(joy in simple things)

Her hair is blond and baby fine.  It’s usually puffed around her head like a soft, fluffy hair cloud.

I got sort of fancy with it yesterday morning as we got ready for church.  A mama, I am, fussing over her child.

I wet it down with water, brushed it all up as high as I could, and managed to keep all the little whispies in the pony tail holder.  humming to myself.

I wrapped the holder around the hair tightly and then left it pulled half way through so it looked like a little bun.

Added a pretty clip.  there.  smiles.

(She gets into such trouble with those clips….always tearing them out.  A big no-no, mainly because I don’t want to lose them.  I’ve been known to back track all around Target just to find a “clippy”.)

After I fixed her hair and applied a generous amount of hair spray, I carried her around to the family to show her off.  Rich thought she looked so adorable.  We admired her together. Our littlest one.

Grace the Big Sister thought she looked cute, too, but also……bald.  She began using her baby nickname again, “Baldo”.

Yes indeedy,  I was just tickled pink by my beautiful little princess.  Out came the camera and all before church, too, no less.  click-click

Just four short hours later she was back to the same ol’ hair style, and maybe even a bit worse than usual. 

Surprise.

I laugh because she is just *still so cute*.

I’ve taken my older children to OSV (a “bringing History alive” old timey village) so many times that they got sick of it.  But, I personally love that place so yesterday I went and renewed my membership just for ME.   I did, of course, have my two youngest ones with me, but the others were at school. 

What a gorgeous morning to go, too.  As I buckled them into their carseats I cautioned wriggling, talking Seth, “And please behave yourself!  Is that even possible?”  “No.” was his all too quick answer.  Oh Seth, besides getting lost that one time, you did just fine.  xoxo

The beauty was good for my soul.  Yellow flowers against a white picket fence.

Heirloom tomatoes sitting in a sunbeam

Sitting by the water

covered bridge detail

first braid ever

we saw big horses and thought of sister Grace

a little red calf

After admiring huge black pigs things started going predictably downhill.  It was hot and Sarah just couldn’t walk anymore.  I picked her up and as we went past the apple trees a bee flew over and stung her right on the back of the neck.  You can imagine how the poor dear cried.  It did hurt, so bad.  I walked as fast as I could with her in my arms and tried to keep Seth with us.  We made our way to the eating place where I pumped them full of jello, yogurt, an orange, and (oh my) COKE for lunch.  Sarah perked up, who wouldn’t, with all that sugar.  Every once in a while she would say, “Ow!Ow! my head!”  “I know, you were stung by a bad bee, weren’t you, Sarah?”  “Yes” (pitifully).

We carried our coke to the long promised “grayground” (Sarah’s word for playground) and when another bee flew over I screamed, “A BEEEEE” which made Seth run and grab my leg and I’m sure caused some other visitors some alarm over that “crazy mother”.  I was just on edge, okay?  No stings this time.

I sat and they played.

They turned into sheep.  The cutest sheep in the universe, I’d say.

After wearing them and myself completely out it was time to go.  But no, Seth just had to run off and get himself lost. I had assumed he was following me and when I turned around (with big Sarah in my arms and my big purse over my shoulder, and the sweat running down) he wasn’t there.  After an eternity five minutes, I found him at the soda machine and he had wet his pants.  He thought he had found the bathroom and ran to the door only to find that it wasn’t one. 

With wet and jello covered pants, and a sting upon her neck, we buckled up again and made our way back home.

They didn’t even wake up when I stopped to get my pumpkin coffee at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive thru.

Makin’ memories with the young ones and going out for an adventure in perfect September weather = priceless.

Even if I’m still tired out today.

“A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.”

Oh dear, look what Sarah was doing while I was working in the kitchen this morning.  I had to take a break from the dishes and wash a window. 

While I was washing the window, they went to the kitchen sink.

.

And then I got to mop the floor.  It’s so nice having helpers.

After our chores were half way done (or, undone), we went outside to let out the chickens and then we played in the stream.

I made a nature discovery.  I would love to know what the name of this “growth” is. 

It’s an orange cluster of jelly covered tiny balls.  And perhaps the two big balls grew up from the small ones?  Anyway the balls are similar to a mushroom, (and maybe it is a kind of mushroom.) 

When I pushed on it, it did this.  A puff of powder came out.  I just think this sort of thing is so interesting. 

The glowing woods reflected in the still water of the stream.

I thought this batch of mushrooms looked like pancakes.

Today was Jacob and Ethan’s very first school sport competition ever.  They had a cross country meet and the parents had to bring a dessert.  I made a quadruple batch of raspberry bars.

I tasted one when they were done and it was disappointedly bland.  Then I realized I had accidentally left out the vanilla in the topping.  What to do?  They truly needed something.

I decided to sprinkle them all with cinnamon sugar and then they were just fine.

Funny thing is, Jacob knew I made them just by the taste (he didn’t see what I brought)…..he said they tasted like something I would make.

I don’t know if it was all the fresh air at the stream, or the busyness of catching up on housework, but I was so drowsy this afternoon that I took a little nap on the couch while Seth played a game on my phone right by my side. 

When I got up, Seth discovered that the dog brought us another nature find.  David immediately adopted it when he got home from school and now it’s on top of the fridge in his little dish.

Because the dog dropped him on the welcome mat, I named him Dogmouth.

Dogmouth is a tiny new snapping turtle that doesn’t even have his eyes open yet.  Dogmouth was taken to the cross country meet with us.

I could kick myself for forgetting to take my big camera to the meet.  I was in such a rush trying to get four little ones in the vehicle so I could pick up Grace from middle school after her chorus practice and forgot the camera.  So I had to use my iphone.  This was a picture (above) of Ethan getting ready to line up and race.  There were about 80 boys running from three schools.  Jacob finished 27th and Ethan finished 43rd.  But the amazing part was Ethan’s finish.  He was just behind another racer from a different school.  When a boy gets to the finish line, a girl at the line holds out a card with the number he placed.  Well, E got his eyes on that card and just fought for it….ran as fast as he could, and just at the last split second, with a crazy look in his eyes, grabbed that card before the other boy even knew what “hit” him.  We couldn’t believe it.  I almost peed my pants.  I’ve never seen a look of competitiveness anything like that on Ethan’s face.  I said to him, “I bet you weren’t even thinking about what you were doing you were so focused!”  And he said, “I was thinking THAT’s MINE.  That is MY CARD.”

Well done, boys.  Dad and Mom are very proud of you.

David, Caleb, and Seth spent time rolling down the hill.

Seth scraped his elbow and a nice lady gave him ice and a lollipop.

Sarah stayed close and held on to my legs.

Grace stood with a circle of girls and talked.

The parents stood on the top of the hill, talking, laughing and watching their kids run in the race.

It was a lovely evening.  Even if I did come home with a headache.  What a day.  Full, just full.  I love my life.

I have a WIP! 

I love reading my friend Dawn’s blog.  She’s a crafty sort, always doing something with her hands, creating.  She will often show “wips” on her site and at first I thought a wip was some kind of sewing technique, but it really means “WORK IN PROGRESS”! 

So, what is Shanda’s work in progress?  Knitting a dishcloth?  Crocheting mittens?  Sewing a quilt?  Perhaps Cross Stitch?

Noooooooo, although I would love to do any one of those things, my current WIP is my DARLING DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM!

How can one girl make such a messy-mess?  She is not a neat freak.  I wish I had taken “before” pictures, really I do.

I’ve been walking in and out of her room for days, working up the proper spirit for tackling the project.  This morning, I began.

At first glance, things don’t appear to be too bad.  I admit, the room has potential.  However, I need to re-hang her curtains.  Also, there are a bunch of toys and clothes that need to be sorted.  She loves to pick up frames from the thrift store, but I noticed today that she has no pictures in them.  We need to take down the snowflakes off the wall and use framed horse or cat pictures, instead.  I found Bitty Baby in Grace’s cedar chest and put her back on the bed where she belongs.  (mama can’t let the doll get put away just yet).

Things I like:  1. The suitcase standing under the nightstand.  It holds her small toys (mostly horses).  2.  The color of the walls.  A bit bright, but it’s in good shape so we’ll work with it.  3. The horse and cat theme, it’s what she loves.

On the opposite wall from the bed there are books.  This is where things get a little more cluttered.  Her books were all over the place on the shelves and I spent some time standing them all back in their rows.  I also pulled out the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books and put them in a box for the garage.  I am starting a “donate these books” bag that I will have to hide from her because she never ever ever wants to give away any book.  I plan on asking her if we can put the cat bed someplace else….I’ve never seen a cat in it and it ends up collecting more clutter.  The yellow tin holds all her hair things and the “HUGGIES” diaper box is FULL to the brim with all her papers.  Grace is a writer and has bazillions of papers with lists, stories, etc, that she doesn’t want to part with.  She’ll need to go through the box and make decisions about what to keep and what to throw away.  We’ll put the rest in binders.  I want to do a different shelving system on the wall.  I love this look from PB teen, and think maybe Rich could copy it for me in his “spare time”.  Here’s hoping!

*photo from pbteen website

This is the biggest challenge.  Grace used to have mirror doors on her closet but they broke.  I need to either order more sliding doors or put up a curtain.  I thought about leaving it open, but I think it would be more soothing to have the stuff in the closet hidden, especially with the bookcases against the other wall.  Today I started putting the stuffed animals together on a shelf, and I also stacked some extra books in there, too.  I pulled out a bunch of clothes that are too small or childish (no more pretty Sunday frou-frou dresses for my almost 13 year old.  That was so two years ago!)  The dresser is rather small but has to stay, as it is a family heirloom for Grace from her Great Grandma.  She has a lot of closet space so I want to hang most of the clothes up or use containers to store other pieces.

She’ll be home from school soon and I can’t wait to show her what I’ve started.   And put her to work. 

As we continue on her room, I would love to know:

What was your favorite thing about your childhood bedroom?  I shared a room with my sis, and I loved our wallpaper, hanging up lots of posters (cats and gymnastics), and having my very own phone.  Even though the phone sometimes got me into trouble! 

 I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen…
— A.A. Milne

Sometimes, when I’m going through old papers and mail, I will come across a little slip of paper in my handwriting with a random quote on it from one of the children.  Every mama knows these priceless remarks are like treasures; glimpses into the mysterious worlds and thoughts of our children.

Now that I have a smart phone, the slips of paper documenting these quotable quotes are vanishing from the drawers and babybooks.  It’s easier to keep a running “note” using an app on my phone, and I find that I tend to record even more remarks from my wonderfully funny talkers.

Like these:

“MOM?  Can we go to Crackerbarrel?  The one that has those yellow eggs?  The ones that look just like those green eggs on ‘Green Eggs and Ham'”?  Only they’re yellow?  I WANT THOSE EGGS!”  ~Davy, at breakfast time.  (apparently we don’t have that kind at home?)

“MOM!  DAVID SAYS HE FEELS LIKE BITING SOMEONE!”  Grace, stuck in the backseat with three brothers (and how does that urge come upon one?)

“I wonder what Ethan will look like when he gets older.   Probably just like….. mom.”  Dave (poor, poor E)

“I just made a tent.  But.  Not with my bed thing.”  Caleb (I had told them to quit tearing their beds apart, so he felt he needed to clarify)

“Mom?  Hands are more valuable than your feet.” Dave (after he had jammed a finger) (he’s never jammed a toe)

This one is priceless:  “I know what I got bit from to!  A special bug butt!”  ~Caleb (that remark came out ALL wrong, huh, buddy?)

David was drinking milk and told us he thinks he “has a hole in his body tube.”  (I worried all day after this comment)

“HEY!  Give it my backpack me!”  Seth

“Help!  Where are me?” Seth, stuck in his shirt

“Everybody plug your nose!  There’s a bad breath in your mouth!”  Caleb (when we were all in the car together,  he smelled something bad)

David says he only burps in wide places “because those are the only places where the stink doesn’t build up.”  One only wishes he had this same rule with passing his gas.

Caleb told me there wasn’t a bit of east in his bread.

“East is that stuff that makes bread chewy.”  ~Caleb

David says he “has to get his spirit back.”  (he was groggy after his nap)

“Is it still spawning season?”  a thoughtful question out of the blue, from Dave (like. I would know???)

“Why does everybody keep leaning on my blues?”   Caleb, frustrated during a tv time, when the kids are usually sitting practically on top of each other.  (he meant BRUISE)  Oh, the drama!

“I’m outside down!”  Sarah, when I was tipping her backwards, playing.

“MOM!  Why did you cut it?  I wanted it on a BONE!”  Seth, unsatisfied with the hot dog that I cut up on his plate.