plant notebook

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Shanda

(breakfast, Bible reading, journal)

“They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.” Mark 6:51, 52

“Jesus, according to your Word, keep my thoughts fixed on You, so that by your grace, my heart will be, not hard, but soft with the ability to take in your miracles, Your work in my life every day.”

plant3 1

Oh Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

Psalm 40:5

*****

P L A N T N O T E B O O K

plant2

Christmas Cactus
purchased at Logee’s
reminded me of Great Grandma
plant needs partial shade, blooms during the short winter days and cooler temperatures
water thoroughly after soil looks dry
fertilize once every two weeks

plant

String of Pearls or Bead Plant

Purchased at Logee’s
I bought it because I think it’s beautiful.
plant is an easy grower and needs fertilizing once every two months
blooms small white flowers that smell like cinnamon

plant3

Life Saver Plant

also from Logee’s
I purchased this one because I thought it was very cool. The flowers bloom to look just like life saver tubes.
full sun, little watering, fertilizer from spring to fall once a month.
perfect for windowsills

plants4

Aloe Vera

given to me by my Mom

Leaves contain juice that helps with the pain of a burns and scrapes.
needs full sun and well draining soil.
water deeply and let dry to a depth of 2 inches before next watering.
Plant produces babies that may be repotted (as gifts for friends and/or daughters).
my pinterest board to inspire houseplants galore

happy here

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Shanda

corners of our home

I remembered my old gentle books. They were scattered throughout the house, neglected, so I searched all the bookcases we have in our home, and found most of them. I’m still missing several (gasp), no doubt under someone’s bed or tucked away in a forgotten spot.

I still remember the first time I pulled Anne of Avonlea out of a bookcase in the elementary school library. After enjoying Anne, I happily went on to read every one of Montgomery’s other novels. I discovered newer publications of her short stories and gobbled those up as well. Then, as an adult, I found her posthumous journals and read a biography written by Mary Henley Rubio as soon as it came out. The journals and biography were fascinating but depressing for me, as her mental state was quite fragile, but this mind of hers was a beautiful gift regardless of her struggles, as out of it came stories that remain beloved by so many even after all these years.

During the same years that I read LM Montomery’s books, I found and read Cynthia Voigt with the same passion. I loved reading all of Voigt’s novels and shared them with my mom and my book-loving friends and then my daughter, who loves them, too. I read On Fortune’s Wheel over and over through the years…..the Dicey books and the Kingdom books will always be mine.

On my bedside table……..

I am reading The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton. Although I just started it, I can already tell it is a most excellent book that will remain in our home library.

While I was waiting for the boys in the dentist office the other day I picked up a current copy of People magazine and came across an article about the woman who wrote The Life Changing Habit of Tidying Up which I have purposely avoided even looking at because it has been everywhere lately. Surprisingly, I read the article with fascination! No wonder the book is a best seller….the author is intriguing and unique to say the least. I read just one of her many suggestions, this one about folding clothes into little bundles and standing them up in drawers, and just look at what happened in Sarah’s room (only)!!!!

(I ordered the book).

Rich gave me this perfume for Valentines’s Day. It’s my new favorite!

(and by “gave me” I mean, I bought it for myself on Valentine’s Day while he was coaching Seth’s wrestling meet)

This is how we keep track of our receipts…with an old vintage invoice spike that I found thrifting. This is the only way to do it, IMO.

I keep track of daily life by writing everything (appointments, birthdays, Rich’s business trips, the kids sports games and school concerts, etc) down on the calendar in our room. By the end of the year I don’t want to throw them away because it’s such a condensed but detailed view of our family life.

I’ve had this plant for years now and to have it rebloom is such a satisfaction. It’s saying in the language of flowers, “I’m happy here.”

day of snow

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Shanda

The first thing we all did this morning was check to see if there was a snow day and YES we had no school for the first time this winter. The ground was already covered with fresh white snow.

Ethan shoveled the driveway.

Yesterday we had carpet guys come and start work replacing our carpet upstairs. They did half of the job and then had to come out today to do the rest while a multitude of snowflakes fell outside. It was cozy inside with all the children and the workers. I got busy in the kitchen.

I made two pans of apple crisp and a pot of clam chowder for lunch and invited them to eat with us. One of the guys said my chowder was better than his wife’s. He said he wouldn’t tell her though.

Grace took a nap on the couch despite all the hammering and noise.

Emily and Tessa came and Emily taught us how to make cake in a mug.

~New carpet~

(When the guys tried to leave they were stuck in the snowy driveway for a while)

There are piles of stuff still waiting to be put back away. But I wanted to take a break and say hello to my bloggy friends. It’s been a busy, lively day. Happy Friday!

~you are loved~

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” Victor Hugo

old bananas, etc

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Shanda

I am eating this right now. It is so good…….

So last night I overfilled my goulash casserole and it dripped all over the bottom of the oven as it baked and filled the kitchen with smoke. As a result, I can’t make my lemon banana bread this morning until the oven self cleaner is done. It’s 34 degrees outside, the sun is shining brilliantly, my house is once again smelling of smoke as the oven cleans. I have windows and doors open to keep the smoke alarm from going off.

This morning the first thing she said to me was, “Can I put a puzzle together?” And then she asked me, “Are the Northern Lights REAL?” After questioning, I learned that she saw a picture of them in Kindergarten. The puzzle is of Alaskan animals and the Northern Lights can be seen in Alaska so I was floored by the entire conversation which occurred much too early in the morning (6:30am).

We bought this small piece of furniture this weekend from the guy down the road. He refinishes pieces and we really like him and his shop. It’s very rustic and down to earth. This small chest of drawers, very narrow but made of hard wood, has two shallow drawers and one deep drawer. From now on the mail and papers get stuffed into it rather than piled on the counter. The pile was driving me nuts.

I’m freezing..hold on…I gotta turn the fan off and shut the door….

We also bought this chest. The top opens and shuts without a latch which makes it easy to use and also no children or cats can get trapped inside of it. I’m using it to hold all the wrestling things and any back packs and bags that I can fit into it, in this way the spot near the door doesn’t have QUITE the pile of stuff it normally does in the evening. If I put a blanket on top of the chest Gentleman Gray will curl up and sleep on it too; it’s also a cat bed.

I went to the grocery store before I picked up David from newspaper club yesterday so I could get a few things for goulash dinner. And guess what? I discovered a new-to-my-grocery-store flavor of FAGE yogurt! It’s sooooooooo good!

ALSO this is very exciting…..Panera bread in the grocery store!!!!!! I discovered it yesterday by the hot soup station. I LOVE their tomato basil and I bought the white for the kids and as you can see, it’s almost gone already.

This is what I’m going to bake as soon as the oven is done cleaning itself. I said in a few posts back that I wanted to depend more on my cookbooks than the internet and when I realized this morning that I had old bananas, I went and sat on the floor by my cookbook shelf to search for a recipe……and it looks great. I found eggs in the coop this morning that I will use, too.

B A N A N A L E M O N B R E A D

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups mashed banana
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons grated lemon peel

Grease 2 loaf pans or one bundt pan. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the eggs, bananas, and juice. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the grated lemon peel. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Of course, I don’t know how it will turn out. If it’s a flop I’ll come back online later and cross out the recipe.

Lastly, we (mostly Jacob and myself) have been currently working on a room in the basement and I wanted to show you our style of decorating. It’s not so much decorating than filling up……and we love it.

Our inspiration? “The Burrow” from the Harry Potter movies….here is a picture:

3305b4e6fb723aa2df9e54ff8a702093

Now, our room will not be the same because of the very unromantic drop ceiling but that’s beside the point. What we love is “clutter”, pillows, blankets, comfy lived in couches and chairs, rugs, books everywhere, all kinds of stuff hanging on the walls, just a very eclectic humble and cozy room…..

So far, this is what we’ve accomplished out of practically nothing (cast offs, things from the thrift store, stuff from our own storage that I had put away).

And by the way, this is only part of our basement. There is also a section which is a bedroom for three of the boys, an exercise room with a treadmill, and a storage room. This part is Jacob’s bedroom/PS4 video game room. When teenagers come over this is where they end up. Because it is the basement we threw caution to the wind and cheerfully hung things up everywhere (the walls were bare a month ago). And we aren’t done! Jacob is having just as much fun as I am with this space. It’s been a fun project for us.

Obviously not a very good photo of the curtains, but they are very cool vintage Star Wars curtains that I bought at Iroquois Antiques “back home” several years ago. David wants me to leave them to him in my will.

The wooden shelf to the far right of the photo next to the TV is Jacob’s rock collection.

The desk was already down there but they moved the two bookcases down, along with the blue chair and the rug. Michael and Jacob bought the coffee table from walmart but they are looking for another one, possibly a round wooden one.

(this is also Michael’s room when he stays the weekends with Jacob)

I bought the clock at Target. Army guys are solid medal from a tag sale. Cross stitched army guy also from tag sale. Art work from Emily to Jacob.

Old quilts covering our shabby old very very comfortable couch.

The black frame is from the Family dollar. The gold frame is from Goodwill…I love that it had seven spaces for my seven children.

“It’s not much, but it’s home” ~Harry Potter

*****

“Comfort is born out of use, therefore the comfortable houses seem to be the ones that have been lived in.”

“Clutter=finding solace and a little beauty in the things we cherish in our everyday lives at home and at work”

“I want my house to be comfortable, not perfect”

all quotes from a wonderful book titled A PERFECTLY KEPT HOUSE IS THE SIGN OF A MISSPENT LIFE. Not a life/decorating style for everyone, but I personally like it so much and it speaks my language for what an ideal home looks and feels like.

black bottom muffins, etc.

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Shanda

The coffee shop on Jekyll Island sells these muffins and my Dad loves them. I was determined to find a recipe because they are delicious. Indeed, with the internet it didn’t take any longer than five seconds to discover what I was searching for….black bottom muffins….the name makes Sarah Joy giggle. “Did you say bottom?” she laughed.

The muffin is more of a cupcake. The chocolate cake part is soft and delicately sweet. The middle is cheesecake!

I made a batch yesterday (one batch=12 muffins) and they were gone in no time.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

(recipe source: the wonderful and convenient allrecipes.com)

You know what makes me sort of sad? When I was married 20 years ago I spent so much time dreaming as I turned page after page in my new cookbooks, planning on what I would bake next for my husband. I have a beautiful collection of books to this day….but do I look at them now? Hardly ever. I think one of my new year’s resolutions will be to make more recipes out of my cookbooks rather than from the computer. Just because.

This is a Sarah update.

She had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday with her surgeon and new urologist. The surgeon was very happy with her healing progress. She does have a stent which will have to be removed in February which will entail another magical sleep in the O.R. At the same time, the Doctor will look with a scope into her kidney to make sure every stone fragment was removed during her first surgery.

The urologist went over her 24 hour urine sample results and sure enough, she is a stone-maker. He sent us to get blood drawn that day as well, which Sarah did not appreciate despite the fact that they had a cartoon playing right in front of the lab chair and she was sitting on my lap. She was just simply done with all the needles. But we managed just fine and she came away with another toy so……

He called with the lab results which were PERFECTLY normal (praise Jesus) –all but her vitamin D level, which was low (common for our area). So she is taking a supplement and I’m giving it to all the children in the house, too.

She has to eat an orange a day (and/or lemons, lemonade or limes) and drink twice as much as I was making her drink before. (ugh) She also has to avoid salt. In a few months we will do the urine test again to see if the diet change has helped.

Sarah went to school on Wednesday and Thursday. She did absolutely fine other than being a little more tired than usual. I kept her home today, however, because she was looking pale to me and although she has been acting fine here at home, I feel much better keeping her with me. She is currently watching a movie.

Ethan is home after getting done with midterms early. I went to pick him up (with Sarah) and we went through the Dunkin Donuts drive thru. We stopped at the grocery store where I left them waiting for me in the warm car eating their snacks while I ran in to get half and half and the ingredients for three bean salad.

It’s a beautiful day, sunny, and a freezing cold 27 degrees with an icy wind. When I look out the window at our ponds I think to myself that the ice must be about ready for skating. In the meantime, I am staying close by the fire that I made this morning in our fireplace. It is a comforting, popping and crackling sound, not to mention toasty warm.

Happy Friday, friends!

You are loved.

“Nothing is lovelier in life, than the spirit of contentment. Fretting mars the beauty of many a face. Discontent spoils all one’s world. Out of whatever window he looks — the discontented person sees something that is not pleasing.

But a contented person sees only good everywhere. The happiest homes in the world are not those in which are the finest carpets, the costliest pictures, the most luxurious furniture — but those in which contented, joyful hearts dwell. A mind at peace, beautifies the plainest surroundings and even the hardest conditions.” J.R. Miller

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

the story of a birthday, with recipes

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Shanda

On the morning of December 31, Jacob woke up and smiled. It was his nineteenth birthday and he was looking forward to being home all day long as the center of attention, with lots of family and friends saying Happy Birthday over and over, and generally making merriment in his honor. As the first of seven children, he always felt his very best in a crowd.

His sweet girlfriend was the first to arrive. The day was sunny and pretty.

Emily and Jacob spent time together until she had to go to work.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I was very busy making meatballs out of 10 pounds of hamburger.

M E A T B A L L S

I have opinions about meatballs. The ones found in the frozen food section of the grocery store are miles away from being as tasty as homemade. The only ones I have found pre-made that I will pay good money for are a brand that costco sells in the refrigerator section. They are sold in bags of sauce and they are very good. But I haven’t been able to find them lately and also they are a bit more expensive than homemade.

I didn’t like making meatballs until I thought to myself, “I DO like making cookies and they are the same exact concept”. Big bowl, dump in ingredients, mix, and form into balls on cookie sheets. Bake at 350. EASY!

Here is a basic recipe, but the sky is the limit with meatballs. Simple is best.

4 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
4 slices fresh bread, town into bread crumbs
1/2 finely minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup tomato juice

Mix together, form into balls, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until done.

At this point you may cool them and freeze for later, or use them in your favorite recipe.

For Jacob’s party I put them in a crock pot, poured sauce over and turned the dial to “warm”. I prepared buttered noodles and kept them in casserole dishes in the empty oven to store until dinner.

A note about sauce. I do buy prepared sauce and keep it in the pantry but lately I’ve been cutting the saltiness of it by adding a big (28 oz) can of plain whole tomatoes to the pot. To me this has a fresher taste and is more “tomatoey” rather than “processed spaghetti sauce”. A plain, simple, but high quality sauce is nice for simmering meatballs because the meatballs flavor the sauce deliciously.

The house began to fill with teenagers. Jacob is blessed to have great friends in his life and also a birthday that falls on a great party day—New Year’s Eve—and for the last few years the day has turned into an all night celebration for them (not me. I hate staying up late.)

With Ethan and a couple other boys on the wrestling team, we try to have lots of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge at all times. And it’s good for all of us to eat them.

Caleb’s mom won the “best dip” award (no prize, just the title) by sending along a a couple bags of waffle fries for us to bake and then serve with this dip:

1 tub of sour cream
diced chives (a couple handfuls)
a pack of bacon cooked and diced
a cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together and chill for at least an hour and then top with a little more chives and bacon. Serve with waffle fries.

amazing…so so good

Our old couch is now down in the basement along with a TV and the game systems. So this year it became the kid’s favorite hang out place. I just had to control my curiosity and not go down to see what they were doing constantly.

Just once in a while. And it’s always interesting. Who would have expected seeing Ethan with a tower of dog biscuits on his head?

This is the face of someone whose heart was saying all day long, “How can my darling baby boy be 19 years old?”

Rich is always trying to get kids to do sit ups and push ups with him.

TIME TO EAT! but first a birthday blessing……

directly followed by a little bit of wrestling

not sorry Tessa….you’re beautiful even with your tongue sticking out….

LOVE LOVE LOVE these SMILES!

Emily came back as soon as she was done with work. She couldn’t wait to dive into the meatballs because I had only let her have one of them that morning.

even more wrestling

They were watching a football game together. (Caleb is a huge football fan).

Eventually it was presents and cake time.

This was Seth about to almost put his dog in the flames. *sigh* thank goodness Emily was there to intercept. Blowing out the candles couldn’t happen fast enough, in my opinion. I think Parker the dog was nervous, too. He helps me keep things under control.

Moist Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the oil, coffee and milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 minutes longer.

Pour into a greased 9 by 13, or for a layer cake, two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minus or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup butter, softened
8 cups confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of completely cooled cake (note: this is plenty of frosting to top two 9 by thirteen cakes kept in the pans, which is what I did for the party).

(I doubled this recipe for two 9 by thirteens)

recipe source: taste of home baking classics cookbook

Thank you to Emily and Ethan and his girlfriend Tessa for serving out the cake and ice cream.

Jacob had a wonderful birthday and it was fun to see him enjoy himself. One of my favorite things about him is his ready laugh.

That’s frosting on those pants.

By the next morning, after a night of doing who knows what, the teens were all watching Sesame Street of all things. We ate breakfast prepared by Emily at about 8:30 and then people began to either 1) leave or 2) crash all over the couches to sleep.

Jacob had a lot of changes in the last year and we look forward to seeing him continue growing and learning throughout this next one, too. His last year of being a teenager.

Time flies. And we are having fun.

busy kitchen, happy hearts

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Shanda

Good morning, dear friends and relations, it is a beautiful fall day. The official first day of winter is in one week and it currently does not feel a bit like winter. Caleb, my precious soft hearted boy, had tears in his eyes this morning as he looked at the weather report for the days leading up to Christmas. NO SNOW. He said he prayed about it, too. He wonders if we will have ANY snow AT ALL this winter. It’s so important to him that it makes me long for snow, too. What a happy boy I will have on that day.

I went down to the chicken coop to let out the hens and give them a bowl of leftovers. I collected three eggs and stood at the pond to look at the beauty around me as I prayed a good morning prayer to God, asking him to send down his blessings on this old world, thanking Him for all He enables us to do each day….learn, grow, think, laugh, praise, heal, feel, work, BE…new creations. The old has passed away and the new has come like a miracle. Every good thing comes from above and our thankful hearts please Him.

The birds are happy, too. I have a feeder by the porch which brings in the songbirds. They sit in the bushes by the house and take turns flying over to select a seed.

I opened windows and turned on the house fan for some fresh air. Later on I will go the post office to get a Christmas card weighed because I bought a pack that require extra postage, but how much extra? I need to figure it out and get to work writing my cards, which I do so love to do, sending out mail is a pleasure. Receiving it is, too!

*****

How about one last post featuring dear Hannah? Oh, we had a lovely visit, doing so many simple sweet things together like sing and play piano, put together puzzles, watch TV, go for walks, and……..WORK IN THE KITCHEN. How fun it is to work side by side with another woman in the kitchen! Four hands are better than two. And we were blessed with two little helpers….eight hands ready to work in the busy kitchen.

While Hannah set to work making her famous chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles, I began a batch of Christmas cookies….Russian tea cakes. I only regret that I didn’t think of sending a box home with her because they are a very sturdy and delicious cookie indeed, able to survive a trip to Alaska.

flour, eggs, butter, water, salt…..such humble ingredients turn into the best of comfort foods…NOODLES

She rolled the dough as thin as possible and then cut the noodles on a cutting board.

Then, she sprinkled them on a floured cookie sheet to dry for a little while.

I put Seth and Sarah to work rolling balls of cookie dough. “Is this one too big Mom?” she asked. “Yes, a little.” “Okay,” she said as she solved the problem by taking a chunk off to put it in her mouth.

just right.

sweet happy Hannah. In this picture you can see the paper Angel garland over the entry to the dining room. Hannah bought one for her house, too. Isn’t it pretty?

The noodles are all cut out and waiting to be placed in hot flavorful chicken broth.

The cookies are done and powdered sugar (which Sarah called flour over and over regardless of my corrections) was everywhere — reminding us of Caleb’s elusive snow.

I left Hannah briefly in order to pick up my teenagers from High School and take a few of their friends home. When we returned, dinner was done. She made fresh and creamy mashed potatoes for us to pour the soup over. Every bit of this meal was homemade and it was so delicious that even though I was filled up by my first helping, I knew it would be a crime not to enjoy a second helping. So I did.

And it was just what Grace needed to recover from a long long day of school.

But that wasn’t the end of Hannah’s work in the kitchen that night. As soon as she was done with the chicken, she began a batch of overnight cinnamon rolls.

((By the way, Hannah was wearing an apron that she made for me years ago.))

THE NEXT MORNING……Sarah eagerly watched the cinnamon rolls bake in the oven at 350 degrees.

pretty pretty profile

The cinnamon rolls were blanketed with cream cheese frosting.

Once again, I helped myself to several cinnamon rolls too many just for the sake of taking advantage of the freshness, the homemadeness, and the lovingness of Hannah’s baking. Although she mourned what she considered *a shade too brown of a bottom*, let me assure you THEY WERE PERFECTION.

After our cinnamon roll breakfast, we took David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah to the movies. But before we did, we attempted a “frameworthy” photo of the two of us. Forever friends.

That night, Hannah helped us decorate our Christmas tree. Tomorrow I will share the family photos she took of Rich and I with the kids. But this next one was one that I had Grace take of the two of us holding books that we bonded over. I first believed Hannah was a possible kindred spirit because she mentioned on her old xanga blog that she was reading the James Herriot books which I absolutely LOVE. Then, later on, once we became pen pals and got to know each other better, we read several LM Montgomery books together, including Pat of Silver Bush.

Book recommendations!

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

“True friends are always together in spirit” LM Montgomery

happenings

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Shanda

LOVE

JOY

PEACE

forbearance

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

self control

against such things there is no law.

Good evening, my friends.

Today is a wonderful day. I am finally feeling more like myself. Thank the Lord for doctors and modern medicine. After I got the kids out the door for school, my oldest son Jacob got up and showered. When he came downstairs he told me that he didn’t have to go to college today so I mentioned that I was going to go shopping in about an hour. I had some photos to pick up and some things I needed to get. He right away showed his willingness to go along with me without even being asked…he said, “Oh, than I can show you those legos at the mall that I wanted to get the boys for Christmas.” It made me smile that he wanted to go with me.

He drove me after I said I would give him gas money. Gas money is very important to 18 year old young men. He talked to me the whole time we were together. And if he wasn’t talking, he was singing along to his music. He and his girlfriend share a spotify music account now, isn’t that romantic? They also did community service together yesterday by picking up litter along some of the main roads in our area.

Jacob LOVES music. He has quite a varied collection, from classical to Christian metal.

We went to several stores, including Starbucks and Five Guys (burgers) for lunch. Then he drove us to his school so that we could pay for his next semester. He walked me around and showed me the library. He loves his classes, his professors, and the campus. I’m so thankful for the way he is adjusting and becoming independent. The place he works for originally hired him for the Holidays, but recently asked him to stay on full-time. He loves his job and the people he has met.

The chickens get bowls of old leftovers and they love it. It looks sickening to us humans, though. I always have to laugh when I hand a bowl over to a child and say “run this down to the chickens” and they do, while gagging.

Just beyond the hens, in that spot that looks like briars, is a small little pond nestled down a bank. I love that little pond, and so do the chickens. They make their way down and drink from it. Beyond that (the building you see) is our garage.

Holiday FIESTAWARE display!

precious children coming home off the bus

Dear teachers, your students notice everything you do. The other day I told Sarah she would make a good teacher someday and after sitting there thinking about it she said, “No I don’t think so. It’s such hard work! And I don’t know how to make a star!”

Tis the season for gingerbread men. She brought another one home today. It’s a paper plate painted brown, with a circle at the top of it for a head and oval arms and legs decorated with glitter. Only it looks more like a brown turtle then a gingerbread man.

Saturday morning these guys went to a wrestling practice.

Grace brought her rabbit inside for a little while and we had such a time watching funny Gentleman Gray visit with him from the top of the cage.

I put a small box inside of her cage yesterday and she had a great time chewing it up into a bed.

beauty in an apple core

beauty outside the door

Going back to the aloe vera plant. Just a few months ago the planter contained one big “mama” plant that was so big that it was tipping the whole planter over unless I balanced it against the wall. The appearance was beginning to bother me so I cut it right off and threw it away. It has been a delight to see so many baby plants grow up in it’s place. I hope to divide it soon and share with friends. I’m sure there is a parable in there somewhere.

Tonight I am picking my dear friend Hannah up from the airport and I cannot wait.

the always important little things……

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Shanda

Good morning and happy Monday, friends!

I made this wreath! About a month ago I went for a walk in the woods and came across a convenient grape vine to pull down. It was thin and pliable, not like the ones that grow so thick that the only part I can reach is as big around as a small tree with the rest of the vine grown far up into the tree tops. I pulled the little grapevine down and wound it up into a circle the best I could. And there it hang, back at home, outside on a nail for a month until I got ” a round tuit”, which was Saturday afternoon. I went outside with scissors and cut some evergreens (some still had tiny pinecones on them) and wild berries. I already had the dry grass (the tops look and feel as soft as down) in the house –I picked it from the side of the beaver pond. I used forest green yarn to tie everything together and a brown ribbon on the bottom, tied in a bow. I’m way too proud of it.

I also made a jello cake from my new favorite cookbook. It was amazing. In fact……

As soon as it was done, we ate it all. (after I took the picture, Ethan ate the last piece).

It wasn’t hard to eat it all in one go because we had a house FULL. In this picture there are 10 teenagers, 2 big dogs, and a small gray cat. There are two kids not in the picture, plus Rich and I.

Allie

Zak, Parker-the-dog, and Ethan

David made a Harry Potter wand all by himself out of a small tree he cut down in the woods. Then he carved it up and shellacked it. Sarah made turkeys out of her handprints. The Cook’s County cookbook is the one I got the jello cake from. Today I’m making a raspberry chiffon pie!

But mainly this post is about the love of my life-Richard Charles-who was gone all last week but is now home again and the part of my heart that needs *my husband around all the time* is at peace. From Monday-Wednesday he was in TX for work and then Thurs-through Saturday afternoon he was finishing up his coaching medical class that he was able to take so he can be the head coach for wrestling at our local HS this year. He was the assistant last year. He is going to LOVE coaching….he can’t wait to get started.

Well, I made him a nice “honey-do” list yesterday afternoon when he started hinting at going out for a run (which takes hours)…and he got right to work. So I thought I would show you some of the other little things we have done around the house lately……..

He put fresh lightbulbs in the ceiling fan on our cathedral ceiling.

While the ladder was out, Seth and Sarah decided to climb it.

(by the way, Seth trimmed his own bangs…he’s such a helpful child!)

Turns out Sarah is afraid of heights. I say this because she was only about two feet off the ground and beginning to shake like a leaf.

He changed out this outlet. It used to be a plain old outlet but it was loose in the wall and nothing would stay plugged into it, the cords would just fall out. It’s an important outlet because it’s on the wall at the end of the couch and we like to plug in the electric blanket and phones there. Consequently, while he was at it, he bought an outlet that has two slots for phone chargers, too. Very convenient. It’s amazing how such a small change can lift one’s spirits.

I bought this plastic bag holder a few months ago. It came with sticky strips on the top and bottom but the thing would NOT stay on the wall using just the strips. So it had to be put away until yesterday when I got Rich to hang it back up, using screws. (in the pantry)

This is our toilet paper dispenser. Rich actually hung these up a few weeks ago. We bought one for each the downstairs and upstairs bathrooms because the bathrooms are used so much that we were going through rolls and rolls of toilet paper and the rolls were all over the place. I love this dispenser because it’s clean, it’s locked, and it holds a large roll of paper. Half the kids thought it looked too “public bathroom” but I just don’t care…..I can’t tell you how many toilet paper holders have fallen off the walls, it’s nice to know this is here to stay. Michael says they were hung too low but he’s over 6 feet tall and we were thinking of our small kids at the time……

I love my new garbage can. We needed one for our dining room and this one is beautiful. It also has an open top (flip lids are an extra step) to “make baskets” into. Sarah can look right inside the top and see her papers from school that I throw away. Then she can get them right back out again.

Well, that’s about it as far as small home improvements. Rich also rehung the towel rack in our bathroom but I didn’t take a picture of that……(small mercies, right?)

These two little boys were stuck to their dad like glue yesterday watching everything he did and talking to him about football. It was precious to see.

“The small things of life were often so much bigger than the great things . . . the trivial pleasures like cooking, one’s home, little poems especially sad ones, solitary walks, funny things seen and overheard.” Barbara Pym

animals, brownies, & liberty fabric

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Shanda

Ideally, my blog posts should be nicely organized by single topics. But I have all these pictures that I’m anxious to share, plus a brownie recipe, so we will have a post devoted to three topics today:

Animals
Brownies
Liberty Fabric

It would be a crime NOT to have chickens on this property. Every morning, I let them out of their coop and the entire flock spends the day making rounds to all their favorite places; the pond, the nice dry leaves under the trees, soft dirt in order to take dust baths, under the wild berry bushes, the bank behind the house.

Whenever the urge to lay an egg happens to a hen, she makes her way back to the coop for a nesting box or the garbage barrel. Sometimes there are a few eggs in the box when a chicken arrives, and I find them kicked out later on…..at least I imagine that must be how they end up on the floor amongst the wood shavings?

I’m happy to gather the eggs in my shirt, some of them still warm, and bring them back to the kitchen like treasures.

Gentleman Gray took an all-day nap in the sock basket. He dreamed he was back in his litter, curled up with his brothers and sisters.

Sherlock the big and handsome bright orange cat, sleeps on my bed all day.

Ethan with his dog. Or shall I say Dog with his Ethan?

Emily our neighbor friend, with her big beautiful boy dog, Benji. Benji comes for playdates with Parker.

The day after playdates always leaves Parker and me kinda tired. So we took naps on the couch yesterday when everyone was back to school. (they had the day off on Wednesday).

So, what to do with all those delightful eggs? The #1 thing to do is make a big batch of brownies.

2 cups vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups sugar
4 tsp vanilla
8 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend oil, sugar and vanilla, then add eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 11 by 13 inch pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. All brownies are best slightly under baked.

I first fell in love with Liberty Fabrics after seeing the blog Posie Gets Cozy. The lady on that blog (Alicia) has made so many beautiful things with that fabric line and I only dreamed of doing the same. Alas, that dream has still not come to fruition, because I did not MAKE Sarah’s little blouse, I bought it on super-duper clearance and I was so happy to do so!