Apples and Autumn Daybook

Outside My Window

Cool, gray baking kind of day.

I am Listening to

a rowdy bunch of children doing something morning-ish upstairs.

 

I am Wearing

A new haircut. This thyroid thing has had my hair falling out by the handful. So, I went and got it layered a whole lot more. And I like it :-).

My girls are wearing Missoni for Target. Apparently, these are hot items that sold out in moments. My sister Krysti scooped up three full outfits for each of the little girls and a skirt for Mary Beth and just happened to have them on hand when we just happened to stop by unannounced yesterday. Pretty sweet. 

I am so Grateful for

an aforementioned impromptu visit with my sister.

I'm Pondering

 St.Thérèse never founded a religious order; 
she never performed great works and never went on missions,
but she understood that what matters in the Christian life 
is not great deeds, but great love,
and that anyone can achieve the heights of holiness 
by doing even the smallest things well for love of God.
"All is well," she wrote,
 "when one seeks only the will of Jesus."
 St. Thérèse is a reminder to all of us who feel we can do nothing,
 that it is the little things that keep God's kingdom growing.

I am Reading

Legacy of Love: Biblical Wisdom for Parenting Teens and Young Adults.

 

I am Thinking

that I overthink things.

I am Creating

sewing:

some oh-so-darling patchwork tiered skirts--still. Mary Beth kicked off the sewing bee with skirt for Sarah, usingSoul Blossoms from Amy Butler. I was in a little slice of right-brained heaven the other day as I moved squares of Terrain fabric all over my dining room table to get just the right combinations. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I think I might really like to quilt. Today, we lay out some Ruby squares to begin Karoline's skirt.

knitting:

I'm still working on last week's projects..

Speaking of handmade Christmas, we picked apples yesterday and I had some apple/craisin/pecan jam in mind to make as gifts for Mike's office. I cannot find this recipe for the life of me! Anybody have a pretty apple craisin jam recipe to share?

To live the liturgy:

Friday is the Feast of St. Padre Pio.

Towards a Real Education

A is for apples today, in a very big way.

 

 

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

It is truly autumn, isn't it? Try as I did to stretch summer a bit longer, fall has come and it's time to embrace the season that is.

I am Hoping and Praying

for Katie Phillips

for Elizabeth deHority

for Kim Fry

for healing

 In the Garden

We're harvesting basil and putting tomatoes by. My tomatoes haven't done well all year. There is a farm nearby that usually has good picking this time of year. I'm counting on them for our freezer stash.

Around the House

I'm heading out to cut vases and vases of roses. This place needs some brightening right now and that's the quickest way I know perk up whole rooms at a time.

From the Kitchen 

how about a dinner meal plan for the week:

Monday

chicken piccata

butternut risotto

salad

apple pie

Tuesday

roasted pork 

baked sweet potatoes

salad

cinnamon apple bread

Wednesday

 pork and snap pea stir fry over basmati rice

apple crisp

Thursday

Stuffed butternut squash (stuffed with apples and cornbread and bacon or something...?)

Stir-fried garlic green beans

Friday

Angel hair pasta with pesto sauce

apple cake

  

One of My Favorite Things

Weekends when Mike is home.

A Few Plans for the Week

I'm sharing some thoughts on early childhood education  tomorrow night with my neighborhood homeschooling group.

Some more cleaning and decluttering in advance of the great painting and tiling and carpentry adventure to come.

Here on the blog, I've got some great sponsor giveaways planned.

Picture thoughts:

 
 
 

Daybook: Well, hello there!

Outside My Window

Bright sunshine and then weird big thunderheads.

I am Listening to

Little girls singing to the ladybugs they found in their room.

I am Wearing

A $44 pumpkin-colored T-shirt with a little ruffle that I found at Talbot's last week for $10. It's a little too big--I should have stopped to try it on, but I was between games and I had to hurry. I'm hoping I can shrink it a little.

I am so Grateful for

a dear college friend who knows my heart and, quite out of the blue, has an uncanny knck for speaking to my soul just when I most need to be understood.

I'm Pondering

 We live in a world and a country of everyday heroes.  Moms and Dads everywhere, trying to make a better place for their children; teachers, nurses, firefighters, farmers; us normal tea drinkers and quilt makers, island lovers and laundry folders, dinner cookers and flower planters, doggie lovers, kitty petters, and never-giver-uppers . . . scientists, astronauts, artists, poets and philosophers, who do their part every day to make the world a better place to live. ♥   Many everyday heroes were lost that terrible day.  We honor their memory by keeping their dreams alive. ~Susan Branch

I am Reading

Legacy of Love: Biblical Wisdom for Parenting Teens and Young Adults.

I am Thinking

about this post and your comments. Now that we have internet and a fully functional computer, I'm looking forward to joining the conversation.

I am Creating

sewing:

some oh-so-darling patchwork tiered skirts. Mary Beth kicked off the sewing bee with skirt for Sarah, using Soul Blossoms from Amy Butler. Towards the end of the week, I was in a little slice of right-brained heaven the other day as I moved squares of Terrain fabric all over my dining room table to get just the right combinations. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I think I might really like to quilt.

knitting:

I'm still working on last week's projects. My joints hurt a lot lately and knitting is much slower going. Re-thinking my ambitious Christmas gift "making" list and hoping I can get birthday gifts finished in time.

 

On my iPod

Karoline has maxed out all the skill levels on most of my apps. What educational apps for kids do you like?

Towards a Real Education

We have a workable plan and good schedule. That's a blessing and there is a certain peace with it. I'm adding almost daily to Serendipity, but still not publishing. Praying for the courage to do that and waiting for inspiration regarding a re-design.I know it's diffiult to navigate and I am giving that some thought--as I fold laundry and wash dishes and take walks and photograph soccer games. We shall see. There is a great deal of joy in our home during school hours these days and I want to share that with you in a meaningful and helpful way without taking anything at all from my family.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

We've got none; at least we didn't last week. We were hit (again) by a lightning strike last weekend. It wiped out the telephone, television, and internet. While I enjoyed the relative quiet, I was disoriented--all the soccer messages were going out via email; it seems they've given up on phone calls to families because everyone has a smart phone these days. I don't. But I might have to cave and get one. And that saying about lightning not striking twice? Five times. And counting. But we've learned not to have our computers fry with the lines, so there' s that.  

Anyway, we lost the plugged-in rhythm and I did re-think the widsom of having so many of my lessons or notes stored online. Then, I hit a major thyroid bump. Oh my. The doctor called after blood work and said she was doubling the meds, but they don't kick in right away and I plummetted to rock bottom. Hit hard. The week was pretty awful healthwise and I'm only sort of functioning now, hoping that they've got the dosage right this time.

Then, after the internet access was returned, my computer itself broke, as in the entire bottom fell out. The geniuses at Apple took care of it, but it took a few days.

So there went my online presence and rhythm last week. My in real life rhythm was only slightly better. I really felt sick. It rained for days and days. Schools were closed because of flooding. Soccer schedules are crazy mixed-up and rescheduled.

Perhaps this week will be a bit more rhythmic?

I am Hoping and Praying

for the wildly successful launch of a new show on ESPN next week

for Katie Phillips

for Elizabeth deHority

for healing

 In the Garden

The mums are popping:-)!

Around the House

We're choosing paint and sketching sketches and I'm hoping to meet with a contractor this week. Big changes coming. (Well, big for us.)

 

From the Kitchen 

I fried okra yesterday for Katie. My goodness! That sure sucked up an enormous quantity of fat1There must be a more healthful way to serve okra. Have you a favorite recipe?

One of My Favorite Things

The smell of cotton steaming under my iron--the whole room, even the whole house filling with that smell while we sew. I have a thing for smells.

A Few Plans for the Week

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. More on that in just a little bit.

We are ramping up to a full schedule, both athletically and academically, this week--full steam ahead. Please Lord, grant me grace and strength.

MRI for Mary Beth on Tuesday. Please Lord, give us answers; the eye problems persist.

Lots of ballet.

Lots of soccer.

Picture thoughts:

  
 
gosh. it sure rained a lot.

{photos and sarah's skirt by mary beth}

Daybook Today

Outside My Window

Rain. Lots of it. .

I am Listening to

Ballet music. The girls are dancing in the other room, twirling to begin their day. I love ballet music; it easily could be the soundtrack of my days.

I am Wearing

a sweatshirt over my pajamas. I'm freezing again. Clearly my thyroid meds need adjusting.I"m eyeing my sweaters and thinking that I need to replenish there. Sweaters are my friends.

I am so Grateful for

truth.

I'm Pondering

“Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach. T. Berry Brazelton. Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with ‘Goodnight Moon’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.”

“…the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make…I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” 

--Anna Quindlen

I am Reading

mostly teacher's manuals this week as I get up to speed.

I am Thinking

my wedding anniversary is next week. And September has been for me, for many years, a month of awaiting birth and celebrating birthdays. I'm thinking a lot about all these years and all these babies since that wedding day. I'm thinking about things I regret, things I'd do differently if I had them to do again. Thinking about all the new things I want to do and wondering if I'm too old. Mostly, though, I'm thinking about how blessed and beautiful this life really is.

I am Creating

sewing:

I have two red-riding hood capes finished and third well underway. I stitched most of the day yesterday--such a cozy sewing day.I'm a big fan of rainy days, particularly when they follow very active weekends. Karoline loves to be in the sewing room with me, just chattering away and playing with wooden dolls. She keeps me entertained. And warm.

I'll be back in this space a little later today to show you the capes.

knitting:

still working on last week's projects.

On my iPod

nothing new...But I will be watching Ann Voskamp and Lysa Terkeurst Yes to God Webcast tonight at 8:00. All the details here.

Towards a Real Education

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and Drawing with Children. Today, we draw:-)

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

This is the final week of staggered schedules. Mary Beth still hasn't begun her full dance schedule and we add in one more soccer training. Yesterday was a holiday. We're ramping up and I'm adjsting as we go.

I am Hoping and Praying

for the wildly successful launch of a new show on ESPN next week

 In the Garden

I'd like to plan some autumn crops. Any ideas?

Around the House

Things are a bit untidy this morning. The weekend was full of running hither and yon for soccer. I didn't get home until after 9 Sunday night. We were up super early yesterday for the finals and then the boys went back to Maryland to go to the University of Maryland football game. They've been home just long enough to make messes and laundry and not long enough to do chores. We'll set that to rights this morning. 

From the Kitchen 

Right now, just a cup of Earl Gray tea with a splash of almond milk. Perfect for a very gray morning that promises only a grayer day.

One of My Favorite Things

Mike. Well, he's not a thing, but he's a favorite. Sarah's new favorite thing to talk about: "Daddy's in love with you mommy? Yes, Sarah. And you are in love with Daddy? Yes, Sarah. And you are married? Yes, Sarah. And you love me? Big hugs all the way around. About a dozen times a day. Favorite.

A Few Plans for the Week

Settle in to the new routine; settle well. Summer's truly finished. I'm sorry to see it go.

Picture thoughts:

 
 
morning soccer in style

Daybook

Outside My Window

The sun shines brightly. It's just a matter of minutes, I'm sure, before the haze settles. Today's true temperature is forecasted to be 100 degrees. Not even looking at the "feels like." 

I am Listening to

The hum of the refrigerator. 

I will never tire of these two and their ferocious hugs. They just love each other so much and they hug with such intensity.

I am Wearing

A t-shirt, boxers, and a bathrobe. And it's going to take all kinds of self-discipline to force myself to get dressed this morning.

I am so Grateful for

my father and stepmother and all the effort they put into our weekend in Charlottesville.

Joyful anticipation at the top of the slide.

I'm Pondering

You don't need a perfect world to teach well. You need a perfect strategy. You need a strategy that does not involve manipulating events that are largely out of your control. Each year I have discerned "what" we need to accomplish. We make checklists to help us stay on track and cover the necessary ground.  The "when" of it varies but it always happens and surprisingly well.  Real life and real learning are unnerving to those who are wedded to absolute control. With faith and a fun loving attitude you can roll with the punches and thrive. It just requires a bit of thinking outside the box. : )

~more here. 

I am Reading

Revisiting August Inspiration. Thinking lots of the same thoughts. Weaving new plans from old ideas.

I am Thinking

that I need to spend this week taking really good care of myself because the rest of the summer is going to require 100%.. 

kids and canoes: summertime bliss; those are Elizabeth DeHority's children with mine

I am Creating

sewing:

this week's projects from Stitch-by-Stitch are eye masks and buttoned belts.

knitting:

I didn't touch  tiny tea leaves cardigan until Sunday. I was just feeling too sick all last week to knit much. So I missed the opportunity to get Ginny and Elizabeth help me pick up stitches. I did knit yesterday though, and it's really happy the way it's all turning out. Mary Beth and Elizabeth had a chance to work out legwarmer details.

On my iPod

Chris Young.

Towards a Real Education

I'm making a list of things *I* want to learn this year and gathering some resources. I have this sense that one of the best things about home education is learning alongside one's children in a very tangible way. So, I want to learn

~to sew garments and to tailor the fit.

~to upholster furniture.

~to draw well

~to embroider well

~to golf (Actually, I don't much want to learn this "skill" but I think I should. Mike tried to teach me to play twice, once when I was about 14. It's one of my earliest memories of him. I was so flustered by his arms around me trying to teach me to hold the club that I didn't hear a word he said. Then, he and my dad tried a few years later. They were both so frustrated by the second hole that I just tagged along and enjoyed the setting. I seem to remember being forbidden to drive the cart, either.) My kids have gotten the golf bug and this is a good season to begin, I think. Nicky will let me borrow his clubs.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

Mike stayed home last weekend while we were away. He focused on tying up some loose ends from his production company and cleaning a bunch of stuff out of his home studio (the sewing studio by day;-). He had a quiet, productive weekend in his house. He so needed that and I'm grateful he was able to have the time. 

  

I am Hoping and Praying

for Elizabeth deHority. She is constantly on my heart and in my prayers. She needs you now. Please, please pray with me. 

 for all the people who have written me recently to ask for prayers.

for healing

 In the Garden

We have tomatoes. Not many, but some. Next year, I'm going to draw garden plans in February, consult experts, and do this right.

Around the House

I don't know. I just got home. I need to evaluate.

From the Kitchen 

This is the first week of Patrick's assumption of grocery duties. I think he'll do the Costco run and I'll do Trader Joe's.

One of My Favorite Things

Mint Springs Lake.

A Few Plans for the Week

Doctor's appointments this morning.

Mary Beth is having some friends here this afternoon to hang out at the pool later today.

Mike has some travel plans and they keep changing. 

Soccer practice has begun.

Soccer practice has begun...

That was a very good summer. I'm sorry to see it end.

Picture thoughts:

Pictures are from lakeside days last weekend. I wasn't real quick on the shutter button, I'm afraid. I was actually barely moving as I "nursed" abscessed mastitis. so I missed a lot. Ginny did much better.

Daybook: August Already?

Outside My Window

The heat index is 115 degrees. No, that was last week. The heat index today is only 100 degrees.

I am Listening to

Pandora. 

I am Wearing

A very lightweight red cotton tunic and white cargo capris. 

I am so Grateful for

friends who pick up right where we left off and love you forever.

I'm Pondering

But what I love most about embroidering is the physical effect that doing it has on my body: blood pressure goes down, worries fade, breathing evens, mind stops racing with thoughts of all that needs doing. Practicing embroidery gives your body and your brain a chance to slow down and stitch itself back together after a long day or a long year. This, I believe, is its true appeal. In the years since my accident, I can't even count how many people have told me that doing has handwork saved them; I know it saved me. Embroidery is just good mdeicine for so much of what ails us in the modern world.

~ Alicia Paulson, creator of Posie Gets Cozy, in Embroidery Companion. 

 .

I am Reading

the aforementioned book. Lovely.

I am Thinking

about comments on this post and this one. You all offer great food for thought. 

I am Creating

sewing:

We made three bound mats: two for knitting needles and one for a Kindle (more on that tomorrow). And we made 5 aprons on the Feast of St. Martha and we have two more cut and fabric for two more than that. We are on an apron roll:-)

 My focus is on knitting this week. I'm working on my tiny tea leaves cardigan so that I can get to the tricky part by Friday because I will be with BOTH Ginny and Elizabeth. I figure they can get me through tricky part pretty easily.

On my iPod

Pinterest.  There's an app for that! I may never read Facebook again. I've got Pinterest on my iPod for filling boring moments during which I otherwise would be mindlessly clicking through Facebook. Instead of random status updates, I go to Pinterest and get a visual fix. Pinterest is highly addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Towards a Real Education

Everyone is in town this week. That means everyone is present for a little math, a little grammar, and a whole lot of summer reading. Mary Beth's summer reading list has been totally gutted. I was shocked, appalled and disappointed to find that the list from which I let her choose (the summer list from a private, Episcopal school) was heavy on titles that proved scandalous. She's pretty disappointed because she had high hopes. We've had several great conversations, though, so there's that.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

August has a different rhythm than July. Around here, there's this August already sense. I need to make sure that I get those doctor , orthodontic, and dental appointments in now so they are less likely to disrupt the fall routine. It's in the details of doctors and dentist that my family feels enormous to me. The receptionists are always a bit shocked at how many time slots I need and that always makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. 

To Live the Liturgy...

I so enjoyed our St. Martha apron day that I think we have a new tradition. Everyone needs a fresh apron on a regular basis, I believe. So, now we have our official family apron day.

I am Hoping and Praying

for Elizabeth deHority. She is constantly on my heart and in my prayers. She needs you now. Please, please pray with me. 

 for all the people who have written me recently to ask for prayers.

 In the Garden

Patrick has gone out to rescue his roses. He was in Dallas all last week and his roses were here. Baking.

Around the House

I'm getting serious about picking paint colors and looking at drapery and upholstery fabric. My sister, who has a great idea and is obsessively organized, has huge binders of color swatches and such. We need a pow-wow at my house.

From the Kitchen 

Working on the fall rotation menu and grocery list. I'm so looking forward to this. Patrick gets his license at the end of the week. I've been eager to hand off grocery shopping to him since he was about ten. He's a a good cook and a really frugal shopper.

One of My Favorite Things

My Janome sewing machine. Now that I've had some time to work with both my machine and Katie's Bernette, I can say I prefer the Janome. Several people have written to ask how I chose the Janome. I asked a friend of a friend (who forever will remain anonymous) which would be a better buy at the $300 Max price point, a Bernette or a Janome. She authoritatively said the Janome. She's a Bernina dealer. 

She was right.

A Few Plans for the Week

My first "mama" friend is coming tomorrow for a visit. She's never met my little girls, so I'm really looking forward to having her here. She said she recently had a dream that she was dancing with them. So, I see some Wii Just Dance Kids in our near future.

Patrick will take his driver's test and get his license, I hope.

We're going to Charlottesville for a long weekend. I'm going to hang out at the lake with Elizabeth DeHority and Ginny and all our kids and a couple husbands, too. Then, a re-run of the July trip.

Picture thoughts: