Life is fragile

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.

Simple Woman’s Daybook

Daybook icon

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


"I am feeling… a bit looney after looking over too many links of late…must delete about half of those blogs, especially the ones that leave me feeling hyper by soo many links in their entries, not-up-to-date with so many crafts, sewing and whatnots they are doing or less than what I am because of all the "showiness"…so, a new mantra or perhaps revised one for my blog takes place…ah, slow, simple, quiet, restful are watch words I want to show here at the simple woman blog."

I agree.  Slow, simple, quiet, restful is what I am after.   Good watchwords for the new schoolyear as well. And we are moving slowly this week. So slowly I am not even properly formatting this entry. : / 

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…. 

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


In the learning room…… We are prepping to start school again.   We have to file our paperwork this week and go through the grade level boxes to see what must be filled in.   

The Montessori trays stand empty. We will do something about those this week. Funny, I went looking for my preschool books to have the girls help me and read some of them in the process.  All I could find (since dear daughter #1 shelved for me earlier this summer : ))  was the Hainstock books.  I sat with Abbie last night and read through the preschool book again and thought, you know what, despite the plethora of web sites and resources available, I STILL think this is the best thing I have ever owned.  Simple, quiet, restful. Deliberate but not frantic.  That is what I get from Elizabeth Hainstock.  

I plan to have the girls help and we will begin to restock our boxes and trays using the Hainstock ideas.  They will have to be on higher, by-request-only, shelves this year because look what happened this weekend :

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Abbie, Abbie, Abbie!   You are a baby!  Why do you think you must be upright as you begin 9 months and we begin school again? <g>  And why did your mother not fix your red eye?  

Around the house…   Got four kitchen cabinets emptied and reorganized.  Go Kim. <g>  Now dusting is another story on a dirt road.  It's like shoveling while its still snowing. 

From the kitchen…. cream cheese brownies twice this weekend.  Twice they have not lasted long enough for a picture.  Take one recipe worth of brownie and one half a cheesecake recipe.  Put 2/3 brownie batter in pan, then all the cream cheese mixture, and spoon rest of brownie batter over top.  Bake at 350 til they look done LOL.   I think its like 40 minutes.  Cream cheese should be just golden but wont set hard til it cools. 

 I am hearing….. Coyotes.  Husband called down the stairs late last night  while he was putting Tess to bed and ready-ing his work clothes.  Said they sounded very close.  We have these little fuzzballs in the barn so we rushed outside to check.  

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Sure enough.  Coyote calling from the north lot. They rarely come this close but mama cat was hunting and the kittens may have been crying loud enough to draw a passing coyote's attention. They will test the water before coming in close as they avoid confrontation as a rule.  The dog chased it/them off and came home triumphant as only a ranch dog on the prowl can be.  It was quiet after that. 
We have heard them more often than not lately, though.  Had a neighbor's cow  go down (read – kick the bucket) a couple week ago.  They left it in the pasture and it is pretty much a rack of ribs now.  That must have attracted this pack.  And yes, it WAS pretty gross, that whole circle of life thing,  if eco-friendly. Ok on that sorta creepy note I better wrap up and get to work.  Hope your day is delightful. 

A picture thought I am sharing….


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(Brendan's first children's choir.  Yes he is in tennies.  We could not find his good shoes before church. Shoes, the bane of my existence ; )) 




 

awesome

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.  

Happy Birthday Colin

Happy Birthday Colin!  We've come a long way baby!  

Coincidentally Colin and I met an Australian couple totally separately from each other online.   The husband saw and recognized Colin's picture while his wife was visiting this blog and we all made the connection.  Very small world, cyberspace.  Annelisa asked today how Colin was.  To reply – he was home this week for his birthday, which I have shared before, is on our anniversary. Unfortunately Allen had to fly out the next day so he didn't get to see him much.  But, we have had fun and got some pics of the new 'do.  No more maroon hair. <g>  I quickly captured this moment because I never know what my boys will surprise me with next lol!  

Colin and Kim

He spent the week with little people talking his ear off, can you tell?  Mentally insert audio that sounds something like, "Oh really?"   "Cool!"  "You think?"  and always, "Yes, I have time for a game."

Colin

Which is probably why his little brothers look like this….

Colin and little boys

And let me tell you how hard it is to get pictures of these guys when more often than not one of them is doing this…..

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Silly boys.  I am glad you are mine!
Have a wonderful 23 Colin. 

Remember Always

1. Do not commit a sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.

2. Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.  

3. Neither do anything nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were he in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.   

4. Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.

5. Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.

6. Do not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations, and for every fault do some penance.

7. Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God. 8. In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.

9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.

10. In heaven and on earth, always the lowest and last place and office.

11. Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, or be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right. And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile. Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation to do that which – if they reflect upon it well – in no way obliges them.

12. Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit.

13. Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.

14. Even though your obligations and duties are difficult and disagreeable to you, you should not become dismayed, for this will not always be so. And God, who proves the soul by a precept under the guise of a trial [Ps.94:20], will after a time accord it the experience of blessing and gain.

15. Remember always that everything that happens to you, whether prosperous or adverse, comes from God, so that you become neither puffed up in prosperity nor discouraged in adversity.

16. Remember always that you came here for no other reason than to be a saint; thus let nothing reign in your soul that does not lead you to sanctity.

17. Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of or selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to his good pleasure over that of humans.    – St. John of the Cross