MommyCoddle

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2009 : the final look back

: May 2009 :

Ruby joins the family.

Elizabeth enjoys her independence.

A fox takes (almost) all the chickens in one night.

: June 2009 :

I remember my grandmother's clothes line tips.

Ruby is almost lost. But prayers are answered.

I remind myself to say yes.

: July 2009 :

We begin the egg counting again.

We hit the beach, but only for the day.

: August 2009 :

It's official. I'm a soccer mom.

Dan writes the Rules of Civility.

I declare the "summer of the dehydrator".

A blue ribbon cake goes to the county fair.

: September 2009 :

I finally spill the beans.

We let the ducks in on the secret.

Roosevelt keeps us guessing.

: October 2009 :

I come home to quite a surprise.

A simple quote reminds of the goodness of normal.

: November 2009 :

I learn an important lesson from the landscape.

: December 2009 :

My mother shares her Christmas letter.

: January 2010 :

Thank you, friends for coming on this journey with me through 2009.

And more importantly, thank you for coming to this space that is my writing home–the place to gather my thoughts, share my inspirations, my struggles, my joys, my lessons. It is a comfortable home, and even more so because you visit often. I think I'll sign off these posts that have reflected on 2009, by sharing the New Year's thoughts I received in an email last week:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

photo links :

1. taking it all in, 2. life in the bush, 3. the final count, 4. this is where you'll find her, 5. slowing down the evening, 6. pray for ruby, 7. nestled, 8. how to…, 9. finally some sun, 10. there's something about this that i love., 11. still here, just summering., 12. surprise, 13. it didn't, 14. Emma needs your help, 15. rhubarb, 16. inspiration, 17. we let them in on the secret, 18. rooster chronicles, part one, 19. last night, 20. i should go away more often, 21. normal is good, 22. that sky, 23. lessons from the lanscape, 24. the end., 25. first frost

: May 2009 :

Ruby joins the family.

Elizabeth enjoys her independence.

A fox takes (almost) all the chickens in one night.

: June 2009 :

I remember my grandmother's clothes line tips.

Ruby is almost lost. But prayers are answered.

I remind myself to say yes.

: July 2009 :

We begin the egg counting again.

We hit the beach, but only for the day.

: August 2009 :

It's official. I'm a soccer mom.

Dan writes the Rules of Civility.

I declare the "summer of the dehydrator".

A blue ribbon cake goes to the county fair.

: September 2009 :

I finally spill the beans.

We let the ducks in on the secret.

Roosevelt keeps us guessing.

: October 2009 :

I come home to quite a surprise.

A simple quote reminds of the goodness of normal.

: November 2009 :

I learn an important lesson from the landscape.

: December 2009 :

My mother shares her Christmas letter.

: January 2010 :

Thank you, friends for coming on this journey with me through 2009.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

photo links :

8 Comments

2009 : in photos + words : april

: 26 april 2009 :

| Grateful To The Last |

I hold those two years we lived on her farm close to my heart. I find myself frantically searching my mind for memories, moments we shared. My family, my children became part of her routine ….

The question for the old and the dying, I think, is not if they have loved and been loved enough, but if they have been grateful enough for the love received and given, however much. No one who has gratitude is the onliest one. Let us pray to be grateful to the last.

: 16 april 2009 :

| Black Walnut's Home Birth |

: 12 april 2009 :

| swarm and settle |

….sitting atop a grassy green hill, looking out over his field dotted with black cows and their calves. Watching the grackles swarm and then settle in a different spot in the field. Swarm and settle. Chuckling at a calf whose slipped under the fence, kicking up its heels at its freedom. Watching the collies as they work over the bulls, who are only slightly bothered by their presence ….

: 7 april 2009 :

| little mysteries |

: 5 april 2009 :

| living a complex life |

I get tired of working, working, working, and figuring out how to make work-time into family-time. I wonder if there will ever be a weekend where there isn't a major project on the agenda.

I wonder if I'm cut out for this…

In so many words, Wendell Berry says that this life we are leading or striving for, so many people refer to as the "simple life" or "living simply". But in reality what we should be striving for "is the complex life"….

: 20 april 2009 :

| chicken picnic |

: 26 april 2009 :

| Grateful To The Last |

I hold those two years we lived on her farm close to my heart. I find myself frantically searching my mind for memories, moments we shared. My family, my children became part of her routine ….

: 16 april 2009 :

| Black Walnut's Home Birth |

: 12 april 2009 :

| swarm and settle |

: 7 april 2009 :

| little mysteries |

: 5 april 2009 :

| living a complex life |

I get tired of working, working, working, and figuring out how to make work-time into family-time. I wonder if there will ever be a weekend where there isn't a major project on the agenda.

I wonder if I'm cut out for this…

: 20 april 2009 :

| chicken picnic |

3 Comments

celebrations / family / home / HOMESCHOOLING / life on thomas run

2009 : in photos + words : march

: 23 March 2009 :

| How We Do Things |

:20 March 2009 :

| Family Stories |

These boxes are full of family stories. I sorted, tried to make out faces, noticed how much someone's children look exactly like they did, when they were that age. Marveled at my grandmother, poolside–a handful of kids splashing in the water, a few toddlers watching from wooden playpens in the grass. Children spread around long wooden tables on the patio, covered in newspaper, dipping eggs into colored water. Girls bareback on horses. Weddings on the front lawn with green tents, bright yellow table cloths and daisies. Volkswagen buses and BB guns ….

: 31 March 2009 :

| Five Senses |

So now after all this, I'm not sure if my girls know more about their five senses, or more about how fun it is to blindfold each other and make them stick their hands into unknown bowls of food ….