Outside my window... beautiful cool fall weather this morning - the windows are all open! The birds are singing in more complex patterns lately, so that is beautiful to hear... too bad it sounds like one of my neighbor's dogs are dying about a block away. they sound like hound dogs, which already have an I'm-dying-please-put-me-out-of-my-misery kind of bark. And chickens in my backyard were a problem? ;)
I am thinking... about making some fun fall plans to go to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch. I also want to get family portraits made outside - something we have not done before. Lucy needs 2 year old photos, and Caroline (still) needs a formal photo in her First Communion dress. Yes, leave it to me to have that done six months after the sacrament was made!
I am wondering... how long this nice weather will last! This is unusually cool for Georgia - it usually reaches the 80's until mid-November around here. We have had temps not getting above 79 in the past week, so I am enjoying it while it lasts!
I am wondering... how long this nice weather will last! This is unusually cool for Georgia - it usually reaches the 80's until mid-November around here. We have had temps not getting above 79 in the past week, so I am enjoying it while it lasts!
I am praying...for a friend on bedrest, that her baby will continue to develop and her amniotic fluid will continue to replenish, and for thanksgiving for the life of her baby and all babies everywhere.
I am thankful... for a lovely weekend with a family hike, picnic, and bike ride!
I am hearing... pretty birds. I think the one closest to the house is a mockingbird, from the sound of it. The dogs have stopped dying for the moment. ;)
Learning at home... Cecilia
is beginning E week. Caroline is plugging along in her studies and has planned to build a pyramid out of foam blocks and design Egyptian clothes for her Calico Critters to wear. She is very excited about this project, and I am hoping she will be motivated to do lots of it on her own. So far, she designed some clothes during rest time last week.
From the kitchen... we had a pork loin roast last night with cooked cabbage and apples - that was yummy. Tonight is "Chick-fil-A chicken strips" with sweet potato fries and salad. Later this week, we will have a beef stir-fry with some of our grass-fed beef, and I am excited to also cook the pastured pork spareribs I got from a local farm who was at the farmers' market a week ago! We have several feast days this week, too, but my cooking just doesn't seem to be reflecting any of those... French food for St. Therese's feast day? Crepes? I am trying to avoid wheat and most grains, as well as almost all sugar, in an effort to kick my weight loss back into gear. So far, it appears to be working... I need to lose 15-17 more pounds to be back to pre-Lucy weight!
I am reading... Home Education by Charlotte Mason (still), Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon (borrowed the most recent edition from a friend), and Snow White and rose Red - A Modern Fairy Tale by Regina Doman - this is really good so far. Apparently she writes lots of young adult/adult books that are modern adaptations of classic fairy tales written from a Catholic perspective. I wanted to see what one was like and think maybe these would be fun for my girls when they are high schoolers (and beyond!).
To live the liturgical year... yesterday was the feast of the archangels, so we had angel hair pasta with our dinner, along with carrots (the archangel Rafael is the patron of eyesight, and carrots are said to promote healthy vision). I am considering making a St. Michael-related dessert today... devils's food cake is what we have often done in the past, but I also have blackberries in the freezer and may make something with those!
The feast of St. Francis is on Friday, and our homeschool group will gather to celebrate this after Mass that day. I am in charge, so I need to start planning! I know we'll be reading a book and enjoying some Critter Crunch as a snack, probably with an animal-themed game as well.
The feast of the Guardian Angels is Wednesday, but I cannot find my guardian angel candle anywhere! :( Lucy's baptism anniversary is also this week, although she is still too young to really care...
One of my favorite things... fall-scented candles.
I am creating... I need to glue our little dowel rod priest back together - his arms fell off! I also have begun a couple of notebooks in which to write quotes: one for educational quotes and the other for faith-related quotes.
Around the house... need to clean the hall bathroom still. I did some dusting and set out a few fall decorations last week!
A few plans for the rest of the week... dance for the girls on Thursday, noon Mass and homeschool group on Friday, and there is the annual big fall event at our local college where Chris and I attended - we may take the kids for the inflatables and whatever else they'll have there. Otherwise, we'll do school each day, and I need to make a dental appointment somewhere in there and decide how to proceed with fixing a filling in one of my back teeth...
This is Lucy's new way of smiling for the camera... I need to post her birthday pictures soon!
2 comments:
Maria LOVES the Regina Doman books. Very recommended for OLDER teenagers,,, they get very mature. But excellent!
I am glad to hear a positive recommendation! I really liked this one and would read the rest if our library system had them... so I'll have to wait until I can buy some here and there. I am glad there are mature yet moral titles that our teen daughters can read!
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