Outside my window.......it is dark and a bit chilly I think since it is none too warm in the house.  We are supposed to have a nice sunny day in the sixties if the weatherman is to be believed.  I hope so since I plan on planting potatoes after I finish all my schoolwork.

I am thinking.......there are days when I wish that no one else would get up until I am good and ready to have company.  Everyone in this house is too darn happy and peppy in the morning.  I think that God likes to match up people like me with people like them.

I am thankful for.........answers to prayer even when the answer isn't what I would have liked.  It is still nice to know that He is listening to me.

From the schoolroom.......Matthew and I will be hard at work filling our minds with worthy material, that is as soon as he gets out of bed and gets going.

From the kitchen.......I haven't a clue what is on the menu today.  There are only enough leftovers for lunch so I guess that means that someone has to cook supper today.

I am wearing......sweats and a tee shirt.  Far too early for this non-morning person to be showered and dressed for the day.

I am creating.......nothing concrete but much in my mind.  Perhaps if I get the potatoes planted in a timely fashion I can spend some quality time with the quilting machine that my son bought for me.

I am going.......to stay at home today and get the usual Monday stuff done.

I am reading........actually I am rereading The Secret Garden for my origins of the English language class.

I am hoping.......that my sons are successful in the time spent doing Army stuff these coming weeks.

I am hearing.......the sound of my husband making himself some breakfast, the dogs frolicking outside, and the fan on my laptop.

Around the house......all else is quiet.  It is almost time for me to go get Matthew up so that he can start the day. 

One of my favorite things.......the way that the darkness in the house wraps around me and holds me fast like a blanket of comfort.

A few plans for the rest of the week.......the usual household stuff, schoolwork, get the potatoes, beets, carrots, and the rest of the peas into the ground before we get any more rain.  Then perhaps I can get the asparagus and raspberries cleaned up and weeded before the weeds take hold.  In between times I have to finish a first Communion dress, wait for a baby to be born, learn how to use my new quilting machine, and be a mother to this crew.  Shouldn't be too hard.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you......

A little puppy love that I caught on the sofa just before I made them get down.  They either look imploring or guilty.

My first dandelion.  I don't know why I like to chronicle that but it pleases me to see the brave things poking themselves up wherever they can get a purchase.

The big garden got rototilled this past week against all odds.  Now it is up to me to get the crops in and then the Lord can take care of the rest.  Oh, did I mention that the lawns need mowing already.

Doug and Matthew even managed to get the trampoline moved and set up.  The next day we had a high winds and a storm threatened and they had to turn it over so it wouldn't blow away, go figure.

Every morning the farmers "discuss" what it is that they will do each day.  I say that is quotes because it has become a thing of amusement for myself and my daughter.  We joke that they spend so much time talking about what they are going to do and how they will go about it that they get a lot less done than they could if they just got outside and started work each day.

This morning Doug announced to me that he was going up to the neighbor's house to load some hay for sale since it is such a nice day.  I couldn't resist stepping in and making another suggestion to get something done that I wanted for a change.  Here he is plowing my garden so that the ground dries out a bit before I get on it with the rototiller later this afternoon.

No need for discussion just go out and hook the plows onto the tractor and go.  Now the ground is turned up to the breeze and drying out by the minute.  The smell of the freshly turned earth is perfuming the whole place so pleasantly that I have taken my books and computer outside to work in the spring air.

After making sure that the plowing was well underway I took a tour of the other plantings to see what is up and what is still asleep.  The hop vines are all poking their way out of the ground and have young leaves on them.  Time for me to get a load of mulch and make sure that they are all visible so the lawnmower doesn't assault the young, tender vines.

The wood violets are all a-flower in the lawns.  My favorite flower and so delicate in scent, I have been cultivating them since we have been married and now they populate all of our lawns and gardens.

 Mary-Kate's spring bulbs are all up and many are in full bloom.  The surprise of color in secret little places and corners about the place is a nice hope and blessing.

Not easy to tell from this picture but the maples are in leaf now.  I came out this morning and discovered that the maples are in leaf and the sugary smell of their sap is strong in the air.  Soon the other trees will follow along and the whole land will be clothed in it's summer glory.

Outside my window......the sun is trying to shine and the wind is blowing.  After a week of sunny days and temps in the 70's and even some 80's it is hard to enjoy this day where the temp is having a hard time crawling up into the 50's.  Such is Central NY in the spring.  I will say that the air is fresh and wonderful smelling with the scent of greening grass, newly plowed earth, and the sweetness of the trees starting to bud.

I am thinking.....of all that there is to do and all that has been done.  No longer do I stress myself with the thought of getting things done.  All I have to do is think about the fact that it will all be there when I look again and then it is easy to choose what is important and what to let go.

I am thankful for........my family and their continuing support of my efforts to get my degree. 

From the schoolroom.....Matthew and I are both surrounded by piles of books and the atmosphere fairly exudes scholarship.

From the kitchen.......all is clean and shining and there are plenty of leftovers from the weekend to make it through the day.

I am wearing......navy sweatpants and a navy sweatshirt.  It is cold in this house since we let the fire in the furnace go out.  It is the time of year when we have to dress accordingly.

I am creating.......1 infant christening set, 1 First Communion dress, and a home environment where all feel welcome and loved.

I am reading.......textbooks!!!!! My favorite is my Norton's Anthology of English Literature.

I am going......nowhere during the day today.  Alas, I must spend the evening at the funeral home.  My Papa B. died peacefully last Tuesday at the hospital and we are laying him to rest tomorrow.

I am hoping.....that the weather cooperates so that the funeral is in nice weather and not the rain.

I am hearing......the washer finish it's spin cycle, that means that it will be calling my name soon.

Around the house.....all is quiet and neat and homey feeling.

A few plans for the rest of the week......funeral home today, funeral Mass tomorrow then it is a normal week for us (whatever normal is).

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you......

A beautiful picture of Mary-Kate that Matthew snapped yesterday.  Even the blurriness isn't so bad.  She looks happy and free and completely relaxed.

Jason in his Garth Brooks wannabe outfit.

The master of all he surveys.  I fell in love with that farmer squint a long time ago and it still does things to me.