Catching Up, and What's on My Mind Today :)

I've tried on three different days to write another post here, but each time I only got about a line or two written before I had to run and do something, and never got back to it! Maybe this time I'll actually get it posted. :)

I can't believe we've been living in our new house over a week already! We are really loving it here. Yes, it will be nice when everything is more finished . . . but in the meantime, things are very livable and comfy. It's so much more peaceful here in the woods, something Jim and I enjoy very much. Where we lived before was in the country, but on a well-traveled road, and we lived very close to the road, so it just wasn't very quiet. Here, we enjoy more nature sounds and less traffic sounds. :)

Sam has adjusted well, and really likes running around all over the house. On days 3 and 4 of living here, he slept soundly all night long. Since that time though, he's been waking up again, unfortunately. I think it's because some of his molars have picked this week to pop through, making him more crabby and clingy than usual. Hopefully they won't be causing him pain for much longer.

We've been fighting a mouse war since moving in; so far I think we've killed 5 or 6, and we haven't seen any for a few days now, so maybe they've been routed temporarily. For the most part they were contained in our 2nd bathroom (that isn't finished yet), but we would see signs of them in other rooms as well. It was rather disconcerting Thursday night when I walked in our bedroom and flipped on the light, only to see a mouse huddled up beside the bed! He appeared to be asleep, and we figured he was feeling the effects of a recent foray into the D-con box. Fortunately Jim was home, and able to dispose of him and assist him in his journey to the happy hunting ground for mice. :D

We still have a few odds and ends to pack up from the trailer. The biggest thing we have to still move from there is my piano. I hope we can do that soon; I've been itching to play it again! Actually, I'm dying to get it tuned, because it's gotten really bad since it hasn't been tuned for over 3 years. So hopefully once we get it over here we can set up an appointment with a tuner. Then it will be really fun to play!

Things to Think About

I love how reading other blogs and articles online can really give me new things to think about. It's so interesting to see how others view life, issues, and even their faith, in different ways. Reading others' opinions or viewpoints doesn't necessarily cause me to adopt those same views, but it does challenge me to think and evaluate why I believe something, or do something a certain way. During college, I became a lot more open-minded than I had been previously, and I'm thankful for that. It caused me to try and look at things in the light of Scripture, rather than just say "Well, this is the way it has to be because this is what I've always been taught," or "This is way I've always done it, so it must be the only way," etc. During college, you are always reading, reading, reading, and studying, plus meeting new people who are all from different backgrounds, hearing preachers that you've never heard before, and getting the input of many Godly teachers in your classes. All these things combine to give you fresh things to think about and mull over in your mind. Unfortunately, after college, I think in some ways I put my brain on auto-pilot for a while. After all, I'd just completed 17 years of schooling, I was getting married and learning how to take care of a house and be a wife, and basically I think I was just tired of studying. Oh, Jim and I would have many thoughtful discussions about various issues, which was great, but I just didn't take a lot of time to read and learn more.

I think at this time in my life, though, I'm getting back to the place where I'm ready to hit the books again. :) Over the past year or so, and especially since having Sam, I've been aware of a newfound desire to learn and grow more and more. Spiritually, of course, but also intellectually. A lot of topics have grabbed my attention over the past months (see my previous post on the "five fat files" I'd like to develop), and I dearly want to fit in the time to study up on these things. One major thing on my mind is my great responsibility to teach my son. I hope to homeschool him when the time comes, but I've been challenged to realize that each day since his birth, I have been his teacher! So much of his character and intellect will be already developed by the time he reaches "school age." As I read some blogs one day, I came across some homeschooling info. where the book The Well Trained Mind was recommended. I thought, "That book looks familiar!" I remembered that my brother-in-law had given it to me for Christmas two years ago (thank you Joe!). But it had been packed away ever since. Sure enough, as I was unpacking some totes a few days later, I found it. I've been having fun skimming through bits of it, and can't wait to get into it and really read it. It sounds like it is about the best book on home educating out there. I'm sure I'll be reading it many times over the years ahead. Anyway, that's just one example of something I want to read, to better develop my own mind, so I can in turn help my son to develop his mind. There is just so much to learn, and so many ways I often waste my time in mindless things . . . I want to use the years ahead (which are really all too short) to the best advantage that I can. And not just in learning, but also hopefully in impacting others for eternity, as well.

Well, I see I've become pretty long-winded in this post. :) I guess I better get busy in my kitchen now and get our supper ready. In closing, here is a picture of Sam, with a newly discovered favorite food. :)