The Simple Woman's Daybook -11

For Today...
September 29, 2008

Outside my Window...
bright sunshine, warm afternoon

I am thinking...
I'm glad a cool front is forecast for tomorrow. I am ready for more fall days with the house opened up for fresh air; relief from the air conditioner bill

From the learning rooms...
working on writing skills today; end of chapter reviews in science and geography

I am thankful for..
encouragement from many unexpected places last week - not that I should be surprised, doesn't the Lord always provide just *what* we need, just *when* we need it? Everywhere I turned I felt like someone had been "reading my mail"!

From the kitchen...
meatloaf, oven roasted red potatoes, and green beans

I am wearing...
jeans, melon colored blouse, and a pair of Clarks that are a "hand-me-down" from my daughter(now that's fun - getting hardly worn shoes that she outgrew - she has a big foot : )

I am reading...
my Bible

I am hoping...
to be home as much as possible this week and to enjoy this beautiful weather.

I am creating...
I have been working on the prep work for some baby gifts. Need to get busy with the sewing machine this week.

I am hearing...
the birds singing in the tree outside my window.

Around the house...
working on implementing Flylady once again. After an encouraging Mom's RENEW last week I have been inspired to *really* work on this as I work toward a welcoming, peaceful home.

One of my favorite things...
cooler temperatures and changing colors

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
working on school stuff, "snack mom" run to Sam's for ballet today, Rachel's optometrist appointment for a check up and new contact lenses, homeschool co-op classes, maybe a date with hubby to see the new movie "Fireproof"

A picture thought I am sharing with you...
a beautiful picture that my sister shared with me from her recent trip to Canada (thanks Nancy!). I think it looks like a postcard! Maybe one day I will get to see Moraine Lake myself.

For more Simple Woman's Daybook entries, visit Peggy

Handbag Giveaway @ Handbag Plantet

Handbag Planet is having a handbag giveaway to celebrate it's launch on October 15. Free handbag every hour for 24 hours!! Register online.

Encouraging Words

Yesterday as I sought encouragement from God's Word this is what I found:

Psalm 43:2-4 "You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight."

Psalm 27:1-5 "The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling."

Fear and doubt creep into my mind little by little, it seems, and then suddenly I find myself in this "pit". Then I tend to feel so guilty that I have let those things take hold that it just compounds that feeling of failure and I feel so unworthy. As I read these Psalms yesterday, the realization hit me that even David, and the sons of Korah, had to seek the Lord for encouragement. They didn't write the Psalms when things were going great in their lives. They encountered times of troubles and heavy hearts just as we do today. Not that I didn't know that before - it just spoke to me in a different way as I read it this time!

Casting Crowns has a new song, Slow Fade, that I have been hearing on the radio and it has really spoken to me as well. These lyrics warn that things don't happen "in a day" that it's a slow fade. What a warning to heed! Those thoughts that slowly come in and take hold can lead to a "slow fade" if I am not standing on God's Word. Here's the chorus to that song:

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made,
a price will be paid when you give yourself away, people never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, It's a slow fade."

The Simple Woman's Daybook -10

For Today...
September 22, 2008

Outside my window...
On this first day of Autumn, a thick fog is beginning to lift and I see peeks of blue sky

I am thinking...
about what needs to be accomplished this week

I am thankful for...
a restful weekend

From the kitchen...
For dinner - a new recipe, Pizza Rolls, from Southern Plate
We tried Country Casserole over the weekend and it was a keeper!

I am wearing...
jeans, t-shirt, tennis shoes

I am reading...
nothing new this week

I am hoping...
to keep grounded in the Word of God this week in an effort to overcome the battle of the mind that I have been engaged in for some time but especially this weekend. This is NOT a place I want to be! I came to the realization this weekend that although my "war" is essentially over, I have emerged a wounded soldier. Our pastor taught a message on "Great Faith" yesterday and I see that I need to embrace that message to help with healing my wounds. Some days, I'll be honest, I'm just not sure I can do it. I know I cannot do it within myself - only with the Lord's help. It's the battle between what God's Word says and what the natural world says. I suppose it shows my weakness and where I MUST rely on the Lord every day. I am thankful that I have a Savior who heals all wounds. I pray for much personal growth as I work through these issues.

I am creating...
working on creating a peaceful heart this week

I am hearing...
birds singing and Nutcracker music. An odd combination, I know, but when you live with a ballet company member, it happens...in September!!

Around the house...
I need to get out the fall decorations

One of my favorite things...
good conversations with my teenagers : )

A few plans for the rest of the week...
young women's support group, home school mom's RENEW (topic is Flylady - a personal favorite), hopefully lunch with a friend that was supposed to happen last week but didn't.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



my blog is titled "Life at the Lake" and here's a view from my back deck!

To read more "The Simple Woman" posts, visit Peggy

Paint the Park Pink

Paint the Park Pink

Join us for our 2nd annual Paint the Park Pink at Creekmore Park on October 11th. Survivor's breakfast will begin at 7:30 at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House and the Walk will begin by the gazebo at 9 a.m. Help us get closer to our vision of a world without breast cancer and register today! You can do so online or by mailing in the registration form to our Affiliate office.

This is a community event to increase awareness of breast cancer, provide education about breast health and raise funds to support research, education screening and treatment that will end breast cancer forever!

I participated in the 1st Anuual Paint the Park Pink last year and it was an awesome event - especially for a first year event. I will be participating again this year and want to invite any of my local blog readers to join in the fun!! You can register online by clicking the link above or print and mail a registration form.

The Simple Woman's Daybook -9

For Today...

Outside my Window...it feels like autumn; the tell-tale sign is that the windows are OPEN! endless blue sky and cool temperatures

I am thinking...how I wish I had a clothes line for drying my sheets today

From the learning rooms...science experiment that dad was home to help with; literature discussion; more new Spanish words

I am thankful for...hubby's safe arrival at 2:30 a.m. Sunday in the midst of a tropical storm (yes, a tropical storm, in Arkansas). He had been at a boy scout camp for "Weekend on Ropes" training but headed home about 11:30 p.m. rather than risk being stranded at the camp for several days because of high water over the low water bridges

From the kitchen...breakfast - biscuits and gravy, fresh strawberries, and War Eagle Mill grits
lunch - weekend leftovers
dinner - grilled chicken, squash casserole, and green beans

I am wearing...denim capris, tee shirt, and tennis shoes

I am reading...nothing at the moment

I am hoping...to make time for lunch with a friend this week

I am creating...baby gifts for a coming nephew

I am hearing...birds singing

Around the house...floors are swept, dishes washed, sheets washed, rugs hanging to dry on the deck

One of my favorite things...cool nights with the windows open - it's kind of like camping but in my own comfy bed!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...errands to run; first week of co-op classes with our homeschool group; ballet guild meeting

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

I am really not much of a gardener but I am trying to learn. My sister has beautiful flower gardens that inspire me to try because I love seeing the flowers. I have planted zinnias for the past two years and I love the color they add all summer long. They must be very "forgiving" if I am able to keep them alive! Soon it will be time to pull them up and replace them with pansies for cooler weather.

For more of "The Simple Woman's Daybook" visit Peggy.

The Homeschool Freebie of the Day

The Homeschool Freebie of the Day is an awesome website that offers free downloads every day. I learned of this website earlier in the summer and I look forward to the weekly email that gives me a sneak peek about what's to come each week. Be sure to check out their website and join their list if you'd like the weekly sneak peek email. Here's a look at this week's offerings:

Monday, Sept 8: The Adventures of Pinocchio
Delightful audio dramatization starring Mel Blanc
(the voice of Bugs Bunny) + coloring pages to keep
little hands busy! Cool!

Tuesday, Sept 9: The Story Book of Science
A classic "living book" of stories
about science in nature, provided by
Yesterday's Classics.

Wednesday, Sept 10: 60 Easy Recipes for Body & Bath
Make your own lotions, bath salts, etc.
for family use or as gifts!

Thursday, Sept 11: The Pearl Box, 100 Beautiful Stories
for Young People - classic inspirational &
moral tales for little ones

Friday, Sept 12: Be A Stargazer
Great classic book introducing Astronomy & the
science of light

Make a note of the ones you want, and be sure to stop
by that day and get your copy!

You can download all of these on their respective days
at our site: www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com

Simple Woman's Daybook - 8

For Today...

September 8, 2008

Outside my Window...

another beautiful, sunny day

I am thinking...
about my sister, Nancy, as she travels home from Canada today, hoping she had an awesome trip and has lots of pictures to share

From the learning rooms...
Rachel cleaned and re-arranged her room yesterday with help from dad. They re-bunked her beds and she has soooo much more room; moved her desk to a place where it will receive more natural light from her window; these should make her work space very conducive to learning this week. Learning how to make yeast rolls. Hopefully we will begin a sewing project late in the week.

I am thankful for...
the birthday I will celebrate later this week; a sweet hubby who took me away for the day on Friday to celebrate early since he will be out of town next weekend.

From the kitchen...
breakfast - homemade blueberry muffins (leftovers from yesterday)

lunch - leftover enchiladas

dinner - dirty rice (freezer meal), salad, homemade rolls

I am wearing...
shorts and a tee shirt

I am reading...

When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head? by Mary Pierce and The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

I am hoping...

to have a very productive week this week with few or no interruptions. Hubby was home on vacation last week and it was great having him here and we did school like we should but it's always easier when it's pretty quiet around here : )

I am creating...
Planning some baby gifts I need to make; teaching Rachel about patterns, fabric and sewing - she'll make a pair of sleep pants

I am hearing...

Doves cooing in the tree outside my window; music from Rachel's room.

Around the house...
Ironing, bill paying, and *hopefully* clean off the table in my room that is covered with books to be sold (or packed away to sell next year), photos that need to go in a book or box, and books from last year that need to be stored in the cabinets downstairs - can you say - procrastination : )

One of my favorite things...
Pictures that my siblings send of my nieces

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Our home school support group Co-op registration is Thursday. My husband and I serve as treasurers of our group so I will be busy taking money on Thursday. Rachel will register for a computer class (learning HTML - maybe she can teach me a thing or two!!), and I will assist with a PE class this semester. We have missed co-op for the past two years and are looking forward to participating once again!!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

This picture of my niece was shared with me over the weekend. Isn't she adorable?? Okay, I know I am a little biased!!

Thank you Peggy for hosting the Simple Woman's Daybook each week. To read more Daybook entries, visit here.

Random Ramblings

The last couple of weeks have kept us pretty busy getting adjusted to everyone's new fall schedule. Allan is doing well at college and adjusting well to his new schedule of school in the morning and work in the afternoon. His car is back at the paint shop (having the doors repainted) and will hopefully be done this week and on it's way to the "top" shop to have its new convertible top installed. I will be glad when he has it finished so we don't have to juggle cars when it rains.

Rachel is doing very well with her schoolwork. Last week was the first week for regular classes at ballet. Company girls have been having class since the first week of August but now we start our regular fall schedule with everyone else. It doesn't seem like we should be thinking about Christmas already but, Nutcracker auditions are next Saturday. Rachel doesn't have to audition but she will be helping with the auditions.

We went to Louisiana last weekend for the long holiday weekend. We haven't done that for a long time! It was nice to see our families, even for just a short visit. We saw more of Robert's family than anticipated - they had to evacuate from their homes in south Texas because of hurricane Gustav. Thankfully, they didn't have damage. Mom and my sister both lost electricity at their homes but Mom's was restored the following day. Not sure about Nancy's - She left for a long awaited trip to Canada hoping hers would be turned back on soon! I hope she is having a great trip celebrating her 25th anniversary!! I can't wait till she's back and I get to see her pictures.

We enjoyed having Robert home last week on vacation. Yesterday, the two of us spent a fun day away for an early birthday celebration. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool, so we drove up Hwy. 71 and stopped by the new Lake Fort Smith State Park. It is very pretty - nice lake, campsites (although we wish they were closer to the lake), visitor center, and pool. Maybe we'll camp there sometime in the future. It would be a great place to take Allan's boat. We left the park and drove to Rogers for lunch at Abuelo's (Mexican) and shopping at Pinnacle Hills Promenade. We stopped at Target on our way home. It will be SO nice when our Target opens next month!!!! We had a great day.