101 Things to Catch Up On

The first couple dozen or so....

I need to make a list of my lists.  And, oh yeah: look at them occasionally.

This house has an unusual amount of floor space.
And it's all in need of a Mom cleaning. Ugh.

I have a closet full of ironing I've been ignoring.

There are a million things I'd like to research for our learning adventures
this year -- and I haven't corrected a word of Theresa's Jane Austen studies yet.

The girls cleaned their closet yesterday... but mine is a mess!

I mentioned the floors, right?

And the garage sale I'm not organized enough to make materialize?

And the 13-odd black kittens I need to sell, give away,
or convince to relocate?

Sleep would be good.

I need to hunt out a good music study for the kiddos' homeschooling.
Problem being, they're all more musical than I am, and I have to teach it
'cause we can't afford outside lessons at the moment... 

And as if all that isn't enough, I've been an awfully bad blogger lately,
 and have tons to catch up on right here...

Like how Paul is home safe and sound from Afghanistan --
and enjoying the California sunshine and green grass with his loving wife and baby, Gavin!
(Thank-you, dear God!)  And how he and the family were here for a good long visit, only just
leaving for home the end of last week.  And how he just found out that he has to go out on a
six week assignment in Jordan in November... (sigh....)

I've neglected to mention, also, how much I love cartoon grandma, Maxine, and how that is a really good thing because on October 1st she will be moving in with us  --  or at least
her real-life, funnier, Catholic counterpart, our 83-years-young  friend, June, will be moving
in with us and joining our family in October.   

 And I haven't shared the news about our Michelle-y who is currently visiting
a family in Austria, for whom she may be "nannying" next summer.  (We miss our Shelly!)
  

And I'm not sure I've blogged about how Dominic (here about 7 years old, but actually
turning nineteen next week!)  is home from the seminary for a while to recover from the effects
of Epstein Barr Virus...  

OH!  And did I mention the good news about Dan's job?  Like how it looks like he got one!

And the bad news about that -- which is:
 It's in Lost Vegas.
Snarl.
(We are not moving to Vegas.)

Sigh.

But, besides the blogging... Yeah.  Lots of Laundry to catch up on.
 Did I mention that already?

And inventory my pantry to tuck in for winter.

I really need to clean the fridges, too.  (Bleck.)

Gosh, it'd be nice to finish just one of the six
or eight books I've started since last spring...

And I'm always just on the verge of starting a diet and actually losing weight.

But it's all good. Things will shake out. And maybe eventually slow down, calm down, even out.   Like a good priest friend of ours says:  It's going to be alright in the end; if it's not alright, it's not the end.  And even at the most hectic, I sorta figure that, if in the midst of swimming through all the debris that I'm supposed to be organizing in my world, I can still: 

+ tickle William and get a good "jack-o-lantern" grin out of him

+ recognize the season by the bright colors -- and by the victory march of  awesome saints through the fall calendar

+ curl up with a good Mythbusters re-run on Netflix at bedtime and get a backrub from my ever-patient and loving husband (Even if it's only on weekends now that he'll be commuting to Nevada..).

+ get the tour of the latest Gabriel-built creation, or read the latest addition to Theresa's "Hen Tales" stories, or sample Cathy's baking forays, or listen to Anna's kitty adventures

+ pick the childrens voices out of the choir on Sunday

+ enjoy a good, strong cuppa Starbux freshly ground whole bean French Roast java fresh from the pot first thing in the morning

+ fenagle an excuse to get or make a pumpkin spice latte!.

+ tick off the beads of my special-made ladder rosary as each of my five littlest prays the Aves

+  get texts from my big boys and my sistah, and skype with Michelle on weekends

+ drive the kids crazy by closing the book at the end of a cliff-hanger chapter -- not to be continued until tomorrow...

+ drink in the beauty of this Colorado valley we get to live in,and know that God meant for it to soothe the soul

+ remember that I am in the palm of His Hand, even when I'm so distracted, I don't know He's there.

++++++++++++