So, I’ve been busy.  (And so have you I see.)

Well, let’s take a minute to catch up a bit, shall we?

We’re back to a routine of sorts in the Zanduba household which is a welcome change from the summer chaos.  The girls have adjusted well to their new school year, and the evenings find us running to and from Big Girl’s volleyball practice and games, and Little Girl’s gymnastics and in-house piano lessons.  Mister LOVES LOVES LOVES Preschool even more than I hoped he would, and cries in disappointment the three mornings a week that he can’t go.  It is great fun to see the world through his eyes as he learns new things that we at home didn’t teach him.  Case in point…one afternoon he was wandering in the kitchen, and picked up an apple off the counter.

“Mommy, will you cut it like that (as he made cutting motions with his hand) so I can see the star inside?  My teacher telled me about it.”

And here is what we discovered when we cut into that apple.

 

 

My kids are happy, so Mom is happy.  🙂

Which leads me to productivity.  The happier I am, the more productive I am, which is likely true of  most of us.  So, when fall began, I was determined to get my house back to decluttered and organized.  You see, I am a great organizer.  However, I am a terrible maintainer.  I cannot stay organized to save my life.  This is what my desk looked like two weeks ago…the absolute bane of my existence.  I couldn’t find anything, I was missing deadlines, I was frustrated and had no idea where to even begin.  (Not to mention the number of times I knocked my shins on that accursed train table.)

So here’s a lesson for all of you interested in saving money.  Do not, I repeat, do not go furniture shopping for a new big boy bed when your desk space looks like this.  It is the equivalent of going grocery shopping when you are hungry.  This is what happens when you go furniture shopping on an “empty stomach”:

This piece of furniture called to me from across the store and made me take it home.  It begged…what else could I do?  So NOW I am organized, AND have a decent chance to stay that way.  Six baskets of paperwork  sorted and put away/thrown away.  Attic playspace/storage cleaned out, organized, and made roomy enough for the relocation of the train table.  Old toys donated or tossed away.  Even my camera has a home in a cabinet, instead of collecting dust buried under paperwork on top of the table.  LOVE IT!

So, what else?  Ah, yes, the weather.  We’ve had some incredible dark rainy days, followed by the most beautiful, sunny, warm fall days I can remember in quite awhile.  It has been glorious.  I was able to capture a couple of water photos during a rainstorm which I will save for Shrew’s Shutter Challenge, (due October 15th by the way) but here is a photo of a gorgeous sunset looking out of my upstairs hall window.

I should have some time this week to get out to some of my favorite locales to capture some foliage shots…we are entering peak up here and the colors are lovely.  Stay tuned.

And in the midst of running our busy lives, I am reminded in every moment of everyday to be thankful for these glorious days and the ability to keep up, as I am surrounded by family and friends who are struggling with some serious illnesses.  My Uncle (Dad’s brother,) my Aunt (Mom’s sister,) and a dear friend, all facing recent diagnoses of cancer, and another dear friend facing surgery on Friday for a brain aneurism.  They all face their trials with strength, hope, and a brightness of spirit that are amazing to me.  The one thing I can do for them is pray, so pray I do.  And I used what little skill I have to make my Aunt a Rosary bracelet in the hopes that it will bring a teeny bit of comfort to her in the days ahead.

 

I am yet again reminded of “The Gift of an Ordinary Day” and am taking pleasure in the little things that make a life worth living…

So here’s hoping all of your trials of the moment are trivial, and I leave you with  two videos…

The first is my new favorite song, and the latter is the thing I am most looking forward to next.  🙂  Enjoy!