I was getting stir crazy so tied my boots on and went outside to visit a friendly cat and walk around. I gathered four eggs and picked up some garbage off the lawn (tis the season).
Then, the schoolbus came and let off Seth and Sarah and suddenly I had a willing little friend to walk with me. We thought we would go to the end of the road and back but she said “Can we go in the woods?” and naturally I said, “Of course!”
We couldn’t help but admire all the moss, I wonder if it was because it was the only green in the forest and it just naturally drew our eyes. We liked how it lifted off the rocks just like a rug. Sarah put it carefully back.
We even reclined on moss.
We saw the first frog eggs of the spring, always worth bending down for a look-see. Sarah would NOT touch them.
But I don’t mind the feel of frog eggs, I quite like it. The water was like ice, though, and my motherly heart just knew they would need a few warm days in order to hatch.
She was determined to take me to Murkwood, one of Grace’s old haunts that she found and named and showed to her little sister.
Going on this walk made Sarah’s imagination kick into high gear and soon I was being called BrightHeart instead of mom. Her name was FlameStar which I never could get right. She seemed more like a TwinkleToes to me.
Mostly she said, “Come on, BrightHeart” but one time when I was in front of her she said, “Slow down BrightHeart, you don’t want to get too far ahead of your leader.” And then I knew she really was imagining things.
I thought I found a hedgehog but then I realized it was just moss again.
(I started imagining things, too)
I carried this pretty twig the whole walk and guess what? Sarah, I mean FlameStar, changed my name!! To TwigHeart. I wasn’t sure what to think of that. I guess I have a heart of wood.
This made my heart happy. I saw in the distance a flow of sticky pine pitch down the side of a tree so we went over to take a look and discovered a tick STUCK fast to the pitch. As I look at this photo I can also see a tiny black caterpillar stuck there, too. The tick was still alive, too, but stuck. I was intrigued but Sarah looked off into the distance and waited in disgust for me to be done.
Skunk cabbage, I broke a piece off to have Sarah smell it and she hated it.
She’s particular about what she wants to experience.
However, she loved the water… she loved the rocks …she loved the trees …she loved the moss. She was happy. Just please don’t show her ticks or make her smell skunky things.
There are many different kinds of moss. If you touch them, some are soft and some are rough, some are wet and some are dry. Some look like tiny ferns and some look like underwater grasses. Some is short like carpet, some is fluffy and makes you wish you were tiny enough to snuggle within it. Some is bright green, it hurts your eyes, and some like the moss growing on this boulder, is the deepest darkest forest green.
This morning Sarah was having cereal for breakfast but she couldn’t remember if she liked cinnamon flavored Life. So she took a few pieces out of the box to taste it and as she crunched she made a funny face.
“What’s the matter, don’t you like it?” I asked.
“No, I do………… it’s just that I haven’t used my teeth for eleven hours.”
My brain woke up before the rest of me. I was so tired it took me a few minutes to reach for my phone to see if school was cancelled this morning. Nope, just a two-hour delay.
As soon as Sarah got up she went outside.
She couldn’t wait to go sledding.
It was 7 o’clock in the morning.
Our house sits on a hill so it’s been fun for the children all these years. They can just sled from the porch steps all the way down……beginning with the oldest Jacob and ending with the youngest, Sarah.
Alas, no one else wanted to sled with Sarah this morning. Seth got half ready and then changed his mind. “The snow isn’t good.” “It’s too cold out.”
I watched Sarah through the window. And then I went out on the cold wet porch in my socks.
I was charmed to see her attempt something her big sister Grace would have also done at age 8; she decided to scoop up kitty Walter and take him for a sled ride. After all, this is Walter’s first winter. He has a lot to learn.
He learned it really fast.
Sledding wasn’t for him.
Back inside, Caleb made himself bacon, cheese, and eggs. A nice proper breakfast, served on a white fiestaware plate, with a periwinkle mug of ice-cold juice on the side.
They can’t cook at the same time without squabbling (G, right?) so after his big brother was done, Seth made himself bacon and eggs, too.
Snowy outside, cozy inside. Look at Parker begging. LOLOLOLOLOL
PS, the first photo is of my garden gnome. He can’t see right now.
I left the house at 8:30 in the morning on Friday to drive to the college that our two older boys attend. After a three hour drive, and a couple of stops, I arrived around 1:00pm for a quick visit. The purpose of the trip was to get Ethan and bring him back home with me for his week long break. Jacob stayed on campus for football practices. The drive to Vermont is easy and the views are so pretty. I listened to a Wuthering Heights audiobook there and back, (all but the times when my phone lost cell phone service).
After I parked in the lot at the boys’ dorm, I let them know I had arrived. They showed me their room and then they took me to a produce stand just down the road about a mile and I saw such picturesque farms along the way. I posted photos of the stand on instagram.
I love their room, it’s so typical of them. They both agreed that they need 1) a broom and 2) an area rug. I could have added more to the list. Sometimes they take an entire couch from the common area and put it in their room. It’s easier to play video games that way. And maybe even study, too. But you have to be sneaky about it and return the couch before room check.
The dorm has a great view of the sports fields.
Ethan and I left and ate lunch together in Rutland. Then, an hour or so down the road, we visited a large antique center. I bought a little bag full of black and white photographs from the 1930s, a vintage flour scoop, and a small vintage sifter for my mom. I took photos of some fiestaware I saw but didn’t want or need (it happens).
Admittedly, the vintage red shakers were in very nice condition, but I wouldn’t pay 30 dollars for them.
I wasn’t sure what to think of this taxidermied chicken!!! Would this be a fun addition to my house decor? Or disturbing? The tag said it was an old advertizing display for a store.
We also visited the Vermont Country store for cheese samples, coffee (oh how I needed it at that point! And it was worth the wait–maple flavored; everything’s maple flavored in Vermont), and sweets. I had a delectable lemon bar. The filling was creamy and not too tart, and the cookie base was soft and buttery. So good! So bad!
We arrived home and that was the end of Friday.
Saturday…..
……..was a nice, easy sunshiny family day. Rich took Seth to a birthday party at a trampoline place and Seth had just the greatest time.
I took a photo of a pretty mushroom.
And then, I took Sarah with me to a library used book sale. She put new laces in her sneakers without any help from her Dad, and put a cute little dress on. She was pleased to go look for some books with her Mom. It’s odd at times, because Grace is at college now but when she was Sarah’s age she was the only girl in the family, and now it’s the same for Sarah. She’s 8 years old and Grace was 10 when Sarah was born. Sometimes I get flashbacks and think I’m back in time with Grace again. Even their little voices sound the same to me now and then. And I told Sarah when we got in the car, “I’m so glad God gave you to me.”
The library ladies at the table gave me a dollar and fifty cent discount for being a mom of seven, which in their eyes, deserved the teachers discount. I mean, every teacher AND mom should get a discount, am I right?
We were able to add three more books to our Newbery collection. I think it’s amazing and good that Newbery medals are awarded to all different reading levels and genres. For example, Millions of Cats is a children’s picture book and story for the age range of 2 to 5 years old, and only 32 pages long.
Here is a quick video that I did this morning, showing all of the books (except the Newberys which I already put on the shelf.)::
Our kitty Walter Felix Disney just meowed and meowed in gratitude when he saw his new book that we bought for him.
But Sherlock didn’t care. He knows the books about HIM are 100 times better.
Someone was happy to have his boy back.
Rich and I took full advantage of our Saturday together because on Sunday he had to leave us for a business trip.
I’m sort of consoled because Ethan is home this week and also Rich’s trip includes the L.A. airport and we all know what that means……more RAMS merchandise for yours truly!
sunday
A happy Sarah cheerleader!
I am sad to say that although it was a beautiful day for football games, we lost them. Caleb and Seth seemed to enjoy it anyway, especially because they both came away with a bunch of new bruises and Seth’s calf muscle on his left leg got run over very impressively by cleats and he has scratches and bruises. It seemed to invigorate them and they came home and later on played even more football with Jack until it was too dark to see outside.
David and Ethan dropped off Caleb, played soccer together on another nearby field, and then left to go to the Guitar Center and go visit Zach, Michael, and the rest of the gang at their “2nd Mom and Dad’s ” house, Chris and Caroline. I didn’t see them again the rest of the day because by the time they got home at 10pm I was in bed finishing my latest book. (shown on instagram).
Seth on the field. He did so so good. Coach George made it a point to sing his praises to me later on and said how good Seth was, both as a player and a person. It meant so much to me to hear his coach say what I know in my heart to be true. He’s a good boy. You know, he sat right on my lap this morning when he got up. They love it when I wear my soft red robe. It prompted me to make up a song titled “the best chair of all is a mom chair.” To which he replied, “Can I see your phone so I can check my fantasy team?”
I found this Seth-Selfie from yesterday on my phone. He had my phone in the car and was listening to a Boxcar children book while waiting to warm up.
this very morning;
LAST BUT NOT LEAST a photo that I took so I could show Sarah how excellently I did her braids this morning.
“Every kind of work can be a pleasure. Even simple household tasks can be an opportunity to exercise and expland our caring, our effectiveness, our responsiveness. As we respond with caring and vision to all work, we develop our capasicy to respond fully to all of life. Every action generates positive energy which can be shared with others. These qualities of caring and responsiveness are the greatest gift we can offer.” ~ Tarthang Tulku
We all woke up this morning at 6 and couldn’t sleep anymore! We don’t know why!
To break up the day we decided to go out together to first and foremost get chicken feed, and then do a little shopping, and have lunch. I bought Sarah a cute dress, Seth some stylish sweatpants, myself some earrings, a vase, a liquid measuring cup for baking, and a couple of shirts, and Grace a brown bandana for her hair. The tacos at Moe’s have gotten smaller but lunch was filling and delicious. We listened to happy music on the way home.
David and Caleb are away at camp this week and Rich is on a business trip until Wednesday.
Grace went out for tea with a friend when we got home and we are having quiet time now because this evening is Seth’s first football practice for the season AND Sarah is doing cheerleading for the first time! She’s nervously excited.
I am watching the Waltons and filling out their sports forms. Mondays are always a “catch up on laundry” day and we’ll have chicken patties and veggies for dinner before we leave for practice later.
My shirt says “no days off” and I wear it when I’m in a humorous mood because I didn’t buy it because I work out daily in the gym, I bought it because I’m a mom. And while it’s true that my current stage in life (“motherhood”) allows for almost no days off, I cannot complain as I constantly count my blessings, the first of which is that I get to be mom of these seven children of ours. There are many busy and even chaotic moments in each day, but there are also many peaceful and quiet ones to recharge, like right now, while I’m blogging and watching TV……….or reading, petting the cats, scrapbooking, baking, walking, or taking off for a morning of shopping with the kids.
life is good and I’m glad I can flop on the couch in between laundry, cleaning, and dishes!
What a special evening our youngest had with her brothers and sister. They played games together, and big brother Jacob made the quick trip to the grocery store in town to buy some ice cream. He came home with strawberry, peanut butter cup, cookies and cream, and party cake ice cream. Rich and I sat contentedly in the living room with the sounds of a full house all around us; doors opening and shutting, chatter, laughter, basketball bouncing on the driveway, footsteps walking or running, upstairs, downstairs, drinks in the kitchen, on and on, so much energy! Soon it was time for the birthday song and cake. Sarah watched her Dad light the candles. She watched so intently as her siblings continued to be silly all around her. Her face as we sang was precious to see, all sparkling eyes and big smile. The cake was amazing. Even Ethan agreed, and he doesn’t typically like cake. The birthday girl was offended when I bragged, “I made it myself.” because she helped make the frosting.
Cake:
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
6 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
12 T. unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
Oven set to 350. Grease 9 by 13 cake pan. Whisk milk, egg whites, and vanilla in 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until only pea-sized pieces remain. Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bak until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. recipe from Cook’s Country Cookbook (it’s the cake part of the recipe for Lane cake).
1. Sarah Joy is our youngest child and was born on this date, 8 years ago. She was named after her Great-Grandmother and the joy in our hearts when we knew she was coming into our family.
2. The last photo I took before having Sarah was of the beautiful blooming peonies in my flower beds. This morning Sarah stood next to them, but spring was late coming this year and they are still only buds. A hope and a promise.
3. Sarah is in 2nd grade and has very nice handwriting (her teacher said so). She loves to read. The last book she read was titled Waiting for the Magic and she liked it very much. “The dogs talk.”
4. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
5. She ordered light-up gloves with her birthday gift card from Uncle Dave.
6. She has requested a vanilla birthday cake with what kind of frosting? “Vanilla”.
“Set me a task in which I can put something of my very self,
and it is a task no longer;
it is joy; it is art.” Bliss Carman
We went for a walk together in the woods–all her idea–and then I found a paper in her backpack from the field trip she took to a local wildlife sanctuary.
What did I hear?
“I could hear water, the crunching leaves, and birds chirping.”
What did I see?
“I saw, trees, and a squirl, and deer poop, and pine cones, and birds, and vernal pools.
We found a bone so we slipped it on her “adventure stick.”
What did I smell?
“I could smell skunk cabbage, and a fresh nature smell.”
How did I feel?
“I felt rain, and the cool air, and the cruching leaves under my feet.”
The pie tasted even better this morning. I just ate a piece for breakfast. (more details on instagram). Sunlight is flooding, FLOODING into the room and it’s glorious. We’ve finally had warm springtime weather and I spent most of the afternoon yesterday outdoors. I was looking forward to blogging but as soon as the door slammed behind the children going to school after a long spring break and I was alone in the house for the first time in forever, what did I end up doing?
C L E A N I N G
I turned on the tv and cleaned away to my hearts content asking myself who I was and why and how did I turn into this woman delighting in cleaning when she was alone in her very own nest?
And then, I read my book which is just getting good and un-put-downable, went for a brisk walk, watched the busy birds, and baked a pie.
This morning when the door slammed I grabbed my computer to blog.
Guess what play Sarah is going to see today? And guess who was making her laugh while I took her photo?
*****
The Lord loves you not to-day, Christian, because of anything you are doing, or being, or saying, or thinking, but he loves you still, because his great heart is full of love, and it runneth over to you…….. Charles Spurgeon
Good to be Home 