Girl Names

I've spent a lot of time thinking about names for girls over the past 6 1/2 years. I have several of the little booklets that my mother used when she chose names 27-37 years ago. They have her "favorites" written in them.

Here are some of my favorite names that I will never get to use because Pete's not crazy about them. For some strange reason I feel compelled to write them down. I feel like a 16-year-old naming her fictious children with her dreamed-about-husband.

• Louisa - my paternal grandmother's middle name. I LOVE this name!
• Marguerite - my other all-time-favorite!
• Cecilia
• Elena
• Evelyn
• Francine
• Helena
• Lilian
• Miriam
• Philomena
• Eleanor
• Naomi
• Victoria
• Virginia
• Vivian
• Yvette
• Yvonne

These four names have been in our "final list" from the beginning:

• Jacqueline
• Bernadette
• Josephine - my maternal grandmother's middle name
• Patricia - my aunt's name

First Fruits of Prayer

I have been reading First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew since last Wednesday. Here is a description of the book from the website of the author, Fredrica Mathewes-Green. I'm finding these concepts of sin from the Orthodox tradition very challenging and provocative. It's a very ancient way of approaching Lent, but very new to me.

Light Weigh Recap

Just for future reference, I keep meaning to write down my Light Weigh story. Finally...before I forget!

Nov 1999 - wedding. 135-140 lbs.
Jan 2005 - 14 months after baby #3 -- 164 lbs.
Gained 30 lbs after 3 pregnancies.
Light Weigh session beginning in Feb 2005 - Lost about 14 lbs. in 4 months, then got pregnant again (June 2005). I gained 40 lbs. with the pregnancy, (150-190 lbs).
Caroline was born March 1, 2006

Went through a second Light Weigh session (May 2006) after baby #4 was born.

May 1, 2006 - 170 lbs.
July 1, 2006 - 160
Mid-August 2006 - 150
October 2006 - broke 140
Oct-Present - hover around 137 lbs., which is probably about the same as when I got married.
In a perfect world, I would be 130 lbs. Thinking about doing another Light Weigh session during Lent and Easter.

Misc. and What I'm reading

We've been all a bit under the weather lately. Nothing major. Just can't seem to shake the gooby-goobies for the past MONTH! And it seems like it's catching up with me during the past week. I have been purposefully NOT writing down what we've been doing, and of course, I don't remember by the end of the day if I don't write it down. So much for my memory.

I've put a hold on working on pictures/scrapbooks lately, and been reading a bit more. I miss curling up in bed at the end of a long day and shoving my nose in a book and losing myself. Hmmm, couldn't be that BLOGGING has something to do with this, now could it? Anyway, my nose is a bit more content lately, having found itself in front of books instead of a computer screen. So, here is what I've been reading:

Beatrix Potter Biography ~ after seeing the movie a few weeks ago, I've been totally engaged in this book. Fascinating.

Book of Exodus. Chapter/day. Along with my study guide.

Woman Clothed with the Sun. 1 more chapter left. This was an EXCELLENT book. Loved it.

True Devotion to Mary. St. Louis de Montfort. ~also follwing along with the 4real discussion, although it's been hit or miss. I've wanted to read this book for years.

Real Learning - going through for the second time.

Sharing Nature with Children

Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6. A Philosophy of Education. Also trying to follow along on the 4real boards. This first chapter has me hooked.

Managers of Their Chores - I have been trying to make my way through this book for the past 6 months. Blogging sort of interrupted it. There is A LOT in this book. Who would've thought there was so much to say about children and chores!

Saint Philomena: the wonder worker

Flame and Shadow. Poetry by Sara Teasdale

Anne of Green Gables.

What Is This?

I have been keeping random notes of the day's minutia off and on for the past 9 months or so in spiral binder. Needless to say, this isn't pretty, and since I'm a fairly visual person, I thought this may be a motivator to keep it going. It's quite motivating to "see" what we do in the course of a day even if the whole day is a disaster. It also could serve as a parent "examen" of sorts; seeing how I have or have not served my family throughout the day, according to God's will. Perhaps part of my examination of conscience.

I'm not concerned about punctuation, capital letters or spelling. I desire simply to jot down a few haphazard notes about our day. It takes 5-10 minutes.

Maybe this will just become a burden. Something else to do at the end of the day, or a distraction. We'll see.