I go to nature to be soothed and healed,

and to have my senses put in tune once more.

                    ~John Burroughs

When Rich called me during the day yesterday, I was overwhelmed and crying.  We talked for a little bit, and one of the things he encouraged me to do was to get outside at some point.  He knows that my spirits lift after a nice walk through the woods.  

Since baby Sarah has arrived, it has become increasingly more difficult to get out into the woods with all of the children, but yesterday afternoon I gathered them up, and off we went.

I carried the baby, the older children helped small Seth.  He walked and ran, and when he got tired or too slow he was carried.

It was a beautiful fall afternoon, about 4 o’clock.  There was enough sun to cheer us up and make us warm, but in the shade it was cool.

I’m currently reading the book Last Child in the Woods, and realizing once again what a huge part nature plays in healthy living.  So many of my memories as a small child involve the times I spent outdoors.  Chasing fireflies, watching out for spiders, listening to the birds sing, climbing tall pine trees, visiting the “big rocks” up the road in my grandparent’s woods, swimming in the pond, surrounded by only farmland, the quiet, the clean air.  And now as an adult, the trips to the park, walks in the woods, or just simply sitting in the green grass with my family.  The outdoors is big, wide, open space.  The blue sky above, the ground beneath.  Whenever I got upset as a child I would go for a long long walk.  No one told me to do it, I just learned that there was peace there.  I remember lying my hot wet-with-tears face on soft cool moss in the woods and slowly the tears stopped as I felt joy in the quiet place I had found.  I always came home calm again.

We home-educate my children and part of this lifestyle I that I love so much, is allowing them to spend as much time outside as possible.  Doing whatever they want.  (Today the older boys have kept a campfire going.  They are heating metal and pounding it into swords.  They are blacksmiths, and dirty from head to toe.  Dirty, yet calm and content in their boy-pursuits).

The walk we went on yesterday didn’t take us far.  Just up the trail into the meadow.   A short walk distance-wise, but long in minutes and memories.  We walked slow, stopped often, and then we sat in the field for a while.

Caleb has been interested in the story of Bambi, ever since we listened to the unabridged audiobook during our vacation.  He carried his big Disney storybook with him on our walk, so that I could read Bambi to him in the meadow.

“Bambi loved the meadow”  pg. 72

And so do we.

Here’s an idea for a very easy fall cake:  Peel, core, and chop two apples and then add them to the batter of a cake mix.  Bake until done and frost as desired.  You can use a spice cake mix but today I simply used a yellow.  Yum!

We got back from New Hampshire yesterday afternoon.  This morning, I got up and found this note on my phone from Rich.

More later!

Good bye!  We are leaving tomorrow morning for New Hampshire!  Rich is taking his much need vacation with no blackberry.  I am so excited.  My brother Isaac has kindly agreed to take care of things here at home for us, while we are away.  We’ll be back on Sunday.

I’ll check in later to read comments.  I hope everyone is doing well!  The pictures here are from a few weeks ago.  I love Sarah in the tree, and the last picture makes me smile, it’s straight out of the camera…I wouldn’t have cropped it like that.

~Shanda~

I suppose the more children you have, the faster the speed of life becomes.

I have no choice; I must move and much of the time I must move quickly, to keep up with my seven children and the schoolwork and the housework.

I sometimes think back on the early years of marriage and in my mind it was a peaceful time.  I could sit on the couch and nurse the baby without thinking about anything else.

For example, when I nurse the baby now, I think, “For Heaven’s sake. Seth is getting in the fridge.  Is there anyone near enough to hear me yell for help?  I wonder if I should carry her with one arm and let her nurse while getting Seth down with my other arm?  If I put her down she’ll be mad.”  By the end of the day, my eyes hurt, my head hurts, my throat hurts.  I am a quiet gal, living a loud life.

In the future, when the children are grown up, I think I will remember the years I am in now as being very busy but also very fun.  I get lonely for adult company at times but I don’t get bored.  I get tired of cleaning the house and never getting it clean, but I don’t get bored.  The children keep me laughing because with 8 of us together it is always a party.  I have bad moments, days, weeks, but God keeps my heart content and joyful.  

I read this quote this morning:

“Joy is not gush.  Joy is not mere jolliness.  Joy is perfect acquiescence–acceptance, rest–in God’s will, whatever comes. . . leave yourself OPEN to the circumstances of His choice, for that is perfect acceptance, and rest in the will of God.  If you do so, you are not a fool–you are in the company of the brave!” ~ Amy Carmichal

If I leave my heart and soul OPEN to the will of God, I have joy in the journey of motherhood, because that is His WILL for me right now.  Life with lots of small children is a fast, messy life.  Nothing goes as planned, sometimes things are better, sometimes worse.  Life with seven children, with the joy of the Lord in my heart, is a happy life.  Yes, caring for seven children is my own personal #1 challenge right now, and it takes every resource I have within me to get through each day.  For others, the challenge might be something else; a health issue, a hectic job, relationship struggles.

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  We need to be OPEN to His will and His good plan for our lives.  Rest.  Rest.  Rest.  Do you know?  We can still be resting on the inside while working hard on the outside?  

 I had Seth hold Sarah out on the porch this morning so I could take a few pictures.  Seth is busy, small and wirey, beautiful, and bright.  Sarah is a heavy armful of rolly-polly baby girl.  She wants to sit up on our laps and look around.  She wants to touch things but can’t do it, quite yet.

First, Seth showed Sarah just where to look for the picture.

Sarah was very active; kicking and flapping…a picture doesn’t do justice.  She’s cuter in real life.  They both are.

They make me smile.

Favorite moments of the week:

~Making a big breakfast with Jacob.  We made french toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, and hash browns.  We listened to music while we worked.  The other children were in and out of the kitchen, being busy. 

~Taking the children out to J’s orthodontist appointment.  Rich was the last one to drive and he left me with hardly any gas.  I started singing a special, “I am about to run out of gas” song on the way.  When we saw a gas station, David was worried and told me to stop and get gas.  When I stood outside to pump it, the man next to me on the other side was whistling an upbeat tune.  It made me happy to hear him whistle.  When I was done, I drove away and sang my special, “I now have gas” song.  Part of it went like this:  “Please don’t take this the wrong way but I just got gas.”  Jacob noticed the sign for cigarettes in the window of the gas station and we spent the next 10 minutes talking about smoking.  Grace thought it should be illegal.  I said that not every harmful thing should be illegal because then we would ALL be in jail or paying fines because we all do harmful things now and then.  For instance, we sometimes eat too much sugar and candy.  Jacob said it wasn’t bad to eat sugar if you brush your teeth right after.  I said, “WHO?  WHO DOES THAT?  Name me one person who does that?”  And Grace right away said the dentist and we could not argue with that.  We arrived at the orthodontist and sat in the car to wait for Jake to be done.  It was raining and Grace took my picture with my cell phone.   Then we all went to the mall to run errands.  Through the pouring rain.  I was drenched.  We got Wendy’s drive through for lunch.

~Library night with Rich and the children.  How happy Seth was that he got to put a few books in the return slot all by himself.  Later, Rich caught him taking a book off the shelf and running it back to the return slot to throw it in.  We thought that was smart.  (he also knows how to make toast and coffee and get his own cheesestick from the fridge.  And turn on the TV.  He turns it on and then sits right in front of it no matter what’s on.)

~Having school in our new school room.  It’s loud in there.  We need carpeting to absorb some of the echoing.  The neighbor’s dog got loose and came right upstairs to our schoolroom, silently.  She wanted to say Hello.  She came to each of us and got a lot of attention before Jacob walked her back over to tie her up again.  (her owners are gone all day).

~Changing so many stinky diapers from Seth yesterday that I remarked, “WHAT did you EAT?”  Jacob piped up from the other room, “Did you give him too many berries?”  That boy is already an expert at child care and development.  He’s my right hand man.

~Realizing how fast Sarah is growing.  She’s a solid big baby girl now. 

~Ethan spiked all his hair straight up and looked (literally) quite shocking.

~Watching an episode of the Walton’s (“The Typewriter”, on youtube) for the first time in probably 10 years.  Realizing with shock that I have the same amount of children as that large family.  I watched it with the kids in the evening and it was a cozy time.  (Rich worked until 9pm two nights this week.)  I wish someone would make a wholesome tv show for this day and age!

~My current favorite verse that I hold on to like a lifeline:  “FOR GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION, BUT OF PEACE.”  I Cor. 14:33  I have this verse written on a big scrap of cardboard and propped up on my kitchen windowsill.

 It is raining cats and dogs outside.  I am SOOOOOO thankful I don’t have to go out today!!!!

Jacob and Ethan are making homemade soup w/out a recipe, for lunch.  So far they have a pot of stock, lots of dried herbs, and some carrots.  This should get interesting.

Happy Friday! 

Sarah’s fever broke yesterday afternoon as we snuggled in my bed together, taking a little nap.  She was still fussy for the rest of the day, the poor thing.  We did a lot of walking around the house together, to keep her quiet.  Last night she fell asleep at about 8:30 and I practically ran for my own bed, but I was too tired so I just fell in and slept like a log until she woke me up …… at 12:30 …… and then at 3-something.  I was up for the day at 7:30 to make pancakes for the little ones.

After a morning of school I slipped on my flip flops and took a little walk in the damp fall air, with Sarah in my arms.  After I got back I grabbed my camera to take her picture in the leaves.  

She’s my little gem.  The apple of my eye.  My littlest little yummy love.

Sarah has a fever.  I had several naps in the night.  I’m feeling pretty good for not getting much sleep.  Life goes on, even when baby is sick and mama is tired.

Our Davy is 8 years old today.  He’s so excited about his very special day.

We gave him a matchbox car set, a lego set, a Star Wars apron, Star Wars pancake molds, and a dancing Frankenstein (he does the “Monster Mash” and Seth especially thinks it is SO funny, we already had to put it up away from him).

Happy Monday to you!

Good afternoon! Sarah is asleep in the big armchair, with her quilt that Hannah made her. Jacob is over in our schoolroom, painting. He has his ipod on and he’s working away. I’m proud of him. The others are watching an old Disney movie that we got at the library today.

Rich just called and he sounds good. I could cry. He said the funeral was tough (of course) but he was able to meet a lot of his friend’s family and they were so kind. He said that a lot of people from work made the trip. He is now driving with his friend Mark, back to the airport. He should be back home at about midnight. Thank you so much for praying for him. He sounded so good on the phone, relieved that we are slowing moving out of the intensity of the sadness. He will never forget his friend, or the lessons his life and death taught him.

Rich and I stayed up late the other night, talking. I told him I was concerned about all he’s been going through and asked him if he could please try to take a good solid week-long vacation. He needs it. So he was able to take the first week of October off. We aren’t sure what we are going to do. The main objective is to relax and enjoy our family without the pressures of work.

I made apple crisp last night. A huge bowl of it, and it’s already GONE.

I have applesauce on the stovetop. Smells so good.

I read the comments in the last post and here are the answers to some of the questions:

What’s going on in my heart lately? Well, our sermon in church last Sunday was excellent. A couple of things the preacher said have been going through my mind. One thing: “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more than he already does.” Another: “The beauty of the gospel is that what we cannot do, JESUS DID.” He preached from Romans, a book that excites me. I read it and want to underline everything!

Something Home related: I have a rectangular doily on the table, with two lit candles and two little vases of flowers; cosmos from my garden, and some wild flowers. I found an index card while cleaning. On it was a note from my Great-Grandma (now passed away). I put her familiar, pretty handwriting on the table with the flowers. I smile whenever I see it.

Favorite Childhood memories: Sitting in church on Sunday with my family. Dad, Mom, Me, David, Amanda, Nathan, and Isaac all in a line. Hearing my mom’s pretty voice singing the hymns. She would look at me and smile sometimes, during the sermon. Hearing my Dad laugh. I remember one time he came home from work with a surprise candy bar for each of us. We had to be careful with our money when I was small so things like that were a real treat. My pet cats, how I loved them. Early spring walks in the woods, to find the first wild flowers. Making “jam” (squished berries) in the woods with my aunt (only a year older) and brother. Reading a lot, especially LM Montgomery books. My own purchased copies were treasured and still are. Doing hours of gymnastics out on the lawn, and the wooden board my sister and I used as a balance beam. How thrilling it was to do a cartwheel and full turn without falling of it. I still want to do cartwheels when I go home and feel the cool grass and soft earth of my parent’s lawn. Picking “wild” apples up the road (on old farm land). Picking small, wild strawberries and wild blueberries. Running, walking, and riding bikes on the dirt road. The smell of the farm. The quiet of living in the country. Whenever I was upset, the woods calmed me down.

How I met my husband: We are High School sweethearts. Rich talked to my brother Dave about me and then Dave came home and said, “Guess who likes you?” I was thrilled. Surprised, too. Happy. I did a whole post about this topic, click HERE to read it.

I took a couple of pictures of our schoolroom, in progress. You can see them HERE.

For a post I did about a very special OLD BARN, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Shan

PS.  The bowls are fiestaware presentation bowls in juniper and heather.

“I am rich today with autumn’s gold, all that my covetous hands can hold……” ~Gladys Harp

These are a couple of pictures from the walk I went on yesterday, with baby Sarah. We sat together by the stream, which is quite low and mostly mud. A frog jumped with a squeak when we got too close and startled me. Sarah and I sat for a long time, just listening and talking. I took a picture of a leaf that drifted down to us, from the treetops. Her feminine dainty hand on mine. Her name means Princess, you know.

And what about that grasshopper? I expected it to take a flying HOP away from the camera but it just leaned away and kept it’s big eyes on it (the Dangerous Shooting Camera). The field is full of them. Aren’t the back legs amazing? God cares about the details, He cares about the simple things….of course, he surely must care for YOU!

Rich took the day off today, as he will be traveling to NC tomorrow, for his friend’s funeral. We took the children apple picking and we had lunch by the side of a beautiful lake. This is the fourth year in a row, visiting the same apple farm. We imagined “this time next year”. Rich says Sarah will have blond curls in her hair, so I think IF she has enough, and even if it’s straight, I’ll curl it for him. However, if she has brown hair he’ll just have to be content with that.

My mind is excitedly thinking about our new schoolroom. We are converting the room over the garage into a schoolroom and it’s almost finished. I can’t wait to show it to you. I love looking through Country Living magazine for decorating ideas. Shall I paint the trim maroon, sage green, or brown? Shall I use a simple curtain or a pretty valance? Shall I be on the lookout for nature prints, or use my own photos (of which I have 100’s)?

The upstairs office in our house (the former schoolroom, too small now for all of us) will be Sarah’s first bedroom. The walls are painted sage green and I plan on using pink and purple as accent colors.

It’s so fun to dream and plan, and feather my nest!

Well, Rich just woke up from his afternoon catnap. I’m off to go spend time with him. I hope each of you has a wonderful afternoon. I’m hoping to blog again tomorrow~what would you like to see?

(P.S. I took my camera to the apple farm but left my memory card behind. I told Rich we’ll have to go back so I can get this year’s annual “children on the wagon ride” picture!)

(P.S.S. I had an apple cider donut today.)

What a wonderful time of year. A friend of mine watched six of my children this morning. While they were away, I went for a long walk with baby Sarah. I love the sounds of fall in the woods; the buzzing of the insects, bird chatter, acorns and leaves dropping down from the trees, my own feet as they crunch dryly along. I close my eyes and smile. I breath deep. The smells are delicious; wild grapes, dry leaves, pine. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are bright and warm.

Time for apples, dark red sweaters, cuddling up in handmade blankets, and sipping hot coffee and tea.

May this autumn season be a blessing to each and every one of you.