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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210607072015-06-23T22:10:59.061-05:00wildly simpleamanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-1985911900101947622015-04-08T01:16:00.002-05:002015-04-09T11:14:21.103-05:00Manitou Falls | Pattison State Park, WI We crossed the bridge to Wisconsin last week and headed for Pattison State Park, located nearby in the northwest corner of the state.
The park, at a glance, looks very... park-like. There are large groomed grounds for picnics and playing, and some good old CCC buildings for gatherings, all near a small man made lake (which is a strange concept coming from northern MN.) The campground looks nice. But what drew us were the waterfalls beyond the recreation area.
Pattison State Park features the highest waterfall in Wisconsin. At 165 feet high, Big Manitou Falls is roughly the same height as Niagra Falls (but a great deal skinnier!) and is claimed to be the 4th highest waterfall in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains.
The Native Americans who originally settled in the area around the falls believed they heard the voice of the Great Spirit within the roaring of the falls and gave it the name "Gitchee Manitou."

The kids and I stopped here with family last fall, but it was a hurried visit, and we missed the smaller falls. This was a great day to return for a closer look. With spring thaw there was plenty of rushing water while still some nice ice formations.

Approaching Big Manitou Falls..

Nearing the drop off, a long way down!

(Photo above taken last Fall. Spring 2015 below.)

Viewing of Big Manitou Falls is limited from lookouts on the wooded rim. There is no access to the gorge, and climbing in it is prohibited. These limited vantage points make for deceiving photos taken at a downward angle. It looks so much larger in life!
At the bottom of the falls, the Black River quickly disappears, hidden by treetops in the rugged gorge, flowing on toward Lake Superior. It would be amazing to look down and see the depth of the gorge and the river winding along, but I appreciate that it's been left wild and full of trees.
(Photo of the gorge and horizon also taken during our Fall visit.)

We had a pretty good view from the other side of the gorge.
Notice the ice arch over the falls, really cool!

Headed upstream to Little Manitou Falls, which did not disappoint!
Little Manitou Falls drops just 31 feet, but makes up for height in width and open views. The falls form a bit of a punchbowl before the river moves on. I'm guessing that in summer months when the water is low, one might be able to climb around in this open area.
We walked downstream along the river. Spring runoff had created huge frozen veils of ice coming down the sides of the ravine.

Back to Little Manitou Falls, I climbed down a steep wooded hill for a better photo opp.
If you've been around for any of my other waterfall adventures, you'll notice I never think to bring a tripod along, but prefer a longer exposure for moving water.. so I have to make do.
All of these photos were taken with my camera wedged on a stump or rock. They aren't great, but I'm always pleased that they're better than I expect, given the circumstances. Holding still is hard!
I found a place to sit between trees and watched and listened for a while.

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." — Loren Eiseley

I took some short video clips to capture the movement and sound.
I don't usually do video, I hope it works!

A little history:
Martin Pattison was a lumberjack and miner who began logging the Black River in 1879. He eventually sold his lumber interests, but in 1917, he heard about a plan to build a hydroelectric dam on the river which would've destroyed the waterfall. To block the development, he secretly purchased 660 acres along the river, saving Big Manitou Falls. In 1918 he donated this land for public use, saving the waterfall and surrounding forest.

"In being able to grant this site to the public, I have accomplished one of my chief ambitions. For years I have spent much time amid the surrounding of the falls and have received so much enjoyment there that it gradually became a part of my life."

Our thanks to Mr. Pattison. We had a great day here!

Peace, Love, and the Voice of Gitchee Manitou,

Sharing with Our World Tuesday
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-22879032924343613892015-04-05T02:08:00.003-05:002015-04-07T01:54:26.461-05:00Spring FindsMitch and I found ourselves crossing the bridge to northern Wisconsin Monday.
We enjoyed a visit to Big Manitou Falls (Wisconsin's highest at 165 ft) and Little Manitou Falls in Pattison State Park. It was quiet there, we saw just 3 or 4 other people from a distance.
Ice on the river was breaking up and we found water rushing nicely.
Finding time to explore together is one of my favorite things.

I found this stump in the shape of the letter "C."
It had me thinking of all I have to Celebrate this week. It's been good.

I also found this small nest on the ground, reminding me that Spring is time for building new.
Birds do it year after year. We can, too, if we choose to.

To our surprise, we found a chicken on our front porch this week.
This is Matilda, the first chicken to perch on our porch or park herself on our doorstep. (And she doesn't budge for visitors who wish to enter.)

This afternoon I found an onion in the garden, left from last year.
It's amazing to me that it wasn't withered from the deep freeze of winter.
Just a little peel of its outer layer and it was all bright, shiny & beautiful.

Tomorrow morning our kids will find Easter Eggs hiding all about.
However you celebrate Easter, I hope it finds you well!

Sharing with Friday Finds

amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-88623580594824582962015-03-27T11:46:00.000-05:002015-03-27T13:27:43.951-05:00Backward Glances and Spring in My Step
I found the photo above at random on my phone- taken by accident with the front facing camera feature when instead I was aiming the other way at the kids in kayaks on the pond. (Our pond had opened up a couple of weeks ago. It's once again frozen over.)
When I saw this image, I liked it so much I kept it. A beautiful blooper.
Fitting for the quote, because it is indeed a backward glance over my shoulder!
True words, applicable to Northern Minnesota, especially in March and April.

Random Five:

1. Last week was a hard week, explaining my absence for a while. I attended funeral services for a friend and visited our dearest neighbor in the hospital the same day.
The loss of a friend brought on a great deal of thought, which I hope to share more about soon. Thank goodness our friend and neighbor Marianne is on the mend. We care a great deal for her. She had me worried!

2. If you haven't had fresh parsnips dug up from the frozen Minnesota ground in March, you don't know what you're missing. Marianne's sons come visiting the homestead each March for their birthdays (one of them turned 70 this year) and take to the garden with a pry bar. They shared a few of their prized parsnips with us. DELICIOUS. I'll be giving parsnip seeds a go this gardening season.

3. Late Saturday afternoon after a quiet day of recuperating, my phone rang with a surprise invitation to go hiking with Marianne's visiting daughter. We agreed to meet in the field at 4 o' clock and enjoyed three hours of cold fresh air, hiking through the woods together. My phone said we put on 7.1 miles. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but it was sure was invigorating.

4. My hiking visit, as well as a few long chats with friends came at wonderful times last week. Often solitary by nature and largely family oriented, I'm thankful for connected conversations and friends I can pick up with wherever we left off, as if a few months is no different than a few moments. Isn't is wonderful to be understood?

5. I had the snow tires swapped off of my car yesterday for regular tires once again.. optimistic that I won't need them anymore this year. :)

It's still quite cold here, but I'm feeling a whole lot of Spring in my step.
Peace, Love, and PARSNIPS,
(Try them!)

Sharing with Skywatch amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-28048315415485130982015-03-16T12:16:00.001-05:002015-03-16T16:34:51.994-05:00Three BooksOne of my Goals for 2015 is to choose and read one book each calendar month.
Last year I set out to read fifty books, roughly one a week, reading anything I could get my hands on. (see my Year in Books here) So one book a month is a practice in restraint. My aim is a "less is more approach" ..keeping my reading time in balance with time for the other things I love. This goal has been great for keeping me in check in that respect, and has had me giving more consideration to my selections, prioritizing my reading list.

My first three books of 2015 took me all around the world and back home again.

[January]

And The Mountains Echoed, Kahled Hosseini
I was eager to read And the Mountains Echoed after being swept away by A Thousand Splendid Suns and also reading The Kite Runner last year.
*Tough Love Alert* This was my least favorite of the three. I loved A Thousand Splendid Suns. It takes a special kind of book for me to keep on my shelf, or to pass on to friends.. I have two copies, both of them loaned out. It's worth noting that the bar was set high for comparing work by the same author.
And the Mountains Echoed is written in a different structure than Hosseini's prior two books, each chapter told from the viewpoint of a new character. Starting in a small Afghan village, I found the initial story compelling, but it was soon placed on the back burner to accommodate added characters and story lines. It took me some effort in keeping track of how they were all connected, in part because they span multiple generations and jump multiple continents, but some of them seemed altogether unnecessary and too far removed. I just wanted to get back to that first story already.
The ripple (or echo) effect of a single event is the main theme. I get it, but it didn't resonate harmoniously for me. I love Hosseini's writing, but not this book.
And The Mountains Echoed falls short of my Pass on to a Friend caliber.

[February]

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand
After hearing numerous mentions of this book, I went seeking it at our local library and found that it was checked out all across our regional library system, I was #17 in queue.
When my copy arrived, I jumped into it. But not before Mitch grabbed it and read it first.
Unbroken is a non-fiction / biography of World War II hero Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific theater, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then survived more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in three brutal Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.
Brutal is the word that sticks. This is an intensely brutal, but incredible account.. as the subtitle suggests, Zamperini survives his ordeals, and with resilience.
From this book I learned more about the Pacific / Japanese side of WWII (where my mom's dad served), about the B-24 bomber, and unfortunately, about several U.S. military inadequacies at that time. I felt the author did a tremendous job with her research.
While Louie's story is unforgettable, my favorite character is Phil (Lt. Russell Allen Phillips), for his moral steadfastness through it all. Phil is my kind of hero.
"The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Unbroken stretched my mind.

[March]

The Shoemaker's Wife, Adriana Trigiani

I read several Trigiani books last year, and was told that The Shoemakers Wife is her best yet. Historical fiction, rich in culture and setting, it was right up my alley.
I felt it was a well-told, whole picture of the early 1900's European-American immigrant. Their roots, their journey, making their way in a new and strange place, the sense of gratitude and debt these immigrants felt to their new country, and the longing for the home and people they left behind.
In some ways, the story paralleled that of my great grandfather from Finland. He came to the U.S. on a ship alone at 15 years old, as Ciro does in the pages of this book, and at nearly the same year. They both made a life in America by way of work ethic and willingness to learn. Not long after his arrival, my great grandpa was shipped back to Europe to fight in France in WWI, also as Ciro and so many immigrants did.
The most common criticism this book seems to receive is that it's bogged down with too much description. Yes, it's descriptive, and the hardcover I read is 475 pages long. Part of Trigiani's style is in her description of foods and fabrics. But mostly, she describes settings beautifully. She makes me feel the places in her stories. I was surprised to find that this one, originating in the Italian Alps, then New York City, ends up right here in Northern Minnesota, my own native land. And Trigiani got it right, the Minnesota stuff.
My only complaints: There were (what I thought were) some typos and age discrepancies late in the book. They weren't pertinent to the story, I'm just a stickler for editing detail.
I enjoyed reading The Shoemaker's Wife.

There are a handful of books in the running for my April choice, but so far I'm undecided.
What are you reading? Maybe I'll read along!

PS: Today is St. Urho's Day.
Wishing you many reasons to smile.
amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-90450882719080623802015-03-13T15:53:00.000-05:002015-03-22T12:46:34.640-05:00Our Now | Our Five [This Moment] A single photo, capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

After dinner one night this week, I was standing at our kitchen island and had to stop what I was doing, grab my phone with messy hands from nearby, and sneak a picture.
Family. Together. Homework. Siblings. All five kids under one roof, in one room, in one frame.
These moments are precious.

This is our now.

[Random Five]

1. With spring in the air, so is baseball, prom, and the anticipation of so many things. But for now we have a break between sports and it's wonderful. Unhurried evenings and family time are wonderful. The hour of daylight added to the end of the day is wonderful.

2. Mason & Eric and a friend made pies last night to take to school in celebration of upcoming Pi Day. (The jello instant pudding type.) They never pass up a reason to celebrate with food. Our mailbox has been taken over by mail from colleges, addressed to the two of them.

3. Johnathan isn't a kid who necessarily stands out, per se. Yet I received an email this week from one of his teachers telling me how hardworking he is, a joy to have in class, a great child, that I should be proud. This is not the first time I've gotten a message of this sort about Johnathan.
It's nice to hear those kind words. I am proud.

4. Lilly is very keen on illustrating minions lately. Our refrigerator is never dull or lacking art.
As I've said since she was a toddler adding purple polk-a-dots with marker to the white stripes of her bed skirt: The world is her canvas.

5. I joined Beau for an Author and Artist Celebration in the 2nd grade classroom this afternoon. It was super.

He & I are headed to the performing arts theater tonight to see The Adventures of Flat Stanley. He wore his knee high mud boots home from school, luckily we won't need those to go to the theater. I'll encourage him to wiggle that loose tooth on our way there.

Peace, Love, and PS: I spotted the first robin at the edge of our yard yesterday.
Happy Springing!

amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-22099516258315422982015-03-07T01:58:00.000-06:002015-04-07T02:01:45.985-05:00A Sledding Surprise
The first week of March came in like a lion for us. 30 degrees below zero by night, windy & bitter cold by day. It's warming up, and lamb-like weather is supposed to be headed our way. We're ready for it.
We had some snow fun in the March 1st sun.
Mitch broke a trail with the snowmobile for the kids and their friends to sled on, and as the first sled came down the hill, furry field mice started surfacing and running across bright white snow. We had apparently disturbed their underworld.
The kids shrieked with glee and did exactly what I would not have done... they chased and caught them!
The chase was entertaining. Mice have the distinct advantage of staying on top of the snow while they scurry... bundled children really have to boogie while breaking through the windblown crust.
After sledding a bit, another mouse would pop up somewhere and they'd go after it.

Peace, Love, and Snowy Creatures Great & Small,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-966763270707106822015-02-27T00:23:00.000-06:002015-03-05T09:58:58.186-06:00Bear Head Lake State Park & a Birthday BoyDuring a day trip to Ely, MN (which included giant flying pigs made of snow) a couple of weeks ago, we made our way to Bear Head Lake State Park. Voted "America's Favorite Park" in a major poll in 2010, the little-known park, not even among Minnesota's most popular, won in a surprise landslide, capturing 28% of the more than 5.7 million votes. Despite that acclaim, we saw only two other people during our visit to the park February 7th. A cold, bleak, northern Minnesota day.
All was quiet on frozen Bear Head Lake.

Some updates:
Beau turned eight years old!
Similar to when we awaited his arrival eight years ago, our household was hit by a winter virus this year leading up to his birthday. Lilly was down with it several days, followed by a feverish Johnathan.
Still, Beau's birthday has been surrounded by all kinds of love and special fun.
At 8 years old, he receives steady compliments on his manners and sweetness. He's incredibly honest, while being incredibly kind. He's fun loving and funny. (I shared some of my favorite photos of Beau here.) He brings us so much joy!

Our long winter of traveling across the north half of our state for basketball games came to a close Monday with another 220 mile evening. I was able to attend all 26 games of Mason & Eric's 11th grade season. It feels very strange to suddenly have no basketball schedule filling our weeknights.

Days are growing brighter.. We can still see daylight holding on at 6 pm!
Our dark and dreary winter has shifted throughout February to more blue and sunny skies. But it's still been mighty cold, dipping down to thirty below this past week with more bitter wind chills.

I made travel arrangements for an adventure someplace warmer, prompting me to do a little happy dance the other day. A ways off yet, but it warms me to look forward to it.

From the Land of 10,000 Frozen Lakes,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-14142396048640345352015-02-09T15:35:00.003-06:002015-03-14T12:09:20.435-05:00International Snow Sculpting SymposiumWe enjoyed a northern Minnesota Out and About this weekend.
Our boys had a rare Saturday basketball game up the road in Ely, MN, so we left early and made a day of it.
We spend much of our long winter traveling all over the northern half of the state for basketball games, but all on weeknights after dark.
It was nice to spend the day stopping to enjoy the scenery.

Ely is best known as a popular entry point for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the International Wolf Center, and the North American Bear Center.
We spent our honeymoon in Ely!
When we arrived into town, we happened upon the International Snow Sculpting Symposium.
We enjoyed a very cold walk in the park checking out the action as the sculptors worked.

This big hand was one of my favorites, there was a Musk Ox charging out of the palm.

Artists start with a giant compressed block of snow and use only non-motorized tools to work their magic. They were busy shoveling, sawing, sweeping, and carving.

This sculpture was half elephant, half octopus. (The creators were working on its curling tentacles.)

There was an actual Octopus in the works, too:

The flying pig (with little pig looking up to it) was complete.. another favorite!

The young man below had his ski goggles on. Smart. It was COLD! The artists work from morning til night. My eyes were streaming with tears from the bitter cold air as we watched them.

A minion in the smaller amateur division:

The eyes of the creature from the Never Ending Story are made of ice candles.
After dark the sculptures can be viewed by ice candle light.

A great (though cold) day to stop and see the snow sculptures.

Peace, Love, and Winter Fun,

Sharing with Our World Tuesday amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-90447645732471407522015-02-06T23:25:00.001-06:002015-02-07T08:12:56.962-06:00Small Acts that Make a Big Difference : Give Blood One of my Goals and Intentions for 2015  is to seek out small acts that make a difference. I mentioned that I'm not a person who likes to be "involved" publicly a whole lot. If there are meetings involved, you can likely count me out. But even people like myself can make a big difference in small ways. I resolved to be on the lookout and update as I discover them.
I have found a valuable one.

In January I donated blood for the first time.
I've often thought I should donate, but always missed the boat. I was never aware of when, where, or how to do it. Then, my friend Kate stepped up and organized a local American Red Cross blood drive, posting the event on facebook. (One of the pros of social media is that it gives you the ability to reach many people! I had never been contacted or notified of a blood drive before in my life.) I eagerly jumped on board.
I'm so thankful for Kate's time and energy in doing this, and thankful that her efforts reached at least one new donor for life. (me)

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Why have I often thought I should donate blood?
Both of my parents have. My mom is a regular donor, and I knew as I was growing up that my dad had been an important match for his teenage brother with Leukemia before I was born.
During my first pregnancy I learned that my blood type is B- which is a rarer blood type. Knowing that, I've often thought maybe I should donate.

I've only just now learned how needed it is. I have the second rarest blood type, and the 2nd hardest to keep supplied, with only a 9% chance of finding a compatible donor. (I learned one of my sisters is B- also. Very good to know. She also donates!)

Once I began seeking information, I kept reading things like:
"As a B negative blood donor, you are unique due to the rarity of your blood. Because your blood is rare, it is important to maintain sufficient supplies for our community and local patients. In fact, only 1.5% of the population has B negative blood. Your regular and frequent blood donations are especially valued." And: "Because your blood group is B Rhd negative, you are immensely important to our lifesaving work."

Immensely important. Lifesaving. Valued.
 By doing something so simple, I can make a big difference!

I also read that the most powerful part of my blood is found in the red blood cells. To maximize lifesaving power, all B- donors are strongly encouraged to donate double red cells.
So, knowing little at the time, but eager to give a lot, I asked on the spot if I could do a double red cell donation.

Double red cell donors must meet blood volume and type requirements, as well as blood iron levels; they must have a slightly higher red cell count.
My hemoglobin was at a stellar level and I met requirements. I was a prime candidate for double red cell donation.

It was a breeze! The staff was fantastic. They told me I was really smiley.
Double red cell donations take approximately 30 minutes longer than a whole blood donation, so I kicked back and relaxed. I did get chilly toward the end. The machine separates and collects two units of red cells and then safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back through the same arm. The fluid returned to your body is room temperature, which can cool you down a bit. But this is northern MN where a little chill is no big deal. I felt perfectly well other than that. I felt awesome!

I only wish I'd started donating years sooner. But I'm educated on the need now, and I'm committed to donating regularly from here on out.

Some facts:
♥ Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
♥ Although an estimated 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, less than 10% actually do each year.

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf

Blood that is required to assist surgical and cancer patients, accident, burn and trauma victims, even prematurely born babies, cannot be created. It only is available through voluntary blood donation. - See more at: http://www.hesperiastar.com/article/20150203/News/150209948#sthash.ZtThG8oR.dpuf
♥ A single blood donation can help save up to three lives.

The need is constant.

While the holidays typically bring a slowdown to blood donations, this winter's flu outbreak and weather around the country have had a severe impact on blood supplies.
There is currently an urgent need for all blood types. Many areas are are running dangerously low.

To learn how you can give, visit the American Red Cross.
"Donating blood is the one true volunteer act that saves lives."

Peace, Love, and Life!

amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-71937624038927504122015-02-04T10:48:00.001-06:002015-02-05T09:14:08.003-06:00Winter : Seeking Inspiration on an Ordinary DayThis winter in our part of northern Minnesota has been rather uninspiring. In recent weeks I've found myself thinking that it's been the most drab and boring winter ever. (I'm not normally one for using the word, boring!) It's true though, while we're accustomed to months of monochromatic scenery, we've had weeks and weeks of gloomy dull gray skies between the dominant darkness.
And we're very low on snow. What thin covering there is, is packed hard and icy in most places.
With the harsh winter temps we experience, snow plays an important role. It insulates the ground, the tree roots and vegetation. (Underground water pipes and utility workings too.) It also serves as insulation for animals who burrow down underground or in the snow for winter. Severe winters with little snow cover are hard on Ruffed Grouse, who take advantage of deep snow for shelter from the cold. Typically they will plunge right into the snow to spend the night secure and well insulated.
Snow also offers a perk for us humans enduring the cold temps, by offering recreational options during these frozen winter months. Sledding and snowshoeing are two things usually enjoyed at our house in the winter. The kids have done minimal sledding and have had group sledding activities canceled (snow offers nice cushion for safety when flying down a slippery frozen hill.) Snowshoes are entirely useless on three inches of crunchy ground cover.

Still, I was determined to take my camera out the other day and find something to inspire a photograph or two.

Here's what I found:

A new stack of logs from the woods behind our house, mostly ash, some maple, to replenish the woodshed. Dead or blown down trees provide our warmth for the long winter.
I've loved the pattern of tree rings ever since I was a kid.

Polypores on decaying trees also fascinate me.

The beauty and delicacy of birch bark:

A small dash of color; wild rose hips.

A willow catkin:

And a bright assortment of sleds leaning on our garage, waiting for more snow.

In the past few days we've had the joy of blue skies for a change, and daylight is gaining a little longer. But winter is far from over and boatloads of snow may yet come. Who knows what February, March, and April will bring!

Sharing with Our World Tuesday Songography: Ordinary Day Our Beautiful World
amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-65661365390798708362015-01-24T01:51:00.001-06:002015-01-24T08:47:11.397-06:00Hayrides, Horseback Riding, and a Very Happy 7 Year OldLast weekend we gathered with extended family for our annual holiday (post-holiday) get together. This gathering has changed over the years and for the past two, my aunt and uncle have hosted it at their farm about an hour and a half from us.
Between my grandma, her kids, us grand kids and our kids (the great grands).. there are 55 or so of us. This year was a smaller group than most years, but a great day!

Uncle Bruce had the hay wagon ready to go.
Below are Beau, Johnathan, their littlest cousin Owen, and his mom & dad (my brother and his wife.)

The kids enjoyed checking out the animals in the barn (what a lucky, well-loved bunch of animals!) and my aunt Julie made Beau's whole new year by letting him ride a horse.
Beau loves horses. He draws them and writes about them almost daily. He was so excited.
Here he is visiting with Mike, the farm dog, while Julie saddled up one of the horses in the barn:

Beau got to ride Nicker, a sweet old girl in her senior years.
Julie showed him how to stop, go, and steer.
She even led them over and through some big snowbanks, showing him that horses have four wheel drive. :)
Mike tagged along, loving it.

The other two horses were very curious about the action outside of the fence.

After a while, Julie got on to show Beau how to trot with the horse. He thought the bouncy ride was pretty funny.

And then he was ready to trot solo. (He's super proud of this.)

It was a great day with family! Beau says it was one of his best days ever.
I snapped pictures of the notes he wrote before sending off in the mail:

We're thankful for Bruce & Julie hosting again this year.
They have some baby animals due to arrive this spring, we may have to plan a return visit!

Peace, Love, and Four Wheel Drive Horses,

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday Crittersamanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-33656040402534792012015-01-21T23:43:00.000-06:002015-03-05T11:01:16.575-06:00Onward & Upward | Ten Goals for 2015
goal: the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
resolution: a firm decision to do something. firmness of purpose, intention.
commitment: the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
 priority: something given specified attention.

As we entered the new year, I spent a good deal of thought on all of the above, and a good deal of time tweaking, fine tuning, and articulating my thoughts into a list.
And then.. IT DISAPPEARED!!! Oofda.
It's important to me to commit my goals to writing. So I will try, try again.
My priorities, commitments, intentions and goals for the 2015:

1. Captain of My Ship : Stay On Course
At the beginning of 2014, I made a conscious decision to be intentional in my influences (Good Vibes.) To say no to unnecessary commitments. Be true to my priorities, in command of my choices, Captain of my time. Trust my inner peace as my navigation guide.
I've seen great benefits from this over the past year. I like where it has led me and will continue along the same path.
This might seem like a vague, non-specific goal, but it's been the most important and influential one I've ever set. It's worth a reminder.

2.  Nurture Passions, Cultivate Creativity

I felt my passion for photography slip this past year. In particular, I found I wasn't taking photos as much as usual. Photography has been an extension of myself, really connecting me to my surroundings for many years. Most of my adult life, my camera has gone everywhere I've gone. Acquiring a smartphone in 2014 played a part in my using my camera less. It was easy to leave my bulky camera behind when I had one that fit in my pocket and could send photos anywhere at the touch of a screen. (A computer hard drive failure didn't help much either.)
I aim to refocus on my connection with my camera, which means carrying it with me no matter how cumbersome or less convenient it may sometimes seem.
Additionally, I intend to nurture my creative core as a whole. Do more with it.

3. Explore to our fullest ability.
This goes hand in hand with nurturing creativity and passion. New places and exploring are some of my greatest inspiration. I've been digging into maps over the first weeks of 2015 and look forward to where it will take us.
Goal: Plan more mini-adventures with the kids, as often as possible (flexible goal of once a month.)
And one mini-to-grand married people adventure without the kids. We're past due. Exploring is good for us!

4. Send at least one hand written note a week.
Technology, great in many ways, has affected the amount of snail mail I've sent in recent years. I love sending and receiving personal notes, and I read a couple of books last year that inspired me by way of pen and stamp, as well.
I plan to send at least one hand written note a week in 2015 in hopes to brighten someone's day (including my own.) I'm off to a good start and plan to also include the kids in this goal. Beau has an envelope ready to go today. :)
I was happy to learn a couple of other people I know have included this in their resolutions, too!

5. Read One Book a Month
My 2014 goal was to read fifty books. I read anything I could get my hands on.
This year my goal is to read one (hopefully really good) book from my more selective stacks and recommendations each calendar month. I aim to focus more on quality and balance. (I find that when I read a lot, I don't write as much, and so on.)

6. Be healthier. I'm grateful for good health. But I can be healthier, and I've set some personal goals to do so. A common, cliche kind of resolution, I know.. But I'm a first timer!
Nothing extreme, just good, realistic, healthy goals. I'm experiencing an all new-to-me mindset. It's a good thing.

7. Minimize stuff. Maximize efficiency.

I did very well to curb my vintage / thrifting weakness in 2014. Since my reform, I've found that I have a lot of awesome but unnecessary stuff. As a family of seven, outgrowing things is also a constant in our household.
My goal: Find a good use or place for everything in our home, or BE GONE WITH IT!
Develop an Outbox and use it with gusto.

8. Let it be. Just do it. (Try to be a little less particular.)
This wasn't on my initial list, but stems from reading a post a friend wrote about some of her obsessive compulsive personality quirks. It really made me think!
I often feel the need to change things that aren't "just so."
For example: Dishes put in the dishwasher haphazardly. I rearrange dishes or silverware every day.
I'm willing to bet the dishwasher will still get them clean even when they aren't loaded my particular, systematic way, and I challenge myself to try and let them be.
Now I'm not saying I'm going to drastically change my housekeeping ways. Order and aesthetically pleasing surroundings are part of my personal preferences that make me me, and give me peace. I like my towels folded and stacked a certain way. Parking our shoes neatly keeps us from tripping on them or walking in puddles. But some things, like dirty dishes tucked away in a dishwasher, I could try to let slide. Baby steps. :)
Equally, sometimes this part of my personality, the part that likes things just so, prevents me from getting things done. I somewhat envy the person who can spontaneously hang things on their wall without painstaking -or any- consideration. I have many (this goes along with #7) things to be hung on my walls that aren't.. because of the constraints of my particularity. So I challenge myself to just do it.

9. Do Small Acts that Make a Big Difference
I'm not sure where this goal will take me yet. I am not a person who likes to be "involved" a whole lot. I enjoy solitude, and keeping out of public activity. But even people like me can make a big difference in small ways. I'll be on the lookout and updating as I discover them.
Update: I made a wonderful Small Acts discovery!

10. Embrace Change
2015 is full of possibility. There are areas in our life where change may be good for us. Schools / educational opportunities are some of those possible areas. Life will certainly be changing as we gain another teenager and our oldest will become young adults.
"What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does." - Rubeus Hagrid

I've been working on many of these things and look forward to updating on my progress.
I hope 2015 brings good things for us all!

amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-58079755082504309072015-01-03T20:15:00.000-06:002015-03-12T12:38:43.561-05:00A Year in Books
(Photo: Owego, NY May 2013. I loved it there.)

When I was in 4th grade I moved to a new school. 4th grade changed my life in many ways. One of them was my teacher, Mrs. Ferraro.
Mrs. Ferraro is a tiny lady filled with big passion; for children, learning, reading and writing. She's a literacy super hero.
I could go on, but today I'm thinking back to 4th grade because about once a week our class was required to "sell books." We would stand in front of the class, hold up the book we'd read, and "sell it." We'd share what we liked about the book, what it was about, and then ask, "Who wants to buy this book?" Hopefully hands would shoot up, and the seller would pass the book on to another student.
I was a shy kid, bordering on painfully shy in some situations - mostly anything to do with speaking or being in front of a group of people. Selling books was awful for me.
But I loved to read them.
In 4th grade I became a reader and writer. It was a wonderful year.

Some 25+ years later, I love to read (and write) more than ever.
In 2014 I set myself a loose goal of reading fifty books (finishing forty-five.)
I traveled to Germany, Italy, Afghanistan, London, India, Australia, Sweden, France, New York City, the Past, the Future, and all over the countryside in the pages of books.
Books have been wonderful companions and teachers.
I thought I'd briefly share why (or why not) I think you should "buy" (read) these books.
These are just opinions, so feel free to differ. I love a good book discussion.

My year in books looked mostly like this:

*Highlighted are the three books I read that struck me as most remarkable this year.
A guy named Standhal once said, "A good book is an event in my life."
Indeed.

1. *The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Set in WWII Germany and narrated in the most unexpected way, this book astounded me. If you haven't read it, I urge you to. One of the most powerfully and beautifully written books I've read.

2. Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
I was supposed to read Uncle Tom's Cabin in about 9th grade, but never did.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, pushing the envelope on equality and human rights, was quite a lady of her time and for all ages. I'm glad I took the time to read this piece of history.

3. The Clothes They Stood Up In and The Lady in the Van, Allen Bennet
This is a strange little book made of two separate, unrelated, British short-ish stories.
If you happen to come across it like I did, I suggest you enjoy a walk, visit with a neighbor, or read another book instead.

4. Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs #3) Jacqueline Winspear

5. Messenger of Truth (Maisie Dobbs #4) Jacqueline Winspear

6. An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs #5)  Jacqueline Winspear

7.  Among the Mad  (Maisie Dobbs #6) Jacqueline Winspear

8.  The Mapping of Love and Death (Maisie Dobbs #7) Jacqueline Winspear

9. A Lesson in Secrets  (Maisie Dobbs #8) Jacqueline Winspear

10.  Elegy for Eddie (Maisie Dobbs #9) Jacqueline Winspear

11. Leaving Everything Most Loved (Maisie Dobbs #10) Jacqueline Winspear
I started reading (books 1 and 2) about Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, in 2013. These stories take place in post WWI Europe, spanning several years. I've enjoyed them very much for the setting (primarily all around England), the tea, and history more than for each individual mystery.
I haven't seen the last of Maisie Dobbs. Book #11 is out there waiting for me.

12. Life of Pi, Yann Martel
An interesting, surprising, and perplexing read, involving a boy on a boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. You have to read it to understand the surprising/perplexing factor.
Life of Pi threw me for a loop.

13. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 was always showing up on lists of classic books to read. Published in 1953 (the year my parents were born), the story portrays a futuristic American society in a pretty frightening way. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I can say I've read it now, and I see why it's somewhat iconic. Some (not all, thank goodness) of the futuristic ideas aren't far off from current realities.

14. Hope Was Here, Joan Bauer
A Newbery Honor young adult book about a girl named Hope and her experience moving to a small town. A good book for adolescents. An ok book for people like me who like to read young adult books now & then.

15. The Light Between Oceans, M. L. Stedman
"This is a story about right and wrong and how sometimes they look the same.."
A good read that took me to far away Australian shores and the isolation of lighthouse living. I believe my heart became quite involved when reading this novel.

16. Stealing the Ruby Slippers, Amanda Michelle Moon
The author of Stealing the Ruby Slippers is from our nearby small town. We went to the same school and I enjoy following her creative & writing endeavors. Our nearby larger (but still small) town is birth place of Judy Garland. A pair of ruby slippers she wore while filming The Wizard of Oz were stolen from the local museum in 2005, a true event that inspired this fast paced, gritty crime-fiction story.

17. The Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich
With a little time gone by, I cannot tell you what this book was about. The story (?) was hard to follow, and there were so many characters I lost track of how they were connected, if they were. A few unpleasant things are what stand out in my memory from reading it. Because I've heard good things about the author, and because of its Ojibwe background, I wanted to love this book. I disliked it.

18. *A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kahled Hosseini
A powerful, painfully beautiful story (I call it a love story, though it doesn't always seem it) that expanded my perspective and knowledge of our world and modern history. Not an area I'd likely be drawn to reading about (Afghanistan), it was actually my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Ferraro, who's praise "sold" it to me. Horrific at times, yet a book rarely leaves me more satisfied overall with its story telling and conclusion.
If you haven't read it, I urge you to. One of the best books I've read.

19. The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen

20. Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen

21. The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen

22. Lost Lake, Sarah Addison Allen
Each of the four Sarah Addison Allen novels above has some touch of magic or charm in them, applied to a normal (non magic) plot or story. They were easy, lighter reads when I didn't feel like tackling a heavy (literal or figurative) book. For instance, when our dog died this year. Sometimes you just need a book with an easy-to-fall-into story and a magic tree that tosses apples at people to take your mind off things.

23. Drowning Ruth, Christina Schwarz
The opening sentence of this books speaks of a drowning. At the end of the book, the circumstances of the drowning are revealed. I felt there wasn't enough going on in between, leaving the majority of the book unremarkable.  When I dislike a book, I feel a little like I failed somehow, or that maybe there was something I missed, so I look to reviews to see what others think. I read a lot of reviews that assured me I was not alone in feeling unimpressed with Drowning Ruth. Of course, some people enjoyed it, too. (It was an Oprah's Book Club pick.)

24. My Name is Mary Sutter, Robin Oliveira
About a young woman's struggle to become a doctor during the Civil War, this work of historical fiction is loaded with historically accurate events, figures, and information.
I learned a great deal about all medical aspects of the Civil War (medical aspects being major aspects of it.)
I also learned a great deal about amputation from these pages! (If you don't care for reading about bone saws, it might not be for you.) I found it very educational.

25. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, Lorna Landvik
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons made me wish I was part of a book club.

26. Chocolat, Joanne Harris
With a name like Chocolat, I expected it to be sweeter. Instead, I found the plot rather dark & bitter, and the book rather dull. I didn't enjoy it much.

27. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Oh, that Mr. Toad and his motorcar shenanigans! Beau (7 years old) & I read this classic together (along with others throughout the year that didn't make the list because I've read them before.) Our favorite parts involved Mr. Toad. We laughed and laughed!
Find a young person to read it with, and I hope you laugh like we did.

28. The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Was it as great as I expected? In all honesty, no. I was clearly not a member of the targeted (teen) audience.
Did I cry? Yes. Cancer is sad, and particular pages hit close to home.
A story of teenage love, youthful bits of philosophy & wisdom. And sadness.

29. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
Vivid in imagery and magic, this is a brilliantly unique book.  I agree with some claims that the plot grew sluggish, but I was too enchanted by the fantastic spell of the Night Circus to mind.

30. Astrid and Veronika,  Linda Olsson
A story of two women of different generations, with painful pasts, who become friends.
I liked that it was set in Scandinavia. But it didn't quite hit the good-enough-for-me-to-recommend-to-others mark.

31. Love Walked In, Marisa de los Santos
If you're looking for a story with an ending that'll make you feel warm & sappy, and don't mind a little language and what-not along the way, this is the Chick Flick in book for you. I enjoyed it.

32.  The Kite Runner, Kahled Hosseini
Another very compelling story by Kahled Hosseini. I didn't love The Kite Runner  like I did A Thousand Splendid Suns. The content was more difficult (sometimes very unpleasant) to process, and even more heartbreaking. Still, an unforgettable story and beautiful writing. I just picked up And the Mountains Echoed, which I look forward to reading in 2015.

33. Big Stone Gap, Adriana Trigiani
My first Trigiani book, full of humor and quirky characters. Ave Maria, voice of the story, awkwardly finds love in this small coal mining town, as well as a family in Italy she never knew she had. The first in a series of four books.

34. Big Cherry Holler (Big Stone Gap #2) Adriani Trigiani
This installment begins 8 years after the last left off. Ave Maria's loss of a child sets a more serious tone, and her marriage is in a rough place. This segment of the story left me with some hangups. (FYI: those hangups were satisfied by the end of the series.) For me, that was part of the lesson I took from these books: Patience. Commitment to things that matter. Don't call it quits during a rough patch or hang up. You might miss the best part.

35. Milk Glass Moon (Big Stone Gap #3) Adriana Trigiani
Book 3 of the series focuses more on Ave Maria as a mother, as her daughter is on the verge of growing up. The stories of all the folks from Big Stone Gap continue to weave into the whole.

36. Home to Big Stone Gap (Big Stone Gap #4) Adriana Trigiani
The final Big Stone Gap novel, I was satisfied with the conclusion it was to the series.
Sometimes it occurred to me while reading that there wasn't much of a plot, more the telling of a life unfolding and the lessons along the way. I didn't find them riveting or thrilling, but each book grows more comfortable, like we (hopefully) do with ourselves, and in our relationships over time.

37. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
I didn't enjoy this book. For starters, it contains murderous flesh-eating creatures, which aren't my thing at all. I had a hard time finishing it, only to find the end is more of a beginning to the next book, which I had in my possession and opted not to read.
However, the peculiar photos are interesting, and the cover and page design are attractive.

38. The Wednesday Letters, Jason F. Wright
This is a story about the letters written by a husband to his wife every Wednesday for 39 years, and what their children learn from those letters after their parents' deaths.
Side note: Ave Maria and Jack Mac (of the Big Stone Gap novels) write to each other once a year in an anniversary book. I like both ideas. Written words can be a treasure.

39. Lucia, Lucia, Adriana Trigiani
Set in 1950's New York City, I thoroughly enjoyed Lucia's story. My favorite Trigiani novel so far.

40. *The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls' account of her dysfunctional upbringing.. That this was a true story astounded me at times. She tells the painful and sometimes ugly truth of her family life with grace and even humor. And amazingly, without a hint of resentment toward her parents.. eccentrics who were unconventional at best, while mostly neglectful and irresponsible. There is so much to discuss about this book!
Walls is proof that despite tangled roots, we can make the life we choose for ourselves. A memoir worth reading.

41. Reconstructing Amelia,  Kimberly McCreight
This was not a pleasant book for me to read, but as a parent raising kids in the time of social media and cell phones, an eye opening story. More important than reading this book: If you are a parent, raise good people and guide them in our modern world with caution.

42. The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
Beau and I loved reading this chapter book aloud together over the course of a few evenings before bedtime. The story of a mouse, a princess, some soup<wbr></wbr>, and a spool of thread.. Filled with poetic narration of light and dark, and rich vocabulary (like perfidy and chiaroscuro.) We adored the tiny hero Despereaux, and his wonderful, powerful, ridiculous love. A fun tale to read aloud with a child.  "I honor you." :)

43. Rococo, Adriana Trigiani
My sixth Trigiani book of the year, and the first that struggled to hold my interest. (Also the first narrated by a male main character.)
I'm not deterred though.. I look forward to reading her next book in my stack.

44. One Million Lovely Letters, Jodi Ann Bickley
One Million Lovely Letters is the author's true story of being struck with a serious brain infection, her struggle to recover, and the idea/movement that came from it: to reach out to others in uplifting, lovely letters.
Reading her story left me inspired to get out my favorite pens and write some lovely notes and letters, myself. I do believe kindness and words make a difference.

45. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
A classic that I'd never read, I can't say I liked nor loathed Of Mice and Men. (My mom hated it.)
I was left thinking that regardless of my enjoyment of his books, Steinbeck has a way of making me think about tricky things. There isn't always a pleasant line between moral rights and wrongs.
This was a likely candidate from my to-read shelf, since I was nearing the final days of 2014 and had a handful of books to go in order to hit my goal of 50. I thought I might do it if I read thin ones, and this book is very thin!

Once completed, I decided 45 was a good number. I had family and holidays to be present with, tend to, and enjoy. And I have all of 2015 to read more books.

In the coming year, I think I should do this one book at a time. :)
If you have any books to "sell" I'd love to hear about them!

amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-73102068017826887062014-12-30T16:11:00.000-06:002015-01-01T15:10:39.745-06:00Our 2014 Family Photo | Behind the Small MiracleOne day back in late October, after football season ended but before hunting season grew intense or basketball began, a small miracle happened: We got a family photo.
I'm telling this story for safe keeping, in hopes my children some day grow up to understand that small miracles like these were important to me. That it was worth enduring a few occasions throughout their growing years to achieve them.
I cherish our candid photos. But a group shot of us as a family is nice to have every couple years!
I also share because I wonder if I'm not alone in this challenge of getting my family in a photo together, and to enlighten anyone who looks at our photo as idyllic.. Ha!

I prefer shooting in evening light just at sundown. So we got cleaned up and waited for that lovely late day lighting. I think this was a Sunday, so we probably waited for the Vikings to lose their game on the radio.
(Problem #1.. Daylight changes fast in the northern Fall, and the sun as I know it all summer is a little more wily to work with. It drops off fast at a changing angle.. no warm lingering light.. small window of opportunity.)
We all set out beyond our backyard to set up a photo. Problem #2 is that my tripod has been missing an important piece for a few years. Without the missing piece it's not possible to secure or level my camera in vertical/portrait position. So I have to level it by adjusting the legs all wonky (two long legs and one really short one.) And then the camera is heavy, and on non-level ground I struggled to keep it standing upright. It tipped over a time or two.
Problem #3 was that my favorite lens for portraits requires being very far away. I have a remote shutter release just for these kinds of things, but you have to be pretty close for it to work. We were out of range. (I've still never been able to put it to use.) Instead, we had to dash back & forth several yards, pushing the self timer button and hoping to get back in the picture in time. One attempted click of the shutter at a time.
Problem #4 is that we aren't the most naturally photo cooperative bunch. Some of us are awkward in front of the camera. Others are very lacking in enthusiasm for photos. We got several shots of Lilly yawning. Several more of Mason "resting his eyes." And in general, all of us just haphazard.
Problem #5 was that it was chilly and windy. For some reason, my kids don't mind being out in below zero temps if they're playing on a frozen pond or being pulled on a sled. But 35+ degrees while taking a photo is like cruel and unusual punishment. Strong wind also blows the hair of some of us all over, which it did to me in 99% of photos taken.
Problem #6 came sometime after the camera tipped over and we ran back & forth pushing buttons trying to set things up in a rush. The exposure settings were somehow changed, which I didn't realize until well into the ordeal. I had no idea how the change was made or how to change it back. (It took digging out the manual later.) The shots were drastically overexposed, turning out images of nothing but bright white.
Before I knew this, I was snapping away. I had sacrifice the idea of a family shot so I could ditch the timer & tripod, and just take the bull by the horns and photograph the five kids with camera in hands, efficiently. I'm pretty sure those photos would have been great, but they were ALL blown out white.
Exasperated with a camera that wasn't working right for me at this point, I called it a flop and gave up. Light had faded, I was losing what good will from my subjects I may have had, noses were red from cold. I actually called it "The Greatest Flop Ever."
I've kind of grown accustomed to not getting nice family photos of us, so in a way, it wasn't that big of a deal. But in a way, I was more defeated than ever. My family is my life's great work, and taking photos is one of my life's great passions. A nice picture of us now & then is important to me.
Feeling matter of fact that it was a fail, I was in no hurry to go through The Greatest Flop Ever shots. So later, when I did, it was a miracle to find a single photo well focused and nicely exposed, of us all  looking mostly normal and composed.
This photo was the one and only that turned out. I don't care at all that half the family isn't smiling. I know we're all looking at a teetering tripod far away, debating whether the indicator light had already blinked or not. Some shivering cold, others telling them it's not that cold.
This is us. I'll take it. I'll treasure it forever.

Our 2014 Family Selfie:

At the time of this photo, Mason & Eric were 16, Johnathan 11, Lilly 10, Beau 7.
A few weeks later Mason & Eric turned 17 and Johnathan 12.
Time keeps slipping into the future. My kids are growing, changing, and gradually readying themselves for leaving the nest. I'm thankful to have a still frame of us all right now, together in 2014, for our family's timeline.

Here's to self-timers and family photos, past, present, and future!
And to those of you who hire a photographer.. Good call. :)
amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-59218975444629071402014-12-24T10:26:00.000-06:002014-12-29T21:17:17.528-06:00Blogging Buddies (Back from a Break)The night before Thanksgiving, I was thinking about all that I'm grateful for. I read the post I wrote about Thanksgiving last year. Some of the things I listed were:

Our home, warm & strong, that shelters me not just from the cold & snow, but from the busy & sometimes invasive outside world. My own peaceful, private space where I can be.

My family.
I'm grateful that our kids are healthy & happy.
I'm thankful for the security we have due to Mitch's skill & hard work.
I'm thankful for our shared beliefs & values. Beyond everything, we believe in our family. I'm grateful to always know this.

The patch of woods we live on. I've been reading a lot lately of some hard times & hard places, and I am so grateful for abundant firewood to warm us & wildlife to feed us.
Clean northern Minnesota air & water.
All the pretty things the good earth offers for us to see & be a part of.

I'm thankful for interesting books. They are some of my favorite acquaintances.

For the peace & clarity around me as I get older. Making decisions to no longer sacrifice myself & my time for things that aren't important to me.. this is coming easier, and it's wonderful.
I'm thankful for learning.
I'm thankful for crossing paths with & knowing many good people, and the ability to share with & learn from them.

For all the amazing things I've been able to see, do, & experience.
And for all the amazing things I've yet to see, do & experience; I'm thankful that I have them to look forward to.

Thanksgiving came and went, and I've since been focused on the flurry of the holiday season, coinciding with the flurry of basketball season, coinciding with the flurry of family life.
I've taken an unintentional break from blogging.
And I've been thinking of my blogging buddies. I'd like to talk about them.

I've been jotting thoughts, sharing photos, documenting our family life for almost nine years, the better part of a decade. Over the past couple of years, I've come to know some of my fellow bloggers as friends. I think of them like modern day pen pals, some like extended family.
There's DJan; when asked a question such as "who do you really admire?" ..I automatically think of her. There's TexWis girl, talented artist and perhaps the most dependable commenter I've ever had, she has made my day brighter many times. There are two Lindas who I've come to enjoy.. Linda W. and Linda R., both of them adventurers in their own rite. At first I kept them straight by thinking Linda West (Linda W. lives in my favorite place, Oregon) and Linda R.V. (Linda R. travels the country to it's most beautiful places in an RV with her husband.)
My fellow Minnesotans from the lower part of the state, Grandma Barb, and Troutbirder, who lives near my brother-in-law and feels as if he could be one of my own retired history teachers. Make that two Barbs.. Barb in beautiful Breckenridge also. And two Lynn(e)s. Lynne in Michigan, and Lynn from France. Two Karens.. Karen in Australia, mother of 8, I've grown to care about her family from afar. And Karen who lives in Switzerland and France and travels to amazing places. Stewart in Melbourne, gifted writer, deep thinker & earth observer, with a sense of humor. Arija, whom I admire also in Australia.. Nina, kindred spirit from Scandinavia.. LadyFi, in Sweden, who captures the world in photos in ways I hope to glimpse it each day. Ranchwife Robyn in South Dakota, Marcia, Michelle.. and Brandi, fellow mother of five. George and Betsy in Tennessee, their happiness makes me happy.
When I go weeks without finding time to read or write, I think about these friends around the country and the world. I might wonder how their day is going, or their name might come up in conversation with my family.
If you're reading, you've all touched my life in some way.
I'm thankful.
I'm eager to catch up with you all again!

I found these hearts made of snow on our front porch one early December day, left by Lilly.

Peace, Love and as William Woodworth said, "Rest and be thankful."
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-57117205255197845652014-11-20T01:55:00.001-06:002014-11-20T10:18:34.253-06:00November. My Now. I've started to post several times over the past couple of months, and for various reasons haven't finished. So I'm starting fresh today.

Today.
It's cold in Minnesota (frigid they call it.) Winter arrived early and abruptly for us.
The view outside my window:

 Inside, I'm incredibly grateful for warm fires.

After a busy fall (October had us go-go-going, long miles back and forth, which I don't care for.. makes me feel like I'm part of a great global rat race).. November brought welcome temporary change.
We've had about a month off from sports events.
Hunting took center stage.
Our dinners have been full of good things. Venison. Grouse. Goose. More grouse and venison.
With dark coming earlier, we've been enjoying a lot more time inside our home together.
Pictionary in the living room with the younger kids, and nightly chats with our young adult kids.

I've been able to sit down with a book or two or three. Whoever said "travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer" forgot about books.
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." ― Charles William Eliot
I agree about travel, too though. I've had a persistent yearning to go somewhere I've never been for months.

November is a busy birthday month for us.
Mason and Eric turned seventeen years old last weekend.
Johnathan turned twelve the weekend before. Time keeps on slipping into the future.

The clock change and the cold, along with birthday shenanigans, have tired us out some.
Naps have happened here & there.

All of the sudden we have four kids playing basketball. Both Mitch & I agree, we didn't see that coming.
I spent Monday in Duluth on a mission to find a pair of 11.5 basketball shoes, among other things.
I took this picture on my way. A blustery, biting cold November day.

Thankful for mittens, scarves, hats, warm boots.
Our snow sleds are out. We have a slippery base under the snow, which makes for fast traveling sleds. The other day Beau went sailing into the woods, getting into a scuffle with wild raspberry bushes. He came out with scrathes all over one cheek that look like wildcat whiskers.

I'm thinking holidays much earlier than usual.. the weather & whiteness may have something to do with that. Wow, this year has flown.

I have much to catch up on. This was a start.
Peace, Love, and Very Warm Wishes,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-9567845220974034622014-11-02T14:05:00.000-06:002014-11-02T15:01:18.271-06:00Happy Trails on HalloweenHalloween happened.
I was really not feeling into it this year, and the great thing was- I felt perfectly ok about that!
For most of the past several years of my life, I've been up all night before Halloween, sewing to beat the band. Not this year.
This was a Grab-Something-Out-of-the-Old-Dress-Up-Box year. All three younger kids decided they wanted to be cowboys/cowgirl. The only thing I made the night before Halloween was a cardboard and tinfoil belt buckle that we taped onto Beau's belt. Easiest Halloween ever!
I had sewn these faux-swede chaps and vest for Eric (now almost 17) years and years ago.
Fun seeing Beau (7) wear them now. The spurs were also from that brief era when Mason & Eric had big cowboy dreams.. they'd been a Christmas wishlist item.

It was a calm & clear day, thank goodness for that! The evening before, we'd had mixed precipitation, bitter winds, and our first ice of the year. I'd gone slipping & sliding on our front porch.

We didn't carve pumpkins, and I felt ok with that, too. Confession: I've always loved pumpkins better in their un-carved state. We grew an armful of very teeny tiny ones in the garden this year. My friend, Alaina had given us some cornstalks she'd grown. I was surprised when I found ears of corn still attached, and when I went to peel back the husks I had a most colorful surprise. Indian corn!

Johnathan ventured out from under my Halloween wing for the first time, spending the evening trick-or-treating with a group of friends. Kind of a big deal. I worried some.

Our first stop is always our neighbor Marianne. Next, we picked up Lilly's best friend (also a cowgirl) and I took them Trick or Treating to familiar doors in town, then to our local Trunk or Treat event.

My posse was dwindling at that point, as Lilly & her friend met up with the other parents there, with plans for a sleepover at their house. It was down to just Beau and I. I had never before had just one child in the car in all of my many Halloweens as a mom!
He and I capped off the evening by making our traditional jaunt to Granny & Gramps' house about 20 minutes away.
We stopped at a few homes of people dear to us. We admired pumpkin carvings and decorations. I thought of our wonderful friend Violet - who was part of our Halloween tradition for so many years.

Beau and I enjoyed the one-on-one time coming back home. We deliberated whether we liked the candy or the costumes best about Halloween, deciding it's an even toss up. Candy is good, but he said it makes him feel thirsty. Seeing costumes was lots of fun, and he felt awfully special dressed up like a real cowboy.
He asked me what my favorite thing about the day had been. I told him it was taking a few pictures of he and Lilly before we got going.
They were both so willing & cooperative, it took just seconds. That hasn't always been the case with five kids and taking planned (non-action) pictures.
I told him how important it is to me to capture pictures sometimes, so we can look back at them, remembering fun things we did.

At some point during our drive, I also told him he's about the nicest boy I've ever known, and that I am so lucky to be his mom. He was quiet for a minute in the back seat in the dark. Then he said softly, "Thank you."

He filled me in on all the kids in 2nd grade wanting to touch his spurs. We picked up Johnathan, who was just fine, and had scored big on treats. He'd had a good evening, too.
And when we got home, before going to bed, Beau asked if he could wear his aluminum foil belt buckle again the next day. :)

Peace, Love, and Happy Halloween Trails,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-42909391845502026242014-10-06T14:40:00.001-05:002014-10-07T14:07:40.810-05:00Gooseberry Falls State Park, MN (and a shout out to the CCC)Gooseberry Falls is known as the gateway to the North Shore of Lake Superior -and many more waterfalls- and one of the most visited of Minnesota's 67 state parks. (2nd most visited after Fort Snelling, which is located way down within the twin cities grid.) Located close to the road, Gooseberry's falls are popular for their easy access.
The park has been modernized quite a bit since I was a kid, with paved walkways and major improvements to the visitor center. Because of that, I haven't been there much as an adult.
We were last there when Mason & Eric were about 4 years old and I was expecting Johnathan. I believe we attempted to stop a few years later after all five kids were born, but the parking lot was pure madness, so we left and continued north.
But during our Last Hurrah of Summer, a quiet weekday before the Labor Day rush, our younger three kids were able to climb around these beautiful falls at last.
We arrived after dinner time and there were only a few cars in the large lot. Perfection.

As you can see, Lilly has entered a stage of not enjoying having her picture taken.. she is so much like her older twin brothers it amazes me.

Although, they hadn't reached that stubborn stage yet when I took their photo in the same place 12 years before:

A quick photo and she was free to roam about, happy once more.

Johnathan didn't mind photos at all. He & I took a separate trail (we took the longer route to a bridge crossing, those in bare toes & waterproof shoes splashed across river rocks.) Johnathan explores much like I do, stopping to look closer and investigate often. And to my delight - to take pictures.

Late summer, nearing fall, water volume was low, making for a quiet river bed, and plenty of climbing in the gorge. I watched THIS VIDEO back in April of the raging river when ice went out - a different story. Minnesota is always changing.

Upper Falls, on the other side of scenic highway 61, one of five of the Gooseberry River's waterfalls tumbling down toward Lake Superior:

Gooseberry Falls State Park has many stone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
A major part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, the CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men, to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the U.S. while at the same time implementing a general natural resource conservation program in every state and territory. In nine years 3 million young men participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing, and food, together with a small wage of $30 a month ($25 of which had to be sent home to their families).
Principal benefits of an individual's enrollment in the CCC included improved physical condition, heightened morale, and increased employability.  Implicitly, the CCC also led to a greater public awareness and appreciation of the outdoors and the nation's natural resources; and the continued need for a carefully planned, comprehensive national program for the protection and development of natural resources.
During the time of the CCC, volunteers planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide and upgraded most state parks, updated forest fire fighting methods, and built a network of service buildings and public roadways in remote areas.
By 1942, with World War II and the draft in operation, need for work relief declined and Congress voted to close the program.

This statue of a CCC worker was enough to get all three kids smiling. :)

Peace, Love, and State Park Appreciation,

Sharing with Our World Tuesday.amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-86162699500634557742014-10-03T03:34:00.001-05:002014-10-03T03:34:30.163-05:00Flowing.

Life is like a cyclone sometimes. I'm flowing with it.

The school stomach bug struck, I had a very sick boy this week. I took another to the doctor yesterday and learned he needs an operation. (hernia. weight lifting. teenage athletes. sigh.) We're on a many day stretch of lots of running and miles, when mostly I want to be home. Work is piling up with the loss of my computer. My old hard drive is being sent away from one facility to another city for intense, expensive recovery efforts. All good mojo is welcome & appreciated.
If you have precious files on your computer, learn from my anguish. Please back them up.
But enough about that. I'm flowing.
We've enjoyed the Indian Summer that stayed around most of September. Life is good.

Speaking of natural disasters, Mitch and the younger kids created a volcano eruption in our kitchen a couple of weeks ago.

"Sundays go way too fast." -Johnathan, 11 years old. A September-October kind of quote.

We've had some quality Fall excursions lately. I'll be able to connect my camera to a new system and share soon. Images above are from my phone.
That's Johnathan in swimming trunks last Saturday. This Saturday forecasts a high in the 30's with snow in the next 24 hours.
Fall is fully here.

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart."
Peace, Love, and Cyclones,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-16793435302601674022014-09-24T12:44:00.001-05:002014-09-24T22:20:21.076-05:00Splendor & Mishaps | Autumnal EquinoxWe are thoroughly celebrating September this year. The weather has been notably good.
Leaves will be reaching their fall color peak within the next few days here. Many are already falling to the ground.

My mom and I took our kayaks out together the afternoon before her birthday last week. It was her first time in a kayak, and my first time on this particular non-motorized designated trout stream lake.

Over the weekend, we enjoyed a day of exploring a Minnesota state park, then another just over the Wisconsin state line. The leaves in that area weren't turning much yet, but the weather was perfect.

Mitch & I spent an evening this week deep in the woods behind our house. We made our way to a beaver pond, where we watched a majestic pair of swans, busy kingfishers, and some unidentified swimming birds. I also enjoyed the presence of a chipmunk who was busy stuffing its cheeks.

A small pond tucked in the woods:

Between all the fall splendor, I accidentally poured a cup of chai directly on my camera while carrying too many things at once. I had a migraine for a day.. This time of year our to-do list is long, time is of the essence, I hate to have valuable days taken. And the hard drive on my desktop began to crash. "Imminent danger of failure" were the words I last saw on the screen. It's not to be turned on again until all of my photos and files are safely rescued. (We've mentioned replacing that computer for over a year now.. these things seem to put themselves off until desperate situations strike.)

My head is better. My camera survived without major issue, though it's a bit gummy in some of the switches and crevices and will be sent away for cleaning. And my computer - well with this week's colors and weather being so beautiful and fleeting, I'm not sure just yet when I'll make the 160 mile round trip to the Geek Squad. I was in the middle of editing grad photos, too. Unfortunate timing!
I was able to get some of these pictures of our autumn outings onto my laptop for the time being.

We're anticipating another Fall adventure this coming weekend.
So much to do, so much to admire - I find myself torn between the two. :)
I believe last Fall I called this time of year "savoring while we scurry."

Peace, Love, and Falling Leaves,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-23749150107187806842014-09-17T13:45:00.001-05:002014-09-19T00:19:14.215-05:00September: Change in the Air It's past mid-September already and I've been astray from my keyboard for some time.
The song, "Wake me up, when September ends" has been stuck on my mind a few times this month.
But truth is, today is beautiful and I'm happy to be awake.

September is a time of re-adjusting for me. As I told a friend the other day, we're finding our rhythm.. though our rhythm is ever changing. :)
I'm adjusting to quiet days to myself after three months of scarcely a single solitary moment.
We're adjusting to schedules, homework routines, too-short school nights, less daylight, cooler weather.

Since the zinnias I had started from seed succumbed to frost last weekend, I've also been singing "To everything, turn, turn, turn..." I'm feeling that one much more truly.
I've made our first fires of the season and soaked in their warmth. There's still much to do outdoors before snow flies. I'm happy for warm afternoons again this week and enjoying the days as they turn gold.

(Hardy Coreopsis, still holding on yesterday.)

My mom left on Labor Day traveling east to do some exploring for a week. I sure wish I could have joined her, but I was needed here for first day of school conferences, paperwork, and mostly - finding our feet as we stepped into this hectic thing called a school year.
The highlight of her trip was touring the Gettysburg battle sites. It sounded pretty amazing.
Speaking of how it sounds.. all my life I had only heard Gettysburg pronounced "Getteesburg," rhyming with "Betty's Burg." Turns out the proper pronunciation may be "Gettissburg" rhyming more with "Lettuce Burg."

I've recently taken senior photos of a handful of kids we know, friends of Mason & Eric's, who'll be graduating this year. That's kept me busy in my darkroom (a.k.a. at the computer monitor.)
These are the one type of photography "work" I feel confident in doing. I enjoy the one-on-one capturing of a person's character. It's a pleasant creative challenge for me.

Mitch stayed somewhere on Lake of the Woods this week, working on a friend's cabin there.
Lake of the Woods is very large, the sixth largest freshwater lake located (at least partially) in the United States, after the five Great Lakes.
It occupies parts of Ontario, Manitoba, and Minnesota.
The lake separates a small land area of MN from the rest of the U.S. called the Northwest Angle, which happens to be the northernmost part of the contiguous United States.
Lake of the Woods is over seventy miles long and wide, and contains more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline. It would amount to the longest coastline of any Canadian lake, except that the lake is not entirely within Canada.
(Some Lake of the Woods knowledge for you, with a little help from Wikipedia.)
He arrived back home last night.

I've sensed around me lately that September seems to be a time for missing people. I think there's something nostalgic in the air this time of year.
You know who I'm missing this September? Our dog, McGee. The kids' start back to school really emphasized his absence. This Fall is the first I've been home alone without kids or dog in.. about 17 years.

We have some big changes on our minds. They aren't certain and they may take some time. But I'm excited and it feels good.
Mitch and I went to look at a piece of property up north last week.
Not sure this is where our changes will take us, but it was fun exploring with the perspective of possibility.
Growing up on the Mississippi, in a corridor of tall pines there was what we called "The Big Rock" - as the name suggests, a great big boulder, that several kids could climb on at once. It was smooth and surrounded by a carpet of pine needles.. kind of a magical place in my memory.
Well, this property reminded me of lots and lots of "Big Rocks." We knew from looking at the topography map that there was a particularly high point leading to a cliff, and wanted to reach it. Our climb through thick, rugged woods took us to a gorgeous rock summit towering above the trees.
(My phone did not do an ounce of justice here.)

It's been fun toying with idea of this as our backyard.
Big Rocks or not, I've never been so excited to think new thoughts as I am this September.
To everything turn, turn, turn.

Peace, Love, & Possibilities,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-37129513624953011892014-09-05T08:35:00.001-05:002014-09-05T11:59:57.283-05:00Last Hurrah of Summer | Park Point BeachThe kids are back to school this week. Two juniors, a 6th grader, 5th grader, and 2nd grader.
I'm never thrilled when school starts, but I usually take it in stride fairly well. I feel like this was the hardest summer to let go of yet.
We wanted to enjoy one last day of adventure before Labor Day weekend crowds and the start of school, so last Thursday Mitch took the day off work and we headed out with the three younger kids. (Mason & Eric had football practice. But they had these same kinds of adventures when they were younger.)
We went to Duluth and ended up retracing some of the places we'd just been for our anniversary, only this time the sun was shining & we saw them through the eyes of our kids.
Here they are out on Park Point, loving Lake Superior.

I couldn't ask for more perfect moments to savor summer. Sitting in the warm, fine sand, the sound of wind & waves & laughter, watching their bliss.
I was pretty sure they were feeling their inner Karate Kid below.
Rocky and Apollo, too.

We forgot to bring swim clothes or dry clothes, so they rolled up their pants to get their feet wet and run in the sand. Gradually the waves kept catching them higher & higher though, and they got wetter & wetter. Especially Beau, he eventually went all in. That's what summer days are made for. We had a towel & made due from there.

Beau was bursting with joy and energy these last moments of summer as a seven year old.
He practiced handstands. Eric is our other handstand kid - Beau is reminding me of that. Eric was always trying to walk on his hands when he was younger, and showed us the other night that he can still do it pretty well even though he hasn't practiced in a while.

Nailed it.

Johnathan is such an observer and thinker. He watched the waves like this for the longest time. Sometimes I observe him, and think about what he's thinking. :) I wondered if he was counting them.
This year our 6th grade was moved upstairs to a middle school format. He now changes rooms & teachers all day and walks the halls with 6-12th graders between classes. I was so nervous for him. He's doing just fine.

It hardly seems possible that Lilly is in 5th grade already. She's been enjoying lots of time with her best friend, which reminds me of being that age. She's growing up quickly. I'm thankful she's content being the 10 years old she is, and not trying to be 16 (or 20).

This was only one stop in our adventure as we chased what was left of summer.
We had such a fun day.

Peace, Love, and Warm Summer Memories,
amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-65007663358785300562014-08-27T01:27:00.001-05:002014-09-19T00:25:57.823-05:00Impromptu Anniversary Date | Duluth, MNSaturday was our anniversary. We needed to pick up some school shoes and a load of material from the lumberyard in Duluth, so we made a date of it.
Duluth is our nearest & dearest city. I love Canal Park, Glensheen Mansion, the architecture, the rock and creeks and hillside. And I love Lake Superior.
We decided to head to Enger Park & see the Enger Tower up close for the first time.
It was busy when we got there, with wedding parties having their photos taken & crowds of rather noisy people. We aren't typically Saturday sightseers, so we almost turned around at the parking lot and left.
But we had stopped for an early dinner first, and I figured all of these people would be leaving for dinner soon. We fled to the adjoining Superior Hiking Trail for a little while, where we didn't see a single person. And by the time we were back to the park it had cleared out significantly.

We ended up approaching the tower from an alternative path all to ourselves.
An enchanting one, too, I thought.

Dedicated in 1939 by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the five story stone tower stands on top of the hillside overlooking the Duluth Harbor and St. Louis Bay some 500+ feet above the level of Lake Superior.

It was a gloomy, moody weather day, heavily overcast & foggy on top of the hill. I was worried we wouldn't be able to see anything from the tower, but visibility was fair below.

The tower offered varying views from it's windows; harbor, city, industrial, countryside.

Duluth is famous for it's Aerial Lift Bridge (above.) The bridge spans the Duluth Ship Canal, which was put through the thin, long sand spit named Minnesota Point (commonly referred to as Park Point by locals.)

Park Point is approximately 7 miles in length, and when included with adjacent Wisconsin Point, which extends 3 miles out from the city of Superior, Wisconsin, is reported to be the largest freshwater sand spit in the world at a total of 10 miles. (wikipedia)
Later we randomly decided to cross the bridge and drive out to Park Point.
But first we explored Enger Park with less people. It was lovely.

Passing through a crowded & bustling Canal Park, we headed out to Park Point.
Here we found respite from the crowds!
It was windy out on the point, Lake Superior was loud & crashing, how I like it best.

We watched some kite surfers, took some pictures, walked the beach a bit.

Then we were off to finish our errands and return home to our kiddos for the night.
It was a great way to spend an impromptu sort of day.

Our wedding day, seventeen years later.

Peace, Love, and Awkward Anniversary Selfies,

Sharing with Our World Tuesday amanda | wildly simplehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-54652687651791478732014-08-22T03:25:00.000-05:002014-11-01T15:29:13.110-05:00Day by Day It's August 21st and I've only published one update this month. I've started about a dozen posts in the past few weeks but haven't finished them. (Not like me at all.)
I'm contentedly immersed in our "now".. yet have had so much on my mind.
Sad things have been happening around us, weaving in and out of my thoughts each day.

One thing that is at the root of most of my thoughts, and the root of most of what I am, is my kids.
They are growing and changing. It's quite incredible, really.
I'm enjoying days spent together and letting them stay up much too late at night.
We're cleaning out closets (oh, how they grow!) to see what we need -or preferably don't need- for school, which starts in September for us.
I've been thinking of our day by day lifestyle. Saturday night I wrote this, and then stopped:

"Day by day.. Minute by minute.. It's how we're livin'."
Those are song lyrics I love. Words I often feel like I'm trying to explain about our life. And also what's on my mind this evening.
Just getting through one day at a time. Not yet thinking about the next, living in the now. It is indeed how we're living most of the time.
Not everyone embraces that about us. Some of our fellow humans have predictable schedules, they are Planners, weeks and months in advance. But for us, there are endless variables to a day in our lives. We take them one at a time.
On my mind tonight is a baby boy named Charlie, our sister-in-law's nephew. Charlie is not quite 4 months old, and has lived all his life in the hospital. He's beautiful. His parents' love for him is beautiful. Charlie is living day by day.
We spent this evening with many of his family members, his aunts & uncles, his cousins, his grandma & grandpa. My heart is sad for them all. It was an evening of smiles, yet I came home and cried for them.
They lost Charlie Monday night.
Again, I'm reminded of how precious time, and life, is.
I can't stop thinking about Charlie's parents, and all the people we know who have lost children.
I'm so sorry. Those words just aren't big enough.
Charlie's dad wrote this morning about healing vs. bandaging the hole that losing Charlie has left.
My grandparents lost two sons after long battles with cancer in their teenage years, something I can't fathom. My grandma is in her 80's now. That was long ago, just before I was born, but I'm pretty certain she wears a bandage over a void that will never be filled.
I think of DJan, my blog friend and role model when it comes to living life adventurously, honestly, & fully, who has shared about losing her sons. I think of our neighbor Marianne's sister Helen. Her 101st birthday is this week. She lost her only son when he was small and she has lived all these years without him.
I think of others too, and I think to myself, "Wow, life is unfair." But I look at these same people and think, "Wow, life is beautiful, too."

Something I can't help but think about is the close relatives who aren't involved in our kids' lives, who haven't had a steady presence, haven't known and shared the joy of them.
Our kids couldn't be more happy and well, I remind myself that they're not lacking in any way. But, the bigger the support group who are there for a kid & the more love & caring, the merrier. So it's too bad.
It's most unfortunate, though, for those who don't seem to know what they're missing.
There are others who would give anything to have their grandchild or niece or nephew in their lives, to cheer them on as they laugh, play, and grow. I keep thinking of that.

Back to these kids.. Mason is doing well after having all of his wisdom teeth (he had five) removed a week ago. It didn't go quite as planned but he handled it like the calm, tough kid he's always been for us. It slowed him down for just a few hours that evening.
He and Eric have football practice three hours each morning. Little boys have all different passions, and football was theirs. This will be their 8th season playing.
I'm anxious about this school year, unsettled, unsure that we're making the best decisions for all of them. Or more so, sure that we aren't. I want what's best for our kids.
Johnathan is stealthily sneaking up on twelve years old. It has just recently sunk in how close he is to teen-hood and how rapidly Mason & Eric changed starting around his age. Right now he's still our soft spoken, soft cheeked boy, but boy is he eating more like a teenager.
He's been surprising me with bursts of cleaning lately.. changing his sheets, vacuuming downstairs, and when I noticed someone had cleaned the toilet in their (four boys) bathroom, he told me he's been doing it once a week. Oh, glorious ray of wonder!!!
Lilly is keeping right at Johnathan's heels in the growing up business. Yesterday they both had a friend over for a few hours. They were also both referred to the orthodontist at their dentist checkups this week. Sigh. She's creating with Legos at the moment.
Beau is keeping me on my toes while I watch him do standing stunts on his bicycle. He's very excited as he gets supplies ready for 2nd grade. We're reading The Long Winter at night a couple of chapters at a time. All three younger kids still listen to me read aloud. Pa just got official word that the train isn't going to make it to their little town on the prairie til spring. They are burning
twisted hay sticks to keep warm, and there is just a partial sack of wheat and a few potatoes left for food. The blizzards are dreadfully ongoing and it's only early January. Beau was growing quite distraught, so last night Lilly & I had to reveal to him that Almanzo Wilder will save the town and they'll all be fine.

Monday the younger three and I had a really good "Go Where It Takes Us" kind of day after their dentist appointments. That evening I chased this rainbow to the end of our road to get an open view. The size of it was incredible, my widest angle lens could only capture a fraction of it. I stood out in the rain and marveled until it faded away.
This was taken with the panorama feature on my phone:

I hope today takes you somewhere marvelous.

Peace, Hope, and Glorious Rays of Wonder,

amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-21060707.post-35620254048289871262014-08-06T13:48:00.001-05:002014-08-07T00:46:25.705-05:00Random Summer DaysThere are many photos to share from our Canada trip up north - and I will - but summer is flying (it's short lived in our part of the world) and days are full. I've been busy with the kids, with beautiful weather, with juggling everything I want to do and needs to be done all at once.
However, my mind is overflowing with things that wish to work their way out into words - so I expect to hit my rhythm here again shortly.
For now, some happenings from our summer days:

Yesterday I had a revolving mix of thirteen kids at our house, seven to start the day, nine still going strong until close to midnight, and a few others between. Ages 1-18.
Just a random summer Tuesday.

One evening last week I kayaked, at a non-leisurely pace, roughly 8 miles or so around a nearby lake. My sisters are preparing for a triathlon, one stage of which is canoeing or kayaking around the lake. They were there to test out a double kayak & see how the timing went. I was just along because I love being on the water with a paddle, it's one of my favorite things. It was a gorgeous evening, and good and tiring trying to keep up with the two of them. (The two person vessel was much faster than mine! I do not have a Ferrari model kayak.)
I'm really not a Point A to Point B person. This fact has been surfacing daily.
I love to wander & enjoy, and really experience my journey.
Once in a while it hits me out of nowhere & brings me to tears: I miss our dog.
I was singing lots of Me and My Doggie McGee for a week.
I'm finally getting back into a walking rhythm again without him, which feels good.
The setting sun while on my walks has been beautiful.

We've had a little less swimming and a lot more bicycle activity around here as of late.
Johnathan & Lilly are suddenly riding mine & Mitch's full size bikes.

One evening on my walk, I found a huge end to end rainbow at the end of our road. The entire wild wetland / lake was covered by this great arc. My phone battery was languishing & wouldn't take a panorama.

Later in the week we broke out the paints & canvases. Lilly (and I helped a little) painted this scene, inspired by the rainbow I had seen. It will hang in her room.

Our garden seems stunted this year. But strawberry season was good & we're eating a few fresh picked peas, beans & carrots.
We're loving our chickens & summer flowers.
Wild raspberries abound all around us right now.

My friend, Alaina, made us an appointment for pedicures together last week. A splurge, but such a treat! I was introduced to a new spa / salon in town that was so much fun, located in a historic old school building in town. It's nice to indulge in something special once in a while. I feel that I'm at a stage in my life where I can do so feeling less guilt, yet as much appreciation as ever.

I just started reading The Fault in Our Stars. I wish I had a bonus hour each day to read.
Beau & I read The Wind in the Willows together over the past couple of days. I enjoyed his snuggles and we giggled a lot. Giggles are great.
Home projects are numerous right now. I'm moving into our home office, converting multiple closets, & working on some more exterior staining. My list goes on & on.
I've been greatly limiting my thrift & treasure hunting.. but have acquired a few project items & have some old ones waiting in line as well.

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." -John Burroughs

I'm feeling that quote lately.
Peace, Love, & A Very Happy August,

*All of these photos were taken with my phone.. so handy on the go. But I still love my camera-camera best of all. :)amanda | wildly simplehttp://email@example.com


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HOME NASCAR Tony Stewart Gear Tony Stewart Mens Tony Stewart Mens Hats (79 items) Product ID: 1121776
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Support your favorite driver on and off the track with the Big Number Tony Stewart cap! It features Stewart-spirited graphics that are perfect for topping off any look.
- High-quality team graphics
- Officially licensed NASCAR product
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.

subset: commoncrawl