Journal: late August

TODAY

Out my window: Wet deck, about 1/2 inch of rain overnight. It's been a wet and fairly moderate August, although soooooo huuuuuumid. I told Aaron if we lived in the Pacific NW I think I'd need to find  a new hairstyle because I really despise my hair when it's rainy. I digress. I've really been enjoying my potted flower garden on the deck this summer. Can't believe we're only 4-6 weeks out from pansies and mums! I'll miss my annuals. I learn something new about a variety of plants each year and it has been really fun to experiment with different plants and what works well and what I probably wouldn't repeat again. Already thinking about next summer, and hoping to find a few more spots in the yard for annuals as well. Aaron does most of the landscaping, but he said he'd be willing to make some room for some things for me, so we'll see!

Around the house: Not much. We switched bedrooms around pretty extensively this summer, which has helped us make much better use of our space. The boys each have their own room upstairs, and the girls are sharing the big basement bedroom. It gets better...if Maura wakes up during the night (most of the time she sleeps through the night), nine times out of ten Gemma gets up and resettles her. We still have the issue that the boys sleep upstairs but shower downstairs, and Gemma sleeps downstairs but showers/does hair etc. upstairs. Trying to figure out the best way to make that process a little less of a mess.

We also got a smart TV this summer, so we're planning to set the old one up in the basement family room for the kids to use with their Nintendo and a DVD player. Currently most of the time they spend watching/playing though is when the baby is sleeping (in the basement) so we're not in a huge hurry to get that set up for obvious reasons.

The kiddos: Back to school is treating us well. It always does. The routine is good for us. Gemma is playing volleyball this Fall, her first sport! She's only had one practice so far, but she's enthused about playing, and she is going to give basketball a try this winter. She also is back at her piano lessons after some time off over the summer. She's pretty disciplined with her practice, and seems to have a good amount of natural ability. I enjoy hearing her play. Kolbe  may do a baseball tournament this Fall and we're hoping to get him on a basketball team as well. We'll probably wait until baseball next summer for any sports for Clem. Three in basketball this winter sounds fun but a little cRaZy...

The baby: She is the happiest kid. Pure joy. That said, she seems to be battling a cold and teething this weekend, which is making her sleep a little less great than it usually is. Each thing on its own has never seemed to bother her, but I think the cold and that final molar combined are giving her a rough time. She's getting lots of words: mama, daddy, dinner (which she pronounces "da-DOON-duh") blueberry, Max (our dog), Jesus, cheese, pray.....she repeats a lot as well.

In the kitchen: Green salads with chicken tonight. Typically I make two big meals a week (Monday-Friday...weekends vary), a smaller/simpler meal on Friday, and then we supplement with leftovers/Aaron cooking/hot dogs/frozen pizza, etc. the rest of the week. Up this week are chicken tetrazzini (I typically add spinach, onion and garlic, and put some cheddar and a more substantial amount of white wine in the roux) and shepherd's pie (technically cottage pie since I use ground beef). Looking ahead at Friday...maybe another pan of chile rellenos? Hatch green chiles are in season and I have a recipe that's so much better with fresh chiles.

Reading: Finishing up Cardinal Sarah's God or Nothing. It has taken me absolutely forever to read, partially because I've read several other things while reading this, and partially because sometimes I'm just not motivated. But the end is amazing, especially his insights on prayer, and the beginning - about his childhood in Africa - was so interesting. Definitely a worthwhile read. Need to decide what to read next. I want this set for Christmas.

Watching: Not much. I crash within about seven minutes of hitting the couch most nights.

Bringing me joy: Maura. Being back to work. Kids back in school. Playing piano. Prayer. Good books. Coffee. Wine. Cooking. Life.

Thinking about: The Church.

Pictures to share: Clem got to bring home the traveling class pet and journal this week. Gemma took this picture on her camera. She takes some really good pictures!

Journal: Early October

TODAY

Out my window: Warm, muggy. Rain on and off earlier and more possible later today. It's been a warm Fall, but it's supposed to cool off again tomorrow.

Around the house: Aaron is juuuuuuuust about to wrap up his painting. OH man has that been a job. He is so meticulous, and it saved us a lot of money, but wowza. So much time. So. Much. Time. We will all be glad when this project is behind us. I have most of my Fall chores (cabinets, windows, blinds [shudder], etc.) finished and did some Fall planting on the deck yesterday. I was so excited that Lowe's had their big mums 50% off, and I was even able to find one that was just starting to open!! We should be able to enjoy it for a good long while until we have a  hard freeze (which at this rate, will be a good long while from now). We are currently trying to figure out what our best case scenario is for bedrooms in the not so distant future. Currently the boys share an upstairs bedroom, Gemma has her own upstairs bedroom, and the baby naps in the pack-and-play in the basement spare room where the glider is, and sleeps at night in our room. But she is about to grow out of the bassinet in our room, and there is the dilemma of where to put her to bed when she goes down at night. I nurse her to sleep downstairs, but I have this terror of putting her down in the basement at night and having the monitor malfunction and not hearing her when she wakes up the first time. Probably irrational, but the idea just freaks me out. So I put her in our room, but we are in and out, and the shower is in there so it's not exactly quiet. She does a pretty good job sleeping through noise though and now that the days are shorter, bright evenings and mornings aren't an issue. We will probably put the boys in the basement next summer, but then I am not sure where she will nap/go to bed. We were going to turn the extra bedroom upstairs into a homework room, but it may need to be a homework/baby room because I'm not sure if she will be old enough to share a room/bed with Gemma yet. Just trying to make the most of our space. That was quite a tangent....

The kiddos: Got the girls' pictures taken last weekend, and am hoping to take the boys in the next couple weeks. Can you tell the pic stitch app is my latest obsession?

The baby: She seems a little off today. Teething maybe? She had a really restless night and feels a little warm today and is definitely not herself. :-(  She is rolling over so much now and loves when I tip the bouncy chair forward so she can "sit up" in it. She loves interacting with Aaron and me and the kids and will hold a toy and "play" with it for quite a long time. I am trying to decide whether she will be in 6m or 9m clothes this winter. This is stressing me out more than it should. Eye roll.

In the kitchen: This past week's big meals were beef enchiladas (old recipe my cousin made growing up, with a homemade red sauce) with an awesome garlic cilantro lime rice, and honey chicken, mashed potatoes and steamed California blend. I also made veggie tortellini (ahem, Millie) and tuna patties for the priests. Up this week: chicken tetrazzini (with my own personal modifications) and French Dips. Hubby is making breakfast for dinner tonight.

Learning: Everyone has settled into their school years nicely, and conferences last week were a good affirmation that all is going well. We spent over an hour at the library this morning. I make trips to get stuff from the hold shelf around once a week, and will request specific things for them when they ask, but I only take them to browse themselves about once a month (they get to go weekly at school) and our last several trips have been great. I love their inquisitive minds and the things they want to look for. Kolbe has gotten really into graphic novels, which is a genre I had absolutely no appreciation for. I still can't bear to read them but boy they've sure gotten him excited about reading. But really, what seven-year-old boy wouldn't swoon over a book with the word "underpants" in the title, lol.

Reading: One of the priests I work for loaned me God or Nothing. I am enjoying it.

Watching: MLB. October is always exciting, even if our team isn't playing. New season of Gold Rush is gearing up.

Bringing me joy: Slanty Autumn light. November is on the horizon (I love November more than any other month I think, it's just magical). Pretty mums. A sleeping baby snuggling in my arms. Holy Mass. Good books. My kids, they bring out the worst in me sometimes, but they are also some of the most awesome people I know. Fall beer. Tasty food. Family and good friends. Coffee. A really great work schedule this year, and awesome people to work for and with. Life is good..

Pictures to share: This picture of my siblings and me is a couple months old but it cracks me up. We were trying to get a serious pic (which we got), but this one encapsulates the dynamics of our relationship so very well.

Journal: ...and then it was Summer

TODAY

Out my window: Hot. An absurd amount of rain the past 72 hours.  But Summer is definitely here.

Around the house: I finally got myself set up with a non-paper calendar.  Let me tell you, old habits die hard, but I think it was the job and the obvious non-portabiity of my fridge (whose side housed my trusty paper weekly calendar/to-do list) that pushed me over the edge.  After a bit of deliberation and consultation with Facebook (because Facebook knows all), I decided to go with GoogleCalendar, since I'm already using Gmail and GooglePlay. I like it.  Quite a bit.  I still have my weekly chore list on the fridge, but I converted it into a 10 week format (oh my word, I can feel people rolling their eyes) and my monthly/quarterly chore list on paper as well, but Google can keep track of my calendar events and "to-do" list (with the "reminders" function) quite nicely, and I don't miss the paper calendar a bit!  Can't believe it!!  Now to do some clothes shopping......

Finally got around to putting the hummingbird feeder out and got a few more anuals for the deck now that all the pansies and spring flowers are done.

Working on: I've spent some time in my classroom this past week starting to plan and get things in order and that's been exciting overwhelming good.  I took a one-day class last week for one college hour, and I have a 3hr online course coming up in July.  The one-day class was seven hours with my butt in a chair and about another 2 hours working on the assignments.  Not bad at all.  Hopefully the online course is equally doable.  Apparently when I signed up for these courses though it enrolled me in college, which automatically deferred and then restructured (after I called to request an un-deferment) the term of my student loan.  Sigh.  And no one can seem to give me an answer as to why this happened and how to get it back to how it was before they deferred and completely restructured it without my consent.  Blah.  The balance on it is pretty low (as is the interest rate, that's why paying it off hasn't been a huge priority), but at this point I think we're just going to pay it off and be done with it.  Once the dust settles from whatever is going on now.  I don't even know that I could trust anyone to give me the right pay-off number or make sure the payment is actually applied correctly at this point.  Ugh.

 

The kiddos:  They're having a good Summer!  So far we've had Art Camp, VBS, are in the midst of baseball for Kolbe, and are sneaking up on two weeks of swim lessons.  It's been great, enough to keep us busy and productive and out of trouble, but not so much that we're running around like crazy headless chickens.  We are members at the YMCA now, and their water park has been so great!  The kids are old enough that I am comfortable taking them all three by myself, which I would never consider doing at a traditional pool with shallow and deep ends.  The zero-entry, general shallowness and abundant life guards are such a great setup. So grateful!

In the kitchen: Menu is the other thing I'm still keeping track of on a paper calendar, but I already had a paper monthly calendar in my laundry room that wasn't getting much use so that works out great (quit rolling your eyes).  Up this week: shredded chicken soft tacos; crispy chicken salads (we've had some tasty homegrown lettuce...given to us by others...makes me want to grow lettuce next spring); goulash; other stuff (things always get a little dicey the later in the week it gets).  I'm back to cooking for three at the rectory for the next two months.  Three grown men.  Heaven help me.

Learning:  I have scaled back my learning loops/computer time incentives because it was too complicated, haha. I can complicate anything.  Instead, I found these great printable packets (like, 60-100 pages each) that bridge from KDG-1st (Kolbe) and 2nd-3rd (Gemma) on Teachers Pay Teachers (Moffat Girls, if you're interested) for under $10 a piece, and they are awesome! They include math, reading comp, phonics, grammar and a bit of writing.  I staple them into smaller packets ranging from 4-7 pages and the kids can complete a packet and exchange it for 30 minutes of laptop time, twice a week.  It's working out well.

Reading: Ready to start the third Ralph Mouse book with all three kids, currently we're reading The Bears on Hemlock Mountain and also a book about St. Damien of Molokai. I am reading He Leadeth Me.  It is wonderful. Just today I pulled my Saints of the Roman Calendar book back out.  So many great saints and martyrs the two weeks leading up to July 4. We're looking forward to praying the Litany for Liberty as a family again. Letter K picture books for Clem, and next up letter A (which will include fun things like apples and alligators and some of our favorite African tales).  I got a bunch of Philip Stead picture books from the library this past week as well.  Kolbe has been enjoying Eric Carle lately, and Clem will be getting some CD books (which he looooves) for his fourth birthday coming up NEXT MONTH!!  All three kids are enjoying keeping up with the Summer Reading Program at the library. Sorry for the lack of links.

Watching: MLB, American Ninja Warrior, nothing much of note

Thinking about: Planning for the school year.  I've been vacillating between giddy excitement and panic attacks over the prospect of heading back to teaching, but when it's all said and done I am really excited to get back in the classroom.

Pictures to share:  

VBS, baseball and some gardening.  Happy Summer!

Sunflower update II

The sunflowers have continued to grow...taller than Gemma!!  We're hoping to get some seeds from them to plant next spring!!

Gemma's sunflowers

Back during "S" week, Gemma planted some sunflower seeds.  With the early, long spring they did great this year and bloomed well before Summer!

Small successes XLI

1.  Despite the oppressive heat, some of my summer annuals are doing very well...particularly the lantana and moss rose.  AND IT RAINED LAST NIGHT!!!  2.5 inches!!!!!!!!  YAY!!!!!!!

2. Finished some sewing projects for some new babies in the family!  Pictures to come!!!

3.  Did some planning for our "school year".  Gemma is 3.5 yrs and while we don't intend to send her to preschool, I would like to do some structured learning with her at home.  She's definitely ready.  I'm going to be using the Alphabet Path and this new book from Catholic Icing (SO EXCITED!!!) 

4.  Got a good deal on some school supplies (crayons, markers, water-colors, storage tubs, construction paper, glue, etc.) and got them all organized and stored in the cabinets in our laundry room.

5.  My husband (yes this is his success, not mine) spent time cleaning up some trash that blew in the neighborhood lake.  We're not able to participate in the HOA (besides paying our dues) or do many of the neighborhood activities and projects, so it was nice to be able to contribute in this way.  I did play outside with the kids while he worked though.  ;-D  

6.  The bathroom remodel is coming along.  It is taking way too long, but I'm trying to be patient and the end product will be so worth it.  The joy of the pink formica being gone makes the weeks that this has been going on and things have been torn up and/or out of order a bit more bearable.

7. Scored some cool books I'd been wanting to read on inter-library loan.  Yes I am lame and get excited about things like that.  Speaking of scoring good deals on books though, have you checked out Thriftbooks?  It is fast becoming my new favorite venue for ordering used (and like-new) books!  FREE SHIPPING all the time without a $25 minimum purchase!!!

Share successes each week over at Chocolate For Your Brain!!

Gardening 2011

I suppose "gardening" is probably the incorrect term for me to use, knowing some of the die-hard gardeners who read my blog, but we planted what I consider my (container) garden the other evening.  It mainly consists of several pots and hanging baskets of flowers on the deck.  We are debating some jalapenos in another pot...we have a recipe we love that uses jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and a strip of venison or wild game (or steak or chicken) all wrapped with bacon then grilled.  You should try it!  Fab.u.lous.  But I digress.  This year's flowers...

Red geraniums (my favorite) with a spike

Pansies (these will be replaced by something else
more summer-friendly come late June or so)

Impatiens and ageratum with viney lobelia on either side

Red and pink begonias with silver licorice plant (that will
probably need cut back soon) on either side

Happy birthday, mom!!

We hosted family at our house one evening this past week to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was a lot of fun! We kept things simple and had a few crock pots of soup and the usual fare to go along with that. The weather was nice (albeit a bit warm) so we were able to use our deck, which is much bigger than our kitchen/dining area and on the east side of the house, so it has some nice shade in the evenings.

Kolbe grabbed an early bite to eat indoors to free up high chair space for ALL the other babies!! See!
Our neighbors decided to join in the party too! (Okay, not really, they just happened to be enjoying the outdoors as well.) Gemma-dog (or cat or sheep or whoever she was that day) and cousin Ira. I used the opportunity of having guests to plant some mums and pansies on the deck. Of course Max had to get in on the action too!
And what party would be complete without making a trip to the neighborhood park?! Look at those silly babies!! Gemma is getting very brave! Time for cake! All five grandchildren with my parents.
(Ruby - 7 months; Kolbe - almost 9 months; Ira - 4.5 yrs; Anna - 10.5 months; Gemma - 2.5 yrs) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!

The purple queen gets a haircut

I've blogged before about the purple queen spike I planted with my begonias this past spring (click the 'gardening' tag below for previous posts). Well, as cool a plant as it is, it was taking over so I decided to give it a haircut. Next year I'll have a better idea of how to plant it and just let it grow, but for now I was tired of it taking over my begonias, and it was just beginning to look bad. Here are the before and after pics.
We'll see how much more it grows between now and the first freeze. Hopefully I can find this same plant again next year, because it is very cool. I've just learned not to plant it with other flowers in the future.

Sunflower

I posted in early May about the seeds Gemma planted, and updated a few weeks back about the beans she picked. Well, last week her sunflower bloomed. It was a small little guy, but the pot it which it was planted was fairly tiny (and dried out very easily in the baking KS heat), so I'd say we did pretty well. We've talked about planting a few sunflowers in the yard somewhere, so maybe next year. Overall though the project was a definite success!

Gemma's bean

A few months back I posted about Gemma planting some seeds. Well, her seeds have done amazingly well, and today she got to pick a bean!!! She was quite the proud little farmer.
Her sunflowers are doing quite well, also! I am hoping for some blooms, but we'll see. We may need to transplant them so they can have more root growth. Here are both the sunflowers and her bean bush.
And while we're on the subject of gardening, I thought I'd post another picture of the purple queen. She is quite successfully choking out my begonias! But what a cool plant, I can't bear to trim it back. Let's just say that next year I will use this as a main plant in a (larger) pot, not filler as I intended it. :)
I really enjoy our deck plants, they add so much to the outdoor atmosphere. While I'm not ready to take on a full-size garden, I do think a few potted veggies (roma tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos) would be nice on the deck next year. We'll see.

Swimming

We took the kids to the gym for Kolbe's first swim yesterday evening. Both kids had a lot of fun, Gemma even learned to plug her nose and put her head "under", and by "under" I mean she would dunk it about up to her top lip. Haha. She tried ;-D I did hold her and go under with her once, and she was OK with that. Didn't take Kolbe under yet, although I think Gemma was about his age the first time I took her under. Maybe next time. It was a fun time for all of us. I decided with two parents, and two kids who needed held/supervised in the water it just wasn't worth it to bring the camera, so I snapped a few pics before we left of the kids in their suits. I got Kolbe's swim-shorts at the consignment shop I like to frequent, and Gemma's suit came from Kohl's. They are already clearing them out, and the 3T and 4T ones we had at home were BOTH on the small side. She is sooo long in the torso, this is a size 5!!! I was glad to find something relatively modest. You'd think it wouldn't be an issue with a two-year-old, but good grief!! No, I don't want my baby-girl wearing a string bikini, thank you. I don't know, I just don't think that's cute. Or appropriate. Just my opinion though.
Look at my big boy!
He was very fascinated by the bright-colored little fishies on his trunks.
As I mentioned before, we've been enjoying lots of time out in the pool on the deck. Here is Gemma before one of our morning "swims". Please ignore the horrid bed-head she's sporting. I had her stand by my plant so I could show you its progress. These were planted about two months ago, and as my friend Margaret warned me, the purple queen spike is indeed taking over. Poor begonias. It's a super-cool plant though, and I already have an idea of what I'm going to do with it next year (hopefully I can find one again).
CHEERS!