Daybook

Outside My Window::

::same old, same old. Huge mountains of snow. More expected this week. I still love it. I think I'd like living in Alaska.

I am Listening to::

::Sportscenter

I am wearing ::

:: a flannel nightgown and cashmere socks.

I am Thankful For::

::a few hours with Daddy in town before he hit the road again. Oh, how life is so much better with him in it!

I am Pondering:

::St. John of the Cross

"Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others."

This quote will define my Lent.

I am Reading:

::The Gift of an Ordinary Day and another that I hope to review tomorrow.

From the Kitchen::

::we had great success with our new Dutch oven this week. I made an amazing pork shoulder roast and some seriously good chicken cacciatore. Recipes soon, I promise.

::homemade Oreos for Valentine's Day. Yum!

I am Thinking:

::That the social media world will be just fine without me. (I am so annoyed with Buzz--great name though; suits the annoyance factor very well.) I'm still trying to figure out why my Google "share" has suddenly sprung to life with followers. I'm mostly ignoring it, since I don't have time to figure out how it all works. I share items on my Google Reader and for the longest time, that was just a nice thing. Now, it's suddenly a platform for all kinds of conversation that require time and attention.  Please don't be insulted if it seems like I'm ignoring you on Google anywhere--it's nothing personal. I just haven't had time to figure out what it all is and set it up so that it works for me. My Google attention went first to shutting it all down for my kids. Before I knew what happened, my 11-year-old figured out Buzz and was buzzing all over the 'net. Google and Buzz will wait, for quite sometime probably. I've other things to do right now. My plan is to put some old favorites in my Google Reader for Lent. It's a good time to revisit, I think.  I might need more silence than the average bear, or something. Whatever it is, I rarely enjoy a foray into the world of online discussion. Buttoning up those windows now, to prepare for a quiet Lent. I do love to blog, though and hope that my quiet will provide sweeter fruit there.

I am Creating::

::My children and I are working hard on some blog changes, both here and on Serendipity. I have no idea how long it's going to take us, but once we're finished, I think you'll find things much more navigable. And prettier. Pretty is good.

On my iPod::

:: AP alerts. This is a good thing. I'm a bit addicted to cable news and that noise has to go, too. This way, AP alerts give me a little ding if something truly newsworthy happens. A little, very contained ding.

Towards a Real Education::

::It's February, time of keeping on. I've actually really benefited from the snow days.  When the public schools are closed, as they have been all last week, all afternoon activities are canceled. When there are no afternoon activities, our days at home are much more productive. I know I should look at the preceding statement and make some huge life-altering decision but that's not likely to happen. Instead, I'll just continue to look at snow days as valuable gifts.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::it's time strip things bare for Lent. We'll drape the religious items in purple ribbon. I bought some last year...wonder where I put it?

::To Live the Liturgy:

::Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, then silence, silence, silence.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

::for Linda at Sacred Heart Books and for her parents who are suffering serious health problems. Won't you pray too; she asked me to beg your prayers.

In the Garden:

::It's cold and white and  blowing again.

Around the House:

::hey, guess what? The floor guys say they're coming back tomorrow.

On Keeping Home:

::I suppose it's time for a Lenten cleaning plan. I think I might be able to do the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge without ever leaving the basement.

One of My Favorite Things:

::baby snuggles.

Sarah Annie this week:

::We've noticed that everything she says--all her "favorites"--start with "B": book, ball, bath, boots, Bee (her name for Mary Beth).

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::Mike was home for five hours yesterday so we had our Valentine's Day Chinese dinner for lunch. Paddy made Kung Pao chicken and we had three different kinds of chocolate cookie treats.

::The calendar is crammed with makeup activities and games. But...it's supposed to snow on Monday. ;-)

::Mardi Gras on Tuesday

::Ash Wednesday on Wednesday. (Is it still a sacrifice if I say I'm looking forward to this liturgical season?)

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

 
 
The freezer is stocked with homemade chicken soup. Seems like the winter thing to do.

Super Snow Daybook

Outside My Window::

::32.4 inches of snow, 7 degrees. That's the official measurement from Dulles and we're pretty darn close to Dulles, so I'll take it.

I am Listening to::

::Katie wheezing.

I am wearing ::

::an LL Bean flannel nightgown, socks, slippers, and a bathrobe.

I am Thankful For::

::electricity. So many homes in Northern Virginia, DC, and Suburban Maryland are without it. Last night, I was worried about all the Super Bowl plans. This morning, I'm just so grateful that our nebulizer worked all through the night that I don't care much about football. I cannot begin to imagine what I would have done without my nebulizer AND without the ability to get my car out to go to the ER. And I'm really, really grateful I didn't find out.

I am Pondering:

::During the course of the day, recall as often as possible that you are in God's presence. Consider what God does and what you are doing. You will see His eyes turned toward you and constantly fixed on you with incomparable love. Then you will say to Him, "O God, why do I not look always at You, just as You always look at me? Why do You think so often of me, O Lord, and why do I think so seldom of You?" Where are we, O my soul? God is our true place, and where are we? (St. Francis de Sales)

I am Reading:

::The Snowy Day over and over and over again. Karoline is completely taken with this book.

From the Kitchen::

::Super Stuffed Potatoes and New Orleans crusted chicken (just our regular oven fried chicken with some Zatarain's thrown in ). I need to come up with something in favor of the Colts, too....

I am Thinking:

::That it's only two more days until Mike gets home. I'm also thinking how ironic it is that he will miss the Super Bowl. He left Miami Friday after Pardon the Interruption after spending ten days making sure that ESPN is up and running on location. He was supposed to come home briefly Friday night in order to pick up some flannel jeans and drop off his flip-flops before going to New York for basketball. All flights were canceled. So, he flew to Newark instead (where they have no snow). Then, after an afternoon basketball game, he was supposed to fly home through Dulles and catch another flight to Albany. That looks too unpredictable right now, too. So, while we watch the Super Bowl, Mr. SportsTV will drive to Albany.

I am Creating::

::snow memories

On my iPod::

:: nothing new to report this week.

Towards a Real Education::

::Public schools are already closed through Tuesday. Then, it's going to snow and sleet again. The local weather guru even ventured to guess that they won't have school all week. But we will. As hard as it's going to be with neighborhood kids circling, we are not going to have a whole week off for snow. But we might have some half days;-)

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::the floors are still not finished. I can't begin to express how much this bothers me. I had visions of perfection when Mike finally arrived home. I should have known better. But, we're putting things back into place where we can and I've used several tubs of beeswax polish and nearly conquered all the dust.

::To Live the Liturgy:

::Despite the fact that Mass is usually two blocks from my home, we aren't going to Mass today. The streets are impassable, the parking lot cannot be cleared, and Mass is canceled. I'm really bummed.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

::Katie, Karoline and Sarah feel much, much better very soon. This is pathetic and I feel so sorry for them.

::For Colleen.

::For Mike, now in the homestretch.

In the Garden:

::The snow is waist high and only six inches or so of the soccer goals can be seen above it. Very impressive. Poor Karoline is so frustrated by the distance between our house and her friend Isabel's. Usually it's a quick skip over there to play. Now, it can't be done by tiny girls with wee legs.

Around the House:

::boots, gloves, hats, snow pants. It looks like a ski lodge around here.

On Keeping Home:

::I'm looking at my home through Mike's eyes these days. I want him to walk through the door and be so happy to be here. And I don't want him to trip over the boots in the foyer.

One of My Favorite Things:

::Snow days. Really can't get enough of them. Hot chocolate, snow ice cream, wood fires, damp and rosy cheeks. I count it all joy. 

That's what I said last week. I'm sure I still think that but yesterday was not so idyllic. Maybe because we ran out of milk and cocoa...

Sarah Annie this week:

::She's not so into the snow. Too much, too cold, too bright.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::Mike will be home Tuesday morning. Early. Not thinking about much else.

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

 
 

Isabel's playhouse, about midday yesterday.

Valiant (failed) attempt to reach Isabel's playhouse. In hindsight, this wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made and probably played into our horrible night last night.

The Snowy Day Daybook

Outside My Window::

::a sparkling winter wonderland of fluffy light snow

I am Listening to::

::big boys entertaining Sarah Annie.

I am wearing ::

:: corduroys, a Hanna Andersson ski sweater that is older than 7 of my children (does that make it vintage?), warm socks...

I am Thankful For::

::piles of blankets on a well made wintertime bed. I'm a total sucker for linens and quilts.

I am Pondering:

::St. John Bosco on training children:

The repressive system may stop a disorder, but can hardly make the offenders better. Experience teaches that the young do not easily forget the punishments they have received, and for the most part foster bitter feelings, along with the desire to throw off the yoke and even to seek revenge. They may sometimes appear to be quite unaffected, but anyone that follows them as they grow up knows that the reminiscences of youth are terrible, and some have even been known in later years to have had recourse to brutal vengeance for chastisements they had justly deserved during the course of their education.

"In the preventive system, on the contrary, the pupil becomes a friend, and the assistant, a benefactor who advises him, has his good at heart, and wishes to spare him vexation, punishment, and perhaps dishonour. By the preventive system pupils acquire a better understanding, So that an educator can always speak to them in the language of the heart, not only during the time of their education but even afterwards. Having once succeeded in gaining the confidence of his pupils he can subsequently exercise a great influence over them, and counsel them, advise and even correct them, whatever position they may occupy in the world later on.

For these and many other reasons it seems that the preventive system should be preferred to the repressive".

I am Reading:

::The Gift of an Ordinary Day

From the Kitchen::

::snow ice cream:-)

I am Thinking:

::About this video. And because some of you have insisted on full disclosure about such things:  I have loved Katrina Kenison since I was a mother with three little boys and only one girl,  since before the internet, but I kept Mittenstrings for God near and dear to my heart, steadfastly avoiding online conversations of it a couple years back, lest they end badly. In Mittenstrings, Katrina gratefully acknowledges the influence of Waldorf education and Rudolf Steiner. 'Twould be a shame if you didn't hear what she's saying because you've eschewed all things remotely Waldorf, but I offer you the fair disclosure that it's so.

This video is beautiful and rings clearly with truth.

I am Creating::

::Photo books at Snapfish and I am so thrilled with them!

On my iPod::

:: I am finding that it takes iBreviary, Universalis Lite, and Divine Office to really put together a Liturgy of the Hours program that works for me and doesn't have gaps or glitches.

Towards a Real Education::

::We are settling into a pure Charlotte Mason February. That means we're hunkering down and digging deep and lighting fires instead of filling buckets.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::All the blinds are up today to let the bright, snowy sunlight in.

::To Live the Liturgy:

::Today we celebrate the feast of the patron of our home education adventure: St. John Bosco.

:Daily Mass four days this week.

:Candles to be blessed for Candlemas on Tuesday.

::confession on Saturday.

:Oh, and an order to King Arthur Flour to provision before St. Valentine's day.  Someone mentioned homemade Oreos and creme brulee just before he boarded a plane to the sunny south. I was reading some of the comments here, and thought to myself that it sure is a shame to turn up one's nose at a perfectly good excuse to celebrate love. We should not let a single one of those slip by. So, I'm definitely giving serious consideration to all things chocolate and to sweet heart-shaped ramekins for creme brulee.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

::For Mike as he works long days far from home .

In the Garden:

::It's cold and white and a half dozen soccer balls sit forlornly in the backyard goals.

Around the House:

::The contractor is currently AWOL, with about 400 square feet of flooring left to nail down and all the furniture on the main floor out place and/or draped in plastic. STILL .

On Keeping Home:

::The one thing I miss most of all is eating dinner around the table. Both tables that are big enough for all of us are inaccessible. I can't wait for a tablecloth and a civilized meal!

One of My Favorite Things:

::Snow days. Really can't get enough of them. Hot chocolate, snow ice cream, wood fires, damp and rosy cheeks. I count it all joy.

Sarah Annie this week:

::She is suddenly in love with books. She begs anyone who looks her way to read to her all day long. Look for a post a little later about her favorite books..

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::Oh, good grief! Just finish these floors please! I can't plan anything else until the floors are in, I move everything back into place and I finally dust every. single. surface. The limbo of it all is starting to make me nuts.

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

The utter joy of chocolate chip pancakes:-)!

Daybook

Outside My Window::

::more rain.

I am Listening to::

::my floors. Boy are they noisy! Late at night, when the house is still, they creak like crazy. I guess they are just settling into our home. But my "mama ear" is conditioned to awaken when the floors creak. Heretofore, that meant someone was up and about. These floors have a life of their own. I haven't slept soundly in two weeks.

I am wearing ::

:: boot cut jeans, boots, a blue turtleneck sweater, lip gloss. I'm happy to report that I've been wearing real clothes since my pre-dawn trip to the airport in a monsoon.

I am Thankful For::

::Signing Time and a baby who is clearly delighted to communicate.

I am Pondering:

::"We all have important other things we want to work on. When you come into the kitchen, the thing to remember is that you're going to be there for a certain time. Drop everything else and concentrate on doing the very best you can."  ~Laurel Robertson on how to find the time to invest in cooking.

I am Reading:

::Three to Get Married

From the Kitchen::

::Mary Beth and I have been cooking from the Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. After about three days, I was crying "Uncle!" and reaching for Laurel's Kitchen. PW is a bit too rich for every day. As we cook and talk about cookbooks, we've been down that ol' nutrition rabbit trail. Just what is the optimal diet? Ah, the eternal question.

I am Thinking:

::That when it comes to mothers and children, husbands and wives, there is no such thing as bittersweet. Bitter women cannot be sweet and families need ample daily servings of sweet women.

I am Creating::

::a home. I'm investing my whole heart in the  endeavor. It's well worth it, I think.

On my iPod::

::iBreviary, though I am increasingly frustrated when it doesn't update reliably. I'm thinking about splurging on Universalis.

Towards a Real Education::

::We're working on finishing up some faith notebooks this week.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::I'm preparing for inevitable shift in rhythm that will come with Mike's absence.

::To Live the Liturgy:

::gathering candles and candlemaking supplies in preparation for Candlemas next week.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

:: for my husband, whose workload has suddenly tripled.

In the Garden:

::it's time to peruse seed catalogs.

Around the House:

::The contractor is currently AWOL, with about 400 square feet of flooring left to nail down. La la la la

On Keeping Home:

::I'm so grateful that homemaking is such a creative endeavor and I'm even more grateful that it's a creative endeavor that requires the work of my hands. It's a blessing to be able to create away from desk and computer.

One of My Favorite Things:

::arriving flights

Sarah Annie this week:

::She's signing like crazy all of sudden, much to our delight. I'm sharing her favorite "sign" below.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::Hopefully, the contractor will reappear and we will complete this flooring project. Then, we can move back into our home at last.

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

Touchdown!

Nicky taught her this particular "sign."

Sarah Annie is now a bona fide Peyton Manning fan.

Renovation Daybook

Outside My Window::

::It is cold and clear.

I am Listening to::

::banging, pounding,scraping, sawing-- and it all sounds like it's coming right though the ceiling.In the background is the sound of Christian's guitar. He blesses us with a melody for these chaotic days.

I am wearing ::

::a pretty cute pink sweatshirt and yoga pants
 

I am Thankful For::

::118   78-pound boxes of hardwood flooring

I am Pondering:

::What if I allow myself to put the outcome in God’s hands and just live intensely in the present, absorbing and embracing life as it happens?

Emilie Lemmons
(thanks to Jen for reminding me)

I am Reading:

::Hind's Feet on High Places

From the Kitchen::

::I cooked and cooked last week. We had some great homecooked dinners, especially. That's good because I see a lot of fast food in our immediate future.

I am Thinking:

::that real life has been very busy lately and if you sent me an email I probably owe you an apology. Unfortunately, it's the messages that beg a thoughtful reply that get put off more often than I'd like.

I am Creating::

::memories. There are ten of us huddled in the basement today while the old flooring is pulled up and carried away. It's crowded, particularly since we've stashed everything from the upstairs closets and bookshelves down here. It's cold because the heat is off since the door is open as they drag things in and out above us. And, frankly, we're all getting on each other's nerves just a wee bit. But I am determined to make the memories of this time be good ones.

On my iPod::

::Lots to share here, but I think it will have to be a post later in the week.

Towards a Real Education::

::We're doing the best we can to do all things academic despite the disruption in our environment. But, in all honesty, I see a little math, a little grammar, a little writing and a lot of Wii and movies in the plans for this week.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::the steady rhythm of the hammers and saws are bringing me ever closer to beauty in my home. All good.

To Live the Liturgy:

::Ordinary Time. This is not ho-hum time. Instead, Ordinary Time in the Church is the time that she has ordered for us. It is set aside for an orderly progression through the gospels. Ordered Time. Indeed. I feel myself enveloped by the maternal concern of Mother Church as she gently buts firmly guides me towards order--in my environment, yes, but more importantly, in my soul.

I am Hoping and Praying:

:: for grace and patience.

In the Garden:

::there's a good deal of huffing and puffing, storming and blowing.

Around the House:

::I have relinquished all control to a very competent carpenter and his crew. God bless him!

On Keeping Home:

::So, now I'm stuck in the basement for the week. Guess what we're cleaning and organizing?

One of My Favorite Things:

::fresh flowers in the pretty vase that Kimberlee gave me for my birthday a few years ago. Mike brought me pink carnations for it yesterday. 

Sarah Annie this week:

::She said "Pat Pat" as she called for Patrick. I'm not sure which was cuter: her delight at making the words come out just right or his uncontrollable grin as he realized that's what she said and who she wanted. It was one of those moments that make having big kids and little kids all at the same time a very beautiful thing.

::She can also say "bellybutton" and is quite fascinated with them. That's especially funny when I consider that this time last year, her bellybutton was something of a conversation piece. Patrick likes to show her his because he's always up for an opportunity to show off his abs;-)

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::lots and lots of renovation above us and lots and lots of opportunities to grow in virtue.

A Picture Thought I'm Sharing: