Pinewood Castle

Last Weekend's Fun

 

 

 

Fall Break and a Homecoming

Do you take a fall break? I have been noticing from reading other blogs that I am in good company with others who do. After all, there is the Seasonal Clothing Exchange project and cleaning and baking and just taking time to enjoy the fall weather, if you do have fall weather where you live. Sometimes the school work just has to be set aside to accomplish such tasks.

I did do all of these things on our break and more, which is why it turned out to be a little longer than expected. You see, my mother turned 80 this month. While I had hoped we could get away for a visit, it wasn't until a cousin organized a joint birthday party for her and two other relatives that I knew we really needed to get there. I was not at all sure I would make it, based on how I felt most of my first trimester. After quitting Zofran two weeks ago it took about five days until I felt well enough and confident enough that I could make the 12+ hour trip to Oklahoma and survive 4-5 night of motel living. But I did, so we made our hotel reservations and drove out of Minnesota's dreary cold and rainy weather.

My mother has two cousins (who are brothers) with October birthdays - one turned 80 and the other 90. It was a surprise party of sorts - each thought the party was for the other two! My mother had no idea we were coming, can you tell from this expression?

All of our family attended: my two brothers, my sister and all of mom's grand kids. 

 

Each birthday honoree explained the photos on the posters made for them and it was fascinating to hear the life stories of two octogenarians and one nonagenarian.

I just have to say that my mother's 90 year old cousin (on the left) is a complete hoot and thoroughly enjoyed joking with the kids. He is an accomplished woodworker as well and brought wooden spinning tops for the children.

The next day we met my mother for Mass and drove around my hometown. It is quite comforting in some ways to revisit the environment in which you were raised and humbling in other ways. The place where I would have most liked to enter into again was our old church, abandoned after it was deemed "structurally unsound". A new contemporary church was built, a controversy that caused a huge rift in the parish, even though they did have the decency to re-use some of the stained glass windows and all of the stations of the cross.

When we drove past the corner of the old church I was shocked to see that the church was GONE! Leveled. Steps leading up to an empty lot. I was too shocked to even take a picture, but here is what it used to look like:

The rest of Sunday was happily spent meeting an old friend and her husband for lunch, swimming with the kids, my sister and niece, and taking my mother out to dinner. For some reason I don't have pictures of that day either; sometimes I guess I don't want to ruin the moment with the interruption of the camera, but just want to keep the memories safe in my heart. The friend we met was one I have known since elementary school all the way through high school. We were in band together and part of a little group of friends that ate lunch outside under a tree. Now that's a photo I do have if I can figure out how to scan it in:

 

My friend Stephanie is on the right in the back row. I am on the right sitting in the front row. I am still in touch with a few friends in this photo, some through Facebook and one much more personally.  Two of the girls were foreign exchange students. I still exchange Christmas cards with the one from Japan! Stephanie and I were just so happy so see one another happily married (finally!) and to sense so much of the same heart and soul in one another still intact.

Monday morning after a quick tour of the city in which I attended college and had my first teaching job we headed down the turnpike for a side trip to Fantastic Caverns. They were indeed filled with fantastic formations!

One more night in a hotel and we were crossing the border back into Minnesota, finding the weather to be exactly the same as when we left: cold and rainy.

The rest of the week was busy with unpacking and laundry, lessons and errands. We joined some friends on Thursday to make a frosted sugar cookie rosary and on Friday we cleaned out the girls' room (again) and filled an entire trash bag with Pack-Rat's stuff. My dh's grandmother turned 80 something and we had yet another birthday party to travel to on Saturday, this time only a few hours away. While we were out that way we stopped in a museum to see the Kensington Runestone and Big Ole. Vikings territory indeed.

Of course you may have heard that the weather here worsened over the weekend. The rain turned into snow. This really isn't funny to me - the leaves are still green! The grass is still green! Our tomatoes have yet to ripen! And there is more on the way!

We only accomplished two days of seat work in our two weeks off so tomorrow we will have to get back to our normal routines. We are praying for an Indian summer so we can enjoy our usual fall pleasures - pumpkin patch, fall nature hikes and apple orchards.

Why I've Been Such a Lazy Blogger

Honestly, I have not been feeling well. I spent an unprecedented amount of time in bed or lying on the sofa feeling quite ill. Can you guess the cause of my happy affliction?

My due date is April 4th, Easter Sunday!

Other than this exciting news, my life has been rather boring because I don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. I haven't taken any photos since the first day of school. Most of the day I feel utterly exhausted and would love to take a nap after every meal that I can actually eat. My new bedtime is 8:30 when the children go to bed unless I fall asleep before then! Weekends have been spent at home rather than exploring the city or the great outdoors.

So if my posts are infrequent these days it's not because I have so much to blog and no time for blogging. It is because I really don't have anything to blog because I have been lying in bed watching PBS while eating cereal or deli sandwiches. Yes, normally I am Mrs. Whole Grain right down to my hamburger and hot dog buns but all I want these days is white bread. Rudi's organic sourdough really hits the spot!

Have a blessed weekend and please forgive my recent lack of contribution to the blogshpere!

Ten Years Today!

WHEN LOVE IS FOUND

When love is found and hope comes home
Sing and be glad that two are one.
When love explodes and fills the sky
Praise God and share our maker's joy.

When love had flow'red in trust and care
Build both each day that love may dare
To reach beyond home's warmth and light
To serve and strive for truth and right.

When love is tried as loved ones change
Hold still to hope though all seems strange
'Til ease returns and love grows wise
Through listening ears and opened eyes.

When love is torn and trust betrayed
Pray strength to love 'til torments fade
'Til lovers keep no score of wrong
But hear through pain love's Easter song.

Praise God for love, Praise God for life
In age or youth, in husband's wife.
Lift up your hearts, let love be fed
Through death and life, in broken bread.

Precious Times

I just want to lock all these memories up tight in my memory treasure box. The procession of gifts, breakfast in bed, soaking in all of their love and cuddles, and a day spent attending Mass, visiting the Farm and of course placing a call to my mother. And, yes, I did remember to send a card to my MIL and MIL's Mother! And I must say that although I thoroughly appreciate the card and garden center gift certificate from my husband, my heart was warmed when he honored his own mother with a call.

I hope you soaked it all up today, moms because it's back to work tomorrow! Leave your cards out this week as a reminder to stay motivated to do our best to love and nurture our husbands and children and to serve God through our vocations. Blessings to you!

A Quiet Day

Hmmm, now I am wondering what sort of viruses were living on the window my toddler was lapping up the other day. I have two out of four down today with fevers and vomitting.

Circle time and seat work were a cinch today. That is, after cleaning up two bouts of Pedialylte regurgitation. One all over Dad's work clothes and one all over Mom's white sweater. At least my 5yo managed to make it into a bowl at 3am.

Please pray that our little one recovers in time to celebrate her 2nd birthday tomorrow!

On Tap this Weekend

No, it's not green beer!

Green Goodness juice perhaps!

I would love nothing more than to have the time to write a few really good blog posts this weekend. I've packed things a little too tightly.

Yesterday:

• Stopped by chiro for a weigh-in. I am going to put away my inaccurate home scale. It says I gained a pound but I really lost one. I am still losing fat pounds and lowering BMI. Not very quickly but this plateau won't last forever, right Renee?!
• Took Dancer to the dentist in the cities. Two baby teeth were pulled (eeesh) to make room for braces and headgear. I held her hand but had to look away for most of it.
• Stopped by the church where she was baptized for a short visit.
• Treated her to a shake from Ben & Jerry's.
• Stopped for an oil change at the dealership that took over an hour. Long line at the car wash I guess.
• Came home to reconnect with the littlest one and check progress of the kids left with Dad who worked from home. I missed Tricia's call. Sorry Tricia! Let's try again!
• Took toddler grocery shopping with me. Gathered things like beef stew meat, pistachio pudding, buttermilk and Guinness stout (for stew) for Tuesday's menu. Also steak & potatoes to treat dh on his name day Thursday!
• DH made salmon loaf while I was away. Heaps of praise!
• Forgot to do stations at home. Oops.

Today:

• Take the kids to try out a 4-H event. Would 4-H would be a good option over scouts for next year?
• Run to the library for St. Patrick materials.
• Come home for lunch.
• Go down to Orchestra Hall to hear the Suzuki graduation concerts. Our kids do not graduate this year, but I thought they might like to know what to expect for next year. Motivating too I hope.
• Date night movie - previewing Man on Wire before showing it to the children. Our FIAR book this week was Mirette on the High Wire.
• Stations at home.

Tomorrow:

• Get a chicken in the crock pot.
• Quick Sunday breakfast.
• Load the CD player with Irish music.
• Get out the St. Patrick's Day decorations.
• Go to St. Agnes for Mass.
• Hop over to the Irish Music and Dance day.
• Come home to eat and plan the school week. St. Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day, a trip to the Bakken Museum of Electricity, a Maple Syrup Festival and Laetare Sunday next Sunday.

THE BEST PART:

A whole week above freezing!

Growing Pains

My 8yo daughter is getting greasy hair and pimples on her back (is this normal?).

My little Sunshine who is of the cute & cuddley variety who you (friends, family, total strangers) want to freeze so she never grows up just turned SEVEN.

My 20 mo old held up a pony tail holder and grunted until I did her hair just like her sisters'. Such a big girl!

But the real kicker is that that my 5yo boy is in love. With a girl from the Target flip, clip and save coupon book.

After Dino marveled at how cute this little girl was, my husband obliged him by flipping, clipping and taping her three sections together for his son (my little baby boy) to carry around everywhere. He even sleeps with this picture on his nightstand. I had to sneak it off while he was sleeping to take this photo:

Well, I have to admit that she is cute. He has good taste. I might feel a little jealous if she didn't still have all her baby teeth.

The perk is that when I suggested to him that the little girl might like to hear his piano pieces he RAN to the piano before I even finished my sentence.

Talk about love making obedience easy!

Maybe I should start wearing my hair in braided pigtails.

Well, it's a great reminder to pray for my future daughter-in-law, whoever she might be. I pray that her soul may be every bit as beautiful as this little girl's face!

Two of These Children are Not Like the Others

For you "Four Temperament" experts - four kids: two sanguines, two melancholic/phlegmatics. My husband is hoping some of his choleric personality rubs off on at least one of them!

Oklahoma Travelers

Our favorite visitors ventured "up north" a couple of weeks ago!

Grandma and Aunt Terri!