Let's Do Fall!

I am basically now running on creative energy. Even though it's hard to be back, I feel so good thinking about school, beginning to figure out the needs of my students, and beginning planning again. It's a creative joy! 

Oh sure, I will get tired of it eventually but that back to school -ness is real and I love coming up with things, thinking quick on my feet all day long, making adjustments as I teach, and just being back in the classroom. 

I've even had more energy at home. Tonight after dinner I asked Anna and Abigail to help me gather anything with strawberries on it and bring it to be packed away until next July. On a school night! I'll be starting to think about fall decor around here this weekend. I'm using all of my antiques and as much nature as I can use. I guess all of that back to school creative juice is also got me motivated at home. 

I love this time of year. There is so much to look forward to! All of that autumn weather in New England. I can hardly wait! And I'm not going to waste one minute of it! Starting Friday evening... let's do fall! 

First Day of School - selfie style

Wow! I'm certainly on a roll tonight! This is my fourth post! I am finally getting caught up! I did the back to school blessing, moving Anna back to college, Abigail's night before photo shoot, and now the first day of school!  

All phone pictures of course but I finally got one from everyone this year! 

Here is Abigail the second we were leaving and jumping out of the car on the first day:

Here's one from Anna (I think she thought I was asking to see her outfit on the first day) 

Scott came through for me this year -- love this of him with his assistant principal

And finally me seconds before we opened out doors to meet our new fourth graders. (best team ever!) (in Brian's room) 

Back to School Blessing ~ Foundations

Before Anna went back to college and before school started for all of us, we had our very special Back to School Blessing Feast. 

I love how it starts early in the morning. I baked an apples pie -- first one of the season! 

And I made the batter for the crepes what Scott and I would make later in the day. 

We look forward to this evening as the summer progresses. It's our way to bring beauty to the unknown. Each new school year has it's own challenges and joys and Scott and I want to parent intentional -- this tradition helps us. 
 

I had sunflowers for the centerpiece and little bud vases of fall flowers in front of each place setting. 

I used my gold and greens tablecloth from April Cornell and it was like a burst of fall in our porch. 

Our wedding china has a gold rim and fruits -- it's the perfect fall china. I still love it so much. 

The girls opened their back to school stained glass stars. Each are engraved with the school and year. 

And then during pie and ice cream Scott and I spoke about our verse for the year and our message to them. 

We talked late into the night. It's so wonderful that they love these times with us. They want the encouragement and the dream we have for them. More than just 'getting through' the year. More than just 'doing academically well'. We have them a foundation and a purpose for their school year. Scott and I look deep into our hearts over the summer to think about 

• their own particular situation this year (both juniors with choices ahead of them)
• how we feel that God is leading our family lately
• struggles they've been through in the past - difficulties they might face again
• strengths they bring each year

We choose a Bible verse that will be our anchor for our family this school year. And we talk about how to bring it to fullness in our daily lives. 

This year our verse is from Matthew 7:24

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who build his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell- and great was its fall. 

What you believe about God (his love for you, his character) will determine decisions you make in your life, the way you behave toward other people, etc

• You are both at a point in your life when you have big decisions to make

• We both have 

• Sometimes God moves quickly and you can look back and see what He was doing (adoption) and you obey quickly (that is the Holy Spirit) 

Foundations: 

• What you think determines what you will do 

• Theology holds together 

• feed you soul 

• Expand your mind

• Give you foundations to live on

How do we build our lives on the rock? Where do we get that knowledge?

• Mass

• Retreats

• Giving

• The Holy Spirit

• The Bible

We need to ingest, think about, ponder (that is why I love the Rosary so much)

Scripture tells us what to do and we have to apply it to our lives. 

Storms will come : listen and obey and your house will stand

Luke 6:46 “will not shake it” 

The reality is that families aren’t perfect

We can get stressed, grumpy 

But what we have to do is remember and always build that foundation.

The absence of biblical conviction you will go the way of the world (the way of culture) 

The Bible tells us to build on wisdom 

Can be confusing to know how to build - so many ideas / lines drawn in different places

But the Bible is clear in many areas: work, wisdom, relationships (forgive 70 x 7 times), marriage

So the foolishness of the world does not bring strength

What do you need this year? 

What do you need to cut out?

What do you need to add?

Foundations - be with them and support them in every storm

There will be storms but there is a way through with love, companionship, and love and goodness of God. 

Sold Foundation: planning, much more likely to flourish

Shaky: things not necessary - any work you do will have pot holes and challenges 

The song we listened to is HERE

Other back to school posts you might like:

Back to School Blessing 2022

Back to School Blessing 2021

Back to School Blessing 2020

Back to School Blessing 2019 

Back to School Blessing 2018 

Back to School Blessing 2017 

Back to School Blessing 2016 

Back to School Blessing 2015

The Night Before...

Dear Anna,

Sigh. I can not believe that I'm typing this and it's the night before your senior year. How is that possible? Didn't I just rescue you from the bus when you burst into tears that kindergarten morning? I remember it so well. You were sobbing as you stepped up those steps. You froze. And I knew just what to do. I said, "It's okay. Come back down here to mommy." And in a second I had you in my arms.

So many times over the years I've taken you "off the bus" and into my arms. Over and over again. What a privilege for me. What a happy life you've given me - to be your mama.

I don't want to send you into your senior year. Because that means a lot of 'lasts' for you this year. And I know at the end of this school year I'll have to share you more than I want to.

But then there is that part of my heart that knows, really knows you don't really belong to me. You are God's daughter first and I just get to be your mama. He is preparing you for greater things. He is preparing each step. And thinking about that - well, it lights up my heart.

So tomorrow morning is just another step in God's plan. I'll drive you to high school and you'll step out of the car. I'll smile and you'll look back just as you always do and I'll be glad. Not that it's your first 'last' but that you are right where you belong.

Enjoy this last year - 5 AP classes, Solisit... so many academic and viola dreams have come true. You certainly haven't taken the easy way - you've pushed yourself and here you are, right in the midst of dreams. I will be cheering you on each step this year Anna. And maybe this year, just a few times, you'll have to 'rescue me' from a few tears. I will try to be brave watching you among all these 'lasts' but happy, joyful and oh so proud tears will come.

I love you so much my daughter, all the way to China and back again.

Happy first day of school.

Love,
mama





















Dear Abigail,

My darling daughter, what a wonderful summer we had. Do you know why? We were together every single day, all day long. How I loved being with you. I love watching you craft, create, read. I love talking with you and cooking with you. And here you are, top of middle school. You are going into 8th grade!  I really don't like to think about that too much because it is going by oh so fast.

I am proud of who you are and what you have accomplished in middle school. The teachers adore you. Every student enjoys your company. You are a good friend and friendly to everyone.

So here you are, entering the most historic school year ever. And I know you will do amazing. Keep smiling (under that mask) and be the best you, you can be. Let God work out all of the rest.

I love you to the moon and back my sweet girl.

Love,
mama















2018 is here 
2017 is here
2016 is here and here 
2015 is here and here 
2014 is here and here 
2013 is here and here 
2012 is here and here 

Back to School Blessing 2019

This is one very special evening for my family. Years ago God placed on our hearts a need to start off the school year together with a purpose -- a theme -- a link to Him. And so the Back to School Blessing began.

2018 is here

2017 is here

2016 is here

2015 is here

This year was my favorite. It's really hard to put into words. I'll do the best I can to show how my heart feels from our evening last night.

The stars were ordered way ahead of time and Scott and I both wanted our dinner to be on our new porch. It's been in a different place every year -- part of what makes it special is the location.

The menu was picked earlier that week and I had a huge pot of sauce on the stove simmering since the morning. My mom's sauce recipe is the best -- it tastes like home to me.

I started the dessert when the sauce was simmering.

This cooler first of September called for a fall dessert.



Cranberry Apple Crisp from Susan Branch --





The blessing is of course the most important part but the food is really really important to me.



On the porch I set up the table and added the flowers.



On one of the many extra grocery runs that day Scott brought home these amazing sunflowers that brought such sunshine to the space!

















I don't let the girls see the room once I start setting up -- this is where they entered and what they saw.









After the food was done, the dessert cooling, and everything set up -- the guests, our precious daughters arrived!











We took a few family pictures before dinner.



Daddy and his girls --



Mama and her girls --





And one with the tree I love so much



We ate the most amazing baked ziti with warmed extra sauce on the side, yummy bread and butter -- such comfort fall food.



The leaves were starting to turn and were just what we needed to look out and see.



After lingering over dinner it was time for the girls to open their stars!



I love that from where we sat we could see the stars from past years hanging in the dining room window.



Since we had every color of the rainbow it was time for some clear stars and they were spectacular.











Anna Jiang Qian 2019-2020 11th grade





Abigail Mei 2019-2020 7th grade



We came back into the porch after capturing the stars in the last of the sunlight. Time for dishing out dessert and pouring tea.





And now the blessing.

Our family verse -- guiding principle for the year is from Proverbs 16:3

Roll your works upon the Lord {commit and trust wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and} so shall your plans be established and succeed.



It is truly impossible to fit into words how the next hour and a half went on that porch. The air was cool. The girls were attentive and the Holy Spirit was with Scott and I as we spoke. Oh how I wanted to record our talk and the deep conversation that followed after sharing this verse with the girls, but I just couldn't. I didn't even want to move to take a picture. (I did take just a few) but it felt like we were on holy ground.

• I read the verse very slowly several times 
• I shared how God showed this verse to me in my quiet time over the summer and how I brought it to daddy as an idea
• In the same summer God was showing Scott (not the same verse) but relating to it how we can come up higher this school year as a family -- God fit it all together so well 
• I shared that when we tell the Lord in prayer what is going on {roll your works upon the Lord} and we "give" {commit them wholly to Him} and trust our works {our plans} to Him - -He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His will and our plans will succeed. 
• I shared how it's almost like a bridge: one side is that we tell our plans, give our days to the Lord and trust him. On the other side of the bridge is that our plans will be established and succeed. The bridge that gets us from one side to the other is that He causes our thoughts to become agreeable to Him. 
• I love how practical Scott made it for our family. Our "works" are the moment by moment decisions we make all day long. From choosing to do homework instead of being on the phone etc. 
• We talked a long time how this verse applies to each of us. We talked about Scott and his now {second year as principal of the middle school} and how over last year he needed to go through the process of trusting God -- it was a long process. 
• We talked about Anna and how this verse relates to walking with God toward the right college He would have her in.  
• We talked about Abigail and how the verse relates to 6th grade and 7th grade
• We talked about how God led me suddenly back into teaching but that it was God's plan all along and how He prepared me daily in my small literacy tutoring position I did part time for 3 years. How it looked like suddenly back into the classroom but really it was this verse. 
• We talked about how we trusted God and His plan when I left teaching and stayed home for 13 years. 
• Each day that we trust in God in the little things and choose to listen to the Holy Spirit He is causing our thoughts to line up with His plan for our life and there we find ourselves on the other side of the bridge where our plans are established and succeed.
• It was such a beautiful, beautiful conversation and we talked until late in the evening. 

Our life is hard and messy {just like all families} but when we choose to put God first and teach the Word in to our children it makes us stronger. There is nothing I love more than this precious family of mine. Not one little thing.