Mini-Retreat

I went to a "mini-retreat" today... A Talk a Latte... (much to my disappointment, there weren't actually any lattes!) The topics were on home organization and scheduling/routines. There were three really great quotes that stuck out to me...

"Our unwillingness to say no to requests for our time or involvement is a modern form of idolatry. We enthrone our own desires, our pride and the lure of appearing busy." --Alice Fraley

"Put first things first and we get second things thrown in. Put second things first and we lose the first and second things." --C.S. Lewis

"Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry, because I never undertake more work than I can go through with calmness of spirit." --John Wesley

5 Weird and Random Facts About Me

Since I'm one of SophieMae's subscribers I think I got tagged again. She was rather vague about who she was tagging... but I suspect she meant me! Anyway, I think the tag games are kinda fun...

The assignment for today is to come up with 5 WEIRD and RANDOM facts about myself.

1. I have a small birth mark in the palm of my right hand. It's how I tell right from left. Really! I know the compass directions intuitively, but I have to look at the palm of my right hand to remember which is right and which is left.
2. The only way I can listen to anything is if I have something to do with my hands. Otherwise my mind wonders. I wish it would be acceptable to take my knitting to church!
3. I am widely traveled within the continental US, having visited something like 35 states, but I've only barely been across the border into Mexico and Canada. Never overseas. I'd like to visit Europe... but I doubt I ever do. I'd also like to go on a road trip to Alaska. That seems more likely than the Europe trip.
4. I think a day-old piece of cornbread crumbled in a glass of cold milk makes a pretty good breakfast!
5. I have traced my family tree clear back to Adam and Eve! (Okay, so everything before about 1500 or so is most likely mythology... it was still fun to do.) I love seeing where all the branches wander off to.

Well, there ya go. Who wants to play next? You know the rules. Tell us the facts, then choose 5 others to do likewise. 'Cept I'm not gonna choose. If you read my list and want to play, go for it!

Sisterchicks

I've heard about this series for awhile, but finally found one at the library. It was a kinda fun read... but it made me wonder... Am I the only woman who doesn't have a "sisterchick" and doesn't really feel a need for one? The cover blurb has a definition...

sisterchick n.: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat.

Ummm... except for the part about loving like a sister, that definition fits my husband! (And I'm pretty sure he doesn't love me like a sister! Goodness!) So... since my husband is my best friend, I don't seem to miss having a "best girlfriend". I have sisters and I have good friends... but nobody that close to me.

In this particular story the 2 "sisterchicks" go on a cruise to Mexico and have a grand and adventureous time. Sounds fun... 'cept I'm just sure I'd want my husband with me on such an excursion, rather than some other woman. Am I weird? Oh, well... don't tell me if I am 'cuz I really don't care!

10 Things That Bring Me Joy

SophieMae tagged me a week or two ago to tell about the music I was listening to. I honestly don't listen to music much. (Weird, I know.) So I never got around to doing the game. However, she posted another one about what brings you joy. She didn't tag me on that one, but I took the liberty of "trading"! I decided it would do me good to think about joy in my life right now...

The challenge: name 10 Things That Bring Me Joy...

1. Walking with the Lord. His peace gives me joy... even when it seems like I don't feel very joyful.
2. Talking with my husband. Two weeks from today is our 20th anniversary. What a short 20 years it's been!
3. Reading to my children. Read-aloud time is the best part of the school day!
4. Long drives on back roads... or better still, long road trips... Our best family times are usually in the car.
5. Watching the puppy play. Can't help but smile.
6. A caramel latte... especially when my husband swings by Starbucks unexpectedly and tells me to get him a mocha and get me whatever I want. Let's see there was a fancy name for a certain style of latte that I really liked... What was it? Macciati? Something like that, seems like. It was creamier or something. Can't remember. But it was yummy!
7. A good book... and time to read it!
8. Camping in the mountains. Fresh air. Wood smoke. Time to relax. Mmmmmm....
9. Time away with my husband. We try to get away for at least one night every year around our anniversary. The kids call it our "honeymoon".
10. A crackling fire on cold winter evenings. Our house is tiny and crowded but we do enjoy the fireplace!

And a very special #11 for my sweet little nephew, Garrett, who embraces everything in the world with more joy than anyone else I know.

Ha! Reading back over the list you can tell I'm a romantic... and very much in love with husband, can't you?

10-year-old Boys

The little boys in my Character Qualities class crack me up. As I mentioned before, they are all about 10. It's such a funny age. Today's character quality was Gratefulness. One of the activities was an acrostic of the word "gratefulness" written on the board and then the class was supposed to think of things they were grateful for that started with those letters. The first thing one of the little guys thought of was "Great-grandparents!" Skipped right over the grand-parents to the great-grandparents. LOL! So for a few minutes everyone was randomly calling out things that they could think of. I told them I wanted to cover the whole board. Well, after several minutes of brainstorming and basically naming every toy and food and animal they could think of... they struck on insects and reptiles! "Gratefulness" has 2 S's, you know! So we got spiders, and snakes, and scorpions!!! And, of course lizards... and praying mantises would have been added to list if only there was a P in gratefulness! LOL! Only 10-year-old boys would be grateful for such things! I told them that was like being grateful for mosquitoes! At the end of the class I told the lady who was helping me that every noun that popped into their heads that started with those letters went on the board.