A Last Day of April Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... a pair of bluebirds at the feeder. 

I am thinking... about what to do this week in art classes.  I have to come up with something the kids can take home for Mother's Day.  Aaarrgh! Craft stress!

I am thankful... for Pinterest. What did teachers do before Pinterest?  We must have been terribly dull! 

In the kitchen... Pappardelle di San Giuseppe.  I missed celebrating St. Joseph's feast day in March because we were in Orlando on Spring Break. I'm planning  on doing a traditional breadcrumb based recipe for Wednesday like you can find here at Catholic Cuisine or here at The Food Network .

I am wearing... a red peasant top and army green shorts. We have Arkansas Instant Summer today.
 
I am creating... sacrifice beads with the 3rd and 4th graders.  

I am going... to see Rock of Ages in Fort Smith tomorrow night with my friends Kimberlee and Kerri! Woo hoo!

I am hoping... to get my nails done this week.  Yeah, I know, really deep, but hey, its the little things in life.

I am looking forward to... Adoration this week. I really, really am. 

I am learning... to pray for my enemies.  I am a reluctant student. 

Around the house... kind of a mess, actually.

A favorite quote for today... The Irish do not want anyone to wish them well; they want everyone to wish their enemies ill.  --Harold Nicolson 

One of my favorite things... this pencil sharpener:

This has become St. Joseph School favorite pencil sharpener. If you are a teacher, artist, homeschool mom or mother of a number of pencil-using kids, put your noisy, electric monstrosity in the trash and get yourself one of these beauties: silent, sharp, portable, fast, durable.  I'm really not shilling for Carl Office Products , but if they want to lay some swag on me for the free advertising, that would be just fine!

A few plans for the rest of the week:     softball scrimmage, first baseball games of the season, Arkansas Naturals game on Sunday.  Sounds like spring!

A peek into my day... probably won't get much of this  back in New Jersey!

Thanks, as always to The Simple Woman's Daybook.  I am happy to be back!

Happy Birthday Blessed Mother Mary!

Pray for us O Holy Mother of God,

That we might be made worthy of the Promises of Christ!

Five Question Friday

1. Thunder storms- love them or hate them?

Love them! Need a few around here, actually... 

2. Do your kids get back to school clothes?

I kind of have to.  They wear uniforms and by the end of the school year they are pretty trashed and small to boot.

3. Do you golf? Do you watch it?

Neither. 

4. Showers or baths? 

Showers as a general rule.  Baths are a kind of vacation luxury.  I like staying places where there are Jacuzzi tubs!

5. What's the strangest meal you ever ate?

The all-wing fest at Buffalo Wild Wings is kind of strange when you think about it.  20 wings and about two quarts of sweet tea? Pretty tasty, though. 

Thanks to Five Crooked Halos for hosting the fun!

Five Question Friday

1. What advice would you give a couple getting married? 
Don' t underestimate the power of generosity.  Put yourself and your agenda on the back burner and think of each other first.  When you are irritated or angry give that much more.  God will give you the grace and He will bless your generosity!
2. If you could tell your 16 year old self ONE thing, what would it be?
Dont' take the Triginometry class!  You don't need it and you are just trying to keep up with your friends out of vanity. It won't end well!!(Also, get rid of those  pink and white pinstripe skinny jeans. Seriously)
3. What do you do to keep cool in the summer? (AC, windows, fans, swimming, etc.)
AC, swimming pool, and enormous quantities of iced tea.
4. What did you (or your wife) crave most while pregnant?
Ice.  For instance snowballs: the shaved ice with flavors that are sold at stands all over Maryland. Also crushed ice in 7-Up or ginger ale.  One pregnancy I had an urge to eat snow. Odd.
5. Who is your favorite TV mom? Why? 

I guess I don't watch enough TV because I just can't think of one!  

Thanks to Five Crooked Halos  for hosting this easy way for me to start blogging again!

A May Daybook

JUST FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sound of the boys on the tennis courts

I am thinking... about our summer plans 


I am hoping... we will visit the East Coast with the kids this summer

I am thankful...for my daughters's softball team: thanks girls for welcoming the "new kid"!

In the kitchen...Linguine with bread crumbs and swiss chard

I am wearing...yoga pants and a Yankees t-shirt

I am creating...crocheted potholders and dish cloths

I am going... to the pool with the kids this weekend 

I am wondering... when the day lilies I ordered online will arrive


I am reading...The Normal Christian Worker by Watchman Nee

I am looking forward to...the end of the school year: May 25th!

I am learning... little by little how to be a better teacher

I am praying for... my older daughter as she finishes Finals Week

A favorite quote for today... Unbeing dead isn't being alive.― e. e. Cummings


One of my favorite things... my vegetable garden.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Activities Banquet, plant the eggplant, Mother's Day


A Peek inside my day...my gardenias are in bloom. 

Thank you Peggy for 

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

A June Daybook

Just for today... The Simple Woman's Daybook


Outside my window... Instant summer!... and the dog enjoying a sunny spot in the driveway.

I am going...to take two of the kids for their learners' permits tomorrow.  

I am thinking... obsessively lately about the sale of the house.  I still have a couple of things I would like to do in the yard before our next open house on Sunday.

I am thankful for...  for our beautiful home of the last nine years...and hey, it has never looked better!

From the kitchen...  lemon bundt cake, grilled pork chops

I am wearing... Jean shorts, black V-neck t-shirt. and pink flip-flops

I am creating...  still the forest green Afghan for Rob.  Done by the end of the summer?? Here's hoping.

From the learning rooms... Summer reading list decisions

I am reading... Dune 

A few plans for the rest of the week... baseball, softball, clean out the garage, and KEEP THAT HOUSE CLEAN!                                           

One of my favorite things... Watermelon season!
And a picture thought... our favorite watermelon eating spot.

So...What's been going on lately?

This was the question posed by an old friend and neighbor who I haven't talked with lately, but who ran into me  last week at the Pinewood Derby.  So, I casually, but inaccurately replied, "Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that." I just couldn't bring myself to shout over the din of 50 Cub Scout families, "We're moving to Arkansas and I have 4 months to sell two houses.  What's up with you?" I thought it might be a bit much for her to process.


It has been a bit much for me to process,.  Now that we are closing in on the deadline for listing our home, the reality of having to pack and transport 8 persons' belongings is becoming a bit too much.  I have been slowly discarding books, unwanted toys and some leftover baby things, but I realized today that  I will need to empty and store entire rooms full of stuff just to get the house listed.  


Rob and I stopped by a neighbor's open house this afternoon just to get a look at something comparable in size and yard. They had the house professionally staged through their realty company and it looked great, in that "pretending-that-no-one-lives-here" way that real estate agents encourage.  We could see that we would need to pack up a number of the boys' toys and give everything a coat of paint, but we already figured on those things.  What really struck me, though, was the kitchen.  It wasn't new, but it was immaculate.  There was nothing on the counter but a bottle of dish soap and a decorative pitcher. Nothing else.  On my counter is the toaster, the blender, the standing mixer, the coffee grinder, the kitchen scale,  the bread machine, the dish drainer (full, of course), the napkin holder, the mug rack, the espresso pot, the St. Martha candle, the St. Joseph candle, the box of clementines, the basket with the bad bananas, the chipped cookie jar, the paper towel holder, the butter bell, three or four bottles of wine and the broken mug holding plastic teaspoons. Those are just the things that are supposed to be on the counter, to say nothing of the stacks of papers, the legos,  the watches, wallets and i-Pods that are left there each day. 


I am supposed to stow all this somewhere? This is the main room that we live in, and these are things that we use every day, so I am not sure how to do this yet.  We need to eat and clean and do homework still. Or, can I put the kids in storage, too? Hmmmmm...