contentment and bean bags

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Shanda

Hello, lovelies. I am sitting cross legged on the couch looking into a brand new laptop screen with fingers tip tapping across fresh, clean keys. The children are at school, Seth and Sarah are napping, the dryer is humming, the roof is dripping. It’s up 20 degrees from yesterday and feels positively warm at 39, the snow was slushy and wet under my feet when I went to the coop earlier. Seth and Sarah went outside for about 20 minutes and managed to build and destroy three little snow men. The dog ran off with the carrots. Laughter, cold hands, hungry tummies, sandwiches, naps.

What am I thinking about? In a word, contentment. My dear friend Kara shared with me a book to read and I am only a few pages in but already refreshed by good, wholesome truths.

“…..I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11

Wow, wait a minute, contentment can be learned. This fills me with hope, and a strong desire to learn, learn, learn! As Christians, God can and will infuse us with the strength we need to face each moment of every day and will teach us everything we need to know. Isn’t it encouraging that we got this far? I’m done with “chasing happy”, from now on I am going to “chase contentment”.

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

I am excited about my new book and if you want to read along, too, it is by Linda Dillow and titled Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment (I am sure men would enjoy it, too). 🙂 I am reading it on my kindle with a pencil and notebook.

***

A poem I came across recently:

What God Hath Promised

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.

Annie Johnson Flint

****

A craft to do with the children

Like homemade play dough, homemade bean bags are a quick and easy thing to do with the children and are all the better for being made by our own six (more or less) hands. Seth and Sarah had a fun time choosing their own fabric from my bin of scraps, and I even let Seth press the sewing machine “foot” (scary) to sew his own.

We kept making them until the beans ran out.

Sethers was still in his cozy pajamas. I love those darling bare feet.

We ended up with six colorful little bean bags to throw around.

This one was my favorite, as you can see I got fancy with the stitching on this one, too. Mushrooms!

Sarah’s favorites were the baby blue/pink rose ones. She told me she didn’t like the mushroom one.

Watch out! They are about to let them fly.

“just to be alive is a grand thing”

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Shanda

a simply lovely life

“But there was something more {to his experience} which he felt, but could not express, sights and scents and sounds of which he could only say: ‘It seems to get hold of you like, somehow.'” Flora Thompson, in Lark Rise to Candleford

….”it is in the smallest details that the flavor of life is savored.” Sarah Ban Breathnach, in Simple Abundance

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart. I want to see You.”

This morning I sat in the recliner by the window, under a lamp, and spent some time (the best time) in the Word of God, reading Ephesians and a Charles Spurgeon devotional, Evening and Morning.

As I was reading, the children were quietly buzzing about, playing and fighting a little, too (over toys).

I was blessed by Sarah’s face as she sat back and looked at the pink plastic necklace she put around my neck, her eyes were adorably thoughtful and considering.

I thought about the Holy Spirit and how God moves like wind, blowing life into dead hearts, stirring them up to begin to think of him, a miracle of soul-work. A man shared his salvation story in church on Sunday and broke down as he told us the sacred memory of the desire he heard in his mind for the very first time “READ THE BIBLE, READ THE BIBLE” until he finally obeyed and went to the mall to find one, and buy it. The Word was like a dagger into his heart, telling him clearly who he was, and what he needed, which was Jesus Christ to save and comfort him, to take his burdens away and give him rest, finally rest, for his weary soul.

I read this morning Spurgeon’s words to the sinking Christian, and how we find our refuge in the humble act of PRAYER. Oh what a comfort to simply go to Him with all our troubles, knowing that He hears and helps in such amazing ways. If only we had eyes to see all that He truly does for His own loved and cherished children.

“The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. Heaven’s great harbor of refuge is All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make for it with all sail.”

“Immediately a keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of Jesus hears, and with him ear and heart go together, and the hand does not long linger. At the last moment we appeal to our Master, but His swift hand makes up for our delays by instant and effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto the Savior, and we may rest assured that He will not suffer us to perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.” Charles Spurgeon

so much to be thankful for;

Jacob cleaned the kitchen the other day, he cleaned it spotless, and one of his techniques was to take the everlasting four inch pile of mail, school papers, and other papers and put it in my bedroom with this label on top. LOL

It seems so strange to have flowers coming up in a “hot spot” in the flower beds. They do this every year in January and it’s amazing to see how they get covered in snow again, and frozen, but still come up and blossom prettily in the spring.

The chickens had a happy couple of days with milder temperatures and laid a few extra eggs for us.

I took a freshly baked berry cobbler to our Bible study brunch yesterday. Recipe here.

I just love the look of ice on the pond. We have another rainy day today but it was nice to see a peek of the blue sky yesterday.

If I do say so myself, I knocked one out of the park yesterday at dinnertime. I made fluffy cornmeal dinner rolls from a cookbook that Aunt Mary gave me years ago. (please be advised, if you try the recipe, I had to add more milk (increase amount to 1 cup), this dough needs to stay somewhat sticky and soft in order for the rolls to be fluffy. I used my kitchenaid to knead the dough.)

And a big huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

Darling Caleb, scraping up the last of his (third) bowl of soup made by mother.

contentment.

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” Agatha Christie

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:5

God bless all those who pass through here today, I pray that you have a gentle, serene day in the Lord, no matter what trials come your way. You are loved.

a thoughtful hello

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Shanda

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, we took naps. My mind was hazy (I called Seth “Caleb” three times and didn’t even know it until the family corrected me), football was on TV, we were all together, I was thinking about nothing.

Sitting on the couch next to my husband, I leaned my head back against the cushions and saw through the window above, a familiar friend!

“You didn’t get outside for a walk like you wanted to. I just wanted to say hello,” the moon remarked.

{this moment}

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Shanda

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.

frozen

Image

I took these photographs last weekend, in the early morning. The sun was on it’s way up and shining through the woods. I glanced out the window, and glanced again. Everything was sparkling and glitter, from the tree tops to the snow on the ground. I had to get out–I put my snow stuff on and tromped into the bitter air, carrying my camera. Branches were covered with an icy frost and as I got closer, the details were stunning. The stream was beautifully ice-covered, and then I saw tracks and someone’s house. Are you a rabbit? It’s nice to know we have animal neighbors.

“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

being seen when you don’t want to be seen (today, so far)

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Shanda

We talk about the weather in January, and did you know that pretty much the whole USA is cold today? It’s 10 degrees here, what is it in your “neck of the woods?”

Rich wore suspenders (with dress pants, dress shirt, and tie) to work for the second day in a row and my does he look snazzy!

I started a fire in the fireplace today after going out and daintily gathering 10 of our smallest logs off the wood pile.

Do you have any idea what happens when your husband and teenage boys neglect to take the garbage to the road for 2 weeks? And meanwhile, Christmas came with all the packaging and wrapping paper happened, too? With a family of nine, it piles up. My poor porch has been a temporary garbage holding place and I have been BUGGED.

Thankfully, they got it out last night, the garbage truck went by this morning and (because I was bugged) I asked David and Caleb to bring the empty, big, lidded cans back to the house and push them right up to the steps so I could clear my porch. We live on a typically quiet road but it runs kind of close to the house. As soon as the boys left for school, I went outside to throw all the trash bags into the empty cans….and wouldn’t you know it, JUST as I was getting IN a can to jump up and down (they were quickly filling up) a car went by very slowly, and then a bus parked down below (why?), and the next door neighbor, and another, went by very slowly, as I was IN the can. I couldn’t “smile and wave” so I ignored them and *pretended* to be fully concentrated on my job. It was so cold I didn’t blush (couldn’t). My porch is clean now, all except for a big huge box. We have no room left in the cans for this week’s garbage…….

Ethan called to tell me that he forgot his wrestling stuff and could I get it to him before 2? I don’t like having to bundle up Seth and Sarah and take them out into the cold for a 10 minute trip to school….but since I had to do it, I did it right away. I was wearing stretch pants, no make up, pony tail and my bangs were pulled straight back with a bobby pin. I looked pretty ugly but I put on a loud kid’s music cd (from Eli) and went through the drive-thru at Dunkin Donuts to get us some treats only to find that my window was frozen securely shut. I had to pull around out front and actually go in, in all my hideousness. Two chocolate creams and an apple n’ cinnamon, and a chocolate latte. Seth and Sarah Joy LOVED their donuts (I usually always get them plain because I try not to give them too much sugar).

I really wanted my donut, too, but then I got to thinking, “Ethan would be so surprised if I slipped this into his bag and he found it when he got to wrestling practice.” “But it will only REWARD him for being forgetful.” “Well, just this once. I’ll talk to him about it later. I have quite enough calories with this latte.”

Decidedly, I rolled down the top of the donut bag and put it in his string bag, right on top of the shoes.

I had a nice little chat with the school secretary and then I was on my way.

When I got back home I put the preschoolers to bed and now I’m enjoying the fire and a quiet house. I went out to get the mail at 1pm wearing my slippers and bright red fuzzy robe and ….. you guessed it, the mail lady went back through just as I got out there.

But that time I did smile and wave.

ice and rain and orchids in january

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Shanda

In January
its so nice
while slipping
on the sliding ice
to sip hot chicken soup
with rice. Maurice Sendak

So far in this month of newness, we have had deep freezing temperatures suited for ice skating, snow to make us stay at home, and now…..rain.

January is a time to rest after the holidays, and a time to talk about the weather.

Sarah herself says that today is a fine day and I quite agree. When we went out to the chicken coop we were quite happy to get rained upon. It was ridiculous and made us laugh. Rain in January?

In other news, we have orchids blooming in my bathroom. Rich bought me these last year and I am just thrilled that they grew new branches and blossomed. There are five big magenta blooms and it amazed me to see them uncurl from their buds. Imagine trying to fold them back in? God is truly a master designer, my son David works so hard to make an origami masterpiece out of a flat sheet of paper…..God takes a seed, which grows into a green leaf and stalk, and a bud, and the flower UNFOLDS ITSELF from it just perfectly! And that’s just the basic explanation, there is much more to it as we all learned so well, in science class.

Yesterday morning’s frosty ice.

“Hast thou entered into the treasure of the snow?” book of Job

It was so beautiful by the stream, doesn’t this look like melting candles flowing into a wax puddle? or a cow udder?

I saw this beautiful bare foot sight this weekend….Grace was playing songs for the little ones on the computer, songs from the movie “Frozen” that Rich and I took the girls to see.

Sarah’s been wearing her fanciest dresses at home and I say, “yes”, because life is short and tiny girls grow out of little fancy dresses eventually.

I love feathering my nest……

I found this tea towel yesterday. It’s just right.

My ring came back today!!!!!!! ( from Rich for Christmas, I had to get a smaller size)

My pantry.

“You overflow my cup.” lyric from a worship song by Audrey Assad.

My darlings painted the most beautiful pictures this morning.

Sarah played on my bed with the new bunnies.

She wanted to keep them but I said these bunnies live on mommy’s bed, this is their country, but you can visit them.

Hot chicken and noodles, a wonderful dinner for a January evening.

Candlelight.

I absolutely positively cannot believe it’s raining today!

Quote from today: “Seth I just burped, did you hear that Seth, I burped.” ~Sarah, who thought he would be proud.

dancing

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Shanda

Everyone. Please. Be quiet.

Sarah is dancing.

And Sarah takes her dancing very seriously.

Why, yes, she is wearing new adorable slippers.

She bought them on sale just yesterday.

However, while dancing, they make her trip.

Much better.

Now she is really free.

Now she can fly.

Now she can run.

While dancing.

christmas food

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Shanda

I’m in the new addition and a fire is quietly burning in the fire place. I can look across the room and see that the light of this day *is gray, snow is falling, and the children came home early from school. When I check the temperature on my phone, I see that it is 19 degrees, but we are warm as toast inside. Rich cleaned out the wood pellet stove so a fire is going in the livingroom, too. Ethan is on the floor in front of it with his dog, playing video games.

I am at Rich’s desk and behind me is another window. Sammie the cat is on the sill looking out. When I stop to pet her, she honors me with immediate purring. Sarah just wandered over and carried her away, “Poor little Sam,” she coos.

Grace is texting with her friend Jenna, they are both all excited because the new Sherlock episode aired last night. They have been wondering for over a year how Sherlock faked his death….and now they (sort of) know.

Rich just got done running on the treadmill and I asked him if he would make me some coffee. “yes”

I don’t know….today is calm. Today is lovely, dark, and quiet. Christmas is over, Jacob’s birthday is over, New Years is over. I might be sad tomorrow, but today I enjoy the feeling of nothing pressing, nothing on the “to do” list.

I’ve enjoyed puttering around, making small little improvements, going through old stacks of papers, putting up new calendars, throwing things away, taking down the Christmas tree (with 9 nerf bullets in it!), wrapping up Joanna’s Christmas gifts to mail out later.

Rich and I took a nap on the couch.

Christmas was a week ago now, and I thought it would be fun to do a food post.

The Christmas Menu.

spiral cut Cracker barrel ham

mashed potato bake

homemade rolls

corn casserole

green bean casserole

strawberry congealed salad

MASHED POTATO BAKE

One day, while I was out, my friend Mary was babysitting the children for me. When I came home I discovered that Ethan had asked her to make this dish (we hadn’t made it yet) and she did. I couldn’t believe that she went to that much trouble for him, and it was so good! I consider these Ethan’s special mashed potatoes and I shared the recipe on my blog five years ago, when he turned 10. The original recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup sour cream
2 pkgs (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3 T. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Boil potatoes 20-25 minutes until very tender, drain. In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salts, and pepper; beat until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 8 servings (can easily increase recipe slightly by throwing in a few extra potatoes)

CORN CASSEROLE

Years ago, Rich’s grandma gave us a Hospital Guild community cookbook. As I was looking through it, the recipe for corn casserole caught my eye. I made it and we liked it. very much. I only realized later that it was his grandma’s very own contribution to the cookbook! I make this for every holiday meal.

1 can whole kernel corn (do not drain)
1 can cream-style corn
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup soft butter
1 pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl on medium speed until well combined. Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

HOMEMADE ROLLS from this link.

My mom and I both use this recipe, but we only use half the sugar. The recipe is for loaves, but it is very easy to use the same dough to do rolls. One batch made one 9 by 13 pan of rolls, just enough for our dinner and some leftover, too.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

First, I made my own condensed cream of mushroom soup substitute, using this recipe.

Drain 2 cans of French cut green beans, added the cream soup, and 1/2 tsp. of onion powder. Pour it into a baking dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Crush some ritz crackers in a bowl and added 2 T of melted butter, toss with a fork and then sprinkle on top of casserole with your fingers. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

CONGEALED STRAWBERRY SALAD

When I was visiting Jekyll Island this spring with my parents, I bought myself a cookbook called Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook. This recipe was included.

1 (6 oz) pkg. strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh or 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen strawberries
2 large bananas, mashed
1 cup pecans
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup dairy sour cream

Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Add the strawberries, bananas, pecans, and pineapple and mix. Pour half into a 9 by 9 inch dish. Chill until firm. Spread the sour cream over the firm half, then pour the remaining half over it and chill until firm. Serves 6-8

The food was received with grateful hearts.

Of course we all ate off fiestaware!

Rich took most of these pictures…..

The congealed strawberry salad is in that vintage pyrex dish (another favorite thing to collect at thrift shops).

After dinner we had energy to burn so I went outside and played two games of PIG with the boys (very fun) and Michael came over to visit, too.

He totally looks like a relative, doesn’t he? We’ve only known him for 2 years, from church. One of our first special services was seeing him get baptized at the apple farm. (in the pond). Anyway, he’s like a member of the family.

Nerf war!

And a very Happy New Year to you, too.

*by the time I am done writing this, it is black, 5pm

happy birthday to Jacob

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Shanda

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord….” Psalm 127:3

Yay, I finally get to sit down and tippity tap on the keyboard, I’ve been wanting to all day because my heart is full. (with motherly feelings) Birthdays always make me sentimental and Jacob turned 17 today.

What my heart wants to say is…..I’m grateful for my son and who he is. He is becoming an independent young man, and yet has a sentimental heart for his home and family, too. I love him deeply.

*Seventeen – to – Eighteen* will be an important year, more learning, more growing, enjoying the last days of childhood.

His bookshelf.

He likes to read and still makes time to enjoy a good book, even though many times I will see him reading on the couch one minute, and sound asleep the next. (growing boy + school and sports = exhaustion)

His Literature class read “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe this year and it effected him….he liked the poem so much that he read it to us during a Ravens football game (Gma and Gpa were here, too). As soon as he finished it up we looked at the TV and saw a real live raven on the screen. He requested a complete copy of Poe’s works for Christmas.

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!’ I shrieked upstarting –
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! – quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!’
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’ (stanza 17)

Jacob is an artist.

he has a collection of works to be framed

He likes his things to be in order.

He recently organized all of their legos. Every single brick. Which is why he is sitting on bricks in that picture up there.

Now that the legos are organized (he even pulled stuff out of the recycling bin to use as containers…the dog cannot stay away from the lego-filled ice cream carton) the brothers are busy putting together their old lego sets (they have kept the directions, thankfully).

It seems like just a week ago he was a baby and I was a first time mama. Everything that my baby son was and did made such a deep impression upon me. I remember quiet days tending to my baby. I saved a lot of his little clothes, including the ones he wore in this picture:

And I still have this little hat.

Someone asked what it was like to have a seventeen year old son. Honestly, it’s wonderful. Year after year we have enjoyed him.

(his 3rd year was questionable, however) male toddlers are a challenge.

17 year olds are GREAT. Ours makes us laugh and helps out around the house (he actually likes to clean). He adds unique Jacobness to the family atmosphere, fills our lives with music and art, books, and legos. Doctor Who, football, and wrestling. He adds the best songs to our playlists. And if that isn’t enough, he eats half the food in the house each week, himself. (joking, sort of)

Jacob requested a lego set for his birthday. It took about 6 hours for him to complete it.

THE TOWER OF ORTHANC, 2359 pieces