Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, March 9, 2015.

Outside my window...  sunny :D  Very spring-like.  Though the dogwood trees are not leafing out yet - still just twigs.  But it's coming.

Hearing...  Tate practicing piano.  He's already surpassing my expectations, but he's only two months into lessons and for-the-love-of-Mike-would-you-please-count!  There is ONE PIECE he's learning right now that's driving me to the Cliffs of Insanity.  It's in 3/4 timing and has several measures with a quarter-note-four-eighth-notes pattern.  And he keeps playing it as quarter-note-triplet-quarter-note.  And I will go to him, make him stop, and tell him to count it out. And then he plays it correctly for about 30 seconds, until he slips into the triplets again.  Arrrrrgh.  SLOW-DOWN-AND-COUNT!

Pondering...  he's really doing well, he's really doing well, he's really doing well.  Really.

Thankful...  for the flexibility of homeschooling.  My mom called me today shortly after I'd picked up Tate from the high school to ask if she could borrow Tate and Gunnar for some manual labor.  YES.  Yes, absolutely.  Boys need hard work more than they need desk work sometimes.  Actually, a lot of the time.

Creating...  my neighbor asked me to come over on Saturday to help her make a tote bag.  She's actually a much more experienced sew-er (not a "sewer") than I am and she can read patterns, but this isn't a traditional cut out the pieces, pin it to your fabric, sort of thing she's used to.  (It's a great pattern from Monica Solario-Snow of Happy Zombie, and you can find it here.)  I've already made it a few times, and modified the measurements to make different sizes, so I was actually able to teach HER something - quite a role reversal :D

Going...  to stay home tonight.  (I mean, I'm skipping rehearsal this week.)

Looking forward to...  someday we will have no debt.  Someday.  And that will be glorious.

In the kitchen...  thawing some elk meat for dinner - we've eaten nearly all of Tate's deer (just a little bit of sausage in the freezer).  And I need to think about what to make this weekend.  We're having company for dinner Saturday - a local family whose daughter is going to get a CI soon.  I'm not a fancy entertainer, but- you know - company.

In the learning rooms...  when Grandma called, we deferred the rest of today's work to tomorrow.  No worries.  I usually schedule Tate and Gunnar into four days and use Friday for "catch up" anyway.

Around the house...  I finally let go of my Valentine roses, and all the primroses I bought are looking a bit meh - time to plant them outside.

The Mother Load...  I almost have my office cleaned up... it must be time to start a new project ;D

Noticing that...  I looked around the house this morning and thought that Wyatt had gone off to school without his backpack - oh no!  But when I looked closer, it was full of dirty laundry.  Things I Cannot Explain.  (WHY?)

A favorite quote for today... 

O Lord, support us all the day long,

until the shadows lengthen,

and the evening comes,

and the busy world is hushed,

and the fever of life is over,

and our work is done.

Then in Thy mercy grant us a safe lodging,

and a holy rest,

and peace at the last.

 - The Book of Common Prayer

A devotional thought...  if you're interested... our chapel is sharing daily Lenten Devotions here.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  all the usual things (homeschool, CAP, music lessons) and dentist appointments for all the boys.  Fun times.

A peek into my day...