FOR TODAY…October 26th 

Outside my window… sunny and cold, which I have decided is much nicer than cloudy/rainy and cold.  I forgot about fall in the midwest. 

I am thinking… that somewhere along the line "home" stopped being where I grew up and became where I live. 

I am thankful for… my husband who says just the right things, video recording so I didn't miss piano festival, kids who rally together as a team, memories.  

I am wearing… a-line denim skirt, pink floral 3/4 length sleeve blouse, burgundy leather mary janes. 

I am hearing… kids preparing for lunch and planning a football break, the baby's tap-tapping as she crawls with a toy in one hand, piano practice.  This past week we have listened to everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Guns and Roses to Marie Bellet as we trekked across the country. 

I am remembering… Gramma. Oh I am remembering. I have done little more than remember. Warm pie, sleeping in the summer porch, racing over country hills so your stomach leaps a bit and roaring when it does, knitting needles clicking, Saltine crackers with margarine. I miss you. I wasn't ready.

I am going… to catch up around the house and prepare for All Saints Day

I am reading… Nothing but snippets of magazines this past week.  I want to track down this book after being fascinated by an excerpt I saw. Photo-journalism rocks.

From the learning rooms…  doing our best to stay on track. 

I am creating…. a special project with Colin's help.  Thank you! 

Pondering these words… "Kim Marie, YES you can!" 

…last words from Gram.  Pondered amid much internal protest right now.  I am taking it on faith. 

From the kitchen… lots of hamburgers and easy food this past week. Sitting down to make a shopping list. It will include fancy birthday cake for Aidan. Oh and cheese curds.  You don't leave Wisconsin without cheese curds for your husband. It would just be wrong. <g>

Around the house… The kids who stayed home were well cared for while I was gone. That's all I'm gonna say LOL. 

One of my favorite things.  Baby Abbie who bounces high on her knees and tries to stretch upright.  Very soon baby girl, very soon

From my picture journal…

"…in every moment there's a
reason to carry on."  Kenny Loggins

FOR TODAY…October 12th 

Outside my window… bright sun spilling over snow-dusted fields. Cold. 

I am thinking… that sometimes less is also more with words

I am thankful for… a three day weekend. The nice Fed Ex man who just happened to be called into work last night when I had slid off the road in the middle of just about nowhere with no cell coverage and just happened to have a brand new-still-in-the-package tow cable in his car.   thankyouthankyouthankyou  (note to self: never go wandering around the prairie to take pics without telling your husband which direction you are headed. Very scary.) 

I am wearing… pink 3/4 sleeve striped blouse, jeans, brown clogs, diamond stud earrings 

(fake ; )) 

I am remembering… how much I love music. I have no ipod or whatnot and it sorta slipped out of my life til the boys and I began assembling a playlist on Pandora. 

I am going… to begin a major fall cleaning project.  Fall decor isnt really happening.  Going to aim for being really ready for Advent. 

I am reading…Teri Maxwell Mom's Corner articles, particularly this one on textbook learning. I have reread it a couple times this week nodding in agreement. (note this disclaimer which applies here too:
 
"It is not our desire to put down other homeschooling methods, but to see families successful"

I am hoping… God makes a way for a big family intention which we can't quite figure out

On my mind… foul language. We have watched several movies this weekend that would otherwise have been outstanding.  The crude language is off putting however and makes me sad that this is so pervasive. 

From the learning rooms… Confirmation prep, polishing piano festival pieces and binder page updating for Brendan. Dh and the boys learning to make cord rosaries for their guy club meeting. 

Noticing that… our girls speak much sooner and much more articulately than our little boys. 

Pondering these words… "We were also told that our children would be bored with textbooks, and that they would dislike learning if we used texts. We were encouraged to try out other methods of homeschooling—ones that would entice our children to learn, be more fun, and be more exciting…

(the children) had become accustomed to learning only if Mom made it entertaining, exciting, appealing, and enticing. The reality of that type of homeschooling is that it is quite exhausting for Mom. You would think children would be sad about leaving that fun style of homeschooling. However, after one year of using textbooks, these children themselves didn't want to return to their old method. They were happy with the change and have requested to continue homeschooling as they have been the past year." – Teri Maxwell

…what she said. Someone should have told me how much fun we would be having, how proud the kids would be, and how darned much we would accomplish. Maybe someone did.  Maybe those voices were so scorned and discredited I ignored them. Who knows. Semi-homemade is plenty good enough here these days. There is room for lots of real life.  Which is good.  There certainly is lots of it in a family of 12! : )  

From the kitchen… coffee for a husband who is home today.  Groceries the big kids are bringing home.  Gluten free baking. Abbie likes gf muffins and bananas and learned to take tylenol off a spoon last week versus spitting it with gusto raspberry style.  Progress <g>

Around the house… bit of catch up since the kids were sick last week. Kitchen cabinets to be fixed with dh.  Moved bedrooms around last week. Need more clothes storage. 

One of my favorite things~ photoshop.  Even more favorite thing – learning something new and 'getting' it. 

From my picture journal…

	"We should not wish for anything but what comes to us from moment to moment exercising ourselves none the less for good. For he who would not thus exercise himself, and await what God sends, would tempt God. 

	When we have done what good we can, let us accept all that happens to us by Our Lord's ordinance, and let us unite ourselves to it by our will. 

	Who tastes what it is to rest in union with God will seem to himself to have won to Paradise even in this life."

- St Catherine of Genoa

September is only half through but already has been full of travel and adventures in semi-homemade curriculum.  School has started and while it keeps us quite busy it has been absolutely satisfying in every way.  Could not be happier with it.  : )  When not cracking the books we have been out in the big, big world:

It has been week of very full days here and promises to continue.  I can't bring myself to write much more this morning though. I keep thinking of this family and their tragedy.  This comes on the heels of the Barrett family loss. We are praying for them and all who are suffering this way.

Life is fragile, indeed.  No matter how challenging your day may be, remember what a gift it is to have these children to care for.  We know not how many such days we will have with them.

Two is absolutely magical.

I went to check Peggy's site to see if she was linking Daybooks again and saw this:

I am wearing….. heather gray yoga pants and charcoal tee.  Still have my glasses on even.  Trust me this is not a visual you want today. The next paragraph explains why. 

I am thinking about….. In sickness and in health. But last week mostly in sickness.   I was flattened with a massive viral infection.  Completely, pitifully flattened.  I summoned all the oomph I had to get more Olive Leaf Extract and Grapefruit Seed Extract and boy was that a good idea.  36 hrs of misery and then it was like the sun came out.  Still haven't hit 100% but I have been functional and productive at least. Some of the kids have had it but not as bad and  this has helped.  Must buy boxes of this stuff….

One of my favorite things….  Skates.  Its all about skates this week.  We live on a ranch.  We have a gravel drive leading to a less graveled dirt road. What do our boys want to do all day and night?  Skate.  Two have roller blades and one has had his heart set on a skate board. That wish came true.  The tiled sunporch has seen a lot of action in recent days. There is a city park near the piano teacher's home. We have been taking lunch there and letting them skate on actual concrete on piano day.  They are a cheap date I tell you. : )   Happy as clams.   Husband was pretty amused to see Mama give it a whirl too – with a helper alongside. (And the gray yoga pant sick-day uniform)  It is possible I may be short of oxygen since being sick…. 

I am reading….  The Secret of the Rosary and the Crate and Barrel catalog.  Seriously.   

Asher shared this video with me last night.   I am not a big youtube-er so the rest of the planet may have already seen it.  If you haven't however it is beautiful.  Reminds me of both Waldorf chalkboard artists and Waldorf figure drawing methods in a way since she had to create the forms in the negative – something I could not master.  

My midcentury fix o' the week  here.

This tip was in my inbox the other day.  I had recently attempted to hem a circle skirt and had made a mess of it.  I wish I had read this sooner!