It is gray and very humid, although not too hot just yet. It's been raining often here, so everything is growing quite green and big. The few plants in my "garden" are doing quite well, too (well, except for that basil plant; not quite sure what's up with that).
These bins work well for us. They aren't too big (obviously) so I can manage the weeding and I can keep them close to the house so that I actually remember to water them and harvest whatever grows. I'm a pathetic gardener, I know.
Inside my house:
The children are slowly waking up as I type this. Two of them are still asleep and it's 9:30! We don't usually do this, but we had such a crazy weekend, I let everyone sleep in and then we'll go to noon Mass. Thank you, Lord, for that option!
We're also hoping to move in our new furniture that we got last week. Oops, I still haven't told you about that! Hopefully that will be tomorrows adventure.
Moments of Gratitude:
* We had an entire weekend of visiting with wonderful people. On Saturday we went to a family reunion and I got to spend the whole day talking to family members, sitting in the sun, swimming and eating a ton of good food. On Sunday we went to a friend's graduation party and I got to spend a few hours talking with lovely people that I haven't seen in a while. God is good.
* My husband was on his annual Miles Christi retreat this weekend and he said that it was very fruitful. These retreats are awesome, people, so if you ever have a chance to go to one...run to it!
* Ms 15 yo spent the weekend at one of the Steubenville Youth Conferences. It was her first time going, and while she was a bit nervous being away, she said she had a great time.
* Mr 13 yo is on his way, as I type, to the Miles Christi boys summer camp. He loves this camp (see a pattern here??) and is very happy to be away with 50 or so other boys, Fr. Paul, Brother Andrew and a host of great dads, doing all kinds of boy things, like sports and such, and then getting their fill of good Catholic things, like Mass, adoration, confession and good spiritual talks. What a blessing these priests are!
* Before Mr 13 yo left, he wanted me to buzz his hair. "Really?," I asked. "If I mess it up, you can't get mad at me." He laughed. I am grateful that he took it all in stride. This was phase one. He decided he didn't want me to leave it like this.
And don't ask how I did this. His hair grows fast, so he shouldn't have to deal with it for too long!
Praying for:
As usual, so many urgent prayers!
* For my niece as she continues to progress in the healing process, that she will have a complete healing from her asthma.
* For a friend's niece who is 11 and has a rare genetic disorder. Last I heard, her kidneys were failing and she is on dialysis.
* For a dear friend who is pregnant and is going in for an MRI today because they think one of the baby's kidneys isn't functioning and they couldn't see a stomach on the baby. Please pray for a miracle for them!
* For a friend of ours who will be delivering her first baby soon; that all goes well for them both.
Reading:
I've actually been reading quite a bit lately. It's amazing how much free time one has when one is not teaching four children! Some of the books have been good. Some have been bad. But that is all for another day.
I am still working my way through "Treasures in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton John Sheen". The man was amazing and deserves to be canonized!
In the Schoolroom:
The kids are still keeping up with their summer work (Alleluia!!) and slowly, ever so slowly, I'm beginning to piece together ideas as to what our next year will look like. I'm still gathering information so that I can make the right choices on our limited budget, but I'm happy that it is moving along.
This Week:
Working for the older girls, summer camp for the boy. The rest of us will keep up with daily things that need to be done. Hopefully we can start work on one of the pieces of furniture we bought and I'd like to get in some swimming and sunning this week, too.
Now, off to get started on all that daily stuff that needs to be done.
God Bless!
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