children
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The Creativity of the Womb
With each pregnancy I’ve experienced I mourn the loss of creativity. Perhaps it’s not my creativity that is gone, but the energy and motivation to carry out the things I would like. Either way I miss the excitement that comes with making something new, whether it be in the kitchen, at the sewing machine or planted in the garden. It feels like there’s a gaping hole that I just don’t have it in me to fill, and even after 6 pregnancies I still wish I could not feel so “different” than I do when I’m not growing a human.
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December 14
And it’s the work of peasants, the everyday schlepping as a mother. There are bits of beauty that weave in through the madness: the beautiful loaves baked in the morning, the sweet conversations by candlelight in the waning afternoon light, and bowls of popcorn shared while reading together.
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The birth of a name.
When we announced the birth to our friend chat group, one of them said that every time they prayed during my (very long) labor that he kept hearing that this boy is going to be a herald for the Lord.
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The birth of Herald Thomas
The experience of giving birth is harrowing, awful, hard work, nervewracking and raw, but it’s so beautiful, incredible and joyful too. I am privileged to have given birth to six (!) children.
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Full house
I took the crib apart today. Maggie learned to climb out a couple of months ago and it has basically been collecting dust as she often falls asleep with her sister (and then ends up in our bed.) It felt like the end of an era, but then is it really? Will God grace us with the gift of raising another human here on earth, or is our full house really full? A few months ago I wrote a note in my phone that said, “I was just reflecting on what an awesome mystery the number of children our family will contain is.” Isn’t that the truth? I truly couldn’t…
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Catching fireflies
The simplest things, The freest in life Like the first twinkle of firefly In the waning summer light Are gifts from on high. Treasures sent to earth To be savored, And enjoyed, As our delight.
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Bread of Life
The big boys are coming back after 6 days away at camp. For a homeschooling family that is a lot of time spent apart and I for one am really looking forward to having our family together again. I’m bet the boys have missed me, but just to be sure they remembered how awesome their mama is, I made them a big feast the night before they left complete with fresh corn on the cob and lemonade. I knew I wanted to stop for a picnic on the way home from camp because it’s a long drive and the littles will need a break. We’re halfway through summer and I am weary…
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Meeting Maggie
There is no way to understand the desperation of an overdue pregnancy than to experience it. It feels like labor could be any minute, or never at all. Even now, nearly three weeks later, these feelings are hard to recall. I am able to reflect on it fondly, as if being overdue is some sort of fun waiting period not the time of daily crying and sighing that it truly was. One week after my due date I awoke to use the bathroom for the third time that night and noticed that there was some blood when I wiped. I couldn’t help but be excited even though I knew birth…
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Solar Dye
The boys and I have been experimenting with plant dyeing the past couple of weeks. We left butternut hulls, chestnut hulls and goldenrod in the sun for a couple of days, strained and then left some fabric swatches in the solution for another couple of days and found these gorgeous colors emerge. I will be doing a big pot of butternut hulls soon because that olive green is amazing.
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Theo’s Story
**Theo started building this fort in the spring and worked on it all summer. He will be taking it down in the next few days so he wrote a story and took some pictures to remember it by.** Theo’s Storrey I bilte a fort and it wuse garart. I bilte it bi my slof. I had deun it garart. It wouse the beste. Sind by Theo Theo’s story I built a fort and it was great. I built it by myself. I had done it great. It was the best. Signed by Theo
