Pause

As my belly grows and our little fellow's gymnastics become more pronounced, it can be difficult not to get caught up in the seemingly-endless list of "Things Not Yet Done." Oh, how I want everything squared away and just-so, right now! I've never been good at waiting, though you'd think four babies would have honed my skills a bit.

So I am trying to take a pause -- there are projects I can tackle, but I don't need to worry myself about the ones I can't. It helps to walk into my living room and see this:

That's my childhood Beatrix Potter treasury, being read and loved by my daughter -- to know that she loves reading, and reading the same stories I loved at her age, is such a joy!

And a stroll through our garden (two rows of straw bales) helps when it's tempting to feel overwhelmed. There's always something new to notice there, something growing and changing. I can't wait to pull out the carrots that these fluffy tops belong to!

And there are so many clusters on our tomato plants! I love to peek under the leaves and check their progress, partly so I can enjoy the pungent smell of tomato plant on my fingertips. We had to stake them recently, because they were so large and heavily laden that they were sagging precariously. My container tomato plant last year produced two tiny Roma tomatoes (and that was a comparative success to most of my plant-growing endeavors!), so this unexpected abundance is quite heartening -- perhaps I've inherited my father and grandmother's green thumbs, after all? I suppose I should let the season play out before I become too confident!

The Littles somehow got into their heads that we needed to make strawberry jam, so we took advantage of a sale at the grocery store. You know you're a bit too thrifty when your children ask wistfully if such-and-such a fruit or veggie is on sale! We put a pound of strawberries in the food processor with a tablespoon of chia seeds, and blended them until the mixture was as smooth as it would get. Then into the fridge overnight, resulting in a delicious and fresh "spread" (it's not as thick as a jam). It's already been earmarked for our Sunday tea tomorrow afternoon, which means we'll be putting scones on the menu, as well!

And so, I pause. Before I go find something else to organize, paint, or purge...

Discovered

In the interest of exploring our little corner of Virginia to the fullest, I looked up a local art museum -- ready to cringe at the entrance fee, and wonder how long I'd be able to stay with three small children. Probably not long enough to get my money's worth! 

But no, the museum in question has free admittance. In other words, I can come back as often as I like, and can therefore limit visits to the scope of my extremely patient and perfectly-behaved children motley crew. They even allow non-flash photography in the exhibits. Don't pinch me, please!

In the relatively long time since I've been to an actual art museum, I had forgotten just how powerful it is to see a work of art in person. It helps when the art is housed in a breathtakingly beautiful building: 

It just so happened that I caught the tail end of an Impressionism exhibit; Impressionism just so happens to be my favored artistic style, so "anticipation" doesn't begin to cover it. Up the steps, through the doors, into the gallery. And there, all over the walls, some of the loveliest art by some of my favorite artists. Including several paintings by Childe Hassam and Charles Courtney Curran.

A Breezy Day by Charles Courtney Curran -- this painting was far, far smaller than I realized (maybe about 8" by 10"?), which makes the beautiful detailing even more astounding.

A little detail from the museum -- such a beautiful place!

The painting below was probably my favorite, "A Spray of Goldenrod" by Charles Courtney Curran. The appearance of light and shadow was so lovely -- and unfortunately can't really be captured on camera. 

To stand a few feet away from one of these paintings -- well, it doesn't bear describing. I especially like the oil paintings, because the texture of the paint on the canvas added an extra dimension. That's something you just can't experience on a book page or a computer screen. 

As for the littles... well, I wish I could say that their attention was always this rapt:

They did fairly well, though they were inclined to be a little wild toward the end. I'd love them for them to develop an appreciation for art as early as possible, so our tour consisted of lots of "What color are the shutters on the house? How many people are in the picture? What is that lady thinking about?" Still, we've barely scratched the surface of what the museum has to offer, even though we've visited a few times!

But that's all right. We'll be back.

To Stay

Well, after thinking for about 6 months that we would be moving to Guam, the Navy changed its mind! Those of you in the military know that such surprises are to be expected (hmm, an expected surprise? That sounds fishy...). It was a bit of a shock, since we were mentally geared up for a tropical adventure. However, now we'll be staying in Virginia for Pablo's next tour. And that, my friends, is something I am quite excited about!

The longer we live here, the more we love it. We'd even talked about coming back to this area in the future. And the reason we're staying (Guam is overflowing with pilots right now, which means Pablo would have gotten fewer flight hours -- and flight hours are *everything*) is good for Pablo, and good for our family. Part of me still regrets that we won't be snorkeling, eating fresh coconut crab, etc.

But really, I think all I miss is the "excitement" of the thing. It was a bit glamorous to think of moving to a tropical paradise in the middle of the Pacific. Really, though, I'm not a tropical island kind of girl, and would far prefer to go to Colonial Williamsburg than suffer through year-round humidity! The advantages of staying started piling up as soon as we found out -- 'cause really, moving three small children and all of our worldly goods half-way around the world is not an appealing idea. Oh passengers on the flights-we-would-have-taken, you have no idea the potential agony you have been spared! *wink* 

Staying here just makes everything easier. And the fact that we've already connected with an incredibly supportive community of friends through church, squadron, and friends-of-new-friends, makes it even better. There are so many things we would have missed on Guam (museums, fresh veggies, seasonal changes, etc.), even though we would have made the best of it. Plus, now I can knit my little heart out, because it will be cold here soon!

There has been so much uncertainty (relatively speaking) in our lives since Pablo joined the military almost three years ago. We've never been able to look more than few months (sometimes days!) ahead, and even some things we thought certain have changed. But really, I feel the Navy has not removed "certainty" from our lives, so much as the illusion of certainty. Pablo's old job seemed steady, predictable, safe. But Proverbs 16:9 says that "the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." If anything, our experience in the military has shown us in very obvious ways how dependent we are on God's sovereign plan each and every day. I, for one, am grateful for that revelation, because it's one I tend to forget!

So here we are, to stay.

For now, anyway!

Getaway

A few weeks ago we had the chance to get away for the weekend -- not far, but enough to feel that we were *away.* 

Spending so much time together was such a treat -- and showing our littles new places is such a delight. They're at that age where their curiosity is boundless (and so is their energy!)

Add to that crisp temperatures and plenty of natural beauty.

As I think more about "formal" home education (Little Man is almost four, after all), I've found myself realizing just how much there is to be learned informally. Every walk, every outing is an opportunity to share something with my children -- the name of a flower, the many uses for trees, the glory of God's beautiful creation. I knew that it would be this way, but knowing is different than experiencing. 

I feel like I'm rediscovering the wonder of life itself as I tell and explain and watch their minds blossom. And I feel like that's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Life of Late

We are having the loveliest Spring I can remember in our little corner of Florida. Perhaps that's because I'm determined to enjoy it this year, or perhaps it really is just as extra-specially wonderful as it seems. The temperatures are glorious, and the days are mostly mild (with a few hot and chilly days sprinkled in for variety). 

Little Man is always taking me by surprise with what he's able to do. He's also
incredibly social, and will talk the ear off the nearest stranger he can nab.

I have been treating myself to little luxuries this Spring. It's (hopefully) less self-indulgent than it sounds! Rather, I make a treat of simple things -- a cup of tea, reading a book, a little outing to the park, things like that. It's remarkable how much better the days seems when I take a few moments to thoroughly enjoy something, rather than just charging ahead.

The "dregs" of my Adagio Earl Grey Moonlight. It's creamy, golden deliciousness.

I've also been taking this time to love on my children (hence, more outings to the park). I know this is partly because our recent loss has made me want to cherish the blessings I have. I must admit, I feel sort of lost without a baby in my belly or my arms. Rosa, in true girly style, is still quite a "baby" in the sense that she is extremely sensitive and will cry at the drop of a hat (or the word "no"). But there's no denying that she's more of a toddler than a baby now -- and the little pair of pigtails she's been sporting recently are ample proof of that.

Rosa saw her daddy blowing up the beach ball, and though she'd give it a try, too. Love that girl.

At any rate, I've been trying to fill my time, rather than twiddling my thumbs during this "odd," perplexing, and hopefully brief phase of life. That means more sewing, more playing, more stories, and more "living." I've even decided to take up knitting. *gasp* I worked my way through almost two years of Alicia Paulson's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, and am now officially inspired. If there were some sort of best-dressed baby award, I'd vote for her (just look at this yellow tunic, this Liberty print blouse, this darling cardigan, this little tunic, and especially this hooded coat. Drooling yet? And yes, she made all of them!). Alicia's blog was the last straw. I'm fed up with being too "poor" to afford the kind of knitted garments I love, and too skill-less to make them. The latter seems an easier problem to remedy, so I'm going to give it a go. Fortunately, my basic continental-style knitting skills seem to be in good working order, so most of my education will consist of learning to read patterns and execute more complicated stitches/techniques. Great. Like I needed one more -money-sucking, space-consuming craft to pursue. *wink* I'm now following Alicia's blog so I don't miss a single post; her writing is lovely, and her photographs are so peaceful.

A new favorite dinner in the works -- a layer of refried beans in a 9x13, topped
with sauteed ground beef, onions, black beans, and rotel (with cumin, chili
powder, garlic, and honey for seasoning). Add some shredded cheese and
pop the whole shebang into the oven for a yummy "chip dip" dinner.

We've been escalating our home improvement efforts of late with the realization that once the hubster finishes up his current training, we'll be moving. Our plan is to rent our home out, but there are some much needed upgrades before that can happen. So there are little signs of progress all over the place -- light fixtures, paint, floors. We just put down some laminate flooring in the nursery, and it looks so much better than the horrible, dingy carpet that it replaced! There are two more bedrooms to floor, two more rooms to paint, and new countertops for the kitchen to install. But there is finally an end in sight. I love seeing all of the improvements (which are happening on a faster timetable than we would have undertaken sans moving), even if we won't be able to enjoy them ourselves for very long.

Well, that's the scoop. I'm praying for contentment and patience, and enjoying my husband's relatively empty schedule (grocery shopping alone can be such a luxury!). And now I think it's time to go sew something...