::faithful

Praying for – friends who still need permanent work; DirtBike and The Architect for a safe summer; Princess Pea and Cherry Ames for successful summer classes; Mr. Pea for healing of that [still] broken leg bone.

Grateful for – employment, summer ice cream treats, finding a walking park right out the back door of my new office

::healthy

Aaaah…I love summer time.  I really, really do.  Fresh produce is readily available, watermelon is in season and the daylight is long enough to get in some serious dog walking, biking and other exercise.  My healthy goal for me and the family this week is more veggies.

::pondering

Stopping for regular prayer breaks throughout the day.  I love the peaceful rhythm and the opportunity to regroup my scattered brain cells.

::creative

Oooh!!  Mr. Pea is still debating the sample colors splashed on the back window frames.  I didn’t paint them on the garage door as originally planned, because I KNOW my darling husband likes to make deliberate decisions, and I didn’t want the neighbors to have to stare at color blobs for weeks on end.  It’s bad enough they’re looking at our broken mail box.  Um, yeah.  Our neighbor caught it with his trailer a few weeks ago and knocked the entire top half off.  Broken bricks everywhere.  We’ve ordered a new concrete cap, but it’s not here yet, and our favorite masonry guy* is only sporadically available because his wife is very, very ill right now.

*Yes, we have a Favorite Masonry Guy.  This isn’t the first time the mailbox has been knocked over.  I always wonder about that, because it’s a BRICK mailbox, about five feet tall, and it has brick planters on both sides.  It’s big.  And sturdy[ish].

::delicious

• Grilled Bratwurst, BLT Pasta Salad
• Polynesian Flank Steak, Grilled Corn and Salad
• Turkey Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks and Pineapple Spears
• Ginger Chicken, Peas and Tossed Salad
• Pasta with Zucchini, Spinach Salad
• Grilled Salmon and some Veggie
• Burgers, Green Bean Casserole

::fun

*sigh*  Work this week.  Mr. Pea is talking about a Beach Break this year.   I won’t have any vacation available yet and the girls are caught up with work and summer school, so I’m encouraging him to take the boys and go on a Guy Trip. It will be nice to have the house quietly to myself for a few days.  He doesn’t understand why I think being alone for a little bit of time is so marvelous.  Really?  I relish the thought of cleaning up the kitchen, going to bed, and then waking up to find it still just as clean as I left it!  I’m positively giddy at the chance to have the laundry washed, dried and put away all at the same time!

::captured

Feast of Corpus Christi.  That’s Mr. Pea, the first lantern bearer.

::looking ahead

Boys have had a friend over for a couple of days in a row.  They are so rowdy funny when they’re all together.  Mending, hemming and more yard cleanup.  There is much to do in the Pea Home Jungle.

Linking up at Suscipio– come join us!

::faithful

Praying for

• friends – who still need permanent work
• family members – who need some extra love, support and Grace

• my family
• health
• home

::healthy

Regular exercise is becoming [again] a habit. It’s funny how FAST a habit can be dropped, not so funny when you realize that it takes four times as long to bring it back.

::pondering

Life changes.  Aging.

::creative

(Repeat-Repeat) We’re still working on selecting the paint color for the house trim. Mr. Pea did not like either of the two samples we painted, so some time this week I need to go fetch another sample.  

DirtBike cut down two ginormous trees that were against the house, opening up my garden!  I’ll be getting out this week to finish clearing and planning the restoration of my garden.

::delicious

• Taco Salad
• Pulled Pork with Slaw
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Muffaletta Sandwiches
• Ginger Chicken, Peas and Tossed Salad
• Blackened Tilapia, Spinach Salad
• Pasta and Eggplant

I spent hours yesterday prepping meals and freezing them for the weeks to come.  I know that between transitioning into the new job, summer school, kids’ jobs, etc, our schedule is going to be crazy.  I can make it feel less tedious if our evening meals are ready to go. I can thaw ahead then whoever gets home first cooks.  That means that the boys will be expanding their cooking repertoire beyond pancakes this summer!  Yeah!

::fun

Family Bike Ride this morning – it was wonderful, cool, and lots of fun. Bathing the dogs.  Yes, this counts as fun, because we have horse sized dogs and bathing involves teens, garden hoses and buckets. Roasting Marshmallows.

::looking ahead

The Architect got the job!! He’s going to be a lifeguard at the new splash park opening in our dinky town.  He has to schedule training this week, in between his finals.  Next on the list is getting that boy a drivers’ license.  He’s been ready for ages, but we can never make it over to the DPS for the test.  They are only open for testing from noon until 4 on weekdays, which means pulling him out of school and taking off work to make it happen.  We have to do something quick, because we need him to help drive DirtBike to his summer classes. (He will be able to ride his bike or even walk to work; yes, it’s that close.)

Our 27th anniversary is this Friday.  Wow. Twenty Seven years!  TWENTY SEVEN years!  It sounds like such a long time, but it feels like it flew by in just an instant.

Linking up at Suscipio – come join us!

::faithful

Praying for

• friends – who still need permanent work
• young friends – preparing to step out of their parents’ homes and head off to college
• The Architect – he has his first job interview ever this afternoon

• the safety of my parents, sister and nephews who live in Moore, Oklahoma

::healthy

Sleep continues to be a priority.  I can feel my stress levels dropping as my first day at the new job approaches. I’m so excited!

::pondering

Thinking about being a woman in a [still] male-dominated workplace, and the role that my faith plays there and how it influences the way I manage and lead. Reading the writing of Mary Wallace over at the Working Catholic Mom.

::creative

(Repeat) FINALLY selecting the paint color for the house trim.  I hereby announce to the world that I WILL slap those sample colors onto garage panels and pick one before this week is over.  Please hold me accountable if I don’t announce a selection by NEXT Monday.  In my own defense, it rained on the one free afternoon I had to slap paint. 

::delicious

• Chicken Enchiladas
• Shrimp Tacos with Bladk Beans
• Eighth Grade Dinner with DirtBike
• Beef Kabobs, Grilled Corn, Berries
• Dirty Rice and Green Beans
• BLTs
• Hot Dogs, Baked Beans and Tossed Salad

::fun

GRADUATION Week for DirtBike!  No, not high school – eighth grade.  It’s a big deal, as he and his friends have been together in school since they were in preschool. It’s our last year at St. Andrew Catholic School – we’ve been there for eighteen years. EIGHTEEN Years!

::looking ahead

Tomorrow is the eighth grade picnic at a local retreat/ranch.  I’m chaperoning, and this may or may not involve a turn on a zip line. And a round of paintball. 

New Glasses!  AND sunglasses!!  I haven’t been updated in several years.  I’m looking forward to some more stylish frames and stronger bifocals.

Linking up at Suscipio – come join us!