Alternative titles for this post:

“Look Out, She’s Gonna Blow!”

“Look Out, She’s Gonna Blow AND go on Strike!”

(or, to put it mildly)

“This Tired Mama is Ready for the Weekend”

I’ve been stressin’ out, ladies!  I have the puffiest eyes (and a headache) this morning from crying yesterday afternoon.  Having got through that, all I can say is I’m praising the Lord for

my sister

my three year old Caleb

my friend Kathy

and my husband

Amanda, Kathy, and Rich all listened so nicely/understandingly to my crying. . . . .

Amanda assured me that, “no, there is nothing wrong with you, you’re just tired”

Caleb climbed up on the couch, took his little hand, and sadly wiped the tears from my cheeks.  I think it’s one of the first times one of my children actually NOTICED me crying, and didn’t flee the room. . . .lol. . . .

Kathy, I don’t know what I would do without her, she’s a friend that I can say ANYTHING to, and know she’ll understand me.  So comforting.

And Rich, he came through for me in amazing ways–got home early, took the little boys grocery shopping (what a nice treat, to have someone else grocery shop!!!), and offered the weekend to me, to my needs.  “We’ll do whatever you want to do”

I no longer feel as pressed down, and am feeling freedom to take care of myself.

Stay at home moms—hang in there!  Sometimes we do need to be a little “selfish” and make sure we get the refreshment we need to RECHARGE. . .oh, it’s so important to get away from it all now and then.

Not that I’m going away by myself (yet) but just knowing I COULD if I really WANTED to, helps a great deal.  Instead, we are ALL going away this weekend, to NY, to visit family and pick up our butchered pig.  (yes, you read correctly).  I can’t wait to see my parents and family and spend some time with Colleen (my aunt) and Elisha (my cousin).  Rich and I are going to take the kids to a hotel with a pool and they will have so much fun swimming.  I’m getting outa here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And ladies, I just might (if provoked) throw Rich’s blackberry out the window, if need be.  I’ll let you know, on Monday, how that goes.  LOL

I haven’t been totally neglecting my camera this week. . . I did grab it now and then. . .so here we go, enjoy!

This first one is a picture of a thoughtful gift from a dear friend.  “Happy is the home that welcomes a friend”  It’s a Hollie Hobbie mug, which is what I’ve been drinking my coffee out of lately.  (I love Hollie Hobbie!)

Jake and E have to walk the dog every morning and on Monday they dressed Caleb do go with them, it was all their idea and they did not ask me or involve me in any way.  I thought they were so precious, the way they took care of Caleb, and Caleb was so happy to be included on an early morning walk.

Davy-do, waiting for the bus, with brilliant yellow leaves above.

I have a “thing” for water, these pictures are all the different looks of water in our stream.  I always think of Jesus, and how He is refreshing, living water to our souls. . . . .He is very LIFE indeed.

“You should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself!  Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life.”  ~George Mueller

“For you O Lord, have made me glad by your work: at the work of your hands I sing for joy.”  Psalm 92:4

“It is wisdom to take occasional furlough.  In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.  On, on, on for ever, without recreation may suit spirits emancipated from this ‘heavy clay’, but, while we are in this tabernacle, we must every now and then cry halt, and serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated leisure.  Let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of the harness for a while.”  ~C.H. Spurgeon

Did anyone notice the fiesta in the current Country Living magazine?  (November issue, pg 16) These little ramekins are the perfect size for serving up baby food, or ice cream, or cups of soup.  I have a set of white ones.

The birds have been busy, busy, busy lately, enjoying the fall bounty of berries and seeds.

The ferns are yellow now, so pretty.

Caleb and I did some exploring the other day and we found a pretty pool of water by the stream.

“I love you”

And I found a thinking spot.  I could see the stream right in front of me from this seat, and don’t you love the foot rest?  Very convenient. 

Davy was inspired by one of our favorite books, “Curious George Rides a Bike”

David screamed and chased Caleb out of the house for stealing a lego.  I came running and saw this guilty expression.  Is he cute or what?  He’s holding The Stolen Lego Horse.  He had to give it back.

A peaceful spot of nature; blue sky, white clouds, pretty leaves, a tree that’s almost bare with a robin at the tippety top.

Other than my state of exhaustion, things have been going well.  The kids are doing great, we are enjoying home-school.  I’ve been doing a bit of ordering online for Grace’s birthday (11/4) and Christmas, which will be here before we know it.  Seems like every day a box comes in the mail, very exciting. 

We are trying to be outside as much as possible, knowing that colder days will soon keep us inside.  The sky has been so blue, and the leaves are almost gone, which is amazing to me.  They’ve been coming down in showers with any kind of wind. . . .they sound so pretty, like rain, when they fall.  It’s a delight to walk and kick through crinkly, crackly dry leaves, they smell good, too.

I was awake for a while in the night last night, enjoying the feeling of the baby moving inside me.  Every day I continually thank God for the blessing of a new little one coming. . . .I’m 23 weeks now, and can hardly wait until February to meet our new little boy blue.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love, Shanda

Hast thou not known?
Hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God,
the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary?
There is no searching of His understanding.

He giveth power to the faint;
and to them that have no might
He increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

The grass withereth,
the flower fadeth:
But the word of our God shall stand forever.
(Isaiah 40:8)

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom,
and shall gently lead those that are with young.
(Isaiah 40:11)

Caramel Apples

Last year I made them using the cubes of caramel, melting them together and dipping the apples.

This year I bought sheets of caramel, and then wrapped them around the apple and inserted a stick.

A quick heating in the oven and they were done.  It was so easy.  Instant gratification.

Very sticky though.  We all got the giggles and I got snap happy with my camera.

I love my new maternity dress from GAP maternity.

It’s so comfy, like wearing pj’s all day long.

Autumn weather is fickle.  If the sun goes away, behind a cloud, I throw on a cardigan.

I hope you are all having a nice holiday.

 ~ Shanda

Yesterday afternoon Rich and I took the children on a walk in the woods.  It was a beautiful time for it.  The sun was shining so nicely on the colorful trees.

~ David played football with his Daddy and brothers~

~Caleb picked mama some flowers~

Clover.  Dead and alive.  Still beautiful.  I sat in the grass and watched the family play.

Then we headed for the woods.  Caleb got his Daddy to carry him for a while.

A spot of yellow in the woods.

Ethan peeled off a big piece of bark from a dead tree, then threw it in the stream to see if it would float.  It did, after breaking into four pieces.

 E has one sock on and one sock off (sore toe).

~David had just run through a giant mud puddle~  This picture makes me laugh, I think he was impressed with himself and hoping to get a reaction from his big brothers. 

~walking sticks always remind me of my Grandma, who also loved walks in the woods~

~Grace walked with bare feet!~

~my favorite picture~

My sweet Ethan, giving Caleb a ride. . . .

Rich took this next picture of me/my tummy.

I’m officially five months pregnant today!  Only four more months to go.  What will we name the little guy?  Time will tell!

I am so grateful for each day, and especially the quiet time I just got to spend today at my desk, sipping hot coffee, and looking through family photos.   It’s a beautiful beautiful autumn day.  Rich is sleeping outside in the hammock, Caleb is napping upstairs, and the rest of the children are outside *somewhere* having fun.  Soon we will go back to church for evening service.

Hope you are having a blessed day!

~Shanda

Today, I finally accomplished something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while now.  Using a pattern from a book that my cousin gave me for Christmas, I fashioned a long skirt for Grace.  She picked out the fabric herself, a soft pink with sparkles all over it. 

It didn’t take long to sew, and Grace stayed with me as I worked.  I think she looks as pretty as a princess.

We have been doing simple embroidery this week, for the fun of it.  Yesterday Jacob and Ethan made beanbags, about the size of their hand.  On the front is a picture that they embroidered, of their own design.  The backs are a different, color coordinated piece of fabric.  The one pictured above is Jacob’s creation.

Today, Ethan completed a pillow, with a castle on it.  I took a picture of it along side the pillow that Grace made yesterday.  She embroidered a flower on hers, the pink center is barely visible in the photo.  Grace and Jacob still each have a work-in-progress that they will finish tomorrow.  Ethan has been voted “least likely to need me to get a knot out”. . . . .what a nice boy.

I made another pan of that awesome apple crisp.  I took a picture of it today as I was pulling it from the oven, it was bubbling and so delicious looking.  In each of my pregnancies, I have always had single month in which I would gain a shocking amount of weight.  This just might be that month for me.  LOL

We all worked on a 300 piece puzzle this week.  I enjoyed leaving it out on the table for the family to work on as we got in the mood.  Rich, Grace, and I finished it tonight with a din of conversation going on around us.

Today I went outside with my bowl of apple crisp, and tried to find a quiet spot.  Caleb joined me.  I was feeling stressed out at the time, but it ended up being a nice *all too brief* peaceful interlude for me, with his little hand on my knee. 

After a while, we were surprised to see David coming out of the woods with his toy gun.  And bare feet.  Now that’s a boy for ya. . . . .just coming back from a hunting trip.

He dared to take aim at me!

And then he joined us on the hammock, too.  It was nice to have him on one side and Caleb on the other.  We had conversations but I can’t remember what we talked about now.  Maybe I wasn’t listening too good.  That happens sometimes when you’re a mama.  I do know that I was trying to keep bees away from my apple crisp.  (and silently wondering why I can’t have any peace today?)  “It just figures I would be attacked by bees when all I wanted to do was enjoy my apple crisp outside in the beautiful fall sunshine”. . . .I ended up quickly gulping down the last bites and flinging my bowl away from us.  Caleb must have thought I did it accidently because he quickly and helpfully said, “I go get it for you.”  I laughed and told him to just relax and never mind the bowl.

Me and Davy-do:

Later on in the day, I had a surprise.  Rich had long stem roses delivered to the house.

I think they are lovely, but sure wish they weren’t sent to me because of the argument we got into last night!

All is well now.  And not necessarily because of the flowers, although they did help.

Today I took all the children to get their teeth cleaned at the dentist.  I wasn’t going to tell the ladies there that I was pregnant.  One of them especially has always been very curious about whether we would ever have another and I just wasn’t in the mood for comments.  I guess I am officially “showing” because they noticed my round tummy and asked me if I was expecting.  It ended up being nice, though.  They were happy for us, and didn’t seem surprised at all. 

I actually enjoy taking the kids to the dentist.  It cracks me up to spy on Caleb getting his teeth cleaned.  I’m even laughing now, when I remember him watching and listening carefully to the lady’s instructions with his mouth already hanging open and ready to be checked.  Jacob went and spied too, and came back to tell me that the dentist was saying to Caleb, “Open your teeth!  Open your teeth!”  LOL LOL

I am plum tuckered out so I’m going to bed to read a book.  Rich is downstairs running on his treadmill.  Davy-do doesn’t have school until Tuesday and I’m happy about that.  Maybe my brain can rest a little bit in the next few days.  I’ve been stressing out a bit this week. . . .it’s nice to go to bed tonight and not have to worry about trying to find his sneakers in the morning, for instance– (those things are ALWAYS missing, no matter how hard I try!)

I started out this day wondering how I would get through it and it’s nice to be here at the end of it and know that once again God pulled us through.  It’s been a nice day.  I still wanna vacation though.

And that’s all I have to say.    Love, ~Shanda~

Jacob Richard, age 11

Ethan Gregory, age 10

Grace Lillian, age 8

David Lloyd, age 6

Caleb James, age 3

I took advantage of the fall background colors and snapped a few individual portraits of my treasured jewels today. 

They are all tucked in bed now, and the house is dark and quiet.

Time for me to curl up in bed with a good book, ignore my raging pregnancy related heartburn, and wait for my husband to get back home from his business trip.

,

~Shanda~

It was an early Saturday morning here in New England.  My husband and I walked together with our oldest son, Jacob.  The air was cool and crisp, making our noses pink and our cheeks tingle.  The drying leaves beneath our feet, the ferns, the woods, filled the air with perfume, with the scent you can only enjoy at this time of year.  The rushing forest stream, pouring down over the rocks, gave off it’s own coolness, and the sound of it was loud and full.  Sunshine was cutting through the trees in beams, wherever it could, adding a bright yellowness to the pictures around us.

Why is it that such beauty so often fills my eyes with tears?  God seems so near to me here, even though I know He is everywhere.  His blessings are all around me.

C.S. Lewis says it so well, “This sweet air whispers of the country from whence it blows.  It is a message.  We know we are being touched by a finger of that right hand at which there are pleasures forevermore.”

So, nature reminds me of my Creator, but it also makes me long for the future, for Heaven itself.  The beauty I see here on earth, is only a taste of what is to come.   I notice a sense of longing in myself, a magnetic pull of God drawing me close.  Each day I’m nearer than I was the day before.  I get that same sense when I read my Bible, as well, the Word of God grabs at my heart and pulls. . . . .and the result is contentment, joy, peace, trust, love, thankfulness, worship, and more.

Psalm 16:11 says,

“Thou wilt show me the path of life:
in Thy presence is fullness of joy;
at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

If that verse doesn’t make you smile and your heart sing, I don’t know what will!

Find a way to enjoy God today, is really what I’m trying to say.

It’s strange to be blogging early on a Sunday morning, but Rich left at 6:15 for a flight to Chicago.  It doesn’t seem like a normal Sunday anymore.  He will only be gone until tomorrow night, but when he told me last week about this business trip, I got mad at him.  I was so angry inside, mostly for selfish reasons…..”I” have to go to church with the children by myself now, “I” have to take the boys to music lessons by myself now, “I”, “I”, “I”, etc. . . . .I was bitter inside.

But now, I’m sitting here with tears of gratitude in my eyes because the Lord gave us such a beautiful day yesterday.  He used an early morning walk, our children, a beautiful sunny day, bright sky, and apples, to tenderly knit our hearts together again.  Our relationship was renewed, and Rich and I both felt so one, united, and close as we said our good-byes just an hour ago.  All is peaceful again.

Rich has to work a lot.  Sometimes on a Saturday his blackberry will keep going off and he’ll have to check it over and over.  He was gone an average of 12 1/2 hours a day last week.  But yesterday, his work seemed far away and all we did was concentrate on each other and the children.  It was a much needed blessing.

At about 9:30 in the morning, after a stop at Dunkin Donuts for a breakfast sandwich, we drove the back roads to the Sturbridge area.  We like to go on drives, the children are such good travelers that Rich and I can talk and enjoy the scenery as we go.

Jacob did get carsick though, poor boy.  But soon we arrived at the apple farm and the fun could really begin!  We took the children last year, too, and I’m sure it will be a yearly tradition now.

David, more than any of the others, has been wanting to go apple picking since spring!

We took home a total of 1 bushel of apples and I didn’t pick one!  I let the children have the pleasure, I enjoyed watching and taking the pictures. . . . . .it didn’t take long for them to fill our bags.

My husband, not surprised to find me under an apple tree.

Ethan loves to shine his apples.  It was chilly outside, thankfully moving around kept us from getting too cold.

Rich took this one, of me and the children.

Davy has to run to keep up with his Dad.  I love how his arm is swinging way back in this photo, you can just tell he’s determined to keep up.

We also bought a dozen fresh, hot, cider donuts and passed them around in the van on the way home.

Caleb is wondering whatever are we going to do with all these apples?

(with his mouth STUFFED with donut)

Thankfully, the children were all too willing to get their mama to bring on the pies!

I was so tired, I needed their motivation.

We made three apple pies and a 9 by 13 pan of apple crisp and barely made a dent in our supply.

Schoolhouse Apple Crisp
from my Aunt Mary Ellen’s recipe collection

1/2 cup water in the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan
Layer the apples in the pan as thick as you like.
Combine 2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup flour,
and 1/2 cup cold butter in a separate bowl to make a crumb topping.
Sprinkle topping onto the apples, and. . . .
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is golden.

My Grandma’s French Crust Apple Pie

1 nine inch pie crust (homemade is best, but I bought mine yesterday)
Filling:  3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, dash salt, 6 cups sliced apples
Topping:  1 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cold butter (combine with pastry blender until crumbly.)
Mix apples and filling together and place in pastry lined pie plate.  Sprinkle on the topping and bake for 50 minutes in a 425 oven, cover with foil the last 10 minutes to avoid over-browning.

Today my sister Amanda came over with her two little ones, and our mutual friend Trish came, as well.  We had a nice time together talking and it was great to finally share some of my coffee with friends!  We went on a little walk, too, and I thought I would put a few of the photos here. . . . . .

Amanda took these two of me:

And then Trish took a few of Amanda and me.  I’m so thankful that my sister lives nearby, she is such an encouragement to me.

This next one is my favorite.  By the way, Amanda brought over her hair straightener today and I sat in a chair in my bathroom while she straightened it for me.  It was fun and relaxing.  I needed to spend some time with her today,  and having Trish come was a blessing, too.  I feel so good after a satisfying gab-session with some girlfriends!