thanksgiving

could it be better than

dad's candied potatoes,

turkey,

and mom's pie?

yeah, i didn't think so.

it was fun while it lasted.

fall came and went last week. 

so we trucked out in the cold and blustery weather to outfit ourselves in toasty new jackets and boots.

but not without a photo shoot first.

the snow proved a formidable adversary to this photo taking mama, so daddy had to step in. it was just way too exciting though and the snow beat us both.

the photo session was short lived. 

how strange to see the leaves, still green, hanging with snow. hello winter!

the tomatoes

i knew i wanted to be this type of person, i just never thought i actually would be.

we were gifted a crate load of tomatoes and i knew i would feel guilty if i didn't at least try to do something with them.

so i canned.

i canned.

i found a recipe online and set to work.

the best part was definitely peeling the tomatoes. who knew how satisfying it would be to feel the skin slide off?

the yield wasn't quite as high as I was hoping, but I wanted a thicker sauce so we simmered away for most of the afternoon and ended up with a few pints of perfectly thick and rustic tomato sauce. and more is on the way. just as soon as the rest of the bundle ripens.

dear sun,

finally.

the doctor is out

this year for Halloween the boy wanted to be a doctor. so today, on this, the umpteenth day of dreary, rainy fall weather, I got to work.

it turned into one of those sewing days. ugh. the kind where your stitches aren't straight no matter what you do, and the pattern reads like some ancient lost language that you have no hope of ever deciphering, and the whole thing leaves you so discouraged and frustrated you say a lot of words your kids shouldn't hear. and then you cry.

there is a generous amount of time left before this costume is actually worn, but for now it stays like this.

tea time

black tea + milk + caramel sauce = a perfectly palatable tea for the four year old. 

and his mama too.

wrinkly hands

i love washing dishes.


in the sink.

usually though speediness wins out and the ease of the dishwasher just makes sense in our busy days. 


today though, with the kids in quiet time, i ran the water and sunk my hands into the soapy bubbles. and relaxed.

there is something that is so therapeutic about the process for me. the hot water. the way it reminds me of being a kid, watching my mom at the sink. the satisfaction of seeing the immediate results of my work. how it feels like a throwback to a time without the convenience of well, everything. 

it feels simple. i feel good when I do it.

and that is better than the incessant moaning of the dishwasher any day.

the baby conundrum

i want a baby.
how absurd is that?
i know what will happen to me if we get pregnant again.
i know months and months of agony will ensue and then it will all wrap up nicely with hours of terrifying pain.
not to mention the healing, the sleepless night, the sore boobs, the hormones.


but i want it so badly i can feel an ache inside.


will this ever go away? will having another fix it? or will it just delay the feeling which would inevitably come back once the newest bubba was walking and the next friend got pregnant? 


am i destined to feel this way no matter how many babies we have? 
because, at some point, they would all have to grow up.


this whole being content business is hard work. 

the breadwinner

four slings were made and sold this weekend. four! 


there was a frantic night of sewing friday night but they all got done. 


and no pictures were taken.


it was a real blessing to us this month though and I am grateful to have contributed in a dollar sort of way. the bank account doesn't keep track of meals made, or loads of laundry washed, or cleaning lists completed, or tears wiped away, or books read, or diapers changed, or prayers said. 


it should.


we would be rich.

maybe we are rich.

bedtime

the scene at our place last night.

perfect.