quiet....

Mirielle loves Suri. Duke, she loves him too, I suppose. He can't NOT be loved, because he is just all goodness. And, he likes to be as close to people as he can.

Mirielle is working her first night shift tonight, 12 hours. I wished her well as she went out the door, and prayed for her, as the deer are plentiful on the back roads. She has been practicing sleeping during the day and staying up all night. Last night, she cleaned out and organized the refrigerator at like two a.m., and said she felt like a crazy person. When I came in the door with groceries today, she said, "Make sure you put everything where it belongs, Mom!" (I love organization so much. I am just in awe of it. I try it, I really do. I do slightly succeed, this place would fall apart if I didn't organize as much as I do, but oh my goodness, I would love to be super organized. I have tried, and it ain't happenin'. I long for organization, for order, rhyme and reason. It is always just beyond my grasp. I can fix up one or two cupboards, make them so stinking organized that I open them up over and over again just to admire their lovely orderliness, then...I never actually see it happening until...things start getting shoved in there in the wrong places. I think that I will fix it properly, later, then "later" never comes....and bang, back where we started from....)

Emily had to shop for a church feast, one that we are having this coming Sunday. She is making a turkey dinner. So I went along to help her. She bought three turkeys and stuffing and olives and potatoes and green beans and lots of other ingredients, for desserts and the dinner. I don't know how much help I am, as I bought two turkeys too, plus bananas and oranges and apples and yogurt and burger and and and. But: we had fun. Jonathan went along too, but he DID learn some things. We talked about the international date line, and how the animals and people who would become the native Americans walked across from Russia to Alaska. We saw a barge in the river pushing a whole wooden deck, and Jon helped me pick out a birthday gift for his cousin William. We went to lunch at a diner, and Jon ordered two chocolate chip pancakes, saving one to bring home for his sister Sonja. He didn't actually sit down and write any papers or learn any spelling words, but he sure had a good day!

Kathryn stayed here with Joseph and did her work, then he took her to the library.

They all went out the door to activity club except for Samuel, who was with his Future Soldiers' group. He came home right after they left, so we had some quiet time just to talk about stuff. He had some ice cream, so I had some...blah, I hate when I reason out that stuff like that is okay, because it isn't.

Anyway. The kids came back home, all happy and chatty from making pizza and playing and running around with their friends. I let them stay up too late, because they have no school tomorrow. There are parent/teacher conferences. No school on Thursday, then a half day on Friday. Um, why isn't that reversed?

I promised them I would take them to the pool in the morning, so I had better get to bed soon.

The middle sized girls are watching a Mary Kate and Ashley movie. Margaret and Sam went to bed, they do have school tomorrow. I would like to sleep in, I don't know why I promised the pool. blah. But I need to go!

Paul will be home on Saturday. It's interesting how much I miss him by the time he is almost home. Like...really really bad. mmm. I just can't wait to see him.

Ah well, I should go to bed. The house...well, let's just say that after I shopped at three stores with Emily and Jon, put away all the groceries, made dinner, a nice pot of chili, served and cleaned up the dinner....the kids played dollhouse and set up tons of houses and yards and campsites...then also train-track, both the Thomas track and the Powertrain track...the livingroom looks like...well, it actually looks really fun! The counters in the kitchen are cluttered, and more dishes magically appeared in the sink. The floors which were swept this morning, and mopped just the day before yesterday...well, they need it again. I bought supplies for our Thanksgiving dinner, so there are three bags of potatoes and a bag of sweet potatoes that don't fit in the cupboard, extra canned goods, a package of paper towels...oh, the lovely lived-in look.

The kitty is sleeping on my lap, and I don't want to get up.