Grace and I went to the thrift store today and I found these shoes.  A perfect fit and they’re nicely made, too.  LOVE. 

Hope your day had a happy little surprise in it, too.

(photo of me in my new shoes, courtesy of son Davy)

Blow upon a dandelion,

Close thy eyes,

Chant

This year,

Next year,

Sometime,

Never,

If one clock remains,

We will be together.

-Old Song, from Sunflower Houses, by S.Lovejoy

I learned that you can discover what time it is in fairy-land by blowing the seeds off an “old man” dandelion.  How magical is that?

Sarah Joy didn’t want to blow on the dandelion, so I handed it to Seth.    I was captured by his sweet, and honest, little boy self.  When we watch it, he laughs, and I think you will smile, too.

Quote for today:  “The child is in me still…..and sometimes not so still.”  ~Mr. Rogers

You are loved, my friends. 

I get a big kick out of what the children make me at school for Mother’s Day.  On Friday, Caleb came home with a little book he made, complete with charming illustrations that he drew himself, in crayon.  Each page had a fill in the blank for him to complete.

Hats off to MOM, by Caleb (age 6) (and a half)

My mom wears many hats in our family.  My Mom is a teacher.  She taught me how to: read.

My Mom is a cook.  I love it when she makes:  chicin devon

My Mom is a nurse.  She always makes me feel better when she: gives me medisin

My Mom is a chauffeur.  She drives me to:  Divids baseball game

My Mom is a sanitation worker.  When she sees my room she says, “Grat job!”

My Mom is the best mother ever!

Isn’t that adorable?  He also brought me home the traditional “Pansy Planted in a Paper Cup, Sort of Wilted”.  He got lots of hugs for these nice little gifts. 

It’s no secret that I love being a mother.  Each day I find so much delight in the children God has given me.  I am one thankful Mama. 

Have a great Monday, friends! 

You’re looking mighty fine!

The best part of my morning was sitting on the side steps, snipping out these little paper chain dolls, with Seth and Sarah watching intently.  We walked along the garden together, finding pretty flower faces to slip into each proper place.  It was quite fun, yes indeedy.  I think that once these lovelies get over the shock of attaining new paper bodies and dresses,  there will be much gossip, laughter, and perhaps a song or two.   It’s never quiet with this many ladies all in the same row.

Once they start to wilt, they’ll be pressed in the pages of our big dictionary.  Oh my!

Last night, a very rainy night indeed, Rich and I took Jacob, David, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah with us to hear Grace’s middle school chorus concert.  As we got ready to go, it felt like just another rushed activity; where’s Sarah’s blanket, I gotta iron Grace’s shirt, Seth you can’t wear David’s cleats to the concert, will Rich get home in time to ride with us, Jacob come on let’s go, where’s Caleb, we need to leave in 20 minutes, did everyone eat, I don’t have time to put the leftovers away I’m sure they’ll be fine….etc….

Grace kept saying “I need to be there by 5:58!”

Though I was trying very hard not to be, I was just a little bit frazzled.

Friends, oh my friends, the concert was amazing.  I would not have missed it for the world.

You must understand, I grew up singing in my public school’s chorus.  I loved it.  I loved singing, practicing, following a good director, making great friends who also loved to sing, learning new songs, being challenged, performing….oh the joys of performing as a group, finally, after learning all those songs and working so hard to perfect them. 

After attending a tiny private school for 2 years, and homeschool for 5 years, Grace is now a public school girl; and thriving like I’ve never seen before. 

I wish you could have seen her last night.  The smiles!  She was up there on the risers, shoulder to shoulder with other girls, crowded together with her chorus “family” (as her director has taught them).

The director was fun, relaxed, and talented.  It’s obvious the children love him.  He’s a big, happy guy…and incidentally, he has a little daughter named Grace. 

The songs blew me and rest of the audience (a packed house) away.  They sang  “California Dreaming”, “Song For the Unsung Hero”, and “Dance Evolution” (extremely fun medley, complete with choreography on risers.)  The chorus was excellent; good diction, great dynamics, and lots of expression.  You could tell they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

We were watching our girl and she was smiling big and singing loud and I wiped little tears from my eyes.

At the end of the night, she came away with a reward for “The Best 7th Grade Rookie of the Year”.  Her director had such praise for her as he talked about who she was, and how well she has done, and handed her a certificate in the midst of cheers from the school children, her many friends.

We were so proud of her, and her brother David clapped louder and longer than anyone in the room.

There is a playground right next to Davy’s little league field.  It’s so close that it’s possible to watch the game and watch the little ones run around & play (mama multitasking at it’s best).

Last night Davy hit good and played first base.  What I notice the most about him is the way he smiles as he plays.  It makes me smile, too.

Gracie dressed Sarah in the skirt.  It’s the one I made for her out of Jacob’s old t-shirt. 

I admit, I had a little bit of a hard time focusing on the game because I couldn’t keep my eyes of my baby.

She’s a darling little girl. 

I will be the gladdest thing under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds with quiet eyes,

Watch the wind bow down the grass,

And the grass rise.  ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

My brother Nathan came for a visit this weekend, with his wife Melissa.  They have two young children, Makayla and Gregory, and it was such fun to have them come and play at Uncle Rich and Aunt Shanda’s house (with all those cousins).  This will be a family photo album post, with lots of pictures.

Rich was doing more landscaping this weekend, and little Gregory loved riding with him.  He was on there so long that *yawn* he started getting sleepy, but not too sleepy to get excited every time they picked up a huge boulder out of the pond.

Caleb and Makayla did a lot of exploring together.  Caleb even put on his American Revolution costume.  He looks smashing in those knickers.  After one exploration, they very thoughtfully came back with a pretty bouquet of wild flowers (now sitting in the middle of the kitchen table).

In the afternoon, Melissa and I took the five youngest children for a walk. 

We discovered springtime’s first lady slipper, and bent down on our knees for a closer look.

I ate a wintergreen berry, it was sweet and delicious.

We all ate violets from the field.

We kept our eyes open to the wonders around us. 

Watching children enjoy and play in God’s world is one of the pleasures of living.

She watched me take a picture of the other children and then went and perched on the log, herself.

I think we had the most fun at the water hole.

In no time at all, the shoes were off and little bare toes were enjoying the water.

They never wanted to leave.

The camera came out later on in the day, for frog catching time.

 Nathan

 Grace

 birds

We watched the birds this weekend.  We had two spring first timers come to the feeders; a Baltimore Oriole, and (not pictured) a Grosbeak.  The black and white bird with the oriole in this picture is a downy woodpecker.

(I am sitting on the porch as I write this, surrounded by birdsong.)

We don’t see Flickers Red Bellied woodpeckers (sorry for the wrong label previously!) at the feeder often.  They are such beautiful birds.

Yesterday, after Nate and Melissa left, Rich and I made this new garden under the feeders.  I have more ideas for the flower bed, but the basic theme is there.  It’s my WHITE GARDEN, which I have wanted to do for a few years now because white flowers seem to glow at twilight.

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal approve.

 “All outdoors is warm and bright

Robins sing with all their might.

And the garden seems to be

Just the place for you and me.”  J.Bowman