Outside my window…
my husband and I have been meeting with contractors. We have a few projects that we are hoping to begin this spring/summer which include building a new shed/pump house (to protect our pipes and deep well pump from freezing again next winter like they have the last two years) and remodeling/expanding the small detached “garage” on our property. Phase one includes an excavator and logger to make room for the garage expansion. I was so glad to hear that they wouldn’t be able to start felling trees (including a couple of our huge Ponderosa Pines) and removing stumps until early next week. I’d much rather wait until after our annual Easter Egg Hunt to deal with all the clean up, although it would have made for some interesting new hiding places!
I am thankful…
that I finally caught up all our bookkeeping from the past year (we have always used Quickbooks) and we were able to file our tax return before the deadline! I fell behind during my last pregnancy and spent countless hours working on caching up this past couple months, and especially these last two weeks. It is so nice to have it all done! I was really worried that we were going to need to file an extension for the first time… Now we can put this year’s refund towards the upcoming projects!
I am thinking…
about how much our life has changed this past year and how many more changes are right around the corner. It all hit me again last week when I walked out to the kitchen after dinner to find it all clean and our three oldest drying the last of the dishes they had washed. I sat down at the counter, snapped the picture below with my phone, and started thinking about how fast they are growing up… Our oldest will be 14 this summer, in just two short years all three of them will be teens, and in five years our oldest will leave for college. Rose will turn five this year. Five years goes by way too fast!
Learning all the time…
Celebrating the liturgical year…
Despite my original plans to move our Holy Thursday and Good Friday dinners to Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday, the past two weekends were just too full already. I think we may still have them this week after all.
From the kitchen…
lots of groceries. I finally made it back to Costco and Trader Joe’s to stock up for Easter!
I am working on…
mailing out prizes from the recent Baskets of Books for Easter Giveaway. It has been fun hosting all these giveaways the past couple months and I still have a couple more great giveaways scheduled for you all!
I am creating…
Easter plans. We will be hosting Easter Sunday dinner at our home again this year and it will most likely be very similar to 2013, 2012, and 2011 with the addition of birthday cake this year. We also need to make a new Paschal Candle sometime in the next few days!
I am going…
camping. Last weekend we drove out to my parent’s house to look at their old motorhome and ended up driving it home that evening! My forester husband loves camping under the stars in the middle of nowhere and I prefer hotel rooms overlooking the ocean. I think it will be the perfect compromise for our “little” family! We have already started making a list of all the lakes, rivers, and other destinations within an hour or two of our home that we hope to visit this summer. The Pacific Northwest is such a beautiful place to call home!
I am hoping…
to host another Curriculum Sale Blog Hop at the end of May! Thank you to everyone who left comments or emailed with their preferences. I may still host one in August as well, or just leave the link up open for the summer. I still need to figure out all the details and will let you all know once I have finalized the dates.
I am praying…
for my parents. Today is their 37th wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom!
I am reading…
Walking with Purpose: Seven Priorities That Make Life Work. I have the hardcover edition which was a gift from a sweet online friend, but the paperback is only $4.00 and there is a Kindle Version available for even less.
Pondering these words…
from Walking with Purpose: Seven Priorities That Make Life Work:
“Priorities can help us to keep first things first. When we live them out, we increase the likelihood that we’ll be content with the choices we make. We’ll have smoother schedules and happier homes. But even when we live them out as authentically as we possibly can (which is an enormous challenge), there can still be seasons of life when circumstances turn the best laid plans upside down. There is no perfect formula that guarantees we can always avoid being harried or making mistakes. It is important to remember that our worth does not depend on living in perfect balance. God’s love for us and our value as women does not go up and down depending on how perfectly we execute a plan and keep our priorities in order. Holiness isn’t measured by our perfection. It’s measured by how we love. . .”
I am listening…
to advice from holy priests. I was once again blessed with an unplanned visit with a priest. Thank you God! I happened to run into Father Kotas at Costco of all places (his parish is over 2 hours away but he was in town picking up a deacon at the airport!) and we had a nice long chat about a few things I have been struggling with lately. Note to self: Restock purse with kleenex…
Around the house…
Bud’s new favorite thing to do is to pull all the symbols off the Jesus Tree and peel all the crosses off the Lenten Calendar. I’ve lost track of how many extra crosses I’ve had to print. Next year I am definitely going to laminate everything and make it all re-useable. At least he doesn’t shove them down the air vents!
hearing my little Bud call me “MomMom.” The rest of the children all called me “Mama” when they were babies/toddlers, but hearing them all call me “Mom” now must have influenced his name for me. I just love it! Especially when he holds my cheeks with his two little chubby hands and says it so lovingly “MommMomm!” ❤
This week’s plans…
- Meet with Excavator/Logger
- Math tutors on Tuesday and Thursday
- Orthodontist appointments for both of the girls
- Meet with the Planning Department to go over the requirements for Setbacks and Fuel Break Reduction… (Spent two hours in the waiting room but was finally able to get a few answers!)
- Have underground lines located
- Start stocking the RV with supplies
- Grocery Shop and Prepare for Easter
- Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and a Birthday!
A little peek at my day…
Isn't that funny? My almost 2 year old calls me Mom Mom too, lol. I never thought that it is probably from hearing the older kids call me Mom. 🙂 Love using income tax returns for the house. Ours is paying for new front steps this year.
2014-04-17 18:37:44
I completely agree about how quickly they grow. I have an almost 15 year old, 13 year old, 11 year old, 9 year old, 5 year old, and 2 year old. It is exciting, but kind of terrifying at the same time:). The book your reading sounds really good; I may have to check it out. Also I wanted to say thank you for helping me discover St. Mary's Messenger. It seems like such a well put together and solidly Catholic magazine. I had not heard of it before reading about it on your blog. If you got the spring issue, I have an article in it this time. It is entitled "Flowers for Mary," including the list of plants. The picture some of my children put together. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again. God bless!
2014-04-17 22:12:52
Happy anniversary to your parents as well! We celebrate 10 years on April 17. I'm intrigued by the book, Walking with Purpose. I'm convinced that life is less about "balance" as it is about proper ordering of priorities. I'm adding this book to my list!
2014-04-18 15:10:47
Jessica, I am so happy you are enjoying the Walking with Purpose book, it's been a game changer for my life! Can't wait to see the home improvements in action!
2014-04-19 02:13:58
My 22 month old daughter, Genevieve calls me MomMom. I love it !!
2014-04-20 21:52:43