Day 2: My To-do List for Today

I find it easier to have a good day if I make my list of requirements small and manageable. I give myself just a few things to do each day and then I can check them all off with minimal stress and still have time for things I may rather do, like reading.

Today's list consisted of three things I must accomplish: 1. Blog. Obviously that has been taken care of. 2. Play my harp. I have yet to do that one, but even playing just one or two songs will count, and I enjoy it so much (when I find the time) that it will not be at all taxing. And 3. Spend some time sewing.

 
Recently I've begun taking sewing lessons from a friend, Becki, who is proving to be an excellent  teacher for me. Sewing is a skill I've long wanted to gain, but I unfortunately have a serious lack of confidence and a fear of failure. I don't want to take the time to learn to sew. I just want to instantly be an expert. But that is not how it is done. I must learn one step at a time. But when I gain all the skills I need I'll be able to fashion all my own skirts, dresses, shirts, maybe I'll even tackle pants someday. I've already made one skirt (the one I wore yesterday to book club,) I'm currently working on a shirt, and when it's finished Becki and I are going to start on a dress!

Day 1: The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down!

At last, a few days without pouring rain! Today it is even warm enough (nearly sixty degrees) to wear the new skirt I made a couple months ago.

Back in January, one of the events this sleeping blog missed was our family-and-friends trip to Disney World. (Elizabeth put some pictures up on One Captured Moment.) Usually when we plan our Disney trips, we plan to take them when the crowds are small and weather temperate, and the end of January is supposed to be one of the lowest times for crowds and have the loveliest weather. This year: low crowds, yes; good weather, definitely no. Our first day (spent in the Magic Kingdom) was ideal. Sunny, warm and balmy, but not too hot. The next three days it poured more rain than the Hundred Acre Wood in the rainy season, and it was not a warm rain like in Hawaii. It was cold and windy.

Later we figured it out. Elsa, the Snow Queen from Disney's Frozen, was there in Epcot Norway. She must have let it go!

 

Good for you, Elsa, but did it have to be during our Disney World Vacation? Thankfully the rain and cold let up for the past couple days and our adventure ended on a warm note. (Actually we got the good weather. The week before we arrived Florida was getting freezing temperatures, and they returned after we left!)  We actually rather enjoyed the experience of going to Disney World in the rain. And as I shivered in damp jeans and Disney hoodie, hunched against the wind, feeling a little miserable, I thought to myself, "In the future we are going to have so much fun talking and laughing about our cold, rainy trip to Disney World.

And so we happily came home... to more rain. As the Narrator would say, "And it rained, and it rained, and it rained." After a very warm, dry winter, I'm thankful for the rain and expected a wet spring (that usually follows a dry winter here.) But I'm even more thankful for a break. 

The Challenge

How the weeks have flown. Can it really be March? Was I not just celebrating the Winter Solstice amongst the daffodils? And already it is Mardi Gras, soon to be Lent and the countdown for Easter.

While sitting around the table, feasting on delicious new pancakes with English bacon that just the thought of makes me hungry, the subject of Lent came up. What should we give up for forty days? A year or two ago it was chocolate, but recently we have already chosen to stop eating chocolate, except on a special occasion. Hmm. What to do? Then Mom came up with an idea: Instead of giving something up, why don't we add something. Do something each day for the next forty days, something enriching. We might form some good habits. But what? Then came the perfect answer: blog.

In the whirlwind of life, I fear my writing has suffered some neglect. This poor blog has missed Christmas, New Year's, and the first tender months of the year. And so I begin again. For the next forty days I and my fellow writers shall post something on our blogs each day.

What shall I write? Anything I want. But what if I run out of ideas? That's a silly thing to ask. What if I run out of time? That is a more serious question. Time is a fleeting thing, and some days I don't find the time to write. I would rather read with my spare moments, or sip a cup of tea and visit with someone.

I will make time for blogging, that is the answer.  

One Little Yellow Flower

It is the Winter Solstice, Christmas is just around the corner, and two weeks ago we had five and a half inches of snow on the ground. The snow stayed for a few days and then the sunshine and mild weather, typical of our Decembers here, returned. I enjoyed the snow, mostly from the warmth and comfort of indoors, but I was very grateful when the freezing temperatures receded. And just a few days ago I rejoiced at seeing the first of our yellow daffodils as a young bud. By this morning it was blooming!

Unfortunately this little guy is rather shy and I had a rather difficult time persuading him to look at the camera.

Happy Winter Solstice!

A Cloudless Day (Figuratively)

Though the sun has shone in a blue sky for most of the days these past two weeks, my head has felt like it's been under a dark Eeyore cloud. Nothing seems to go right: our flock of chickens recently got attacked by a hawk and we lost two birds, work for my Dad and older sister has been difficult and stressful, one of my favorite holidays is practically upon us and I am in no way cheerful. What went wrong? Yesterday I did not even want to get out of bed and I felt almost angry at nothing for half the day! (an emotion I'm not accustomed to.)

I dragged myself through the afternoon, helping with housework and trying to muster some good feelings from my moody soul, and then settled down for teatime with my Mom. With hot cups of tea in our hands, she reminded me that, "Who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?" (Mathew 6:27) I needed to remember that worrying will not help me or anyone, in fact it does harm. No situation will be made better by stress. I forget too often that the Lord has everything in control and He will take care of me. All I need to do is trust Him.

Suddenly I felt lighter and happier, and the things around me were not nearly so bleak. Elizabeth, joyfully filled with relief, came home and announced that the biggest order of mounts that she had ever filled (and most difficult) was finished! Our reinforced, chicken-hawk-proof chicken coop is nearly complete, my Aunt Cindy will be arriving on Wednesday, and the day after is Thanksgiving!

Whereas  yesterday just pulling myself out of bed was a burden, today I arose feeling happy and thankful. It's as if Thanksgiving has started today.  

Leftover Soup

Sweet serendipity is following delicious smells downstairs and finding a warm, tasty soup waiting for you. For lunch today, my Mom put together a soup without a recipe; just a hodgepodge of leftovers from the night before: bits of chicken, broccoli, mushrooms with a fancy French name I can't recall, cheddar cheese, etc. It was warm and nourishing, and filled me up inside in the most pleasant way. It was a soup that can never be duplicated in quite the same way. It will be new each time it is made.

I am still working on cultivating an enjoyment for cooking. I love to eat, but I would rather just make a piece of toast for myself than a satisfying soup. But sometimes toast isn't enough. Sometimes I need a bowl of hot soup, or a roast chicken with mashed potatoes. Alongside Pride and Prejudice, I am also reading My Life in France by Julia Child, seeking the inspiration to really be a part of the culinary world. So far it's not really working, although it is a fun book to read. I would just rather read a book or knit a sweater than prepare a meal. I guess we can't be good at everything.

The Color Red

How can one write a novel about the hottest August week on California records, when all you can think about is Christmas?

As Elizabeth so well put it, we have the Christmas bug. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, I think it is my favorite holiday of all, but then I think of Christmas and how special and wonderful it is. At our house the two holidays have been sort of mixed together into one thankful holiday season! The pilgrims are coming out to join the fall decorations, as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and, my personal favorite, Steve Tyrell croon Christmas carols in the background.

One of the things I love about my home is that when I look at this basket of clementines, and say, "I just want to stick cloves in these oranges," my Mom hands me the jar of cloves and says, "Go to town!"

Red is not really my color, never has been. I am a blue, purple, and pink kind of girl with the occasional green of a certain shade, but I don't wear much red. Last time we were at the craft store, shopping for costume ingredients, my eye was caught by a festive and beautiful ball of red holiday yarn. I decided to knit myself a red Christmas scarf with it.

Ever since I've been thinking about the color red: red scarves, red sweaters, red Christmas decorations, and as it is fall I see red leaves on trees every day. I think I shall have to incorporate more red into my lifestyle.