This and That Thursday

Have you seen the washing lines all over blog land? Do they make you smile? They make me happy, too.

Here are Aria's curtains. Granny finally finished them and Aria's mama hung them up as soon as I handed them to her.

Look who hopped over to rest her weary gnome bones on the fairy bench.

Speaking of Aria, here she is in her cozy bed. I know! Her hair is amazing!

Here is another picture of the four oldest cousins' fun run around Granny and Grampy's backyard. After dozens of stumbles, trips, and rolls, we had a mediocre lunch fresh out of the freezer.

Finnegan, the only boy, holds his own.

Here they are waiting for an energetic grown up to pull the wagon around in the grass - forever. No energetic grown ups to be found.

Yesterday, before CB and Finn's mama came to get them, they dug. After they left, just Samantha was left at Granny's. She gracefully took a three hour nap.

She smells like a flower. She has eyes the color of water. She smiles and smiles and smiles, even though she is intent on squash in this photo. Now she'll have four nice long days with her mama. Her daddy is in Texas for a few days. We miss him.

I keep forgetting to show you "Flock" and I know you'll think this is just as adorable as I do! April knitted all these birds and used sticks for the mobile. It's on Ravelry if you'd like to make yourself some flying birds!

Today I shall revert to my book worm ways and lose myself in my newest book, Kristin Lavrensdatter. I read about it over at Gladsome Lights. I also can't wait to read Sarum. My mother said it is delicious. Kristin Lavrensdatter is already capturing me. I'm drawing and coloring pictures in the margins.

I hope you are having a joyful day.

I'm leaving for Washington on Sunday. Soon, I'll be surrounded by my childhood home's farm scenery, the golf course, the country roads. We'll take the ferry to Guemes Island and eat crab. I'll have some rich conversations with my parents, my brothers and my sister. I'll like that. Yes, I'm taking my camera and I'll blog a bit while I'm there. You'll like looking at it because it is one of the most beautiful little spots in America.

Do you get hungry for certain things when you are reading a book? Today, I read of porridge breakfasts, so I made some myself. I wonder what's for lunch. Thanks for stopping in to check on me today. You're so nice to bear with my idea hopping, my short attention span, and my favorite thinking things.

Happy, Happy

Happy, happy colors and faces and fantastic places . . .

Hi, Everybody! Are you ready for a new week? It's still September, my FAVORITE month of the year because it's my birthday month! I guess October can be a favorite, too! It's both Jenny and Scott's birthday month and . . . Bill and I are going to Hawaii for my fall break at the end of the month! Yahoo! In six weeks, I'll be bobbing around in the South Pacific! Ahhhh!
However, in order to remain a nice person for the six weeks until THAT, I am going to try to keep things peaceful and frenzy free. I'm sort of considering how I am going to do this (smile) and one of the ways is to enjoy some quiet and candlelight every evening. Add to this a cup of tea and some sweet reading time.

I think I also need regular sniffs of lovely flowers. I do remember there are always fresh flowers at the grocery store!

Sometimes, a little mouthful of chocolate does the trick, too.

I think I need VERY frequent looks at THESE precious faces!















But this I know . . . by myself, I can do nothing, but if I am clothed with the most effective outfit that exists:
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."
Ephesians 6:13-18
I am going to keep my gear on!
This is my friend Tracy's son in the outfit I mentioned! Isn't he a little beacon?

And . . . I'm going to hold on tight (but not too tight) to the sides of the Radio Flyer of life. I loved the end of that movie Parenthood when the grandma who has been pretty quiet through all the chaos says that life is a roller coaster and you should just put your hands up and enjoy the ride!


Oh, happy, happy abundant LIFE!
xopp

School Girls

Last night we went to dinner at these guys' house. They are the friendliest and sweetest little bugs ever. First grade and third grade are hard work for them just as eighth grade is hard work for Pom Pom. I'm not sure what I think of school. Is it really the "great idea" everyone thinks it is? How much knowledge can we attain and retain in the 17 years we spend in school (counting college in four years AND kindergarten)? What was it like before mankind set education up so formally? I love reading and writing and I'm glad I have a very basic grasp of math. Science is intriguing as well, but now with all the information available to us, do we really need the structure and the stress of the school day? I wish we could think of another way to do it. Families teaching families, adventures filled with new discovery, brainstorming solutions to heart wrenching global problems - all this thinking could be done without school buildings, bullying, mean girls, and teachers that may or may not prize the students. Sometimes, at parent/teacher conferences, I feel ridiculous communicating expectations of productivity. I don't really believe that "getting all your work done" is a key indicator of future success as a contributing human. I enjoy the community of school. I like "thinking together" that way. I like book circles and hearing different and original perspectives. I DON'T like all the competition and the awards for super star student behavior. I guess I like the "being" of school as opposed to the "doing" it has always required. I know, I'm weird. I just don't want the children I love to make unnecessary adjustments to a tired, old system of learning that isn't fueling their eternal hearts and minds. I do wonder what the schools of the future will look like. Meanwhile, I feel compelled to bathe my cherished favorites in prayers for protection and resilience.