Hold Onto Your Hat

I figured that loading snapshots at a reasonable pace would take forever, and that didn't seem reasonable to me, so on John's day off, I loaded every last one and got it over with.  I reached my goal, though, and am caught up by Easter.  (I should set more worthy goals for myself, I know.)

Today is Good Friday, and what fills my thoughts and heart is too great to put down in a mad rush before lunch.

My Lord and my God.

I pray for those I know who face mighty crosses today. I weep for them.
I thank the Father for weaving Hope into the very foundation of the world.
I thank Christ for red, redeeming blood, freely given.

Solitary

I'm so fond of this picture, I'll give it its own post.

Annie and I Chat in the Sunroom

It doesn't matter that I don't remember the conversation.  Also, she turns nine on Monday. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cuckoo

I know I'm in the right house when I can walk into the dining room and see a pink-haired girl reading about the pioneers.

I'm sure Laura would approve.

Susie has been overheard (many times) to wish aloud that she had pink hair, so when I ran across this clearance wig for two bucks, you can bet I grabbed it.

Even if it lasts no more than a couple of months in these parts, it was worth every penny to give my daughter pink hair as a birthday present.

You'd do the same, right, if this Bird were yours?

 

Knitting a Tale

On the way to church, Millie knits and listens to Redwall cassette tapes* on her tape player. After stealing her Papa's headphones, of course...

*From Sally?  I bet they were from Sally, and Millie's listened to them so many times she recites passages by heart.  Thanks, Sally!

Branch and Blossom

 

 

Sunrise and a Bathroom Curtain

 

Lu in Blue on Red

This post of too-many pictures is brought to you by the sight of seeing my daughter wearing a jumper I wore when I was her age.  A secondary sponsor is the sunlight spilling into our living room.  Thanks to all!


Here is the surly Miss, herself.  This shows only watered-down surly, though.

Thankfully, she can also smile.

 

There's the sunlight!

 

 

There's my jumper!

 

 

Oh, I suppose this post's third sponsor is Millie's dollar-store sunglasses.
And a cheesy grin.

 

Funny Hairdo

Later, Annie asked me to take a picture of the funny hairdo she gave Luci.

Without further ado....

 

Canary and a Yellow Washcloth

My cousin Leah sent a package brimful of gorgeous things she had knit, including a vest for Zeke. I was happy when I walked into the kitchen to see that my bright Bird matched our new washcloth perfectly. 

 

She looks like a canary who just ate the cat here.

  

While the Glaze Cooled

 

Oh, My Son

We love this jolly boy.

 

Not Even the Bubbles

Pictures exist of babies happily bathing-- I know they do-- but don't look for them here.

The only thing happy about this baby was his smug expression when the torture finally ended, and he was snuggled in a towel.

 

How handsome he is squeaky clean.

 

Millie Snowdrop

 

Frugal Fancy-Pants Returns

Yup, it's been a while. I do have some funny pictures I took of myself during the dolphin stage, thinking I'd post them once I took a matching fancy-pants photo, but guess what?  I guess I'm not too fancy as a dolphin, because I never took any counterpart photos. I'll have to post them sometime, anyway, to make them worth the taking.

For those new to this strange shotsnaps segment indulging vanity, false appearances, and daily reality, here's its genesis.  Also, sorry for the graininess of all these.  I took most at dusk and and had to crank the ISO to its highest setting to even get these.

Without further ado, here's Exhibit A.

Exhibit A:

Wear this outfit to church, because that's the only place outside of your house you've been seen lately.  Toss your pajamas on the floor, throw on a green shirt because, hey, there's a green apple on the skirt, and go!  Brush your hair on the way.

-Shirt: H&M from a rummage bag sale.  Cost-- about 5 cents

-Appliqued skirt: a vintage one that was already vintage when I bought it at a rummage sale 15 years ago. Cost-- about 5 cents

-Brown heels: cost-- 67 cents

-Red necklace: wooden beads given to me by a kind lady at a rummage sale, for my children to use as stringing beads.  I stole them from my children and wore them on my neck.  Cost-- free.

Optional accessory: an empty tin cup from the bathroom.  Hold it because you're awkward.  Cost: free gift from your mother.

Total cost of outfit:  about 75 cents

Exhibit B:

Wear this outfit in February (and March) when you decide that it's a great idea to start jogging through hilltop snowdrifts.  Wear mostly black clothing and jog at dusk not because you want your country neighbors to accidentally run you down and smush you flat, but because it's all you can find and because hlearning doesn't end until dusk.  Watch out-- people who don't own real athletic clothing have some weird layers hidden underneath.

-Turquoise tank top:  hand-me-down. Cost-- free

-Sparkly t-shirt: hand-me-down. Cost-- free

-Long-john shirt: gift.  Cost-- free

-Tan wool sweater: hand-me-down

-Old-lady wool sweater: gift from a rummage sale.  Cost: free

-Marmot fleece sweatshirt: rummage bag sale. Cost-- about 5 cents

-Black stockings (yes, stocking...not athletic tights): rummage sale. Cost: under five cents

-Capri-length fashion leggings on top of the stockings (yes, capri-length fashion leggings): rummage sale. Cost: less than five cents.

-Shorts: hand-me-down a long time ago from my sister-in-law (I can't be sure, but I bet these were her high school sports shorts 10+ years ago)

-Lime green socks: gift from mom-in-law. Cost: free

-Sneakers: purchased three years ago to replace the hole-ridden ones from college.  Cost: I can't remember.  I think I bought them on sale for $25, marked down from $70.

Not-at-all-optional accessories (Seriously, not optional.  It's February on a hilltop!):

-Your husband's hat, which used to be your father-in-law's when your husband was a baby. Cost: free

-Scarf: Christmas gift six years ago. Cost-- free

-Your husband's gloves: he never wears them, after all. Origin and cost: unknown

Total cost of outfit: not counting the sneakers (because that would make the outfit too expensive!): about ten cents

Side by Side: 

But Wait!

There's more!  Because I wasn't sure if the grainy pictures I took would work, the following week I took a backup set of frugal fancy-pants pictures, which ended up being almost as grainy, so now you get both. (Please, don't sigh.)

Exhibit A is still the one above.


Here's Exhibit B:

Wear this outfit (you guessed it) to church on an icy, winter day when traction-less heels are the most foolish choice. Wear them, anyway, because you threw the outfit together and got dressed in five minutes flat and didn't know it was icy until it was too late. Again, brush your hair on the way to church.

Shirt: H&M from a rummage bag sale. Cost-- about 5 cents
Skirt: rummage bag sale. Cost-- about 10 cents
Heels: rummage bag sale. Cost-- about 10 cents
Vintage scarf: rummage bag sale. Cost-- under 5 cents
Weird, pleather belt: rummage bag sale. Cost-- under 5 cents

Optional accessories
-Wool-blend jacket: rummage bag sale. Cost: about 10 cents
-Big ol' flashy hat: free (thanks to a coupon and an end-of-winter sale)
-Ridiculous pose to make your daughter laugh: free (but more than paid for in humiliation now)

Total cost of outfit: under 50 cents

Side by side:

 

 

Oops, again

I completely forgot to post this with the batch of Christmas pictures, but here's the polyptych all the girls made together, a la The Ghent Alterpiece, when we studied Van Eyck.

They each contributed drawings, and I helped organize them together into one piece.  They were so pleased with it that I saved it to pull out next year during Advent.

My sweeties.

 

Mildred Elise

When I read the Bible or history or storybooks to the girls during the day, this is what I see when I look at my eldest.  

 

She's nearing that bridge between young girlhood and the rest of her life, but, thank goodness, she tells me that she'll play with dolls until she's fourteen, at least.

 

Birding at Breakfast

The girls watch ravens from the kitchen window.

 

One sits sentinal on the tree next to Nails, waiting until he's sure no threat lurks near, before swooping down to snatch up bits of compost in his beak.

  

I mostly watch the Watchers, because I like them so much.