Stuff this Week!

Hola!

Here are some thoughts about this past week:

TIME. I remember the story sent along to me via email, about each of us being given the exact same number of seconds and minutes and hours every day, to use as we choose. No one receives more, no one receives less, and when you go to bed at night, regardless of how you used them, you won't get those minutes back.

Then today in church, one of the speakers talked about "busyness" in our day-to-day lives, and that "busyness" often boils down to no more than mere "distraction." Our "busyness" does not help anyone or make a real difference, it simply passes the time. It brought to mind a phrase I heard in another talk, another year: that we are often caught up "in the thick of thin things."

I know I need to focus my time on the truly important things. I can recite to you exactly what those "truly important things" are. And yet, even with all that inspirational philosophizing, I look at the calendar and I know for a fact that I cannot keep up with it!

This year I still have 3 children attending 3 different schools (this is our last year of Elementary School--imagine that!). Each of these schools has a ridiculous number of meetings and clubs and parent groups, in addition to the after-school sports practices and games or meets. I receive 5-15 emails a week from each school. Add in music lessons and practices, church youth programs and activities, and also preparations for our own responsibilities in our congregation.

It's OK, though! Like everyone else, we continue our quest to be and do a little better today than we did yesterday.

SOCCER. Kara started soccer this week! Yes, we are going for it. She still limps a little when she runs. But it will get better with time.

STAIN the DECK. (Those 3 little words are now enough to make me sit down on the floor and cry.) What we thought would be a 1-day home project, (of course) turned into many, many more hours and evenings than that, and 3 members of our family working on different parts of it took up multiple days. You have heard me complain about home projects before. Let's all have a moment of silence for the untimely departure of Kari's sanity.




Here is David with the beginning part, weeks ago, cleaning it/scraping/treating it with some jug of something from Home Depot.


HYDRANGEA BUSH. We did plant a bush in the front yard Saturday! It looks nice enough: now, can we keep it alive?? :) Here is an Internet photo of one (NOT ours...)





NEW CLASS AT CHURCH. I have been asked to teach the adult Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class at church! This is a stretch for me. Don't those teachers know the scriptures backwards and forwards?? I do not. Send good vibes my direction, as I will have my nose buried in the Old Testament every possible moment in lesson preparation.



GOOD NEWS. I have to include at least one bit of good news. We ran out of baking powder this morning and I looked online: you can make a substitute for baking powder, including cream of tartar, baking soda and corn starch. No change in taste, as far as our family was concerned. Breakfast was saved!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great week! Kari