Today

Science lessons lay scattered across the kitchen table.

Gilgamesh sat unopened on the bed.

Library books rested neatly on the desk.

And math problems remained unsolved on the chalkboard.

Cause when the sun shines brightly in October,

the outdoor thermometer tops out at 73 degrees (yet again!),

and rain rests squarely in tomorrow's forecast...

what's a gal to do??

Scrap the schoolwork (for the time being, at least :) and head outdoors!

It seemed to be a popular choice :)

Thirteen

Today, my baby is thirteen.

My baby. Thirteen. Today.

And I couldn't be more amazed... more joy-filled... more thank-full for him

and the extraordinary young man God is fashioning him to be.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your good, good gifts.

For thirteen bless-ed years.

For this precious, precious boy.

And for the privilege-- the honor-- of being his mom.

Happy, happy birthday, Bub!!

{I love you with all of my heart}

The end of an era

Tonight, just before tucking Big Man in to bed, he politely informed me that it's time to switch up his bedtime routine. Instead of praying AND singing together, we now only need to pray. The song is no longer needed..."because I'm big now."

"Ok, sure honey." Smile. Hug. Shiver.

Because my little boy is growing up, and that's not always an easy pill to swallow...

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens..."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Creamy White Chili

I love autumn-- the changing colors, the cooler temperatures, the falling leaves...

the crunch, crunch, crunch underfoot.

And I love soup. And stew. And all things hearty.

Like this delicious new find-- a wonderfully savory complement to fall!

Creamy White Chili (thanks to Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

*serves 6

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon oil

2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve immediately. It's especially good with tortilla chips.

OR... In to a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts, either fresh or frozen (do not worry about cubing them). Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, chilies, and all of the spices, but do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet! Also, reduce the chicken broth to 12 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour it over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture to incorporate the dry spices and cook on low for 5-7 hours (longer if chicken is frozen). Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred it to bite-size pieces; then return it to the crock. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream; then add mixture to crock and mix well. Let the chili cook until heated through. And serve... with chips!

And as one additional note or suggestion-- these chips, which I buy at Whole Foods, are the best we've tasted.

I can hardly keep them on the shelf!

1000 Gifts: In the woods

This past weekend, we journeyed to Mom's and Dad's house for an early fall get-away, an algebra session with Pops, some tree-house building with some special friends, an early birthday celebration for Grandmom, and a few fantastic romps through the woods.

And it was a gift. All of it... from top to bottom, inside and out.

A precious, precious gift.

Thank you, Lord...

(#1124 -- 1145)

long walks with Grandmom through the woods

on lazy fall afternoons

pockets full of acorns

deer tracks

baby mushrooms

and fallen trees

the colors of the forest floor

the fox's hidden den

tucked-away hide-aways

their joy in discovering His gifts

the neighbor's friendly dog and Noh-man's love of all things furry

showers of leaves

a search for hickories

a turtle in the garden...

and desperate waiting for him to emerge

baby pigs at the farm next door

and extra-stale popcorn to feed them

old tractors

with pumpkins on top

their love of the woods

and the time to spend therein

the beauty and splendor of creation

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...

and [He] saw that it was good."

Genesis 1

and the list goes on...

It's fall...

and the flowers are still blooming.

The bugs are still hopping,

the bees are still buzzing,

and the tomatoes are still growing.

Hopefully, I'll eek a few more off the vine before the weather snaps and all is done.

The windows are wide open and the cooler breezes are filtering through...

an absolute delight!

I love, love, love this time of year. Sometimes I wish fall would stay for 12 months on end.

But then I'd miss the snows of winter. And the new life of spring time.

And the heat of the sun in summer.

Yes, change is good.

Still, fall is my favorite.

And I'm so very glad it's here!

1000 Gifts: Seven

On Saturday, my smallest musketeer turned seven.

Seven.

How did THAT happen?

And... where DOES the time go???

Still, fly by it does, so today I add another page to my journal.

As I remember. And laugh. And smile. And rejoice.

Because my little boy turned seven.

And because God is so very, very good.

1107

This boy

1108

... and seven phenomenal years with him

1109

His spunk. His zest. His strength. His heart.

1110

My. Big. Man.

1111

His birthday party at home... just the way he wanted

1112

... with superheroes -- a Lego Ninjago cake, Transformers plates & napkins, and a Batman

pinata

1113

Celebration!

1114

And a number 7 candle on top.

1115

This time to rejoice

1116

With friends & family gathered round (more then a wee bit blurry, but gathered round nonetheless :)

1117

Legos. Legos. Legos. And countless other thoughtful gifts.

1118

And clearing after the rain for outdoor games

1119

Simplicity and fun

1120

And a big tree with a branch at just the right height

1121

For a little pinata fun

1122

... with special people

1123

And the privilege... the honor... the gift of parenthood.

How could I ask for more?

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them..."

Psalm 127: 3-5

and the list goes on...

Bittersweet

Today, we took down the crib and put it away... probably for the very last time. Lollipop was thrilled to finally have a new big girl bed, but for me, it was an emotional transaction. I slept in that bed many, many years ago, as did my younger brother... and all four of my kiddos have found sweet, sweet rest therein. Putting it away sorta feels like the end of an era.

As for what tomorrow will bring, I certainly don't know. Surely the Lord has prepared new adventures for our horizon. With exciting possibilities and thrilling dreams and special plans filled with wild imaginations.

But still my heart longs for these days to remain. For my littles to stay little. For their squeaky voices to stay squeaky. For their tiny shoes to stay tiny. For their tender hearts to stay here... at home...with me.

Still, I know that's not the Lord's design.

And His designs-- His ways-- are always best.

So in them I find peace. And rest. And hope.

And then I thank Almighty God for the wonderful gift of motherhood.

Three words

Boot Camp stinks.

Words like--

Suicide planks.

Jump rope for ANOTHER minute.

And... close grip push-ups-- one. more. set.

-- have absolutely no place in my vocabulary.

Of course, I intend to go back tomorrow... but until then, I think we'll just plan to school from the sofa :)

1000 Gifts: September sunshine

Another week of counting.

Another week of heaven-sent gifts.

Thank you, Lord!

1083

Aunt Francie's Labor Day pool party

1084

Chris's family

1085

an entire afternoon... to swim and jump and sit and eat

1085

the opportunity to catch up and plan ahead... plus the anticipation of what comes next

1086

synchronized cannonballs... sort of

1087

a moment to breathe

1088

all 14 cousins gathered for the annual family photo

1089

bigger every year

1090

this backyard pool

1091

a new school year

1092

new goals, new subjects, new possibilities... and a new washing machine!

1093

online classes with a Biblical worldview

1094

Tammy Duby

1095

and algebra with Pops!

1096

lessons learned when life.is.tough.

1097

perseverance and determined stick-to-it-iveness

1098

understanding

1099

four days of rain, and then... the sun!

1100

skateboards... built for two ??

1101

a pink sleeveless top, pink corduroy pants, and fancy (pink!) hand-me-down church shoes...

an outfit of her very own design

1102

buddies

1103

neighborhood walks

1104

our neighbor's ever-growing pumpkins

1105

the end of the season to savor

1106

September

"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalted be God my Savior!

Psalm 18:46

and the list goes on...

Around here

Or... more aptly titled-- What Next? Because the last few days have been... challenging. Interesting. Tricky. And... amusing. Here's why.

So school. Yes, school. It comes around every September, but for some reason or other, it completely caught me by surprise this go round. A crazily busy summer surely didn't help. Nor did my decision to read only for pleasure these past few months (note to self: a little school prep-work truly is necessary before the calendar flips to September. Now I know :). So currently I find myself volumes deep in the Great Books, Ancient Egypt, latin declensions, and algebra 1... all of which are more than my overly tired brain can handle on any given day. I think I'm in deep. Very, very deep.

Costco. I {LOVE} that place. Love, love, love, love, love. But really. Christmas decorations? On the shelves? Smack dab in the middle of the warehouse? Seriously??? And why?????

And that's all I have to say about that.

The family room carpet. Beautifully clean (thank you, Stanley Steamer). For one night. Because sometime while we slept, the dog got sick. In three different spots. Ugh.

The laundry room. Probably my least favorite room in my house. Now... surely my least favorite. Why? Because five days ago my washing machine died. In mid-cycle. Right before the first rinse. Soaking wet sheets and towels had to be wrung dry (Chris handled that one splendidly :), the water had to be emptied from the basin (again... Chris), and those sopping wet linens-- I had to dry them in the dryer so that I can re-wash them tomorrow when my new machine arrives. Hallelujah! Still, anyone care to wager a guess at how many pounds of laundry a family of six can generate in the span of 6 days (in addition to the bits & pieces that came home dirty from the beach)? I'll tell you this much... it's a lot.

And finally, I now have this beauty-- tall, proud and black-- dominating a

portion of the boys' bedroom.

Uncle Donnie offered it to them a couple weeks ago; I was told they were inheriting a punching bag. You know, something easily stashed in the corner or even under the bed if necessary. Evidently, we experienced a minor miscommunication. I'm thinking you won't find anything even remotely similar in the Pottery Barn catalog.

Big Man later created this sign and attached it to the top of the "Big Black Beast"

...so that I might find its presence a little more appealing :)

How can I argue with that??!

And that's about it. For now.

Tomorrow may find me back on Everything-is-fine-and-dandy Street. Or it may not.

Either way, I'm reminded that I have a choice:

Whether I soar through the day with the wind at my back OR struggle just to keep my head above water as the hard times roll, I can grumble. Or I can praise. I can complain. Or I can give thanks.

I must choose... because I simply cannot do both.

I must choose.

And remember...

that even when things don't seem to work out quite right,

ALL IS GRACE.

All.

Every little tidbit. Every single breath.

ALL.

Thank you, Father.