New Doings at Serendipity
/There's an update post at Serendipity, to let you know we are still plugging along. Of special note, is Cindy's new creation, a forum for sharing ideas and answering each other's questions about any aspect of Serendipity. Do pop in there and let everyone know what you've been up to. Your ideas will surely bless someone else. There's a new reading list up for our Lewis and Clark Trail and lessons will follow soon. See you along one book-strewn path or another;-)!
My Heart's at Home Daybook~ October 20
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Outside My Window ...
The ground is covered with a fine layer of frost! There is a decided chill in the air - I really do need to find a way to get those pansies in the ground. Or to get those pansies at all;-).
The ground is covered with a fine layer of frost! There is a decided chill in the air - I really do need to find a way to get those pansies in the ground. Or to get those pansies at all;-).
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Towards a daily rhythm ...
We are persevering in our newfound normal..
We are persevering in our newfound normal..
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I am thankful for ...
prayer. There is so little I can do physically to support my family and to ensure the health of my baby, but I can pray. And I do. Almost incessantly. But it never seems like enough. That's when I remember all the reminders of your prayers, the notes and phone calls, and I am so, so grateful.
prayer. There is so little I can do physically to support my family and to ensure the health of my baby, but I can pray. And I do. Almost incessantly. But it never seems like enough. That's when I remember all the reminders of your prayers, the notes and phone calls, and I am so, so grateful.
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From the kitchen ...
I miss my kitchen. I really do. I'm going to start making menu plans for January, just so one day I can remember how much I missed my kitchen and wanted to cook .
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I miss my kitchen. I really do. I'm going to start making menu plans for January, just so one day I can remember how much I missed my kitchen and wanted to cook .
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To live the liturgy...
St. John of Capistrano has a feast on the 23rd, which just so happens to be Mary Beth's birthday.
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St. John of Capistrano has a feast on the 23rd, which just so happens to be Mary Beth's birthday.
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I am wearing ...
an ESPN hoodie and baggy pants.
an ESPN hoodie and baggy pants.
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I am creating ...
a baby.
a baby.
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Towards a real education ...
we've instituted a new tradition. At the end of every week, Mike reviews the children's notebooks.The little kids are thrilled with this and love to show proof what they've done. The big kids are much less enthused. For teenaged boys, there is no substitute for Dad when it comes to accountability. I'm finding it keeps me accountable too. It also gives the boys just a little taste of competition as they compare themselves and their efforts to each other. Competition is not a bad thing in my house. As a matter of fact, my boys are highly motivated by it.
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Towards a real education ...
we've instituted a new tradition. At the end of every week, Mike reviews the children's notebooks.The little kids are thrilled with this and love to show proof what they've done. The big kids are much less enthused. For teenaged boys, there is no substitute for Dad when it comes to accountability. I'm finding it keeps me accountable too. It also gives the boys just a little taste of competition as they compare themselves and their efforts to each other. Competition is not a bad thing in my house. As a matter of fact, my boys are highly motivated by it.
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Bringing beauty to my home ...
Lynn hung an autumn wreath in my bedroom. It's so pretty and so cheerful!
Lynn hung an autumn wreath in my bedroom. It's so pretty and so cheerful!
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I am reading ...
books for the Lewis and Clark list for Serendipity. Stay tuned..
books for the Lewis and Clark list for Serendipity. Stay tuned..
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I am hoping
...
for a healthy, happy, holy labor, delivery and recovery. Or at least a simple c-section:-).
for a healthy, happy, holy labor, delivery and recovery. Or at least a simple c-section:-).
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Around the house
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I have relinquished all illusion of control.
I have relinquished all illusion of control.
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One of my favorite things ...
The way we've got the computer set up in my bedroom allows us to turn the monitor away from the bed. Christian likes to come in and pull up a chair and sit there with the wireless keyboard. He does all his school work there. He shows up around ten every morning and stays with me all day. He's the last to leave my room at night, after watching ball games or debates or such. He is such good company and I'm looking on this time with him as an exquisite blessing. It amazes me how attentive a hyperactive teenaged boy can be when his hyperactive mother is forced to be still.
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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
An MRI tomorrow and a doctor's appointment on Thursday, followed by a flower fairy birthday party.
An MRI tomorrow and a doctor's appointment on Thursday, followed by a flower fairy birthday party.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing~
This is a St. Anne chaplet I made a few weeks ago. I plan to write a whole post on St. Anne, but for now, it's just picture thought.
This is a St. Anne chaplet I made a few weeks ago. I plan to write a whole post on St. Anne, but for now, it's just picture thought.
It's Not Over 'Til It's Over
/We turned off the TV and the light in the seventh inning. Poor Nicky was on the brink of tears. Admittedly, he also believed a comeback was still possible. But we sent him to bed. No one comes back from 7-0 in the seventh. Looked like the Rays had the title. Pretty much a landslide.
This morning, Nicholas came up to tell us the news: Red Sox won 8-7!
Perhaps coming back from apparent landslides will be a recurrent theme this fall.
Alabama Autumn Nature Tea
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It all began when great big box arrived at our house last week. It came from the land of Wildflowers and Marbles and it was filled with lovely brown bags.
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We spread a tablecloth on my bedroom floor, snacked on cookies and apples and cheese, and drank cinnamon tea and hot apple cider. Our little friend Colin was here for the day and got to join in the fun .
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Mary Beth opened the bags one by one after reading Jennifer's careful tutorials. She pulled out treasures like Alabama cotton.
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One little boy was so impressed with the cotton plant and Jennifer's explanation of it that when he recognized that he wasn't wearing a cotton shirt, he went and changed.
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There were labeled boxes with Alabama rocks inside...
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Everyone was enchanted with a carpenter bee. Jennifer wrote that these bees are not aggressive. My children were pleased to hold them in their hands and amazed that Jennifer's children hold them even when they are alive.
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Hickory nuts ...
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And all sorts of seeds and pods ...
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And all sorts of seeds and pods ...
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When we were all finished opening the treasure bags, Mary Beth took all the nature finds downstairs to the seasons table. If I were a really good blogger, I'd end with that picture. But I'm a mom stuck in bed and none of my children seems to know where the camera is ...
