Wayside Sacraments

Simple Joys

2012-01-18T19:30:00.022-06:00

* Finally finding the right Piece of Furniture for our new crazy huge (and absolutely FREE thanks to Mike's work) television. I am especially pleased with the drawers and doors which are perfect for storing components, remotes and what not.

* Sara is finally on the mend from a bad case of strep. She spent all day yesterday with tears sliding down her face while we waited for the meds to do something. She couldn't even swallow her own saliva part of the time. But today she woke up smiling, ravenous AND able to eat, she has showered, spent the day resting and is now receiving visitors.

Ryan's Mazda RX-8 Shinka

* My oldest son bought a new car! It is a relief because he eeeked out every last bit of vroom out of his old car. He has never had a/c, which is quite the trial during Texas summers, and the old car was becoming increasingly unreliable.

* Spotting a new-to-me bird on the trail. I discovered that the teeny little red crowned bird was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. (Whatbird.com is very cool!)

* Several date nights with my husband! I guess it is because he has been off so much from work with the holidays and vacation. Our children keep leaving us alone together, too, so that is part of it. We even went a movie.

Favorite pen!

* Writing with my latest greatest favorite pen. Anna likes it, too, and so when my pens go missing I know exactly where to look for them. I especially like that this one has a skinny tip great for underlining in books and my Bible. I'm an avid believer in annotating.

* Books coming in the mail! We got this book for Mike's birthday and this one came from PBS.

* More rain! And praying for more still.

* Trying new, yummy recipes. I made my first ever chicken fried steak (a light version) and my first ever beef stew. Both turned out really good!

One of my simple joys is my collection of small plastic rulers. I have 6 or 7 of them, all different. I enjoy using them as I read to follow along words and to underline things that mean something to me.

* I made a goal that I am pleased with: to fill that little blue-green journal with words. After reading A Circle of Quiet I decided to stop being so willy nilly with my journalling. I am trying to write at least 5 days a week. Ever since my mom read my journal in middle school I have been partially paralyzed and slightly paranoid. You see, she did not like what she read and what followed was not pleasant. So, I decided it was very much time to get past that.

* Scout campouts! My kid? He is the one eating. He is pretty much always eating. Trey would tell you he is thankful not to be a patrol leader any more. He says, "It is like being a parent."

Over 90 kids on retreat!

* Trey and Anna went on their very first retreat and they reported that it was a very encouraging time. They had serious study of God's Word and made many new friends. I'm a thankful mama.

* Grapefruit (usually 2 at a time I am THAT into them), Triscuits with Babybel light cheese, and afternoon coffee.

* Two of my favorite blogs for light, healthy eating and Weight Watcher friendly recipes are Skinnytaste and Nutmeg Notebook.

* And I quote I liked from A Circle of Quiet....

"I will also grow into maturity, where the experience which can be acquired only through chronology will teach me how to be more aware, open, unafraid to be vulnerable, involved, committed, to accept disagreement without feeling threatened (repeat and underline this one), to understand that I cannot take myself seriously until I stop taking myself seriously--to be, in fact, a true adult." ~Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

A Mid-January Day

2012-01-12T13:35:00.004-06:00

Anna on her 15th birthday riding an ornery horse named Pro.

I just had to share this cute picture of Anna with you. It may not look like it, but it is a battle of the will with those two.


Today's sammy: Italian wrap, cheese wedge smear, spinach, cucumber and turkey. Not as good as bacon and avocado, but still very tasty. The grapefruit is my latest addiction. Yum!

I've shared that I have lost 35 pounds and several of you have asked how I've done it so I wanted to be sure to mention it here. The answer is the wonderful program of Weight Watchers.

Now that I am getting close to my goal weight I will be focusing on maintaining it. This will likely prove to be much more difficult than losing it. Sigh.

Dinner!

And LOOK who showed up right after I wrote my last post!?! I was pretty sure it was my beloved heron so I grabbed a loaf of bread and headed down to the pond's edge to see. As I fed the ducks, sure enough, he began walking toward me and began looking for fish.

He even walked around me because the geese were visiting and I guess he doesn't enjoy fishing near them. Who could blame him? I was so happy to see him (her?) so I am hoping that the other vicious, mean, gigantic heron doesn't come back.

It is time for me to go get ready for my writing class which starts tomorrow. Our home school co-op had a wonderfully long holiday break (9 weeks!), but now it is time to get serious so here I go. But first, I think a up of coffee is in order.

Nature Notes

2012-01-06T12:05:00.047-06:00

Feathers found on a walk.

Any ideas what sort of bird these feathers are from? Do they look like belly feathers with their short length and thick down?

I discovered these beneath a tree where it would seem a Very Bad Thing happened to Some Bird. There were LOTS of feathers as if there was a serious tussle. The black dots on the tips are perfectly round and so very black.

So beautiful....

Remember this heron?

And speaking of birds, remember this heron?

I didn't know it until it was too late but I loved this heron. It was tame-ish. Whenever I would go to the pond to feed the ducks this heron would stalk over to to me very closely and stare into the water. Like 2-3 feet away from me. CLOSE. Very close.

At first I thought it wanted bread which means this heron was not quite all there because they do not eat bread.

But then it turned out the heron is very smart.

Not only do ducks like chunks of bread but so do CATFISH. You can see their greedy whiskered mouths wide open right below the surface of the water grabbing whatever the ducks can't eat quick enough.

In a flash this heron would grab a catfish out of the water right there in front of my very eyes just a couple of feet away and it would fly to the side of the pond and do some rather graphic and bloody things to the poor fish before swallowing it whole!

I started feeding the ducks just to see the heron catch fish. It was pretty cool having it happen right there in front of me like that.

And then one day I looked out the window and saw two herons swoop onto the bank of the pond and do some sort of Physical Contact I couldn't quite make out.

This is where I tell you there is a lot of "physical contact" going outside of my windows. The ducks do not wait for spring and sometimes there are even teenaged people out there "carrying on."

My first thought was that these herons where mating. They are LARGE birds. It was a SIGHT to behold. Lots of wings, long necks, scrawny legs....

But then one flew off, the smaller one pictured above. The one I love. The one that brought me such joy catching his fish, stabbing the bejeebers out of them with that sharp beak and then causing me to have indigestion and esophageal pain while watching him swallow it whole. At least the fish wasn't wiggling on its way down.

And left behind was a much larger heron with a really long, fat neck who is not tame at all and does no good heron trick right before our very eyes except for WOWing us with how BIG he is.

So I think I saw a territorial fight. Mr. Big Heron, who looks a little different from the one pictured with his more pronounced eye mask, is now Boss of the pond. He doesn't even live here full time like the other heron did and he does not engage us at all like our other heron.

So that is my sad heron news. And I learned something that I am sure will be true in ways I can't even fathom in the future (deep sigh): Don't take the nature at the pond for granted. It might not always be there.

And as crazy as this sounds, when I am out walking and pass other nearby ponds (there are many) who have herons stalking about I always take a close look to see if it is My Heron that I miss so much.

A Favorite Thing

2012-01-06T12:00:00.002-06:00

Soap from Laughing Duck Farm

With my birthday shower head in place I have revived a hobby I enjoyed back when I was a teenager. Showering!

We are in a drought and I have been told on our neighborhood facebook group (a source of endless entertainment and irritation) that when any water I use drains off it becomes the property of another bigger close-by city and we have BUY it back. It is an insane world we live in. How can I gather up my dirty water and give it back to my own city???? And why do I have to think of these problems?

All that to say I now feel guilty about my hobby.

We need rain.

But anyways, I digress.

Any shower, guilty or otherwise, needs good smelling chunky soap!

Melodie at Laughing Duck Farm opened an Etsy shop selling her wonderful homemade soaps I had to place an order which got here super quick despite the holiday hub bub.

Isn't her soap beautiful? I love it! Thank you, Melodie!

Feathering My Nest

2012-01-02T10:59:00.014-06:00

This idea for an organized coat closet has been brewing in the back of mind for a while, but it was going to call for a trip to IKEA. My inner hermit must do much to mentally prepare to face such a trip into the abyss of All Things Particle Board and Assembly Required.

Thanks to IKEA's Fintorp rails and some J.C. Penney drapery rings we picked up our gloves, hats and scarves can all be stored in one handy place. I just like saying Fintorp.

I also packed away all the Christmas decorations and we got everything back up in the attic without falling or over straining. This is quite the accomplishment because the attic is way up high. I knew you would want to see this duck ornament that I bought to commemorate our first Christmas in our "Duck House."

Look how cute he is! The duck collection grows.

Anna, my newly turned 15 year old, has been busy, too. She finished knitting a sweater for our not-so-thrilled Little Doggie. The wearing of the sweater was preceded by a bath which added insult to injury. You can tell by his expression that he is miffed with us. He won't even look at me.

"Come on, Little Doggie. Turn that frown upside down."

And then I did something very fun. I ordered three books from Amazon and discovered one of my book wishes had been granted on Paperback Swap.

(If you haven't checked out Paperback Swap you really should. My favorite feature is that I can "wish" for books and once a member enters it into the system they will email me and give me the chance to order it if I still want it. You don't pay for these books, you simply send your gently used books to members thus earning points to order books you want from other members.)

I am excited about reading these. I don't make those depressing New Year's Resolutions but I think my choice of books gives you some idea of what I am thinking and hoping for the New Year.

* How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

This is my granted wish book from PBS. I don't remember where I read about it but I would like to hone my Bible study skills and this book looks like a good help in doing that.

* Praying the Attributes of God: A Guide to Personal Worship Through Prayer by Rosemary Jensen

I saw this book recommended in a flyer from BSF I knew I wanted it because I would like to focus on improving and deepening my prayer life.

* Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination by Eugene H. Peterson

I saw this book reviewed by Cindy yesterday and it struck a chord with me. I've read John's Revelation several times in the past few months and I need help making sense of it all. As an Eschatophobe (another word I really like) the eschatological bent of this book appealed to me.

* Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ by Elise Fitzpatrick

I've wanted this book for sometime mainly because I am a broken person and I tend to attract broken people into my life. (Are there any other kind?)

I was so worn out from all my hard work and so very hungry that I had to fix bacon, avocado, chipotle cheese sandwiches filled with thinly sliced onions, red peppers and tomatoes. Yum, yum.

I wish you all a very happy and blessed New Year and really good food all year long!

2011 in Books

2011-12-30T22:59:00.001-06:00

For 2011 I did not take any challenges. I just wanted to read as I felt like it so I was a little surprised when I counted that I read 29 books. I was pleased to see that 11 of those were non-fiction, memoirs or biographies, all of which I would highly recommend. My favorite is the book I just finished, The Holiness of God.

Without further ado here is my list of books read in 2011...

Non-Fiction

Memoirs and Biographies

Fiction

Bible Reading

I read a lot of my Bible this year and I plan on continuing reading with a modified version of this Bible reading program. This way suits me very well because it is very forgiving. I made one change in this plan. Instead of 10 chapters a day I only read 5 because the way I am wired I benefit from a slower reading where I am able to linger over the words and my thoughts a little longer. This really helps me in the way I think and study.

Reading Goals for 2012

The only goals I am setting for this next year are to continue increasing my quality non-fiction reading and to write more about what I am reading, at the least to post my favorite quotes.

What I have learned from about twenty-years of serious reading is this: It is sentences that change my life, not books. What changes my life is some new glimpse of truth, some powerful challenge, some resolution to a long-standing dilemma, and these usually come concentrated in a sentence or two. I do not remember 99% of what I read, but if the 1% of each book or article I do remember is a life-changing insight, then I don’t begrudge the 99%. ~John Piper

On the 13th Day....

2011-12-26T14:50:00.000-06:00

Another duck from my growing collection.

Sitting…in my comfy threadbare green chair in the living room looking out the window at people feeding the ducks and thinking about this post.

Listening…to the doggie crunching his dog food, the saw whir as Mike makes shelves for the garage, and hearing the occasional quacking duck outside our window.

Eating and Drinking...coffee for breakfast and then a late lunch of turkey and dressing leftovers.

Wearing...really soft purple leopard print pj pants, purple tank top, lime green robe, and zebra striped slippers.

Weather...it is 45° here in North Texas, overcast and gray, with showers in the forecast.

Anticipating…a lazy day with intermittent house straightening and a trail walk if it doesn't rain.

Reading…The Holiness of God and A Circle of Quiet. I'm loving both books! (I've set aside A Separate Peace over the holiday break.)

Thinking…about Anna's 15th birthday on Thursday, Trey leaving for Winter Camp tomorrow, and how I need to use this week to plan the rest of our school year. I have a few other responsibilities that I should be thinking about.....bleh.

Remembering...my daddy and how much he loved Christmas time. Also, yesterday's "Upstairs Christmas" hosted by my children. It was a sweet time with their very own decorated Christmas tree and gifts all around.

Thankful...for Christmas memories - old and new, for a quick, safe and fun trip South to see my family, for a good Reunion of Sorts we hosted for Mike's family, and for the nap I'm fixin' to take.

Simple Joys

2011-12-20T17:30:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

* Christmas joys.....brightly lit Christmas trees, singing Christmas carols, festive and joyful decorations, cards and letters, the Christmas story...Jesus, God who became man and lived among us, the One who came to give us Peace with God.

(My enthusiastic and encouraging friend of several decades, Ann, asked if I made our stockings and yes, many years ago I somehow found the time and fortitude to cross stitch all 6 of our stockings. My mom sewed them together for me and so I cross stitched one of her very own, too.)

Squirt is a big .... girl? No curly tail feathers leads me to believe he might actually be a she. Note her pretty white speckles on her neck.

* Ducks quacking at my fence wanting to be fed with Squirt leading the flock.

* My new handmade-by-my-husband headboard. I got an idea, my sweetie executed the idea, and it turned out fabulous! (Picture coming soon.....maybe.)

* Cleaning out my closet because all my clothes are way too big! (I'm at 35 pounds lost now.)

Two coyotes staring us down as I rolled my window down to take pictures. Sure glad I was in the car! They seemed to find us almost as interesting as we found them to be.

* Random nature sightings around the 'burbs.

* Mike and I felt led to host a reunion of sorts for family who rarely sees each other and it went really well!! I can't believe we forgot to take pictures, but hopefully we are starting a new tradition.

The drive to church is one of my favorite things. It is fun and funny business. (One of the above children is a friend...just in case you are wondering where we picked up a 5th child.)

* A fajita date with my husband. It was preceded by a funeral, but sometimes sobering things like that make for the best conversations afterwards.

* Christmas sadness...yes, even sadness can be a joy. Broken relationships, difficult people, memories of loved ones no longer with us, limitations of finances, physical ability, and time. All these things seem to lurk in the back of my mind especially during this season. But instead of it being depressing to me, it has made me realize all the more what Jesus has done for me. He has given me Hope, Joy, Love and Peace, but even more than those things, He has given me HIMSELF. And that makes all the difference.

A child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home:
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost—how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky's dome.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

~G.K. Chesterton

He will not race, he will not romp, He saves his strength for gobble and chomp.

2011-12-15T00:49:00.001-06:00

His name is not Roger, but the description fits him.

Roger the Dog

Asleep he wheezes at his ease.

He only wakes to scratch his fleas.

He hogs the fire, he bakes his head

As if it were a loaf of bread.

He’s just a sack of snoring dog.

You can lug him like a log.

You can roll him with your foot,

He’ll stay snoring where he’s put.

I take him out for exercise,

He rolls in cowclap up to his eyes.

He will not race, he will not romp,

He saves his strength for gobble and chomp.

He’ll work as hard as you could wish

Emptying his dinner dish,

Then flops flat, and digs down deep,

Like a miner, into sleep.

--Ted Hughes

This was today's poetry reading in our homeschool and it especially tickled my 15 year old son who is usually not a very big fan of our poetry book. I had to share it with you because, well, because it describes our Little Doggie so well. He went missing this morning and after a thorough search of the house the kids found him in the exact spot pictured above.

His where about were no mystery to me. I knew exactly where to find his lazy, good for nothing self, but it is more fun for them to discover it themselves.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A few posts ago Robin asked me in the comments if I had read any good fiction lately. The ones that come to mind are The Help (which I really read last year but read again this year for book club) and before that To Kill a Mockingbird. Of course, I loved Alexander McCall Smith's books I read earlier this year and miss reading those. Most of the other fiction I've read is from this school year (Sonlight 200) and I have mostly enjoyed them.

I recently read Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Elizabeth Goudge's Green Dolphin Street. Both were enjoyable enough. I started reading A Separate Peace yesterday because my kids are reading it for school.

All that to say nothing really stands out as a Must Read and that is assuming you have read The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird. They are both Must Reads in my book.

Do you have any good suggestions? What is the best fiction book you have read lately?

(I'm currently reading a few nonfiction books: The Holiness of God, A Circle of Quiet and I really enjoyed Crazy Love.)

Christmas Cheer, Christmas Peace

2011-12-08T10:41:00.002-06:00


Early morning photo of our tree. And even though this tree did not come from the woods I love this little poem...

I love her to tears, at sight, from the first,

As she comes from the woods,

In storm and snow.
So awkward her branches,
the shyest of firs! We fashion her threads unhurriedly, slow.

~Boris Pastrnak

Can you spot my Christmas duck in the picture above? Yes, it has come to that. I am collecting ducks. It has to be the right sort of duck and Agnes is very much the right sort of duck. I love her truly.

(Don't worry about me. She came with a name. I am not naming my duck collection. Well, not yet anyways.)

Baby, it's cold out there.

Mike and I have been walking at night. This has required piling on hats, gloves, ski coats and scarves before going out into the winter weather. We run to the end of the block to warm up. We are Texans. Winter is not something we do well. We dream of wintering in Costa Rica.

Even though it is cold I like our wintery night time walks because they are peaceful and quiet. I can hear the clickety clack sound of the train that rolls through our town going down the tracks. The best part are the Christmas lights. Colored twinkle lights edging roofs or white lights lining walkways lure me down a path I didn't originally intend to take. Don't you love the way lit Christmas trees beckon from their place in the front windows? The quiet and the lights communicate such joy and expectation to me in an otherwise very dark night.

After our walk I prepared a late night cup of coffee and pulled out a Cranberry Bliss bar that I have squirreled away in the freezer. I carefully cut it in half, added a sliced apple, and sat down for a little evening snack. Costa Rica may have to wait.

And while I sipped and nibbled I looked over my Bible reading for the morning.

The reading is from Hebrews and the topic is Jesus as our perfect and eternal High Priest. He sits at the right hand of God the father. In heaven. A place more perfect and beautiful than my imagination can picture. And not only that, but Jesus is continually praying for us to the Father, whispering our deepest needs that we may not even know how to articulate to God, and he does it not with condemnation, not with disappointment, but with deep abiding love for us that is beyond comprehension.

Then it is time to sleep. Peacefully. Securely. Trustingly.

Let Christmas not become a thing
Merely of merchant's trafficking,
Of tinsel, bell, and holly wreath
And surface pleasure, but beneath
The childish glamour, let us find
Nourishment for heart and mind.
Let us follow kinder ways
Through our teeming human maze,
And help the age of peace to come.

~Madeline Morse

Catching Up

2011-12-05T09:43:00.002-06:00

I am very happy to report that is a very wet morning here in our little corner of Texas. The wonderful rain has been coming down all weekend long and everything is fabulously water logged! There is even a visible difference in the water level of the pond outside of my windows.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did you?

We went through the woods.....

And over bridges....

There is a 3.2 mile trail in our neighborhood that we walked every day of our Thanksgiving break. These turtles are a just a few of the many residents.

My sister and her family visited but I forgot to take a picture. She probably would prefer I had! Haha. Their hair is not really that messy. It is just the best I could do with sticks.

This guy showed up for a late night snack because there was no shortage of Things to Eat.

After the festivities were over we got to work. Mike hung two of my grandmother's chandeliers while I snapped photos. This light went up in our dining room.

And while I was pulling out all the Christmas decorations the boys cleaned this weird little nook over our front door. It is very high up. I don't quite understand its purpose and I am baffled that it is so difficult to get to, but I do appreciate the light that comes through those windows. And I am really happy that the boys cleaned the grime off the windows and vacuumed up all the insect carcasses.

And then we put up the tree, decorated the mantle, ate all of our left overs and took our Christmas picture.

10 Thinks

2011-11-16T22:38:00.000-06:00

These guys live down the street from me. Their frisking around caught my eye one day. Oh, they look sedate but don't believe it for a minute. The one on the right is ornery.

10 Thinks? It was a typo but I decided I like it better than 10 Things because it is really more accurate.

#1 - Driving down the road the other day I saw a very confused tree blooming white flowers as if it were spring instead of autumn. Temperatures have been in the 80's which feels really wrong in mid November. A cold front came through today and I was out and about in shorts and flip flops. Brrrr.

#2 - I've been bike riding, both outside on actual rolling wheels and also on a stationary. It is much easier these days and has helped me quickly drop a few more pounds. I love the way I am feeling and the difference in my muscle tone.

#3 - Our first born celebrated his 22nd birthday a week or so ago. I made Spaghetti Carbonara and a Chocolate Toffee Trifle. He is half way to his daddy's age which we all find to be a disturbing thought. Where did the time go?

#4 - Mike built some cubby holes in our closet so I could easily store purses and bags and still have shelf space. I got them all painted and had fun organizing them, PLUS I've been weeding out clothes that are too big which is nice. Now I need to go shopping.

#5 - I have been shopping. I've bought a few clothes but have mostly been looking at lamps and furniture. I have figured out how to shop on Facebook. Isn't that genius!??! So I bought a gently used Pier One dining table and chairs from an older lady wanting to downsize and an almost new Basset couch with a love seat from a young guy that turned out to know some friends of ours. And at bargain prices.

#6 I am really enjoying studying my Bible. The Bible reading system I have been using this year is brilliant and I am so thankful I found it. I find I am not ready to stop reading when I am done. BSF is great, too.

#7 - Mike and I have finally discovered the woodsy trails close to our house and have been enjoying walking and riding through the leaf strewn paths and over the wood bridges. I have a friend who likes to come walk with me, too. There are so many ponds here I can't even count them all.

#8 - I've been reading some good books. I recently finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which I enjoyed, and now I am reading Green Dolphin Street and Crazy Love. I like to be challenged and that is exactly what Crazy Love does. Have you read it?

#9 - My mother in law gave me two really large ficus trees and one is dropping leaves like crazy. There are more leaves on the ground INSIDE my house than OUTSIDE my house. I hope it doesn't die because it is beautiful, not to mention pricey to replace. Anyone have any advice about these trees?

#10 - This is my new coffee maker. I had my first delicious cup today which I found to be even tastier than what my French press makes. Yum!

So that is just a few things on my mind these days. I am tired a lot, especially in the evening. I am not sure why but this time change seems to have really done a number on me.

What is on your mind?

Simple Joys

2011-10-31T09:30:00.055-05:00

* The view through my kitchen windows and from my little outdoor sitting space brings me great joy. Can you spot the heron?

* Pears! Oh, they are yummy. I had my first red pears ever. Mmmmmm.

* My front flower bed is free of almost all the little white rocks that the last owners piled on deep. My fingers have cramps from digging all 2 billion of them out, but it looks so much better and now I can plant things.

* A new knock-out rose bush and rosemary planted in the cleaned out flower bed. These are two of the plants I miss most from our old house.

* Night lights reflected off the pond water. Growing up my parents and grandparents had homes on a lake next door to each other. Seeing lights on the pond reminds me of those long ago good times.

* Cranberry salsa

* An organized attic! It seems I was avoiding this chore for no good reason. It was easy and took less than an hour.

* Anna's beautiful smile after getting her braces off.

Spooky!

* Candle lit carved pumpkins. Anna and her friend had a good time creating a couple of jack-o-lanterns.

* Riding my stationary bike and finding that it is much easier to do than it used to be.

* A new haircut. I always feel so much better after getting one.

* Chunky, wonderfully scented lathery soap for use under my new non-water saving shower head. If it is wrong I don't want to be right.

* Lunch date with my husband at a favorite hamburger joint (we split The Spicy Goat and had sweet potato chips with chipotle ketchup...delish!).

* Several walks in the perfect weekend weather we had. Mike and enjoyed discovering some wooded trails in our neighborhood. (Wish I had taken my camera.) I am glad to report that we did not get lost, which I have managed to do before.

* Finding some really, really good deals on a couch and loveseat for our empty game room and a Pier One table and chairs for the dining room. {Happy Dance}

* Mike added a new shelf in our closet with cubby holes to help me organize my purses and bags. I need to paint it (maybe today). I am exciting about getting my things in them all nice and tidy.

* We just wrapped a newcomers class with a reception at our new church. I can't believe that it only took a couple of weeks to find a church our whole family enjoys. I am so thankful for God's blessing us this way. I was prepared for a search that would be much more arduous than it was.

*Making pumpkin donuts with the family. (Some of them helped, some just watched and ate.)

* This is the last week of our homeschool co-op (I teach writing to 5th graders) and we get NINE weeks off for the holidays. Trey and Anna have 3 extra Biology classes, but oh what a lovely long break. I am so looking forward to it.

What simple joys are you enjoying today?

Turtle Trouble

2011-10-23T20:49:00.004-05:00

This is only one the many turtles that live in our pond. And this is what would have turned our dear Squirt into a tasty treat.

Photo by Trey.

Not going to win any beauty contests is she?

These are very shy turtles, not nearly as bold as the red eared sliders that are out there, but we have lured them out of the water by feeding them bread to get a better look at them! Some of these are a foot long from head of their shell to tail end. And that is no exaggeration. There are a few that I think are even bigger than that.

A neighbor has seen one of these snap the head right off of a duckling and I have a friend who says they pull them under water to eat them. Don't they look like something left over from the days of the dinosaurs? And apparently they act like it, too.

And here is a small gathering of them waiting for more bread.

Another photo by Trey.

Cranberries, Pumpkins, and Fire Alarms

2011-10-20T12:14:00.012-05:00

What a night. A battery in one of our fire alarms started going out and the dang thing beeped all night.

It is a piercing, knife in the brain sort of beep. After all, it is designed to wake you from the deepest of sleeps.

But apparently my sweet husband, who sleeps like a baby, is immune to its sound. That is not exactly comforting. He had already gotten up once to deal with it and I couldn't bring myself to wake him again. He has had a stressful week and has to get up super early.

It was so bad the dog decided to sleep with Ryan which is the first time in history for him to ever do this willingly. I struggled with feeling a bit offended but then I decided that what typically seems like a not very smart dog had the right idea. I should have followed his lead and gone upstairs to sleep, too.

This morning I feel weak and fragile and have taken a migraine pill. I would have confessed to anything or told you all my secrets to make that noise stop. Thankfully it is off now and Mike thinks he can have the whole thing remedied tonight. I was so glad this happened while he was home. What if he had been out of town? Yikes.

So, in other news, it is finally fall here in Texas and I have decided it is a rotten time to be trying to lose weight. I've been stuck on this same 5 pounds for way too long. Food. I just like to eat it. And the cool weather and all the delicious fall foods doesn't really help. But I am not giving up. I am just going to complain. Great technique, eh?

I made my favorite gingerbread pumpkin cake for the kids and have only had a nibble which I consider a huge feat because this is so yummy and one of my All Time Favorites. I left off the icing because it is moist enough without it, I didn't want the kids feeling guilty eating it for breakfast (right), and because it is way less tempting for me that way (which is the real reason).

There is cream cheese hidden under that salsa!

And guess what?!? Cranberry season has begun! I spotted cranberries at my local Kroger last week! This delicious cranberry salsa has been on my mind ever since. When a friend gave me home grown jalapenos I took it as a clear sign. This is now marinating in the fridge and waiting to be taken to a Mom's Night Out tonight. I plan on it being my dinner and I might even share it with the other ladies. We'll see.

Maybe there is a diet plan that incorporates a fire alarm. That might actually do the trick.

Deep Resources of Home

2011-10-17T10:38:00.001-05:00

We have been in our new home for a little over 3 months now and we are slowly getting settled in. I am taking the long view of making our new house feel like a home, because there is so much living going on that time for decorating is very limited! I am sure you know what I mean. The slow work of making things just right will eventually get done. My aim is to be thoughtful and intentional in making our home reflect our personalities and I am willing to give it time.

The first rooms I tackled were our kitchen and bedroom. That probably says it all about my priorities! But the room that holds my favorite things would have to be our office/library where all my books reside. This is the first room you see when you walk through our front door.

Here is how it looked for the first month after we moved in, complete with the old carpet.

And this is the room now.

The empty shelf is where the kids keep their school baskets. They must have been working on school when I took this picture.

Paint is at the top of the list of things to do to this room, but oh my, it is not a job I am looking forward to. I also have an idea of moving the shelves that I want to try. The shelves are anchored to the wall so I need to be serious about painting before we go to the effort to move all this. And I need to do something with the tops of the shelves....still mulling that one over.

Do you see the huge ficus tree in the corner? We were given two very large ficus trees which I LOVE. Something about greenery in the house is a real spirit lifter. I just hope I can keep these babies alive all while keeping water off of my new floors!

Today I have some house keeping to do and I want to get chili simmering in the crockpot because we have a busy afternoon and evening ahead. I get to spend some time with my book club friends which I am really looking forward to.

"When handled with care, a home enables a person or family to move out into the world with deep resources to draw upon: a volume of memories where close relationships were forged through mealtimes, celebrations, special traditions, shared tears and laughter, and the reciprocal experience of caring and being cared for." ~Andi Ashworth

New Floors

2011-10-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

Squirt, back in the good old days when he was a tiny thing. You know, three weeks ago.

In hopes of chronicling some of the things we do to our new-to-us home and because I don't think I posted this super cute picture of Squirt I wanted to post this picture.

If you don't count our homemade television antennae, our first real home improvement project has been to install new floors through out the ground floor, minus kitchen and bathrooms. The floors go up the stairs and stop at a small landing at the top.

I think Squirt makes a good model, don't you?

We finally got a good soaking rain yesterday and it has been a busier than usual week for us. I am thankful for the long weekend even though I don't plan to have much to show for it except a more rested me and perhaps a little bit cleaner house.

Time To Go

2011-09-29T08:55:00.001-05:00

This way, Squirt.

READY?

SET.

GO!

The brown duck on the right is Squirt's mama, Big Bertha, and the black duck straight in front of him is his daddy, Fudge aka Momo. He was actually someone's pet and they let him go here at the pond. Isn't that sweet how he went straight to his family? He was not a tame duckling which I think is a good thing.

Squirt has come for morning and evening feedings with all the other ducks every day since we let him go. And if we wander over to the pond he can be spotted sleeping, running around with the flock, or eating. Ducks are almost always eating. Squirt's little legs look much beefier from all that running around and swimming!

The pond is down so the ducks especially love to float close to shore and stick their heads under for long periods of time savoring all the goodies on the bottom of the pond. Yum.

Simple Joys

2011-09-26T10:14:00.007-05:00

Birthday roses from my sweetie with accents of Snow-on-the-Mountain from Anna. The "snow" grows in fields around here and I love it. Can you see the ducks on the other side of our iron fence?

* Birthday celebrations with my family. Sara turned 19 and I turned....uh....45. How can that be?

* The boys went camping were guns and shooting were on the agenda. They had GREAT fun.

Why do teenagers put their hands in front of their faces?

* Trey is a patrol leader for the first time ever and his patrol won first place at this camp out in a very close race. We are really proud of him as this is a difficult job and one that requires lots of organization.

* We have been looking for a new church home and it is going better than expected and even encouraging.

Oh the joy!

* Watching Squirt take a swim in a Rubbermaid tub. Oh, how he relished it.

* An outing with a friend! We got pampered at a Mary Kay party, enjoyed lunch and went to see The Help. It was a fun day and one that included smoother skin!

* This morning we let Squirt go after a quick photo session and one last snuggle. While he loved being with Anna he was not totally tamed, which I think is a Good Thing. He immediately swam to his mother and happily splashed in the pond. Anna has already been out once to check on him.

* Joining BSF a few weeks ago. I have wanted to do this for awhile now, but the timing was never right. This year the opportunity is a good fit for my schedule. We are studying the Acts of the Apostles and I am so enjoying it!

What a thrill to having the cake fall smoothly out of the bundt pan! Such a beautiful sight I had to photograph it.

* The lemon! Sara requested a lemon cake for her birthday dessert. While the cake was still warm I drizzled it with a lemon syrup that soaked up into the spongy cake. Oh what lemony goodness! The glaze topping was yummy, too. We ate it too quickly to get a picture of the finished cake.

Oh the bliss!

* Dinner date with my husband AND my most fabulous birthday gift! I told Mike I felt like Squirt when he was taking his Rubbermaid bath! Splish splash. Our old shower head is the 2nd thing I miss most about our old house. (The big trees would be the first thing I miss most, especially the one out front that provided shade for my car and flower bed.)

"Could mere loving be a life's work?" Elizabeth Goudge

Because He is Just So Stinkin' Cute

2011-09-18T19:33:00.001-05:00

Splish splash! Squirt is taking a bath.

Is it the cute peeps he makes? Or maybe the way his little feet turn in and overlap when he walks? Maybe it is that rounded out bill and the way it uses it to nibble us when we hold him? Or how about those teensy wings he flaps when he stretches tall? Or the bundle of tail feathers he shakes? Maybe it is the way he waddles closely after us when we walk around?

Well, whatever it is he has won our hearts!

Turning him loose is going to be really difficult. Our goal is to raise him to grow large enough to survive the horrendously enormous and horrible duckling eating turtles in the pond. At a little over 9 ounces he is probably getting close.

If the turtles don't eat them I am sad to report that the hawks appear out of nowhere and pick them off one by one, which is exactly what happened to all 5 of Lucy's babies. It was AWFUL. I chased hawks to no avail.

As a wonderful, delightful, post script I have to mention it is totally POURING down R A I N as I type this. So very grateful!!!

Squirt!

2011-09-15T12:59:00.002-05:00

This is Squirt the duckling. He (or she) is currently residing in my breakfast area when he is not roaming the house or sitting on or with Anna. He is probably 2.5 weeks old and we have had him 2 weeks tomorrow and in that time he has almost tripled in size.

He loves to sleep frequently, PEEP loudly, poo abundantly, waddle after us, eat, nibble, drink and swim! He enjoys swimming in the bathtub, but my bread loaf pan will do in a pinch.

Squirt was Anna's name for him because he was so tiny and because we thought it would be good to have a name that goes for either a boy or girl. We did not realize squirt would also describe one of his body functions.

Summer Reading Wrap Up

2011-09-09T10:48:00.002-05:00

You might have noticed that my reading has slowed down greatly this year. The main reason for that is that I am NOT suffering from insomnia.

Insomnia has its perks, but so does sleep.

Last year I challenged myself to write a review on almost every book I read. What I learned from that little is exercise is that I don't really enjoy review writing.

BUT I love books and because they are a huge part of who I am and what I do I still want to mention them, especially if they are good, hence this post on my summer reading.

My favorite book this summer! This is a compilation of sermons from the book of Mark preached by Pastor Keller. Love it! This is one of the easiest non-fiction books I have ever read. Good stuff!

Second favorite book this summer and probably one of my favorite books EVER! Do you have difficult people in your life? Who doesn't, right? This book is practical, encouraging and.......convicting.

The cover almost says it all. Missionary stories always appeal to me, but this one is a little different. It is written from both the husband's and wife's perspective during a very difficult time (see cover) AND what is really unusual is that they talk about the love they have for each other in a way you just don't hear very often. You will finish this book feeling like Karl and Debbie are REAL people not that much different than we are.


"Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum." This is a school book for my 9th graders this year. If you have watched any of the pirate movies some of this may seem vaguely familiar.

This is my 2nd time to read this book and even though I thoroughly enjoyed it I am looking forward to researching reviews, especially negative ones, about it for our upcoming book club discussion this next week. I know, I'm weird like that.


This is a biography of a very gifted hymn writer who also happened to be blind. Ms. Crosby was one tenacious lady and I really enjoyed reading about her life, her conversion to Christianity, and her gift with words. Have you read a good book lately? Do tell!

Simple Joys

2011-09-06T09:27:00.026-05:00

* Rain! We had some a week or so ago. And now it is cool outside! I sat out on my side porch this morning in 65 degree cool. Delicious!

* A fun evening knitting get-together with friends. I was hoping to do this more often this summer but things go too crazy.

* Date night with husband to Fadi's and IKEA. Good food and fun shopping! I've since been to IKEA two more times since and want to make it three!

* New floors! Never mind the front door that stood open for a full WEEK in 100 plus degree temperatures. Just keep looking at the pretty floors and NOT at the electric bill.

* Evening walks that end with us trying to sneak up on ginormous frogs before they jump into the pond.

Picture by Sara. I was thrilled to find a heron feather to add to my collection.

* Seeing a great blue heron look at us with a huge fish in his mouth. I think this is the same fish a little nature loving daughter of a friend has been feeding on her visits to our house. I buy bread just for such occasions. I hope that heron appreciates us as he gobbles up his well fed fish.

* Unpacking my books, my long lost friends, whom I haven't seen since February, and arranging them on my book shelves. Bliss.

* Ruthlessly cleaning out and paring down on stuff! Such a great feeling. Do you Freecycle?

* Movie and lunch date with Trey, my newly turned 16 year old. We tried a new hamburger place and then we quickly thrifted a new love seat. Luckily I had his strong self with me to help with that heavy thing!

* Finding a great deal on a love seat! We have needed a little extra seating in the living room and I found the perfect love seat. It is made by the same company (made here in Dallas) as my couch and chair, it is the same exact shape so it visually looks right, the fabric coordinates with my colors and it is in almost new condition! And it was very affordable!

* Having my husband return safely home after a week in faraway Getzville, New York. Since then his company has suspended all travel. We are not sad about that!

* I have officially lost 25 pounds. I'm not sure how much more I want to lose but my strategy is to simply to focus on losing the next 5 pounds.

How about you? What are some simple joys you are enjoying today?

Kinda Weird, But True

2011-09-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

Contacting aliens? Signalling air planes? Modern art?

When we moved a couple of months ago we left our television antennae at the old house up in the attic. It was huge, it was hot outside and I think the boys decided it just wasn't worth wrangling that thing down the skinny attic stairs.

But the problem is we aren't inclined to pay for cable so we really need an antennae to be able to watch television.

We have been without television for us for almost two months (note the dust on our little tv) which was rather nice and contributed to the whole vacation feel I have been enjoying ever since we moved in. But I kinda like being able to turn it on if I want to.

In the back of my husband's mind an idea had been percolating that there had to be a cheap and creative way to acquire those much needed invisible television waves that are flying around in the atmosphere without actually spending money a new antennae.

Late one night, after doing a little You Tube research, he got to work. The strange looking device my husband is holding in the picture is the antennae he created out of various wires and a piece of wood formally a base board.

He and the boy are testing to see if it works. Can you tell by their expressions whether it was a success or not?

Mike was proud to inform me that the same sort of antennae is $80 at the local store that sells such things, but ours was made out things we already possessed except for one tiny $2 part.

We are pretty pleased with the whole thing and it happens to work superbly. I am happy to report I watched Castle the other night and I knew about Hurricane Irene by some means other than just Facebook.

Howdy-do

2011-08-31T09:21:00.004-05:00

As I was waiting for my girl to finish up her chores at the stables the other day I spotted these yellow flowers growing by Little Wimpy's water trough. Such beauty in dry, parched times lifts my soul and swells my heart. Does beauty have that effect on you? It reminds me that I am made for something more than this world.

Do you see Little Wimpy in the background? He spotted me and decided to mosey over for a howdy-do.

On Monday morning we saw a smidge of rain which ended way too quickly. You know you haven't seen rain in a while when you run outside to gawk at the miracle. These are dry times. Watching everything turn brown and die is wearying. I almost dread the cooler weather because I know everything will die even more. Do you know how long we will have to wait for things to turn green again? Way too long. If it ever does. I am starting to have my doubts.

Our weather man reports that "today is the 65th day this season at/above 100 degrees. That's 2nd place on the greatest annual list. #1 is 69 days in 1980." There is another part of me, probably the native Texan in me, that hopes we at least tie the record. As if that is some kind of reward.

Thanks for all the well wishes for a successful root canal. I am please to tell you I survived the torture. It took a day for all the muscles in my face to relax and then another couple of days for my tooth to feel better, but all is good now.

First Day of School

2011-08-22T11:05:00.003-05:00

School started for us today even though we are not all that prepared. If we waited for our preparedness I am not sure it would happen this year. Books are spread out everywhere and I am trying to figure out how to stuff 5 days of school work into 4 and really, all I want to do is paint the walls.

Here are our first day of school pictures homeschool style:

This is a very sweet, tenderhearted boy. He is 6'1" which makes him the tallest person in our family, immediate and extended. His 16th birthday is right around the corner and he loves playing the guitar.

This is the cowgirl for the previous post. She is sad to not be at the stables. She dramatically told me that she did not want her picture taken because she does NOT want to remember this day. I told her she could be getting a root canal.

Yep, I am going to visit my dentist after lunch to get started on my 2nd root canal this year. Wah.

Girls of Summer

2011-08-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

This is Anna at the end of a long day. We finally found boots that are comfortable for her and note the cute knee socks. They complete this stylish suburban cowgirl ensemble.

At the beginning of the summer a friend asked Anna if she would like to help out at the local stables. This was one of Anna's dreams come true. She has spent the whole summer getting up around 6:15am, rolling out the door around 6:45am and not getting home anywhere between 5:30pm-8pm. She has been mucking stalls, feeding horses, cleaning bathrooms and helping with students in summer camp.

All of this during the hottest summer she has ever experienced.

She comes home, drops hay and horse poo in my entry way, eats two dinners, and falls asleep with the lights on. She has loved every minute of it and gets to help during the fall, too, which has made her very happy.

You should see her well-defined muscles! She doesn't even have to flex for them to be visible. And what I love so about her is she is not very self aware. She didn't even know they were there.

She has also experienced Stable Politics which has been very Eye Opening for her. Navigating different sorts of people is what life is all about. She had to get over the initial shock of it, get her bearings, figure out her modus operandi and sally forth as the saying goes. So far so good.

This is a city girl shooting a gun with a cute boy looking on. Sparkly silver sandals complete this adorable ensemble. I would duck if I were you.

A few years ago Sara met a nice guy while doing backyard Bible club training. They were just acquaintances who had a few friends in common. After a few years their paths crossed again and now they are Friends. Last weekend our girl went to meet his family and visit his home because he lives 3 hours away. And, as you can see, he taught her to shoot. As you might guess he lives out aways.

This very same sweet girl got a promotion at work a couple of weeks ago. She now gets to wear a really big vest that makes her look especially tiny, boss a few people around, count lots of money, and be responsible for even more stuff than before. She is quickly gaining the reputation of being very good at all this, but I already knew she would be.

She also took summer classes at our not-so-local junior college, the fast track kind that are over in the blink of an eye. I was not surprised to find out she made all A's.

Now summer is coming to an end and we are going to add full time school to all of this. It ought to be an interesting and fun filled fall.

Ducklings!

2011-08-17T21:24:00.005-05:00

You guys figured out what was going on in the bushes. Lucy had a nest with eggs. She came to the pond one fine morning only to have all the other ducks gather around her. This is unusual behavior because usually they don't seem to enjoy her company very much. I think it is the loud incessant quacking that is very different than the other ducks quacks.

But on this morning I imagined all the ducks knew about the birth of her five little ducklings and they were being kind, greeting her with congratulations and wanting to hear the news of her new little family.

The next day Lucy brought her happy little family over to the pond and Sara, my very beautiful and almost 19 year old daughter who just happened to have bought a very fancy camera with a zoom lens, went out and snapped a few pictures for me.

Hmmm....let's see what we have here for breakfast.

Aren't they the sweetest little fuzzy things? They tumbled around trying to keep up with their mom in the tall grass. (The HOA didn't get the memo about the drought that all of Texas is suffering from.)

I'm not 100% sure who the baby daddy is, but I have my suspicions. Look at the cute yellow necks on two of these ducklings.

I like this picture because you can see how tall Lucy stands. Doesn't she look like a dalmatian duck?

In other news the geese have only returned once and that was today. Tonight when I fed the ducks I chased the geese all into the pond, because they are not going to be eating my food if I can help it. They hissed but they ran. I am apparently scary. And my neighbors, if they are peering out their windows, might be thinking the same thing about me.

A Favorite Thing

2011-08-14T10:43:00.002-05:00

My mother downsized a few years ago which meant that my sister and I were the recipients of many family treasures that belonged to our parents and even our grandparents before them. Here is one of the wonderful things I had stored away that I had forgotten about.

Can you tell what it is?

This chandelier used to hang in my grandmother's house many, many years ago. Now that I am not so overwhelmed with unpacking I am thinking of where I could hang this. Maybe over the dining table in the kitchen?

Would it be wrong to paint this a creamy white? Just look at the designs and textures! And look at those wonderful non-plastic crystal drops! (I hope they are all there. I need to take the time to figure that out.) It might be a booger to paint. I don't know. What do you think? I bet I could get that sweet husband of mine to do it for me.


And just because I loved them so....

This is my grandparents. We called them Honey and Dad because that is what they called each other. This was taken in 1968 in our yard in Lubbock, Texas. I would have been around 2 years old.

Breakfast Time

2011-08-13T06:11:00.003-05:00

This is my breakfast. It is cereal. Or at least this is what goes under my cereal and milk. The peaches and blueberries this year have been especially tasty. The bananas are good, too. Heck, who am I kidding. It is ALL good.

What it is exactly we eat in the winter? Memory of winter food has totally escaped me.

The ducks get breakfast, too.

I think they can see me through my kitchen/dining room windows. The windows aren't covered yet. The minute I begin moving around the ducks start heading my way from the other side of the pond. Several of them waddle as fast as they can which I wish you could see. It is hysterical. I'm pretty certain the first cartoons were invented by someone who sat around feeding and watching ducks.

I've been trying an experiment. I am talking to them to see if they will become familiar with me. I think it is working because tonight when Mike and I started off on our evening walk they started following us! It was a real St. Francis or Dr. Doolittle moment. They are so funny and charming.

In the mornings some of us prefer having a nap over breakfast. Forget that we just slept all night long. This summer Little Doggie has discovered our Tempurpedic so the minute daddy is out the door the doggie is on the bed. It is one of my favorite places, too, so I can hardly blame him.

My Favorite Place and Today's Visitors

2011-08-04T22:03:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite place to sit right now. Our patio is tiny, just room enough for two of our outdoor chairs. That doesn't matter. I have enjoyed sitting out here early almost every morning since we moved in a month ago with my coffee, my books and the back end of that there doggie. Sorry, but doggie couldn't be bothered with posing. He had things to sniff so I said, "Fine. Be that way."

I made a little table by stacking pots a few terra cotta pots upside down and I turned a pail upside down for a foot stool. The minute the ducks spot me sitting here they waddle as fast as they can over to see me. They know I will toss a little hen scratch their way which makes them very happy!

Isn't this bag cute? I think it would make a cute wall hanging once the feed was all used up.

Today I was sitting out on the porch when all the sudden the early morning silence was broken by such a loud ruckus! The air was filled with nasal honking sounds and suddenly a flock of GEESE appears and lands in the pond. In comparison to the ducks they were HUGE with very bodacious full bodies. I grabbed my camera and ran over to the pond to get pictures which they didn't seem to mind at all. No fear here. They even headed for our house. It was if word is out that I feed water fowl!

Geese! They jumped out of the pond and headed toward my house.

Oh my were they funny with their long necks and the way they would chase each other and the ducks, hissing and carrying on. What a sight. One even defeathered a little duck in a moment of irritation. And I thought our little girl ducks were drama queens! It was as if a motorcycle gang of bullies showed up at the pond and they had the nerve to stay the whole day ruling by intimidation.

Hey, where are ya'll going? The camera is over here.

Anyone know how to tell males from females? They look alike to me except a few were substantially bigger than the others.

It was almost 8pm when they all the sudden decided they decided it was time to leave and with some silent signal they swooped up into the air and were off.

I'll be honest and say I hope they don't come back. They are not especially well mannered creatures and they disrupted the more gentle routine of pond life, though they were interesting for a day. I guess we'll see what tomorrow holds. Seems like there is always some new surprise waiting.

Lucy Goosey is a Duck

2011-08-01T05:46:00.002-05:00

Lucy Goosey who wasn't a goose after all. She is hard to photograph because she is always rushing hither and yon. Hold still a minute, will you?

Lucy is the duck that I thought was a goose. She is different from all the other ducks. She is taller and she doesn't waddle, she runs around on her tiptoes quickly all the while quacking and carrying on like a chicken with its head.....well, never mind.

If she could wring her hands she would.

When we first moved in we would only see her in the morning and the evening. She would come running out of our neighbor's hedges, speedily cross the street to the pond. She followed a routine of eating, bathing, grooming, more grooming and even more grooming. She likes to looks spiffy. All the while she is quacking and raising a ruckus as if she was late for a very important date. A date where she had to look her very best.

All the other ducks warily watched her while keeping their distance. They waddled to and fro giving a quack here and a quack there, and a waddle, waddle, waddle, but they ignored Lucy. She wasn't like them and they knew it.

Lucy reminds our whole family of Jemima Puddle-Duck, but Jemima wasn't a goose. Do you remember her from Beatrix Potter's story? She had a tall way of standing and a bit of a high strung personality. Just like our Lucy-girl-who-I-thought-was-a-goose.

I found out that Lucy is what is called an Indian Runner. This kind of duck stands tall like a penguin and enjoys running instead of waddling. And I read that Jemima Puddle-Duck was a runner duck! Well, doesn't that explain it?

Stay tuned because I have more to tell you about Lucy. It might have something to do with what she has going on in the bushes.

Known by God

2011-07-31T09:08:00.000-05:00

Just Passing Through

2011-07-26T06:47:00.001-05:00

I spotted this little guy making his way from the creek that runs behind the house to the pond over on the side. Even though he was a little apprehensive at my presence he was not hindered. His eye was on the pond. Determination was the name of the game.

Just look at that mossy shell. And that beady little eye.

Destination was realized and I had to find some other creature to stalk.

Thanks to google images for this photo. This is pretty much exactly how our little possum looked. Only not hanging. Oh, how I would love to see one hanging!

A few days later we saw a baby possum by the creek later in the evening while on a walk. He was about as big as both of my hands cupped together and true to his name he played possum trying to fake us out and get us to move along. He didn't realize how amusing we found him to be. He wasn't very good at his game because with every move we made he would peek at us. Finally he gave up and made an ugly hissing face at us. It is a shame they have to grow up.

A Glad Heart

2011-07-24T08:49:00.003-05:00

Photo of the creek that runs behind our house by my 18 year old daughter, Sara.

School Daze

2011-07-22T09:48:00.060-05:00

Vacation Plans by Ben Kimberly Prins (1902-1980)

This picture reminds me of the classrooms at the school where I spent 5 years of my early life learning stuff. I stared out those big windows a lot, probably too much. There were birds to see! We even had bookshelves under the windows similar to these. In first grade I read every book on them which got me an award that I still have somewhere safely packed away. I read over 100 books that school year. The teacher would hang our art projects on the windows. One I remember particularly well was a scarecrow we dressed by cutting out scrap fabric in the shape of shirts and pants. What fun! Do kids still do that stuff?

My enjoyment of birds, books and big windows has pretty much been a life long occupation.

Did you notice the title of this picture? What teacher isn't thinking about a vacation? Well, this teacher isn't going anywhere. She bought a new house and she is getting new floors on Monday so that is her "vacation."

I am convinced that sometimes all you need for a vacation is the right state of mind. This involves slowing down, enjoying long meals, doing out of the ordinary sort of things that you WANT to do, read a good book, drink icy drinks....that sort of thing.

And speaking of school and vacations....

For a couple of weeks now I have had the distinct feeling I have been forgetting something. Then it hit me earlier this week. I homeschool! How could I have forgotten that? And part of homeschooling is planning for the new year which I have totally not done. What a rude awakening and especially when I was enjoying my stay-at-home vacay so much.

Sonlight Core 200 - The History of God's Kingdom

So yesterday I placed a few online orders (thankfully I don't have to GO anywhere) and hopefully by the time the stuff gets here I will have mustered up the hoomph to do a little planning. My office is a wreck because we are waiting on the new floors to be installed before we unpack the multitudes of heavy books we own. (I should go take a "before" picture right this minute.) Books are a key part to our school. So one more week and then I will get serious. Yeah, that's it.

Now I think I will go swimming.

Simple Joys

2011-07-18T09:59:00.001-05:00

Hi there! How are you?

* Sitting out on our little side patio early in the morning reading, journaling, and watching ducks and one silly goose I've named Lucy.

* Having a house full of friends and family. We've only been here a week and a half, but we have already had a bunch of company for dinner and overnight and I love it.

* Going to Anna's Taekwondo belt test and watching her earn her brown belt!

* Cooking for a crowd, trying new recipes, eating lots of fresh fruit, roasted veggies, and drinking iced tea and a big glass of milk before bed.

* Interesting books especially the autobiography of Fanny Crosby. I've also been reading books from our 9th grade curriculum trying to get ahead of my two homeschool students.

* Giving a caterpillar to a little friend at church and watching her totally and completely fall in love with it! She asked a ton of questions and immediately started writing A Diary of a Caterpillar. She is not homeschooled, but she is a self learner and THAT is the goal of a true education in my book.

* Swimming! It is a must in this heat.

* There is one little baby duck here right now and every morning I am so glad when I see it running after its mother all spunky. In the short time we have been here I can tell it is growing. I can't wait to get my books unpacked (still a couple of weeks away) so I can get out my Anna Comstock book and read up on ducks.

* A visit from my sister and her kids (who is celebrating her 41st birthday today and has survived both thyroid and breast cancer). We were feeding ducks and noticed a crazy looking prehistoric creature lurking in the pond depths. I think it is this turtle.

* Mike and I got the bicycles out and aired up for some late night rides. It is much cooler to ride than to walk, and feeling that wonderful muscle burn is good.

* Laughing at the ducks. All I have to do is walk over to the pond and take a sit on the edge of the little wooden bridge. The ducks all waddle over because they are sure I am going to feed them. Then they look at me with their quizzical expressions. They pant, they quack, they push each other aside and they wiggle their tail feathers. And I laugh at them. They don't seem the least bit offended.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. ~Proverbs 17:22

New Home & New Friends

2011-07-11T13:19:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to pop in while I was sitting here in Starbucks with a quick update. We are finally moved in to our new home and we are loving it! All the headaches and frustrations were worth it.

Our phone and internet won't get hooked up for a few more days so I will be unpacking while taking intermittent breaks to visit the pond and my new duck friends.

Anna's first car date

I'm not the only one who has made new friends. Anna met a little boy who took an immediate liking to her, telling her she was pretty enough to be his date! The other evening he pulled up even to our house and looked expectantly at our house until she came out. Despite their age difference they share a love of nature and automobiles.

Caterpillars!

2011-07-04T10:51:00.003-05:00

The Summer Snake Count is up to FOUR! I'm talking big snakes, not the little ones I see in the flower bed. It brings me no pleasure to even have a Snake Count. The last one was out front, which is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Didn't it get the message? All snakes MUST stay in the back. Sheesh.

I am sure there will be no snakes at my new house. You know, the house by the POND. Ugh.

Freshly laid egg.

On to happier topics. I spotted a black swallowtail butterfly yesterday laying eggs on my parsley. She was decorating it like it was a Christmas tree. I plant the parsley just for this reason because it brings me great joy to watch this whole process.

He is itty bitty with teensy weensy poo, too.

The caterpillars are not very pretty when they are small like this but once they go through several instars they become some of the most beautiful caterpillars of all. I think they look like they have been hand painted by God.

I'm sad I won't be around to see these guys get bigger and become beautiful butterflies. I'm already stressed out trying to keep the few plants I have in containers alive. Texas heat makes this difficult, especially when you have other things to do besides standing around with a water hose.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-02T04:37:00.002-05:00

My daddy, me and my little sister around 1971.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. I am not sure if it is the 4th of July or Memorial Day. Either way I love this photo. Daddy always flew a flag on appropriate holidays and I think he was pretty pleased with himself to think of teaching us to salute.

A couple of weeks ago while when the kids and I were packing up our attic we came across the last flag daddy flew before he passed away. It is very tattered with a disintegrating dusty sort of smell hanging around it. I especially like the little gold eagle on the top. My Boy Scout thinks it is time we retire it. I was hesitant when he mentioned it but I think he is probably right. We'll see.

I hope you have a happy and safe holiday!

Why?

2011-07-01T13:29:00.003-05:00

It's been a rough week and I have some questions.

Will we ever close on our new house? It was supposed to happen on Monday. And then it was Tuesday. And then Wednesday. And then it was Thursday. Will it happen on Friday? Will it EVER happen?

Who REALLY needs a place to live?

Why is that realtor who represents our new house so nasty and mean?

Aren't there enough REAL problems in the world? Why make some up when there are already so many serious and hard things going on?

Wanna know what bank NOT to use for a home loan? I'll be glad to tell you. Unless of course you WORK at the same said bank. Then be prepared to be frustrated. You might want to take up air boxing and even air strangulation.

Wanna know my strategy this week of staying on my diet and not eating my frustration and depression? I shopped. A lot. And I lost 2.8 pounds which is more than any other week except my first week when I lost 5 pounds. So shopping really works (and I am typically NOT a shopper)! But it's pricey. And the husband asked me if I had gone mad. I retorted, "Do you wanna a fat wife or fat bank account?" Wait. Don't answer that.

In junior high I obsessed on a song that Debbie Boone sang on her You Light Up My Life album. Everyone was crooning away about the light but not me. I was belting it out to her song The End of the World. I'm a realist that way. And for whatever reason that song came back to mind today....

Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world,
'Cause you don't love me any more?

Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world.
It ended when I lost your love.

I wake up in the morning and I wonder,
Why everything's the same as it was.
I can't understand. No, I can't understand,
How life goes on the way it does.

Okay...I am kinda kidding. Sort of. It's all going to be okay. I'm sure of it. But why do the locusts go on locusting? Why does my dog go on sleeping? Why? Oh why?

Decorating Doodles

2011-06-25T08:25:00.018-05:00

This is me dreaming with our paint program. I apologize for the lack of sophistication.
These windows get the morning sun so hopefully we won't roast to death in the Texas sun. ~Click on the picture to enlarge.~

I've mentioned my addiction to driving past our almost new-to-us house. It is my favorite past time these days. It is only down the highway and a smidge across the county line, which is another reason we LOVE this house. No more going downtown Dallas for jury duty! Whoot whoot!

(I have made peace with the fact that I am the sort of person who gets picked to be on juries. I think I missed my calling as a lawyer. Just ask my teenagers.)

One of the fun and really sweet experiences we have had while buying this house is the interest our friends and family have shown. They want to go for a drive by and even get out and peek in the windows. Honestly, I am NOT dragging them. Usually we wander over to the pond, too. (One eye is always on the look out for snakes...which I have not spotted yet, be we all know it is going to happen. Right?)

I found out yesterday that not only do our folks want to drive over with us, but some are driving by of their own accord and my kids have been driving by the house, too. It is a very quiet street so I hope the neighbors are not perturbed by all the traffic we seem to be generating. It really makes me happy that most of our peeps are excited for us.

I'm collecting ideas for shrubs and trees I want to plant around those windows on the right because I want to get on that soon. I would love suggestions! One friend has recommended this beauty. She also suggested a tangerine beauty crossvine for the fence. She says it stays green year round and attracts hummingbirds!

What would you plant? I think I am more excited about decorating the outside than I am the inside.

Summer Daze

2011-06-23T18:01:00.002-05:00

* My garden phlox is in bloom and the swallowtails have found it.

* This week we are helping at Vacation Bible School. Getting up early isn't bad but leaving my home at such an advanced time is killing me. I have had a nap every day and I still drop dead into bed at night.

* Even though I have been super tired I still made it to book club this week. We laugh a whole lot and I am certain we are adding years to our life.

* The kids have eaten hamburgers for dinner every night since Father's Day thanks to the one hundred burgers we grilled that afternoon. There has been no complaining and really, it was a stroke of genius!

We'll miss you Ima Bunny.

* Ima Bunny went to live with a little boy named CJ on a sheep and tree farm in a small town east of here. I am so relieved that she will be a loved pet.

Yummilicious!

* Do you like coconut? If so you might like Bluebell's totally amazing ice cream called Coconut Fudge. It is gooooooooood stuff!

* Trey had a blast at Scout camp. Most notable is that I think he lost weight because they barely fed the starving boy and his clothes won't come clean. I think I am going to start throwing things away. It is that gross.

* Anna is a helper at a horse camp this week. She is loving it and coming home dirty, tired and very happy. And then she practices taekwondo in the back yard. I'm not sure where she gets her energy, but she is one buff girl.

* Last week Anna and I spent the day with my nephew. I was a little apprehensive about what we would do to entertain a 7 year old, but I was worried for nothing. Silly string = big fun! We ran, ate, shopped, talked, and played. We ALL slept good that night.

* And because I am a glutton for punishment and because we have some rather large items we do not want to move farther than our front yard we are going to try to have a quick garage sale on Saturday morning. Every cell in my body cries, "Nooooo." I am not listening to my cells.

We are out of hamburgers so I must go cook something. I hope you are having enjoyable summer days or summer daze, which ever it is.

A boy and a bunny...

2011-06-18T11:49:00.003-05:00

Ima Bunny

Ima Bunny needs a new home before we move. Yesterday we started Operation Find the Bunny a New Home. So far there are no takers.Plenty of children want Ima, even a few mamas have said yes, but then there is dad who puts the kibosh on the whole deal. Come on, dads! Just look at that cute face.

This is proving to be rather challenging. Will you pray that someone (and their daddy) will want to give a Ima a new loving home?

Trey with a very large moth.

And this picture is the only reassurance I have that my son made it to Scout Camp in Colorado safely. I figure no news is good news, so I was especially thrilled to get this picture, even if he is supposed to be home sometime later today. It feels like the olden days when it took days for information to travel.

In Which Leslie Reads a Book

2011-06-15T07:31:00.001-05:00

Girl Reading by Charles Edward Perugini, 1879

Reading has been at the bottom of my To Do List. I miss it, but there has just been too much going on lately. This is my short list of books I have managed to finish since April.

Bonhoeffer - It is thick and sometimes a little tedious, but totally worth the effort. What an inspiring and courageous man he was! One thing that especially stood out to me is the way he selflessly invested in the lives of people in a rare but very real and sacrificial way. He wasn't just "doing ministry." He was living, investing, interested and making a difference at the expense of personal comfort. That is a rare gift. I want to read more books he has written now and reread ones I have already read. Highly recommended.

Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym - I took this with me to St. Louis. It was silly, light reading. One the heels of serious jury duty it just didn't settle well with me, but it was all I had to read, which only validated my compulsion to carry many books with me when I leave home, no matter how heavy.

Shadows on the Koyukuk: An Alaskan Native's Life Along the River - This is everything I love in a book. It is an adventure story about a man who grew up in Alaska. In this hot Texas summer this book is air conditioning for the mind. The author's brother wrote On the Edge of Nowhere which I read and enjoyed a few years ago. Both are very exciting reads! In this book I learned about surviving in -70 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, how to trap martins, dangerous bear hunts, what happens when the river breaks up in spring, and more. Excellent, I tell you, especially if you love a good nature book, which I do.

The Lighthouse by P.D. James - This is June's book club pick and I've been enjoying this well enough. We are trying to familiarize ourselves with this author and take a light break after reading Bonhoeffer. Next on our list is a biography about Fanny Crosby and The Help which I have already read but think will lend itself to a good group discussion. Plus, there is a movie coming out and that is always fun.

Have you been reading anything good lately?

Simple Joys

2011-06-13T09:25:00.002-05:00

"Hello there."

* Horses congregating close to the road right down the street from our church. The light turned green before I could get my window all the way down.

* Cool breezes while sitting under shade trees.

* Sweet and delicious blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

* Juicy watermelon, the perfect food...juicy, sweet, crunchy, goes with every meal and best of all it comes in bulk!

* The fact that I can eat a BLT salad, stromboli and a Cadbury Creme Egg while on a diet and still lose weight. Isn't that just the bomb? I heart Weight Watchers.

Rolling in the grass. Forget that I just saw the hugest snake EVER over there peeking out from under the shed. These two laugh at ginormous snakes.

* I really like my children. Not just love them, but really, truly like them as people. They are funny, quirky, smart, thoughtful and enjoyable!

* Speaking of my kids...I miss Trey. He is having a blast at Scout camp in Colorado where I am sure it is cooler than it is here.

Good movies are far and few between.

* Watching movies with my husband. We've seen The King's Speech and True Grit over the past few days, both of which I really liked, but especially The King's Speech.

* Finding cushions for our patio chairs on sale 50% off and in the perfect shade of pale blue! It only required something like 5 trips to Target...sometimes a simple joy takes complicated action.

* Reading a good mystery.

* Evening walks through the neighborhood. These are much more bearable once the sun begins to go down.

Dreamily Packing

2011-06-10T13:52:00.003-05:00

While these two work on school.......

And this one gets his morning nap......

I add to this big pile of boxes.

Deciding what I can live without for the next month isn't very difficult when I start thinking about our house.

We are supposed to close on the 27th, but it would not surprise me if it isn't early July, due to slow bank/loan "stuff." I am trusting that whenever it is, the time will be just right and everything will work out.

Hello Mr. Anole. You are showing off!

On Tuesday we went to the new house for the inspection. We were able to be in the house for HOURS so I took pictures to help aid my memory about the little details. It is funny the things you don't notice or that you forget. It was wonderful and when we left we were all glowing with love for our new home.

One of our new neighbors came over to greet us. Wasn't that nice?

Here is Reason #2 we love this house. (Reason #1 being our fabulous view of the pond and park.)

Back view of our new house.

Ahhhhhh.........just look at ALL those windows! And there are more, especially on the left side of the house that faces the pond.

I better get back to packing!

Summer Eats & Cuts

2011-06-06T15:42:00.010-05:00

Roasted Veggies! Yum.

Dinner of late has consisted of various roasted veggies...zucchini, broccoli, Mexican grey squash, or asparagus and then I add onion and peppers. I fill a pie plate mounding full and my husband and I split it. I use very little olive oil, around 2 teaspoons because I don't really like my veggies tasting too oily, and a little cracked pepper from the mill. I also don't like the veggies very black. The kids like their steamed so I do some for them that way.

Tonight it will be asparagus with a new Balsamic and Mushroom Chicken recipe. It sounds yummy, but we shall see. Mushrooms are kinda iffy with me. I might make some brown rice to go with it.

I can't until I am cooking in my new kitchen. It isn't anything fancy but it has a huge window and more counter space than I have now. I'll spend more time in there, right?

Okay....maybe not.

We add a side meat....beef fajitas, chicken, last night it was shrimp tossed in a little butter and garlic. We also have a salad. My favorite one right now, which Mike calls our "dessert", is spring greens with blueberries and strawberries, pomegranate dressing all topped with feta. Yum! Yesterday we were out of strawberries so we chopped up some pears instead. Still yummy! It is hard to go wrong with this dressing:

Delicious pomegranate dressing.

My two youngest are still doing school in the mornings. At their age they are mostly independent which is very nice. I've been packing boxes and trying to keep us cool. Temperatures have been close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

Hot temperatures mean new hair cuts!

Want to make them crazy? Ask them if they are twins! They hate that. And it happens frequently. Which tickles me.

Fare Thee Well

2011-06-03T06:52:00.001-05:00

Rest in peace, sweet birdie.

The thing with nature is that it is a very mixed bag. It is wildly beautiful, breath taking, and inspiring, but it can also be disgustingly creepy, even scary, and sometimes it is just really, really sad. It is a lot like life.

Friday night Anna spotted a hummingbird that fell out of our tree. We rushed out to view it. While pondering what was wrong all of a sudden it righted itself and flew away. There was momentary joy.

Oh, if only that was the end of it.

The hummingbird flew up high into a tree on the other side of our back fence. (It is a short wrought iron fence so everything back there is easily viewed and accessible.) Then the bird fell gain catching itself with one leg on a leaf about the level of my knees. Anna had a little pot that she scooped him up with. She felt strongly that she did not want the ants to get him and that she would watch over him.

Time passes, the parents go back in the house. The mom frets about the little bird and speculates as to what could be wrong.

At some point as Anna was watching over him he flew off again and this time she didn't see where he went. It was a relief. Birds should die in peace, right?

And surely he isn't comforted by us people types?

The next morning I was up early and guess what I immediately saw sitting on our back deck? Yes, it was our sweet little dying hummingbird. Sadly, it took several more hours before he passed away.

Do animals feel pain like we do? Is God with them in a special way as they die? If it were a cat, dog or even a horse we would intervene, wouldn't we?

I wonder if our hummingbird flew into a window, but not hard enough to make his demise a quick one.

We buried him in the flower bed and a little rock marks the spot.

That is my sad tale. The only mildly good thing about something like this is that we can see one of these evanescent little birdies up close in a way we wouldn't ordinarily get to study them. But, honestly, I would rather not have the opportunity. Not like this.

The Seed That Got Away

2011-05-29T21:48:00.003-05:00

When the birds were munching at our feeder this past winter they let one lone seed getaway. It is hard to believe because I watched them feast for months and it looked like they made a pretty thorough job of it. But one seed got away. Isn't it a beauty?

Think of yourself as a seed patiently wintering in the earth, waiting to come up a flower. ~C.S. Lewis

A Future and a Hope

2011-05-27T08:59:00.001-05:00

Sara, our 2nd home school graduate!

Sara graduated from our home school earlier this month! She did not want a formal ceremony, so instead we had two celebrations. The first celebration was a dinner our church hosts every year and the second one was a get together with extended family joining us at one of Sara's favorite restaurants in her honor. We had a great time reminiscing and honoring our sweet girl.

Her plans for the future really began last year when she enrolled in the dual credit program at our local junior college. She has already completed a year there and is enrolled in summer classes. She hopes to earn her Associates Degree by next May.

We sure are proud of Sara! She is dedicated, smart, funny, sassy, and she always strives for excellence which something I very much admire about her.

This is the ring she picked out for the occasion. Isn't it pretty?

James Avery Spanish Swirl

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ~Philippians 1:6

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11

No Place Like Home

2011-05-24T09:49:00.007-05:00

The view from our hotel room in St. Louis.

I'm home and I don't think you knew I was gone. Mike had a business trip to St. Louis last week and we decided I would meet him on Thursday so we could enjoy a respite to celebrate our anniversary.

And a respite was very much needed after the stress of last week!

There was jury duty and fighting Dallas traffic for three days. The trial ended in a mistrial. It was a custody case where the state wanted to place the child with the father. But it came to light right before closing arguments that the father had been arrested for drug possession a few weeks prior. So heartbreaking and frustrating.

We had an offer on our home and all the subsequent haggling and appointments that go with that.

Oh, I forgot to mention the HORRIBLE sunburn I got a few days prior. It was one of those cool days where the sun was deceptively tame and I was an idiot for not putting on sunscreen. We are talking swelling here. It was not good. I wore really loose pants to jury duty and feel a little sick over what my dermatologist is going to say. I may cancel that appointment.

Wrought iron fence around old St. Louis courthouse. This picture is for my Turtle Lovin' Friend. Aren't they cute, those turtles? I like the flowers at the bottom, too.

And then we made an offer on a foreclosed home that we love. So did two other people. We had to wait a whole week to hear the outcome of this, but there was really no time to think about it much with everything else going on.

Mike was gone all week and I was gone from 7am-7pm Mon-Wed so the kids did a lot of extra helping out around here getting everyone got to practices, appointments and activities. I'm glad college finals were over so they could help!

"Snow Route" is not the sort of sign you see here in Texas.

My flight was delayed for several hours, but in a way the down time was good although I am done with airports for awhile. I arrived in St. Louis and was able to find my way downtown to the hotel all by myself without any glitches.

Mike had to work on Friday so I got the day to myself which was part of the plan. I took TWO naps in one of The Best Hotel Beds I ever slept in, lingered in a hot shower forever, did a little sight seeing, found a fabulous grocery store where I had lunch and watched people and dogs, and just generally unwound from all the hullabaloo.

We spent Saturday at the beautiful and spacious Forest Park and it was there we heard from our realtor that the bank accepted our offer! We had a fabulous celebratory steak dinner. It looks like we bought a house for our anniversary.

View of the side of our house and our new next door "neighbor."

It was about 1:30 am yesterday morning when we got home due to all the tumultuous weather, but waiting on our delayed plane went by fast because we let ourselves think about our new house as ours for the first time. We mentally started moving in....so hopefully the inspection will go well on this house. If not, we have no place to live.

It is great to be home again, even though it isn't going to be home for much longer. We have a lot to do in the next month!

There Will Come a Day.......

2011-05-16T22:53:00.001-05:00

If it seems I've gone missing it is because I got selected for jury duty today and it sounds like it is going to take the better part of this week. I will be spending several hours in my car fighting traffic all the while steeling my heart against the realities of this fallen world.

This song came to mind today. Have you heard it before? Here are the lyrics:

It's not easy trying to understand
How the world can be so cold, stealing the souls of man
Cloudy skies rain down on all your dreams
You wrestle with the fear and doubt
Sometimes it's hard but you gotta believe

Chorus:
There's a better place, where our Father waits
And every tear He'll wipe away
The darkness will be gone,the weak shall be strong
Hold on to your faith

There will come a day, there will come a day
Wars are raging, lives are scattered
Innocence is lost, and hopes are shattered
The old are forgotten, the children are forsaken
In this world we're living in
Is there anything sacred?

There will come a day, there will come a day
The song will ring out, down those golden streets
The voices of earth with the angels will sing
Every knee will bow, sin will have no trace
In the glory of His amazing grace
Every knee will bow, sin will have no trace
In the glory of His amazing grace
There will come a day, there will come a day
Oooh there will come a day
I know there's coming a day, coming a day

Summer School

2011-05-13T17:00:00.001-05:00

A few students from our home school co-op have been coming to my home for the past 2 weeks for an Excellence in Writing seminar and today was the last day. I had no idea I would enjoy teaching a fast paced course like this as much as I did. It was gratifying to watch the students progress with their writing skills so quickly.

I am sad that it is over, but at the same time I have lots of other things to be doing this summer, one of which happens to be .....................

HOUSE HUNTING!!!!

The bluebonnet is to Texas...

2011-05-10T05:40:00.001-05:00

Bluebonnets

One of the best parts about living in Texas is how soon spring begins. But one of the worst parts about living in Texas is how soon spring ends.

Don't blink, you might miss it.

"The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland."~Jack McGuire

Simple Joys

2011-05-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

* Hummingbirds and their crazy antics!

* The Saturday before Easter my 81 year old mom was in a car accident that totaled the car she was in, but everyone is well! I am so very thankful!

* The dog is flea free!

* Listening to Anna spontaneously read portions of To Kill A Mockingbird aloud because she likes it so much.

* Flower seedlings popping up in my raised beds. I can't remember what they are, but the surprise will be part of the fun.

* Eight weeks on Weight Watchers and I've lost 12.6 pounds.

* Sara graduates!

* Our homeschool co-op is over for the year and most of the detailed paperwork for next year is finished! Co-op takes up a huge amount of my time and, quite honestly, my emotional energy, so I am ready for a good, long summer break.

* Taekwondo belt testing where Anna earned her blue advanced belt and Trey earned his blue belt. Those belt tests are a lot of fun!

Random neighborhood Kitty-Cat

* Surviving at least 4 or 5 hail storms. I've lost count.

* Watermelon, grapefruit, trying new recipes, Chipotle!

* I'm reading the biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. It is 500 pages, and I am halfway through. Some of it is a bit detailed, but it is a fascinating biography of a very interesting and inspiring man.

* No takers on our house yet, but one family who came yesterday and stayed a long time is said to be very interested. We'll see what happens. I really have a peace about all this and I am content to wait on God's timing.

What simple joys are enjoying? I'd love to hear about them!

Love's Redeeming Work

2011-04-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

Easter 2011

I hope you had a very happy and blessed Easter! I don't think one can ever be late with Easter greetings, right? We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. Worshiping with our church family was especially sweet, and then spending time with our immediate family was relaxing and fun (after the picture taking session, which some folks do not find to be fun).

We had a simple meal of pork tenderloin, potato salad, roasted asparagus and carrots. I am addicted to asparagus. If you are what you eat I will I begin to resemble Sprout any day now. (Am I dating myself? Perhaps I should reference Junior Asparagus instead.) After a little reading and rest time dessert of strawberry shortcake was served up with a huge mound of whipped cream. It was like a whole other meal.

The Easter bunny is no discriminator of age at our house and so everyone enjoyed a basket of goodies. The bunny was so kind as to squirrel away some Orange Cadbury Creme Eggs, too, because they are a favorite and apparently can be enjoyed in moderation while trying to stick with a diet.

I wish you Easter Joy today and everyday!

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! 
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! 
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! 
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! 

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! 
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! 
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! 
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

~Charles Wesley

"Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:

may it rule me,

may I walk in its power,

and be strengthened in its influence."

~The Valley of Vision

Spring Time Galavanting

2011-04-20T07:37:00.000-05:00

Spring weather is the perfect time to enjoy reading in the shade. I don't have a hammock, but I do have a trampoline. I bring a pillow out with me and lay here in this spot soaking in all the sights and sounds of spring: wind rustling the tree leaves, birds chirruping and flitting flit from limb to limb, Mr. Squirrel will scampering past and the occasional neighborhood kitty watching me until my Little Doggie spots him.

My doggie figured out how to get up on the trampoline with me by way of chair. Can you tell that he was very proud of himself?

Taking pictures in bluebonnets is a Texas tradition. The bluebonnet is our state flower and their blooms are a sure sign that spring is here. This is my oldest daughter, Sara, celebrating spring a few roads over from where we live.

Ryan, my oldest son, took a trip with a few college friends to help one of them film shots for his senior capstone project. They had a blast and were especially inspired by the grandeur of Palo Duro Canyon.

And this is Trey on his Boy Scout Canoeing trip somewhere in Oklahoma. He is the one in the foreground looking serious about canoeing. Note that my boy is prepared. Hat. Check. Gloves. Check. Rain gear. Check. Knee pads. Check. Prepared, I tell you.

Do you notice something about all this? While my family is galavanting all around Texas and Oklahoma I am only getting as far as my backyard. With my dog. Is there something sadly wrong with this picture? Nah. I'm right where I want to be. Well, except for maybe Costa Rica, Paris, the Swiss Alps, Hawaii, Greece.......

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

2011-04-13T09:12:00.006-05:00

This rose bush, which was said to be around 30 years old when I transplanted it 15 years ago, is situated right outside our dining room windows. It produces one of the most heavily and heavenly perfumed roses I've ever smelled. This bloom is the size of a saucer. I love to open the window and let the breeze fill my kitchen with its scent.

What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! ~ A.J. Balfour

Click. Clack. Bing.

2011-04-11T05:51:00.001-05:00

First, there was the ortho appointment where poor Anna-girl got double chains put on her top teeth. Doesn't that sound so painful? Like something you would use to tow a car with not move teeth?

Next, it was shakes all around. Well, none for me. The diet and all.

And then, because I am often a very wicked mother or a very delightful mother, depending on your perspective, I drove directly to my favorite thrift store. Trey hates shopping, but thrifting is at top of the Things Trey Hates List. But I figured he had a huge chunky-java-mocha-topped with whip and that should be good for keeping the complaints to a minimum, right? He would say wrong, but there are times when it is just better to smilingly ignore boys.

Anna immediately headed back to the electronic section. When most teens are wanting ipods and computers my girl wants a typewriter. It's been slim pickings up until now. But this day was special. Sitting in the far back corner on a bottom shelf she found this fabulous little Royal typewriter in a perfect little case.

Much glee and happiness ensued.

When she got it home she discovered that the ink wasn't totally dry and started typing mysteriously faded messages on raggedy old paper. They are all a secret, of course, but have a vintage look to them that are really cool. Her daddy discovered that purchasing new ribbon for the typewriter would be fairly easy and our girl went to bed very happy and contented.

The next morning she had a little photo session with her new found love. She may want an old-fashioned typewriter but this girl also loves modern technology. The thrill of the new typewriter isn't complete until all of Facebook knows and sees it. I liked her pictures so well I wanted to share them with you.

There is a new sound in my house.

Click. Clack. Bing.

Fine Art Friday Or Where Did We Go Thursday Night?

2011-04-08T08:47:00.004-05:00

We loaded our vehicle up and headed to Big D for an evening at the...........

At the Opera, Seymore Joseph Guy 1887


The Box at the Opera, Renoir 1874

Opera!

We took five of these with us (and one young man)......

Two Young Ladies in a Loge, Mary Cassatt 1882

The opera we saw was written by this gentleman...

Giuseppe Verdi Italian Composer by Giovanni Boldini

And here is a picture of the actual performers we watched.

Verdi's Rigoletto at the Dallas Opera

We had a fabulous time and thank the Dallas Opera for allowing us to participate in such a rich experience under a pilot program for high school and college students. We are also very thankful for the English subtitles!

Simple Joys

2011-04-06T14:19:00.001-05:00

* Going to open houses with my husband. It's fun and a cheap date....unless we buy a house, which we haven't done yet.

* Avocados, tangelos, plums, Babel light cheese, all so yummy.

* Going to our local park, which we have been doing fairly frequently. We've had a picnic, lots of walks, and even taken Little Doggie who has some social issues and is not always well behaved. He might be getting better, but I might be imagining it.

* Spotting a red winged blackbird and hearing a male defend his territory.

* Mike and I began Weight Watchers on Ash Wednesday. I've joked that I've given up food for Lent, but really it seemed like a good time to practice some discipline in our eating. We are having fun trying a lot of new recipes, some of which I've shared on my recipe site. Cooking this way is easier to do now that I don't have to feed as many people. My big kids are gone a lot and eating elsewhere. Mike is shrinking before my very eyes. Me, well, I've only lost 7 1/2 pounds. I was hoping for more by now, but am happy to see the scale move.

* Celebrating my mom's 81st birthday!

Bonhoeffer is for book club and is supposed to be very good. I've wanted t oread Because He Loves Me for a long time, but it will have to wait until after Lent.

* New books (and curriculum for co-op) coming by way of our Mail Person and the UPS guy!

* The first butterfly sighting of spring. A tiger swallowtail winged its way through my backyard.

* Seeing several cricket games in the park. I don't think I've ever seen cricket being played anywhere but in a movie.

* Meals with people I like, love, and enjoy, friends and family alike!

* Two years ago this month my mom had emergency surgery and was in ICU and my sister found a lump in her breast and was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. Today both are doing very well! My sister is a year and half out from the end of treatment. I am so very thankful.

Sin was the cause of all our Savior's sufferings. Our sins twisted the crown of thorns; our sins drove the nails into his hands and feet; on account of our sins his blood was shed. Surely the thought of Christ crucified should make us loathe all sin. As the Church of England Homily of Passion says so well: "Let the image of Christ crucified be always printed in our hearts. Let it stir us up to the hatred of sin, and provoke our minds to the earnest love of Almighty God." ~ J.C. Ryle from Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Caught in the Act

2011-04-05T11:30:00.001-05:00

We had a big storm roll through in the wee hours of Monday morning. Laying in the bed cozily snuggled under my covers I could hear the whipping winds outside my window. The bright flashes of lightening lit up my room and various beeps and buzzes of appliances as the electricity went out and came back on could be heard through out the house. The sun came out quickly drying everything up but the wind was still fearsome and there were many little Bradford pear sprigs littered throughout our yard.

What is she doing?

I spied this scene out our back windows and my curiosity was piqued.

Anna loves this swing. She spends a good deal of time sitting here singing, writing songs and journaling. She also likes to look at the trees, weeds and what-have-you that lines the back of our yard. She will often run into the house to tell me about something she has spotted.

It seems fitting that her favorite swing should be decorated for spring.

Flower Fairy caught in the act of stringing the swing with garland!

Would you believe it survived the night and is still looking beautiful?

Fine Art Friday

2011-04-01T21:00:00.015-05:00

Roses of Provence

Poppies (This vase is beautiful!)

Anne Cotterill was a Scottish Flower artist who lived from 1933 to 2010. These flowers are lovely. The informal arrangements are especially appealing to me.

Wild Daffodils

"Her detailed understanding of botany was combined with a focus on light and texture that gives her work great presence and feeling of movement. She worked entirely in oils and painted mainly on board, with background colours kept deliberately plain to accentuate the flower colour."~from Mill House Fine Art

You can see more here.

April Showers?

2011-04-01T09:23:00.013-05:00

Nah, no showers here, just beautiful, brilliant sunshine, blue skies, chirping birds, green on just about everything, and even a few flowers.

Speaking of flowers......

Ya'll have probably picked up on how much I love butterflies and flowers.

Have I mentioned that a good amount of our junque is in storage in an effort to make our home look clutter-free and appealing to potential home buyers? It has really caused me to pause before I buy anything new to bring home. It seems ridiculous to buy more junk to fill up where the old stuff used to be. My first question to myself is, "Where will I put this?" and if I don't have a good answer I will usually put it back. I have saved us some money this way and am pleased to be keeping it simple around here. But when I saw this pillow I knew immediately where I would put it which was the green light to buy it, right? I heart it.

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

March Reading Wrap-Up

2011-03-31T06:33:00.031-05:00

These are the four books I finished this month, all of which were very good. This is my first time to read To Kill a Mockingbird, which I loved and can't wait to discuss it with Trey and Anna soon.

If you know me you know I love the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series. I finished The Miracle at Speedy Motors and The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party. Now I am sadly all caught up with this series and will have to find something else to ~~obsess over~~ read.

For book club this month we read Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I had already read that book so I decided to read the 2nd in the series about the 10 year old budding detective and chemist Flavia de Luce: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this month's reading....

The seed of the lie, contained in the first tiny hesitation on Mma Makutsi's part, had sprouted quickly, like a ground vine suddenly sending out its shoots after the first rain. So untruth grows, thought Mma Ramotswe; so easily, so easily. She looked at her assistant as she made her way towards the kettle but Mma Makutsi looked away. ~from Miracle at Speedy Motors

They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience. ~Atticus Finch

"As I inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb County school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I was being cheated out of something. Out of what I knew not, yet I did not believe that twelve years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in mind for me." ~Scout

"If you remember nothing else, remember this: Inspiration from outside one's self is like the heat in an oven. It makes passable Bath buns. But inspiration from within is like a volcano: It changes the face of the world." ~Flavia's Aunt Felicity

"Nowadays, people were always thinking of getting somewhere - they travelled around far more, rushing from here to there and then back again. She would never let her life go that way; she would always take the time to drink tea, to look at the sky, and to talk. What else was there to do? make money? Why? Did money bring any greater happiness than that furnished by a well-made cup of red bush tea and a moment or two with a good friend? She thought not. ~Mma Ramoswe

And lastly, I have been reading this devotional for Lent.

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter is edited by Nancy Guthrie and is a compilation of writings from John Piper, Tim Keller, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Philip and Leland Ryken, J.I. Packer, Frances Schaffer, Joni Tada and many more.

I wanted to read something that would help me to focus on Lent in a deeper way this year and this book has been excellent for that. It has caused me to contemplate the greatest love story of all time in a focused and meaningful way. This is the sort of book I like to read with a pen in hand, underlining and making notes in the margin.

Have you read anything good lately?

One of These Things Doesn't Belong?

2011-03-30T13:00:00.001-05:00

Ever play the Sesame Street game of "One of These Things Doesn't Belong?"

The best part of homeschooling is that our schedule and our day is our own. If we want to go to the park during one of The Most Beautiful Spring Mornings in Texas EVER we can. Now that I have two adult children I wish we had gone to the park more.

This was Doggie's first ever trip to the park where we actually let him out among the general population. He especially liked barking at a silky haired schnauzer! The prettier they are they louder he barks.

Anna took her new ripstik and Trey tried to feed the ducks. They did not like him one bit. I think he is too tall. Ducks used to seeing women and small children all day long feel very threatened when a 6-foot-something man/boy approaches no matter how many bread crumbs he has to share.

Crows are another matter all together. I don't think they are afraid of anything.

The weather has turned bleak, cloudy and damp the past few days so I am especially glad we got out in the sunshine.

How is spring coming along in your neck of the woods?

Nervous Knitting, Frenzied Cleaning, & the 2nd Rose of Spring

2011-03-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

Whoot! See that sunshine brightening up my knitting? Happiness!!! I've been knitting more scrubbies as a thank you gift.

I am having trouble finding time to knit when I am at home. Probably because I am cleaning all the time. Well............that might be a slight exaggeration.

If I take my knitting in the car while Mike is driving I find that I get a lot done. I get even more done if there is a lot of traffic and I am nervous by his driving skilz. This being the Dallas area there's lots of opportunities for Nervous Knitting.

Right in the middle of writing this I had a call that they wanted to show my house in 15 minutes! Yikes!!! We had a 15 minute cleaning frenzy, I took the fastest shower EVER and we headed to the park. It is a beautiful day here in Texas and I think I got sunburned.

Mike would be glad to know I got interrupted in the middle of discussing his driving.

This doggie is naughty.

I need to sew up those four flat scrubbies, but I won't be doing that in the car! I get car sick too easily.

The 2nd Rose of Spring

First rose of spring

2011-03-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

Our first rose bloom of spring!

Last year I planted three rose bushes in my front flower bed. They are Knock Out Roses and very EASY to care for. Look how pretty!

And let us not forget the first shoes of spring! They are important, too. These are my 3rd pair of Keens.

Hello, my name is Leslie and I have a Zappos addiction.

My girls don't think these are as cute as I do. There is a comfort in getting older and wearing the things I like just because I love them and not because anyone else is telling me what I should wear.

How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew! ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A flower expected everywhere...

2011-03-21T14:21:00.001-05:00

The Flower Fairy strikes again!

The weather has been beautiful which means my Flower Fairy (youngest daughter Anna) has been leaving evidence of her presence. I found these Bradford Pear blossoms on my dressing table.

The girls decided it would be fun to camp out for the night and read Edgar Allen Poe aloud to each other. Scary stuff! We have too many birds around here to get much sleep after the break of day, so they were up nice and early after a frightful night.

Mediterranean geckos guard all of our entrances and exits.

Speaking of frightful, the other night I opened the back door to go have a look at the super moon and I had a gecko drop on my head. Do you know what it feels like to have a gecko on your head? Ugh. They are very solid and heavy.

I'm not bothered by them very much. We are used to them. But not on my head. I have seen them in various states: tailless, squished in the door, their ant cleaned skeletons, and even...ahem...mating, and when they are on the outside of the window you can even tell if one is pregnant because you can see the eggs through the girl gecko's tummy. Big eggs!

We took a walk at the park yesterday. We saw several games of Cricket and watched some of the highest kite flying I think I have ever seen. I wish I had taken my camera. It was like being transported to a different country, I just couldn't decide which one. There were ducks, bluebirds, crows and red-winged blackbirds, too. And lots of wildflowers. And today I am sore so that is a Good Thing.

"An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere ..."
- Emily Dickinson, Nature: April

Simple Joys

2011-03-07T21:13:00.001-06:00

Emma Meyer, Women decorating porcelain at Royal Copenhagen

* Beautiful art like this painting by Emma Meyer. The way the light is coming into this studio is the same way it was coming into my living room a few mornings ago.

* Going to open houses with my husband and looking at homes. Lots of interesting things to see!

* Bacon, avocado, red pepper and onion sandwiches! Very yummy!

* Sleeping with the window cracked open.

Sunset over the Kroger parking lot.

* Glorious winter sunsets!

* Chipotle date with my 15 year old son, Trey. These days he spends a lot more time with his Dad than with me so when we get some time together I really enjoy it.

* Picking out and buying fabric for recovering my couch. It's a dark gold that I really like.

* Sara's senior pictures! Some of her friends spent time in Dallas' West End taking photographs that turned out really cute. Sara is in the floweredy sweater.

* Keeping my house clean about 3/5ths of the time is a simple joy. The other 2/5ths it is a complicated dislike. My deepest desire is to go a few days without making my bed.

* Reading a good book! I am FINALLY reading To Kill A Mockingbird and am loving it!

* My new stapler! I've wanted one forever and now I walk around the house looking for things to staple. I'm not finding much, but I did staple some dust ruffles under the bottom bunks in both of the kids bedrooms to hide a bunch of their stuff. Recovering dining chairs is in my future, too.

What simple joys have you experience lately?

Thrifty Deals, Happy Dogs, and Coffee Stains

2011-03-02T09:43:00.001-06:00

When I spotted this 5x7 Parisian scene for $6 I snatched it up quickly. The bright colors in this scene make lift my heart. It is one of the few extraneous bits of decorating that I did not store in our recent binge of cleaning before putting our house on the market.

When I dropped off a vehicle full of stuff at the Thrift Store the other day I couldn't help but to stay a minute and have a little look-see. That is when I spotted these little ashtrays. Aren't they pretty?

Immediately I knew what I would use these for. With my older children drinking coffee now I pretty much run a coffee shop here in the mornings, but in an effort to keep the kitchen more tidy than usual there was always the problem of The Coffee Spoon and the stain it leaves behind. A saucer worked well, but it was big for my little coffee station spot. Aren't these perfect for our coffee spoon? I think I paid $2 for both of these.

Whispering Wheat walls...one of the 5 rooms I've painted recently. And those are the tops of our new mirrors for over our sinks.

This light fixture I bought new in the box at a garage sale last summer for a mere $5. I stuck them the garage to wait for the day we would finish our bathroom remodel. After we had the walls textured last month Mike hung these up and they perfect. $5!!!!

I am making great effort not to just buy stuff without really asking myself, "Where are you going to put it?" If I don't have a good answer I don't buy it. This is pretty much a new way of thinking for me and it is starting to grow on me.

Some of you kindly asked about how our Open House went. We had a good turn out, much better than our first one. Several couples who were looking for their first time home stopped by, and one even works with our son (but he didn't know it). We also had a guy stop buy who owns rental properties. Ya'll, I really want a family to buy our house and not some guy who is going to rent it out only to be destroyed and unloved. Mike says I need to let go of that, but ya know, I'm not going to. I may need counseling before all this is over.

Our realtor wants to have another Open House in two weeks so we will. Keeping things clean is getting easier and the horrible urge I had to make a BIG MESS has passed, at least for now. I also have snickerdoodles in the freezer ready to pop in the oven for the occasion which I made for a FAMILY who wants to buy my house.

Little Doggie posing for a new profile picture for his Facebook page.

I am also glad to report that my poor doggie did MUCH better at Doggie Daycare this past week. This is a huge relief and has me thinking maybe you can teach an old dog a new trick or two???