Summertime and the living is easy?

::noticing God's glory

This is how amazing the pond in front of our library looks right now.

::listening to 

Three boys discussing last night's All Star game. One of our dance teacher's sons spent the night last night. It's so fun to have a "little boy" in the house! And this one is quite the charmer.

::clothing myself in 

not my contacts:-(. I went a long time between eye doctor appointments. I don't recommend doing this, particularly if this long time period includes being pregnant, weaning, and being not pregnant/not nursing for the first time in two decades. When you stop being pregnant and nursing, your eyes change shape, ladies! My contacts have now warped my corneas. We're hoping a long break from contacts will fix this. Since I don't have a right ear, I kind of love my contacts. It's a tricky thing to keep glasses balanced. 

::talking with my children about these books

The One Thing is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything I am really enjoying this one. Fr. Gaitley just speaks a language I understand, I think. 

::thinking and thinking

about the coming school year. And I'm scouring my bookshelves and moving things from one basket to another, ensuring that each child will have a rich banquet spread for him or her--all without buying anything. We have everything we need right here or at the library pictured above (isn't it lovely?). This is the year of the no-purchase curriculum.

::pondering prayerfully

Screwtape explains: Our business is to get them away from the eternal and from the Present. With this in view, we sometimes tempt a human (say a widow or a scholar) to live in the Past. But this is of limited value, for they have some real knowledge of the past and it has a determinate nature and, to that extent, resembles eternity. It is far better to make them live in the Future....In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time--for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays... ~C.S. Lewis

::carefully cultivating rhythm

The Screen Rules are doing good things for rhythm around here. I've enjoyed the conversation in the combox, too. Even the naysayers have been interesting to me. (By the way, why are the naysayers on my blog in the summer almost always 20-something?)

I'm relishing this week, our summer finally feels like summer. We've had a revolving door of friends and FINALLY enough sunshine and heat to hang out at the pool. Next week, it will all be different, but for now, I'm happy to have this golden time.

.

::creating by hand

We're still rocking those headbands. Every girl who walks through the door these days leaves with a handmade headband.

::learning lessons in

flexibility.

and in the value of homemaking.

::encouraging learning 

Have you read this? Please do. So, so good. 

Also, I'm tutoring a young man who is playing professional soccer. Much of our work is done via Google Docs and Skype. I'm on the lookout for ways for him to use the computer to work on schoolish things and for me to check in from afar. We're working at the middle school level, academically. Suggestions out there?

::begging prayers

In the last three weeks, three people very close to me have confronted a cancer diagnosis. I've told you a little about Shawn. There's a longer, detailed update by Shawn himself on my Facebook page. And my friend Carmen is recovering from a double mastectomy. The third one I'm holding very close for now.. Please, please pray for all!

::living the Liturgy

Today is the day to begin the St. Anne novena in order to finish it on her feast day. This novena is so, so special to us. I love this feast! Here are some thoughts and ideas for preparing to celebrate.

::keeping house

I had three hours alone yesterday. I used it to clean and to listen to homeschool talks on mp3. It was so incredibly therapeutic I can't begin to express its value. But I intend to figure out a way to replicate the experience again soon. And again. And again.

.

::crafting in the kitchen 

I'm doing a lot of cooking ahead this week, prepping meals for our time away at a dance competition next week. I can't afford to eat out on the road, either financially or physically. Who has great ideas for things to make ahead and eat in a beach house?

::loving the moments

when the whole house is clean at the same time. Can that happen again? Please?

::giving thanks 

 for a peaceful, productive week.

::planning for the week ahead

Lots of dance rehearsals this week and lots of little people coming to visit while their moms teach. We're having fun with them! Patrick has a playoff game in Richmond again this weekend. And we have a road trip to take to the beach for competition. Last weekend, we vistied Richmond and then went on to Charlottesville to hang out with Paddy for awhile.