In the Midst of It

Swirling Thoughts

2012-01-30T18:07:00.002-06:00

I have so many thoughts swirling around my head right now. I've been reading like crazy, something I always seem to do the first of the year, and reading books for me is like drinking water: the more I do, the more I want! Today after lessons we piled into the van and headed to the library, where we spent over 2 hours exclaiming over finds like true bibliophiles. The children's librarian just grinned at us; we probably are a children's librarian's dream! Caiden and I love books better than any other thing, and Grayson and Addie are fast becoming the same way.

So I've been thinking about books so much; how I need to read all of Caiden's books for 5th grade, and I better start now because there are nearly 60 (!), not to mention all the books I want to read. Like "Anne of Green Gables," which somehow came home with me although I really don't have time to read it. But I miss Anne Shirley, you know? If you love books, you'll know.

Sometimes I wish I were 5 again, a brand new student, except this time my mother would've homeschooled me (She told me she wishes she had.), and I'd have all the time Caiden does to read. I think possibly I'd be at a point now where I wouldn't feel like there are more books I want to read than I'll live long enough to read. Except probably I still would, if my water analogy holds true.

I paid Grayson $100 to read 100 books this school year. He was a little reluctant at the start. Thirty pages of a novel or a regular picture book counted towards one book, and he finished this weekend. Somewhere around #50, he fell entirely in love with reading, and now he has his nose in one nearly as often as his brother. He is now reading 200 page books in a couple days, absolutely devouring them. That $100 was a very good investment.

Then Caiden pointed out that he didn't get that same incentive when he started reading (The true downside of being the first-born is mother's lack of wisdom the first time around!), so I told him he could do the same for a one-time payment. (If I paid him $1 for every book he reads, I'd be flat broke in a month's time.) He wrote down 100 books he's read this school year--books like "The Yearling," and historical novels from G.A. Henty, not light or easy reads, for sure--and in five minutes' time he'd earned his $100. It has been an expensive few days, but there's nothing I'd rather spend money on than books or helping people discover a love of reading. Now that we've started the tradition, Addie will be up for her 100 books challenge next school year. Right now she's still at "Go Dog Go," so I'm pretty safe with the wallet for a while.

The problem with books, if there is one, is that I want to be just like the hero or heroine of every one I read. (Except David Copperfield. I definitely didn't want to be him. Or Jonathan Strange. And certainly not Mr. Norrell.) Luckily, I'm reading Sally Clarkson's "Ministry of Motherhood" again right now, and wanting to be more like Sally is a decidedly good thing. She inspires me on so many levels. I'm praying one day she and I become real-life friends. (Don't laugh. I fervently prayed that about Lisa Whelchel, and God answered, and we are! Crazy, huh? So I'm holding out hope.)

So now this has muddied down into rambling, but that's very much how my brain is lately. So many good ideas, so many fun things I want to do (Like the Fred books for math--there are three new ones for younger kids, and they are adorable! Why on earth didn't I get to do those instead of Saxon Math? I'd probably understand math now, if I had.) And I'm making a quilt I saw on a blog and just jumped into starting, without fully realizing that there are 252 hand-appliqued squares that comprise the blocks. Right now my goal is to get it done before Jesus comes back. And I guess if I don't, it doesn't matter, since I can't take it with me. But in the meantime, it's coming out really sweet, and I already love it. But really, who on earth has time to hand-applique a quilt? And don't get me started on Giada Di Laurentiis' cookbook I bought and am cooking through. It's all amazingly delicious, and I can't fathom how she is so skinny, when she cooks like that!

Rambling again. But my mom will understand, because I get these genes from her. Love of books, love of ideas, too many things I want to do and be. But oh, it makes me so happy! And now I need to close and go make dinner, because tacos make everybody else around here happy, too.

Thanks for reading, friends.

Tray Time

2012-01-29T09:02:00.000-06:00

It's a sunny, freezing Sunday morning. I'm home in robe, badly needing a shower, but content to lounge around with coffee and assorted books and notebooks for now. Yesterday morning Grayson came to tell me something, and when I noticed a creepy rash on his neck, I whisked him to urgent care to have it looked at. Diagnosis: impetigo. Super contagious, very nasty. Since he was banned from being with other children for a few days, my other two went to church with Daddy last night, and he and I had a date.

I borrowed an idea of Sally Clarkson's, to have a one-on-one tea time, that I read about in her newest edition of "Educating the Wholehearted Child," my hands-down favorite book on home education. Our bedroom has a sitting area with an ottoman, and on it I placed an old tole tray, two mugs (his of cocoa, mine of tea), a lit candle, and a small plaque that says "You are My Sunshine." I brought in "The Child's Story Bible," and turned on Celtic Psalms softly in the background. His little face completely lit up when I led him into the room!

We talked for a little bit, then I asked him what story he'd like for me to read. He chose one about Jeremiah, which was perfect for our time--the Bible says God chose Jeremiah before he was even born to be His prophet, and as a very young man, Jeremiah's mouth was touched by God to have His words in it. It was a great opportunity to talk about Jeremiah being called "great and important," and that it doesn't mean he was wealthy or famous or powerful--our culture's idea of great and important--but that God called him that because he spoke God's words. And Gray and I talked about how we can speak God's words too, because we have the Bible. (Ironically, this week's Greek root words was logos, which means "word," and is what Jesus is called in the original language. I love it when God lines things up like that!) We pondered how God might use him as he grows up, to make a difference for the kingdom, according to his interests and skills. He's so creative and out-of-the-box, and I can't wait to see how God uses that in the coming years!

It was a really sweet time. Gray felt special and soaked up all my attention, and it helped soothe the sting of having to stay home from church the entire weekend. It gave me some alone time with my middle child, and I loved hearing his little heart just open up! I think that establishing "tray time" with each of my children in the coming days and years is going to be a wonderful opportunity to be able to pour into their hearts, and also to have them open up to me some of their deepest thoughts and needs. What a privilege, mothering is!

Stopping In

2012-01-17T14:23:00.000-06:00

I've come to terms with the fact that I am not a very good blogger. In actuality, the only consistent thing about this is how very inconsistent I am. It's a pretty good picture of my life, however, so I'm not worrying about it. I tend to do things in spurts or seasons, and when the season has run its course, I do something else for a while before I come back. Right now I'm in a reading season, and I'm finding myself staying on the treadmill much longer than intended each day because it's the place I can read, uninterrupted, and feel like I'm still doing something at the same time. At this rate, my reading list for this year is going to be whittled down quickly! (My waist, too, I hope?)

There's no way I can sum up what's gone on here the last two months very fully, but here are some highlights:

We spent our holidays drawing roads, painting, building Legos, and other assorted crafty things;

made a lot of yummy food (which is why I'm now on the treadmill daily!)

went on dates with the kids--Addie's choice was always Target/Starbucks, smart girl!;

did all the customary shopping, wrapping, giving, and hosting we always do at Christmas;

took a staycation after Christmas to rest up from a whirlwind week of Christmas services;

washed the cat (just kidding!);

visited with family (building Legos at basketball practice with my dad);

and more family (at the library with my mom);

chopped down one of our dead oak trees and split firewood;

took pictures of us that would've turned out cute if we hadn't looked like Smurfs!;

and welcomed my best friend's newest little one, Shepherd, last night!

Now we're trying to get back in the swing of things: school, cleaning, cooking, etc. I only undecorated the Christmas tree yesterday--which is ridiculous, I know, but there it is--and somehow still feel like it's Christmas break. Except that it was 70 degrees here yesterday, and my heart is longing for spring. It's an odd place to be in, and one that defies much productivity. But that's okay; winter is for library visits, chicken soup (middle child is down with a stomach bug today); movies, and much snuggling in to read books, draw pictures, build Legos, and play with our crazy cat.

That's all that's going on around here. Nothing big, nothing exciting, nothing even remotely productive. I love it.
I hope you're having a similarly lovely winter, too!
Until next time,
Sarah

A House Full

2011-11-23T08:07:00.000-06:00

Each morning when I look at the date on my calendar, I'm surprised again at how fast time is flying by! How can it already be the end of November? We've been busy here (like everybody else) with school, finishing up some fall activities, and the beginning of the holidays. We dropped out of Scouts to add some breathing space to our lives, finished up the fall semester of co-op, and are just about done with the first term of our school year. It feels good to have some space back in our weekly schedule! Caiden starts basketball next week, so a little bit will be taken up again, but he's excited to try a new sport, and I'm just thankful it's inside!!

The last several weeks have been a storm of household management. That sounds crazy and boring, but after cleaning out the junk drawer a while back and realizing how much I love order, I've been bitten by a decluttering/organizing/simplifying bug! My mom has jumped on the train with me, like she generally does, which makes it much more fun. We text each other photos of before and after, and she came to visit me last week and was genuinely interested in checking out my newly-decluttered cabinets and closets. Moms are good for things like that! Who else would care about my closets??

What I'm seeing is a house that's much easier to keep picked up, now that so much of our stuff has been sent to live with somebody else (Good riddance!), and a better chores/allowance system that has helped greatly. The kids are loving the idea of an allowance, and Addie is so pleased to be big enough to feed the cat and take care of her room and clothes that she usually has her chores finished first! And now I have the time to do things I rarely ever did before, like cleaning the oven and scrubbing the bathroom floor in the guest house. Before, I was always busy running around and picking up and cleaning--but somehow nothing ever felt cleaned or stayed picked up. I can't believe how much easier it is to keep a house clean with less stuff and a better-defined schedule! It's just in time for the holidays, when "more" feels so much more anyway!

My husband's parents are here for Thanksgiving. Being a ministry family, we don't travel for holidays. The holidays add so much to our schedule that when the actual day of the holiday comes, we don't want to do anything but stay in our pajamas and lounge around, recovering from all the extra church services. So we decided after traveling for Christmas when Caiden was an infant, that we'd stay here and welcome anybody who wanted to visit. (Except for Christmas, which we decided after a couple years of company that we needed that holiday to be just us.) Chris' parents drive here from Tennessee each year, and it's the perfect time for them to visit. Chris' mom is a wonderful cook, and we've come up with a pretty good system--she makes the traditional Southern dishes, like pecan pie, sweet potato casserole, and the cornbread dressing; I make the mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. Chris takes care of the turkey. (Funny story: last year when I found out Chris' dad doesn't eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving because it's a "Yankee" food, I was aghast. Chris cracked us up when he reminded his dad that Thanksgiving is, after all, a traditionally-"Yankee" holiday. So true! But last night, when we reminded him of that story, his dad said "Yes, but we Southerners improved it! That's why we now have sweet potato casserole and pecan pie!" So funny! As an aside--no offense meant by the term "Yankee." Chris called my parents that for years because they lived in Pennsylvania, and when they told him that only East Coasters truly qualify as Yankees, he said that as a Southerner, anybody above the Mason-Dixon line in Kentucky is a Yankee! Funny Southern boy!!)

This year will be especially fun, though, because my parents are going to drive over for dessert in the evening. We've never shared a holiday with both sets of parents, and I am so excited! Even more sweet is that it was Chris' idea to invite my parents, and I am touched that he offered to share the holiday with his in-laws!

So today will be the traditional day-before cooking. I love wearing my apron and working on tomorrow morning's cinnamon rolls and getting everything ready that can be done ahead of time. I love setting the table beautifully for our meal, creating Thanksgiving "thankful" crafts with the kids, and everything else about Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday, hands-down, and having mounds of mashed potatoes (That only Chris, Caiden and I will eat, leaving more for me!) only helps. Chris camped with the kids in our back field last night, possibly starting a Thanksgiving tradition?, so I imagine I'll have some nappers this afternoon, making preparation even easier. (As I write, my little campers are all snuggled up in their mummy sleeping bags on the family room floor, playing "Christmas-opoly" together. My sweet in-laws gave the sleeping bags and game to them yesterday for their combined birthdays, and there's not much else that could have delighted Caiden more than a new Monopoly game! He's like playing with Donald Trump; don't play with him unless you bring your A game!!)

I hope your Thanksgiving week is beautiful, filled with friends, family, and gratitude for what the Lord has given you this year. I am so thankful to have family here with us, especially when earlier this year we didn't know if Chris' dad was going to survive a serious health scare. My house is full of people I love, and I am so very thankful for what the Lord has given me! Happy Thanksgiving to you!!

2011-11-14T16:52:00.001-06:00

A little while back I stocked up on bats, balls, and other outside play stuff. I realized we didn't have any left because somebody's rotten dogs had eaten them *all. Now that the weather is out of the 100s, my kids will spend hours and hours outside, and I will do anything to further that! (That's why Addie has my serving spoons outside in a muddy pit beside the shed. She's "cooking.")

It didn't take the boys long to suck Daddy into before-work pitching sessions:

I love watching all my boys, making memories of playing together. And I love being married to a man who'll let his coffee get cold on the fence post so that he can throw the ball to his boys. Sweet fall memories! Someday I'll be watching my little boys do the same thing with their boys . . .

*Since then, somebody's dog ate the shock collar and was able to wander around the yard one night, "shopping" for balls, which he then took back to the side yard and devoured. We still have a few left, although I don't have high hopes they'll last long. It's a little scary what a mastiff can eat.

Keeping Up

2011-11-13T14:36:00.001-06:00

I am trying so hard to be faithful to writing here regularly. I did for a long, long time, and then I felt burned out for a long, long time. But I realized a little while ago that even if nobody reads it (except my mom, who of course reads it because she is, after all, my mom!), I love this blog and want to be able to relive our memories years from now.

But I have to be honest--consistency is not my strong point! I'm not very consistent about very many things, other than the most important things. Everything else comes and goes as I make time. I'm also trying hard to be present in each day, not so busy behind the computer or iPhone or camera that I miss out on what I'm trying to record. Does that make sense?

So here are a few snapshots of what we've been up to.

Two weeks ago, we got our fourth batch of chicks. We ordered 35 this time, to make up for recent losses, and they threw in an exotic chick for free. As of right this second, all 36 are still alive, although I'm not counting my eggs before I eat them! We've discovered in nearly 3 years or raising chickens that life as a free range chicken has very low odds for long-term survival. We have three of our original 19 that are still alive, and we call them the "old ladies."

The kids were super excited to pick up our box from the post office. The lady made us wait nearly 10 minutes at the door, and I thought Caiden was going to burst a blood vessel from prolonged excitement!

Chris built a critter-proof nursery inside the stall for our chicks, and so far no snake or possum has figured out a way in. I hope these cute little ones make it to adulthood! If they don't, it won't be for lack of trying. Caiden is still as passionate about his chickens as ever.

And I'm still decluttering. This was the contents of my dining room cabinets. This is the project that propelled forward multiple other areas being cleaned out, and now I'm down to just two closets left. It's amazing what a tidy house can hide behind its cabinet doors! Now the house is much, much tidier--mainly because I gave away everything that continually was being left out and was driving me crazy. Ironically, nearly four vanloads of stuff was taken to Goodwill, and nobody has asked me for a single thing I got rid of. That's a pretty big clue that we had a lot of junk we didn't need or use!

It got cold here, and the kids acted like they were freezing. I think Grayson just needed an excuse to raid the hat/gloves bin. It's supposed to be 80 degrees here today, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever going to get truly cold! On the bright side, the kids are able to spend hours outside every day.

We are almost done with this semester's co-op classes. The kids have had a blast with their classes, and now that Addie is in kindergarten, she and Grayson are in the K-2 class together, and I love watching them interact. Generally it involves lots of elbowing and jockeying for the best seat, but that's pretty par for the course for a brother and sister only 1 1/2 years apart. I'm trying to be patient with the sibling squabbles that seem to have come out of nowhere lately--telling myself that they spend 14+ hours a day together, 7 days a week, helps a lot. I'd probably feel the same way.

Caiden is taking a recycled art class, and it has been such a neat class! He's made pumpkins out of sweaters and Wal-Mart bags, frisbees out of pantyhose, and now a chicken poster with reused lids. It's not finished yet, but it's looking really neat. He loved tracing the chicken shape on his foamboard.

Gray and Addie are taking a Spanish class and are making pinatas. Notice Addie's new scrunchy grin. It makes me laugh every time!

In Caiden's PE class one day they played indoor games, and we discovered that 9-11 year olds love marbles! Definitely a good stocking stuffer idea for Christmas, I think.

Painting his chicken before gluing on the lids.

This week I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving. Chris' parents arrive Saturday for about 10 days, and I'm trying to make sure menus are planned and shopped for, and that my house is clean. My vacuum broke, which is a grave matter when you have an indoor golden retriever and a Persian cat, so my mother graciously offered to bring hers when she comes in Tuesday. I'm already excited about vacuuming, which is weird. My floors are in dire need!

And I've discovered Pinterest, which I've totally fallen in love with. Right after I told my sister I didn't think I'd like it. See? Not very consistent. But I love having an organized bulletin board where I can store all my ideas! It's so much easier and more convenient than bookmarks on the computer. I've also found so many great ideas on other girls' boards. It's so much more fun for me than Twitter or Facebook, but it can suck away just as much time, so I'm trying to not love it too much.

So that's what's going on around here. A little of this, a little of that. Nothing big or earth-shattering, and that's exactly like I like it. I hope you're having a happy weekend, too!

Throwing It Out! A Very Long Post on Decluttering

2011-11-08T23:17:00.000-06:00

I have been, for lack of a better phrase, throwing out all our stuff. (This is going to make my husband first cringe, then panic.) About a month ago I realized that I was stressed out all. the. time. And that I was also picking up stuff all. the. time. That my junk drawer had earned its name, I couldn't find things, and piles were piling up in every room.

Now, I'm a very tidy girl, thanks to my mother's brilliance/cruel & unusual discipline when I was 12 (That's a great story for another day, by the way.), so clutter and random things make me twitch. I think I've mentioned previously that I have three (four, bless his heart) people working against me at any given moment, and we homeschool, which means only 1/5 of us leaves the house on a regular basis. All that combined to make for a house packed to the gills with stuff.

After feeling melancholy and stressed out and overwhelmed for about two weeks, I decided to control what I could, so I cleaned out the "junk" drawers. Chris questioned my timing--workmen were in the same room repairing a hole in the ceiling, and sheetrock stuff was everywhere. But I explained that all the messes were making me nuts, so I needed to tidy one thing I could control. It took over an hour, but I was left with two drawers that are perfectly organized and hold all the things we need: flashlights, Gorilla glue, iPod earphones, address book, etc. And then I did what I should've done a long time ago: I held a family conference, explained that nobody under 35 is allowed to even touch the counter/cabinet space, and that permission had to be granted before borrowing anything from the drawers. I did it very nicely, but very firmly. And a month later, I still have three working flashlights, can find my scissors and glue in a second, and know where to find all the other little random things I never could seem to locate before.

And you know what? That small little space of order looked and felt so good that I moved on to my bathroom closet. And then my bedroom closet. And nightstand. Dresser. Pretty soon, I'd taken an entire vanload of unused clothing, belts, shoes, and just stuff to Goodwill, and I started feeling a little less stressed.

I took a two-week break to visit with my sister, but as soon as she left, I hit it hard! Our dining room has a built-in buffet with 6 large cabinets--a spacious dream, but they had never been cleaned out or organized since we moved in, in 2008. It took another 3 hours and a trip to Goodwill, but afterward they were nearly empty, with appropriate things in them (unlike the tire cleaner and power drill that had been in there). I walked around opening them all day long, just to admire my work. (I even made Caiden look in them, for affirmation of their lack of stuff!)

On a roll, and fueled by adrenaline, I attacked the family room cabinets--another set of six large cabinets completely wrecked by DVDs, Wii games, unorganized family albums, Christmas decor, and other weird things. Another three hours. Another van load. And then, just because I was on a roll, I started removing things from the family room itself--books, decor I don't love, and whatever struck me as not necessary.

Next day? Schoolroom closet--whoa. Enough said right there. And guest house cabinets. Another set of six, and these were the most random of all because we were just tossing everything that didn't go somewhere else in them. Our house generally appears clean and tidy, but that's because we have mass quantities of storage--two attics, even. I've realized that much storage space is dangerous! But open a set of cabinets, and you'd see how much too much stuff we had. A lot of the stuff in the guest house was old decor or gifts I didn't use anymore but felt bad getting rid of. I parted with them this time!

So today, I wandered around our house, looking inside cabinets, pulling a few more books (like, 40) off various shelves, and admiring how much tidier our house has stayed all week long. I headed up to my sewing room, really thinking it would take me five minutes, because I really didn't have anything to get rid of. Four hours later, the kids were scrunched up in the back of the van, and we made our third trip to Goodwill. The entire van was taken up with stuff, and that didn't even count the three huge bags of fabric I'm giving to a friend! I have to admit I was ashamed at how much I'd accumulated in the name of crafting--three garbage bags went in the trash, and I think what went in the van to donate could've filled a small sewing shop. I hated seeing how much money we'd spent in the last four years that was wasted--not because I gave the things away, but because I was never going to use them! It was a serious wake-up call. Anyway, the lady at Goodwill tried to tell me to come back later because their truck was full, but I think she saw how desperate I was to be rid of the stuff inside my crammed car, and she relented. Two of those huge carts later, and we drove home happy. I treated myself to a peppermint mocha from Starbucks--still sweaty and exhausted from a million trips up and down the stairs with all the stuff. My sewing room looks radically different--so clean and calm, and while I still have all the supplies I need, and a small bookcase of fabric I'll actually use, there's nothing in there that could be called clutter. It makes me want to sew, it's so nice!

Overall, my house doesn't really look all that different. (Except for my sewing room.) I didn't take down any of the decor or get rid of any furniture. Everything that went--three packed minivan loads--was inside cabinets or drawers, or sitting in baskets. It was all hidden to the eye, but I knew it was there, and I was constantly putting it away after somebody else had dragged it out. I read recently that we'd have 40% less cleaning to do if we could part with some of our stuff. I believe it! My house might look basically the same, but it feels radically different. At our 5 o'clock pickup each night, it has taken less than 5 minutes to have the house completely picked up. That is a huge improvement! I feel so lightened, as if I lost weight, that Bridget keeps laughing at me on the phone--she says I'm giddy, and I think I am! It feels so good not to be burdened with constantly picking up stuff, or opening a closet and feeling like the chaos inside is making me crazy. I don't feel behind anymore, and the overwhelming feeling is gone.

Now here's the challenge: not to replace the stuff. Not to relax and allow unneeded stuff to creep back in. I've already gone through the kids' clothes and toys, but pretty soon I'll go through them all again, keeping in mind that with Christmas coming soon, I need to get rid of as much as they'll likely bring in. Toys they don't play with or have outgrown, clothes not needed to be handed down, and excess amounts of particular toys, like Legos and baby dolls. It doesn't hurt them to live with less, and the extra time I have to spend with them, that I was formerly spending on picking up, is more valuable to them anyway.

This is a seriously long post, and I wouldn't even read it if I hadn't written it, but I'm leaving it here to remind myself that too much stuff is a burden, and that less really is more! For good reading on simplifying, organizing, or living with less, here are a few sites I've just discovered:
Small Notebook
Steady Mom (follow her links to her homeschooling site for simplifying homeschool organization)
Simple Mom
And my mom is joining in on the decluttering/simplifying, too, and you can find her here.

And, appropriate since it's November, I'm feeling very thankful for Goodwill this month. I'm glad our extra stuff can be used to bless others--but I'm hoping that this time next year, I don't have quite as much stuff to give!

Our Family Fall Festival

2011-11-08T07:30:00.000-06:00

My sister was an elementary school teacher, and she is really creative when it comes to fun with kids. We had already planned on having our brother and his family and our parents out for chili and costumes and all that, but she took it up a notch and planned a fall festival for us. While driving back and forth from church, she and I came up with a list of fun activities and supplies. Saturday night after church, we made a late-night Wal-Mart run (Where, incidentally, she potentially saved my life from a car about to crash onto the sidewalk and right into us. I say "potentially" because we realized later that the honking, screeching car full of ninny high school boys wasn't actually going to run over us, but it sure seemed like it at the time, and she literally shoved me out of the way and tried to heave me over the retaining wall. It was hilarious--after we stopped shaking.) Anyway. We discovered that there were no pumpkins to be found at Wal-Mart two days before Halloween because our local pumpkin patch had bought the entire town out! But we got everything else we needed and headed home.

Sunday after church we set up my backyard with a table for pumpkin carving,

one for stamping shirts for the kids, a face painting table, and areas for pumpkin ring toss and pumpkin bowling. We set up fun Jack Johnson music on the deck and let the kids decorate. They drew little ghosts and bats and hung them from our trees. Addie contributed by drawing "pumpkin hop scotch," which was really drawings of undiscernable things strewn all over the deck.

My dad manned the pumpkin carving and decorations table.

Caiden contributed by playing on my sister's phone. Not super helpful :)

Leslie painted our faces, which was probably my favorite part of the entire afternoon.

Papa posing with half of his mustache. Isn't he so cute? I love him!

She looks serious, doesn't she?

"Sarry Potter"--my kids don't know about Harry Potter, so they thought it was really odd that I had a crack down the middle of my forehead!

Grammy got a flower while Addie observed, waiting for her turn.

The YouTubed bun is still holding, 10 hours later!!

Now it's Grammy's turn to draw on Leslie, and we didn't let Les choose her design:

I can't tell you how much I love seeing my sister with a pig nose! It's seriously unfair that she's still this cute, though.

Then Leslie drew an Indian chief headband on Chris' head, since he was in and out of the house sneaking peeks of the Redskins game. He's a diehard fan.

He's so cute! I love him, too!

Finally Addie got her turn

while the guys got busy carving pumpkins. This was Caiden's first time doing his by himself, and he LOVED it. Actually, the next morning he carved a few little ones left behind, he loved it so much! I just think he liked getting to handle a knife.

Fairy eyes for Addie,

but my adorable niece Jae Beth opted out of makeup.

Leslie and Landon made his pumpkin shirt, and

Grayson had Mom paint his face silver with a red bolt down the side, to be some Star Wars person I can't remember, but when he realized that the silver was actually glitter, he ran inside and scrubbed it off! He HATES anything remotely girl-related. So he ended up with a face with a red bolt and remnants of silver glitter :)

My brother's pumpkin was awesome: it was a fly fishing fly, really intricate, because he loves carving pumpkins and has years of experience! But because I don't know anything about flies, I thought it was an armadillo! Poor Dan. He was so proud of it.

Addie and Landon bowled with a pumpkin and paper towel ghosts,

and my sister-in-law Janae held Superbaby Daniel, our newest family member. I got to hold him for a long time and rock him to sleep, and he is sooo fat and cuddly! It gives me baby cravings just to think of it . . .

Addie and Jae Beth played with the pumpkin ring toss,

while Les modeled our shirts which turned out really sweet. They glow in the dark!

After we finished all our outside activities, we all ate chili and orange cupcakes inside. My parents brought the kids their treat bags, so they sucked down Pixie Sticks before Leslie and I intervened! Then we all crashed in the great room. It was hilarious because the kids changed out of their costumes, but all the adults still had their face makeup on. My brother Dan had a full "beard" painted on by Leslie, and it was so funny but a little creepy. See him in the left background? Janae had just realized he was behind her and was laughing so hard at him!

Papa and Addie got in some good snuggles before we put the kids down and sat around talking, with coffee.

Our little pumpkins glowing on the deck:

Only my brother and sister know what this is, but I almost wet my pants laughing when it happened. This is here simply for posterity! Les, I'm sorry, but I had to post this.

One more photo of Janae, who kindly let Caiden decorate her face (He drew hearts and "I love Dan" all over her), and tired JaeBeth.

It was such a fun night, and I'm so thankful I have a creative sister who loves to make memories, or else we would've just eaten chili and had the kids trash the house. This was so much more fun, and by playing outside all night, we ended up with sleepy kids, a clean house, and great memories!

And because there aren't nearly enough photos in this post ;), I saw this on Facebook and had to add it, simply because it's so cute:

A Few More from the Lake

2011-11-05T10:58:00.004-05:00

I forgot about these photos (I'm posting and cleaning the Happy Room at the same time, so I'm a little disorganized about this!) But I couldn't leave out these photos for my sister to see:

Caiden, after we made him "release" his dead gar, found another disgusting (or awesome, if you're a boy) fish carcass. The good news is that he's really good about washing his hands after he comes up from the beach!

Grayson is such a funny kid. He's really quirky, an inventor and creator, and loves shiny things, especially gadgets. When Caiden was three, our pediatrician asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and Caiden said, "An encouraging squirrel," at which our doctor nearly fell out! He said in 20 years as a pediatrician, he'd never heard that. (Go figure!) And today, 7 years later, Caiden is really an encourager. But Grayson is definitely the squirrel! He loves to snitch shiny things, gadgets, small "treasures" that I consider junk, and hide them. (When it was his turn at the doctor, he said when he grew up he wanted to become "a man." Very realistic goal. Now he'd definitely say "Lego engineer.")

Landon, being 5 like Addie, loved playing with her. They played Rescue Heroes in the Dollhouse, as a compromise.

"Toasting" their breakfast.

After we left Mom and Dad's, Leslie and I drove back to my house and got the kids dressed up for Treat-Tastic at church that night. This first picture is really good, primarily because 3/4 of the kids have on masks. The boys went with a Star Wars theme, and Landon's costume as Yoda impressed Grayson deeply. We had so much fun with that little costume! Addie went with her favorite thing on earth, ballerinas. I YouTubed a video on how to make a bun, and it involved cutting a hole in a sock, rolling it into a donut, and wrapping it around her ponytail, then tucking the excess hair around it. It was weird but really good! About a million bobby pins later, she had a bun that stayed in.

But this photo is especially for my sister. If you zoom in, you'll see that Caiden's eyes are shut and he's sitting like a total boy, Addie looks mad, Landon has a poser smile, and Grayson looks bizarre. Or constipated. We laughed so hard when we saw this one! I love it so much I think I'm going to frame it for my fall decor, just because it is so characteristic of these four crazy kids!

Sunday we headed back to church, so the kids got to wear their costumes again, and this time we made them wear their masks. Much better, although not nearly as funny!

Visit to the Lake

2011-11-05T10:18:00.003-05:00

Last week after co-op, the kids and I piled into the van and headed out to my parents' house on the lake. My sister Leslie and her son, Landon, were there for a visit from Idaho, and we went to stay there a couple days and then bring them back to our house.

Right when we got there, Grayson had a mini birthday party, to open his gifts from my parents and sister.

They know him so well and got him perfect gifts! A spy set from my parents,

the Lego game "Creationary" from Leslie,

and straw glasses, too. The gifts were a hit, and the kids were all busy being spies and creators the entire visit.

But soon the drought-stricken lake called, and all the kids headed off with Papa to hunt for treasures.

The boys were in heaven, looking for fish bones and snake skeletons,

and Addie was so proud to join in, green boots and all!

My dad was very brave--four kids 10 and under, lots of dead things, and mud!

The little ones were spies, complete with mask and potato guns. Notice how tall Landon is, even though he's the youngest! Even wearing an 8 inch headdress, Addie's still a tiny little squirt next to him.

At night they all piled up in the "fish" bedroom to watch a movie. Caiden hopped back and forth between the movie and watching the Rangers during the World Series.

The next day, after we realized he'd brought a dead alligator gar up to the house, we made him take it back. He was so proud of his treasure, and so disappointed that we didn't love it as much as he did!

Now that he's ten, we let him go down to the lake by himself (a 50 ft. beachfront due to the drought helps a lot with safety!), and he is soooo proud of himself to be big! He spent a lot of time walking the beach, looking for treasures and admiring his new stature.

Saturday morning, my dear mother took all four kids to the neighborhood clubhouse to play games, have an indoor picnic, and watch a movie while Leslie and I drove into town to have coffee, lunch, and visit a neighbor's beautiful little boutique. The kids had a blast--Landon and Addie are only four months apart, and Landon and Grayson are less than two years apart, so all three play together really, really well. These two became really good buddies during this visit.

My beautiful sister and I enjoyed coffee and sisterly conversation for hours, uninterrupted by children!

I could've stayed there all day! There's not much better in life than a comfy t-shirt, your sister, and good coffee!

I have a million more pictures of our visit that I'll post later, but these first three days were so much fun, and I'm glad I finally put batteries in the camera so I can look at them again and remember our sweet visit!

Grayson is the Ring Bearer

2011-11-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Grayson got to be the ring bearer for some friends' wedding. The groom, Matt, was Grayson's K pastor last year at church, and the bride, Crys, works with my Chris in the worship department. So not only was Grayson in the wedding, but Chris was asked to officiate at the wedding, so we got to have some time with just Grayson! We went to the rehearsal, dinner, and of course the wedding, and on the way I told Chris I think it's the only time other than bringing him home from the hospital when the two of us have been alone with just Gray! That's the burden of being the middle child :)The groom knows Grayson well, and so he had cuff links made just for him: they were Lego Darth Vader groom figurines! One was incorporated into the flowers on his tux, and Matt gave the other one to me for safekeeping. I promised (bribed) Grayson that if he behaved coming up the aisle, he could have the second cuff link, but then I reneged and put them in my shadowbox for safekeeping. I'm pretty sure he'd swap out all the parts, and I'd have a Darth-Anakin-Count Somebody figurine left!

He was super excited about his tux. Grayson loves to dress up, and he thought his tux and shiny shoes were amazing. I thought he'd complain, but he loved it and was sad when I returned it!

Walking with Daddy and the groom to the wedding.

The wedding was outdoors at sunset, so we took the pictures before, but it was so pretty out there! Perfect colors for a fall wedding!

He also loved his pillow because it had two fake silver rings tied to it. As soon as we got home he snipped them off the pillow and put them on his index fingers, "because they're magic rings that take me to LegoWorld." He's like a squirrel; he loves everything shiny or gadgety!

It was so fun to see my handsome men in the wedding! Caiden was my brother's ring bearer, and Addie was our babysitter Kristina's flower girl, so now that the trio is complete, I have a sweet set of photos to put in my family room! I'll hold onto those cuff links, too--I wouldn't be at all surprised to have Grayson ask me in about 20 years if I know where they are, when he's the groom!

Lots of Little Boys!

2011-10-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Grayson had his first-ever sleepover for his 7th birthday. We (I) made up the rule that you can have sleepover company only once you're 7. That way, the guests are old enough that hopefully nobody cries in the middle of the night that they miss their mom, and nobody wets the bed. The good news is that only the boys are old enough so far to have sleepovers, and Chris graciously stays with them in our little guest area. Once Addie's 7 I'll have to go stay up with the girls, but so far this is working really well for me! (I am not a night person.)

So Grayson invited the Lego Club, the official title for his brother and three closest friends. They're all Lego Heads, and especially Star Wars Lego Heads, so it was an easy theme to go with! Here's Grayson greeting his guests, wearing his costume for trick or treating (I told him he could wear it for ten minutes; then he had to put it back, because this is the first year I've actually had all three costumes and trick or treat bags before the day of Halloween, and I didn't want him to tear it!).

Many light saber battles immediately followed . . .

This is my dear friend Bridget, 7 months pregnant, unloading Eli's bike. She is adorable.

The boys set right to playing with their party favors, which somehow Grayson found and handed out early: little boxes of various Lego pieces.

For dinner, we went super simple, with grilled hot dogs, mac and cheese, and chips. Addie was an honorary guest. At this point in the evening, I looked at these five boys and one girl and texted Erin that I will step up my prayers for her. She has five boys and is pregnant with another baby, and I got a little glimpse into how loud five boys is! It is very, very fun, but very, very loud.

Chris won favorite parent of the sleepover award when he showed the boys how to stomp on their Capri Sun containers and pop them. Scout went into hiding; it was so loud!

After dinner everybody went outside to play in the back. I think this is Grayson making guns with his hands, but I'm going to pretend it's not. Crazy Colin beneath him is as obsessed with Legos as Grayson, and that's saying something!

Did I mention how rowdy five boys are?

Addie decided to get brave, probably as a result of being surrounded by so much manliness, and crawled to the top of the tire swing. She gave me a thumbs up, but her face isn't convinced.

Everyone played badminton,

except Gray and Eli, who were rigging up Lego men to the badminton stakes they stole. We later realized that Grayson had also tied the rope to Eli, who literally couldn't get undone!

After playing glowstick tag in the dark, they came inside to eat Grayson's birthday cake, Anakin the Lego Man. (One boy did remark how very unlike Anakin my cake looked, and I had to agree. But that didn't stop him from eating it, I noticed!)

Then everybody piled up in the guest house to watch a movie. Addie and I made our exit at 9:20, and I let her sleep in my bed. The best part of the whole party is that when I snuggled up next to her, to get her to sleep, I fell asleep too! I woke up at 7!! Chris wasn't as lucky, but he said they were all pretty much asleep by 11.

I woke up to find the Lego closet already filled:

I made everybody pancakes for breakfast,

and they waited for their moms by playing the Wii.

I was a little nervous about having that many little boys over, especially on a weekend when we had a big event at church and a wedding as well, but it went really well! I planned it a week earlier, bought all the groceries way ahead of time, and actually made a schedule for the party. The planning paid off, and everybody had a really good time, especially Grayson. It was so fun to watch him with his closest friends, who are all the children of friends in the ministry with us. I can't believe these little boys, once all in our tummies together, are now 7 years old! Time is going by so quickly, but I love that even at a young age, Grayson's friendships have deep roots. And Bridget says she's just thankful that Eli and Grayson's birthdays are three days apart, so she can count this sleepover for Eli's birthday, too :)

Lava, Pickle Ball, and Baseball Cookies

2011-10-25T12:07:00.001-05:00

We had a full, full week and weekend! There was too much going on to put into one post, so here are a few highlights from the week.

The boys are studying astronomy this year for science, and this week we learned about Venus. We made a volcano of butter and flour to show how lava melts, then cools. I love easy science experiments that require very little work but are fun for the kids.

And for P.E. we bought a volleyball/badminton/pickle ball set and put up the net in our back pasture. I left the rackets and balls on the deck, and the kids have gone out all week and played. It's a little hard to play badminton with three players, so I ended up playing with them a lot. They think I'm extremely athletic and good (I'm not), so it's very gratifying :-) Addie is actually pretty good at sports, so she and Caiden played lots and lots of pickle ball.

One of the things we really loved about our house when we first looked at it, is that it's fully fenced and gated, with cross fencing for the pastures and paddock. So the kids can go outside and play, and I don't have to worry about them getting into the street--or into the land behind us, which has a large den of coyotes! The freedom means they spend a lot of play time outside, now that it's finally cooling down.

On Wednesday, we had a little family party to celebrate our Texas Rangers appearing in the World Series! I taught the kids "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," which required looking up the lyrics on the phone. I'm famous for messing up lyrics, so I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Then we made nachos and a plate of cookies. I got the idea from Erin, who made hers several years ago. I bought Nutter Butters to be the peanuts and then dipped Oreos in white candy coating, let them harden, and used an icing writer to draw on the threads for the baseballs. Can you guess what was the kids' favorite part?

They turned out cute (and delicious!)--thanks Erin!

On Thursday we had a wedding rehearsal to go to and had to miss some of the game, but even our babysitter Kristina and her precious baby Abby (The kids call her "The Evil Dr. Abby" because she chases the cat, but fortunately Kristina thinks it's funny!) got into the spirit!

I have tons more pictures from Grayson's birthday party and the wedding he and Chris were in this weekend that I'll post next time. It was a full, full week, and although it was all really fun, I'm very glad to see a quiet, foggy Monday here today! And that is good, because the second half of this week and the weekend are going to be really full, too! Today I'm savoring doing not much else besides school, sipping chai tea lattes, and heating up chili for tonight's game--go Rangers!!

Enjoying Today

2011-10-25T12:06:00.001-05:00

I am a worrier. I know it's not God's best for me to worry, and that it's futile because it's nearly always about things I can't control, but I'm still a chronic worrier. I worry about propane leaks, plumbing leaks, water leaks (Yes, we've had all of those this fall!). I worry about mortgage issues, siding that needs to be replaced but costs as much as putting in a pool, college savings. Does Grayson need glasses, and will he ever stop walking on his toes? Hives that won't go away, teeth that are going to need serious orthodontic work. If it can be worried about, I cover it!

I've also realized, in my long career as a worrier, that as soon as the issues I'm stressed about are resolved--generally positively--that another group crops up in their place. When the hot water heater is replaced (twice) one week, and the kids' window seats are rebuilt, the next week water stains appear in the ceiling--underneath the 3 year old roof. The goat doesn't appear to have pneumonia after all (after I forced myself to stick her with a needleful of antiobiotics, of course), but the dog does seem to have stomach cancer. Except, $500 later, he doesn't. He just has diarrhea, all over the expensive rugs.

There is always something to worry about, and I can be consumed with the gnawing worry that eats at my joy and peace.

Except when I refuse to indulge. There is always something to be worried over, unless I push that little niggling tidbit out of my head, decide to think about it another day, and go outside instead. Play badminton with kids who are young enough to think I'm really good at it. Bake brownies for the childcare workers at church, and lick the batter. Take a walk and crunch all the fall leaves under our feet on the bridle path. Do another math lesson and cheer on my non-mathematical child who works so hard to get it, and he does! Fold clean laundry and smell freshly-washed towels. Sip a chai tea latte and not worry about the calories. Turn the music on really loud and sing to the dog.

I am seeing the futility of worrying, and that it's an ugly friend who never satisifes. God says in Psalm 37 that instead of worrying, I'm supposed to "feed on His faithfulness." He steps in and gives me His faithful goodness, His grace, His peace, His joy when life circumstances are worrisome. Even when the curveball I'm thrown is heavier and weightier than a dying hot water heater or water stain, when it's a scary diagnosis or crushing disappointment. He is better than life, and that means He's better than anything in my life.

Today, instead of worrying about water stains and propane smells (The propane detector says everything's fine.) and infections and crumbling siding, I'm going to make nachos and decorated cookies for tonight's game (Go Rangers!!). I'm going to take Grayson to his physical therapy appointment and not worry about if it doesn't work and he walks on his tiptoes forever. I'm going to get ready for co op tomorrow, love on the three little friends who are always with me, fold more clean laundry, and probably sing to the dog. I'm going to be thankful for what God has given me, not worry about what He hasn't, and enjoy today.

Besides, I can't focus on worries and eat up this mix-matched, braided-bun delicious little girl:

Tomorrow can worry about itself.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow . . ."

October 2011

Weekend Happies

2011-10-25T12:05:00.001-05:00

This weekend I got to take Addie on three little dates! Sure, they were technically all spent running errands, but she loves to go with me, and the boys love staying home with Daddy. On Friday, Chris' day off, Addie and I ran about a million errands that are hard to do with three kids--the cleaners, the post office, etc. It's so much easier just helping one child out and into the car! When we finished, I took her to one of our favorite spots--Starbucks! I very slowly sipped a chai tea latte while she slurped down her chocolate milk, and then she played with the free Starbucks app from last week, "The Monster at the End of This Book" while I wrote in my notebook and tried to get my life together. It was a sweet, sweet time! Everybody else in Starbucks was on business, so it was funny to hear her little giggles at Grover's antics.

Notice my overflowing purse--I cleaned it out compliments of Starbucks' trash can.

This is what I came home to:

We had sheetrockers fix some seams and a hole in our kitchen ceiling that I've been looking at for nearly two years. It made a mess in multiple rooms (the photo of our bedroom is only one of three walls worked on!), but it is sooo nice not to see cracks or holes anymore. And yay! for checking things off the home improvement list . . .

Then on Saturday, I took my little love to a nearby farmer's market to pick up our meat order. We somehow again found ourselves sipping treats from Starbucks--it was on the way--and wandered up and down the row of beautiful vegetables. I wanted to take a picture of the farmer we bought these tomatoes from; he was Texas through and through! He had on a button down, Wranglers, and a cowboy hat, and his accent was heavenly to this Southern girl's ears! But I took one of Addie instead, so I wouldn't creep him out as a stalker :)

Oh my goodness I love that girl! Then yesterday, after church, I started to head out to run errands for Grayson's birthday party this coming weekend. But she spied me, knew I was headed to Target, and hopped in the car! She loves Target. We fought the Halloween crowds at Party City, then finished up at Target, and I came home one tired, but very accomplished, mama.

Saturday morning, after our Farmer's Market trip, I came home to this:

I am so very thankful that my husband loves playing board games, because I love the idea of it, but games like Monopoly and Risk take forever!! Chris is always up for a game with Caiden, and they're both fiercely competetive, so it's always funny to watch one of them triumph! We try very hard to instill good sportsmanship in Caiden, so he always says "Good game" and shakes hands afterward, but I know deep down in his heart he's doing a happy dance when he wins. When he loses, he immediately tries to talk Chris into a second game!

Last night Chris went to the movies with friends, so I worked on getting my week together in my head. We have a wedding this weekend, which Chris is officiating and Grayson is participating in, and that always makes for craziness because we spend our entire weekend at church. To top it off, my sister is flying in (yay!) Grayson is having friends over for a sleepover birthday party, and my brother's baby boy is being dedicated at their church. Lots of coordinating needed!

So this was a happy weekend, full of fun little happies, and this week is shaping up to be full and fun, too!

October 2011

Messy!

2011-10-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

Lately I've felt like my shoulders are up in my ears. I feel cramped, overwhelmed, and like the Legos are closing in on me! Everywhere I turn, there is a mess. Of epic proportions, usually. There are papers, books, shoes, socks--I am not kidding that I find 10-20 socks in weird places every single day!--and Legos everywhere, constantly piling up, making me crazy!

I have always been very, very neat. I had a perfectly-picked up bedroom growing up, and clutter makes me cross-eyed. However, I am married to a man who does not have the same bent (He's the baby; I'm the first-born, can you tell?), and his offspring have all taken after him, not me. That means there are four people who thwart my every attempt at order, neatness, and margins! It's not that they mean to; they just simply don't see the messes. On the one hand that's good--Chris has never, ever mentioned that things could use a little picking up. On the other hand, that means I spend a vast amount of my waking hours walking from room to room, picking up and mumbling under my breath about how if somebody would notice things left on the stairs--would close the toilet seats--would not drop books and socks and Legos everywhere . . . I feel like a supreme grump and complainer a lot.

I've tried not caring and just going with the flow. That works really well for about a day, but then when five people don't pick up, the house looks like a bomb has exploded, and I just have more work later on. It doesn't help that four of us are here nearly 24 hours of every day, and that homeschooling brings with it about a million books, markers, papers, and math manipulatives. (Those one-inch colored tiles multiply like Gremlins. I find them everywhere!)

My other response is to tackle the chaos head-on: I buy bins, organizers, binders, calendars, laundry systems. I label things, put little reminders on the inside of the toilet lid (Mod Podged, so tinkles can be wiped off!), and continually dump large loads of stuff at Goodwill.

Nothing is helping. I'm going crazy. At least once a week I just put my head down on our school desk, sigh dramatically, and moan. The schedules, activities, books, socks, and Legos are getting to me! I can't do the obvious: cart off the Legos to Goodwill, make everybody go sockless, quit our activities, or send the kids to school.

So, does anybody have any sage words of advice? Especially on this one: what to do with all the Legos! (We have bins and keep them in an understairs closet across from the boys' room, but they seem to spread like a virus.) Now, if you have two little girls who like to sit and color, your husband was in the Army and still lines up his shoes by color and type, or you have live-in help, I'm not sure you can help me. But if you are outnumbered by boys, have a creative (read: not super neat) husband, and homeschool, please let me in on any little secrets you've come by.

And in the meantime, I'm off to fight the paper mess in the schoolroom . . .
October 2011

A Breath of Fresh Air

2011-10-25T12:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had a fall break from our homeschool co-op. I hadn't really thought of anything fun or special to do, and we were just going about our normal morning routine. Suddenly, with absolutely no cause, I burst into tears. The kids all froze and stared at me, knowing it's not normal for me to cry unless I'm reading a book to them! Grayson asked why I was sad, and when I couldn't come up with a coherent reason, he clung to me, reassuring me that I was probably just pregnant, and that I'd be all right. I had to break the news to him that no, I'm not pregnant, and that I really didn't know what was wrong. So I did what any normal, crying-for-no-reason mama does--I put everybody in the car and went to get Frosties from Wendy's!

We drove to a local park we'd never been to before, and after we had a picnic lunch the kids played while I picked my brain. I arrived at the fact that I am having a very, very hard time with my kids growing up. Addie's 5th birthday was hard, Caiden's 10th was nearly tragic, and then Grayson's 7th last week just pushed me over the line. I watch every day fly off the calendar and just want to stop time and freeze everybody where they are! It's a family joke that I always say they can have a birthday party each year, but nobody's allowed to actually age. I can honestly say that if I could start over and go back to when Caiden was a newborn, I'd do it in an instant. I loved the baby years, the toddler stage, and preschoolers! And yes, I am loving the ages they each are now, but I am having a seriously difficult time with them growing up any more. My mom told me yesterday afternoon when I called her that she's pretty sure I'm going to need counseling when my kids leave the nest--and I could only agree! I love, love, love having children at home.

After the kids played, we walked around the pond and examined a dead turtle, lots of ducks, and minnows. Then, when my sweet friend Erin called, I sort of stopped paying attention so we could talk. (Erin has 5 boys 8 and under and is pregnant with another baby, so if she has time to call, I definitely answer the phone!) I noticed that Caiden "accidentally" fell into the pond, and then Gray and Addie followed suit. They were all three drenched to their necks with slimy, muddy pond water--and they were soooo happy! After I hung up and fished them out, they all stretched out on the sidewalk to dry out, and then we drove home--all three kids stripped down to their underwear.

While I can't say it solved my melancholy about them growing up, the fresh air certainly did help, and the kids had a blast--especially while in the pond. (I did notice on our walk back a sign saying not to wade or swim in the pond! Oops!)

These are the days and moments I'm desperately trying to savor, cherishing each normal moment, not just the milestones. I know I can't keep them from growing up, and that it would be unhealthy and not God's plan for them if I did. I am trying every day to remember that their days with me are a gift, and that I can trust the Giver with them. He is so very good, and He will walk with me each step of the coming years. And if He'd like to slow them down a little, that would be okay with me.

October 2011

Snapshots

2011-10-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

I keep thinking I will find time to sit here and write in this space, but somehow night comes before it happens, and the only thing I want to do is go to sleep! It has been a busy fall, filled with lots of good things, but I don't think it could get much more full without me going crazy. I get a little panicky when we have lots going on.

Here are unrelated and unorganized pictures of what we've been doing:

Grayson celebrated another birthday last week. I can hardly believe my sweet, chubby, sleepy baby is a sweet, skinny, busy 7 year old! He runs circles around me, but every time I catch him I can't resist stealing a snuggle. He is the sweetest thing ever. (Pardon Addie's face--I think she was mid-cough?)

Addie spends most of her days wearing her ballerina costume. She has a current obsession with Angelina Ballerina, and she twirls pretty much everywhere she goes. It's adorable!

Grayson joined Scouts this fall. So far his impression is that the meetings aren't fun but that his uniform makes it worth it. He loves dressing up, and the more items a costume has, the better. I think he'll like earning belt loops just so he can add to his uniform! His little snaggle-toothed grin makes me happy.

He and Addie are in the same class at our weekly co-op, and I love seeing what they are making each week in their Dr. Seuss reading class.

Give her scissors, and she's in heaven. She loves making little snips everywhere.

Notice the ballerina swimsuit. I'm serious about the ballet clothes being a constant uniform!
=

I discovered last week that if I'll let Addie and Gray fill up the sink with water, they'll spend two hours playing! Sure, the kitchen gets moderately wet, but they will happily wash all the dishes I give them, and they even share their chair relatively nicely.

Obie is our daily pupil. Around an hour after we start school, he joins us upstairs and plays on the drawing table with all the markers. Today he found a bin and spent the entire morning snoozing. He's such a chilled out cat and lets the kids drag him all over the place. We love him! (Notice the peeling table--I discovered the hard way that chalkboard paint peels off plastic tables :(

In the last 20 hours, we have been visited by a large rat snake by my bedroom window (outside), a hawk attack (lost two chicks), Caiden stumbled upon a coyote right behind our garden in broad daylight, we spied an armadillo digging up the backyard this morning, and this little possum was found taking a nap inside the chickens' nest box! I told my husband that we live in a zoo! That's a lot of wildlife in two days, especially since we live inside city limits! I kind of prefer one quiet golden retriever and one sweet cat, but nobody seems to give any weight to my animal preferences!! (Addie renamed Shadow and Saint, our two naughty dogs, "Precious" and "Pumpkin," because she says if they have sweet names, maybe they'll act better.)

So that's what's been going on around here. I'm trying desperately to stay on top of meals and laundry, in addition to juggling allergy shots, physical therapy appointments, Scouts, church, and co op. We've had multiple house maintenance issues, and all of that on top of school each day has me treading water very fast! But God is good and gives me grace every day for it, even if some days nobody has clean socks. Fortunately, with a house of mostly boys, nobody seems to notice.

Everybody is growing up so fast that it makes my heart sad, and I don't want to hurry these days by, just so I can have a quiet and clean house. I know I'll look back someday and wish I could have these years again, but I don't want to look back and wish I'd done them differently. So I'm savoring each day, each mess, each moment of neediness, taking little snapshots in my mind so they don't disappear.

October 2011

Caiden Writes a Report

2011-10-25T12:01:00.003-05:00

Enjoying Guineas

An Article on Guineas

My name is Caiden, and I own chickens and guineas.

Guineas, when still keets, look just like chicks. After a while they get an ugly thing on their heads, and their tails point straight down.

If you love your guineas as babies, they will love you. You can put food in front of you, then wait for them to come over. When they do, you can pet them and they will not run away.

Guineas are good for many things: they rid your garden of pests and don’t destroy your plants; they are like alarm birds and can be used as roosters; they are not aggressive at all; they eat snakes, grasshoppers, and ticks. You have to protect them from snakes in the beginning, because rat snakes will constrict and eat them. So you have to sink wire around the edges of their enclosure and leave a little door so they can get out, and put chicken wire so they can see and get used to the other chickens.

You’ll need a heat lamp for them in the beginning.

Keep them in the coop for the first two months, so they’ll grow attached and not wander away. When you let them outside, you have to watch them and always love on them so they will always love on you and return to their coop.

I love keeping guineas.

September 2011

A Perfect Labor Day

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(Let's pretend it's still Labor Day. I wrote this and forgot to post it!)

Labor Day dalliances:

~quilting on the deck under gentle sunlight before breakfast

~croquet and Bocce ball on the back lawn--discovering that Addie has a serious arm!

~an easy hour of lessons, followed by an impromptu four-person nap on the Happy Room floor

~dinner outside, then a bike ride down country roads and back

~playing in the yard until dark

~ditching baths to watch an old episode of "All Creatures Great & Small" instead,

~then little ones tumbling into bed, giggling and whispering to each other under covers.

Everybody falls asleep fast, and I resume my quilting in a silent house.

Perfect.
September 2011

Moving Ahead

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It was with delight I wrote down today's date in my journal: August 31st is one of my favorite days because it's the last day of August. Here in Texas August is never fun, but this year we've set record temps nearly every single day. It won't actually be any cooler tomorrow on September 1, but there's hope that fall is coming, and that's enough for me.

It was also Caiden's birthday yesterday, and I've been dreading it the entire month. He turned 10, and it's a milestone for us, being our oldest child. I'm not really looking forward to my kids growing up! I love them the way they are, and although logically I realize I might feel differently another decade from now, right now I can't fathom it.

He wasn't sad at all, and we celebrated with great fanfare: morning birthday party with smoothies, muffins, and all his gifts. In late afternoon my husband picked us up and took us out for a Fancy Fondue Dinner. The kids were in heaven--cheese, meat, and chocolate in an abundance! We went around the table to talk about Caiden's gifts, strengths, and just what we plain love about him. It was a long, fun dinner, and we came home to set up the tent we got him. All three slept in it and, unlike true camping, actually slept in past normal!

(At dinner)

While my husband set up the tent, one of our dogs chased a skunk and got sprayed, so we sent him outside to stay until the smell fades, and then I realized water had leaked inside the boys' bedroom into their window seat. I stayed up til nearly midnight washing wet dress-up clothes and sleeping bags, bleaching the window seat, and pulling up carpet. I went to bed so tired that I didn't even have time to be sad that my firstborn had turned 10!

So today we're moving on. He's fully 10, and happy to be so, and I can't really be sad that he's growing up since he's such a terrific young man! Well, a little sad.

August 2011

First Week

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We finished our first week back in school, and it was a good one! I was overwhelmed at the thought of adding another student so close to having added one just last year, but it turned out much easier to have all three doing their lessons. Addie was very happy to have her own books and stickers and notebook, and once she was finished for the morning, she was very happy to play quietly while the boys worked. I've decided the easiest periods of homeschooling are when the younger ones are napping babies or are in school themselves. The preschool period is a rough one to figure out!

My husband brought home an ice cream cake for the kids this week and took me to a restaurant converted from an old school, to celebrate our first week back. We had our first "Recite Night" last night at dinner, with each child reciting to Daddy his or her memory work and narrations from the week. It's a nice way for him to be in on what they're doing, and for them to have an "audience" to impress after a week of hard work!

So now it's Saturday, and I woke up happy, knowing most of my work for the week is finished. With my husband in the ministry, we go to church both days of the weekend, so I try not to do much work outside of cooking and tidying on the weekends. So besides writing down assignments for next week's checklists, all I need to do is clean the Happy Room. A week of all of us in an 11x13 room during lessons makes for a messy room!

A little sewing, a little tidying, a little napping--that's what's in store for this weekend! Next week Scouts begins, Caiden has a big birthday, and we inch a little closer to fall. There's much to be thankful for today.
August 2011

The Grandmas' Quilt

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If I were to write one of those "This summer I . . ." reports like I had to write in third grade, I'd definitely include this:

My mother gave me a hand-pieced quilt top last summer. It was made by my great-grandmother and great-great grandmother nearly 100 years ago! It is pieced out of their dresses, and when I saw it hanging on a quilt rack in my mom's house and went starry-eyed, she gave it to me, but I had to solemly promise to quilt it within two years.

Earlier this year I pulled it out and really looked at it. The top had never been washed or exposed to light before I got it (I didn't wash it, but I did fold it and put it on a bench by my front door.). My mom said it had been stored in a dark basement on a shelf for about 70 years when she got it, over 20 years ago. She had stored it somewhere dark in their house, and I'd never even seen it before. It is in absolutely perfect condition, not a single pulled thread or worn fabric! My husband loves it; he works with graphic designers and says he'd love to photograph it to study the design with them. I love it too--I don't know anything about graphic design but do know a great quilt when I see one! And my children love it because although they never met my grandma, they've heard so many stories and love knowing it was made by her grandma!

It is too big for me to machine quilt, so I pulled out needle and thread and worked on it most nights. I'm not a perfectionist at all, so I actually finished it in early July. My stitches definitely got better as time passed. I took it to my parents' house on the 4th of July to sew on the binding and then put it in the washer. That's when my parents told me the entire history, that it had never been washed, and I nearly had heart palpitations when it was in the dryer! But it came out just fine, and of course I immediately took it home and took a nap under it!

Now it's back on the deacons' bench in my entry, and I can't wait for it to be cold enough to sleep under it every night! I am so thankful for a long legacy of women in my family who loved to sew and knit and crochet and create. My children and husband are reaping the benefits, and although I'll never have the time to do everything (or even a fraction) of the projects in my head, it is extremely satisfying to look at an entirely hand-sewn quilt and know that it has been handed down through the generations and is still loved today. And that I had a part in making it!

And since I loved quilting it so much, I went back to my mom's and borrowed another quilt top to quilt--this one belongs to her, and I can't wait to finish it and take it back to her! Eventually :)

August 2011

Back to School

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After a long and carefree summer, we are back to school. I borrowed the idea of a treasure hunt from my friend Erin and hid clues throughout the house and yard, eventually leading up to the Happy Room, where a table full of fun supplies and books were displayed.

After the kids found their loot, I had an "appointment" with each one to go over their books, checklists, and notebooks, including any special perks like stickers for Addie, a reading road with a big reward for Grayson, and the new books Caiden has been salivating ever since I ordered them months ago. The entire time took about 2 hours, including lunch, and now I think we're ready to officially start lessons Monday.

As always, a first day of school photo on the old fallen tree in the back pasture.

I'm trying not to compare this year's picture from the first one in our house, three years ago. They are growing up, so I am just enjoying each day as it comes, knowing once it's gone, I can't have it back.

August 2011

Summer's End

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Today I finally imported the photos from our vacation. We start back to school on Monday, and I'm trying to get everything done before my hours are not my own again. (Actually, they're almost never my own, but homeschooling definitely claims more of them than summer break does!)

We had a lovely, if extremely hot, summer: Vacation, lots of fun excursions and swimming with friends, first time to summer camp for Caiden (Oh, I missed him so much!), and eating tons of ice cream, but it feels nice to be getting back to a more regular life and routine days. This week I'm doing little projects I never seem to get around to, like painting the stairwell to cover all the handprints, and filing last year's schoolwork. Not very fun, but I won't have time after this week, and I'd love to scratch off "Paint the stairwell" from my painting to-do list that's been hanging up on the board since last year! I'm pretending that the baseboards in my bedroom have only had one coat of paint on them since last summer . . .

Addie starts kindergarten this year, which is shocking in my mind--wasn't she just born yesterday? I made her a sweet dress out of apple fabric for her first day, and she begs me daily to "just start school today?" I know her first day will be a success, just between her new dress and pink Hello Kitty notebook!

Here are a few pics to end our summer holiday:

Caiden climbing a mountain of snow in Colorado!

Best friend brothers doing life together

My cautious middle child

The darling of our family

I'm hoping to do a better job this fall of writing and documenting my sweet family. Caiden turns ten in two weeks, and with Addie also beginning school, I am daily reminded how quickly they grow up. I don't want to forget any of it!

Happy end of summer to you, too :)

August 2011

Grayson Reads

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Very quietly, over the course of the long winter and first sweet days of spring, Grayson turned into a reader. With absolutely no fanfare he blossomed from that painful word-by-word (and sometimes syllable-by-syllable) stage into fluency with voices and chapters and reading just for fun.

When asked how I taught both boys to read--and love books--here's what I say:

1. Surround yourself with books. Books of all types, in all rooms, always accessible and always treated well. If you consider them special, eventually so will the others.

2. That said, make sure the books you have are quality. Short series (Boxcar Children, Magic Tree House), etc. are fine to spark an interest, and we certainly have our share of them, but if you want children who read increasingly good literature, you have to feed them a diet of increasingly good literature!

3. Read to your children, even after they're old enough to read to themselves. For us, breakfast and lunch are perfect reading times. We've read Heidi, Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, several Oz books, Tumtum and Nutmeg, and so many more. It's a captive audience!

4. Use a simple program or reader, if you want one, nothing fancy and complicated that's going to be more work for you than is worth it. I used Alphaphonics with Caiden and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with Grayson. We didn't finish either book--by about halfway, they figured it out and took off. Fifteen minutes a day, max, and the rest was spent reading to the boys randomly and just for fun.

5. Be a reader. If you don't value reading, and instead spend all your free time watching TV, it's going to be hard to convince your children that reading is worth their time. If, on the other hand, you celebrate their 5th birthday with a trip to get their own library card, and salivate when you pass by the local bookstore, you're probably well on your way toward inspiring young readers.

6. Above all, don't despair if your kindergartener isn't taking off reading. My two boys are polar opposites in just about everything, and it took one longer to "get it" than the other. Reading is part skill, part timing, and part "magic," and if you're relaxed about the process, you'll be surprised one day to look up and see that another book lover has joined your ranks!

Now we just need to figure out how to tie shoes and ride the bike without training wheels . . .
May 2011

Savoring the Days

2011-10-25T11:52:00.001-05:00

Propped up in bed, snuggled by two warm little boy bodies. Grayson is sick today, so we are home from church and haven't moved very far from where we woke up! I am surrounded by my Bible, journal, and all the stuff I seem to accumulate for my quiet time. Coffee, always. I have a lot to do (also, always) but am pondering instead.

Laundry, gardening, dishes, bills, more laundry, errands, tidying, and still more laundry: all those have to be done, but in the rush to do, I can easily miss the more important things: reading to the kids (Narnia right now), squirrel watching with the cat (who thinks he's an albino squirrel, I'm convinced!), scooter racing down the drive, having picnics on the deck, playing baby dolls with Addie on the porch, baking together, staying up late to watch the stars with my husband, sitting and not multi-tasking while on the phone with my loved ones, reading a good book slowly.

I am finishing up a project in Addie's bedroom--projects are so rewarding and often so necessary, but always seem to suck up all the free time and money!--and once it's done, I'm committing to being project-free for awhile, just to slow down and savor all the things that are truly important. I have to fight my nature not to embrace another project, but remembering that these little ones aren't so little and won't stay little very long, helps me keep it in perspective.

I want to savor the days and not look back on them when we're all old and think, "Well, I may not have spent enough time with the kids, but our house sure did look nice." It's a hard pull for me, because I love the excitement of planning a project and all the creativity that goes into it, but I always get bogged down halfway through and wish I could just be finished already! But wisdom comes with time, and I'm realizing that House Beautiful (or Garden Beautiful or Sewing Projects Galore, whatever) can't compare to a life spent well with the four greatest gifts God has given me, my husband and children.

Pressing on today.
May 2011

A Breath of Fresh Air

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We have guests coming in tonight for the rest of the week/weekend, so the kids are helping me prepare the guest rooms.

After a flurry of activity, hauling sheets and towels to the washer, running the vacuum, emptying the trash cans, I head upstairs to finish my quiet time.

Addie bursts into the room, "Smell my bref!"

This always makes me cringe. Usually she says, "Smell my hands!" after petting the dog, and that's not my favorite smell.

But I inhale, and she is sweet, spicy, not bad at all.

"What is that?" I feel slightly nervous when I can't identify things she has eaten. She did eat a grasshopper leg last spring, after all.

"Rosemary! It's eat-able!" and she skips away, very pleased with her culinary discoveries.

The scar from her heart surgery is faint but always there. A constant reminder of God's grace.

Her birthday is Mother's Day, and she will be five. Five is always a hard age for me; it's the beginning of them growing up. We have enjoyed her first four years so much, that I tell myself it's okay she's turning five, because she'll be even better. She is nothing if not a breath of fresh air, quirky and funny and full of life.

Today, as I run errands and prepare for guests and do mountains of laundry, busy and quick on the outside, I'm slowly pondering in the quiet places of my mind what a wonder she is, and how favored we are that God has placed her in our family.

May 2011

Lately

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These first couple weeks of the year have been so nice, and so calm! I love putting away the Christmas decorations and enjoying a simpler, less cluttered space. It seems to cast a tone of simplicity over the month of January after all the scurrying and warmth of December.

We've been enjoying Christmas presents,

(See those hands on hips? She doesn't like to share her crown! Baby of the family and only girl!)

forcing the cat to participate in photo shoots,

spending lots of time together up in our Happy Room, learning together,

and doing lots and lots of healthy cooking (and eating!).

We are participating with our church in our annual Daniel Fast, and I have found so many delicious recipes this time around: snickerdoodle smoothies, amazing vegan taco soup, and more. I have really looked forward to this fast and am already committing to sticking more closely to it when the fast is over--we feel too good not to!

Today my mom is driving in to spend a couple days with us. I love having her so close now, after 16 years of living several states apart! We have very little on the agenda, other than lunch at Whole Foods today, knitting by the fire, and lots of cooking and talking. That's why I love January so much--none of the regular activities have started up yet, and my homebody instincts are in full-force as I try to get the house and our routines back in order after the holidays. I even spent a few hours in my garden last week (Before the freezing temps hit Texas) and got it winterized.

So that's what we've been up to lately--a little of this, a little of that, and thankful to God for all His blessings, especially the little ones.

January 2011

Still

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I'm slowly waking up from a long winter's nap. An unintended break, but when I don't feel like writing, I take it as a sign to back away and take a breath.

We've been relishing spring, even to the point of taking off school for a couple months to enjoy the best season in our region.

Our days are filled with planting flowers and the garden, playing chess, reading books, always, and hours upon hours spent on the porch. Addie wheels furiously up and down the long drive on her bicycle, and the boys hunt for grubs for the chickens. We eat dinner on the deck, take naps in the hammock, play on the tire swing.

I am rested. Our long-standing projects (painting baseboards and trim never ends) are finally getting done. Yardwork is catching up. Life is better lived at a stroll than a sprint, yes?

Deliberately slowing down has been a good thing, a necessary thing, and it reminds me of all the many graces that are around me, when I stand still long enough to see.

April 2011

Thirty Seven

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I saw this boy when I was 18, newly in college, and I noticed him first for his stride--everywhere he walked, he walked with purpose--head forward, moving fast, on a mission. Then I noticed he was better dressed than any of us at that basketball game, and that he was flocked by friends. Then he looked at me, and I noticed those blue eyes, and that was pretty much the end of me.

A few days later we met, and while driving down the Tennessee back roads on the way to explore a cave with a group of people I didn't know, I heard him talk about his first Love, Jesus, and that was pretty much the beginning of us.

Looking back, I can't quite believe I even went with him on the caving expedition--I am scared of everything creepy and am highly claustrophobic. You'd never catch me in a cave now. But I went, even with a large group of people I didn't know, because somewhere deep inside me I knew I needed to get out of my shyness and meet some people before I curled up and died of homesickness. What I didn't know is that I'd meet my husband, and that for the rest of my days, I'd be smack dab in the middle of a party, always surrounded by people, music, noise, laughter, and everything else that he loves. What I didn't know is that he would be the end of my homesickness, because he would become my home.

Going caving was a good decision.

Today he's 37, and we don't crawl around in caves anymore. We've grown up, and now I'd never get in a car with people I didn't know. I do responsible things like pay the bills and eat greens and change the air filters in the furnace. I don't stay out all night in a cave, lighting candles to put in the crevices, and reading Psalms while people I don't know strum their slightly-damp guitars and sing praise songs.

But that night, I did, and I'm so glad. Today he's older, but that purposeful stride hasn't changed, he's still always surrounded by friends and music and noise and laughter, and his passion for Jesus hasn't wavered. He's still one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Happy Thirty Seven.

(That's us shortly after we married, wearing the backpacks. It was been quite a journey ever since!)

January 2011

Not the End

2011-10-25T11:48:00.001-05:00

Today, in honor of it being The Last Day of the Year (My favorite day!), I'm planning next year's projects. My husband gave me a Kindle for Christmas, and of course it needs a cover. I found a tutorial that looks good, although I don't think I'll do the strip piecing. The sewing loft was transformed into a wrapping station over Christmas, but it has been returned to its original condition, vacuumed and ready for sewing to begin!

Looking back over the year I did a huge amount of sewing--everything in my bedroom, quilts for the boys' beds, gifts, and everything textile in the family room. But I didn't do much fun sewing--curtains are highly rewarding but not very fun in my book. This coming year, I want to do fun sewing. Actually, I want to do a lot of things!

As always, my "want to do" list is far too big for me to accomplish this next year, but I like having something to work from. Like everybody else, my goals to eat healthier, exercise more, read the entire Bible, never raise my voice, stick to the laundry and cleaning schedule, knit and sew beautiful things, and read all the books I've ever wanted to read--I probably won't finish 2011 accomplishing all of those entirely, but I think it's safe to say I can get further along with each one if I at least try.

That's what today is: a day full of hope and optimism. Who cares about realism on New Year's Eve? This might be the end of this year, with all its successes and failures, but it's also a wish cast over the coming year, that what's coming will be even better.

So to you and your family, Happy New Year's Eve! The best might just be around the corner . . .
December 2010

Slowly Finishing

2011-10-25T11:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Obadiah tried out his wings, jumped off my sewing room loft onto the hard floor 15 feet below, then remembered he doesn't have wings. A vet visit and x-ray later, the cat has a bad sprain and is limping around pitifully. We've all taken pity on him and have carried him around with us, or let him lie in our beds half the day, or talked to him in baby talk and crooned over him. I think he's enjoying this.

After abandoning high hopes of getting much done today, I settled on trying a green smoothie (more on that later), folding the laundry and covertly putting away the tree ornaments, followed by eating ice cream. It has been a fully satisfying, albeit fully unproductive day. Perfect for after Christmas, no?

Tomorrow I will put away more decorations as stealthily as possible--people in my house mourn when the decorations come down, so I have to be gentle, make brisket for dinner, and slowly soak in the last day of the year. Lots of goals (Oddly enough, I made goals instead of resolutions this year, posted them where I could see them, and actually achieved over 90%. A record! Those experts know what they're talking about.) to work on tomorrow, but for tonight I'm relishing the end of this Slow Day. And while I'm at it, I'll blockade the stairs to the sewing room, so that Obadiah can finish his day slowly, too.
December 2010

The Cat Who Came for Christmas

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Years ago, when my brother was nine, my parents gave him a cat for Christmas. I was in on the surprise, and it was so fun to see his face when he realized there was a cat under the tree!

Earlier this year we put our aging cat to sleep, and the kids were crushed. Caiden's #1 item on his list was a kitten, even after we told him we Were Not Getting a Cat. He said he'd leave it up to Jesus and Santa to decide. We explained that Santa doesn't give unapproved presents, but that if Jesus left him a cat on his doorstep for Christmas, we wouldn't turn it away. Because where we live, a cat does not show up on the doorstep for Christmas; it would get eaten long before it made it to the front door.

He must've prayed hard, and Jesus must've changed somebody's heart, because just before Christmas, a little 4 pound present showed up on the doorstep inside a gift bag.

We had a full house, so Obadiah received quite a welcome.

And yes, he's a Persian, so yes, there will be lots of grooming involved. And yes, I was quite happy not having a litter box in the house or cat hair on my bed. But in the long run, Caiden's total joy trumped all those practicalities, and Obie, our Cat Who Came for Christmas, was the best gift given this year.

And like my mother aptly stated, with a home full of children, dogs, and chickens, what's one little cat? Our sentiments exactly.

December 2010

Friends

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Best friends, right at home: it doesn't get any better!

A Pampered Birthday

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Our faithful dog, Scout, had another birthday. Addie, his biggest fan, pampered him by brushing his hair (with her own hairbrush, no less) and then taking a nap with him.
He might look unimpressed here, but don't believe him: last night I found him stretched out under her quilts and pillows again, sound asleep. He knows a good thing when he sees it. Silly dog.

Making Lists

2011-10-25T11:45:00.003-05:00

It's a sunny, chilly morning today, and I am propped up in bed against a landslide of pillows, enjoying a candle, coffee, and my Bible. The children are watching a movie as a special treat, and it is quiet. After a week of Thanksgiving festivities and a houseful of people, it is odd for it to be so quiet.

Yesterday, while my husband took his parents and Caiden to the fishing store, I sat down to make a Very Important List, accompanied by pumpkin pie and piano music. I typed up a list of all the books I could think of that I'd like to read in 2011. It was deeply satisfying, and after I finished (If that could ever, actually, be finished! You book lovers know what I mean.), I visited my library's website to see how many are there.

Two problems:

1. My list has 135 books on it. That is way---way---more than I read in a year.

2. Of those, the library has 34, and we already own 21. That leaves me a lot of books to borrow or buy.

But no worries! I figure I'll read the first 55 and then figure out the rest. Anybody with a hobby knows there will never be enough time (or resources) to complete all the "want to's" on the list, and just making the list is half the fun. If I read even half of my list, that will be more books than I've read in a year in decades.

On the list, if you're looking for suggestions:

Island of the World, by Michael O'Brien--suggested by Sarah Clarkson, who is a source of many of my choices, between her beautiful blog and her wonderful book.

Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry--suggested in "Honey for a Woman's Heart"

Kidnapped, by R. L. Stevenson

Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter (Have you read "Freckles"? Wonderful!)

A Man Called Peter, by Catherine Marshall

The Man Who Was Thursday, by G. K. Chesterton

The Space Trilogy, by C. S. Lewis

Winter Cottage, by Carol Ryrie Brink

The Yearling

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

and many, many more! It is, if nothing, an eclectic list.

And of course I'm sketching up lists of Christmas gifts-- holiday baking--Christmas cards--goals for 2011--and so on! I am a list maker through and through, and my journal is filled with them. (This year's lists were mainly of house projects to do, but with the completion of the family room facelift, the only things left to do inside are minor, paint a wall here, change a light fixture there. It is nice to finally have all the big work done inside.)

Eventually today I'll need to get on some work clothes and get down to serious cleaning, but for a few minutes more, I'm just enjoying the serenity and solitude. And my lists.

Happy Thanksgiving

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From our family to yours,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a Party

2011-10-25T11:44:00.003-05:00

Fridays generally go one of two ways: dinner party or family party. If we're not hosting others, we host ourselves with homemade pizza on paper plates, then finish off our "party" with a movie, playing Army (the boys' choice), or something like that. But tonight is an Official Party.

Here's what I'm making:

Mexican Layer Dip with homemade guacamole and pico, plus chips of course.

Thinking on that makes me wonder what else I could possibly need? So, for the others--

my somewhat-famous baked beans, jalapeno cheese grits, and white chocolate mousse tarts.

The rest of the menu will be a surprise, since we're divvying the food up, potluck-style, but as long as there's guacamole and chocolate, I'll be perfectly content.

I love parties. Clean house, spiffed up yard, candles lit, friends gathered, food enjoyed.

I hope there are leftovers!
November 2010

Tonight

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I am thankful tonight, sitting here in the dark and mulling over the day, for these:

my children's faces, warm and sleepy, bundled under the covers

the reassuring nudge from an old and faithful dog

down comforters above and chilly sheets beneath

flickering candlelight

a book finished, and another one waiting

the long-familiar and much-treasured face of my husband

dark, cold, deep nights

a Love more faithful than the morning

And you? What are you especially thankful for right now?
November 2010

1218 Words About Reading

2011-10-25T11:43:00.003-05:00

This is what has been going on, for those of you who'd like to know but:

A. Don't actually know me and can't call me to find out,

B. Know me and have my phone number but have been on vacation for a week (Yes, you, Bridget)

C. Know me, have my phone number, and have called me, but I haven't actually called you back yet. *This applies to pretty much everybody who calls me. I am terrible at checking my voicemail, and lately I've been Deeply Consumed, so that makes it even worse. Add to it that my "quiet" time to call people is limited, and only a few select people can stand to talk to me when everyone in the house is awake. We are not what one would call a quiet family.

Anyhow, we've actually been up to very little. I have been seized by a fit of reading lately, and the stack of library books on my nightstand rivals the Empire State Building in height. I've made it my day's work to sneak as much reading in as possible. This involves "accidentally" locking myself in the bathroom with a book, taking lengthy baths at night when the kids are asleep, instituting a "Reading Hour" in the evenings before dinner, etc. I've even been suggesting to my husband, "Don't you need to go see a movie with friends?" so that I can have several hours of complete silence to hunker down in bed with a book.

It's all very sneaky, until the weekend, when I give up the pretense and just get down to it. Sunday I spent most of the afternoon lounging in my window seat, drinking tea and eating dark chocolates, which made me feel like a very happy queen. Later that night, when Addie wandered out of bed and saw me in bed, reading while drinking cocoa and eating dark chocolate (see a pattern?), she asked if she could just sniff the wrapper. I promised her that when she least expected it, she'd find her very own red foil-wrapped chocolate on her nightstand. It was like I'd given her the Hope Diamond, she was so pleased. Even better was the next afternoon, when she woke from her nap and found it. It takes so little to make a fellow chocolate lover happy, doesn't it?

So this is what I've read recently, since people have asked:

The Book of the Dun Cow, by Walter Wangerin--It took me a little bit to get into it, but oh, I loved it. It does help that I have a rooster and a henhouse, and a dog, but I would've loved it regardless. It's a beautiful and terrible story, and I can't wait to read its sequel.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, by Trenton Lee Stewart--not as good as the original, but still entertaining, and Caiden loved it. I love any book fit for children with 400+ pages, because he got his love of reading honestly, and it's hard to keep him in books.

The Midwife's Apprentice/Matilda Bone, both by Karen Cushing--The Midwife's Apprentice is a Newberry Award winner, and I found both of these books fascinating because of their focus on Medieval life. I am also very glad I didn't live then. Although recommended for kids Caiden's age (3rd grade), I'll wait to hand these over to my kids until they're at least 12 or so, I think. But I am well over 9, and I enjoyed them both.

The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konisburg--took a while to get into, then ended up loving it. Also a Newberry Award winner, also recommended on the dust jacket to ages 8-12. Definitely will save this for mid-teens, both for some content and for the significance of the storyline. It was wonderful, and I would hate for my kids to read it too early and miss the meaning.

Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis--Newberry Award winner (See a pattern?), and I loved it. I hate to use the word darling, but it was a darling story. Oddly, four of the five above stories involve orphans, so obviously I have another pattern going.

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, by Brian Jacques--Jacques authors the wonderful Redwall series, and I wanted to read this to see if I could pass it on to Caiden, who is nearly done with the series and is in serious need of more books. I'm going to wait a few years, but this is a story he'll love, despite the fact that the main character's best friend is a black lab. (Our lab, Shadow, is decidedly not Caiden's BFF.) Another orphan story. And, even better, it's the start of another series.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Seznick--a Caldecott award winner, because it is half-words, half-pictures. This is a really clever way to write a story, and Caiden and I both read it in an afternoon, despite the fact that it's like 600 pages long--have a kid read this, and he'll be very impressed with himself. Guess what? Another orphan. Looking at it now, this makes me look like I planned it, but I just pulled books off the shelves at random. I promise.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, by Allison Hoover Bartlett--a serious departure from everything above, this is the true story of a serial rare book thief. I saw it at the bookstore and was intrigued, and my library had it, probably to remind would-be book thieves not to steal from the library. (Did you know book thieves do that? We just generally lose books under the dresser or to Shadow. Somehow I always owe our library.) No orphans in this story, by the way.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows--I avoided this one because I generally do that when a book comes out highly praised by everybody in the world. It's like when you hear a movie is The Best Ever, you go see it, and you come home disappointed. I didn't want to be disappointed, and I wasn't. This was great--stay up way too late great. Completely written in letters, (and yes, there's an orphan), it's wonderful. I just finished it tonight, in the tub, with dark chocolate, and I think someday I'll read it again. I really, really loved it.

So now I'm on to the remaining stack, which mysteriously replenished itself this evening after a quick jaunt to the library. I'm looking at The Maytrees, by Annie Dillard, but you never know. The sequel to The Fiddler's Gun is coming out soon, and if I see at The Rabbit Room that it's for sale, I may have to temporarily suspend others in the pile until I can read that one first. I loved Fin's story in the first book. (Yes, she's an orphan. No, I don't know why half the books I read involve orphans.)

If you are still reading, then bless your heart. If you're sorry you ever asked what I was reading, then that's okay, too. Normally I don't read this much, but I do keep a journal of titles I read each year, so if you're insane about reading, feel free to ask what I read in, say, 1997, and I can point you toward more great books.

Soup for Autumn

2011-10-25T11:43:00.001-05:00

We'll get back to talking about books soon, but right now here's an old recipe I have for a good autumn soup. It's from the hollers of western Virginia, served by a lady named Sandy. I don't even know if I ever met Sandy, but not only do my mother, sister, and I love her potato soup, I've also passed it on to my mother-in-law, who has blessed her entire church with it. Sandy, your soup has a delicious legacy!

With no further ado:

Peel (or don't) your favorite potatoes--lots of them. Cube them (or dice them) and set them to boiling. Once they're soft, you can leave them be or slightly mash them--this all depends on how you like your potatoes. I like huge chunks; my husband likes tiny pieces. And sometimes we like them smashed.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add chopped/diced onions, celery, carrots. Dump in a bunch of dried parsley, and simmer until the carrots and celery are soft.

Take a can of cream soup (any type you like) and a can of evaporated milk. Whisk together in a separate bowl and heat about 2 min. in the microwave. Pour into your soup pot--if you want your soup to be more of a chowder, remove about half the water first. If you want it soupy, keep all the liquid. Or anywhere in between! Stir together, add about 1 tsp. salt and 1/t tsp. pepper, and let it all simmer very gently. Don't let it boil.

Top with grated cheese, sour cream, bacon, and our favorite, Chipotle Tabasco sauce. But it's also delicious just with a little coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper. Serve with crusty bread and salad, and everyone will be happy! Thank you, Sandy.

*You'll notice very vague directions in this recipe--think of soup as a type of dish, rather than a recipe, and just make it how you think it'll taste good. And it will!

Pardon My Ponderings

2011-10-25T11:42:00.001-05:00

These are the things I've been pondering lately:

Whether "The Thirteenth Tale," by Diane Setterfield, is ever going to have a sequel. I loved it, and I hope so.

How it took me several pairs of curtains to discover the easiest way EVER to sew them. But I'm thankful I eventually did, because it made sewing the ones for the family room presto quick! Since I generally despise sewing curtains, that's good.

The odds of being able to ever go on a book retreat by myself. Ideally, it would involve staying in a tiny cottage somewhere fall-ish, and doing nothing but reading books in an armchair by the fire for a week. Somebody would cook me delicious, cozy meals (of course) and provide limitless hot tea and coffee (of course) by day and cocoa at night. I'd read all the books on my list, with no interruptions or bedtimes. The odds are not in my favor, but I can dream.

Why it is so hot right now. November, in my humble opinion, should be chilly-with-a-hint-of-cold. Instead, it has been warm-with-a-hint-of-hot, and that's irritating after 7 months of heat. I'd like some winter, please!

How untimely it is, being mere weeks before the holidays, that I'm gripped by the sudden desire to start practicing the piano again, after a lapse of about 10 years. I really don't have the time to do this, but I can persuade myself by saying I'm doing it to be able to play beautiful Christmas carols next month. But really? I didn't need another hobby right now. Or, actually, ever.

And last, but not least, I'm pondering the fact that my husband never fails to surprise me. I redid the family room to surprise him, but when the curtain fabric showed up in the mail, I was truly disappointed, sure that he was going to hate it. I finished the room this week, and upon the reveal, his favorite part, hands-down, was the curtains. You'd think after 16 years together that I'd know him better than that. What's really infuriating is that he loves being a mystery to me, and this just cements the fact that he is. (But I'm sure glad he liked the curtains!)

Those are the things I'm pondering tonight.

Cheering Up

2011-10-25T11:41:00.003-05:00

Today is gray and chilly--perfect for November after a long hot spell for months and months! Here's how we cheer up our gray days:

Music is a must! Bach's Cello Suites, Joel Clarkson's "A Thousand Dreams" album, old Rich Mullins' albums, "Quiet Christmas," and so on. Quiet and calm but uplifting.

Candles--our fall favorite is the Paula Deen pumpkin candle a friend gave me. I also love the "Cashmere Woods" scent by Glade.

Reading on the couch, all cozied up under our electric lap blanket, accompanied by the candles and music.

Laundry, too: a humming dryer of warm sheets and towels makes the laundry room and kitchen warm, and everybody loves the smell of clean clothes!

A hot lunch. I make quesadillas a lot; they're our alternative to peanut butter and jelly, which takes first place in our hearts here.

Today we're having all of our school in the great room, cheered by all of the above, and I foresee hot cocoa at some point, followed by naps for all. (Except me; I'm forging ahead on curtain sewing.)

As I type, Grayson and Addie are walking around wrapped up in their new Snuggies. Humor also cheers up the grayest of days!

And speaking of reading . . .

2011-10-25T11:41:00.001-05:00

we are planning on starting the Chronicles of Narnia after we finish "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch," and can I just say how excited I am? Possibly more than the kids. Definitely so.

If you haven't read these books yet, there's no better time than now, in the near-winter. Even if you don't have kids, or you do and they've already read them, or you don't like books.

Peeking Out

2011-10-25T11:40:00.001-05:00

I'm peeking out today--after a two week break from school, we plunged back in last week to regular lessons, and I'm working on redecorating ("Decorating" would be more accurate; it wasn't decorated to begin with!) our family room. There were miles of trim and cabinetry to paint (all oil), and any free time went to reading--Wangerin's "The Book of the Dun Cow" and Stewart's "The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey" and "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch," which we are loving! I also started Sally Clarkson's "Dancing with My Father," after holding onto it all spring and summer, waiting for fall to start it. Oh, and "Frankenstein," started last night. I hope it's not really very scary, but only 1800s-era scary. Maybe having been written 200 years ago will temper the scary factor? And I know that sounds like a lot of reading, but in actuality it's just a chapter at bed every night (and maybe another squeezed in somewhere). I think I tend to read more in some seasons, and fall is definitely my favorite time to read. So I read two books (or three, because non-fiction doesn't count, right?) at the same time, with one on my nightstand and one in the bathroom. I realize that's crazy, but I'm okay with that!

So I haven't been here much, or taken any pictures, but if I can find some good sewing time to work on the family room curtains, I'll have before and after photos soon. And I also have some new things to put into my little shop, so stay tuned!

And Happy November!

p.s. Thank you to everyone who suggested garlic for our flea problem! I ended up using Capstar and Advantage tablets for Scout, and just Advantage for the others, along with frequent vacuuming and Raid's indoor flea spray. I love the idea of the Comfortiss tablets, but my vet cautioned me against them for Scout. It will get cold soon, and that always helps, but I'm going to buy brewer's yeast with garlic today to give to all three dogs. So thanks for the tip!!

October 2010

Fall Purging

2011-10-25T11:39:00.003-05:00

I am stopping in for only a second--I came home from a week at my sister's and decided I need another week-long break to catch up from being gone! She always inspires me to simplify things, and after hours late at night talking about strategies to de-stress specific areas in our lives, I realized that getting rid of about half our toys and clothes will really streamline cleaning, keeping the house tidy, and getting ready to go places. Thanks, Leslie!

So this week we are purging the house of unused clothes, toys, and books. There's a mountain in my van to take to Goodwill, and I was so happy to find that Addie shares my love of purging. She happily donated most of her dress-up costumes, play food, and even baby dolls. Even the boys didn't complain when I added two 6' long stuffed fish to the pile. These fish are nearly heirlooms, given to them by their uncle when he was single and didn't know how much moms hate 6' long stuffed animals. Now he's married with kids, so I'm guessing he won't be offended. I'll be happy to give them to him if he is.

We're rotating our days--one day of cleaning or errands, then one day of fun. This week's lineup includes a trip to the children's museum and a visit to a dear family friend who's had her first baby. We also have the regular swim lessons, Scouts, soccer, and so on. And if I really have it together--that's a huge if--I'm hoping to finish painting my family room. The curtain fabric is on its way in the mail, and I don't want it to sit forever on my sewing room floor.

I've also been fighting a massive fight against fleas. Our dear golden retriever is a flea magnet, and so are Addie and I, and you can imagine how that goes. Scout comes in covered in thousands of fleas--despite Frontline, Vectra, etc.--and they happily jump on me and Addie. The three of us have been miserable most of this fall, so I'm taking matters into my own hands. Several flea baths, combination flea treatments, a consultation with the vet, spray for the house and yard, and multiple hours spent combing out the dog with a flea comb after his baths, and I think we might be winning. It's a good thing I love that dog. If it were my husband's dogs with the flea issues, that might be a different story. I might be doing additional purging! (Just kidding, dear, if you're reading. Mostly.)

So that's this week. It's a lot, but it's all good, and it gives me the feeling that we can welcome in the Thanksgiving season with a fresh house, way less stuff, and more room and time to enjoy the blessings that really count. And if we could get a really good freeze to kill those stupid fleas between now and then, that would be good, too.

Enjoy your week, and if you feel inspired to do some purging with me, feel free to share!

Ready to Stay

2011-10-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

This is a super-quick post from beautiful, sunny Pennsylvania. I'm looking at red and orange leaves outside the window of my sister's wonderfully-old and charming house, and I'm fighting feelings of Serious Envy.

I envy everything I just mentioned. I also envy a place where people wear jeans and t-shirts and feel dressed up enough to go places (That is a phenomenon unknown to Dallas.), crisp mornings that start out foggy and 50 but warm up to sunny and 70, little old towns with beautiful old houses and wonderful old street names and amazing old history, and best of all, getting to spend every day with my sister. Not to mention, Addie and my nephew are fast friends, with not a single spat between them. It makes life very easy! Between the rainbow of leaves, the charm of steaming mugs at Farmhouse Coffee, four year olds who are good friends, and burning midnight oil with my sister, I'm ready to stay.

Oh, it's going to be hard to leave tomorrow! Good thing I have three handsome boys to greet me when we get home. It takes a lot to top Pennsylvania in the fall, but they're even better.

Big Doings

2011-10-25T11:38:00.001-05:00

We have big doings going on this weekend. A birthday celebration for Grayson, a big event at church, multiple soccer games, houseguests, and then Addie and I are leaving to visit my sister for the week. There is much to do to get ready!

Today, in between helping out at church and celebrating Grayson (which involves playing Legos as much as possible), I'm cleaning house, doing laundry, figuring out meals for my parents, who will be staying with the boys, and organizing errands in my head. As long as I don't look too far into the future (tomorrow), I can keep my head above water and not panic. It's all worth it, though: Addie is elated to be flying on a plane with just me, and I'm elated to be spending a week with my sister. Our 4 year olds will be happy company, and we plan on squeezing in as much sister time as we can.

I'll be back next Friday with pictures, a giveaway (my first!), and new items in the shop. See you then!

We Pick Apples

2011-10-25T11:37:00.003-05:00

Recently we visited a nearby apple orchard with friends. The weather was perfect, the drive beautiful, and I only got slightly lost.

We listened to tales of life long ago,

(Addie with her best buddy Landon)

watched bees fly to their homemade hive in the eaves,

learned how the apples get washed by machine,

and drove home tired and happy.

Our only complaint was that the presentation, supposedly geared to preschoolers, was way too long to keep their attention, and we didn't really get to pick apples.

But Caiden says the family who keeps the orchard has beautiful chickens, and that's really all that matters, isn't it? To him, anyway. I brought home two loaves of fresh-baked, still warm apple cake, and that's all that mattered to the rest of us.

October 2010

School Outside

2011-10-25T11:37:00.001-05:00

It has been simply too nice outside to have school inside. So we've gathered our books, colored pencils, and everything else and spent most of the days in the sunshine, working on lessons at our leisure.
Shakespeare and oatmeal pair well together for breakfast,

and the cool temps make it possible to stay outside from sunup to sundown, all meals included.

As an added bonus: all that fresh air makes everybody sleepy, and the hammock beckons! Caiden is buried under there somewhere, and I spent a couple hours alone, with absolutely nobody else awake.

You can see where that's going; I'm praying mightily against any change in the weather! Even if it does, you might still find us outside, in snowsuits. As Martha would say, this is a good thing!

Weekends

2011-10-25T11:36:00.003-05:00

First, thank you for all the generous words about my fall quilt--it has rarely slept alone these last weeks, so I think the general consensus around here is that it's a success!

I blinked, and now it's Saturday. The days are flying by here, in a nice sort of way, but I'd really like them to slow down now that it's October, my most-favorite of months. This morning we started our soccer season, which went well despite staying up late with friends until midnight last night, children included. We hosted a sweet family with homemade pizza by candlelight on the deck, and the children played until very late with glowsticks in the pasture. So this morning came early, but my early birds were still up before sunrise, ready to go! I think naptime will also come early today.

But weekends are good for that, and for dozing with the sound of football in the background, and playing around in the sewing room, maybe adding something to the shop, and taking long runs, and enjoying church. They're good for putting the schoolwork aside, and taking naps, and lying in the hammock with good books. With all this beautiful weather outside, I think I'll tackle the garden again, once we get rid of our usually-complacent-but-suddenly-aggressive rooster. Those roosters keep me from a lot of good gardening! That and the grasshoppers. I'm not sure which I dread more.

So that's what we're doing this weekend, a little of this and a little of that, and not much else. That's what weekends are good for!

Candy Corn for Fall

2011-10-25T11:36:00.001-05:00

While writing down recipes one morning, I was inspired to make candy corn--in quilt form. I envisioned oranges and yellows on the front, and the three layers of candy corn on the back: white, yellow, orange.

The quilt came out relatively wonky on the front, which I could try to say was intentional, but wouldn't convince anyone, and it is so brilliantly bright that it could never pass for a fall quilt, but that's how it goes sometimes, no? I never aimed to be a perfectionist.

Caiden says it's hot enough here in the early fall that the bright yellow is fitting, and I tend to agree. But to be honest, I'm a little disappointed that my autumn quilt came out as non-autumnal as it did.

However, come winter, these cheery yellows and oranges will surely be a welcome sight, wonky or not.

And in the meantime, the children are dragging it around the house and begging to take turns sleeping with it, so all's well that ends well!

My Other Running Partner

2011-10-25T11:35:00.003-05:00

I've been faithfully running since the end of July, which is a feat in this weather. I love running outdoors, especially where I live, and there's something so cathartic about passing through fields, by ponds, and stopping to pat a horse's nose on the way home. Watching the sun rise makes the early morning humidity worth it.

The problem is that I can't run outside as often as I'd like. Weather, sunrise time, and my husband's schedule often throw me off, and I miss a run. So, as much as I hate running on one, I bought a treadmill. I found one on Craig's List that gets great reviews from runners, bought it from the dent-and-scratch store nearby at about 1/3 of the retail price, and figured out how to get it through the doorway, no small feat.

Now you can find me in the early morning, running in the darkened room while watching "Cranford," which is an odd choice for running but works nonetheless, building up miles inside. It's not the same as patting the horse or watching the sunrise, but it's better than running on a curvy lane in the pre-dawn dark. I'll save my scenic runs for the weekends and be thankful in between for my new running partner, even if she does make me feel like a hamster in Nikes.

Caiden Wears a Chicken

2011-10-25T11:35:00.001-05:00

Last night my husband came home with a new chicken for Caiden. This one won't give us eggs, but she won't be eaten by raccoons, either, so that evens the score.

And speaking of scores, she also helps with math. Even while still wearing her tags.

I may or may not have worn her myself during dinner last night, much to the my husband's amusement.

That she doubles as a hand puppet is, clearly, a bonus!

September 2010

Hard Work

2011-10-25T11:34:00.001-05:00

Evidence of a hard-working Friday:

Not on my part, actually, but I did get to reap the benefit of a tidied yard all weekend! Now that the outside looks so good, it's time to turn my attention inside.

The family room project is stalled, waiting on me to choose fabric for the curtains and to buy more paint for the walls, ceiling, and bookcases. The ceiling is sky-high, and I shrink at the thought of climbing a ladder, so my mother has graciously offered to paint the high parts for me. The windows need a second coat themselves, and I hope to have it all done by mid-October, which is fast-approaching.

Time to get busy!

Falling

2011-10-25T11:33:00.003-05:00

We're slowly falling into the rhythms of fall: schedules are picking up, routines are becoming more routine, and slowly, slowly, the days are cooling down.

I have a well-known love (obsession) for autumn, and I purposefully look for ways to squeeze every bit of life out of the season. This fall, I'm reading Dickens' Bleak House, a perfect autumnal story. For years Wuthering Heights was my go-to fall read, but I'm branching out this year. (Speaking of books, I just finished The Chosen, and it was fascinating. I want to read its sequel, The Promise, this fall, too.) And then, of course, there's All Creatures Great and Small, because what could be more perfect for autumn than the musings of a country vet in rain-soaked England?

Soccer starts up this week, and Caiden is ready. He has grown an amazing amount since last fall, and his cleats look bite-sized next to his feet. He's growing so fast it makes my heart hurt, and I'm reminded how quickly time passes. Maybe that's why I love autumn so much; it is a fleeting season.

We're baking more, cinnamon breads and buttermilk chocolate muffins, and loaves of crusty French bread. Soups are finding their way to the table, music is quiet in the house, and I'm hunting for a new pair of dress boots for church.

Fall is almost here.

September 2010

Kristina Gets a Quilt

2011-10-25T11:33:00.001-05:00

Kristina, our babysitter, is having a baby herself. Terribly inconvenient for me, but very nice for her! To celebrate the baby's coming arrival, I made a quilt for her.

It is made from the leftover fabric from several projects for Addie I've made over the last few years. There's the puppet theater, curtains, duvet cover, another quilt, and scraps from a few dresses. The fabric is perfect for a girl of any age, not just the first few years.

Backed and binded in the material from the top sheet of Addie's bedding (Perfectly unused; we don't use top sheets around here!), it was sweetly tied with a ribbon and handed off tonight.

She was thrilled but had to confess: she's not sure if she'll give it to the baby or keep it for herself. I don't blame her; I was tempted to keep it myself.

Grammy Reads, and Addie Pronounces

2011-10-25T11:26:00.003-05:00

My parents came in last weekend for Caiden's birthday, and I found a captive audience on the couch, mesmerized by my mother's reading of "Runny Babbit," the world's hardest read-aloud book.

I know Addie looks as if she's following along, making sure the pronunciation of every tongue twister is correct, but trust me, she's not. This week I witnessed her singing "Blankie Doodle Dandy" to the dog.

Addie Wears Boots

2011-10-25T11:25:00.001-05:00

Addie already had a healthy dose of love for shoes, but when she spotted these "cowboy girl boots" she fell, hard. We were powerless to resist.

Not only do they look splendid with *everything* in her closet, evidently pink, slouchy cowgirl boots also bring out her more serious side. Who knew?

Or, more likely, she's thinking she needs a pair in red, too.

Grayson in Blue

2011-10-25T11:24:00.003-05:00

If the world were black and white, those blue eyes would be enough to keep me going!

Big Doings

2011-10-25T11:24:00.001-05:00

This has been a week of Big Doings. First, we celebrated Caiden's last single-digit birthday, and then I decided to start a Big Project. That deserves grammatical distinction because painting all the window trim in this house is a Big Job. These old windows are nearly nine feet tall and fully trimmed in stained wood. Nothing less than three coats of oil-based paint will suffice. Ten were done in July; nineteen to go! Excuse me, nine to go. I knocked out (not literally, of course) ten this week while watching episodes of "Lark Rise to Candleford," my newest only indulgence. (You'll need to have watched to get that.) Two of my children contributed to the project by getting sick and being content to lie around and take lots of naps.

Today I finished up the dining room windows, painted the flanking wall, and decided to cut the drapes into panels, to scavenge some of the fabric for my kitchen windows. That project will take place later, after my shoulders unstiffen. But once it's done, I can officially say the kitchen redo is finished!

Now I'm making pans of lasagna and trays of cupcakes for tomorrow's Big Doing, our family birthday party. The children and I cleaned the guest rooms, shopped for the menu, and bought mums in anticipation of tomorrow's company. After lessons in the morning and last-minute details, we'll be ready to bring on the party!

And I think after this weekend, I'll be ready for some little doings.

Books for Boys

2011-10-25T11:23:00.002-05:00

Highly recommended:

We finished this book last week, after a frenzy of multiple-chapters-in-one-sitting evenings. The last third of the story kept my boys holding their breath, and the end had them begging me for "just one more chapter!" We were reluctant to finish the last page, it was so good.

Fortunately for us, it's just the first book in a series. Hooray!

Other great series for kids--Redwall, by Brian Jacques (20 so far, and all of them nice, thick books!), Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome, and The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Stewart.

Note: The author, Andrew Peterson, is brother to A. S. Peterson, who has also written a fantastic story, The Fiddler's Gun. Not necessarily recommended for children as young as mine, but definitely a great one for upper elementary. I loved it, and, fortunately for me, it's also the beginning of a series!

August 2010

Old Bench

2011-10-25T11:22:00.004-05:00

My husband came home with prizes in his truck the other day, two *free* benches. One is wood and wrought-iron, perfect for the front yard, where I can knit and watch the children play outside.

The other is a true find, an old short church pew, complete with communion cup and hymnal holders on its back. It needs stripping and re-staining, or at least a couple coats of paint, but for now it sits in the hallway, and it already seems to have its fans.

Zebras in time out,

Those who've spent plenty of time in time out themselves and are ready to commiserate,

and those who get up before dawn and camp out next to my bedroom door, hoping I'll get up early.

It's a charming little bench, for sure.

Nine

2011-10-25T11:22:00.003-05:00

Nine years old today.

Always cheerful, helpful, compassionate, interested. Always immersed in a book, unless he's hanging out with his beloved chickens or wrestling with his brother. Always the life of the party, even if there isn't one. Always ready to belly laugh, especially at his own jokes.

We are always thankful for him.

Messy Creativity

2011-10-25T11:21:00.004-05:00

Being creative is messy.

It takes up space, requires the use of old sheets for tablecloths,

often involves mixing objects so that putting them away takes forever,

and sometimes means you have to leave things out on the counter. Indefinitely. Even if you don't like leaving things out on the counter.

It means that in order to make beautiful things, your space won't always be clean and tidy.

And you will have piles lying around, waiting to be put away.

It means your children will want to touch dirty things, smelly things, live things. And then bring them inside, to investigate further.

And, alas, it will often mean that you wake up Friday, look around, and realize you have a Legos--fabric--folded laundry--school books--random socks--markers and paper--baby doll mess on your hands.

But then, after spending your entire day putting things to order, and knowing in the back of your mind that it will all start over again on Monday, you will look through your photos and realize that yes, creativity is better.

Much.

August 2010

For Today

2011-10-25T11:21:00.001-05:00

We spent a quiet weekend lounging around, mostly. We ate guacamole and chips, took naps, and read books.

Today it became apparent the weekend was over; by 9 a.m. we were at the doctor with Addie, who's come down with a summer case of bronchitis. Two hours later, we ran back home for lessons, then drove down to the pharmacy to load up. We skipped naptime, instead spending our time up in my sewing room playing with buttons while I finished up the quilt top that made my hands stop itching. After a slightly-obsessive Saturday afternoon piecing, the strips were ready to be assembled. I have the top and the backing ready, but no cotton for batting. Another weekend, I suppose.

I called my mom, who's vacationing, and talked her into doing a quilt-along with me this fall. I assured it will be fun (Her experience quilting with her quilting group was less so; they were very intent on "rules."), and that we'd pick out something fun and pretty to do sort of together, sort of over the phone. I'm not intent on rules; I don't know enough about quilting to really know any! So she agreed.

I also realized I'm a few short months away from Christmas, which seems crazy on days when it's 106. (Today while driving back my car overheated, which makes the a/c cut off, and it said "109" on my dashboard thermostat. So we got milkshakes.) I had grand notions of having a mostly handmade Christmas last year, but those dreams evaporated when suddenly it was December 15th and I hadn't made much. Just knitted snakes for the boys, who've draped them over their dresser next to the shed snakeskins of the rat snake who lives under the laundry room steps outside.

This year, I have visions of a tiny cradle quilt for Addie's babies, and knitted mice in long johns, and gifts for others I can't divulge here. (They read.) I figure by starting thinking about it in August, I'll have a better chance at seeing it happen.

Today, however, it's too hot to think about yarn. Smoothies sound good for dinner, especially to Addie, who has stopped eating. She's not a big eater on a good day, but bronchitis kills her appetite. I'm dreaming of fall weather, holding out hope that it will come this year, despite what my car thermostat says today.

Tonight we're home alone, while my husband is working late. Legos, Andrew Peterson singing in the background, laundry to be folded, baths to take and meds to give. It's not the weekend anymore, but I'm thankful for today, just the same.
August 2010

My Hands Are Itching

2011-10-25T11:20:00.001-05:00

I crept out this morning, running shoes tied, iPod set to play my newest happy music, Andrew Peterson's "Counting Stars" album (wonderful!). I kept my eyes on the sky the entire time I ran, watching it move from sedate navy to a tapestry of light blue shot through with orange and pink and red. It's a wonder I didn't trip, but I didn't.

I came home sweaty, drank my coffee and the Word, and made crumb cake muffins for a houseful of happy people. After we ate everybody scattered, the boys to the front to install a new mailbox (Ours has had only 1/4 of our numbers on it for the last month; it's so hot they slid off and died.), and Addie to ride her bike around the great room in her princess dress, of course.

I sliced strawberries for smoothies, make today's iced tea, and then, seeing a clean kitchen and figuring that's enough work for today, crept upstairs to make a list.

You see, I haven't made a quilt in a very long time. I've bought two hand-stitched beauties this year, but I can't remember the last quilt I made, and I'm feeling my hands itch. I read "Prayers for Sale" yesterday, a new book by Sandra Dallas, who writes of three of my favorite things: the mountains, life long ago, and quilting. She's also from Denver, which endears me to her. I was born there but left young and have always, always wanted to live back in the mountains.

All that to say, after reading four of her newest books this month (Yes.), my hands are itching to make a quilt. My mother gave me her wonderful machine earlier this year, and it has seen curtains, pillows, a bedskirt, bibs, dresses, and patches, but it hasn't seen a quilt from me.

So I spent the rest of my morning scouring the Internet, writing down what quilts I want to make--Christmas, 4th of July, a Christmas tree skirt, baby quilts, baby doll quilts, and on and on! Now I have a nicely overwhelming list and my first project lined up.

The beauty is, today is Saturday. No lessons nor lesson planning, nowhere to be, nothing I really need to do. So I'm headed to my sewing closet to choose fabrics from my scraps and get started. If only I could figure out how to read and quilt at the same time! Life would be perfect. Until then, I'll see what I can do to squeeze both in, at least on Saturdays.
August 2010

This is What Fridays Are For

2011-10-25T11:19:00.001-05:00

Fridays are for Daddy sleeping in, children tiptoe quiet, lessons completed efficiently, and then the real fun begins!

Working outside with Daddy, playing with the hens (Roosters don't like to play.), picking up odds and ends with Addie at the "market," as she insists it be called.

She's serious about raking hay.

Caiden looks like he's drowning, but I promise he was supervised!

Lazy afternoons playing together, reading, napping, sewing, laughing.

Pizza for dinner, always, and staying up late.

Fridays are my favorite.

August 2010

Grayson Starts Kindergarten

2011-10-25T11:18:00.001-05:00

Grayson joined us this week, his first week of "real" school. He was our grand experiment--no preschool or Mother's Day Out or anything of the sort. No workbooks or flash cards or anything else, just 5 1/2 years of playing, growing, and living at home.

The experiment has been a rousing success, which is good, since Addie has followed suit.

Grayson has decided he likes school very much, despite the fact that learning to read is, indeed, hard work. He already thinks in mathematical terms, so that's easy, and art class is his favorite thing. That, and having his very own pencil case and books.

August 2010

Wednesday Silence

2011-10-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

For just a couple hours today, we had an entirely silent afternoon. My car battery died yesterday, and my cell phone charger has walked away, so of course the phone itself has also died, with no way to recharge it. And then, after a rainstorm that made us so glad that the children danced in it, fully clothed, until they were soaked to the skin, the power went out. No electricity, no running car, no working phones.

I put Addie down for a nap, and Grayson put himself down (He'll probably still want naps when he's 10, at this rate! He's a sleeper.), and Caiden went upstairs to finish his lessons. I lit candles in several rooms and pulled the curtains shut to keep out the scorching sun. Then I stretched across the bed with today's book and breathed deep. It was utterly, perfectly silent. No hum of air conditioning, or the refrigerator, or ceiling fans. No phone or Internet lulling me to spend naptime plugged in. Nothing but a glass of iced tea and a book. In my world, that is perfection!

Thankfully, my husband recharged my car's battery, and I left the car running long enough to charge my cell phone, and the power in the house came on a few minutes ago. One can only go without a/c for so long on days when it's over 100.

But I have to say that it was a nice pause in our day, to go completely unplugged, and just enjoy the silence.
August 2010

Early Morning Running

2011-10-25T11:16:00.001-05:00

I've been a runner in the past, but all the huge dogs on the properties around us have had me scared these last two years. I finally summoned up my courage, found a running partner who's not scared of dogs, and hit the road this week.

Now, my running partner is only 8, and he's skinny as a reed, so in case an actual dog finds its way to us, we run with treats. I hope this is only a precaution, because running with your child means you have to protect him from dogs if one attacks. Heaven help me. Heaven help us both, actually.

We get up on the early side and run while the sun rises, marveling at our progress in just a week, and hawks on the side of the road, and dairy goats nibbling breakfast while watching us with big eyes.

The sun rises over the trail, round and pink and gold, and we go home sweaty, glad for the time together.

August 2010

Caiden Hatches a Plan

2011-10-25T11:12:00.003-05:00

Caiden has become famous, at least in his own mind. Earlier this summer, he sold my friend Melissa a clutch of eggs for her broody banty hen to sit on. She left him a $5 bill in the empty nest box in our barn. Three weeks later, she had a motley crew of chicks, whose parentage was a little uncertain. We have two roosters and 21 hens, so there's no telling who belongs to whom!

But three of the hatched chicks, who were at birth nearly the size of their banty adoptive mother, definitely are cochins (at least, mostly). We just call them "Caiden chickens," which please Caiden greatly to have a breed named after him.

Melissa sent me this picture of the three cochin-ish chicks, and Caiden wrote her back a note, generously offering another clutch of eggs when her hen goes broody again.

He also told me he plans to move to Kentucky to open a chicken farm, so he can expand his business of raising free range chickens for their eggs.

Grayson told him he's not interested in being the farm manager, but you never know. First you start with a clutch of eggs, then you want a chicken farm. I love it when he dreams big!

August 2010

A Quick Pick Me Up

2011-10-25T11:11:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those full-of-errands days, forcing us to leave the house in disarray. We arrived home in the late afternoon hot, slightly crabby, and worn out. Then a friend called to ask if she could pick up her egg order, so I had only a few minutes to make us presentable. Here's what I did:

Put the younger ones down for a nap.

Spritzed myself with Febreze. And the dogs. It'll do in a pinch!

Lit a tealight under an oil burner filled with cinnamon nutmeg scented oil.

Quickly vacuumed the entry rug.

Wiped down the table and tidied the placemats and center decor.

Turned on piano music, quietly.

When she arrived, the entry and front room of our house looked and felt peaceful and fresh, and it only took ten minutes.

After she left, I attacked the dishes and laundry that had been left out, feeling a surge of energy from the quick pick-up. Now it's late evening, and instead of folding clothes and putting away dishes, I get to go to bed early with a book. There is definitely something to say for getting work out of the way!

The better method would be to never leave the house with dishes and laundry out, but on days like today, I'll take what I can get.
August 2010

Finishing Up

2011-10-25T11:10:00.001-05:00

Summer's nearly over, in the purely figurative sense of the season. It will still be hot for weeks to come, but school is almost here, and everything that comes with it. Soon we'll be shopping for new soccer shoes, and heading to co-op, and even enjoying fall weather, although that feels very far off now.

Today, to take a break from the school planning, I headed to a friend's house with the children. We brought our goggles and diving toys and swimsuits and enjoyed a couple hours in the water. Before we left, we had sugar cones topped with birthday cake ice cream and relished the pure summer feel of it.

But I am ready for summer to be over, mostly because here in the South it's too hot and too dry, and the recent plague of grasshoppers has eaten all my beautiful perennials. Instead of blooms and green grass, summer's beauty here lies in ice cream cones and goggles and skinny, wet children leaving imprints in their carseats.

Tomorrow will still be over 100 degrees, but today's swim felt like a goodbye to summer, and an ushering in of fall, with its routines and cool nights and that early morning scent that says yes, winter will come.

I am ready for it.
August 2010

How to Read to Your Children

2011-10-25T11:09:00.003-05:00

I am a reader. Books are treasures in my family, and my children all have their own library cards by the time they're 5. Their personal bookshelves have more books than most adults'. Reading is the way of life in our family.

Research has shown that reading to your children is one of the best--and possibly the best--thing you can do with them. But if you're not an avid reader, you might need some tips to incorporate reading into your daily life with your children:

Buy a good book on books! Jim Trelease's "Read-Aloud Handbook" is the gold standard, as is Gladys Hunt's "Honey for a Child's Heart." There's also Sarah Clarkson's "Read for the Heart," and the classic, "Books Children Love." All four not only have great booklists for every age and genre (type of book), but also great tips for reading to your children.

After you've done that, take them to the library, even if they're babies. Children need to grow up familiar with and fond of their local library. Take them to storytime, or just create your own. My oldest son's first trip was when he was three weeks old, and I read board books to him. He didn't have a clue what I was doing, but it started the weekly tradition that we continue nine years later.

Establish a daily reading time. Fifteen minutes is appropriate for young toddlers, and the habit of attention that they develop will soon find you reading for much longer stretches. If you're not used to reading aloud, this is a good amount of time to start with for you, too.

Don't expect active toddlers (or boys of any age!) to sit still! Allow your younger ones to draw or play quietly with Legos, etc. Research shows that many kids pay better attention if they can move. Forcing a busy three year old to sit on the couch next to you will work against you. Trust me. Our only rule is that everybody must be quiet, except for asking questions or commenting on the story. But nobody has to sit still!

If you read with enthusiasm, and let the story speak for itself, instead of interrupting yourself with reading comprehension questions (I'm a former language arts teacher, and the impulse still runs strong!), you'll find they are more interested, and those wiggly boys might even sit still!

Remember that reading is supposed to be enjoyable. If you don't like the book you're reading, and neither does your child, find another one. Everybody has different tastes, and with the wealth of books now published, you can find one that will suit everybody. There's no hard and fast rule that you have to read certain books. Let your children have a voice and help you choose the stories, and they'll be more willing to listen.

And last, model for your children what you want them to do. If you surround yourself with books and reading material, and you read in front of them--purely for enjoyment--they will see that reading is a worthy pursuit. If you treasure your books and teach them to take good care of theirs, they will see that books are special. And if you read with them, just for the fun of it, they will see that they are important, too.

Don't stop when they go to school; keep up the read-aloud times, and you'll find that you've created an easy way into their hearts and lives, as you discuss books and enjoy being together. Reading can become a lifelong habit that will bless them, and you!
August 2010

Busy in the Schoolroom

2011-10-25T11:09:00.001-05:00

On a whim, I took a poll to see who's ready for school, and who wants to wait until our traditional September start date. It was unanimous, so we'll begin next Monday, nearly three weeks early.

Which means I've been busy in the schoolroom, pulling down last term's art, timelines, and maps, and filing away old work. I bribed Caiden to help me clean out the closet, which doubles as a play closet in the summer, and you can imagine how it looked when we tackled it. Today I put up labels for my emerging reader, who will start kindergarten, and organized Addie's preschool toys and games. Caiden has graciously offered to be her preschool pal while I'm working with Grayson, and he even went the extra mile and planned out some activities to do with her the first week. Trust me, managing your preschoolers makes for easier school days!

Today I worked on schedules, putting like subjects together in bins for Caiden, and hanging up Grayson's word tree. Caiden had a similar one when he was learning to read, and I was surprised to learn today that he doesn't remember it. With Addie and Grayson back to back in ages, this one will stay up two years, and it's likely to be better remembered, I think.

As for organization, I look to Lindafay for her invaluable tips and use her binder system, and for scheduling I lightly use the worksheets from Managers of Their Homes. I also threw out three bags of trash, gathered a collection of curriculum I tried in the first year and decided not to use again but have for some reason held onto, and am generally seeing improvement. It is a small room, and space is of the essence. Right now I can hardly walk through it, and Monday feels like it's coming at the speed of light.

But supposing all goes well, I'll be done by Sunday, in time to wrap the children's back-to-school gifts and have them ready for breakfast Monday morning. Today that feels like very positive thinking, but I'm pressing on, nonetheless!
August 2010

In the Mountains

2011-10-25T11:08:00.004-05:00

We are home again, but oh, it was so good to be up in the mountains! Providentially, we picked the best week to go--it was 106 degrees here, and never above 75 there. We haven't been up in the mountains in a few years, and we'd almost forgotten how wonderful they are.

We went very high up, depending on your size and definition:
There were streams to wade in,

squirrels to surprise us,

(and pigs),

walks to take,

heights to be scaled,

and pools to conquer (cautiously).

There were many things to ponder,

be amazed at,

learn,

and cherish.

Then we said goodbye to the beautiful mountains,

but I brought home the best part with me.

And I am happy to be home.

August 2010

Beautiful Shells

2011-10-25T11:08:00.002-05:00

The boys have entertained themselves lately collecting cicada shells in jars, cups, glasses, and anything else they can get their hands on. We live in a wood house, and cicadas love to cling to the wood and shed their shells. They are literally everywhere.

And so are the boys' collections. If you come up the drive, you'll notice a tea mug filled with shells, hung by its handle on a crape myrtle. I've left it there several weeks, as a sort of art form that amuses me. Their collecting keeps them busy and happy, so I welcome it.

I do draw the line, however, at shells in my bedroom. We had to set the distinction between bugs and shells when I told the boys, firmly, "No bugs, dead or alive, are allowed in my bedroom." Grayson, with only a slight twinkle, stated the obvious: "These aren't dead or alive."

True. But either way, they're still not allowed in my bedroom.

The dining room counter, however, is fine.

July 2010

Getting Ready to Leave

2011-10-25T11:07:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was wonderful, but alas, today I have to get something done. We'll be leaving this weekend, headed to the Colorado mountains, and there's much to do between now and then.

My parents have graciously offered to house/chicken/dog sit, with the only payment being that I stock up plenty of coffee and creamer. That makes leaving easy, but there is that 16 hour car ride to think about and plan for. The DVD player and CD player in my van are both broken, so we're going to improvise with the iPod and portable DVD player. Usually we just ride with books for entertainment, but a trip this far calls for reinforcements! I downloaded a couple of our favorite books, got a travel version of Blokus for the boys to play, and now just need to think of what will keep a four-year old little girl happy for that long. As Father Tim says, "There's the rub."

Plenty of snacks, a bag for my knitting project, and a couple of great books, not to mention packing jeans and long-sleeves for a week in cool weather. Swimsuits, running shoes, and a scooter or two if we can fit it in. We haven't made a long car ride in a few years, and oddly, I'm looking forward to it.

Between now and when we leave I need to order the rest of Caiden's books for school, do laundry, make sure the house is clean, and take a dog (the bad one) to the vet, which usually ends up in my arm being wrenched from its socket.

All that'll be left for tomorrow is the weekly allergy shots, washing the sheets for my parents, and keeping three children patient while they wait to go! And maybe me, too.
July 2010

Fall Proposals

2011-10-25T11:06:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been thinking toward fall, and making all sorts of plans in my journal, which is really half-journal, half-list collection.

I'm thinking our fall will include

A trip with just Addie to see my sister, hopefully right when the leaves turn in Pennsylvania.

Caiden in a soccer uniform again. Grayson not in one, as he felt after one practice and one game last fall that he'd enjoyed soccer plenty and was content to play on the sidelines at Caiden's games.

Grayson and Addie in swimming lessons. Caiden swims well, but the littler ones are scary to watch in a pool. One is fearless and can't swim; the other is fearful and can't swim. Lucky for us, there's an indoor swim center nearby, where you'll find us one morning a week, come October.

Quilting a quilt top made by either my grandmother's mother, or her mother. Either way, it's at least 85 years old and in *perfect* condition. My mother gave it to me this spring with the promise I'd quilt it within a reasonable amount of time. Made entirely of 30s women's dress material, it's fabulous!

Joining old friends and new at our homeschool co-op. Grayson will start school this year, and he's thrilled with the thought of both learning to read and carrying his own lunchbox to co-op.

Making lots and lots of bread--hot bread with butter and honey is a fall must.

Sewing more things for my shop, which has been languishing these weeks I've been either redecorating my bedroom or recuperating from redecorating my bedroom.

Knitting a new fall sweater for me. I found a pattern I love, bought the yarn, and then remembered I'm already in the middle of a project. Oh, well, that's incentive to finish!

I also have another decorating project in mind, in the last room to remain untouched since we bought our home. We'll see!
And of course, fall isn't complete without apple picking, picnics under the trees, and many hours in the hammock and swings. That all goes without saying, of course.
July 2010

Pizza on Fridays

2011-10-25T11:05:00.003-05:00

On most Fridays we eat pizza for dinner. Our tradition started sometime last year, and although we generally stick to our routine of one margherita pizza for us and one cheese and pepperoni pizza for the children, sometimes we get crazy and try something new.

Tonight we had barbecue chicken pizza, ours topped with red onions and cilantro, and the children's with just the chicken and mozzarella. Grayson exclaimed at his first bite, "Are you kidding me?" which sent us all into fits. When all was said and done, we had just one piece of each pizza left, so it's safe to say I'll be adding this version into my rotation.

Pizza is easy: there are crust recipes in abundance on the Internet. I've made entirely whole wheat ones, entirely white ones, and mixtures of both, all with success. Round pizzas, rectangular pizzas, it doesn't matter. Freshly-grated Parmesan is always a hit, even if it does stink, and chunks of mozzarella with freshly-sliced tomatoes always make me happy. I don't even bother with homemade sauce; a jar of Newman's marinara is perfect with mozzarella and pepperonis, and tonight's pizza uses a thin layer of barbecue sauce instead.

We eat on paper plates with paper napkins, in contrast to our other meals, and we don't even get fancy with side salads. It's pizza or nothing, and it's always a hit.
July 2010

A Short Visit

2011-10-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

This week my mother very spontaneously came in for a short visit. I called her early Tuesday morning, told her we missed her, and she was here after lunch. We spent our two days together relishing our favorite haunts, namely the bookstore and the yarn shop.

Tuesday afternoon we spent a happy hour in the bookstore, where I found several books for school this fall, and we admired all the beautiful new picture books. Addie came home with "The Quiet Book," beautifully-illustrated and sure to become a new favorite. I also found "The Little Island," one of Margaret Wise Brown's ("Goodnight Moon," anyone?) lesser-known stories.

Yesterday we navigated our way to a wonderful yarn shop in the city. The children camped out on its big red couch, and my mother was able to work her way through the thousands of skeins of yarn. Addie informed her very matter-of-factly "I know how to knit, you know," and the older ladies knitting nearby had to work hard not to laugh out loud at her.

This morning my mother drove home, and I think the children have figured out she really does live nearby now; this was the first time nobody cried when she drove away.

It was a wonderful, unexpected perk to have her here this week, and we're already planning her next visit; we don't want the quilt shop to feel left out!
July 2010

Caiden Plays Piano

2011-10-25T11:04:00.001-05:00

Caiden started his first piano lessons this summer, learning on the same piano I taught my sister on, when we were young.

At dinner he played a song for Daddy, and we all clapped and congratulated.

But the show was stolen by Addie, who promptly sat down and pounded out her own melody, stoutly chanting, "quarter, quarter, quarter, half note DOT!"

I think we have a prodigy in the making. ;)

July 2010

Summertime Reading

2011-10-25T11:03:00.001-05:00

This summer we've enjoyed some particularly good books, and I thought I'd share them with you, in case you're looking for something to escape the heat with:

"For the Family's Sake," by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay--you might recognize her name from her famous first book, "For the Children's Sake." I'm reading this one slowly and am enjoying it just as much as I did her first book.

"From the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness," by Andrew Peterson--this was a wonderfully fun read, and the day after I finished it, I started reading it to the children. Just like our family, it involves two brothers and their little sister, and oddly enough, the children's talents in the book perfectly mirror my own children's interests. I've edited a few scenes to keep from scaring Addie, but the boys wholeheartedly love it. Good for us, there's a sequel already out and a third book in the works!

"The Little Grey Men," by B. B.--Caiden read this in June and said it was wonderful, so now I'm about halfway through. This could be a nature study in itself, and the adventures of the gnome brothers are very fun to follow.

"Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table," by Ruth Reichl--Reichl is the editor of Gourmet magazine, and these are her memoirs. I enjoyed this autobiography possibly more than any other I've ever read. It's tremendously entertaining and makes you want to eat and cook and eat some more.

"Pinocchio," by Carlo Collodi--you must read the originally translated, unabridged version. The story is much, much odder than the Disney remake of it, and Pinochhio is not at all endearing for most of the story, and both those details make this a much more interesting read! I read this each morning at breakfast, and the children couldn't wait to hear about their "rascal, Pinocchio."

"Kristin Lavransdatter," by Sigrid Undset--I technically read this earlier this spring, but I had to include it in my list. This book is huge, you can read the entire epic in one book, or as three separate novels, like I did. I read "The Wreath" and then "The Bride" but haven't read the last one, "The Cross" yet. It is set hundreds of years ago, but you'll find the story line very modern, and the consequences of Kristin's decisions are haunting. I found myself thinking about this story even when I wasn't reading it. I'm waiting to read the conclusion, to savor it this fall.

The "Redwall" series, by Brian Jacques--Caiden and I have loved these books. Anything about mice is a hit with my children, and these books make terrific read-alouds. They're loaded with adventures, battles between the mice and stoats, weasels, and rats, and all sorts of charming woodland scenes with tiny creatures. And, even better, there are already 20 nice, long books in the series, which is perfect if you have a child who loves to read as much as Caiden.

So there you have it, some great novels for summer reading. With about another month to go before fall begins, there's plenty of time to squeeze in a few more. Next on my list is "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "North! Or Be Eaten." A perfect way to escape scorching days!
July 2010

Beauty in the Bedroom

2011-10-25T11:02:00.002-05:00

When we moved into our house, I loved our bedroom in theory, but not in fact. In theory it was large, with three walls of tall windows, room for a sitting area, and had a loft above it perfect for my sewing room.

In fact, it was too big, with awkwardly-arranged furniture, and was Brown Everywhere: brown curtains, brown carpet, brown walls, brown ceiling, brown woodwork and trim. I simply could not get past it all to see a plan, until one night a few months ago, when I woke up in the dead of night with an entire vision in my head. I stayed up for hours, writing out ideas, sketching curtains, and researching online. And I didn't breathe a word of it to my husband.

After two months of covert planning and stealth-shopping and sewing, my husband left on his overseas trip, and I got to work. At the end of three solid days of painting, I had painted the trim around all ten windows, the baseboards, the beadboard ceiling (by hand! No roller!), our dresser, one nightstand, the legs of a footstool, a bench, and the entire bathroom ceiling, as well. Thankfully, I left immediately for a weekend at the lake with my family, before the paint fumes really did me in!

After I returned, I finished sewing the windowseat cushion, all the pillows for the room, and three London blinds. The five bedroom curtains and duvet cover had been sewn before my husband left, and I worked on the gathered bedskirt at night when he was gone, while watching old BBC movies, when I couldn't handle the thought of picking up the paintbrush again.

Now the room is done, and it is a dramatic transformation, better than I'd hoped. The only brown that remains is the walls ("Sauteed Mushroom") and the carpet. With cream-and-roses curtains, white bedding, and cream furniture, the walls are a good complement now, instead of looking dull as before.

My reward has been that the entire family loves it in here now, lounging in the windowseat, reading, or curled up in one of the chairs, looking out over the pasture and woods beyond, writing at the sewing table-turned-writing desk, or propped up in bed against a sea of pillows. (I am thankful to have a husband who agrees that every person should have three personal bed pillows!)

We have spent the better part of the last three days in our room, and what started out as a too-big, too-brown, underused and underappreciated room has become the heart of our home, second only to the kitchen, and I can definitively say all the hard work was worth it.

But I can also say this: I do not need another project anytime soon!

July 2010

Coming Home

2011-10-25T11:01:00.003-05:00

The children and I have, in fact, been on our own these past two weeks. My husband has been overseas, so far away that it's winter and the next day there! I always expect some tearful evenings when he's gone, and as the days stretch long, we have to find special things to occupy us so we don't despair. ("We" applies chiefly to Caiden, who is my husband's shadow and mourns when he's gone. I've heard "I miss Daddy" literally a hundred times this month.)

This trip, we spent some of the time at my parents' lakehouse, enjoyed a tiny visit with my sister, ate a lot of ice cream, went on a few special lunch outings, read stories aloud in the evenings, had puppet shows, watched old movies, drew hundreds of pictures (mainly of dinosaurs, the boys' favorite topic), and had a late afternoon tea time on Sunday, the second weekend my husband was gone.

This adapted tea time, due to the hot weather, consisted of sweet tea in china teacups, poured from Addie's beloved Peter Rabbit teapot, and chips, salsa, and guacamole. I read "The Bear That Heard Crying," the true story of Sarah Whitcher, who was lost in the woods and kept alive by a bear, and we savored a favorite tradition with a Southwestern twist, I guess.

Now my husband is somewhere over the ocean, to arrive home this afternoon, and we are a flurry of activity, planning little surprises for him. I cannot divulge, as he will likely read this from the airport during his layover. I did let him know yesterday that I've been working on a secret project, and I think he's nearly as anxious to see it, as he is to see us.

I just hope he likes it!
July 2010

A Summer Saturday

2011-10-25T11:01:00.001-05:00

Today started slowly: reading a little from the book of James, while drinking creamy coffee and listening to piano music. The children were all engrossed in playing Legos in their rooms (pink ones for Addie, of course), and even the dogs were quiet.

It has been raining, rainy, or about to rain for the last week, and it makes for mellow mornings around here. (It also makes for misery with three large dogs, but I'll take the rain anyway.) Our school year is winding down, my project is 95% complete, and I'm eyeing a long summer's nap soon. Oddly enough, I get slow and meditative in the summer, and by mid-July my productivity screeches to a halt. All I want to do is read. The only way I can keep our home on track is to religiously stick to my cleaning routine and never allow myself to move on to any other activity before the dishes are finished. Things fall apart quickly here, and it always starts with dishes in the sink.

But today the dishes are done for the morning, the children have finished their chores, and all that's left on the list is to run by a friend's house with Caiden's egg delivery. I foresee a long nap coming soon, and an hour in the armchair with a good book, at this rate. It's shaping up to be a perfect Saturday!
July 2010

Consoling Cocoa

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes there are moments when you realize that only something very out of the ordinary will do to comfort and console a very sad little boy. Moments like when your dog greets him at the front door with the remains of his favorite chick hanging limply from its mouth. And Daddy is in Australia for two weeks and can't be there to give a man-to-man talk. Those moments.

After you quickly remove the remains (and thoroughly scrub your hands), you will gather your tear-stained children onto your couch, give them all their special blankets, and then make them peppermint hot cocoa, despite the fact that it's mid-summer and hot. You will read the story, "Thunder Cake" to them by candlelight, as a real thunderstorm booms outside, and you will hope that having hot cocoa in July will be special and out-of-the-ordinary enough to remove the grisly scene from their little hearts.

Then you will pray for dead chickens, talk about why labs chase birds, and remind them that God does, indeed, see every sparrow--and chicken--that falls. You will tuck them in and once again remind yourself that loving free-range chickens is, indeed, a difficult thing.

In case you are in need of some Consoling Cocoa, here's our recipe:

1 package hot chocolate mix (Feel free to make your own, real deal instead)

6 oz. hot water

a couple tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Torani peppermint syrup

Make the hot chocolate as directed, then splash in some whipping cream and peppermint syrup. Best served to tearful children in need of cheering up on a hot summer's night. Or, of course, in mid-winter by a roaring fire, although that's not nearly as unexpected. Either way, it's always good.
July 2010

A Busy Week

2011-10-25T10:58:00.001-05:00

These past seven days have been especially busy, as I've been working on a top-secret project that must remain top-secret for a little while longer. We've also managed to squeeze in a visit to see my parents and my sister and brother and their families at the lake for the 4th, and then I brought back my sister and nephew home with me for a micro-visit with them before driving her to the airport the next day.

We got drenched to the skin in a surprise rainstorm, hauled a 75 pound puppy to and from the vet, got the children's haircuts, watched Grayson turn into a champ at getting his weekly allergy shots (Caiden had already mastered the art of not flinching for his shot), sold eggs to a friend, cheered up another who's in the middle of moving, and played more than a few games of Risk.

Nothing has been out of the ordinary, except for my project, but it has been a wholly satisfying week, and I've been going to bed each night completely worn out. Tomorrow I'm taking the poor old minivan to the mechanic to fix everything that's wrong with her (He laughed when I listed the broken items!) and getting my hair cut. All regular, ordinary things, but somehow they add up to a very busy, very satisfying, week.

And yes, I'll share more about the project when I can!
July 2010

Swinging in the Hammock

2011-10-25T10:57:00.002-05:00

Somebody very lucky got a hammock for Father's Day.

Somebody else, also very lucky, got the first swing in it.

Somebody else is waiting for the children to go to bed, so she can read in it.

June 2010

Addie Serves Tea

2011-10-25T10:56:00.002-05:00

We girls found ourselves unexpectedly home alone for the entire day yesterday. My husband graciously agreed to take the boys on a full day of errands, so it was just me and Addie home together.

We savored in the instantly-feminine atmosphere of the house, complete with cello music, lit candles, and no boys. I sewed her two circle skirts, cut out a set of kimono-style pajamas, and then we rearranged her bedroom and played with her babies.

We finished by having tea for two, complete with shortbread with chocolate on top, strawberries, and iced tea, because it's too hot to drink anything else.

Addie served tea, perfectly dainty and careful.

It was so lovely we are dreaming up more errands for the boys, soon.

June 2010

Making Lists

2011-10-25T10:55:00.003-05:00

It's officially summer now, but we're in that in-between period of still finishing up the school year while balancing doing fun summer activities with friends, who are done for the year.

Yesterday, in an attempt to get a handle on the to do list, I sat down at the computer and jotted a few notes down:

a meal plan for a couple weeks
a revised chore list to include outside duties like watering and gardening
a list of the activities the children have said they'd like to do this summer--berry picking, making ice cream, and a picnic under the sprinklers (?) topped the list
I also wrote down what's left in Caiden's two remaining subjects, history and math, to finish by the end of July. We take off only the month of August; from experience I've seen that three months off is too long for us!

And then I wrote down my dream plan of projects for the summer, like painting the hallway bathroom a new color and finishing the boys' window shades, which have been languishing in my sewing room for months.

I ended up with a couple of calendars and a few typed lists, and although they certainly won't accomplish themselves without me doing something, making a list always makes me feel better.
June 2010

The Agenda

2011-10-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

I try to write down my day's agenda early in the morning, before anything could've possibly happened to alter The Plan. I love a good plan, and it throws me off to have it wrecked before 10 a.m. So today's 8 a.m. migraine was especially resented.

Instead of catching up on the laundry, mopping the kitchen floor, and doing lessons, I informed everybody it was a Whispering Day and then walked around with my eyes deeply squinted, feeling irritated and crabby that my plans were grounded.

By afternoon I was still not feeling like myself, so after half-heartedly starting one load of laundry, I rummaged in the fridge for something to make a decent meal and returned a phone call. That was the entire sum of my efforts today.

Not all days work out according to The Plan, but perhaps that's what makes each morning's new mercies even better. Here's to tomorrow!
June 2010

At the Lake

2011-10-25T10:54:00.002-05:00

We went to the lake to see my parents and brother and his family this weekend, making the drive with provisions to tide us over

and some embroidery to tide me over.

We spent the days playing rousing games of badminton with various family members who were all of the same limited ability, thankfully,

ate lots and lots of food, including a chocolate cake worth giving up all else for.

That is not chocolate cake. No pictures because it's all gone!

We spent inordinate amounts of time underneath the mister,

and had an evening fishing session off the dock that was successful for most involved. I caught my second fish ever, mostly by accident.

The kids played in the water--only near the water for my cautious Gray.

We swam in the pool, drank loads of iced tea, sat beneath the crape myrtle blossoms on the swing, played speed-games of checkers,

Enjoyed each other's company,

and wore ourselves out.

Perfect.

June 2010

Twilight

2011-10-25T10:53:00.001-05:00

We spent a recent evening outside after supper, enjoying the twilight and each other.

We admired the neighbors' horses and donkeys,

and they admired us.

The children burned some late energy,

before settling down to savor two favorite things: books and chickens.

I snuck out back to check on the big girls and caught a peek at the wild grapes growing over our fenceline.

After checking the garden I headed back through the pasture and noticed how pretty this chick is getting,

wondered why this one looked so sheepish,

and met our old faithful dog at the gate, ready to go back inside.

June 2010

A Productive Friday

2011-10-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

I woke up to a small team of gardeners in the front yard, straightening out my poorly-neglected and too-big for-us-to-handle perennial beds. By day's end I should see no weeds, lots of mulch, and plenty of space for planting new perennials. Now if I could only get the dog to stop eating them. It's really too bad he doesn't eat weeds.

The children and I went into town to mail a couple of packages (that went well!) and visit the allergist, and then came back to our haven of air conditioning and spent a happy afternoon reading, sewing, and admiring our weed-less front drive.

We met with two of the children from the large family down the street (expecting #10!) to discuss the ins and outs of dog/chicken sitting for us this weekend and felt again thankful for neighbors whose children are unfazed by the tending of chickens, having their own flock.

The day finished off with a family game of Risk, our newest obsession, dinner from the pantry (Still going strong, although I did cheat and buy apples for Grayson, who eats at least three a day and can't live without them.), and a quiet evening working on some little hand sewing projects. A little bit of reading before bed, and that's that.

It has been a good, productive Friday.

Addie Twirls

2011-10-25T10:50:00.001-05:00

As a reward for a rather long afternoon at the fabric store, Addie got to choose a yard of her very own fabric. Now it is a twirly skirt, which every four year old knows is the "only" kind of skirt to have.

Those four year olds know a twirly skirt is good for grass-gathering,

running,

and, of course, twirling.

The faster, the better.

June 2010

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-10-25T10:49:00.001-05:00

We love soup here and firmly believe that there is never a bad time for soup! Here is our favorite chicken and rice version, which is delicious and was gobbled up this weekend, down to the very last grain of rice:
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 T. butter

chopped carrot, celery, onion, and bell pepper (I use red)

6-8 cups water with chicken bouillon or chicken broth

1 box Uncle Ben's wild rice mix

4-6 chicken breasts

1 package kielbasa, sliced thickly
June 2010

pepper

Begin by boiling the chicken breasts in the water/bouillon or chicken broth until they're done. Remove and chop, but don't pour out your broth. In a saucepan, saute the vegetables and seasoning packet inside the rice mix together in the butter until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables and the box of rice to the broth and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cover, cooking 20 minutes. Add the chopped chicken and sliced kielbasa and simmer, covered, another 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Test seasonings and add pepper if necessary. The seasoning packet and broth are pretty salty, so you shouldn't need any additional salt. Serve topped with mozzarella, and a green salad and loaf of crusty bread are always nice with soup.

A Working Lunch

2011-10-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

Now this is what I call a working lunch! Combining two of their loves, homemade quesadillas and books, makes for a very quiet meal.

June 2010