my life in lists :: summer days ::

:: make copious amounts of ice cream and popsicles

:: July peach picking

:: bike rides and early morning hikes

:: stargazing

:: bowling

:: frequent trips to the pool

:: build a doll house

:: epic landscaping

:: weekly craft with the girls

:: AHG badge work

:: curriculum planning...for a high schooler!!

:: ice skating

:: baseball (All Stars!)

:: game night

:: movie night

:: road trip

:: hit the photobooth

:: farmers' market

:: recapture order in the household

:: paint my kitchen

::  read aloud

:: visit the library

:: summer school

:: regular dinner parties

:: chess class

:: musical theater camp

:: explore stop-motion movie making

:: bubbles + sidewalk chalk

:: lemonade stand

daybook :: at the start of summer break

today I am:

{thinking}  about the strange and difficult week that just passed, hoping I heeded good advice.

{hearing} wind.  Again.  Another windy May day.

{seeing}  lots of disorder about me.  Shudder.

{dreaming}  of lighthearted, well-spent summer days.

{praying} for so many around me who are carrying such very heavy crosses.

{planning}  a balanced summer, high school curriculum for the first time

{contemplating}

We can begin by examining our lives thoughtfully to see if we have fallen into any of the traps that the ego sets for us.  For instance, it is an all too human fault to make believe the Father's will for us coincides with our own desires.  The more we want something, i.e., the more we depend on it for our own happiness, the more we tend to assume that it is surely what God must also want.  When this happens, we may not be listening; we may be dictating.  ~Enjoy the Lord: A Path to Contemplation by Rev. John Catoir (via The Church Fanatic) 

{resolving} to bring order back into the home.  very soon.

upon turning thirty-nine

Earlier this month I celebrated my thirty-ninth birthday.  Gulp.  Now time to embrace, live to the fullest, enjoy, and milk this last year of my thirties for all it is worth.  The good news is, mentally I don't feel a day past twenty nine.  Well, that is not entirely true.  Certainly I am bit wiser, a bit more humble, and a whole lot more aware of how fast time flows than I was ten years ago.  But, in many ways I still feel young. 

Rather than draw up another list of adventures and lofty goals for this year, I am going to keep plugging away on last year's list because there is still so very much to accomplish there and I still love all of those goals.  However, I am going to add a new list of a different sort.  Since my thirty eighth birthday, there was a little addition to the family.  (She is not so little anymore...almost a whole year old already!) She was the sixth addition, in total. 

What I really found out when I was in labor with Baby Juju almost a year ago is that this Mama of six has not been taking very good care of herself.  Although the labor had no complications, it was my hardest.  I was tired and undernourished, my spirit was lacking, my body was resistant.  In a word, I was weak.  Physically, mentally, and perhaps even spiritually depleted.

So far, I haven't done too much to reclaim that essential core strength.  Instead I have pushed through for the past year, just as I did when the contractions overwhelmed my exhausted body during that arduous labor. Having six children has rocked my world more than I anticipated.  It is at once thrilling, humbling, exhilirating, joyful, maddening and physically taxing.  And it is that last one--physically taxing--that has caught me unprepared. 

One of things I never realized when I was a young twenty-something just starting in on my mothering vocation is how physically demanding it is to run a bustling household.  Naive.  Now I know.  And I know that I need to get myself in better condition, because I want to be powered up for the whole game...my children's youth, their young adulthood, and, God willing, for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I've never been one to think it was selfish to take care of oneself.  On the contrary, clearly we are to tend to ourselves so we can give to others...love our neighbor as we love ourselves, our Lord prudently and succinctly instructs.  But, and this is not intended as an excuse, just an honest statement of reality:  It is so hard to find the time.  And, ironically, the energy. 

There can be no further excuses, no further delays.  My family is depending on me to take care of myself.  Physical, mental, and spiritual vitality is the well I draw upon to carry me through the days and I fully intend, with the Grace of God, to dig deep to fill that life-sustaining reservoir. 

There needs to be a plan, some lists and a routine.  But first, prayer, thought, discussion with The Prof, and reading.  Last summer, I read with great interest as a dear lady went on a similar journey of revitalizing and reclaiming her core strength.  (You can read her inspiring series here.)  I have pondered her ideas and plan to re-read them.  And then I'll share my thirty-nine before forty with you here.  A different sort of birthday list.  A different sort of year.

daybook :: first day of spring

FOR TODAY {21 March 2011}
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...very springlike, beautiful breezy, sunny days.  My favorite Texas season has arrived.  Though there have already been a few days warm enough to prompt everyone into their swimsuits and out into the sprinkler and, today, a couple of the girls started longing for popsicles!
I am thinking about spring wardrobes, Easter dresses, and preparing my children for their first real Holy Week experience.

I am pondering "Nothing [is] so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." --William James
I am thankful that I have no fewer chidren than God has given me.  They each teach me so many lessons.
From the learning rooms...newly tweaked schedules which include gardening, more home care (aka, chores), more music and art.  So excited!  Also, I am marvelling to watch yet another of my litte scholars embrace reading skills.  Little Queen is really starting to take off and often sneaks in a little extra time with her reader during her leisure time.  Love it!
From the kitchen...Seasonal meal plans are amazing.  I am still finishing up the last details of the Lenten meal plans.  Planning by season rather than by month is new to me and, wow, wow, wow, why didn't I do this sooner?!  (This week's suprise hits were Sloppy Joes and Estofado!)  And the best part?  I am filing away the menus, the grocery lists, and the recipes for next year!

I am wearing still stylin' that black maternity skirt.  It is just so comfy.  Pyjamas very soon.
I am creating...meal plans, beaded jewelry with Sunshine, Easter baskets.

I am going to the dentist this week.  Well, actually, taking four children to the dentist.  Too bad I am not a knitter, it would be a productive day.  Also, first baseball game of the season.  I always look forward to baseball season;  so very much fun!
I am reading...The Story of the Trapp Family to the children.  It is a beautiful and timely story that we are all enjoying.  Privately, I am reading St. Francis de Sales Sermons for Lent;  also beautiful and timely.
I am praying...for peace.  Peace in the world in a time of so much unrest and peace of soul.

I am hearing...crickets chirping and clanging chimes.
Around the house... I am embracing order, holding everyone to their routines, pushing through the pain of new standards and expectations.
One of my favorite things...shoe shopping with my girls.  They just get so giddy, it makes me smile!
A few plans for the rest of the week...dentist, baseball games, shoe shopping, bead work, gardening, and maybe, by the grace of God, a little time with the sewing machine.

my life in lists :: eleven things I love about Sunshine

Late last month my dear eldest daughter, Sunshine, turned 11. 

Here are twelve (I just couldn't help myself!) of the innumerable qualities I love about her:

1.  Her tools of choice:  paintbrush, colored pencils, origami paper, white paper, chalk, glue, tape, markers, glitter, water colors, acrylics, fabric, sewing machine.

2.  Her irrepressible fits of laughter spill over to make me laugh, even when I am not in on the joke.

3.  Such a sense of adventure this girl possesses.  Never afraid to try a new food, get in front of an audience, or try on a whole new experience.

4.  She likes most everything I cook or prepare for her.  Even loves my Beet Salad.

5.  Color, stripes, plaids, polka dots, neons, brights and bold patterns all stir her into excitement.  This girl has her own style and the confidence to attend it.

6.  Mud is something she loved as a toddler and still cannot resist.

7.  She seems to move in a cloud of music...always a song or a whistle on her lips.  (And such a sweet voice.)

8.  She possesses a phenomenal memory.  I think she'll be our family historian:  keeper of family legends, myths, and dates.

9.  Silliness is her venue.  Always a smacking-clicking-tongue twisting sound, an invented word, a crazy rhyme at the tip of her tongue. Much to the amusement of her littlest siblings--and the annoyance of her elder brother.

10.  She loves baby-naming as much as I.

11.  Old movies, LPs, Manual typewriters and things "vintage" all make it in her book of awesome.

 

12. She sees the world in wonderful detail often delighting in things I might have missed.

daybook :: winter night

FOR TODAY {February 1, 2011}


{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...bitter cold, howling winds.  Brr.
I am thinking about Holy Week plans and Easter plans. 
I am pondering




I am thankful for lessons in humility.
From the learning rooms...we watched a very old documentary Nanook of the North for our geography studies this week.  Fascinating.  Truly.
From the kitchen...When I get to my other computer, I will have a photo of the spectacular Rainbow Cake I made for Sunshine's 11th birthday.  Friends, what do you say to seven sticks of butter in the frosting?  Oh, yeah, it was epic.
I am wearing going out clothes.  Ruffly skirt and maroon button down shirt.  I even wore matching heels tonight.  On a Tuesday night no less.  I was invited to the Coalition for Life Banquet.  An inspiring, discouraging, uplifting, maddening affair.
I am creating... Valentines with the children.

I am going to bed very soon.  Under my cozy down quilt.  And staying there as long as I can.
I am reading...Phantom Tollbooth was a brilliant book and we finally finished it.  Now we are enjoying The Story of the Trapp Family. Firstborn is reading Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Sunshine just finished Pinnochio, Rosebud is reading the rest of Farmer Boy aloud to Little Queen.  And I am reading too many books at the moment;  I really need to focus so I can complete one or two before Lent.
I am hoping for some answers to prayers. Clear answers. And for no more stomach flu in the house.  Oh, I am hoping very hard for that.

I am hearing...the clanging of chimes and the gusting winds in the trees.  The distant sound of Western in the family room where The Prof and Little Britches have fallen asleep.
Around the house I am sort of holding my breath because we had one child with the vomits last night.  Who is next?  When? 
One of my favorite things...down quilts and handmade afghans.
A few plans for the rest of the week...mostly just hold tight to the new routines. Make lots of hot chocolate, hot soup, hot everything. Catch up on some phone calls.  And drat! Return those library books.

daybook :: ordinary

Daybook :: a humble return

FOR TODAY  {January 17, 2011}
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...it has been rainy and grey for several days now, but today, today the sun shone in all her glory and the afternoon was a winter warm

I am thinking about new, very new, routines.  About how to not let myself get discouraged when my children aren't enthusiastic about my ideas.  About specific ways to take better care of myself--physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

I am pondering...

For the opposite of sin is faith and never virtue, and we live in a world which believes that self-control can make us virtuous.  But that's not how it works.  How many men and women we have encountered, of great personal virtue and moral rectitude, convinced of their own righteousness, who have been totally insensitive to the needs of others and sometimes downright cruel!  ~Madeleine L'Engle

Thoughts?

I am thankful for so many generous friends in our lives.  Equally humbled and grateful, actually.

From the learning rooms...generally, just really happy with this spring schedule.  My little kindergartner is eating it up.  History!  Geography!  Music!  Math! Poetry!  She wants it all and she loves retelling it all at dinner. She excels at narration this one.

From the kitchen...I finally sat down to tweak and fill in the remaining gaps on my 30 days menu.  Three meals a day for thirty days all detailed with recipe sources.  And, I kept my vow to get us back on the vegetable train.  Not that we'd abandoned them, but we were certainly in a rut:  green salad, baby carrots, potatoes, and the occasional broccoli.  Tonight we had brussels sprouts!  With mustard butter!  There is no stopping me now.

I am wearing...can you believe it?  A black maternity skirt again.  No, not pregnant.  It's just that I don't seem to have much of a non-pregnant winter wardrobe and I do love this skirt.  Alas.

I am creating... weekly grocery lists to go with my thirty days menu.  More simplicity.  A few new resolutions for the upcoming months.  Or maybe resolutions isn't quite the right word:  new habits.  I find it motivational to work toward one new thing each month.  This month it really is the menu planning and sticking to the menu.

I am going...sticking close to home these days.  Love it.  Not because I am a home body, but it just feels good and right at the moment.

I am reading...we took a break from our regular reading to do some holiday reading.  So, I am a bit embarrassed to say that we are still reading Farmer Boy and The Phantom Tollbooth.  Thankfully still enjoying both of them. 

Last year my dear niece-in-law gave me L'Engle's beautiful Walking on Water.  I was most of the way through it when it disappeared.  In the last couple of weeks I found it (under the bed!) and have taken an unexpected detour back in the sparkling prose of the brilliant Madeleine L'Engle.

I am hoping...for some answers to prayers.  Clear answers.  And a surge of grace.

I am hearing...just the hum of the computers.  And, soon, not even that.  Silence.  Blessed silence. And the deep sleep breathing of the three dear ones that are already in my bedroom.

Around the house...righting the neglects of homecare that the holiday busy-ness brought.  In my home we should never, ever go four weeks without cleaning out the fridge.  Enough said.

One of my favorite things...my evening grace cup.

A few plans for the rest of the week...having a dear friend over, some creative endeavors and getting myself to the Farmers' Market.  Oh, how I miss it. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

reflection of my two little ones at play

a day in the life :: baby turns 8 months

Daybook :: a humble return

FOR TODAY  {January 10, 2011}
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...rather cool and wet.  (Upper thirties qualifies as "rather cool," no?)

I am thinking about new, very new, routines.  About how to not let myself get discouraged when my children aren't enthusiastic about my ideas.  About taking better care of myself--physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

I am pondering...a thought from a friend:  Never make the mistake of comparing your interior to the exterior of another.

I am thankful that the holidays are over.  Is that bad? I felt like I scored a fail at every turn during Advent and Christmas and I am ready to move on and do better.  I've started plans for Lent and Easter, in fact.

From the learning rooms...A new schedule, a more diverse and beefier approach to the curriculum.  More ways for my eager kindergartner to participate.  And, we are trying out the Simply Charlotte Mason planner.  So far, I love it.  It is easy to use, gives me a single, streamlined system for writing plans for everyone and the peace of mind that there are records of our work.  Yes, love it.

From the kitchen...ready to embrace the regular winter menu again.  Oh, how I have missed the mindless reliance on the thirty day meal plan.

I am wearing...an old, threadbare NON MATERNITY skirt.  Oh, yes, it was a little Christmas gift to attend Mass in a black velvet skirt that was not maternity.  Now, as usual, I am left wondering what in the world I wore when I wasn't pregnant.  Slim pickings, it seems.  Or did I purge the closet and don't remember?

I am creating...mostly a simpler life.  It seems that the more relationships I have to fill my days, the fewer things I can manage.  So, I am creating more physical space, a clearer mind, more time for us.  I am purging again.

I am going...very few places these days.  But soon, ever so soon, baseball season starts again.  Then you will know where to find me.

I am reading...we took a break from our regular reading to do some holiday reading.  So, I am a bit embarrassed to say that we are still reading Farmer Boy and The Phantom Tollbooth.  Thankfully still enjoying both of them.  I am getting ready to start a biography of Beatrix Potter that was given to me for Christmas.  It is nice to have space for that sort of reading between Christmas and Lent.

I am hoping...for some answers to prayers.  Clear answers.  And a surge of grace.

I am hearing...just the hum of the computers.  And, soon, not even that.  Silence.  Blessed silence.

Around the house...taking down Christmas, addressing the messes which were neglected during the holidays.  I am thinking about covering my dining room ceiling with twinkly white lights.

One of my favorite things...conversing with my children. 

A few plans for the rest of the week...well, that depends.  Little Britches was down with a fever all day, Firstborn went to bed early not feeling well and Little Queen has an infection which will require a trip to the doctor.  So, I am trying not to plan, really.   

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

   inspiration for my dining room ceiling at the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas

weekend wanderings

::  Planning to shop Etsy for some handmade Christmas goods?  (I know I am.)You'll want to check out Etsykids,for sure!  Its a site for the Etsy shop owners to showcase all of their kiddo related wares. (Hopefully it will continue to grow)

::  I wish I had written this list.  (via Kim)  Two thoughts: 1.  I am swooning over that dress the mother in the portrait is wearing.  Perfection in a dress, I believe.  2.  I am thinking that the list itself could be presented prettily to a new mother or mother to be, perhaps in a frame or in a mama-journal.  So much truth and wisdom to reflect on there.

::  I wouldn't dream of paying $68 for this, but I am rather set on the idea of making a felted wool ball pom-pom garland for my Christmas decor.  (I've kind of got a crush on garlands and buntings...they are just so festive!) ...update:  Etsy to the rescue!   Now to choose colors.

:: Former atheist, Jennifer at Conversion Diary, grapples with redemptive suffering, aka "offer it up", and how Tupac (!) helped her embrace it.

Have a lovely weekend, Friends!

my life in lists :: necessities for a thriving childhood

::  engaged, loving, forgiving, accepting, encouraging parents

::  a welcoming, orderly (which means some sense of order, not immaculately clean!) home

::  a simple prayer life

::  wholesome foods

::  plenty of freedom in the outdoors

::  a library card

::  a bicycle

::  access to the bits that can be found in the recycling bin

::  generous amounts of paper and pencil

::  water for drinking, bathing, experimenting, playing

::  music for making, dancing, and listening

::  pocket knife

::  a diversity of friends and conversation

::  a drawer or box for keeping things

::  work of substance, a contributing role in the family

Daybook :: three day version

Daybook...which was started on Sunday night and now posted after midnight Tuesday morning

FOR TODAY  {November 8, 2010}
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...There was a real nip in the air this weekend.  Turning on the heat was a temptation, but I resisted.

I am thinking about strategies for the home and school to co-exist in a better way.  about holiday preparations.  about minimalism.  about too much.

I am thankful for a hammock of supportive, loving friends and for the lessons the Lord keeps giving me in humility.

From the learning rooms...It has been such a challenge.  The work is good when we are doing it, but there are so very many distractions, so many little fires to put out.  We carry on as long as God wills it.

From the kitchen...nothing really to write about here. 

I am wearing...denim (maternity) skirt and a long sleeved shirt

I am creating...some pretty burp cloths with a toy tie-on for Juju.  Also must get some autumn dresses made for the girls...they are still wearing Easter dresses to Mass, for heaven's sake!

I am going...to the cemetery for Veteran's Day.  And to a Mommy & Me tea with my Headgirl.

I am reading...Still reading Farmer Boy to the younger set.  Also started in on The Phantom Tollbooth with the whole gang...what a hoot! A dear friend lent me They Have Uncrowned Him and asked me to read it.  A bit heavy, but I am obliging;  for balance, I am reading the entertaining and inspiring Raising Catholic Children by Mary Ann Kuharski.

I am hoping...for some answers to prayers.  Clear answers.  And a surge of grace.

I am hearing...just the hum of the computers.  And, soon, not even that.  Silence.  Blessed silence.

Around the house just really trying to purge, sort, clean and then rework some routines.  That's all.  I took a basket of children's winter clothes to the resale shop today;  they said they would look at it, but it almost the "end of the season".  Huh?  Well, in about six weeks they'll be marking that stuff down to make space for the warm season merchandise.  I haven't even turned my heat on yet!!

One of my favorite things...snuggling up with a warm, sleeping, pyjamaed baby under the down quilt on a cold morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Start narrowing down Christmas gift giving, ordering gifts and supplies for making. Knock on the doors of some other resale shops. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I am not on the computer that has my photos, so instead I will share one of The Prof's photos from his recent trip to Guadalajara, Mexico.
 

weekend wanderings

Some of my favorite finds around the internet this week:

:: From the Vintage Chica:

It really is my job to pick up where school leaves off.
Not a teacher who has 30 other little people to tend to.  The teacher, who is wonderful by the way, who doesn't see how his little brain is exploding with colors and animals and stories.  Sadly, she has not been tasked with encouraging his fleeting thoughts and silly stories.  She is crazy busy just trying to teach the curriculum she has been given.

This might make her a bit sad too.  I should ask her sometime.

Go read the rest of the post; it is inspiring, honest, compassionate, and humble.

::  On Magic, by the thoughtful, poetic Nikole ("i realized that, in fact magic is just beautiful and happy stirred together")  Do you find this kind of "non-religious" prose to be frivolous?  See what Kim says about the disinterested search for beauty:

 Image and silence move me in a way that clever words never can, filling me to overflowing with gratitude for the embarrassment of riches we are swimming in, even in the worst of times. The sun still rises one pink ribbon at a time, still curtsies out in flames. The forest is a riot of color and texture at this moment. And my baby's blue eyes are arresting. Everywhere I turn there is beauty, which is of course but a mirror of the One who created it all and presents this abundance to us daily. It makes me want to know Him more.

Yes.  She gets it.

::  I didn't get a list made up for my (new) regular Thursday post this week, but I enjoyed this list by Joshua Becker of 15 Surefire Ways to Impress Others ,  Sounds shallow, right?  There is substance.

:: Liesl Gibbons of Oliver + S did an interview with sewist (yes, that's the word they use these days) Marie-Michelle Melotte.  Ms. Melotte has an amazing mind for pulling together paintings, textures, costumes and modern fashions and distilling it down to a breathtaking child sized garment.  I've been swooning over that Titania Bubble Dress.  I only wonder if there actually exist real children who could wear these works of art, cause mine would have jelly on it in the first twenty minutes. (oh, and part 1 of the interview, if you want more, is here)

:: Probably one of my favorite posts of all time for its down to earth honesty:  a young mom to many takes on a craft in spite of her house and documents it ALL  (be sure to scroll to the bottom)

::  And finally, a much more serious post from Catholic Phoenix:  The Case for Purity-In Defense of Overprotective Parenting. A very provocative article and so much to ponder.

Happy Weekend!

a day in the life :: autumn afternoon in the shadows

Daybook :: All Saints' Day

FOR TODAY  {November 1, 2010}
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...I wonder what the plethora of wooly bear caterpillars might signal about the upcoming winter.  Rosebud even observed a herd of "about twenty shiny black" spiders marching down the street together.  Oh, and then there was that hairy tarantula. GAH!

I am thinking...we need another month of working on the Tidy As You Go habit.  It is a hard one to instill.

I am thankful for a very lovely teen who genuinely loves spending time at my house helping out with household tasks and childcare.  Such a blessing, a young friend such as this.

From the learning rooms...Well, last week we more or less set the books aside to prepare for our Gathering of Hallows party.  Today no school because of the feast day.  But tomorrow the school bell rings!

From the kitchen...What with the big party this past weekend, we've sort of been limping along on leftovers, a free pizza we'd earned through pizza points, and fast food.  Tonight it is baked potato bar and then I hope to get back in culinary saddle for the rest of the week.

I am wearing...denim (maternity) skirt and black shirt. 

I am creating...created, actually, costumes for the little saints.  Once we get settled in this week though I have a list of creations to start in on.  I can hardly wait.

I am going...to Mass for the feast today and for the All Souls feast tomorrow.  Tomorrow Mass will be accompanied by the breathtaking Durufle Requiem;  I hope the little ones will quietly enjoy it, too.

I am reading...Still reading Farmer Boy to the younger set.  We finished Shaking the Nickel Bush, so I think we'll start in on The Phantom Tollbooth next.  A dear friend lent me They Have Uncrowned Him and asked me to read it.  A bit heavy, but I am obliging.

I am hoping...for some real change to come out of tomorrow's elections. 

I am hearing...lunch chatter.  Daddy heated up leftover and aforementioned teen is eating with everyone.  Its fun to hear all the mealtime chaos from afar sometimes.

Around the house trying to restore order.  Why do I feel like that is always the answer?

One of my favorite things...a clean kitchen counter (have I written that before??) I love the potential for coming in and really cooking up a delish meal, but it is so much more enjoyable when I start with a clean kitchen.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Start back to school.  Girls start rehearsing for a little Advent play.  Clear the household canvas so we can start creating some delicious things for the upcoming holidays.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

weekend wanderings

Sorry I have been absent all week, Friends.  Our main computer is down with a virus so I can't access the photos for the blog.  I am not such a good blogger without photos it seems.

Anyway, here are some of the fun, inspiring, memorable visits I've made around the internet recently:

~No carve pumpkins?  I think these metallic pumpkins are super-pretty and they look pretty easy to make (if the baby and toddler both happen to be napping) (which never happens) (maybe Firstborn would like to try making them for me)

~Jennifer at Conversion Diary offers   her comprehensive answer to the question "Do you want more children?"  (does a gardener long to add another rare and beautiful flower to her already stellar garden?  will a millionaire accept another million if it comes his way?)

~Surprisingly, Kim of Starry Sky Ranch (And Points Beyond) has found a Roald Dahl poem I can enjoy.  I think I'll share this one with my children.  (They'll think I made it up!)

~Have you read this horrible post over at Betty Beguiles?  Consider that my scary post for October.  It kept me awake last night.  Really.  After you've checked under your chair and under the couch cushions and mattress, you might consider helping out the Beguiles family.  They've hit some hard times and they really  could use a new couch.  (I wonder if Mrs. Beguiles ever read about Heather Ross' fascination with dead rodents?  It is exceptionally well told tale from a rather exceptional childhood)

~Always adding something to my "must make it" list.  Rarely finding time to make anything these days.  Still, this baby kimono?  Must make it. Must.  (Bonus:  learn how to sew a French seam!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...hope I'll be back here regularly sometime next week.

Daybook :: Sunday Night

FOR TODAY
   wrote this on Sunday night, publishing on Tuesday morning:: real life


{more daybooks here}
Outside my window...glorious!  This is one of the lovliest Austin autumns I can remember.  Moderate in every way which means lots of time spent out of doors.
I am pondering...homeschooling.  I am revisiting my reasons and my goals and making sure they match up with what is best for each of our children. 
I am thankful...for a friend's baby home from the hospital and another friend's lovely daughter who has just taken the veil
From the learning rooms...well, not so much productive happened around the kitchen table this week in terms of academia.  But I am alright with that. 
From the kitchen...*sigh* I got a little lazy this week.  We're slightly out of the groove, but tomorrow starts another week and a fresh start.  Also, the children and I have been reading Michael Pollan's Food Rules.  They are simple and short and, honestly, there is nothing really new there, but it has prompted some interesting conversations and questions at the meal times.

I am wearing...long black maternity skirt and sage green sweater (a hand-me-down from a friend).  If you are talking about someone who is really ready to move on from the maternity wardrobe, you must be talking about me.
I am creating...it is so very difficult to find times to create anything these days. I keep trying, though.  I think I ought to make a new habit of posting a work in progress picture every Wednesday just to keep me oriented toward a goal.
I am going...well, I'll just wait to see what happens.  Seems I always jinx my own plans when I announce them ahead of time.

I am reading... {same as last week} Farmer Boy for the younger set. Past the half-way mark in Shaking the Nickel Bush for all the clan. Food Rules at dinner time--just a couple of rules at a time. Great conversation follows.

I am hoping...for a triumphant success in The Prof's current project, for a few visits from some good friends this week, and for clarity.
I am hearing...the hum of the computers and the occasional sleepy sigh of Little Britches (formerly Little O) who is deep in dreamland, cuddled up to his 2"x4"

Around the house things are a terrible mess.  I just can't seem to get ahead.
One of my favorite things...Blue Bell ice cream.  Yum!  From the summer flavors Key Lime Pie and Peaches and Cream to the perennial favorite Neapolitan (with real strawberries!) and our new favorite Cotton Candy, Blue Bell ice cream is simply the best.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Hoping to help Sunshine work on a couple of American Heritage Girls badges  (cake decorating & sewing).  We must move past the planning stages for the saints costumes and get them to the sewing table for sure!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...aack, the desktop with the photos is rather sickly, so I have no pictures I can share today...

weekend wanderings

~ When the Womb is Empty expresses it all so very well.  Do read it.

~ Oh, wouldn't it be fun to have Blue Lily do a photo shoot and an awesome video like this one they did for Stephanie?  I see they will be here next spring!

~ Have you heard of the MADSEN Cargo Bikes ?  I've sort of got a crush on these.  (Can one have a crush on a bicycle?  Oh, most certainly, yes)  Got small children?  Got groceries?  Got a dog?  The Madsen has a bucket that can hold people, pets and(/or) stuff!  The big question:  yellow, blue or black?

~  Kimberlee & family have created a new Artist Trading Card Swap in honor of the upcoming All Saints' Day.  I think we'll join in this time around as it looks like so much fun for all ages and is a simple inspiration for us to  get out the art supplies.  Will you consider sending in some trading cards, too?

~  I know I'd opt for a bit more color and a different city, but this is one lovely house, for sure (watch the slideshow if you click through).  A wall of glass + a view?  Domestic perfection.  And The Prof would go crazy to have an LP collection like that for sure.

my life in lists :: color me a rainbow

:: when I was a girl, my bedroom was painted pink and carpeted with a matching hue.  my bike "Fair Lady" with the banana seat?  pink

::  in high school, I think it was cream I loved.  sure I owned the requisite '80s aqua shirt, a royal purple coat--I recall we used to pair purple & green which made my mother shudder a bit.  but cream just seemed so soft and rich, complementary, but not overstated...I think I do still love cream.

::  it was during my college years that I floated into a Victorian phase.  I subscribed to the dreamy Victoria magazine (the old, original one) and dreamt of picture perfect picnics, ornate Christmases, fine china, antique everything and three story houses full of mahogany.  somehow I associated all of that elegance with the color hunter green and it became the color that I loved.  we planned our wedding and registered for household gifts while I was under the spell of Victoria and received hunter green bedding, towels, shower curtain and even a hunter green garbage can, if you must know.  i imagined giving birth to a son whom we would name Prescott, but that is a subject for a different list.

::  and now?  now I find I just love color and lots of it.  saturated, bold, earthy, understated, sharp contrast and monochromatic.  i have lots of moods.  but, generally, I gravitate toward the bold colors and strong combinations.  it feels like they give me energy...red, orange, turqoise/brown, a dark earthy green...

Daybook :: Fully October

FOR TODAY
{more daybooks here}

Outside my window...dark and, umm, where is the moon?  Not perched outside my window where I like it.  Holes are dug for the chicken pen expansion.  A few new cold weather transplants are tucked into the garden. I am feeling the itch to get some autumn color installed very soon...hello mums!  Springtime seeds go in this week  (see you on the flipside Bluebonnets, Poppies, and Larkspur!)

I am pondering:  

"..ask the Lord to point out each negative thought or word. Then cry out to Him for His strength and grace to replace those words with positive ones that express gratefulness and thanksgiving. How much better it is to praise than to murmur. May we be women whose joyful words and attitudes cause others to want to be around us."

- Teri Maxwell (via Starry Sky Ranch)

I am thankful  that Firstborn got a couple of real jobs in the neighborhood this week.  Hope he gets called back for more!.

From the learning rooms...History is so often a string of wars.  Trying to think of ways to lighten the subject a bit.  C'mon, Human Race, enough with the fighting already.  

From the kitchen...Keeping pretty strictly to my thirty day menu planning.  It is so nice to know what is for dinner and not keep reinventing the menu-wheel each month.

I am wearing...denim (maternity...sigh) skirt and dark pinkish rose (?) long sleeved shirt

I am creating...menus at Plan to Eat. Plans for our Gathering of Hallows later this month and an invite for a camp-out next month!

I am going...to the airport, maybe out to lunch, perhaps even a haircut.  Or just staying home. 

I am reading...Farmer Boy for the younger set.  Past the half-way mark in Shaking the Nickel Bush for all the clan.  Food Rules at dinner time--just a couple of rules at a time.  Great conversation follows.

I am hoping...for complete healing for a dear friend's tiny babe. 

I am hearing...the hum of the computer and the occasional random noises of an indoor pet. We have a new bunny!  Unlike Tulip (RIP) our first--and short-lived bunny---Prince Gonff is accustomed to indoor living so I am trying to get accustomed to hearing a bunny banging around in his cage at night.

Around the house still sorting through lots of stored clothing.  And, of course, tidying as we go!

One of my favorite things...telephones!  Ours was out of service for two full weeks.  I am not really a cell phone kinda gal.  No matter how many bars, I never feel like I can hear very well.  And, I'll admit,I've fallen victim to all the brain cancer-cell phone study scares.  Anyway, as if to celebrate the return of our phone service, a very dear, very distant friend surprised me with a call tonight.  Still feeling the love!

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Making lists for our end of the month party.  Organizing saintly recipes.  Purchasing supplies for saintly crafts. Trying to be carry my own small crosses with the courage and good cheer of a saint.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

{dear blogger:  why have you turned this photo sideways?}