beautiful God, beautiful home

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Shanda

“….there are three dimensions of the Christian life that the Scriptures are concerned about–the good, the true, and the beautiful. Yet we tend to cut off the third from the other two…rarely do we find a focus on the beautiful…..”

“….the Scriptures speak about the beauty of God. His Word tells us that all things beautiful find their source and foundation in the character of God Himself. So, God is ultimately the norm of the good, the norm of the true, and the norm of the beautiful.”

“Ever since the people of God have existed in community, art has been a significant concern. When we go to the Old Testament, for example, we see there that the first people filled with the Holy Ghost were the artisans and craftsman that God selected to prepare the objects for the tabernacle.”

“…….God saw art and what it communicates as being important enough to include in His tabernacle—to include the beautiful where people would meet to worship Him. Beauty is important to God because He is beautiful, and so what is beautiful must be of importance to His people as well. Christian artists should be encouraged to create beautiful art, and Christian people should be encouraged to appreciate the beautiful alongside the true and the good, for the Lord Himself is beautiful.”

“Our Beautiful God”, article in Tabletalk magazine by R.C. Sproul

****

Although I am not an artist, I have an hungry eye for beauty. I suppose this is the reason I like carrying my camera around in capturing some of the loveliness in the world around me.

As I wrote in the last post, I have lost a ring that is precious to me. It haven’t been found yet, but in looking for it I have done a lot of cleaning in rather neglected corners of my home.

I have been forced to take the time to thoughtfully clean and dust and rearrange the things we have in our home, and as a result, it has been a surprising blessing in losing my ring that my eyes have been opened to the beauty of home-life again.

There is so much beauty in ordinary life. A well made bed, children playing games, toys lying about, animals curled up in surprising locations, food lovingly prepared, candles lit, pretty dishes, quiet music playing, blankets ready to be snuggled in, piles of books, the children’s school papers and art, clean floors, the smell of fresh laundry, and the glow of sunlight through a clean window.

Indeed, just give me one clean and washed counter and I’ll be happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“We must have beauty around us to make us good.” M.E.W. Sherwood

I made myself lunch yesterday. It was broccoli and red pepper stir fried with a minced clove of garlic and sliced mushrooms. After the vegetables were done, I removed them from the skillet and scrambled two eggs. Topped with shredded parmesan and pepper.

Yesterday’s supper. It was well received by all except Caleb and Seth.

For dessert, a frozen fruit salad. 3 cups fresh whipped cream and a 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (folded together gently). Add 14 oz drained crushed pineapple, 2 cups sliced strawberries, and 3 sliced bananas. Freeze until firm. Very much like homemade ice cream, with no churning.

Art by David; painted on silk at school. It looks so pretty propped up in the window.

A game of Memory right before the bus came this morning. Caleb won.

Beautiful snow sprinkles and a beautiful smile.

This morning’s sun, coming up over the trees wan and cloud covered.

Jacob’s art ~ calligraphy

Tree painting by Jacob, wooden shelf made by Ethan, candlelight, old books, and football trophies.

More paintings by Jacob.

I pinned the crocheted doily on the basket with straight pins…I think it looks so pretty.

Valentine roses.

Tips from Alexandra Stoddard on creating a Beautiful Home:

* Every day can be a memorable celebration. Use your favorite dishes, napkins, and accessories to brighten up daily mealtimes.

*Always have something growing in your rooms, even if it is a modest basket arrangement of flowers from the garden.

*Clean windows are like a cloudless day.

*If you’re short on closet space, use a beautiful pine armoire, which also adds height and a focal point to the room.

* Because we spend more than a third of our lives in bed, collect a wardrobe for your bed: Invest in a variety of different sets of sheets, pillow shams, and blanket covers and an assortment of colorful patterned baby pillows and neck rolls. (I bought linen sheets this winter and Rich said they were the best thing I’ve ever purchased besides his wedding ring.)

*Seek freshness and lightness

*Make every room a living room.

(from the book, Creating a Beautiful Home)

“It never occurred to me until I had this house to take a vacation and stay home.” Bill Robinson

“The homeliest tasks get beautiful if loving hands do them.” Louisa May Alcott

How about you? Do you have any special tips or ideas in beautifying the surroundings you live in? (from your own experience, a book, or someone you admire?)

the ring, billy cat, someone growing, the ring again, and a quote from sarah

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Shanda

I woke right up this morning thinking about the ring. I fell asleep last night thinking about it, too. I’d rather not blog about it. Suffice it to say that I lost my Tiffany ring that Rich gave me for our anniversary a short 5 months ago. I have looked all over the house, cleaning as I go. If you ever want to get Spring Housecleaning done in February might I suggest losing something tiny and valuable in the house? It’s been remarkable how much I’ve found but mostly dirt and dust, about 1,000 marbles and legos, bobby pins, small change, pony tail holders, an earring that I thought was gone forever, a set of keys, crayons, pens, and pencils, but no ring, and oddly nothing belonging to my poor husband. Only crap that belongs to myself and the children.

This morning Sarah and I went to town. I had to go to the Post Office, which I don’t like doing, and I was struck once again by the cheerful attitude of my little girlie who doesn’t mind going out into the cold with Mama on a constant basis. She puts her hand in mine and we go. “Mom, remember. Cars go FAST.” she says as we cross the street. We bought a bag of books for 2 dollars at the thrift store. We went to the grocery store and then home again to read them.

The cats are always inside now that it’s been so cold. Billy amuses us all the time. Today he decided to get a drink from the kitchen sink.

I began taking way too many pictures of Billy drinking water from the faucet.

Then something caught his eye and he forgot all about the water.

What could it be? He stood up on tip toes.

And he pressed his orange head against the screen. His tail was twitching.

Birds. Lots and lots of birds. They were politely taking a seed and flying right by the kitchen window in front of the orange cat. He wanted so badly to go and catch one but I said no.

I poured my coffee and invited him to sit with me for a chat instead.

He had a hard time focusing after all the excitement of water and birds.

“I’d rather have bird.” he says. “Also I would rather scratch you.” he confesses.

Grace is shrinking. Either that or Davy is growing taller. I’m not sure.

She is 15 and he is 12. It’s an odd thing to see the little brother catch up in height. His feet are already bigger.

This was my napping buddy yesterday. The children had no school because it was (NOT A SNOW DAY –I know hard to believe!) President’s Day. I read Seth a chapter of Henry and Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary. And then we fell asleep back to back in the big bed. He’s the apple of my eye. Rich and I took him to his wrestling tournament (states!) on Sunday and he placed 5th.

Back to the Ring Saga:

Last night, Rich pulled the washer and dryer out to check for the ring. The boys were right there watching the entire time.

At dinner Rich prayed and thanked the Lord for the food. Before he forgot, I interjected, “And please, dear Lord, help me find my ring,” prompting Grace to groan aloud, “PLEASE!” “Amen” said Rich, and when we opened our eyes Jacob expected the ring to fall from the sky onto my plate. If only!

David read this in his book last night:

This picture does a good job at illustrating what’s been going on in my house. I’m the one in the long striped skirt.

******

In other news……..

Sarah watched “Finding Nemo” for the first time yesterday. When I tucked her into bed she asked, “Mom, can I watch ‘My Me Me Mo’ again tomorrow?”

{this moment} and a video announcement

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Shanda

This is me, blowing out my candles at 9pm at night after a long long day and wrestling practice for the guys. I wish you could have heard the family’s rendition of “Happy Birthday” it was goofy and I think it was in three part (or more) harmony, too.

It took a while for the smoke to clear from the kitchen!

And, thank you so much for having fun with me here on the blog regarding the perfume sample giveaway. Here is a video announcing the winner. We did no preparation and we only did one take. I love my Davy.

perfume for my birthday

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Shanda

Have you heard of Jo Malone perfume?

I was on a website a month ago and listened to a radio program featuring the gifted perfumer, Jo Malone. I was inspired by her story (listen here) and after I learned all about her, including that her husband almost died of a terrible illness, she battled aggresive breast cancer, and is dyslexic, I decided that I would request a bottle of her perfume for my birthday, which is today. Every time I wear it I will think of her strength.

Rich took the day off from work and took us out to a fancy breakfast at the Marriot Hotel. Both of us ordered eggs Benedict served over crab and asparagus. It was delicious, I mean seriously, I was groaning with joy over it. Sarah was so cute and asked me to tell her all the things she could have, since it wasn’t time for macaroni and cheese. She settled on sausage with maple syrup and she ate every bite.

After breakfast we headed for the mall and straight into Nordstroms. I was so excited to finally be able to experience all the fragrances of Jo Malone. (I get way too excited over things like birthdays and perfume).

Rich couldn’t help us until the end because alas he gets headaches from smelling too much perfume. Sarah and I had an absolute ball smelling every single bottle. There was a jar of whole coffee beans at the counter, too, to “cleanse our noses” between sniffs. So fun!

It all smelled so wonderful it was hard to make a choice. I had Rich smell the last two bottles that I narrowed myself down to and he said, “Get them both!” “No!” “Yes, I really think you should get both so when you get tired of one you can wear the other.” “Okay”. I was touched once again by his generosity toward me and he left with his wallet and the nice lady, to make the purchase.

It’s so easy for people to love on Sarah Joy. I’ve been working on her attitude of friendliness for so long and I am happy to say she was a sweet little girl to the saleswoman, but it’s sort of easy to be sweet when you’re surrounded by such nice things like ribbons and boxes and good smells.

The lady’s name was Lydia and she is from Belgium. She put Sarah right up on a tall stool and put her to work making Mama’s perfume pretty. They carefully put the bottles in boxes with tissue paper and Sarah helped tie the bows.

He wanted to get me two full sized bottles but they didn’t have the big one in one of the fragrances. I picked out Red Roses, and Blackberry & Bay.

As a treat for you, I have a free sample of the Red Roses perfume to send to one commenter on this post. Leave a comment on this post, NOT ON FACEBOOK, and tomorrow afternoon at 3pm I will ask my son David to give me “a number, any number”(not telling him why or showing him this post)….and the number that he randomly chooses will be the comment on this blog post which wins the perfume. You will receive one tiny free sample bottle of Red Roses perfume in the mail from yours truly.

Thank you, God, for one more year of wonderful life.

strawberry ripple teacake

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Shanda

Let love and faithfulness never leave you…write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3

Today I have a delicious recipe to share with you. It is a cake that I began making many years ago, when I was a teenager. I am forever grateful to my Mom for giving me free reign in the kitchen to learn to bake before I was married. This recipe is special to me because everyone who tries it loves it. It is a very simple, quiet cake to make by hand; no mixer is necessary.

The cake itself is an uncomplicated butter cake with a surprise thickened fruit filling in the middle. The original recipe suggests raspberry filling, which is delicious, but I typically make it with strawberry, my favorite.

It is beautifully cream colored and golden, buttery, with a layer of pink, perfect for any time and perhaps Valentine’s Day, which is four days away. Men love cake. My dear husband Rich loves this cake, especially. Your man might be similar to my man and prefer this cake over any other. I am sure he would love this particular cake as an edible Valentine’s gift from his loving (and devoted) wife. Maybe for dessert after a juicy steak dinner?

If your man does not like cake, might I suggest baking it for the children?

S T R A W B E R R Y R I P P L E T E A C A K E

1 10 oz package sweetened berries in juice (from the frozen section at the grocery store)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch or flour

For the Filling: In a small saucepan, stir undrained fruit and cornstarch till combined. Cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.

For the Cake:
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup salted butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup sour milk (1 T.vinegar, add milk to measure) OR buttermilk

Grease and flour a 10 by 12 round tart pan. You may also use a round cake pan.

In a large bowl stir together flour and sugar, cut in butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Into remaining flour stir Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt. Make a well in center for combined egg and sour milk. Stir until just moistened. Spread 3/4 batter in bottom of pan. Spread filling on top of batter, spoon on remaining batter and crumb topping.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

This is what the unbaked cake looks like after dropping batter on top of the filling. The cake will spread and come together when it bakes, so don’t worry about covering the filling entirely.

The crumbs also cover the filling. This is what it looks like after sprinkling them on top, right before popping it into the oven.

Oh happy day, the cake is baked.

Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing..
for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Baking a cake for a sad/lonely or happy/celebratory person/family would also be a good idea. This is a great cake to give away.

Enjoy.

*****

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life…It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Melody Beattie

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

old news

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Shanda

Super bowl sunday was an entire week ago but I must blog about it because it was such a fun day.

First of all, that morning Rich had a wrestling tournament to coach. He had Seth, Caleb, and David with him.

Second of all, Sarah Joy woke up with the stomach bug. Horrors.

Third of all, Isaac and Cass wanted to come to church with me which left me in a quandary because I typically don’t leave sick babies home with older siblings.

HOWEVER, she wasn’t sad or overly grumpy so Rich and I decided just this once that she would be fine if I left her home with Grace to take care of. Mike had spent the night that night with the boys so when I left for church that morning I had Cass in the front with me, then Mike, Ethan, and Isaac in the middle, and Jacob in the back (soon to be joined by Emily, whom we picked up on the way).

We talked and laughed all the half hour way to church. It was such a joy to me, as I spend most of my time with younger people (four year olds).

After church we went to the Chinese buffet where Isaac ate so much he got the “meat sweats”. As I predicted, he ruined his appetite for Super Bowl food. Anyway, it was hilarious and I took this group selfie when we loaded in the car after eating……

When we got home Cass and I started getting things ready for the party. We made a salad and some hot artichoke cheese dip.

Zak was one of our guests for the day. He is on the wrestling team and a friend of Ethan, Jacob…..and Parker the dog, too. 🙂

There was nonstop partying going on once everyone arrived. Another wrestler, Dom, came, and our good friends, the K’s came, too. Amanda and Jason came with their friend Inna, and their three kids, Abbie, Naomi, and Weston.

I was very distracted but tried taking some pictures of the evening, in the midst of socializing, keeping the kitchen going, and helping Sarah throw up. (Sarah was quarantined in my room.) Multitasking!!!

Isaac brought me a Christmas gift from Dave, which was in the blue container seen on the coffee table in the picture. ^^ It was a bottle of fancy cherry balsamic vinegar. Thank you, brother!

We piled on the couches, and the guys in the back of it were sitting at the black bookcase behind the couch, on stools. The game was great….so exciting!

I made Jason very uncomfortable by taking his photo.

Today is actually their six month wedding anniversary!!!!!!! Let me gush for a moment just because I’m their big sister……Isaac and Cassandra are such a great couple, I get all teary eyed thinking about them. They are in love like lovers, best friends, AND siblings…they tease, laugh, and snuggle constantly. Isaac won’t let Cassandra open her own car door. I mean, they are just the most encouraging people to be around if you have doubts about true love these days. They have it, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.

Our good friends, Caroline and Chris, are in fact Jacob, Ethan, and Grace’s “second parents”. 🙂 They live just a few miles away from us and have two teen children. We love this family so much.

I kept trying and trying to take a good picture of Gracie and Abigail and finally settled on this one.

Weston ADORES his big cousin Jake. He was so thrilled to sit next to him for a picture. As you can see, he also respects him highly, too. 😉

Rich and Jason, (my husband and my sister’s husband)….these are all around GREAT men in the workplace, family, and community. So thankful.

We had so much food it was ridiculous. I only took one picture of it and here it is. THE CRACK. It’s funny because Isaac and Cassandra make this as their specialty. It’s graham crackers with butter and chocolate and I don’t know what else….we call it crack. It was pretty much the hit dish of the night, along with Caroline’s meatballs.

Those two lovely ladies were adorable all night long. Love them. They helped out so much, too, making veggies and dip and bringing lots of food, and sangria, for the party.

GROUP PIC!

We kinda want to have a Super bowl party every weekend! Love you guys!

{this moment}

Image

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

a song of snow and sea

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Shanda

(music)

The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust Him with all my heart,

He helps me and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out with songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:7

The children woke this morning to the news of a two hour delay, but none of us would have been surprised or disappointed if there was a full snow day. It has been snowing nonstop since we got out of bed and nature has added even more fluffy inches to what was already accumulated earlier this week.

“Oh, it doesn’t show signs of stopping”

I opened the door to take a picture of the older children who stood outside for almost 10 minutes waiting for the bus. I smiled to hear their talking and laughing. Then, when they saw me, “What is mom doing?” they casually asked one another, huddled in a tight sibling group. “Mom, my hands are freezing!” he wanted me to know, all with fun and smiles.

They have all safely left for school and it is now 10:30. I really should get dressed soon……….

She found me.

“Mom, what are you doing in my room?!?!?”
“Taking pictures out your window!”

I think it’s safe to say that it will be a while before I make any attempts to get outside into the woods with my camera. It is enough for now, and quite fun, to lean out doors and windows, photographing the beauty. I love snowy days and the cozy feeling inside the home when it’s coming down so steadily, beautiful, white, and fresh.

Considering the endless topic of books, despite (or, because of) the weather, my current longing is for books featuring the seaside. I asked my 15 year old daughter Grace if she had any suggestions and we both jumped up off the couch and started exploring the bookshelves together, searching for our favorites, with hearts of gratitude for a home library gathered up over the last 19 years.

Books for Snowy Days, about the Sea, to Read by the Fire

Along the Shore, short stories by L.M. Montgomery
The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float, by Farley Mowat
Li Lun, Lad of Courage, by Carolyn Treffinger
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife, by Connie Small
Master and Commander, by Patrick O’Brian
The Light on the Island, by Helen Glidden
Burt Dow, Deep Water Man , by Robert McCloskey

“The spell of the sea and the wind surged into her heart and filled it with wild happiness and measureless content. ” ~Along the Shore

*****

****

The North wind doth blow

and we shall have snow

and what will poor Robin do then, poor thing?

I saw a Robin fly into one of the bushes by the house and ran to get my zoom lens. The pictures are pretty terrible because I shot through glass AND screen, but it was a lovely sight to see. The Robin’s feathers were fluffed and he kept trying to perch on various thin branches, losing his balance, which caused his wings to fly out in order to steady himself. The Robin reached for berries as I wondered if he was getting enough to eat. He seemed to sense my question and turned around to show me under his tail feathers (see above, last picture). “I have enough to eat but my behind is caked with snow.” After the initial shock of seeing a bird butt, I sent through the air my silent sympathies and best wishes.

snowy birthday for seth

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Shanda

Seth turns six years old today and received his first wristwatch. It’s adorable when he calls out the time. He also received a lego set from Uncle Dave and Aunt Maria, a remote control car which every child in the family loves to play with, and a wallet with twenty dollars to put inside of it.

He has requested a turtle cake. I mixed up the batter and baked a round cake, and a dozen cupcakes. Later on, after they cool, we will put the cakes together as a turtle and frost them green and brown. Seth scraped the batter from the bowl and had to have his face washed.

Our fifth son Seth is a loving, energetic, impulsive, happy, bright little boy just like his brothers were before him. He teases and laughs, jokes, and dances. He burps and toots. He is healthy and strong. He has a thin, wiry body and his Dad calls him his little Scrapper. Rich says the part of Seth he loves the most is his fearlessness. My favorite thing about him is that he endearingly calls me “Moo-Moo” and still loves to be by my side constantly, talking to me, hugging me, kissing, and snuggling. He still says, “I want you, Moo-Moo! Can you come sit on the couch with me?”

He is in Kindergarten and learning so many things.

He wrestles and has a lot of talent and heart.

I put a little extra time into his birthday portraits this morning because we are having a snowstorm and school was cancelled. I wet his hair down, washed blue candy stains off his lips and put some clean clothes on him. I bought two photography apps for my laptop to edit the portraits with and enjoyed looking into his handsome eyes as I played with the editing tools.

Outside the window there are snowflakes blowing around from the sky and off the roof of the house, snow on the ground is slowly getting deeper, and hungry little chickadees line up to select sunflower seeds at the feeder. The nine of us, and our six pets, are all snug and warm in the house. Jacob is putting dinner into the crockpot for later and Grace is reading a book, The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier. It is actually Jacob’s reading book for school. It looks as if she’ll have it completely read before he does, which he finds somewhat annoying.

David and Caleb are playing together in their room and Ethan is drawing. Rich is working from home and the two little ones (birthday boy and his sister) are taking naps. We were up late last night *having a super bowl party* so they are tired and need a snowy day sleep in the afternoon.

*****

Happy Birthday, Seth!

{this moment} J A C O B

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Shanda

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. — capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Last night was Senior night for wrestling and Jacob was honored.

It’s sort of sad and terrifying to have an 18 year old Senior Son in the house, but he is so ready for life! Yes, he still needs a driver’s license, college education, a good job, but he already has the important things– a good upbringing, good attitude, good looks, and good woman. 🙂

Is there anything cuter than watching the boys dive into the middle of the mat right before a meet? These kids are so fun and good natured. They are a joy to watch.