Monday Again

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

The weather has been mild lately. It's weird. I think I like it. I was looking forward to winter weather. Now, I'm looking ahead to temperatures in the mid-60s by Wednesday and thinking field trips outside.

::listening to 

Dreambox in the living room and Rosetta Stone upstairs.

::clothing myself in 

Jeans and a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. Stephen commented this morning that he's more tired on Monday mornings than he is on Fridays. The weekends are intense around here. The past couple of days have been downright exhausting. It was a sweatshirt and jeans morning, for sure.

 

::giving thanks for

local friends who can take one look at me and know the right thing to say.

::pondering prayerfully

Listen: First ,have peace in thy own breast, then thou wilt be qualified to restore peace to others. Peacefulness is a more useful acquisition than learning. 
-- Thomas a Kempis (The Imitation of Christ) 

Pray: Jesus, you had such a heart for the littlest child. Help me to remember today that the frenzy preceding Christmas can be stressful for a small child. Open my heart to your grace and your peace so that I can bring that peace to my children. 

Act: Take your time with the bedtime wind-down tonight. Before you even begin, pray for your own peace of heart. Then, take time with baths and bedtime stories and prayers and pillow talk. If your children are all older, share a cup of something hot and give them your undivided attention before bedtime. Bring peacefulness into their dreams--and yours. 

from Small Steps, December 10. I've shared this one previously. But I need to read it again and again. And yes, that link will take you to a page that let's you know that Small Steps is out of print. Makes me sad.

::clicking around these links

I shared some links last weekend. And there are some more good things in the pink Google Share box on the sidebar. 

::turning the pages of this book

Understanding Exposure, at Ginny's suggestion. I am so hoping to take my camera off "auto."

 

::thinking thoughts as I go about my daily round

It's no secret that I'm a big proponent of attachment parenting. And I believe in home education. Here's the thing, though: when you stay connected and you have lots of children and they are home every day, you feel and absorb all their pain. As they get older, it's inevitable that there will be pain. More children, more occasions for pain. That's a lot to absorb. I think I might be too sensitive. 

::creating by hand

A log cabin pillow using my Disney trip cross-stitch as the center. I had an hour of quiet this morning and it was good to let my hands go whichever way they wanted with my stash of beautiful materials.

::learning lessons in

trusting God.

::encouraging learning 

in the pages of picture books. Katie and Nicky have programs of study based almost solely on the picture books in our home. I hope to share the details of that with you next week. 

::carefully cultivating rhythm

I stayed up late last night and re-wrote chore charts and assignment sheets to reflect the changes in the new semester.

 

::begging prayers

for Christian. 

::keeping house

Those aforementioned chore charts will be executed. I plan to be a drill sargent about it.

 

::crafting in the kitchen 

Thinking about Super Bowl food. Pepperoni Rolls?  Antipasto? Fondue? Stuffed potatoes? Or something else entirely?

::loving the moments

when he says, "I'm here. Don't worry. It's going to be fine." And I believe him. 

 

::living the liturgy

I try to remember, in the weeks right before Lent, to check in with Fr. Joseph. His homilies, from the perspective of the Eastern Catholic Tradition, are always good inspiration. Read here for some thoughts on The Pharisee  and the Publican.

 

::planning for the week ahead

Well, I've got well-planned lessons, a meal plan, a chore chart, a fully penciled-in planner, and a prayer commitment. Now, I'm just going to hold on for dear life.

::capturing the images of my days

these are work-in-progress images from my early morning crafting quiet. I'm ever inspired by the art of Anna Maria Horner. Perhaps I'll detail this project with links and such after I finish it, if you would like to make a similar one. Lots of good stuff here: quilting cotton, needleworks, ribbon, and the back-to-be in velveteen.

 

On a Monday Morning at Home

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

and wishing it would snow. I've been treated to the sunshine and fair winds of Florida for the last two weeks. Now, I'm kind of hoping to hunker down and cozy in at home. A snowstorm would be just perfect right now--a chance to just be home and be settled. Otherwise, all the little grids in my planner are daunting. Really daunting.

::listening to 

Mike's Blackberry chime. He's sitting here beside me. This is a rare event because I try to stay away from the computer when he's around, but he's been around all the time for two weeks now, so we're making an exception.

::clothing myself in 

a Disney sweatshirt:-).

::giving thanks for

• a safe trip
• fine weather
• the chance to visit with my mother and stepfather and my dear aunts and uncle.
• Disney magic (which isn't magic at all--more on that later. Much more.)

::pondering prayerfully

 If creativity is a habit, then the best creativity is the result of good work habits. They are the nuts and bolts of dreaming. ~Twyla Tharp

::clicking around these links

No clicking. I just deleted over 1000 new posts on Google Reader. I sure hope I didn't miss anything really good. Let me know if you know of a not-to-be-missed link from the last two weeks. Oh, but do read this article. Michael told me about it and seconded it by telling me of a similar interview at USA Today. This guy is for real.

 

::turning the pages of this book

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. Lots of food for thought in this one. Sarah recommended it.

::creating by hand

Gosh! I have a whole list of things I've been itching to get to do. I'm going to start with a baby quilt for a dear February baby. And I think I'm going to try one of these scarves for myself. I think I'm on a little bit of scarf kick. And I promised every child in my family a flannel cozy. They want them yesterday. It's cold and they're complaining just a bit. Oh, and I'm thinking about Project Life. I'd really like to jump in. I have the kit and everything to go back and record my big boys' millions of picture currently in shoeboxes. But, oh, that digital idea? It's very, very tempting... On the other hand, it's a Shutterfly partnership and I 've been disappointed with the quality of shutterfly's printing on calendars and cards lately. Anybody have thoughts on this?

 

::learning lessons in

organization. I've been taking notes, at least mentally. I've come to the conclusion that some of the happiest, most creative places I know are extremely organized. I'm very motivated to re-visit my long-forgotten home organization notebook, update it, and implement some other organizational ideas I have buzzing in my brain. Within hours of arriving home, I'd completely cleaned out the pantry, reorganized three kitchen cabinets, re-organized all the bathroom cabinets, and fully stocked the refrigerator. 

Wedding planning. Here's where I ask (for the first time) for all your great ideas. Let's talk weddings and receptions. particularly if you are local and you know a great venue or caterer, please chime in!

::encouraging learning 

first up in my organized world: a very systematic school week. 

 

::carefully cultivating rhythm

When we were at Disney, our days were planned very carefully. We had a list, all written out, of what we were going to do when. We didn't follow the list. Our plans changed as circumstances dictated change. But we started with a plan and our serendipitous discoveries were all the better for having the plan from which to begin. There is going to be some carefully cultivated rhythm in this house henceforth.

::begging prayers

for my dear friend Colleen, as she meets incomprehensible grief of another child she will not hold here on earth, while going forward to embrace God's plan for her family in a foreign land. Her courage, her determination and her resolve to never, ever relinquish hope inspire me daily. Godspeed, my friend.

and for Mary Beth as she makes some difficult choices and some big changes.

::keeping house

I'm on a tear. Nothing like spending two weeks in beautiful homes and hotels to make one want to renovate the whole house;-).

::crafting in the kitchen 

Mike and I went out this morning and shopped for the week. We're all stocked up and my menus are made. It was astounding how our grocery bill compared to the last two weeks' eating out bills. We won't think about that now, though. Oh, and I think I'm going to take the Green Smoothie Challenge.

::loving the moments

There were so many moments. I'm grateful for all the time we had together. It was good. Very, very good.

::living the liturgy

I'm sort of lost liturgically. It was Christmas still when we left. Michael and Kristin took down the tree while we were gone and carefully put it away. But there are still little remnants of Christmas trimmings here and there. I'm focusing anew on praying the Hours and bringing myself into the presence of the universal Church. I'm ready to sink into Ordinary time. And, oh happy day, there are enough peppermint candles left to ease the transition this week. Life smells sweet.

 

::planning for the week ahead

I begin with the orthodontist at 7:15 this morning. Stephen popped two bands while we were gone.Have I mentioned that my orthodontist never sleeps? I'm pretty sure he doesn't. And he's very cheerful early in the morning. From there, it's back into the full swing of learning and playing and dancing and driving. While we were in Disney World, I walked 5-10 miles a day. Most of the time, I was carrying Sarah. I feel like that was a great jumpstart to a new, more active me. I am determined to get in an hour of exercise every day.

On a Monday at Disney World

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

In a place like Disney World, where the evidence of imagination and creativity is so strikingly present, it's ridiculously easy to see how we are created in the image of the Creator. God imbued in us a certain creativity. And when we use that gift to its greatest potential, it's better than "magical." 

::listening to 

the hum of the air conditioner in the quiet of a dark hotel building. It's been days since I've written and I've seen and heard and felt so many things that my mind is awhirl. I promised myself I'd stay away from the keyboard these two weeks, but yesterday, in the midst of a crushing crowd and more sights and sounds than I could absorb, every fiber of my being wanted at least a pencil and paper to record, and yes, probably to process, what I was seeing and hearing and feeling. 

::clothing myself in 

my Ergo. I almost didn't bring it. My "baby" is three; why would I bring the baby carrier? I'm so crazy glad I did. When we get to the park in the morning, Sarah is extremely clingy. She wants to wrap her arms tightly around my neck and she needs to stay there for the first couple of hours. Then, as the day goes on, she separates. At the end of the day, when she knows we're leaving, and again transitioning, she's back to her chokehold. As much as I love the feel of her arms around me, I am fairly certain the elbow doctor would frown upon me carrying her that way as we walk briskly through miles of amusement park.The Ergo makes it work beautifully. My little pocket pouch in the front is filled with bandaids and blister packs (we haven't needed them), Salponas patches, hand sanitizer, granola bars and trail mix, and my key to the Kingdom. We're good to go; she plays Roo to my Kanga for just a little while longer. I am so grateful for every minute. 

Rapunzel told her that she looks just like her when she was a little girl. 

::giving thanks for

my good man, who has worked very hard to make this once-in-a-lifetime vacation possible. He's been an endless font of patience and goodwill from the moment we left home and he's made this whole vacation as "magical" as it was promised to be. {And I'm grateful for the company for which he works. I'm so impressed with every little, thoughtful detail. It's good to be a part of the Disney cast.}

::pondering prayerfully

It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.-- St. Thomas Aquinas 

::turning the pages of this book

The Creative Habit. Disney World is a great place to be reading a creativity book. Lots of thoughts to ponder as I walk and walk and walk and devour the fruits of someone else's creative habits. 

::thinking thoughts as I go about my daily round

I am acutely aware that my large family vacation days are numbered. Michael didn't make this trip with us. We were a party of ten for several truly beautiful days. And then, Patrick and Christian went home to start the winter term. I admit to crying behind my sunglasses as they left us in the park yesterday. It won't be the same without them. And  I wonder when my heart will stop hurting so at the goodbyes. Such a lot of goodbyes. I'm guessing never.

::creating by hand

I stitched on a pillow cover all the way down here, just sweet square from Loulouthi Needleworks. I'm nearly finished now, just working a tiny bit every night before sleep. I'm glad to have found needlework this year. I'm proud of myself for choosing projects I know will take a long time. I'm deliberately slowing myself and overcoming my tendency to hurtle at prime efficient speed throughout my days. Sometimes, what appears efficient is less effective because much is lost in the hurry.

::learning lessons in

Disney. Layer upon layer, there is so much to this place. At every turn, I am amazed and inspired and truly awed. Here, there is tangible proof that something can be well-managed, beautiful, disciplined, and outrageously fun at the same time. Disney should offer mom getaways--intensive boot-camps where we can learn creative management tips and techniques Disney-style and then bring a little magic home to our households. I'm so not kidding. 

::encouraging learning 

There is no doubt that there is much here that is educational and we're soaking up just a small fraction of it. The real life education is abundant, too. Family vacations can bring out the best and the worst in families. The negatives are magnified, if they exist, and it doesn't take long for them to break down the fiber of the family and create discord. On the other hand, a healthy family thrives in a vacation setting and learns to appreciate the gift of happy family all the more. I'm happy to report that we are thriving.

::on blogging and recording

I'm creating memories here, giving my full time and attention to actually doing and saying and hearing and tasting and touching the memorable. I sent a desperate email to Ginny the first night we were here and confessed that I was more than a little hesitant to carry my camera into the park. I had already talked to Sarah and tried to cram a photo class into an afternoon phone call. Essentially, I knew that my pictures would never adequately capture our experiences. Ginny wrote, "enjoy Disney--and really--there is no real way to capture the magic of Disneyworld with a camera.  It's a feeling." I felt like I'd received dispensation. If she says it can't be done, then it can't be done. I resolved instead to focus on details and to try to capture some of the things that made me stop and wonder at the wonder of it all. I am creating memories here, but there's a good chance I'm not ever going to adequately record them.

::carefully cultivating rhythm

Our days have a rhythm of sorts and Mike and I are very conscious of the need to balance the quiet and restful with the noisy and exciting. We are staying in a villa with a kitchen (and a laundry closet, thank goodness). We are able to retreat in a place of utter beauty. Yes, Virginia, I have used my camera to snap pictures of home design ideas here in the hotel. I love it here. If my big boys were here, it would be perfect. And maybe my sewing machine, too. I miss my sewing machine.

::begging prayers

for peace, patience, and safety. And now, especially, for those big kids. It's hard to be this far away from them as their semester begins.

::planning for the week ahead

• Disney
• Disney (Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm having lunch with princesses, mine and Walt Disney's.)
• Disney
• Disney
• The beach at Ponte Vedra and a bit more of grandma and Aunt Lisette
• The long drive home...

On Monday Afternoon {in Florida}

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

Outside my window right now, the Atlantic Ocean stretches beyond my sight's end. The day is sparkingling clear, a bit cold and brightly beautiful. Definitely the way to begin a vacation.

::listening to 

the music coming from a wonderful tabletop carousel that has Sarah utterly enchanted. Sounds of The Nutcracker fill the air as my girlies make donut holes with my Aunt Diane. Happy morning!

::clothing myself in 

I've been thinking and think about Kelle Hampton's wise words. She said,  "I like dressing up. It makes me happy. Skirts, cute heels, red lipstick, hats. It's art to me, and I do it because I like it. I used to make crap up like "I had an appointment" as if I had to have a reason to wear a cute blouse. You know what? Sometimes I wear them in my house. On Saturdays. When I have no place to go. Because it makes me happy." Getting dressed in the morning can be a matter of pulling on whatever clothes or it can be our first opportunity of the day to express creativity and maybe make a little art. Dressing as art? I think I can see it that way. I'm wearing new jeans--ones that fit--and a long sleeved shirt with a blue batik print. Mike noticed the shirt first thing this morning and commented on how much he likes it. See? Art? Works for me.

::giving thanks for

Safe travels. Thirteen hours in the car. Mike drove the whole way and it was really a good trip. Really.

 

::pondering prayerfully

It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.-- St. Thomas Aquinas 

::clicking around these links

No clicks this week. I'm on vacation :-)

::turning the pages of this book

Nikon D40 for Dummies. I plan to read this tonight. The whole thing. 

::thinking thoughts as I go about my daily round

I'm flitting from my mother's house to my aunts' houses. My family knows how to rock interior design. It's crazy how beautiful these homes are. So, so much to see and absorb and love. Art, furntiture, cabinetry, fabric. Sigh. Truly beautiful here.

::creating by hand

I stitched a pillow cover all the way down here, just sweet square from Loulouthi Needleworks. It makes me happy just to look at it. The very first part of my grand bedroom renovation. Yay!

::learning lessons in

vacationing. 

 

::encouraging learning 

it's art history all the time here. We are blessed by beauty.

::carefully cultivating rhythm

after we leave here, I'm going to adjust the schedules offering by this awesome website to every one of our Disney's days.

::begging prayers

for peace, patience, and safety.

::keeping house

it's all about keeping the van organized

::crafting in the kitchen 

No cooking for me. We did have a Trader Joe's treat at every state border crossing. The girlies gathered Meyer lemons from the tree in my mom's yard this morning. Then, they squeezed them to get plenty of juice for lemonade.

::loving the moments

of being together in the sand and the sea under a bright blue sky.  

::planning for the week ahead

Did I mention that we're going to Disney World?

On Monday Morning

I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

I saw the most beautiful sunrise on my way to the airport with Mike yesterday morning--a warm glow of pink that bloomed into a sunny winter day.

::listening to 

quiet. for now.

 

::clothing myself in 

I'm going to pull on jeans and voile shirt with a sweater pretty soon. What I really wish is that it could be a pajama day.

::giving thanks for

your prayers. I asked you to pray for two big things. There you have it: 1 big thing and another big thing. Thanks for praying!

::pondering prayerfully

Mother Teresa: Take our congregation for example, we have very little, so we have nothing to be preoccupied with. The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. This is the only fan in the whole house. It doesn't matter how hot it is, and it is for the guests. But we are perfectly happy...

I find the rich much poorer. Sometimes they are more lonely inside. They are never satisfied. They always need something more. I don't say all of them are like that. Everybody is not the same. I find that poverty hard to remove. The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.

Time: What is the saddest place you've ever visited?

Mother Teresa: I don't know. I can't remember. It's a sad thing to see people suffer., especially the broken family, unloved, uncared for. It's a big sadness; it's always the children who suffer most when there is no love in the family. That's a terrible suffering. Very difficult because you can do nothing. That is the great poverty. You feel helpless. But if you pick up a person dying of hunger, you give him food and it is finished.

 

::clicking around these links

Not too much clicking this week. Just this one, that made me cry. And this one, that made me cry, too. And this one, because I totally think organized fabric is awesome.

::turning the pages of this book

I'm listening to Ann read to me on audible. The sound of the voice of a dear friend whenever I have a moment alone makes me ever so grateful for technology. It's really rather amazing.

::thinking thoughts as I go about my daily round

I can't tell you how many people have pointed out to me in the last 48 hours that I'm going to be a mother-in-law. Of course, I've long thought that one day I would, indeed, be a mother-in-law, so this  comes as no startling revelation. I really want to be a good mother-in-law. Raise your hand if you have a good mother-in-law. Tell me about her? {please don't tell me about the not good ones.}

::creating by hand

Yesterday, more aprons and more jam. Today, some projects to take with us to Florida. Hopefully, later in the week I can finish my quilt. I'm waiting for invisible quilting thread to arrive.

::learning lessons in

mother-in-law-ing. Remember the Kimberly Hahn book binge of several weeks ago? I started there. 

::encouraging learning 

Just do math, people. Just do math!

::carefully cultivating rhythm

I have a list. I've carefully considered what needs to be accomplished when. I'm counting on no more huge life decisions from my children this week. And no more quick trips out of town. Let's just stick to the list, guys.

::begging prayers

Christian finished his first semester in college with a 4.0. We're both struggling a bit with the guidance department and the brick walls when we ask about help hurdling some obstacles. It seems beyond sad that he went in to talk about his future full of confidence that his hard work this semester had paid off and proven he was capable and he emerged defeated and sad. I'm so praying for a good mentor. And a math tutor.

::keeping house

Mary Beth, Stephen, and Nicky really helped me pull off a very pretty setting for The Proposal. And Nick warned everybody not to mess it up between now and Christmas. Oh, but that he could enforce that!

::crafting in the kitchen 

It's the last seven days before the feast. I'm up for a bit of fasting. You?

::loving the moments

when I fall asleep snuggling with Sarah.  

::living the liturgy

::planning for the week ahead

Stephen and Nicky get braces today at noon. Patrick gets his on Friday. Mary Beth's are being engineered. Apparently last week's appointment was just a warm-up. I still have shopping to do--the kind I have to do in person. Tuesday maybe I'll shop, after the plumber comes to talk about renovations. Katie has a basketball game Tuesday night. Nicky's birthday is Wednesday and we're all looking forward to a favorite visitor. Mike should be back in town then, too.Thursday is a Christmas Tea with my dear friend, Megan. There's a surprise in store for Katie on Friday. Then, it's Christmas...