The Simple Woman's Daybook: The May Edition

• Outside My Window...I can hear the neighbor's lawn mower, the birds that have made a nest in our eaves, and the Wee Skis hosing each other down. 
• I am thinking...I need to start dinner.  Pork chops, I believe.  Maybe some applesauce.
• I am thankful for... The amazing weather we've had so far this spring.  The boys come in at night, exhausted, from playing and riding bikes and generally going crazy outside.
• From the kitchen... Cleaned out my spices the other day.  Realized that my absolute favorite spice from Penzeys is the Mural of Flavor.  I stocked up at the Seattle shop the other day.  Used my birthday gift to myself from last year (the dry VitaMix container) to make ultrafine cinnamon sugar. A few weeks ago, we had teacher appreciation week at preschool, and Thomas made his sweet teacher vanilla sugar "ALL BY HIMSELF".  "Don't help, Mommy, this is my present to her. I CAN STIR IT! LEAVE ME ALONE TO STIR. I CAN DO IT ALL BY MYSELF."
• I am wearing... A sparkly headband from my mom for Mother's Day.  Sparkles always brighten the day.
• I am creating... Lots of goodness.  I've been editing an incredible amount of photos from Finian Road client shoots, and totally loving the new Canon 7D (see photo above).  You can shoot great photos with any camera...but this one makes me want to go out and shoot my own family again!
• I am going... to try to put the rest of the clean clothes away.  Mt. Laundry at the Skis seems never ending...but it could be because both 1.0 and 2.0 have grown a size and I haven't stashed their smaller sizes in storage yet. 
• I am reading... the list on my new favorite app, Any.DO.  It is so clean and simple in design, and helps me track my projects wherever I am at.  It transcribes from my voice, you cross things off with your fingertip, and shake it to delete finished items.  It even cheers for you (totally love that).  Bonus?  It's free. 
• I am hoping... that the boys sleep well tonight.  Today was the first day ever that we were home all day and Thomas and John Paul did not nap.  That could be why I am exhausted.
• I am hearing... Alexander fighting sleep in his bed.  Wishing kids and babies understood just how truly awesome it is to have time to take naps.  Or that someone makes you take a nap.  I WOULD LOVE THAT.
• One of my favorite things...  A few of the preschool families went to the park last Friday for nearly 4 hours.  It was so fun to just be able to watch them run wild, play, laugh, and get some time with the mommies.  Thomas is with two of his buddies, Levi and Mic.  I just LOVE this photo of them.
• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Some travel this weekend for Jonathan, a "night in" on Friday night on the farm, low key and calm over Memorial Day weekend.  Totally looking forward to that. Who knows?  I may just light up the blog again with another post!  :)