The Simple Woman's Daybook 3/5/2010

Idea taken from http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Outside my window…hazy and around 70, but later today it will be in the 90s and on Monday the high is to be 102. This is pretty tough to get used to after enjoying winter in Arkansas for 5 weeks!

I am thinking…..that our cat sure did grow a lot while we were away!

I am thankful for….our cat who gave the kids (Elizabeth especially) something to look forward to in the difficulty of leaving the states.. I’m also thankful that our luggage all made it here. And I’m thankful for the precious time we had to spend with our family back home. And for the outpouring of love and support we received from so many as we grieved the death of Steve’s daddy and made our very unexpected trip to the US.

From the kitchen….homemade chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, yum. I made a double batch this morning because we all feel like we’re starving…with the time zone adjustment we should be eating a big supper at breakfast time! But we all put on some extra pounds from eating all the good stuff in the states, so we will try for moderation and exercise as best we can. Steve worked out early this morning and hopefully today will be the day that I put together my new mini trampoline that I brought back with me (thanks Christina and Barry for that birthday gift!)

I am wearing…gray capris, Deeper Still brown t-shirt, flip-flops

I am reading…..So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore and just started today going through Living Free by Beth Moore. My favorites from today: “A stronghold is anything that exalts itself in our minds, pretending to be bigger or more powerful than our G0d. It steals our focus and causes us to feel overpowered. Whether our stronghold is an addiction, unforgiveness, or despair over a loss (this is mine---moving to the other side of the globe is a huge loss), it consumes so much of our emotional and mental energy that it strangles our abundant life. Our callings remain unfulfilled, and our believing lives become ineffective. Needless to say, these are the enemy’s precise goals.” Help me Father to regain my focus and to have an abundant believing life.

I am hoping…..that we can get settled in a routine of life here quickly and regain our focus on language learning and building relationships.

I am creating…..a list of recipes and a menu that I can rotate so I’m not so overwhelmed with figuring out what to cook. Everything has to be done from scratch so it takes longer and more planning.

I am hearing…..fans running, pretty quiet outside this time in the morning, although there was a car honking in the circle drive downstairs very early this morning.

Around the house…..most everything is unpacked, all except the food we brought back because we have no place to really put all of that. We have 2 full trunks plus another carryon bag full of good ole American food. Woohoo! :o)

One of my favorite things…..family. I love my family so very much and am so grateful for each and every one of them. I have often read that people that serve overseas believe they are changed themselves more so than being an instrument of change for those they were sent to serve. I am beginning to really comprehend that and realize that I have not always fully appreciated my family, and G0d has already changed that in me after just a few short (seems long) months. I used to make fun of people that wanted to live in their parent’s backyard so to speak. And shockingly, I woke up one morning when in my bedroom in my parent’s home and had the sudden urge to look out the window to see if there was room in their backyard for a little house. Wow, that’s a change. And one that made Steve look at me like, what?!

A few plans for the rest of the week….dinner with friends today and over the weekend as we spend as much time with our dear friends here before they leave for Thailand on Tuesday to have their baby. They will be gone for about 2 months and we will miss them to pieces. We’ll begin breaking out the school books…the kids did some studies while in the states, but its time to dive back into that. And for us to setup our language studies to begin again full force.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you….

This is a picture of JETLAG. After Emma spent a couple of hours playing with some neighborhood girls, she suddenly said she was ready to stop playing because she was tired. She walked out on the balcony and a couple of minutes later, this is what we found! She just fell straight to sleep sitting straight up! It was around supper time. We woke her to have her eat supper, then she went to the couch and went right back to sleep. We moved her to bed and she slept until around 6am when she got up bright eyed and ready for breakfast!