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Saturday, February 25, 2012



The Blue Bowl

All day I did the little things,
The little things that do not show;
I brought the kindling for the fire
I set the candles in a row,
I filled a bowl with marigolds,
The shallow bowl you love the best--
And made the house a pleasant place
Where weariness might take its rest.

The hours sped on, my eager feet
Could not keep pace with my desire.
So much to do, so little time!
I could not let my body tire;
Yet, when the coming of the night
Blotted the garden from my sight,
And on the narrow, graveled walks
Between the guarding flower stalks
I heard your step: I was not through.

You came into the quiet room
That glowed enchanted with the bloom
Of yellow flame. I saw your face,
Illumined by the firelit space,
Slowly grow still and comforted-
"It's good to be at home," you said.

Blanche Bane Kuder



Doesn't this poem so beautifully describe what it is like to be a wife and mother? I love it! I discovered this poem in a book called Everyday Graces by Karen Santorum. This is a wonderful book for children about manners. Karen has collected poems, short stories and excerpts from books to illustrate different manners to children in a simple and gentle way. 


Here are some other manners books that I've heard are good and would love to add to our collection:

  

Thursday, February 23, 2012

for you

I've been having a little bit of fun with some new stamping/scrap booking software that Tyson got me for my birthday. I thought I would share a couple things that I've made with you...as a sort of "free printable". I think you should be able to click on the pictures (if you are visiting my blog) and print them out. Put them around your house and let the word of God work in your life.




This verse has become my mothering "motto" lately. :)
Although it is time to review it in more depth once again



I thought this one was a great way to start my prayer before reading my Bible! The paper and embellishments for this one were kindly offered as a  free download from Shabby Princess.
If you print one out, let me know how it works for you. Someone let me know though if it doesn't work. :)
 Maybe I need to find a different way to share the files.

God Bless You!

***Note: you may need to right click on the image and save/copy it, then paste it in Word or something to be able to resize it.***

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

heather's hands

I've had some good reasons to make cards the last couple of months. My favorite reason to make them is to give them as gifts...door prizes for baby/wedding showers. Just wanted to share...and also have pics in a handy place for me to refer back to. A lot of them use a simple layout with pretty papers in order to save time when I need to make a lot of them in a short amount of time.



This one was not my original idea. I got it from a card kit that I bought from our local scrap booking store. I love how they used wooden paper to make the button for this card!!

I wish I could take credit for this one too, but again it was from a card kit from the same store. 

...another card kit one...I couldn't resist it!





This one I found the idea for on split coast stampers. It differs a little from the original. 






I tried to remake this one as best as I could with what I had...the original idea came from the SU catalog.


This one I found the idea for on Pinterest. Here is the original.





I have a pinterest board with all my card/stamping ideas. I love it because I can see all the ideas at once and have ideas ready for when I need to make a card. Like this one:

I tried my own version of this card and it turned out super cute. It's a little different because I didn't have the same embossing folder..or the same ribbon and button, etc., but it still turned out super cute.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

I have a little boy...


I have a little boy. He really is a super sweet little boy. Sometimes, however, I don't understand little boy ways and I get frustrated. For instance, I'll ask my boy to help clean up. When I turn around I see him slowly working with one hand...the other hand is tightly clutching some special toy that he doesn't want anyone else to get. This almost always makes me angry. I try to explain to him that he can't clean as well when he is holding onto something and only using one had. He would be able to work much more efficiently if he had both hands free. I pray that this doesn't reflect how selfish he is, that he can't even set one little toy down for fear that his sisters will snatch it away. Over and over I explain this to him, day after day, it doesn't help. He doesn't understand. I don't understand.

So, one night when we had a chance to discuss some different things, I shared this with my husband. I want to be understanding.

By wisdom a house is built, 
by understanding it is established. 
Proverbs 24:3

The Lord suddenly, clearly filled my mind with understanding. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned here, bit by bit, little by little, about letting go, surrendering. Just as Abraham believed in the Lord and was willing to let go of his only son as a sacrifice on the altar, we too need to let go of whatever it is that we are holding to too tightly. What is my Isaac? What is it that I need to let go of in order to be more useful to the Lord? Could my boy slowly learn this lesson too, just as I am slowly learning it?

OR could there be a good side to this boy habit? I only call it a boy habit because I've only ever seen little boys do this...I'm sure there are little girls who must do it too though...I'm a big girl and I do it to- in a different way, a heart way. I began to reflect the wisdom that Jean Fleming shares in her book A Mother's Heart.

In one part of the book, she encourages moms by reminding them that there are usually two sides to everything. Yes, your child might be very messy, but perhaps that means she's also very creative. Not that we can overlook the bad habits of being messy, but that we should be careful to also see the good in our children. So, I began to think what this habit could reflect other than selfishness! 

Perhaps there is a good quality in that part of my boy that drives me crazy that I'll one day rejoice about! Perhaps, he's being protective. If he is this protective of this little toy now, will he grow to be a protective brother, son, husband, and father? I pray he will!

Thank you Lord for giving me understanding in this matter! I won't be so quick to scold him now. Now, I can address him as I ought rather than responding in frustration. I still need to teach him to set his toy down so that he can do the job well, but instead of sharply snatching it away myself or putting it out of his reach as a punishment for being selfish, I can encourage him to set this toy that he wants to protect somewhere safe, so that he can use both hands and work diligently. 

416. lessons learned from little boys
417. Selah's big hugs
418. baby sign language
419. unexpected help
420. warm baby cheeks with heads and eyes still heavy with sleep
421. a new coat
422. the helpful advice of my children
423. privilege of praying for friends
424. a chorus of birds singing outside my window
425. bright sun breaking through heavy gray winter clouds
425. winter walks
426. new fabric
427. clean rooms...even if but for a night
428. the smell of fresh roasted coffee
429. lingering evidence of a good workout
430. beanbag chairs, books, and bedtime
431. This poem by Irene Foster (taken from the book mentioned above)


Wednesday, February 8, 2012


Here is the poem that Lucy is currently working on memorizing.

The Cupboard
by Walter de la Mare

I know a little cupboard, 
With a teeny tiny key, 
And there's a jar of Lollypops
For me, me, me.

It has a little shelf, my dear, 
As dark as dark can be, 
And there's a dish of Banbury Cakes
For me, me, me.

I have a small fat grandmamma, 
With a very slippery knee, 
And she's the Keeper of the Cupboard
With the key, key, key. 

And when I'm very good, my dear, 
As good as good can be, 
There's Banbury Cakes, and Lollypops
For me, me, me. 

Isn't that a cute poem? I think I know why she likes it so much...it is almost true. True except for the "fat grandmamma with a slippery knee" and the "key on the cupboard", but she does love going to Grandma who always has treats and candies for her! She once asked me what kind of treats Grandma had in the bowl when I was little and was very surprised to hear that we didn't always have a bowl of treats out when I was little. :)

I LOVE the break in our morning when we casually read a poem! It is so relaxing and refreshing. We all look forward to it. Mayme even has some poem books that she loves to read. (This one and this one.)




We don't analyze or study the poems, we just read them for the pleasure of it. Sometimes though when a particular poem has a really great message, I can't help but commenting on it.

I was delighted this morning when I remembered that I would get to read A.A. Milne's poem books with Jude next year!


This year I am reading through this poem book with Jude (see below), and Lucy is reading through various poems by Walter de la Mare.

What is your favorite part of your school day? Do you have any favorite poems? Perhaps I'll have to share some of our favorite poetry more often.