The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for the feedback you gave us on a baby name. It’s been fun to read through all the comments, and it really did help to get some opinions. I wish I could tell you that we have made up our minds once and for all but we have not. I guess we’ll all have to just wait a little bit longer.
Let me try to answer some questions. Some of you mentioned the name Isaac. Rich and I both like that name a lot, especially since most people have LAUGHED when we told them about having another boy, and the name Isaac means “laughter”. However, I have three brothers named David, Nathan, and Isaac. Because we have already named one of our boys after a brother, I am trying to avoid naming another one after a brother. 
Makes sense, right? But, we’ll see. I’ll first have to ask Isaac if he would mind.
As far as other names mentioned, believe me, we have considered them ALL. The four on the list from the other day were the only four that Rich and I could agree on.
To me, this is a major decision and I do like to get feedback about baby names, especially from family, so it really helped to hear from so many people in the past few days, thank you!!!!
However, moving on. . . . .away from that subject for now. . . . .
Happy Saturday! I have had the most relaxing morning. I did not get out of bed until 8:30 this morning, and compared to 5am or 6am, which is when I normally get up, it was pure bliss. I opened up all the shades so I could see the sky and watch the birds doing their morning exercises. I got back in bed with a new library book and soon Rich came in with a hot cup of coffee for me.
Hot coffee, in bed? When I normally drink it as I run around the house taking care of the kids? No wonder such a small thing brought tears to my eyes. To just sit and sip and stare out the window! How wonderful!
Then, lil’ Caleb came in. “See the car I made?” (of legos) “It’s really cool” “There are two men driving it”, he reported, and then away he went.
Next, in came my husband again, with toast and three pieces of bacon on a plate. I kid you not, it was the very best breakfast I’ve had in ages. To sit in bed and savor every bite of generously buttered toast (made from homemade bread, that I made last night, no less!) and bacon (from the pig my Father-in-law raised!). The flavor was out of this world. Oh yum. Simple pleasures are the best, don’t you think?
I normally move so quickly the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning, and I felt like a queen this morning as I ate my breakfast and read my book in bed. . . . .I was totally relaxed and felt very cared for.
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Yesterday after I put David on the bus, I stood in the driveway watching the birds for over half an hour. I came in the house chilled to the bone (we had a heavy frost that morning), but it was addicting to watch watch them busily eating berries and zooming every which way. I had fun trying to take photos of them in flight. I needed quick reflexes!
Female Cardinal:
Male Cardinal:
Robin:
Another Robin:
They were gorging themselves on these red berries:
This next one made me laugh. He was so fat, he was reluctant to even move. I was able to get quite close.
I’ve been busy in the kitchen the past few days, too. I made beef stew yesterday in a heavy cast iron dutch oven that I recently bought at Costco. It has a nice heavy lid, too. I enjoy using cast iron to cook with, it’s so rustic and country—the kind of cookware that makes me think of open fires on the prairie. And if you take care of it, it’s just as non-stick as teflon.
I also made homemade bread (two loaves) and some yummy squash.
Rich and I have been trying all kinds of squash. Yesterday I baked an acorn and a hubbard. The first thing I do is cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. A lot of the recipes I’ve seen tell you to put them cut side down in the pan with some water, and poke holes in them to let the steam out. However, I bake them cut side up because I love the crispy edges and brown flavor. I set the oven anywhere from 350 to 400 degrees and sprinkle them with kosher salt. I baste them with melted butter now and then as they bake, until they are cooked through, nice and soft. Then I pull them out, baste them with real maple syrup, dust them with cinnamon and a sprinkling of brown sugar and let them sit on the counter until almost room temperature. YUM. If ever a vegetable was as delicious as ice cream, this is it! The hubbard was more dense, the flavor was fantastic, and the c
olor–a dark dark orange–was beautiful. The acorn is a lighter textured squash, with more moisture. It is my husband’s favorite and again, the flavor is dreamy.
I guess this post is just full of simple pleasures—I hope your weekend is full of them, too. Life is wonderful and there is so much to be thankful for.
Love, ~Shanda~
P.S. One more picture to share. The other day I found Grace showing her bunny the picture I put on my blog of her. Isn’t she so cute?
Good to be Home 
I love this post. You did a great job of the birds in flight. The rabbit looks so interested in the blog picture.
Simple pleasures are what we all need to take the time to enjoy….this morning my pleasures were…snuggling in bed with my little ones, watching them eat the breakfast that poppi prepared for them with relish….feeling the baby kicking inside me…and leasurely reading xanga with my cup of coffee….now it is time to move on to other pleasures…such as cleaning the house….it should be a pleasure to see some progress being made in it…..Happy Saturday.
By the way….I think my husband and I have settled on Adam Rolando if this child is a boy and Angelina Renee if it is a girl…we should find out on Monday! I can hardly wait.
We have those berries in our yard, too. And as the berries get older, they ferment, the birds eat them and get quite drunk! It is kind of funny to watch. :)Josh and his dad started putting down the new tile in our back room last night. I can’t wait until it is all finished. We just got back from soccer this morning, and I think the rest of the day will be quiet. At least I hope it will be.
Oh my, what lovely post Ms. Shanda!! Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful day – what an excellent way to start the weekend. The little things in life, indeed, are what make it so lovely…. you just have to take the time to find and enjoy them
I love the pictures of the birds too… you did an excellent job, especially capturing the motion and color!
Oh, to be able to read uninterrupted! I was at the doctor’s office yet. Sat next to a guy playing a card came on his lap top. I was reading and he asked if the computer bothered me. I laughed and had to tell him with 5 children, and coming from a large family, I had learned to tune such things out. Then my 3 continually interrupted me with questions while they waited. When they were called into the doctor’s office, I turned to the young man and said, “See why your computer is no bother to me?” He laughed.I love different squashes too and acorn is something I haven’t bought in a long time. I never thought of putting syrup on them. I put syrup in our carrots and put brown sugar & cinnamon on our baked sweet potatoes. I’ll have to try syrup next time.Grace is adorable and so is the little bunny. I’ve such a tender heart for little girls and for animals of all kind. P.S. Cardinals are may favorite birds. Thanks for the smile your pictures brought me!
Loved your post today ~ the birds! Great shots, Shan! And Grace ~ too cute ~
Awww…Grace showing the bunny his picture is tooo cute. I was wondering what the chances of you cloning your husband are?? (LOL) Coffee, toast and bacon in bed???? Geeeee-wizzzzz!!!! Your a blessed gal. :)Your baby name will come soon enough. The Lord will put the perfect name for him in your heart…
Right now I would love to try squash just like you described it . . . .yum. I might just run to frog pond and get some! I hope you’re having a great weekend. We’re so blessed to have husbands that really show their love. You had a wonderful morning and I had a wonderful night, with my husband. Jeremy is so sweet–I’ll write about it in the letter that I still need to pen to you. Love, Elisha
I am glad you had some lovely time in bed this morning. You are so right! Simple pleasures are the best. They are sweet, affordable and satisfying.
Ah sounds blissfull!!!! I need to slow down today too and enjoy the moments!
What a womderful husband you got there!!! Hang on to him!:)
Grace looks so cute with her bunny:) Wow what a great morning you had. How sweet of your husband to do that for you. I will have to mention it to mine:) Enjoy your day, it sounds like you will. I enjoyed reading your uplifting post. Your food sounds so good to!
Awesome pictures! Hmmm. . .something to try with my camera now! Love that bunny! He looks interested in his own picture!
Great bird pictures. Have you tried toasting your squash seeds? If you are careful how you scoop them out, avoiding as much of the stringy pulp stuff, they are a breeze to wash and toast. I just spread them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven while squash bakes. You want to stir them frequently (every 4 or 5 minutes) and watch so they don’t get too dark. They are a great source of iron and fiber, and delicious in the bargain. What about Judah for the baby?
A wonderful post altogether! I love the idea of you having such a cozy morning. Sounds wonderful! We had an early soccer game today. Although a warm day now in the 70’s it was chilly this morning on the soccer field. Just over the hedge was a field of red peppers!
The bird pictures are wonderful….you did so well to catch them in flight! Squash with syrup sounds yummy. I also like to slice up green apple into the cavity of acorn squash and put the butter and cinn. on it. I love the name chocolate chip, and Grace is sooo cute with her little friend. He looks properly attentive too cute. Lord bless, Jenny
How nice! A lovely post, Shanda. That squash sounds good, although my tummy is feeling a bit upset right now. I don’t know if that’s a pre-labor thing or a bug of some sort! Anyway, I’m glad you’re well and had a nice morning!
Glad you had a relaxing morning. I love to have the time to just embrace the morning before the routine starts!! Love the bird pictures. Guess robins have obesity too LOL. I think all of our robins have gone south, I was surprised that you all still have them…you are farther north than us I think. Have a blessed weekend.
That squash looks so yummy! Great job on the bird pictures and Grace is so cute with her bunny.
What a nice serene morning you had! I love the bird shots, and you did a great job of getting them in flight. Grace looks so intent as she shows chocolate chip his photo —
ooh, that squash sounds so yummy! Anything with real maple syrup has to be good! That’s a treat in itself!
I enjoyed your bird pictures – even caught one with a berry in it’s mouth, and that fat little guy! He did look too full to move!
What a fabulously delicious and beautiful post!!!!! You are an amazing photographer! I was STARTLED when I scrolled down and saw the first cardinal. Your birds are so pretty! And Grace is adorable, showing her bunny the computer picture! Have a great Sunday! love, Gail
Learning to cook for my husband’s grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet this past year, I discovered and learned to really appreciate a variety of squash! During the summer we ate yellow squash or zucchini just about every day, and in the winter we ate butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash. This is the first time I’ve heard of hubbard, so now I want to try that, too. Squash is wonderful! I use spaghetti squash instead of pasta for Terry. Also, since potatoes are off limits for him (!), I have learned to use butternut squash instead and have come up with some pretty yummy stews and chili with it.Watching the birds is also one of Terry’s and my favorite things to do, especially as we have no pets right now. This morning Terry turned the couch around to face our sliding glass door so we could watch the birds while we ate breakfast. I’m so glad you had that peaceful start to your day in bed and were able to sleep in a little. Terry is like Rich and brings breakfast to me in bed some weekends – sooooo sweet!!!
Those pictures are A-MA-ZING. WOW. Just incredible. And the picture of Grace just melts my heart…she is so precious.
I’m always commenting on how much squash tastes like ice cream so your comment made me laugh. I think I say it in hopes it will coax my children into falling in love with it. Alas, they rarely take a bite.
Speaking of “Simple Pleasures”, could you email me your address? I have something I’d like to send to you. Karen
snowflayke2001@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Hi from CA. I wish I had the time to write you more often. Your blog ministers to our family’s heart. David and Jen (xanga ABAHM) are always chuckling about something you’ve written, or enjoying the beauty of your big backyard tromps. They’re out at a violin lesson now, so I’m able to access the computer myself.
I too love the joys of cooking and eating. Squashes are indeed wonderful visually. I love to eat them, skin and all. We’ve got a nice all-organic garden which has faithfully produced red chard for the past 18 months straight. It’s great to cook it ’til wilted in a bit of olive oil, then turn off the heat, add diced tomatoes amd red wine vinegar. Cover and let it all get happy together for a few minutes, then enjoy…
I’m quite happy that our daughter in law is about to join The Pampered Chef. I was one of the early male directors in that company, and enjoyed it quite a lot for about seven years. It sure did pack our house with cooking tools and ideas for meals that I’d not otherwise have had the inclination to try. So I’m happy for our Daniel and Heidi (xanga To_Da_Lou) that they’ll likely experience some of that joy as well.
Names? Barnabus – not sure what it means other than “right proper way to store your new family car”.
Such a sweet post. Thank you for reminding me to enjoy the “little” things.
I was just reading your post about names too. What a fun project that is! Our only son happens to have two of your boys names-James David-but he goes by J.D. since Daddy is James Sr. I never did get to pick a boy name really, since we were planning from the get go that our first boy would be named after Daddy (who is named after his grandpas).
I love the names on your list, good luck choosing. For us it seemed to get harder each time!
i love your blog. you have a sweet family. thanks for the note! :o) actually the little girl is my foster sister, and the little boy is mine. :o) i have never been to Lancaster,maybe someday, but we go to Shipshewana, IN to visit the Amish. :o)you have a 108 days to go, and i have 153! we will be finding out boy or girl in just a couple weeks! :o) hope your pregnancy is going well.
Steve hates squash, I think it is comfort food but do not make it often because of Steve. Jaque Pepin has a recip eout for warm squash soup that I just wrote down to try.
Too funny with Gee and her little pet!!