What came in the mail today....

My order came in super fast. In less than a week I received my order from The Bulk Herb Store . I tried the red raspberry leaf tea first and it was delicious and look how much half a pound is! Some of the items I ordered will be used in teas, lotions, body oils, and charms. I can't wait to get started!!!

Which plants did I get today?

I got licorice plant, red valerian, and evening primrose. Now, if it will only stop raining long enough for me to get them in the ground!

I won!!!

I can't believe I actually won something! If you follow my blog at all on a regular basis you know that a friend of mine is in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl with special needs. Well, to help raise money for all of the expenses that go along with adoption (I never really knew how hard it actually is to adopt a child) she has been having some giveaway fundraisers on one of her blogs. And believe it or not I one one of the giveaways. Candles no less! The above picture is just some of the candles and accessories I won. Click here to go see the blog and possibly make a donation to help them bring this child into their family. I am not sure why I have felt so compelled by this family's goal. Maybe it is because they are one of the coolest families I know. Maybe it is because even though they have birth children of their own they have the heart to open their home to another child who desperately needs them. It is not just that this little girl needs them, they need her too. So just take a moment to visit their blog. You just might win something! The blue-ray is still up for grabs!

A new look...

We made some new finds at the thrift store today. We went looking for some pots to use for lotion making and came across some small shelves. Lyn painted this one red and it fits nicely in their newly redecorated room. They received a much needed dresser courtesy of their Granny.

Homemade lotion

Of course it is rosemary lotion. It's yellow / green color comes from the avocado oil used in its making.

Red clover

As we were coming back from the new frozen yogurt place in town Lyn, her friend, and I spotted some red clover. I have been looking for some. I want to transplant some to a patch in the yard. Right now I just took these bunches home to try for use later.

How much time outside?

I have been off work all week (sort of). I had to work a bit on Tuesday. I have been working on the yard with a lot of help from the kids and hubby. Today we went for a short hike in the woods near where I grew up. I used to "loose myself" in these woods all during my childhood. We found all kinds of interesting things including this caterpillar nest. Eliot and Lyn were the only kids we had with us.  Later today Annika came with me and the little kids to the church playground at the end of our street. As Annika was swinging she told me they only get two minutes to swing during recess.(She attends public school.) Recess is only 20 minutes long.  Unless I strongly encourage her she would not spend a lot of time outside. I see a lot of children during my job that never have a chance to play outside.  I know that is hard to believe but most either have parents that don't value outdoor play or feel it is not safe in their neighbourhood. As long as I am able my children will always have ample time outdoors.

Teachable moments everywhere...

We are in the process of reinventing our yard.  We have planted three trees in the front yard along with various flowers and herbs. We have wild strawberries growing in the side yard. Alongside them I came across some flowering moss ready to go to seed.  This of course turned into a mini botany lesson.  And the magic of life with children continues.

A hot day

I took advantage of the warm weather and the child labor available at my home to get my van washed.  They did a good job.

A special day

Today was a good day.  I don't blog a lot about my husband because he is a very private person. But today is our wedding anniversary. I am very lucky to have him in my life. We have three wonderful children and he helps me raise my 4 older children. Without him I would not be where I am today. Thank you Sweetie!

Happy Spring!

The kids received their Spring baskets today. Lyn was in on the collection of all the items. She helped make some of them. It was a great long day. We enjoyed a lot of time in the sun and it was a wonderful day!!!!!

Thank you to my mother

Wow!!! Thank you Mama! My mother put this picture together for me. I was very touched. There is a recent picture of all the kids and then one with all of them in it. It really opened up the mantle. The large mirror that was there just did not go with the room. Everything is just opened up now. The feeling of the room flows now!

Look at the Moon!!!!

Are you ready for the moon tonight? It will be in perigee.The kids and I plan on grabbing a quilt and some candles and just gaze till out heart's content. Spring is coming too. Tomorrow evening when Annika comes home from her Dad's house we will have a "Spring party" Lyn has been my partner in crime in collecting and decorating everyone's spring baskets. I can't wait!

After tomorrow I will update my background to more of a Spring motif. I am a bit tired of looking at the snowflakes too.

14 months old today!!

Such a serious young man. My baby is 14 months old today. Wow, time flies!!!!! I do believe his eyes are going to continue to get darker.

Speech patterns of a 14 year old with Autism

My oldest child will be 15 next month. That just feels so strange to say. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was 3 years old. He was non-verbal for most of his first five years. He was not potty trained till well over the start of kindergarten. Yesterday he was telling me all about the sushi he ate at lunch with his Granny. I wanted to share this video to show how functional and how non-functional conversations with an older child with Autism can be. Every child is different and I am so proud of how far Danny has come. He did not really know I was taking a video so the frame is all over the place....

Blue Thistle

I found  interesting cut flowers today. They are Blue Thistles. They have a bold bluish purple center and spiky looking stems and petals. Annika and Eliot helped me arange them and place them on the mantle. I tried to find more information on this particular kind of thistle but I did not have any luck. It was grown in Ecuador but I am not sure of its original history or even which particular type of thistle it actually is. It is unusual and quite beautiful in its own way. I plan on drying the flowers when they begin to fade.

Annika's brain update.....

Annika's EEG was removed yesterday. Now we just have to wait for the results. I will begin my harassment of the neurologist tomorrow to get it read and hopefully get some answers.....

How many times did you cross the Cahaba River today?

By the time I made it home today I had crossed the Cahaba River 5 times. I meandered all through Jefferson County and Shelby County. I have fond memories of swimming and fishing in the Cahaba growing up and just plain "hanging around" it as a teenager. The Cahaba is the last free flowing river without a dam on it in Alabama. Neighborhoods are springing up along its shore and it is not the cleanist river out there but it holds a lot of meaning and memories for me.



Mother and child

I found this wonderful figurine last week. Actually I bought two. One for myself and one for a giveaway. The giveaway is for a very special cause. A friend of mine in the process of raising money to bring a child into her family. Motherhood is very near and dear to my heart. As a mom of 7 and a professional that supports breastfeeding and positive child development. I am so pleased to have a way to help my friend support her efforts to bring a child into her family. She will be posting this picture with more information about her goal closer to Mother's Day. Here is a link to her blog about this very special child.....

Annika's brain

Annika is ending her 72 hour ambulatory EEG tomorrow. As soon as the results are in the system her neurologist will be able to interpret what is going on in her head. Hopefully we can get some answers to her new behaviors. Along with occasional seizures she has been having auditory and visual hallucinations. By default we have to rule out seizure activity before we go down any psychological road.....  

Roseola

Ben started out with a fever about five days ago. The fever is gone but he is still grumpy.  Today after church I headed to the store for some homeopathic teething gel. With 5 kids in tow I got what I needed and headed home. As I was buckling Ben in his car seat I noticed a rash on Ben's back and tummy.  My mommy senses were tingling and with the help of Google and my own experience I conclude that Ben has Roseola.

What is your job again?

I work with children with special needs. The picture I am holding up is of a child dear to my heart. He has come a long way. This picture is from a PR pamphlet from The Children's Hospital of Birmingham. He was in the NICU for over 8 months. He was born at 24 weeks. He is doing great now. I am privileged to coordinate his services until he is 3 years old. Yes, I went to college for 6 years to play with babies. Could life get any better?

The weather has been cool but....

It has been very cool and rainy the past couple of days. A bonus of this cool weather is that I have been able to have a fire at home. I have missed it terribly. It is such a stress reliever to lite and tend a fire in the evenings. We had a whole routine. We would go collect tender and find some special symbolic things to burn. Last night was really nice....... Bright fire and candles burning.

Lyn the big sister...

Lyn was teaching Ben how to slide this past week. He is growing so fast. One of the things he does now is to pretend to talk on the phone.

So much rain....

We collected some more water this past Sunday. It rained a lot and Buck Creek in Helena was flooded. The little kids always say the waterfall is chocolate milk when it is like this.

Getting ready for Spring

I have been doing a lot of planning for Spring this year. The days are getting longer so I wanted to take advantage of the sunlight. When I got home from work I loaded the kids in the van and headed to the "flower store". That gave Dad a break so he could get dinner ready. We picked up some herbs and some pansies. I also bought a gardenia bush.

Everyone helped get the hanging baskets ready but Lyn really got into it the most. She did not even want to use garden gloves. She wanted to feel the earth in her hands. When we were finished we cleaned everything up and ate dinner on the front porch. Then we took the lantern we keep on the front porch and we went for a walk. We collected some cypress branches and pear blossoms for our baskets on the front porch. We then had a quiet circle where we talked about the day.

The books are on their way

Thank you everyone who entered the book giveaway. The are in the mail.

Without a dresser

I took a long time trying to find the perfect dresser for the girls room. It has five drawers and is white. I know all about the need to bolt larger pieces of furniture to the wall. That does not mean that I did. Tonight the dresser fell on a child for the second time. We removed it from the room. The girls' clothes are now in boxes.....