Call Me Melancholic

 Whenever I’m teaching on a specific topic, I feel acutely aware of it in my everyday life. I saw a lot of coincidences in travel when I taught geography. I seemed to run into a lot of poorly executed plays when I taught stage direction.

Now I’m teaching a class on the four basic temperaments: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. And personalities are exploding all around me.

If you aren’t sure what your temperament is, here’s a basic run-down: those who are extroverts or Type A personalities are either sanguine or choleric. A sanguine is everyone’s best friend, a little on the ADD side, loving, kind, passionate about the moment and needs people around to feel energetic. A choleric is the boss. He or she is the one who has a big picture plan and is driven to accomplish it. Though they care little for the details, they will be the ones to succeed in business where others may fail. They can be harsh and even cruel to accomplish their goals.

The introverts or Type B personalities are melancholic and phlegmatic. The melancholic is the “artistic” temperament. They are moody, prone to depression, detail oriented, and very creative. These are the geniuses but are loners. The phlegmatic is the most laid back of all the temperaments. They tend to make great diplomats or peacemakers because they can’t stand conflict. They don’t mind being with crowds of people but tend to refrain from speaking. They like to observe and are quite loyal.

Anyway, it’s a basic overview and there are tests you can take to analyze your temperament. I’m a blend of 3 but my primary (you guessed it…) is Melancholic. Yes, I’m a genius. (Yeah, right.) Yes, I’m moody. (Now I’m getting warmer…)

My friend Kelly talked about labels and how they affect our mindset in one of her recent posts. I thought how ironic it was because that’s exactly what I do to myself all the time. In fact, that’s what this whole blog is based on…my many labels. Melancholics tend to like labels because it gives us a sense of order and purpose. I hated coming into the job I currently have  because I wasn’t given a clear list of duties. It was a vague, “whatever comes up” sort of thing. Little by little, I defined my job but only after making it clear that I needed parameters. I’m a small picture person who works for two people who aren’t hung up on the details. Drives me crazy…but that’s another story for another day.

I’ve also been thinking about my personal habits. One of my students (knowing I’m a melancholic) asked if I sorted my M&M’s or kept my food from touching on the plate. Yes to both. I cannot eat M&M’s or Skittles without first sorting them by color. And yes, there is an order you have to eat them in. As for my dinner plate…I am the only person I know that can make a casserole and still manage to eat all the components separately.

I always thought these were just OCD quirks but perhaps it’s all a part of my temperament. Like the post I did earlier about being eclectic. I can’t decide who is my favorite musician or what is my favorite movie. I have too many that I like! I can’t even narrow down my favorite genre. For me, it’s more about what I don’t like. I can tell you in a heartbeat what I hate in music, movies, books, etc.

Anyway, I ramble on…

For now,

Call me melancholic

Call Me a Simple Woman- part 3

Again…just not feeling too creative today. I enjoyed an extra hour and a half of sleep this morning since I did not have to get a child off to school. Amazing what a little extra snooze will do for your spirits!

For Today…

Outside my window…It’s raining and misty but I love these days. Very mysterious looking and makes me feel cozy indoors.

I am thinking… That I should be finished with my task list early today!

I am thankful for… such a flexible job. My little one is on Spring Break and is enjoying a day at work with me.

From the kitchen… Haven’t figured it out yet. Probably leftovers from yesterday. My hubby is a fantastic cook and he usually makes enough for an army!

I am wearing… dress pants, dress shirt, and ballet style shoes (comfy!)

I am reading…over Sunday school lesson plans and will probably scrap them and start over.

I am hoping… that my puppets will come soon. Eight weeks is too long!

I am creating… lesson plans for the elementary puppet team.

I am hearing…Cinderella (the movie) and Red giggling.

Around the house… Again…I need to clean but I have motivation now. Family is coming for a visit this week!! 

One of my favorite things… peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Next to Ramen noodles, it’s one of my childhood favorite lunches. (And still is.)

A few plans for the rest of the week… work from home the rest of the week, clean and cook in preparation for my family’s visit!, and relax and enjoy the time with them.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…

Call Me Birthday Girl

Yep. It’s that time of year again. I’m celebrating the 4th anniversary of my 29th birthday today.

Once you reach 30, you kind of dread these days and don’t mind sweeping by them with a minimal observance. I’m just happy to be with my family and am looking forward to a great gift of my mom and sister’s visit next week. My daughter, on the other hand, couldn’t let the day go without a big to-do.

Red very thoughtfully took the “Happy Birthday ____________!” sticker from her previous semester Sunday school workbook and wrote “Mom” in the blank. I am wearing it though I hate to draw attention to my aging. I just love that she sacrificed one of her favorite stickers for me. That was a real gift. She also popped out of bed this morning with a big grin, hug, kiss and a card she signed all by herself. She even drew hearts on it to tell me she loves me. She did explain on the way to school that she and Dad haven’t worked out all the details yet but they’re going to make me a cake and dinner but they probably won’t get me balloons because I’m “way to many old.” (Apparently 33 balloons will cause them to float away if they try to carry that many.) Oh and my gift won’t be one she can wrap. She promised she would be obedient all day and clean her room when we get home. (Yeessss!!)

My dear husband even got up this morning while I was getting ready. He and I are NOT morning people. We grunt at each other if we have to share the bathroom sink in the morning. But he offered to make breakfast and followed through on at least getting up! And he even gave me a card. (You have to know the situation to appreciate what it means to me…. He always forgets cards. He’ll never ever forget a birthday or anniversary, but the card thing always slips him up. This year he remembered and even gave it to me at 5 this morning!)

So this has started out to be a surprisingly good day! And I have much to look forward to…even a turkey cake. (Don’t ask…I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean to me but it’s Red’s idea.)

Just for today,

Call me birthday girl

Call Me Confused

Seriously, who comes up with this stuff?

Today is Worship of Tools Day.

Really…how do you celebrate? Do you go out in your garage and say a prayer over your toolbox? Invite the hammer and wrench inside for dinner? Or do you have to prostrate in front of the tool bench?

I like my tools as any handywoman would but I’m not going to worship them. I think they should be pretty impressed with what I can do with ‘em!

I suppose it’s better than yesterday. It was Festival of Life in the Cracks. (No lie.) I can’t even to begin to speculate on what it is.

Until a “normal” holiday arrives,

Call me confused

Call Me the Purger

I figured if I ever got to give myself a mob name, I would choose “The Purger.” It has a very strong subliminal message, don’t you think? I will not spare anything- I will purge!

So I’m in my purging mood today. It usually happens when I need emotional release from pent-up anger or hurt. Yesterday was the day from *cough* and today I’m channeling energy to something useful. I’ve rearranged my office and put my desk at a more useful and private angle, emptied a useless file cabinet (and pawned it off on someone else), emptied 5 storage boxes that have been here since before I came into the office 6 months ago, rearranged my desk drawers and many other various  and sundry things. It feels good.

Now some may ask how I have the time to do all this. Simple. All that pent-up emotion I was talking about produces an enormous amount of adrenaline. Yesterday I finished all my tasks from my Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday lists. (Of course it helped that my phone has been out of commission due to an AT&T problem. ) At a loss for what to do today- especially since one of my bosses is out of town and the other is homeschooling today- I decided it was purge day. Hey, if they haven’t used the item in 6 months will they ever?

If only I can keep this energy level up for when I get home. I have a lot I could work on there.

I’m curious though…what do you do to channel nervous or emotional energy? Do you clean too?

For now,

I have more purging to do…I just remembered a few shelves that escaped the earlier organizing.

Call Me Avid Reader

Whenever I’m asked to list my hobbies, I can stop at one: reading. I love to read- always have. My mother likes to blame my poor eyesight on the fact I used to read by the nightlight in my bedroom. Once she discovered I was doing it, I lost my light source! (Flashlights under the covers worked for a while too…but she found that one once I asked for more batteries.)

I love to find out from friends what they’re currently reading. I’ve found many of my favorite authors through recommendations. I’m a very elecletic reader so my nightstand is stacked with books in a wide range of topics. I am currently reading The Message (it’s a through-the-Bible in One Year + devotional book which I read side-by-side with my NASB Study Bible), Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris (in preparation for a class I’m teaching), 10 Lies the Church Tells Women (not sure if I agree with the author’s philosophy yet…), And She Always Wore Red by Angela Elwell Hunt (superb author…so witty!), The Complete Puppeteer by Puppet Productions (again, prep for a class I’m teaching) and re-reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Yes, I do read books simultaniously. It just depends on how the mood strikes me that day.

And yes, my library is my biggest space issue. Until I got my Kindle that is. Now I have over 2 dozen books on my digital reader. But sometimes you just have to have the book with pages in hand.

Of course, I had always hoped to pass my love of books and reading on to my daughter. I started reading to her before she was born. I continued reading long stories to her as I held her in the NICU. Her neo-natalogist, Dr. A., used to tease that Red would be going straight to college once they released her from the hospital.

I worried for a while that she wouldn’t like books. She seemed to enjoy eating them over listening to the stories and looking at the pictures. But that soon changed! Once she started crawling, she would book it (nice pun, right?) to the shelves and pull off her favorites. She would page through them all on her own for a time before fussing for me to pick her up and read.

Now Red loves books so much it is her sole reason for going to school. She is in a reading group and bubbles over with enthusiasm for it. And I can use it as leverage to get her to do what I ask. No books until you clean your room. No books until you brush your teeth. And the minimum book count each night is two. Of course, I had to qualify what kind of books they can be after she brought me two anthologies one night. They must be short to medium length books.

And yes, she does take after her mom. I found her asleep on the floor of her bedroom, next to her nightlight, a book open on her chest and a stack of books next to her.

For now,

Call us all avid readers

P.S. The picture isn’t staged. I was trying to get her bath ready when she slipped away from me and crawled back into her bedroom for the book. I couldn’t let the moment pass without a picture!

Call Me the Assistant

Isn’t it amazing what a few well-chosen words can do for your soul? My love language isn’t words of affirmation but I think it might be trying to replace my first!

Here’s what happened:

As many of you know I wasn’t able to get a job teaching this year due to the downturn in the economy. (I’m a college professor by trade.) The first thing to go in most colleges is the adjunct faculty. So I applied for the only job I found that was open. It was for the youth ministries assistant at our church. The job entailed assisting both the youth pastor and the children’s minister. It was part time and flexible on the hours so I could work while my daughter was in school. Perfect, I thought. Nothing too “heavy” on responsibility and easy enough to work around with a young child.

And I got it! That’s when the wild ride began.

I didn’t count on how I would feel about working as an assistant. Pride got in my way a lot in the early weeks. I was used to being the one in charge (isn’t every professor the boss of the classroom?) not the one being given menial tasks. But both bosses always praise highly and little by little, (and with much prayer and help from God!), I worked my way out of my pride-funk.

But it isn’t always roses working in a church. Just like any other work environment, you get conflicting personalities and weariness. After catching the latest version of the crud, (for the fourth time this winter), I wanted to crawl under a rock and die. I was tired of being sick, tired of zipping my lips with someone I have a personality conflict, and utterly exhausted by being the only responsible adult in the youth division. (Okay, so that last one is pure pity-party on my part…but I do feel like the mother hen sometimes working with young men. Good grief, even my daughter thinks my job is to pick up the mess that the “boys” make.) Anyway, I was tired and weary.

I stopped by the children’s minister’s office to drop off a finished project and she stopped me to chat for a moment. She told me how much she appreciated me and my work and said I was far too qualified to be just the assistant. (Though, don’t get her wrong, she doesn’t want to lose me!)

I had to blink back tears. In fact, I went straight to the restroom to wipe my eyes and thank God for the encouragement I so desperately needed.

I don’t say all this to promote myself and say “look-at-me-see-how-they-all-love-me!” I do this to say, you never know how much your words can impact a life. My boss had no idea how close to the edge I was and how her simple words meant the world to me. In retrospect, I wonder if my words may have touched someone and I don’t know how deeply. I hope I have. If not, then I need to start talking! Isn’t it amazing how God can use simple compliments to encourage a soul?

Proverbs 25:11, “Words aptly spoken are like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

For now,

Call me the assistant (and proud to be one!)

Call Me a Simple Woman- Part 2

Or call me lazy…I didn’t feel much like coming up with a topic on my own for today so here’s the Simple Woman’s daybook template again. (Filled in with today’s details, of course!)

For Today…

Outside my window…it’s sunny but still chilly. And the last of the snow is finally melting.

I am thinking… about how much the month of March filled up for me. My schedule is bursting and strangely for this introvert, I love it!

I am thankful for… the women I work with. Our meetings are a delight and comfort to me.

From the kitchen…oh dear- I forgot to think of anything for tonight! Is pizza or Ramen decent enough?

I am wearing… dress pants, suit jacket, dress shoes (no socks!!!) and my breast cancer awareness scarf.

I am reading…blogs…I’m taking a break from work. (Shh…)

I am hoping… that I don’t actually get this cold I feel coming on. (Scratchy throat, unquenchable thirst and stuffed up head…I’m doomed.)

I am creating… a program for a college puppet team! (Exciting stuff happening on the puppet front!)

I am hearing…Delta Goodrem belt out “In this Life” on my sound system.

Around the house…Well…not much changed from the last time I wrote in the daybook. Still needs vacuuming…no motivation.

One of my favorite things… a visit from my family. And guess what?! My two best friends, my mom & sister, are coming in about two weeks!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week… shop for the student activity on Friday, finish puppet team plans, start Sunday school lessons

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Dr. Seuss’s birthday was celebrate in style by the kindergarteners. Red was Cindy Lou Who (if you couldn’t guess.)

Call Me the 9 Inch, Cake-Eating, House Cleaning Clarabelle Cow

Kids say the darnedest things. So when a friend of mine did this little questionnaire with her kids, I had to copy it. I love to read what kids think of their parents. Some times it’s telling and other times, just hilarious. So I ventured to do it with my 4 year old daughter, Red. So here’s what my kid thinks of me…

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Obey.

2. What makes mom happy?
When I have a happy heart (her term for obeying with a smile)

3. What makes mom sad?
When I don’t obey (Sense the trend? We had a discussion about this very recently!)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
By telling me funny things

5. What was your mom like as a child?
She liked to play with toys

6. How old is your mom?
50 (*Sigh* I’m 32.)

7. How tall is your mom?
9 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
clean the house and my room (yeah…right)

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
She tries to look for me

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
drawing pictures (ummm…no)

11. What is your mom really good at?
taking care of me

12. What is your mom not very good at?
cooking (thanks a lot)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Clean the boys (pastor’s) office when they mess up  (Um…kind of?)

14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
chocolate cake (YES!)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
I don’t know

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Clarabelle Cow

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Go on field trips, hang up pictures, draw pictures, read books and go to the library

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have the same field trip shirts and blue eyes.

19. How are you and your mom different?
We have different lips and noses and I have red hair and she doesn’t.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
She helps me and kisses me and tells me she loves me.

22. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Disney World! (I think that’s her favorite place to go.)

So tell me, what do your kids think of you?

For now,

Call me the 9 inch, chocolate cake-eating, house-cleaning Clarabelle Cow.

Call Me a Simple Woman

A friend, Anne Elliott posted this format on her blog taken from the Simple Woman’s Daybook blog. I liked the idea that often it  is the small, simple things that we find joy in. For me, the simple things tend to be the things I do frequently and may miss the wonder of the moment in the sheer repetition. So anyway, here’s my simple daybook entry for today and my reminder to myself to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

For Today…

Outside my window…children on the playground laughing and playing. My little girl is one of them.

I am thinking… I have stacks of papers on my desk I need to get through but would rather blog. dress pants, blazer, shoes (no socks…see my pet peeves list regarding that!) and cuddly warm sweater

I am thankful for… the peace of mind God gives me for each day. Always enough for me to deal with what comes daily. I’d be a mess otherwise!

From the kitchen… thankfully I don’t have to enter it today! It’s dinner at church tonight.

I am wearing… dress pants, jacket, heels

I am reading… Newsletter articles to edit for children’s ministry

I am hoping… to be finished with work early today- but I doubt it!

I am creating… a puppet manual for my soon-to-be puppet team

I am hearing… the lovely sounds of Three Graces from my iPod

Around the house… I’m not going to look since it needs a good vacuuming.

One of my favorite things… is going to staff prayer meeting (which is very soon)

A few plans for the rest of the week… chaperone the Kindergarten field trip, get the student ministries bonfire activity stuff ready, finish and mail out the newsletter, hopefully get out and hike on the mountain this weekend, and about 20 other things on my daytimer task list!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…

This is a very relaxing and peaceful picture for me and it’s my desktop background.