My cousin Elisha drove to my house from NY state on Saturday.
It was the nicest day we have had here in CT since late fall. We had temps in the 70’s. My daffodils opened by the house for the first time, and I like that they opened on the day of Elisha’s visit. The weather and the flowers felt like a gift from God to us.
Elisha and I grew up together, and we were able to see lots of each other through the years. We even attended the same public school for a while. I used to babysit her and her sister, Erika. A lot of the things we used to like doing together are still our favorite things, like LAUGHING A LOT, singing together in 2 part harmony, and going outside for walks. We did all three of those things this weekend. (‘Lish, one thing we forgot to do this weekend was play WAR!)
Elisha is a sweet, tender, thoughtful, and generous soul. She is also not afraid to be quiet, and I often think the closest friends are the ones that don’t have to fill the air with constant talking, although we did do that, too, more often than not! We had a lot to catch up on.
Thank you, Elisha, for being faithful in keeping in touch with me after we moved away from our homestate, and for driving out here this weekend. Thank you for accepting me for who I am, for loving me and my family. Thank you for enjoying my children. I am so blessed and encouraged by you and your love for Christ. Next time you better bring your husband! 
Here are some pictures from our weekend. (for more pictures, see Elisha’s xanga site)
In my new hometown, there is a used bookstore that I’ve been wanting to browse for a while. It is located right in the center of town, in an old building that used to be a bank years ago. The window behind Elisha is an old teller window, with it’s original stained glass. I think the floor is cool, too. I bought 2 old “Little Golden books” that were illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. I collect them.
After the bookstore, we walked down the road to the scrapbooking store. We both like to scrapbook and make homemade cards.
Then, we had a little photoshoot:
When we got back home, Rich had to go to a meeting. He took Jacob with him and we took the rest of the kids (all of us in our black boots) for a walk in the woods.
David got stuck up here for a while. These are the roots of a tree that fell over across the stream and it’s quite high up. David was black with dirt by the time we got him down. Ethan, on the other hand, was as nimble and capable as a young goat.
I have to share pictures of the clouds that rolled above our house Saturday evening. They were so awe-inspiring.
In other news:
Jacob is learning how to fiddle. He had a violin lesson last night and Rich and I were amazed at the song he learned in that one lesson. His violin teacher really enjoys Jacob and they have fun together, playing their instruments, every week. We pay for a 1/2 hour lesson and they usually go over that time because they are so involved in what they are doing.
Rich (with some help from the kids) built the dog a doghouse this weekend. Parker loves it. When the kids were done with school yesterday, they spent the rest of the day down in and on the doghouse, too.
Ric
h finalized our plans for a garage. He signed the papers and put down a payment on Saturday. It will be a three car garage with a big room over for a possible apartment/guest room someday for one of the kids. We are also having the basement finished off at the same time. We have enough saved up so that we will be able to pay it all off right away, with no debt. I’ll be posting pictures of the progress. Rich was told that everything should be done by July. We’ll see!
Oh and listen to this! Yesterday, when Rich was gone with Jacob, Caleb escaped outside. When I opened the door to get him back in the house, I found him running around the driveway with a dead female cardinal clutched tightly in his HAND! (The cat had killed the bird and left it). I ran to him, made him drop it, and rushed him up the tub. That’s not all! I had to run downstairs to help David with something, and when I went back up to Caleb, he had filled the bath water with, let’s just call it, a “natural resource” that I am SO SICK of seeing every day of my life!!!! It was awful and I just kept thinking as I cleaned it up, “this is the part of motherhood that is never romanticized!” Discusting!
And on that “pleasant” note, I will end this post. Thanks for all the comments yesterday, they were wonderful!
Have a great day, all!
(the link is for a book that Elisha gave me, I am so inspired to start sewing again!)
Good to be Home 
Hi Shanda!!
Your pictures are beautiful! What I wouldn’t do to browse through that used bookstore! And funny thing… I collect “Little Golden Books” too! I especially love the older ones. Your cousin looks like such a sweet and happy person… like a ray of sunshine! I can believe that you had a wonderful time together!
I am loving our warmer weather! My daffodils popped through the earth and finally bloomed this past week too. I love the new life!!
I love the idea of a three car garage and a finished basement! I can’t wait to see pictures! What fun for you all!!
Enjoy your (hopefully) sunshiney day!!
I wish I was there too…but we will have our moments in a month!
Love you!
I’m so glad you had a visit from Elisha. I know you both enjoyed it. And I enjoyed seeing her again. That picture of the clouds is incredible and that bookstore looks so nice and quaint.
Oooohhh, your house plans sound wonderful. When will the work start?
And I won’t even comment on your Caleb story…. 🙂 Oh the joys of motherhood.
Hmmm… I’ve never heard it called “natural resources” before, but it certainly makes sense! I still remember the day I went upstairs to get my daughter after her nap and found she had learned how to take her diaper off. There were natural resources everywhere! ACK! After that, before I put her down for a nap, I wrapped duct tape around the diaper! LOL!
I checked that same book out from the library a few weeks back! It was sweet. What a nice day you had!
The tree roots and natural bridge picture was cool. I can see why your boys were so tempted to conquer the mountain!! (lol)
I love my cousins- I just love them- their like “long distance sisters” to me. 🙂 Your so blessed to be able to spend time with yours…all of my cousins are far away, busy with their own lives and children……we email and talk occassionally, but not like we ought to. You’ve just inspired me to write each of them a card today. 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration of keeping family ties strong and open!!
Love, Cass
Elisha is just beautiful! You are such a joy and I do enjoy coming here to read what you have going on! Enjoy those moments!
xox Cat
That is wonderful that you are still close like that. I see my cousin’s maybe once a year or 2 if we are lucky. For some reason we are not very close. I always enjoy your posts!
That sounds wonderful about your house plans!! The new garage sounds really nice and to finish the basement to, with no debt is even better!
You are so blessed to have such a sweet cousin! I am so happy that you had such a wonderful weekend together!! Your garage/basement plans sound great- I look forward to seeing the progress. Well, all I can say about the “natural resource” incident is, I’ve been there, done that, and it’s never any fun!! Have you picked your first project out of the book from your cousin? Have a great day!
The blessings of the weekend were mutually shared…so glad you all could share this time together. Your pictures are excellent!It will be fun to watch the progress of your addition….I have always loved watching construction of any sort…new or remodel.The smells of lumber are my favorite. I still have a perfectly shaped cement ball (tennis size) in my treasure chest that I made inthe sixth grade during a remodel on our home. Happy day to you!
Your cloud picture looks like a good ol’ Oklahoma storm moving in!!!I went to Elisha’s site to see more photos. I told her, “I’m a little jealous” because I have no family that’s even a “DAY’S” drive away. I like my cousins a lot, one in New Jersey & one in Pittsburgh, PA and see them every 15 years, or so. I have to rely on emails for a relationship. I’m glad that’s not the case with you.P.S. I don’t know why, but I love, Love, LOVE knowing the fact you wear those black boots hiking! I guess it’s just a little something that makes you Y-O-U!!!
OH man, Caleb is such a monkey. I’m so glad you had a good time with Elisha, I loved meeting her. Love the pictures, too…what a huge tree that fell in the woods, how cool. Sounds like your house plans are coming along nicely. 🙂
Browsing books, scrapbooking materials, and taking long walks…it all sounds like so much fun, and Elisha looks and sounds like the sweetest of companions! I love that picture of the sky with the clouds; awe-inspiring is a good way to describe it!
YUCK! I have to say that I’m glad I missed that! I enjoyed our visit so much. Thank you for the compliments you gave me on your post! I love you so much!
I am close to my cousin too, and its such a blessing to have close friends in my own family (sisters, cousins, etc). I love the fiddle/violin too! how exciting for you to watch your son learn an instrument like that! 🙂
Ohhhh, I love the clouds!
lol, least we forget you are FULL time mom, that last bit said it all. BOYS!
Now back to the fun stuff:I luv Eloise Wilkin too, I have many of her books.The new garage sounds wonderful!And that cloud photos is majastic.HUGS
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oh so many exciting things going on with you! I couldnt help but laugh at the “natural resource” bit…I can relate! Being a mom of boys is always interesting =)
I will have to check that book out, looks lovely!
The clouds photo is awesome! Sounds as if you had a nice visit with your cousin. I love to browse used book stores.
My eight year old granddaughter began violin lessons this year. She’s progressing nicely. I hope she’ll stick with it.
What a neat visit you had! And I love the photos — especially the tree root — that will be a wonderful place to climb for a long time to come!
What a great newsy post. So glad you had such a lovely time with your sweet cousin. I would enjoy all you did too! Yuck on the “natural rescource” ….time to think on Jesus as you clean up that mess. I learned that from Mother Teresa as she taught her young girls when ministering to the sick and dying to minister to each as to Jesus, and then they could stand the difficult bodily stuff. I thought that way this weekend when cleaning toilets
cute pictures of you and your cousin! wow, the clouds are majestic! Jenny
Ryc: LOL, I love that picture of Ben too! We do the fishing, hunting, mud and creek lovin’ kind of boys around here, complete with black boots like yours! 🙂 Even Jacob, my almost 3 year old, has a tiny pair!I really appreciate your honesty about motherhood! A wise grandmother blessed me immensely when she told me that I really DON’T have to enjoy EVERY moment to be a good mom! God has used her words to encourage me thru the parts that I am “so sick” of !Saying a Psalm 119:116 prayer for you today!
Great post, as usual, w/fun photos. I’m laughing about the natural resource. . .I’m sick of seeing that too. One of our toilets (the newer one that doesn’t use so much water) keeps clogging up. Yuck! I cannot plunge it effectively even though I’ve watched my husband and really tried to do it right, it just doesn’t work for me. I hate the bathtub thing though. . .we deal w/ that one too!
OH, my!! I do not miss that part of my children being little at all!!! Hahaha! One day you will look back and laugh!! But not miss it! At all! I do miss so many other things from my kids being that little…I enjoyed the pictures so much! ;o)
That is an awesome shot of the clouds….love that photo
I could have gone without reading the part of his bath!!!! LOL!
It must feel so good to have a teacher who is so good with Jake!
That tree is very cool, it looks mammoth in the picture! Better than any playground!
Someday I hope to meet Elisha! The photo shoot looks like so much fun! I love love love the floor of that old boook store, so cool!
I am excited for you with these new projects!!!
What a fun time with your sweet cousin! I LOVE the picture of the clouds….I am a weather watcher! Those clouds are fascinating…..my boys will be interested in seeing your sons on the tree roots. What an unusual picture…