overheard

We are on vacation. The days are filled with visiting, fixing, exploring. Our second trip is usually in August, to PA, but we bumped it up this year. More on that later. Here are snippets of what I've heard today:

Anna: "aaahhhaa" She's cooing and smiling at everyone and letting the great grandma and grandmas hold and oogle over her and even put her to sleep.
Leah: "I'm going to make a pizza and store it for winter. Isn't that a good idea?" prancing about Grandma's kitchen with a freezer storage container

David: nothing Sorry folks. He was on the roof, fixing that, all day yesterday. Today was spent in the great grandparents' cottage fixing the floor and under the mower, well, fixing the mower. And starting the mower and driving the mower. That is a dream come true. The boy's second word was "gractr", meaning he wanted a ride. Now he can drive. Needless to say, I haven't seen or heard much from him these days.

Sarah: "Well, if this was a fantasy book, this would be the answer. But, it isn't. So this is the answer." studying for her end of 3rd grade test. Sarah too has been off and about. The only time I hear from her is when we are driving to see another friend and studying in the van.

I love vacations...

Super Sarah

Miss Sarah has a blog! Go check it out!

http://www.supersarahr.blogspot.com/

changes - garden I

We got back from vacation to find our gardens had changed. They all grew! Here they are - first with a wide view, followed by what's in 'em.

herb - basil, cilantro, rosemary, dill, a volunteer gourd in the back

garden 1

horseradish (finally! We've tried to grow this for three years for Passover.)

peas (These are the straggling vines in the back. There are a few peas left. Tomatoes are coming up in front of them now. One crop is done and another takes its place.)

turnips

changes - garden II

This one is a bit wild, but full of food.

garden 2
cucumbers

tomatoes

radishes

carrots

yum!

changes - garden III

Things are growing here too, in garden 3 and Leah's box.

garden 3
summer squash

peppers

onions

sunflowers!

strawberries (finished for the year)

mystery plant spreading into the yard

There's also some volunteer gourds, another cucumber and then some pumpkin behind the summer squash.

Leah's patch

mint

a small forest of volunteer tomatoes

The beautiful, big tomatoes took over what she actually planted - one strawberry, one onion and some carrots.

changes - blog

Spruced things up here a bit!

There is a new header picture. I really wanted it to be a picture I took. So that is a sunflower in front of the Arts and Science Museum, in Dayton Beach FL. Little people were running off, so I had to snap it fast.

I removed my profile pic. This picture means a lot to me. I am on the carousel at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Jess and I have a thing for carousels. However, the setting French sun looks really orange when the picture is really small. Someday I will be more than a shadow on my profile.

There is a new family picture. Originally, there was something similar, again taken in front of our hotel in Florida, on my birthday. But it didn't have Anna. I tried an Easter picture. The wee one was screaming. I tried a baptism family shot. We were all very far away. Now, we're just missing Jesse again.

Other than some color tweaking and a few words added or removed, that's it. What do you think?

Elizabeth Rose

Isn't my new niece just the prettiest baby ever? I just want to snuggle right up with her. She better be careful or Leah will give her a new name. (Leah's latest name from Anna is Anna Cutie.)

Elizabeth arrived yesterday morning, welcomed by her brother Joseph and sister Catherine. Tonight I was out shopping for them. When David was born, one of my LLL leaders gave me a gift bag with a few things for him and books for Sarah. I decided then and there to carry on the tradition. When my friends have a baby, the siblings receive gifts too. A few books or toys. Some small special thing for them.

When I went to check-out, a woman stopped me to ask about my sling. I could tell that she was truly interested, wanting to know where I got the rings, asking about the padding. She shared that she had four grown children, wore them all and birthed all but one at home. She said it was encouraging for her, to see me and Anna and our sling. I said it was encouraging for me, to know that all the intense mothering I do now will pay off.

One day, all too soon, my children will be adults. I will admire a mother's sling. One of my daughters will help me shop and assist a mother holding her babe close. I want to remember the joy, peace and connection that the mother and her daughter shared with me tonight. That is what I want at the end. The encouragement we gave each other, is what we all need along the way.

Joy, Peace and Connection to you Elizabeth Rose! Welcome!

lines

I'm trying to get the hang of blogging. Still. I feel like I have no clue what I am doing. I'm evolving shall we say. And dear Face Book is taking a lot of time. Evolving another side. I'm happy with that now and want to turn from Face Book a bit while I try to blog more. All that to say that I've been poking around the blogging sphere and found this:

Isn't that just the cutest button ever?? I naturally joined the challenge and am almost a Super Star! But I have this wonderful helper who prefers to toss things in the dryer. I am not one to argue with husband helpers, so my goal is to maintain Advanced.
So far, so good. In May we did 18 loads of laundry. 16 were dried on our clotheslines. Now in June I did two loads yesterday and hung them both. (That was all the vacation laundry. Can you believe it? Shows how we practically lived in our swim suits.)
Are you up for the challenge? Go for it!!

baby giggles

Here's my first video clip, and it is worth it!

Anna's ticklish already, so this is not her first laugh. This is her first time laughing at something - her siblings bouncing on the beds. Oh! do I love baby giggles.

surfaces

May's Organizing Junkie Round-up was for a surface/shelf. At the beginning of the month I hurried through the house and got my before shots.

Ambitious, am I not?

There's the kitchen shelves. Since there are only two overhead cupboards in the kitchen, Jesse installed these for me. They can get discombobulated easy. (Forgot how much I like that word.)

Then there's our dresser top, somewhere underneath all that. It was clear 3 months ago. But having a baby can do things to your dresser. The drawers are empty, since you are lucky to just have clean clothes. Never mind getting them put away. And the top is full, since it is, uh, available.

And a bookshelf. That is Jesse's space. His mail. His books. They sit on the space in front of the books that actually belong there. The pile's been so bad, it's broken two shelves. Seriously.

Now... it is the beginning of June, and we are on vacation. The kids all want to go swimming. Now. Jesse's at work, 'cause that's how we take this vacation. (He grades AP exams while I play with kids all day.) And I forgot to take an after picture before we left. I know that's part of the fun. The best part. But I was in a time crunch and forgot. I'm sorry. :(

I only got to the kitchen. (Now you know my other messy spaces, and that they still look that way, or worse. I'm trying not to be embarrassed. Trying to keep it real.) Here is a description of the one surface I organized.

Top shelf: I moved the mugs up. Amazing difference. We only use those when company comes, so why have them take up prime shelf space? We have our own personal mugs we use daily. I did put mine up there too, right next to my coffee and french press. And the dried fruit basket. I can grab it quick and let the kids snack away. Gone are all the baking things, most of which I did not use often and could not reach or see, even if I wanted to use them.

Middle shelf: Now all jars. It looks so neat. I love it. I found some small jars that match my large ones and transferred the different sugars to them. No more messy bags. The sifter is still there on the end. Now the oil and flour (rice) we use for baking are next to it. The few other baking items I use are behind the new sugar jars. The rest are in the baking corner of the pantry.

Bottom shelf: Did not change much. It still holds all the dishes. It also was a "catch-all" space. I put all that in it's proper place.

I hope this description can hold you over until the picture arrives, when we get home in 10 days. I'm off to the pool now.