The Simple Woman’s Daybook May 25th (yes, I'm late)

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Outside my window... beautiful blue skies and sunshine!

I am thinking... about what needs to get done for MIL's visit in 2 weeks.

From the learning rooms... noses to the grindstone.

I am thankful for... such a wonderful Catholic homeschooling group, and the blessing of a wonderful Children's Adoration Hour this morning!

From the kitchen... Tacos, refried beans.

I am wearing... royal blue capris w/ matching royal blue and white short-sleeved knit top, white ballet-type tennis shoe-ish shoes (they are hard to describe, nicer than tennis shoes, not as dressy as flats)

I am reading... I am just so uninspired in this area right now. I've got books around to read, I just am having a hard time sitting down to do it. And I love reading!

I am hoping... to get the house cleaned and organized before my MIL gets here!

I am creating... menus. I keep saying I'm going to do it, then I keep putting it off. I NEED to do this!

I am hearing... my Pandora station, Loreena McKennit.

Around the house... cleaning and organizing!

One of my favorite things... seeing an old movie that I love.

A few plans for the rest of the week... not many outside commitments left, other than Mass this weekend.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you ...

Tomorrow is the surgery for my friend

Tomorrow is the day my friend goes in to surgery for her breast cancer. It is supposed to start at 8am CST, and is not supposed to be over until late in the evening (they are doing reconstructive surgery immediately following the mastectomy). She will then be taken to ICU, where she will be monitored for several hours. They want to make sure everything is draining correctly, and that no other problems crop-up. At that point, she will be taken to a regular room, where she will have to stay for another 3-4 days before being able to return home.

At some point after all of this, once the lab reports and all have come back, she will be told when radiation and chemotherapy will start.

Please pray for her, especially tomorrow morning at 8am, and throughout the day, as you think of her. Her name is Nadine.

Thank you.

~Kathy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook May 18th

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Outside my window... beautifully sunny, lush and green, after the two days of storms and rain we've had!

I am thinking... about how thankful I am for the rain we have received!

From the learning rooms... working hard so we can be done ahead of my daughter's dental appointment.

I am thankful for... my husband standing up and going through the first Rite of his RCIA journey!

From the kitchen... Poor Man's Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. We are also in the process of making Hemin Bread (Padre Pio), that a homeschool friend of ours was kind enough to share with us.

I am wearing... denim stretch capri pants, short-sleeved knit shirt, brown leather flats

I am reading... Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn

I am hoping... that our weather stays as nice and mild this week, as the weather man is predicting

I am creating... a space for us to put things when we are celebrating Feast Days and other Holy Days

I am hearing... Little Women: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman.

Around the house... slowly getting things ready for my mother-in-law's visit in June!

One of my favorite things... sitting out on the patio in the cool evening, watching my children play and our dogs running around.

A few plans for the rest of the week... lots of school, library time and middle school youth group at church!

Here are some pictures I thought I'd share with you...

~Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid, before Hurricane Ike~

Small Successes - At Last

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1. This is really a big thing, but I just have to share it. This Sunday my husband is taking the first step, through his RCIA class, in joining the Roman Catholic Church. I am joyful beyond words! My years of prayers have been answered!

2. My children are progressing nicely with the schoolwork. The many moves we have made the last several years really made it hard keeping-up, but through diligence and perseverance, we are making progress.

3. We were able to mow again. That doesn't seem like much, but my husband's asthma was really giving him fits this year, and it was hard for me to fit in doing the mowing. He is much better now, and he was able to mow the other day. Woohoo!

Rosetta Stone: Homeschool Latin Program FREE

Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update.

This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!)This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post. And good luck!

KATHY here: JenIG is giving away the program. To enter I had to copy and paste the above paragraphs in a post here on Another Day.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook May 11th

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Outside my window... a bit cloudy at the moment, but the sun will be out soon enough!

I am thinking... about all that we need to get done today!

From the learning rooms... day off today to work with Dad.

I am thankful for... our church!

From the kitchen... grilled bratwurst tonight.

I am wearing... denim stretch shorts, short-sleeved knit shirt, barefoot (I know, I don't ever really change what I'm wearing. I'm in a rut! LOL!)

I am reading... Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God by Scott Hahn

I am hoping...our electric bill won't be too high, since I had to turn the AC on (trying to keep it turned to as high a temp as I can), due to the heat making us sick and unable to sleep, even with fans on.

I am creating...a calendar for all of my children's things they have coming up that are important to them

I am hearing... De Profundis by Daughters of Mary.

Around the house... mowing the grass around our property, as it's gotten pretty bad!

One of my favorite things... listening to wonderful hymns and reading a good book.

A few plans for the rest of the week... keeping up with things at church, housekeeping here, and as always, getting school done!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

~An old picture, but one I love, of my son~

Update on my friend

It most definitely is breast cancer. She will be having surgery on May 21st, with both radiation and chemo to follow. Please pray for her, and for her grandmother, who is legally blind. She lives with my friend and is upset she cannot be at the hospital, and is worried about all of this.

My friend does have a nurse lined-up to come out and take care of her for her post-op recovery. I know that will ease her grandmother's mind a bit.

Thanks in advance for all of your prayers, for her and her grandmother.

~Kathy

Small Successes - Brag a Little. It’s Okay.

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1. I finally finished all of the library books I had sitting around!

2. I have continued paring-down my online time, which in turn has been a great blessing to my family, even if I really miss a lot of ladies I have know for years (no one seems to want to keep-up via snail mail these days).

3. The kitchen and dining room have remained "10 minute pick-up" clean for a couple of weeks now!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook May 4th

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Outside my window... darkness and all the wonderful night sounds of the woods; tree frogs, raccoons, owls, etc.

I am thinking... that I should really try to get to bed earlier this evening.

From the learning rooms... keepin' on, keepin' on!

I am thankful for... my wonderful family!

From the kitchen... delicious homemade spaghetti sauce! Tomorrow night I'll have leftovoers, while my family eats their favorite chicken stew (which I've never learned to like).

I am wearing... denim stretch shorts, short-sleeved knit shirt, barefoot (I know, I don't ever really change what I'm wearing. I'm in a rut! LOL!)

I am reading... re-reading one of my favorites; The Private World of Tasha Tudor by Richard Brown, Tasha Tudor, and Barbara Werden

I am hoping...that the slightly cooler temperatures stay with us, since we are trying so hard not to run the air conditioner

I am creating...a decent calendar for us all to follow, since we tend to be unorganized!

I am hearing... glorious sounds of the night outside my window.

Around the house... STILL fighting the laundry monster, but making headway!

One of my favorite things... watching my children create wonderful things, completely from their imagination.

A few plans for the rest of the week... lots to do with our schooling, medical appointments, and church.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

~My daughter torturing her poor cat~

The Simple Woman’s Daybook - 20 Of My Favorite Things

20 Of My Favorite Things

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1. Color- Celadon Green

2. Dessert-Pumpkin Pie

3. Smell-Spices like Cloves, Cinnamon, Ginger

4. Flower-Yellow Roses

5. Animal-Wolves (Wild), Bassett Hounds, particularly puppies (Domestic)

6. Month-November

7. Beverage-A tall glass of sweet iced tea

8. Pair of shoes-A pair of tan Sketchers leather mary-jane'ish type shoes

9. Snack-Salty is Tortilla Chips n' Salsa, Sweet is yummy Oatmeal Raisin cookies

10. Song-currently...Radiance by Sarah Bauer

11. Book-currently...The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (Paperback)by Maria Augusta Trapp

12. Fruit-None in of itself, but I love fresh squeezed OJ or a pie made from fresh picked blueberries

13. Hairstyle-the rare occasions I have my hair nice and newly cut & styled (a VERY rare occurence), otherwise a ponytail

14. Piece of clothing-currently...gauzy long loose skirt

15. Store to clothes shop-Dillards, when I could afford it

16. Season-Autumn

17. Hobby-reading

18. Thing to collect-cookbooks

19. Movie-So many to choose from, but An Affair To Remember (50th Anniversary Edition) ~ Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning, and Neva Patterson (DVD - Jan 15, 2008) is one

20. Restaurant-Al Molino's in West Berlin, which is sadly probably no longer there