teachable moments

Kinder Farm Park

2010-06-10T13:34:00.001-07:00

a fun activity if you are in the area! (thanks jen for the tip!)

how to find safe sunscreens for your babies!

2010-06-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

my friend shannon sent this link to me on safe sunscreens - check it out!

summer time

2010-06-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

out here in maryland its lovely and warm and breezy. i am sitting on the back porch enjoying the jubilant blowing wind. there are some kyackers a ways out and we have seen two jolly tugboats coming down the river this morning. seriouly folks i feel like i am living in a virginia burton book! can i say that it is heaven here? we witness the movement of nature all around us. the kids are learning the names of the osprey, the cormorant, the canada geese with their goslings, the purple martins, the blue herons and the family of regal swans that visit our point. i am determined to get some more nature guides on the chesapeake bay area so that we can learn all there is about our new home. we'll be staying here for several more weeks before we move in to our digs. ps there goes a mallard duck flying overhead.

so i am here to give a review of sunscreen. i was at target looking for some lotion for this new summer season and was determined to find something natural for my kids rather then that creepy stuff i used to buy. the last few years while we were up in newport, i used nature's gate brand. i was not happy with the taste of it (somehow it always seemed to make its way in to our mouths!) nor was i impressed with the quality - just not my favorite. of course it gave no rashes and worked well-enough preventing sunburns but i was in the mood to find a replacement. so ... i am here to say that the pricey ($12.99+tax) california baby 30+SPF is amazing!! goes on evenly. not greasy. doesn't taste funny. doesn't rubb off. its great.

does anyone else have any other natural/organic sunscreens they like? i know that i could probably find a few others to try through amy karol's site (angry chicken) or simplemom. i will be on the hunt.

enjoy your summer breezes!

its a small world

2010-05-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

i am sitting in a lovely hotel, drinking a lovely glass of wine. children are sleeping - at least 3/4 of them. hubs is crusin his new ipad and i am actually writing a post. been so long. so here is a little update. we moved. today. we packed out yesterday and with the help of some AMAZING friends (got to love community in jesus!) cleaned our home spotless for the inspection. we stayed on the water in monterey - it was so breathtaking. i heard the waves crashing all night. i think that is what you hear in heaven. anyway. we just had dinner at my brother and his wife's home and now are going to be driving down to san diego for a few days with the rest of my family. so excited about that. kids are doing well. we love road trips. as always when we leave an assignment and are enroute to our newest destination, we marvel at the hand of the Lord in our lives. i was overcome with the beauty of creation and the reality that all creation groans and cries out in praise of our God. (in particular when we drove past pyramid lake).

so now to the "small world" bit of this post. i was reading one of my favorite blogs: www.simplemom.net, in the comments was a response written by "tacy". that name rang a bell - hmmm my sister in law was good friends with a girl name tacy in annapolis --- it was her!! so i am now subscribed to www.homemakinghabits.blogspot.com. she is so thoughtful and direct. i really think that i need to become good friends with her - since i am moving to annapolis!! maybe she will see that i also posted a comment at on simple mom!:)

easter eggs

2010-03-29T12:20:00.001-07:00

monday morning is a perfect time to dye ones easter eggs. the girls and i boiled the eggs using the Joy of Cooking directions and then i prepared the dyes and mordents. i would like to try some natural dyes but for today we used what we had. the eggs were still hot but the girls could not wait. so much fun. now we are eating them. they didn't use to like boiled eggs - i guess they are starting to get more grown up?:) these moments always surprise me. enjoy your week. we are anticipating family coming to visit on wednesday from the east coast! the kids are still not completely back to health. it was once again musical beds last night. i feel like i was up with a newborn. that has been the m.o. in our family for the last 2+ weeks. oops i have to run ... baby is up!

the final word

2010-03-24T09:25:00.001-07:00

we got the final word yesterday in an email from my husband's detailer: moving to maryland in may!! yep - on to our next assignment a little bit early. we are thrilled. although enjoying the beautiful monterey peninsula since october, our lives here have been extremely busy and stressful. hubs has worked harder then he has ever worked, learning arabic and he'll be continueing his studies on the side while working in d.c. the family will be close to his parents and so we'll have the support we have not had since we lived in san diego near my side. so what does this mean for mama? ahhhhh we are moving in 6 weeks!! glad i didn't put up any more shelves or pictures. i will start taking a box around the house and purging. and making things easier to pack up and send back east. i guess i need to read simple mom's guide to moving and brush up on my navy moving strategies - has anyone heard of cross-packing? yep - a seasoned navy wife told me its when the movers take random things from multiple rooms and put it all in one box - a NO NO!! so that will NOT happen. she told me she had heard of one wife setting friends up in each room to watch for cross-packing. brilliant!

we will have the whole beautiful, glorious summer in maryland and maybe a few trips down to virginia to visit my folks at the farm!! lots of crabbing off the dock, playing in the tree fort at the farm, milking goats, knitting, swimming in the pond, sunbathing, listening to the frogs, sailing in the boat on the bay ... oh endless summer love!

brothers

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity ...

the girls were out of the home today, and so i just had the two boys with me. today is when the maintenance crews are out mowing and cutting the grass on our street. which if you have boys means complete fascination with the work being done around us. so here are a few shots (coming soon!) of the spectator sport known as "watch the mowers". i love seeing them play together now that they are getting older. oh and did i mention today we have sunshine and clear skies? its been raining so much (not that i am complaining b/c its still beautiful and we get rainbows) here that to have a blue skies day is GLORIOUS!!! i am sitting outside right now, enjoying the fresh scent of cut grass and my morning coffee; so blessed to have this home and this moment with ransom (blaise is sleeping in his crib).

prayer cards

2010-03-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

a project that i have been wanting to do for several months was finally (almost) accomplished last night (as i burned the midnight oil and stayed up way past my bedtime!). what to do with all of those christmas family pictures everyone sends? i never want to get rid of them - almost sacreligious. reading somewhere on the net (please excuse my incompetent memory) of an idea to laminate the photos and put them on a metal ring and use them as prayer cards. its a wonderful teaching tool for children. they see the pictures of loved-ones near and far and can learn to actively participate in prayer and intercession. i am thrilled to incorporate these cards in to our daily living. thrilled to begin to bless dear friends and family. so if you sent me a family picture in the last 2-3 years - you are going to receive lots of daily prayer from our family starting today!!

lent

2010-03-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

although i am not a Catholic, i embrace the celebration and the solemnity with which my sisters and brothers worship Christ our Lord through the liturgical year calendar. these sisters are being mindful of this sesaon of lent - remembering for Whom we abstain for, for Whom the symbols stand for, and are sharing their wisdom with those who are younger and less experienced.

Let us use sparingly words, food and drink, sleep and amusements. May we be more alert in the custody of our senses.

please do go and read ... i think that leila is an incredible mother to us younger women:
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Spring Cleaning for the Soul: Lent & Proclaim a fast, or, Ask for the old paths.

hamantaschen recipe

2010-03-02T22:03:00.001-08:00

here is the amazing recipe for the traditional pastry treat served during purim. unfortunately, i did not write down the wonderful blog i found this recipe. my apologies b.c. i really want to give you credit! but i do have the location of the said recipe: the great hadassah cookbook. my messianic jewish friend said that these were delicious and the best she has ever had - they were the biggest ones she had ever eaten, too! having no picture i wasn't sure how they were going to turn out. one thing is for certain - you can't eat just one!! the will surely sabotage your diet! primary reason hamantaschen are only made once a year.

Hamantaschen Dough:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Cream butter and sugar together in large bowl. Add egg. Mix together the extracts and the milk in a seperate small bowl. Whisk flour and baking powder together in a third bowl + and add a little to the creamed mixture. Add the milk mixture, the remaining flour. Refrigerate for up to two hours.

Roll dough out 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into small rounds, dot each with a spoonful of filling, form into triangles, and bake at 375 degrees F for 15-30 minutes or until delicately browned. *i used a glass to cut out the rounds - making the cookie shape come out a lot bigger then most come out. it was almost like a pastry.

Fillings:

raspberry jam, blueberry jam, strawberry-rhubarb jam, apple butter or poppyseed filling. *i used what i had on had - smucker's strawberry jam. they were fantastic!

catch up post

2010-03-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

the month of februray has flown by and now its MARCH! so here are a few updates:

- my mama and i are starting a new blog about knitting - but its still in the planning stages!:) i am so excited about this since she and i live nearly 8 hours away. it will be a means to stay connected through the beautiful craft of knitting.

- i turned 32 years old on the 10th - whahoo! it feels good to be a mother of four little ones, a wife of a very successful and amazing husband, and to be where the Lord has me in his kingdom, every day i am learning what this means.

- i hosted the neighborhood Bible club at our home on rhys' birthday. we did it on Queen Esther, b.c. Purim falls on the last day of feburary. i borrowed a felt board from my friend, made the traditional treat of hamantaschen, and had the kids decorate burger king crowns with sequins and office stickers (i got the crowns for free, had the office stickers already and bought the sequins for $5 at michaels + some glue sticks and target for under $5). we had almost 20 kids and several moms. it was so much fun! i got the idea for a purim party from Walk With Y'shua Through the Jewish Year by janie-sue wertheim and kathy shapiro.

- our little rhysie-pie (aka juliet rhys plaster) turned 5 years old on the 24th - amazing! we celebrated all week long, ending with an afternoon birthday party! it was a beautiful day - it had threatened to rain all morning, but held off til just the end! (really really beautiful - like rainbow weather!) the party was actually the most stress-free children's event i have put-on! for those who have not planned parties for littles, with littles underfoot here are a few tips (from someone who usually stresses out and makes it difficult for the hubs on said day of the party!):

#1 it should only be for 2 hours - preferably in between meals, so that you don't have to put on a big lunch/dinner. also don't worry about munchies for the parents. if its two hours long you can just serve cake and ice cream. water for the drink.
#2 if you can - get a cake at costco - they are pretty good and feed about 20+! i always make my own cakes, but this time i was missing key ingredients and graham could only stop at one store.
#3 make a schedule/game plan for the party activities - things run so smoothly.
#4 when your kids get older they help you! my girls were eager to give me a hand and my perfectionist-self was reigned in - yes come and help me. so they stuffed the pinata (which they loved!) and then helped with the goodie bags and the decorating. it was really an unexpected blessing. i think maybe the Lord is showing me that i need to let them do more helping, especially when they ask to help. i need to let go of wanting everything "my way" i.e. perfect, and just give in to the beauty of life with little ones!!

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and there you have it: a short catch-up for this month.

ps did you know that today it is dr. seuss' birthday! we read the cat in the hat and i plan on doing some sort of art project/craft to celebrate.

SIMPLE HOMESCHOOL

2010-02-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

treat #2: check out simple homeschool for giveaways!

SIMPLE MOM giveaways!!

2010-02-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

head on over to simplemom.net for some great giveaways in honor of the launching of simple mom media!

rain day

2010-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

its been crazy weather out here in monterey. we have had on and off rainstorms. then it gets really pretty and blue with warm sunshine. so i decided to get the three kids outdoors for a "trek". we all need some fresh air and a walk. its a bit of a hassle to get cranky kids into boots and raincoats but it is so worth it. blaise had fun picking up treasures. bits of multch, rocks, leaves. it reminds me of the simple things that bring wonder and joy to the little ones. how quickly we get distracted with the bright lights and noise of commercial "fun". i know that blaise was exposed to more of the beautiful creation around us this morning. that is a lovely accomplishment if i get nothing else done today.

our pastor said on sunday that God made the world around us, creation, to have community with us. i love that. simply put this rainy day was a love letter to us.

i hope that you can enjoy the outdoors sometime today and remember how much The Creator loves you.

thrifty books

2010-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

on wednesday i took kyrie to a doctor's appointment, just she and mama. we took a little stop off at the pacific grove st. vincent de paul's thrift store. she and i found a pile of great books for very decent prices (although i personally think books at thrift stores should be around 50 each - maybe i am just being cheap!) tomorrow is the post-wide yard sale and i am hoping to find another large stash of children's books for our home library. some of our best books have been from a large library sale in honolulu when we were stationed there.

how do you shop for thrifty books for your children?

thank you Lord for ...

2010-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

today i am thankful for:

sunny california mornings
blue skies
singing, cheerful children
pac n' plays
kleenex
full pantry and frig
menu already planned for the week
time in the word before everyone wakes up
husband kisses
coffee
strong coffee
hot showers
mother-in-laws
my mama
my daddy
my beautiful children
family meals around the dinner table
requests from children to listen to worship music
our neighborhood
that we are going to be living near family next year!
getting back to my bloggin
early bedtimes
walks in the mornings
father-in-laws who volunteer to care for people in haiti

#2 habit "the rule is ..."

2010-02-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

we have instituted a new habit around here just this past week (again another practical solution from my dear m.i.l. rebecca). its called "the rule is ..."

with four children under 6 1/2 years we have lots of little voices and opinions when mama tells the kids to do something (b/c you never ask them "do you want to do ___?" they will always say "no," which will become a point of contention.)

the first step: i say "the rule is _______." for example when my oldest, kyrie, says definantly with her arms crossed, "i am not going to do that." i say (making sure she is looking me in the eyes) "the rule is mama is in charge, not kyrie."

the second part of this habit is having the kids repeat the rule: "the rule is mama is in charge, not kyrie." the three oldest are responding well to this habit. but sometimes i have to take more time to get their attention. getting down to their level, (gently but firmly) holding their chins and getting their eye contact.

i have noticed a remarkable positive response from the kids. ransom smiles cheerfully and repeats me. sometimes it takes a few tries. but he feels a part of the process, like he has a responsibility to respond and then obey. of course all this works if i have allowed plenty of time to get from points A to B.

sometimes mama needs to repeat the rule: "the rule is prior proper planning prevents p-ss poor performance." (a little diddy my hubs uses in the navy.)

#1 habit - menu planning

2010-01-30T14:37:00.001-08:00

this habit seems to be all over the mama-blogs but this is the first time i have actually jumped on the band-wagon! i have a white board that is up in my kitchen. i have breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner posted for the entire week. i am very specific and fastidious about meal times. reason being - kids love a routine. the menu does a number of things:

1. eliminates the constant questions of what are we having for dinner? snack? etc. this usually sapped about 1/2 of my energy just answering. so no more questions. i point them to the board.
2. no more arguments over what we are eating - if its on the board there are NO changes. its whats for dinner, if you don't like it, then don't eat. no complaining. and absolutly no short-orders for this cook.
3. they eat their veggies (i give them veggies and main course first) because they are actually hungry at meal times! they haven't been snacking all day. yes they are cranky come dinner but that was always how the witching hour was anyway. i just keep referring them to the menu board and saying cheerfully, "i am so glad that you are hungry b/c dinner is almost ready!"
4. although i don't actually have proof of this - i think, i will be saving money for our family. if we have all the things for our weekly menu, then i am not running to the store for odds and ends, thereby probably buying extra groceries and racking up the bill at the check out line. if anyone has proof of this please post in the comments b/c i would love to know.

tomorrow: #2 habit "the rule is..."

2010

2010-01-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

having been gone from bloggyland for quite awhile, i hereby begin again! no regrets not getting to post, i say to my creative heart, just lots and lots of LIVING going around here. we have had company since mid-december and today marks our first day as just our family. well actually, graham is not here this weekend either so maybe technically its less then our whole family. but you get the idea.

marmie (aka rebecca) my mother-in-law, left today for home (after five weeks of visiting!!) she and pop (aka mark) stayed in monterey, while he worked on a book. (he is in haiti, working alongside the other docs in his hospital group!) we are very sad to see her go - she has been such a blessing, inspiration and wealth of knowledge for this mama. things around our home are a lot more organized, simplified, and more peaceful. so ...

for the next few days i am going to share some of our new habits. enjoy!

so grateful

2009-11-23T22:13:00.001-08:00

for sunshine in the central coast
for my brother and his family coming to visit this thanksgiving
for wisdom to parent our six year old
for a gas stove
for clean clothes (and w/d that works)
for piles of clean laundry
for sushi last night late with hubs (a date in)
for cheap crafts the girls like to do while boys are taking naps
for already shredded cheese
for yummy swiss chard sauteed in evoo and s&p
for our compassion children
for old college roommates

The Farm

2009-11-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

yesterday we went to The Farm, located in Salinas. we joined living water homeschool co-op for a farm tour and hayride. it was a bit of a trial to get there (the battery was dead, our friends had to jump us, thus mama was a grump and impatient.) but we got there and had a blast. i refrained from buying anything at their market/gift store but it was REALLY hard. i will probably go back again - there were animals (goats, ducks, chickens, bunnies) and the kids went on a wonderful farm tour - ransom got to pull a very large beet out of the earth! i will try and post some pictures soon. The Farm is full of eye candy - gorgeous pumpkins (the kids got to pick their very own pumpkin after the hayride) and specialty gourds. its definately going to be a destination for us when we have visitors. their collection of children's books is fantastic! and they are a family & christian owned business. check it out on dec. 4th from 6-9pm for christmas day on The Farm.

giving thanks ... on wednesday instead of this monday

2009-11-18T19:50:00.001-08:00

... thankful that my children are healthy and home with me.
... thankful that there is forgiveness (especially in the hearts of my children when i am having a bad day)
... thankful for this beautiful home
... thankful for blogging, emails and facebook
... connecting with friends from far away and long ago through all of the above
... for babies that take their passie, their stuffed animal and nurse and then happily go to sleep in their own beds
... for singing kyrie (who is taking a bath)
... for a creative rhys (who has been very busy with bookmarks and drawing - i think there are some homemade christmas gifts in the making)
... for the starry night when i moved the bikes back in to the garage
... for only about an hour til hubs gets home
... for jesus - he covers a multitude of my sins
... for fresh starts, new days, new mercies and french press coffee
... for farms - we get to visit one tomorrow with a homeschooling coop
... for friends who invite us to the farm (thannk you lindsay!)
... for giant used book sales (praying for a babysitter for friday so i can go!)

used books

2009-11-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

today i decided that i needed to find some cheap sources for books - like craig's list, goodwill etc. then i remembered that when we were in hawaii i went to a library book sale and scored big time. fingers went walking and what did i find? right here in the monterey bay area i found a library sale this friday and saturday!! i am getting a babysitter and i am going!!

also: at the monterey public library there is a used book sale 1st saturday of every month from 1-4pm. they will also being having their annual GIANT book sale on january 8,9,10 of 2010.

forgiveness over at Simple Kids

2009-11-17T13:49:00.001-08:00

i found this while reading soule mama's blog and have found this simple act of humility with my children relieves me of so much guilt as i mother, oh-so imperfectly.

a thanksgiving book

2009-11-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

on a recent trip to the post library, i found this lovely book (i especially love this edition) written by louisa may alcott. we had just rented the movie of the same title (an old fashioned thanksgiving) but i was pleasantly surprised to find that it is completely different from the movie and that it truly is honey for my children's hearts. what a lovely tale of a large, close-knit family in the rural frontier of new hampshire during the 1700's. just the kind of story i want my girls to hear as we discover how special it is for family to help and work alongside eachother.

one thousand gifts

2009-11-02T23:38:00.000-08:00

...thankful i didn't get the flu, eventhough four kids + hubs did
...for a brand-new jogging stroller that someone gave us when we bought a washer/dryer off craig's list (not kidding it was probably used three times!)
...for the beautiful weather outside - ie warm days!!
...for my new home
...for closets and space for everything!! (linen closet, laundry room, 2-car garage, pantry, cabinets, drawers, walk-in closets in bedrooms, a guest room with a closet, 2 1/2 baths!, and an office witha closet!!!)
...for a husband who appreciates my work as i appreciate his
...for parents who care and pray for me
...for sweet hugs and kisses from kids when i am "frustrated"
...for walks to the park
...for fall chills and apple pies
...for our own bathroom
...for a chance to reorganize our lives as we set up house
...for abort73.com
...for sonlight homeschool curriculum
...for neighbors who send baked goods over to welcome us the the community! (like four families have already done this!!)
...for a closet dubbed "the reading room/dress-ups closet" that the kids like to go in to and close the door and play
...a backyard with a fence to send kids out to play (and a kitchen window to look out on them!)
...pretty, new, soft sheets (target's vintage mondern)
...new couches coming tomorrow to sit on in our living room!
...verizon guy coming today to hook up our internet
...friends who call unexpectantly and leave lovely messages on my voice mail (thank you nowie)
...james 1:19 - thank you jesus for teaching me and being patient
...for my compassion children: erasto and juliana
...for snuggling kids
...for kid's ibuprofen and tylenol (those poor mothers of ages past and those mothers now who don't have access to these simple wonder drugs.)

sonlight

2009-10-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

we ordered our sonlight books a few days ago and i am so excited about the box coming to our door!!! and yesterday we did school with borrowed sonlight for preschoolers and it was WONDERFUL! we sat in our new house and snuggled, reading, discussing, talking, laughing. i really love this way of family-centered learning. we read a story about a persian girl and then i had the girls draw a picture from the story. it was so neat to see their creativity emerge. the usborne stories from the around the world had persian inspired illustrations and i remembered that we had rubaiyat of omar khayyam + illustrations in our collection. if you have never seen illuminated illustrations from persian works - you ought to. they are so detailed and rich. i read a bit of the poetry too (the persians are really in to their poetry, even today!) and kyrie loved it!

so i think that with sonlight, a bit of charlotte mason wisdom and a few other sources horseshoe homeschool is going to be a wonderful place.

new home update

2009-10-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

tuesday we got our keys. thursday our stuff arrived. my dad came up to help us with the movers, as graham would be in class all day. (thank you to both mama and dad!) a friend took the three older kids for me all day. we had terrific movers. they were so patient when i asked for different things. they were careful and thorough. thank you Lord for orchestrating this. i had them unpack all the household items (the garage we'll do ourselves, once we get the house put together.) so that means two things: #1 it is a bit chaotic around here as you can probably imagine (invision 3 year old and 1 year old sons getting in to everything!!) and #2 the movers did about 2 weeks worth of unpacking + got rid of almost all the boxes. i think this is the way to go for us from now on. tonight will be the first meal i cook in our beautiful kitchen. we are so thankful for this home (4 bedrooms + an office with a closet, and so many other fabulous ammenities!)

the Lord has also showed his faithfulness to me by way of friendships, not only for me but also for our kids and for graham! there is a very special family (9 houses down from us! i had the kids count.) who have four little kids our kids' ages and who homeschool. they love jesus and are totally going to be our good friends. the kids love to be with their kids and us adults are pretty stoaked about the fellowship and date nights!! (its not everyday you find another couple willing to take your four kids for an evening!)

the neighborhood has been so friendly and inviting. ladies bearing yummy treats and offering help! sharing toys, visiting - its all here in our neighborhood. quite a different environment then when we lived out in town in newport. everyone here is in our same boat. its really encouraging and refreshing.

well i hear the baby upstairs up from his nap. gotta run. i will post pictures soon.

confessions of a super-mom

2009-10-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

i came across lindsay's post this evening. i have struggled with comparing myself to other moms; with feelings of inadequacy, especially when i read blogs by other super-moms. so it was refreshing to read her words and good for my heart to refocus. thank you lindsay.

here is a lighter, but oh-so-true essay on the super-mom, from a new favorite, suburban granola.

join me in giving thanks

2009-10-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

in preparation for the thanksgiving season, join me as i give the Lord the glory due his name, in the moments of everyday life.

journey

2009-10-16T22:34:00.001-07:00

welcome! please join me, as i journey into motherhood, homekeeping and homeschooling. be inspired and encouraged to gain eternal wisdom from the every day moments of this life.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (New International Version)
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

a new start ... a good day

2009-10-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

today was a good day... i mean i lost it a few times with the kids, had to apologize and make peace. but for the most part it was productive. we are still in limbo with our housing and homeschooling. its been the navy lodge almost 2 weeks now and will be finally moving in to our new digs on tuesday (that is NEXT week!) i am so eager to get us SETTLED.

most recently (ie. the last few days!) i decided that instead of reinventing the wheel, i am going to go with established curriculums. (sonlight, along with others i am reviewing). the beauty of homeschooling is that since we are starting out late in the year, we can just school through the summer months. the kids love to learn, so i think that this will be a good plan for us. from what i know sonlight's literature based approach fits our family's passion for reading and books. a new friend and veteran of homeschooling, recommended math-you-see and pathway books for language arts. pathway readers are what the amish and mennonite schools use.

teachable moment #1: review a few options but avoid being overwhelmed with too many choices.
#2: using one type of curriculum/method doesn't necessitate staying with it or using it next year.

do you have any suggestions for curriculums/methods? any to avoid? what method are you using in your homeschooling?

the trivium

2009-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

note to self: i just found a great resource for our homeschooling fact-finding: from preschoolers and peace, an article on ten things to do before you child turns ten.

http://triviumpursuit.com/articles/ten_to_do_before_ten.php

this might be my overall guide to this year at horseshoe homeschool (kyrie's name for our home school!)

america, america day #2

2009-09-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

so far we are still in ohio. we said goodbye to the beautiful tatko family. then for lunch we met up with brooke and doug waller (old friends from USNA '02 days). the kids played at the chic-fil-a playset & we adults got to catch up and visit. doug and brooke were in navigators with us at the academy and have been special friends ever since. i am going to put her blog up on my blog roll.

i am determined to have this travel thing with kids down to a science by the end of our journey. i will be making suggestions for smooth sailing, when we get to california. i am learning how to be a better mama every mile we drive. the lord is teaching me so much. i am asking for him to create in me a clean heart every morning. slow to anger, tender, warm & kind. patient, compassionate, firm, faithful.

more to come after we get to st. louis.

america, america! day #1

2009-09-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

we are on the road across the country, to our next tour destination -- monterey, california! we moved out of our home in newport, rhode island (saying goodbye to our wonderful friends from church and salve) last week and drove down to maryland for my sister-in-law's wedding. we have the kids and all of our stuff (for the road trip) packed up in our green van! each kid has a dvd player. we have a splitter so that the three oldest kids can listen to their music and we can have some peace. i have collected all sorts of diversions for the kids (colorforms, crayons, stickers, books, cds, dvds, trinkets, jump ropes, surprise dolls, unopened birthday presents for ransom etc.) so far the kids have been amazing. we started at 7am from annapolis (on wed) and made it all the way to columbus, ohio (with stops & traffic about 11 hours). last night we stayed in the home of friends, dave & amanda. dave grew up with graham and tammy his mother was there as well (with gift bags for our kids). she has remained a very close friend of my mother-in-law's from their days in akron. our kids had a blast. it was a lovely evening - wine, yummy food, children, babies (their kids are darling!), & fellowship. their property is nestled in beautiful farm fields. graham and i enjoyed watching the sunrise over the fields and hearing the rooster crow his early wake-up! fall in ohio is gorgeous and like coming home.

some highlights of day #1:

- traveled through maryland, pennsylvania, west virginia and ohio.
- crossed the appalachian trail
- counted barns + ransom noticed all the water towers
- drove thru the alleghany mountain tunnel

2009-07-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

aquidneck island grower's market

2009-07-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

yesterday was a fabulous day in newport! we went to the beach (the kids had more fun climbing up a "tall" sand dune), made cards for kyrie (who is staying at marmie's and pop's house this week down in maryland), walked to the farmer's market, got aweful-awefuls at newport creamery, went to the park and played, and generally spent as much time outdoors as possible!! for mama it was glorious. i also got a killer, bomb haircut (plug for bethany craft at ki-ra salon!)

we walked to the market and bought: fresh arugula (it is so nutty, or is it a peppery flavor? - phenomenol! - this is the way lettuce is supposed to taste!), romaine, basil (yes amazing!!), fresh hamburger buns, whole wheat sandwich loaf, and this amazing chocolate cupcake for the boys to snack on (all baked goods from olga's cup + saucer!) i also bought a iced cold-pressed coffee from custom house coffee roasters (which was again, awesome!) the weather was in the high seventies and lovely. a hint of humidity. gorgeous. we then walked to the creamery and rhys, anna and rachel all got ice cream or aweful-awefuls. this is a newport tradition. i refrained - having had my fill of cookies the night before, following a visit with friends to one of our fav eateries: pronto, on thames. we took the kids to aquidneck park by the newport library and played for a bit. then we went back home via bellevue ave.

at the park we had a potty accident - the #2 we had been waiting for since monday finally arrived. let's just say he is VERY strong-willed. but i will tell you - i am tired of cleaning up those and the time is NOW. carpe diam.

* at the farmer's market i picked up a copy of edibleRhody. (in lynchburg i had also gotten a copy of edibleBlueridge). its a great publication for those who want to know about the local, sustainable, organic food scene. i am excited about these new finds:

http://www.nefarmways.org/ - just found out about the free concerts at sweet berry farms + the washington county fair (maybe a good birthday idea for blaise's first birthday!)
http://www.kidoinfo.com/
http://www.getfreshbuylocal.org/
http://www.farmfreshri.org/

blaise updates

2009-07-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

crawling (army crawl): june 12
regular crawling: this week
pulling up to standing at crib railing: last night
playing games with mama: last night (while he is in the crib i throw his soft green star and he fetches it for me and slides it through his crib while cracking himself up and squealing with delight - its hysterical!!)
teething - yep the last few days have been rough
weaning to a cup - now just nursing before bedtimes and in the morning, hates the bottle, likes vanilla soy milk and whole milk, likes the cup better!

summer time news

2009-07-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

dear friends + family!

we have been back in newport for several weeks after a three week vacation down south! we had a week in amherst, with my folks. the farm was splendid! it was hot and humid (which was so SO welcome to our cold souls), green and lush (since i havn't been back to the farm for almost 4 years, it seems that the small trees are now very large!). we visited my brother's grave, a first since his burial. a small country plot overlooking the hills of the blue ridge mountains. we visited a wonderful little country store and had fresh peach shakes. we went to the lynchburg farmer's market + liberty university (my alma mater). i even got lost on the lynchburg bypass b/c its tricky to a new comer. we went swimming in the jacuzzi and admired the views. we walked up and down our gravel driveway and talked about the dogs (ransom enjoyed laying on the dogs, they were very patient). we fed and pet the goats, checked out the sheep, that are grazing on the land. rhys milked the goat. trudged around in rain boots and avoided the ticks to the best of our ability. we explored down by the bonfire at the bottom of the land and climbed up on the tree fort/house that my mama has made for the kids out of repurposed building supplies (it even has our old spiral staircase!) i took several of the kids to v.e.s. for a little walk about. its always good to reconnect with that special place. it even smelled like i remember it smelling during the summers.

then it was off to annapolis for a two week stay and a stop off in nyc (brooklyn) for the 4th of july. we had such a lovely, relaxing visit at marmie and pop's. we went swimming at their neighbor allison's pool nearly every day. we played in the plastic kiddie pool and threw rocks and pebbles in the west river. we played in mole's end and up in the attic, dressing up. we played with the kitchen in the mud room and ate marmie's delcious waffles. (this is a requested favorite for my kids). rebecca and i worked really hard to get the kids back on a good schedule. i instituted a rule that the children were not allowed to get out of their beds until 0700. it took a little getting used to but they were champs! how nice to get a full night's rest. i also starting allowing blaise to cry himself to sleep. this insured a full night with no wake ups for mama. i think sleep deprivation (among other things) has been the main source of my spring meltdowns. it is imperative that mama gets good sleep, otherwise i am not able to be a good mama to the kids. i don't want to be a snippy, cranky mama or wife. graham flew down for a long weekend, surprising me! we got to have a double date with some friends from hawaii and walk around our old stomping grounds in annapolis. it was a very special weekend for he and i.

i always come back from tenthouse (the name my in-laws gave to their home) feeling so refreshed. thank you re and mark! thank you mama and daddy for opening up the home down in virginia, it is such a special and beautiful place.

we had a nice family gathering at logan and laura's in brooklyn. we watched the lights of the city as the sun faded west over the skyline and the hudson. the view from their roof is spectacular! the next day i drove up to newport, while graham went sailing with his dad, brother, cousin and some friends, up to newport with the dawn treader. (the boat). they came in around midnight of monday night. what a wonderful homecoming!!

the week we came home we had eli, graham's cousin with us. it was a wonderful visit. he is such a big help with the kids. we went to gooseberry beach several times and got some good sunshine. upon kyrie's request, graham and eli built a lemonade stand and we set it up for business on a sunny and warm newport saturday morning. the kids had a blast. we even got a date night and walked down to the theatre to see "away we go". great flick. please go see it!

this week we have had anna and rachel magee (from our homegroup at coast vineyard) staying with us, helping me out with the kids. this is their 3rd summer coming out! we love them. they love our kids and are so good with them. i love having the girls with us. the kids had vacation bible school all week at our church - and loved it of course!! we also had emily here for a few days as we celebrated graham's 30th birthday on july 16th! the dawn treader had been docked at the war college marina for a week and so his parents and siblings all came up to celebrate and then to sale it back down to annapolis. we had a wonderful party for him on friday night - rebecca brought all the food. it was phenomenal. we had some old and new friends and it just was a special evening. we have much to celebrate - not only graham's birthday but that we also got FAO (foreign area officer) and are moving to monterey in a few months for language school. this was exactly the career move graham was hoping for. this means we'll be in a foreign country within a year to 18 months. we are so so excited!!! such a blessing for the lord. we have been so excited about this move and now its almost finally here!! the emotions we feel can be described as just getting engaged or having just had your first baby! its so BIG!

so that is our summer so far. we are enjoying the warm (well today its raining) and sunny summer weather, the park, the beach, and walking all over town. we'll be hopfully picking berries at sweet berry farm, going to outdoor concerts at the beach, seeing the beach boys on the naval base this weekend, celebrating kyrie's 6th & blaise's 1st, helping with a wedding shower for whitney and jondavid, and v.b.s. later in august. its crazy having four kids, but each day is new and a clean slate!

pinkalicious!

2009-06-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

hey you'll! my kids (yes even my son!) have really been enjoying the books pinkalicious and purplicious by elizabeth kann and victoria kann. we are just ecstatic that they have a new title out: goldilicious, about a unicorn. rhys asked if we could make cupcakes today after school. so we did (after i got the boys to go down for naps). this was the second attempt - the first time making them i added way way too much vegetable oil, having read the directions wrong. imagine that!! so here are our pinkalicious cupcakes. we used the cherries but as soon as they were captured on film, we threw them out. they are just so pretty - but not very yummy. and yes swimming in red dye #49 and high fructose corn syrup (then again so is the red food coloring i used for the pink frosting - oh well:)

what do i want to do when the kids grow up?

2009-06-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

last night i met a few girl friends for a book club meeting - at a swanky little place down the street from my home. it was WONDERFUL. we are all moms and all military wives. we had decided that there was need for an excuse to escape for an evening (on a regular basis) and have mom-time-only! after discussing our book of choice and deciding on what we would be reading for our next, we got in to the topic of "what we will do after the kids grow up." we all went around the circle and shared. one friend, who is a woman truly walking in step with the spirit, shared that she wants to be like her mom. she said her mom volunteered her time but was always free to drop everything if any of her children needed her.

she said you'll never stop being a mother. that idea really resonated with my heart. this is something that i have desired from my own mother but because of real life reasons, has not been able to materialize - accept for one amazing time - when i gave birth to my first child, six weeks early, all the way in hawaii, my dear mom, dropped it all and flew from the east coast the same day, to be with me. she was amazing. that is motherhood. serving and in turn fulfilling a god-given calling that continues throughout a lifetime. i hope that i can do this for my own daughters and sons. thank you mama for giving up your life, once again, to serve me.

From 'CatalystofJoy.blogspot.com'

2009-06-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Paul's 'St. Crispin's Day' Speech

2 Timothy 3-4 (click on reference to read passage)

In this passage, Paul exhorts a weary band of brothers and sisters to fight the good fight and finish strong. I was thinking of this yesterday and remembered the images of the Iron Man race where runners pushed themselves so hard that they literally had to crawl across the finish line. As they cross they are greeted by their friends, family, doctors and media. There is at once the knowledge that 'it is finished' and also, I have done well. And that is what we desire, on the deepest level to know, that God sees us crawling across the finish line and grasps us under the arms saying, you are my son/daughter and I am deeply pleased with you. That is a wonderful vision and a destiny to pursue wholeheartedly, but an even better analogy might be these guys, Rick and Dick Hoyt. As it turns out, our role in the race of life is sometimes less about running and more about being carried along by the grace of God. Anyway, the dichotomy between these two images, where one represents us as the runner, and the other with God as the runner, really is dealt with in James. We must run with all of our might, and God will take care of the rest.

the national crayon recycling program

2009-06-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

here is another great resource at blissfully domestic on what to do with old crayons. i love this!

what to do with your yoga mat?

2009-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

after donating a perfectly good yoga mat to the goodwill the other day and wondering what else i could have done with it, i found this article at blissfully domestic. enjoy!

march 2009

2009-06-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

lovies

the sleeping beauties

texting with emily

the ukelele man

kisses

updates ... making baby food from scratch (thank you to nurture-baby) ... blaise is 8 months + eating more solids (yeah!) and rolling over + teething ... easter at the plasters - we had friends from our time back in 2002 at surface warfare officer's school here in newport + lots of fun with the kids + celebrating our new life in christ, allelulia! ... spring was slow to come to newport but the crocuses and the daffoldils bloomed, the forsynthia came out and there were hints of the green foliage peeking from its winter cover!

february 2009

2009-06-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

zonked rhysie

we love to read!

ransom outside with his sippie
we braved the wet on a "warmer" afternoon here

blaise eating more solids! 7 mo.

kyrie walking in my boots

a few days after the surgery

snuggling with brother - still not feeling so good

before the surgery - candyland at hasbro!

kyrie's surgery to correct her urinary reflux was a success!! praise the lord for dr. caldamone and hasbro children's hospital over in providence. we knew she would be getting this surgery since she was 15 months old, but it didn't get on the books until our checkup in november. we scheduled it for feb. 19th and that was the day that kyrie talked about multiple times a day, for months. dear little thing, she agonized over it & had many nightmares and trouble sleeping. i wish that we had known not to share with her the details until a few days before. however, the Lord made himself near and close to us and he was present at every turn. we were at the hospital for 3 nights. he worked all the details out for us, right down to rebecca (graham's mom) coming up to help with staying over night in the hospital and caring for the children when i or graham were with kyrie. we also have wonderful babysitters from salve regina who volunteered help at all hours!!! our church was also amazing, sending meals over for a few days. thank you so much to all who gave in every way. mahalo!

updates ...

2009-06-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

since i haven't been around the blog in a few weeks i thought i would just post a few pictures of our busy activities ... i have been trying to get in to shape for whitney's wedding (hubby's baby sister!) in september -- so early morning walks, portion control, calorie counting, trying to drink more water, and getting exercise whenever i can. now that summer is here (although it feels more like a wet spring) my goal is to take the kids to the park at least once a day and/or the beach (even on cooler, overcast days). we have been spending time with some new friends who go to church with us and happen to live just a few streets over in our 'hood!! these special families are really excited to have found eachother and we all consider it a blessing from the Lord! so the next few posts will be updates of our spring. enjoy

this morning i woke up extra early and walked to starbucks, got a coffee and then walked all over downtown. it was nice to 'have the time'. the flowers i came across were heavenly. i hope to get a few pictures next time i am out. truly the beauty that my Father made for me today was exquisite. i was so aware of the presence of his love for me. it was sometimes sublte and sometimes vibrant. he was romancing all of my senses.

Great Video for Design Inspiration

2009-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

After coming home from a garden/graduation party, we found two worn wicker chairs sitting on the curb near our house. We've taken them in to refurbish and reuse. But the challenge ahead is, Hwat color should we paint them? We looked for inspiration at one of our favorite painted wicker websites, Maine Cottage - ok, so it was the only site I know of with painted wicker without googling it.

Found this - Here are some wonderful images, colors and words from a designer at Maine Cottage

ENJOY!

doll house

2009-05-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

i found this article and pic on a new found site called ohdeedoh from apartment therapy. i did this in my room when i was a little girl. it was where i kept all of my sylvanian families. i can't wait to have a place like this one day for the girls!

my babies

2009-05-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

before i turn in for the night i want to post about my kids. i love them. they rock. each one is awesome. each one exudes energy and spirit, different from their siblings. this afternoon out in the backyard, there was rhysie, on her own "stage," with a song on her lips; blaise bouncing on my lap, having found his voice, practicing his oratory; ransom, running around chasing a friend with a pool noodle, making loud, boisterous noises as only little boys do; and kyrie, my nature girl, building a home for her pet slug, "slimey."

these last few days, i have been trying to savor the hugs and kisses. be in the moments i am nursing blaise, my last babe. this season of life, when they are my chicks, in our nest, safe from the world, is full, sometimes to overflowing, but it is coming to an end. i linger with my snugglies and sit a little bit longer in the rocking chair with a satisfied baby. my favorite quiet space is the boys' room. when they are sleeping, and all is at rest. i love what soule mama wrote just recently about her fourth babe. so what i am trying to say here in this place is that i am enjoying this time. i am endeavoring to remember that they won't be little forever and i am content in my circumstance of being their mama, their comforter, their nurturer. thank you Lord for this great pleasure.

new babies

2009-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

i just found out my friend alston is expecting a baby (her third)!! i feel like everyone i know is having a baby - well, not everyone but you get the point. please check out her company b.wise papers. she is so so creative and talented. and she is an amazing mama to two adorable boys (+ babe).

with the list of expectant mama-friends i need to get some gifts out to the mail! what fun - i get to play the stork!

books on the brain::location & content

2009-05-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

i am a reader. my husband is a reader. my children are readers (or at least 1 out of 4 read now!) so i think i need to include in this little chronicle of mine, the books i read or want to read this year. its good to see progress.

books we read shape who we are as people. this idea is a heavy one because it means we have a responsibility: to God, to our hearts and to our neighbor, for what we bring in to our minds. i want to have books that are character builders. not only goes for myself but also for our children. simple mom has a great post (read towards the end) about books in the home. as i was thinking about where we wanted to put our books in our new digs, it got me thinking about what we are reading, what our kids are reading and how location and content can ultimately mold the moral and creative imagination of our littles. now we just have to find a good set of like bookshelves to create this space (the ones we currently have are not tall enough, thus they take up way too much space - Lord, can i have built-ins? sigh.)

book list 2009:

reading:

john adams by david maculah
tipping point and outliers by malcom gladwell
the great omission by dallas willard
book of john in the bible
the blessing by john trent, ph.d. & gary smalley
9 o'clock in the morning by dennis bennett

want to read:

(re-read) animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver
90 minutes in heaven by don piper with cecil murphey
a grief observed by c.s. lewis
orthodoxy by g.k. chesterton
the idea of a university by cardinal newman
the omnivores dilemma by michael pollan

completed:

a tree grows in brooklyn by betty smith

simple mom's top 10 twaddle free children's books:

1. madeline by ludwig bemelmans
2. best friends for frances by russell hoban
3. ferdinand by munro leaf
4. frog and toad are friends by arnold lobel
5. george and martha by james marshall
6. make way for ducklings by roberty mccloskey
7. winnie-the-pooh by a.a. milne
8. if you give a mouse a cookie by laura numberoff
9. alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day by judith viorst
10. lyle, lyle crocodile by bernard waber

creating a haven

2009-05-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

i have been back for a few days - what a wonderful rest for the mama! & a special time to be with family celebrating grandma's life here. this time away in california meant that i was not able to stick with tsh and the simple mom cleaning party. so i am going to start slugging it out again -starting with our bedroom. since we will most likely be out of our current digs by october (we find out in july), our wish list for the new home is growing and intentional. i am going to continue to add to it so that i can have specifics to bring to the lord in prayer (my mom encouraged me to do this!)

we were discussing our bedroom this afternoon - how its not really what we want - i.e. cluttered, hodge podge, disorganized ... you get the point. what is it that we want? we want it to be a haven for our marriage, a place to retreat with minimal "stuff," a quiet place to rest without "the other" chaos of our home. i absolutely love the tips mandi shares at organizing your way. tsh at simple mom has some wonderful suggestions and just overall practical mantras for making this special room, what it is - SPECIAL. so this week (along with clearing off surfaces for the cleaning lady) i will be working on our room and closet. bear with me as i do an abridged version - i am plugging along, just a bit more slowly.

if you haven't checked out any of the pictures that tsh posts - they are SO encouraging. its kind of funny because we have a lot of the same furniture she does from ikea!

family connections

2009-05-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

i have been in california since last friday for my family. my grandmother passed away last monday. she had been ill for 4 1/2 years since she had a stroke. i was able to fly out with just baby blaise for a little time away from our life on the east coast to be a support. thanks to my dear husband, his parents and our babysitters, i was able to go to the funeral.

my grandmother and i were not close. i wish that we had been. but one thing i know is that she was a really wonderful person. she was an artist, a sculptor. she was an italian american. born in brooklyn to immigrant parents. she was a war bride. she was a mother of three. she was so many things that i am now. its funny, that when you begin to focus on someone's life, and what they did, who they were, there is this an amazing connection that you can have -- you begin to discover why you are the way you are. i am going home tomorrow and i go home with a stronger, more unique identity, ties to my grandmother and my auntie that i am so proud to have.

life

2009-05-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

yesterday i did not party with you'll in my cleaning spree b/c i had to get to the doctor's office for a quick visit. my grandmother passed away monday. so i am taking the baby and flying back to california for a few days. dear husband is staying with the kids, with the help of our wonderful babysitters and my incredible in-laws. (thank you!!) i was running around getting errands done before my trip, so there was no time to work on the home. but when i get back i will just resume where i left off! i am really looking forward to it. this system is so stressfree, it seems. maybe part of that is the house is already spotless. no dustbunnies, no dust. period! but i won't have bragging rights (as you all will) that i, myself, cleaned the entire house from top to bottom!

so life happens. and death too. my grandma june was in her mid-eighties and had been going downhill since a stroke about four years ago. she is with the lord and no longer held back by this world. she was an amazing artist (sculptures) and i know that i have a lot of her qualities, as well as favoring her (looks wise). we weren't as close as i had hoped to be with her. but i know that she loved me and prayed for me. if i can find it i will post the poem i wrote and recited for a grandparent's day event at my elementary school. i will also try and find a picture to post of she and i.

please do pray for my dad and his siblings especially. (my grandfather has already passed on). thank you!

easter 2009

2009-05-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

after church

easter basket goodies

portuguese easter bread

holztiger figurines courtesy little bits

blaise with his new hat knit by grams

graham with blaise

my easter bunny 8 mo.

i wanted to share some of our easter with you'll. we had a wonderful weekend with friends. tommy and amy lowe were in town, along with the some other navy friends, the betz' (formerly jess morris with new hubby ryan). church was wonderful. awe can remember the sacrifice that our savior made for us and the victory we have in his resurrection.

oh death where is thy victory, oh death where is thy sting?

the reason for a clean home ...

2009-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

i love this quote from simplemom.net in today's post:

We clean our homes because it's sanitary, because it's enjoyable to live in a clean space, and because when our haven is organized and neat, we're able to focus on the things that really matter to us - like relationships.

facilitating real relationships and fostering a loving home, through hospitality is one of my heart's desires. this is a topic i plan to explore more at greater thing. does anyone have any resources to share a theology of the home?

day two: get out of the way of the professionals!

2009-05-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

before.

before.

before.

today it was raining and damp here in newport, so it made for a bit of a challenge with the kids. i knew that i had to take rhys to preschool and that rosangela was coming at 11:30am to clean the house. in between, we were running over to my friend's home for a quick rainy day playdate. i was trying to figure out what we were going to do outside the home all afternoon (during when the boys are usually down for their naps and the girls and i get our quiet times). but another girlfriend (who has come over with her kids when her house was being cleaned) let us crash for a few hours. it was not until almost 5pm that i got a call from rosangela!! they had just finished.

yep folks: 11:30am to 4:45pm they cleaned, non-stop. and the house was amazing. AHHHH-MAAAA-ZZZING! it smelled so fresh and clean. god bless her!! it was a two-women job. that means if i had tried to do what they did it would have taken me at least 10 hours and probablylonger without a "system" and even longer had i had the kids with me, underfoot.

because of yesterday's clean sweep i have two tasks for tomorrow. one: make use of the "sell" and "give" boxes; and two: declutter all of the drawers and baskets that i stuffed full of junk that i "swept" off of the surfaces! its most likely going to continue raining here, so its a perfect day to do this. i will be modifying the spring cleaning party list to fit our home and pictures will be included. also ...

the spring clean party will go on a little longer here in our home b/c i will be heading out to california on friday for my grandmother's funeral. i am sure with jet lag and such i won't get back in to the party groove until next weekend. i am really enjoying this event so far and i think each time i come in to a space that has been cleared up and decluttered, my soul feels a little less burdened. clean, free, at peace, calm, zen-life.

today tsh at simplemom.net posted a very inspiring thought that sums up my feelings:

And the most important goal to spring cleaning in ten days? Decluttering. Getting rid of stuff. Saying goodbye to those things that are clogging your living spaces, and therefore causing visual stress.

When you have only what you need or love, it’s so much easier to clean - cleaning those surfaces several times a day isn’t as big a deal, because there’s not much stuff to begin with.
I encourage you to focus on getting rid of stuff. Make a hard-and-fast decision to kick out those things you don’t need or love. It sounds painful, but once you get into it, it’s cathartic, refreshing, and even fun.

join the cleaning party!

2009-05-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

today i have headed over to simplemom.net to join the spring cleaning party. kind of reminds me of the folding parties my mom would have us kids do together (you know, folding the dreaded mountain of clean clothes!) but this will be way more fun!

i have hired a cleaning woman to come every two weeks to help me out. with four little ones under 5 1/2 and not getting the sleep i need b/c baby blaise is cutting teeth, and also being buried under the immense loads of laundry and piles of dishes -- i know when i need to call in the reinforcements.

but that means i have to prep the house for her. which is where this spring cleaning is coming in handy. plus who knows when we will be moving to our next duty station - so i need to start now with the decluttering. it will be a segway into my quest for more order and organization in our crazy home.

more on this later ... for now i am off with my two boxes for the "sell" and "give" stuff ... i will have a few pics of before and after (hopefully!)

cute japanese fabric site

2008-06-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

www.nuno-plus.com

this site makes me just crazy excited about making little things for the girls and boys in our home! now if i can just get the machine to the shop for servicing - my goal this week! enjoy the site.

updates

2008-05-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

hey all, i was reading a friend's blog and discovered through then reading a linked blog (you know how that goes...) to a mom's blog wherebye (okay its a long train to where i found this!:) i found these two really neat toy sites: http://www.willowtoys.com/ and http://www.quiethourstoys.com/. i am scheming already for kyrie's birthday which come at the end of july. i am hoping to steer clear of any plastic items or mass produced - dare i say i may even make her something from that sewing machine down in the basement? (i have got to get it to the shop to have it looked over first!) i know that she is really interested in farms and animals and i also want to encourage her artistic/creative personality ... so maybe a stable for farm animals?

one thing i really want to do after reading Soulemama's The Creative Family (aka Amanda Blake Soule) is to create an art wire and hang the pictures and the inspirations up. and two other recommendations for encouraging the little thinkers and budding creatives in the family: framing some of our most favorite creations; and giving each child their very own art scrapbook - like a moleskin, where their projects can be saved and enjoyed. these suggestions will help with the ever increasing collections of papers and projects covering our dining room table, the kids table and our walls (imagine kyrie taping her pictures up on the wall - i really enjoyed watching her do this. i thrills me to see her so excited and free to share with our family the things she makes.)

graham has been away for the past few days and we had our wonderful friend, michelle, come back to newport to help me with the kids. (she is part of the renewal bible study we help our with at salve and truly one of our most favorite babysitters/friends!) she left this morning and i had a bit of a mini depression. missing graham, glum with the weather threatening to rain all day and mostly just misting (although it was beautiful outside and i love listening to the distant foghorn.) i was trying to figure out what to do with the kids and mainly wanting to just sit and read my book, which i finished. (the copper scroll by joel c. rosenberg) it wasn't until mid-afternoon that i got up the energy and motivation to continue our launry/folding/putting away chore that is stretching out nearly a week from the beginning of the task. more on that later. anyways i was thinking about how i missed graham and feeling slightly sorry for myself when i realized what an ungrateful mama i was being: ie. hello my sister-in-law kyla is home with 3 little ones while my brother is deployed until the end of the summer and I AM COMPLAINING about a weekend apart from my husband. snap out of it girl! so i did. note to self: need to send my niece a 1st year birthday present and an encouragement card to kyla!!!

so about the laundry situation: my good friend alicia suggested i do the "one load a day" rule that flylady teaches. so i did it today - now mind you i am still hammering away at the piles from this past week - but every day is a new day and hopefully by tomorrow (sunday - a day of rest!!) i will be at my goal. all folded, put away and only one load a day. so thank you to alicia for the suggestion and the kindness you delivered it with.

i guess this means that i am still in that mode of getting ready and ramped up for blaise's arrival sometime at the end of august. and as i am typing i remind myself that the first two babes were born early!!! not that i expect this again for our last one but it gets me thinking...i need to get cracking on the continueing saga of dejunking our basement. its all about preparation. really i am just preparing early for our move next summer, too. ahhhh before i start getting stressed out...breathe deeply and remember every day is new day and its one foot ahead of the other, baby steps. little small projects that are doable.

i know that i have not blogged in awhile or rather on a very consistent basis. i want to b/c it always makes me feel so much better. i can collect my thoughts and gain perspective. reading some of the other mom's blogs tonight has really encouraged me to be not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of my mind. ie. read some of these blogs and be encouraged and don't read the blogs that bring negativity into my thought life. not that its bad to read a heavy or a sad blog post, rather think on the good things.

i am going to log off and fold this laundry and then read some of the word before i visit the land of nod. there will be more frequent bloggging and also a change of the layout soon. maybe even a change in the purpose of the blog. its all in the works.

sweet dreams

for the vintage in all of us...

2008-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

www.stores.rubyjane.com

i know i havn't been around lately - seems like i can hardly sit down anymore...i want so much to be doing and going places like the park with the kids at least once a day if i possibly can since it is nice most days...but i am planning a major overhaul of the blog and maybe a focus change.

i found this site on one of my reader subscriptions - blissfully domestic. enjoy!

time with mama

2008-04-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

today it is in the lower 70's and sunny. ransom and i took a walk to the newport library park and then a long loop down bellevue ave. to our home. we looked at lots of trucks and such b/c there has been roadwork. ransom is thrilled with trucks of all sizes and shapes. its really fun to see his boyness come out even more as i have more time to focus on him, since the girls are away this week. after we got home i made us a picnic lunch and we sat out on our lawn in the back and had fun eating together. it was actually quite warm out there - dare i say "hot"!! we raked up leaves and sticks and i got excited about the potluck bbq/worship night we are having at our home on saturday night. we are probably going to buy some sort of a firepit to sit around. it reminds me of our nightly rituals in san diego, with all the point loma vineyard crowd. miss those guys. its nearly summer here in newport. i am already talking about beach passes and the summer season here. its going to get crowded but so so welcome. i have the windows open right now and might just run outside for a bit more sunshine and more of my book before the boy wakes up.

drumroll please!!! the newest plaster

2008-04-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

in all of the busyness of calling family members and friends and the general crazy household that we live in, i completely forgot to post about our newest baby coming, the sex and the Name.

so here it is --- we are having a BOY!! his name is Blaise Llewellyn Plaster. due aug. 28th, 2008.

blaise -- french name taken from blaise pascal, the christian philosopher/mathematician.
llewellyn -- welsh for 'in the likeness of the lion'

for all of you who know what c.s. lewis fans we are, llewellyn has two very significant meanings - the first in reference to Aslan, the great Lion, the Christ figure in the chronicles of narnia; and the fact that llewellyn means 'lewis' in welsh.

we are all very excited (although kyrie is still getting over the fact that she won't have another sister, or as she puts it 'a sister for ransom') about the prospect of two boys and two girls. a brother for ransom. another boy to watch and see all the differences that the masculine sex has. its truly a miracle. we are thrilled to welcome our blaise into the family. so we have about 20 more weeks give or take a week (i am not counting as carefully as the other pregnancies). we are praying for "40 and smooth" - 40 weeks and a smooth delivery. this boy is going to be a big one, i can already tell.

more from bedtime

2008-04-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

bedtime april 2008 (baths, painting toe nails pink etc)

2008-04-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

my beauties april 2008

2008-04-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

so these are a few pics from a new camera we have been playing around. our napster andrew has let us borrow his srl camera for the week and boy are we have fun. more to follow...

worship in the kitchen april 2008

2008-04-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

spring break '08/spring cleaning '08

2008-04-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

today is gorgeous. its sunny and warmer and brilliantly spring time. and my dear mother in law is coming in a few hours to pick up the girls for spring break. (my mama is taking kyrie and rebecca is taking rhys.) so it leaves just the Boy for the week with the Mama. what a special time. we'll take lots of naps, walks, park dates, coffee dates, and we'll be working on a few projects that never seem to get done with two other little ones under toe.

1. basement/organizing of junk, keeps and baby gear - taking clothes etc. to second hand store, or craig's list, or friends', or to the crisis pregnancy center in town for their rummage sale.
2. putting all my most favorite cds on my ipod that i have somehow failed not to include on my playlists!
3. budget -
4. reading
5. finish those thank you notes!
6. look around for a sewing class to take this summer
7. sign kyrie and rhys up for soccer and maybe gymnastics and vbs
8. meet up with friends and their kids for playdates at the park or beach?
9. def. going to the gym
10. the cliff walk with ransom!
11. more gardening and generally being outside as much as we can!!!

i came across this great blog mentioned in 'like merchant ships' called 'blissfully domestic' - i thought i'd share these quotes about organizing and getting rid of stuff not needed/used:

There is a place for sentimental value, for heirlooms, heck, even for ugly knickknacks. Just don't let every little thing hold more value for you than living in a streamlined here and now.

"If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace."--Peter Walsh

in the midst of all this spring cleaning: spending more time with the Lord!!

sunny goodness

2008-04-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

today was gorgeous -- it climbed to a whopping 50 degrees, folks, and it was glorious. i had the kids out all day (rhys and ransom at the park in the morning, after i drove along ocean drive) and the the girls (while ransom napped) outside the rest of the day. in the sunshine. in sundresses (although i think they were still a bit chilly). on picnic blankets with all their dolls etc. nearby. first we sat out on the front porch. i read. they chalked. then out in the back yard. i read and soaked it all in. they played. laughed. they were so cheerful. it was marvelous. and the best thing about it - we didn't watch a stitch of t.v.!! i can't tell you the last time that has happened. probably last summer. i got a babysitter for two hours and headed out to walmart's gardening center.

the sun was streaming down on all of the rosy, sweet pansies and other flowers. stacks and stacks of soil, fertilizer and other garden dirt varieties greeted my senses. it smelled like warmed dirt. it was lovely. i picked out a few cheep plants, some indoor seed starters and some seed packets. we are going out tomorrow to plant them. i hear that it is going to be around 60 degrees. dare i say that spring is here in newport? glory to the lord on high.

a healthy update

2008-03-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

today was our first full day back in the land of the living - well - school wise that is. kyrie went to school finally!! yeah everyone is back from being so so sick all last week. we had the stomach bug for a week and then both parents caught a nasty head cold. i am almost all recovered. its sunny today and mid 40's - and i have seen a white crocus in bloom. how exciting. oh happy st. patrick's day everyone.

we leave for annapolis on wed after work and i can't wait. warmer weather and family too. easter is next sunday - can't wait for that! we are going to the easter egg roll in front of the naval academy chapel. our first ever. i am still working on something to wear for ransom but the girls are covered except for white socks and easter shoes. i need something to wear as well. but i will worry about that when we get down there.

today i went to several fun stores and got some things to work on this week with the girls. we'll be making easter cards and easter cookies (bunnies and ducks with almond extract - yummo!)

i have also been completing some of those projects i blogged about earlier - i finally got a huge cork board up in our kitchen and posted pictures and important information on it and oh man have cleared the frig and the closet clutter from unnecessary piles of papers. it feels so good! i have also started my thank you notes for my birthday party and rhys' too! and in an attempt to get more organized in my life as mama of four i bought a one dollar purse size weekly calendar so that i don't flake out on appointments etc!

speaking of appointments. i had my 16 week check up - i am either 16 or 16.5 weeks depending on the date of my last period or my dating ultrasound. we'll be having our big ultrasound in 2 weeks on april 2 to find out the sex - this is oh so exciting as this will be our last baby!! graham is going to be coming with me.

well i hope to some recent pictures soon. enjoy. and may christ dwell in you richly as you contemplate all that he has done for you and all that you can do for his kingdom. blessings!

my projects now and later on

2008-02-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

i am sitting in a very sunny bedroom staring at the ever growing piles of clean laundry that needs to be folded, sorted and put away ... much to my dear husband's credit there actually is clean laundry in the house. sometimes it just doesn't get done, for various reasons - well it does it just doesn't get done b/c i get distracted with kid stuff. so then along with tons of laundry there are also some organizational projects i really want to complete before the spring hits and i WILL be outside as much as i can. ie. our pantry room, our bedroom closet, our cds, baby stuff (what can i get rid of ie. be as minimalist as i can for this shall i dare say "last" baby?), and toys.

spring will come one of these days - oh i think in may or something and i want to be working on projects outside: a vegetable garden, my potted plants, herbs, weeding, watering, fertilizing - oh the very smell of wet, soft earth makes me even more motivated to get my indoor projects completed. you see the idea is that when we move next summer (2009) i will have gone through most of our stuff and pitched the 'not seen in a year junk'. instead of waiting til we have moved to maryland to do the deed. this has been my moving habit all times before b/c i always have just had a baby when we move and its been too much for me to tackle. not this time.

so right now i day dream of soft, wet, dark earth, new seeds, new plants, green things. buds on trees, bulbs, hydrangeas, rhodies, magnolias, warm sunshine on my back, garden tools, dirt in my fingernails, green hoses spraying cool water, little ones learning to plant and watching things grow. and then i dream of delicious fresh picked salads during the summertime..ummmm.

anyone else so ready for spring?

bye for now all. i am tackling my laundry.

inklings book club

2008-01-29T17:34:00.000-08:00

yesterday was not all bad though...we had our first women's inklings book club by our fireplace last night. we are reading surprised by joy, the autobiography of c.s. lewis. it was so great to share with the salve regina girls. we really connected and i think this little community is going to deepen and grow in fellowship. each one was so insightful and open to sharing. thank you ladies for making me apart of your friendship circle. it was so rosy and cozy by the warm glow. blessings to these ladies.

a close call

2008-01-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

before i begin, let me first say that i love the ymca, i love their mission, what they stand for etc. i have been very pleased with my time at our y here in newport, and until yesterday was happy to have a membership. however, after yesterday i am compelled to move my membership over to the newport athletic club.

so here is the story:

yesterday i dropped the kids off at the treehouse so that i could workout. about an hour and half later, i came walking down the hallway to pick the kids up. i noticed that two of the workers were coming out of the bathroom with my kids - both of them. rhys and ransom. now rhys is potty trained but ransom is not - he is 16 months old. as i approached the workers and the kids, one new worker (sorry i don't have her name), who was holding ransom said that he had escaped (!!!!) was wandering the hallway and she had seen him about to tumble down the stairs --- okay wait a minute - he was supposed to be in the treehouse (it has a gate and a door!) and why is he out on his own? the poor little fellow was red cheeked and flustered and very glad to see mama. so i brought my kids in to the treehouse and asked them to explain the story. i remained very calm and was able to keep the growing hysteria bottled up. there were three workers for the kids. two workers always have to go with the kids to the bathroom for legal purposes. so there was one worker left. she apparently was cleaning up applesauce on the floor and didn't see ransom walk out of the kids' area. as i was leaving i suggested that they make an incident report about this with the director of the treehouse. then i decided that they might not do that so i was going to do it - i mean if a mother isn't the advocate for her child who is? so i was able to have someone track down the director. she apologized up and down and had the two workers involved explain what happened. then it became more clear what happened. the new worker (who isn't "familiar" with which kid goes with which mom) saw a mom lead her three kids out and leave the door open and ransom followed her out. so the worker "assumed" that he was with the mom. yep that's right folks. assumed. never checked an id, or the list. just let some stranger walk out with my kid. so here ransom was wandering around by himself. the pool is just down the hallway from the treehouse room - where he could have just easily wandered in and fallen in the pool. or fallen down the steps, had not the worker rescued him. the director said that they had never had an incident like this and that she had been there for 2 years in charge. she apologized up and down as did the workers. they were very understanding and professional but it was obvious that this system ain't workin!! i said this is very serious and you might think about putting a system in place whereby you give out a sticker that coincides with the child so that only a parent with the sticker that matches their kid, takes their kid. it should NOT be this loosy goosy. i said that every church nursery i have ever been in has some sort of accountability system in place to prevent this kind of thing or worse from happening. the incident ended with them apologizing and me thanking them for being honest and talking about it with me. but in no way did i let them think i was going to continue going to the treehouse. i just let that be the unspoken decision. plus i wanted to talk it over with graham before i made my final decision. its always best to leave on a polite note then burn bridges or say something that can't be take back.

and so under the direction of my husband i am going to write a business letter explaining the incident and letting them know why i am not going to renew my membership. i think this problem can be easily fixed. but for now the system is broken and its not safe for my children to be there. there needs to be a change with the signing out and picking up the kids - checking of ids etc. if it means that they need to have two facilities b/c of overcrowding then do it. or if they need to hire more workers (since it seems chaotic anyway) then do it. other ymca's have really good systems (ie the mission valley y in san diego) in place and don't encounter these issues. i think with a little tweeking, the treehouse can really become an even better facility to its members. the workers were always very sweet to my children and i have appreciated being able to drop them off and get some free time to myself. but i just don't feel that they can be trusted to keep a watchful eye on where my children are and who is picking them up.

Kite Runner

2008-01-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

we saw kite runner this weekend down at jane pickens. i have read the book - one of my most favorite books of all time. i must admit i was really hesitating seeing the movie b/c well you know how movies v. books are - the book is always better. at least it used to be. nowadays, as my sister in law whitney reminded me, the movies really are comparable. this was no exception. kite runner was absolutly phenomenol. one of the neatest things about it was that graham and i understood a lot of the dari dialect b/c he has been learning farsi (persian) and has been teaching me. i was amazed at how easy it would be to pick it up if we were immersed. this book and learning the language, along with other films and literature graham discovers from that region is making me have a love for afganistan and iran. for muslim culture. for the plight of women and children. for what they have and what they had. so today i picked up a thousand splendid sins, housseini's second novel (a mother daughter story) and have been burning through it. sitting by the warm, hot fireplace, whilst the children are coloring, watching movies, and playing picnic and house. i am about to run back to my story. i would like to post a link to graham's paper on iranian freedom in blogging. i think it will shed some light on this beautiful and repressed country. also i might post some rumi too - i gave him a book of rumi's poetry for christmas. its gorgeous. enjoy.

moms in motion

2008-01-17T04:47:00.000-08:00

last night i took my moms in motion class at the y. its for prego moms or moms with newborns. i love it. love it. we did boxing with weights and all these cool stretches and exercises that felt like i was giving my body a vacation - i know it sounds funny - i was working out - but i was stretching all these joints and muscles that get so tense being a mama and arent' used - despite the 15 million times i go up and down the stairs and the heavy children that i regularly carry all over tarnation!:) i truly feel that i am doing something for my baby and for myself - taking time out to be healthy is so important. it motivates me.

of course - right before i went i made tuna noodle casserole (which i was craving and salavating for all day!) and homemade warm banana bread! oh baby the baby loved it!

but seriously, at the end of the workout for the cool down session my instructor (she is awesome!) had us lay on our sides and just talk to our babies for a bit, taking time out to recognize our unborn children. it was really neat. i realized that this pregnancy has not been bad at all (so far) and that i may just change that maxim i have been saying after three babies that "i hate being pregnant." i want to embrace this time. its about being aware. and of course about not having morning sickness, which i have been blessed to not have ... yet. :)

more christmas pictures from maryland

2008-01-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

christmas homemade

2008-01-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

christmas gifts worked out really well this year - although we are still working on ours for everyone (a plaster family cookbook). each member had their own version of homemade and it was so fun to give and receive. each year we'll continue to make new things to give and it will get more and more creative. hopefully next year i will have sewn some gifts...we'll see since we have a little surprise as homemade as they come --- we are expecting our 4th child!!!! surprise to all of you who probably arent' that surprised! we are thrilled and so blessed to welcome a new little plaster in to our family.

Baby its cold outside and inside

2008-01-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

we have arrived back in newport after a wonderful stay with mark and re down in maryland. we enjoyed all of the mild weather and probably got a little too used to it. graham had turned the heat down to 55 F before we left (we always turn it down that low at night b/c we have electric blankets and space heaters, something you have to do to keep the cost down.) so when we came home i turned up the heat but it wasn't until yesterday morning that we realized the heat wasn't "on" at all. it was so cold in our home (the temp outside had dipped way down from the 2nd to the 3rd of jan - on the 3rd it was 11 F) that we could see our breath. the kids were little icicles and cried. i was frantically trying to get the fire to heat at least one spot in the house. we made it through a very cold day and found out once graham got home that the pilot light had gone out. it went out again mysteriously, later on when he was back at the war college last night, but he was able to get it up and running. so now we are toasty in our home and have a new found appreciation for heating oil, for heat in general. it really made me pause and remember those who don't have the means to warm up their hands and feet. whose children live in constant bitter cold. it was a good reminder. life is so comfortable here. jesus what are you teaching me?

you'll see that we had fun despite the frigid temps by having a pizza party picnic in front of the fireplace. the kids had a good time!! yeah for rocco's our favorite pizza joint.

also...

2007-12-16T05:39:00.000-08:00

g.t. and the halo express - hiding god's word in your hearts - this is from the early '90's generation and is another fantastic source. my mama bought it for the kids last year and we LOVE it!

http://www.gthalo.com/

a trip down memory lane...

2007-12-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

does anyone remember psaltie the song book? or bullfrogs and butterflies? or the music machine? or antshillvania? well i just came across a site that you can buy all of the above in complete sets (they even have charity churchmouse t-shirt and skirt and vintage coloring books from way back in the '80's!) i grew up singing "have patience" from the music machine and i was just singing it to the kids yesterday b/c someone was in a bad mood (which of course you can't really stay in after singing that song!) so this morning i decided to search the mighty web for clues to this treasure of bible songs and stories (which of course we all listened to on vinyl back in the day!) the web does not dissappoint! here are the two sites:

http://www.agapelandmusic.com/Agapeland_christian_music_CD.html

http://www.psalty.com/

so enjoy these sources for fantastic christmas presents for your kids or friends! let all the wonderful, warm childhood feelings come back to you. i can't wait to get these in our home!!

Pictures by our friend Andrew

2007-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

homecoming

2007-12-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

dec. 4th, 2005 around 8:30am (right about now as i am typing) my little brother (then 17 years) went home to be with Jesus. i miss him so much. this day is so memoriable. i will call my folks and my brothers. i will probably cry a lot. pray a lot and in the end - know and be aware that MY REDEEMER, HE LIVES. i will worship Him b/c what he says is true. he has conquored death and the grave. he is KING and the LIFE GIVER. i will see my dear brother again. i will see him in a completely redeemed state. oh happy day!!!!

i want to send out my thanksgiving to all our dear church family and friends in california and family and friends all over who have stood with us during this time of grief and suffering before and after jesse passed. the meals, the prayers, the worship and the deep compassion was grace immeasurable to our family. this day means that i miss all of you too. love, esther

schedules and expectations

2007-11-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

its coming on that time where graham's semester is starting up for his master's - meaning we'll be seeing him about 2 hours out of the day for dinner and bathtime. he'll go to work around 7am and then get home at 5pm and then go back to reading or writing either at his desk (if he can get work done with all of us around:) or back the war college until midnight or so. we had a nice 2 month break to travel to cali and to move and now its back to work. i did so much better when i knew what he needed of his time and what i could expect from him for help. it didn't always run smoothly but for the most part once we had laid it out we were good to go and we were a well-oiled machine. we always went on an after dinner walk to the water but now that its chilly and dark aby 4pm we'll see if we can do the walk ... perhaps i will be taking the kids to the park after the dark with flashlights. maybe this will be our "treat" to look forward to - just getting some fresh air and new scenery. i feel as though we are still "in flux" from the move but its getting more organized and with my folks coming for thanksgiving we can get some extra help with the dejunking and putting away. i am really hoping that within a month we'll be completely "moved in" and feel "at home". i know that when things have a place and i can clean more easily the whole house will smell more cheerful. my friend shelly had a nice candle lit on her counter and it made the whole house smell so good. i think i will be doing the same. of course the christmas tree and decorations are coming out the day after thanksgiving at our home - so that will be fun. somehow i need to get a visit to the y at least a few times a week for my own sanity and health.

well its off to the park for now to meet up with friends. we had the pattersons and the fortunes over for supper last night and we had a blast! its so fun that will and shelly know my brother and kyla so well. we are pretty stoked about the pattersons too - they are living in our old home and we think they are great - plus they are from HAWAII!! got to love all that warm, aloha spirit.

jesse's birthday

2007-11-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

just a few days ago on nov. 15th would have been my dear brother, jesse's, nineteenth birthday, had he not passed on to the Good Country almost 2 years ago. i had meant to blog about it b/c i was really feeling sad but you know how life is having just moved in and having three kids who keep one so busy ... so here i am on sat afternoon, blogging. half the fam is asleep in our bed next to the computer. we all got naps today. we all needed naps. poor kyrie woke up at 4:15am and then threw up. then when rhys got up she felt bad too but pretty much just laid around all day (sprawled on one parent or another) and was very sad about a stiff neck she had. i have been pumping them with tylenol on the clock and hoping that we can just sleep what ever bug we have off. (incidentally, we all had the flue mist and shot -- just ransom -- a few days ago so that might be the source of the funk.) its already past 4pm and its nearly dark outside. i am not a big fan of this early darkness. but my inner optimist longs for something fun to make it the best part of the day - perhaps its a yummy dinner simmering on the stove or a project for the kids, or a general feeling of peace (like when all the boxes are empty and my junk -- half of what is down in the basement -- has made its way into the goodwill) and i can work on something creative -- like the brilliant idea i just had this morning around 5am when ransom woke up after rhys and kyrie had finally gone back to sleep - b/c of course poor rhys was up too in the wee small hours:) this brilliant idea is going to make its way in to our handmade christmas gifts. i can't wait. it involves paper and i just love LOVE paper and stationary. in fact that is one of my most favorities types of stores to spend idle time in - stationary stores and of course book stores. speaking of books - i am reading michael pollan's the omnivores dilemma - wow - its amazing. a must read. especially as the food begins to pile up at the holidays. what are we having for dinner? & what is it exactly that we are eating? where does the food really come from? this might be up there with my other life changing book - eating more with less, which i have mentioned earlier in my blog site.

there. that felt good to write all that and not even interupted. and now i am going to rescue my husband's things from ransom - who is the Rummager!!!

greetings from 5th ward

2007-11-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

has it really been a whole month since i wrote on my blog? ugggh - i have missed you so much. we are seperated no longer.

today was a good day for us. i did some more unpacking (so we did move two weekends ago and continue to unpack each day, purging what is not essential ie. what we didn't know we had and havn't seen in a year!) and the usual preschool drop off/pick up. these days i am trying desperately to save all my energy for the kids and graham. since we were in california for my brother's wedding and then getting back and four days later moving across town, i thought about and reevaluated my lifestyle as a mother and the keeper of the home. i am going to be taking a break from all my extra activities (play group, bible study, mom's club events etc.) to make life simpler and less hectic around here. my two youngest are in a transitional period that requires a lot more mom-power. rhys has had a very tough month dealing with the change of traveling and then moving. she still says she wants "to go home to the yellow house." she needs a stable, easy home environment with as little in the car and running around as possible. ransom is needing to keep his daily nap schedule for everyone's sanity. he goes down around 9-9:30am and then again at 2pm. its really important that the kids get settled in to our new home and that means time out from everything else. there is a time for everything and a season - this season that our little family is in is a good time. its a time to circle the wagons and prioritize. its good to leave a field fallow for a time. later on the ground is rested and able to yield a harvest of bounty. i hope that all my friends who read this will understand. this of course does not mean i will not be getting together with friends, but for a time i am needing to lay low and rest from outside committments.

news

2007-10-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

we are moving ... no not to another town, but across town. reasons being: we can save some money on our rent as we have not sold our house in ocean beach (please pray that we can SOON!). so we found a wonderful fit for us in the 5th ward and we feel that it was an answer to prayer. graham was able to find renters from the war college to move in to our home on braman and assume the rent. praise god!

we'll be moving the first week of november, right after we get back from 10 days in so. cal. for my brother's wedding. i just spoke with my future sister in law, tiffany - she is so wonderful. we love her! so i have much to do to keep me busy for the next big events.

its lovely fall in full swing here. i will be posting some pictures of our beautiful 'mums and pumpkins and the sites we see around us. the other day on a walk with our neighbors, the kids had a pumpkin siting. preschoolers love to find big bright orange pumpkins!

first steps

2007-09-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

ransom took his first steps today (to me!!) in the presence of daddy and sisters. he has been standing up and balancing really well the last week and wouldn't you know it paid off. what fun to see him with a big grin of satisfaction (i did it!). he is also waving hi and said "hi da da" to graham yesterday. he is so interactive. such a reward.

technical difficulties

2007-09-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

i need to the expertise of my dear husband to help me shrink the images - sorry about the weirdo pictures!

pictures from birthday

2007-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

will be forthcoming...

late night camping

2007-09-30T17:08:00.000-07:00

kyrie fell asleep this afternoon and had a pretty long nap - which she usually doesn't take - thus by the time 7pm rolls around she is pooped. as i said, she had a good long snooze so while rhys was out as soon as she tucked in to her bed, kyrie was wide awake and telling me she wasn't sleepy. i told her ok you can stay up another hour and play quietly in your room. she decided to have a 'camp out' in the hallway with all of her dolls. i have posted some pictures of her campsite. what an imaginative child. i love seeing her play. i keep thinking that i am seeing myself as a child, while i watch her. enjoy these snapshots in to kyrie's late evening adventure.

weaning weany

2007-09-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

ok so i couldn't take the 3 days of engorgement (my attempt at cold-turkey weaning of ransom, age 1 year). so tonight i said okay to a non-dairy diet and yes to stopping the agony of the enormous breasts which hurt like huge bruises everytime something touches them. i expressed using my pump and then woke the little guy up to get the rest out. oh man do i feel like a new woman. you ask - what made me decide to stop this madness? i got myself some edjucation. i started reading some web sites about weaning etc and i realized that i had not really planned out this undertaking. the best way to wean him is to do it gradually. my mom had suggested this but i bull-headedly plunged ahead with the all or nothing regimen. i lost a good 5+ lbs. cutting dairy out of my diet and it wasn't that bad. i just have to be more creative and careful about our diet. anyone for ezekiel bread? (this stuff is super yummy - dairy free - and is so good for you!) and tonight i will sleep in comfort. oh joy. thank the lord that babies are incredibly forgiving. poor little fellow. he didn't know what was going on but was a good sport. hardly complained but boy was he happy to be back on the breast. when i initially tried to nurse him (after waking him up) he was not happy. i thought oh man - i did it - i successfully got my son to reject me. but then i offered it again and yep he took to it. thank you jesus. so the nursing saga continues.

check this out!

2007-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

as most of you know, my friend alston wise designed ransom's birthday invitations. she has a web site up for her stuff. www.alstonwisedesign.blogspot.com. check it out. her stuff is terrific. this mama has talent!

my boy

2007-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

yes sir my boy ransom is 1 year old now. we had a fabulous birthday party on sunday (also celebrating marmie's 54th birthday too!) i'd say there were at least 30 + people there. we had salve kids, cousins from new hampshire, friends from church, playgroup, preschool, family down up from annapolis, and neighbors. we had chili and dogs and then everyone brought something yummy to share. graham made an ice tea bar in our wet bar. it was really cute - he had signs for each kind of speciality tea and bowls of fresh mint and spearmint from our garden. i can't wait to post the pics. natalie made the most delicious cake ever - dulce de leche cake from argentina. i have requested it for my birthday. ransom blew out (well actually marmie, rhys and i blew out his candle) his wish on a cupcake topped with cool whip (as we have now confirmed his eczema is caused from an allergy to milk, although the peanut did not come up on his skin test, only on the blood test.) graham played happy birthday on the piano - and the kids all gathered around. we had our dear friends from boston - the wises. truly it was a wonderful afternoon. the lord helped me with my usual pre-party meltdown. i was able to take it easy b/c natalie had me organized and there were so many who were helping out. the credit goes to natalie, graham, annie (our neighbor), mark and rebecca, and all who brought food, the salve kids and the weather man (God of course). oh yeah did i mention the weather was gorgeous? 75 and sunny - a spectacular autumn day. we prayed that it would be a party where all felt loved and welcomed. our prayer was that those who came into our home would feel the warmth of christ. that the kingdom would be rushing in around us.

i got a bit emotional (didn't cry) thinking about ransom's birth and all of the memories of that time last year - i can't believe its already been a year. not only that but the bittersweetness of the day was heightened b/c i weaned him cold turkey on sat evening. so i was in some serious pain throughout the day. its been 3 days and i am still pretty soar. he seems to be doing fine. i am making a special effort to hug him and be close before i lay him down for naps or bedtime in his crib.

mondays

2007-09-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

we have returned from our little week down in annapolis (with a short dinner over at Eli and Allisons in NYC!!). it was a lovely week - very low key. since we have had so much company this summer i decided to take it easy and not see anyone down in md. so that is what we did. the kids were so good. (although it sure is nice to have my hubby with us - he came on the weekend for the navy reunion.) seems like the kids need their dad so much. so i am thankful for graham once again.

i started a sewing project - a tutorial. rebecca walked me through making skirts for the girls. there is one that is almost complete and one that is cut out but hasn't been sewn. i made them out of blue and white ticking and will do some embroidery on the hem. of what i am not sure. maybe their names - maybe a short phrase like "jesus loves the little children". something creative and out of the box. however in order to finish these new skirts i have to get in touch with the lady from craig's list who sold me the machine. oh yeah did i mention that (not knowing diddly about machines etc.) i bought the machine without the foot pedal. yep - so i can't use it yet. ugggh. pray that the lady returns my phone call. thanks all. if not - i shall have to order one online which will make my 'great deal' not so great. note to self - be patient when buying something. take your time - especially when its used/found on craig's list.

in other news: we'll be putting any money we make on household items we post on craig's list, towards discretionary things ie. watercolors for the kids, new school shoes, contacts for me, dansko clogs for me, some new make up, and a new toilet bowl plunger (one that ransom will not get into!!:) yep we need to sell a bunch of stuff and i am going to try and see how far the new 'play' money will stretch.

in other news: our dear friend michael who lives around the corner is joining kyrie for school tomorrow and we are all very excited!

i am sure that my posts will be more frequent now that we are home. i will try and post some pics from our trip. ttfn.

a little bit more summer

2007-09-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

the kids and i are down in annapolis with graham's folks for the week. graham will join us next weekend for his 5th year reunion from the academy! its so lovely here on the west river. its still summer. a bit muggy on some days. cicadas. mosquitos! sunshine. playing in the rubber pool. sunscreen. we are enjoying it so much b/c its nearly full fall up in newport. we love it but miss the lingering summer down in the mid-atlantic!

today we planted bushes together around the house. there will be some wonderful black eyed susans and gardenias next year. we went into a little waterfront town for some food. mom-mom and pop-pop were down for a visit yesterday and left today. they wanted to visit us b/c they won't be able to make ransom's 1st birthday. oh my goodness i need to make sure i have a reliable list of who is coming! its going to be a sun weekend. we'll be making football tailgater food. perfect for the autumn weather we have been having.

tonight rebecca and i (mother in law) are going to joanne's fabric (ooh i need to print up the coupon!) to check out some fabric and patterns. i want to make some skirts for the girls this week.

signing out to you'll. i will try and add some pics soon of our trip down south.

the blessings

2007-09-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

oh the blessings of having k in preschool for a few hours each morning: i was bathing all three nakie babies tonight (graham was up in cambridge for a meeting) and i realized that i was NOT exhausted. ok so i did have a little nap this afternoon but i have done that before and been almost not able to move while bathing, drying, diapering and dressing the kids. yep pretty much just peel me off of the bathroom floor after a loooonng day.

but today was different. it really was a break. thank you jesus.

Preschool Day 1

2007-09-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today I took Kyrie to her first day ever of preschool. She is attending a little Christian non-denominational preschool that we found near us. Its better then I ever imagined for her. The Lord really handpicked it for us. She already has a friend from church that is in her class. I felt like it was Christmas morning. I think what made me most excited was knowing that she would love it so much! Her teacher Miss Carrie said she fit right in. She said she just acted like she had been going to school all along.

Rhys had a hard time saying goodbye to Kyrie. I think she'll be my challenge now. The transition might be a bit tough but this will be good for me to have more time with her and with Ransom. I am going to make up a weekly schedule since we have so many activities going on now! I guess this is the beginning of all of "that" - carpool line, homework, school supplies etc. Its wonderful and I am blessed to be able to have found a school so tailored for Kyrie.

proud owner

2007-08-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

i am now a proud owner of a kenmore sewing machine. hardly used but rather dusty. i can't to start using it. we went all the way (OFF THE ISLAND!) to cranston to pick it up. i discovered on our way there the little village on the pawtucket. so we stopped for some lunch in a local coffee house/eatery. this village is darling. we made the most of our trip and i had ransom in the maya wrap and each girl by the hand since i had left our 2x jogger on our porch (thinking that i wasn't going to need it!!) we walked by the water and went to a lovely town park. then hopped back into the van and drove home. all three babes were sound asleep.

now i am making a list of projects i want to work on with my new purchase!

childhood/toys/education thought for the day

2007-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

"The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things."- Plato

i found www.mahardrygoods.com recently and thought you'll might enjoy their quote. this might be my new favorite kids site. cheers!