Monday, November 4, 2013

Grasshopper Days


Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, November 4, 2013

Outside my window... morning sun shining on the bare branches of the dogwood outside my window, and frost on every surface.  It's cooooold!

Hearing... Tate in the shower and Gunnar unpacking his gear from the CAP weekend Bivouac.

Pondering...  the beauty of the morning.

Praying...  work for Kerry, good rest and good attitudes for the boys (came home T-I-R-E-D), and a good routine this week.

Thankful...  of all the things (and there was quite a list) that Gunnar thought he lost on the Bivouac, the only thing actually missing is a leather glove.  So, clearly his organizational skills need some work, but the only thing we actually need to replace is a pair of gloves.  Also thankful to see my cousin (a Lt. Col. in the army), in town for a few days.  It was fun to catch up with him and helpful in terms of gathering some nuggets of information regarding Wyatt's interest in the military.

Wearing...  grungy clothes for walking, then jeans and a sweater - my winter uniform.  Found a great sweater at Value Village - big, V-neck pullover.  Looks kind of Scandinavian-ski-sweaterish (but probably isn't).  My favorite blues and greens.

Creating... can't show you yet.  Scavenged a fun idea from a decorating blog and made birthday gifts for my mom and something for myself.  I'll reveal next week (her b'day is tomorrow and the party is Saturday - on Tate's b'day!)  Now thinking of Christmas... 50 days!

Going...  to make the boys unpack all their gear before we start school.  And by "unpack" I mean "put away in an orderly manner".  They piled it all in the mudroom last night (because we had company when they got home - my cousin, parents, and sister) and they were too tired to unpack then, but not to tired to want to stay up late watching Agents of Shield (and very indignant when I made them stop and help with the clean-up, because I'm so cruel and unreasonable that way.)

Reading...  starting Beyond the Desert Gate with Gunnar.

Looking forward to...  the family get-together on Saturday to celebrate Grandma Grasshopper's and Tate's birthdays... he'll be fifteen.  I mean, I know he's fifteen - I was there - but it still amazes me.

In the kitchen...  made a huge crockpot of spicy pulled pork and served it with warm tortillas along with rice and an array of other condiments last night.  Oh-so-good and plenty left over for tonight.

In the learning rooms...  plugging along.  We're into Week 10 (of 36) - almost a third of the way through the school year.  Does not seem possible.

Around the house...  I love all my twinkly fall lights and candles, especially now (with the switch off of Daylight Savings Time) that it's getting dark so much earlier.

The Mother Load...  I made good headway over the weekend (amazing what you can do when you're alone!) and it feels great to start the week with less looming over me.  Except Mt. Laundry...

Three boys camping out for a weekend in November
+ Kerry spending most of it with them 
= a ton of wet, muddy, stinky laundry.

Noticing that...  being tired has such a DRAMATIC effect on the boys' attitudes and ability to get along. (Grrrr...)

Something to remember for later...  Gunnar has a very specific smile he shows when he's counting down the days until he sees Naomi.

A favorite quote for today...  The humble person doesn't think less of himself; he thinks of himself less.

One of my favorite things...  having everybody home :D

A Bible verse...  Kerry and the boys being gone often brings to mind this verse from Proverbs (that I'm probably misquoting, but it 'works' best in KJV)

Where no oxen are, the stable is clean;
but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.

Proverbs 14:4, i think.  Make of that what you will ;D

A few plans for the rest of the week...  it seems like every weekend has been booked since school started.  That's not quite true, but it feels like it.  This weekend we're going to my brother's on Saturday to celebrate b'days, but that's only one day, and doesn't require preparation or planning.  Our week is pretty normal (Messiah rehearsal, CAP - Gunnar will be promoted!, school work, chores, etc.), but I'm really looking forward to a more relaxed weekend.  WeekendS.  At least, that's the dream ;D

A peek into my world...  the school room is upstairs, the kitchen is downstairs.  By late morning these were lined up at the top of the stairs, ready to go down to the kitchen.  They represent my morning cup of tea (left), and a mid-morning cocoa break for Gunnar (his favorite mug on the right) and me.  Tate isn't much for hot drinks.

3 comments:

The dB family said...

Your weekends sounds like our weekends. We haven't had a completely quiet weekend for a very looong time. In fact, I'm not even sure what quiet is anymore.

Praying with you for work for Kerry.

Love that mug in the middle! I feel that way some days.

Blessings!
Deborah

melanie said...

Oh yes, I totally "get" the Proverb. ;D But we love our boys, yes?

As to smelly laundry... Do you have any idea what composted turkey litter smells like? :p You don't want to know.

Monica said...

it doesn't seem like it is as cold here has it has been in the past early Novembers. We are in the upper 50's and 60's... Maybe since my body temperature is changing (LOL!) it just doesn't feel as cold any more!
I don't homeschool but it seems like this year is going so fast!
Enjoyed your daybook... it is always fun!