First of Fall Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I'm excited that the Holy Father is here! Our country needs a good dose of his holy influence; we are so far from being the great country that we used to be. People are lost and unhappy and don't even know it.

What am I thankful for?

I'm thankful for a lovely visit to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama last weekend. A group from our AHG troop made an overnight visit; mothers and daughters were able to spend time together as we toured the incredibly beautiful and peaceful grounds. The last time I was there, the main church was complete, but they've added several new buildings including a replica of the Lourdes grotto, the St. John Paul II Eucharistic center, a gift shop, and the Barn--- a home for the men who belong to the Knights of the Eucharist. This Shrine is an incredible gift to the Church and the surrounding community. Located an hour north of Birmingham, the quiet countryside is a perfect backdrop for this peaceful community of servants of the Lord.

One of the first things we saw on our tour of the Shrine was the door that young postulants knock on to be admitted to the community. Meg was fascinated by that door! She mentioned wanting to go through it so many times that I suggested, maybe, Jesus was calling her to serve Him in that way.

What’s going on in school?

Spirit Week! Meg and Pip are both excited not to wear uniforms every day and stressed by the options they are given.

What’s on the needles?

I'm so close to finishing my afghan! I'm on the last skein of yarn, so the end is in sight, but I haven't felt the urge to work on it, because I want to finish my Stripe Study Shawl. I'm on the border, finally, but I stopped the stripes one stripe short-----My contrasting color was almost gone and I did not feel like playing that game of yarn chicken! If I lost, I would have been unraveling a lot of wrap-and-turns, which would have been a nuisance. I'm thinking of---no, I actually started----putting a few thin stripes of the blue in the variegated border to use it up. It will be pretty, and I can't wait to see it blocked, but I have a hard time believing that it is going to expand to be the size of the picture in the pattern!

What’s special about this week?

My two oldest, Katie and Brendan, had birthdays last weekend. I can't wait to go visit them in a couple of days to celebrate! Two birthday celebrations back to back used to be so stressful, and now....it's not. All you young moms, stop being frazzled by it all and enjoy the chaos while it lasts!

Spirit Week and Homecoming at school. I guess this is the first year we can actually have a "Homecoming" dance since there were 4 graduates last May!

What am I reading?

I am still reading, very slowly, The Boys in the Boat. Since knitting is my daytime recreational activity, reading is just 5 minutes per night at bedtime. Unfortunately, i have approximately 20 books on the desk in my room waiting to be read, and I promised not to add to it....but I somehow acquired two more books at the Shrine last weekend! Oops! :-)

What am I praying about?

• Pope Francis's visit to the US
• Our country
• An end to Planned Parenthood. We pray for an end to abortion all the time, but it has always existed, and always will in some form or another, but our government can (and should) stop paying for the wholesale slaughter of babies and the sale of their body parts.

What projects are happening at home?

I'm not finished painting all the upstairs trim, but I bought paint for the basement bedrooms and I'm going to start that as soon as I finish this post. We are still struggling with the final decision about the basement floors because of cost, but I hope we get it figured out quickly. I'm ready to have this done!

xo,
Sara

***Linking up with Ginny and Leila today!***

Summer Catch-up

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

There has been a lot of negative stuff on my mind since the water pipe breaking in the front yard, the sewage over-flowing in the basement, and then a little fender bender the other night. It has been difficult to get out from under the oppression! Even when it's all just "stuff" and every family member is safe and healthy, the stress still feels very heavy at times.

What am I thankful for?

I am thankful for the Atlanta Eucharistic Congress which occurs every year on Corpus Christi weekend. Hubs and I went for a few hours in the middle of the day to hear most of the speakers. I find it energizing to be in the presence of so many Catholics who love Christ in the Eucharist, and the speakers are always good, even if we don't think they're going to be that exciting!

I'm also thankful for the opportunity to have attended my first Catholic New Media Conference. I saw some old friends there, and I met in person some new friends, made contacts, and got a lot of great information and ideas. It was great to be there, and especially great to stop thinking about all those negative things for the day!

What’s going on in school?

Pip is in "summer school"----his brother Tom is tutoring him in Algebra II/Trig.  Other than that, I'm finished. We just published the end of the year newsletter yesterday, so I can stop thinking about that!

What’s cooking?

I've been trying out recipes from my new Whole30 book. So far, so good, but I need to come up with a new menu for this week and do some shopping. Events last week threw me off schedule.

What’s on the needles?

A honey cowl which I started for jury duty. Since then, I have ripped it out and started over because I wanted it shorter and wider.

A Lorax book-blankey is on the Tunisian crochet hook. That is going to take forever with the small hook!

And my Westport shawl is in sad shape since I messed it up immediately before or after blogging about it last week. When I have a few minutes to concentrate here or there, I'm working on tinking it (tink=knit backwards) to see if it can be saved.

What’s special about this week?

Another swim meet!
Body work on the car. 

Meetings
Dentist
Finalizing plans for the remodeling? Yes!

What am I reading?

Ellen Gable's A Subtle Grace and Sarah Vabulas's The Catholic Drinkie's Guide to Homebrewed Evangelism. Two very different books. :-)

What am I praying about?

All of the stuff above, my children and their (future) spouses and careers.

What’s on my ipod?/

That really needs to be changed to What am I listening to? because I haven't used an ipod in years! 

What projects are happening at home?

The house is a total wreck. Except for the kitchen. Here in the library, all the books and bookshelves have been removed, in anticipation of new floors, and there is miscellaneous junk in the corners that we sort of need until the last minute. That's pretty much how all the rooms look! And all those boxes are piled in my room and the various rooms in the basement, no longer neatly organized, but piled haphazardly all over to get them out of the way of sewage. The big event for the week will be finalizing the details and making a deposit so the work can begin!

The kitchen is in pretty decent shape because I abruptly painted it on Friday! The plan was to just get paint samples, but I liked the color for the kitchen and just got to work. Since I hated the color that was there, this little change made me very happy!

What's up with you this week? Did you do any projects that made you happy?

May-Day-book

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I am so ready for the month of May to be over! So much drama. So much stress. So very busy. So many bad decisions on the parts of too many people. So. Much. Over. It.

What am I thankful for?

Jesus and His mother Mary, because when I'm so over it, I know that He is all that matters and that they will both help me through it.

What’s going on in school?

Two more days. Then the very first graduation for our little hybrid school which will be both joyful and sad. Sad for reasons other than the usual children growing up stuff. Vague, I know, but not bloggable. 

What’s cooking?

I can't think about anything clearly, especially dinner. I'm sure I'll come up with something at the last minute, but not fast food as I was just telling my kids last night that it's fairly simple to make something healthy and delicious with minimal fuss when you're rushed or stressed. Of course. 

What’s on the needles?

Nothing. Maybe that's part of the problem---no coping mechanism. I finished my Liesl tunic on Friday, blocked it Saturday night (after wearing it unblocked!). Yesterday I spent about an hour fixing it after it snagged on something and pulled out a 20" loop! I will have to be very careful not to brush against snaggy things since it has such an open weave.

But, boy, am I itching to go buy yarn today! 

What’s special about this week?

Last day of school. American Heritage Girls Court of Honor. Graduation ceremony.

What am I reading?

Nothing. Again: No coping mechanisms. I've been a little afraid to pick up a novel that will be compelling and keep me from doing the actual work that needs to be done. I guess that's also why I don't have a knitting project yet.

What am I praying about?

All of it. Especially our AHG troop and leadership.

What’s on my ipod?/

Podcasts.

What projects are happening at home?

Hoping to have new hardwood floors installed and little bit of bathroom work done. Really dreading the amount of labor involved in those endeavors.

Aren't you glad I decided to blog again after 2 weeks? ;-) Sorry for being so cranky! Except for the past 5 days, it has really been okay around here. We've had a Confirmation and a college graduation that I haven't had time to blog about...and drama...good drama, not the bad kind...more to come. Maybe I'll be back next week to update you some more. I actually have a couple/three draft posts waiting to be finished when I find the time and the brain-space (at the same time!).

Yarn Along Rambles and Book Blankeys

::Weekly Rambles::

I'm combining my Rambles with the Yarn Along this week since I have so much to share, and yarns of all sorts are always favorite topics!

What’s really on my mind and heart?

So many things! Sometimes I feel like a hobbit who feels things deeply and is afraid to speak of them for fear of saying too little or the wrong thing. 

What am I thankful for?

Mid-term elections.

What’s going on in school?

Meg is sleeping and Pip is hard at work. No big projects this week, but we are skipping today's farm field trip to make up for a big, school-interrupting Costco shopping trip and a movie at the new, spectacular Avalon, where they've been showing $2 movies for a week.  Meg wants to live there, and I can't say I blame her!

What’s cooking?

Something with the chicken breasts that are thawing in the fridge. Got any suggestions???

What’s on the needles?

I did NOT have to rip out my shawl on Sunday. Since I totally dreaded untangling the 3 different colors, I ignored it in favor of something else, and it turns out that I only made one small mistake---instead of the big one that would have ruined it---and I was able to fudge that one and move on. I'm going to finish that one in a day or two and then start on some socks for my son.

And that's just the "personal" knitting. I've also been working on #bookblankeys a lot. I finished the Very Hungry Caterpillar and the Rainbow Fish, and I'm working hard on a Lorax blankey. They will be in the shop (see below!) very soon.

Fishy has a face, now. I love the texture in his body!

He looks happy! His body is a very touchable alpaca blend. Yum!

What’s special about this week?

Nest Egg Knits Etsy shop is now online! This is the brainchild of my good friend, Kathleen, who came up with the #bookblankey concept: a cozy blankey to go with your favorite (or your child's favorite) storybook. In the next couple of days we'll get a bunch more blankets in the shop. These are so much fun to knit and crochet. We have both fallen in love with the Tunisian crochet, and I think it makes a great fabric for these blankets. You can see that in this Cat in the Hat blanket in the shop:

Won't you stop in for a visit and favorite our shop so you can see what we post next? Like Kath's totally adorable Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom blanket! Which book would you like to see turned into a blanket?

You can also follow @NestEggKnits on Twitter and Instagram!

What am I reading?

Upstairs on the nightstand (are a lot of books, especially in my Kindle!), I'm actually reading the third Kristin Lavransdatter book---The Cross. I'm having trouble putting it down, but I try to force myself when dh turns out the light! I'm also insane and checked out Gone with the Wind and Scarlett yesterday from from the library. I haven't read GWTW in many years, and after watching the movie a couple of weeks ago, I really want to revisit it AND read Scarlett to get her and Rhett back together again!! (Spoiler there, sorry.)

What am I praying about?

I am praying with and for everyone who is struggling to find a diagnosis for their illness/ailments. I'm praying for peace, trust in God, and the doctors who treat them. There are several, specific people on my heart, and I hope you'll pray with me. God knows who needs the prayers!

What projects are happening at home?

I'm not really doing any projects, other than knitting and crocheting, but I am trying to figure out how to keep this large house clean with a large percentage of my workforce missing! Yes, I know they're not here to make messes, but the bugs and spiders and dust still accumulate!

Starting to think about Christmas gifts---what to make, what to buy. Don't tell me you're on top of it or already done!

"Weekly" Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

I'm trying to figure out how I can do all the things I want to do (or at least some of them) in addition to the things I need to do.

What am I thankful for?

I'm thankful for a quick visit from the Athens kids, yesterday. I'm thankful for a little camping trip with AHG which included Tom, Pip, and my dear husband. We had a good time; it was relaxing and pleasant in spite of unwelcome thunderstorms, stitches (for another child), and sewage backups in the bathrooms.

What’s going on in school?

Today being Columbus Day, we have the day off for "enrichment." I think some reading aloud of fairy tales is in order.

What’s cooking?

Why do you always ask that? lol. I should just delete it. Well, I'll tell you what---it will be something healthy since we ate way too many pop-tarts and toaster pastries while camping. I know how to cook healthy meals while camping, instead of just using boxed foods, and I did do some of that, but I also provided lots of the aforementioned unhealthy options which I enjoyed.  Too much.

What’s on the needles?

This shawl. It's going to be heavy and warm, unlike my usual light and lacy things, and I'm learning some new skills on what looks like a pretty simple design.

What’s special about this week?

It is "Spirit Week" at school, so there will be several fun outfits for Pip to wear instead of the usual uniform. PSAT this week, also. And more of the usual: Eucharistic adoration, AHG, and LOTS of fun on Saturday with kids activities!

What am I reading?

I finished The Twelve, Book 2 of The Passage trilogy. Good, but I didn't like it as much as the first. The story went a bit off the rails in terms of believability---if you can even make such a comment about an apocalyptic vampire virus that destroys the world. If you're contemplating reading these, be warned that there is plenty of graphic language in both, and then the second got a bit sexually graphic. These are definitely not the same YA fiction as Divergent and Hunger Games.

What am I praying about?

Healing for lots of people, especially my uncle who is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his colon, and my sister-in-law who has a lot of struggles and cannot put weight on her ankle for a couple of months.

What’s on my ipod?/

I discovered another podcast (as if I have time to listen to them all! I think I need to walk more. A LOT more.) called Katy Says with Katy Bowman. Katy is all about "restorative exercise" and body alignment, and I love it because of my bad back and neck that give me problems, and those problems reach down and affect the knees and feet. You know, the head bone's connected to the leg bone! 

What projects are happening at home?

First up, is cleaning up and repacking all the camping gear. After that, I think I need to give the poor, neglected basement some TLC since no one goes down there and DH found a dead lizard in the bathroom. I don't know why that would be surprising, though, because we always found live lizards when we were down there schooling every day!

Oooh, and I scored a couple of free pallets that were left up at our tennis courts by guys resurfacing the courts. Now I need to peruse this Pinterest page to find something to do with them!

~~~

It's nice to be back---home-wise and blog-wise. Tell me what you're up to! Are you reading anything good? I need a new book! Got any pallet ideas? (Easy ones, cuz I'm lazy like that.)

Labor Day Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

The suffering that goes on around the world---in Iraq, in Israel, in Ferguson, and just in everyday lives where people are suffering from various illnesses. What's my response to that supposed to be?

What am I thankful for?

So many blessings---too many to count, though I try. This week, I'm thankful for a long weekend, and a kid who comes home from college for a short visit.

What’s going on in school?

You guys, officially our Causevox fundraiser for our new school building ended yesterday, and there is exciting news on the site today! Please go look, and if you haven't given, won't you please consider a small donation? Every bit makes a difference.

What’s cooking?

Pulled pork roasted all night in the oven. This is like the easiest dish ever, and everyone in the family loves it. And the leftovers.....we're happy for days around here. I use Tyler Florence's bbq sauce recipe, but we just coat the Boston butt in sea salt before roasting. I'm sure a rub would be better, but we have 0 complaints about this way!

What’s on the needles?

A ginormous cowl, or infinity scarf. I made one for a friend, upon request, and now I'm making another. On size 50 needles it doesn't take long!

Still working on Clapo-ktus....well into the decreasing now, so every row is faster. I can't wait to finish it and wear it---even though it may be too warm for that for a long while!

What’s special about this week?

Busy with AHG! We had a new parent meeting last week with lots of registrations to process (and that means checks to deposit for this new Treasurer!), and we have a special meeting for Leaders this week with all the girls coming next week. 

What am I reading?

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. I have to remember to read it in his "voice" if you know what I mean, otherwise it isn't funny. :-)

The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan, recommended by one of my good friends. It's about how no one has a perfect life; we all have baggage and issues that prevent us from fully living out God's plan. I think. I'm not that far into it, and I had terrible dreams the other night about....ugh...it was awful...and about brokenness....I think I'll read this book during the day and not just before bed. 

What am I praying about?

All of those things listed above, family, and friends, and our school fundraiser.

What’s on my ipod?/

Some of my favorite podcasters have been AWOL, so I listened to a book that I really didn't care for, but the story had great potential and I wanted to see how it ended. The ending was decent, but it was still a trashy novel. 

What projects are happening at home?

One weekend I had a lot of energy and started cleaning and thinking about a yard sale, but I haven't had the time or energy since then, so the bags of Keep, Trash, or Giveaway are still in the upstairs hall waiting. I'd still like to finish cleaning the house, though, even if I don't sell the junk but donate it instead.

Maybe an Etsy shop is in the works. 

Weekly Musings

::Weekly Rambles::

I need a magnet for that other GA university, too. The 6-year old sticker is looking shabby!

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Still processing our 2-day orientation and the impending departure of my 4th child for college. Always before, there were lots of little distractions at home to keep me from mourning too much when a child left, though I did mourn. And I still do miss them terribly, but I think this departure is going to be hard. Two kids at our dinner table is too quiet.

What am I thankful for?

I'm very thankful for being on the mend. I was still pretty tired and draggy on Sunday, but noticeably better yesterday. The horrific sore throat seems to be gone. YAY!

What’s going on in school?

Not "in school" so much as "at the Institute". Tom and I spent two long days at GaTech orientation. It was tiring, but I got a lot of convalescing and knitting done. A lot of information to process. The crux of which is that it's a challenging environment for these smart kids who are used to being the smartest one in the room and not having to work terribly hard to excel in high school. They're all going to have to learn to study properly and hone some time management skills in order to succeed. I like that they really emphasized the need to sleep in many sessions----well, not sleep in the sessions, but in the sessions they emphasized the need to sleep. :-)

I'm ashamed to say that I never got a t-shirt for that "other university". I got this one yesterday because I saw another mom wearing it and it was cute. Ladies cut, scoop neck. I'd wear one from UGA if I had one. ;-)

What’s cooking?

No idea. More chicken broth.

What’s on the needles?

My Clapo-ktus grew quite a bit during orientation. (I was the only one knitting, as far as I could see. I don't know how people can sit there and do nothing!) It's a little slow with all the purling and ktbl (knitting through the back loop), and every other row is longer than the last, but when I get to the halfway point where I start decreasing and dropping the purl stitches, it will get faster and more fun. Normally, knitters hate dropping stitches and watching that row run (like pantyhose), but that's the point in this shawl, and it will be awesome!

What’s special about this week?

More braces, car repair, summer camp!

The way to this mom's heart!

What am I reading?

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You on Overdrive. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife on paper. Both very different books, but I'm enjoying both of them. When I go to bed, where I read Kristin, I think that I'd rather listen to the other, but I find that I'm perfectly happy to read Kristin well past my bedtime!

What am I praying about?

We're praying novena after novena for our school building campaign. We're not getting as much help from the internet as we need, and time keeps marching us closer to the deadline. 

What’s on my ipod?/

See: What am I reading?

What projects are happening at home?

So much clutter. And school books to get rid of. Maybe, just maybe, I'll find enough energy to focus on some of those things this week.

These 2 were so cute when we were playing Pictionary the other night.

Summer Daybook

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

First and foremost, the biggest thing going on is a crowdfunding campaign to get the necessary dollars to buy a new building for our hybrid school. The link is here on Causevox. 

We lease space at a small Christian school, but between our growth and their growth there isn't room for all of us. When we started there, they had 40 students and we had 54---it was a win-win situation! Now, they have a new headmaster who has done a great job of growing their enrollment, while ours has also increased to 240 students. They don't need us anymore; they certainly don't want us taking up valuable space for their students, and we can't blame them for that!

After years of searching and fundraising, knowing this day would come, we've found an awesome site that is a bargain and everything we need. We just don't quite have the downpayment yet. Our school operates well in the black, so that with our current enrollment, we have plenty of money to make the mortgage payments once we get the building. Not only that, but once we have it, we will be able to fill a Monday-Wednesday session of classes and double our enrollment. (Since we're a hybrid, lower school students meet only Tuesdays and Thursdays.) We have a great curriculum and excellent teachers for 1/3 of the cost of most private schools in the area!

If you're still reading ;-) will you please, please, please, click the link and watch our video? If you can make a donation of any size, we will be eternally grateful. If you can't, you can still help us out by sharing the link on FB, twitter, and G+. We are committed to using all the money we earn towards the build-out on the bare essentials our students need. Beyond that, we're committed to building strong families, educating children who can think for themselves and have a willingness to serve others.

Would you like to help jumpstart an education revolution!?

Thank you for clicking and helping!

What am I thankful for?

I am really thankful for our school, St. John Bosco Academy. My good friend, one of the founders, asked me repeatedly to join them years ago, but I didn't feel I needed the assistance in the early years, and my older ones were already in private, Catholic high school. Now that SJBA has grown sufficiently to have a high school of its own, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to send Pip there. I hate to think that they might have to close the high school, at least, if we don't acquire this new property. We love this school.

What’s going on in school?

Pip is working on his AP World History homework every day, and I'm working on fundraising. :-)

What’s cooking?

There's lots and lots of green stuff in the fridge that needs to be cooked!

What’s on the needles?

Just the Sock Yarn Blanket. I'm thinking about starting another scarf if I can drag myself downstairs to look at the stash. 

What’s special about this week?

Not much this week. I'm sick, sick, sick. I think it's from the water park on Sunday and having a hefty dose of chlorinated, germy water forced into my sinuses. Yuck. Conveniently, I had an appointment for a physical today and the strep test was negative. So, when I finish this, I'm going to curl up with my knitting.

What am I reading?

Or my reading. I'm on Vol. II of Kristin Lavransdatter. I loved this trilogy 20-odd years ago when I was a new Catholic, but it seems very different this time. Poor memory may be part of it, but it's very likely that my understanding of the Catholic faith has changed and matured over the years. Reading about Kristin's pilgrimmage to confess and do penance for her sins was very moving.

What am I praying about?

Lots of prayers and novenas for the success of our building campaign! 

What’s on my ipod?/

Not listening to many podcasts these days. 

What projects are happening at home?

Don't speak to me of projects.  :-) They're not happening, either because I don't have the energy, or because I'm busy working on the SJBA building campaign, or learning how to be the AHG treasurer!

***

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summer Thoughts

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

My almost complete lack of energy. I'm extremely lethargic for some reason, almost as badly as I was a few years ago when my thyroid was way out of whack. The thought of going through all the testing again to find the answer and then solve the problem depresses me. I have an appointment with a new doctor in a few weeks for my physical. I'm switching to her because I've heard from several sources that she works hard to get to the source of the problem instead of just medicating. My "regular" doctor would never do the necessary testing on my thyroid because my TSH is always normal. I really can't wait for this appointment; I feel like the whole summer is being wasted because I don't have the energy to do anything.

He always likes to have his feet against something while he sleeps--the wall, the sofa, you. Isn't he cute?

What am I thankful for?

I'm thankful it's not quite as bad (yet) as it was before!

And Meg is over her strep throat. She was sick for several days and had a severe sore throat on the day her well-checkup was scheduled. She was really tired the following days, after starting antibiotics, and here she "woke up" long enough to sit up and try to check her email before falling back to sleep. lol.

What’s going on in school?

Health class twice a week for Pip, and his AP World History homework has been assigned. His books have arrived and he's going to start working on it next week when swim team and Health are over.

Meg is listening to a lot of audio books to improve her reading comprehension.

What’s cooking?

As little as possible. It's hot; I have no energy, and I hate cooking in the summer. Got any tips for me?

What’s on the needles?

The 10-Ridge Wrap. It's almost finished and I've been weighing the mushroom-colored yarn to see if I have enough to finish. I might. Just. It's kind of scary, so the plan is to knit as little as possible on it....If I don't work on it, I won't run out! ;-) J/K, I'm going to work on it today!

What’s special about this week?

Last week of swim team already! One meet and then the County finals at the Georgia Tech natatorium (home of the 1996 Olympic Games) which is always exciting. It will have a new feel this year as Tom's new collegiate home!

What am I reading?

In 2 days I managed to speed through Hannah Fowler (affiliate link) as recommended by Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter. It was one of those books that is hard to put down. I enjoyed the story, but I was a little disappointed by the ending, because I thought there should be more follow-up to the final conflict. But really, when you're telling the story of a life on the frontier, you have to stop somewhere, and when you love the characters as much as I did, you'd only be satisfied when they die and the story is truly over.

What am I praying about?

I started the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus last week for several intentions. On the second day, I received a clear answer to one prayer concern. On the next day, I got an answer to another intention! I don't usually get such clear or quick responses to prayer, not that they aren't answered, but we don't always get an answer right away. Some prayers can take years to be answered!

I'm looking forward to celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday because it's our family feast day and in thanksgiving for answered prayers. It might be a little tricky to celebrate as a family since we have a parental obligation that evening, but we'll do something! Suggestions?? 

What projects are happening at home?

Not much. I have sewing projects I want to do, and painting, and wallpaper stripping, and painting, but....see What's on My Mind and Heart. Sigh.

I found this awesome bag of acrylic yarn at Goodwill which will come in very handy for our Warm Up America project at AHG this year!

~~~~

Tell me what you're up to this summer! Many of my favorite blogs are quieter than usual---which is probably good since I created this "standing desk" and I'm really too tired to spend much time standing at the computer!

Summer Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Memorial Day. While I am very grateful for the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, we celebrated Memorial Day and honored their memories a little differently this year. Most of us drove out to visit Katie, Brendan, and Pete whom we don't see often enough. I just couldn't let a free day pass without making the effort to see them!

"Death has a way of putting things in perspective," I said to a friend last week. Back when my mom died in '07, I was broken-hearted and reluctant to send my first baby off to college the next week, but my sister pointed out that while Mom's death was a bad thing, going to college is a natural and good thing. So, I actually handled that much better than expected, and have done it twice more since then!

Once an acquaintance said to me that she had to make a day-trip to see her college-girl because she needed some time with her, but I didn't quite get why she would need to drop everything in the middle of a busy week, with other kids at home, to go see the college student. Now I know----she died six months later and had been keenly aware that her time was limited.

Two days before Tom's recent high school graduation, one of his classmates died suddenly, and all the joy and excitement of graduation and moving on to college was turned to sorrow for that family and her friends.

I don't have any dreadful announcement to make about a terminal illness, but I'm just much more aware of how fleeting life is. I want to make more of an effort to be present and to take those opportunities to be with my loved ones.

What am I thankful for?

Life. And especially all the lives given to me to care for.

What’s going on in school?

No.thing. We're done. :-D

That is, until I register Pip for his AP class and he has to start summer reading. And he's taking a Health class this summer that starts next week. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

What’s cooking?

No idea. For some reason, my sweet husband doesn't want Watermelon Soup for dinner! Can you imagine why anyone wouldn't want to eat that?

(j/k. I can, sort of!)

What’s on the needles?

A Ten-Ridge Wrap. I've wanted to make this for a while. When I started it a few years ago, I couldn't figure it out for some reason. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, or maybe I've learned a little since then, though it doesn't seem difficult now! Anyway, I'm thinking of not doing a ruffled edge, but changing it to lace. What do you think? Sometimes ruffles are just too much.

Vote: Ruffles or Lace?

What’s special about this week?

It's a quiet week with 2 swim meets. Haha! The first is a Mock Meet and I may not even go to that one. After, um, 14? 15? years of swim team, I know how it works, so I didn't sign up for a job.

What am I reading?

I abandoned poor Julia Child for Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. I introduced my mother-in-love to the movie when she was here for graduation, and we both loved it (Of course, I was loving it for, like, the 4th time, but whatever!), so I thought I would read the book to see if there was more to enjoy. I had bought Gaskell's complete works on Kindle for a couple of bucks last year---deal! And yes, there is more to love. I'm having a hard time putting it down.

What’s on my ipod?/

I started listening to Cloud Atlas the other day. So far, I'm not getting it, but that could have something to do with being very sleepy and actually falling asleep to the reader's dulcet tones. I may have to listen to the beginning again!

What projects are happening at home?

I'll be trying to find a routine now that it's summer. Routines are hard to come by, and I'm not happy without some sort of guidelines for my day! I have a couple of sewing projects planned which I shall share soon.

Graduation Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

The high school graduation of my 4th child and everything that implies is what is on my heart these days. There is a great deal of pride in his accomplishments of the past four years; I'm excited about the next phase of his life; I'm feeling the impending ache of missing him and the other 3 who went before him; I'm feeling the pressure of cramming a lot of New & Improved Parenting into the next 6 years; and kind of at the bottom is the question of what is the next phase of life for me when the 6 years have run their course. It's a lot to think about and ponder in my heart!

What am I thankful for?

I am thankful for the family members who went out of their way to be with us for this momentous occasion. It was wonderful to be surrounded by people we love so much.

What’s going on in school?

It's the last week for Meg and Pippo. Pretty much just 2 days of exams for Meg, but she did the math and figured out that neither failing nor getting perfect scores on her exams will have much impact on her grades, so she's pretty much home free. Pip, on the other hand, has a lot of studying to do along with several drama rehearsals before he is finally finished with his 2 performances of Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday.

What’s cooking?

Cleaning out the fridge after cooking lots of food last week. We still have a ton of pulled pork---which no one is complaining about!

What’s on the needles?

A better question is What's OFF the needles? That would be the Color Affection, finally. I cast off an inch early because I was running out of the navy yarn, which was a good call since I finished with only a couple of yards left! Finished photos later in the week after blocking.

What’s special about this week?

Last week of school. Last drama performance. AHG Court of Honor where Meg moves up to Pioneers---She is so excited about that!

What am I reading?

My Life in France by Julia Child and Paul Prudhomme. 

What am I praying about?

• the kidnapped Nigerian girls
• the persecution of Christians all over the world
• our Priests & deacons
• for Eric and Elizabeth

What’s on my ipod?/

It's about to be filled with audio books for summer read-alouds! Do you have any suggestions for books that Meg, Pip, and I will all enjoy?

What projects are happening at home?

I have a few sewing projects I'd like to work on, and find a new knit, but I think I'm done with home improvements for a while. The next graduation isn't for another year! I'm sure I'll come up with something for the summer, though.

Do you have summer projects planned? I'm always talking about a terraced garden and stone patio....could this be the year?

Weekly Rambles

What’s really on my mind and heart?

It was a wonderful couple of weeks around here. We had a lovely Easter, followed by my dear husband's birthday. He had sort of a "Birthday Weekend" because we couldn't manage to get the family together for one big celebration. Even those of us who live here couldn't be all together at the same time!

What am I thankful for?

• I'm thankful for car accidents that damage only cars and not people.
• The gift of Divine Mercy
• Two new saints! St. John XXII and St. John Paul II, pray for us!
• Friends who take my daughter camping when I can't go
• Kids who drop in for short visits when they can't stay long

What’s going on in school?

Oh my! We're counting down to the end of the year already. Our high school senior, Tom, is finished with most activities, and is down to classes in the single digits. Graduation is in 2.5 weeks!

The younger two have schedules filled with end-of-year projects and drama productions.

Graduation and Projects will all clash alarmingly in 2 weeks. Yikes.

What’s cooking?

After taking grains, sugar, dairy, coffee, soy out of my diet at the end of January, I felt fantastic. Slowly, I started adding them back in, though not slowly enough. Now, they're all back (though sugar and wheat are still extremely minimal) and I'm in a lot of pain. My back and neck pain is much, much worse than it needs to be, or than it was during Lent. Listening to an interview yesterday, Dr. Datis Kharrazian explained that inflammation causes pain. So, off we go again!

And, at the same time, I need to plan menus for graduation week and lots of visitors.

What’s on the needles?

Color Affection and Sock Yarn Blanket.  I'm tantalizingly close to the end of the Color Affection --not that I'll get much use out of it before October!

What’s special about this week?

Nothing. It's the calm before the storm.

What am I reading?

I've just begun to read Leila's book, The Little Oratory, that was in my Easter basket. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I plan to make a lot more progress tonight. It's so pretty, and after flipping through it a bit, I wish I had had this one when I was a young Catholic just starting to raise my children in the faith!

What am I praying about?

• Elizabeth
• Eric
• Gratitude in all things
• Priests, deacons, and religious

What projects are happening at home?

All the things that need to be done before a houseful of guests arrive! Some of them don't need to be done, but it's nice to have them done before guests come.  You know, those little things that bother you about the house, but they haven't come to top of the to-do list----like dealing with the laminate that peels off the kitchen cabinets. (Who thought that was a good idea?) I'm also painting a yard-sale table to put in my craft room and help organize my stuff. Not that anyone but me cares what my craft room looks like, but I would prefer that it NOT look like the household dumping ground!

What are you up to? Most of my readers probably aren't gearing up for the end of the year quite yet.