May Days

The summer days have begun, with quiet time on the porch together.

With swimming at Grandma's.

With watering plants and spying pops of sumptuous color.

With greenhouse trips.

With sunshine that ministers to the soul.

With bare feet in grassy cushion.

With an out of state friend visiting and fitting right in with the Blossoms.

With little kids graduating, children that romped their childhoods with the Blossoms now growing into adulthood.

With garden green goodness on our table.

With wedding planning and pretty rural apartment hunting for Blossom1 and her fiance. (I think he needs a blog name on here!)

With Italy globe-trotting for Blossom2.

So many brights spots around here amidst hard things and everyday bumps and trials and summer work.

It's possible to celebrate great victories

and beautiful poignant motherhood moments

in the midst of pain and sorrow.

We lost my uncle unexpectedly last weekend.  

I cannot even process this tragic loss. His is a legacy of love, of children, of grandchildren, of quality time, and investing in family. He spent years simply showing up for family.  

Thinking about him propels me into times of reflection on what matters most in this little flash of a life on the radar of eternity.

Family.

Relationships.

Quality time.

Practically showing up.

Helping.

Loving.

I'm taking these musings with me through the pain and also the sunshine of these May days.

Dominique

On Bravery and Emerging Coltsfoot

One of the earliest emerging wildflowers in Pennsylvania is Coltsfoot.  Over the last several weeks, I watched and waited for these little rays of sunshine to bravely soldier upward in the unpredictable weeks of our spring weather.

I've enjoyed watching for them while their spring bravery inspires me.  

As the Blossoms mature and grow, I have purposed in my heart that I will not be a coward.  

It is tempting to make every interaction positive.  After all, the older Blossoms are no longer at home or with me all day long.  There are far less daily interactions when you look at the amount of time we've spent together over their childhood years.

Will I just be the "best friend" mom?

Will I only say the fun and easy things?  

Will I exclusively speak of the comfortable topics?

Sometimes there is prompting in my heart for things that need to be said.  

The Holy Spirit prompts and I must obey.  

Will I take the easy route?

I have told the Blossoms, "You will hear the Truth from me.  You may not be able to count on anyone else around you to bravely speak Truth, but I will do it."

That's real love.

Be brave, mamas. Listen to His prompting and speak in love.  

The Holy Spirit will continue to use us in our children's lives.

Dominique

Reset: Do the Thing

Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to run up to the cabin to fish for the day.  

I was so conflicted because Saturday is homestead work day and my much-needed catch-up day.  It seems I'm always behind in some way these days.

It's a struggle between making the memories and keeping a semblance of order.  The Rugged Mountain Man and several family members encouraged me to go, fully understanding my dilemma.

My brother and sister-in-law say it this way,

"Do the thing."

The thing you'll wish you'd done in ten years. 

Do the thing.

Hike the moutain.

Soak up the sunshine.

Take the drive.

Go fishing.

Revel in the time with your Blossoms.  

There is merit to maintaining order in your home and homestead, but for a task-oriented person like me, I truly needed the reminder to go, to rest.

So, we trekked to one of my most favorite places in the world, and embraced the slower, unplugged pace.  

We breathed deeply, 

fished hard, 

laughed together, 

and refreshed our minds in the woods.

It was 100% worth it, but for every person who struggles with this, the work was still waiting for me.  I did still feel behind when I returned and truthfully, I didn't meet all those tasks with grace and patience.  I eventually marshalled the Blossoms to pitch in and get a handle on a few things.  Most things these days are an ongoing process, rather than a task that stays completed.  

The Lord is working on my heart and attitude, and maybe the time out in the sunshine, resting my mind was the reset point for more good things that He's doing in me ~

Right now, in the trenches.

In the busy times.

In this high demand season.

I want God to form my character in the good and easy times, 

but truly, He does more to shape me in the busiest times.

Dominique

What Season Are We In?

This week, we landed somewhere in the neighborhood of Second Winter, Spring of Deception, and Mud Season.  Inevitably, Third Winter followed and that's where we're currently standing as I watch white stuff flit through the air and listen as the wind howls in protest.

We soaked up the sunshine while we had it though, walking, playing in the yard, and working on the homestead, with light hearts and warmth on our faces.  There were towels on the line and breezes skittering through our home, refreshing and reviving us.

In a fit of spring rage-cleaning, I cleaned out the garden and planted lettuce in my mini milk jug greenhouses.  Outside work is such a healthy way to blow off steam.

I'm still not certain how much I'm planting in the garden this year.  This mama is juggling a lot and my normal Blossom work force is not always around, leaving me wondering how much I can realistically juggle.  This is a challenge, unique to the season of launching adults and guiding teens. 

Your work force graduates and you're back to doing many of the tasks alone...

or mostly alone.

Sometimes I feel emotional about this and sometimes I just barrel through. The core is still the same for me:

Work as unto the Lord.

Serve Him with excellence, by serving my family with excellence.

This is the guidepost I come back to when I'm struggling with my attitude.

Dominique

A Little Cabin Trip

I'm tempted to always say no. I often see the burden of increased work load that a request brings on and I'm the gatekeeper for simplicity and managable time demands.

Good intentions...

but there's a time to say "yes."  

The younger Blossoms asked for one more "quick overnight to the cabin."

I blocked it out and even though I could think of twenty more things I could and probably should accomplish at home, we packed and journeyed to our "happy place."

Full stop.

Hard reset.

Twenty-four hours of mountain simplicity and connection

to reorient and realign.

Splashing through the creek in rubber boots,

Snapping pictures to watercolor later,

Tramping up and down leaf-strewn banks to see, to explore, to observe,

Waving on a friend's trail cam,

Perching on old stumps, giggling and making faces,

Standing on the creek bed and listening,

really listening,

Admiring the last vestiges of splendor in the underbrush of this beloved eastern wild area,

Snuggling down in favorite chairs with books and tea and snacks on a porch that is a porch,

Painting pumpkins and laughing at a mustard yellow table 

that holds as many wholesome memories as our own home kitchen table,

Crafting home-cooked breakfast together,

Savoring October rain, 

pitter-patters, 

heavy droves,

in-between smatterings,

repetitious sounds on a mismatched shingled roof

that lulls better than any sound machine.

We climb back in the van, mentally checking off the packing up clean up list, 

and without hesitation, they say, "Thanks for bringing us, Mom."

Dominique

Zippy Angry Fairies

Hello friends,

I thought I'd share a pretty snap with you!  These pink lilies are gorgeous this year.  Along with my bumper crop of bee balm, the hummingbirds are flitting about like angry fairies.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this, as I was hoping to feed the hummingbirds with the flowers from my gardens, rather than feeders that need my attention.  

Blossom4 and I are pretty sure there are three hummingbirds ferociously zipping about lately and we chuckle as we watch them chest-bump mid-air like tiny football players.  It's been a delightful little bright spot for just the two of us to smile over together each day.  These are the summer moments I treasure.

October Nuggets

 "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Look across the table and smile.  

Breathe a sigh of gratitude when you're dishing up the plates at supper.

Say yes when they want to go for a walk together.

Look up and really listen when they're chatting about the "little" things.

Revel in the reds and the yellows around us.

Write a prayer and wait in the moment to lift up your heart.

Burrow down in your hoodie and savor the autumn air.

Smile for more than a hot second.

Grab a hand, touch a shoulder, tweak a nose.

Throw something appley in the oven just because.

The Lord seems to be using the splendor of the season to lead me in gratitude and joy.

Dominique

A Deep Breath

In the morning, when I rise,

give me Jesus.

Squeeeeeeeeeeze It In

It seems that family time is about making the most of the little opportunities that present themselves.  Yes, making sure there is margin enough for those opportunities to be able to present themselves is surely important too.  

Daylight fades earlier and earlier this time of year.  On those evenings when a Blossom pipes up, "Hey, can we all go on a walk?"

We say, "Yes!" even though the dishes will need to be done after darkness falls... 
or some other such task will need to be moved around... 
or something else can be delayed for a bit.

And some of us lag behind and some of us speed ahead, but there's time for the conversation and laughter to happen.

Some of the best family times are the in-between times, 

the squeezed-in times, 

the normal times, 

the every day times that we scoop up and hold on to.

So, I will keep my eyes open for those opportunities and make the most of saying, "YES!"

The (Non) Waterfall Hike

Over Labor Day, this mama wanted to take a hike.  My favorite kind of hikes are those that lead to waterfalls or something scenic.

I hiked Jacoby Falls ages ago with a good friend of mine.  It was one of those rare mama outings that memorably lives on for a variety of reasons.  

Blossom1 pointed out that she researched this hike before and heard that flow can be hit or miss.  

However, I argued that we've had tons of rain, so it should be fine, right?

Besides, this is 1.6 miles.  It's an easy hike and it's beautiful one way or the other.  After a very busy and hard-working weekend, we're certain this is the hike for this weekend!  

Plus, there is the promise of local creamery ice cream afterward.  

Beginning with a long and charming boardwalk over a marsh isn't a bad way to start either.

We even saw a little bit of wildlife ~ a tiny, feisty snake that would quake at the sight of an earthworm.  

The younger three Blossoms charged ahead with Binney.  They were off and running straight off the boardwalk so fast that I wondered if they realized they were following the yellow blazes.  The Rugged Mountain Man reminded me that we have taught them a lot about navigating in the woods through the years.  He was right.  They were fine.  

Henceforth, though, I will give instructions while we are still in the truck.  Once those doors open into the Great Outdoors, they are like kids in a candy store.

We arrived to this beautiful stone bowl to their matter-of-fact announcements, "There's no water."  

They didn't seemed bummed; the geology is still really, really cool.  

A massive stone bowl between two mountains?!!!!

Blossom4 scampered about like the mountain goat she is with Miss Bianca.

And Miss Bianca eventually treed a porcupine... thankfully, without having tasted it first.

The promise of local creamery ice cream may have caused a bit of skipping down the boardwalk.  This mama isn't the only ice cream connoisseur in the family.

I turned around one last time to admire my autumn field favorite - goldenrod...

... and to reflect, 

these truly are the special times.

Dominique

Vacation 2024

We look forward to our vacation all year long.  

It's a very intentional reset, a time of refreshing and re-bonding.  

It's something special that happens when there are no bars of service on the phones big skies and mountains dwarfing us.

It's a time to keep an eye on the Hurricane Debby-inflated waters, 

so we can kayak at the perfect time for each Blossom's skill level.

We come together over delicious food too. The Rugged Mountain Man cooks it all wondrously over a grill and a tripod on the firepit the girls and I built one afternoon ages ago.  I'm responsible for simple side dishes... like steaming our homegrown sweet corn and then we feast, feast, feast, feast!

This year, I can't tell you how thrilled I was when the Older Blossoms took over a couple of breakfasts so that I could have a real break.  WOW.  Just wow.

And then when Blossom2 brought me a special latte she whipped up one morning, 

my heart was happy, happy, happy.

We tend to take time to notice the little things... and the big things too.

There are some non-negotiable traditions, 

like swinging into the creek 

or scenic drives together

or hikes.  

(For a mama who highly values quality time, those are activities that make my heart overflow.)

This time, one Blossom really, really wanted to check out a coffee shop an hour away.

And someone wanted to check out the four-wheeling trails over the mountain.  

We chat, we plan, we roll with the punches (like when ANOTHER bridge is out...) 

and we rest together.

We are oh so grateful.