Perfectly hollowed on one side, our leafy “friend” provided the best possible hiding place for children and birthday gifts…
The shady base provided the perfect building spot for fairy houses…
But it was dying…and with its slow demise, it put our family in great danger, as the storm in September so clearly demonstrated.
Yesterday, we said goodbye:
Branch…

by…

branch…

It was painful to watch, but the entire family gathered on the porch for the final cut and saw something quite extraordinary…

The tree was smiling at us!!! Isn’t that great?!! We all laughed at the silly smile and I snapped this photo just before the big guy fell…

All that remains…a nice place to set up a tea party, perhaps? Less shade now, but definitely a safer yard. As the supervisor told me when I said I felt like crying: “Ma’am…you’d be crying even more if it fell on the house…”
Without a doubt.

On a happier note: Emily has finally turned the corner with Scarlet Fever. Yesterday evening I had begun to worry that perhaps a visit to the hospital was in order. She hadn’t eaten in three days and was sleeping continually. This morning she woke up and asked for pizza for breakfast. Did I give it to her?
You bet I did! She quickly donned a totally Emily-esque outfit and I knew she was most certainly on the mend…she sure is cute!!

Praising God for small joys…

I am a traditional Catholic homeschooling mother of 9 children, married for 30 years to the most patient and sainted man. As converts to Catholicism in 1991, our family has only recently discovered the beauty and full expression of our beliefs in the timeless liturgy of antiquity, the Extraordinary Form also commonly referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass. An avid knitter, I also enjoy gardening, reading and immersing myself in the everyday graces of my vocation.
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Oh, my goodness she dresses just like my daughter! She comes up with the strangest, yet cutest combinations!
Glad she’s feeling better..
That tree stump is fantastic! And I’m so glad your children are on the mend.
I loved that smile on the tree!
My daughter has had scarlet fever before. She just seems to deal with strep in this way…crazy.
[...] favorite picture this week…the smile that was hidden inside of the tree in our front [...]
[...] Do you remember this post? Well…hubby cut a few slices of “the smile.” I plan to hang one on my courtyard fence and give the other to my mom and dad. We have a couple more…not sure what I’ll do with them… [...]