A February Daybook

thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Outside my window...it's sooooo cold. Since my January Daybook we did indeed get a little snow. The children enjoyed some time outside and Daddy made a campfire. We have a wood stove going in and hopefully it will be finished tomorrow. Real curious to see if it will bring the electric bill down at all.



I am thinking...about Pope Benedict XVI and his monumental decision to retire. We took the opportunity to learn about how a new Pope is elected using this Catholic Inspired document. 



I am thankful...Anna and Maria had some help from two new neighbor friends yesterday when they had to bury a pet rabbit that had died peacefully the night before. The ground was frozen and it took them a couple of hours. That's the kind of thing you never forget.

In the kitchen...ho-hum. I need a list. A few of them. Meal ideas. Meal plans. Grocery lists. Now that I have discovered the international market has fresher, cheaper produce I'm smiling again. And wondering how the american supermarket gets away with higher prices and gross produce! The only down side is I can't see anything organic so we're making our own wash again but it's ok.

I am wearing...earrings again! Consistently. All my babies pulled at them so I put everything away. Lots of fun to dig it out again.

I am creating...plans for Maria's 13 birthday in May. WOW!
                       
I am going...to jump for joy now that my youngest is a POTTY TRAINER. 

I am wondering...what it's like to not have Amazon deleiver diapers.

I am reading...oooo! I just finished reading Hittite Warrior. Now I can hand it off to Maria and Anna to read. It's a good one. We do Roman Catholic History. We started right a the beginning and we love it. Especially because all the books we use for Bible History are on the list. It's double the pleasure, once the grading time! HA! Anyhow, we had a hard time getting into Mara, Daughter of the Nile, and another one everyone else seems to love but Hittite Warrior was great! We're also reading St. Thomas Aquinas, and Lord of the Rings. What a combination, huh? The girls have a book club that Daddy goes to with them and they kind of use the Kolbe Literature as a springboard. If you don't have it, the Kolbe Junior High Literature, both the elementary and the junior high programs are worth every penny.

I am hoping...Maria will meet some more people. She's a little lonely-- missing her friends---I've been told 7th grade is a big transition year for home school students. Lots of children headed to the parochial school and then again at 8th grade. 

I am looking forward to...making more of my own products. I quit buying laundry detergent and started making it in January. It seems like fewer chemicals, it's lots cheaper. Soemone recently told me about soapnuts....I might try that to compare. Who knew such a thing was out there?! I never thought I'd give up Tide. But this is working and seems better. And certainly costs less. Next I'm out to try a home made sugar scrub--how badly wrong can that go? It's sugar!

I am learning..how to crochet. I've got a very patient friend at Anna's ballet school and youtube. It's easy, it's soothing and one day I'm sure I'll have a nice big knot. I've just been crocheting along and so far I have a lovely looking double helix sort of thing, and a base of a pyramid. It's of course not supposed to be a pyramid it just seems to be tapering in as I go up! Perfect for ancient studies.

Around the house...things are shaping up. We are still find a spot for everything and/or donate it!

One of my favorite things...a new book about crochet my friend gave me.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Co-op, Lenten Retreat, Ballet, Puppet practice. 


A peek into my day...

Joseph realizing this art looks just like Olivia's!

Art! I love it. I completely lack the talent but I love the mess and the outcome. And you know what? I especially love GLITTER! 

Thankful Thursday

I know it's not Thursday but this is one of those drafts that hasn't made it out. 
It will serve as a person reminder to me to not doubt and to remain faithful.

Over the Christmas holiday I had some strange pains in my left side, high on the rib cage. I went to the doctor who thought it was due to the disc damage I inflicted upon myself this year moving! None-the-less- because we "have a history" of breast cancer he sent me off for a mammogram. The radiologist there then sent me for an ultrasound. From there, she proceeded to tell me in a very urgent tone that I had two masses, one on each side that she thought needed to come out " immediately, the sooner, the better."


Here's what I've learned since that day...

• I consider myself very blessed to have moved where we did, when we did. I met a beautiful new friend who has fought the breast cancer battle this year and is doing good. She recommended her surgeon and he saw me within days. I was thrilled when my friend told me the two of them prayed together prior to her surgery.
• Dr. B saw me and said we should biopsy but we should also not be worried. He didn't think they looked like something I needed to worry about.
• Most radiologists probably should stay in the film room reading films and let someone else come tell the  patient what's going on. That particular radiologist sent me into a panic! (Although I do know one radiologist who happens to be a great communicator.)
• When I returned for my biopsy a couple of weeks later those masses could not be found on one side, and had changed so much on the other side Dr. B thought we could just keep an eye on them. 

Deo Gratias!