On this second day of summer vacation, we left the house at 10 a.m. to go pick strawberries.  Just in time, too, because the lady behind the counter said that tomorrow would be the last day.  With all the rain we’ve been getting, the berries are starting to spoil.   It didn’t take us long to pick as much as we wanted and this afternoon I will work on cleaning them up and packing them in the freezer.

Taking seven children out for adventures doesn’t leave much time for romantic and beauteous feelings.  As the mama I mainly feel that everything is rush-rush and problem solving.  But when I sit here and look at the pictures I distractedly took this morning I am just filled with gratefulness for these years when I can do anything and everything with my happy gang. 

Sarah, after finding a pink marker this morning::  we love pink, just not this much.

Today is the first day of summer vacation.  I took Jacob and Ethan to the orthodontist and then we went to a sports store and then Costco.  Grace stayed home to watch Sarah, who was tired out, and I took Caleb and Seth with me.

At the dentist, Caleb and Seth were playing with big lego cars that they found in the waiting room toybox.  Seth made me laugh when out of the blue he said to Caleb, “Can you fix my bottom?  It isn’t working right.”  It took me just a second to realize he meant his car was falling apart.

at the orthodontist, this morning

I laughed again while we were shopping.  Jacob poked Caleb (7 years) and Caleb said, “I hate being the third youngest!”  It made me laugh, to hear how specific he was.  Caleb has four older siblings and two younger ones. 

So now we are back home and I’m forcing the reading children to read quietly for 45 minutes.  They are rebelling.  Jacob said it’s just like being in school during SSR.  “What in the world is SSR?” I asked.  “Silent Sustained Reading”, he said. 

I chose the books from our own collection and gave Jacob a book on Abraham Lincoln, Ethan The Lamplighter, and Grace Little Town on the Prairie.   Caleb is reading An Army of Frogs.  David, our other reader, isn’t here.  He’s at Six Flags with his friend. 

Little House, with a very sleepy kitty

Seth is playing quietly and Sarah is still napping.

It’s 94 degrees and humid outside.  We will go outside to swim later on.

After church on Sunday we had one of our annual summer picnics.  There are about 3 or 4 of them, at various church members’ homes.  The one on Sunday was at an apple orchard, owned by a couple from church.  They live in an old family home, very country and lovely, the property has big beautiful trees around so the house is shaded and cool.  We have attended this church for almost 2 years and I am finally feeling comfortable, secure in the grace filled environment of a healthy church family.  It’s all so casual and sincerely nice, truly like family, as it should be.   

This is the orchard shop.  During the picnic, the food tables are set up outside and the desserts are inside.  I love the white picket fence with pink flowers planted in front of it.

Log farmhouse, I love it!  There was a fun game of Frisbee going on.

I thought it was precious when Sarah left my side to go quietly over to her big sister, and hold up her arms to be held.

A group of ladies chatting near a picnic table covered with a pretty table cloth and a potted petunia.

Gary, on the left, is our pastor.  He is also an old friend of my Dad’s.  He is an outgoing, friendly, and very smart man who simply loves to preach the gospel, anytime and any place.

There was a pond in which to do baptisms.  The music guys set up the sound system so we could sing hymns.  Here is Caleb (closest to camera, with Rich, Seth F., Ethan, and others, all singing).

This little boy had his testimony written down and folded up in his pocket, to read it to us.  SO dear.

After the first baptism, we sang a couple more hymns.  This is big Mike, with my oldest boy, Jacob.  Ethan is in the background, too.

Then, Shannon shared her testimony and was baptized.  Look at the joy in Gary’s face.

Sorry this one is blurry, I accidently focused on the flowers.  I was trying to take a picture of the praise team.  The music is always such a blessing.

The food line. It was “bring a dish to share” and I made my Aunt Carol’s three bean salad recipe.   3 Bean Salad   1 can dark red kidney beans 1 can cut wax beans 1 can cut green beans 1/4 cup diced green pepper 1/4 cup diced onion 1 pkg. Good Season’s Italian dressing (prepared per directions) 1-2 Tablespoons sugar-or to taste-   Open and drain cans of beans through a colander and place in bowl.  Do not mix any beans, etc. until the very end or they will break into mush–try to be as gentle while mixing as possible.  Add green pepper and onion to bowl.  Add sugar to Italian dressing in cruet and mix by shaking until well blended–immediately add to salad and mix gently.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours–tastes even better the next day so go ahead and make the day before.  Enjoy!   P.S.  The picture is my own salad from Sunday, made with different beans b/c I didn’t have the correct ones, still good!

Summer fun continues now that quiet reading time is over.  Our friends will be here at 3 to go swimming.  And then I’m making a big taco salad for dinner.

Have a great day!
You are loved.

My husband’s administrative assistant was married on Friday afternoon.  Rich and I were looking forward to going to the wedding, and he told me that we would have to leave at 2:45 to get to the chapel on time.  Is there a “running late” person in every couple?  That would be Rich.  I was completely ready and waiting when he came walking in the door at 2:45, in running clothes (how ironic, he loves to run, and he’s often running late).  He changed as fast as he could but we hit pretty much every red light on the way, and then couldn’t find the right place.   Even though the drive started out romantically as I was admiring the clouds, talking to my husband,  and feeling all cute in my fancy dress, I ended up clutching the door handle in silence as he drove faster and faster, and we were all stressed out by the time we got there, the wedding party lining up outside the chapel, ready to walk in.  I detest being late…..however……

*Thank you, Lord* that we were late, because I was the only photographer outside to take pictures of  the bride and her Father getting out of the limo and giving last hugs before the ceremony.  It broke my heart to see the two of them, Daddy and his little girl.

And we weren’t the only ones, late, either, about 8 other people had also had trouble finding the place.  We all waited until the bride had walked the aisle and then we were able to enter the beautiful chapel.  Rich and I sat on the left in the very last row.  I sat on the end next the aisle and was able to take pictures throughout.  We had little Sarah Joy with us and she loved seeing the pretty ladies all dressed up.  It was hot, no air conditioning, but the ceremony was lovely. 

the bride’s father adjusted her train whenever necessary, which I thought was so sweet

kneeling together

holding hands

When Grace was born in 1999, she became my dream-come-true, my first daughter. 
She was the most beautiful baby, so tiny, and she fit so well into my arms, perfectly into my life.
On most days I can push away the reality that my children are growing up before my eyes, but when along comes a milestone, my heart aches.

At five, I felt that she was out of babyhood and into childhood.
At 10, she hit the double digits, oh my heart.
At 12, she’s a BIG girl.
At 13, and now a teenager.

Last night was her 8th grade promotion ceremony.  Her big brother Ethan had his last year, so I did feel desensitized a bit, it was the same ol’ thing but with a new set of kids.  Rich and I clapped and clapped for all the children, but when we saw our Gracie-girl, we smiled big and shook our heads and felt heart-big, proud of her.  The prettiest girl in the room.

our girl in the backseat, on the way to school for her special night

receiving her certificate

singing next to her best friend, Jenna, in the school chorus

with her papa

with her mama

I only make cakes for celebrations now.  This one was for last night’s “after graduation” celebration.  It’s a Duncan Hines cake mix (carrot), with homemade coconut-cream cheese icing, and sprinkled with toasted coconut.

take it all
one day at a time
and enjoy the journey

Kristi Bartlett

it’s a double!

This was Monday.  In a matter of one hour the temperature dropped 20 degrees and the sky went from brilliant blue to stormy, dry to a deluge of rain showers. 

I had to take Ethan to a sports banquet, driving directly under the storm, with lightening flashing, but by the time I arrived back home 10 minutes later, the sun was shining through the rain and a rainbow  had appeared.  I parked the car, ran up the steps, threw open the door, ran through the house calling out to my family “there’s a beautiful rainbow!”, grabbed my camera, and took these pictures from the front porch……

my daughter Grace

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”   Anne Frank

B E F O R E

Sarah Joy’s bedroom needed a little tender loving care.  My goal for the weekend was to whip it back into order and cleanliness and to take the crib down.

This was somewhat of a milestone for Rich and I; it was the first time we took down a crib in over 16 years without another baby on the way to need it soon.

We were both a little sad.  I guess we’ve been putting it off, since Sarah is 3 years old now and perfectly capable of sleeping in her big girl bed.  It was high time.

A F T E R

Now that the crib is out, we gained all that floor space.  (see the kitten in Sarah’s arms-so cute!) 

She has a little kitchen, a dollhouse, and a crib for her baby dolls.  I put some extra dolls and clothes in her closet, out of sight– to be played with some other time.

Her big girl bed has bedding from Shabby Chic (Target), pillow and pillowcase from thrifting and antiquing, and (the best part) a homemade quilt by Hannah.

The paper turtle was something she made in Sunday School and it has a verse on it.

The black and white is a photo I took when she turned 6 months old.  I had it printed on canvas.

The heart picture over her bed was from a thrift store, as was the Princess rug.

The little girl-blue vintage poster (on dresser) was mine when I was a teenager–I bought it myself at an antique shop for a quarter.

This bookcase used to be at the end of her bed (in first picture) and we moved it across the room.

Grace helped me line the books up on the shelves.

I know my book loving friends will enjoy these next few pictures…they represent hours of reading and so many favorites.

Books are of extreme importance to me and I’ve had such fun over the years, adding good stories to our collections.

I buy and find them everywhere, thrift stores, library book sales, bookstores, amazon.com.

As soon as a child can hold a book I put them in their small hands.  Seth and Sarah, and their siblings, are given books at bedtime, always, beginning in babyhood.

The picture on the wall is from the book Blueberries for Sal.  Our copy was torn up so I saved my favorite illustration from it for wall-art….I love it!

I have a little box of junk jewelry that Sarah uses for dress up. The lid of buttons probably will not stay there, I had to pick up so many buttons off the floor and that’s where I was putting them. (They got into my button box a few weeks ago)…..also

a wooden picture book

a vintage song-box

a piggy change purse (she loves little purses)

and a bookmark with a Bible verse on it.

The blue mason jar has shells in it, and a sprig of artificial flowers.

Her room is painted a sage green from years ago when it was an office/homeschool room, but I’ve always thought green and pink were a pretty color combination.

We had fun working on it, and she has been playing so nicely now that her toys are all in the right spots.  I love to see her play quietly and sweetly in her own clean room.

Now, if that was a little too much girliness for ya, here is a “before and after” of the three little boys::

B E F O R E

A F T E R

Haircuts!  I just cannot.stand.the.cuteness.

On Jekyll island, April 2013

Happy Father’s day!