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!

funny morning

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Shanda

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6
(yesterday, early morning) The snow was falling and blowing all over the place….the flakes were small and icy cold.

(yesterday, around noon). The snow was till coming down and the road wasn’t plowed.

When the snow let up in the afternoon, Rich went out to plow the driveways with his tractor. Ethan, Seth, David, and Caleb got dressed to play on the mountains of snow their Dad made.

Torturing his brother.

They came inside with blotchy skin, it was so cold that it took a little while, and some hot chocolate, to defrost.

We began to see a little traffic on the roads again.

Sarah began throwing up.

Grace and Jacob, who was recovering from being sick, played a card game. David searched the cupboards for something to eat, Rich was in the other room on a phone call.

The rest of these pictures are from this morning. We rarely get a snowstorm that causes us to have to shovel our porch.

“This is ridiculous!” ~Sherlock the Cat

Shadow of the house where I was standing on the porch, and drifts against the garage.

You would think that with a three car garage I would not have to deal with this.

Sherlock is cute because he likes to all of a sudden dive into the snow and play like a crazy cat. it was too much for Parker the Dog, so he pounced on the cat to play, too.

(Emily are you reading this? I love you!)

a walking path through the snow

I took this picture back in the house, through the glass door. The chickadees line up to get a sunflower seed from the bird feeder.

Seth was the last child to leave for school this morning. He walked carefully to the bus. He normally runs full speed, perhaps he didn’t want to go?

***

This morning was a two hour delay and frankly, we needed it. I woke up to discover that Rich was already gone to work and all seven children were awake. Sarah was sick on the couch, and Ethan was making french toast. As soon as my door opened Seth ran to me and asked if he could have a piece of French toast, too. I stumbled into the kitchen and used the last of Ethan’s eggs to make Seth his requested breakfast.

Grace wandered around asking me for safety pins and I told her where to find them at my sewing table.

Jacob wanted french toast so I gave him directions on how to make the egg dip for the bread. I made myself a cup of coffee and added French Vanilla creamer.

By the time Jacob was done making his breakfast, Seth asked for another piece, so this time I used Jacob’s left over egg.

David made himself scrambled eggs and asked me to put toast in the toaster for him so I did.

Sarah asked me to sit with her. I got my Bible from my room and began reading the portions for the “bible in a year” program, with a reading in Exodus, Matthew, Psalms, and Proverbs. I read it all out loud to her. I read about the Nile being turned into blood and you should have seen Sarah’s face. She gasped and was properly disgusted. She asked several times, “Is this true?” and I was able to say in a motherly sort of tone, “This is the Word of God, and everything in it is true.” We laughed over the names in the genealogies of the Israelites. She said she thought they were weird names and I told her she was smart. (I was impressed that she listened so intently, but when you’re sick you don’t have as much fight in you.)

Grace was trying to wear a pair of pants that fit almost perfectly; the waist was about 2 inches too big. First she pinned them and then she tried a belt. She was getting annoyed with the pants so I had her slip them off in my room and I took them in on my sewing machine.

As I sewed, screaming began in the boys’ room. David found Seth playing the DS and took it away from him and Seth screamed at him and came to tell me about it. My bobbin had just emptied (of course!) so as I talked to him, I got out my manual and refilled the bobbin, letting Seth help me by pressing the pedal. “Slowly, Seth! Slowly!” David came and perched on my bed and I stopped what I was doing to say, “Dave. SETH was not the problem in this situation. YOU were the problem. If you see Seth doing something that you don’t like, you need to come straight to ME and I will help you. You are NOT Seth’s parent, I am his parent. You are only Seth’s brother so he is offended when you boss him around.” I made him give Seth back the DS (which Dave had put in his own dresser, even though it wasn’t even his) and then of course the GAME cartridge was missing, so I had to send Dave back to give Seth the game. *sigh* David was upset and wondering why HE was “always the bad guy.”

I got Grace’s pants taken in and now fit perfectly. She was happy and asked if I would put her hair up in a bun for her.

I left my room and immediately smelled burning eggs. Caleb was trying to make scrambled eggs and he did really well except he didn’t scramble them as they cooked. Instead, he stood there and watched them burn, wondering when to “flip” them. I ran over and flipped the eggs over and sure enough, there was a smoking, burned skin that I promptly tore off the top. I took the egg patty out of the pan and placed it into the bowl containing french toast egg dip remnants. I got Caleb a plate and some cheese, hoping with the cheese to make the eggs more palatable. He didn’t complain or say anything. He just ate them. I’m sure they had a taste of ash and cinnamon to them, but like I said, he had no comments.

Sarah was thirsty and requested a gatorade. I went in the pantry but did not find any so I got her a juice pouch. She wanted it in her teacup so she put the straw in and squirted juice into the cup, and some onto the coffee table, too. I got the wood cleaner and paper towels to clean it up.

I sat Grace down and put her hair in a pony tail, then braided it and sent her upstairs to pin it into a bun herself. I noticed later that it didn’t happen. She smiled and said that she gave up. She went to school with just a pony tail.

I noticed Jacob and Ethan both quietly reading their Literature books and secretly fumed, wondering why I hadn’t seen them doing their assigned reading YESTERDAY when they had the entire day off. I may have even said something sarcastically but received no reply.

Finally, the High School bus came and took four children away to school. I had another hour to get Caleb and Seth ready by washing faces, making sure their teeth and hair were brushed, and turning on an episode of Arthur. I had nuts and a banana for breakfast and Seth ate a hotdog, a bowl of applesauce, and half a banana so I think it’s safe to say that his appetite is back after having the stomach bug.

I emptied a dishwasher, loaded the other one and pushed “start”. I scrubbed off the island.

Eventually, the other two boys got on their busses and I could breathe a sigh of relief. I love them all to death, I was amused by the chaotic morning, but I admit it was nice to have them leave for school.

{this moment} I’ve never found a child in this place before

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Shanda

I know the photo quality is terrible…this was taken at twilight yesterday…if you read yesterday’s post you know I’m dealing with a house full of sick people this week. Well, Seth is healthy now and not only healthy but twice as active, impulsive, and mischievous as usual. (I’m blaming the meds he’s on for his cold)…anyway, after an afternoon of dealing with his shenanigans, it was finally almost-but-not-soon-enough-for-Seth time to go to wrestling practice. I still had to go to the bathroom, put on my shoes, and grab Rich’s dinner, so I sent hyper Seth out to wait in the car, with the admonition to “not turn it on!!!!”

*I’m impatiently going out the door into the frigid air to go on my THIRD trip of the day to the High School.
*I’m leaving sick children calling out to me for one more act of service before I vanish.
*I’m crying for my mom.
*I’m cursing the stomach bug.
*I’m hating the sport of wrestling.
*I’m limping on my bad knee.
*I’m feeling old ugly and worn down.
*I’m hungry and need a warm meal.

When I see this:

All of a sudden, the Lord restored unto me my sense of humor, I took a crappy picture, drove him to school, and was still laughing about it in my bed last night as I fell asleep. Dear, dear little boy.

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

portraits of Grace, macaroni and cheese recipe, and what we’ve been up to

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Shanda

Tread in solitude your pathway,
Quiet heart and undismayed.
You will know things strange, mysterious,
Which to you no voice has said.

While the crowd of petty hustlers
Grasps at vain and meager things,
You will see a great world rising
Where soft sacred music rings.

Leave the dusty road to others,
Spotless keep your soul and bright,
As the radiant ocean’s surface
When the sun is taking flight.

from the German of V.Schofffel, read in a recent Streams in the Desert devotional by L.B.Cowman

Hello, friends.
How are you?
My family is passing around the stomach flu.
Seth began it last Thursday, a week ago now. On Friday he was well but we kept him home. Rich had his team from work here for an off site meeting on Friday.
I woke up that night sick to my stomach and was sick all day Saturday. And by sick I had thoughts of death being a pleasant alternative, it was awful.
Rich had Jacob, Ethan, Grace, and Sarah at a wrestling tournament. Coach D. had David, Seth, and Caleb at another one.
On Sunday Rich took the children to church and I was still recovering. While they were gone I opened all the windows, turned off the heat, and aired out this sick house.
On Monday, the children had the day off from school and I had to take Jacob, Grace, and Ethan to the school early for another wresting event, and then David (along with Seth, Caleb, and Sarah) to the orthodontist. Also on Monday, I took Seth, who was coughing nonstop, to the doctor’s office. He had an ear infection. So we also stopped at the pharmacy.
On Tuesday, Caleb was sick with the stomach bug and I fell down on the ice and hurt my knee. Thankfully, it was only badly bruised but my fiesta bowl smashed.
Wednesday, Caleb was still sick. I called Paula to tell her I had to miss CBS. Ethan stayed home from school because it is mid-term exam week and he didn’t have any testing. Jacob called me at 9 to ask for a ride home because he didn’t have tests either, and his girlfriend Emily did not go to school because she was sick. Sarah and I picked him up and we went to the library for a little while before coming home. At 3, I had to go pick up Dave from the middle school because he stayed after for math help. When I got home Rich and I met with the guys who will be replacing the floor and shower in our bathroom. Rich left with the boys at 4. They had a wresting meet which their team won. Rich came home briefly to get Dave for practice and then left again for the High School. I read a really long version of Hansel and Gretel to Seth in his bed and he played with my hair while he listened, and then had an hour of quiet (watched Hinterland) before going to bed myself, and falling into a deep sleep.

That is, in a nutty nutshell, what I’ve been up to since the last time I blogged.

Today is THURSDAY, (I think) and David was supposed to get his braces put on….. but when I got up this morning at 6:15, David was on the couch……..the next victim of the stomach bug.

Caleb is no longer throwing up but he is weak and weepy so he is home today as well.

Jacob, Ethan, and Grace are at school for mid-terms and I did 5 papers with Seth last night, trying to get him caught up on his Kindergarten work. He is at school today.

As for myself, I must say, it has been one thing after another as usual, but with sick kids at home I have not been anywhere all week except for the daily running back and forth from the schools and that nice little break at the library yesterday. It has been overwhelming to say the least but every day there are things to be thankful for, (like a hot bath) and I write them down in my journal. I am exhausted and last night I was yelling about tuna fish, but I think today will be a quiet day….currently, David is asleep and Caleb is playing a game on the iPad.

I did manage to read a book on the kindle….Etched in Sand, by Regina Calcattera.

I took these pictures of Grace on Sunday, in the misty rain, after she came home from church.

I love this daughter of mine.

*********

Macaroni and cheese comfort food, recipe here.

It went nicely with one of those marinated pork tenderloins that you can buy and just roast in the oven for half an hour, and a salad.

There has been a great deal of coloring happening. And a lot of playing with mama’s salad spinner (better than any toy). They spin their little animals in it, and marbles.

Sarah Joy colored this one. I love it.

This girl has been a bright and happy ray of sunshine during this crazy week. She’s happy and talkative, so cute, I’m so thankful for her (for all of them!!)

paper hearts

christmas

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Shanda

Heart. Soul. Mind.

For the busy mama, these important parts of our selves can be run down and dried up over the Happy Holiday season. This is how it has been for me the last few weeks or more. I’m so caught up in the doing, doing, doing, that within me is withered and waiting.

Oh how I yearn and crave a deeper life. Jesus is in my heart and my soul is beautiful because of His saving grace, I know this. I have everything working for me in my innermost being…everything but some free space to breathe.

Even attending church leaves me hungry for “more” because I have children doing strange things next to me every time. I can’t settle down and soak it in like I want to. I’m thankful for a Father God who understands the Mothers He made.

I was reading Les Mis last night. I’m on page 615. And I thought to myself….what a life…..in the time I DO have to breathe, to refresh, what do I do? I read a book. Dusty, musty, silence and stillness. Reading is the place to relax, to gather up the blanket, feel the purring cat at my feet, shut the door in order to silence “Top Gear” from the other room, and read until my eyes are tired.

But reading isn’t CREATING. Reading is taking in and admiring someone else’s creation.

I do love to blog and blogging is creating. Journalling is creating– but I don’t do as much of that. Sewing, baking (but I do too much of that), drawing, what else? (thinking out loud here) Photography…. yes…… I want to do these and more.

Now that Christmas is over I feel myself resolving to do more artistic work, by the grace of God, in order to bring down some water for my thirsty heart, soul, and mind.

cookie-art (tired of it)

Don’t laugh. (I’m talking to myself, because I’m laughing)…..because part of me feels silly as I express this need. Will I make the most of the opportunities that come my way? Or will I read a few more pages of my latest book, too tired to do much else?

A little less sleep, a little less slumber, a little less reading, and little more soul FUN~(I did calligraphy on some of my Christmas cards…which was wonderfully satisfying!)

Creating with the children. They know how to be artistic and inspiring without second guessing. I admire that. Perhaps I should draw on the walls like they do?

Christmas was nice. Certainly it is more work than magic for the parents, but it is a rewarding work. All the shopping, lists, and making sure everything gets done by December 24 can be rather tiresome. (At least there is a deadline.) I love the photo of the stockings; starting with Rich’s, then the children from oldest to youngest, with mine at the end. The tree lights reflecting in the stove look like there is a fire is going. A sweet friend who owns a greenhouse gave us the gorgeous poinsettias, which I keep faithfully watering. Seth made the red handprint green construction paper wreath and the paper chain.

Rich got up out of bed on Christmas morning at 5:30, I asked him why, “I have to go do your stocking.” I gave him enough time and then got up to find that the three littlest ones were also awake. Grace soon followed and tucked herself into her favorite corner of the couch. We sat and waited, the kids tested their limits in exploring the gifts as Rich and I drank coffee with our feet up on the coffee table. Jacob and Ethan woke up next. Our David is the late sleeper and Rich made his yearly torturous joke about how because it’s Christmas we weren’t going to wake him up, “let the poor boy sleep in.” He has been known to sleep all the way until lunchtime so it was a relief when Seth went down to wake him up at 6:30.

We began with the stockings. Rich thought it would be funny to put a pack of rawhide bones in my stocking. At least Parker the dog ended up with something special and it was good to laugh.

Sarah is behind the box. Happiness is being small enough to get lost behind your gifts.

We had the gifts all opened by 7:30 am, but it was done with minimum stress because we tried to do things orderly as possible. David passed out the gifts and we watched the person open it before going on to the next one.

Rich and I went shopping together to get my gifts and I love the two pairs of Swarovski crystal earrings he gave me; one pair also came with a darling ear cuff. I received two books.

Here I am reading the books; one is about playful photography, the other is a photo book of French cats, both books are so so inspiring, which is contributing to my determination to ENJOY life by not only doing my duties, but having creative fun, too. I want to be wild and free at times….I miss that part of my personality….(tips?ideas?anyone feeling the same?)

David loved his soda maker, set of Calvin and Hobbes books, legos, books, and Nerf gun.

Seth’s lego set was somewhat challenging so I was called upon to help him. He was SO SO CUTE.

Frankly, I was surprised by our Caleb, who put “Star Wars lego set” on his list three times (so he got three small sets). What surprised me was that he did not rest until he had put them all together.

Ethan put his box of GAP clothes on right away, with his cross necklace and cologne. Only then did he break open his lego set of the Eiffel tower. I texted brother Dave a picture of it when it was done and he texted back; “I was at the top of it!” Jacob’s set was of the United Nations building. Anyway, the older boys didn’t even ask for legos for the first time in approximately 10 years so I bought them each one set because I was sooooooo sad.

Christmas cat #1, can I just say I am in love with cats again? So many things need to be put on hold when you having the darling BABIES……baby season is over for me so I can think about my kitty cats again. This is Snickers, our oldest, he is probably about 4 years old.

Parker the Dog was exhausted by the time everyone opened their gifts, with so much fuss first thing in the morning. He was glad to have the couch to himself.

I asked Caleb for a picture. (By the way, when the boys do lego sets they keep all the bags organized using my fiesta bowls.)

Christmas cat #2. Sarah, which was a shock to me, hated her feather boa that I gave her. I thought my girly-girl would adore feathers and silver sparkle– but no. She won’t let it touch her. However, Billy Cat loves it. We found him curled up sleeping on it, with a few wet feathers torn off. Evidently he “killed” it before he fell asleep on it.

Rich bought me the softest feeling sweater of my life. This is the only gift which was a surprise. My little Seth received a light saber (another item which we have gifted for years and years to all of our sons). I love this “baby” boy (five years old) and still make him take a nap with me whenever possible. He even has a term of endearment for me. In loving moments he calls me “moo-moo”.

A sight to stop me in my tracks. Caleb snacked on all his stocking candy during his lego-building-time. (pictured next to Grace’s little stack of gifts.) Grace has already completely read the Patricia MacLachlan book, White Fur Flying, which she said was really deep for a little kid’s book. Patricia MacLachlan wrote the beloved Sarah, Plain and Tall and I’ve been buying her books for Grace since she could read. Again, with her at 15 years old, I still couldn’t quite stop buying yet another this year (like the boys and their lego sets).

Happy Dave, busy working on a Transformer.

For my artist son, the dot to dot book was a big hit, along with new Sharpies. The dot to dot is of portraits, with about 1000 dots per picture. He practically needed a magnifying glass to complete them. He loved it.

Ethan was thrilled by his PS3, our family’s very first gaming system. It only came with one controller which was hard for him. He wanted so much for Jacob to be able to play with him. He even went online to see if Target was open on Christmas day so he could go buy one. (it wasn’t, thankfully)

It took Caleb for.ev.er. to figure out his transformer, again; I was impressed by his endurance and the robot finally turned into a hippo.

Christmas cat #3; Snickers again, sleeping under the piano bench. I love how cats can sleep anywhere.

David loves his soda machine. It is perfect present for a young scientist/inventor.

You twist the bottle three times to carbonate the wate, until it makes a funny sound (each time).

Then you add the soda syrup.

Let us talk about the weather in these parts. There was no snow on Christmas Day but……we saw rare sunshine and it was mild enough outside to be welcoming. We all went out for some fresh air.

S U N S H I N E ! ! ! ! ! !

Grace went right into the woods. She’s here someplace, you can’t see her, but she was there, walking quickly like she had a place to go and things to see.

The sparkling ribbon of stream……

Then, I went to say hello to my hens.

They gave their acknowledgments in return, the best they could.

iridescent feathers!

selfie with a (distressed) hen. They tolerate hellos but draw the line at hugs.

Then, Jacob’s Emily came for a quick visit. She came bearing gifts and sparkling good spirit. What a joy she is to us all.

She gave Parker a frosted candy-cane shaped dog treat. She spoils him. Consequently he doesn’t leave her side. (see?) She and Jacob exchanged gifts. Jacob laughed to see the candle because she was with him when he saw it at the store and admired it (it has a wick that sizzles as it burns). She had gone back to buy it for him. She also gave him a handsome black shirt. He gave her a locket.

There were two gifts labeled “To: Jacob and Emily”. The most darling thing was that they opened them at the same time together. Jacob’s hands unwrapped one end, while Emily’s hands opened the other end, perfectly fair like it was the natural thing to do. Their togetherness is so sweet.

Rich gave them books and I gave them matching shirts and socks.

The socks and shirts were from American Eagle men’s department. The socks were men’s *one size fits all* but Jacob could barely get his on and Emily’s were too big and the heels to the socks were about five inches up the backs of her legs. It was quite funny.

Well, I had to get the Christmas Ham into the oven and while I did so, people started falling asleep.

Christmas cat #4; Sherlock the orange cat slept by Rich’s legs.

I did the ham in an oven bag with sweet liquid poured over (ginger ale, maple syrup, honey, etc) pineapple and cherries pinned on with toothpicks.

Well. Over the last week I tried making candied clementines. The recipe said to boil the fruit every day for six days in a sugar syrup (20 minutes each time) and also let sit at room temp. You see the results. Not like the picture in the cookbook. MUCH uglier, like huge orange raisins. They taste okay but only in very small bites. I put them into a container and popped them in the fridge to use for scones, or muffins. It was a fun experiment and I may try again to see if I can do better.

Emily went to her Dad’s house for the rest of the day and at 4 we ate our Christmas feast; ham, homemade rolls, buttered corn, cottage cheese, and scalloped potatoes.

Rich had objected earlier to me doing so much work on Christmas day for our meal but I noticed he asked for “more ham” quite a few times, until as a joke Jacob used the meat fork to put the entire ham on his plate.

“What the Room Looked like Before Throwing Away the Wrapping Paper”

David’s new shirt; “designed to fly”.

(One time he “flew” off the porch with an umbrella!)

Ethan’s new clothes.

He is sixteen and one of the best boys in the world.

Christmas cat picture #5; a nap companion

Thus ends another photo-blog of Christmastime. What a blessing this year has been and how thankful we are for family and friends.

*****

I was able to write this downtown at the coffeeshop with Rich this afternoon. Truth be told, I was irritated by him being gone all morning for wrestling practice and then planning on taking the teens to the movies. The movie was sold out so they had to go to a later showing, which meant I got some HUSBAND TIME! He read his book while I typed, with no distractions, with coffee and chocolate. God knows what we need and will provide, Amen! Thus, my thirsty soul was refreshed and I realized it is MUCH easier to write when I’m not tempted to throw the next load in the washing machine or empty the dishwasher or vacuum or ………….

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self his being renewed day by day.

Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Psalms 34:5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

………….

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

why seth is home today (the very long version)

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Shanda

All is pearly blue, silver, and sunshine outside. It’s currently 8:17 in the morning, and 32 degrees. Seth and Sarah are watching a Christmas Thomas the Tank Engine show on Netflix while Mama (in her red robe) puts her feet up and tries to get some words out of her head, through her fingers, and onto a blog post…….

Why is Seth home from school, you ask?

Grace has needed to fill her prescription for much-needed new glasses for over a month. I had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and thought I would make use of the trip by taking her out of school to go to Lenscrafters. She also asked if she could get her hair trimmed. I was pleased to be able to take care of my beautiful, very busy daughter, but as soon as my doctor’s appointment was over, I had to take a phone call from the elementary school nurse. She told me that Seth wasn’t feeling well; he was complaining of a tummy ache.

I texted Rich; he was busy at work and couldn’t get him. Time with Grace is very rare, so I decided that the glasses were of utmost importance. We went quickly to the mall to chose a pair. I told the man that I would pick them up the next day and we left. As soon as I got the girls back in the vehicle and turned on the car, Rich texted me back and said he could get Seth after all. This was happy news, so back into the mall we went and the girls both had hair cuts. And we had time to pick up the glasses, too.

I need to tell you that I found my jar of Vitamin B12 gummy vitamins in the bathroom later, with the top secure, and with only 2 left in it. I had a panic attack as I googled “Vitamin B12 overdose” into the computer, wondering if Seth had eaten them and was sick from them….there were about 35 missing and to this day NOT ONE CHILD IS ADMITTING to eating them!! (David said he ate one). I eventually discovered that overdose can result in panic attacks and heart palpitations, because the B12 is an “energy” vitamin. Seth was doing the opposite (sleeping in my bed). They are also water-soluble which means the excess gets urinated out rather quickly. But this experience added to the drama-trauma of the evening. I took the boys to wrestling practice and went back home to my sick child.

I let Community Bible Study know that there was a possibility that I wouldn’t make it the next morning to decorate my tables for brunch or facilitate my group. I was disappointed, but by the end of the evening Seth’s fever had broke and he was acting like his normal self. He slept good that night, so I sent him to school with a note and let Paula (from CBS) know I was able to attend after all.

I did all the one million small things to get ready by 8:15 am; loaded my little gifts for the ladies into the car along with a beautiful centerpiece for the tables, cut up a pineapple, packed up the creamers, sugar, tea, coffee carafe, and so one. I took my shower, put on make up, got Sarah dressed, started my car……

AND THE NURSE CALLED ME TO COME GET SETH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She said he couldn’t go back to school until his fever was gone for 24 hours.

I wasn’t going to study after all, but I couldn’t contact Paula.

Then, I thought, well…maybe my friend Caroline is available today. She usually has to work but after a text and a phone call, I found out that she was indeed home, waiting on a stove delivery. She agreed to take Seth, so I drove to school to get him, and drove to her house to leave him. Paula called me back and I told her I was running late……

I drove 40 minutes to the church, loaded my arms with all my stuff, rushed to the gym to my tables…and found that they were completely done and decorated. “Oh Shanda, I tried to call you back to let you know but you didn’t answer your phone!” My sub core leader got the message that I wasn’t coming and never got the message that I was coming, so she had decorated the tables. I felt like she was my Christmas Elf. Despite the frazzled morning I was glad to be there and the morning was a blessing to my heart and soul.

My bible study friend Lisa is a baker. She gave everyone in our group a delicious quick bread for Thanksgiving and yesterday she handed around small paper boxes decorated with glittery star stickers. She told me, “These are Homemade!” when she handed me my box.

Needless to say, after I was back home again with Seth and Sarah, I opened the little box, and almost cried. The box was filled with the most delightful darling chocolates. There were two generous layers of beautiful HOMEMADE chocolates. I squealed and exclaimed. I thought about the thank you card I would send. I couldn’t imagine the work it took to make them! I ate one; it was raspberry filled! I ate another; it was coconut! I gave one to Grace and Sarah and put the box on the bookshelf, my own personal little guilty-pleasure that I intended to savor and linger over the next few days.

entirely homemade and beautifully detailed

Eventually, David and Caleb were home, too, and it was time for me to make dinner. Rich and the boys were at wrestling practice and I had recently *dropped the ball* with dinners so I wanted to put some thought and care into the food. I roasted a chicken, filling it with three garlic cloves, salt, rosemary, and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. I placed a sprig of rosemary on top and basted the chicken carefully every fifteen minutes. For a side dish, I made tomato rice; 2 cups of chopped onion, a chopped yellow pepper sautéed in olive oil. I added a cup of rice, a tin of whole tomatoes, and half a tin of water and let it simmer until the rice was creamy and perfect. With a salad and the pineapple I had cut up that morning, we had a lovely meal.

But Jacob and Ethan didn’t come home. They had Subway and went back to school for the basketball game.

We have a housefly problem in the house. As I made dinner I concentrated on killing flies. My son David advised me to aim cleaning spray on them to render their wings useless; so I did that and then stepped on them. I hate the dirty flies; I am becoming obsessed with them…I imagine maggots….I MUST GET RID OF THE FLIES….I was getting up and down from a stool, bending, spraying, cleaning, killing…..

After serving the little ones their dinner (Seth had five bowls of salad and nothing else, weirdly) I was simply done with it all…done with the day…tired…head was buzzing…I collapsed on the couch with my kindle and let the kids watch a Phineas and Ferb Christmas special. When Rich came home at 7pm, he found a tired mama and five (never ever tired) children. He did enjoy my dinner, which was nice, but still I wondered, was all the fuss worth it?

I went to get a chocolate; I couldn’t find them. I looked all over the place. Nothing. I asked the family. Nothing.

I wanted one of my special, homemade chocolates. I deserved it!!

You’ll never believe.

I found the box.

I found the wrappers.

They were on the floor.

Behind the bookcase.

Every chocolate.

GONE.

I screamed.

I asked the children; their dear little faces looked at me in blank innocence.

When I showed the box to the dog he wouldn’t look at it. He wouldn’t look at me. He went straight to the door to be let out.

“I won’t make eye contact with my mom because I ate all her homemade chocolates.”

I will never get over it.

At six this morning I stumbled out of bed and came out to the living room to ask if the Dog was still alive. I’ve read everywhere that chocolate kills dogs.

He was fine.

But Seth had just thrown up.

And that is why Seth is home today.

madrigal feast

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Shanda

Good day to you. It is drizzling cold rain outside and as a matter of fact, the children had a two our delay from school this morning because of icy conditions…… and, it was quite the morning, let me tell you. There was a flurry of activity as the children did their best to enjoy the extra hours. They are now gone to school and Sarah is playing in her room, so I have a few moments to give a report on the Madrigal Feast.

The music director at our local High School has put on a weekend of Madrigal Feasts for the last 28 years. Grace was involved for the first time last year, as a Freshman, and I was so impressed by it that this year I bought tickets for Rich and I, plus Grace’s six siblings. The tickets were 15 dollars a piece and the kids perform three times over the weekend to a packed house. It is a great fundraiser for the music program, and they also donate money to a local charity. The first two Feasts were in the evenings. Rich and I went on the third day, Sunday afternoon, to avoid having the children out late.

On Sunday afternoon, while Rich (I love him) conveniently fell asleep and took a nap on the couch, I got the four younger children looking presentable.

Here is darling Sarah, all dressed up in her little dress, white tights, matching shoes, and itchy hair band.

After the 10 minute drive to school in the backseat with her brothers, she looked like this:

I mean, you just have to laugh, right? I took the itchy hair band off the poor girl and then everything was fine.

When we arrived at the door to the cafeteria, where the feast took place, we told the doorman our name and they called out in a loud fanfare, “The ‘Smith’ Party has arrived!” (only they used the correct last name; our last name is not Smith, by the way) and in we marched through two columns of choir children, to our assigned table.

We each had a name card at our place, where a salad and fruit plate were waiting for us. I sat in between Seth and Caleb. Seth did everything in his chair but stand on his head, but it was nice for the most part. David became cold and had no coat. Jacob kept making eyes at his girlfriend.

Grace and the rest of the choir were singing up front all during the salad course. I felt shy, so I asked if one of the children could walk up to take a nice picture. Seth was the only volunteer. Thank you, Seth!

When the singers filed past our table I took a quick picture of Grace, using the flash. LOL Ethan.

There was a wonderful song all about wassail. Every member of our table asked me what wassail was, including my husband, who was in attendance last year and should have remembered that it is a nonalcoholic hot cider drink served in a punch bowl.

Seth had three glasses of wassail and two full glasses of water, consequently he had to use the bathroom several times and was also too full to eat his feast.

The number of wonderful songs being sung one after another were like a lullaby to Sarah.

We ate chicken, stuffing, a baked potato, bread, and mixed vegetables. For dessert there was chocolate cake with cherries and whipped cream. As we ate, the choir performed beautiful songs, skits, dances, and jokes for our entertainment. There was a king and queen, a group of wenches, a jester, and so on….we were to imagine that we were in old time London.

In this picture, on the far left, you can see a door with a sign, “face painting”, which is where Seth was taken to sit and have his face painted like Spiderman (his choice).

Also, this is the picture I took during the final verse of “Silent Night”, when our Grace stood front and center to perform sign language.

There were many, many items raffled off. David had put tickets in several jars, trying to win things, but when he discovered that the winners had to go up front to claim their prize and perhaps do something embarrassing, he hoped and prayed he would NOT win. (he didn’t).

OVER TWO HOURS later, the feast was over. I had thoughtfully volunteered Rich to help tear down the sets so we hung around for another hour or so, until the cafeteria was a cafeteria again.

Mrs. Jones, the choir director (not her real name) is an AMAZING woman, so strong and capable, the children respect and adore her. She wrote a little poem about each and every senior and had it read in their honor…provoking tears from every mother’s eye. Grace is her assistant this year and she made sure to tell me how much she appreciates Grace and her work ethic.

I can’t begin to tell you all the little ways Mrs. Jones makes the feast special for everyone involved. It truly amazes me.

After the performance, every photographer took pictures of their children. 🙂

The yearly groups form a close bond and Grace was thrilled to see graduating students return to visit;

LOL Jacob (far right)

I took the little ones out to the hall and sat as they ran around, waiting for the clean up to be over.

I had to laugh by the end of the evening I had a huge stack of coats, purses, shoes, etc, in front of me on the table to “watch” for the kids……

Spiderman!! (make up remover wipes took it off just fine)

This was embarrassing. David, my magician, came to me with this plastic tie around his wrists and asked me to tighten it for him. Even though my inner motherly instincts were screaming “NO DON’T DO IT” I tightened it. “More than that, mom”. Okay, I tightened it more, as per his request. Well, he thought he could use magic to break free, but it never happened…..as he struggled, another mom came by to say hello to me, and to my horror, noticed Dave whose hands were turning an unnatural shade of pink, “Oh, that’s not good, David, you shouldn’t have that on your wrists.” “It’s MY MOM’S FAULT,” he replied, “She’s the one who did it.” Nice, Dave, nice. We finally found some scissors and Emily cut it off.

It was eventually time to leave and we all left like a herd, 10 of us, a big family full of never ending excitement, the stressful kind AND the good kind. Deep in my heart I appreciate each and every moment with these people.

We went home and decorated the tree (pictured in the previous blog entry).

*******

a proper photo, by another parent

tasting goodness

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Shanda

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8

Enough snow fell on the day before Thanksgiving that the children have been able to go outside and play with their snow boards and sleds. The sunshine was so bright yesterday that it hurt my eyes.

Still, it is a pleasure to feel the cold on my face, and to breath in the fresh air.

I cautioned the children way too many times to steer AWAY from the trees and pond and road.

David lined his boots with garbage bags.

Our house sits on a hill, a hill steep enough for the children to go down……such a joy for them.

Seth threw a snow ball at his Mama.

He had gloves on that were way to big. In this family, they just grab anything and hope for the best.

Hats, mittens, and gloves stress me out.

We went for a walk around and said hello to the hens.

The children slid down the rock like it was a slide and then I think the chicken tried it, too.

David chased Billy up a tree. Billy went carefully and silently around and around to find the best way to get back down.

He is a smart cat.

Thanksgiving 2014

I planned, I shopped, I fussed, I baked, I did a hundred little things, and then…….it was over.

I am a little tired and blue today, so I decided to blog about our wonderful day, to cheer myself up.

The Lord is good.

My sister said that her heart was warmed, as David gently stirred the pot with her and talked about things.

Later, Jason told me he thought David was so smart and had an engineering type of mind.

My niece Abigail peeled potatoes with Grace. 10 pounds of potatoes.

With a cup of cheer in my hand and my handsome husband. I am so thankful for Rich. Today he caught me before I fell on the ice outside…it took me a few steps to gather my balance and he made me laugh by staying strong and saying dryly, “You okay? This is just like walking with a newborn calf that can’t get his legs under himself!”

On Thanksgiving Day, Abbie turned fourteen.

Grace and Naomi played with their Bitty Babies. Sarah’s room is still a total disaster from all the playing (searching for the doll stuff). Aren’t they adorable? I love everything about this picture.

Handsome brother Isaac, and son Jacob.

Michael came over, too, and there was a game of Monopoly that lasted for hours.

Abbie and Cassandra

My beautiful daughter Grace.

Grace practiced her french braiding skills on Aunt Cassandra.

Rich fell asleep after dinner and clean up. Jason fell asleep in the recliner, too. It’s the smart thing to do on Thanksgiving day.

The children colored with the smelly markers.

Then, it was time for birthday cake. I’m so thankful that we were able to spend the day with Abbie. She’s a beautiful young lady and we are proud of her. It was a blessing to end Thanksgiving day with birthday cake.

also remembering….

early morning phone call from brother Dave
weston got wet in the pond
we took family portraits for christmas cards
sarah wore a red ribbon
i burnt the rolls
but the pies were to die for
we lost sarah outside; it turned out she was with her brother E
aunt amanda made ethan proud of his muscles
laughing over the Andy Griffeth show
we cheered up aunt cassandra because she was sad and missing her family
rich was quiet all day until 9pm. then he went for a run and then wanted to take me out shopping. (no)
jacob dressed up in a tie
food was wonderfully good, so was the drink
seth was especially energetic and was the child most likely to get reprimanded
ending the day with a nice phone conversation with mom and dad

*****

Thanks for stopping by the blog today, friends!
You are loved.

“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.” Psalm 18:46

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

“All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness….” Psalm 25:10

these days

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Shanda

Yesterday morning I walked out of the house into a sparkling fall day. In my hands was a little vintage fiesta plate of leftover banana bread and cereal milk from breakfast, to serve the hens. They seemed to enjoy the treat.

They explored the grass along the fence. There are five full grown hens and two half-grown ones.

We do not let the little ones stay outside for very long because the cats come over to try and hunt them. The poor things.

I gave them a bowl of chick food in a yellow fiesta bowl. The way they hop in and out of the bowl, peeping and scratching food everywhere, is amusing.

The leaves were turning.

The fall flowers were in bloom.

My heart was singing.

You are the joy in my morning
You’re my song of praise
Just like the new day dawning
Flooding my world with grace.

Isn’t this green and pink combination BEAUTIFUL?

Caleb was home sick from school yesterday. He had an upset stomach and a high fever. He was on the couch curled up in his soft blanket and as much as I was able, I was sitting by him. The children are so needy and love to have me near when they are sick. As much as I hate to see them suffer, and as long as I know it’s only a common children’s illness, I confess– I love the cuddle time.

Caleb likes to talk. It was an eye-opener to me when he said, “You know why I bury my head in the couch to sleep? Because I don’t want my picture taken.” My heart was so sad to think that I unknowingly made my poor boy uncomfortable with photography, it’s just that I think he’s so cute. He doesn’t like the feeling that I’m taking pictures when he’s sleeping. I told him I would never take another picture of him unless I knew it was okay and I asked him first. He told me that one day he was falling asleep on the bus and a couple of girls took a video of him. It bothered him. I told him some things he could do about it, such as telling them that their Dad doesn’t want videos taken of him, or going to the principal or the bus driver for help, or asking them to delete the video.

We seem to be living in a time when privacy isn’t understood or desired. I know that I personally love to share on my blog, but there is a part of me that almost envies that time not so long ago when families were in their homes and their lives were virtually unknown to the rest of the world. They had their own private and intimate lives within the walls of their “nest”, special and meaningful only to them.

It is something to think about.

(I asked Grace about this, too, and she said she was absolutely fine with me taking pictures of her whenever I wanted.)

I asked Caleb if I could take this picture and he agreed.

Rich and I purchased a coffee table and a loveseat this weekend. We needed more places for people to sit when they come and visit us and we were thankful to find things that we didn’t have to order and wait for. Ethan Allen was having a floor sample sale on a lot of their furniture. Both pieces have small problems but in our family we would rather buy things on super-clearance-sale WITH a problem, then to pay full price for a perfect piece that will get scratched the next day.

The maroon throw at the end of the love-seat is the latest loved comfort with everyone….it’s our very first electric blanket….and the children are all so very appreciative. Ethan had it last night after football practice when he was shivering cold. Seth fell asleep under it when he was sick last week. Sarah had it this morning when the house was chilly. Seth accidentally called it the “electra blanket” and the name has stuck. We love our “electra blanket”.

I have been having fun freshening up the house (after an inspiring visit to my friend Lydia’s house). I had Rich and the boys move the piano from the living room to the new addition and so far we all really like it in there. You can’t tell by the photo, but there is still a good amount of room between the table and chairs and the piano, so we don’t feel squeezed.

I bought our first full length tablecloth, long enough for our big table. It’s a linen fabric with golden leaves stamped on it. We have 8 chairs around the table, and one bench that seats 2.

I also bought the mirror on the right side of the picture. It’s reflection brings in even more of the sunshine.

I’ve been longing to use more of the rhubarb from my garden that Mr. G so thoughtfully gave me to plant before he moved last fall. I found a great recipe for a pie. I used a store-bought crust, and baked it yesterday afternoon. Everyone liked it.

Rhubarb Pie

5 cups sliced rhubarb
6 rounded Tablespoons flour (an odd measurement…it’s basically 1/2 a cup)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Let rhubarb mixture stand at room temperature for 20-25 minutes, then stir and add to a pastry lined pie plate. Sprinkle on top of the filling 2 Tablespoons melted butter, 1 Tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Place the top crust over and pinch the edges to seal. Poke top of pie with a fork and bake in a 400 degree oven 45-50 minutes (or until done).

Recipe adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Return to Sunday Dinner, by Russell Cronkhite.

I love candlelight, and these days, my favorite is a chocolate layer cake candle from Yankee Candle. The children, especially Ethan, hate it because it smells so realistic that they are disappointed when there aren’t brownies or chocolate cakes in the kitchen (only rhubarb pie). The candle holder makes me laugh, it’s also from Yankee Candle, and it’s a spoof on Snow White and the seven dwarfs. I told the children it’s me and the seven of them. “But where’s Dad?” they asked. “He’s at work!” I reply.

After Seth got home from Kindergarten we went outside to play. Sarah cut a chunk of her hair off a few months ago so it doesn’t fit into a ponytail unless I use about five bobby pins. Still cute.

“Mom, bring your camera! David has a snake!”

The stream is low so there are plenty of rocks to step on, which makes it easy to walk up and down the stream, exploring. I got my head too close to the branch of a pine tree and it took my headband off and flung it someplace….it was black and I never did find it.

We found crayfish.

I watched this one for a little while. It was busy, I saw it pick up an acorn-cap in it’s little legs. It shuffled around, keeping an eye on me (the big monster?)

The boys like to eat them but yesterday I wouldn’t let allow it …. I became friends with this one.

I took this picture last night because Sammie and Sherlock were sleeping together on the couch. Would you believe they are from the same litter? Sherlock is so much bigger than his sister!

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has the eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” Augustine

book recommendations from a sixteen year old boy

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Shanda

David, age 11 and Ethan, age 16

I would be most content if my children grew up
to be the kind of people who think decorating
consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen

My brother Dave sent David a book for his birthday. It was a copy of a book that he enjoyed when he was David’s age, Danny the Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl. David read the entire book over the weekend, finishing it in the car on the way home from church yesterday.

Watching David read his new book made Ethan think of all the books he has enjoyed over the years. The other night he went through all the bookshelves in the house and selected his all time favorite titles. As he went from room to room, his younger brother David was with him, too. He brought the stack to the living room to show me and I laughed when he told me that David had already read quite a few of them because he “made him.”

Out of the all the books, David reminded him of the ones he had read, and Ethan gave him a few others that he still has to read (his brother will make him). A couple of them, we agreed, were probably not suitable for his age yet but will be in the “someday” pile.

Here is the entire stack: