she would, so PWM and I have bought it from her.  I never felt any interest in an e-reader, but I’m loving this Kindle!  I have Les Miserables on the Kindle, which was free.  It keeps track of where I’m reading, let’s me highlight things, and is easy to read.  It also weighs a fraction  of what the print version of Les Miserables must weigh!!  A couple of nights ago, I knitted a cover for the Kindle so that I don’t have to worry about just throwing it into my bag.

4. We put up our Christmas window display at The Knitting Nest yesterday along with Cathy from Premier Petals and Kasi from Focusing Life Photography.  Originally, we were just going to use our little 18 inch Christmas tree, but then decided to include our 4 foot tree as well.  Which means that we don’t have a Christmas tree for home right now.  I think we’ll have to take care of that tomorrow or Monday.

5. We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, iced tea, apple pie, pecan pie, and vanilla ice cream.  We’re still eating leftovers, of course!  PWM cut most of the turkey off the bones, but he wasn’t too fussy about getting every last bit because the bones are in the freezer so I can take them out and make turkey and andouille gumbo tomorrow or Monday.  The week after that, we have a half ham to eat.  I’ll use the ham bone to make the stock for tomato soup.  It’s become a tradition that we do our Christmas dinner on December 26th and I have no idea what the family wants for that meal – but I’ve got a few days to sort it out!

6. I’m feeling the need to get rid of stuff and get organized.  PWM is feeling the same way.  Well, he’s not as fussed about the whole organizing thing.  But, when you don’t have as much stuff, you don’t need to worry about organizing.

7. Christmas is on the way, and I refer you again this year to Advent Conspiracy.  I don’t want anyone to ever feel guilty for being generous, but it’s important that we remember during the holidays, as during the rest of the year, that our lives should focus on Jesus. 

See what others are up to at Conversion Diary!!

Multitasking

For the record, I used to be really good at multitasking.  I started young, as all good control freaks do.  In high school, I could be doing homework while listening to music and talking to a friend on the phone.  By the time I got to med school, I would be walking down the hall while eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and looking over my notes before rounds.  And, in medical practice, I was often doing 2, 3, or more things at a time.

When I quit work because of my migraines, though, I didn’t really stop my multitasking ways.  You see, I was still under the impression (delusion?) that if I worked hard enough, I could keep all the balls in the air.  I thought I could certainly juggle educating the kids, keeping the house clean, doing laundry, and more along with having the migraines.  The problem with juggling, though, is that you never have one ball in your hand for any length of time.  Consequently, it’s easy to forget what that ball is, what it looks like, what it’s name is, etc.  But, when you don’t juggle, you can hold each ball in your hand and enjoy it and learn about it’s characteristics.

Over the years, I’ve gotten rid of some of my multitasking mostly by learning that the world won’t end if I don’t get everything done – and I might be happier and more relaxed if I don’t get it all done.  Now, I try to read without having any music on so I can concentrate on the words, the plot, the message.  I still often listen to books or watch TV while I knit, but I try to spend some time each day just enjoying knitting.  It’s a relaxing activity – when I don’t try to incorporate in other things to do. 

I’ve even been known to just sit in a quiet house and do nothing for a while.  That still takes a good bit of discipline, but it’s good for me.  Jesus gave us the example of practicing solitude.  I can pray during that time.  Or I can meditate on Scripture.  Or sometimes just let thoughts go through my head.

There are a few multitasking activities that I won’t give up (at least, anytime soon).  I like listening to (and singing with) music when I clean the kitchen.  When I’m knitting (particularly if it’s a repetitive stretch of knitting), I will still often listen to music or books.

I am only keeping one fiction and one non-fiction book around instead of always having 8-10 books going at a time.  I am trying to eat without feeling the need to read something at the same time. 

Mostly, I want to quit juggling.  It’s a tiring and inefficient way to live.  I want to spend time with my family just sitting and talking.  I want to be with my kids.  I want to be present in my own life, not a spectator.  The way to do that is to pay attention, to do only one thing at a time.  Unfortunately, this is a pretty counter-cultural way to live.

Jesus was counter-cultural, though.  And not just so that people would think he was weird.  (Sometimes, I think Christians adopt certain dress and mannerisms just to be “different”.  Jesus had a reason for everything He did.)  Jesus spent intimate, quality time with his 12 disciples.  He spent time every day in solitude and prayer.  He slept when He was tired (think about the miracle where the disciples had to wake Him so He could calm the storm!).  His big multitasking activity was to heal people as He walked from town to town.

This is the life I want.  I want to be intentional; to do one thing at a time; to have deep relationships.  And, while I know there’s a selfish component here, the real reason I want to live this way is because I won’t be too busy to follow Jesus.  I won’t have to pass by people in need because I have 14 other things on my to-do list.  Being busy should not be a badge of honor – despite the fact that I acted like it was for many years.

What are your thoughts on multitasking?  Is it always a bad thing or just sometimes?  How can we live more intentionally obedient lives to Jesus?  And on that note, I’m going to read a book for a few minutes and then go to bed!

Our Week In Review–November 4, 2011

(I wrote most of this on Friday, but didn’t finish till Saturday.  FYI.)

I really don’t feel like our week ends on Friday since the shop is open on Saturday and we often have a Saturday afternoon knitting class.  I offered to have the kids do their schoolwork on Tuesday through Saturday, but they prefer the Monday through Friday schedule.

Halloween was on Monday, but our town’s trick-or-treat hours and Main Street BooFest were held on Sunday from 4-7pm.  Unfortunately, I had a migraine, so I couldn’t go, but the kids and PWM dressed up and gave out candy at The Knitting Nest’s booth. 

The shop is closed on Mondays, so that’s the day we do our errands and appointments.  This week, I had a mammogram on Monday and then PWM and I both had eye appointments (and will both be getting new glasses).  Low on fun, high on utility.

The rest of the week is eventful only for the fact that I had a migraine from Monday afternoon through Thursday.  Yes, I was about to lose my mind!  Thankfully, I’m feeling much better today.

What have the kids been up to?

Rosie Girl

• History – 1930s, Nazis, The Great Depression
• Writing – She starts her Research Paper workshop with WriteAtHome this week.
• Literature – She finished Brave New World.
• Science – Reading Healing at the Speed of Sound as well as working on her research paper.
• Music – Playing lots of piano and ocarina.

Wild Man

• History – We’re listening to The Three Musketeers and he’s been looking up various things online.
• Science – Watching a Teaching Company DVD set on Astronomy.  Pretty cool so far.
• Literature – He’s been reading “fun books” since we’re listening to The Three Musketeers.
• Writing – Adding “dress-ups” to the paragraphs in his story.
• Music – Band, youth band

So, that’s it.  Excitement level has been pretty low (until Saturday night and the LSU game – but more on that another time!)

See what others have been doing at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

Simplifying Life–November 2, 2011

I know, I know.  I’ve been talking about simplifying life for years, but I have been spectacularly unsuccessful at it.

Symptoms that I need to simplify life:

• The house is never clean.
• We have too much stuff – there’s no room to keep it all and we don’t use it all.
• I generally feel overwhelmed.
• I am almost always doing more than one thing at a time – knitting while watching TV or listening to a book, cleaning while listening to a book, etc.

I haven’t been successful with this previously because I’m still addicted to the idea that I have to be “productive” at all times.  I feel bad when I am reading a light novel or when I’m just watching TV.  Multitasking has been my life since I was in high school.  But, this needs to change.

 

I’ve been reading the Zen Habits blog and getting some good ideas.  I’ve also been going back to some of the ideas from Foster’s The Freedom of Simplicity and Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines.  Not only that, but my counselor and I have been talking about how to manage stress, particularly when I start to get busy on days when I don’t have a migraine.  Here are some of the steps that I’m taking, although I’m only changing one thing at a time (for the most part).

• Have Grape-Nuts for breakfast every morning.  How is this simplifying life?  Well, I don’t have to think about what to eat and it’s healthy.
• 20 minutes of stretching and yoga-type exercise without watching TV or listening to a book.
• One fiction and one non-fiction book at a time.  I usually have 3 or 4 or more books going at a time – and then feel guilty that I haven’t read enough!
• One fiction and one non-fiction audiobook at a time.  I enjoy listening to audiobooks when I knit, but I’m going to limit the number I have going at any one time.
• Get rid of stuff!!  The rest of the family is helping tremendously with this.  PWM is highly motivated to get rid of things we don’t need, which is good.  He and the kids cleaned the school room on Monday so I have a place to block my large swirl jacket that I’ve knitted.  I really need to get rid of some clothes and go through the kids’ school stuff.
• Only have one or two things on the to-do list for each day.  If I don’t have a headache and I get more done, great; that leaves more time to knit!  If I have a migraine, then there’s no guilt about not doing something.
• Spend time every day just sitting and being mindful of where I am and how much God loves me.

That’s it so far.  I don’t think I’m going to leave behind my overachieving, multitasking ways completely overnight, but I’m starting.  And, now, I’m off to do some light reading.  And nothing else.

Our Week In Review–October 29, 2011

So, this homeschooling while trying to help PWM run a business while having lots of migraines is a real challenge.  But, there are lots of good things happening despite the “challenges” (including a messy kitchen and undone laundry). 

On Monday, PWM and I went on a date to Olive Garden, Home Depot, and Woodman’s.  The romance level may not have been so high, but it was nice to be together outside of the house and the shop.

I had significant migraines on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I spent very little time at the shop.  Bummer.

Wild Man was sick Thursday and today.  He’s seriously bummed about not being able to sleep over at a friend’s house tonight, but we’re hoping that he’s feeling better tomorrow and can go to Haunted Hollow.  We’ll see.

Rosie Girl wanted to have a friend sleep over tonight, so she actually turned in her weekly paper yesterday!  I’m impressed.  And she and her friend made cupcakes – Yummy!

Here’s what the academics over the last couple of weeks have looked like:

Wild Man

• History/Science – He finished the Weapon and Warrior books as well as The Samurai’s Tale.  Right now, we’re listening to The Three Musketeers on audiobook and Wild Man has been reading about the Musketeers and French medieval history online.
• Math – Wild Man is starting to feel held back by his not having his math facts memorized completely, so he’s been motivated to practice them in addition to doing his regular ALEKs work.
• Music – Wild Man is playing percussion in the public school band and alternates between drum kit and bass guitar in the youth band at church.
• Writing – I’ve had Wild Man dictate his story to me.  Then, I’ve had him take each paragraph (one per day) and do the dress-ups that he learned last year.  It’s actually working well.
• Spelling – This is generally Wild Man’s nemesis, but  I think we’re starting to see some real improvement.  It certainly seems less frustrating to him.

Rosie Girl

• Rosie Girl got a job!!  She’s working at a business here in town, so she won’t need to worry about gas money.
• Social Science – She just finished the 1920s and wrote a nice paper summarizing the events of the decade and how they related to the 1910s and 1930s.  This isn’t her favorite subject, but she’s doing the work diligently.
• Natural Science – This is her self-directed “Science of Music” course.  Rosie Girl is still not quite sure exactly what her research question is going to be.  We’re working on that.
• Literature – The poor kid has had to read The Metamorphosis and Brave New World in the last few weeks.  She’s ready for something a little lighter, I think!
• Writing – I’m generally happy with her weekly papers, although I’ve asked her to provide more concrete examples for her main points.  She’s also starting the research paper writing workshop through WriteAtHome.  This may require much prayer.
• Japanese – She finished the first semester Japanese with an A-.  She started this semester’s course this week.
• Music – Rosie Girl is not only taking piano lessons, but learning some basics of composition from her piano teacher.  She’s also been practicing her ocarina and acoustic guitar a good bit.  She has a method book for clarinet, but she hasn’t practiced in several days.

 

So, that’s where we are academically.  I’m very thankful that Rosie Girl works pretty independently.  Wild Man needs a little more direction from me, but that’s OK. 

How was your week?  Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to see what others have been up to!

7 Quick Takes Friday–October 28, 2011

 

1. So, the Cardinals won the World Series.  Of all my Facebook friends who follow baseball, I think there are a total of 4 who wanted the Cardinals to win.  I have at least 20 friends who were pulling for the Rangers.

2. Migraine update – I still have migraines.

3. In a new twist, Wild Man has been sick for the last two days with fever and intestinal upset.  He missed sleeping over at a friend’s house tonight, but he’s perking up so there’s a chance he’ll be able to go to the Haunted Hollow with them tomorrow evening.

4. I actually played some piano yesterday.  Naturally, it was Christmas music since that’s about the only thing I can still play.  Rosie Girl played along with her ocarina.  It was a pretty special moment.

5. Rosie Girl has a friend sleeping over tonight so they made chocolate cupcakes with white icing and then painted flags of different countries on the tops.  Why flags?  It has something to do with one of the animes that they watch.

6. PWM and I had a date on Monday.  We had lunch at Olive Garden, bought light bulbs for the shop at Home Depot, and then went grocery shopping at Woodman’s.  The grocery bill was staggering, but I think it’s the first time we’ve done a full shopping trip in the last couple of months.  Wow.

7. Our family likes watching several of the reality/competition shows, particularly Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, The Amazing Race, and Top Shot.  This week was the final episode of this season of Top Shot (on History Channel) and it was a great one.  The guy who won is a young guy who isn’t formally trained in marksmanship.  He and his family run a Christian camp in Texas, so he said the prize money would go a long way toward some expansion of the camp.  What is so cool, though, is that this guy seemed to just be having a blast the entire time!  On the very last challenge, he was almost perfect.  It was just fun to watch!

So how was your week?!  Anything exciting?!  Check out what others are up to at 7 Quick Takes Friday!

Extravagant Grace

Please pardon the “stream of consciousness” style of writing this am.  It’s 1:04am and I can’t sleep because my head is killing me.  I’m so not fond of migraines.  But, you probably knew that.

I’ve been thinking about purpose, my reason for existing, etc.  The Westminster Catechism says that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  [I need to insert a little explanation about the word glorify.  The words “glory” and “glorify” get tossed around a lot in Christian circles without anyone really knowing what they mean.  According to my dad who is way smarter than I am about these things, the word “glory” implies reputation.  When we are told to “glorify” God, it means to give HIm a good reputation.  If this is incorrect, Dad, please let me know.]  Back to purpose.  We are to glorify God and enjoy HIm forever.  You know, when I read that it sounds like our job as Christians is pretty easy.  We are to give honor and praise to God, our Creator.  We are to enjoy him forever.

Somehow we make it complicated.  Either we get so caught up in the little steps and looking for confirmation from God every five seconds or we look only at the big picture and completely ignore what is right in our path.  Either way, we end up living a very stressful life.

That’s not what God wants for us.  In Matthew, Jesus tells us to take his yoke upon us for his burden is light.  Of course, it’s light!  He’s GOD!!  But, when we give Jesus our burdens and cares, we can now walk beside Him and live in a more comfortable place.

God wants us to enjoy HIm.  He wants us to be content.  How do we wake up in the morning and feel content with life?

I think that the key is to see God’s extravagant grace.  Not only did Jesus die for our sins and then conquer death through His resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to live with us and show us God’s grace every day.  Whether I’m working as a family doctor, as a mom, or selling yarn, I can experience God’s love and grace.

Tonight (or this morning), as I’m writing this with an icepack on my head and a pounding against my skull.  Physically, I’m feeling pretty rotten.  Emotionally, I’m also kind of down.  But I’m starting to learn to be content with each day.  God gives me the grace (the love that I can’t even begin to earn) to get through each day.  Today, I didn’t do much “productive”, but God doesn’t need me to be productive to love me.  I hate having the headaches, but the headaches have given us the chance to open a yarn shop.

My purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  And I pray that glorifying God and enjoying Him shows to my children, my husband, and our customers.  God loves me extravagantly.  Because  of that, I am free to love others without worrying about their response.  No matter what, God has said that He loves me.  Hopefully, tomorrow, I can really love the other people I see.  (And, hopefully, my migraine will go away so that I can get out of the house and see someone other than my kids!)

Shaun Groves’ new song “All Is Grace” expressed these ideas well.  Check out the lyrics here.