{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.

“After all, 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

One of the older ladies at church cleaned out some of her bookshelves and brought a few boxes of books to church for us on Sunday, to freely take from.  See what I picked?  I looked for women’s interest books especially.  I’m the most excited about the Corrie Ten Boom book, it’s written diary-style with the entries short and sweet and spiritual.

It never ceases to amaze me the way the Lord creates a bond among believers which reaches across continents, beyond race and color.  ~Corrie Ten Boom 

(this truth comes alive for me even as I blog, meeting and loving so many brothers and sisters-in-Him!)

It rained a lot yesterday, but before it did, I was able to take Seth and Sarah outside.  I let them loose, and they were so sweet.  Sarah was running up and down the hill in front of the house.  She had such joy written on her face.   By the way, my last four children have all worn that GAP sweatshirt.  A lot.

Then they watched the dog dig a hole (SO exciting!), and then they rummaged around in the bushes in my garden, looking for lost toys.  They did find a couple, which they immediately brought to me, so I could be as happy as they were.  So thoughtful.

Yesterday was a big laundry day because the maids were here on Monday.  The bedding on all nine beds was changed and of course when the kids deep clean they find lots of dirty clothes in strange places….so I had the washer and dryer going all day like a well-oiled system.  There was one time when I did everything but START the washer and boy was I disappointed when my system was delayed by that 40 minute mistake.  Ha ha ha.  Oh well, it was all caught up, folded, put away by the end of the day….and as you can see, I was able to sit and read my Bible now and then as I worked. Such is the wonderment of spiritual life, it can happen anytime, anywhere.

I tried a new cookie recipe!

And I made some creamy french dressing in the blender, using organic vinegar and olive oil.  I had a nice salad for lunch.

On Monday I had to make some returns at the mall and the Easter Bunny was there.  Seth went right up to him and Sarah tried, but as soon as he started waving to her she got all upset and turned tail and ran back to me.  So the bunny gave Seth a hug and the masks, one for him and one for Sarah the Very Frightened Rabbit.  Aren’t they the cutest?  It’s impossible not to smile with these little things hopping around the house, even if Sarah did wet her pants FOUR TIMES yesterday.  (at least it was the never ending laundry day!)

I gave Seth a hair cut.  He wriggled on the tall chair the entire time!  He asked to look in the mirror when I was done and he said, “It looks like…..it’s ugly.”  WHA???? 

This morning he said, “Last night, I had a dream that I had a new baseball shirt in my dresser.”  I thought that was a nice, long descriptive sentence.  A+  (still a homeschool mom at heart)

I got the cookies baked during naptime.  Yes, they look like peanut butter, but they aren’t.  They are called “Crisscross cookies”.

Just in time for the school children to appear.

Jacob was impressed.

GRACE LILLIAN, cookie lover

Ethan….

And, the last wonderful people to arrive home from school for some cookies….Caleb and David.

 CRISSCROSS COOKIES, from the Farm Journal’s Cookies cookbook,  1971

a winner because it has that wonderful lemon/brown sugar taste

4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup shortening (I used part butter)
2 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
3 eggs

Cream shortening; add brown sugar gradually.  Add vanilla, lemon extract and eggs; beat until light and fluffy.  Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Chill several hours.  (time to read books to the children, and do some more laundry!)

Roll into balls the size of a small walnut.  Place about 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.  Press lightly with tines of fork, making a crisscross pattern, confusing the family into thinking you made peanut butter cookies (so make an announcement ahead of time, to shield off disappointment).

Bake at 375, 8-10 minutes.  Remove to cool on racks.

Ethan ate several, thinking they really were peanut butter.  Rich ate a couple and then asked me why he couldn’t taste the peanut butter.  When I said they were lemon, I noticed a few minutes later, he was making himself a peanut butter sandwich!

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God……Psalm 50:14a

Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me…..Psalm 50:23a

My “thank you” moment of the day:  When Seth wakes up from his nap all groggy and stumbles his way to ME (his mama) and we snuggle on the couch together until he perks up. 

You are loved, my friends.  Let’s live in the joy of the Lord today. 

It snowed for the night and half the day yesterday!  The children had a snow day and we were all stuck at home (but Rich did make it to work). 

I made pancakes for breakfast and homemade pizza for lunch.  There was enough dough to make a batch of cinnamon rolls, too. 

There were many bird visitors at the feeder.  The children kept calling me to the window and Jacob wanted to take pictures so I opened it up a crack and took some.

This one is a Carolina wren.  It’s a first time visitor, I noticed it started coming a few weeks ago.  It sings so pretty and loves to eat suet.

The mourning doves came, too, and there were about four of them perching on various branches, with their feathers puffed around them.

I made all the children go outside for a little while and Jacob took the BB gun with him.

Guess what he was shooting?

Old milk gallons filled with water with food coloring added to it.  Brilliant.

My darling Seth is starting to become an artist (age 4).  He drew these guys, holding lightsabers.

Needless to say, this morning Rich set right to work on digging us out.

The weather channel said today would be a day of abundant sunshine and boy were they right.  After so many dull days, we could hardly open our eyes because of the brightness.

“When will this cold white stuff go away?”  “I dare you to step in it.” 

Rich and I took the kids out this morning.  Ethan had a gift certificate to a sporting goods store so Rich went there with him, Jacob, and Seth, while I took Grace, David, Caleb, and Sarah to a craft store.  Caleb wants to make a snow globe with a star wars figurine and Grace is going to do a craft with felt.  When we came home, Rich had to leave again to take Jacob and Ethan to a youth group event.  The boys invited two of their friends to go along with them, they are going bowling.  Grace wanted to work on her project so she stayed home.

Rich is out running now (it’s a beautiful day, mid 40’s) and David just made “Hath” chocolate from the Star Wars cookbook.  He and Caleb are drinking it and looking through the cookbook, figuring out what to make next.

{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.  inspired by soulemama

Grace was sitting pretty in a sunbeam when she did her homework the other day. 

She and her friend Jenna are having lots of fun pretending to be John Watson and Sherlock Holmes.  They have written 44 long letters back and forth as S. and J.  Grace keeps them all in a binder.  They have also both learned Morse code as part of the fun.  Someday I will have to sneak a peek and share here what they are imagining.  IF Grace will let me.

In the busy kitchen, Ethan made homemade waffles after school on Monday.  I got to eat one and it was delicious.

And later on that same day, Jacob made an authentic Norwegian potato and meatball soup, from scratch.  It was for a school project having to do with family heritage.  Jacob’s great great Grandfather came from Norway in the 1920’s and landed on Ellis Island.  He was a teen when he came to America, and paid his way on the ship by working as part of the crew. Jacob made the soup and called his Grandma to get the information about his family tree.  The next morning, he carried the whole pot to school to add to the other dishes that his classmates made.  Jacob was so proud of this soup and wants to make it again sometime. 

Poor E.  I was supposed to purchase a Boston Cream Pie for his birthday, but the bakery didn’t have any that day.  I had to get cake instead.  However, I did get him an eclair for his after school snack, which sort of made up for it.

I love all the hands in this picture.  Jacob lit the candles for his brother’s cakes.  One cake was chocolate and the other was vanilla.  They were good, but the frosting was made with shortening and I prefer butter. 

He was determined to blow out all the candles in one breath, and he did.  His brother David is also in the picture…..they are five years apart but have been such pals lately.  Last night they worked together on Origami.  This is what they made:

It’s Origami Yoda.  I can’t tell you all the little white papers I’ve been picking up, and half folded Yodas that were ultimately cast aside.  David in particular is very very “in” to folding, any time, any place.  It’s the cutest thing.

All because of This Book.

Last night’s dinner was a crock pot ham and a big tossed salad.  For the ham, I put a cup of brown sugar in the crock pot, then the ham.  I usually have to trim the top off the ham so the cover will fit.  Then, I pat on another cup of sugar and put it on low setting all day long.  It ends up perfectly cooked in a pot of salty/sugary juice that tastes so good with the meat.  It’s one of Grace’s favorite meals.

I decided to serve it with just the salad and I think we needed the freshness because we all had seconds and Ethan had a fifth helping.  Sarah, after dinner, kept running with her little feet to grab another lettuce leaf out of the bowl to nibble.  She was calling it “gum”…”I gotta go get another gum”.

Sarah got new jammies this week…she LOVES them and never wants to take them off.  She adores matching her Bitty Baby.

We had a dusting of snow fall all morning long.  Yes, it’s pretty but I am cold and I want to be warm. 

Seth woke up with an awful cough.  As he sat on my lap this morning he made all kinds of strange coughing sounds, amusing himself and alarming his family.

I said, “Don’t worry, Seth, you’ll feel better.  I’ll put some Vicks on your chest.”

He jumped up and stared and said, “What’s Fix?”

Caleb and David the happy Yoda-folder running to the bus this morning…(7:30 am)

This weekend I took the time to divide two plants that my Mom had given me a few years ago.  I was able to divide them into thirds, I once had two and now have six!  One is Aloe, and the other is a Snake plant.  I grouped them up to take a picture and then dispersed them around the house.

One of our favorites:  The Chicken Book by Garth Williams. 

I finished reading Anna Karenina, and am now about to embark on War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.  I’m anticipating it like I would a feast.

But first I have to finish Jane Eyre.

March 5, 1998

I was twenty two years old and already had a 14 month old little boy named Jacob.  I went to the doctor’s office on the day Ethan was born, for a regular check up.  I wasn’t in labor, everything was fine, and back home I went for a nap.  Just as I was getting settled and sleepy, the contractions started coming.  I think I still miss the nap I lost that day. *ha ha*  At that time, Rich was working from home, and when I went downstairs to tell him it was time, he couldn’t believe it.  I called my Mom and she came to get Jacob and take him home with her.  I was sad watching them drive away down the road, but excited to soon meet our new baby. 

Labor was fast and very painful.  I was progressing fast enough on my own, but my Doctor went ahead and gave me pitocin to speed things along even faster (she was scheduled to go on vacation that afternoon, which may or may not have had anything to do with it).  Oh the agony of “natural” childbirth with labor enhancing drugs — it was no surprise that I had an epidural for the NEXT baby (Grace)……..

Regardless, Ethan was born perfectly healthy, at 6 pounds 7 ounces, and 19 inches long. 

We named him Ethan (because we loved the name) Gregory (after my Dad).  He was a perfectly lovely baby in every way.  Our second son.  We were so proud.

March 5, 2013

Fifteen years have come and gone so quickly and it is true that I love Ethan now, even more than before.  In the last fifteen years, Jacob and Ethan have been inseparable, and he has become a big brother to five more siblings, Grace, David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah.  They all adore brother E.

Ethan is a healthy, cheerful young man who loves Jesus, his family, the outdoors, computer games, and food.  He has amazing self-confidence and believes he can do anything he sets his mind to.  He is a talented cook, (made homemade waffles for himself after school yesterday) but he cannot and will not clean unless I make him.  He is in ninth grade, plays the guitar, and gets better grades than any of his siblings….he is also involved in sports and is currently anticipating baseball season.  He loves having his classmates around him all day and when I ask him if he wants to be homeschooled again he says, “My friends would miss me.” He loves life and is only depressed when there is “nothing to eat in the house.”

I found this picture of him on my camera.  He took it himself with the timer, and uses it as his Facebook profile picture.

I took this one recently, when he was outside on the driveway, shooting baskets.

I thought he would ask to stay home from school today but he has testing going on.  While he is gone, I am driving to a bakery to pick up his most favorite dessert; a Boston Cream pie. Later on this evening, after his favorite dinner, the family will gather around the table for yet another birthday celebration, for one of the most wonderful boys in all the world.  We are truly blessed.

It’s thirty degrees outside.  FREEZING.  I had to walk back and forth to the chicken coop twice this morning.  Once to feed them and once to water them.

We had no milk (!) in the house and I cannot rest when this family is out of milk (wish I had a cow) so I took Seth and Sarah to the grocery store and got six gallons; I think we should be all set for the week, here’s hoping.  I bought some nice canned plum tomatoes and am going to make sauce later….and make a big gooey lasagna for dinner. 

I carried in bag after bag of groceries, and thought how nice it was that I could get a work out as I stocked up on food for the week. 

The littles are currently watching a chip n dale cartoon on YouTube.  I had to laugh, because when Sarah Joy saw what I was doing (turning on YouTube) she cried out, “NO!  Not Clara!”  I guess she’s tired of me watching those cooking shows. 

I twisted Sarah’s hair up into a tiny little bun the other day…..here she is, sitting pretty at the old easel, drawing nice.

Here she is, after I took her hair out at bedtime;

Rich had to show her what she looked like, in the mirror.

Speaking of hair styles, yesterday morning, I put some braids in the girls’ hair, for church.  Grace’s hair is past her waist now.

I am so thankful for these daughters of mine.

S I S T E R S

Grace and I have been doing puzzles lately.  It’s relaxing and fun.  She and I can talk, tease each other, or sing as we work.  Sometimes one of the boys will come along and help, but it’s mostly just the two of us.  The one we are working on now is 500 pieces and we got this far on it and then Sarah destroyed it.  We had to start over.  Sarah promises she won’t do that again. 

Happiness is picking up flowers at the grocery store, food for the soul. 

Sarah with her pretty baby pony.  She’s at the age where she’s always got a little toy in her hands.

What my living room looks like right now.

“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”   Louisa May Alcott

I love my kitchen and spend a lot of time here.  As a stay at home mom with the kitchen to turn to whenever the mood strikes (and even when it doesn’t), I now have almost 20 years of cooking and baking experience, and there is always something new to learn.  My goal this week is to try making an angel food cake for the first time. 

They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  Life-giving nourishment is lovingly prepared and served here, and around the kitchen table so much family history is made; games to play with loud laughter, puzzles to quietly work on, food to eat, books to read, prayers to pray.

It’s fun to have fresh baked treats to offer when the children come home from school, and the baking urge usually hits me at around 1:30.

On this day, Davy came home from school and said, “Oh good!  You made enough to last a whole day!”  And then promptly took half a dozen.  I had a lot of fun placing the m n m’s on each cookie, just so. 

Homemade bread, which used to be so very common, is now a special treat.  I love my new pullman bread pan, which makes a perfectly lovely square loaf.  I recently made fresh apple bread, with sweet vanilla scented dough.  Recipes from Sarabeth’s Bakery lovely cookbook.

Yesterday I made a copycat recipe for Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies.

I tried a new banana muffin, with crumb topping.  Hannah passed the recipe along to me, and recommended adding a teaspoon of vanilla, which I did.  They were delicious.

I made my husband’s favorite muffin this morning for breakfast; blueberry.

Of course, we don’t always eat baked goods and each afternoon I consider the question we all ponder daily, “What’s for dinner?”  Usually by the time I get it on the table, there isn’t a thought in my head to take a picture.  I think my favorite new recipe that I tried was Alton Brown’s recipe for Swedish meatballs.  Yum!

I make Sarah do the dishes.  It takes her all day.

(JUST KIDDING!)

This spring, I’m getting an updated kitchen!  We are replacing the cupboards and adding another dishwasher and a double oven.  I took a picture of the email we got, with the draw-up.

We are taking out the long counter and putting in a huge island, with bar stools.  At the end of the island will be a bookcase for all my cookbooks.  The new cupboards will go to the ceiling, and I requested some open shelving so that I can display my fiestaware collection.

At the same time as the remodel, we will also be putting on an addition off the kitchen, with a new space to put the table, and also a big pantry.

It’s going to be a lot of chaos for a while this spring, but it will be worth it. 

 “You will be surprised how much adventure can enter into ordinary things.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder