Yuck.

In a few hours I'll be off to do the stupid 1-hour glucose test. My midwife says I'm so low-risk as to not be worth the time for it, but OBs need to cover themselves for fear of malpractice suits. Whenever I have had to take the test in the past, I have failed the 1-hour and passed the even-yuckier 3-hour. Wish me luck...

A few successes this week

1) I finished the last hat/bootie set I will do for a bit (double-pointed needles are so fiddly and make me feel like I have ten thumbs). I'm not sure what I'll be knitting next...

2) I cleaned out a large part of my bindery/workroom: the sewing area. I went through the bins of fabrics and scraps, threw out things, trimmed edges and generally tidied up.

4) I patched my first pair of jeans using this tutorial, and I am very pleased. I'm even more of a novice on the sewing machine than I am with knitting, but I have wanted to learn for years. I know that with a baby on the way my chances of learning now are no better, but I wax forever hopeful...

Click on the header to read more small success and to list your own!

A new house for the bunnies...

Bret spent the better part of the afternoon making a hutch for the rabbits, and once Sebastian finished school he went out to help.

New residents at Patch O' Dirt Farm

The menagerie expands. With some trepidation on my part, and enormous delight on my children's, we welcome Snowdrop and Cottontail:

Outside my window…a faint hint of dawn on the horizon, birds singing.

I am thinking…about the homily at yesterday's Mass. It was powerful, it was pro-life, it was highly critical of our Chief Executive and his administration (highly critical is nearly an understatement!), and I am so very pleased with Father for his show of courage. One family actually walked out on him.

I am thankful for…Many things. My husband, my kids, my family, my faith, homeschooling, farming, this pregnancy, my friends near and far...

From the kitchen...Muffins today (Banana).

I am creating…another hat and bootie set, this time in pink from the gorgeous Blue Sky Alpaca sent to me by Dandelionmom! Everything I've made so far was a blend with synthetics because that is what I had on hand, and that is what is affordable. Knitting with this stuff is so heavenly!

I am reading…Reading My Daily Bread. Easy to digest as it is served in small bites. Perfect for my addled, distracted brain.

I am hoping…to get a bit more cleaning done this week (vacuuming under furniture and such, with Bret's help) and to pass the 1-hour sugar test this week so that I don't have to go back for the 3-hour). I always seem to fail the first and pass the second.

I am hearing…Only the birds.

A few plans for the rest of the week… The 3 oldest kids have dental appointments this morning. I am filling out the May calendar this week and will plan to have a little Mother's Day luncheon over here. The hog is going to the butcher on Wednesday, so I need to make a cut list. And I still need a couple of gifts for Sebastian, who will be 8 on May 15th.

The children are... all up! In the last 2 minutes they have come into the office one-by-one to offer a sleepy hello. Dominic is lying on the floor at my feet with Pooh Bear...

A Picture Thought: The children found this little guy on the ground on Saturday. They couldn't find a nest and brought him in for a while. Later they went out and saw a mommy-bird jumping about and squawking, and the baby bird began to chirp back. So they put the little guy down and backed away. All we can do is hope for the best. We have taken on everything from baby birds to baby mice and rabbits, and our success rate for their survival hasn't been too good...

Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman for more Daybook entries.

Sunday Silence

Fantastic weather

84 degrees, sunny, breezy...

Bret has taken the whole gang to the creek to romp and play and collect bugs and frogs and such. Why am I not with them, snapping photos and getting some sun?

Because my floors really needed mopping, and it is hard to mop with kids running in and out of the house.

The sad part is, with the dreadful floors I have in this house, they don't look much better for the effort. I should have gone with them...

Una is Ten Years Old Today

A decade is a very special birthday indeed.

Una was born ten years ago on the Feast of St. George at 1:14 a.m. after a 2 hour and 20 minute labor. She has been my great delight from that moment on.

Big sister, little brothers

I'm just guessing, of course, but I'll bet scenes like this are a lot more common among home-educated kids...

He slept in this morning

Yes, they are blue...

...but they aren't for my baby, they are for Dakota, who was born a couple of months too soon to friends of ours. Cute, aren't they?

Geriatric Obstetrics

At the OB appointment yesterday

Me: On this form for the lab work, "High Risk" is checked. Is that just because of my age?

OB: Yes, we consider anyone over the age of 35 a high risk pregnancy.

Me: I've had all my kids at over the age of 35.

OB: (Breaking into a goofy grin) Yes, I noticed that. Got a bit of a late start, didn't you?

Me: I'm making up for it.

Hasn't the man read Aesop? I was about to mention that the Tortoise, too, got a late start, but I thought better of it--he may have come back with something about my resembling the Hare in terms of fertility...

**sigh** I'll be glad to switch to my midwife in the last few weeks...I don't feel like such a curiosity with her, as she delivers babies for lots of big families and older mamas. And she never asks me, "So, do you think you'll be done after this one?"

My husband's solution to mowing the lawn

Yep, he lets the bovines--and the goat--graze in the front and back yards. It does indeed keep the grass down, but creates a secondary problem: I have cow poop in my yard. But the Great Solver of Problems has a way around this, too: spread cracked corn on the cow pies and the chickens will come through and scratch it up, spreading it out to fertilize the grass.

So, I'm waiting to see how he plans to deal with the chicken poop all over the porch and driveway...

Outside my window…Dark with gusts of wind. A rainy day expected.

I am thinking…About Una. Still has the cough and headache that are sometimes a bit better, sometimes worse, but never leave her and respond to no medication. We tried a cold/allergy/sinus medicine last night to no avail. I am concerned and exasperated.

I am thankful for…having finished the Changing of the Seasonal Clothing this week--a big to-do, as everything is pretty much in big containers in an attic crawlspace. Up and down a ladder with a big tummy and no lung capacity wore me out!

From the kitchen...Muffins today, blueberry or banana, whatever the kids vote on. Since my menu plan fell apart last week (never got it done), I've been winging it, and it's not been fun!

I am creating…just finishing a hat/bootie set for a friend's premature 4-pound baby. I'm not sure what I want to do next. I have a line-up of patterns on Ravelry I like, and a nice stock of yarn...

I am reading…Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss. For all my years of home schooling, I was unfamiliar with Charlotte Mason, other than her name. I like Elizabeth Foss' blog, so I figured her book might be a good read. I am not disappointed. And because I had blown off meditation in the morning for so long and am feeling so distracted, I chose to pull down My Daily Bread. Short, easy, non-challenging meditations for my monkey-brain that swings from branch to branch...

I am hoping…that this week back at school will go well and that God's grace will sustain me. I'm feeling anxious and overwhelmed lately.

I am hearing…Just Gabriel, the only one awake, quietly building with Megabloks.

A few plans for the rest of the week… I have an OB appt. this morning at 11:00. I want to make an appointment for Una to see an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist (I'm running out of ideas!); my floors need a washing. Una's birthday is on Thursday, so there are plans for cake-baking on Wednesday. My sister and her kids are hoping to come over Friday, and the weather is supposed to be lovely and warm.

The children are... asleep, but for Gabriel. Oh, blessed quiet!

A Picture Thought: This is a photo I took of Una about 3 years ago holding SugarBoy, her bantam cochin rooster who met his end with an oppossum. It is very much Una, her pensive look, her love of animals and being outdoors...

Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman for more Daybook entries. Hope you enjoy some beautiful spring weather this week!

100 days until my due date!

Just noticed that nice, round figure on my sidebar widget. I should say "number" rather than "figure", being as round as I am these days...

Divine Mercy Sunday

O blood and water which poured forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

There is an excellent article on the nature of God's mercy and the Divine Mercy here.

And the Fathers of Mercy, at the Chapel of Divine Mercy in Auburn, KY will be having special devotions for this day at 2:00 p.m. There will be opportunity for confession (we have four confessionals, folks!), a blessing of the Divine Mercy image, and a Chaplet of Divine Mercy. And these being mission priests, I'm sure there will be a great talk on the Divine Mercy.

The never-ending battle with clutter

There seems to be no chance at minimalism in a home with a bunch of kids who, like most kids, collect everything.

But I keep trying. And I found a good resource for ideas here. Have you had some de-cluttering successes lately? Let me know. Inspire me!

If you have boys...

...then you need this tutorial!

If I ever manage to get caught up with the house cleaning and changing out the kids clothes to spring and summer wardrobes, I have a stack of jeans with holes in the knees to take out to my sewing machine. My sewing machine, as I have mentioned previously on this blog, sits gathering dust most of the time, waiting for me to learn how to use it.

Anyway, this is the best step-by-step tutorial I've seen on what to do about holey knees, other than making cut-offs or using those iron-on patches that peel off after a wash or two.

Hot off the needles

Yesterday I completed my second baby sweater, this time in newborn size. I'm not thrilled with the yarn I used, but I had it here and I was just itching to start another project, so I went ahead and used what I had on hand. It turned out pretty well. The pattern is the garter stitch baby sweater from Debbie Bliss' Quick Baby Knits. The booties I started last night and finished this morning. I got the pattern for them here. I still want to do a hat to complete the set.

I got to indulge my knitting mania a bit yesterday. We went into Bowling Green and I got to go to Hobby Lobby for the first time in a couple of years. I bought enough yarn to keep me in [knitting] stitches for a while! I even bought some for a pretty sweater I hope to make for Una by the coming fall.

So many patterns, so little time...!

Not just empty rhetoric about "Change"...

It would be nice to have a President once again who is also a patriot. To our current government's ears, President Reagan would sound dangerously subversive...(thanks, Bruce, for forwarding these to our email!)

'Here's my strategy on the Cold war: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'-Ronald Reagan


'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' Ronald Reagan


'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.'- Ronald Reagan


'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan


'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.' - Ronald Reagan


'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' Ronald Reagan


'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan


'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it' - Ronald Reagan


'Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.' - Ronald Reagan


'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan



'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.'- Ronald Reagan

Stuff like this really steams me...

This article from the LA Times (where else...?) really irks me. Well, not the article, but it's subject, which is a class called "Spirituality for Kids" and has been permitted in some LA Elementary public schools during the day or after school. Can't mention God's name in a public school, but you can teach New Age garbage and say it hasn't a thing to do with religion...

Outside my window…Dark and windy, about 54 degrees. Rain expected.

I am thinking…about Easter Sunday. I never finished my Lenten cleaning, I never got Easter cards out, the meal was so-so, but the kids looked lovely and were delighted with the little treats they received, we were all healthy in time Sunday, and it was a beautiful day. What else matters?

I am thankful for…having the week off so that I can catch up a bit; for our stomach virus to have been so short-lived, for the jobs that have come to Bret since his lay-off and for feeling pretty good, all things considered (other than my beastly varicose veins which will likely get better after the baby is born), being the old pregnant lady that I am!

From the kitchen...a friend gave us a coffee cake yesterday, so I guess that may be on the menu for the kids' breakfast along with some canned peaches or something; there are plans to make ice cream tonight (we've had none throughout Lent), and I think that egg salad or deviled eggs are probably likely lunch ideas.

I am creating…still working on the newborn sweater, which, with a little free time, I ought to finish in the next day or two. I have so many things I want to knit. And so little time!

I am reading…A Picture Perfect Childhood and Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss. For all my years of home schooling, I was unfamiliar with Charlotte Mason, other than her name. I like Elizabeth Foss' blog, so I figured her book might be a good read. I am not disappointed.

I am hoping…to get caught up with a few things since there is no school this week. And I am really hoping to get into town to Hobby Lobby. I haven't been there in two years, so I will be like a kid in a candy shop--on a budget, of course.

I am hearing…WAY too much noise! All the boys are up and I think there is still sugar in their systems left from yesterday!

A few plans for the rest of the week…reschedule a few appointments, make a menu plan, finish the baby sweater, do a bit more cleaning around here and hopefully attend the TEA rally in Bowling Green on Wednesday.

The children are...a bit over-the-top for 6:30 in the morning! they are drawing and playing with Megabloks, and arguing with gusto.

A picture thought: No, it's not mine, I just found it on the internet. I have a thing about blue and white china, and this very folksy blue and white pysanky really appealed to me...

Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman for more Daybook entries. Have a glorious Easter Week!

After Mass today--Easter Egg Hunt

Happy Easter!

Holy Saturday--but also the Feast of St. Gemma Galgani

I have to post something on St. Gemma, even in the midst of the Triduum, as I long ago decided that if I ever had a second daughter, her name would be Gemma. Since I am in the midst of preparations for Easter after a week of not getting anything done (due to the virus that just ran through the family and a sore ankle), I will just give you a wonderful link for discovering more about this beautiful Saint. I am fortunate enough to own a reliquary that includes a first class relic of hers, as well as those of several other Passionist Saints.

St. Gemma Galgani, pray for us (and in particular, for my own little Gemma)!

Good Friday

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee,
Because by thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world...



Ecce lignum Crucis in quo salis mundi pependit.

My turn last night

I had my turn at leaning over the toilet last night. Thankfully, it seems a short-lived thing, and other than being exceedingly tired and achy, I feel like my gut is in order. Everyone else seems pretty much back to normal (judging by the amount of arguing and noise), although Una and Sebastian are still feeling a bit weak.

Well, I sure am glad to have that out of the way before Easter!

24 week belly-shot

Marilyn posted her tummy today at 32 weeks and challenged me to post mine. Sorry about it being yet another fuzzy self-portrait in a dirty mirror, but as my photographer followed me down the hall to take my picture, he was overcome with the urge to vomit and had to hastily excuse himself (I wonder if Nadja Auermann ever had to deal with that kind of thing...?)

Any other expectant mommy-bloggers want to join in? Milehimama...?

Light at the end of the tunnel

Dominic is on the mend after a good night's sleep and a three-hour nap today. Una has been down with the bug since about 10:00 a.m., Gabriel fell to it at about 11:30, and Sebastian finally succumbed after 1:00. I don't mind having three down at once when it is the older kids; in fact, I rather appreciate it in a 24-hour stomach bug. The kids will likely be over it by tomorrow evening, leaving me free to get sick myself without having to clean up someone else's stomach contents.

All things considered, it hasn't been too bad a day...

Spring window decor

With the paper snowflakes taken down last month, the windows were looking a little bare. So after looking at ideas for spring crafts on The Crafty Crow, I decided upon these. A little black construction paper, a little tissue paper, a scalpel, a glue stick and scissors, and there you have it: "stained glass" flowers.

Party like it's 1773...

Concerned about the government spending that is spinning out of control? A debt our great-grandchildren will be paying off? All the insane things the government is doing with our money?

April 15th this year is TEA Party Day. The organization Taxed Enough Already is organizing nation-wide rallies to protest government misuse of our tax dollars. On their site you can find the rally that will be taking place nearest you and find out what you can do to help.

I expect it will get as much mainstream media coverage as the annual pro-life march in D.C. does every year (which is to say, hardly anything), but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it.

From the trenches

Most mommies have been there, and I would think that just about every mommy with several kids has been there: those days that seem like they will never end and which are one long litany of "What Else Can Go Wrong?" By evening one's nerves are raw and one is just dying for bedtime and an end to it all. Yesterday was one of those.

1) On Friday something happened with my left foot and ankle--I don't recall injuring it, but I have trouble putting pressure on it. I limped around the Homeschool Conference this past weekend, and it is no better. In combination with varicose veins acting up, I feel like I'm nearly crippled. So be it.

2) Una slipped on a patch of ice (yes, ice--it actually snowed a bit Monday evening) while putting out mail yesterday morning and came in muddy and teary-eyed. She'd hit the pavement hard. I got her into a hot tub and gave her homeopathic arnica. She has a half-dollar sized bruise on one kneecap.

3) Adrian being better, he was back to fighting with his brothers yesterday and teasing Dominic into shrieking fits. Dominic began throwing up at naptime and could hold down nothing more than ice chips. Two teaspoons of Chamomile tea came up on him. He dozed on the sofa yesterday, waking every twenty minutes or so with dry heaves and tears. I also had to change 5 diapers in 2 hours. I think he is empty now...

4) Since I was rather stranded in the living room due to these sudden gagging spells of Dominic's, I decided to try to work on a craft at the coffee table--and promptly sliced through the skin between my thumb and index finger with a scalpel. No stitches needed, thank God.

5) At 6 p.m., Bret still wasn't home. We don't have cell phones, so I had no idea where he was. I was trying to fix the older kids something to eat and noticed our milk cow way out on our neighbor's pasture. In heat, she apparently jumped the fence.

It was after 6:30 when Bret got home and got the cow in (Una and Sebastian had not been able to do it) and then fixed the fence until dark. He ate dinner at 7:45.

I lay in bed, Dominic finally sleeping deeply on the floor beside me, feeling depressed and despairing for the first time in ages. I was thinking of the future of this country and wondering what it would become as my children get older. I thought about what life would be like should anything happen to Bret. It seemed that every negative thought hit me all at once. Truly, the Enemy had found a little foothold in my soul and was trying to get a good grip.

I fought it with all my being. I thanked God for an opportunity, albeit a bit late in the day, to offer all of it up in reparation for the sins of this nation and begged him to keep His little flock pressed close to His heart and safe. I thanked him for Una, who did her schoolwork without any need for me to press her, and who also kept Adrian busy with his own "school", and who made peanut butter and jam sandwiches for everyone when I was sitting on the sofa with a crying toddler on my lap. I thanked Him for my faith, without which I think I would have found a day like yesterday utterly pointless.

Maybe if I'd been better at mortifying myself during Lent, the Lord would have found little reason to mortify me so and the devil wouldn't have found a way in. But I haven't been really good about it. Yes, I have for the most part stuck to my little sacrifices, but my spirit has been far from our Lord. It is not the sacrifice, but the intention that is of any value on God's sight. I have known all through Lent that my spirit and intention were faulty, but I have done little or nothing to set it right.

And so, I accept these little crosses, although they feel so heavy, with all humility and acknowledging my weakness and need; I express sorrow for my tepidity and beg for deeper faith, hope and charity. With the Blessed Mother and my patroness, St. Mary Magdalen, I will stand at the foot of the Cross and try to keep my eyes on the Lord these last few days of Lent, and I pray that I will merit some of the joy of the Resurrection come Easter Sunday.

Round Two

I was hoping against all odds that Adrian's bout of tummy trouble was a one-off thing, but today at naptime, Dominic began his own turn at projectile vomiting, and has thrown up thrice more, although there isn't much left to get rid of at this point.

Wonder if it will get through the whole family before Easter...

Divine Mercy Sunday at the Fathers of Mercy

If anyone out there can make it out to south-central Kentucky on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Fathers of Mercy have something special going on at the Chapel of Divine Mercy. Mass is, as usual, at 10:00 a.m., but at 2:00 p.m. they will have special devotions including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a blessing of the Divine Mercy image, opportunity for confession (there are four confessionals and they plan to have a priest in each), and I know not what else.

As you can guess by their name and the name of the Chapel, the Fathers of Mercy have a special dedication to the message of God's tender mercy to us, his creatures and adopted children, and they spend most of their time preaching that message on their missions. We are fortunate enough to get not just homilies, but mission talks just about every Sunday (this can sometimes be a little much for the younger kids--the fathers never give a mere fifteen-minute homily on a Sunday!)

It ought to be a very grace-filled afternoon.

On this day, sixteen years ago...

...I came into the Catholic Church. I was thirty-three when I received the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil in 1996. Only God knows my gratitude.

Today is also the 20th birthday of Sr. Joseph Marie of the Divine Child Jesus, in her canonical year with the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. She is my friend Cindy's oldest child and a dear, sweet, holy girl. Happy birthday, sweetie! I am so grateful that my family has your prayers!

Outside my window…Dark and 45 degrees, the wind blowing in more wintry weather.

I am thinking…of so many things my mind's a jumble. I am trying to focus on this week as our Lord spent it, and despite all that I have to do, I am thinking that I need to sit with the children and read to them and do some Easter crafts.

I am thankful for…getting so much curriculum shopping done this weekend. I am hoping to have 100% of it done and my schooing goals for the coming year down on paper before the baby arrives. I am thankful for the beautiful Palm Sunday Mass, a good confession, time with Cindy and God having called me into the Catholic Church.

From the kitchen...Muffin Monday, and it will be pumpkin, served up with yogurt on the side. I have to make butter, too. Nuala is on spring grass and is producing so much that we are skimming gallons for the cream and giving the milk to the pig! It breaks my heart!

I am creating…another sweater, but hopefully in a newborn size. I may put it aside and start a preemie sweater for the baby of friends. Dakota was born yesterday--mommy's water broke early and baby was getting distressed, so they delivered him two months early--all three pounds of him! I found buttons--pink flower-shaped ones--for the pink sweater I finished last week.

I am reading…A Picture Perfect Childhood It is going to be a fantastic resource for schooling, especially, but not exclusively, for the younger kids. I love lists, and this book is full of wonderful lists of picture books to be used to enrich just about anything you might be teaching.

I am hoping…that I can get a few things done this week without going insane! I am hoping I do not blow Holy Week by getting all wrapped up in the details of running a household. I am hoping that there will some time be an end to Una's cough and other odd symptoms. She isn't coughing badly, but there is still that constant little cough, and she has been on Singulair all week. I think only part of it is allergy related.

I am hearing…Just wind and the hum of the computer. That is why I rise so darned early!

A few plans for the rest of the week…I can't publish the entire exhaustive list here, but at the top of it I have to pull out Easter clothes to find what fits; give Sebastian a haircut, work out my menu plan for Easter and the next two weeks, take care of some correspondence and get a few things together so that the children will actually have some goodies Easter Morning!

The children are...slowly rising. Gabriel, Adrian and Dominic just came in to requisition some drawing paper and crayons. Adrian's head is cool, but his tummy is so very empty! I'm going to get up and make him some warm honey-milk to hold him over until breakfast.

A picture thought: Upon my return yesterday there was a little padded envelope addressed to me with an unfamiliar name and address. When I opened it, there was this beautiful pink yarn and the sweetest note. This from someone I've never even met! Blog-moms are just the nicest bunch of women ever. Thank you from the bottom of my very grateful and deeply touched heart, Dandelionmom!
Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman for more Daybook entries. I pray you have a great week!

I'm back from St. Louis...

...what's left of me, that is! I am always so wiped-out after these conferences. The good news is that I got about 85% of the coming year's curriculum purchased, our travel weather was good, Susie Lloyd was a lovely speaker and my friend Cindy and I had our yearly "girl-time" together to talk for hours on end during the 5-hour trip there and back.

The bad news is that I had to come home to a sick little boy. Adrian was throwing up Saturday night and has a bit of a temperature. He slept most of the day and ate only a few animal crackers and some apple sauce all day, and had no trouble falling asleep right away at bedtime. The weather turning from glorious to foul also isn't very nice. Yesterday's high was in the 60's and today's will be about 41.

This will be such a busy week. I am so unprepared for Easter and have a million things to do. I am trying to slow my breathing and tell myself that whatever out dear Lord wishes me to accomplish and finds important, I will indeed accomplish. As long as we get to Mass for Easter and have a nice meal and a few little goodies for the kids, all the rest is of lesser importance.

It was nice to be away, but it is nicer to be with my family! So glad to be home!

Baby Sweater--Complete! [well, nearly...]

Still needs the buttons, but the mother-of-pearl ones I wanted to use are too small, and I need 1/2" ones. Not too difficult, but by far the most complicated thing I've done to date.

Busy busy busy!

First off, for those of you who offered prayers for my girl, yesterday was the first day she was nearly back to normal. I will be going to another allergist, however, as this one just seems bound and determined to get her on a couple of daily preventative medications (he had pretty much put this notion forward before she had even done the tests). I'm not fond of the idea of a 365-day course of medicine for a perhaps 60-day per year cough.

She is moderately allergic to pollen, but highly allergic to dust mites and molds. That's bad...dust mites are practically family in this house. Anyway, the allergist wouldn't even address the shooting pains in her head and chest, and thought her cough was a "habit" since she doesn't cough at night. Some habit...she coughed herself to dizziness last week, and a little incense at Church has her hacking for hours.

Yesterday I cleaned her room. Stripped bedding, vacuumed every corner, dusted, put out her spring and summer clothes, etc. Still need to wash the curtains. She has hardly coughed at all yesterday or today. I don't think it has a thing to do with the cleaning, but a clean room can't hurt!

In the middle of all the pre-Easter madness comes the St. Louis Catholic Homeschool Association Conference. They always have it the weekend before Holy Week, which stinks! I have clothes to pull out and iron, haircuts to do, Easter baskets to put together, cards to make and mail out...and now here I am, unprepared and going out of town for the weekend. True, it is the only weekend of the year I leave my kids and enjoy a little girl-time with my best friend, but I wish it was in June!

This year was especially nuts, as Cindy usually makes the hotel reservations, but right now her computer is down. Since we are both concerned about the cost, finding the best deals is a priority, and I did it this year. Takes some time and research.

Okay, I have a million things to do before I leave on Friday morning, so if you don't hear from me, say a prayer for my family in my absense and one for me and Cindy who will be on the road.

And if you plan to be at the conference, let me know! I'd like to meet you!