I'm a Catholic homeschooling mama of seven kids. Four are adults now, and living at various stages of life out of the house. Two of my adult daughters are getting married this year. Here's where I'll be hanging out my laundry, gaining perspective, and, down the road, have something to remember all the wooshing days.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

time: which is to be master - that's all

Remember two days ago when I posted that The Bride had eighteen more sleeps?

Well, now she has three more sleeps.  We experienced a wrinkle.

The Attendants, The Relatives and The Supporters of bridal-like things are arriving at airports.
Why, there are even flowers on my kitchen counter.

And speaking of time, here is The Bride pictured about ten years ago, at Easter, with her little sister.  NOT twenty five years ago.  Can't be.

Don't blink, my friends.




Tuesday, April 4, 2017

eighteen more sleeps




It seems impossible, but we are almost there.

Spring has finally sprung on Vancouver Island.  We've been out in the brutally storm damaged yard, burning and raking.  Here's the upside of an April wedding.  The post winter garden scraping, raking, weeding, cutting, the window washing and the assessment of useless bikes and the collecting and recycling of cracked plastic gardening pots and the trip to the dump...all get done before the weather really gets nice.   

I can drag all that stuff out until the middle of July sometimes.  

The thing I love most about gardening is that the instant the kids see me grabbing garden gloves and clippers they say, "are you GARDENING??  I'm coming to help!!"  They actually help but little, but I love having them ask me all the questions and ride their bikes around me.  

"Why don't we have snowdrops?" 
"Why did you put that plant there?"
"What is an edger?" 
"When can we make a milkshake to have outside?"

One of the ways that I know I haven't been outside enough is when all the indoor questions start to annoy me.  I think when I'm outside I could field questions from dawn to dusk.  It helps me remember that all those questions are the flowers and not the weeds.  

That's a nice reminder, isn't it?  Be outside. 

So.  My oldest daughter gets married in eighteen more sleeps.   

She is so pretty.  So GLOW-Y.  So ready. 
And why am I weepy?  Dang.  Tears on the keyboard AGAIN.  Happy tears, overcome tears.  
But why?  Gratitude.  For her life that has been, is now, and will be.  For the little girl that led me down a path that changed my life.  For all she taught me.  For the faith she instilled in me.  

"And a little child shall lead them."  And a little child did.  And now she gets married. 

Don't blink, my friends.  Don't blink and miss the precious years that fly like minutes. 

More than my poor heart can hold.