Daybook for December 16, 2014

outside my window . . . it's warm again. Here's the conversation Adam and I just had about this:

"Well, at long last, that dreadful cold snap's over."
"Yeah, it was bad there for awhile - down in the FIFTIES!"
"Hey, one early morning last week, I saw frost on the grass!"
"Sure . . . but we're spoiled here."
"Oh come on, it got down into the THIRTIES at night. That's ALMOST freezing."
"Well, at least it's back in the eighties now . . ."

(Actually, I kind of wish it were still cold. Shh, don't tell any of my fellow Angelenos!)

 I am listening to . . . my Advent playlist. (When I can tear myself away from my Christmas one - bad church-year lady!)

 I am wearing . . . leggings and long sleeves. Because I'm still trying to pretend it's cold.

 I am so grateful for . . . good teachers for my kids. So, so grateful to the kind and competent ladies at the children's school!

 I am reading . . . almost finished with "Thy Will Be Done", and sneaking in a little "Right Ho, Jeeves!" here and there.

 I am creating . . . aside from the knitting queue - which grows ever longer - I'm outlining several different books. I'll keep doing that till one of them sits up and yells at me that it's sure IT is my next project. :)

 around the house . . . just trying to keep everything ticking over in the midst of holiday prep. If I make it to Christmas week with a healthy amount of clean dishes and clean laundry, I'll be absolutely delighted.

 from the kitchen . . . I think almost all the meals I'm planning this week are slow-cooker meals. Which tells you something about what a nutty week this is.

 real education in our home . . . working on sight words with the twins. In addition to teaching phonics, their kindy recognizes that English is a weird old language were some things just need to be memorized. Dear old English. I do love all its odd crooks and crannies.

planning for the week ahead . . . LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEEEEEEEEEAR YOU.

 the church year in our home . . . you know, this year the Jesse Tree seems to be really working. It must just be the first year where all the kids are really old enough to get into the stories. It's kind of neat! We've been doing it for awhile, and now's the time it's really taken off. It's fun when a habit pays off that way.

picture thought . . . and with that, here's what our Jesse Tree looks like:

Adam made the tree itself, and the kids and I sewed the ornaments out of felt.

noticing God's glory . . . there are so many COLORS outside right now. All bright, but sort of muted at the same time, because there aren't big swathes of one color in the foliage, but little bits of everything, like pointillism. The poor transplanted trees and bushes never can figure out what season it is here. Pinks and greens and oranges, all variegated and swirled together . . . all under a clear blue sky. It's really lovely.

And when I can keep the dog from diving under the bristly branches of all that loveliness, so that I don't have to crawl under the hedges to untangle her leash while she tries to eat the mockingbirds . . . well, then it's all even lovelier!

Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell