Random Look at our Life

1. What is being read in our house this week.

Great Truths of the Bible is an excellent workbook to accompany a thorough Bible study and we have really been enjoying it.

And as a family of bookworms these are the books that are currently being read:

Rosebud is engrossed in The Only Sister

Sailor enjoys any books by Lewis B. Miller and is buried in the adventures found between the covers of When the Wemmikaw Levee Broke

I have been inspired by the book Uniquely His  Love, Matilda   and I'm also enjoying the latest book by Suzanne Woods Fisher, The Keeper

Sunbeam is working her way through a book filled with short stories, Storytime with Grandma, and then telling me everything she just read.

And the current read aloud for the whole family is an ancient book Valley of the Giants

And for cooking inspiration. The 2010 edition The Best of Country Cooking

2. What we are currently listening to.

Right now we are again going through the Pineapple Story Series by Otto Koning. Our whole family really enjoys this series and we laugh, become inspired, and always have a lot of food for thought when ever we listen to it.

3. What our house smells like.

 Okay, so the entire house doesn't smell this way. But anyone who enters our living room can tell that a baby lives here.

I'm not burning any candles right now or using any other scents for the house. So really our house has an interesting combination of scents. Baby soaps etc. what ever food we are cooking in  the kitchen, and desserts baking in the oven, the unique smell of wood and coal heat, so warm and cozy.

4. Games we have been playing.

Playing board games is something that gets done a lot in our family, especially in the evenings during the winter. These three are being played the most these past few weeks.

5. What we have been watching.

Sheffey ranks as one of the best movies in our house. The children enjoy the Little House series usually reserved as a treat for Sunday evenings.

6. Things that make us smile.

Ever since little Buddy has arrived we have all been amused and enjoy the many different expressions he has. Here he had just finished a bath and was still trying to express his feelings about it while be dressed.

Answering Questions ~ Continued

Did or do you ever wish you could have had a higher education?

Right after I graduated from eighth grade I wished I could continue going to school. The Somerset County Amish do require students to attend their vocational classes until they are fifteen. Those were usually held every Wednesday forenoon.

Having those classes effectively weaned me from school and I soon viewed them as much more of a nuisance than anything else.

I didn't dream of becoming anything except being the best wife and mother possible and to receive that type of education I was much better equipped to learn to do all the mundane things cheerfully at home with my mother where I learned efficient housekeeping skills, the love of cooking and baking, childcare, gardening and preserving a year or more worth of food, and sewing among other life skills.

I do not regret that I spent my time like that rather than sitting in some kind of school. Having been given the choice I would probably have chosen to continue my education but I can honestly say I'm glad that choice wasn't mine.

I'm in no way trying to insinuate that having a higher education makes less than capable wives and mothers. I'm simply glad I got to spend as much time as possible at home with my mother who was also my best friend.

Resolutions

Do you make New Year's resolutions?   I usually don't spend a lot of time mapping out goals for an entire year it's enough for me to meet all my daily goals with out the extra pressure of having an entire year looming over me with high and lofty goals that probably won't be reached.

That being said, there are a few things I would like to do this year. One of them is take a lot more pictures  and the other one is to lose all the baby weight I had gained.

I'm off to a good start. Having a baby in the house seems to provide a lot of photo opportunities. Like this one:

And the second goal.... oh wait, I reached it already! For the first time ever those extra pounds didn't hang around long after the baby arrived. I think I'll do a happy dance!

I enjoy reading every one's New Year's resolutions on the blogs I visit but my favorite so far belongs to my friend Cherie. You can hop on over and read her post here.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Busy, happy, anticipation.

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?

After years of gagging at the very sight of shrimp, 2011 was the year when I finally learned to really like them. Since learning to like them I haven't found a way that I don't like them. I'm especially fond of shrimp salads and breaded shrimp.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

Thanks to Sailor all the Christmas decorations came down and were packed away the day after Christmas.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

No. I much prefer watching feel good movies or something that inspires me.

5. Ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

I try to stay as far away from ice that I can so ice skating is definitely out and since I really don't want to risk breaking a leg or arm I don't have a longing to learn how to spend time on the slopes skiing or snow boarding even though we have numerous beautiful ski resorts in our area. I haven't gone sledding for almost ten years now but of the four choices I think I would have to go with sledding.

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

I had several different childhood hideouts that lasted for different periods of time. The first one was an old crab apple tree that had very low branches. I used to climb up on one of the biggest branches and rest against the trunk of the tree and enjoy reading. It used to be especially fun doing that while it was blooming. I almost felt like a princess then being surrounded with all those lovely soft pink apple blossoms.

The hideout that lasted the longest from nine years old until I got married was an old graveyard tucked sweetly in the middle of a patch of woods. There was something about that quiet peaceful spot that I really loved. The soft moss, the violets in springtime, the way the sun shone into the graveyard. It was a great spot to read or simply spend time alone with my thoughts and dreams.

7. What's a place or space that motivates you?

When ever I step into our storage room I feel motivated to spend time sewing and doing other crafts. I have quite an assortment of projects waiting to be done.  Another spot is the recliner when I'm up with the baby in the middle of the night and all sorts of story bits run through my mind for the books I'm working on.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm really looking forward to start deep cleaning the house. I didn't get the fall housecleaning done so I'm thinking I'll combine fall and spring cleaning starting in a few weeks.

Moments in 2011

I think it's always interesting to look back over a year's worth of moments and see which ones stand out as worthy to be remembered fondly for years to come. This morning I asked the children what some of the things were that they liked the best last year and after hearing everything decided I would share some of it with you.

All three of them agreed that they loved when the power went out and after our assortment of candles were lit we would all sit in the living room to listen as their Daddy told them a continued story about the adventures of three curious children. Since he made it up as he went along we all enjoyed the many twists and turns of the story. We are waiting for the next power outage to learn what happens next.

Next up they agreed that our daily afternoon walks last spring and early summer where we would walk to the top of the hill behind the barn and along a little path in the woods where we would admire the latest blooming wildflowers and the pretty ferns. The conversations we had on our walks were a lot of fun as well.

The few days that our placid little creek that winds through the pasture before passing under the bridge and continuing it's journey to a much bigger river turned into a raging river sweeping everything in it's path away. Including a little calf. Thankfully the calf survived, the creek returned to it's normal size and we have only a handful of pictures and the memories to go with them to remind us of that flood.

Rosebud and Sunbeam both agreed that all the baking and other cooking lessons they had was something they really enjoyed. Sailor added that eating the things they created was even better.

He thought the Saturdays where he could go to work with his Daddy were some of the moments he never wanted to forget.

The whole family enjoyed attending a baseball game even though our favorite team wasn't the one playing. Correction: After living in Missouri for over six years Sailor was a Cardinals fan and especially liked Pujols. We have hopes that since he was traded to another team that 2012 will be the year that Sailor will become a loyal Phillies fan like the rest of us.

~~~~~

One of the highlights of the year was when my Mom came to visit for several days. I couldn't have asked for a better time with her as we enjoyed working, talking, and laughing together like we used to years ago.

The children finally got to learn to know her and are already hoping she will come visit again and stay much longer.

They remembered the fun they had with the huge piles of leaves they raked together.

Growing up as an only daughter I have enjoyed capturing sisterly moments this past year. Here they were watching the Pilgrims Progress movie and Rosebud was explaining the scary parts to Sunbeam to let her know they really aren't that scary. They had no idea I was listening to them

The whole family agrees that the very best of 2011 was welcoming our baby boy.