Daybook January 7, 2015

Outside my window...it is a cold and blustery day. No, really. It is. It's also very dark out there as it is only 6:30am. Why am I writing at 6:30am? Because I'm trying something new. I have laid out a blog schedule for every day (not for each blog that I have, just a rotation of them), and as I have to be up at 5:30am every week morning, I'm trying to write in the wee hours to stay up on my blogs and, more importantly, my writing. We'll see how it works out. I normally come out, get the elementary girls up (of which I only have two currently), and do my devotions as they run through their school-morning routine on auto-pilot (they leave so early in the morning, they eat breakfast at school, and they are well-trained in what they need to do in the morning to the point where even our Relief Houseparents comment that they just get through their mornings with minimal input--goal achieved!). Normally when I'm done devotioning, I start working on some of the paperwork etc I need to do. But I'm determined to use this time for writing instead. It keeps me center in the cottage so I'm there to keep an eye on things and help as needed, but still use my peaceful morning to the best of my abilities.

I am thinking...of my countdown to Thailand currently going on--five more days!!! Yes, I'm excited. Getting giddy in fact. But with lots to do in the meantime, which is good because it makes the time go fast.

I am thankful for...a job that allows me to be able to travel like this. Not all the time, of course, but I do love our schedule here.

From the learning rooms...[or in our case--the learning brain]...we've been focusing on (what else!) Thailand the last week. Teaching Blue how to say Saw-wat-di-ka and kop-kun-ka (Hello/Goodbye and thank you). Reading The Little blue Tuk Tuk, and some other books on Thailand we have. Prepping her for some probable poking and prodding as the inevitable of being a cute, blond, little girl over there.

From the kitchen...

I am wearing...nothing exciting. Just jeans and a shirt. Oh, and my lovely new treble clef earrings that were my Christmas present from my husband.

I am creating...my New Year's resolutions. I know, I know. New Year's is over now, but I have found that I like to spend the first month of the year contemplating how I want to tackle the rest of the year and then starting in on those plans in February. Otherwise, in the hustle and bustle of December, I never really feel like I get much contemplation time in regarding these things. What can I say? I'm a planner.

I am going...to hopefully get some new dishes for the cottage today. We're currently working with two very miss-matched sets that don't have enough of either set to form a full table (granted, we require lots of dishes for our meals, but still!). It'd be nice to just have one or even two sets that blend nicely.

In my mailbox today.. .I don't know! However, I do need to finish my Christmas thank you cards and get those sent out. And then perhaps someday I'll actually send out a Christmas New Years greeting of some sort. Sigh.

I am reading.. .Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gift. A book I've been wanting to read for awhile, and also a Christmas gift from my husband-dear.

I am hoping...to go back to a more paleo-esque diet when we return from Thailand. Tried it out in November/first part of December and actually really liked it (took me about a year to work up the courage to try it, lol!). Lost 5 pounds in 5 weeks with no effort, and had more energy. December was rough and I finally just gave up in disgust, knowing something had to give somewhere and doing the cooking that was necessary to make the paleo work was it. However, now that I have tried it and know what I'm looking at and what will need to be done to eat that way, I'm actually looking forward to making that a regular part of my life this next year (with exceptions along the way). We'll see how I feel after several months.

I am hearing...the heat blowing through the vents. The chatter of the twins as they get ready for the day. And the vague sound of someone's radio playing worship music. Good start to the morning.

Around the house...my Christmas decorations are almost entirely down. I started yesterday, planning on just putting a few things away. Well, I managed to get everything packed and ready to be stored. What is left is the outdoor lights (only one string this year), and the tree itself, and the boxes. All of which are lucky husband's job to do. I was originally thinking it would have to wait until we got back from Thailand, so yes, I'm patting myself on the back over this one!

One of my favorite things...watching my children play together. Blueberry is a great big sister, determined to teach Baby Z well, and Baby Z absolutely adores her and generally likes to follow her lead (although he is decidedly opinionated still on what he wants to do).

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• finish the last bits of packing (mostly ready to go, just the final things to toss in)
• go out to dinner with the cottage! We were blessed with a very kind donation to let us go out to dinner and a movie as a cottage. A rare treat in our lives. Haven't told the girls yet, but they will be super excited when we do.
• get thank you cards written and squared away
• get the cottage in shape to pass down to our relief's while we are gone
• get my house clean and tidy before we go so I can come back to peace and not chaos

Here is picture (or more) for thought I am sharing...

I love this picture of my Blueberry. This was her first Christmas performance-type-thing she's ever done. I was worried she wasn't going to participate, but in the end she did and had a blast.

Want to join in? Go check out The Simple Woman's Daybook.