“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”  Ps. 118:17

 I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD.  Ps. 27:13-14

(a couple of verses that got me through a really rough 2 days last week)

Isn’t that first picture pretty?  On Friday evening, I cleaned up the kitchen and grabbed the bowl of leftovers for the chickens…..the kids were busy so I left them in the house and stepped outside to walk down to the coop.  The evening was as noisy as a country evening always is–birds, frogs, and every other wild creature, blowing wind, tree sounds that there are, lovely, peaceful sounds.  My eyes were instantly drawn to the dimming sky, all but this one small cloud which was glowing bright with the setting sun.

After I gave the chickens their leftover macaroni and cheese, shut them up safe, and gathered a shirt full of eggs, I walked back to the house to leave the eggs and gather up Sarah Joy.

We went back to the pond and sat for a while, to enjoy some time together.

We saw some frogs and heard so many sounds of them calling and singing.  A bird whizzed by us into the bushes, Sarah picked a closed dandelion and tasted it.  I laughed.

The next morning was SATURDAY!  Happy day!  What did we do first…..hmmmm, oh yes.  We drove to the next town over so Rich could rent the Bobcat for the day.  We went to Agway to pick up supplies and ordered a load of dark brown mulch for the flower beds around the house.  We went to our favorite country store and ordered a couple of Adirondack chairs.  Can’t wait until we get them!  I called some numbers for a kitten for Grace–still no luck in that department.

After the mulch was delivered, the kids had so much fun spreading it around.  Especially David, he said he felt like a Real Worker.

Davy had a ball game that afternoon.

Of course, with 2 little-littles I cannot just sit and watch the game but do a thousand motherly duties.

Rich took the pictures.  Then he went off and left me so he could play catch with Jake and E.  I didn’t mind too much because they need the time with him, too.  I got to talk with another mom which is good for me, to be social and make new friends.  Kim ended up helping me carry stuff to my vehicle after the game.  Very nice lady.

This picture says SO much.  (Notice:  Me, still attempting to wear jewelry and bright colors for my husband, Caleb leaning on me (he’s HEAVY!), Sarah with yogurt on her nose b/c I missed, her hair pretty that she kept pulling off, Seth with no shirt (it was hot in the sun), Caleb’s very dirty hand, the sticky sugary soda, the vein popping out on my neck and the Ready Wipey in my hand.)

Back at home (and by the way, Dave’s team won)….

Grace is writing a book!  It’s about Horses!

Our pretty pond:

Rich cleared some land by the garden shed/chicken coop/playhouse for Shan, to make room for the fenced chicken run.  He did a great job and even cleared a better walking trail around that end of the pond and into the woods.  He took down a lot of briars so we could walk down there easier.

I was inside the house for a little while, to make dinner (hamburgers) and little Caleb fell asleep on the couch.

Later, the children roasted marshmallows.  Seth even joined in, which was nerve wracking for me, but he did it!

Jacob was shooting his BB gun…shooting the stems and tops off of dandelions.

Davy found the smallest turtle ever.  It was so cute!

I was holding it, and Davy got close and grinned with his happy marshmallow face.

Does Sarah like it?

Not really.  It gave her the creeps.

Jacob also likes shooting tadpoles and fish in the pond.

I have handsome boys.

We walked over to where Rich cleared the path and I immediately found trilliums, a wild flower.

I was looking for lady slippers and wondered if these are the leaves to them.  I think they are.

It’s pretty muddy out there.  All in all, it was a very filthy weekend for us.  LOL  Seth lost his shoe and sat right down in the mud to put it back on (which he did, all by himself)….smart boy.

Rich got the bobcat stuck and he and the boys had to pull it out with my vehicle.

When Rich was finally done we sat on the lawn together and watched Davy entertain us.  He was so dirty that we made him jump in the pond, which was cold, but he did it with a smile and a yell.  We all laughed.

Sethie’s dirty shoes:

Rich moved my garden up by the house for me.  We are looking forward to working in it.

I absolutely loved our working-playing-getting dirty weekend.  Rich was so content to be out of the office and outside, getting to work with the Bobcat and playing a lot of ball with the boys.  He didn’t shave, and wore dirty work clothes, let his hair go, hid his work phone, and had a twinkle in his eye all weekend.

Last night he stayed up late watching a movie with the kids.  I tried, but I was falling asleep on couch so I went to bed.  As I went, I turned and looked at them all piled up on the couch together…my family…these years won’t last forever when we are TOGETHER, and I try to remind myself constantly, to hold on to these days with delight and joy. 

“The best way to prepare for the next stage in life is to relish the one you are in.”

When you spend so much time involved in a certain activity it tends to stay in your mind even when you are taking a break from it.

That’s why I’m sitting here posting pictures of laundry on my site today.

That’s not entirely the reason, though, it’s also because I had to call in the troops to help me overcome one particular mountain of it yesterday. And the troops descended upon the mountain and got it conquered in no time!

We had a folding party.  (Caleb was the only one not folding because he was too busy throwing up in the other room to be of any use.) 

Little Seth even “folded” his own pile….everyone helped the best they could, and that’s all I ask.  I don’t care about wrinkles and stuff.  Just fold everybody, fold! 

We got to this point and then I sent the boys outside b/c they were so wild and crazy.  They took their daggers and swords and did battle against skunkweed out in the woods. 

It took me a long time to get these piles delivered to all the bedrooms.  I don’t think nudists have to do so much laundry but we are not about to take up that practice.

We have only done 4 loads today.

I like using fabric softener and the way it makes my clothes smell so fresh and nice.

I have a front loading washer and have no complaints with it.  It stopped working once last year but it ended up being a sock clogged inside.  And a lego man.

I throw the family socks into one big basket now, and whoever wants socks has to paw through the basket to find a pair.  This is the latest stage of my ongoing problem with matching socks for 9 people.

Seth likes to watch me fold clothes.  He tells me who the items belong to.  It’s cute.

I enjoy hanging clothes on the line but it’s been raining here for days so that’s not possible lately.

I prefer using Tide laundry detergent but will use anything that is on sale.  I am currently using some from Target (the store brand) and it smells good…lavender, I think. 

I have stuff to make my own detergent and will do that now that I’ve collected enough empty containers to put it in.

I took pictures of an adorable tree frog today.

Stay tuned.

PS, Doing laundry is important.  This is part of our ministry to our families.  It’s not a waste of time, it’s of great value.  Mamas, please remember that God’s will is for us to nurture and care for our families, so do it with joy and purpose, even the laundry.  And if your family forgot to say so today, let me say THANK YOU for all you do.  You go, girl!  You are one wonderful home-maker!

Happy Saturday!

Rich is out trading in his motorcycle for a different motorcycle so I have a few minutes to sit and update my blog. 

1.  Some of you may remember that my 8 year old son Davy put a BB bullet into his ear?  Well..he did end up getting that removed last Thursday at the specialist.  It didn’t take long but it hurt really bad, he said.  The Doc was so kind, an older gentleman, and told David that he himself put something in his nose when he was a little boy and had to have it removed (the item, not the nose).  He said that was how he decided to become a special doctor for the eyes, nose, and ears.  So perhaps this will be the case for Davy, too?  His ear is just fine now, thankfully.  The bullet is not.  We were able to bring it home but it is badly discolored, and corroded. 

2.  The sick children are still not 100% better.  This has been a very bad bug.  I took S and S to the docs yesterday and he suggested Pepto Bismal and bland foods.  To make matters worse, Sarah is cutting a tooth (her first) and so she is pretty miserable at times.  It’s okay.  We have gotten through the week.  Ummmm, oh yes, but poor Caleb has it now, too.   He was at David’s game last night and threw up as he was sitting on the bleachers with the rest of the crowd of spectators.  Thankfully the family (Rich, Grace, and Caleb) was sitting on the very back row so Caleb just turned around and ………well, you get the idea.  I have done so much laundry this week that I am personally going to give myself a “Queen of the Laundry” badge. 

3.  J, E, G, and D had a dress rehearsal for their final concert (they are in a children’s choir) this afternoon.  C was supposed to be in it, too, but sadly, he is (as I mentioned) quite sick.  I was able to leave the sickies with Rich and take them myself.  I was gone from 9:30-1:30 and I felt like a new woman by the time I came home.  The break was nice.  Having no one to chase was nice.  Davy had a free hour while the others rehearsed so the 2 of us went on a date to Starbucks.  He was SO cute.  It was his first time there and he said that’s where he wants to go now for his birthday. (in September)

4.  We passed an animal shelter today so now I know where Grace can get the kitten she’s been dreaming of.

5.  Thia, thank you very much for the wonderful cherry picture you sent me.  I love it.  I loved the note, too.  Here is a picture just for you:

6.  It has been a somewhat roller-coaster week because of sickness and emotional problems with my self.  There were times when I was quite bluesy-blue.  However, I am feeling great today.  (Yes, I am a “feeler”, I can’t help it.)  Weekends with my husband do so much to boost everyone’s spirits around here.  He has administered doses of Pepto Bismal to sick children, spent some time cleaning his garage, and even helped me hang up laundry on the clothesline.  We’ve been married for 15 years and I must say it is still a learning and growing experience….I have a feeling that our whole marriage will be like that.  There are ups and downs but a steady love throughout. 

I love the colors this time of year…there have been the most gorgeous pink trees in bloom (the same color pink as “pink ink” in Dr. Seuss).  I want to plant one of those pink blossoming trees!  I told the children that today, and David informed me that I don’t know how and Ethan said I say that every year.

Wild strawberry blossom, I have noticed a lot of these this year!  By the way, I did my own pedicure on the way to church last Sunday.  LOL

I don’t know what these tiny wild flowers are.  I’ll figure it out and type it in later.

Yummy sweet smelling narcissus.  I keep picking these for my kitchen.  Love them.

Okay, must go…baby Sarah is getting upset.  So glad I know just what to do to make her happy.   

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

Because my heavenly Father made this daughter of his love the smell of apple blossoms.

I have had sick little ones since Tuesday.  This morning, when all the morning mess from sickness was cared for, and baby was sweetly clean and sleeping again, and toddler was sweetly clean and being held by his brother, this tired mama walked away for half an hour, into the woods.

Under an incredibly thick blue sky…if you took a dark sky blue crayon and heavily colored every spot on a piece of paper that’s almost what it looked like…I settled my back against a fallen-pine log bed and stared up, up, up, into the deep blue, and the soft yellow of spring leaves growing on the far tops of the trees.

I prayed and told God exactly what He already knew.  A few tears gently rolled down the sides of my face.  Slowly the little burdens grew more distant as the beauty of my awesome God’s creation started capturing my attention.  My prayers started turning to praise and thankfulness.

I got up and started walking home.  When I came out of the woods I found myself just underneath one of my favorite things…big perfumed branches of an apple tree, on the edge of state forest near my home.

As I hungrily breathed in the scent, I could almost hear God telling me, “Yes, I made those blossoms for the bees who are enjoying them now, too, but I also made them for you.  I know how much you like them, because I made you that way.”

I collected big branches of them….saying “Thank you” out loud.

Came home still quietly sort of blue, but happy with my big armload of blossoms.  Happy with the knowledge of God’s love for me, just the way I am, the way He made me.

Grace and I took some pictures because God made me to love photography, too, and the joy of snapping moments of gratitude with the lens.

The open window allows soft breezes to blow through my bouquet, scenting the whole room.

And I smile.

One day I took my pretty quilt outside….. and I took a pillow…. and I took a book.

I relaxed in the sun and shade while the children played around me.

Soon a creature joined me.

After a while we all left the pretty quilt and by the time I got it at the end of the day, it was dampish from the ground.

So I hung it on the line.  It flipped and flapped in the breeze and dried in no time.

Sarah Joy came out to help me take it down and that is how our impromptu photo session began.

Because, we discovered, pretty quilts make wonderful backdrops for pretty baby girls.

The sun, the shade, books, grass, turtles, children, pretty quilts, clotheslines, winds, & Sarah Joy…….all things I am very thankful for indeed.

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while,
but their hearts forever.  ~Author Unknown

Happy Mother’s Day 2011