Strawberries and random thoughts

I got up really late this morning and I don't even feel bad about it. Paul is home and he fed the boys leftover chocolate chip pancakes and milk for breakfast while I snoozed until, gasp, 8:30. It's been a productive weekend. Paul and I went to the nursery yesterday to buy things for our hopefully more-successful-than-last-year's- garden and we got the bunk beds up and Sammy moved into his new bed. The boys are now officially sharing a room! I remember how exciting it was when my sister and I got bunk beds. Since I was older, I got the top bunk. My mom installed a light up there so that I could read without disturbing my little sister. We're going to do the same for Luke. Now, we only have one child in our room! We'll dismantle the toddler bed later today and bring it back out when Tess it. Things are a changin' around here.

I admit that I'm a little giddy that our school year is about to wrap up at the end of this week. We're going to take a couple of weeks off in June and then start back with our Summer term of math review, typing, French and some casual nature study. We've got a nest above our garage and we know it belongs to a dark-eyed junco. We recently re-filled our bird feeders and are hoping to attract some new birds to our house. So, we're on our way with our bird-watching plans!

Today, I want to go buy strawberries. I have been craving them and I'm excited to make some jam. I saw this recipe linked at As Cozy As Spring and I have to make it! I guess I need to buy some blueberries too!

I just finished reading Nina Planck's new book Real Food for Mother and Baby last night just in time for Tess's first meal. I'm trying to decide whether I should feed her avocado or slightly cooked egg yolk first. I'm leaning toward the avocado since I just bought some delicious looking avocados last Friday and that's what I originally had planned for her first meal.

I love this time of the year. I just get so excited over all the possibilities of things to do and learn. Okay, we're off to have some Memorial Day adventures.

A picture thought I'm sharing....

I forgot to add a picture thought with my Simple Woman's Daybook entry. So, I'm adding this picture today. I bought this little table and chairs at Lowe's over Memorial Day weekend. I almost passed it up, but I just loved that bright green color. I felt kind of bad for buying it because I didn't think it was absolutely essential and I guess it's not, but now the boys love bringing their snacks out onto the deck. I love looking out the window to look at the cute little table and it will really enhance our outdoor living the summer. In that sense, it was an essential purchase after all!

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

Here are the two quilts I finished tonight. I made the toppers over two years ago and I finally sent them in to be quilted a few weeks ago and today, I picked them up. So trying to keep the momentum going, I hand sewed the bindings on both of these strip quilts. It is just a joy to finally finish a project! One is an Autmun quilt with many fabrics of Fall leaves (the top picture shows the backing on the Autumn quilt up close) and the other is many coordinating pink fabrics. I enjoy playing with color and fabrics and I am finally enjoying the finished projects which I can finally give to my friends, Jennifer and Donny. Jennifer, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry about these extremely belated Christmas gifts. I hope they bring joy!

Now, I can get started on that quilted sailboat hanging. I said I wasn't going to buy fabric for any new projects until these were done, but I admit it. I cheated. Luke and I chose the fabrics a couple of days ago, but I knew I couldn't do any more than that until the above quilts were done!

I also have some knitting to get back to and I'm trying to learn to crochet, but after knitting, crocheting seems like trying to knit with only one arm. It's so weird!

Journey to the end of Winter

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've posted anything. I've been thinking about it of course, but I just haven't found the time to sit down and post anything. Well, I probably could have found some time if Paul and I hadn't been catching up on Lost. We've only a couple more episodes to go and we'll be caught up and well that mysterious island is starting to make me crazy! Who are the Oceanic 6?

Anyway, it's been a tough Lent and it has felt longer than past Lents. You know that one book that I was going to read during Lent? I was trying so hard to simplify my Lenten journey, but I didn't even get to it. It's been on my nightstand and I only flipped through it a couple of times. The good thing is I don't feel guilty about it. Normally, I would berate myself for failing miserably during Lent, but I don't feel that way this year and that makes me happy. I'm growing! I don't have to do it all or even read the one book. We've been cooped up a lot this Winter, but the weather is slowly getting warmer, but I know not to get too excited yet. There is definitely more snow in our future, but still, it's lighter longer now and Easter is almost here!

Here's some pictures of the highlights from this winter. There's Sammy and Ella all snuggled up on the couch. I'm sure it was a pretty cold day. Aren't they so cute? Then there's the pictures of the boys in the kitchen. Sammy has asked me almost everyday if he can help cook. He says, "Mama, me cook egg." Hence, Sammy wearing the puppy chef's hat! Then there's the pics from that super warm day right before the big snow storm. Paul and Luke decided to fill the bird feeders because soon the birds will be back. Luke identified a chickadee in one of our bird feeders. After that extraordinarily warm day came the snow and here's the picture from my bedroom window.

Tonight we're going to Stations of the Cross and I'm looking forward to some time focusing on the Cross and ironically that will bring me joy.

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

Okay, I know I updated my blog in anticipation of Spring a little early. Oh, I know we're not out of the woods yet, but I can't help it! We had such a beautiful day today. It was absolutely gorgeous. Even though we're only half way through Lent, it feels like forever already and well today was a gift giving me the strength for the journey. It was a tiny glimpse of the good things to come. We didn't even need jackets today! I know there is much more snow in our future, but I got another tiny taste of Spring and I'm going to cherish the joy of sunshine! Father in Heaven we thank thee!

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

It's finished! I finished my first knitting project! I know. I know. It looks rough and primitive and so unperfect, but I am happy to have finished this little play blanket for my friend Jen's new baby boy. I am getting more confident with my knitting and I'm looking forward to tackling something more challenging.

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

1. A night out with my friend Stephanie and a badly needed haircut!

It may seem hidden, but the joy is still there

It's no secret that January was one rough month. As the new year began, it quickly became clear that we had lost that wonderful rhythm we had before Advent. It was a rocky endeavor getting the school work back on track. Actually, we're still not on track. Luke and I both have had difficulty concentrating on the tasks at hand. I don't blame him. There have just been too many overwhelming distractions. It didn't help that we felt cooped up most of the bitter cold January. Then we found out we lost our baby and I realized that while I remained joyful and hopeful, I found myself really down, more down than I expected to feel. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, but I haven't felt like this in so long that this has almost felt like an entirely new experience. While I took my September miscarriage in stride, this one has been quite the opposite experience for me and my husband. After a couple of weeks of headaches (probably related to hormones), we went out today and the sun was shining and it wasn't that cold and I felt alive and happy to be outside.

All this time I've been thinking and thinking about how to rejuvenate our little homeschool. I felt hopeful today for the first time since the new year began and even though that was only four weeks ago, it feels more like four months. I don't have any new plans. I kept thinking over and over to myself that what I teach is as important as how I teach. Did I read that in a Charlotte Mason book? I'm sure I did, but I can't really remember, but somehow I think the key is in that statement. I know Luke could sense that I just wasn't as into our learning this month and it was reflected in his attitude. How can he be excited about learning when I wasn't that excited myself? How could he go on when I felt so distracted and far away? So, no, I don't have any new plans or ideas because I think that would just overwhelm us more. I don't think that's the answer. Instead, I think the answer is simplicity. I won't add any more to my curriculum this year even though I'm inspired every day by all you homeschooling moms out there, but I will re-emphasize art and more read aloud time. Luke really likes it when I'm there learning alongside him everyday. He needs my presence more than anything else. I want to see both of my boys happy and healthy and joyful in learning at home and that's the bottom line. Somehow, I made it harder on myself than I needed to. Anyway, I'm excited about what lies ahead for us in February.

I think about joy each day and when I do that, it's awesome how the bad in life can somehow get pushed aside for all the good things that I may have ignored. There are always more good things than I expected to find.

Here are some good things this week:
1. I'm getting faster at knitting. I can now watch a movie and knit at the same time. I don't have to watch my fingers so much. Knitting has taught me perserverance. What a great gift. I can even purl pretty quickly!

2. I'm enjoying listening to The Swiss Family Robinson on car rides with Luke and Sammy. This is a book that I did not read as a child and it's so fun to discover a great adventure book along with my son.

3. I promised my husband that I would not purchase any new books on Amazon for the month of January and well January is over and I just bought three new books! (I may have to give up Amazon again for Lent!) There's always joy in new books!!

4. Like Meredith, I checked out several beautiful books on knitting from the library this week! I love learning and I love learning about this craft. There are so many exciting projects and I hope I can have the patience to attain new skills so that I can knit things other than squares for afghans!

5. Today is the Feast of St. Brigid and I adopted her as a patron a couple of years ago. I have to admit that as I get older, I find comfort in the lives of the saints. They inspire me in the many ways they devoted themselves to Christ. St Brigid inspires me as I live out my vocation to give my children a truly inspired life of learning. I know as the patron of scholars, she will help us in our joyful pursuit of learning. By the way, I got this book about a year ago. I think this may be a good time to start reading this one. I'll add it to the nightstand stack.

Happy Friday.

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

1. I am extremely joyful over all the prayers I've received from everyone. I know that they have buoyed me up and kept me going this past difficult week. I thank all of you out there for your kind words and prayers.

2. knitting: Why has it taken me so long to discover this relaxing little hobby?

3. roses

Desperately trying to hold onto the joy despite...

the fact that we learned yesterday that I miscarried again. My doctor couldn't find the heartbeat after about ten minutes of trying. He immediately sent me to get an ultrasound. I knew it was not going to be good news when the technician deliberately moved the screen out of my view. I would have been at ten weeks, but it is not to be. My body doesn't seem to know it yet and I'll just have to wait. The weird thing is that I was just starting to feel a bit queasy this week and that made me feel more confident that things were going well. This is my second miscarriage in five months. God's ways are not my ways and I'm just praying for peace right now.

Life's Little Joys: Friday Edition

It's good to think on life's little joys everyday, but I'll focus on a few each Friday.

1. My new bamboo knitting needles (so much nicer than plastic)

2. Staying up late to finish a novel

3. Drinking some steamed milk with Irish Cream syrup on a very cold day

4. Baking Cream Scones with Luke

5. de-cluttering our home

Check out Meredith's list as well. Count it all as joy!