Outside
my window...typical Ohio Memorial Day...warm and rain. I woke up to a thunderstorm.
I am
wearing...tank top and knit shorts. It's a cleaning out the basement outfit!
I am
reading...Tears of God, Small Steps for Catholic Moms. Divine Intimacy. After Rich's hospitalization last week, we got Time Management for Catholics that I hope we will be reading together.
I am
nurturing my heart...by taking care of my husband.
I am nurturing my mind...(repeat) I'm
feeling particularly drawn to simplification these days...time
management...really considering how the Lord wants me to use the gift
of His time. We've put some changes into motion since Rich got out of the hospital last Wednesday. The experience brought some previously murky relationships and commitments into sharp focus. A blessing! Now we need to hold fast, which will be challenging.
I am
nurturing my body...I am swimming again. Three times last week. While the kids are at swim team practice at the outdoor pool I go swimming at the indoor pool.
From St. Francis de Sales: "I tell you not to deprive yourself of the rest or the medicines or the food or the recreations that are prescribed for you. You can exercise a kind of obedience and resignation in accepting these that will make you extremely agreeable to our Lord."
I am nurturing my soul...by working Small Steps for Catholic Moms daily.
I dance with my Father...Ann says, "If God makes a list of my laments, I will make a list of God's love. If God has a list of my pain, I will make a list of my praise. If God writes a list of my tears, I will write a list of my thanks...keeping the list of His love, keeps me in joy."
29. spontaneous kisses
32. vanilla yogurt with pineapple and family favorite granola
34. AAA coming to tow away my smoking car
37. quiet holidays
We are learning...moving to summer mode. Madeline's goal for the summer: master those math facts! I made a reading list a mile long for Matthew. I don't intend to insist that he read it all; my goal is to introduce him to something other than The Lord of the Rings this summer. Wonderful literature, yes it is, but I think he could use some variety.
Around
the house...Updating our list from last post:
We celebrate the season...time for Ordinary Time. I have no plans other than to change the felt runner on the family altar and get some letters for the mantel. Why won't this font change to be consistent with the other points? Maddening!1. purge and clean the garage;
2. DONE! finish the spring clean-up of all the gardens;
3. decide the fate of the two crab apple trees that have been struggling and losing limbs for two years;
4. SUNROOM DONE! wash windows inside and out;
5. TO BE DELEGATED prune all shrubs;
6. move and remove select shrubs;
7. Matthew's room (paint, bedding, mattress and box spring);
8. Carpet cleaning;
9. Clean and purge basement storage area.
From the kitchen...Matthew is home for the summer. I need to feed him lunch, he reminded me yesterday. Sounds like a challenge. We were standing in Trader Joes at the time, so I let him have some fun. What he chose will likely last a week, which is a brief respite only. Trader Joes is too far away to visit weekly. We'll be on to Plan B soon enough. I was able to plan dinners for most of this week last night. The weekend will be revealed, but I have to have a plan for the week so I know what to do when I get home from evening swim team practice.
Grilled chicken, cole slaw and raw veggies tonight.
Tuesday: tacos/taco salad (using up filling made last week)
Wednesday: Steak and farfalle pasta (recipe pulled from a magazine)
Thursday: Subs and fruit (baseball night)
Friday: Chicken sausage, grilled onions and salad
Activities
for the rest of the week...evening swim team practice. That's it. Ahhh.
A picture thought to share...from a trip to the Columbus Zoo on Saturday.