March Madness Part 1
A very full month
I feel a sense of dread looking over our calendar at the beginning of the month. Things feel too busy. Yes, life is always full here at the Parsonage, but I always have a bit of margin for resting, reading, and art. Also, Lent starts this month, and even though it may not be the somber time of Advent, it is still a time of restraint. My schedule does not seem to feel the restraint, but more like being packed with excess. I’ll be working hard at finding the times to slow down and rest for my family, even when it feels like we are hurtling towards Easter in a non-stop streak.
Saturday, March 1
My morning walk is delightful today. I’m hearing the birds again, the mornings are light. I feel energized as I head into my day.
I make dutch-oven pancakes for breakfast. These are such an easy and delightful breakfast. We serve them with powdered sugar and maple syrup. With our diet restrictions, something like this would have been impossible for us to have a couple of years ago. There is a product out now that I discovered recently called Just.Egg and it has been a great substitute for things that need an egg base. It doesn’t work for baking (like cakes or cookies) but it works for eggy dishes like frittatas and omelets. I’m still exploring what I can make with it and dutch-oven pancakes are one of our favorites.
Monday, March 3
I scramble to catch up this morning. I sleep in too late and have to make a cake for my mom’s birthday today. I almost skip my walk because I’m late but I decide one quick loop won’t break my time bank. And I know I feel far more energized after a walk. And energy is what I need today.
Thursday, March 6
I bring some friends with me to pick up my Azure order today. It’s so great to spend some time with other women and have grown-up conversations. It feels so normal and I realize how long it has been since I’ve had this kind of fellowship and encouragement.
Friday, March 7
My first milestone for
. I am making a card deck decorated with my favorite words collection, and my first suit is complete! I’ve enjoyed the discipline of posting a card a day, sharing these words that mean so much to me, even if they are a bit off-the-beaten-path.
Saturday, March 8
My oldest takes his SATs today. I spend the waiting time at a local coffee shop planning my school year for next year. I try to work out what the weekly/daily schedule will look like both for group school time and individual school time. Because we are starting our history cycle over again, I reacquaint myself with the books that we will be reading that I already own. I’m so excited to list out these old friends and I look forward to sharing them with my younger crew. I also enjoyed listening to the conversation between a youngish couple at the neighboring table who were meeting with a contractor to build their home. Delightful to hear their plans and dreams, their negotiating over the price, and paring down of some of the features to fit their budget.
I finished reading A Tale of Two Cities for
. As usual with me and Dickens, it was a bit of a slog at first, but the writing was so beautiful, I hung in there. I know from experience that his books are always worth the effort. And it was. There might have been a few tears as I closed the book. That’s rare for me, so it spoke powerfully how much this story moved me.
Monday, March 10
I am taking a ‘quick’ trip over to Lancaster, PA to Poiema Visual Arts HQ today. I needed to deliver some new art pieces to show in their upcoming gallery shows and pick up an old one that was done. I donated a piece to their benefit auction, as well. I’m enjoying all the connections I am making with this group. We spent a couple of hours chatting with some of the other members who were there and my kids made some crafts. Actually, my oldest drove both ways to bulk out his driving requirements so he can get his license. The benefits of having another driver are becoming quickly apparent to me.
Wednesday, March 12
The weather is warm enough to hang my laundry out on the line today. Hanging and folding the laundry outdoors is one of my most favorite things. I love how the clothes smell when I bring them into the house. In short, I’ve missed it and I’m so happy to start again.
Yesterday I started and finished Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell. This was a slim little volume of pure fun, the third book by the grumpy bookshop owner in Scotland. Of course, if you read it closely you can tell he’s not that grumpy, but that is the voice he writes in. I’m starting his fourth book tomorrow.
Thursday, March 13
My walk is amazing today. Because of the time change, I’m back to seeing the sunrise. Between seeing the sunrise and hearing the frantic birdsong, it truly feels like spring.
Friday, March 14
Another amazing sunrise walk this morning. Today is our last term day for school. We have our exams next week and some standardized testing too. Pennsylvania requires these tests for 3rd grade, 5th grade, and 8th grade. I have a child in each one of those grades this year, so getting them all tested is going to be interesting.
We were able to finish our read-aloud in school, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, on the last day of term, so that’s great. We can go into our break knowing the conclusion of this heartbreaking and beautiful story. It wasn’t an easy read, but it was gripping and all my kids were interested.
I have a massive cooking day scheduled for tomorrow, prepping for tech week later this month. I need ingredients, meals, and desserts to be in a state of easy-peasy grab-and-go for that week.
I’m trying something new and sending this newsletter in the middle of the month, but only to my subscribers. The email format gets so long by the end of a full month, but I also think sending it out weekly is a bit too often. So, I’m trying halfway through the month.
As mentioned already, we have exams next week, tech week after that, and finally a true break week. Then April begins! Looking forward to the rest of this month though. Busy and full and lots of good things to look forward to.