Drew and Ryley

I think these two little boys are about as sweet as can be. Drew begs to hold his wiry, active, cute little cousin Ryley. The problem is, Ryley won't sit still for long! Caleb captured this rare moment (I think he's getting to be pretty good at photography!).

Tea Party Delights

Beautiful, fragrant flowers from Uncle Ben's garden.

Tasty homemade tea cakes.

Fluffy tea-party hair!

Hosanna had a lovely time at an informal cousins' tea-party last week, hosted by her
Aunt Susie.

Early Morning Breakfast

I thought I should blog about this breakfast since it is such a rarity.

I've been waking up at about 4am periodically. (So much on my mind lately!)

Now, usually I prefer to sleep in to at least 7am. 7:30 is even nicer. 8:00 is pure perfection. (I heard you gasp!) I am not a morning person. Come to think of it, I'm not a night person either. I'm a Sleep person. If you want to get up early, great. Go for it. I'm proud of you. I also don't feel remotely inclined to do so myself. I know what They say about how much you can get done in the early morning hours, how a truly diligent and motivated person rises early, etc. etc. etc. I used to feel a little guilty about my sleeping patterns. Baby number 1, 2, and 3 fixed that! I'm all about a healthy amount of sleep and rest.

Ok, this wasn't supposed to be a sleep post.

It's a tator-tot, biscuit, sauteed peppers, onions, and bacon post.

Yesterday morning, I decided I might as well stun Tom with a hot breakfast! He was stunned all right.

Miracles do happen... I saw a sunrise, showered and dressed before the kids woke up, and made and ate breakfast with Tom in one morning.

Time for a nap!

Lentil Rice Soup, Again

I mentioned this delectable soup in a previous blog. It is very simple to make and our whole family enjoys it. I couldn't resist showing you a picture! If you eat vegetarian meals and don't mind lentils or rice together, you'll probably find it tasty, too (click on the blog link for recipe details). I like to vary the types of rice and lentils. Currently, red lentils and basmati rice are my favorite! The rosemary gives this thick soup a unique flavor.

The Reality Is...

The Reality is, my house isn't always clean. I'm not a Born Organizer. I do like things organized and neat, but getting there...well, that's another story! I forget things like dusting and cobwebs. My Born Organized friends clean constantly, or at least have a plan. I'm working on it. Actually, come to think of it, I've been working on it for about 10 years. I don't really like to clean. My biggest challenges have been to consistently put things away as soon as I am done with them, and not multitask to the point of frenzy. I'm learning to declutter and simplify my life.

The Reality is, I get tired of cooking and baking sometimes. I don't like to plan menus or shop for food. Yes, Me. And if you've spent any time on this blog you know I love to cook and bake! But everyday...every week...every month...it gets old. I'm always trying new recipes to keep from getting in a rut, but sometimes I'd rather live on cereal and Wendy's dollar menu to avoid cooking.

The Reality is, I'm not a perfect Mom. (Of course, you knew that!) I have to ask my kids to forgive my impatience or when I raise my voice. I'm learning and growing all the time in this area, and in other ways as an individual.

A blog is often just a glimpse; one piece of the puzzle. It doesn't show the whole picture.The Reality is, I'm probably a Mom a lot like you.

Sickness & Gratefulness

Our week started out with Hosanna and Caleb developing a dry, nagging cough. Wednesday night Drew got a fever and his cold has made him incredibly miserable and fussy! The rest of us are doing okay, Hosanna and Caleb improving, but I do feel a little worn out after being up with Drew during the night.

My friend Linda and I were discussing the importance of gratefulness in our lives, and not giving in to a selfish spirit. I thought of that this morning as I lay in bed with my ill child. I felt grateful to have a rambunctious two year old, and that this illness is just temporary. I was grateful that I wasn't suffering from a disease and could care for him. I was grateful, yes, to be laying in a messy bed in a messy room in a messy house with my sick child!

I have a lot to learn about gratefulness and patience. This week's lessons come in the form of a Nasty Cold and its Effects. :)

A Little Boy and His Egg

When I dyed eggs with the children, Drew took a special fancy to his orange one.

He carried it everywhere!

"This is my Egg, Mom, I like it, " he would say to me.

At the end of the day, he carefully peeled and ate it.
Ahh, simple joys!

An Easter Weekend Birthday Lunch

On the menu: Chicken Salad with spinach and ice-berg lettuce, orange mini muffins, fresh fruit, chocolate pie.

An egg initial for each place setting!

Tom's cousin Amy P. celebrated her first birthday here in Missouri since their recent move last fall. In honor of the occasion, I hosted a luncheon for Amy, my sisters-in-love Grace and Amy E., and my mother-in-love Helen. Grace brought finger foods for all our children, who ate and played outside under the watchful eyes of their uncles!

It was relaxing, fun, and, of course, not long enough!

Signs of Spring

This scene is right next to my computer desk-a few of my houseplants with Tom's newly planted garden vegetables.

I happened to find this shot as I was scrolling through photos~ I think Caleb must have taken it during his turn with the camera a couple days ago!

"Being powerful...

...is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

Margaret Thatcher

Two Little Nieces

Caela (2) and Brooke (4), who I enjoyed spending time with last weekend.

Notes From 1998 :: April

1
Sometimes it seems like I'm always busy doing something but I never get anything done!
Been meditating this week on Galatians 5:16-26, life by the Spirit.

2
"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law."

3
Open House Re: Y2K. Very interesting to hear everyone's thoughts, attitudes, etc. Met the B family.

4
Dad brought his tractor home! Big thing. :)

5
Full house at church. Met four new families visiting the area. It has been a beautiful day! Mr. D gave a good teaching from Ephesians 4: 1-16, on the unity of Christ. We listened to the V family play their instruments.

6
Dad works on his tractor any chance he can get. Today he moved stumps!

7
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
2 Cor. 5:17

8
The bee balm and my apple mint are spreading like crazy! It is exciting to watch things grow. I hope I am growing too. God is my Gardener! Mrs. Ranes's birthday-we sang to her in the evening.

9
Today our wheat order came in. Mara and I also had a big bread order. Needless to say, we were very busy! The R's came to help unload wheat.

10
D's and H's came over tonight to sing-we enjoyed their company. Beautiful day!

11
G-pa and Uncle Gary stopped by. They also brought dinner! I made violet jelly. Dad worked outside with his toy. :)

12
Resurrection Day! I have a powerful God and He didn't stay in the grave! "Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior...Up from the grave He arose!...A mighty triumph o'er His foes."

13
Sometimes school can be so exciting and sometimes it can be so boring.

14
Beautiful weather! I love to think about what I want to plant in my garden. The kids are outside all the time playing in the sun.

15
"I don't object to people telling me that Jesus Christ is my crutch. But He's not my crutch- He's my Iron Lung- I can't live without Him." - T. Wise

16
Rainy day. Mara had to miss art lessons because of a cold. In the evening the rest of us went to the N's for dinner. Amy and I talked about gardens.

17
Sang at D's. "And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father'. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

18
We worked outside all day in the gardens. Dad plowed with the tractor. The B family came over-they're doing some land hunting.

19
Dad leaves for North Carolina. He won't be back until Tuesday evening. Mr. L gave a good teaching on Ephesians 4:39 and 5:1-5.

20
First day of the Basic Seminar in Springfield. Candace and Rowena with us. Staying at our Grandparents' house. The first evening was wonderful. I learned so much on the principles of design. Later, all four of us girls slept in the huge garage bed! I sneezed all night.

21
Read this morning in Psalm 49, verse 15- "But God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to himself."

22
Beautiful weather! I took a walk down to the creek and listened to the water. I'm sick with allergies and a fever. I'm enjoying the basic, though!

23
Mr. G made an interesting comment:"Teenagers have a major capacity to think logically to the wrong conclusion." Uh-oh.

24
Last evening Mom took us girls to two antique shops and a soup/sandwich restaurant. We had a lot of fun! With gift money, I bought a tea-cup.

25
Rowena's 15th birthday. We fixed a b-day cake for her at breakfast and for lunch Dad took us all the a Chinese place (what a surprise!). Last day of Basic-I enjoyed it very much.

26
We stayed home and relaxed today. Last night, we arrived home around 12:30pm and were worn out. It's been a long week.

27
We have chicks in a box by the stove. They look cute but they SMELL AWFUL and they "cheep, cheep" all the time. Esther is fascinated by them. :)

28
Rachel D's birthday! I am crocheting her a potholder. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to crochet. I love doing it.

29
"It is far better to forgive and forget than to resent and remember." Anonymous

30
We went to the M's for piano in the afternoon and while Mara had an eye exam in the morning the rest of us stayed at the H's.