Almost School Time Daybook

In the garden...

...children. Two of Faith's cousins are spending the day here and they are outside running with the dog and swinging and looking for great finds in the creek. I had to boot them off the computer to get them there, but they are so much happier getting fresh air.

I am thinking about...

... myself too much lately, too much navel gazing I think. Is this a mid-life thing? I don't know. I think it's a reaction to anxiety -- always wondering what is causing it. I imagine it's also a bit of a pity party, feeling neglected and rather misused by my family, just everyone acting on the assumption that I will do everything they need to have done, with no gratitude shown. I am having a hard time being Mother Mary, putting myself in her shoes and doing my job out of love rather than necessity and feeling put out.

I heard just a bit of Mother Angelica on the radio this morning and she was talking about Martha, of the Martha and Mary story. She said if Martha had known that millions of people in the years after her life would know the story of how she complained about her sister and the Lord scolded her she might have kept her mouth shut. I laughed out loud. Yes, I bet she would have. I am going to try to keep my mouth shut more, but I really am having a hard time changing my thoughts.

I am wearing...

...a bright orange, red and pink floral skirt and a pink v-neck with sandals.

I am reading...

...a compilation of Jacquelyn Mitchard's syndicated columns.

I am creating...

...a new baby quilt, for a little dolly who is going to be adopted in the months ahead. I am waiting for the fabric I ordered for the backing to arrive to finish it.

I have scapular orders and an order for 11 Seven Sorrows chaplets to make asap so they can be in 11 hands for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. All creativity in the rosary department is on hold, as these are all identical.

I still haven't made the one bridesmaid dress we need for me to make in order to decide if I will make them all. It's starting to really stress me out and I might just see if Doug can do something with the kids one night so I can just dive in when I'm all alone.

I am also working on that knitting project for Christmas, and it's going rather quickly. Doug and I have been watching an episode of Downton every night because he never watched any of it. I save my knitting time for then.

At the school table...

...Noah starts school on Wednesday, which means I better get on the ball with schultütes. Faith will start in a week and I have all her books, with the exception of her math and lessons plans for math -- that's the only subject we enroll in. I have her compliance letter from the school district and an absolutely blank lesson plan book that needs to not be blank in a week -- another source of anxiety. So I'm blogging instead. Makes sense to me.

On the table...

...we had a delicious cookout last night, and I had a revelation of sorts about my food blog. I haven't posted in six months and I have really given up on it. I am not a food blogger. I don't cook anything extravagant and I rarely create my own recipes. But, I do still like to share good recipes. When I first started this blog I shared my recipes here, and I am going to go back to doing just that. Cooking is part of my everyday life, not something I get paid to do, or paid to write about.

Plans for the rest of the week...

...a coumadin clinic appointment this afternoon, a date with my son to go school supplies shopping, and then creating lesson plans and chaplets for the rest of the week.

A few of my favorite things...

...new pencils

...new books

...kids outdoors playing

Prayers sent heavenward for...

...my husband, in his new job, and my children

...our oldest son as he begins his adult life -- we moved him out on Saturday and into his own place, and while I am happy for him, it was a big step and a new stage in life for me
...our priests and religious, especially our parish priests, and Fr. Howe
...our dear friend, a former classmate to my husband, a priest, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer and is going through chemotherapy
...all the babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion this week, for a change of heart