Status Report: September

Sitting…on the couch in the living room.

Eating…crackers and cheese, my bedtime snack.

Wondering…where the day went. Actually, I know where it went. I took care of little Natalie today while her mother worked, and relearned how busy toddlers are and how much attention they require. And after supper, baby Amelia and her family came over for a visit. So there you have it; that’s where my day went.

Planning…to make blueberry-raspberry jam tomorrow. You know how all the raspberry jam recipes say to sieve the berries to remove half the seeds? I always mix raspberries with another fruit when I’m making jam and figure that if my jam is only half raspberry, it’s pretty much the same as taking out half the seeds—and a whole lot easier.

Plugging…shamelessly, the new blog Out of the Ordinary. There should be new posts up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now on out. So check in often, or better yet, put it on your feed reader.

Letting…go, a little reluctantly, of summer’s long daylight and warmer temps, and

Enjoying…the colors of fall, especially the yellow leaves covering the front yard. 

Also enjoying…fall’s frequent northern light displays on clear nights. Sunday night, my son woke me at 1am to see them. I was annoyed, at first, but it was the best show I’ve seen in years—a wide swath of dancing green and violet across the middle of the sky—and altogether worth the interrupted sleep. 

Anticipating...the garden’s end. Sometime before the beginning of October I’ll have everything in and it’ll all be over for this year. Between now and then, I have lots of work to do.

Yawning…because it’s time to say goodnight.

Wishing…you sweet dreams and a joyful September.

Copying…Lisa.

Status Report: July

Sitting…on the couch in the living room.

Thinking…about having a cup of after supper tea. 

Picking…the first two red tomatoes from the potted tomato plants on the back deck.

Watching…the Twins play Detroit. I’m so glad they’re finally winning once in a while so I can enjoy them again. I’m not a very loyal fan; I quit watching when things get hopeless.

Tiring…of the rain. It seems like it’s been rainy for months. Last night I dreamed that I woke up and went out to the backyard and the grass was knee high because the rain hadn’t stopped long enough for me to mow. My dream was partly right: The back yard does need to be mowed. Thankfully the grass isn’t knee high…yet.

Wishing…for summer. So far, we’ve had one nice weekend and that’s it.

Wanting…to skip my dental surgery tomorrow. It’s just a little thing—a one-half hour appointment—but I’m so tired of dental work! I’d really like to never see the inside of that dentist office again.

Reading…God’s Battalions by Rodney Stark (nearly done), Pierced for Our Transgressions (nearly done), and Killing Calvinism by Greg Dutcher. I finally finished The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz. I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s a guys novel. It was also very Lutheran. Next up, I’m starting Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber.

Making…curtains to replace some old dingy ones in the kitchen. I’m using this fabric (In real life, the grey is lighter than it looks in the photo.), which I bought when I was in Vancouver for a day in May. 

Liking…that my youngest son has discovered the joy of barbecuing. Nothing makes him happier than taking charge of grilling our supper. He made his own sauce and grilled enough chicken for a big family dinner we had last weekend.

Wishing…you a joyful July.

Copying…Lisa. 

Bibs for Babes

I finished up these bibs today. I made two per baby, six in all, for a triple shower on Sunday. They were so much fun I wish I had an excuse to make more. 

To give credit, I used this very helpful pattern and tutorial.