Simple Woman's Daybook January 18, 2010

FOR TODAY... 


Outside my window... yucky, dirty, half-melted, muddy snow. Not pretty.

I am thinking... about taxes. My new job :)

I am thankful for... for the nice man who fixed my washing machine for a ridiculously low price.

I am wearing... sweater set, pleated skirt and no shoes or socks. My feet are cold :/

I am remembering... Haiti. I had a classmate in college who was Haitian. I haven't seen him since college, but I have thought about him this past week.

I am going... nowhere until Wednesday at lunchtime. I love being home in winter.

I am currently reading... the plays of Oscar Wilde. I am still not through them. I put reading aside this past week. The Fedex man brought me an ARC of a new Civil War history book to read and review today. A Vast and Fiendish Plot by Clint Johnson. It's a true tale of a Confederate plot to burn Manhattan in 1864. I just began it while BamBam was in the tub, and I'm still on the prologue.

I am hoping... to get caught up on paperwork here at home before Saturday. I can do that.

On my mind... again, Haiti. Really unspeakable, and I don't think we, the human race, have done our best to get aide to the people who need it as efficiently as we could have.

Pondering these words... "The unborn are as much a part of the Beloved Community as are newborns, infants, teenagers, adults, and the elderly.  Too many of us speak of tolerance and inclusion, yet refuse to tolerate or include the weakest and most innocent among us in the human family.  As we celebrate the life of Uncle Martin, let us renew our hearts and commit our lives to treating each other, whatever our race, status, or stage of life, as we would want to be treated.  Let us let each other live." -- Dr. Alveda King, January 18, 2010

From the kitchen... There were cinnamon rolls over the weekend, but they're gone now :(

Around the house... I am trying to organize and purge as I go.

From our studies... BamBam is reading now. We have learned short vowel
"a." Cat, bat, pan, man. You get the idea. Arch is working on explorers.

One of my favorite things... Minnie, my minivan. Yes, I named her. Yes, it is from a children's movie.

On my iPod ... Catholic Foodie podcasts. My absolute favorite and the one I always listen to first.

Plans for the upcoming week... cleaning and organizing, co-op, bowling, two soccer games, work on Saturday, confession, football. Go Jets!

From my picture journal... the little "colts" doing soccer drills.

Simple Woman's Daybook January 11, 2010

FOR TODAY...

Outside my window... snow, and more snow. Snowing now. Everything is so white and blanketed. Birds and squirrels are congregating at the feeders.

I am thinking... about blogging and picking up with it again.

I am thankful for... for all of my family and friends.

I am wearing... sweater, top, skirt, heavy socks.

I am remembering... that 2009 went by so fast!

I am going... to Buffalo tomorrow, while the boys play at a friend's house.

I am currently reading... the plays of Oscar Wilde. I was in a Wilde mood. Currently in the middle of "A Woman of No Importance."

I am hoping... to get a good report from the doctor tomorrow.

On my mind...getting ready to go back to work, and renewing my drivers' license.

Noticing that... my two boys are growing very fast indeed.

Pondering these words... "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." - Oscar Wilde

From the kitchen... I have no idea what is for dinner tonight, which is not like me at all.

Around the house... laundry is getting done. It had piled up quite a bit last week.

One of my favorite things... my iPhone. For so many reasons.

From my picture journal... Lego ball drop, New Year's Eve 2009.

Simple Woman's Daybook November 7, 2009

Outside my window... the late afternoon sun simply glowing on the leaves and grass and across my desk.

I am thinking... about dinner, and how I should get up and make it soon.

I am thankful for... my new part-time seasonal job.

I am wearing... grey skirt, blue top, slipper-socks.

I am remembering... my neighbors and how we will miss them when they leave (later today).

I am going... to have a busy week.

I am reading... nothing until I get to the library on Monday.

I am hoping... that a special intention which I cannot mention will be answered and everything will be all right for a certain someone.

On my mind... Fort Hood and Obama-care.

From the learning room... Explorers, and the Letter J.

Noticing that... my desk is a mess, and so is our office (I share it with DoorMan).

Pondering these words... "If I had my way, I'd shuffle off to Buffalo, sit by the lake and watch the world go by."

From the kitchen... chicken chowder cooked by the Holy Name men.

Around the house... I need to clean.

One of my favorite things... last.fm

From my picture journal...

The Holy Name men (and woman) and the cauldron of chowder. Rumor has it, the cauldron was a fuel cell from a jet fighter in a past life.

Book Review: The Night Watchman

A year ago homicide detective Ray Quinn had it all. Now he is a lonely night watchman at a condo, who gets around on his bad leg with a cane and a lot of pain.

One night he discovers two bodies on the premises, and his world, already turned upside down, spins out of control again. He reluctantly becomes involved in solving the crime, only to find that the answers he finds hit close to home.

This book was a very enjoyable read. Fast-paced and dryly witty, it is a police procedural with a twist. It is also a classic whodunnit, and the reader has all the clues in front of him to solve the case along with Ray. I appreciated the fact that faith is introduced and examined in an honest way, via the sister of one of the victims. There is also a blessed lack of gore, descriptive sex and foul language.