Bits and Pieces

The lack of posting for the past several days is a reflection of the fact that 1) I have been busy doing other things and 2) blogger lost my post when I did take the time to write one. Grrr.

In the interest of "catching up on things" without going into too much depth, this is what life looks like right now.

Family and Ministry: I have five major events between now and the first week in May. Two birthdays, one ladies' tea, Easter, and a gathering of families from different areas of Poland. Yes, I am beginning to panic a bit. Tonight I tried to write the wording for a Redwall birthday party invitation in Polish and find a template to make a maze on the driveway. Not much, but I've got to start somewhere.

House and Garden: The arrival of spring makes me want to go out, and I've spent the past two afternoons in the yard, trying to clean up the winter litter and prepare for planting next month. I've got the blisters to prove it, too. I haven't planted anything yet, but I did put some protection around the upcoming peonies, and decide to move the tulips that are being trampled by kids. (I suppose I could try to move the kids, but the tulips really are all over the yard.)

Homeschooling: Yes, we still do that. I'm discussing volcanoes with my 4th grader, Gene Stratton Porter with my 8th grader, and future college plans (yikes!) with my 11th grader. I'm still potty training the soon-to-be-three-year-old. (She's got one of the birthdays coming up soon.)

Books and reading: I'll post a "books read in March" post in a few days, and you'll see what I've been reading. I haven't found the time to blog about everything, but I will. Soon. Suffice it to say, I'm never too busy to read. I've even cracked War and Peace this month!

Miscellaneous cool trivia: I love learning the origin of words, including Polish words. It was unusual, however, to discover the origin of a Polish word while reading Dawn to Decadence by Jacques Barzun. He writes

The bird misnamed turkey (in French d'inde = from India and for a while in Britain Indian fowl) also made its appearance, these names being another indication of the long ignorance about America.

And the Polish word for turkey, probably derived from French, is indyk. Who knew? You never know what you might learn from Jacques Barzun.

Things that make you go "hmmm:" K. often has friends play in our yard, and not infrequently a parent or older sibling comes calling at the gate for them. I made K. give our telephone number to her friends' parents, thinking that it might be easier on them just to call us when they want their kids to come back home. Since then (yesterday), K. has received no less than four telephone calls from her friends. Someone got their wires crossed...

And last, but not least,

What toddlers look like when they put on their own shoes: