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Needing inspiration for a blog post idea, and I happened upon my friend Melanie’s blog and considered myself tagged.
1. I am attempting a half-square-triangle quilt, after finding instructions at Make It Do. I love this blog. My hst quilt won’t be nearly as pretty as hers, but I am enjoying the process all the same, and it’s using up my basket of scraps. Each square is 1×1 inch, and working with such tiny blocks is a challenge. I take it on a piece-by-piece level: sewing a little here and there, when I get the chance. It may mean I only get to sew two seams all day, but it works.
2. I made a quilt for a silent auction recently. Our wonderful, dear friends Dawn and Eli are adopting children from Uganda. This quilt was sold at an auction to raise money to help them. We are so excited for them and can’t wait to meet the new parts of their family!
3. I love summer. Love it. But I am glad fall is coming. This has been a hot, dry summer. Just sayin’.
(Annie B. is wearing the dress her Aunt Judi got for her. Thanks Aunt Judi!)
4. We are going on a vacation to the beach in about a week or so. I think our entire family is ready for a change of scenery: some ocean breezes, sand between our toes, waves at our ankles, and a general lazy change of pace. We are vacationing with several other families who are all great friends (just like last year) and we are so excited to go.
5. I am a fan of Pinterest, and it is delightful to have a place to categorize pretty things that I see.
6. Recently I came to the realization that it would really serve my family to have our household on some kind of cleaning/upkeep schedule. Then I found information on keeping a Home Notebook, and I have since bought a new binder and some page protectors, and made a cleaning list. That is as far as I have gotten, but my vision is ever onward and upward and we will conquer the disarray!
7. I am re-reading Wuthering Heights, and it is good. I also just finished North and South, and it was very good.
8. (I can’t fit it all in!) Homeschooling is going very well this year. We are into week 5 of our fall schedule, and all the big kids are doing just great. (The tiny baby is doing great, too.) We are using Singapore Math, Rod and Staff, First Language Lessons, and Writing with Ease (from The Well-Trained Mind). With a third grader, a second grader, and a little guy in kindergarten, it is just a lot of work. I fall into bed at night earlier than I’d like to admit, and the days are full. But, as my husband is so kind to remind me, we are working at planting trees. I wouldn’t trade this all for anything. (note about the link: he talks for a minute, and it is worth listening to.)
These trees will spread their branches out and bless someone.
Of all the leaves in autumn, I think the reds are my favorite. Aren’t you so glad tree leaves weren’t all created to just turn brown and die?
Add a little boy in overalls and a red shirt, and there’s fall.
This is a lot of what I’ve been looking at the past several weeks: pillows, blankets, Gatorade, and occasionally the children and Scott. The first several weeks of pregnancy have always been very, very difficult with each pregnancy (the sickness is so overwhelming) and we are in the thick of it. Absolutely.
It is easy to get overwhelmed during this time, for many reasons: it’s hard to be so sick, the children know things aren’t normal around here, Scott does everything (everything), and it’s a reminder of past miscarriages.
Here is what I am grateful for these days.
:: Scott. He works the hardest in our family for sure.
:: meals from wonderful church friends
:: those same friends who have taken the children into their homes and cared for them (because I cannot)
:: the same friends (and family!) again who have prayed for us and are still praying for us during this time
:: the Birthing Center and the midwives who call to check up on us
:: movies
:: the opportunity to go on vacation next week to the beach. for some change of scenery
:: cooler weather (it’s been a good summer, but long). we are happy to see August over and done with.
Ten years ago today, I waltzed down the aisle and he slipped a ring on my finger. I didn’t know then how happy we’d be as man and wife ten years later, and how much I would change being married to this wonderful man.
I love you, Scott. Your children and wife adore you. You have made the past ten years the happiest in the world for me. Here’s to fifty more together.
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
-Robert Browning
Nine years ago today, in a little church that sat on top of a hill, we made our promises and so began a life together. With our shiny new wedding rings, fresh college degrees, and a little apartment waiting for us, we moved south and started to learn about what it meant to be husband and wife.
I had no idea he would be more wonderful than I deserved or imagined, nor was I fully aware of how God would use every kind of circumstance in our life to bring us closer to each other. And I can’t help but know that we’ve only just begun.
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
Fantastic weather seems to have descended upon us! Spring is such a refreshing time of year. Everyone and everything comes out of hibernation: we see the neighbors again, trees turn green, gardens get planted, the summer clothes are unearthed from the closet, and the windows are thrown open. We sure have been enjoying the outside weather here…some days we do our school on the back porch, most dinners are hot off the grill, and evening walks are peaceful and warm. SO nice!
Thanks to everyone who’s been asking how we’re doing. Each day that passes is a gift, time goes on and, in a way, things seem to fade a little bit. Most days are still pretty difficult, for several different reasons, but we are grateful for God’s kindnesses and his gifts.
Here’s my sweet Charlotte. She is reading like a pro now, picking up books out of the reading basket and plowing right through them. She is also doing very well at riding her bicycle, and Mommy is excited about that because now Charlotte and Ivy can ride bikes our walking route, and only Asher rides in a stroller. (The walking opportunities are unlimited!)
She is excited to go to the beach next week, to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grampa and Gramma. After that she’ll go see more aunts, uncles, and an Oma and Opa.
While the children are staying at grandparents, Scott will whisk me away to Portland (Oregon, not Maine. Brrr.) for a few days. We have never been to that part of the country, and hope to eat some great food, take some great naps, and see some pretty things while we are there.
Last Saturday we spent the morning as a family, eating breakfast at Krispy Kreme and hitting some yard sales on the way home. Just had to post a picture; the hats are killin’ me!
Ivy’s piano lessons are coming along quite well. She really enjoys it, and her piano teacher is wonderful: limitless patience and wisdom for teaching children. Ivy and Mommy have been practicing some duets. We asked Daddy to take a movie of us playing one of our favorites, so here ya go.
(Our memory verse from the last 2 weeks.)
Thank you all so very much for your condolences and your care for us. Of course the heartache and grief are huge right now for our family, but at the same time we are so grateful for the care that God has planned for our family. We have been overwhelmed with all of the beautiful flowers that were sent, the cards of support, phone calls of encouragement to “weep with those who weep”, the offers to help with our children, and all of the many things you have done that would make the list too long for a blog post. Many of you have just stepped in to care for our family in practical ways, both big and small, that we never even thought to ask for. Thank you so much.
A very good friend loaned me a book after our last miscarriage in October, and I have spent hours poring over it and reflecting on the words shared by the author. I have of course been re-reading this book, along with some scripture verses that were particularly helpful (Psalm 138:6-8, Psalm 139, and Habakkuk 3:17-19, to name a few).
One quote from this book has been with me constantly over the last few months, and I wanted to share it here…
…I have often asked why. Many things have happened which I didn’t plan on and which human rationality could not explain. In the darkness of my perplexity and sorrow I have heard Him say quietly, Trust Me. … He knows exactly what He is doing. I am clay. Let me remember that when I question God’s dealings. I don’t understand Him, but then I’m not asked to understand, only to trust. Bitterness dissolves when I remember the kind of love with which He has loved me – He gave Himself for me. He gave Himself for me. He gave Himself for me. Whatever He is doing now, therefore, is not cause for bitterness. It has to be designed for good, because He loved me and gave Himself for me.
- Elisabeth Elliot, Keep A Quiet Heart
This post is for Scott. (Hi honey!) I am so thankful for him, and for all the ways that he serves our family. Even though he does this all the time, it really stands out during the times I struggle with morning sickness during a pregnancy. Clearly, the more children we have, the more work there is to do, and Scott always drops many personal interests during this time to help me and the children.
So, I was thinking about some of the things that he does to practically serve us, and I wanted to write them down.
:: clean up the kitchen after meals when I am unable to
:: train and spend time with the children
:: vacuum the floor
:: prepare dinner on countless evenings
:: pack your own lunch for work
:: take out the garbage
:: bathe the children in the evenings
:: work late at night, when everyone else is sleeping, so our evenings can be spent as a family
:: take the children to the park so I have some time alone at home
:: stop and pick up take-out for dinner on the way home from work
:: grocery shop for the week
:: work from home so I can take a nap
:: get the chidren up and feed them breakfast so I can sleep in
:: take a little person (or more than one!) with you when you run out on an errand
:: run to the grocery store when I crave something specific
:: take time on Saturdays, one of the only days you have to yourself, to play with the children and spend time with us
Of course, there are a million other things he does, but these are the things I could think of for a quick list.
I love you, Scott! You are a blessing to me…thank you for sacrificing for us.
We have recently discovered this song. I love the music, too…there is some banjo in there, and we love the sound of that around here. You can listen to an excerpt here, Track 4. You can also learn more about the music here.
The words are so excellent, and I just saw that the writer dedicated the song to his wife.
Whatever my God ordains is right
He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path
I know He will not leave me
I take content, what He has sent
His hand can turn my griefs away
And patiently I wait his day…
Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, or need, or death be mine
Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care circles me there…
And so to Him I leave it all
-”Whatever My God Ordains is Right” from In A Little While.
This morning, I also found this little video. I have a feeling it’ll be a frequently-requested one once the girls get a glimpse of it. Might have to get the cd for the kids before too long…sounds like we might like these people.
This was my phrase of choice for the past week or so. That, and “Danke!” I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to visit my very good friend Melissa, in Germany, and it was fabulous to see her! What a treat to sit and just talk and laugh and talk some more. (Oh, and eat amazing European chocolate…ahem.)
Here are some pictures I brought back. Rene and Melissa live in Southern Germany, near the border of France. Beautiful. For some reason, the most pictures I took were during a day trip to visit a castle near the Austrian border. I’ll share just a couple.
These are pictures of the Alps. The real deal! Ridiculously beautiful, and the best part was they were all right there. No restricted access, no national parks prohibited to the public. We could have climbed an Alp, had we the energy.
Here is the castle we visited. Schloss Neuschwanstein (and every bit as difficult to pronounce!). Amazing.
Okay. That’s it for the scenic photos. Here’s one more, with people.
Another update tomorrow, with pictures (and a movie! Of Asher dancing!) of the children. Stay tuned.
