Teddy video!

He's so cute.  I can't stand it.

Fall 2015

I'm not willing to give up on the blog yet.  I know that life starts to level out again around 9 months, and I could feel it when Teddy hit that age, but it happened to coincide with the beginning of school, which is an additional level of craziness.  It may well be that life is just one season of craziness after another, as we're into Fall Harvest now, and then MJL will be doing a musical, and then it'll be Christmas...  but nevertheless.  I believe someday I'll get back to sharing all of the random and interesting (to me) thoughts that I have when I'm driving the van or unloading the dishwasher.

In the meantime, I must keep seasonal lists, as it keeps me from feeling crazy.

How did Summer go?

Summer 2015

• Baby Gifts: Not as many as I would have liked, but some.
• Burp Cloths
• Little Blankies
• Binky holders
• Do some of the stuff in the yard that needs doing.    I'm so thankful for this wording!  "some" definitely got done. 
• Redo lounge chair from Dad's house.
• Father's Day Paintings
• The Fair  It's a good thing I put this on the list, because when I feel like I got nothing done, I can check the list and remember that I did do a lot of things. 
• Pigs
• Goats
• Dress
• Skirt
• Visual Arts
• Photography
• Crochet
• Concession Stand
• Foods
• Help Susu with the new baby!
• Start a new school year.  
• SWIM and breathe and enjoy it all.  Eat sno cones and look around at the sweet sticky faces and listen to what they are saying.  No items matter more than this.    Not enough.  But some.

It didn't feel like much, but when I look at it there, it seems better.  And I organized the pantry and made Teddy's banner too.  Hooray for Seasonal lists!

Fall 2015

• Slipcover for basement couch
• Mail things to babies
• Big basket on the sewing table
• Green box
• Portraits of Children!
• Videos of Children! Took them, but didn't do anything with them...
• Make as many Christmas gifts as possible.
• Enjoy Fall weather.  Be outside.  Kids outside.  
• College Kid Boxes
• Visit Abby
• Memorize quote from St. Francis de Sales--"Never be in a hurry; do all things quietly and in a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."  Just the first half.
• CD project
• One of the stack of boxes in office.
• Decide on design for Lauren's quilt. and fabric ordered!  So excited.
• Be home more.  Try to make home the default option and do less.   Took Wednesdays in town off the schedule!  Lovely. 

What's on your Fall list?

Summer 2015

Alas, still no time yet, though the ideas and the photos and even videos(!)  pile up.  Some day.  But I heard on the radio yesterday that this weekend was the start of official summer and I was shocked!  I was pleasantly surprised to check the list.  I was afraid nothing would be checked off.

Spring 2015

• Kathryn Quilt   Not in time for graduation, but it's at the quilter's now!
• Baby gifts (so many-don't even count, just make as many as you can and it won't be enough)  Got some burp cloths done for Susan and Hailey, though not in time for either shower.  Still have 5 babies coming and another born last Spring that has nothing yet...
• Put down Weed Barrier Fabric around new trees.  NO.  And there are so many weeds.  Sorry, little plants.  
• Install Drip system around new trees. Also no, but it rained and rained, which buys me some time.  
• Pull up old weed fabric around lilacs.  Some, but not all.  
• Porch Flowers   Thanks Katrina!  We're enjoying them every day.  
• Keep weeding the yard. Eh.  
• Redo lawn chair No, I realized the size cover I have is for a lounge chair, which I keep forgetting to get from Dad's house.  
• Spring Semester Reading Party "The B!"  A smallish party this semester.  I forgot to keep reminding the kids to turn in their papers.  
• One Anna sewing project. Yes!  One little skirt done and so cute.  
• Family Pictures for Church   Yes!  I haven't picked up our 8x10 yet though.  
• That big green box you keep avoiding full of drawings and stuff. Sigh, no.  There it is, mocking me.  It probably won't take that long even.  
• Anna's Birthday   I think she was happy.  10 is so big!
• Susan's Baby Shower  Yes!  And it was lovely.  
• Continue CD project. I honestly can't remember if I worked on it this Spring or not.  

So, Spring was OK.  Lots of things undone, but some really big things WERE done, so let's feel good about it.  Hooray for Spring!

Summer 2015

• Baby Gifts: Not as many as I would have liked, but some.
• Burp Cloths
• Little Blankies
• Binky holders
• Do some of the stuff in the yard that needs doing.    I'm so thankful for this wording!  "some" definitely got done. 
• Redo lounge chair from Dad's house.
• Father's Day Paintings
• The Fair  It's a good thing I put this on the list, because when I feel like I got nothing done, I can check the list and remember that I did do a lot of things. 
• Pigs
• Goats
• Dress
• Skirt
• Visual Arts
• Photography
• Crochet
• Concession Stand
• Foods
• Help Susu with the new baby!
• Start a new school year.  
• SWIM and breathe and enjoy it all.  Eat sno cones and look around at the sweet sticky faces and listen to what they are saying.  No items matter more than this.    Not enough.  But some.

There are many more ideas swirling around, but I'm trying so hard to remember that last one.   And I think I've come to the conclusion that multitasking makes me cranky.  So.  Do less, breathe more, relax.  Enjoy it.  

Hooray for Summer!  

Jimmy in his favorite place.

Spring 2015

I miss blogging!  But I keep telling myself that it will come back, all things in good time and all that.
I remember that life levels out again at around 9 months.  We'll see if that holds true with four...

But I've got to make a Spring list because I feel like my wheels aren't on the ground without one.

Winter 2015

1.  Clean out and organize:

• Junk Drawer
• Basket
• Round Tin
• CD's  A very good start
• Pantry
• Charging Station
• Linen Closet
• ENTIRE BASEMENT More trash for the dumpster and a few more loads to Salvation Army, but mostly done.  
• Pocket Jar
• Craft Room   Yes-ish?
• MJL Drum Stuff  Also Yes-ish

2.  Put up new towel hooks

3.  Fix Chair Thank you to my Daddy!

4.  Make Mixer Cover

5.  Filing

6.  TEDDY ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!

7.  Make something for Kitchen window sill.

8.  Go back to work

9.  Spring Break Fun Trip
10.  Hall Photos 2014
11.  8x10's 2014
12.  Katie Birthday

13.  Relax, Breathe, Enjoy.

Not so bad!

Spring 2015

• Kathryn Quilt
• Baby gifts (so many-don't even count, just make as many as you can and it won't be enough)
• Put down Weed Barrier Fabric around new trees.
• Install Drip system around new trees.
• Pull up old weed fabric around lilacs.
• Porch Flowers
• Keep weeding the yard.
• Redo lawn chair
• Spring Semester Reading Party "The B!"
• One Anna sewing project.
• Family Pictures for Church
• That big green box you keep avoiding full of drawings and stuff.
• Anna's Birthday
• Susan's Baby Shower
• Continue CD project.

That's 15, I have to stop there.  I miss you all, hope to be back someday...

Bits

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Hutchinson and back with my Dad and all four kiddos.  We did Regional 4H days and then had Streit Christmas, which was fun, but is never enough time to visit with everyone-especially with four little ones.  Matthew's putting everyone to bed tonight while I tried to hide out in my office for a little snippet of quiet.  Katie already found me, but after she showed me the "letter" she wrote for her teacher complete with a picture of the two of them playing dress up, she happily went back upstairs.  Having an hour in here feels so foreign, I'm not sure what to do!  There's the filing, and all of the baby gifts, and that stack of boxes to go through-so I'm starting here.  I miss all of you!

But I spent all of my time catching up on filing.  :(

Before I close the computer down, I'm taking five more minutes to share a couple of links.  Poor, I know.

***Turn your handwriting into a font for free!  Wouldn't this be fun?

***I'm printing out this prayer from St. Thomas Aquinas.  I think it's lovely.  I want to pick a part to quote here but I can't choose!  I'm going to make myself pick out one little bit.

O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest, poor without discouragement, chaste without regret, patient without complaint, humble without posturing, cheerful without frivolity, mature without gloom, and quick-witted without flippancy.

  I'm thinking for mornings?  So far nothing has been successful for me in that part of the day.

*** I love this list of good art supplies!  I put those trays on my wish list.  There's so much art to do with children, and so little time.  :)  I do want to spend (always) more time creatively and less time tidying-but I feel so crazy when it's messy!  How do I get over that?  It's not even cleaning-the house isn't a bit clean-I just want it to be tidy, and that's madness at this time in my life.

***Oh-this story about the school that sent home a letter because a child was "approached" by a man in a van (gasp!) while walking to school.  So it's 9:00 am and a child is walking alone to school.  Is it not LIKELY that the man driving a van is a nice man-who maybe has enough children of his own that he needs a van-who sees a child walking alone well after the school day has begun and pulls to the curb to ask him if he needs anything?  This society!  We lament the state of it-and bemoan the future of fat, lazy, dependent kids-but we allow them no autonomy, no chance to be outside without our rules, without our control, and we teach them to distrust everyone.  How is that going to help anyone ever?  We teach them all sorts of things about "tolerance" while simultaneously saying "every stranger wants to hurt you".

***And back to something nice.  Once again from Pat Gohn, whose podcast I enjoy but never have time to listen to anymore.  (Once she spoke to a woman with 8 children and a PhD in something, who had a lovely family and was a professor and writing interesting books and I thought "See, you can do it all!  You just have to dive in."  Her very existence encourages me) Anyhoo-I've been thinking about humility lately (a year or so?) and I liked this very much.

To be wanting in confidence in God’s mercy, even after a grave fall, is never a sign of true humility but of insidious pride and diabolical temptation. If Judas had been humble he would have asked pardon and wept for his sins like Peter, instead of despairing. Humility is the virtue which keeps us in our place; and our place in God’s sight is that of children who are weak and miserable, yes, but confident children.


Best go upstairs and survey the damage!  Hope to "see" you again soon with something more fun.  :)   

Bossy Betsy: Yummiest Pizza Ever

I have so many things I want to talk about!  No time yet.  But here is the tastiest pizza we've ever made at home and it's easy!

Use Your Cast Iron Pan and a Tortilla to Make World Class Bar-Style Pizza in Under 12 Minutes

I found out about it via  A Cup of Jo which is one of my favorite stranger blogs.  She's a mom in New York and she posts about all sorts of things.  

See you soon!  I hope.  Make that pizza.  

Happy Kansas Day!

Winter List 2015!

I know you want a post with picture of cute babies, but I don't have time yet.  But my winter list keeps showing up on scraps of paper that I then try to keep track of and it's driving me crazy.  So I'm stealing 5 minutes to get it all in one place.

Fall 2014

1.  Make big batch meatballs to freeze. MJL thought both of these were sketchy ideas, and he's the only reason to cook, so there you go!  Easily knocked off the list.  :)
2.  Make breaded chicken cutlets to freeze.
3.  Kids art binders.
4.  Have a baby!
5.  Get out stuff for baby.
6.  Make Christmas Gift list and organize/make as much as possible.
7.  Halloween Costumes
8.  Put in the Miss Honey stuff in the weekly email book.
9.  Baby announcements!
10.  Thank you gifts to neighbors.
11.  Mending basket
12.  Cut squares for Kathryn's Quilt.  35 sets of 4 5" squares.  Different pinks.
13.  Keep working on Bible Project.  Christmas??  It just said "keep working" which we did.  Not done yet though.  
14.  Go to Manhattan!
15.  Sub Plans for Maternity Leave.
16.  Make Grazie Stocking.
17.  Clean out the toy bucket on the front porch.
18.  Fix the spice drawer.  It was only kind of fixed, and is unfixed again.  

Lots of things undone on the fall list, but #4 is a biggie so I'll try to give myself a break.  :)

Winter 2015

1.  Clean out and organize:

• Junk Drawer
• Basket
• Round Tin
• CD's  A very good start
• Pantry
• Charging Station
• Linen Closet
• ENTIRE BASEMENT More trash for the dumpster and a few more loads to Salvation Army, but mostly done.  
• Pocket Jar
• Craft Room   Yes-ish?
• MJL Drum Stuff  Also Yes-ish

2.  Put up new towel hooks

3.  Fix Chair Thank you to my Daddy!

4.  Make Mixer Cover

5.  Filing

6.  TEDDY ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!

7.  Make something for Kitchen window sill.

8.  Go back to work

9.  Spring Break Fun Trip
10.  Hall Photos 2014
11.  8x10's 2014
12.  Katie Birthday

13.  Relax, Breathe, Enjoy.

There.  That eliminates 4 slips of paper and helps me a lot with #10.  :)  Happy Winter!