Posted on

Making: Saints and Pink Cupcakes

“Significance is found in giving your life away, not in selfishly trying to find personal happiness.”
[G. Thomas]

I prayed.
That God would help this Valentine’s Day to not be about me and my expectations,
where a date would have been my ideal,
but about my precious little family, my husband and children, and helping them to have the best time ever.

And you know?
It was one of the best family times we have EVER had.
Ever.

Romantic?
Well, not in the gushy sense of the word, no.

But love?
Yes, LOVE.
The enjoyment of one another, the gift of being family.

Pink Cupcake Day.

We have this tradition of cupcake baking baking on Valentine’s Day.
It started 2-3 years ago, it’s easy, and it’s so fun!
We kind of even started calling the holiday Pink Cupcake Day.

I mean, with darling matching aprons from my sister, how could it not be fun?

This is my kind of baking with kids. :)

[that little icing tube on the far left? it’s amazing. it’ll make you look like Bakerella.]

And because I know that French parents allow their children to help with adult-ish things…

… but French children probably don’t lick the batter…

Let me just interject in the middle here… that baking with children is the makings of sainthood.
And shows you how far you have to go!
I say that not mockingly, but seriously.

The day we were baking, all three of us in a little crowded space, I smiled to myself because it was a dream come true.
This day of doing fun things with my daughters, involving them in what I was doing, making memories, creating traditions…
It was just good and wonderful.

And then there is the side of reality.
Where there are umpteen “Uh-oh, Mommy!” “Oh nooo!” “Sorry, Mom!”
for the spinkles that spilled, for the mixer cord that got in the batter, for the hands that were covered in sticky mess, for the floor that was a disaster, for…..

And the challenge really is to live in the mess of reality but with the heart of the dream coming true.

It’s almost crazy how tiny little people can make you realize how much you like to control your life,
or how you want everything perfect.
It shows ugly things about yourself.
And how all they care about is whether you loved them and showed them Jesus,
not whether what you did was pinterest-worthy.

To not end the baking day in frustration because of the mEsS!!! that was created.
To not talk sharply because they weren’t being careful.
But to stay calm when it’s disaster.
To say, “It’s okay” and mean it when yet another something spills.
To be able to laugh and enjoy them, even in the middle of the mess…

It wasn’t perfect.
I wasn’t perfect.
They weren’t perfect.
But it was such a wonderful day.
And I was happily exhausted by the end of it all. :)


A very proud and messy Olivia holds the finished cupcakes.


Hudson’s job was just to look cute, which he is kinda good at. And then he had a bath in the sink while we baked.

 

While the cupcakes were cooling, we took a few pictures in the back yard.

 

 

 


  

And on Happy Heart Day itself, I had planned to take the kids to the Big City.
Because we live in a small town, there are perks and disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that our options are limited for activities and experiences.

The Big City is really quite a big deal.
It’s like Country Mouse meets City Mouse.
My kids do not even know what a mall is. No kidding!
We live an hour from the nearest Starbucks.
I love city.
My husband loves country. ;)

So the plans were to take the kids to THE most darling little cupcake shop ever,
then to ride a little train and some fun kid stuff AT THE MALL and head home.

Husband caught wind and thought it sounded too fun to not be involved, so we made it a family evening instead of a mom/kid day trip.

[yes, i desperately need a tan! :)]

Introducing: Gigi’s Cupcakes.

Home of the $3 over-sized cupcakes, totally worth their money. :)

 

 

Part way through the day I exclaimed to Zoe, “Isn’t this the MOST FUN DAY EVER?!”
I was having SO much fun.
And she looked at me, raised her eyebrows and said, “You’re funny.”
And it tripped me out that my own little daughter thought my excitement was a little over-the-top.
Whaaat?!

And then a trip to the carousel and little train…
(we made proper introductions: “Yes, children. This is called a mall!”)

Blurry pictures but showing the happy faces.

 
 

And thus ended the holiday, with a tired baby, happy kidders, and a couple more in love after seven years of marriage than ever before!

“The pleasure-seeker is not the pleasure-finder;
those who are the happiest men who think least about happiness.”
[J.C. Sharp]

~clarita

 

Posted on

Stay at Home Date for Parents {Guest Post}

I am so excited and honored to have my lovely friend, Christy, featured on my blog today!
I so loved this post that she wrote,
and she gave me permission to feature it here!

Christy and her husband Steve, and their three boys live in Atlanta and are involved in inner-city missions full-time.
You can follow them on her blog, Moving Out in Faith.
She is also the co-author of a book with her sister, and you can find them here.

Thank you so much, Christy! ♥

_______________________________________________________________________

I believe date nights are important because they build connection and trust.
They create a time to talk about the things that get pushed behind the daily chatter of work and children and schedule.
They help you have time to relax and have fun together as a couple.  Recently we’ve started taking an hour every Sunday for some couple time.
The little ones nap and Zachary, who is too old for naps, has an hour of quiet time in his room.
He may draw, read, or play something quietly; but he may not come downstairs. We love it.

Marriage is fun.  Marriage is joy.  Marriage is sacrifice.
Through it all I want to always keep celebrating my husband. Dates are one of the ways to do this.
When finances or lack of childcare or distance make it difficult to go out date nights can happen at home.

valentines day ideas

If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day is one of those times you really, really want a date with your husband.
Even if you have children Valentine’s Day can be your day as a couple. It’s a day for fun and sweetness, for romance and passion.
In a perfect world we could all go out for a date Valentine’s night.  In reality it is one of the hardest days of the year to find babysitting.
Unlike your anniversary, almost every other couple you know is carving out some time for each other, too!

Thus I propose: the stay-at-home date.
Yes, of course having little children makes these nights a challenge;
but before you think a date impossible, throw a pretty party for your family and caIl it a night,
here are a few suggestions to make romance at home attainable:

1. Plan ahead.
Dream up your plan–an all out candlelit dinner with steak or bacon wrapped chicken?
A fun dessert in bed? A Bahamas experience in your bedroom?
Moving your mattress into the living room?
Write up a list for everything you’ll need to do to make it happen–
the foods you need to make, any supplies you might need to buy, cleaning, what you will wear, the music.
Choose the room for the big event.
Depending on the size of your house and the proximity of your children’s rooms, you might have a few rooms to yourself or you might choose the living room or your bedroom.
The farther from their room the better, but that goes without saying.

2. Prepare the day before.
Most cleaning or cooking or DIY decor, or love note-writing can be done ahead of time.
Collect candles, blankets, pillows, and chocolates in a hiding spot to be whipped into place just after the kids are tucked into bed.
Children are notorious for creating urgent situations; it’s better not to leave most of the work for the day of the date night.

3. Include your children in the preparations.
Take a walk and cut some green branches from shrubs or collect twigs and other bits of nature to use for decor.
If you can’t get all the prep done during naptime, bake the cheesecake together.
You can tell them you’re making something VERY SPECIAL for Daddy and the next day they can may some, too.

4. Get rid of romance busters.
The hard part of staying home is that all your responsibilities are still .right.in.front.of.you.
Do whatever you need to do to make your home seem like a retreat.
I normally have only enough energy to really  tackle one room, so that’s what I do.
That means cleaning out clutter, putting the toy basket out of sight, temporarily covering windows that don’t have blinds, getting rid of stinky attitudes, silencing the phones.

5. Build Anticipation.
Whisper an invitation to your husband as he heads out for work.  Send him flirty texts. Give him a glimpse of what is to come.

6. Re-work the children’s schedule.
Okay, so here’s the most tricky part of all–ensuring that the children are in bed.
Here’s one plan: baby–take a walk at his morning naptime to hold him off to one early-afternoon nap instead of the normal two naps.
Pre-schooler/first grader–after a light lunch have them take a one hour quiet playtime in their room.  No naps will be all good news to them!

Play tag or kickball outside in the afternoon. Goal: exhaustion.
Serve them a simple but filling meal at 5:00.  Quickly move along to baths and stories.
By 7:00 they should easily be tucked into bed with some background music playing.
The little crowd will be ready to sleep; an older child could take a flashlight and book to bed as well as a timer to beep at lights-out time.
Be SURE they went potty, and had a drink.
This is when an established, good bedtime routine is a lifesaver because you can trust your children to stay in bed.

7. Refresh Yourself.
While the children are having their quiet time, spend some quiet time with God.
Take a nap if you can. Even if it’s only for fifteen minutes a rest will give you a kick of energy for the evening.
Shower or soak in a bath.  Pamper your body and get your glow on.
Choose what you’ll wear after the children are in bed.  Smile about how your husband is going to love you in that!

8. Be flexible.
Inevitably, something will happen to complicate your plans.
The phone has to stay turned on because your husband is on-call.
The baby wakes up at 9:00 for no reason at all and won’t settle down.
Your neighbor knocks on the door and won’t stop knocking.
Sometimes you can scramble to take care of the need, laugh, and get back in the groove.
Other times you dip your strawberries into the chocolate fondue with a baby on your hip or, if the situation calls for it, wait for another night to try again.
Sometimes there is laughter.  Sometimes tears.
Remember the goal of the evening is to love each other even if it takes more of a sacrificial bent than blissful.

9. Make it happen!
A mom has 20 reasons why this is not easy to pull off, no kidding!
It doesn’t have to be tomorrow night on Valentine’s Day.
It doesn’t have to be a whole big production.
However, even with little children in the house, it is possible to create space to enjoy one another.
Instead of saying, “I can’t because…,” ask, “How could I work around…?”

10. Enjoy with abandon.
Forget about the rest of the world, that annoying spider web in the corner, and the children who are just fine.
For several hours it’s all about th

I believe date nights are important because they build connection and trust.
They create a time to talk about the things that get pushed behind the daily chatter of work and children and schedule.
They help you have time to relax and have fun together as a couple. Recently we’ve started taking an hour every Sunday for some couple time.
The little ones nap and Zachary, who is too old for naps, has an hour of quiet time in his room.
He may draw, read, or play something quietly; but he may not come downstairs. We love it.

Marriage is fun. Marriage is joy. Marriage is sacrifice.
Through it all I want to always keep celebrating my husband. Dates are one of the ways to do this.
When finances or lack of childcare or distance make it difficult to go out date nights can happen at home.

valentines day ideas

If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day is one of those times you really, really want a date with your husband.
Even if you have children Valentine’s Day can be your day as a couple. It’s a day for fun and sweetness, for romance and passion.
In a perfect world we could all go out for a date Valentine’s night. In reality it is one of the hardest days of the year to find babysitting.
Unlike your anniversary, almost every other couple you know is carving out some time for each other, too!

Thus I propose: the stay-at-home date.
Yes, of course having little children makes these nights a challenge;
but before you think a date impossible, throw a pretty party for your family and caIl it a night,
here are a few suggestions to make romance at home attainable:

1. Plan ahead.
Dream up your plan–an all out candlelit dinner with steak or bacon wrapped chicken?
A fun dessert in bed? A Bahamas experience in your bedroom?
Moving your mattress into the living room?
Write up a list for everything you’ll need to do to make it happen–
the foods you need to make, any supplies you might need to buy, cleaning, what you will wear, the music.
Choose the room for the big event.
Depending on the size of your house and the proximity of your children’s rooms, you might have a few rooms to yourself or you might choose the living room or your bedroom.
The farther from their room the better, but that goes without saying.

2. Prepare the day before.
Most cleaning or cooking or DIY decor, or love note-writing can be done ahead of time.
Collect candles, blankets, pillows, and chocolates in a hiding spot to be whipped into place just after the kids are tucked into bed.
Children are notorious for creating urgent situations; it’s better not to leave most of the work for the day of the date night.

3. Include your children in the preparations.
Take a walk and cut some green branches from shrubs or collect twigs and other bits of nature to use for decor.
If you can’t get all the prep done during naptime, bake the cheesecake together.
You can tell them you’re making something VERY SPECIAL for Daddy and the next day they can may some, too.

4. Get rid of romance busters.
The hard part of staying home is that all your responsibilities are still .right.in.front.of.you.
Do whatever you need to do to make your home seem like a retreat.
I normally have only enough energy to really tackle one room, so that’s what I do.
That means cleaning out clutter, putting the toy basket out of sight, temporarily covering windows that don’t have blinds, getting rid of stinky attitudes, silencing the phones.

5. Build Anticipation.
Whisper an invitation to your husband as he heads out for work. Send him flirty texts. Give him a glimpse of what is to come.

6. Re-work the children’s schedule.
Okay, so here’s the most tricky part of all–ensuring that the children are in bed.
Here’s one plan: baby–take a walk at his morning naptime to hold him off to one early-afternoon nap instead of the normal two naps.
Pre-schooler/first grader–after a light lunch have them take a one hour quiet playtime in their room. No naps will be all good news to them!

Play tag or kickball outside in the afternoon. Goal: exhaustion.
Serve them a simple but filling meal at 5:00. Quickly move along to baths and stories.
By 7:00 they should easily be tucked into bed with some background music playing.
The little crowd will be ready to sleep; an older child could take a flashlight and book to bed as well as a timer to beep at lights-out time.
Be SURE they went potty, and had a drink.
This is when an established, good bedtime routine is a lifesaver because you can trust your children to stay in bed.

7. Refresh Yourself.
While the children are having their quiet time, spend some quiet time with God.
Take a nap if you can. Even if it’s only for fifteen minutes a rest will give you a kick of energy for the evening.
Shower or soak in a bath. Pamper your body and get your glow on.
Choose what you’ll wear after the children are in bed. Smile about how your husband is going to love you in that!

8. Be flexible.
Inevitably, something will happen to complicate your plans.
The phone has to stay turned on because your husband is on-call.
The baby wakes up at 9:00 for no reason at all and won’t settle down.
Your neighbor knocks on the door and won’t stop knocking.
Sometimes you can scramble to take care of the need, laugh, and get back in the groove.
Other times you dip your strawberries into the chocolate fondue with a baby on your hip or, if the situation calls for it, wait for another night to try again.
Sometimes there is laughter. Sometimes tears.
Remember the goal of the evening is to love each other even if it takes more of a sacrificial bent than blissful.

9. Make it happen!
A mom has 20 reasons why this is not easy to pull off, no kidding!
It doesn’t have to be tomorrow night on Valentine’s Day.
It doesn’t have to be a whole big production.
However, even with little children in the house, it is possible to create space to enjoy one another.
Instead of saying, “I can’t because…,” ask, “How could I work around…?”

10. Enjoy with abandon.
Forget about the rest of the world, that annoying spider web in the corner, and the children who are just fine.
For several hours it’s all e best husband ever and one woman who loves him fiercely.

_________________________________________

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did.
Sometimes with Valentine’s Day, having children, and the difficulty with finding babysitters,
 you know it’s probably not going to be the dat e nightyou would wish
but there can be a lot of expectations that are not met.

I loved this and was so challenged by it ~ about being the one GIVING,
and focusing on what I can do to make it special for my husband,
rather than wondering how HE is going to make it special for ME!

And I like that this doesn’t just have to be on Valentine’s Day.
We can date-at-home often!

Love, true love, is always outward focused and selfless…

“In this is love:
not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
[I John 4:10]

Posted on

An Old Fashioned Wife

 Two beautiful women have contributed to this post through their pictures and photography, Janelle of Stoltzfus in Strasburg
{she’s the lovely model in the pictures, a personal friend, and her blog is one of my favorites! do stop by there and say hello!},
and Jolyn, of In His Image Photography {she’s the lovely photographer, also find her on facebook}.
Huge huge thanks to them!

Some time ago I read an article that quoted a 1950’s public high school text book.
I did not write down the exact words,
but what I do remember has stayed with me for years.

And my daughters enjoy the “Dick and Jane” books.
Take a good look at those books again, will you?
Those pictures?
Mother looks fit for a magazine at all times, it’s quite amazing.
Heels to the grocery store?
Wow. Take me back.

I was able to find the quote again, thanks to online searches.
This may seem a bit extreme, and I agree: parts of it are!

{And I also realize this is specifically talking to stay-at-home wives.
So, if you work outside the home, this may not all work.}

However, read it in a “How can I bless my husband?” kind of way
rather than an “Are you even joking me, that’s too much!!” kind of way.

   

   

Entitled, “How to be a Good Wife”

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return.
This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.
Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he  arrives.
Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking.  
He has just been with a lot of work-weary people

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him.
His boring day may need a lift and it is your privilege to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. 
Make one last trip through the main part of the  house just before your husband arrives. 
Run a dustcloth over the tables.

During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by.
Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and  order, and it will give you a lift too.
After all, catering to his comfort will  provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Minimize all noise. 
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the  washer, dryer or vacuum. 
Encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him.
You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time.
Let him talk first.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

  _________________

Like I said, there’s a lot in there. :)
Feminists were absolutely furious when they rediscovered that bit of “slavery!!”
And now is not the time I’m going to to talk about whether husbands and wives divide responsibility based on gender….

However, what stayed with me was the servanthood portrayed for the delight of the husband.
Modern-day Americans tend to think of no one but themselves, and this can easily carry over into the home as well.

We can so easily get stuck in the “Poor Me!” mode, wanting everything to be about us,
wanting our husband  to do everything right for us,
and forgetting that we have a part to play in our marriage too!

 

Hand raised, I know that marriage is a lot of hard work.
I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for how hard it really is!
And I’m not naive enough to think marriage is all about a little bit of lipstick at end of the day! :)

Marriage is not all about outward appearances, far from it.
There is a love that goes much deeper than being “perfect and poised.”
I’m blessed with a man who loves me so well,
whether I look ghastly ill or ready to go out on the town or anywhere in between!

But I think sometimes as the years go by in marriage,
it can be easy to forget those little things that were so important at the beginning of our newly-wedded life.
I’ve been taking some inventory on my own part in my marriage lately.

Take that bit of time when Husband comes home from work, for example…

{newly-wed Clarita}
I don’t know about you, but I sure looked forward to and prepared that his stepping in the door.
No bad breath for me! I’d brush my teeth, or at least pull out the breath mints please.
Oh, and make sure my clothes are cute and clean. Old ratty clothes? What were those?
And no grumpy face, no way. There was a lingering hug and an “I’m so happy you’re home!!”

 

And seven years later, I STILL look forward to his arrival home. Maybe more than ever. :)
But with three little kiddos and a household to organize maintain keep alive juggle I get to be responsible for,
the preparation can so easily be minimized or forgotten!

{somedays, post-third-baby Clarita}
“Daddy’s home!! Quick, clean up the house!! Change out of your PJ’s!!”
and there are days I meet him in a frump without even a thought of a breath mint.
I mean, sometimes the main thought is that we survived the day, you know?

No one died, any blood is cleaned up, any WWIII’s are or will soon be over.
And boy, sometimes it can be hard to think past the dinner that will soon be burnt
or the little person that’s calling, “Someone wipe me!!”

Not to mention that 6pm is not the prime time of the day for the littles and me…

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that my first priority is my husband,
and secondly my children.
Repeat: he is my first priority.

There are worse things, I know, than not preparing for Husband’s arrival home.
I’m not trying to magnify something that’s ridiculous.

But I do keep thinking,
“What’s it like coming home to ME?”

“What’s it like being married to me?
What’s it like hearing the words that I say?
What’s it like living with my attitude?”
[G. Thomas]

Those little things that used to be a big deal… do they still matter to me?

Regardless of whether our husbands work a professional job with other classy dressed-up women,
or if he’s a comin’-home-dirty kind of man,
my guess is that he would want to see a pretty sight, in the form of his wife.

 

Not that PJ’s are awful, but under most circumstances they shouldn’t be an every-day thing.
Not that messy hair is always bad, but not every. single. day.
And bad breath? Well, I have no excuse for that, unless there is gum disease. :)

Am I someone that is so fun to come home to, or will he be afraid of what he’ll meet?
Does he know I love him, but well, the house is always in continual nearly-condemned state?

It’s a little thing, I know, but I think the Old Fashioned Wife has a lot of good sense.
After all, marriage statistics were a lot better back in her day.

So put on a pretty little frock
(or at least clothes that don’t stink, have spit up, poo, or kitchen grease on them)
brush your teeth and use a breath mint,
and freshen that makeup and lipstick…
a little squirt of perfume wouldn’t hurt either! :)

And don’t stop there!
Take the time to welcome him home {not just hollar hi from the corner of the house}
and hug him. For at least 10 seconds. At least.
The longer, the better, really. :)

[and I’m off to follow my own advice!]

Make your husband happy all over again that he gets to come home to YOU! :)

~ clarita

Posted on

There’s a Boy in the House

[ 6 months ]

 

 

[ eight months ]

 

And we have a winner for the stationery giveaway!
It was so so fun to read all the comments and hear of from every single one of you!
112 comments means there are a lot of people who still like an old fashioned letter. I love it! :)
I think almost everyone that commented I thought, “Oooo, I hope SHE wins!”
and then at the end I was feeling bad that there was only one winner!
There were some really neat stories too, I love reading every one!

I used random.org to choose a winning number…
My heart was pounding as I entered the number,
the number 70 popped up,
and the winner is Laura K.!

Congratulations, Laura! :)
I can’t wait to collect the supplies and send you a package!

 

______________________________________________________________

So it’s been a week of being hit with some kind of bug around here. Again.
Some big-time immune boosters are on the way,
something is wrong with the picture when mom gets sick more the kids.

There is nothing that makes me want to cry, “MAAAMA!!!!!”
more then when I’m sick, and especially now that I have kids.
I feel like curling up in a fetal position and shedding some tears about it sometimes.
It. is. rough.
There are many things hard about being many miles and states away from my mother.
Being sick is one of those hard things! 

But we’ll be okay.
This is a week of a lot of ibuprofen for me and a lot of cereal-eating for the kids. 
Next week they’ll have a balanced diet again!
The house looks like a wind storm blew through.
Next week we’ll clean it.
This week we’re all living in pajamas.
Next week we’ll get dressed. :)

A few things of gratitude today….

…. my husband arranging work so he can be home a bit this week so I can rest
… a sister-in-law who brought delicious soup and muffins on my sickest day
… a messy house. It shows there is much life here. :)

_________________________________________________________________

Little Man is passing legal boundaries in growth and cuteness factors.
[I can say that, right? Everyone knows moms are prejudiced anyway.]
It nearly makes me cry when I see him next to a newborn and realize how BIG he is.
I wish the baby stage would last longer! With full sleeping nights, of course. :)

But he is SO fun right now too, that every stage seems like the best.

These are a few pictures from the last few months,
from 6 months to 8 months.


Stats at 8 months:

… sits alone well
… scoots backwards :)
… 22 pounds
… sprouted 4 teeth
… has no idea that there is a mode of transportation called “crawling”
… says “da-da”. Yep, he’s a Daddy’s Boy, for sure.
… does his own version of the sign language “please”
… eats, eats, EATS. Seriously, it’s frightening.
He may or may not eat about a quarter of our weekly grocery budget. Not even joking. There is nothing that he doesn’t like.

… is beginning to fight sleep. FIGHT it. He knows he’ll miss action with his sisters.
So even if he hasn’t slept allll day, he sits up in bed, stick a leg out the side and gets stuck and hollaaaaars.
Repeat and repeat. He’s a little stinker.

… starting to have his own little personality shine out of the cracks, er, rolls. It’s really cute.
He is a sweetie with a stubborn streak. :)

Somehow we missed the memo that babies should be born with hair.
But it’s okay. We love them anyway, bald, hair, however they come. They are loved!

typical Hudson face…

another typical face, without the leaf in the mouth.

His daddy hopes he’ll like football. None of this silly hipster moustache stuff his mommy really likes.


 

The Olivia Relationship.

This is something that really needs to be addressed, it is a point of grave concern.
The relationship between these two is definitely one of love, much love, yes.
But perhaps love that doesn’t know it’s power?
Perhaps ‘painful love’ would be accurate.

You would think when one loves another, there would be nothing like
ear pinching
arm squeezing
knocking over
neck pulling
arm yanking
stuff going on.

But that’s just it: there is much of it!
Daily we speak of the benefits of gentle  love,
for then love will be reciprocated,
instead of the baby turning away with a frightened look on his face when she comes around.
It’s true.
It’s also true there are times he physically tries to restrain her.
It’s further true there are times he seems overjoyed to see her.
Namely, when he doesn’t want to sleep and she sneaks by his bedside.

I say he will grow to be either a very very patient man
or an angry man. :)

The truth is: Olivia absolutely ADORES him.
Her dramatic personality just has to learn when the other person in the relationship doesn’t quite feel the love. :)

But she does make him laugh harder than anyone else on the planet can.
Sometimes he will almost be gasping for air, he laughs that hard at her.
I’ve never heard a baby laugh so hard.
What can I say? I laugh at her too. She really is pretty funny.

Take One: the squeeze

Take Two: the fall

Take Three: the evidence that there ARE some very precious moments too. :)

What a precious life this is!

Have a great weekend, friends!
~clarita

 

Posted on

Loaves & Fishes vs. Wine & Cheese

It’s been a past month of
Christmas and
New Years and
family and
holidays and
food and
awful flu sickness and
all three sisters visiting!! and
80 degree weather the past week and
Zoe wanting to read everything in sight and
realizing there are 30 mis-matched socks in my bin with no pair and
helping a friend do her baby registry [baby fever] and
helping to plan a baby shower for said friend with other friends and
meetings at church with a missionary from Canada and
seeing a golf cart with a trailer going down the street and realizing he’s Fedex and
Hudson popping his 4th tooth and
my sister Ervina featured in this magazine
Olivia bee-bopping around as usual and counting in the 80’s and
beginning to read ‘Farmer Boy’ with Zoe and
allergies that made me so ill and
just catching up on life after having such a busy last year…
Whew.
Life with three kiddos and a husband is never dull.
Adding a few extra things in there makes it full.
In a good way.

It’s a rainy windy day in the south,
so maybe that’s why my thoughts turned a bit deeper today…

Do you ever have those moments of wondering what you have to offer?
Of maybe not even feeling insecure,
but just thinking what you have to offer is not worth all that much.

I mean, there is always someone else who can
talk better
dress better
cook better
create better
write better
laugh better
have better behaved kids
have a cleaner house
be more organized
have a better blog
be wittier and funnier
have a better marriage
say such profound things [and mine just comes out jumbled]
make such an impact on their world
have the favor of almost everyone
seem to have life so easy 
never have things stuck in their teeth
who never has bad morning breath……

Okay, okay, maybe not quite the last two.
But you know what I mean?
Sometimes it seems that our lives, while special to God,
may not be something that matters to other people.

Life has thrown some hard things the past few months.
It’s still not perfect, not even easy, necessarily.

There are things like losing a dear friend that changes what the rest of my life looks like.
It changes perspective on life, it shakes up what I thought was imporant and valuable.
I realize how much of life I took for granted, expecting a tomorrow every day.

There are hard and painful things that test the foundation of my relationship with God,
and test where my security lies.
And sometimes the testing reveals things I don’t like to see.

There is the beginning of a new year, which is both exciting and sobering.
I want my life to count, not for myself, but for God and eternity,
to be who He created me to be, not just a phantom of it.

I was talking to God about some of these things,
and suddenly remembered the story of the little boy with the loaves and fishes.
It’s so neat how God spoke the Word, not just for a neat story, but to speak life forever after.
And it suddenly became alive to me…

It was a simple gift, a humble offering.
He could have withheld it, been embarrassed by his poor-boy lunch,
plus, what could it help with so many people?

But he offered it.
And that’s all that matters.
Would he have not given his little lunch,
a miracle wouldn’t have happened because of his gift.
Jesus could’ve still worked, He is not limited by us,
but the blessing would not have been given to the boy.

And so often I withhold.
Because my gift,
what I have to offer,
the little strength I have,
is just so small.
It just doesn’t seem significant enough.
Maybe I don’t just have fish and bread,
maybe I even feel like all I am is fish and bread.

It’s not a 5 course meal with Wine & Cheese & Olives,
like I wish it was.
All I have is simple bread, roasted fish.
Loaves & Fish.

What could God want with that anyway,
when there are offerings of Wine & Cheese?
Why not just let those people give when it seems like so much more?

The miracle is not in what we have to give.
It’s not in the Loaves & Fish
or in the Wine & Cheese.
It’s not in the bigness or the smallness of the offering.

The miracle is in the God who takes our simple offering and breaks it, and blesses others with it.
The miracle is that GOD is blessed with it.
Wow.
Maybe He’ll take it and multiply it to one person,
maybe  He’ll continue multiplying it to five thousand people,
but either way it’s so much more blessing than if we would’ve kept it for ourselves.

It’s scary sometimes, you know?
To offer?
What if it still doesn’t seem significant?
What if other people make comments about it,
like, “All she’s doing is that! How can that even help or make a difference?”
I want to learn to be still, to offer even still,
and to know Jesus’ approval, know He cares about what I have to offer,
to hear Him saying to my heart,
“Bring it to me.”

Whether He takes my humble offering
and blesses one person or a hundred,
I want to learn to offer…

I think I often write after the fact,
like, “God did this” or “God came through a week ago”.
Today I write from right now.
In the middle of learning.
In the middle of a bit of scared.

Watchword for 2013:  OFFER
Learn to offer my loaves and fishes.

………………………………………………………………

// I love to watch my daughter learn. It thrilles me to see that she enjoys learning //



// that little green envelope? well, she kinda has a crush on her daddy. //

// little man, pre-hair-trimming. his hair only grows on the top of his head! //

// he adores his [bearded] daddy. it melts my heart //


// Kenny making a fabulous Dutch oven supper for us one night//



// a sister and her fiance’! yes, my third sister is getting married! //


// two sisters and their men and my brother came to visit us after Christmas!
we sure did miss our other sister and her husband who came to see us later.
but I was sick and didn’t get any pictures :(  //


// two of my lovelies, how am I so lucky?
wearing our Sevenly shirts – ‘love the orphan’ //

 

~clarita

 

 

 

Posted on

Autumn at the Cottage.

 “There is nothing mundane about your life.
I have come to pour my abundant love upon you lavishly.
Invite me into the corridors of your life, and let me show you how I can transform the everyday to the supernatural,
how I can give you more blessing than you can hope for,
how life in Me can be sweeter than you can ever imagine,
and how I’ve saved the best for last. ”
1 Cor 2:9 (GOD’S WORD translation)

[from a friend’s page this morning]

I had probably a thousand words written here, and erased them all.
They were reflective of the past four weeks,
and I think more suited for my journal than for the public eye.
Ruth will be missed, always missed. I will always treasure the sweet friendship we shared.
Sometimes I feel so much at a loss at how to go about life now.

But I’ve been given today.
With my husband, my children, my family, my friendship.
With those that are living.
Maybe not next year, or next week, and maybe not even tomorrow.
But I’ve been given this moment, today.
And I feel God breathing life into my soul and passion to live with all my heart.
Death puts into clear perspective what really matters.

And relationships are what matter.

With God.
With people.
Taking time for people.
Time with God, alone, just Him and me.
Forgiving.
Not holding onto a grudge.
Cherishing.
Writing a note.
Planning time for friendships.
Living a life that is poured out, not for self, but for others.

You know the line, “It’s the thought that counts” ?
Well, I would venture to say it’s not the thought that counts.
It’s the prayer that counts, it’s the word spoken that counts, it’s the time that counts.
A thought is just that – a thought with no action.
It’s the action that counts in relationship, not the mere thought.

Ann Voskamp, in her book “One Thousand Gifts” wrote,
“All beauty is only reflection.
And whether I am conscious of it or not, any created thing of which I am amazed,
it is the glimpse of His face to which I bow down.”

Beauty, and special little things, have always meant so much to me.
The last few weeks, they have been special still.
It may seem strange to notice them, and yet it causes me to worship the God behind them.
It brings me comfort to see God in even very small things.
They are just little things here at the Cottage, but I see God, and His beauty, in them.

On one hand it seems so shallow to go about daily life after going through such grief as the past month:
making baby gifts, working on My Faire Lady orders, blogging, making meals for our family and others.

And yet this is the life that I’ve been given.

And I feel a greater passion that ever before to live fully, to live alive.
This day is a gift I’ve been given – to live, to love, to enjoy, to bless God.

I do want to find God in my days,
even in simple beauty such a autumn fireplace mantels,
painted pumpkins on my front porch,
the autumn day…
I want to find little things like this and notice the preciousness of life,
the beauty that is there, and worship God.

To be still, and know that He is God…
and I love Him more than ever before.

I want to take time to smile into little eyes, to hug tightly, to live fully.

Death puts a new perspective on life, on what really matters.

Here are a few little things that make my heart swell with gratitude and thankfulness….

 Fireplace mantel.

My mom sent me the link to make these flowers.
16 paper bags and about an hour later, I had made four of them.
They were super easy to make, and a fun project to work on!
I added the jute string in the middle.

The ‘give thanks’ I had written weeks ago…
and it’s a daily reminder of all the things I DO have to be grateful for.
There truly are so many things.




[white urn: thrifted
crystal candlesticks: thrifted
white pumpkins: spray painted :)
chalkboard: painted canvas]

 Pillows from Burlap Coffee Sacks

I think this was a pinterest idea. My living room colors are neutral, so this fit in perfectly with the white/brown/neutral theme for autumn.
I already had these on hand, the first one was a sack I bought when I spent a few months in Guatemala, so it’s really and truly original.
I love these things that remind me of day by gone.

[number pillows: handmade
ruffle pillow: Target ]

Simple Dining Room tablescape.

Some pumpkins are real, some are plastic, some are painted white (since our little town hasn’t heard the memo about white pumpkins).
The spray paint worked quite well, and I was pleased…
…until little fingers tried to scratch it off… and off it comes. :)

Painted Pumpkins.

Several weeks ago my kids were saying,
“We never go aaaaaaanywhere!” and were begging for a funn activity.
Truth be told, we were staying home. A lot.
My sisters gave me the idea of painting pumpkins for fun.
Later I heard it’s all over blogland too? I’ve never seen them.

But one afternoon, when they were especially saying, “I want to go SOMEWHERE!”
we all loaded up in the car and made a trip to the local produce stand.
We bought pumpkins, little pumpkins and medium pumpkins, and I explained the project.
They were delighted.

I had entertained the thought of doing an online search for painted pumpkins to give them ideas of what to paint,
but then I realized it would only be for my sake. So they’d look okay.
The girls would have far more fun left to their own creativity than trying to follow a pattern, which would only lead to frustration.
It was a good choice to let them have fun.
They spent the better part of two hours working on their pumpkins, and it made for happy little girls.

Hunting with Daddy.

Ben took Zoe on her first hunting expedition.
It was bow & arrow season, and he scoped out a quiet, secluded spot.
“We saw their tails,” said Zoe when I asked if they saw deer. :)
It was a bonding father/daughter time, nonetheless.

 

Sewing 101.

Zoe had her first lesson on the sewing machine this week.
She’s shown interest in making things, so we chose a very basic thing: baby doll burp cloths.
[because, as we all know, baby dolls are ever so real, and have a great need of a burp cloth.]
I was very involved in the demonstration, but she was the one who pushed the foot pedal and guided the fabric.
She did a fabulous job, and I am very proud of her.

A Boy in the House.

I saw this hat and cap hanging on the dining room chair today,
and I smiled to myself.
There really IS a boy in the house.
And we cannot imagine life without him!
He is full of smiles and chubbers and brings so much delight to us.


First Riding Lessons.

Zoe has had an interest in horses since she could first talk.
We decided to let her take riding lessons for a time and see if it’s an infatuation or really something she loves.
Katy is from our church and is an excellent teacher.

Zoe was so adorable, so excited, and she chose her riding outfit.
I fell in love with her all over again!
The excitement of children just blesses my soul ~ they are so fully alive and uninhibited!

Olivia was dee-lighted to go along and watch.
And watch she did, perched 4 feet high on a hay bale,
FAR from the reach of all things frightful such as chickens and roosters.

Such are the precious moments in our lives.
They are there to cherish.

This little video clip made my heart burst with excitement and passion.
Our life on this earth is not the end of the story!
What a wondrous reality!

It is one of the best 5 minutes you’ll spend.
Thanks, Janelle, for the link!

aaaaaaand, this is my last week is my twenties!
*slight panic attack*

  ~ clarita

Posted on

Hi! I’m Hudson.

 

Or HUTson. Or Sonshine. Or Shunshine. Or Little Man.

Goodness, I have so many names I just can’t keep track of them all.
Mommy says the Barkmans always use sweet names for their kids,
and cuz she’s a Barkman I guess she does it without thinking.
But now even Daddy does it, all the time.
And my sisters, Lovies and Sweetie, talk to me so funny I can’t always understand them.
Sometimes they even call me “Son.”
I think they don’t know that’s a name just special for Mommy and Daddy.


Mommy laughs at me all the time.
She thinks I look like I’m surprised at the world all the time.
Guess I kinda am.
There’s just so much to see,
and my little head bobs around trying to look everywhere.

One thing I do know though, I really like my family.
I can be in my crib, all alone, and I’ll call out for someone to come find me.
If no one comes soon enough, I’ll start crying, because I just LIKE to be with them!
And it sure brings people running!
Usually Lovies and Sweetie race to see who can get to me first,
and Mommy has to tell them to be kind to each other.
Guess they sure do like me.

One day I think they forgot I’m a little boy,
and they pulled Mommy’s scarves out and dressed me all up.
Boy, was I embarrassed.
And then Mommy even laughed and took pictures of me!
She said I’ll think it’s funny some day.
Some day.

My sisters can make me laugh so hard.
They try to see which one can make me laugh the most,
and I laugh and laugh until nothing is even funny anymore,
and I can’t even crack a single smile.
So then they try to tickle me a little bit, and boy, am I ticklish.
I just start laughing all over again.
And everyone in the whole family laughs when I laugh.
I thought they knew what babies sound like,
but I guess they like me.

Sometimes, though, they like me so much it hurts!
Lovies will come and hug me so tight around my neck,
and Sweetie will squeeze me so hard on my arm,
and Mommy quickly comes running and tells them to stop!
Sure am glad when she does that, cuz sometimes I get worried.
She tells them almost every day to be more gentle,
and I hope one day soon they’ll learn how.
But I guess that means they like me.

I’m getting pretty good as laying on my tummy.
But my head gets tired after a while,
cuz everything is sooooo high and everyone looks like huge giants!
Guess they are, compared to a little guy like me.
So then I just roll over, which really scared me at first.
That rolling over thing, boy, I didn’t know what happened at first.
I cried so hard that everyone came running.
And then instead of feeling sorry for me, they were laughing!
That’s when I learned that rolling over is a good thing, I guess.
Cuz now I can roll when I’m tired and spin around in circles on my back.

I heard Daddy tell Mommy he doesn’t think I’ll crawl for a long time.
He thinks I’m kinda like him, a little more laid back.
He doesn’t think I’m very motivated.
And I guess he’s right.
It’s just so fun to watch everything going on around me.
Plus, I kinda weight a lot and it’s hard to get around.
But I’m still just a little kid, so he doesn’t know what all I’m gonna do.

I finally got Mommy to let me try some food soon before I turned 4 months.
I would sit beside everyone at the table,
and boy, did it ever smell good!
I’d try so hard to get out of my seat and sit with them so I could eat too!
But they’d just laugh at me and think I wanted to talk.
I sure didn’t want to talk – I wanted food!
Guess they know now that I really did want to eat.
I like to eat real food twice a day, and milk just isn’t enough for me anymore.
And I don’t like baby food either.
I like real food best.
Once they tried to give me just plain rice, and ugh, it tasted awful.
And it really hurt my feelings that they thought I should have something like that.
I mean, I really like guacamole and salmon and yogurt that Mommy makes.
They haven’t even tried to give me more nasty baby food stuff.
Boy am I glad.
Daddy and Mommy laugh at me so much.
But I think that means they like me.

Mommy likes to wear all kinds of hats on me,
and Daddy really teases her.
Guess I really don’t have much hair,
but that’s not my fault.
She started dressing me all up to go places too,
with little shoes that hardly fit on my fat feet.
But she tugs and pulls and fiiiinally they go on.
Then she laughs and thinks I look so big.

I’ve already gone on three big trips,
two times to Pennsylvania and once to Ohio.
The first two times I was so little that I didn’t mind.
But this last time was a really fast trip,
and I squirmed and fussed and made it a long trip for Mommy.
But 13 hours is so long to be in a car seat, Mommy!
After we got there it was soooo fun.
I got to see my family that I hardly ever see,
I think they really like me too.
They sure do make me feel special anyway.
Aunt Jana especially really likes babies,
but it seemed like everyone was fighting to hold me!
After we got home to Georgia I cried because someone couldn’t hold me all the time.

I just love my daddy sooo much.
When he comes into a room, I just watch and watch him
and wave my little arms around until he sees me and picks me up.
He always goes to Mommy first and hugs her real tight, then gets me.
I’m so happy when I’m with him.
Mommy sings to me a lot and tells me verses about a Kind Shepherd,
and then she tells me that Jesus wants me to be a Man of God someday.
I hear her praying for me when she tucks me in my crib.
I don’t really know what all she prays about,
or what a Man of God is yet.
But I know that my Daddy loves Jesus a lot,
and I want to be just like him someday.

Well, that sure was a lot of talking for a little guy like me.
I’m getting tired.

Goodnight!