Some Days Are Like That

Remember that line at the very end of Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?

Alexander finishes the book by saying: "My mom says some days are like that.  Even in Australia."

Ringing a bell?

Well.

Let me tell you about last night.

It was late. I had an energy crash after supper and laid down on the couch for about 30.

It was while laying there that I decided I was going to clean up my kitchen and then mow the lawn and get that out of the way before projected rainstorms for today.

While I was mowing, I was watching the girls riding their bikes up and down the driveway.  The boys were in and out, goofing around.  It was really breezy out.  The sky was littered with clouds, occasional blue peeking in and mixing with yellows and reds as dusk came on.  I watched the way that feathery light kissed the mountains on the east side of the valley.

On one particular pass with the mower, I found myself thinking about how lucky I am, how lucky I feel inside.

Filled me right up, to the very tip top, with gratitude.

But it got better.

I came in and showered, changed the Little Miss and got her ready for bed, and nursed her to sleep.

It was after 10:00 when I told the older kids to grab their pillows and blankets.

We went outside, spread big blankets on the deck, and lay down under blankets and on pillows.  I scooped them up chocolate and vanilla ice cream and stuck an Oreo in the top.  They ate ice cream while I read, with light coming out from the kitchen windows.  It was super windy, and the huge trees in the backyard were delightful to listen to, the loud rustling a continuous backdrop.  Gorgeous, really.

After reading, we burrowed under the blankets, pushed our heads together, and proceeded to take family selfie after family selfie, completely cracking ourselves up.  I started to sing them silly camp songs and more laughter ensued.  After that, we just laid there in the dark for a few minutes, talking and looking at the sky, trying to find stars behind that blanket of clouds.

It was perfect.

And I felt like pinching myself.  Even now, I still do.

Some days are like that, but in such a good way.

Beautiful Hearts

Yesterday morning the kitchen table was awash in light.  

 The kids were gathered round, eating cinnamon bread I'd made Sunday afternoon and waiting for the kettle to whistle, telling us our water was ready for the mugs on the counter with cocoa inside.

When it did, I poured the hot water in the cups and added half n' half and served it up.

 Little Miss wanted some too, and I ended up with her on my lap, watching her dip her small spoon in, pulling it out and licking the residue, and then repeating the whole process.  Again and again.

We started to talk about our man, Martin.

We read from his "I Have A Dream" speech, and I was so moved by his words.

This is one of my favorite lines:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I love when you read something and the words swell within you, and their beauty and truth are clear and penetrating.

Later, last evening, we found scriptures hidden throughout the house and came back and read them together around the fire.

I rejoice that, as it says in 1 Samuel, the Lord doesn't look on the outward appearance.  He looks on the heart.  That's what matters.

I love that "all are alike unto God" (2 Ne. 26:33) and "the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one" (1 Ne. 17:35) and that "ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another" (Mosiah 23:7).

We ate "black" and "white" ice cream with "black" and "white" chips, together, in bowls, cuz that's how it's supposed to be.

This is what I want my children to know:

All people are beautiful.

All people have value.

Every single person you will ever see can bless you with their gifts, their beauty, their talents, and their love -- and you can bless them, too.

The earth, with all her people, is full of beautiful hearts.

Pumpkin Picking and Invitation Making

On Saturday night, we went to pick our pumpkins.
We came home and ate Tillamook's Udderly Chocolate ice cream -- some chose it with rootbeer on top for a float, others of us drizzled ours with chocolate and caramel sauce.

Yesterday after church I had apple butter cooking on the stove all day.
We made invitations for our family trick-or-treat party on Halloween.
It was really fun.Foam stickers.
Markers.
Putting them in envelopes.
Today we're biking down to the post office to mail them.

And I just have to highlight one of my all-time loves of fall that I thought about again on our afternoon walk yesterday post invitation-making.
This.
I glory in these always.
Bright, brilliant, blazing yellow.
A wish of mine?
One day, if we ever own a chunk of property, I'd plant a whole line of them all down the property line just so that I could see this glorious light, every year, for a few weeks.

I scream, you scream...

This is my fave flave of the season:

And it is, by the way...

What's yours? I'm always up for being a connoisseur if you're up for sharing.