tickled

that what started out as just a little photo op….

slowly became very friendly and intimate…

a very ordinary moment turns extraordinary

after all…how often does one get to share something so wonderful…

as butterfly kisses…literally.

the swing of things

funny we should end our first week of school in the same place we started.

only this time we brought friends.

and shared some of our favorite things with them.

and they shared some of their favorite things with us.

there was lots of good food and music.

but just when we were really getting into the swing of things. it was time to come home.

sometimes it is hard to bring yourself back from moments like these.

to face real life.

the dishes. the laundry. the schoolwork.

the repetition. the monotony.

it can be such a pain.

especially with all of the stuff we’ve got going on ’round here lately.

however….

“when the Divine LIFE came to this earth, He reechoed the lessons of the Thrill of Monotony. St. Peter asked how many times we should forgive. Peter thought seven times was enough. Our Lord said, “seventy times seven”. there were three sweet monotonies in His Life-thirty years obeying, three years teaching, three hours Redeeming. He passed on to us the thrill of being born again, which was made a condition for entering into the Kingdom of Heaven.

because God is full of life i imagine each morning Almighty God says to the sun, “do it again”; and every evening to the moon and the stars, “do it again”; and every springtime to the daisies, “do it again”; and every time a child is born into the world asking for a curtain call, that the heart of God might once more ring out in the heart of the babe.

LIFE is full of romance and thrill when it has one overall purpose, namely, to be one with a LIFE that is Personal enough to be a Father; one with a Truth that is Personal enough to be the Wisdom from whence come all Art and Science; and one that is Personal enough to be a Love that is a “Passionless Passion, a wild Tranquility”.

life is worth living when we live each day to become closer to God. when you have said your prayers, offered your actions in union with God, continue to enjoy the “Thrill of Monotony”, and “do it again”!                  

~Fulton Sheen, Life is Worth Living

and so off i go…

to “do it again”!

seriously

and so very official.

all this homeschooliness.

finding the right spot to do an art lesson.

it’s not easy, you know.

especially if you have to take your shoes off.

and put your finished masterpieces on exhibit.

then there is the issue of socializing with friends.

who are sometimes in need of water.

or quite possibly a place to live.

and what about those conservation causes and clubs?

the ones that take up so much time and energy?

like this one for the trees.

the care. conservation. and observation of baby pine and cedar trees to be exact.

oh, yes.

it’s serious stuff .

that i hope y’all aren’t taking too seriously.

happy days!

and remember:

“how can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the rule of Three and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe?”

~G.K. Chesterton

giving them what they need

time to create. imagine. play. breathe fresh air and take long walks in search of baby pine trees and new flowers we’ve never seen before. making friends with wee small creatures. firsthand sightings of jack rabbits and chipmunks. blue jays. woodpeckers. and mountain chickadees. some old friends. others new.

during this little “break” i finished a few projects that have been in the WIP basket for a while.

yes, in a step towards organization i actually made a basket for all of the WIP’s and have committed to working on them one by one. vowing not to start anything new. but adding it to my “list” in my home-keeping notebook if it is a project i can’t get out of my head. (like some black sock knit fingerless gloves for myself)

i am so glad to have finished that rag doll. she was so important to my girl and once i got started i didn’t want to stop. the days for snuggling with rag dolls are not long enough and before i know it she’ll be on to other things.

however, chances are, if you give a girl a rag doll, she is going to want clothes to go with it… so i have been busily working on hand-sewn outfits. blouses and petticoats. (nana made the skirt). not easy. so tedious. and such little stitches. but i have to admit: i love hand sewing. i think this is really my forte. it is very soothing to me. and not much is involved. just fabric. needles and thread. ( i did create a little pattern for the blouse i made though. so as to avoid it not fitting properly. that can be so frustrating!)

so there was a little tooth tucked away in a pocket of my purse. it has been there for weeks. i am ashamed to admit this publicly, but it is sometimes like this for fourth children. they wait patiently for mama to do the things she once leapt up enthusiastically to do for the first and second child. and mama, in order not to fail completely, comes up with this clever pillow. hoping that forgiveness will come…and it does. luckily the fourth child is pretty forgiving.

i am thinking about school. still not sure what i’m gonna do. the clock is ticking though. i hear it. yet i put a pillow over it to cover up the incessant ticking. why? when this is my 11th year? and i should be a pro by now. why am i so insecure? and unsure?

because i don’t let God. that’s why.

and because giving them what they need is so much harder than giving them what they want.

not these two. but the bigger ones.

it’s exhausting really.

and one should not have to think such exhausting thoughts in august.

savoring

thyme. and time.

admiring a boy brave enough to chew on grass.

stopping to smell the sweetest flowers. and chase butterflies that look like tiny flying pansies through the woods.

making slivery wishes. gazing at long-girly lashes and the “bling” on her glasses. she did it herself. and gets compliments on them almost everywhere she goes.

finishing the baseball scarf. i am on my third skein of yarn. but not quite done yet. after traveling around with me since april. to many a game and practice. i am such a slow knitter.

today we read a story about a chicken who was knitting at the beach. i think i am that chicken.

stopping to gaze in every nook and cranny. and finding the strangest things. blue-throated lizards. and pinkish thistles.

yes, life, even without the curls, is pretty darn good.

i won’t even mention how behind i am in EVERYTHING. and at this point i just don’t even have it in me to “catch up”. summer is right around the corner. and i am ready to catch up on geometry embrace it with open arms.

how about you?

the adventure

of ordinary things. ~laura ingalls wilder

kites. balloons and their capacity to make statick-y hair. running till you’re out of breath. girls who sketch wildflowers. a husband who brings home frozen dinner because he thought i’d be too tired to cook. a pile of new library books-(this link is for you cici-it even gives an idea where to put all that embroidery like we talked about!). pages waiting to be discovered with a giggly pair of little ones. a new exercise routine which involves that same giggly pair (let’s see if i can get out of bed in the morning!). a new spring pillow for the yellow chair. oops. was i supposed to iron it? it was a late sunday nite sewing endeavor. those are exempt from ironing.

what i also do in my spare time

i was so sure this was a hawk. or maybe a bald eagle. (just kidding!) but what do i know. so in my spare time-the kids are with my parents and i am supposed to be catching up on paperwork- i sat here instead with the north american wildlife book on my desk and proceeded to identify some birds i had recently taken pictures of. i am now of the opinion that this is a prairie falcon. and it preys on other birds. and it very mysteriously has been hanging around my yard-even before black pearl disappeared. trying to trick me with those big, serious eyes. it is a beautiful bird, that’s for sure. but a chicken murderer? i don’t have proof. yet.

when autumn and summer compete

it can be quite a treat.

autumn says, bring your sewing outside. or better yet come on a walk with me and i’ll show you my colors. i’ll show you what’s new. and i will even send a breeze to cool your face.

summer laughs and says, don’t bother with those things on the ground. gaze instead into the eyes of the cosmos. she blushes pink because she heard you say how pretty she is. and she saw the little girl with you stop to wait for you to have a look.

but wait! calls autumn. did you notice the color my leaves brought to that bouquet. without them it wouldn’t quite look that way. and your favorite sweater. the one you got last Christmas. if it weren’t for me it’d still be packed in the attic. causing static in your “done with summer” brain.

empty acorns. scurrying squirrels. black-eyed susans nodding their heads. all because they know it is almost time. time for them to hide under their leaf and pine needle blankets. the remnants of summer can only last so long in those 50 degree afternoons. and before i know it, she will take her place with the rest of them. it is nap time, i tell her. and when you wake up you’ll be in a better mood. you and spring get along so much better. even though it is wetter. and then you will be the one trying to show me things. wanting the spotlight. using your sunny mornings and your longer days to drive her away….but until then… thanks for an awfully lovely day!

early to rise

well, the big boys are here with my dad. their papa. the little ones spent the nite with nana so us adults could go to dinner. i felt so guilty for sending them. perhaps it was because the littlest boy, who bears such a likeness to christopher robin with those rubber boots he wears all the time, packed up most of his clothes, beanies and sweaters included, “to stay in a hotel with nana”. where he got this idea, i do not know. or maybe it was the pouty face of the only girl. the last thing i saw of her was a look that penetrated the glass of the car window, saying, ‘thanks for abadoning us.’

it was only supposed to be for a few hours. but it turned into an overnite visit. which is a very rare thing for us. we don’t like to be away from them, but occasionally it is necessary.

and then i, rising early, to get coffee and a paper with my husband, focused soley on their return. the house was so quiet and still while i fondly looked at beach treasures in a jar. we had so many good beach memories this summer. and then there were the bits and pieces of rocks and plants from here and there are scattered across the nature table.

finally i set to work making some pizza dough so that when they do come home, we can make homemade pizzas for dinner. those bigger boys won’t be back until tuesday, so i’ll have a few more days with just the little ones. i have lessons to plan, but we will definitely be taking some time to enjoy these last few days before serious school begins. hope you have a wonderful weekend doing the things you love with the ones you love!

summer goodness

cold vanilla cream soda

dirty faces

water balloon fights

eating outside

nesting boxes

big, shady trees

visits from a familiar friend

a place for warm tortillas