Not so sure this is true.

For those who know me, do you find this true of me? I do not think I am logical or think before I act.

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are highly energetic. You are a passionate, intense, vigorous person. You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical. You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a good communicator. You work hard to get your ideas across effectively.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

The Simple Woman's Daybook for June 30, 2008

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FOR TODAY



Outside my Window...is a cloud filled sky but the sun is trying its best to stick it out.



I am thinking...of when I can get out to the garage to strip my antique armoire and how I'm going to refinish it...paint or stain? It's headed for the playroom.



I am thankful for...a thoughtful friend who picked cherries for me today (even pitted and froze them! Thank you!) and children who slept in this morning so that I was able to get a few extra things done despite the fact that I slept in too!



From the kitchen...Stuffed Shells and Garlic Crescents



I am creating...a plant stand out of an old bar stool



I am going...to enjoy being home today



I am wearing...denim skirt and black tee (perhaps this is my Monday uniform?)



I am reading...A Life That Says Welcome (I took a break last week from it to read The Indian in the Cupboard, previewing it for a read-aloud for the boys)



I am hoping...that Mr. Steady comes home early today so I can work a little longer to catch up.



I am hearing...nothing but the hum of the computer



Around the house...Mr. Steady has a list of small things to do today, all of which involve either a drill, screws or both.



One of my favorite things...my Greenhouse candles that I forgot I had and found this week



A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...it's Picnic in the Park week with the moms and children from church



Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...inspiration for my kitchen, go see more of this beautiful kitchen at Cherry Hill Cottage. I have similar color paint chips hanging in my kitchen right now, I just can't commit to painting the cabinets anything wild and exciting right now. Maybe I'll do a bright color on armoire for the play room.

Well Duh...Just Duh

I have been reading Karen Ehman's A Life That Says Welcome. In it, she talks about practicing hospitality and the fact that we are all called to practice hospitality (Romans 12:13 NIV). Karen points out that practice involves, well, practice. This sentence jumped out and smacked me over the forehead.

We don't learn by watching, we learn by doing. Anything we learn to do, play an instrument, read, play a sport...we get better as we do it. I thought (subconsciously, of course) that since I had watched my mother sort laundry every Friday night and bake pies and prepare meals that I should be able to do this too. Of course, my mother taught me how to sort laundry and I am a pretty good cook (although I don't do pie crust). But the whole keeping house and opening my home with a heart of hospitality? I wasn't really *taught* that. We did a speed clean when we knew company was coming and just apologized for the mess when we didn't know company was coming. Our home was always open with a glass of cold iced tea or a cup of hot coffee but it never seemed very intentional. I'm usually the type to be able to see a picture and recreate something so I guess I've been assuming that because I've *seen* hospitality and a clean house done that I could do it too. Don't get me wrong, I know how to clean house and how to be hospitable. It just doesn't come easily or naturally to me.

Father God, help me start today by practicing hospitality within my own family. Work through me to make them feel welcome and loved. Help me to not save the best cookies or the best tablecloth or even the best meals for company. Remind me of this lesson over and over again until it becomes second nature to me. Remind me that practice makes things easier and more natural over time. May my work be pleasing to you and bring glory and honor to you alone. Amen.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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Outside My Window ... Cars and trucks are whisking by while birds sing brightly. The gnarly tree across the street is now filled out nicely with lush green leaves. The sky is a beautiful cornflower blue with cotton candy clouds.



I am thinking ... of all the things to do on my to-do list and wondering if I can get them done before Wednesday.



I am thankful for ... this week I got to spend alone with BabyBoy and for a hard working husband and his new friend at work.



From the kitchen ... grilled cheese sandwiches, bing cherries topped with vanilla yogurt.



I am creating ... a shutter garden that I've only been working on for two years and generally trying to spruce up my porch.



I am wearing ... jean skirt, black tee



I am going ... to Connecticut in two days to retrieve my boys - I can't wait to see them!



I am reading ... A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman



I am hoping ... to get my to-do list done by tomorrow night to create a haven for my family to come home to.



I am hearing ... the birds outside and am hoping to work on being able to identify them by their song soon.



Around the house ... things feel in disarray as I am trying to catch up with work. I did get to go through the older boys' bedroom and clean out their dresser and closet. I was able to purge a few books and stuffed animals for an upcoming barn sale this week.



One of my favorite things ... I am enjoying the piece of stitching I am working on right now, a quote from Abraham Lincoln, "Whatever you are...be a good one." A reminder to myself more than anything.



A few plans for the rest of the week ... laundry, laundry and more laundry. Taking a shift at the barn sale and planning a Friday Family Fun night to celebrate the boys' homecoming.



Here is a picture thought I am sharing ... from our visit to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens last summer, a continual inspiration for me.

Monday Musings

As I was having quiet time with God last week, I looked out my window at our degenerate water spout. I don't know exactly what is wrong with it except that all the water goes out the wrong end of the gutter so that the right end of the gutter only allows a slow drip down the water spout. As I looked at the drips of water, I told God I was feeling just like that. While it seems my sisters all around me are filled with these bubbling, sometimes gushing streams, of living water, I just get these drips that splatter onto the concrete below them and trickle away. I feel like my sisters are on the crazy water slides while I am on the lazy river. As they woosh past me, they smile and wave and invite me along but I don't have enough depth or angle to do anything but trickle.

I was reminded of Beth Moore's reference to ducks in her Believing God book. She mused about three ducks she had seen splashing and fighting over a muddy puddle, obviously not big enough for the three of them. Just over the hill was a beautiful pristine pond with more than enough room. But the ducks were oblivious to this fact and stayed in the puddle. I told God that I *know* the pond is over the hill but I just don't know how to get there.

That is when He showed me the grass. The concrete slab where the rain trickles down ends in the yard and right at the end of the slab, the grass growing around it is taller than the grass further out in the yard. Even though the rain trickles and doesn't collect into anything obvious, the water is still doing a job and watering the grass around it. I may not be gushing anywhere but I am not standing still either. And sometimes, the ground accepts a light, steady rain more readily than a heavy downpour. Sometimes, a light steady rain is all that I can handle.