Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, January 28, 2013

Outside my window...  I'm going to pretend it isn't 38F (about 3C, for you metric friends), cloudy and raining, and that it's a beautiful sunny day.  And I'm we might as well imagine it has snowed and the house is filled with light, because the boys would love the snow and I would love the light.  'Kay?

Hearing...  the furnace is blowing, and I just heard the boys' bedroom door squeak, which means Tate has come up and started his school work.  Mr. Diligence, that's Tate.

Pondering...  this stained glass decoration I got from my MIL for Christmas one year.

Deep thoughts, people, deep thoughts.  Try to keep up.

Back to the story... My MIL, she pays attention.  She knows I love blue and she knows we're religious, so it's an angel, right?

But then there's the magic want, so it's a... fairy?  It's very ambiguous.

I've wondered if it's possible to break off the wand without damaging the rest of the piece, but I'm way too heavy-handed to try it.

So there, I've just cleared the air.  Because, of course, you needed to know that my theology doesn't include wish-granting angels.  Moving on...

Praying...  so many people sick.  Tate is getting over a cold and Gunnar is coming down with it, though that's - fortunately - an annoyance rather than a tragedy.  Folks we know are fighting cancer, recovering from TBI's (traumatic brain injury), and at least three are pregnant.  Not the same ones with cancer or TBI... just clarifying.

Thankful...  Kerry has a bunch of work right now, which is a huge relief.  Now, if the checks would just come in... (one of his jobs is for a government agency and it takes FOR-EV-AH to get paid.)  But we are in a warm dry house with clothes on our backs and food on the table.  Amen.

Wearing...  oh, I know you're all waiting on pins and needles...  gray jeans, a white turtleneck, a blue sweater, and wool socks.  Yes, Vogue and Glamour (or whatever the fashion mags are now) are just beating a path to my door.  *eyes roll*

Creating...  have finished two and am deciding what to do for the third baby quilt...

Going...  to rehearsal tonight.  All new music!  Since we did nearly the entire Messiah at Christmas, we're working on new pieces for the Easter concert.  I love learning new music, especially when it's Vivaldi ;D  We're doing a few pieces from Mendelssohn's Elijah and all of Vivaldi's Gloria.  I am loving it.  (If you want to listen, the University of North Texas has posted a performance of the entire work here,  I think they do a great job, though the second alto misses about four measures of her solo.)  And Mendelssohn?  I my favorites are He Watching Over Israel and Lift Thine Eyes, from Psalm 121.  You can hear them here.

Reading...  Winter Birds, finishing up my Jamie Langston Turner marathon.  She writes so poetically and thoughtfully, but occasionally a bit of dry humor peeks through.  She has a character say of her late mother,  for I was my mother's keeper for five months before she died of irritability, a condition that had started in her bowel years earlier but had metastasized to her mind and behavior by the end.

Learning...  all over again, to budget my time.  At the turn of the year we began new adult Sunday school classes, and mine has homework.  I like that.  And people do it, and come prepared to discuss.  We're studying Ephesians.  If the boys and I weren't (still!) working on memorizing Philippians I'd be tempted to try to learn Ephesians, but they're so similar in some ways, I'm sure I'd muddle it all up.

Also, two ladies from the chapel just announced an evening women's Bible study that I'd like to join.  Of course, I have rehearsals on Monday nights, then Bible study Tuesday nights, and homeschooling all week, and... and... and...

But I want to do this.  I want to study.  I want to get to know the women from the chapel better.

Looking forward to...  I love doing all this sewing, but it will be good to finish for awhile and get it all put away, and not have such a clutter in my office.  But then, I want to work on one for our bedroom, and a bed-size quilt is a big job for the likes of me.

In the learning rooms...  Wyatt is coming up on the end of the first semester (at public school) and has Wednesday off, presumably for the teachers' benefit.  He'll have the same three classes, first thing in the morning, so nothing changes for him.  Tate and Gunnar and I are still learning about China, reading about Eric Liddell and Matteo Ricci at the moment.  Tate is working on a research paper on Patton, (his choice).

Around the house...  thought I'd give you a peak :D

The Mother Load...  homework for the aforementioned Bible studies, numbering the measures in our new music (for easier reference during rehearsal), sewing, walking with Gunnar, and the usual round of everything.

Yes... oh my, look at the dust in that picture!

Noticing that...  oh dear, I really should be getting school going with the boys, but am trying to finish this first!  Priorities?

Something fun to share...  in that youtube clip of Vivaldi's Gloria, the lovely soprano who sings the second solo (at about 11:00) reminds me of my friend Jacqueline, who blogs here.  I've never heard her sing, but I imagine her singing like this woman.

A favorite quote for today...   also from Jamie Langston Turner.  She has another character comment about the music in church that singing little choruses to appeal to the new converts is like serving Spaghetti-Os to Italians.   Amen.

One of my favorite things...  right now?  The new music :D

A Bible verse...  I mentioned we're studying Ephesians.  Take a look at the first chapter for a moment and think about this, in the original Greek, verses 3-14 were all one sentence.  No, I'm not kidding.  Try to diagram THAT, I dare you.  Just two verses in one sentence is hard for me to chew on.  So I took them and broke it down a little...

                      In Him
we also were chosen,
       having been predestined
       according to the plan 
                    of Him
       who works out everything
                    in conformity
                    with the purpose
                    of His will,
in order that we
       who were the first to hope
                    in Christ
might be
                    for the praise
                    of His glory.

Not properly diagrammed, but it helped me see what it was saying better.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  school, school, school, sew, sew, sew, sing, sing, sing, study, study, study... yah.

A peek into my world...  maybe an overload of them?  One last photo...