Inspired by Sarah Fry's daybook approach this morning.  Thanks, Sarah!

Outside my window... The sun is coming up on the back corner of our home and the crickets are singing- not the frantic buzz of summer.  A more sleepy sound that says fall is on its way. 
I am thinking... that I am avoiding working out.   
I am thankful... for my poor sick hubby and two of the sweetest kids in the world who are at this moment, fast asleep.  The hubby in a darkened room trying to breathe.  The kids, in some weird contortion all over their beds.   
In the kitchen... Sunday morning cinnamon rolls coming up.  Then for lunch, a basic pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans (made a la Cracker Barrel), rolls and leftover cake from the football party last night at Rocky and Joyce Sagely’s place.  (Whoever heard of a Duncan Hines Fudge Ripple cake mix without the fudge packet?!  Yep, I took a plain yellow cake.)
I am wearing...Workout gear.  See above.
I am creating... a Shutterfly book called “What We Pray For.”  With pictures of family, friends, places, things, I’m trying to give the children a visual aid to prayer.

I am going... nowhere for Labor Day.
I am wondering...if my kids will notice the neighborhood kids out playing tomorrow while they do homeschool.  I’m going to adopt NEXT Monday as Labor Day, so we can hit the zoo or someplace without the crowds.   
I am reading...   The Father Brown Mysteries of G.K. Chesterton.  There is something about Mr. Chesterton that makes my mind happy- all my little brain cells jump up and shout, “YAY!”  ;o)   

Also, Romey’s Place.  I kept hearing that this book was fine literature that should be read at least once in a lifetime.  Through the first chapter- riveted, I must say.   

Trying to read Hitler in the Crosshairs, too.  The huge difference in writing styles blows my mind.  I (with my limited skills) could probably write the Hitler story, but Romey’s Place smacks of fine thoughts and great writing.

I am hoping..that Nathan won’t laugh at me when I ask for a bike for Christmas.  I’m tired of jogging beside the kids’ bikes.  Plus, I have such negative memories of bike-riding.  I inherited a massive old thing from the seventies (or earlier, perhaps).  Today’s bikes are so much easier to ride. I plan to find out, anyhow.

I am learning... to let the house go during homeschool hours.  It’s crucial for me.
Around the house...my favorite fall decor has come out of the boxes.  I have a thing for tall skinny ceramic people.  I have two sets of pilgrims that just make my heart smile.
I am pondering...how I can bless the people of our church this morning.  How I can bless my own family.  I find smiles and hugs to go a long way in both groups.
A favorite quote for today... There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person.

~G. K. Chesterton, Heretics (1905)

This is so true.  When I was a college student, I needed an art credit.  I was in the mood for something bizarre, so I chose History of Oriental Art.  Our professor had lived in China and studied in? the Forbidden City for a number of years.  It was an early morning class, and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat to hear about the glazed pot she was holding, or caught up in her description of the artwork.  Amazing professor!

One of my favorite things...simmering cinnamon sticks, cloves and some citrus peelings on my stove.  Note to self:  it’s officially September, so I can do this now!
A few plans for the rest of the week: Homeschooling Alex and Kathryn- week 2.  Picking out a piano duet that Connie Snodgrass and I can do for church- fun!  (I’ll make sure to give her the hard section ;o)

One of my guilty pleasure..  to listen to ooshy-gooshy love songs when I’m in the car alone, and let my mind think on my man.  It never fails to make me smile.  Another guilty pleasure, an occasional Mocha Frappe from McDonald’s.  Come to think about it, I don’t feel too guilty about either one of those pleasures!

 A Pet Peeve.... is that I never can select a grocery cart (or buggy, as we call them down here in the South) that just SLIDES OUT of the line.  Why must I engage in judo chopping, kicking, pulling a muscle and basically looking like an idiot to buy food for my family?  And unlike normal people, who gently test each rack for a easily removed one, occasionally I get it in my mind that I WILL WIN THIS BATTLE, and I’ll engage in warfare on a level that must be amusing to any passersby. 

Oh, pet peeve number two.  Medical specialists who are so myopic in their area of medicine that they seem completely unaware of how the body systems affect each other. 

Something new about me.....hmmm… I’ll get my braces off next spring, and then I will have a new smile.  Without mouth sores, poky wires, and general mouth malaise. 

A peek into my day...  would show a very real person trying to walk with God.

 Here is a picture to share: How I feel at the end of my days right now…