home(kind of) alone

I find myself home with only these characters roaming the castle today-the knights have found more challenging places to conquer for the day....

this one definitely needs lessons on being queenly! Or do queens read calculator riddles??

This good knight left his pajamas at home. No worries. Knights probably don't use pajamas. We musn't let this particular one know the part about bathing once a year or something like that which this mother has heard about. He might think that a dream come true.

This one is quite friendly as thou canst see. He sought to spice up a photo session of the gap in his teeth. Not too knightly of him...

I am a servant girl who resides in the castle. Today one of my tasks is a paint job on a microwave cart. Since I am a modern servant girl,thou wilt see pictures of the completed cart when tis finished,if the Lord wills.

And now,farewell! I must be off.

Pilgrimama

his love language

I can't really tell you how it can be that I've been a married woman almost 9 years now and it just recently clearly dawned on me that my sweetie's love language is food. Not just any fast or box food,though. Real food. Hearty,healthy,tasty food. New dishes and old favorites.
So,that has been a lot of what I've been up to these days.(It helps that I have zucchini to battle with...) Zucchini sheet cake with a cream cheese type frosting, a huge beef soup, breakfast burritos,salsa, my version of a plantain lasagna, lots of cukes in balsamic vinegar and so on.
Today I even burnt my fingertips on some hot peppers. All sacrifices for the cause. Because I'm so romantic (): !
I found this book on the shelf for half price at the boutique thriftshop today- 1001 Ways to be Romantic. It is now mine. Am I up for a medal for our tenth anniversary or what??
I love my guy! How are you showing love to your spouse these days?
In His Love,
Pilgrimama

"My soul doth magnify the Lord!"

" And how I wish it had been explained, that as you're growing you must remember,That nothing lasts, except the grace of God, by which I stand, in Jesus.I know that I would surely fall away, except for grace, by which I'm saved"
Keith Green's song
I am so thankful for the grace of God today! My soul glorifies God!
In His Love,
Pilgrimama

embracing the chaos and everything else

I am thankful for:
little girls in long, white skirts,
the blog post that encouraged mothers to embrace the chaos and all God is doing through it in one's life,(oh,how I need to hear that today!)

a beautiful heirloom tomato from our very own townhouse garden,

a childsize kimono costume,

that washable markers are washable,

disposable diapers,

a mom that calls,

good friends.

What's on your thankful list today?

Pilgrimama

all things zucchini

I think Alex was making zucchini bread with my help in this photo...

Blueberry bagels and a warm drink help one think . They are over a favorite zucchini recipe in my much used Almost Vegetarian recipe book. The handwritten style feels so much like a favorite recipe from a friend. And their zucchini casserole dish is similar to lasagna or something.Weeeell,maybe not quite as good as lasagna. And while we're on the topic of zucchini, check out Pioneer Woman's zucchini strings plus all the other delectable zucch recipes on her newly debuted Tasty Kitchen! http://www.thepioneerwoman.com

Yep,it's amazing all the things that can be made from zucchini-but then of course think of all the things George Washington Carver created using the peanut!

Have a happy( zucchini) making and eating season!

And of course if you're really energetic,or desperate,you can search my archives for ideas on making Mr. Zucchini Head. I,obviously, am to lazy to do so.

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

the homemade and more natural cleaners post

This makes me feel so grown up in a weird way. Just the fact that I was together enough to hunt down the ratios etc.,print out labels, bla,bla bla! But anyway ,awhile back I got all inspired by the Simple Green Frugal Co-op(link on sidebar) and made my own vinegar cleaner.I'm liking it and definitely have no plans to go back to storebought cleaner. The Bon Ami I got from the hardware store and it seems to do well also for grimy bathtubs(any moms of boys out there with grimy boy feet dirtying their bathtubs?)Bon Ami claims to have been in buisness for 120 years,be Earth Friendly with no chlorine,Perfume or dye.Yay! My boys can help me clean!

I also use baking soda in the toilet bowls,added close to the end of the vinegar- in -toilet bowl soaking routine. The boys,coming to think of it might enjoy the following explosion!

I use Murphy's Oil soap on my floors and just adore the smell. Murphy's Oil soap and I have a history together. When I was a teen,I did a bit of housecleaning for hire. This one home always used Murphy's and I fell for it then. Oh,the wonderful smell! Now, that we live in the US again and have hardwood floors, I can once again use this soap.( And,I think the bottle says it's 98% natural.)

So, I'm doing way better than my previous,horridly colored cleaners and it's quite inexpensive as far as more earth friendly products go.

Here's a close-up of my vinegar spray. It's great mirror cleaner!

Ok, friends, I will bore no more! But,try this at home,ok? Your grandchildren and mine,Lord willing will be better off for it,I believe.

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

my kitchen table

My kitchen table regularly looks like this. Or worse.

My children seem to think it's a desk or something. And they feel free to scatter empty yogurt cups or butcher a melon with a Leatherman amongst the piles-to my chagrin.

What do I spy here in this particular spot? An Anne of Green Gables popup book,an Eric Carle board book, Sandra Boynton's Barnyard Dance board book,and my More With Less cookbook.

On the other side I find a pill organizer, a small heart shaped basket with a Pocono's postcard from a friend,an article by another friend,and a kid's menu from Bob Evans.

And this is a relatively neat picture.........................................I hope you'll all still be my friends after this.
I must say,homeschooling in a townhouse can be tricky. Squeezing ourselves into these smaller spaces,probably not intended for a family that lives so fully IN their home.

Have yourselves a wonderful day,full of the Presence of God.
In His Love,
~Pilgrimama

fireworks in the square

picnicing before the big display...this may become a tradition

some of the whirling crowd...,

my poor camera tried,it really did,but this seems to be the best it could do at capturing those amazing fireworks,

The Fourth was a family day for our household,with building shelves(O wonderful shelves!), eating ice cream, and picnicing downtown with friends and family before the fireworks went off.

Then it was a nice walk home in a light sprinkling of rain and cake before bed and we called it a day! It was a blessing to have some much needed downtime together and we were thankful.

Speaking of downtime, Crystal of Biblical Womanhood(link on sidebar) renown, has prayerfully decided to shut down her blogs(thankfully Moneysaving Mom will remain). I appreciate her devotion to her family and her careful guarding of her time. The one pro I can see for my own teeny blog is that I can choose to run it,instead of it running me! With popularity come heavy demands and I can understand Crystal's decision. In a week or so,I plan to remove the Biblical Womanhood link. At the moment her farewell letter is a notable specimen.

Well, after a late night helping a friend get her home espresso/cappuccino machine up and running, I may need a nap and I imagine my cold would appreciate the rest also.

In His Love,

~M

the rain pattering...

a Jess quote:" Mommy, when it rains you're supposed to read,with the rain pattering-in bed."
How do the genes replicate in one's child,I want to know,so similarly?
Anyway,here he is with a bran muffin in one hand and a chapter book in the other. I guess I'm in for a bit.
reading in the rain,
Pilgrimama