Question

Do you mind me changing the header picture all the time?  Is it confusing?  Or weird? I go around and see some of the most adorable blog designs out there and I'm sometimes tempted to get one... But I love being able to change the picture and colors here with my mood or with the seasons -- or just when I get a batch of new photos.  And I like the feel of movement as we travel along, like the header picture is a window on the van...  What do you think?  Do I exhibit ADD tendencies?

Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis

After almost twenty-two years...

It's the end of an era.

William,child number ten,at three and a half years old, is finally, 100% officially potty-trained!
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An Ode in Recognition of the Feat

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I've changed them sitting, standing, lying down;

I've changed them on car hoods, bathroom floors, all around town;

I've changed them on forest paths, in grassy parks, on stadium bleachers,

And occasionally in public restrooms appointed with hygenic diaper-changing features.

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My sweet little cherubs, all ten little dears --

Four diapers a day (estimated conservatively) over twenty-two years --

Doing what babies do... do...  You know we've paid  a few pipers

With countless millions of wet wipes and over thirty-two thousand diapers!

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Will I miss this season, these hectic years? 

All the story books, spit-up cloths, and alligator tears?

The diaper rashes, finger plays, and tippy cup lids...

Sitting in the back pew with noisy little kids?

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Well...

Though I can't believe how fast the years go,

In a word, friends, I have to say: No.

I'm good and ready to put down the plow.

I'm looking forward to spoiling my grandkids now!

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

You can go here for links, etc...

When a rainy day muddies up your hiking plans

As you've probably figured out, I've been trying to get a day away with all of my children before the weather goes bad on us, and as you probably know, hiking is our favorite form of entertainment.  Besides allowing for the enjoyment of the beautiful world God gave us, it also provides plenty of talk-time -- and it's cheap. What more could we ask?  So far I've gotten to go on hikes with Kevin, Jon, Dominic and Michelle, and this past weekend was Theresa's turn. 

But. It rained. 

What are a couple of girls with hiking shoes and a camera to do?

Here's what we did.

We drove down to beautiful Manitou Springs, Colorado, where we were happily surprised to see that the weather had curtailed the usually brisk tourism.  We had company on the streets, but it was light and polite.

A rainy day has some good side benefits, other than watering the flowers.

And there were plenty of indoor things to do around Manitou.  First thing, we went to Miramont Castle, the beautiful home built by a French Catholic priest for his mother in the 1890s.  After he and his mother left Colorado around the turn of the century, the good priest left the castle to the Sisters of Charity, who transformed it into a hospital.  By World War II, the Church had released the buildings and the castle was renovated to house ten apartments, part of the effort to relieve the post war housing shortage.  Over the years, it fell into unfortunate disrepair, but was rescued by the Manitou Springs Historical Society in 1971.  Its renovation to its original state continues to this day.  It's a beautiful, fascinating building, well worth the visit.  And the four stories make for a good indoor hike!

 

Here's Theresa's purple umbrella, passing a cute little gingerbread Bed-and-Breakfast, as we approach the castle.

Here are a couple shots of the interior.  Theresa and I were all about the dresses.  "Why can't we dress like that now?" Theresa wants to know.  I want to know, too.  So modest, so feminine.  But I wouldn't want to hike up a mountain dressed in one of these...

The notice posted on this hundred-year-old piano said that "accomplished pianists" could play.  Theresa played "Ode to Joy."  And she sounded quite accomplished. I wish I'd filmed it, but hadn't figured out how to use that function on my new camera yet...

Here was the good Father's room; antique vestments (though not necessarily his) are displayed.

Then, we toodled around the town a little, checking out the cute shops, glad we had our umbrellas with us as we watched other shoppers running from doorway to doorway, trying to stay dry.

Here's just one example of the many neat old buildings of the town...

Another good way to stay out of the rain: skeeball in a vintage arcade. 

The first time Theresa ever played skeeball and the first time in many, many years that I had.

How did we do?  Four and a half dollars in quarters got us enough tickets to exchange for seven pieces of penny candy.  Pretty darn good, we thought!

Last, but not least, we stopped at a Starbucks for a couple Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Yum!  Another reason to love Autumn: Pumpkin Spice Lattes...

And a perfect way to end a drizzly, chilly, fun day.  We're not sure we aren't glad it rained.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

This feast differs somewhat from the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross (May 3rd), as it more particularly commemorates the triumph of the Cross, remembering Constantine's victory after his conversion by the sign of the cross in Heaven, but, even more so, celebrating the key Christian victory over the Turks who had taken possession of the relics of the True Cross in the early seventh century.   (Click on the title of this post to connect with the Catholic Encyclopedia's article about veneration of the cross...)

From the Introit of today's Mass: Gal. 6, 14
But it behooves us to glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ: in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection; by Whom we are saved and delivered.   Ps. 66, 2  May God have mercy on us, and bless us; may He cause the light of His countenenance to shine upon us, and may He have mercy on us.




For some links to coloring pages and activities for the day, go here.

What do you think?

Of one of my new camera's very first photos?

I'm still playing around with it...  learning all the functions and such, but so far, I love it. We ended up getting a Sony cybershot, the same camera our sons have.  It was on sale and had all the features we wanted, but it's so tiny compared to my old Kodak Easyshare I'm afraid I'm going to lose it!

But here ya go; isn't this something? One birthday present taking a picture of another birthday present -- both from Dan.  I got a couple other things I'd like to share, too.. but I'm so tired out, I'm going to fall asleep on the keyboard if I don't quit and go to bed.  In short, though, it was a wonderful birthday today.  I'll catch up on all the news and all the visits I've been missing as soon as the weekend calms down.  Hugs and many thanks for all the birthday wishes! Like Gabe says: I'm so lucky!  (And lucky = blessed in Gabespeak)

In No Particular Order

I'm thankful, Lord, for:

1. endless skies

2. Dan's brown eyes

3. pumpkin pie 

4. Your grace

5. on happy days

6. and bad

7. my mom and dad

8. cool autumn days

9. driving "back ways"

10. ziploc bags

11. milking rags

12. dear old friends

13. M&Ms

14. pink roses

15. baby toeses

16. coffee beans

17. denim jeans

18. Paul's Nicole

19. my immortal soul

20. Heaven's goal

21. William's lashes

22. dots... and -- dashes

23. the color green

24. this dumb machine

25. a house to clean

26. brooms and mops

27. "instantly slimming" tops

28. flipflops

29. dye and henna

30. Kevvy's Emma

31. Dominic's newest dilemma

32. Anna's lost shoes

32. Cathy's baby blues

33. little boys and Blues Clues

34. Bookmarks holding Theresa's place

35. Gabe's embrace

36. Michelle's p.p.p.p.poker face

37. Dan's breakfasts

38. a baby's first kiss

39. Paul's lists

40. Jon's tunes

41. harvest moons

42. forks and spoons

43. a good dark beer

44. being here

45. another year

Upon Turning 45

As Summer into Autumn slips

 by Emily Dickinson

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As Summer into Autumn slips

And yet we sooner say

"The Summer" than "the Autumn," lest

We turn the sun away,
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And almost count it an Affront

The presence to concede

Of one however lovely, not

The one that we have loved --
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So we evade the charge of Years

On one attempting shy

The Circumvention of the Shaft

Of Life's Declivity.

Another tramp through the woods...

The Road Not Taken

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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

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Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same, 

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And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back. 
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I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

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~ Robert Frost

Michelle and I went for a hike in the mountains and woods west of Sedalia, Colorado, on Sunday afternoon.  It's a long story, but the plan was to find a fire watch tower we'd read about.  We started out on the wrong path to begin with, though, and then we came to a fork in the trail. We took the one less traveled, and this is what we found:

Rocks, rocks everywhere.  Boulders, big and small -- of all shapes and sizes and man-size boulders, like this one, balancing on the edge of mountain-size boulders.

Lots of funny mushroom shaped rocks like this one (above).

Can you see the face in this one? 

( There were definitely trolls in these woods.)

 

Lots of fun, relatively safe boulders to climb.

These boulders arranged like Stonehenge reminded us of what happened to Bilbo's Trolls in The Hobbit.

After a bit, we hiked our way around a large stone outcropping...

....

.... and found the coolest cave!

Then we climbed onto some boulders near the cave and looked out across the ravine to the craggy mountainside -- the path more traveled where we were originally going to go.

And we looked down around our feet and found some first signs of fall.

On turning back, we saw the back of the large rock formation, over the cave.

Do you see what we saw?

We thought he looked like an Easter Island fellow (the guy from Night at the Museum, Dumdum, who likes gumgum), a Henson Muppet, or just another rock troll that lives in these enchanted woods.

The views, grand and tiny, were spectacular.  We had a wonderful time, and were grateful we'd taken the trail less traveled.  It was a glorious, slow, meandering day.  I'm thankful for all the chances God provides for me to slow down, and to enjoy His beautiful  creations -- particularly the wonderful gift of my first-born daughter.

When Cathy Brought This Egg In From the Henhouse...

...there were only two words:

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Poor Chicken.
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More Mostly Wordless Wednesday over at Ordinary and Awesome.

Happy Birthday, Dear Heavenly Mother!

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September's Child

September's skies are sapphire hue;

Blue gentians star the woods at morn

Near crystal pools in woodland aisles -

In this bright month a Queen was born.
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No silver fanfare filled the air

As angel wings flashed round the child;

No crown was placed upon her head,

But at her halo, Heaven smiled.
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October's trees wear rosaries

Of gold and scarlet, green and brown,

And as the west wind fingers them

The Ave-leaves drift slowly down.
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May raises high her blossom-shrines

Where bird-choirs sing their wood-notes wild,

But both these months pay homage to

A blue-gowned Queen - September's child.
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Sr. Maryanna
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** I've compiled some links for celebrating the feast day over at a saint of the day blog I've been working on.  Go here to check it out.

The Reporting Angel Peering Over the Backseat

Labor Day BBQ at the farm today.
 
Here are some random quotes overheard during the festivities:

 William: Oomph.

Uncle Steve: If you're gonna get a hug from Uncle Steve, you're gonna know you're gettin' a hug from Uncle Steve."

Gabe:  Can I have a lung?

Us: Huh?

Gabe:  One of those things.

Us:  Those are RIBS, Gabey!

Dan:  Show your mother.

 

Aunt Donna:  She's not gonna like it.

Uncle Steve:  Don't show her; don't show her!

Me:  Don't show me what?

Cathy:  The fly I caught in your tea ball. I'm gonna make it my pet.

Me: AHGGHGH!  Serilize it!



Anna:  (whisperwhisper)

Aunt Nina: I can't hear you. Don't tell me somethin' if I cain't repeat it!

Anna:  But it's a secret.

 

Aunt Nina:  Can I share it?

Anna: I don't know.

Aunt Nina:  Well, what is it?

Anna:  I don't remember.

William:  I went in the potty, Mommy.

Me:  You're such a big boy, William.

William:  Who's bigger now, me or you?

Me:  Me.

William: Howcome I'm not bigger yet?

Uncle Steve: So, Mom, let me ask you somethin'.

Grandmom: What's that, Steve?

Uncle Steve:  When you were a young thing, did you put gum behind your ear?

Grandmom:  Well, I can't say I didn't.  I think it might be something I would have done.

Steve and Me:  MOM!  You're not helping us here.

Michelle:  Yay, Grandmom!

In case you're wondering...  Following is an exerpt from a conversation earlier in the day:

Uncle Steve to Me:  So, I see  her outside and I see something green behind her ear and I think, "What is that?  A green wart?"  and I say, "What's that behind your ear, Michelle?"  And the girl grabs the green wart and pops it in her mouth just like that! (Imitates the ear to mouth "popping" motion.) And I'm watching her and I think I'll throw up!

 

Michelle: giggles.

Uncle Steve:  Why did you do that?

Me:  It's disgusting, Michelle! Why would you do that?

Michelle:  It saves on gum -- and money!

Uncle Steve:  I'll buy you some gum, girl, if you're that poor.

And there ended the chief controversial discussion of the day, as half the crowd went outside to sit in lawn chairs, gab, and swat mosquitoes, while the other half pretended to watch baseball, while they dozed on the couch. 

It was unanimously concluded that today's feast was the best in a long time.  (Hotdogs, ribs, pork and beans,  gaspacho straight from the garden, and roasted corn on the cob)   The dessert was a popular success.  (The crumbs from crumbled and failed zucchini bread muffins made into bread pudding).  All agreed that the company was excellent and the children were fairly well behaved. The only question remaining at the end of the day is whether Michelle will continue to put chewed up gum behind her ear or take up Uncle Steve on his offer to be her fresh gum supplier...

Here's hoping everyone had a blessed and joy-filled Labor Day holiday!

Labor Day Monday Daybook

What I've been thinking... I've been trying to get going on a good diet, but keep getting waylaid.  Michelle and I went on our hiking date yesterday, and so, of course, I had to have some trail mix and a cinnamon roll from a little general store we passed...  And, my birthday's coming up the end of this week, so, well, naturally, I'll have to take that day (or maybe the whole weekend...) off...  I have no will power.  It's awful.

I am reading... Recently finished an old Mary Roberts Rinehart novel called Haunted Lady. Those old who-dunnits are so much fun -- and no worries about them getting off-color!  Probably won't pick up a new novel for a while, though -- just too busy, and it's too easy to get engrossed.

What I'm wearing... peach and green gypsy skirt, peach blouse.

What's new... My brother, Steve, and his son, Marky, brought their camper out to spend the weekend with us.  We'll be having a barbecue, with them (since Unca Steve is the BBQ King of the Universe) and the rest of our extended family this Labor Day afternoon.  Another reason to not diet.

From the garden... We were starting to have a grasshopper problem, so I had the bright idea of letting some chickens in to take care of a few of them.  Which they did.  But they also ate half my cucumbers.  (They actually peck at them in such a way that they hollow them out like little cucumber boats.) And they completely trampled my zucchini plants.  If it had been anything but zucchini, such a thrashing would have been the end of the growing season.  But, well, you know how zucchini is?  Two days later, they were stretching out their big ole leaves and growing new ones, while simultaneously continuing with their nonstop squash production.  Our economy should recover so quickly.

I'm thankful for... the close proximity of most of my family and will be glad to see my parents and five of my six siblings today.  I do miss my little brother, Dave, and his new family, though! (Pictured at right.)  When Dave moved to Georgia to be with his girl, we lost the life of our parties -- or one of them anyway.  There's a big gap now!  I don't know how families do it that when everyone ends up being scattered all over the country.  It must be really hard.  And lots of mileage must get racked up!

We're creating... Actually, we've been spending the weekend beginning to winterize.  Since we live in an old stucco house, we have to go through annually and patch cracks and separations in the exterior walls.  We're also prepping to repair some bad window sills and paint some trim outside.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Besides all the regular stuff, schooling, laundry, and so on --  I get to research what kind of camera Dan's going to surprise me with for my birthday.  I would love any suggestions!  Since I'm nothing but an amateur, it needs to be easy to use, easy to download.  I'd  like it to be faster than my old camera in every way, and I'm used to the good sound and filming ability in my old camera, and would like to have that again.  Naturally, I'd like it to have good picture quality.  And be less than $100.  &:o)  No, I'm kidding.  Though that'd be nice, I think Dan would go higher than that.

One of my favorite things... Campfire marshmallow roasts with the family in the front ten.  Pictures coming of that later. Spending time with each of my children, one on one. Pictures and stories of my hike with Michelle coming this week, too. 

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing...

Getting as much summer in as we can while we can.

Top to bottom, left to right: William at the apex; Gabe and Anna, being supported by Catherine, Michelle and Theresa at the base.

(Sprinkler water dotting my lens here left it a little smudgy...)

**For more Simple Women's Daybooks (summer edition), run over to Peggy's!

Coffee: It's Not Just About the Caffeine

Part II:
If my Mom's parents were Currier and Ives, my Dad's parents were Punch and Judy.  The peace and cozy warmth of our country grandparents' home was wonderful and I'll carry the comfort of those memories with me the rest of my days, but our city grandparents' home was more about animation -- spirited talking, laughter, board games and fire engine sirens... Everything loud and stimulating.  What kid wouldn't love that?

Mommom and Pappy and my father's brother, our Uncle Art, lived in a rowhouse in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, smackdab in the middle of the action.  But, let me tell you, the traffic and fire engines and busy-citiness outside had nothing on my grandparents; there was always something going on at their house, some new gossip or a good argument lively debate, and the three of them were happy to have us come visit and join in or referee.  It was great fun.  In the summertime, a ballgame played as background music and card games on the big front porch would halt mid-play for everyone to watch the fire engines go by. My grandparents and uncle would come running out of the house to catch a glimpse of them when they passed; speculations would be made about where and how big the fire was; debate would ensue.  The card games were occasionally resumed.

Though the "big" furniture in their house dated back to the 1930s, Mommom's kitchen was all done in 1950s kitsch, original to the time.  She was all about bright colors and kooky ephemera. If you looked out the window you could see the pink flamingos, windmills, and little dutch girls in her yard.  She collected elephants and salt and pepper shakers and must have had thousands of them.  Candy or Christmas sugar cookies (during the holidays) decorated the sideboard when we visited and tupperware containers of deli meats and cheeses and special mustards waited in the fridge.  In the bread box, Mommom stocked all sorts of  breads we never got at home: pumpernickel, rye, sourdough -- no Wonder bread for my grandmother!

And there was always coffee. 

My grandmother made stout-hearted coffee, so strong you could stand a spoon in it, my mother said.  My grandfather drank it black -- all day long, but starting so early in the morning, we thought he never slept.  At our bedtime, we'd leave him sitting at the table smoking cigarettes, reading the paper, and drinking coffee* and no matter how early we got up, he'd be there at the table, smoking cigarettes, reading the paper, and drinking coffee.  My mother didn't like the strong, strong coffee and couldn't put enough cream in it, but, even as a child, I liked the very idea of coffee you could stand a spoon in. 

And I like my coffee strong to this day -- or bold, as they say now. Though I grew up to be a country girl and try to recreate  for my own family the comforts of my country grandmother's home, I have to admit I run out and look when a fire engine goes by; I often will turn on a ballgame just for the background noise; and I like a lively debate every once in a while.  And there's no denying it, because I'm the mother of ten children, my life is loud and stimulating -- and goes perfectly with my strong coffee

* Ed. Note (for the sake of my siblings who will correct me): At some point in the afternoon, Pappy's coffee cup would be exchanged for a can of Schlitz Malt Liquor Beer (I can still hear that jingle in my head after all these years).  I'm not really sure, because a kid doesn't keep a tally, but I think he nursed just a couple of cans through the afternoon. 

Other notes on my grandfather: I know it's not a politically correct thing to admit, but one of my fondest memories was getting the high honor of blowing out Pappy's match when he lit up a cigarette. He had a nickname for each of us grandkids, and mine was either "Liza Jane" or "Grammaw" (because I was his oldest grandaughter).  And, this is a somewhat ribauld memory that I hope doesn't offend, but I just have to share it:  Pappy had a little wooden outhouse, about six inches high, with a little hinged door with a crescent moon on it.  We were forbidden to open the little door -- so of course we did.  And for our disobedience, as soon as we cracked the door, the little guy in there squirted us right in the face.  And Pappy laughed and said that's what we got! 

Our grandmother was even sillier, and loved to play games and talk with us children.  I mean really talk; she told us our whole family history, shared with us what was going on in her life (and the lives of everyone she knew), and was really interested in what was going on in ours.  And she was so funny!  Even though she was just this side of tone deaf, Mommom loved to sing, and she got the biggest kick out of serenading us with songs she knew we didn't like.  Remember the song My Name's Not Lisa?  Well, I got an earful of that one for many years.  I'd love to hear her sing it for me now.

(And it wouldn't surprise me much if I did hear it, because she always said she come back and haunt us just for fun...)