Monday Musings--9 May 2011

Right now... it is about 7:00 a.m.  Bret is done milking and a friend has come by to get our pig, which we sold.  Today the sky is clear, the birds are singing, I am sniffling  and it promises to be a beautiful day!  What's more, our good friend Dale is coming down to give Bret a hand starting the block foundation on the new Patch O' Dirt farmhouse!  My friend Cindy will be coming with a few of her kids today as well.  This translates as a very short day of school.

This weekend...was very nice.  Saturday I helped Una to give her room a good cleaning.  This may not sound very nice, but eliminating one large and two smaller garbage bags of garbage (we aren't talking about clothes and books here, but trash) felt really good.  The girl has her mom's tendency to be an arts-and-crafts-pack-rat, saving every scrap that perhaps could be used for some craft!  I also baked a wonderful white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to share with my mother for Mother's Day.

Mass was quite lovely yesterday.  Once home, I tidied up a bit and my mom came over for cake and coffee.  We did have one minor disaster after mom went home:  The three youngest boys went down to the pond and got soaked, after being told by Papa that they couldn't play with the hose in the back yard.  This wouldn't be a problem, except that Dominic says he got water in his ears--with the ear tubes.  I doubt it got far into the ear, likely it didn't even get anywhere near the ear tubes, but Dominic doesn't know the difference, and I have to treat it as if the water made it in--which means antibiotic ear drops three times a day for a few days.  Not fun.  Gabe got in big trouble for being so irresponsible.

Some plans for this week:  try to squeeze in as much school as possible, as today won't be a full day, and Una and I are supposed to go down to Alabama for a Mother-Daughter retreat on Friday.  I need to come up with a feeding plan for the menfolk and Gemma, and I need to stop hyperventilating every time I think about parting from Gemma for three days.  I feel physically ill every time I think of it, but I also need to think about spending time with Una--she is twelve now, and may leave us in as few as six years.  Opportunities for me to be with her and without all the other kids are few.  Ugh...I feel a bit queasy again...

If I find some time for myself, I would like to...finish painting things for the Etsy shop.  I have ideas, but no time.  I didn't work on anything last week.  I also need to get going on making some doll clothes for the doll Gemma will get for her birthday in July.  I am terribly slow getting anything done, so thinking ahead is essential.

Prayer intentions for this week:  I am praying for good weather and the safety of Bret and Dale as they set to work on the foundation--no strained backs or crushed fingers or toes!  I am praying that I get things in order for next weekend, and that Gemma will not be so clingy as to make it extra hard for me, and that none of the kids will get sick between now and next Sunday.

Something that makes me smile: This sunny, funny face--and the 27 time Dominic said "Happy Mother's Day!" yesterday...

If you want to do your own Monday Musings post, feel free to grab the header image for your post and if you want, leave a link to it in the comments here so that I can visit!  Have a blessed week!