A Heart of Thankfulness {A Blessings Photo Essay}

This year season of my life has been hard…really hard. Since last August I’ve been struggling with various teeth and body issues that no doctor or dentist can figure out. I’m desperately trying to stave off new symptoms while trying to maintain life by masking current symptoms. Life has been hard. I’ve had to give things up that I didn’t want to in order to hang on to the most important stuff. (Do you hear the crickets chirping in this here blogosphere?) But despite that, I’m sitting here this Thanksgiving day looking around and knowing I’m blessed. I see His hand all around me and if I don’t look to the little things and count them then those blessings that fall like living rain can roll right off my back soaking into the ground, wasted.

So today I need to count because gratitude needs to be my lifeline during this time of not understanding.

Can I start with the beauty of the season? Just look at the simplicity of the pumpkin above. The shape and color, the contrast against my weathered porch, the complimentary fallish leaves strewn just so. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Perfect.

Then there’s the dying back of the garden that holds it’s own in beauty compared to it’s spring and summer counterparts. Sunlight bouncing off of maroons and mauves in the morning light. Tawny browns of seed heads contrasting against bronzed, dying leaves.

And the mornings. Oh how I wish I could enjoy more of them but whatever is attacking my body seems worst then. The mornings that I do make it to my front porch are like an oasis to the chaos of my day.

Hot coffee.

Living words.

Feeding souls.

And this town…

I’m thankful for this small, midwest town. The community is strong here. The houses are mish-mashed and beautiful, ornate and simple. The business is small, local and cozy. The churches are reaching hearts and building family.

I love that my children can walk to the library or to the drugstore. I love that they can bike to a friends house or walk up to the park. I love the memories they are making. I love the security that a small town affords us for our growing family.

And my heart swells with thankfulness for my children. They are growing faster than the weeds in my yard. I watch them stretching their minds. I listen in on their sibling conversations. I inwardly smile at the first awkward stirrings of teenage years quickly approaching. I treasure the conversations in my heart. I laugh at little hands and little feet stirring up trouble. And I breathe deep baby fat and double chins. These are my legacy…my stories…my beautiful mess.

And as Advent draws near, I am thankful for the Lord that provides. Our dollars are tight. They already have to stretch beyond our means to cover our chosen life-path. This month He provided a new couch set…well, new to us. Perfect in condition, color, and style to nestle into the space of our Victorian living room. A chance stop-in at the Goodwill. Under $100 for the whole trio. As Advent approaches and winter settles in, it means dark mornings, candlelight and the thankfulness of my heater as I curl up with His word and wait for the Christ-child.

For to even open up the door these days invites in the too chilly air. Frost sparkles the world and for very brief moments I soak in the beauty of upcoming winter. My imagination runs wild with thoughts of silver fairies and legends of jack frost. And when I return to the warmth of the house, to the smells of fall cooking and fill my belly with the comfort of potatoes and pumpkin and squash, I am again reminded of how blessed I am compared to most. My house is old and I don’t know if I will ever find the money to make it whole and not broken, but even amidst it’s brokenness it brings me daily joy.

As does my husband whose very heart and commitment to our family sings of his sacrificial love of us. His talented hands feed us, sing to us, embrace us. He is father and still soul mate. I am lucky indeed.

Let them give THANKS to the LORD

For His UNFAILING LOVE

And His wonderful deeds for men,

For He SATISFIES the thirsty

And fills the hungry with GOOD things.”

Psalm 107:8-9

An unexpected surprise…

Here we are again!

Bun number seven in the oven warming. As if my life wasn’t blessed enough {wink, wink}, we are adding joy to our numbers. Expected to be here mid June of next year, already the kids are spending every evening meal fighting and voting over names.  So far, Rauga (from Bay Blade) is top pick for boys and Dora is top pick for girls. Ummmm….no?

Names aside, the kids are super excited. Our dinner converstion the week before (I am NOT making this up):

Them: “Mommy, when are we going to have another baby?”

Me: “Why?”

Them: “Because Eli isn’t anyone’s big brother and he needs to be a big brother too.”

Me: “We are NOT having another baby just so Eli can be a big brother!”

Guess the jokes on me!

The Blessings of Spring {New Life}

I can’t help myself. Spring is…well, springing up all around me and I just can’t stop taking pictures! Oh how I wish I had this lens so I could take macro to that next level. But, I digress.

I’m popping in momentarily to this blog in order to drop off some seasonal pictures that I don’t want lost and to list my utter gratitude for new beginnings and all the hope that it carries.

{blessings 603 ~ 608}

• spring meals full of fresh berries and long awaited greens
• fresh eggs for the perfect (my first) souffle
• leisurely breakfasts with daddy
• rays of morning light basking my children in beauty
• the first strawberry shortcake of the year
• fresh salads for dinner ~ a meal in itself!

Oh, my yard! Did I mention my yard? I have gardens! Beautiful, glorious, blooming gardens. I have hydrangeas ~ big, full mature, white snow ball hydrangeas ~ just started to bud at the front of my house. I have the first signs of Lilacs growing up the side of my house. I have spring blooming dogwood, cherry, and apple trees in the backyard. There is a beautiful glowing salmon pink bush full of apple rose-like flowers. I have no idea the name but am basking in it’s beauty all the same. There is promise of lilies and black eyed susans and purple cone flowers and clematis to come in the summer. There will be a plethora of daisies for my little Delilah to pick at her hearts content. And the bulbs…did I mention those? You really must take a look. All gorgeous from the first crocus to the daffodils and then the tulips. Even the weeds are at the height of their beauty! Have you ever seen such wonderful speckled lavender spots on the viola? And it’s dandelion season! Can’t even tell you how happy that makes me! Cheers…to my garden!

{blessings  609 ~ 626}

• green shoots promising the first spring flowers
• the first purple crocus rising up from the dead
• the sunny face of daffodils waving in the March breeze
• spring rains puddling in perfect drops on flowers
• walking to church and picking posies
• using collected antique jars to display children’s posies as art
• ground warming to dig in dirt
• worm play with littles
• hearing the first robin and chickadees chirping in the trees
• the biggest blooms of the magnificent magnolia tree
• little girls getting lost in it’s branches
• cherry blossoms against the blue sky
• the sunlight piercing tulips velvety petals
• newly bare feet trolloping among the flowers
• speckled violas against garden-dirty blue jeans
• recycled {free} seed starters
• newly bought, hope-inspired, garden seeds
• first shoots and the miracle of germination

And it’s almost Easter. There is no cheerier holiday than this. Practicing Lent and sacrifice in the last bits of dead winter only to celebrate with the Resurrection  of Christ’s return just as all is coming again to life…words can’t describe. All around me are signs pointing to Him and my need of Him. Plants that look dead, never to return…we almost give up when at the very last possible moment buds spring forth. A beautiful picture of our black dead souls, foul with sin, are not left for dead but clothed in a new righteousness of a new beginning. Life is breathed back into us and Christ’s light cloaks the filth. We appear more glorious than the rarest flower before the King. And all we can mutter is, “Praise Him!” with heads hung in humbleness.

Because of the move and gathering our bearings here, we didn’t get to celebrate the fullness of Lent. But we do have a humble tree adorning our table hung with signs of life. The girls love it as do I. It is the bane of Adam’s existence as he gets daily tangled in it’s branches. But to me it is the perfect small touch that I can add to this beautiful new home.

{blessings 627 ~ 634}

• the King has come!!!
• broken branches that lend to traditions
• Easter pastels
• Beatrix Potter and her little lovely books
• playing easter egg hunting
• egg baskets
• offering myself for church busy bags
• Johnny Cash’s When the Man Comes Around

And then this amazing thing happened the other day. My kids came running inside yelling, “Mom, mom…there’s a baby cow outside!!!!” What? A cow? So I went to see for myself. There sitting on the other side of our fence was a baby girl cow only an hour old. And we got to watch her arise and take her very first wobbly steps. Can I just say my breath was taken away? ‘Thank you, Lord,’ I whispered. Right here in our own backyard the miracle of life.

{blessings 635 ~ 639}

• the miracle of new birth
• first wobbly baby steps
• squeals of kid delight
• capturing first steps on film
• long baby cow eyelashes…oh how long, and how beautiful!

 

 

 THANK YOU, OH HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!

{blessings 639 ~ 646}

• light in the evenings
• playing outside from breakfast till bed
• new neighborhood friends
• bare feet covered in mud
• trampolines
• swinging high in the sky
• brave girls buried alive
• tree climbing

{House L.O.V.E.}

Moving day weather was a gift from above. A spring-like 64 degrees, sunshine, wear-a-T-shirt kinda moving weather. Just perfect. Being bone-tired and only three of us, a fourth of the move ended up in the garage. Not quite as planned but we were officially moved in. The next day’s weather held out as boxes were slowly dragged inside from the garage. Not too many left, I thought to myself patting me on the back for all the work done.

Than my husband came home with news of a winter storm a-brewin’. So out to the garage we went in the drizzle and dragged in the remaining boxes. Then we woke up to this…

Almost 12 inches of snow came down in a fairy tale blanket of sparkles. I said a mantra prayer ~ thank you, thank you, thank you ~ all morning long as I continued to unpack boxes in the cozy comfort of a heated new home. Only a gift from above, that timing! He is amazing!

We are settling in nicely here. All boxes are unpacked. Pictures are hung on the walls. The place has felt instantly like home from the first night. No night trauma transitions of littles. All is well and one is even sleeping better. Every morning I wake up to my colored walls and revel in the small details of my home. It’s these details I love the most. They are the architectural details that people won’t notice first but make up the bones of why this house feels like a home to me.

Porcelain roses on my very own chandelier…hinges that hold up story-book doors…vintage lights that look just as lovely with a cobweb or two…filigree holders for the everyday things…knobs that look like antique buttons…key holes to spark little imaginations…

My mother-in-love called the other day just as a friendly reminder to my husband that a gift was in order for this Valentine’s Day. I love her dearly but when he told me I just laughed.

“What could be a better gift than this house?” I said to the man who gave up his farm dreams to give me this Victorian girl dream. “I mean, even the walls of my favorite room are the perfect Valentine red!” And they are…deep, rich jewel-toned ruby red. And I am in love with them.

And who needs temporary flowers that will wither away in a matter of days when right on my very table I already have something that is lighted perfectly by the morning sun? I am reminded of a tiny blog post I ran across the other day at pea soup. She said,

Dear Universe,

fewer major life events, more pretty light, ok?

Yours, Suse.”

Perfectly said! (You must go visit her. Pictures are divine!)

Just look at this beautiful family of mine sitting in this beautiful room eating breakfast for dinner! What could be more perfect?

Later as I was soaking in this amazing tub I was reminded that most people pay a lot of hard-earned money to vacation away in a tub just like this! I am luxuriating in warmth, soaking my cares away. Little voices sound far away as my husband gifts me again with an alone bath.

It is these selfless acts of love that grow us. I was reminded of that as I read my Starbucks cup this week. The world we live in tells us to be just like this Starbucks heart. All arrows point inward towards ourselves. But it is when we reverse these arrows in an outward direction towards others that love actually grows. This is what I want to contemplate this Valentine’s Day.

Happy Heart Day, everyone!

The Perfect Gift ~ An ER Visit

Because my husband is the best he surprised me with a little gift…even though we weren’t to get each other anything. This year it was quiet, understated and just right! A few good things to curl up with…

Did I mention that the real gift this  year is this ~

Because who can beat a Victorian claw foot tub and a porch swing?

Well, maybe this can.

It is 12:57 am and my husband is at the emergency room with a little boy of ours. Pneuminia? Croop? Whooping Cough? Fluid in the lungs? Can’t tell but it’s getting worse by the hour. So a Christmas Eve vist to the ER it is. Did I mention how incredible my husband is?

The true gift of Christmas ~ 

One self-sacrificing daddy who loves to an unimaginable depth.

Perfection Through Imperfection {Thankful Christmas Moments}

After reading this amazing post When It Isn’t Perfect, I need to reprioritize. The Bible talks of renewing my mind. When I start thinking one thing then I need to replace it with a truth. Now I’m sure scriptures are thinking much more along the lines of writing the truth of His Word on my heart, but for me I just need to remind myself of truth on a much baser level. This season of life has me really struggling to keep Christmas as the beautiful forefront of my family.

So, instead of seeing all the needles under the tree that I will vacuum up at least twice today (Did I mention our 1 year old pulled the whole tree down the other day and that the garland has been confiscated due to structural issues?), I will choose to see…

A mother-in-love who graciously gifted handmade ornaments that littles could touch for a season.

Instead of the lack of garland (see above), I choose to see…

Vivid imagination that sparks play in a season that will pass by way too quickly.

Instead of my floor that sticks to my feet as I walk through the kitchen and dishes piled high, I choose to see…

Littles playing in flour and helping daddy make imperfect gingerbread cookies.

Instead of worrying about the millions of scraps and toys and clutter on the floor (did I mention I had already vacuumed twice?), I will choose to see…

Children actively creating, making a paper town come to life.

Instead of seeing the marker on the walls that will need to be scrubbed before we move and the stains that need to be purged from the carpet and all the rest of this home’s imperfections, I choose to see…

The beauty of my morning walk by the window that I will greatly miss. Stunning really. Didn’t even have to go outside to take these pictures. Right through my dirty window pane, all finger-printed up, these images glowed through. How breathtaking. There is a lot about this house I won’t miss. This living room window will not be one of them!

Instead of seeing all the muddy boots in the entryway mixed in with shoes in heaps of chaos with a sprinkling of toys thrown in just for fun, I will choose to see…

Fleeting play days that melt quicker than a memory!

I know that one day I will look back on these photos and cry with a longing deep wanting them back and not even blink at the list of worldly mess that threatens to collapse on me today as a young mother. Renewing my mind and repairing my heart today. Belting out some Christmas songs of old and not caring who hears my out of tune voice!

 

Living Liturgically Through Nature

 

Some days you wake up overwhelmed and all you see is the mountain in front of you that seems impossible to climb. Sometimes you just can’t get past the next thing that needs to be done because the list seems endless. Nothing stays clean or orderly and life is messy. But sometimes you wake up on a morning like this and are thankful that the ice in your driveway won’t allow you to make it into church.

The kids will be missing the Walk Through Bethlehem, of which I was really hoping we could attend. I think the experience of them being able to time travel back to the city where Jesus was born and experience what that would be like in a very tactile and real way would be such a valuable experience and memory. Instead we were blessed with snow. And in this season of life we are blessed to live in the country. I knew when the sun peeked out that I just had to take advantage of the light and grab my camera for a morning walk. Full of warm carrot muffins and hot coffee, I headed out breathing deep the chill in the air.

There was no need for a temple house of worship this morning. Sabbath was made for man, not man for sabbath. This morning my worship came in being still.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.” ~ Psalm 46:10

I didn’t have to sing. I didn’t have to read. His creation was my liturgy and I sank deep in it’s beauty. There is the deep sustenance – bread of life – that we are to drink from daily but that never negates the beauty in the fleeting. Sometimes we just need to stop, even when chores beckon, and be a Mary and sit at the feet of His creation. After all, this was for His and our pleasure. How can we enjoy if we don’t stop to even pay attention? Soon cars will spray fumes of gray across the white and sun will melt the soft powder. Crystals that shine brighter than any diamond will fade into the dreary background of life. But here, for this moment only, it is perfect.

As I walked all was silent and I heard the birds trilling praise up towards blue sky. I heard the sound of water softly running in the neighboring river. The only other sound was the crunch of snow beneath my feet. The only sounds of life around me where the fading memories of deer in footprints. Even the grass was silent, heavy with the weight of snow.

Be still and know that I am God. 

This verse whispered over and over in my head and through my heart. Oh thank you for this day. Oh thank you that you gave me eyes to see beyond the ordinary. Thank you that my soul longs to translate this perfection into art to share with others. There is no greater muse than You!!!

 

Things to be thankful for…deer legs and eggs

My son came home with a deer leg the other day. This momma about had a heart attack. He was so proud as he handed over this body part with exposed joint bone and clotted blood.

“Can we keep it, mom?” eyes big as saucers he wanted to know as the others crowded around in awe. And it was awe-inspiring in the grotesque sort of way. Here we are studying the human body and here before us is a live, first hand speciman. Okay, maybe not human but body part none the less!

And my other son before that had come home with eggs he found at the place where our yard ends and the forest begins. “Can we have a baby chick, mom?” Turkey? Too small, I think. Yet abandoned by mother so no son, no chickies.

“Can we eat it, mom?” Having no idea how fresh, or not, these eggs were I wasn’t going to risk it. But oh how beautiful they were and even this morning, Turkey Day, as I literally see turkeys in our front lawn, I think how lucky we are to be here amidst all this.

What memories will sink deep down from this season of life? I long to capture all on film…deer hooves, mystery eggs, kids chasing turkey amid bikes and toys.

Thank you, God, for your many blessings pouring out to our family this year. You are a God of splendor, majesty, intricacy, and details. You amaze me daily. All I have to do is look around me and I am instantly immersed in Your miracles!

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:15

Happy Turkey Day, everyone!!!

Less Screen Time

So I have in my head this great weekly wrap up on the rocks and minerals unit study we are doing right now. (Sorry, you’ll have to check back next week! 😉 But instead I spent much more time doing this…

and this…

and much less time on my computer.

Life is good!

Small Town Hospitality in Swedeburg, Nebraska

This past Sunday I got a true taste of small town life in the country! What to do when someone invites you to a church picnic of a church you’ve never attended? Go, partake, and enjoy small town hospitality! It was a beautiful day. The smell of pulled pork tantalized the senses. And the music took me back to younger days gone by.

Blessing #602 ~ small town hospitality

Thank you Pastor Steve and  Swedeburg Covenant Church for allowing us to worship and celebrate 135 years with you!

Camping in the front yard…

Sounds like a good idea, right?

Ahhh…memories of my childhood…running around the backyard with friends until 3 in the morning…practical jokes that weren’t so funny to some…eating junk food by the bucketfuls. Glad to pass on the tradition.

The kids were super excited tired and in pajamas, ready for bed by 6:30…amazing! Music by the fire, smores, smoke smell in the hair…what’s not to love? Well…there was this amazingly horrific thunderstorm of doom that ruined it at around 11:30 p.m…right when all the little ones had finally nodded off. Luc woke up in his bed the next morning crying because he wasn’t in the tent anymore. Lucky for mommy, they were all so tired from staying up so late that not a one of them woke up to the storm. Now Ivy…she’s a different story!

Blessing # 601 ~ The ability to allow your kids to stay up late and sleep in late in the middle of the week. School? What school? *Wink!* Just one more reason why we homeschool!   

Prairie Flora

As I drive around town in the cool of my air-conditioned van running errands I can’t help but notice the beauty by the side of the road. This colorful summer treat has been dear to my heart since I was a little girl picking dandelions. There is a soft spot in me for prairie flora…what others would consider roadside weeds that fade into the background of their life. I couldn’t let another season pass without capturing their beauty.

{Yellow Coneflower. Ratibida pinnata}

{Purple Coneflower. Echinacea purpurea}

I braved the hot, humid steamy weather and took a walk with my littles and my camera. We drank lots of water and I filled my soul with pictures while my littles chased turkeys in the prairie grass. Ahh…it feels good to live in the country!

{Black-eyed Susan. Rudbeckia hirta}

{Indian Blanket. Gailardia pulchella}

How can you not look at this detail…this perfect artistry and not shout out to the Creator in praise? Man is good and we can create some marvelous things. I can make art with the careful cropping and composition of my photography. Another, much more talented person, can take this to another level and capture the tiniest details in breathtaking clarity through paint and other mediums. But NEVER can we create this.

{Partridge-Pea. Chamaecrista nictitans}

Oh, we may be able to drop a seed into the ground. We may nurture and help along the unfolding of life. We may partake alongside the miracle. But it is not our creation. We did not set gene maps to unfold at precise moments. Never can we do that.

{Blue Vervain. Verbena hastata}

All Praise and Honor and Glory be His forever and ever Amen!

Joining Walking with Him Wednesday.

Spontaneously Captured

My blessings this week dwell on the spontaneity of the moment.

There have been several random “hurry-and-grab-the-camera” moments that don’t really fit anywhere photo category-wise yet are precious enough to save! Blessings that one day I will look back upon and smile at a memory that could’ve easily slipped away!

Blessings # 591 ~ 600

Rainbow before a summer storm.

Sweet Mike stopping by to show us.

Little girl wanting picture taken.

Turkey family visiting our front lawn.

First banana finger foods.

Happy boy smiling.

Plethora of summer produce.

No room in the fridge…using school book baskets.

Little boy bug surprises.

Haircut-of-necessity from Little-Girl-Cuts-Alot

Fresh Perspectives

What do you do when your work never leaves you?

It is truly a blessing to be a stay-at-home mommy  yet sometimes the amount of work can start choking the life out of you. It is always there…always a constant. You do and do and do some more but there is always one more mess…one more thing that needs to be done.

I was feeling suffocated.

I needed out.

So I walked away.

And, as the Lord is EVER so good, He met me where I am and blessed with fresh perspective.

A evening stroll ~ blessings # 568 ~ 590

~ walking with the littles who are still so excited to be with mommy and daddy

~ allowing the older two to spread their wings a bit with the first tastes of freedom at home alone

~ a grouping of oak leaves striving for that summer green but remaining in a beautiful fall coat

~ milkweed on the side of the road

~ the anticipation of looking for monarch caterpillars on said milkweed come August

~ unexpected wildlife…

~ watching a meadowlark sing

~ seeing a woodpecker in his glorious black and white and red coat searching for evening insects

~ the deer peeking out from among the brush

~ the quench of thirst from a pit stop for soda

~ searching for tadpoles

~ seeing how a yarrow flower is both one beautiful big flower head made up of hundreds of tiny, perfectly detailed flower heads

~ a meadow in our own back yard

~ picking flowers for mommy

~ finding a mommy and daddy goose with their gosling

~ watching the chase

~ seeing the prize

~ finding a prairie coneflower amongst the weeds

~ the gift of picking wildflowers

~ the walk back home

~ legs tired from muscles working the hills

~ the land spread out in front of me

~ a glorious sunset

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you hightest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

ligtning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Quintessential Summer

Summer essentials to do before we run to the safety of our air conditioners in the heat of July.

Blessing # 558 ~ 567

~ homemade ice cream

~ garden hose sprinkler

~ bare feet through grass

~ evening visits on the porch

~ cool summer beverages

~ shortcakes with berries and ice cream

~ ice play

~ scooter riding

~ learning new tricks

~ scraped knees and band aids

Garage Sale Blessings

I have continually found that when you pray before embarking on a shopping trip of any nature, the Lord will tend to bless you in ways you couldn’t have imagined before starting. As weekly blessings tend to go, this past week was a biggie! With the garage sale behind me I am finding places for our new things and realizing how amazingly God provides in one day.

Birthday Money = $125 – $11.00 kids allowance = $114

135 Blessings 

Blessings #422 ~ 557

Most Lucrative Find ~

• 8 brand new Chinese prefolds for a quarter each!!!!!
• 2 brand new Lands End dresses, one for Ivy and one for Delilah (these are our favorite dresses for the girls…high quality soft cotton that have endured all kinds of stains, washings, and being passed down through 3 girls)

Baby Gear ~

• 1 Bouncer for baby
• 2 extra teethers for a baby who bites more than all our other children combined!

~ Clothes ~

 

For Baby Eli ~

• 2 summer onesies
• 2 T-shirts
• 3 pair of winter pants
• 4 winter pajama sleepers
• 1 long sleeve onesie (yes, it does say “I’m woolly cute”!)
• 1 pair beginning walking shoes
• 1 medium cloth diaper cover

For Ivy ~

• 2 pair of super cute polka dot shorts
• 5 pair soft cotton summer shorts (great for potty training or pajamas)
• 1 cotton nightgown
• 1 winter hoodie sweater
• 2 overnight training pants

 

For Delilah ~

• 1 soft cotton summer shorts
• 1 pair mary jane shoes for next winter
• 1 pair summer sandals for next summer

For Luc ~

• 3 soft cotton summer shorts (for day or night wear)

For Lily ~

• 1 winter pajama pants
• 6 soft cotton summer shorts (for day or night wear)
• 1 winter sweater

For Gabe ~

• 1 athletic sport pants
• 2 soft cotton summer shorts (for day or night wear)
• 3 T-shirts
• 1 short-sleeve church shirt

For Mom ~

• 2 summer T-shirts
• 6 new cardio-strength training DVD’s (one with the promise of defying gravity of which my now-over-35-metobolic body is defying!)
• 1 new diaper bag/purse

And the surprise we found in that new bag ~

To which Lily confiscated the Hello Kitty Lipgloss, Vanilla perfume, and notepad and Lilah took the mittens and necklace.

In the Home ~

• A single shabby chic frame
• 1 Full size flannel florel bed set for the girls bed this winter (we only had boy colors last year from switching around beds)
• 1 4-set napkins (eventually I’d like enough to replace paper towels)

In the Kitchen ~

• 12 glass ramekins of which we will use for child-size soup, fruit, or ice cream servings and which fit perfectly on our child-size plates.
• 1 bread guide w/electronic slicer (The slicer is a bonus. I already have a great bread knife but have had my eye out for a guide for over a year to make our homemade bread more kid-friendly.)
• 2 Easter cookie cutters, 2 Christmas cookie cutters
• 1 Bacon Press (I’ve always wanted one of these! They are very farm-girlish…now I just need that side of pork!)
• 1 bread pan (because I do my bread in 2 week batches)
• 2 cookbooks with recipes for scratch cooking and using seasonal veggies:

 

~ The Home Book of French Cookery

 ~ The Farmers’ Almanac Cook Book

 

Indulgences ~

• 1 My Little Pony House with ponies and accessories (Ours broke this past winter and is now discontinued. Our girls play with these ponies daily!)
• 1 Wooden Tool Set (for Luc who has been asking for one since his birthday in January)
• 1 fairy ballet costume (because you can never have enough!)
• Zoe Girl CD for my Lily-bear who loves to dance
• Veggie Tales: The Wonderful Wizard of Ha’s DVD

~ Homeschool ~

 ~ $5 Bookshelf ~

Manipulatives ~

• 1 Gear Puzzle
• 1 Counting Puzzle (with 3 possible ways to solve the puzzle!)

Phonics & Writing ~

• A set of Phonics Readers (will go great with our Bob books)
• 2 Dry Erase Tracing Alphabet Pads (one for Luc and Lilah)
• A Dry Erase Animal/Alphabet Tracing book

History ~

• 1 Discover Ancient Egypt Activity Book
• Smelly Old History Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Your Way Through The Past: Roman Aromas (this one should be super fun!)
• 3 United States History Time Traveler Series ~ Early Explorers, Puritans and Pilgrims, Westward Movement (super excited about these!)
• The Farm: Life in Colonial Pennsylvania
• George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz
• Magic Tree House: Tonight on the Titanic
• What to Do About Alice: How Alice Roosevelt broke The Rules, charmed The World, and drove her Father Teddy CRAZY! (my favorite living book I found)

Geography ~

• Rehema’s Journey: A Visit to Tanzania
• A Country Far Away

 

Social Studies ~

• Tonka: Building the Skyscraper
• Tonka: At the Auto Repair Center
• All Aboard Fire Trucks

Nature Study ~

• A flower press (of which I will be replacing the homemade one that I made for myself in high school…finally one with clamps and a guidebook for the kids!)
• 1 extra clipboard (we use these for sketching outside)

Science ~

• Eyewitness Rocks & Minerals (a field guide that will see a lot of use this summer!)
• Birds to Color (Reproducibles opposite a page of startling realistic paintings)
• Sugaring by Jessie Haas
• Animals in Action
• I Am a Leaf
• You Can be a Woman Zoologist
• I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky
• Animal Trackers: In Woods & Forests
• An Educational Read & Color Book of Planets
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
• Stranger in the Woods
• Actual Size by Steve Jenkins (fun facts of animal science dealing witj size – great book!)

The Classics ~

• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
• Chanticleer and the Fox (based on Chaucer’s Caterbury Tales)
• Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona’s Harvest
• The original The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (started this book from the library and lost it…then found it and was maxed on my time out…can’t wait to finish…is full of note-worthy quotable quotes that deserve their very own post!)

The Bible ~

• Memory Bible: The Sure-Fire, Fun Way to Learn 52 Bible Verses (narrated by Kirk Cameron and filled with all the bible songs I learned as a kid)
• Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (filled with all the liturgical season songs…great to go along with our lent and advent studies)

Crafts ~

• 1 huge bundle of craft paper (construction and cardstock) for $1
• Shapes To Cut Out, Color and Make (Reproducible shape templates great for a rainy day or a geometry math lesson!)

 

For Fun Books ~

• I Spy Lightning in the Sky

• Roald Dahl’s Even More Revolting Recipes (fun kid-friendly recipes from all his books…Gabe checked this one out at the library before and loved it.)
• My Little Pony book with audio CD
• Dora and Blues Clues, a few board books, and a new (not-tattered) Goodnight Moon (Ivy is in heaven!)
• The Biggest Book of Knock Knock Jokes Ever (in hopes that my 3 and 5 year old start telling jokes that make sense!)

Pretty good haul, don’tcha think?

Joining Multitude Mondays at A Holy Experience

Things Unseen…

Note ~ I wrote this post back in August of 2010. I think I meant to publish it or add a photo first before publishing. I’m not sure. But somehow it escaped posting and ended up sitting in my dashboard. While cleaning up I found it, reread and thought this is still just as important to me this day! Enjoy!

BLESSING # 421 ~ That He sees and that is enough

Wow…I am speechless as I read Ann’s lovely words, words that soothed my soul today. Our day was full and there is still more to do. I think about this blog often and have words in my head, sometimes even pictures on my camera. But time slips as my family priority intrudes and takes over. So, for now, I will give a glimpse of Ann’s insightfulness (PLEASE visit her site and read the rest…a balm for your day!) as I ponder my own priorities and the dark recesses of my heart.

Ann’s wise words:

Who can see the spelling lessons? The breakfast made this morning? The next chapter of The Yearling read, the last child rocked early in the morning, the prayers whispered in the middle of the morning? I try in a week and a lot may get done, but the right things?

I think how I want a crumbless, smudgeless, spotless house, a house with empty laundry baskets, empty sinks, empty garbage cans, with floors like mirrors and mirrors like water, and a pantry lined neat like books in the study and pies lining the counter like sweet children all in a row…

I want things seen.

The seen things can be idols…

Too often, sadly, I want product, others to see product, so they can see: I have worth. Stinking idols…

Again, today, I must: Slay the idol of the seen…

I’ll whisper the mantra that orders all priorities:

“Unseen. Things Unseen. Invest in Things Unseen.”

~ 2 Cor. 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

READ THE WHOLE THING HERE ~Thank you, Ann!

My Greatest Blessings

It seems only appropriate after Mother’s Day to reflect on being a mother and where my blessings truly lie.

Spring flowers are beautiful but fading.

But these…

…oh these children!

How they make my heart ache with a love so deep

They are the balm over their own chaos!

Counting Blessings # 414 ~ 420

#414 ~  first born sons

#415 ~ a daughter growing into a lady

#416 ~  my tankster who is the biggest softie of them all

#417 ~  our fairy changeling

#418 ~  crabby abby

#419 ~  my breath of fresh air

#420 ~  homemade cards that will not be put out by the curb like Hallmark recyclables

Joining Ann @ A Holy Experience

My Mother’s Day Gift

Happy Mother’s Day!

The thoughtful gift from a husband who seeks family unity and longs to include me.

And it’s pink!!!

When Hobbies Meet

What happens when you mix your love of photography with your love of scrapbooking? A simple, yet beautiful Mother’s Day Card emerges. Beautiful.

When your day is spiraling out, chaos is pressing in, nothing has gone as planned and you feel defeated…

 ~ Feed Your Soul

…use your gifts and talents to bless another this Mother’s Day. My heart is right again.