A Simple Woman's Daybook~April 4, 2011

So, For Today...

Monday, April 4, 2011

Outside my window...The sun is rising, there are a few pink clouds. It reminds me of the saying"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. But I am going with the forecast, sunny all week.

I am thankful for...The wonderful uplifting weekend filled with inspiring talks from our church leaders during General Conference. The conference is held semi-annually in April and October. Transcripts and videos will be available by Thursday on lds.org. It is filled with tips and ideas and true principles to increase our peace and happiness.

I am praying for...family and friends in need, help for the major struggles in the mid-east and Japan, faith and determination and success in reaching our goals, more love, more kindness, more civility in the world. More gratitude.

From the learning room..Gratitude = JOY.

I am reading...A Promise at Sorbibor. In a word...EXCELLENT! A memoir of an 85 year-old survivor of Sorbibor, one of the secret death camps in Poland during WWII. There is so much to be learned from people who have overcome the unimaginable and learned to love and forgive in spite of it.

From the kitchen...Heaven help us! Always something to do in the kitchen. The never ending grocery lists, planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning up. I have found a great iPhone app that really helps sort it all out. It is called Grocery IQ. Free and very useful. Since I have been using it I find my shopping trips are much more efficient and I don't come home without something we need.

I am wondering...How I am going to get everything done this week? Jen and the girls, including their puppy, Mollie, are coming for a visit. We are over the moon-- excited! Jen is surprising the kids with a get up and jump in the car kind of day. I think they will be excited they have been wanting to come for a long time.

I am hearing...For All We Know, Rosemary Clooney.

Today if I could change one thing...sleepless nights would be a thing of the past.

I am quoting...I read this today and thought how by replacing the word poem with blog or journal and I can totally relate. "The hope for the unexpected is so essential to my process, I wouldn't bother to start a poem (post) if I already knew the ending. The pen is not just a recording device, it can also be an implement of discovery." Billy Collins

I am thinking about...what our little grandies would enjoy while here and all that goes with that. Also wondering why I didn 't go to the class on family reunions when it was offered at the Relief Society Women's Seminar last month? Dah! We needs some great ideas for our June 3-day retreat/reunion.

I am wearing...Burgundy velour sweat pants and hoodie and a white shirt and socks. Bedhead and no make-up. I look just lovely as you might well imagine!

I am going...to maybe drive Jim's new car for the first time today. He has my van at work today so I either I drive his car or stay home all day long. Might do that too, we'll see. I love a complete stay at home day, I am quite contented just puttering around the house doing things. I do appreciate solitude sometimes too.

I am missing...what use to be my good memory! Ha! The hard drive is on overload.
One of my guilty pleasures...Lancome cosmetics.

Pet Peeves...People who manipulate others and think they are not bright enough to see what is going on, adding insult to injury.

One of my favorite things...Weight Watchers Online. What a wonderful tool.

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont. This movie is in my top ten favorites of all time. It is such a sweet and gentle story of loneliness and friendship. Don't miss it. Netflix has it. It was produced in 2005 with Joan Plowright and Rupert Friend. Guaranteed to touch your heart in many ways and to stay with you. Let me know if you watch it, it would be fun to get your opinion of it. It is set in London, you'll love it. It is not a chick flick, Jim enjoyed it also.

I am curious about...what life would be like if we didn't have the experiences of others to learn from through books (including scriptures and history, as well as novels, and movies and various forms of storytelling. Very boring and unmotivating I am guessing and very narrow in scope.

Around the house...straightening some closets and cupboards comes to mind, windows need washing, I have ironing and am rotating out some of the winter clothes and things that are now too big. That is motivating. Making some closet space for Jen and the girls.

A few plans for the rest of the week...working tomorrow in Oakland, keeping the rest of the week open to prepare for our family. It is so rare when any of them get to come. It is fun to think about what we will do. One thing is I think we will decorate some Easter eggs with various things like glitter and tissue paper and paint. We'll see if it materializes as I envision it. I might have the girls help plant some spring flowers, kids love that. Sunday my teacher's memorial service and a meal with our lifelong friends Judi and Joel afterward. We haven't seen them since their daughter got married a few years ago. Should get home just in time to get some Grandie Hugs, Squeeze Jen and Play with Molly.

Here are some photos and some thoughts I am sharing with you...


In our family room we have this huge window and next to it is a piece of furniture I have a love/hate relationship with...the recliner. Hate the way it looks, love the way it feels. I fell asleep on it in the middle of this post as I had been up many hours during the nigh and needed a little nap.

When I opened my eyes and looked up and out the window beside me this is what I saw. Our Mighty Oak tree is leafing out. I reached over and grabbed my phone and took this picture. It looks so beautiful this morning. The silhouette is actually a six inch rabbit is sitting on the window sill. And I am lying below it so it makes it look huge.

I got up and walked over to my desk and this is what I saw in the front. The sun was shining directly through the flag, it looked so pretty. Just cheered up my day perfectly. It is to be a good one!


The Blog post about families I enjoyed the most this Week... was from my friend, Julie, the quintessential homemaker. Check out her beautiful, homey, family inspired kitchen. She blogs regularly about the joys of family living out in the country and near the her cliffs here.