Not a Creature was Stirring.....

"Who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity? How blessed are his sons after him!" - Proverbs 20:6b-7



My Gentle, Tender Heart....

My Passionate Wild Boy......

My Ransom Malachi - "God's Messenger of Hope"

Sleep well, my Loves. Sleep deeply. And for your Mama's sake.....sleep in tomorrow!

The Gift Giver

God grew our lunch today.

He pretty much rocks.

Right Now....

~ I'm trying to make art supplies and craft materials more accessible to my boys.

~ I'm scattering the results of Dad's and my "projecting" and bonding - aka cutting down trees - all throughout my home.

~ I've fancied up the girls abode a wee bit. They ARE ladies, after all!

I've decided to let the weeds win and just focus on my produce. Our scarecrow "Gorgeous," is okay with this. She told me so.

~ I'm loving watching my little larder grow and expand as I'm learning more tricks of the canning trade.

~ And I am reminded daily of my husband's labor of love in changing my fire engine red shutters into a more subdued black.
What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Baby Picasso

We did a little painting like this with Jesse when he was a baby, and I have treasured it ever since. Today it was Ransom's turn.

All you need is a little paint:

Some chubby, bouncy, baby feet! (They can be willing or unwilling....Ransom fell into both of those categories by the time we were finished).

Many willing hands to "help" paint them.

A sturdy peice of canvas (or just plain paper like we used for Jesse).

Um...make sure the paint is washable, as the Picasso's are slightly messy.

And voila! You have a beautious masterpeice to treasure for years to come!

C'est Fantastico!!!

Marmie - The Canning Queen

My Mother is, for me, the epitomy of the definition of "Homemaker." I have always known this, but the longer I am a wife and mother I am continuing to realize the full extent of her love and sacrifice for her family - her outpouring of HERSELF. I feel like I still have a whole lot of selfish inside of me that needs to be fleshed out --- she just lived and breathed service and love.

I don't ever remember seeing a grumpy face if we came and crawled into bed with her in the morning. My boys get that on a regular basis! (Sometimes accompanied by a VERY loud groan when I roll over and see the actual time). I don't ever remember Mom not having time for me or being made to feel that I was interrupting something of greater importance than me when I wanted to talk. She always made the time and made me feel like I was the one giving her the gift of some of MY precious time. I have to continually battle myself and MAKE myself intentionally take a break from whatever I'm doing to go and "ooh" and "ah" for the umpteenth time over another new lego creation.

I'm working on it.

There were always fresh cookies just out of the oven when we came home from school. She was at EVERY soccer game - and involved too! She didn't bring a book or a magazine to look at. She watched ME. She sat on the edge of my bed every night and waited for me to share with her the events of the day. There were no rushed "good nights" so that she could retire to the living room to watch her t.v. show.

She was there. She was present. She was invested. And she still is.

While I lived at home, I had absolutely no desire to learn the fine arts of cooking or canning or preserving. I could care less how to make a perfect loaf of bread or how to make jelly or jam. It was NOT my thing. I was NOT Susie Homemaker or Mrs. Domestic. I was much more interested in going 4-wheeling with the boys, or playing soccer, or what have you......anything that didn't involve the kitchen! And it wasn't for her lack of trying, poor soul!

On our very first shopping excursion as a married couple, Kev suggested buying a whole chicken. I happily complied, and then as soon as he went to work I called Mom in a PANIC! I believe my freaked out words were: "MOM!!!!! How do you cook a CHICKEN???!!!!" And that was the beginning of her helping me navigate my way into a life of homemaking on my own.

This fall, for the first time in my eleven years of marriage, Mom has taught me all her trade secrets for canning and preserving, and she's given me all the family recipes for our favorite pickles, relishes, and all things cucumber and bean oriented!

And once again, now that the shoe is on the other foot and I am now making these things for my little family, I am reminded afresh and anew of the continuous labors of love that she gave to us. From now on, when she gives me a jar of her homemade pickles or relish, I will never again give a glib little "thank you" over my shoulder as I rush out the door.

It's true, the longer I am a wife and mother, the more I love and appreciate my own. Mom, if you are reading this today, your child is rising up and calling you BLESSED. I love you, my Marmie.

My friend.

Another Reason

A letter I stumbled upon that cements, for me, my reasons to maintain simplicity this year:

"Dear Ann -

All of my chicks have left the nest. They are rearing and nurturing their own.

It’s funny that all of the messy piles of unfolded laundry and the mail and important papers that lined the counter, the things I longed to have put in order when they were here --- are still here.

But, they and their sounds and their smells, the fragrance of their presence have gone. Drifted into the memories I hold and cherish.

I do not live in the past but I would love to have one more day when I hear their laughter and their conversation drift down the stairs and the aroma of their shampoo from their bath and the clamour of books and items being prepared for school.

Just the joy of their daily lives intertwined with mine and their activities shared with me hourly. It all escaped too suddenly.

There were many days I wished for just a little quiet. Now the quiet is sometimes way too loud.

So, a little revelation from one who has been where you are, in the middle of domestic chaos:

Enjoy every inch of the mess and those responsible for it, appreciate the unfolded laundry and the scattered papers, books, and shoes, smile at the dirty dishes and tracked floors.

They are all a real sign of real life going on around you. Life to be loved and lived and devoured one minute at a time.

If only there were a way to lasso the days and slow them down and hold on to each moment and each child. If only!

Your friend in Christ......."

Saturday Morning

Relish preparing in one sink.
A grubby baby in another.
To be honest - both a little stinky!

When both are prepped and ready.......which will be more yummy?

NOT even a contest!!!

OH! That neck! Those ears! The buttery skin.......Delish, I say!

What I've Been Trying to Say..........

One of my absolute most favorite blogs of all time - Holy Experience - written by Ann Voskamp had a beautiful post today all about the TRUE sisterhood of women. About true women friendships the way that God would have us love us each other. It was about being real and vulnerable with each other. About forgiving hurts and wrongs done. Unconditional Love where no comparison or jealously lives. Where trust and faith reside. Where there is safety and humility and true sister love. This is the way I want to live. This is the way that I want the friends in my life to see me.......

Here is a small excerpt from her writings:


"We can do it.

We can believe that God alone is our security and love is always worth the risk and there is no better investment than reaching out to someone and locking arms and unlocking your heart. No better investment than finding the time for friendship and the courage to be real and the humility to say we’re sorry. And distrust can cost us the very richest life of all and the price for being safe can be too expensive and friendship is the only thing that will show up at our funerals.

We can do life together and we can laugh about babies who pee on Sunday skirts and boys who lose piano books and daughters who try on seven outfits before deciding on anything and their bedroom floor is proof of it, and we can drive each other to doctor appointments and bring soup when the flu season hits and we can see something on a shelf that whispered the other’s name and we can wrap it up and give it on any day at all for no reason at all but to celebrate a kindred sister.

And we can hold each other’s fragility and we can forgive each other when we crack an artery, and our hearts will break, and we can pray and grant grace and begin again because we've tasted mercy and His name is Jesus.

I am learning to reach out my hand.

“You have been hurt by women. I could see the pain in your eyes… And I've never done this before but... I feel prompted to make you a promise of friendship."
"I promise I will never speak an unkind word to or about you. I will never be jealous of you. I will never compete with you. I will never abandon or betray you. I will love you. I will pray for you. I will do all I can to help you go far and wide in the Kingdom.

I will accept you as you are, always. I will be loyal to you. Before our loving God of grace, you have my words and my heart in friendship for this life and forever with Him.”

And our God is a love body and He hates amputations and He sutures our wounds together with the silver threads of community. And I have found healing here. Trust asks us to live (in) Courage.

In this place, we kneel down beside you. In this place, we reach out our hands. In this place, can you hear us whisper? “You have been hurt. We can see the pain in your eyes —- We offer you a promise of friendship.”

In the places of sisters and sinners and souls made saints, we make big circles around women and together we watch each other's backs and together we bend down when one hunches over in pain and together we pick up the shards of the hearts all shattered.

Because this is the promise of friendship that the true sisterhood always makes good on.This we can do.

And by God's good grace, we will."

Kindred Spirits

An old friend came over today - with her three GIRLS! It was a super spontaneous visit, and after she left, I was struck with the thought that this just needs to happen MORE. Gone are the days of friends just popping in and out of each other's homes for some coffee or to borrow a cup of sugar! Life is too fast paced - we're all so crazy and caught up in our own lives to barely even give our neighbors a passing wave - let alone to actually schedule a good old fashioned visit! Well, today was different. Today, Life got put on hold, and we had ourselves some good chit chat, a hodge podge lunch, and the kids ran wild and free - as kids should do! Interesting dynamics - three boys and three girls all together, but one that worked smashingly! Not a bit of my checklist got taken care of today - no laundry, no baking to speak of, no cleaning, no weeding or working in my garden......but oh - something so much BETTER took place! Thank you for your visit, my friend. I LOVE YOU! It has been too long.

P.S. Your daughters are lovely. I shall give you six goats and a mule in exchange for each to be a bride for my boys.......

Inquiring Minds.........

As summer is drawing to a close (read: screeching by at such a pace, I can barely catch my breathe) it is obviously that time of year where everyone with school age kids are gearing up for school to start. I've had quite a few interesting conversations with friends and family about our decision to teach Kaden at home this year - mainly because NEVER in a MILLION years would I have EVER thought I'd see the day where I would do such a thing! So, those who know me well are equally as surprised as me! It's all good.

This whole journey of parenting never quite looks like we think it's going to look back in pre-children days! Goodness me, for many years before I was married, and for even the first few years of our marriage....... and for even the first few months of CARRYING Kaden, I wasn't so sure of this whole mothering/giving birth thing! (I felt like there was a little alien trying to escape out of my stomach. I should NEVER have watched that movie...) I would much rather have surrounded myself with baby animals as opposed to baby people!

But look at me now....three little hoodlums....and I could easily do another some day. Although Kev says on a VERY regular basis that he is "at maximum capacity!" So, we shall see. But I digress...... All that just to say - you never know what life (read: God) just might throw at ya!

So here we are about to embark on a whole other journey. People keep asking me what my reasons are for doing this? To be honest, I guess I have quite a few. But the really big "main" reasons aren't what most people typically think. My main reasons are not to protect my kids from the big bad world. I went to public school my whole life, and those are the years where my faith grew the MOST! I think there needs to be Christian kids in public schools - along with Christian teachers. We're supposed to be salt and light. I know that's a HUGE topic for debate - not my intention here - I'm just saying that I have many a committed Christian friend who has intentionally decided to send their children to public school for those purposes, and I have deep respect for that.

I think this decision is deeply personal for everyone, anyway. When we were candidating for a pastoral position awhile back, someone asked Kev: "Homeschool? Christian School? Or public school?" And Kev's answer was "YES!" It's a decision that each individual family has to make for themselves and their children. I can honestly see our little family maybe trying out a number of things throughout their school age years depending on where we are at and what we are doing.

For the here and now - for THIS YEAR - my main reasons are as follows:

1. I'm not ready yet (read: I'm not WILLING yet) to have something or someone else dictate my life and my schedule to me. The time will come for that soon enough, but it's not going to be this year.

2. Maintaining - or at least fighting my hardest for - SIMPLICITY. This goes along with reason #1, I guess. I'm not yet willing to drive a half hour both ways for 3 hours of school and then drive a half hour both ways again. I would also be needing to disturb the baby's nap for one of these drives.

3. A simple reason: It suits our lifestyle. It keeps us free and mobile.

4. Because I CAN! There may come a time when this would never even be an option for me, but for this year at least, I am blessed to be able to stay home with my boys.

5. I'm looking forward to this intentional time with my oldest - my boy who is most UNLIKE me and who thinks completely differently than I do. I feel like I need this time with him. We may just about kill each other by the time the school year ends, as well! I am fully aware of this. This is why I'm committing to one year and one year only. We shall see what the future holds for us.

6. Remember my committment to being real? Well here's a biggy reason: I am a workaholic at heart. When I get my mind set on something, I have a laser beam focus until it's finished. I would like to get my master's degree someday. I would also like to go back to school to be a midwife or a nurse. People tell me ALL THE TIME to just pick away at my classes during these years that the boys are little so that by the time they are bigger, I can just fly into my career. Maybe some people can do this, but I cannot. I know that it's a growth point for me - to learn to just "do what I can" and "take whatever grade I can get," but that is just not me. If I started down this path, I would think of nothing else until it was done. I would stretch myself way too thin, and I would be no good as either a wife or mother. I know this. Sooooo, largely because of this flaw, I am trying to instead focus that energy on my family and my home. This year - school being part of that equation.

7. Life is short. I worked at a little Christian school for 8 years of our marriage, and during one of these years one of my co-workers pulled her kids out of school because their Daddy was battling cancer. She told me that this might be his last year with them, so they adjusted their life in such a way that they would have as much time with him as possible. Obviously this is a more extreme reason, but I AM often struck with thoughts like - "If I knew that I had one year and one year only left to live, what about my life would I change?" For me - for this year - I want to give this whole homeschool thing a whirl. I will have no problem at all if next year Kaden tells me that he wants to go to a "real" school. I've put my time in there - I know the good, the bad, and the ugly - and I love that place. That's not really my point. In fact - I'm quite sure that he might even learn more with the Kindergarten teacher over there. She totally and completely rocks. That is not my reason at all for trying this.

8. AND simply enough, I don't want someone else to have more hours of the day to be with him than me - the BEST hours of the day. That time will also come soon enough.

There's more, but that's good for now, I guess. Life is crazy. It is at breakneck pace. I have no idea how Kaden even got to be school age. When I blink again, he'll be out of our home and on his own. And that's okay. That's a good thing. That's how life works. But for the here and now.........we're slowing it down. We are savoring. We're going to try a crazy adventure because we can. Because life is short. Because I want to savor. Because I want to TRY it, and because I feel that this is what the Lord has placed on my heart to do this year.

So, for the Booker family - for the school year 2010-2011 - "HOME'S COOL!"
We hope.

Early Morning Visitors

WELL! Looky at who showed up on my doorstep this morning just in time for breakfast!

Sorry, Turk! Wrong meal - wrong month. How about you show up again, say, noonish on November 25?

Y'all come back now, ya hear?!

We're Back!

First of all, to whoever fixed my blog while I was out of commission........I LOVE YOU. Was it you, Kevy? Esther? Chantelley? Whoever it was - bless the living daylights out of you! My plate was too full and my life was too hectic to even give it another thought for a few days, so I didn't even give it a LOOK for about four days. And then tonight, right after putting the littles to bed, I decided to check er out - and VOILA! - I am up and running again! Blessings upon you my anonymous gift giver!

Busy doings around here these days. Kev, along with some other missionaries, took about 30 missionary interns through our training process this past week. He said it was awesome and very affirming to get to take a wee little break from continued support raising and actually for a few days DO what we are chomping at the bit to DO. So that was great.

The boys and I, on the other hand, kicked it up North to my Madres and Padres to get a little County in our blood. We did some camping in the cabin, boatloads of four-wheeling, wood crafting where I literally cut through my thumbnail with Dad's saw and it was awesome, lots of campfires and frog catching, and - my most favorite thing of all - learning from my mother, the professional, all about pickling and canning this year's veggies. Before this, I had nary a clue as to how to do any of these things. She got me my very own canner and some mason jars for my birthday and we canned a boatload of green beans to teach me. Now my gangbusters garden isn't overwhelming me quite as much.......I have a plan to conquer it!

The car is still loaded, the boys are going bananas in their beds, I am up to my ears in MORE beans that I need to cut up before bed, so I am off! Just a quick check in before bed. Goodnight all!

Birthday Love

We LOVE birthdays, around here! Some years are more elaborate than others, but whatever day we choose to celebrate, we FILL it up with showing the honoree how much they are loved. For the boys, it often involves camping for the week-end, and for Mommy and Daddy - it often involves a day trip of sorts, a meal out, a little gift or two from the boys (usually candy and treats that THEY love), and a nice card and gift or two from one of us to the other.

This week I turn 33! Whew! She's a spring chicken no more. It's all good. I'm very secure in my 30's. :0) We'll see what the 40's hold. You're as young as you feel, right? Anyway, this week is going to be a little crazy ministry and extended family wise, so we decided to take our family day yesterday and all day long, my sweet men showered me with love.

They made me pancakes and eggs for breakfast. The boys colored me an adorable silly card and gave me "MY" favorite candy - swedish fish, sour patch kids, and gum! I was a good share-er. :0)

Kevy wrote me a sweet card, gave me some cold, hard cash to spend however my heart desires, a sweet planner that I've been asking for to keep me organized for school this year, and a rocking c.d. of "songs that remind him of me." Very special and sweet. We did a little day trip, we went to lunch, and just had a really nice day all together. It was lovely.
My mostest favoritest birthday gift of ALL, however, was given to me just a few days before. Hands down, my love language is Acts of Service - beyond anything and everything else. Kev knows this. The poor soul - he knows it well. Whenever he asks what I want for birthdays, Christmas, etc...I know that deep in his heart he's hoping that it's something that money can buy! Usually, though, he gets something like: a window for my chicken coop? a fence beside the road? a new shelf? different colored shutters? rearrange the kids' room? organize the basement?

You get my drift. I would prefer things like this FAR above a dozen roses, new shoes, a new wardrobe, or whatever most girls usually ask for.

WELL!!!! This year.....be still my heart.....the love of my life gave me THE MOST rockin' birthday gift EVER!!! It was a family project that we worked on for about 15 hours......not the most favorite time of my life ever spent together, mind you......BUT......for my 33rd birthday, Kevy turned my fire engine red shutters - all 20 of them - into a much nicer, way more subdued, way less loud, simple, classic BLACK!

That man! He makes my heart all a flutter!!!

Pictures will soon follow. THEN - my next project - early Christmas gift, maybe? - will be to paint the doors a better shade of red. I'd better not push it for awhile, though.......

The BEST summer chocolate cake!

Just thought I'd share with you our family's absolute favorite chocolate cake that we make OFTEN in the summer when zucchini season is on! It is THE moistest, most delish cake that gets better and better the longer it sits. You're supposed to wait until the next day to eat it, but it's usually already half gone in our house. I also love that it's very low maintenance to make AND failproof! It always comes out fantastic.

Okay. Here goes:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter (you can also use Earth Balance to make it a little healthier)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups sugar (you can go real scant here, also - and use raw sugar, as well)
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup buttermilk (which I NEVER have. Put a half Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill it up the rest of the way with milk. voila!)
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix the above ingredients all together in one bowl.

2 1/2 cups flour (use whatever flours you want - half whole wheat - whatever)
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 scant tsp. cinnamon

Mix these ingredients all together in another bowl.
Mix the two bowls together with a 12 oz. bag of choc. chips (or carob chips)
Put in a well greased and floured bunt pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Check with a pick for "done-ness" and look for it to start pulling away from the edges of the pan.
Wait 5ish minutes and invert onto a plate.

Let cool, and wait for the next day to eat it either at room temp. or refrigerated.

OR - in the Booker household, brew up a pot of coffee posthaste and dive in.
THEN - refrigerate the remainders for another peice when the boys go to bed.
THEN - partake of whateve remnants are left on day #2!

Enjoy!

Painting the Town.....AND our Shutters!

The TOWN got painted red this past week-end!

The SHUTTERS, however, are getting a makeover from already being a bee-right fire-engine red to a more subdued black. Praise the Lord. The doors will become a more bricky/farm-housey/with a little bit of cranberry perhaps/ red at a later date. One project at a time!

Anyway......

We had some friends from PA visiting with us for the past couple of days, so we decided to take them to some of our most fave spots. We had gorgeous weather and they are up for just about anything. So, on our first day we kicked it to Sunset Rock in Lucerne and had us a little picnic up top.

Afterwards, we went and explored all of the little tunnels and caves. Kaden found a salamander and three frogs, we found a few wild blueberries, and we just visited and vegged overlooking the pretty scenery until naptimes.


And then yesterday we went to Bar Harbor for the day. Last summer when they were here, the fog was the craziest we have EVER seen it to be, and - no joke - when we drove the park loop road overlooking the ocean and the mountains, we saw NOTHING! Not a thing. So, this time we conquered Bar Harbor. We hung at Sand Beach for awhile, first, and then we drove the rest of the park loop road so that they could actually see what they missed last year.

We went to The Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers. LOVE it there!


This was our pretty view during our snack!

Then, we hit a few little shops. And we ate supper at our new absolute most favorite place - Stewman's - right on the water. (I know, I know. I should hyperlink, or whatever you call it, that little restaurant name but I just don't feel like it. Check it out. It's reasonable. Fun, funky atmosphere. And the food is the BOMB. And if it flies anyone's kite - President Obama ate there when he came to Maine). It was a LATE night for my boys. We didn't get to bed until 11:00!!!

And now TODAY, we are having a project day at home and attempting to conquer our TWENTY red shutters. This is a GIFT to me from my hubby. It is slightly tedious work. He rocks. We hit shutter #10, though, and then we ran out of paint. So, the boys are doing a Home Depot run, and I am sitting here in total veg mode awaiting their return. Psyching myself up to get pumped to conquer the rest before bedtime. Whose idea was this anyway? OH wait - it was mine.......

Have a happy week-end friends!

A Thankful Spirit

I find myself these days often reminding my boys to just "be thankful." Be thankful for the favorite supper you get to have tonight AND be thankful for your not so favorite meal maybe tomorrow. Be thankful that you got to have some extra unexpected t.v. time even though you maybe didn't get to watch as much as you wanted. Be thankful for the fun bedtime stories Daddy tells and not complain when he says "to be continued." Be thankful for the ten M&M's I gave you and not always feel the need to ask for "just one more."

JUST.....be thankful.
Is that so hard?

But, keeping it real.......how often am I just plain thankful - for the here and now, for the things I have, for the gifts God has given me, for the life that I am living, etc. etc. etc.? Must I always compare? Must I always keep looking for the next thing that will then "really make me happy?"

Comparison destroys contentment, right? And a joyful spirit makes the heart glad but discontentment dries of the bones! Man - in our sinful nature - it could be so easy to become brittle awfully quickly! And honestly, it would be no one's fault but our own!

So, in light of trying to live out what I'm wanting to teach my young men, I want to more intentionally practice the art of having a joyful, thankful spirit. Periodically, I shall post a gamet of things, in no particular order, of random thankfulness knocking around inside my head and my heart - and I shall spew it out here for the world to see!

1. My hubby. He is TRULY my best friend and my soulmate. I would be lost without him.
2. My boys. How blessed I am to have this whirling, crazy life with three littles.
3. My chickens. Seriously - they make me really happy. Not sure why, really....but I love them. They soothe me.
4. My family and friends. I am blessed beyond measure.
5. My home. It suits us perfectly - not too big, not too small. A little quirky. Just like us. It is a blessing and a gift.
6. Family Days. They keep us close. They keep us connected.
7. Yard Sales. It can be little things, right? They're like Christmas to me!
8. The country. Wide open spaces. Reconnecting with Creation.
9. Real, honest conversations. I have them with only a handful of my friends. True grit - where the rubber meets the road. I do not take them for granted.
10. Nap times. They are my sanity. :0)
11. Summer sunshine. The cold is coming, so I am drinking it in.
12. My washing machine and dishwasher - both humming merrily away as I type. Bless those pioneer women!
13. My garden. Who knew how much we would ALL love it?!
14. My two little widower neighbors who take awfully good care of us.
15. My Jesus who loves me unconditionally and who remains faithful to this ever faithless daughter of His!

More to come.......
What are you feeling thankful for these days?

Week-ending!

This past week-end we were supposed to go camping with some friends. The weather was predicting rain and both of our families were feeling a little burnt from perpetual packing and unpacking this summer, so we opted to just spend the week-end together doing a couple of day trips instead. Does that make us old? Maybe - but it sure was nice to not have to bury the kids in tents and gear in the car, and then unpack everything again two days later.

Friday was bee-you-ti-ful, and their little boy had never been to Sand Beach in Bar Harbor before, so we kicked it down there for the day. Not a one of our children dipped a toe into the actual ocean water, however. Instead, they opted for the little pools and streams that flow into the ocean. The water is much more shallow and a whole lot warmer.


PLUS!!!! The new discovery that had my boys absolutely rapt with delight the entire time we were there was the finding of a kajillion baby freshwater eels that live buried in the muck in these little pools of water. Delish. So, Kaden gathered himself a little posse of kids, and they spent the day collecting as many as they could and putting them into their own little pools dug especially for them!


Overall, it was a glorious day and a good time was had by all. We all came back to the house for hotdogs and marshmallows. And then, Kevy and the boys put up a tent in our backyard and "camped" out there for the night. (The littles were NOT impressed that we weren't camping for the weekend!) In the end, our friends spent the night with us, also. We stayed up late visiting around the fire and then kicked it the next day for an event in Freeport.

By the end of that day, however, my kids were going on two days of no napping and one REALLY late night the evening before. So, they were all just a wee bit "fragile" to put it gently. We called the day early and came home for some chill time and early beddy-bies for all.

A FULL week-end, but a nice one spending it with friends that we love!

Deep Breathe

It's here. I'm doing it. No more talk. It's happening. Yikes!


Excited, terrified, happy, nervous, content, freaking out, paralyzed, settled and sure. All emotions I have felt and continue to feel as I walk this journey of faith.

But, the decision has been made, and there is no turning back now.....at least for this year! I'll keep you posted!

For Caleb....the One Great Turkey! (pics below)

We have a pretty rockin' friend from Pennsylvania who PROMISED to read my blog if I give him an honorable mention somewhere in my next post. So, although this post is going to be all about my girls......it's also about Brendan Caleb Way who we love and who is maybe going to come visit us sooooon! You rock, Caleb. Truly you do. If ever I have another boy, I just might name him Caleb - that's how much we love you!

On to my chickens......

Have you seen my girls lately? Have I mentioned how much I love them? Do you even remember what they used to look like? I didn't think so! So, let's do a few "that-was-then-and-this-is-now" kind of pics. Fun! Fun!

This was Turk when she was just a wee babe:

And this is her now! She's the Mama of the bunch. Not sure if she's going to make it to the Thanksgiving table......She looks scary, but she's a gentle giant. The kids lug her everywhere!



My baby ducklings:

My big girls now who enjoy the kiddie pool more than the boys do!


And my wee little chickies - Spotty, Blackie, Chloe, Clementine, Lucy, & Chipmunk:

And here they are now:
Well, at least a few made it in this picture. The ones in the front are the Americaunas. I have three of these, two barred rocks (my favorite, and the prettiest, I think), and a black sex-link, (I think). She was supposed to be a barred rock. I got tricked. But, we love her. She's Kaden's fave. The smallest and the naughtiest of the bunch!

And this is pretty much what they do ALL day....they hang out in their own little club.....wandering over our whole yard.


I LOVE them.
AND.....you're welcome, Caleb. :0)

A Promise

Okay. So continuing on a wee bit from my last post....

I hereby, do solemnly swear to be honest and forthright in my struggles, my weaknesses, and my insecurities in this whole journey of motherhood and parenting.....oh heck....let's just say in LIFE. I promise to try my hardest not to sugarcoat things and make them appear perfect when they are far less than that. I promise to try and encourage and uplift other Moms and women. And I promise to not portray myself as a "Supermom" online where it's really easy to show the world just one little speck of our lives when there are SO many other sides that people never see.

I mean, seriously, when you think about this whole "blogging" concept.....no one truly KNOWS anyone if this is all we ever get of each other. Good grief - I can post the most beautiful pictures and entries and my life could be in total shambles.....but no one would EVER know.

So, here's the deal. Let's all be honest with each other as we walk this journey. Let's share the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Without invading other's privacy's, of course. Poor Kevy - the dear man has married someone who doesn't have a whole lot of reservations with ANYONE!) So....within reason, right? When it could serve to encourage others....let's be real. Let's be vulnerable.

Because, when just one of us dares to make the first move and let down our walls to let others TRULY see our hurts, our needs, and our insecurities.....you can literally hear other's walls coming down. It's good stuff.

So, I'll go first. Here are just a smattering of things that I am CURRENTLY obsessing/struggling/thinking about. Depending on the day, it's one of those three options.

1. Homeschooling Kaden. I'm a bit paralyzed by the whole idea, but I feel like this is something that the Lord would maybe like for us to try. It suits our ministry lifestyle and our desire for simplicity. We shall see where it leads us.....and if Kaden will actually learn to read this year. It could be sketchy. But, I'll be honest...I promise. As the days progress, I'll keep you posted!

2. Comparing. I'm always comparing myself to others - their bodies, their homes, their mothering, the obedience in their children. Not a good standard. The Lord alone needs to be this....and He is sloooowly teaching me - slowly humbling me. Slowly showing me areas of pride that need to be dealt with. Painful but good.

3. My quiet, alone time with Jesus. Emphasis on "quiet" and "alone". I need to get up earlier or be a better steward of naptimes. It is not at the depth or consistency that it needs to be. If I was married to Jesus (which He is supposed to be our true Bridegroom, right?) than our marriage would be struggling. A marriage needs more than "survival prayers" and a Proverb a day kind of deal. Our relationship needs more quality dates. More intimacy. When THIS is good - all other things fall into place. What needs to be priority becomes priority and all other things fall by the wayside.

So there you have it. Just a smattering. And more will come. I promise.

True Confessions of a Wannabe Super Mom

NOTE: THIS POST HAS SINCE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT......I would never want to hurt anyone by what I write here; AND I'm sure that hearts were in the right place when conversations were had.....


I've had a couple of interesting conversations with some women in my stage of life this past week. They are more acquaintances, really. I don't know them well, by any means; but being a fellow mom with any young woman gives you an instant sense of comraderie whether you've known them for a day or ten years.

After one of these conversations, I left feeling very drained and like I had just been in the presence of a "super mom" who I would NEVER be able to live up to. And after the OTHER conversation, I left feeling energized and refreshed, KNOWING that I had just encouraged another fellow journey-er in this current crazy, insane stage of life.

Upon processing these two VERY different conversations, I have determined that I am SO done with the "Super Mom" persona. I'm SO over it - .......

Yet, in my heart of hearts.....I know I'm not.

Who doesn't want to come across to their friends and peers that they look like they have it all together? Who doesn't want to look like - at least on the outside - that they always have all of their ducks in a row, no hair ever out of place, and that they just love every single thing that life throws at them? I know that's what I want people to think of me! I know that I want others to think of ME as a "super mom." But, really ---- what does that do for everyone else?

My second conversation with a very new mom went a lot like this: Throughout the course of the evening she asked me with tears in her eyes: "Why is it that we moms can't just encourage each other? Why do we always have to act like everything is always perfect even when we know it's not? Why do we have to brag up ourselves and our children just to make ourselves feel better? Why can't we just be real with each other when we're struggling? When we're lonely? When we feel like we don't know what we're doing? When we maybe aren't even really enjoying this stage of life like we thought we would?"

So what does the "Super Mom" persona do for a young mom like this? Anything? I don't think so. And I know I'm guilty at times. I know I do it. I KNOW I do.

I am well aware that I have to limit MY interactions with super moms. Otherwise, I would find myself always comparing and coming up short, constantly discouraged, and feeling like a perpetual failure! Comparison DESTROYS contentment. But, that's what we girls are SO very good at. So, upon processing both of these conversations, I have been asking myself if there are women in my life who feel that they have to limit their time with ME? Do I make some of my friends feels this way?

Because if I do...it's a nasty thing...and I want to be done with it. It does no one any good. We need to be about coming ALONGSIDE each other - not ONE UPPING each other. Yucky stuff. It's no good.

More to come.......

A Little Slice...

.....of Heaven, that is.

THIS

is where we just spent the past 8 days for our family vacation! A little A-frame cabin on an island in Rangeley...you get there by boat....there is no electricity.....no computers....no frills....just us.....AND IT WAS AWESOME!

Kev and I spent half of our honeymoon here eleven years ago to the week! We spent our first week in Cancun, Mexico with all of the touristy stuff that comes with a place like that: parasailing, all inclusive meals, snorkeling, etc. It was wonderful. And then we came here for our second week. And I have to say, I enjoyed the second part of our honeymoon just as much as the first. Two such extreme contrasts, but I think one without the other might have been a little disappointing. Here, it was just so restful and relaxing. We spent our days swimming and boating, going into town for ice cream, exploring all over the lake, building fires, and playing games by lamplight; and then we would fall asleep to the sounds of the loons and the waves. It was so peaceful and lovely.

WELL - coming here with three boys, it was not NEARLY as relaxing and restful as it was eleven years ago! One morning Kev said: "I think a quiet, get-away, island retreat with three boys is an oxymoron!" So true! We are not quite in the stage of life yet where vacations are "restful" or "relaxing" per say. Our days were just as crazy and busy - and sometimes more - making sure no one fell off the wharf or tipped the canoe etc. etc. But, they were so fun! And any kind of "work" is always more fun when you're camping - cooking, dishes, cleaning - whatever - it's all just fun!

We spent our days swimming and playing in the water, exploring the neighboring islands, catching a kajillion crayfish and minnows, going to the bog and looking for moose, riding into town for a pizza and ice cream, feeding ducks, playing games, building fires, watching sunsets, and falling asleep to rain and waves.

There was a whole lot of this:

and this:
(canoeing with our "Red-neck outrigger" custom made by Kevy himself)

and this:

Oooooh, and this:

AAAAAhhhhhhh....it was glorious!

Jammin'!

Okay. I have THE EASIEST freezer jam recipe known to man. It is SO easy that my six year can practically do it all by himself. Do you want it? I thought you did. So, here goes:

Step 1. - Decide what kind of berry jam you want to make: strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, blueberry, currant - which we just tried today, or mixed berries of all sorts - and smash them to peices. You can even blend them if you'd like - it all depends on how chunky you like your jam. We like ours fairly chunky, so we just smash it by hand. You need to end up with 4 cups of the crushed deliciousness.

Step 2. You need one packet of the "Ball" brand powdered - NO COOKING REQUIRED! - pectin. I prefer the low sugar kind. Stir that together with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. I also prefer the raw sugar, and it works just as well. (Someday, I'll use the pectin that doesn't call for ANY sugar; it just takes a few more steps plus a little bit of baking on the stove. I kind of like this lazy way......)

Step 3. Add the smashed berries to the sugar/pectin mixture. Stir for 3 minutes. Ladle into jam jars of choice, and let it sit for 30 minutes before devouring! Voila! Easy Sneezy.

Just a wee note: One batch only makes about 5 - 8oz. jars of jam. We practically go through one jar on our toast at breakfast. I recommend a kajillion batches, so stock up on your pectin and berries. This was how I nested last summer and fall when I was pregnant for Ransom! There were no casseroles or meals prepared for my family in my freezer - only about 800 jars of jam! And we JUST ate the last one a couple of weeks ago.....

Then, as we Bookers like to say: "Savor the flavor!"

The Balance Beam of Life

Happenings

~ The boys are outside - completely naked - playing on their slip n slide! And I must admit - it really does work MUCH better when they're in the buff as opposed to having their swimtrunks and rash shirts on. It's SO hot, and the house completely hides them - and they're having SO much fun - it's all good.

~ We just got back from a glorious long week-end up at my parent's house celebrating the 4th of July with them. We went for long canoe rides, which Ransom did not totally approve of; we swam in the lake; went for long 4-wheeler rides; saw the parade; and took the two big boys out for a night on the town to go on some fair rides and see the fireworks. They didn't get to bed until almost 11:00 that night, and they had an absolute blast! And they LOVED the fair rides! We would see brief looks of terror cross their faces sometimes, but they were always followed by hoots of hysterical - way overtired - laughter. So, it was just wonderful. And although, I am getting a wee bit tired of living out of my suitcase this summer, it was totally worth it.

~ My garden has gone gangbusters. I have about four bales of mulch hay on it, and whenever I'm home, I spend an hour or so a day in it, but other than that - it's on its own!

~ Once again, I have acquired some poison ivy. I was expecting this. Last week, I was pretty sure that I mowed over some of it and had it spit all over my legs. Awesome. I'm at peace with its perpetualness in my life, though. Not sure how else to deal with it.

~ Little Rancey Pants is on day 2 of baby boot camp. Poor little guy - it's really our fault - traipsing him all over God's green earth. He's started waking in the night at least once and often two and three times, and now he's come to expect a midnight snack every night. I appeased him while we were at our grad class because there were people all around us, but now we are home. He's doing much better. We're getting back on track....and that makes for a much happier Mama.

~ The girls are ginormous. I think that Mr. Turk believes he's their Mommy. She flutters around like a mother hen and is always corraling them from wandering too far away. It's pretty cute. They're going to be lost come November......

~ It's hot. We have no A.C. I think I'm molding. It's time to go and make some milkshakes, methinks. Signing off! Happy week, friends!

A Booker Breakfast

I've given this bread recipe to everyone and their dog, I think. It's so healthy and good, and it's what we have for ALMOST every single breakfast of our lives. With some natural peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam, it doesn't get much better - and it sticks with us better than anything else we ever have. And with my boys - I want something to STICK....at least until 9:00a.m. where we often have a second breakfast!

This bread recipe can be tweaked to your heart's content. As long as you keep roughly the same proportions of dry and wet ingredients - you can do a lot of interchanging of ingredients. I rarely make the same exact recipe. With the exception of the yeast, salt, and wheat gluten - mix it up! Change out the honey for molasses; or the seeds for wheat or oat bran - go wild! Any way you make it, it's fantabulous.

Here goes - my CURRENT fave way to make it:

3 tsp. yeast
2 heaping TBlsp. wheat gluten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour for a fluffier bread)
1 TBlsp. poppy seeds
1 TBsp. sesame seeds
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 2/3 cup water

Here's where I cheat hardcore:

Dump all of the ingredients in roughishly that order into your bread maker, put it on the dough cycle, come back in 1 1/2 hours and flop it into a greased bread pan. Let it rise as high as you like, and bake at 350 degrees for 33 minutes exactly.

Voila! Delish.

Or - if you have no breadmaker, get a nice little arm workout and knead away till it's at the elasticity that you'd like - let it rise once in a greased bowl. Gently form it into your loaf pan and let it rise for the second time there before you bake.

Again. Delish. It just takes a lot longer........

Brotherly Love

My littlest is napping and the two biggies are running around in their undies setting traps in their room for "the bad guys." I should be taking advantage of this uninterrupted happiness to do something a little more productive than this, but I just wanted to share one quick story of what happend while we were away....not a story of OUR adventures....but of something that happened with Kaden and Jesse while they were up at Mom & Dad's.

We're never been away from them for more than a handful of days, and all the time leading up this decision - really right up until the last minute - we waffled back and forth as to whether or not we should do this? How long is too long? How often should we play this game? and on and on we went. In the end, we talked to a lot of people older and wiser than us, we prayed a lot, we scrambled and FINALLY got our will together, and we handed them over to Mom & Dad. Mind you - the boys weren't worried about this plan AT ALL - in fact, right as we were getting ready to head home, Kaden asked Mom to ask ME if they could stay a few more days! THEY thought that the plan was pretty rockin.'

Anyway....

One night, Mom, Dad, Kaden, & Jesse were all having a camp out of sorts in Grampy's cabin. Dad had fallen asleep and Mom was just drifting off when she heard the boys talking to each other in their bed. She said that she could really feel a sense of urgency in Kaden's voice so she started to pay more attention to what he was saying. As she listened in, she said that Kaden was totally witnessing to Jesse! He was telling him that he was going to go to Heaven when he dies and that he's asked Jesus to forgive him from his sins etc. etc. and that Jesse needs to do it too! So Jesse said: "I want to do that too, Kaden! I want to do it right now!" So, anyway - long story short, Mom got up and talked with both of them and Jesse prayed with Mom and Kaden and asked Jesus into his life! How sweet is that? And how special that Kaden played a pretty pivotal role in leading his own brother to Christ.

And such an awesome gift from the Lord to me - proving, once again - that He is the one who ultimately takes care of my kids whether I am with them or away.

HOME

An awfully nice place to be.

We just got back from Pennsylvania after taking a grad class for ten days of training. Ransom came with us, but the older boys stayed with Grampy and Grammy Quint. That was the longest we've ever been away from them, and it is SO nice to be back together again.

The classes were amazing - too much to even wrap my brain around right now. I typed 100 pages by the end of the week - single spaced - if that tells you anything! Crazy good.

And now I'm home to a garden gone gangbusters; chickens, ducks, and a turkey that look like they've been on steroids - they've grown so much since we've been away; strawberry season in full swing, and I'm desperate to pick and make some jam......and there's just not enough days in the week to do all that I want to do! It's shaping up to be a nuts-o summer.

But, for now I am just savoring being home - chaos and all - and it is wonderful.

Beautiful Messes

I'm supposed to be doing homework. Kev and I are taking a grad course for some training that is coming up, and we are supposed to complete a little over half of the work before we arrive. Not gonna' happen. Not for lack of trying, but there's just one me, a whole lot of others who need me, and not enough hours in the day to get 'er done. That's okay. I'm growing. My OCD anal self would be stressing to the max a few years ago. Now, I get done what I can in snippets of time throughout the day and one evening out a week. My goal is to have it done by Christmas.

In the meantime.....


Look at this room! Pretty trashed, eh? But, do you know what it symbolizes for me each morning? Every day after the boys and I wake up, snuggle in bed for a couple of seconds, and I feed Ransom....after this initial flurry.... all three of them camp out in the big boys' room while I shower and get ready for the day. For the most part, they are in here with the door closed for the better part of an hour while I get some sanity and perspective to start our day out on the right foot. I honestly don't care what they do in there as long as they are relatively quiet, happy, and no one is getting hurt. So, this chaos represents a whole lot of peace and harmony for this Mama. And some sweet brotherly love on good days.....


These feet are filthy - the big ones anyway. I can't keep them clean. And they are almost always scabby, bruised, and a wee bit stinky. But they belong to my "lover" boy. My wild child who nearly drives me to drink, yet who loves his baby brother with a somewhat reckless abandon.

The boys and I have a new little tradition since the chickies have arrived. A new little rhythm to our day, you could say. And I love it. Like I've said before, I'm usually a conquer the world type of person once I start my day - kind of like a whirling dervish. But, my chickies soothe me. They help me to slow down. We all put on our wellies - either before or after breakfast - and we tromp out to the coop to see how the girls fared the night. Each of us kind of has the thing that we "do." Kaden lets them all out, Jesse terrorizes them, Ransom watches from a swing, and I give them feed and fresh water. Then, we open the coop and let them free range for awhile while we stand around and talk about how cute they are, how much they've grown, how naughty they are, how HUGE Mr. Turk has gotten, etc. etc. It's slow. It's chill. And it's "our thing" that we all do together. I love it.

And lastly, my table is never without "fresh" flowers from my boys. Ahem. With pride I am sporatically handed these little messy gifts - often with roots still intact. And here they sit, proudly displayed until a new little bunch is offered.

Stinky, dirty messes galore. But it's my life right now. And I love it. A day will come when my house is spotless, when the beds stay made, when I have flowers from a shop on my table, when I actually get to see and visit some of my old girlfriends! (I just had to throw that in there. You all are still living, right?), and when my homework (or whatever work I have at the time) is done on time.

And, I bet I'll be a little bit sad when that day comes.