I’m pretty sure I have mentioned this before. And I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that I view it as kind of a character flaw in myself. But here it is: My patience is severely tested when someone is taking a reallllllly long time to tell me something super boring. (such as, the entire plot of…
I’m gonna go with one of my own kids: Lisey. Last year, she made a job switch from restaurant bussing to working on cars, just because she wanted to learn how! She had no prior experience, but she just applied to all sorts of places and eventually one of them gave her a chance. She’s…
Back in January, the president of Zoe’s tutorial put out a call to ask if anyone knew how to work with WordPress, because the tutorial website needed a little help. I have been working with WordPress since 2008, so I volunteered to help. The project turned out to be a lot bigger than either the…
Boy, I feel like this is a question that could have a lot of answers; I always feel like I am working toward lots of goals. I’ll pick one, though, which is sort of two. At the beginning of this year, Lisey told me about the language app, Drops. It gives you five minutes a…
I feel like I’ve had a prompt along these lines before. But maybe I am remembering wrong. How about a bulleted list of things, large and small, that stress me out? I feel stressed: when important relationships aren’t going well when it’s 5:30 pm and I have no idea what to make for dinner when…
I’m sure if I sat here long enough, I could think of so many answers to this question! When I was younger, I felt extremely sure about a lot of things. But the older I get, the more I realize that I did not have it all figured out when I was 18 years old….
This is more like something that I’ve heard rather than seen, but I’m gonna let it slide. 😉 My former piano teacher’s mother-in-law died recently, and because of current events, my piano teacher wrote a eulogy on Facebook rather than delivering it in person. My mom shared it with my siblings and me, and two…
When I read this prompt, I immediately thought of a fun day I’d like to relive. But then I realized this prompt could go two ways; I could pick a day that was awesome, or I could pick a day where I wish I had made different choices. The latter option produces all sorts of…
“Fought” is probably too strong a word for this, but oh well. The last two chapter quizzes in my biology class have had…issues. The first one had a blank in the multiple choice options, and none of the remaining options were the correct answer either. Then on the latest quiz, about 80% of the questions…
I don’t know that I have one! I kind of feel like any place that is quiet would be perfect. (My assumption is that a quiet place also means that I am alone, because if another person is there, it would no longer be quiet!) So. I am having a hard time imagining how a…
The technical definition of career is: “An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.” I suppose in some ways, I have a career in mothering and in homeschooling. (Please note: the definition does NOT say you have to be paid in a career!) The homeschooling career is…
Hmm. My children do sometimes value my opinion, depending on the day, the kid, and the topic at hand. Mr. FG values my opinion (ok, this is also depending on the topic. He probably wouldn’t value my opinion about the IT stuff he does, because I know nothing about it!) I know there are blog…
This one is a double-edged sword, but here it is: I’m good at doing things quickly and efficiently. I read fast, I cook fast, I clean fast, I walk fast, I listen to podcasts fast (double speed!), I fold laundry fast, and so on. Slow is not the name of my game. This is good…
This is a funny question for me because I am not a very colorful person. (Sonia, on the other hand? ALL OF THE COLORS.) But maybe if I had to choose one, it would be a warm, autumn-palette type of green. And this is not so much because I think it is the most beautiful…
There is no way for this list to be exhaustive; just gonna do five random choices! Trash/recycling pickup people Mr. FG and I see these guys every week while we are out for a walk, and we often think of what a tough job they have. They’re out in all sorts of weather, lifting heavy…
I think my answer to this is a reflection of the more introverted side of me. Or it could be a reflection of my current circumstances. Or it could be because of the type of things that usually stress me out. Whatever the cause, when I’m stressed, it helps me to be left alone. That…
I think the answer to this is the same as my answer to many other questions: consistency. My steady-plodding abilities are extremely useful in multiple areas of my life, and professional life is one of them. I was a dependable, on-time, hard-working employee at Nordstrom. I was a consistent, dependable piano teacher. I was a…
How about a dream purchase I have in mind? I have had decent, reliable cars for the whole time I’ve been driving, but I have never chosen a car based purely on what I want in a car. Practical factors (price! how many people can it carry?) have always been the driving force. But when…
This seems like an impossible prompt. No matter the day, month, or year, there are always so many foods that I am in love with! Probably the food I most consistently am obsessed with is fresh-baked homemade yeast bread. This has been true for pretty much my whole life, and it’s the reason I got…
The most regular setback I seem to encounter is a physical one: my neck issues. I have been to PT for it and had diagnostic tests and I do faithfully do my exercises, but it still seems extremely easy to knock my neck out of whack. And when I do that, I am mostly sidelined…
Hmm. I think it is very, very easy to fall into the trap of being disappointed in people and situations outside of myself. I could make a long list of those types of situations. And you probably could too! But I’m not sure that that’s a great thing to focus on. If I go down…
there’s a calm atmosphere things don’t feel unpredictable a space is relatively tidy and clean a space smells good the people around feel safe things are not too noisy people are kind to me And one other thing that didn’t seem to fit into a bullet point; basically, I feel at home when people feel…
I don’t know if this exactly qualifies as risky, but I am feeling kind of eager to try nursing school/nursing work. I suppose the risks are things like…maybe I will hate being back in school Maybe I will have trouble learning now that I am in my 40s. Maybe nursing work will be harder than…
I don’t know if I have one main motto! There are a lot that appeal to me, and I’ve blogged about a number of them. “You don’t get to choose the cards you’re dealt, but you do get to choose how you play them.” “You don’t need whiskers to do that.” “Nothing is all good…
Our mailman! We have a great mailman right now. He’s a young guy and he is just FULL of energy and good cheer. He walks with a bounce, delivers packages in a speedy fashion, and takes the time to greet people on his route. If you are out walking while he’s driving by, you always…
Oh boy, this feels like a hard prompt for the moment. 2020 was not a year filled with a whole bunch of delightful times for me. (Or honestly for an awful lot of the world!) Of course, there were good moments, but they were mixed in with a lot of not-great times. I think maybe…
This prompt makes me feel a little odd because I know that when I am able to accomplish something, it is because of the grace, gifts, and opportunities that God has given me. So, it feels a little bit strange to be proud of my accomplishments. Gratefulness seems more appropriate. Maybe I’ll edit and ask…
I’ll preface by saying that this is not a big chance. And most people probably wouldn’t even see it as taking a chance! But for me, it was. The chance in question: getting a cat. I did not grow up in a house with animals, aside from a few fish, and a hamster who was…
I’ll share a lesson that blogging has taught me. I knew about this concept before I started blogging, but blogging really brought it home for me. It’s this: A soft answer turns away wrath. It’s from a biblical proverb, of course: “A harsh word stirs up anger, but a soft answer turns away wrath.” I…
Oof. I feel like there are oodles of life areas where it is hard, hard, hard to find balance. But the first one that occurred to me is an area that has been a lifelong struggle for me. I have a terrible time figuring out the balance between overlooking irritations/offenses and confronting them. For most…
