October 2019: Taco Bell Burrito, Music lately & car troubles that continue

I try to write "daybook" updates every few weeks to note seasonal, daily and weekly changes in my life. These kinds of updates are not particularly detailed and are quite random.

I found myself at the Taco Bell Drive in, with a cloudy, rainy world outside of the Rental car that we were in..... and I thought to myself: "I haven't had a burrito in like 5 months!" suddenly the memories and feelings came back to me....all of those burritos I had at the hospital. the burritos that became  my favorite thing to get at the cafeteria. the burrito I started to have just hours before she died.... I remembered the trek down to the cafeteria from the various hospital rooms she was in. I remembered the skaters that the kids wore. I remembered the cafeteria and how I think that the UW hospital has a great cafeteria.
(I'm trying to make that whole I-was-at-taco-bell-thing a little more poetic, but, for now, its a just a blurb)



Songs I've been loving:
-Wisconsin by Glenn Yarbrough (since I've been driving the truck a lot, I've been listening to dad's music and have really come to love this song over the past few days, and am starting to memorize it :)
-still been into the Beetles
-Everybody wants to rule the world
-one piece at a time by Johnny Cash (my car theme song----civic has been having radiator problems, but is not working again because my brother "bled the lines" (whatever that means) and an engine was found for my Camry---so, that means we will rebuild it soon!)

Comedy Lately:
-Chris Fleming/Gayle Videos---baby got back, D batteries----hilarious!

Trying:
-st John's wort....not sure  if it does anything/if its doing anything yet.... I have been taking it for 5 days. I decided I will try it for a month and then see if it helps after that.


Fall is coming too fast for me. I am still working on using my cultivate what matters powersheets and just hit my first 3 month reset (I haven't been using the monthly pages once a month...just when ever a I feel the need to regroup (which is a frequent feeling!) but I go through the sheets every few weeks.)

Looking forward to....
-an upcoming wedding
-rebuilding my camry
-getting rid of my civic (yay!)

end of September daybook// wake me up when September ends, part two

My life keeps happening at such a fast pace---sometimes I feel as if I can hardly keep up, or that I'm just trying to get to the next thing. I like writing "daybook" like posts every so often to remind me of progress, and see the big picture better.

New books:
Catholic All....Day, November, December, Christmas Novena, Hymns and Carols for Advent and Christmas. I have already used the "Catholic All Day" booklet and thought it was a nice addition to my mass bag.

New Skills/experiences:
This week I learned how to milk a goat, and this Sunday & Monday, I will be milking that goat.
Watching someone have a sugar crash. That was interesting.
I got to drive a Ford Transit on Tuesday night---that thing was a bus! so huge!

Been listening to:
-The Beetles (particularly, "Hey Jude", "Revolution", "She Loves you")
-Man/Opposable Thumb from Good Burger
-Bonnie Rideout G'ime Elbow Room CD
-Green Day songs (wake me up when September ends, and 21 guns, mostly)
-The William Tell Overture by Hans Zimmer/from the Long Ranger

I have been eating a lot of:
smoothies in a mason jar (magnesium powder/raw eggs/ bananas/ strawberries/apple juice/kefir/blueberry/raspberry/yogurt/spinach smoothies)

New things:
Today I bought a bottle of St John's Wort and am going to try taking that.
Mrs Meyers Clean Day Every day multi surface spray

Trying out:
White vinegar cleaning spray

Using more:
My cultivate what matters powersheets planner.
My new Instagram account for faith & the liturgical year.
Pinterest
The Library

Enjoying:
Reading/Writing time on Thursdays at the Stoughton High School while my brother has band practice
Hiding a case of root beer in my Camry.
Sundays
Cross country meets
Wednesdays, 9:30-12, teaching a second grader. Each week so far has included 20 minutes of science experiments (!)
Little workouts here and there

Not loving:
the Catholic Schoolhouse co-op I babysit at
That my home button on my phone is even more broke
school


Still trying to get my act together:
Missing a certain someone---every day! Listening to my "FMR 2" playlist nearly every day. Still feeling many angsty feelings as the days go on. trying to be intentional about ingredients in smoothies. trying to rest and recharge even more. attempting little lifestyle changes. going to try out St John's Wort. Since M is still under construction, I keep accidentally driving past the apartment, which always brings me many tears. I feel like I am getting worse about replying to emails---if getting worse was actually possible! I used to reply the same day as I received an email, but these days.....you'd be lucky to get a reply within a week... (also-don't email me babysitting requests!!) Recently I have been waking up with "kind of a headache" and Thursday I had a really bad tension headache, so that's helping my cause. I'm going to get a massage on Sunday, so that should help a lot. still wondering/fighting the feeling "is this depression?". I read the book "a catholic guide to depression" this past week, which has made me think no, but still, I've been trying to fight these mental..."challenges"(?)/feelings as depression....increasing serotonin, tryptophan and dopamine as much as I can (through foods) and getting magnesium powder in me. Trying to get more organized about this all.... sometimes I wonder: "is this the new normal?"....trying to work on my attitude/a mental game plan...
Still wondering when this "September" will end.... will things ever be the same again? (probably not)

Reading Lately....

Still working on my 45 minutes of reading each day habit :)

This list doesn't include blog reading or liturgical year reading.

New books/Current reads/finished:
The Story of Civilization volume III The Making of the Modern World---a gift; I have been learning so much from this! I have this as an audiobook---so good!


Uncle Tom's Cabin---still trucking through this with Librivox, Ignatius Press text and study guide, Kolbe Lesson plans. Really trying to dive into this & learn from it.


The Mass for boys and Girls by Father Joseph Dunney---good, but a bit tedious; finished this.


Servant of God Gwen Coniker by Nancy Martin---still working on. its okay.


The Life of Saint Gemma Galgani by her spiritual director---a few chapters in. haven't really gotten a feel for this book overall.


Catholic Schoolhouse Tour III Science book---a gift. flicked through it and then threw it on my shelf. more of a science experiment book, not much of a reading book.


The Children's Charter by Mother Mary Loyola---very good & insightful; finished this.


Picture book I recently discovered and Like:
-Charming Opal (read with a girl that I babysit  named Opal :). )

busy days

This week has been an especially busy week. Last week we had a fair which was great, but very tiring, and a lot of work for me, since it seemed like every superintendent wanted to give me jobs to do. At the fair I had so many texts for babysitting! I definitely felt overwhelmed and anxious for the coming week.

Monday, July 8
made it to low mass
I babysat twice, 5 hours an hour from home, and 3 hours, closer to home right after that.

Tuesday, July 9
babysat in the morning, 9-12; in the afternoon, 12:30-2:30, went home in hopes of regrouping but I had so many texts and emails that I got those done, prepped for the next day, did chores and was off again; I babysat at another house from 5-8:30. The kids kept asking me to bring my swimsuit for Thursday  morning when I babysit them. When I left I figured that for babysitting 3 times in one day, I earned a trip to culvers and my car needed a big drink.

Wednesday, July 10
Babysat in the morning 8:30-1 at the same house as Tuesday afternoon, 1:45-4:25 was watching my new person to take care of (not sure what else to call her)--took her for her first spin in a new scooter and we went for a little expedition, then, did more organizing with her.

Thursday, July 11
babysat 7:30am-1pm with the Tuesday night family, and did in fact, bring my swimsuit. Went home for just a little. Babysat again from 2:45-4:30 to the Tuesday and Wednesday family. Spent the afternoon at a friends house. I was at Mrs KBL's daughters house and I had a moment of panic before I walked in the house---I've been there several times since she died...maybe they just recently did this, or I didn't notice before, but the ramps were gone. (!!) I stopped in my tracks. a reminder that she is gone.
Lice has been going around (with much hysteria) in our homeschool group, and since I was around so many affected families, I thoroughly checked myself for lice, didn't see any, used a robi comb, and then did the overnight olive oil soak.

Friday, July 12
Today, I woke up early and showered in attempt to get all of the olive oil out of my hair.
Went to low mass.
and went to help out a family with 3 month old twins for 6 hours. It was great. My thrill was changing two diapers at one time and calling the boys "little T" and "little M" after my friends's twins.
I'm off to feed steers, and in a few hours, I'm off to babysit again for a few hours.


Although I babysit twice a day very frequently, and have babysat 3x in one day at least 2 or 3 other times, this week was especially interesting because of babysitting twice all the days but Tuesday, and then babysitting three times that day.
I am currently not scheduled to babysit again until Sunday ;)

I am a little exhausted ;)

Busy days

I had every intention of writing here more and tapping the "publish" button more frequently than I have in the past few months, but I am currently in the middle of 2 very busy weeks (about to start week 2 of the busy weeks)

Here is an example of the day in the life of me.... This was a particularly interesting/busy day!

Thursday  June 13- Friday June 14 2019

Thursday Morning:

7am daily mass

work at cloth diaper shop 8:30-12

interview at Memory care place; met a guy who is 99, went through the battle of the bulge and Normandy, and shares the same birthday as me---we sat and talked for 45 minutes!!; visited a friend
rushed around with chores, writing about the exciting afternoon, got ready for the night and next day

went to my brother's rugby banquet

hit the road again to spend the night with a family with 10 week old twins to help with the twins throughout the night.Think I'm living the high life during my night with the twin boys. Remember my dear friend and wondering if this is what life was like for her and her twins. I also named each twin after my friend's twins. :)
I read books to the older kids, got them in bed, said my own night prayers with a twin in my arms, slept some but woke up each time one of the twins cried, changed diapers and rocked babies back to sleep throughout the night. :)

went home the next day, got home at 10:30 am. Did chores, caught up on texts, showered.

12:00-1:45 paid for my car, got gas and worked at cloth diaper shop

2:05-5 babysat three kids for my sister

dashed to stoughton for a grad party

5:56 get a text at the party that I'm looking at a new car at 6:40 (that was the time we were going to meet)
RACE home, do chores in 4 minutes, get my money, drive back to Madison

look at car

buy car (I am now a Honda owner)

go home. hit Wendy's and remember a certain mishaps for my friend and I there. ;)

at home work on "The Death of a Salesman" paper
shower
go back to Madison--feeling so tired!! drive new car home. listen to frightening CD that previous owner left in car.

jump into bed at 10:20!

April & May books read + new books

April:

How to get to "I do": a dating guide for Women by Amy Bonacorsso
A Love that Multiplies by Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell
Mother Teresa of Calcutta: a personal portrait




Myrtle Beach trip:

Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman

Re-reads:
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Leo the Lion by Jennifer Montemurro
Each Little Bird that Sings

Haven't finished yet:
National Catholic Reader book six


New books:
the Catholic All May booklet
The Catholic all June Booklet
(what else were you expecting for new books???)



Also,
I have now started to get Homeschool Magazines and Catalogs to ME and in MY name. (Yes  I am very dorky)
so far I have received things from....
Memoria press
Mother of Divine Grace School
Seton
Catholic heritage Curricula

New Pigs!

{so cute!}

February Reads

*not including liturgical year books/reading.

I've been using the library again, and have been on a bit of a kick now....

(I've been reading some Fascinating ALS Memoirs lately...so good!)

a Saturday {in pictures}

1-19-19

{waking up to snow} 

{the morning light on my desk}

{Monroe Wrestling Tournament-for my brothers}

{my books for the day}

{win!}

{me}

{taking notes}

{I finished this  book!}

{my first order from Hopewell/Heritage Essential Oils arrived!}

{Catholic all February arrived!}