Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Things I learned in March

A couple of my friends regularly do a 'monthly round up' where they discuss what they learned in that month. It's a nice way to review highlights of the month, get glimpses into their lives, and see what lessons God is teaching. I decided to join in for the month of March (linking up to Chatting at the Sky).

In no particular order:

1. My oldest girl is both growing up rapidly and yet still needs me and her daddy. G is pre-pubescent already (gasp!), and is very interested in assuming more responsibility and having more independence. A couple of nights ago she woke up in the middle of the night sick to her stomach--and she took care of herself all on her own and told us the next day! (Now, this involved her not being able to get out of the room because her door was stuck, and her younger sister finding a bag for G to use as a trash can, and then she went back to sleep until morning. No small feat!) On the other hand, G longs for snuggles with her parents, still plays with dolls on occasion, and when she fell off her scooter and hurt her hand, nothing could console her like her daddy.

2. Back Alley Roasters coffee, especially their organic Rwandan, is amazing. Nathan and I love this coffee, and love that we know the roasters personally (a professor at SEBTS). We probably discovered this particular coffee from Back Alley in February, but I am counting it as March. It's our new favorite.

3. Speaking of coffee, in March I discovered how much I love sipping coffee in the quiet of my house before my children wake up. I usually drink coffee with breakfast, and since I don't like to drink more than one cup in the morning (most days), I do not want to have coffee before breakfast. Lately, though, I have been savoring the hot cup of (Rwandan) coffee over my bible reading and prayer, in the quiet of my living room. Maybe I'll drink juice with breakfast.

4. Give me a fireplace and a stack of books and I'm a happy camper--and might never leave the room. Nathan had the wonderful opportunity to preach a men's retreat at The Cove this month. I was able to go with him, and I curled up by the fireplace with a large stack of books and was quite possibly the happiest person on the mountain that weekend.

5. You have not because you ask not. I have been challenged by this idea this month. We needed childcare for our weekend trip  to the mountains (see above), and I assumed certain people could not watch my kids because x, y, or z. But I did not ask them. Finally two weeks beforehand I swallowed my pride, set aside my assumptions, and asked--and our church family and friends stepped up. It was quite the juggling act, but our children were well-loved, well-fed, and well-played-with that weekend by many different people. All because I asked.

6. Asking applies to many areas. I am raising funds for 4000 Steps, the walk for life to benefit First Choice Pregnancy Solutions. Like many people, I post on social media that I am raising funds, but I often neglect the common courtesy of asking people to give. A good friend pointed this out to me, telling me that she did not want to just know about what I am doing, but she wants to be asked to support me. Announcing is not the same as asking. Ouch.  So, dear blog readers, would you consider supporting me as I walk for life on April 11? You can donate online at www.fundeasy.com/m/2149995

7. Next time I buy a 600+ page book, I need to purchase it in hardback.  For our weekend getaway in the mountains I bought a few books, one of which was Warmth of Other Suns. I read 50-60 pages of it while we were away, and I look forward to finishing it this month. But I made a mistake in purchasing it in paperback. It is too thick and cumbersome to hold up well with paper covers. Next time, I'll just splurge for the hardback.

8. I wanted to end with seven, but eight just has to be shared. I am addicted to these Whole Wheat Raspberry Bars that I can buy at The Grain Mill of Wake Forest. They taste like Nutri Grain bars grew up and started using real ingredients. Are they as healthy as they can be? No. Do they contain only five ingredients? (thank you, 100 days of real food) No. Are they amazingly delicious and perfect for munching? Yes. I'm trying to ration them out to one a day, but it's hard. Trust me.

Thanks for reading my rambling!



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1 comment:

Sarah @Sarah on Purpose said...

Coffee, a fire, and books... all things dear to my heart. A lovely list.