Outside my window...
The days have been sunny and beautiful but during the middle of the night, we had a goodold-fashioned thunderstorm. Hopefully, it washed away the cedar fever. I am going to wash
the dog to get rid of pollen she may be carrying. We have a couple of self-serve dog washes
that have opened up in our area. I love them. She can't get away from me and I don't have to
clean up afterward. I also don't have to bend down and strain my back because I can just pick
her up and put her in the tub.
I am thinking...
Seriously, was Debbie Reynold's death the day after her daughter Carrie Fisher's death not seriously the
saddest thing? I didn't know about her being Carrie's Girl Scout leader. You know I felt a connection there
too since I have been Princess Butterfly's Girl Scout leader for 11 years. I often get people asking
me why we don't switch to American Heritage Girls, "the Christian alternative." This is how I
answered when someone on Facebook asked about it recently. " My daughter tried AHG for
two years simultaneously with GS. On the plus side, the badge book is AMAZING. It is much
more like Girl Scouts' badges when I was a girl. It teaches very practical life skills as opposed
to new GS badges like "The Science of Happiness." While it is important to learn to be
happy, making your own happiness through the accomplishments of cooking, home repair,
and car maintenance were more important to us. I did have a falling out with a leader. She
spoke to me very disrespectfully in a very public place. Because of being a GS leader and '
despising adult issues at girl events, I bit my tongue and dealt with it through email later.
The other thing that I had an issue with that wouldn't apply to you is that because it was
known that my daughter and I were still involved with our GS troop that had been together
for at least 6 years, many people we encountered went out of their way to bash GS, which
admittedly has issues, but if you spend all your time belittling your competition rather than
expounding on the merits of your program, it doesn't do much for your image in my eyes.
Lastly, another reason we stopped doing both is that AHG is much more expensive to
participate in than GS. If my daughter didn't raise enough in the fundraiser, I was expected
to pay the rest, in addition to registration and uniform and none of the fundraising money
went to help her directly. It was cost prohibitive."
I am thankful...
Yassss!!!! Being able to fall asleep knowing that my entire family is under the same roof and that if I wanted to I could just walk a few feet out of the room in the middle of the night and poke them in the face. That's some good sleep. The Grand Duchess finally brought her happy hips down the road once I mentioned the ModCloth store in my last DayBook. 
I am wearing...
Nothing new, but the girls and I went downtown to the new ModCloth store. It was so fun! It was like shopping in the 1920s and 1930s before department stores. There are only 2 sizes of the same dress on the rack, a small one and a larger one. You go around the store and write the special number on the tag down on a clipboard they give you of whatever you want to try on. They take the clipboard and go and get everything. A favorite that I tried on was the "Catch Your Fancy Mini Skirt" and the matching jacket. Of course since I am just 5 feet tall, it wasn't all that "mini" on me. Paired with some navy patterned tights and navy shoes, I think it would be very cute. They have lots of flattering A-line dresses to choose from. Some things though would have been better if there had been a petite option because the waistline was sometimes too low and unflattering. I didn't buy anything THIS TIME, but they are going to get some new things in about a month. I'll be back....
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| The Dress Shop at the old 1925 Peabody Hotel,in Memphis,Tenn. |
I am creating...
I haven't washed my great aunt's shawl yet, but I have gone back to piecing together the mitered squares for The Grand Duchess's blanket. I am going to have to find the pattern book and watch a YouTube video to remember how to knit mitered squares.
I am reading...
I feel like I was more consistent with reading when I was using my GoodReads app, so I have gone back to it. Also, I am reading more when after I have done my night time toning exercise and stretching and turning my tablet off.In the mornings, I am revisiting Life Management for Busy Women: Living Out God's Plan with Passion and Purpose as I prepare for a new semester of being a "back-to-school" wife and homeschooling mom. I am just reading bite-sized pieces in the mornings. I have read 26% of it.
On the week nights, I am reading New England White. I have read 16% of it.
On erev Shabbat and on Shabbat after service, I am revisiting a book I got from the library last summer called Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. There are a lot of books on my "to read" list for reading on Shabbat. I am focusing on people who actively and courageously lived out their faith. Bonhoeffer is interesting because he was homeschooled early in life in a very academically and musically talented family, and because they lived out their faith outside of the institutionalized church. I have read 3%.
I am watching...
Friend Hubby and I were in a store and a salesman introduced us to a third-pa rty Android app called Showbox. You can stream and download free movies and TV shows. I put it on my tablet and finally saw the movie The Help. I had read the book a couple of years ago and never saw the movie when it came out. The streaming quality is great. I am loving this app. It is still my goal to knit in the evening while watching something. I just found out my cousin is having a second baby. This cousin was the flower girl at my wedding and is also a pastor's wife and a gospel recording artist. I am praying for a healthy delivery (preferably a boy since she already has the cutest petite little girl).
One of my favorite things...
Friend Hubby took us to a Mongolian Grill restaurant. Not only was it delicious, it was fun putting together our protein and vegetable combinations. Everybody came home saying, "Next time, I am going to try it this way..."A few plans for the rest of the week...
While the rest of the world is celebrating a New Year, I am ignoring that completely since the Bible makes it clear the new year comes in the spring. I am, however, focused on the fact that we are in a new month. Rosh Chodesh was last week. Resolutions often result in lying (speaking for myself from past experience). I am choosing to focus on one month at a time, from Shabbat to Shabbat (based on Isaiah 66:23. As I discussed in my last Daybook, I learned that telling everyone your goals and receiving their congratulations on your plans sends a signal to the brain that you have actually accomplished the goal and the likelihood that you will actually get it done is almost nil. It is better to jot a few reachable goals down and testify when you have accomplished them.
From the learning rooms...
My 3.5 GPA put me in the school's category of "Scholastic Leadership." I was trying to explain to Princess Butterfly why this was significant for me. Thirty years ago when I was in school, I wasn't a very good student. I was very unorganized, only focusing on the subjects that I liked and ignoring the rest. This is the first time in my life that I have approached my own education with focus and determination. I often hear that from other "back-to-school" moms. I had also thought that maybe it was too late in life for me to start thinking of getting a master's degree, then the other day, a friend of ours who is at least 10-15 years older than me just got his doctorate in business. No excuses!
Pondering these words...
Tee hee hee...
From the kitchen...
Last week, I made Roasted Cauliflower, but forgot to post about it. This was my first time using this recipe. It was pretty good.
I made a homemade cast-iron skillet chicken pot pie, Easy Chicken Pot Pie. The inside didn't thicken up as much as I would have liked, but overall, I enjoyed it. I added potatoes and it was my first time making homemade pastry dough in YEARS. I used the recipe on the back cover of the New Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1980s version.
My self-care...
My goal is a minimum of 6000 steps per day, but I really need to increase it to 7500 steps per day. Because of my Achilles injury and perceived "getting older" attitude, I think I am being far more gentle on my body than I really need to be. We were in the bike section of WalMart the other day and they had an exercise step on display. I just to do step aerobics regularly, but my fear of injuring my "old knees" put me off from even thinking about it. I really need to stop thinking like I'm an old lady. If I am taking precautions to prevent injuries, then I don't need to be fearful. Going to Tai Chi a couple of times a week has done more for my Achilles injury than weeks of physical therapy ever did.
Around the house...
I am still decluttering and working on building up my home filing system.
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