Tag: Spin Cycle

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And the Creek Did Rise…

My uncles say, “Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” Well, yesterday the creeks overflowed, the rivers are still rising and the sewer rose right into my basement. Our sump pump is working fine, so while we’re unable to flush our toilets and take showers, we don’t have much water damage like thousands of others in the Chicago area. We did not have to be rescued by boat and we did not lose our car underwater. For that, I am extremely grateful. Our neighbors, who do have a working sewer, invited us over last night to use their bathrooms and feed us cake. Yay for good neighbors!

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.” ~C.S. Lewis

Ed graciously offered to let us stay in a hotel room, but I wanted to stick it out at home. Yes, it is a pain, but I think I would have been too anxious about our house if we left last night. As for comfort, I like sleeping in my own bed.

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” ~Jane Austin

I may not be able to run the dishwasher, but we have electricity. I can’t do laundry; however, our washer and dryer are not under water. In this crazy Chicago weather, we are now having snow flurries. At least we have a warm house. We have a solid roof over our heads and a mostly dry basement under our feet. The water puddle is slowly receding and I’m hopeful that we will be able to run water by tonight or tomorrow.

splashing puddles

The water company has kindly listened to our phone calls and sent out an investigator. He assured me that the sewer would soon start running normally. We have a low sewer line compared to some of our neighbors, which is the reason our line backed up.

Our school district is up and running and the girls are at school. Ed has been able to get to work. We just have so many things to be thankful for!

“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

This post brought to you by Spin Cycle and the prompt: My Favorite Quotes.

How has your week been?

Second Blooming

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How to Find Inspiration {Spin Cycle}

Inspiration: Where does it come from and how can I get it?

I often think of inspiration as being unattainable; something I can’t quite grasp, whether I’m working on my next blog post, teaching preschool or trying to decide what to make for dinner…again. Sources of inspiration are all around me, but sometimes I’m looking so hard for that unattainable inspiration, that mountaintop inspiration, that I forget where my true inspiration comes from.

inspriation
Looking for Inspiration

Sometimes when I have writer’s block, I look to fellow bloggers. Their writing inspires me to write. A couple of years ago, I read a story about how the tall grass at the side of the road looked beautiful as the sun set behind them.  As she was driving by, this blogger just had to pull over and get out her camera. She had driven by these grasses a hundred times, and had never noticed them before. The grass and the setting sun became her inspiration.

Sometimes our inspiration is right in front of us. We just have to realize it!

This week, it’s my turn to lead “Big Rug.” During Big Rug time, I have a routine of learning activities and then I like to do a gross motor activities with the children. Our theme this week is “police” so I sang a song with them that Emmy loved to sing in preschool: “Stop–in the name of the law!” The kids loved dancing to the music, and I felt inspired! Our children are one of the best sources of inspiration, aren’t they?

Before blogging, I used to keep a journal that no one read. It was a place for me to write down my thoughts. My Monday entry would read: “This weekend Ed and I went to Countryside. We had so much fun. Then we watched a movie. It was so much fun. The next day we went for a walk. It was fun!” I would list the events of the day. Boring!

Now that I blog, I’m trying to become a better writer. My posts are out here on the internet for everyone to read, which can be intimidating! Knowing that people actually read what I write, however, is also a reason I love blogging. Because of you, I want to keep on writing and make the next post better than the last. It doesn’t always happen, but I keep trying and I keep writing. You, dear readers, are my inspiration!

Mountains are certainly inspirational, but there is a lot more tall grass around us. What inspires you?

 
Spin Cycle at Second Blooming
P.S. I wish I could find the post about the tall grasses and link to it, but I’m not sure who wrote it. Was it you?

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