Seth, our youngest boy (of which we have five) has been heart achingly cute this weekend (and always).  He did many cute things which will not be mentioned here today.   However, the two blue guys must be mentioned.  Rich and I had to run errands on Saturday morning and Seth came along, bringing with him white paper, a drawing book, and a blue marker.  He is an energetic sort of person, lighthearted,  jolly,  fun, sparkling with LIFE, so to see him concentrating back there in his seat with a marker was too much.  Then, to see his drawing!  I delight.  The bendable arms!  The hands like balls!  The long frog-like mouths!  And the speech bubble!  He only knows one word, and it is “H”.

The blue guys remind me of the song Jacob (16) has been playing over and over; “Blue (Da Ba De)” from Iron Man 3.  It’s so weird, I laugh.

When we were out running errands, Rich and Ethan dropped Sarah and me off at Eddie Bauer so I could return the pants which were too short and baggy.  Then we went to Gap Kids.  I made a discovery.  Sarah, who is three now, apparently loves to go shopping.  I’ve never specifically “gone shopping” with her other than the typical grocery or Target runs.  She was dreadfully hard to manage.  Happy, eager, decisive.   She managed to buy some black boots, and tights that have a teddy bear on the bum, but Seth (who was with his Dad and brother) also made out well.  I bought him some new church clothes.

****

Sunday morning.  Oh, Sunday morning how you challenge me.  But dressing Seth, who was properly scrubbed with a white washcloth of all blue marker remnants, was a satisfaction.  He was clean.  He was clean AND stylish, wearing clothes which were neither too big, nor too small, nor ripped, nor mismatched.  It called for a short photo shoot.

He understands, his mother fusses, and thinks he’s pretty special.

****

The drive to church was alarmingly quiet.  The back seat normally fools and teases; all was silent.  Rich and I took attendance, wondering if we accidently left someone behind.  All was well, “This is the nicest trip to church we’ve ever had!” I remarked.  Ethan laughed.

The children are all too old to go to nursery during church services and the hour is long for them and for me.  It starts out so beautiful; we snuggle in, oh it’s so warm and sweet to be singing together and worshiping.  Then.  It gets even warmer.  I need a little space.  The small boys can’t handle sitting by me, they know I am the soft parent and will soothe, pat, give mints, give anything to keep them quiet.  Outwardly I am serene, inwardly I am getting more and more tense.  “Why is this song so long and loud?”  Seth wonders.  We survive.  Seth’s outer shirt is removed, he’s hot.  Sarah is put in the nursery again “just this once”.  I pass out mints.  The sermon starts, and as Gary preaches about raising godly children in modern day America, Seth begins to fall asleep.

****

When I showed Seth his pictures this morning he gazed and I said, “Who’s that?”

“It’s nobody.” he says.

“Yes, it is!”  I say,  “It’s Somebody.  It’s somebody named Seth.”

*****

I enjoyed Seth and his siblings so much this weekend that I left yesterday afternoon and spend three blissful hours, alone, at Barnes and Noble bookstore.

(a simply lovely life)

“Sylvie scooped all the seeds and pulp out, then Grandpawp made eyes and a nose and a big grinning mouth with horrid crooked teeth.”  Pumpkin Moonshine, (1938) by Tasha Tudor

“It was evening by then so they put a lighted candle inside the pumpkin to make him look as fierce and horrid as all true Pumpkin Moonshines should.”

“Sylvie and Grandpawp put the Pumpkin Moonshine on the front gate post, then they hid in the bushes to watch how terrified the passers by would be at the sight of this fierce Pumpkin Moonshine.  They had a wonderful time.”

“Sylvie Ann saved the pumpkin seeds.  Next spring she planted them.  The vines grew up and ran all over the cornfield, with lots of pumpkins on them, just waiting to be made into pumpkin pies and Pumpkin Moonshines to please good little girls like Sylvie Ann.”

***********

The children had Columbus day off from school and Mike came for the day.  They had such fun carving their pumpkins.  I’ve read Pumpkin Moonshine to the little ones so much that they use that name, which I find so dear.  Sarah wouldn’t touch the “guts”, they were too disgusting for her.  Mike carved Seth’s pumpkin for him, and I did Sarah’s and Caleb’s.  Ethan printed off a design so his was very unique, a hand.  Grace and David didn’t carve theirs, Grace wasn’t feeling well and Dave was at a friend’s house.  It was a fine time out in the bright day, with seeds flying and pumpkin pieces dropping down in the grass.

Just yesterday, Sarah was on the porch with me and she bumped into Jacob’s pumpkin.  It bounced away, rolled down the hill and splashed into the pond.  It’s floating there even now.  I thought Jacob would be mad, but he laughed when I told him.

“In thine own ways, O God of love,
We wait the visits of thy grace.”

Rich was away from Tuesday to Friday last week, he worked from home on Friday and he took the picture of me….I love it because I think it’s sweet how my body reacts to him being gone and then back home.  When he is gone, God gives me extra strength and energy to take care of things, almost like a caffeine rush.  When he returns, it’s amazing how I completely relax.  When he took the picture, I was outside on the porch watching Sarah Joy play, and could hardly keep my eyes open, I was so sleepy.  Like a contented cat in a sunbeam, is how I feel, when my husband is near.

(Ethan, 15, and Jacob, 16, my fine young teenagers)

Our new addition is almost done, so close to being done that I’m full of joy with the prospect of decorating it, and moving in.  We are just about there, my friends.  We have a fire place!  Rich is a man’s man through and through, but I can see the little boy in him as he sets about building his woodpile and carrying in the logs.  He’s so cute when he carries in the logs.  He had a delivery of them (trees, practically) unloaded on the lawn (which is now going to sit there and make me nervous until it’s chopped, because I’m afraid the children will climb on them and make them roll down and flatten someone) and I used the beauty of the *dangerous* logs as a backdrop to take a couple of pictures.  Pictures?  But of course!

Grace is adorable even when her hair blows across her face, and can it be that she will turn 14 soon?  Yes, in just a couple weeks.

She is wise beyond her years and brave, too.  She’s adjusting so well to High School, I am very proud of her.  Thankful.

Rich had enough of a woodpile already chopped up and ready, so he built our first fire this weekend.  There was just enough chill in the air to make it worthwhile.

It was a moment.  We loved the feel of the heat and can picture ourselves sitting in front of it in rocking chairs (seriously, they are on order!), toasting.  The fire cracks and sizzles, the smoky smell is like fine perfume of a different sort.  Oh we love it.

Every creature the house loves it.

On the other side of the room, I have a new hutch!  It’s the perfect and most beautiful piece of furniture to display *some of* my fiestaware collection.  Our table is to the left of the fireplace, on the side of the room.

Once the room is complete I will share pictures of every angle.  We still need trim, a mantle on the fireplace, curtains, doors, etc.

I love that God’s will for me is to turn my house into a home, and make it into a sweet place of love and warmth for family and friends.  I pray that His presence will be felt here.  “A new addition” could never mean as much to me as the fellowship we hope to have within it’s walls.

Dear Savior, let thy beauties be
My soul’s eternal food;
And grace command my heart away,
From all created good.

Have a wonderful afternoon, friends.

You are loved.

Just a quick post to share the photos my brother texted me.

This was the sunrise he saw this morning!

Doesn’t it look like fire?  He wrote that he was “pretty dumbfounded” when he saw it.

((((love))))

thanks Dave, for sharing the sunrise with me today.

“Those old days when the balancing of a yellow butterfly

o’re a thistle bloom

Was spiritual food and lodging

for the whole afternoon.”  -Lowell

If Seth the small hadn’t gotten stuck in a pine tree down by the pond I probably wouldn’t have made my exciting nature discovery this morning.

But he did get stuck, and called for help, and that is how I stopped dusting and got outdoors.

As I walked down to lend a hand, I realized what a perfect autumn day it was turning out to be, glowing and breezy, warm and sunny.

He was outside in the first place, to wear off energy.  So I made him run while Sarah and I went down to the stream with scissors.  I was collecting thin branches of pretty leaves to fill a scarlet fiesta vase in the house.

The kittens ran ahead of us and raced through the tall grass and shrubs.   I heard a splash in the stream and thought one of them had fallen in.   When I saw they were both dry I next wondered if it had been a large turtle.

We meandered down the stream and pond and the sunshine was just right, making shadows and bright spots, in such a beautiful way.  I gazed ahead through the trees and saw, to my surprise, a dam of sticks and leaves blocking up the stream.  I stood and looked, almost not believing my eyes.  How could a new beaver dam be built so close to the house without us noticing it?

Then I thought that perhaps the splash I heard was a beaver jumping in the water.

We’ve witnessed their work before.  A few years back they plugged up the stream near the road, and the town came in to pull it up, twice.  Last year they were working further into the woods.  Now they are here.  How fascinating!

(beaver art)

We moved in closer and I noticed that the sticks were not chewed in the typical beaver way…..I think maybe they gathered up a lot of them from the ground in the woods….quite smart.  Investigating further, I also saw signs of fresh small trees being brought down, too.  Sad to say, when beavers are around, saying goodbye to trees will soon follow.  It hurts to see them go, but I have read that they can be useful in clearing out smaller ones,  enabling the remaining trees to thrive with more room to grow.

The stream is so full beyond the dam that it is softly flowing over the sides and into the woods, forming a small pond.  The sound of the water filtering through the sticks and leaves is soothing.   Some of it came up over my flip flops and I squealed ….so cold!  It is a new look for our stream and it will be interesting to see how it will all end.  The town isn’t very keen on beaver colonies.

“Hi!  I’m Sarah and I’m checking out the beaver dam with Mom!”

After we looked it all over and had a lesson on how to say “beaver” (Seth kept saying “fever”) we moved on to take pleasure the woods for a little while.

yellows and red

wondering if she should climb

a dry curling leaf

yellow leaves

climbing seth

Poor Seth ended up hurting his finger and getting a sliver so we headed back home for a bandaid.

The fresh air does a good job of tiring them out and right after lunch they went down for naps.  They are sleeping still, and I wonder if they dream of beavers?

Sarah, two years ago.

All seven of my children…David, Ethan with Seth, Jacob with Sarah, Caleb with his eyes closed, and Grace.

Fall, 2013

A Friday ritual. A single photo  – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

A photo by my brother, David, of the night sky over our parent’s home place.

“Afterall,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” 
LM Montgomery

This morning, I was looking through my favorite fall cookbook from Mom, she bought it for me 10 years ago!  I found an intriguing recipe for “Cappuccino in a Jar”.  I had all the ingredients in the cupboard so I went downstairs to get an empty quart-sized mason jar and mixed some up.

CAPPUCCINO IN A JAR
from Gooseberry Patch’s cookbook, Flavors of Fall

2/3 cup instant coffee granules
1 cup chocolate drink mix
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix ingredients together; spoon into jar.  To make, add 3 tablespoons of mix to 6 ounces hot water.  Makes 10-12 servings.

In other news:  Seth and I found a turtle yesterday just sitting in the grass by the pond.  We rarely find them out of the ponds.  If they’re out of water they are usually on a rock at the edge, sunbathing.  We said hello and picked it up.  It hissed quite quietly “hello” and waved all four legs to try to scratch itself out of our hands.

It was beginning to dry so I threw it in the stream, even though Rich thought I should kill it, I just couldn’t.  I guess I bonded with it after all the photography. 

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

One last bit of news. 
Jacob, our oldest son, played his first football game yesterday.  I homeschooled him for five years and he went into public school as a Freshman.  He is now a Junior (!!).  This is his first experience playing football and deep down in my heart I am petrified that he will be seriously hurt.  I am displaying a brave front for the moment and doing my best to keep his uniforms clean…..anyway…..he is quarterback for the jr. varsity team.   I took some pictures but I don’t have any good ones of the action, as it was pretty hard to follow.  Plus I was only there for the last half hour because I was stuck at the eye doctor’s with Grace.  Rich was there for the whole game though.

this one is funny, of Jacob directing the team.  it was interesting to hear him yell out calls and stuff.  he did great.

talking to one of the coaches on the sidelines, #9



very proud of him for trying new things and learning so much

they lost badly

but it was a great experience; next game is Saturday.  my heart is touched when he asked over dinner last nigh,  “Are you gonna come to my game on Saturday, Mom?”  He wants me there.  🙂   he’s a good kid 

I’ll take pictures of Ethan playing soccer when he actually gets into a game.  He’s been sidelined since last week with a hamstring injury.  I’m taking him to a physical therapist this afternoon.

Enjoy your day, my friends! 

Friends are the sunshine of life.  John Han

 On Friday, Grace was able to come right home and not stay after school for anything.  I found it touching that Sarah got right in the couch with her big sister and snuggled in….they watched youtube music videos together. 

I got up and made a big Saturday morning breakfast with pancakes, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and scrambled eggs.  Seth was so impressed that on Sunday morning he asked, “Can you make That Breakfast again, Mom?”

Our little girl kitten, Silkie.  Watching out the window

me

Well, it’s hard to see, but I was taking a picture of baby fish in our pond.  Rich and I walked around checking them out.  He says the bass (not pictured) might be big enough to fish next year.  I wonder if it will happen, as he and Ethan have them practically as PETS at this point.  🙂

Oh, this one is funny.  Sort of.  We have a big sectional sofa which is hard to vacuum thoroughly so I don’t do it very often.  The urge struck me last week to take it all apart and do a proper cleaning.  I not only threw away a lot of garbage, but collected all this stuff, too. 

These are the days of toys in the couch.  How I’ll miss them.