Eloise Joy and cousin Christine Joy!

Eloise loves her cousin Christine, as evidenced in this little clip!  They will grow up as very good friends. 

Three Wonderful Years

Yesterday, November 8th, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary!  We are very blessed. 



Pledging our vows





Mr. & Mrs. Nathaniel Williams!



Our family, November 2011





Eloise Joy, our precious daughter!



Happy birthday, Eloise Joy!

Eloise's first birthday was Saturday, October 8th!  It is so amazing to me to watch her growing into a little person.  Truly we are blessed to have her as our daughter. 
Although we did not have a party she still received a lot of presents!  She was more intrigued with the wrapping paper than the actual gifts, until she got to her Grandma Williams' prize. 




Grandma Williams made Eloise Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!  Eloise loves dolls!  She lights up when she sees then and converses with them at length.   

Among her gifts was a cozy custom coat from her aunts Veronica and Victoria at Bella Jean Boutique, just in time for our blustery weather!



Aunt Susie made Eloise a very special birthday cake.  (Note: This is home video... :-)

Here's what my birthday girl did while I blogged about her!

Ah, How Great is God's Blessing!

"Ah, how great is God's blessing in marriage! How great a joy posterity affords a man! It certainly is the most delightful joy of parents!" 
-Martin Luther, What Luther Says #401

Ten months ago yesterday, we were blessed beyond comparison with the birth of our daughter, Eloise Joy.  The story of her early arrival and subsequent weeks in the hospital are told here and here.


Through the glass of her isolette



At two weeks old, we could hold her almost whenever we wanted to... We were longing to bring her home!



I love this picture. 

  

The doll to the left was the closest we could find to Eloise's birth size, and it was still too big!

 

Same baby, same carseat, ten months later!


 

She is just starting to play with her dolly.  (same dolly that out-sized and out-weighed her)



Giving kisses!



Our big girl!  Look at her go!



Fresh homegrown blueberries, anyone?

Here's my fresh fruit photo for Foto Friday at Renaissance.

These blueberries get more color daily!  I love blueberries, but I don't like to pay the exorbitant store prices for them, so I'm glad we have our own.  Maybe I'll get enough to be able to freeze some for winter use. 

These bushes have been here over thirty years, my mother in law told me.  Unfortunately, every couple of years a bush dies, so we are down to three.  We are planning to plant more, so that we can continue to enjoy them for many more years.  If you have any tips on planting blueberry bushes, I would love your input! 

At last the garden is growing!

After being on vacation for a week, the garden seems to have really grown - at last! 



Doesn't this bell pepper look yummy?



There was evidence of deer eating from our beans and tomato plants.  Yesterday in the middle of the afternoon, I saw a doe and two fauns boldly feasting.  Now perhaps when I see deer eating in other peoples' yards, I won't be as quick to say, "Oh, how cute! A deer!" 

 

I call this picture "Brazen Thieves". 



If you have ideas for keeping deer out of gardens, please share with me!



Eloise Joy sits on Grandma's quilt in the shade of the blueberry bushes. 





I've decided to enter a weekly photo challenge that I read about a few weeks ago.  Just thinking about the challenge has helped me try to improve my photography.  You can find the challenge here. 

Motherhood is a Calling

My friend Kaylee shared this link on her blog and it edified me so much, I want to share it with all of you.   Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank) - Desiring God

Here is an excerpt that I particularly liked:   (I do recommend reading the whole article.)

"Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.

Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel."

My hands are full of a good thing! 

Lake Chelan

Last week we went to Lake Chelan.  The lake was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time! 


Off we go!



"The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, the earth shows forth His handiwork."

Eloise loves watching the ducklings in the water. 



Make way for the ducklings!  Remember the book?  :-)





Our camp is in the trees, perfectly situated away from the cars and just up from the waters' edge.



We're ready for the waterslides! 

My favorite - a picture that says a thousand words. 





Laundry time!

Nathaniel hung a retractable clothesline for me last week.

It is on my covered back porch, so I can hang laundry even if the weather's 'iffy'!

This porch was added to the house by my father-in-law years ago.  When I was hanging my laundry, I kept thinking of Deuteronomy 6. 
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up...  And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;  Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. "

Having a child of my own definitely gives new meaning to these words for me. 



Eloise likes her new toy bucket.



I love her face here!

Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Eloise has been enjoying playing more these days.  Below is a clip of her Daddy playing with her.  Even though she hasn't been feeling well, her Daddy can always make her smile!  I am so blessed! 


Psalm 34:8-11
⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
   blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
   for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
   but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Multitasking Hall of Fame

I learned quite a few new 'multipurposing' tricks from this article, "101 New Uses for Everyday Things: The Multitasking Hall of Fame." 

While I know quite a few women who should be in the multitasking hall of fame, this article is about common household items.  For example, everyone knows lemons are good in tea, but did you know that cleaning your stained wooden or plastic cutting boards with lemon will lighten the stains?  Or that rubbing the pulp side of a sliced lemon on a cheese grater will soften the hardened cheese? 

Lemons aren't the only item on this list.  Salt, olive oil, newspaper, coffee filters, and softener sheets are some of the other hall of famers. 

Here is Eloise enjoying our beautiful yard on Memorial Day. 

I shoulda known better...

This weekend was so much fun, but too much sun for Eloise! 
When I first saw her puffy, red face Sunday morning, I felt terrible and said, "Never again will I let this happen!"  (Optimistic, I know, but a good goal.)  Now that I know whose fair skin she's inherited, we will keep our sunscreen ever present.

Here's Eloise getting ready for another beautiful day. 

Look what I have!  (See her poor face?)

Read the directions,

apply liberally,

and of course, taste!

Here is our beautiful garden, ready for planting!

A Welcome Sunny Day!

Today the weather was so nice, we were outside working all afternoon - until the clouds rolled in and the rain began to pour! 

Eloise thoroughly enjoys being outside, where she has so many news things to see!  For example, she loved watching her daddy running the bobcat to move dirt for the garden.

Nate's Tomato Soup recipe

On Saturday we made tomato soup for the school work party.  This time, we recorded the recipe as we went, so that we could share it. 

Nate’s Tomato Soup –aka Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, & Butternut Tomato Soup

Makes approximately 1 gallon of soup

Roast 4 red peppers

(Roast for 50min on 375F, rotating every 10-15min so that all sides roast evenly.  Remove, cover and let sit for 30min.  remove core, then carefully slice open.  (there will be lots of juice).  Remove seeds and membrane, and gently remove the peel. ) 

Stir together the following ingredients and bring to boil.  Boil for 10min then reduce to simmer:

2 c chicken stock

1 stalk celery chopped

2 medium carrots chopped

8 fresh basil leaves chopped

1 lg onion

6 garlic cloves

1 tsp. salt

1/2 butternut squash*

*Halve the butternut squash and microwave flesh side down in a baking dish with ½ inch of water for approximately 8min or until slightly soft.  Chop in cubes and add to stewing vegetables.   

Let simmer for approx. 45min or until veggies are softened. Puree vegetables then strain vegetable mixture until smooth.

Add 2 cups of pureed veggies to 1 can (50oz.) of condensed tomato soup and 1 can of milk.

Add 2 finely chopped basil leaves

Enjoy!

Spring's around the corner...

Spring's around the corner!  We can feel it in the air!



Aunt Naomi took photos of Eloise for me on Sunday (finally!)

Imagine looking at grass for the first time.

Eloise is very curious.  She's never been outside like this before.

There are so many new things to see.  I love how she's holding the daffodil here.

I don't know why she's staring so hard at the camera here.  (She's definitely seen cameras before! :-)

Ruby is a good helper!

And finally... a smile!