Recent Reads

Here are a few good reads we've come upon recently:

Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart: For elementary-middle school readers, except that I loved it and considered it one of my favorite reads this year! I bought it a long time ago to read and see if it was okay for Caiden to read. He read the Series of Unfortunate Events earlier this year and loved each book, so I was excited to see a new series of books that might be good for him. It was! Super clean, with a great story, and we were both captivated through the end. There are two more in the series, which will be going in a red box with a bow next month for him (and me!). These are long books, over 400 pages each, so they're great for keeping a fast reader occupied.

House of Dies Drear, by Virginia Hamilton: I read this one, somehow having missed it in high school. It was a different book, but very good, and I loved it. (Sidenote: the first night I started reading, it was a little scary and suspenseful, and at midnight when I put the book down and turned off my lamp, I realized I saw raccoon feet out in the barn. I had to grab a lantern and the dog and head out into the pitch black of the field and into the barn to wield off possibly-rabid creatures. I was scared stiff. Pace was asleep, so no help there. Even the dog didn't want to go in the barn! Then it turned out not to be raccoons at all, and I had to fight the urge to run all the way back to the house. I walked, but only barely. I don't read scary books very often, obviously.) There is a sequel I haven't checked out yet.

Our Only May Amelia, by Jennifer Holm: another juvenile book, but also not for younger readers. I can't remember where I read about this one, but I'm so glad I did. It takes place in Washington in about 1900 and is about a lone girl among 7 brothers. Her Finnish family experiences several heartaches in that year, and the story is in her voice, and it's excellent. I always come away from literature about that time period astounded at what pioneers struggled with just to survive.

Stories from Grandma's Attic, by Arleta Richardson: Caiden is reading these out loud to us for school, and even though the characters are a young girl and her grandmother, he loves it. Each chapter is a story from the grandmother's childhood, and she was a mess! We laughed out loud when she snuck hoop skirts under her church dress, sat down on the pew, and the entire dress flew up into her face. Each chapter is the grandmother's retelling of her life lessons to her granddaughter, and they're all based on the author's grandmother's life. There are a few sequels to this book.

March, by Geraldine Brooks: I read this after my dad recommended it. Yikes! I had a hard time with this one, because the character, Mr. March from Little Women, was completely different from how I'd imagined. In Little Women not much about him is mentioned, other than the fact he's at war and comes home emotionally and physically damaged. March is his story, and it's based on Louisa May Alcott's father's journals. (Father? Grandfather? I can't remember.) I have to be honest and say I didn't like the book until the very end because I didn't like the main character. Then I was glad I stuck with it, because it was riveting and touching and made me think. There are some adult themes in this one, being a book about abolition and war, so be forewarned.

Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow: I've had this book a long time and occasionally re-read it, always coming away glad I did. Linda Dillow has written some really great books, Creative Counterpart being one of them. This includes a Bible study at the back and has a sequel that just came out, A Deeper Kind of Calm, which I haven't read yet. This is a good book for these days, it seems. So much to worry about, and Calm My Anxious Heart is a soul tonic!

I don't know what's next on the list. I finished Our Only May Amelia last night and need to pull out my copy of Honey for a Woman's Heart to find another good suggestion. (Honey for a Child's Heart is fantastic, a must-read for parents who want literature to play a key role in their children's lives. The booklists are dog-eared in my copy, but the beginning chapters are really where all the gold nuggets are. Each time I re-read them, usually at the beginning of our school year, I re-realize why books are so important!)

So there you go! What are you reading, that you'd highly recommend?

Leaf Pile

My husband says he doesn't know what to do with all the leaves that keep dropping.





I think the kids (and chicken) have figured it out!

She's Just Gourdgeous

Why am I spending every afternoon working on her,


when she's clearly smitten with her:

Plucked,

Protected,

Bedded on a mushroom,

Given a face

and swaddled,

put to bed,

with a sleepover guest.

Could a gourd live a better life?

I think not.

The First Year Quilt

I wrote about this quilt here, then renamed it when I finished it, since it's not, in fact, Addie's quilt, it's mine. I made it for me, to remember her first year by, and maybe someday, if I'm feeling particularly unsentimental, I might give it to her.

Or just let her sleep on it?


Maybe just look at it.

Oh, I'm kidding, I promise.

(Maybe.)

Anyway, it's finished, and I love it dearly, because it's my first quilt (I've made) to snuggle under. I made my husband this one, then this one for Addie, then these for the boys, but this is all mine! It's the perfect size, just big enough to sleep under but not so big to be awkward to quilt, and the back is two fabrics that are very 30s vintage, but you'll have to imagine it because I deleted my photos. Long story.

It stays folded up on my reading basket next to my bed, ever ready for a plop down in an armchair with a good book.

Or for the girl it's made in honor of, to roll around on.

Perfect.

Purty Poultry

I was tinkering around on my computer today and realized I have a high concentration of poultry pictures in my photos. Never in my life would I have guessed I'd be the proud owner of photogenic poultry!

Here are a few of the more recent shots:
Gloria, in all her turkey beauty. Okay, so maybe not loads of beauty, but she's very friendly and makes awesome noises that make us all laugh. She also lays beautiful pink eggs with chocolate speckles.
I had never seen a turkey look like this before. All the Thanksgiving drawings of turkeys show them with their feathers raised. Tom actually only raises his feathers occasionally, and is otherwise unimpressive looking, but he sure is funny. He gobbles on command, which alone is worth paying for his feed.
Here are a few of our babies, right after we got them. Now they're much bigger and look like miniature chickens, feathers and all, but for some reason I don't have any other pictures of them. I guess second flocks are similar to second children in that way!
Here are our big girls, minus one who was laying in the barn. There's Paprika, Victoria, Ozma, and Owl. Caiden names all the chickens, and he's having fun choosing names for the new flock.
And this? This is what you get in Texas in 100+ heat. A partially cooked egg in its shell. I cracked it open to cook it, realized it was already, and laughed out loud. Only in Texas. Sheesh.

So there you go! Purty poultry :)

In Between

I've tried to write for the last week or so, but there's so much to catch up on that I can't seem to put anything into coherent words. So here's an "in between" post, and later I can consider myself all caught up and move on!

While on my unintended break, here's what we've been doing:

Getting these!

My nephew Landon with Tom

Tom and Gloria, previously named Thanksgiving and Christmas, have received the holiday pardon and are now our watch turkeys. We were given them by friends, and we've already fallen in love with their silly, slightly-dignified ways. Gloria sounds like a spaceship, with all her blips and beeps she makes, and Tom's beautiful, huge stature has scared the hawks to death. The chickens follow them all around the barnyard, and we still can't quite believe we have turkeys.

Knitting her:

I got my copy of Susan Anderson's "Itty-Bitty Toys" in the mail and set out directly on knitting the Baby Doll for Addie's Christmas. Even without all her parts, I can already see how sweet she'll be. Addison will love her, and I think she might need a sister version if I can manage it in time for Christmas.

Visiting with my precious sister and her wonderful son

Leslie reading to the little ones

I hadn't seen my sister Leslie since last Thanksgiving, and I've missed her so much. I never dreamed we'd go so long without setting eyes on each other, and we made up for it by talking nonstop for a week! We sat over coffee, cider, hot chocolate, and Diet Coke and had long talks. We went to lunch and talked. We got up early in the morning and texted while she was still in the guest room. We stayed up late into the night--morning!--and talked. It was wonderful, and I told her she could just live with me forever, if her husband could stand it. He couldn't, so she went home, but I missed them both the minute they stepped on the plane. I'm already saving up to fly out and see them in the spring.

All four kids watching a Christmas movie together

My mom also flew in, for my sister-in-law's baby shower, and we had so much fun, all of us girls! My sister-in-law, Janae, has two sisters, and all 7 of us women went to her 4D ultrasound to "see" her baby girl! Another girl to add to the mix, and Addie is so excited to have a baby girl cousin coming. Addie went to the shower with us and drank at least 10 cups of "pink bubbles" (punch) and was quite impressed with her first baby shower.

Then Mom took Caiden to her lakehouse for three days, and I got a little teary the first night, feeling what it's going to be like when we moves out someday. Yikes! But they had a wonderful time, fishing, playing Monopoly, reading, staying up late, eating junk, and sleeping in. He's never stayed the night away like that before, and I think his friends will be hard-pressed to put on a better sleepover than his Grammy!

Since my family left, I've been reading "The Mysterious Benedict Society" with Caiden--it's a hoot!--and working on Christmas plans. I have a confession: all the excess of Christmas wears me down, and I long every year to have done it better, to have simplified and focused on Christ more, and to have enjoyed it all more. I bought a copy of "Simple Christmas" and have been reading it at night, as well as warning my husband that the Christmas budget this year will be tighter. He's a gift-giver, and I'm a budgeter, and that can often go awry! I'm making several gifts this year, especially most of Addie's, so every afternoon I've been up in my sewing loft, working while listening to Jan Karon's "At Home in Mitford" on CD. I read the entire series when it came out, and it has been so fun to listen again to these beloved books! My library carries the whole series on CD, so I have plans for many happy afternoons listening while the littler ones sleep. Caiden comes upstairs with me sometimes and listens, too. He thinks Dooley and Barnabas are terrific.

So that's the gist of what's been going on. We're finally enjoying beautiful fall days, full of sunshine and warm days with cool nights, so after we finish school each day, we spend much of the day outside, playing in leaves and on the tire swing, or in the play cottage. And of course there's soccer practice, laundry, groceries, and the like! Happy fall days, enjoying the little things God has given us.

Landon with Ozma, our Buff Orpington, and Gloria in the back

Alive But Not Exciting

It's dark, and it's late, and my eyes are blurry from being so tired, but I wanted to hop on really quick and say that yes, I'm alive. I haven't written anything in the last week and a half, because there hasn't been anything to write about, and as my husband said, that's a good thing! There's absolutely nothing exciting going on, which thrills both of us. Boring is good in our house.

So thanks to those of you who've emailed making sure we're all alive around here. I appreciate you checking in on me! When I have something to write about, I'll be back. Until then, I'm just enjoying the month of October and eating lots of brownies.

That might be the happiest sentence I've ever written. October and brownies. Bliss.

I hope each of you has a good rest of your week, and when something worth writing about happens, I'll be back!

Being Stranded is Good

I'm realizing that being stranded is good: without being able to run to Target, or go to soccer practice, Scouts, or co-op, I'm able to get a lot of things accomplished! It also helps that Grayson and Caiden spent eight hours at the kitchen table yesterday, with hardly a potty break, consumed with building Grayson's new Lego kits. Addie took her customary nap, so I spent the afternoon up in the sewing loft gaining some sanity--I decided that although I'd love to hand-sew my quilt, if I wanted to snuggle up in it this year (or next), I should just machine sew it. So I did. I didn't even worry about ripping out the quilting in the 10 blocks I'd already done. (Clearly, I'm not a perfectionist. I'm more of an it's-good-enough-ist.) By bedtime last night, I had a quilted and bound quilt. Hooray! Right now I'm freezing on the porch, wrapped up in it and patting myself on the back for taking the easy way out. Sometimes the easy way out is just a good idea, you know? Sort of like the frozen waffles I popped in the toaster this morning to feed the kids. It was either frozen waffles or none at all, so I think I made the right decision.

Now Pace and I are on the porch, laptops on each lap, listening to one of our broody chickens clucking in the barn. It's cold and gray, feeling a lot more like December than October, and I'm super happy. He'll go to work in a little while, and then the boys will probably head back to the table to have Lego dwarf/ogre/British/pirate battles while Addie sleeps and I finish another project.

I'm on a roll, folks. A few more contagious diseases, and I could conquer the world.

Bento Boxes

Caiden's quilt top, pieced only

I started these back in May or June, after being inspired by Crazy Mom Quilt's Bento Box quilt, and my goal was to have one for each boy's bed by his birthday. I'm technically one day late, since I didn't finish the binding until last night at midnight and still had to wash the quilt, but that's close enough for me.

For those of you who care about quilting-type things, here's the info:

The piecing of both quilts is randomly done, so they're the same fabric and same overall pattern, but I didn't make them identical in piecing.

The backs are different fabrics, but complement each other in color and style. I chose muslin-colored striping with a coordinating fabric, to lend an old-time style to the more modern fronts.

Grayson's quilt back

Each quilt also has a fish appliqued on the back, cut from a shirt both boys wore when they were two. I couldn't bear to part with the shirt, so I figure this is a good way to "save" it!

Grayson's appliqued fish

Caiden's is quilted in four quadrants of non-measured right angles.

A birthday present!

That was really a pain because it's the size of a twin bedspread, and I have a regular sewing machine, so it didn't turn out quite as well as Grayson's, which I free motion quilted. As a result, Grayson's is better overall, but not enough to be noticeable by anybody, I hope!

Grayson's quilt finished

I bound Caiden's the traditional way, cutting strips, sewing them on, and then hand-sewing them down. Grayson's was an experiment in Anna's "unambitious guide to binding," and I pulled the backing to the front and hand-sewed it in a double fold binding. I realize that to exacting quilters, that's a faux pas, but that's how quilts were often bound long ago when fabric was at a premium, and I told my mom this morning I really liked doing it that way. I would've used the backing fabric to bind it, anyway, and by not cutting binding strips, I had just enough fabric leftover to make him a coordinating pillow sham. Because I did Caiden's "by the book," I don't think I have enough fabric leftover to make him one.

The boys' beds are made with their new quilts today, and I feel very satisfied to cross such a big project off my list.
I still need to make each one a coordinating pillow sham and pillow case, and I have ambitious, possibly-not-realistic plans to make them each a corduroy duvet cover to keep folded at the ends of their beds--just not today!

For now, I'm very happy to be done!

Happy Birthday Grayson! So Say the "Pops."

It has been a great birthday, if you ask Grayson. Despite being quarantined at home because of his sister's contagious condition, he was showered with love and multiple birthday songs from his siblings, a Lego robot cake, pirate presents, and candy corn. And, um, the chicken pox?

Addie already has "the polkie dots," and now Grayson got an extra birthday present today, "the chicken pops." I noticed them tonight right as we were wrapping up his family-only birthday party. (Good thing it was family-only!) We sure are blessed around here. How both of them got it, with both of them having been vaccinated once, is beyond me. Glory.

So now I'm off to clean up the leftovers of a pirate party mess, tuck in wild, plastic dagger-thrusting boys, apply another layer of aloe vera gel to Addie's belly, and then drink a Diet Coke. A big one.

~How you've already turned five, Grayson, is a mystery to me. I think just yesterday you were the fat baby who took five hour naps and slept in your baby carrier like a canary. If I'd cover you up, you'd just close your eyes and sleep, even if you weren't sleepy. You were the best baby ever, despite other mothers who claim the same thing of their children. You really were. Now you're five, a whole hand, and I think I see your chubby cheeks disappearing, and it makes me want to hug you a little tighter. You are quirky, funny, quiet and loud, serious and silly, analytical, mechanical, creative, and messy. I'm crazy about you, pox and all. Happy birthday to my favorite middle child.~

Polkie Dots

Remember yesterday when I said I wanted another day like it? Well, I got my wish! I took Addie to the doctor today, and she confirmed that she has what my boys fondly call "the chicken pops." Or "the polkie dots," which is what Addie calls it. The name is cuter than the rash, that's for sure! The good news is that Addie has already had the first vaccine, so it's a pretty mild case. Honestly, both my dogs are battling fleas in a mighty way (Frontline isn't working!!), and I was secretly afraid that doctor would diagnose Addie with a case of fleas. So I was relieved to have chicken pox as the verdict instead.

I was also secretly relieved, because that means we're going to be quarantined for a few days. (I'd already taken her to a birthday party infected, earlier this week because I didn't know, but now I'm trying to keep her away from society until she's not contagious.) So that means we're home, sweet home! Grayson's birthday is coming up, and I have a Legos cake to make and gifts to wrap. We can't do any of the things we'd planned, so Caiden and I will work hard during naptime to come up with a Plan B.

So today's agenda is much like yesterday's. Except that today I have so much done from yesterday, that I can relax! (The dog biscuits turned out pretty well. We cut them into little heart shapes, and Addie tried the dough and said it was good. I took her word for it. My rationale is that if a dog will eat cat poop, then it'll probably think any kind of treat is delish!)

I think today we'll have our lessons, itch, watch cartoons, scratch, bake a cake, quilt a quilt, scratch and itch, wrap presents, scratch some more, and make potato soup for dinner. And that's a wrap.

**Angela, Brittani, Nikki and Bridget, I'm sorry I unknowingly exposed your kids to the pox. Just remember that good friends share. ;)

On Today's Agenda:

nothing! Nothing, at least, involving leaving the house. We're a little under the weather, between allergies and suspected chicken pox ("Poor Addie!" she'd say.), so we cancelled all plans.

Instead, I'm:

• Doing lots and lots of laundry
• Watching it rain, again, and feeling tremendously happy
• Cleaning out both refrigerators. Now I have my dishes back!
• Working slowly and non-frantically through Caiden's school day, in between:
• Taking the chickens out for some fresh air and tasty bugs in the barnyard,
• Baking these dog biscuits for the dogs (Yes, really, Mom!),
• Basting Grayson's birthday quilt, and
• Making this for dinner:

Kim's Easy Enchiladas

Place 4 chicken breasts, fresh or frozen, in crock pot and cover with 1 can corn (drained), 1 can black beans (drained), and 1 jar salsa. Cover and cook until ready to shred (temp and time depend on whether the chicken was frozen), and after shredding, add 1 package cream cheese, then cover and cook again on low for another 30 minutes. Serve with tortillas or over brown rice.

Everybody is mellow and quiet today, playing lots of play-doh and cooking in the play kitchen, and reading books. Despite our slow pace, though, I seem to be getting quite a lot done. There's a lot to be said for not leaving the house.

These are my very favorite days, ever. Now if I could just get another one tomorrow!

Happy October

On the first day of very month, for as long as I can remember, my mom and I have called each other to say "Happy February!" or whatever month it happens to be. We love new months, but no month is as happy to me as October. I love October. I used to feel that way about September, because in Southern Illinois where I grew up, September is fall. Here in Texas, October brings in fall, so now I love it best.

I woke up at 6:15 today, very uncharacteristic for me, simply because I knew it was October first, and I wanted to be up to savor it before even the dogs awoke. I took a shower, made the coffee, and sat and enjoyed an entire hour of quiet, dark October. Something about October makes my spirit sing. This morning it sang even louder as the sun rose to show off a cloudy, cloudy morning. As Caiden and I did our chick chores, it began to rain, and I'm not sure when I've ever been happier. The first day of October, combined with solitude for an hour, coffee with whipped cream, and rain? It's as close to earthly bliss as I can think of.

I seized the moment to write out my Christmas list for my family, as well as to order these two books:
A Simple Christmas
Christmas from the Heart of the Home

I have Susan Branch's "Autumn" book, on borrow from my mom, and I love it deeply. When Caiden glanced through the pages and found a quote from Grandma Moses, our current artist study for school: "If I weren't a painter, I'd raise chickens," he fell deeply in love, too. The book sits on my cookbook holder on one of my kitchen counters, and I have plans to sit down one dark night and read the entire thing. So far, that hasn't happened, but there's a recipe for pumpkin lattes in it, so I know it'll happen eventually. I love Susan Branch, especially because every word and illustration in her books and cookbooks is hand-done by her. If you haven't seen one of her books before, you can order them on Amazon very cheaply, used. I have several, and they're all really sweet and chock-full of great recipes and ideas to celebrate each season.

Today is co-op, and so I need to get going. I'm teaching both P.E. and knitting, which makes me feel very well-rounded, but I can't play hooky. To be honest, I would today if I could. It's the perfect day to stay home, bake some cupcakes or the pumpkin-shaped mini-cakes in the newest issue of Southern Living, and pretend it's only 50 degrees outside. We'd bundle up in our cold-weather clothes, drink hot chocolate, and work on Christmas gifts.

But this afternoon, when I'm done? I'm headed straight to Starbucks for a pumpkin latte, then home to sit down and absorb the entire "Autumn" book, in my little celebration of October.

So, Happy October to you! What are you going to do today to celebrate?

Legoland and Mall Surrender

Tonight, on a whim, we gulped down dinner right after Pace got off work and then drove to the Lego store to check it out. We'd just heard of its existence recently, and for two little boys who love Legos like some people love their dressed-up chihuahuas, this was a trip to heaven. Actually, Addie thought the Lego store was pretty awesome, too, once she discovered the pink collection. (Who knew there were pink Legos?) Besides having every Lego collection on display, there are huge bins of pieces for the kids to play with while their parents/siblings shop. (Don't think about the swine flu, Sarah. I'm sure those pieces were entirely germ-free. Just don't think about it.)

We spent over an hour there, oohing and aahing over all the cool Lego collections--this one was my favorite--

It's the Green Grocer--how cute is that?? If I had somewhere to put it, I might be tempted to buy it "for the kids" and put it together myself. There were so many neat building collections, outside of the regular pirates and castles, which are my boys' favorites. There's a dollhouse, and programmable robot, and even architectural collections for seriously smart people. On top of that, they have keychains with little Lego figures (Yoda in a suit made me laugh out loud.), cake pans, and even Lego-shaped popsicle molds. We had so much fun, and I was able to get Grayson's birthday present without him even noticing, he was so engrossed in building an army of Lego people from the swine flu-infested bins. Just kidding about the swine flu. Ignore me; here in Texas we're all a little paranoid. You don't need to worry about us, though; Addie carried her hand sanitizer along for the trip. And then offered it to every patron of the store, which is very cute and not at all offensive when you're 3 and wear gypsy skirts with flip flops. She can get away with a lot right now.

At some point while I was sneaking around the mall with the large yellow Lego bags, hurrying them off to the car while the boys were oblivious, I inhaled the scent of the mall--you know that scent, the one that's a combo of Starbucks and Pottery Barn and Bath & Body Works and Dillards--and I realized I haven't stepped foot inside a mall since before Christmas. I seriously wanted to go inside every one of my favorite stores and lay down the debit card, in surrender, and buy everything in reach, it smelled so good.

Instead, I settled for a Toll House cookie and Diet Coke. It's all about baby steps, you know.

But I wanted to give in, simply because the mall smelled so tempting and was completely uncrowded, being almost closing time, and the costumes at the Disney store were so precious, and have you seen the new collections at Pottery Barn Kids? I was ready to forget all about self-control and budgets and all that, and just give in. But I merely munched on my cookie and realized it's a very good thing I only go to the mall twice a year. Five more minutes in there, and I could've been in trouble.

Happy, good-smelling, shopping bag trouble maybe, but trouble nonetheless.

If I do go back, though, I might be powerless to resist this, the Corner Cafe:
Oh, I'm just kidding. But I was tempted. Mall planning people, you have done your job well.

Oh Yes, I Did.

I ordered this, complete with the predator eyes option, for Caiden's next-favorite chicken, Ozma.

We take our chickens seriously around here.

And yes, I'll be happy to take a picture when it arrives.

And no, I never guessed in my entire life that I'd be buying aprons for chickens. Call me blessed. :)

(UPDATE: Right after I posted this, I was emailed this link. Go ahead and watch it--you'll either wet your pants laughing like I did, or think it's awesome and want to do the same thing. That was Caiden's reaction, and he was entirely sincere. I can't wait to tell that to his wife someday.)

Soccer Boys

All right, boys, here's a quick log in the online journal for you to remember your first soccer games today:

There aren't any pictures because the camera was in the car, which was at Kwik Kar. So sorry! But you both looked so precious in your little outfits uniforms, complete with knee socks and shin guards. Thank heavens we already learned at practice last week that shin guards go on under the socks! But you wouldn't have been alone; there were several kids on the field with them backwards. Backwards is super cute when you're 4.

Grayson, you didn't cry at all, which was remarkable because almost everybody else on both teams did! (Don't take this personally, but you probably didn't cry because you never fell down, because you were the most laid-back member on either team, hands down. Aggression is just not in your blood, I'm afraid.) You decided halfway through that that was enough time on the field, and you trotted off, asking to go to the playground. Your coach had mercy and put in somebody else, and you sat in my lap on the sidelines. Your team won, which was hilarious considering both teams scored for the wrong side. In your teammates' defense, it was really hard to tell which side to run to! It changed each half, and I was confused, and I'm 33. Not that you guys were embarrassed; you've all already scored for the other team in your practice scrimmage, and you think it's funny. So did we. All in all, your first week of playing soccer was fun, adorable, and victorious. Not bad.

Caiden, your game was another story! You guys looked like you knew how to play soccer! You got to be the goalie for a little while, and while aggression might not be your strong point, either, you sure did look cute. And I have to say, considering you've never played before, you hung in there with the other boys who've been playing for a few years! Your encouragement of your teammates made me proud of you. I remember playing soccer briefly when I was your age, and I scored for the other team. God mercifully saved you from that humiliation, although it might've had something to do with the fact that you actually were paying attention today, while I, as an 8 year old, was consumed with the fact that I looked terrible in my neon-yellow uniform. Your team won today, and my favorite moment was pulling out of the parking lot when you said, in complete sincerity, "Wow! I didn't know I'd be so good!" Oh, sweet boy. To be 8 forever!

So boys, as much as I dreaded becoming a soccer mom, I have to say this has been fun. Our entire family sat on the sidelines and cheered for you, even Addie, although she shouted for "the Baby Hippos" team, which of course she totally made up. You were very nice to share your after-game snacks with her, and I promise to bring her something next week so she doesn't hog all the Goldfish.

And if I get my act together, I'll take pictures of you next week, and then you'll forever remember how cute you were your first year of playing soccer. One day when you're 33, you can show these photos to your kids, and you'll forever be grateful you didn't have to wear a neon-yellow uniform. And so will they.

September Morn

Does anybody else hum Neil Diamond every morning in September? I have fond memories of long road trips with the smell of coffee in the Stanley Thermos and Neil crooning through the minivan. I was so happy to realize I'd married a man who knew all of his songs, too. I think we even have the Greatest Hits somewhere, probably with in the same box with the leftover wedding reception napkins. Happy, happy memories.

It's not morning, but it is September, and I'm sitting outside watching the boys and dogs play, and can I get a witness? I'm COLD, hallelujah! I have real, bona fide goosebumps on my arms, and I could possibly tear up with the bliss. It's slightly cloudy, slightly windy, and slightly cold. I'm more than slightly happy. The boys are picking up acorns, and the dumb dog is eating them, which is making the boys furious. It seems like wasted anger; our entire property is covered in oak trees. Besides, it's nice to see the dog eat something non-treasured. Usually he goes for baby dolls, favorite Legos, or our arms.

The beauty of fall here is that it's still nice enough to play outside, all the plants have perked up now that it's not 100 degrees, and it smells good. Some neighbor nearby keeps burning leaves (Surely that's not a chimney? Who builds a fire in September in Texas?), and it smells like my childhood. I grew up in a state with a true autumn, and that's probably the thing I miss the most living here. But this year, fall has come in a dramatic fashion--it was in the 50s this morning, and even the kids were singing hallelujah! The only thing we're missing is colored leaves, but I won't complain. I'll take whatever I can get!

Yesterday Caiden's very favorite chicken, the beloved Francine, was taken by a hawk, along with another chicken. That makes three gone in two days, so we're down to just six big girls. The poor boy cried himself to sleep last night, and I was just so sad for him. It's apparent that the hawks are hunting the chickens now, so we're brainstorming what we can do to give them time outside but keep them safe from flying predators. I'll miss seeing them in the back field at sunset, grazing around in the pasture grass and feasting on grasshoppers. But at this rate, we'd have chickens for less than a week! So we need to figure out something to keep my little boy's heart from breaking. Besides, our egg business will take a nosedive now that we're down three more girls, and the babies won't be laying until early spring. We should have some serious eggs then! The little ones are already growing in their tail and wing feathers, and they are so cute! Caiden does 99% of the work, so I'm really enjoying this batch!

So that's what's going on around here; lots of cool weather, little chicks, acorn-stealing dogs, and soccer practice. Even a Neil Diamond song can't top that.

Untitled

My brain is in a writing slump. I've sat down several times trying to think of something to write, only to come up empty each time. On the upside, school is going well, it's actually fall-like today (O miracle of miracles, North Texas!), and my MomTime group last night was fantastic! We hadn't met since April, so it was soooo good to see my friends again.

Lisa and I realized last night that we're almost at our six-year mark! At our second or third MomTime, I announced my pregnancy with Grayson, and that was almost six years ago--since then we've had five other babies born, other kids graduate from high school, and lots and lots of life crises together. Last night we did a MomTime first--we kidnapped one of our members! She was having a rough day and was trying to weasel out of showing up, so we went and got her instead. As always, MomTime is just the medicine the doctor ordered: somebody always cries, somebody always laughs until she cries, and there's always chocolate. I love that sweet little group, and it was the perfect prelude to the first day of fall! Thank you Lisa, Kristi, Missi, Allison, Amy, and Deena for a wonderful MT last night. Bridget, we missed you. I bet I could've made you cry last night. :)

In other exciting news, I'm happy to announce I survived my first soccer practice. I won't mention that we put the boys' shin guards on over their socks, being complete newbies to the sport, but everybody was gracious and nobody even laughed at us. At least, not in front of us, anyway. Now I not only have a minivan, but I'm a literal soccer mom. Heaven help me. All that's left for me is mom jeans.

Completely unrelated, has anybody read "The Bronze Bow" yet? I saw it recommended in "Honey for a Child's Heart" as "one of the best books you'll ever read," and how could I say no to that? I hope I love it. It's always so sad when somebody recommends something that changed their life, and you walk away feeling so-so. I love my mom so much, but I hate almost every book she recommends to me. (Sorry Mom!) That's ironic, since we're a lot alike, but it's my dad's recommendations that always win with me. I read "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" after he did, and let me tell you, I'm still torn up over it! I might never forget that story. He's reading "March," about Mr. March (from Little Women) while he was away at war, and Dad says it's beautifully written. Anybody else read it? My mother-in-law gave me at Christmas her original edition of Little Women, and I can't tell you how much I treasure it! I need to read it again after I read March, I think.

I guess that's it for what's going on around here. Our chicks are still (mostly) alive, although we lost another big girl this week to a hawk. Poor Caiden. He's getting a hard education in the drama of life, I'm afraid. It's always a little bit risky to love somebody, especially a free-range chicken.

And with that piece of wisdom, I'm off to eat dinner. Happy first day of fall, friends!

Hello, Sunshine!

I think the sun is starting to make its debut again, and as much as I love rain, I'm ready to see some sunshine! We've had a very soggy last 8 days, and some dry weather would be nice--our backyard looks like a wheat field! I'm going to lose the kids back there if it doesn't dry out enough to mow soon.

Speaking of being outside, I'm hoping to have nice enough weather to work in the kids' play cottage. "Play cottage" is hopeful--it's a shed that I've heard was a henhouse a couple owners ago but was nice and clean and painted yellow when we bought the house. It was my Christmas storage last year, but after lugging the bins of decorations across the yard and into the house, I decided to move everything up to the attic, and then it stood empty.

This spring I painted it red with green shutters and installed little hanging baskets under each window, then attached a mailbox to the front. We bought Addison a white wood farm-style play kitchen for her birthday, but she doesn't even know it; it has been in its box in the cottage ever since it arrived in May. Now the weather's cooling off, so I can get in there, sweep out all the mice leftovers, and get the kitchen put together. Awhile back I shopped at a local antique mall for fun play items--an old-fashioned man's metal lunch box, spoons, containers, aprons--and I found the neatest hooks for hanging up aprons and such, they're faucets mounted above the black hooks. I think I got them at Cracker Barrel, and I bought one for each child to have. There's also a red set of table and chairs from when I re-did the Happy Room. It should be a perfect place for them to play! I'd love it if I could convince Pace to insulate and sheetrock it all. The entire shed is only about 7x7, so maybe next year? It would be fun to have real walls to paint. For now, I'll be quite happy with what I have, though; I've always wanted a playhouse!

I'm also hankering after a picnic table to put near the cottage--my dream is that Caiden and I can sit outside in the fall and spring while we're having his lessons, and then Addie and Gray can play in their cottage. In my ideal world that will solve all the problems of having preschoolers and trying to homeschool at the same time! We'll see how well my dream and reality mesh. We all know how that goes sometimes.

So for this weekend, since soccer games were rained out, we're hanging out at home today, getting some projects up in the sewing room finished, and relaxing. Tomorrow after church, when the world is a little drier, I'll be in the cottage, sweeping, putting together a kitchen, and

having tea parties with my favorite 3 and 4 year olds in the world. Sounds good to me!

(Hey, did you see how I snuck the "Cleaning label" in? Now I'm up to 3 whole posts on cleaning! Just call me Martha.)

New Things

This afternoon it's rainy and gray, again. I love it! It feels melancholy and lonely and fall-ish, and it's weird that I love feeling melancholy, but I do, at least in the fall. I think the first day of fall is Monday (?), and I'm holding off putting out the decorations until Sunday afternoon. It's taking all my self-control to be patient! Some years I decorate September first, but it's a joke to decorate for fall when it's 98 degrees outside. Now that it's been raining for almost a week, it's nice and cool out, and I can pretend that fall is here.

Speaking of "here," guess what'll be here tomorrow? Twenty-five chicks! Caiden is expanding his egg business, and now that we have somewhere to put them besides the happy room bathroom, it's hopefully going to be a lot less work to have them. Caiden and I put up the chick nursery in the big chickens' stall this afternoon, so now all we need is the fuzzy babies to put in there. There's not much on earth as sweet as a new chick. It's so fun to pick them up at the post office--they come in a little box with air holes, and the entire box seems to pop like popcorn with all the chirping! Caiden is beside himself with anticipation. His chickens love him, and the feeling is mutual. He's funny.

Another new thing is that tonight we're venturing into the wide world of sports. We signed both boys up for soccer this fall, and after feeling completely out of my element yesterday shopping for shin guards and knee socks, I think we're ready to go. Tonight we meet Grayson's coach; it's too wet for practice, so we're doing a meet and greet instead. His team is co-ed preschoolers, so the game Saturday should be a blast to watch--8 three and four year olds playing a game they're never practiced before! I'm already excited about the cuteness of it!

Caiden starts this week, too. He's really nervous--he has never played, and he's convinced that all his teammates are experts and he's going to be the only rookie. I remember being 8 and thinking the 4th graders at my school were like grownups. I was so scared of them! I don't envy him the social stress of growing up! I'd die before I'd repeat 7th grade again. (How did I get on that tangent?)

So that's what's going on around here. School is going really well, and thanks to Rosetta Stone Caiden can speak sentences in French already! I have a feeling he's going to bypass me very quickly. I'm trying to do the program, too, but it's hard to fit it in. But I think I've convinced Pace that when Caiden has finished the 2nd level of the program, we should all go to Canada to practice our conversational French. I don't know if it will actually happen, but it's something to shoot for!

Okay, I'm fading quickly to rambling. I guess that's what happens when nothing exciting is going on, thank goodness! No snakes this week, so it's very boring and calm around here. Perfect. :)

In the Sewing Room

Here's what's going on in the sewing room, which was recently rearranged (That was almost as fun as actually sewing!)~

I'm working on a top-secret baby gift for my friend Brittani's new baby girl, Presli. So I can't reveal the nature of it just yet. But it's going to be super cute and I think I'll be tempted to keep it for myself. But I won't, Brittani, I promise!

I've been sewing the children's fall pajamas, using my trusty New Look 6746 pattern. It fits from sizes 3-8, so that's perfect for all three of mine. The boys got matching George Washington/Americana ones, and if you know Grayson very well, you'll know that made his day. He has a thing for Washington and the Revolution. Addie got a pair of yellow ones with baby chicks on them, and I used a fancy stitch on my machine to hem the bottoms. I left about 3" for the hem, so I can just let them out come next spring. She was very happy to sleep in new pajamas last night! I need to get going on her nightgowns, but those require more time than simple pajama pants. If you're new to sewing, this pattern is a perfect starter. It's what I used to make the boys' pajama sets for Christmas 2007. I don't know if it will happen, but I'd love to make them matching robes for this Christmas.

I'm also determined to make the second dining room curtain. It's lined and has pleats, hence the dragging of my feet. I love the finished product, but I hate sewing lined, pleated drapes. They're huge and unwieldy and I have to lug them up and down my twirly stairs to my sewing loft because they're bigger than the floor space up there. I just need to do it, you know?

And for Christmas this year I'm hoping to make Addie's Paper Dolls quilt. I ordered the kit back in February for her birthday, it finally arrived in May or June, and now I'm thinking it would make a perfect Christmas gift for her. I recently found her a beautiful old cradle, so the two would be wonderful together.

So that's what's going on! I have very little time to sew, stealing moments here and there if Pace works late or we have a lazy Saturday afternoon, but I'm trying to capitalize on those moments and not stress about not having enough time. Someday I'll have lots of free time, but that won't be for approximately 15 years or so!

What are you working on? Any fun projects? Feel free to link in the comments section; I can always use another good project to keep in mind!

"Help Me Behave"

Tonight's prayer with Addison:

me: "Addie, fold your hands and say after me, 'Dear Jesus, thank You for today.'"

Addie: "Dear Jesus, thank You for today."

me: "Thank You for Mommy, Daddy, Bubba, and Gray Gray."

Addie: "Thank You for Mommy, Daddy, Bubba, and Gray Gray."

me: "I love You so much. Please help me be a good girl."

Addie: pauses, then looks at me. "I love You so much. Please help Mama be a good girl."

me: trying not to laugh, "Help me obey. "

Addie: again, staring at me, "And help Mama obey."

me: "Amen."

Addie: "Amen."

Well, after pondering that, I guess Jesus can take it how I intended, or as it was spoken. Everybody, even mamas, needs a little help sometimes.

Another Link

I recently cleaned out my blog labels and laughed to see I'd only written 1 "Cleaning" post. I promise I do clean--I'm sort of a clean freak by nature, but three kids, two dogs and a cat, a house surrounded by dirt and fields and wildlife, and multiple chickens and goats will pretty much cure anybody of any overly clean tendencies, if you know what I mean.

But I found this post when I was reading Katie's blog the other day (another favorite of mine). It lists several homemade cleansers, and these recipes call for items I usually have, unlike others I've seen. I used to get migraines (I say "used to" with much caution; I've only been migraine-free for 3 months and 27 days), so I don't use any harsh-smelling chemicals, which limits me basically to Simple Green (lemon only; the green version is potent!) and Seventh Generation products. I love SG, but it's ultra expensive. Making cleansers at home is not only cheaper, but you can use essential oils to have nicer-smelling products, and if you're desperate, it can be a science lesson, too :)

There, now I have two posts about cleaning. That's a 100% improvement.

Some Good Links

We're still at home today, enjoying the rain and keeping our germs to ourselves. So while I'm relaxing on the couch with my coffee, I thought I'd let you know about some great things I've been reading lately.

If you're like me, you get stuck reading the same blogs and then can't find any new ones you love. Every once in a while, I purge my bloglines subscriptions and find new blogs to read. Here are a few new favorites:

• A Mother's Journal--beautiful photography!
• The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival--How did I not know about this before this week? Full of great articles and blogs specific to Charlotte Mason homeschoolers
• The Homespun Heart--I can't say enough about Monica's blog. It's beautiful, she's adorable, and the projects she does for her family are so neat! This is a new-ish favorite of mine.

We're also reading some new books, which are linked to on my sidebar. We're almost done with "Tumtum and Nutmeg," and it has been a family favorite! I usually read it at breakfast, and even Addison asks for the book. Here are some other good ones we've read recently:

• Mathematickles!--This is filled with poem-type riddles that are mathematical, and they're very clever. Caiden even made up some of his own after being inspired by the book.
• The Orange Fairy Tale Book (Lang)--Caiden has read through the blue and red versions; I had no idea there were this many fairy tales! Andrew Lang, the compiler, has several other volumes in this series.
• Mr. APE, Babe the Gallant Pig, and about 25 other books by Dick King-Smith--I can't say enough about these books! Each one is about animals, so they're an obvious hit with kids, and they're all slightly ridiculous and very sweet. Caiden and I read aloud Mr. APE together, and then he took off reading the rest. Our library carries pretty much King-Smith's entire collection, and because they're novella-length, Caiden could go through a couple a day. Perfect for long summer afternoons!
• 5 Children and It--Caiden read this book this summer, and then we rented the movie (very different from the book, of course) for Caiden's birthday sleepover. We generally stick with G movies only, and it's hard to find good ones that aren't too babyish for an 8 year old. This one was enjoyed by all. Nesbit, who wrote this, has written several other books that we're looking forward to reading.
• And I read several juvenile books this summer: "Thimble Summer," the first two books in the Green Knowe chronicles, and "Tom's Midnight Garden," which started off slowly but made me cry at the end. I also read "The Willoughbys," a wickedly funny spoof of old-fashioned children's literature. It was especially funny in light of the previous books I'd read, and although I'm a huge fan of old-fashioned literature (and pretty much everything else), I still thought it was spot-on.

And this isn't related to reading whatsoever, but I tried the Thai Beef with Chilis and Basil over Coconut Rice (or something like that) recipe in the current issue of "Everyday Foods," and it was a huge hit, despite having fish sauce in it. I think I'm going to have to make it a regular guest on our fall menu. I'm thinking I can probably make the beef ahead of time and freeze it, and then just make the rice the evening I'm serving it. It would be especially good for a small dinner party, served with crab rangoons and lettuce wraps, if I wanted to get fancy. If I were to do that, I'd probably need to go ahead and finish the second dining room drape, too. So maybe I'll just serve it to ourselves with Diet Coke. :)

So there you have it; a few good reads from our summer! I'd love to know if you've read anything good lately, blog or book--pass it on!

Raining

It's not a very imaginative title, but that's okay, because I love the word SO much that it sounds wonderful to me all by itself. I went to bed to rain, and then, better yet, woke up to it, and it's still going! We don't get much rain here, so it feels like Christmas when it rains all day. (In fact, it often rains on Christmas. That's not as nice.)

I love watching it hit the blacktop of our front drive, and knowing we're getting free water is a bonus. Everything in the yard perks up after a long summer, and the chickens go crazy! Our goats hate the rain, but they've taken up temporary residence at the goat farm next door, so I have no idea what they're doing today. The goats' owner told my husband last night that our billy goat is welcome to just live with his herd, and he'll return our females for us. Yay! Both the girls are pregnant, which means we'll have between 2 and 6 babies pretty soon! So we sort of need them to come home soon. I don't know much about goats giving birth; guess I should Google that one.

Our homeschool co-op started this week, about 12 hours after I started feeling sick. I had to go, anyway, because it's my week to bring lunch, and I'm teaching a knitting class at it, but it was a struggle. I looked and felt like death. Then Pace and Caiden got sick, so we've had sort of a low-key week of lying low and wearing pajamas a lot. Other than the actual part of being sick, it was nice! Last night we watched Milo and Otis while I worked on knitting these to hang above Addison's window seat. I've made an orange and white striped one with pink head and red wings, and now I'm mostly done with a blue, white, and lavender bird. They're so cute, and bigger than I visualized, and it's nice to have quick project. I have lots of plans for Christmas gifts, including the tea set from Susan Anderson's "Itty Bitty Nursery," so it's good to have an entire afternoon to knit! With Caiden sick, I couldn't very well do lessons with him, so I got to have a sick day, too!

I'm looking forward to this fall, even more than I usually do. I'm going to finish out the inside of our play cottage for the kids. We have a white wood kitchen we bought for Addie's birthday, still in its box, and a little set of table and chairs, and I picked up several fun play house things at an antique mall a while back. I found the coolest tin lunchbox, not rectangular like a child's, but rounded at the top--a man's lunchbox, I'm guessing? And I've already sewn the curtains, so I just need a dry, not-so-hot day to finish it out. Addie doesn't even know she got the kitchen for her birthday, so imagine how pleased she'll be! I asked my husband to please build us a picnic table to put near the cottage, so Caiden and I can work on school lessons, like art/science/nature etc. while Gray and Addie play in the cottage. In my mind, it's a perfect solution to the preschool dilemma most homeschoolers face when they have small ones who aren't in school yet. I hope my imagination meshes well with reality! You know how those things go sometimes.

So that's it. We're all on the mend, although the appetites in this house are way down. (Which, secretly, is super nice. I usually am doling out food to somebody about every 30 minutes, so this feels like vacation!) The house is clean from my cleaning marathon yesterday, and the kids are busy playing something involving tea sets, play food, Legos, and pillows. See? Rain makes everybody here happy.

I hope you're having a happy weekend, too :)

p.s. If you've noticed the sudden dearth of pictures (other than the snake), it's because I'm a ninny who managed to delete my iPhoto application. I can load photos onto our school Mac, except it's old and really slow, and it's a pain. So once I get this computer to the Apple store, I'm hoping somebody there can help me out! Until then, photos might be scarce!

A Non-Post

This is not a post. It's just a (relatively) brief explanation that I've been absent not because I've been doing anything fun or super-exciting, but because Tuesday morning The Stomach Virus Marathon hit, and it hasn't abated.

Addie went down first, followed by Grayson, then me, and now Pace. (We also seem to have given it to Kristina, our faithful sitter, who has now passed it on to her husband.) Caiden is the lone survivor--so far. We'll see if he can completely avoid it. Not only did we all get hit hard by colds last week, but now we're doubly blessed because this is not the 12 hour stomach virus that we've always had before, evidently it's a long-lasting one; I'm at 30 hours and counting. Addie finally ate dinner tonight for the first time since Monday evening, and even then, it wasn't much. This is a wicked stomach virus, and I look like a wet noodle. We are puny around here.

So there you go. Fun times at our house. See you when we're all eating again! I hope you are having a happy, non-sick week :)

Hey! You wanna see a picture of my dining room?

Notice the drape. I made it. (Notice the other one--oops. Haven't made that one yet.)

Now notice the nice Roman shades. I made those, too. (And even finished them all.)

Now zoom in a little bit. Notice the snake-shaped pull cord. Didn't make that.

Oh, wait! That's not a snake-shaped pull cord, it's a SNAKE on the pull cord! In my house! Climbing up the window! IN MY HOUSE!

Folks, I'm about to crawl out of my skin. First a snake on the fence. Then a copperhead in the flower bed by the deck. Then a snake in the barn. That I killed, if you remember. (Except that I didn't. Snake heads are tough.) ">Then the same snake in the barn, in the dark, again not dead because I'm not as tough as its neck. Then, this weekend, a copperhead in the driveway. (That's a lot of posts about snakes!) And now? Now a snake inside the house climbing up my window.

That's it. I'm moving out.

Just kidding. This is what I did instead: Shouted hysterically at Pace in the back of the house to Get. In. Here. Now!, and then pointed dramatically while frozen solid, then gagged, then maybe cried a half tear, then threatened to move out. Then I composed myself and took pictures of Pace Twittering about it before he took care of it. In 2009, you take photos and Twitter about things before you finish them off, right? What on earth did we do ten years ago? Thank you, technology.

So this is what he did:

Sorry, rat snake. You can live in the creek or in the pasture or even in the garden without losing your head, but if you enter my house, you've crossed the line.

And guess what? That wasn't my rat snake. (See posts linked to above, if you really want to read about it again.) This one was only about 2 1/2 feet long, a juvenile. My rat snake is a full six feet long and at least twice as thick. Dadgummit, but I just know I'm going to have to kill you for real at some point!

This is getting pathetic. You know, sometimes life in the country is overrated.

In other news, wait til you see my slug picture! Coming soon . . .

Bless my heart.

Not That Snake

Well, that rat snake might still be crawling around (albeit with a mark or two around its neck), but that's okay. Tonight my brave, strong, manly, not-scared-at-all husband killed an adult copperhead that was slithering up our driveway. That's his second copperhead this summer, for the record.

Now if I could just get him to the barn when the egg eater is still feasting! After a full-grown copperhead, a measly old rat snake wouldn't faze him at all.

And also for the record, I'll never, ever, ever, ever, EVER camp out in my backyard again.

Why I Love September

1. It's not July or August

2. It's next to October, my absolute favorite.

3. I love all months that end in "ber."

4. It's the start of school,

5. And fall. I heart fall. I really, really, really heart fall.

6. Did I mention that I love fall? Just making sure.

7. It's time for birdhouse gourds growing over the garden fences, and

8. Now I can get more chicks,

9. And mums,

10. And pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks,

Just keeping count. :)

Yum!

I'm always running short on snack inspiration. I usually default to peanut butter crackers, or peanut butter fold-overs, or peanut butter with apples. We like peanut butter around here, and it's a good thing, since it's my go-to food item.

So imagine my excitement when I casually glanced at the back of the Ritz honey butter cracker box that I bought, entirely by divine appointment, since I'm not sure I've ever bought Ritz crackers before--and saw the recipe for this:

PB Mallow Bites

It's essentially a snack made with peanut butter swirled together with a little marshmallow cream, smeared on a Ritz honey cracker, and then topped with a slice of banana, a slice of strawberry, and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Heaven on a cracker.

There's an actual recipe on the box, but it doesn't take much imagination to figure out how to make them. I'd include a photo of ours, except we eat them as fast as I can make them. Just trust me; they're heavenly. Protein, fruit, and cinnamon, with just enough fun mixed in to convince even Addie to eat them. Yum! Thank you, Nabisco people, for stretching out my peanut butter snack arsenal a little further.

Judged and Found Wanting

Remember the attacking rooster? Well, he was finally judged and found wanting. Yesterday, weeks after he first attacked us, he finally got brave/stupid and went after my husband. Pace wasn't that impressed with the bird's fierce display, but I sure was. I lamented that my whole garden had burned up in the sun, and that all the joys of being in the barn were gone because there was no way I was ever going out there again.

And then.

(Don't you just love that statement? There are so many "then"s in the Bible--usually right before something wacky and exciting happens.)

Last night the boys got busy putting together a new Lego ship, and they forgot to put up the chickens.

This morning the boys ran into our room shrieking over the massacre that had taken place in the chicken coop last night. It looks like a raccoon climbed in through their open window and carried away a bunch of chickens.

And the rooster. Ha!!

So today, with no ferocious psycho bird to accost us, we grabbed our rakes and hoes and wheelbarrow (and stroller and baby doll) and went back to the garden to reclaim it from the mass of weeds and dead foliage.

And while we were working and deeply mourning the fact that Caiden's "second favorite chicken, Ozma," was one of the hapless victims, she and another sneaky chicken wandered in, all cool as can be. I guess they'd been in hiding since last night and finally left their hiding places when they heard us in the garden. So that means we only lost two hens plus the rotten rooster, and we've decided that's not a bad exchange.

See? You reap what you sow. Attack the master of the house, and God just might smite you. Hallelujah and amen. Good riddance.

Although I do feel just the tiny bit bad for the rooster. That's not the way I'd want to go out. Just don't tell him I said that.

UPDATE: Pace said the reason the rooster died was probably that he fought the raccoons while the others escaped and hid. Now I feel bad. Sheesh. I wish you would've been a little nicer to us when you were alive, but we do appreciate that you sacrificed yourself for your ladies.

The First Day of School

is today, and Caiden is celebrating by riding his new bike up and down the drive, burning off energy before we start. It's 8:30 and I'm still sitting at the table with cereal and coffee, trying to wake up. I've been "up" for 2 hours; I'm still working on the "wake" part.

We spent the entire day with my brother and sister-in-law yesterday, sitting in the front yard watching the kids play Legos and baby dolls, and after a walk we decided Cracker Barrel was a perfect way to finish off a birthday. We came home late to find another chicken had been raptured, but all in all, it was a perfect birthday, so says Caiden.

Now he's waiting for school to "start," although I hate to steal his joy by letting him in on the secret that homeschooling means all of life is school. Riding bikes with your brother? School. Investigating a pile of chicken feathers in the paddock? School. Cleaning the bathroom? School.

But we're both fans of paper-and-pencil school, so we're relishing the thought of going upstairs this morning to a "new" schoolroom, redone over the summer, to be greeted by new paper, pencils, folders, and books.

I'm thrilled to be officially done with summer break. I've come to the startling realization that weeks of no schedule doesn't result in a spotless house or terrific meals. On the contrary, I've done lots of nothing all summer long, and I'm worn out! A new routine, meal plan (Thank you, "Everyday Food" magazine!), and chore chart has me singing.

We'll see if I still feel this way come November, but that's what the first day of school is all about, whether it's at home or somewhere else: it's full of possibilities. I love it.