half an hour

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Shanda

On these small cares of daughter, wife, or friend,
The almost sacred joy of home depend. Hannah More

Grace and I were folding the latest load of laundry when I happened to see the boys playing basketball together through the window….made me smile….so I grabbed the camera and wandered around with it for half an hour.

Ethan leaves to go back to college tomorrow.

Seth’s joy as he plays with Ethan touches my heart.

Meanwhile, in the front yard, Sarah was making soup with pond water and various bits of grass and sticks.

I heard her say, “Thank you tree, for the pine needles,” quite sweetly.

When she got back to her pot, Parker the dog was carefully pulling sticks from the soup which she thought was very amusing as she was not able to get anyone else to try the soup.

Grace and David joined the game.

The chair under the basketball hoop was the “penalty box”. They used it, too.

Caleb was sitting in it for something he did that the rest of the kids agreed was a penalty.

Back inside….cooking shows were playing quietly on the television.

While Rich listened to loudly blaring 1970’s country music while fixing the upstairs toilet.

“Wait, take another picture!” he requested.

Making me laugh.

The only place the cat can eat his canned food without the dog stealing it.

“It’s kinda busy around here this morning, I think I’ll nap with my eyes open.”

thrifting finds

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Shanda

This picture doesn’t go with the rest of the post but I wanted to slip it in. I am enjoying the birds every day, and yes we had snow on April fool’s day. It’s all gone now.

*****

I drove to Vermont on Friday to get Ethan from college. He is home for the week. You may have seen the photo I put on instagram of all seven of the children. I’m glad the older ones are starting to do their own things but there is nothing like those moments when all the family is together again. It’s been even busier than ever at my house, hence not as much time to be on the computer.

This morning after getting the kids off to school and cleaning up spilled evaporated milk from all over the fridge, I had to go to the Post Office. I asked Ethan if he would like to go along with me. He insisted on waking up Jake and the three of us went.

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We went to the coffee shop first and I read them trivial pursuit questions while we enjoyed lattes and Jacob had a sandwich. It brought back good memories of homeschooling. I could sense myself slipping into that “mama teacher” feeling.

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We walked to the Thrift store to see if I could find any treasures. The boys didn’t just walk, they jumped up on bridges and things……

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They can finally do what they wanted to do when they were five years old *but Mom would stop them so they didn’t kill themselves*. I kept having flashbacks. (By the way, Jacob is currently 20 and Ethan is 19).

BACK HOME after thrifting and mailing books out to my friends…..

…..and here are some photos I took of *some* of my thrifting finds from today. I was most excited about the framed needlework that I found, which I promptly added to my collection (after hunting house and garage for a nail.) I used a rock as a hammer.

The collection is growing slow because I am very particular. Not only does it have to look right, the price also needs to be right.

If you are observant, you can see the word “mom” written in red by my bedroom door. What you can’t see is the “X” next to it. When I asked little Seth why he wrote “X mom” by my door he said, “Because you weren’t in your room.” Made sense to me! I can’t tell you how many smiles I have gotten out of that simple red sharpie “X mom” scribble by Seth since he wrote it a few years ago.

Ceramic Bunnies!!! They say 1983 on the bottom and the woman’s name, Eve, who painted them. The lady at the thrift store said ceramics were a trend during that time period and there used to be a ceramics place in town. Aren’t they so cute and perfect for this time of year?

I didn’t even look in the book when I chose it, I just saw the words, “Holly Hobbie” and knew it was for me and added it to the books I already had in my hands…….here is a look inside at some of the illustrations;

I love them all so much. Holly Hobbie has been a favorite my entire life. This book was published when I was a year old. And I also love nursery rhymes. It will be fun to read this book out loud to Sarah and hopefully even the boys might listen and enjoy.

Lastly, a couple baseball books for Seth. I also bought two books for myself. The bunnies, the needlework, and the books cost me 3 dollars.

I bought potted hyacinths at Trader Joes last week and they bloomed. They smell of springtime.

Still watching the geranium buds…..

Kitchen window display of things that make me happy.

“I don’t really collect, I’m attracted to certain things, I get them, and they accumulate.” ~Natalie Gibson

collaboration

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Shanda

Good morning friends! I just had a bowl of oatmeal with a tablespoon of chia seeds on top. I don’t know what possessed me to buy them but they’ve been in the cupboard for months. I rediscovered them this morning. A serving has 4 grams of fiber and, although I had concerns, they did not detract from the overall taste of my oatmeal. With just a tad of coconut oil and a splash of maple syrup-yum! I love eating a good healthy breakfast.

What’s your morning routine? I usually get up around 6:30, hopefully in time to see the older kids before they get on the bus. Seth and Sarah need to be up by 7 at the latest but they are usually awake before that time. This morning the house was quiet when I went directly to the coffee pot and got shot at…thankfully the nerf bullet missed me. I turned around and scanned the room but saw and heard– no one. So, I teasingly whined, “You’re a meany, Seth!” hoping for giggles and guess who popped out from behind the basement door? A giggling Miss Sarah. She was having a nice morning time of target practice before getting ready for school.

On a typical school morning, I oversee Seth and Sarah getting ready. They need a healthy breakfast, too, plus clean clothes (underwear…why do little kids try not to wear it??–how many times have I asked the question, “Do you have underwear on?” so embarrassing–not for them, for me!) I get them clean socks from the basket on the dryer and they locate their shoes and put them on. Together, we make sure they have a snack and their homework in their backpacks. Seth’s bus comes at 7:30 and then Sarah and I sit on the bench by the door and read out loud from our current book. We only have 2 pages left. We read and wait for the bus and when it comes I have to walk Sarah right up to the door of it. I watch her go up the steps and then I turn around and wave to all the little faces looking at me. There are a couple boys who smile at me and sometimes they even wave back.

Since I already have shoes and a jacket on, I go to the chicken coop and let out the hens. Lately they are free-ranging and it makes me nervous that they will be attacked, but right now their fenced in area is still covered in snow and the poor things don’t like walking in it. The ground in front of the coop is clear but rather muddy, and they have a path to walk on which leads down to the pond. They like to go there and drink. They move in and out of the coop as they wish.

Then I head back to the house and proceed with my morning; cleaning, showering, treadmill, laundry, daily bible portion, and…..blogging. I do have the freedom to mix things up, or leave things out, but for the most part this is my routine.

I keep finding more and more chia seeds in my teeth.

******

extremely humbling

One of my friends just sent me some happy mail. I found it in the mailbox on Saturday and opened it up so excitedly. I read the card out loud to Rich and the children…..it was a lovely letter from Lois, someone who has read this entire blog and enjoyed it so much that she sent me a painting of a peony photo from it.

I will treasure it always. Thank you, dear Lois. And what a reward to meet kindred spirits in this way.

A collaboration! God’s masterpiece, my photography, and your painting.

Eyes to see and admire the world around us.

painting

I put the painting in the living room on an end table by the rocking chair in front of the window. There is a flower calendar next to it, a candle, the lamp, and a small rose fiesta vase. I’m working on making a pretty little display and will post a picture when I have it to my satisfaction. (you know–pinterest worthy). 🙂 Isn’t it fun to feather a nest?

“Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable,” Sarah Ban Breathnach

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God–you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
Psalm 139

a teeny bit of home this morning

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Shanda

In a little yellow house in Connecticut, there is a family. And in this family is a mom and a dad, along with a big sister, a big brother, a regular brother, a little brother, and a little sister.

(((There are also two bigger brothers but they are far far away, in Vermont.)))

Snow is blizzardly blowing around the house today, filling the darkened air with bits of white.

The dear dad is busy working from home.

Hi, I’m the mom. And I literally just suggested to Grace and David to “Go put together a pretzel.”

Then, Caleb came upstairs to tattle on Seth.

So I bought them a new movie (via a smart TV and amazon prime) to watch and now I’m in my room to do a quick blog and then go make lunch and gallons of popcorn……….

Grace has been in this same spot all morning, blissfully reading, napping, looking at her phone, and petting the cat. “I looooove himmmmmm” she purrs.

I decided to pick up the camera and take some photos but be aware that everywhere I look is life abundant in the form of stuff everywhere…not mess, but life….papers, coloring books, crayons, puzzles, stuffed animals, boots and shoes, dishes left out, a baseball glove or two or three, jackets, laundry to be folded, cereal boxes left out, a sock here and there, the smell of bacon, etc.

It’s all good! It’s FAMILY!

They play together all the time and I most-of-the-time love it. It’s constant laughing, problems, trying not to involve mom when working things out, and play.

(the dog yawns when he’s embarrassed and/or shy))

((The dog was anxious about Seth getting too close.))

Then, I sent the kids back about 7 feet and ((the dog was happy to have been released.))

Seth Caleb Sarah

8 11 6

I took a photo of him through the glass door. He was on a conference call. (those arms)

11:45 and look who just got up. He told me that last night after everyone went to bed he made a frozen pizza and “ate the whole thing.” To which I replied, “Sodium city” and he said, “Yeah.”

I guess it was the duct tape.

A Happy SNOWY Tuesday from me to you.

you are loved

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou

merry christmas and a happy snow day

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Shanda

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I love my home,
I love my nest,
In all the world,
My nest is best!

Good news! Sherlock the cat is back home recovering from his ordeal. We are all thankful to see him in the old familiar places…..and are fervently praying that he never again forms crystals to block his urinary track.

All the second guessing and questions were gone as soon as I witnessed the love and gentleness in the way the children cared for their pet all weekend long.

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He received much petting.

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Well, it’s our first snow day of the school year. There was speculation all weekend as the children wondered if it would happen and checked the weather frequently. As soon as I woke up this morning, I felt around in the dark for my phone on the table by the bed. Rich left for work as soon as he possibly could as I was announcing to him, “It’s a snow day! Stay home please stay home with us!” He was like, “bye.”

No matter, the children are currently still tucked in their warm beds, sound asleep, and I’m in my room typing away………….enjoying what will probably be the quietest hour of the day.

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On Saturday, Rich was away for a wrestling scrimmage with his team (he is the HS head coach) and I had a leftover roast chicken in the fridge so I set to work making homemade chicken and dumplings with a big pot of fluffy mashed potatoes. The only reason I got the camera out is because Seth was amusing me. He had helped roll out the dumplings and then ended up on the counter for a good half an hour playing in a cup of flour…….

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Messy….but harmless fun for a boy in the kitchen.

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And a warm comfort food was enjoyed by all for lunch that day.

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When Rich got home from wrestling, he took a quick nap on the couch and then took the boys for haircuts…..

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The reason why Rich completely spoils and worships me is because I gave him five sons and two daughters who look just like him. (okay, that is maybe just one of the many reasons).

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“Sarah get off my cat! Mom tell Sarah to get off my cat! No don’t take a picture of Sarah with my cat, that’s my cat!” ~David is very possessive.

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Rich and David moved this little couch (dog bed) into the other room to make a spot for the Christmas tree. It was about 28 degrees on Saturday afternoon so he could only get Caleb and Sarah to go with him to the fire department to choose the tree. I could tell he was starting to get tired and not in the mood but after a little love-spat we got the decorating done. It certainly wasn’t the same without Jacob and Ethan helping us and Grace saying things like “I probably won’t be here next year to help decorate the tree”. sigh. Not only that but the Heisman’s Trophy was going to be awarded at 8 and it was 7:55 so we were in sort of a time crunch. (Caleb is a passionate football fan).

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Little by little the nest is getting festive. Yes, those are legos.

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The painting from Aunt Colleen, vintage yellow fiestaware, a strand of lights, and my cookbook collection.

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While searching for the decorations they found their old board puzzles.

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A beautiful moment after the children were in bed…..a purring cat on my lap, candles, Sangria, and the lovely tree.

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(Caleb just came in here asking if it was a snow day. After he heard the news he climbed up, “I want to snuggle with you. Can I see your phone? I want to see who won the game last night, I went to bed after the third quarter just in case it wasn’t a snow day.”)

So Sunday morning was blessedly relaxing. Rich was watching a movie and after a while I noticed him doing sit ups on the floor. This man works out EVERY DAY so I got a little bossy and said, “If you have energy I have something you could do instead.”

(Seth has appeared)

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And then later on, we were getting ready for church and Rich captured this special moment. “When Moms do their Daughters Hair.” Sarah needed two tissues to get through it.

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And when I showed her the photo of the final result she said proudly, “Is my hair really that long?” so I knew she wasn’t scarred for life.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Snow Day! I’ll blog tomorrow about all the things we did with our surprise vacation day from school. (Meanwhile, Seth is asking if he can open one of his presents)………

thankful, so very very thankful

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Shanda

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These mashed potatoes are soooooooooo good!

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I’m still using my Grandma’s potato masher.

fiesta potholders
martha stewart pot

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The potatoes were a snack for these fine young men. (By the way, I took all these photos last week but didn’t post them yet). Ethan had a week home from college.

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Rich was away on a business trip for five days. I took this picture of the boys for him after their football practice….as you can see, Seth is full of energy STILL!

This morning he was showing me how his shorts didn’t stay up and I said, “Dressing you is like trying to dress a broom stick.” and he said, “That’s because I’m skinny.”

He also said, “When I grow up I’m not going to get married so I can still live with you.” “You don’t have to get married but you could still have your own place,” I replied. “I’ll be your neighvor.” he said. (exactly how he pronounced it)

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WHAT??? All I did was walk out the front door when I discovered this very very cool green insect on the dresser on the porch. Isn’t it amazing?

You can make discoveries at any time and any place. Keep your eyes open.

I want to draw this bug. Wouldn’t it be fun to draw this bug?

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I have a fascination with the Salem Witch Trials but this book was disappointingly difficult to read. It put me to sleep every evening. I finally put it down and read reviews on amazon — gratified to see the majority of them felt the same as I did. I bought this book at Costco and will be returning it.

The Trouble with Magic, by Ruth Chew (my latest read to Sarah book)
Little Women
The Little’s Surprise Party
Young Amelia Earhart
Tales of Peter Rabbit and his Friends
Heidi (full of illustrations)
Art book
Charlie Brown book

I love having books everywhere I turn here.

Sarah reading to Mama.

Seth reading to Mama (with Sarah next to us).

Little Bear books are the best. You know they make me tear up? Heartwarming stories. And then she wrote Hunger Games, can you believe that? (I did read Hunger Games and enjoyed it but got bored with the rest of the series, haven’t seen the movies.)

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Dress up

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Another homegrown pumpkin (we had four)

Kids are the best

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a bunny bee and soft flower petals

(isn’t it so cute?)

To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of the them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor’s except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit, in God’s out-of-doors–these are the little guide-posts on the foot-path of peace.

Henry Van Dyke.

((David caught a snake.)) Yesterday Michael and Logan walked to our house to visit and said they rescued a snake from the road, it’s tail was run over so they put the hurt snake in the woods. I was so happy with them.

Our cats love sleeping in laundry baskets.

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DAVID!!!! getting so tall and changing daily…..drinking that yummy raw milk does wonders. He’s been on the Rip Stick (see it behind him) a lot lately. He loves to go to football practice with his brothers and while they are on the fields, he is on the parking lot with the rip stick (for 2 hours!). Last night he was hungry and made himself a little pot of rice for a bedtime snack. He’s the best at making rice and has a scientific precise way of making it. He’s also been eating tortilla chips and salsa on a constant basis. It always amuses me to see the kids to through “their favorite snack” stages. I remember when Grace would eat a can of corn every day.

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In a weak moment, I let Parker take a nap next to me.

GLOWING GLOWING GLOWING…….the outdoors is simply dazzling.

“Early in the morning, my song shall rise to Thee.”

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Ethan and Tessa making pasta for dinner.

Is there anything more cozy than being outside and looking at the bright windows of YOUR house, with YOUR family inside???

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Last night Seth looked back at me as he was going downstairs to bed and said, “Mom in the morning I want eggs for breakfast,” and he pointed his finger at me like Gary George, and continued, “Fried. Two.” Then, a thumbs up. I was smiling, “Okay Seth!” So this morning I put a healthy amount of butter in a cast iron pan and fried him up two eggs, served with whole wheat toast.

He said to me, he said to me with his mouth full, “This is a good breakfast, mom.”

recipe = yum yum!!!

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Shanda

A nice whole grain, nutritious, and flavorful salad~

First of all, you need to cook your wheat berries by combining 1 3/4 cups water with 1/2 cup rinsed soft white wheat berries and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a pan. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

((I used Bob’s Red Mill wheat berries, and this is the recipe on the back of the bag.))

Wheat Berry and White bean Salad

Salad: 1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup cooked white or navy beans (I used one whole 15oz can of white beans)
1/2 cup green onion, chopped (I used regular minced fresh onion)
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup tomato, diced (if you’re still trying to use up summer’s bounty, you can increase tomato)

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T. lemon or lime juice
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. honey mustard (I used 1 T. honey plus a half teaspoon of mustard)
2 T. minced shallot (I omitted)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix the vinaigrette by combining all the ingredients with a whisk or blender. Add the salad ingredients and mix well. Let chill several hours or overnight.

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I’m not the only one who liked it; my sister in law asked for the recipe, & Rich liked it, too.
The four of us went to Sturbridge this afternoon to get coffee and visit the Yankee Candle seconds store. It’s becoming a yearly trip for us and quite fun. Fall weather is beginning here in New England, the air is clear and hot during the day, chilling down at night. We also visited a few other quaint shops, too.

Now we are home. Isaac and Cassandra left and Rich and I are reading on the porch. I’m wearing soft wool socks which feel extra comfy after a day in flip flops, a pair of sweat pants, and a gray shirt. Hair up in a ponytail/bun.

Caleb is frying hamburgers for himself and the kids– and I can smell them through the open window. The neighbor boys just left with hamburgers in their hands.

There is a cool breeze and over in another chair is our cat busy giving himself a groom.

Rich is reading a book about Revelation. Our arms are touching.

I heard an owl hooting! Every few seconds it does it again, it’s off in the distance in the woods and I wish I could see it. There are quite a few birds in the garden taking seeds from the hanging sunflowers. I wish owls liked sunflowers seeds.

I should go get my camera and take pictures of the birds.

Make the salad!

weekending

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Shanda

“This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus’ words in John 15:12

We had a house FULL from Friday night to Saturday morning. We had our own seven, plus seven extra teenagers. They were staying the night in order to be at the church bright and early.

This is camp week for our teens and Rich is also there as a team leader.

I’m spending the week here at home with Caleb, Seth, and Sarah. My oldest son, Jacob, is also home because he is now too old for camp. He’s driving up on Friday to see everyone, though, and keeping himself busy with work, music, friends, and helping his mama at home.

This morning I am taking the kids to the one dollar movie and then to get the boys’ their football cleats because tonight Football practice starts for Caleb and Seth….and I am so glad because they need activity at this point. No more lazy-daisy summer evenings for them!

On Saturday morning I drove the campers to the church to get on the bus and then Seth and I went to the bakeshop nearby. The gardens on the property were stunning! I wish my front beds looked like this! Dreams for next year…….

full and luscious flowers beds.

Seth chose a cupcake and we took home a blueberry pie.

For whatever reason, I am determined to keep moving and stay extra busy & active this week while Rich and the kids are away…perhaps to keep those “I’m missing you” feelings at bay? And to get so tired I have no trouble sleeping in the big bed all alone? So on Saturday I took the kids on two walks. It was pretty warm outside so we kept them on the shorter side, but we still saw some pretty sights, the kids climbed big rocks, and the boys found sticks to sword fight with.

Aren’t pond lilies pretty?

That photo which Caleb took that made me realize just how tall and how big my youngest is getting!

When I was a little girl, a happy time for me was going for adventure walks “up to the big rocks” in Grandma and Grandpa’s woods. We would all go, Grandma, the aunts, mom, and the cousins. We had the best time exploring the rocks and daring ourselves to jump over the crack between two tall rocks.

The rocks we discovered on Saturday reminded me of those days. My own children loved the experience just as much as we did years ago.

Soft, dappled sunlight over moss and leaves.

Caleb helped keep Seth from getting lost because our boy Seth runs ahead and OFF the trail just from the joy of being free…….

Sarah Joy took this photo of me….it’s the best, out of focus!

She always has to be holding my hand. It makes her feel stronger and safer.

This is Seth making a “tough guy” face when I asked to take his picture. He is nothing but muscle and bone….he’s the one who gets cold first when they go swimming…has boundless energy and his Dad calls him “Scrapper”. Our very own state wrestling champ!

Yesterday I spent the day with my brother and his wife. We went out shopping, had drinks from Sonic, bought chocolates, ate donuts, and generally ate more sugar than usual. Back at home, we played a game, drank coffee, ate pie (!), sandwiches, and watched a movie with the kids.

Before they left we took a couple of photos outside in the sun.

The kids were flopped on the couch, tired out, while I walked down to our stream to see the Cardinal flowers.

They are a yearly event for me (perhaps I’ll start throwing a party) because they are such a GORGEOUS wild flower, as red as can be.

They liked the wetness of the earth by the stream and at this time of year the stream is low and it is easy to get down the bank and stand on the rocks to take photos.

The wild day lilies are almost done.

Queen Anne’s lace and goldenrod is everywhere. I like to stop and study them because they are almost always entertaining bugs, which if you stop to see them, can be very interesting indeed.

**Queen Anne’s lace remind me of Great Grandma’s crocheted doilies.

Each season, each month of the growing months has its own flower-time. Starting with the tiny spring flowers up until the sturdy flowers of fall. I love to welcome them each year and watch them come and go and come again…… year after year.

God’s creation is always exciting, but also solidly dependable, too.

Swallowtail off in the distance, tiptoeing all over this tall, wild “Joe-Pye weed“.

My house, my gardens, my rock wall, my ferns = I love it here. We’ve been at this place for ten years now and my heart is home. I thank God constantly for our life here.

I don’t care if Anne (of Green Gables) thought zinnias were stiff and horrible….I LOVE THEM!

“Look at that wave of poppies breaking against the garden well, Miss Cornelia. Susan and I are very proud of our poppies this year, though we hadn’t a single thing to do with them. Walter spilt a packet of seed there by accident in the spring and this is the result. Every year we have some delightful surprise like that.”
“I’m partial to poppies,” said Miss Cornelia, “though they don’t last long.”
“They have only a day to live,’ admitted Anne, “but how imperially, how gorgeous they live it! Isn’t that better than being a stiff horrible zinnia that lasts practically for ever? We have no zinnias at Ingleside. They’re the only flowers we are not friends with. Susan won’t even speak to them.” ~Anne of Ingleside, chapter 15

I love them because they last practically forever. So there, dear Anne. (I’ll always love you)

Back in the house, I admire my own dear sturdy boy, snuggling with a very loved and spoiled Gentleman Gray kitty.

So thankful for these children o’ mine. Can you imagine if we stopped at four?

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**Queen Anne’s lace reminds me of Great Grandma’s crocheted doilies.

YOU ARE LOVED, dear friends.
A very happy August 1st to you!

small things

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Shanda

Whatever you do,
do it in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17

When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive;
to breath, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius

We are currently enjoying a few rare summer days of no outside pressures or activity; no sports, nothing on the calendar for the next two weeks. The children are wild n’ free and don’t need me whatsoever, and for the last couple of days, my mind went all kinds of “blah”. A wonderfully delicious blah, (no anxiety! no pressures!) except that I didn’t appreciate it like I should have. In retrospect, I am sure these sorts of stagnant days serve some sort of healing and function and I can be thankful……however….

When I tried doing even more laundry to give myself a sense of accomplishment; it didn’t work.
I tried watching TV and putting my feet up; it turned my mind even more numb.
I wandered slowly up the stairs to clean Sarah’s room; it took me twice as long as it should have; I felt sad when I cleared out the baby board books to make room for her big girl story books.
I thought about going for a walk in the woods; all I did was look out the window for five minutes, staring off into space.
I took photos of my pretty teenage daughter and her friend; they made cookies and I ate one. I admit, that was nice.
I tried reading a book; I couldn’t get into any of the ones I tried. blah.
I hugged people (my children) that came around; that was also nice.
I decided to make dinner even though I didn’t feel like it; it was yummy. very blah though. (spaghetti for the 5,000th time)

These activities didn’t help much with chasing away my big stagnant feeling but do you know what did?

waking up to a FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh the possibilities! The weekend is about to happen and Rich and I can do stuff together! The two of us. For two whole entire days.

This week I pulled the first two carrots. Seth ran over to me to get one. See him in the black shirt? He felt he had to rush or maybe a sibling would get to Mom first (it happens).

I love how growing things and having to wait and wait for them to be ready makes the children desire their carrots like nothing else. (we have a bunch from the store in the fridge, does anyone want to eat THOSE? only Dave.)

Caleb had a friend over for the day. They swam in the pond and then caught a chicken.

The children hosted a water balloon fight. It was rather amusing to see how much effort they put into “strategy”. After they spent time picking two teams I was waiting on the porch with my camera expecting it to start but they took so long planning, and they spread out so far across the yard, that I never did take photos of the actual battle.

How to prepare beets: begin by washing thoroughly, which is quite satisfying as they are very dirty from the garden. Then, cut the stems about an inch above the beet. Trim the main purple stem out of each green; add greens to your next salad or cook like spinach. Boil beets until soft. Drain them in the sink into a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking. Let sit in sink until room temperature, or move colander to counter on a pretty towel. When cool, skins will slide right off the beets; trim off them stems and root end. Slice for salads or continue with preparations for a beet recipe (like harvard beets; so good!)

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This year we have morning glory vines growing up sunflowers; but I didn’t plant them purposefully, they are last year’s morning glories that went to seed and grew. A fun garden gift. I did plant the sunflowers and they are at the stage now where they attract little goldfinches and chickadees. The prettiest way to feed the birds, I’d say.

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While doing some long overdue weeding and watering, I was surprised to see that my hens and chicks plant had blossoms! Such an admirable sweet, quiet combination of colors, too.

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Grace and Jenna, baking cookies yesterday.

They did a great job and talked the entire time. Sarah loved hanging around them, too.

During my laundry work; MOM OF BOYS, many many boys.

Jacob worked an early shift yesterday and came home with enough time to put his feet up and read (he was very soon sound asleep).

His favorite author is Bernard Cornwell.

My favorite 19 year old boy is Jacob.

The best part of the day; when Rich gets home, we eat our dinner, and then have a few hours to relax together before bedtime. He eventually fell asleep right where he was on the couch, with me snuggled up next to him, the boys all around us, and Grace at our feet.

I think one of the best feelings of contentment come at the end of the day when we are surrounded by our children and everyone is happy, productive, and healthy.

Ethan was playing us songs on his phone (he has the best songs), Jacob was composing, and David was watching funny cat videos on youtube. When Grace joined us I kept looking at her face and thinking how adorable she was.

Last but not least, as you can see, we have a Monarch at the end of its chrysalis stage; it has “turned black” and you can see it’s recognizable monarch wings through it’s clear, shiny casing. I LOVE the gold details that God placed on the chrysalis. Beautiful, like fine jewelry, tasteful and simple.

You can see a green one in the background.

*gold*

Doesn’t it make you smile?

*****

We can do no great things; just small things with great love. Mother Teresa

back home

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Shanda

Sarah’s first day back at home after surgery has been a gift. Things like this always make me appreciate the little things in life even more.

When we arrived home, I noticed differences right away.

The morning glories are inches further up the sunflowers.
Gypsy moths are flying around.
My gardens and hanging baskets are dry and need watering.
Raspberries are ripening fast.
The grass was longer.

I know my house, my land, my gardens. My roots go way down.

How to heal a little girl; with snuggles, stuffed animals that fit just right in a small hand, books, back scratches, ginger ale, movies, smiles, brothers and a sister, games, rides in a wheelchair, naps, words of encouragement, leaving the hospital as soon as possible, pain medicine, a nest on the couch, getting clean with a shower, soap, and combed out hair, tempting foods like fresh garden peas and wild raspberries picked by a loving sister and mama.

flowers.