September 11, 2009

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Tuesday, September 11, 2009

Outside my window... darkness (it's nearly 10 p.m.)

I am thinking... about the families still affected by 9/11

I am thankful for... my family

From the kitchen... cherry pistachio Amish friendship bread

I am creating... nothing right now - I'm about to go to bed

I am going... bed!

I am wearing... my comfy jammies

I am reading... nothing - did I mention that it was bedtime?

I am hoping... that I'll remember to do this earlier tomorrow

I am hearing... Jason watching Goodfellas in the next room

Around the house ... the smell of Pine-Sol

One of my favorite things... pizza night!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... playgroups at church tomorrow, volunteering at church tomorrow, church tomorrow, in-laws' on Sunday, and a meeting at church on Sunday night (And Sunday football! My Steelers don't play because they won last night, but still - GO STEELERS!)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

September 10, 2009

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Tuesday, September 10, 2009

Outside my window... my front yard, waiting to be mowed

I am thinking... about my stepdaughter

I am thankful for... modern conveniences!

From the kitchen... tomato soup, grilled cheese (Muenster and Mozzarella), and carrot sticks for lunch

I am creating... a Colonial fan

I am going... to sit down and rest while the girls finish their fans

I am wearing... jeans and a t-shirt

I am reading... still have Richelle Mead's VA #4 on my nightstand... have yet to get past page 2, as I am usually too tired to read when I get to bed now

I am hoping... that I stop getting headaches every morning

I am hearing... the hum of the refrigerator (dang that thing is loud!)

Around the house ... lots of scraps on my floor, since the girls are decoupaging their fans

One of my favorite things... glitter glue

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... STEELERS play tonight, so definitely watching that... and then no other plans until Saturday

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Entry for September 9, 2009

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Tuesday, September 9, 2009

Outside my window... lots of black birds in my yard

I am thinking... that I wish there were more hours in the day

I am thankful for... having enough food to feed my family well

From the kitchen... for dinner we're having garlic shrimp pasta

I am creating... handwriting folders for the girls

I am going... to go to bed early tonight

I am wearing... jeans and a burgundy t-shirt

I am reading... nothing at the moment - still have Richelle Mead's VA #4 on my nightstand

I am hoping... that my children start focusing on their handwriting and quit playing!

I am hearing... the cicadas outside

Around the house ... too many dishes in the sink, it's making me even more tired just thinking about it

One of my favorite things... bedtime (for me)

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... not sure - same as yesterday, minus today's meeting

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

The Simple Woman's Daybook - December 5, 2009

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Saturday, December 5, 2009

Outside my window... sunshine, even though it's cold!

I am thinking... about Christmas

I am thankful for... blazing fires in fireplaces!

From the kitchen... beanee weenies!

I am creating... crafts out of toilet paper holders

I am going... to heat up some leftovers for lunch in a bit.

I am wearing... jeans, yellow tee, & my red chucks

I am reading... unit planning strategies

I am hoping... that my Dad comes to stay with us on Christmas Eve night

I am hearing... my oldest baby and my youngest baby laughing; the fire popping merrily in the other room

Around the house ... just general contentedness :0)

One of my favorite things... did I mention a roaring fire in the fireplace yet?

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... church, in-laws, relaxation

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Entry for September 8, 2009

I saw this on a fellow blogger's site and thought it was neat!

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK - Entry for Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Outside my window... the neighbors mowing their grass

I am thinking... about tomorrow's appointment at church

I am thankful for... being able to stay home with my children

From the kitchen...tacos for dinner!

I am creating... the templates for the kids to make their own Colonial fans tomorrow

I am going... to Lanesville this weekend (hopefully)

I am wearing... jeans and a white eyelet shirt

I am reading... Vampire Academy #4: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

I am hoping... that I get to see my nephew again before he's two

I am hearing... Gracie watching Alf upstairs

Around the house ... the kitten must be on crack, running from room to room like that

One of my favorite things... construction paper (hey, it's the little things, right?)

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... meeting at church, playgroup at church, homelife groups at church, volunteering at church, CHURCH

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Homeschooling - Yay!

We have had such a blast homeschooling so far! I know we're only about two weeks in, and burnout comes easily (according to other HS moms I've talked to), but right now we're going strong! I just need to find a Bible-study curriculum that fits in with where I want the kids to be. I'm using the Charlotte Mason method (no textbooks, using living books [novels & children's books] to teach. Right now we're working on a unit on Colonial America, specifically the Revolutionary War period. So far, so good... they've read the first Felicity book (American Girl), and we're reading a different one together (Emma's Journal by Marissa Moss), and we're pulling spelling and vocabulary words from that. We went to the Frazier museum two days ago, and I had a really exciting moment when Lexi ran up to an exhibit and exclaimed, "Mommy, LOOK! a REDCOAT! He's a British soldier!" :) So far they've made silhouettes, Chinese wallpaper, their own butter, and a Native American stick toss game. Today is going to be a slow day, because we're going to do some grammar worksheets - I never noticed before what difficulty they have with proper capitalization! Yikes!

If you would, please pray for my father in law. He has a very painful kidney stone, and they were going to take care of it yesterday, but he is on blood thinners so they have to wait until he's been off of his medication for a week. It must be agony to have to wait... he needs all the prayers he can get!

Taylor starts High School on Monday, so she needs some prayers, too. I think she is a touch nervous about it... sure wish she was here so we could give her reassurance, but I know she will do great! She's stronger than she thinks!

Yesterday for dinner I made baked thyme chicken with alfredo noodles and baked beans. Then for dessert I sliced up three pounds of fresh peaches and made a cobbler, complete with homemade whipped cream. It was soooo yummy!

Tonight is the Wizards of Waverly Place movie on Disney - the girls are uber excited. I promised them we'd pop some popcorn and watch it in my bedroom. Can't wait for a girls' movie night!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Bust a gut

You know, I don't really think I ever realized what that phrase meant - "bust a gut" - before I had kids. Tonight, for instance, we were sitting around the dinner table, just the three girls and I. We had bbq chicken legs for dinner. I asked my oldest to go into the kitchen and put some more sodas in the fridge for her dad (since he's at work now, they'll be cold for him when he gets home). She got up and went into the kitchen, and the baby (3 yrs old) gets down from her chair and picks up the half-eaten chicken leg from my oldest child's plate. She takes a bite, and my middle child and I start cracking up laughing. My oldest calls out from the kitchen, "What are you doing?" And the baby answers, "I'm eating your chicken!" I just love laughing until you can hardly breathe, catching your breath, and starting all over again! All laughter should be belly-shaking and breath-stealing! Don't you think? :)

Another fun thing today... I decided to homeschool the girls this year, due to many things that happened last year in their public school. We started two days ago, and are working on a unit on Colonial America. We're using the Charlotte Mason method, which so far is completely awesome. Today we did several things: we made silhouettes, just like the girl in our Colonial America book; we made & played a stick toss game that the Native Americans played; and we MADE BUTTER. How totally awesome is that? We talked about churning and how the Colonists didn't always have places nearby to buy butter in neat little tubs or sticks like we do today, so they had to make their own. We made our own butter (and buttermilk as a neat byproduct - I cook with it a lot), and the girls got a lesson in hard work. They are so proud of their butter, it's not even funny - they even called their grandparents to ask if they wanted to come taste it!

I love my kids!!!