Simple Woman

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Outside my window…

A look back- the kids on a fall walk in the park in 2009.

I am thinking…
about how even when I was a little girl, I just always knew that I would be a wife and mother.  The other night we had the chance to babysit the granddaughter.  I was looking forward to it, but at the same time I was proverbally girding my loins, because I remember how much work a new baby can be.  As it turns out, I barely had to do a thing!  Aunt Izzy held her, fed her, carried her and Uncle Noah burped her!  Oh… and Aunt Rosie “loved her up.”  There was hardly anything for  this new granny to do except change a couple of diapers (and extol to the new parents the wonders of Desitin – “Desitin is to diaper rash what Clearacil is to zits!”)  Anyway – just looking at Izzy with her, I just know that she is meant to be a mother.  She was just wonderful with her.

I am thankful…
that so far, my family all lives pretty close.  Calvin will be moving closer to Cleveland, but that is still only an hour a way.  Sis is moving a little south, but still a good driving distance.  So I am feeling blessed.

In the kitchen…
I am learning.  I finished reading Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet and am now more convinced than before that my problems with ulcerative colitis have to do with the balance of normal flora in my gut.  It’s a bit like having a pest infection in your kitchen – like ants or roaches.  You can git rid of them if you starve them out.  I have been three weeks or so gluten free, but now I am going all in – grain free, sugar free, mostly carb free.  So what’s left to eat?  That’s where this little cookbook is coming in handy!

Tomorrow Mr. Pete and I are going to try the pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving from this book.  It looks delicious – we’ll see.  But even if it doesn’t taste like real pie, I’m determined to give this a go because it just makes sense.

I am wearing…
Black workout pants, black shirt..

I am creating…
some very meaningful prayer time with my kids in the morning.  We are doing either the rosary or praying for the dead with this book for this last week of November!

I also bought some Gregorian Masses for my Uncle –   May he rest in peace

I am going…
to a comedy club tonight to see my wonderful Math Tutor – Marty Drexler – perform!  I’m also going to the big Thanksgiving Race on Thanksgiving Day. I have not worked out this week.  I read on one of the UC web sites that one of the things that can contribute to a flare is too much cardio because just the stress of working out is inflammatory. That with the small cold I am fighting off, I just decided to cut myself some slack this week.

I am reading…

I am hoping…

• That I can be on good terms with all of my sons.
• That the young women my sons give their hearts to won’t break them. 
• To get my head around some quick recipes on this new diet venture. 
• To perform well with my upcoming Christmas concerts.  
• that I can endure all of the things I am called to endure – through Christ who strengthens me. 

I am looking forward to…

• Getting some more eBay sales before Christmas.
• Getting my Christmas shopping done – I am almost there!!!
• Two big Christmas concerts coming up. 

From the Learning Rooms

• American Literature short stories for Noah via Bob Jones Press
  
  

• Spelling program per Dr. Holinga for all three kids. 
• Instacert for History and start American History part 2 for Noah.   American History course from For Such a Time as This.
• Noah finished up Easy Grammar. Now I have to check his work and give a test! We can start the Literature portion of For Such a Time as This next week. 
• Runkle Geography for Izzy.  Learning the countries in Europe. 
• Apologia Science – Physical for Noah and  Izzy. Creation science Botany for Rosie
• Noah doing Geometry with Mr. D.  Izzy and Rosie doing Saxon math with me.  Rosie just moved up to her 3rd grade math book. Izzy almost done with 8/7.
• Billy Budd for literature with Izzy and Noah
• 

• Latin for Homeschoolers for Noah
• English from the Roots Up for Izzy.



•  Diane Craft reading program for Izzy.  She is about to start the very last Merrill Reader.  I am so happy with the improvement that she has made since we started this program.
• Little House on the Prairie and Prairie Primer for Izzy.



• Pathway readers for Rosie and the Wand for Language arts. Rosie too has graduated to Busy Times!

for Rosie to study geography.

I am learning…

to cook without wheat flour – not an easy feat!! 

I am also watching while Mr. Pete teaches his PSR class how to make Jesse Tree Ornaments from pop cans!   For the results, stay tuned!

I am pondering…

The start of Advent.  All of my links for Advent and Christmas are in the pages at the top of the blog- or you can check them out here!

 
 
A photo I am sharing…

Advent Table Circa 2007

Amazon.com Widgets