Still at School: Aug 24 - 30

But I have stilled and quieted my soul...
Ps. 131:2

For some of you, it was "Back to School" week. Shiny binders, sharp pencils, crisp new shoes, and fresh haircuts... For us, it was more like "still at school." We've been here since June ordering books, planning lessons, preparing new paperwork, setting up new scholarships, reorganizing desks and shelves around the building, enrolling new students, setting up locker assignments. It's not really "back to school" if we never left. Nevertheless, the first week of school is what we've been preparing for all summer long, so there was a thrill in the air when we opened the doors to the maroon polo shirts and khaki pants parading off the school buses that first day.

I'm sure your workplace has a busy season so you'll understand what this week was like for us. Week One of a new school year is definitely the busy season for a school office. On Monday alone, I answered at least 30 or 40 phone calls. All week I was contacting parents to arrange meetings, getting quotes from textbook companies, creating spreadsheets for teachers, and sending home financial packets for newly-enrolled families. Forms and emails and phone calls and tuition payments and UPS deliveries all landed at my desk and never did I complete a single task before another needed my immediate attention. Our roster includes nearly 50 students who are brand-new to the school this year, which translates to about 100 parents that I need to get to know for my office responsibilities. And after four exhausting days, we had to get our game faces on for Back to School Night, then be ready again in the morning to host a faculty in-service day for the staff of three private schools. We capped off the week with a two-hour CPR training and made it home on Friday night by 4:30, hours earlier than any other night all week.

Thankfully, our boss is extraordinarily accommodating (Thanks, Phil) and has allowed us to bring Henry on those long days at school. All summer, in fact, Henry's been an unofficial school office mascot, playing with binder clips and business cards, and generally keeping himself occupied while Pete and I devoted hours to necessary school work. As the daughter of a teacher myself, I remember the way school becomes a second home for a staff kid, the way office supplies and discarded textbooks provide cheap entertainment, and the delicious sense of being at school on the summer day when they're waxing floors or replacing carpets. It makes a kid feel pretty special to know things about the school building that nobody else knows. I grew up on the inside, and it's a sweet sort of full-circle satisfaction to watch Henry growing up on the inside too.

A new beginning tends to have a frazzled start. It might be the first day of school, welcoming a new baby into the family, moving and starting life in a new home, or sending a child off to college for the first time. There's emotion mixed with a long to-do list and time seems barrel ahead faster than usual. Adrenaline kicks in and you don't care so much about things like home-cooked dinners and clean bathrooms while you're trying to survive the wild frenzy. But after the initial hubbub, life finds a rhythm again and you settle back into the patterns that keep things more or less orderly.

That's the feeling I have about the week that's about to begin: it's time to restore some normalcy. It's time for Henry to stop having to take his afternoon naps at school while I work. It's time to make real dinners again and catch up on housework. We're (mostly) past the busy season and ready to bring some breathing room back into our days. And we're all very ready to breathe again.

Grateful this week for: 
my crock pot
Chick-fil-A
coffee
Henry's awesome babysitters
our baby pool
a nearby, trustworthy mechanic
cool mornings
smiles from new students
seeing the faces of students I've missed
someone else laminating 160 student ID cards for me
free episodes of Dr Quinn on amazon prime
this: 

Another List: Aug 17 - 23

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. 
Ps. 130:3-4

A few lessons from a whirlwind week as we hold our breath for the first day of school:

1. A well-organized planner makes a big difference. I recently changed how I utilize mine, and it's greatly helped me keep track of my thoughts, tasks, and time without bringing the guilt that comes from lists lacking checkmarks. Do you have tips on organizing a planner or agenda?

2. It's never too late in the day for quiet time. An instagrammer I follow posted this late in the week: "It's not too late to recalibrate this day with the balm of His Word." It was a reminder I needed. I always try to keep my mornings long and restful, but that naturally means they start pretty early. Sometimes quiet time gets squeezed out and the day can feel like a failure from the first cup of coffee onward. This season of transition, with the start of school this coming week, is a good time to remember that every hour of the day is an opportunity to start over and refresh the soul.

3. Every so often, it's ok if everything on the dinner plate came right out of the freezer. We're not all-natural. We're not paleo, or whole30, or organic. We try to eat fruits and vegetables every day, but we don't stress about adding sausage and french fries or a frozen pizza (OK, we had frozen pizza this week too) to the menu. And I think we're a happier family because of it.

4. We're part of something much bigger than what goes on in the four walls of our house every day. Our family is one little piece of our local church, and our local church is one piece of the church of Christ across the globe. This weekend marked a special moment in the story of our church as we broke ground for a new sanctuary being added to our building. With the Lord's help, we will be able to share the love of Christ with more people than ever before as we make physical room for them, while also making room in our hearts.

5. One chapter of scripture can sink deeper into your heart every time you read it, specifically if those readings are layered one after the other. For the last eight months, I've taken a new spin on daily Bible reading. Each week I take one passage of scripture and read it every day of the week. This week's chapter, Psalm 130, was especially hearty for me and I keep adding notes to my margins as I read it throughout the week. Let a piece of God's Word do this for you; give a chapter more than one reading and see what the Lord shows you as you read it on repeat.

It was a hectic week and not once did I sit down with my gratitude journal and make a list of things to be grateful for. A running list each week is an encouragement, but the blessings that come looping around every week are worthy of remembering too. Reaching a Sunday afternoon and still having my husband and my son safe and healthy under my roof is a blessing not granted to every wife and mother. Not only this, but my uncle and my cousin, both of whom were in dangerous accidents this week, were also preserved from harm. Gratefulness always inspires more gratefulness. Sometimes noticing a few big ways the Lord has smiled on your family can help you see the little ways more clearly too.

Ordinary Adventures: Aug 10 - 16

The Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked. 
Ps. 129:4

We trekked around our new supermarket this week with my sister-in-law and her girls. Of course Henry took his older cousin's lead and wanted to get out of the cart and walk. This meant touching every item on toddler-level. This also meant much more fun than sitting in the boring old shopping cart. We love our new grocery store!

Later in the week we rescued our grapes from the wasps, who were literally eating the grapes right out of the skins, and made jelly.

The grape vine has been well established on our property for many years and we were thrilled when it produced grapes prolifically the second summer we lived here. The are concord, I think. Dark purple, so sweet and fragrant, with tough skin and a big seed in the middle. The flesh is not good for eating, but makes delicious jelly. 

My momma came for jelly-making and in an hour we turned a basket of grapes into nine jars of shimmery purple jelly. We smashed the grapes, boiled them, strained them, simmered them with pectin and sugar, and ladled them into steaming jam jars. Then we licked every pot, spatula, measuring cup, and funnel clean. Oh, yum, this jelly is good.

Friday marked our five-year anniversary. No exotic adventures for us. Some outlet shopping in the morning, lunch at the local pizza joint, an afternoon of paperwork at the dining room table, and finally appetizers and desserts at Ruby Tuesday while our sweet niece watched Henry for her first babysitting gig. What a gift these five years have been, this first chapter of married life together. Sure, we've both made mistakes, acted like jerks, hurt each other's feelings, and wondered if life might not be easier alone after all. But no matter the momentary struggles, we're truly glad not to be alone. We enjoy each other's company, love making the other feel happy, find daily opportunities for laughter, and have encouraged one another toward greater godliness. I'm delighted to belong to this handsome guy.

Grateful this week for: 
soup improvisations
bird songs in the morning
rainy Monday
vacuuming
smell of grapes on the vine
nostalgic TV
meatball sandwich dinner
cell phone calls
hot shower
waking up feeling rested
an answered prayer
Henry's growl
sleeping in
outlet bargains
Thai spring rolls
child seats in shopping carts

MidWeek Mini: Prayer Routine

A few years ago my Bible Study group read A Praying Life by Paul Miller. The whole book is, quite obviously, about prayer, but it was Miller's discussion of his praying routine that made the most significant difference for me. Rather than a journal or a list, Miller uses index cards to keep track of the people and situations he's praying for. Each card lists one request. He doesn't necessarily pray through every card every day, but the stack of cards serves as a guide as he prays. I've adopted this technique for myself and found it tremendously helpful.

I keep my note cards in an vintage wooden purse made by my great-grandmother. It's the perfect size for 4x6 index cards. I hijacked a set of recipe box dividers to sort my requests into categories. At the front I keep a set of cards that I try to pray through each day. They include requests for our town, for our workplace, for my own struggles with sin, for my marriage, and for practical needs for our household. Ideally, I could probably arrange to pray through one additional section of requests each day, but I don't make it quite so regimented.

Each card includes the same items. The topic, person's name, or situation is at the top. I also indicate the date I first wrote the card. The card usually includes a Bible verse, or a few verses, that guide my prayers. Specifics to pray for are also included. Because the cards are intended to last a while, I do not list timely requests on the card. Cards for individual people list broad requests like marriage or financial decisions. Cards for situations like the church building campaign also paint a wide sweep of the needs so they can remain applicable.

Sometimes, a card will eventually indicate answers to prayer. In fact, an answered prayer does not retire the card. Often, an answered prayer is an encouragement to further prayer. The card of requests for our house is always changing. As we have specific needs, I add them to the card, and have been so blessed to see many of them directly answered. Several are still waiting for answers.

At times, a card will be retired or replaced with an updated one. Some requests become obsolete after a certain point, whether they've been answered as I prayed or not. And sometimes situations become so different that the specific requests no longer apply. If a friend I've been praying for enters a completely new stage of life - gets married, moves across the country, gets a new job - I may write a new card for her. Some of my cards are three years old and still just as pertinent as when I wrote them. Brand new cards and ones wrinkled from years of prayer share space in my box, reminders of the dozens of ways we need the Lord's help every day.

If you make an effort to pray regularly you know that prayer is hard work. Many days go by when I pray through only two or three cards. Still, organizing my requests in this way has made a big difference for me by making prayer less daunting and more rewarding. If you decide to give this method a try, I'd love to hear how it goes for you! Do you have a prayer routine that works for you?

Things I'll Never Do: Aug 3 - 9

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Ps. 128:1-2

Somewhere there's a list of things you think you won't ever do. But sooner or later, maybe when you're not even looking, those good intentions get tossed out with the dishwater and you find yourself doing the things you thought you were too good for.

Like right there - I ended a sentence with a preposition.

At some point, I stopped making my own cream bases for recipes and started buying cream of chicken soup again. That beige-yellow slop that I so detested as a new wife. And I don't even buy Campbell's; I get the generic brand. Don't tell my former self.

I let Henry pick tomatoes - green, red, it didn't matter - while I weeded the patio. He displayed his collection with pride in a mini juice bottle. Letting all the tomatoes ripen to perfection matters a lot less than giving a one-year-old twenty minutes of blissful harvesting.



We've let Henry develop a liking for vintage musicals on VHS. So far, The Music Man is his favorite.

Perfectionists like me don't like admitting to lowering our standards. But the shared admissions of our imperfections is what connects ordinary people to one another. Maybe you let your toddler watch musicals too. If you can't shake loose every so often and stoop to something you'd hoped was below you, you're missing a lot of great opportunities for humility.

Grateful this week for: 
fresh peaches
thrifted treasures
cocoa butter lotion
hair dryer
Pete bringing Henry to our room every morning when he wakes up
my "new" cleaning tote bag
Bisquick
our new grocery store
vintage stepstool
the smell of morning in late summer

Recovery: July 27 - August 2

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves. 
Ps. 127:2

Reflections on recovering from vacation.

We returned home from our vacation early this week. My suitcase still sits on my bedroom floor, a trail of shampoo bottles, swimsuits, a sweatshirt, pajamas, and flipflops slowly wending its way out of vacation mode and back into normal circulation. I usually like to get life back into normal order as soon as possible, detesting disarray. After a delicious vacation, though, sometimes it's nice to let it linger, like I could just zipper the suitcase back up again and we would be back on the beach with our feet in the sand. Maybe tomorrow I'll finally get the suitcases back up to the attic.

We put in three long, tiring, and very productive days at work last week, jumping back in at arguably the busiest season in a school's calendar. There are new families to enroll, an Open House to plan, a mammoth library cataloging process to finish, and paperwork to start prepping for the beginning of school (a mere 22 days off). We are still shifting some classrooms around and trying to get the building situated for the 15-16 school year. There's a lot to juggle and with both of us being on staff, it makes for a busy schedule. We're excited and anxious, in equal parts, for the start of the school year.

I returned from nine days in a spotless beach house feeling motivated to bring some of that cleanliness home. I spent a few hours yesterday scouring the wood trim in my kitchen, then a half hour or so today tackling the weeds that totally conquered our gardens while we were away. I also brought home a bit of the carefree spirit that finally caught up with me during our vacation. While it would be in my nature to prefer all or nothing when it comes to keeping house, I have a greater sense this week of do what you can. While Henry napped I was able to scrub some baseboards. Maybe I won't scrub the rest of them until weeks from now. I have a pile of sweet potatoes on the counter to peel, slice, toss with cinnamon, and bake as a snack for Henry. Though the task begged to be done this afternoon, I took a 20 minute nap instead and then sat down for this post. I do what I can.

My passage for meditation this week (quoted at the top of this post) was Psalm 127. The psalm reminds - in three ways - that we cannot trust in ourselves. Not for establishment, for protection, or for sustenance. The building of a house, Solomon writes, will be a futile effort if the Lord does not smile on the task and undertake to be the Master Builder. The guarding of a city will be hopeless if the Lord does not stand watch Himself. And the endless work to gather and prepare and stockpile the necessities of life will be in vain if the Lord is not recognized and trusted as the giver of all good things. This passage, in conjunction with the book I'm reading with my Bible Study group, has highlighted the importance of taking notice of where I place my trust. Trust is a tricky thing to identify, though. Sure, I trust in God. Sorting out how much I trust in Him is done by watching my thoughts, my words, the places I get annoyed and angry, the situations that seem most important to me. Which decisions do I base on the predicted opinions of others? What parts of life to I entrust solely to myself, the only person I can safely control? What do I list as a "need" that is nothing more than something that would make my life comfortable? Give these questions some thought with me this week.

Grateful this week for: 
napping toddler on the way home from the beach
affordable groceries
Murphy's oil soap
discard library books
leftover ice cream bars
cozy bed
clean towels
diaper rash cream