No Child Left Inside

We had a bit of fun yesterday on Facebook, of all places.  For those of you who missed it, and for the sake of posterity and remembrance, I'm going to share it here.   ~Sara~

ps. a big thank you to more than a dozen friends who chimed in on the original conversation, adding much delight to my afternoon. 

Status Post:

Younger kids aged 8,6,5,3 and 2 outside enthusiastically and cheerfully building a village with outlined foundations of leaves, artifacts gathered from here and there, and much imagination. In light of the six months of winter just ahead and the coffee on the table in my peaceful dining room... having trouble mustering up the will power to call them inside to "do school." 

Comments:

Ms. Shull, 

I see that your students are not in their classroom today. 

Could you please explain... ;-) 

Sincerely, 

Mr. Shull

Principal Shull, 

You'll please notice that I have followed the guidelines set forth by your own policy established in 1998, entiltled "No Child Left Inside" - item 503.1 (Not Squandering Autumn in Minnesota). :) 

Sincerely,

Ms. Shull


Ms. Shull, 

I am well aware of item 503.1 and grateful for your close adherence to this most important value in our schooling system. My significant concern was that you had failed to follow through with subpoint 503.1.34 ensuring that, and I quote, "students will be appropriately dressed in pajamas and barefoot during outdoor activities when said activities occur before the school day has commenced." Can you please explain?

Sincerely,

Mr. Shull


Oh, dear. Mr. Shull, 

I do see that I failed in that respect. I had insisted on outdoor clothing prior to letting them go outdoors - thus the confusion regarding whether I was in fact complying with and appealing to 503.1 or intending to "do school". The majority however, were indeed barefoot, and a good time was had by all which I believe was the original spirit, if not the letter, of the law. I promise to review all the subpoints of 503.1 so as to ensure that all the children have the most benefit of the No Child Left Inside policy as established in 1998. 

Sincerely, 

Ms. Shull.


Ms. Shull, 

It was a relief to hear your response and to know that you are indeed complying with, as you say, the spirit of our "No Child Left Inside" initiative. Thank you for kindly seeing to full compliance in the future. And what pleases me perhaps most in this matter is to know that you will still be eligible to be nominated by your students for the Teacher of the Year award. 

Sincerely, 

Principal Shull

It's all humor and poetry.

Sometimes people get the impression that life at our house must be all humor and poetry.  I'm here with proof that this is, indeed, true.

This summer has been a big one for big storms. 

We've had storms that did damage with 70 mph straight line winds. Some of it quite severe. In our little area of Minnesota, thousands of trees went down in not one, but two separate storms. Huge, old towering trees pulled up from the roots.  Oaks snapped off ten feet above the ground.  Four of Mr. Friend's tree line pines, planted in 1950, fell thunderously to the ground just missing his house. We ourselves lost a few trees-including a much beloved old orchard apple tree.  It fell and smashed a younger tree we were hoping would take its place. 

The orchard apple tree, old already in 2005

We've seen crazy winds toss the big outdoor playhouse about 40 feet to a new location, random objects fly through the air, and heard that loud hail pounding the house. We've lost power on hot humid nights and a couple of times, we've had to make our way down to the old cellar for tornado warnings.  

Did I mention the time we ran from a tornado in our van? That was last year, but still fresh in our minds.  It was like a scene from a movie, with a tree limb falling across the road right in front of our path as Dad slammed on the brakes to avoid a major collision, just as it came into focus, huge in the illumination of the headlights.  The screaming in the van was soundtrack perfect. We sheltered that one out actually in the vehicle, parked close up to an L corner behind a big building. 

Anyway, perhaps it's not surprising that some of the kids have gotten a bit skittish about the weather and (mildly) obsessed with watching the radar for potential danger.  We suspect this may actually lead our nearly 12-year-old Nat to become a TV weather man. He's got the smile, the personality, and now he's talking weather all the time. In any case, he has not yet made peace with his weather interest, though he has learned a ton about weather patterns and is frequently looking up weather news on the internet this summer.

Today, he was a bit freaked out by the big storm system headed our way on the radar.  It was one of those long lines of stormfront with a big area of red in the middle, surrounded by a lot of yellow, and a fringe of green.  Of course, our house is a pin on that computerized radar map, and that monster was headed right towards us. Pretty much a bulls-eye.  The fact that the accompanying text info included no warnings for severe weather, and the forecast called only for several hours of very heavy rain, did little to reassure him.  That thing did look serious. "What if their interpretation of the data is just wrong?" he asked with a nervous half-laugh.

What, indeed? 

Teasing him, I said, “Nat, you shouldn’t be scared. It’s beautiful! It’s powerful! You should write poetry about it! That’s what I do… (wink)”  

Nat’s quick deadpan response, “OK, how about a Haiku…" and as he counted off the syllables on his fingers, out came the following gem on his first try. 

The storm is coming

And it is really scary

I’m going to die

At this point everyone, including him, burst into laughter.  His sisters begged him to let me share this and he readily agreed.  After all, the storm came and it was nothing but a lot of rain. He is most likely going to survive until morning.  But if not? At least he has left this poem as a legacy.

See what I mean? It's all humor and poetry.

                                            ~Sara~

These are the good old days. (Part 1)

At the beginning of May this year, we were looking forward to the Summer, just amazed at how wide open the days looked.  We had two greatly anticipated trips on the calendar.  Otherwise, it looked like a long lazy Summer was in store for our family.  We dreamed of family bike rides, coffee on the deck, reading outside on the big swing, painting sheds, and building a chicken coop, or perhaps a tree house, with all that extra time.

Turns out, the days the LORD had planned for us were not exactly what we had in mind.

Just after returning home from our first whirlwind trip (a wonderful family wedding weekend) we discovered our basement contained a lake.  Yes, with all the rain this year, our basement was now sitting IN the water table.  Eighteen inches of water surprised me when I went down to get something out of storage.  All of our plastic bins containing off season and hand me down clothes had floated and turned over and leaked (requiring drying outside on the old fashioned laundry lines while waiting for a wash and dry inside, fifteen extra loads of laundry in our big machines) and the bottom of our furnace, a dehumidifier, and a fan were underwater. Lots of shoes, old toys, and miscellaneous stuff (junk) ruined. That same day, our main breaker went out (as we turned it off to be safe in the water) and it needed to be replaced.  Without electricity, our well pump doesn't work, so no running water.  The hot water was out anyway, and we had visions of propane bubbling up through the water. Better women than myself could have cleaned up from this in a few days.  It took me, even with everyone helping, the better part of three weeks.



I was officially done with flood clean-up the day before we left for a two week road trip. That trip, too, was full of the unexpected.  A break-down on the Great Plains on a 100 degree day on a Sunday morning with no repairs in sight. A limping, unsteady 70 mile drive that (thankfully!) returned us safely to Grandmom's welcoming, air conditioned home. A drive in a borrowed car, five hours round trip, to get the only rental van available in the state of Kansas.  A nice beautiful new rental van that wouldn't haul our trailer. A four hour re-packing job to pare down our carefully selected originally packed items (plenty of room in that trailer) down to an amount that would fit inside the rental van with us (a sight to behold).  We left at least half our stuff in our trailer in Grandmom's driveway, ready to pick up, along with our repaired van, on our way back home.

Hearing the details of 'the-day-we-drove-eight-hours-and-went-nowhere' my mother (on the phone, waiting for us at our destination in beautiful Colorado) cheerfully commented "I hear a blog entry in all this!" It was hard to laugh along in the crabby, sweaty, tired atmosphere of that evening while we repacked in the hot and humid evening air.

We did have a great vacation. Interspersed with the beauty and excitement of that Mountain trip (which was given to us as a gift, including that rental van, by generous grandparents) were a few more misadventures.  We lost track of a child in Vail, CO, who was found by the nice local police before we even knew he had left the big Pirate Ship playground.  He, just six-years-old, mistakenly thought we had left him behind and had run for the car (far away in a parking garage) while the rest of us (five adults, two teens, eleven younger kids ) continued to enjoy the playground full of children and a stream nearby.

By the time we were packing up and commenting "Hey, where is Sam . . . has anyone seen Sam?" the above-mentioned nice police man came up and asked me, "Are you looking for a boy in a red shirt."

Me, cheerfully, "Why, Yes!"

His serious response, "We've had him for ten minutes."

Oh no!

Though they told us he'd been so upset he was unable to talk much, once they brought him back to us, right where we'd been all along, he settled down after a few minutes of being strongly held by Dad.  It turns out for this particular boy, believing you've been forgotten is quite traumatic, but finding out you just made a mistake about that and thus discovered you have an uncanny ability to make your way back through the winding streets of a village to the place where your parents parked the van, meeting nice people who help you out, and policemen who take you right back where you started is just an adventure. Of course, we are extremely thankful things turned out so well and I did have several panic attacks about the whole thing later that night.  And I'm giving up my nomination for Mother of the Year.

Did I mention I got thrown from a horse?  Yep, about a minute after I was taking deep breaths of cool mountain air, praising God for the truly awesome view, and thinking how peaceful and quiet it is to travel on horseback.  I didn't even have that moment where you think 'Oh, no! I'm falling!" Nope. One second I see the horse getting kicked by one of his horsey friends and without any time passing . . . my face is resting in dust and my only thought, "I'm on the ground," was accompanied by small explosions of pain in my shoulder, hip and knee. I didn't notice the cuts on my hands or broken fingernails at first. But, with 18 anxious members of my family watching and calling out in concern, and not wanting to miss or ruin that ride and campfire dinner adventure, I did get back up on that horse, and thankfully there were no serious injuries.  I was rewarded with one particularly impressive bruise on my hip, and a limp which eventually required crutches . . . the week we had four extra great kids stay with us for a much anticipated "Camp" week at our own house, beginning two days after we got home from vacation.

Fast forward a few more days through 4th of July back at Grandmom's (her basement flooded, too!) and past County Fair week (I guess I didn't have that on the calendar way back in May) which brings us to...

 . . . the BIG unexpected, impossible, and nearly overwhelming task that we did not once think we'd have to face this Summer–which we discovered we would have to accomplish one way or another before the end of August . . .  and my point for bringing up all this in the first place.


The part that makes me remember that these ARE the good old days.

But it's getting late, so I think I'd better leave that for a second entry.  I'll try to write it soon.

                                           ~Sara~

(Part 2 can be found here)

Journal Snapshots ~ Summer Catch-Up 2011

Hello Family, Friends, and die-hard Shull Family Fans everywhere . . . it's time for another episode of Journal Snapshots! An insider's look at the more lighthearted moments in our household, at least from my point of view.

                                                ~Sara~

Dad to a grinning 10-year-old who started off a round of family Bananagrams with a nine letter word, "It's really not fun playing with people like you." :)



Baby Daniel is experiencing his first day of 90s and humidity. He doesn't seem too impressed.



Today is the third time Minneapolis went over 100 degrees in the past century. This historic event makes the snow boots in our front porch look a bit odd.



I do realize that most of the world has little interest in the moodiness of the weather in Minnesota–but I just realized the temp has plunged to 65 though it is still sunny. Everyone has to change clothes before we head to the church picnic! (Local friends... grab a jacket and meet us there?)



‎Grace just received a college recruiting letter trying to convince her that their college (whose name we shall not reveal) was the right place for her to live out her college dreams. We became suspicious they might not actually possess the key to her future as we read the beginning of the letter: 

      Hello [NAME]...



Ah, Juneuary! Perhaps a little fire in the fireplace?

Helpful tip for boys: While it is manly and exciting to see how far one can throw, it is best not to use one's siblings' rubber boots for the purpose, especially when throwing into the hayfield and the grass is taller than one's head. Thank you. (Yes, Dear, our boys . . . they've found all but one)



Big brother Nat (age 11), thinking of the explosive properties of propane when he went outside to find his 4-year-old brother standing on top of the big outdoor tank: "Jon, what are you doing?! Get down! You shouldn't be up there!" 

Jon scrambling down, looking concerned: "Is that a Ten Commandment!???" 

Singing this in my head today: How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure...



At Grandmom Joan's, where fireworks are legal . . . I walk outside to find Dad with all the kids huddled around various smoking, sparkling, crackling and snapping items. 

Ruthie greets me with a huge grin: 

     "Oooooo Mom! We're blowin' stuff up!"



Last night's winner for Funniest Dinner Table Comment: 6-year-old Sam, after staring out into space over his half-eaten supper for a few moments, suddenly asked, "Can I have a snack?"



Windows all open, listening to that peaceful rain. 

    That smell, that sound, that cool breeze... 

          A gift in July.



County Fair Dog Show this morning for Grace and Lydia (and Boaz and Tipper). Perhaps the predicted 100 plus heat index will have a calming effect on teenage puppy Boaz during his first show? Go girls!

Me to four kids (8, 6, 4, 3) at the County Fair's Kids' Day: "Ok, we're not going to use the stroller so I don't want to carry a lot of water bottles. I'll keep one in my purse that we can share, and if it's so hot you're dying, we can refill it or find a drinking fountain."


Jon's reply: "Mom, you don't need a drink if you're dying. You need a drink if your tongue is dry."

Sticks out tongue and touches it, to illustrate.



After a particularly exasperating day with our exuberant little Ruthie, she just came up to me and threw her arms around my neck: "You're my best mom! You put my underwear on and you scratch my back."



Big sister Grace was just admiring 2-year-old Zac's very curly hair, "You have gold for hair!" she said to him. And then as he casually walked away, oblivious of the attention, she said in a hilarious accent, "My hair is currency in certain parts of Europe..." (which apparently is a movie quote, but completely cracked me up in any case.)



Feeling bad for 10-year-old Essie that my “quick stop” at the store was dragging on and on, I turned to her and said, “I’m sorry this is taking so long, are you getting impatient?” Her sweet reply, “Well, It’s hard to be impatient when you are doing something this fun.” That really improved my views of shopping at Walmart.

Jonathan pulled away and made a face when I leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek after helping him tie his shoes. “What, no kisses this morning?” I asked. 

Jon’s reply, looking at me patiently, “Mom, kisses are for nighttime.”

                                          ~ to be continued!

What are we doing?

Sometimes I am extra thankful for a dose of laughter.

We've had two days of rain here, maybe more, it's hard to remember. I thought it might be gone by this morning, but instead it was darker than ever. Raining that type of soaking, thunder-rumbly, straight down pouring, way-too-much-lightning-to-go-out sort of rain. My own ten kids, plus the four great kids staying with us this week (yes, 14 total), all seemed to have that mournful look on their face so well captured at the beginning of The Cat in the Hat with the boy and the girl looking out the window saying "so we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day."

Except that my kids were not sitting still looking out the windows in a neat and tidy house.  Especially the little ones–they were running around both getting into mischief while not finding anything to do AND interrupting and making life difficult for the older kids who had decided to script and shoot a funny commercial on this inside type of day.  A bad combination.

Then The Breeze came and pushed that rain right out of here, the sun came out and shined right into my mommy heart as I realized suddenly everyone could go outside!  The wind was even so strong that, if we were lucky, the mosquitoes and deer flies might stay at bay for a little while. Yippee!

I opened wide the door to the deck and the breeze blew into the house.  Soon, two amigos and a princess (ages 4, 2, and 3) were out dancing on the deck and hopping in the little puddles and yelling reminders to me that I'd forgotten to take in the tablecloth and it is really, really soaked.  The wind was suddenly full of adventure as I saw them clinging to the deck posts like sailors holding on for dear life on a ship at sea, screaming for help from other sailors holding fast to their masts.  Smiling, I went back to preparing lunch.  Glancing out the window, I saw them across the yard, marching in the big puddle in the baby pool that had been knocked over by the storm.  March (splash), march (splash), march (splash).

Oh, my happy heart that Outside was a playroom once again.

Back on the deck again, the warm wind was stronger than ever, and Ruthie's long hair was streaming out nearly sideways to the East.  Suddenly Jonathan had an idea, "Hey guys, do this!" he said as he put his index finger up in the air. Without question, two other little index fingers went up, pointing to the sky.

8-year-old Ben came out and saw them standing there and told them, "You have to lick your finger, like this." He showed them, lick, and again point to the sky.

Everyone quite agreeably then licked and pointed their fingers to the sky.  Then again, lick and point. Lick and point.  The wind was now so strong that they were leaning to the West to keep from being blown to the East.

For a few seconds they just stood there, four kids pointing at the sky.

Suddenly Ruthie asked (yelled, really, because of the wind), "What are we doing?"

Good homeschool mom that I am, my hopes for an impromptu lesson by my scientifically-minded son explaining the detection of wind direction by sensing the cooling effects of evaporation when more technological methods are unavailable were dashed as Jonathan shrugged and looked at Ben who said...

"Oh, I don't know–it's just something you do with the wind."

                                                 ~Sara~

Journal Snapshots ~ Spring 2011

Hello Family, Friends, and die-hard Shull Family Fans everywhere . . . it's time for another episode of Journal Snapshots!  An insider's look at the more lighthearted moments in our household, at least from my point of view.  

                                             ~Sara~

In honor of the three distinct illnesses which have invaded our home, we are taking a holiday from school.



Enjoyed a breakfast birthday party for our newest sweet teenager, Lydia, who is turning 13 today! What a blessing to have her as a daughter... much joy for this mother to watch her children unfold and blossom like flowers in the springtime, to see more and more the uniqueness and beauty in each one.



Just sorted Mt. Washmore with the help of the three amigos. Turns out doing the laundry is a lot more fun when wrestling, giggling, and tug-o-war is involved. Who knew?



A bit annoyed that my middle-aged eyes required me to get my reading glasses before I could help Jonathan, I sat back down with a sigh. Jon lifted up my chin and looked at me seriously. Thinking he'd find it funny to see me in glasses (which I don't usually wear), I was prepared for anything but what he said, "Hmm, you look real pretty."



The birds are singing Springtime songs . . . choosing to see the sunshine and ignore the snow.



The third time the boys spilled through the door to the living room, laughing and tussling like a pile of puppies, it finally caught my attention. "What on earth are you guys doing?!?"
     Nat popped up and grinned, "What? Oh! We're cleaning."



Mud Season 101: The brown stuff that is appearing in spots as the snow melts is called "the ground." No, you can't change your clothes every time you get a teaspoon of mud on your jeans. Note: Although 40 degrees feels "so hot", as long as there is ice in the yard, its best not to go barefoot.



Signs that your child will grow up to have a cleaner house than they grew up in. You say "Hey, let's clean up your room a bit." (ie. put a few toys away) they say "Oh yeah! Let's pull out the extra mattress out from under the bed, get all the toys out from there, find the legos and vacuum under there!" Oh. I guess that is a good idea, Sam.



Kevin, to a dramatically crabby Ruthie after she was untimely waked from a nap in the van on the way home from church . . . (spoken quite cheerfully), "Boy, Ruthie, you sure are whiney . . . did you get up on the wrong side of the carseat?"



I just heard Nat humming that ol' preschool favorite... "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands." Then he stopped and turned to me, "Well, I'm happy... but I'm not sure I know it."



Proof-reading Grace's BU application today. It is sweet to read her essays and glimpse the heart of emerging womanhood. Joining the chorus of mothers across time and space saying "Wow, the days may be long, but the years fly by."



If our long driveway gets any muddier, I think we may need to install a chair lift to get to the house and just park out on the road. Either that or install monster truck tires on the van.



Happy kids playing outside on this early Spring day has provided time for a much needed attempt to conquer Mt. Washmore. Though it occurs to me, as I look at the kids in all their muddy glory upon the return from their adventures, that this was perhaps a counter productive laundry strategy.



Story writing in the field. Reading on the deck. Tadpole and frog egg hunting coming up, as the sound of frogs a courtin' are ringing in the neighborhood. Brothers playing baseball and basketball and getting math done with greatest speed. Collecting maple sap with Mr. Friend. Homeschool in the Springtime.



Oh, dear. I've convinced a sweet editor that an idea I have for a new article is "pure gold." Now they want to see a first draft. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble actually getting my idea out of my head and down on paper. Perhaps I'm distracted by the words "Writing" and "Easy as Pie" in the working title.



Kevin surprised me by instantly appearing with a load of firewood when I just casually mentioned it would be nice to have a fire in the fireplace. When I thanked him, he smiled "Your wish is my command . . . when I feel like it." Ah, yes, an honest Prince Charming.



Jon did not understand why we were all insisting he come inside and change his clothes again. His first selection of a new outfit after his play clothes were drenched from top to bottom in the big mud puddle? Red pajama pants and a nice dressy red sweater vest (no shirt underneath) - both inside out. And last year's green flip flops.



You know you're talking to a country girl when you say . . .
     "Hold still! There's a tick crawling on your neck!"
           And she smiles and replies, "Oh, good! A sign of Spring!"



Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man... his delight is in the law of the Lord and on this law he meditates day and night." Just pondering - That word we translate as blessed . . . we don't actually have a word that means what the original language means . . . divine joy and perfect happiness ? Pierced with godlike joy? O brain cloud, fly away so that I may abide in the Word, in Jesus, this week leading up to Resurrection Sunday.



Jon was sticking his tongue out in various directions and making hilarious, cartoon-like faces as he tried out different positions. Kevin asked him if his tongue tasted good, and he nodded 'yes' and continued to move his tongue around with comedic charm. After watching him for a few moments, Kevin asked, “Well . . . what’s it taste like?”
     Jon stopped and thought for a moment before replying seriously, “Fresh toast!”



Today at breakfast I mentioned, "Well, the royal wedding is tomorrow."
Jonathan nearly fell off his stool with excitement as he thought I was talking about a wedding in which he will be the ring bearer (in a few more weeks). First, he was happy that "the wedding" is tomorrow, and secondly... discovering that his cousin (the bride) is a princess was quite surprising.




The older kids got up as planned at 4am this morning to watch the royal wedding. Dad surprised them (and me) by obtaining and setting out English tea, shortbread, English chocolates, English muffin, proper toast, (donuts, too!) AND by getting up to join them (while I slept in 'til 8). My own Prince Charming!



Me: "Hurry up and go outside or the sun will go down!"
     A smiling teenager: "Wow Mom, good job figuring out a way to keep the sun from setting!"



Me, calling from the bathroom: "Jon, come brush your teeth!"
     Jon, from his bedroom:"I did!"
           Me:"Your toothbrush isn't wet."
                Jon:"Oh!"
He dashes into the bathroom, picks up his toothbrush, gets it wet with running water, gives it a little shake, touches it to make sure it is wet and puts it back in the cup before dashing back to his bedroom! Um... nevermind.



Happy Birthday to our beautiful Esther Rose! A spectacular bike wipe-out this morning (which destroyed a pair of pants and required much cleansing and an impressive bandage) has most likely provided a scar to commemorate her 10th birthday for years to come. Happy Birthday sweet Essie!



Me: "How about we have a new law, Thou Shalt Not Drop Things on the Floor and Leave Them Where They Lie."
      Essie: "Wow, there's going to be a lot of crimes around here!"



Exciting News! Grace got an acceptance letter from BU for the PSEO program in the mail today! Somehow this makes me feel like singing Tangled's "When Will My Life Begin..." in her honor.



Thinking through pre-registration for BU.
Me: "Ok, for electives, think of what sounds most interesting and fun without worrying about heading for degree requirements." (I'm thinking photography, bowling, underwater basket weaving, etc).
Grace, thinking for a few moments: "Well, I don't know . . . sometime I'd really like to take genetics."



Oh my. 18 inches of standing water in the basement. Looks like flotsam and jetsam down there. SuperDad is on his way home. In the meantime, pump is off so no water in the house and we'll have to turn off all the house electricity to go down there. Water table flooding or pipe break?



It's a true flood from the rising water table in our neighborhood. Our 88-year-old neighbor, Mr. Friend, says it's never been this high before. Power still off.  Learned about generators and powerful rental pumps. We got it pumped out and it is rising again from the floor up. Still much to figure out, lots of ruined junk, trying to save many bins of wet clothes that floated and tipped over. Hoping the furnace and water heater are not ruined. Pumping out one more time, then sleep.



Turns out there are a limited number of times you can turn off a main breaker before it needs to be replaced. Power and water from our electric well pump back on now.  Plus we met a nice electrician.



Today: SuperDad to install new sump pump, restore hot water (if hot water heater is OK), throw away junk, dry clothes to save them, return rented generator and pump. Bonus: piano lessons, lib. books due, and 4H dog training. Realized last night Kevin was "this close" to being in Singapore this week. So thankful he is home!



Hot water's back! Now to wash the flooded clothing we dried outside on the old wash lines. Looks like a poor quality yard sale on the front lawn with everything out of the basement. The furnace had important parts submerged so that is not looking good. Many mercies: glorious cool sunny weather, friends praying and bringing dinner, several important things were above water, good excuse to throw away junk, etc!



Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. --James 1:2-3



It's a little-known fact that the traditional gift for a 22nd anniversary is a sump pump. Thankful to be celebrating 22 years of marriage through floods and fair weather!

                                            ~to be continued!

O Snow!

When snow in April inspires bad poetry~

O Snow, O Snow, must you stay so long?

I'm weary of your games.
Half the year seems quite enough . . .
Another storm? How lame.

Now it's time for April's showers,
and green to shine anew.
Better yet, let's jump to May
with all its flowers, too.

O Snow, O Snow, I'm sad to say . . .
Get out of here! We're through!
Your welcome, Snow, is all worn out.

I'm so, so over you.

                                                 ~Sara~

Journal Snapshots ~ Mid-Winter 2011

Hello Family, Friends, and die-hard Shull Family Fans everywhere . . . it's time for another episode of Journal Snapshots!  An insider's look at the more lighthearted moments in our household, at least from my point of view.  

                                    ~Sara~

Watching Sam and Ben engaged in some intense sword fighting with light sabers accompanied by curious back and forth dialogue: 

     Nat, “What are you guys playing?”

         One boy took the time to cry out a reply . . . “Binoculars!”  

Oh. Well that clears that up.

Looking for Ruthie at naptime -- I found her crouched behind the bathroom door wearing my reading glasses. When I moved the door to see her and asked what she was doing, she looked up in the most natural way and replied . . . "Mom, is that you?" 

"Mom! Mom! Ruthie is bleeding!!!" yells Jon as he skids into the kitchen. 

     Not hearing any crying in the distance, I ask, "What kind of bleeding?" 

          Jon looks at me seriously and replies, "Red." 

Grace showed 6-year-old Sam a picture of Pastor John and asked him if he knew who it was.

      "Yep," Sam replied, "That's our actor!" 

The Academy of the Three Amigos is officially back in session. On the agenda today: My Father's Dragon, clock time, tying shoelaces, trees, a few workbooks and advanced light saber techniques with sound effects.

So it's true. Sleep does make a difference. What shall I do with my mind today, while it's here for a visit?

Sunshine and dripping icicles.

      Frozen trees half-exhale in the warming air 

             ~ a hint of springtime mixed with woodsmoke in the air. 

Reminders in the bleak midwinter that Life will triumph in the end. 

This morning, I opened my eyes to find Ruthie about eight inches from my face. I started to say something when she interrupted, "Shushhhh. Go back to sleep Mom." 

     It's hard to sleep and laugh at the same time, but I gave it a shot. 

Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 years old when he was killed. Somehow I didn't realize that. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 
— MLK Jr. 

Sub-zero windchills are leading to an epidemic of excessive and potentially furniture-destroying, Tigger-like bouncing around here. All that sun and snow and too cold to play. Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce . . . 

There is an old outhouse on our property, I can see it out there in the trees when I look out of my kitchen window . . . and after a night of 27 below and a day with a high of zero, I'm more happy than ever that it is no longer in use. 

Morning sun on Winter's snow, 
so bright it hurts the eyes 

     ~
hinting of Glory so radiant we need new eyes to see. 

Gripped by Psalm 46 this morning. 

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

     Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way (!) . . ." 

            "Be still and know that I am God . . ."

 The whole Psalm, rich words to dwell upon. 

Happy Birthday, dear Ruthie! The princess is taking a bit 'o a nap and will be back for more festivities later . . . 3 years old! 

Sam just brought me a heart-shaped Valentine he made for me. It has a picture of the two of us running the 22-ton wood splitter together. Ah, romance is in his future! 

Dedicated baby Daniel Roy this morning at church. 

     Got home safe and sound, before the storm hit. 

          Let it snow! 

Ben's quick quip after laughing at his own misunderstanding of my excitement about having a snow day: "Oh! (laughing) I thought you said a NO day! You know . . .

      'Mom, can I watch TV?' NO

             'Mom, can I play computer?' NO

                     'Mom, will you play a board game?' NO 

                             'Mom, can I have a cookie?' NO..." 

Ruthie just appeared beside me, big tears and wailing. What's wrong dear? (shudder, sniffle) "Sam was really not playing with me and my nose got into Boaz's mouth!" 

I was sitting unsuspecting on the couch when Ruthie jumping up and down suddenly pelted a ball directly at me and yelled, "Hey Mom! FETCH!" 

In trying to defrost some frozen laundry room pipes, I have overloaded the outlet with a heater and a blowdryer and plunged the circuit into darkness. The breaker, however has not tripped, and I can't restore power. Electrical advice anyone? Or is the house about to blow up . . .

OK. Now a hot water pipe burst. Did you know that massive amounts of steam will set off a fire alarm? It will. We got the flood turned off, but now have no hot water anywhere. Twas a blessing the electricity previously went out, however, or I would have had a blow dryer on in the midst of the flood. Thankful nothing dangerous happened. 

I fixed the pipe! My do-it-yourself show starts next week. And the pipes are thawed, thanks to this nice weather. Still can't figure out the electrical circuit thing, but at this point, I'm willing to run my laundry machine with a heavy duty power cord to the hall. But actually, I've lost enthusiasm for doing the laundry today. Strange. 

In honor of the three distinct illnesses which have invaded our home, we are taking a holiday from school. 

Enjoyed a breakfast birthday party for our newest sweet teenager, Lydia, who is turning 13 today! What a blessing to have her as a daughter... much joy for this mother to watch her children unfold and blossom like flowers in the springtime, to see more and more the uniqueness and beauty in each one. 

Just sorted Mt. Washmore with the help of the three amigos. Turns out doing the laundry is a lot more fun when wrestling, giggling, and tug-o-war is involved. Who knew? 

A bit annoyed that my middle-aged eyes required me to get my reading glasses before I could help Jonathan, I sat back down with a sigh. Jon lifted up my chin and looked at me seriously. Thinking he'd find it funny to see me in glasses (which I don't usually wear), I was prepared for anything but what he said, "Hm, you look real pretty." 

This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! 

                                                        ~Sara~

Loving February? Part 2

The challenge (and humor) of loving February seems to have struck a chord with a lot of my friends. A surprising number have mentioned additional things to add to the Merits of February list. Quite a few have told me they are going to try to love February along with me!  Fun!

So here are a few more great things about this month. Perhaps they will entice a few more of you to join the February Fan Club!

•Garden and Seed Catalogs arrive.

•Enjoying your best garden EVER… in your imagination.

•Runners can stop worrying about windchill and train outdoors. Usually.

•Blooming potted flowers reappear in the stores bringing the first true smells of Spring!

•Gorgeous mornings of hoarfrost.  A late winter treat.

•We in the north can be amused by swimsuits being suddenly and prominently displayed in stores.

•Lots of birds come to the feeders because they can’t find food anywhere else.

•Cheap chocolate after Valentine’s day.

•Star gazing without mosquitoes, plus the snow is comfy for lying on your back and staring at the sky.

•If you file your taxes early, your refund (if you’re going to get one) will arrive this month.
•Spectacular icicles.
•Warm enough to wash the car a few times this month.

•Snow shoveling muscles are finally in shape, just in time for the heaviest snow of the season.

•Girl Scout Cookies.

•Warms up enough for the kids to play outdoors for extended amounts of time after being cooped up for weeks . . . months . . . on end.

AND~

Best of all - it’s fun to smile and respond unexpectedly with “You know, I actually sort of love February!”  when folks make small talk with the standard late-winter conversation openers. Several people were laughing along with me during a funny conversation with the cashier at the grocery store yesterday after she commented, "Well, do you think this winter is ever going to end?"

So, what else do YOU (try to) love about February? 

ps. Thanks again, Rachel!

Loving February?

Sometimes we need friends to remind us of the beauty that is all around us.

Well, at least I do.  Despite my best efforts to notice all the gifts of each season this year, I found myself pretty stalled on finding any more nice things to say about winter as I turned the calendar to February a few days ago.  Sigh.  Another month of Winter with a capital W.  We like to joke on Groundhog's Day, that in Minnesota there are always six more weeks of winter...six more weeks than anyone else, that is.  Shivering by the cold glass, and looking at the white sky, white ground, white world out my window–I found myself thinking that the most positive thing to say about this time of year is that it makes us long for Spring.  I even wrote about it.  A dear friend added an encouraging comment on that post, and near the end just happened to ask, "Well, don't you love February?  I really do."

That made me think.

Do I love February?  Love February.  February?  I decided to try.  I shared with some friends that I decided to try, with some delightful results.  Soon I realized that once again I had been so caught up in noticing the things I was expecting to see, that I had missed the actual gifts all around me, waiting to be admired and enjoyed.

For the encouragement (and perhaps amusement) of those who were not in on that conversation, I'm going to share the List of the Merits of February that my dear friend easily listed off to help my attempts at February appreciation. It has led to me giggling randomly throughout the day.  And smiling a (frozen) smile as I went out into the frigid sunshine this early morning. I even got a chance to convince a stranger that February is a wonderful time of year by sharing the List of Merits with her.

Here's how that conversation went:

There we were, standing, looking out at the parking lot through the glass. Each of us waiting to be picked up by someone who loves us enough to go out into the negative 15 degree windchill so we can enter a car that has warmed up to at least zero by the time they drive over to the door.  Her comment, echoed by thousands, even millions of people today, "Boy, I am so ready for Spring."

Smiling, I just couldn't help myself. "You know, I have a friend who loves February."

She turned to me,"Really? What does she like about it?"

"Well, she has a big list of things.  And she's convinced me, too. I decided to like February. It's a good list."

She was all ears, as I'm sure you are, too.

Here we go...and this was just off the top of my friend's head.

1) Valentine's Day!! ♥ ♥

2) While it's winter, it's WAY lighter earlier & later. This gets dramatically better all month & is really wonderful! 

3) Weirdly more powerful sun. Roads become generally blacktop, not white or icy. 

4) There is time to do winter things you meant to do but didn't–get a little one on skates, family ski/tube day, etc. 

5) Spring is so clearly coming! It is like the glorious START of coasting down a monster hill you just miserably biked up. 

6) The spring idea is there to enjoy, yet there is absolutely no pressure to actually do anything spring related. Relax & milk the"sit by fire in a blanket & read" season for all it is worth... 

6) On top of all this: One of my boys was born, plus, Sara & her sister, & some great presidents!

Later, she and others thought of more things to love (or consider loving) about February.  I even thought of a few things.

Variety! Snowstorms and Sunshine. Blizzards and More Sunshine. Puddles appear on sunny days, even if it's still quite cold. Wooden decks dry out in the sun. The best month for skiing. Opportunities for Contentment and Patience. The best snow of the year for snowballs, snowmen and forts.  The emptiest activity calendar page of the year, and snow days snuggled at home. And yes, the smell of Spring is on the breeze.

I'm really not joking that all this is a gift to me. Learning to love the beauty of a season where I had only seen bleak days before, will be a blessing year after year. 

I'm thankful for friends who help me see.

Journal Snapshots ~ 2010

***

How to introduce this?

Perhaps a Happy New Year's theme . . .  2010: The Year in Review! Or maybe a reflection on how often my life feels like a sit-com . . .  “Never a Dull Moment: The Series”  Or maybe it could be a pitch for a new animated movie . . .   “The Princess, the Three Amigos, Super Fix-it Woman, and Other Superheros!”  OR Journal Snapshots of our Life . . . 

I think I'll stick with the Journal Snapshots idea.  2010 is the year I started a blog on the spur of the moment. The year the Lord began to combine my love for the Word and my love of words.  I discovered a joy in trying to capture moments with words.  Sometimes it poured out in prose.  Sometimes it was easier to capture in fewer words . . . the surprise of poetry.   And sometimes in looking for moments to capture, I found myself laughing out loud in delight or crying in worship.  It's been a gift to me from the Lord, truly His treasure right here in my junk drawer.  This entry is a collection of lighthearted Journal Snapshots of our Life. . . the small things of life that I don't want to forget, captured in words.

Journal Snapshots ~ 2010

Winter

Just washed chocolate cake and ice cream off of Jon's cast and it looks as good as new. The casting material is amazing. They said he could take it in the bath, with care to dry it afterwards - but that seems too good to be true. It's a good era to have a broken arm in America.

Morning sun on Winter's snow, so bright it hurts the eyes

     ~ hinting of Glory so radiant we need new eyes to see.

Ruthie is turning 2 today! She's already perfected the holding up of two fingers to announce her advanced age. Family party tomorrow, how about another pink heart shaped cake?

Zac has his first tooth. It seems strange for us all to be clapping and cheering over such a normal everyday miracle, when there is so much suffering in Haiti.  Many things on my heart to pray about today from joyful to tragic.

Trying to muster up the courage to trek over to our unheated storage shed to search for ice skates that we haven't used since we moved here six years ago. Ok, here I go. Through the snow. Yukon ho!

The stars are really beautiful tonight; So clear and sparkling in this arctic air.

Why is it that even coffee tastes better on your Birthday?

The Valentine's Day answers by the numbers:
•Met at church when I was 15 (I was an annoying kid in his handbell choir. He was a mature 21. There was no thought of romance. At all.)
•At 17.5, great friends, realized we both wanted to marry "someone like you" ~ so started dating.
•Engaged on my 19th birthday.
•Married at age 20 (he was 26).
•21st anniversary coming up in May 2010.
          Thankful!

Did something I've never done before. Drove off with my gas cap on the running board on the van . . . six miles of slushy snow later I discovered the truth . . . alas, no more gas cap. We've been back to look. Sad.

Nat: "When's Mothers' Day?"
     Me: "May."
          Nat: "That's too far! They should have it every month!" (big hug)
                  "Good night, mom!" (kiss, run upstairs)
                            Me: (happy)

Grace made two pans of homemade cinnamon rolls last night, and baked them for breakfast this morning. How great is that? So yummy! Coffee anyone?

I just fixed all the lose baseboard trim in our bedroom. I'm pretty sure I'm ready for my own DIY show.

Obviously a genius at 8 months old . . . Zachary just started to clap today every time he hears any music or singing! Then we'd clap and say Yay! for him ~ then he'd clap again.

Getting some blogging in while a sick baby is sleeping in my lap after crying for over an hour (!). Zac seems to have an RSV type cold that was getting better, but now is worse. The snuggling is nice, but it's put a damper on his blossoming clapping career.

Spring

Rain, lightning, thunder and hail. 45 degrees. Could it be we are missing the March blizzard at this very moment?

First day of mud season here at our house. The ground didn't freeze last night for the first time this year. The smell of Spring gives hope that hovers above the ugly, soggy ground.

Baby Zac is crawling around picking up miniscule pieces of treasure off the floor while discovering every nook and cranny of the house. He is quite proud of himself, and sits down and claps every once in a while before spotting something new and exciting to reach for again. Baby Patrol shifts, starting now.

So happy it's truly warm outside in the sunshine this morning! Opening all the windows today before the rain moves in...

Quote of the day: Nearly 7-year-old Ben, when asked if he knew what was smeared all over the bathroom mirror. "It was a BIG mess...so I used a toothbrush to clean it up!" Any idea which toothbrush?  Ah, no.

Fire in the fireplace and coffee in my favorite mug on this cold, drizzly day.

Today is Lydia's 12th birthday! The two of us were up early together and have been enjoying the rain and some quiet rainy-day-music (beautifully arranged hymns on acoustic guitar). I love getting to know my children as they unfold and grow like plants in the Spring.

Our neighbor Mr. Friend has tapped four of our maple trees for sap to make syrup. The sap is running this morning . . . drip, drip, drip . . . Yum!

Our cat is having kittens. Right now.

Floor•drobe. Noun. A common (not necessarily recommended) storage system for children's clothing, conveniently located on the floor of the bedroom.

10-year-old basketball fan, Nat: "If KU loses in the first round, then it would just be March Sadness."

Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU- Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU- Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU!

Minnesota kids + 63 and Sunny on St. Patrick's Day = happiness all around! Especially on Spring Break!

Mud season and puddles are beautiful when seen through the eyes of a child. Bring on the rubber boots!

Loving the sound of the wind in the leaves . . . it sounds like summer through my open windows. Maybe this year I'll learn which bird calls go with which birds.

The Lord Jesus is alive, just as He promised! Happy Easter!

Glorious warm sun chasing the puddles away, commanding every green thing to awake!

What a gorgeous day. Just took a walk in my regular shoes, not boots. We seem to have had the shortest mud season on record.  Is it possible? Are we going to move on into true Spring now, or backtrack into winter?

 Me: "Jon, you have WAY to much energy for a rainy day!"
           3-year-old Jon: "Yep. I need to go outside and explode..."

Today is Benjamin's 7th birthday. What a joyful blessing he is to all of us!

Kevin's comment about Ruth and Jon this morning after we watched them running around the house in all their busy-ness while the rest of us were still waking up . . . "Those two have about 500 percent more initiative and energy than they require for their age and stage of life . . ."

Jon, age 3: "My bottom feels like a snitch!"
     Sam, age 5, shocked: "Jon! Don't say that! It's a BAD WORD!"
          The rest of us...."Huh?" and lots of laughter.
               Lydia's comment...."Oh, so THATS the 's-word'"

Slapstick comedy . . . homestyle. All four of my bigger boys just managed to bonk heads together at the same time and fall on the floor after chasing each other around the house. Finding no one to blame, they all dissolved into hilarious giggles.

This really is the perfect cozy rain for a peaceful day curled up reading and drinking hot, soothing drinks from favorite mugs. Unfortunately, that is not on the agenda today at our house.

 If Legos have a saturation point, we've reached it.

We've got frog eggs about to hatch tadpoles in an aquarium on the counter. Spring is coming along . . .  this year we've got wood frogs again. Last year we had teeny-tiny western chorus frogs.

Rubber boots are all the fashion this morning. Really, when are they not in fashion.

Our sweet, wildly-creative, artistic, full-of-life, sunny and loving Essie is 9 years old today! Celebrating the blessing of her life today and thanking God for putting her in our family! Happy Birthday Esther Rose!

Dandelion and violet bouquets crowding my kitchen windowsill ~ heralds rejoicing in the arrival of Spring.

Planning out what annuals to put in around the house this Summer. Anyone know of any flowers particularly enticing or repugnant to chickens? I know for a fact they find begonias delicious so we won't be getting any of those this year . . . 

OK, so I guess we'll do July this week. Our low temp last night was five degrees above our normal high temp for end of May! Emergency search for Summer clothing today . . . 

Love is . . . a husband and son who put in the window A/C units on the first hot day just for me.

Summer

 If you've ever wondered how many places your baby touches on the high chair, himself, and surrounding area while eating - give him two blackberries and let him play for 20 minutes. Oh my.

I think it's possible that someone who owned a lot of stock in a laundry detergent company invented chocolate syrup.

Oh yes, days and weeks and months like this are worth five months of snow. Church picnic tonight, anyone?

I'm thinking of sewing velcro to Jon's pants and a comfy chair to get him to sit still for a few minutes.

Seven kids to the dentist for check-ups in one morning. Try not to envy our adventuresome life!

Pancakes for lunch, anyone? Essie's making them for us. Our neighbor Mr. Friend's maple syrup is on the menu, too. Yum! Let's see if Lydia will make some cheesy scrambled eggs. I love having cheerful, capable kids. What a blessing!

Read Little Red Riding Hood in a sunny fortress to three little amigos, a princess and a cat this afternoon. We all went down the slide afterwards. You can't say that every day.

Exciting evening at our house. 10-year-old Nat has earned the right to watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies by reading all of the books. So tonight - Nat, Mom, Dad and older sisters already in the LOTR club get to watch together! Watching the first one tonight and the rest over the next few days. Fun!

Just noticed that the doors on my front loading washer and dryer look just like a Hobbit Hole front door (minus the shiny knocker ). Wondering how that escaped my attention for the past four years.

Watching three little amigos getting clean in a tub. The tub will need a bath when they are done.

Fun, annual strawberry picking adventure yesterday. Quote of the day, upon seeing the strawberry field... "Ooooh, we're picking smoothies!" (Jon, of course).

After a decade of hopes and dreams, Grace has a beautiful new Labrador puppy.  Welcome to our world, Boaz!

EVENT: Cricket found in the dining room.
     HILARIOUS DISCUSSION among 4 boys: in which
     they consider the best method of trapping
     and transporting said cricket (quite imaginative ideas).
               BEST QUOTE from Sam holding cricket in a jar:
               "Now he's my new best friend and I'm going to
                  name him Jumper. Because he's a jumper."

Zachary is one year old today - what a blessing he has been to all of us. Easy going, loving, playful and affectionate. Today he is entertaining us by crawling around, smiling up at us, and saying "Ruff! Ruff" like the new puppy!

Delightful walk on a misty, cool, Summer day. Took along two young squires on bikes, a trusty dog, and unexpectedly, one of our cats tagged along. Everything is so green and lush it seems as if you can hear it all growing when you stand still.

And did I mention Ben broke his toe last night? We took one look and headed to the ER at 9:15pm. 2nd toe was bent sideways where there is not a joint. Ewwww. Back in place, taped and a cool boot today. He's feeling pretty good.

Blue eyes look even brighter when peering out of a dirt-dusted face. I've got five happy examples of that in my kitchen at this very moment. It's been a good day to make cities, streets and rivers under the big maple tree. Apparently.

Thankful that our electricity was only out for a few hours! It's amazing how stir crazy we got with warm-and-humid inside and hot-and-mosquitoey outside (while drizzling). Not wanting to open the fridge and let the cold out, we don't have running water without electricity, and so dark for afternoon. I heard a lot of whining around here, but maybe that was just me . . .

Did I mention that nearly 4-year-old Jon learned to ride a bike this week? Now if only he could learn to use the brakes we'll be all set. Thankful we have no pavement around here - he's a wild sight out there.

Sam: "Mom, you better drink your coffee--it's good for the baby."

           

10 year old Nat . . . "I'm so glad God created smiling!"

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday to our dear Grace!

What do Harrison Ford and Zachary Shull have in common? A handsome, rugged scar just in that crease above the chin. In Zac's case, it has a fresh appearance.

Zac's chin is healing really well. The purple superglue is holding strong despite all the drool and meal messes, much to my surprise. I told the doctor I'd take a pack of that skin glue to go, but he thought I was joking. I wasn't.

‎12th year of homeschooling - Six kids between 11th and Kindergarten actually "in" school - it's been a great day. Currently middle school kids are independently doing crater experiments in pans of flour and cocoa on the deck. "Independently" - what a great word. And the little kids get to watch!

Fall

One perfectly beautiful Autumn day. One patient farmer working all day long. One tractor. One huge amazing soybean harvesting attachment. One large truck standing ready to collect a flood of beans. Four enthralled children sitting and watching the excitement. Even the cats are interested.

And a Happy 11th Birthday to the one-of-a-kind, super, fantastic son and brother . . . Nathanael "Nat" Shull!

After summer sandal season, the first cool church morning of the season in which we discover that half of the children have grown out of their nice shoes.

Essie decided to watch the birds at our feeder so closely that she will know each one and can name them as friends. She's outside now sitting quietly with her science notebook and watching. Yesterday there was one visitor and she wasn't sure what kind of bird, so she named him Mr. E (pronounced "mystery"). She's hoping they learn to like her, too.

The reintroduction of socks into our Fall wardrobe adds a whole 'nuther dimension into the dynamics of our household. Good-bye bare feet! Farewell sandals! May we meet again!

It sure is easy to please a four-year-old on his birthday! Happy Birthday Dear Jonathan! May we all be as happy and content and happy-go-lucky as you are every day.

2-year-old-Ruthie excitedly sharing something she drew this morning, "Look Daddy! Look!"
     Kevin, looking carefully "Oh, what a nice picture...what is it?  
          Ruthie, shrugging . . . "Actually, I don't know!"

Who would have thought Tipper would be a State Champ two years in a row? We need to give that dog more respect.

Golden day. Neighbor Farmer tilling to prepare for next spring. Young children and big sister at play in the leaves. Soup on the stove. Dad and rotating kids at work in the woods. First day of Shull Lumberjack season 2010/11. We're thankful for several oaks and elms which lived out their lives and have now volunteered for firewood conveniently near to our dirt road. Me? I'm alone in the house!

While trying to prevent toddler Zac from grabbing and spilling coffee, managed to splash myself and computer. I yelled for emergency help with clean-up just as the phone rang . . .
     Nat's comment, "That's probably Dad calling about the coffee on the computer..."
              (Don't worry dear, the computer's fine!)

A skunk seems to have met his demise in our neighborhood about 18 hours ago. Either that or he has an elaborate plan for marking his territory quite near to my territory. Maybe I'll fight back by spreading pumpkin pie and vanilla and hazelnut coffee and Fall spice smell all around the yard. That oughta scare 'em away.

I don't know the names of enough colors to do justice to the beauty of rain drenched leaves in Autumn when the sun comes out and everything is a brilliant glow with a spot of fire in every drop on every leaf. But I do know I love this season.

I am seriously dependent on having a working washing machine. Let's all hope Kevin can figure out what's wrong with my not-very-old large front loader without an expensive repair. The laundry mountain seems to be growing by the hour. Thankful that the last load completed was tons of underwear and socks!

Happy Birthday to Sam! The day really couldn't get much better for our 6-year-old lumberjack . . . working with Dad on splitting and stacking firewood AND a family party on the same day! We love you, Sam!

Situation: Kevin giving my 9^th month baby belly an affectionate pat.

     My comment: "Try not to be jealous of my rock hard abs."
          His response: "Yeah, I love your one pack."
               If laughter could bring on labor, I'd be all set.

Although it's tempting to stay home until the weather improves, I sure would miss seeing everyone until April! For now . . . mochas, fires in the fireplace and finding the winter coats. Thankful for a warm, snug home.

Suddenly, there is a countdown ticker on the dashboard of my MacBook that says "BABY DUDE!!!! 10 days, 14 hours, 20 minutes, 10...9...8, etc. seconds." Compliments of Grace. It's fun to have the kids up to the teenagers excited about meeting our new little Baby Dude.

Feeling very thankful for my husband's life today! Happy Birthday, Kevin! :)

My newly-fixed-with-replacement-parts washing machine just finished a load! My husband is my hero! Whew! When we loaded it into the dryer and started it, his first comment was, "Has it always sounded like that?" Um, yes? I hope...

We give thanks to the Lord for Daniel Roy born at 3:52 a.m. this morning. 8 lbs. 12 oz. 21.25 inches. Both Mom and babe are doing well. -Kevin

It has often been observed that "Shull babies" look alike. Apparently this has confused at least one of our kids . . . after looking closely and studying Daniel's face, Jonathan looked up at me and asked . . . "Is that me?"

Winter: Yes, where we live –we start and finish with Winter

My boys are outside to bring wood into the house wearing wind breakers. I think it's time to stop denying that winter is coming and get out the warm coats. 6-8 inches by tomorrow night? Somehow I dread winter, then get excited to watch it arrive!

When the boys came back from playing in the snow -- flinging boots, jackets, mittens and socks in their eagerness to stand by the fire, I asked if they'd had a good time. "Oh, YES!" said Ben with a happy smile, "We had big adventures!"

Ruthie comes in from outside, wailing dramatically . . . sizing up the situation, I say, "Oh, Ruthie . . . did your mittens fall off and you fell in the snow? That must feel horrible." Drama girl, collapsing into my arms . . . "I am HORRIBLE! OHhhhhhh (wailing continues)," A few minutes in front of the fireplace having her hands rubbed, and she was happily on her way . . .

Craft explosion in my dining room . . . baking in the kitchen . . . cleaning and menu and decorating plans. I love the holiday season and the creative output of my kids. <|:o)  (that's supposed to be a smiley with an Elf hat).

And more snow, and more snow, and MORE SNOW! Thinking of making Christmas cookies for the first time this year . . . it's worth the big mess, isn't it? Then it will look like it snowed in my kitchen as well.

Lydia was reading the ingredients to the special holiday sausage the kids were eating.  “Beef, chicken, pork…”
     “There are FORKS in there????”
       Jon interrupted.

I've been trying to think of something witty to write about how much I need to do in the next three days, but the only thing that comes to mind is that it's a good thing Christmas is really about Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, Savior . . .  because I'm not going to get to "everything" this year.

Made the amateur mistake of forgetting an extra change of baby clothes while out on errands today. My solution, as described by Grace, "And she wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a car seat."

And Starting with Winter, again…Welcome 2011!

•♥*¨*•♫♪..and A Happy New Year! ♪♫•*¨*•.♥

Looking for Ruthie at naptime -- I found her crouched behind the bathroom door wearing my reading glasses. When I moved the door to see her and asked what she was doing, she looked up in the most natural way and replied . . . "Mom, is that you?"

"Mom! Mom! Ruthie is bleeding!!!" yells Jon as he skids into the kitchen.
     Not hearing any crying in the distance, I ask, "What kind of bleeding?"
     Jon looks at me seriously and replies, "Red."

Grace showed Sam a picture of Pastor John and asked him if he knew who that was.   “Yeah,” said Sam, “That’s our actor.”

Regarding Ruthie's personality-plus and determination packed into her little, nearly 3-year-old body, I commented that perhaps she'd one day be like the girl in the movie Flipped, described complimentarily as luminescent.  
     Kevin's quip ~ "She's not just luminescent, she's nearly fluorescent." 

To be continued . . .  

                                                    ~Sara~

(Thanks to David O'Neal for the "girl with dandelions" photo)