Out In The Orchard

Help Bring My Niece & Nephew Home!!!

2010-10-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

My brother and sister in law are desperately trying to adopt two children and they are hopefully heading into the finish to complete the adoption, but still have quite a bit of money to raise. You can read the whole story of how this all came about here http://applin.chipin.com/bring-ivan-and-yana-home. My brother and sister in law already have four children, so this isn't just a couple wanting a child....they truly feel that God has asked them to open their home to more children through adoption.

My immediate family met Yana while she was visiting last summer and even spent a few days vacationing with them. We, too, fell in love with her!

They are holding a raffle for an i-pad to raise the necessary funds. You know you want an i-pad!! So click below for your chance to win....and even more importantly a chance to make a family whole!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-05-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

FOR.....May 10, 2010

Outside my window...bright sunshine but chilly temperatures. Hardly a cloud in the sky.

I am thinking...that the roofers would've been here by now......especially with rain forecasted for tomorrow!

I am thankful for...all the work we've gotten done already today.

From the learning rooms...just the usual stuff. Getting eager to plan next year....fresh materials and a fresh start.

From the kitchen...something easy!

I am wearing...a long black skirt, hot pink blouse and flats because it's chilly this morning! I've got a patterned scarf in my hair as a headband and put makeup on first thing for the first time in forever!

I am creating...a skirt with dd2 and a pillowcase with ds1

I am going...to have a good week!

I am reading...The Kiterunner and Scott Hahn's First Comes Love....and enjoying both!

I am hoping...that dd3 has a beautiful First Holy Communion on Sunday. The excitement of receiving Jesus....she just can't wait!

I am hearing...Baby growling and squealing!

Around the house...much, much to do! Much organizing and cleaning and purging.

One of my favorite things...uncluttered spaces and happy children.

A few plans for the rest of the week: See "Around the House" note above! Also a May Crowning and our last co-op class of the year. Swim lessons for the middles and a dad/boy outing. And FHC!!!!

Read more daybooks at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

I'm a Line Drier...and Proud of It!

2007-05-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

I own a dryer. I use my dryer. For some items...like towels, jeans and underwear....I use my dryer exclusively. But many of the items in my laundry get hung to dry. I come from a long line of line dryers. I guess you could say I learned line dryin' at my momma's knee! My mom always hung a lot of her laundry...she even line drys underwear! My grandmothers both had backyard clotheslines; and back beyond them I've got to believe it was line drying all the way!

When I got to college and started doing my own laundry my roommates always thought I was nuts. "Why don't you just throw it in the dryer?" they'd ask as I hung my laundry from my trusty drying rack and on hangers around the room. I'd reply it was just the way I'd been taught.

Now, years later I have to say I do it for several reasons. First, like my mom always said it does make the clothes last longer and stay in nicer condition. That just seems like good stewardship. Second, we save money on our electric bill. And third, I just like it...I like giving the clothes a shake and hearing the crack of them before I hang them up. I like hanging clothes with my girls. I like having a really domestic chore that I'm good at (there are so many I struggle with). I like that my girls enjoy stringing a cord across a room and hanging their doll laundry. I guess I'm raising the next generation of line dryers for this family!

Our Lady Undoer of Knots

2007-05-27T19:49:00.001-07:00

Over on the 4Real boards there was a thread on Our Lady Undoer of Knots. I loved the image of Our Lady under this title. And since I can get life pretty knotted up I thought I better get to know her better!

Tonight as I said my rosary I kept getting an image in my mind of a huge knot...it was in the middle of a long cord, much like the single strand at the bottom of the rosary, but without beads. And I was drawn to the thought of Our Lady Undoer of Knots. It then occurred to me that while the Blessed Mother probably untangles more of our knots than we'll ever know about she may leave some there to use as a foothold to pull ourselves up closer to Jesus. This thought then made me think about Katherine's post over at Life in the Onion Dome. I love the part where she writes, "The end is not the point. The point is the process." Perhaps sometimes all those knots I'm trying to get undone are actually my footholds on my climb to heaven.

I Love Spring

2007-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

The children and I went to our local botanical garden today and what fun we had. This was my first trip to the garden this year and I was struck by how different it looked than last year. My visits last year were mostly in mid-summer and the gardens were all a riot of color. Today everything was very green but I think the only splashes of color we saw were the azaleas and rhododendrons. Those were in the last garden we visited so I suppose my impressions were based on the earlier, most extensive part of of visit.

The children were excited to see the fauna in addition to the flora. We saw gobs of geese and two graceful swans as well as a few mallard ducks and several smaller birds we have yet to identify.

This garden also has a log cabin which the children were disappointed to find locked. They checked out the exterior pretty thoroughly and Oldest Daughter suggested climbing the chimney and gaining access that way...she's always up for an adventure!

Our botanical garden visit is the most "blog worthy" happening of the day. However, I'd be remiss in not mentioning some other high points: the children's excellent behavior at the produce market; I was able to acknowledge their good behavior...so often the good behavior goes by without being responded to, unfortunately; time on the backyard swing set; a great time listening to our new Lyrical Life Science CD; more excitement watching (and feeding!) our spiders (caught around the house and living in glass houses!); a new recipe that got thumbs up (pizza chicken); and an evening thunderstorm.

Whew....that was an action packed day!