Daybook - Monday, November 23rd

outside my window . . . solid gray sky reflected in charcoal puddles. My front beds looking a bit bedraggled.

in the kitchen . . . making ahead lots of food today and tomorrow and the next day for our Thanksgiving celebration. Oh, and last night I made a REALLY easy pot of soup. Literally, open, pour, stir, serve: 2 boxes of Trader Joe's Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper soup, 2 cans of corn, 2 cans of black beans (rinsed well), and a 7oz jar of pimentos. I added a little shredded cheese when I served it. You could make it a bit heartier by adding some browned ground or shredded chicken/turkey/beef. It is really SO delicious!

around the house . . . lots of cleaning and decluttering to get ready for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. The kids have all gotten their cleaning assignments. I'm polishing silver today - among other things.


~~~~~


on my iPod . . . adding some Advent music to my iPod this week.

from our studies . . . the next few days are all about "Home Ec"!

thinking about . . . the upcoming Advent Carnival. I can't wait to see the posts!

listening to. . . my dog, who sounds like she is trying to hack up a hairball. The kids discussing a Pink Panther movie my middle daughter is making up.

thankful for. . . our cash budget. It is such a relief to go spend money I have in my hand and not worry about "going over".

creating . . . I might start on that crochet Christmas star garland this week.


~~~~~


to foster rhythm and beauty . . . some fresh flowers for our Thanksgiving table. Reviewing previous year's Advent traditions and adding a new one: a Jesse Tree.

to live the liturgy . . . gathering for our family altar-space: a purple cloth, a new candle and making upcoming feast day icons for Advent.

to educate faithfully . . . gathering resources for an Advent lesson plan based mostly on Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury and our new Jesse Tree.


~~~


one of my favorite things . . . my little secretary desk in the corner of my dining room. It is a tiny little corner, but it is MY corner.

a few plans for the upcoming week . . . meetings for me tonight and tomorrow night, my mom arrives Tuesday, Thanksgiving dinner of course on Thursday, maybe shopping on Black Friday, maybe a trip downtown to see the sights on Saturday.

a picture thought I'm sharing . . .

This is my tiny corner.

Enjoy more Daybooks at Peggy's!

Advent Music on YouTube

Two of my blog friends, Juanita and Amy, have created YouTube playlists for Advent music. How wonderful is that? Check it out:


:: Amy at Splendor in the Ordinary - Advent Music Playlist

:: Juanita at The Olive Grove - Advent Music videos and Playlist

I might make one, too. If you make a playlist, leave a comment with the link!

One year ago today. . .

One year ago today, we received and accepted, the referral of our fourth child and second daughter, Baby L. Here is the first photo we saw of her. . .




And here she is a year later. . .




We are celebrating today with a homemade cake and Jollof Rice - my first attempt at some good Ghanaian cooking. (Aimee - if you are reading this - Jollof Rice!! - and a vegetarian version!)

Daybook - Tuesday, November 3rd

Daybook, or perhaps Nightbook, for November 3rd, 2009

outside my window . . .

The night has fallen suddenly. It will take a few days for me to get used to the earlier sunsets.

in the kitchen . . .

Cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot yesterday, broth made in said crockpot overnight, and chicken and rice soup tonight. Super easy and delicious!

around the house . . .

My laundry is seriously starting to pile up.

from our studies . . .

We finished House of the Sixty Fathers today. Such a sad, sweet story. The last word: The heart understands without words. Proud of eldest son (DS 13) who made a great effort with his Logic this week . . . my brain hurts, though. Middle son (DS 10) loves perimeter - I'm thinking I can sneak in some addition practice with perimeter problems. Middle daughter (DD7) is making great strides in reading!

thinking about . . .

introverts and the church - how modern evangelicalism's extroversion tends to look on introverts as less spiritual.

~~~

listening to. . .

my kids experimenting with a tin can "phone" - although I think they've given up on the phone part and are just knocking it around the house.

thankful for. . .

that crockpot chicken - I was under the weather today and not having to cook was a lifesaver.

pondering the words . . .

You do not realize the value of the good you are doing. Think of how the farmer sows without seeing his crop in front of him. He trusts in the land to deliver his harvest. So why don't you put your trust in God? The day of the harvest will surely come.Imagine yourself in the middle of the planting season. The more we sow today, the more we can reap tomorrow. Remember those words of Holy scripture: "He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps 125:6).

St Augustine, Sermon 102,5 - HT The Happy Catholic

reading . . .

Flannery O'Connor: The Complete Stories, Lost to the West, and still the Divine Comedy

kids are reading: Wind in the Willows, Children's Homer, Pocahontas and the Strangers, The Dawn Treader, The Lord of the Rings, and just finished H

ouse of the Sixty Fathers.

creating . . .

trying to finish up some hats . . . just haven't found the time, yet! But at least now I have a wonderful yarn tote from my friend, Julie, to carry my project around with me.

~~~

one of my favorite things . . .

My mini rolling oil heater. It takes the chill off our bathroom on these early fall and winter mornings...it is so toasty warm!

milestones in the past week . . .

Baby L has 4 teeth coming in, that is a total of 6 teeth!

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .

Going to see a show at our Children's Theatre on Thursday, and African music and dance show!

a picture thought. . .

Youngest daughter (DD1), aka Baby L, and I enjoying a giggle and a box of dots.

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Halloween 2009

Everyone is anxious for the Trick-or-Treating to begin!

Here's our Jack-O-Lantern.

Daddy and LoveBug (dressed as a flower - the flower headdress made by her big sister).

The Whole Gang!

The HAUL. Our kids have three days of unfettered candy access (and then it all gets tossed out).

using your toolbox

I Corinthians 3:6 "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life."

In fact, as much as we need systems, ultimately they will kill us. The life is in the blood. This can almost be applied across the board.

Grammar is a good thing. We cannot write without it. We cannot communicate without it but it isn't the only thing. If we approach writing as a purely grammatical exercise we will kill ideas.

Systematic theology is a good thing. We cannot understand the Bible without it. But if our theology is merely systematic it is dead.

The law (Pentateuch) was a good thing but it was powerless to save.

Systems are tools. They help us find the real things. Unfortunately, many people are happy when they have found a system. They never look up from their scavenging in the rubble to see the reality of the thing they are searching for.

Very often it is the conservative, Christian wing of the world that enjoys substituting the tool for the thing. The problem is that you can have a measure of success with a system but in the end you are left bankrupt and confused (Col 2).

October 6, 2009 from Cindy at Ordo Amoris.

God's grandchild

from Dante's Inferno: Canto 11

"Turn back again, " I asked, "to where you said
that usury offends the Power Divine,
And pray explain to me this knotty point."

"Philosophy," my master answered me,
"To him who understands it, demonstrates
How nature takes her course, not only from
Wisdom divine, but from its art as well.
And if you read with care your book of physics,
After the first few pages, you will find
That art, as best it can, doth follow nature,
As pupil follows master; industry,
Or art is, so to speak, grandchild to God.
From these two sources (if you call to mind
That passage in the Book of Genesis)
Mankind must take its sustenance and progress.

The moneylender takes another course,
Despising nature and her follower,
Because he sets his hope for gain elsewhere."

Baptism, Birthday, and meeting the Greats

It was a BIG week for our family.

On Sunday, Baby L was baptized! After church we met her Godparents and some other good friends for a picnic lunch to celebrate.









Then on Tuesday, September 1st, we celebrated her FIRST birthday! After the excitement of the weekend we kept it fairly quiet. Just our family, but quite a few presents. :)

Then this past weekend we went up to the Tennesee mountains to finally introduce Baby L to her Great Grandmother and Great Aunt and Uncle. We had a lovely afternoon at their mountain cabin hiking, riding the 4-wheeler, collecting rocks, dipping our toes in the creek, finding wildflowers, and rescuing a butterfly caught in a spider web.

So, it has been busy to say the least.

The year of the "Last Hurrah"!

Today, I kicked off the start of my last year before I hit 40...my "last hurrah!" LOL!

Erik and I got up early for a "coffee date". Here's a photo of me in our '69 Datsun convertible (a project car for hubby and the boys). Riding in this always makes an outing more fun!

We had a really relaxing breakfast together and it was such a nice start to my 39th birthday. When we got home the kids were anxious to give me my gift. They had all pitched in and bought me my first iPod. An 8GB Nano...I've been filling it up today with music and podcasts. Somehow my kids (who do not have iPods) all knew how to work it better than I did! It does make you feel old to hit the point when your kids have to help you with new technology. **Sigh.**

September is a busy month of celebrations:

Baby L's baptism,
Baby L's first birthday,
our 17th wedding anniversary,
and DS#2's 10th birthday.

Actually, those are all within the first 2 weeks of September!

There is one other event I'd like to tell you about: the second "Carnival of the Church Year" (for the Church Year season: Ordinary Time) which will be hosted here on Monday, September 21st, the Feast of St. Matthew the Evangelist. Mark your calendars and start getting your posts ready to share! Look for more information (and maybe some post ideas) coming in the next week.

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a warm kitchen can do wonders

"In the embracing light and warmth, warm and dry at last, with weary legs propped up in front of them, and a suggestive clink of plates being arranged on the table behind, it seemed to the storm-driven animals, now in safe anchorage, that the cold and trackless Wild Wood just left outside was miles and miles away, and all that they had suffered in it a half-forgotten dream."

p. 57, Chapter 4, The Wind in the Willows