Rainy Wednesday Daybook

Outside my window: It's gray and raining with the sounds of distant thunder.  Here in Texas those conditions are a reason to celebrate.

I am thankful for: Rain!  Please Lord, keep it coming!

From the Kitchen:  Bernadette just made the announcement that she's going to start baking chocolate chip mini cupcakes from the cookbook we got her for Christmas.  She says she is going to add pureed strawberries to the batter to find out how they will taste.  In this household, she's often the baker and I am the taste tester.  I relish my role.

Learning:  how to potty train a willful 3 year old.  Technically we started at age 2.  Were about two weeks into it now and I'm getting desperate.  Nothing we've tried seems to work.  Bernadette was potty-trained over a weekend and she NEVER had accidents.  Our little guy?  He knows how to play his cards.  Any advice and/or encouragement is greatly appreciated.

I am creating:  chaos in my mind with so many things I want to do.  As far as crafts go, I took a few days off from any fabric-based projects after Fulton's birthday.  Now it is time to focus on finishing some U.F.O's (Unfinished Objects) that I plan on giving to the children for Valentine's Day.  But first, I really want to make something for myself, because in the 2 years I've been sewing I have yet to make something for me.

I am working on:  Goals and habits,  big and small.  It's all I read about, all I think about.  I'm losing sleep due to excitement and possibilities, oh and Dominic teething.

I am going: to begin work on a big long-term project of mine.  It's too early yet to talk about it to anyone but Daniel.  The only reason I bring it up now is because I think of these Daybook posts as journal entries and I want to look back and remember the things that were important to me.

I am reading: The Creative Habit (Thanks to Sarah).  I love this book.  So many nuggets of wisdom embedded in the pages.  I find myself taking a lot of notes in the hopes of putting what I'm learning to action in my life.

Pondering: "More often than not, I've found, a rut is the consequence of sticking to tried and tested methods that don't take into account how you or the world has changed.  It's like your mother serving you you the same breakfast you loved as a child.  You push the meal away half-eaten and she says, 'But you always loved Cocoa Puffs and pork sausage.'  That was then, this is now."  Tyla Tharp from The Creative Habit.

I actually had the same epiphany about ruts a few days before reading the above quote.  I'm currently in a homeschool rut.  It took reading this post by Sarah to realize I was in one.  But the good news is, the realization has been made and now I'm excited about the possibilities for getting out of it.

I am praying for:  Guidance as we discern how to take the next step to fulfill our dream of living on land.  Lord, we truly feel St. Jude answered our prayers in a big way this past summer.  Now were trying to figure out our next move and of course we don't want to make any decisions without You Lord. Please take our hearts and guide us in our discernment.

I am hearing: Bernadette singing her heart out to the Tangled soundtrack.  I love how she puts it on every morning after she gets dressed to clean her bedroom.  Of course, it does mean pushing the start of homeschooling until after the c.d. has had it's run through.

Around the house:  Nice and tidy as our evening winds down.  I'm hoping the kids will go to sleep without too much of a struggle.  Sigh.  This time of our day definitely needs an overhaul.


Picture Thoughts:

Fulton and I played in rain puddles this afternoon.  We live in Texas.  We do those sort of things in January.   He was hesitant at first but slowly began to revel in soggy fun with some gentle prodding from mama.  I think I loved playing as much as he did.  Can't wait to play again.