Journal: moving things around

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny and warm.  Same thing it has been for the past month.  HOWEVER, by the looks of the forecast we have one more day in the eighties and then autumn should arrive for real, complete with a few rainy days and one that doesn't get out of the fifties (so they say).  I am ready for the change.  I have mums and pansies on the deck, and another flowering plant that I got in the summer and it has really taken off these past few weeks.  Wish I kept the tag so I knew what it was...

Around the house: Well, I mentioned last week that after 13 months, Gemma seems to have gotten cold feet about sleeping in the basement.  Maybe it was the puking incident?  Maybe just the length of time not being in close proximity with the rest of us??  Who knows.  I need to quit analyzing it.  She spent a week on the floor in the boys' room, which worked out well enough but it definitely wasn't a good permanent solution, and there was no talking her into going back downstairs.  SOOOOoooooo, we decided to move her (temporarily, with the option of being permanent) back upstairs and into the "baby" room.  We would like to have another baby, but so far nothin' doin', so the room has just been sitting there empty.  For now we have moved some of the baby stuff out (sniff sniff) and all of her stuff up (I told her she could not keep things in both rooms) but she is just sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.  We don't have an extra twin bed, and the room is too small to move her queen into.  We're not opposed to buying another twin but I want to know for sure that she intends to stay upstairs before I do that, so we're going to give it a month or two. And if we have another baby...well...we'll figure it out.  I am in a little bit of a quandary about the bathroom situation, she had been using the bathroom downstairs, but still needs help with things like doing her hair, turning the shower on, and not showering for 45 minutes.  So it is a lot of up and down (for me and her), especially now that she's not rooming down there.  So I am weighing my options.

 

The kiddos: Meh, the usual.  Nothing standout really besides aforementioned bedroom drama.  They have Thursday and Friday off school this week, so everyone is looking forward to a Friday on a Wednesday!!

In the kitchen: Aaron got a new smoker (his was falling apart, he literally poked a hole through the bottom of the smoke box the other day).  What he got was quite an upgrade (bigger, heavier gauge steel, etc.)  He took it on its inaugural voyage yesterday and mmmmm YUMMY!  I am really excited for him, smoking is something he has come to enjoy and is really good at.  He has his sights set on a brisket this fall.

This week:
goulash and steamed carrots
honey sriracha chicken bites
family dinner
smokey hamburgers for guests
something with cod maybe?
The farther out I get, the vaguer I am this week.

Learning: School is in full swing, so we are just keeping up and reading lots of books at home.  

Reading: With the super-dee-duper-blood-harvest-whatever-else-moon (which my kids did not stay up late enough to see, but they watched it rise and heard about the eclipse), we read Kitten's First Full Moon (LOVE this one), By the Light of the Harvest Moon and Possum's Harvest Moon.  Here are some fall-faves in our book basket this past week.

Watching: MLB.

Bringing me joy:  the papal visit: following it via Facebook, TV and reading articles was pretty cool.  The upcoming cool-down.  Having all my babies sleeping upstairs again. Laughing with Aaron about dumb stuff. 

Thinking about: We bought some fair-trade coffee at Sams the other week.  It is very tasty.  And I will be honest, we bought it more for the fact that it is good coffee than the fact that it is fair trade, but the fair-trade thing has me (Aaron too) thinking.  It would be nice if more stores (clothing comes right to mind) offered fair-trade items and really marketed them as such.  I know the coffee story kind of makes me sound lame, but seriously, I would spend a couple bucks more per item if I knew the clothing (or whatever else) I was buying was made or farmed or whatever by someone who was given a fair living wage for their work.  OK, end rant. 

Pictures to share:  

A couple pics of Gemma's new digs. It is a work in progress (and probably will be for the foreseeable future).

Journal: Autumn?

TODAY

Out my window: Cloudy, moist and on the warm side of mild.  It was fairly Autumn-like the past weekend, but overall it has still been very warm.  Highs in the 80s (approaching 90 some days) and lows in the 60s or even 70s.  We've left the window open a couple nights which is nice, but it definitely does not really feel like Fall yet, even if the slanty sunlight and shorter days are making it look like Fall. On the deck I have a mum and a few pansies, and the rest of my summer potted plants have seen their better days.

Around the house: I am really liking my microfiber rags, and think that the general purpose and window ones should be enough for about any task I have.  Lots of cooking to start the week (more on that below).  The kids are off school today and have had a GREAT day just playing with each other around the house and outdoors, which is very welcomed after a very angsty day yesterday in anticipation of the annual parish picnic (they woke up at 6am asking if it was time to go yet).  Recently (past 6ish months) they have been getting along SO well and I just love watching them together.  I am so glad they have each other.

 

The kiddos:  Well, about two weeks ago Gemma woke up sick during the night and called us and apparently we didn't hear her the first time so she came up the stairs and then puked on the carpet right in front of the bathroom door.  This was very very traumatic for her, and for the entire duration of her sickness she was terrified that she would puke during the night again.  Well, since getting better she has been getting needier and needier at bedtime ("just lay with me ONE more song, just a LITTLE bit longer"), and she has been waking up anywhere between 4-6am and needing someone to come lay with her.  Not the worst thing in the world, she has a queen bed, but still...  Then over the weekend she completely refused to sleep in her bed and slept on the floor in the boys' room.  She told us it's not fair, the boys have each other, and daddy and I have each other and she is all alone  And she makes a very valid point.  Even so, I am a little at odds as to what to do.  She did very well in the boys' room, and even helped Clem fall asleep last night, but still...  I am hoping that this will just blow over and we will be back to normal, but I'm not terribly optimistic.  I just don't get it though, she's had her own bedroom for over a year now and this is the first time we've had issues.  I guess maybe the puking episode was just that traumatic.  I feel badly for her and wish I knew how to make it better.

Kolbe, oh my he can be so intense and impulsive.  Sometimes it takes every ounce of patience I possess to make it through and I still look back and am ashamed at how I handled myself.  But yet I remember not so long ago Gemma being the same way (well, different, but the same) and now she has grown up soooooooo much and so many of the problems that were huge issues with her are just not even on the radar anymore.  Aaron and I were talking about this last night.  Parenting your oldest is so hard, everything is new.  It's so different with subsequent kids.  Still hard, but there is light at the end of the tunnel my friends.  Kolbe is a little more chill about school now that the newness has worn off, but he still seems to like it.  We have conferences end of next week, so I am really looking forward to talking with his teacher and seeing how she thinks he is doing.

Clem.  Oh I am so glad to have my little buddy to hang out with me in the mornings when the big kids are gone.  He is so fun.  Instead of saying, "thank you for _______,"  he says, "thanks you to _________."  "Thanks you to making me muffins for snacktime."  "Thanks you to buying me my basketball shirt."  Stuff like that.  It is so adorable.  When he is carrying something he doesn't want to drop (perler beads come to mind of late), he repeats over and over, "careful, caaaaaareful," and if he waits too long to make it to the bathroom he yells, "hurry, hurry hurry," over and over on his way back to the toilet.  He cracks me up.  Last night he woke up at 3am crying, haaaaard, because someone took his blue donut.  It took me about 10 minutes to calm him down.

In the kitchen:  

Today: a big batch of stroganoff for us/Father.  I love this recipe, the wine makes it taste sooooo good.  I always add a chopped onion and instead of the flour I make a roux.  We will have steamed green beans and applesauce on the side.  I also made some pumpkin bread today.  I've made this recipe twice, using an entire can of pumpkin and leaving out the banana.

Tuesday: crispy chicken salads.  We don't buy many convenience foods, but the crispy chicken tenderloins from Sams are so good and the ingredient list isn't half bad.  (andtheyaresoeasy)

Wednesday: honey chicken, wild rice, steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Thursday: hamburgers.  Aldi is out of their whole wheat buns for the season (sad day, and bread takes up too much room in the freezer to store), but Aaron found some on sale at the other grocery store 4 packs for $4 (they are usually about $3.50 a piece).

Friday: vegetable tortellini (thanks Mlada!)

Learning: Mainly school stuff.  I am trying to be very intentional about taking the kids' lead when they are interested in something at home (Kolbe loves science experiments, Gemma likes making books about things...she is on the hunt for information about flowers currently).  Lots of reading together.  Gemma and I are trying to go to weekly Eucharistic Adoration (for about 10-15 minutes) and then we do a little Catechism lesson together from our Jesus and I book. I am very pleased with the religion she is learning at school as well.  They are covering a lot.

Gemma is doing Little Flowers Girls Club this year (for the next four years actually).  She was sick the day of her first (monthly) meeting :-( but we did the lesson together at home and I am so excited for the year!  It has inspired me to get PACE back out, as it will weave in nicely with her Little Flowers topics.

Reading: Meh, I have been kind of lax on any personal reading lately.  Morning Prayer and Saints of the Roman Calendar as it applies.  Trying for daily Bible reading/meditation.  I go in spurts where I do better and where I don't.  With the kids: Rufus M. with all the kids and Ginger Pye with Gemma.  I can tell "Unsavory" is making her juuuuust a little scared, but not enough to stop reading it.  So many good picture books...Gemma requested that I get Violet Comes to Stay and Violet Goes to the Country again.  She told me she is going to write to the author and tell her to make more Violet books.  All three kids really like Eric Carle, and in the basket now is Pancakes! Pancakes! and A House for a Hermit Crab.  Life Size Zoo was an awesome library pickup, and Clement can't get enough of Ten Apples Up on Top.   I also have a stack of books about apples in the basket, and a stack of Autumn books ready to pull out here later this week.  OHHHHH there are some good Fall books.  I am so happy that we now have our very own copies of Fletcher and the Falling Leaves and Too Many Pumpkins.  I am seriously giddy about reading these books (nerdy much?).

Watching: MLB mainly.  We watched a little bit of the Republican Debate on CNN the other night.  OHHHHH Donald....  And people, PEOPLE!!!!  The Gold Rush Alaska season premiere is OCTOBER 16th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bringing me joy: Reading with the kids.  Nice weather and lots of time outdoors.  Hanging out just me and Clement in the mornings.  He is so very #three these days, but when it is just me and him and we are not on a super tight schedule it is so much easier to be patient.  When all three kids are off playing and it is just me and Aaron hanging out and talking about anything and everything under the sun. Those are good times, such good times.  My life is very good.

Thinking about: Faith. Trust. Prayer. Abandonment. My relationship with God.  Whether or not to attend the upcoming library book sale.  Other stuff...

Pictures to share:  

Love.

Journal: Autumn, rags and cheetos

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny, on the cool side of maybe barely warm, Fall shadows.  I was marveling on the way home from half-day kindergarten pickup today how long the shadows are at high noon.  Highs in the seventies and lows in the fifties over the weekend, but about 10 degrees warmer on both ends next week.  So says the forecast.

Around the house: Some new (Fall) potted plants on the deck that hubby just finished stain/weather proofing.  We have a couple years left with the current flooring, and something (read: new flooring) is going to need to be done.  It's such a nice space though.  Planning on lighting the chiminea up this weekend.

I got started on my Fall blinds/window cleaning (is there anything worse than cleaning mini-blinds?  I will answer for you: no.) and then became irritated with all the rags and bowls of vinegar water (that I spilled, on carpet, TWICE) and paper towels and spray cleaner, etc. etc. etc. sooooo..... 

I will admit to immense intrigue over all the microfiber cloth hubbub out there, so I purchased some e-cloths.  I think I will like them, and they should eliminate the need for window, stainless steel and countertop cleaner chemicals.  That just leaves the stuff I use for tubs and toilets (and I don't care who says what about chemicals, I like bleach in my bathrooms) and Pledge for dusting, but I may even punt that for microfiber.  Maybe.  I used the rags yesterday in the kitchen and then for some blinds and windows and couldn't believe the ease of use.  The results were pretty good too, particularly on glass and stainless steel.

I have found some new clothes (some long sleeve tees, a hoodie, some jeans and sweats) for myself for Winter and am feeling very content with those purchases.  I would like to find some capri/workout sweats that a.) are not super tight and b.) do not have the little band cuff things around the bottom.  I am beginning to think such a thing does not exist.

Last week I thought I broke the wash machine but it was just a quarter that got wedged in the spinny thing on the bottom.  Aaron fixed it.  And then I vaccumed over the vacuum cord and it took a chunk out of it but I didn't electrocute myself.  And Aaron fixed it too.  And he stained the deck.  And fixed the toilet (I actually didn't break that). And now the smoke detector in our bedroom is randomly chirping so add that to the list.  It has been a productive week, even if some of the productivity has been self-inflicted by my lack of carefulness.

That was all very random.

 

The kiddos:  They are currently playing school, which they spend an immense amount of time doing when they are not...at school.  haha.  Gemma is always the teacher.  She is very bossy and very particular (where does she get this?) and it works until one of the boys decides to have an opinion.  Which luckily (for her) may not happen until an hour plus of this game.  She has them trained where she will say "class class" and they immediately look at her and say "yes yes," and then she gives them their marching orders directions.  Future teachers and army drill sergeants can thank her.

Today Kolbe got very sad at school because the lunch staff wouldn't let him have the Cheetos served with the school lunch due to his food sensitivities.  It was a miscommunication (he has only had one issue with school lunches this year and we're still trying to figure out what caused him to flare up).  I was pleased they were so diligent, even though Kolbe could have had the chips, and we worked out what we'll do in the future so all's well that ends well but boy was he sad when I picked him up.  Absolutely, positively devastated.  Like, he hadn't eaten a bite of his lunch and was bursting into tears devastated.  It just broke my heart.  So anyways, Gemma comes out after school this afternoon and apparently she had gone over to comfort him in the lunchroom (she gets there about the time he is leaving) and found out what happened.  So she hops in the van and what does she do?  Pulls a bunch of Cheetos out that she had shoved IN HER JUMPER POCKET from her own lunch.  My heart nearly burst.  These kids.  I am so glad they have each other.  Like I said, all's well that ends well.

In other Kolbe news, he has recently learned to swing himself so that is pretty exciting.  I should try to post a video...

Clement sure enjoys eing the only kid at home in the mornings.  He plays well by himself and we run lots of errands together and it is just good times all around.

In the kitchen:  

Tonight: Nantucket Baked Cod.  I have never had the real thing from Red Lobster, but I think this version is pretty tasty, I've made it at least a half dozen times for us and/or my job.

Tomorrow: I am making a bunch of German Potato Salad for a family get together this weekend.  For dinner we will eat the Fisherman's Feast box dinner for four that I picked up on a very good deal at Sams a couple months ago.

Sunday: family get together

Monday: spaghetti and meat sauce with roasted broccoli and cauliflower and maybe some focaccia bread

Tuesday: the children will eat hot dogs.  Don't judge.  Aaron and I will eat something else that is yet to be determined.  Leftovers?  Salads?  Who knows.  Trust me, it will be spectacular.

Wednesday: white chicken chili

Thursday: something from the grill?  Or maybe leftovers from our amazing dinner on Tuesday.

Friday: swiss tuna melts on WW English Muffins with canned green beans

Learning:  Ask Gemma.

Reading: I haven't read a bunch this week but I picked up a copy of The Joy of Full Surrender someone had given me and I like it.  Continuing to enjoy Saints of the Roman Calendar as it applies.  Gemma and I finished The Year of Miss Agnes (so great) and will start Ginger Pye tonight.  Still reading Rufus M. at the breakfast table/snacktime/lunch on non-school days with all three kids.  The kids each get to check two books out from the school library (Gemma has read a chapter book a week the past two weeks!!!!! I thought I'd never see the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and I try to keep a steady diet of true-good-beautiful (and fun!) picture books coming from the hold shelf at the public library as well.

Watching:  MLB.  A little bit of Ken Burns' documentary on the Civil War.  It's interesting enough, but I am not a huge Civil War buff.  Some of his other stuff (the Dust Bowl one comes right to mind) has been just amazing though.

Bringing me joy: A new nephew/godson.  Prayer.  Autumn weather.  My kids, they are so seriously amazing.

Thinking about: My utter dependence on God.  For everything.  Every.Thing.  This has really struck me of late. 

Pictures to share:
I seriously got nothin'.  And I can't figure out how to share that video of Kolbe...
TGIF everyone!!  Enjoy the weekend.

Book review: Saints of the Roman Calendar

The past year or so it has really dawned on me in a new way the absolute treasure trove we have in the saints.  Not simply as intercessors and friends in Heaven, but as **real life examples** of how to do this thing we call life.  Um, wow.  (For more on that, check out Saints: A Closer Look.)  So I've been on the lookout for a comprehensive-ish book with short(er) stories on the lives of the saints.  Don't get me wrong, a good biography/autobiography is well worth the time, and simply doesn't compare to a five-paragraph essay (Saint Francis of Assisi and St. Therese are two that come to mind), but sometimes I just don't have the mental energy to expend on something like that.  And I'm just not quite ready to invest in Butler's.  Yet.  A priest friend recommended Saints of the Roman Calendar (kindle version available here) to me so I went ahead and picked it up.  Good call.  It is a great, comprehensive edition that includes (as stated by its subtitle) "Feasts Proper to the English-Speaking World."  And by "Feasts", this means it includes not only saints but also feasts such as the Assumption or the Immaculate Conception.  And because it is tied to the Roman Calendar, it flows with the Liturgy, which I just love.  Each saint/feast ranges from 2-3 pages and is divided into two sections: "Historico/Liturgical Note" and "Message and Relevance."  The "Historico/Liturgical" section gives a brief biography of the saint/history of the feast and reasons for its celebration including why it was placed on this particular date (for most saints it is the eve or date of their death, but this isn't without exception).  The "Message and Relevance" section often quotes from the prayers of the Mass, the Office of Readings (particularly the non-Biblical reading) or one of the antiphons for that particular day, or it may speak/quote further on some of the written works of the saint or give details regarding their cause for canonization.  Because this version is "Updated and Revised", it includes very modern feasts such as Bl. Teresa of Calcutta or St. Josephine Bakhita.  I particularly appreciate this since the most current edition of the Liturgy of the Hours is 1976.  Each saint/feast ends with a prayer, typically from the Preface or Opening Prayer, oftentimes from the missal that may be particular to that saint (IE, Dominican, Augustinian, etc.)  If you are looking to learn more about the lives of the saints and their liturgical relevance, I highly recommend this book.  I did not receive anything in return for this review, and the links are not affiliate links, I simply wanted to share my love for a new book I acquired.  PEACE!!