Candles, Yawns, Smiles... (121-140)

121. Fire.

122. Candles.

123. Paintings by 2-year-olds.

124. Midnight snack of homemade Chocolate Cheesecake.

125. A gently-drawn smile, jumping out from a sad face in a moment of joy.

126. A patient cashier at HEB.

127. Homemade lemonade in my lunch - in a Mason jar.

128. The satisfaction from organizing bathroom cabinets, bookshelves, stuff for the attic

129. Freedom from stuff as we toss it or give it away
 
130. Getting to help friends move stuff to their new house on the Ranch.

131. The fun of assembling a little girly bookshelf.

132. Being alone.

133. Not being alone.

134.  Morning sunlight making fallen leaves glow golden

135. Yawns.

136. Toes.

137. The good long phone conversation with my friend Catie, about books, stories, getting tired, Corgies, hospitality, organization, craziness, graduations and weddings, and maybe a visit from her later this month, all the way from New Mexico! :-)

138. A homemaker-hearted Mommy.

139. A God who doesn't give up on us. :-)

140. Younger girls interested in learning homemaking skills, and a possible opportunity to teach them!

Quotes on Letter-Writing

Soon I'll be posting on how I go about writing letters.  Hopefully with pictures!  Until then, enjoy some quotes on why letters are so nice. 

Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.  ~Lord Byron

And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden 

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters.  You can't reread a phone call.  ~Liz Carpenter

The one good thing about not seeing you is that I can write you letters.  ~Svetlana Alliluyeva

Correspondences are like small clothes before the invention of suspenders; it is impossible to keep them up.  ~Sydney Smith

Grammar is the grave of letters.  ~Elbert Hubbard  

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.  ~Pam Brown  
 

101-120

101. Spiderman - all three films, each with something different to teach about everyday heroism.

102. The chicks' quickly growing wing feathers... and claws, and tail feathers, and independence!

103. The comforting, warm, homey smell of chicken pot pie.

104.  Dogs basking in the late summer sun.

105.  Watching old movies with my mom and two of my brothers.

106.  100-year old books, discovered at the local used bookstore, for a dollar each.

107.  Butter.

108.  Herbal tea, perfect for a not-quite-well tummy.

109.  A washer and dryer that work.

110.  A good meal and conversation with my Mom and brother Jonny.

111.  Old humorous poetry

112.  The fresh feel of a clean face.

113.  A successful house-and-dog-sitting job completed - no major disasters, no break-ins.

114.  Getting to see my dear and much-missed friend Melissa, sharing our stories over coffee and scones, tough advice and empathetic encouragement.

115.  Being reminded (by Melissa) of how abundantly God desires to bless us, sometimes waiting until we've given up all our dreams to Him so He can then give them back in more splendor.

116.  Being reminded by Spiderman that "Sometimes, to do what's right, we have to be steady, and give up the things we want the most. Even our dreams."

117.  Spending time with my friend Kate over the long weekend.

118.  Playing with little Rebekah, "reading" her a worldless picture book.

119.  The gift of a stoneware casserole dish - thank you, Sarah! 

120.  Being able to sleep in my own house tonight.

Ah, September. You're here!

September 1st... just saying it thrills me to the bone, for many reasons.  It heralds more fall coming on.  It holds some friends' birthdays.  And, it means in precisely two months, my favorite writing challenge of the year shall begin.

Yep.  National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo.  The 50,000-words-in-a-month challenge.  Click the picture above to see the website and learn more about the madness.

I wrote down a few character ideas tonight, just for fun, and already I want to know what happens with the happy plumber's family and the hardworking, silent young man who lives in their guest house.  They live in the same little town as the Thistlebanes (for those of you who know that family).

I have absolutely no idea of plot yet.  

I do think I have decided to give Melod and Co. a break this year.  I want to venture once again into the weird and wonderful small-town minds, to experience what we call "everyday" happenings, which are so entirely mysterious and unplumbed that we usually don't see them.

Like when we go outside at night to get something from the car, and we forget that there's an upside-down hole right there above us, light-years deep, nothing between us and it but air and clouds and atmosphere, and that only because of a few laws of physics and gravity am I not falling headlong into outer space.

Um, yes.... Probably time to stop writing for tonight.

But I am getting cautiously excited about the approach of the 1st of November.  Time slips by fast, and I have plenty to get in order before frantic noveling ensues!

In other news, AWANA started tonight (hurrah!), and on my way to and from it I experienced an earnest West Texas dust storm, the musty smell of rain in the desert, warm sprinkles of rain, grand rumbles of thunder, and a huge full rainbow. :-)