Live, Love, Laugh...

This saying has been driving it's way inside of me this weekend.....You really do have to take time to live, to love, to laugh. And I find that all to often of late...I don't.
So I'm resolving to take time to live, love, and laugh this week. One great way of doing that is a to have a tea party. And that's what I did. I invited my two sisters, Hope and Kathryn, and my mother. Hope made mini cakes, Kathryn made the tea, I had donut holes and the china (Kathryn actually had to bring her teapot, as mine is no longer in commission); and my mother just came. :)
We had a good time, laughed a lot. Lived, and loved. I realized that I want to make time for those simple things in my life. Not that my pace is not hectic.
Monday's I meet with a friend for some Bible study, and talk; we visit about the different things going on in our lives. I also help coach a teens volleyball team.
Tuesdays I have cello lessons.
Wednesday is our church's women's Bible study.
Thursdays I go to another friends house to help out with her kids, get some practical experience since I don't have any of my own yet. I also use that day as my 'in town day'. I try to run any errands, and meet anyone in town that I need to, or sometimes it's just 'want'. :)
That leaves me Friday that I don't have any thing I have to do. Usually. This Friday I'm going to be working with a caterer, doing a military ball. Should be fun. I have to be there from three in the afternoon, till after midnight. It will be a long day.
And Saturday evening I'm supposed to babysit for another friend.....My life is definitely busy. This week in particular.

I am currently studying/researching English Literature, for my book. I love literature, and poetry in particular, and wish to include it, but as my book is set in the late 1700's, I need to understand it from that century's perspective. It's been interesting so far. I still like Shakespeare best, I think. :)

Some More Ramblings...

Well, here it is, more than a week since I last wrote. Ha-ha, the story of my life....I just seem to get so busy; and then I lost my Internet connection for a while there too.
My grandfather turns 80 tomorrow, so we went over to their place and celebrated with him today; all his sons, their wives, and their children. It was very nice, and just such a special time to spend all together. We made homemade ice cream, always a plus... :) The guys played football; meaning my four brothers and my cousin's husband, Nick. My Dad, and another cousin, Cody, even joined in the game some. My sisters and I played Frisbee with Cody some, and joined the married granddaughters later in watching the football game. My brother got married a year ago last March; they're expecting in January; and my cousin got married this past July. It's a weird feeling, being the oldest single in the family now..... :) But I guess I'm not suffering too much.... :)
My parents just had their 30th, and took a trip to the Smokies. I was 'president', and my twin brothers were 'head of security' while they were gone. :) We had a good time. My parents brought back little somethings for everyone, mugs for the four youngest, a biography of a native from the Smokies for Kathryn, and a book of Mountain Family Recipes for me. I was, and still am, very excited about that one....can't wait to try some of those; though others, like the chitlins, I'm content to leave well enough alone. :)
I guess I'm in a 'philosophical' type of mood, because I've been doing a lot of that (in my head) lately....I'm missing the day's when my friend Christi and I used to stay up all night doing that. lol. But I'll try to restrain myself for the time being. I am so glad she's finished up with one of her jobs, maybe we'll have some time to see each other again.
So, I have like a million books I'm supposed to be reading on my bookshelf. I've been reading Richard Blackaby's Putting A Face On Grace. It's really good, but since I'm reading so many different books right now, it's taking me forever to get through any of them. I'm also reading Nancy Leigh DeMoss's Holiness, just started it, so can't say much yet. And I'm still reading A Sacred Romance. That one's taking a long time, probably because it's so deep. I am aching to read Elliot' Let Me Be A Woman, I've heard so much good about it, but am making myself hold back on that one till I finish one of the others.
I had been making a lot of progress last week on the book I'm writing, The Count; but this week it seems that inspiration is gone. Oh, well. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it goes. I guess that's just the life of a struggling, amateur author. :)