Daybook: The Freeze has Broken Edition

::Outside my window... I never thought I'd live to see the day in which I would say that sunny and 46F is downright balmy...but there ya go.

::Listening to... Kids entertaining themselves.  Quietly.  Except for the squeak of the wheels on James' lego truck.  And Michelle dictating a made-up list of nonsense spelling words to herself ( = 'playing school' )

::Giving thanks for... Warmer weather.

::Pondering... This insightful article.  While I absolutely agree that God has given us exactly enough time to do what He asks of us...right now I am having a difficult time discerning what exactly in my life is what God has given me to do, and what is the extra fluff. 

::Living the Educational Life... Well, I started to write what I wanted to say on this topic last night, and it quickly grew into an entire post of its own.  You can read it here.

::Preparing in the Kitchen... I tried the yogurt again this week using a thermometer to check the temperatures, and had much better results.  Yay!   And also, I love my Crockpot.  Love, love, love.

::Creating by Hand... They say a picture is worth 1000 words....

It's a blanket for her Pooh-Bear by the way...

::Following These Links... This was a very timely follow up to my thoughts on Living the Educational Life.

::Turning Pages... I will admit that I have have spent more of my limited time this week than I should have reading Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.  The plot is, in many ways, similar to the basic plot of Pride and Prejudice, but there's more to it (it is set in the midst of the industrial revolution, so also grapples with issues related to workers and 'masters'.)  And I've seen the movie, so I know how it ends.  But I still can't put it down...

::Finding Rhythm... We are getting there.  Part of me feels like I am hanging on to a roller coaster for dear life...but the other part of me also sees how the kids really enjoyed spending time with their Papa this week...and he really enjoyed spending time with them.   Perhaps this whole language school thing is going to work out for us after all?

::Kiddos this week...  While changing Elizabeth's diaper last night, she looked up at me and said "I'm cute!"   She also informed me, while laying in her bed still wide awake last night, "I sleeping."  She's got some good one-liners for a little one not-yet-2!

::Praying... For wisdom in evaluating my priorities and using my time well, and senstivity to the Lord's guidance as I go through each day.  And that we will be able to make some French friends, so we will have more opportunities to practice speaking French outside of our class times.

::Planning the week ahead... Getting back on the roller coaster!   And hopefully going back to the library, with some ID this time, so we can actually get a library card...

::Capturing a few moments... Mes petits Valentins...

We like excuses to patronize our neighborhood boulangerie/patisserie.  Please let us know if you have any special events we can celebrate on your behalf. =)