more daybooks at Peggy's 

For today, August 2nd, 2010

Outside my window… overcast but the sun appears to getting the upper hand.  It is Germany and this battle is waged more or less daily.

I am wearing… note to self, go buy yourself some new workout clothes so you don't have to tell them you are in the same grey pants again Kim….  I won't leave the house this way I promise but I have not worked out since the movers came and am feeling it. 

I am hearing… little boys waking up and noticing the toy I unearthed from a box this am.  Aidan nearby in the kitchen trying to decipher the pancake mix directions.  And Tess wandering in saying, "Mama," more like a statement than a request.  Abbie follows with the same declaration. Mama? Check.  Therefore we conclude that the universe is still spinning in its proper rotation.  We may carry on with our day. 

From the kitchen… Moira made Alannah a fondant cake for her party Friday.  Huge cake.  All day project.  The Cake Boss, I am not.  It is really impressive what a 13yo can do however. 

I am creating… got most of the art up on the main floor and hung curtains.  

From the learning rooms… curriculum planning.  We are so ready to be back to school.  Ok, those of us younger than 13 and older than 16 anyway! 

Pondering these words…

"I don't want to make any mistakes, Gerry.

Well, you are in the wrong species, luv,

be a duck."

said with the perfect Irish accent – you know like "be a dook" (rhymes with book)  which has some kind of freaky, hypnotic, Pied Piper effect on the women in this family.  Must be genetic!  Must. go. to. Ireland. 

From last night's movie PS I Love You.  I cried through the ENTIRE movie.  I took a break to take dh's call then resumed weeping right where I left off.  I so don't like making mistakes.  I so make them. I am so trying to relax and embrace change.

a few plans for the rest of the week… park day and unpacking boxes which seem to have vomited volumes of craft supplies in my basement. 

From my picture journal:

 (new living room)

For today, July 19, 2010

(more daybooks at Peggy's)

Outside my window... hot and muggy. We had a reprieve this weekend but the heat came on strong this morning. Glad we got the hike in yesterday.

I am wearing... white microfiber top and gray workout pants and tennies. Had a session with Gilad this morning, which was not as nice as my sessions with Leslie Sansone. Noticing the workouts from the 90s are more uptempo and frantic, thus harder on the joints and not necessary more effective. 

Considering these words: 

" If you can't be a good example, then you you'll just have to be a horrible warning." 

-thanks to Jen for giving me my options lol. 

I am creating: Got the new little portable sewing machine set up this weekend and fixed hems. It works like a charm for a cheapie machine.  I didn't want to spend a fortune knowing I would be running it on a transformer. Definitely like the Singer better than the Brother machine. 

Also, picked up a new Photoshop Elements book which looks promising. Need to figure out all the "large array of tools, options, palettes, and menus."  I am an intelligent woman.  I can do this. I think. 

From the kitchen: fresh produce, German coffee, dinner taken to our friends with the new baby. Should probably add that pork chop dinner last week which my husband matter of factly pronounced the worst plate of food I have ever sat before him. Truly was that. Havent mastered the oven temps and everything gets hotter here, either due to the altitude or the voltage or both.  Those chops would have made very respectable hockey pucks, let me tell you. Ugh.

I am planning…  where the furniture will go when it arrives, a playdate for the boys, the new school year, and to walk the trail a few more times this week. 

(ps – plans altered before publishing – movers arrive in the am)

From the learning room: Last week was Irish dance camp. 

The big girls (above L) and Kieran will be enrolling in the dance school this school year. Very very cool. 

Looking at Teaching Textbooks.  Aidan began The Shining Company. Journaling all around.

I am thankful for… an evening of laughs and window shopping and TALK talk TALKing. Needed that, though I am more confused than ever about what I want the house to look like. And yes, it probably takes up more thought time for me than your average Joe. Not sure why that is. Design is terribly important to me even if no one else ever sees it. Beauty is its own excuse I guess.

I am reading… Blue Ruin is finished.  If I had to share one book with my daughters as they become young women who will be discerning future spouses this would be it. Fiction can be so much more effective at showing vs telling. I hope they bury this message deeply in their hearts. 

From my picture journal…

 game night on the patio in jammies

1.  Fall planning in full swing here.  

Fall planning is making my head hurt.  I realize sports are inevitable and even likely have redeeming qualities as well. 

Probably. 

I am not relishing the prospect of filling our week up with "must be there by" times and places however. 

2. We have landscaping.  

This is new.  Try as we may have there was precious little of that on the raw prairie. What little there was got systematically beaten back by chickens and wind.  Here we have beds however, which I am endeavoring to weed and maintain. The first sweep through of the weeds was brutal.  They had a whiteknuckled grip on the soil and some we could only hope to cut at the root as deeply as we could dig.  We cleared the bed and I made a mental note to revisit it each week, only to wake up the next morning and find dozens of baby weeds sprouting. Dang. But the pleasant surprise was that these little upstarts had spindly little roots and came right up with gentle hoeing.  

I am sure there are myriad analogies here.  Does anyone else think of scripture while gardening?

3. Overheard this week:

"I am going into the wardrobe to see if I come out in Narnia!" We have ten wardrobes in lieu of closets.  Our boys have read a lot of books.  Enough said. ; )  Unless you want to hear about my awesome family closet.  I did it.  I love it. 

4. The bird watching has really ratcheted up several notches here, though not in the ways I expected. 

 Green and trees = birds.  That was a given.  Killer birds?  Bit of a surprise. 

It started with a walk on one of the miles of bike/foot trails.  When the girls and I came back to the village an American teen passed and mentioned that there had been several attacks on that trail by some very territorial birds of prey.  We took it with a grain of salt til I was chatting with my neighbor who had gone jogging on the same trail days later. Her husband was far ahead and something hit the back of his head, knocking him off his feet.  He turned to see a hawk-like bird coming back with talons outstretched. Had a bloody gouge out of the back of his head to prove it. : / 

When we moved to this village last week we ventured onto another trail.  This one has a sign which I am pretty sure says – Beware of Killer Bird. <g>  There is a large home in the village with a large sculpture of a prey bird mounted out front. I am sure there are some good stories here someplace.  Stay tuned!  

5. Mmmm, mmm, gouda.  

Happily rediscovering Dutch cheeses.  I am ruined for cheddar.  Which reminds me of our last stay here.  A friend of mine from Holland had come for a few days. I fed her cheddar.  She looked at the plate with a puzzled expression and said, "What is that?"  I said, "Cheese."  She says, "Why is it ORANGE??"  ah the fun that is cross cultural relationships lol. 

6.  Also rediscovered Gilad of Bodies in Motion.  Anyone else do cable fitness in the 90's?  The video shop on base has several of his dvds and I picked one up remembering watching the show back in the day.  I do not remember feeling this way the day after watching the show back in the day.  Owwwwww.  

7.  

"I'm looking for a miracle in my life
and if you could see
what it's done to me..."

– Moody Blues 

Look for them. They are there.  God bless!