Daybook: Mid-March

Outside My Window::

::It's balmy and nearly sixty degrees. I can almost smell bluebells in the air.

I am Listening to::

::all nine children downstairs, post-basketball, making homemade pizza.

I am wearing ::

:: an ancient blue hooded cashmere/cotton sweater, dark jeans and black felted Mary Janes.

I am Thankful For::

::Michael, who came home for spring break and set about puttering on Typepad, quite determined to make everything fresh and pretty. I'm very pleased with the results.

I am Pondering:

::St. John of the Cross

"Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others."

This quote will define my Lent. And, of course, the St. Ephrem prayer is  back at the forefront for this holy time. Plenty to ask God's help with here:

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk.  But give rather the spirit of  chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

I am Reading:

::my new book! Danielle and I spent the weekend looking it over now that the typesetting is finished. Very nice; I think you'll like it.

From the Kitchen::

::I made Barbecued Shrimp last week, following directions from Colleen. Pretty much, you put the shrimp in a glass baking dish, pour butter over it, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and bake until it's done. Yeah, I know, what makes it barbecued? Apparently, it's a Louisiana thing--it's not really barbecued; you just call it "barbecued."
Regardless, it was yummy.

I am Thinking:

::that weekends are for filling our tanks. There is Mass, of course, and an opportunity to fill up on grace. And then, there should be those things that restore energy and enthusiasm for life and love. Many times, I fill up on a soccer sideline. I watch my boys play and I am filled with their joy. Today, I filled up at the dance studio. We went for a birthday party for a dear little friend. Oh, how I filled up on watching Katie and Karoline dance in a pink wonderland! Sweet little Sarah Annie rocked and swayed on my lap, eager for the day when it is her turn. I look forward to that day, too. I could just sit and watch them forever.

I am Creating::

::new lesson plans for Serendipity, a book proposal, and an outline for another book project.

On my iPod::

::a book! I downloaded the Kindle app and then bought my first Kindle book at Amazon. I'm really enjoying reading that way.

Towards a Real Education::

::the girls are making a knotted quilt for the NICU in honor of "Q" week; Patrick is really buckling down as he recognizes the year is slipping away; Mary Beth has begun the Peony basket (my apologies if you're waiting for me to post it--I've gotten sidetracked); Stephen continues his My Side of the Mountain project; Christian is making great strides with the tutor; Nicky is just hanging on and hoping that it's not too long until Bluebell Week. 

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::We are doing much better in controlling TV watching. It's down to almost nothing at all. Still working on all those other screens.

::To Live the Liturgy:

::There is one month left until Easter. I was reflecting this morning how gracious God has been when I keep my Lenten resolutions. Never before have I been so assured that I am doing the things He wants for me. But when I falter, He is there, too. He shows me that I need Him and encourages me to lean more heavily on Him. It's pretty cool, really.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

::for strength and grace.

In the Garden:

::there are tulip shoots peeking up through the front beds. I suppose we need to get out there and weed.

Around the House:

::still cleaning that basement. This week really needs to see some major progress.

On Keeping Home:

::I have noticed that however the laundry goes, so goes the house. Ahem. The laundry needs catching up again.

One of My Favorite Things:

::the first time I switch the flannel sheets for crisp, cotton sheets for the season.

Sarah Annie this week:

::she still would prefer to hold on when she walks, but she really is getting around all of a sudden. I need to do some more babyproofing.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::I hope not to let March Madness become March Angry-ness in my heart. It's going to be a challenging week or two (or three). Basketball is overlapping with soccer because of all the snow. Patrick has a big tournament in Richmond this weekend, but everyone else has big games here. Michael is home for Spring Break and I really would rather not turn the whole thing into a giant to-do list for him. But...the van needs inspecting; the dog needs grooming and the vet; there's doctor's appointments and dentist appointments; oh, and he's coaching that Richmond tournament, too. I think he's got a midterm or two to work on as well. Not much of a break, huh?

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

 
 Looks like the girls were playing with my webcam.