It’s still so weird to think about Jacob being twenty years old. Ah yes, young moms, the days are long but I am here to tell you that what *they say* about the years flying by is true. It’s not depressing news, it’s actually very ENCOURAGING! Whatever days you have going on right now are going to rapidly pass. What a blessing. Jacob was QUITE a handful for many years and now look at him, I barely have to parent him anymore. He’s all grown up and just needs a minor parental adjustment once in a great while (considering he does still live with us and all).
Jacob’s birthday is New Year’s Eve, so for the last few years it’s been a tradition for him to fill the house with his friends and stay up all night to celebrate his birthday AND the New Year.
PICTURE ALBUM:
Rich had his laptop connected to the TV so he could watch some of the wrestling matches from that morning. Zak (the one making the face) had hurt his lower back during his match so they were trying to figure out what happened. You can see the laundry I was still working on folding….after all these years of having people over to our house I’ve gotten gotten over the feeling that “it must be clean”. I have gracious friends.
Ethan and his girl.
They are soooooo cute.
Kylee was trying to braid Grace’s hair and Sarah was watching intently because she wanted to learn to braid. You can see the braids in her hair, I had done them a few hours earlier and as I was braiding, Sarah was saying she wanted to learn…..so it was providential that Kylee decided to practice on Grace, and Sarah could get a lesson. 🙂
Playing “SORRY”
And UNO
Caleb and Jacob; Caleb is Grace’s boyfriend, Grace has a brother named Caleb and Caleb has a brother named Jacob.
three of my boys (two are missing)– Ethan (18), Jacob (20), and David (14)
And one with their Dad, too.
Time for the cake! Dixie cups making things easier. And please notice my stack of small fiesta plates. 🙂
I can’t get over it.
Look at all these wonderful people.
I LOVE THIS PICTURE SO MUCH. Grace is so cute!
Sherlock’s favorite place to sleep these days.
best friends
Downstairs in the basement….we got a new couch for Jacob. Seats 10. I love how Seth (the little guy) stayed right with the bigger kids all night.
my Caleb
And Sarah (despite the face) LOVED being able to spend time with the girls.
Parker the Dog was in heaven (and spent the night trying to steal food and chew things up in order to get people to notice him). He was resting his chin on his stuffed animal in this picture.
I went to bed at 11 and when I got up there were kids sleeping all over the place. Ethan eventually made pancakes and then everyone left and it was just our family again.
“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
“Come in, — come in! and know me better, man! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Look upon me! You have never seen the like of me before!”
I’m going to be completely honest with you, by yesterday evening I was filled with glee because I was glad Christmas was over….and by “Christmas” I mean all the buying of gifts, wrapping, baking, cleaning, and so on. I really wish Santa WAS real, it would save me a lot of work. It’s fun and all, but only to a certain extent, and then the stress kicks in and you start to wonder if the gifts are okay and if they will be received with gladness and if the children will be healthy and then it becomes your time of the month on top of it all, which explains why you were grumpy that one night when the kids had friends over and it was all you could do not to go in your room and shut the door because your head felt as if it would explode…….
But then your husband helps you find the presents in all the secret hiding spots and tells you numerous times that you did a great job and gives you little kisses and it’s Christmas Eve and the boys keep trying to get up without ever even going to sleep and you say over and over to yourself in that still small voice, “remember these moments”…….because you know even if you do at this moment wish things were a little quieter– someday you just might wish things were back to chaotic for an hour or two. Maybe.
On Christmas Eve we crave cinnamon rolls and thanks to my friend April we also made orange rolls for the first time and boy were they heavenly.
I totally fell in love with The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I’ve seen the movie through the years and have read the book a few times but this year I became a true and devoted fan of the story. It’s so rich and beautiful. It has everything; loss, darkness, greed, selfishness, ghosts, hauntings, music, bitter cold, snow, old city life, memorable characters, lessons learned, truth, love, nostalgia, joy, smiles, laughter, and a HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I read the book again, which of course is the very best way to experience the story, and then watched two of the movies and I watched them with as much full attention as I could (without my phone next to me).
And lest you think my opening confession was rather Scrooge-like, let me clarify that I wholeheartedly love Christmas for what it truly is supposed to be; giving and receiving, yes, but also heart and soul, togetherness, beauty, family and friends. Those are the qualities of Christmas that I love the most, & I know you do, too.
“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”
“He was consious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares, long, long, forgotten.”
“I have always thought of Christmastime, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
(Caleb was feeling under the weather and buried himself in blankets and pillows as he watched TV) soooo cute
Ethan is home from college and my heart is content to have all the children with us again.
Abundance.
waking up the sleepy heads
We unwrapped all the presents and then got ready for Church.
Seth had a candy cane in his mouth and Ethan had crest white strips on his teeth. I didn’t know this until on the way to church when I had time to study the photos and ask questions.
I thought Sarah’s Christmas hair was adorable. I put it in two pigtails, pulled the hair through half way, and then pinned on gold bows. She of course, hated it, but I told her too bad. And with a compromise, she didn’t have to wear a fancy dress.
My camera heart gravitates toward the child who doesn’t get to attend church with us during the school year anymore….it was so nice to see him in the pew as I looked over at my sons in a row.
Rich and Grace both had small parts in the service so they sat in front. To be honest, I made Rich come back to sit with me as his part wasn’t until almost the end of the service and I didn’t want to sit there alone without my husband the whole time.
Caleb got a hug…….
Sarah found a listening ear…………
Grace read from Luke chapter 2……….
Best friends and brothers in Christ.
(Michael took a photo of the family for me but I’m not going to post it until next month (year) because I never sent out Christmas cards, therefore I am sending out New Years cards with a family photo and I don’t want to show anyone the picture yet or it will be boring to send out in the mail).
After church I made a ham dinner and then was filled with the feeling that all was accomplished and I could rest. It was a most blessed evening of being so very relaxed with all the children around us.
I’m in the midst of the the book on top, which is something I bought a few years ago but just got around to reading. It is very very good (high quality writing). Sigrid Undset also wrote Kirsten Lavransdatter which is an amazing book. The rest of the titles are from my husband based on my explicit instructions.
How thankful I am through it all, for the blessings of our life, the warmth, the joy, the endless little surprises from living with children, and for most of all, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the eternal life He has given. God is so good and we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses that prove all of what He truly means to us. I’m so glad He loves us just the way we are.
Merry Christmas!
“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!”
“His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.”
PS, Penny, I wrote this post for you. (because you encouraged me). xoxoxo loves.
We were watching A Christmas Carol last night and Scrooge was saying once again, “I hadn’t noticed….” to which the spirit said, “You hadn’t noticed. One would think you had gone through life with your eyes closed.” and I thought to myself, oh let my eyes be open…….
…open to see messy beauty all around
….open to love my community, my family, my people, not only to give it, but to see it happening
….open to see the hand of God and His works in the land of the living
…open to see what is true
…open to see what is lovely
Let me not miss a thing.
But see, I WILL miss seeing some things! And even that fact is a wondrous revelation! God is doing so much good, more “behind the scenes” good than we will ever count or notice! Things so hidden that they will not be revealed until life truly begins (in Heaven).
So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you……
Seth read a little book in school about how places around the world celebrate the holidays. The page about Italy was the only one that mentioned baby Jesus and he noticed. He had the eyes to see and the mind to understand that Italy was the place for him to visit. Because he is a Christian.
***
Because Sarah is so little, I have to walk her to the bus every morning, right up to the bus door on the other side of the road. It’s so very cold, I often have a secret dislike in going outside with her to do this mothering job. But when I hold her hand and get ready to let go of her for the morning, I say, “Have a nice day, Sarah, I love you!” and she says, “You too, I love you, too!” to me and my heart melts into a big puddle and I feel that love that she has for me and I remember to be thankful.
***
Last night I was tired and Ethan was hungry. He had just arrived home from visiting his girlfriend and he was wandering around opening cupboards looking for food. Even though I didn’t want to, I took pity on him, got off the couch and made him a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel. Yes, he could have done it himself, but he has been away at college for weeks and weeks and was hungering for not only food, but an act of love from his Mom. I ended up serving him his food on a small fiesta plate, happy to cook for my boy, my heart changed from one of grumpiness because I wanted to just lay on the couch, into one of gratitude that I could serve my family in this small way. It only took 5 minutes, for goodness sakes.
***
Grace had committed herself to making 25 corn bags for music kids at school. Oh how I was inwardly groaning because I had packed all my sewing stuff away about a year ago, I could not even recall where I had put the sewing machine. To make a long story short, she did find it, it did still work, it was still threaded, we did not run out of bobbin thread, and I did all the sewing of the bags because she did run out of free time. Once again, what began in groaning ended in yet another lesson on selflessness and doing what I am meant to do right now–be a mom.
***
I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t thoughtful. I made a big pot of baked beans because Sarah was craving them, but the boys ate them, too. The next day I made chili for dinner. Then the boys had wrestling practice. You see where this is going. David said to me on the way home last night, “Mom, you gave me chili and I far*ed 13 times at practice tonight and I just did again while I was saying this to you.” I had to roll the window all the way down as I drove….laughing….later I told my mom the story and she said, “That is a tactical move” and Rich said, “Offensive, too.” There is no point to this story.
***
Ethan and I just spent a most comfortable day together doing nothing. I wasn’t feeling well and no one else is here for Ethan to hang out with so we just lounged around. I made him pancakes for breakfast and toasted cheese for lunch. He put wood pellets in the stove and carried in boxes for me. We took naps and I read a book. We hardly spoke but we enjoyed each others company. He said a quiet day like today would be awful if he was alone at college, but to be home makes all the difference.
***
Seth snuggling with me on the couch
washing Sarah’s hair for her, blowing it dry and braiding it for bedtime
loving texts from my husband
having Jacob wake up David because he overslept and almost missed the bus
cats and a dog that cannot talk yet we sense and know their love and loyalty
christmas cookies
***
The other night David took a bowl of burning hot soup to bed with him and dumped it down his pants. That same night Caleb went to bed with an ice pack for a groin injury. He fell asleep with it, only to wake up hours later with wet shorts and a perplexing problem…until his mind woke up enough to realize what he had done.
***
Truly, having children is a guarantee that there is always something to laugh about.
“It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
**christmas dishes**
**wrapping all the gifts**
**christmas past**
**I see boys having fun, little bits of them left behind everywhere**
I just know I’ll always stumble across nerf bullets and legos far after they’ve grown and gone.
I am determined to go through this Christmas season with my eyes and heart wide open. (I may have to take a break now and then. LOL)
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” … the Little Prince
Rich was making plans to be away on Saturday for a wrestling tournament but a winter snowfall came and it was blessedly cancelled. Sometimes a change of plans is without a doubt a gift from God, a way to slow us down and keep us home, to remember and enjoy each other.
We painted while listening to Christmas songs.
The children gathered their snow clothes and bundled up to go sledding. All around them were trees covered with new snow and fresh cold air. The climbed up the hill, slid down, and did it again and again.
When they came back inside, they threw their snow things on the floor to dry. (But Mama made them hang them from hooks and chairs).
There was a cozy fire to sit next to, hot drinks, and games to play.
We all agreed that The Polar Express was a most wonderful movie.
There were books to pick up and read, and cats to hold on our laps.
Each year the children become more helpful in the kitchen.
We made tray upon tray of Christmas cookies.
It took more work to clean up than it did to do the baking.
And then it was time to listen to Dad read a year after year favorite.
By-ends and his schoolfellows walked on together, laughing and talking. Christian and Hopeful were not very far from them, and presently the four boys ran after them and began to ask them foolish questions. They pretended that they wished to know whether some of the things that they were fond of doing were wrong and likely to displease the King, and they hoped that Christian would not be brave enough to answer them truly, because then they would be able to call him a coward. But although little Christian was a shy and timid child, he was not afraid to speak the truth. He had learned to love the King dearly, and no fear of what these rough boys might do to him would have made him agree with By-ends and his friends. He answered all their questions bravely and truly, and at last they began to feel ashamed of themselves and said no more. Christian was very glad when they left him, and he went on with Hopeful, while By-ends stayed behind with his three idle companions. pg 99
“According to the attention restoration theory, spending time in nature relieves the stress and metal fatigue caused by the ‘directed attention’ that work and city life require.”
from NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine (January 2016)
It was a rather sluggish sort of day, blah and tiresome.
But then I read the National Geographic article and thought, I need, I really really need to get outside. I put on my warm layers and went for a walk.
When I returned home, I was delighted and surprised to see a rare flock of blue birds by our pond.
“Should I bother getting the camera?” I wondered.
I quickly made up my mind, walked up to the house and grabbed the camera, half expecting the birds to have flown away, but praying that God would give me the opportunity to take a few nice bird photos. He gets all the glory……..for His gift to me, and now to you, in seeing and admiring the pretty little birds he made and provides for.
Bird photos are tricky but the nice thing about them is they take some concentration and determination, both of which are good for pulling oneself out of ones thoughts and cares of the day, and into what is seen through the lens. Getting manual mode just right, the lighting, seeing the shadows and sunshine fluttering and falling, watching for a bird to land in just the right spot.
You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
Psalm 104:28
See the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of much more value than they? Matthew 6:26
It wasn’t all bluebirds, either. I saw robins, juncos, a titmouse, finch, blue jay, and goldfinches. They were eating the seeds off of the dried autumn grasses and bushes.
“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!” Matthew 6
In my deepest troubles, I frequently would wrench myself from the persons around me and retire to some secluded part of our noble forests. John James Audubon
I just got home from grocery and Christmas shopping. I have some wrapping to do before the children start getting home from school but I thought I would do a quick post about our day yesterday. I thought I would take photos all day long but I didn’t. I ended up not taking any pictures after the point where Grace and I went to the grocery store to get stuff for lunch.
The morning began with breakfast, and proceeded right into a nerf fight between Caleb and Seth.
There are nerf bullets ev.very.where.
I went outside to take care of the chickens and the rabbits. The chickens are not laying eggs. It’s pathetic. I have to buy eggs. I think they stopped because of the time change and some of them are molting.
We have rabbits because Jacob agreed to watch someone’s rabbits for them and so far they have not come to get them back. Apparently she moved in with her sister and there is no place to put them.
They are very cute and the entire family has grown fond of them. I opened their door so they could hop around the coop while I took care of the hens.
And this one
immediately went into a bag.
I thought the green background behind these red berries was lovely.
The children had a snow day because the snow had switched over to ice and then rain, consequently everything was drippy.
Under the trees the snow was dimpling from all the raindrops.
cracks in the ice look like trees
The children went outside for some sledding. Of course it was rather wet but they still had fun.
Seth was so little down there making a pile of snow.
And that was that. Grace and I went to the store, by the time we left Seth was back in the house and he asked to go with us. We said yes and bought him a big container of tic-tacs which turned into contention when we came home. Sarah and Caleb wanted them. Seth poured them all into a fiestware fruit bowl and then cried and cried because Caleb took the plastic container and threw it, causing it to break, and making the tic tacks fly out of the bowl onto the floor. I sent him downstairs. So then Seth gave it to Sarah and then a few minutes later decided he wanted it back, she started to cry, he threw it back at her, it hit the wall and broke further. I sent him downstairs next. Then Sarah was crying. Grace taped it up for her. This all happened because I was nice and bought Seth a treat. Never again.
Grace and I made a sausage stuffed french bread for lunch. Then, we prepared dinner, which was marinated meats for mixed grill kabobs–shrimp, chicken, and rib eye.
I gave Grace and David the job of cleaning the storage room and crawl space downstairs and they did a great job together.
We all took naps.
Rich came home early.
Seth broke one of my Christmas angels. Broke the wing right off.
Everyone liked dinner!
We had a relaxing evening and went to bed early, where I read a book until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
Check out my instagram later for a photo of what I found at Goodwill this morning!!!!
I love my home, I love my nest, In all the world, My nest is best!
Good news! Sherlock the cat is back home recovering from his ordeal. We are all thankful to see him in the old familiar places…..and are fervently praying that he never again forms crystals to block his urinary track.
All the second guessing and questions were gone as soon as I witnessed the love and gentleness in the way the children cared for their pet all weekend long.
He received much petting.
Well, it’s our first snow day of the school year. There was speculation all weekend as the children wondered if it would happen and checked the weather frequently. As soon as I woke up this morning, I felt around in the dark for my phone on the table by the bed. Rich left for work as soon as he possibly could as I was announcing to him, “It’s a snow day! Stay home please stay home with us!” He was like, “bye.”
No matter, the children are currently still tucked in their warm beds, sound asleep, and I’m in my room typing away………….enjoying what will probably be the quietest hour of the day.
On Saturday, Rich was away for a wrestling scrimmage with his team (he is the HS head coach) and I had a leftover roast chicken in the fridge so I set to work making homemade chicken and dumplings with a big pot of fluffy mashed potatoes. The only reason I got the camera out is because Seth was amusing me. He had helped roll out the dumplings and then ended up on the counter for a good half an hour playing in a cup of flour…….
Messy….but harmless fun for a boy in the kitchen.
And a warm comfort food was enjoyed by all for lunch that day.
When Rich got home from wrestling, he took a quick nap on the couch and then took the boys for haircuts…..
The reason why Rich completely spoils and worships me is because I gave him five sons and two daughters who look just like him. (okay, that is maybe just one of the many reasons).
“Sarah get off my cat! Mom tell Sarah to get off my cat! No don’t take a picture of Sarah with my cat, that’s my cat!” ~David is very possessive.
Rich and David moved this little couch (dog bed) into the other room to make a spot for the Christmas tree. It was about 28 degrees on Saturday afternoon so he could only get Caleb and Sarah to go with him to the fire department to choose the tree. I could tell he was starting to get tired and not in the mood but after a little love-spat we got the decorating done. It certainly wasn’t the same without Jacob and Ethan helping us and Grace saying things like “I probably won’t be here next year to help decorate the tree”. sigh. Not only that but the Heisman’s Trophy was going to be awarded at 8 and it was 7:55 so we were in sort of a time crunch. (Caleb is a passionate football fan).
Little by little the nest is getting festive. Yes, those are legos.
The painting from Aunt Colleen, vintage yellow fiestaware, a strand of lights, and my cookbook collection.
While searching for the decorations they found their old board puzzles.
A beautiful moment after the children were in bed…..a purring cat on my lap, candles, Sangria, and the lovely tree.
(Caleb just came in here asking if it was a snow day. After he heard the news he climbed up, “I want to snuggle with you. Can I see your phone? I want to see who won the game last night, I went to bed after the third quarter just in case it wasn’t a snow day.”)
So Sunday morning was blessedly relaxing. Rich was watching a movie and after a while I noticed him doing sit ups on the floor. This man works out EVERY DAY so I got a little bossy and said, “If you have energy I have something you could do instead.”
(Seth has appeared)
And then later on, we were getting ready for church and Rich captured this special moment. “When Moms do their Daughters Hair.” Sarah needed two tissues to get through it.
And when I showed her the photo of the final result she said proudly, “Is my hair really that long?” so I knew she wasn’t scarred for life.
Merry Christmas and a Happy Snow Day! I’ll blog tomorrow about all the things we did with our surprise vacation day from school. (Meanwhile, Seth is asking if he can open one of his presents)………
Good to be Home 