Lord, That I May See

  "I don't like it when you talk disrespectfully to me," Turtle said, her voice broken and her tears flowing.   "When you talk that way to us I want to say to you: 'we need to be respected too and we are owned by God too and you need to talk respectfully to us too!" We stood across the kitchen from each other and her words, brave and teary, stood in the air for a moment.  I knew that this was truth in my daughter's face and voice.  The words came from deep within her and I was shaken.  I was asking for respect without giving it.  And it wasn't the first time. The swell in my heart was so strong, so many conflicts.  My stubborn pride, my "right" to correct the legitimately rude words I had been hearing, my desire to come out of this fight with the upper hand -- these things were battling against the truth in her teary eyes and the truth in me.  I heard the words she chose -- the plural of we and us -- and I recognized the champio...

What they now saw was a wide oblong space flagged with smooth stones and surrounded by gray pillars but unroofed.  And from end to end of it ran a long table laid with a rich crimson cloth that came down nearly to the pavement. At either side of it were many chairs of stone richly carved and with silken cushions upon the seats.  But on the table itself was set out such a banquet as had never been seen, not even when Peter the High King kept his court at Cair Paravel.  There were turkeys and geese and peacocks, there were boar's heads and sides of venison, there were pies shaped like ships under full sail or like dragons and elephants, there were ice puddings and bright lobsters and gleaming salmon, there were nuts and grapes, pineapples and peaches, pomegranates and melons and tomatoes.  There were flagons of gold and silver and curiously wrought glass; and the smell of the fruit and the wine blew towards them like a promise of all happiness. . . .  "Why is it...

First haircut for Sparky!   It's so darling and at the same time...? Well, I could wax nostalgic over a little boy's first haircut with minimal encouragement, me who keeps envelopes of first curls and wisps for no particular purpose other than to look back and sigh.    Turtle says she doesn't like his haircut and I know what she means.  But at the same time I love it because his mullet is gone and he's so cute in a whole new way!  The tug of war on a mother's  heart is just crazy sometimes. Two opposite things can be true at the same time.  I guess it will always be so. 

1.   The Athleta Wherever Skort Love, love.  Its worth every penny.  Soft fabric, so comfortable, feminine and flowy, lightweight and cool, and very cute.  It fits really well, I feel good in it, and D. thinks its hot. ;)  Yay! 2.    Cara Espadrilles from Land's End I think these are so cute.  I want them! 3. Favorite new (to me) blog: The Fike Life I arrived on Blythe's blog (linked from several various others)at the post on the Soul Pancake video . I thought she was so charming and warm and a great Catholic representative. I enjoyed her I am a Catholic series ( part 2 , part 3 ) and this sweet post  too. :) 4.  This outfit for Sparky!   Seersucker on boys is so darling, but then add a tractor? Even better! 5.   And last, my favorite book on potty training:  Diaper-Free Before 3: The Healthier Way to Toilet Train and Help Your Child Out of Diapers Sooner....

My dear "spirited sprout," Rosebud, has always been a bundle of energy. I've chronicled her craziness on this blog before , such as her daily toddler adventures, mostly involving water (or pee) . The other morning I noted all the activities and "good ideas" that she had in a three hour period.  It was amazing to me -- what a girl! At 7:45, directly after rising, she peels and eats an orange. She dashes off eight pieces of artwork -- different pastoral scenes -- and then sets up a table with a sign reading "Artwork for Sale" and charges "$1 or 1 cent" per piece.  Mommy and sisters buy artwork. The sale is a short one, because then she wants to go and listen to an audiobook. Breakfast is ready.  She gobbles it down.  (No time for nonsense!) She does three workbook pages in her new Explode the Code workbook. She spots a package on the front porch, which she opens and then starts jumping on the packing air sacks. She finds a gro...

1.   The gardening book that's giving us encouragement to try and make a success of gardening yet again.  2.   Fun mixing the soil -- 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 blended compost. Wish that was our house and car in the background! :)  3.  The baby in the dirt "sandbox"! 4.    Little helpers making the square-foot grid 5.  Little sprouts of green hopefulness! More  Five Favorites  at Hallie's -- I would really like to read that last one of her book recommendations!

My brother graduated with a Bachelors in Business from Belmont Abbey this past weekend.  We traveled to be there for him! He's the one with the red academic hood showing fully.  (Sunshine was mezmorized by the bagpipes.) It was a whirlwind weekend. We arrived close to 10pm on Friday evening and didn't get home till almost the same time Sunday night.  Everyone was tired and the long trip home was commemorated by Turtle's nosebleed, Rosebud and Sunshine's carsickness episodes and Sparky's crying and discomfort from his diaper rash. Oh my.  But we are glad we went and are so proud of M!