TreasuresInTerraCotta

I love Apple Annie's . We made the hour and 15 minute drive to Willcox on a sunny Tuesday morning. We arrived at Apple Annie's about 10:00 and after initially sharing the bathroom with a couple buses of elementary school field-trippers we had the place to ourselves. We skipped the hay-ride, which would have also been with all the field-trippers, and walked through the sunflower patch to the nearest pumpkin field with wagon in tow. Oh, and we had clippers too, as Calvin was proud to wield. We picked a pumpkin for each person in our family. And we picked some squash that were inexplicably growing along the path through the sunflowers. And we bought two loaves of Apple Annie's Apple Bread! YUM (I hear they export it to CostCo , so keep your eyes open when you're there. It's definitely worth the $6.) A sunny field with pumpkins all around makes for pretty good pictures. Maybe that's why Apple Annie's has quickly become one of my favorite places. An hour...

My baby is 22 months old today. And it's getting really fun now! I've always thought that ~16-20 months was the hardest age. The kids are still wonderful and lovable, but they are also mobile and inquisitive and lacking self-control which, for me, makes it a difficult age. But as we head on toward 2 I love the increased communication, the emerging personality, the sure footedness, the comprehension, the independence and on and on. I have used sign language with both my boys and Andrew has really surprised me with what he knows and how he uses it. A few weeks ago at church a baby was sitting in a carrier in front of us. Andrew loves babies and repeatedly signed "baby." Pretty soon he was signing "sleep" and I asked if he was sleepy. Then he signed "baby" + "sleep." Sure enough, the baby in front of us was asleep. He signs "please" and "thank you" and "your turn." He signs "boat" and "...

It's been almost a year since I posted 101 In 1001 . A list of 101 tasks or items to complete in 1001 days. Since we're coming up on its anniversary I thought I would take a couple days to complete and cross off a few items. #85 Create shoe storage by the door How in the world are you supposed to corral those kid's shoes?! And teach a little responsibility at the same time? It's not that my kids have a ton of shoes. Ever since reading Shauna's Awareness Report from Kenya I've been aware of how many shoes my kids have and need. From her report there were two things that have been stuck in my mind for two years since. First, the figure of $10. Only ten dollars provides shoes for a child with no shoes. No shoes! And secondly, the looks on the faces of those beautiful children above their red and white checkered shirts. Oh, I can't just mention it without putting one of the pictures here for you. (I'll ask Shauna's forgiveness for blatantly ...

The Scribe by Francine Rivers The story of Silas from the Sons of Encouragement novella series. When I was introduced to the joys of Christian Fiction a few years ago I was introduced to Francine Rivers. She has come to be one of my favorite authors and I have read many of her books, novellas and series. The Sons of Encouragement series includes five five books, however this is the first one I've read. We meet Silas in a place of reflection and recovery after he has flead the persecution of Rome and watched many of his friends martyred. I felt Silas' fatigue on the first page, "But all Silas saw was the darkness of men, the triumph of evil. I am tired, Lord. I am sick of this life. Lord, please take me home ." The story then follows Silas as he reflects on his experience with Jesus, his journeys with Paul and Peter, and the encounters they have along they way. The narration closely follows Acts with pieces filled in from Paul's epistles and with beautiful f...

I have been thinking about doing book reviews here on my little blog and have, in fact, had this post half-composed for over two weeks. I attend a book group once a month and it is one of my life's great joys. In addition to reading for book group I usually read one or two other books a month. While I'm certainly not a voracious reader or even an "adventurous" reader I do love books. And sometimes I think I might like to share them. So if that's something you, my three readers, are interested in I think I'll do it. I am going to start with Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris Why did I read this book? I am nearly 20 years out from the teenage years and I didn't even love them when I was there. I don't work directly with teens and I don't have teenagers. Honestly, I don't know what initially drew my attention to this book but the concept caused me to place it on my wishlist months ago. P...

Favorites Half of my pictures are on another computer, but here are a couple of my favorite pictures and favorite places. I saw the sign for Lappert's Ice Cream in Hanapepe and I recognized it from some travel web sites. I loved the quaint porch along the front. I can just envision the parking lot filled with oldie cars and the porch filled with people of all ages wearing flip flops and Hawaiian shirts on a Saturday night. I also loved the Kauai Pie ice cream in a waffle cone! Yum Andrew's footprints The island is full of chickens and roosters. The story we heard repeatedly is that when Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai in 1992 the chicken farms and pens were destroyed releasing them into the wild. Without any natural predators they increased in population despite a foiled attempt to bring mongooses to the island to kill them. Now the chickens and roosters are protected by law. I found them charming. The boys loved the cock-a-doodle-doo. And people seemed to get a kick out ...

The Beach Andrew loves his swimming suit. And he seems to love the ocean because in his 18-month-old-way he gets very excited every time we see the water, whether we are eating breakfast or walking along the beach path or driving the car or looking from our room. He does not, however, like the sand! He doesn't want to touch it or have it on his hands or walk in it. Which, ironically, didn't keep him from experimenting eating it (once!). This was a rare moment when he was not glued in the crook of my left arm. I also think he is, rightly so, scared of the crashing waves, at least from his 2 1/2 foot vantage point. We finally ventured out into the surf so we could be out in the swell, jumping the waves before they crashed. That made everyone happy. Calvin could spend all day chasing the waves in and out. If you know him well, you will not be surprised to learn that he studied the waves rolling in and ran to meet them accordingly. I think he was totally thrilled and total...

I keep hoping to see major growth in the garden but everything still seems very small. Maybe that's why I'm taking pictures. There's nothing like a daily inspection to make your brain miss the change and growth. That goes for many areas of life. A bumper crop of cherry tomatoes. I love the remnant of the flower at the tip of the tomato. The first thing I usually do when I see those is rub them off, but I don't know why. They are so beautiful. Even though the flower is shriveled and dry it was the start of the fruit. And they some how remind me that food actually grows on real plants in the real outdoors. An unknown squash. The leaves have a mottled silver coloring in them. So pretty. A couple weeks ago I added marigolds to the garden patch. I've always been told they keep bugs away. What I would really like them to do is keep the dogs away! No sooner did I mention that the dogs had stopped digging in the garden then they started again. Regardless, ma...

As a mom I keep finding aspects I love about Children's books. I have discovered a fondness for Children's book author-illustrators. I am impressed that one individual can possess the literary abilities to craft a story and the artistic talent to create pictures to go along with it. I am intrigued by the idea that if an author also illustrates a book then the illustrations truly reflect what the author had in mind. And since it seems like such a daunting task to both write and illustrate, I am also more lenient with an author-illustrator if I perceive some "fault" in the book. Never-the-less books that are "Written and Illustrated by..." are one of my favorite things. Some recent favorites: Duck and Goose by Tad Hills Riki’s Birdhouse by Monica Wellington The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger Bats at the Library by Brian Lies How Big is the World? By Britta Teckentrup A Good Day by Kevin Henkes Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland Mooch and Mutt ...

One of the unexpected delights of mommy-hood is discovering Favorites I never knew I had. I love books that say "The End."