Last night Matt and I went on a date. My cell phone rang as soon as we got to the restaurant which is about a five minute drive from our house. Grace asked, "Did you take Lydia with you?"
"No, we didn't. You'd better find her and call me as soon as you do," I said.
Not five minutes later I got the call--Lydia was safe and sound, but a bit shaken. She had locked herself in the chicken house. She was in there for less than ten minutes, but she got a good scare.
"Mom," Grace said, "she went in through the big door, crawled out through the chicken hatch, locked the big door, then crawled back in through the chicken hatch when it slammed down behind her. Elizabeth went outside yelling for her and found her."
Then I heard Lydia in the background. "Gracie, be sure and tell her about the crying part!"
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Special Delivery
Yesterday morning we got a call from the Post Office (one day earlier than we expected) telling us that our baby chicks had arrived. Matt drove down there, picked them up and brought them home. Twenty five little fuzzy chicks were in a box the size of a shoe box. We now have added nine black sex links , eight golden wyandottes and eight silver laced wyandottes to our three other chickens.
Matt unloaded them all from the box and placed them in their new home--a cordoned off corner of the chicken house. All the kids, not wanting to miss one moment of the excitement, packed into the chicken house with him. As each chick was taken from the box, Matt dunked its beak in water to show it how to drink.
The chicks are so tiny that they kept escaping their little enclosure by squeezing through the holes in the chicken wire. They'll get bigger fast enough, though. We don't expect any eggs from them until next spring. Our next job will be to figure out how to keep them safe from the neighbor dog so that we insure we will get those long- expected eggs.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Happenings
The irises that I brought over from our old house last summer have bloomed in their new location by our shed. I've learned from experience that irises are just about impervious to any kind of neglect you can throw at them--my kind of plant.
Gracie and I canned pickled asparagus. I usually do this every other year, but I missed last year because we were in the midst of moving. Three years ago, I washed, snapped, cut, measured out spices and made the brine all by myself. It took me all day to can fourteen jars of pickled asparagus. This year, with Gracie's help, it only took three hours. I feel like I've hit a new and wonderful stage of motherhood!
This past weekend we pecked away at our ever-lengthening list of chores. We did get the living room painted, including the fireplace. We also attended a family reunion, which gave us a pleasant break from our labors.
We've had chocolate crosses and chocolate bunnies from Grandma Jane on top of our fridge in a big box since Easter. I decided I'd have a little fun yesterday by yelling "Who wants chocolate?" after lunch. Quite a stampede ensued. I even let them eat the whole bunny or cross if they wanted (no problem for Joel). Am I every kid's dream mom, or what?
Our most recent trip to the library was fruitful--at least for Paul. Here are the books he chose.
Paul has added a small hatchet (with Daddy's strict instruction to be careful) to his Davey Crockett ensemble. Paul accidentally left his long rifle at his cousins' house a couple of weeks ago. He was finally reunited with it this past weekend, for which he was very happy. Here he is by Fort Macduff.
Gracie and I canned pickled asparagus. I usually do this every other year, but I missed last year because we were in the midst of moving. Three years ago, I washed, snapped, cut, measured out spices and made the brine all by myself. It took me all day to can fourteen jars of pickled asparagus. This year, with Gracie's help, it only took three hours. I feel like I've hit a new and wonderful stage of motherhood!
This past weekend we pecked away at our ever-lengthening list of chores. We did get the living room painted, including the fireplace. We also attended a family reunion, which gave us a pleasant break from our labors.
We've had chocolate crosses and chocolate bunnies from Grandma Jane on top of our fridge in a big box since Easter. I decided I'd have a little fun yesterday by yelling "Who wants chocolate?" after lunch. Quite a stampede ensued. I even let them eat the whole bunny or cross if they wanted (no problem for Joel). Am I every kid's dream mom, or what?
Our most recent trip to the library was fruitful--at least for Paul. Here are the books he chose.
Paul has added a small hatchet (with Daddy's strict instruction to be careful) to his Davey Crockett ensemble. Paul accidentally left his long rifle at his cousins' house a couple of weeks ago. He was finally reunited with it this past weekend, for which he was very happy. Here he is by Fort Macduff.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Lessons from Julia
My grandmother gifted us some money this past Christmas and we bought a treadmill with it. Matt bought me a t.v. with a dvd player off of Craigslist as a Christmas present so that I could watch something while I'm walking (which keeps me from getting motion sick). I've found I'm less stressed out and worn out if I walk in the mornings.
I've watched about twenty dvds on biblical child training and discipleship while walking on the treadmill. Now I need to wait for the budget to handle another order of dvds. In the meantime, I have picked up several dvds from the library to watch. I've watched the history of chicken and egg production in the U.S. and now am working my way through several cooking dvds.
This morning I watched the "French Chef" while I was walking. It was the good old black and white version of Julia Child making Crepes Suzette. I love to watch Julia. She just wouldn't cut it on today's food shows, though--she made too many mistakes. The opening shot of crepe batter flowing into the pan and a big glop falling onto the stove wouldn't be "pretty enough" for today's food shows. The rubber spatula flying out of the mixer bowl would be another t.v. "no no." It's never a good plan to try to scrape down the sides of the bowl when the beaters are going full boar (but how many times have I, in an attempt to skip the step of turning off the mixer before scraping, tried the very same thing?). That's Julia--you get to see her, warts and all--and most likely, she's making the same mistakes you've made yourself.
Julia ,a.k.a. "The Butter Queen," did make very good use of her favorite ingredient in the Crepes Suzette episode. "This dessert isn't exactly low cal," she warbled. No kidding. I think I gained a couple of pounds just watching her make the crepes. (Believe me the irony of being on the treadmill and watching Julia was not lost on me this morning.)
Julia didn't have fancy kitchen equipment like the TV chefs of today, either. She used a good old fashioned coil top stove, just like the one I use. As for the task of procuring the needed orange zest for the crepe butter, she didn't pull out a zesting rasp, just an simple vegetable peeler. She then finished off the zest by finely chopping it with her chef's knife.
Julia then showed how to prepare the Crepes Suzette table side. "You might want to practice this beforehand so that you learn to do it well before you do it in front of your dinner guests. Oh, I'm really making a mess of this one, aren't I? (as she gouged a big whole in the crepe) Oh well, I'll just tuck that one underneath the others."
Julia wasn't afraid to look a little silly on camera. She had the heart of a teacher and she wanted good cooking techniques to be accessible to all. She made cooking accessible by making herself accessible.
Other than learning how to make crepes, Julia reminded me of a deeper lesson today. When I admit I'm not perfect to others, I put them at ease and their ears are more open to what I have to say. I make myself more accessible to people when I admit that I make mistakes. I'm a sinner, but I have a Savior who loves me so deeply that He was willing to die for me. Jesus covered my sin with His atoning death. In respect to the Gospel, I've heard it said that it is just "one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread." Not French croissants either, but the Bread of Life :)
I've watched about twenty dvds on biblical child training and discipleship while walking on the treadmill. Now I need to wait for the budget to handle another order of dvds. In the meantime, I have picked up several dvds from the library to watch. I've watched the history of chicken and egg production in the U.S. and now am working my way through several cooking dvds.
This morning I watched the "French Chef" while I was walking. It was the good old black and white version of Julia Child making Crepes Suzette. I love to watch Julia. She just wouldn't cut it on today's food shows, though--she made too many mistakes. The opening shot of crepe batter flowing into the pan and a big glop falling onto the stove wouldn't be "pretty enough" for today's food shows. The rubber spatula flying out of the mixer bowl would be another t.v. "no no." It's never a good plan to try to scrape down the sides of the bowl when the beaters are going full boar (but how many times have I, in an attempt to skip the step of turning off the mixer before scraping, tried the very same thing?). That's Julia--you get to see her, warts and all--and most likely, she's making the same mistakes you've made yourself.
Julia ,a.k.a. "The Butter Queen," did make very good use of her favorite ingredient in the Crepes Suzette episode. "This dessert isn't exactly low cal," she warbled. No kidding. I think I gained a couple of pounds just watching her make the crepes. (Believe me the irony of being on the treadmill and watching Julia was not lost on me this morning.)
Julia didn't have fancy kitchen equipment like the TV chefs of today, either. She used a good old fashioned coil top stove, just like the one I use. As for the task of procuring the needed orange zest for the crepe butter, she didn't pull out a zesting rasp, just an simple vegetable peeler. She then finished off the zest by finely chopping it with her chef's knife.
Julia then showed how to prepare the Crepes Suzette table side. "You might want to practice this beforehand so that you learn to do it well before you do it in front of your dinner guests. Oh, I'm really making a mess of this one, aren't I? (as she gouged a big whole in the crepe) Oh well, I'll just tuck that one underneath the others."
Julia wasn't afraid to look a little silly on camera. She had the heart of a teacher and she wanted good cooking techniques to be accessible to all. She made cooking accessible by making herself accessible.
Other than learning how to make crepes, Julia reminded me of a deeper lesson today. When I admit I'm not perfect to others, I put them at ease and their ears are more open to what I have to say. I make myself more accessible to people when I admit that I make mistakes. I'm a sinner, but I have a Savior who loves me so deeply that He was willing to die for me. Jesus covered my sin with His atoning death. In respect to the Gospel, I've heard it said that it is just "one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread." Not French croissants either, but the Bread of Life :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Looks like about a cord to me
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
We had a visitor to our wood pile yesterday. It's a bit late for Groundhog Day but we'll take suggestions for naming him.
Joel kept calling him(or her?) "Racooonnae". (--Matt)
We had a visitor to our wood pile yesterday. It's a bit late for Groundhog Day but we'll take suggestions for naming him.
Joel kept calling him(or her?) "Racooonnae". (--Matt)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Life Around Here
I found these planes while watering my house plants. They must have been conducting a reconnaissance mission or maybe they were downed by enemy fire. Who knows what goes on in a boy's imagination?
Here's the kid's new back yard fort created from the yet-to-be stacked firewood.
Here's Jude taking his first bath post ear tubes. He'll need to wear ear plugs whenever he is in water until the tubes fall out (about 2 years). Jude was none too pleased about the new bath procedure, but was soon distracted with the fun of splashing in the water (and getting water all over the kitchen floor--I think that was the last bath in the kitchen sink!).
Here's a sampling of some of the books I've been reading as of late. Devouring some, chewing others slowly, bite by bite. Taking all before the Lord and asking Him to change my heart the way He chooses.
Here's the kid's new back yard fort created from the yet-to-be stacked firewood.
Here's Jude taking his first bath post ear tubes. He'll need to wear ear plugs whenever he is in water until the tubes fall out (about 2 years). Jude was none too pleased about the new bath procedure, but was soon distracted with the fun of splashing in the water (and getting water all over the kitchen floor--I think that was the last bath in the kitchen sink!).
Here's a sampling of some of the books I've been reading as of late. Devouring some, chewing others slowly, bite by bite. Taking all before the Lord and asking Him to change my heart the way He chooses.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Boy Fashion
Paul would wear his camo pants every day if I let him, but every few days I peel them off of him and run them through the washer. The knees have long since worn out on the beloved camo pants and one of the belt loops has detached. I've told Paul on several occasions that we should just throw the pants away, but this only brings vehement protests. So I patch them and repatch them. This is what they looked liked as of yesterday, after the last patching. They're dying a slow death.
Paul also has a recently discovered affinity for belts. Belts make handy holders for swords, hammers and really big screwdrivers. Paul recently attached a very large padlock to his other favorite pair of pants (the kind that have the legs that zip off). For a few days the padlock provided much fun, until Paul lost the key for the lock. So we put the pants in the closet for a while (five weeks), hoping the key would turn up, but it didn't. Matt tried to pick the lock, but was unsuccessful. A hack saw did the trick and now my boy has his second favorite pair of pants back in his possession. Boy fashion-- its a style of its own.
Paul also has a recently discovered affinity for belts. Belts make handy holders for swords, hammers and really big screwdrivers. Paul recently attached a very large padlock to his other favorite pair of pants (the kind that have the legs that zip off). For a few days the padlock provided much fun, until Paul lost the key for the lock. So we put the pants in the closet for a while (five weeks), hoping the key would turn up, but it didn't. Matt tried to pick the lock, but was unsuccessful. A hack saw did the trick and now my boy has his second favorite pair of pants back in his possession. Boy fashion-- its a style of its own.
Sweet Gifts
I got some nice little gifts from little people on Mother's Day. Paul wrapped up his small baby blue New Testament for me. Gracie gave me a coupon for "Anything--babysitting, cooking, cleaning, etc." Lydia said, "Happy Birthday, Mama!" Elizabeth made these itsy bitsy canning jars of peaches, pears and blueberry, strawberry and plum jam out of clay. And Joel and Jude were just cute and cuddly and they let me snuggle and kiss them.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Ears to Hear
Jude got tubes placed in his ears today. The ENT who did the surgery said he's never seen an eight month old with as many ear infections as Jude has had (he's had eight). The doctor hoped the tubes would bring some relief, but only time will tell. Dare I even say it? I'll whisper it--maybe now we can start sleeping through the night . . .
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Favorite Food
Joel's favorite food (outside of chocolate) is cream cheese. He licks the cream cheese off of his morning bagel, asks Daddy to apply more cream cheese, licks that off, then eats a bite or two of the bagel and leaves the rest. This morning he decided to bypass the bagel.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Learning from Others
Paul says that the Israelites' sins were written down so that we might learn from them and not make similar mistakes in our own lives (1 Cor. 10:6). I don't have to learn things through my own experience. I can learn from other people. I can take to heart and try to emulate the ways of righteousness in others. I can let others' mistakes be a warning to myself and choose not to take the same path.
Today I was confronted with the consequences of sin in another person's life. As I clasped this person's hands in mine, tears flowed down both of our faces. The pain this person is going through in this season of life is horrendous. No human means can salve this person's hurts. Only the blood which flowed from our Savior's wounds can heal the agony.
As I reflected on my encounter with this person, I took away some lessons. I prayed that the Lord would allow me, by His grace, to apply these truths to my life.
1. Sin severs. It severs our relationship with our Heavenly Father, it severs the relationships we have with others. I need to "keep short accounts" and not let small hurts and injustices fester into deep growing roots of bitterness.
2. Be grateful. I need to never take for granted the blessings the Lord has mercifully bestowed upon me. I do not know if those blessings may no longer be a part of my life at some point down the road.
3. Take every thought captive. As a woman I have the power to build up my house or tear it down (Prov. 14:1). The consequences of my wrong actions may seem small today, but will eventually lead to the ruin of my family. I need to learn to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5), before those thoughts produce toxic attitudes and actions ("Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matt. 12:34). I don't want to end up alone in my old age because I've driven my family away. I want to be surrounded by my children and grandchildren.
3. End well. It's possible to be in a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ and then fall away from Him in the latter years of one's life. I want to end the "race set before me" (Heb. 12:1) well.
4. All the money and things in the world don't bring joy. Only our relationship with Jesus and the relationships we have with our dear ones, whether they be friends or family, bring deep and lasting joy.
I would rather learn the above lessons without having to learn them the hard way--through experience. However, I'm a sinner and I do make mistakes and unfortunately I do fall at times. Yet I do serve a merciful Savior who doesn't give me what I do deserve. So I press on and let the Holy Spirit have His way with me so that I may glorify my Father in Heaven.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom. 12:1
Today I was confronted with the consequences of sin in another person's life. As I clasped this person's hands in mine, tears flowed down both of our faces. The pain this person is going through in this season of life is horrendous. No human means can salve this person's hurts. Only the blood which flowed from our Savior's wounds can heal the agony.
As I reflected on my encounter with this person, I took away some lessons. I prayed that the Lord would allow me, by His grace, to apply these truths to my life.
1. Sin severs. It severs our relationship with our Heavenly Father, it severs the relationships we have with others. I need to "keep short accounts" and not let small hurts and injustices fester into deep growing roots of bitterness.
2. Be grateful. I need to never take for granted the blessings the Lord has mercifully bestowed upon me. I do not know if those blessings may no longer be a part of my life at some point down the road.
3. Take every thought captive. As a woman I have the power to build up my house or tear it down (Prov. 14:1). The consequences of my wrong actions may seem small today, but will eventually lead to the ruin of my family. I need to learn to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5), before those thoughts produce toxic attitudes and actions ("Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matt. 12:34). I don't want to end up alone in my old age because I've driven my family away. I want to be surrounded by my children and grandchildren.
3. End well. It's possible to be in a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ and then fall away from Him in the latter years of one's life. I want to end the "race set before me" (Heb. 12:1) well.
4. All the money and things in the world don't bring joy. Only our relationship with Jesus and the relationships we have with our dear ones, whether they be friends or family, bring deep and lasting joy.
I would rather learn the above lessons without having to learn them the hard way--through experience. However, I'm a sinner and I do make mistakes and unfortunately I do fall at times. Yet I do serve a merciful Savior who doesn't give me what I do deserve. So I press on and let the Holy Spirit have His way with me so that I may glorify my Father in Heaven.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom. 12:1
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