A dear friend is laboring to bring forth another sweet baby into her family. So I'm praying. Soon, Lord. Another dear friend is resting in bed so that her baby doesn't come. Not yet. Not yet, Lord. Another friend wonders if there is to be another child added to their family. So, again, I pray. Lord, give them wisdom. And peace. I don't live in a quiet household. I've never met anyone with a large family who does. But today has been a quiet kind of day. It was dark and quiet when I got up this morning. I use... Continue reading

Ann Marie at CHEESESLAVE is giving away an Emile Henry Coleurs Pie Dish this week! Check it out at here! Continue reading

I love this photo. It's from our vacation and sums up so much about our life right now. It shows how beautiful my first born is, how patient and loving she is with Sam, her littlest brother. It shows Sam's love for Ashley and his absolute commitment to almost never wearing regular clothing. He exercised great restraint in not complaining when I told him we were only taking his Superman and Buzz Lightyear jammies on vacation with us. No tears. Shocking. Not once did he ask for his Batman or Mr. Incredible suits. And only once did he ask for... Continue reading

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, remember. Joining Amanda over at Soulemama. Continue reading

I went further and faster than I intended on my walk this morning. It's the weather. I love Autumn. Continue reading

Not all of the books in that (tiny) pile are new, but they will all be read this year. These and a couple hundred others. We're doing Ambleside Online (Years 11 and 5) this year. This is the first year since my dad died three and a half years ago that me and the kiddos are really excited about what we're doing for school this year. Don't get me wrong, we like homeschooling, but when my dad died it just kind of cast a shadow on things. Grief is funny and I can't even begin to understand it. But I... Continue reading

At some point, I'm not sure when, I took to reading my Bible, and any devotional I might be thumbing through at the time, in the living room. I think I had read, one too many times, about all the women who were making tea, lighting a candle and having a proper "quiet time". You know how it goes. You start trying to do things the way another is doing them and things can, well, fall apart. In my home the babies are generally early risers. At least those who are babies now. And there are two of them. If... Continue reading

This morning as I was nursing the baby her brother kept tickling her, poking her and doing anything else he could to make her laugh. At first I asked him to stop. I wanted her to nurse and be done so that I could get on with my day. And then I remembered this is my day. If any mother should understand how quickly the years fly by it should be me. My oldest child is eighteen years old. My youngest is just over a year. And there are five sandwiched (very loosely) in between. I know how fleeting this... Continue reading

I had an agenda today. Let's just say that I didn't cross anything off my list. Here's what would have gotten crossed off had I actually made the right list... Have a peaceful day at home. Stop what I'm doing and visit with a kindred spirit. Let the kiddos enjoying getting dirty with their friends. Thank The Man for taking the three boys to 4-H. Don't fall over when one of my eleven year olds tells me one cookie is enough because he doesn't want to eat too many sweets. Stop blogging because the baby is now, indeed, ready to... Continue reading

In the seventh grade my english teacher, whom I adored, who had great, dark, curly hair, who said she had known Jack Ruby, gave me an A paper back with the comment, "too many commas!". Really now, I don't think that was fair, do you? Don't you insert commas where you would normally pause if you were speaking? Perhaps I pause too often, but I don't think so. I do think she scarred me for life though. It's been eight months since I've last written here. Or anywhere for that matter. I can't tell you how many times I have... Continue reading

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the Rachel Carson quote in my last post. I've been mulling things over that will start spilling out into this space soon. But this morning I am going to be a companion instead of writing about being one. We're off to the library! I'll leave you with a tiny glimpse into how we spent some of our time together last week... Continue reading

I knew the minute I laid my eyes on them that they were for me. I knew who went out in the cold, picked them, brought them in and placed them in the mason jar and gave them a big drink of cold water. I knew his eyes would light up when I asked, "are those for me?" I knew some effort went into bringing in the beauty because it wasn't just the blossoms. Blooms; stems, some broken; leaves, some crushed; and a tangled mess of roots, dirt on no less... I want to give these kind of love offerings...giving... Continue reading

If you're stopping by from Ashley's blog you should know that my I'm working on tweaking things here and there on my blog. Thanks for your patience and I hope you'll stop by again soon! I'll leave you with a few images from a very lovely Tuesday... the creek behind the building where my children study kung fu we were waiting for the boys to finish kung fu and sam took off his flip flops, looked out the window and said, "i want to go out side and run on the grass wiff my bare feet!" so, of course, we... Continue reading

I spent just a few minutes this evening messing around with Poladroid (via Ashley). I've been wanting to get my hands on some film for my vintage Polaroid. This will do in the meantime. Continue reading

I just told my kids, "We ARE NOT circus freaks! Calm down!" I need caffeine. I don't know where my coffee grinder is. My kitchen wall has a big gaping hole in it. It's a mess in there. It's crazy here. I'm loading up the van and taking the kiddos to the StarbucksthatisinsideBarnesandNoble. I'm really a Dutch Bros. girl, but there is no DutchBrosthatisinabookstore. Dutch Bros. are in little huts where you drive through and do not have to get out of your car. I love not having to get out of the car. With. Seven. Children. I need to... Continue reading

Today I am grateful for... 17. hot cocoa scented shower gel 18. two year old "swimming" in the tub 19. all of us at the dinner table 20. guacamole 21. two big nine year old smiles at kung fu 22. ice water with lemon 23. bedtime hugs 24. children's voices singing the doxology...loudly 25. being called mom...a hundred times a day 26. green eyes with blonde eyelashes Continue reading

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My blog is my homepage. I thought that would help motivate me to blog more consistently. And, well, six weeks later, I'm no more consistent than I was before. And that's pretty much my life these days. Inconsistent. Good intentions. Not much follow through. It's been that way for two years. Since my dad's death I've felt as if I've come undone. It hurts. It hurts worse today than the day he died. He was a stronger presence in my life than I realized. Boy, can't you just hear Bette Midler singing Wind Beneath My Wings right now. Ick. Not... Continue reading

Two of my favorite blogs are having giveaways. Lip gloss with a story behind it? Yep. Go check it out at V and Co. Need some new jewelry? Or a tutu for your little one? Check 'em out at Cakies. Continue reading

When five out of the six children in your home are sick it is pretty safe to say you've had better days. Pleasant days. Fun days. Days without so much movie watching. Days without any movie watching. Days when your two year old didn't start crying at every. little. thing. Conversations like this make life (even the sick days) much better: Sam the two year old holding a can of pineapple up to me: Mom, can I have some apple pie? Me: Yes, Sam, you can have some pineapple. Sam: Tanks! Sam: Mom, you fixed my boo-boo? Me: Yes, Sam,... Continue reading

the back story: a couple of weeks ago: I bought some coffee to feed my caffeine addiction. I thought it would make it easier to stop drinking soda. You know, trade one habit for another. At least I wouldn't be taking in so much sugar. Uh huh. one week ago: I realized I was now drinking coffee and soda. That plan didn't work so well, did it? this week: I stopped making the coffee in the morning and asked my husband to buy caffeine free soda. I was taking in almost no caffeine without realizing it. On Tuesday I thought... Continue reading

The fruit trees in our family orchard are starting to bloom. Their fragrance is amazing. Tucker is home for a visit. He's been on loan to some friends keeping their goat company. He missed me. Can you tell? Spring may be in the air but it's still muddy enough that rubber boots are necessary. Someone had a birthday. And, no, it wasn't me. My arms aren't that hairy. And I'm not 41. Yet. That's chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. And, yes, those are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups smashed all over it. Those are the man's favorite candy. The cake... Continue reading

These three boys are coming home after two days at their Nana and Pops' house. Let's just say it's been a lot quieter than normal around here. Quiet is nice sometimes, but we're all ready for our boys to come home. Continue reading

This is the first cup of coffee I've enjoyed in over a year. And, frankly, the coffee itself isn't that great. It's Archer Farms Fudge Brownie from Target in case you're wondering. It was an impulse buy to see if I could actually drink it. From the moment I get pregnant until my babies are a few months old (usually) I absolutely cannot drink coffee. Regular. Decaf. Black. Flavored. With cream. Mocha. Blended Decaf Mocha. Nothing. It all makes me sick. Blend that with your basic every-day-all-day morning sickness that went on and on and, well, it makes me a... Continue reading