Doodle Acres

Yesterday we had a fun afternoon picking over-priced apples (3 bushels worth) to make lots of homemade applesauce.  Yum!!!

Peter helping Dad with the first batch of applesauce…

My daughter, Lily (7 11/12), started making paper airplanes while we were sitting this morning watching the USA Women’s soccer team win the Gold medal.  We were all amazed at how well her planes were flying.  She told us that her daddy had taught her how to make them.

While struggling to get his to fly, Lenny(12) lamented that he had forgotten how to make them.

When I suggested that he have his sister, Lily, show him how to do it, he just smiled and said, “That would be TOO humiliating!!!”  Well at least he’s honest!!!

Well the children and I are back in Vermont visiting my parents.  Last night we went out to dinner and on the car ride home, I asked my mom to be sure that Peter (3 1/2) didn’t fall asleep, as I was driving. 

So she diligently kept him awake by asking him questions.  She started with the usual fare, “How old are you?”, “How many dogs do you have?”, “What are your dog’s names?”, etc. 

Running out of questions, my mother asked Peter, “What is Mommy’s name?”  He seemed confused by the question.  Didn’t everyone call her “Mommy”???  So she rephrased the question: “What does everyone call Mommy?”  To this he responded without hesitation: “Boss!!!”  Boy, did that give us all a major belly laugh!!!  Out of the mouth of babes…  

This morning I followed my usual routine of devotions, breakfast, and a walk.  Not to be deterred by the possibility of rain, I headed out for my walk inspite of the threatening skies.  I hadn’t walked for long before I started to see the rain making its presence known on my glass.  I decided to persist and had made it through about 20 minutes of my walk on my usual route when the thunder and lightening commenced.  About 5 minutes later, my hero pulled up in his truck to bring his well watered sweetie home safely.  My sweet husband was truly my knight in shining armor saving me (the damsel in distress) from the thunderstorm dragon.  Isn’t he sweet?  I AM truly blessed!!!

Picture courteousy of Nightfire Graphics and Alan Ayers

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice meal at dinner time?  I can’t think of anyone!!!  I’ve rediscovered my crock-pot recently.  Getting dinner on the table had become a real chore of late.  I was bored with my menus and uninspired to change things up.  Then I stumbled onto Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker.  My family and I have been enjoying the recipes and I have been loving the freedom that the crock-pot affords me!!! Why not rediscover your crock-pot and check this wonderful cookbook out at the library!!!

My daughter, Hope, and I returned last night from a whirl-wind trip to beautiful Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the F-C Learning Conference.   We headed out Friday morning and arrived at our hotel about three hours before the Family Picnic at a local park.  After taking a quick tour of the area, we arrived about 10 minutes early at the park.  For those of you that know me in real life, you know that I am an early bird.  What a thrill it was to have Michele Quigley, the organizer of this extraordinary conference, pull up in her SUV and give me a great big hug!!!  Meeting Michele after getting to “know” her on-line was such a thrill!!!

Michele and I

Maggie Quigley blowing bubbles - it was quite a test of my poor photographic skills to finally capture a bubble on film 

Other thrills included meeting some of the bloggers that I “know” through their blogs.  However, I came home and added some new blogs to my Bloglines subscriptions after having met those bloggers in person.   Here are some more picnic pictures:

Margaret (Minnesota mom) and Maryellen (Tales from the Bonny Blue House)

Michele and Tim Quigley

Michele with a beautiful St. Anne’s chaplet (made by Kimberlee of Beads of Mercy), given to her by Alice Gunther (Cottage Blessings)

Margaret, Karen Edmisten (Karen Edmisten), Meredith (Sweetness and Light), and Diane (Journey of a Mother’s Heart)

The next morning we arrived early (of course!!!) at the Liberty Place Conference Center for an inspiring day of talks.  The day just flew by as I participated in the opening mass, listened to so much wisdom, shopped at the vendor tables, visited with old and new friends, and of course ATE!!! 

Maryellen (one of the wonderful speakers) with her very best friend, Chris Volpe (and my friend IRL)

Alice Gunther (Cottage Blessings and featured speaker), Meredith (another of the gifted speakers) , and Kimberlee (Pondered in My Heart and Beads of Mercy)

Hope and I

Sweet Erica Sanchez from CA - not a blogger YET!!!

So at 8 p.m. we hit the road to head back to Long Island.  We arrived home at midnight after experiencing heavy traffic in NYC, stopping at a most hideous gas station bathroom (I didn’t take a picture of that!!! Ugh!!!), and listening to the Mets lose a heart-breaking game in 14 innings.  But most of all, Hope and I arrived home happy that we had gone and looking forward to our next trip to PA to visit the Quigleys and next year’s Family-Centered Learning Conference (hint, hint, Michele!!! ;)).

We took a wonderful trip with some friends to the Bronx Zoo last month.  My husband is an avid amateur photographer and boy, does he take some terrific pictures.  His zoo pictures over the last few years have been just stunning and this year’s do not disappoint.  You can view a slide show at Flickr.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Yesterday morning we were all set to leave from our Vermont paradise at Lake Dunmore.  We had kissed my parents good-bye, packed ALL OUR STUFF into my husband’s Expedition, complete with two carriers (one on top and one on the hitch), and stuffed two adults, four children, and five dogs into their assigned places.  And wouldn’t you know it - THE BATTERY DIED!!!  Well thank you Jesus for jumper cables and my father’s van battery.  We were on our way (although reluctantly) in a little over ten minutes.  Our trip home went very smoothly and while it was hard to leave Vermont, I must admit that it’s good to be home!!!

OK, I admit it.  The last couple of months have been a wonderfully crazy blur, full of many blessed events (hence the reason that I have been blogging so infrequently and also the reason that I encouraged you to add me to your Blogreader —Bloglines is my personal favorite).  While wonderful, these last few months have left me feeling a bit out of sorts with our lack of a real daily schedule and our overstuffed house, which never seems to stay picked up for more than 5 minutes!!!  In fact I feel as if my head has been spinning and in danger of falling off altogether!!!

Needless to say, I really needed this vacation!!!  Vermont is always a place where I find inspiration and peace.  Being here in God’s beautiful nature show always makes me long for simplicity and order in my life and the life of my family.  Being among the trees and on the lake seem to give me clarity of vision that I can lose at home, if I’m not careful.

Having just recently finished Shopping for Time, I have been enjoying “sitting at Jesus’ feet” these last three or four mornings before my family has arisen from their blessed slumber.  This has meant getting up at 6 a.m. while on vacation (I know, I know, I can hear you groaning!!!).  I consider this preparation for when I get home and push up my wake up time to 5 a.m. (Now I hear you really moaning!!!).  This time away and my early mornings spent at Jesus’ feet have made my path clear to me.

Like it or not, 5 a.m. is a necessary evil.  It is the only way that I can have my quiet time, get my housework back on track, and still find time for exercise which is a must for getting off / reducing my blood pressure medication.  These are all things that I used to do thanks to Flylady but have lost sight of in the recent past.  I am grateful for the Control Journal that I put together a while back which makes it easier to get back on the straight and narrow. 

I have spent a couple of hours over the last few days working on a schedule to fulfill all my goals.  I know it will need some tweaking and I will need some patience as I put the plan into action.  Something that I have been learning over these last several months is that when I stumble, I need to just brush myself off and begin again.  Sometimes this means asking the Lord’s forgiveness and forgiving myself.  But when all is said and done, I need to get up and try again (preferably without beating myself up too severely).  So in this spirit I continue this blessed journey.  Now without further adieu, here it is:

Morning Routine 

5 am     Get up

            Make bed

            Go to bathroom

            Vitamins/Medication

            SITTING AT JESUS’ FEET

5:45     Brush teeth

            Apply moisturizer

            Dress

            Hair

            Make-up

6:00     Empty dishwasher, if necessary

            Breakfast, newspaper

            Diet Center food planning

            Daily planning, check calendar, update “to do” list, plan day/errands/goals

            Menu planning, grocery shopping planning

            Puzzles, clip for later

7:00     Defrost meat for dinner, dinner prep

            Breakfast prep for children (CHILDREN”S BREAKFAST at 7:30)

            Put out hotspots

            Wash breakfast dishes

            Shine sink

            27 Fling Boogie, time permitting

7:30     Walk, while children have Breakfast

8:00     Heather & children: Daily jobs

Monday: Change sheets, vacuum and dust bedrooms

Tuesday:  Dust downstairs, vacuum upstairs hallway, vacuum thoroughly downstairs

Wednesday:  Blue bathroom

Thursday:  Upstairs bathroom

Friday:  Kitchen

Daily: 27 Fling Boogie and Zone work, time permitting

8:30     Children’s Individual Chores while I check email, read, blog, correspondence

9:30     Rosary & Beginner’s Bible

10:00   Basic School plan with children

12 pm  Lunch prep

12:30   Lunch

I ask for your prayers as I put this into action next week. 

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One of my favorite parts of being on vacation in Vermont, as I am now, is that I get a chance to read, read, read!!!  Well this morning I just finished a wonderful book called Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw.  It is an easy read and yet very thought provoking.  I have just come through a period of two months of running, running, running and this book is very timely for me as I seek to find balance in my life.  There are so many good things to do, so many good opportunities but what are the best choices for my family and me.  This book has helped me by reminding me that all my days need to be started by ”sitting at Jesus’ feet.”  It’s been a while since I’ve done that!!! And I know from personal experience what peace that can bring to my life.  Shopping for Time offers practical solutions and ideas for finding the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and to live a proactive lifestyle rather than a reactive one, and much more.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

P.S. The authors (a mother and her daughters) have a blog called GirlTalk…