7 degree morning

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Shanda

After an unseasonably warm start to winter, the temperature dropped to five degrees last night.

As the children prepared for school, my thoughts went to the chickens and I knew their water would be frozen and I would soon be stepping outside to carry some down. Sometimes I dread it. Most times I send one of the kids. Today I couldn’t wait to go myself.

I put on a dark purple down coat, a neon orange stretch hat, gloves and boots. I was smiling. A New Englander through and through, I loved the sound of my quick stepping boots crunching and squeaking lightly over the frozen grass. My the tip of my nose was numb and my cheeks burned in the icy wind.

I thought about the essay I read by Rose Wilder Lane about her frustration that in her opinion, her mother Laura was a “slave to hens”.

Laura must have been smiling at times on her way to the coop, too. I poured hot water over the the feed, making a sort of “oatmeal”. She did the same, on a much grander scale. She loved caring for her flock and took pride in the fact that in their community, she was the only one who kept them producing eggs even in the dead of winter. They were happy, nurtured, cared for. One of the several definitions for the word “slave” is “a person who is strongly influenced and controlled by something.”

I suppose we are a slave (albeit willingly) when we serve someone or something in such a sacrificial way, from our God, our husbands and children, to our community, to our animals, our careers…….it’s not a bad thing. It’s beautiful, especially when it is done with love.

Do everything in love 1 Corinthians 16:14

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends John 15:13

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

With one hand holding my camera and the other holding my coat sleeve over my frozen nose, I took these pictures for you, this morning.

by our love

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Shanda

“Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!”

Christmastime this year has been made brighter by the visit of my precious friend, Hannah. I mentioned a few blog posts ago, when I posted pictures of the blouse she made me, that she is the only friend I have that has battled depression. I have struggled once again with that old curse that I hate so much, and during this time, according to the typical nature of depression, I found myself closing off from almost everyone around me…..except for Hannah. She lives so far away, in the beautiful state of Alaska, but she graciously and promptly answered all my texts, responding hastily with the love of Jesus, verses, encouragement. We talked several times on the phone. I felt comfortable voicing those parts of my heart that needed expression and light.

And then came the moment when she asked if she could come and visit me. She couldn’t take the depression away but she could sit by my side in full understanding. I’ll never forget her words, “If I had to go through depression in order to help you, it was worth it.” We felt the visit was truly God-ordained, even to the price of her round trip, only 36 dollars!

Jesus is always with us, He promised in his Word that He would never leave us, nor forsake us. I believe that He uses His people in tangible ways to love us. What I mean is, Hannah has been *my Jesus with skin on*. I hope that doesn’t sound disrespectful. Jesus is within all believers, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit, we have this treasure in jars of clay, and as we hold one another, sit beside one another, speak to one another, we are experiencing His love through a brother or sister in Christ. He loves me through her. As I spent time with her, I felt as if Jesus Himself was with me.

Hannah is not the only friend I have like this. If you’re reading this and you’re my friend then it is the same with you. God places certain people in our lives whom we cannot forget even if we might sometimes want to. Their names are written on our hearts. I have friends that I will be loyal to until the day I die, I simply cannot neglect the brothers and sisters in Christ that God has brought into my world. I’m thinking of so many people right now that have shared my life with me, and I with them, many of them are my own relatives but some of them are not. Why does He do this? I have to believe that it is because part of the work He has for us to do is to love each other deeply, encourage each other, sacrifice time and energy, so that the journey through life is not without abundant support and meaning. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

The Bible says, “If we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.”

HOW AMAZING IS THAT?

I found a quote on Pinterest that says it well: “When God puts love and compassion in your heart toward someone, He’s offering you an opportunity to make a difference in that person’s life. You must learn to follow that love. Don’t ignore it. Act on it. Someone needs what you have.”

I’ve been writing about lifelong relationships, but this concept of being an instrument of God’s love applies to the “one time” act of kindness for a random stranger, too. How many people have we unconsciously showed grace and love to, without even being aware that our smile, our small conversation, our politeness, touched someone’s life in a meaningful way at just the right time? How many times did a stranger touch our hearts with kindness that made us thank God then and there?

Surely, God is in full operation at ALL TIMES. Moving, breathing, shepherding us THROUGH EACH OTHER. (and his Word, his World, and so many other ways, too). Praise Him with me!

Oh for eyes that see and give Him glory. And in all things, to give thanks.

A few days ago Hannah and I went to a museum together. We drove into the city, parked in a parking garage, and walked a few blocks to the museum. It was a special time at the museum, too, because of Christmas, there were decorated trees and choirs singing as we wandered delightfully through the rooms. Oh how we loved the artwork! We came away determined to enjoy more art and Hannah wants to study art history. It was fascinating.

I took a few photos of the trees. The first picture in this blog post is one that an older lady did. She lives in a nursing home and knitted every single ornament and garland for her tree. I loved it. I loved imagining her working on it.

A bird tree, a tree decorated with origami which reminded me of my David who loves to fold paper, and another view of the “yarn” tree.

A Harry Potter tree! (David is reading all the books these days, he’s now on #6)

And then we made our way into the art exhibits. There was a folded card which showed the details of each painting so we took advantage of that and studied each one.

There was so much spiritual depth in the works, some we understood, others we felt as if there was more to learn….which I suppose is one of the purposes of museums and art…to create a thirst for knowledge as we appreciate the beauty.

And, by the way, we both wore blouses that Hannah made herself~art from the sewing machine!

that beautiful blue color

Book of Hours from the 1400’s. Imagine the work that went into this amazing book and all the hands that touched it through the years.

Egyptian cat

Amazingly carved linden wood.

“Still life with Ham”

a GORGEOUS silver center piece which we stood and looked at for a while

This too! A birdcage!

made entirely of porcelain (I think…or something similar)….amazing detail and beauty

God’s art….above and beyond anything we could even imagine!

God made Hannah, too, a beautiful work of art, and He made YOU as well…so special and unique, truly one of a kind.

After seeing as much as we could possibly absorb in one day, we made our way to lunch at the cafe and then shopped the gift shop for Christmas gifts.

It was a memorable day with a dear friend.

You are LOVED!

on a saturday morning

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Shanda

showering, dressing, putting on make up

giving my darling little girl a bath

frying bacon for breakfast

cleaning, vacuuming, doing dishes

reading books

spending time with special teenagers

Dear husband gone most of the week, standing in his place caring for house and family

tying on an apron, baking a cake

making a big, healthy tossed salad

13 well-behaved, good children home with me today

hair up in a ponytail, sneakers on

sunshine

watching them walk off together for a hike in the woods

chatting with two loving friends at the door

getting a son ready for a sleep over

singing hymns of praise to Jesus with my teenage daughter

hugs, kisses, smiles, laughter, teasing, listening

…….but all with a sense of deep sadness, and thinking to myself……

“there is a place in hell for self-proclaimed ‘religious’ people who destroy, kill, fill with fear, and/or harm precious innocent people who belong to the very God they say they serve”

“of all the bad men, religious bad men are the worse” CS Lewis

today, I will be grateful

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Shanda

Reading to the kids…always and forever because maybe by the time my own children don’t want a story read, I’ll be a grandma.

Ethan sick and snuggling with his dog.

Thankfully this was taken by my husband last week and no one is sick anymore.

I found Sarah measuring her doll just like I measure her.

She loved playing with the new Madeline dollhouse….for hours.

We finished up with football season this weekend. Our boys are superstars.

Rich made me leave the house and go on a date. 😉

I found perfect fitting flare jeans at GAP.

I read this book and recommended it on the blog years ago. I just picked it up and read it again. It’s called The Light on the Island, by Helene Gliddon and was just as good the second time around. Helene was the seventh born of 13 children and spent the majority of her growing up years with her family on an island. Her parents were the lighthouse keepers.

She wrote about the trees and animals that the children loved and visited, and I took a picture of the description of Puffy the toad to send to my friend Joanna.

I want a pet toad, too. But in the meantime, I’m going to adopt a tree for my very own. We have a lot of trees. Did you know it’s very comforting to hug a nice solid tree? There’s life inside of it that seems to refresh a person….trees are such nice plant-companions. With all the appeal of electronics inside, I never want to forsake good old nature, or have my children miss out on the wonders that are outdoors.

Grace’s embroidery.

Right before I got off my butt and cleaned off the coffee table.

Oh, wait, I think it was Ethan who got off his butt because I told him to.

This evening I am making pasta for dinner and taking 13 year old David for a check up at 5:30. I was supposed to take him at 10 this morning but somehow missed the reminder call. They had to call me to tell me I missed it. Thankfully, the Doc allowed me to bring him later and not have to pay the missed-appointment fee.

Tomorrow Caleb has an appointment at 8:30 in the morning and then Sarah at 3:45.

The appointment for Sarah is in regards to a surgery she has to have soon.

I had some anxiety this morning but after praying and working on cleaning, writing snail mail and watching TV with Michael, I took a 2 hour nap which helped a great deal.

Happy Monday, friends! tell me all your happenings.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumblebee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” Ashley Smith

when I taste your goodness, I shall not want

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Shanda

“Though the fig tree may not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines;
though the labor of the olive may fail,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock be cut off from the fold,
and there be no herd in the stalls–
yet I will rejoice in my Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-6

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” John 14:27

“But now, this is what the Lord says…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

“….Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue.” Isaiah 35:4

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39 (He does this to the storms in our souls, too)

Unless the Lord has judged our fears to be a great evil, He would not so often have forbidden them, or have prepared such a heavenly quietus for them. Charles Spurgeon

“Permit me to say there is nothing in the Bible to make any man fear who puts his trust in Jesus. Nothing in the Bible did I say? There is nothing in heaven, nothing on earth, nothing in hell, that need make you fear who trust in Jesus.” Spurgeon

“The Lord may be very close to thee, dear child, when thou canst not see Him, perhaps closer than ever he was when thou couldst see Him. The presence of God is not to be measured by the realization of it.” Spurgeon

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, the weapons we fight with have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

******

You see, dear friends, I have a daily struggle with anxiety and have very unwisely held on to fears and allowed them to grow. I have allowed exhaustion to grow, too, until life itself seemed too much to bear. And indeed, it was too much to bear. How very thankful I am for Mother, who called me during her work day to simply listen to me cry and cry and talk it all out, and the wisdom she spoke to me. “You’re exhausted. You need to rest. Don’t do anything during your free times but rest. And then when quiet time is over, get up and bake something for your family.”

I am ashamed of my weakness when I think of many others in the past and present that have a life much more difficult than mine. But the truth is, God is almost certainly going to gently allow EACH ONE OF US to sink to our lowest, our breaking point, to show us the comfort and delights to be found in Himself. No matter what your life situation, there will be times of difficulty, and if you are a believer and a lover of Jesus, it is during those times when you will find yourself on your knees and know that your faith is not in vain. It is a true faith, a simple childlike faith, in a God so big and loving that it truly does bring a peace that passes all understanding.

I pray my most desperate prayers in the bathroom. I lock the door and turn on the ventilation fan so no one can hear me, and I kneel down by the bathtub and pray. I tell Jesus exactly what is making me fearful or anxious. I tell Him that I cannot control the anxiety and that I need Him to take over and do the work inside of me. I tell Him of the verses I know that command me not to worry and that I trust Him. How grateful I am when I pray it all out and find my spirit restored once again. It truly does work, and not because of anything I have done, but because of Christ and His provision.

It’s been AMAZING.

AMAZING.

In between the prayer times, life has been relatively peaceful again…..true, the children are all getting sick over and over….but, ONLY BECAUSE I’m learning to let go and get through it the best I can without freaking out inside!!! Life is not an emergency.

I’m trying to be more like my cat.

Grace and Jenna taking tickets at the play we went to a few weeks ago.

David

Jacob and David, I think they were playing smashy road….Dave is using my phone.

“This home is a shelter for those we hold dear, wishing peace to all who enter here.”

David followed a youtube instructional video last night and made gummy candy out of jello.

Here it is before he cut it.

Sarah’s library book which was not intended for the highly observant child (the kittens were slightly different throughout the book but supposed to be the same three and she kept asking me who was who.)

I colored her hair slightly with hair chalk, as per her request. There is a small green streak on the left and a small purple streak on the right.

Seth showed me his tricks while waiting for the bus. He was kicking the football and then trying to catch it with one hand. Hilarious

Thank you for the beautiful plants, Amy!!!!

If you’re anxious about anything today, find a quiet time to pray and let your burdens go to His capable hands. Jesus is more than conqueror of all our fears and no one understands what men and women go through like He does. We all have such unique and challenging lives, but in Him we can live them peacefully and calmly, with thanksgiving. He will take those worries and destroy them!

And gosh darn it, slow down and get your rest.

Eat properly, too.

Drink water.

Get some sunshine.

Onward and upward.

You are loved.

’tis so sweet to trust in Jesus

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Shanda

(image via pinterest)

King Jesus is on the move in my heart and soul and mind.

go easy

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Shanda

David’s little kitty, whose name is Gentleman Gray, isn’t allowed to go outside very often.

But when he does, he returns as soon as possible with an old dead mouse.

The mouse was caught by one of Gentleman Gray’s housemates….he himself hasn’t caught any of them, he doesn’t have the opportunity, so he just enjoys playing with them.

Typically, I take the mouse by the ice cold tip of it’s tail and fling it right back outside into the bushes as far as I can fling. But the other day I let him have it for a few minutes because his antics were making me laugh.

He has several very nice fabric mice filled with catnip, but there’s just nothing like sinking your teeth into a real live dead one.

The poor thing had such adorable ears.

If the children or I find one of our cats in the act of killing a mouse we ALWAYS save the mouse’s life.

My husband on the other hand……..is thrilled with every dead mouse he sees.

There have been a few times when I threw a dead mouse outside (without him seeing me do it) only to have him bring it right back in! What an amazing sense of smell cats must have.

*****

Sarah was so so sick last night. She must have thrown up seven times in the matter of just a few hours. She was distraught, pale, crying…it was terrible. What a mercy that her body finally settled down and she was able to eat some animal crackers and keep them down at around 9:30-10. But then Caleb got sick, and then David. Pepto- Bismol was the key to helping their tummies. They all made it through the night quietly so we had some sleep. Today they have been on the couches all day long but able to eat more and more, starting with crackers in the morning and ending at 5:00pm with all three eating bowls of cooked broccoli! If you can crave broccoli at a time like this I would say things aren’t so bad.

God has surprised me several times today with unexpected blessings. One was a phone call from the kid’s doctor, wanting to apologize to me for being very distracted at the last appointment I went to, he even mentioned CHRISTIANITY, LOVE, CHRIST, and the HOLY SPIRIT in the conversation (!!) and other blessing was having Michael come to visit Jacob just in time to go pick up Ethan from school after practice.

Yet another time was much earlier in the day, when I went to drop off lunch money at the school. The office lady asked how I was and as I spoke to her she could tell I was stressed out. As I left she encouraged me by simply saying, “go easy.” Those two little words became my mantra of the day. Go easy on myself, go easy on my day, go easy with my family, go easy on the housework, etc……..

I visited my hens. I gave them fresh water and food.

And then some of them followed me. I was about to take a very easy and short walk, close to home.

I saw a chipmunk on a rock in the stream. It froze when it saw me and then as quick as lightening, vanished under some old sticks and leaves.

I wasn’t going anywhere in particular….so I wandered down to Ethan’s fort that he made this summer.

It’s an interesting feeling to be all alone, looking at your son’s hard work. Imagining him building it, seeing his thoughts and ideas on how to make it work. I stood under the roof. I saw the clippers and a garden tool.

I admired the way he put together the low walls.

And when I turned around, I saw that one of my hens had crossed the stream to follow me to the fort! It was an unexpected laugh.

We talked for a few minutes and then she went back home. It was a good thing because I really don’t want a lonely lost hen in the forest.

I would love to know what this shrub or sapling is. The stem is green but there is brown stiff paper-like bark sticking out around it. It’s so pretty and orderly.

The best part of my walk was discovering witch hazel in bloom.

This is the very same plant that witch hazel astringent is made from, which has many uses and has been around for a very long time.

It comes into flower just as everything else around us is dying from frosts.

Such a cheerful yellow.

In the upper left you can see the brown seed pods. The seeds within them open up on a sunny day and shoot out for a great distance. Fun!

I broke a branch off one of the bushes to carry it back to the house so I could admire it. I’m hoping the seed pods open up and shoot.

I did all my walking and came back home with my pockets looking like this. Guess what’s in them?

it is well with my soul

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Shanda

“I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him…..”

“Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.”

“Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery.”

“The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer, I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life, and give them my salvation.”

Good morning, friends,

I have been absolutely exhausted this week, hence no blogging. I’m sure you can imagine all that entails being a mom of seven and wife of a busy hard worker. I love the life God gave me, but there are “crash days” when the responsibilities I have seem overwhelming and pressing. I don’t even like to write these things, because it seems like a complaint when God has given me blessing upon blessing and I am ashamed of my weakness (although HE delights in it for only then can He get the glory for supplying my need) How dare I cry and be sad? However, exhaustion is no respecter of persons and no matter who or where you are, it can hit and cripple for a time. And that is how it has been for me this week.

Well, that’s not exactly true, I certainly have NOT been crippled. I have done all the things I had to do. I’ve read chapters to my sick one, I’ve gone to the pediatrician twice, gotten medicines, drinks, teas, foods. I’ve gone to a soccer game with a smile on my face. I have a heart of love and longing to serve my family. I’ve held and snuggled warm children. I ordered vomit bags off amazon. Yes, all these things have happened when deep down what I really wanted was to spend a week on a beach in Hawaii.

But enough of me, I hate writing about myself sometimes because it seems so annoying and self-focused. Blah blah blah. Hey, but it’s all the truth as I see it and that’s all I want to do here on my blog, write about my honest life which is very much feelings-oriented to me (which is why I especially appreciate the logical people in my life that balance me out). And praise God I have eternal hope and salvation…..this current life is only the first page of what life is really going to be for me. There is so much to look forward to, amazing unspeakably glorious things.

I love you all. I’m so thankful for my Mom, husband, brothers, sister, friends and for all the verses words offered to me on FB when I wrote this week during a fit of crying on my part. God has given us each other to help us get through the tough times! There is so much to be thankful for and usually at least one thing that makes me sincerely laugh every day. (like this morning when Dave’s kitten proudly carried in a dead mouse that one of our other cats caught and left on the porch).

Here are the pictures from Ethan’s senior soccer night (last night). It was wonderful sitting on the bleachers next to my friend Caroline and watch our boys play. Our husbands were there with us, and Jacob and Emily brought Caleb and Sarah as well. The sky darkened into night and there was a time when the sky was so blue, as dazzling blue as sapphire fiestaware.

He only has three more games left and he’s determined to make them last out the season. They’ve been great soccer shoes and have served him well.

Warming up with his best friend, Zach, before the game. Oh, these two. It’s been a joy to watch them grow together. They are as close as brothers.

During drills and warms ups they did this exercise where you jump up and bump your teammate. Made us smile.

They called down the parents of the seniors for a short presentation. They called out names and each player was given a rose (to give to his parents).

After a team picture they played their game and won 1-0. I took him to the pizza place in town to celebrate with his friends and one of the other Dads brought him home afterwards.

We’re so proud of you, Ethan!

bible study with a chicken!

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Shanda

As soon as the children left for school yesterday, and I had a good start on the household chores, I looked outside and thought, “What a gorgeous fall morning.”

I decided to go out in it and sit with the hens to have my Bible study time. As soon as I opened my Bible, my favorite chicken hopped up on my knee to join me. You might notice that I thought it was October 6th at first. “This all seems familiar,” I thought, and then realized it was now the 7th. Already!

Hi Chicken!

I had a notebook with me and a pencil stuck in my ponytail. The pencil didn’t stay there long, because very soon there were good things to scribble down to save and think about. The air was fresh and cool, the sounds of contented hens charming.

I want and long to read the Bible every day. I have found that for me, the best way to do this is to use a “One Year Bible”. (click here to see the one I use) In this Bible, there is a reading for each day of the year. I’ve used it for several years now. There are times when I miss a few days, maybe even a week or more, but I have found that if I try to catch up I get overwhelmed. So, I always skip those days because very soon (next year) I WILL get to those verses again. There is a portion of Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Even though it is a structured, assigned portion of reading, there are ALWAYS words and truths that my heart and soul needed to hear again and again–never boring or dry. I usually keep paper nearby so that I can write down the verses that spoke to me that day. You see, the Bible is ALIVE for those who believe and love it. The words within it are useful in so many ways, and for Christians, it is like medicine for the soul. It’s like a food-craving you might get for, say, chocolate. You find yourself thinking about the Word during the day and wanting it. And when you get it, you are filled and satisfied.

Yesterday, I wrote these things down in my notebook (verses in quotes, my thoughts *not* in quotes)

~”An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship.”

Always be honest in your questions and answers. Don’t “play games”, don’t pretend. Be sincere. It’s a beautiful way to live–so beautiful that your honest, truthful ways are just like friendship’s kisses.

~”This is what the Lord says: Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

~”Your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

~”Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world.”

Teach the children about greed.

Greed-intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. A selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.

~”Christ is all that matters and He lives in all of us.”
~”Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all richness, fill your lives.”

This is a wonderful set of verses to apply to my FAMILY.

~”Despite God’s wonders, they refused to trust Him.” —The next time you have some difficulty trusting God, think of as many of His wonders as you possibly can.

*****

I had no idea there was an app on my iPhone that shows all the steps I take in one day. I make sure I have it in my pocket now when I take my walks….it’s fun to see just how much I walk in a day as I go about my business. My mom does the same thing with her phone, and she is the one who taught me about the app. It came already installed on my phone and dummy me never knew it until last weekend.

I had it in my pocket when I went for a walk yesterday all alone because my children all go to school now (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I find myself MAKING REMARKS TO MYSELF OUT LOUD. I really need to stop because it’s starting to happen at the grocery store, too.

The birds are quite active at this time of year. This morning when I let out the dog I saw a cardinal and a blue jay right outside my house in the bushes. They were busy eating berries in the early morning sunshine. A blue jay scolded me yesterday from the treetops and I got this fun picture of it stretching to reach some food.

The colors of autumn dazzle the eye.

Adorable mushroom. I want to draw it. I like to imagine them slowly growing up through the sweet smelling leaves and eventually poking their heads up to the day.

Dappled sunlight in the woods.

Hickory nuts are dropping off the trees and oh how I wish I could get to them!! I want to climb and gather! But the tree is so very tall. I have an old schoolbook primer that has a story in it about a nutting party. (this blog post is similar) The neighborhood people would go gather nuts together. Why did that stop happening?? My mom and her family used to get nuts in the fall on their farm land. I need to ask her to tell me the stories again. I know of two hickory trees nearby. One is by the stream and one is up the road just a little ways on the right and it’s nuts drop on the edge of the street.

I walked toward the stream…..a golfball caught my eye so I went to pick it up and saw this sight-

“What in the world are they doing?”, I asked myself (out loud) and when I realized what was happening, I blushed deeply and hid my eyes.

A worm saw them and wriggled away fast.

Or was it me he was squirming from? Regardless, I once again spoke out loud, “That was a BIG worm!” I said.

I think I miss my children. I’m not used to having no one near.

It didn’t help that there were signs of them down by the stream.

I also found a sock.

This is not the sky, but a reflection of it in a still pool of water in the stream.

*****

Well, eventually the children DID come back home. I went for another little walk with David and Sarah. We collected acorns and more hickory nuts (just a couple). I wanted them all (greedy again?) David told me that HE could climb the tree. Humph.

I did all the talking I wanted to without feeling weird.

Soon it was time for Caleb and Seth to go to football practice. Grace had a variety show at the High School so we made an outing of it. Ethan, David, and Sarah came along as I dropped off the boys at the field. We had extra time so Ethan suggested the coffee shop downtown. Sarah had an apple juice and a bag of chips that she didn’t like (they had pepper on them.) David had a diet soda, Ethan and I had coffee. Ethan snap-chatted his friend who is a girl. (um)

We looked out the window and saw that in the park across the street a band was setting up. The concert was to start in 15 minutes and we still had time so Sarah and I went over to enjoy some great jazz music…

Is this quaint or what?? I loved every moment…there were people all around us, and more gathered in as time went on. I would love to go again with Rich. People had their lawn chairs, picnic foods, sweaters and blankets to keep warm, and a musical spirit…toe tapping, a little dancing, smiles on the faces…it was great.

The boys played down by the water and railroad tracks and could still hear all the songs.

We may not have nutting parties but we do have outdoor concerts!

After a quick trip to the library we headed to the HS. Grace was in the color guard Flag routine (she’s on the far left on the floor). She’s been twirling the flag for just a few months and did very well. It was fun to see all the kids do their various routines…dance, music, and what have you. Sarah ate two chocolate candy bars while she watched and we didn’t get home until 9:00pm.

It was a wonderful night being filled up with my children again after a lonesome-like afternoon.

Tonight Rich comes home. He’s been gone since Monday. It’s a long weekend for the kids–no school tomorrow or Monday!

in the meantime….

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Shanda

Isn’t the news depressing? It makes me long for Jesus and Home. I know the end of my story and it’s worth living in this wretched world for…..as a person who determines to look for beauty, it hurts to write “wretched” but what other word is there when you hear of all the terrible things happening in our country and around the world?

In the meantime, I’m determined to live my own ordinary, quiet, blessed life to the FULLEST. I’m going to say yes as much as possible, go to bed early and SLEEP the glorious sleep, read the books, dress the children, cook the food, laugh the laughs, light the candles, take pictures of the sunrise, help as many people as I can, smile the smiles, say NO to anything or anyone that drains the energy from me that I need for my family, hug the hugs, pet the cats, make the sacrifices……you get the idea. All the things that I like, that I need to do and want to do. I’m so thankful that I have the power and determination to live the life I want to live, regardless of outside circumstances. We all have that freedom to some extent.

I truly think it pleases and glorifies God when we know who we are and live the way He made us to live, according to each unique person’s story and personality. Praising, dancing, and yes, even mourning and crying in those times, too. Feeling all the emotions He made us to feel. Do you like to cook? Then COOK with abandon. Do you like nature? Then get outside! Do you like people? Then get out there BE WITH THEM. Do you like solitude? Then stay home and LET THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE COME TO YOU. Everyone is different and everyone has value. There is no shame.

My mom said this weekend, “I LOVE MY LIFE.” She read a story about a woman in her 90’s who still walks to work every day. She wants to be like that woman. Relishing her life and her work and never wanting it to end……..to keep going.

Ethan, Mitch, and Jacob went to the homecoming football game, and so did Caleb, who wanted to go so very much that the boys took him along.

The dog was at their feet in the photo….Parker the dog loves his boys. In his eyes, they can do no wrong and totally deserve 115% loyalty and love.

He’s RIGHT!

Grace was invited to the homecoming dance….and after I asked the brothers if he was a nice boy I said….”If you want to go, then I want you to go. Experience High School…all of it…and enjoy it!” And she was happy to say “yes” and go dress shopping.

We had a hallelujah fit in the mall when we got the text telling us the parade was cancelled that morning…..because we needed more time. This girl hardly has any free time and we shopped for her dress the morning of the dance!!!! It had to be purple, too. Thankfully, we had success at Macy’s. The dress fit her like it was made for her. Which is was. 🙂

We went from shopping to lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, and Abbie.

cousins!

Then we walked to the bookstore.

My dad with Caleb. And a lego mini figure that I bought for my boy.

My mom who loves life even though it’s very hard at times!

I fixed her hair, painted her nails, bought her dress, shoes, and necklace, let her borrow my earrings and dress coat (not pictured) and I was happy to do it all for my girl. It was exhausting, in a good way. That feeling when a plan comes together.

Aren’t they sharp? They had made a plan to dress alike, and they had success! Grace told me the next morning that she had a lot more fun than she thought she would. (She was a little nervous).

I wish I had a better photo of Jacob and Emily but I was so focused on Grace and these two LEFT the house in Jacob’s car before I could even think of getting a picture of them. Rich and I drove Grace and her date to the school and happened to see Jacob and Emily walking on the sidewalk. I took the picture out the truck window. It was freezing cold (in the 40s) so poor Emily was suffering. Jacob didn’t ask to be taken shopping….he simply raided his Dad’s closet.

Oh and in case you’re wondering…Ethan and his girlfriend didn’t go to the dance. They stayed at her house with her family and watched four Harry Potter movies.

The purpose of this photo is to show you my morning glories. They have vigorously produced more vine and leaf than flower. I’m enjoying each remaining day with them because when we have frost they will die. I loved watching them grow all summer long, waiting and waiting for the flowers to appear.

Yesterday evening we cleaned the chicken coop and put fresh new wood shavings down.

We found our first white egg ever!!

Rich took a couple pictures with me in them. And that’s Caleb helping, too.

Wooly Aphids are AMAZING gray bugs that have white wispy stuff (called honeydew) coming out of them. Blogged about last year.

I was standing on the side of the road on Sunday when I took this picture. ^^ This morning I heard the dog barking and looked outside to see a car parked and running in the same spot. I put on my boots to run down and see if they were okay. And GUESS WHAT? This is so exiting. It was a lady trying to take pictures (with a Cannon SLR) of an Osprey sitting in our dead tree!!!!! (the dead tree pictured above). She and I visited on the side of the road, talking of nature and photography, and became friends this morning at 8am!!!!!!!!!!! That’s a God-moment for sure!

This morning’s sunrise. Sarah said, “Mom, come look at the sky!”

Happy is the Mom whose children show her sunrises.

Please please pray that Sarah’s UTI has cleared up. I have to take her tomorrow at 8:45 for a re-check. She’s certainly acting better, and had a great time eating chocolate covered strawberries yesterday after church.

Happy Monday, friends!

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6, 7 (I read this verse this morning and absolutely LOVED it. Amen!)