Mr. Spontaneity

I never know what Jeff will think of next. 

God knew that being spontaneous was not one of my natural gifts (ha!), so he blessed me with a man skilled in spontaneity, a man who would be able to bring out of me something that wasn't there to begin with.  I've changed so much because of Jeff, but I still don't hold a candle to him when it comes to spur-of-the-moment ideas.

Today, for example, one of the first things he did this morning was say, "Let's hang up this shelf.  Where do you want it?"  This shelf, by the way, was given to us months ago by my dad; it was a cast-off from his office, no longer needed because of his retirement.  Since Dad gave it to us, it's been hanging out in the back of Jeff's closet.  I haven't pressured Jeff to put it up; and in fact, I haven't even thought about it recently.  

Apparently, something made Jeff think about it, because he was all gung-ho about putting it up this morning.  I didn't complain.  :)

Jeff found the studs and screwed it in securely--it's a heavy shelf--and now it's a perfect place to display some of our books where they can visually tempt little hands to reach for them, pull them off the shelf, and peruse them.

We decided to hang it right under the big map in our upstairs hallway, which reminded me of this quote I read recently in an article by Jill Hardy in my oft-used and much-appreciated homeschool planner, The Well-Planned Day:   

Your personal preferences will dictate a lot of your storage and organizational methods.  I know many homeschoolers who bristle at the idea of leaving maps on the wall, or having desks in common living areas, and just as many who embrace home learning as a decorating style.

"Home learning as a decorating style"?  Yes, I'd say that sounds about right.  :)

The next thing Jeff did to surprise me today occurred when he returned to the house from taking some food scraps to the compost pile and feeding the animals.  He came in the kitchen from the porch; but instead of quickly closing the door to keep the heat inside, he held the door open and gave a short whistle.  In trotted Molly.  Dear, sweet Molly.  Our first dog, my favorite dog of the three we have now.  But in the house?  Our dogs are outdoor ones and always have been; they enjoy the room to run freely in our pasture, and I enjoy the fact that my house has no dog hair or dog smell in it!  :)  But The One Who Surprises Me decided that it would be fun to bring Molly down from the pasture and bring her in the house...

...and then take her for a walk with three eager boys.

It was fun, too; and if it wasn't for that little bit about the dog hair and smell, I would dearly love having Molly as an indoor dog.

As it is, we'll let her stay outside with her two dog buddies and two goat buddies; but I'm so glad Jeff thought to bring her inside for a little bit today.

That man!  He surely keeps me on my toes.

That's why I married him.  ;-)