Friday! 7 Quick Takes

 1) It absolutely rained and poured all Tuesday.  The river and pond flooded at the park.  Luckily the rain subsided before there was damage to many homes.  And then it got COLD.  Everything turned to ice!  I was in the shower (probably Wed or Thurs morning) when Galadriel came into my bathroom looking for me to see something.  I peeked out, and she was holding this:

 A huge sheet of ice.  Of course, my first response was to tell her to take it outside immediately before it broke and made a huge mess inside.  As she left, I recovered from my shock and shouted that "It is really cool and beautiful!"

2) There's a back corner to our yard that slopes downward.  It, too, was a sheet of ice.  The "hill" is not really big enough to sled down, but as a sheet of ice, it definitely worked!

Sam watching through the window

I don't know where all of my photos went, because I know I was taking tons of pictures of all of my kids all day...but you can see a couple more of Galadriel.:)

3)  Basketball season is allllmost over.  Last practices were this week.  One more weekend in March before it's officially done.  I'll miss it, but I can't wait!  Most of all, it's a sign that winter is passing and Spring is on it's way.

4) One week into Lent and I realize I am really bad at fasting.  Of course,  I knew this.  I always dreaded Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, just because I'm SUCH a grazer!  But I'm surprised at my efforts at limited fasting this lent and how attached I am to, say, my nighttime snacks.  Or the vanilla latte.  Got a ways to go till Easter, though, so I'll keep on a tryin'!

5) Thinking about rhythms of life and the chaos that can be homeschooling a family of 9 children.  I REALLY need to learn some big lessons in "delegation", and how to administrate those duties with sincerity.  Translation? Chore chart.  Or the verbal equivalent.  And it has to be non-negotiable and time sensitive.  "Go.  Now."  And then I have to call my husband in to make the kids realize I'm serious.

Makes me think this would have gone so much better if I had been a more demanding Mom when I was just getting started.  I think I tried, but little kids are only so capable, so I sort of got used to doing a bunch myself.  Now they ARE capable, but I am inconsistent in demanding chores of them.  Or inconsistent in WHICH chores I demand of any set person.  And that is where it all begins to break down.  I need accountability!  You know what? All those jokes about moms being CEOs? Not really funny.

6) New altar boy cassocks!!

7)  Just for the record, Sundays are not officially part of Lent.  That's why there are 45 days if you count from Ash Wed to Easter, not just 40.  My point? You really ARE supposed to "cheat" on Sunday.  I'm just putting that out there.  

Now, go have an awesome weekend!

Februarying

February is a tricky month.  It's still winter, not quite Spring, but it gets your hopes up.  Luckily, it is short!  March is officially a Spring month!  February can bring a lot of snow and ice and mud, but you also notice a change in the light!  It is brighter, and it lasts longer into the evenings.  Hope, I say!

Legolas and Sam sharing a favorite snack: apples and peanut butter.  So cute to see Sam grow to the point that he can sit and have a snack like a big boy.

 He is 19 months now.

Almost all of his teeth are in.  His favorite past-time is shooting hoops.   He actually "flops" after his shots, rolling onto his back and groaning.  Learning from the big boys.

 Reina patiently gives up her kennel so the little boys can make it a play space.

 They love it in there!

Since we're indoors anyway, it's a good time to tackle indoor tasks.  We've been needing to paint for well over a year now.   This is a bad picture (dark) but the mantle is navy blue.

 The navy matches the accent in the foyer (pictures still dark, sorry!):

And the back mantle and bookshelves are now white:

I'll have to get new pictures, everything looks dingy to me in these.  I do need to work on cleaning the brick above the back fireplace.  I am tempted to milk paint all of the back brick...but my husband is hesitant.

I was getting some work done and Sam was quiet in his highchair after his lunch.  I knew it was nap time, but I wasn't hearing from him, so I kept working...

The kids were all playing with a new play-doe set (and yes, this is what my kitchen table looks like in real life, judge if you will).  You can also get a sneak peek at the "accent" dark-grey wall color in the kitchen.  I'm giving that about three months and it's going to be bright yellow!  I got talked into the grey by the painter.  I'm SO not a dark girl.  Give me my cheerful yellow!

In addition to the painting, we've been finishing out the basketball season.  Arwen had the game-winning 3-pointer buzzer beater last weekend, which was the thrill of a lifetime.  This weekend she is on a retreat for Confirmation.

I am looking forward to the first signs of Spring, but in the meantime, I want to make use of every day of this short month.  Easter comes super early this year, and with it, I have a new niece or nephew  due.  New life is around the corner, but first, Lent!

With every refreshing, every renewal, comes hard work, or even the Cross.  It's learning to love that daily cross that is the key to happiness, I am sure.  And so, February.

Peace and love!:)