Yesterday I laid out some of my blocks on the floor to get an idea of what the finished quilt will look like. My kitty decided he wanted to help!
These are about half the blocks I have complete so far. I still have to cut blocks out of the tan fabric and the red with doggy prints. As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to set up my ironing board and get the rest of the fabric ready to cut! Hubby is working tonight so it’s just me and a classical CD.
This morning I rolled out of bed and popped on Facebook. My normal habit is to read the Bible before doing anything else, but I had asked hubby if we could take a walk. He had already been up for awhile and was in the middle of something on his computer. So I decided to check my email and read updates on Facebook while waiting for hubby.
One of the updates on Facebook made me mad. Hubby and I spent almost our entire walk talking (or for me, venting) about various issues. I got home and was in a tizzy! Not a good way to start the day when I’m trying to cultivate a heart like God’s and be respectful toward my husband. I keep reminding myself “demure, you can be demure…”
As soon as we got home, I spent time in God’s word like I should have before I left. I was chastised. My reading took me to Psalm 107. In that chapter alone, four times does the psalmist remind people to praise God.
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
(vs. 8, 15, 21, 31).
Oh that I would praise the Lord instead of getting caught up in the ways of this world! God is very good and it’s too easy to forget His wonderful works! Oh that I would praise the Lord…
Last week I started to practice the habit of having all dishes washed, dried, and put away before going to bed. This way, when I get up in the morning and start making breakfast, the kitchen is clean and easier to work in.
I am very happy to say that I was successful every night other than Friday night. We celebrate the Sabbath from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night and I don’t do any housework on the Sabbath. Dishes from all of Sabbath were washed and put away on Saturday after sundown. It was really nice having a clean kitchen all week.
This week I am going to continue building the habit of having all dishes washed before going to bed. Because that went so well, I’m going to start building another habit of cleaning the cat boxes every morning. My kitties deserve cleaner litter boxes. Hopefully I am successful this week as well!
Habit #1 – at the end of each day, all dishes will be washed, dried, and put away.
Habit #2 – at the beginning of each day, both cat boxes will be cleaned.
By 11 this morning, I found myself sitting at my computer wondering what to do. My basic housework was complete. I was finished with my one hour of Japanese studies. I have a pile of projects to work on but I’m not used to having time to actually start some of it!
So what did I do? Eat lunch. Yes, I ate lunch. Very productive!
But this afternoon I did pull out my quilting supplies and iron a big piece of fabric. I decided it was time to get back to work on the quilt for my grandpa. I cut 8″ strips and then cut it down in 8″ squares. So far I only have the first 5 squares complete, but I do have four more strips to cut into squares. Tomorrow.
It felt good to be productive again!
I’m not sure I like this fabric, but it will work. I have a hard time picking out fabric when it’s a gift to someone else. Who knows if they will like it?
I look forward to mastering these first 200 words and then moving on to the next 200.
Is anyone else learning a foreign language as an adult? It’s quite different from learning in junior high or high school.
I am very excited to be reading again. I read few books this summer and nothing that was challenging. This fall, just in time for back to school, I am challenging myself to learn something. I have some thoughts on educating myself, what excites me about learning, and my goals for education. All will be posted another day.
For today, here’s what is on my nighstand, er, coffee table.
It’s a huge pile of books and there is no way I will complete them all before they are due back at the library. Some of them are my husband’s books and others are reference material. For instance, I borrowed a chronological study Bible just to see what it’s like. At first glance, I love it. If I still like it after reading a bit, I’m going to purchase one.
Top priority books:
Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free – I’ve seen this one highly recommended around the blogsphere and thought it was worth checking out.
The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ – I received this as a review copy and need to finish reading it this weekend.
Love & Respect – Another book that was highly recommended to me. So far I keep saying “yes, yes, I do that.” But I’m almost half way through the book and I want to know what I’m supposed to do about it. More later.
The Well-Educated Mind – I’ve actually finished reading this book but I marked a few spots where I need to go back and take notes. I need to finish up quickly, as it’s a very popular book at my library and I’m sure I won’t be able to renew it.
Canterbury Tales – My husband keeps challenging me to read a classic, so I asked him to pick one out for me. I’ve never read Chaucer, so I’ll be interested to see how I do with this massive piece of literature.
What are you reading this month?
Months ago, I started working on smart habits. For some reason, I allowed myself to become lazy and let my newly formed habits lapse. Now that I’m starting to get serious about my homemaking, I want to dedicate myself to building good habits.
Lara encourages people to start with small habits that will build on each other. Instead of saying that “I want to keep my house clean” I will start with smaller habits. Once I establish those smaller habits, I will find that my house naturally stays clean.
The first habit I want to establish involves eliminating dirty dishes. We are constantly washing a couple plates or forks while soaking pots sit in the sink. Ew.
Habit #1 – at the end of each day, all dishes will be washed, dried, and put away.
I’m almost ready for bed and all of my dishes are washed. It’s a great feeling.
Ahhh… The air conditioner is fixed, my kitty is back to normal, and it’s Sabbath. Life is looking up. 🙂
Happy Sabbath, everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.
How did people survive before the invention of air conditioning? Was it easier because your body was more acclimated to the heat as you transitioned from spring to summer? Was the temperature cooler 100 years ago without all the cars and asphalt?
I am melting. Today was the third full day without air conditioning and my brain cells are melting. I will try to remember to appreciate our air conditioner more once it’s fixed!
I woke up in an incredibly bad mood. There’s no excuse for it, though I could try. There’s just no excuse.
Hubby ran to the store for a couple grocery items and came back with a surprise.
There is no way I deserved these and I was really humbled. My hubby is so sweet.