so far

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These are all the people in my family who are sick with strep throat.

We were in the parking lot of Target, getting ready to get back in the car after picking up three prescriptions in one evening.

Anyway, the sunset was lovely.

hello, so…..

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…….I’m reading this amazing book (for the second time but it’s been 25 years)

AMAZING (I’m in awe of M.M.)

………we are enjoying long walks on the beach

……..Seth has an ear infection, I finally took him to get checked after he has been sick for 5 days. Poor baby boy!!!

………after a trip to the walk-in clinic we went to Crackerbarrel

…….he ate with enthusiasm which was good for me to see.

……..Caleb did, too. He’s been asking for Crackerbarrel ever since we got to Georgia.

……..I ate like a lady (naturally!)

………after I got home we walked by the ocean

………another delightful stroll along the water’s edge

……..I saw a cool insect by the mailbox aaaaaaaaaand I have received 3 postcards from you bloggy friends so far. Cheryl you were the first and today was Kitty and Connie. Thank you!!!! It’s been such fun to get happy mail! Be looking for return mail ASAP!

…….two helicopters Very Loudly flew by as I was reading on the porch upstairs. I was affronted.

…….Rich went for a 5 mile run and I followed along on my bike (he also did 240 push ups, he’s crazy, right?) Truly, I am proud of the way he takes care of himself. But really, the spanish moss is quite beautiful, isn’t it?

……..we have no wine

……..this storm cloud was photo-worthy.

Happy Friday, friends!

all sorts

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I probably shouldn’t use the word “crap” to describe this photo because the other day we were standing in a little cafe and Sarah said, “I don’t know what to order, everything here is crap” (She said this because all she could see were sweets and pastries and nothing healthy. if it’s not healthy it’s crap, apparently).

Hello and good day to you my bloggy friends! I’m awake but very tired after a restless night. It was one of those nights when Rich and I unwisely plunged into a heavy discussion right as we got into bed and then hours later in the night, Seth woke us up with a headache and stomach ache. Rich is working from our island home from here on out (for the rest of our stay) so he was up very early with the birds this morning and then just as I was falling back to sleep after that, Seth came in my room. I might fall asleep as I type.

Rich is right next to me typing on his laptop and Grace is across the table on Pinterest. The therapy of Pinterest, I should say, as she is adding to our mutual private board entitled “I am Independent” which is for us as we are both nurturing types that tend to forget ourselves as we love everyone else, and have a hard time putting up bounderies when being sucked dry in unhealthy relationships. (hows that for a mouthful?) Easier said than done, because we are both loyal to a fault, as well. To all the independent women out there reading this, we want to be like you.

We took the children to DQ the other day. To save money since there were ten of us in all, I said, “Eat a sandwich at home first and we will go just for ice cream.” Still, we overtaxed the workers. The cashier laughed as she gave the order to the ice cream makers. “That’s a lot,” she explained.

They almost got our order correct. And it was super fun. My peanut butter sundae was divine.

We were walking home from the pool.

Home Sweet Home

Naturally, we brought some of the vast fiestaware collection from CT to GA.

This area gets the most use BY FAR. We have another living room upstairs but the TV is downstairs so we are always on top of each other here, it’s fun and heart-healthy to have the family pile-ups. We still need curtains for these windows.

The giant shell decoration on the stand is where we all put the shells and things we collect. The door to the right is the girls’ room.

I just love it here.

This is the back of our home. We own half this building. Our building-neighbors are named Cindy and Clay and we have all met them, they are very nice. The place is well- built and solid, and they assure me that they hear nothing from our side. They gave us a lovely card and a Target gift card when we moved in. They told Grace about an app she could put on her phone which tells you the names of the boats outside on the ocean.

In the photo you can see David upstairs on the porch and Jacob on the lawn below. David and Grace like to be on the upstairs porch and tend to listen to music, play the guitar, talk, read, or chat with their significant others on the ipad/iphone together. They are good friends.

a new friend

Ethan with his beach hair. Rich and I took him out for an ice cream one evening.

a good book

We took Jacob, Brittnee, and Ethan out for seafood the day they had to leave.

We are all such good pals.

Faith Chapel on the Island

I’m getting overwhelmed with blogging all these photos. But it must be done. 🙂

beautiful; it was the condensation on the windows that struck me…

Ethan took this one.

Jacob took this one.

While we were biking Rich stopped to read this little plaque tucked up on a tree branch.

“Kahlua

This area was a favorite of an amazing little dog. May you experience an unconditional love while here.

I’ll love you forever, Baby Girl”

Lunch at The Pantry over at the Jekyll Island Club.

Photography by Seth

my friend

I loved these jars (in The Pantry) I’ll be keeping an eye out for them while browsing antique stores in the area.

back at home…….our Jekyll home…..I miss my cats so I started a little cat knick-knack collection. The tails get me. The set of four (a litter) on the right have real bells upon their necks. And silly faces.

whimsical turtles (the red shell opens up!) I want to hide notes in there. Today I will. It will say “Happy Birthday Caleb” on it……I wonder if anyone will find it?

Naturally, Jacob being a friend to all and an extrovert, we had our first company while he was with us; his friend Alec from work in CT who now lives in FL along with his girlfriend Alex. I took this photo as they were coming back from the pool.

Everyone needs a Life Is Good shirt!!!! My biggest and my littlest (sons).

Life is Good shirt for G

Its the arm that gets me, and those faces, and they way they were talking to each other in the long long line for BBQ.

my heart!

Grace is DREAM of a daughter. We get along so well, we are so alike and I marvel at her.

the best……….loved my chopped beef brisket drenched in the sauce with a side of collard greens.

When you’re feeling kinda sad that afternoon and reading a book quietly and he reaches over and puts his hand on the hurt spot without saying a word …..and you feel the love, the healing love, in just the time you needed it.

This is my healing place. We all have them.

I think it’s brave

i think it’s brave that you get up in the morning even if your soul is weary and your bones ache for a rest

i think it’s brave that you keep on living even if you don’t know how to anymore.

i think it’s brave that you push away the waves rolling in every day and you decide to fight

i know there are days when you feel like giving up but i think it’s brave that you never do.

Lana Rafeala

our jekyll home

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How delightful, to have a second mailing addess!

Rich and I are thoroughly enjoying our cottage life by the ocean (right outside our windows, seen and heard at all times). The children are getting brown and are always covered in sand and going off someplace on barefeet or bicycles. We have a collection of shells getting larger and larger by the day, and pity the one person who goes on a family beach walk with pockets. Sarah approached her Dad with her two hands together filled with shells to request his pockets, “No” was the typical Dad-reply, “you carry them.” “But, but, but, but but, Dad!!”

Needless to say he allowed her to put them in his pockets. How can you say no to your little blond haired baby? (not so little anymore, as Aunt Amanda says, “Sarah is getting so tall!)

We went for a walk today and all of us but Brittnee, who doesn’t care for the ocean, went directly INTO it for a swim. It’s hot outside and the water is like magic *NOT like Disney, though, says Caleb*.

I heard David and Ethan talking. “I am SO tempted to go under the water,” laughed Dave. “Why can’t you?” I asked. “Because it kills our eyes.” It didn’t stop Seth, though. He is now half-wild and half-fish and never plugs his nose. I saw his legs sticking up from the water numberous times as he did handstands on the clean, hard, sandy floor of the ocean.

We pick up sand dollars with our toes to scrutinize them. I say to the sharks, “Go ahead and bite me!” I say to the jelly fish, “Go ahead and sting me!” Fear will not keep me from this salty sea. I am also turning brown. I haven’t spent this much time outside in years.

We ride bikes every day, bikes with bells on them. Mine is turquoise blue with a “cloud” seat and Rich says he will buy me a basket to put on the front. I can go and go and let my thoughts roam as my feet pedal. I bought three new “Life is Good” shirts (my favorite) and two of them are bike-themed. I’m a biker!

Truly, variety is the spice of life. A new place to live (for a month), new things to see and experience, and lots of family time (95% of the time a good thing) is a life-brightener indeed.

My brother Dave sent us the first gift to our new address! Thank you, Dave!

Our son Caleb will have the first birthday in our new place! In six days!

We watch Star Trek as a family every night before bed! I often fall asleep!

Yesterday I put two french braids in the three girls’ hair! But I said there were 8! I have vacation brain!

I’ve rubbed sunscreen on backs 7,000 times already!

We are about to have a thunder storm!

Rich sat right down with our new book from Dave.

Breakfast, at 11 in the morning. “Island time” is what we say, “and it never runs out,” is what Sarah believes.

Sarah and I made a double batch of Rice Krispie Treats right after breakfast.

Impossible to keep clean, but still beautiful! I’m cooking on a gas stove top! The kitchen….the heart of a home. I’ve already done so much in this sweet little cottage kitchen, including bread-baking and a huge apple pie (with Brittnee).

The wild-child came out to the porch with globs of white sunscreen just begging to be rubbed in, so, he was practically attacked by Brittnee and Grace who jumped right at him to help. He didn’t mind but seemed to have a hard time staying balanced as he was rubbed from all directions with four sisterly hands at once.

I sat on the sand after my swim, with my knees tucked under my chin and my arms around them. Seth came over with his stick. “Don’t leave the circle!” he said as he drew one around me. I kept within, and as children came to show me things I told them to lay their “offerings” down at my feet, in a Very Queenly Fashion. David didn’t like this talk, and came over to stomp on the sand dollar which Grace had offered unto me just moments before, and crushed it under his heel. “No false idols!” he admonished. “Dad gave that to me!” mourned Grace.

As we approached the public part of the beach, we all promptly turned around and headed back home. Rich and I looked at each other and smiled over every adorable thing; the boys swimming together, for example. They enjoy each other’s company like good brothers do. They also argue and kick one another in the rears but Rich assured me “it’s okay”. “He kicked him so hard, though!” “I’m sure if it was that hard he would have smacked him back.” “sigh”

And of course we study every living thing (or it’s remains) because we thrive on nature!

*****

Rich is on the couch with Grace. He is reading and she is on her phone (with a book on her lap; Middlemarch by George Eliot). The house is dim, we can hear thunder in the distance. Everyone else is free and gone and busy doing their own thing.

*****

If you mail me a postcard, I’ll mail you one, too!

Shanda Ives
116 Turtle Track LN
Jekyll Island, GA 31527-1073

(I love having a private blog now!)

strawberry muffins

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This is the way to the wild strawberries.

My legs got soaked from the wet wet wet wet grasses.

But I picked a shirt of berries.

This is the way back home.

I decided the best way to share the wealth of berries was to make muffins.

I cleaned them up and added sugar to them. I let them sit for a little while as I prepared the recipe (a common blueberry one, but added strawberries instead, along with a half teaspoon of dry strawberry jello mix and a teaspoon of vanilla).

I sprinkled the tops with plenty of sugar. I wanted these muffins to be sweet and delicious.

I don’t typically like the taste of baked strawberries, but letting them soak in sugar and their own sweet juices helped. The strawberries almost tasted like warm jam in the muffins and the jello mix also added flavor.

yummmmmmmmmmm warm muffins with freshly picked wild strawberries! I know where to find the berries and I like to think, as I pick, that the plants enjoy being harvested and will do even better next year. And I think it’s true!

Seth had one and came back for a second.

Sarah (in a towel) also had one and came back for a second.

This is still Sarah.

Caleb had two and came back for a third.

They were a hit!

*****

We are leaving tomorrow for our new vacation place in Jekyll Island, Georgia. We are packing a bunch of stuff and will be away from our CT for over a month. As often happens when I am overwhelmed with trying to get a ton of things done and prepare for a change, I find the most comfort in the kitchen, doing ordinary/extraordinary things.

I have a loaf of homemade bread almost done in the oven now.

I also find comfort in being here, writing to you.

Happy Thursday, friends!

I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.

Psalm 138:2,3

father’s day

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Good morning dear friends, it’s Tuesday and after a beautiful sunny day yesterday there is rain in the forecast here for today. Rich, Jacob, and Ethan have left for work, the dog is snoring at my feet, I’m on the couch with the news on mute and the laptop on my lap. Time to tippety-tap on the ol’ computer keys. Sarah told me the other day, “I like to watch you type” and indeed, I am very thankful I took keyboarding in highschool!

My nephew, Weston, spent the night last night. He and Seth (two peas in a pod) woke up early and made scrambled eggs for their breakfast two times because the first time they only scrambled 3 eggs and they decided it wasn’t enough for their hungry bellies.

How was your weekend? Mine was happily eventful with my parents visiting on Saturday morning, Sarah’s first piano recital that afternoon, and then on Sunday with a church gathering and baptism at our house. I’ll be blogging about these things but today I just want to concentrate on fathers day.

My darling father, May 2019

Rich took other photos that were more “picture perfect” this past Saturday, but this one made me laugh and laugh so it’s my favorite. After we took the photo Dad went outside and played football with Caleb and Seth. I loved watching him (all-time quarterback) whisper the plays into the receiver’s ears (Seth and Caleb took turns). Later on, I observed Rich and Dad lost in conversation leaning over the porch railing side by side, and in that moment felt such a depth of gratitude for these two men that God placed in my life.

My own father and the father of my children, by the grace and mercy of God, are both strong believers and willing to work and love hard for their loved ones.

After a fun-filled Sunday with church and then a gathering of church family at our place, Rich and I were flat on our bed together, very tired, when Ethan ushered the children into our room. I sat up and laughed in amusement to see them together with a card and a gift for their Dad. I had announced days prior that, for the first time, I would not be doing a thing to help them bestow gifts upon their Dad, they were all on their own this year. I wondered if they would come through, and they did. These seven ADORE their father and always rise to his defense if I dare say or do anything in opposition to his leadership. (as they should) They know their Dad’s heart is open wide for them in more love they can fathom. Rich would lay down his life for his family and for that I am forever on my knees thankful, and in tears. I am richly blessed to see (with the eyes of my heart) his fatherhood in action on a daily basis for the last 22 years since our firstborn baby was born.

Ethan’s handwriting

they also gave him beef jerky

“Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing as the making of a beautiful and happy home. He who does this builds a sanctuary for God and opens a fountain of blessing for men.” J.R. Miller

kind things

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“Everyday the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour.”

We headed out. June 5, 2019. The three of us.

I had spent the evening before crying and crying. I can’t remember exactly why but I can say that 9 days later, I am feeling the emotional storm subsiding and it’s been days now since I’ve cried such tears.

Rich was home for the day and we decided to head out….get away, leave the house, go on a little road trip with our Grace. “Bookstore” is what we wanted and that’s what we got! He loves to spoil us.

Green, green, and more green. I do so love a good matcha latte.

We ended up in Washington, CT, the town that the writer of Gilmore Girls used to inspire the fictional town of Stars Hollow. The Hickory Stick Bookshop inspired Stars Hollow Books.

(As an aside, I can only tolerate Gilmore Girls in small doses. Grace loves the show and we watch it together for maybe a few days and then I need some time off.)

Grace was in her happy place.

It was a wonderful bookstore. I do so love the independant ones. I love Barnes and Noble, too, but every one of them is the same. Independant bookstores each have their own unique flavor and personality.

After perusing the entire children’s section looking for newbery books (I bought one from my list), I went and found my husband.

I chose these books.

Rich made me laugh because he had one of them giftwrapped for me. It was a good idea though because we got to see how they do it and I used the paper, ribbon, and sticker in my scrapbook.

We put our bag o’ books in the car and then, we had a nice lunch together.

Rich and I shared a piece of apple pie for dessert.

We did a little shopping (I bought tiny earrings that I put in the second hole in my ears and haven’t taken off since) and then drove home.

Isn’t “fly-by” photography fun?

all in all, a lovely day

We have made it, by the grace of God, to another Friday. I hope and pray my friends reading this have a blessed weekend. My parents are coming out for a visit and we have a church gathering on Sunday at our house during which Brittnee will be baptized in our pond. Stay tuned!

You are loved.

“There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha. She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor” Acts 9:36