Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Outside my window...

a glorious fall day,

clear, crisp, bright and sunny - woo-hoo!

Hearing...

Wyatt hasn't left for school yet (class in the afternoon),

and Gunnar has just gotten home.

I cruelly forced him to ride his bike this morning

because I am an evil task-master

who wants him to get some fresh and and sunshine while that's still possible.

Bwa-ha-ha...

Pondering...

things that make absolutely no sense to me.

My in-laws are moving and down-sizing.

They no longer have room for 

All The Things

and must urgently-right-now

deal with them.

IOW, pass the responsibility on to Kerry and his brother.

Mostly Kerry.

So our already-full garage has been over-filling...

Our recycling is overflowing,

and there are more boxes to go through.

Full of "treasures" like this broken mandolin.

No, it did not break in transit.

It was packed (and helpfully labeled!) broken.

Boxes of "miscellaneous papers and collectibles".

Because the instructions for an electric knife,

and unpaid bills are important to... whom???

This is what I'm pondering...

Why on earth was nobody able to make a decision to discard these things until now?

Why did large boxes of Great Grandma's old junk mail ever make their way to my house???

Since our garbage and recycling are filled to overflowing...

I took care of the problem

as well as some of my frustration with the fact

that we're dealing with any of this...

All that paper doesn't burn as easily as you might think,

but I had help.

I know,

it was grueling to part with treasures

such as this 1985 cheese and sausage catalog...

or these helpful instructions on modern communication...

or my FIL's notes on his landscaping projects...

But the kicker was an enormous box, filled with hundreds of photos,

already sorted and discarded by my in-laws,

and labeled...

with an extra label inside the box,

in case you weren't sure...

Yes, they're "really done" now.

It was a lovely day for a bonfire :D

(PS, yes, my dad is keeping an eye on it to make sure it gets completely out.)

Whew.

Praying...

two friends dealing with cancer,

another friend (97 years old!) in the hospital,

work for Kerry,

for missionary friends and family abroad,

and health for us all as there's a nasty virus going around.

Thankful...

so far, we're all well :D

The boys seem to be doing well in their schoolwork.

And I'm so thankful for the brightness of this beautiful day.

Wearing...

layers!

Blue, purple, black.

Oh dear, that sounds pretty 80's maybe,

but I'm not leaving the house today except to pick up pizza,

so who cares?

(Tuesday! Five buck pizza day!)

Going...

to fold a bunch of laundry.

Because I live a glorious life of glamour ;D

Looking forward to...

hmmm,

I love this season.

I love the crisp mornings,

the warm afternoons,

the flaming colors,

and the anticipation of the coming holidays -

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I know it's early to even mention Christmas,

but since we're a few weeks into Messiah rehearsals

I'm already thinking about it!

In the kitchen...

not cooking much today,

but maybe soup tomorrow.

I haven't made bread in quite awhile

and I know the boys would LOVE some homemade bread :D

In the learning rooms...

still adjusting to just Gunnar.

Oh, he's important :o),

I mean I'm still kind of amazed that I'm down to ONE homeschooler,

and that only part-time.

The other two are managing their own educations.

Around the house...

candles and colorful leaves and pretty lights :D

Noticing that...

look what I saw on my walk this morning!

Yes, it's a house.  And not my house.

Look at the roof.

Frost.

Something to remember for later...

Tate is growing out of his dress shirts.

Too tight across the chest and shoulders.

And he's probably not the only one.

My young men are growing into fully-fledged men.

The Mother Load...

We got a LOT done over the weekend -

such a load off my mind!

Since Kerry was gone most of Saturday (picking up boxes of STUFF),

and we ended up not going to church on Sunday (too many people sick)

we had a little one-hour work party at home in the afternoon.

Got a lot of "winterizing" stuff done,

like storing the picnic table and lawn furniture,

composting now-dead summer flowers,

removing the screen door,

etc.

Today's list?

* BSF homework

* Fold laundry

* Sew boy's new "Emergency Services" patches on their uniforms

* Tidy office

*Calendar summit

* Order a few Christmas gifts that just went on sale (!)

* Organize the latest round of digital photos (i.e. delete most, save the best)

* Talk with Kerry / decide about car repair (ugh)
* Haircuts for boys

Something fun to share...

look what I saw while out walking with a friend this morning -

a barred owl!

Not a great pic,

but you can see him, right?

A favorite quote for today...

Don't believe your heart;

direct your heart to believe in God.

Don't follow your heart;

follow Jesus.

 - Jon Bloom, in

Don't Follow Your Heart; God's Ways Are Not Your Ways.

One of my favorite things...

changing seasons.

A Bible verse...

Because of the Lord's great love

we are not consumed,

for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

A few plans for the rest of the week...

it could sound like a broken record,

but it's the routine of our lives -

school

CAP

violin lesson

work

Bible study

and

maybe a ladies'  craft night at church,

if there aren't too many people aren't sick!

A peek into my world...

This was a couple days ago: 

This is today: