halloween 2017

Thought I had better throw this one in here since tomorrow is Thanksgiving! My sister called and told me she was excited by my sudden daily blogging. Rory was gone Friday night at a church thing and I decided to spend my night getting caught up in words and pictures. And it feels so good! So here is Halloween real quick before Thanksgiving...

My favorite story from this Halloween is that Elsie went back and forth all month if she was going to be a princess, a queen, Aurora, a queen bee, or Elsa. And in the last half an hour she landed on the humble hot dog. I didn't see it coming!

Also, Ivar wanted to be a Ninja Turtle even though he's never seen the show. But his Lego magazine has ninja turtles in it and his dad has all of his figurines that Ivar gets to play with. A few weeks before Halloween Rory and I were in a thrift store and I found Alden's turtle costume for $4. So awesome. He was supposed to have purple headbands and wrist bands, but when Halloween came around they were missing. Not Ivar's thought. Ivar's costume had been set out all month, all ready to go. He's my very organized boy.

And finally, I have come to realize that I am really, super, incredibly disciplined with Halloween candy in the house.

Until I'm not. And then I just have a great time enjoying every single kind. Baby Ruth are my current favorite.

a shelf for my hairbrush

I've been a mother now for seven years. Which means I have learned a thing or two. But the lesson that I have learned over and over and over and over and over again is that everything is just a season. Every trial is just a season. Every hardship and challenge is just a season.

The trouble is that when you are sleep deprived and irritable then you forget that little fact. And you go down a familiar spiral that may sounds something like, "the babies don't nap together anymore. Alden wakes up, Hattie goes down and then Hattie wakes up and Alden goes down. I'll never have a minute to myself again! I will die at age 89 never having another nap!"

It sounds silly to write it out, but in that downward spiral, it feels very rational and terrible.

This happened last Thursday night. And I felt terribly sorry for myself. And once again, I made sure Rory knew how sorry I felt for myself.

I went to bed and woke up every 3 hours with Alden and then it was Friday morning. Alden used to sleep long stretches through the night, but he must be growing, because the boy wakes and eats often again...

So Friday began and I wasn't ready for it. I had made four casseroles the night before for Casserole Club and was getting everyone ready to head out the door to swap meals. (So brilliant: make four lasagnas, give three away, come home with three other large meals...) I jumped in the shower and for some reason decided to put on my big girl pants. Not actual pants. The figurative ones that tell you I can find solutions to difficult seasons.

I got out of the shower and went to comb my hair, but all the combs we own were out of the bathroom. Like always. I opened the drawer to find my brush and it was gone too. And if I hadn't put on my big girl pants I may have comeundone, but instead I went and found a paper and pen and wrote: build a high shelf for my comb and hairbrush. Then I went to put on my jeans that are too short and drive me nuts and I wrote down: shop for new jeans.

My entire day progressed this way. Emphasis on PROGRESS in progressed. I made a list of tangible, attainable solutions to all my woes. And you know what? That afternoon I had a piece of scrap plywood screwed to the bathroom wall. When he was done Rory said, "well, sorry it's not very pretty." And I said it was beautiful. I still think it is. Because every time I go to grab my comb or brush, my comb or brush is still there.

It's a good lesson. That you can pull back from your frustration and look for solutions.

The other reality is this. Rory and I were in the car for a long drive a few nights ago and I was telling him that things just feel challenging. And he reminded me, "yes. and they probably really are that challenging. when we said we wanted four kids we knew it would come with a hard season. Winter was your hard season when Ivar and Elsie were the ages of Hattie and Alden. You probably need to just have more grace for yourself, say yes to less and go for more walks."

It was amazing how hearing him just acknowledge that we're in a challenging season felt comforting. I'm not sure why, but it really helped. So here we are. I've got a shelf for my hair brush. And I bought a new pair of jeans. And Rory and I are bringing a lot of grace to the winter season ahead.

into the woods!

My kids have discovered the woods. We started hibernating way too early at this house so I started a 15 minute mandatory recess each day. It's the same brilliant plan as before...send them out for fifteen minutes, and call them back in five hours later. Once they find their fun outside (if dressed for success: snowpants and mittens) I can hardly get them back in the house for dinner. (Also, I send them outside with snacks and a waterbottle. It seems to greatly add to the sense of adventure for them!)

But I love it. Doesn't it just feel good? My kids are doing exactly what I spent my childhood doing. My mom said she did the same. They have raked a path of dirt, pushing the leaves aside. Each kid has their own "room" with doors made out of leaf piles. They have made chairs and tables and decorated their homes with scrap lumber Rory had in a pile. They pretend they are Pa and Ma Ingalls and when Hattie comes out she is baby Carrie.

It is good. Childhood outside is so good.

apple cider vinegar

God is showing me something really, really neat. And it's likely one of those things that sound cliche and obvious when you say it aloud, except when God is teaching his truth to you, through your own life, everything feels profound and amazing. So hear me out on this one.

A bit more than a month ago I began feeling a lot of pain in my hands. In the joints. Wringing out the dish towel felt difficult. Pulling out the clothes from the washer to put in the dryer was a challenge. Anything that required a firm grip left my hands feeling weak and unable.

Then the seasons changed and I felt this throbbing pain more regularly. I didn't want to talk about it aloud, hoping it would go away. But deep down I was really anxious about what it was because my sister had rheumatoid arthritis in her 20's and my grandma had it very badly in her 30's. So here I was in my 30's, hoping very badly this wasn't actually happening.

Rory prayed over my hands each night and was quite concerned. Hands that hurt is a problem when all we do all day is write, hold, wipe, wring, button, unbutton, zip, unzip, buckle, unbuckle, carry, pick up, push, pull, pour, cut, draw, chop, open, close, fasten, brush, wash, fold, type, squirt, play, turn and point. Hands are very important.

A week later a friend of mine, Cori, posted on facebook that she was offering a 7-day pure eating menu for anyone interested. So I took her grocery list and got off of gluten and most sugar. And the affects on my hands were tremendous. On the whole, my pain was cut in half. Easily. The timing was an absolute answer to our prayers. I have stayed on this changed eating plan for a month now and feel so, so grateful to Cori for getting me started with such a healthy menu of great foods to eat. (I started an instagram account to document what I was eating so that when I get discouraged and think, what can I eat?!!" I can easily see my options. Here's the page if you're at all interested. :) I don't plan to post regularly, just as I eat something new that fits the plan.)

I do still have flare ups. Which led me to read an article on Apple Cider Vinegar. Have you read about the stuff? With the mother?!! Read this article. It is sort of a wonder cure for many, many things. I now drink three tall glasses of water a day with 2 cap fulls (maybe 2 teaspoons?) of vinegar in each one (I drink one before each meal). At first I added maple syrup, but now I like it best with just the vinegar. Weird!

I love it. I feel really good.

Then one night Hattie fell and gashed her head. Rory was gone and an egg was beginning to develop right on the front of her forehead. I called Rory and asked him to pick up some Arnica at the Co-op. My friend Ali had told me all about this wonder cream that reduces swelling immediately. Rory brought it home and said, "I think you should use this on your hands...it reduces swelling." I put it on my hands and immediately felt relief.

So here's what I'm learning from these things. Arthritis is terrible. I was initially really nervous about how it would alter my life. But you know what? It has altered my life in really positive ways. My eating is the best it's ever been. Every day I'm having a kale salad, eggs, sweet potato mash, veggies and hummus, ants on a log, and tons of water. I feel healthy in many ways I didn't feel before.

And then Hattie's terrible injury (on her head which is even worse) turned into a serious blessing when we discovered Arnica, an herb we can grow in our own house. That was when I began reading about holistic anti-inflammatories and began the apple cider vinegar routine. It was another hard thing that led to some really great knowledge gained.

The lesson God is showing me is that really hard things, scary things, difficult things can lead me to a place where he can teach me something new. I know that's a very elementary teaching. I know you're likely thinking, "duh, woman." But, again, it is profound when it is you going through the motions to learn the lesson...living through the hard things to get to the good things.

My hands still ache when I come in from the cold. But by-and-large if I drink my apple cider vinegar, stay off of gluten and corn products and most sugar, then man, I am nearly fully healed. Arnicare is helpful when I feel the ache. And I praise God that I am healthier in all other ways because these hands of mine were hurting. He has so much to teach us through trial and hardship.

Alden, my baby boy

I just put Alden down for his nap (this pic was taken back in September) and I just want to tell the world how much I ADORE my boy. He is such a delight. His smiles are huge and gummy and he loves me as much as I love him. Sometimes I try to match his expression by opening my eyes as bright, lifting my cheeks as high and stretching my smile as wide. Alden is just good for the soul. And I adore babies. I just love them. I smooch his big cheeks all day long and he has this gutty belly laugh that I want to save as a ringtone. When I was pregnant with him I always heard, "pure gift." And that is what he continues to be. Just a pure, good gift.

And he's awake a lot more of the day now! He is almost 4 months, though wearing all 12 month clothes (and growing!) and wants to be held upright and within eye shot of the action. He is still a very chill baby and I am just so glad we had him.

Also, he is Ivar's twin. Which is odd, because they are seven years apart. But these two were definitely separated at birth. By seven years. I'm having a hard time capturing exact expressions from one photo to the next, but you'll have to trust me that there is a striking resemblance.

Just write.

I feel like it's been a while since I've journaled about my life, and I feel like writing it out might help me organize my thoughts, so here I go.

I've been using the same version of Photoshop Elements for the last TEN years! A great $90 well spent, it seems. And today it won't open. I'll have Rory take a look at it, but isn't that weird? I've been limping along with it because I'm too cheap to pay the subscription each month and I know how to use Elements. But my days may be over. Hence, no pictures in this post. Instead, here are all sorts of words and stories tumbling around in my head.

Two weeks ago I took a HUGE load of laundry out of the dryer and discovered that a red crayon had made it into that load and came into contact with every single article of clothing that I had stuffed into the machine. But here's an interesting insight with how I cope: My heart rate didn't even rise. I simply didn't have time to get upset. I just took it all out, put it in a basket and put the basket in a corner for the next week and a half. I believe they call this denial. I call it saving my energy. And it was only when Rory asked what my plan, exactly, was with all of that laundry that I decided to go article by article and throw a whole lot of it away. It looked like blood. I saved big bath towels to use as rags. I saved a pair of Rory's NEW jeans for work clothes. (I clearly do not pre-sort my laundry...) I tossed the rest. It was terrible. But what are you going to do?

Here's a happier story: Yesterday Alden was dedicated at church and it was such a special day. We will have him baptized around Thanksgiving with my side of the family, and as I always say, in both services we are proclaiming the same truth: this is God's kid first. We get to raise him. We get to be his mom and dad. But God will always be his heavenly father. We recognize that. We acknowledge that. We believe that. And it always feels so good to have these services as a public declaration that we stand on that truth while doing our best to raise our kids to know and love and fear their Maker.

After the dedication we celebrated Rory's 40th birthday, Hattie's 2nd birthday and Ivar's 7th birthday. At the beginning of the fall I had asked Rory what he wanted to do for his 40th. I had always planned on a big barn dance, but then we had the Family Corn Roast and we both felt a little exhausted of event planning. He said what he wanted most was to have help get the farm ready for winter. So we invited family and friends (who knew how to run a tractor!) to come and help triple the size of his garden. Unfortunately it rained hard on his birthday so we cancelled. But the thing about a farm is that the work doesn't actually get cancelled even if the party is cancelled. So the two of us worked our tails off over the course of two days. And you know? It was a lot of work! And it also was very, very satisfying. I was happy to have him and he was happy to have me. It was all shoveling dirt, raking leaves, and using a pitch fork to spread wood chips. But we did it and I do believe I will take more ownership in that garden now that I worked so hard alongside Rory.

Speaking of working with Rory...the farm partnership has morphed into his work as well. We launched a sales campaign last week and stuffed a bunch of envelopes with a mailer selling his weather monitoring services. I signed my name on each letter, Rory folded and stuffed, Elsie sealed each one and Ivar put the stamp on. We worked hard as a family and it was very rewarding to get those envelopes in the mail. We are in a very new-to-us, uncharted season, where we are working together more and more. And what we're seeing quite clearly is that my gifts and his gifts compliment each other really well. It feels exciting and full of possibilities.

Another whole topic: I have a friend, Cori, who invited me to her 7-day pure eating group. I accepted with enthusiasm and then she set me up with a menu for the week, grocery list, ideas for healthy snacks and had a facebook group where she posted encouraging thoughts and truths about our bodies and God's hope for our lives. I loved it. Ate great for 7 days and have now continued another week. Yesterday there were three birthday cakes and a plate full of my sister-in-law's incredible sugar cookies and I pulled through. I had a cup of coffee instead (with a whole lot of maple syrup as my consolation!) and decided if I can withstand that sort of deliciousness, I think I can pull this eating off. I never weighed myself...it's not about that for me this time. It's just eating what leaves me feeling good and gives me energy.

Oh here's another story. On Saturday I pulled into the driveway with a van full of groceries. The sheep were all on my front sidewalk eating my hollyhocks. I tried to open the garage door, but it gets off its track easily and takes Rory to lift it while I press the button. (I have a call in for a new garage door). So I parked the car and shoo'd the sheep out of the way, tripped on the cats, told the chickens to move and started bringing the bags of groceries in the front door, careful not to step in any of the sheep poop that was scattered along the sidewalk.

I brought in bag after bag, closing the sliding door after each load because the chickens and cats were trying to get into the van and the sheep were sniffing around.

I got all the groceries into the house, left my shoes on the front step, and then went in to bring the groceries from the entry into the kitchen and put them away.

Sunday morning rolled around and we were all dressed up for Alden's dedication, running late for the meeting before the service for families who had kids being dedicated. Rory took Hattie to the van in the driveway and then came back with Hattie and announced, "Boa the cat was trapped in the van overnight. There is cat poop and throw up in three places that I have found so far."

Can. You. Imagine??!!

Can you?!!!!!

So Rory found the big towels that had red melted crayon on them (perfect!) and used them to start cleaning up the mess. As fast as he could. Then we checked everyone's seat and told the kids to load up and raced off to church.

And now I have a call in for a full interior detail. The works. Heavy clean. We want it to look brand new.  And please, make it smell brand new too.

On that note, I'll let you go now. Thanks for listening. I miss this space for these mind dump posts. They're good for me. As always, I'm still posting quick posts on The Grovestead Instagram. So if I ever go to quiet here, I'm likely over there...

Happy Monday!

our growing orchard

I took these pictures on a hot day in August and my kids were certain they were melting in that sheep shelter above. They were not as into the "check on the apples" experience as Rory and I were. But I love that they huddled together in that shade, eating their apples, sweating it out together. Now that it's blustery and cold today, I can appreciate the sibling bonding that was happening in this moment.

My friend Leisha once told me that raising kids is a lot like planting an orchard. You tend to the trees, you water and mulch them. You take measures to rid them of the bugs and insects. You prune them so they're sturdy and support them so they don't topple over in strong winds. You fence them in to protect them from harm. And then one day, years and years later, you get to enjoy the fruit of all of your labor. In the meantime you get a few apples every season. And you can see the goodness that is to come. But you plant an orchard and tend to those trees with your eyes on the harvest many years to come.

I love that illustration so, so much. I think of it every time we're out checking on the progress of our apple trees. And feel encouraged for all the ways I am tending, disciplining, training, guiding, protecting, supporting and encouraging my four kids every. single. day.

all day, every day

I'm working with Rory!

Back in August there was a guy who came and spoke at our church about prayer and intercession. At some point he talked about how he gets up at 5 am to pray every day. I groaned inside. He mentioned that when Jesus taught us to pray "give us this day our daily bread" he probably thought you'd pray that before you needed the bread for that day...likely in the morning. He was a compelling preacher and I felt convicted. But definitely not 5 am convicted.

But wouldn't you know, early the next morning after feeding Alden, I went to crawl back into bed and looked at the clock. I literally watched it change from 4:59 to 5:00. And I groaned again. I knew it wasn't a coincidence. So I put a blanket around me and went downstairs to pray.

I was so tired. And I really was trying to talk myself into letting myself go back to bed but the Holy Spirit was clearly at work because soon I got into a rhythm and started praying for Rory. 

I prayed for the work on the farm, his business, his volunteer commitments with the reserves and the pregnancy center in town. I wasn't as tired. I was feeling very grateful for this quiet time in the dark living room looking at the morning stars in the black night.

Rory woke up and I told him I had been praying for him. And it led us into a conversation about all that's on his plate. I started taking notes and then something crazy happened. It hasn't happened in our 12 years of marriage. But I said, "I could help you."

Up until this point Rory's work is Rory's. I have a lot going on in my world too. It has worked well. But as he listed the laundry list tumbling around in his mind I knew I could jump in and help. Most pressing, he said, was to find a computer programmer to help him with his latest project. I made a few phone calls that day, emailed a few contacts. But wouldn't you know, that Friday at Ivar's soccer practice I started talking to a dad who said he was a programmer looking for experience. Incredible. We love this guy and he's been working with Rory since.

And now we have a sitter who comes for three hours every Monday afternoon and Rory gives me a list of things that he can't get to. I want to give you a sample, because this job is awesome.

-post internship positions on local college websites

-research, locate and purchase 4 piglets

-find publisher for board games

-call Zumbrota Livestock Auction and find out best time to deliver goats

-take pictures and post Ram (sheep) on Craigslist

-find nubian billy goat to mate with mama goat

-schedule lamb processing, research best age to process

-call for tour of sheep contact to look at their fencing

The craziest part is that I LOVE IT. I love working with Rory on farm stuff. This wasn't always the case because I had enough going on in this house, but for some reason I have suddenly jumped in fully to this farm life, not just the house life with the kids...

Last week I found our piglets on a farm in Wisconsin. They will be born in January and we'll pick them up in March. I chatted with the lady selling them via facebook all morning, asking questions, figuring out what I needed to know and still need to learn. And when I wrote, "we'll take four!" I shouted aloud. I was so happy! I ran into the kitchen and told Rory it felt like I had just booked a ticket for a great adventure. And I'm pretty sure I had. I never thought I'd be this thrilled about pigs, but I am so excited. I cannot wait!

So we're a team. We're working together on this farm like never before and it is so fun. I was always supportive. I always offered my two cents. I was always on board. But now I'm making some of the decisions. Making the contacts and deciding the plan. Friday night I even made Rory sit down with me and watch youtube videos on how to build a greenhouse... 

And I'm still getting up each morning to pray. It's early, and there is no physical part of me that actually wants to get up that early, but sometimes I think it's okay to go against the flesh. I told the Lord that he would have to wake me when he wanted me to pray and Alden has been fulfilling that request faithfully. I am often up between five and six, something that is completely not normal for me. I love my sleep. But these six weeks have been so fruitful and fulfilling and best of all the joy of the Lord has truly become my strength. 

So look for me, Farmer Becca. Making phone calls to our local seed vendor, trying to figure out how to plant a cover crop on our field this year, researching tractors and calling a fencing company for an estimate. And if anyone knows of a good, small, used livestock trailer we could buy, let me know! 

soccer season

Is there anything more fun than watching your kid come into his own? I just climbed up into Ivar's bunk with him to talk before he fell asleep. I rarely do that because there is a lot going on, but man it is fun to hear what is rolling around in his head at night. He's growing up and I love it. I love who he is. I love who he will be. I just love that kids so much. Wasn't that long ago that he was as little as Alden. Life is good. Kids are awesome. I love being a mom.

a beautiful farm

I shared some of these on instagram, but just found a few more while going through our pictures.

Summer is so glorious. And busy. Remember how we had a baby 3 months ago? I think that's sort of about to catch up with us. We are ready to lay low. October is still packed full of farm-to-do's, but Rory just mentioned tonight that he can feel things slowing down a bit. And by slowing down he means after the farmer's market this weekend, after we double the size of our garden and build a fence around it, after we wall in the animals in the barn, after we sell the ram and billy, after we put in our order for piglets in the spring, buy a tractor and after we split the winter's fire wood. Ha!

overheard (mostly elsie quotes...)

Yesterday I decided that I really had to write down some of the funny things said around here. My plan was to have a post of funny things at the end of the month. Turns out, by the end of the day I had incredible material.

Me: Do you want some ham? Elsie: "No that will make way me too chilly! I need cheese!"

Ivar: "Elsie! You are way too noisy! I am trying to cut with scissors right now!"

Elsie: "Mom, for my birthday, my DREAM would be two cans of chicken noodle soup."

Elsie: Mom. In the new earth, the one with no sin or sickness or stuff like that...I'm never going to wash my own dishes, okay?

mara's cross country meet

I took the kids to watch my niece Mara's cross country meet. Mara is in 7th grade and in some awesome twist, had a meet at the golf course that is 20 minutes from my house, the very golf course I golfed at when I was on the Girls Golf team in high school.

It was so fun. I loved getting to see this part of Mara's life. Her friends were so awesome. They were so welcoming of me and my kids and made me feel like a mother and four young children with a double stroller fit right in. They were really, really nice girls. Which made me so glad for Mara. Kindness is such a needed quality in the world, and these girls felt kind to me.

 And they posed for all my pictures. Which was also very kind. :)

The location was gorgeous and the day was glorious. Here comes my little runner, who though her gold high heels would be appropriate footwear for the meet. I laughed when she got out of the car. And then I realized I didn't remember to grab Hattie's shoes. And laughed again. Doh.

Probably the best part was seeing how much Mara seemed to enjoy the whole thing. As a non-runner, I am in awe of anyone who runs for fun. Even my kids wondered many times on the way there why she and her team would just run and run. At one point during the non-stop questioning I told them that they actually let a bear out of a cage to chase the runners and that is why they run. Which they found horrifying. And then hilarious. But Mara doesn't need a bear to chase her. She looked like she was having a blast which is so fun to watch.

Here's the other thing that I continue to see as a grown-up that I wish I could have seen as a kid. No one cares who comes in last. No one. Everyone is there cheering for everyone. I suppose there are competitive coaches and pushy parents, but man, we were standing by grandparents and moms and dads and I just was glad for each kid out there, who was trying. And I wish I hadn't spent so much of my life tied up in what other people thought of me. No one is thinking anything about the last runner, or any runner actually, except the one they came to watch. All this to say, I loved watching every runner. The first to the last.

Mara got to hold Alden as her prize. I think he's thinking deeply here about how he still needs to learn how to sit up, roll over, crawl and walk before he can even imagine running. There is a lot ahead of that little boy. 

And below is Mara, holding her 7th place cowbell! She did amazing. Seriously, her strides were huge the whole way. Her legs are incredible and we all were very, very proud. We love you Mara!

Also. You are growing up so beautifully. I love you to pieces and cannot believe how fast time is flying by. Let's have another sleep over. Love, Aunt Bec

I don't want to forget...

I put this picture on instagram with the caption: Tummy Time Support Staff. Alden has a good crew.

I still have a few books I want to share, but first I have a few things to write down that I just don't want to forget!

1. Ivar came yelling down the stairs on Friday night before bedtime, "I just made a MEMORY!!!" And then he explained how he was brushing his top teeth and this front tooth fell out, bounced on the counter and fell down between the counter and wall. We will likely find it if we ever renovate that bathroom. He truly did loose his tooth!

Also, the fact that he said he made a memory made me SO PROUD that he is my son.

His other front tooth is also very loose and has moved over to center stage and his smile is awesome right now. Just one tooth in the front, swaying back and forth.

2. Hattie's had a bad dream the other night and Rory could not console her. So he called me in and I held her in the rolling office chair next to her crib while Rory sat on the floor and kept his hands on her. I sang, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that name..." and Rory prayed for Hattie as she cried and whimpered and heaved her sad breaths out until she finally fell back asleep. She is a sweet one, and I love that Rory and I are a united front when it comes to that little girl.

3. When we drive from town back to our farm we can see our barn and field and I'll say, "boy that sure is a pretty farm. Look at those sheep in that orchard. That's a lucky family who gets to live there..." and Elsie shouts excitedly from the backseat every time, "Mom! That's actually our farm! We are the family who gets to live there!!"

4. And while I'm thinking about our car, I once told the kids I was sorry I didn't have a snack for them while we were driving to another destination. They said, "oh, it's okay! We have our bagels from church back here!" I said they must be pretty hard by now, but they said not if they dunk them in their water. Then a few days later I said I wish I had brought their sweatshirts and they said, "oh we keep them in the car now!" Another time I didn't have cash for a garage sale and they both said, "we have our money holders!" So recently I scoped out the way back seat and sure enough. They basically have it set up as a little locker room. They will never be unprepared.

5. I continue to tell others that I liken Alden to a goldfish. I feed him every three hours and once in a while change his...water. The kid is so, so chill. His whole disposition is, "happy to be here, mom. thanks for having me. let me know when you have a minute. it's okay if you don't." He is positively adored by the five members of his family and has no lack of attention and love. I would be interested in what percentage of my day is spent getting pillows and siblings set up so they can hold Alden. It's a good chunk of the day.

the farmer's market

For our 12 year anniversary this year, Rory and I celebrated by setting up a booth at the Farmer's Market! I was thinking late on Friday night as we were putting our booth together in our garage (sort of a trial run) that 12 years earlier Rory had sang a song to me at our groom's dinner. He sang in front of everyone the song from Mr. Rogers. We sang it to each other while we were dating and the lyrics are: "It's such a good feeling, to know you're alive. It's such a happy feeling, you're growing inside. And when you wake up ready to say, "I think I'll make a snappy new day." It's such a good feeling, a very good feeling, the feeling you know that I'll be back when the day is new and I'll have more ideas for you and you'll have things you'll want to talk about. I will too."

It was that last line that I thought was so fitting 12 years later. Rory has more ideas that anyone I know. And I have things for us to talk about until our dying day. So we worked together making signs, pricing items, deciding how we'd hang everything for display. It was a blast.

It actually felt quite a bit like a high school group project, except Rory and I were in a group with a newborn and one-year-old. I told him that my entire group project history is filled with the teacher taking me aside before announcing the groups and saying, "Becca, I am putting so-and-so in your group because I know you are kind and will be able to help him succeed." I could name every project and every kid if you'd like. But apparently all of those experiences led me to this ultimate challenge: four children and a booth of chickens and crafts. :)

I loved the entire morning. We had friends stop by all morning long and A TON of interest in our grass-fed, pastured meats. People even bought frozen chickens on the spot! We are heading back on October 7th for more fun and I can't wait. It seriously was one of those days that after the fact it made me smile for days, thinking about how much fun I had.

I don't think we'll do this every Saturday. But we definitely can see signing up for special events and creating crafts to suit the event. Our town has a Winter Walk in December and our brains are spinning for what we could bring and sell to that event. Life is fun. Rory is fun. It was a great anniversary.

Bubble Wrap Girl

I'm so proud of this one. Proud because Kari is a friend of mine. We went to Luther Seminary together and were in all the same classes. She now lives in Alexandria, Minnesota and is a pastor at a Lutheran church up there.

The week before Alden was born we got a book in the mail from her. And lo and behold it wasn't just any book. It was a book with HER NAME ON IT. Kari wrote it and this book is darling. My kids love it and we have read it many, many times.

It's all about a girl who is fed up with getting hurt when she rides her bike or plays with friends. So she has her family wrap her up in bubble wrap to prevent further injuries.

The story shows how problematic this actually is, as the bubble wrap always gets in the way. So she decides to be brave, even if it means risking an injury. As Kari wrote on her own blog, "if I can do anything to inspire someone to be brave, to go after what is good, right and beautiful in the world, rather than sit along the sidelines or settle for what society says is the way things will be, I want to do it." And isn't it sweet that the story in her book about Izzy, and the very fact that Kari PUBLISHED HER OWN BOOK (!!!) both have the very same motivating message for me: join in. Be brave. Do it.

I suppose we're all wearing our own bubble wrap of sorts. Insulating ourselves from disappointment and failure and hurt. But Izzy took her's off. Kari took hers off too. And I'm super inspired.

You can buy Bubble Wrap Girl on Amazon, online at Barnes and Noble and at itascabooks.com

The Relatives Came

This book literally came in our box of Cheerios. It was a part of some marketing stint and the books included in that little marketing stint were all winners that I hadn't read before. But this one was my favorite. Ivar was just little...probably Hattie's age. And we read this over and over and over and over. In fact, one of his first phrases was "something-something-something Virginia." And we never knew what he was saying, but it was something about these relatives who came all the way from Virginia.

The book tells of one family visiting their relatives during the summer. And there isn't much more that happens than that. The family eats together, sleeps together, works together, plays together. They all love each other as the pictures clearly show. It's family at its best. And I adore this book. One Christmas I bought six copies and gave it to every cousin family of Ivar's. 

Family is the best. And this book says that over and over again. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant.

book week!

I have had so many books I have wanted to share on this blog, ones that I would recommend as gifts or family read-alouds or new discoveries... and I decided this is the week!

We'll begin today. Have you ever read anything by Patricia Polacco?!! She is brand new to me, but clearly not new to the world of children's publishing. She has over 100 books out there!! I randomly discovered one of her books from a trip to the library and it was all about a Family Reunion called When Lightening Comes in a Jar. The story was so pleasing to me. It lifted up the importance of family traditions and hearing the same stories over and over again and listening to the older generation. I just loved it.

So I did an author search at our library and requested every book in our library system by Patricia Polacco. I have been reading her books all month and they do not disappoint.

She is the author and illustrator and the books are largely stories taken from her own life or her ancestors. They all focus on the importance of family or other close relationships and I am absolutely in love.

My top favorites:
Fiona's Lace. I cried. And then when I retold the story to Rory I cried again.
An A from Miss Keller. All about the hardest teacher in the school and having to work hard but feeling grateful after. Also made me cry.
The Mermaid's Purse. All about good books and community.
Clara and Davie. About young Clara Barton who founded the American Red Cross.
Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece. Her story of being too shy to read in front of her class and the teachers that helped her overcome her stage fright.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart. Incredible. You will hardly believe the ending.

I am so glad she has 100 more books for me to read! They are long and have a lot of text. The pictures are captivating, mostly because you know this is what these people actually looked like...they are characters from her own life. And her storytelling is masterful. I hope she writes 100 more.

So enjoy! There is no need to have to have kids to read these books! I read many after bedtime to myself. They ring of what is right and good and true. They're a breath of fresh air.