My older brother Christopher and his family.  His wife Sharon, daughters Audrey, Lady Catherine, Abby, and son Joseph.

Abby and Audrey.  We make them beautiful in this family.

Uncle Chris with Joseph and Abby.

 Lady Catherine, Sarah, Katie, Greg, Abby, Jenny, Joseph, Josh, Amanda.  This is one hell of a great family.  I am very proud to be part of this group.

Outside my window....I really can't tell what it's like out there.  I have forgotten how quiet it is this early.  It's dark with a very good chance that it will get lighter in a couple of hours.

I am thinking....that the fly that keeps landing on my screen has to die! 

I am thankful for...the friends and family with whom I exchange prayers.  I wonder if they all know how much I count on their prayers.

From the schoolroom....lots of learning will be happening today.  Matthew doesn't have to work and I have nowhere to go.  Now that mid-terms are over I can relax a little.

From the kitchen....I really couldn't say. Doug cooked us all burgers yesterday but I am sure there are no leftovers.  Guess I'll have to come up with something.

I am wearing....jammies.  It is way too early to shower and get this day going officially.

I am creating....a cocoon of peace and contentment. 

I am going....nowhere today unless I get a significant portion of my schoolwork done.  Matthew wants to go to the fabric store and my computer needs attention so a trip to the city is a possibility if a lot gets done today.

I am reading....nothing at the moment.  I have been reading bits and snatches from The Summa for Matthew's American Government class but that's about all I can manage lately.

I am hoping....that all who have no hope find it because it is the glue that holds life together and makes you able to go on.

I am hearing....the ticking of the clock on the wall, peepers in the trees outside the window, and a train going by miles away.  It must be clear out since the train sounds are best when it is clear out.

Around the house....it is dark and therefore I don't have to see if there is a mess.  Everyone had a busy weekend spent mostly outside so I would assume that this place is quite a mess.

One of my favorite things....swinging on the hammock wrapped in my husbands arms.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....schoolwork, housework, cooking, praying, living, and loving.

Here is a picture thought that I am shaing with you....

Well, Matthew, if you had wanted a toy like that we would have gotten you one.  You didn't have to take over Layn's.

Layn got bit by a bug under his eye and beside his nose.  I didn't quite capture it here but you should have seen the other guy.  He really looked quite tough.

I have a sign that one of my kids bought for me that describes my husband to a tee.  "I'd love to live in the fast lane but I am married to a speed bump."

Outside my window...it is raining and very, very wet out.  MK says we got a couple of inches yesterday and there is more supposed to come today.

I am thinking...Matthew is in a strange mood today! He keeps coming out with strange and random things.  He brightens up our day though. 

I am thankful for...the family that surrounds me.  Melissa is finally becoming human, all it takes is a cup of coffee.  Matthew makes us all smile in spite of ourselves, MK is just there, and Doug stays out of the way of the grouchy ones.

From the schoolroom...Matthew is on his own today.  I am going on a field trip for school to Seneca Falls.

From the kitchen...somebody should get something out of the freezer.  It is wishful thinking to figure that the pizza from last night will last the day.  Matthew has three pieces on his plate.

I am wearing...jammies!!!!! warm jammies.

I am creating...order from chaos, I hope.

I am going....to Seneca Falls to do a little research into the Women's Suffrage Movement. 

I am reading...nothing for pleasure.  My brain is going to explode from all of the other stuff that I am reading for school.

I am hoping...to pass a Dunkin Donuts on my way today since Doug and Melissa drank all of the coffee and I got a paltry half cup.

I am hearing...Doug talking to MK about paying the homeowners insurance, Matthew rattling his fork and plate as he eats his pizza, and Melissa driving out of the driveway on her way to work.

Around the house....can you believe that there are toys all over the place!  Layn is only four months old and already he is leaving his toys all over the house.  I like it.

One of my favorite things....the day we spent yesterday.  It poured rain all day but we were cozy and content inside.  Doug baked bread while MK and Melissa knitted, Matthew and I worked on school and Ian and Layn napped. 

A few plans for the rest of the week...the usual plus a little bit more along with whatever may come our way.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...

Last Wednesday Matthew, MK, and I went up to a friend's camp in the Adirondacks.  We had to scramble to get work done to free up the day but it was so worth it.

While we were there Paige started a knitting project.  I like it when kids keep themselves busy.

Matthew and Brett took a walk and found a box of wet matches.  I have yet to discover the usefulness of that discovery.

Mary-Kate gathered some reeds when she was out kayaking and decided to weave herself a basket. 

Bretts dad and mom cooked us a delicious lunch before we sadly had to leave to come home.  There is nothing like a day spent in the mountains.  Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Snell.

Another secret term in the secret language of couples, especially this couple is fireworks.  Up until he met me and we became a couple I don't think that my husband thought twice about fireworks.  He watched them if they happened to be in front of them but never went out of his way to find fireworks to watch.  Then I came along and fireworks became part of that mystical thing that being part of a couple entails.  Fireworks do something to me, even my children notice it when they are with me and I am watching them.  They bring out the child in me.  Peals of unrestrained laughter come from my insides and I cannot contain them.

So it is that fireworks are part of that romantic arsenal that my husband uses to speak to that togetherness that we share.  He will drive, within reason, to take me to see fireworks.  He is totally unembarassed by the child that his wife becomes while watching the lights in the sky.  Fortunately for us we are wonderfully situated in where we live that whenever several of the towns around us have fireworks we can see them right from our home.  Just last night we watched a spectacular display from the back of Ian's pick-up parked beside the shop.  No one else was the wiser for the giggles and guffaws that were coming from the back of the truck either.   Thank you Douglas for knowing how to show a girl a good time.

Raise a few and you will soon find yourself writing again.

My husband, if the word romance or romantic were to be said in reference to him, would be the first person to start laughing and without doubt laugh the loudest.  The concept of romance, in the traditional, teenage girl sense of the word seems to be the farthest thing from his personality.  Yet my husband is a most romantic person, mainly because he was crafted first by God and then by our life together to be so, for me and only for me. 

Every couple, when they have spent as many years together as we have and has endured the range of experiences that we have, has their own "language" that only they know the translation to.  I am not talking about endearments such as honey and sweety and things like that.  Rather I am talking about everyday ordinary things that can be said by others and have no significance beyond the common meanings of the words, yet if one of the spouses were to speak that phrase to the other it takes on a whole new meaning which is deeper and much more hopeful than its ordinary meaning.

One such phrase for my husband and I has to do with the sunset.  There is no need for others to know the meaning nor is there a way to explain but all he has to do is ask me if I have noticed the sunset tonight, especially when he is working late on some distant farm, and he is instantly right beside me.  There is safety and warmth in that phrase for me.

I was recently reminded of that Wednesday evening when everyone around here kept asking me where he was and I said I didn't know.  Truly I had no idea where the farm was that he was threshing hay on.  But when reminded about the sunset I knew that he would be home for sure, all I had to do was be patient.  In the meantime all I had to do was gaze at the sky and look deep in my heart to find his closeness.  Then the arms of his love came stealing around me and the warmth of his smile covered me and I knew that he was there with me looking at the same sky that I was.

Layn had a check-up on Tuesday, of course he was pronounced perfect.  He is 15 pounds 14 ounces and 25 inches long.  Only one thing bad happened, Granny got in trouble for feeding him graham crackers too soon.

He was given permission for yellow fruits and vegetables though.  Melissa decided that bananas would be his first treat.  It is quite obvious that he has no objection to her choice of first fruit.

No spoons for this boy just bring it on and he can do the rest!

Matthew and Ian now have competition for the graham crackers.  If we thought that we couldn't keep them in the house before!

Outside my window.....some big thunderstorms just rolled through.  The air already smells fresher and cleaner.  Another couple storms like that and all the allergins in the air should be laid to rest! (one can only hope.)

I am thinking.....that there is much to do today but for some wonderful and strange reason I don't feel the same urgency that I usually feel on Monday.  I am wondering if I am becoming like Melissa (a good thing) and just learning to take things as they come and concentrating on what is most important, the children.

I am thankful for....Matthew being home.  I missed him being gone for two weeks and I still keep enjoying looking up and seeing him come into a room.

From the schoolroom....after I write this week's plans Matthew and I will get down to the work of filling our collective minds with information.

From the kitchen....that is a good question.  Are there enough leftovers from yesterday to make it through today or does someone need to cook?  I shall have to investigate.

I am wearing....my jammies and thank goodness 'cause Layn just spit up on me twice.

I am creating....ideas, well formed ideas and plans, well executed plans.

I am going....to do as much of my schoolwork today as I can get done.  I would like Wednesday off so I can go to the mountains and get some peace.

I am reading....actually re-reading The Right Stuff for English class.  Don't recommend it not a fun read at all.

I am hoping....against hope and building hopes and dreams.

I am hearing....the coffeemaker churning out its second pot of the day, Layn fussing to himself as Matthew tries to put him to sleep, and the insects in the grass outside my window singing their rather watery morning song.

Around the house...Melissa is washing up the breakfast dishes, Matthew is checking his email, and MK is doing something else.  Mornings like this fill me up with peace and contentment.  The cool air is coming in the open windows and the scent of rain and ozone from the storm are strong around me.  I hear Orio bellering in the pasture across the road and the swish of car tires on the wet pavement as they pass the house and I wonder in passing if the drivers can feel the difference that surrounds this house and not the houses of other families.

One of my favorite things....chatting with Matthew on FB when he is just in the next room.

A few plans for the rest of the week....excell in school, be the best mother that I can be to my children, be an enviable wife to my husband, and a true friend to all.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you....

Last week Matthew and Brett treated the whole family to their delicious pizza.  We really did miss Matthew just for himself and not his cooking but having him cook was great too.

Last week one day it was very warm and muggy and Layn was not a happy boy so we went over to a friends house and used their pool.  This kid is going to be one of those who turns blue and has to be ordered out before he will give up the pool.

Four months old yesterday!!!!  He doesn't look very pleased about it or could he be wanting Matthew to change his diaper?