Thursday, a new beginning

Okay, I give up. I'm never going to catch up now, even if I go with the "week by week" idea that Amy gave me. Phillip and I are about to start video taping ourselves telling our meeting/courtship/dating/engagement story, then write it out in written form, so whenever that actually happens, I'll put it on here :) For now, let's start with today:

What I Love About Today-
getting to play "mom" for 3 days
coffee and pumpkin bread
treating the kids to hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls
perfectly shaped whipped cream
eating breakfast together
Real Simple magazine
recipes, cute clothes, crafts, and decorating ideas
wearing a short-sleeve sweater that I've had for at least a year, and only worn once
purple clothing
including, but not limited to, a giant purple Southern-style little girl bow, clipped in my hair
adorable cherry earrings that Daddy bought for me in Florence
blogging again
doing so in the schoolroom as the kids do their work
sweet emails from my dear Phillip
giving Benjamin his spelling test
most of the words being related to furniture, making me super excited about having my own home
renovating my blog a bit
feeling the warmth of my coffee trickle through my cold self
chunky sweaters
cute and elegant fall decorations
going to the produce stand and Walmart with the kids
the post office
peeling and chopping carrots, and cutting corn off the cob
making chicken pot pie for my Phillip
him surprising me by coming over, when I didn't think that I'd get to see him today :)
making chocolate chip cookies with Mary
"Mary Mack, Mack, Mack..."
watching Phillip's sermon on DVD with him
his arm around my shoulders
having such a gifted, studious, wise, and respected future husband!
encouragement to trust God, remember His goodness, and forget affliction
clean kitchens
scratching each others' backs with Marebear

Verse of the Day-
Genesis 41:50-52,
"Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

Poem of the Day-

Holy Sonnet XIV
by: John Donne
Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy:
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.