Not many words tonight. Life has been all about finishing up last minute wedding details, working on school lessons, catching up on housework, and getting people back into their regular routine. Those things take up most of my waking hours right now. We have been a lot of places this winter however and I wanted to squeeze in just little uploading while the internet was kinda sort cooperating.
This is more from the shore with my guys….
This was supposed to be the end of a road trip birthday for this little man. We found a tiny deli, about the size of my living room, in a fishing village. We got hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows to warm up and homemade rocky road brownies and raced back to eat in the car which was a whole lot warmer than the street.
And then we decided to make one more stop to see if we could get Colin closer to the ocean before he leaves. Good call. It was nearly dark when he flew down the boardwalk at Wells Next the Sea and you could just barely make them out. There they were though….
Out on that sandbar were several of the local grey seals. Sadly there was only the nifty fifty on the camera but you can see the dark outlines dotting the sand in the distance. Can't say that everyday.
By way of explanation for my absence here lately.
Thinking that selfie explains my crow's feet too. ; )
Back soon.
We have set up our focus days for the new semester. (if you are new here the freebie printables are on the right sidebar under Home Management Binder – aka my brain in a book) One addition is the return of a cooking day so we can do some food prep on the weekend and save time during the weekdays. Alannah's project this weekend was making these veggie-rich paleo muffins. They are yum.
That sums up pretty well. This old house has seen a lot of action the past few weeks. They have exhausted the board game stash and someone discovered the game book that has lingered on the shelf for who knows how long. "Mom! When did you get THIS??"
The laundry is caught up but a new basketball hoop coupled with lots of rain has made for lots of muddy clothes. Side note, we put away Gram's Christmas dress one more time. I don't know if Abbie will squeeze one more year out of it or this is it. : (
Do you have grown kids? Do they revert to middle school behavior when they are all together again?? Oh my word. It is so funny seeing these adults I know, who hold down good jobs and lead respectable grown up lives, racing each other to sit shotgun in the car or get the best seat on the couch, or bickering over music/tv/younameit. Picking out the dinner items they don't like. Arm wrestling. Hysterical. And loud.
I wonder if they will be doing this when they are 40?
They are crazy.people. My crazy people.
This soldier son is heading back to work. Time to tidy up his buzz cut. I believe after I shot this he said, "Hey mom, I am planning to shave after this. Did you want a picture of that too?"
Actually, I got a little emotional this night knowing our time was running out. Remembering where he works. Just stuff. Dad jumped in and offered some comic relief….
The boy didn't think that would go over well though.
The littles are glued to Colin. Period. He showed them how to play hangman and then sat through about a billion rounds. You get a pretty good idea of my Jango playlist if you look closely lol….
The living room has become a giant slumber party. We have one more week with Colin, more road trips, and then we really do have to get back to real life, whatever that is. 2014 promises to be a big year and my daily lists are already daunting as we work to make it happen. But right now, there is a big game on and a bunch of awesome people with my last name piled onto couches and pillows and I am not about to move them.
I am not one for bandwagons. Not one to consciously make resolutions peculiar to a day or a year. While listening to carols this Christmas, however, this line echoed in my heart as a specific possibility for the new year.
What I know in my heart? That the one thing is necessary to the other. However you position the words.
In my notes for the first day of a brand new year, a prayer:
I have some well defined goals this year. Top of that list is this – the joy that only comes by making it all a complete gift. The best I can strive for in the end is making it all an Amen. However it shakes out this year.
“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.”
– Jane Smiley
Boxing day road trip to see the church of St Peter and St Paul in Lavenham, all decked out for the season. It was a rare sunny winter day and the light poured in through the stained glass. The church has been there in some way, shape or form for centuries which meant the headstones in the cemetary were fascinating.
One thing I most love about England is their preference for natural seasonal greenery. The wreaths on the doors and tables are usually local holly, evergreens, and real candles. It takes time and much care and can't be kept over to the next year so the net result is a few high quality decorations.
Another favorite thing? The needlepoint cushions common here. Needlepoint has fallen out of favor a bit in the crafting world but I still love the texture and color. Those cushions represent hours and hours of stitching.
The effect is natural, simple, and timeless. This is exactly what I pictured all the years I dreamed of English Christmas and inspires me for the future.
A bright and beautiful Christmas to you and yours.
“There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them when they go.”
– Frederick William Faber
Starry Sky Journal 