good things

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Shanda

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of your wonderful deeds.”

Tuesday morning

listening to music

staring out the window, the eaves are dripping, dripping, dripping (in time to the music)

lots of photos to share;

((for the people I love))

On Friday night we were watching the Incredibles 2

I was sitting weary but happy at my favorite spot at the table when Seth came by and said “I want to sit on you” and he sat on my lap. I couldn’t see the movie very well after that but I put my nose in the back of his hair now and then and breathed in this boy of mine. I gave that look across the room to Rich that he knows means, “Take a picture!”

The very next morning, he was 10 and opening his big bag of gifts with some of his best friends watching curiously.

He was given Dude Perfect things to play with, a new outfit, a stuffed animal dog that breathes thanks to a battery (he named it Oliver), and other little things.

I mixed up his requested birthday cake, which was Red Velvet, and then off we went to the wrestling tournament at our High School. Rich is the head coach and hadn’t slept a wink the night before in all the excitement……

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Here he is, opening up the day of wrestling.

Meanwhile, the birthday boy had a good friend with him all day and they (along with other boys) had the greatest time in the gym and also in the wrestling room nearby, playing football and running around. They came to me now and then, mostly to get money so Seth could buy himself stuff in the cafeteria. Since it was his birthday I didn’t say things like, “Don’t get candy with this” like I normally would.

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David with his friend Tristan. Best boys in the world (the whole team is awesome)

There is so much sitting around and waiting at these tournaments. David stayed bundled in his warm ups until it was time to wrestle.

I found myself a spot at the top of the bleachers so I could rest my back against the wall. Sarah stayed nearby and we played cards and she also had a book and her DS. I was able to chat with another wrestling mom which was fun, her name was Shannon.

Dave after a win, going to the center to take off his ankle strap and get his hand raised.

“Mom, can I have your phone?”

“Only if you sit over here and have your picture taken with me, birthday boy!”

David getting set up to pin.

My wonderful son.

Another wonderful son (Caleb)…..watching one of our guys wrestle.

Later on that night (what a long day, also Dave got 4th place in his bracket), Seth blew out his birthday candles and we ate the cake. I had been concerned that it wasn’t going to be perfect……..but it was. (in all humility)

Isn’t it just so pretty on a Shamrock fiesta plate? By the way, the newest color is another shade of green and they named it “Meadow” and I cannot wait to get a piece of it!!!!

(((Walter pictures))) This cat is adored! He’s sitting on the floor staring at me as I type, too, it’s quite funny.

Well, and then on Sunday we all know what day it was. Superbowl number 53 and my team was in the game. Every time my husband flies into L.A. he gets me merchandise so I was all set to wear Rams stuff from head to toe.

We cleaned and pushed furniture around, plowed the driveway, ordered pizza and wings, and prepared for a houseful of friends all day long!

I was tired out so around 4 I went to bed to rest. I was highly amused by the frequent visitors I had……

Seth even stole my hat!

Isaac was the first to arrive and pretty much the first thing he said after taking off his coat and hugging me was “is that a red velvet cake?” and he ate 2 pieces. 🙂

I sat right in between my sis and my bro and it was a delight. It was also a delight to see our girlies play and have fun. Naomi braided Sarah’s hair and then they made batch after batch of slime upstairs. They didn’t even make that big of a mess….I just had to vacuum the next morning what with all the glitter and foam beads everywhere.

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This picture makes me so so so so happy! Rich invited his wrestlers to come watch the game and we had some parents stay, too. Our friends Chris and Carolyn came again this year (they have in the past as well) and it was great to see them and catch up. We had TON of food to enjoy. I’m just so thankful and happy to have good friends through our community. Look at Seth and John standing on the bookshelf behind the couch. And Sarah sitting with her Uncle Isaac. And sweet Naomi sitting between me and her mama. I really need to print this and put it on my fridge. I’ll smile all day.

Well, alas, I was disappointed in how the game turned out. My team lost to my son’s favorite team and Caleb has such a sweet heart that he felt bad and just stood next to me in silence as we watched the Patriots celebrate after the clock ticked down and the game was over. “You can be happy, Caleb!” said Rich, but Caleb didn’t have it in him. I had to go get groceries the next morning so I thought I would see if I could get Caleb a shirt to show him I was a good sport. 😉

I took this photo at 6:20 this morning!!!!

By the way, when you have wrestlers in the house they’re gonna wrestle. Caleb got a huge goose-egg on his forehead and another boy hurt his thumb (Rich even wonders if it’s broken). That shadowy spot on Caleb’s head is The Bruise.

I went for a nice walk yesterday again, the temps reached 60 which felt so nice after days and days of frigid temperatures. I even saw a Robin taking a bath in a stream in the woods. The birds were happy, too.

(after a long day) we were texting Michael and the kids and laughing on the couch.

Pictures from this morning. (see Walter?) Grace, David got the ink pot unstuck from the table finally.

I sang him a song about a Handsome Handsome Cat.

I praised the sunrise.

And a few minutes later, the morning golden glow.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for all mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

first sledding of the season

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Shanda

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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.

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She couldn’t wait to go sledding.

It was 7 o’clock in the morning.

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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.

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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.

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He learned it really fast.

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Sledding wasn’t for him.

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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.

friday: boys dorm, saturday: book sale, sunday: football

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Shanda

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friday

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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!

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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.

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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

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morning of the waxwings

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Shanda

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*Jacob and Brittnee*

I took their photos right before my trip to Alaska.

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They make a nice couple, don’t they? Brittnee is such a joy. This year she is enrolled at Christian college in Pennsylvania WITH GRACE.

She was Grace’s friend in High School before she and Jacob started dating. And now they go to the same college! I would have never dreamed. God truly has a way of making this sad and dreary life delightful.

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They were all dressed up to go out to a nice dinner together to celebrate their anniversary.

*****

I still have Alaskan photos to share but I haven’t done it because, in my mind, once I blog about the rest of the trip……. it will be truly “over”.

When David was a preschooler I read him Winnie the Pooh, just the two of us, and could never bring myself to read the last chapter.

I’ve learned that being highly sentimental is a gift. It takes all kinds of humanity to make the world go ’round. Each individual is a blessing to the family in which they belong. I’m so grateful for each grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, parent, cousin….. both my husband’s and my own.

And each friend and neighbor, too. We belong to each other.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24

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Sarah forgot her school folder the other day. It was mistily raining. When I went outside to the car to take the folder to school I heard a racket almost like crickets or maybe birds, so I walked around the back of the house to peer up into the tall trees that grow between our house and the neighbors. After a short time, I saw that the sound I was hearing was tiny birds, up high and partially hidden in the leaves. “Probably just sparrows,” I thought, but because I couldn’t see them very well I thought I better grab my camera and get a better look. But what about Sarah’s folder? My curiosity won out and I retrieved my nice long zoom lens from the house to take a photo and discovered these weren’t ordinary sparrows (are not five sparrows sold for two cents? yet not one of them is forgotten before God), but baby Cedar Waxwings!

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Their mother came with some food and the birds became even noisier.

Behind our house is a bank and the trees grow up from the top of it, so it’s rather high up and proved cumbersome to aim a heavy camera almost straight up into the mist for photos, so I went upstairs to Sarah’s room to lean out her window.

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Meanwhile I was also texting with my brother so I sent him this silly selfie.

I thought about going out the window onto the roof of the addition but decided I was too scared.

I wanted to see if my better vantage point would result in better photos but from the window I couldn’t see the baby birds at all. They were lost behind all the leaves. However, I got a pretty decent photo of the adult.

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She was at the very top of a tree, probably to stand guard, ready to defend her babies from the Lady with the Camera.

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The nest close by with another baby inside of it. Oh it was just wonderful to see and experience, and photograph. And yes, Sarah DID get her folder.

*****

Yesterday when I went outside the birds were all gone. I still feel that the 20 minute part of my morning the other day (the morning of the waxwings) was a great gift….I’ve never seen baby cedar waxwings and when I see the adults (once a year) it’s always a thrill. They are such lovely birds and don’t visit the bird feeder because they eat mostly fruit and insects.

*****

Since I have my camera right next to me as I type, I looked up from the computer to check the bird feeding station we have on the porch just outside the window. Maybe today I’ll see another unique visitor…….

….but this is what I saw……

A Very Bad Kitty!

I brought him right back inside and now he and Sherlock are looking out the window at a cardinal eat sunflower seeds. The tips of their tails are twitching.

Time for me to eat breakfast and clean the house!

Happy Thursday! Maybe you’ll see a bird!