the question of the day

It was a beautiful summer Saturday and Mr. E. tickled every simply

grand child’s ear when he stated it was a great day to head out to

the lake for some fun on the boat!

Our excitement is always tempered with the question we all ask. . .

Will the boat start?

Many o’ day, she decides it best to simply sit on the shore station

and not make a wake!

But not today. . . she turned over like a charm and purred like a kitten.

Well, not exactly.  Each time Mr. E. turned the key we held our breath, she

squeaked, groaned or was even silent for a few moments! before the purring

began.

The moment of truth. . .

The kids were thrilled to knee board, tube or simply relax in the warm sunshine.

Another question. . . .how long do you think this fish is that J-man caught?

That’s a 31” dogfish!  You can only imagine the excitement and anticipation as

he reeled that one in!

Mr E. and two boys are night fishing now, hoping to catch trout.  The latest

word was “nothing yet”. 

But you never know what the next cast may bring in.

Happy Summer Fun,

Heather

whittling

Summer days. . .

Mom says “No screen time”.

And that’s when the whittling begins.

(I always thought it was pronounced widdling)

Screens, no. . . Knives, yes, you ask?

Yep!

Pretty yellow flowers in bloom.

One ten-year-old with a bad cough and fever.

The evening baseball game was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Tornado warning south of us

My table is still piled high with books as I sort through homeschool books

and begin organizing for next year.

Latest Netflix rage for the kids. . . “Storm Chasers”.

Daddy and the three oldest returned Friday night from a very memorable

fishing trip to Canada.  It’s been so fun to hear their excitement

and laughter remembering good times.

Now it’s back to dinner for eight.  It’s 4:30pm - I guess I’d better think about it, huh?

Happy Monday,

the week’s end

It’s Friday again.

The weeks go fast which means life is full.

Looking back. . .

• one little kitty is found to have a birth defect
• a friend is sleeping over which makes 5 boys and 1 girl
• Mr. E. has hazardous waste training
• Grandpa and Grandma E. visit upon returning from Florida
• At 9:30pm said boys are outside playing basketball!
• Papa and Oma head back to Illinois
• sore throat and cold lands on 2
• a much needed haircut for mom
• snow flurries in the am
• Little A burned her finger. . .playing with a lit candle! Lesson learned.
• “my legs are sore” is ringing through the house as three boys run a 5k with their homeschool sports club.
• drawings taped to neighbors doors
• three King of the Wind book reports completed
• shore stations back in the lake on Saturday
• Being taught. . . “Welcome problems as perspective-lifters. . . .The problem can be a ladder, enabling you to climb up and see your life from My perspective.  Viewed from above, the obstacle that frustrated you is only a light and momentary trouble.  Once your perspective has been heightened, you can look away from the problem altogether.”  (Jesus Calling, Sarah Young)
• trying to think. . .Hmmm what is God up to? vs. PANIC!

Happy Weekend,

Heather

Friday favorites

A favorite little kitty. . .

We have the cutest little kittens!

A male and female were born March 8 to Queen Lucy and King Geronimo.

It looks like both brother and sister will be going to the same home

in Sheboygan, Wisconsin!

 

A favorite surprise. . .

We also have a special neighbor who had a birthday this week.

We surprised her with a little something on her garage door. . .

Fridays are my favorite.

Finishing up school work and knowing the weekend is before us.

C-man is in a basketball tournament and Mr. E. will be at hazardous

waste classes.

Me?  Organizing kids clothes and the storage closet downstairs.

I guess it’s time to put those Christmas decorations back into storage boxes, huh?

I’ve been procrastinating, can you tell?

Heather

scarves

Little A thought it was fun to play with Mommy’s scarves today.

I can remember playing with my mom’s old bridesmaid dresses

and my grandma’s high heeled shoes. (which she wore every day!)

Little A decided Mr. A would be the cheetah and gave him a scarf to wear.

He complied while finishing up his school writing.

I love finding a bargain.

Wal-Mart had Hello Kitty jammies on sale for $2.

Couldn’t pass ‘em up.

Little A was delighted.

Happy Wednesday!

flurries

After a beautiful spring with temps in the high 70’s already,

we had the inevitable chilly, 32 degree day with snow flurries.

I miss the bright sunshine we had been experiencing.

I wonder what effect this weather will have on the new tree buds

and the green leaves of daffodil bulbs which have made their way

above ground already.

It’s been a little over a month since our big leap day snowstorm which dumped 20

inches.  The kids had a ball in the deep snow that day!

After snowshoeing they built a small campfire in the middle of the front yard.

Mr. A enjoyed the view long after the others had shuffled inside.

Speaking of Mr. A. . .He turned 8 last month!

He was very proud to turn 8.

When Oma called that day, Mr. A answered the phone and said, “Hi, I’m eight!”

He told me recently that his best friend is Jesus.

He is always the first to say “This meal was delicious! Thank you, Mom.” (Big brownie points here!)

He and Little A are quite the team often spending their days playing with one another.

I went on a walk with these two today.

Little A was quite proud to be using her scooter outside of the driveway.

Mr. A picked up on her excitement, looked at me with a broad grin and quietly said,

“She’s having a blast!”

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Easter!

 

A church service of worship and rejoicing;

A faith testimony and baptism;

A special Easter lunch;

A fun afternoon visiting with family;

A traditional backyard egg hunt;

A  cousins (+Aunt Julie) game of capture the flag;

A day of celebrating.  .  .

He has risen!

He has risen indeed!

 

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, He holds the future,

and life is worth the living, just because He lives!”

Onward with another week ahead.

Easter Sunday Blessings,

yellow (and pink)

We are hosting our traditional Easter dinner tomorrow.

One of my favorite things to do is create a pretty tablescape.

I came across a fun idea to take mason jars and wrap them in

pretty paper, tie with a bow, and use them as vases.  Easy enough.

The table pops with bright shades of yellow.

Lovin’ the sunshine today.

Little A was “planting” in her sandbox.

Her favorite color is pink and she will often let you know that.

Looking forward to celebrating tomorrow.  We serve a risen Lord!

remembering

It was six years ago this week that Mr .E had a life threatening aortic dissection.

Remembering. . .

• the shock of the event;
• the helicopter “flight for life”;
• the days Mr. E. was in a coma;
• the good news on Easter morning that he’d been successfully brought out of the coma;
• how the kids and I were “carried” by friends and family through a very difficult time;
• the very excited boys welcoming Daddy back home;
• the months of exhaustion he felt as he recovered.

And now, six years later I’m so very thankful. . .

• That our family (of seven) has remained just that. . .a family (of eight now!);
• For every sport event the boys have their dad attend and cheer them on;
• For each Sunday the eight of us sit in a church pew together and I have my husband by my side;
• Each night when I hear the garage door open and the kids say, “Dad’s home!”

Those simple. daily. moments.

That’s what I’m thankful for.

hello?

hello. . .hello?. . . anyone there?

nope.  didn’t think so.

That’s what I get, not posting for eight months.

Computer issues, time, and energy have all contributed to my blogging break.

I’ve missed it. 

Onward. . .

I grabbed my camera last Saturday and hopped in the truck to experience running the trap-line with Mr. E and Z-man. 

The scenery was peaceful and serene.

I have found that as I age my equilibrium can more easily be thrown“off”.

Such is the case with the four wheeler ride of my life with Mr. E. at the wheel!

He knows no SLOW speed.

I obeyed the commands. . . “Hold on!” “Keep your hands in!” “Face down!”

My consequent nausea dissipated by nightfall.

Thursday Blessings,

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Z-man competed in his first official 5K race yesterday.

He was very excited to do this and was happy with how he ran.

The rain held off as well as this extreme heat wave we are now experiencing.

Next year I would like to participate in the race. . .except I’ll be walking, not running.

 

 

Last Tuesday I had a fun afternoon of taking pictures with my friend, Kathy.

This is my favorite. . .

The catch lights in her eyes are just what I am looking for.  The sun was shining toward her but she was shaded enough to not be squinting or have shadows on her face.

 

Mr. A lost his second tooth last week. . .and swallowed it!

 

One afternoon I noticed that I’d been running around with only one earing.  Did the other one fall off I wondered?  I sure hoped not. . .it was a nice pair which Mr. E. bought after I had my ears pierced at age 40.  I was relieved to see the other earing was sitting on my bathroom counter.  I evidently was racing around in the morning, got distracted and never put the other one on!

I only have three kids home this week. 

So I hope to make it a productive one around here.

Sunday Blessings,

cousins

I took many family reunion photos over the past holiday weekend.

Mr. E was my right hand man for each of these shoots and I could not have done it without him OR Papa and Oma who watched the chickens while we slipped away.

 

Cousins are different beautiful flowers in the same garden

– Author Unknown.

 

Today we said good-bye to H-man who headed out of town on an adventure with

Papa and Oma.

They will pick up cousin Rachael on Saturday and head to Pennsylvania for an intergenerational Road Scholar trip.  This will be the third journey Oma and Papa have taken with the grandchildren.

No doubt, many memories will be created and we will enjoy their stories of remembering upon their return. 

Lovin’ these beautiful summer days!

Happy Thursday!

workshop, wildflowers & worry

 

Last weekend I attended a Donna Boucher photography workshop.

It was a wonderful adventure for me .

I was happy to have a few of my lingering photography questions answered.

Lighting is always key.

And when the lighting is just right your subject “pops”. . .

Donna has a fun personality and planned a full day of learning for all six of us.

 

 

Yesterday Mr. E. picked wildflowers for me from the side of the road.

Aren’t they purty?

I always wondered if it was legal to pick wildflowers off the roadside.

So I Googled it. 

I Google everything.

Here’s what I found. . .

Wildflower picking or plucking in illegal in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin is one of the few states that has a wildflower protection law. It was passed in 1923. People then were concerned that indiscriminate wildflower picking and grazing were causing the decline of these attractive plants.

So shhhh don’t tell. 

I’m going to continue enjoying my flowers.

The message at church today was based on Proverbs 3:5-6.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

This is a verse to ward off the worries life throws my way.

Simply trust.

Don’t lean.

Walk in His path.

Sunday Blessings,

the American dollhouse

Recently cousin Sara turned seven years old.

She and Oma planned a special trip to the American Girl Place

downtown Chicago and invited Little A and I to go along!

Little A was excitedly looking forward to our trip and frequently

asked, “When are we going to the American dollhouse?”

This was our first time to the Disneyworld of Dolls!

It was quite something to see the enormity of a store

selling not only dolls but girl and doll matching clothes,

doll hair salon, doll hospital, a café with special seats

for the dolls, and every doll accessory imaginable. 

Quite a concept which has caught the eye of most every girl in America.

We had a great time.

Little A was “all eyes” from the moment we entered the store.

I loved staying downtown Chicago.

I lived downtown during a semester in college.

I loved it then too.

What a different lifestyle it would be to raise a family

in a city such as Chicago vs. the rural woods of Wisconsin.

I think I could enjoy the Chicago city living. . . but Mr. E would have

none of that and I wouldn’t change him for the world.

The rainy, windy, cold, cloudy weekend didn’t damper our

spirits.  The birthday girl received a rain-check on the carriage ride

with Oma since it was even too nasty outside for the horses. 

Thanks for including us in your special weekend, Sara.

We made fun girl-time memories!

Happy Tuesday,

summertime Sunday

Today was a spectacular summertime Sunday.

72 degrees

low humidity

sunshine

slight breeze

no mosquitoes

family time at the park

kids splashing in the water

swinging on swings

listening to the crack of the baseball bat

picnic sandwiches

simply. ideal.

We had it comin’  after a very long winter in these up north places.

Yep, we’re doing a little happy jig singin’, Yippee, summertime’s here!

 

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Psalm 74:17 (NIV): It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.

Summertime blessings,