dear july….

before i forget…and you are gone…

i wanted you to know that you have been so good to us.

with your cool mornings.

and your scattered wild sweet peas on the side of the road.

of course we picked a few. for our Sacred Heart Altar.

and of course there was that day at the beach…

filled with sand and seashells. the sun was hiding. and the roar of the ocean almost lulled me to sleep…

except there was so much to see…everyone made a new friend to play in the waves with. and then there were treasures to behold…

and then we tried those scones we heard about here.

they were absolutely deliciously lovely.

i was proud to perfect my hamburger buns recipe for the bread maker. quick. easy. and loved by all.

even the pickiest of eaters.

there is still so much i could i write about…but some things will just have to be our little secret…

and instead i will close with my favorite quotable that i read this month…i hope you will enjoy it too…

“one of the commonest natural experiences of the sense of loss is tiredness: it empties us out….it is useless to reproach a tired heart. and when we are tired out the only way to God is the simplest wordless act of faith. a woman too weary for articulate prayer will find that for her the best of all prayer is the unspoken act of faith in Christ in her children when she knows that  she is setting the table and baking the cake (or scones!!) for the Christ Child, her soul will be at rest.”

thank you, july magnificat for that.

those were soothing words to this weary mama.

happy weekend friends.

hope to see you monday.

with good news of a safe and successful surgery.

 

glittering summer days

dirty feet. water balloons. a wet kitchen floor.

i am having a staring contest with my messy house.

things get a little bit crazy around here when mama is not feeling well. 

i have slowed way down.

like snail slow….

 when you lose your health (even if temporarily), things sort of shift into proper perspective (with God’s grace).

and suddenly you hang desperately onto something as small as teaching the baby how to tell if a cantaloupe is ripe…because that’s important.

at least it’s important to me.

so what if the stuffing is coming out of the couch….i can deal with that later.

right now we are enjoying these glittering days of summer:

a very empty calendar (by choice!!!) = time to create.

butterfly craft found here.

i had way too much fun punching all. those. butterflies. out!!!!!

and she, well, she is the artist. so there were pages of watercolors…

the pottery…well, that is courtesy of our local pottery shop which holds children’s classes….

yes, this is me screaming…”look how talented my daughter is!!!”

what can i say? i really love watching my children blossom. 

and make things.

(that is a decorative wine-cork-topper btw. a painted button glued into the top of a cork.)

i think it is (one of the many) very special components of homeschooling…dabbling in this and that…

and we do dabble…

speaking of my daughter…she went and turned 12 on me last month…did i mention that?

how dare she!

my june bug.

but what a lovely person she is turning out to be!

donning an apron and whipping up some sort of yummy baked (or not) concoction at least every other day is something that has me in awe these days…i am impressed.

and not just because her peanut butter cookies are so good!

i am impressed because of the little woman she is turning out to be.

useful. joyful. and so faithful.

these are the things i see during this time of pulling back…

and because there are so many things to say “yes” to these days…it is hard.

but i want to say more yeses to these…

these gap-toothed smiles.

and inquiring minds.

so worthy of my attention.

i often feel like there must be some well-adjusted woman out there who i was meant to be…

a woman who has her act together and cruises through her days….

but until i find her…i will soak up every moment i can….staring at faces with pink cheeks and scratches from the kitty…reading stories and laughing.

because it won’t be long before these glittering summer days will be gone….

till there was you

we recently saw an outdoor production of the music man. one of our favoritest movies ever.

spell check says favoritest is not a word. i say phooey to spell check.

i love this song from the movie. but i could do without the spanish subtitles you tube has so generously provided. however, they are not to blame for the goofy look on paul’s face which makes me ponder how the beatles became so incredibly famous….i guess some things are just meant to be.

it is so good to be home. traveling long distances with my husband and children and staying in hotels and eating too much restaurant food makes me really grumpy for some reason.

i truly believe the hum of the fridge. the whirrrrr of the air conditioning and the bright lights glaring into our room also had something to do with it. but i am still not sure. and the fact of the matter is there is NO place like home. even a hot and messy one!

the bad news is my grandmama faces a double mastectomy. the cancer is bad and is spreading into her chest. and she is still undecided whether or not to go thru with the surgery at her age.

courageous and so sad at the same time.

the good news is: i was able to write down the story of how she and my grandfather met.

and i have been wanting to do that for some time.

so it is done.

and so now, on this hot august nite. i will go take my place next to my tired husband. (he always does all of the driving).  and think about the good things in life.

i remain forever the optimist, dear readers.

because the fact is: till there was you, i was more inclined to focus on the bad.

i need this place.

not all of the time.

but it helps me to clear my head. and semi-connect with other like-minded souls.

i haven’t officially announced a “break” per se. but my absence here once in a while is a good thing. it means i am doing what i am supposed to be doing. i am not overly concerned with stats or hits. oddly enough more people find me via their search for dumb blonde jokes. and although that is not really what i’d like to be remembered for i do have another good one if you’d like…

making light

delicious drinks. serious swimming. and leisurely sewing.

scrumptiously cool mornings and evenings are making us wonder: is this really july? since when does july bring breezes just chilly enough to necessitate the use of quilts?

the answer: maybe not ever. but i am not going to complain. because it is fantastic!

we have a kingdom of bees living in our upstairs-there is actually honey dripping from the rafters. it has been going on for quite some time. just wasn’t sure what was going to happen. but apparently there is ALOT of honey comb, etc. and so they are going to have to rip open the walls, etc. etc.

i don’t know what my 6 yo. will do when he can’t lick honey from the windowsills any more. this may sound disgusting. but if you knew how sweet raw. natural honey tasted you’d totally do the same thing.

the boys have been going to work with my husband a lot lately. one of the nicer things resulting in his being laid off is that we do have our own small. very. small business to fall back on and it is an excellent learning opportunity for the boys. they not only earn some money for themselves but this allows them to discern whether or not they want to apply a little more effort to their studies.

my grandmama, my dad’s mom, has some cancerous lumps in her breast again and so we will be heading up north to visit her in the next few days. this woman has fought cancer off and on for many years. she lost her husband, my grandfather, when i was 8. and then 8 years later, her youngest daughter, my aunt. both of them died due to complications from brain tumors.

my point in sharing this here:

life is short, friends. and though not always sweet. there is much sweetness.

we follow a Body Whose Head wore a crown of thorns.

and there is a sacredness in pain and suffering.

when it is submitted into HIS pain and suffering.

not even a hair on our heads is harmed without God’s permission. and minute by minute. week by week. day by day, HE controls the scenario of the centuries. and the years.

and even the minutest details of our days.

so let us remember:

“not for thee and thine to go in fear, dismayed like these others, enthrone the Lord of Hosts above all else, HIM you must fear, of HIM stand in awe. LET THE HOUR OF PERIL CONSECRATE YOU TO HIM.” ~is. 8:6-8

therein lies the “prescripition” for the myriad of things that can and do go wrong.

the peril is very real. but of which we should have no fear.

so consecrate yourself. and the ones you love to HIM.

today.

the focus

these people that i love so much.

the blue of the water and sky.

the white. frothy foam.

the cool breeze.

all of them blessings from a God Who is so. so. good.

those lashes. that smile.

silvery painted toes. sparkling like the flecks of sand.

a nap on a crisp. cotton sheet.

a yummy picnic lunch.

all because daddy needed a day off.

we all need a day off sometimes

to look for sand crabs.

and to find one another.

among the quiet noises of the great outdoors.

so as to keep the focus where it needs to be.

on God.

and on each other.

ripe

in my grandmother’s garden there are: the sweetest berries. the juciest watermelons. the pinkest hollyhocks. and the bluest skies.

my only contribution: the darling little boy with a big appetite. curious hands and taste-buds. a missing tooth and a bit of a lisp.

that seems to be the only thing i am capable of growing these days!

eye spy

on this first day of july….

with the very slim pickings from my sad little garden.

also from the garden. tiny. but proof that sweet things can come in small packages.

because i like to feel pretty when i am doing dishes. and let’s face it. i am almost always doing dishes.

i actually have two new aprons and another all cut out and ready to sew. but i am going out on a limb and adding a frilly ruffle to the bottom for some of that june cleaver flair. so it is taking me a little longer than the first two.

do you see the bird too? my family has a knack for “seeing” things in nature finds. remember this rock?

well, friends, july is here. it must be well into the 100’s today. and since we cannot pack up and move to somewhere really cold…i guess instead i will be spending the next few weeks tyring to beat the heat.

today’s tip: when going out into really hot weather, take your own cup of cold tea and/or water to sip on while you drive. it keeps the temptation to stop at those over priced coffee shops at bay.

so, what are you “spying with your little eyes….

oh, yes…

summer days are some of the best days.

fresh veggies from the csa. i’ve never eaten more greens in my life.

really, is there anything more fun than blowing bubbles with bare feet? whether you are 6 or 60 i think not.

girl “friends” visit and barbie fashion shows. judging these types of things is so hard for us mamas.

Sacred Heart atc’s abound. and i am so pleased to feature them on our june altar. which has such a sweet. red. glow in the evening.

life is good. because GOD is good.

happy thursday friends!

i leave you with a blessing for you and yours from me and mine:

Sacred Heart Blessing

May the Grace and Blessing of My Sacred Heart be with you

May the Peace of My Sacred Heart encompass you

The Merits of My Sacred Heart plead for you

The Love of My Sacred Heart inflame you

The Sorrows of My Sacred Heart console you

The Zeal of My Sacred Heart animate you

The Virtues of My Sacred Heart shine forth in your every word and work

And may the Joys of the Beatific Vision be your Recompense in Eternity.

~Amen.

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!