Monday Morning Musings--July 26th, 2010

Right Now:  it is 6:17 and the two little boys are the only ones up and out in the living room, which means it is only a matter of time before the arguments begin.  I have a load of diapers in the washing machine.  It is going to be another hot and muggy day, with a 60% chance of thunderstorms.

This weekend:  was very nice, although it had begun badly with Max killing another of the young chickens Friday morning and Dominic tipping a full bowls of cereal and milk onto the floor.  Things improved with a visit from a friend and her six kids.  I love it when she comes, as not only do my kids not argue much with hers, my kids argue less among themselves as well.  Yes, it's a bit crazy, especially when the mass production of PBJs begins, but it is also a lot of fun, for us and for the kids.  When they left, we were all tired and happy.  Gabe was actually sleeping in his bed...

On Saturday morning, the dead rooster, now turning greenish, reappeared in the front yard.  Max had discovered where it had been disposed of, and brought it home.  There were the usual household chores, but my mom came over and brought homemade German-style "Bauernbrot" ("farmer's bread"), homemade peach jam that is the best I have ever tasted, and a bottle of this wonderful sparkling blood orange lemonade from France.  The older kids left with Bret at 5 to go to their first ballgame in Bowling Green.  It was Faith & Family night, sponsored by a Christian radio station, and Fr. David Wilton, CPM, from the Fathers of Mercy, threw out the first ball, which he afterwards gave to Gabriel.  They got home at 11 p.m.

Sebastian with the first ball thrown out, and Fr. Dave in the background

Mass on Sunday, followed by a necessary trip to Lowes for a new lock set (Bret installed a new front door, which he got on Craigslist for $30), a new hand shower, new child-safety locks for the cabinets (the boys have pretty much muscled their way through the old ones) and a new and functional thermostat (hurray! no more turning the AC on and off all through the day!).  At home we watched Uncle Nino from Netflix, which I really liked in spite of some mild language.  And I worked on my knitting, too.

Some plans for the week:  get someone to burn the dead rooster, which has appeared yet again, this time next to my clothesline.  It would happen that I have a defrosted chicken in the fridge I have to cook today, or else toss into the flames with the green one.  I need to make more yogurt.  I need to finish something I am working on for my sister's birthday, and come up with a couple of ideas for Dominic's birthday, which is a week from Wednesday.  I want to continue to read this book to Sebastian (Una has read it and Gabe comes and goes--has little interest in being read to unless there are pictures), and I am going to try this craft with the kids.  And there is Gemma's sweater to work on (I have little time to knit, and am not a fast knitter) and Una's skirt to finish with her.

If I Can Find Some Time for Myself I Want To:  continue my quest for easy to make Christmas gifts for everyone on my list!  And I really, really, really need to get some photos off my computer and onto a memory stick, and to order prints before I reach the point of no return!

Special Prayer Intentions:  Today is the feast of St. Anne, and I ask for her intercession, that I might be drawn ever closer to Our Blessed Mother.  I am thinking of another Anne today, praying that her little one is recovering well.  I have so many people to pray for, in fact, that I ask Mary, my patron saints and my guardian angel to pray for these people, whenever thoughts of them enter my mind.

Something That Makes Me Smile:  Lunch with friends.

Feel free to grab the header and post your own Monday Musings.  Link back here from your post so that I can read it.  And have a blessed week...