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Journal Entries
Well. I may never have to think of an idea to write another blog post again. I realized today that I have a treasure trove of ideas in three little wide-ruled notebooks sitting right in our kitchen cabinets, directly under the shelf that stores our pottery bowls. We’ve been doing journals in school on and off for a few years now. They’ve always been endearing to me – but this year they seem to be downright entertaining. I don’t know if it’s the kids’ older ages or their improved wit and writing skills or what. But I am just getting such a kick out of these entries. Sometimes they make me laugh. Sometimes…
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Weekend Whatnot
It was a good weekend. Sunny and rainy and cool and warm. Yep. It was all that in the span of one weekend. I’m feeling pretty random so I think that’s what you’ll be seeing here. I think a twelve-year-old wrote the most recent version of Transformers. (Actually, I think a transformer wrote it. Twelve-year-olds are more clever.) Have you ever seen Once Again Sam jewelry? It’s just so sweet and lovely. I purchased this little Fox necklace and it’s become one of my favorite jewelry pieces. I mean, if it has a fox – I’m probably going to buy it. I love pretty much everything she does. I’ve got…
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Piper Finnian. The Interview is Back.
You guys. I haven’t done an interview with the kids in forever. And they used to be so much fun. So I’m wishing you and yours a happy Friday and a stellar weekend and I’m asking mine a couple of questions and writing down what she says . . . . Finish this sentence – My name is Piper Finnian and I like to: Eat bubble gum. Okay. Bubble gum is good. How often do you eat bubble gum? A lot. But not mostly. Hmmm. That sounds funny. Let’s move on. Ah – tell me about school. It’s fun. My favorite subject is math. Why math? Because I love adding…
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Laughter – our favorite survival tool.
Next to grace, if I have to pick one characteristic that has saved our marriage and healed our hearts one piece of the puzzle to plumb the depths of parenting woes and big life decisions one thing that has brought us from the depths and placed us at the heights the one argument changer and situation switcher it has been laughter. Laughter. When we are mad when we have been frightened and disappointed when situations seem hopeless and the burden is heavy we look for laughter. We find something however little perhaps occasionally inappropriate and we laugh. It doesn’t fix the problem. The road isn’t suddenly straight and the direction…
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this girl o’ mine.
Braids down her back. Soft smile and her favorite oversized green sweatshirt. She’s beautiful. And right now we both enjoy this simple pure camaraderie. I want to hold it in my hands forever. To push pause. I dread a future look of scorn or a heavy sigh directed at my back. My heart already hurts at the eventual pulling away the struggle and the fight for independence. The journey to adulthood and the leftover feeling that will one day be my daily bread. The blonde mini me who isn’t me at all. This being who came from me and has helped make me. I find myself grateful and thrilled and…
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When Buying Local Is So Cute
sixteen. a birthday post.
a little this, a little that
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True Colors
Kids draw and color during their Sunday School classes. It’s perfectly normal behavior. A regular routine. At our church the completed coloring sheets are frequently featured on a thin bulletin board strip on the hall walls outside of their classrooms. Last week our friend sent us a text. It said something like this: I was walking down the hall at church. I noticed the kids’ drawings of Jonah on the walls. Most of the drawings looked like this – Jonah landing on the shore – recovering from his whale episode. But then I noticed another drawing that looked like this – After he saw our son’s name scrawled across the…
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I’m finally remembering to complete the giveaway.
Well guys. I told you I couldn’t keep up. But seriously – I totally forgot about my own tiny music giveaway! So. Today I am taking care of a few details. Like – giving away a song. And the song goes to …………. Alicia! I really hope you like it. Alicia – please send me your e-mail address and I will send you the link to your victory song! I really hope this rainy weekend finds you happy and with the people you love most.
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Making Terrariums
After we finished reading The Magician’s Nephew (which I just love, by the way – remember Digory our dog? That’s the book his name came from. Like so many other names, I tired first to name one of our children Digory but with no success) the curriculum suggested several ways to create your own magical world. We landed on terrariums – a project I’ve actually always wanted to try. Any jar or glass container with or without a lid will work. It’s seriously super simple. We chose a jar that belonged to my mom – I think it held sugar once upon another life. The idea is basic, although of…
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making music (and art) accessible
An Ode to EB White
she’s right, he knows her name.
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four important words.
The other night at dinner Kevin said to the kids, “Hey guys. I want to teach you four incredibly important words.” I honestly cannot recall if we were chatting about passing the salt correctly or climbing trees or using inside voices. I just know he said he had four important words he wanted them to learn. And so we all listened. Maybe some of the kids thought it would be a joke. Kevin’s kind of a jokester. They know this about him. But he wasn’t really wearing his joke-y-dad face. He was more like wearing his serious-dad face. He stared at the watching eyes of his little people around the…
Keep Reading . . .
parenting blues
spring madness. it has descended upon us.
school planning over here …
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At the seashore
In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth. – Rachel Carson To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim–the rocks–the motion of the waves–the ships, with men in them, What stranger miracles are there? -Walt Whitman For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), It’s always our self we find in the sea. -e.e. Cummings The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. -Isak Dinesen Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s…
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Afternoon Tea Like Tumnus
Last week, in our daily readings from the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Lucy entered the magical woods of Narnia. She met Mr. Tumnus and enjoyed a tea at the faun’s cozy home. In honor of that special fictional tea, we too celebrated a tea with friends who are also reading their way through the Narnia series this school year. We served what Tumnus served – sardines on toast, soft boiled eggs, hot tea and sugar dusted tea cake. Dining under the hemlock tree in the front yard our table was overflowing with old fashioned tea pots and tiny vases filled with wildflowers and eager children lining up…
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the daily struggle
Oh you guys. I just cannot keep up. It’s teaching five kids school, feeding seven people three meals a day, maintaining my little side online job, doing laundry for seven people, sleeping, reading, living that’s really keeping me busy friends. I’m not complaining. More like explaining. (I just hope you all will still like me and drop by and visit and read my currently sporadic posts.) Balance is the goal all the time. Right? Well. I’m trying. And some days I’m thriving and some days I’m falling on my face and some days I’m treading water and some days all three. I’m guessing most of you understand. It’s fall though.…
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A Weekend Round Up and A Tiny Music Giveaway
So much happening in the past few days. An overload of fun and friends. Some long time buddies trekked it over from Charlotte and we all met at our favorite apple orchard and picked apples – en masse! The next day our family loaded a bunch of those North Carolina apples in the car to share the love and drove to the peach state. We enjoyed dinner with some sweet and generous friends. (Truly. We live in a wealth of blessings to have so many kind and generous friends.) The kids stayed with them whilst Kevin and I ventured into the big city to meet our pals Nate…
