“All things seem possible in May” | May 18 Daybook

A Daybook Entry For May 18, 2015

Outside my window…

This squirrel and our black lab go round and round several times per day. The squirrel cackles at and taunts the dog. The dog goes berserk while trying to climb whichever tree the squirrel runs up. The kids and I pull up a chair and laugh at it all. It really is a cartoon in the making.

I am thinking…

about my interview at noon today with Jeff Young, the Catholic Foodie. He has a brand new daily live radio show at Real Life Radio. You can listen online here at noon central (Monday, May 18). The audio will also pushed out as a podcast on both Real Life Radio’s feed and The Catholic Foodie podcast feed. Jeff and I will chat about living the faith in our daily family lives, and — of course — food and family meal times, which are very loud and scary times here. :)

I am thankful…

(very thankful) for trustworthy and encouraging friends.

I am wearing…

bracelets handmade by my friend Molly. Check out her business, Beads of Grace.

I am creating…

joyful spaces.

I talked about those pillows last month. This month it’s new window treatments! 8 years living here and I’m guessing the neighbors are more excited than I that we’re finally shielding the world from the crazy inside #DasSchmidtHaus. Thank you, JCPenney Home Store.

I am going…

to run/walk/fall over next Saturday when my friend Mary and I run/walk/crawl/shot put each other/do whatever it takes to cross the Dam-to-Dam half-marathon finish line in time to get a medal placed around our necks. Please, God, help us run with race with perseverance.

I am wondering…

why I thought registering for Dam to Dam was a good idea?!

I am reading…

… or should be reading … Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. It’s the next title for the Well-Read Mom book club. Any time a book has an accompanying CliffNotes, I get a little nervous. I probably should have started it weeks ago. At any rate, here’s what I am currently reading.

• The Jeweler’s Shop by Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) for Well-Read Mom. I wrote more about it here.
• The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock. This was a summer selection with Well-Read Mom two years ago, I think, and I picked it back up again given it’s set in a monastery. A friend mentioned it might serve as good inspiration for the book Joel and I are writing about adapting monastic life to the family.
• Lucy and I are nearly finished with our current read-aloud, Josefina from the American Girls collection. Sidebar: I absolutely LOVE the Josefina books. Lucy wants to keep on with the American Girls series and dive into Molly next because, in her words, “Molly’s flag looks like our flag.” Patriotic kid, eh?
• Finally, a few favorites from the kids’ May book basket:
  • Pascual and the Kitchen Angels by Tomie de Paola — in honor of St. Pascual Baylon’s feast day on May 17 and written and illustrated by our favorite children’s author.
  • The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith by Josephine Nobisso — Truly, this one is a must-have for Catholic families. It’s a gentle tale that celebrates the power of the Mass and the Eucharist.
  • Mary, Mother of Jesus by Mary Joslin — this one is written as if Mary were speaking to you, giving an overview of her life and events with her son Jesus. Beautifully written with equally beautiful illustrations.

I am hoping…

for some sunshine and warmer weather this week, although that’s not looking promising.

I am learning…

that I actually enjoy crafting, just not with my kids … or anybody’s kids.

In my garden…

peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers are growing! We are keeping it small and simple this year given we are first-time members of a brand new CSA here in Des Moines called Heirloom Farms. In a few weeks, we will begin receiving a half-bushel box full of produce on a weekly basis through October. I’m excited and very curious how this will work for our family.

In my kitchen…

lots of grilled proteins accompanied with loaded vegetable salads. Preparing and eating healthier meals feels so much easier when you can grill outside without wearing a winter coat!

In the homeschool room…

I’m exploring a lot of material and options for next year’s curriculum. While I reserve the right to change my mind come August, we’re staying the course with homeschooling for next school year.

A favorite quote for today…

“The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” — Edwin Way Teale

((Aha, this explains why I registered to run that half marathon in 2 weeks.))

A peek into one of my days…

Lucy wanted to go bird watching. :) That kid is all kinds of awesome.

One of my favorite things…

is reading aloud to my kids. I struggle to do well with many things in this phase of parenting, but I can read a story like a boss. When I was a kid, we had a storyline telephone service to call into and hear a story read over the phone. Now they have Storyline Online. I’ve actually tossed around the idea of recording some read-alouds of a few great faith-based children’s books in the same manner as Storyline Online. I have no idea how to make that a reality; it’s simply a thought filed away with a million others.

Photo credit: findinghomeonline.com

Post Script…

(a link I simply want to pass along)

This quiz, “What made a marriage good in 1939” is hilarious. You can answer the quiz questions for your spouse and see how s/he fares by the relationship standards of 1939. Joel scored 106 out of 100. Impressive, huh?!

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As always, thanks for stopping by!

Today’s post is linked with the Simple Woman’s Blog.