Thursday's List

READING: Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy. I really like this Irish author and her gentle storytelling, her interesting characters. This is the second book I've read by her, the first being an older one titled Light a Penny Candle.

LISTENING TO: some sort of silly football game thingie, with one team wearing really smashing purple and yellow-gold uniforms and the other team wearing white with blue. It seems to be a college game. On Thursday night?

FAVORITE NEW FIND: CVS brand saline nasal spray. I'll explain why tomorrow.

HAPPY TO SAY: The first, four-hour session of the Shakespeare Workshop went so incredibly well, in spite of the fact that I was so nervous, I was afraid I'd throw up in front of the students.

FAVORITE THING TODAY: Hershey jumping up on the bed with me this morning and snuggling up next to me, his beady little eyes brimming over with love. He is so ugly and not very smart, but he sure is a sweetheart.

HOURS OF SLEEP LOGGED LAST NIGHT: Not nearly enough for the past three nights. It is affecting my temper. Maybe I don't have PMS after all? Maybe I am just a sour, rotten, sleepless old hag.

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK: None! I am scrapbook-free until late September.

THE CAUSE OF MY STRESS: This has been a bad month for money, very bad. Unfortunately, the utilities people don't seem to have much appreciation for a spunky phone call where I say, "Hey, listen! You know that $178.47 we owe you? Well, is there a possibility I could work that off by coming down and making coffee for y'all for the next eighty mornings? No? Well, shoot. I think we have a problem, then."

I remind myself during these times that the balance in our checking/savings accounts reflects our choice to homeschool the girls. Any time we decide that keeping up with this choice is too difficult, we can do something different and I can get a job teaching other people's children instead of my own. But somehow, we never get around to deciding that. It's a sacrifice, and sacrifices aren't really sacrificial unless they're hard. Things are hard right now. But next month may well be completely different.

PRAYING FOR: Tom, Sue and the kids. Peter and his family. Lily and her family. Please pray with me.