4 hours ago
Happy Spring!
It's been a difficult start to spring for our family because my grandfather passed away three weeks ago. I don't want to write alot about it here, but that's what's been going on. He was a wonderful grandpa, and I miss him very much.
It's felt weird to write anything on here with so much sadness the last few weeks. I'm just going to ease back in with a Wednesday Five today.
A Quote
"This is strength - this is peace - to feel, in entering on every day, that all it's duties and trials have been committed to the Lord Jesus - that, come what may, He will use us for His glory and our own real good!"
-John Paton
A Book
I've been slowly working my way through several larger books, so I haven't read as many books this month. I did, however, order a new one called 32 Christians Who Changed Their World by Glenn S. Sunshine. This one looked interesting to me because it's supposed to be short biographies about more ordinary Christians in history that made an impact.
I've also started reading the Sacketts Series by Louis L'amour. It's a nice time to be starting this series, because my grandpa read many Louis L'amour books over the years and it reminds me of him.
A Bit Of Nature
We honestly have not been out in nature much this spring so far, but the sunrise this morning was so interesting...there is moisture in the air, and instead of a blazing sky, it was as if all the air outside had turned a luminous pink.
A Recommendation
If you are reading this before Thursday, I want to recommend that you sign up for this three-day, online webinar from Generations curriculum - they are giving away a free PDF resource to all the live Zoom attenders each day! Yesterday I got this book for free, which is a resource I was thinking about buying for my second grader next year. I'm looking forward to seeing what the freebies are today! (Also note, the Generations website has a deal to get a free read aloud - usually $15-20 - with every order of any amount! I might have taken advantage of that deal yesterday too.)
For a really random recommendation, also check out this mascara, which has long been my favorite and was an asset this month - it really stretches out my lashes and makes them look so long! I prefer the waterproof kind - I can confirm it doesn't run at all.
A Moment Of Happiness
My moments of happiness this month are all related to losing my grandpa - from getting time to reminisce about him with my family while looking through old photos, to Derek giving grandpa a touching tribute at his memorial, to all my friends who have sent such comforting texts and notes or just checked up on me when they knew I was grieving. I've felt very cared for all around this month.
One of my blog friends, Bella at Over The Teacups, is doing a linkup called "If We Met For Coffee (or Tea)", and it's just a chatty-post linkup - I think that's right up my alley!
Today if we met for coffee, I'd tell you that my kids are finally (hopefully!) going to do their Awana Grand Prix tonight. It was cancelled last week for snow, and they've were so disappointed. They spent alot of time designing and painting their wooden cars for the Derby race. One of my little girls has a cardboard box car all ready for the "pineapple derby", where all the smaller kids sit in their cardboard boxes and watch a movie. It's all very cute. It's the event of the spring for them, but it seems to get cancelled every year at least once because of snow.
Today if we met for coffee, I'd mention something about how there is a tiny glimmer of spring when I go outside lately. March is always that transition month between winter and "spring", if what we have in the mountains can be called a spring season. I expect lots more snow this month, but also brighter evenings, more songbird twittering, and maybe even a crocus or two before it's time to write one of these posts again.
Today if we met for coffee, I'd tell you that I have Friday marked off in my calendar as the end of the current school term. I've been trying to split up the semesters into 8-10 week terms, and make a fresh school plan at the beginning of each new term. It is a time to look through all the curriculum, count up the weeks, and figure out if we are on track to finish on time. I'm very much hoping that we are able to finish a few subjects early, because there are some extras I want to sneak in before the end of the year - things like more art study, extra science lessons, and maybe a dabbling of civics. We will see how things appear on Friday.
Today if we met for coffee, I am sure that books would come up at some point, and I would be thrilled to report that I've finished 7 books in February, and almost all of them books that I can recommend! I have resolved to only spend time on books that I anticipate being able to recommend, which has honestly weeded alot of junk out of my reading. If a book has too much objectionable content in it, I have no qualms about quitting it, and if I'm not enjoying it I don't feel obligated to power through. Life is too short to read books that aren't worthwhile. I'd also probably mention that I decided this month to try to read a book by a Puritan every month for the rest of the year. Puritan writings are meaty, so that may be too ambitious of a goal. I've developed a fondness for the Puritans over the last couple years - say what you want about them, but it can't be denied that they were completely dedicated to doing everything to the glory of God. I'd much rather read a Puritan's advice about anything over any modern self-help book you could name.
Today if we met for coffee, I might mention that tomorrow is my monthly grocery shopping day. I've been skimping on purchases that last couple months and must stock up on a few things. Inflation is killing us here, and I'm worried about how much everything is going to cost - every time I go to the grocery store these days, the total ends up being 20-30% more than I thought it was going to be! I'm going to spend some time today taking inventory and making a meal plan for the next month, because counting every cost is important right now.
Today if we met for coffee, I'd have a bit of excitement in my voice when I talk about going to a one-day retreat for homeschool moms on Saturday. One of our state organizations is putting it on. The retreat is particularly timely this year, and I'm hoping for some great motivation for the home stretch of the school year!
Today if we met for coffee, I'd ask you how you are doing. I'd ask if you are getting any glimmers of spring, if you've read anything good lately. I'd ask if you find yourself slipping into a slump in March like I sometimes do, and how you stay motivated during these weird spring days. And you would give me all your updates and all your advice, and we'd sip our coffee (or tea!), and we might talk over each other, and we'd laugh, and at the end we would leave feeling refreshed.
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