My husband left the house at 3:30 a.m. to plow and salt the church parking lot. He works so hard. Besides his full-time job, he is always looking for side jobs to bring in extra money. He is always doing some sort of work at home too, fixing, repairing, improving. I'm ashamed to say he is quick to do a job I forgot to do, and he never complains about it. Even this snowy day he calls from work to say, "Wait for me to get home and we'll all go outside and have fun in the snow together." Have fun? It's his way of saying we girls don't have to shovel the driveway and deck and sidewalk. He will do it later. But, of course, we don't wait. To honor him we make sure the work is done before he gets home. We're an efficient team and we anticipate him arriving home with no more work to do.
The girls are happy to help their dad because he sets the example for generosity. Fred and I learned a marriage principle that really works. We try to outdo one another in showing love and respect. But Fred wins every time. He is the sacrificial one.
My brother was in town on business and came for dinner. He said his 18 year old daughter--my niece--has made a list qualities she hopes to find in a potential husband. If she's looking for high ideals, she need only look to her father. Like Fred, my brother is a good man: generous, wise, loving, helpful, and respectful to his wife and children. My own daughters can look to their father too. I hope none of these girls will settle for less.
Fred recently won an award at work. He was voted the man most willing to help out wherever needed. He is what the Bible describes and our church calls a servant-leader, leading others, whether employees or family, with respect and humility. It means being willing to dig in and work alongside others, never regarding himself as being too superior to do the dirty work. "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant." Words of Jesus. (Matthew 20:26)
I know a few other good men, my sons for example. They work hard and take good care of their families. I am honored that all of these men are part of my family.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Generations
My daughter-in-law Gretchen came over early so we could all cook together and prepare for Stacia's baby shower. Gretchen brought Jordan and put her in a little swinging baby seat where she could bounce around and watch us all. Gretchen is a great cook and she started preparing her soups. Then she arranged beautiful flowers in vases and decorated the dining room with the girls helping her. Each of us would stop in our work to love on Jordan in her swing. Gretchen created a hot cocoa bar with whipped cream and crushed cinnamon candies. What a sweet treat! I am not good at entertaining or planning, so I was so grateful for all the help. When Jordan got fussy and was put in her baby chair, Liana rocked her to sleep. All these girls in our family are so efficient and talented.
At one point in our bustling around I recognized God's gift of this particular morning. I had so many little boys at one time and took such pleasure in their childhood and boyish activity. Now here are my tiny granddaughter, my two daughters, and my daughter-in-law, all of us working together in one room, the conversation light, anticipating the fun of the shower. Why am I so blessed? Gretchen said one day we will be doing this in the future, but the roles will be changed. Jordan will be the one rocking someone's baby, Gretchen will be the old mom and my girls will be the young moms at the stove. Maybe I won't be there at all. But that's okay. It's how it's meant to be. Others carrying on the family traditions. Others carrying the faith. "One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts." (Psalm 145) We must not forget to tell the stories of God's blessings.
Our house fills with women, family and friends. Joey, almost one year old now, practices his new walking skills while we all cheer him on. Then it's a wonderful celebration of a new mama and a new baby to come. Life is good. God is gracious.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013
The Old and the New
We ended 2012 with a celebration of God's goodness toward us and our families. The girls and Fred and I have our own New Year's Eve tradition and as we ate our seafood feast, we reflected on our gifts. First, the gift of life. We indeed have another year to celebrate! I think of the year 2004 when I was very sick with my mysterious lung condition. A top doctor at a top hospital diagnosed me with a terminal disease. I had never heard of it, so I looked it up. To my devastation I saw that the prognosis was poor and most people who had it did not live past 7 years. My girls were so little! But the doctor was wrong and God has given me many more years. Fred's broken leg and then his surgical incident didn't stop us for long either. I am very grateful for the full and rich lives God has given us.
We had another wonderful gathering of family for Christmas too. Babies! What joy in our lives! Jordan in her Santa suit and Joey in his pjs adorned with Christmas lights. The food, the crazy chaos, the laughter, the gift wrap everywhere while Fred walked around compulsively with a black trash bag. The week of school break brought staying-in family time with rousing games of Catan and Wizard and us overeating all the leftover snack food we normally don't have. New Year's Day gave us dear friends who moved to California years ago, but still return to bless us with their sweet children and good friendship. Our traditional New Year's pork loin and sauerkraut (in honor of my Polish husband) became Korean Braised Beef over rice (in honor of them).
Then right when we were going back to work, the girls and I had fun taking care of Jordan. Arielle and Liana are going to be great mothers someday. They are both so nurturing and loving. We loved on that baby all afternoon! What a gift she is to our family!
So now we are back in our school routine, and teaching my classes at the co-op is looming. I have yet to crack the books. It's so hard to break out of that lazy cycle we've been indulging in. Both girls battled with the Sabouri Brothers today as they did math and Algebra II. (Teaching Textbooks.) Arielle has a science fair project due in two weeks, but she is distracted by a winter formal coming up. But we remember, life is good! Every day is good! We've already just about used up four days in 2013! Did we treasure each one? Did we bless others? Did we waste our precious time here on earth?
My New Year's resolution comes from Proverbs 3:27 and Galatians 6:10: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone..." I don't want to withhold a blessing when it is in my power to give one. Feel free to call me on this one if I am not doing right. I really want to be a blessing. Only through God's grace.
I had pictures...Blogger won't let me upload for some reason. Maybe later.
We had another wonderful gathering of family for Christmas too. Babies! What joy in our lives! Jordan in her Santa suit and Joey in his pjs adorned with Christmas lights. The food, the crazy chaos, the laughter, the gift wrap everywhere while Fred walked around compulsively with a black trash bag. The week of school break brought staying-in family time with rousing games of Catan and Wizard and us overeating all the leftover snack food we normally don't have. New Year's Day gave us dear friends who moved to California years ago, but still return to bless us with their sweet children and good friendship. Our traditional New Year's pork loin and sauerkraut (in honor of my Polish husband) became Korean Braised Beef over rice (in honor of them).
Then right when we were going back to work, the girls and I had fun taking care of Jordan. Arielle and Liana are going to be great mothers someday. They are both so nurturing and loving. We loved on that baby all afternoon! What a gift she is to our family!
So now we are back in our school routine, and teaching my classes at the co-op is looming. I have yet to crack the books. It's so hard to break out of that lazy cycle we've been indulging in. Both girls battled with the Sabouri Brothers today as they did math and Algebra II. (Teaching Textbooks.) Arielle has a science fair project due in two weeks, but she is distracted by a winter formal coming up. But we remember, life is good! Every day is good! We've already just about used up four days in 2013! Did we treasure each one? Did we bless others? Did we waste our precious time here on earth?
My New Year's resolution comes from Proverbs 3:27 and Galatians 6:10: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone..." I don't want to withhold a blessing when it is in my power to give one. Feel free to call me on this one if I am not doing right. I really want to be a blessing. Only through God's grace.
I had pictures...Blogger won't let me upload for some reason. Maybe later.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Rejoice!
I couldn't leave this blog on such a bitter note right before Christmas. God is good, giving a message of hope.
We went to church at a later service than we normally attend. As we watched the people enter the sanctuary, I was amazed by the diversity. I always felt somewhat uneasy about the majority of white, wealthy folks that filled our church when we first started coming years ago. But today, especially, I noticed the rich variety of colors and races and cultures walking down the aisles, crowding into the pews. It seemed only fitting that our first hymn was:
"O come, Desire of nations, bind
All people in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven's peace;
Rejoice! Rejoice!..."
The pastor read from Isaiah 9, that familiar passage we all know: "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
Many aren't so familiar with the chapter before, when the Assyrians invaded and Israel was razed. Chapter 8 ends with, "They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into darkness." God is at war with us when we rebel against him and we will live in gloom and misery.
Yet, into chapter 9, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." When we realize our desperate situation, we will come come to the light and be healed and be saved.
"O come, O come, Immanuel..." Immanuel, God with us. He has come. He is here now. God sent light and redemption through his Son. We have much reason to rejoice!
We went to church at a later service than we normally attend. As we watched the people enter the sanctuary, I was amazed by the diversity. I always felt somewhat uneasy about the majority of white, wealthy folks that filled our church when we first started coming years ago. But today, especially, I noticed the rich variety of colors and races and cultures walking down the aisles, crowding into the pews. It seemed only fitting that our first hymn was:
"O come, Desire of nations, bind
All people in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven's peace;
Rejoice! Rejoice!..."
The pastor read from Isaiah 9, that familiar passage we all know: "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
Many aren't so familiar with the chapter before, when the Assyrians invaded and Israel was razed. Chapter 8 ends with, "They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into darkness." God is at war with us when we rebel against him and we will live in gloom and misery.
Yet, into chapter 9, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." When we realize our desperate situation, we will come come to the light and be healed and be saved.
"O come, O come, Immanuel..." Immanuel, God with us. He has come. He is here now. God sent light and redemption through his Son. We have much reason to rejoice!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Just My Thoughts...
Like everyone else, I'm just trying to make sense of what is senseless. We want answers and explanations about how this tragedy in Connecticut could happen. And we are outraged! And angry, and we want someone to blame. Because if we could just figure out who exactly is to blame, we could prevent this from happening again.
Job 12:5 says, "In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune." Those of us living (momentarily) in peace and safety would like to say that calamity cannot come to us because we have our lives in order and we are not like "those people." Every single day we hear of shootings on the streets of our big city. This thinking insures our continued perfect life. But when tragedy happens to ordinary people, it shakes our world.
In my anger, I've tried to find blame too. I came up with the conclusion that this latest massacre is a culmination of all that is wrong with our society. So who or what can we blame? First thought, of course, is to blame the shooter. But we can't do that because he has a psychiatric disorder. People are not responsible for their behavior if they have a diagnosis, and the list just keeps getting longer.
1. The media? We live in a culture that glorifies violence in movies, on TV, and in video games played incessantly by impressionable teenage boys. Violent themes abound, because people want this and are willing to pay for it.
2. Guns? Why can people go into a store and buy military-style assault weapons? For deer hunting? For home defense? Let's make this political and ban guns and all will be well in the world.
3. Public education? It has just about succeeded in eliminating the Christian faith from every aspect of a child's life during the six hours he is sitting in a classroom.
4. Public education, again. Aren't schools supposedly on the lookout for troubled kids who need help? Why wasn't this young man given the resources and the help he so obviously needed. But I bet the school had a great sports program.
5. Broken families? We heard the guy had an absent father and a mother who spent her time in bars or on the shooting range with her troubled son. Parents oblivious to the needs of their children. This one cuts into my heart.
6. Our environment? Why do we have so many damaged kids to begin with? What is in our air, our water, our food that causes young children to develop autism and ADD and a host of other behavior issues that no one seems to understand? We're breathing toxins, swallowing toxins, absorbing toxins, and injecting our kids with toxins. They're drowning in them. And we're surprised when things go wrong in their brains.
7. Big corporations? When researchers try to find causes for all that ails American children, they are silenced and ridiculed if their conclusions affect the bottom dollar.
8. Relativism? All points of view are equally valid. We don't want anyone to take offense. There are no more moral values. There is no right or wrong. But wait! I think we most all agree that killing 6 years olds is wrong! On that common ground, can't we do SOMETHING to try to prevent tragedies like this?
But no, we cannot. We live in this world we've created and we suffer the consequences of it.
Some may say, you forgot to blame God. When we want to absolve ourselves in any role we may have played, we say it was God who allowed it. And he did. I have no answers for that, and when Job tried to find the answer to his suffering, God's responded by asking him questions. We draw conclusions about God because of what has been revealed to us, not accounting for all that is hidden from us. When Jesus saw the suffering of Lazarus's family, he wept. He cares; he knows. When Jesus looked out upon the city on the way to his own death, he cried, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate." (Matthew 23:37, 38.)
Job 12:5 says, "In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune." Those of us living (momentarily) in peace and safety would like to say that calamity cannot come to us because we have our lives in order and we are not like "those people." Every single day we hear of shootings on the streets of our big city. This thinking insures our continued perfect life. But when tragedy happens to ordinary people, it shakes our world.
In my anger, I've tried to find blame too. I came up with the conclusion that this latest massacre is a culmination of all that is wrong with our society. So who or what can we blame? First thought, of course, is to blame the shooter. But we can't do that because he has a psychiatric disorder. People are not responsible for their behavior if they have a diagnosis, and the list just keeps getting longer.
1. The media? We live in a culture that glorifies violence in movies, on TV, and in video games played incessantly by impressionable teenage boys. Violent themes abound, because people want this and are willing to pay for it.
2. Guns? Why can people go into a store and buy military-style assault weapons? For deer hunting? For home defense? Let's make this political and ban guns and all will be well in the world.
3. Public education? It has just about succeeded in eliminating the Christian faith from every aspect of a child's life during the six hours he is sitting in a classroom.
4. Public education, again. Aren't schools supposedly on the lookout for troubled kids who need help? Why wasn't this young man given the resources and the help he so obviously needed. But I bet the school had a great sports program.
5. Broken families? We heard the guy had an absent father and a mother who spent her time in bars or on the shooting range with her troubled son. Parents oblivious to the needs of their children. This one cuts into my heart.
6. Our environment? Why do we have so many damaged kids to begin with? What is in our air, our water, our food that causes young children to develop autism and ADD and a host of other behavior issues that no one seems to understand? We're breathing toxins, swallowing toxins, absorbing toxins, and injecting our kids with toxins. They're drowning in them. And we're surprised when things go wrong in their brains.
7. Big corporations? When researchers try to find causes for all that ails American children, they are silenced and ridiculed if their conclusions affect the bottom dollar.
8. Relativism? All points of view are equally valid. We don't want anyone to take offense. There are no more moral values. There is no right or wrong. But wait! I think we most all agree that killing 6 years olds is wrong! On that common ground, can't we do SOMETHING to try to prevent tragedies like this?
But no, we cannot. We live in this world we've created and we suffer the consequences of it.
Some may say, you forgot to blame God. When we want to absolve ourselves in any role we may have played, we say it was God who allowed it. And he did. I have no answers for that, and when Job tried to find the answer to his suffering, God's responded by asking him questions. We draw conclusions about God because of what has been revealed to us, not accounting for all that is hidden from us. When Jesus saw the suffering of Lazarus's family, he wept. He cares; he knows. When Jesus looked out upon the city on the way to his own death, he cried, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate." (Matthew 23:37, 38.)
Friday, December 07, 2012
More Sounds
Two days after Arielle's birthday some of my much-loved women friends joined me for a Christmas brunch at church. Every year hundreds of women come together to eat rich food, to enjoy beautiful candle-lit table settings and great conversations, and to hear various types of speakers. We never quite know what the speaker will be like, and some are better than others. But the main point of this gathering is to just have a good time with friends and be surrounded by all the trappings of the holiday season. I love it! And men in white shirts serve us! That always makes me smile. Like my friend Helen said, "I can come here and nothing is expected of me." We can just relax and get out of our regular, hectic life routine.
We toured the tables when we arrived, each decorated by a different woman who volunteered to bring in her best china and centerpiece. We talked and ate ham and pastries and fruit. Then we headed down to the sanctuary to hear the speaker. All we knew about her was that she was a 9/11 widow. What a dynamic speaker she was! I wish I could remember all that she said. Her points were so right and true. Her story was by turns tragic and funny, but always honest and deep. We were blessed this morning! Testimony--another sound of this Christmas season. People giving testimony to God's goodness in the face of suffering and loss. I wish I could quote the one phrase she repeated several times. Something about when the whys of life torment us and when the unknowns of the future scare us, we need to remember that what we already know about God is enough to trust him for whatever is to come. This idea keeps coming to mind. I've walked with Jesus a long time. Once I left him, but he took me back. God has revealed himself in incredible ways through the years. I don't have all the answers, but I have enough to know that this verse is true: "the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you--so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, to whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I Corinthians 1.
Did you notice all the times the name of Jesus is proclaimed in that one verse? I didn't notice until I typed it. I give testimony to his name! It is powerful; it is divisive; it is a stumbling block. But... "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2.
We toured the tables when we arrived, each decorated by a different woman who volunteered to bring in her best china and centerpiece. We talked and ate ham and pastries and fruit. Then we headed down to the sanctuary to hear the speaker. All we knew about her was that she was a 9/11 widow. What a dynamic speaker she was! I wish I could remember all that she said. Her points were so right and true. Her story was by turns tragic and funny, but always honest and deep. We were blessed this morning! Testimony--another sound of this Christmas season. People giving testimony to God's goodness in the face of suffering and loss. I wish I could quote the one phrase she repeated several times. Something about when the whys of life torment us and when the unknowns of the future scare us, we need to remember that what we already know about God is enough to trust him for whatever is to come. This idea keeps coming to mind. I've walked with Jesus a long time. Once I left him, but he took me back. God has revealed himself in incredible ways through the years. I don't have all the answers, but I have enough to know that this verse is true: "the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you--so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, to whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." I Corinthians 1.
Did you notice all the times the name of Jesus is proclaimed in that one verse? I didn't notice until I typed it. I give testimony to his name! It is powerful; it is divisive; it is a stumbling block. But... "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Sounds of the Season
Arielle's birthday was joyous. We celebrated with family a week earlier, so the actual day of her birthday was just hers to enjoy. She wanted to go to the mall (of course) and we had a mom-sister-daughter day full of laughter and fun. In the evening our friend Julia came over so the girls could practice for their concert at the retirement center on Sunday. I came into Arielle's crowded room and sat on the floor to hear them rehearse. The lovely sounds of their guitars blending together as they played old carols made Christmas perfect for me. If that was all, it would be enough. Thank you, Arielle, for this gift.
For her birthday, I gave Arielle a different kind of gift. It was a journal I kept since she was a baby. I started it at the time of our trip to China and then occasionally I would write more as she grew. Unfortunately, I kind of forgot about it in later years. We moms get busy and sometimes neglect what might be most beneficial to just get through the urgent needs of the day. Anyway, I hoped the journal would bless Arielle, that she would know how precious she was and still is to us. I didn't even know if she would be interested in plowing through all that mom-baby talk. I added one more entry at the end, for her 15th birthday.
On her birthday night I kissed her good-night with the full moon shining through her window and lighting up her beautiful face. She hugged me tight and said the journal was her best gift. If there was ever any doubt, she now KNOWS how much she is loved! Gift received.
On a bigger scale, do we sometimes live our lives wondering if our God really loves us? Christmas is the time to remember that God sent his son to give us the gift of himself--to adopt us into his family, to love us unconditionally, and to be with us forever, even beyond the grave. We need to reach out and receive this gift. Read God's love letter to us and be blessed this season.
On her birthday night I kissed her good-night with the full moon shining through her window and lighting up her beautiful face. She hugged me tight and said the journal was her best gift. If there was ever any doubt, she now KNOWS how much she is loved! Gift received.
On a bigger scale, do we sometimes live our lives wondering if our God really loves us? Christmas is the time to remember that God sent his son to give us the gift of himself--to adopt us into his family, to love us unconditionally, and to be with us forever, even beyond the grave. We need to reach out and receive this gift. Read God's love letter to us and be blessed this season.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wild, Wacky Weekend
My friend calls it Happy Chaos. Chaos, definitely. But not always happy. We had two big family dinners in the course of three days--Thanksgiving and Arielle's birthday. It was wild and exhausting, and wonderful too. I thought I was well-prepared. The day before Thanksgiving I got a lot of prep work done, in hopes that the next day would be relaxed and peaceful. Somehow it wasn't. In the morning I wrestled the giblets out of this big 21-pound turkey that was still partially frozen. But no complaints--our local store granted it for free! The rest of the morning I systematically checked off the dishes from my list as I completed them. It's been the same menu every year and I've done it for about 35 years.
Then the guests arrived (all 21 of them), and things got a little chaotic, mostly due to one little boy. He just has too much pent-up energy and needed to get it out before civility would be required of him at dinner. (He needed a few more hours outdoors, as it turned out.) So the kids big and small headed for the backyard. The rest of us girls did the finishing touches on dinner--that last minute rush to get everything out and keep it hot. Even after 35 years, that part is stressful.
I never want to exclude children from the holiday dinner table but this year we all couldn't fit around it. So we decided to put the youngest (not counting babies) in the kitchen, even moving the table closer to the big table in the dining room so they wouldn't feel left out. Arielle volunteered to supervise and eat with them. Good girl! But our little guy refused to sit down and instead climbed around on his father's lap at the big table and threw silverware. Or else he was under the table like a dog, periodically coming up to try to unseat someone else. The babies were peaceful, amazingly, Joey in his highchair and tiny Jordan in her infant seat--their first Thanksgiving.
Around the table we gave thanks. This year many expressed their gratitude for their spouses and that was inspiring to hear. Even the little girls joined in, shy in front of the big group of us. Mattie had a hard time speaking up, so she wrote down her thankful list and we hung it on the refrigerator: "I am thankful for my family, my food, houses, and more. I also am thankful for my cat Zombie Kitty because if he was not in our house he might die." (Her dad found a stray, injured cat who can't walk.)
After dinner Dominic jumped up and washed ALL the dishes! I don't think I had any energy left to do it, so he was a lifesaver to me. I am grateful for my son! We then had a dessert buffet that I did not have to make, including gluten-free Jewish apple cake baked by Kim! Thanks, kids, for all the yummy treats. The little girls ran off to their private games that involve little toys and Japanese erasers and notes on scraps of paper. Everyone was winding down and getting ready to leave and then we found unwanted guests! Ticks! They must have come in with the kids when they were outside. Some ticks were attached to their hosts, some still strolling about, looking for a good place for a feast. Two days later I broke out from poison ivy. Someone must have brought it in on their clothes because I was never outside. Ticks and poison ivy the end of November! Who would have thought?
At the end of Arielle's party, little Joey fell asleep on Fred's lap and then Fred fell asleep with him. Grandpa. It's a role Fred loves. I walked outside with one of my daughters-in-law, up to the parking lot across the street--our "overflow" parking. It was cold and clear and dark. She strapped the three little ones in their car seats and I kissed them all good-bye and told them I loved them. And in that moment, I realized it was all worth it. The stress and craziness and plain hard work. Thanksgiving night I said to Dominic, "No more! I can't do this." And maybe I won't do it for Christmas. But by next Thanksgiving I'll be rested up. My mother gave up making the big holiday meal years ago. I understand why. This year she called to tell me she would only have my sister with her. They would enjoy their little Cornish hens together, but my mother sounded sad that no one else was coming for dinner. So I will be grateful for my big family who still want to come and gather for the holidays. I'm thankful for new babies to add to the mix and I praise God we were all still here around the table. No chair was empty.
"Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man...Bless our God, O people; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip." Psalm 66.
Then the guests arrived (all 21 of them), and things got a little chaotic, mostly due to one little boy. He just has too much pent-up energy and needed to get it out before civility would be required of him at dinner. (He needed a few more hours outdoors, as it turned out.) So the kids big and small headed for the backyard. The rest of us girls did the finishing touches on dinner--that last minute rush to get everything out and keep it hot. Even after 35 years, that part is stressful.
I never want to exclude children from the holiday dinner table but this year we all couldn't fit around it. So we decided to put the youngest (not counting babies) in the kitchen, even moving the table closer to the big table in the dining room so they wouldn't feel left out. Arielle volunteered to supervise and eat with them. Good girl! But our little guy refused to sit down and instead climbed around on his father's lap at the big table and threw silverware. Or else he was under the table like a dog, periodically coming up to try to unseat someone else. The babies were peaceful, amazingly, Joey in his highchair and tiny Jordan in her infant seat--their first Thanksgiving.
After dinner Dominic jumped up and washed ALL the dishes! I don't think I had any energy left to do it, so he was a lifesaver to me. I am grateful for my son! We then had a dessert buffet that I did not have to make, including gluten-free Jewish apple cake baked by Kim! Thanks, kids, for all the yummy treats. The little girls ran off to their private games that involve little toys and Japanese erasers and notes on scraps of paper. Everyone was winding down and getting ready to leave and then we found unwanted guests! Ticks! They must have come in with the kids when they were outside. Some ticks were attached to their hosts, some still strolling about, looking for a good place for a feast. Two days later I broke out from poison ivy. Someone must have brought it in on their clothes because I was never outside. Ticks and poison ivy the end of November! Who would have thought? 
At the end of Arielle's party, little Joey fell asleep on Fred's lap and then Fred fell asleep with him. Grandpa. It's a role Fred loves. I walked outside with one of my daughters-in-law, up to the parking lot across the street--our "overflow" parking. It was cold and clear and dark. She strapped the three little ones in their car seats and I kissed them all good-bye and told them I loved them. And in that moment, I realized it was all worth it. The stress and craziness and plain hard work. Thanksgiving night I said to Dominic, "No more! I can't do this." And maybe I won't do it for Christmas. But by next Thanksgiving I'll be rested up. My mother gave up making the big holiday meal years ago. I understand why. This year she called to tell me she would only have my sister with her. They would enjoy their little Cornish hens together, but my mother sounded sad that no one else was coming for dinner. So I will be grateful for my big family who still want to come and gather for the holidays. I'm thankful for new babies to add to the mix and I praise God we were all still here around the table. No chair was empty. 
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Halloween Babies
As most of you know, we don't do anything to celebrate Halloween, but this year the two newest members of our family stopped over to show off their adorable costumes. So here it is almost Thanksgiving and I'm just getting around to posting Halloween pictures. Life is a little overwhelming right now. But we couldn't be more blessed.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Night with Sandy
As darkness fell, the winds gradually increased in speed. Our trees that had been gently swaying became angry and bent violently, driven one direction and then another. The bamboo shook with fury, scattering the poor birds still trying to roost. We know that hurricanes come with bands of wind, so after a fierce dance with Sandy, the trees would stand silent and serene for several minutes. It was eerie.
Fred said to hurry with dinner and get out of the kitchen with its wall of windows. We were spooked when we heard a loud crash against the side of the house. Earlier in the day we had taken bedding and supplies downstairs and two twin mattresses into our spare room. The girls and I would sleep crosswise on them during the storm. Fred said he needed to be upstairs to watch over the house. I think he didn't relish a night on the floor. Good thing too. His phone rang all night as his work crew at church called with their questions and concerns. The men were manning the generators.
Right when we were getting ready for sleep, the electricity went out. The girls were excited with the candles and lanterns and flashlights. That stuff is fun--temporarily. I was glad it was time to go to bed anyway and hopefully we would have power in the morning. But what else would we face in the morning? I didn't want to think about that. So Fred went upstairs and we settled in on the mattresses on the floor in our windowless room against a bank of earth on one side. Safe. Dominic has always said he likes sleeping there because it is so dark and silent. It is, and we all fell quickly to sleep.
I was awakened by a beep-beep-beep-beep. What in the world was that? Arielle's ipod in its dock? A smoke detector? I got a flashlight and went to investigate. It was the box where our phone service comes in from the street, letting us know it was on battery back-up. Okay. But how to make it stop beeping? It wouldn't turn off and I couldn't sleep with that beep-beep-beep-beep every 30 seconds all night long. Awake so long, I listened to the roar of the wind. It is true when people say it sounds like a train during a storm. I peeked out the window but the rain made it impossible to see anything. Then there was a knocking on the back wall of the basement. What was that? And cracking of branches from the woods. Scary sounds. We had prayed for safety. God would see us through whatever happened.
I finally fell asleep near dawn when the beeping faded to four little chirps as the battery on the box wore down. I heard Fred up and we looked out to survey the damage. Amazingly, there was little! A few branches in the yard. Our lilac tree split in half, but it did not fall across the deck. Fred's tarps covering the cords of wood were shredded. The bamboo was battered. A big pine tree had fallen across the road. That's about it. We are very thankful to God.
We still had no power. My resourceful husband had prepared for this. He had the Coleman camping stove set up with the old percolator and he made coffee and I made oatmeal for breakfast. It was chilly so Fred made a fire in the woodstove. He got the generator going for the refrigerator and he hooked up the TV so we could see what had happened the night before. I realize that in a time of uncertainty, you really desire news from the outside world. It was bad news for many people in New York and New Jersey. The devastation was incredible. We are very fortunate.
The electricity came on later in the day. Damien sent an e-mail titled "close call." This tree would have fallen on the room where Gretchen has been sleeping with the baby if the other tree had not caught it. God is good.
Fred said to hurry with dinner and get out of the kitchen with its wall of windows. We were spooked when we heard a loud crash against the side of the house. Earlier in the day we had taken bedding and supplies downstairs and two twin mattresses into our spare room. The girls and I would sleep crosswise on them during the storm. Fred said he needed to be upstairs to watch over the house. I think he didn't relish a night on the floor. Good thing too. His phone rang all night as his work crew at church called with their questions and concerns. The men were manning the generators.
Right when we were getting ready for sleep, the electricity went out. The girls were excited with the candles and lanterns and flashlights. That stuff is fun--temporarily. I was glad it was time to go to bed anyway and hopefully we would have power in the morning. But what else would we face in the morning? I didn't want to think about that. So Fred went upstairs and we settled in on the mattresses on the floor in our windowless room against a bank of earth on one side. Safe. Dominic has always said he likes sleeping there because it is so dark and silent. It is, and we all fell quickly to sleep.
I was awakened by a beep-beep-beep-beep. What in the world was that? Arielle's ipod in its dock? A smoke detector? I got a flashlight and went to investigate. It was the box where our phone service comes in from the street, letting us know it was on battery back-up. Okay. But how to make it stop beeping? It wouldn't turn off and I couldn't sleep with that beep-beep-beep-beep every 30 seconds all night long. Awake so long, I listened to the roar of the wind. It is true when people say it sounds like a train during a storm. I peeked out the window but the rain made it impossible to see anything. Then there was a knocking on the back wall of the basement. What was that? And cracking of branches from the woods. Scary sounds. We had prayed for safety. God would see us through whatever happened.
I finally fell asleep near dawn when the beeping faded to four little chirps as the battery on the box wore down. I heard Fred up and we looked out to survey the damage. Amazingly, there was little! A few branches in the yard. Our lilac tree split in half, but it did not fall across the deck. Fred's tarps covering the cords of wood were shredded. The bamboo was battered. A big pine tree had fallen across the road. That's about it. We are very thankful to God.
We still had no power. My resourceful husband had prepared for this. He had the Coleman camping stove set up with the old percolator and he made coffee and I made oatmeal for breakfast. It was chilly so Fred made a fire in the woodstove. He got the generator going for the refrigerator and he hooked up the TV so we could see what had happened the night before. I realize that in a time of uncertainty, you really desire news from the outside world. It was bad news for many people in New York and New Jersey. The devastation was incredible. We are very fortunate.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Waiting for the Storm
The bamboo birds are confused. Every dawn, right on schedule, they leave the bamboo grove in a blanket of dark wings across the sky and head due south. This morning, although the winds aren't strong and it's not even raining, they congregate in a tree north of our house. One by one they fly down to the street and hop around nervously. The road is covered in wandering birds. They know what's coming, but they don't know what to do.
The weather maps tell us a monster storm is approaching. Will it really be as bad as they predict? Maybe it will fizzle out. Or will it be worse? I remember Katrina and watching that radar picture moving across the Gulf. No one imagined the devastation.
I am tempted to worry, especially about my kids and their new homes and the big trees surrounding them. I think of the little ones asleep in their beds in the night next to glass windows when the storm is supposed to surge into our area. I gaze outside at our trees that should have been trimmed long ago. Fred says we will sleep in the basement tonight.
The Creator of the storm knows our worries and our needs. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge." Psalm 18. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7.
My good husband is home building us a fire. We're prepared for an emergency. We don't know what's coming but we know what to do. Our good God is in control.
The weather maps tell us a monster storm is approaching. Will it really be as bad as they predict? Maybe it will fizzle out. Or will it be worse? I remember Katrina and watching that radar picture moving across the Gulf. No one imagined the devastation.
I am tempted to worry, especially about my kids and their new homes and the big trees surrounding them. I think of the little ones asleep in their beds in the night next to glass windows when the storm is supposed to surge into our area. I gaze outside at our trees that should have been trimmed long ago. Fred says we will sleep in the basement tonight.
The Creator of the storm knows our worries and our needs. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge." Psalm 18. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7.
My good husband is home building us a fire. We're prepared for an emergency. We don't know what's coming but we know what to do. Our good God is in control.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
The Best Weekend
Can it get any better than this? A warm, windy weekend in autumn, the leaves at their peak of glory. Dominic and Stacia drove up from DC to celebrate Lana's birthday and to see baby Jordan. The family met at a pumpkin farm and we joyously trampled through a dry, rustling cornfield looking for clues in some game I never did comprehend. But that didn't matter. The sun was bright on our faces and the kids big and small laughed and threw corn kernels at each other. (Against the rules.)
On the farm we bought apples and gourds and chestnuts and rummaged around in a flea market. Doing nothing and yet doing everything. Five of my six children here together, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. What more could I ask for? Nothing more. I am full to the brim with joy.
We drove the short trip back to Jon's house for Lana's party. Jon and Chrissy are gracious hosts and it is comfortable to be at their new house, enjoying conversation and not busying myself with meal preparations. Anthony and Kim come with baby Joey and his big smile lights up the room. Little Jordan asleep in my arms, a glimpse of heaven. Precious baby so new to this world. What does she dream of? Laci, Mattie, Lana and Liana run off to play, cousins, girlfriends. Deacon hasn't a playmate yet, but another baby boy is on the way and we think how these little guys too will be good friends. Dominic leaves when no one notices and comes back with a special treat--gluten-free pizza! We share this delicious meal while others munch on tomato pie and pastries.
And the weekend is not over! As if that wasn't joy enough. We make plans for geocaching in a nearby park. We all have so many memories in this park. Our first fall in Pennsylvania coming from the windy plains of Oklahoma, stunned by the glorious trees. Hikes and hide-n-seek with Anthony, Jon and Marissa when they were little. Fred's elderly mother stumbling along the paths to the site of her daughter's ashes. All the years we've walked these trails and here we are again. Today, every turn is unbelievable beauty, the towering trees ablaze with color. Even our feet tread on a carpet of reds and golds. Liana and Lana are off on an adventure known only to them. Big sisters Arielle and Marissa share girl talk. The guys search for treasure and find trinkets here and there. Fred, who works so hard under so much stress, unwinds. How could anyone walk through this forest and not be changed? My family--here together in this wondrous setting! I found my treasure. I have no other desires, no other dreams. Everything I ever wanted is fulfilled here this weekend.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Autumn Escape
We all unwind as we make the long drive through idyllic farm country. The familiar peaceful rolling hills surround us. Today the farmlands are ablaze with orange and green under a bright blue sky. Dry corn fields glisten in the golden sunshine and trees are beginning to display their fall colors. Silos define the skyline and roadside stands beckon with pumpkins and mums. Weeping willows line small streams, their tendrils dripping into the cold water. As we get closer, we notice it must be laundry day. Clotheslines adorned with dark trousers and plain dresses whip in the cool breeze. Arielle notices the order--light to dark, large to small. Hard-working hands pinned each item on this brisk morning.
Even so, noisy traffic and city life intrudes. Amish buggies dangerously share the roads with speeding cars. But we, like they, carve out our own little enclave of tranquility. We focus on the beauty and the simplicity and return year after year because here we can shut out the chaos of modern life and retreat into our own little world.
We meet my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece and stroll through the shops and laugh in that comfortable way you can when you are with people you love. We linger in the tourist shops and I snap this picture of two silly guys. We visit quilt shops, our eyes assaulted with beautiful fabrics as we dream up new projects. We eat hot, sweet pretzels and sit on the porch watching the buggies at the drive-through bank across the street. All of us live in two worlds, don't we? Balancing the hard realities of life with the joys we find in family and community.
On this trip I will remember a late dinner, relaxing in an almost empty restaurant, listening to the stories about the Amish family who hosted my brother and his family. They had a firsthand experience to learn about the people who have separated themselves from our crazy world the best they can. My niece washed dishes in an Amish kitchen as the family prepared for their work day. My brother drove the Amish farmer to the library and discussed his genealogy research. I will also think about the next morning when we all explored a many-leveled antique store while the rain drove hard. Our little vacation ended at one of our favorite shops in Bird-in-Hand so we could stock up on apples from the huge bins outside. With a sad, wet good-bye, we parted ways. My brother was heading to Gettysburg and we back to school and work and routine. But our hearts are full of new memories to add to the stories of so many years past.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Shouts of Joy
Early this morning I read: "Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy; raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon...I delivered you! I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations...I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations. Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord...Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day!"
My son Damien called. His daughter is born this day! Jordan Dorey. We love you already, precious child!
My son Damien called. His daughter is born this day! Jordan Dorey. We love you already, precious child!
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Busy with School
People say you can tell a family home schools by the projects lying all over the place in various stages of progress. It's a mess! That's our house. Right now several little plastic tubs of stagnant pond water adorn the counter and a microscope is plugged in right next to the kitchen table. Pond scum is percolating outside the back door, green slime soaking up the sunshine. Liana had seeds in little dishes trying to germinate in their various habitats around the house, including the refrigerator. Now the survivors have been planted in containers all in a row on a sunny window sill, Liana hovering over them like a nervous mother.
Liana also has to collect, name and display 20 leaf specimens for her botany class and some of them at this moment are pressed under stacks of heavy books, the unidentified mystery leaves shriveling crisp and brown on the dining room table. If she doesn't know their names, they get tossed, I guess. Today I will help her iron wax paper to the perfect, flat leaves and she will cleverly think of a way to mount them.
Our house is cluttered with books of all sorts--right now I can see Hamlet, Microscopic Life, and Trees of North America. Scattered around them are papers upon papers, including Arielle's colorful drawings of her lab report, colored pencils left out. Then there are the notebooks and the workbooks and the math CDs and Spanish worksheets and the textbooks. My house is rarely neat, and often chaotic, but who would want a different life? Certainly not me.
A week ago we all went to a nearby park and with a soup ladle attached to a big stick with electrical tape, Fred scooped up slimy, green pond scum. He also pulled up some deeper water and we put them in four little containers and fed our samples some food to make our cultures--hay, rice, soil and egg yolk. We kept these at home in a shoebox about four days, each getting stinkier by the hour.
We were certainly rewarded for our hard work! We made slides and observed numerous microscopic creatures. The more we watched, the more we saw! It was fascinating! To our delight (and horror!) we found a "huge" transparent larva. It looked like a big, hairy monster, with a hook on its face reaching out to other creatures, all from its tiny drop of water. The amazing thing is that if you looked at the slide you could see nothing. Yet here in the microscopic world, a myriad of organisms go about their business of eating and swimming and whatever else these creatures do.
The year is just beginning. What other new discoveries will we find? Would I be observing microscopic life or discussing Shakespeare or gathering leaves if not for my girls? How boring life would be! Sometimes I long for the school days when we cuddled on the couch with a good read-aloud or made projects of sculpy clay and paint. But these new adventures will later be memories we hold dear in our hearts. And then one day it will all be over and the girls will be grown up. I want to hold on to these days forever.
Liana also has to collect, name and display 20 leaf specimens for her botany class and some of them at this moment are pressed under stacks of heavy books, the unidentified mystery leaves shriveling crisp and brown on the dining room table. If she doesn't know their names, they get tossed, I guess. Today I will help her iron wax paper to the perfect, flat leaves and she will cleverly think of a way to mount them.
Our house is cluttered with books of all sorts--right now I can see Hamlet, Microscopic Life, and Trees of North America. Scattered around them are papers upon papers, including Arielle's colorful drawings of her lab report, colored pencils left out. Then there are the notebooks and the workbooks and the math CDs and Spanish worksheets and the textbooks. My house is rarely neat, and often chaotic, but who would want a different life? Certainly not me.
We were certainly rewarded for our hard work! We made slides and observed numerous microscopic creatures. The more we watched, the more we saw! It was fascinating! To our delight (and horror!) we found a "huge" transparent larva. It looked like a big, hairy monster, with a hook on its face reaching out to other creatures, all from its tiny drop of water. The amazing thing is that if you looked at the slide you could see nothing. Yet here in the microscopic world, a myriad of organisms go about their business of eating and swimming and whatever else these creatures do.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Classes Day 2
Liana and I are back in the beautiful library we discovered last week. She just finished her science homework and I just finished looking over my biology notes which I will be teaching in about 45 minutes.
Our new schedule gives us a very long day out, but the change is good for us. While the girls have their early morning class, I have time to "kill". At my age, should I ever kill time? My life has limited time left and I need to redeem it, making the most of it. A friend got into my car this morning and after running an errand together, we sat and talked about important issues in our families.
Afterwards I picked up Liana and we are relaxing in this lovely setting. The library is so much larger than ours. Books surround us on every side of this table here, and a huge picture window gives us a view of the rolling countryside, stormy winds shaking the trees. We'll head back to school in a little bit but we are enjoying the peace and quiet. Then we'll eat quick lunch and I will present my material on Kingdom Monera. Fascinating stuff! I hope the students think so. Arielle is in my class too and she is watching my every move, desperately hoping I won't do anything un-cool. She's even choosing my wardrobe on school days. But last week she told me I did a great job and that means a lot coming from her!
Arielle has a class that she is very excited about and I am too. She is taking a history class called Omnibus that combines history, literature, writing, and theology. The students read their textbook plus literature written at the time they are studying and then write essays. World history is combined with the history of the church because aren't most struggles and world events revolving around religion? I grew up learning history apart from the impact of world religions. How dry and how unrealistic. The best part of this class is the discussion when all the students come together after doing their assignments. This kind of learning can't be done in a home setting. The class stresses critical thinking skills rather than a recitation of facts. Right now Arielle is reading the classic Foxe's Book of Martyrs to better understand England in the 1500's. She loves the class and is very motivated to do her work.
We have a week to prepare for our next long day. This includes a field trip to a stagnant pond to collect bacteria-laden water that we will be observing under the microscope next week. Fun!
Our new schedule gives us a very long day out, but the change is good for us. While the girls have their early morning class, I have time to "kill". At my age, should I ever kill time? My life has limited time left and I need to redeem it, making the most of it. A friend got into my car this morning and after running an errand together, we sat and talked about important issues in our families.
Afterwards I picked up Liana and we are relaxing in this lovely setting. The library is so much larger than ours. Books surround us on every side of this table here, and a huge picture window gives us a view of the rolling countryside, stormy winds shaking the trees. We'll head back to school in a little bit but we are enjoying the peace and quiet. Then we'll eat quick lunch and I will present my material on Kingdom Monera. Fascinating stuff! I hope the students think so. Arielle is in my class too and she is watching my every move, desperately hoping I won't do anything un-cool. She's even choosing my wardrobe on school days. But last week she told me I did a great job and that means a lot coming from her!
Arielle has a class that she is very excited about and I am too. She is taking a history class called Omnibus that combines history, literature, writing, and theology. The students read their textbook plus literature written at the time they are studying and then write essays. World history is combined with the history of the church because aren't most struggles and world events revolving around religion? I grew up learning history apart from the impact of world religions. How dry and how unrealistic. The best part of this class is the discussion when all the students come together after doing their assignments. This kind of learning can't be done in a home setting. The class stresses critical thinking skills rather than a recitation of facts. Right now Arielle is reading the classic Foxe's Book of Martyrs to better understand England in the 1500's. She loves the class and is very motivated to do her work.
We have a week to prepare for our next long day. This includes a field trip to a stagnant pond to collect bacteria-laden water that we will be observing under the microscope next week. Fun!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Starting School
September 11, 2001, was just like September 11th this year. Bright sunshine and a beautiful blue sky and a day full of promise. It was on Tuesday in 2001, just like this year. Who can ever forget that day? Arielle began preschool that morning. She was so very excited. This time she is off to high school at a new co-op. She is equally excited and ready to take on new challenges.
Disaster can happen on a day like this. But this day, for us, it doesn't. We don't think about bad things when we pull up in front of the old church which has been rented for the school. Our new school bags are weighed down with notebooks and textbooks and lunch. Liana is a little nervous. She has a teacher she has never met and will be in a class where she knows no one. Like me when I was her age, this makes her anxious. Not so Arielle. She is more like Dominic. I remember his first day of kindergarten. I had walked him to school and when we arrived at the front entrance he turned and told me good-bye. He boldly went to his classroom by himself. This day I am a little anxious too. I will be teaching two classes.
Friends of mine told me about this co-op where their children had attended and I knew that it would be a good opportunity for Arielle, now in high school. She is such an extrovert (unlike me) and I know she is energized by being around other people. I saw on the website that parents were needed to teach some classes and it would offset the tuition. I applied to be the middle school biology teacher. I heard back from the director of the school. That position had been taken. But would I teach high school biology? Oh no, I couldn't do that. I told her I would think about it, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to do it. What an intimidating idea. Then my wise daughter reminded me, "But Mom, you would have to teach it to me anyway."
I wanted Arielle to go to this school. I had the biology book already since Arielle needed it, and I started to read. Okay, I remember this. Most people don't realize the number of science classes that are required for chiropractic school. I assumed I'd forgotten everything, but that wasn't true. So I agreed to teach. A few days later the director called and said there had been many requests for a physical science class. Would I teach that also?
I recognize opportunity for God's provision. Not only would the girls attend the school at no cost, but we would have a little income in addition. So I said yes to this new adventure. I believe God equips us for whatever he calls us to do. So all three of us were off to school on this gorgeous, sunny day on September 11th.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Busy with Bags
This has been the summer of bags. The girls and I have talked about starting an etsy store, and my business-minded son said first of all we need inventory. So we created inventory! We worked on these projects all summer, along with the girls' 4-H sewing projects. I also had some new sewing students, so really, this has been the summer of beautiful fabrics and the whir of machines.We started school today...so sad...we'd rather be sewing. But we combined sewing and school by making school bags! In our last week of summer, the girls made the bags they will use to carry books back and forth. Family and friends, did you know we are actually going to leave the house to go to school? Well, one day a week anyway. The girls will be attending a co-op and I will be teaching there. We needed school bags.
So what do you think? These first four are ours, but we can make others if you know someone who would like to buy a custom-designed bag! They are large, well-made tote bags. Arielle and I also made smaller bags, with the same quality fabrics and sturdy linings like the tote bags. Those are all for sale. Tell your friends! Sorry for the poor photography. My daughter-in-law Gretchen was going to take professional pictures, but she is preoccupied with getting ready to give birth to my next grandchild!
Bags below are for sale
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Ready for the Snow
Fred says I'm most happy when a pot of soup is simmering on the stove. Maybe that's true. Soup making is the only cooking I enjoy. Fred is getting ready for winter in his own way, while today I made Tommy's Soup. We had enough for dinner on a humid, summer night, and also enough to stock the freezer.
This soup can only be made when our garden tomatoes are producing an abundant crop because ripe tomatoes are the key ingredient. Store-bought tomatoes would never work. We need many other vegetables too, and I add whatever is available from the garden. This year we have okra! The original recipe calls for okra but we've never had it before. After tasting this year's soup, I realize it is a must. Okra enhances flavor and texture both.
So Arielle shucked the corn we bought earlier from a nearby farm. She sat outside in the yard, carefully removing all the silk while the Rose of Sharon bloomed and the insects made riotous sounds. Liana in a sundress and bare feet snapped the green beans, freshly picked, and I tramped through the muddy garden to choose the red and green peppers and one perfect jalapeno, not too hot.
One by one we dropped the vegetables into the pot: tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn, green beans, carrots, and okra. Each one added to the wonderful fragrance in the kitchen as it cooked.
At the first snowfall, when the garden is barren and the insects silent, when we are bundled in fleece and Fred fires up the woodstove, I will take the soup from the freezer. We will remember and celebrate the summer's bounty. We will be thankful, because food is a gift. This food, this soup nourishes body and soul. "He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17
Tommy, an unknown (to me) Cherokee in North Carolina, would probably be amazed to find out his soup recipe has become part of our family's traditions. My mother passed the recipe on to me. She knows all about soup and tradition.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8
This soup can only be made when our garden tomatoes are producing an abundant crop because ripe tomatoes are the key ingredient. Store-bought tomatoes would never work. We need many other vegetables too, and I add whatever is available from the garden. This year we have okra! The original recipe calls for okra but we've never had it before. After tasting this year's soup, I realize it is a must. Okra enhances flavor and texture both.
So Arielle shucked the corn we bought earlier from a nearby farm. She sat outside in the yard, carefully removing all the silk while the Rose of Sharon bloomed and the insects made riotous sounds. Liana in a sundress and bare feet snapped the green beans, freshly picked, and I tramped through the muddy garden to choose the red and green peppers and one perfect jalapeno, not too hot.
One by one we dropped the vegetables into the pot: tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn, green beans, carrots, and okra. Each one added to the wonderful fragrance in the kitchen as it cooked.
At the first snowfall, when the garden is barren and the insects silent, when we are bundled in fleece and Fred fires up the woodstove, I will take the soup from the freezer. We will remember and celebrate the summer's bounty. We will be thankful, because food is a gift. This food, this soup nourishes body and soul. "He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17
Tommy, an unknown (to me) Cherokee in North Carolina, would probably be amazed to find out his soup recipe has become part of our family's traditions. My mother passed the recipe on to me. She knows all about soup and tradition.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8
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