summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Friday, April 1, 2016

it was a dark and rainy day....

The dogs were snoring on the couch while the rain dripped and dropped. The coffee pot also dripped and dropped, filling the dark room with it's pleasing aroma. The lady in the comfortable chair had a dismal foreboding of the future, when the quiet was the norm , not the anomaly. The two little girls were at their big sister Emily's house spending the night with their new dolls...


Cousin Danielle, Davian, Charlotte Claire, and Camille...and don't feel too sorry for Davian, he got new playdough, Skittles in a cute Bunny topped tube, and some sidewalk chalk.:)


Miss Char


Miss Cam

(Yesterday we took a little outing...the little girls had these big ideas, to buy jeans at the thrift store and cut them off...then decorate them with lace and shiny stuff...so we went. It was a good thrift store day, for $20 we got Kathryn a desk, which she brought home and painted with chalk paint, and Adidas slides for Paul, two pairs of jeans for the girls (Danielle couldn't find any she liked, so I told her we might have some here she can cut off), some nice little baby toys for Lydia, and a few other things...all for twenty bucks!) (And we went to Walmart quick, so the little girls could shop with the $20 they got from Grandma...we gave Dani a twenty too, so they had tons of fun...they decided on the baby dolls, which made me very happy. I love that they still like to play house. Cam bought twin babies which are smaller than the other girls' dolls, so she says she was due later than the other girls, but had her babies early and they are preemies, but the babies are all the same age)(I went through my drawers last night and got them out some special bonnets, the little sleeper Paul bought when Benjamin was born, and some little booties...why let them rot in a drawer when the girls enjoy them so much?)

Anyway...the quiet is almost scary. The kids who are home are still asleep, or in their rooms still, and this old mama is enjoying the downtime after a busy week with lots of kids around. The two year old doesn't come on Fridays, but perhaps Davian will be here in a bit.

The new coffee pot, which is a real cheapie, has a glitch: it turns off after about one minute of brewing. The coffee-wanter has to stand vigil, turning that switch back on over and over again until that pot brews. Our water kills coffee pots every six months or so, so investing in a nice one is just silly. Yes, we have poured vinegar through...our water is just full of good things, like iron and minerals.

Anyway. No jury duty today! The mandatory night-before-service-check-in-phone-call said, "Thank you for your service, you are good for six years, you do not have to report on Friday, April 1st." Yay!

It feels like I have a day off!

Paul grilled burgers outside last night. I sliced up some summer squash and tossed it in olive oil with fresh cauliflower, seasoned it up, and roasted it in the oven. A burger with no bun, tomato slices, pickles, and a pile of veggies...mmm.

Tomorrow, he leaves for France...for two weeks. I am thankful he has a good job, but wah that he's gone so much. In a way I might venture to say it's good for us...we get to miss each other, we are always glad to see each other again, and hey, I get the whole big bed to myself sometimes.

And...to any of my kids who might read this from far far away...like Abigail, Benjamin, (and Ashley:)), Aaron, Samuel, Margaret....you are NOT out-of-sight-out-of-mind. I miss you all, but guess what? I am proud of each of you...that you have grown up, and can function on your own, that I must have taught you something right, ha. When the local older kids stop in, like Emily, Mirielle, Mali...I get so happy. I feel just like my mother sometimes, the way she would be thrilled when I visited her.

Yes, I am truly blessed.

2 comments:

Martha said...

I have to admit, I loved your dark and rainy night story.
Baby dolls? I love them too. I bought one for myself when Hannah was little, and guess what? It's Hispanic. Ha ha Maybe one day I'll have a granddaughter to match my doll.
How about this crazy weather?
:0)

Marilyn from Canada said...

The little girls and their dolls are just sooooooooo cute. It's lovely to see little girls playing with their dolls I think. You don't see much of that these days. I hope everything goes well when you have you mammogram. These things are so treatable nowadays when caught early. My sister in law had all sorts of lumps in her breasts and they were just fatty lumps, but you must find out. Poor old Duke. It sounds to me like his organs are shutting down............peeing and pooping etc. Just keep in mind.....and this is the hard part.......you have to do what is best for him, not what is best for you. I had to do this when my darling girl Tillie, a yellow lab, was ready to go 3 years ago. I cuddled her while the vet gave her the needle and it was so peaceful. She just went to sleep and was out of pain and she ran across the Rainbow Bridge to meet her mother💖💖

Marilyn from Canada