Thoughts on Motherhood

I was thinking a lot yesterday abut motherhood. When I walked
down that aisle and said "I do," at that moment in time it was
the furthest thing from my mind. I mean as a young bride, did you imagine
not getting a full nights sleep, or loving a little person so much that you
would gladly wade into a roaring river to save them.

I have been down with the flu for the last two days. But since becoming a
mother, I judge everything by labor and morning sickness. Nothing really ever
gets as bad as that, not to mention I just think it is all in my mind anyway.

As I went about my daily schedule yesterday, feeling worse and worse, I kept
calling myself a wimp, and shaking myself by the neck to "snap out of it."
Finally by dinner time, I knew maybe I was after all sick. I couldn't face
the smell of food. Then it dawned on me, could I have a fever? I did.

I gave myself permission to go to bed. This morning, as I was sorting clothes
to do laundry. I thought, no one tells you this that being a mother means no
sick time, no vacations, and no one really notices anything until things don't
get done.

No one tells you that you are going to love your job, you are going to want to do those
things, you are going to want to make a home so everyone has a safe place to escape
to from the world. I know that I never knew this until I became a mother.
I am so thankful I have a reason to make myself get out of bed in the morning,
and glad I have things to keep my mind off of me.

So now I have to go do those jobs that no one will notice unless it isn't done.

Have a great Thursday!
~Kim~

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

It is Wednesday again and time to visit with Patrice and
her Meme Chats on the Farmhouse Porch. I know I always
enjoy seeing the new questions each week.

Onto the questions:

1. Have you ever colored your hair? If so, what colors have you tried?

Yes, Lots and lots, I have been a blonde, black, red, and every color in between. My husband remarked once, " He was always getting a new wife." Then I became so allergic to all of it and now I am gray and brown.

2. What's your favorite kind of music?

Well, lets see, all kinds. It sort of depends on who is in the car with me. My husband likes acoustic guitar, Elliot like classical, Emilie likes rock and guys who play good music but can't
sing worth a darn. William likes all of the stuff I hated when I was a teenager. He likes Rolling Stones, Beatles etc. Peter likes Creedence Clearwater, Lenard Skinner etc. I have my walking music and I listen to lots of sound tracks from movies. I used to listen to lots of Christian music now not so much. I listen to my Bible teachers mainly when I am by myself.

3. What are the last three movies you watched?

I watched Beastie, Source Code, and The Adjustment Bureau.

4. Do you remember your first pet?

I had a Pomeranian/Pekinese she was white and tiny also a real pain as she always ran away
if someone left the gate open.

5. What was the best or most interesting "back to school" thing from your childhood?

Other than my Mom crying for a week before school started? Every year until she died, she cried. She hated us going off to school worse than we did. She threw a party on the last day of school and when we had our break at Christmas ans Easter she would have things planned to
go do, like to the movies and we would do craft projects and she just celebrated when we were home. She would have home schooled I think as she hated sending us away so much. Though, when I got chicken pox and was home two weeks. I just could not learn my multiplication tables. She had
all of our school books and the first week I was to sick to do school and the second week, she worked us so hard that by the time I went back to school, I was two months ahead of the class room. I was so glad to go back to school, and I learned my multiplication tables.

As always things I haven't thought about it years
Thank you to Patrice for doing this each week.
~Kim~

Thoughts Today

This morning I was over visiting at Gumbo Lilly's and she had a
wonderful post about Sacred Days. I read through her post and as
I had been sitting here in stage three panic. ( School starts Monday.)
I thought instead of sitting here focusing on all of the things I need
to do and yes, even grumbling a bit that summer is over, why not
write some things that I am so thankful for and count my haves and
quit looking at the rest.


1. Having peace.

2. A clean house, clean clothes and food to eat.

3. Having all of the wonderful grand babies God has been so gracious to give us, as a gift.

4. Living a life, I only dreamed about, so that sometimes, I want to pinch myself in case,
it is but a dream.

5. My wonderful, very sweet husband, who still thinks I am funny and laughs all the time
at the stuff I say.

6. All of my children, who still like me and still like to hang out with me.

7. I should put this first as without it none of this matters, but having a relationship
with the Maker of heaven and earth who makes my life and all that is in it possible.

8. Watching the leaves drift down from the tree in front.

9. The smell of fall on the wind.

10. Fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen.

11. Sitting on the patio, having my first cup of coffee and watching the sun rise.

12. That God restores the years the locust have eaten.

13. I am glad I am here. Each decade has it's own challenges, 20s about being newly
married, 30s having a family and life. 40s finding out I didn't know it all. But 50s so far
have been the best, because now I know for sure I don't know a darn thing.
I can't do a single thing unless God is in it, and I know that I won't be getting better
with age, so I better stick real close to God to keep me nice so people won't run
the other way when they see me coming.

Just some thoughts today. Staring at the ocean makes me sit and think.
I hear the hawk so I need to go out and check my chickens. Have a wonderful
day.
~Kim~

Vacation Pictures

I thought I would show you a few pictures of the beach.
It was beautiful. It really wasn't as cold as I was hoping for,
it was beautiful none the less. It was clear and warm and
even at night it was very nice. This was taken off the sun roof
at the hotel we were staying in, it is one of my favorite places to sit.
The chairs are great and the view is wonderful.

The night we got there it was this huge feeding frenzy of all kinds
of birds. There were hundreds of pelicans and terns and sea gulls.
I had never seen anything like that before. There were dolphins,
diving and it looked so pretty. There was sea lions and seals.
I have never seen so many birds in one place and I have never noticed
before but all of those wings make lots of noise.

This is all seals. There were so many they just kept coming
towards us all at once.

The first night we got there they were having a huge
street fair and farmers market. I guess they do it every Friday
during the summer. There was all kinds of local produce and
baked goods. There was flowers and home made jams and jelly's.
Home made soap and lotions and all kinds of herbs. One thing
I noticed was that a family that had fresh eggs for sale, were charging
5.oo dollars for a dozen eggs. A dozen. People were snapping them up
like hotcakes.

This is a Bonsai Nursery we went to because my
husband is going to turn his little trees he has been growing
into Bonsai trees. The trees behind my son's are over a hundred
years old. They were beautiful. The nursery we visited is the only
one of its kind on the west coast. The man who owns it was so interesting
and it was such a fun place. He told my husband so much and he loved
what he does so much that two hours just flew by and I would
like to go back again. I never knew that the reason Bonsai trees die
if you buy them is because they are a tree and need to be outside.
I never knew that. They are not house plants.
This man plants his Bonsais in the ground. That is how you get really
big trunks, because that is what you want.

My husband was so excited about getting to visit the place that he was like
a little kid the night before Christmas and it was worth it. We drove to
a place I had never been before and it was just lovely to drive down the coast.

As always it is nice to be home.
Vacation is over and it is back to work. Have a great Monday!
~Kim~