My Daybook: August 3rd, 2015

Outside my window…
all is dark, it’s late and the house is settling

I am thankful…
that our boys all passed their driving tests.  Within the space of a couple of days all three older boys received new driver’s licenses. Michelangelo now has his Learner’s license (driving under supervision), Einstein passed to Green Ps (100km/hr) and Carpenter has a full license (110km and no display plates) The registry staff and I were on chatting basis by the conclusion of the week

I am thinking…
about how our children are more than capable and sometimes we sell them short. Academically we’ve stepped our expectations for the children up several notches and they are thriving


Learning all the time…

• PC and I are meeting mid week with the children to discuss their learning progress, their ‘highs and lows’ rather than on Fridays. This has been a ‘game changer,’ no longer do we greet Friday with ‘mountains of work’ still to be done, we can ‘nip’ any potential slacking ‘in the bud’
• My next tweak is to plan the new week’s work on a Friday afternoon, this way the children can begin reading their novels over the weekend if they choose

Celebrating the liturgical year……
Only weeks until the younger boys make their Confirmation, First Confession and First Holy Communion respectively. Sacramental Preparation is ‘ramping up,’ so much I want to be certain they know, understand, then again I realise it’s all good, He has it.

From the kitchen…

• I nervously made cauliflower mash for the first time recently and it was a success! Well with some, others take time to accept changes;)  It was light, it was moreish, it was surprisingly yummy.
• Last weekend I went to a thermomix demo and now now seriously have the ‘wants’. The food was so quick to prepare, healthy and delish.  Oh well I’ll dream, the cost puts it lower down the line of possibilities

I am creating…
a mega book list to share with you all. So often I comb book lists only to realise that the books recommended are predominately American, hence why our town library and our own bookshelves often don’t have the titles. The majority of our and the library’s books are Australian and English, my mega list will cater for that.

I am working on…
updating all our books onto our Readerware database as part of my quest to create a mega book list. It’s been nine years since I last worked on the database, back then we had 6000 books, we have more now, though frustratingly I know I’ve tossed books and didn’t update the data as I did. Once they are all entered I need to check that each book has relevant categories entered

I am going…
well I’m not going to pro-blogger, I admit I was tempted, really tempted but alas and alack I decided the re-roofing takes priority, still maybe next year

I am hoping…
to make time to read Anna Maria’s camera manual and take her camera settings off auto. Our generous daughter has been kindly lending me her beautiful dslr and the results are noticeable, my next step, re-practice all I learnt in the course this time using a dslr


I am praying…

• for our upcoming Sacramental children, that they grow closer to Our Lord through His Sacramental Graces
• for our adult children, for their various needs and intentions

I am pondering….
about budding friendships, I’m tentatively beginning to trust again, now to find the energy and time to foster relationships… I’m thinking about an ‘in home’ day…



I am reading…
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
I enjoyed her website but I admit to bewilderment over her indepth analysing over happiness, but I’m in good company, apparently her friends and family don’t always understand either


I am listening to……
nothing, lots of intentions, as the ironing pile is neglected it would be good time to listen to those Read Aloud Revivals but… the mp3 player is missing

I am hearing…
mostly silence, the younger children are asleep, the teens are awake but quietly occupied on their computers, I can hear PC in the next room chatting on the phone to one of my brothers

I am struggling…
to lose the ‘spare tyre’ around my middle, wishful thinking isn’t working it’s time to begin exercising and eating correctly again. To not only eliminate grains but all sugar and starches too, removing potatoes will be the biggest challenge yet I know will produce results. sigh.


Clicking around…
I’ve joined Instagram and found some incredible photographers.  A while back an encouraging blogger/photography assured me I’d develop my own style, whilst still searching there, I realise I’m drawn to photographers who love playing with light.  One can only dream to be as talented as these light lovers
Karen – Local mum and dear friend & cousin. Karen was my first inspiration and continues to be
Elena Shumilova – Russian mum, incredible photography!!!
Adrian Murray – American Dad, who loves shooting in the outdoors

Around the house…
PC has been hard at work building replacement piers under the ‘old house’ and knocking down the old ones. Once he has completed the foundation work we’ll begin to build a verandah outside the ‘old house’, then beams will be erected to await the new roofing rafters. We’re hoping by Christmas to be able to re-roof the old house, potentially once the supporting beams are no longer needed we could ‘gut’ the entire section, we won’t…maybe…. but I can dream about possibilities of restructuring the whole area

One of my favorite things…
preparing our children to receive their Sacraments, being privileged to see glimpses of their beautiful souls


A few plans for this week…
nothing that exciting, I love quiet weeks, just the usual of:
daily lessons with the children
3 dance lessons
3 soccer trainings, then games for all on the weekend
running a household for 10

A little peek at my day…
it was a quiet day which is just what we needed to recover from yesterday’s soccer carnival, although Princess had a dance lesson tonight to be run into, but with three driver’s in the house it was a choice to take her, others could have done the run, I enjoying just sitting there being quiet as I wait