RIght now, I am…

:: feeling like another cup of coffee is in order.

:: thinking that I’ve got to get the beds weeded soon. Especially because one particularly pernicious ragweed is about 4 feet tall. I didn’t notice it until it grew over the retaining wall.

:: appreciating all the skills I’ve learned from Heather. Life-changing. Truly. 

:: anticipating a quiet week, keeping close to home.

:: reminding myself to look into swim lessons. This area only has outdoor pools; none of the Y’s have pools either. (Which is so odd to this city girl who had rec centers and Y’s with indoor pools practically on every other street corner!)

:: wondering about rhythms. And quiet spaces. Big rocks and little rocks. Stewardship.

:: hoping to break out the sewing machine in the studio corner this week. And I promise to share the art, soon. (And Etsy shop? Prayerfully?)

:: getting ready to get the baking done. Mondays have become my default baking day (because J is home and we don’t have lots of weekend errands).

:: planning the last big push for school-y related things. I completed most of my planning for the next school year too, which is a BIG blessing and a great head start.

:: loving the growing relationship between my girls. (But gosh, could time not fly so fast?)

:: looking at the future. And housing situations. Buy? Rent? Where? (Promise a financial update soon…so much good stuff to share there!)

:: hearing “I’m bored!”, and it’s not even lunch time yet. I don’t get it. The rest of the week and weekend, they complain about not getting to spend much time with their legos and toys; come Monday, our quiet do-nothing day, and no one wants to play. What’s up with that?

:: remembering friends. I have two who lost mothers this weekend. Another friend is weary and in pain from hurts not deserved. Candles lit and prayers going up.

:: wishing that the miles didn’t stretch so long between me and those who I hold dear.

:: knowing this truth.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” -Corrie Ten Boom

:: wanting to go a few more steps toward self-sufficiency. Trying to figure that out around a pretty strict lease. Containers? Where? We live on a hill in a lovely grove of trees, but that makes full sunlight a bit of a dice roll.

:: thinking about the things I want to pursue this month.

:: sending all my love.

(Many thanks to Amanda Soule for the format.)

This morning was one of those miracle mornings- my children woke up at 8:30 am. I feel like I can conquer the world. They’ve long risen before the dawn- right at six or even earlier. It wears upon the night-owl mama, let me tell you.  (Which is why this coffee gave me absolute fits of giggles the other day.)

I’m listening to Fernando Ortega this morning. (Also unusual, since the noise factor is usually so loud and well, whiny, that I can’t stand to add anything more to the aural soundscape.) This latest album of his…easily a soundtrack to the day. The Kyrie’s, especially. The older I get, the more I realize that there is only one prayer that covers the depth and the breadth and the need: Kyrie Elision- Lord, Have mercy. (You can hear part of the Kyrie at the beginning of this video.)

I’m thinking about this quote I ran across this morning.

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this:

‘Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks.’

I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”

- Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter

You mustn’t wish for another life. Kyrie Elision, without ceasing. Eucharisteo, in everything. There is such peace to be found. I’m slowly beginning to understand this.

As I head into the kitchen today, I can’t help but think about provision. Mondays have become my baking and prep days. I spend a lot of time cooking and stirring and thinking. Praying. Memorizing.  This one is sitting on my sink-board today.

(Found via Pinterest, here.)

May you have a blessed Monday, friends…

What’s been on your heart and mind? What have you been listening to?

Grace and peace,

Outside my Window:

Rain, cooler temperatures, and lots of ‘tulips’ from the poplar in the back yard littering the deck. I’m not complaining. The hot and humid summers of the south can take their sweet time getting here- I wilt!

I am thinking:

That sometimes, being a mama to boys is easier than it is to be a mama to girls. Yes, sirree. I’ve joined the GoodMorningGirls.org study of Sally Clarkson’s book, The Ministry of Motherhood. I bought and read the book a few years back, but I am really looking forward to a deeper journey through it this time. I need and want to be more intentional in this area, and this is a good place to start.

I am thankful for:

My beloved. For intentional leadership. For a quiet shoulder of support and a listening ear. For the gift that is corporate prayer with one’s spouse. For the sacrament of marriage, the sanctifying and sharpening journey we walk together in the Lord’s grace and mercy, for the day that is new every morning. And so much more.

From the learning rooms…

It seems we homeschool mamas are always trying something new, but isn’t that the beauty of it? We’re still working diligently towards the end of our school year, but I am trying a new approach to how our day is arranged this week, testing the waters towards the school year ‘next year’.  (We school year-round.) I will officially have three in school- a fact which just serves to remind just how fast time flies.

From the kitchen:

A return to center. I could write that for just about every entry here, but it is very true in this sense. As my asthma and allergy related issues continue to trouble, I’ve been headed back to a near “Maker’s Diet” that I began with over six or seven years ago and had woefully moved away from- except this time, both dairy and gluten are being removed. The idea is to give my body as easy a time as possible to heal by removing anything that is somewhat allergenic. My good friend Tonia has been encouraging me so much in this. I’m hoping maybe somewhere down the line she’ll be able to write some posts about her journey in this, because she has so much wisdom to share.

I am wearing:

Loose drawstring khaki pants, kelly green tank, and my hair in a braid. A Saturday evening grill out has left me with a thousand mosquito bites, making me feel like a flea-bitten dog; anything loose and not itchy is the order of the day.

I am creating:

I have begun to weave the creative back into my day, a few minutes here and there- currently, I’m working on illustrating/hand writing a particular verse that has touched my life recently. I’ll have more to share on Friday. It feels good. I don’t know why I write that time off as not valuable and always drop it from the schedule; ten minutes of creating can create an oasis of peace that lasts all day.

I am going:

Or not going, as the case may be. We have become a one car family, after years of having two cars. It as much an economical choice as it is a lifestyle choice. It’s been an adjustment, but has come to the point that I don’t really realize the so-called ‘burden’ any more. It does mean that I have to be better home keeper in the grocery and errand sense- but that was a skill I needed to develop more fully anyways. I didn’t realize how distracted I had become by the going. There is much more time. Imagine that!

I am reading:

Revisiting some books that have been on my bookshelf, reviewing, learning, planning, dreaming.

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.

Homeschooling the Challenging Child by Christine M Field.

Vol 3, Issue 1 of the Somerset Apprentice, Spring 2011.

I am hoping:

That this new schedule works better for us. I was rapidly approaching burn out because of the crazy mis-management going on due to a mis-understanding of what really mattered in my life; more on that tommorrow. I love this quote that Ali Edwards put up the other day:

Things that matter most must not be at the mercy of things that matter least.~ Goethe

I am hearing:

Kids hollering and fighting; the rain trickling down the window pane; the noisy air conditioner kicking in, Phil Keaggy’s guitar whispering away on Pandora.

Around the house:

Pictures and ‘signs of life’ are finally going up around the house. A regular rhythm to cleaning has almost found the beat of peace. The laundry is ever a lost cause, but doesn’t pile endlessly like it used to. Most of that has to do with my mama’s visit- she helped get our life ‘over the hump’ of transition from the move and the baby, allowing me to find the center again. I am deeply grateful.

One of my favorite things:

Babies babbling. And babies giggling. And sibling’s funny faces that make all of that happen. Yup. Yessiree. That, my dears, is of unmeasurable worth.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

An overhaul to the blog, long put off. I need to unlock the archives, but I’m half worried I will flood everyone’s Readers obnoxiously.

Continuing to follow this new path and schedule, and trusting in His lead in it.

A couple of spring cleaning things- cleaning out the windows, which have been untended for years and have numerous bug issues and nests- blech! Caring for the yard and gutters, maybe planting a few things? Repairing some damage to the walls that a certain toddler who shall not be named managed to do while I was looking.straight.at. him. *ahem*. It blows my mind what kids of this age can manage to damage- they can resemble descending locusts at times…

A picture thought I am sharing:

An oldie but a goodie. Totally inspiring me today. Need some color with all this rain!

Outside My Window:

The first signs of fall (after an inexorably hot and humid summer!)- cooler breezes, an ever so slight tinge of yellow and orange barely about the leaves, and the smell of harvest- hay and tabacco are all coming in for drying this week. The smell of the chaff burning has that earthy, humus smell that’s not quite the smell of leaves burning but almost as delighful.

I am thinking-

That there is such beauty and grace in everyday if only I will have eyes to see, and ears to hear. Jeremiah’s refrain in Lamentations that “His mercies are new every morning” have been a constant meditation in my heart this summer. I have seen such healing and a peace that I have never known before, even the midst of much nuttiness and craziness on the home front this summer. I am ever grateful.

I am thankful for-

The helps that make my vocation as mama and wife easier. Chief among them is the CM Organizer at Simply Charlotte Mason; I cannot say enough how much more rational and prepared I feel this year because of it- and I like the flexibility of being able to tweak as we go. I’ve also been grateful for Elise’s Children’s Book Mondays, and my oh my, did you know that Anna is back? (Hurrah, hurrah!) I’ve been using allrecipes.com like crazy this summer- and Nourishing Days and Passionate Homemaking have so many great articles for those who pursue an alternative diet like we do due to food allergies.

From the learning rooms-

A new year is upon us! We are delighted to be jumping into Ancient Greece. We’re using the Joshua to Malachi and Ancient Greece Study Guide from Simply Charlotte Mason as our ‘backbone’, and I’ve fleshed the rest of the curriculum out from there. This is my first year to move entirely away from boxed curriculum, and I find myself delighted at the change. We also chose to put our oldest son into a wee private school around the corner from our house, at the church we attend- the reasons are many, and much prayed over. He’s been there for almost a month now and is thriving. Our daughter, who is four, also attends a preschool program twice a week. Isaiah, David, and Josiah are home with me this year. Isaiah’s physical therapy and specialist appointments have increased to twice a week, and Josiah now has the need to visit specialists for a digestive disorder. It’s a new adventure all around.

From the kitchen-

We’ve been faithfully working on meal planning over the summer, and have much improved at it. I read of an idea ( I think via Elizabeth’s shared items, but haven’t been able to find the post yet, will link when I do) of having theme meal planning over a month’s period- mexican one night, italian, soup night, meat dish, vegetarian dish, etc. Over a month- Mexican night might be tacos one night, the next week a southwestern beef casserole, next week enchildas, etc, and then the month starts over again. The kind lady said that she rotated through these meal plans over a quarter years time (so about three months and then changes it up) with a seasonal reflection of produce and recipes. It was a total ‘aha!’ moment for me- it has much simplified things while still providing variety.

I am wearing-

A plum purple v-neck long sleeve shirt (with the sleeves pushed up), and my brown Lands End knit skirt, and my favorite Birkenstocks. (Don’t ask about the hair though- humidity this summer has managed to make it a total oil slick in places yet straw dry and poufy! I cannot wait for cooler weather.)

I am creating-

Pockets of order and beauty. Our summer was a crazy one, and our home and life really began to reflect that as the season wore on. With the turn into a more familiar routine of school time, I am really working at finding the balance and ensuring margins in the day again, as well as putting our house back to rights. Tucking flowers in spaces, pulling out fall decorations, lighting candles- trying to bring everyday beauty back into rotation instead of messy chaos.

I am going-

Slowly into that good purpose. A dedicated goal of mine over the last six months has been to change habits and lifestyle and in very big way- but in a very slow, reasoned, accomplishable way. I am finding that I while I have big picture goals, I need to break them into smaller weekly and daily tasks. It has really helped. For this recovering perfectionist, I have been learning the blessing, value, and foresight of patient labor vs. frenzied busy work.

I am reading-

Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy

Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Handbook by Sonya Shaffer

Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings by Kelly Rae Roberts

I am hoping-

That the pumpkin pecan spice pancake/waffle mix from Williams & Sonoma doesn’t run out any time soon. Oh my word. Yummy doesn’t even cover it. One of my few guilty weekend pleasures.

I am hearing-

The chirp of crickets and the occasional bird song. Leaving at the edge of woodland does have its advantages.

Around the house-

A keeping of order; staying disciplined about the chores that need accomplishing each day. One last closet remains to be uncluttered and put to rights (the last of my must-dos from the summer) so I will try to get to it this week.

One of my favorite things-

I love hearing Josiah as he learns to talk and communicate…the squeal of delight and dadddadddadddda when James walks in the door is not to be missed. It makes me smile every time.

A few plans for the rest of the week-

To not get ahead of myself; to walk patiently and circumspectly; to take advantage of this fresh start; to inspire my children as they begin their learning adventures this year.

A picture thought I am sharing-

Ahem. I haven’t downloaded my card all. summer. long. There’s got to be around a thousand. I should really add that to my plans for this week, no? If I could share one picture, imagine the emerald green rolling hills of Appalachia, the lazy black fences, the drowsy cows, the big oak in the back yard with hammock swung between it and the fence, and five kids in some semblance of dirt and grime twirling, toddling, and digging about, and you’ve got the picture of most of my summer. (My bathtub, on the other hand, begs for mercy.) Oh, and don’t forget the delightfully teethy and gummy smile and glee of Josiah who is almost. walking. (But who doesn’t like the feel of grass on his bare feet.)

———–

Welcome fall. We’ve missed you. Stick around for a bit, will you? No nasty storms or snow until at least November 15th, alright? Deal?

Hello friends, I’ve missed you too. It feels good to be back.

(This post was inspired by Peggy at Simple Woman’s Daybook)