sharing spring 3

Another reason I love spring:

...drying laundry outside. Breathe that fresh air! Sunshine on my laundry makes me happy...

four part time jobs? and grad school apps.

even weeds look pretty when they're frosted with snowflakes!

a berry - bearing plant beside our deck

lacy goldenrod plants

snow-sugared pine cones

more of the berries

My parents came to visit this past weekend! It was so nice to see them - it has been a while! They only came for Friday night and Saturday, but we packed it full of fun, nonetheless. These pictures are from Saturday morning, when everything was frosted in white. It was a beautifully sunny day, and warm! Well, warm for January in central New York.

I was really thrilled to finally have work when I started nannying in December. I'm working for a family with twin boys, born on December 3rd, a 2-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl. It's busy, but I love it! It's nice to be taking care of the kids, and I like feeling needed.

I also just picked up some more piano students from a friend who needs some time off from teaching. This is excellent, as all the parents are pleased that I'm traveling to their homes to teach their kids, and they pay me more for that. Cool. It's okay with me.

While I was working out early this month, I got a call from the director of the local high school's musical, asking me to accompany. Wow! Okay. It's nice to play piano professionally.

I am still working at church as the Worship and Music Coordinator, and I love that job. Things are busy at the moment, though; we're having three distinctly different Sunday services in the next four weeks, and they all involve musicians and personnel that don't usually serve at our church. It has been complicated to coordinate, but I'm working on it. I keep reminding myself that I love being in music.

As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'm also applying for grad school in the Fall. I have an audition on the 13th of February, as well as the 12th-13th of March. I am auditioning for Vocal Music Education and for Choral Conducting, so the preparation work will be extensive. I haven't sung in a while, and I feel a bit frustrated with how I sound right now. I hope to take lessons with a professor at the local college to brush up before my audition. So soon - yikes!

My husband started school again yesterday after a very long break. It will be good for us to both have a set routine again, after both losing our primary jobs and not having much to do! Tomorrow is his longest day - I will kiss him "goodbye" at 8:15am, and not see him until about 8:00pm. Crazy...

Tomorrow night is also our couples' bible study. This is such a nice break in our week, and it's great to focus on what really matters. I love being able to share that time with my husband, and to talk openly with other people about what we're learning from the scriptures.

I volunteered this morning at MOPS (that's Moms Of Pre Schoolers - a parenting support group) in the baby room (ages 0-1 year). I took care of the twins that I usually watch, as their mom usually comes to MOPS. They're adorable, and it was fun to share that with the other caretakers in the infant room. One of the twins, though, showered himself as I was changing his diaper...talk about dramatic. It was all better after a new outfit and extensive "washing" with baby wipes. lol. poor little guy!

My husband and I went out tonight for a quick trip to the mall and a stop at Dunkin' - I had forgotten, I guess, how greasy those doughnuts are. But they're yummy! I also picked up a couple of cute things at the mall. Valentine's Day, here we come :o) I can't wait.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, there's a card-making party coming up! All of us girls will pool our scrapbooking and card-making supplies for a girly night next Saturday. So excited! I could use a girls' night...

All this is to say that I'm very blessed. I have jobs that will pay our bills, a husband who loves me so much more than I deserve and more than I'll ever understand, and a God who provides for my every need. I have the opportunity to continue my studies, to work in the field I was trained for, and to care for children, as I've always dreamed. I do hope that, one day, God will see fit to give us our own children. But for now, I am grateful. And content.

my entertaining valentine

(another until-now-unpublished post. more happy reading to you!)

happy.

my husband and i celebrated Valentine's Day last weekend...meaning, a week early, by going out to a fabulous Italian restaurant. very yummy. and so this past weekend, we weren't going to go out. (and we didn't.) that saturday morning, the girls and i made valentine's day cards for each other and for our significant others... my husband's card is very sweet, if i do say so myself.

wednesday, i bought myself raspberries, because we agreed that we wouldn't do big presents...and raspberries are comparatively little. and so good.

on friday, my dear husband stopped by at my office with a hershey's chocolate bar, tied with ribbon and the note "to: wife. from: husband." so very sweet! and more than i expected.

then when he picked me up he gave me a container of feta cheese. it was supposed to be a joke, but i fell for it hook, line, and sinker. i thought it was another v-day gift. i had a headache, so i wasn't thinking straight. and there was no way i was going to offend him, especially not now! so i said "thanks! this is so thoughtful - you know i would never buy this for myself and how much i like it." lol. go figure, right?

when we arrived home, he went out to get the mail and came back with white tulips for me! whoa!

on the actual big day, my friends and i had a "single" girls' party...we made pizza, and then they all went out to a couple of chick flicks. my hubby said i could go if i wanted, but the movies weren't really my thing. so i came home...

and we watched a really hilarious movie together, enjoyed some sweets, and had a lovely evening together. being with the girls makes me so much more thankful for my husband. i feel like the luckiest woman alive.

and i am so blessed.

love!

have i mentioned that i love chocolate? I'm actually slightly allergic to it - it makes me sneeze - but i loooove it. i'm enjoying brownies right now - that's one of today's blessings. i'm really glad for those little extras. it makes the coming home from work routine so much more relaxing!

work today was relatively busy, which was actually nice. i enjoyed having things to do. i'm so exhausted when i come home, though. i don't know how working moms do this! i really hope i can stay home with my children when they come along. i also didn't know how exhausting an 8 hour work day is, even with an hour lunch. my lunch today was eaten up by trying to survive the freezing wind and rain as i mailed a package at the post office and got lost on my way back to the office. my intuitive directional skills came in handy, though, and i actually arrived back within 10 minutes of the end of my lunch. whew. embarassment avoided this time - i'll have to get directions next time. the one way streets here really throw me off sometimes!
there's this one street that's actually split - it runs on either side of a creek, and the lanes are tiny and poorly paved. and wouldn't you know - i ended up on that road. in the rain. yuck!

i'm extra thankful for my new parka on a day like today. it was a great deal, and i'm really happy with it. it's not my favorite colors, but it looks cute with my pink scarf, so i guess it's okay. the coat is a dusty olive color, with minty accent panels and a feminine shape...and it repels water really well, and is lined with super soft fleece. i felt blessed.

my dear husband is gone again tonight - he decided to be in the pit band for a musical, and tonight is the night they go through the entire production with the cast for the first time. i won't even see him... :o( he slept in today, so i just kissed him goodbye as i was leaving for work. i miss him. it's lonely in our little apartment without anyone else here!

i've been thankful for the extra time i have in the mornings. i can fit in relaxed devotions, a cup of tea, and still do my hair, and even makeup, if i wanted to. i would really like to be going for a run in the mornings, but it has been too dark to be safe. we live in an area that has relatively low visibility on the roads, and i just wouldn't be comfortable with running in the early light or the twilight. i've been going for brisk walks on my breaks at work, but i'm not sure how i'm going to keep it up when the weather gets as bad as it was today. i'm hoping to find a way to exercise inside (without paying for a gym membership). ah, the dilemmas of a desk job.

on a pleasant note, i'm almost finished with a baby blanket i'm knitting for a friend of mine - her baby boy is due in january. the blanket is light blue and white striped, knit in a chunky homespun style yarn. it's coming together quickly! i love to see progress.

today i'm finding things to be thankful for. at the moment, i'm so happy to have had a hot shower, a hairdryer that works, tasty leftovers for lunch, and a great computer. the colors of fall are so vibrant - i love that! i'm enjoying the feeling of fuzzy sweaters, and feeling thankful for the last few wildflowers of summer. i just got a call from my husband - just to say that he loves me. earlier today i had an invitation to go shopping with a new friend, and i can't wait!
these are today's blessings.
and here's a link to my flickr page - i love taking photos! http://www.flickr.com/photos/from_linnea/