from the daybook...

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...  beautiful orange and red leaves on the tree in the front yard. I can see them from the schoolroom window, and every glimpse makes me smile.

I am thinking... that we moved into this house almost 5 years ago when this tree was aflame. It was Halloween weekend. Seth was 2, and Evan was making himself known in utero. I had just started showing when we moved in. 

I am thankful... for a working washer and dryer. I have a lot of sheets and towels and coats to clean from our wonderful week in the mountains. And that I have enough leftovers in the fridge to keep me going for another night's dinner while I re-enter regular life and school days.

In the kitchen... loving all the great soups I made while we were in the mountains. I made beef daube provencal from Cooking Light (it's amazing!), minestrone, and potato soup. I even hauled the breadmaker along for fresh rolls. I've decided that eating really well on vacation makes a vacation more special to me. :)

I am wearing... old gray maternity lounge pants that I bought 7 years ago (that I will never stop wearing because they're so comfy), brown boot bedroom slippers, a workout shirt, and a random cream colored jacket I got at a yard sale. I'm stylin.' 

I am creating... hmmm, does the model of teeth that I created with mini marshmallows and toothpicks count? Seth lost his first tooth a couple of days ago, so I decided to strike while the iron was hot and make it into a science lesson. He's asked to read his books on teeth over and over today.

I am going... to "Holidays Fit for the King" at my church this Saturday. I enlisted a sweet friend to come with me. I haven't been to a women's event at my church yet, so I'm a little nervous. 

I am reading... "Emma" by Jane Austen. I realized that I hadn't re-read some of Austen's works in years, so I downloaded a cheap collection from Amazon onto my Kindle. I started with "Sense and Sensibility," and I realized I'd never read it. I've heard that it's nothing like the movie, and since I haven't watched the movie, I may do that to compare while its still fresh. 

I am hoping... for many things, but most of all, for God to answer my prayers for the patience that I think He's trying to teach me in just about every area of my life. It couldn't be more clear that this is the big thing He wants to teach me if He hired a skywriter, so here we go. :) 

I am looking forward to... dressing the kids up in their adorable Halloween costumes and going through the neighborhood tomorrow night. I think I'll have 2 pirates and a dinosaur this year. 

I am learning... to grab the moments when Seth is pleased about the progress he's making with reading and shows initiative to read signs, words, whatever and to sear them in my memory. It helps when he complains that he "hates reading." He's 6. He appears to dislike a lot more things in name this year than he did last year, but I find that him saying that he dislikes something may not mean much.

One of my favorite things... lit candles on the counter while I cut up vegetables for dinner.