One of the greatest desires of my heart is to find simplicity in this life. I long to understand what it truly means to live a simple life. I LOVE simplicity, and I am striving to cut out those things in my life that cause stress, busy-ness, and rushing. I long to live each day simply—slowing down to enjoy that which God has given me. Each day just seems to pass way too quickly for this mommy. I long for every day to be slow, uncluttered and beautiful. I have a long way to go—I am still learning.
I have decided to dedicate my Monday blogging to the Simple Woman’s Daybook. I love the idea—and I hope to share with you, my friends, my journey toward simplicity. Thank you for journeying with me.
FOR TODAY JANUARY 26, 2009
Outside my window~~~
Our temperatures and dropping again. We have been blessed with a mild winter, and I am so not complaining 🙂 What a beautiful day in the mountains—cold (10 degrees), with fresh snow falling.
I am thinking~~~
That life is so wonderful and I am so blessed. Disappointments and hurts have already reared their ugly head for me this year. As I go about my day, I am CHOOSING to think about ALL that is lovely in my life. For me, it is so easy to focus on the things that are hard, and forget the blessings along the way. Today I am choosing.
I am thankful for~~~
Today I am so grateful for friendships. The last 7 1/2 years have been an amazing journey for our family. We have moved, traveled and uprooted ourselves so many times. Parts of the journey have been extremely tough, but there has been such joy in the friendships we have been blessed with along the way. I am so grateful for new friends and old friends, a handful who hold up my arms when I need it. Most of these precious women are scattered around the globe—some I wait years to see. But, that does not matter to me, I know that they are just an e-mail or a phone call away. True friendships are not governed by the distance between us. I KNOW that no matter where God leads our family—they will ALWAYS have a piece of my heart. Today I am grateful for those woman I truly can call my sisters—a handful of faithful friends who stick with me, no matter what. They look beyond me, the sinner, and love me for who I am in Christ. How grateful I am for them today.
From the learning rooms~~~
Our homeschool has been slightly challenging this year. We took on a curriculum that we definitely should not have. Oh, how I learn along the way. I should have listened to my gut instinct that warned me about the thing—-but noooooo, I had to learn the hard way! Since the beginning of this year I have taken control again and have pretty much given up the curriculum, we just pick and choose the things we want to learn. It is working so much better—so much less stress. I’m doing it my way again. And as the saying goes—when mom’s happy, everyone’s happy! Right?
From the kitchen~~~
Are all the ingredients ready to make a hearty minestrone soup for dinner—wonderful on such a cold day. Together with some fresh wholewheat bread, my precious family will be satisfied with God’s abundant provision.
I am wearing~~~
Jeans, a sweater and cozy socks, oh..and my slippers.
I am creating~~~
I am looking around my home and feeling the need to decorate coming on strong. Mmmmm, did I tell you that things don’t stay the same around here very long (just like my hair color—which is once again VERY dark brown 🙂 ). I love to decorate and I LOVE paint. I’m collecting paint samples and trying to decide what colors should be next. After all, after a year of looking at the same colors, I am so ready for a change 🙂 I love to create a warm and inviting home for my family to enjoy.
I am reading~~~
Still reading Lorraine Curry’s book “The Easy Homeschool Companion. How I have enjoyed reading and gleaning from her years of wisdom as a homeschool mom. I am wondering what to read next—there are so many books on my list.
I am hoping~~~
That we get quite a lot of school done this week. The weeks seem to fly by.
I am hearing~~~
The laughter of happy children sitting at our kitchen table, they’re writing letters to mail to their friends.
Around the house~~~
Four loads of laundry wait to be folded and packed away, beds wait to be remade with freshly laundered linen, the dishwasher needs to be packed, toys are lying around pretty much everywhere, soup needs to be made—how lovely and beautiful it is to serve my family in ALL these things.
One of my favorite things~~~
Is to wake up early in the morning. To sit quietly with the Lord, with my Bible and my journal (and my coffee). Together we’ll ponder the ups and downs in my life and in the lives of those I love. I’ll pour out my heart to Him—and He’ll receive every prayer I offer. So many friends and family are in such tough situations at the moment—I am STANDING with you, precious ones.
A few plans for the rest of the week~~~
Ooohhh, amazing Husband and I have a DATE on Saturday—our annual one! I know, we’re sad 🙂 We’re leaving some of the kids with friends and some with a babysitter! Yes, a babysitter, what a novel idea—we have NEVER had a babysitter. We either take our kids with us wherever we go, or we just don’t go out if it is not ‘kid friendly’. I cannot wait to spend some quality time with the man I adore.
