Daybook 05-02-11

Outside the window... It's cold and gray and dreary. The temperature is more than 20 degrees below the average. My gardening is so. very. far. behind.

Getting an earful of... peace and quiet.

Grateful for... my life and family. Every day.

Reading... Behemoth. Fascinating teen fiction about alternative events leading to WWI.

Home Learning... we've taken a break for the week.

Liturgical Year... St. Athanasius, Sts. Philip and James...

Hoping and Praying... we had to put a cherished family dog down, and the kids are devastated.

The Kitchen... leftover church hotdish. My son celebrated his First HOly Communion yesterday, and I always make too much food.

Favorite Things... garage sales. WAIT till you see what I bought!

Plans for the Week... cuddling with children, shopping trips, decorating...

Daybook 03-07-11

Outside the window... we received another 3 inches of snow yesterday, and rumored to get up to 12 inches more tomorrow. What do you think the weather is like here?

Getting an earful of... Bones and laundry. Great combination.

Grateful for... my family.

Reading... one thousand gifts....

Home Learning... almost through with Term 3!

Liturgical Year... Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, busy week.

Hoping and Praying... my oldest and dearest friend whose mom died on Saturday, another friend and a successful pregnancy, my niece and a successful pregnancy, my mom's surgery tomorrow, a very special personal intention.

The Kitchen... leftovers.

Favorite Things... purging, cleaning and organizing

Plans for the Week...doctor appointments, school conference, Mass, dance class...

Daybook 02-28-11

Outside the window... clear and sunny, but 12 below zero.

Getting an earful of... the washer and the dryer. I'm starting my spring cleaning early.

Grateful for... a special intention that was answered with a resounding yes!

Reading... one thousand gifts....

Home Learning... still plugging along with Term 3.

Liturgical Year... St. Katharine Drexel, St. Casimir, St. Ciaran

Hoping and Praying... my friend and a successful pregnancy, my niece and a successful pregnancy, my mom's upcoming surgery, another friend's wife and her treatments, several other personal intentions.

The Kitchen... steak. A big mouth-watering, medium rare steak. Yum.

Favorite Things... purging, cleaning and organizing

Plans for the Week... mystery reader at school, religious education, dance class, choir concert, Mother-Daughter luncheon, dance competition...another busy week.

Daybook 02-21-11

Outside the window... snowing...10 inches so far...cold

Getting an earful of... kids playing Wii on a snow day!

Grateful for... this life I'm living.

Reading... one thousand gifts....really, really good.

Home Learning... Term 3. We are all suffering burnout, even with the changes.

Liturgical Year... St. Peter Damian, Chair of St. Peter, St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows....

Hoping and Praying... my friend and a successful pregnancy, my niece and a successful pregnancy, my mom's upcoming surgery, another friend's wife and her treatments, my BIL, several other personal intentions.

The Kitchen...Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken - it's Monday!

Favorite Things... snow days!

Plans for the Week... watch Shoes of the Fisherman (it's a tradition), Catholicism 101, religious education, dance...another busy week.

Daybook 02-14-11 Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Outside the window... sunny and 40 - can you believe it?!

Getting an earful of... my husband teasing our daughter. Tomorrow she'll be 12 and way. too. cool. to hang out with her mom and dad.

Grateful for... my husband. again. always.

Reading... A Biblical Walk Through The Mass. Still reading. Wonderful book.

Home Learning... Term 3. Made a few changes last week. So far so good.

Liturgical Year... St. Valentine, Sts. Faustinus & Jovita, The Children of Fatima.

Hoping and Praying... my friend and a successful pregnancy, my niece and a successful pregnancy, my mom's upcoming surgery, another friend's wife and her treatments, my BIL, several other personal intentions.

The Kitchen... hmm. I forgot to thaw the chicken last night and we had errands this morning, so nothing in the crockpot. I think it'll be steak.

Favorite Things... winter vacation!

Plans for the Week... Planning Commission, wrestling, 6th grade Religious education, dance, basketball, choir practice, and a rather large sleepover birthday party!

Daybook 01-31-11

Outside My Window... snow. again. I love the seasons, but I'm getting tired of the constant snow.

I Am Listening To... the washer and dryer. I have massive amounts of laundry today.

I Am Wearing... black t-shirt, blue jeans, slippers. Just trying to stay warm.

I Am Grateful For... my husband.

I Am Reading... decorating magazines. I need inspiration.

I Am Creating... ideas. Lots and lots of ideas.

From the Learning Room... Term 3!

To Live the Liturgy... St. John Bosco, Candlemas....

I Am Hoping and Praying... for some very personal intentions. Still.

From the Kitchen... Crock-pot chicken, salad for me

One of my Favorite Things... reading

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... we have 6 children under the age of 8 coming to stay with us for several days. Fun!!

Daybook 01-24-11

Outside My Window... gray-blue sky, white blowing snow, same old same old

I Am Listening To... my husband trying to type

I Am Wearing... green fleece sweater, blue capri's, slippers

I Am Grateful For... repairmen

I Am Reading... The 17 Day Diet. Still.

I Am Creating... finishing my liturgical/family life perpetual calendar.

From the Learning Room... we start Term 3 tomorrow!

To Live the Liturgy... St. Francis de Sales, Conversion of St. Paul, St. Paula, St. Angela Merici, St. Thomas Aquinas - busy week!

I Am Hoping and Praying... for some very personal intentions.

From the Kitchen... Fish for the husband, chicken for the kids, salad for me

One of my Favorite Things... staying home

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... Catholicism 101 with Jeff Cavins, atHome Show party, wrestling, guitar lesson, religious ed, Homeschool Mass, haircut, dance, help my sister move...

Daybook 01-17-11

Outside My Window... white snow, dead corn stalks, trees....looks very cold and gloomy. That's it, I'm staying inside today.

I Am Listening To... the dryer and the furnace. The fan motor for the furnace is on it's last legs. A new one has been ordered, but until it is installed the furnace is very loud.

I Am Wearing... black t-shirt, camo lounging pants, green fleece sweater, brown slippers. I'm practicing for hunting season.

I Am Grateful For... my faith.

I Am Reading... The 17 Day Diet. 'Nuff said.

I Am Creating... continuing to work on my liturgical/family life perpetual calendar.

Towards a Real Education... finishing up Term 2 this week, and we've got some fun things planned, like decorating clipboards and painting some canvas frames I found!

To Live the Liturgy... lots of Saints to discuss this week, St. Antony, St. Margaret, St. Agnes

I Am Hoping and Praying... for some very personal intentions.

From the Kitchen... I bought some whole chickens, already seasoned and in oven bags for roasting. I put mine in the crock pot. It smells good, we'll see how it tastes.

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

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... ice-fishing (I'll take pictures)

Daybook 01-10-11

Outside My Window...cold, cold, cold. I don't think I'll be changing this line for several months.

I Am Listening To... my son playing Wii. My husband snoring. The dryer tumbling.

I Am Wearing... workout clothes. Really.

I Am Grateful For... today

I Am Reading... still savoring Home Comforts.

I Am Creating... still working on the liturgical/family life perpetual calendar. March and April are almost finished.

Towards a Real Education... almost finished with Term 2!

To Live the Liturgy... Ordinary time, a nice quiet week for us.

I Am Hoping and Praying... for an increase in my faith.

From the Kitchen... chicken in mushroom gravy, crockpot style.

One of my Favorite Things... staying home.

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... meetings, wrestling, dance, HS Coop....

Daybook 01-03-11 Lords A-Leaping!

Yes, it's the Tenth Day of Christmas!

Outside My Window...it is still dark and clear and cold. Will this ever end??

I Am Listening To... silence. Strike that. I am now hearing ice falling off the house.

I Am Wearing... my jammies as I'm ready to step into the shower.

I Am Grateful For... working toilets. Finally.

I Am Reading... still reading Home Comforts. I'm reading this one slowly, contemplating all the ideas and choosing which to try and incorporate. This will be a long process.

I Am Creating... a new desk liturgical/family life perpetual calendar. I've kicked the idea around for awhile. I'd love feedback, so if you are interested in seeing it leave a comment and I'll send you a pdf of January.

Towards a Real Education... Back to school!

To Live the Liturgy... finish celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas, Most Holy name of Jesus, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann, Epiphany!

I Am Hoping and Praying... for friends who lost their baby this past week, and for other friends experiencing pregnancy after losing a baby; my step-father's knee surgery is today and I'm praying everything goes well.

From the Kitchen... would you believe we still have leftovers from WATT day? The roads were terrible so only my In-Laws were able to drive over, and they ended up in the ditch about 1/4 mile south of our driveway.

One of my Favorite Things... Mass.

A Few Plans for the rest of the Week... Dentist visits, wrestling, dance...

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...

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

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...

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....

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...