Hair Cut

This is a picture of the baby's haircut. Last Friday was my birthday.  On Thursday evening my husband told me that he had scheduled for us to have family photos taken the next day.  I have to admit that this stressed me out: finding clothes for the kids to wear, I would have liked to have gotten my hair cut, finding clothes for myself to wear.  I also had to leave mid afternoon of that day to go out of town for the night for rehearsals and a concert.  I don't like to have too much scheduled for one day and that day, my birthday, I felt like I did.  In short this was why I finally cut the babies hair.

Outside on a Fall Day; Reflections on Where to Live

It's been so so long since I posted anything.  I wanted to get pics of the kids out in their warm clothes on a somewhat crisp morning after relatively warm days.  This week is kind of a big week for us with symphony rehearsals and birthdays.  We just had our back yard fenced in and I love it.  I don't have to tell the kids to stay in our yard and I don't have to worry about them getting into our large window well. It is nice to be able to send them out and have them be contained.  

We are considering moving from our little house.  We are trying to fix it up so it is nice for us at least and then if we want to we can put it on the market in reasonably good shape.  If we stay here we will have this place paid off in 11 years, my husband can continue to bike to work, we have the option of taking bikes on various errands.  We could move to another house in the city and that would be alright but I think our property taxes would be much higher than they are now.  We often consider moving to the country which would be a big change for us and it would mean a second car and husband driving much farther to work.  

In the country we would have more area for a bigger garden, we have options for things like keeping bees, chickens, quiet, more space to run, implementing homesteading ideas.  Of course keeping animals does come with added responsibilities and less opportunity to roam and come and go as you please.  I haven't traveled much in my life and I wonder if I ever will go over seas.  We also talk about going to Main and French Canada and speak French.  

We do live in a pretty little neighborhood with lots of trees and chipmunks, squirrels, birds, sometimes deer in our back yard and I also like the idea of making do where we are.  It would be less trouble; but going for the option just because it "less trouble" isn't how we want to live life is it?  

Right Now

I need to get up and start supper.  We are having this:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2014/01/black-eyed-pea-chili-with-quinoa-and-corn.html

I replace the black eyed peas with pinto beans and quinoa with millet.

The kids are working in their old coloring/activity books at their little table.

Gabe cut up onions for me before starting his homework.

Baby is napping.

It's a little grey with a little sun shining through.

I hope to get out for a walk.

I'm going to boil water for a cup of tea and then start supper.

Monday Musings

This weekend...We went to 4:00 mass on Saturday because we were going to visit Andy's parents on Sunday.  We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving and Gabe didn't have to serve at Latin mass or have any other commitments and it was a beautiful day (Has spring finally come to stay?)so it was a good time to go.

We had a nice visit.  We brought some soup for lunch.  Andy cut everything up for the soup the night before and I put it together the next day before we went.  Grandma had some premade rolls she put in the oven along with Strawberries and an Angelfood cake she bought from the store.  I put the water in the and cooked it when we got there.

I have to admit I was a little nervous cooking in my mother-in-laws kitchen. It's difficult to know how much help to give/offer to people who don't ask for help.  They live in their own home and I don't want to imply that they can't take care of themselves but I can see that Mom in law gets tired easily doing the work so as long as we're there...

When we got home I went to the coffee shop for a few hours with my lap top.  I think I should try and do this at least every other week as it allows me time to sit and think and maybe even plan.

I wrote down a list of things that I want to clean this Lent for Spring Cleaning and finished a Postulant lesson for the Penitents.  I also put some books on hold at the library and put some books on my Amazon book lists.

Right now...It is seven thirty in the morning and it should really be 6:30.  I was doing well at getting up at 5:00 AM before everyone else and now it has turned into 6:00 the time when everybody else should be getting up too.  Gabe just left for school with the van and Andy is going to ride his bike for the first time this year.  The weather forecast for this week looks very promising.  So happy it is beginning to look like Spring.
Some plans for this week: begin my spring cleaning list.  I am starting with book shelves.  Try to get to daily mass two times this week, make yogurt (we'll see), going for walks outside with the kids (we haven't done this since fall). Get practicing again.  Take the kids out for a walk as the weather gets warmer and provided it is not raining.

If I find the time I want to... see plans for this week.

I'm praying for...my mother and father-in-law as they are living in their home and struggling with decreasing physical abilities, my husband that God blesses the work he does every day, for a deceased parishoner who became ill and died very suddenly, for a deceased penitent.

I'm grateful for...confession, forgiveness, insight into my failings so I can take responsablity for them as I am more prone to look to blame another

Something that makes me smile...

This picture of my baby from last summer.

Apple Dumpling Cake for Supper

 Last night we had apple dumpling cake and popcorn for supper.  I had lots of apples and didn't really have anything else ready for supper. So what the heck?  I used this recipe I found at All Recipes. We all liked it.

3 lbs apples, cored and sliced (I didn't peel them)
2 cups all purpose flour, I used half white whole wheat
1 1/2 cups of sugar (I used only one cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (I used half a cup oil and one half cup yogurt)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Place sliced apples in baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in eggs and oil; pack on top of apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until topping is puffed and golden brown.

Odds and ends on Monday

Last week we got out of the house a went for a total of two walks which was really great.  It is so good for us to get out of the house and I like to stay in touch with the seasons.  I can't do this if I don't go out side.  It is fall of course so it is really the best time of year for going for walks.  I've been taking baby in the baby carrier and that makes it even more fun.  C and E run and run.  They don't really run in our back yard.

Last week I also made some apple butter in my crock pot out of the free apples given to us the Friday before.  In my enthusiasm I took waaaayyyy to many. This is something that I have never made before and it turned out well.  I would like to make another batch this week. Her is a link to the recipe I used http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/26/slow-cooker-naked-apple-butter/.  I added 2 tsp of Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of cloves, 1/4/ tsp of nutmeg and 1/2/ cup of sugar.

This week: I need to order some homeschool books from Amazon, et al. I need to sign G up for Seton English and keep getting the kids out for walks. 

Today I need to pay bills, go for a walk, make more apple butter.

Hidden Life

This is some of what we read yesterday when Gabe and I were readling religion together.  From the Didache Series, Introduction to Catholicism, p. 119 talking about Christ's Hidden Years:

The hiddenlife of Christ is for us the perfect model of humility, industriousness and obedience...

By living in obscurity, he teaches us to fight vanity, which makes us desire to do only what seems great, important, or deserving of praise and notice.  He went about his work day after day without impatience or complaint. 

This is what I had in mind when I named this blog years ago going from an obscure job outside the home to the much more obscure, hidden job of being a homemaker.  It was a somewhat difficult transition.  I really didn't know if I was doing the right thing and one of the main reasons for this was perhaps the lack of acknowledgement that comes your way as a housewife.  It can be a very lonely business being the only one out in the middle of the day with  your own children going for walks in the neighborhood, running errands with your kids while everyone is running errands by themselves over lunch hour or working while their kids are at school or daycare.  Yes I feel like we are odd balls which can be an uncomfortable feeling but it is a feeling that I am learning to embrace.  I am happy to be here.