9:05 I just now made my bed and put on a load of whites. Threw a bed pillow in there, too, and hope the bleach isn't a bad idea with that. I'll let ya know...
Outside my window… It's a glorious day! The gold-orange leaves of the aspen and cottonwoods stand in brilliant contrast against the deep, penetrating blue of the sky.
I am hearing... The morning started off with a chill, so I started a fire in the woodstove first thing, which is just now dying off with quiet little pops and crackles. But that subtle smell of wood smoke lingers in the house. Smells, looks, and feels like autumn!
10:35 Ok -- so here I am, back to the computer. Mixed up a batch of Pumpkin/Banana bread batter -- and got sidetracked in the middle of it -- ending up cleaning out the bottom shelf of the pantry and the top of the stove. Took me long enough that I don't have time to bake my bread before 11 a.m. school-day Mass, so it's sitting on the counter, waiting.
I am wearing... layers that I've shed as the day has progressed. Started out with calf-length leggins under my brown gypsy skirt and a white tee with butterflies on it under a cozy light aqua cordouroy overshirt. Now I'm down to the butterfly tee and brown skirt.
In the kitchen... this is the recipe for the low-fat, full-of-goodness bread I'll bake after I get back from Mass. I substituted a 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for the vegetable oil -- a trick I've found works for most breads -- and added a good handful of walnuts. Can't wait to try this. Haven't used this recipe before!
11:50 Back from Mass. Put bread in the oven and turned on the end of "Blithe Spirit" that I'd been watching while I mixed up batter earlier. Talk about your dark comedies... Rex Harrison, though. So very attractively English and tweedy -- and so young in this movie! But, still, I can hardly watch him in any movie without expecting him to forget himself and start talking to the animals...
I am thinking… it's been a very pleasant couple of days spent alone with my youngest. William is quite a little character -- A couple of quotes: "This is very good. You are and I are getting to know each other here all by ourselves, aren't we?" and "Too bad about Adam and Eve. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have to go to school tomorrow."
I am thankful for… every minute spent getting to know each and every one of my children better. They're a hoot. And they grow up so quickly!
4:45 OK, so, I put on a pot of spaghetti for dinner after lunch, swept the floors, changed over laundry, and picked up my student (my super-smart autistic buddy, Brian) for his history and English classes at 1:45. Then, picked up William at 3:30, and headed to town to drop off the carpet shampooer that I rented on Saturday. (Now you know what I did Saturday while the gang was out of town...) Then, I came home, finished up the spaghettie sauce, made a salad, and broughta basket full of dinner for Fr. B. over at the rectory. Waiting for our bread to heat up here at home now, and have a minute to work on Simple Woman ponderings again...
I am reading… a biography of St. Teresa of Avila by William Thomas Walsh -- and just got a copy of Man Alive by GK Chesterton, which I'll start dipping into here shortly. (Long before I finish the biography of St. Teresa -- which is a tome.)
I am hoping… the children all settle easily back into a nice, calm, every-day routine again after they get back home tonight. Sometimes these kinds of "blips" on the calendar get everyone out of sorts... Including me.
Dinner done. William ate all of his spaghetti, onions and all! Because I was holding ice cream for dessert over his head as a very effective bribe.
A few plans for the rest of the week... Send box of clothes and goodies to my nephew and neices in Georgia; bring bins with warm winter blankets down out of the attic and "refit" my room to match the different color of my big comforter; get to gym at least twice; trade coffee for tea at east four mornings a week. Start work on refinishing, this...
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| Found this for a song at a thrift store! In working condition, though it's a pity someone decided to paint over the wood and wrought iron... -sigh- Got my work cut out for me if I'm gonna completely restore it! |
And that (treadle sewing machine) is one picture thought I 'm sharing. Here are a couple more:
From our annual fall field trip to the Ute museum in Montrose, CO. with my homeschooler, Cathy, and my Kindergartener, William, who has a day off every Wednesday....
Sung to the tune of: We Love Us Some Tipis...
And: When in Rome, Sit Indian Style...
Now we're hanging around -- watching Jeff Corwin on Netflix, learning about Tasmania and waiting for "the children" as my five-old-condescendingly refers to his older brothers and sisters. It's a little after 8 p.m.; they should be here shortly, so I guess I'd better sign off here and prepare for the onslaught. But, in parting... a little gift to William -- the cartoon connoisseur:
No, don't homeschool everyone at this point, though that could change. I keep meaning to sit down and write a post on the reasons and where-fors -- and someday I really will.
ReplyDeleteBut, in a nutshell -- we just do what is best for each child at any given time as far as we able to discern what's best, by knowing the children very well, by being realistic about our capabilities, and by praying-- a lot.
Right now we are blessed to have a really top-notch Catholic school a walk away, so right now we are using that for the children who seem to benefit from that structure. Our one daughter, Catherine, though (11y.o.), is just not into the "twaddle" -- is an eminently practical girl, and would rather get the work all done before lunch so she can work on art projects or baking all afternoon. Which works for me.
Our high schoolers (the boys, particularly), we have sent to a highly trusted Catholic boarding school, where they are on the same campus with seminarians and many priests and Sisters -- which has worked out as a blessing in many ways for us. Especially since I am SO not up to H.S. math and science!
But... I'm going on long enough... I might as well write a post! Haha! I will. Eventually... :)