WATT Day

I forgot to explain about WATT day.

WATT stands for Walk Around The Table day.

A family tradition since I was in diapers! Basically, each person picks THREE things they want to eat. Those three things can be anything at all. There are no restrictions. Candy, treats, you name it. When I was younger I always picked M&M's, glazed donuts, and chicken.

Mom and Dad also pick more substantial food and beverages, like meats and cheese for sandwiches, gumbo, milk, that kind of thing.

The morning of WATT day mom gets up and puts everything on the table.

When you are hungry, you walk around the table, fill your plate, sit down in front of the TV, watch a football game, and eat. That's what you eat all day long. Nothing else.

It's a good way to get rid of leftovers, extra candy, etc. The kids have a blast.

Daybook 12-27-10 On the Third Day of Christmas...

Outside My Window...it is dark and clear and cold. Sun is just starting to rise. Rumors of a blizzard or rain this weekend. Hmmm.

I Am Listening To... Walk Like An Egyptian on Just Dance 2 (way-o-way-e-o) My daughter received this for Christmas and loves the workout. I received Wii Fit Plus. Thanks honey.

I Am Wearing... lounging attire (snort!) and new slippers. Warm slippers that fit. Yippee!

I Am Grateful For... what we already have. Yes, we always want more and always ask for more, but I am eternally grateful for what I already have and for where I live and for the family I was given

I Am Reading... still into Home Comforts. I am highlighting like crazy, running around purging the house and making new lists. I also read A Little Bit Wicked and The Christmas Doll. Both are excellent and I recommend the second one be added to your Christmas collection.

I Am Creating... cleaning lists, cleaning schedules, menu plans, a new home-keeping notebook.

Towards a Real Education... Vacation week!!

To Live the Liturgy... celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas all week, and of course WATT day on Friday!!

I Am Hoping and Praying... for friends and families who've lost their mom this week. My Grandma died right before Christmas in 1976, Marion died last year on January 1, and close friends of my husband lost their mother on Wednesday.

From the Kitchen... Venison. Something with Venison. The menu says Tater Tot Hotdish but I'd rather have steak. Time to pull out the cookbooks...

One of my Favorite Things... Netflix. Watched the entire Pushing Daisies series. Great writing. I wish it was still on.

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... eye doctor, Mass, LHOTP show at our Library, Swimming, ringing in the New Year!

Daybook 12-20-10

Outside My Window... cold and snowy, snowy and cold, with more snow on the way

I Am Listening To...my husband and my daughter, both snoring

I Am Wearing... pj's and robe, ready to dash into the shower

I Am Grateful For... Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

I Am Reading... Home Comforts I borrowed this from the library last year and finally found my own copy yesterday at Goodwill!

I Am Creating... a plan involving dieting, exercising, cleaning, purging, you-name-it

Towards a Real Education... only three days of lessons this week, then Christmas vacation!

To Live the Liturgy... O Antiphons, Nativity of Our Lord

I Am Hoping and Praying... that everyone else in the house gets better quickly!

From the Kitchen... rotisserie chicken, rice, corn...I really like having a menu plan

One of my Favorite Things... early mornings when I'm the only one awake

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... I really want to go see the Christmas light display here

Daybook 12-13-10

Outside My Window... 20 below zero and piles of snow. Thankfully our roof stayed in place.

I Am Listening To...the hum of the furnace. I've never truly appreciated it until today.

I Am Wearing... pajama's. I'm still sick and have no desire to change into clothes.

I Am Grateful For... tractors and husbands who know how to use them.

I Am Reading... many Advent and Christmas books. Still.

I Am Creating... nothing.

Towards a Real Education... Term 2, week 6 - more Advent, less everything else

To Live the Liturgy... St. Lucy, St. John of the Cross, O Antiphons

I Am Hoping and Praying... to get better. Pneumonia has really thrown a wrench in plans.

From the Kitchen... rotisserie chicken, rice, cauliflower and corn, banana bread...I love our freezers

One of my Favorite Things... snuggling on the couch

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... get better!!

A Picture Thought... still no pictures...

Daybook 12-06-10

Outside My Window... cold and dark

I Am Listening To...GI Joe...don't ask

I Am Wearing... camo pajama's

I Am Grateful For... my husband

I Am Reading... many, many Advent and Christmas books

I Am Thinking... about our daily Advent activities

I Am Creating... a clean and healthy home

Towards a Real Education... Term 2, week 5 - more Advent, less everything else

To Live the Liturgy... St. Nicholas, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe

I Am Hoping and Praying... for a faith-filled Advent

From the Kitchen... Venison wraps

One of my Favorite Things... Vikings and Saints both won!

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... eye doctor visits...

A Picture Thought... no pictures this week - the camera is resting...

O Eve!

I saw this at Charlotte's and I have to share.

My mother, my daughter, life-giving Eve,

Do not be ashamed, do not grieve.

The former things have passed away,

Our God has brought us to a New Day.

See, I am with Child,

Through whom all will be reconciled.

O Eve! My sister, my friend,

We will rejoice together,

Forever

Life without end.

~ Sr. Columba Guare

You can listen here.

Daybook 11-29-10

Outside My Window... it's snowing. Big, beautiful white flakes. We are supposed to get quite the storm today. Kids are excited!

I Am Listening To... the furnace kicking on. There is also an annoying high-pitched squeal coming from the large freezer.

I Am Wearing... comfy t-shirt, pink fleece pants, wool socks

I Am Grateful For... so many things, family, friends, ability to homeschool, full freezers

I Am Reading... many, many, many Advent and Christmas books

I Am Thinking... about our daily Advent activities

I Am Creating... a clean and healthy home

Towards a Real Education... Term 2, week 4 - incorporating Advent and Christmas into all lessons this month

To Live the Liturgy... Advent! St. Andrew, St. Francis Xavier, start Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe Novenas

I Am Hoping and Praying... for a faith-filled Advent

From the Kitchen... Chicken in Mushroom Gravy in the slow-cooker

One of my Favorite Things... winning football teams - Go Vikes!!

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... more dentist visits...

A Picture Thought... Choir Christmas Concert this weekend

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Daybook 11-22-10 Thanksgiving Week!

Outside My Window... dark, windy, 10 degrees.....COLD!

I Am Listening To... the local weather, the dryer, the coffeemaker

I Am Wearing... pajama's

I Am Grateful For... a working furnace

I Am Reading... Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief...much better than the movie

I Am Thinking... about travel plans

I Am Creating... well, I am trying to create a warm and loving home

Towards a Real Education... week 3 of term 2

To Live the Liturgy... St Cecilia, beginning of Advent

I Am Hoping and Praying... for our family

From the Kitchen... Rotisserie Chicken in the slow-cooker

One of my Favorite Things... football

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... visiting family

A Picture Thought...

Quote for today...

Be gentle to all and stern with yourself....St. Teresa of Avila

Quote for today...

No man has ever lived that had enough of children's gratitude or a woman's love...William Butler Yeats

Quote for today...

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it...
William Arthur Ward

Quote for today...

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Thought for today...

What would you attempt to do...if you knew you couldn't fail?

Daybook 11-15-10

Outside My Window... c-c-c-cold and snow

I Am Listening To... the washer and dryer

I Am Wearing... camo pajama pants and a t-shirt

I Am Grateful For... the opportunity to make online friends IRL friends

I Am Reading... Clockers...sorry, Simcha, I don't like it

I Am Thinking... about Thanksgiving plans

I Am Creating... Advent plans

Towards a Real Education... week 2 of term 2

To Live the Liturgy... St Elizabeth of Hungary, St Rose Philippine Duchesne

I Am Hoping and Praying... for friends and babies

From the Kitchen... Beaver Stew

One of my Favorite Things... babies at Mass

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... dance class, french class, blood tests

A Picture Thought...

Daybook 11-08-10 Birthday Week!

Outside My Window... sunny and 60!

I Am Listening To... the rice cooker

I Am Wearing... pj's and robe - about to dash into the shower

I Am Grateful For... my husband filling his deer permits, and the Vikings win

I Am Reading... nothing at the moment. Library run tomorrow.

I Am Thinking... about my soon-to-be IRL friends coming to visit.

I Am Creating... a clean home

Towards a Real Education... week 1 of term 2 - yippee!

To Live the Liturgy... St. Martin of Tours, St. Josaphet, Mother Cabrini, St. Stanislas Kostka

I Am Hoping and Praying... for a man we met this past weekend...story here

From the Kitchen... Rotisserie Chicken in the slow cooker with rice on the side -- YUM!

One of my Favorite Things... girls weekend (with Bret, of course) Next year Vince may be there!

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...oh, and my birthday.....

A Video Thought.... It brought tears to my eyes....

I voted!

Did you?

KidSing 2010

This past weekend my daughter was fortunate to be invited to participate in KidSing. For those of you in Central Minnesota, KidSing is an annual event co-sponsored by The St. John's Boys Choir and the SCSU Cantabile Girls'Choir.

From the website....

The St. John's Boys' Choir in collaboration with the SCSU Cantabile Girls' Choir will invite 100 area school children to spend the day with them - singing, playing games, having fun, and making new friends. All children will spend the day in workshops and activities with conductors André Heywood, Sarah Cohen, Betsy Eickhoff and Brandon Nordhues. The day will conclude with a concert for the community at 4:00 pm in Ritsche Auditorium.

My daughter loved every minute of her day. So much so that she has asked to audition next year for the Cantabile Choir. They spent the day learning how to sing in a choir, which I have not been able to teach her as a homeschooler.

If you are able to have your kids participate next year, do it.

All Saints Daybook 11-01-10

Outside My Window... 28 degrees

I Am Listening To... Stormbreaker (the book is better)

I Am Wearing... pajama's. I hurt my back so I'm using the heating pad.

I Am Grateful For... my husband

I Am Reading... Writing with Ease (still)

I Am Thinking... about the elections tomorrow

I Am Creating... a warm and inviting home

Towards a Real Education... week 9 of term 1

To Live the Liturgy... All Saints today, All Souls tomorrow

I Am Hoping and Praying... for voter turnout and sensible election results

From the Kitchen... church hotdish

One of my Favorite Things... skype

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... painting, cleaning, purging

A Picture Thought...

Daybook 10-26-10 A day late...

and yes, a dollar short....

Outside My Window... 38 degrees, pouring rain, creek and fields flooding

I Am Listening To... rain and wind beating on the house

I Am Wearing... red t-shirt, pink polka dot sweats...LAUNDRY DAY!

I Am Grateful For... friends and family

I Am Reading... Writing with Ease and The Handbook for Catholic Moms

I Am Thinking... about the upcoming mid term elections

I Am Creating... a warm and inviting home

Towards a Real Education... week 8 of term 1

To Live the Liturgy... Homeschool Mass this week, then All Saints Party!

I Am Hoping and Praying... for so many friends and family members

From the Kitchen... soup and hot chocolate

One of my Favorite Things... vacations with my kids

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... cleaning and purging

A Picture Thought...

Love the band, love the website

Visit Draw the Dog to make your dog nearly as famous as OK Go.

Online Curriculum Review

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Daybook 10-18-10

Outside My Window... 40 degrees, no clouds....brrrr

I Am Listening To... eagles and crows

I Am Wearing... orange oxford, jeans, slippers

I Am Grateful For... a winning football team

I Am Reading... finished the Grimm Sister's series, starting Stormbreaker

I Am Thinking... about my friend and her struggle with her teenage daughter

I Am Creating... holiday plans

Towards a Real Education... week 7 of term 1...we will continue with French

To Live the Liturgy... planning our first Homeschool Mass

I Am Hoping and Praying... for so many friends

From the Kitchen... crockpot rotisserie chicken...yum

One of my Favorite Things... visiting with family

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... more ultrasounds this week.

A Picture Thought...


THANKS MAGGIE!!!

Daybook 10-11-10 The day after 10/10/10

Outside My Window... 70 degrees and the sun is shining

I Am Listening To... crows

I Am Wearing... black shirt, jeans, slippers

I Am Grateful For... IRL and online friends

I Am Pondering...

I Am Reading... just finished The Grunt Padre and Fairytale Detectives, on to The Unusual Suspects

I Am Thinking... about my teaching role in the RE classes at church

I Am Creating... holiday plans

On my MP4... nothing

Towards a Real Education... week 6 of term 1...we are unhappy with French

To Live the Liturgy... planning and All Saint's Party

I Am Hoping and Praying... for so many friends

From the Kitchen... the BEST. EVER. CHOCOLATE. CHIP. COOKIE. RECIPE. I am not kidding. And you make them with olive oil and wheat flour. TRY THEM.

One of my Favorite Things... baking (and eating the results)

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... ultrasounds this week.

A Picture Thought... yesterday's bear

Not Just for Boys

Recently, Alice asked for reviews of her latest book. My son and I jumped at the chance. You see, we have her other books. We adore them. The illustrations are so charming and appealing, and my daughter much preferred Alice's gentle sewing tutorials over mine. Also, Alice and her family only live a few miles away from the rest of our family in Louisiana. How could we go wrong?

A week later, the book arrived. Luckily, I'm a fast reader. I had the book for the first two hours, and since then my son hasn't let it out of his sight.

We can tell you that Tin Cups & Tinder: A Catholic Boy's Little Book of Fire, Food & Fun by Alice Cantrell is everything we hoped for, and more.

Written by Alice and her boys, the book is chock full of recipes, sewing advice, Bible quotes, Saint stories, and nature. In her introduction Alice states, "The purpose of this little book is to casually introduce a few domestic survival skills to our boys using useful recipes and other projects all lightly seasoned with the rich flavors of our Faith."

She accomplished her objective. Plus some.

Written in an easy, flowing style, the book makes everyone, not just boys, want to start baking and sewing and camping. My son is making his own plant press and sewing his own haversack, using the simple and clear instructions. I can't wait to get my hands on it again so I can make the potholders ~ genius idea!

Buy the book. You won't be disappointed!

ETA: Alice has a giveaway on her blog, and her Etsy shoppe is open...

Daybook 10-06-10 First time for everything....

Outside My Window... the sun is shining, the corn has not been cut because of the rain and a broken tractor axle

I Am Listening To... laptop keys, bathroom fan, pages turning

I Am Wearing... pajamas, robe, slippers

I Am Grateful For... a husband who works very hard

I Am Pondering... "The other way to cut down the whining is to stop your own. This means getting enough sleep and avoiding stress. In my experience, full-time jobs interrupt sleep to an insupportable degree: there is no siesta time." ~ The Idle Parent by Tom Hodgkinson

I Am Reading... just finished the above, on to Cherry Ames

I Am Thinking... about this blog. It needs a change, and so do I

I Am Creating... plans for upcoming house guests

On my MP4... Convoy by C. W. McCall. Aah, the memories...

Towards a Real Education... we are starting week 5 of our first term - it's all good

Towards Rhythm and Beauty... I want to paint the bathroom

To Live the Liturgy... we'll have a tea party tomorrow for Our Lady of the Rosary

I Am Hoping and Praying... for Lisa

In the Garden... bad gardening year for me. Next year will be better.

From the Kitchen... 6-week muffins this morning, chicken mole for dinner

One of my Favorite Things... my kids laughter

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... physical for me. Ugh.

A Picture Thought...

on the way to Madeline Island

For Dawn...

1. What's your middle name? Jeanne

2. What's your favorite magazine? Country Home

3. What are you wearing right now? T-shirt, sweats, slippers

4. What color are your bed sheets? brown

5. Who was your third grade teacher? Sr. Gertrude

6. What is the weather like right now? Clear, sunny, cold

7. Do you know how to ski? yes

8. What was the last thing you drank? coffee

9. Dream vacation? Italy and Australia

10. Favorite article of clothing? jeans

11. Do you prefer baking or cooking? baking

12. Is your hair above or below your shoulders? below

13. What drink do you order when out? diet Pepsi

14. What book are you reading? Currently? The Cherry Ames series

15. What did you dream about last night? exercising

16. What was the last movie you went to? Eclipse

17. Any injuries at the moment? no

18. What color is your bathroom? green

19. What's the state of your laundry right now? done

20. Do you take vitamins? no

21. Where do you love to shop? Amazon

22. How often do you buy groceries? weekly

23. Do you have a pet/pets? dogs

24. If you are married, when is your next anniversary? Saturday is the anniversary of our first meeting/date - 7 years!

25. How do you take your coffee and/or tea? coffee black, no tea

26. Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop? Laptop

27. Favorite month of the year? never thought about it, maybe February

28. Do you have a hobby? reading, organizing, singing

29. What salad dressing do you prefer? none ~ I don't do condiments

30. Live or fake Christmas tree? either

31. Did you walk or take a bus to school? bus

32. Do you have any phobias? snakes, mice, dark

33. What's your favorite snack food? chocolate

34. When do you take your shower/bath? before 6 am

35. What time did you get up this morning? 4:45 am

36. What's your favorite animal? horses

37. Have you ever broken a bone? yes

38. Do you wear makeup? yes when going out

39. Do you speak any foreign languages? Si

40. Have you ever played a sport? yes

41. Your last UPS package contained ... a pizza paddle

42. What's on your computer desktop? hay bales

43. What is your home page? personalized google.com

44. Extrovert or introvert? both at times

45. Favorite board game? I don't have any

46. What class did you like best in high school? In college? Spanish, all business classes

47. What would you do with an extra hour each day? play with kids

48. Do you have allergies? About 6 weeks ago I found out that I do have a medical allergy - very scary experience

49. Are your nails painted? no

50. Where are you right now? In the living room

Will you be voting? I will...

Could you belong to the Missionaries of Charity?

From Mother Teresa's rule...

::Speak as little as possible about yourself;

::Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others;

::Avoid curiosity;

::Do not interfere in the affairs of others;

::Accept small irritations with good humor:

::Accept censures even if unmerited;

::Give in the the will of others;

::Accept insults and injuries;

::Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded;

::Be courteous and delicate, even when provoked by someone;

::Do not seek to be admired and loved;

::Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity;

::Give in in discussions even when you are right;

::Choose always the more difficult task.

Dr. Seuss has a way with words!

I do not like this Uncle Sam,
I do not like his health care scam..
I do not like these dirty crooks,
Or how they lie and cook the books.
I do not like when Congress steals,
I do not like their secret deals.
I do not like this speaker Nan ,
I do not like this 'YES, WE CAN'.
I do not like this spending spree---
I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.
I do not like your smug replies,
When I complain about your lies.

I do not like this kind of hope.

I do not like it. Nope, nope, nope!

HT: TotusTuus

Happy Birthday Dad

I really miss you.

Wrinkled Ladies

All The Wrinkled Ladies

We Con the World

I've been busy....