I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
We did some planting last week. Everyone is excited about watching the vegetable garden come to life. I love our visits to the garden store and so do the children. I relinquished the camera and let them do all the photos. Nicholas is really becoming a shutterbug and nature is his favorite subject.
We planted lots of tomatoes and plenty of basil. Caprese salad love will happen here all summer, I hope.
The peonies are now in full bloom. Must be prom time. My mother’s peonies always bloomed in time for prom.
::listening to
a medley of accents and languages. I’m sitting at DMV, waiting for a teenager, but I might as well be in the lobby of the United Nations building.
::clothing myself in
Clogs, jeans, and a tunic. Nothing terribly noteworthy.
::giving thanks for
a successful launch of the new studio for ESPN Deportes in Coral Gables. I’m happy for Mike; those professional successes are not to be belittled. But I’m super-happy for me. It will be nice to have him working locally again. Very, very nice.
::talking with my children about these books
Since I'm going to share my own reading on Thursdays at needle and thREAD, I thought I'd share some reading from our family's choices.
These bee books are making the rounds in our reading rooms. I so want to keep bees. I don’t think it’s going to happen in this neighborhood. I did, however, learn that Kristin's grandfather used to keep bees and he has all the equipment and I can have it. But where to put it?
In the meantime, we’re enjoying the education:
Fruitless Fall: whether you want to be a beekeeper or not, this book is utterly fascinating.
The Backyard Beekeeper. An absolute beginner's guide. Perfect, as I am an absolute beginner.
Better Beekeeping. This is the advanced book. I'm going to pass it along to Ginny.
::pondering prayerfully
In a certain sense, Consoling the Heart of Jesus is all about striving to remain at peace and in spiritual joy, striving to stay in a spirit of praise and in spiritual joy, striving to stay in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving throughout good times and bad. ~Fr. Michael Gaitley (inspiring video link here)
::carefully cultivating rhythm
We were introduced to the world of competitive dance last weekend. I’m still recovering. We had to be at the site, an hour away, at 6:30 AM. We pulled out of the parking lot at 6PM. Eleven and a half hours in an auditorium with incessant music. Quite the experience. I was there with some other mothers who also have soccer players; we all agreed that a soccer tournament with the same hours and travel is far less exhausting. My reality is that I’m usually happy to spend the day outside, but I really struggled with being in a dark auditorium. I also have never had internet access away from my house, so it was a new experience to take my iPhone along and have unlimited access throughout the day. I learned a lot about myself and that tool this weekend. More on that later this week, perhaps.
My little girls came along and loved the whole thing. Totally unfazed by the fact that we saw more than 300 dances, they came home, flipped on their ballet music, and began choreographing anew.
::creating by hand
I’m making slow progress on the Painted Portrait Blouse from Anna Maria Horner. I didn’t do the most careful job of cutting notches (and I wish I had). And I did my marking with a Frixion pen, which was just plain stupid. That pen's ink disappears completely under the heat of the iron. It’s a great choice for embroidery and a really dumb one for garment sewing. I’m struggling a bit, but I’ll persevere. Maybe you can see it for needle & thREAD on Thursday.
::learning lessons in
nutrition. Again. Paleo or Dr. Fuhrmann? Full fat dairy or no dairy? Whole grains or all grains are bad? Sometimes I feel like nothing is good to eat...On the other hand, pretty much everyone agrees that fruits and veggies are a good thing. Salad, salad, salad.
::encouraging learning
This is the beginning of our school year. We school year ‘round and we’ve pretty much finished all I had planned, so it’s time to start anew.
::begging prayers
for all the people who have joined our weekend prayer community. I carried your requests with me to Mass and I will keep a candle lit for you throughout the week.
for a dear friend who is discerning God’s call in her life.
for lonely missionaries.
:keeping house
I made a new chore chart last week. I haven’t really had much of a functioning chore chart in a few years. So far, it’s a disaster.
Everyone is ignoring it.
But I’m cracking the whip (metaphorically). This thing has to work. There is too much to do for me to be the only one doing it.
::crafting in the kitchen
I’m stumped. See “learning lessons” above.
::loving the moments
when my little girls jump into the arms of my teenagers’ friends. The younger children in my family are surrounded by really great role models.
::living the liturgy
We are using 33 Days to Morning Glory in preparation for Marian Consecration on the Feast of the Visitation. Also in the plans for this lovely month of May: new handmade rosaries for everyone. I've ordered nearly all the necessary beads and parts. Admittedly, I've been gathering for several years now, but I think we're nearly ready to begin to make heirlooms.
::planning for the week ahead
"There is nothing pressing this week. The idea makes me giddy." (I cannot believe I wrote that last week. It was a killer week, schedule-wise. Perhaps I should invest in a better planner? Perhaps I should consult the planner more often. Whatever the root, I got totally blindsided by the intensity of last weekend and I’m still recovering. May is exhausting. Be sure to check out the planner giveaway!)
