“If dependence on God is the objective
weakness is the advantage.”
Alistair Begg
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“you’re looking at an eleven year old”
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David’s birthday was on Friday. Rich is usually firm about fulfilling commitments, and always makes the children attend school unless very sick, so I was somewhat surprised that he allowed David to stay home on his special day. Perhaps he knew instinctively that Dave would benefit from a day of loving, here at home.
One of the first things I remember of Dave that morning was noticing him observing his arms, just looking at them and saying, “I cannot believe I am eleven.”
David grows older proudly, yet reluctantly. He loves each age and doesn’t care to move on.
We had a quiet morning, and before lunch I asked him to put on some clean clothes so I could take his official picture on his 11th birthday. He chose his “creepers gonna creep” shirt, (I almost objected but then realized “this is who he is!”) a pair of jeans, and of course, bare feet.
A
BOUT DAVE:
The other day Caleb was thinking and thinking……”David is very much like a monkey,” he offered, “He’s the best tree climber of the entire family. And, he likes bananas…….”
Thankfully, there are other things about him, too. He loves to fold origami, he formed and leads a club at school, his best friend is a boy named Ryan, he reads Percy Jackson books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and loves to be comfortable and cozy. He likes Star Wars and notices deep things, coming up with such precious observations that I find myself learning from him and marveling. He is especially close to Ethan and Grace and can spend hours with these two siblings. He is a good listener for Grace, and a mischievous adventurer for Ethan. They were punching each other in church today.
He likes Minecraft, fishing, marbles, stacking cups, comics, and magic tricks.
Our neighbor the vegetable gardener thinks David will be a mayor. He’ll never forget the time that Dave (a few years ago) marched right to their front door demanding cucumbers. They weren’t on the vegetable stand as they typically would be.
When I told David that it was the last day of the vegetable stand, EVER (the gardener, his old friend, was moving away), he went down with his handful of pocket change one last time. I found him later and asked if he was able to see Mr. G. “Yes. I gave him a speech, thanking him for the many years of selling vegetables.” A mayor!
He’s such a special boy and because he has three older siblings and three younger ones, he holds the distinction of being in the MIDDLE, able to be an “older one” or a “younger one” depending upon the mood or the moment.
For lunch on his birthday, I left Grace home on the couch (she was home sick) and Seth and Sarah napping, and the two of us went out to the “Elvis Diner” down the road. His face lit up when I asked him if he wanted to go (alone!) with me. On our way to the car he sighed and said one of his thoughtful thoughts, “It’s a long time in the double digits. You only have 9 years in the single digits but a long, long, time in the double digits.” (“Yes, and you’ll probably never get out of them alive,” I wanted to remark, but held back). Dave is also somewhat of a pessimist, bless his heart. With a tender soul.
“I love these times when it’s just you and me.” ~Dave, over lunch
He showed me magic tricks with the salt and a napkin.
He ordered specifically, six mozzarella sticks and grape soda. He wanted to save room for ice cream.
“I would never have known who Elvis was if it wasn’t for this place.”
He got to play the pinball machine.
He got to try for a black gumball (if you get one, your ice cream is free). But alas, he gave up 2 quarters, and out came…..an orange and then a green. He is convinced the machine is rigged! No one ever gets a black!
It was a good thing I was there to buy his ice cream for him.
After lunch we had to go to the store to get a cart full of groceries, including stuff to decorate his cake, which I had already baked that morning.
I bought him a balloon and the gallon of milk fell out of the trunk when we got back home. I screamed and grabbed it before it all dumped out.
He played minecraft for quite a while as I slaved away over his cake of choice from the book we have. Playing minecraft in leisure was probably one of the best parts of his day.
Once brother Caleb got home he was able to open the rest of his gifts and a card from Grandma and Grandpa, which came right on the day.
He was thrilled with the card because Grandma wrote a nice long letter inside it, especially for him. I think this was the first year he read it without struggling over the cursive writing.
He had told me a week before his birthday that he “always wanted one of those soft pillows for the bed, you know, the ones shaped like a chair.” He said it as part of a conversation and not necessarily as a hint for a birthday gift, so he was very pleased and surprised to get one from us. We also gave him two origami books, and a gift bag full of little things that make boys happy (like candy).
Jacob and Ethan had sports after school so Rich took Caleb and Seth to Jacob’s home game so I could rest (I was also sick with a cold) and we didn’t have cake until 9:30 that night, probably the latest party hour for us, ever!
As a mother, I think birthdays are a wonderful time to shower the children with love and attention. They need to know they are loved and valued, and that we are thankful for each one of them and what they add to the family and the world. God made them each so unique and they are to be celebrated.
One of my favorite parts of a birthday is lighting the candles and seeing the look on my child’s face as they are being sung to. It is their special moment. And they soak it right in. The love and the song.
“The home life should be made bright and full of sunshine. The courtesy of the true home is not stiff and formal, but sincere, simple, and natural. Children need an atmosphere of gladness…..no child can ever grow up into its richest and best development in a home which is gloomy and unhappy. No more do plants need sunshine and air than children need joy and gladness. Whatever parents may do for their children, they should at least make their childhood sunny and tender.” JR Miller
{this moment}
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.
cappuccino in a jar, a turtle, a leech, and football
“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.
I tried some right away and it was delicious. I think it would make a lovely gift! I plan on taking the jar with me to Bible study tomorrow for my friends there to enjoy at coffee time.
about the books : (I got a box from amazon.com today; with three new ones, memoirs, to look forward to reading. I am also reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens and The Jesus I Thought I Knew, by Phillip Yancey.)
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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.
After taking it inside to show the workers, Seth promptly let it go downstairs in his big brothers’ room. It was forgotten until this morning when David found it and it was released back to the wild waters…….I just love life with boys and turtles!
I also took a variety of photos of a leech yesterday. Oh yes indeedy. It was attached to the poor turtle, I had never seen one before so I scraped it off him with a stick. I hope you “enjoy” the pictures I took of it. It was quite a fascinating creature, capable of stretching itself out or bunching itself up.
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.
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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.
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| this one is funny, of Jacob directing the team. it was interesting to hear him yell out calls and stuff. he did great. |
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| talking to one of the coaches on the sidelines, #9 |
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| very proud of him for trying new things and learning so much |
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| they lost badly |
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| 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
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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
snapshots from the weekend
A few months ago I had the best time asking the children questions. I had a list of 12 questions (lifted with permission from crappy pictures blog) and asked each of my seven children them all, alone, without the siblings around so they didn’t influence each other. It was not only fun but also interesting and impressive. I wrote it all down in my journal and still chuckle over them.
For example:
What is the meaning of life?
“To enjoy God’s creations. Because every day on the bus I just look out the window. To see God’s creations.” Caleb, age 8
What do you want to be when you grow up?
“That’s a hard, hard question. I really don’t know–there’s lots of things I want to be. A scientist, a librarian, a book writer (which you don’t have to go to college for), or an herpetologist.” David, 10
What brings you the most happiness?
“Singing” Grace, age 13
What are you afraid of?
“Nothing” Ethan, age 15
When do you feel the most loved?
“I like my mommy.” Seth
“At Grandma’s house.” Jacob
What is the best thing in the world?
“I like to eat chicken” Seth
What is the funniest word?
“I laugh at the trees.” Sarah, 3
“butt” Caleb
“fud” Jacob
“cumquat” Ethan
“meow” Seth
What makes you mad?
“I don’t have mad. I just happy!” Sarah
What is the worse thing in the world?
“being alone” Ethan
“homicide” Jacob
“sin” Caleb
“my stomach hurts” Seth
What is the meaning of love?
“Butterflies in the stomach….marriage–but I don’t even think THAT makes sense because what if you love a cat? How about, universal unity?” Jacob
“To make more people” David
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
Poor Caleb got all grumpy so I told him to take a nap on the couch. He stuffed his head in between the cushions and went right to sleep. xoxo
The fire department had their annual “rent a table” tag sale and I bought a box of horsies for Sarah Joy. She loves making up little stories with them.
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| me |
Other tag sale purchases: A wooden napkin holder and a pretty candle.
Parker in a sunbeam with those soft floppy ears.
I got these two old frames from a second hand store….I have so many pictures and whenever I see frames I search out the ones that have interesting shapes, like these two, with gold matting. The picket-fence picture is a favorite of mine, of little Grace years ago.
I’m going to make a pillow from this old quilt scrap, also found at the second hand store in town.
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. 🙂
Saturday evening tea time with Jacob and Gracie.
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.
{this moment}
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – 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 gorgeous sky
“And one called to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!”
Psalm 57:5
It was such a beautiful evening on Monday. In front of me, the sky was dark with heavy cloud and behind me a bright sun was going down, shining it’s glorious light on the trees. God has created such a beautiful world for us to enjoy and admire. Almost every day I see something of delight, today it was the bright red ball of berries from a Jack in the Pulpit flower. No longer a flower, but berries on a short stalk between two big green leaves. The stream is low but still trickling along, I like to close my eyes and listen to it. I rested my cheek against a pine tree and could smell the pitch. The sky is clear and bright blue today and smells so sweet.
The sunflower at the front steps inspires me. Though it was damaged twice, it continued to recover and bloom. Three blossoms instead of the one. Incredible.
The leaves here are just starting to change color, and when they are at peek what a stunning view it will be. The children will collect fallen leaves and dark brown acorns off the ground and show them to us. We will go apple picking and to the pumpkin patch. I am slowly collecting costumes for Halloween. I just drank a glass of cold cider, we put on jackets this morning, and the goldenrod is in full bloom.
I’m thankful for this time of year.
anniversary pictures and such
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| this one is my favorite |
I wrote yesterday that I was going to meet Rich for an anniversary lunch so we could kiss….but, HOWEVER, as soon as I got off the computer the school nurse called and said that Ethan had to come home, sick. He’s had a bad cough for almost 2 weeks and kept having coughing attacks during class. Yesterday it was all too much for him so he came home and crashed. I took him to the docs and he was diagnosed with “almost bronchitis” so we went to Target to fill a prescription for antibiotics. When we got home he slept and slept and it did a world of good, he got that sparkle back in his eyes and started smiling again. Anyway, I had that situation happen and then Jacob texted me and said I had to pick him up from school at 2 (the exact time I was to meet the husband) and take him to the fairgrounds so he and the rest of the football team could do their community service by cleaning the grounds after the fair this past weekend. Okay! So, Rich and I, we decided to go out to dinner instead. After picking up Jacob and Grace from their school activities, we were ready and on our way by 6:30. Yes indeed, we had a nice Mexican dinner … and guess what? The food was served on the dearest FIESTAWARE plates. I almost stole one but my Christian convictions stopped me.
Grace took the pictures of us before we left and I have decided I hate my hair but oh well, I did take the ponytail out on our way to dinner and that seemed better. (trying to grow out the bangs, but not fully committed) I wore a green anthropologie dress, a cardigan, and wedge sandals. This is noteworthy because I was originally going to wear comfortable jeans but I could hear my sister saying, “You better dress up for your date!” So, thank you, Amanda.
It is a gorgeous fall day today and I’ve gotten a lot accomplished. I feel like I could do anything in Autumn, it is my favorite time of year, the season in which I feel the most alive and energetic!
“Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.”
George eliot
one of my favorite days, ever
In love we escape from our self into one another. C.S. Lewis
Rich and I were married on this beautiful very day, long ago. I was contemplating “18 years” this morning and thinking of what has changed in our relationship during our life together. One of the more important changes has been in my own heart. For many years I struggled to make our marriage what “I” wanted it to be…in my mind, my desires and the advice I read in books or articles was “right” and what he was doing was “wrong”. I wish I had understood then that the pride I held in my heart (of believing that I had all the answers) was what was doing the most damage in our marriage.
Namely, my main issue was that I believed he was working too much and over-committing himself. Such a little thing when there are so many men who truly are terrible; wife abusers, womanizers, Rich is none of these! He is a good, generous Christian man who happens to have a highly involved work (which provides wonderfully for our big family.) There is so much peace in simply living life and accepting it for what it is. Accepting HIM for who he is.
I have no regrets, just joy in knowing that each ordinary day is special because it is what God has given. I’m glad I was married at 19, and even more glad that with maturity comes contentment and rest. There is still so much to learn. God is good and I love being married. I am thankful for my hard-working, good natured husband who provides so well for our family. The children adore their Dad.
Rich couldn’t take our anniversary-day off (he is romantic and usually does) so he took Friday off and we decided to spend the morning driving along the back roads ….. our destination was a farm store about an hour away that sold fresh, quality dairy products (I’m laughing b/c it sounds SO unromantic) but with the intentions of stopping when we saw anything that looked interesting.
First stop? STARBUCKS and we took our adorable boy and girl in with us for treats. Sarah chose a pretzel and Seth ate the frosting off the top of his “morning bun”. Rich got his typical coffee with caramel syrup and I got my new favorite Starbucks coffee: blonde roast. Finally a regular cup of coffee from starbucks that’s not so strong it stings my teeth, the blond roast is just right.
We loved the drive. We talked and talked and got all caught up. Oh it was wonderful. I took pictures out the window as we went along. The morning was bright and sunny.
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| a lovely brick church |
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| church on a hill |
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| beautiful church |
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| a sign that made me smile |
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| we also stopped at a park |
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| seth and sarah were thrilled with the fountain |
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| the gardens were so pretty |
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| seth took this one! |
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| morning glories |
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| back in the truck, and I see another pretty church |
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| I’ve eaten thousands of pizzas with this man. |
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| I had really wanted to visit an independent book seller and WE FOUND ONE!!! This used bookstore was quaint, in an old brick factory building with wood floors, tall windows, and operated by an older gentleman, wise and kind. |
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| I couldn’t believe this Sherlock Holmes book display! Grace would have been astounded, she’s a big fan. |
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| interesting little booklets |
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| Me, with Seth and Sarah
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We bought a stack of books; two origami books for our son David’s birthday, a book each for S and S. I found a George Mueller biography and a CS Lewis anthology. Rich found several Bible Study books, too.
After a stop at a consignment shop where I got two pairs of cool shoes, we made our way to the diary goods store for fresh milk, butter, cheese, and award-winning sour cream.
We each got an ice cream to enjoy.
We arrived back home just in time to get David and Caleb off the bus. We’ve had a nice weekend and later today I am meeting Rich at work for lunch and a kiss.
Happy Monday, friends!
Love is always ready to deny itself, to give, sacrifice, just in the measure of its sincerity and intensity. Perfect love is perfect self-forgetfulness. Hence where there is love in a home, unselfishness is the law. Each forgets self and lives for others. J.R. Miller
PS. My friend Bridgette sent me the dress for Sarah Joy. (Thank you, B! I hope you liked seeing her in it! xoxo)
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| 18 years |
{this moment}
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~soulemama
