{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments at Amanda's for all to find and see.
(more daybooks at Peggy's )
FOR TODAY Nov. 8, 2010
Outside my window… Drizzle. The leaves are nearly all turned and fallen now. Having lived in the American West for the past 8 years I have been beside myself watching the leaves change color this fall. LOVE it. Also outside my window on a regular basis? Ginormous crows who sit on the neighbor's car and peck through the garbage. We have to bag the recycling (they will only pick up bags) and the bags are no match for hungry crows. Shoo.
Pondering these words…
I invite you to take the Kind Hearted Blogger Pledge!
I am thankful for… good friends, long talks, creative time, nice people, and things that make me laugh out loud like this site. Disclaimer – some of the art/sentiments are racy. There, I told you, now don't write me, 'k? But you gotta love some of those doodles….
I am hearing… Brendan walked by quietly singing "Hot diggity dog, its a bwand new day" Day doesn't start much better than that. : ) Facebook friends heard about our radio fun last night riding home from church: Michael Jackson's Thriller – the accordian version. Gotta love German radio!
From the learning rooms… I think I figured out our school's online quarterly reporting system and if I am correct I can stop worrying about all the forms we were given. Hoping so anyway because the forms make my eyes cross and send me running from the school room pulling at my hair. I love these books. I don't love record keeping.
From the kitchen… We tried Chicken in Mushroom Cream sauce from Julia last night. With what turned out to be a LOT of substitutions. so so. The frozen chicken breasts were tough as shoe leather. So I guess I need better raw ingredients before even tackling technique. Sigh. I have many redeeming qualities. Cooking isn't one of them.
We had better luck the night before feeding Kieran's little friend tacos and chocolate pudding. In fact the whole evening was a hit, though my coffee splashed out of my to go cup onto my thighs while taking him home. An Irish expletive escaped my lips – though I maintain that swearing in Irish does NOT count. Here's hoping the little man does not have a sancti-mommy. ; o
I am wearing… yes. I will definitely be wearing something suitably fashionable, modest, and not pajamas.
Later.
Around the house…. graffiti. And we have finally tracked down the little gangsta culprit. She is about 3 ft tall and blonde, occasionally seen sporting a pencil or marker. Warning – she is convincing when she says she is 'doing school'. A homeschool mom can be taken in with an alibi like this. Before you fall for that line I invite you to look at her sheets and the upstairs wall. Geesh.
We haven't had one this bad in over a decade. That urban artist used to leave itty bitty smiley faces everywhere. EVERYwhere. I actually thought I might be losing my mind at one point. I would pick up a dishtowel after dinner and there in the corner – tiny smile. What was that in the hem of the curtain? You guessed it. He gave himself away one day however when he was sooooo pleased with one portrait he signed his name to it. Busted.
I am creating… new curtains for the living/dining rooms. Winter is approaching and its getting dark. We need some perking up in here. Pulled out some barn red and yellow French cottage prints to play with.
I am reading… Battlefield of the Mind. Still so impressed by it. If you want to understand why I feel the way I do about positive living, this is a good start. She addresses both the critical necessity and biblical foundation as well as what the alternative is. This is not about manipulating God with our thoughts but about aligning our thoughts with God's will for our lives and affirming in our words and deeds that we believe He only blesses us – even in our trials. We can do this. Whatever this is.
A picture thought I am sharing…
Notre Dame du Paris
For Today: Nov 1st, 2010, All Saint's Day (and German national holiday as well)
Outside my window:
At this moment the sun is shining brightly. It has been delightfully warm all weekend.
I am wearing:
Pale green 3/4 sleeve sweater, long black skirt, black boots. Love these boots. They walked all over Paris this weekend and didn't hurt the least little bit.
I am listening:
Not my video but exactly what we heard while standing in the square in front of Notre Dame du Paris. I may never forget that sound.
From the kitchen:
Five course dinner Saturday night…
cheese sampler
This morning, Pain Perdu.
I am creating:
Oh yes I am! Daily. Very gratifying.
I am reading:
The Litany of the Saints today, an ancient prayer of the Church, in fact one of the oldest in continous use with historical references dating as far back as the 3rd century.
That Thou wouldst spare us,
That Thou wouldst pardon us,
That Thou wouldst bring us to true penanceDear Lord we pray.
From the schoolroom:
Aidan just finished All the Swords in England. Need to work on book analysis assignments for Aidan and Moira. Mango German… and perhaps French for mom. Finding it much easier to hone high school French than wrap 40+ yo brain around German, but both must happen. Compiling French history resources.
Around the house:
…a tiny souvenir
I am reading:
a copy of Marie-Claire Idees
Pondering these words:
"You made a commitment to God….not a bargain with Him."
from Though None Go With Me seen last night on the laptop with three daughters piled onto my bed. Another movie I want to own. The implications there could keep a person pondering a very long time. It is imperative we understand the difference.
Contrary to the contemporary "follow your heart" message is this one – that true happiness is only found while we are safely tucked within the will of God, not in relentless pursuit of own 'druthers which never fail to disappoint. Reminds me of another line -
"You can't always get what you want,
but if you try sometimes, you just might find,
you get what you need." - The Rolling Stones
from my picture journal:
saintly images from Paris….
St Denis (center)
St Joan of Arc
I had these Quick Takes about ready to go last week but we have been so busy didn't end up finishing the post. Maybe this week?? I have a bunch of ideas bouncing around my head. My friend Tracey and I have been talking about raising boys, homeschooling mythbusters, and our roles. We hope to share some of our musing here in days to come. But there is a little road trip to be taken first. And a half dozen things to be tended to. Meantime here are the highlights of late:
*********
1. I did some sewing for the little girls. Not a ton but a little. I repurposed a really big and rather poor fitting maternity shirt of old into leggings and a skirt. Abbie's legs are short enough I was able to cut those from the arms. The body made for a skirt for Tess with some extra strips wound together to make a fabric bow. I was rather pleased with myself truth be told. These ventures don't always pan out like I think they will and it's always a nice surprise when they do. ; ) Ah well. Life is like panning for gold. You've gotten swish around in a lotta mud to get these nuggets of wonderful.
*********
2. I am taking an art class complete with homework to finish. I haven't been a student for a lot of years and althought it's challenging fitting in this project around sports practices and grading papers and switching laundry, I am loving it. Truly. I can't tell you how stimulating it is intellectually and creatively to challenge myself in entirely new ways and to think about things and work with people whose paths I may not have crossed otherwise. But, of course this year has been all about shaking things up and moving right out of that comfort zone hasn't it?
*********
3. On being light hearted:
Leave sadness to those in the world. We who work for God should be lighthearted. – St Leonard of Port Maurice
Check! This week for sure. Last week not so much.
*********
4. Polyester Poppies
This quilt shared at Turkey Feathers makes me smile. I want one. If I was back in the States I would probably already have embarked on a mission to amass vast quantities of polyester. I am that serious. I don't want to swipe her image so promise me you'll humor me and click over to see it. : )
*********
5. Signs
Speaking of seeing things out the car window, it struck me as way cool the other night when I looked up and saw this sign. Who'd have thought last year this time, as my Gram was laid to rest and life was topsy turvy in all sorts of unhappy ways, that this year I would be driving under the sign heading to Paris. Thank you God.
and yes, my windshield is pretty gunky… Taggin that as a boy job : ) And hey, I know just the boy for it….
*********
6. Uncle Sam paid us a visit this month. Our son has been sworn in to the Army. Not the son we might have expected to go this route….
I admit I have wrestled with personal demons of worry, fear, and anxiety throughout this process. These doggone old companions reared their heads at this prospect. But they have been laid aside and I am embracing this new turn of life and anticipate great adventures for my baby boy. Cause they know they are ALWAYS gonna be my baby boys. He was that for four yrs, the longest break we have had between babies to date. And now he moving boldly into a new career. Wild.
A perk for us is that he will be coming to visit and travel for a bit before boot camp. Woo hoo again!
We love you Asher!
*********
7. And another baby boy turned 11 this past week. We celebrated with a football game and then a family movie night. He chose pistachio cream pie for dessert vs cake. Reminded me of Gram again. "We were a pie eating family," she once said to me. This night we were too.
*warning: numerous photos of exceptionally cute children in breathtaking natural surroundings follow….
We are a hiking bunch. So we jumped on the directions a friend sent which promised to land us on a long trail following a stream at the bottom of a tree lined ravine. Gosh y'all, nothing is better to clear your head and restore perspective than a walk like this. We used to positively thrive on these though they became fewer and farther between as the ranch took up more time and energy in recent years. This has been a welcome addition to our lives once again.
The camera had been fiddled with on the way so we fought with it the whole way but we saved several shots thank goodness.
…and today the sun is shining brightly once again, after being AWOL for several days, and we are headed outside for the rest of the afternoon. Have a wonderful day!
(more daybooks at Peggy's )
FOR TODAY Oct. 7, 2010
Outside my window… Heavy fog. The days usually start with some fog but the forecast assures me it will be sunny and clear by soccer. I have now seen this transformation enough times to believe it. Though, at this point it is far foggier than the sample below.
I am thinking… about this line:
"When we receive all things as being sent by Providence, and when we live in a state of entire abandonment to all that this adorable Providence wills, we never meet with any vexations." - Rev Hamon
Never is a big word, but necessarily the only result of truly believing God is in charge. The girls and I were talking in the car about an old Mother Angelica quote – essentially that you are not responsible for your first thought but you are 100% culpable for those that follow. How many thoughts does it take for our fiat to finally emerge? I am letting this be my current personal challenge. Every time. God has graciously contributed LOTS of opportunities for practice. I don't say that sarcastically.
I am thankful for… creative friends, the view out my back window, evenings with my husband, and that pinkeye is thus far contained to one child.
From the learning rooms… Lots. of. work. If you are using a certain large, well known, Catholic correspondence program and think you are working darned hard – you are. This is hands-down the most schoolwork we have ever attempted and heaven knows we have run the gamut of the other curricula available. It is nothing if not thorough and packed with information however and they are learning a great deal.
From the kitchen… we switched up the alfredo sauce last night. I have discovered once again that my family does not like 'switching up' their food. I am making a two week menu for their handful of favorites and shopping list for our new local stores and calling it good. Simple works best here.
I admit that the biggest hit this week was Duncan Hines brownies. Husband and sons maintained they were the best brownies they ever had. Yes, the box. They all survived. : )
I am wearing… black denim boot cut trousers, blue and charcoal button down blouse and black clogs.
I am creating… up-cycled outfits for the little girls from places like this. I am on a tear now <g> Nothing in the give away bag has escaped my scissors lol. Pics to follow.
I am going… on a little adventure this weekend.
I am reading… Jumping Ship It definitely gives a much fuller and more balanced picture of the Pearl's parenting ideals which are less about discipline and more about rooting out personal hypocrisy. If you think you know who the authors are and what they believe about children and parenting based upon an overt campaign against their first book by Amazon commenters I encourage you to read the rest of the story. It is refreshing to discover their motto is the same one I have been reiterating to myself (if not perfecting…) for many years -
Be what you'd like them to be.
It would be hard to put this book into action and have hearts remain unchanged – yours and theirs.
I am hoping… for peace and clear direction as our young adults make some monumental choices this week.
I am hearing… Brendan humming, breakfast noises.
Around the house… there is still artwork to hang downstairs.
One of my favorite things… iron cleaner. Everything gets very hot here. Sister Jean-Marie told us this would be the case due to voltage or something. Perhaps our water mineral content combined with this makes for gunky iron surface. I wish I had found this cleaner years ago!
Here are pictures for thought I am sharing…
out the kitchen window. Can you see the deer past the top of the feeder?
To say that the little girls adore their big sisters would be an understatement. The feeling is quite mutual. When we moved we got two 'girl rooms' and each big girl decided to take a baby girl, though very often all four of them end up huddled up into one of the rooms watching silly You Tube videos and talking til they can barely stay awake. But oh those babies love every minute and oh those big girls love it even more. They are like real life dolls who giggle and shower them with appreciative kisses in return for all that attention.
There is a lot of nail polishing and hair do-ing that goes on upstairs, particularly when little girls get frustrated or tired. They very often will scoop one up as distraction and after they sit quietly for brushing and rolling or lotioning and painting of tiny fingers the upset is smoothed away and forgotten. Then there is a lot of "Go show Mom!"
This was one of those days. Tess, beside herself, because Moira transformed her into their current favorite thing – Irish dancer.
(original photos courtesy of Moira)
While I sometimes remind the big girls that our babies are not aspiring to become Toddlers in Tiaras mostly I say nothing. It really isn't about the 'before' and 'after'. It is about the 'during'. It is a show of that warm glow of devotion between both the bitty girl and her beloved big sister, in a happy place in life where there is no sibling rivalry but only the certainty of the bond between them.
Brendan is having a fine soccer season. He is easy to spot. He is the one dancing in the field between plays. He couldn't be having more fun if he tried.
The season opened with a bang. They held a massive multi-sport opening day ceremony complete with parade. Each team participated.
Here's B marching by:
In all, he has a decent grasp of the game:
But this may have been my favorite moment so far:
The very sweetest part of the day was when he tugged earnestly at my shirt hem going, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" "Yes?" I said. "I am so happy!" he squealed.
I am too, Buddy.
Outside my window...sun coming up, partly cloudy. The crows are swooping across the valley. The cows have been moved to another pasture and sheep are now grazing behind us.
I am thinking…embracing the cross. There's an old adage that pain is inevitable (as are trials) but misery is optional. It is easy to get oneself worked into a state over what are really very normal (if difficult, or even painful) parts of life. It doesn't deny that pain to choose joy anyway. It just affirms the scriptural certainty that all things are working together for good. All things. I make a conscious effort to be careful which voices I am tuning in to and try to seek out those which encourage you to smile, to press on, to embrace what is. (On that note you might enjoy this post by Sherry)
I am thankful for...a blank canvas
From the kitchen…M and M cookies courtesy of Alannah who found time to bless her family in between jobs this week. Yes, she is gainfully (part-time)employed now babysitting and working as a mother's helper.
I am wearing…black yoga pants, black/tan/white vee neck tee and tan sweater.
I am creating… a new schoolroom. Cabinets are together, this week we finish unpacking.
I am reading…My Life in France by Julia Child. Loving it.
I am hoping...to get to St Peter am Perlach as soon as we can. I somehow had no idea it was right here. God is good.
I am hearing…Kieran and Tess looking through the costume book for ideas.
Around the house… I need to move china around since the new arrivals need a home.
One of my favorite things…walking in the woods.
A few plans for the rest of the week… to finish the basement, run Alannah to her babysitting jobs, and taxi people to practices and games while dh is in DC. We have finished 4weeks of school. (insert:the crowd sends up a cheer!) and this week we are taking a break to work hard on the house.
Here is a picture for thought I am sharing…
Kieran, Aidan and I on the trail this weekend
Had a hard core geocaching hike today. With iphone GPS in hand we followed the sidewalk 'til it became farm path…
and then the farm path became a field…
which took us out beyond the village
among the neighboring farm pastures
and linked up to a trail heading into the forest.
Where we looked and looked – and found it.
The boys signed the log book
checked out the contents of the cache box
and decided to exchange their key ring for a pair of soccer cleats.
a good day had by all! : )
Starry Sky Journal 