Outside my window... sunny, cloudless blue skies; low 70's temps, but rising

I am thinking... that i really want to get caught up on blog posts - i have dozens of folders that have never been posted about.

I am thankful for... Rosie Cooper: friend, hero, and Laird's preschool teacher this year. She's so kind and loving. we just went to the end-of-year party at the Cortina park this morning. looking forward to Sage being in her class next year.


From the learning rooms... just bought a ton of new reading for the kids last week; working on multiplication with M&C; addition games for L&A; piggy bank has been especially popular with them. need to get a writing workshop going for the summer, word study included.


From the kitchen... no idea really. the fridge needs to be cleaned, menus need to be made, and shopping done. have had the ingredients to make a "heavenly seduction coconut cake" from rose levy beranbaum's Rose's Heavenly Cakes for over a week, but haven't gotten around to it. summer fruits & veges are starting to come in, which makes sides so easy and meals deliciously simple. have some flank steak and chicken tenders in the fridge which need to be cooked. looks like i'll be grilling something tonight.


I am wearing... vintage wash, boot cut Gap jeans; scoopneck rose J.Jill tee; brown Mossimo flip-flops with a brown and pink plaid strap


I am creating... i've been trying cakes from Rose's Heavenly Cakes for the last month, but little else creativity. we've been biking and playing outside a ton, not creating anything indoors. so maybe you could say i've been creating memories & habits on the bike trail or making muscles


I am going... probably to the grocery store; to take the 4 oldest to basketball and the baby girls to play with the Monsons at 2pm; at some point i'll have to go get the suburban out of Safeway's parking lot, where it died on me this morning


I am reading...The Narnian, a C.S. Lewis biography; a Beatrix Potter biography; Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains, a children's novel; just finished The Silent Boy, by Lois Lowry; revisiting Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic 3rd Grade, by Constance Kamii to brush up on math for Macey & Colton

Scriptures I am studying... I've been looking over various chapters in D&C, most recently section 88. i don't have any set study schedule just now. need to get one. need to finish off the talks from Oct 2009 Gen Conf.

Family Scripture study... Matthew 24

I am hoping... the nice weather holds a bit longer


I am hearing... Colton moan about some writing he has to do; Sage clinking the legoes as she builds with them; the chatter of Grace


Around the house... messy as usual; my bedroom is moderately clean and the bathroom has improved some; someone pulled out a few baskets of dirty laundry off the laundry tower and emptied them on the floor - why?


One of my favorite things... my new bike and the QC wash trail


A few plans for the rest of the week: Adam & Colton leaving for BYU father/son basketball camp on Friday; Allee's bday party for Abbey on Saturday; family symphony on Saturday


Here is picture thought I am sharing...

the 4 dozen roses Adam spoiled me with for mother's day

exquisite!

Outside my window...alternating periods of stormy grey clouds/rain and bursts of sunshine (we had 4 cycles by the end of the day). when it's rainy, there are glorious, steel grey thunder clouds rolling across the sky. i feel the nip in the air and the moisture, too. then the sunshine comes, lighting up everything, making it sparkle and shedding a pleasant warmth abroad.

I am thinking...how cozy it is to have a few days of rain like we've been getting

I am thankful for...the rain! i wish it was like this every year

From the learning rooms...Macey skipped out on us to go watch the Olympics with Marmee; we are in between major topics right now. the weather today is making me remember i wanted to do a weather unit. but we just finished Jefferson and I wanted to follow up with Lewis & Clark. being monday, we picked new words for word study. Abbey & Laird started a new unit in math: apple boxes.

From the kitchen...still kind of in a cooking slump, but am planning on making easy homemade pizza for dinner with the dough I got at Trader Joe's on saturday. lunch will be campbell's bean & bacon soup because rain always means soup!

I am wearing...my pjs! sort of. we usually run on monday morning, but the rain stopped those plans. i was feeling so cozy i just stayed in my red floral pj bottoms and pulled on a light tangerine hoody (totally mismatched) that was next to my bed and a pair of socks. cozy rainy weather wear, perfect for curling up with a book indoors all day.

I am creating...nothing. in a creative slump, too. been busy studying health stuff.

I am going...no where, except to pick up Laird from the Lunt's after playtime. maybe to the grocery store if i feel like changing my pants

I am reading...lots! Suzanne Summers's Ageless and Garth Nix's Lirael (for the 3rd or 4th time on his Abhorsen trilogy) are on my agenda today.

I am hoping...we keep getting more rain. with those glorious, perfectly warm sunny days in between, too . . . that dr. mikel can help me get my hormones balanced so i can be healthier and nicer . . . that Adam's annual summit meetings go well this week

I am hearing...the pitterpat of rain on my windows; lots of complaining about schoolwork today

Around the house...still need to clean up the green room after we pulled a bunch of stuff out of the laundry room when the new washer/dryer arrived; the last of the Christmas ornaments are sitting in there too. the carpet is looking pretty disgusting. we've definitely worn it out in the last 6 1/2 years. but the thought of getting it replaced and all that entails makes my head hurt.

One of my favorite things...uh, rain. i am really, really happy about this weather!!! and taking daily walks around the neighborhood with Grace each day while the weathers good (not rainy days of course)

A few plans for the rest of the week: visiting teaching jill doi, darcy hemenway, and angela carling; dr. appt with dr. mikel for hormone testing; adam's annual company managers summit meetings tuesday thru friday; getting pedicures and having dinner with my seesters on thrusday for katee's 26th bday; jodee's 30th bday party on friday night; stake women's conference on saturday; Grace's 2nd bday on sunday

Here is picture thought I am sharing..

our citrus is in season, the branches are heavy laden with fruit