Joining in September’s daybook entries….

TODAY:

Outside my window… Toys in the backyard, plants needing water.  I see stillness and quiet too.

I am thinking... of returning to 3 in 30 goals – remember those?  Choosing 3 projects to complete each month.  September will be pictures, pictures and pictures!

I want to:  take new individual pictures of the children (outdoors), choose pictures to enlarge for our family room wall, chip away at deleting photos from my computer.

I am thankful… for the incredibly wonderful, laid-back, good-old days summer we enjoyed!!  Oh, I will savor our memories made for a long time.  These months required much of us in other ways – largely in thinking, praying, and processing big decisions.

So the balance of quiet, lots of play, family breaks, porch-sitting, tea-sipping slow days was exactly what we needed.  I’m moving into the fall more refreshed, with much more clarity.  Much.

In the kitchen… planning for more activity than our mellow summer days.  Really, some days I barely cooked!  We had things like hummas and pita, or bruschetta and french bread for dinner.  Sometimes added in fruit and maybe a salad?  Looking forward to making soups, chilis and baking more.  Ummm.

I am creating… LISTS of course!  I’m so much more motivated when I’ve told myself what to do. 🙂  It works for me.

I am going… to a few more activities for the children than last week.  The fullness of the fall schedule begins!  Our days are still largely at home, almost all of the evenings too, so I can’t complain.

I am reading… nothing in particular right now.  My brain is full from homeschool reading this summer, and I’m ready for a fun FICTION novel.  As in one that doesn’t require me to be super alert to follow the plot!

I am hoping… to make elderberry syrup sometime soon!

I am looking forward to… gathering with like-minded home educators next week.  This Mama-group of 4 who focus on Charlotte Mason inspired learning & growing.  I’m wildly grateful to have connected with such supportive ladies.  Oh, and celebrating my daughter’s 15th birthday this weekend! – sure to be a great memory.

I am learning… to see the beauty in letting go.  I wrote those words 2 years ago, and think of them now:

“Sometimes we sense a disturbance in our circumstances for precisely this reason —God is shaking things up.  He is preparing us for sweet release.

He intends for the passage from one vision to another to display beauty, a truly magnificent showcase of His glory at work.”

From one vision to another.  Seems a centering theme in our discussions as husband and wife.

I shared with women in our congregation recently (as we relaxed in a vineyard), how the Master Gardener knows well what He is up to in our lives.

To bring forth more fruit, vines will be pruned.  To make wine, eventually grapes must be harvested and crushed.   We say good-bye to say hello, say no to say yes.  Yet, we are safe in the Gardener’s hands.  Abundantly safe.  The process is always and only for our good.

Around the house… I’ve decided to forgo any fall cleaning, and to wait instead for a light spring cleaning.  I have a feeling I *might* regret this decision by Christmas, but it’s simply not a priority right now.

One of my favorite things… our new homeschool planners!  I am so in love with these, and they’re actually not planners at all, but more a record-keeping book.  A record of living and learning, altogether appropriate for my 2nd and 5th grader this year.

A peek into my day… for all those who think I’m incredibly organized all of the time, here’s a peek into the process – it begins as a mess!  I think my family is happy to have our dining table back for eating. 🙂

But see that {empty} cup of tea toward the top? — even in the mess, right in the middle of it, I pause for a cup.  Makes it all much easier to deal with!

YIKES.  

I can’t leave you with that photo!  Let’s try another…

A grace-filled weekend to you and yours…