homemade playdough-

is definitely,definitely good! (said in a squeaky mouse voice,like in Babe). Jess did a lot of the work of making the playdough(coloring it,oh what fun! Our food coloring is almost used up I hear.)

Anyway,with the additon of a Duplo train,their bin of little animals,the baby's wooden toys and heaps of homemade playdough we had hours of being off in an imaginary world.

We shall see where this week's imagination takes them-maybe a completely different direction.

And Mama has a more mathematical use for the playdough. She wants to roll out playdough snakes in different lengths and measure them all.

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

a mama strategy

Sometimes I can be so sneaky! While my family thinks I'm making their dinner I'm really sneaking in some Mamatime,listening to my music and making nice snacks just for me. It's amazing how encouraging this can be when one is doing the evening shift of mothering! All the while I'm usually fiddling with supper/evening prep too. What are some of your sneaky strategies?

a cornmeal sandpile

The story begins when the culprit is caught with the cornmeal bag in her lap... and all her mother does is point the camera--

soooooo, she feels that emptying the rest of the bag onto the floor would be ok... I mean obviously this is what Mama had in mind when she left the bag on the table right???

Oh yes, of course! She was planning a gigantic sandbox-under the table. How very thoughtful of her! Would that all mamas were so helpful and kind!

Pilgrimama

wonderful weekend in Pennsylvania

Apple trees in our host's backyard in PA. Wow-apple trees in the backyard! Lovely,especially since today we discovered our neighbors decided to string clothesline through our small,city backyard and hang their laundry on it! And,the buisness behind us seems to have their groundskeeper or something trimming brush on our border so he's backed into our backyard also.Ah,well, school is back in session so we're not using our backyard as much anyway.

Soaring through the air on this very boy-friendly swingset. Country living does have its advantages....

We traveled to PA for a long weekend, attending the Zac Poonen conference there. It was very worth it. We had the added blessing of staying with a host family from the local fellowship there,which we appreciated very much. Besides getting to know people from there better, they did a superb job of hosting which was an added bonus. Thanks,friends!

" Allow the Spirit to lay the ax at the root of our tree (of our self-will). If you can do this,your ministry will shake hell,and heaven will be proud." Poonen quote, condensed a bit.We came away with many things to meditate on,and new insights of precious value to us.

We are thankful and hope to reap much blessing from this trip for the rest of our lives. Praise God for men who are vessels for him to bless His people through!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

can't you see?

"The woman just in front gave me a condescending smile

She said "Excuse me please,are these all yours?

You've really got your hands full, that's for sure

Tell me, when do you get time for you?

You know there's so much more

that a woman can do"

Well what I wanted to say

Was"Wait a minute please"

What I wanted to say

Was" Look closer and you'll see

How they are beautiful

And I would not take back

a single day"

That's what I wanted to say "

Marie Bellet's What I Wanted To Say album has been playing a lot in my kitchen since I requested it as a birthday present. She says so much that moms and Dads feel and think into story songs and sings them with her lovely voice. While she and I have some fundamental differences in understanding the Bible,I still do appreciate a lot in her singing.

Here's to the beauty in our little ones!!!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

it's the start of another August week...

August is winding down fast...enjoy the games of chess, the bowls of ice cream, the inline skates-they will soon give way,Lord willing, to falling leaves, reading lessons and unpacking sweaters! My,so many things to do one last time! Enjoy friends! Enjoy these little people of yours! They turn into bigger people before you know!

And enjoy your Monday!

Pilgrimama

a patchwork wastebasket...

the scrap pile...and the decoupage paste

The wastebasket which has a gaudy violin and roses on it. What to do? Why cover it of course! See the violin peeking out?

All covered. A patchwork wastebasket to sit beside my workbench! Something ugly into something creative! Something about it really makes my fingers itch!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

wearable science

a finished shirt...

we made spokes of color with Sharpie markers,and then dripped rubbing alcohol on it to produce these CD like images..

We discovered this cool science website, complete with how-to videos. We thought the sharpie -rubbing alcohol on t-shirts was up our alley.
Check out http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ to try this at your house...

drawing spokes.....

And,if you'd rather try something like sewing, the Sew, Mama,Sew blog has a great list of sewing projects to do with your little ones. http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=867

Why do I have "dry" spells in blogging and then blog back to back? Go figure,though blogging does help me keep organized.

So long! In His Love,

Pilgrimama

more birthday talk....

So, I finally talk about the birthday.... here's a sweet card lineup........

a flurry of unwrapping,

And here's that microwave cart I recently redid! It was a brown laminate cart,a sweet gift from a friend. But I like a very soothing feel around the house and it seemed the laminate and me were having a hard time getting along. So I sanded it down and used some "found" buckets of paint and bit of blue acrylic craft paint to get the finished product. More soothing,no??

Anyway,my birthday was lovely,filled with love,family, new friends,gifts and a lovely time spent together as a family in a nearby arboretum. We explored the labyrinth, picked a few remaining blackberries, and fed the ducks,catfish,and turtles,who all eagerly jockeyed to be fed.

Lee and the boys were wonderful,pulling it all off quite well. It was quite the birthday and completely done,our family style! They took me to a nearby thrift shop which is the best. It was shutting down for a bit to do renovations so most things were 50% off . So as you can imagine,I got some nifty deals!

So here's to love and charity, peace, joy, and all those fruits for the coming year, however the Lord leads.

In His Love!

Pilgrimama

a birthday post...

."..and be closer drawn to thee"..
It has been a good birthday.
Twenty seven years have taught me many important things.
Thank-you God for "amazing grace".

More birthday recap later...
In His Love,
Pilgrimama

from my new workbench...

a gift for a preteen girl...

an almost completed gift basket for a twin baby girl...

and another almost completed basket for the twin baby brother!

Lee and I rescued a wooden desk from the curbside awhile back. He painted it for me and set up in it's proper home, but it had a big old cupboard thing on top of it for a while. The cupboard finally was sent off to a new home and I have a space!

Maybe one day soon I will have it photogenic enough to post here!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

list of good foods for almost two year olds

according to the little one: Soup!!!

string beans

cookies

Lee and I collaborated on a large cream of asparagus soup today to serve to the staff and residents at the home where he works. We all piled in and ate with Daddy at work,which we do on occasion. As it turned out, the pictured small person thought the soup was wonderful. It really was.

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

standin' by the stuff

In real life : I label my cupboards so the small kitchen helpers can get it right,

I make up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch,with probably apple slices on the side,

I see and handle and empty so many of these,

I rinse and see dishes to be rinsed over and over and over,(I'm glad when they're at the rinsing stage!),

my sink fills over and over daily with this type of thing.( I decided to edit my stove pictures out of these.I wasn't sure how people would feel about me after those.Maybe someday if I'm brave.)

My days are filled with these types of things and many more. Potty training,weaning, giving reading lessons over and over,investing in children and a home is often repetitive,grimy,wet and weary work.

I find it interesting how God takes girls like me,who would find the idea of working in a library,a studio,something like that, a dream workplace, and sets them to the task of being mamas.No quiet work,that.

What does He want us to learn?

Standin' by the stuff often means being unselfish, thorough,diligent,sensitive to the atmosphere of the home,patient in so many ways,seeing the beauty in people(oh,they are so beautiful when we're not too tired to see it) and being content with what our Father has provided.

And in learning all these things we start seeing purpose emerging from all the grime and elbow grease and sleep deprivation.

It's helpful and inspiring to start glimpsing a purpose. It's also awesome to start finding the learning of these traits a beautiful thing.

So our Abba has been showing me recently to not only stand by the stuff faithfully,but stand by it gladly! To revel in the tasks of being a mama. It's a good and high calling.

May He bless you all,as you learn to "stand by the stuff" wherever you are!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama