My Little Girl

This is an oldie, but goody. Trinity & I on the porch at 139 Spring St. The house has since been purchased, painted, the fences came down, and the accoutrements are completely different, but the soul of the house lives on.

Trinity & I lived here for a couple of years, walked the sidewalks of Saratoga, perused the shops, worked for people in town teaching private piano lessons & attended the Beagle School. There are so many memories...too many to remember, I guess.

The other day, I sat on our old street and cried a few tears as I sat outside of the deli, and across the street from our old house thinking of the "old days." I guess you could say we sometimes get wrapped up in nostalgia, and forget to appreciate what IS, in the moment of now. I need to appreciate the now more...

and I have to say it....

'live in the NOW,'

(as I now sit here with a smile on my face. Apparantly I am just too funny for my own good...)

This photo was taken on Trinni's first day of Beagle School. We were so proud of her. Isn't she just the cutest doll you have ever seen? I guess I am bias, as her mother.

September 16, 2009

General Ulysses S. Grant speaking with Elizabeth Grant, Julia Grant,Ulysses S. Grant III & Ida Grant/widow of deceased U.S. Civil War Soldier.

This is one of the most beautiful moments ever captured of our family. It was such a privilage to be able to participate in the wake & funeral of a young civil war soldier.

I was proud to be able to represent his widow and recieve the sword in his family's stead.

My children, Trinity & Turner, will remember this week forever as well. It is not very often that one gets to participate in a living, breathing lesson of history and how it applies to our day to day lives. As a homeschool family, I think we have truely been able to drive home what history is all about...honour, courage, love, sacrifice, bravery, chivalry, respect, and all of the good qualities that are the threads in a beautiful tapestry of life.

This moment went beyond moaning and groaning about schedules, how tight my corset was squeezing, and whose call was missed on a cell phone or an iPhone, or whatever your codependent contact machine of choice is...the daily grind is mundane...that's why I gave up my cell phone. No offense to anyone who relies on their cell phone for important communication...very sorry.....

Depending on whether or not you can talk on the phone at any given moment is not what life pivots around. It is a composition of sorts...with harmonious memories interweaving to ring out something quite beautiful and memorable. Sometimes these compositions are virtuous and inspiring, and really remind us of how people can pull together for a cause that is above and beyond what they normally choose to care about during the day. This is what this ceremony was to me. Not the buttons or the bones, but the person who fought a war that changed history. A history that I do not understand too well...thanks to boring textbooks and uninteresting highschool presentations of its makeup, but I did understand what happened on this day.

Strangers pulled together to honor the fallen man who chose to fight for what he believed in. We need more of that in our society of the laissez-faire. People have to stand up for something and stand tall. This event made me stand a little taller.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Thank you also to the Saratogian for taking this photo. Because I was not offered a model release form, I have taken it upon myself to borrow the photo for family, friends and other bloggers to see, but the photo does belong to the Saratogian of Saratoga Springs, NY.

Trinity & My Three Sons...sounds Italian doesn't it?

Trinity, Turner, Jacob hangin' out with baby-Caden

Caden crawling at 7 months in his fat cloth diaper :)

Jacob checking out the homeschool shelf

Turner and Caden having an affectionate moment for the camera.

Jacob admiring our new circus animals.

Our Berners

We had a new addition to our family this summer.

Meet Kayleigh & Sabra, our Bernese Mt. Dogs.

They are sisters, and the only way that we can tell them apart

is by putting different color collars on them.

They are the sweetest dog you could ever

know. We picked them up after a 3 1/2 hour journey to

Montgomery Center, Vermont. It was a good 2 weeks by the time we

had made the decision to get them, and we are so glad that we did.

We wrestled with the idea of Border Collies, because we like their (adult)

disposition. After researching them online and finding a very

informative border collie rescue's site, we decided that their high

energy would not be suitable in a home with 4 children and a lot of other

things going on...we looked at other breeds too, but decided that the

Berners calm, lazy, and large disposition was perfect for our family.

Who doesn't need a calming, lazy presence in their fast-paced lives, these days?

I am now totally obsessed with my dogs, and even find myself juicing my

watermelon rinds for them and mixing it into their gucci kibble chow.

My next goal is to be making organic/raw doggy treats for them for training treats.

I hope it leads to a long and healthy life for my girls.

so...if ever there was a great family dog to have, this is the one.

Male or Female they live up to their name....the gentle giants.

For more information on the Bernese Mt. Dog visit:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bernesemountain.htm

http://www.bmdca.org/

Summer Shine Beauty

I found a purpose for our grape vine wreath. It looks so quaint

and simply beautiful on our new gate! I'm especially enjoying

the fruits of our labor this year every time I look upon our perennial

gardens in the front yard. It took three years to make such a lovely garden.

I can only imagine what it would look like in another three years with

time & attention.

Jammin' Out at The Community Baa

This year we spent a lot of time in our local berry patches.

Not only did we support local farmers & local produce, but

we really enjoyed the intense flavor of honest to goodness

berries & cherries, and the jam that came from them!

It is our first year making jam, and man it was good.

We bought our own waterbath canner and went straight

to work, and it was well worth the time and energy.

You cannot buy that taste from the store shelves!

http://www.themermaidsbraid.etsy.com/

Check out our jam for sale at our etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30001678

The Community Baa's Bath Baambs