|
|||
|
I know I’ve shared Michaela’s sweet little doodle drawings before. Just last week she presented a new picture of me, to me.
It’s framed and sitting on my desk, to remind me of all the things I want to be.
Today was the first day of 7th grade for my girl. We had a very productive first day of school! It was all I had hoped for and more. As a tradition, we take yearly pictures for “school pictures” to go in a large frame. At the end we hope to have pictures for grades K through 12.
We started our day with pictures and then moved on to talk about goals for the year, how lessons would be handed out and turned in, and then we did some work. We spent time on the couch reading together. Most everything today we did together, though it won’t be that way every day. I look forward to sharing our lesson plans soon.
I wish I could hang around and visit, but I’m only on a teeny tiny break to show you some pictures. First of all, I’m typing today, and you know who sits snuggled up with me while I type, right?
Annie hops faithfully into the chair and squeezes around behind me so that I can never fully sit back in the work chair. It does keep me awake, however, which is a good thing since I’m working. Annie. The love of my midlife crisis. I thought I wanted another baby until we got Annie. Is she spoiled OR WHAT????
From the farmer’s market Saturday morning, I wanted to show you some stuff my mom makes. She makes the best clothespin dolls ever. They are adorable! Normally she does not have the dolls with the crocheted angel dresses, but this was a one-time (I think) cooperative efffort with a friend. She does regularly sell the prairie-looking clothespins dolls, though.
The bigger dolls are made from wooden clothespin-type structures that my mom hand carves from wood found on her property. Is she just the coolest person ever?
I need to get some better pictures for you, where you can see their long hair and how they look standing up. (Note to self: Do that soon.) I think their little faces are just so sweet.
She also makes bonnets, pantaloons, and aprons. I had her hold up this little clothespin-doll-size bonnet that she made. It was so adorable. Two young girls bought some dolls from her while I was there and they got two extra bonnets for their dolls. So sweet! Well, it’s time to slide over to the work chair. Only 4 more hours to go and the day will be done. Can’t compain about that. Have a lovely day!
I’m in the mood to tell a family story this morning. Maybe it’s because of this emotional transition I’ve been through lately. It has to do with a family name and a memory of a story told to me by a favorite great-uncle. (I had a few favorite great-aunts and -uncles!) Yesterday I did some more cleaning and purging, loading up four more bags of outgrown clothes and shoes to take to Goodwill. Though I may have missed a few cobwebs, I did some organization and deep cleaning, and I’m very happy with the result. I’m also happy to know in my heart that I’ll never truly be a minimalist. That’s not to say that I have anything against those who are. One of my best friends has a very clean and open living space, and I think she leans more towards minimalism. I tell her every time I’m there that I want that openness and peaceful feeling that she has in her home. She knows who she is.
I had a great-uncle named Roy Shepherd. I loved him and I loved his name. Shepherd was his middle name, not his last name. He was a good man and a good influence on me, and when it was time to name my firstborn son, I couldn’t think of anything prettier than Daniel Shepherd. The only problem turned out to be that my great-aunt was a little forgetful at that point and she spelled the name Shephard with an A. So I now have a Daniel Shephard. But that’s okay. It still evokes for me a mental picture of a shepherd and my beloved Great Uncle Roy.
The more I studied the family history, the more I loved this name Shepherd. I came to find out that my Uncle Roy was named after his Uncle Stacy Shepherd. Oh my, another beautiful name! And this Stacy was quite the cutie (I have a picture of him now) and they called him “Stace.”
As I studied more, I was told an even sweeter story. My great-great-uncle Stace had 8 siblings. There was Robert Franklin, Evander Jones (my great grandfather), John Kirkland, William Abner, Artemis, Oscar Thadeus, Jerome Corbett (Romie), and one girl, Julie Elizabeth (Lizzie–and she was a doll!). According to the story, their mother, Foster (yes that was her name), was having a hard time delivering Uncle Stace. The doctor was sent for and apparently was figured to be what saved the day. The doctor’s name? Dr. Sheppard.
Great-great-uncle Stace was named after the doctor who delivered him. As I studied more, lo and behold, I uncovered a census a few years back, and there on the list, four houses away from Charlie and Foster (however far that might have been), was Dr. Sheppard’s name. It gave me chills. I also noticed that the name had changed from Sheppard to Shepherd, and I always wondered how that came about. Did Charlie and Foster take their spelling from the bible? Did they just spell it the way they knew? Whatever the reason, it always made me feel less bad that I, once again, had altered the spelling of this beautiful family name.
I don’t like to think that all of these people are long gone, but I dearly love beyond words the family photos that are left behind and the gatherings that occur yearly to trade family stories and share more pictures and artifacts that have been uncovered. I love the traits (most of them!) that I see of these men in my own sons.
Uncle Roy told me a little story one time and I wrote it in my bible. That was 23 years ago. It’s called Each A Place.
Each A Place God gives us each a place to fill.
I’ve often thought of that story, especially when I look at the old picture hanging above of the old Thomas homeplace and those pictured in front of it: my great-great-uncle Stace, my great-great-grandmother Foster, my great-great-grandfather Charlie, Stace’s wife Irene who (very sadly) died young, my great-great-aunt Lizze, and my great-great-uncle Romie. It’s been good this morning to think again about having a place.
I was reminiscing this morning about Yorktown. It’s an easy thing to do, if you’ve ever been there. You may remember that nearly exactly a year ago, last June, Michaela and I were in Yorktown visiting my sister and my niece.
It was a blissful few days. There were no men involved. Not that men make things un-blissful, mind you, but we ladies could do what we wanted to, when we wanted to. We dragged the girls from museum to museum. We played and let the girls run and swim. We ate ice cream. We ate out. We ate out again. We ate out all we wanted to. We went to thrift stores. (See, I just don’t think men get stars in their eyes over thrift stores like women do.)
If you’ll remember, I was taken with the wildflowers around the battlefield at Yorktown. That’s bladder campion pictured above, and I thought it was beautiful. A princess. So I found a flower that had bloomed and was drying up and I brought it home. I placed it in an envelope in my seed box and I waited. And waited. I’ve been waiting for a year. Then, a few weeks ago I sprinkled some seed into a huge pot on my front steps. Little green shoots appeared.
And now, overlooking the little wild garden, I have bladder campion. I could stand and look at it all day you know. I look at it and remember the girls running across the battlefield. I remember my beautiful sister and me walking slowly and talking about everything from how we grew up to where we are now.
It blooms in the evenings or in overcast weather, but I’ll be watching and share a picture when it does.
While I’m at it, I’ll show you a little place in the garden where I put “starts.” If I’m working with a plant and a piece breaks off, if it’s something that will root easily I just stick it in this rich soil and keep it watered. In with the bladder campion is a stem of Lady Banks rose that has taken root. You may also notice thyme in the other pot, along with part of a spider plant and a sprig from a mum. (The basil was started from a seed.) Bladder Campion
Enjoy this day.
It is sometimes a very needful place to be: with others who share some of your most important goals and dreams.
Only one of us had a working camera (oh, those dead batteries) at the homeschool group mom’s meeting at Guglhupf a couple of weeks ago. So, I hope my friend Leslie won’t mind too much if I borrow her lovely picture taken of us all that day. It was a fun time sharing ideas and eating fancy desserts. (Fancy desserts is not a thing that happens much at my house!) This is just a few of the moms who make up our wonderful group. I am so thankful to be a part! On a gardening note, our little homeschool garden abounds with blossoms and creatures (and shy little garden fairies too, I’m sure).
One of my current favorite “things” in the garden is this birdbath, made quite simply from a mimosa stump and a clay pot’s large saucer. I keep telling myself I need to clothe that saucer with a layer of pretty mosaic, but the time flies away and it doesn’t get done. It’s pretty anyway.
Another favorite spot: the goldfish pond, currently showing off a bright water lily. It’s a joy to watch the goldfish shake the lily pads as they dart around underneath the surface and come up looking for food. Today’s a busy day for me and unless I get going I’ll end the day wishing I had not tarried here so long! Hopefully I’ll bring you some pictures of the day today — I’m hoping it will be special!
My mother’s house is so pretty. Well, my mother is so pretty. She’s left-handed. She’s very organized. She builds things. (Thanks, Mom, for teaching me that if I want something badly enough I can just build it myself.) She’s artistic. She carves dolls out of wood. When I leave her house, I am so inspired to go home and find the order that is possible in every home. My mother. I’ve got the best mother ever, and I just won’t argue about it!
I told Michaela to go pose with her Grandma. Look at what I got! I would expect nothing less than this from my girl, a.k.a. Mike – the youngest sibling of a bunch of boys. I have so much I need to do today, including lots of math and grammar with Princess of the Universe, as well as yardwork, housework, supper, and I want to work on my paintings. A trip to the scrap bin at Home Depot would be fun too. So would a trip to AC Moore and a trip to the Restore. So I’ll share some pictures of my mother’s beautiful yard, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
My mom’s yard is full of roses just like this. Click here to see the full version in a new window.
Click here to see full version in a new window. My mom has dozens of little spots in her yard that are just pretty. They are there for birds to land on, for stopping and pondering over as you walk around, for a momument to some beloved pet. I only wish you could see it in person.
Click here to see full version in a new window. I love to see people walking and talking and being happy. We always have the best time at my mom’s, especially when everyone’s there!
Roses, roses, everywhere! (Click here to see full version in a new window.)
Donuts, anyone?
Fishing, anyone?
(Click here to view the full version in a new window.)
Click to see full picture in a new window. (Sorry about the shade.) My mom always has animals. Ducks. Chickens. Guineas. Goats! I love to watch the goats. My mom makes little walkways for them, like the board you see nailed across two logs. For some reason, goats love to play on things like this.
Somehow, the girls have rigged up one rope to make two swings, and they are going to swing at the same time? Okay.
I love this little spot. The rose arches over the pathway. Well, it did. My mom tucked it securely out of the way lest some man walk through and snap it off, thinking it’s in the way. Men can be like that, you know. That’s all I have for today. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Grandma’s house.
Happy Birthday to me.
It’s not that I’m trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I like to think about how I landed in the middle of this little base housing unit at Lackland and changed my mom’s and dad’s lives forever.
My dad (I miss him so much) was tall and thin and handsome. He had that black-hair-blue-eyes-and-freckles Irish look, and boy was he always dressed to beat the band. This was SO not like him to have his shirt hanging out, but I guess having a newborn put a cramp in his style that picture-taking session.
And my sweet mommy. I have the best momma in the world, and I just won’t argue with anyone about it.
Can you believe she just had a baby?? She always looked like a model. And still does. She used to tell me, in her sweet voice, that she was expecting a baby with dark eyes and dark skin like herself, but there I was, fair as winter with one freckle between my eyes, and it was a sign of what was to be: Daddy the second. She said she couldn’t have been happier.
For my birthday, a package arrived in the mail yesterday from my mom and step-dad. They know I like creatures, so they sent me some creatures that immediately took up residence in my office plants.
Gotta love them creatures.
Oh, and new gardening gloves, and a fine little towel for the kitchen: “Don’t Brood Be Happy.”
Of course a new bird for my collection. My office is turning into an aviary. I love it. I hope you enjoy your day. I know I’m happy with my day. I’m working today, but I’m really totally okay with that. It actually feels good to be on track. The sun is shining and I’ve got plenty of hot tea. I cannot complain.
So I’ve been holding down the fort (thank goodness for my boys) and visiting Thomas as much as possible, sketching and dreaming of spring while he sleeps, recovering.
I won’t share gory details, but let’s just say we were at the 24-hour mark from the onset of pain, where you might see rupture or gangrene and, in the surgeon’s words, getting Thomas’s appendix out was “a challenge.”
Taking one day at a time. I think I always need help with this. Why is it so easy to drag around the past, like a ball and chain? Or to live in fear over the future? I don’t know, but I want to just take one day at a time and be content.
Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days here! Temps in the 50s and 60s, bright sun. The birds were singing a come-on-spring chorus and I loved it! I stole outside for a few minutes on Saturday morning to sit in the sun and read. The steps get so warm, it’s a favorite spot. I’m realizing more and more, when you get a sunny moment you must take it! Yesterday was rainy, rainy, and gray. Today, while there is no rain falling, it is gray outside again. I am trying really hard to be of the optimistic opinion, however, that this only means more flowers come spring. My day today is full, for 19 years ago today I was giving birth to that little fella you see sitting in the sink.
Joseph was our second son, and today he turns 19! Where did the years go? Anyway, I asked him what he wanted to eat tonight, and I’m talkin’ a meal and dessert. “Pizza? Homemade? But can you make about six of them so I can eat all I want? Of course. “And cheese cake?” Why sure. “Uhhhh. Fudge?” At this point The Carpenter got into a huddle with Joseph and noted that mom could make a perfectly-chocolate chocolate cake, so Joseph compromised. I suppose I’ll be grocery shopping this morning and cooking this afternoon. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday.
|
I am a 40-something-year-old mother of four delightful children, have been married for 22 years to my carpenter husband, and live in a 1921 farm-style house. I find the most joy in my garden, growing and harvesting herbs and flowers and caring for our pet rabbits. I have a 21-year-old son, a 19-year-old son, a 16-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly (and very funny) 11-year-old daughter who is homeschooled. I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I'm a book lover, bird lover, gardener and aspiring herbalist. I seek no help for my thrift store addiction. I do medical transcription from home part-time.
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
I would
|
||
|
Copyright © 2010 A Mother’s Journal - All Rights Reserved |
|||
I think it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. There I am in the kitchen, washing dishes, peeking out from under a bonnet. Just look at the order in the kitchen! And that lovely chandelier! If only I had myself as together as she sees me. 
Anyway, while I’m telling you the family story, I’ll share some pictures of my “organized clutter.” Thanks for helping me not be lost in my mind anymore.
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
