Love Is...

 Patient:  Getting together with friends.  Finishing painting rooms.  Change the color in the kitchen.  Finish up the last of the lessons for school year 2011-2012.  Looking through things for next year.  Sleeping through the night.  Finishing a sentence....
Patiently trying to do all....

Humble: I am who I am.  Even if there are things I wish I were better at, or knew how to do, I am me and all I can do is try harder.

 Encouraging:  Next year our home school group is starting an elementary co-op.  I have offered to teach an 8 week class to girls.  I am using the book Sewing With St. Anne as my guide.  I am looking forward to teaching the girls about hand stitching..and learning right along with them.

Selfless:  I am trying to make Pete his lunch every night while cleaning up dinner.  He takes his lunch EVERYday and I am so grateful he does that.  He NEVER goes out to eat because he likes to save the money.  He has a lot on his plate right now and I want to help him any way I can.   On Monday he is gone all day and he takes lunch and dinner.  Tonight I only made him lunch...not a good start


Self-Controlled:  I am in "school book buying" mood.  This is where I go crazy.  When I look to the next home school year  I can go a little overboard with buying books and "stuff" I never use.  This book buying season I am going to be way more discerning about what I click "purchase" for.  I have big plans for next year. It will be our 2nd year here
 and I have a lot better idea of how I want things to run. 

 Content:  When I go running my mind wonders all over the place.  I think about so many things I want to accomplish for the day. Then the next day when I run I have the same list going through my head.  I need to be content with the fact that at this moment in time day dreaming about all I want to accomplish is as close as I can get right now to actually doing it!!

 Hopeful:  This weekend I went to a talk from Smart Martha.  She is a home organizing speaker.  She helps you get your family running in an organized fashion.  I left early!!  I could not sit there listening to her talk about running a house well.  I felt like I needed to be home actually RUNNING my house.  It was nothing against Smart Martha...I just got antsy sitting still thinking about all I could be getting done at home right then.  Why is this hopeful???
Lots of stuff she talked about I already do....that gives me hope..one day I actually may feel a bit more organized!!!

 Persevering: For years we put the little kids to bed early (7:00).  Those little kids where Emily and Molly...they go to bed later than that now.  But we got in a bad habit of letting the (new) little kids stay up later .  Last week I committed myself to a 7:00 bed time for little kids.  That means bath at 6:15-6:30 then books from 6:30 to 7:00.  All of this means I have to get my act together a little earlier than I had been.  I like the new 7:00 bed rule again.  Jack and Lucy are allowed to look at books in their beds for a short time after we kiss goodnight at 7..but Priscilla is lights out! Emily goes to bed at 9:30 and Molly at 9:00.  They were getting to bed pretty late and suddenly I realized it was all my fault.  It takes some time management on my part to get everything set up for our new night time routine...but it feels SO good again!!

Forgiving:  Molly for breaking our printer.  She was running and tripped over a wire that was UNDER a piece of furniture.  I thought I was going to loose my mind.  I texted Pete.."please tell me to calm down over this VERY STUPID thing that I am about to EXPLODE over".  He did!  It did not work..I was still mad and every time I go to print something I get a little hot flash...
I am getting a new printer this week and I have forgiven her...kinda!

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8