Life. Be In It.

There are many other titles that I considered for this post. "Never A Dull Moment"- which is Larry's and my Motto. "Crazy Busy" which has been accurate. "Poor Me" was briefly entertained. "Post-Surgical Care of my Precious", and "Big Wedding- 4 Days" would explain a whole lot.
 I could have used "Hither and Thither, Mom as Chauffeur", or "Sandwich Generation"- as I have been the primary contact for  Grandma Dolly's recent hospitalization and admittance to Rehab (no, not that kind). I could have referenced "Obtaining an Apartment and Moving Out 101" or " Diabetic Management in the High School Setting".
         "Death by Field Trips", "Latin- Not For Dummies" and "Homeschooling-Harder than It Looks" were others. "ATV's- Not As Much Fun For The Neighbors"," Big Families- A lot of Work, A lot of Fun", " Adult Kids- Don't Worry, They Turn Out Great!" and " Thank God for Daughters-In Law" would also apply.
    The only title that would never work is " Bored Out of my Mind" which will probably never work. I like to be busy and if I don't have something to do, I make something to do! So, instead, I realized that this is the life that I've been called to live. I have a job to do that no one can do better than I can- because it's My job. Like the Blues Brothers, I'm on a Mission From God. Today, I choose to accept it!
        The truth is, One day at a time, it's all getting done!!! What I need to remember is to wrap my day in prayer. That's the one thing that has to go at the top of the list but is too easily forgotten or rushed. With God's help, it is all a joy.
           Look to this day,
           For it is Life,
           The very life of life.
           In its brief course lie all
           The realities and verities of existence.

           For yesterday is but a dream,
           And tomorrow is only a vision,
           But today, well lived,
           Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
           And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

           Look well, therefore, to this day.

           Sanskrit Proverb

     Now, to decorate 25 pumpkins!

Ready for Halloween

Sam has been fortunate in finding some great costumes at yard sales lately. He knows that I'm not much on Halloween and so I won't buy this kind of thing.

But for 3 bucks, he's now set with plenty of capes  and lids for everyone! The little guy isn't sure what to think...

 These guys are having fun donning  creepy get ups and running around the neighborhood. Our kids have been known to trick or treat anytime they think of it- free candy should not be restricted to one night of the year! They are often successful as the neighbors are generous and seem to get a kick out of it.

 What a great age!
Lord, please help me to remember that these years go by very quickly. Please help me to ENJOY them and to focus on all that is good by being  more encouraging to my boys. Amen.

Sleeping Beauty Remix

The day after receiving this beautiful fairy costume, Miss J. set up this tea party for her dolls in her room.

When I  walked in and saw this, I had to grab my camera!

Everything was going great until the Bad Fairies showed up!

This reminded me of Sleeping Beauty when the Bad Fairy wasn't invited to the Baby's Christening Party because there were only 12 golden spoons and the bad one made 13!

All's well that ends well... Aren't costumes great!

Fairyland!

We had the pleasure of attending a very special birthday party for my niece last weekend on 10-10-10!

 

The Birthday Girl and her mom have been planning this party  for months. They thought of everything possible to enchant their guests including having a fairy outfit for each girl, all in different colors!

These young gentlemen were also invited and costumed as "Fairy Guards".

 The children were seated at a dining room table that had been moved outside and placed under this shady decorated tent.The table was set with much attention to detail to continue the Fairyland theme. As they enjoyed their refreshments, they were all so polite and well behaved! Fairy music played in the background.

Games included "Toadstool Musical Trees" on a hilly knoll that was so much fun for the adults to watch because of the colorful costumes.

 The guests also made a craft of a "fairy door" to bring home to use as a centerpiece for their own fairy gardens. They went around the yard in costume to clip flowers and leaves and to collect other natural items with which to decorate their doors. Mosses and glass stones were provided.

It was a real treat to have all of our girl cousins of this age in attendance. 5 of these girls are cousins from five different families!

This was a spectacular birthday party which will probably never be forgotten by the lucky attendees! Each girl was given the fairy skirt, wings and wand specifically ordered for her, to take home! All the little details, the gorgeous fall weather and the joy of celebrating this special cousin's birthday went together to create a storybook Fairy Tale in real life!

Chicken Little Was Right!

A most pleasant aspect of the fall season is the continual pitter-patter of acorns hitting the deck as they fall from the oak tree just above it. It really is exciting to hear the first few drop, and then they steadily increase like a bag of popcorn popping, for weeks. Every couple of minutes another one drops.

The acorns make a different sound depending on what they hit when they land.The deck, the deck furniture, the vehicles ( this happens all over the yard) and the ground all produce various tones.Our absolute favorite is when the acorn hits the dinner bell. That makes a ringing sound that makes you smile!

All of these acorns have fallen from the tree and hit with a little ping that we can hear in the house. These nuts make ready ammunition for target practice when the kids want to hit the bell themselves with them.

There are so many acorns in the yard that walking barefoot is a bumpy adventure. They literally hit you on the head when out in the yard which reminds me of Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, Goosey Loosey and Foxy- Loxy! Maybe she wasn't crazy when she claimed that the sky was falling!

The kids find enjoyment in collecting these brown nuggets in buckets.Not all acorns look alike. We have three types, small light brown, large light brown and a large dark brown.When the squirrels run through the trees or on a windy day, they really tumble down. Deer like to eat them and sometimes come up close in the yard to nibble.

This is a five gallon bucket full that the boys will sell for five dollars to anyone who has a use for them! I took this picture as they were collecting them and they look so plump and smooth compared to this bucketful that has been gathered for a couple of weeks.

They appear to have started to dry out.They must have a moisture content inside and over time they begin to dehydrate. All of these acorns are just another example of the beauty of God's creation and His loving Providence for all His creatures.

Lumberjacks United!

One of the very best things about having a big family is that when you need a job done, there are plenty of people to call! We planned a week-end of firewood chopping and were very grateful when everyone showed up ready to work!

 This is an annual event and this year's date happened to fall on the feast of the Guardian Angels.A quick prayer was offered up asking for a SAFE day as this is a dangerous job.We rented a wood splitter and a chain saw to supplement the chainsaws owned by Greg and us.

The little guy was dressed for the part in his flannel shirt and Coonskin cap.

We are very blessed to have a supply of oak trees already cut down along the edge of the yard from when a trail was put in behind us.We used up one of these piles over the last two years and there were two more piles left.

The trees were cut into sections, lifted into the truck, and transported up into the yard.

Then the heavy rounds were thrown off to be split. Jon was able to split about 12 of these sections all lined up in a row faster than the woodsplitter could do for an equal amount!

What a treat it was to have our sons' wives join us in this project. It was so nice to be all together enjoying the
beautiful fall weather and getting some physical exercise! Of course, who's kidding whom? I hardly got outside at all! My job was to supply provisions when it was time for a Union break!

For a morning coffee break we had Costco muffins and juice.At noon, I served a spiral ham with assorted cheeses on potatoe rolls.We had this again for dinner on Saturday. On Sunday after Mass, we had ham and eggs and toast before splitting the rest of the wood. By Sunday afternoon, we had gone through all 10 pounds of ham.

 The younger guys helped out as much as they could but safety concerns and the weight of the heavy wood required them to take a more ancillary role.That's OK- someday we'll need them to do most of the work here.

I also helped out by watching my grandson throughout the day so that these two could work together. Larry and I are so hoping to reciprocate in this exchange of labor and we encourage our adult children to call on us for help with projects. I was taught as a child that work is fun and I truly believe it! But, I will go on record to say that the next day I didn't have a single sore muscle unlike all these hard-working folks!!!

Growing up in Vermont, I also learned that the best time to get ready for winter is in the fall. We are enjoying some of the best weather of the year right now. No one wants to have to do this job in January or February.

Dear Lord Jesus, Thank You for keeping us all safe throughout this project and for the family fellowship that we shared. Thank You, also for supplying all that we need. Amen. To every one of our Guardian Angels- Thanks a million. You Rock!