Plugged or Unplugged?

I have wanted to update this little blog for months. I know of other people who have blogs and update them faithfully but "unplug" for a break. I guess I could say I was unplugged but that just screams LAZY to me and I have been anything but lazy recently. It also seems rude to just drop off the cyber face of the earth without saying goodbye for a while. I have worked more at home in the last few months, besides my usual schedule, and it really has just seemed busier with all the kids.

If you know me well you know it is all about order. There was a 11-year-old girl's interview, a slideshow for that sweet girl's 12th birthday, spring activities, programs, awards and all kinds of things you may or may not have wanted to know all about for the last few months. On this day, the 31st of May, I could not bear to not have an entry for this month.

I cannot recapture all those moments that I did not get to mention here but I will try to highlight some of those events because it is about ORDER. I have not even downloaded pictures from my camera since I posted on this blog last!

There is not really an end in sight on the busy schedules but I want to officially say I am definitely not unplugged and will be back SOON!

Fall Leaves.... and memories

The week before Thanksgiving, the tree pictured above was calling to me for a couple of days. I tried to push aside my weakness for the beautiful leaves .... especially since it was not in our yard and belonged to someone else. Since the house is for sale and no one lives there now the timing really was perfect.

For more history, it was a house that I lived in when I was five years old and in the first grade. Just another tidbit, it is in the town where we live now and I see it all the time but it is the first time I have ventured close to it since I lived there last. Okay, back to the leaves!

There was a lot of jumping and reaching. Sweet MK tried even though it was too high! Her big sister brought her plenty to make up for it though.

I had to get a picture of them on the porch. I do have a picture of my sister and I on that very porch when I was W's age.

There happens to be a great magnolia tree there too! Later that day when we were at home, A tied her leaf stems together in a bunch and put them in water and gave it to me. She shares my love for this time of year.

W fascinated with the "baby" leaf, dubbed by A.

After I held a branch down low enough for her to reach, MK picked one for herself.

Here they are posing by a brick fence that I posed by when I was little. I do have pictures of me and those bricks back then but you will just have to imagine for now.

I remember playing in that yard well, catching lightening bugs in a jar and making sure there were holes in the top so they could breathe and watching them until I fell asleep, lying in bed thinking of a name for my soon-to-arrive baby sister with my Daddy, going to the post office to pick up mail, eating peanut butter with graham crackers, playing on the school playground, counting to 100 and reading, going to church, celebrating Christmas and Easter and experiencing the different seasons.

It was a beautiful place and I am grateful I went back... even if I may have been trespassing.

Just in case any other former resident is interested, did I mention the house is FOR SALE?

Catching Up!

After six weeks off, I have much to learn. This hasn't been working out much better than my blank journals sitting on a shelf! I am going to catch up on some highlights of our summer so far and just try to do better!

Journals

Welcome to my very first post!

I have made grand plans in the past to journal. I even have a stack of blank journals. That is not entirely correct, one journal does have one entry. Oh, they are beautiful enough and the time it took for me to select them almost guaranteed them being written in, right? (or are they too beautiful?)

Three years ago, after having our youngest child, I headed to the bookstore looking for journals again. It had not worked out well for my personal journals but with the children I had envisoned much more dedication. I had even selected the nicest pens that were going to be just for my journal writing. As many other mothers can agree, it may be when they leave for college that I have time to fill in their beautiful journals. By then, I can artfully cut and paste pages from this blog and it will be almost the same.

I do enjoy a handwritten letter and seeing the handwriting of my favorite people. Years from now, maybe there will be more words here than I would have had time to write on paper and maybe they will understand why I did not have time to keep their beautiful journals updated.

I would not have had the chance to have written the words in this post in a journal...even with a nice pen. So for now, this is a step in the right direction.

With only our children, I would have plenty of adventures to cover in this little blog but I hope to define a little more of me here too.