Grasshopper Days
For today, November 21, 2011
Outside my window... clouds, wind, and rain. Nearly all the beautiful leaves are now brown, wet, and on the ground. Strangely, we have some kind of vortex that attracts all the big soggy ones to the landing right by the back door. Why?
I am thinking... making mental lists for the days leading up to Thanksgiving! What needs to be cleaned, how many chairs do we need to borrow, what can I make ahead, who is bringing what... time to put the minions to work ;D
I am thankful for... Kerry got a kinda-sorta job working as a "drafting slave" (his joking term) for another architect. It's part time so he can still keep doing any projects he gets on the side. Yay!
I am praying for... the job to work out well for both of them, my Aunt Myrna who has pneumonia, friends coming home from Zambia soon.
I am wearing... grubbies. Sweats. Going to be doing more cleaning today ;D
I am creating... a holiday celebration.
I am going... to make a chore schedule for the boys and me, so we can be as relaxed as possible with sixteen around the table :D
I am reading... Almost Home, having just finished Madaleine Takes Command. I'm reading a lot of historical fiction (and some non-fiction) with Tate and Gunnar this year... not always exactly in order, but going along with our history studies. Almost Home is the story of a (real) girl who came over on the Mayflower, while Madaleine Takes Command is a must-read for you Canadians. It's the true story of a fourteen-year-old girl who holds the fort for a WEEK against Iroquois attack.
I am hoping... for a grace-filled holiday.
I am hearing... just the wind, and lots of it.
I am remembering... the first time we had Thanksgiving here at this house we were still in the throes of remodeling. Our furniture had been stored in a large truck in the driveway. Two days before Thanksgiving the contractor had a table-saw set up in my living room and was cutting and installing floor trim. The day before Thanksgiving I was basically following him from trim piece to trim piece, shop-vaccing the dining room and living room and then trying to get furniture back in and a bit of decorating done. Oh, and the garbage disposal clogged while I was running a load of laundry, and greasy, turkey-scented water poured out all over the kitchen and mud-room floors. I had to get a plumber in. Awesome.
From the learning rooms... we are on Holiday School Schedule this week, which means a minimum of actual academic school work and lots of... hmmm... what shall I cal it?
- Occupational Ed? Prepare for a job in house-keeping, home-maintenance, and food service.
- Home Ec, or whatever the PC term for that is now? Learn time-management, food preparation, and budgeting.
- Social Studies? Learn your cultural history!
- Religion? Definitely!
- Community Service? Yes, definitely learning to serve others.
- Hospitality? A required course.
There. Now I feel better about the fact that the math books are in the closet ;D
From the kitchen... baked chicken sandwiches for lunch. The closest I can come to a McChicken, and therefore (in the boys' eyes) heaven ;D
Around the house... cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!
Something I want to remember for later... how happy flannel sheets make the boys!
On my mind... the aforementioned lists.
Noticing that... it's so much better now that the boys are old enough to be truly helpful. Whew!
Pondering these words... When I do stuff, stuff gets done. Deep and profound, (snort).
One of my favorite things... clean surfaces, WOOT!
A few plans for the rest of the week...
- Monday - begin (minimal) school work and cleaning, Kerry takes boys to Boys Club and I go to Messiah rehearsal
- Tuesday - continue Holiday School, Wyatt and Tate have CAP
- Wednesday - make green bean and mashed potato casseroles (those are two separate things), and bake the turkey (yes, the day before), set up tables, remind boys of their hosting responsibilities.
- Thursday - dinner at 1:30. Then, because it's so good, again in the evening.
- Friday - organize any leftovers and start putting away fall decorations. Put minions to work moving furniture and cleaning around, behind, and under.
- Saturday - start thinking Christmas (!), also potluck and
gamemovie night at church. Can you believe there are folks who haven't yet seen The Princess Bride? - Sunday - church, breathe, rest :D
5 comments:
That's a great photo! I hope your week goes according to plan and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I need to check out those books - I love historical fiction. Some books are so haunting, even the ones written for children (thinking of the Slave Dancer), and others are so full of adventure!
We have loads of soggy oak leaves swirling into my garden beds. With the snow coming and going, it is difficult to get out and clear them - which means there will be a messy job in the spring. Thank goodness my boys are starting to approach the Age of Usefulness! Matt is actually becoming quite the helper - I love it!
Happy Thanksgiving to the Grasshopper Family!
There are people who haven't seen The Princess Bride? Inconceivable!!! Yes, I know it's lame, but I just couldn't help it! :-)
Whew, my friend, it makes me tired just reading your post. I'm going to hunt down that Madeleine book. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
Oh, and I wanted to say the same as Ann about people not having seen The Princess Bride, but I won't :o).
Blessings!
Deborah
Oh, I love flannel sheets!
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