Let the Moving Begin!

Today was the first official day of my parents' move from their "old" house into Dad's-old-office-turned-residence.  We refer to the two buildings in grand terms:  The East House is their old one, and The West House is what they're moving into.  In the West House...

There were beautiful empty spaces, just begging for something to fill them. (And we did.)

New hardwood floors waiting to be scratched...er...I mean...um...carefully walked on and furniture set gently upon.  ;-)

Jeff and my brother David moved the beds over to the new house.

David also wielded a mean feather duster while Lori showed off her muscles by carrying dresser drawers.  :)

My mother, who LIKES detail work (bless her heart!), focused on cleaning the ancient refrigerator that they moved over from their shed.  I'm not sure, but I think the frig might be older than I am.  But being the penny-pinchers that they are (that's a compliment!), they chose to continue to use it, rather than buy a new one.

Mother was fueled by her ever-present companion, her iced tea cup.  If we were somehow able to count the number of gallons of tea that have been drunk by her from this cup, it's likely to be more than the amount of water in the Shenandoah River!  :)

Two of our neighbor girls came over to help out by watching Tobin and Shav at our house while I was helping my parents.  All the other kids (Josiah and David and their cousins) did a great job of helping; they truly contributed to all that was accomplished today.  When their energy and spirits were lagging, all I had to do was say, "I'll race you back to the old house," and they perked up right away.  I think they beat me at every single race, too.  ;-)

My strong brother held up a bookshelf while the whole earth titled.  Oh, wait, that was just the camera tilting. ;-)

His lovely wife started organizing the kitchen.  And the worst part is -- she left before she finished the job!  We should have demanded that she stay with us for a few more days/weeks/months, so that she could complete what she started.  ;-)

All in all, it was a GREAT day; and we really got a lot accomplished.  There is much more to be done, however.  ;-)

I'm really proud of my parents.  When they decided to sell this house to us, they went through a considerable period of downsizing as they moved into a much smaller house.  Then when Dad retired, he sorted through and got rid of an immense amount of medical stuff as he prepared to change his office into a house.  Now, as they go through this move, I'm reminded of how they've handled these transitions with grace, holding their possessions with a light grasp, and keeping their eyes focused on their home to come.  Their real home.  Their permanent home.

Thank You, God, that when we move there, we get to travel light...and You do all the moving for us!  ;-)

Mr. Spontaneity

I never know what Jeff will think of next. 

God knew that being spontaneous was not one of my natural gifts (ha!), so he blessed me with a man skilled in spontaneity, a man who would be able to bring out of me something that wasn't there to begin with.  I've changed so much because of Jeff, but I still don't hold a candle to him when it comes to spur-of-the-moment ideas.

Today, for example, one of the first things he did this morning was say, "Let's hang up this shelf.  Where do you want it?"  This shelf, by the way, was given to us months ago by my dad; it was a cast-off from his office, no longer needed because of his retirement.  Since Dad gave it to us, it's been hanging out in the back of Jeff's closet.  I haven't pressured Jeff to put it up; and in fact, I haven't even thought about it recently.  

Apparently, something made Jeff think about it, because he was all gung-ho about putting it up this morning.  I didn't complain.  :)

Jeff found the studs and screwed it in securely--it's a heavy shelf--and now it's a perfect place to display some of our books where they can visually tempt little hands to reach for them, pull them off the shelf, and peruse them.

We decided to hang it right under the big map in our upstairs hallway, which reminded me of this quote I read recently in an article by Jill Hardy in my oft-used and much-appreciated homeschool planner, The Well-Planned Day:   

Your personal preferences will dictate a lot of your storage and organizational methods.  I know many homeschoolers who bristle at the idea of leaving maps on the wall, or having desks in common living areas, and just as many who embrace home learning as a decorating style.

"Home learning as a decorating style"?  Yes, I'd say that sounds about right.  :)

The next thing Jeff did to surprise me today occurred when he returned to the house from taking some food scraps to the compost pile and feeding the animals.  He came in the kitchen from the porch; but instead of quickly closing the door to keep the heat inside, he held the door open and gave a short whistle.  In trotted Molly.  Dear, sweet Molly.  Our first dog, my favorite dog of the three we have now.  But in the house?  Our dogs are outdoor ones and always have been; they enjoy the room to run freely in our pasture, and I enjoy the fact that my house has no dog hair or dog smell in it!  :)  But The One Who Surprises Me decided that it would be fun to bring Molly down from the pasture and bring her in the house...

...and then take her for a walk with three eager boys.

It was fun, too; and if it wasn't for that little bit about the dog hair and smell, I would dearly love having Molly as an indoor dog.

As it is, we'll let her stay outside with her two dog buddies and two goat buddies; but I'm so glad Jeff thought to bring her inside for a little bit today.

That man!  He surely keeps me on my toes.

That's why I married him.  ;-)

Compared to Last Year, I'm...

...way ahead!

Do you remember my late-night Christmas Eve marathon gift-wrapping session last year?  I do!  And I wince a little every time I think about the stress of all that was going on last year, including the hour and a half I spent "throwing" presents into gift bags and stuffing tissue paper on top, when what I really wanted to be doing was falling asleep in the glow of the Christmas tree lights.  I was determined that this year, things would be different.

I'm happy to say that they are.  :)

Thanks in part to my friend Sally who came over one afternoon to watch my kids so I could have some time to myself (a portion of which I used to wrap gifts), and to Kathryn whose weekly visit to play with the boys gave me time this afternoon to finish the project, I am now able to say that all the gifts I needed to wrap are done: wrapped, tagged, bowed, and placed under the Christmas tree.

What a lovely feeling.

I can hardly wait for Christmas morning, so I can watch the faces of the ones I love as they open their gifts.  I must be growing up because these days...

...I'd rather give presents than receive them.  :)

In a World of White...

...I notice colors.  The blue of Tobin's hat, coat, and snow pants.  The orange of our sled.

 

Most of all, the pink of his lips and his sweet, kissable rosy cheeks.  In the past two days, since the snow started falling, I've had the privilege of thrice being Tobin's companion out of doors.  We've shoveled snow, eaten it, tromped around in it, eaten more of it, gone sledding in it, made a snow angel in it, and eaten even more of it.  Can you tell what Tobin's favorite thing about the snow is?

Ah, here's another color I love these days:  the brown of the delicious hot chocolate we make every time we return to the house from our adventures outside. What better way to warm up than with this liquid love?

I grew up drinking my mom's homemade hot chocolate, so of course, no other kind tastes quite as good to me.  Here is the recipe we've always used:

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 box (8 qts.) dry milk

1 bag (1 lb.) powdered sugar

1 and 1/2 c. (6 oz.) nondairy coffee creamer

16 oz. Nestle's Quik

Mix well.  Makes 1 gallon dry mix.  To serve, mix 1/3 c. of mixture with 1 c. hot water.  Top with marshmallows, of course!

My boys sometimes choose colored marshmallows.  For me?  Always white.  After all, they match the snow that way.  Well, until they get dunked in the hot chocolate.  ;-)

This Can Only Mean One Thing

The area around our woodstove crowded with random coats, mittens, socks, boots, hats, and gloves?  That must mean...

It's SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:)

In the Early Morning Hours...

...the house was peaceful.  It was just me and the Christmas tree.

Yep, just me and the Christmas tree and the cheery fire in the woodstove.

 That's right, just me and the Christmas tree and the cheery fire in the woodstove and a cup of coffee.

Yes, like I said, just me and the Christmas tree and the cheery fire in the woodstove and a cup of coffee AND this little fellow...

...who, in the early morning hours, apparently decided that he had had ENOUGH of sleeping and it was time to get up right now!  So he and I went downstairs, he had a little bite of breakfast, he played and climbed on me, I watched and applauded as he scooted and sat up and stood up and cruised, he smiled gleefully as I twirled big plastic rings on the floor.  Great fun.

"Well," thought I, "if I have to be awake this early..."  (because, remind me again, WHO gets up this early by choice??)

"...I might as well turn it into a blog post!"

And I did.  

The End  ;-)

When You Let Your Children Play with Your Nativity Set...

...you never know what might happen.  All the figures might get pushed very close together...Baby Jesus might be given trucks to play with...the shepherds might end up on top of the stable (as seen in the 3rd video down)...and, worst of all, Jesus might lose a hand!  

All those adventures happened in Christmases Past.  Here in Christmas Present, I discovered this scene last evening:

All the figures were laying on their backs.  All except the camel, that is...

...he was standing upright in a tiny space between the stable and the fence.  There wasn't enough room there for him to fall down.

But why were they all laying down?  Had an earthquake come by and rattled them all to the ground?  Had the angels appeared and overpowered them with majesty and glory?  Had some kind soul gently laid the figures down so they could go to sleep?

Then I found a clue:

See it there on the top of the stable?  I'm not sure what it is or where it came from; but to my untrained eye, it looks like a picture of a Star Wars storm trooper (is that what they're called?)  Maybe some imaginative boys were mixing genres of play!

Since all my sons were asleep in bed when I found it, I removed the scary face picture from the roof, set up all the figures, and arranged them the way I like it.

Sleep soundly, sweet one-handed Jesus!  Aren't you glad we take literally your command to let the little children come to you?  ;-)

It Sounded Wise

I was in the middle of writing a much lengthier post tonight, but then Shav interrupted me with persistent cries that needed some attention.  I ended up sitting here in my rocking chair, with him in my arms, and a soft blue blanket around us both.  He fell asleep on my shoulder, and I savored the feel of his head resting on me and his dear body getting heavy in my arms.  These moments fly so quickly...

So, Long Post didn't get done, but Short Post will stand in for him.

Today, I said to Josiah, "For a boy of eight, you're pretty wise."

His response:  "That's because I look beyond the targets of my gun."

Doesn't that sound so wise?  I'm not sure exactly what it means, although I'm fairly certain he was using "gun" metaphorically because, although I can't remember the specific context of our conversation, I know we weren't discussing weaponry.  But doesn't it seem so profound?

I'm sure if I had more time, I could dig deeper and find the blog post just waiting to be written about his statement.  "Looking Beyond the Targets of My Gun."  It has a meaningful ring to it, don't you think?

Next time I'm burning the midnight oil with Shav in my arms, maybe I'll figure out the significance of it all.  Until then, I'll just admire the weight of wisdom those words carry.

Even if I don't understand it.  ;-)

~ pictures from way back in September...posted here tonight just for fun

When My Eyes Are Open...

...I realize that every day is filled with blessings galore.  Like...

~ friends who sympathize when I'm not feeling well...and a friend who says, "I'm sorry you're not feeling well; maybe you should drink some hot tea!"

~ the hot tea itself, with extra milk and sugar in it...because if anything can cure a cold, it's extra sugar.  Well, maybe.  ;-)

~ a cold that turns out to be milder than I thought--I'm SO grateful!  Discomfort is easier to deal with than out-and-out pain.

~ sons who cooperated beautifully during a mini photo-shoot this morning (I *needed* new pictures for the blog header I'm planning for December.)  ;-)

~ a mom who thinks that, even though I only asked her and Dad to get me some chicken at Costco, I really should have some shredded Mexican cheese...and two packages of grape tomatoes...and two huge bags of tortilla chips for Jeff...and a bag of pomelos.  Gifts of food are welcome indeed!

~ boys who are young enough to find great pleasure in twirling around in the living room.

~ a husband who says, "That's a great idea!" when I say, "Do you think we should get such-and-such for the boys for Christmas?"

~ a gorgeous sunset sky.

~ a dad who says, "Sure!" when I say, "Could you please take Josiah to SVCC practice so I don't have to wake up Shav to take him along?"

~ putting the Christmas tablecloth on the table for the first time this year.

~ comfort food for supper.

~ a mom who stays after supper to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen while I go get Josiah from choir.

~ four boys who all went to sleep peacefully tonight.

~ the warm electric blanket waiting for me.  :)

I'm so glad my eyes were open today.

Quintessential Fall

"Real" fall seemed a little slow in coming this year; but now that the calendar says November, I think it has arrived.  How do I know?  Well, let me count the ways...

1. Applesauce is being made and canned.

2. Fires in the woodstove burn every day.

3. My favorite sweater is being worn again.

4. Academic achievements are being celebrated (two days ago, David finished a math book; yesterday, Josiah finished a piano book).

5. Night falls earlier than in the long summer evenings, making a bedtime of 8:00 or 8:30 seem doable again.

6. A container of homemade hot chocolate mix resides in our kitchen, and every load in the dishwasher includes at least one or two mugs.

7. Daytime skies are often an unbelievable shade of blue:  clear and brilliant.

8. The seasonal sorting and switching of the boys' clothes is occurring (rather slowly this year, I'm afraid).

9. The garden is forlorn, needing some time and attention before it's tucked in for the winter.

and the big one...

10. Leaves are falling and being raked into a pile to be...what else?...jumped into!

I love Tobin's face in this next one.  :)

OK, we've jumped.  Now it's time to throw leaves at each other.  :)

I brought Shav out to join the fun, and I plopped him down in the middle of the leaf pile.  He hardly knew what to think.  Should I smile, or should I fuss?  Well, big brother David is pretty entertaining, so I'll laugh at him.

The Four.  Getting them all lined up, sitting still, looking at me, and being pleasant was nearly impossible.

I realized trying to restrain these wild young stallions was useless, so I let them go and the leaves immediately flew again.

It would have been nice to get some sweet sibling pictures.

But Shav was in a phase of "I don't think I like this leaf stuff!" and the pictures...well, it's obvious how they turned out.

Josiah wanted me to bury him, and then to uncover parts of him and take pictures.

 I obliged, capturing feet, legs...

...a hood, and a sliver of a grinning face.

Seeing Shav's reaction to the leaves today made me think of his reaction, months ago, to grass.  :)

I'm gonna cry.  No, I think I'll stop.

 I'll give a tentative smile, since you all seem to think these brown and gold crackling things are something special.

 OK, now I'm happy.

Uh oh, here comes Tobin.

What is he up to?

 Throwing leaves on my head, that's what!

I give up.  They won't stop pestering me.  I might as well enjoy it. 

Brothers!!!

********

Encounter #3

I was 14 years old, a sophomore, and had just switched schools from my private school of roughly 80 students total (K-12) to another private school which had 60+ students just in my grade:  an enormous adjustment.  Into that semester of new-student fog came a moment which significantly shaped the rest of my years at that school--and the rest of my life.

Jay Hartzler, the music teacher, knowing that I played the piano, approached me and asked if I would accompany the choir for one piece during the Christmas concert.  The piece was "This Endris Night," my answer was yes, and that was just the beginning for me.

I discovered the wonderful world of accompanying which became, so to speak, my true love in the world of music.  I found my place in that new school and earned the respect of the other students as they learned who I was and listened to me contribute to the group.  I gained admission to select choirs, not only at that school but also later when I was in college--admission granted to me not because of my singing talent (which was adequate, but not a stand-out), but because of my accompanying skills.  I had doors swing open to me in the world of music that I would not have dreamed of before that life-changing day when Mr. Hartzler said, "I'd like you to accompany 'This Endris Night.' Will you do it?"

Accompanying became so cherished to me that, were it not for other Encounters further down the road, I might have gone on to graduate school to pursue a master's degree in it and see how far I could go in accompanying, career-wise.  But, as is apparent at a glance, other Encounters changed my direction and led me away from that path.  I have no regrets.

But I do still have a keen fondness for accompanying, even if my only chance to do it these days is accompanying Josiah during his violin recitals. :)  Martin Chapel is a far cry from Carnegie Hall, but I am content...AND I'm grateful that Mr. H. took a chance on a new student and started me on the path of accompanying.