Michael never knows what I’ll bring home when I go grocery shopping at Aldi. My favorite store often has “special purchases” that include all sorts of electronic things, clothing, bedding, furniture, kitchen wares, or outdoor things for the yard and garden. Some of my “finds” include Veggie Tales DVDs, a down comforter, pillows, flower bulbs, a flat-edged shovel, a yard broom, a cool hose-wand attachment, and a box of suet cakes that included a “free” holder to hang up.

As Michael helps carry in the groceries, he just shakes his head and smiles. I think maybe the bird suet puzzled him the most so far. When I finally put the thing together and hung the feeder up on the porch, I think he was just glad that I was happy. The lonesome cake of suet hung there for quite a while when finally we noticed that some birds had actually found it! More and more they’ve been making their appearance, most notably a certain woodpecker who is a little shy about coming so close to our porch to have a snack. Little by little he has been willing to come a little closer, and we have been delighted by his antics. He’ll fly to a nearby tree, examine all of us, then fly to a different tree and check us out. Finally when he has worked up his courage he’ll actually land on the feeder but then look all around making sure we aren’t about to have him for lunch. Then, once he starts to eat, he’ll keep checking up on us, making sure we haven’t come any closer to him.

All of us have learned to hold very still when the woodpecker comes for a visit. One of the kids said that he is smaller than what they thought woodpeckers would be. And Miguel and I had a discussion about whether or not the little fella’ was “our” woodpecker. I teased Miguel that he wasn’t our pet but that we were his pet. Miguel pondered that for a moment and then asked me how we would fly. I guess he thought the woodpecker might need to take us somewhere and we would need to fly. I assured him that wasn’t necessary and that the woodpecker would come visit us when he wanted to see us.

On Monday of this week, when we were at my parents’ house, we noticed a nice large trash pile at the neighbor’s house, so we took a look. Among other things, I found two beautiful bird feeders, so I grabbed them and brought them home. I put up hangers, Laura cleaned out the feeders, and Michael bought some fancy bird seed for us at Walmart. Now we are eager to see if we can attract even more birds to our front porch.

Meanwhile, we keep an extra sharp eye out for our woodpecker.

Maybe I’m just getting older, but more and more I love being home.

Sunday afternoon we headed to my parents’ house here in town to have a “Memorial Day” campout with the extended “Walsh” family. We set up our tent in their back yard, had a cookout on their deck, and played games well into the night. The cousins had a wonderful time running and playing, and the adults took advantage of the time to visit and catch up on things.

We had a cookout Sunday night with lots of yummy food, capped off with ice cream, birthday cake and “upside down rhubarb cake” to celebrate Luke and Isaac’s May birthdays. (It’s becoming our tradition to make rhubarb desserts for Isaac’s birthday.)

Monday morning I made breakfast for the gang. I wanted to share my new biscuits-and-gravy talents, and it was a hit! Everyone raved, the gravy was gobbled up down the last pan scrapings, and the leftover biscuits were enjoyed with butter and jam. I think we’re going to have to do that again for the next family gathering!

I had thought that everyone would pack up and go home Monday, but soon there was talk of some staying a second night. We mulled over that idea, and sat around and visited for a while, until a group of us were suddenly inspired to head out and hit a few garage sales. The group included my brother Dave and his fiance Katie, Isaac and Judah, and my mother and me. The rest of the gang left at home decided to play dominoes while we were gone.

We had a wonderful time hunting and shopping and sifting through people’s garage-sale treasures. Each of us found things we couldn’t live without, and finally, a few hours later, we returned home weary and happy and ready for lunch.

After lunch, some of us took naps while others continued the Mexican Train domino game. Before we knew it, supper time had come, and we enjoyed our fourth meal together. I told my folks that this had to be the longest party they’ve ever hosted!

During supper we decided to take down our huge family tent. We broke the news to the youngest four children that we were going to take them home with us, while Laura and Isaac could spend one more night at the “campground”. Isaac was using a tiny tent that belongs to my mother, and Laura was eager to sleep on the deck without a tent.

It took a long time, but we were finally all ready to head home. We trundled across town to our house, full of nice memories of our adventure, but glad to be going home. It was already bedtime for the younger set, so they were hurried off to bed, while Luke (now the oldest child at home) got to stay up late and play. Luke and I made a little pan of brownies (something he’s been wanting to do for a long time!), so he was all set for a nice evening, snacks and all.

By this time I was feeling quite ill (this baby will not be ignored!), so I went to bed.

Now, this morning, I am sitting back on my own porch again, taking care of my own little family, and happy to be home. We had such a nice time on our mini vacation, but as always, it’s good to be home.

We worked so hard on Saturday.  We had planned ahead that this weekend would be our landscaping project weekend, so early Saturday morning (after I made a quick trip to the farmer’s market and Kelly’s Bakery) we borrowed a trailer and started hauling rocks.  We had an area that needed pea gravel, and we had another area where we had never finished putting river rock.  All of us worked hard, whether we were shoveling rock, raking dumped rock, carrying bricks, moving bricks, or whatever else needed to be done.  Isaac worked hard shoveling rock.  Luke was available for lots of little jobs when he wasn’t shoveling rock.  Laura took a turn shoveling, but then was pressed into service taking care of younger siblings and then later she made lunch for the whole family.  Amelia and Mike had fun helping smooth out the piles of rocks, sweeping up spilled rocks, carrying bricks, or anything else that they could find to do.

By the time we were done, we were all exhausted.  We made four trips to the rock/materials place, and we moved four tons of rock.

What a feeling of accomplishment as we look at our finished project!  And what a joy to think back to how well we all worked together and enjoyed one another’s company.

I woke up early this morning, as I’m prone to do when I go to bed early the night before, and as I lay in bed I could hear the rain falling outside. I pondered for a moment the risks of trying to crawl out of bed without waking up Judah… and I wondered if I should just try to go back to sleep and enjoy another hour or two of snoozing… and then I thought about the idea of sitting on the covered front porch, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping a cup of hot tea, all alone to watch the rain… and I quickly popped up, slid to the end of the bed, tiptoed back to my side of the bed, covered Judah up, grabbed my glasses and shoes and computer, and was off to my morning adventure.

I grabbed a hooded sweatshirt, started the hot water, and then shivered as I stepped out into the wet morning air. Quickly I snuggled into a chair on the front porch, wrapping a blanket around my legs and snuggling down into my jacket.

What a beautiful morning! The rain is soothing and refreshing. The porch is cozy and offers the perfect shelter from which to peer out. The birds don’t mind the rain, so they are keeping me company. They check out the front lawn, they peck at this and that, and in general seem to not even notice that they are getting wet out there!

Kids are scattered in various places around the house. Two are sleeping in the living room. (They think it a grand adventure to sleep somewhere other than their beds. )  Michael took the older three children to Walmart last night with an eclectic shopping list that included bicycle parts and supplies for my new rubber-stamping habit, while I bathed three grubby little kids and tucked them into bed. By 8:30 pm I was tired and feeling sick, so I headed to bed, hoping I could fall asleep before the sickness got any worse.

I’m guessing the older kids and Michael stayed up late, so they’ll sleep for a while this morning. And I’m hoping that the rain will lull the younger kiddos into sleeping just a little longer than usual. I’m really enjoying my time without having to answer any questions or meet anyone’s needs other than my own. Ooooh, that sounds so selfish! I don’t mean to be selfish. I’d rather think that I’m just soaking up the moment, and when this moment is over, I’ll enjoy the next stage of the morning that will include sleepy kids with eager faces to hear me say, “Good morning!” (I forgot to say that one morning to Amelia, and she pouted and reminded me that I didn’t say “good morning” to her. I had to quickly put on my most cheerful face and say the magic words, to which she immediately brightened and returned my greeting.)

One nice thing about having some quiet time this morning is that I can ponder what we’ll do with our day. This was supposed to be our weekend for finishing up some yard projects. But the rain may well postpone those plans. So what should we do instead? Maybe we’ll clean the basement… maybe we’ll work on the kitchen… or maybe the sun will come out and we’ll be able to do our yardwork after all. Sounds like “flexibility” will be the key this weekend.

On Sunday afternoon we’ll head over to my folks’ house across town and set up our big tent for a campout in their back yard. Monday morning I’m hoping to make biscuits and gravy for everyone to enjoy. I’m already looking forward to it!

Enough chatting for now. I’m going to go refill my cup and seize the moments of solitude left in my morning.

Well, I’m very happy to report that all sicknesses seem to be subsiding very nicely.  Laura still hasn’t gotten sick, and everyone else seems to be feeling better.

Luke felt good enough yesterday that we were able to do his birthday supper of biscuits and gravy.  While I would like to play the role of a modest cook, I simply have to admit that my biscuits and gravy turned out FANTASTIC!  Wow.  I was so impressed.  I used plain ol’ biscuit mix for the biscuits, but I made the gravy myself with hot breakfast sausage in it.  We all agreed we’re going to need to do that again!

I should also give you a chicken update.  Last Saturday we delivered our bucket of chickens to some friends out in the country.  They have new chicks of their own, so ours joined their little flock without any hesitation.  We also got to see some of their full-grown chickens of the same breed as ours, so the kids were able to see an “after” picture of the chicks.

This next weekend we’re hoping to do some yard improvements here at home that have been waiting for a long time to be finished.  As our kids get older, it is more and more enjoyable to work together as a family.

What are your plans for the Memorial Day weekend?

Today is the day for our chili luncheon fundraiser at church. All night we could smell the chili in the crock pots. But in the middle of the night, Judah woke up with a very high fever and he was quite fussy. Michael took over with him, taking him downstairs, so I could go back to sleep. (Isn’t he a nice husband???) The two of them slept on the couch bed all night, with Judah waking up periodically to cry and toss fitfully.

By this morning the chili was smelling even better, and we needed to make a decision about what to do for church. Usually I’m happy to leave Michael home and go to church by myself (with any children who are going), but today I didn’t feel up to the challenge. Not only am I still feeling nauseous much of the time, but the idea of doing all of the church activities and then following up with a chili luncheon was more than I could think about doing without Michael. So my dear husband rallied, even though he had been up through the night, and he got ready for church. To make it a little easier on him, I offered to keep the younger three children here. Isaac begged to stay home too, so finally we waved goodbye to Michael, Laura and Luke.

On top of everything else, today is the day that Luke is having a friend over to celebrate his birthday, so I needed to make a phone call to Nate’s mom today explaining that Judah is ill and asking if it’s still ok for Nate to come over. We agreed that it would be alright as long as the boys just play outside or away from Judah.

So now here we sit, passing the morning, watching a movie, and wondering what the day holds. Luke requested biscuits and gravy for his birthday supper, so hopefully I can still make that for him.

Our days don’t always go like we plan. Today is a good example of that.

10:00 a.m. Update: I got a call from Michael saying Luke is not feeling well, so I went to the church to get him. Poor Luke. This was his special day to have a special guest, and now he has a headache and sore throat. The good news is that Judah is showing no signs of having been sick. He’s his usual busy little self today.

7:45 p.m. Update:  Well, as nice as it has been to be home today and enjoying the beautiful spring weather, the kids have been getting sick, one after the other.  Luke is the worst, and he’s spent most of the day in bed.  Amelia complained a few times of a sore throat, but by bedtime she was in tears saying that her throat hurt.  Judah also seemed fussy, so I’m guessing he was feeling a little off too.

Isaac was sick last week, so he’s not in any danger, and in fact, is probably the reason the rest of the kids are sick.  Laura and Miguel seemed to have dodged the bullet, but a few moments ago Michael called me while he was out and about with Miguel and said that Miguel has started saying that his throat hurts.  Another casualty.  So Laura is the only one left standing.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

A short time ago Michael took the five older children and headed out to the new Shrek the Third movie.  Judah and I stood on the sidewalk as they loaded up and drove away.  We waved and cheerfully hollered goodbye.  Then we went to chat with one of our favorite neighbors, Mrs. Davis before heading home.

There are things to do here at home, but it’s such a strange feeling to have such a quiet house.  Only one little voice is calling my attention.  Everything else is totally quiet.  While I write this, Judah is sitting on the top of the couch and “hiding” behind the sheer curtain.  He keeps calling, “Hi!  Hi, Mama.  Hi.”

We need to head into the kitchen and start assembling chili for our fundraising luncheon at church tomorrow.  Michael and I are on the team from our church going to Guatemala in July, and we’re having a chili lunch to help raise some of our support.  Michael suggested that we bring white chili, so I found a recipe and he did the grocery shopping while I napped.  (He’s such a nice husband!)

Now it’s up to me to put it together, which I don’t mind at all, especially since I will only have one little guy looking over my shoulder while I work.  Well, actually, he will probably be looking around my elbow, climbing on the island, or disappearing altogether to get into mischief.  But you know what I mean.

If you’re interested, here is the recipe I’ll be using.  Let me know if you try it.

White Chili

INGREDIENTS

* 3 medium onions, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
* 4 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
* 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed
and drained
* 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
* Corn chips, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in oil until tender.
Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the chicken, beans, broth, green
chilies, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne; stir well. Cover and cook
on low for 6-7 hours or until bubbly. Stir in cilantro. Serve over
corn chips; top with cheese and sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (2
quarts).

Printed from tasteofhome.com May 19, 2007

I’ve realized for several days now that our chicken foster-care operation is nearing an end.  Not only are they getting bigger and eating more and pooping more, but we are running out of our second bag of chick food, so it’s a good time to send them on to their next home.  On top of the practical issues, we also had a rather dramatic situation happen a few days ago.  Somehow one of the chicks was overlooked when the flock was brought inside for the night, and our cat, Indigo, caught the abandoned chick.  Of course it was dead by the time we retrieved it, and the children were quite upset by this rather graphic lesson of the hunter and the hunted.  Michael and I tried to assure the children that these things just happen sometimes, and it’s unavoidable.  But the girls were crying and the boys were trying to figure out burial plans.

This morning we’re keeping the chicks inside until it gets warmer outside, so they are making quite a racket in their box.  A little while ago an alarm was sounded, and I hurried to the living room to see chickens on the loose!  Indigo was quickly accounted for, and I was surprised she didn’t have a chicken with her.  Laura, Amelia and Mike gathered chicks and popped them back into the box.  Laura counted to make sure we had them all, and Mike caught one last one to complete the collection.  Turns out, Judah had taken the lid off the box without anyone knowing, hence the great escape.

So now I’m thinking again that perhaps we should just be done with our little flock.  They are a lot of fun, and very educational, but since we can’t give them a permanent house, maybe we should start saying our goodbyes.

In other news, I’m still fighting the sickness that goes along with this pregnancy.  This has definitely been one of my more challenging early pregnancies.  But I keep reminding myself that it’s a good sign that things are happening.  Still,  it makes for some long days and some difficult moments.  It’s hard to be as patient with the children, as willing to take care of things around the house, or as good of a wife as I could be to Michael.  Everyone is being so considerate of me, so I’m grateful for that.  I have a great family. 

Tonight is our Arts Alive program, and I think our kids have their pieces ready to perform.  Of course, they could certainly have them more polished than they do, but isn’t that always the case?

We didn’t quite attain our goals as listed in a previous blog.  Last week I had the kids tell me what they really thought they could do, and we dropped a few poems from the list.

So tonight is the night.  That means everyone needs baths today, little ones will need to take naps, and I’ll need to grab some cookies from the store to put in the refreshment line.  Making cookies myself quickly got scratched from my to-do list. 

Last night we went to the church to practice our pieces on stage with the microphone.  It was good for the kids to hear how the microphone sounds, and for us to run through everything again.  Of course, it didn’t go without incident, and toward the end Laura rushed Mike into the sanctuary with blood running down his face.  I hurried to him and got him into the kitchen where I could wash his face and figure out what was wrong.  Turns out he just had a nasty nosebleed that he got from running into someone.  Once we got that under control, I took him back into the sanctuary with me so we could finish our rehearsal.  I was so glad to pack up and go home once we were done!

On the way home Amelia fell asleep in the van.  I didn’t know she was that tired!  Michael carried her in and she woke up enough to eat her supper before heading to bed.

I hope things go well tonight.  The kids have worked hard to get ready.

This morning I was able to spend a few hours going to garage sales with my mother.  Even though I didn’t buy very  many things, it was so fun to go from sale to sale, hunting for the elusive finds, and enjoying each other’s company.

While we were walking around, my mother asked me if I was excited about having another baby.  I had to think about my answer.  My automatic response was, “Why, of course!”  But when I examined my feelings, I had to admit that “excitement” isn’t really the best word.  In some ways, having babies is something I take for granted.  It just happens whether I like it or not.  In other ways, having a baby is something special.  Since we have lost so many babies to miscarriage, I can’t assume that a pregnancy will be successful.  The more babies I have and the older I get, the more I appreciate the opportunity to have another baby.  I love babies now so much more than I did at first.  God has taught me the beauty of new life, how to be patient with the needy newborns, how to tolerate a pesky toddler, and how to delight in the joy of a little tyke discovering the world.

But all of these romantic, beautiful thoughts are quite buried right now as I slog through the days of sickness.  Oh, it’s not as bad as it could be.  Others suffer much more than I do.  But in my own little way, it’s my cross to bear.  It’s hard to be pleased with the idea of being pregnant when every day is filled with fighting nausea.  Every pregnancy is a little different, and this one is interesting in that I feel the worst at night.  Almost every night I lay in bed wondering if I’m going to be able to get to sleep feeling so poorly.

But one other thing I’ve learned over the past 12 years of childbearing is that each stage is temporary.  Morning sickness passes.  The days that seem like forever now will soon yield to the next stage, and life will go on.  So, I’m not really feeling too sorry for myself.  I’m glad I can still wear my regular clothes for now.  I’m glad that I’m not any worse than I am.  I’m glad that my family is being so kindhearted toward me.  I’m glad that all is well in every other way.

Back to my mother’s question… Am I excited about this baby?  Ummm, not yet.  Glad?  Yes.  Hopeful?  Yes.  Grateful?  Of course.  I’m hoping the excitement will set in once the nausea passes.  Until then, I cling to hope.