The Season of Celebration Begins

I recognize that in most American households, the traditional "holiday season" begins at about Thanksgiving.  Since we have been blessed with several autumn birthdays, it feels to me as though our celebrations begin around the middle of September, and continue straight on through until New Year's!  It makes it both extra fun, and perhaps extra busy.  But busy in a wonderful way.  For autumn is my favorite season.  I think those babies born in the fall have something to do with that.  Add to this mix, preparations for National Bible Bee and a big family trip to get there, the "every-dailies" of life and school and well, it is a little bit nonstop this year.  We are truly enjoying the journey, though!

Littlest Warrior had the first birthday of the season.  I like to do at least one literature-based birthday theme in my each of my children's lives.  To say we love good books and reading is an understatement!  Over the years I have done "Madeline," "Winnie-the-Pooh," "Curious George," "Rainbow Fish," and "Goodnight Moon."  All of these were chosen because they were that child's favorite at the time.  This year we had an owl theme based on the book "Owl Babies."  He discovered this book from our library stack several months ago and his big sister read it to him so many times that she memorized it.  He developed his own word for the name of this story, which is a special "inside-family" memory.  This same word he uses whenever he sees an owl.  Even though he also knows how to say the word, "owl."  Toddler language simply melts my heart!

 

Here is my rendition, in birthday cake glory, of the cover of the storybook.  He knew exactly what it was and he was SO excited!! (I taught myself, through a correspondence course years ago in early married life, the basic art of cake decorating and it has been one of the most useful skills I've ever learned to bless my family, and others, with beauty and fun!)

 

We also made these cute little cookies that I found by the inspiration of Pinterest.

I have mentioned before how much I treasure making handmade gifts for my loved ones, and this birthday was no exception.  I started off with a chalkboard placemat on which I wrote a birthday message to greet him in the morning.

 



 

And I finally finished this adorable pumpkin hat, which I actually began a year ago!  I made some little adaptations along the way to be sure it would still fit, and I just love how it turned out.

 

And then there was this last-minute inspiration that I could not resist!  A most-adorable owl hat!  He wasn't too sure about wearing it at first.  But he likes to wear it most when someone reads him the story and if someone else will wear a hat at the same time.   My favorite is when Tender Warrior puts the pumpkin hat atop his own head, while Little One wears his owl hat.

 

 

Aside from the actual birthday and holiday celebrations, I always look forward to this season because it brings an extra enthusiasm for our read-aloud time.  Not that we aren't always enthusiastic about this very favorite time in our day, but some seasons and some books are more inspiring than others for both Mama and children.  I am sure that you can relate.

 

 

 

More celebrations to come soon! 



Vignettes of Summer

It is still officially summer and not yet fall, but as school is back in the daily order of life, it seems a good time to recount the joyful memories we've made this summer.  Lots of pictures in this post!

First of all, a very fun and amazing outdoor day full of learning about everything from surviving in the wild to turkey calls to archery and how to shoot a shotgun.  Delightful day for my adventure-lovers!

Then there was music camp on a most lovely property.  A fun camping adventure, even if I did get 15 spider bites on one foot and a bunch on the other,  and my foot swelled badly, and the last bit of them are still healing!  It is worth it to give the children so much time outdoors with fun like this.

They even had their own fireworks.

This was where Littlest Warrior also had his first ice cream CONE.

This dear woman is wonderful with children.  She raised 8 very talented musicians on this lovely spot in a humble home.  Her spirit of hospitality and simple, gracious living, and her loving smile are so very inspiring to me as a mother.

Summer is full of Bible Bee around here.  And on this day there was a "Swarm" of Bible Bee-ers at the amusement park.  It was full of friends, laughter, activity and just plain FUN!  It was a little bit of revisiting childhood for me, as we used to go here every year for the annual Fireman's Picnic (and it was THE highlight of the year as a child)!

 I even talked my Tender Warrior into riding these "squirrel cages" with me!  Yes, here we are and yes, we even went upside-down.  It was a good thing he was wearing a hat because his height presented a bit of a problem and his head would press against the top of the cage when inverted.

There was even roller-skating for a little while.  The older ones got better at it and the younger ones tried out their new wheels and did great!

It was a very full and fun week, as in the same week we went to a most amazing time to celebrate the providences of our Lord in this country in honor of Independence Day.  It was hosted by the S. family, who are some of the most hospitable people I have ever known.  There were old-fashioned games, a homemade ice cream stand, presentations of music, history, and poetry, incredible food, zip lines, a pie contest, and so much more.  Beautifully done!  And I think this picture belongs in "Country Magazine" or something.  Love it!

We missed the fireworks, however, as we were en route to a wedding the next day in a town several hours away.  What an honor and delight to share with this beloved family, in the marriage of their daughter, whom we have known since she was a baby.  These dear ones have been long-time kindred spirit friends and I am so grateful that the years have continued to keep us close even though we have not lived near one another since those 2-1/2 years we were stationed together.  The evening sun was very bright, but I thought this moment between parents and daughter was so tender. 

With all of the wedding busy-ness, our time together was too short, but memorable nonetheless.

Then it was back home and time to prepare for the county fair.  We always seem to have loads of projects to submit.  One of the highlights is that Country Girl finally finished her 2-year project of hand-stitching (yes, every single stitch in it!) this commemorative quilt for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  She was rewarded with a Champion ribbon and a gift certificate, and it was a blessing to see her so rewarded for such a diligent effort.

Then it was off to a wonderful family camp!  The summer sun was hot and the weekend was exhausting, but again we shared fellowship, good music, food and adventures with wonderful people.  The hosts put on this camp for free.  They too are a shining example of blessing others with hospitality.

We returned home to catch up on laundry and get ready to host a baby shower for a sweet friend.  Country Girl and I had so much fun coming up with ideas that fit a western "country boy" theme.  She even made these wonderful cupcake toppers for me.

Next up, a local fiddle contest.  Country Girl, Adventure Girl, and Young Warrior all participated.  It was a lovely outdoor venue, a perfect weather sort of day, and full of fiddling friends.  They did well and one even advanced to the second round.

Several birthdays took place.  On my Tender Warrior's, I took him this "Mason Jar" themed picnic to the lovely grounds of his workplace to share a lunch date together.  I had so much fun finding foods that could be creatively served in Mason jars---caprese salad, sparkling lemonade, Greek yogurt parfaits, and cheesecake!  This picture doesn't really do it justice.  I also took a cut flower from home and floated it in water, and 2 votive candles.  Next time I will put the candles in deeper jars.  I could not light them because it was too breezy. :(  It was a beautiful picnic anyway.

We were finally able to visit my dear, sweet Grandma in her new care home.  I am grateful she is so well taken care of in a small, home-care setting since she had to leave her home earlier this year due to a fall.  She will be 94 years old in November!

And we're back to Bible Bee and Local Contest Day!  It was challenging and lots of fun for the children and young people who participated, and for all of us.  So many highlights wrapped up in this day.

Can you believe this AMAZING cake, made by one of our Bible Bee Moms????!!!  Our study this summer was on 1 John, and this cake is a wonderful reflection of the themes of light within that book.  I can appreciate this effort as a decorator of cakes.  Wow!  It was delicious too!

Contest rewards, and awaiting the results.....

We took a trip to our state fair so the children could participate with the fiddlers.  Since it was the same day as the Bob's Red Mill baking contest, I decided to enter.  And I got a 3rd place award!

And my Little Princess wanted to wear her older sister's Dorothy dress--the one I made for Adventure Girl's 4th Birthday.  She wore it to church recently, and it begged some photos.

So many delightful memories and so much to be thankful for this summer! 

A Peach of a Problem

 

So, maybe it wasn't so much of a problem.  Having daughters who care passionately about good and healthy (and yes, even beautiful!) food as much as I do sometimes gets us in trouble.  Not only that, but who can resist the call to venture outdoors to a local berry farm or orchard with that big "U-pick" sign?  Noticing that it is peach season, the children were eager to procure some.  I admit that sometimes it is challenging for me not to view it as a lot of work ahead.  For one knows that picking berries, peaches, apples or vegetables means one must take care of them rapidly so as not to lose any of that hard-earned money or time.  Fortunately I have one dear Country Girl who loves to can and preserve and she helps me out a ton!

So here's the dilemma...One huge peach orchard with a bumper crop, several very eager pickers, one toddler traipsing through the windfall peaches (and wearing them on his clothes and shoes), and one Mama testing which varieties of peach taste the best.  For the orchardist generously offered us to taste a few peaches knowing that her crop was abundant and that we wouldn't damage her profits by sampling.  I wish I had pictures of how quickly all the children grabbed their sample peach and devoured it!  Oh, there is nothing like peaches fresh from the orchard!  So, in the span of about 20 minutes I suddenly found that all of our boxes were approaching full and I was going to have to give the "stop" command, and I had not even picked a single peach myself!  Not too bad of a problem, really.  What IS a problem, is trying to get said children/pickers to stop picking.  Because peaches are just so FUN to pick!! They are easy, they are at child-level on the trees, they are big and they accumulate quickly!  And before we knew it we had over 100 pounds of peaches!!  Oh MY!  I began to wonder how we would take care of them all in a crazy busy week already. 

We brought home 3 heaping boxes this size and then some!

 

We brought them home (along with about 15 lbs of pickling cucumbers) and got to work.  Fortunately the weather was cooler, which added to the pleasure both of picking and of canning.  We decided to tackle the pickles first because they are easy!  After that, it was a long afternoon of preparing peaches---for canning, freezing, and drying.  I didn't take nearly enough pictures, of course.  I will honestly tell you that I briefly considered calling some friends to ask if they wanted to buy some of the peaches!  I really questioned whether we could get all of these peaches put up.  But we did it, I tell you.  By working TOGETHER.  Which made it all delightful.

In the past couple of weeks we have enjoyed and made fresh peaches, lots of peach smoothies (with whip cream on top, of course), dried peaches, canned peaches, peach salsa, peach syrup, my mother's and grandmother's peach cobbler recipe (which we just love!), and peach ice cream.  And we are still eating them having put some aside to keep in the refrigerator to last just a little while.

We took a little side trip last week to a historic park in our state as we were pacing our day trip between visiting my dear almost-94-year-old grandmother and our last Bible Bee "Hive" Celebration.  It was a last-minute inspiration, but oh, SO enjoyable.  It is located in such a beautiful area with so many lovely farms.  This park was in what used to be an 1860's town.  As we learned of its history, I was well-reminded of how many people came to this area because of how things grow here.  It really was viewed as an Eden of sorts (aside from the rain, I'm sure!).  It reminds me of how grateful I am for God's abundant blessings from the earth that we so often enjoy and can sometimes take for granted.

And as we continue to enjoy the bounty of gardens and local produce, I really do revel in setting a meal at my table that consists almost entirely of things grown in our own garden or in ones near us.  It is one of the greatest joys of summer.

So, my initial "problem" really proved to be only a pathway to great memories and blessing.  How nice to see these on our shelves and be reminded of how abundantly He has provided for us.

22

We just celebrated twenty-two years of married life.  Tender Warrior says that makes me his "22-year-old wife" :)  In honor of the occasion I have been spending some time adding some extra touches of beauty to our room this past week.  I have been wanting to put this verse on the wall over the headboard, but every time I think of it, I think to myself that I don't want to do it until the room gets newly painted because I don't want the effort to be wasted.  So I saw this idea on Pinterest and tailored it to the words that I wanted.

 

They were a fun little addition and quite easy to make.  I was a little surprised at some of the troubles I had with making the iron-on.  But in the end, it isn't perfect, (which I suppose is perfectly fitting, because neither are we!) but I like it very much.

 

Tender Warrior had been out on "Warrior-Duty" for the past two weeks and arrived home just in time to celebrate our anniversary.  How amazingly blessed we were to have our oldest three children make us this BEAUTIFUL and SCRUMPTIOUS breakfast!  Those peaches have a little story of their own.  I think I'll make that the next post.  Peach crepes, pancakes shaped as hearts, fresh peaches, homemade grape juice.....oh, I tell you they could open a Bed and Breakfast Inn!

 

And in the evening we shared a lovely dinner at a local "farm-to-table" restaurant that was outstanding!   It was one of those places you really only go on a special occasion like an anniversary.  The chef is French-trained, so the food was as beautiful as it was delicious!  And it is so fun for me to be inspired to create loveliness in the food I make at home (and get some ideas for what to do with the bounty of local produce we have right now).

 

So thankful for these years, and for how God has chosen to use the mystery of marriage to continue to teach us deep and abiding truths about our hearts, our sin, what it means to truly love another, and how He humbly uses it all to display the glory of Christ.  That is our sincere hope, anyway.

 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.....In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."

~1 John 4:7, 10-12, NKJV

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