Glorious Days.....

.........going by like a flash!

(Just when I think life can't possibly get any busier, it does!)

But the weather has been simply glorious!

And we are on our last week of school!

Hurray!

I am looking forward to summer break every bit as much as the children!;)

A Pretty, Messy Sink

It is pretty messy.....

But it can be pretty too.

When I have it decorated with the lovely bouquets the children keep bringing in to me! :)

Operation Chicken Update:The Counterattack, Or I Think This Means War

Well, as you all know, I planted the chicken on my Knight's dresser a few days back. The next morning, it was still there, and my Knight coolly nonchalant. ~Did he really see it? Did he want me to think he hadn't noticed it? Or that he did see it and didn't care? Oh the cruelty of psychological warfare! But I was coolly nonchalant as well. Then the next evening the chicken vanished without a trace. Went M.I.A. I couldn't pick up the slightest clue from my Knight, and was seriously beginning to think that one of the children may have noticed it and returned it back to the farm. The next day I planned to launch an all~out search. But that next morning, I found it. Laying on a neatly folded handkerchief in my top dresser drawer. You know what this means don't you? War. 

Operation Chicken

I really like chickens.

I have for a long long time.

And one day I would really like to own some.

My Knight knows this, and I try not to bother him with it.  I may mention something related to chickens every few months or so (~See, I have been good!;), but am really resigned to the fact that it may be a few years, maybe more, until we are set up to actually acquire some.

Well, last Saturday morning we were talking to an old friend and we got on the subject of chickens. My Knight made some comment like "Kate really wants chickens and has been pestering me about it so much that I'm starting to resent it." For one brief second I was shocked. But then I thought, surely he must be teasing. He knows I really want them, but I haven't mentioned it that much!!! Just to be sure though, I decided to broach the subject at breakfast, and promise to never mention the word chicken again if he so desired it. But, as I thought, he was only teasing.(What a turkey!) And he told me he didn't mind talking about chickens every now and again....

I am sorry to admit that my lower nature triumphed and a fowl plan of retaliation began to incubate........and by the next day, the hatching of Operation Chicken had begun.

On the way home from morning Mass I mentioned, "It was so nice taking to X." And then offhandedly,

"You know, she and her husband have chickens."(A fact of which he is perfectly aware.)

"Yes," he replied tonelessly, staring straight ahead.

A few seconds later I continued with, "I am planning to make chicken for dinner."

"That's nice." Still staring straight ahead, but I thought I caught a quick glimmer of amusement in his eye.

"How did you like the eggs that I made you for breakfast this morning?" I asked the question as innocently as possible.

"They were very good."

I was looking straight ahead trying very hard not to smile, and failing utterly when I felt him glance over at me.

He continued coolly, "Store bought eggs have such a nice flavor. So much better than those from chickens on a farm." (Heartless and wicked!!!;)

Silence.

I fought to display an air of wounded dignity. He looked at me and grinned.

"I knew exactly what you were up to. From the very beginning."

I turned, my eyes laughing into his;

"I know," I replied with a superior smile.

And if he thinks that is the end....well, he is mistaken. Operation Chicken has just begun. But it does require a certain delicacy. That subtle touch. Today I planted a little toy chicken on his dresser for him to find when he arrives home from work. And I have so many more ideas.... Valentine's Day? How about a homemade valentine with a chicken on the front and a caption that reads something like "This chick's crazy about you!"

Easter? Our family collectively doesn't care for "Peeps", but I think my Knight may find a box of them in our basket this year........

Ah yes. Operation Chicken has only just begun.....;)

Miss Posy's Knitting

We bought her a French Knitting mushroom for her birthday, and she loves it! Currently, she is in the process of making a hat for Little Lady.......or so she claims. We'll have to see how that works out....;)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had such a wonderful Christmas.....

Wonderful in every way.

I am so grateful for the many blessings we have received over the past year.

But the one for which I am most grateful

was getting to hold this sweet Little Lady in my arms for the very first time....

.....just three days before Christmas.

I can't imagine a more wonderful Christmas gift, can you? :)

The Last Slice

I enjoyed the last slice of cheesecake ~leftover from yesterday~ with my coffee this morning. We had some dear friends and family up to dinner yesterday, and the house was filled with children, lovely conversations, excellent food, sunshine, and crisp fresh air. Really a perfect day.

I had the foresight to make the cheesecake several days in advance, as I knew the weekend would be very busy (~And it was!!!!). The recipe I found in Joy of Cooking, and I used the nut crust recipe instead of the crumb crust. It turned out every bit as well as I hoped.......especially when topped with strawberry freezer jam....;)

More Roses....

My Knight in S.A. certainly does spoil me....

Today has been overcast and breezy, with a definite nip in the air.~Feels more like late September than early August! But I must say that it is a welcome change after the oppressive heat we've experienced this summer. Perhaps we will have an early autumn...

....I would dearly love it, especially since it is my favorite season!

My First Granny Square.....

It's not perfect.

And I stayed up 'til the wee hours last night completing it.

But I am so proud of it!!!

Just to think that as of yesterday afternoon, all I could crochet was a simple chain stitch!

It's all thanks to youtube and these wonderful lessons! 

Shopping Day.....

....and I am so exhausted!!!

But, I did happen to find some beautiful plants on sale (one of which is the gorgeous red geranium pictured above........Have I ever shared with you how much I love red geraniums?)......and a huge dusky~red pot that I intend to fill with beautiful botanical goodness soon.

And when I do, I'll share a picture.

I promise:)

A Slow Saturday......

....which is very nice, as tomorrow looks to be quite busy!

Welcome Rain

After a couple months of terrible drought, this morning's rain was a bit of heaven. A beautiful steady-yet-light "growing rain."

Things have been very busy here. We all have been battling nasty colds, poor Boots especially. Lots of tea, and today I have a huge pot of homemade chicken broth brewing away on the stove. I'm toying with the idea of canning about three quarters of it......If I'm feeling extra adventurous, that is........;) If not, I'll just freeze it!

Tomorrow is a big day for my Knight, as he goes before a committee to defend his proposal (I think that is what it is called, anyway!:); a very big step on the way to getting his Doctorate. My parents have agreed to take the children for the day, so I get to tag along and watch him give his defense. Exciting. If you can spare any prayers for him, they would be very much appreciated!

Well, I guess I had better get back to my broth and make up my mind once and for all about what to do with all of it! 

Such Sillies....

Embracing Interruptions

So often I find myself thinking

Of how much I could accomplish

If it weren't for all of the interruptions.

A life free of interruptions.

How selfish.

It is His voice that calls me

Through those little voices.

His eyes that look at me through theirs;

Through tears, through smiles.

He calls, He watches.

He interrupts to remind me

That it is not all about me.

It is not all about what I want to do each day.

And in each interruption,

He gives me a priceless opportunity.

To teach.

To console.

To love.

I want to learn to truly embrace each interruption.

To see each one for the treasure it really is.

For I suspect that it is during all of these interruptions

That I am most truly living my vocation of motherhood.

I Couldn't Decide....

......whether to title this post

How to Put Spare Embroidery Floss to Good Use

or

How to Occupy Your Children Every Afternoon

Without The Aid of Electronic Devices. 

It's all they have been wanting to do!

Fabulous.

I

Home Again

Packing....

We leave bright and early Monday morning on our family vacation out west, and will be gone for a little over a week.

So goodbye until we return!

Done!

"Fired with a housewifely wish to see her storeroom stocked with homemade preserves, she undertook to put up her own currant jelly. John was requested to order home a dozen or so little pots, and an extra quantity of sugar, for their own currants were ripe, and were to be attended to at once. As John firmly believed "my wife" was equal to anything, and took great natural pride in her skill, he resolved that she should be gratified, and their only crop of fruit laid by in a most pleasing form for winter use. Home came four dozen delightful little pots, half a barrel of sugar, and a small boy to pick the currants for her. With her pretty hair tucked into a little cap, arms bared to the elbow, and a checked apron which had a coquetish look in spite of the bib, the young housewife fell to work, feeling no doubts about her success; for hadn't she seen Hannah do it hundreds of times? The array of pots rather amazed her at first, but John was so fond of jelly, and the nice little jars would look so well on the top shelf, that Meg resolved to fill them all, and spent a long day picking, boiling, straining, and fussing over her jelly."

~from Little Women,

by Louisa May Alcott

Yellow and Blue.....

.....in my kitchen.

And I am currently debating whether I should make up a great big batch of freezer jam....

....or not.

We leave on our annual trip out west on Monday, 

and I have plenty to do already. 

But strawberries are so cheap right now,

and I don't know if they will still be around when we return.

And I have heard that making freezer jam is so easy...

I think I will....

(Am I crazy?)

Yes, I think I will....

Eight Years.....