Lost in the Woods

 I was re-reading some of my old posts, again. They really are more of a journal than anything. Watching my children grow, right on the computer screen, is bittersweet. When I started this blog Canaan had just turned 4 and Zion was not quite 2. Canaan will be twelve in just 5 weeks and Zion is now 9.
 When I first started writing, almost every word was "adorable", and worthy of posting. (of course!) Now, I think they would really prefer I not call them adorable...

 We live in base housing right now. The duplex itself is really nice, the neighbors are wonderful, and the street has lots of children. However, there is not much of a back yard, and what is there is NOT fenced in. So, Daisy has to be on a leash when she is outside.

 The up side (as well as the down side!) of that requirement is that I am forced to go outside with her. The snow days were really hard on this southern girl, but now that the weather has cheered up taking Daisy for a walk is a joyful experience.

Spring is here!

Color is popping up.

Things that were hidden now show their lovely faces.

And the promise of more to come shows prominently!

This base has a nickname.

"Fort Lost in the Woods"

These two pictures give an idea as to why it is called that. The top picture is about 100 yards from our back door. We come up with a different fun story on a regular basis about why a random concrete pad is in the middle of the woods.

This picture is a five minute walk from our house. 

Nothing in sight except trees! 

 But the beauty you can find while "lost in the woods" is unending. 

 Side note of proud mommy bragging: While on the above mentioned walk Canaan said "Mom, look at that interesting quadrilateral." When I quizzed his little brother as to what made the shape a quadrilateral and not a square, Zion answered correctly.
 My boys make me proud! Not so much "adorable" any longer, but definitely amazing young men.
 I am so very blessed!

Blessings to you, 

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

 Today was momentous.
 My first born son, my little boy, made his first apple pie.
 He chopped the apples (I peeled for him), mixed them with the toppings, helped cut the shortening into the flour for the crust and even rolled it out.
 Fabulous!

 It seems that his interpretation of a "dash of salt" is a bit more than I would normally use. But I put a dollop of ice-cream on top and it blended in nicely.

 I am so proud!!

 He is growing up. Sigh.

 In other news, I have to brag about my garden. We built a 3rd bed this summer, and it is growing beautifully.

Back in March....

 potatoes were growing nicely already.

 Canaan had green hair... can't remember why!

 Maybe green hair goes with a green thumb?

Green shirt too. Definitely have a theme going here!

 Most of the herbs survived the winter.

 (But we have added more. You can never have too many fresh herbs when you are married to a cook like Andy)

This little guy is just too cute not to post. 

In May we harvested the potatoes.

 It was a decent crop - better than last year - but still not as much as I had hoped.

 And that is an UGLY potato!

A few of them were almost too small to count.

(But we ate them anyway!)

Just a few days ago...

 Mini Peppers - which are supposed to turn orange.

 The start of a pea...

 and some beautiful sugar snap peas.

 Spinach is kind of taking over the herb garden.

 Cherry tomatoes peeking out.

 Green beans, butter beans and watermelon are all together in the bed that use to hold potatoes.

 Tomato and cucumber and a peek at the squash

Zucchini squash

I don't have any pictures of the carrots, but they are tucked in there too. 

We ate potatoes from the garden with fresh rosemary tonight. Makes me happy. 

But what makes me even happier than my garden?

 

My boys! (and my girl too)

Hope your summer is off to a good start. 

Blessings, 

Bethany

A few things I love

 Our wireless transmitter died. Again. I kept trying to breath new life into it. But we had to finally accept defeat and let it rest in peace.
 I am pretty sure this is the third one we have had in my blogging history.

 After just a few days without "full" internet I am always so glad to get it back. But I am always so far behind too. I already have a hard time keeping up with the blogs I want to read and comment on. And the blogs I haven't had a chance to write- well, those are lost forever. Because my brain only holds a thought for so long. Then it is gone. That is why I write a blog in the first place! So that those crazy thoughts can be corralled and organized. When I don't get a chance to write them down...

 Ah well.

 But, a few things I love:

1) That when we got home yesterday the first thing my boys did with our purchases from the thrift store was lay on their stomachs in the middle of the kitchen floor and play with them. Immediately. Anyone want to know what our purchases were?

 Books!

 2) Thrift stores in general! Large parts of our "curriculum" come from them!

3) When I open the peanutbutter, Daisy automatically thinks it is for her. That is both a love and a hate. We give her PB to cover the taste of her meds, which are a constant need, and will be always. But the fact that as soon as she smells PB she comes running: that cracks me up.

4) The fact that, although I am not sure where the money is going to come from, braces do exist and Canaan will be able to have them. There was a time when teeth that were so crowded that they wouldn't even descend were a humongous problem. Now the dentist simply gives a recommendation that you go visit their friend down the street. (or perhaps shop around and see who is cheapest?)

5) Cherry Tomatos straight from our garden. One of the few successes, making them even more delicious.

6) That beautiful art that can come from trash. Beauty is all around, as long as your seek it. My friend Casey has started using his amazing talent for more then just playing with his kids and decorating his own home. He is creating art for others and I can't help but pass him along to others. He takes paper, shredded and expected to have no further use, and turns it into beauty.  His art is amazing and it stands for one of the things I believe in most. Appreciating EVERYTHING around you and finding Joy in it.

 Please my friends, seek the beauty.

Blessings, 

I'm melting, I'm melting....

First, a quick update on the look of the blog. I have had problems with comments not working lately, so I have added Discus. I am still working out all the kinks, but hopefully it will solve the problems. The nice thing about it is that you can reply to other's comments. Talk to each other, as well as to me. Please, communicate! But that's not what I got on here to say...


The weather has had so many ups and downs lately you never know what you are going to get. Beautiful one day. Pouring down rain the next. Short sleeves one afternoon then pulling out the extra blankets that same night.
 Totally unreliable.

 But on one of the not raining and not too cold nights recently we pulled out the fire pit and made a campfire.

 And proceeded with our torture....

 We had marshmallows left over from Christmas - poor, little gingerbread men marshmallows. 

 And goodness gracious with three "boys" sitting around a campfire, those poor little men didn't have a chance.

 Daisy watched in awe - or was it horror? 

 And their poor melted bodies turned chocolate and graham crackers into a delicious s'more. 

At least they could die knowing that they served a purpose. 

 Did anyone else grow up listening to Psalty the singing song book? "Sitting round the campfire as it blazes.... sing His praises". Even though I can't remember all of the words I hum it every time we have a fire!

Eventually Daisy's watchfulness paid off. We were down to plain white marshmallows by then, but one got dropped and she pounced. I'm not sure she knew what to do with it once she got it! "Why do you people eat these weird things?"

Hope you are enjoying the weird weather this winter too!

Blessings, 

Who's this?

I was on the phone with my friend Amanda this afternoon. With the Thanksgiving travels, then trying to settle back into school (we both homeschool) we hadn't talked in almost two weeks.
 She called me up to ask a quick question about yeast, since I'm "the one who makes bread". (Someone please remind me of that more often - maybe I will actually get around to making it again soon!)
 Anyway, as we were chatting about bread, and rising possibilities, I heard a call for help. As I ran down the stairs to discover the source of the anguish...

 It was just that the dog had escaped.

 Yes, the dog.

 I think that Amanda nearly fell over laughing.

 I have a dog.

 Me.

 A big dog. A young, bouncy, slobbery, big dog.

 And I absolutely adore her.

 You see, I am not really a pet person. I like our frogs, because they are nicely contained. The crickets they require for their breakfast, lunch and dinner are not much fun. But they are (usually) contained also. Somehow bigger pets have always just seemed unnecessary. I had children to fill my quota of slobber and hyperactivity. I didn't mind changing their diapers when they were little, and am still prepared to clean mud and throw-up as needed. But animals are another story all together.

 Which is why Amanda nearly laughed her head off. Because she knows me well.

 But Daisy seems to fit right in. She is already crate trained, sleeping there, and staying there when we go shopping, etc.  She encourages us to get out of the house more. Even though it is cold she still needs her daily walk. She is working on Canaan's pitching arm, as he practices throwing tennis balls for her to fetch.  She sits quietly at our feet while we work on school, just content to be close. She is warm, so warm, and my cold blooded self appreciates her as an extra blanket cuddled up against me on the living room floor.

 We have only had her since late Sat. afternoon, but already she has become part of the family.

 Who knew?

 Certainly not me!

 My broom, mop and vacuum are going to get more exercise then they use to. Although I sweep up after every meal, I use to be a vacuum once a week type of girl... I don't think dog hair is going to agree with that. Sigh. But in all honesty, I don't think she actually sheds that much more then I do. And she has a far greater percentage of her body covered in hair. So, my super long curly hair and her tiny short and straight hair will compete for room in the vacuum bag. They can co-exist quite peacefully.

 And our Daisy? She will be teaching us something new every day. (for example, getting a good picture of a furry baby is just as hard as a good shot of a toddler)

Mommy, the flash is in my eyes!

Enjoy your family, in whatever shapes and sizes they come in!

Blessings,