Good Day!

Good morning, Reader! :) Hope you are smiling on this day, and that it is sunny where you are. Here, it is cloudy, raining and threatening snow flurries. Sadly, I didn't get a long run this past weekend and haven't run in about a week and a half! Have to be careful that I don't wait too long to get back to it! :) When we get a busy family schedule, though, that's what suffers, for now. :) I do keep up my weekly yoga, though. I enjoy it so very much! I have also cut back on my lattes! I was up to one per day! It's painful on the waistline and the wallet! But, I cut back to either no coffee or making regular coffee at home. Then neither the husband nor I slept well last night (actually, the husband didn't sleep well, thus his tossing and turning caused me not to sleep well, but it's neither here nor there. ;)) This caused me to want coffee to keep my eyes open! :)
I have gotten my time in with the Word this morning and liked today's Peace reference (Remember my word of the year? I chose peace. Then I looked in the concordance of my Bible and have been trying to read and write down a peace reference daily. Once I run out of them, as there aren't 365, I will go back and try memorizing them. :) Anyway... These two have become two of my new favorites.
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
2 Thessalonians 3:16 "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."

I also found a couple quotes that inspired me to live my day, today:

“Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight... When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. ” —Helen Keller (1880-1968), author, lecturer, activist

"The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks." —Wallace Stegner

“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.” —Earl Gray Stevens

I hope you, Reader, have a wonderful day and week ahead! :)

The Weekend

Here it is, another weekend, too long since my last post. I've been subbing and running errands. I've also been trying to get some things ready in advance for our spring break trip. We'll be camping again, with my in laws on the beach. I so look forward to it, especially with snow in the forecast for tomorrow. I will be shivering and thinking of pending sunshine. :)
I did end up running a 7 miler the day after I posted last, but that is the max distance for me, so far. I've been to my yoga class, and will miss it the week we're gone on break.
I've been thinking of ideas and projects for the long term sub position that will start in just a few weeks. I finished reading the newest Laura Childs book: Oolong Dead, a Tea Shop Mystery. They're always a good, fast read, filled with details and descriptions about food that make me drool. ;) I'm still reading The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austin for our book club, also. For our trip I have The Lucky One and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society to read on our trip, since I heard they both were good. I have a few others on reserve at the local library, but most are out to other people and may not arrive before we leave. I've reserved some classics like A Separate Peace and Of Mice and Men. I haven't read them since high school and I like the different perspective I have on books, now, reading them as an adult.
I've been on Facebook a bit here and there, but not very much lately; too busy, I guess. I did change my quote today, though. Here is the new one:
"True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness." -Albert Einstein
My girls started their spring sports seasons last week. My oldest is running track and my youngest is playing soccer. Both were excited to get started since they've had practices for a while. Now we're just all hoping for nicer weather for their competitions (and our viewing! :))
That is all I have for now. I have been reading blogs and enjoying them, just haven't had time to sit down and write my own, lately. I will try to post again before spring break. Hope you are well!

New Things

I was interviewed for a long-term substitute teaching job a few weeks ago. Early in the week, I got a rejection email. I was pretty sad. My confidence sank. I wondered what had gone wrong. Then, after a series of events, I got a different long-term job. This one is at my daughter's school, in a grade where I know the kids, the staff and building policies. I like the staff, the kids, and am so happy to have the job. It is a situation where only God could have made it so perfect. :) My confidence feels better. :)
Today, after almost a year of talking about it, we went and got a new van. Our old van had hit the 105,000 miles mark and it was time for expensive service/repairs on it. So, we decided to dive in, and got another van. I like the room it has for hauling people, things and pop-up campers on pending camping trips. :) I like that it gives the girls space to have their own area without bothering each other, as well. :) We didn't get dvd player/tv/gps, etc. That isn't us, but it does have a few bells and whistles. I love its color. Our last van was white, and my husband's car is black, so it was fun to get a vehicle with color. :)
The sun was out today. It was still a bit windy, but sunny. I haven' t gotten the long run in, yet, but am hoping for tomorrow.
I will write more then! Hope your weekend is going well!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hope your day is going well! This holiday means only, here in our house, that I make corned beef and cabbage every year. Its smell is wafting through the house as I type. (ahhh) I do not wear green or pinch those who don't and need to brush up on my "St. Patty's Day" facts, as I don't know where the holiday came from.
The weather is absolutely delightful, a sunny 69 degrees. (Great grilling weather, if it wasn't for the "holiday".) This morning, when it was 43 degrees, I went running, and got five wonderful miles in. I was scheduled to have jury duty, went at the appointed time and two hours later the cases were taken care of, without the need of jurors, so I got to come home.
Reading the Lost Memoirs of Jane Austin, currently. It's good so far. Finished Coraline and yikes, it was scary. I was not sure if I mentioned that I was reading it with my daughter for her book club. The last 6 chapters were what nightmares are made of.
We tried a new recipe this weekend, while watching college basketball: honey garlic chicken wings. They were good, but not so delicious that I would want to eat them every night.
It is March and that means "March Madness", my favorite time in sports. My husband and I would order pizza late in the night while watching the first weeks of the tournaments in college. We have a tentative plan for him to come home for lunch on Thurs or Fri to see the games over subs. It is a fun time of year.
I'm still running and working on watching what I eat, especially during the day. When I'm home and not subbing, I catch myself snacking, if there are goodies available. It's helped that I've given up wine and chips for Lent-it has been hard, though! I haven't been to the gym since last Thursday, but am hoping to go for yoga this evening, as I enjoy the class and teacher so much.
My bluebirds are still around, but I caught sparrows going in the birdhouse twice today... I've gone out and emptied their nests. I feel guilty doing so, ruining their hard work, but am still hoping the bluebirds will be able to move in... My pictures from last week didn't turn out too well, I'm afraid, but here's the best one.














Speaking of outdoors, the sounds of children playing kickball in our front yard is coming in through the windows; a great spring/summer sound.
Well, I'm off to do my daily devotional/Bible reading. I hope you've had a wonderful start to your week!

Signs of Spring

I have been running again, regularly, and the last few weekends I have gotten a six mile run in. Today the signs of pending spring were all around me. Cardinals, and wood thrush flitting about, no more juncos or titmouse-which are signs of winter, our winter birds. Yesterday I saw the most wonderful sight: a bluebird sitting on my bluebird house! I've had it up for three years or so, but the sparrows move in so quickly that the house is occupied before the bluebirds look for real estate. Last night, one flew in and one sat on top. I have photos but I cannot access my camera, more on that, later. I will be posting pictures! The singing of the birds as I ran was so delightful!
Another sign of spring: windows are all open in our house and it smells like spring, the sun is shining (although the weather report declares "not for long"! I hope they're wrong!) Kids are playing outside, and their sounds of enjoyment float in through the open windows.
My houseplants are showing signs of spring, as well. They lean towards the windows where there was once only gray murkiness, and now sun shines in! They all are leaning towards the nearest window and are a funny sight to see. I will take pictures when my camera returns.
My camera is at a local school building with my husband and youngest daughter. They are taking part in a Pinewood Derby (wooden cars made by the participants race to see who is the fastest.) We're hoping that their day goes well.
I have finished more books: I finished Garden Spells, O Little Town, and an in the midst of The Hemingses (still; it's a struggle for me), and The Big House. Reading anything good lately?
I hope you are all enjoying your own signs of spring, and hopefully pleasantness this weekend!