After my doctor’s appointment yesterday I went to Target and got some odds and ends for baby….pacifiers and yummy Burt’s Baby Bee soap and lotion, and the little blue booties (which were only 75 cents). 

After Target, and a stop in to visit my sister, I went to Barnes and Noble and treated myself to lunch–soup and half a sandwich–which I ate while browsing through the pages of a book that I ended up buying because I liked it so much. 

It’s so inspiring….I’m not going to try to do a book review, but I encourage you to try to find it for yourself, and take a peek. 

I will share my favorite page, however…….from a section in which the author is describing her fondness for older domestic paintings, paintings of everyday life from years gone by.

I LOVE THIS PAINTING!

It is titled “A Life Well Spent”, by James West Cope (1878).  It pictures a mother, knitting with a book on her knees, her two young children standing in front of her, and her daughter sitting on the floor, reading a book and rocking the baby’s cradle.  In describing the painting, the author of the book had a lot to say, including these quotes which I underlined in pencil:

“I believe that for some women this (the domestic life) has been and still is, indeed a life well spent.”

“This mother was doing something incredibly valuable and enjoyable.”

“I reckon that any mother who knits red-and-white-striped socks while listening to her son’s catechism must have hidden depths.”

I enjoyed the painting and thoughts so much because I can relate in such a personal way.  I’ve recently begun what I imagine will be a lifelong love of handiwork….the crochet projects will start out simple, with simple stitches until I feel comfortable enough to do more challenging work.  The small embroidery projects, join the already constant baking in the kitchen….all with various sized little ones about me.   It truly is a life well spent, and worth enjoying every ounce!

After taking the pictures and looking through the book this morning, AND working on my own crochet, I happened across an old letter from my Great Grandma (who has since passed away).  In it, she described to me the projects she herself was working on (at 90 years of age):

“I did an afghan that had 836 little squares in strips of 38 and 22 rows put together with white 3 times around each strip.”

“I am just finishing up another Granny square afghan 8 squares wide and ten long.  I’m putting the edging on it and then I’ll be finished.”

“My morning glory bush is beautiful, lots of blossoms.  My sister Beatrice took a picture of me by it but I don’t know how it turned out.”

Part of the reason why I’m so excited to get involved in sewing, crochet, gardening (the gentle arts of domesticity!) is because I feel a connection with the women in my family as I work.  All of them…mom, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, sister, all have done their part to inspire me ….. by their example of being brave enough to try new things and enjoying their projects.  Painting, drawing, candle making, soap making, canning, sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking, LOTS and LOTS of gardening, painting and decorating the rooms of the home, I’ve seen all of those things as I grew up in a large family.  And now I’m awakening to it for myself in a larger way, and truly seeing what a beautiful life we women can make for ourselves in our homes. 

And I can’t tell you how tickled I was to have Jacob, Ethan, AND Grace all crocheting with me today!  (Rich, however, doesn’t QUITE know what to think of his boys with crochet hooks, LOL).

Just a couple more random photos before I go:

Jacob took this picture for me.  A darling chickadee got in the “grapefruit swing” for a treat!  And, do you see the other bird in the upper right corner flailing, trying to get his balance on a flimsy weed?  Cute.

Also, I thought Grace and her Dad were so sweet together today.  They went for a walk, down to the ponds to see if our skating ice was ruined (it is)….Miss Grace took her bunny along (it’s on a harness).

Daddy and his girl.  It’s a pleasure to watch Rich interact with her, I’m so proud of him…and we are both proud of our Grace.

She’s quite famous for shutting her eyes during photo sessions.  So, I’ll just take this one as the realistic snapshot that it is.  Still cute.

Well, I’m going back to snuggle (under one of Great Grandma’s blankets!) on the couch and crochet for a little while before bed.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit to my blog.  I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

**I highly doubt I’ll have the baby before midnight, so it appears that I will have a little someone sharing my birth-month with me.  Another “Purple Amethyst” —only this one is the 2009 boy model. 

~Shanda

If you ever noticed the curser on my blog…..than you may have an idea that I just might have a thing for piggies.

And not just these sorts of  piggies, although I do love them, too.  These ones belong to Caleb. 

Yes, I do think pigs are cute.  I have a collection of unique pigs (not any ol’ pig will do)…a cast iron one from Sturbridge, a small carnival glass piggie bank, a white china pig with purple violets on it that I found at an antique store with my Aunt Colleen, and others.  My family (mainly my Aunt Colleen, Aunt Mary, and my Mom) see pigs and think of me.  (LOL)  This weekend, when we celebrated Christmas with my parents, my mom presented me with several more pigs, including the young Miss Piggie who is now sitting proudly amongst my fiestaware.  She has privileges because she matches the dishes so well….don’t you think she looks good?  Mom and I got right up after I opened her and put her in the cupboard.  She can stand guard and look cute.

Well….what else is new?  I’m happy to say that after a tiresome day yesterday God granted me a lovely night’s sleep last night.  Oh how I needed it….I still got up several times but I never had trouble getting back to sleep and my sleep was deep and restful.

Rich is home from work today.  For Christmas, he gave me a card with ten dates written in it that were for my own personal days off…all throughout the year.  Today is my first official day off.  He even brought me breakfast in bed.  He came in the bedroom with two eggs and two pieces of toast.  He said, “They aren’t the prettiest eggs in the world, but I know they’ll taste good.”  When he gave me the plate, I laughed so hard….because the eggs were fine but the TOAST was burnt!  It wasn’t too far gone, so I still ate everything.  And it was very good.

All of our trees in the view out my window are coated with ice and the sun is shining behind them, making them glitter and glow so beautifully.

The kids are watching the birds out the kitchen window….cardinal, blue jay, little chickadees, woodpecker, etc…we set up several feeders and they love watching the birds.  Yesterday I put peanut butter and birdseed in a grapefruit half and strung it up to one of the feeders.  I call it the “grapefruit swing”…I hope the birds are impressed as the children were.  David was so inspired that he spread a piece of bread with p.b. and birdseed and ran it out back to put on the ground under the feeders.  A bluejay is working at it right now, as a matter of fact.

I took this picture of the dripping ice yesterday—-I was out on the porch. 

Icicles are so pretty, aren’t they?  I found two little ones outside, dangling from an evergreen, and brought them in as gifts for David and Caleb and they breathlessly thanked me like it was the biggest treat in the world.  They ate them right up…..delicious!

My mom, for Christmas, also gave me a ball of 100% cotton yard and a crochet hook to get me started on a dish cloth.  I was working on it yesterday.  After I took the picture I added a lot more to it, and now it’s almost done.  Mary Jane’s Stitching Room is an inspiring book that I’ve kept out so I can look through it now and then.

During one of my “crash on the couch” moments yesterday, Jacob observed, “Mom!  It seems like you’re on the couch every chance you get these days!!”  To which Ethan quickly replied by saying in a shocked way, “That’s because she’s PREGNANT, Jacob!”  I just smiled and thought, “How nice not to even have to defend myself!”  And how nice that my boys are being educated about living with a pregnant woman, lol.

Yep.  The couch is a nice place to be these days….but, I must admit….I’m starting to dream of spring and walks in the woods again.  I really miss being in the woods.  The boys go out to walk the dog and I make them give me nature reports when they come back inside.  The other day Ethan brought me a tall tall thick weed to show me.  He liked it because it had a thin vine twirled around and around it.  It was decorated with vine.

This morning I have a doctor’s appointment (at 9:45).  I may try to go to the bookstore afterwards if I have the energy.  Rich, like I said, is taking care of house and children all day and I feel SO FREE!

Have you noticed my baby countdown?  Only 13 more days until my due date!  I’m getting soooooooooo excited.  Of course, the thought of labor and delivery doesn’t much excite me, but when it’s all over what a happy moment that will be!  I’ll have to teach Rich how to post Seth’s first picture to my blog so he can do that for me.  I wonder how many of you are checking my blog just to see if I’ve had him yet?    Such sweet xanga pals I have!  Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, it means so much to me! 

Love, ~Shanda~

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As I near the end of this pregnancy, I’ve found myself doing a lot of sitting. . . .in my husband’s big comfy recliner, with my Bible and journals nearby. 

This morning, I read this in Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotional book and copied it down:

“Beloved, remember what you have heard of your Lord Jesus, and what He has done for you. . . let your memory treasure up everything about Christ which you have felt, or know, or believed, and then let you fond affections hold Him fast for evermore.  Love the person of your Lord!”

Each and every journey of life is different.  After graduating from High School, I went to one year of Bible college before Rich and I got married in 1995.  We had our first child a year and two months later.  The past 13 years of my life have been focused on loving and caring for my husband and our growing family.

God has taught me so much about Himself during these years.  How I trust Him!  How I love Him.  How I need Him as I do His will for me—to be not only His child, but to also be a wife and mother to the precious ones He has blessed me with.  I love my place in this world, despite the ups and downs, the fears, the burdens along the way, the sins He has shown me, in my own heart.  God’s bright love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness outshines the darkest day, and the darkest moments.  With Him in my heart there is always “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”.

So, I’m thankful for this waiting time—when my life has slowed down.  I have time, now, to really meditate and think about my Savior (while doing a lot of sitting by the fire and keeping one eye on the kids).  I believe with all my heart that God understands a Mother’s life….how very busy we are with our young ones, how mentally and physically exhausting it often is, so I know that in the weeks to come when I am so tired and busy with a newborn, He will give me the grace I need. 

I also believe that this time, as I wait with my Bible in my hands and my journal in my lap, is a gift from Him so that I can be refreshed and filled, in preparation for the upcoming birthday of my son Seth.  I am so very grateful.  It will be another memory of His love and care for me, to treasure up.

****************************************************

I took all these pictures today.  Quick snapshots of my life.

Here is Jacob, with his legos.  He was so industrious today and did two days worth of school. 

My pretty little maid, all done with schoolwork for the day, and folding clothes for Mama:

Ethan, finishing up his reading assignments in my preferred sitting and thinking spot—Rich’s big comfy chair.  My Bible and journals are stacked on the table beside him, along with a few little books I was reading to Caleb.

Caleb likes to play with David’s Leapster:

Davy got home from school at 11:30.  He runs to and from the bus every day.  As fast as he can (like the gingerbread man).

The view I see:

“In Your name they rejoice all the day”  Ps. 89:16

“Let your godly ones sing for joy.”  Ps. 132:9b

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Ps. 51:12

“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face.”  Proverbs 15:13a

“I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.”  Ps. 27:13

(verses that have touched my heart, and were copied in my journal, in the past few days)

Love ~Shanda~

Rich just left for evening service at church a little while ago with Jacob, Ethan, Grace, and Davy.  Lil’ Caleb is sick with croup.  He’s been barking and coughing all weekend long, poor thing.  So I’m home with him, and he’s busy watching Thomas right now.

This weekend my parents came for a visit.  We celebrated Christmas!  I confess. . . .we STILL have our Christmas tree up, this is the longest Rich and I have ever left it up and we are SO ready to toss it out the door.  However, we are happy that we kept it up long enough to have a Christmas family time with my Mom and Dad.  They got here on Saturday about noon and the children could not wait to talk to them, and show them things, and to open gifts.

Grace received a crochet kit.  My mom sat right down with her and gave her a lesson.  I am happy to say that Grace seems to be a natural at understanding crochet.  It made my heart happy to see her.  She currently has about 6 inches of her project done (it’s going to be a scarf).

My Dad took time to have several NERF gun wars with the boys, downstairs in their room.

Every once in a while, we could just sit and visit. . . . .here I am, with my Dad and my Mom.

My sister Amanda and her sweet family came later on to open gifts.  Sometimes my big house actually feels quite small.  We were all buzzing about, talking and laughing.

This morning, my parents stayed home with the children and Rich and I went to church together, just the two of us.  It was like a date!  When we got back home, we ate lunch together and then Dad, Rich, and the kids all went ice skating.  Mom and I walked down so I could take a few pictures.  It was a gorgeous day.  Sunny but cold—cold in a refreshing BREATH DEEP way.  I’ll not soon forget my mom going down the hill five times in the sled!  Or my Dad racing around the pond on ice skates with the rest of the family.  Spending time outdoors in the wintertime, skating, was such a treat!  It brought back many childhood memories for my parents, who both spent time as children,  ice-skating on ponds with their friends and family.  (For those of you who don’t know, this is just our third winter here at this house–this was the first year my parents ice skated with us.)  We started making plans for next winter….to set up a bon-fire area with lots of wood, to bring some big bales of hay to set up around the pond for seats, and to keep collecting ice skates in every size.

The sky was so beautiful blue and big today. . . . .

Dad, Jacob, Grace, Rich, and Dave.

My handsome hockey player, in his potato skin (what I call his carhartt snow suit, aren’t I funny?)

The ice is thick and smooth, the best it’s ever been!

Ethan, my yellow-boy skater. . .hitting the hockey puck across the ice. . . .

Davy-do was racing just as fast as he could go, to catch up with Ethan.  I like to see their shadows, too.

Guess who lost a tooth the other day?  Actually, I pulled it for him.  It gave me the willies, but I did it.

(maybe you can’t see from the picture….it was a front bottom tooth)

A milestone for our dear Davy-do!

Sadly, Mom and Dad have left to go back to their own place in NY.  Jacob was fighting back tears of sadness to see them go….we all were.  But, we are so very thankful for the time we spent together and are looking forward to seeing them again very soon—when Seth arrives!

I wanted to add Jacob’s recipe for the weekend.  He showed such a servant’s heart by working hard in the kitchen squeezing lime after lime to make a special soda for his grandparents, his Dad, his siblings. . . .saving his own for last.  I was so proud of him. 

We found a cookbook at the library titled, The Star Wars Cookbook, and it’s such a great cookbook for boys.  (My boys have never seen the movie, but still somehow love anything to do with Star Wars).  Jacob made a list of ingredients for the recipes he wanted to try and this is the first one he made:

Yoda Soda

Ingredients:

3 limes
3 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 cup sparkling water
1 scoop lime sherbet or sorbet

Place 1 lime on the cutting board and cut it in half.  Squeeze the juice from each half into a measuring cup.  Repeat with the remaining limes until you have 1/4 cup juice.

Put the lime juice and sugar in a small pitcher.  Stir with a wooden spoon  until the sugar dissolves.  Add the sparkling water and stir until mixed.  Taste and add more sugar, if desired. 

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up the sherbet and drop it into a tall glass.  Pour in the lime water.  Serve immediately.  Makes 1 serving.

Tonight, after church, he plans on making us “Jawa Jive Milkshakes”.  I can’t wait!

Okay, maybe just maybe some of you are wondering who won the corn bag?  Well, I put over 100 slips of paper in a marigold fiesta bowl, stirred and stirred around with my hand, closed my eyes…….and…….

this is the name I pulled out………….

I had to laugh!  Alaskahannah is a friend of mine….I have never met her face to face but we met here through xanga and have become penpals.  We’ve been writing back and forth for quite a while now and our children also write to each other.  She has such a generous heart, is so warm and friendly, and her children are following in her footsteps.  For example, her daughter MADE Grace a gorgeous quilt for her birthday this year, and mailed it out to her!  We have come to love this family and I hope to someday have the pleasure of meeting them all.

So, Hannah Banana, congratulations on the win!  I hope the warm corn bag keeps you snug as a bug in snowy cold ALASKA!

Thank you, to all who commented and added to the fun.  It was great to meet a few of you who have been reading my blog but have not commented until the giveaway.  I guess I know what to do now, if I want to hear from you!

****SMILES AND HUGS****

Love, Shanda

For the weekend, I decided to open up a Valentine’s Day giveaway here on my blog.  Yes, I know we still have a week of January left but time flies, right?   

After I finished up the children’s bean bags, I put together a CORNBAG for one of you. 

This is what it looks like:

The outside fabric is a nice thick flannel.  The length is 11 1/2 inches, and the width is 10 inches — so it’s nice and big.  The label is the same material, red with white polkies (my word for polka dots), that I used for the boy’s bean bags and it is embroidered with pink, with the word LOVE.  I hope whoever wins the bag remembers that God loves them and that all love comes from Him.

The inside is filled with whole corn— hard corn kernels, which, after about 2 minutes in the microwave, stay nice and hot/warm for about 45 minutes.  I personally have two of these wonderful cornbags….almost every time I need to rest I warm one up and put it on my lower back or down under the covers at my feet.  So cozy.

I’ve made them for friends, for my kids, and everyone loves them so I know you will, too!

If you would like a chance to win this one, made with my very own hands with LOTS OF LOVE, please leave a comment on this post.  I’ll be back SUNDAY EVENING to take down the names, pick one randomly out of a hat (or fiesta bowl  ), and announce the winner. 

Happy Weekend to you!

~Shanda~

I’ve been wanting to make bean bags for the kids for a while now.  There are so many good games we can play with just a bunch of bean bags.  My mom told me she used to play with them when she was growing up.  Seems like a nice old fashioned family activity….

So for Valentine’s day, that is what I made for the children, a bean bag for each of them.  Heart-shaped of course.

(while browsing the internet I found this list of ideas for bean bag games)

Quick Beanbag Challenges

Throw a beanbag in the air, turn around, and catch it again.

Throw the beanbag up and backwards over your head and try to catch it behind your back.

Throw the beanbag in the air, clap your hands once, and catch it. Now try clapping your hands twice, then three times, and so on. How high can you go?

Throw the beanbag in the air and clap your hands under your right leg before catching it. Now try with your left leg. Now clap behind your back. Invent some more challenges.

Throw the beanbag up, jump, and try to catch it. Jump twice. Jump three times!

Throw it up, kneel down and try to catch it.

Throw and catch with just your right hand, then with just your left.

Try throwing it up and catching it with your eyes closed!

Balance the beanbag on your right foot, then throw it up and catch it from there. Can you do it with your left foot too?

Can you throw the beanbag up and catch it on your left foot?

Can you run with a beanbag balanced on your head? Can you jump? Can you twist around? Can you kneel down and stand up again, or sit down? Can you climb the stairs? Can you do any of these things with two beanbags balanced on your head? Or three?

Try balancing a beanbag on each shoulder while you walk, run, jump etc.

Sing one of your favourite songs or rhymes while you throw the beanbag up and catch it, or pass it round a circle of children.

Set up a variety of hoops, containers and targets and have some throwing practice.

How far can you throw the beanbag? Does it make a difference if you throw over-arm or underarm?

Valentine’s day, after all, is only 3 weeks away!  I’ve been inspired by dear Dawn’s site and after looking at the little crafty things she’s been doing, my eyes were ready to see some PINK on my blog, too. 

Some of you have been asking about my camera (so sweet of you).  I am happy to say that my new lens came yesterday.  I have my battery taped into my camera with a cotton ball and tape.  Mr Camera feels all tough with his big ol’ bandage.  A new battery cover is on the way but until then, things are working just fine.  It seemed fitting, after I put my new lens on, that I took pictures of my fiestaware…ROSE, WHITE, YELLOW, and SCARLET.

Very cheery, don’t you think?  The kids, when they got over the shock of seeing the table full of all the dishes that were rejected (wrong colors),  loved it.

Cupboard open:

Cupboard shut:

I’ve been working on some little Valentine gifts for the children, too.  I’ll show them to you soon.  I made the same thing for each child….six little somethings…

I have a busy morning ahead of me.  Doctor’s appointment at 9 and then hopefully a quick run to Costco.  I’ll be taking the big boys along, so they can do the heavy lifting.

Thankfully, I’m feeling somewhat energetic, I went to bed last night at 6:30!

Have a lovely day ~Shanda~  

“Once upon a time in the Wild Wild West, there lived a rancher and his wife.  Every morning, just as the sun was coming up, the rancher saddled his horses and fed the cattle while his wife baked biscuits.  Biscuits with butter, biscuits with honey, biscuits with jelly. . . .Yes, those breakfast biscuits were plump as pillows, soft as clouds, and tasty as a big Texas barbecue.

Then one day, just as the sun was coming up, the rancher’s wife decided she was tired of making biscuits.

So she measured and mixed, and she made gingerbread dough.

She rolled that dough flat and cut out the shape of a boy—but not just any boy.  He had boots on his feet.  He had a hat on his head.  And he had a big belt buckle made of spun sugar.

He was a Gingerbread Cowboy!”

~ The Gingerbread Cowboy, by Janet Squires

Davy-do has had a thing for Gingerbread Boy stories ever since around Christmas, when his Kindergarten class did a theme week all about the spicy little man.  So, when we discovered this book at the library last week we couldn’t wait to read it.  We were not disappointed.  The illustrations are fun and the book reads so well….I could practice my southern Texas twang with reckless abandon.  It’s good enough of a book that they boys beg, “AGAIN!” as soon as we finish reading the last page.

Very fun.  I love to read out loud to my kids.  We’ve also read Jack and the Beanstalk, Stone Soup, Little Red Riding Hood (the violent version in which the Grandmother and Riding Hood both get eaten and the Woodsman has to kill the wolf and slice him open to rescue them, quite shocking!), Bambi, and The Tale of Tom Kitten lately.  Sitting together in Daddy’s big chair by the fire, reading, is warm and cozy.  The minutes fly by as we lose ourselves in book-land.

Do you have any favorite read-alouds? 

Rich arrived home safe and sound Thursday night….about 10:30-ish.  Thank you to all who prayed for him and for me during his business trip.  Thankfully, he does not have anymore trips scheduled until March. 

It’s been pretty cold here but it hasn’t kept us home.  I took the kids to the library on Thursday and then on Friday Jacob, Ethan, and Grace were with friends during the day from 11 until 5, which was really nice for them. 

Today Rich and I took them to the library again, because I had a book come in that I had requested.  Then we went to McDonald’s for lunch.  Jacob ate the most…..about 13 chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink.  He sure is growing fast.  They all are.  After McDonald’s we all went home for naps. 

I was able to get out tonight.  I met my sister and a couple of my friends for dinner.  Rich dropped me off and while I was busy there at the mall and with dinner, he took the children to Chucky Cheeses.  When they picked me up after a couple of hours, the kid’s mouths were all blue with cotton candy.  Caleb said so cutely, “Chucky Cheese was FUN!”  Even Rich admitted to having more fun than he thought he would have.  It makes me happy to think of them making that memory together. 

In the midst of the day, I did manage to get a few more belly pictures. 

Rich took this one, of the children all putting their hand on Seth.  I love it.

My dear daughter freshened up my toenail polish for me.  Yes, we’re using a math scrap-paper to protect the floor.

This is Rich putting his hand on my tummy….

Grace took these…….

When I look at these pictures I think about how tired I am (I can see it in my eyes).  But, I’m glad I went through the effort of getting the camera out and asking my family to help me take them.  After the baby is born, I know I will enjoy looking at these photos, as I remember what it was like to be pregnant, tired and all.  It’s been such a special, hopeful time.  I’m truly more happy and thankful than words can say.