Outside of my window
A baby bluejay sleeping on a tiny branch of my tree...waiting for mama bluejay to come and feed him. Sophia is really enjoying watching these events unfold. She has been sitting in front of the window talking to him, showing him her hairclips, telling him stories, etc. He flew a short distance for the first time today.
I am thinking
about how wonderful it is to have family visiting us and making wonderful memories.
Currently reading
The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios by Dionysios Farasiotis
I am thankful
that my children are beginning to feel better this week. They have been battling a long virus and ear infections for the first time in their little lives. Glory be to God, they are healing and in wonderful spirits.
Noticing that
I actually CAN get the dishes done right after dinner and I CAN fold the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer.....IF and WHEN I have grandparents around to help with the kids !
I am wearing
Hmm? Is this going to reflect what I'm wearing "in general", or what I'm wearing "right now" as I type this? Not sure what this space will begin to evolve into...but at the moment after my post-workout shower...I am comfortably relaxing in a lightweight cotton skirt, cotton tank and my croc flip-flops.
I am listening to
my darling husband on his work cellphone rescheduling some appointments...he just realized he double-booked himself for the early morning hours. I don't know what it is about cellphones, but I can hear every.single.word that the other party is saying as well !
A few plans for the rest of the week
we should be fairly busy and entertained the remainder of the week. My children's desires/plans are to play 24 hours a day with their grandparents ! We are in vacation mode around here (although my husband is still working during the day) so we will be going out to eat, playing at the park, going to the beach and shopping. I am still maintaining my running and spinning classes as often as I can (does that counter all of the extra goodies I am consuming while having visitors?) and I have tried to schedule my pitching lessons only 3 nights this week to allow for some extra family time.
Around the house
we actually have had some big things happen around here this week....we purchased new kitchen appliances ! This is the first time I've ever had all brand new appliances and I am loving it ! The stuff that was here when we purchased the house had probably been here since the house was built in the 80's. Not only was it ugly, but it was really not in good working condition. We did take advantage of the states rebate program to replace some items with energy efficient models and we got some great deals on the other pieces. It motivated me to clean and declutter the rest of the kitchen too - which is a bonus. We have a somewhat small galley-type kitchen, so space is limited. Things are looking pretty good and it's actually a pleasure to look at !
Sophia
is really enjoying her time with her grandparents. She hasn't been herself since a little bit before Pascha (Easter) and I felt so awful to hear she had such a terrible double ear infection. However, after a few days of her antibiotics....she woke up just like my sweet little girl again and I am so happy to have her back.
Demetrios
is developing so fast! This past week has really been such a language explosion for him. He is putting so much effort into repeating all of the words we say to him. He is also trying to help when we dress him, putting his shoes on, etc. The big smile on his face is so precious when we make a big deal about these small accomplishments.
From the kitchen
well, aside from the new appliances...there is not much going on in the kitchen at this point. My father-in-law went out yesterday and purchased a new barbeque for us so it looks like we will be doing a lot of grilling for the rest of the week....when we are not eating out, of course. I guess that is one way to keep my kitchen clean!
on my iPod
my continual quest to find the right music to listen to when I run ! I only recently purchased my first iPod Nano, so that I can use it when I run with my Nike + system. So, I am pretty new to all this. I have put a ton of my music on there and just trying to organize it into playlists on my computer at this time.
On Sophia's iPod (she has my old Shuffle)...I have started downloading audiobooks for her. She loves it. She gets the typical children's book (Curious George, Very Hungry Catepiller, etc.), I purchase those from iTunes. She also has a lot of new podcasts from Ancient Faith Radio for her age. Currently she is listening to the Resurrection of Jesus, The Woman and the Wheat, and St. Gerasimos. She gets to listen to them when she is riding in the jogger as I run. What a blessing these stories have been !!!
Beauty in the home
tonight my thoughtful husband put some of the petals from our rosebush in a bowl of water and floated some candles inside....lovely setting for our dinner.
The Domestic Church
Sophia has been asking for me to read her more and more from The Children's Bible Reader. She continues to ask for me to read the stories of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection at this time....Pascha is fresh in her mind.
In the garden
We are trying to rebuild just a little after losing so much over the winter this year. We have blessed to still have quite a bit of green (azaleas, Indian Hawthornes, Ligustrum shrubs) but all of our flowering colorful beds are gone. We have decided to keep it simple. We had invested so much time and money into it last year and it was very frustrating to have it all die in the freezes. We have started with a few flowering pots hanging from the shepherds hooks in the front and a potted hibiscus. I should mention that our rosebush is strong and blooming ! This thing is amazing - as you may remember from last year !
One of my favorite things
my little man's laughter
A picture to share
The kids love playing in their new homemade playhouse (aka dishwasher box)...we cut windows and a door, even put up curtains!
