A Quiet Writing Place for Mama

"Writing is a way of slowing us down and opening our eyes to see what we do not otherwise see."

~John Piper

 

 

This is my week to give attention to ordering my home.  It has been a very full summer of events and fellowship--which has been wonderful, if at times a bit breathless!  So now my house needs some TLC as we start to look toward the school year.  I'm really not so ready for that yet.  I'd rather spend time savoring the summer while it lasts.  But a little planning is necessary to get where we are aiming.  And it cannot be all done at once.  A little here, a little there.

 

I was inspired to de-clutter, re-organize, and spend a little time locating some specific furnishings to help me reach my goal.  As I had a little bit of birthday money, I took Country Girl and Young Warrior on an outing to our favorite local antique store.  After getting a little sidetracked by a costume store on the way, (going through racks of Civil War gowns, officers' uniforms, Victorian and Colonial dresses!), we arrived at our destination and the browsing began.

 

I found a couple of things I was looking for at reasonable prices.  Today I will highlight my new little writing desk corner.  I had wanted one of these little secretary desks for quite awhile.  I love to write and I suppose I have this romantic sort of vision of ladies in history (or BBC movies set in England?) sitting at their writing desks to pen precious letters to loved ones.  So when I spotted this one, it seemed like the perfect size, color and price!  I love its simplicity.  And this old Victorian chair goes so nicely with it. 

 

After a little bit of furniture rearrangement, I found just the right corner for it.  Though ideally I would probably like this in my bedroom, right now it does not fit so well.  I think its location in one of our main living areas will be suitable.  My main challenge here might be that it is not always so quiet.  But the children know that this is Mama's quiet corner and not a place for them to play.

 

 

I also found the painting and the lamp at the same antique mall, and they add just the right touch!

 

I added the little chalkboard frame which I created for a baby shower that I hosted last week.  I plan to use it to highlight verses I am studying and want to consider and meditate on for a longer time.

 

 

It has been a delight to have this space for my quiet times and Bible study!  I am so thankful for the Lord's provision of this desk.  It is truly a little writing haven for Mama.  A place of beauty, and a place to minister from (and be ministered to as well).

 

And now....I am surely hoping to be inspired in my correspondence.  I have many thank-you notes to catch up on.  I look forward to moments of writing good old-fashioned handwritten notes and letters to dear friends and family, near and far.

"I know not how the light is shed,

Nor understand this lens.

I only know that there are eyes

In pencils and in pens."

 

~John Piper

 

 

 

Strawberries Come and Strawberries Go

Well, I am back, though I can't promise it will be very predictable how often I post.  My priority is home and family, and though I could think of much to write in this space, it is not the most important thing. 

We've had much life going on, as always, and it if full of vicissitudes---that is to say, the ups and downs of working out our faith in every day life.  Always challenges.  Always joys (when we look for them, even in the trials).

We eagerly await the beginning of berry picking season every year, which always starts with strawberries.  Somehow they seem to have made their debut in stealth this year.  We did manage to get a good amount on our first picking, and I am thankful now that we chose to use that batch primarily to restock the freezer.  Because the following week we planned to go again.  And we were taking some new friends along this time (who had not had a chance to pick yet).

But then it was closed for watering day on the day we planned to go.  And the phone message had already said that the strawberry pickings were waning.  What...????  Didn't you just open last week?  Did I miss something?  (I heard rumblings later that "strawberries were two weeks early this year."  But I sure couldn't tell that by the newspaper advertisements I had been watching).  And then it rained the next day.  We were not up for traipsing through a muddy field.  It turned out they would have been closed anyway.  They probably wished they had not watered the previous day.  We planned our next outing for  Friday.  And at the last minute I decided I better call and check.  They now had to close because the fields were so muddy after two days of water.

I called around and everyone said the strawberries were at the end of their season.  So, yes, there were still some available.  Not so plentifully abundant, though.  So we chose another farm down the road, as it seemed to be "Now or Never" to get U-pick strawberries. 

Though we didn't pick near the amount we had picked the previous week, and our friends were a bit discouraged to have missed getting a good enough quantity to stock their freezer for the year, we were grateful for:

• Sharing fellowship in the sunshine of the field
• Getting to know new friends who share a like mind and heart, and who have also walked a challenging journey the past couple of years
• The donut machine, which of course begged us to buy an after-picking treat!  (I still think of Homer Price every time I see a farm stand making donuts)
• Free samples of strawberry shortcake
• Seeing a World War II P-51 Mustang fly overhead while picking (there was a local air museum/show going on of WWII planes, which we didn't get to attend, but were so glad to get to see one in action)
• Tractors in the field
• A dry field!  Even though when I called in the morning she told me it was muddy and so we all came in boots and then wished we had other shoes!
• More berries for all kinds of strawberry delights.

I did manage to make my fresh strawberry pie this year.  When I was in college, I worked at a restaurant near my hometown as a hostess.  They made delectable pies.  I was able to get the recipe for the peanut butter pie (much to Tender Warrior's delight).  And the strawberry pie I just found in a cookbook, I think, in our early married life.

So, while we finish putting away the rest of these strawberries, we will anticipate the arrival of raspberries, marionberries, and blueberries....which are just around the corner!

Spring Themes

It is here again!  Spring carries with it so much beauty, great contrasts, and the hope of new life.  I thought I would share some of the themes of our spring so far.

 

CELEBRATIONS

The past couple of years I have tried to do something fun to recognize the first day of spring.   There was a local gathering at a park, but it was a very rainy day and we opted to stay home.  So, we had our little spring tea party lunch and we had fun making these... 

 

 

and even more fun eating them!

 

 

 BIRDS

 

I have a resident ornithologist, I think.  She very much loves birds and enjoys caring for them (and photographing them).  She made this super-recipe suet for them and we have had hours of fun watching the birds from our dining room table.  Yes, the binoculars keep close at hand.  We think it's especially fun to hear our littlest one say, "birdie" in his cutest toddler way.

 

 

OUTDOORS

 

This time of year my children are always eager to eat outside.  Yesterday they took their lunch out and were promptly met with a shower.  No problem...just grab an umbrella!  It's also the time of year to catch up on garden work--the last bit of clean-up or pruning, preparations of the soil for this year, weeding, planting cool weather vegetables, and playing with dirt piles in the cul-de-sac until they find their home in the garden beds.

 

MUSIC

 

Spring is usually the time of music recitals.  Over the years that has included many piano and choir recitals.  This year....something a little different.  The children (and Daddy) took part in a state fiddle contest!  It was a whole new experience, and a great one!  It was, however, a very LONG day!  We enjoyed the music and the diverse range of talents.  One of the highlights for me was this jam session (above) where a mix of ages played music together.  I really appreciate opportunities for generations to work together and interact with one another.  These long-time members were so helpful to the youth and would even pull them out of their comfort zones, as each one took a turn leading a song.

 

Another highlight for me.....seeing my husband work with our children in preparation for this day.  He was more nervous than they at his first contest (even though he was not being judged).  I was so blessed to see this daughter of mine take courage and decide to play in the contest just two weeks before when she watched a DVD of last year's contest.  She has not yet taken a single formal lesson or class.  She has absorbed it all by listening and quietly practicing.  And she had to play three songs.  She amazes me.  They all do!

  

STORMS

 

We had quite a storm brew through here yesterday.  It was a short-lived surprise and kind of exciting.  Country Girl snapped these photos and I think this one with the plum tree blossoms and dark clouds shows just what kind of contrasts spring can bring.  I think it is a little symbolic of the storms I've felt in my heart the past couple of days.

 

 

HOPE



 

 

After the storms come the reminders of hope.  Isn't that what this iconic symbol, the rainbow, given to Noah after the greatest storm of history, represents?  I think God knows we need these reminders continually.  We are a people prone to forget.

 

 

GRATITUDE

 

This word is not so unique to spring, but it is a lesson I need repeatedly.  As I am studying/memorizing parts of the book of Romans this year, this verse has been living in my mind and heart lately:

 

"because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

 

~Romans 1:21-22 NKJV (emphasis mine)

 

There is something critical about gratitude that changes our hearts.  It also seems to serve to protect our thoughts and hearts.  I have not begun to probe the depths of this verse or its context yet, so I don't want to slap a simple understanding over it.  However, God makes it clear throughout Scripture that gratitude is essential and that its counterpart is harmful.  "Holy Week" always seems to be a time to pay close attention to the state of my heart and examine attitudes and I have been in great need of doing so this week.  Gratitude is closely tied to praise, and this chorus has been echoing in me:

 

"This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Saviour all the day long,

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Saviour all the day long."

 

~Blessed Assurance, Fanny Crosby

 

 

 

 

 

 



For the Love of.... (Part 2)

CREATION AND NATURE STUDY

 

 

Another delight to our family is the time we devote to exploring God's beauty and design in creation and nature.  There are seasons and times where I have done this better than others.  In my romantic notions, I envision spending LOTS of time outdoors, breathing the fresh air, walking slowly, taking in all of the sights and sounds.  And then taking moments to sit down and draw or paint in our nature journals and record our findings.  The reality of life is that I have little time to do said painting or journaling (especially with a toddler or baby strapped to me--but that's a whole delight in itself that is far too short-lived).  However, there are indeed moments where it does happen and oh, how it fills that creative place in my soul.

 

I confess it is sometimes hard to make the most of living in suburbs and we can get bogged down in feeling like it takes quite an effort to get out into places where nature exploration is possible.  (We still dream of that place with more acreage and open space, while at the same time seeking to be grateful for where He has us now).  Yes, we are fortunate to have a bit of it in a short walk from home.  I think we just get tired of the same thing after awhile.

 

Thankfully, my efforts when my children were younger have reinforced my efforts now.  For when I am tempted to think it's just too hard to make the effort (even though I love it once we are actually out there), I have children who remind me.   Especially Adventure Girl, who can't seem to live without it either.

 

 

One of my goals this year has been to try to make a weekly effort to take a special hike or nature walk.  With such resolution in mind, and the prodding of Adventure Girl's Biology assignment regarding birds (another passion of hers), we set out to a new locale.

What a gorgeous day it was ("balmy" for this time of year, really!) and we just couldn't resist the call outdoors.  And this place we found?  Lovely, indeed.  Wide open spaces full of singing birds and running rivers.  We were quite astounded also at the variety of trees there, such as this ponderosa pine above (we really didn't think those grew here).  So much loveliness was a comfort to our spirits, filling us with an appreciation of the amazing design of our Creator God.

 



It was a good, long walk and most of our coats were shed by halfway through our hike.  We stopped often to observe birds, to listen to their sounds, and to throw sticks in the river.

 



and to climb a little tree......

 

Though Adventure Girl had hoped for far more variety of birds and was tired of seeing so many robins, all were in agreement that it was lovely and we'll have to come back sometime and bring Tender Warrior Daddy with us.

 

As it is (almost) spring, it is also the season for new chicks.  Since we started our little backyard flock, we have had new chicks about every other year.  As you can see from the header, they are a cute little bunch even if a little scraggly looking as they start to take on feathers.  This is always a delight, from the oldest to the youngest in the house.  Everyone loves the baby "cheeps."

 

Even on days we are stuck inside due to the weather or other reasons, I try to have little visuals and things to spur our love of nature and creation.  This poster really spurred a recent dinner time conversation when we had some wonderful friends over for the evening.  The man is a scientist and it turns out, a fellow "birder."  So he spent much of the evening quizzing our Adventure Girl on birds because they were both bird enthusiasts.  It made for lively discussion for everyone.

 

 

And last, but not least, let us not forget the home library, in which we have many titles to go to when various creation questions arise and we are curious about how things work in God's amazing world.  Home libraries are a "must-have!"  As one of our mentors said, bookshelves make great insulation!

 

 

 

"If we give our children regular opportunities to get in touch with God's creation, a habit is formed that will be a source of delight throughout their lives."

 

~Karen Andreola, "A Charlotte Mason Companion"

 

 

 

"Like a river glorious

Is God's perfect peace,

Over all victorious

In its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth

Fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth

Deeper all the way,

Trusting in Jehovah,

Hearts are fully blest--

Finding, as He promised,

Perfect peace and rest."

 

~"Like a River Glorious," by Frances Ridley Havergal

 



For the Love Of....(Part 1)

READING GOOD BOOKS TOGETHER

 

"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."

~William Butler Yeats

 

Some days, I just know, that despite the things I do wrong and the mistakes made as we walk this road of raising wholehearted children for the Lord, there is something I know is right.

 

In the flurry of days and the many tasks that call my name and all the proverbial hats that a mother wears, and wondering if I've become attention-deficit in it all, there is a daily routine that we can always count on.  Even if I don't know what's for lunch today (yet), I DO know that we will sit down together as we have for so many years and spend the favorite hour of our day reading aloud.  This reading time....of heroes from history, of theology or doctrine, of adventures, of instruction, of exploring His creation and His world through literature, even of fun and childhood frolics...this, I am certain, will have been one thing I did right.

 

I am affirmed in this conclusion when I see the sparks ignite in my children's imaginations.  Such was the case recently as we read Lucy Maud Montgomery's The Golden Road, (which was also preceded the previous month by The Story Girl.)  These books are (a bit loosely) the inspiration for Kevin Sullivan's "Road to Avonlea" television series (yes, the same Kevin Sullivan who made the lovely "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea").  One little disclaimer, as with anything, not everything in the "Road to Avonlea," or even these stories, would I endorse.  For example, in the television series, I downright (strongly) dislike the way the siblings can treat one another.  With everything we watch or read, we use discernment and we discuss it all.  On the other hand, it's hard not to want to live in a beautiful little village like Avonlea on Prince Edward Island and every time I see that "White Sands Hotel," I think I must just go there someday!

 

Back to the story....I am not going to go into elaborate detail of what it is about here.  You'll have to read for yourself if you are curious.  But some of this may not make as much sense to you without knowing the book.  That's how books are.  (I also like how reading can give your family fun "inside jokes" that are shared).  In short, the children of the story decide to pass the winter time by creating their own publication, which they simply call "Our Magazine."  It reminds me of "The Pickwick Society" in Little Women.  It is a mostly witty look at the everyday occurrences in their lives in Carlisle.  Each child contributes a column to "Our Magazine."  Editorials, stories, an etiquette department, personals, fashion notes, ads, poetry, a household department, and just plain funny paragraphs are all included. 

 

Young Warrior was ready to go.  He gathered his two younger sisters and they convened together in the quiet little space of a bedroom and began assembling their own publication, affectionately called "The C.B.H. Publication."

Yes, it too, has many columns of interest:  Historical notes, stories of dreams (this was another part of The Golden Road), poetry, funny stories, and our Family-Way-of-the-Week.

 

They re-emerged from their workshop later that afternoon and shared their publication, which gave us lots of fun laughs.  A delight indeed!

 

Here's another story inspiration.

Inspired by another blog post, we found out that there was a Hobbit Challenge Lego contest.  And it was due tomorrow!  Young Warrior set to work with all of his free time during that day.  He consulted with Mommy about what Rivendell looks like and with Daddy about how to create special effects.  No, he has not seen the movie, and somehow I think these challenges make a bit of an assumption that children are watching the movie, but it certainly is not necessary.  Books give plenty of food for the imagination.  It's just tough to come up with some things without a little bit of visual ("Mommy, what does Elrond look like?"). 

 

The challenge given was to show the scene of Bilbo and the dwarves being led by Gandalf to Rivendell where they meet Elrond.  Elrond reads the moon-letters on their map.  Now Young Warrior is not endowed with all of the latest Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Legos (he wants to win them, which is the motivation for the contest).  The only LOTR set he has is Gandalf's wagon.  So he did a good job coming up with ways to make dwarves and Elrond out of regular Lego guys.

 

Like their cotton-ball beards?

 

 

Notice the waterfall on the left side.

 

He has been enjoying his little film-making endeavors and we are proud of his efforts.  All of this joy from the habit of reading good books together.

 

"At evening when the lamp is lit,

Around the fire my parents sit;

They sit at home and talk and sing,

And do not play at anything.

 

Now, with my little gun, I crawl

All in the dark along the wall,

And follow round the forest track

Away behind the sofa back.

 

There, in the night, where none can spy,

All in my hunter's camp I lie,

And play at books that I have read

Till it is time to go to bed.

 

These are the hills, these are the woods,

These are my starry solitudes;

And there the river by whose brink

The roaring lions come to drink.

 

I see the others far away

As if in firelit camp they lay,

And I, like to an Indian scout,

Around their party prowled about.

 

So, when my nurse comes in for me,

Home I return across the sea,

And go to bed with backward looks

At my dear Land of Story Books."

 

~"The Land of Story Books"

Robert Louis Stevenson

 



In Search

Look what we found...

 

 

No, it's not the seagulls, though we did indeed find them.  And we would have liked to do a happy dance like theirs at our discovery.

 

It's not driftwood, though Young Warrior sure had fun making himself a fort among the rocks.

 

It's not crabs, though the children enjoyed watching the "fishermen" on the bay casting their crab-catching cages and reeling in these amazing creatures.

 

It's not seashells, though we love to find them and search for treasures in the sand.

 

 

Do you see the hints of it?  The gleaming water?  The shadows?  That certain sparkle?

 

 

 

There it is again, framing this surfer, of which there were many out on this day.

 

 

Surely the blue sky gives it away now!  Oh, it really is GLORIOUS when you haven't seen it for a good couple of weeks.  It's particularly glorious in THIS place!

 

 

And best of all, it's GLORIOUS when it illumines the ones you love engulfed in their own little bit of mirth.  Lips are indeed funny things.

 

Surely by now you've guessed?  Why, it's the SUN of course!  We've been missing it around here, stuck in a freezing fog.  We took a family day to find it and it was so worth finding.  Yes, we're still wrapped in coats at winter's brisk air, but it's ever so much better when sharing walks at the seaside with loved ones and feeling the warmth of that long-lost friend shining down on our faces.

 

So many wonders in God's creation to enjoy.  It was a perfect day to stay awake to it all.

Stay Awake

 

"This is what all the great artists and thinkers do--they stay awake to the wonder of God's world.  Great thinkers are the grateful thankers."
 

~Ann Voskamp
 

"There just isn't any need to complain, because whatever circumstances God sends--rain and snow, sickness, and trouble of various kinds--he sends in order to bless us.  But it is impossible to keep an eye out for God's blessings while harboring a complaining spirit.  Grumbling about hard things blocks our expectation of good things, and if we are not looking for good things, we may fail to see them when they come.  That's part of why thankfulness is so important.  Offering thanks to God, no matter what is going on in our lives, is a way of acknowledging that he knows exactly what he is doing and that we can trust him."
 

~Lydia Brownback, "Joy"
 

"And so I have to say that another of the golden threads is gratitude.

All through that bad time, when Virgil's absence was wearing into us, when "missing" kept renaming itself more and more insistently as "dead" and "lost forever," I was yet grateful.  Sometimes I was grateful because I knew I ought to be, sometimes because I wanted to be, and sometimes a sweet thankfulness came to me on its own, like a singing from somewhere out in the dark.

I was grateful because I knew, even in my fear and grief, that my life had been filled with gifts."
 

~Wendell Berry, "Hannah Coulter"
 

"I am not made for perilous quests," cried Frodo.  "I wish I had never seen the Ring!  Why did it come to me?  Why was I chosen?"

"Such questions cannot be answered," said Gandalf.  "You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not posess; not for power or wisdom, at any rate.  But you have been chosen and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have."
 

~J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring"
 

"It is an extraordinary and beautiful thing that God, in creation, uses precisely the same tools and rules as the artist; he works with the beauty of matter; the reality of things; the discoveries of the senses, all five of them; so that we, in turn, may hear the grass growing; see a face springing to life in love and laughter; feel another human hand or the velvet of a puppy's ear; taste food prepared and offered in love; smell--oh, so many things:  food, sewers, each other, flowers, books, new-mown grass, dirt...

Here, in the offerings of creation, the oblations of story and song, are our glimpses of truth."
 

~Madeleine L'Engle, "Glimpses of Grace"

Thoughts I want to take to heart in a new year.  A year for me I hope will be characterized by more "quiet" and better "habit"; not meaning, of course, that I expect my life or surroundings to be "quiet" always.  Just that I want to stay awake to these words and to the work of God in me, in those I love, and in His great and glorious creation around me.

I'm off to get out of "the fog" that is characteristic of our climate this time of year, and find some sunshine.  Off to be awake to the wonder of God's world around me and to stir up some beauty and creativity.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
 

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18