spring has sprung

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Shanda

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“It’s surely no accident that
the most universal toast is,
‘To Life.'”

~quote from Victoria magazine

Spring has sprung! Everyone’s happy!

This was Rich at a little league game on Monday, with a photo of the two of us the very next evening:

It’s much more fun watching baseball with the sun in your face than it is when wearing five layers and still cold.

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I made dinner, packed it all up and put it in the vehicle, drove Caleb to drum lessons (with S and S with us, too) then went to the HS for Dave’s meet, Rich picked up the boys there for baseball, when Dave was done Sarah and I went to baseball to watch Seth’s game, too, all with dinner in the car for people to eat when they were hungry. Sarah walked around eating salt potatoes out of a plastic cup.

I took the photo of Dave with the javelin and his siblings all around him because it always touches my heart when they wander away from me and form their own gang. Sibling-love is great to see.

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Dave in mid-air.

He had another meet yesterday but it was away (I don’t go to the away meets). He confessed he was relieved that I wouldn’t be watching him “do badly”……(track is a new sport for him)…..to which I replied, “The only time I think any of you ‘do badly’ is when you get hurt.” It’s obvious that David likes track, he’s often smiling. After his events were over I took him some food before I left and he was verbally thankful. “What’s this? A brownie? For me? SWEET!” he said. So I left with a smile on my fact, too. Later on he told me he shared the brownie.

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Seth’s first game of the season was a dud because his team had two players missing and therefore didn’t have enough to field a team. They had to forfeit but then played it anyway. I saw Seth playing pretty much every position. (He’s catcher in the photo). He pitched, ran to cover second, ran to cover first……When he was catcher he did very well but it makes me SO nervous to see my son so close to a swinging bat. Rich reminded me to look at all the protective gear he was wearing but of course as a mom of boys you just know for a fact that they can always find a way to get hurt. It didn’t help that Caleb was watching through the fence and saying “He doesn’t have a CATCHERS mitt on, it’s going to KILL his HAND!”

Seth got the game ball. 🙂

But he would tell you his favorite moment was when he slid into home plate to score a run.

His baseball pants are gray but Caleb’s are as white as snow. One of my favorite challenges is to try to get them white again after each game. (I’m a dork) What I do is sit on the floor, lay them out in front of me, spray each dirty spot with shout and then take a bar of laundry soap and scribble it into the stains before popping them in the washer.

The most horrifying thing I saw this week was a child (not my own but it very well could have been) DELIBERATELY fall on his knees in the dirt and grass multiple times during warm ups just to dirty his white pants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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She makes me laugh…….at one point she was also carrying around my umbrella. She was wearing: sunglasses, a thick fabric headband that looked more like a hat, winter coat, shorts, and a backpack which had a small metal mailbox in it containing her tic tacs. All set for another night of baseball.

Rich took this video of Caleb getting a base hit last night. I have such fun watching him play. We were down by home plate at one point to watch Caleb hit. He got a triple and Rich tried to video it but it turned out to be a perfectly clear video of THE FENCE. But when Caleb got on third he did a dance, moving his arms and shaking his hips a little. His coaches kept reminding him of what to do and it was almost like he was half-listening. He had a coach RIGHT there and started talking to him like it was time to have a conversation. “PAY ATTENTION CALEB!” The first base coach yelled all the way over “GET ON THE BASE CALEB!” And the team mom also coached, “QUIT EATING those SEEDS and keep your hand out of your pocket! …..who has those seeds?” she asked the dug out, “I’m getting rid of them……” and so on. And Caleb dances and smiles. They lost the game though but at least they had fun. I left early because it was raining. I drove to the grocery store to get ice cream for a before bed snack.

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This McCoy planter is so beautiful! I found it antiquing. And of course I can’t resist taking photos of the lovely eggs…..

Even Parker the dog gets one each day. I give it to him whole and he drops it on the ground to crack it and eat it.

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They rarely walk on the front lawn so I had to laugh when I looked up from my book and saw the flock making it’s way to the bird feeders. They like to eat the sunflower seed that drops down from the feeders on the porch.

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I had to take a photo when I saw the knives on the quiet piano. “Dave was here”.

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I asked Seth to take the garbage out. I was running around the kitchen trying to make his dinner. “Why do I have to do everything?” was his groan as he sat in front of the TV. (The truth is he does almost nothing) “Now you’re standing in the corner for 10 minutes.” “Okay, I’ll do that first before I take out the trash.” “Now it’s 12 minutes.” And then he stopped talking and I won. By the end of 12 minutes he was on the floor lying down on his side, with only his face in the corner.

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I played two games of P-I-G with David and Sarah. Here is a photo of Sarah trying to make the impossible basket that David just shot. Their faces are so cute. (I won both times)

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After basketball we dared him to jump in the pond. He was happy to be dared. He prides himself by being the first one in the pond every spring.

I asked him if it was cold and he said yes.

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Then they went fishing. Sarah tried to bring herself to touch a worm. She is sincerely quite squeamish of them but was trying her best to participate. It didn’t help that Dave would say things like, “Oh, don’t touch that one it bites.”

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It was a small one but Rich got home just in time to give Dave his first lesson in cleaning up a fish to eat it.

I put butter on it and put it under the broiler where it promptly caught on fire. “I guess it’s done.” “Are you sure mom, just because food is on fire doesn’t mean it’s cooked.” Dave said dryly while bending over his fish and filleting the second side.

Seth was the most disturbed by it all…..because of the smell. I guess his nose is the most sensitive. He said “Can someone get this fish head out of here?” And Rich took it out and threw it away in the woods across the road.

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She gave me this flower. It’s an artificial flower that fell off the front door wreath. She found it and got creative by finding a small stick, painting it green & pink, sticking the flower into it and giving it to me. She also used one of David’s pocket knives to carve a little design on it. You can see how pleased she is with herself. I was most impressed by 1) she didn’t get paint on her shirt and, 2) she put the paints away when she was done without being told.

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To finally see COLOR is glorious.

~distractingly beautiful clouds

~I get this as a treat at the natural foods store. Delicious!

It’s so good to go barefoot again!

Seth and Caleb fishing derby

This photo is from a week ago…. (I didn’t take it, it was given to me by the sports photographer)…. at a fishing derby that the wrestling coach hosts at his house for the team every spring. David, Caleb, and Seth are all three in this picture, can you find them?

Dirty and happy at the end of a long playful day, getting their own bedtime ice cream.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7

trip back home

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Shanda

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I left Thursday morning as soon as the children got on the school bus and drove leisurely to my parents’ house. I stopped several times for coffee, gas, the mall, and an antique store where I found a handful of old photos and letters for my scrapbook.

Mom was at work but Dad and the dog greeted me and we went for a walk up the road so he could show me the wood he’s been cutting.

We passed the house my mom and her siblings grew up in which now belongs to someone else.

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I played on this yard as a child, too.

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Springtime Daffodils were peeking through old grasses from last year, in a tire that my Grandma planted flowers in years ago.

Dad stood by his woodpile in the woods across from Andrew’s and the pond.

I admired the beautiful scenery as we walked back down the road to home. I’m forever thankful to have grown up in such a beautiful area.

Soon it was time to pick up my cousin Erika so we could go to school and sing. But first, I was delighted to see her fiestaware collection. This is a photo of just some of what she and her husband have found.

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Aunt Colleen says Jillian (Erika’s daughter) is the avocado whisperer because she’s the only one who can get the pits to grow. This is an avocado plant in her bedroom! She planted it from a grocery store avocado, using the pit after they ate the rest of it.

This is a school yearbook photo of my friend Nicole, my brother, myself, Carmine, Dana (my HS bestie) and Aaron, all friends from my childhood who were in chorus with me years and years ago.

My beloved chorus Director is retiring this year so those of us who could attend went back to school to sing one last time………

The beginning of the concert…..

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My friend Tracy took this photo of me and the rest of the alto section. Oh it was such fun!! I was just a little bit rusty and couldn’t sustain a note quite as long because I’m out of practice. But still, so fun. I loved seeing familiar faces and places; the whole weekend was full of nostalgia and memories. I hadn’t been inside the school in over 10 years.

My sweet cousin and me after the concert with our red folders. 🙂

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Looking pretty good for a pair of 40ish year olds! My friend Tracy and myself (same graduating class of 1994). We had fun walking around seeing the school and how it has changed since we attended there (seems like just a year or so ago…….)

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Me and Mrs. Westover at the reception after the concert.

The old gym that we graduated in. Ah, memories!!!!

friday:

I stopped by the restaurant in town that morning where Erika is the baker and she gave me some slices of her homemade pie to take home! Thank you Erika! The pie was delicious when we ate it that evening for dessert. Mom and Dad had raspberry and I had chocolate peanut butter (split with brother Dave).

I drove to meet mom for lunch. She was able to take a special four- hour-long -one just for me.

(isn’t the floor of her office beautiful?)

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antiquing…….

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Someone glued lots of old McDonald’s toys to a mirror. It would be fun in a child’s bedroom.

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My cute mom.

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A frame/art shop with a window full of cats.

LUNCH at a thai place

COFFEE time! (with our Vera purses of the same pattern but slightly different fabrics)

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After I left mom back at work, I drove the back way home and passed the house my family lived in until I was in 2nd grade. Dave and I have many vivid memories of childhood here. It was a Sears Roebuck house kit built by my paternal grandparents. My dad grew up here and then he and Mom bought the house and lived in it for a while, too. It used to be yellow but the shrubbery is the same (not green now bc it’s still early spring here). Mom said even the driveway was the same and hasn’t been repaved since they sold it. 🙂 The second story window was my bedroom.

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And this house next door was my Paternal Great-Grandparents’ house. The families stayed close to each other and Dad has lots of photos of gatherings on the different yards for cook outs and picnics when he was a youngster.

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And then I drove by the old church we attended and my Dad was baptized in. I remember Sundays with lots of family and friends. We went to this church until I was about Sarah’s age but I remember things . . . . .children soak everything in. . . . it’s a good reminder for me to be gentle with my own children.

I went to the small country cemetery where my grandparents, great aunt and uncle, and Great-Grandparents (all on my dad’s side of the family) are buried and then to the school and country store.

Then, home again to my parents’ house and a visit with my brother Dave.

I love this photo of Dave and my dad and the family pets. 🙂

“up on the hill”

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I went walking in the woods with mom and Dave — they stopped to look at everything, Mom said, “I want to see something new!” They make rock “people” stacks everywhere, and look for gold in the creek (it MIGHT happen!) or arrowheads. Maybe!

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Standing under a giant purple tree mushroom. Something new we saw!

Then Mom (she’s very observant) saw a black animal over in the field so Dave and I walked over to check things out. It was two black cats, maybe from Uncle Brian’s house? We didn’t know them and they didn’t know us. They ran off to hide in the old barn.

saturday;

Mom and I did some garden clean-up with Dad and then got ready for more adventuring. We asked Dad to take our photo but first he took this one:

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We invited him to come along but he graciously declined.

Mom found a vintage white coverlet and I found a vintage fiesta ivory gravy boat.

~loveliness in a beautifully arranged shop.

~Seating area in a deli where we ate lunch.

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Fred, more than 50 years old.

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As we left I took a plant!

~Beautiful vintage fiestaware (I didn’t buy it).

I LOVE my mom’s eye for things. She really liked this old oven and opened up everything to figure it out and imagine using it.

Oh how wonderful it was to have a day with my mom! I’m so thankful and so blessed.

We shopped until we dropped and then we went home and she made a pork chop dinner!

It was delicious.

She has sewing and crocheting projects going. This is a quilt piece she’s working on, inspired by the photo next to it.

Photo of Uncle Bob and my Dad Greg next to that same shrubbery.

sunday

Sunday was a DELIGHT. I went to the church I attended all the way up until Rich and I moved away as a young married couple……..and I got there at the same time as my father in law! He was alone (Leslie was home with Charles) so we sat together. I cannot even tell you the gratitude I felt as we shared a Bible and enjoyed a church service together, and singing. I am blessed to be married and born into the most wonderful families. I could look just across the way at Aunt Colleen sitting with her girls taking notes, and Erika sitting behind them with her husband and sister Elisha. My cousin Heidi was there with her two young sons, too.

After church I went home with Dad so I could visit with dear Leslie and Charles. Leslie was just coming inside from caring for her hens. She was wearing a pink jacket and had an egg from the coop. She put the tea kettle on and we sat right at the table and had a nice long visit, just the four of us. Dad gave me a box full of his maple syrup to bring home for the grandchildren’s pancakes and french toast. Leslie gave me a bar of her homemade soap tied with a ribbon. And guess what? It was snowing outside. Yep, snow at the end of April. In fact, Grace just texted me to let us know it’s snowing in Pennsylvania right this very minute.

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My father in law built their house. They just finished the back addition and it looks beautiful. I love the wide plank floors and all the windows.

After goodbye hugs, I drove to Colleen’s house and we went out for lunch together, just the two of us. The food was delicious and we had a nice long visit as we ate.

Then, we headed back to her house for another hour or so and made homemade snickerdoodle cookies just like when we were little.

~African Violets in bloom on her kitchen windowsill.

~A picture she painted of the view outside her childhood bedroom window.

She had a batch of Uncle Brian’s green salad in the fridge and even though we weren’t hungry we just had to have a spoon of it. Tastes like our childhood!

Meghan giving the dogs a treat.

After we got our cookies baked, I had to leave to go back home to Connecticut. I drove the back roads for a while and then got on the highway. I drove through some snow, some rain, and the most gorgeous end of the day clouds. I listened to podcasts on the way home and arrived back to my husband and children at 8pm.

Heart-full and Joy-full. It’s good to be home.

i am made aware of another mothering mistake

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Shanda

I simply love it when the children and I have time to chat without distractions because it gives them the chance to air their little grievances. This morning Seth and Sarah were all ready for school with about 10 minutes to spare. I stood by the door watching for the bus while Seth sat on the floor and Sarah sat on the couch. The family dog was flat on the floor, sound asleep and exhausted after a busy day yesterday when he escaped through his hidden dog fence and ran around the neighborhood for hours. We have since figured out that his collar is broken so in the meantime, we were discussing how we cannot under any circumstances allow him go outside when the bus came, as he usually does, and having Parker as the topic of conversation reminded Seth of something that hurt his feelings…..and naturally, it was my fault.

From the floor, he spoke up. “Mom? MY favorite animal is the dog. Caleb’s favorite animal was the SNAKE but then as soon as I decided MY favorite animal was the DOG he changed HIS favorite animal to the dog, too.”

(Caleb is his big brother and almost 4 years older than Seth.)

I turned away from the window to look at him. “Well, you can both have dogs as your favorite animal, besides, I’m sure that Caleb still likes snakes better.” But as I said this I realized that Seth was correct; Caleb has become a Dog Expert and watches lots of videos on youtube about……dogs. And has been begging me…..for a dog of his own. Well, it’s beside the point. Having siblings means having to share your favorite things with them. Life isn’t fair, ya know.

“And I feel ignored….” Seth continued, wide eyed. “I feel ignored because now, when you see a dog, you say, ‘Caleb, look at the cute dog’ and….. I’m ignored.”

He began to get actual tears in his eyes over this thought. It was obvious it came right from the heart.

As he buried his face in his hands, ashamed to be crying, I looked at Sarah, shrugged my shoulders, and bugged out my eyes, meaning; “Can you believe this kid?” She raised her eyebrows at me and it quickly became clear she was on “his side.”

She said, in a lecturing tone, “Well, Mom, the name Caleb MEANS DOG.”

“All this is MY FAULT?” I asked.

“You could have named Caleb Seth and Seth Caleb.”

I was stunned. So I raised my arms and said dramatically, “I would like to apologize to the entire room, especially YOU Parker, because you ARE a dog and you have to listen to all this. From now on,” I turned back to Seth, “If you and Caleb are together with me and I see a dog, I’ll say SETH LOOK AT THE CUTE DOG.”

Parker is elderly now so it touched my heart that between the three of them, he was the only one to slowly creak to his feet and walk over to me in order to accept my apology and get his ears rubbed.

Seth was smiling again, no doubt imagining Caleb’s face when he realized Seth took back his favorite animal and he would no longer receive motherly notifications about dog sightings,

then……thank heavens…..the bus arrived.

tuesday morning

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Shanda

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Good Morning!

The pie tasted even better this morning. I just ate a piece for breakfast. (more details on instagram). Sunlight is flooding, FLOODING into the room and it’s glorious. We’ve finally had warm springtime weather and I spent most of the afternoon yesterday outdoors. I was looking forward to blogging but as soon as the door slammed behind the children going to school after a long spring break and I was alone in the house for the first time in forever, what did I end up doing?

C L E A N I N G

I turned on the tv and cleaned away to my hearts content asking myself who I was and why and how did I turn into this woman delighting in cleaning when she was alone in her very own nest?

And then, I read my book which is just getting good and un-put-downable, went for a brisk walk, watched the busy birds, and baked a pie.

This morning when the door slammed I grabbed my computer to blog.

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Guess what play Sarah is going to see today? And guess who was making her laugh while I took her photo?

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*****

The Lord loves you not to-day, Christian, because of anything you are doing, or
being, or saying, or thinking, but he loves you still, because his great heart is full of
love, and it runneth over to you…….. Charles Spurgeon

SaveSave

day in the life……

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Shanda

One of the things that I’m thankful about regarding Sarah is that she is always willing to snuggle and have “couch time” with mom. In order to have couch time you need:

a blanket or two
a cat
a good tv show
books
ice cream
hairbrushes

At the end of a busy day, this is bliss.

She brushed my hair and made it pretty. I brushed her hair and she, as usual, made complaints. Her hair has gotten quite long and at 7 years old she’s not very good at taking care of it or keeping it brushed. She ends up with tangles and this week, pine pitch. I’m thinking about having it trimmed about five inches to make it more manageable. In fact, this might be a nice outing for us on this cold rainy and snowy day.

Good natured Seth, on a Costco trip.

The black cats we adopted at Christmas time have bonded to yours truly. They adore me, however, at the sound of footsteps, or doors opening, or unexpected movements, they bolt. But their purrs are loud and one of them is faithful to curl up on the couch next to me each night. Unfortunately I cannot tell them apart. I usually have to ask the children, “Who is this?”

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Amanda came over yesterday with her son Weston and her friend’s daughter Julia. Sarah had a girl to play with and they wasted no time in doing all they could in two hours. It was absolutely adorable.

We talked a mile a minute and made plans and went for a walk with the girlies.

It’s been cold and I’ve been pouting in the house, having the children do chicken chores. Two days passed, “no eggs mom” they say cheerfully. So after Amanda left I trudged to the coop and found 2 dozen. Hello? I don’t get it.

They sure are pretty. One of my favorite antique store purchases in the last year has been this old feed scoop. It was the only thing I could grab to put the eggs in yesterday. . .

I made the children egg sandwiches for dinner last night and used up 7 of them.

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We had a fire all day and Seth made a hot dog before bed. He only took one bite before giving it to David, who practically ate the whole thing in one bite. (little brother/big brother). Seth is suffering because he had an expander and habit breaker put in the roof of his mouth this week. He can’t talk and can’t eat and secretly I want to take him right back and have it removed. But they say it’s for the best and he will get used to it.

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Aren’t burning pinecones lovely? Mom told me the Indians used them as fire starters so Sarah went down with a bag to gather them on a dry day (which is how she got pine pitch in her hair).

David felt dizzy during the day so I let him drink a Gatorade (reserved for sports practices and meets) and when he was done he threw that in the fire, too, causing me to lecture loudly. Next thing I found was a metal pipe. I saw it just as I threw another armful of logs on the fire and David was offended and said “My pipe!”. “Get the pipe out of the house and stop throwing things on the fire!” He amuses me and terrifies me.

At the end of the day and just before couch time with Sarah, David and Seth and I put our feet up on the hearth and chatted and laughed about things together.

It’s been a lonely week without my husband, but having the children home on spring break has made it much better. He comes home tonight and I found myself putting make up on at 8:00 this morning.

first violets & secret garden quote

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Shanda

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For all the February babies, including myself, my son and my friend ~Thia~

Mary did not ask any more questions. She looked at the red fire and listened to the wind “wutherin’.” It seemed to be “wutherin'” louder than ever.

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I wasn’t even looking for them yet. We’ve had almost entirely cold cold spring temperatures. These grew in a warmer spot, by the kitchen door. Oh it was such an encouraging moment to see these first deeply rich purple wild flowers. I bent right down in the rain to pick them, knowing that soon there will be hundreds and thousands of them.

At that moment a very good thing was happening to her. Four good things had happened to her, in fact, since she came to Misselthwaite Manor.

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She had felt as if she had understood a robin and that he had understood her;

she had run in the wind until her blood had grown warm;

she had been healthily hungry for the first time in her life;

and she had found out what it was to be sorry for some one.

~The Secret Garden

Sarah and I have been listening together and enjoying it very much. A beautiful book.

“I found them in a book last night, these withered violets.”

I ended up closing the first spring violets in-between pages of poetry given to me by my friend Marcia, years ago.

____________________________________________________________

pizza dough recipe

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Shanda

By what magic does my mother make her fabulous pizza? I’ve tried for years but curiously enough, it is only recently that I feel as though there is hope for me, her eldest daughter, to follow in her footsteps.

I texted her last week to tell her I was going to make it but it wouldn’t be as good as hers and she replied, “Maybe I’ll make it too” and I said, “Then we’ll be the same.” and she said, “In spirit” and I said, “What do you set your oven to?” and she replied, “475”…..”on the lower shelf so it gets crispy on the bottom.”

Hours later, I sent her a photo of the results.

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“That looks perfect,” she wrote.

The next day she sent me a photo of the bottom of her pizza crust and it looked exactly the same. 54506716276__12E75B43-9D7E-4A62-A53D-E589479F86F1

This was the point of turning for me, from hesitant frustrated pizza maker, to confident and joyful.

I had given Seth, Sarah, and Michael each a lump of dough to make their own pizzas, too. It was the first time Michael had made a pizza. This was last week. When he came over again yesterday I asked them all what they wanted for dinner and he requested pizza again. In this way I knew it had been a good experience for him. Unfortunately I had already made it the previous night. Michael works at a boy’s home and is going to started cooking with the boys four times a month (on Saturdays). He started writing up a meal plan and Pizza made with Actual Dough was on the list.

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Sarah bragged that she “Ate seven pieces”.

Seth said “My stomach’s extended.”

Sarah said, “My taste buds are out.”

David and Caleb were so jolly after a tummy full of pizza that they ran around the house trying to pull each other’s, and Seth’s, pants down.

I’ve tried several recipes for pizza dough but this is the one that makes my heart sing.

Shanda’s Pizza Dough Recipe

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 T. white sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 T. olive oil
1 T. salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5 1/2 cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, let sit until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in olive oil, whole wheat flour, salt, and 4 cups of bread flour into the yeast mixture. Mix in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (I use a kitchen aid mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. (I leave the dough in the kitchen aid mixer bowl). Cover with a damp cloth and put in warm place to rise until doubled in volume; about 1 hour.

Deflate dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and form into rounds. Cover the rounds and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 475. Use a rolling pin (or hands) to roll dough into the desired shape, cover it with your favorite toppings. Place on bottom rack in oven until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
recipe source: allrecipes.com

full & good

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Shanda

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Things That Have Been Happening Around Here Lately:

Rich has been away more than here. (business trips)
basketball with neighbor boys
Sarah had a brunch date with friends.
I bought a giraffe at an estate sale.
Someone gave me a gospel track — Rich said I must’ve looked in need of Salvation.
I yelled, “Get OFF the roof!”
I yelled, “WHAT are you DOING?”
One of our black cats ate a purple ribbon.
Sarah broke a rose fiesta bowl.
We had a warm weather day.
We had rain.
We had snow.
We had ice.
The boys had baseball practice.
We are listening to The Hobbit on audible to and from the fields.
Seth didn’t want to hold my hand on the sidewalk in town. (rite of passage)
This week is spring break.
David had an appointment this morning.
And is now back to bed.
I said, “If you ask me that one more time you are going to stand in the corner” to my 12 year old.

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’tis spring; come out
to ramble
the hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found. a.e. houseman

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golden edges

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bluebird sighting at the suet

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One morning I could hear a bird singing and I sighed, “I wish I could identify birds by their sounds.” The children got on the bus and a little while later I went to get in the car and was distracted by the bird that was making that same sound I had heard earlier! So I learned what it was, a Red Headed Woodpecker! I ran to get the camera……..

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It slipped the tip of its beak under the edge of the lichen to get bugs; making its calling noise the whole time.

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No human has a naturally red head THIS red.

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And then, a cardinal appeared.

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And a goldfinch. It was a lovely bird morning. I took the photos from the porch.

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The children spent the entire day outside on Saturday. In my opinion it was our first spring day. . . . .absolutely gorgeous weather, bare feet, fishing, turtles, basketball, baseball.

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Caleb ran to show me the turtle he and Jack found.

And like his big brothers before him, he named it and put it back.

And then they caught a nice fish.

I repotted some plants I started for my friends and family. It’s been fun collected different planters and pots on my thrifting adventures. I’ll have to do a blog post soon to show them off.

life is full and good

//easter sunday in orlando//

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Shanda

(I heard this song at the dentist with my son Caleb yesterday and liked it so much).

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April 1, 2018

It was Easter Sunday and we decided to take a day of rest. Rich read resurrection Scriptures to us in our hotel room that morning and then we slathered on sunscreen, put on our bathing suits, and headed for the pool.

Oh I forgot to mention that Caleb and Seth tried to play basketball first thing in the morning but came right back to the room because “There is an easter egg hunt going on, there are eggs everywhere even on the basketball court.” I noticed Sarah (who was still in her pajamas and in bed) perk up at these words, so I asked Caleb to “hop like a bunny and go get Sarah an egg”. We all laughed hysterically as he hopped out the door as only Caleb can, and then 10 minutes later, hop back inside the room with an egg and his front teeth sticking out of his lips just like the Easter bunny. We affectionately call Caleb “Moose” for a reason, his bunny “hops” were more like heavy stomping earthquakes and he quickly hopped/launched himself off balance and into the wall as he tossed the egg to his sister. “They were all gone so I told a man I needed one for my sister and asked if he would give me one of his. There were kids with huge bags full of eggs.” Sarah opened her egg to find a grape-flavored hard candy and was thrilled.

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Rich and I settled into pool chairs and very soon David was coming over to show me that he finally caught a lizard. (the round scar on his stomach is from a spider bite, chronicled on this blog about 10 years ago).

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David was very curious about the wild life around the pool. Now and then a duck or two would fly over to see if there were any crumbs to eat. David tossed one a potato chip and we laughed to see it gobble it down only to bob his head up and down forcefully to bring it back up. It landed on the pavement just as dry as it had gone into his beak.

David also saw a bird spear a fish over at the lake and came to report enthusiastlically.

My heart bursts with joy that he comes to share things with me so often. I love to hear his stories and the way he tells them is always unique and interesting. I am an eager listener.

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Sarah (in pink) quickly made a friend of a little girl just a year younger. Eventually I met the little girl’s mother. They had plans to go to a park that day but after seeing the girls swimming and getting along so well they ended up staying at the pool all day too. They had traveled to Orlando all the way from Ireland and it was fun to visit with the mom and ask her questions about her country.

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We eventually made the girls get out of the pool to share a hot dog lunch together. Sarah didn’t want to get out of the water and made sure to let me know that she “wasn’t done swimming yet.” I was so glad to have gotten the children goggles before our trip because they had the greatest time throwing a little plastic card into the pool and diving for it.

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Behind the pool there was a lake and Caleb was so happy to go fishing. He and Seth also played basketball for a while, too, and Seth was nicknamed “Seth Curry” by some other boys were were playing with them.

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After Sarah’s great reluctance to meet Disney characters at the park, I was truly intrigued to see that she got out of her beloved pool to approach the Easter bunny. But on second thought, I decided that it had more to do with the eggs than the bunny. It was the most adorable thing to see her and her friend get out of the water and hold hands as they walked over to the bunny for an egg. All in all, Sarah managed to bring home about 7 or 8 plastic easter eggs.

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I spent the day in my chair with my book, journal (pictured above) and various nice coffee drinks. The tallness of our hotel blocked the sun after a while so Rich moved to the other side but I stayed put. I would rather not roast myself; it was perfect in the shade and Rich always gets annoyed because I still get tan so much better than he does even though he stays in the sun.

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Eventually it was time for dinner so we got all cleaned up and headed to a steakhouse for a good meal.

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“Yeah but mom look, I’m not even in the picture.”

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What is it with boys trying to look cool and thereby not smiling?

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Handsome Caleb after a day in the sunshine.

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Someone take away that soda!

The boys had steak dinners. I had crab legs and Sarah had spaghetti.

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Even though we truly didn’t NEED dessert, the next thing we did was drive to a soft serve place for cones.

It was the kind of heavy cream soft serve that makes you feel full and sick after eating only half of it.

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It was a good ending to a relaxing day.

*********

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven–and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.

The Day is coming when you’ll have it all–life heal and whole. ~ 1 Peter 1

a long & fascinating Epcot account

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Shanda

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We went to Epcot on March 31st, Rich’s birthday. He had been looking forward to his Disney birthday for months.

For a breakfast treat, he wanted to get a coffee from Starbucks more than anything but had mistakingly passed by the one on our way to the park. Imagine his joy when, as soon as we got through the main entrance, there it was! A Starbucks right in Epcot. We had the children sit outside while we stood in line to get our special coffees.

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Next stop was the “Club Cool” building for CocaCola, which has been a highlight since we first visited Epcot years ago. If you lean in you can see the children walking in under the sign. (I was standing outside Starbucks when I took the photo).

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They had free samples of their slushy sodas. And then, the children taste tested all the soda “flavors from around the world”. I tasted a couple of them, too. Rich refused. He was content with his coffee.

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Caleb

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Seth

Nothing like the feeling of lots of sugar first thing in the morning!

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Sarah and I were happy to split from the boys and go our own way.

There were flowers in bloom everywhere we looked.

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We bought jewelry made by this nice lady, which she crafted from things in nature. For example, the red in my necklace is naturally dyed orange peel! Sarah picked out earrings. The interesting thing was the lady was originally from Connecticut and knew our hometown. While we were there, we also bought a map (Sarah is holding it in the photo) with Easter Egg stickers to put on each spot after we found them in the park. It became a fun highlight of our day.

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Here is the first one we found! Do you see it?

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And then Mary Poppins walked right by us!

By the way, Sarah had no desire whatsoever to meet any of the Disney characters who walked about in Epcot or any other park. She especially disliked the costumed animals like Chip n’ Dale, or Goofy, etc. I would have liked to take her photo with a princess but “No” she shook her head and planted her feet into the ground. I could understand so didn’t press it.

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I took a photo of the beautiful leather purses in “London”.

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On our way to “France” with the Eiffel tower behind us.

I was so heart-happy to have Sarah’s hand in mine on this day, always thankful that God gave us a second daughter. I told her so, too. It put a sweet smile on her face.

All of my children are a blessing and a joy.

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Each country had a lovely Topiary that I always pointed out thoughtfully to Sarah, who never seemed to be as impressed as I was. She was too busy looking for the egg.

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There it is!

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flowers in France

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thought of Joanna……with the teapots….

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“Take a picture, mom!” said Sarah. I called birds like these “Parasitic Birds” because they were just hanging around trying to steal food.

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Sarah was also given a fan to carry to each country for a stamp and a picture. It was a nice little “time out” throughout the day as she stopped to color.

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This is the table in “Germany”, the girl is coloring on Sarah’s flag. I had to take a photo because an old copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales was on the table and I’ve been reading it to Sarah.

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We ate in Germany and watched the little girl next to us throw chips to yet another “Parasitic bird” (a duck this time).

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Norway! My favorite section of the park!

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It briefly rained. Good thing I had ponchos in my purse (#1 Mom). While standing in this line we made friends with the English family next to us.

I met a Viking!

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We met back up with the boys after going on the Frozen ride. Rich had gotten himself a birthday jacket from Norway and looked very handsome in it, too. We headed to the Norwegian bakery for some treats. I was told the Schoolhouse buns were the best so I bought one and enjoyed every single bite. In fact, I want more than anything to find a recipe and make them myself here at home.

Sarah’s Elsa cupcake was amazing. It was so big she couldn’t finish it so I had to take a bite. The cake was fluffy and homemade, there was chocolate filling and frosting, both wonderfully tasty. Seth and David finished it up.

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Orchids, the way they should look.

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Another pretty flower.

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We went to go ride on the Nemo ride and visited the aquariums where David made friends with the fish.

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And people started to get silly.

David now and David then. Same exact spot in Epcot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t stand it.

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Golden Hour in Epcot.

David in his “nerd store” (his words) he loves anime and greatly enjoyed the Mitsukoshi Department Store in” Japan.”

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Sarah and I picked out some candy. David got a shirt and a tea cup. The shirt is a long story. Months ago, I found him carefully cutting out a graphic and coloring it from a page he printed online. He wanted to transfer it to a t-shirt but had to stop when he realized regular paper wouldn’t work, he needed transfer paper. But then in Epcot he found the very shirt he had wanted to make. Sadly, as soon as we got home, he was wearing it when he picked up his half-wild cat who got scared and scratched his way out of David’s arms, cutting a hole in his new shirt with his very sharp razor- like claws. David said, “What about my arm?” it was scratched and bleeding. “Your arm will heal, but I’m the one who will have to mend your shirt, you’re special shirt you just bought in Disney!” Thus, David has a unique shirt from Disney, already ripped and mended by yours truly (and I did the best I could but it wasn’t a mending that could be hidden very easily).

We liked all the candy but for the green tea KitKats and the bean paste gummy candy. (ew)

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After the fireworks show we headed out. The park was closing so we were in a big crowd as we tried to keep up with Rich, who walks very purposefully with his long legs.

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