Neither here nor there

A quiet peace has fallen over our home at present. All children are either napping or resting in their beds. A candle is lit in the kitchen. Dinner is cooking slowly in the oven. I am sitting, coffee in hand, deciding which list I want to make first - always the list-maker. As I told my Deana B the other day, I rarely ever go by my lists. I usually make them with great fervor and then set them aside. But, something about just making the list, putting my thoughts into writing, organizing the ideas that crowd my brain makes me feel better. Silly, I know, silly, but true.

I was musing this morning over several things. One such thing is the fact that Rain is sure to have gained a bit of weight over the past month. I have turned the job of feeding Rain over to JCT who thinks this new responsibility a great honor. He so loves to feed his dog that he rarely feeds him just the one cup full that I ask of him. No, he goes above and beyond the call of duty. He tells me, "No, Mama, Rain needs a little more than that. He's 'ungry." And, with that he digs the scooping cup into the food bag one more time. And, if you look closely, ever so closely, you can see Rain's mouth turned up just slightly in a grin as he watches his little 2 year old advocate scoop extra dog goodness into his bowl.

I have a sweet friend who, when I complained about not having a favorite CD to listen to right now, made me 3 CDs. Yes, she did. She titled them "For Erin vol.1, 2, and 3." And, she didn't stop there. No, ma'am, she typed up pages of commentary on each individual song - why each song is special to her. So, now I have 3 new, and very good I might add, CDs to listen to. Thanks Sara!



Oh, and for any of you out there who follow Sarah's In the Midst of It. I want to say something to you, something that I learned long ago. I know Sarah well. We went to college together. Now a lot has changed in Sarah's life since college. In college she had to get 8 hours of sleep every single night. I would pass by her room at 3 a.m. still very much awake and deep into my studies, and she would be already 5 hours into her sleep. And, while the rest of us crammed large quantities of information into our brains during finals, Sarah would be sitting on her bed cross-stitching. She began preparing for finals at the beginning of the semester, so they were really no big deal to her. She would simply sit back and relax listening to Christmas music with a cinnamon candle lit for atmosphere. My Sarah was always well-prepared and rarely procrastinated. Somehow, she maintained many friendships, a serious boyfriend who is now her husband, an active craft life, and a 4.0. She was always reading books for her classes, as well as, books for her own enjoyment. Just like it baffles my mind now that she is able to knit 6 baby hats, 4 sweaters, cross-stitch, home school, read 5 books at once, and maintain a well-organized household, it baffled my mind back then how she wore 12 hats and wore them all well. I have come to believe that she is some sort of time-management genius. So, if you read her posts and wonder how she does it all, know that you are not alone. I have been wondering the same thing for years. She amazed me back then, and she amazes me now. Some things never change - but, her bedtime, now that is one thing that has changed. . .



Now I am off to make one of those ever important lists!