if you give the kids a camera

I finally splurged the $15 to get myself an extra memory card so that the girls can have (mostly) unlimited access to our older digital camera. They've been having a blast, and it is so much fun to see the world from their point of view. They take some pretty incredible pictures...all of these pictures are theirs (the neighbor kid took the last 2). And I'm glad they do, because I am soooo lazy about taking the camera out and about and also have this weird complex about looking geeky, whipping out my camera every 2 seconds. I need to get over it, though, because these moments are so fleeting and so precious...like them hanging upside-down on their favorite mini merry go-round at (very) high speeds.

baby rebellion (it could be worse?)

If this looks like All the Toys and Bedding Thrown Out of the Second Story Window to you, you'd be right. Three days after we brought The Boy home from the hospital, there were a few minutes where my mom was at the grocery store, Richard was at the hardware store, and I, the lone adult in the house, was sitting on the couch with a book, blissfully unaware of what the thumps and bumps coming from upstairs really signified (my thoughts at the time: At least they're not fighting...). 

Well, this is what was going on. The girls were dragging everything from their room into the little-used third bedroom, soon to be Max's room, and dumping it out the window, which currently has no screen (somebody call CPS). They later refused to clean it up, so Daddy bagged everything and threw it in the garage. So, if you're coming over for a playdate anytime soon, I hope your kids have really good imaginations.

Later the same day, when all three adults were home (my mom was visiting), I sent my two little cherubs into the garden with scissors to get some chard for dinner. You see where this is going.

That's where it went. Backwoods Appalachian poster child and faux hawk toddler. 

Luckily I have a good friend who is a hair wizard and worked some magic on my poor girls. Lizzy really regrets having done it and is pretty embarrassed (the kid starts kindergarten in two weeks), but Maren doesn't seem to care. To tell the truth, I think she looks pretty darned cute, if a little bit more impish. We figured maybe they needed some more attention, so Daddy took them on an awesome hike the next day. I was totally jealous.

unauthorized sibling haircut no. 1

Last week when my dad was here, I went to a Relief Society dinner. Dad was super sweet to babysit and even put the girls to bed while I was gone. Halfway through the dinner, someone was speaking up front when I got a text from my dad. Thinking it was probably important, I read it, and halfway through reading it, my jaw fell on the floor. 

"Are you ok?" my friend Becky whispered.

I mimicked scissors with my fingers. "Lizzy," I mouthed. "Maren."

Honestly, it would have happened no matter who was looking after the girls. 

When I told my husband he laughed and laughed.

Poor Maren still has no idea that her hair is so much shorter. She is/was incredibly vain about her long hair, for a 2 year-old. Lizzy said something at breakfast the next day about Maren having short hair now, and Maren screamed at her, "NO! I don't have SHORT HAIR. I have LONG HAIR!"

Oh dear.

Oddly, Lizzy did a pretty good job. I think I even like the new 'do better.

sisters in service: elizabeth giuliacci

Welcome to Sisters in Service, a series designed to lift, inspire, and motivate us to celebrate the (many!) different ways we can serve our brothers and sisters while we're here on this earth. Each post spotlights a project or idea that's lifting others, serving the Lord, and changing the world for good!

Hang onto your panties, friends, 'cause my big sis Betz is here today. 

{and I had to bribe, wheedle, and whine for months to get her here. ahem.}

Can I gush for a minute?

Betz {alias Elizabeth} and I were not terribly close growing up -- she is 7 years older than me.

But as soon as I left home and was suddenly on my own...

As soon as I had a baby and realized I had no idea what I was doing...

As soon as R & I started making scary life decisions that didn't exactly please everyone...

This chick was there for me with a bottle of formula in one hand, a tissue in the other, limitless availability on the phone {despite 5 kids to raise and a billion piano lessons to teach}, and the endless assurance that "you are totally normal, I promise," whenever I started freaking out. 

She knows her beans, people.

{love you, Betz.} 

So just what is Betz's big service project? Read on...

What do you do all day?

I am a mother to 5 of the most beautiful children in the whole world.

Have you always pictured yourself as a mother?

Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be a mother. THIS is my dream job. I believe that "the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." I know I can be with my family forever. Not just until they leave for college or they get married or until I die. This is my dream job for eternity.

And it's all peaches and cream, right?
Nobody told me how HARD it was going to be to have this dream job! It's so NOT about me. It's all about someone else ALL the time, 24/7. There is no break. Someone ALWAYS needs me, and someone is always calling "Mommy, mommy, mommy..." 

{seriously, cutest little italian babies ever, hello? and her man works for the giants, which is totally rad.}

So how do you juggle the needs of 5 kids, your husband, and yourself?

I don't know. I just do. People say they don't think they could do it. Yeah...actually, you could. This didn't happen to me all at once. I had (thankfully) one child at a time. And each time I was about to have a baby, I panicked. I was sure I wouldn't be able to do it. And each time, I was made equal to the task. 

What gets you through the hard parts?

For me, the ONLY way to make it is to read the word of God, and have a solid relationship with Him through prayer. That's when my home is blessed with the Spirit, and that's when I feel hope and peace.

What's your advice for new moms?

Don't read the mommy books! Just go to the mother's lounge at church. Everything I needed to know, my friends who had 5 or 6 children knew already...

Any last words?

I wear a lot of hats. I'm not always fabulous at all my jobs all the time (there's that one time I completely forgot to go to my child's Student of the Month assembly), but I think my cumulative score is pretty good. There are times when I look at my children and feel certain that I've known them much longer than their mortal years. I catch glimpses of who they can become and I hope I am equipped to lead them there. Motherhood includes a lot of guilt. But when I pour my heart out to my Heavenly Father about all my shortcomings as a mother, I feel a warm, gentle feeling that lets me know He will help make up the difference.

Thanks for coming over {finally}, Betz!

I think it is hard to remember that motherhood is service.

That we don't need to be beating on ourselves for not going out and saving the rest of the world all the time. Having a gaggle (or one or two or whatever) of little souls to teach and save is a big job in itself, thankyouverymuch. 

And please, let's not forget that, as a wise woman once put it, "Motherhood is more than bearing children...It is the essence of who we are as women." You don't need to have kids to be a mother. All of us can be part of "the Lord's secret weapon." Cool, huh?

october, upstate new york

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

- Robert Frost, "October"

{Just what I was thinkin' Bob. Just what I was thinkin'.}

first day + some giveaways

This kid kills me. 

 First day of preschool. 

She was so jazzed + took off like a shot. 

Miss Maren was not quite so jazzed. 

We had a nice morning, just the 2 of us, and whew! did I get a lot done.

Major giveaway alerts:

Oodles of giveaways at Take Heart, including a Modern Marigold bunting kit, 

all to benefit the Burkleo's adoption fund (love that girl!). Everyone gets a free entry.

Also go check out Give 1 Save 1, a beautiful project designed to make something 

big out of all our little contributions (love stuff like this!). 

Enter a gorgeous pillowcase giveaway from Rosehip right here.

Happy Tuesday, friends! See you soon.

wildflower walks

There are always wildflowers in bloom in the North Country, all summer long. 

Lizzy loves to pick bouquets on our walks and bring them home to put them in little jars. 

She makes it look so pretty, and it always makes me so happy.

My parents are here for a short visit, so we're off having some fun for a few days!

sissy kisses

Just some Saturday night shenanigans. Summer is so great, ain't it?

Some things:

Swap signups are now closed. If you signed up, you should have received an email with your partners' contact info. 

If you signed up but didn't get an email, let us know.

Is anyone interested in some tutorials on how to use Gimp (like Photoshop, but free)? 

That's what I use for all my graphic design + photo tweakage, and I'd be happy to share some how-tos. 

Let me know in the comments.

We are soaking summer up to the max. I hope you are, too!

*kissy kissy*

swimming hole

Chalk one up for our cute little town: $5 for 4 weeks of swimming lessons at the pond/pool. It is the best.

(Little Miss M is tolerating her exclusion admirably well.)

dandelion season

We love it here so much. Every day brings bouquets of dandelions brought in from the yard, and each evening brings beautiful sunsets that make the hills and fields glow. Today's been rainy, but we're looking forward to a little family drive after naptime anyway.
What are you up to today? Anything fun?
(The man and I are going to be couch potatoes tonight and watch Harry Potter.)

cute easter kids

Mua ha ha ha! Just when you thought you'd seen the entire blogosphere's cute-kids-on-Easter pictures. I was hoping for a nice sisterly pic, but they were on a sugar high and I had to get to church early, so there went that. Oh well, these are waaaay more representative of L+M's personalities anyway.

I have to toot my own horn (toot! toot!) on Lizzy's dress. I made it using the Oliver+S Ice Cream Dress pattern. And boy howdy, everything you've heard about those patterns is true. Clear! Clean! Well designed! And the most beautifully tailored garment I think I've ever made. That Liesl makes you feel like a genius, she does.

snippets :: fabric + foot powder

:: have been cutting mountains of sheets for new skirts to put in the shop

:: little miss waiting patiently for her bath after a certain foot powder incident

:: {and} fah-REAK!! new fabric from AMH... I could kiss that lady on the mouth for being such a prolific designer

:: really -- on the mouth

two things right

As I was bringing up wood from the basement this morning, my heart just about melted when I looked up and saw those little girls sitting shoulder to shoulder in their jammies, "reading" their scriptures. Of course they squabble (frequently), but when it boils down to it, those two are best buddies. They love each other so much. And it makes me so happy that they are beginning to love the scriptures, too.

I feel like I did a lot of wheel-spinning today. I took both those pictures before nine o'clock this morning, and it was reassuring -- after a long, wheel-spinning kind of day -- to sit down to blog those photos and remember that at least I did two things right today -- and maybe a few more, besides. What did you do right today?