Combine crisp leaves, chilly winds, and a few rays of sunshine.

Blend in four siblings. Stir well with dirt and air.

Throw in a football, 2 brooms, 15 pieces of broken chalk into days with empty hours.

Cover in jackets. Let cool outdoors until people start crying or the sun sets.

To serve, place Autumn Fun on a blanket, enjoy with a runny nose and side of muddy shoes.

Love,

Jess

Establishing a new home and a new way to “do” school in the same year summer has been one of the biggest roller-coasters of my life. Pots and pans, Ps and Qs will all get sorted out one way or another; it is the constant personal character development for me and the kids that is so hard to do!

Here are a few snap-shots from our time homeschooling.

Great-Grandma Mary "GG" listens to Ryan's read aloud assignment.

My babies exploring the patio garden.

Post-library visit impact on the living room.

Unit Study bulletin board.

Molly doing "school" on the school room table.

Cheers for school supplies!

Jess

Ry lost some teeth.

Ryan sporting a summer smile at the beach.

Molly found some patience, fractional mind you, but patience none the less.

Molly tending to her new cousin Max.

Claire found courage.

CJ "hanging" out on the neighbor's play set.

Leah lost her willingness to give up her “thumb” after nap-time.

Leah with her "taggie" on the diaper table in her nursery.

Peter found peace during his time as a canoe leader for a wilderness week Up North. He didn’t loose any of his paddlers.

Pete carrying water at his pre-trip camp site.

I lost my cool and then found it, then completely lost it again, then figured I didn’t need ‘my cool’ because frazzled is the new look for Fall.

Molly, Me, Leah, Ryan in front of the fire pit.

What’s in your lost and found box?

Love,

Jess

{Applause inserted here.}

She can play without a companion for about 20-30 minutes. Mid-afternoon has become a time for dolls, littlest pet shop, and other rainbow-colored shenanigans.

I am often right next to her as she plays. For real, I could play next to her for hours but somehow I grew up. Dinner and responsibilities cut in and I can only give her short bursts of playtime. Which is good, I guess, but I’d rather play than just about anything. Except snacking and napping. Am I a kid or what?

Molly playing with my dolls from childhood

Molly aka Rainbow Brite

Molly feeding her doll

Love,

Jess

Molly at the Zoo

Envision a typical nester.

• A newlywed filling a new wedding-gift vase with flowers from her first garden.
• A pregnant lady folding and refolding tiny, freshly washed baby tee-shirts and stacks of cloth diapers.
• A business woman saving her precious funds for the future.
• Veteran housewives refining their home decor to create a sanctuary for their family.

What result does nesting show? Does a house magically turn into a home? Does a life automatically become a legacy? Something lies beyond the housewares and diapers. Curtains and bean counting can only go so far.

So here I am setting up my nest, searching for what will make my house a home and my life a legacy.

Love,

Jess

What a year it has been watching my big toddler grow into a little preschooler. In some ways it seems as though Molly has always been apart of our family. It is hard to believe that it has only been 4 years!

At the carnival last summer

Me and Molly on the boat

Ryan and Molly climbing on the Zoo's Mosquito statue

Cleaning at the townhouse with a "scrubbie".

The three PJs Musketeers, Claire, Leah, Molly

Molly proudly displaying her new matching outfit with her doll Stella (sewn by our friend Carrie).

Molly, the morning of her fourth Birthday

Molly, what a spunky little hopper! Our wiggle worm, our middle child, our most adoring fan! We love you Molly!

Love,

Jess

A sparkly new sign, made it into my Christmas decor. (Hand painted by my fellow Shabby Mama, Andrea.)

The felt “board” was laid out with our Velcro Nativity set.

My sil, Carly, gave all the sils a meaningful Christmas ornament. It means a lot to me, as I don’t have any biological sisters.

Did I mention, cookies already? We ate a lot of frosting too.

Feliz Navidad,

Jessy

Love,

Jessy

The day started like any other day. Little did I know about the challenges that lay ahead.

A blur of breakfast dishes, playing, arguing, and Holiday crafts, led quickly into afternoon.

A dinner guest was to be expected in a few hours. I busied myself laying out Christmas towels in the bathroom and picking up my boy from school.

Somehow, the sun had set, and dinner was still in a pile of ingredients resembling groceries – not a meal. The lit outdoor Christmas lights were blaring at me as if to say, “Why didn’t you do a crock pot meal? Dinner is right around the corner!”

Molly decided to “help” me cook by emptying an entire sack of flour on my living room rug.

The babies managed to empty out Ryan’s desk drawers while I was cleaning the rug.

Ryan and Molly fought over something, in-which, the nativity scene fell over.

Okay. At this point, I’m yelling, “Everyone quiet! Stop it! What are you doing! Go to your room!”

Then, on my knees, patting the ground around my room and the hallway, I shout to the other room, “WHERE is baby JESUS?” I shouted it with a harsh tone. The kind of tone that curls your lips as you said it.

The moment was not lost on me. Where was baby Jesus? The small plastic mold of baby Jesus, I was so longing to find, was under my hamper. I gave myself a wry smile, shook my head and shed a tear. I had spent more time looking for a plastic mold version of Jesus than worshiping Him this season.

Vowing to refocus my energy, I set the nativity and vacuumed the flour.

Peter brought home Chinese take-out and our guest was gracious.

We said a prayer over our meal. We laughed over knock-knock jokes, fortune cookie predictions and noodle covered babies.

The day came to an end much as it has begun…pajamas and dishes. But, a little something had changed in my heart.

Love,

Jess

Our gingerbread village was a little too tempting for our little Molly!

Love,
Jess