Lord, That I May See

It's been a rough day. As I am patting the back of an angry, tired baby in his bassinet, I think to myself: "I need to go for a run.  Yes, that's what I'm gonna do.  Run and run and put this day behind me." I come out of the baby's room and D. says to me that he's got to go and help someone who apparently can't follow verbal directions to turn back on his water main. Okay, then. So, now I'm sitting on the couch with some chocolate.  And I think I'll post some vacation pictures from last month, because those are happy thoughts. The Chesapeake Dock Fishing with Uncle J. Pulling up the crab pot Blue Crab The House and Boathouse Swimming Kayaking Oysters Fishing with Uncle B.

is doing this: He is just 4 months old and I want the perfect little man to press pause on his crazy growing while I snuggle him longer against me.  At this rate he'll be crawling before Rosebud and Sunshine who were 5 mos!

1.  15 minutes of Adoration all by myself! When is the last time this happened? 2.   Turtle's knitting. I love that she's making herself a scarf, that's she's "knitting and purling" and dropping stitches and picking them back up later. I love her straight back and her crossed ankles and her concentrating face. :) 3.   This gorgeous August day.  It was a joy!  4.  Caramel popcorn.  It's actually Caramel Coconut Popcorn, because the caramel has to be made with coconut cream on account of Sparky's allergies. So, the caramel tastes coconutty and then it gets mixed into warm popcorn .... Mmmmmm 5.  Last, but not least!  I'm loving this little case I received from my friend. When I need to pack light it fits my phone, cards, cash, and license perfectly and it slips into my diaper bag or on my wrist and bye, big purse! So awesome! You know that thing you never knew you needed and now you couldn't be...

You gotta take your alone moments when you can get them.  The back porch is my spot of choice.  No one can see me from the house if I sit down, it's sheltered and shady, and it's a great place to hide when I'm talking on the phone or at "quiet time," (which sometimes isn't that) or just to grab a little minute to breathe.  The girls haven't quite caught on, probably because my moments are so spread out!

We were hanging out with my family at the bay this weekend and we've started watching, or re-watching for some of us, the 1990 Ken Burns Civil War documentary.  Although, as a writer at the Washington Post once said, documentary is too stodgy a name for this film, and even to call it "great television" is not enough. "This is heroic television!" Ken Burns is a masterful producer and his style of using old photographs and first person quotes to recreate an "emotional archaeology" of a time that really defines our identity as Americans is very powerful.  This documentary set afire my love of the time period and my love of history. Watching this film and talking about it is a way that I can commemorate  this year the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg! ******* I completed the 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge with Jen at Conversion Diary!

When you are weirdly excited that your baby is eating leaves. :)

1.   My new favorite summer supper: Try it .  You will not be disappointed! 2. We watched the Hobbit the other day for the first time.  There were a lot of scenes that did not seem to be from the book, but I thought the movie as a whole was well-done and powerful.   I really loved something that Gandalf says to Galadriel when they are talking about the dwarves' quest and the question of a new danger from Sauron.  Gandalf says, "Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." 3. As an aside, I would like to know just how many wordless roars that there are in those 4 Peter Jackson/Tolkien movies. Recall all those shots of a wordless roar -- of triumph, anguish, ferocity, whatever -- coming from the throat of some character with his head thrown back as the camera p...