(almost) Wordless Wednesday -- a li'l bit of Heaven

Whenever I'm feeling sad or down, I look at some of my VT photos to lift my spirits....it is shots like THIS that raise my spirits every time.

Soccer Shots

I figured I'd share a couple of action shots of my soccer kids for you to see. Unfortunately, William does not want his picture taken while he's at soccer. Each week, it's been hit or miss with whether or not he's even going to participate anyway. ONE of these Saturdays, WHEN he's in a participating sort of mood, I'll try to bring the ol' camera out and snap a couple of stealthy photos to share here.

For now, here are my big girls in action....

The girls both wear white and blue uniforms. That's Grace in the first photo. Dianna in the second.

Newest Additions

Rachel and Lee, my sister and brother-in-law, came over Friday night. They were bringing us some fish, a fishtank, and just about everything we'd need to make the fish cozy. I had already run to the store to pick up the couple of items we would need to complete the setup.

Gordon and Lee got the tank all set up, we acclimated the fish to the water, and then released them. The kids were all so excited! They immediately decided which fish would 'belong' to which child. Then they discussed what to name them. The four fish are now known as: Bubbles, Charlotte, Cinderella, and Sockee.

In case you're curious, Bubbles is Grace's fish. Charlotte is Dianna's. Cinderella is Nora's. Will named his Sockee. Don't ask. I couldn't tell you if you did. He's just a creative child, I guess.

Ever since Friday night, I have caught Eleanor doing just this MULTIPLE times each day:

She LOVES the fish!!

Church Happenings

We've been attending church at the little Baptist Church here in town for a little over a year. It is an American Baptist church. I had never attended an American Baptist church, so I wasn't sure if/how we would fit in. But Mrs. Y, Grace's former teacher, is the person who had suggested we try the church. If not for her suggestion, I don't think we would have would have ever stopped in to go to services that first Sunday.

I have been *so* happy with this new church. Each and every week it feels so great to just walk in. The congregation is warm and friendly and inviting. The Sunday School is growing by leaps and bounds. Best of all, the Pastor's sermons move me each and every time. Sometimes to tears.

In the year that we have been going to this church, Pastor Tom has offered a couple of new member classes. It never seemed to work out that I could attend. I'm sure I could have made it more of a priority, but I didn't. Quite honestly, I think I was afraid that I'd realize the church WASN'T the good fit that I so desperately wanted it to be.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw in the bulletin that another new member class would be held, beginning Sept. 26th. Something moved inside of me and urged me that NOW was the time to go. I had been planning on running another 5K yesterday morning, but decided that it would have to wait. Waiting for the next new member class simply wouldn't do this time.

I am soooooo glad that I went yesterday! I came home from the new member class feeling so joyous and full of light. It was awesome, just hearing everyone else's stories of what brought them to this particular church and what their previous church backgrounds had been. We've all taken a slightly different spiritual path, but we're all headed toward the SAME THING. We're all yearning for a closer relationship with Jesus.

By the end of the class, I KNEW that this is where we need to be. This church is an exact fit. It is perfect.

Thank you, Mrs. Y, for suggesting we try your little church. You were right -- it is such a wonderful little church. The pastor AND parish really do care about each and every person who walks in their door.

Also, thank you, Pastor Becky, for reminding me just who you know me to be. Your gentle reminders that a loving church family and great fellowship are important to me were just what I needed. I might have claimed defeat and never tried this church if not for your loving remarks.

Herman Jr. is still alive!!!

Remember when I posted about killing off Herman?

Do you even know what I'm talking about when I refer to Herman? If not, you can go back to my original post when I talked about the Sourdough Pancakes I made that were *just like* the ones of Gordon's childhood.

Anyway. Back in early May I posted about how I'd successfully killed the first batch of Herman. I'd neglected it enough that it just wouldn't ferment anymore. It's pretty bad when you can actually make something NOT get sour.

In that same post I advised y'all to never fear. I had made up a new batch of Herman sourdough starter. It was all bubbly and smelling yeast-y.

I'm back to say that that second batch of Herman sourdough starter is STILL thriving!! Since May, I have made batches of sourdough cinnamon rolls, sourdough coffee cake, sourdough pancakes, sourdough (white) bread, sourdough sweet bread, and probably one or two other sourdough creations.

Right now, as I type, I'm expanding Herman to be able to make another batch of sourdough coffee cake. The church we go to is having it's annual Harvest Fair tomorrow, where lots of baked goodies will be for sale. I offered to contribute some of my sourdough coffee cake for the ladies to sell. I hope it's a hot seller!!

If any of you local blog readers would like to have some Herman starter for your own, please let me know. I can easily expand my Herman Jr. and separate out portions to share. I will also be very happy to share all of the different sourdough recipes we have tried here at the Crazy House.

Friday, How I Love Thee

I love Fridays. They mark the start of the weekend. Friday night is almost always Pizza Night here in the Crazy House. Whenever possible, we also try to make Friday night Movie Night too. (Thank goodness for Netflix!)

Lately, Friday morning arrives and I breathe in a BIG SIGH of relief. I've made it through yet another hectic week of running and doing. The weekends haven't been as relaxing lately, because of soccer. But I find a special calm from spending my weekend on the sidelines with Gordon and the rest of the kids. I love that we all cheer for the one child who is playing soccer at that given moment.

These are the moments they'll remember, right? The times we spend as a family. The times we're doing fun things together.

Promise me they won't remember how Mommy looks when she's stressed out, running from activity to activity!!

A perfect People-Watching moment

Yesterday's day at the fair was so nice. The fairgrounds were quite packed with people, which surprised me because it was in the middle of the week. It made for some pretty fun people-watching though, so it's all good!

There was this one elderly couple that I keep thinking about. They were so sweet, walking around the green, holding hands. They both wore matching white t-shirts, with iron-on letters proclaiming that they were celebrating 60 years of marriage. The awesome thing is that it was easy for the onlooker to see that they're still just as much in love today as they probably were 60 years ago.

I can picture Gordon and I looking like that.

Well, maybe not exactly like that. They looked to be 'young' to be celebrating their 60th Anniversary, so I can only guess they were probably very young when they married. By the time Gordon and I reach 60 years together, he'll probably be sitting on one of those motorized carts.

Think maybe he'll let me sit on his lap while he drives around?? :)

Taking a Break

Today, Gordon and I are going to run away together. I've arranged for my friend, Vicky, to watch the Little People, put Will on the bus to go to afternoon Kindergarten, and to collect all the children after school. (Vicky, if you're reading this, I OWE you. BIG time. Thanks again!!)

We haven't told the children where we're going today. Simply that we're going on a date today. Grace was smart and asked the right questions to get out of me that we're 'going out of state' for our date. But that's all I'd tell her.

Wanna know the secret?? We're heading to Massachuesetts this morning. We're going to the Big E in Springfield.

I'm *so* excited to be going.

The last time we went, Grace was our baby. We had gone on a Sunday, with Baby Grace in her stroller. It was a ZOO. Navigating the stroller got to be a nightmare at times.

This time will be different. This time we're going mid-week. This time we're going as two adults, without any strollers or children. This time we can take our time wandering through the exhibits without hearing the cries and whines and pleas to go over to the midway.

I'm not going to bring my camera today, but I'll try to get back to you with an update of what we did/saw/ate today.

Picture of the day

It's not Wednesday, so I couldn't post a 'Wordless Wednesday' post. But I only have a few moments this morning.....I washed all the clothes yesterday, but I still have bedsheets that need to be washed and dried.

So anyway.....I took this picture on the 11th while we were at Di's first soccer game. It was a rather warm, sunny day. The little ones decided to take advantage of what little shade there was available. It was *too* cute to not shoot a picture!

The Little Things

Today I've been dealing with the laundry. A BOATLOAD of laundry. It appears as though I've been letting it all slide just a little too much, even though it's really only been a few days since I last washed a load.

Until this very moment, I've sworn myself off the computer. I wanted to focus my attentions on the laundry, the dishes, and a couple of other not-tended-to-nearly-enough-lately chores. I knew the computer would prohibit me from getting as much accomplished as I'd like.

After William boarded the school bus to head to school, Nora and I headed back inside. I had already fed her lunch when William ate his, so she didn't need to be fed. But I couldn't put her down for her afternoon nap just yet. Her blankie was still in the dryer.

Rather than getting right back to cleaning, and leaving Nora to play by herself, I suggested she pick out some books. She ran excitedly upstairs to pick out a couple of books. In no time she was back downstairs clutching two of her Sesame Street Alphabet books.

We sat down on the rocking chair together. We lingered over the pages, counting birds and finding balloons. When we finished the books, we continued to rock, singing songs together.

It was so lovely to spend such quality time together! I realize that these moments will be few and far between as Nora gets older. I regret that I haven't made the time for cuddling like this lately. Hopefully I'll continue to find the time to indulge like this for the forseeable future!!

I Survived!

Just a quick update for y'all to let you know that I (we) survived yesterday's soccer madness.

Will did not end up getting his portrait taken. There was some miscommunication and some confusion on that deal. I'm not sweating it. Since he's still waffling back and forth over whether or not he'll actually participate in soccer at all, I'm just as happy with not spending any money on pictures.

Di's game went well. They played against a good team, and ended up losing to them 2-5. Di's team kept their chins up, though, and had happy faces at the end of the game.

Grace's game went well too. They also played against a good team. Unlike Di's team, Grace's won 4-2.

Both of the big girls' games started late due to the referees not showing up. Di's coach was able to get hold of the gentleman who schedules the local teens for refereeing and he arrived not more than 10 minutes later to get the game started. Grace's coach was unable to secure an official ref, so one of the dads from the opposing team stepped up to help out. (There were some calls that he made that I don't think he should have, and some that he should have that he didn't....funny how they all seemed to be in his team's favor...)

Today Grace has another game, this time it's one that we have to travel to. I'll be loading Grace, Eleanor, and possibly Dianna, to go to the game. Gordon has some work he has to do here in the shop, which I'm sure Will is going to want to help with.

Soccer Time!

Today is Friday. Instead of typing, 'TGIF', I'm looking for a 'Fast Forward' button. This weekend is going to be C-R-A-Z-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E!

Emphasis on the loooooooooooong 'e' sound.

Soccer has started up again. So far, we've just been ramping up. Up till now, the soccer schedules have been almost manageable. Now that we're gearing up to kick it into high gear, I'm almost scared.

(Like my 'kick it' pun?? YES, it was intentional....just trying to see if y'all are paying attention or not.)

Tomorrow is going to be a true test for Gordon and I. All three of the big kids have a soccer game tomorrow. Thankfully at separate times. All three of the big kids will also be getting their team pictures taken tomorrow. Also, thankfully at separate times.

The orchestration of everyone's schedules may take an act of Congress. If executed correctly, everyone will be exactly where they need to be, exactly WHEN they need to be there. And, if the Gods are feeling especially nice, they won't be missing vital parts of their uniforms.

It can't be that bad, you say? Take a look at the schedule:

8:15am -- Will's team pictures @ the elementary school cafeteria
9:00am -- Will's practice/game @ the elementary school soccer fields
10:45am -- Di's team pictures @ the elementary school cafeteria
12:00pm -- Di's game @ the elementary school soccer fields
12:45pm -- Grace's team pictures @ the elementary school cafeteria
6:00pm -- Grace's game @ Lions' Field

There will be a *little* bit of overlapping of time during Di's game while Grace gets her portraits taken. Luckily both events are being held on the same property, just different areas. What doesn't translate into the above schedule is just when/how we're going to eat lunch. Or when/how we're going to accomodate Nora's need for an afternoon nap.

Pre-planning is the key here. I'm going to have to get myself out of bed before the rooster crows so I can pack lunches, snacks, and water bottles. I'm also going to be keeping my fingers crossed the entire time we're out that Nora will be a cooperative girl and hold off on napping until we return home from Di's game OR decide she's more than willing to nap on my lap on the sidelines.

SO. If you need me for something tomorrow, you'll find me on the sidelines of the field. If you don't see or hear from me after tomorrow, don't fret. It'll just mean that I couldn't hack the tight schedule and needed to be sent off to the loony bin.

Thank goodness my baby girl isn't doing soccer yet. Can you imagine what THAT schedule would look like??

Missing Dad

Hard to believe it's been a whole year.

Instead of indulging in all the regrets and 'what-ifs', I'm going to tell y'all some fun, happy stories of Dad.

Even though Dad had six children of his own, and darn near two dozen grandchildren, he never changed a diaper. Well, that is, until my own Dianna gave him no other option! I don't know how Dad coped when I was little, but when my nephews Anthony and Paul were little, he'd often call the neighbor across the street. Seriously. If Mom left him in charge, and a stink suddenly arose, he'd call Claudia.

Fast forward to Dianna. Mom and Dad were watching the big girls for me (this is before Will and Nora were born). Mom had run to the store. Dad was in charge. Dianna had a wet diaper and told Pop that she needed it changed. He told her she'd have to wait a little bit -- Nana would be back soon. That wasn't good enough for Di. She went to the diaper bag, pulled out a diaper and wipes, took her diaper off, and then laid down on the floor in front of Dad's recliner. So, conceding defeat, Dad ended up figuring out how to fasten the clean diaper.

Dad delighted in sharing stories. He'd tell anyone who would listen how proud he was of each of his girls, all about his grandkids, growing up on the farm in Vermont, or tales of trucking on the road. He'd even share those stories with people who weren't listening.

If you needed to go somewhere, and mentioned it to Dad, he'd tell you the directions on how to get there. He'd give you very thorough directions. He would detail landmarks you'd see along the way. He would detail landmarks you wouldn't see anymore because they were no longer there. And then Dad would tell you at least two more routes you could take to get to that same place.

Similarly, if Dad was in the driver's seat when we were going somewhere, he'd often take a different route than the last time he drove us there. Don't tell Gordon, but now I find great delight in doing that very thing. I love trying to get Gordon all discombobulated when I'm in the driver's seat.

I have so many many more memories of Dad that I could share with you. But I'm running out of my computer time. I'm a procrastinator at heart (just like Dad), but when I've got a deadline, I work my butt off right into 'crunch time'. And right now is 'crunch time' for me to be getting stuff done!!

Visiting Relatives!

Gordon and I were lucky enough to get out Friday evening for an 'adults-only' night. We joined his sister Kathy, her boyfriend Tom, and a host of others at a local cafe. Kathy and Tom are visiting from Arizona for a few days. Not only was it a special treat to get out for the evening kid-free, but finally getting to meet Tom was great too!

Kathy and Tom wanted to see the kids before they head back west, so yesterday afternoon they came up to our house for a visit. They brought Gordon's mom along with them. Laurie P. (Gordon's niece) also drove up with her boys for the afternoon. It was almost a whole family affair!

We didn't do anything extraordinary. Gordon gave Tom a tour of the house, yard, and (most importantly for guys!) the shop. We picked tomatoes from my garden. Finally, we hung out on the patio and watched the children run around and play.

Laurie and the boys stayed later than everyone else, as they decided to take me up on the offer to stay and have dinner with us. It's always great to see how the kids get along so well. I love that the kids can all be so close to their cousins from both sides of the family. Before they left, Bryce and the big girls were chanting that they wanted Bryce to have a sleepover. Too bad it was a school night!

Return to church

Yesterday morning was Rally Day at the local church we started attending a year ago. After taking practically the entire summer off from church, it felt really really good to be back! Pastor Tom's message moved me, like always. The congregation was enthusiastic and friendly, again -- like always. We were even surprised to see a few friendly faces we've never seen there before -- one of Di's buds, Maggie, and her parents and sister were there!

We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful town. A town that has a church family ready, willing, and able to take us in. A church that is more than happy to make us feel at home and loved.

Pastor Tom announced he'd be starting another new member class in a couple of weeks. I have missed the opportunity at least 3 different times now since we've been going to this church. So, even though it means I'll have to cancel the plans I'd had to run my next 5K on the 26th, I've decided to take the plunge and go to the classes. It's time I learned what the doctrine of the church is and decide if this is the place for us to be.

9/11

My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and friends who lost a loved one nine years ago today. Our world will never be the same. The heroicism and courage so many men and women displayed that day still amazes me.

We'll never forget.

Little Bakers

I used to bake all the time when Grace and Dianna were little. We often were baking muffins, cookies, and brownies. We also made a lot of homemade pancakes and waffles together. The girls and I loved working in the kitchen together, and I really feel it was so beneficial. Cooking in the kitchen together gave us a time to work together, it allowed me to teach the girls some basic math skills, and it always ended in something yummy to eat!

I regret that I haven't had the time to bake like I used to. I regret that William and Nora haven't had anywhere near the number of opportunities to 'help' Momma bake as the big girls did at their ages.

Today, because we had some very ripe bananas sitting on the counter, I decided to bake with the Little People. We made banana muffins, one of the kids' favorite snacks. Nora was in charge of mashing the bananas. William was in charge of mixing all the ingredients together with the electric mixer.

Both children had a BLAST! Nora loved that I allowed her to 'mix' her own ingredients after she finished mashing the bananas. (I gave her some flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and water....she made what looked like a glue paste) William looked like a pro, slowly turning the bowl as he mixed the ingredients together.

Neither child could wait to taste the muffins after they were done baking!

Runners

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." --John Bingham

I found this quote on another blog I was reading. I like it. I decided I must share it.

I guess I'm a RUNNER!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday pt. 2

Check out our new (to us) car!! With all of the activities we'll be shuttling the children back and forth to in the next couple of months, this little Forester is going to come in handy. It'll make our lives a bit easier for those days when we need to 'divide and conquer' the various games and practices. If you have no idea how busy we'll be, continue to scroll down and read the other Wordless Wednesay post I made today...then you'll understand! ;)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I know, I know....it's been a couple of days since I last posted. Ok, maybe it's been almost a week. And yes, it HAS been a very long time since I last posted a Wordless Wednesday post. I just couldn't help myself tonight -- this is THE best way to try to show y'all *just* how busy we are going to be for the foreseeable future.

Yes. I HAVE color-coded the calendar. I'm just cool like that.

Yes. Every child has their own color. There's only one color for Gordon and I to share. No, there aren't any activities posted on there for Nora -- thank goodness she's not into organized activities yet! There's simply no way I'd be able to keep up!

Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

That's what little boys are made of!

Do you know what else little boys are made of? Frogs and toads.

In true little boy fashion, William caught a toad yesterday evening. Also in true little boy fashion, William couldn't wait to show off his catch to his sisters. So he came running inside the house, stomping straight up the stairs, and into the girls' room with his toad in hand.

I don't know how Dianna reacted for sure, but as soon as I found out what was going on I yelled out that he'd best take his catch outside. I think Gordon beat me to the punch. William was already heading in that direction too.

I don't want to squash Will's true boy-ness, especially because that's what makes him so special. So I went outside myself to check out Will's toad. I oohed and aahed over it. I asked questions about it, like what are you going to name him? And then I advised William that he should probably let his little friend loose before too long -- he probably has friends and family that would miss him.