spring comes

Spring has crept into our lives this year, halting, uncertain, stunted.

And yet I find my breath taken away by the signs of growth and green and lush that I see with each new day.

It has continued to be cold-- far colder than usual springs-- and I've thought at moments that surely nothing can come to life, nothing new can be born, in such conditions.

And yet spring has come. The buds are there on my forsythia, late for certain but tenacious and bright nonetheless.

The chicks that arrived two and half weeks ago, little balls of delightful, chirping softness, are growing and pecking and making their presence more and more known.

Daniel is busy at work today trying to get their permanent home built. He has been slowed at every turn by rain and just the plain old busyness of life, but he is doing his best and today is promising. In a strange turn of providence, it's too cold to move our tiny chickens out of doors yet anyway, so at least we haven't had a problem there.

With spring comes outdoor clean up, which my own growing brood is able to help with more and more each year. The amount of sand that crept off the road and into our yard this year was excessive, if I do say so. I'm glad for the help of these wonderful kids and I love seeing them learning to work hard. It's good for us to use our hands and energy.

Baby Oliver has gotten to take naps out in the warm spring sun on a few days here and there. He loves his stroller and will sit for an hour while I work in the gardens, preparing the soil and making room for the shoots that are bravely making their arrival.

And an unexpected gift this spring is the presence of a bird's nest in our very own playhouse. As if that wasn't enough, just today Bronwyn sang through the house the announcement of tiny blue eggs, so beautiful and fragile and wonderful.

So, yes, spring is slow, but she comes-- even when it seems she may never be able to come at all. We welcome the rain, seeing it turn the grass greener right before our very eyes. We endure the chill, reminding ourselves and one another that summer will come.

And we enjoy these days, these spring days. We spread the table with a bright tablecloth, arrange yellow tulips where we can enjoy them the most, fire up the grill even if we have to wear spring jackets just to stand outside for a few short minutes while the hot dogs cook, and we let the sun stream in through windows and onto our shoulders and faces, determined to soak up all that we possibly can.

morning thoughts

It is early morning and it is quiet.

This is an unusual thing in my home since for the past 10+ years the youngest child in the family (whoever that may be at the time) typically likes to wake in the wee morning hours each and every day. Normally, the first minutes of I'm awake are spent tending to the morning care of a baby or toddler, and I try to squeeze in my cup of coffee and quiet time when he/she is pleasantly occupied with a fist or a toy.

I've had my first hour to myself today. Daniel slipped out of the home at his normal Thursday morning time of 5:30. I woke shortly thereafter at the time I would normally hear a little voice in the other room clamoring for my attention.

A quick glance in the barely-opened bedroom door told me my little man is still sound asleep. He must be tuckered out from a later-than-usual bedtime last night due to Jackson's baseball game in Waddington.

After enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee and some peaceful moments in the Word, I'm at the desk in the sitting room.

Just outside my window is the baby apple tree we planted two springs ago. It has yet to bud or bloom, but it is growing, bit by bit, year by year. It needs to be pruned, but I need to do some research before I feel confident doing so. In years past, I would have had my grandma stroll out to take a look at it with me and tell me what to do; these days, she is getting out and about less often.

To the left of the apple tree is our vegetable garden. It isn't a big one. After getting our hands wet in the vegetable gardening department several years ago with a very small plot, we two years ago slightly expanded and settled on a 20'x14' bed. It's just enough to supplement the share of vegetables we get each week through a local CSA (community shared agriculture). For the second season in a row, we planted mostly tomatoes with the intent of harvesting and canning them at the end of the summer, along with a handful of veggies that we just can't get enough of: broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, yellow summer squash, zucchini summer squash, and green beans, and of course some basil and parsley that I just have to have. Around the border are wild raspberry bushes that just keep reproducing and that we keep getting to spread out and enjoy the fruits of.

This has been a rainy few weeks. Last week was downright chilly and gray. I might have been annoyed, except that I was too sick with a virus and hurt back to care-- and yesterday as I caught up the weeding in the vegetable garden on the one side of our house and the flower garden on the other, I couldn't mind too much. They are looking beautiful after all this rain. I couldn't help but remember last summer and how I eventually abandoned watering my flower garden in favor of watering the vegetable garden because I simply couldn't keep up. Yesterday I was amazed at how the plants (and weeds!) were flourishing!

Yes, too much rain can be a problem. But rain is a blessing. It waters the earth and makes it bring forth its fruit.

As I continued to weed and hoe and make room here and there in my gardens, I was reminded of Isaiah 55:

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

What a promise. His Word will not return void, but shall accomplish what He pleases. That is a promise I can cling to.

Regrouping

Do you ever have that sensation that life is the dog and you are its tail?

Yeah.

Among many things I want to be doing that I haven't had time for of late is writing in this little space. I've got to say, I miss the pause that blogging seems to help me find. Whether anyone reads or not matters little to me; whether what's written is near and dear to my heart or just a mentioning of the details that make up my days is irrelevant; what means the most to me is simply the taking a little time to process.

I suppose for some people a lack of writing means an abundance of living. In my case, a lack of writing probably just means that my life is a bit out of control.

This school year has taken me for quite a ride. Don't get me wrong: I love each and every day of homeschooling my children. It's just that this year I have to say I'm not always feeling entirely on top of it!

And of course there are some moments I'd rather erase ("What number is this, Aubrey? You don't know? Try counting up to it, okay? Huh. You've got nothing? Well, it's seventeen. Okay? Okay. Now tell me, what number is this? You forgot? Already? That's okay, honey. It's seventeen. Got it? So tell me, what number is this? You forgot? Again? OHMYWORDIMGOINGTOLOSEMYMIND!").

But 99.9% of the time there is nothing I'd rather be doing and nowhere I'd rather be. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

I love my kids.
I like my kids.
They are my favorite people to spend time with.
Having a front row seat to all that they're learning and experiencing is worth every sacrifice and all the effort.

I'm having to readjust some priorities and figure out some new strategies. What worked last year isn't necessarily working this year. And, yes, I've been a bit slow in figuring out what does work.

It sure does all make me so thankful that the Holy Spirit is a present help. There are many days I've had to completely scrap everything I had planned to do what is needed. What a tough lesson for the slightly OCD, everything-must-fit-in-a-box, planner I naturally tend to be! And how good it is for me to get a grip and be flexible.

Prayerfully, I'm coming back to a more centered rhythm. Not because everything fits in a box now or because it's so controlled, but because I'm learning that what's needed really is what's worthwhile.

And in the meantime, to make up for months of no writing (apart from an occasional birthday shout-out to one of my precious kids-- no matter how busy things get I can't let those go because it's the closest thing they'll ever have to a baby book!), here's our fall in some pictures:

clockwise from L:
Bronwyn preparing a report on 1912 fashion on the Titanic; the 4 school kids bright and early on the first day of Friday School; Aubrey proudly holding her rendering of the Titanic while dressed as a first class passenger on our display night; building a model of the Titanic with Daddy; Claire, Gabriel, Aubrey, Bronwyn, and Jack on a field trip in the foothills of the Adirondacks

Elliot, Elliot, Elliot!
This boy makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he makes me want to pull out my hair, he delights me continually. He's seven months old, has three teeth (and a fourth on the way), is the most proficient "army crawler" I've had yet, moves from sitting to "crawling" and back freely, loves to "wrestle" and growl, nurses exclusively, is in love with his daddy, and has quite an aggressive personality.

We love food around here.
Cooking with new-to-us foods thanks to a Community Shared Agriculture program has been great fun.
Preserving food is something we all got in on this year in a greater way than previous years, and the fruits of our labor are very tangible ones: a cupboard filled to the brim with jars of strawberry jam, tomato juice, and applesauce, a chest freezer filled with locally grown meat and raspberries from our own bushes, and 100lbs of potatoes that I purchased from a nearby Amish woman cured and stored in the basement for the winter ahead.
On a daily basis, the kids love to help me cook dinner and will watch cooking shows with great delight. The beauty of a fresh lemon takes our breath away and we get downright giddy about cake!

   

I love making home.
I'm so thankful to have grown up in a home where we didn't just save the pretty napkins for company, where a simple meal of oatmeal was deemed worthy of candlelight and good conversation, where our bedrooms were well organized and our clothing thoughtfully purchased, where I was taught how to clean a bathroom and dust mop in the farthest corner. It's a privilege and an honor to now get to invest all of that into others.
Not to mention, Daniel and I do both love a good project, and we have found over the years that some of our best conversations and funniest shared moments are over a can of paint and while covered with saw dust!
Hopefully, the external efforts are only outward signs of a deeper investment we're making in our children and community through our home. That's what I pray every single day, anyway.

 

 

Rain, Recovery, and Repainting

It's raining.

Which may not seem like a big deal, except that it's been an exceptionally dry summer and rain has been scarce these past months. The grass, normally a vibrant green and soft to the touch here in the northernmost parts of New York, is brown and crunchy. My perennial flower garden is sad: withered leaves, stunted height, sparse and short-lived blooms. My vegetable garden's success is largely due to the sprinkler that has been set up nearby and used almost daily since mid-June.

Today I am reminded in the most tangible of ways that whether my portion be sunny skies or dreary rain, for ultimate growth and prosperity, we need both.

I need both.

**********

It's been almost 3 weeks now since our family first came down with hand, foot, mouth disease. This virus, of course, couldn't just hit everyone all at once and be over with. Oh no, we prefer to take it one at a time in order to maximize its length. I assumed that Daniel and I would make it through unscathed since this is typically an illness associated with children; however, when I became its last victim, Daniel was officially the lone survivor.

(I have no doubt that my exhaustion from caring for my little patients for over a week at that point played a huge part in me getting sick. That and the fact that Elliot was drooling and crying all over me for 3 days while he suffered from the fever, sore throat, and then rash.)

The good news is that we are now immune to this virus. As much as I don't love having my kids get sick, if it's an illness that is fairly common, I'd rather just get it over with!

**********

Since I was stuck at home due to being a walking germ-factory, taking on a house project seemed like the thing to do. Although I am not an extrovert and I need little (like... very little) human interaction in any given week, after a good stretch of being isolated, missing church repeatedly, and not going anywhere, even I start to feel lonely and stir-crazy. Getting a good project rolling helps ease the pain of solitude a bit.

Giving the kitchen a facelift in preparation for a new school year was just the ticket.

I spent many hours with paintbrush in hand. Many. There are 6 windows, 3 doors, lots of old beams, kitchen cabinets, and a vaulted ceiling in this space. While the baby napped, I painted. When the children went to bed at night, I painted. I snuck in an hour here and an hour there. And then another and another and still another.

Daniel dealt with the tricky parts of the mini makeover whenever he was home: painting the ceiling, making new light fixtures out of mason jars, rebuilding the base of the new-to-me cabinet, and more.

It's done now and we are already loving the changes. It's bright. It's simple. It's much more functional than the dining room for morning puzzles or afternoon art due to its not being in the very middle of the house. I've a feeling it will be the perfect space for our upcoming school year.

 

November begins

Well, it's November now. Hard to believe we're closing in on the end of the year. This one is going fast, if I do say so.

It's a beautiful day. After school and indoor chores, we raked out the gardens and cleaned up the front porch, which has more or less been a constant mess since June thanks to being a "drop zone" for construction work upstairs. Now that the last of the insulation and sheetrock has been brought into the house, we could finally reclaim that space. You know, just in time for the porch to get buried in snow drifts.

The best part of the outdoor work was not needing a jacket or even a sweater. Unbelievable!

Equally unbelievable is the fact that we've not had even a flurry in the sky yet. It's been all sun and cloudless skies. I don't think too many of us around here are complaining.

I am feeling good today, which is the first day in about a week and a half that I've been able to say that. Just as my horrible, no-good cold started clearing up, I managed to get myself one seriously pinched nerve in my neck. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I can't remember the last time I actually cried real tears because of pain, but I was crying on Monday! Thank goodness for ice packs, tylenol (the one thing I can actually take while pregnant!), and chiropractors.

In an effort to make the most of 1+ week of feeling under-the-weather, I tried to make some headway with plans for the house that Daniel has been needing from me. This included finalizing the upstairs bathroom floor plan so that he knows where to run electrical boxes in there (he's done with the bedrooms, closets, and attics-- I was officially holding him up). That sort of thing is pretty daunting for me, so I tend to do a lot of research (thus the slowness). 

Thankfully, putting together ideas and plans for our on-going renovations (target end date of August 2012, so we're in this one for the long-haul!) has become infinitely easier with pinterest.

Of course, as I put together all these ideas, I start thinking outside the box. Daniel is a really good sport about letting me spring my latest brainstorm on him. I think he's learned that the good brainstorms stick while the not-so-good ones don't, so he just lets me talk in the meantime. I love him for listening!

I've also started working on holiday plans while being laid up. I haven't purchased many gifts yet because some of the sisters, Mom, and I are planning a shopping trip for next week, but my lists and ideas are being compiled. As usual, the only part of preparations that makes me roll my eyes with exhaustion before I've even begun is Christmas photos. I like to try to get something taken because we are so bad about taking pictures of all 7 of us throughout the rest of the year, but trying to get everybody looking decent and feeling generally happy at the same time is no easy task. I think we may do black and white photos this time around because then it doesn't matter what we all wear!

So yes, November is already in full swing, and it's a lovely one at that. I sure hope that we can figure out a way to make the most of each day left in 2011. It will be gone before we know it.

 

Progress

If you're friends with me on facebook, you know that this weekend we finally-- 5 weeks later!-- returned the kids' to their bedrooms (they'd been "camping out" in the sitting room all that time). The upstairs expansion necessitated them staying away from the second floor of our home altogether and then even once the new space was all closed up and safe again about 2-1/2 weeks ago, we decided that instead of just deep cleaning the kids' bedrooms (that were by then quite dusty from all the work), we would take advantage of the opportunity to rip up carpets, patch sheetrock, paint ceilings and walls and trim-- and even floors, in some instances!-- and reorganize/rearrange the rooms.

The boys' room: 

The girls' room:

 

It feels good to have the work in those two rooms done and know that we are, indeed, making progress (albeit slow at times). For a few days there I had the brief fear that we were making matters much, much worse.

In the meantime, despite some days of sore neglect thanks to my serious preoccupation with painting the bedrooms, the vegetable garden continues to amaze me. My menu planning of late simply consists of figuring out which vegetables & herbs really need be consumed and going from there. These are the days that are a trial for my meat & poultry loving oldest son, but the days of real satisfaction for this girl who could practically live on veggies and rice/pasta because I love it so much.

And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, can I just say it again? It's amazing what can grow from a small seed!

Even during the house chaos upstairs, I did my best to continue taking ground downstairs. I reorganized bookshelves and cabinets and did some rearranging of some large pieces of furniture (that job required Daniel's help, although I put forth a valiant effort before finally determining that even if I could move the huge wardrobe by myself, I probably shouldn't since I would most likely scratch the floor in the process). I cleared out space for new school materials that were ordered and then subsequently arrived.

I am now officially amped for the start of a new school year.

Before we can start school, though, we are headed out of town for a youth conference that Daniel is leading worship and speaking at. I'm excited, if momentarily distraught about leaving 4 of my children behind for 6 days. I don't think I've ever left any of them for that long and it's a strange sensation to be giving them instructions on where all their belongings are located in their suitcases so they can fend for themselves.

(I write, "fend for the themselves," but the truth is that they'll all be well taken care of. Two are going to my parents' and two are going to a very good friend's. I really am not a smidgen worried about them. Let's be honest: it's me I worry about!)

On a final note, lest you think it's all upward and onward progress around the little yellow house and no reality, I leave you with these photos that I took the other day for fun:

Sometimes (a lot of times, actually), I leave the non-perishable groceries on the counter for hours or, yup, even overnight.
Some habits die hard. 

This pile had a home on our dining room table (with occasional and temporary relocations to my bed) for WEEKS.
(Have I ever mentioned how much I hate putting laundry away?) 

I like to blame Daniel for leaving clothes lying around, but these are ALL mine.
(Again... some habits die hard.) 

This picture doesn't actually show how disgusting my refrigerator is right now so you'll just have to take my word for it: the shelves are icky.
(If I were to pay anyone to do any job for me, it might just be cleaning my refrigerator. Blech.) 

 

The end.

 

Topsy Turvy

There are many things that contribute to a topsy turvy feeling these days (the house project is actually quite low on the list), but I choose not to yield to the feeling. I know the truth, and that is that I serve a loving and pursuing God.

In the meantime, I find ways to bring order around me. This includes getting back to a better routine of getting into prayer the minute my eyes open and before I fully enter into the day. I love those first moments with Jesus when my soul is reminded (first thing!) that this day is a gift and that I belong to Him.

Also, I organize. Yesterday I overhauled the kitchen. Every drawer and cabinet was emptied, the contents washed and rearranged (even including cabinet shelf placements!). Ah... A deep-cleaned kitchen = a happy homemaker!

 

I wanted to organize the laundry room/mudroom yesterday, but held off because I had spent the morning immersed in the kitchen and I did feel like I needed to prioritize being nice to my children (!) during the afternoon. I admit: the goal-/task-oriented part of me often needs to make just being the objective or that can get lost in the shuffle.

This morning, though, I promised myself the opportunity to dive in. I had a deadline: be done in time for a 10:30am hair appointment. I succeeded, despite the challenges of organizing this space (it's a small room that serves many functions and holds a significant amount of stuff that needs to be easily accessible at all times).

It would probably be nice to have cute labels, but for now, masking tape does the trick of telling everyone where to put "on-the-go electronics," "winter hats, scarves & gloves," "gardening supplies," "summer hats & sunglasses," and "baseball gloves & balls."

Besides starting my day with the Lord and organizing, looking at good things helps refresh my soul, too.

I love this picture that Gabriel contributed to our art string. I'd like to have him, with the help of an artist friend, do an enlarged, more polished version to hang above the mantel in my sitting room.

I continue to love my homemade chalkboard with its ever-changing Scripture, hymn, or poem.

I look at the garden almost everyday. You never know what might be blooming tomorrow that isn't blooming today! Right now, it's my astilbe, beebalm, hollyhock, and daisy. I try not to pick favorites, but I sure am loving the vibrant color of the astilbe (far left) this year.

May

I kind of hung on for dear life throughout the month of April. It's just a busy month-- always, no way around it-- and it was even truer this year than in previous years. Funny thing is, I think I had really convinced myself (in the recesses of my mind, anyway) that something magical would happen as of May 1 and we would suddenly be able to breathe again.

Ha.

That said, despite May's promise of busyness, it is a new month, and that can't help but bring with it a sense of a new beginning.

Which I love.

In light of new beginnings, I am::

:: looking at curriculum for the fall and getting excited about the next school year. This actually does inspire me to finish strong, so it's all good.

:: freshly purging the house of all extras. There are lots of nice things we own that we don't use that much. It is much better to pass them on to someone whose life will be benefited by having them than to keep them stuffed in a closet or drawer where they're rarely seen or used.

:: dreaming about what plants I might add to the perennial garden this year and how I will re-edge the garden to continue its progression toward the desired size/shape that I had in mind 4 years ago when I first started it. I only have so much time and money each year, so we take baby steps-- and sometimes I think that makes it that much more fun and exciting.

:: making summer reading lists for the kids and collecting the materials. I love the fact that I have two very independent readers now, and I look forward to keeping them somewhat busy with books.

:: beginning new habits and re-establishing some that have fallen by the wayside. I love taking advantage of any and every opportunity to start again.

:: getting excited about some simple re-decorating plans for the church nursery that will hopefully give it a fresh facelift and make it even more of a blessing to the children and families.

Happy May to all of us!

Our garden saga

This is year #2 of vegetable gardening for us and we are still learning a lot. There are days I really find joy in the process, and there are others that vex the perfectionist in me. I have to remind myself that nothing is failure, so long as we come away with knowledge and experience.

Right?

Having learned the hard way last year that some things just can't be started from seeds-- even indoors (except for in a greenhouse)-- this far north due to such a short and cool growing season, we bought tomato and pepper plants and only grew our herbs, lettuce, and squash/zucchini plants from seeds. We looked to be on a much better track with everything, even with all the cool and rainy weather, so you can imagine our disappointment upon realizing that our tomato plants (particularly the cherry tomato plants) had been struck by blight. Already, we've pulled out one plant altogether and yanked numerous leaves off others. The fruit hasn't yet been effected, but I can tell that it's only a matter of time. Until then, I am ripping off every leaf that starts to go bad and harvesting each tomato practically the minute it turns red.

I'm trying to look on the bright side: now we know. I will probably always be on the lookout for blight after this and will hopefully be able to catch it early enough to treat it in the future.

The other thing I've learned the hard way is that I should have bought way more lettuce seeds than I did. I had no idea how easy it is to grow lettuce, nor how incredibly tasty fresh baby lettuce leaves are! Next year, I will stock up in the spring so that we can keep replanting.

And I will buy a salad spinner, because that would totally make washing and drying all that loose leaf lettuce a hundred times easier.

In the meantime, we are suffering from the basil-blues that it seems many gardeners are experiencing this year. My aunt thinks it's all the rain. All I know is that I miss harvesting huge basil plants and having the smell permeate my entire kitchen. The few measly leaves we get each week are hardly satisfying.

But we are enjoying some early-harvested peppers that I really ought to let stay on the vine and ripen to a nice red but don't because I'm just too impatient, and I have absolutely loved having fresh cilantro around for all my mexican cravings. And, not surprisingly, our zucchini and summer squash plants are gigantic and producing well for the second year in a row. Now I know why everybody has so much squash to give away each summer; I think it's probably nearly impossible to not have those things thrive!

All in all, it's been a good summer even though we are busily making notes for next year. Part of me wonders just how many years it will take before we move beyond Novice to Experienced, but it is a process and-- overall-- a very fun one.

Around here...

... we are trying to wrap up our summer. The Grand Finale of the season will be our upcoming week in Long Island with my entire family (Yay! [edit: almost] all of us under 1 roof for 6 whole days!), but when we return home in 8 days, it will officially be time to get back to our "school schedule." Daniel is working hard to have everything lined up for what is always a very busy first few weeks of classes and I am trying to get our house organized enough to begin our own first week of classes on the 10th. I'm not a big fan of starting school super early like this, but with the baby due in mid-October, I'd like to have enough of a jump on the school year that I can take a long break mid-semester if need be.

... this pregnancy is progressing perfectly normally and that's really nice. Last week I had the standard 28-week bloodwork done (and got poor hemoglobin results, but that's normal for me), took the blood glucose test (passed with flying colors), and received my rhogam shot.

... vegetable gardening is keeping us mystified. The cilantro that we were initially very worried about is doing extremely well, while the basil that we planted the exact same way we did last year (with great results) is struggling and our parsley (supposedly fairly easy to grow) is nonexistent. I'm not sure if it's the massive amounts of rain and lack of sun that's being problematic or if we got a bum batch of seeds, but it is what it is. At least our tomatoes are looking good, the summer squash and zucchini plants are huge, we are already getting decent-sized green peppers, and our lettuce continues to produce.

... Daniel is burning the candle on both ends so that I can get as much rest as possible. For example, last night he waited up until close to midnight for Gabriel and Bronwyn to return home from watching Nana perform in The King & I so I could go to bed, and then he was the one to get up at the crack of dawn with Aubrey so I could sleep for another hour. I'm trying to just enjoy it for the next week or so rather than dreading the return of Daniel's increased workload and consequent inability to lend a hand quite so much.

... I need to get back to laundry and then tackle the dining room linen/school/art supply cabinet.

Home again

Last night we arrived home from our 6-day trip to Pittsburgh. The drive was... rough... but the days spent there were well worth the many hours spent in the van listening to Aubrey whine.

We packed a lot into our visit: the zoo, an extended family Father's Day lunch, a day at Idlewild, guitar browsing, the first ever stop at Ikea Pittsburgh, two church services, playtime with cousins, Panera Bread, game playing, dinner with friends, and more. It was all really, really wonderful. And the weather, believe it or not, was idyllic.

Today has been spent catching up: laundry, grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, cleaning dusty bathrooms, getting good naps, etc. Tomorrow I hope to get out to the gardens, which exploded while we were gone! The perennial bed is coming alive with the buds and blooms of the bee balm, shasta daisy, delphinium, yarrow, batchelor's button, and astilbe. Our lettuce and spinach plants are suddenly in full production mode, which meant that I didn't have to buy any lettuce at the grocery store this morning and I did get to make a salad with greens that came straight from the garden only minutes before dinner. I picked up some tomato cages while I was out since we've only staked up the cherry tomatoes and desperately need to do something for the Big Boys.

The kids are glad to return to their toys but sad to be over 500 miles away from Grandma and the other friends and family we were able to spend time with. Fortunately, an hour or two spent splashing in the Ockrin kiddie pool this morning (while I shopped) seemed to help alleviate some of the sadness!

We forgot our camera (boo, me), but already a friend sent some that she took during our amazing day at Idlewild:

Garden update

In spite of this miserably cold spring, our gardens are growing. Daniel-- going out on a limb-- planted our tomato (cherry and big boy), pepper (bell), and squash (summer and zucchini) plants over the weekend. The herbs still seem rather too tiny and delicate to handle these barely-above-frost nighttime temperatures, so we'll wait a bit longer to get them in the garden.

Daniel also harvested our first baby spinach leaves last night, which he was pretty psyched about.

The batchelor's button is blooming and is not disappointing me with its vibrancy. I love it. Our other perennials are doing well, though everything seems to be on a slower track this year thanks to the chilly weather.

I have about $20 left in my gardening budget after buying veggie seeds and plants, a handful of perennials, potting soil, and mulch. I'm trying to figure out if there's some way to do something with the front porch border for the summer. It's so shady there and gets so much moisture (whenever it rains, the water runs right off the road and down to the porch) that I'm not sure what to plant. I'd prefer a long-term solution vs. annuals since I can't guarantee much of a gardening budget from year to year. Any ideas are more than welcome.

More on gardening

First of all, I thought I should expound on yesterday's declaration that our perennial bed is "doing so well!" Because, really, if you look right now, the plants are still small and there is still more mulch than green, which is not the way I like gardens. That disclaimer aside, I cannot begin to describe to you the happiness that seeing these plants-- which were far smaller when we planted them last July-- growing and thriving brings me! This perennial-gardening is a process, but one I am thoroughly enjoying.

The bad thing about this gardening work is that I really find myself doing my other chores very begrudgingly. You know, the indoor ones. Not to mention, there are moments when Aubrey is sitting in the yard crying while I tell her to "Just hang on, Baby!" until I've finished puttering about.

And here's another thing: when we spend lots of time outside in the gardens, the kids get really dirty. Which means an extra-dirty mudroom and bathroom from the clean-up afterward. So, really, my desire to be outside all day long is not only making it harder for me to do the things inside that I need to do, but it's actually creating more indoor work in the long-run. What's a girl to do???

Spring

Everywhere I turn it seems spring has fully announced its arrival. We northerners welcome it like a long lost friend, and find its embrace is warmer and sweeter than we'd even remembered:

The flowers handed out at church have found a home in this pot; even the marigold, which I personally find rather... ugly. My boys brought me these flowers, searching me out in the nursery to do so, and that makes them beautiful enough.



More days than not, the clothesline is filled with the colorful billowing of shirts and sheets and tablecloths and diapers. I love it.



Our perennial bed, begun last year (thanks, Mom, for all the free transplants!), is doing so well! Today Daniel and I weeded really well and then mulched, and now it looks amazing. I have more mulch leftover, so we're thinking we'll turn more sod and expand it further along the fence (which has been the plan all along) now that we know we can actually keep flowers alive.



Gabriel is playing T-ball for the first time this year and absolutely loving it.
At this age, most of the players are busier picking flowers or-- worse-- their noses than catching balls, but he's still learning a lot and have a blast.



This morning while Daniel started work in the yard, I finally motivated myself enough to replace Easter decor with Memorial Day decor. The red, white, and blue is yet another sign that spring is really and truly here!



Our lettuce and spinach went straight into the ground last week, but the squash, zucchini, parsley, basil, and cilantro, which are just barely breaking the surface (you can't really see anything, it's all so small still!) need some more time indoors where the temperature is controlled. In 2-3 weeks we'll buy some tomato and pepper plants and get everything in the vegetable bed.

Around our yellow house::

:: We had our annual Senior Work Day yesterday. In exchange for a meal (or 4 or 5, if the project goes on and on the way last year's fence project did!), these graduating students generously give us a day (or 2, in last year's case!) of their time and energy. It is a blessing beyond anything I can communicate.

:: Jackson asked me, "Mom, do you think my pickles are cute?"

"Your pickles???"

"Yes, my pickles," as he points to the sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks that showed up this past week.

Oh. my.

Does it get any cuter than this?

:: We have replaced Easter artwork on our dining room art display string with spring artwork, but this housekeeper has yet to get the Easter decor put away. Some things just aren't more important than getting to bed early, you know?

:: Gabriel and I are working on Mother's Day gifts for his Nana and Grandma. I can't give more specifics since they both read this blog, but I just have to mention that he is an incredibly fun and creative gift-giving partner. I love that it really is a mutual sharing of ideas with him.

:: I hope to get our lettuce and herbs planted today or tomorrow. In a couple weeks it will be warm enough to get the tomato, pepper, and squash/zucchini plants in the ground. I am so excited for year two of vegetable gardening.

(Gabriel refers to the plants as our Summer Guests. I love it.)

:: Aubrey's vocabulary is growing daily. Recent additions are More, Crack (for crackers, that is), Cook (for cookies), Sing (this is her cue for a bedtime lullaby), and 'Side (outside). She's also eating a lot more these days, though she's still a pretty picky eater and, as usual, Daniel's food always looks better than hers.

:: I am feeling very unmotivated in the spring cleaning department. I keep reading/hearing about other people's endeavors and thinking I should be so inspired, but I am struggling. Is it okay to skip it this year?

random

I came down with a pretty bad headcold Tuesday night, but I'm thankful that at least I haven't had bad pregnancy-sickness the past two days on top of it (maybe 12 weeks will be the magic number this pregnancy for feeling totally good!?). So far the rest of the family seems healthy, and I'm thankful for that.

Yesterday at one point after the kids went down for quiet time/naps, the house was totally quiet except for the dishwasher and washing machine. All I could think was how thankful I am for these modern appliances that allowed me to put my feet up and close my eyes for a bit without really skipping too much of a beat around the house. What an awesome blessing I too often take for granted!

It rained all day yesterday and now, after having had a burn ban, the grass is green and spring looks to really be springing! Even our tulips, which are some of the last to pop up because of the highly-shaded area they're planted in (this also makes for a longer blooming season, so I try not be too impatient), are poking through the ground, much to my delight. The first spring we had tulips was two years ago when I was on bedrest; I think seeing tulips will always bring me back to those days of sitting and wondering and praying.

Daniel is headed out of town for the weekend. I am looking for ways to fill our days. Anyone want to come over? Or be invaded by 5 people for a morning or afternoon?

Looking ahead

I'm getting the itch for spring.

I've never really had what I would consider a real, live, big-time itch for spring before now.

I can't wait to start my vegetable garden, especially this year since I'm refraining this winter from buying shipped-thousands-of-miles produce and instead have been skipping right to the frozen fruit and veggies aisle. I know in my head that it's the smarter and, honestly, tastier choice, but-- oh my!-- do I want to bite into something fresh! Strawberry smoothies are no longer cutting it. And I would give my left arm for a fresh bowl of greens with oil and vinegar.

This year, I'm splurging on rain boots for everyone. (Well, everyone except Daniel. I have a laid-back husband who generally humors me, but he draws the line at things like wearing brightly-colored rubber boots.) I can't wait to get outdoors with the kids and soak up some spring sunshine. This year my entire brood is in the walking/running stage and they'll all be able to play independently. I've learned that I can't count on this sort of gardening freedom every year (um, last year comes to mind), and I have every intention of soaking it up.

In the meantime, I'm trying to simply be grateful that at least it's warm enough today to send the kids out in the snow to play.

So far this week...

... I've picked out and purchased all the paint for the new kitchen/family room. Fun and yet oh so stressful! In 3-4 weeks I'll get to see if I love, hate, or am just-okay-with my color choices.

... we added to our household! Laura is her name and she is in her mid-twenties. She has blonde hair and laughs a lot and is already a comfortable part of our home. (It helps that she spent a week here at the end of August when she was considering moving up more permanently.) We don't know how long she'll be here (probably at least the rest of the semester, after that, who knows???), but I'll take whatever we get. She's a blast.

... Aubrey slept two nights in a row only waking once to nurse. It was amazing. Unfortunately, last night she was back to her former ways of waking 5-6x between the hours of 10pm and 7am. Ugh. I mean, I'm not asking for 1x/night wake-ups or anything-- 2-3x/night sounds just about perfect-- but I wouldn't mind a little more shut-eye either. I'm just saying.

... the kids have spent lots of time outdoors. They are "exploring" in the trees on the edges of our yard. I think it's incredibly cute that they are so small and this world is still so big and amazing to them. I hope they never outgrow being enamored by all there is to see and experience in God's creation.

... we've eaten tomatoes, green peppers, and summer squash from our garden. Such days are numbered, unfortunately, so I am trying to enjoy every little bit as much as I possibly can.

... the leaves have really started to turn and I must say that it's beautiful enough to make up for the descending cold and the impending loss of our fresh vegetables. I love autumn in the north country. Truth be told, I'm not sure I would love autumn as much as I do if I hadn't grown up here. There's just something about this place in the fall. It takes your breath away.

... I've been encouraged and renewed in the Lord's goodness. Last week was a sad and heavy week for me for a number of reasons. In the midst of sadness, He reminds me that while it's true that this place, this earth, isn't my real home, His joy is still my strength. I'm thankful.

Lately::

:: Aubrey has made more serious attempts at crawling. The sand at the beach yesterday proved to be quite the incentive to move away from the middle of the beach blanket she had been placed on.

:: I've been wrestling through how to go about the open biopsy Bronwyn is scheduled for first thing Tuesday morning. I still haven't been able to get through to our family doctor to hear her thoughts on why general anesthesia is worth the risks, so the plans to go through with the procedure are still very tentative.

:: my summer phlox are finally (!) blooming a bit, but they're very small and pathetic. My original plan for the front Tulip Bed was to plant astilbe around the tulips for summer blooms, but then I thought annuals (which these phlox are in our zone) each year-- that I start from seeds to save $$-- would do the trick. Not so much. I think I'll go back to my original plan.

:: speaking of flowers, I've now got some things in my Fence Bed, after having the sod turned-- and then re-turned-- for over a month! Forsythia in the far corner to anchor the garden, bee balm, cone flower, black-eyed susans, hollyhock, iris, and batchelor's button to start with. Mom also gave me a peony plant that I want to plant near the retaining wall and then add more to.

:: we spent the afternoon at the beach yesterday. Fun! I love seeing my kids splash around and enjoy the water for hours. Not to mention, even peanut butter and jelly tastes better when you eat it outdoors.

:: I've been line-drying most of my laundry and am really happy with the results. It's saving us money, plus the laundry smells so good!

:: one of the things we did while we were away over the weekend was visit a church in the Deep Creek, MD area. It was a smaller congregation and I think our presence blessed them. I love visiting churches when I'm away and seeing firsthand that there are people all over who love Jesus. True, they didn't look exactly like me, they didn't worship quite like the way I'm accustomed to, their family demographics weren't like mine, and they talked/sang with a southern drawl, but there was a kinship in Christ that far supersedes the differences. Amazing!

Progress

Hopefully the rest of our fence posts will be in the ground by the end of the day. We had 7 left to go; so far today 3 more are in and a couple more holes are in the process of being dug. 4' underground is a lot and requires moving lots of big rocks. I'm glad I get to take care of the children instead of digging!

I've been turning sod (by hand), a little bit most every day, except over the weekend when I took a break. The 128' plot for the vegetables and herbs is 2/3 done. I've also turned a section for my intended flowerbed on the opposite side of the house. It's tedious work, but I enjoy it in a strange, beat-my-body sort of way.

My sod-turning has been slow-going because I don't feel comfortable leaving the kids inside on their own for more than 30 minutes or so at a time, and it's been a little too windy/chilly to bring Aubrey out of doors. Truth be told, though, I am amazed that I can even leave them for that long. Have I ever mentioned how conscientious my biggest boy is? Well, he is. Sure, I return indoors to a bit of a tornado of toys, but I don't ever worry that something will go wrong without him running out to fetch me. I'm so blessed by him.

I should be done turning sod tomorrow. Then I get to plant, which is exciting.

Yesterday Daniel cut down all the tulips, weeded that bed, and planted our summer phlox. They looked great when we first initially started them indoors, but I'm more than a little worried about them now. They're really tiny. Oh well. If they die, I'll just have to figure something else out for the front of the house.

My wild lilies that I transplanted to beneath my bedroom windows 2 summers ago are getting very full. I'm pleasantly surprised, since even weeds weren't growing in that patch of ground. Hopefully they will continue filling that area in so that it's not just bare dirt.

Our yard has come a long way. We haven't done a whole lot to take care of the weed-to-grass ratio, but just like some gardening books said, as we simply take care of the yard, the grass is slowly but surely taking over. Regular mowing is all that's been needed in that regard. Hmm. I think there might be a spiritual lesson there.