We welcome the month of May!

It’s a cool, misty, moisty beginning for us here in New England.  I’m grateful for the wet day, it’s making things green and grow! 

Grace memorized a poem this week and I videotaped her reciting it and thought you might like to see it.  Here are the words to the poem so that you can follow along:

Don’t Give Up

If you’ve tried and have not won,
Never stop for crying;
All that’s great and good is done
Just by patient trying.

Though young birds, in flying, fall,
Still their wings grow stronger;
And the next time they can keep
Up a little longer.

Though the sturdy oak has known
Many a blast that bowed her,
She has risen again, and grown
Loftier and prouder.

If by easy work you beat,
Who the more will prize you?
Gaining victory from defeat,
That’s the test that tries you!

~Phoebe Cary

Here are some spring bird photos that the children and I have been taking over the last couple of weeks.  We have 3 bird feeders outside our kitchen window.  Watching the birds adds a lot of fun to our days here at home.

Chickadee

Pine Siskin

Canada Goose (came to visit our pond one morning.  They always honk as they land–it wouldn’t do to arrive without a fanfare!–, and that’s how we know they are out there.  There were 2 of them on this day.)

I believe this is a downy woodpecker….they enjoy the suet.

Anyone know what this next one is?

House finch

The Titmouse…grabs a sunflower seed and holds it in his toes..then hammers his beak on it to break it open and eat it.  Quite cute.

Cardinal, our favorite

We have other birds that come, too, like the Blue Jay, Cowbird, and Nuthatch.  This morning I saw a pair of Catbirds for the first time out there.  The Robins come to the lawn to pull up worms.  I went outside earlier, with Caleb, and the birds were singing so cheerfully!

Seth was sore last night from his shots.  He cried and cried worse than he has since he was born.  It made ME upset!  Rich dosed him with Tylenol and after a while, Seth fell asleep.  Today he is his normal self, thankfully.  I am still pretty tired but that’s okay. 

Happy May first!  Happy Friday!

Love, Shanda

I am, like my title says all too clearly, very busy.  The children and housework are almost too much for me to keep up with.  This has been a nice week, though…just…busy.  This afternoon I have to take David and Seth to the doctor’s for check ups.  Seth will have shots and David has to have his tongue examined.  Rich and I noticed that he doesn’t move it like the other children and we had his Speech Therapist check him, and she also agreed with our finding.  I’ve had the worse time getting Seth added to our insurance and got off the phone yesterday in tears with the doctor’s office…they made me feel like I was about to skip town without paying for Seth’s very first newborn appointment.  I canceled the appointments (for today) while crying which made the finance lady soften up and encourage me that yes, she was sure Blue Cross would pay, that there must be some sort of glitch somewhere, that it was obvious we were working to fix the problem, and please don’t cancel the appointment.  *SIGH*

I’ve been trying hard the last 2 days to really get some good schooling done with the children.  I even started another blog to try to keep track of things pertaining to home school.  If you are interested, here is the link:  CLOVER HILL SCHOOLHOUSE.  People often have questions for me about homeschooling so that will be the place that I will try to answer those questions.  Although, I daresay I will be asking more questions than anyone, LOL.

My brain feels so tired from so much going on all the time…I often have two or three or more things happening all at once and after a while I find that I have a short circuit somewhere in my head.

I’ve been using the crock pot the last 2 days for dinner.  It makes my life much easier but after a while Rich gets tired of slow cooked meals.  LOL 

Okay, I must go, Seth (who is in the Ergo carrier and staring at my face) is starting to fuss and David is due home any minute.  If you think of it, say a prayer that my outing goes well at the doctor’s.  Caleb, I am sure, will attempt be a pain during the exams, and I need to deal with him wisely.  I think I will get a wonderful looking lollipop on the way and tell him that if he is quiet and well-behaved he will get to have it as a reward.  To be con’t…….

Love, Shanda

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

I’m back and it went well.  I stopped and bought lollipops on the way and made a big deal about how delicious they were and how good one would taste after the appointment if Caleb behaved.  I had him fairly bouncing with joy in anticipation.  He did get a little adventurous in the little/small/closet of an exam room but he behaved enough for his treat.

Seth was SO MAD when he got his shots.  I was surprised about the fuss.  He was quite put out.  He weights 11 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 23.5 inches.  He’s gained 5 pounds since birth, and grown 4 inches.

David was worried he would have to get a shot.  I consoled him all the way there, “No, you don’t need a shot, don’t worry about that a bit!  This is just a check-up!”  I said it repeatedly…and guess what?  Yup.  He was due for his 2nd chicken pox vacc.  Imagine trying to explain that one.  I tried to sound cheerful,  “Um, Dave?  I told you that you weren’t getting a shot.  Well….Mommy was wrong.  You DO have to have a shot!”  He thought about melting down, I could see the panic in his eyes…..I stopped him, “Dave!  You be tough!  I want to go home and tell Daddy later how brave you were.”  And he did fine. 

Now, about his tongue.  He has what’s called LINGULAR FRENULUM, which means “when you lift up your tongue, that piece of skin that you see going up and down is too forward on his tongue, restricting normal tongue movement and might possibly need to be snipped.”  He will have to go to a specialist.  I’ll make the appointment tomorrow.  If that’s why his speech is delayed than bless his heart!  Poor boy!  I feel bad!  But good at the same time, knowing that the procedure can help him!

I went to Costco and that was fine.  I rewarded myself with a big icy coke on the way out.

Jacob stayed home by himself and did some cleaning. 

Now I’m going to go let in the cat (he’s looking at me through the window), change a diaper, put in some more laundry, and take some tylenol.

((HUGS))

We had such a nice weekend, thankfully, because husband and I talked and resolved our issues on Friday night.  So, Saturday morning we all got up with smiles on our faces and wondered what we would do for breakfast.

We decided to go to McDonald’s.  McDonald’s always reminds me of my childhood.  If my Dad’s parents, my Grandma and Grandpa B, weren’t at home, we would almost always find them sitting in McDonald’s drinking coffee and eating sandwiches together.  My Mom’s mom, Grandma G, used to take me and Colleen there once in a while after a trip to the grocery store.  It was a treat, you know?  We didn’t go out much when I was growing up but we could afford a trip to McDonald’s every once in a while. 

Ethan begged for coffee and so I let him order a small decaf.

We ordered breakfast sandwiches…and when we were done eating Grace and I were still hungry so we shared a big pancake breakfast.  The pancakes were the best, light and fluffy with a good flavor, spread with real butter.  I rolled mine up and dipped it into the open syrup packet and took bites with my eyes shut..yum.

McDonald’s is so casual and relaxed and we had a great time. 

After breakfast we drove down the road to Agway.  I’m like a kid in a candy store there.  However, I didn’t even get to set foot in it this time.  I wandered around for five minutes, collecting some lavender to plant in my garden, and some bright yellow pansies, and then the kids yelled out the window of the vehicle that “Seth was getting mad”.  So, I handed my things to Rich and went to nurse the baby.

When Rich came back out with our purchases (my plants and a huge bag of sunflower seed for our bird feeders), he had a piece of paper in his hand.  “What’s that?”   I asked.  “Oh, it’s just information about a motorcycle I want to buy”….(he’s been teasing me about buying one for over a month now)…”No!  It’s not, is it?…give that to me!”  And he handed me that paper and I was stunned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was ordering information for CHICKENS!

I was screaming and waving around the paper and saying all kinds of things like, “I’m going to have CHICKENS!  I’m going to be a chicken farmer!  We’ll have our own eggs!!!  I’m so happeeeeeeeee!”

When Rich went back to Agway later on with the truck (he had to get a load of mulch, a wheelbarrow, and some bushes for me) he ordered my new babies…..the day old chicks will arrive in mid June, with just enough time for us to figure out what we need for them.  We ordered the following chicks:

Red Star (3):  “This breed is easy to raise, lay large brown eggs, and have a very good feed to egg conversion ratio.  They will begin to lay approximately 22 weeks and will lay right through hot or cold weather.

Black Star (3):  “An excellent large brown egg layer that will weigh a little over 5 pounds at maturity.  An easy to raise very hardy variety.  Like the Red Star it also has a very good feed to egg ratio.”

The “Easter Egg Chicken” Americana (3):  “A special cross known for their ability to lay colored eggs of shades varying from turquoise to deep olive to shades of brown.  A unique breed and great fun to have when the colored eggs start coming!”

Rhode Island Reds (3):  “Through the years this breed has maintained its reputation as a dual purpose bird.  A truly American breed known for its outstanding egg production.  They are brown egg layers.”

I have wanted chickens since the day we found this house to live in and I can’t tell you how excited I am.  Grace will be my sidekick and has been reading the Chicken book that I had bought 2 years ago, giving me random facts.  She’s dreaming chicken…..we both are.

Rich worked so hard this weekend.  He spread nice new mulch around the side and front of the house.  We also planted 4 new bushes.  A lilac went beneath the kitchen window, a yellow forsynthia went by the driveway, and 2 blueberry, which we planted down by the pond with the one wild bush that we have. 

News from the garden:  I have planted a small herb section by the porch.  I have chives already up (the children are constantly eating them and getting onion breath) and I planted a pot of parsley.  Yesterday I planted basil, too.  Speaking of herbs, I planted 2 small pots for my kitchen windowsill and yesterday the cilantro and the dill both sprouted.  Outside in the vegetable garden the lettuce is already coming up.  We also planted beets, carrots, radishes, and peas.  In the flower beds the daffodils are still fresh and pretty.  My peonies are up and have buds on them (oh how I love the smell of peonies!).  I have some bushes in the front of the house covered in purple blossoms.  My itty bitty bleeding heart bush from my mom’s garden has one little bud on it.  Some pansies have come up and blossomed.  Lots of plants are up and it’s so nice to see their green leaves–lilies, lady’s mantle, mums, etc.  I am going to buzz downtown later on and buy myself a spiral notebook so that I can keep track of things in the gardens and my chicken adventure.

Seth was a happy baby all weekend, and I am so deeply in love with him.  I kept him with me as much as possible.

I got down next to him and looked up at the trees.  It was a hot weekend, but we had such nice cool breezes and Seth enjoyed watching the branches sway and dance back and forth, better than any plastic baby mobile.

I read a book this weekend, on the porch, and held Seth as I rocked.  So cozy.  I love the smell of Seth’s head, and I would sniff sniff and kiss as I turned the pages of my book. 

Caleb is still very much Mama’s boy as well and is near my side quite often. 

The older children spent a lot of time walking up and down the stream, in it of course.  I need to get them some water shoes, I am afraid they will step on glass or something…however, they had a wonderful time.  In this picture, Ethan is holding up a crawfish that he found.  I was going to get a better picture of it but it pinched E and he put it back.

This was a weekend of firsts….I found the first violets growing outside (I always look for them because they are my birth flower).  And, it was the first time we went out for ice cream down town.

The children always get cones with sprinkles, and so does their dad.  I always get a strawberry sundae.  It’s healthier.  (ha ha)

Even Seth had a teeny taste of cream….the tip of his tongue went out and in, and he smiled. 

I was tired and somewhat grumpy when we left for our ice cream trip.  I had secretly thought about NOT going so I could go to bed and rest.  However, when Rich told me yesterday morning that it was one of his favorite memories of the weekend, I was so glad I had gone along.  It was just another one of those small sacrifices that are good for me to make as wife and mom.  I really concentrated on GIVING during the weekend, especially  giving to my husband, rather than thinking of ways he could give to me.  The Lord is the only one who can change a heart from one of selfishness, to one of generosity.  And I found, that the more I let God make my heart gentle and generous, the happier I became, and full of peace.  It’s entirely an ATTITUDE thing…. I could give STUFF with a stinky attitude all day long, however, it’s the heart that counts, as always.

This became “my verse” this weekend:  “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured unto you again.”  Luke 6:38

And, this one.  “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”  2 Corinthians 9:6

It was also the first time of the season that the children caught turtles. 

We saw the first butterflies and first bumble bees, the nice fat black ones that buzz so loudly.

Seth slept through the night for the first time.  It made me sad.

We saw the first toads.

Grace and her brothers all got pink and brown from the sun.  They spent the majority of their time outside.  I think they get such a healthy look to them during the spring and summer months.

I am really tired this morning but I must get busy.  Seth is sleeping on my bed and I want to water the plants before the heat of the sun.  It’s supposed to get close to 90 degrees here today.  Rich took the children to the library last night so they are all busy reading their books.

Thanks for stopping by my site this morning.  These weekend posts end up being quite long, don’t they? 

If any of you have any chicken advice please let me know!  Thanks.

Love, Shanda

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down

in green pastures:

He leadeth me

besides the still waters.

He restoreth

my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Thanks so much to those who have so lovingly commented and left such encouraging things for me to think about today!  I laughed and cried and said, “ouch” (out of conviction) as I read such wise words pointing to what really matters!

I spent the majority of the day thinking, resting (thanks for the reminder to get some rest, Amelia!), and praying….the children and I also planted some of our spring garden and spent a lot of time outside.  The weather has turned so warm and nice and I noticed a lot more of my daffodils have opened up.

I am currently home with the three little ones, the others are gone to Art class and dinner at a friend’s house.  Rich and I emailed back and forth a little bit today and I expect him home in about 1/2 an hour.  We are going to go out for a little while with just the three children.  I’m thankful it’s Friday and we have the weekend together.

Thanks again for the kind responses, I am very grateful, more than you can know.  The Lord is so good, so faithful, and I know He will help me as I strive to be the best wife I can be for my husband.

Love~Shanda

Yes, I believe I’m finally in the mood to do some sewing today.  Thinking about sewing reminded me that I wanted to share a picture of this little group of gifts that I put together for my friend Bridgette, who had a baby girl just a few weeks after I had Seth.  I decided to do a few simple projects as a baby gifts.

1.  I crocheted a washcloth using cotton yarn.  I wrapped the finished washcloth around some Johnson’s baby wash and tied it up with a satin ribbon.  The washcloth took the longest to make, but was the easiest because of the simple repetitive crochet pattern.

2.  I bought a soft organic onesie, washed it up with sweet smelling baby detergent, and embroidered the new baby’s name & a small red flower on it.

3.  I just so happened to know that my friend, the new mama, loves vintage Strawberry Shortcake.  I was happy to find some nice thick flannel from an online shop, patterned so prettily with pleasing baby girl colors, kittens, and Miss Shortcake.  The finished blanket is almost a full yard of material, nice and roomy (I like over-sized blankets to use for swaddling up the babies) and sure to make my friend smile whenever she uses it.

Truly, as God’s Word says, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).   I was as pleased as punch to get a sweet thank you note in the mail AND a picture of the darling new baby wearing her onesie.  Made my heart happy.  

Good morning!  I am tired.  Rich left yesterday morning for a short business trip.  He will be back late tonight.  Somehow yesterday seemed very very long…..and then I didn’t sleep very well at all last night.  Caleb woke me up at 1, yelling and crying.  Then, at 4 Seth woke up hungry.  After feeding him I spent about an hour in my bed, worrying about Rich, because I had a bad dream about him.  After a while I realized what I was doing so I made myself think about something else.  I can’t remember now what it was but it put me to sleep….just in time for Caleb to come in my room at 6.  **sigh**  I wish that boy would sleep an extra hour in the mornings!

I called Rich right away and he said I was silly and talked to me until I felt better.  He said I should have called him at 4:30 when I was worrying. 

So….back to yesterday.  It rained all day long.  I spent half the day reading, which felt so wonderful.  It’s been  a long time since I ignored the housework and let the children do whatever they wanted, so I could get lost in a book.  I’m a fast reader and my book ended all too soon.

I had a little reading buddy.

Has anyone else read The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio?  I’ve read it two times now and enjoyed it so much.  It’s on my list of “Favorite Books to read about Large Families”, along with Cheaper by the Dozen, Belles on Their Toes, the Duggar’s new book, Anne of Ingleside & Rainbow Valley, the “All of a Kind Family” books, Spencer’s Mountain, and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies.  All are highly recommended by Yours Truly.

So the afternoon drifted by in a haze of what I will call “Reader’s Brain”…that drowsy feeling I get after reading “too much” for “too long”…

I did find a gift that I was supposed to give to Grace for Christmas but forgot about (to be honest, I actually forgot WHERE I put it!).  Jacob found it yesterday in the basement.  It was fun to give it to her.  It is a little laundry set so that she can wash her doll clothes.  She had so much fun and thanked me several times.  She has a real washboard, a small wicker laundry basket, a clothesline, and small clothespins.

And because this is a random post, here is a thought for large families.  You smart ones probably already do this, and I do not know why I didn’t think of it before.

It’s much less expensive to buy our ice cream in these 4 quart plastic tubs.  Now our ice cream should last the whole week, instead of just a days or two.  And Jacob can use the empty tubs for his army men. 

Today my friend Karen is supposed to come over.  We plan on baking together.  Doesn’t that sound cozy?  I plan on baking a big batch of my Grandma’s wonderful molasses cookies.  We are also making homemade bread and soup.

I just looked out the window.  My cat is looking in at me, wanting to come in.  The sky is filled with rolling clouds, and the grass has gotten so much greener after our day of rain. 

Enjoy your day!  I look forward to hearing from my friends….yes, that means you! 

Love ~Shanda~

My dear friend Kathy had her baby (and my boy Seth’s new little friend) this morning!

It’s a girl!  Her name is Bethany Grace, and she is a precious gift added to a family of loving parents, three big sisters and one big brother.

She weighs 7 lbs, 4 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long.

I took the pictures of Kathy when she was here last week, visiting me. 

I’m just so thankful to God for another addition to our happy little gang of children (11 of them now!).   I am all teared up and everything…just so relieved and glad that everything has gone well for my friend.

Good morning!  Did you all have a nice weekend?  Ours was busy but fun. 

On Friday afternoon, I went to the grocery store with all six children.  It was the first time I did a major grocery trip with them all.  I pushed one cart with Caleb & Seth in it, and Jacob pushed the food cart.  Two children riding, four children walking on their own two feet.  It went well, and it was nice to have a fresh food supply for the weekend.  We  bought a coconut for the first time, and when my friend Caroline came over to get the three older children (for a play date), she found us all sitting on the driveway.  I was hammering a screwdriver into the coconut as the children all surrounded me in fascination.  We shook out the liquid inside it so they could taste it (David said it tasted like “bad lemonade”) and then Ethan broke in into chunks so they could try the fresh coconut meat. 

On Saturday, after a breakfast of bagel sandwiches, Rich and I got the children dressed and ready to go out.  We went to our favorite local furniture/household decor/outdoor furniture place to pick out a swing set for the children.  It was a warm morning and it was a delight to be outside doing such a fun family activity.  Rich and I (with the help of the children) picked out a perfect swing set for the family.  It is wooden, with 2 trapezes, 2 swings, and an infant swing.  It also has a rope/rock climb wall and a slide.  I took my camera along but for some reason, didn’t take any pictures (it was rather distracting to keep the children in sight!).  It will be delivered at the end of May and we are looking forward to it.  I’ll take pictures then!

After the swingset purchase, Rich had to get his hair cut so he dropped us off at the library so we could wait for him there.  It was a library we had not visited before so it was an extra special treat.  David found a Disney short story book and I read a Buzz Lightyear story to him 2 times.  I also read “Corduroy Gets a Pocket” and a Thomas the Tank Engine book.  I had to nurse Seth in the library, and change his diaper.  There was a train table so Caleb enjoyed that, along with pulling down all the Thomas videos off the shelf.

The older children engrossed themselves in books:

And David also managed to amuse himself in Other Ways

When we got home, we all sat at the table for a nice lunch of sandwiches, chips, pickles (we eat lots of pickles!), fruit, and salad.  We have noticed that Seth is rarely happy unless he is sitting at the table with us.  It’s such a nice feeling to be all together at meal times.  Rich and I pass Seth back and forth and we all talk and eat together.

In the afternoon, we all went outside to enjoy the spring weather.  Rich did some yard work while I snapped some pictures of the children having fun.

The trampoline gets used every single (nice weather) day.

I also admired Girl’s freckles.  As soon as she spends time in the sun they brighten up.  She has a lovely sprinkling of them across her face. . . . .

We amused ourselves by taking pictures of each other jumping off a large rock, which is located by one of our ponds:

We also went on a walk together.  The walk only lasted about 20 minutes, unfortunately, because the wind started picking up and we were afraid that Seth would get chilled.

This is Grace and Jacob:

Caleb:

Whole Entire Family, including the dog, who would NOT face the camera!  As you can see, Rich wore Seth this time.  It was so sweet.

Yesterday, (Sunday), I did some pruning outside.  We have briars that like to try to overtake the edges of the property, so I busied myself clearing some of them away.  I was cutting down this particular shrub and noticed that the inside was bright yellow, and so pretty.  It’s amazing where you can find inspiration.  I don’t know what this plant is, but I want to figure it out…it even stained my fingernails yellow when I peeled away the barky outside.  It is covered in sharp prickles, and in the fall it has a bright red tear-shaped berry.

I brought this small piece inside the house to put on my kitchen windowsill.

David has this entire week off from school so we feel very free and happy this morning.  I woke up with my usual spurt of energy and I have already given the boys each a buzz cut (four boys!  Jacob and I sang as I cut his, Ethan talked to me during his, Caleb was worried that I would cut his ears the whole time, and David was impatiently saying, “You said it wouldn’t take a long time!” during his)…..we also read Psalm 1 during a breakfast of cold cereal.  I did some laundry and started the dishwasher.  We have all taken a shower or bath this morning and I made the children make their beds.  We are slowly getting ready to go out and visit the library (again!) and buy some seeds for our vegetable garden.  Speaking of vegetable gardens, as we prepared the soil for planting yesterday, Grace dug up a carrot from last fall..it was still fresh and crispy!  It was a fun surprise.

The boys also made a cake this morning:

Ethan was in charge and I thought it was so sweet when he gave the beater to little brother Caleb and the bowl to little brother David.  What a nice boy.

Well, Ethan just came in with Seth, and put him on my bed.  He is fussing because he is ready for his third breakfast.  Ethan also has his guitar out this morning and is sitting by me in the rocking chair, playing “The Secrets of Larado”.

I hope you enjoyed our weekend re-cap!

Much love (I must rush away to help my baby!)

~Shanda