summer kitchen

Summer meals are usually a haphazard affair thrown together while running in and out of the house or skipped all together in favor of grazing through the day on fresh produce, bread and jam. Chop a little, run out and move a sprinkler, simmer a bit, go check out the cool bug in the watering can, pick some herbs while chairs are dragged into the kitchen by sneaky little helpers, watch the mess grow, determine to deal with it later, call them in or take it outside...
Sit. Give thanks. Eat. Enjoy.

a few moments with T

Tristan: What is this music?

Me: It's Classical. It's nice.
Tristan: It's freakin' me out.

Tristan: Hey, where are you going?
Me: Crazy.
Tristan: Cool, can I go too?
(When I told Shawn about this one he said- You're driving, bud.)
Tristan (as both sisters slept): Mom, we're kind of having some just me and you time.
Me: Yeah, we are. It's kinda nice.
Tristan: I like just me and you time...can I watch Transformers?We sure love this kid.

another market day

happy anniversary

That's my dad teaching a bunch of college kids on the beach to know Christ and make Him known, because that's what my dad does. He lives it and teaches it and preaches it on the beach. He's kind of amazing. My mom is kind of amazing right alongside him (she sent me the picture from her camera phone). Together, they are living in a crazy, noisy college dorm in Florida this summer with a bunch of crazy, noisy college kids. And they love it. They are having fun doing what they've always done as one amazing team -loving on students, investing their lives in them, training them and sending them out to be lights in a dark world. I hope those students know how lucky they are to have these two as "parents" for the summer.
Happy anniversary, mom and dad.
Have I mentioned how amazing I think you are?

And because I love old photos so much, here they are on that June day in the Great Hall of Glen Eyrie castle thirty-three years ago ...

(By the way, my amazing mom is here with me right now instead of celebrating the day with my dad and I couldn't be more grateful for her help and company! Dad will be here in a few days as well though and then Shawn will finally get home just in time for the Fourth festivities. Come on July!)

the zinnia fencerow

The zinnia patch has moved. No, not the blog, the actual zinnia patch. We've been working on clearing the brush around some of the nice Maples and Magnolias along the wild side of our property which means we've been mowing over the old wildflower patch. Sad, I know, but it was becoming too difficult to fight back the weeds and native grasses over there anyway. This year, I made a sudden "the baby is asleep-I might have an hour to work-what should I plant" decision one afternoon to dig a row along the fence line on the other side of the yard.

Kenna and I planted an abundance of Zinnia and Cosmos seeds as well as a few Amaranths and Marigolds and they are beginning to show their pretty little faces. In a few more weeks, I think that long stretch of bare fence is going to be the backdrop for quite a colorful show.

little birds

Once I saw a little bird Come hop, hop, hop
And I cried, "Little Bird, Will you stop, stop, stop?"

I was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?"
When he shook his little tail and away he flew.

Recently, a whole lot of school showed up on our doorstep in brown boxes . It came from here, here and here. Tristan is so excited about "doing school", as he calls it, he wants to dive right into every book he sees. It doesn't matter that it's summertime, school is just something fun you do whenever you want -right? What else do you do on rainy days or when the heat is bad enough to drive you in from the pool? Well, besides watching circa 1984 Transformers episodes? "Let's do some school, mom" he says. I'm just fine with his approach, so we're digging into a few things here and there when we feel like it with Kenna even playing along at times...a little math, a lot of reading and these cute bird mitts for their nursery rhymes Literature Pockets.
I'm looking at these piles of new books and materials strewn across my dining room table and feeling slightly overwhelmed by the task/opportunity/adventure/blessing/long road ahead. I pass by it thinking "and why couldn't I just buy him a new backpack and shoes and send him off on the school bus to kindergarten?" I guess I'm not ready for any of my little birds to leave the nest just yet. Call me selfish but I'm enjoying them too much and I want to be the one who gets to teach them to fly.

I want to "do school" too, Tristan. Count me in.

a double birthday

Happy Birthdays Christie and Thaddeus! I can't believe the last time we saw you, Thad was that little long haired tornado of a two year old and now he's such a big kid (and a big brother)!
I can't wait to get my camera on your whole crew again very soon. Counting down to August.
Hoping the day was a fun celebration for you both!

wild berries

I wish the birds would leave us some.

world's greatest...

...dad. Three times over. We love you and miss you so much today -hurry home! Happy Father's Day from all your bears.

goodbye spring

Today is the last day of spring and we are appropriately entering a heat wave as the temp is supposed to reach near 100 degrees! Yes, spring has certainly made her exit and summer is well upon us. We are prepared though, so bring it on. Bring on the water fun, the ripe blueberries, the sailing, the fireflies and the wildflowers. Bring on the tan lines on those freshly bathed bottoms; the little wet heads smelling like shampoo and sunscreen, bent over storybooks and worn out from a day outside. Bring on the bike rides under streetlights, the glow sticks and sparklers; the cold drinks with friends while kids run in the sprinkler. Bring it on, Summer! We're ready for you.

purples

There seems to be a purple theme in the back yard...Hosta, Bee Balm, Morning Glory, Pansies, more Hostas (with peach Astilbe in the background) and one Mystery Plant. Can anyone identify the purple spikes in that last picture? I thought it was Bee Balm until it bloomed.

a first

I thought it would be difficult, taking scissors to those long baby locks for the first time, but it wasn't so bad. Kenna enjoyed her moment in mommy's bathroom floor salon and the result is adorable. I've also spent much less time washing mysterious sticky substances out of it since then. She is apparently over her fear of the hair dryer and makes regular trips into the bathroom to style her new do. Such a girl.

at four months old...

Today she is thirteen pounds, rolling over on her own, chewing on her fists, babbling and giggling (oh this one is so ticklish!) and she has long been sleeping through the night. Normally, this child would be sleeping in her own room by now but she is not. It's her big sister roommate -I don't trust her. I'm scared to place sweet, innocent, helpless, little Kate in the same room with Kenna at night. Oh dear. Of course, she may not be safe anywhere. At 4:50 this morning I woke up to the sound of Kate fussing in her crib by my bed and who was standing over her trying to comfort her? Yep, Kenna. At 4:50A.M. Sheesh.
Excuse me while I refer myself back to yesterday's post.

quietly greeting the day

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

The sun is rising but by some miracle the kids are still asleep in their beds. This doesn't happen very often in our house. This doesn't happen ever. In between pressing start on the coffee pot and curling up in the corner chair, I pick up the camera and take it in.

There are love notes from the Creator scattered about -a hazy sunrise, a newly opened Lily, flowers and rays of sunlight in a quiet room- and I feel the truth of the words new every morning washing over me.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8

survivors

All my rescue plants are blooming on the porch, including these lovely lilies and cone flowers. Every evening we watch the fat bunnies loping around the yard looking for a treat but so far my rabbit resistant plan is working for the flower beds and stairs are working for everything else!

And it's on those porch steps that I spend a lot of time these days. Sitting and watching the water play or running up and down them, in and out of the house between baby and big kids. I'm spending most waking moments these last days of summer-like spring out here with the wild things. I think I've finally managed to catch one of the kid's colds and Shawn isn't due home till July but thankfully, Yiayia is coming to my rescue visit us in a little over a week. As long as the popsicles and that slip 'n' slide hold out, we will survive just fine!

saturday market

The Farmer's Market was a happening place to be this morning despite the heat. In addition to the usual local fare, there was a blue grass band, petting zoo, hayrides, watermelon eating and cow milking contests, balloon twisting clowns and so much more. I was sorry I didn't take my good camera. I had to make do with my little pocket Nikon but since I was juggling a stroller, drippy snowcones, sticky children and our produce pickings anyway I let Tristan handle most of the photo taking (he took that tractor photo).

I handed him the camera with some inspiring words about the beauty of all the fresh produce and cut flowers, the animals and the sweet old couples in the band and what do you suppose he chose to photograph? Vegetables? Remember who we're talking about here...

It's blurry but I'm sure you can tell what it is. That's right, the German pastry seller. Who needs fresh corn on the cob and tomatoes when you can have sticky buns and snow cones??

unfinished

I may have a little problem with starting too many projects at once. OK, it's a big problem but I'll finish these. I will. Remember that fabric? It's not just piles of unused fabric anymore so that's progress. You just wait...