Of Houses, Wood Cook Stoves, and Shoes

Truly, sometimes I nearly feel guilty for how much our family has been blessed.

  If I were to take you an a tour through our home,

I could tell you story after story of how nearly every piece of furniture

and nearly every decorative item has been given to us.  

I could tell you of times when we asked God to heal 

and he did. 

I could recall times when my flesh was failing and I called out to God for strength,

and He gave it.

  I would remember situations that had me completely stumped so I prayed for wisdom, 

and it was given.

God is a god who cares. 

He cares deeply. 

He cares about the little things.  No matter is too small.

I have a story to tell about how God cares, how He provides. 

This very week, the hand of providence blessed us again...

But really, to tell this story right, I should go back into time about 11 years.

  We had 4 children, with baby number five on the way, 

when my dear husband felt called to become a pastor. 

In our interview with a mission board, we had declared that we were a quiver full family, 

so the question came up of how we expected a church to accommodate a large family,

being that each church in our mission comes with a parsonage.  

My husband bravely answered that should God bless us with a large family, 

we would trust Him to provide for their needs, including adequate housing.

  Little did we know... We could not have possibly imagined.... how God would do that. 

A few years later, with children sleeping on the floor, on the couches, in our bed, 

our little parsonage was bursting at the seams. 

If you haven't read way back on this blog, 

you may not be aware that it was then

that God moved a man in our church to give us several acres of timbered land. 

Our family then began building a large log home on that land.

  We had no idea what we were doing.

We could not get a loan.  

But 7 years later, we moved in.

That was almost two years ago now. 

The Lord has been munificent beyond all our biggest hopes and dreams.  

He is a VERY trustworthy, capable loving Father who loves to give good gifts to His children! 

As we put our trust in Him with our family size, with our life, even the small details,  

He has shown us He is faithful. 

There is a long, long list of the ways He has heaped blessings upon us,

furnishing us this life that one reads about here.

The latest of these good gifts to arrive at the lodge 

is a gorgeous Home Comfort wood cook stove in great condition. 

We had always wanted to put in a wood cook stove, for additional heating in the coldest of weather, allowing a savings on propane from our giant Wolf stove for cooking during the winter,

and for general preparedness sake,

but we lacked the ability to purchase one when we put the kitchen together. 

Still, I had hoped and planned a location for it, 

and held on to the idea of some day having a wood cook stove.

Then a few weeks ago I got an email from a friend who had a stove that they wanted to give us,

and they would bring it out to the lodge for us!

(Snoopy dancing) 

This stove is yet another testament that God provides, and we can rest in that.  

We can move on it too, like we did when we began building. 

You see, we didn't know how we were going to do it, 

but we started in faith, having a very keen sense that it was God's hand guiding us.  

Sometimes it means waiting for God to do something,

instead of running out and gaining the whatever.  

It is really all about relationship... 

Talking to the Creator who made us and knows every hair on our head,

keeps our every tear in a bottle.

The very first instance of experiencing God in this way that I can remember was nearly 20 years ago when John was about 9 months old. 

I prayed, "You know Lord, we really need to get a pair of shoes for John who just started walking. We trust that in your way and your time, you will provide." 

My next trip to town, I headed for the thrift store, a few dollars in hand, praying all the way.  

I went directly to the children's shoes,

hoping that by some miracle I would find something to fit his fat little feet. 

I remember believing God would supply.  

What I didn't count on, was the shoes being a pair of like new, leather, double E, Stride Rights!

  They were $2.98, and I had in my pocket three dollars and some change.

  Right then and there I knew that this was real. 

This was no fake religion, some crutch, with some false, dead god.

  My God is real.

  My God is living! 

And it floors me to this day to know and see day after day

how He cares about the little things in my life. 

Little things like shoes,

or big heavy things like cook stoves,

or a big house for crazy people with 9 children.

We need to believe God, to trust Him, to go to him with our needs time after time, 

for the big things and the little things.... 

looking to Him for wisdom,

healing,

provision, 

strength for the day.

  He cares. 

He knows our needs. 

He knows our situation.  

He loves to give.

  Sometimes, I think,

He is just waiting for us to ask, and trust.

The Quiet Basket and Blanket Time

Here is an old post, worth re visiting.

I don't know about you, but our children are not naturally quiet.

  Therefore, I must take time to teach them to play quietly, a skill that comes in very handy. 

Our little ones sit in church with us, and those under 5 yrs old are allowed to entertain themselves, whereas the older children are expected to listen and take notes, sing, and sit still. 

Also, there are times, like conferences, doctors offices, etc,

that it is well worth my time to have instructed them in playing contentedly for some time. 

 I have constructed what we call the quiet basket, 

which is a basket weave hand bag
full of interesting and secret things that are for special times only. 
Everything is oriented towards quiet/silent play. 

Since I have a variety of ages, I am always on the look out for new things to put in my basket. 

I have acquired most of the items at thrift shops, 

but the Learning Store and places like Timberdoodle have made some wonderful exceptions.

 If I have more than my basket can hold, that is great,

because I can shuffle in new items on occasion.

  The children are very intrigued,  and eager to discover what is in the basket, 

so they settle down with delight.

  The way we practice, is by bringing out the basket every once in a while,

like an evening when daddy is gone, and sit quietly on the floor,

possibly on a blanket, so there are boundaries.  

After everyone has sat still for  a few minutes, they are allowed to get an item out and play.

  

I am really looking forward to going to the Christian Heritage Home school Conference

in Seattle again this year. 

It has been a lot of fun stockpiling the quiet basket with new surprises for the conference.

  With little more than a month left before we head west

to enjoy Ken Ham and all the other great speakers,

I just have a few more things to add to the basket.  

Here are some items which our basket contains:  

Various activity and coloring books, 

chenille pipe cleaners,

lacing shapes,

magnetic puzzles,

small felt board, 

sticker books, 

markers, 

children magazines, like Ranger Rick, Highlights, and Nature Friend.  

An MP3 with various audio books and kid music, like Go Fish!

We have always wanted our babies to sit quietly, on our lap, or on a blanket. 

Since we seem to produce wiggly/adhd type children, 

this meant that we blanket train the baby.  

How we did this was the same way we trained the puppy.  

A few minutes on the blanket at a time,

every day,

with incremental increases in the amount of time per day.  

Review is often necessary, especially when the baby starts being mobile.

When our first child was about a year old, we had a horse disaster,

which occupied both Brian and I for some time.  

We set John on a blanket under a tree within view, and cared for the injured horse.  

He never left the blanket, and the horse was tended to and eventually mended, 

meanwhile the toddler was safe and content. 

Since then, I have always thought it a most necessary training,

being the preparedness minded mama that I am. 

I have never considered it anything other than time well spent.

Theology of Preschoolers

My husband and I were casually browsing through a gift store, something we like to do together, when all of the sudden I laughed out loud.  On the wall in front of me was a sign that read, "boy: a sound with dirt on it."  Now, I do not take myself so seriously that I could not laugh at the sign, but, the truth is that this is bad theology.  To think of small children as less than eternal souls, blessings from God, and sweet munchkins is to lose sight of a biblical World view and, even for a moment, embrace the world's philosophy that children are a burden, a pain,  disposable, and anything but a blessing.  For this reason I dislike terms like rugrats, kids, brats, imps, or any such deplorable brand. 

Biblical theology of little ones means that first we believe what the Bible says about small children, and then we act on that belief.  It also means that we understand how God parents us, and we follow His example.
Psalm 127:3 tells us that children are a blessing.  Websters defines a blessing as something that contributes to our happiness and prosperity. Two-year-olds are a blessing.  In fact, they are hilarious.  I think everyone should have one.  What other age child thinks up the things a two year old does, and does them so cutely, with still chubby cheeks and words that are not perfect?  Even if a four year old thought up putting the tambourine around their middle  to wear like a hoola hoop and dancing through the house joyfully singing, it just wouldn't be the same.  Two-year-olds take the cake in my book.

Psalm 127:5  Happy is the man who has a lot of children. Notice here that it does not say he is bedraggled, gritting his teeth and losing his hair.  It says he is happy.  The normal biblical product of lots of children, even multiple preschoolers, is happiness.  If this is not the case then, something is out of order.
So we understand that little children are a good thing.  Having three children under the age of three is good. Having four children under the age of 5 is a good thing!  Having lots of children is good, good, good. If you find yourself surrounded by little dimpled hands, little diapered bottoms and not so little disasters all over the house, you know for sure that you are living the good life.

Before you quit reading, let me remind you that I have had at least two preschoolers consecutively for 18 years.  I am speaking from belief and experience.
If you come to me and say, in an exasperated, mournful way, "I have four children, ages 5 and under!"  I will reply by enthusiastically proclaiming, "Congratulations, you are truly blessed."  You see, we first need to look at our circumstances through biblical lenses.  It helps our perspective, which helps our attitude, which helps our behavior.
Once we recognize and embrace the idea that our little ones are precious gifts from the Lord, we will be better able to not just cope with, but enjoy and love life in the little years.

 This leads  me to the second thought of biblical theology of preschoolers.
I don't believe that having your hands full of preschoolers means your life is an uncontrollable zoo; something to be swallowed like a large vitamin, hoping it goes down quickly.
Jesus said that he came that we may have life and that abundantly.  He has meant for us to enjoy a lavish life, not merely survive until the children are in gradeschool. Living with little ones does not mean that ideals and romance are put on the shelf until everyone is over 10.  There is all kinds of beauty and lovliness to be experienced with your little lambs. This time that they are little goes by very fast, we need to make the most of it.  We as mothers are the ones responsible for the atmosphere. It will be what you make it.  These first years will set the stage for the rest of their lives, so we ought to be sure that we do our utmost to make every moment count, make beautiful memories, make strong, loving relationships with our wee ones that will last all their days.
I remember reading the unabridged Bambi to our first daughter when she was only months old.  She sat on my lap and listened to my words, my voice.  She was early to talk and early to read.  I cannot help but think that those lovely winter days spent reading aloud to her helped shape those first steps. In short, anything that promotes relationship is worth investing in.  I do not regret, ever, rocking a child to sleep.  I do regret letting a baby cry in a room alone for a long period of time.  I do not regret spending the entire afternoon playing with a one year old on the floor, then having nothing but pb and j to eat for dinner.  I do regret times when I have been so absorbed in a project that my little ones suffered for lack of attention from mommy. Living beautifully with your little ones means taking time for them, putting them first.  It means making friends with your one year old, loving their company.  If you have never decorated cookies or made homemade pasta with a bunch of small ones I would venture to say that you are missing out on great, great moments.

When we parent the way God parents, we find much greater joy and fulfillment than the way the world parents.  The world tells us to buy lots of colorful toys, put them in a room and toss in a few little ones, then go do our thing, whether that be the laundry, facebook, cleaning, reading a book, or whatever.  The problem is, the little ones are  bound to get into trouble, make a mess, fight, and use their creativity in all kinds of bad bad ways.  Then the parent comes in and tries to make sense of it, clean it up, stop the fight and figure out what is fair.  This is not good parenting.
When we become children of God, He does not leave us alone to fend for ourselves and just clean up and restore order when needed.  He is with us every step of the way, communicating and talking to us. Even when we mess up, He is patient and loving.  What this tells me about my little ones is that wisdom is bringing them alongside of me as I go throughout the day.  It is all about relationship.  When I wash dishes, I may have the baby in the ergo and the two year old on a chair, helping.  When I fold laundry, we all work together, when the baby naps, I do too.  We read together, We go on walks together, I talk to them along the way, they talk to me, they tell me stories about when they were little, and we have a good time.  When they want to play, I play with them, all the time teaching them how to play nicely, how to share with baby sister, showing her how to stack the cups and rock the dolly, how to put the toys away when we are done with them, thus leaving room for the next thing we want to play with.  Too many times, little ones grow up not knowing how to play.  They go from one thing to the next, leaving a path of terror and destruction behind them. This philosophy doesn't work well with little ones, and it is equally devastating with young people. God does not give us endless freedoms with no instruction or responsibility and let us have at it.  He has provided instruction for every step, he gives us a little responsibility at a time, increasing until we are faithful with much. 
You can tell a wise mama when you see her three year old looking out the window and exclaim, "look, mama, a waxwing!"  Now there's a child who has joy of observing nature and marvels at creation.  This child is conscience of beauty, and sharing it with others.  There's a child who is under good training.  Contrast that with the three year old boy I just met at the hospital the other day.  He was with his dad and they were having a time of it.  Dad would say, "sit here with me, we have to wait."  The boy loudly argued, "but I want a car, a car, a car, car! " Dad says, "when we are done here, we will go to a store and get you a new car."  Boy says, "I want one NOW!  I WANT A CAR!"  I was not feeling any beauty in this situation, nor did I think was the dad.  I can only imagine what life was like at home.  This poor little guy was miserable, even when dad finally went in the gift shop and bought him a toy, the boy was not happy.  One can easily surmise that his parents do not spend any great length of time enjoying him, teaching him, and training him so that he could enjoy life. Don't get me wrong, all children have their moments, as do all mamas.  Those moments are handled very differently and occur at different intervals in nurturing homes than in a typical American homes today. The point is, we were made for relationship.

A child who is lovingly nurtured is settled, happy, and obedient, a joy to be around.  For mothers, this means we must, must, must spend lots of time with our children teaching them, training them, loving them.  It will not do to be merely present in the same room.  We need to engage them, connect with them, and that deeply. In this way, we fill their little love tanks full to the top. Herein are happy, sweet memories of you with your little people made. Here is an abundant life you will not regret. Such memories help us endure those painful moments like the afternoon when the dog got a hold of a dirty diaper and drug it down the stairs at the same moment the five year old poured molasses over his head getting it out of the cupboard, and while cleaning that up you hear the baby crying and realize that the two year old is giving all the stuffed animals baths in the sink with a whole tube of toothpaste.  When you have a bunch of sweet little blessings running around those things really do happen.  But, if our perspective is biblical, our outlook can quickly change from, "O God, I thought you loved me!", to "O God, this is hilarious, thank you for all these little blessings, now please help me clean up after them!"

Making Paper Beads

Rose brought home some beautiful jewlery from Africa last fall.

Some of the colorfully beaded necklaces were made from paper.

Inspired, she got on Utube and found a how to video so that she could make her own paper beads,

just like the ones she saw African women make.  

It may have turned into an obsession.  She is certainly motivated. 

Rose can now manufacture 40 beads per hour.  Around 80 beads are needed for each necklace.

First, we weeded out some old magazines, and she cut them up into long rectangles, 

from 1 cm on the wide end, going all the way down an 8x10 sheet, 

to 1 inch on the wide end.

The wider the paper, the longer the bead.

Then, she rolls the paper onto a toothpick, starting with the wide end, 

and making sure the paper stays centered, and tight. 

At the end of the triangle, a little glue is needed to stick the end down.

Rose stabs her toothpicks through a cardboard box while the bead dries.

Once the beads are dried, Rose paints them with a craft varnish. 

Clear fingernail polish works really well too.  

Once painted, they are stuck back into the cardboard to dry, then they are done.

For stringing the beads, Rose uses a craft filament, placing eye beads in between the paper beads, 

and securing the necklace with a clasp hold.  

We have found that our children under 8 years old are not really able to make the beads,

and that 1 year olds LOVE ripping up magazine paper.

Thicker paper produces fatter beads. 

The African's paper of choice is cat food bags.

Really, any paper will do.

Wintery Walk

Every afternoon we can watch the deer crossing the meadow just below the house.

This day I counted 17.

With beautiful blue sky overhead,

my dear sweet husband insisted I get out for a walk down the freshly plowed driveway.  

Ahh it was good. 

I do love a walk in the afternoon. 

Refreshed, I am ready to face the rest of the day,

the demands of the little ones,

the responsibilities of so many tender hearts. 

It is easy to feel overwhelmed, 

torn in 10 different directions with the needs of those I live with.

  But I know in Whom my strength is, 

and I know that though my flesh fails, God is the strength of my heart. 

I am reminded that for eternity's sake, I must persevere when I feel like giving up.
And too, that if I have a clean house and homemade bread,
but have not love:  kindness and patience and gentleness...
I am not getting anywhere, I am accomplishing nothing.

As I walk through the door,
there they are,
the adorable little ones clamoring for my attention, 

all of them at once. 

How I can get grumpy with such lovable, wonderful children is suddenly a mystery.

Nearly every day we bake something or other to keep the littles from starving in midafternoon,
or so they claim.
Inticed by the aroma of fresh baked cookies,
Gabe comes out of his fort,
which today, he says, is Africa.

It is so important that we live each and every day to the full,
making the most of every moment.
Which means not giving in to the constant temptation to be snippy, grumpy, or irritable.
I am grateful for this perspective.
I know that the mother's role in the home is powerful,
I know that every moment matters.
and yet, I find I need that refreshing,
that time to get ahold of my attitude and renew my focus.

 This mama of littles is often drained by the challenges and relentlessness of parenting.
  But,  I am thankful that a mama's love is also instantly recharged
with a heartfelt smile from her child,
or a glance at the sleeping babe,
or the wet slobbery kiss of a three year old.

I have heard it said that the greatest reward for our work
is not what we get paid for it,
but what we become by it.
Thus, the Lord sanctifies me through my children,
and that is just one more reason they are a blessing.

 

It is amazing what a little walk can do.

Dinner and a Blizzard

Large fluffy flakes of snow have turned wet and icy,

diminishing our three feet of snow into a heavy compact of white, 

still falling yet, on day four,

frosting our winter wonderland in beauty, 

the kind of beauty one prefers to watch from inside. 

We are perfectly happy to spend these days home, 

all meetings and goings having been canceled.

Outdoors, a slippery, thick mess,

difficult to shovel and plow, 

sliding off the roof in thunderous heaps that shake the whole house.

Indoors, we are warm and cozy, and,

on a creative streak.

Rose has figured out how to make paper beads, like they do in Africa. 

She and Jim spent the better part of the afternoon

turning old magazines into beautiful beads 

that Rose can fabricate into colorful, long necklaces.

Anna set up a new sewing area near the fireside 

and made a much needed new apron.

It is so handy to have everything right at hand and organized,

that I sewed up two skirts for Bethany, something I have been going to do for months.

There are many lures of country life, 

but one must also consider the hardships of working outdoors in nasty conditions

to keep the road open, the paths to outdoor buildings to be shoveled, and the wood box filled. 

Then too, living in a wood heat only home

means that next to the fire may be the only warm place in the house.  

The farther one gets from the stove, the cooler it will be. 

Living on solar power during a four day storm means there is little natural electricity made,

and the generator and batteries will have to be turned on, watched, and turned off, 

the electricity usage in the house managed tightly.  

Therefor, the comforts afforded are all the more appreciated. 

When daylight fades, everyone starts to slow down and relax, 

looking forward to the pleasure of a good meal and a warm fire. 

The hearty, savory flavor of beef stew, or elk, in our case,

combined with Rose's beautiful honey oat bread 

made for an especially delectable dinner to close the day. 

We have been reading aloud in great lengths these long winter evenings, 

with one light spared to be on after dinner. 

The Little House series provides just the right occasion for all to gather near the fire, 

listening about that terrible long winter,

the great grasshopper weather,

and life in a soddy as only Laura Ingalls can tell.

Pa was right, I think, especially in a snowstorm, that

"Mid pleasures and palaces

though we may roam

Be it ever so humble

There's no place like home."

Sharing a Friend

Today I was perusing a friend's blog and thought it is too good to keep to myself,

so I simply must share.

My friend, Sherry, is a kindred spirit and a most inspiring domesticator. 

I encourage you to go over here and have a gander.

If you love Jesus, 

books, 

cooking, 

baking, 

sewing, 

crafting,

homeschooling,

  or creating a beautiful life for your family,

you won't be disappointed.