Thankful...

...For promises of spring.
And three little boys.
For sap that is running.
And sunshiney days.
For neighbors and impromtu visits.
For phone calls and friends.
For pets and disinfectants.
And for vets who heal and help to fix some issues. (hopefully)

For healthy food and tasty treats.
A cozy home where love dwells.
For loud and messy. For safe and warm.
For growth and change.
And for new life and healthy Mama friends.

For days of school and days of play.
For runny noses and extra hugs.
For the "I love you's" and "I'm sorry's."
And for days of tea and their very own breads. Just because.


For innocent play and childlike innocence.
For brothers who are friends.
And for brave little boys who are learning to swim.

For making new friends and for building bridges.
For laughter and tears.
For stretching and growing.
For muffins for sharing and for nourishing bellies.

For husbands who know when their wives are overwhelmed.
For impromtu dates.
And for cups of love after really long days.

Seeds for the garden.
Chickens by mail.
Food in my fridge.
And afternoon naps.
For sweet conversations.
No plans for the night.
For teasing and loving. Acceptance and care.
For getting back to the basics and learning new things.

For life and for health.
For today and before.
For knowing each hair on my head is numbered.
And that the whole world is in HIS hands.
For counting and remembering.
For knowing I am blessed.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with ALL my heart." ~ Psalm 111:1
#2547-2613 ~ My Joy Journey.

Week-end Review.

Hello Monday.

We are entering one of those weeks that has somehow filled itself completely full to the brim with workshifts, appointments, meetings and whathaveyou. I don't really love weeks like this where there is no breathing room - they make me a little edgy. But, knowing it was going to be like this, we went into the weekend dialing it waaaay back - just to give ourselves a bit of breathing room for the crazyness ahead.

We stayed home and collected our sanity in the form of pajamas and cartoons, cribbage and coffee, and playing and puttering. We went to lunch, we went to a love-o-ly baby shower, and we chillaxed to the max.

My top faves from the weekend:
A Rundown:

:: The largest hoolies outside in the snow at 7:00 in the morning! I love that. I feel like I'm such a good mother...and I conveniently forget that they were the ones who asked to go outside and that my initial reaction was: "Seriously? You want help into your boots and ski pants at 7:00 in the morning? Before I've even had my coffee?" Instead, I look out the window and I give myself a little pat on the back and congratulate myself for all of the fresh air and exercise they're getting whilst I sit on my rumpadoo inside. It's a nice little ego trip.

:: Kevin and I taking full advantage of this semi-silence of two out of the three being out of doors to have a quiet cup of coffee and a wee game of Cribbage. In which I successfully creamed the snot out of him, and he had to make breakfast. That's right. He demands a re-match. And he shall have said punishment forthwith.

:: Ransom's new love of my old school kitchen set that I played with as a little girl. All of my boys have loved it, and now it's Ransom's turn to inherit the fun.

While we played Cribbage, he had tea with his puppy.
"Hot. Hot. Kay? Burn! More tea? O-kaaaaay."

:: Served up with some delicious cooked grapes. Puppy's favorite.

:: A Resurrection set from Grammy for my boys to play with and help to be reminded of the true reason why we celebrate Easter...

:: ....or to help Mary and the disciples practice diving off of the tombstone. Either one works. Sorry Grammy. Ahem. I shall try for some decorum in this home.

:: My table and my kitchen - crazy and messy from a weekend of living and being together. I rather love it. There's always two or three activities taking place, it's always loud, and - just like my Mama's house - the kitchen table is always where all of the action and eating, the playing and visiting takes place.

:: And finally - two comic strips that I could have written myself - specifically about my Jesse. I love when I read something and I laugh right out loud because it so mirrors my own life. Classic.

So, there you have it. Some of my favorites from the week-end. It was lovely. Snowy, rainy, simple, sweet, and slow.
And now we enter the week of wildness - but we are rested and we are sane.
That should count for something!

When Grammy Came to Stay.

The nature of our lives - and one of the reasons why I homeschool - is that there is a wee amount of travelling involved. Sometimes just the two of us go away, sometimes we kick it with the entire family, and more often than not - sometimes just Kev goes away for a few days. And typically, if said travel is any longer than a day or so, I usually will make the haul up to my family's house for a little bit of "County Time," or if I am car-less, sometimes my Mama will make the jaunt down to "the big city" to hang with me on my turf.

Both scenarios are delicious.

When it's just us girls, we stay up way later than normal watching movies, we usually sleep in the same bed and talk way later than we should, we eat ridiculous amounts of food that is just horrific for us, and it's really just lovely in every sense of the word. The boys don't sense Daddy's absence nearly as much, they get their love tanks filled to the brim, and I have some help and companionship, as well. It's win win for everyone.

However.

This mother of mine is a lousy bedfellow. First of all, I honestly wonder if she ever even sleeps. She has aches and pains in every joint of her body, so she is constantly moaning and groaning. She shocks me wide awake with random charlie horses in her legs. And if I even move one muscle in the middle of the night she'll immediately start up a conversation because she assumes that just because she's still awake, well golly gee, I must be too.

And this lady smells like an "Icy Hot" factory. You know that menthol-laden cream that's like Mineral Ice that you can put on all of your aches and pains? She uses it like lotion, slathering it all over herself before she goes to bed each night. I swear she goes through about a jar a week. And our kitty - for some weird and freaky reason - is drawn to it like catnip. He goes crazy when he smells it on her, so Mom was worried about our "attack cat" all night long. It really was quite glorious. In every sense of the word. Truly. I wish every night could be like this.

I'm telling you.
We could so easily have a reality t.v. show.
On so many levels.
I have said this all of my life.

So, whilst I am just a wee bit bleary-eyed today because of my, er - interesting(?) night last night -- our visit has been lovely. Stories have been read, tea parties have been had, games have been played, movies have been watched, and vast quantities of junk has been consumed.

It's really been like a mini vacation of sorts.

Well, minus the interesting nights of "sleep" with my insomniac-charlie-horse-aches-and-pains-chatty-pants-Mama and my-wild-freak-fest-of-a-high-on-Icy-Hot cat.....

* * * * *
2537. My mother, my friend.
2538. Tea parties with little boys; proper etiquette optional.
2539. Lemon scones and cake balls.
2540. Late night chats.
2541. Laughing til the tears come.
2542. Lessons learning.
2543. Sharing our hearts - open & vulnerable.
2544. Grammy love - wild and free.
2545. Three boys adoring.
2546. American Idol and Cadbury Eggs.
2547. Following her example.
2538. Learning what truly matters. Watching. Seeing.
2539. Hot grapenut custard.
2540. Snap, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, 31, & Farkle. Repeat.

Staggering Statistics.

"The foundation for building a 'good man' is built between the ages of 8 and 12."

whoa. wow. scary. challenging.

Lord help us all.
Cover us in Your grace.
Show us how to lead well. How to parent well. How to teach the life lessons.

By Your grace and with Your wisdom, may the end result of our parenting be good, godly men.
On fire for You.
Kingdom leaders.
Courageous husbands.
Intentional fathers.

May our good little boys, by God's grace alone, not become statistics.
May they grow to be good men - in EVERY sense of the word.

Lessons Learning.

So, I had an epiphany of sorts the other day.

I'm not sure the exact minute it happened, or the exact how or why precisely -- all I know is that, this weekend, somewhere between a heavy conversation with someone about "Does God even exist?" and then another conversation with someone whom I hadn't seen for ten plus years where I was literally listening to myself talk about something and knowing full well that I was not explaining myself nearly as intelligibly as I was thinking it in my brain -- I had this previously above mentioned epiphany.

I am really not very good with hard questions.
I do not have the gift of discernment.
Sometimes I don't have much of a filter.
And I do not have the gift of counseling.

I'm just not good at it.

My brain gets all funky, and the answers get all blurry, and I release this verbal spewage that makes no sense at all. And sometimes, I try so hard to be encouraging and understanding, that it gets misconstrued for full and free support of what is taking place, when in my heart I don't agree with it at all, but I am trying to be supportive of the friend - NOT the activity.

You tracking with me?

I often say really dumb things and give really bad advice.
I often see a situation completely for what it isn't.
I sometimes step on toes unintentionally, and other times I completely avoid stepping on toes when maybe they should be tromped on just a little bit.

But, that's okay.
I'm still learning me.
I am good at listening.
I am good at tangibly showing I care and am concerned.
The counseling stuff, I am learning to defer to Kevy.
And the things that might need filtering, I am learning to shut my trap.

I'm becoming very comfortable with saying "I don't know;" daily I eat humble pie, and that's okay; and I'm learning to defer to others who might be more qualified to handle things or even speak, for that matter, better than I.

That's what makes "the body" - the BODY, right?
I'm the "eye," someone else is the "arm," and others are the "feet" and the "hands."
It's good. It's all good.
Lessons learning.

It's the Simple Things...

Good morning, Sunday.
I think I love you.

Right now, the boys are running around playing ninjas, Kev has fun music on in the background, and we are sipping coffee and making pancakes together. It's a good start to our day.

For as long as we've been married, Sunday has always been one of the busiest days of our week, and though things have changed and morphed through the years, that fact still remains to be true. But, we are learning to slow and see the sacred. We are learning to focus on what the Lord wants US to focus on. And we are striving to really hear him - to truly listen.

And, as always - I love looking back over our week previous - and intentionally finding all of the little gifts that God has given me throughout. Little joys to focus on. So without further ago, here are just a few:

My top however many I end up with "little loves" for the week:

:: Coffee. In all of its various forms and locations. Especially at my favorite coffee shop with my favorite people whilst playing tic tac toe, the dot game, and Hangman.

:: Half off dining coupons. And belated Valentine's Day celebrations. At the location where it all began. Where he proposed and where we had our first dinner together as an engaged couple. And the crazyiest thing about this date was when we walked through the doors, I saw my uncle from way up in the county there - doing a week long conference for his job - so he paid for our entire meal. How I love him.

:: Kevy fixing my Great Great Grammy's dresser that I have had ever since I was a little girl. It was getting crazy rickety, and my Handyman fixed it for me. The man speaks my love language well, he does.

:: Watching Ransom watch "the guys." He finds them hilarious, and he loves to be a spectator of them playing outside. And they love to put on a show.

:: OH yes. I love this on SO many levels. This big boy is working to earn a game, and I tell you what - he cleans my floors better than I do. I'm going for brownie points with my daughter in law, someday. I figure it's a good goal to shoot for...

:: Bread experiments that somewhat end in flops. But by simply changing the name - it becomes something altogether different, and then it's okay. So, instead of my normal fluffy bread, it becomes "English Toasting Bread." Meaning, it's slightly more crumbly and heavy. I don't think that's really a lie. I look at it more like coming up with an entirely new breed of bread. It also becomes a lesson in swallowing my pride and gifting something less than perfection. It's the thought that counts, after all, right?

:: Hanging with this eclectic group of adults and college kids on Sunday nights, going on mission together, and striving to make God's Kingdom closer and more tangible to those in our communities around us. And I love doing it as a family. I love the sweet and the loud and the chaos and the quality time and the worship together as a group of all ages.

:: These three books. Favorites of all three of my boys and long been memorized by this Mama. When I look at my big almost eight year old, I am amazed that he was Ransom's age once. A long time ago.

:: Night time sparkler shows.

:: Chicky order forms. Although Kevy stands firm in never again buying a turkey, because he felt like he was slaughtering the family pet, I told him that I would try to be a better farmer this year, and we just might try our hand at raising a few meat birds and get a few extra layers, as well. Woot!

:: And lastly, pie making with the big boys - from start to finish, clean-up included - this was their little project that they worked on together.

:: Many hands make light work, so they say. That's a bunch of bull when it comes to wee ones. But many hands ARE good for making memories. And for licking bowls clean!


So, yes.
It's the simple things. Always the simple things.

Because "it's the joy of the small that makes life large," and what is life, really, other than a whole bunch of littles strung together to make one wild and crazy, beautiful, messy, big, living, loving LIFE.

Weekend Wanderings...

Weekends are for coffee shops and long wanderings outside.
They are for Camden and Mount Battie - for hikes and explorations.

Because "man's heart away from nature becomes hard." ~ Standing Bear.

And "the poetry of the earth is never dead." ~ John Keats.

And "in all of nature, there is something of the marvelous." ~ Author unknown.

And because "everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." ~ John Muir.

Because "happiness flutters in the air whilst we rest among the breaths of nature." ~ Kelly Scheaffer.

And "Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountains and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." ~ John Lubbock.

"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters." ~ St. Bernard.

Because "nature is the art of God." ~ Thomas Browne.

And "Earth's crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire with God." ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

And because "truly is may be said that the outside of a mountain is good for the inside of a man." ~ George Wherry.

And because we - our little family - we "go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have our senses put in order." ~ John Burroughs

We go to find the sacred amidst the chaos.

"The Heavens are the heavens of the LORD. But the earth He has given to the sons of men." ~ Psalm 115:16.


* * * * *
2516. Weekend Wanderings.
2517. Intentional time as a family.
2518. God of ALL creation.
2519. Proper perspective - my smallness amidst the vastness of creation.
2520. Three boys - running wild and free.
2521. Seeing the beauty.
2522. Warm days, snowy nights.
2523. Maple sap running.
2524. Little rocks, humungous mountains - made by the same Creator.
2525. Little me, Creator YOU.

Payoff.

One day last summer, the boys and I came across a ginormously huge, green luna moth larvae. It was the coolest thing ever - about as big as my finger, and so we did what we always do. We put it in one of our jillion bug boxes, gave it some leaves, and figured we'd observe it for a few days and then let it go.

Well, what to our wondering eyes should appear, but by next day, it had completely cocooned itself into some of the leaves and around a branch! Well, that was pretty cool. We'd never had this happen before, so we moved it into our bug habitat and did a little research.

So say the experts - this puppy will cocoon through the winter and then hatch come spring - so long as it's in a dry place where it won't freeze.

So, this has been its home for the past six months, at least.
I find that it really goes with my kitchen decor, don't you?
It's been a good conversation piece to say the least.

Anyway, lo and behold -
yesterday, I was walking by this thing to go into the living room, and I thought I saw what looked to be an antennae or a leg poking through the mesh holes.

Sure, enough - I unzipped the little door to have a looksee, and look what I found!

Pret-ty amazing if you ask me!
I seriously thought we were housing a dud.

Here's the little hole where she crawled out.

We know it's a girl, because she had laid eggs everywhere.
We (or I should say "I") know that the eggs won't hatch because they haven't been fertilized by a male luna moth, but Kaden says: "Well, Mama. You were pretty sure our moth wasn't going to hatch either now, weren't you? And look what happened."

So, to humor my loves, we shall keep the eggs "in a cool dark place and eagerly await the eggs to {not} hatch within the next 8-12 days."

Kaden watched her lay an egg on his hand while he was holding her.
Totally cool.
Ransom's response was a little less eager: "That's a yucky, ouchy bug!"

Did you know?

~ Adult luna moths have no mouths, so they do not eat. Hence, they die in about a week. Kind of sad, but this makes me not feel bad about keeping her.
~ Females send out a scent to call their male counterparts to come and mate.
~ They will wait quietly for their man for a couple of days before they'll give up and lay eggs anyway - duds though they may be.
~ This is a really cool site if you had a hankering to raise any of your own. You know, just for kicks and giggles.
~ I'm thinking that this funky winter that we've had caused this little lady to hatch maybe just a bit early. We are still mid-winter with no other butterflies or moths flitting about outside yet.

Smudge is hoping for a snack.
He is less than impressed about the boys protecting "Miss Camoflauge."

Finally, a little taste of spring.
Now the boys are dreaming about snakes and salamanders; frogs' eggs and newts.
That's what little boys - and their Mama's, I guess - are made of!