I had another spectacular trail ride this weekend with Blaze and B. and mom. Fall colors are getting close to peak, and the days are still warm enough to be called Indian Summer.
Soccer season started for Blaze and even though it requires a lot more driving around and coordinating schedules, its still fun to watch her run around panting while I am sitting in the folding chair with a cozy blanket and a thermos of tea, cheering her on. Then when we are all sufficiently chilled we get to come home to a crackling fire in the woodstove. I love fall.
Another nice thing about fall is that once all the summer travel has wrapped up, Bible study groups get going again. The Beth Moore "Esther" Bible study has started and boy there is nothing like a good dose of Beth Moore's energy and spirit to get one excited about the Bible and our wonderful Lord and Savior. One of her themes in this study is "It's Tough Being a Woman" and she did a survey to see what women listed as some of the toughest things...
#1 HORMONES! - no surprise there.
#2 yielding. Having to submit - not just to human authority but also to God. In other words - not getting our way when we want!
#3 balance. This would be #1 on my list. Making time for God in the midst of my crazy schedule.
Monday 6:30 Wake up and read the Bible, try to have some quiet time before the day's madness begins. But often this ends up being the time when B. and I relax and talk (uninterrupted by kids) while sipping coffee (him) and tea (me). 7 am. The girls alarm clock goes off. Ten minutes later I'm up there threatening to spritz Blaze and Dreamer with water if they don't get up and start getting ready for school. 8am Wrestle the twins into their clothes and get them off to preschool. 9am-last minute prep for lecture. 10am-11 give lecture to 44 students and try to keep looks of hostile boredom from appearing on their faces. Until 4 pm - try to catch up on everything else at work. 4:30 Get Blaze to ballet lessons then go for a walk (exercise keeps up those endorphins!) 5:15 pick up twins and Dreamer. 5:25 pick up Blaze and rush her to soccer game. 6:30 get everyone home and briefly consider making mac and cheese for dinner tonight but shucks I made that last night, better find something with protein and veggies tonight. Help with homework while cooking and listen to Blaze read. Sit for about a half hour on the sofa while the girls bounce all around me. 8 pm finally get up enough energy to begin the bedtime routine (baths, bedtime story, practice verses, pray... if I remember). 9pm. Ah the blessed peace and quiet of the house all to myself! Unfortunately, I can't pick up that novel that I would like to read, because I was up late the night before putting together a PowerPoint for my lecture, so now I'm so tired it's all I can do to drag myself to bed.
Tuesday - all the same as above, except minus the lecture (replace with grading) and replace ballet lessons and soccer with Sparkies club and then Bible study (for me). Okay we had protein and veggies for dinner last night so tonight I pick up pizza because there isn't time to make dinner between Sparkies and Bible study. Just to make things a little more complicated and fun, once a month on Tuesday I replace Bible study with Writer's group.
Wednesday - all the same as on Monday, except instead of ballet and soccer game, replace with soccer practice then CIA (Children in Action) for the children - keeps them occupied at church so we can have peace and quiet for Prayer Service. I still haven't figured out a good dinner solution to fit in between soccer practice and CIA. And bless her precious soul, Mom helps the kids get their homework done after school before soccer practice.
Thursday - same as Tuesday, except the kids don't have any activities (whew) and every other week B. watches them and does the dinner/homework thing so I can go to the Beth Moore study. After the study I go straight to Coal Creek Coffee House with my laptop, to get an hour or maybe even two hours of writing in. Sometimes this is the only writing/editing I accomplish all week. Sometimes I go with a friend, or over a friend's house. If I'm really lucky, we can kill two birds with one stone, e.g. hang out together and solve all of life's problems together, and fit a word war in at the same time so we both get writing accomplished too.
Friday - no work! I stay home all day with the twins. Oops, I forgot that the house needs cleaned after 4 days of complete neglect. And then I signed up to volunteer at the girl's school for an hour (just because I'm not busy enough all ready, of course). Then I give riding lessons to a couple girls in the afternoon if the weather is good (I do this to motivate myself to ride a little too, either before, after or during the lesson. This might be the only time the horses get attention from me during the week). Then I remember the stalls need cleaned. Then off to Mom and Dad's for dinner in the evening, or they come over to our house.
Saturday - soccer game in the morning. Afternoon - all MINE! Oops, that is unless the girls guilt me into letting them have a playdate. Oh yeah and don't forget the laundry.
Sunday - church - am and pm - need I say more? But this is still the best day of the week. I LOVE to worship the Lord. Just wish I was better at it all week long. Which brings me back to balance. I'm really good at keeping busy and getting day-to-day things done. Really poor at keeping God in the center of it all. Oh, and how much did I mention B. in the above schedule? Isn't he supposed to be my second priority, after God? Ouch.
What I listed above is my intended schedule. There is many a day where I have a mini-meltdown and decide that I just need to stay home and watch a movie while cuddling the kids on the couch, instead of going to Bible study or Prayer Service or Sunday Evening Service. I have been known to tell Blaze its okay to skip soccer practice (or even a game) once in a while. And if a really GOOD novel should happen to fall into my hands, all bets are off. No telling what my schedule will end up looking like.
Verses I have been working on memorizing this month for Beth Moore's scripture memory challenge.
Hebrews 11:1,6 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Acts 20:32 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Lately I have been fascinated with verses that talk about the Word and how it functions in our life. The living Word! Here are some more verses about the Word that I might try to memorize at some point:
I Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
I John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
One final note on writing progress:
With the National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) only a month away now, I wonder if I should even try this year. Chances of success (meeting the 50,000 word goal) this time are slim, because of all the extra work I'm doing with this class and work in general. Then also Stars will be here in November for Thanksgiving instead of over Christmas, and I don't want to cut time short with her because I'm behind on my word limit.
On the other hand, anything accomplished is still SOMETHING, and Nanowrimo is a great motivator. I'm just not going to get bragging rights this year for being one of the winners.
I am now working on Chapter 19 and feeling very hopeful that once I am past this chapter, the whole editing process will speed up again. But then I've thought that before, that once I got past a tricky section then things would be smooth sailing. The problem is if you re-write one section, there is a cascade effect of all the other things you have to change.
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