some facts from my house this morn

An amazing fact i just realized this morning: I fit perfectly into my sons' socks!
I am just their size(in socks anyway).
Is that a strange feeling or what?
I mean, I carried these boys in my womb!
Now I use their socks when mine are all in the laundry.
hmmmmmmnnnn!
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Another fact for you all: it is mighty cooooold around these parts. Woodstove everyday.
Yesterday the librarians said we smelled like wood smoke.
hmmmmmmnnnn!
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                                                         over and out,
                                                     ~pilgrimama

a gratitude list

I am thankful for:

• a home that has many clean corners.
• That Father God has allowed me to have a lot of help around the house these days.
• I had my good friend's son over to do stuff like read, write, and look at pictures of how bananas grow, together with Chelsea.
• curried chicken
• a few hours of free time to go downtown and explore a shop full of lots of things including vintage stuff that looked straight out of Anne of Green Gables or The Secret Garden. Also, time to snuggle into a chair in the section of the library where the large print books and AARP magazines or something are displayed and read totally undisturbed! Laugh at me if you must...
• time spent reading to my chicks before bed. Priceless!
• a good bed
• Lee. Love that man! He makes wooden hangers for me to hang my washed zIPLOCK bags from so I can reuse them.
• And he gives me the recliner and treats my foot that got a splinter or something in it and reads aloud and sings with us before bed many evenings! He's good!

I need to get to bed if Imean to get anything done tomorrow!
                                Sleeeepy!
                             ~pilgrimama

musings on "eternalness"

I have been thinking about human beings and how much we embrace life.
How we resist death,we do not tend to run toward it with open arms.
And I am thinking about how this is the difference between us and a fish or a bear or a tree.
God created us with an eternal soul.
I believe God's nature is for abundant life and we also deeply embrace life.
We seem to want to live forever.
Because sin was introduced to the world,there is death to our mortal bodies.
And that is hard.
But in Jesus we do have hope to live forever!
We are eternal souls. Our desires in the end are granted,in Jesus, we can live eternally.

I've been over reading quite often at Val's blog, following her journey as a young mother of two,who has recently lost her husband. It's the missing that's often so hard.

In other news, the children are mourning the loss of their neighbor friend who is moving away.
Wednesday, I hauled Jess into the dentist where he had two teeth pulled. (I tried not to watch.)
It is hard to watch my babies go through their little trials, but life terrestial seems to be like that...
Lest life sound all drear, we went out to a big farm in the country last night and had a feast.
Marinated chicken with pineapple,potatoes and onion, tortellini salad, rice, another salad that contained greens,raisins,sprouts and (i think)feta cheese.
Dessert followed.
Yummo!
And today, baaaack to homeschool,and meal making and maybe a nice,little walk!
                           love,
                         ~pilgrimama

Happy Spring!

Spring came on Sunday.
At least the calendar said it did.
Forsythias graced our community center/church meeting hall. They were very yellow. The day seemed mostly gray.

Today I have the back door open, listening in on the crowd of children that play in my backyard-one from the neighbors, one here on a sleepover, and 3 of my own tribe.
Adults pass through chatting with each other and the children.
The huge tree by the shed is definitely green.
Spring is tentatively stepping over the threshold.
Lovely.

I am cleaning Odds and Ends clothing away from their respective spots. You know, that clothing that is outgrown, or needs a button, or needs to be cut into cleaning rags?
Yeah,that kind.
It's actually kind of fun!

                                           ~ happy spring cleaning
                                                 pilgrimama

another good-bye for now

We knew she was dying. Last Sunday, a week ago, we quietly cheered that she'd made it to church for the first time since her diagnosis.
Yesterday, one week later, we sat at her funeral.
Afterwards, we went to see her earthly body one last time.
She was plainly gone, only a shell remained.
She had stepped on in the eternal journey we are all on.
Bodies are amazing, the way they hold within a living soul. And when they cease to function, our spirit moves on.

I seem to be bumping into things all around me these days that real live humans gave me or left behind.
Tangible things that they once touched. They are no longer visible. But traces and fingerprints of theirs remain behind.
Mysterious. Part of Life.
This world's seemingly important things.
Not so important.
Something Realer to look for,to build for.
Yes.
                                                                                                    ~pilgrimama

early rising, blogging and real life



sister-made waffles

So- I wish I could write blog posts everydaaaaaayy.
But- I can't generally do that too easily.
Why?
Life seems to present me with choices,you see.
Like yesterday.
I could blog in my few "spare" minutes or I could have fellow homeschoolers over and we could do St. Pat's day stuff like make shamrock bookmarks and Irish bread.
And in order to make Irish bread I needed flour. And since I was out of flour I ran to the neighbors for flour. And since I was stepping out I needed to clean up and be presentable.
And so the morning goes.All this takes time (in which I live instead of blog).
If it's not one thing it's another.
Maybe new reading books from the library to sink our teeth into.
Or donut making research.
Or music practice
You know,for example. Stuff like that.
Real life seems to step in and call me and it's a challenge to pack everything into a day that I'd like to. Including blogging.
But I got up early this morning. Oh, yeah!  And thus the blog post.
Maybe I should get up earlier every morning.  That may be a post for another day though.
The great "discussion" between The Early Riser and The Late Riser in this household....
And now I think I've reached my time limit for writing.
Besides,do I hear coffee calling my name?

                                                                                                 Coffee drinking,
                                                                                                ~pilgrimama

a post including a letter to God

Sometimes we have to dig a little into the pockets of our Faith to remember that we live according to the directions of our Air Traffic Controller and not by sight or our own logic.
Then we remember that when we walk by faith through challenges, that we find hidden blessings.
Lord, let my life reflect Your plans for who I am to be!

Dear Father God,
Let my life as a mother reflect Your plans,even when they are not the plans or lifestyle I would have chosen.
Let me know and feel Your tender love in the life You choose for me.
Please let me find the hidden blessings even when it's tough to see them.
Help me remember to always, always wait on You, because I have this problem of forgetting.
And Abba?
Please keep my mind sane through it all.

Off to be a mama, bake donuts (click on to see the recipe!) wash pillowcases, and all manner of other things, I imagine!
                              ~pilgrimama

thrifting in the rain

Yesterday included:
Eating beans and cheese over toast for a late breakfast.
Hanging out with a friend.
Making popsicle boats with our impressive supply of glue guns. (One regular and one with low and high settings.)
My sons think they are great!
Science experiments from the book,Blood and Guts.
A little field trip to the scrap metal place for Alex, where he made $$ with his collection of scrap metal.

Reading practice and phonics after pb and j sandwiches.

Lots of other stuff too.

It has been raining a lot 'round these parts.
So, I thought no matter,we'll head on to the thriftstore  anyway.(It's like, a couple blocks from our house.) Jess said he did not like the color of the sky.
I chalked it up to sluggishness on his part and told him that's the way the sky has been looking these days.
Hardly had we gone out our driveway than the rain start to come down in rather large plops!
By the time we reached the thriftstore, we were quite wet!

But maybe that's why it was such a good thrifting day?
99 CENT day for one.On all clothes.
To say nothing of the Keen shoes in great shape I found for around 2 dollars or less.
Should I try selling them online or save them for Alex? Hmmnn..

A Columbia jacket/sweater we could really use for Alex-99 cents!
History books(hardback)by Joy Hakim)for 99cents or so apiece.I have been interested in these books for years!
Sometimes thrifting is worth it!

Then we went home through the rain to make beef stew. When we got near our house the bridge was flooded over so we didn't risk crossing to get to our house.
We turned back and went the long way-in the  rain.
Jess of course had an I told you so afternoon!
We were so wet!

I made stew and burnt cookies and we all settled in around the fire after dinner, Lee and I and our tribe.

                         ~pilgrimama

tea and cookies

tea and cookies

Chelsea just adores baking and all manner of dainty, girly types of things and so recently we had a young college girl from our homegroup over to bake cookies and drink tea in Proper Dainty Fashion with the Chels.
They had a great time and it was so interesting to watch Chelsea setting up her tea table,paying attention to all the details as she prepared. Lord willing,she has the makings of a fine hostess in her if I do say so myself.

We snuggled around the fire last night and so the dishes never got done... Must go do those soon.
I hear there is rain and sleet headed our way. I will look at yellow things and think about SUN.
Here's to another capricious March day!
                                                     ~Pilgrimama

home learning and weekend plans

The way I blog is kind of strange sometimes, at least unconventional.
Start post option,go check stove, select picture, go use restroom,open curtain for our huge plant that resides by the bathroom window, come back, start post, and soon I will probably go haul some wood for the fire.
Then I might go put in a load of overdue laundry.
But no matter, that way thoughts can percolate in my head while I putter..

Sometimes I am a little confused by my life. It helps when I tell myself that I am actually living in a school. Our house is a school. With lots of projects going on. So it's going to look different than the average home.
Deep breaths,mama,deep breaths.
The stuff of it all can be overwhelming.

My girls just got done with a wet-felting project using wool yarn scraps.
Then a Veggie-Tales book appeared on the table.
Then beautiful wooden puzzles came off the shelf.
There are still two games out from the last round of playing. The shelf is high and I am the one who puts them away. So fine,you say, do it!
But what about the small stack of laundry sitting on the chair to be put away, the dresser that arrived that needs placing, the fridge shelves that need wiping down NOW!
i WANT A MAID!
Heh!
Back again. A load of laundry going.
Another armload in soak.
Timer set! Refrigerator here I come! And I even put the games away!
Whew! Finally back again! The fridge got a lick and a promise, I went to a church booksale downtown, ate a burger with a friend,and got some other important household work done.
Our boys have a sleepover, and Lee and I have plans to hang out after our girls are snugged off in bed.
What are your weekend night plans?
And what did you accomplish?
(If you're even reading anymore. This post is not necessarily interesting unto anyone except yours truly!)

                            Happy Weekend!
                     ~Pilgrimama

good-bye to a mama

My body is often limp with exhaustion,chasing after and keeping up with the activities of 4 children and one husband,a cat and a fish.
Last night I went bed bushed, oh so very bushed.
But then I remembered.
At least I am here.
I am with these beloved mine.
I am thinking of her.
She just died.
Her oldest son just a little older than mine.
Cancer.
She brought me a cute little ballplayer outfit for my baby when I was a new,unsteady mother.
Actually,she was one of the most generous people I've ever known.
The cool measuring cups and spoons still reside in my baking cupboard,used often.
A card from her sits by my kitchen sink.
Tangible items from someone who now is intangible.
Hard to wrap the mind around.
In honor of her, the post today has no color.

Good-bye.

                                        ~Pilgrimama

Welcome March!

Oh, I am so glad March is here!
I saw my first crocus the other day! It was yellow.
Yellow, yellow, yellow!
I am ready for yellow!

(By fall I am always tired of bright and am happy for earth tones again.)

My house is filled with balloons of the fancy variety right now. The children and I went to a health fair yesterday and came home loaded down with not only toothbrushes and toothpaste etc. but leftover balloons since we went toward the end of the fair.
So that is adding to the color palatte right now!

I have a full list again today so I must be moving along but again-Happy March to all!

                                                     ~Pilgrimama