LIFE and taxes

This is one of those rare weekends where you get a lot of rest and peace/quiet in, but also a lot of accomplishment. You might be disappointed slightly to discover that my accomplishment list includes taking out some garbage and buying tuna and grenadine, but I also started working on taxes (I am hoping that it is as simple as it seems…pretty much, if I don’t understand the questions it’s asking me, I leave it blank), reorganized the world’s largest closet (seriously, it is)

Ok, Levens doesn't play in Green Bay, but "his" jersey is hanging right above the Christmas tree I have room for in my closet. No garage storage necessary...

Withhold judgment, the first step is putting clothes in order, then sorting and weeding can occur 🙂

I also managed to clean the kitchen pretty well. I’m proud of myself for really not letting it get bad…counters, sink and floor get cleaned weekly.

Last weekend I made some placemats (I may have mentioned this), and have been pretty pleased with their presence, although they match the fabrics I have used as “art” on my walls. If that’s a decorating sin, I’ll be sure to change the fabrics in the picture frames if I ever move to another place. Or I’ll just put them in separate rooms. I took some pictures of the placemats and have them to share here, too.

I love the patterned fabrics in this one.

This one's my favorite. It's now in the living room.

All 4 placemats had a 7" panel...and then different combos making the width 19" total. I had some fun with the math.

Let's pretend it's dinner time...I like how the plates coordinate :). Thanks K!

My afternoon adventure was actually taking a walk in Indianola. It’s taking adjustment to live here, I’ll admit, but as I am feeling less of a transplant I thought a walk would be nice (and it was warm enough to just wear a Kalorimetry from KJ and a fleece jacket)…I took the bike path, and it sadly includes the awe-inspiring scenery of old industrial type buildings. I saw more of Indianola’s past than I had ever seen before. I hope to take the trail’s offshoot to Carlisle at some point (I can then say what up to the septuplets, right? 🙂 ), and the trail that goes farther east from where I got on. It will be a place to explore once the weather warms up and I start couch to 5k again (miss that). I ended up walking to HyVee where I roamed up and down aisles looking for earlier mentioned grenadine. It was in the liquor area, as I was beginning to suspect, but I confirmed it by asking one of the helpful smile people. I bought the 50 cent club soda to make a Shirley Temple with…but I think you’re supposed to use sprite or something more sweetened. Don’t get me wrong, the not-so-sweet version was lovely, but it wasn’t quite what I remembered tasting.

The LIFE part of my subject is that I’ve been really encouraged lately. Call it a fruit of being more consistent in prayer and study, or part of some Bible fellowship with local ladies, but it’s huge. Last weekend had a huge role in that, followed by Perspectives on Monday. I think I’m coming to be more comfortable in my work (whew), even though I acknowledge a big room-for-growth gap, and I’m starting to become an interesting adult. Isn’t that a lovely self-absorbed description of myself? Seriously though, I am understanding Paul:

[11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
(1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV)

It’s gradual, but it’s coming.

Now I’m looking forward to dinner with my dad, and in the meantime, a bit of sorting through January receipts…:)

Peace to you!