Simple Woman's {Almost Spring!} Daybook

FOR TODAY...March 5, 2012

Outside my window...Sunshine!  Today and tomorrow promise almost perfect weather...temps around 70 and sunny with a bit of wind.  Then we are looking at a week of scattered showers and storms.  Trying to enjoy these pretty days before the rainy ones hit!

I am thankful...for my husband, who takes such good care of us, and so often picks up my slack (without complaining); for my children, who are constant reminders of God's grace, mercy, and goodness; for my friends, who encourage and sharpen.  

In the kitchen...Working slowly through a deep clean/purge of the kitchen...hoping to make another big dent today.  Also need to do some basic food prep today...cook up some meat ahead, prep veggies/fruits, and make some snacks for the week.  Our eating habits have gone downhill again the last few weeks, and it is showing in so many ways.  Definitely time to reign it in again!

I am wearing... Razorback sweats this morning...I'll be changing into something cooler soon.  I was thinking yesterday that I am ready to pack away the "warm fuzzies" for a while...I'll be ready to see them again in the fall, but for now, I'm tired of them.  Ready to give myself a pedicure and pull out the open toed shoes and flip flops! 

I am creating...playlists on YouTube!  I know...I'm WAYY behind, but I had no idea you could do such a thing.   I'm practically giddy being able to sort things so I can refer back to them later...for myself, for the kids, and for school.  

I am going...to bed early this week! (LOL...I often type these things off and on throughout the day...it's currently 8:57 p.m....I think that whole "going to bed early" thing is not off to a very good start this week!  Maybe tomorrow. :))

I am wondering...about the ID of this bird...

Every once in a great while, we'll see one of these cute little guys in our yard.  We thought we had it identified as a Philadelphia Vireo.  Then today, Billy came in and said he thought it was an Orange Crowned Warbler.  Upon further inspection, it doesn't have the white stripe over its eye like the PV, but it does have the pronounced wing bars, which the OCW doesn't have.  Now we are really confused. :)  Any bird ID experts out there that can help??

I am reading...I'm still working through a stack of non-fiction I've been working on off and on for a while...pondering and re-reading and savoring.  My fiction reading (at bedtime, or when I'm awake in the wee hours of the morning trying to go *back* to sleep :)) has been the Kaufmann Amish Bakery series, by Amy Clipston.  I read the first one for a review ages ago, and have wanted to read the rest ever since.  When I saw that Kindle had them for 2.99 apiece this week, I snatched them up. :)   They've been good "down time" reading. 

I am hoping...we don't get as much rain this week as they are predicting...a little would be nice, but I'd love a "mostly sunny" week!

I am looking forward to...Parents' Night Out this week...Date Night!! :)

I am learning... I was so excited this morning to discover that I can *print* my Cozi lists!!  That should have been obvious from the beginning, but somehow it didn't dawn on me until today.  I've been using Cozi and Evernote as part of my "Battle Against Brain Fog" arsenal, and they've been a big help. But as much as I love the online/app features, there are days when my brain just needs a pen and paper.  Crazy, but true.  I got today's list all tweaked in Cozi and then printed off a hard copy that I can carry around and check off with a pen today as we go...I'm so excited! (It's the little things, some days...;-))

Around the house...A little discouraged, as I had big plans for last week, and then ended up in bed much of the week...but this week's motto is "Slow and Steady Wins the Race"...going to keep chipping away at the "list", a little at a time...

I am pondering... This blog post, by a blogger I've followed for years...Resolved2Worship. 

My Past. To My Kids Someday. 

God has been working in my life so much in the last few years in the areas she discusses in this post.  And in the last month, He has bombarded me with this topic...through books, blog posts, songs, life circumstances, our Sunday School lessons, and Bro. Kent's sermons.  Much of this post really resonates with me (as do other blog posts she's written on similar topics).

One of my favorite things... The songbird symphony outside my bedroom window every morning.  One of the good things about my current {awake in the wee hours of the morning} stage in my sleep cycle is that I am able to lie there and listen to the early morning songs of the birds in our yard as I read or pray.  

A few plans for the rest of the week: Normal school, church, house stuff (normal is always good!)...two week shopping trip Friday...date night...birthday party for one of our favorite buddies on Saturday...

For more on The Simple Woman's Daybook, please visit Peggy's blog.