My Poor Cuppa

You know you have kids when you're innocently drinking your warm cuppa Chai tea, soaking up the solitude that only a warm cuppa something can offer amidst the noisy din of a home overflowing with Blossoms and their activity, when you sip and think.  You again sip and ponder.  Then, you hear it.  A clinking.  You gaze around confusedly.  The clinking doesn't seem to be originating from din around you.  In horror, you realize the clinking is coming from inside your cuppa tea.  You reluctantly stare downward into your rich, warm Chai, only to see pink plastic peeking back at you. 

"What in the world?"

Retrieving a butter knife from the drawer, you fish out a plastic pink ring and it all comes together. 

Your littles had been on the counter, admiring the paint color that's about to go on the back door and using their toy hair dryer to lovingly and painstakingly cool off your tea for you.  Someone neglected to mention to you that the end of the hair dryer dropped into your tea.  That must have been the moment when they mysteriously disappeared to play outside. At least it wasn't the blue paint stick dunked in your tea.

Somethings

If we had tea today, I might share a whole bunch of "somethings" to go along with the "somethings" from your every day life that you'd share with me.  Why not brew a "cuppa" and enjoy these somethings with me?

Something that's working:
Abbie over at M is for Mama shared a fantastic tip that is helping peace to reign in our home.  She instituted 7:30 nightly clean-ups that involve everyone.  I've always done a nightly clean-up, but like Abbie, I'd fallen into the trap of believing that it was all on me, with only a smattering of Blossom help.  I'd be grouchy every night, discouraged at how hard we'd worked all day and how I couldn't get it all done to start again in the morning.  Yep, we make big messes here, but we've got lots of minions to help clean up.  Every night.  At 7:30.  And they lived happily ever after.  Plus, I've taken it a step further.  If we happen to be busy at 7:30 pm, I schedule the alarm for an appropriate time to clean up before we all hit the hay for the night.  #itworks and #itsabeautifulthing



Something that's hard:
Homeschooling is hard.  By that, I mean that it takes a lot of steady, gritty, sweaty, hard plodding to make good progress.  Right now, one of my Blossoms just really would rather daydream instead of work.  What should take her til 1:30 pm in the afternoon, has become an all day process.  We're doing mama reminders.  We've done 10 minute fresh air breaks.  We rearranged the school room to help keep a busy little sister not quite always in the line of sight, but basically, we're just plowing through.  At some point, you gotta learn that the quickest way to get schoolwork done, is to do it.  It isn't always fun, but not everything in life is fun.  I came through this stage successfully, as did some of my other Blossoms, so I'm optimistic that we'll weather it well.

Something exciting:
Blossom3 and I have a mommy date at the ballet coming up.  I'm super excited to see Sleeping Beauty with her.  Based on how well Swan Lake and Cinderella went over, this should pan out to be a delightful and inspiring evening. 

Something lovely:
I'm totally digging the scarlet carnations given to us after a friend's wedding.  It's so pleasant to see the splash of vivid color they bring to the dining room table and kitchen island. 

Something funny:
At previously mentioned wedding, the Blossoms were given peacock feathers.  This morning I arrived in the school room to discover quite the calligraphy in progress.  They'd soaked markers in water to detract the "ink" and then used said "ink" to dip their quills into.  I couldn't really argue with the fact that peacock quills have gotta be the "glammest" writing instrument ever.

Well, friends, thanks for sitting down to have a "cuppa" with me.  Have a terrific weekend.

Dominique

What first?

I read this post on Living Well, Spending Less.  It was a terrific and well written reminder to do the most important things first.  For moms, that's easier said than done.  A mom's morning often plays out like this:

You're trying to have a morning quiet time, enjoying the peace and quiet with your morning cuppa, only to be interrupted by having to strip down a peed in bed.  Then, inevitably, the dog pukes.  Of course, after that, the children act like it's been DAYS since they last ate.  Next, the phone rings and you're in the throes of resolving that issue.  Next, you receive news from two blond farm hands, that a chicken has a torn wattle.  And, you're not even dressed yet! 

This verse struck me this morning. 

"...being careful to engage in good deeds,
things that are good and profitable to others." 
(Titus 3:8, my paraphrase)

Yes, despite my best efforts, my mornings sometimes look like the above.  I know you can relate.  I'm determined to do the most important things first.  Those things that matter so much to the Rugged Mountain Man and me - I'll keep bumping them to the top of the list, to the freshest parts of my day. 

I want to pay attention to doing good, doing right, doing God's will. 

Big and Little

I confess, as I sat in my chair this morning, having my morning cuppa tea and quiet time, I was jolted with the remembrance that I have a blog.  You can laugh; I did.  The blur overtook us for a few days.   And, it was oh so worth it.  But more pictures and such another time.  I'm resting today.

During my quiet time, I've been pondering things that we want to pass on to the girls, things that we want to be sure to teach them.  This morning I prayed specifically for insight into our children's hearts and wisdom and understanding for my dealings with them.  Later on, when soaking up some rest and reveling in long-awaited restful recreational reading, Blossom4 bounced in.  She climbed into my lap and snuggled up in the way that we usually start each morning.  I tickled her and told her that she did good staying dry all night, the usual Mommy and Blossom4 morning chatter.  She piped up,

"Mama, when I jump on yo' bed, I am BIG." 

My thoughts immediately starting moving past what seem to be a meaningless and random childish statement.  After a moment's pause, I asked,

"What are you at bedtime?"

She replied with, "I am dust a yittle girl den." 

Blossom1 at 1yr old!

We moved on to other teasing.  "What are you when Daddy tickles you?"  "What are you when Mama helps you?" and giggles ensued, but the pattern remained.  She was big, invincible and independent at times and vulnerable and little at other times. 

This conversation has given me much food for thought all morning.  Once babies are passed the high and obvious need stage, our society pressures us that they are and must act independent and unattached.  I know.  As a mom, I've felt the pressure in situations too numerous to count.  Our children feel independent at times, yet there are still times and moments of vulnerability, in which they are just children, needing us.  I feel as though the Lord has granted me a shaft of understanding into my children's hearts.  They are growing in independence and skills, but there are times the Blossoms really are "just little girls."  I want to use this knowledge and insight into their hearts to respond in compassion and mercy, by God's grace.  My heart whispered gratitude at this simple answer to a mama's prayer. 
Dominique

If We Had Tea

If you stopped by and had tea with me today, I'd welcome you in.  I'd take your coat and draw you into the kitchen, amidst the deep-throated barks of Jake and Rory and the squeals and giggles of the Blossoms.  Most folks elect to settle around our kitchen island when we have tea together. 

Once our hands are hugging mugs of our favorite cuppa, the conversation meanders.  We chit-chat about your Thanksgiving and what your kids thought of the recent snow; we might even talk about yesterday. 

Yesterday was an exhausting day.  A million details and logistics were being juggled by the Chief Domestic Engineer of this place (me), since the last two weeks were very busy with no really break in the action. 

And the Blossoms have a million questions about every thing that's upcoming.  Because there were so many balls in the air and so many details to discuss and so many Blossoms asking me questions thirty times a day, I'm really make an effort to keep them in the loop at breakfast.  You could call it a morning meeting, I suppose.  It's a really simple step that helped this mama not be overwhelmed by questions, details and all the things I must handle and figure out.

Why is this important to me?  The girls can't contribute and help, unless they know details.  They are people, valuable people.  I never want them to feel that I'm too tired for them. 

I'm super thankful for mercy.  I had a couple stops to make yesterday and when I stopped at my favorite bargain Amish store, I used my last check.  This is only a big deal because there were butchered chickens to be picked up next at the Amish butcher. 

I was mortified when I realized that they did not accept cards and I truly had no way to pay to pick up my meat.  Since I've done business with the butcher on numerous occasions, he let me take my chickens and send the check in the mail.  For a busy mama, this small bit of mercy meant an awful lot.  When I receive these moments of mercy, they are concreted in my mind.  I am immensely grateful and, hopefully, graciously ready to extend them to others. 

Friend, in every day, busy or calm, we can drown in the details and the mistakes, or we can see the mercy and share it.  

The Framework of It

"In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus."  

(I've talked here and here and here about my other favorite morning quote.)  

Around here, mornings are only sometimes gorgeous sunrises and cuddly Blossoms.  Other times, they look more like rounding up ducks that mysteriously got out, discovering dog puke in the carpet and corralling hungry children kind of mornings.

No matter the day, my standard morning has this framework:

~ Make my bed.  It just makes me feel better and makes my room look cleaner.

~ Dress for the whole day.  I don't usually feel like getting dressed or putting on makeup, but that's the time I have to do it, so I do.

~ Drink delicious black tea.  I love lots of varieties, so whether it's Chai, English breakfast or Earl Grey, I have a hot cozy cuppa something in my mornings.  Sadly, Blossom4 likes to steal some of it once it has cooled off, so the phrase "good to the last drop," doesn't really apply to me.

~ Spend time with God - to read His Words, to pray, to listen, to think, to mull, to be still.

~ Journal.  I jot down thoughts, reflections, concerns, verses, events, feelings, desires, disappointments, sins, hopes, dreams, revelations, whatever comes to mind.  And, if I can think of nothing to write, I write at least one sentence that begins with, "Today I'm thankful for..." 

Dominique

PS - The ironic thing about this pic is that it's actually a sunset.  Never let the beautiful internet fool you.

Oh, the mysteries

Q: What do you call a morning cuppa tea, mysteriously cold and suddenly loaded with ice cubes?

A: Chai-jacked


(Ahem, Blossom3 & Blossom4 were responsible.)

C'mon and Color, it's Fall!!

With the onslaught of colder weather, I've been able to pick up my doodling again. 

 

I loving occupying my hands with a fountain pen and some doodle inspiration

while I watch a football game with the Rugged Mountain Man. 

 

Throw in a cuppa tea and that's a recipe for a delightful fall evening. 

I preach "Steady plodding makes good progress" A LOT here.  I'm pretty sure the Rugged Mountain Man first said it to me when we were dating, probably in the context of the youth ministry I was leading at the time.  It's a concept that's proven true and valuable countless times since then. 

 

A friend of mine has "In having children, I've lost my mind, but found my soul."

as her email tag line.  It makes me smile every time I see it.

 

 

It captures the craziness of motherhood,

while admitting the redemptive qualities that we love about this child-rearing gig. 

 

Nothing brings all of our girlies together as quickly as coloring does. 

No matter the age difference, we enjoy coloring together. 

I like that they are coloring wholesome words too;

perhaps dwelling on them as they add their touches to the page. 

 

Take a moment to snag a coloring page and sit down with your young'uns this evening.

A Few Notes on Tea

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." 

~ C.S. Lewis

I thoroughly enjoy tea time... 

any time... 

all the time!  I especially enjoy loose leaf teas.  The flavor is superior to that of pre-bagged teas, though I can hardly be considered a snob.  I still drink it pre-bagged too!  

There's a ritualistic quality to preparing loose leaf teas in the morning and I enjoy that.  I purchase the most basic varieties from my local Amish health food store, flavors like English Breakfast and plain Black tea.  I love to order teas from The Herb Shop.  Doing a bulk order a few times a year keeps it affordable.  Their Irish Breakfast tea is one of my absolute favorites!  Over the past month, I've savored several cups of their Christmas Spice blend.  It's cozy spicy notes are perfect for this season.

A friend gave me the most exquisite Earl Grey loose leaf blend as a thank you when she returned from the shore a few months ago.  It's like drinking the creme de la creme!  I was sorry to see the end of that little paper bag.

I don't like to fiddle around with too many gadgets that need to be cleaned after my relaxing cuppa, so I prefer to use these paper tea bags.  They make drinking loose leaf tea much more enjoyable and much less work!  Be careful not to order the large size by accident though!

Since tea is an all day affair here, purchasing an electric tea kettle about four years ago has been a good decision.  This little work horse gets heated up at least four times a day.

Especially on our busy Thursdays, I love to take some tea along on our errands.  This travel mug keeps it hot for a LONG time.  The reviews are excellent and the price is affordable.  I also gave some as gifts this year because they came so highly recommended.  I love mine!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put the water on.  The wind and snow are blustering outside and a cup of Christmas Spice is calling.

Dominique

Winter Lately

Lately I am:

Laughing~
Over my brother's white board comment.  I left it up for the last few weeks just so I'd smile every time I walked by.

Excited~

About all this snow!  It's so nice to be able to do wintery things in winter! We sure have enjoyed the sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and snowball fights.  We discovered that Blossom3 has really great balance!  I guess that's not surprising, considering that once upon a time, balance beam was my favorite event in gymnastics.  Anyway, I hope the snow keeps coming.  The Rugged Mountain Man even got out and did a little ice fishing with some friends!  We haven't been ice skating yet, but there's still plenty of winter left so I'm hopeful!

Planning~

To take the Christmas tree down tomorrow.  The Blossoms and I agree that it's finally time.  It was still so festive and inviting in the living room, so we've been soaking up the coziness.  Now we're embracing the next winter holidays here ~ Valentines Day and the Rugged Mountain Man's birthday!

Thankful~

For a truck and a plow and Tractor Supply curbside pickup and Berne overalls and virtually indestructible vintage Woolrich coats and my new ponytail beanie and all the little (big) things that make rural life easier and so much more enjoyable!

Reading~

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's an old favorite of mine.  My sister made a passing reference in conversation the other day and I've been ping-ponging through it ever since.  I'm reveling in the exquisite language and remembering why it was a childhood favorite.  I'm wondering if it will be one of our next read-alouds, although I'm sure I won't be able to get through it without sniffling and choking up.  That's just how I am.

I've also been flying through some recent releases by Christy Barritt.  She's a squeaky clean Christian suspense writer that tends to put out solid reading material.  I especially like all her Lantern Beach series.  I dislike having to spend a lot of time finding good reading material, so I often rely on tried and true authors or old favorites when I get a minute to read.  

Drinking~

Yorkshire Gold tea!  It's a new tea that I tried from the Herb Shop and it's a bold and sturdy pick-me-up in the morning.  Our latest tea order came, causing much joy over being able to restock our favorites.  The Blossoms have been enjoying Apricot, Pineapple Orange Herbal and Pomegranate teas as a hot cuppa or a refreshing glass of iced tea.  The tea kettle is always bubbling and the tea always steeping around here.  

I enjoyed catching up with you a little today.  

Sending hugs and cozy winter wishes from our Hollow to your home,

Dominique

An Adventure in NYC

It all started with a scavenger hunt on Christmas morn.  Six clues later, 

the Blossoms were delighted to discover that in 17 days, we were venturing to New York City to spend the day at American Girl Place.  They made it their first order of business to tweak the now obsolete Christmas countdown to an American Girl trip countdown.

The day began at 4:30 am, with the girlies choring in the dark first, and then clambering into the van with a hot "cuppa" for each of us.

The drive went smoothly, as we avoided rush hour and pulled into our pre-reserved parking garage space.  We walked ten minutes to American Girl Place, which the Blossoms actually spotted first, with shouts of, "THERE IT IS.  I SEE THE AMERICAN GIRL STARS!!!

The store is divided into different sections - contemporary characters, Girl of the Year, BeForever dolls, Just Like You dolls, Bitty Babies and Wellie Wishers.  There are beautiful displays to just look at and a plethora of displays to be played with and rearranged by lovely little girlies like mine.

Blossom3 and Blossom4 are checking out a recording studio set for the Melody character, straight out of the 1960s.  

I loved how the displays brought to life the girls and the nuances of history they've read about.

There was a section devoted to the MegaConstrux American Girl sets.  Since our girlies are into Legos, they found this area to be very intriguing.

Check out this model of NYC made entire out of Lego-type blocks.  Their favorite characters were sprinkled throughout the display... and mine too!

And that NYC skyline!

The Rugged Mountain Man enjoyed watching the Blossoms savor all the girlie American Girl nuances.  

Eventually though, those feet got tired.  

We'd arrived at 10:15 am, so it was time to take a break with a Samantha movie before our next reservation

at the doll salon!!!! Clad in American Girl cranberry colored shirts, the Blossoms lined up to have their dolls' hair made to look new again.

They'd labored over which hairstyle to choose for the previous seventeen days.

Their stylists did a phenomenal job and even threw in a few insider tips on how to take care of their dolls' hair.  We ended up being thoroughly pleased with this splurge.  It's been a month and the Blossoms STILL haven't taken the hair styles out.  The stylists know what they are doing and make it last.  Ten thumbs up from all the females in this house!

The little things made a big impact too; the girlies thoroughly enjoyed riding the escalators up and down to each section.  We visited each section numerous times.

The snazzy pink Christmas decorations added to the glitz and glam that four girlies whole-heartedly appreciated.

Blossom1 was also particularly inspired by Tenney's banjo. 

She came home and made this guitar for her doll, Elizabeth.  I'm impressed!

With our morning muffins and McDonald's stop a very distant memory, we were more than ready for our reservation at the American Girl Cafe. We watched Grace and explored the book section while we waited to be summoned.  

Let's just say that their signature pink lemonade may have stolen the show at the Cafe.  For those of you who've read the American Girl books, the pink lemonade is from Samantha's birthday celebration.  It's quintessentially American Girl!  Even McKenna was tickled to have her own pink lemonade.

The Blossoms got their dolls settled in their doll seats, all the while delighted with doll-sized cups, plates and place mats.  They proceeded to sip an inordinate amount of pink lemonade, not that I blame them or anything.  

Afterward, we perused every display again, about sixty times, so they could pick their outfit to take home.  Such a difficult decision, but they did manage to resolve it as you can see by this shot the next morning.  Fancy doll hair and fancy doll outfits!

Though Daddy probably would've been done at American Girl Place after only half an hour, we didn't depart until 4:00 pm!  He and I agreed that we wanted the Blossoms to squeeze every last drop of delight out of our visit there.  And we did.  

#bestdayever

We walked the streets of New York, constantly admiring the skyline.

The flags of the world were a hit too, as Blossom2 has a particular interest in flags and their countries.

We perused the Rockefeller Center and ice rink, as well as the Lego Store that you can see off to the right in the above picture.  It was very crowded, so we just did a walk-through, enjoying the magnificent Lego creations there. 

The Blossoms were very tired by this time and dusk was rapidly drawing near.

After walking through the magnificent St. Patrick's cathedral,

 we journeyed back to our van, sighing with satisfaction in resting our feet and having seen something the Blossoms and I have wanted to do and see for a long, long time.  

Navigating homeward during rush hour was long, difficult and a bit strange.  The Rugged Mountain Man had to learn to drive like a New Yorker.  We were also a bit puzzled by the police in Times Square donning riot gear, bulletproof vests and grabbing tear gas amidst peacefully strolling pedestrians.  Perhaps they were preparing for the normal Friday night party crowd?

As the temperature was rapidly dropping and excessive rain fell with an ice storm looming on the horizon, we made our way out of the city at a snail's pace.  The Rugged Mountain Man and I made a stellar navigation team; he at the wheel and I wielding smart phones, maps, snacks and an extra set of eyes.  We were grateful to beat the storm home and sent prayers of gratitude to the Lord as we lay in our beds for only a half an hour when the sleet began to ping off our bedroom windows.  

During our dinner at the Cafe, Blossom3 was asking fun little ice-breaker questions off the back of her dolly place mat.  When she posed the question "What is the greatest adventure you've ever been on?" we looked at one another, grinned and piped up in total unison, "THIS ONE!"

Although... the Rugged Mountain Man says next time, we are going to Wyoming, 

where there are no people.

Dominique