Feeding the Birds

 We had a large jar of shelled peanuts that had passed their prime. John set them out to feed the  squirrels. Many squirrels did come to eat them but we also had the pleasure of watching the birds flutter in and away each time taking one peanut in their beaks. This is a woodpecker on the rail.

 Here the woodpecker is climbing the tree behind the deck with a peanut in his beak.

 We couldn't believe how fast these birds got the memo that there was free food available. A cup of peanuts was completely gone in about twenty minutes. I didn't realize that a bird could pick up a peanut because bird seed is so much smaller.

It was very pleasant to sit on the couch during our read-aloud and watch so many birds of three different varieties fly in to take one peanut at a time until they were all gone. We refilled the supply three times and then saved the rest for another day of bird watching.

Quick and Easy Scrapbooking

 To preserve memories from the interesting things we have seen and done, I have discovered a quick and easy solution that has really worked for us. Blank journals are readily available in different covers and I purchased these eight years ago to record our trips as part of our homeschooling adventure. I had to buy two more, one for each younger child as they began their schoolwork. Tori's book was filled when she finished homeschooling and now it is hers to keep.

When we visit any attraction or attend an event, I pick up the pamphlet or hand-out that goes along with it, enough for each of the kids who went and myself. This means that I often take 5 or more glossy brochures  and I don't feel badly about it because they will actually be used and not thrown into the trash. 

These attractions employ professional photographers and graphic artists to showcase their features and print on excellent quality paper . There is no way I could improve on that, so I use their materials to tell their story in our scrapbooks.

In the first few years, I had each kid cut up their own pamphlet and glue it into their book. However, I pretty much do it myself now, keeping up everyone's book with the stuff they do because I really enjoy and it is fun. On the left are pictures from Franciscan University and Mary Washington  from when we were doing our college tour. On the right, is our trip to Montpelier, the home of James and Dolly Madison. The card from the restaurant we had a wonderful meal at that evening is also included.

There are very few events and places to visit that don't have printed materials of some kind to use, even special fairy birthday parties!

This trip was to Emmitsburg, Maryland to see the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes with its outdoor Stations of the Cross.

I was able to see the arresting original photograph displayed in a museum of this woman from the Middle East that I remember seeing on the cover of National Geographic decades ago. Who could take a better picture and have it printed out for scrapbooking than this? We also ate at Chik Fil A that day so I saved that logo too. On the next page are pictures from an Agricultural Research Farm that we visited.

This is the first trip that I recorded in this way, to the National Zoo and the John Paul II Cultural Museum in September, 2003. I really try to keep up with this. Sometimes, I'll have pamphlets from a few trips in a pile waiting and I do them all at once.

Juby helped me this last time. The only equipment necessary is a pamphlet for each person, a blank journal, scissors, glue and about 30 minutes or less. That has been very doable for this busy mother!

This is our anniversary trip to Vermont taken a number of years ago. I saved the airline ticket, a view from the sky of the landscape, and some pictures from the brochure of the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at in Stowe, Vermont. Without these scrapbooks, it would be very easy to forget the beautiful things we have seen. At some point in my life, I may get into more professional scrapbooking with the many lovely supplies available to personalize one's memories. I offer this idea here because it is so EASY and fun to do for anyone who would like to preserve a record of their own and their family's excursions.

 

Love Pink

 After a very long and difficult labor and delivery, we welcomed our newest family member into the world. It was by God's Grace and her own rock solid determination to deliver her own baby, that my daughter was able to give birth to an almost 10 pound baby. The labor went on for days and nights at home and walking around town and Walmart. She knew that the secret is to stay out of the hospital for as long as you can. I was able to share this exciting time with this couple in person often but also through the medium of texting! As my mother says, " You only get to have your first baby, once." After that, you've got an older child to tend to as well. I took care of my grandson  while his mother labored and recovered in the hospital. But I was able to share in the experience closely because we texted back and forth through out.

 This mother was determined to avoid an Unecessary C-section  which seems to be the preferred method of some busy providers who don't realize or don't care what the act of delivery means to a woman. THANK GOD for NECESSARY sections that save the lives of mothers and babies who would in previous times have died. However, her doctor ( in this whole circumstance) was not kind, not professional, not encouraging and was actually taunting her through the night because this mother didn't give up early in the proceedings so the doctor could get a good night's sleep. Prayer Warriors were called in ( Mom and Grandma Dolly) and every Saint in Heaven that has a relationship with this family. Laugh if you want to but when there is no one else to call and desperation hits I am grateful beyond belief for the intercession of the following saints who were begged for their prayers to help conduct this baby safely into the world : Mary, who gave birth to our Lord Jesus, Elizabeth ( of the Visitation and of Hungary), Margaret of Scotland, Francis, Maximilian, Gregory,Louise, Jane De Chantal, Edward, John the Baptist, the Evangelist , Vianney and The Beloved, Anne, also both Theresas, Padre Pio, Benedict and Bonaventure, Edmund, Maria Goretti, Catherine, Cecilia, Peter and Paul,Thomas, Daniel, Augustine, Gerard of Majella, Margaret Mary, Vincent, Michael , Blessed John Paul II many others. I was up most of the night praying and apparently gritting my teeth! After I received a text saying " we have a baby" I took a few moments to thank each of the Saints by name that I had been calling on to pray, meanwhile giving All the Glory to God. A day or two after the birth, I saw an article entitled " Number the Saints Among Your Friends" by Elizabeth Foss which I didn't read because I didn't want to be influenced by it before I shared my own experience here.There IS a Communion of Saints and we can ask for their prayers. I do believe in miracles. I've seen a lot of them.

 After waiting for 9 months, the gender was revealed to all of us and this big fine baby girl got to meet her family. 

                                                                         Jon's Mom.

God our Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Who is The Giver of All Life, Thank you for this beautiful baby. Please protect all babies in the womb and help them to grow well and be delivered safely.  In your great mercy, help all couples who are struggling to become parents with the gift of life, if it be Thy Holy Will. Amen.

                                                                  

It's a Wrap

The day has finally arrived... We used the last piece of gift wrap from this  very large roll that I purchased for  seventy- five cents about 14 years ago! Each member of our entire family has probably  received a gift  wrapped in this beautiful all purpose paper somewhere along the way. This paper wasn't stuffed somewhere in the back of a closet- it was used for everything including some Christmas presents! I bought it from my neighbors when their Bridal Shop was closing. I have always enjoyed the pattern which I felt was just right for any occasion and fine for both men or women. I will miss having such an easy gift wrap solution handy and fondly appreciate the countless times this pretty paper has enclosed a present from this family!

Mill Heritage Day

 On our anniversary, we came upon this mill which was opened for tours. I wanted the kids to see it so we returned the following week-end for their Mill Heritage Day. The fall weather was gorgeous and this was a beautiful place for picture taking.

 Fresh cider was being pressed.

According to the Burwell-Morgan Mill brochure, This mill dates back to 1785 and was such a thriving business that an entire community prospered around it. Nathaniel Burwell (pronounced Burl), who graduated from William and Mary with honors in Mathematics in 1774, designed and built this Mill with the help of Daniel Morgan, of Revolutionary War fame. It was so successful, that the flour it produced was sold in Alexandria, Va, and the Tidewater of Virginia. From there, it was shipped to the West Indies!

 The indoor waterwheel which is 20 feet in diameter is one of only a handful of indoor wheels in the country. The seeds of  9 grains  were actually being milled while we were there. It was amazing how fast the wheel was going around.

 The "run" or stream that supplies the water to the mill comes from three springs that originate about a mile from it. This little pool was the site of "pumpkin racing" for the kids.

 The pumpkins marked with numbers came over this waterfall, the first one over being the winner.

 John was able to volunteer by putting stickers on brown paper bags full of flour ground that day. They gave him this cute bagful for helping out.

 It is a very scenic spot with the water, trees and wooden bridges.

 The water that powers the wheel comes out of the building through this channel. I have no idea how they control the water to prevent serious flooding but to have it survive so long, I guess they do.

 These gears are so impressive. It is mind boggling to think about the precise measurements and the timing involved. I was awed by how this design gives Glory to God, our Creator and  filled with respect for the human minds with the knowledge, will and perseverance it must have taken to build this mill so well. 

 This machine is called a corn sheller.

 We happened upon some friends of ours while there and enjoyed watching their boys receive a demonstration on how it works. Husked corn is put down the shoot while one turns the wheel by hand.

 Not two seconds later, the empty corn cobs came out of one section, and the corn kernels, ready for grinding,  came out another.

 The second floor of the mill was added on after the Civil War to accommodate the increased flour production. This space is currently used as an art gallery with frequently rotating local art work  exhibited for sale.

 This table had old fashioned cooking ingredients and implements on it.

It was a pleasure for us to visit this impressive mill while in operation on such a gorgeous fall day.