Outside my window … are gray skies and plenty of puddles. November always brings a damp, dark, waiting for winter kind of feeling.

I am thinking … about my birthday girl. Sweet Juliette is turning 10 today. 10! If I can kick her out of the kitchen long enough, I’ll make her favorite caramel cheesecake this morning.

I am thankful for … an abbreviated school week. We’ve been working hard and a break is in order. Just two “official” days of school this week.

I am reading … Lisa Hendey’s new book, The Handbook for Catholic Moms. I find myself going back and leafing through again and again. Lisa is so good at sharing her wisdom in a natural, helpful, encouraging way. She’s also great at bringing lots of good ideas together in one place — what a wonderful resource!

I am hoping … for a light snowfall on Thanksgiving. I’m a romantic that way.

On my mind … my book project with Elizabeth. We’re nearly through and I can’t wait to share the results with you (coming in Spring 2010!).

We’re learning … about Squanto and the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, of course. It’s review for many of us, but stories like these just don’t get old. I’m thinking of using some “vintage” recipes in our Thanksgiving this year too. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Noticing that … although I’m not a natural “planner” I do feel a lot better about my life when I make a plan and do my best to stick to it. Meal plans can be sketchy, but they should be plans. Work plans can be just lists jotted down at the end of each day for looking at the next morning, but they should be in writing. School schedules … well, those are already typed, laminated, and posted to my fridge. We’re pretty good on those. I guess that tells you what area of my life requires the most externally imposed discipline, doesn’t it?

Pondering these words … “God knows I am here. This is his will for me.” — Saint Jose Isabel Flores Varela This is a simple reminder that I need often. God knows I am here. This is not a mistake — it’s where I am meant to be.

From the kitchen … Pies, breads, turkey, potatoes, squash, and stuffing. I’ll share recipes at Faith & Family this week and hope others will be sharing too. I love this time of year!

Around the house … I am de-cluttering kids’ rooms and toy areas in anticipation of December. We need to make room for the “stuff” that comes with Christmas and having cleaner spaces during Advent is very appropriate, I think.

One of my favorite things … Daniel, fresh from a bath and in his blue fuzzy pajamas. He is my snuggly little bear.

A picture I am sharing …

Frosty Morning

(Lots more Simple Woman’s Daybooks here!)

Yes, a Daybook.

I make no promises about being faithful or consistent in writing these, but after reading other bloggers’ daybooks for so long now, it has finally occurred to me that this might be a useful weekly exercise for me too. Writing down thoughts and goals at the beginning of a new week seems like a very good way to not only share some small details but also to keep myself on track. So here goes:

Outside my window … we had a beautiful unseasonably warm November day. Hours of running in the sunshine and puddles this afternoon led to two exhausted little boys who fell asleep together on the couch before bedtime.

I am thinking … about the importance of letting our big kids know, especially as they take on more and more responsibility in the world outside of our family, that we love them unconditionally. We’ve got their backs and we’re on their side.

I am thankful for … my sweetie of a husband who cleaned the classroom this weekend while I got to go to a baby shower and gab with women I love.

I am reading … a galley copy of an amazing book about the Divine Mercy. It will be released on Divine Mercy Sunday 2010 and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Jesus definitely put this book in my path this week.

I am hoping … that Troy Polamalu’s knee injury is not season-ending serious. Not sure I could handle the melancholy around here if that turned out to be the case.

On my mind … Christmas. I would love to be the mom who gets all her shopping done before Advent this year. I think we should all get to be that mom at least once, don’t you?

We’re learning … Fractions, parallel structure, the Holy Trinity, the Revolutionary War, subordinate clauses, and how to roll out pie dough. What else do you want to know?

Noticing that … I’ve fallen out of an exercise routine. Need to fix that.

Pondering these words … “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” — Blessed Mother Teresa I love knowing that she felt that way sometimes too.

From the kitchen … Chicken Chili, sausage sandwiches, and apple crisp. I’m also planning Pâté Chinois later this week. And let’s throw some salad in there to balance out all the comfort foods of fall.

Around the house … We have septic trouble. Again. I love our artesian well. We can drink straight from the tap and we never get a water bill, but we are often painfully aware of our septic tank.

One of my favorite things … The coziness of woodstove heat and the menfolk who keep it burning for me.

A picture I am sharing …

I say Ew, they say Awesome: