busy day

Wow. Today was packed with memorable moments and accomplishments around the house. The day began with waking up and actually feeling ready to get up. This hasn't happened to me in about eight months! It is nice to feel refreshed for a change instead of feeling like someone beat you up and then you were run over by a truck. The cool morning air that fall brings was blowing through our open bedroom window and our down comforter felt like a cloud. The kids actually slept in a little instead of showing up in our room at six thirty a.m. After Brian left for work I started boiling some eggs for our late breakfast...the house felt so cool that we had put breakfast on hold to pull out some long, forgotten fall/winter clothes. (That is why naomi is wearing black gloves in the pictures.) As the girls and I were hanging out in the kitchen someone said, "Hey, look at Sophia!" She had perched herself on the sill outside our kitchen window. We noticed yesterday that she had nestled down in our window box there under the window. She had made some funny noises and we thought perhaps she was going to lay her first egg, but after a while she flew off. Today she started to do the same thing. I started teasing the girls and telling them she had laid a big egg. The next thing we knew, Naomi started saying, "she did lay an egg! she really did, I promise!" Sure enough, there in the window box was a small pale, blue egg. It was like magic. I think I was more excited than the girls. Naomi called all of her grandparents and I fried it up for her. It had such a beautiful golden orange yolk and lovely, thick shell. (Naomi wanted to save the shell. She is quite the little pack rat.) Bethany started to be discouraged and pout because her hen has not laid an egg as of yet. After breakfast we went upstairs to tackle the girl's rooms. I can't even begin to describe Naomi and Bethany's room. We also decided to move their clothes back up to their own closets from the downstair's closet. It seems no matter what I do, there are girl's shoes and clothes strewn from one end of this house to the other. Naomi helped me carry the dresser up the stairs and I thought "like Nana, like mother, like daughter." Ah, we do love to move furniture. When Moriah awoke, I sat down to nurse her and Naomi asked me to help her fold a little origami craft she had been saving. It was something I used to fold all the time when I was a child, but for some reason I was having trouble remembering what to fold where. She had the instructions in one hand and both girls insisted I read the instructions, but I persisted explaining I knew how to do it and didn't need any directions. After a few minutes of struggling and saying, "hmmm, that's not right." Naomi finally added, "Pride goes before a fall." I had a good laugh at this little comment. So true! Out of the mouth of babes. Tonight the girls and I accomplished a big chunk of the organizing and picking up in their rooms. They are excited to have things a little different and I am excited to have bags full of "stuff" that we can say goodbye to. Exhausted after putting them to bed I came downstairs to check email and I overheard them talking. Naomi was singing some song she made up, "If I were the president, oh, if I were the president." And then I heard Bethany say, "Well, I just want to be a plain old mom." It's a quarter to ten and I am ready to turn this computer off. Three of my girls are sound asleep, but I hear one that sounds like a little mouse bumping around her room, quietly getting into this and into that, softly turning pages in a book to the faint light of her night light. Bump. A book just hit the floor. Perhaps Hosanna has finally succumbed to the sandman's call. My turn.

is that brian i see?

Yes, Brian drove the family around in a minivan today. We are one step closer to considering a minivan for our family. We have learned that what we thought might be 100 bucks to fix our breaks on the landcruiser might be a problem that can't be fixed at all. So, we borrowed my dad's Kia minivan and Brian actually drove it! This is like finding me with a cat in my lap or petting a dog...you just won't. I hope he saw how convenient it was to have the kids walk back to their seat instead of crawl all over each other and kick people in the head just trying to get to their seat in the very back. He's still stuck on the whole VW Eurovan thing, but we'll see.

We had a relaxing Sunday. We went to church, out to eat, came home and rested, I made Moriah a new pair of wool "longies," and then we headed over to the Noel's for dinner and conversation between correcting and guiding very excited children. It was a beautiful day and I am not ready for Monday. Time to spiff up the place a bit and get to bed.

bethany's outing

Bethany has been looking forward to this day ever since the invitation first arrived in the mail. She was invited to a birthday tea party for her friend in her Sunday school class. For days she carried around her little invitation rereading it and planning what she was going to wear. The day finally came and she was dressed first thing this morning. Twenty outfits later she finally decided on a silk dress and her favorite pink clogs. She asked to wear makeup and jewelry so I gave her a little blush and lip gloss with a spritz or two of parfume. We finished it off with pearls and her great-grandmother's charm bracelet. Under one arm she carried a vintage clutch which come to think of it, she may have left it at the party. I better look into that. My car was in the shop so we had to take Brian's truck. We had fun sitting next to each other chit chatting. When we arrived I dropped her off and was able to make a quick trip to the thrift store with a good friend. I didn't find anything, but there's nothing better than visiting with a girlfriend and shopping at the same time! Wow, I really like to do that and wish I could do it more often. On the way home from the party Bethany asked me to tell her about myself "when you were a little girl." It is always a blessing to be able to spend time with one child at a time. On another positive note about Bethany, the past year we have struggled with her problem with being truthful. To make a long story short, tonight she stepped on Hosannah's foot and when asked if it was on purpose or accident she actually confessed to doing it on purpose. I was actually caught off guard when she admitted this right away. She was disciplined for hurting her little sister but I talked to her about how wonderful it was that she was now a truth teller instead of a liar. She beamed and it was a wonderful way to end our day together.

ah! sweet, precious friday! i love you.

Thank you Lord! What a difficult week it has been and just when I was at my breaking point, God blessed me with such a wonderful day. I can hear Naomi and Bethany talking, tucked into their beds. Hosanna and Moriah are completely out for the night (I hope) and Brian is in the shower. We made the most delicious oatmeal cookies tonight and had homemade pizza. Brian and I are sticking to our "changes" in parenting and the girls are responding very well indeed. We had a wonderful night together. Shell and Jane called on Skype tonight and we were able to chat and hang out for a while. Naomi and Jane are going to have a race to see who receives a letter first from their "pen pal." Naomi wrote and addressed hers while they were talking. Hmmm, I wonder if she got a hold of our stamps. So anyway, today was really refreshing. The girls had new attitudes. We didn't have "school" today, but the girls found some amazing caterpillars. They showed me how to press the back of the monarch caterpillars head to make his orange "horns" pop out. Then you can actually smell his self defense. I was completely amazed at this, but they acted as if this was an old trick they've been doing for years. We painted with water colors before dinner and they girls made some really cute bugs out of clay. Well, time to finish off the day with a few more cookies and some ice cold milk.

Thursdays

Thursdays Great Grandma Chubby comes to visit. I love to see the girls interact with her. Sometimes she will act their age and give them a dose of their own medicine. Like the time Hosanna wouldn't give her the time of day and acted like Grandma was someone to be frightened of. When Grandma didn't know anyone was watching she said, "Hey Hosanna..." and made a scary face at her. I think the girls need this and it cracks me up. Sometimes they take turns reading to each other. the girls have a book called, "You Read to Me and I'll Read to You." The girls love Grandma's dramatic voices and exaggerated expression. After a while Grandma will make her way over to the piano and start playing hymns that resemble the style of piano playing in a saloon...the girls didn't even recognize it when she played Jesus Loves Me. But they always clap and tell her how wonderfully she plays. Today she seemed bored which led to her being nervous that my dad would never return for her. She started to correct my grammar as I tried to make interesting conversation and avoid the "were you in any of my plays?" conversation. She doesn't get to stay long, but I am so thankful for our short visits and I hope the girls will always remember their Great-Grandma-Chubby. In fact, today it dawned on me how blessed my daughters are. They were brought home from spending the night with their Grandma Ann to find their Great Grandma waiting in the house and then a few minutes later they ran next door to see their Nanny. Three grandmothers in one day in a little girl's life is quite a gift.

my dream patterns

Ok. I don't know how to do anything on computers...not my thing. But I have finally found a website that sells my dream patterns. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. I don't have time now to learn to sew, but one day...one day! Maybe before the girls are grown!

It can be found at citronille.fr/index.php
I think...

This is especially exciting after going to Kohls tonight with Hosanna. I don't think I will ever go to that store again! Tacky is the latest fashion these days. I hate to be so critical, but its the truth. There is no such thing as clothes for little girls anymore. Sewing is going to become a necessity, not a hobby. Knowing these patterns exist brings solace.

farewell to summer

Today I looked at the calendar and saw the words "fall begins." I like these words. I like fall. But I am always sorry to see summer go. I am even more sorry to know that old man winter will arrive directly after fall. Fall is bittersweet. The end of something good almost always is. But on the bright side it is one of the most beautiful of the four seasons and it promises exciting things ahead. I have the fondest memories of this time of year from my own childhood. I loved the start of school and the change in the weather. It would finally start to cool off enough so you could actually wear your back-to-school clothes. I have always loved the flavors of autumn, the spices, pulling out last years sweaters, and that wonderful crisp air. I guess the humidity and insects of summer seem to intensify at the last of the season which make fall even more inviting. But I will miss the abundance of fresh, seasonal fruits, bare feet, beach trips, and the feel of the warm sun on skin. However, thanks to Eliott Coleman's inspiring book, we can now look forward to planting our fall and winter greens. And truth be told, the girls somehow manage to continue to run around (inside and out) barefoot year round. So, ready or not...it's time to say goodbye to our friend summer, until we meet again next year! Ciao!

a new week

A good Monday? Yeah, I would say today was good. It had its usual stresses and frustrations, but it had so many beautiful moments sprinkled throughout.
I have decided it is time for Moriah to start sleeping through the night in her own bed. This is not an easy decision for me, and I may still give in, in a weak moment, but I really believe that sleep deprivation is about to cause me to lose my mind. Today things seemed so hopeful for a change. Even though my sleep was cut short, I only nursed once during the night. It was most enjoyable to hold my chubby, soft Moriah in the quiet, dark house. We fit together like a little puzzle as she rests her little hand on my breast and nurses herself back to the land of nod. I just breathe in her baby scent. It is bittersweet because I know this moment will leave my memory like all of the other sweet, nursing moments. It's like a beautiful sunset that takes your breath away and you think the vivid colors will surely always stay in your mind, but they have been forgotten almost as soon as you turn your eyes away. That is why I must drink in the moment as it is happening.
My sleep was interrupted once more by Hosanna who had wet herself trying to get to the potty in time. It was almost time for the invasive alarm to sound its disruptive beeping. I helped her get cleaned up and into some fresh clothes and then I decided it would be easiest to let her finish her sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. I snuggled back down under the down comforter with my back turned to her and started to drift back off when I felt that precious, chubby little hand rest on my neck. I gave it a little pat and we fell asleep this way.
Monday I am almost always behind, so I decided we could survive this once on cereal and take a break from our usual eggs and buttery grits. Sophia and Gwen the Hen peer in the window at us when we eat. I never knew chickens liked scraps as much as a dog. They look kind of curious and hopeful at the same time.
I tried Tarah's bread recipe today. Bethany follows me around all day begging to help and get her hands into whatever I am doing. She babysits and changes Moriah, folds laundry, helps Hosanna with whatever she needs at the time, and loves to cook. Having a baby coo in the kitchen and my five year old sprinkle flour into the dough I am kneading on the table has always been a dream of mine. It was only minutes before Moriah started to wail and I became impatient with Bethany and the phone rang (and for some reason I answered it?!) but all of these moments in my day are blessings, gifts from God. These moments are so brief, but they are my joy.

tea party

I found a really inspiring book at the library. I can't remember the name of it right off the top of my head, but it was all about being outdoors. There were examples of outdoor tea parties, tents, beds, and even baths. I have always wanted to bathe outdoors! Sounds crazy, in the private woods of course where no one is around for miles. But just imagine soaking in a ball and claw foot tub in the middle of a forest or distant field. Anyway, aside from my unrealistic daydreams of relaxation...we set up a sheet in our favorite tree and the girls were content to have a tea party with peanuts and water. I forget that it doesn't take much for kids to feel like they've done something exciting.

bare necessities

It's been a tough couple of weeks. We came home from vacation with sickness tagging along for the ride. Hosanna started throwing up all over herself and screaming hysterically. Brian focused on just getting us home while i held her little sand bucket in front of her, stroked her hair, and sang to her. The wind blew through the windows and the girls ate right out of a cereal box beneath the chaos and stuff. The following week was laundry, more sickness, and more laundry. I am so thankful for the cooler weather so that the girls could lie on their towels in the grass and eat saltines and drink ginger ale as they recovered. Brian worked out in the yard on a hen house for Sophia and Gwen the Hen. He would like to make and sell them for some extra cash, something we have been short on lately. A series of events have put us a little behind this month and it has really made me/us think about our future. The idea of selling our beautiful home and moving way out to our land has become really attractive to me for the first time. I love our home here and cannot imagine ever leaving, but at the same time the idea of having a much smaller mortgage is beautiful to me. We have been tightening up our purse strings around here. I have never been so thankful for Aldi! Eating vegetarian has never been a desire of mine or Brian's but it has been a necessity lately. God has blessed us with some delicious meal ideas without meat. My favorite has been a beautiful, colorful Cuban salad. I call it Cuban for no reason except it has black beans in it. So basically we are enjoying the contentment that stems from being thankful for the bare necessities. When you have been stripped from the opportunity to be wasteful but are able to survive and be thankful for the basics it brings a special kind if joy. We are thankful to be healthy and have food on the table.

This is what happens to people who don't get out much...

Do you crave cultural experiences? Sometimes I want to leave my little corner of the world and see how other people live. It doesn't even matter what corner as long as its different from the corner I dwell in day in, day out. I do struggle with contentment. It is not good to be restless. But today I had to just get out for a bit. Hmmmm...where could I go in Fuquay with no money and two kids at nap time? (The other two are with Grandma.) I needed to stop at Mom and Dad's to pick some Thai basil and keifer lime. Nothing will transport you like flavors of another land. These particular flavors are so potent and delicious they will just about curb your appetite for actually boarding the plane to visit these foreign lands. Yes, Thai basil is that good. I cannot wait to make stir-fry tonight and fry up Pourntips spring rolls. But, that wasn't enough. I still needed to get this restless trapped in Fuquay, North Carolina itch scratched. (I keep wishing I could go and visit Seth and Shell in Mexico, but it is definitely impossible.) As we headed over Bridge Street and began to pass the old Piggly-Wiggly shopping center I spotted the little Mexican store that carries my two dollar phone cards I use to call Puebla. I took a sharp turn into the parking lot and then remembered to see if any cars were coming. This little shopping strip is my Mexico. Its not my coveted trip to Jerusalem or Provence, but in times of desparation it must do. I love to pull up into the parking lot and see all of the signs in Spanish. Everyone around me has black hair and dark skin and stares at me like, "where did you come from? you're not Mexican." I now begin to feel like I have left my corner of the world. Ahhh, I love it. There's Peluqueria, the hair salon that I have decided is not for me. The Gun and Gold Pawn shop, the laundry mat, the tiny thrift store, and of course Las Carolinas...the tiny market. There is a large sign that reads Envios De Dinero/Money Transfers. The front glass doors are covered in posters and information important to the locals. Inside are all of the necessary ingredients and fresh produce to prepare a meal "like back at home." Fresh, (I assume)local eggs with feathers still stuck on the shell sit atop the counter. A crockpot with tamales and other local baked goods sit here and there with homemade signs taped to the side. A small refrigerated section holds cilantro, limes, cactus, and other miscellaneous produce. Behind the counter I am always greeted with a friendly welcome. "Buenas tardes." I love feeling out of place. It really feels like I am in Mexico for a few minutes. I ask for a phone card to call Puebla, Mexico as Hosanna asks for candy. With this card I can talk to Shell for three hours for only two dollars...not a bad price. (Oh good, I think, he handed me one that doesn't have a porn star on it like that one and that one and that one...) As we head out the door I decide to step into the small thrift store next door. There are huge posters on the windows that say "Going out of Business." As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted by two older women. I wasn't sure what they were saying because it was in Spanish, but I knew it wasn't directed towards me. They instantly grabbed Moriah's bare feet and Hosanna's chunky arms and squeezed and touched and rubbed as they spoke in excited Grandma voices as if their very own grandchildren had entered the room. This was not a front or fake greeting. These women were truly excited to see a baby and a toddler. Excited enough in fact to tear away from the Spanish soap opera on the small t.v. They began to ask me questions about the children and believe it or not, between my vocabulary of five Spanish words and their collection of twenty English words, we were able to communicate about the ages and names of the children. The ladies were grinning and squeezing until the next thing I knew, one of them was holding Moriah as I began to look around. After a while a younger woman of about fiftyish showed up who was fluent in English. She was able to answer questions about prices and so forth. I actually found some little Japanese, wooden thong type shoes...so adorable, for Hosanna but she didn't like them and they did look a little on the small side. As I continued to plow through the racks, Hosanna, as always, announced "pee pee" and did a little dance. I wasn't about to take a chance this time. I asked if there was a rest room we could use. The woman who spoke English pointed us to the back of the store but warned us about the door. "Be careful, it locks sometimes but we don't have the key." Hmm, wouldn't want that to happen. We took care of business and continued to look around. I found a small book shelf with some Christian titles on them. Curious, I started to read through them. I was surprised to find a book by Susan Hunt. Wow, how'd that end up here? I also found a pale, pink cardigan for Moriah, some black, velvet ballet flats for Hosanna, and some soft, white pillow cases to recycle the fabric for I don't know what. They were such a soft, supima cotton with tiny little white on white squares printed on them. I finally narrowed down my purchases and met the lady at the counter. I noticed one of the pillowcases had a disgusting stain on it. She shrugged here shoulders and said, "oh, just use a little clorox. You can get it out. And the price is so good." So what could I say to that? As I headed towards the car I noticed the sky had turned into a dark grey cloud promising a summer storm, I hoped. Out of the salon ran a woman with wet hair half pinned up. She darted towards her car to roll up her windows as she glanced towards the sky. Well, it was time to go back home to my little corner where everything is English and familiar. This will have to do for now...

Cooking School

OK. Its so sad. Naomi hates "school." This has been discouraging for quite some time. Everyday its the same thing over and over again. I make her sit down and read a book to me and the battle begins. I could go on and on about our frustrations with each other and how this whole reading thing is going, but I won't. For one thing, she thinks "school" is me standing over her forcing her to read her one book for the day. She doesn't realize all of the fun stuff she enjoys is "school" as well.

For the last couple of days she has been looking at a cookbook for kids and dog-earing the pages of the recipes she would like to make. Yesterday I told her that if she would read the entire recipe, then we would make it. She picked up the book and immediately turned to the chocolate bugs. She read it with great determination and had it finished in no time. I found it encouraging that after helping her with the word "refrigerator" she recognized it for the rest of the recipe. As we began to make the chocolate bugs and measure the ingredients I remembered that we could learn about fractions while we were at it. I keep forgetting that when you choose to homeschool, every moment spent together is an opportunity to learn. I hope I will begin to think this way. It really does not come natural for me. The girls love to cook and BEG to help every time I am in the kitchen. Maybe its time to school in the kitchen. Let's see, there is reading, math, science, history, geography, and even art linked to cooking. Hmmm, maybe this is something to look into? She has already picked out the next recipe she wants to read and make. Now if I could find her a cookbook she would like that had more appetizing recipes than chocolate bugs. Melted chocolate chips and corn syrup aren't exactly my thing - especially when they were handled and shaped by hands that were "washed" after playing outside in the mulch...these definitely look less than appetizing.

A Passion for Diapers

How in the world can someone get so excited about diapers?! I have heard of it before and always thought "how crazy!" Now I am one of those crazy people. I was giving cloth diapers a try this time around with Moriah. Things were going pretty well with the "g diaper" until she outgrew some of them and I needed to buy some extras. I thought I would research a little to see if there was anything else I might like to try. I always thought the wool soakers were cute, but way too expensive. At twenty to thirty dollars a diaper, there was no way I was going to be able to pull it off. I loved the idea of the breathable wool fibers vs. anything synthetic. The more I read about wool the more I fell in love. I began to find adorable homemade wool soakers that women knit which made me want to learn to knit more than ever. And then it happened. I found this blog:

http://artfulparent.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/my-new-wool-soaker-stash/

And THAT was something I could pull off. Inexpensive and easy! I got so excited I went straight to the thrift store and loaded up on beautiful wool sweaters. Lamb's wool, Italian merino wool, cashmere, stripes, ruffles, ribbed... I have always loved textiles and to run my hands over sweater after sweater until I felt the right texture was the most fun I have ever had shopping. It didn't matter the size, style, or brand. It was going to be felted and cut up for a diaper. By far the easiest shopping ever! In fact, I found so many potential diaper covers I had to put half of them back. As soon as I got home I washed and dried them. Only one of them felted properly, but I was told if you double them they should do fine. I fed and bathed the kids quickly, shoved down my own dinner and skipped off to Nan's to make my first wool soaker. I had it sewn together in no time and ran home to try it on Moriah. I was so excited she started to laugh as I took her picture. She knows Mommy is crazy. Now to make a little apron dress to match!

Proud Moment

If you look closely, you can see the hook to the left of the turtle's mouth.





Naomi has been obsessed with the turtles at the pond and their egg laying. There is an area on the bank accross the street where the turtles are coming to lay their eggs. We have actually seen the eggs in the hole. Whenever the girls see the crows pecking at the holes the turtles have dug, they freak out and run out the front door screaming and flapping their arms to scare the big, black birds away. Today Naomi and I went across the street to see the newest mother laying her eggs. As Naomi took a closer look, she noticed that the poor turtle had a fish hook stuck in her mouth. She desperately wanted to remove it but I kept discouraging it, thinking it had probably been there for quite some time. It looked as if the turtle's skin may have grown around it. As always, Naomi persisted. This time it was a good thing. With a carrot in one hand to win the turtle's trust and tweezers in the other hand, Naomi went to work. After some intense moments of worrying she was making it worse she gently worked this way and that until at last the hook was free. I was so proud of her! I guess because I am way to squeamish to ever do something like that and far too unconcerned about a turtle's comfort. She was so determined and gentle with that poor turtle. God has definitely given her gift with handling His creatures. It is exciting to observe.