Lord, That I May See

Turtle and I went out in the rain this morning. I was rather discontented with the whole thing at first. After all, in the rain at our old house we could swish through long wet grass in our boots, stomp in deep gravelly, muddy puddles, and walk a short distance to a shallow creekbed and listen to the water that would drip or ripple or rush there. Those are lovely things to do in the rain. Here in the suburbs there is none of those familiar rainy pastimes. We wandered about a bit as I was grumpily missing home. But then the rain began to come down faster and harder and suddenly there was a little river along the curb. And that sparked a new kind of rain activity. We dropped leaves into the flowing gutter water, watching them disappear down the road. We stood under trees and noticed the difference in the amount of droplets reaching our heads. We ran back and forth along the sidewalk in the rain and felt the pattering on our rain-coated heads. We caught raindrops on our tongues. I guess...

from http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/ FOR TODAY August 26th 2008 Outside My Window... it is very overcast. Hoping for rain! I am thinking ... of the wonderfulness of feeling better today! I am thankful for... my husband. He relieved me and took the way too energetic and wiggly baby out with him while I laid on the couch, threw up, and cleaned up Turtle's throw up, then laid on the couch some more watching a movie, (which I never do when Turtle is up usually, but desperate times call for desperate measures). He also fended for himself finding some sort of dinner in the fridge with no help from me which he is usually quite incapable of doing. :) From the kitchen... Scrambled eggs and hot rice cereal for breakfast Mexican Crockpot Chicken for dinner I am wearing... pink polka-dot pajama pants and a blue East/West shirt I am creating... that apron still. All that has happened on it is the cutting out of the pattern pieces so far . . . I am going... to take a shower this morning, I ...

Me: I find it so strange that whenever all of us get sick you never do! Mr. Invincible Man, (aka, my husband): I have a hardy personality and a strong and positive frame of mind. So why should I get sick? Well, there you have it. I guess I have a weak personality and a negative frame of mind. :)

Miss Lampshade Head Turtle and "Prime Bear" Rosebud gets into EVERYTHING! They love each other so much! It's so cute to watch them play. Daddy & Turtle talking on the front step Practicing the "pincer grasp" with some banana :)

from http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/ FOR TODAY August 19th 2008 Outside My Window... there are pieces of a privacy fence that my husband acquired from a job, and someday he says he'll put them on the two unfenced sides of our back yard for a fully enclosed play area. I can't wait! I am thinking ... of how grateful I am for my family and a really nice Sunday spent with them! I am thankful for... Creamy peanut butter. From the kitchen... I came home this weekend from my parents with raspberries, tomatoes -- red and yellow, delicious tart apples, cucumbers and okra! Everything tastes a hundred times better fresh from a garden! I am wearing... a white shirt, jeans, black & white striped flip-flops and a pretty blue and white flowered apron. I am creating... another pretty apron, this one will be red and white checked with a red bow. I love sewing -- not so much the process, but the results. :) I am going... to go to The Container Store this week! But I'm only bri...

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Being needed is so important to us. Intrinsic to loving someone is needing them with you. When my husband and I were dating it was an extremely significant moment to him when I told him that I needed him. He told me that he had waited and hoped his whole life to be needed by someone. We all need to be needed. And we need to be needed for ourselves, not for the things that we can do. When I have asked my husband how he needs me, he is quick to point out the house and the girls would fall apart without me. I have often pointed out in return and quite bluntly, that he could simply hire someone to help with the bills, clean, cook, organize, nanny, and other wife and mother duties. I want to know how I, myself, am needed. Not for what I can do, but who I am to him. Not for what I can do that anyone else could, but what I can do that no one else can. But some days I feel just a little too essential to my family. Rosebud needs me to nurse and hold her, to rescue her from Turtle's ...

from http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/ FOR TODAY August 11th 2008 Outside My Window... "A little blow is winding" as my little sister used to say. It is a heavenly day. The kind of day that it will be always in Heaven. I am thinking... of how I am going outside after I write this Daybook. Why am I even doing this now? :) I am thankful for... Birdsong From the kitchen... well, nothing of interest today, but we had homemade cherry frozen yogurt last night. It was amazing. I am wearing... My cute brown shorts (again, I know, gosh, I have such a limited wardrobe), a green scoop-necked shirt and sneakers I am creating... plans for a grilled salmon dinner tonight as a special treat I am going... to be so sad when this perfect weather is over. I am reading... C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce and Taking Charge, a really good child discipline book. I am hoping... that my sick Rosebud feels better soon! She has a really awful cold with constantly running and goopy eyes and nose. ...

I have finally put together some more Montessori works for Turtle. She asks me for "new work" every so often and I do have a couple that I can pull out at a moment's notice ("rotation of work/toys" is my best friend!). Usually, however it takes me a week or two of thinking/researching what I could put together that we have in the house -- a very key requirement as this Montessori stuff can get expensive! -- a week or two (or three!) of trying to find time to do it. I just tell myself that at least when Rosebud gets to this age I'll already have the components gotten together. Putting the pennies in the container through the slot Sorting sea shells that I brought home from the beach when we went in May This is a Loud/Soft sound work. Four little glass jars with oatmeal and barley for the "soft" sounds, and corn and almonds for the "loud" sounds. I screw the lids on good and tight, so no messes can be made. And even Rosebud likes doing th...

My friend sent me this wonderful article http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=6447 It makes me so excited to home-educate my children and help them to discover beauty and truth! (It also kind of follows on my previous post about Reality and Fantasy here: http://thegreatestgiftsofgod.blogspot.com/2008/03/turtles-reading-list.html )

A spice smelling work! We smelled: "Raysil" "Mary-rose" "Regano" "Pars-alee" among others. The "work" also served as practice for screwing and unscrewing lids! :)

Mommy, you hungry. Mommy, you needa brownie. Mommy, get a brownie! Mommy, you needa 'nother one! Here, Mommy, here somma mine.

from http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/ FOR TODAY August 4, 2008 Outside My Window... puffy white clouds in a pale blue sky -- it's a lovely day! I am thinking... of the annoyance of knowing that I'm gonna have to walk to a strange neighbor's house and ask to go in their back yard to get the blow-up baby pool that blew over our fence. Rats. I am thankful for... a morning spent swinging on the hammock and laughing with Turtle, putting aside cleaning the kitchen and doing the laundry, just being with my sweet daughter. From the kitchen... my husband made the BEST brownies in the world this past weekend and there is still half a pan left! :) I am wearing... a blue shirt, cute brown shorts and blue "crocs" (not really, pretend ones :) I am creating... a TIGHT budget spreadsheet in Excel. Someday we won't have to pinch pennies like this anymore, right? I am going... to reheat leftover zucchini lasagna for dinner tonight--oh the luxury of leftovers! :) I am readin...

Me: "When a mosquito lands on you, you go like this": *smack!* Her, a little bit, later, very authoritatively to all the mosquitoes out there: "SPEEDO! DON'T GET ME!" Then, turning to me, confidently: "I spank 'em."