at the end of the rainbow is a David

We had a sunny, late afternoon rain here yesterday and a rare treat.  A rainbow appeared, and the end landed right at the bottom of our driveway.  We didn't find a pot of gold, but David ran down in excitement, and he's worth more than all the gold in the world to me.

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky...
~William Wordsworth

God's glowing covenant.  ~Hosea Ballou

picture post of my many blessings

 

L I F E  W I T H  C H I L D R E N

Hello my friends!  It's a beautiful day and I thought I would share some pictures.  First off, little Sarah Joy on the couch with kitty Sherlock.  Pure sweetness.  I originally sent this one to my brother Dave and his heart melted, too.  :)



Exiting news for Fiesta lovers!  There is a new fiestaware color in stores,  a new shade of blue called Lapis.  I haven't compared it to the old Sapphire blue but I'm thinking it may be most similar to that.  I bought two luncheon plates in Lapis and it's the color to fight over now ("I get the new blue plate!" they cry)

After Bible study on Thursday we all went to a local dinner for lunch.  It was SO fun!   I had a crab salad sandwich and sweet potato fries, yum.

David was so cute squeezed between big Mike and big brother Jacob. 

Gary (our pastor) and Margaret (from church & Bible study).  Caleb was with me, too.  I was thankful for Ethan and Grace staying home to babysit Seth and Sarah, it was such a blessing to just sit and enjoy my brothers and sisters at the study and diner.

My friend Connie sent me some beautiful handmade dishcloths.  Thank you, Connie, I love them and I will write you back ASAP.

My older three are all at camp this week so I'm at home with these four.  The other night we watched Toy Story 3 and they snuggled up on the floor amongst couch cushions and big blankets off my bed.  I love this picture so much.  They're so cute.

My beautiful friend Lydia came over on Friday to visit, she did Grace's hair and nails and then Sarah's nails.  I know Sarah doesn't look very thrilled in the picture, but she was.  She doesn't know Lydia very well and I saw her sneaking shy glances at her and especially her pretty necklace-very impressive for my girly-girl.

I made baked pork chops, peas and broccoli, and mashed potatoes for dinner.   I've been sort of uninspired at dinner time lately so this meal was photo-worthy.  LOL  (tonight we are having tacos)

I had to take Sethers to the doctor's office this morning to get his wart frozen.  I was trying to treat it at home but it got to be such a bother.  The name of the medicine was HISTOFREEZER which struck me as humorous. 

Taking pictures while waiting for the Doctor.......I interrupted Sarah singing something silly by taking her picture (that face!)

And big brother Caleb::

After that was done, we went to the Tractor Supply store for chicken feed, and Target.  On the way back, the boys worked on their new sticker books.

We had quesadillas for lunch today, which is something all the children just love.  I mixed up some salsa and sour cream to use as dip, too. 

I put Sarah Joy down for her nap and took the boys outside to swim and play.  Seth was so excited to catch a frog all by himself.

Then, something wonderful happened.  We went over to check on the chickens.  Three of them were out of their yard and wandering free.  I was talking to the boys and we were concerned the hens would get eaten by the fox.  I started singing an old Sunday School song that popped into my head "The Devil is a Sly old Fox" and when I got to the chorus, I sang "I'm glad I am a Christian".  Seth wanted to know if he was a Christian (he's been curious about Jesus for months now, asking questions about the cross)  and I said, "If you understand that your heart has bad sins and that you need Jesus to forgive you and come into your heart to stay, you are a Christian." He immediately said he wanted to do that and I asked him if he wanted to pray and he said yes.  We sat in the grass together and he prayed and asked Jesus to forgive him and come into his heart.  It was a precious moment and one that I hope and pray God uses to lead Seth along in his spiritual lifelong journey.


A couple of quotes that I heard on Christian radio this morning:

"You can get a lot of blessing from your Bible by noticing things" (as you read it)  ~Robert Cook

"When you give something away, you let it go."  ~from Joni and Friends


Hope you are having a wonderful Monday.
You are loved.

revenge

There are two ponds on our property, which have afforded the children plenty of opportunities through the years to catch, play with, observe, and lose in the house many different varieties of creatures.  A few years ago, Rich and I woke up hearing noises under our bed; it was a turtle.  A few months ago, there was a snake lost in the house for an entire weekend.

A few days ago, I found a big bullfrog in my laundry room.  I was about to throw in a load of laundry and out of the corner of my eye, I saw it sitting silently right in front of the washing machine.  I was so surprised to see him that I admit, I did scream a little.  It promptly hopped between the wall and the washer and sat some more.

"Oh yes.  I lost that one in the house a few days ago." David admitted.  He recognized it.  "How did it get there?  I thought it was under the refrigerator."  He used the broom stick to get it out.  The poor thing was covered with hair and lint.  What an adventure, I was surprised that it was still alive after days of being in the house....bullfrogs tend to stick close to the pond, keeping damp and eating flies.  They never ever visit the house of their own free will.

The children all had a great time looking at the frog.  Then David and Caleb marched down to the pond to let him go.  He  now had quite the story to tell.

"Someone.  Please.  Show me the way out of here."  At least he's still smiling.



A little bit of early morning excitement (we got David out of bed to catch the frog).

Seth got to hold it for a minute.

On it's way home.

As I was finishing up this post, David and Caleb came inside from swimming.  Caleb had a bloody toe and was moaning and very upset.  "A bass bit him!"  David cried.  "We're never swimming in that pond again!"

I'm secretly thinking the bullfrog had something to do with it.

buy one get one free!

A happier child you'll never see... ... and to think he's smiling up at me!
-- Margie Lundy



So, when Rich and I took the kids out for ice cream last weekend, David said to me, "Mom, can you bring me here on Tuesday when the banana splits are buy one get one free?" and I said, "sure!"

On Tuesday, two days ago, I saw Dave walk by and I grabbed him and took him into the bathroom and shut the door (we needed privacy).  He looked....worried....I think he wondered if he had done something wrong.  "I need to talk to you, Dave.  Do you remember what day it is today?"  No.  He didn't remember.  "It's Tuesday."  Blank look.  The bell wasn't ringing yet.  "Don't you remember what you asked me to do on this day?"  No.  "Think.  You asked me this while we were standing in line at the ice cream place."  BIG SMILES.  OHhhhhhh, yes!  "So, let's go!  Don't tell your siblings!"

Little Seth and Sarah were napping anyway, so we told the other kids we were going down town because I needed to get a photo album (I did!  I really did!)

I was sort of sad.  As I drove along downtown, David OPENED his heart to me and talked to me about anything and everything he could think of.  Nothing earth shattering, really, just 10 year old boy stuff, but I thought to myself, "How long has it been since I've had one on one time with this boy of mine?"  I have to do it more often because I think his confidence grew in leaps and bounds just by this one trip to the ice cream place.  And anyway, even if it didn't mean a hill of beans to him, it was a bright part of my week that I can't think of without smiling with a little happy ache in my heart.

He said he would never forget this day.

He said he would never forget this day.

we got our ice creams and then crossed the railroad tracks to sit on the rock wall overlooking the canal

davy's flip flops fell off his feet as we sat and so he jumped down to get them

and, in his bare feet, he started skipping stones.  merrily he was skipping stones

 

 

 

 

thankful for:

ice cream with sprinkles
his sticky hand in mine
conversations with a 10 year old
his wisdom
his enthusiasm over little things
like skipping rocks and that
broken piece of plastic found in the stream

a delicious muffin recipe

yesterday evening's beautiful big sky

I'm outside!  I've never blogged outdoors before.  But the only way I can keep the kids out of the house is if I sit out here with them.  Grace is on a walk, David is catching turtles, Jacob is reading on the patio, and the others are playing. 

It's 81 today with such a nice breeze.  It's peaceful out here.  The trees are moving and every once in a while a bird will fly across the pond.  I saw a cardinal.

I'm sitting under a pine tree in an Adirondack chair wearing a pink "Life is Good" tshirt, rolled up jeans, and Grace's most comfy moccasins.  My damp, washed-this-morning hair is back in a clip.  I just ate lunch.

Seth tried making his own oatmeal a little bit ago but it burnt in the microwave.  He said, "I tried to make it myself but it's disgusting."  When Ethan told him "You have to add water in order to make oatmeal."  He asked, "What do you call it if you don't add water?"  LOL  (it's still called oatmeal, only it's burnt).

Where was I when all this happened?  Outside on the porch helping Sarah change out of her swimming suit.  (which she calls a:  Swimming Soup.)

Yesterday afternoon I went to Costco to pick up a photo order and Jacob was the only one who wanted to go with me.  We went to Barnes and Noble together and I found a wonderful book that fills my soul up with goodness and I've only read two chapters so far.  It's called An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace.  It's written by Tamar Adler and it's a "meditation on cooking and eating".

sitting cross legged like a kid on the floor at Barnes and Noble

When my heart is full, I cry, and there is a lot to be said for books that make my eyes tear up just by opening them and browsing the pages.  I bought it and brought it home with me. 

When we got home from the bookstore, I was suitably inspired to make a thoughtful dinner vs. leftovers and/or sandwiches (which is a fine option for lazy summer days, but my family was getting hungry for something better).  I had poached a couple of packages of chicken thighs Sunday night, so I took those out and diced them.  I used the chicken as the meat in a big pot of Spanish Rice, instead of the typical hamburger.  Rich said he liked it better that way.  All the children like Spanish Rice.  I also made a side of freshly cooked green beans from Carl's garden stand down the road, a little bowl of seasoned tomatoes (also from Carl) and sliced and vinegared cucumbers (same).

 

"But cooking is best approached from wherever you find yourself when you are hungry, and should extend long past the end of the page.  There should be serving, and also eating, and storing away what's left; there should be looking at meals' remainders with interest and imagining all the good things they will become.  I have tried to include more of that and fewer teaspoons and tablespoons and cups."  ~An Everlasting Meal, introduction

Grace set the table in fiestaware and we all ate around the table as Jacob read us random facts from his new book.

After dinner I did a quick clean up and we all went out into the woods for a family walk.  Ethan and David had found blueberries (small, wild ones) growing and they wanted to show them to me.  The boys practiced shimmying up trees and I held Sarah Joy's hand.  She is rather Piglet-like (from Winnie the Pooh) and must always have a hand on me, she cries if I start walking and we aren't connected.  After a while, longing for relief from this small but important burden, I passed her to her Papa and would you believe, it turned into a Situation.  She would not stop crying for Mama to take her back, even though I was just there, walking with the group, but not attached.  Rich wouldn't hear of it and stopped to talk to her seriously about Being Brave. The interesting thing being, she has been like this since she was a tiny baby!  I would carry her in my arms until I got tired and when I passed her to her loving Dad, she would look at me, lean toward me, and wail......she has never "won" but still hasn't settled herself to be content with poor Rich.  Only mama will do for the Ultimate Comfort.

I saved each tiny berry in the bottom of my shirt, held up like an apron.  David started giving me his, too.  We didn't have quite enough for muffins so we kept searching and found some blackberries and raspberries, too.  While we were outside I went to go check on that wild flower that Bobby Jo thinks might be a type of milkweed.  I was going to pick a leaf from the stem to see if it would "milk" but a big huge spider stopped me in my tracks and that was that.  Ethan pulled up a Queen Anne's Lace flower and ate the root from it (after washing it in the pond).  We went into the house, Rich got the little ones ready for bed and I mixed up muffins.   We ate them warm while watching TV.  Cozy.

When I stumbled out of bed this morning to make my coffee I found just half a muffin left so I promptly ate it.

we found blueberries on tiny low bushes in the woods

all the boys were climbing

 

 

 

my son Davy

 

 

a time to teach

 

 

 

Muffins

 

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup half and half cream

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 cup fresh or frozen berries

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. 

In another bowl, combine the eggs, cream, oil and extract.

Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.

Fold in the berries.

 

Fill greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400 until done (around 10-15 minutes).

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.  1 John 1:3

pictures from the weekend~

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.  2 Peter 3:18

Thank you for the comments on the "selfishness" thoughts and C.S. Lewis quote on the last post.  I don't have much time to write this morning but I've been thinking about the fact that for years, when I was in my impressionable mid-20's, I attended a legalistic church.  My family was there for about 10 years and have only been out of it for 2 years.  I KNOW FOR A FACT that some of my awkwardness in church settings in particular stems from that experience.  There was a lot of strife and judgementalism at that church, and I wonder.....if, for 10 years, I was on guard expecting to be judged for everything I did and said at a place I was a member of and frequented on a regular basis, wouldn't it make sense that at times I will still feel on edge?  So I give myself a little more grace and understanding, instead of being hard on myself.   Obviously, I still have a responsibility to let God continue to soften and humble my heart, and to teach me to put SELF behind me, and Christ before me. 

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

We go to a wonderful church now, healthy and loving.  I praise God continually.

I'm thankful for my past though because I am constantly being blown away by grace in our new place. 

A book that has helped me is Tired of Trying to Measure Up, Getting Free from the Demands, Expectations, and Intimidation of Well-Meaning People, by Jeff VanVonderen. (He has written several other helpful books on spiritual abuse and grace, too)

It's important to learn from any abusive experience, so that we don't continue practicing the abuse on our own friends and family.  When you spend a lot of time in a bad environment you can't help be influenced.  But God is good, merciful, and redemptive!



We don't have a formal Sunday evening service at our church, instead, we have Bible studies at people's homes.  Last night we had the study at our place for the first time.  The living room and kitchen were crowded.  It was wonderful; and I broke free from some of that pride by playing a hymn for singing.   I was so anxious about it "what if I make a mistake" but Rich told me "just DO IT!" and it was fine, it was beautiful (not my playing--the experience), I was able to play AND listen to all the voices singing, "My hope is built on nothing less,  than Jesus' blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name".

Pictures from the weekend:

Seth F, the children's youth group leader, invited Jacob (neckalace) and Ethan (blue shoes) for a sleepover.  The young man in the cap is another of their friends from church.  They had a great time.

Rich and I took the kids out for ice cream downtown.   The weather was hot all week and while we were eating the ice cream, it started to break with some rain and thunder.

Rich and Grace

 

Makes me laugh; after church we usually do a fast food drive thru for lunch OR, as in this case, we stop and get buns and deli meat.  Jacob had a box with two watermelons on his lap and he made all the sandwiches.  We ate on the way home.

My thrift store finds of the weekend:  a bunch of great books all for just two dollars.



 

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet like the deer's;
He makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:19

(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 and remember.   inspired by soulemama

 

 

"The knowing and unknowing

 at that moment just before we close our eyes,

and we wonder what we did all day

and if what we did was right."

from Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros

selfishness and pictures of our day

Rich made it home safe, sound, and exhausted last night at about 7:30, needless to say, he fell asleep on the couch; poor guy.  He was gone since Monday and  had to do a lot of driving around New Jersey and New York.  He's at work today and I cannot wait until he gets home for dinner, perhaps we can have a normalish family night?  No place to go, simply just spend time with each other and the children?  Seriously sounds like bliss.

It's even hotter today....but my cold is getting better.  Now it's Ethan's turn to be sick.  We left him home with David for company and I took Jacob, Grace, Caleb, Seth, and Sarah to the Thursday morning Bible study with our pastor, Gary.  We meet at the commons (park) with no bathroom and unfortunately shortly after we arrived, Sarah told me several times she had to go p**p, so I had to actually leave 10 minutes after we got there, drive away to find a bathroom, and then go back.  Ugh.  I was stressed out but it was all worth it.  Isn't it wonderful to meet with other Christians?  Brothers and sisters, FAMILY, to talk about Scripture?  The thing about this study is that we do go off on rabbit trails and it's okay.  There is no pressure to get the worksheet done at a certain pace.  I confess, it took me some time to get used to the style, but I can see how it can be beneficial, as well, as the rabbit trails force me to THINK about my beliefs and opinions and I can practice articulating them.  I've been saved since I was six and have always regularly attended church, but there is still so much to learn.  The Bible is a never ending interesting topic.

I'm convicted this morning about my heart-attitudes and selfishness.  Wow, "oh wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from this body of death"  PRAISE GOD and His Son, Jesus Christ!  Isn't it wonderful that we HAVE HOPE.  Christ CAN (and did!) deliver me/us from our worst failures, He not only saves, but he redeems.  How in the world does He do it?  It's hard to be patient with myself.  I get so short with the children, I feel sorry for myself, I think too much of myself.  I'm tired!  Instead of just resting in Him and forgetting my self.  Life IS good, and Heaven will be wonderful.

I have a problem with social interactions, I almost always come away kicking myself for 'saying this' or 'feeling that', and it's my perfectionism and pride!  *confessions*  Oh Father,  help! 

I'm resting in Him and trusting that the people who associate with me will love me in spite of all my faults.  In fact, they don't even notice them.  And if they do, they don't care, really!  Why do I fixate on them???

I read this in a C.S. Lewis devotional this morning:

"There must be a real giving up of the self.  You must throw it away 'blindly' so to speak.  Christ will indeed give you a real personality:  but you must not go to Him for the sake of that.  As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all.  The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether.  Your real, new self will not come as long as you are looking for it.  It will come when you are looking for Him....even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making.  Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original:  whereas if you simply tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.  Give up yourself and your will find your real self."

Such good stuff!  So much to mentally chew!  (meditate on)  Once again, I am eternally grateful for my salvation and that there is no condemnation for those who love Christ; only hope, glorious and free.

I have pictures to share today....I am mostly excited about the dragonflies and butterfly.  But the children had so much fun in the pond yesterday and I have some pictures of them, too.  Such happy and sweet faces.  I think I'll go swimming today after naptime!

"Male Widow Skimmer" dragonfly
As adults, dragonflies live for a few weeks or months at most.

I don't know the name of this dragonfly but I LOVE it's color and the beauty of the shimmering wings.  So delicate.

 I went to hang up the clothes yesterday and found this creature hiding in a clothespin!

This lovely little dragonfly landed on my daughter's fingers.

Grace and I sat and watched the little ones swim.  They were so cute as they climbed up the dock together.

A lot of fun can be had with an old bucket.

Ethan (in red) and Jacob (in blue) mowed the yard so nicely yesterday.  We are so thankful for our hard working sons.

Sarah Joy loves staying on the edge of the pond, "swimming".

a bird in the pines

Sherlock, our orange kitten

Grace and her big book, not a dictionary, not a Bible,  but the complete Sherlock Holmes stories.
(Yes, she named the orange kitten.)

David and Caleb were practicing their handstands in the water.

Grace and I amused ourselves by petting and scratching Parker's shedding coat for him.......

There are little fish swimming around in the cooler.....(seth and sarah were looking at them)

back in her favorite swimming spot

Grace was fully clothed but couldn't resist getting into a splashing fight with her brothers.

She taught Seth and Sarah to stand on her shoulders.  They had such fun!

This picture took a lot of patience; I stood and waited the hot sun for a long time until this butterfly opened it's wings.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I love the browns and oranges, and the beautiful pattern.  Even the tips of the antennae are lovely.

When we went to Bible study this morning, we had to leave Ethan and David home alone.  When I returned, I found this picture on my camera.  They made homemade waffles from scratch and defrosted strawberries from the freezer, to eat on top!  Don't they look delicious!  It makes my heart happy to think about the brothers cooking, and then taking a picture of their finished project.  I'm so thankful for the relationship between Ethan and David, they get along so well and tend to do a lot together.  In fact, they are currently out trying to find enough wild berries for some muffins.  The blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries are ripe!

"Look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."  C.S. Lewis


PS.  One of my favorite books for myself and the children to look through in "nature study" is The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs.  It was written by a brother and sister.  I love that!