This morning held a special treat for the littles at our house. I heard all kinds of exclaiming! "Mommy! mommy! wook! wook! Mommy come see the CHICKENS! " I peeked out the curtain and saw 2 guinea hens. (the neighbors birds like to go visiting on occasion) :-) I explained to the children that these are not chickens but guinea hens and I showed them a picture in the encyclopedia. I told them what they like to eat and how people use them like "watch dogs" sometimes.

After a little while, Doodlebug said "chickens!" and her sister announced "NO, no! Chickens all gone...gindedenel sens!" (Which translated means "no those are not chickens they are guinea hens"). It's amazing how much little ones can learn, even if they seem too young and can barely talk. They learn more than we realize.
This morning made me smile. I love to homeschool!

Labels: Another Day, Homeschool

Today is the first day of freedom for me in a couple of weeks! I go through it every year. When April comes I began a long, tedious and exhausting process. The children don't enjoy it anymore than I do...tax time. By the 16th of April joy reigns again and I feel like dancing on the housetop and shouting hurray to passersby! We have almost always been self employed around here and hubby has his own 'recordkeeping style'. Ahem...
This year I was able to convince him to put all his notes into one planner style book, and to put all receipts into one box. It still took me almost a week to finish all the work. (Probably because I homeschool and have two 2 year olds in the house! :-) ) In the end our new 'hi-tech' system saved me loads of stress and time, so I'm very happy! So--if i pop by your place on the web and seem unusually cheery you now know why.
Well, I'm off to begin a happy day of homeschooling and dishwashing and laundry and bill paying...It all seems so simple and light again!
Perspective. It's the stuff life is made of.

Labels: Another Day, Holidays and Celebrations

Sunday smiles to you!
I am sorry I went AWOL.
I was sick for about a week and then Ladybug and Doodlebug were sick for a few days and then I spent several days getting ready for Osprey to come home on Spring Break!
We cleaned out the extra room for two of Osprey's friends and Rivergirl and Amanda (my several-times-per-week helper) made cheese cake.
He was able to ride with three friends from college and arrived home Friday evening. His friends spent the night here so they could get a fresh start on Saturday morning. They still had 10 hours to go..bless their hearts!
Friday night we had a fun time eating pizza and talking. They were also kind enough to play music for us! It really was one of the happier times of my life! The three visitors were all polite and charming and played with, held, sang to, and read to my littles. We heard a sweet version of Jesus Loves Me in piano, saxophone and guitar. They have officially earned a place in this mama's heart! :-)
I probably won't be posting very much this week since Osprey is here. I'll be spending a lot of time with him. But I'll try to tell all about our week eventually.
This afternoon we are scheduled to go get his senior portraits taken in a neighboring town. He's dreading it a little (too much fussing and ordering about) and I'm really looking forward to it.
have a sunny day!

Labels: Another Day, Family, Holidays and Celebrations

Here we go...headed into the weekend again!
Since I do my grocery shopping on Thursday's I am usually ready for hubby's request for food on Friday mornings. This morning I baked some biscuits and cooked some eggs with cheese on top to make biscuit sandwiches.
His lunch and coffee were ready. The children kissed him and we waved him off to work with smiles.
Ahhh! I love it when a plan comes together!

Yesterday was grocery day. I admit that grocery shopping is not a favorite activity of mine. I have read some blogs where they give the feeling that if they had no other obligations in life they would stand around in the grocery aisles calculating their savings until they were forced to go home and sleep.
I have no such desire. Don't get me wrong. I love to help my husband save money. l love to feed my family. I love to plan my menus. I just don't relish the time spent in the grocery store; especially if I have to go to Stuff Mart for some reason. When I emerge from Stuff Mart I feel like a mole coming out of the ground. My eyes hurt in the sunlight and I have to squint and scurry to the car. My brain gets on some sort of short circuit where I can't hear anything but loud white noise...the mix of unpleasant music, babies crying, registers clicking and hundreds of people talking. I also feel like I've been gone from regular society for an unknown amount of time. Like a time traveler that no one knows was gone. The crackling noise in my head has to die down before I can understand normal people talking again. It's very disconcerting to be on the sidewalk in front of the mammoth store that just stole a large chunk of my life and then have my phone ring....
Ring!
Me: Uh, Uhm...He..He...Heellllooo?
Daughter: Mom, when are you coming home? I mean, I hope you aren't coming home yet. I'm having fun doing crafts and I don't want to clean it up yet. The babies took their diapers off and broke some stuff....but it's fine..." Her voice trails off.
I try to answer with English but my mind is running on some kind of holding pattern and it takes a few words to get into gear.
Me: "Uhhh... I just... coming... out store... I can't...uhhhmmm... remember where I parked.... How long have I been gone anyway?"
It usually takes me 15 minutes or so to shake the side effects.

I am very pleased to say, however, that yesterday I did not have to visit Stuff Mart! I went to Kroger, which is a notch or 2 better. They were having one of their regularly scheduled 10 for 10 sales. I can do those. I can stock up on essentials and basics while the prices are low. In fact I absolutely love to do that. I have shopped for this family for more than 19 years. So I pretty much know what we need, I use a list to remind me of what is on the menu but for essentials I already know the list in my head. Yesterday, my cart was loaded with bags of onions (3 lbs for a dollar isn't too bad) and other basics. You gotta watch those sales though! They try to trick you into buying something for a dollar a can -just because it has a bright yellow sticker declaring 10 FOR 10 DOLLARS-!!!...when the brand right next to it is only 75 cents per can at regular price!

I made it out of there with all the groceries for this week plus lots of stuff for the coming month and I spent less than my budgeted grocery amount! Hurray! That means I have a teensy bit of money to use on something else. Like, add to my envelope of savings for a few new school books that I hope to purchase.

Late last night Osprey called. He has to call late because he's so busy right now that he has no other time slots available....I remember being young...
Anyway, we were up late talking about stuff...you know...plans for life and next year --college? no college? ...jobs, classes and grades and also, he's planning to go on a school organized mission trip to Peru this summer for which he has to raise his own support. I'm just getting used to him being in another state and now he wants to go out of the country for more than a month ...somebody help me breathe...my baby isn't a baby anymore...

Labels: Another Day, Family

Today is my first post concerning the new exercise challenge I have taken on.
Go here to read about the moms who have decided to team up and challenge one another weekly to take better care of our bodies.

Okay, so I guess I should report about my week at this point ...


Uhmmm...I didn't do very well.
In fact I only exercised once. I find that odd since for about 2 or 3 weeks prior to me joining this challenge I have exercised almost daily. Do I have a problem? Apparently so! Do I know what it is? Not really... Maybe I just rebel when I feel obligated or maybe my brain purposely tricked me into forgetting.

It doesn't matter because this is a new week and I plan to do better today and tomorrow and every day. The sun is shining, the neighbors roosters are crowing and my 3 littles are already outside enjoying the day. I plan to join them shortly.

My recent 'style' of exercise has been to play on the swings, go for walks, and 'power lift' the littles! :-) I have a younger brother who is a 'strong man'. I'll bet he doesn't use my methods! But that's okay! It's what you call multi-tasking and it gets the job done.

So off I go to exercise! and enjoy my children! and the sunshine!

Have a sunny day!

Labels: Another Day, Exercise

As you may recall, today is my laundry day. What that means, in so many words, is that I try to get as much laundry done as I can on Mondays. That is not to say I don't do any the rest of the week, because I need to wash a load or two each day in order to keep the piles manageable.

Sometimes, maybe 4 times a year? I lose control.
The laundry monster grows so fast that one morning I wake to find myself in a sea of laundry...my bed floating on the waves of socks and plaid shirts with sawdust in them. The laundry monsters tentacles are reaching for my throat...and I sit up in bed with a start. If I happen to be pregnant or otherwise overwhelmed or ill I might lie down and cover my head and beg the Lord to have mercy on me.

Otherwise, I am a woman of action. As soon as Dear hubby drives out of the driveway with the typical chorus of children's 'goodbye daddy!' shouts, I close the door and start giving orders.
"You! Get the babies dressed! And you! Go find the rest of your clothes and get dressed ...we can't go anywhere with half clothes and half pajamas. And you! Go clean out the car! There's no way we can fit anything else in there with all that junk taking up the back. Meet me back here in 10 minutes for your next order!"

Everyone begins the noisy and chaotic process of finding clothes, shoes and socks and making the Suburban safe to ride in.
After 15-20 minutes of running, shouting and digging through toys to find the missing shoes, everyone converges at the front door for further orders. That's when they see that I have lined up 43 barrels of dirty clothes to be hauled to the Suburban and crammed in tight. Just barely room enough to close the doors.

Everyone pushes, pulls and shoves, plops little ones into seats and begins buckling. I haul out a purse big enough to carry a large crock pot in and a tote bag of bills and other 'reading material' and try to stuff those in ahead of me. My oldest always sighs and tries to lift up his feet so I'll have room for my traveling gear. I seat myself in the drivers seat and glance in the rear view mirror...
What I usually see is at least 3 heads who haven't had their hair brushed since the previous day. So I begin the process of looking for a brush. "Son, hand me back my purse." After tugging and pulling for 3 minutes we get it un-lodged.
Then I tell him to find the hairbrush.
"In there?" He asks, as he stares with disgust down into the black hole of my designer (ahem) bag?
"Yes!" I answer.

Thus it goes until about an hour and a half after hubby leaves and we are finally on our way to one of my saving institutions:
THE LAUNDRY MAT!
Of course, along the way I realize I'll need quarters...and detergent...and waters and snacks for the kids, so it still takes another 45 minutes to get there.

When we finally arrive, I set about the daunting task of unloading all the barrels and take over the entire building.
I can't use the little laundry place in my own town because it's too small...they don't have enough washers for my family.
So, I go to the large city nearby and use an entire row of machines, thus leaving a couple of rows for the other customers.
After 30 minutes of sorting and stuffing machines I can sit down and relax and have 30 minutes of pure bliss, knowing that ALL of my family's clothes are getting washed AT ONE TIME! How cool is that? I actually really enjoy the drying and folding process because that is the only place I've ever been where there is enough room to fold everything.

After we arrive home I make it mandatory that EVERY STITCH of clothing be put away...this is usually just in time for me to get supper ready.

By the end of the day I'm usually a bit tired... but- oh- so -very -happy!
When hubby asks what my day was like I just say "Oh... I just did some laundry..." and then I smile to myself.

I'll be able to stay on top of it for several months now until some other crisis happens...

and then I'll do it all again.

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

Today I have a long to do list. Deep breath. I'm going to post it here. Maybe some of you are feeling 'ahem' challenged like me.
I'll just list the major things here..I won't mention the small things like diaper changes etc...I wouldn't want this to get boring or anything ;-):

Cheer up my dear hubby (he's having a hard day)

De-clutter my bathroom

Ditto my bedroom

Ditto the kitchen countertops

Ditto the entry area

Homeschool the 3 oldest children while keeping the 2 youngest from emptying the dresser drawers or kitchen cabinets or whatever...you name it.

Sort and pay and file a large stack of bills (yesterday's work)

Mail the same (plus some letters)

Feed the hungry troops (3 times , no less!)

Clean up the feeding zones!

Plan the weeks menu and shop for the groceries

Wash and dry and fold a minimum of 2 loads of laundry (plus fold the 4 loads that are sitting in the living room)

Organize and de-clutter the sewing/computer/school room

Make my bed..(should that be at the top of the list?)

Brush my hair and teeth (this is to protect the innocent people around me) (THIS should be first)

Take time to smell the coffee and maybe drink some...

Take time to smell the roses...and hug my kiddoes

I figure if I take it one step at a time I won't get overwhelmed...baby steps.
I... think.... I... can..., I.. think.. I.. can.., I think I can!

Labels: Another Day

Today is Sunday...the day we have set aside as a Sabbath. We traditionally have varied the day's activities but tried to always maintain a restful pace and a family atmosphere. As a child I remember roast beef lunches and long naps... I often serve sandwiches or some other simple fare. We do lots of reading and some napping. I think each family should develop their own traditions and then stick with them as much as possible. You won't regret the rest or the memories you make!



I don't remember what study it was ...but I know there was one that showed that a person increases their life span by resting every seventh day...and even work animals work harder and more efficiently and live longer when given a day of rest every seventh day.

Just a reminder: keeping a Sabbath day is one of the ten commandments...:-)

Labels: Another Day, Family, Household Helps

Saturday is a good day to fill the house with the aroma of something freshly baked...A tin of blueberry muffins, or a batch of bread, or maybe a cake. Today I will probably bake some bread and have Rivergirl bake something of her choice. I want her to have lots of experience in the kitchen. My dear hubby often works on Saturday mornings and comes home by noon or so. Have you ever walked into the house when someone was baking something? Remember how welcoming that was? Mmmm!

The other major chore we try to tackle is yard work.



We have been so blessed to live here and have such a large yard for the children to play in. When we first moved here there were absolutely no trees or bushes or anything at all. The previous owners had been foreclosed on so they uprooted all the trees and bushes, except for two rose bushes, and took them.



Through the years we have slowly added trees and shrubbery and jasmine and ivy and many other things.



This year our yucca plant was very happy! :-)



My builder man built this at my request...a little side yard with privacy fence and a gate with the latch up high out of little ones reach. This is what we call the play yard. I can put the little ones there and not worry that they'll find their way to the street.




I hope you've enjoyed my little week of days...only one to go and it's all about resting.
Have a sunny day!

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

Friday! Ahh! The end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend.This is the day I have set aside (ahem) for cleaning the house. I really don't look forward to the cleaning part...what I look forward to is the reward we let ourselves have after we clean: Art and Music history and free choice of creative activities and reading. Friday evenings are traditionally our pizza night so I never have to wonder what's for dinner and if everyone does their part we can have the whole place in decent order in a little over one hour...not bad.

The way we divide up the house cleaning differs by year and season of life but I make sure everyone has a job, even the toddlers. I have a list for each person (which I print up each week) saved on the computer, with their name at the top and checkboxes next to the items. Each person's list has some fun personal touches: pictures and cool fonts...even mine. :-)

I also include detail instructions, because kids need explanations. Example: "Clean Toilet ~ the whole thing must be wiped down inside and out and use a scrub brush for the inside and don't forget the part near the floor!" :-).

I also find that if I write the approximate amount of time it should take for the job it helps tremendously. For example: if the list says Dust the Living Room, I put 6 minutes in parentheses next to the job.
Children get overwhelmed when they don't know how long a job should take and if the list looks long to their little eyes they will dawdle over their work. Let's face it~ we adults feel the same way...we just aren't as vocal about it.
This time reminder helps keep everyone (including me) on track and we don't let ourselves give up or skip something or sit down and put up our feet until the list is complete. This also helps prevent the perfectionists in the family from turning a simple cleaning rag job into a Q-tip and toothbrush affair!

I know I sound like our house is lovely and spotless because we practice perfect cleaning routines every week...not so!
Some weeks everything goes haywire and the only cleaning we get done is a quick vacuum and a swipe at the bathroom sink. Please remember what I said before, the schedule is merely our guide. The spirit of the thing is what counts, not the letter of the law. If we have a routine and miss here and there, that's ok. We have a guide, a target, so to speak, that helps us have something to aim for. If your routine takes more than an hour or hour and a half, you may need to re-adjust and spread out the work to other days in the week....or maybe some of those things aren't that important. Could you save a few of the jobs for a special 'spring or fall cleaning'?

The jobs I give each person depend on their age and personality. I believe every person should have meaningful work to do. It gives a person a healthy sense of self worth when they are contributing to the family. I am always amazed at mom's who think it is solely their responsibility to clean everything...especially home school mom's. We need to guard against burnout. Also, you are doing the children a favor by teaching them to work and to contribute to the family. By saying this I do not mean to imply that you should demand your dear husband to help. That should be his own personal choice...I've seen some hubbies pitch in when all the children are small and it works great...some hubbies don't want to...they are contributing to the household in other ways. My own hubby is very thoughtful when a new baby is born or we have lots of company. But I never ask him to do these things on a weekly basis (Just my own little opinion).

Example's of the work I give to the different aged children:
Teenager: empty trash, vacuum a large area, bedroom dusting and straightening, change bed sheets, clean part of the bathroom, and dust in the living or dining area, oversee toddler cleaning....sometimes more sometimes less.

8 -12 year old: similar to above but no trash removal and a smaller part of the bathroom and less vacuuming and dusting.

4-8 year old: put away toys, vacuum part of a room, dust one piece of furniture and change their pillowcase, and sometimes sweeping or helping do other odd jobs.

1-4 year old: pick up toys, dust part of coffee table or whatever someone big is dusting, :-), and in the past I gave my toddlers their own little mops and brooms and vacuums. The 3 oldest just LOVED using them alongside me while I worked. The little girls haven't had these tools yet but Christmas and birthdays are coming this winter! Shhhh! Don't tell...:-)

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

~To Market, To Market~

To market, to market to buy a fat pig;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

To market, to market, to buy a plum cake;
Home again, home again, market is late.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun;
Home again, home again, market is done.

To market, to market, a gallop a trot,
To buy some meat to put in the pot;
Three pence a quarter, a groat a side,
If it hadn't been killed it must have died.

Today I set out 'Like a Merchant Ship' to find all the food and goods the family will need for the week. I try to arrange all the errands in some kind of order so that I can make my way through town in a logical manner. I don't relish having to go back and forth all day because I forgot something on the far side of town. I use this day for groceries and clothes and all the other little errands. Sometimes my big kids babysit the younger ones and sometimes we all go. It's a sight to behold us when we are shopping at the little health food market! 2 grocery carts full of children and one piled with goods! :-)
Some weeks I get a special treat because Dear Hubby will be working nearby and we'll get to have lunch together. :-) Romance!

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

Wednesday is the day I have to concentrate. This is the day I have chosen to focus on paper and desk responsibilities.
I use Wednesday's for paying bills, filing, balancing the checkbook,



personal planning, home school lesson planning, and menu planning,



and thank you notes and letter writing.



I have a couple thoughts to share on the subject of letter writing.
1. Please take the time to send a real live letter or note, written on pretty paper to someone once a month or so.
You may find that you like the feeling and I guarantee that the person on the receiving end will be tickled to get something besides bills and junk in their mailbox.
2.Spend just a little bit of money on a pretty pen and some pretty stationery...it's motivating!

I wrote a post about my Wednesday routine earlier this year...
Click here to read it.

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

I said I was inspired by the old tradition of one large task assigned to each day of the week....but I have done a little adjusting to the times and my own life! I don't iron on Tuesday's because we don't consider that a major chore. We only iron a few things, and so I squeeze that into other days...sometimes Monday afternoon's and sometimes at the last minute...:-)





I love to sew and crochet and other handwork, so this is the day I try to focus on those things. Because I consider sewing and handwork to be a bit of a bonus in my life I don't always keep this day as strictly as the others. Sometimes I use this day for catching up on other missed chores, sometimes I go to lunch with a friend, and sometimes I read. I always have reading I would like to do...lots and lots and lots...






Afraid you don't have time to slow down and read a book?
Not one to stop and smell the roses or walk in the sunshine very often?
Or maybe you love to slow down and savor moments and would love to read something that further inspires you...
I have another favorite book to tell you about...Mitten Strings for God ~ Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison. Not a Christian book (despite the title) but a lovely, lovely look at life. Read it and take the parts you want and leave the rest. It will remind you to focus on what is truly important.

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

Today is Monday which means, that for me, it's wash day.

Wash day includes the laundry and the car. The children look forward to an afternoon trip to the car wash...which usually includes a treat of some kind.

I have a general housekeeping schedule that I have followed for many years...
I took my inspiration for this from the long tradition of homemakers through history who had a designated day for each major chore.
I started having 'Market Day' on Thursdays about 17 or 18 years ago and haven't stopped since.

Sometimes my life gets busier and things get crazy around here...those are the days that I relax and figure I'll just have to 'get to it later'. Even when I can't get to something, it's nice to have a basic outline in my head of what I should be doing! At least that way I still feel a sense of control...because I know exactly what I need to catch up on or skip entirely.

If you consider yourself domestically challenged and have no idea what should be done to keep a house, or if you adore housekeeping, or anywhere in-between I highly recommend the book: Home Comforts- The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. Google it or look it up on Amazon. This a favorite book of mine with lots of meat.
Chapters include (but not limited to) Easing into a Routine, Neatening, Home Cooking, Kitchen Culture, To Market to Market, Fabrics, Care Labels, Laundering, Folding, Cleaning, Daily Life chapters, Pets, Bedding, Safety and so much more.

Traditional Days of the Week

Monday ~ Washday
Tuesday ~ Ironing
Wednesday ~ Sewing
Thursday ~ Marketing
Friday ~ Cleaning
Saturday ~ Baking
Sunday ~ Meeting and Rest

Labels: Another Day, Household Helps

It's Sunday evening and the house is almost quiet.

4 year old Little Guy is sound asleep amongst pillows and comforters on our bed.

Rivergirl and Hubby are gone to visit some dear friends who live out of town. They needed some repair work done right away...and they just had a new bundle of joy. A precious baby boy...their first after 4 girls! I asked Rivergirl to 'see' him for me. :-)



Osprey is settled into his room for a quiet evening and Ladybug and Doodlebug are freshly diapered and almost ready for me to tuck them in.




At present they are happily playing on the kitchen floor with a few wipes they snuck out of the box before I noticed and also pushing the step/chair around and around...



I have been playing around wth my camera just a little...I'm not very good at using it yet but my 2 oldest have agreed to give me some pointers! :-)



I am content tonight...content to serve here in my home, content to nurture and love those dear little people God has placed in my care, content to help my husband in any way I can.
I need to close now and go snuggle the 2 little bitties into their bed with kisses and a few rounds of La La Lu...
Good night!

Labels: Another Day

Here's a little peek into our interesting and busy, busy morning...

Ds 17 and a friend going to work with Hubby.
Another friend called to cancel working...left hubby in a bind.
Me, trying to help...somewhat unsuccessfully.
Cats running under foot and tripping people...they're hungry for their breakfast.
DD 12 has overnight friend....they need food too.
The 19 month old babies are up and perky and running around the house chasing each other down to grab the book the other one has.
DS4 throwing a tantrum and getting necessary discipline.
Babies eating yogurt and making nice gooey messes all over the table. Doodlebug thought it would be fun to turn her bowl of yogurt and pears upside down and slide it back and forth across the table like a sander.

After the excitement settled just a bit and the three men were sent off to work, the phone rang.

Dear Hubby said..."could yoounmgff asdkuy the tree out front?" (I assume he means water it...) "the one that's almost dead?"

"SURE!" I answer.

Him: "Also, did you have coffee this morning?"

Me: "Uhhmmm, yes? Why?"

"Could you smell it please?"

"What?" (I think the cell phone may have garbled this part of the conversation, as well...)

Him: "Does your coffee smell normal?"

Me: "Oh! Let me see...I am smelling the coffee pot...yes...smells fine"

"Did you say it smells like a llama?"


"Uhhmmm, no, but that would be interesting if it did..." trailing off...

Him: "Well, my coffee smells like something died...must be my cup...I'm going shopping for a new coffee cup and new shoes tonight"

Me: "OK"

"Bye, Love you,have a good day"

"Bye, love you too"

And so ...my day is off to rollicking good start...:-)

Labels: Another Day

I know summer is drawing to a close for many of you.
For those of us in the south, especially Texas...there is still plenty of hot weather to come. :-)
The heat of summer isn't usually over here until the end of September or beginning of October.
Of course our summer activities will dwindle and we'll return to the school year and all things related to it.
We have had a lovely summer. The little girls learned to play outside and discovered bugs and dirt and flowers and the water hose. They squeal with delight over the kitty kitties and run to us in joy with little bits of grass and crushed dandelions in their fists. In years to come the memory of this summer will probably blur and blend in with other years but the sweetness will remain.
Some of you may remember that I have a special country drive...a road that goes from my house to the nearby small town...
The children and I always enjoy scanning the roadside in search of creatures and flowers. Through the years we have seen huge bee hives, snakes, tarantulas, fish, turtles, lots of dragonflies, blue herons, deer, hawks, buzzards and more. Little Guy has fun trying to help us spot things as we cross the bridge and usually shouts out "I SEE A CRICKET!" :-)

Here a few pictures along the road that I drive several times each week.



The wildflowers stayed with us for a long time this year because of all the cool weather and rain we had.




Recently I spotted this turtle crossing the bridge. I slowed to a stop and watched. He quickly tucked his head into his shell, determined not to come out until I had gone. As I watched, this little caterpillar caught up with the turtle and attempted to 'hitch a ride'! :-)...Thankfully, the road is not busy at all, so I was able to sit and enjoy watching for quite some time.




These are flowers that grow alongside the local horse ranch. Every time we pass here the babies begin making their doggie/horse/cow sound...a very funny woofing thing that sounds like "ruuhhhfff". :-)
Just a couple of days ago they learned the word "cow" and have started using it as much as possible while we drive!
"Where kooowww go?" "Oooo koooowww!"



I hope you are all doing well. I know many of you are busy getting ready for the coming school year. Don't forget to take time to savor the last little bit of summer before fall sneaks up on you.

Autumn~~
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

~~Emily Dickenson

Labels: Another Day, Inspirations

The early morning quiet times are special to me. Partly because I have them so rarely. If I wake up then so will someone else. My children, especially the younger ones, have an uncanny ability to know when I am having quiet time. :-) They zero in on the tiniest sounds...like a coffee cup clinking...and here they come. Always ready for food, hugs and another day of play.

This morning I had the briefest time of quiet. A few moments to collect my thoughts and enjoy the blissful silence.
I started looking around and pondering what it was that I enjoyed so about mornings like this. As I looked around the room I smiled at the sights that greeted me...

Rocking horses waiting in readiness for their next ride across the prairie...



The basket full of dolls and stuffed animals anticipating their next hugs and kisses and rockings in the rocking chair...



The box overflowing with trucks and tractors and cars...soon to be lined up in endless traffic jams and driven round and round in the make believe town...



Stacks and stacks of well worn story books eager to be grasped by chubby fingers and pages turned clumsily searching for that next familiar picture...



Way too many art supplies, here , there, and everywhere...made to be squeezed in little fingers to draw and paint those amazing works of art that adorn the refrigerator...



Letters on the wall soon to be copied and studied by preschoolers wanting so badly to be able to read all by themselves...


Colorful wooden beads strung on colorful wire..happy to wait their turn to provide endless hours of entertainment to 'oh so serious' toddlers...



And of course...for me...the pretty coffee mug...:-) hot and steamy for hands to be cupped around it in an effort for mommy to wake up with the rest of the world...


My quiet time didn't last long this morning...but that's ok...I was ready for the sleepy little heads...and they were ready for loving each other.

Labels: Another Day, Family, Favorite Things

A happy homeschool moment:

Big Sister teaching Little Guy to write letters.

Labels: Another Day, Family, Homeschool

Good Morning!
May the Joy of the Lord be your strength today!

Right now I am glancing over my shoulder to see my two little bitty girls emptying my laundry basket as fast as they can. As soon as they finish there they'll probably move to the folded laundry and start helping me by throwing it all to the floor!
I guess that's what I get for leaving it out overnight. My children bring me such great joy! I love their enthusiasm.

Sunday was not such a good day for me, though it ended nicely with a visit at a dear friend's house. I saw her familiar face after a difficult experience and couldn't have been happier! She invited us to stay and I eagerly accepted. We spent the evening talking and sharing 'our true selves'. No pretense in this friendship. She comforted me by opening her home and laughing with me over the little things. She made tea and we shared a supper of burritos. Our husband's talked 'guy talk' while we chattered in the kitchen.

By the time we went home I was renewed in my mind, my heart had been strengthened and my fears pushed aside. I know friendships like this are rare. They are like precious jewels, not to be taken lightly.

When I was young, I didn't realize what a treasure this kind of friendship is. I've lived long enough to know that it's difficult to cultivate any lasting relationship. I believe it gets more difficult as we age. If you are blessed to have this kind of friend...stop right now and call them and thank them for being there for you. If are not so blessed I am sorry. May I suggest praying that God bring this enrichment into your life?

God is Good. Have I said that lately? :-)

This morning I feel a sense of anticipation...there is a little bubbling brook of joy gurgling away in my heart and I'm hard pressed to keep it bottled.
My toe is tapping to a lively Irish tune and it reflects the condition of my heart. Any moment now I may embarrass my children by hopping around the room in an Irish jig. I hope this elation is contagious...maybe you'll start smiling...or laughing...or even dancing!

May your heart feel like smiling, and your eyes like laughing. May you dance barefoot in green grass! :-D

Labels: Another Day