The Marathon Weekend

We had a very busy Thanksgiving weekend, and though we are thankful to get back to ‘normal’ life, it was a delight to see so much family! It all started with Abigail’s birthday party, when my (Licia) family came for the day. Not only did we have a good time at the house with the children, but my mom, my sweet sister and myself all scurried out the door after the festivities and went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store – it was family day and almost all the clothes were half off! So, I completely switched out Andrew’s wardrobe, added a couple things to mine, and found a few more prizes for the birthday girl.

Thursday brought a morning full of preparing a few dishes to take to Andrew’s folks’ house for the big Turkey Day. Before we had our turkey dinner, Abbi had round two of her birthday gifts. As I said before, she received a pair of cowgirl boots (and a nice cowgirl outfit) but she also received a wonderful array of very crafty items that she has already tried her hand at – a little weaving set, beads to make necklaces, and some paint-your-own-ponies.

"Prizes for ME?!?!"

Cow Girl

Liamiah pushing Lilly

It wasn’t long until the majority of Andrew’s family started pouring in. Andrew is one of six children so now that they are all married there are twelve kids. Sarah, the oldest sister, waited a long time for Catherine (Kitty-Bob) the youngest; now both of them have four extra sisters – for better or for worse! In any event, we all have fun together. So, in the house for Thanksgiving Day there were nine grandchildren – 8 of which are age 5 or younger – and most of the twelve children. And, there was beloved GG: Great Grandma whose arms are always ready to hold any of her great grandchildren.

GG holding baby Lincoln

Andrew’s mom, Mary, did a wonderful job preparing ample amounts of tasty food – not only on Thanksgiving Day, but also on Friday and Saturday! Since most everyone was in from afar we made a weekend of it – lots of hunting, playing, watching mighty machine videos (and some girly tear-jerkers), playing with play dough, drawing, and good ol’ jibber-jabber. I’m sure the dishwasher paid for itself with all the dishes that were done! Mom did a great job of opening her house to all of us, making us all feel welcome. Thanks mom!

Lets see… Some highlights for our family were (1) Abbi’s boots, (2) Working in the Shop – our kids helped Andrew make a base for my piano table, (3) Tricks with Uncle Ben, (4) Story time with Aunt Sarah, (5) Play Dough – mom made a fresh batch on Saturday and I think it was played with almost all day, (6) an outing to Wegmans, (7) Sharing the fun toys that Grampa and Gramma have, (8) Seeing cousins, (9) Phin got to help cut up a deer, (10) Eating the deer meat that Phin got to help cut up… that is just a sample of the fun we got to have!

Now, believe it or not we didn’t get very many pictures. There were so many other cameras flashing all weekend that we didn’t really think to get ours out. But, we do have a fairly good shot of all the cousins lined up on the couch!

Lydia, Abbi, Angel and Ariel, Phin, Lincoln, Liam, Nathan, Micah

Phin and Lincoln

Hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving!

True Love

True Love is when we have baked potatoes for supper and the carpenter removes the potatoe skin from his potatoe, fills it with a generous portion of butter, seasons it with salt and pepper... then gives it to me - even though I already had one.

An Elegant Princess Is Now FIVE!

Wednesday, the 25th, was Abigail Dawn's birthday. She turned FIVE! I really can't believe it. 5 seems so... BIG! Four is, you know, just four! But five? Wow! My little girl is FIVE. And I've NEVER seen anyone so excited to have a birthday! We were planning for more than a week before the big day. Abigail knew exactly what she wanted to eat: Sticky buns (with pecans), bacon and eggs for breakfast; Pizza and salad for supper (pizza with pepperoni and olives and salad with little red round tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and the white dressing - poppy seed.) Oh - and she wanted an ice cream cake with a white snowman as decoration. And, she did NOT want to know even a hint of what prizes she was going to get. If Phinehas even began to mention something he wanted her to have she, with wide eyes and a very serious voice, would say, "Phin, don't tell me! Its supposed to be a surprise!"

Abbi's special day began with her FINALLY being able to wear her birthday skirt - as well as new leggings and a shirt AND a birthday crown of flowers.

When she was arrayed in all her five-year-old splendor, she and her Papa went on a date to Dunkin' Donuts. She wanted an iced mocha latte and a bagel (but ended up eating a gross donut). When they got back the table was all set up and we were waiting for our company. Since there was a little bit of a wait till they arrived, Andrew took the boys out to help clean up Abbi's big present - a bike (a hand-me-down from cousin Angel) Oh my! I wish I had a picture of her face as she was riding for the first time! Andrew was holding onto the back while she was peddling, as if in a dream - it is good Drew had a good hold on her; if he didn't, Abbi might have floated up to the clouds, bike and all!

Soon enough, the party company came for brunch - my parents and my sister and her family.

We all had a lot of fun eating yummy food and playing with the kids. Then Abbi opened her gifts. Goodness! I've never seen a child so thoroughly enjoy the process of peeling back the paper ever-so-slowly, then completely enjoying each present before moving on to the next one.

After gifts came cake! Andrew's mom divulged her secrets about how to make a very yummy frozen treat. It was a success!

For supper we had, of course, pizza! And salad. But the festivities were not yet over for the NEXT day Abbi had a whole new set of prizes from Andrew's family!!! Abigail hadn't been expecting anything so she was, as you can imagine, tickled! You'll get to see some of those pictures later. I do think Abbi's absolute favorite prize was the pair of cowgirl boots from Aunt Kitty and Uncle Kyle. She would have slept with them on, if we'd let her! Gone is our fairy princess, quickly replaced by the cowgirl queen from the wild west! How fun it is to have a girl!

Teaching By Example

My! I love my man!

In the early morning of each workday, I get to crawl out of our warm bed and tramp downstairs, all blurry eyed and dream filled. Hot coffee is waiting and, better yet, a warm ‘good morning’ embrace from the Carpenter.

My! I love that man!

He quietly readies himself for work and I quietly ready his lunch, trying to put in delightful treats that not only taste good but are also somewhat healthy. He is usually off 25 – 30 minutes later and I get to stand in the kitchen window watching him pull away. Each day my heart travels up the road with that man; he keeps it well.

My! I love that man!

When the kids get up an hour or so later, the first thing Phin asks is, “Where is Papa?”

“You know son.”

“At work in the city!”

Our children have, in their Papa, a wonderful example of a hard worker. Currently, we are working on teaching diligence to the children – that they may do a job efficiently and well. Actually, it seems like we’ve been working on this for a long while. Sometimes when Phinehas is unloading the dishwasher or sweeping under the table he’ll stop and, with his little chest all puffed out, say, “Am I a dil-i-gent worker, like my wonderful Papa? Am I doing a good job?” Often I can say, “Yes, son! You are doing a wonderful job! You’re growing to be an excellent worker, just like your Papa!” Sometimes I need to say, “Well… no not really. You’re just standing there talking about doing a good job. Hop to it and get working and when you’re done I’ll let you know if you did a diligent job or not.” He is learning, and it is a delight to see him progress (though, if I’m honest, I’d have to say that sometimes it tries my patience as it is a s-l-o-w process!)

Abigail has started doing the breakfast dishes by hand. Yes, we have a dishwasher, but the breakfast dishes are few and it is a good job for her. She is happily doing her job to be a blessing to Papa and to learn how to be a ‘good woman’ some day. When I compliment her, especially when I tell Andrew about her accomplishments, she glows from within! Yes, she is a wonderful helper to me, but I want to teach her how to be pleasing to her Papa – and one day, her husband. She is surely on the right path!

Speaking of Abigail, I now know how I sound when I sing. It isn’t as fair and as lovely as I had hoped! This past spring I had a very bad cough and it really messed up my throat (excuses, excuses!). Since then, I feel as though I cannot sing very loud, nor do I have any semblance of range (not that I had a good one, before!) Anyway, for those of you who know the song In Christ Alone, you may recall that there is a point that the melody jumps a little high: “… What heights of love, what depths of peace, when FEARS are stilled…” Well, when Abbi is singing she jumps about 3 octaves and screeches out the word “FEARS” in a backbone tingling, hair-standing-on-edge, eardrum-bursting squawk that makes me cringe. I want to stop my piano playing and tell her adamantly to stop goofing, each and every time! But, when I look at her little face I can see that she really isn’t trying to be funny! In my heart of hearts I know that she is, yet again, just emulating her mother… teaching by example.

Time to Stop...

This morning I was so blessed and amazed by my little girl – my little girl who is almost 5. As I was changing Lydia’s diaper in the bathroom, I heard the unmistakable *tink* of dishes being banged about. When I entered the kitchen, there was Abigail, with her wispy, bed-tussled hair and a sweet gentle smile on her rosy cheeks as she hummed quietly while emptying the dishwasher - of her own accord. What a source of joy she is to me! I wanted to gobble her up. But then, before the morning had passed, I found myself once more being utterly offended that AGAIN she was trouncing on and bullying her brother – especially when she was supposed to be doing a specific task! I was so frustrated and spoke more harshly than I should have, correcting her in anger rather than with calm justice. Why do I take simple childish things so personally? All I need to do is deal rightly with them as they come, rather than viewing each insurrection as a personal affront. Why is that so hard?

I don’t know. But I so want to change! I so want to have ‘the law of kindness on my lips.’ I so want to speak the truth in love – even and especially to my children! I so want healing to come from my mouth – not destruction. It so grieves me to hear the harshness of my voice echoing back to my burning ears. I wake every morning crying out again to the Lord to please, fill me, guide me, and help me to be swift to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Yet, when I stop… when I pause and wait for Him… He does answer! And when I think back on the past five years of my life as a mama I DO see the marks of His fingers on my heart. I see the places He has molded, shaped and formed. I can look back on my life and see a small part of the picture He is tirelessly weaving, the story He is daily unfolding. I am reminded of His patience, His kindness, His goodness towards me. I know that as I continue to yield to His guidance, His hand, and the challenges He brings me, He will change me so that I am daily being conformed to His image. I then remember that when I stop… when I pause and wait for Him, He is there! Always ready to guide! It is only when I rush heedlessly ahead that I end up tripping on the pitfalls.

So… time to slow down. Time to take a breath and lift my eyes up. Time to stop and listen to the chirp of the birds out back. Time to stop… and fully look at the 1,000^th picture that Abbi has drawn today. Time to stop… and hug little Liam who always says, “I love you” with a “BOO!” Time to stop… and admire the latest engineering marvel built by young master Phinehas. Time to stop… and smile at a Lilly and watch her face blossom and bloom before my eyes. Time to stop… and adore and be adored by the man that has been given to me, my best friend, my closest companion.

Our Phenomenon

Phinehas: What is a phenomenon?

Me: Something amazing.

Phinehas: Do you think I’m a phenomenon?

Me: Why?

Phinehas: Because I’m cool looking and handsome looking and I ride on a flying horse.

Me: Yes, son. You are definitely a phenomenon!

See the flying horse below, as well as Abbi's banister horse.

Late mornings - Ahhhh!

I didn't officially get out of bed til 7:30 this morning (save for the 30 minute semi-wakefulness when I was up to see the Carpenter off). Yes, you read it: 7:30. Granted, there were two little boys cuddling with me for the last 35-40 minutes, but I was still in bed, warm, cozy, and luxurious! I finally pulled myself from my nest in order to wake Lydia up so she could have her breakfast. Yes, I had to actually wake her up! She was totally in dream land!

And what did I gain from my luxury? Not much. Only momentary satisfaction. The laundry was late in getting started (oh, wait. That happens every day). My brain was late in waking up. And, I didn't end up making my bed til after lunch.

Was it worth it? Yeah.

At least I'm not going to be late in getting into bed tonight! Maybe I'll be back on track tomorrow...

Lost Little Lamby

While outside today, I told the children the following story:

Once upon a time there was a shepherd, a Good Shepherd, who took good care of his sheep. He led them to the greenest grass, the freshest water, through patches of the sweetest clover. When he would cry, “KieeeeYiiieeee KieeYieeYieeeee!!!” his sheep would spring up from wherever they were and run to answer his call. He carried a sling and a pouch with stones just in case a wolf or a bear or a ferocious lion would come, wanting to devour one of his helpless sheep. Each morning as he brought the sheep from the fold, he would count them: “1, 2, 3…97, 98, 99, 100.” When he reached the high pastures where the grass was greenest, he would count them: “…97, 98, 99, 100.” He would count them before he ate his lunch of bread and cheese and after he would count them after his lunch. He would count his sheep before he led them down the mountain and again as they filed into the fold at night. Then, he himself would lie down as the gate so that no enemy could get his precious sheep.

One evening as the sun was setting he was readying to lead his sheep down the mountain. “1, 2, 3, 4...97, 98, 99…” He started again, “1, 2, 3…97, 98, 99…” And once more, “…97, 98 ,99…” One was missing!

Now, what do you think he did? Did he think, “O well! I have the other 99. It is getting late. That naughty sheep shouldn’t have wandered off! Too bad for him! I’ll just go home, now, without him!”

(Both Abbi and Phin answered yes with a sad, resigned nod of the head.)

But, no! He didn’t! He left his 99 sheep and searched and searched for his lost lamby! He looked behind rocks and bushes, over the edges of cliffs, by the stream… everywhere he could! He looked and looked and listened and listened until, finally, he heard the soft bleating of a lost little lamby! Then, he went to it and picked it up and carried it back to the others, rejoicing!

What did this story lead to? Well, a lengthly time of playing Shepherd (or Shepherdess) and the lost little lamby. Either Abbi or Phin would take the curved stick that one of them found on some previous venture into the woods and be the Shepherd and the other would scamper away in search of a good place to hide. Then, the Shepherd would rise up and call to the lost little lamby. Well, Abbi would call.

Phin, when he was the Shepherd, would walk a few steps… then pause, looking around with his hunter eyes, searching, searching for his little sheep. Then he would run a few steps toward the gentle “baahh!” coming from Abbi’s hiding place. Abbi sure played the part of a weakened, scared little lamby.

When Abbi was the Shepherdess, she would immediately call out with her shrill, clear voice, “KieeeeYiiieeee KieeYieeYieeeee!!!” (but about 3 octaves higher than what I had done). She didn’t have to wait long to hear a VERY LOUD, “BBAAAHH!!!” coming from wherever Phin was hiding. Then she would rush over, face filled with care, ready to comfort the once-lost-now-found lamb.

I like this form of hide-and-seek - "Lost Little Lamby"! For some reason, the kids ‘get the point’ better than every time we’ve tried to play real hide-and-seek. They actually stay hidden until they are found!

How fun!

Play-dough, A Blanket, Sewing and the Proper Use of a Couch

A couple days ago, as we all excitedly ran to the door as Papa was pulling into the driveway, I found a package from an old friend of ours on the doorstep. In it was a lovely quilt, handmade especially for none other than Princess Lydia! So far she has had a few brief 'tummy times' on her new blanket (she doesn't like to be on her tummy), extended times of just layin' around grinning at her siblings, and one incident of spitting up on her lovely gift. Fortunately, Martha (the quilter) chose a selection of colors that are in no way diminished or marred by the distinct splat of milk-revisited. Here is the little Lilly, pretty in pink on her new blanket:

Speaking of handmade, Abigail has completed her first sewing project! She made a pillow for her little cousin, Ezibelle (who is just 4 weeks younger than Lydia - my sister's baby). Abbi cut the pieces, ironed them, pinned them and helped guide the cloth through the sewing machine. Then, she ironed and pinned some more, and finally stuffed the pillow to soft perfection! She wanted to try the pillow out for a couple of naps before giving it to Ezi (for Christmas), but I convinced her that we should keep it set aside so it stays very nice. She wasn't hard to convince!

And, I couldn't resist taking the following pictures so that all may see how to properly use a couch. I wish you could have heard the cacophony of squeals and giggles that were bouncing off the ceiling; fortunately, the children didn't fly that high, and there were no collisions!

Finally, here are some pictures of the children thoroughly enjoying their play-dough.

Out of the Abundance of the Heart...

This morning Abigail was singing another song from her heart, talking about 'Standing on the Rock' and 'loving Jesus' and 'Standing on the rock of His life.' Anyway, intermingled in there, she was singing 'Proverbs 16:1.'

"The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." - Proverbs 16:1

As I was thinking about all the times I've tried to get just the right words in order before talking or responding to Andrew about something, I realized how silly of me to have so frequently tried to make what is seen (or heard, in this case) be right while I've neglected my heart! Wow!

If I focus my energies on preparing my heart - laying it bear before the Lord, yielding to His washing and renewing of me, allowing His fruit of the Spirit to have fertile ground on which to grow, I won't need to worry about the actual words I say! The Lord will provide the proper words in the right time. So cool! So for me, and I give it to you, I have a focus shift. Lets spill our energies on preparing our heart to be soft, tender, filled with love and respect - then He will fill our tongues with kindness! [Proverbs 31:26]

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." - Matthew 12:34

Quote for the Day

Yesterday, while driving behind a dually truck:

"OOOHHH!!! That is a dually! Its sides are all puffed out just like a kitty's cheeks!" - Abigail Dawn

Well, I dare say! I never associated kitty cheeks with big trucks! Leave it to imaginative Abigail!

The Radiance of the Moon - the Glory of the Sun

5:30 am - This morning is mild. So mild that, after the Carpenter drove off, I wrapped up in a blanket, took my cup of warming coffee, snagged one of the kiddie-chairs and went to sit in the fading moon and starlight. It was so still. There was a steady breeze, cool, but without a chill. The stars were distant pin pricks of light, dimmed by the light of the moon as she raced to finish her journey across the sky unhindered, for once, by clouds.

The moon – the quiet light that illuminates the night; the quiet light that we would not see, save for her steady gaze at the sun.

If it wasn’t for the sun giving her his radiance, the moon would be dull and dead. The moon is the glory of the sun; when we see her, our thoughts can be rightly drawn to the ruler of the day without diminishing the beauty of the night-orb. The beauty of the moon can remind us of the sun as we eagerly await his dawning.

***

“…he [man] is the image and glory of God: but woman is the glory of man.” – 1 Corinthians 11:7

I want to be as the moon, ever reflecting the radiance of my lord and king – my husband. For though I have surrendered my life to the Lord and King, He has placed me beside this man that I may respect him, honor him, delight him, respond to him – just like the moon responds to the sun. When I stand beside my man, I want to joyously reflect the light and love that he shines on me; when we are apart and others see me, I want them to be able too see and recognize that I am well loved, well cared for, cherished and adored. I want my countenance to ever be lifted up, shining with Andrew’s light. God forbid that I try to shine on my own, separate and distinct from my man, for we are one; when I assert myself as my own I end up dividing what God has joined together – I am then out of order, standing alone and uncovered.

My relationship with my husband is supposed to be a representation of the relationship between Christ and His bride – what a sobering thought! Can you see Christ’s Bride questioning His decisions, His leadership, His way of doing things? No, this would not be right. Neither is it right for me to demand my own and assert my self. Can you see Christ’s Bride taking honor that belongs to the Lord and claiming it as hers? This too would be out of order. Can you see Christ’s Bride standing up and proclaiming that the light she shines with is from herself or because of her worth? No. When that happened, the Lord turned away from the Bride He had redeemed and left her to her own destruction. (See Ezekiel 16) Can you see the moon shining of her own accord, apart from her lord, the sun? No. And neither do I want to stand and shine apart from my beloved. I have tasted the goodness of this wondrous thing called marriage and never do I want to give it up!

***

The sky is beginning to glow. The Creator is dabbing His paintbrush in His wells of rose and tangerine and splashing the soft colors across the sky with broad strokes of His arm. The stars have faded behind the growing blue. But the moon, caught by her radiant lover, turns her pale face for one last kiss before she dips behind the solid hills.

Some Things Aren't Meant to Be Eaten

Such as Limburger Cheese.

Andrew brought some home. We looked up how it is 'supposed' to be eaten: on dark rye or pumpernickel bread, with mustard and sweet onion.

So, Andrew toasted the pumpernickel bread then opened the limburger package. Yep. It stinks. Andrew passed it around for all of us to smell - Abbi and Phin readily turned up their noses, but Liam smelled, and smelled, and smelled some more. And then, he ate it. Ugh. I think we need to have his nose checked.

A John Deere Shirt, A Birthday Skirt… and the Nemesis Struck Again

Well, I had been planning on writing to you about how I conquered the laundry and truly, I had good start this morning. However, it does absolutely NO GOOD to turn the washer on, add the soap, and then forget to put the clothes in. All you end up with is a nice, clean washer – and a big pile of laundry still remains. Oh, hum! But, I did have a good reason for being so air headed: I was making Abigail’s birthday skirt! I had intended to work on it secretly, but there really just isn’t ample time for that. So, I decided to tell her about it and give her something to look forward to, and my! Is she excited! At one point, having forgotten to iron a small section, I said, “O bother!” Abbi was suddenly still. With big, worried eyes she asked, “Do you need to call Nancy?” (My seamstress friend). Fortunately, if I stick to skirts, I should be OK.

However, this skirt DID require that I dust off my ol’ math brain! You see, Abbi wanted a long wrap skirt, “…so long that it touches the floor!” That would have been easy, if I had had fabric wide enough. But I didn’t, so I had to improvise. To make a long story short, I made a 5 panel skirt that is super cute AND it fits her, and should continue to do so for another year or more!!! (If you are at all interested in my rough formulations so you can make a simple 5 panel wrap skirt, let me know and I’ll try to type them out.)

So, what were the kids doing as I was sewing? Well, as usual, they colored for a while – Abbi a long while – and then Phin got out the roller-skates while Liam chased him around giggling. No, we had no casualties!

And, here are two pictures of Lydia in her John Deere shirt. Phinehas was quite proud of his sister, Liam kept pointing at her while saying, “BBBRRROOOOMM!!” and Abigail declared that now Lilly is ready to visit Auntie Mae and Joe at the horse barn… or their cousin Micah, who also loves John Deere things!

Our Overflowing Cup

Each of our days is full to the brim, overflowing, and spilling over – sometimes literally. We don’t have the full busyness that saps your strength and leaves you dragging. No, the fullness in our lives yields contentment, satisfaction, peace and a really good night’s sleep! Each day our cup holds something different, but each day is just as tasty. For example, Sunday we had hot cocoa; “Cocoa” is now Liam’s new favorite word. “Cocoa? Mama, cocoa?” is repeated with wide blue eyes while upholding his never-full-to-the-brim-lest-I-make-a-mess cup (that cuts down on the literally spilling over). We drank our luscious cocoa at Nonno and Mima’s house (my parents) while helping my Aunt Chris (Triss) move in. The kids played in the yard with their new sled – a prize from their plundering Aunt Chris’s things – and generally ran around like a bunch of Indians, scooping gravel from the driveway (much to my father’s frustration), thieving bacon and sausage (much to my mother’s delight – that’s why she made it, anyway!), and getting in everyone’s way at least once (without and casualties and with minimal grumblings). Then we came home and set up our Jungle.

Monday, our cup held cocoa again – but the kids weren’t fooled! It didn’t taste quite as good as Mima’s and it had a distinct bite to it that Phinehas immediately identified as cayenne. Regardless of their letdown, they still drank it up and asked for more. Surrounding our Monday cocoa were school projects, Lego construction, horse riding (now the kids have 2 hobble horses, thanks again to plundering Aunt Chris’s vast array of treasures), and some time spent in the great outdoors. While outside, we went up to the Ash Tree to check on the deer lollipop (salt lick) that Andrew bought last weekend. (Liam had carried it up there, holding it in a bear hug and licking it the whole way.) After checking – and NOT licking – the lollipop we sat down amongst the Hickory Trees to soak in the sun and listen to the song of the birds and the rustling of the squirrels. The quiet didn’t last long as MY squirrels started rustling in the fallen leaves. We looked at some of the leaves and discovered that they had veins, which led to me giving a dissertation on the pulmonary and circulatory systems… all in vein, I’m sure. (Haha.) We’ll surely need to review again some other time. The last dregs of the evening brought out Phin’s engineering capabilities as he built a castle for his Papa. Fortunately, Papa restrained the Ogre so the castle lasted til morning…

Tuesday Morning brought a cup full of hot cider – but only after MORE school projects. I can’t believe how long the kids will sit drawing, cutting, tracing, writing, etc. Even Liam! He makes these fantastic pictures of minute little oblong swirls of color surrounded by what he calls letters: “Aaaee!” “EEEEeee!” Those are his favorites. Phinehas amazed me as he traced the names of the seven different shapes that he had cut out yesterday. I couldn’t believe that he stuck with it to the end! Quite a feat for a 3 ½ year old – and a boy at that! Abigail did some copy work – rather quickly, I might add – then immediately turned the page and wrote and illustrated her first story. I only helped her with sounding out the words; usually she skips sounds when she spells by herself, so I helped her keep track of where she was:

After the projects were put away and the crayons, pencils and markers were gathered from the remote corners of the dinning area, we bundled up for a hike. Even Lydia came, carried in my carrier that was handmade by someone from the Hmong Tribe in Laos. A friend of mine sent it to me and it is the most comfortable (and easy) carrier I’ve used! Ah yes, back to the hike. We ventured into the upper field where we found ‘deer party central.’ There were deer trails and spots where bunches of the ‘walking stew’ had bedded down, weaving all across the field. It looked like aliens had landed and made a faltering attempt at crop circles! Well, the kids had so much fun that they asked for a picnic so we brought our lunch to the Cedar Tree, but we only lasted for half our lunch as the wind picked up and chased the sun behind some dark gray clouds. So we went in to fill our cups with hot cider to chase away the shivers.

Today’s cup was full of pine needle tea, banana bread baking, more school projects and more fun. Abigail wrote a song. Here are the words as she wrote them:

“GOD. I LOV HIM HE IS GRAT.

I LOVE HIM THE GOD OV GOD’S THE KING OV KING THE GOD.

HE IS MIN FORE EVR AND EVR. I LOVE HIM.

HE DIED ON THE CROS. THE CROS WUS HEVEE. HE FEL.

SEE THE LORDE. I LOVE HIM. SEE THE LORD.

GOD IS MI GOD. I WILL PRAS HIM FOREVR AND EVR.”

Pretty cool, eh?

We did have fun! And of course, to make sure I didn’t have too much enjoyment, the Nemesis (laundry) was lurking around the corner, mocking me as there were (and still are) innumerable piles of clothing in various stages of the laundry cycle: dirty-unsorted, dirty-sorted, wet-in-the-washer, dry-in-the-drier, clean-in-the-basket-unfolded, clean-in-the basket-just-folded, clean-in-the-basket-used-to-be-folded-but-she-didn’t-put-me-away… my cup overflows…

Our Own Little Jungle

Well, I'm going to try my hand at taking care of plants. I've always liked to think of myself as an adept gardner, but my past experiences have proven otherwise. On the other hand, my sister-in-law, Lacey, has to merely look at a plant in order for it to grow delightfully vibrant and huge. You should have seen the bouquets she would bring from her gardens this past summer! They were a feast for the eyes. And last winter she had a christmas cactus that was not only immense but absolutely bursting with flowers.

Today, my mother off-loaded some beautiful plants to me... and I'm going to try, try, try to water them regularly! Oh! I love plants, but I have always been so neglectful...

So, we had all these big, beautiful plants in the Suburban on the way home from my parents' house and the kids were THRILLED to be in a jungle. The whole way home they were pretending to be monkeys. At one point, I reached back to stabilize a tippy jade plant and Abbi peeked through the 'trees' and declared, "A TIGER!"

So, we'll see if this tiger can maintain her jungle. I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY going to water these... I promise...