I'm sitting in a patch of sun and feeling relieved and smug. Gosh I miss the sun so much. Thinking about rearranging this whole room just for this one gorgeous patch. The children are quietly squabbling in the petulant way one does after one has been give all one's heart's desire and one discovers, after all, that desire remains. Matt is working out and listening to a sermon–his favorite thing to do. I suppose I could try to take some... Read more
Two cakes baked, Apple and Ginger. Matt is doing something or other with the goose. I should have made Chcolate Pots and Bread Dough but, well, I ran out of steam. I'll do it in the morning while the children take their weekly baths. It's Christmas! The weekly bath comes three days early. Actually, the weekly bath has turned into something of a lie. I think most of them bathe every day, I just don't any longer have anything to... Read more
It's so hard to bring children to church. Gosh, it's hard to go on your own. The whole world is doing more interesting things on Sunday, like sleeping in, and catching up on the real pile of work that waits for you all week while you never get to it. As you're racing around after your kids, surely you should have one day, probably Sunday, to be a day to crash. Let me suggest, in a vehement and pleading way,... Read more
I'm going to have to leap out of bed early to haul my little dog to the vet for a shot. He's going to be so shocked and unhappy. And then I'll dump him home and run back out for Christmas Crackers, Cornish hens and chocolate. I'm spreading my Christmas dinner shopping all over town so as to be sure of the best deals. I don't normally do this, but well, I'm going to this year. I've made a color... Read more
One Family argument last night about whether or not to hang stockings a week early. “You have to hang them on Christmas Eve” says Matt piously. “Ok,” I say, “Explain that slowly and carefully to Marigold in a language that she can understand.” “I want to hang my stocking,” says Marigold, her arms full of all the stockings. “Sit on his lap and pat his face,” I tell her, “say, 'Daddy, can I please hang my stocking?'” She climbs on... Read more
Matt continues horribly unwell. He wakes up in the morning thinking that all is well after not sleeping all night and then as the day progresses he discovers that in fact all is not well at all. Became desperate enough to pray for him. Obviously should have thought of that first, but, well, don’t judge me. I’m sure all of you leap to prayer as soon as bad things happen instead of complaining for three days first. The children did... Read more
It’s piano day. That means I should not be lying here scrolling through facebook and considering whether or not to read any of the interesting things people have linked. I should shove over this snoaring child and leap up, opening curtains, turning on lights because opening the curtains won’t do anything against this daylight that looks like twilight. I should shove my pile of money into the Cora of the little brass Malian statue so that I don’t have to... Read more
Matt is horribly sick. Argued with him for ten minutes about taking him to the walk in and then gave up. Going to have to run around and keep the house from descending into complete and horrific chaos. Me not being the morning person, they are all down their getting their own breakfast without the looming presence of their father sitting in the office. A presence that keeps them from getting away with everything. So, it's going to the that... Read more
Sob. Just wrote a whole post and lost it. Matt is sitting here snuffling and sneezing and nailing down the day and hour of Jesus’ birth, along with muttering in Greek and trying to breathe. It seems hard to read in Greek and breathe at the same time. The children are wandering around looking for clothes. If they manage to get dressed than I and they will go look for a Christmas goose while Matt lies here and feels terrible.... Read more
It’s been understandably hard to carry on with school these last few weeks. The gray weather, the constant desire to think about Christmas, the laziness produced by the sun, when it bothers to rise, doing so later and later. I have been dragging myself up, they have as well, and then once up we all wander around in a fog, stepping on each other’s nerves and toes. It is a foretaste of the long home bound days to come, but... Read more
Preventing Grace
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In