Thinking It Through

The day we left to take Job to college, he spent some time alone at the top of the treehouse (well...treehouse in progress). I couldn't tell if he was praying or just thinking, but I could feel the poignancy of the moment. He seemed to be saying goodbye...

To what exactly?

...childhood?

...our home?

...us?

I imagine only he really knows...and that's fine by me.

Much Love. Take Care.

 

A Little Light Humor

I tried (and thought I might have accomplished) posting this late last night via text message from my cell phone. Guess it didn't work out (gotta figure out why), so here I go now, a day late and an electricity supply short, gratefully juiced up on public library wi-fi  ;-) ................

What in the world are these?

And these...

...and these...

They are small children in a house without electricity (still!) playing with glowsticks...just before their mother sends them off to bed.

Our electricity is still out...and the word on the street is to plan for 72 hours. City schools have even been closed for tomorrow because so many people are without electricity due to Hurricane Irene. The kids are happy, but it seems a bit strange to have the first day of a new school year postponed. We'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow holds.

In the meantime...

...it's nice to have angels in golden halos in the house tonight.  ;-)

Take Care. Much Love.

Ballerina Princess Corner

Every ballerina princess needs a little corner to hang her tutus and toppings.

This is Gommy's.

It always makes me smile.

Much Love. Take Care.

 

Early Morning Collaboration

I awoke to a beautiful sight early one morning last week. The boys were all up and already outside, working on the treehouse together.

Job had a work-related activity to attend that evening and wasn't going to be able to work on the project after he got home from his camp counsellors job, so they had gotten up early, like 6:00 a.m.(!!) to try and finish the look-out platform's base.

It warmed my heart to see them cooperating and valuing each other's input...and even hearing the youngers so cheerfully following Job's instructions. Everyone had a job to do and was eager to do it. Brotherly love abounded.

In the lulls where there was nothing readily available for an 8-yr-old to do, Johngideon would take a swing break.

Then he'd be right back in business when there was a job for him.

Just awesome.

Take Care. Much Love.

 

 



Beautiful, Beautiful Hydrangeas

These are the flowers gracing my dining table this week. Beautiful late season hydrangeas that are more sagey green than blue. Aren't they glorious!

I used to enjoy the luxury of extravagant hydrangea blossoms overflowing in vases throughout our old home, without even realizing how much of a special treat it was. We had two huge old hydrangea bushes at that house, and they treated us to such a wealth of blossoms!

These hydrangea are cut from the bushes of a neighbor kind enough to let me fill vases as often as I please. So, this season I've enjoyed them in their glorious periwinkle blue-est several times, and now am so delighted to enjoy their sagier late season hues. I'm blessed to have them not just gracing dining tables and nightables inside our home, but also beautifying tables outside on our front porch as well. I'll try to get around to posting those photos also.

Hydrangeas just make me smile...in the summer, that is. In the winter, the poor bushes are so bare and scraggly and bereft I can hardly stand to glance at them. Then again, the huge (and I do mean HUGE) brown spider that crawled from the porch table hydrangea arrangement just after I'd finished handling it nearly made me rethink their benefit to my summer life...

...but then nature's beauty won out. Who can resist the beauty of hydrangea blossoms?

Thanks, Arnice, for the kind, generous sharing of your hydrangea bushes. I am truly grateful.

Next year Craig has promised me bushes of my own...I can't wait.

Take Care. Much Love.

 

Working on The Tree House

My children have wanted a tree house since several years before we moved from our old house...and we moved three years ago. We knew immediately which tree it would have been at our old house, and then again knew exactly which tree here at the new...well, three years ago "new." So, with Job heading off to college soon, and with him loving to design and build, I thought it would be wonderful if he built the treehouse for his siblings before he left...as kind of a daily legacy of love to them. Fortunately, he thought so too. So, after a few delayed starts (life, work, you know), he got off to the building, and just this past weekend secured the supports for the swing beam, which will swing no fewer than 4 children! Which is awesome, as there are usually at least four children outside wanting to swing at the same time, between our two youngest and our neighbor friends, and our current swingset only accommodates two.

When the initial framework was finally secured, Job climbed up and gingerly inched along the brace, wanting to make sure it was as sturdy as he thought it was before he got too comfortable up there.

No worries...its rock solid...even by my over-the-top cautious mother standards. Craig is helping Job as he goes with extra hands and advice, as is our highly talented neighbor Todd, who is a builder by trade but an artist by birth. I think for Job the planning and research has been the most cumbersome, especially because his mother keeps saying to him things like, "I just need to know it's going to be safe" and "If you're going to err, err on the side of caution" and "Be careful with that saw...are you sure its turned the right way?" and "The question to ask yourself is will it hold up ten years from now?" and "Trust me, it can never be too strong; I see what the plans call for, but why don't you use the thicker wood instead." Needless to say, I think Job much prefers Craig and Todd's advice. To his credit, despite my running peanut gallery commentary, he seems more determined than ever to finish, and hasn't walked out on the job yet.

These pictures are from just the successful swing beam support structure attaching. Turns out the swing beam itself is a special order piece of lumber, so that will be several days coming. Today, he added on by affixing the first support for the cantilevered platform, which will be a 4'x5' lookout deck on the south side of the tree, and also the highest point of the whole thing, which hopefully will end up with several levels, an enclosed "house" section and a few other goodies. I was on the front porch and heard a shout from him and looked in the backyard to find him jubilantly swinging from the cantilevered beam (not yet pictured here). He was thrilled to have successfully designed and attached it so quickly.

Not that Job will be able get the whole kit and caboodle built before he ships off to school, but I think he'll have some good, solid, playable railed platforms completed, which will truly delight his youngest siblings throughout the fall.

(By the way, its the camera that was tilted here...not the tree and braces!)

Here's to a project well-begun!

Take Care. Much Love.

 

Flower Joy

These are the flowers gracing my gathering room table this week. They make me smile...again and again...actually, every time I walk in the room. Hope they do the same for you.

Last week it was daffodils...glorious...my favorite!

Take Care. Much Love.


[here's one more photo for the road..............contented sigh...............contented sigh again...]

Gommy's World

Much Love. Take Care.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Craig pulled out the Christmas tree lights soon after Thanksgiving and Johngideon and Montgomery had a ball "helping" him with them. They were so excited! They were even kind enough to unwind all of the lights from their neat spools and mix them together so they could dance the "tangle"! Of  course they also spent a little time testing the strength of the light strings, and also seeing if the lights could possibly have alternative careers as jump ropes!

I got some great action shots...

...and Craig got a longer opportunity to spend on lights management. He's not sure he'll require their "help" next year!  :o)

Gommy "the Blur" looks like a smurf in these photos because after she'd changed into her jammies, I thought Craig might "want" her help outside while he was stringing lights on the porch. She modified her attire for the weather and just kept it all on when she came back inside.

 I think she looks adorable!

I love the way Craig loves the holiday season. I'm not a grinch, but he definitely is the one in our family who leads the charge in decorating and making sure we all start feeling festive.

He creates holiday scenes all throughout the house and hangs lights and garland greenery indoors as well as out.

After an incredibly busy weekend (more on that later...whew!!), and missing three or four planned opportunities to purchase our family Christmas tree at places we intended (like Job's school Senior Class Christmas Tree Sale (oops!) -- missing car keys issues prevented that one) or places we have enjoyed purchasing from in the past (this time of year we are scheduling family life around performances -- I think Maia alone must do about 10 or more per week!), we finally had everyone together in one vehicle and skated into a nearby urban tree lot at 9:50 p.m. on a Wednesday night (just before they closed at 10:00 p.m.!)...responsible school-night parenting at its best!

It was Job's year to choose the tree and we think he picked a great one -- thankfully very quickly because it was literally FREEZING...

...off which we swiftly cut a treetrunk slice...mmm...smells so good! (each year we write the date on these slices and save them for ornaments)... 

 ...threw on top on the van...

 ...and zipped the two minutes back to the house :o)...

...where Job was kind enough to pose next to his pick...hope he enjoys it 'cause he'll be out of college next time its his turn! Ahhh, the joys of a big family :-)

The lights went on the next day. Hopefully we'll get around to ornaments soon...?

Take Care. Much love.