Owl Creek Cottage

Weekend Happies

This weekend I got to take Addie on three little dates!  Sure, they were technically all spent running errands, but she loves to go with me, and the boys love staying home with Daddy.  On Friday, Chris' day off, Addie and I ran about a million errands that are hard to do with three kids--the cleaners, the post office, etc.  It's so much easier just helping one child out and into the car!  When we finished, I took her to one of our favorite spots--Starbucks!  I very slowly sipped a chai tea latte while she slurped down her chocolate milk, and then she played with the free Starbucks app from last week, "The Monster at the End of This Book" while I wrote in my notebook and tried to get my life together.  It was a sweet, sweet time!  Everybody else in Starbucks was on business, so it was funny to hear her little giggles at Grover's antics.  

Notice my overflowing purse--I cleaned it out compliments of Starbucks' trash can.

This is what I came home to:

We had sheetrockers fix some seams and a hole in our kitchen ceiling that I've been looking at for nearly two years.  It made a mess in multiple rooms  (the photo of our bedroom is only one of three walls worked on!), but it is sooo nice not to see cracks or holes anymore.  And yay! for checking things off the home improvement list . . .

Then on Saturday, I took my little love to a nearby farmer's market to pick up our meat order.  We somehow again found ourselves sipping treats from Starbucks--it was on the way--and wandered up and down the row of beautiful vegetables.  I wanted to take a picture of the farmer we bought these tomatoes from; he was Texas through and through!  He had on a button down, Wranglers, and a cowboy hat, and his accent was heavenly to this Southern girl's ears!  But I took one of Addie instead, so I wouldn't creep him out as a stalker :)

Oh my goodness I love that girl!  Then yesterday, after church, I started to head out to run errands for Grayson's birthday party this coming weekend.  But she spied me, knew I was headed to Target, and hopped in the car!  She loves Target.  We fought the Halloween crowds at Party City, then finished up at Target, and I came home one tired, but very accomplished, mama.  

Saturday morning, after our Farmer's Market trip, I came home to this:

I am so very thankful that my husband loves playing board games, because I love the idea of it, but games like Monopoly and Risk take forever!!  Chris is always up for a game with Caiden, and they're both fiercely competetive, so it's always funny to watch one of them triumph!  We try very hard to instill good sportsmanship in Caiden, so he always says "Good game" and shakes hands afterward, but I know deep down in his heart he's doing a happy dance when he wins.  When he loses, he immediately tries to talk Chris into a second game!

Last night Chris went to the movies with friends, so I worked on getting my week together in my head.  We have a wedding this weekend, which Chris is officiating and Grayson is participating in, and that always makes for craziness because we spend our entire weekend at church.  To top it off, my sister is flying in (yay!) Grayson is having friends over for a sleepover birthday party, and my brother's baby boy is being dedicated at their church.  Lots of coordinating needed!

So this was a happy weekend, full of fun little happies, and this week is shaping up to be full and fun, too!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Yesterday we had a fall break from our homeschool co-op.  I hadn't really thought of anything fun or special to do, and we were just going about our normal morning routine.  Suddenly, with absolutely no cause, I burst into tears.  The kids all froze and stared at me, knowing it's not normal for me to cry unless I'm reading a book to them!  Grayson asked why I was sad, and when I couldn't come up with a coherent reason, he clung to me, reassuring me that I was probably just pregnant, and that I'd be all right.  I had to break the news to him that no, I'm not pregnant, and that I really didn't know what was wrong.  So I did what any normal, crying-for-no-reason mama does--I put everybody in the car and went to get Frosties from Wendy's!

We drove to a local park we'd never been to before, and after we had a picnic lunch the kids played while I picked my brain.  I arrived at the fact that I am having a very, very hard time with my kids growing up.  Addie's 5th birthday was hard, Caiden's 10th was nearly tragic, and then Grayson's 7th last week just pushed me over the line.  I watch every day fly off the calendar and just want to stop time and freeze everybody where they are!  It's a family joke that I always say they can have a birthday party each year, but nobody's allowed to actually age.  I can honestly say that if I could start over and go back to when Caiden was a newborn, I'd do it in an instant.  I loved the baby years, the toddler stage, and preschoolers!  And yes, I am loving the ages they each are now, but I am having a seriously difficult time with them growing up any more.  My mom told me yesterday afternoon when I called her that she's pretty sure I'm going to need counseling when my kids leave the nest--and I could only agree!  I love, love, love having children at home.

After the kids played, we walked around the pond and examined a dead turtle, lots of ducks, and minnows.  Then, when my sweet friend Erin called, I sort of stopped paying attention so we could talk.  (Erin has 5 boys 8 and under and is pregnant with another baby, so if she has time to call, I definitely answer the phone!)  I noticed that Caiden "accidentally" fell into the pond, and then Gray and Addie followed suit.  They were all three drenched to their necks with slimy, muddy pond water--and they were soooo happy!  After I hung up and fished them out, they all stretched out on the sidewalk to dry out, and then we drove home--all three kids stripped down to their underwear.

While I can't say it solved my melancholy about them growing up, the fresh air certainly did help, and the kids had a blast--especially while in the pond.  (I did notice on our walk back a sign saying not to wade or swim in the pond!  Oops!)

These are the days and moments I'm  desperately trying to savor, cherishing each normal moment, not just the milestones.  I know I can't keep them from growing up, and that it would be unhealthy and not God's plan for them if I did.  I am trying every day to remember that their days with me are a gift, and that I can trust the Giver with them.  He is so very good, and He will walk with me each step of the coming years.  And if He'd like to slow them down a little, that would be okay with me.

Caiden Writes

Enjoying Guineas

An Article on Guineas

My name is Caiden, and I own chickens and guineas.  

Guineas, when still keets, look just like chicks.  After a while they get an ugly thing on their heads, and their tails point straight down.

If you love your guineas as babies, they will love you.  You can put food in front of you, then wait for them to come over.  When they do, you can pet them and they will not run away.  

 Guineas are good for many things:  they rid your garden of pests and don’t destroy your plants; they are like alarm birds and can be used as roosters; they are not aggressive at all; they eat snakes, grasshoppers, and ticks.  You have to protect them from snakes in the beginning, because rat snakes will constrict and eat them.  So you have to sink wire around the edges of their enclosure and leave a little door so they can get out, and put chicken wire so they can see and get used to the other chickens.

You’ll need a heat lamp for them in the beginning.  

Keep them in the coop for the first two months, so they’ll grow attached and not wander away.  When you let them outside, you have to watch them and always love on them so they will always love on you and return to their coop.  

I love keeping guineas.

 

Moving Ahead

It was with delight I wrote down today's date in my journal:  August 31st is one of my favorite days because it's the last day of August.  Here in Texas August is never fun, but this year we've set record temps nearly every single day.  It won't actually be any cooler tomorrow on September 1, but there's hope that fall is coming, and that's enough for me.  

It was also Caiden's birthday yesterday, and I've been dreading it the entire month.  He turned 10, and it's a milestone for us, being our oldest child.  I'm not really looking forward to my kids growing up!  I love them the way they are, and although logically I realize I might feel differently another decade from now, right now I can't fathom it.  

He wasn't sad at all, and we celebrated with great fanfare:  morning birthday party with smoothies, muffins, and all his gifts.  In late afternoon my husband picked us up and took us out for a Fancy Fondue Dinner.  The kids were in heaven--cheese, meat, and chocolate in an abundance!  We went around the table to talk about Caiden's gifts, strengths, and just what we plain love about him.  It was a long, fun dinner, and we came home to set up the tent we got him.  All three slept in it and, unlike true camping, actually slept in past normal!

(At dinner)

While my husband set up the tent, one of our dogs chased a skunk and got sprayed, so we sent him outside to stay until the smell fades, and then I realized water had leaked inside the boys' bedroom into their window seat.  I stayed up til nearly midnight washing wet dress-up clothes and sleeping bags, bleaching the window seat, and pulling up carpet.  I went to bed so tired that I didn't even have time to be sad that my firstborn had turned 10!

So today we're moving on.  He's fully 10, and happy to be so, and I can't really be sad that he's growing up since he's such a terrific young man!  Well, a little sad.

Back to School

After a long and carefree summer, we are back to school.  I borrowed the idea of a treasure hunt from my friend Erin and hid clues throughout the house and yard, eventually leading up to the Happy Room, where a table full of fun supplies and books were displayed.

After the kids found their loot, I had an "appointment" with each one to go over their books, checklists, and notebooks, including any special perks like stickers for Addie, a reading road with a big reward for Grayson, and the new books Caiden has been salivating ever since I ordered them months ago.  The entire time took about 2 hours, including lunch, and now I think we're ready to officially start lessons Monday.

As always, a first day of school photo on the old fallen tree in the back pasture.

I'm trying not to compare this year's picture from the first one in our house, three years ago.  They are growing up, so I am just enjoying each day as it comes, knowing once it's gone, I can't have it back.

The Grandmas' Quilt

If I were to write one of those "This summer I . . ." reports like I had to write in third grade, I'd definitely include this:

My mother gave me a hand-pieced quilt top last summer.  It was made by my great-grandmother and great-great grandmother nearly 100 years ago!  It is pieced out of their dresses, and when I saw it hanging on a quilt rack in my mom's house and went starry-eyed, she gave it to me, but  I had to solemly promise to quilt it within two years.  

Earlier this year I pulled it out and really looked at it.  The top had never been washed or exposed to light before I got it (I didn't wash it, but I did fold it and put it on a bench by my front door.).  My mom said it had been stored in a dark basement on a shelf for about 70 years when she got it, over 20 years ago.  She had stored it somewhere dark in their house, and I'd never even seen it before.  It is in absolutely perfect condition, not a single pulled thread or worn fabric!  My husband loves it; he works with graphic designers and says he'd love to photograph it to study the design with them.  I love it too--I don't know anything about graphic design but do know a great quilt when I see one!  And my children love it because although they never met my grandma, they've heard so many stories and love knowing it was made by her grandma!

It is too big for me to machine quilt, so I pulled out needle and thread and worked on it most nights.  I'm not a perfectionist at all, so I actually finished it in early July.  My stitches definitely got better as time passed.  I took it to my parents' house on the 4th of July to sew on the binding and then put it in the washer.  That's when my parents told me the entire history, that it had never been washed, and I nearly had heart palpitations when it was in the dryer!  But it came out just fine, and of course I immediately took it home and took a nap under it!

Now it's back on the deacons' bench in my entry, and I can't wait for it to be cold enough to sleep under it every night!  I am so thankful for a long legacy of women in my family who loved to sew and knit and crochet and create.  My children and husband are reaping the benefits, and although I'll never have the time to do everything (or even a fraction) of the projects in my head, it is extremely satisfying to look at an entirely hand-sewn quilt and know that it has been handed down through the generations and is still loved today.  And that I had a part in making it!  

And since I loved quilting it so much, I went back to my mom's and borrowed another quilt top to quilt--this one belongs to her, and I can't wait to finish it and take it back to her!  Eventually :)

Summer's End

Today I finally imported the photos from our vacation.  We start back to school on Monday, and I'm trying to get everything done before my hours are not my own again.  (Actually, they're almost never my own, but homeschooling definitely claims more of them than summer break does!)

We had a lovely, if extremely hot, summer:  Vacation, lots of fun excursions and swimming with friends, first time to summer camp for Caiden (Oh, I missed him so much!), and eating tons of ice cream, but it feels nice to be getting back to a more regular life and routine days.  This week I'm doing little projects I never seem to get around to, like painting the stairwell to cover all the handprints, and filing last year's schoolwork.  Not very fun, but I won't have time after this week, and I'd love to scratch off "Paint the stairwell" from my painting to-do list that's been hanging up on the board since last year! I'm pretending that the baseboards in my bedroom have only had one coat of paint on them since last summer . . .

Addie starts kindergarten this year, which is shocking in my mind--wasn't she just born yesterday? I made her a sweet dress out of apple fabric for her first day, and she begs me daily to "just start school today?" I know her first day will be a success, just between her new dress and pink Hello Kitty notebook!

Here are a few pics to end our summer holiday:

Caiden climbing a mountain of snow in Colorado!

Best friend brothers doing life together

My cautious middle child

The darling of our family

I'm hoping to do a better job this fall of writing and documenting my sweet family.  Caiden turns ten in two weeks, and with Addie also beginning school, I am daily reminded how quickly they grow up.  I don't want to forget any of it!

Happy end of summer to you, too :)

The Real Us

A recent picture, minus my husband, taken after a conference at our church.  The girl who offered to take the photo tried to get a shot without bunny ears or weird smiles, but I told her, "This is what we look like and who we are.  There will be years of perfect family photos, but I want to remember us as we are right now."

So here we are, bunny ears and all.

Really, knowing these kids, twenty years from now we'll still have bunny ears and crazy smiles.  And I wouldn't have it any other way!

A Breath of Fresh Air

We have guests coming in tonight for the rest of the week/weekend, so the kids are helping me prepare the guest rooms.  

After a flurry of activity, hauling sheets and towels to the washer, running the vacuum, emptying the trash cans, I head upstairs to finish my quiet time.

Addie bursts into the room, "Smell my bref!"

This always makes me cringe.  Usually she says, "Smell my hands!" after petting the dog, and that's not my favorite smell.

But I inhale, and she is sweet, spicy, not bad at all.

"What is that?"  I feel slightly nervous when I can't identify things she has eaten.  She did eat a grasshopper leg last spring, after all.

"Rosemary!  It's eat-able!"  and she skips away, very pleased with her culinary discoveries.

The scar from her heart surgery is faint but always there.  A constant reminder of God's grace.

Her birthday is Mother's Day, and she will be five.  Five is always a hard age for me; it's the beginning of them growing up.  We have enjoyed her first four years so much, that I tell myself it's okay she's turning five, because she'll be even better.  She is nothing if not a breath of fresh air, quirky and funny and full of life.  

Today, as I run errands and prepare for guests and do mountains of laundry, busy and quick on the outside, I'm slowly pondering in the quiet places of my mind what a wonder she is, and how favored we are that God has placed her in our family.  

Lately

These first couple weeks of the year have been so nice, and so calm! I love putting away the Christmas decorations and enjoying a simpler, less cluttered space. It seems to cast a tone of simplicity over the month of January after all the scurrying and warmth of December.

We've been enjoying Christmas presents,

(See those hands on hips?  She doesn't like to share her crown!  Baby of the family and only girl!)

forcing the cat to participate in photo shoots,

spending lots of time together up in our Happy Room, learning together,

and doing lots and lots of healthy cooking (and eating!).

We are participating with our church in our annual Daniel Fast, and I have found so many delicious recipes this time around:  snickerdoodle smoothies, amazing vegan taco soup, and more.  I have really looked forward to this fast and am already committing to sticking more closely to it when the fast is over--we feel too good not to!  

Today my mom is driving in to spend a couple days with us.  I love having her so close now, after 16 years of living several states apart!  We have very little on the agenda, other than lunch at Whole Foods today, knitting by the fire, and lots of cooking and talking.  That's why I love January so much--none of the regular activities have started up yet, and my homebody instincts are in full-force as I try to get the house and our routines back in order after the holidays.  I even spent a few hours in my garden last week (Before the freezing temps hit Texas) and got it winterized.  

So that's what we've been up to lately--a little of this, a little of that, and thankful to God for all His blessings, especially the little ones.

The Cat Who Came for Christmas

Years ago, when my brother was nine, my parents gave him a cat for Christmas.  I was in on the surprise, and it was so fun to see his face when he realized there was a cat under the tree!

Earlier this year we put our aging cat to sleep, and the kids were crushed.  Caiden's #1 item on his list was a kitten, even after we told him we Were Not Getting a Cat.  He said he'd leave it up to Jesus and Santa to decide.  We explained that Santa doesn't give unapproved presents, but that if Jesus left him a cat on his doorstep for Christmas, we wouldn't turn it away.  Because where we live, a cat does not show up on the doorstep for Christmas; it would get eaten long before it made it to the front door.  

He must've prayed hard, and Jesus must've changed somebody's heart, because just before Christmas, a little 4 pound present showed up on the doorstep inside a gift bag.  

 We had a full house, so Obadiah received quite a welcome.  

And yes, he's a Persian, so yes, there will be lots of grooming involved.  And yes, I was quite happy not having a litter box in the house or cat hair on my bed.  But in the long run, Caiden's total joy trumped all those practicalities, and Obie, our Cat Who Came for Christmas, was the best gift given this year.

And like my mother aptly stated, with a home full of children, dogs, and chickens, what's one little cat?  Our sentiments exactly.

A Pampered Birthday

Our faithful dog, Scout, had another birthday.  Addie, his biggest fan, pampered him by brushing his hair (with her own hairbrush, no less) and then taking a nap with him.  
He might look unimpressed here, but don't believe him:  last night I found him stretched out under her quilts and pillows again, sound asleep.  He knows a good thing when he sees it.  Silly dog.

Happy Thanksgiving

From our family to yours,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Big Doings

We have big doings going on at the Cottage this weekend.  A birthday celebration for Grayson, a big event at church, multiple soccer games, houseguests, and then Addie and I are leaving to visit my sister for the week.  There is much to do to get ready!

Today, in between helping out at church and celebrating Grayson (which involves playing Legos as much as possible), I'm cleaning house, doing laundry, figuring out meals for my parents, who will be staying with the boys, and organizing errands in my head.  As long as I don't look too far into the future (tomorrow), I can keep my head above water and not panic.  It's all worth it, though:  Addie is elated to be flying on a plane with just me, and I'm elated to be spending a week with my sister.  Our 4 year olds will be happy company, and we plan on squeezing in as much sister time as we can.

I'll be back next Friday with pictures, a giveaway (my first!), and new items in the shop.  See you then!

Caiden Gets a New Chicken

Last night my husband came home with a new chicken for Caiden.  This one won't give us eggs, but she won't be eaten by raccoons, either, so that evens the score.

And speaking of scores, she also helps with math.  Even while still wearing her tags.

I may or may not have worn her myself during dinner last night, much to the my husband's amusement. 

That she doubles as a hand puppet is, clearly, a bonus!

Addie Wears Boots

Addie already had a healthy dose of love for shoes, but when she spotted these "cowboy girl boots" she fell, hard.  We were powerless to resist.

Not only do they look splendid with *everything* in her closet, evidently pink, slouchy cowgirl boots also bring out her more serious side.  Who knew?

 Or, more likely, she's thinking she needs a pair in red, too.
 

Consoling Cocoa

Sometimes there are moments when you realize that only something very out of the ordinary will do to comfort and console a very sad little boy.  Moments like when your dog greets him at the front door with the remains of his favorite chick hanging limply from its mouth.  Those moments.

After you quickly remove the remains (and thoroughly scrub your hands), you will gather your tear-stained children onto your couch, give them all their special blankets, and then make them peppermint hot cocoa, despite the fact that it's mid-summer and hot.  You will read the story, "Thunder Cake" to them by candlelight, as a real thunderstorm booms outside, and you will hope that having hot cocoa in July will be special and out-of-the-ordinary enough to remove the grisly scene from their little hearts.

Then you will pray for dead chickens, talk about why labs chase birds, and remind them that God does, indeed, see every sparrow--and chicken--that falls.  You will tuck them in and once again remind yourself that loving free-range chickens is, indeed, a difficult thing.

In case you are in need of some Consoling Cocoa, here's our recipe:

1 package hot chocolate mix (Feel free to make your own, real deal instead)

6 oz. hot water

a couple tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Torani peppermint syrup

Make the hot chocolate as directed, then splash in some whipping cream and peppermint syrup.  Best served to tearful children in need of cheering up on a hot summer's night.  Or, of course, in mid-winter by a roaring fire, although that's not nearly as unexpected.  Either way, it's always good.

Addie Serves Tea

We girls found ourselves unexpectedly home alone for the entire day yesterday.  My husband graciously agreed to take the boys on a full day of errands, so it was just me and Addie home together.

We savored in the instantly-feminine atmosphere of the house, complete with cello music, lit candles, and no boys.  I sewed her two circle skirts, cut out a set of kimono-style pajamas, and then we rearranged her bedroom and played with her babies.

We finished by having tea for two, complete with shortbread with chocolate on top, strawberries, and iced tea, because it's too hot to drink anything else.

Addie served tea, perfectly dainty and careful.  

 

It was so lovely we are dreaming up more errands for the boys, soon. 

At the Lake

We went to the lake to see my parents and brother and his family this weekend, making the drive with provisions to tide us over

and some embroidery to tide me over. 

 We spent the days playing rousing games of badminton with various family members who were all of the same limited ability, thankfully,

ate lots and lots of food, including a chocolate cake worth giving up all else for.

That is not chocolate cake. No pictures because it's all gone!

We spent inordinate amounts of time underneath the mister, 

and had an evening fishing session off the dock that was successful for most involved.  I caught my second fish ever, mostly by accident. 
The kids played in the water--only near the water for my cautious Gray. 

  We swam in the pool, drank loads of iced tea, sat beneath the crape myrtle blossoms on the swing, played speed-games of checkers,

Enjoyed each other's company,
and wore ourselves out.
   

Perfect.

 

Sleepy

Under the kitchen table is his new favorite place for a little pick-me-up nap, usually in the morning during schoolwork.  

 I consider it extra incentive to keep the rug vacuumed! 

Swinging

Life is better on a swing, especially if you have a matching brother. 

Addie Turns Four

It was a mellow birthday for our girl:

Playing outside, cutting roses for the window vases, enjoying homemade macaroni and cheese and pizza with her family.

And learning to ride her new bike, with a little help from Brother.

 

Turning four is good!