It’s been quite a month. A lot has happened. Some things are up in the air that I thought were solid, other things are solid that had been up in the air. Our home school year has started, and I have two kids in my little classroom this year instead of just one.

I’m in the blissful throes of the beginning of a novel I’ve been pondering for 7 years, and in the midst of quite a few editing projects.

My thoughts are a bit jumbled, LOL. So I thought today I’d do one of the list thingymabobs that I’ve always enjoyed reading on other blogs. Just some thoughts, epiphanies, observations, and blessings I’m thinking about today.

1. My kids are well behaved. It doesn’t always feel like it when I’m with them 24/7, but I seriously can’t take these little guys out in public without someone commenting on how polite and good they are. And I think, Wow. I guess I’m doing something right!

2. Orson Scott Card is brilliant. I just finished the second book in his Gate series, and some of the tidbits that only got a couple lines were just astoundingly clever. On The Big Bang Theory, Leonard says something in an early episode about how all physicists can ever say is “Look, my theory is internally consistent, yay!” Card had some internal consistencies that make you stop and go, “Huh. That makes so much sense I kinda wonder if it’s true even though it can’t be.”

3. I love biblical fiction. Not a newsflash, I know. But digging into one for the first time in 3 years is just so darn fun.

4. There’s beauty in the boring parts. I just finished reading Leviticus. There are some places that are so redundant. Where every single tribe brought the exact same things for the tabernacle, but he names each single bowl and plate Every. Single. Time. At first, I sighed and thought Couldn’t you just say they ALL brought this, Moses? Once? But then I stopped and really looked at it. And I realized how beautiful it is to state it 12 times. Because each bowl, each plate, each ounce of gold and silver was a sacrifice. And every one deserved attention. Remembering each is so very important.

5. I love design. I’ve come to the conclusion that playing in Photoshop at least once every two weeks is crucial to my creativity in general.

6. Celery Soup is okay. How’s that for a bizarre thought? But I accidentally bought Cream of Celery instead of Cream of Chicken, and had only that for my chicken and dumplings. And you know, it added something!

7. Friends = Joy. I have some of the most amazing online friends imaginable. I love emailing and messaging y’all every day. And I’m also so, so grateful to have connected with some local families through homeschooling and Bible studies. Hanging out with other young-ish moms and talking about everything from kids to books to clothes to jobs is something I really missed for a few years.

8. Disappointments only last for a blink. I’ve had a doozy, and for about 12 hours there, all I could pray was, Whatever You want for me, Lord. I give it to You. It’ll be enough. But it wasn’t the end of the world. It wasn’t even the end of a dream. It might have been the end of one particular idea, at least for now, but that’s okay. I have a lot of ideas. I have people who believe in me. People willing to fight for me. And faith that my feet are on the path He set before me. Doesn’t mean there won’t be potholes. Just means I’m heading where I need to go despite them.

9. Ellie Sweet is awesome. I just got to read my critique partner’s next book, due out in November. I loved the first one in the series so intensely I couldn’t imagine this one displacing it, especially knowing some of the twists she was throwing in against my objections. But she made me love it. Ellie rocks more than ever. (And Stephanie too.) 😉

10. Sometimes you can compromise. Sometimes you can’t. I want to be the kind of person people love to talk to, hang out with, work with. I want to be easy and encouraging and not get my knickers in a bunch. Mostly, I can do that. I can brush away irritation or frustration or whatever. But sometimes, I have to stand where I’m put and not budge. Just sometimes. But those are important times.

11. I’m so in love with my husband. He’s been working his rear off so we can move here in the next week or so. Just one of the many things that makes me stop and wonder at this crazy love still filling me for him after 15+ years as a couple.

12. Pedicures are da bomb. Seriously. Da bomb. My hubby scheduled me one for my birthday last week. See #11.

13. Absolutely nothing beats encouragement. Nothing. Ever. Notes I’ve gotten from you guys have picked me up on days I’m down, made me laugh when I’m already smiling, and just encouraged me to keep on, no matter what. So thank you. I hope you realize that every kind word you speak or write inspires the recipient to return the favor, either to you or someone else. It’s a beautiful cycle, one that lights the world. So Shine on, me lovelies. Shine on.