Category Archives: a simply lovely life

the last of winter

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Four nights ago, thanks to a text from my neighbor, we were able to see this amazing lunar halo around the moon.  It was so wide around that I almost couldn’t get it all in the picture.  It’s a beautiful sight that I won’t soon forget.  I learned that these halos mean that a storm is coming and indeed the children did have Friday off from school for a snow day and we have a storm coming tomorrow.

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“It was a long cold winter for the birds and animals on the hill, but the little old man and the little old woman put out food for them until the warm spring came.  And that was the end of the BIG SNOW.”  ~ The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

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I aimed my camera through the windows of the dining room, watching the birds, thinking thoughts.

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“Well lived days are completed years, and the years well lived as they come make a life beautiful and full.  In such a life no special preparation of any kind is needed.  He who lives thus is always ready.  Each day prepares for the next, and the last day prepares for glory.”  JR Miller

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“And is this heaven?  And am I there?
How short the road!  How swift the flight!
I am all life, all eye, all ear:
Jesus is here–my soul’s delight.”
~Isaac Watts

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And today?  The children are at school.  Bright sun is shining but coldly and tomorrow we expect a snowstorm, another snow day?

These are the last frozen offerings of winter weather which will make the springtime thaw even more welcome.

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There is a spot on the eaves which constantly drips, and it’s so cold outside that we have not a burning bush, but an ice covered one!  It’s so pretty when the sun shines through it.

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Happy Monday, friends.
You are loved.

“Here in the shadow of God’s love forever I’ll abide,
So glad, so blest, so sure, so safe; so more than satisfied!”  Elizabeth Prentiss

 

sweet boy & sweet cake

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The other day a sweet boy who lives here came to me and said,  “Mom, when I was walking to Logan’s house I passed a construction worker on the side of the road picking up garbage,” he paused to self-consciously clear his throat and continued, “I stopped and told him he was doing a great job.”

“The reason why I said that to him was because Cody told me it was the little things like that which make a big difference in a person’s life.”

“When I was almost to Logan’s house, he drove by me in his truck and honked his horn and waved.”

We looked at each other and I saw in his loving eyes it was something that meant a lot to him.   You might say, although he has never been anything like Grinch, “his heart grew three sizes that day”.  His story touched my heart as well, and I’ve thought about it over and over this week.

It’s so strangely beautiful that when doing something for another person you not only bless that person but you also bless yourself.

In fact, this huge concept is something I use in my mothering bag of tricks.  If I notice that the children (some or all) are not getting along with each other I ask them to do “something” (make a sandwich, pick a flower, give a mug of tea) for that particular sibling they aren’t getting along with.  Maybe even give a hug or write a note.  It does wonders in creating smiles, melting hearts, and breaking the tension in the air.

 

******

Cherry Coffee Cake

We explored an old abandoned house last weekend and took away a few recipes cards which we found like garbage upon the messy floor…..this was one of the recipes.

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It is simple and, without any extract, the cake itself tastes nice and buttery.  The cherry pie filling could be switched out for any fruit filling and you could add a touch of cinnamon to the topping, too.  I bought a can of raspberry filling to try next, with maybe a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract added to the cake.  Blueberries would be a nice variation, too, with lemon extract.

It bakes up as a thin cake, so it’s more of a snack (to eat with a mug of hot coffee).  The kids ate it in their hands like a brownie and they all liked it very much.

friend

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N A T U R E   W A L K; God gave us 60 degree weather and we wore our boots.  We smelled pine needles, picked up birch bark, peered down into deep springtime puddles and streams.  The best part?  Sitting for a while on the same big boulder in the middle of a rushing stream.

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J O U R N A L S; hers is HUGE and full of the best magazine clips, quotes, photos, art, and words.

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A B A N D O N E D   H O U S E   A D V E N T U R E; there is an old house nearby that is empty of people but full of stuff of every kind.  The teenagers came with us and we explored to our hearts content.

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A N T H R O P O L O G I E; one of our mutual favorite stores… and we had the best time looking at everything and getting inspiration from the walls, bedding, clothes, books, stationary, etc.

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B A R N E S and N O B L E; in which we chose a huge stack of books and magazines, & talked, while looking through everything.  We drank a chai latte.

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We found a picture of us as children in a magazine! (dreams)

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P A N E R A   B R E A D; for an early dinner.

And so many other things seen and heart-noticed but unphotographed.

We’ve been friends for over 20 years beginning when we first met at Bible college in upstate New York.  Like with all my soul mates, I remember the exact moment I first saw her.  After college we each got married and started our families while keeping in touch using lovely handwritten snail mail letters (nice and fat) because there were no computers or email back then.  When we did get our first computers we emailed almost daily.  Now and then we would enjoy a nice chat on the phone.

We had visits when we could.  She drove to my mom’s house once when our Grace and Jeff were babies (they are 17 now).  Rich and I stopped at her family’s place on the way to amish country a few times.

EVERY visit was ALWAYS photographed.  Pictures have been a huge part of keeping in touch.  I have a whole album of photos she has sent me through the years.

Now we use FB messenger to text and send (miraculous!) *instant* photos of what we are doing that day…the kids, books we read, food, selfies.  Yes indeedy, it’s such fun.

The snail mail has slowed down but we still spoil each other with a letter now and then, oh and boxes of gifts at christmas and birthdays, too.

She drove to my house on Friday afternoon for a long awaited visit (three years!),  I had already been to the doctors that day and was put on antibiotics for strep but that did not put a damper on our visit which lasted until Sunday morning.

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

Joanna has soul depth and wisdom.  She has strength with an endearing touch of vulnerability.  She is a forever friend.

She’s also at the doctor’s today, getting checked for strep throat.

starting with today

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“What day is it?”
It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
― A.A. Milne

There are many sweet, simple blessings happening in my life lately but I am going to blog starting with today.

I woke up this morning in a hotel room after a lovely solid five hours of sleep and then deliciously dozing on and off for another four hours.

I had dropped Ethan off at college the night before after an evening of bowling and steak dinners and slept overnight in the hotel before heading home.

I am rather under the weather with some sort of upper respiratory infection; strep, ears, cough and headache so I’ve been on medicine since Friday.  I drove home from Vermont slowly.

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I explored two shops along the way.  The first was an antique shop with probably close to 50 or more venders in one big building.  Right away I found a Rose Fiesta Disc pitcher, anniversary edition from 1996.  It came home with me.  I didn’t buy anything else but I took a few more photos of things that delighted my eyes.

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This mood board was in one of the little booths, full of magazine clippings and so on.

Inspiring!

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This was a sweet painting of ducks flying up off a pond, which was done on white birch bark.

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Fiesta glassware (stripes)

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Fiesta shakers and tumbles on the top shelf.  The other dishes (middle shelf) are made by the same company but are not fiestaware so I don’t collect them; still, it’s fun to see.

*****

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Then, about an hour later, I found a used bookstore.  It had been a huge selection, but it is now going out of business so the books “only” filled two rooms.

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“Book thieves will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

I was amused by the specific sort of thieves addressed.  Would a book lover steal?  Perhaps.

I didn’t steal my books, I bought them all for five dollars.

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A Walk on an Iceberg; true story written by the main character’s granddaughter.  The book is about Eliza in the years before she became a grandmother, who was married at 19 and thereafter went on all of her husband’s sea captain voyages.

Honey I Love; poems for children

Friday Night Lights; about football -for Caleb

A Very Long Engagement, by French author Sebastien Japrisot, a novel of WW1

Summerball, another sports story for Caleb, this one about basketball

Because of Winn-Dixie, beautiful story of a young girl who adopts a dog

Thin Ice, a quaint 1956 book easy reader book for Seth to read to me

Good-time Charlie, about a cat

Joanna Runs Away, a story about a little girl and a horse

The Lady and the Spider, a Reading Rainbow book

Christmas in the Forest, peaceful christmas story with animals

Follow the Brook, a 1960 story about raccoons

The Story of Old Mrs Brubeck and how she looked for Trouble and Where she found Him

The Anne of Green Gables Storybook; with pictures from the movie

last but not least, my most exciting find for myself

The Kinta years, an Oklahoma Childhood, by Janice Holt Giles, who is the author of one of my favorite books (Hannah Fowler)

 

 

 

 

 

it’s not chocolate, it’s birdseed!

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I know it LOOKS like chocolate, but actually….it’s sunflower seeds.  Just what you little birdies like.

I didn’t get chocolate either.

But I did get a text message.  It said, “I love u.  Will you be my Valentine?”

And I said, “always.”

And I thought, “always and always and always.”

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One time, I got earrings and a necklace for Valentine’s Day.

I found them after he left for work, in the dishwasher!

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Funny thing about life, is after a while you realize that nothing is more important than love.

Love is a lot more important than expectations.

Love is shown in many many different ways, without even trying.

When he only has eyes….for you.

When he wrestles on the floor with the kids at the end of the day.  That’s love.  You made those kids together and he loves them.

When he calls you on the phone because he hasn’t heard from you yet because he loves you.

When he doesn’t complain as he falls asleep with the light on because you’re reading a book.  It’s love.

When he calls you beautiful like it’s your name.  Love.

When you tell him what to do and he laughs, because he likes to hear you get bossy.

Love.

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One seed at a time, please.

One blessing at a time.  One thank you at a time.  One moment at a time.

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You chickadees sure are friendly.  Please try to send over a cardinal, won’t you?

He would match the fiesta pie plate so nicely.

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In the meantime, thank you for stopping by.

I love you, little birdies.

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I love all of you.

 

a day for you

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I believe, Lord, that you love to bless, comfort, and give.

Your word is my delight, your truth my inspiration.

You lift my soul beyond those things that would pull me down when I come into your presence in prayer.

Your Holy Spirit is there to fill me with the character of your own goodness and to fill me with joy.

I believe, Lord, that your people are there to help me grow stronger as one of your children.

You have given me friends to strengthen my relationship with you.

I believe, Lord, that as I seek you I find you.

You will always show me the way that is good for my life.

You will lead me along the right way and I know that you always love me.

You pour your love into my heart so that I praise you because of your faithfulness; my innermost being says ‘Thank you.’

Through the cross of Christ I have been brought back to you:  how I praise you!

Through the cross my life is transformed.  

For Jesus Christ’s resurrection and for my new life I praise you.

~Gospel Light Publications 1985

And happy are your eyes, because they see!  Matthew 13:16

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.  Psalm 146:8

I know I belong to Jesus because I see Him everywhere.  I don’t just see Him in the Bible or in Church….I see Him constantly in my every day life.  I see Him in my children, in my siblings.  My husband.  I see him in the secular podcasts I love to listen to.  I see Him in the way He guides everyone’s life.  In the stories people tell.  I see him in movies, in books, in school, in the library, and online.

He isn’t always obvious, and that’s the joy of finding Him.

 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

It’s amazing.

how sweet the sound

I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.

I love that I can be HANDS OFF with my life, how freeing this is, how comforting.

I’m walking through the years with my eyes wide open.

And each little gift causes my heart to say “thank you, I know that was you, God.”

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We had a snowy day yesterday and I kept an eye on this Cardinal.  It was sitting in the bushes for hours watching and waiting out the storm.  I was busy in the house but looked out the window periodically to look at it.  And then, it was gone and I missed it.

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We did some reading; my book is on the pillow next to Dave; All the Light We Cannot See.

Very good.

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Grace was reading a favorite of hers for about the fifth time.  The Likeness by Tana French

For lunch we had little fish sandwiches on potato buns with tarter sauce.

Dave had five.

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Rich has a bulging disc in his neck and has to have a shot in it next month to relieve the pain.  However, after spending a relaxing day at home he felt better than he has in a long time.  It was good to see him take a nap on the couch with us.

He took a few calls for work and after the snow stopped he went outside and plowed the driveways.

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Of all the places to take a nap!

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Little Junco on Caleb’s bike which was on the porch to protect it from the snow.

But snow got everywhere yesterday.

Juncos are quite cute; it’s feathers are ruffled from the wind.

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There is a bowl of sunflower seed under all that silly soft stuff.

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We watched one of my favorite movies; Babe.  I study every scene of the house and barn.

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And then it was time to go outside.

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If I had words
To make a day for you
I sing you a morning golden and new
I would make this day
Last for all time
Give you a night
Deep in moonshine
If I had words
To make a day for you
~Scott Fitzgerald

**super bowl party pictures**

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Another full to the brim weekend!

I took the younger kids to a college wrestling meet on Saturday because Ethan was there…oh how wonderful it was to see my son after a month of being apart.  He looked great.

After the meet we stopped at Costco to quickly get some food trays for Sunday.  As soon as I got out of the car, my brother Isaac was saying hello from just across the lane in the parking lot.  That was fun, and we hugged.

On Sunday morning, Rich and I were able to sleep in until 7 and then relax with coffee because we elected, after his head injury, to not have Seth wrestle this weekend.

However, David and Caleb had a meet in the afternoon and they both won second place medals in their weight brackets.  The school did a great job of moving the meet along at a quick pace so everyone could get home (we live in New England, after all, and had a big Super Bowl to watch)……..

We got home just in time to do a quick run around for a last minute tidying up.  And then the Super bowl party.  We were all cheering for the Patriots so the first 3 quarters of the game were pretty disheartening.  But then!  Wow, Caleb (the biggest 11 year old fan I’ve ever met), was so happy when the Patriots finally got their groove and won the game in overtime.

PICTURES:

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We temporarily moved in the little couch behind the big one for more seating.  Rich invited his HS wrestling team and four of them are in this picture, along with Caleb who is sad because the Falcons keep scoring, Tessa (Ethan’s girlfriend and our neighbor) and my husband waving.

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Michael, Zach, Caleb, and Grace sat at the kitchen island where most of the food was located.  We put the cookies in the other room on the table and the crock pot of meatballs (thank you, Louis) was on the counter near the drinks.  We bought 2 cases of seltzer and a case of Coke, guess what got drank up the fastest???  Yep, the soda.  All gone in one night.

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My brother Isaac and his wife Cassandra, who brought the best chocolate chip cookies.

We had two sheet pizzas, and wings, too.  Two fruit bowls, and two veggie trays from Costco.  Lots of chips and dip.  Baked sausage and sauce.

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Caleb turned to me and said, “Now they have no chance of coming back, Mom.” after the Falcons scored again.  Uncle Dave texted him telling him to keep his chin up, they could still make a come back.

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While Rich and I were at the boys meet on Sunday, Grace taught Sarah how to sing from the hymn book.  She found a ready audience in her Aunt Cassandra.  Sarah’s favorite hymns to sing are “Come Thou Fount” and “Joy to the World.”

She is also learning to play the piano.

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Jacob got out of work at 7 and got home by 7:30.

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Me, Sarah, and Allie (who was the most vocal about her opinions on how the Patriots were playing).  I never knew she was such a fan.  🙂

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This old guy was on the hunt for food bits.  I was holding up a cheese cracker for this photo.

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dear friends.  Caroline brought the yummiest hot broccoli cheese dip, and a taco dip.

And fantastic cookie bars.

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future crazy cat ladies of America…Grace, Allie, and Tessa’s beautiful sister Emily.

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Isaac and Cassandra left at half time so I took a quick photo of my brother and my firstborn.  They look similar, yes?

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Playing “open your mouth and let me see if I can throw this cracker into it.”

****

Well, we all know how the fourth quarter of the game played out.  Caleb, bless his heart, came out of half time with a terrible stiff neck from playing nerf football and wrestling downstairs with the guys, so he had to stay motionless on the couch as he watched the most exciting comeback in Superbowl history.  However, he was able to raise his hand in victory as the final outcome of the game was decided.

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sooooooo cute

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best memories; his face while watching Tom Brady after the game.

And, another photo to add to our yearly Superbowl portraits;

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gosh, it was a fun night.

*****

You cannot always have happiness, but you can always give happiness. ~Author Unknown

 

 

old sturbridge village

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Somehow I lost the original post that I wrote yesterday about Old Sturbridge Village, but here are all the photos once again.  We had a great day with Hannah.  We went on Saturday, on a mild January day.  The last place we visited was the Potter’s shop and then the next day, by God’s plan, we read verses from Jeremiah about God the Potter, who shapes our lives…..Jacob, my son, read them from the pulpit and Sarah recognized the photo on the screen, thanks to the education she received from our lovely day.

“Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you.”

let the stormy breezes blow

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The house is quiet.  I awoke at 6am to learn that school was closed.  In our neck of the woods, the winds are whipping tree limbs into power lines and causing power outages and there is icy snow thinly covering the ground.  Yesterday our electricity was out from noon to seven in the evening.  Darkness and quiet can mean so many things.  What we see as “dark” can be darker still, what we hear as “quiet” can be even quieter……….

We lit candles and carried flashlights.

For now, the house is warm again, and maybe not as quiet as I think.  It will surely get louder as the children wake up, good healthy children with lots of energy, curiosity, play, mess, and need for constant work to do.

Someone can clean the kitchen.  Someone can fold clothes.  Someone can sit beside me and let me read to them.  Someone can play a game.  Someone can make us lunch.

If you can slip and slide your way to our place, all are welcome for a party day.  We a friendly dog, three cats, and children from the age 6 all the way up to 20.  Friends.

Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.  ~ Bill Watterson 

******

I drove my Hannah friend to the airport yesterday morning.

As my husband texted me, “The parting of good friends is sad but oh so worth it.”

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These are the pajama pants she made Caleb, using another pair belonging to him as a pattern.  Caleb is our football fan and he loves the Patriots.  These pants were a labor of pure love.  (Hannah is a Seahawks fan)

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She made me a pair of nice thick leggings in a wonderful olive green.

*****

a little clip from singing with Hannah on Sunday

the last verse:

Let the stormy breezes blow, their cry cannot alarm me;
I am safely sheltered here, protected by God’s hand;
Here the sun is always shining, here there’s naught can harm me;
I am safe forever in Beulah Land.

“For what is joy if it goes unrecorded, and what is love if it is not shared?”

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Good morning!  Hannah made Seth some joggers yesterday.

She is showing me things that I never dreamed my sewing machine could do.

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She used a pattern on one of her favorite online sources:  Patterns for Pirates.

This pattern is called Baby Bear Joggers and she sewed it using a nice thick knit for the fabric.

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Seth was so full of energy all afternoon wearing his new pants that it made Hannah laugh and say, “Well, at least we know he has a full range of motion in them!”

He wore them to bed and then wore them to school this morning.

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Yesterday was also homemade noodles day.

We went for two walks.

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We received a box full of good things as a surprise from Hannah’s mom; homemade jewelry, cookies, candy, and some gingerbread tea which we enjoyed before bed last night.

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PIG EARRINGS

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so far, these cookies are my favorite

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THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD; homemade chicken and broth with noodles, served over homemade mashed potatoes.

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Hannah began making a dress for Grace, a beautiful red and cream lace dress; in which Grace will be sure to look like a Valentine in February.

When Hannah was done sewing for the day, she neatly covered everything up with a tablecloth so the cats wouldn’t eat thread or shred the patterns.

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Deep down inside, Sherlock really believes she has thoughtfully made him a bed.

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This morning is quiet; the children have gone to school and Hannah is getting dressed while I blog, drink tea, and look out the window with my cat.

*****

“For what is joy if it goes unrecorded, and what is love if it is not shared?”  Jennifer Worth
~quote from an episode of Call the Midwife which we watched last night with our gingerbread tea.