Daybook: Monday, September 14, 2015

Outside my window... A comfortable 83 degrees. In another week, we will probably shut down the air conditioners all together. I hope it stays this way for a while.

I am thinking... About what waiting for the New Moon announcement from Jerusalem to begin the celebration of the Feast Days has taught me. Man can predict, prognosticate, and from their own hearts prophesy, but Yehovah gives His answers in His time. You can't rush Him, you can't beat Him to the punch. You can only keep your hand to the plough, stay faithful, and wait until He is ready to change your season. (Selah)

I am thankful... For EVERYTHING. I am also thankful again for quitting one of my part time jobs over the summer. Even though I haven't gotten my income up to where I would like it to be yet, it is a blessing to be available for my family without feeling guilty. Plus, the language that my former co-workers use to describe working conditions there is deplorable, but I know how they feel.

I am wearing... Pilates pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and Isotoners on my feet.

I am creating... What was I thinking telling my cousin that I would knit something for my great-aunt THIS MONTH! I see all these people on Facebook knitting groups and I'm like, "Yeah, I can complete a project quickly too." (facepalm) I have never been fast at ANYTHING. Oh well. Just keep knitting... Just keep knitting...

I am reading... Fascinating Womanhood and Home Comforts. At first, when I started Fascinating Womanhood for an online book club, I was like "Meh." Then the other day I was reading and I saw myself in it. Ouch! Just keep reading... Just keep reading... Home Comforts has been a blessing also. I wish I had it 20 years ago! Not having had a whole lot of housewife influence in my childhood and not having had a lot of mentors, reading this book 15 minutes a day (It's really thick too. It will take me at least a year), is like someone taking me by the hand and showing me the way.

I am listening to....

Really good message if you want to be led by the Ruach and not the fear-mongers.

I am hoping... To miraculously finish knitting my great-aunt's prayer shawl before Sunday.

I am looking forward to... The rest of the Fall Feasts!

One of my favorite things... Spending Shabbat with friends in Louisiana last week. We have been blessed to have been friends for many, many years. I will call her Sister Elegant because of a picture I have of her at a conference wearing a very smart hat and white gloves and because she is not pretentious, but very elegant at heart. Plus, it is she who turned me on to Victorian living. Nearly 20 years ago, she invited our pastor at the time and our family over for dinner and made a dish that I have been calling Greek Chicken (I have since learned that is not its name). I have ranted and raved over that dish ever since. When I came to visit, she made it for me. <3 Now I can't get the dessert she served out of my mind...... LOL!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Because the New Moon was not sighted in Jerusalem, tomorrow will be Yom Teruah. I'm going to get up and make some challah in the morning. I saw a couple of photos of someone's table decorations. I think I am going to use my Michael's and Hobby Lobby instant coupons to start building some decorations.

From the learning rooms... Tomorrow, I am going to draw up another period schedule to see if this will help us manage our time better. I might even set an alarm on an old cell phone like I used to.

And this is what you buy when you can no longer help your child with their math homework.

Pondering these words...

From the kitchen... Let me explain a little something about my life. I knew when I married that my husband was a very good cook. He would cook dinner for my family after church on Sundays when we first were dating. It has been a blessing, especially when we added to our family or any other reason I wasn't available to cook. It has also been wonderful for holidays because he revels in showing his love for people by cooking for them.

However, when I'm cooking just ordinary weeknight dinners, I feel like I am a contestant for an elimination cooking show like Chopped or Hell's Kitchen. Every. Single. Night. So, when I share a recipe here that has worked in my family, believe me, it has been with much blood, sweat, tears, fear, and trembling. He's never mean about it if he doesn't like it, mind you. Just silent.....................................................................................................................

With that in mind, this was the one successful dish from last week. So much so, he asked for an encore on Shabbat. There were no potatoes in it, however. He will eat roasted potatoes, but he's not fond of them.

Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Around the house... In Home Comforts, I learned the broken window principle. The book talks about how if a poor neighborhood has a broken window, the tendency for others to feel free to break windows goes up. The same goes for grafitti. In reference to my house, if I decide to leave a dish in the sink, there is a tendency for the next person to leave 2 dishes, and the next person 3 dishes, and the next person 4 dishes. Because of the one dish left in the sink and not put into the dishwasher, there are now 10 dishes in the sink. The same goes for a chair that someone throws their coat on. Before you know it, you'll have a coat, some library books, a backpack, and a lunchbox on the chair, and it all started with the coat. This makes much sense to me.

One of my favorite things... Friend Hubby asked me if I wanted to paint the front door. After doing the Carlton dance, I got to work.