This is Miss Margaret, our one and only egg layer (so far).

At about 8 this morning (the time of day she laid her first 2 eggs), we all put our jackets on, over our pj’s, and tromped on down to see the show.

She gets in her nesting box and sits and sits and turns and makes noises.  She arranges the strands of straw around her, just so.

Her sisters wait outside (we can see them out the window) and she’s all alone (except for some gawking humans) in the hen house.   

Come on Margaret, hurry up!  She doesn’t seem to mind us hanging about.

I stand and wait and sip my coffee.  I look around at my very own chicken coop and make my beautifying plans; curtains, pretty “wall” paper for the backs of the nesting boxes.  I feel happy and content.  The straw and wood shavings smell so good. 

I’ve been wanting chickens for years.  Now I have them, and the egg laying has begun.

My Caleb calls himself a “farmer boy”.

Finally, the prize.  One nice fresh morning egg.  A beautiful brown color.

She stays with it, fidgeting and arranging,  for another 5 minutes or so and then hops out of her box, ready to go play outside with the others.

Well done!  And thank you!

Grace cups the egg in her hands, it’s still warm.  And away we go, to fry it up for breakfast.

But first, she compares it to a regular ol’ store egg;

See?  It’s a bit smaller, but we’ve read in our chicken book that the first eggs are that way.

What a treat, a fresh as fresh can be egg, fried in real butter, in a cast iron skillet.

It pops and sizzles and smells sooooooo good.

Perfectly cooked, and half eaten.  Very tasty.  Ethan claimed this particular one for himself *yesterday* by saying, “I get Margaret’s next one!!!” in a sing-song voice. 

But, he graciously shares, and I get finish it up, yum!

We can’t wait until tomorrow, for the next one.

And soon, our other 12 girls will be laying eggs for us, too.

“And thank you for a house full of people I love.  Amen.  “
~Ward Elliot Hour

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with my parents, who drove out to our house, on Wednesday evening.  My brother Isaac, and my sister Amanda (with her beautiful family) came on Thanksgiving day.  My mom’s presence in the kitchen made the day stress-free and easy, and the food all turned out perfectly.

The best part of all, was being together….all the talking, laughing, singing, visiting, planning, loving….

Dad played the guitar for the boys

Mom read books to the children

we watched tv together

we went outside for some football and walks

snoozed on the couch

drank coffee

hugs, teasing, being silly

Isn’t Thanksgiving a lovely day to celebrate?  I was thinking this week, of all the many, many verses in the Bible about being thankful…..and I feel joy, knowing that God must be pleased with a whole day set aside, for the purpose of gathering together, in thankfulness. 

We are thankful to God for all the thousands of blessings He showers on us day by day.  We don’t even realize the good things happening around us, thanks to God in His mercy, leading and guiding our days with such amazing kindness.  All of our days are carefully planned by Him.

“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and all declare thy mighty acts.  I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.”  Psalm 145:4, 5

“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.”  Psalm 145:7

Caleb, baking with Grandma in the kitchen;

spending time, making memories

my mom;

my sweet little nephew, Weston;

my joyful niece, Abigail;

Mom and Dad brought their dog out with them.  We’ve had Brutus in the family for almost 12 years.

my niece, Naomi, with Caleb;

me and my sweet pea (who was sound asleep just a few minutes after this picture was taken);

Mom and I enjoyed going through the contents of our gratitude basket;

On Friday morning, we all went to my sister’s house for brunch and then Mom and Dad went back home.  It was a wonderful weekend.  I’m so thankful for my loving family and all the good times we have spent together through the years.  It means so much to me, to see my children growing up in the security of a healthy relationship with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

This morning, Rich is busy outside with the boys, working on the chicken coop.

How excited we all were, to find the very first egg, this morning!

We are keeping a stack of pretty scrapbook paper out on the table so that as we think of the things we are most thankful for, we can write them down, and drop the little folded pieces of paper in our gratitude basket.  It’s heart warming to read the little notes, written in all of our handwritings.  There is so much to be thankful for.

Including, today, our first glimpse of a very precious, hidden and growing, little baby;

 I just read a thought-provoking devotional by Oswald Chambers so I’m going to type the entire thing out because it was so helpful to me, maybe it will be a blessing to others, too.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  1 Cor. 10:31

Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow concerns of life are not ordained of God; they are as much of God as the profound.

It is not your devotion to God that makes you refuse to be shallow, but your wish to impress other people with the fact that you are a spiritual prig. 

Be careful of the production of contempt in yourself, it always comes along this line, and causes you to go about as a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than you are.

Beware of posing as a profound person; God became a Baby.

To be shallow is not a sign of being wicked, nor is shallowness a sign that there are no deeps:  the ocean has a shore.  The shallow amenities of life, eating and drinking, walking and talking, are all ordained by God.  These are the things in which Our Lord lived.  He lived in them as the Son of God, and He said that “the disciple is not above his Master.”

Our safeguard is in the shallow things.  We have to live the surface common-sense life in a common-sense way; when the deeper things come, God gives them to us apart from the shallow concerns. 

Never show the deeps to anyone but God.

We are so abominably serious, so desperately interested in our own characters, that we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.

Determinedly take no one seriously but God, and the first person you find your have to leave severely alone as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.

~My Utmost for His Highest, “Shallow and Profound”,  Oswald Chambers

This was such a blessing to me because I do have some spiritual pride inside of me that whispers that there is *something wrong* if I am not always walking around, meditating on, and learning great spiritual thoughts and truths.  How liberating to confess that, and embrace with open arms and a peaceful spirit the shallowness of life, which is also ordained by God, my loving Father.  Let’s face it, the deep spiritual part of life is not something most of us are able to keep up on a constant basis, and if we are trying to force it, than it’s not natural.   It’s okay to just live life, shallow parts and all, eating and drinking, and whatever we do, glorifies God, amazing!  So, today I am thankful for the deep spiritual life I have, and the shallow…..both are gifts from God.

*****************************************************

Grace is slowly getting better.  I didn’t have a chance to blog yesterday because I was so weary.  I actually had to sleep on the couch, for an hour, while the boys watched Seth for me, I just couldn’t bear staying awake.  The sleepy day meant that only the necessary parts of life were lived. 

I have been trying to take some pictures in the last few days, because I was missing the feeling that photography gives me, that my life does have portraits of joy and memorable moments, always, even the challenging days.

I’m not sure Seth wanted to go in the box;

How can babies sleep like this?

Ethan came home with this nest for me.  He said it was on the end of a long branch and if he had fallen he would have broken his neck.  He must love me, if he risked his life to collect this nature treasure:

Davy-do had a field trip at a Nature Center yesterday and I bundled him all up so he wouldn’t get cold.  He came home and said, “You made a terrible mistake, Mom.  The field trip was INDOORS.  I didn’t need all those clothes on.”

This morning, all five boys were hanging out together in the livingroom (David was waiting for the bus);

Caleb calls cider, “Apple Sodor”  (because Thomas the tank engine lives there, on the Island of Sodor)

Grace got some extra sleep this morning, I was so relieved (she’s not a sleeper);

After Grace woke up, she got back into her favorite spot, on the couch.  She’s kept her stuffed dog Sprocket with her all through her sickness, except for last night when he was washed and dried;

Rich, Jacob, and Ethan bought these roses for me last night, when they were on an errand;

I’m wondering if I should have taught Ethan how to light candles;

And that’s that!  It’s about 10 in the morning and we have no plans except to keep taking care of Grace.  Her stomach has settled down so that’s an improvement, but she’s still very weak and the fever comes back when the Motrin wears off.

Rich has tomorrow off and I can do whatever I want.  Any suggestions?  Here are some of my ideas:  mall, to shop.  bookstore, for quiet reading.  hair salon, for a little trim before Thanksgiving.  nail salon, for a pedicure.  library, for more quiet reading. 

The only thing is, I need energy for those things so we’ll see what happens.

Thanks again for praying for us!  I really appreciate it!

~Shanda

Grace has the flu.  She has every symptom; sore throat, fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, and a cough.  She is a good patient and rarely complains or makes a peep.  She now believes it would be better to get a flu shot than to have the flu, she says it’s miserable and terrible.  She is downstairs on the couch right now, with a washcloth on her forehead, under a sheet (because a blanket makes her too hot), watching a cooking show.  I’ve been giving her motrin and making her drink as much as she can. 

Thanks for praying for us.  I still had a pounding headache in the night, but by the morning it was gone.  I woke up thanking God for that, and I actually felt like my old self for a little bit this morning!  Of course I took the opportunity to scrub the kitchen and do some laundry. 

I also gave Seth a bath in the sink, after I was done scrubbing it.  I took this picture last week, but this is what he looked like today, too.  I love making my baby clean and sweet again, especially now that he’s eating and getting crusties on his face, and crawling around on the floors.

He always enjoys his bath. 

I talked to Rich a little while ago and he should be home around 9:30 or so.  He said that the event went really well, (he was in Dallas, TX).  He sounded good, and told me he missed us.

The boys are all fine and dandy and seem extra loud now that we have someone in the house with a headache!

I spent Seth’s afternoon nap with Grace, on the couch.  I must admit, it is sorta kinda nice to have someone snuggling next to me as quiet as a kitten, although I would rather have my girl healthy than sick.

Well!  We made it to Friday by the grace of God!

Have I told you that we’ve had a cold going around and around my family since September?  Yesterday my heart sank when Jacob came to me and reported, “I have a sore throat”….by the time supper came he was in tears it hurt so bad.

I sent him to bed right after dinner with a new book on the ipod, Twenty-One Balloons.  Jacob got in bed and the other children gathered around him and they all listened to it together, and they loved it.  They aren’t quite done with it yet.

I crashed on the couch while they were busy listening to their story.  If I wasn’t pregnant I would seriously be thinking that I was suffering from disease, because I am so very tired.  Rich arrived home last night at 7 and found me in tears.  After a good night’s sleep I felt much better (still tired but happier).  My first prenatal appointment is scheduled for November 25, I still haven’t been to the doctor’s for this pregnancy.  I can’t wait to go, because they will do an ultrasound at the very first appointment.  I just want to know……that everything is okay at this point.

Today is the day the maids came (they come every other week) so we cleaned up all morning (yeah, we clean so the maids can clean!)  and then we left when they got here.  I took the kids through McDonald’s drive thru for some lunch and then we went the library, for the first time in about a month.  It felt so good to walk around with my favorite book list, Honey for a Child’s Heart, and also Honey for a Woman’s Heart, and pick out a big stack of nice books for all of us.

We got home about 2 hours later and the girls were still here, scrubbing away.  It feels so nice to have help with the housework.

Now that the maids are gone, I have the children all resting.  Grace and Ethan will be picked up soon, to go visit their friends and to have Art class.  Jacob usually goes, but I am taking him to the doctor’s, along with Caleb and David, so that they can get the H1N1 nasal vaccine.  I wasn’t planning on having them vaccinated, but when I took Grace for her check up a few days ago, the pediatrician highly recommended it.  There is a lot of flu going around.  I told myself a few weeks ago, that I would trust my pediatricians.  Seth has had the vaccine, too. 

That’s all the news here for the day. 

I do want to take the time to post some pictures from last Saturday.  Grace’s 10th birthday was last week and as a special treat, we took her (and “the brothers”) to the American Girl Place in Boston.   It was wonderful…the weather was nice so the drive was lovely.  Rich and the boys did great at the store, and we all walked around together, letting Grace look at everything.

Years ago, we had bought her Samantha doll at a tag sale of all places.  And last year we bought her Nellie, since she was being retired.  So Grace took those dolls with her.  Here she is, with all the boys behind her.  David is partially hidden, almost totally hidden, behind Grace.

She decided before we even got there that she wanted the Indian girl, Kaya.  She got the basic doll, along with the food set (it’s SO neat, the food looks real, and it came with a basket that the doll can wear) and the bedding set (with realistic furs).  Oh, Grace has been having the most wonderful, imaginative time with her.

Ethan came to me at one point and said quietly, “Mom.  Grace keeps trying to show me things!”  And I said, “Oh, E, let her show you!  Who else is she going to talk to and get excited with?”  So, he went back to her.  Of course, David and Caleb were the least shy about being interested in……dolls……

I think this picture is cute, Grace is talking to David about the doll display and Caleb is looking out the window, down to the parking lot below;

Grace and her Papa, after Mama decided just what we would purchase.  I just love seeing my husband father a daughter!  He grew up with just brothers, you know.  And he’s doing such a good job with Gracie.  He loves her so much.

Here is a picture of us, in the elevator.  It’s a family photo that makes me smile.  All you can see of Seth is his tiny fingers.  The weird lumpiness coming out of my stomach is mirror distortion, I can assure you.  Look at the faces of those dear children!  So cute, each of them.

I think my girl is as cute as a button.  Especially with those jeans, mary janes, and white socks!  I’m so glad we had this day together.  Who knows if we’ll be able to get the boys to go there again?

I had someone ask me about training children.  There have been books written on that topic, but I can tell you a few things that I believe.  First of all,  please, please, LOVE your children.  I would rather see parents concentrate on having a love-relationship with their little ones, than to focus too much on training.  Love comes first, then training IN LOVE.  The first thing you need to teach your child, is that they must obey right away.  No second chances.  They need to obey with a GOOD ATTITUDE.  The heart is what matters most of all.

Why do we train our children in proper behavior?  Because WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH.  They will be secure children, if they are happily obeying their parents.  We don’t train them to make ourselves look or feel good.  That’s pride….and God resists that. 

Praise your children. 

Enjoy your children.  Don’t groan when they get up in the morning, or from their naps.  (I remember God convicting me of that years ago!)  Smile and say something sweet to them, give them a snack.

Listen to your children.  They will want to tell you things, if you are a warm listener.

Read to them and snuggle as you do it.  Some of my happiest moments are when one of my children is listening to me read, and thoughtlessly playing with my hair or ear.     I’ve read the Beatrix Potter books constantly lately.  We love The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies.  You know, there are “six leetle rabbits” in that one.  And one of them gets hit by a flying rotten vegetable marrow.  And is quite hurt.  (sorry, I told you I’ve read it a lot lately!)

Say “Please”  “Thank you” “I love you”  “I’m proud of you” and “I’m sorry” to them.  They are learning manners by YOUR LIFE.

More is caught than taught.  You have to be what you want them to grow up to be.

Look at them when they talk to you.  Think about that nice man, Mr. Rogers (From “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” on PBS).  Read his biography and soak up some of his views on children and childhood.  Rich’s Grandma has that same spirit about her, you just KNOW she loves you and would listen to you even if your story took too long or you were stinky.

Teach them to wait their turn, to not interrupt while you are on the phone, and to clean up after themselves.

Don’t let them get in the habit of crying for what they want.  If they cry for something, don’t give it to them. 

Make your house a home FOR children…with good books, good art, good music, etc.

Teach them to ask nicely.  When Caleb says, “Give me a drink!”  He does not get it.

Love their Dad.

Teach your children to work.

Understand and study up on the uniqueness of little boys and little girls.  They are different!

Remember, you are the mom so act like it, but at the same time, it’s also okay to be their friend.  My children are my little buddies.  Do you know?  SETH MY PRECIOUS BABY MADE MUFFINS WITH ME.  I could cry just thinking about it.  My dearest memories are the little ones sitting on the counter, or standing on chairs, to help me cook.

Here are pictures~

Remember, God GAVE us our children as a gift!  What a wonderful gift-giver He is, to give children as GIFTS.  We are to accept them with a thankful heart, love them, nurture them and ENJOY them.  If you don’t enjoy your child there is something wrong.  As I wrote the other day, there are times when I don’t enjoy my children because I am having a bad day or don’t feel well, but IN GENERAL I would count a day lost if I didn’t spend it serving them in a loving way.  We have fun together.  When Rich is gone with them, I start to feel empty after a while.  There is no one to talk to or listen to.

God has taught me so much, by making me a mother.  I’m so thankful for this privilege. 

I wanted to update…….my spirit did quiet down yesterday and we had a nice normal day.  (Thank you, friends, for your understanding notes here, I very much enjoyed each and every one.)

The best part of the day, was that my husband was able to (guiltily) leave the conference early last night, and he surprised us by coming home at 7:10 pm. 

He watched us through the door for a few minutes before coming in and he told me this morning that he loved what he saw as he peeked, without us knowing……..

“It was so peaceful and warm-looking.  There were little ones busy in the livingroom and you were sitting at the table feeding Seth in his highchair.  There were kids all around you.  Everyone looked happy.  It was like looking into a dream.”

He said that to me, this morning, at the kitchen table.  And I thought to myself, that was my Father above, who turned the ugly into beauty and let Rich see it, like a gift, and not only see it but REALLY SEE IT and notice it, and then show it back to me, the warmth and peace of home, the love of his very own family.

He walked in the door with a smile on his face.  He was hungry so Grace and I jumped right up to get him some dinner.  We had been talking about Christmas when he arrived, so he was just in time to find out that “all Ethan wants is one gift for Christmas, just one; a laptop.  And all Grace wants is a horse.”