This afternoon I baked cupcakes while singing “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore”. Tomorrow is my birthday. My kids are far more excited about it than I am, but they don’t quite understand that birthdays look different once you get past 30!

When I look back on the past year, there are good and bad things of course. I decided to list some of the good things that have come out of the past year, and I’m sharing them here. (In no particular order.)

This year I…

… made peace with the fact that I dress like I did in high school. Jeans and tennis shoes are practical and comfortable, and you seriously can’t beat a good denim jacket.

… ditched the makeup. If Mom’s makeup routine consisted of Oil of Olay and lipstick, then I’m not going to worry about my minimalist look.

…decided to keep the rock star red hair dye and bright nail polish.

…realized that I’ll be fighting some dragons for the rest of my life, but that’s OK. This is my struggle for a reason, and God knows that reason, even if I don’t. He can even bring something beautiful out of it.

…discovered the music of For King and Country. A number of their songs have been a huge encouragement to me through some pretty rocky days.

…joined team HEDUA! I’ve been a fan of Home Educating Family for so long, and reviewing and writing for them the past few years has been an amazing experience. I’m so excited to be working in their customer service department!

…fell a little more in love with my husband of 14 years. I still can’t figure out how I ended up with such a great guy, but I’m so very thankful that I did!

…watched our kids gain a few more inches. They grow so fast that it takes my breath away. I see bits and pieces of the people I’ve loved the most in each of them, yet they are still unique individuals. This year, I got to know each of them a little better.

…accompanied Aaron to the first gallery showing of his photography. It was wonderful to see some of his beautiful work hanging on a gallery wall!

…laughed with my sister. Mom always said that we would get along someday, and of course she was right.

…watched starry skies, and remembered that there is always, always hope.

…counted more blessings, and saw that I’ve been given more good gifts than I realized.

…slowed down and enjoyed the moments with my kids a little more often.

…wish I’d gained a bit more wisdom, but I guess I’m still a work in progress.

Some days this year have been so. Hard. There’s been a whole lot of good too though, and even the hard stuff isn’t for nothing. I can see God’s fingerprints all over my life; that alone is enough to make me look forward to the coming year.

I love Pinterest. I can keep track of recipes, patterns, school ideas, and so much more without having to print off a ton of stuff! Seriously, it’s a huge paper and ink saver for me.

Lately, I’ve been looking for baked donut recipes. I have a fabulous donut pan, and the kids love it when I bake a batch of donuts! Considering how much I love tea, this particular pin caught my eye…

If you want just a hint of tea flavor, then three bags of tea should be fine. I’d use a fourth next time because I would prefer a stronger tea flavor to the donuts. I’d also really like to try the glaze made with heavy cream next time. My glaze was pretty thin, and didn’t have the rich flavor that just a bit of cream can give to icing. I’ll probably also bake it a couple of extra minutes too. I like my baked donuts to be a bit crispy on the outside.

All in all, this recipe is a keeper. It’s a lovely with a good cup of tea!

Outside my window… the sun has returned after a week of not much more than rain and clouds.

I am thinking… about writing, and how much of themselves authors pour into their stories. I’ve heard both schools of thought. Write from your heart, and don’t write anything too personal in your stories. I don’t know that either one is strictly right or wrong. Maybe which one we lean towards depends on why we write…

I am thankful for… easy access to music. I don’t think we always realize what a wonderful gift that is.

From the learning rooms… learning about plants is definitely more fun during garden season!

From the kitchen… sun tea brewing today.

I am wearing… jeans, pink balloon festival t-shirt, and my TPCs.

I am creating… still knitting the blanket. I might be knitting it forever, but at least I’m not tired of working on it yet.

I am going… to try out a couple of new essential oil blends. Aromatherapy is a more recent interest of mine, but I’m quite fascinated!

I am reading… My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren. It’s startling to pick up a random novel and find something unexpectedly relevant to where I’m at right now. Maybe this book landed on my reading list for a reason.

I am hoping… the sunshine gives me a bit of extra energy today!

I am hearing… a bit of everything on my mp3 player. I have pretty eclectic music tastes!

Pondering these words… “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — CS Lewis

Around the house… windows are being opened and the fresh breezes are once again drifting through.

One of my favorite things… chocolate. No explanation is needed!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Just the usual. Nothing exciting planned, but life has a way of tossing in a few surprises!

For more daybooks, please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Our home office gets a lot of use. I spend most of my writing time in there, and my IT staff spends many, many hours working in that room! From time to time, we have to just clear out the empty boxes that have piled up, and do something with the stacks of paper that multiply on the desks. That was my project yesterday afternoon.

My desk is actually just a table, so I don’t have any drawers or storage other than the flat surface area around my computer. It was while clearing off my desk area that I realized how useful a desk organizer would be. I briefly looked around online but quickly decided that I wanted a cheaper solution. A google search for “desk organizer diy” turned up plenty of ideas.

I settled on making a desk organizer out of cereal boxes, toilet paper tubes, glue, and leftover spray paint. I used clothespins to hold it together overnight while the glue dried. Then I spray painted it first thing this morning. The spray paint didn’t completely cover up the cereal box pictures, but it works. You really can’t beat practically free, right? A lot of the pictures I saw during my google search showed organizers covered with scrapbook paper or fabric. You could definitely do that if you’re so inclined. I grabbed the spray paint because it was faster. I also like the idea of covering it with fancy duct tape. I’m out of duct tape at the moment, or I’d have tried that instead.

It’s not the sturdiest thing of course, but it does hold my pens, pencils, printer ink, bottled ink, notepads, and all sorts of odds and ends that cluttered up my desk.

Mr. Q was impressed with my desk organizer and even asked if I could make him one for his dresser. Maybe I’ll hand him the cereal boxes and duct tape and let him have at it!