7 Quick Takes (vol. 34)

#1 - I am coming to the end of a much needed week of rest combined with successful completion of various jobs. We worked for four weeks prior to this week, so essentially most of March, and it was a very busy time. Being off my feet and focusing entirely on my home and family has been much needed.

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#2 - One of the busy parts of the last month was preparing the cottage for a state inspection. We scrubbed and cleaned and examined parts of the cottage that have not been cleaned since I don't know when. True Spring cleaning. I am pleased to report that the inspector came on Tuesday and we passed very well. Such a relief. I feel one of the hard parts of Houseparenting for me is how much our actions, from house keeping to parenting, are always under inspection. It is nice to have praise and not being put down. It's far too easy for others to second-guess our actions, not having a full view of the day to day workings of this compilation of personalities and needs.

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#3 - In anticipating this week, Blueberry was making all sorts of plans. These included going to the bookstore to buy a new Clifford book, going out with Daddy on a date, buying a live animal, playing in the gym, etc. While the live animal has not happened, it was our pleasure to fulfill many of these wishes for her. After all, we refer to these weeks as our "fun weeks" and I am pleased that she embraces that idea. So often, depending on the season, her specific desires may or may not be fulfilled while we are working, so for her to know that she has these weeks to count on, is important. Tricky balance between not spoiling and providing fulfillment, but I think we are finding our way through that treacherous path pretty well.

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#4 - As I type this, I'm also watching Pride and Prejudice. It's been quite awhile since I've sat and watched this film through, and I am happy that it still is as satisfying to watch as ever. There is such grace and decorum in the expectations of that day. I sometimes wish I could pull more of those things into our lives today, as opposed to the flagrant disregard for boundaries and moral behavior so often seen today. Mind you, I type that and then look at the dresses they wear. Ankles be covered but bosoms fly free. I guess it's all really relative.

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#5 - I'm enjoying an evening of quiet solitude. Blueberry and Z are both asleep in bed and Chris is off at a hockey game with the boy's cottage. Such evenings are rarely come by for me, and I'm treasuring the solitude.

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#6 - I am counting down days until my parents arrive. 24 to be precise. They will truly fly by as 3 of them are our last days off this week, followed by three weeks of work. One of these weeks is a campus, week-long trip to Myrtle Beach. Am so looking forward to seeing the ocean, I can barely begin to explain it.

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#7 - One of the major projects I had to get done this week was to complete our taxes. Miserable business as always, but more so than usual as I have three separate states taxes to complete! So glad that's over with. And our refund should help pay off our new roof on our house in Springfield. Praise the Lord for that blessing!

Thankfullness - 1000 Gifts March II

16. 3 Hard Eucharisteos

• Having parents who are missionaries--living across the world, so far away--and yet doing as they are called by the Lord.
• Having given up living near family, following the pattern of most of my life, in order to follow in obedience to the Lord. Working a job that is a ministry and a gift.
• The pangs of labor, resulting in a gift from the Lord.

17.  A Gift Turned, Folded, Hung

• Turned: the three year old who, storming away from me in an angry fit at being told no, stops, turns of her own decision, and returns to me to me to "talk about it"
• Folded:
• Hung: two gorgeous skirts, free of cost, exactly the style I've been wanting

18. 3 Gifts Red

• Roses, given by my love, in full bloom full of sweetness and promise.
• Crisp apples, sweet and tasty
• A velvety Christmas dress, hanging in the wardrobe, waiting for the next time of celebration.

 19.  3 Gifts Eaten

• fresh baked bread with honey on top
• granola and yoghurt first thing in the  morning
• roast chicken that stretches into a meal of chicken tacos and then stretches further into chicken veggie soup

20. 3 Gifts That Make You Laugh

• Baby Q leaning forward to give a slobbery, wet, open-mouth kiss
• Silly girls all talking at once to share a story about school, running into each other with their words and giggling over nothing in the end
• My Blueberry informing me we are playing "I'm the mommy doggy, doggy is the baby doggy, and you're the grandma doggy. Daddy can be grandpa."

21. A Gift Salty, Sweet, Just Right

• Salty caramel chocolate

22. 3 Gifts Found in His Word

• Hope
• A Future
• Savior

23.  3 Gifts found in Women Today

• Motherhood - a continuation of the role from the beginning of time
• Compassion for others
• Leadership in the church--mentoring to other women. 

24.  3 Gifts Spoken

• "I love you"
• An encouraging phone call on a tired day.
• "You're beautiful."

25. A Gift Sung, Written, Painted

• "Let it Go" sung by a goat. Because it made me laugh.
• Madeline L'Engle - Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art  Such a continual source of inspiration--both spiritually and in my arts.
• Rainbow colors of a freshly painted picture by my three year old.

26. 3 Gifts Almost Gone

• A plate of sticky rice and somtam. A taste of home.
• Another month in 2014. So quickly they pass, so precious each day, even the ones that seem to drag on.
• A TV show that has made me laugh and given me times of distance from sometimes stressful days.

27. 3 Gifts Redeemed

• My parents, missionaries to a nation in desperate need of a Savior.
• My brother and his wife--serving those who are so often considered lesser.
• My sister and her husband--teaching children; reaching out to friends; love and laughter.

 28. 3 Gifts Entwined

• baby arms and mommy arms--held together
• Hands with my husband, sleeping in the night.
• Matching mommy and toddler toes, rosy red, bonded in paint.

 29. 3 Gifts of His Promise

• A future in heaven
• Purification, even from the times I just flat out fail.
• "I have called you friends" John 15:15

30. 3 Gifts Uncovered

• Baby toes wiggling in the grass
• Lost socks buried underneath a bookshelf when we need more socks or be forced to buy more.
• Toes, free in sandals, rejoicing in heat after the cold of bitter winter.

31. A gift heard, held, hoped

• A longed for baby cry in the dark, arms wrapped around my neck for comfort and love.

Announcement

As of today, all references to Baby Q will now be Z. Because really that's what I use as his written nickname more than anything else any ways, and he's growing up so quickly, Z will be easier to refer to. Just an FYI for those who are confused as to where this new child suddenly sprang from.