First Update~Praise Report

 I just got word that Elizabeth de Hority is still in surgery and doing well. What we know now is that a node that had concerned that doctors in the pre-op appointment was biopsied and looks to be negative. This is very, very good news. It means they'll go on with the rest of the surgery and make plans for recovery ...and the rest of her life. Keep praying!

New update: Elizabeth is settled in her room and resting comfortably. From what I understand, all went well. Praise God!

This is Really Important

Elizabeth DeHority will have surgery Tuesday, May 12th. It's very extensive, very serious surgery. I clicked around the blogosphere on Sunday and was astounded by the number of blogs bearing the prayer button. If she has ever needed you, it's now. Please offer prayers for her, for her family, and for her medical team. Please assure her you will carry her in prayer throughout the next few weeks. Leave a comment below to contribute to a virtual spiritual bouquet. I'll bump this post up to the front page every day from now until Tuesday. And then I'll keep you posted on the miracles. There will be miracles.

ADDITIONS: Kelly wrote to tell me about Beth, a homeschool mom of four boys who will undergo a double mastectomy and ooectomy on May 8.

And keep Rachael Higginbothom in your prayers, too.

My Heart's at Home Daybook

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Outside My Window ...
the weeds are going nuts in my garden beds after all this rain. I'm expecting landscaping help this week. We'll get rid of the weeds and build up the beds. We
are going to do an herb bed close to the house and a salsa garden in the backyard. I've ordered more roses for the abundantly successful rose garden on the side of the house. And I'm thinking wave petunias for the front yard. All this week. I hope.
 

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I am listening to...
Nicholas downstairs getting his daily dose of Sportscenter.
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To Live the Liturgy...
we are going to have a tea this week in honor of the waning days of the Pauline year. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus begins the Year of the Priest. I'm going to gather a basket on St. Jean Vianney.
 
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To Fit and Happy...
Mary Beth and I have planned for a year now to walk the babies every morning as soon as the weather permits. it's time, now. I need to get a second stroller somewhere and then we're going to cultivate a new habit.
Erin had newly organized all her weight loss and exercise posts, making it irrestible to revisit for a fresh burst of encouragement.

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I am thankful for...
Mary Beth has orchestrated a Mother's Day surprise that I haven't seen yet. I have a hunch I know what's happening and I will be ever-so-grateful. She's planning to tell you about it. I know this because I read it on her blog (modern communication is great, no?).
Mother's Day weekend was a quiet joy.
 

 
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From the kitchen ...
A am having a blissful cup of coffee, made to perfection in a new coffee maker. As much as I enjoyed going to Starbucks for a fix and a friendly smile, it's nicer to roll out of bed and drink in the silence with the coffee.
I have a new summer menu in place, inspired by this chart generator. If I make a chart of something and put it on the refrigerator, Nicholas holds us all to it--no matter what the chart or whether he likes it. This might be my greatest habit training tool ever.

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I am wearing ...
 New capris, a t-shirt, and new turquoise-colored cashmere socks. So, maybe not everyone wears cashmere socks, but I do, because they remind to pray for my friend who knit them. She will have surgery within the week. Byt the way, the new socks match the turquoise earrings Mike brought me from Utah yesterday. Since I almost always wear pink, I'm left wondering if great minds didn't think alike as they conspired to get me to change my color-scheme, particularly, since Kimberlee has suggested a once-a-week blue day.

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I am creating ...
a surprise for a friend. Praying I can finish soon.

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  On my iPod...
Looking for downloads of past homeschool conferences...I'm going to conference-at-home this year. E-mail me if you have suggestions or links.

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Towards a real education ...
[We've dusted off the learning journal. It's time to focus and this worked for me last time. Of course, today was to be the first day and I didn't get to it. Hope springs eternal.]

That's last week's note. I'm still tweaking there. I'll let you know here when we go live.

Mary Beth continues to write Alphabet Path stories.

We began a Shakespeare study last week. I'd planned to do some Shakespeare this summer anyway, but Nicholas was insistent upon reading Romeo and Juliet immediately since he didn't understand Taylor Swift's Love Story. We read the Bruce Coville version and he's suddenly a big fan of Will. Inspired by Katherine's main lesson books, I think we're going to create some Shakespeare ones here. I've dug up Michael's old one and recognized anew what treasures these become.
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Bringing beauty to my home ...
There are fresh flowers in several vases following Mother's Day. Michael sent an enormous bunch of tulips. All the little boys on Stephen's soccer team presented roses to the mothers after yesterday's game. I've  got a lovely bouquet of freshly-picked dandelions gathered by Katie and Karoline at soccer yesterday. The peonies look just about ready to burst into bloom. I like my chances of having roses from our garden soon after. The house will be filled with flowers from now until October...

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I am reading  ...
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb 

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I am hoping and praying ...
for Elizabeth deHority

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On Keeping Home ...
I am very serious about implementing the seven point plan, adapted for the Foss Family. we had huge success with this last week. I've tweaked quite a bit and I'm keeping careful notes (even the engineer homemakers would be proud). Firstly, I learned that doing a load of laundry a day would guarantee that I'd be behind by about ten loads by week's end. Clearly, this plan needs some altering. Also, I'm having some difficulty persuading the dog to clean up after himself, so I've built some vacuuming into the daily round. More on this later.
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One of my favorite things ...
baby thighs
 

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A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Lots of baseball as we try to catch up from all the rainouts. My mom will be in town at the end of the week. Hopefully we'll return to our nature study place with some friends on Friday. We didn't go last Friday because I just wasn't up for the mud. Instead, we visited all the baby animals at Frying Pan Park. Need to post those pictures. Last count, the calendar proclaims five soccer practices on the agenda, a soccer fundraiser Saturday night (feel free to come keep me company--I'd LOVE it), ballet rehearsals this weekend. Oh, and "school" to do, too.

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Picture thoughts

I love finger paints. I know that most people eliminate fingerpainting first when they eliminate messy stuff to do with children. But, it's really not so bad. First, a good smock or no shirt at all. Then, washable finger paints. A liberal covering of newspapers. Finger paint paper. Wipes at the ready. Lots of fun.

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

Thank you for making it so...

I had about a dozen intros in my head for a Mother's Day post. As life would have it, Mike was gone all last week. It has rained every day since this month. One would think that that would effectively cancel all sports commitments. It did not. Instead, the carefully constructed schedule became utterly soggy and I flew by the seat of my pants, getting children to turf fields so they could practice in driving rains. It left little time for writing and much time for thinking.

I'm still firmly entrenched in glad to be alive mode, counting blessings and singing praises of the Lord who bestowed them. Last night, Paddy played a State Cup game back in the town where Mike and I met and where we first set up house as a family. I called him from the bleachers and told him that I was standing in the same place where I stood all those years ago when he asked me to go to the homecoming dance with him our senior year. I was watching our oldest son, the coach, warm up our third son, the soccer star. Around me were six other small people, who all bear an uncanny resemblance to him. And I looked at Mike's dad--always with me it seems, when Mike can't be--and we agreed that it was a golden homecoming indeed.

There was a dark cloud over the game most of the time. At one point, it rained really hard. Nicholas started to freak out as he does when it rains, but I pointed out that all around the perimeter of the cloud the sun was shining. After the shower, we were treated to a rosy glow of sunset. I remembered the little girl I was in this town, marveled at the mother I had become, and wondered about the children who daily astound me. We've had our cloudy days, even some fierce storms, but that rosy sunlight has always been there, if I just stop long enough to appreciate it.

The game turned into a nailbiter and Paddy's team won in overtime. He and Michael were euphoric. We all were really. The excitement in that stadium far exceeded any I'd ever witnessed at any game in  that town. Giddiness defined the early evening as it crept into the night. But the man who truly loves the game, the man who made this all possible for me and for these children, was 3,000 miles away in a TV truck, limited in his appreciation of the moment by my lame play-by-play into a cell phone while walking a baby.

Patrick went back to school with Michael last night. I took the children in my van to see our first house. We paused for a moment in the darkness and my mind swirled with a million memories of tow-headed boys and learning to be a family.  I felt tears spring to my eyes when I remembered the dreams of the new bride there. Sarah was crying in earnest and Katie needed to go potty. Karoline was beyond tired and Nicholas was carsick. We drove west towards home into the dark and my thoughts were all of Mike. I was ready to roll these children into bed and sleep an exhausted sleep. He was just beginning his night's work. Then, he'd board plane and fly home through the sleeping hours.

He arrived this morning just before 8AM. It's Mother's Day. I'm so grateful to the man who makes it so. 

The Mantel in May

 

More about mantel letters here.And lots more examples in this archives.
Incidentally, I posted this picture today because Charlotte asked. And I found the other pictures by using my new search widget (all the way down the lefthand sidebar), which I installed after Charlotte asked me to find a post about Michael and math.
So, this Saturday is all about Charlotte:-)