Monday, May 11, 2015

{This and That}

So first, a little news: in my summer school post, I didn't share the most important thing I'll be doing this summer...


That's right--sweet Baby #8 is on the way and will be joining us first thing in November, God willing.  I am finally through the all-day-nausea-and-exhaustion stage and am back to my usual self, so I'm hoping to knock out a bunch of posts that have been languishing in my drafts folder over the next few months as I grow this little one! 

And yes, that means this will be yet another school year with a newborn in tow.  But let's just say we've been through that once or twice. ;)

~~~

I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day!  We went to a beautiful Mass in honor of Our Lady with my oldest son serving and my daughters as flower girls in the outdoor rosary procession.  Nothing sweeter!  Except maybe these:


~~~

On Saturday I spent most of the day on the sofa reading.  I can't even remember the last time I did that.  Bliss.  I read The Girl on the Train from start to finish (as a new release, it was due back to the library) and also savored a few more chapters from Pilgrim's Inn, which has been sitting on hold for the last couple months.  The Girl on the Train definitely didn't live up to the hype: the perspective was intriguing (an eyewitness with compromised memory), but it was rather formulaic otherwise.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets tired of inappropriate content thrown in for "grittiness."  (Sigh.)  Now Pilgrim's Inn on the other hand--so good!

~~~

A couple great articles from the past couple weeks:

And if you're looking for more reading: the May edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is up at Amy's!

~~~

Every once in a while you get a peek at how all those readings really are clicking somewhere in there:

Gianna: You know it's kind of sad--Clara [the 2yo] wants chapstick the most, but she's the only one that's not allowed to have it.
Me: Well, I think that's why she wants it the most.
Gianna, chuckling to herself: Oh yeah, it's just like Much Ado About Nothing.
Me: Huh?
Gianna: “For it falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lacked and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
While it was ours.”
Me, attempting to be nonchalant: Yeah, I guess you're right. (!!)

~~~

We had a birthday here a few weeks ago: a sweet boy turned five.



This particular newly-five-year-old loves wrestling with big brother and Daddy, horse racing, nature drawing, climbing trees, folding and taping piles of paper into swords and spears...and vanilla ice cream with chocolate and strawberries, apparently, because that's what he chose for his birthday treat!


I have to remember to share his birthday books another time because one in particular I would highly recommend to all of you with nature-loving kids.  (How's that for a teaser?)

~~~


Since it is the month of May: Kimberlee just announced her annual Marian ATC swap!  We participate every year and it's lots of fun.  Go check it out!
~~~

I'll be back tomorrow with the Keeping Company link-up for this month, so get your posts ready! :)

22 comments:

  1. Congrats on #8 :-) You are a stud!
    Oh, and so is Gianna. That is amazing. The things that kids can bring up at the most unexpected moments. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristyn--LOL! And that was one of the selections that she memorized for last year, so she doesn't go around just spouting lines from Shakespeare all the time! But I was suprised she had so internalized the meaning. :)

      Delete
  2. Congratulations on #8! Many prayers!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How WONDERFUL!!! So excited that y'all will be welcoming number 8. What a blessing indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Virginia! We do indeed feel so blessed. :)

      Delete
  4. Congratulations, Celeste! May you have an easy and healthy pregnancy and birth!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the prayers, Lisa! All of my pregnancies have been very uncomplicated, and I'm hoping this one follows suit! :)

      Delete
  5. And another congratulations to you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just love having pregnancy buddies! :) I hope you have a smooth rest of yours!

      Delete
  6. Wow, so much wonderfulness in one blog post! Congratulations on number 8, I hope you have a healthy and uneventful pregnancy! And happy birthday to the birthday boy - I loved the bit about taping quantities of paper together to make swords and such. That really reminded me of what goes on around here too. I'm glad you got a chance to sit and read like that, such a restful thing to do upon occasion, isn't it. I'm not sure when the last time I did that was either. I love the story about Much Ado About Nothing - I've had that sort of thing happen too. Such fun, isn't it!

    Happy Mother's Day to you too! We were out at a lake with my family, which was very nice. I enjoyed being out in the sun and I even got a chance to go kayaking a little by myself, which was wonderful. I always enjoy those infrequent times when I get to move at my own pace and think my own thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A day on the lake sounds heavenly. We are going to be heading to the beach pretty soon here and I just can't wait! I feel like I really need the outdoor time at this time of year, now that I'm feeling functional again. :)

      Delete
  7. Wow! I If you wrote the past blog posts while being when nauseous and tired, I can't wait to see what comes now that you are back in full swing! Your blog is such a joy and help! Congrats on baby #8! SO exciting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Katie! You would not believe the backlog of post drafts I have sitting and waiting for attention in Evernote. I keep promising to cover this or that for one reader or another--I'll *eventually* get to them all, I just can't tell when! LOL

      Delete
  8. Yay!!! Congratulations! I am so excited for you, Celeste. Especially since you make such awesome kids {see example: Gianna}. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Brandy--I think they're pretty awesome too! :)

      Delete
  9. Oh I missed your news before! Congratulations...hmmm an All Saints baby is that plenty of name choices or too many. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations! Such happy news, Celeste:)

    ReplyDelete