Monday, November 19, 2012

Grasshopper Days


Grasshopper Days

For today...  November 19, 2012.

Outside my window...  rain, rain, rain!  It's a very gray day.



Hearing...  drip, drip, dripping.  It was a wild and windy night, and I'm thankful we didn't lose power.

Pondering...  I wake up in the night sometimes.  It was such a wild night - the wind was howling, branches tossing, and rain spattering on the windows even up under the eaves.  And what a lovely feeling to relax, warm and cozy under the quilts, sheltered from the chaos outsides, and drift back to sleep.

Praying...  for my family, for our Thanksgiving preparations, for our pastor, and others recovering from various things.

Thankful...  oh so thankful for Tate's deer - for his success hunting and for the special time he had with his grandpa :D  Thankful for my home, my family, my church.  For our Thanksgiving service last night, as eclectic as the congregation that offered it.  Kerry took his camera to get a photo of the youth group playing a couple of songs (Amazing Grace and We Gather Together).  Where but Wiser Lake Chapel would you find an ensemble that included a saxophone, a cello, a trombone, a guitar (Wyatt), a ukulele, and a harp?  It was wonderful. :D

Wearing...  absolute grubbies.  I'm cleaning bathrooms this morning.  Fun times.

Creating...  schedules and menus.  I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and have a list for each day, leading up to it, to keep things from piling up.  Not that I'm worried about it - our family is a friendly group (!) and there will only be twelve of us this year.  Seems kind of small.  Unless we manage to gather any strays.

Going...  to check things off today's list :D

Looking forward to...  Thanksgiving!

In the kitchen...  I think I'll cook some of Tate's venison for lunch today.  Good heavens, I should have put this under "thankful", but you should see my freezers.  I don't think I could fit another thing in either of them.  Not even a can of juice.  They're packed full and I love it :D  And I love the look on Tate's face, knowing that he contributed to the bounty.




Ha!  I think I have meat from seven different animals in my freezer.  Any guesses?

In the learning rooms...  we take all of this week off from homeschool, so I have a bit of tidying to do in there, but no "action".  I helped Gunnar finish his research paper this morning (Snow Leopards, no surprise to anyone who knows him) so he and Tate have no school work until next Monday.  Wyatt, however, has classes at the HS for three mornings this week.

And I have to brag on Wyatt a little.  Mid-term grades came home last week and he's doing great.  Out of a class of 350, he's ranked... #7.  I was thrilled.  His response?  Well, I'll see if I can bring that up.

WYATT!  Why don't you do that at HOME?

Around the house...  getting ready for guests :D  Need to clean the bathrooms, vacuum and dust, but everything looks pretty good.  Except the family room.  The boys need to tend to that.  And here's a little tip, if you're hosting and you don't have time or energy to deep clean:

Dim the lights, use lots of candles, and everything will look cozy and comforting.  You can clean after everyone leaves

On the other hand, you can make lists and put the minions to work ;D

The Mother Load...  lists, chores, delegation ;D

Noticing that...  I finally bought a sheet and made a closet "door" for my office.  (The top of the sheet is already hemmed, so that is the bottom.  I just measured how long I wanted it, cut off the excess, and sewed a pocket at the top.  I hung it with a pressure rod.  Took MINUTES.  Why didn't I do this sooner?)  Hallelujah, it looks so much better!  The clutter in the closet (a necessary evil) is out of sight, and the office actually looks bigger.  (It's kind of a small room.  I'm not complaining - it's plenty big enough for me.  But it is kind of small.)  Getting the ironing board put away helps too.

And, just so you know, the legends are true.  I actually got my office tidied up.  I need to glory in this moment, in case it doesn't last long, so here's the visual proof.

Baring it all here... before and afters.

Looking in the door, before...

... and after.

My desk, before...

... and after.
(Still need to deal with the pile of books in the windowsill...)

The closet and area, before...

and after :D


Visual clutter is exhausting and discouraging to me.  This is SO MUCH BETTER.

Something to remember for later...  how funny Tate thinks Grandpa's jokes are. ;D

A favorite quote for today...  (from Tate) Vegetarian - ancient tribal slang for village idiot who can't hunt or fish.

One of my favorite things...  quick and easy online Christmas shopping!

A few plans for the rest of the week...  Messiah practice tonight, and CAP tomorrow, then...
 holidays :D  I love this time of year :D

A peek into my world...

It's that time of year again...



More pics coming soon... Canada!  Great Wolf Lodge!  The youth group!  And much, much, more!
But first... working my list.

2 comments:

melanie said...

Visual clutter... amen and amen.

Love Tate's definition too.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Choate Family said...

I love so many things about your daybook! Full freezers, tidy spaces, dim lights & candles. Hope you find some strays to add for Thanksgiving!