12 for 12

Well, it's been a rather interesting week here at the castle...

Most of the children and I have been sick. I am so very proud at the way the boys have stepped up to help with cooking and cleaning. I am blessed.

Tonight I finally felt enough better to blog...and realized it is the 12th!

So without further ado, my 12 for 12:

I have spent much of the week with these items close at hand:

Thankfully, I left one of these unpacked!!

Cheery detail on my cup...

The older boys made me a special 'Get Well Soon' sign with Legos...and this is what was left of it after the baby got it.

A nifty computer drawing from one of the boys...

the baby brought me a panda to cuddle...

I have been wildly thankful for...

&

And....for the final photo...

A finished project!!!

Yes, that afghan is finally done, folks!

a lazy day's thoughts

The move progresses nicely...boxes are being filled at a reasonable rate, lists are being made (and followed!), and still we continue with school studies. It's been interesting, for sure--but rather fun in its own way. There is a certain air of anticipation that fills the house...the boys are anxious to be in Ohio, close to their grandma and friends. I am simply looking forward to being settled again.

I never before realized how cozy and homey our little nest was here. Now that I am having to dismantle it, it doesn't seem nearly so haven-y, so restful and embracing. In the same moment I realize how much I will miss this little house, I realize I have the ability to make another house our haven--and it is that I look forward to.

I laughingly referred to this as the 'longest move on record' and the boys enquired whether I really would've been able to pull it off any faster. I had to admit, the timing in every aspect has been nearly perfect. Everything has fallen into place in its appointed time. For everything there is a season, yes? This way, things are systematically labeled and packed--and that suits this little neat-freak just fine. :-)

We've slowly been saying goodbye to friends... I told the boys it was as though we were making folks sad all over town. People have cried, made us promise to write and send pictures. Everywhere we go, I bring a camera and take pictures of the boys with our friends. My thought is to make a Tennessee album, filled with photos and memories of the only place they've called home. I know they are wildly excited to be off on our Ohio adventure, but at some point, I know they will begin to miss the old places, sights and friends. It is then we can peruse the album, remembering those we knew and loved... Perhaps my plan is as much for me as it is for the boys? Hmm...

The older boys will remember this place vividly...but I wonder about the two youngest boys. The baby is only 2...will he even remember our home here? I doubt it...and am a little saddened by that. I can't help but feel this is a special house...our eldest son was born in this house, the others came home from the hospital here. We have filled it with life, love, warmth...and yes, a few tears. All in all, it has been a wonderful place to live and I truly hope the next people to live here are as happy as we have been.

Dave and I spoke this morning, reminiscing over the blessings we have experienced here. We have felt the kindness of strangers, the love of friends. I have lived here longer than I've ever lived anywhere in my life. Yes, I will miss Tennessee...

news from the castle

For those of you who haven't heard, we are moving!!

Where, you ask??



To the 'heart of it all'.....which means....



!!!



Though this means big changes, we are all wildly excited. The relocation will put us very close to the boys' grandma, and that will be a blessing many times over. Quiet Man has informed me he will no longer be a da-- Yankee....he will just be a Yankee. And, on the heels of that statement, I realized that will make me a stranger in a strange land. I can only imagine the tales I'll have to tell.....!


*
And now, in other, more serious, news...
I have a confession: I cheated on HSH. I started a new blog. But after only a couple days, I realised that I really like this blog. It is quite representative of me (in my finer moments)...and I worked to make it what it is. I would hate to toss it all away on a whim.

Although I won't go into specifics, I can certainly say I get a little weary of some of the 'blog-stalking' that goes on here...psychos hanging on my every word...trolling my blog for any word of my plans, my children, my husband. I feel sorry for them, really, but have come to the conclusion that what they are, what they say, and/or what they do really has very little to do with me.

I am happily content in the life I am living--secure in Divine protection and guidance.
I wish you the same.

ducks and fish

I think ducks and fish would feel right at home here now. It has drizzled for what seems like weeks on end. And the forecast predicts rain through the weekend. The yard is a giant sponge that squishes if you so much as lay eyes on it.

One of the little boys emphatically informed me today that it's been raining all his life! I can certainly see where he's coming from, poor kid. A few of the boys have sniffly noses, otherwise I'd send them outside--rain or no rain. But out splashing about in mud puddles hardly seems conducive to rapid recoveries. Ah well, this too shall pass. Right??

Anyway, if you have sun and prefer rain, let me know. We're ready to make a trade. ;-)

12 for 12

Today I'm trying something a little different. The idea is to take 12 photos on the 12th of the month. For a long time, I've been captivated by the glimpses into Sanja's day...and had to give it a whirl.

Yes. This qualifies as sleeping in on a Saturday when you have 6 hungry boys waiting for breakfast. ;-)


A cuppa for katie. (Is it just me, or does Honey Bear look a little nervous?)


Oh! Today's a special day!!


First on the to-do list: make a birthday cake!


Almost party time....hope it passes inspection.


Nana brought homemade ice cream.
One word: heavenly.


Must've been okay... :-)


Guess it's time for presents!!!


The. Best. Gift. EVAH!! (from Nana, dontcha know?!)


Looking into his new kaleidoscope. Dreamy, huh?


My best friend. Makes throwing parties a snap.
Well, okay....makes cleaning up after parties a snap.

Oh....looking for #12?

keep scrolling....





BOO!

The gimlet-eyed monster head that stared at me while I worked on this post.

Hope you enjoyed it!!

two-year olds and microscopes

I am tired.

Tired of fighting, whining, bickering, and tattling two-year olds who masquerade as adults.

Don't get me wrong--I love two-year olds. The cute, precocious ones. But adults who fuss and argue like two-year olds are annoying and embarrassing.

Why will adults insist on acting like children?! Since when have *we* become so perfect that we now feel the right--nay, obligation!--to wrap ourselves in robes of self-righteousness and prance about, pointing fingers and whining about who said what, and to whom? How quick we are to put others under the microscope! We slice them up, put them under glass, poke and prod...and then proclaim our findings to the world. Over and over and over again.

How about, just once, we take that microscope and slip beneath its lens? Take a long, hard look at ourselves. Nasty, huh? That's my point. Until we have gotten allll our problems fixed, until we are truly perfect, let's leave the finger-pointing, name-calling, whining and tattling to the real two-year olds. They're cuter anyway.


Eight years ago, our country changed dramatically. For a time, there was no "you" and "me"; there was "us". We weren't "Republican" or "Democrat"; we were simply "American", and proud to be so. My challenge to all of us it this: Let's get back what we had on September 11, 2001 and the days that followed. Let's stop the petty fussing and whining and get back to what's really important. WE are what makes this country work. WE are America. And WE can get along if we try.

It's time to step away from the microscope and take a look at the big picture. Look for ways to make things better. Look for ways to encourage and uplift. Look for the good...it's there, folks. I promise.

it always was

This summer, a friend of mine worked diligently on an important project. Finally, her task was completed. "It's in God's hands now", was the update to her facebook status. Friends wished her success and assured her things would go well. One short response caught my eye: "It always was." someone wrote. When I read that, I stopped short.

This illusion of control we have is rather interesting. We work, we hope, wish, pray...and we leave it in God's Hands. I don't know about the rest of you, but I frequently overlook the fact that it's been in God's Hands all along. Yes, my effort is important. I should always do my best. But, more importantly, I need to focus on the fact that God has known about this all along; He's seen it coming since before time began.

It's comforting to know that whatever battle I face, whatever situation has me flummoxed, God isn't surprised/worried/perturbed. If I just remember it's in His Hands--and always was--I'll sustain the bumps in my road a lot easier.