Lest I Forget

Letting Go

2012-01-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

Last night, I made a big leap of faith. I let Anna spend the night at a friend's house. Her first sleepover, which is a big event in a little girl's life. But this mama hen has kept her chicks very close to her since losing Ben. Sure Sophie has been away at college, but she is 19 and it is time for her to test her wings. It is different with the little ones. Especially Anna. I feel this need to keep her closer. Call it a mama's intuition. She is still there, probably having the best of times, while the mama waits, trusting that all is well.

Some thoughts and news on this Monday

2012-01-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

As I wait for Olivia to return from DC after joining in the March for Life today, I thought I'd take a moment to write some thoughts down. First of all, I am so proud of my teenage daughters who fully embrace their faith and are as horrified at the idea of abortion as I am. It literally leaves a sick feeling in my stomach and an ache in my heart when I think about all those babies. Both of my older girls have attended the March for Life several times. One day, I hope to have the chance to be there too.

Sophie did not go this year, but she had a good excuse. She is out of the country. A little over a week ago, we loaded up in the van and drove her to the airport to start the adventure of a lifetime. She will be studying in Austria this semester. It is still so odd to think about how far away she really is. I was grateful for the distraction of keeping up with three little ones in an international airport to keep me from completely losing it. It was still more than heart-rending to watch her turn and go through that gate all by herself.

Remember that little announcement about how the Army thought Alaska should be our next duty station? Well, I have some exciting news. Some very nice person infomed us that there is such a thing as senior-year stabilization for families whose children are wanting to finish high school at their current school. We applied for and were granted said stabilization! That means that we can remain here until mid 2013! I tell you I am fervently praying that Alaska does not still need a tuba player then.

I am also glad that our assignment has been postponed because it would have been very interesting travelling all the way to Alaska with a newborn. I have been both excited and nervous to share this news with you. I think once you have a miscarriage it is always scary announcing a new baby. However, I am hoping that all of you will pray for this new little one along with me.

Here is Jack's idea of what is going on in my tummy: (the circle is my stomach and that is the baby)

Here is what we saw 2 weeks ago:

Baby number 7 is due mid August!

Daybook

2012-01-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

Outside my window...

...deceptively beautiful. The sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant, cloudless blue. It seems to be calling me. But, oh, how cold it really is! I will keep on looking at this pretty scene from inside the house.

I am thinking...
...about so many things! I am thinking about organizing the house. I am thinking about decluttering. I am thinking about a good deep cleaning of the entire house. I am thinking, but I haven't found a time put to all these thoughts into actions.

I am thankful for....
...a warm house
...kids who do their schoolwork without complaining (at least today anyway)
...Therese's naptime

From the lesson plans...
...we were behind where I wanted to be, but the kids have done wonderfully this week and we are catching up!

From the kitchen...
...a new pizza crust recipe for tonight. My new Better Homes and Gardens said right on the front "Artisan Pizza at home", so here's hoping! I already made the dough and it is resting in the fridge until this afternoon.

...less meat! This week's menu had three meatless meals. I made black bean burgers the other night, with little hope of my husband liking the meal. But they were a success! Everyone loved them.

I am wearing...
...blue jeans, a green v-neck sweater, socks and slippers. I just cannot seem to keep my toes warm.

I am creating...
...a dishcloth, maybe for myself, maybe not. I'll see if I feel inspired to gift this one.

...I am in between knitting projects at the moment. Unfortunately, I think I may have done in all the knitted diaper covers for Therese. I used Woolite to wash them and now, even with freshly lanolizing them, they are leaking terribly. I will probably try to wash them once more in a different soap and lanolize again before I start making lots of covers!

I am reading...
..."The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese and "First Comes Love" by Scott Hahn. I read both in little snippets.

I am hoping...
...to be more productive around the house.

I am hearing...
...Jack and Anna painting with her new paints from Christmas for "art". That is why I am actually getting a post written!

Around the house...
...all those things I am thinking about need to get started!

I am going...
...to the post office today to mail a special package for a special little someone if I can muster up the courage to brave the cold!

One of my favorite things...
...Therese doing her "funny" walks. She likes to make us laugh by walking in crazy ways.

I am praying for...
...all those on my special intention list

...my mother-in-law

...a special private intention

Plans for the rest of the week...
...homeschool co-op tomorrow and dinner with friends this weekend.

***edited to add***

As soon as I hit publish, a sheepish Anna slinked up to me and informed me of a little accident with the paint...

This is why I don't have time for organizing and such. I am kept busy throughout the day taking care of the little messes!

Yarn Along

2012-01-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

Joining Ginny again for a yarn along post.

This little guy was a stocking stuffer for Jack this year. Sophie and Anna received neck warmers and Olivia finally had 2 fingerless gloves! The minion was a huge success. He may need his arms reattached soon, as he is twirled by the arms a lot. Notice the one on the right is already looking iffy. His shoes have gotten a little fuzzy too. I guess that just shows all the love he gets. The new technique I learned was duplicate stitching. The band for his goggles is done with this technique. I had to do it backwards from the tutorial since I am a lefty and you are using a darning needle. Other than that, he was extremely quick to knit.

In other knitting news, I seem to be on a destructive streak. I broke a second needle while making another gift for a friend. I haven't sent it yet, so no picture this week. Anyway, I picked up the project one evening to discover that the kids must have dropped something heavy on it, because my needle was broken right where it joins the metal part that screws into the cable. (It was a harmony interchangable needle.) Some wood glue and 24 hours of drying time seem to have done the trick, thank goodness.

As for reading, I am not getting much reading time in lately. I am so tired in the evenings that I have been falling asleep at the same time as the kids. I am reading "The Long Winter" to Anna and Jack. It is making me very grateful for a climate controlled house! Brrrrr!

He's five!

2012-01-11T21:22:00.001-05:00

Planning a birthday party right after Christmas can prove to be challenging. We only had a few days to come up with an idea after returning from Tennessee. Jack and I browsed the internet looking at "birthday party themes for boys". There were so many clever ideas, but we were short on time and most of them started out by stating that you should allow yourself 4 weeks to pull these parties together! Yikes! Then we saw one where the fire department actually came to their house. Jack was hooked. I called our local fire department and they do not do that, but they said we were welcome to come take a tour of the fire station. We called his friends and planned for Saturday afternoon. They did warn us that it would be cut short if they happened to get a call.

We started out seeing where they ate, slept, and gathered before heading out to see the engines. Just as the firefighters started telling the kids about the engine, the alert sounded and they were called to help someone who was unconscious. The firefighters said that the call would be a short one and we could wait. So, we watched them jump in the truck, put on the sirens and pull out of the station! Pretty impressive.

While waiting for their return, the kids did what they always do when playing at our house. They all jumped in the back of Tony's truck. I personally do not see what is so much fun about this, but I guess you have to be a kid to understand.

As promised, 15 minutes later they pulled back into the station. The kids were all over the fire engine and the firefighters answered all their questions.

They all took turns sitting behind the wheel.

Oh, was he ever happy!

Jack and his friend Cort

Even at a firefighter party, the girls outnumbered the boys!

Then the ambulance returned to the station.

We got to learn all about the ambulance too.

Finally, we returned home to have some homemade angel food birthday cake and ice cream for those who can have dairy, 'cause what's a party without cake AND ice cream? I'd say Jack's fifth birthday came together splendidly.

The Oldest and the Youngest

2012-01-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

I didn't take many pictures at my mom's house. In fact, these are the only ones I took, and it was at the request of my grandmother. She asked if I would take some pictures of the "oldest" with the "youngest". I was more than happy to oblige. Therese and Jack both love their great-grandmother with such a sweet love. They are drawn to her when she walks in the door. They run to her with smiles of joy and hug her tight.

And she loves them right back. The smile on Grams' face when they come to her lights up my heart.

When I was little, I would stay with Grams and Grandad for several days by myself each summer. It was such a treat to have them all to myself. Their house did not have many toys, but I never lacked for things to do. My grandmother and I would practice cross-stitching, or dress up, or go through her jewelry box and try on all the pretty things. My grandad made the best gadgets and told the funniest jokes and would carve little trinkets out of walnuts.

These two ladies are very special to me. I am glad they are forming their own special bond.

99 years separate them, the oldest and the youngest.

Dinnertime

2012-01-03T19:44:00.001-05:00

Tonight I made another great dish that took very little tweaking to make it dairy free for the kids. I found the recipe on foodgawker. I hope you have taken my advice and have checked out this website. You will not be disappointed. The recipe is called Mushroom Barley Risotto.

My husband's quote of the evening: "Something with a name that bad should not taste this good."

Instead of veggie broth, I used my homemade turkey stock. There is a tablespoon of butter and some parmesan cheese that are added right at the end. So, before I do that, I get a small serving bowl and put enough in it for Jack and Therese. Then I add the butter to our serving bowl. The cheese gets its own little bowl and we can sprinkle our own, except for Anna who needs moderation in all things cheese. I have to keep the cheese dish on the opposite end of the table from her or she would sneak it all through the meal. Therese had thirds tonight. She kept signing "more". The only person who is not a fan of this dish is Olivia, my mushroom hater. But she picks out the mushrooms and says it tastes great after that.

The talk around the table this evening was mostly about what Sophie still needs before she leaves for Austria in a mere 10 days. She has to figure out how to pack all she needs for a semester into 2 suitcases and keep it under 40 pounds each. They do not assign roommates until they arrive and she is nervous. Then there is the whole voltage difference and how to deal with that. I have enjoyed having my whole family together through the holidays. Tomorrow Olivia returns to school and I guess that is officially the end of our time together as a complete family.

Hello

2011-12-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

We just got back from visiting my family last night. It was wonderful.

I'm popping in briefly to say that I hope everyone had the merriest Christmas and wondering what this weekend holds! How will you ring in the new year? I am asking because I need ideas.

Yarn Along- So Close and Yet...

2011-12-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

Excited that I could possibly finish Olivia's pair of fingerless gloves this past weekend, I left my knitting on the couch, which in hindsight was not the best idea. Therese, being 15 months old, thought it looked awfully interesting and started to play with my knitting. Quickly, I grabbed up the glove and yarn and moved it on top of the mantle. Later that night, I put on the fireplace, got all cozy in my favorite chair and prepared to finish the last few rows. Only the fifth needle was missing. Guessing that it fell between the couch cushions, yet not wanting to leave my cozy spot, I asked Olivia to check. She triumphantly lifted half of a needle in the air as I heard a tiny cracking sound. The other end had caught in the fabric and it snapped right in half!

I am awaiting a replacement set of needles from Knitpicks. Meanwhile, I made a little something for someone's stocking. Sometimes she reads over my shoulder while I am typing, so that is all I can reveal for now.

My reading these days? "Destination: Bethlehem". Anna and I are loving it. Jack, not as much.

Thanks to Ginny, for being the host of this yarn along.

A Not So Normal Morning

2011-12-13T13:43:00.000-05:00

This morning started out like any other. Tousle-headed and in great need of a haircut, Jack shuffled into our room just as I was waking up. I had been hearing Olivia getting ready for a while, but laid there for a little bit, asking for God's guidance this day and relishing the warmth of the blankets. I took Jack's hand and we walked down the steps together to the kitchen and each had a glass of orange juice. From above came the coos and giggles of Therese in her crib. Those are some of the sweetest sounds, by the way. I peeked in her room and saw her sticking her foot out between the slats of the crib. I snuck in and tickled those little toes. She gave me a big grin and I scooped her up and hugged her tight. Back down the steps we went and looked at books while she sat on her potty. No success in that department, I put a nice fresh diaper on her and went to the kitchen again to start breakfast. Anna wandered in about this time. After I got them all fed, I sat down to check my e-mail.

The normal squeals and laughter of morning play were in the background. I took a sip of coffee. Then I heard many things falling. Jack cried out, "Oh Mama, I hurt my head!" I walked into the foyer to survey the scene. He had been wiping the "fog" off the storm door and had gotten as high as he could reach. Wanting to reach higher, he pulled over his Tonka dump truck and stood in it. It did not stand still and he fell back on his head on the marble floor. I gave him an ice pack and he seemed fine. Thirty minutes had passed when he came to me and said his eyes hurt. Slightly concerned, I looked at his eyes and one pupil seemed a little larger. I called a neighbor to see if she could watch the other children and got them dressed all the while praying under my breath. We drove to the ER and before I could even get us signed in, Jack started vomiting. Overly concerned, I prayed even more fervently as I sat there, holding Jack and stroking his hair and comforting him. A CT scan revealed that there were no fractures, bleeding, or swelling, praise the Lord.

We are home now, nursing a concussion, resting and not standing on anything that has wheels.

Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-12-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, I first heard the story of Juan Diego and how Our Lady appeared to him. Ever since, I have had a special place in my heart for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her image is so beautiful, so serene and gentle.

Today, along with two other families, we celebrated her feast day. I found all the ideas for our tea here. We began our morning with a reading of this book. It was so nice to have the kids all gathered together, while I sat in the cozy chair and read the story. I will admit it is very hard to read upside down! How else can the children all see the pictures though?

Then we moved into the kitchen to have our tea. The kids all loved the sombreros. OK, so this might be a stretch, but they were gobbled up and more were made! The ham roses in the tortilla 'tilma' was so cute. I was amazed that most of the kids actually drank tea! Only the littlest ones had apple juice.

Our 'sombreros'.

Pringles and string cheese.

The table as I was preparing for our tea.

Tortilla 'tilmas'.

'Roses' made from ham slices.

I put a few in each 'tilma' for each kid to find.

After the tea, we moved onto the craft table, where we made paper roses. I should have realized that we only have a couple pair of scissors and had eight kids. I had originally thought the kids would cut their own petals. We quickly made an assembly line to fold and cut petals for our roses.

Some roses

Scattered petals

Working diligently.

It was a lovely day. Happy Feast Day!

Welcome to my crazy cooking for kids with allergies

2011-12-07T19:49:00.001-05:00

If I had any talent as a blogger, I would set up 2 columns, side by side so you could easily see how I make changes to our recipes, to accommodate two people who are dairy and soy intolerant. Jack is almost 5 now, and can tolerate some dairy, just not every day, and it is best if it is baked into something and not straight up dairy. Therese, who is 15 months, is still much more sensitive, and I have to be very careful.

I found a recipe on foodgawker a while back that looked yummy, but was filled with forbidden ingredients, so I kept putting off making it, till tonight. It was easy to fix and the results were most delicious. I will note that I doubled the ingredients since this said it only served 2, and made some collard greens as a side.

Sweet Corn, Bacon & Tomato Tart

Crust

2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
4T. cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1T. + 1t (or more) cold water

[Here I made a batch of my biscuit dough instead. The ingredients are simply: 1 cup white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. baking powder, 3/4 cup rice milk, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Tonight I tossed in some flax meal for good measure.]

Filling

2 slices bacon, chopped [ok, so maybe I more than doubled the bacon! I think I used 5 slices.]
raw kernels from 2 ears of corn [I used one 16 oz. package of frozen corn]
1/4 cup chopped red onion [I used half of a large vidalia]
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped [I used my remaining tomatoes from the garden, which came to roughly 2 cups]
1 large egg
2 T. cream + extra for brushing on crust [2 eggs and 4 T. rice milk and none was brushed on crust]
2 oz. grated sharp cheddar [omitted altogether, though I had shredded cheese available in a bowl on the table for those who really wanted it.]

Making the crust: Place the flour and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add water and pulse. Squeeze the dough to see if it comes together, if its still dry add another 1 tsp. Flatten the dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1/2 hour. [ I combined all biscuit ingredients and let rest while I picked up Olivia from school. Then I coated my hands with oil and pressed the dough into a 9 inch pie plate.]

Making the filling: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat starts to render. Stir in the corn, onion and jalapeno. Cook until the bacon is starting to crisp and the onion is translucent. Let cool a litte.

Whisk the egg and cream together. Stir in the cheddar. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. [Here I obviously left out the cheese and added the rice milk instead. Also, I am much less generous with salt than most people. When we eat out, I am always SO thirsty the rest of the evening! I am assuming it is the amount of salt.]

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a 6" pie plate with butter. Roll the dough out to about a 12" circle. Fit into the pie plate folding over the edge of the crust to make an edge. Mix the tomato into the corn mixture then pour into the crust. Pour the egg mixture over the top then press down with a spoon to help work through a little. Brush the crust with some cream. [Bigger pie plate. No butter. Did not brush the crust.]

Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is firm and the crust is golden brown. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

So there you can see that it is not so hard to cook around allergies! It only took me 4 years to get the hang of it!

Yarn Along

2011-11-30T14:41:00.001-05:00

For once, there are multiple projects on my needles. The sock yarn was calling to me when I saw it in the store. I still am not sure I am using it for its intended purpose, but we shall see. I am trying to make a scarf, but it is rolling something awful and I don't have much hope that blocking will tame it.

Olivia's second glove is taking shape and none too soon, for those last glorious warm days have disappeared until spring, I'm afraid.

I finished "I Capture the Castle" at lunch today, and oh how I will miss Cassandra!

I am reading "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" to the kids. I can't help but recall my local theatre's rendition of this when 'local' meant Manchester, Tennessee.

Thank you Ginny for hosting, as always!

Novena to the Immaculate Conception

2011-11-29T15:20:00.001-05:00

What better way to begin this Advent season than to begin a novena to Mary as the Immaculate Conception?

Join me and many others, won't you?

Boy, did you notice I am full of questions today?

Here is the link to follow:

http://www.praymorenovenas.com/

Oh what fun it is to ride in a go cart

2011-11-26T19:59:00.001-05:00

Our time with Sophie home was all too short. She and Tony are on their way back to college, stopping in to check on my mother-in-law tonight. Before they left, we headed over to Fort Eustis to have a little fun. The weather was gorgeous. There was a miniature golf course, go-carts, and a batting cage. I thought for sure that Jack would want to ride the go-carts, but he said he only wanted to play golf. We did not know until we arrived that they only accept cash. While we were discussing who was going to go to get some cash, the employee on duty asked if we were only golfing. We were. He then let us play for free! The kids ran to the shed where the supplies were kept, most excited to start playing.

score keeper

I believe that was about 20 strokes!

Can you tell I am having fun with the manual setting?

It was time to leave when Jack changed his mind about the go-carts. Anna wanted to try it too. Even though it was $6 per cart, they let us use two since $6 was just about all I could scrape together out of the bottom of my purse! Oh my! I forget how competitive my husband can get. His cart was slower than Sophie's, so he got creative on how to catch up with her. Let's just say that the old Army adage, "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'" was his motto today. He didn't exactly stick to the course and dirt was flying.

Safety first.

straightening the curves

cutting his own daughter off at the pass

I love how Jack appears to be holding on for dear life to his helmet.

A spin out on the track

If you can't read the back of the cars, it says "No Bumping".

That was one rule that got bent a little.

What a long strange trip it was

2011-11-24T10:45:00.001-05:00

In preparation to celebrate Thanksgiving, I travelled to Steubenville, Ohio to pick up my college girl. She usually is able to find a ride home, but not this time. Hindsight being what it is, I should have bought her a plane ticket. Still, I am thankful for a safe journey there and back and all the stuff in between.

Back in September, I told you my grandmother turned 100 years old. What I did not mention is that my other grandmother is 97. She lives in West Virginia and it was only a slight detour to go see her. We got a nice early start Tuesday morning, me and the three littlest kids. Tony had to work and Olivia had school. So I plugged Nana's address in the GPS, filled the tank with gas, and we were off.

As we neared the town of Front Royal, a warning bell sounded and all the lights on the dash went out. They came back on but were flickering. Thankful that we were near a largish town, I pulled off the highway to see Wal-Mart's automotive sign from the road. I pulled in and asked if they could help. They could not, but the nice man gave me hand-written directions to the Chrysler dealership down the road. I got there and they took my van immediately and led us to the waiting area. There were more toys there than in my kid's room! They had a blast and were able to run around while I waited for the diagnosis of my van. Turns out my one year old battery had a bad cell. I asked if they could give me directions to the auto parts store where I had bought the battery, since it was under warranty. They printed out directions and I paid them for their trouble and was on my way to getting back on the road. The auto store was just as friendly and quickly exchanged the bad battery for a new one.

Two hours behind schedule, we headed out onto the back roads of West Virginia. It is such beautiful land. Mountains, valleys, creeks rambling everywhere, and so many beautiful old homes, many of them log cabins. As I pulled onto my Grandmother's street and saw her house sitting so stately at the end of the road, I teared up. It had been 4 years since I had been there. Too long, I tell you. I stepped inside and was flooded with wonderful, happy memories. Doesn't my grandmother look absolutely wonerful at 97?

I spent many an afternoon warming my can on that radiator after playing outside with my sisters, climbing and walking along the fence top, hanging out in the treehouse, exploring the barn, feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs.

We could only stay a short while, since we still had three hours ahead of us to get to Sophie. I am so grateful that we were able to see my Nana.

After spending the night in Steubenville, we got back in the car to head home and start cooking for Thanksgiving. I wish that I could have captured the scenery better, but just trust me when I say that I now know why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains. The colors were so remarkable and vivid.

And then we came to this...

...and we spent the next four hours getting through Washington. I decided to stop for dinner once we had navigated through the worst of it. We had planned on being home in time for dinner, but it was clear that was not to be. The kids begged for those golden arches, so I pulled in. We ordered the food, sat down, said our blessing, and Anna took one bite and looked at me with panic in her eyes. I jumped up, ushered her outside, and held her hair as she emptied her stomach in the parking lot. Oh, poor Anna! I am grateful that this did not happen in the car, or the restaurant. I got her cleaned up and Sophie took care of the other kids. I am thankful that I had Sophie to help me. Three hours later, we pulled in the driveway and I don't think I have ever been so thankful to be home!

This morning, Anna is feeling better, and I have been cooking in preparation for a shared Thanksgiving dinner with another family. We were supposed to go to Tony's mother's house like we always do. But yesterday, as I was driving, my mother-in-law was in surgery, having the cancerous portion of her lung removed. We have known for a few weeks now, but until she went into surgery we could not know the extent to which the cancer had invaded her body. Thankfully, it has not spread to the lymph nodes, which was suspected. However, it has spread to one of her ribs. They could not remove that, so she will have to recover from surgery and then face radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Please pray for my mother-in-law as she recovers from surgery and regains strength to undergo the next part of her treatment.

May you all have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving today.

playing with my camera

2011-11-20T20:00:00.001-05:00

This afternoon, instead of doing what I should have been doing, I pulled out my camera to capture the fun my kids were having. The weather was an amazing 73 degrees! I know it won't last, so I snatched up the chance for some photos.

I will say this: I know nothing about photography. I wish I did. I love taking pictures and looking at pictures. There is something so wonderful about capturing a moment just as you see it. So, mustering up some courage, I moved the little dial thingy from "auto" to "manual" and started shooting and changing settings.

This was on the auto setting. The colors were washed out and dull.

Still on auto setting. Dull, dull, dull.

Look at the difference! I can't tell you what I set it to. I just moved the dial until it looked like what I saw with my eyes.

Then I accidentally found this!

I took about 50 pictures just so I could get one this good.
I love this one so much.

Back inside, I experimented some more.

Dinner before it went in the oven to be roasted.

Back on auto setting. Too yellow.

Manual setting, much truer to the colors in my kitchen. No flash, even though it was dark outside.

Until I can afford a more professional camera, I will practice with my point and shoot and hopefully learn a little along the way!

Wedding Day

2011-11-19T18:48:00.001-05:00

We attended a wedding today. I just love weddings. Tony always whispers his vows again in my ear when the groom says his. He gets very romantic at weddings.

At the reception, Jack was hungry. Hungry for cake, not the food. I told him that he had to wait for the bride and groom to cut the cake. To which he replied, "That's OK, I've got a knife. I can cut it myself." I tried to explain that it is a tradition for the couple to cut the cake together and then everyone can have a piece. He then said, "Then why did they give me a knife?" I knew at that moment that it was going to be an interesting evening!

Oh, I almost forgot! Anna was the flower girl. She loved getting her hair curled, her nails painted, the fancy dress, a kiss of lip gloss, tossing the flower petals....she loved it all!

Yarn Along

2011-11-16T19:09:00.001-05:00

One trip to the craft store and $10 dollars lighter, I returned home with some new yarn and many project ideas. A dear friend has recently started her own baking business and asked if I might want to make some dish clothes for her shop. This is my first attempt. I have seen many "owl" projects out there and really wanted to try my hand at making a cute little owl. I am really happy with the result.

A skein of a soft, chunky weight yarn in a creamy shade was bought for a dual purpose. I am making one more hat for the little one with cancer. It should keep her little head very warm as the weather becomes cold. When I am finished with the hat, Anna will receive the rest of that yarn to add on to her scarf. I also bought some self-striping sock yarn. I am not sure what it will become, but it is fun deciding.

I am still reading "I Capture the Castle". Slowly, very slowly.

Thanks, Ginny, for hosting.

Adventures in Toddlerhood

2011-11-14T19:59:00.001-05:00

Who says silverware is necessary?

The one-hand approach

The two-hand bowl hold

Hmm.

The concerted effort

The slurp

The lip

"I think I lost one up here somewhere"

"That was fun!"

Confessions of a tired mama

2011-11-11T18:44:00.001-05:00

I think everyone knows by now that I strive to cook good, healthy food for my family. It is how I show my love, OK?

So how did I go from this:

homemade apple cinnamon pop-tarts

(which tasted just like apple pie)

(which made my husband suggest ice-cream for breakfast)

To this:

beanies and weinies fresh out of a can.

(we went to co-op today)

(I taught eight piano lessons)

(Tony is working tonight)

When the kids saw what was in the pot....

...this was the unanimous reaction!

Daybook

2011-11-10T07:09:00.000-05:00

Outside my window...

...a gray morning is dawning. The sky is a solid gray with the very edge of the horizon taking on a pinkish hue, giving me hope of sunshine later on. The colors of the trees, though, are stunning. The reds, yellows, and browns all jumbled together against that gray sky are such a stark contrast.

I am thinking...

...that I need to get up earlier than the kids more often. It is so quiet!

I am thankful for....

...my faith.

...my little family.

...soft yarn and knitting needles and a fire in the fireplace.

From the lesson plans...

...week number 9 is just about over. We checked out books about Thanksgiving and South America this week at the library. Anna and I decided to pick a saint and ask for their intercession as she prepares for her First Holy Communion. She chose St. Bernadette. I would welcome any suggestions on getting to know our saint better!

From the kitchen...

...enjoying the pumpkin butter I made yesterday on some toast this morning. I followed the recipe this time, but if I make it again, I would cut way back on the amount of ginger. Too much for me, I'm afraid.

I am wearing...

...the pajamas my family bought me last Christmas and my very old, well-worn slippers. They still keep my toes nice and warm.

I am creating...

...the second glove for Olivia, some crocheted flowers for a friend, another chemo hat.

I am reading...

..."I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith.

I am hoping...

...to make it to daily Mass this morning. I need to stop in the Church office and make sure that they are fine with me handling Anna's First Communion preparations at home.

I am hearing...

...the hum of the gas fireplace and nothing else. It is so quiet this morning.

Around the house...

...laundry and schoolwork. Of course, that is what I do every day, it seems!

I am going...

...to see my husband's family this weekend. Several family members who live far away are coming for a visit.

One of my favorite things...

...the aroma from the cabinet that holds all my coffee and tea things. It is heavenly, I tell you.

I am praying for...

...two very special intentions, and my mother-in-law.

Plans for the rest of the week...

...homeschool co-op tomorrow, and give the house a much needed cleaning on Saturday.

Quote of the Day...

..."Every family, even the weakest and most suffering family, is called to greatness. And it can come to greatness, for it is meant to be, and can be, caught into the great Family of God Himself, Who is the source and joy of greatness for all." -Ronald D. Lawler, O.F.M. Cap.

Yarn Along- for charity

2011-11-09T16:57:00.000-05:00

This week has seen me knitting a chemo cap for a 2 year old little girl that I have never met and probably never will. She is the niece of a friend of mine and she lives far from here. But I felt honored when my friend asked me to knit a couple of hats for her niece.

I used Therese as a model, and since she has a slightly larger head than most one year olds I figured if it fits her, it would surely fit this little one in need.

I've had this yarn sitting in my stash for years, never knowing what project it was destined for.

I hope that she likes it.

I just started reading "I Capture the Castle", by Dodie Smith.

Go on over and visit Ginny, our host.

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

With the threat of rain in the forecast, we headed out to collect our sugary booty a little earlier than usual. Which was good, because the "scary" houses were not nearly so frightening. Jack came bounding back to me, exclaiming "That wasn't scary at all!"

Anna, who was Rapunzel, told her friend "Cinderella", while they were crossing a street, "Ladies don't run, they walk." And so they walked, elegantly, hand in hand across the street. Therese didn't really understand what we were doing, but she loved it because she loves being outside. During the day, she stares longingly out the window while her mean mom makes the other kids do schoolwork.

Meet Jack the Construction Worker. The orange vest was sewn in a couple of hours with only minor adjustments needing to be made. The flannel shirt was a $2 find at Goodwill. The rest we already owned!

Next up: Rapunzel. My mom bought her the costume for her birthday. She decided to keep it perfect for Halloween and hung it up in her closet. Her birthday is in August, by the way. I found the golden yarn at the fabric store when I bought the orange fabric for Jack's vest. The yarn was such an interesting texture. Almost like it was hand-spun. I called my crafty sister about how to construct a wig and she came through for me yet again.

I made the bag Jack is holding out of felt many years ago. Each child has their own bag.

Therese had no say in what she wore. The black cat costume was Anna's. I know the ears are actually bear ears. I still think she is a cute kitty cat. She did not like having whiskers drawn on her face, which is why they look like they do. I think you can actually still see a tear in her eye. You can also see the sewing machine on the classroom table for those last minute costume fixes.

My tip of the day? If you don't want a 1 year old to break off a pencil lead inside the steam holes of the iron, put it away immediately!

It was a wonderful evening.

One more reason I want to get rid of the television

2011-10-31T08:56:00.000-04:00

Let me start by stating that until we moved to Virginia three years ago, we did not have cable. We relied on an antenna to provide us with the local channels for news and weather alerts, and the children watched only videos that we bought or rented. I was happy with this arrangement, but my sports loving husband was not. Growing up, Sunday afternoon was spent with his family and neighbors gathered together, rooting for the home team. These are very good memories for him. So...when we moved here, the bundle package of cable, phone and internet was so reasonably priced that I caved. Oh, how I wish there was a way to give my husband his sports another way!

This weekend, we used the "on demand" feature to let the kids watch a program while I prepared dinner. They found one of the Pixar short films that appear before the full-length movies. It was "Knick Knack", which I remembered I liked for the Bobby McFarren music and cute little characters. I can't tell you who altered this film, but it was altered all right! The sunbather and the mermaid had been "augmented". They no longer were cute, they were downright vulgar! We dug through our DVD's to make sure we were right. My kids saw something I did not wish them to see. I cannot change that.

Did Disney make a second, 'R' rated version of this film? Where did the cable company get this version? Why was it made available as a family film? I do not know the answers, yet I do know that I feel violated.

Yarn Along

2011-10-26T08:23:00.000-04:00

Life feels just like this picture right now: moving so fast that it is a blur! I expect nothing less from my little firecracker, but my days seem to blow through here barely giving me a chance to catch my breath before the next one arrives.

I am very happy with how the longies turned out! I am still reading O Pioneers.

Go visit Ginny, our host.

Pray with me?

2011-10-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

I believe it was Barbara over at Praying for Grace that led me to this wonderful site. I will be praying for two very personal, and seemingly impossible intentions for the next nine days. I find it so lovely to be praying along with others. Don't we all have some cross in our lives that feels impossible to carry? Or maybe your heart is heavy because a loved one is suffering. Not only is prayer very powerful, but I always find a calmness comes over me when I turn to our Lord with my pleadings. Won't you consider joining me?

Sunday Afternoon under the Tree

2011-10-16T20:56:00.000-04:00

You know, in the rush to get from here to there, one oftentimes misses the beauty all around them. Sometimes you need to read blogs to have your eyes opened! Who would have ever guessed that this remarkable tree was literally in my backyard? OK, so maybe not in my yard, but less than 10 minutes from my yard. After Mass, I looked hopefully at Tony and asked if we could stop and see the tree, knowing that the Lions were playing today. He gave his consent and off we went. It was truly a lovely afternoon.

If I knew how to make this a banner at the top of my blog, I would!

Such a sweet moment.

Father and Son

Momma and her girls (some of them, anyway!)

This is my favorite picture of the day.

"Mama! I found a double acorn!"

What's a photo shoot without some moose-ears?

Listening to the game.

In an attempt to get a better shot, I actually climbed the tree. That is my foot on the branch, about 4 feet off the ground.

Glad to be back on the ground!

It was such a good day.

Sometimes it takes a brick to the head....

2011-10-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

When will I ever learn that I need look no further than our Lord Himself for the answers to my questions? I did not open my Magnificat this morning, but as I sat down to lunch, I opened it up and said a little prayer that I might find some words to help me. You see, I had been pondering all morning about how to grow in my faith. The thought that it would be nice to have someone (like a penpal) to check in with on a regular basis to discuss faith issues privately came to me. I should not have been so surprised to read the following Intercessions:

Fill our hearts and our homes with mercy and justice:

Lead us on the path toward perfect love:

Keep our minds and our tongues from gossip and slander:

Surround us with people striving toward goodness:

So I am asking...does anyone want to be my spiritual penpal? Penpals striving toward goodness?

I am adding an e-mail contact to my sidebar, just in case!

A New Day

2011-10-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

Lately, I have been feeling ~~like a failure~~ less than adequate at my vocation as wife and mother. I read other blogs and instead of finding myself inspired, I just feel tired and defeated. When you don't have nice thoughts, you don't post much. At least I don't.

I desire to be better. I desire to feel better. I beg God each night to help me be better.

Wanting the best for my family, both physically and spiritually, I yearn for the ability to provide them with food that is not processed beyond recognition. I long for a small farm where we can spend our days working together growing good food and raising a few animals. I dream of a solid, orthodox parish where we can grow in our faith together. These are my dreams. But not everyone in my family shares these dreams. They have their own dreams and goals that do not involve a little land and a lot of elbow grease. How to mesh these differing ideals seems almost impossible and I am left feeling tired and defeated.

So I am trying to appreciate the things I can do for my family where we are right now. I cannot afford a cow share that allows access to nice, fresh milk. I buy organic, but I am not sure how much better it is condsidering that it is ultra-pasteurized. I limit the amount of processed foods that come into our house. Everyone needs an Oreo dunked in ultra-pasteurized milk occasionally. Right?

We used to attend the Saturday evening vigil Mass in Georgia, which lent itself nicely to going to confession on a regular basis. Now we go to Mass on Sundays so that Olivia can play guitar in the teen choir. Confession became sporadic at best. I recently acquired my first Ipod. I discovered the alarm and started setting alarms to remind myself of all the things I seem to forget. Last Saturday, we were actually at our Church for the fall festival when my ipod started chiming. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, I looked down and sheepishly realized that I had set the alarm for getting to Confession! How pathetic is it that I was at the Church and couldn't remember to go to Confession?

The desire is strong, but I am weak. So I woke up this morning and thanked God for a clean slate and asked for His help to try again to live my vocation as He intends.

Yarn Along with Anna Rose

2011-10-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

I was asked by Anna if I could please post her knitting and reading this week in the yarn along. She has been working diligently at making a scarf for her little sister.

I skipped teaching her to cast on and did that myself. She has learned many things about knitting so far. See all that extra yarn beside the ball? She learned that sometimes you must rip back and try again. And again. She brought me her work this morning with 6 extra stitches and a hole from a dropped stitch. I sat beside her and watched as she worked a row to make sure she remembered how to correctly wrap the yarn.

Anna has been reading The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. At bedtime, Olivia will read some of it to her, but mostly, she is reading it herself.

I think she will become quite the knitter in no time! Don't you?

As for me: one leg done, one to go on Therese's longies for the winter.

Hop on over to Ginny's for more yarn along fun!

Prayer Request

2011-10-11T23:05:00.000-04:00

Tonight I gave Anna the last dose of her seizure medicine, which we have slowly been decreasing for the past six weeks. I am scared. I am also wondering if the middle of cold and flu season was a smart time to try taking her off the meds.

Trusting in His infinite wisdom is something very hard sometimes.

Will you please pray for her? For me? For all my crosses, those I have shared and especially those I hold in the quiet of my heart?

Yarn Along

2011-10-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

I sure hope I don't become a "one-glove wonder", as in "I wonder what happened to the other glove she was going to knit?" I needed some mindless knitting before I tackle those tiny toothpick needles again. Some wool longies ought to be just the thing, except...

...can anyone please explain to me what I am doing wrong on my short rows? The wrapped stitch on the knit side turns out perfectly. The one from the purl side still leaves a gap. WHY??? I have watched many a you-tube tutorial on this and still I have holes. Talk about feeling inept. Those holes are sitting there, taunting me, "Ha, ha. You think you know how to knit? Think again!"

I am still reading my Willa Cather novel, "O, Pioneers". More frequently, though, I am reading the lesson plans and listening to Anna read to me from her reader. I tell you, these stories are so sweet and filled with lessons we all need reminding of.

Go on over to Ginny's, our host. It's always a treat.

Monday Morning

2011-10-03T08:43:00.000-04:00

While we slept last night, a cold invaded our little house. Anna is lying on the couch, glassy-eyed and pathetic. Therese is already asleep again at 8:00 in the morning. The box of tissues has been relocated for quicker access. Outside isn't looking much better. It is drizzly and drippy out there too. And chilly. We used the fireplace this morning to warm our toes and our spirits. It seems like the perfect time to pour myself a warm cup of coffee and try to catch up on capturing the little moments in our little lives.

A rainy day last week. It rained it gusts and spurts, providing the kids an hour or so of fun.

Baby feet. What could be sweeter?

Pondering.
I often wonder what she is thinking.

Carefree.

The road was filled with rainwater. Jack scooped it up into his boots.
Then he sloshed around until they needed to be reloaded.

A dear friend from our days in Tennesse has begun a baking business.
We won a drawing for a loaf of her bread.
It paired perfectly with a warm bowl of homemade soup on that rainy evening.
Go see her blog. You'll be glad you stopped by!

I realize that this is not a great shot of anyone. But it is us, gathered together for dinner.
And that is a great thing.

These clouds were so beautiful that I just stared out the door for a long time,
when I should really have been doing a million other things.
I'm glad I chose to stay at the door.

Dusk is arriving earlier each day.
The changing of the seasons is so amazing.

A Day Late Yarn Along

2011-09-29T09:07:00.000-04:00

I hope Ginny doesn't mind my lateness to the yarn along. Here is the first fingerless glove for Olivia, minus the ends being woven in. I am pleased with how it turned out, for there were some moments of sheer panic involved! There are twist stitches that require some tricky maneuvering and several times I either dropped the stitches off the needle or twisted too soon in the chart. That left me trying to figure out how to back up or pick up stitches. I googled how to repair mistakes and found out there is something you can do called a lifeline. Why had no one told me about this before? For goodness sake, I have panic attacks over much lesser things than knitting mistakes.

I have only read the first few pages. I already find myself liking the characters very much.

While knitting with such tiny needles and dark yarn, I was having trouble seeing my work clearly. I would ask Tony to turn on more lights, I would hold the knitting closer, yet nothing seemed to help. Then one evening, I took out my contacts because my eyes were tired and put on my glasses. It was even worse. I couldn't see anything up close. I took off my glasses to rub my eyes. Oh my goodness! I could see my knitting clearly! Because my eyes have to be corrected so severely for distance, the lenses disturb my near vision. Then I had another revelation of sorts. Sometimes in life we are trying to see the big picture clearly, so we try to fix it the only way we know how, with our own solutions. Yet when we remove these obstacles, we will find that the important things were right in front of our eyes, but hidden. We try and figure out what will bring us peace and happiness and we look and look, when really, it is God, and the gifts He has given us and we just need to look with our hearts and not our eyes.

Daybook

2011-09-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

Outside my window...
... a hazy sky that is thick with the possibility of more rain. It has rained so much lately that my garden that had been burned to a crisp in August now is lush and full and bearing tomatoes again! The kid's flowers out by the mailbox are growing splendidly.

I am thinking...
...about how I am going to teach school today in such a sleep-deprived state. Poor Therese, we tried starting her on goat milk and it did not go well. We have gone back to the formula for now to allow her system to return to normal. I have bought some disposable diapers until "normal" returns! She was up twice last night, the second time from 3:00 until 4:30. This mama is getting too old to be pulling all-nighters!

I am thankful for...
...hot, delicious, coffee!
...pretty new plants from the local nursery to brighten the front of the house and my mood every time I look out the window.
...kids that entertain each other.

From the lesson plans...
...we have a few loose ends to finish up after a crazy week. On Thursday, Olivia was scheduled to have oral surgery and she was nervous. We left the house by 5:30 a.m., went to the lab, went to the dental clinic, went through their list of questions until they asked if she recently had a cold. She had. And they sent us home. Olivia was devastated that she had to wait even longer, so we stopped at Starbucks for breakfast and coffee and a quiet moment, just the two of us. On Friday's we have our homeschool co-op, so that was another lost day in the classroom.

From the kitchen...
...an empty pantry. I made the last meal from last week's menu last night. I see a trip to the commissary for today!

I am wearing...
...my favorite dress. It is a casual little shirt-waist dress that makes me feel very domestic. Maybe I will be today!

I am creating...
...fingerless gloves for Olivia. This is such tiny knitting that my aging eyes are having trouble, especially with the dark colored yarn. I am considering purchasing my first reading glasses! Man, do I feel old this morning!

I am reading...
..."O Pioneers!" by Willa Cather. After giving the library my wish list, I picked this out to get me through the wait.

I am hoping......that I can still be a good mom today. I am SO tired and I see no chance for a nap on the schedule.

I am hearing...
...the kid's playlist from Itunes. They are listening to songs from "Singin' in the Rain" and dancing around the den.

Around the house...
...we are making a list of necessary repairs to get accomplished before the cooler weather becomes too cold.

I am going...
...to tell you about a wonderful prayer aid. I can't recall which lovely blog I read it on, but you can get daily e-mails sent to you when praying a novena so you don't miss a day! Check it out. I have praying the St. Therese novena leading up to her feast day. Each day, I have seen a rose somewhere! What a powerful encouragement!

One of my favorite things...
...seeing Therese run to the door squealing with delight and arms outstretched when Tony comes home from work.

I am praying for......all those on my list of special, private intentions.

If I knew how to transfer all my pictures back onto the computer, there would be a picture of the day. But I don't. So there isn't. I'll put that on our list of repairs!

Lost

2011-09-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, our computer started having some issues. My husband decided to back up everything onto the external hard drive and clean up the computer. Well, the computer is now working. BUT....not everything was saved. As in, all my lists and folders of websites for homeschool, knitting, blogs, Church, etc. all gone! We have an Itunes account and my playlist and the kid's playlist no longer exist. Plus lots of music is gone too. I realize that in the grand scheme of things this is not even a blip on the radar.

Yet, I feel so lost!

I think about the time it will take to find and organize all my websites and I don't think there is enough coffee available to help me through this.

Yarn Along- the waiting edition

2011-09-14T16:35:00.000-04:00

Two projects are in queue to begin as soon as the postal service kindly (and hopefully quickly) delivers my order from Knitpicks. One is for Olivia, who rarely is the recipient of my knitting. She wants a pair of fingerless gloves. Here is the pattern she picked. She also picked this yarn in aurora heather, though for the life of me I can't figure out how to link you straight to the color! It looks like I will be knitting on the equivalent of toothpicks! Size 1.5. Yikes! My most fervent wish is that I will have them done before the cold really sets in.

The second project is to make two new wool covers for Therese. One of them will be a regular cover. The other one will be my first attempt at longies. I will be using this pattern. I was just going to make the longies until I accidentally felted one of her covers a couple of weeks ago. It inadvertantly got thrown in the hot white load. Note to self: be more careful when sorting laundry.

I have been disappointed in my library for the first time. I have seen several reading suggestions on the Yarn Along that looked simply delightful only to find out that our library does not own these books. When we go for our weekly trip to the library on Friday, I will show up with a wish list in hand and request the purchase of said books.

Thank you, Ginny, as always, for hosting.

Who's Learning More?

2011-09-13T08:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, as part of Anna's First Communion preparation, we started reading "Little Acts of Grace". It is simply written and the illustrations are so sweet. As I read the ideas about the little things we can do to make Jesus happy, I realized that I have fallen short in taking those little opportunities that arise each day that can make my husband, my children, or others around me a little happier. It is amazing how easily your sleep deprived body (because someone has been waking. every. night.) can forget that a simple thing like a lunch packed and waiting can brighten someone's morning. The proof was in the huge hug I received from a certain teenager as she left the house with a noticable spring in her step.

Photo Journal- because I don't seem to have time to write anything down

2011-09-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

Our lives are obviously very full these days, for I don't seem to find time to write out any of the things I want to talk about. I guess that is a good thing!

I find Therese here on the horsie all day long, or trying to get on the horsie.

Our first week of homeschooling went well, even with lots of interruptions. Here we have a spelling test and preschool art class!

With Sophie back at college, we did some rearranging this weekend. Anna now has Sophie's room (they will share the room in the summer). Jack now has a new roommate: Therese! It was so weird last night not having her in our room. It looked so empty.

I will hopefully be painting soon. Maybe green. What do you think?

Getting ready for Mass. Her new dress from her aunt!

Last week we planted a fall garden. Jack and Anna wanted to plant flowers, so I found some moonflower seeds among my stash. They have to be at least 10 years old and I had little hope of them actually sprouting, but I did not tell that to the kids. I handed them the seeds, a spade, and a watering can and sent them out front to the mailbox. I was so surprised when Anna came bursting through the door, squealing with delight that the flowers had come up.

In fact, all the seeds they planted came up!

My husband is a die-hard Detroit fan.

Can you tell?

They don't seem to mind the mosquitos that are swarming our yard.

He seems a little worried about the kicker's aim!

My happy, happy toddler.

Confession of a southern woman: I have NEVER fried anything! I just couldn't bring myself to pour THAT MUCH OIL into the skillet. But this week, I did it! And boy howdy, was it worth it! Yum!

I don't know who he is, but he sure looked majestic in our tree.

Her first birthday cake.

For the record, that is my highchair that she is using. I brought it home from my mom's house.

Anna picked out the baby doll for Therese. I love the expressions on their faces as they watched her open their gift.

The planting of those seeds from earlier in this post.

Anna's birthday cookie made and decorated by her big sis Olivia.

My seven year old sweetheart.

Lastly, I tried drying some of my rosemary that had come to look more like a small tree than a bush. I felt like Ma from Little House on the Prairie with things hanging from the rafters.

Birthdays- from 1 to 100

2011-09-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today is Therese's first birthday! The dairy and soy free zucchini chocolate cake is in the oven. While it bakes, I thought I'd write up a quick recap of the past week.

August 31 was Anna's 7th birthday. She is a girl with a love for one thing right now: Tangled. She received a Rapunzel's tower playset, a Flynn Rider doll, a Rapunzel costume, and some other things that were of a crafty nature. I will be honest and say that her turning 7 is very hard for me. I will be watching her closely, especially since we are beginning to wean her off the seizure medication. Prayers would be good!

Labor Day weekend, we drove to Tennessee to celebrate quite a special occasion. My grandmother turns 100 next week. We threw her a party a little early so that everyone could come. And come they did! Everyone that was invited responded and said they would be there. We even had a couple of party crashers! I would be posting lots of pictures had I not lost my camera. It was found later that night, praise God, but I don't have pictures.

And now today my little Therese is one. She is such a joy. All I have to do when I am sad is look at her sweet face and I immediately remember how blessed I am.

Yarn Along...and other things

2011-08-31T14:36:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, I had all Saturday to sit and knit and wait to see what would happen. We never lost power, praise God. Our leaky window leaked, and we had lots of downed tree limbs. I feel very fortunate that we fared so well.

I am excited to announce that I have finished my first lacework shawl! It is at this very moment being blocked. There were moments of panic when I realized a mistake had been made. I have found that, for me, it is best to immediately put down my knitting and walk away to calm down. Then I can come back later and examine my work thoroughly and come up with a plan. What about you? How do you deal with mistakes?

Pre-blocking

Pinned and drying.

Before

After

I have been busy with post-hurricane clean-up around here, but I did find a few hours to knit and crochet this little headband. I have not crocheted in quite some time, but the pattern had a video tutorial. It was fun and easy and ready to wear in no time.

As for reading, I have been reading out loud to the kids each night from our library selections each week. I have been SO tired lately that I fall asleep as soon as I tuck in the kiddos.

The next pictures are not about knitting or reading. They were taken at the last ever summer concert at Fort Monroe. It has been a tradition for over seventy years, but they are closing the post and therefore the concerts must come to an end.

The gazebo all lit up

The flags flapping in the breeze from the waterfront

Jack decided to wear this band hat I found at a thrift store.

I love the look he is giving my friend's little boy.

The last concert each season ends with the 1812 Overture complete with cannons. There is a seperate conductor who cues the cannons.

This was the best I could get. I wish I were a better photographer.

Not to mention people kept getting in my way!

This was her first taste of Oreo's. I wasn't going to include this picture except that I want to see if you can tell that her eyes aren't quite looking in the same direction. I have noticed this off and on since she was about 4 months old. This is the first time I caught it on film. Can you see it?

Thanks to Ginny for hosting and I hope no one minds all the extras this week!

Preparing

2011-08-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

As Hurricane Irene closes in on the east coast, I went to the store to buy some canned provisions and water, just in case. I bought some canned fruits and veggies, though not what I would consider the most healthy fare, but what the hey, it's a hurricane for Heaven's sake. My husband had the same idea to stock up on food and water and also stopped at the store on the way home from work....

...ummm, I think this is a subtle hint that just maybe, he doesn't fully appreciate my attempts at a healthy diet. He raised his arms and shook them mightily with a hearty guffaw issuing forth as I carried his booty into the house.

I'm just praying that we won't need this, but it is good to be prepared.

I felt the earth move...and other big news

2011-08-23T19:17:00.002-04:00

Therese was asleep in her crib. The little kids were playing quietly beside me. I was perusing Ebay, looking for THE one thing my husband really wants to have. He doesn't want much for himself ever. I wish I could buy it for him, but the budget won't allow. Yet. One day, it will. All was quiet.

At first, I thought the kids were pulling on my chair. I turned to tell them to stop, but they were not touching my chair. Then I heard a low rumbling sound and the slab foundation of our home was shaking. The walls were swaying, pictures were swinging, my pile of freshly folded laundry fell over. I slowly realized that I was experiencing an earthquake! It was over in a few seconds, and I was shaken, emotionally. Tony was at work, Olivia was at school. I could not hold them close. We are fine now and the kids thought it was exciting. Although Jack did bring me a picture of a giant 'x' and told me it meant no more earthquakes in our house.

In other news, if anyone even remembers that I mentioned that there was something big that I wasn't ready to talk about, I am ready now! Let me start by saying that I love the south. I love warm weather, spanish moss growing on trees, the laid back feel of small southern towns. The slow drawl of a good southern accent. I imagine us retiring one day in such a place with a few chickens and a red barn and a large garden.

I'm guessing the army honcho's don't read my blog, or else they would know what kind of shock they have put upon this southern gal's heart. We have a new duty station to report to and it is not below the Mason-Dixon line my friends. It is not even close. We are going to ALASKA!!!! We have about a year to prepare ourselves. I have had about a month to get used to the idea and I am trying to embrace the new adventure before us. This could be fun, right? Tell me how much fun it is going to be, please!

End of Summer

2011-08-22T11:40:00.003-04:00

It has been a whirlwind of a summer and now it is over. Olivia's first day of school is today. Luckily for me, she checked her facebook page yesterday, because I thought she didn't start school til Tuesday! Don't even ask how I got that one mixed up.

We ended our summer on a glorious note: A week at Folly Beach with my family. Before we left, we were baraged by various appliances and gadgets decided not to work. I did not have time to properly repair the stove, so I rigged it with a bungee cord in order to bake the bread I needed for the trip.

One of the first days in South Carolina, we packed up the seven of us, and drove to Georgia to visit the cemetery and put a fresh bouquet on Ben's marker. We also got to see several good friends that afternoon. It was a good day.

The rest of the week was dedicated to relaxation. On the porch with Therese.

Under the tent with the kids.

More playtime.

A flower discovered on a morning walk.

Also found this guy on the same walk.

The view from the dunes.

Sophie and her Grandma

The whole gang minus my sister's boyfriend, who unfortunately could not stay the whole week.

It was a great week, and it even got better when some friends very dear to our hearts stopped in and spent the day with us yesterday.

And now, the new school year begins. I am really looking forward to it! Goodbye summer, hello school!

In Loving Memory

2011-08-11T13:14:00.002-04:00

It has been four years today since God called my Ben home.

My post today is on his blog.

On the Lake

2011-08-10T13:21:00.003-04:00

I don't want anyone to think that I always complain. I am so grateful for all I have, especially my family. We spent a long weekend with my parents and it was so fun! I think I probably gained 5 pounds from all the good food my mom prepared. I am proud to say that my mom can cook the pants off me!

On the boat at the lake. Isn't my mom beautiful?

The captain of the ship! My dad.

Please tell me you can tell how much fun tubing is!
Click on the picture to get a good look at their faces.

At first, Therese was not so sure about the whole boat thing.

The life jacket, the swaying floor, the noises.

She changed her mind!

She loved the lake.

A Recipe and other things

2011-08-10T11:45:00.002-04:00

Remember the orange-cinnamon loaves I made for Sophie's birthday? I did say that I would post the recipe soon. It's still soon, isn't it? I got this recipe from my mother. She took a bread baking class when I was a little girl and this is one of the breads she learned to make.

Yesterday, I made the foolish decision to have a cyst removed from my back. Hindsight being what it is, I should have waited until we returned from our upcoming beach trip. The surgeon boasted that he had only had two cases with complications. I know this was supposed to be reassuring, however, with the way things have been going here lately, I had my doubts. A few hours after I returned home, something didn't seem right and I went to the mirror to investigate. They had said to expect some slight swelling. Well, it looked like they had implanted a baseball on my spine! I went back to the hospital and they said it was a hematoma and they put a pressure wrap around my body to help reduce the swelling. It is somewhat better this morning, but I cannot lean back in a chair.

Why did I think things might not go smoothly?

1. Our A/C went out again this weekend while we visited my parents. In case you haven't been keeping count, that's three times this summer!

2. My oven that is less than 2 years old, but is no longer under warranty, is not working properly. I think the hinges on the door are sprung, for whatever temperature I set it for, it is about 75 degrees less. If I hold the door tight, it will increase the temp. A home repair is in the works.

3. The reading lights in the van keep blowing the fuse.

4. The garage door opener is possessed, I think. It will randomly decide to reopen itself.

It is almost comical how all these things happen at the same time. Almost.

Now, that recipe I promised:

ORANGE CINNAMON LOAVES

Soften 1 pkg. yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.

Mix 1 cup scalded milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 3/4 cup orange juice. Cool to lukewarm.

Measure 6 1/2-7 cups flour.

Stir in 2 cups flour and 1 slightly beaten egg-beat wll; add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down- divide in half and roll each half into a 15"x7" rectangle. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon and spread on each rectangle. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp. water and smooth with a spatula. Roll up dough and seal edges. Place sealed edge down in loaf pans. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and frost with icing made of 1 cup powdered sugar and 4 tsp. orange juice.

Yarn Along

2011-08-03T13:06:00.002-04:00

A bead! Do you see it? Right next to the stitch marker. I did it! My first row with beads! I watched a video on how to add beads, and the lady made it look so easy. In fact, it is easy, once you get your hands used to holding your work and a crochet hook. By about the 10th bead, I found my own little rhythm.

I've been reading this book to Anna before bed. I read Jack whatever book on vehicles he wants first, then I pick up the Penderwick's. It's funny how people start gathering around us as I read this story. Everyone likes it and wants to hear the next chapter. Even my husband. It is so sweet to look up from the pages and see my family all together.
I am gathering courage as I get further into this project. Oh, there are already mistakes, but they will stay. I once read somewhere that the Amish purposely leave a mistake in their quilts because the only truly perfect thing is God. I don't even know if this is true, but I like the idea behind it. Plus, it allows my perfectionist side a chance to relax and just "go with it" when I realize many stitches later some little detail I did wrong.
Thank you Ginny as always for hosting!!

My roots are showing

2011-07-31T20:47:00.004-04:00

My southern roots, that is.

Exhibit A: Tomato Pie

(we had this for dinner tonight)

And just so y'all know how southern I truly am, the side dish was okra straight from the garden.

The recipe:

Tomato Pie

1 batch of biscuit dough*
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2-3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. flour
1 small sweet onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup mayo-mustard blend (I use 1 part dijon, 2 parts mayo)

Pat bicuit dough into bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.

Toss tomato slices in flour; arrange one layer of tomato slices over cheese. Sprinkle evenly with half the onion, basil, salt and pepper. Repeat procedure.

Stir together the remaining cheese and mayo-mustard blend, and spread over top of pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 24 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*My biscuit dough:

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 butter/shortening/oil (use whatever you prefer)
3/4 cup milk

If your garden is gifting you with tons of tomatoes too, I highly recommend this pie! I look forward to making it every summer.

Good to Know

2011-07-27T17:00:00.002-04:00

"God is true: he has a long memory for his own promises and a short memory for our failures to keep ours."

---from the morning readings in my Magnificat

Yarn Along: New Territory

2011-07-27T12:27:00.002-04:00

I am joining Ginny again this week since I have just cast on a new project.

My tendency is to knit small, quick projects that give near instant gratification. I do try to learn some new technique each time and I have definitely jumped into uncharted territory! Actually, I am knee deep in chart reading! That's new. So is lace. So is lace weight yarn! And I am going to be adding beads in a few not so short rows. (363 stitches on the needles right now!) I am trying this pattern from Ravelry, but will add beads instead of the nupps.

The yarn is so fragile, so delicate and soft, and so colorful. The more closely you look, the more colors you notice.

I am ever so nervous about messing up. Hopefully this will become more relaxing as I gain confidence!

I am still reading "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. The bookmark lets me know that my time with this story is almost over. I will miss the story, the people, the land. Don't you just love it when a book can make you feel like you are right there, living it?

Seven Quick Takes

2011-07-22T06:59:00.002-04:00

--1--

One man's logic: If I can get a free bag of M&M's at the gas station when I buy at least 8 gallons of gas, then I should only buy 8 gallons of gas at a time, thereby maximizing my free M&M intake.

It logically answered my question as to why my husband was only partially filling the gas tank in my van for the last couple of weeks. Oh, and I do appreciate that he does this for me!

--2--

Nature is brutal, but amazing. While driving to swim lessons with the kids, we were stopped at a traffic light on the water's edge. We saw a bird dive down to the water's surface, skim the water with its feet, and as it flew upwards, we saw that it had caught a fish in its talons! That fish was struggling mightily and the bird was fighting to stay aloft. The bird was the victor in that battle of nature, and we drove on to the pool in awe of what we witnessed.

--3--

My daughter just called to let me know she made it to work. This was her maiden voyage as a licensed driver with no one else in the car. How do other parents do this? I was on pins and needles, not to mention on my knees in prayer, from the moment she left the house till the phone rang.

--4--

Sometime between 10 and 1 today, the A/C repairman will show up. How about that for bad timing? As we lay down last night to go to bed, the temperature inside the house was a balmy 89. A good and generous neighbor lent us their window A/C unit. We had a sleepover in our bedroom. I am praying that this will be a quick and inexpensive repair.

--5--

Fort Monroe is where my husband has been stationed for the last couple of years. Maybe we are just lazy when we say it, or maybe we are just too southern.

Jack: "Fort Monroe. I almost get it. I mean, it's a fort and there's men, but I just don't get the row part."

--6--

It's almost too hot for coffee this morning.

--7--

It is too hot to bake zucchini bread today. I'll have to make a change of plans. I have seriously contemplated bringing the kiddy pool inside!

Thanks to Jen, our wonderful host!

28/52

2011-07-20T08:01:00.004-04:00

A few nights ago, Tony was grilling our dinner, when a storm blew up rather quickly. All day, the air had been oppressive and weighed you down like a heavy burden. The storm rolled in on cool bursts of wind that swirled the tree branches mightily. I opened the back door to listen to the storm, with it's brilliant lightning and thunder like cannons. And when the storm had passed, the air was crisp and new and light.

I feel just like that: renewed.

The coming storm

Orange Cinnamon Loaves
Sophie requested these for her birthday
recipe coming soon!

We returned to Busch Gardens yesterday, with a stern lecture about NOT trying on hats this time around! I don't want to bring home more uninvited guests.

It's best to capture Jack on film candidly. I'm thinking I should have cropped this one!

Oh, how she loved the little fountains of water coming out of the ground! She squealed with delight and tried to catch the water in her sweet little hands.

All I can say is...I am glad it is not me on this ride! They even went a second time and it would be hard to say who had the better time, Tony or Jack.

She talked her dad into playing the whack-a-mole game with her, and look what they won!

We all had a great time just being together. Too soon, she'll be headed back to Steubenville.

Here is Olivia, reluctantly agreeing to take Anna on the "Roman Rapids". It was no longer hot, and you have high odds of getting drenched on this ride.

See, I had a very good excuse why I couldn't go on the ride!

Back for more dizzying fun on the teacups!

Soaked, but still smiling! Thank you for making your little sister so happy!

19 Years Ago

2011-07-18T17:56:00.003-04:00

Nineteen years ago, at 1:30 in the afternoon, I became a mother. That was the beginning of my vocation, although I didn't think of it like that then. I was awed and amazed at the tiny baby they placed in my arms. She was ours. I was overcome with tears of joy. My sweet Sophia Marie made us a family, made us parents, and has definitely made me a better person.

I will never forget that while in labor with Sophie, the nurses left the door open and I could hear their conversation in the hallway. It went something like this:

"She would deliver that baby in 15 minutes if the doctor would let us break her water."

"Yeah, but he is still on the back 9 of the golf course."

Had I not been a mere 21 and had no clue that I could or should speak up, I would have! Thanks to my doctor, I labored for 14 hours with Sophie. The rest of my babies have all been extremely short labors, the next longest being 4 hours, the shortest being 2 1/2 hours!

Today, she is such an amazing young lady. She has a job as a liveguard, she is studying math at a "passionately Catholic" university, and as of this very afternoon, is a licensed driver in the state of Virginia. Will I be a nervous wreck the first time she goes out on the road alone? You betcha!

Today, she requested Chicken Artichoke pot pie, but someone put my bird in the freezer when unloading groceries yesterday. That chicken has been "thawing" all afternoon and is still a solid chunk of ice. So, her birthday dinner will have to wait until tomorrow. Dessert, though, will be a pumpkin dump cake. It is more than decadent and delicious! No wonder she requests it each year. I will be going on the assumption that my dear friend who taught me to make bread knew what she was talking about when she said that anything you make in your own kitchen has no calories!

***edited to add the recipe***

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first six ingredients until well blended, and pour batter into a 9x13 inch greased pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top, and then cover with pecans. Pour melted butter over top. Bake for 50 minutes. Top with whipped cream, or serve with ice cream if desired.

Yarn Along- Stashbuster Edition

2011-07-13T19:08:00.003-04:00

Does anyone else have a basket full of leftover yarn? Every so often, I get the urge to purge our house of clutter. Now is one of those times and all those balls of yarn? Yep. They are on my list.

I found this quick and easy pattern for a market bag on Ravelry. I may keep it or it may be given away if I am still in the purging mode when I am finished knitting. Either way, I like it.

I took Ginny's advice and started a Willa Cather novel. Each night, after I read to Jack and Anna, I sit in their room while they fall asleep. I bring in my book and read a chapter or two, until I hear the soft, rhythmic breaths that let me know my children are peacefully resting. Sometimes I read one more chapter in the soft light coming from their little lamp, enjoying the quiet moment.

Thank you Ginny for recommending this author, and for being such a lovely host!

27/52

2011-07-09T19:48:00.004-04:00

I really like the idea of a weekly photo journal. I just don't seem to be able to keep up!

Here we have paper flowers that Anna made for me. With most of our toys either in bags or in the freezer for a while, she has returned to her crafts.

The haircuts.

"If you don't know what you are doing, why are you trying to cut my hair?"

Tip of the week: Don't let boiling water splash on your stomach. Don't, I tell you.

My boy and his train.

This is now in the freezer, just in case.

It's a market bag in the making.

Today's harvest from the garden!!

Zucchini

Okra, bean and cucumbers, with some volunteer tomatillos

Tomatoes, and another view of the cucumbers overflowing the beds.

Thanks to the very sweet Barbara for hosting, even if I don't join in every week.

Hope

2011-07-07T22:44:00.002-04:00

"In the evening, when our strength is worn low by the day behind us and the darkness of night awaits us, it is easy to grow downcast. Let us then put our hope in Christ our Savior, our strength and our joy."

-from the Prayer for the Evening in my Magnificat

From the Trenches

2011-07-05T18:54:00.007-04:00

After the one week mark of finding head lice on Anna, we are still deep in battle with these bad bugs. On Sunday, I put our coconut oil treatment on her head and waited the eight hours to comb it out and check her hair. I had hoped that I wouldn't find anything in her hair and life could resume. But when I combed through her hair, I found two more bugs! ARRRGGHHH! I broke down, I will admit it. It was not pretty. It was pathetic. And then, I found a bug on Jack. I broke down all over again. I knew it was coming though...

Sophie had agreed to watch Jack and Anna while Tony and I took an evening walk. Therese was already in bed. All she had to do was read them a bedtime story. Only problem, she put herself to sleep! We came back home and could not find Jack or Anna. We looked in their bedroom, my room, the downstairs, nothing! I was growing panicked, thinking they left the house to look for us. I went through the den again and noticed the closet door was ajar. They were lying there together, sound asleep, with their heads touching!!!

So, I hauled Jack into my bathroom and pulled out the clippers. He is a boy, a soldier's boy, and a buzz cut is what he got. Not that I would do that to Anna, but it sure is a lot easier than combing through her thick hair every day!

The laundry. Oh, the laundry! Every day, all the sheets, all the towels, all the clothes. Not to mention the diapers. It takes me about 90 minutes each day to vacuum the house and furniture each day.

To add to that, the zucchini is coming in. I am so glad for that, but the timing is bad. I made eight pints of zucchini relish this week, we have had zucchini muffins for breakfast, grilled zucchini with our dinner most nights, and tonight? Zucchini lasagna folks! The cucumbers are right behind them, and I am really looking forward to making my grandmother's recipe for pickles.

We all have cabin fever here, but I so scared to leave the house. We did not go see the fireworks, and I knew the kids would be disappointed, yet God helped me out on that one. Thunderstorms in our area forced the cancellation of the fireworks. So it wasn't me that was the bad guy for once this week.

I long for the day that we can officially say this is all over. Till then, here we are, hunkered down in the trenches of bug warfare.

Oh, and by the way, look who decided to start walking before she is 10 months old!!!!

Rolling with the Punches

2011-07-01T16:44:00.002-04:00

The other day, I was pondering how to recognize God's will vs. my own. I hadn't really come to any conclusion until Sunday morning. That's when Anna came to me and told me her head itched. I know, it doesn't sound like it could lead to a spiritual breakthrough, but that's where you'd be wrong. I had recently read another blogger's woeful tale of head lice, and Jamie's story is what prompted me to look at her head. My heart sank as I saw a little critter in her hair. How could this happen? What was I going to do?

After determining that Anna seemed to be the only one with this predicament, I went into action. (Well, actually first I cried.) I got on the internet and started researching what to do. This is how I cope with things, I research them ad naseum. I sent Tony for the special comb and then decided to send an e-mail to Jamie to seek advice from someone actually living it. She was an absolute angel. I was pretty distressed about the whole thing, for the amount of work involved in getting rid of lice effectively is daunting to say the least. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say I am pooped!

Back to God's will vs. mine. I came to the conclusion that it is not so much trying to figure what He wants, but how we handle what He gives. I have had some good moments and some very not so good moments this past week.

Here are some good things that came out of this yucky situation:

1. with most of the toys either in the freezer or in bags in my closet, the house is much neater.

2. I got to talk to one of my virtual sisters in Christ and I can say that she is such a sweetheart that it almost makes me want to go to Minnesota. Almost. I don't like cold.

3. I spent lots more time in prayer this week.

I thought the head lice thing was enough, but God realized I need lots of practice handling His will with grace. The A/C went out this week too. Thank the Lord it was simply replacing a worn out part. The other thing I am not ready to talk about, but it is a biggy, and I need prayers people. Hopefully I can share this with you in a few weeks.

Seven Quick Takes- good things edition

2011-06-24T09:18:00.003-04:00

--1--

The bluegrass station fills the van with music in the early morning, little kids still drowsy from being wakened too soon. Blue Moon of Kentucky starts playing and I am immediately taken back to Tennessee, (I know, it should take me back to KY!), to good friends with guitars, bonfires in the front yard, and Ben dancing the best jig you ever saw.

--2--

The Army Band has a summer concert series called Music Under the Stars. There is a grassy open area in front of a white gazebo where everyone plops down their blankets and lawn chairs, opens up their coolers full of food, and then enjoys the music floating on the cool sea breeze blowing in from the bay. Last night was so relaxing after a super busy day. I loved laying on the blanket with my kids all around me. Good memories in the making!

--3--

We travelled to Virginia Beach yesterday morning for a dentist appointment. Afterward, I listened to the traffic report on the radio only to discover that we were facing a 5 mile backup to get back through the bridge-tunnel. I quickly decided that we would eat lunch out and then try to make our way back. Oh. my. goodness! I stumbled upon a little Italian deli/pizzeria that was run by an Italian family (the hostess was their young teen daughter), the television in the corner was airing an Italian game show, the deli case was full of the freshest, yummiest looking ingredients, and we were the only ones in there that were not "regulars". It was one of the best pizzas I have ever had. No cheese. Only roasted zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and artichokes. It was delicious and I had a great time with the kids. I did not even take offense when Olivia sheepishly told me it was better than my pizza. It was.

--4--

The garden is overflowing its beds. The tomatoes are bursting out of the cages in every direction. The yellow flowers are being replaced with small, green fruits. The cucumbers are vining out into the yard, clinging to whatever they can. Lots of flowers, but I discovered one cucumber half-eaten with incriminating teeth marks left behind that leads me to believe that my fat squirrel has started feasting again. I find one or two zucchini each morning beneath the large dark green leaves. I found the first tiny okra on those plants this morning, but the beans have yet to show one blossom despite how big they have grown.

--5--

I have been thinking about my faith (or lack thereof) lately. I don't mean that I have lost my faith, only that I haven't been as active in my prayer life as I have in the past. I am just not sure what to pray for right now. I want to do God's will, but I feel clueless as to what that is. Discerning between His will and what I think is best for my family is challenging. Do I pray for wisdom? Guidance? or do I pray for specific things? I think this can be included in "good things", since I hope that it will lead to being more of who God wants me to be.

--6--

The elderly gentleman who tuned and fixed the piano won his way into my heart almost immediately. He had the greatest mustache, which was gray and full under the lip, and then twisted into pointy ends that stood away from his face. He had a black bag full of old parts for my old piano (which he guessed to be manufactured somewhere between 1911 and 1915). We had lost several of the ivories, the real kind not the plastic variety. He and I picked through all the ones he had salvaged from other pianos to try and match the color and thickness as best we could. He ended up taking those keys with him over the weekend to get the glue to set, which I appeciated. He wasn't much for chit-chat, but after he finished the tuning, he played so beautifully that I closed my eyes and it seemed as though a full grand piano was in my living room.

--7--

It is so good to have this day with nothing on the schedule. I can sit down and write a post, catch up on the mountain of laundry that is spilling forth from the baskets, maybe even sew a little bit on my dress at naptime. Or maybe I will just pour a tall glass of iced tea and sit in the shade while the kids play in the yard!

A special thanks to Hallie for guest-hosting this weeks quick takes!

Summer Days

2011-06-22T23:20:00.005-04:00

Summer. Isn't it supposed to be "lazy" and slow?

So far, it has been anything but.

Sophie is lifeguarding at the pool on post.

Olivia is job hunting and helping with the little ones.

I actually have eight piano students!

Here's some pictures of our "down time":

I love my kids imaginative play.

Here we have Prince Philip rescuing Dora from her dollhouse in the bucket of Jack's firetruck.

Strawberry Jam

Olivia is now sweet 16!
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes were a huge hit!

The backyard kiddie pool has been a frequent fun spot.

See what I mean?

Relaxing in the pool!

While the kids are splashing, the mom sits in the shade with coffee and knitting needles!

I got a free basket for my bicycle at a yard sale. I love it!
The grocery store is exactly one mile from our house.

Now I can ride there for that something that ran out.

She really likes brushing her teeth!

One picture just wasn't enough!

My sister and her family joined us at Busch Gardens last weekend.

They are waiting for the fun to begin.

The engineer on the train gave Jack his hat after he lifted him into the engine and showed him how he drives the train!

She is too agile! She is climbing on everything. I spend a lot of time removing her from dangerous situations.

And that, my friends, is all I have for now.

Say a Little Prayer...

2011-06-15T22:59:00.003-04:00

...for me, please.

Tomorrow morning, at 9 am, the piano tuner is coming. You see, the last time our piano was repaired was the hardest day of my life. I thought Ben was upstairs taking a nap when in fact my boy had died in his sleep.

I am having a hard week.

Robin's Return

2011-06-10T17:22:00.004-04:00

***I am sad to tell you that we had a terrible storm last night and the mama abandoned the nest. I checked on the babies and they have died.***6/11/11

Do you remember the robin that made it's nest in my shrubs? Oh, my heart broke for her the day I found the fragile blue egg on the ground, broken and lost. I cried for the lost baby bird, I cried for the mama that lost her baby. I cried for Gus, our baby that we lost at 16 weeks. Miscarriage was devastating for me.
But two weeks ago, she returned. The mama came back to her nest and tried again. This time, there were not one, but two tiny eggs. We were both surprised, that bird and me. I would check on that empy nest every so often, just hoping that I would see this....

She flew right at me, for I had no idea I had intruded! She had been gone for so long, I figured that nest was abandoned for good. I suppose it is silly how much joy those little blue eggs brought me. I dared not write about it, though, until I knew that there would be a happy ending this time. Just like how I kept quiet about my next pregnancy after losing Gus.

Yesterday afternoon, a friend was over to visit with her young daughter. I thought they would like to see the eggs. I squealed with delight as I peered into the nest to see those tiny yellow beaks searching for their mama's return with nourishment! A happy ending indeed.

Yarn Along

2011-06-08T15:21:00.003-04:00

Finally!

I get to join in the Yarn Along over at Ginny's this week.

The tiny sweater is part of a birthday gift for my niece.

(Suzy, if you are reading this, don't let Maddie see it!)

It is for her Bitty Baby that I gave her on her first birthday.

The yarn is fuzzy and soft and I only had a tiny amount, so it had to be a small project.

The pink yarn is the beginning of yet another diaper cover for Therese, who happened to turn 9 months old this very day. How did that happen? She is growing so fast that it seems like I am constantly knitting larger covers. She is also advancing way too quickly. For instance:

-she can stand unassisted for at least 30 seconds.

-she figured out how to climb up the first step of our stairs.

-she can crawl extremely fast (and thus get to things she oughtn't before her mother can stop her).

The book: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

I am enjoying this book like you would enjoy a rich dessert. Little bites at a time and stopping to savor each morsel. Mr. Bradbury's writing is delightful.

Head on over to Ginny's to see more great knits and reads.

Say What?

2011-06-06T13:03:00.002-04:00

Anna approached me the other day with the following question:

"Mom, what's the 'A' word"?

Stunned, and at a loss for an explanation, (and thinking I might need to have a talk with other members of this household), I coolly replied:

"What 'A' word"?

"You know. The one we weren't allowed to say during Lent."

me: " Ohhhhhhh! Alleluia."

Alleluia indeed!

Rainy Day Remembrance

2011-06-05T07:55:00.004-04:00

She looked out the window at the skies, which promised rain in the darkening gray. The air had a cool crispness, yet also hinted of the rain on the horizon. Stepping outside, she breathed it all in. The garden chores would have to be done quickly, or she would be caught in the storm that crept ever quicker towards her. The tomatoes were needing to be suckered, for they were bursting from their round, metal cages every which way. One plant though, was not thriving like the others. It needed a closer look. Tenderly, she mounded more dirt around the base of the plant and mulched it with last winter's fallen leaves.

Back inside, the coffee perculating its steady blurps, she stood at the door and watched the storm. The first gust of wind swirled tree branches and sent the birds fleeing to safer perches. A low rumble in the distance and the call of the mourning doves bringing it closer yet. Leaving her post at the door, she poured the coffee, and returned to the door. A flash. A drop, then another. She loved these quiet mornings, so rare now that the house was full of children. It took her back to her own childhood. A quiet morning on her grandmother's porch. Sitting with Papa on the swing, chains rattling, the wood creaking under their weight, and the smell of his pipe. Papa telling her to be still and listen to the rain that was on its way. And they sat side by side, and waited.

She reminds me of someone

2011-06-02T10:29:00.003-04:00

This morning, I went out back through our new screen door. (It bangs and creaks just like it a screen door ought to)....

to take some pictures of the garden, where I got distracted by a cuter subject....

and as I looked at her through the viewfinder.....

I thought, "Why, she reminds me of someone. A picture I've seen before"....

I know we are not twins, yet there is something there, don't you think?

(that's me, around 6 months old.)

21/52

2011-05-29T08:40:00.005-04:00

It has been a while since I joined up with Barbara on her weekly photo chronicle of life.

Here we have a giraffe, created by Jack.

My kids play with toys in spurts.

This past week, it has been the bucket of duplos.

We finished school this week, so now it is officially summertime!

Splash!!

There is one kid who is not so sure the pool is fun.

She is happier in her daddy's arms.

A special treat for finishing 1st grade!

She got right to work on playing.

"oh, la, la!"

Does anyone else like these toys as much as we do?

Anna created a swirling flower garden.

"I know I shouldn't be doing this, but it is just so shiny."

Daddy's tuba.

This morning, I found the first squash blossom.

Isn't it beautiful?

3 weeks ago, the garden looked like this.

This morning, it has transformed into this.

The tomatoes 3 weeks ago.

The tomatoes this morning!
Wow!

Yesterday was just plain rotten

2011-05-25T13:12:00.002-04:00

Literally!

I had wanted to make some date syrup. I was really excited about trying this recipe.

(I know that probably makes me a little weird. Oh, well.)

I pulled out the food processor, the recipe, the dates. I opened the dates. Whew! Mold on almost all of them! Sad at this turn of events, I put everything away. I was not only upset over not getting to try a new recipe, but mostly I was frustrated over the lost money. I mean, the grocery budget is something I really work on. In order to buy more organic, unprocessed foods, I have had to cut out some things.

(Boxed cereal was cut much to my families chagrin. I don't really understand why, for I make muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. most mornings. Why do they still crave the stuff in a box?)

It wouldn't have been so bad if lunch had gone better earlier in the day. I bought some lunch meat, (which is also not on the grocery list anymore), since we had company earlier in the week and they had a little one with peanut allergies. I went to make sandwiches yesterday with the leftovers. I popped a piece in my mouth and immediately regretted not sniffing the package first. It was rancid! Not something I ever want to taste again. I threw it out and pulled out the swiss cheese to make a cheese sandwich and guess what? Yup. Green patches all over the cheese. All these things I had bought less than 5 days prior.

Today is going much better, thanks be to God!

Tuesday's Daybook

2011-05-24T07:29:00.003-04:00

Outside my window...

...a kiddie pool filled with toys, water, and the echoes of yesterday's laughter.

...tomatoes in cages, the lingering scent of the plants on my hands.

...chirping birds, who best not mess with the tomatoes.

I am thinking...

...that these May days are a whirlwind of activity.

...I need to keep in mind that this is Mary's month.

...an 8 month old really shouldn't be trying to walk.

I am thankful for...

...hot coffee from the new perculator.

...children who like to sleep in.

...my family, both close and far away.

From the lesson plans...
...only 3 days left and Anna will have completed first grade!

...deciding whether to start Jack in pre-K or Kindergarten in the fall.

...looking forward to end of year straightening and organizing of the classroom.

From the kitchen...

...today I want to make some granola.

...I want to make some date syrup.

...pulling out the pasta machine to make homemade noodles for tonight's fettucine alfredo.

I am wearing...

my gardening clothes.

I am creating...
some new diaper covers for Therese. One knitted, one from an old sweater that accidentally went into the dryer.

I am reading...
"Little Town on the Prairie" to the children. I might be enjoying it more than the kids.

I am hoping...
...to finish all the projects I have started!

I am hearing...
The baby talking in her crib. I sent Jack to amuse her for a moment so I can finish this post.

Around the house...
babyproofing! Daily vacuuming is a must. Yesterday, I went around to all the windows and shortened the cords on the mini-blinds. I got the idea from Jack, who took scissors to the cords a couple months ago.

I am going...
nowhere but the rooms of our house and the yard outside.

One of my favorite things...
working in the garden in the early morning.

I am praying for...
all those on my list of special, private intentions.

Picture of the day...

...more projects in the works!

From the Kitchen...

2011-05-16T16:32:00.004-04:00

Jack has been hounding and pestering me to make some playdough for longer than I care to admit. See, I didn't have enough salt and let's just say that someone did not remember to buy more for the last two grocery trips. But today, Jack accompanied me to pick up Olivia from school and we stopped on the way home to buy salt.

My cooks took turns adding ingredients and stirring the dough.
They even agreed on what color to make it.

Ewwww. But wait, it will look like playdough soon enough.

Here's the recipe we use. It is from the Little Hands Craft Book.

It only takes a minute for it to change from goo to dough.

Ready to play!

I stuck Therese's foot in it to see what she thought of playdough.

"Lady, why did you stick my foot in that stuff?"

It didn't take long to get set up on the kitchen floor.

In other kitchen news, I went to a yard sale in our neighborhood on Saturday. I scored this coffee perculator for $1! We also procured 2 books, 3 toys, and some thread tape for a grand total of $3. Not too shabby.

I'd been wanting a perculator ever since reading this book. I know I shouldn't get such a thrill out of making coffee, but I did! I felt just like a pioneer woman with an electric stove and an old perculator must have felt. And oh, it tasted SO good. I think my old coffeemaker will find a nice cozy spot on the closet shelf for a while.

Yet another reason I love my library...

2011-05-14T18:16:00.005-04:00

Beer! The young college gentleman who works at our library struck up a conversation with me the other day about his favorite beers. I've been on a red wine kick for a while, but with warmer weather on the horizon, beer sounds awfully good. I mean, what could be better than an ice cold beer after working in the garden all afternoon?

Anyhoo, he asked me if I liked IPA's and of course I said.... "What's an IPA?"

(It's India Pale Ale, for those of you who aren't hip enough to know that!)

Back in college, any old beer would do. But now, I have a more discriminating palette, and a slightly bigger budget, so I sent Tony off to procure me some good beer. This is what he brought home.....

My librarian did not let me down! Oh so hoppy and refreshing! Yum, yum, yum!

By the way, this is my kitchen table. It is an old door. I fell for it the moment I saw it. I know it has nothing to do with beer, but I just wanted to share. Hope your weekend is wonderful.

How does your garden grow

2011-05-10T13:24:00.003-04:00

I always like to take a picture of the garden at the beginning of the season so I can look back and see the transformation. Little tiny plants and rows of seeds soon become blossoming plants. Before you know it, they are heavy with vegetables. I know this doesn't look like a holy place, but I do some of my best talking with God out there, weeding and watering, pruning and picking.

This year's crops:

tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers,

green beans, okra, and pumpkin.

Over in the herb garden, the lettuce has sprouted.

Rosemary, Thyme and Lemon Balm survived the winter.

I bought a few more strawberry plants too.

Jack informed me last night that he does not like "Lemon Bomb" because it explodes.

What are you growing this year?

before and after

2011-05-09T13:25:00.003-04:00

The shed before.

It's such a, umm... bright color, isn't it?

Our shutters, front door, and garage door were all this color when we bought the house.

And after! So neutral, so...not blue!
I've been waiting 18 months for this.
Yippee!

On this Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:55:00.002-04:00

5:45 am: Therese wakes up, cooing in her crib. She and I head down the stairs to start the day. I change her diaper, make a bottle and settle in the chair with her. Her soft hair has strayed from it's clip and I gently brush it out of her eyes so we can see each other more clearly. She has been with us for exactly 8 months this day. Yesterday, she crawled. Two days ago, she stood up in the crib all by herself. She likes us to hold her hands so she can "walk". She can sit up from lying on the floor without our help. I am a mother 6 times over, thanks to her.

7:00 am: She is back asleep and I carry her back upstairs and lay her in the crib. I nudge my husband awake to remind him of his Mother's Day promise to me. It is supposed to rain later this morning, so it's now or not at all. I could ask for nothing better: in the quiet of the early morning, my husband and I, side by side, planting the garden together. I asked God to bless our efforts and let our garden flourish.

8:45 am: The plants are in the ground, as are the seeds. Tony says he'll finish cleaning up outside, so I head indoors to make breakfast. Olivia is already feeding Therese her breakfast. I make some toast for the little ones while the bacon is frying, the blueberry muffins from yesterday I reheat in the oven and I slice some strawberries. Coffee and juice and we are all set.

After Mass, we can hopefully begin work on the compost bin. I cannot wait to not throw away all those food scraps. It may sound mundane to many, but to me, this has been the best Mother's Day, and it's not even noon!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there. May your day be filled with special blessings!

Wednesday Morning Daybook

2011-05-04T08:30:00.006-04:00

Outside my window...

a quiet, drizzly morning, that will only make the greens greener when the sky clears. Oh, to see life bursting forth makes that terribly long winter fade into another memory.

I am thinking...

about the fact that we killed Bin Laden on Divine Mercy Sunday, the same day we beatified a truly beautiful man. What would he have said? My thoughts are filled with sadness and confusion over this.

I am thankful for...

...my husband and children, who make my life so full.

...new friends

...garden beds waiting to be planted

...coffee in my "new" vintage cup

...gently falling rain

From the lesson plans...

four weeks and counting til summer break!! I can't believe we stayed on track all year. As we closed our books before Easter, the lesson plans said, "See you after Easter". Such an accomplishment for me, I must say.

From the kitchen...

a crock pot full of delicious, simmering Hawaiin pork BBQ for the family get together lunch at the band hall this afternoon.

I am wearing...

jeans and a t-shirt, though I will change into my new dress before we leave. I am trying to make a change in my wardrobe, slowly adding more simple dresses and less jeans and t-shirts.

I am creating...

a dress for myself from a vintage (1963) pattern. I bought some beautiful fabric to make a Sunday dress. As I started reading how to put the dress together, I realized it would be prudent to make a practice dress from less expensive fabric. I have cut the pieces for the practice dress and started pinning the bodice together. It looks very tricky. I'll be going very slowly.

I am reading...

Saint Therese's "Story of a Soul".

I am hoping...

...to put the plants in the garden this weekend

...to help Tony build a compost bin

...to make a dress that does not look homemade

I am hearing...

Jack and Anna entertaining Therese while I type.

Around the house...

not neatness, I tell you that! We had dinner guests twice last week and the house looked wonderful then, but with shed painting, herb planting and general outdoorsyness, the house has been neglected.

I am going...

to the picnic lunch at Tony's work, the commissary and if the weather permits, the local farmer's market.

One of my favorite things...

the smell of the first drops of rain as it falls to the ground. The scent filled my nose as Olivia opened the car door this morning to walk into school. The windshield had a light misting and the air smelled of freshness and spring.

I am praying for...

all those on my list of special, private intentions.

Picture of the day...

Catching Up

2011-05-02T15:45:00.004-04:00

From the moment I wake each morning, to when I lay my head on the pillow, dog-tired each night, I have a blog post streaming in my head, wanting to be written, yet the hours do not allow me the privilege. The gloriously beautiful spring days are ever so busy. Each day is full to the brim with activity. I want to chronicle it all. This will be the extremely abridged version.

Anna recently had some genetic testing done to determine if she has a marker for epilepsy. We are still waiting for the results, for they will help us decide how to proceed with managing her seizures.

We travelled to my parent's house for Easter. It was beautiful weather, and they live in something akin to the garden of Eden. My sister and her family were there as well and I am grateful for the time we had together.

I was disappointed this Lent for the lack of immersing myself into Lenten traditions. The Stations of the Cross have become a tradition for us and we did not get to the Church even once. I could have had us do them at home even, but no, I did not. I felt the emptiness in my heart.

Below are the photos from the trip to Tennessee.

This is my Grams. She is 99!

Therese is 7 months. Their birthdays are 6 days apart.

My sister is trying to keep the chaos to a minimum.

My kids kept licking the spoons. WHY?

The eggs, awaiting their decorating.

The dye, from a box. Sigh.

Pretty.

Also pretty.

(She's my niece.)

More pretty people!

I think I'll print this one and send it to Grams.

Do not, I repeat, do not wake up Jack to look for his basket.

No matter how much the other kids beg you to do so.

He was just plain grumpy.

The. whole. day.

Who put chocolate in her basket?

The canopy of leaves, the sunlight peeking through.

Glorious, I tell you!

Dogwoods have always been one of my favorite trees.

My happy baby.

I love how Jack looked at me, even though I was far away.

Hunting for eggs in the backyard.

We had a great visit!

Sad Morning

2011-04-16T16:28:00.002-04:00

I am sad to report that when I went to check on the tiny blue egg this morning, I found an empty nest. On the ground, with a large hole in the side, was the egg. I haven't seen the mama bird back today. Will she return to her nest or will she find a safer place to make her home? As a mama, my heart is heavy for the little bird that lost her baby. Jack summed it up perfectly..."This is a terrible thing."

Look what we found!

2011-04-12T14:42:00.002-04:00

I noticed a couple weeks ago that some birds were building a nest in the shrubs in front of our house. I've been sneaking a peek every few days. Today I saw this....

Cool!

Happy Kitty

2011-04-10T22:26:00.003-04:00

You, too, can have a cat this happy.

All you have to do is apply these to their claws. We are just hanging out, waiting for the glue to dry.

We wouldn't have to do this at all if she wouldn't scratch the new furniture! Sheesh.

Nothing Sweeter

2011-04-09T09:56:00.002-04:00

She melts my heart. She really does. Those big, brown eyes were tired, I could tell. Her tiny fists rubbing those eyes only confirmed my suspicions. I cradled that sweet little body and gently kissed her forehead. She snuggled in closer to me and I kissed her head again. Once, twice, three more kisses and she was happily asleep in her mother's arms. I could have laid her in the crib then, instead I savored the moment. Is there anything sweeter? I thought not.

Yarn Along

2011-04-06T09:14:00.003-04:00

I am giddy with excitement to join Ginny this week. I made Therese's shrug way before Easter morning! I had images in my head of working late into the night on Easter vigil, frantically trying to finish. I bound off the needles last night. This morning, way too early if you ask me, Therese was up for the day. After feeding, changing, and playing with her, I sat beside her and wove the ends into the sweater. That all took place before 6 am. Too early, I tell you! Thank the Lord for coffee and a warm fire. I still have to sew on a button. I bought one this week and after looking at it next to my knitting, I decided it is not the button. To find just the right button to make the shrug complete is no easy task. There is much love knit into that little shrug, and it needs just the right finishing touch, so I will keep looking.

Our weekly haul from the library. We were one book over the limit. The librarian pointed out that fact, then hit the override key for us. We have the best library around, I am convinced!

The finishing process always makes me nervous. I mean, you have just put a lot of time and care into your knitting. What if you mess up now? Yikes. There is something so final when you snip that yarn.

Well? What do you think?

This and that

2011-04-04T09:58:00.004-04:00

I believe that the best times are often the simplest.

The kids love to see how they are growing. So we are marking their growth on the doorframe of the attic door. In the past 9 months, Jack and Anna grew about 2 inches each.

It only takes a few moments, but it makes their day. Those smiles are priceless. Can anyone explain the thrill of a cardboard box to me? The chair we ordered arrived Friday and the legs were protected by this piece of cardboard. The 3 of them sat contendly make-believing for hours. No one told me that one of the boxes of Samoas was earmarked for my college kid. We ate them all. I found a recipe for a homemade version. I think they look beautiful. They think they taste good.

Him too, even though I really shouldn't let him.

Too much dairy.

In case you can't figure this out, it is a shepherd.I am proud of Jack, for he was looking at a picture and did this on his own.

In the 90 minutes I had all to myself thanks to Tony taking the kids on an errand with him, I made this:

It is a tag blanket. Therese loves the tags more than the toys.I'm glad I saw these on Etsy. It was a fun little project.

I purchased all the materials, including google eyes for a puppet in need of repair for less than $4.

I think she likes it!

I also was able to make 2 hooded towels to go with the knitted washcloths.

No big plans this weekend made for many sweet memories.

May your day be filled with simple, sweet moments!

Yarn Along

2011-03-30T10:50:00.004-04:00

Today is a drizzly, gray, cozy up in front of the fireplace, extra splash of cream in the coffee, snuggle with the kids kind of day. Tomie dePaola's nursery tales are the perfect snuggling with the kids book. I've always enjoyed his illustrations. His telling of familiar and not so familiar stories are just lovely to read.

I bought Anna and Therese matching Easter dresses this year. This is not like me, but I was browsing the Zulily website and they had the cutest dresses by Laura Ashley for less than half price. I got both dresses for what I was prepared to spend on one dress. Anna already has a sweater to wear over her dress in case the weather on Easter Sunday is like it is today. Therese does not. This little shrug is knitting up quickly. The fire is warm, and so is my coffee. Have a wonderful day and don't forget to stop by Ginny's, the gracious host of the Wednesday Yarn Along.

11/52 and 12/52

2011-03-26T09:09:00.005-04:00

52 weeks of daily life in pictures: trials and celebrations,
the extraordinary and mundane --
whatever is unique to the week.
Join me (Barbara) if you like.

Look who is sitting on her own! Mostly.

Our monthly delivery of specialized medical food. Yum-yum.
I am thankful that there IS food my child can eat.

Runny noses and still smiling.

Ok. You might have to click to enlarge this one.

Jack drew a moving van filled with furniture.

Sophie picked the wrong week to have Spring Break.

We were all so sick.

Therese was happy to see her anyway! (Me too.)

My project that made me happy.

I painted the light fixture.

It was brass. It went with nothing.

I think it looks much better.

Our first hint of Spring arrived.

Can't you just feel that sunshine?

Another sign of spring!

More father and son time.

I'm not sure why the bike helmet was necessary.

Helmets and hats. We like putting things on our heads!

My baby washcloths that never got posted this week.

She's part of the gang, conspiring some great idea for having fun together.

Out of the mouth of Jack

2011-03-24T11:53:00.003-04:00

Jack has been a source of much amusement (mine) this week. Maybe he seems funnier since I haven't been getting much sleep with all the sickly children around here.

-at the breakfast table, Jack looked up from his breakfast to inform me that "when I get fur like dad, I'm razoring it off."

-After Anna told Jack that she did not want to play chess with him, Jack yelled down the stairs "Mom, Anna hurt my feelings." I asked him to come down so we could talk about it. His reply? "I can't. My heart is broken."

-I was inspecting kid's teeth to see if they had indeed been brushed. When I asked to see Jack's, he told me "I gave up brushing teeth."

At the Feet of Jesus

2011-03-20T16:30:00.002-04:00

You know that feeling that you've done this before? I've never liked that feeling. Sometimes it makes me think that I must be on the road I am supposed to be travelling, else I wouldn't have this feeling. Other times, it seems like an omen. This is the superstitious part of my brain, for I KNOW that only God knows the path He has laid before me, should I choose to follow Him. Knowing that doesn't make it especially appealing to set out on that journey. Just look at the lives of those who have. Yes, they are in Heaven, but the road was not easy or pretty in most cases. I admit to being a bit of a wimp. Really, who wants to take the hard way to do something?

This past week has been spiritually, mentally, and physically challenging. I guess honestly I should add that it has been religiously challenging too. It all started with a cold. We all got one, even my husband who swears he never gets sick. On Thursday night, things took a more serious turn and my anxious side reared its ugly head.

Tony and I had a rare moment alone after all the kids were in bed, straightening up the downstairs together before heading to bed for the night. In a tender gesture, he held me close and promised that everything will be OK. How ironic, for as we ascended the steps, I went to the kids room to check on them one last time and to bless them as I like to do each night. I found Anna huddled in her bed, shivering so badly I at first thought she was having a seizure. Burning with fever, I carried her to my room while Tony got a cold washcloth and some medicine. Her breathing was short and rapid. Every time I touched the cloth to her forehead, her body shook terribly. Tony is the not-panicker in our house. So when he told me quietly, but firmly to go the nearest ER, I obeyed. I grabbed my Magnificat and shoved it in my purse, knowing I could be in for a long night.

They got us right back into an exam room, which I found pleasantly surprising. We then did have to wait some time to be seen. I opened the Magnificat. (My lenten promise to myself was to read all the readings for each day, as most days I only do the evening ones.)

"Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
For your name's sake, lead me and guide me."

Isn't it just lovely and comforting when God speaks so clearly to us?

"Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, O LORD."

I could just imagine His embrace, as I sat there beside Anna.

"Let my words reach your ears, Lord; listen to my groaning, and hear the cry of my prayer, O my King, my God."

"Not again, Lord," were my words. "I don't want to lose another child," was my groaning. "Please don't let this be my cup of suffering," was my prayer.

"HAVE NO ANXIETY at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I am trying to have no anxiety, but it is hard. You see, Ben had pnuemonia just a month before he died. That was Anna's diagnosis Thursday night. Jack was 7 months old the day we lost Ben. Therese will be 7 months old soon. I have had dreams this week of my friend who helped me so lovingly in those first days after the tragedy. An ambulance was parked beside my car as I came out of the pharmacy to get Anna's medicine. I place all this at the feet of Jesus, and ask that He help me have no anxiety, but only the trust in our Father's perfect design for each of us.

Yarn Along

2011-03-16T21:58:00.002-04:00

I am participating in Ginny's yarn along again this week...

The bridge book is lots of fun! We are in the middle of constructing and testing a truss bridge made of craft sticks. The Rooster Grows is a book of nursery rhymes. Jack and I were playing with some quiz cards when I made the discovery that he had no idea who Old Mother Hubbard might be. The other two books I am currently reading to the kids are about earthquakes and volcanoes.We actually checked them out of the library before the tragedy in Japan happened.

We had some neighbor kids over earlier this week. Anna asked me to read to them all and she wanted to hear about volcanoes. About halfway through, the neighbor's 3 year old looked up at me and said, "This is pretty scary stuff!" I hope they will still want to come play again.

I am about to start my book tonight, after seeing a positive recommendation from another blog I read. I just finished this book, and, as hard as some of it was to read, being so much like our own tragedy, it was what I needed to read right now. I was inspired by the entire family.

I am knitting some baby washcloths this week. Two of Tony's co-workers are going to be parents soon, so I thought this would be a cute little gift. In queue is a baby shrug for Therese to go over her Easter dress. I ordered the yarn this week and am waiting not so patiently for it to arrive.

Down, but not out

2011-03-15T18:18:00.002-04:00

What do we do when noses are snuffly, temperatures are above normal, and we all feel rather sklonklish*? We give ourselves temporary tattoes, of course!

We also play duck, duck, goose. And Yahtzee. And baseball with special dice.

So what if they are Valentine's tattoes. They made us laugh.
Even though we feel lousy, we still had a beautiful today.

*If you don't know what sklonklish is, watch "The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer" with Cary Grant and Shirley Temple. You won't regret it.

9/52 and 10/52

2011-03-11T14:26:00.003-05:00

52 weeks of daily life in pictures: trials and celebrations,
the extraordinary and mundane --
whatever is unique to the week.

I am joining Barbara this week.

Preparing for a day out of the house.

A nutritious breakfast: peanut butter oatmeal and banana muffins.

It appears the new couch is comfortable and cozy.

Father and son time. I think there were only 5 pieces of track not used.

My budding repairman. He changed the battery in Therese's seat from start to finish without any help whatsoever.

He amazes me.

Learning how to get the flax ready to weave into cloth.

Feeling the soft flax.

Yorktown was just as fun and interesting as Jamestown!

I'm not sure what Therese thinks of her new spring hat.

And that is our last 2 weeks in pictures.

6

2011-03-08T18:09:00.002-05:00

months, that is! Therese is so excited to be 6 months old. She babbles and gives raspberries and rolls. She arches her back and pushes with her feet to get herself closer to objects out of reach. She is all smiles, as long as you don't try to give her solid food.

Can you see her first "hair-do"?

That hair is in her eyes now, so we pull it back!

It is also down her back!

Our sweet little Therese!

If you ever wondered...

2011-03-07T09:37:00.002-05:00

how a grieving mother feels, please read this post by my dear friend Karen, who has also lost a child to SUDEP. She expresses so beautifully and accurately what is in my heart. I am in awe of her ability to write these feelings down.

Yarn Along

2011-03-02T22:00:00.005-05:00

I'm joining Ginny once again this week to share what I am knitting and reading.

On the needles, I am starting a hat for Therese. I bought her a new spring outfit that is not pink. I was actually able to find a cute yellow and white little cotton dress with navy trim. I am making this hat to go with the dress. The largest size the pattern makes is 3/6 months. She will be 6 months old next week. I don't even want to think about that. Add to that the fact that we grow our babies with big brains. I'm talking 95th percentile for the head. All this to say, I am trying to knit this with larger needles to get a larger hat.

My reading material reflects my hope that spring is near. I am trying to grow a better garden, start a compost pile or bin, and maybe even a rain barrel to make watering the garden cheaper. We will see how much of this can be accomplished this growing season.

My apologies on the bad photography this week. It is dark outside, but this is the first chance I have had to pull out the camera today.

Hurry up, warmer weather! I can't wait to start digging in the dirt.

Our trip to Jamestown

2011-03-01T15:26:00.004-05:00

It has been a great few days. First of all, my parents came for a visit. Second, Jamestown and Yorktown are having their homeschool week right now. We originally planned to go on Saturday, but the weather forecast looked much better for Sunday, so off we went to the Vigil Mass Saturday evening after a fun time at the bowling alley. (Because everyone goes bowling before Mass, right? Also, bowling is free on post every Saturday afternoon!) Sunday morning dawned with warm temperatures and high hopes, and we were not disappointed. It was such a perfect day.

Here you can see the masts of the ships in the distance. They are full scale replicas of the original ships and are fully functioning to boot. In fact, they actually sailed one of them from England to Jamestown following the route of the actual voyage.

Reproduction of a Powhatan dwelling.

Inside, listening to the guide explain the uses of the building.

Oh, how Jack loved the ships! He had to try everything, and that was OK because they let him.

See what I mean?

I think my dad had a great time!

I wanted to take the chickens home!

Anna trying on the English armor.

Olivia took this picture. I like it. A lot.

This is where Olivia would have stayed all day had I let her.

Talking swords with the "locals".

Souvenir ship in hand, Jack didn't even make it out of the parking lot!

Oh, we had such a wonderful time!

Yarn Along

2011-02-23T21:40:00.002-05:00

I am joining Ginny's yarn along again this week. I temporarily put down my knitting needles and picked up a crochet hook. It had been a while, but this pattern was so cute, I just had to try. The first attempt was downright depressing. There was a huge bulge on one side. The second attempt wasn't much better. On the positive side, I can whip one of these up fairly quick, so I don't feel guilty making this many useless booties. The third time, I made some changes to the pattern and made it look much more like the picture. Which brings me to a question. Is it because I am crocheting left-handed that the pattern would not work for me the way it is written? I just figured it would be a mirror image type thing.

I know I say this all the time, but I love my library! I finished the book on the top, Made From Scratch, and it inspired me to check out all the books beneath it. I mentioned to Tony that the book says you can keep a few chickens successfully in your backyard and get enough eggs for your family. He raised an eyebrow at me. I also mentioned I thought it would be fun. I got the stink eye. Clearly he lacks my adventurous spirit. He is on board to build me some more raised bed gardens, so I'll be happy with that for now.
See this fellow. He is my arch-enemy. Last growing season, he would steal my tomatoes. This year, I hope to outsmart this creature. But just look at the way he is holding his fists! "Bring it on!" is what I think he is saying.
Who will triumph in this epic battle of man vs. nature? Only time will tell.

Ben's Birthday

2011-02-22T21:31:00.003-05:00

Today my son would have been 11 years old.

We celebrated by going to Dairy Queen for ice cream. I believe he would have approved. We'll be going to historic Jamestown and Yorktown this weekend for more fun in honor of Ben's birthday. We always try to plan something fun that he would have enjoyed doing.

On Sunday, as we were driving home from Virginia Beach, my ipod was playing some of my favorite music. (This is the part where I admit that in my college days, I was a bit of a free spirit. Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead cassettes made up the vast majority of my collection.) My man Bob started singing "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall". It starts out like this: "Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?" I immediately thought of Ben, and in the next moment, Tony had reached over and squeezed my hand. My husband is not a huge displayer of emotion, so this meant A LOT to me. I am no Bob Dylan, but I had the idea to fix the song to fit our story.

Here is my tribute to Ben.

To the Moon

2011-02-18T09:09:00.003-05:00

Armed with only the carseat his mother brought inside for a much needed cleaning, and a map of the route to the moon which has been disguised as a dictionary, the intrepid space explorer Jack is preparing to blast off.

Accompanying him, but not of her own free will, is the baby. It appears she is tethered to the rocket. Good luck to these mighty space travelers!

Because she asked...

2011-02-15T18:40:00.005-05:00

and because our 19th anniversary is a few weeks away, I am taking a stroll down memory lane.

By she, I mean the lovely Hallie.

When I was a little girl, I remember seeing a picture of my parents, hand in hand, with glowing smiles, exiting the Church on their wedding day. It was in my grandmother's house. I fell in love with the dress then. When we pulled it out of storage while planning my wedding, I knew as I soon as I put it on that it was the dress. I love the brocade lace overlay. The pretty flowers that are so simple, yet they make the dress. That is me. Simple. Not fancy or elegant.

Boy! When you are gazing into each other's eyes for the first time as husband and wife, you have no idea what a crazy journey you are about to begin. The good and the not so good. But mostly, it has been good.

When we got married, all my grandparents were still living. One of my favorite memories of that whole weekend was the morning of the wedding. We were trying to get everyone to the Church on time. We rushed my grandfather out the door. He arrived without his glasses or his teeth! He looked like one of the heckler's from the muppet show. It was so endearing to me though, that he grinned in the photos even though he was toothless. (He's the one on the left.)

6/52

2011-02-11T08:32:00.004-05:00

Here we go...

Flowers from my husband.
Where I make my weekly menu

Did you ever watch "The Facts of Life"?

Those skates never come off!

Chicken pot pie before baking....

...and after!

I have piano students again!

These keys are nearly 100 years old.

Freshly laundered diapers!

Join Barbara in capturing everyday life!