Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Homebound

This might drive some people batty.  This staying home all day long.
But not me.

I like being home.  I didn't always.
But I do now.

When the children were small, Patrick slept during the day so I HAD to get out of the house.  I headed over to the Menominee YMCA five mornings a week.  When the children were very little they went in the nursery while I took or taught aerobics and attended many modern dance classes.  We tried to stay away until 11:30 when Patrick would wake up and eat and head back to work.  Those were the days he worked from noon until 6 am. the next morning.  You can understand why I wanted to keep things quiet!  Poor guy.

As the years have gone by Patrick's schedule changed as did ours.

Homeschooling...then not homeschooling.
Aging....and still aging....

Home.

It's warm here.


Cozy


I love it.


"Katie, what are your hobbies?" "I take selfies!!!" #yup #allday


Especially when Katie is home from school.  She says 'the selfie' is her hobby.


***

Jep sent me a box full of books.  She sent a book called "Don't Forget to Sing in the Lifeboats" by Kathryn and Ross Petras.

It is a small, fat book of quotes written in big type.  How perfect :o)


Here are a few quotes I liked;


It is the peculiar nature of the world to go on spinning no matter what sort of heartbreak is happening.
~Sue Monk Kidd

I have posted this before but I was reminded of it the other night.


Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.  God is awake.
~Victor Hugo

It even helps stupid people to try hard.
~Seneca


Thank you Jep!

Have a beautiful day!

Wishing you courage and patience and peace,
Donna





28 comments:

  1. It looks warm and cozy there. I love the selfie photo shot. She must have some gorgeous selfies on that phone of hers. I hope you all stay warm! We are waiting (with sun shining) on Leon to plow through. It almost never happens when they call for it so we sit here after the grocery store run yesterday (no milk or bread left on the shelves) and wait. My granddaughter, Nora, is trying to be patient, but she keeps asking, "Where's the snow?!" I hope we get a little bit for her sake.

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  2. Jep...what a GEM! A book of quotes for you, the Quote Ninja. I love it. And that quote from Seneca has tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks. Sue Monk Kidd's comment is one the things that is hardest for me in life, esp. in grief. There is a feeling in my soul that life should just STOP until I am ready to get back on the spinning wheel, but that's not the way it goes. I am sure I will fully understand and agree someday, but not yet.

    I spent my teens and twenties never being home, whether my mom's home or my house of roommates. I was a social maniac. Now I dream of and live for the days I can be home with my mug of coffee and my sweet kids. I love my home place most of all! Even better when my hubby can be home. Being home is livin' the dream for me.

    Happy Tuesday all. Stay safe and warm, dear friends. I know our California temps are a source of envy for many, but this dry, brown January is so strange and a little frightening. The lakes and reservoirs are dangerously low. Prayers for rain would be greatly appreciated. I know dear Jep knows what that is like!

    Hugs,
    Di

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    1. Anonymous1:18 PM

      Prayers for rain!!
      Mary Z

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  3. I love that quote from Victor Hugo. It's not always easy to remember, especially when you're a SAHM running on 4 consecutive weeks of sick kids (and are aching to leave the house and NOT be heading to the pediatrician). But it's so, so true. Do all that you can do, and leave the rest to God.

    By the way, I always think your living room looks like the coziest place ever. Like a good book, a cup of coffee, and a blanket would never be far out of reach or out of place.

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    1. {{{LIKE}}} It really DOES look so very cozy, Beth!

      Sorry you are in a time of sickness with our family; that is so very tough at any time but especially in the month of January. Bless your heart. Mean it.

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    2. Thank you so much, Susan!

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    3. *YOUR* family - oops, typo. You are very welcome - sending up a prayer for you right now for strength :-)

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  4. love your quotes for today. Love the self ie from Katie. I took some today and will post after I workout.
    another quote: The Earth reminded me of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in space.
    (An Astronaut said this…today is the challenger disaster anniversary. :(

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    1. I remember the challenger disaster - where I was sitting in my home when it happened. God bless those families.

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  5. I would add.... A clicker and dog hair :)

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    1. Anonymous1:17 PM

      And a camera, no doubt!
      Mary Z

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  6. Home is best, I'm thinkin'

    What a wonderful treat - a box of books!!!! yay jep!

    Donna it was about a year ago that I posted those pics of my flat -- remember? I do love our comfy little 90 square meters that we call home. I still have my Christmas lights in the window and they make me feel very cozy.

    I love Katie in the cute gingham shirt.

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  7. Anonymous11:53 AM

    Donna, I love home too. I have a hard time tearing myself away on the days that I go to work because I just hate to leave the warmth, peace, and comfort of it. I totally understand where you are coming from. And if my family is here with me, better yet. An insular and calm cocoon, a place of love.

    Debbie Z.

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  8. Wish I was homebound with you :) We are all spending more time at home here in Chicago, it's just too cold to go out and about on the trains and walk around. Good for my wallet. When I'm downtown in the evening and I see women in their heels and bare legs I am truly impressed at their dedication to nightlife.

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  9. Anonymous12:00 PM

    I used to be on the go all the time, but then I had Sophia and I love to be home now. I do like to venture to Des Moines at least once a month. I like my coffee dates with my best friends, my Target trips, and the occasional date with Kris. Otherwise, I'll be home...well besides the whole job thing. I absolutely love being in the country. Di said it perfectly, "Being home is livin' the dream for me." Amen.

    Great quotes. : )

    Sarah P. from Iowa

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  10. Anonymous1:16 PM

    I don't know if I'd appreciate being home as much if I didn't have to be out and about so often. Coming home after work -- especially this winter -- feels like entering a nice, cozy place of refuge. It's one of the best feelings ever. :)

    "Be always coming home." --Ursula K. Le Guin

    Mary Z

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  11. Whoops, I may have deleted my comment instead of posting. I suggested you and Katie watch this beautiful video (from Dove) about Selfies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkm1Hg4dTI

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  12. Anonymous2:47 PM

    I am thrilled beyond words that even one book I sent is fun for you…I am so trying to cull out the bookshelves here. I think having Dad move and inheriting all his books and boxes started me thinking about cutting down and cleaning out some of our bounty.

    Staying in during our icy weather of last night and this morning…even the schools are closed. It does not take much to send us all inside and yes Di, we do understand about needing rain. Praying you will get some soon.

    Love the photographs, cozy rooms, cuddling with Ginny and cute Katie. love and prayers, jep

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    1. The book you sent sounds divine : ). You have a beautiful heart.

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  13. School was out for the day here along the Gulf Coast of Texas. It didn't get nearly as nasty as they had predicted, but there is a little ice. We were hoping for snow! My husband is home recuperating from a hospital stay and surgery, so we enjoyed the time together.

    I have a Downton Abbey question I am hoping some of you anglophiles can help me with. Why are some of the household servants addressed by their first name, like Anna, and others are addressed by their last name? (O'Brien, Braithwaite)? I can understand why Mrs. Hughes has the "Mrs." added. And did I not hear the horrid valet addressed as "Mr. Gillingham" while his employer was Lord Gillingham? Confused!!!!

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    1. It depends on their level in the house. All of the head housekeepers and cooks are called mrs, regardless of marital status. (We learned that when that scheister was after mrs patmore!). The assistants are first named / Daisy, Ivy, etc. Anna is called mrs. Bates by her colleagues when she's working, but since she and mary have become close, I think that's why they stick with Anna. And the guest valets, etc, are known by their 'lord's' name to save confusion when the house staff is meeting so many people at the same time. :)

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    2. Thanks, Steph! I knew someone here would have an answer for me!

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  14. It must have to do with the amount of/age of the kids. We.are.climbing.the.walls.

    We had Friday off too for end of semester... So it's been five straight days. For the second time in less than a month. Yikes.

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  15. I'm curious- how cold does it have to be in your neck of the woods for schools to close? Ours have been closed several times now for cold (0 degrees or less, or windchill of negative degrees), and it's driving me batty. I agree with stephseef- we're climbing the walls too! My 4-y-o only goes to preschool 3 days a week for a couple hours, but he desperately needs an outlet for his energy (besides me). I'm not sure how many more obstacle courses and scavenger hunts I can take! I personally would love to be home under a blanket reading a book, but it just doesn't happen with my boys.

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    1. All it takes for our neck of the woods is the slightest chance of freezing precipitation. South Texans do *not* know how to drive on ice!

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  16. I love being home, too :-) These extremely cold days and closings all over the place are perfectly ideal for staying PUT.

    And ohhhhh my.....selfies. I have one manic snap chatter here. I think we all kind of avoid her since we don't want to show up in one of her pics! Yikers!

    Appreciate the reminder from Victor that God is awake at night. So much heaviness happening in the world around me....there's peace that comes from remembering that so I can close my eyes and let Him keep working while I sleep.

    Stay warm, my friend!

    Blessings,
    Tammy ~@~

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  17. I like home. And I like out : ).
    A box of books?
    That would be the most perfect thing to get in the mail.
    I love quotes too.
    I remember when my friend found 1,400 things to be happy about in a Hallmark store.
    She called me and I begged my daddy to take me to buy it right away.
    Have you seen that book?
    I mean, now as I am older and I look back, I probably could have made my own list of 14,000 things to be happy about : ) but at the time, I absolutely HAD to have that brilliant book.
    Today we are home because it is icy and cold outside. Brrrr. Gary and Kaish just did the shoveling. THANK THE LORD! : )

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