monday ramblings

good monday morning afternoon!
did anybody else out there make a beeline for the coffee pot this morning?
it seems like we have been getting to bed SO super late lately and i literally had to peel myself out of bed.
i was still in my pajamas with bed head at 10a.m.{see below picture for proof}.  :)
sans make-up, puffy eyes, bed isn't made, bangs protruding from my forehead, favorite 'stinky' sweatshirt.
yes, this picture has all of the ear marks of a monday morning, for sure.

now that i've scared you all half to death, how was your weekend?
we had a fairly normalish, not super eventful one, which was nice.

i took the last remnants of birthday decorations down and cleaned up a little.
the carnival has officially left town, and spring has moved in at the krause house.
i am so thankful that we get to experience all of the wonderful seasons.
it seems like just when you are getting a little tired with one, a new one comes around.
spring is really special to me, because everything is so fresh, and new life is springing up all around us.

i love this little plaque i found at walmart yesterday.
it was $3.97{yay!}, and it reminds me throughout the day that a little love and compassion can go a very long way.
God is love and He most definitely saves all of my days from becoming complete messes.

friends.  meet luigi.
luigi.  meet my friends.
we like to call him kitcat/motormouth/kitty witty or what ever else comes to mind.
he responds unusually well to a high pitched indian chant.  "ay yiyiyiyiyiyiyi!!!!!!!"
he was a naughty, naughty boy on saturday.
while i was rearranging decor and putting our some of my 'new' junk, this guy was tearing things up.
first, he knocked over an ironstone pitcher from the mantel.
the pitcher was unscathed, but sadly, the berries were toast, and i had to drag out my bff{aka mr. dyson vacuum}, again.
he, too, saves the day for me some days.
after cleaning up the berry filled floor and chair, which were long overdue for a cleanup{the berries were lingering from Christmas},  he decided to spew litter all over the bathroom.
total psycho kitty=total psycho mommy.
then he disconnected the internet playing with the cords.  again.
all in a days work, i tell ya.  :)

henry wowed me with his writing and phonics skills on saturday, too.
that will do good to any home school mommas heart anyday!
yeah, henry!

i even cleaned off the top of my toilet and rearranged that, too.
dusting the top of my toilet is not on the top of my list, so this was big for me.
i added my new metal for sale sign, and the metal tray.  i think i paid $5 for both!

clean and shiny.  for today.  :)

nathan got stuck at work extra late, so we made supper and waited for him to come home.
if you have never tried trader joe's orange mandarin chicken.....you must.
it is ahhhmazing and we ate every bite{and we wanted more}.
add a bag of harvest blend {cous cous, red quinoa, garbanzos and orzo}, and your set.

we put the kids to bed and watched atlas shrugged part 1.
i didn't like it, so i should have just gotten the extra sleep.
live. and. learn.  :)

on sunday morning i woke up a tad crabby, but after talking to the Lord about that and listening to some of our favorite songs, i felt much better.

here we are off to church.
i teach the pre-k-kindergarten sunday school class, and nathan teaches the teenagers.
who can resist 12 sets of eyes focused intently on you, and sweet, trusting faces, beaming as they talk out of turn and tell you about all of the happenings in their life from the past week?
not this girl.

in typical fashion, we headed to my in-laws for our traditional, mouth watering, sunday dinner feast.
it consisted of homegrown fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy{of course}, garden sweet corn, homemade rolls, homemade dill pickles, sliced garden carrots for a little fresh crunch... 
and homemade pie.
peach and cherry this week.
amen.
i cannot say enough about how much i love and respect nathan's mom.
i just can't do her justice with words, and it's not because she can cook like nobody's business.
you'll have to trust me.
she had 10 children.
she is really, really amazing.

last night, we headed back to church and watched this.
it's a must see about a topic that i am extremely passionate about.
i think we need to educate ourselves and our children so that they are equipped to stand up for truth.
they are going to live in a different world than we know today.

if you think of it, please keep on praying for the Cretzman family.
they will be burying their little baby girl, Azlynn, tonight.
it will be live streamed at 6 p.m., if you're interested.
check here for more info.
this family has been on my heart for days.
we really need to band together and pray for them, you guys.
this will probably be the hardest day of their lives.
may God be glorified through this tragedy, because we know that there are no accidents with Him.
He is in complete control.
He is our all-knowing, sovereign, providential, caring Father.

so that's about it for today.
what did you do this weekend?
i sure hope it was lovely, dearests.

xo,
mary