Life at Providence Lodge

Theology of Preschoolers

2012-02-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

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.

The Beauty of Snow and The Beast

2012-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

Our long awaited snow is here!

... and it appears that winter is making up for the lack of the glorious white stuff

these past few months.

We have over two feet of new snow in the last 24 hours.

It is not supposed to stop until Thursday.

The children were so excited that I let them go wallow in the snow for a few hours

before beginning school today.

Then, this afternoon, they got to go out and help daddy

plow the driveway with "The Beast."

The Beast is our old highway snow plow, given to us by friends,

that allows daddy to keep our 1/2 mile long driveway manageable every winter.

What a blessing she is! A little terrifying, but a blessing.

Inside, Olivia stands on a chair watching it all through the window.

She hollers at the children outside in her unintellible dialect.

Everyone, except maybe the cat, is excited about the beautiful snow.

A Quiet Day

2012-01-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those very rare occassions;

it is a nice, quiet day,

as opposed to our usual nice and loud, busy day.

Several family members are out and about this weekend,

leaving me with only 5 children home, 10 yrs and under.

I chuckle at this, because when I first only had 5 children,

I was almost always overwhelmed with life, and now, 5 seems so simple and quiet.

It is especially quiet just now since the three youngest

have made nests here and there to snuggle down for a long winter nap.

Olivia, now still as a bug asleep on my lap, has been especially busy today,

taking dirt out of our poor abused Amaryllis,

strewing an entire package of diaper wipes across the house,

finding herself an arms length of toilet paper and taring it into tiny little pieces,

and attempting to climb just about everything.

All the time jabbering away in her own little language.

Every once in a while an intelligible word escapes. I question her and her word,

she grins and giggles, and goes on with her toilet paper.

Today, I don't mind, as long as she is safe and happy, I will gladly pick it up later.

With cousins here for the weekend to play with,

the boys have spent much of the day outside, playing games on the frozen pond.

Rose is babysitting this afternoon,

Anna at a friend's house,

and John has been gone for over two weeks.

Even daddy is out of town for a few days, so you see, it is strangely still,

and I have endeavored to relax and do nothing,

except the absolutely necessary,

which of course means changing diapers, making and eating cinnamon rolls, and drinking tea.

John, you see, is adventuring with a friend out in the wild, trapping for bobcat.

They have set up camp some hours from here, with 74 miles of trap line.

Reports are that they are doing fine, with 6 coyotes and 4 bobcat between them thus far.

They will remain out for another week or two.

Makes me cold just thinking about it!

I love the outdoors, but, with nighttime temperatures in the single digits,

I will gladly crawl underneath my down comforter each night in my warm house

and give thanks that I am not living underneath a tarp.

Happily and contentedly stuck here in the rocker next to the fire,

baby asleep on my lap, with plenty of time to ponder,

I find myself gathering a list of things to be thankful for.

There is always something, if one looks.

Fuzzy socks on cold wood floors,

candles lit on the coffee table-a feast for the eyes,

chubby little fingerprints on the windows,

a restful day.

All those little things are worth listing,

just as much as the big ones,

such as a loving God who has my best interest in mind,

a savior who atoned for me,

a God who forgives again and again,

a Creator who gives hope to everyone who believes.

Rocking in the growing darkness, the list goes on and on....

Ministering to the Military

2012-01-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

Imagine 200 cots in a large, florescent lighted tent. The roar of airplanes landing and taking off just outside, night and day, non-stop. Your work shift is at night, because war is 24/7/365, so you sleep during the day... or try to.
Most of us go through life blind and deaf to the effort and sacrifices our military makes to ensure our safety. Once made aware of even a bit of it our Christian response should be some thoughtful showing of our appreciation. Most of us realize that sacrifices are being made, big ones like the giving of a soldiers life for the cause of freedom. But it's the little sacrifices that rake my heart. Leaving their home for small, nondescript, bug and rodent infested living quarters, leaving behind their family and friends, their churches, community, and freedom, they serve and protect our freedom and our happy, warm homes.

Perhaps the thought that there is nothing I can do has kept me from reaching out. But a friend showed me there is something I can do. Regardless of whether I know a serviceman personally, I can send a deployed soldier a box of homey comforts and a note of thanks and encouragement. Truth is, someone I know likely knows someone overseas.

So, I got my free flat-rate Priority Mail box at the post office and began filling it. My friend gave me some tips of what to include for our destined pilot.

We sent beef jerky, and some prepackaged snack foods. These guys work in high stress environments and burn a lot of calories. And... well... my love language is feeding people; either that or it is my spiritual gift :-), so food is a must for me.

Next, a few enlarged photos from Rose's portfolio to decorate with. Third, some Christian magazines to share in the latrine and break room.

Fourth, an herbal salve that Anna made for dry skin, something that the soldiers suffer from greatly in the desert (lotion would be great as well).

Last, a picture of our family as an introduction and a personal note.

But one doesn't have to stop there. In the past we have sent a blanket, Christian literature, a DVD, food, more food, books, and hand drawn pictures from the children. For us, it is great fun. I think about how much we like to get packages in the mail, and imagine some unsuspecting person receiving our box in the mail in little more than a week. A small token of the gratitude in our hearts.
I mean to inspire you to join us in showing a bit of brotherly love to our soldiers. Here is a most helpful link to get you going: AnySoldier.com.
God Bless and Godspeed.

Celebrating Epiphany

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Epiphany is the celebration of the wise men arriving in Bethlehem, giving gifts to the baby Jesus.

This day is traditionally January 6, which is also the last day of the twelve days of Christmas.

In honor of this day, we have invited over friends for a regular feast.

The joy that Jesus came,

the miracle of the star of Bethlehem that led the wise men from afar,

and the fun of catechizing the family with the twelve days of Christmas

makes for a most joyous occasion.

To me, a great deal of the pleasure is in planning and decorating for the festivities.

The merriment begins when friends arrive.

Children are excited, and thus noisy.

Mouth watering aromas are wafting from the oven.

Finally the candles are lit and everyone called to the table,

which is heavy laden with food and all sorts of good things,

including the best donuts I have ever had..

I am sure the recipe can be found on my good friend and dinner guest,

Enola Gay's blog, Paratus Familia.

Having eaten too many donuts on top of a scrumptious dinner,

my belly is as full as my heart;

grateful beyond words for the Divine occasion we commemorate on this night,

relishing the good fellowship of friends.

The night goes by all too quickly, and before we are ready,

our guests are headed down the road in a fine mist of snow.

Ah, today has been a most triumphant day.

The Lord is good to all.

REJOICE!

Celebrate.

Feast at His table.

A Not So Wintry Winter

2012-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

The boys have been working on fortifications up in the woods a few hundred feet from the lodge. Any given day, warm as they have been,

stepping out on the porch, you will hear hammers ringing and hand saws at work.

The little construction crew/warriors must be about done

since they have used nearly every spare board on the property.

Reportedly, their work has achieved the three of them

the ability to hold off five young men in a paintball war.

Contrastingly, the ladies may pleasantly amble through the paths of the surrounding acres

in relative peace and quiet, only the rustling of dry grasses and an occasional bird song occurring.

This weather is odd, but we are all enjoying it....although every so often I think a nice howling wind or blizzard would be very romantic.

Ah, well, we will take it as it comes, each day at a time.

Maybe if I put all the snow clothes away in the attic,
it will snow.

New Vision for a New Year

2012-01-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Lord is so faithful and good to answer prayers.

This was evidenced early this morning.

I awoke early this morning to the sound of my husband's voice down stairs.

He is such a morning person. Up at 5 am, stoking the fire, making coffee, starting his day.

At 6 am, he reads aloud to the oldest four, who are sitting bleary eyed,

coffee in hand before the roaring fire.

It was Rose's idea, and a very good one.

Brian's desire to disciple his children, combined with early mornings,

before the littles are up to interrupt and distract,

along with a book highly recommended to us, Equipped to Love,

are making for wonderful mornings the older children look forward to.

When our day does finally get underway, I read to the children from The Gospel Primer,

a wonderful gem recently sent our way.

In it, Jerry Bridges is quoted as saying that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day. Brian and I agree, which is why we are using this primer as family liturgy,

daily focusing our minds, our children's minds, to the truth of the gospel.

As I prepared last week to begin a new semester,

I decided to do something I have never done before in 15 years of home schooling.

With new vision and inspiration, I mapped out an extended school day

with a 2 hour block of free time right in the middle.

I have never been able to keep going through the late afternoon with school,

and have therefore, not always accomplished those "it would really be nice to.." things.

Giving myself a break in the middle to recharge and regroup is working out really well so far,

and we are getting a lot done.

The children are taking advantage of the time to play outside in the unseasonably warm weather.

In the evenings, we are reading aloud from the Old Testament,

stories such as Jonah and Sampson, David's Mighty Men, and other favorites.

The boys always have questions, it having been a few years since we read to them this way,

they forget, or were too small to remember.

It has been good to revisit and reaffirm God's story from way back.

What does all this have to do with God answering our prayers?

Well, a few weeks ago, Brian and I went away over night to pray for our children

and plan deliberate ways to infuse their lives with more training and instruction.

These new habits are product of answered prayers from that time away.

I am constantly amazed at how God listens, cares, and responds to our requests, big and small.

With renewed energy, new vision, and coffee,

I am excited about what the New Year will bring.

Rejoice!

2011-12-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

Rejoice!

Christmas is the day we celebrate love come down,

God incarnate,

Jesus is born.

Halelujah!

We rejoice, in His love today,

we rejoice that He is the King of Kings!

We rejoice that He Reigns over this Earth...the victory is His!

We rejoice that He, and He alone, saves!

We rejoice that through Him we have hope!

We rejoice that through Jesus, we have relationship and fellowship because of what He has done, and not through acts of worthiness, as they did in the Old Testament!

We rejoice that He came!

Praise the Lord!

Have you ever thought of what it would be like if He hadn't come?

Let your mind ponder that one.

The result should be unexpressible thankfulness,

worship, and amazement.

REJOICE!

Merry Christmas form all of us at Providence Lodge.

Boys and Men

2011-12-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

Raising boys is hard work,

and honestly, I am often exasperated.

But as I read God's word,

I am encouraged to keep on,

trudging at times,

joyfully bounding at others,

always,

always

praying for them.

These are the days of our boys and men.

They work as hard as they play.

They love, encourage, protect and provide.

May the lord bless each one

with a measure of faith that is deep,

devoted, and unfailing.

My Heart, Captured

2011-12-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

Her dimpled little hand pats my cheek. My eyes won't open.

Not yet, please, not yet, I beg.

The hand circles my face, first this way, then that while she exclaims, "oooooooo."

I smile.

My eyes open and I look into the chubby face so near it is blurry.

She smiles back at me.

"Goodmorning, Olivia" I say. She responds with a hug. She pats my back.

She is mimicking me,

and alhtough my body is telling me it is not ready to be awake,

I think to myself, this is the perfect way to wake up.

Then, she puckers up big for a good morning kiss.

No longer does it matter that she wouldn't go to sleep last night.

No longer am I begrduging her the huge fit she threw at the dinner table yesterday,

or the fact that it is well before 7 am and I am sure I am not fully human until after 7 am.

She is nurturing me, patting my back, cirling my face with her sweet little hands.

Who can resist such love? Such utter cuteness?

She has captured my heart.

Again.

18 Roses

2011-12-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

I prayed that we would make it to the hospital safely,

as the little car raced along the snowy road.

My husband was driving,

too fast,

but something in him told him there was not much time.

Thankfully, there was not any traffic in the middle of the night.

We had called ahead and they met us at the emergency room door with a wheelchair.

Loud groaning told the nurse the situation was bad, and they wheeled me to a room,

where I was helped up to get on the hospital bed.

It was then that my water broke and very shortly after, our daughter was born.

That was 18 years ago today.

Who would have thought that that little chubby baby with the extra long eyelashes

would grow into such a fine woman in only 18 years?

Who would have known that God's hand of

mercy and grace

would be upon her from the age of three, when His spirit took up residence?

Who would have guessed

that she would become a tremendous blessing to so many

as she grew into a woman?

It has been a wonderful journey with our daughter Anna Grace,

and we had a magnificent celebration last night with family and friends.

Anna was given meaningful gifts from family.

Gifts for her hope chest,

such as green depression glass that has been in the family for four generations.

She is going to have to get a storage shed soon, we tease her,

for her hope chest is full and overflowing all over her room.

Anna had plenty of helpers at hand to unwrap gifts.

Brian and I wanted to make this birthday meaningful for Anna.

Through her teen years, we have given her symbols of her journey to womanhood

such as a purity necklace, a hope chest, a study Bible.

Now was the time to complete these symbolic gifts

by giving her a foot washing bowl and pitcher

as an expression of honoring her spiritual gift of service

and a means and reminder to carry her servant hearted nature

to her future husband and family someday.

The highlight of the evening

was the moment that daddy got down on one knee

and gave her 18 pink roses,

each tagged with a message of affirmation to the godly virtues and character

we see manifest in her life.

Brian handed each individual rose to her as he read the affirmation.

We wrapped up the evening with chocolate cheesecake,

which was just heavenly.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Prov. 31:10,30,31

Blessings to you, Anna, on this day.

I love you.

Beginning Advent

2011-11-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Our fondest Christmas memories began to take place ten years ago,

when a few odd circumstances set into motion a new tradition for our family,

one which we would come to anticipate with great joy,

relish its duration,

and look forward to next year.

The tradition of Advent.

The first thing that happened, was that we moved away from family

into a very small parsonage with our (then 5) children.

Christmas time came, and we had absolutely no room for a Christmas tree.

Secondly, we would not have family to celebrate with,

and thirdly, we had very little means to purchase our chilren gifts.

But alas, Brian found a wonderful book that inspired us to new beginnings.

That would be The Advent Book, by Jack and Kathy Stockman.

I think back on that year as a providential "accident"

that led the way for our family to let go of what we thought Christmas should be like

and simply embrace celebrating the coming of Christ.

The way in which that formulated for us, was each evening for family devotion and reading time,

we let the children take turns opening a door in the new book.

All the children would eagerly gather together at daddy's feet to see what came next.

We opened the last door Christmas day, and celebrated with a nice brunch,

in which I made a new found recipe which would become another part of the tradition,

Christmas Bread.

Our celebration that year looked so different from years before,

and was so vastly more Christ centered,

that everyone agreed we should do the same thing next year.

Ten years later, we have added to the splendor of our Advent celebration,

and deterred from "Christmas" as our culture celebrates.

We have found it to be a wonderful, simple, serene, focused season.

Our children love it.

I love it.

We all cherish the rituals that hallmark this season.

The festivities include adorning the lodge with the natural beauty of evergreens

and the capitvating and alluring glow of candles,

a Child friendly nativity,

an Advent wreath on the coffee table ,

and 25 handmade cards with some of the prophecies of the coming Christ.

To this we have the daily ritual, which we partake of in the crisp winter evening;

lighting the wreath,

opening of doors in the Advent book,

and the reading of a fictional book, such as Jotham's Journey,

while we gather by the fireside in the living room sipping a relaxing tea that will ready the children for bed. Thus, each evening is oppulant with the warm companionship of family and meaningful readings.

Each Sunday night, the table is set lavishly for tea

as a way of emphasizing a new candle to light in the wreath,

another virtue to learn and embrace.

So many of our holiday memories have found their beginnings around the family table,

where family ties, discipleship, and home cooked fare join our hearts to one another.

In our home, someone almost always spills their water.

It would hardly be a Providence Lodge dinner without it,

but these are the very things that endear us to each other, and cause us to smile.

Around our home, you will see the Wise Men,

having set off on their journey to the Christ Child with a long way to go in the next 5 weeks.

They are currently in the dining room window.

Mary and Joseph await their firstborn son on the newly fashioned mantle,

where a shepherd boy watches his sheep nearby.

The words of Advent,

Faith, Hope, Love and Joy,

that teach us and instill in us a profound sense of the history,

the longing of so many,

the full story and meaning of Emanuel, God with us.

This first week of Advent, we recall the Faith of so many over thousands of years,

looking for the promised one.

As we sing O come O Come Emanuel,

I cannot help but envision the multitudes whose souls longed to see the Messiah come.

They had faith, they knew it would be, and they waited expectantly.

These people of Faith held the 450 some prophecies of the Messiah close in their hearts,

waiting and watching.

They had Faith to believe God's Word and live by it,

no matter what the rest of the world was doing.

Inspiring faith.

Oh to have such steadfast faith!

When Christmas Day comes,

and the last door is opened,

the last candle lit,

the Christmas Bread made and enjoyed,

we will make a little journey ourselves to visit family not so far away.

Our prayer then, is that through this focused season of Advent,

we will have embraced the Savior so thoroughly

that the aroma of Christ is very present on us

as we live each day of the next year

for Him.

ThanksGiving Feast

2011-11-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

The table was set.

Tthe children wriggled and paced impatiently for the guests to arrive

for a midday feast.

My dear, wonderful, servant husband awoke at 5 am to put the 25 lb. turkey in the oven.

We have long prepared our turkey the old fashioned way.

Remember the magazine "Crowned With Silver?"

I found a turkey recipe in it years ago, and we all agree it is the best turkey ever.

First, rub the turkey with salt and pepper inside and out, then glaze it with olive oil.

Then cook it slowly at 325 degrees for 8 hours, basting every hour.

By 1 pm, all was ready, and our 6 college age guests were eyeing the dishes

whilst small children climbed all over them.

Such is the hospitality at our home.

Finally all are seated at the two long tables pushed together to house all 16 of us.

5 kernals of corn are given to each person to contemplate

as Brian reads to us of the first Thanksgiving.

We took turns around the table giving thanks,

and then,

the feasting!

Gabe liked desert the best.

Following a wonderful meal with delightful company,

we played "telephone pictionary" and other games until we could laugh no more.

After tucking the little ones in bed,

we all settled in around the living room to play the "question game" until the end of the day,

which was quite late for us old folk,

when some of the young ones were just getting started.

Brian and I agree that this was one of the most enjoyable Thanksgiving celebrations we remember.

My tummy muscles still hurt from laughing,

and my heart if full of gratitude to many loved ones near and far,

and for a great and mighty God who has blessed us indeed.

At Our House This Weekend

2011-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Counting our blessings on this wonderful weekend.

Speaking Life

2011-11-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

Proverbs 18:21

This verse is written on the white board.

Under it, I also wrote, as much a reminder to myself as to the children,

"Choose your words carefully. Think: am I speaking life?"

Words give life to our very souls.

We want to teach our children to understand that their speech can foster harm or health.

Psalm 34:12-13, one of the three rules in our home says:

"Whosoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,

keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."

Sarcasm and complaining are two negative habits that lead to death.

The Greek word for sarcasm literally means, "tearing flesh."

If we use sarcasm in the home,

our caustic words

rip at the hearts

of the one we speak to,

and

shred apart

who they are.

I know this well, having a fresh experience with it just the other day.

I used a sarcasitc coment, thinking it would be funny,

but to my horror, the person I spoke to sort of wilted, obviously not seeing any humor in it at all.

I had already been contemplating this verse, and the lesson smarted.

As it should.

I was out of line, and I hope I can always recall how terrible I felt,

so that I can avoid such statements in the future.

For further contemplation, I have a list of verses to ponder...

perhaps to write out on 3 x 5 cards and place around the house to be reminders.

Prov. 16:23 "A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction."

Prov. 16:24 " Pleasant words are a honey comb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Prov. 10:20 " The tongue of the righteous is choice silver..the lips of the righteous nurish many."

Prov. 13:2 "From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things."

Prov. 13:3 "He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."

Prov. 13:14 "A gentle answer turns away rath, but harsh words stir up strife."

Prov. 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

Practice words of life:

I love you.

I am proud of you.

I accept you.

God loves you.

I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Great job!

I forgive you.

You are such a blessing.

You are a treasure.

I knew you could do it!

You are beautiful.

I am so thankful for you.

"The good we could do in our homes with our tongues

if we would use them to the utmost limit of their capacity is simply impossible to compute.

Especially why should we ever pervert these gifts and use our tongues to do evil,

to give pain, to scatter seeds of bitterness?"

J.R. Miller, Homemaking pp 183

"Reckless words pierce like a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Prov. 12:18

Am I speaking life, or death?

The First Snow

2011-11-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last evening:

The first snow of the season is falling gently this evening,

in great big thick flakes wafting down from heaven.

Inside, the children are playing a game they made up titled "Finding Nemo"

where they hide a plastic Nemo fish and everyone searches for it.

Gabe has gotten tired of it and is putting all his dinosaurs to sleep.

The snow is supposed to continue,

which means that tomorrow we will make paper snowflakes and sugar cookies,

as is our tradition.

Soon it will be time for tea and a story before bed.

The children will be all cozy in warm jammies,

nestled in a heap on the couch,

the littlest ones will fight sleep, but finally their blonde heads will flop over as weariness defeats them.

I love watching this.

Their eyes blink,

opening less

and less...

and finally not at all.

What am I thankful for at the end of this day, the first day of snow?

For the warmth of the fireside...
the new stove set in place with only the mantel left to finish.

For friends who know you and love you anyway.

For the acceptance of little children when you are feeling down.

For a God whom I can believe.

For quiet evenings with family.

For living in a place where we can enjoy 4 seasons.

For the beginning of winter and all it will bring.

There is no better lullaby than thoughts of gratitude to our heavenly Father.

What better way to send children off to dreamland, under a sea of blankets,

than with such thoughts on their mind.

"Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder dear,
your head like the golden-rod,
and we will go sailing away from here to the beautiful land of Nod."
Ella Wilcox

A Change of Plans

2011-11-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

"Thou art the God who does wonders;
Thou hast declared thy strength among the people."
Psalm 77:14

God is who He says He is.
We need to trust in Him.
He will provide.
He will watch over you.

As is the case so often,

my ideals for a "normal" schedule of just school, church, and hospitality

have gotten reorganized into something altogether different.

It is alright, we are used to being flexible.
I am getting the idea that NORMAL for us
means that every day is different
and I can expect that it will rarely be just school, church and hospitality.
I can expect that God has great things in store,
and so I may trust Him
even when things look different than what I thought should or would happen.

First, our old wood stove, given to us years ago as a hand me down,

had some sort of catastrophe in its catalytic and began performing poorly,

burning through our hard earned wood rapidly and putting all the heat up the chimney.

We could not go on like this, our large home was cold, and it is not even winter yet.

To make a long story short, we searched for a new wood stove that would put out the maximum heat possible and came up with the Kuma Sequoya, made locally, which is convenient.

This stove will produce 90,000 BTUs verses our old stove at 55,000 in good working condition,

which it was not.

So, the Lord knows all these things,

and he ordered it so that when we went to pick up the new stove,

the owner, a believer and elder in his church,

decided to

GIVE

us the stove.

Oh MY!!!!!

This is the very stove that we had originally intended on buying when we started building the lodge,

but it wasn't feasible at that time so we just put in this other stove for the time being.

The hearth had not been finished, and in fact, we needed to enlarge it

so that there is room in front of the stove.

So the last week has been spent with Brian and I working on enlarging the hearth,

sheeting it, texturing, painting, laying granite (another free provision from a friend)

and then installing the new stove.

Well, we were having unusually cold weather until the day we had to take out the old stove,

when it warmed up over 15 degrees outside.

We are able to borrow a kerosene heater from a friend in the meantime,

and although my nose is cold, we are making out OK until tonight,

when the new stove can be set in.

It is sooooo exciting!

Here is the old stove and unfinished hearth.

Here I am working on the newly sized hearth.

After Brian added to the hearth and sheet rocked it, I layed in the stone with mortar mix.

Today I hope to texture and paint the outside walls.

Yesterday, Ben painted the inside.

Well, to add to that change of plans,

Joe broke his arm clean through both bones at wrestling practice,

which means a big altering of how things work around here for both him and the rest of the family.

It happens to be his right arm too, so no hand writing for a while,

no washing dishes, which was his chore after breakfast.

No chopping wood, his afternoon chore,

and no wrestling.

He also is a big help with Olivia, but it will be more difficult for him to carry her now.

Therefor, we need to rearrange the chores,

adjust his wardrobe to accommodate a cast up beyond his elbow,

reorganize his school work to more computer work that he can do with just his left hand,

and assign him more reading/recitation.

He is thankful that he already shot his deer,

just a few nights ago, his first buck.

It seems the lord was looking out for him and the family meat supply.

Both stories told, we are just amazed at the way God works all things out for our good.

Things that look like a bad deal,

He, and He only,

can turn into blessings for those who put their trust in Him.

Fall, Applesauce, and Grace

2011-10-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

This full week, with all hands helping, we managed to get the elk in the freezer,

and the applesauce canned, along with spaghetti sauce, completing our fall canning.

I believe we have over 200 quarts of fruit and veggies put away now.

Today we put all the canning stuff away and gave the house a good cleaning.

We also scooched furniture around close to the fire now that the mornings and evening are cold.

With just fire wood left on the project list, I feel a burden lifted,

and can happily sit by the fire with a cup of tea...and rest.

Gabe is more than willing to test the apple quality.

Everyone enjoyed the sauce making and wanted to help.

I am not sure that this many hands make light work, but we had fun anyway.

The living room outfitted with a rug and chest I swiped from another room,

ready for tea and a story tonight after dinner.

Nothing, in my mind, says "cozy" like a pile of books and candlelight.

A sunny spot for reading.

A corner for the littles and their books.

For our winter quarter of school that will begin Monday,

we will be gathering close to the fire and reading about Lewis and Clark,

the Constillations and Stars,

and continuing our study of Old Testament Survey.

In the evenings, we are reading In The Heart of the Rockies, by GA Henty.

This will be the third time we have read it aloud.

It is one of our favorite Henty stories.

We read books to the little ones first, and try our best to get the smallest muchkin off to bed

before the tea and candle light.

Is there anything as comforting as gathering about the fire with children piled all around you,

reading well into the evening?

It seems to me the perfect way to end the day.

The Lord is so good to have given grace and mercy aplenty this week,

amongst difficutlies and a full schedule.

How any one can live withut Him is more than I can fathom.

Truly, His constant care is so palapable,

His provisions timely,

one KNOWS He is there watching and caring,

overseeing and guiding with His mighty hand.

Because of this great love, our every day lives can be full of His goodness,

And unlike our food provisions of apple sauce, vegetables and meat, stored up for winter,

God's grace needs not be stored away,

for every day it is fresh and sufficient for the day at hand.

Keep Your Heart

2011-10-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

"Keep Your Heart with all diligence;

for out of it are the issues of life."

Proverbs 4:23

What do you do when your children fight? It is just sibling rivalry, right?

No, it is sin.

It is a manifestation of the heart.

Just as is every sin and form of idolatry.

That is why Solomon so earnestly admonishes us to keep our heart pure, clean, and full of Christ,

leaving no room or invitation for evil, selfishness, pride, bitterness, or the like.

Keep it carefully.

Keep it diligently.

Tend it regularly.

Zealously weed out the rottenness, the junk.

Fill it with the beautiful things of the Lord....

for out of it spring forth ALL the issues of life.

If there is any one thing we teach our children, any one thing we do each day,

it should be to engrave this thought on our hearts,

on our children, impressing it upon them so it is the air they breath.

How?

By instructing them in the Proverbs and faithfully praying for their souls.

By living what we teach.

As our family works through Kevin Swanson Family Bible Study Series on Proverbs,

my husband and I have become more and more convinced this is where it is at.

We cannot possibly disciple our children without teaching the Proverbs.

The Proverbs are the Gospel in practical terms.

It is the Cross centered life layed out in a step by step manual.

Mr. Swanson has done an incredible job of putting together a commentary

that will help your family talk through the wisdom and instruction

in a manner which will enable you to put it right into practice.

Every day, our study convicts our souls and inspires us to walk in wisdom,

to choose that which is godly,

to think biblically.

This three book series is by far the best resource we have ever used in 22 years family devotions

or 15 years of homeschool curriculum.

God bless his soul, Mr. Swanson's third book in the series has just come out,

which I am very excited about because the first book was beyond good,

and the second book equal,

now we have another to continue this life altering study.

And then, I think we will start over and do it again.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

My son, hear the instruction of thy father

and forsake not the law of thy mother;

for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head,

and chains about thy neck."

Prov. 1:7-9

Clearly, then, only a fool will avoid this study of God's book of wisdom,

and when Kevin has done such a remarkable job of putting together a study guide,

I think it would be foolish not to use it.

I earnestly encourage you and yours to get into the Proverbs today.

"When wisdom entereth into thine heart,

and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul,

discretion shall preserve thee,

understanding shall keep thee."

Prov. 2:10,11

How Then?

2011-10-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

In answer to my dear sister over at Freedom Acres Farm,

who asked the question,

how do we make sweet memories in our homes when we are up to our eyeballs in work?

....my reply is earnest and probably too simplistic.

We rely on God's grace.

His grace is huge.

It is sufficient.

It is there, just waiting for us to take it in,

like a feast on a table all set for us,

only too often we sit under the table and whine and wait for scraps.

Beth Moore, in her study, "Believing God," says it this way,

"We are like ducks swimming in a puddle when just over a little hill is a beautiful pond."

We have been canning for weeks now with applesauce still to go,

there are two elk hanging ready for us to cut up this weekend,

then there are the remaining six cords of firewood

(to add to the six cords already prepared)

yet to cut, haul, split and stack before winter.

We are busy! Fall is always like that when you live a country life.

I am so busy, in fact, that I do not have time to function outside of His huge grace.

When I am immersed in it, each day is beautiful, sweet, and happy.

But on those days when I'm not...

life just becomes a push to get through the day,

and I'm swimming in a puddle.

But, if I have the mindset that God is big enough to get me through the day, with all its activities,

in a gracious and loving manner, then I am happily walking by faith,

and each hour becomes pleasant, picturesque, memorable.

It all hinges on me and where my heart is.

If mama is peaceful, happy and full of grace,

then no matter how much activity, the home is too.

So, practically,

in the midst of preparing for a bake sale tomorrow,

eight loaves of french bread rising,

six loaves of whole wheat bread in the oven,

nine pies cooling on the table,

and various other concoctions in the process,

we do our schoolwork.

The little ones are singing and playing.

I am talking to them, we are all enjoying the day.

At 2pm we begin cleaning up and putting little ones down for a nap,

taking a few moments to cuddle and sing to them.

Then we work together to tidy the house and prepare for Bible Study.

As Bible Study ends, the mama's gathering their little ones and heading down the driveway,

the men begin tripping in from their day,

and I set the simmering soup on the table, Bethany helps me slice a loaf of fresh bread.

We gather together at the table. We sing.

The mama is happy and content.

The children are happy and content.

Daddy smiles at mama from the other end of the table.

It has been a beautiful day.

I think it only takes the right attitude and an open eye

to see when a moment comes along that is to be cherished.

Then, we need to jump on it.

Sing with the children,

rock the baby to sleep,

read the toddler a book.

Smile.

I have a friend who I can hear in my mind,

all the way back in highschool, telling me to smile.

Well, it is 25 years later and I am starting to learn that lesson. (Thanks Dale)

We surely need to deliberately go through our schedule and make sure

that we are not adding to our misery by doing things that are not necessary,

not adding work projects of community involvement in a already busy time.

Some seasons will just be fuller than others.

After the meat is cut, the canning done, the wood in,

I am really looking forward to more margin in my days,

more time reading in front of the fire after dinner,

working on a quilt with my daughter,

snuggling with my husband on the couch after dinner...just watching the littleones play.

But that is next season.

This season,

the full one,

I am living one day at a time, in grace, trying to make the most of it.

Could it be that just these little things make all the difference in the world?

I think it could.

Home Memories

2011-10-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

"Many a roof covers a home life that is bare of beauty and joy.

Yet all the elements are there

that are needed to make it a true image of heaven in its blessedness and peace.

In the children growing up together there are the possibilities of a very rich life,

with deep joys, fond ties and mutual inspirations.

There is wanting only the mighty transforming power of affection

to bring out all these possibilities.

Surely it is not right that so much blessing should be lost.

There is not so much happiness in the world

that we can afford to leave our homes desert spots when they might be

blossoming gardens."

J.R. Miller, Homemaking pp 146

Some memories,

the beautiful ones that bring a smile to the face,

bring perpetual benediction to the home.

In our youth, we gather these sweet moments, and hold on to them like a bouquet of lovely flowers,

breathing in the aroma,

eyes closed.

Thus we clothe our memories with the gladness of bright days,

and carry them with us as we journey life.

When times become difficult, we may close our eyes and breathe deeply,
hearing the echo of our happy yesterdays.

We parents are making our children's memories day by day and year by year,

and who our child will become in the future will depend largely on the home life we are giving them now.

As mothers, we can make our home a palace, filling it with delightful days, pleasant hours.

We have opportunity to create such tender memories in our homes,

so precious,

so sacred,

that each life that goes out of our door shall carry a blessing with them wherever they trod.

The influence of the homes memories in the formation of character of our children is sure.

A mother who tries to weave one's childhood home to be true and sweet,

one who finds time to sit with her children and read book upon book,

or listen when he needs to talk,

or prays with him before he falls asleep,

all in sweet, loving talk and tender, earnest words and prayer,

invoking cherished memories,

this is the woman I desire to be.

But the busyness of caring for a large family

can so easily sweep my driven nature away

into work,

work,

work.

I have been derailed.

I am like Martha, who was decieved,

thinking that she was loving Jesus best by doing tasks for Him.

But her sister Mary knew that the best way to love Him was to sit at his feet and

be with Him.

In the same way, I can think I am loving my family by doing tasks.

When nearby an impish two year old wishes his mama would read him a book...or six,

bringing forth sweet memories.

But God is so good.

He will not let me go.

He gives a day to us

to spend leisurely enjoying one another's company

in His beautiful creation,

and it brings me back to rights.

What if we had not taken the time to go?

What if my "to do" list keeps me too busy to make beautiful memories?

In 20 years, should the Lord tarry, what will my children recall of our home?

A mother too busy to enjoy life with them -

or a mother who saw it more worthwhile to listen, to pray, to play?

Echoing in my mind, the conviction..

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love.."

I am nothing

I have wasted my time

I have not kept sight of the eternal.

I oft must remind myself of these very things-

To put relationship before tasks,

to create in our home the richest of memories.

Memories that leave a legacy of love

and a heritage of blessing.

Plum Crazy

2011-10-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

One of our family traditions that everyone enjoys

is trekking south about 2 hours every fall to forage for wild fruit.

Choosing a glorious fall day,

we load up the van with everything we could possible need for about a week, and set off.

Some years we go in September, when the blackberries are still ripe and the apples green,

but this year, we waited until the blackberries were gone and the apples ripe...

but what we found in abundance was plums.

Oh we had fun!

The road winds along the mountains and comes out on a rolling plain,

where our van became a roller coaster ride and, very noisy as the children yelped and squealed

as daddy drove along up, then down, then up, then down...for miles.

Finally we wind down the draw to our favored spot,

deer scattering in front of us, and squirrels scolding us for invading their privacy

as we unload and head down the trail

with baskets, boxes and various containers for apples, rose hips and plums.

To me, this is just of the many lures of living a country life.

Selecting our way through the brambles of blackberry bushes,

and along a path sheltered by great clusters of apple trees,

prolific rose bushes everywhere,

we discover that rose hips are hard and painful picking.

Hopefully the jelly will be worth the pursuit.

The little ones are captivated the sheer numbers of plums shook to the ground for the family to gather.
Equally enthralled,

I am envisioning plum butter, dried plums, canned plums, plum pudding

and perhaps I will take a stab at an apple/plum pie.

Practically giddy with delight at the provision of organic, free fruit for our family,

plus the chance to take pleasure in a full day outdoors together rambling through the woods,

this day will go down in my journal as one of the most idyllic.

When all is said and done, our handsome daddy shoos us toward the van for the trip home,

accompanied now by thorns, cleavers, burrs and scratches.

Still, we ride contentedly back up the hill,

back over the rolling plains,

back around the winding mountain road,

straight to the lodge where a pot of soup is waiting on the wood stove.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man that trusts in Him.

The young do lack, and suffer hunger;

but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."

Psalm 34: 7-10

The good things of the Lord are all around us just waiting for us to "pick."

His marvelous creation, everywhere evident of a loving Heavenly Father.

Life and health with the hope of heaven hereafter.

Friends and family, for we were made for relationship.

And the list goes on and on...if you have a list,

and I hope you do,
it is a wonderful way to acknowledge- and thus find joy in the littlest things.

Christian Heritage Mother Daughter Tea

2011-10-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

A world of beauty, grace, and affable faces awaited us

as we, my two oldest daughters, my mom, my friend, her daughter and myself,

waltzed in the doorway to the Georgian Room at the Spokane Athletic Club for the annual

Christian Heritage Mother and Daughter Tea.

I have been to this lovely event in years past, yet found the 2011 tea to be the best yet.

The speakers, a mother and daughters team consisting of

Sherril Endicott, Emily Hageman and Betsy Bloomfield were absolutely wonderful.

Not only that, they are one of the most charming families I have ever met.

Over 100 ladies of all ages attended, and there was room for many more!

I would love to see the precious gift of this annual event attended by many more because

it was such an encouraging, fun time to spend with daughters and mothers.

I believe that women today hunger to spend time reveling in the delicacy of femininity,

that they need to cultivate opportunities to let the sweet, gentle spirit of femininity warm their hearts

from a violent and impersonal world,

infusing each one with the strength of loveliness

and the confidence that just such an atmosphere nurtures.

Being a woman created by God is such a privilege.

The gift of our femininity is something we can give both ourselves and the daughters God has bestowed to us.

There were games invoking a spirit of merriment,

an opportunity to display handmade articles uniquely expressing each woman's delight,

a variety of special music from the talented young ladies at hand,

resources available to inspire and encourage,

an extremely well done story time for little girls told by Betsy,

a social hour to meet new friends and rekindle old aquaintances,

time for the inward as we pondered John 15,

and the pleasure of tea, of course.

The whole event was spectacular

and I am already looking forward to purchasing the audio CD

as the messages given were so good and powerful,

a rich harvest of the wealth of wisdom and understanding from the

Endicott ladies.

The theme for the day was from John 15:5

"I am the vine and you are the branches;

he who abides in me and I in him,

he bears much fruit;

for apart from me you can do nothing."

Each speaker addressed the theme from their personal testimony, giving three perspectives.

I loved the way they did this. It was truly God ordained.

The blessings from such a day full of beauty,

grace, and feminine exhortation

will no doubt be long lasting.

It was the kind of day that will remain engraved on our hearts.

My Non-Electric Life

2011-10-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

When we built the lodge, the power company wanted a terrible amount to bring power
into our remote location.
At that point, we made the decision to spend our resources on solar panels,
batteries and a generator so that we could be off-grid.

Although I have always wanted to live in a little non-electric cabin,

our family size and lack of a year around water source altered the ideal to being off-grid with solar power.

Over the years we were building the lodge we began acquiring non-electric household goods.

Now, when we are out at a yard sale or thrifting,
we are always on the lookout for such items.

Coffee is an essential in our home,

so when some friends gave us this awesome vintage coffee grinder,

we were thrilled.

They found it on eBay.

We make our coffee in a french press that we found at Goodwill.

Yes, I use antlers in all my decorating.

Mixer.

Clothes Dryer.

This is my indoor model.

And the outdoor model.

Dish washer.

Vacuum cleaner... and a cute one to boot!

Oil lanterns.

Quite cozy and romantic on cloudy days in winter when we do not have enough solar to last the whole day.
I think that sitting around visiting in the living room on a winter evening in lantern and candlelight
is the epitome of a lovely home life.

Night Light.

My brother gave us several of these Coleman mini lanterns.

They are about 5 inches tall, have LED lights, and are ideal for middle of the night trips to the bathroom, or small children who like to have a bit of light to keep them company at night.

I am still on the lookout for a hand grind blender and a grain mill, but all in good time.

We are ever so thankful for the simplicity of more quiet eras

still available to us today,

which I think brings a nice balance to what may otherwise become too hectic,

frantic,

fast paced,

technology immersed life.

Books for Older Boys

2011-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

I often get asked what books I would recommend for older boys.

I love this question, because I think it is great for boys to read good and honorable books

filled with adventure, godly character and big words.

I am not fond of twaddle, thinking it just as wasteful as the abhorred video games.

Believers ought to be very intentional and gravitas about raising their young men to be tomorrow's leaders,

full of integrity and godly morals.

Thus, I am a firm believer in filling a young man's mind with good, wholesome, hard, stretching books.

These qualifications may make it more difficult to find the books you want,

but places like Vision Forum and Amazon are great helps,

and authors such as

Jim Kjelgaurd,

Douglas Bond

and

G.A Henty are always trustworthy.

Here are our top picks for Jr High age boys:

The Young Carthaginian, G.A. Henty
The Golden goblet
In Freedom's Cause, Henty
The Cat of Bubastees, Henty
The Endless Steppe
Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyun
The Hobbit, Tolkien

The Walking Drum, L'Amour
The Dragon and the Raven, Henty
Wulf the Saxon, Henty

The Life of Stonewall Jackson
The Story of Robert E. Lee
The Bronze bow
The Swiss Family Robinson
The Adventures of Huck Finn
In the Heart of the Rockies, GA Henty

For High Schooler's, we like these titles:

Foxes Book of Martyrs
Jesus Freaks
Bonhoffer
Do Hard Things, Harris
The Fields of Bannockburn
Lives of the Signers
The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
Mere Christianity,CS Lewis
The Case for Christ, Strobel
Eternity In Their Hearts, Richardson
The Mark of the Lion Trilogy, Rivers
Through Gates of Splendor, Elliot
Doctrine, Driscoll
Every Man's Battle, Arterburn
Emotional Purity
Lords of the Earth, Richardson
Peace Child, Richardson
The Measure of a Man, Getz
What He Must Be, Baucham

I am sure there are some that I missed.

It would be great to hear from you your favorite top 5 for Jr high,

and again for high school.

"Lord, I pray that my son will have a deep reverence for You and Your ways. May He hide Your Word in his heart like treasure and seek after understanding like silver or gold. Give Him a good mind, a teachable spirit, and an ability to learn. Instill in him a desire to attain knowledge and skill, and may he never turn away from learning, but rather may he always turn to You for the knowledge he needs."

-Stormie Omartin, Prayers and Promises for my little boy

"Teach me good judgement and knowledge,

for I believe Your commandments." Ps 119:66

Sharing and Caring

2011-09-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

These fall days have been abundantly full to overflowing.

There is school to be done,

firewood to get (10 cord!)

hunter's safety to be done for Joe,

canning to be accomplished,

and a slew of ailing friends to be visited and cared for.

The Lord is teaching me about caring for our community of friends.

Honestly, I can get so absorbed in my own family life

that at times the rest of the world can go right on by without me giving a sideways glance.

After my own illness, I became very aware of just how much a helping hand means

when you are just unable to manage,

or how encouraging and helpful a get well card or a meal sent over

when one is discouraged by illness can be.

The Bible is full of admonishing words to care for one another,

bear one another's burdens, show kindness, and to put others above yourself.

As I prayed about becoming more servant oriented outside my family,

as an extension of our family, the Lord provided abundant opportunities,

as friend after friend became sick, had surgery, or just needed encouraged.

During this time, I have realized how handy it would be

to have some canned chicken stock on hand

to put together a quick homemade soup

perfect to take over to a neighbor when they become ill.

Now every time we cook a bird, I throw the carcass in a bag

and add to a pile accumulating in the freezer.

In a few more weeks we will have a nice big batch of stock to be made and canned

or, more accurately, have Anna can.

The tricky thing about reaching out beyond my 4 walls is keeping life balanced.

I swing from over doing it, to not doing anything all too quickly.

But I am determined to keep trying until I find a balance that works.

As a mom of many, by the time I take care of people and things here at the lodge,

sharing my time with others basically means that any down time I had is given to them.

This week rest and margin has been slim.

Sometimes I think it is just how it needs to be.

We need to stretch ourselves, to give sacrificially.

If it is not sacrificial, is it really giving?

On such occasions, we have the opportunity to walk by faith,

and do what we are led to do even when it doesn't make sense,

trusting the Lord to take care of us.

"And if you draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul;

then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought,

and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:10-11.

Sweetness

2011-09-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

On this glorious fall afternoon, I could not help myself,

I just had to ask Rose to snap some pictures of a certain little blonde whom I think adorable.

It seems not so long ago that Rose was wearing this Daisy Kingdom dress,

playing carefree in the yard of our farmhouse,

but in reality, it was over 10 years ago!

"The highest and most desirable state of the soul is to praise God in celebration for being alive."

-Luci Swindoll

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners

who make our souls blossom"

-Marcel Proust

After all, one is only 5 once, and that seems to go so fast,

it would be a pity not to enjoy every minute of it.

Day Journal 9

2011-09-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today was such a hodge podge of goings ons, like so many days before an event or after travel tend to be. Rose was focused on schooling. She is a Jr., this semester taking Government/Current Events. We use the Whitherspoon School of Law tapes (Vision Forum) and a cover to cover reading of every current World magazine as our curriculum. She also practices music for an hour, and is reading "Christ in the Old Testament" for Old Testament Survey. For writing, she is keeping a journal as well as writing on her newly formed blog about her Africa adventures and what God taught her there.

Anna and I were cleaning and organizing cupboards, minding children, and having some good talks. One thing I really enjoy about homeschooling the older children, is the opportunity to have deep conversations about the Lord, life, and loving Jesus. When we are involved in a good deep talk, the normal schedule slides and shifts to make allowance for such times, which I think are necessary for passing on your convictions to your children. Then Anna started baking bread, and I went to work on laundry. Meanwhile Jim was doing some school work, Joe was gone with daddy woodcutting, and the littler ones played.

In the afternoon, when the bread was done baking, and the little ones napping, I went to visit a friend who just had surgery, taking some of the still warm bread and some fresh peaches along for her. By this time, Nanny had arrived and was having a great time with Olivia, who was busy attempting to walk everywhere.

I thought I would share what we are wearing during these journaling days, since feminine modesty is a hot topic. Most all our clothes have been found at thrift stores. Each of us women in our household have our own unique style. Anna is a die hard romantic. I think her goal in dressing each day is to have some bit of lace embellishing a modest outfit. She prefers ballet slipper type shoes, and avoids heels, because, she says, "being tall is just weird."

I am more traditional, with a bit of that romantic touch. My usual "uniform" is a long denim skirt, black sketchers, and a blouse or pullover top. Today, however, I have a tiered skirt that is especially nice for playing on the floor with Olivia.

Rose likes to dress a little more edgy, currently with a hint of Africa. She likes the big earrings, layered tops, flip flops with everything, and she prefers a long flowy skirt. She declined a picture today, but here you can see one of the reasons Uganda had such a profound effect on her.

Bethany is wearing a dress that Nanny made for Rose about 11 years ago. I believe it is a Simplicity pattern. I adore such classic dresses that give a little girl that sweet, wholesome appearance...which is hard to find in retail these days.

Anna made Beef Barely soup to go with the fresh bread for dinner. Since this was our first chilly fall day, with quite a bit of rain, I thought it was ideal, as well as scrumptious.

John arrived home from work without having to go to a fire today, changed clothes and was out the door with his bow to hunt for elk.
Brian and Joe are still gone wood cutting. We are sitting around in the clean and tidy living room, (at least it was ten minutes ago) talking about Summitt and Africa and our journey with Jesus. The children are practicing falling down , reading books, and enjoying a lap. It has been a good day.
Time to read to the children and tuck them all in for the night.
Eyelids are growing heavy, dreamland is beckoning.

Back to Full Speed

2011-09-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Well Hello!

I am finally back to full speed, thank the Lord!

And my, we have been busy.

After two months of not doing anything,

I am gung ho to clean, organize, move furniture, school, bake, write.....

Last weekend Rose, Bethany, Olivia and I attended my cousins wedding.

Olivia was basking in all the attention at the wedding.

The lavendar in full bloom filled the air with its heavenly aroma.

The ferry ride on our way home.

Meanwhile, the guys were here cutting wood for what experts are saying

is going to be a very cold bitter winter.

Sounds romantic,

but only if there is plenty of firewood.

This week we are taking off of school to do our fall cleaning.

This we started on the third floor and are working our way down.

The boys room got a makeover, some new organization,

and some "super cool" soldier stuff from a dear friend to make their room awesome,

although it is one of the only unfinished rooms left in the house.

Next the kids bathroom is getting refitted with a dresser, a new towel bar,

and some other organizational goodies, mostly baskets at this point.

It also, is unfinished, but hopefully not for long.

Anna has declared that if we buy her a bucket of mud she will tape and texture it.

Love that girl!

Right now she is making her first Rhubarb pie with rhubarb from her garden.

Living in a log home means that twice a year we need to vacuum and wipe down all the logs, because they get soooo dusty.

Many hands make light work, so every one gets in on the job.

Pie is the perfect bribery for rewarding good workers.

It feels absolutely wonderful to have all my energy back and be able to run the household again!

Fall is an energetic time for me.

Something about the crisp air,

the coming of winter just around the corner,

and yet a still warm sun on my back,

fills me with inspiration and motivation to be productive.

I am relishing these last days of open windows,

laundry hung out on the line,

long walks through the woods, and good health!

"Home is where the strong cords of commitment

bind hearts together with the closest ties of love."

-The Blessings of Family and Home

Family Life and Smiles

2011-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

I just thought they were so cute, I had to snap a picture.
I said, "Gabe, are you going to wash too?"
He said, "Alright."
.. .and began scrubbing his face with the cloth and soapy water from the bucket.
I just love 2 year olds!

This, I did NOT find so cute.

She is not content to pull herself up to stand, she must climb as well.

Yikes.
Nanny says it is justice met out and the sins of the mother passed on to the children.
No wonder her hair is white. Sorry Mom!

Here is daddy's new shirt.

He's all set now!

I love my family. We have fun.

They put up with me, I put up with them.

They help me, we help each other.

Lately, they have helped me a great deal tending to the crawling, climbing baby

and taking care of the housework.

Yesterday, Ben (7) vacuumed my bedroom and bathroom

and gave me a great big hug when he was done.

He likes to show off his muscles and strength when he hugs

-almost knocked Grammy over the other day.

Bethany is 5, and has taken up helping Joe with the breakfast dishes.

For the most part, they have been happy to pitch in and help,

and I am so very grateful!

Since Rose is now home from Uganda, she has been cooking us yummy African style meals complete with delicious Chapatis! We have a new favorite family meal now.

Anna is currently off to Colorado at a Summit worldview/apologetics camp for two weeks.

My how we miss her, especially Gabe- he is very attached.

John is busy fighting wild fires. We hardly ever see him.

He and his crew are like Superman,

saving the community from impending danger as they run from spot fire to fire working day and night.

Brian works in the office three days a week and from his home office three days a week.

For a break in studying, he can be seen packing a load of laundry out to hang on the line,

stirring soup for lunch, or wrestling with the children as he passes by.

I am sure his example is why the children are so willing to serve.

For some reason, I just cannot seem to get my energy back, and am still struggling to get through each day. It helps so much to have the family pitching in,

and to take a few moments to just have fun and laugh.

It is good medicine!

Our Nature Journals

2011-08-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of the skills that I enjoy teaching the most in our home is that of keeping a Nature Journal.

"What is a Nature Journal?"

Ours is a simple notebook that all school age students keep in which there are drawings, observations, research notes, compositions, and essays on the natural world.

The children have always loved this time in our school day,

and it is the most favored subject for show and tell when friends and family come over.

I think that if we give our children the availability to discover things on their own,

and dive into learning about them,

especially in nature,

they will become people who love to learn.

I also believe that the powers of observation should not be overlooked as a critical skill to attain.

Charlotte Mason states, "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."

We do it like this:

The first day of the week, we go on a hike or walk, lasting no longer than one hour,

in which we observe a specific theme for the week, such as insects, or butterflies.

Last week it was pond life.

We have several ponds very close to our home, so this was an easy one.

Other subjects for this fall will be horses, fall, trees, and birds.

Through the winter, we will borrow some documentaries from the library

on sea life instead of a walk.

This week we are learning about lightning,

because we had a huge lightning storm Sunday night and the children had questions about it,

so it seemed like a good idea.

The second day, we draw what we observed.

This will last an hour, so the drawing is to be as detailed as they can possibly make it.

They may use colored pencils if they want and have time.

When we studied insects, every one caught their own bug and then drew it, labeling it as so forth.

The third day, we get out the reference books and take notes.

I lead this on the white board, the children learn to take notes.

The fourth day, each student writes either an essay or a composition about the subject matter...

age appropriate.

Handwriting and spelling, as well as grammar are all learned, checked, and corrected.

At times it may be appropriate to write a poem about the subject,

which is a nice change from composition.

A Nature Journal is very simple to me, very inexpensive.

We learn a great deal, while enjoying the process.

I believe the main point is not necessarily how you do your home learning, or your nature journal,

but that you do, in fact, do it,

and that with joyful hearts,

pointing the student to the magnificent Maker of all Creation.

The First day of School

2011-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, thank the Lord, I survived the first day of school,

even though I was without my ergo pack for Olivia,

(it was left in the van, which went to work with daddy)

and I forgot to take the two year old to the toilet, and, well, anyway, it wasn't all perfect,

but I survived!

Truth be told, this was nothing short of miraculous,

because after being so sick, I still do not have anywhere near my normal energy level.

I get asked all the time how we do school, so I thought this would be a good time

to tell how we do it. I would venture to guess that no two home school environments

are exactly alike, but it may give someone an idea or encouragement in some way.

During school days, I get up at 7am, I am NOT a morning person,

so this is done through much prayer, which goes like this:

"O Lord, HELP ME PLEASE!"

Everyone still sleeping by 7:30 is roused, followed by breakfast at 8am.

We use a dinner bell, because our home is so big and I do not have much of a voice after all the coughing I have been through.

When the children hear the bell, which is an old time iron triangle,

they come running, wash up and sit at the table with hands in their lap.

We are still having simple summer breakfasts of bread or granola,

then we read a proverb from Kevin Swanson's Family Bible Study series.

Then we take prayer requests and pray.

Next, the children have chores, and I mind the two littlest ones.

I have given us some free time here, before we begin school,

so that I do not feel rushed; which is something that really stresses me out.

At 9:30 I ring the bell again, and the three boys begin school with a nature journal.

Bethany and Gabe play independently during this time,

and I either hold Olivia, put her in the ergo, or have her playing at my feet.

I think I will write in detail about a Charlotte Mason Nature Journal in another post,

so I will skip it here.

I have an hour charted for the Nature Journal,

which is science, hand writing, drawing, and composition all in one.

At 10:30 we go to Math.

I use Rod and Staff for grade school, and Teaching Textbooks for 7th on up.

We have an hour for this too. It allows me to wander around helping the boys,

then move on with Ben, who needs some one on one time with reading.

By the time this is over, they are all ready to move, so I send them on various errands up the stairs, outside, or just have them do some exercises for a few minutes.

Then we are back to do spelling before we break for lunch.

By this time, Gabe was overdue for some help in the bathroom (oops) and Olivia needs the mama. We work together to make sandwiches and lay out some fruit for lunch,

which we eat on paper plates.

Now, I have always avoided paper plates, they are very unromantic, but, being in need of shortcuts, they have become necessity.

By now, the preschool crowd needs my attention, so we have some free time until around 2pm,

when the littles all have naps.

I am working on training Olivia to nap at this time too. She is kinda spoiled from her illness,

so we have our work cut out for us.

Next we practice music and read, taking turns on the piano.

And then, WE'RE DONE!!!

Sort of, Brian and I decided to read History one evening a week after dinner,

and Literature one evening as a family, giving me time during the day

to tend the little ones without a breakneck schedule.

When Anna is around, she helps out with the little ones while I am working with the boys,

which is a tremendous help.

Today, she did "school" with them, much to their delight.

In afternoon play, Bethany was teaching school to Gabe...

we found it very amusing...notice her letters are all perfectly backwards.

Then Gabe got his turn with the white board and drew this dinosaur "all by myself."

I just love preschoolers.

It has been a wonderful, but completely exhausting week.

I am hoping to sleep all weekend,

in hopes of regaining more of my usual get up and go.

What ever happens, sleep or not, the Lord will be my strength.

I am so thankful He is a great God, otherwise, I never would have managed this week at all.

His grace has been sufficient.

His strength has lifted me when I am weak.

I could not possibly home school without Him.

Prayers and Promises

2011-08-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

"Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.

Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children." Lamentations 2:19

The last few days, as I have felt myself once again, I have been spent getting the household straightened up in the deep recesses, re-organized, and begun planning the new school year.

It is such a joy to be able keep house again.

Then yesterday, my husband and I made a trip to town to get groceries.

One of the things I love to do when in town, is stop at the thrift store and hunt.

First, though, we went to The Homeschool Book Shop and scored on the few things I need for this season. With my books in hand I approached the counter...the sales clerk said,

"You have credit here, do you want to use it?"

I felt like I had won the lottery.

I had enough credit to pay for all the things I had in hand!! It was so exciting.

I just love stories of God providing for the people who love him and trust him

with even the little things.

I was swapping stories with a friend who was praying about furniture on Craigslist.

Have you ever prayed about a nightstand?

Life with God is amazing.

Who knows what abundant blessings He has in store for you when you put Him first, like my friend, who met a special person after praying about a nightstand...

or like finding you have a balance of credit to pay for your purchases.

I always pray about our needs on the trip to town.

I have a written list of what is needed, and sometimes, a few items

that I am hoping to find that would just be nice to have.

Time and time again, I find the things on my list at phenomenal deals via a thrift store.

The reality is that God loves his children, and He loves to gives His children Gifts,

I think to reveal that He delights in them and that He cares about the smallest details of our lives.

Going to town is an all day trek, so we most often leave all the children home.

By dinner time, I am missing them, wondering how their day has gone.

We were sitting in Taco Bell when a family came in with a two year old boy

with the cutest little glasses.

He had that adorable 2 year old chub; dimples in his elbows and on his hands - round cheeks,

but he looked so grown up with his little glasses.

I enjoyed watching him with his family.

When we were ready to leave, I just had to let his parents know

what a precious little man they had there, and how much I enjoyed watching him during dinner.

I was missing my own 2 year old boy.

At the same time, I was praying for my oldest son,

who was called out to fight a wildland fire in our area.

I pray fervently for all our boys, young and old.

Stormie Omartan has a book of prayers for boys that is beautifully full of promises and prayers. Here is one that remains in my heart:

"Lord, thank you for my boy. He is such a wonderful gift to me. Help me to raise him well. May the beauty of your spirit be so evident in me that I will be a godly role model for him. Give me the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I must have. Grow me into being the kind of parent You want me to be and teach me how to pray and truly intercede for his life. I'm grateful that I don't have to rely on the world's unreliable and ever changing methods of child rearing, but hat I can have clear directions from your word and wisdom as I pray to you for guidance. I rely on you for everything, and this day I trust my child to you and release him into your hands. In Jesus name I ask that you will increase my faith for all things you have put on my heart to pray concerning my son."

Something I learned during my illness is

how important it is to communicate that you are praying for someone.

I have a friend who, I think, does not have a clue how much I care for her and her children,

how many sleepness nights I have interceded for her wayward boys,

how many times I lifted them up to the Lord begging Him to tug their heartstrings.

Why? Because I have not been active in communicating to her that I am praying,

I have not written or told her boys how I am praying.

I found, when I was sick how very much those words mean,

how encouraging it is to know that someone cares and is praying.

It is a very small thing indeed to drop someone a line these days,

facebook and email make it the simplest of tasks, yet taking few minutes to do so may be a huge encouragement to the person you are praying for.

What about my own children? Do they know that I pray for them each daily?

Do they know how I pray for them?

Sometimes, I find, that it is hardest to tell those that are closest to you how much you care.

My heart is so full of concern for my family and friends, church people.

But, Unless I actively, deliberately communicate it,

they will never know.

Just like those folks in Taco Bell, I hope it was an encouragement to them to tell them my thoughts. What parent does not like to hear that someone else sees value in their child?

It only took 1 minute.

I am resolved to share how I care with others. What do I have to lose?

After all, I appreciate the little things God Himself does to show His care in my life.

I am learning to love more deeply.

It may be slow going, and it is probably something that I should have struck on long ago.

I am humbled at the thought.

May the Lord have mercy and grant me time....

to amend the old ways as I seek to become more like Him.

Whooping Cough and the Big Learning Curve

2011-08-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I am back in the land of the living.

A complication of my pneumonia was coming down with Whopping Cough,

which made my illness much worse.

Olivia also has it, and we are continuing care for her.

There is no treatment for Pertussis.

Studies have shown that complete rest will shorten the illness, but there is nothing to comfort the terrible racking cough that takes your breathe away.

There is nothing to help lessen the coughing.

A mother of 9 getting complete rest meant that I had to go to bed and stay there.

By the time I was diagnosed, I was more than willing.

My dear mother came to help hold down the fort,

our daughter Anna was a huge help, and continues to be,

and my wonderful husband has put in more than his fair share of household help and child care.

Hopefully you will never have to deal with Pertussis, but if you do,

there maybe a few things that will help.

Laying down seams to make the coughing more abundant.

Therefore, with Olivia, I am sleeping sitting up, with her on my chest.

This way she sleeps less fitfully and I can support her when she has a fit of coughing,

as well as make sure she can draw breath after the coughing fit, be there if she vomits (common with the coughing spells)or begins to seizure, and just be of comfort.

Since I had it too, I was glad to sit up to sleep.

At times, it has been extremely difficult to draw breath, in which case a dose of Epinephrin helped. You can purchase it in Primatene Mist at Rite Aid or some such store,

but only until December of this year, when it will become outlawed to sell over the counter.

With a baby, dehydration is a key factor, so making sure Olivia stays hydrated can keep her from having to go to the hospital. The other reason to hospitalize an infant is to be able to sedate them,

in hopes of lessening the coughing fits.

Although there is a vaccine for Pertussis, it wears off over time,

and may not be effective at all in some people. Small babies are especially prone to catching pertussis if they are too young to have gotten the vaccine and all the boosters.

If you have wondered what Whooping cough is,

you can go to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and listen to it.

I thought that the cough made a specific sound, hence the name,

but now understand that the whoop is after the coughing fit,

when you are trying to force air back into your lungs.

It is rather terrifying, not being able to breath, or listening to someone trying desperately to draw breath without much success.

That, however, was not the big learning curve.

The big lessons were on a spiritual level.

With a long illness, it is pretty easy to become discouraged.

I think this is probably totally normal.

I was not content either.

Looking at it now, the two actually go together, first discontent with my circumstances,

and then discouragement of the situation that I could not change.

-The house was not the way I keep it,

-the children were not cared for the way I would do it, and so on...

and I had no choice but to relinquish control.

OK, so I probably have a little control idol in my closet.

And I probably did not think it was much of an issue,

but God, I think with a bit of a smirk, let me know otherwise.

Because He loves me, He saw this as the perfect opportunity for me to think about control...

what it looked like in my life....and since I had nothing better to do,

I could have all the time in the world to deal with it.

So what I am learning on my convalesces is to be content with the day at hand.

I still am not totally well or functioning at my normal level,

and therefore I must fight against frustration and live in gentleness.

My daily battle is to live quietly while I am still awaiting the ability to manage my household,

being grateful for all things, embracing the difficult and responding with grace.

This is tough stuff for me.

I haven't done as well as I would have liked.

Thankfully, God hasn't given up on me...He is still molding and shaping.

He still loves me even though I may resemble the tomatoes in our garden.

They have gotten frosted three times this summer.

They look bedraggled, wilted, and compeletly pathetic.

I was so ashamed of them, that I was ready to toss them out,

when my husband pointed out that they do actually have tiny little tomatoes set on.

Fruit, despite the trying conditions.

Late for the season, yes, but we can nurture them along, hopefully as the fruit ripens.

That is me, late for the season, bedraggled, wilty. Hopefully there will be fruit set on from this long ordeal that will grow and ripen one day to glorify my Heavenly Father.

Trials and difficulty are often for our good, for our growth and maturity.

Where would we be if everything always came easily and pleasantly?

We would be like a milk fed baby, not an enduring and fruit producing plant.

Whooping Cough was not the way I had envisioned my summer going.

But God has bigger and better things in mind than I do,

and His ways are perfect.

These things I am trying to keep in focus as I wait until I am well, till the household is well.

I do want to thank each of you who sent notes and emails, who prayed for our recovery...it means so very much to me, each word an encouragement to my soul in a needy time.

Today Olivia seems a bit better than yesterday,

so I hope and pray this is the beginning of her healing.

I will keep ya all posted.

In The Meantime

2011-07-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

In the absence of my dear Mother,

you might want to visit my 16-year-old sister Rosie's blog.

She is currently in Jinja Uganda Africa.

Take a peek and read about some of her life-changing experiences.

She has a God-given gift for photography and

a heart for the people of Uganda.

Here's the link:

Rosie's Blog

You can thank me later. :)

Blessings, Anna Primer

In Case You've Been Wondering

2011-07-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this is Anna.

In case you've been wondering where my lovely Mother is,

she has not been feeling well for the last week.

Yesterday she went to the doctor,

we discovered that she has Pneumonia and she has been sent to bed.

Please pray for her recovery!

May the Lord bless you today.

Caspian

2011-07-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

There are three things in this life that Jim loves passionately;

memorizing scripture,

the world of C.S. Lewis,

and animals.

He has long wanted his own dog,

and God, in his great love,

has provided Jim with not only a dog,

but, just the kind of dog our family needed.

We began looking at Great Perienese last year, but hesitated in our search that we may inquire of the Lord.

This spring a friend came to us, out of the blue, and asked us if we wouldn't want one of her puppies.

"What kind?" We asked.

I think we were speechless for a few minutes,

and then realizing the gift,

a great smile spread across our faces, as the full realization of what was happening hit us.

This is Jim and his new puppy, Caspian.

Caspian is a Burmese Mountain Dog/Great Perienese.

We wanted to get the children this type of dog to watch over them and guard them in their woodland play. We do live in the woods, along with every large predator and big game animal in close proximity.

A moose is to be feared just as much as a cougar or wolf,

all of which have been seen within a mile of our home.

Although this puppy is only 8 weeks old, he will soon be a large dog

who will follow the children everywhere, being their constant companion and caretaker.

That gives this mama some peace of mind,

that the little children running through the woods and down the meadows

are more likely to be happy safe children,

and less like cougar bait.

Jim is in love.

So is Caspian.

"Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, for everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, he gives him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven give good gifts to those that ask Him?" Matthew 7:8-11

Saturday Already?

2011-07-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Somewhere out there, my week happened.

I know not what we did or where it went, but it is nearly gone, and all that is left are a few photos.

My camera is missing my photographer daughter, Rose,

who is away in Uganda (and loving it very much,by the way).

As the other two older ones are also away from home,

and Joe and Jim spent the week at camp,

just the 4 little ones here holding down the fort with ma and pa, life has been a bit strange.

Going from a household of 11 to 5 or 6

left me wondering what to do with all the time I had on my hands,

so much less the work load of keeping house!

Then I pondered the idea of this being permanent in a short while,

when the older three leave our home to begin their own journey of building a family.

It will happen all too fast, I am sure.

Thankfully, there are a few pictures to remind me of our life this week:

The garden got froze again,

poor tomatoes,

but the spinach, lettuce and peppers are still producing.

The strawberries, too, look quite sad.

Anna's herbs are doing well, although there are tiny little footprints in her garden

near a wee little green spot that used to be lupine.

Girly laundry.

I am quite fond of hanging out clothes and seeing them flap in the breeze,

knowing they will smell like sweet clover when I gather them in.

Olivia looked so peaceful, I just had to let her be.

Gabe is continually amazing me and making me smile.

This week he noted a large hawk in a nearby tree and proclaimed it was a "Bawg Eagle."

It sounds so cute when he says it that we have had several conversations about Bald Eagles,

just so he can use the words more.

Now if I ask what is the national bird, he has a knowing response all ready.

His 2 year old accent does stupify me sometimes though.

It took me most of a day to figure out "I have a canafwage."

Which, translated, means "I want my camouflage shorts."

This is the "runway" near the lodge, where I take my daily walks.

It is about 2 miles round trip, down the runway, around the pond, and back through the woods.

There is almost always wildlife to be seen, and the time alone gives me opportunity to talk to God.

I often walk in the evening, when Brian is home,

or in the afternoon when the little ones are napping and Joe can look after things.

The combination of the outdoors and the peace and quiet of the woods

make this a highly revitalizing time for me.

With a full household, I rely on that time, which can often be the only time during an entire day that is not spent on others needs.

I think a mother's time is not her own, she has a house, children, and a husband to care for.

Yet, having a bit of margin for balance can be a major life-source for renewal, so that she is fueled up to be the minstering balm of grace to her family that God inteneded.

For a long time I did not understand this, and emptied myself out to the point of utter exhaustion.

Then too, there are others who abuse such time by overemphasizing "me time" in selfish ambition.

As in all things, there must be a godly balance,

and it can be hard to honestly find it and maintain it.

To this end I pray;

"that God would fill my heart with compassion, that I may extend blessings to others,

and make use of my hands as instruments of His love."

Do you love Him?

2011-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

I love my husband, which means, that I want to spend time with him, be with him, talk to him, go places with him, listen to his thoughts and dreams and make them my thoughts and dreams. I do things out of love and respect for my husband too, I wear my hair long, because he likes it that way, I make mashed potatoes for him because he likes them, even though I do not. Some things, that I used to not like, I have gained an appitite for , such as coffee, and steak..he still has not won me over to dill pickles, however.

If I never spent time with my husband- listening to his heart, what his day was like, what he is thinking, and telling him about my day, my thoughts, my difficulties, my joys- our relationship would be much more shallow. If, instead I tried to make mashed potatoes every day and never wear my hair up- to prove my love and devotion to him, would that make up for the lack of communing with him? No, it in no way would! Our time spent together talking, listening, encouraging, spurring; forms the majority of our relationship and allows us to go our separate ways during the day, yet speak on one another's behalf, for me to write from the both of us, for him to represent our family to the community, etc.

Most days, I braid my long hair, or wear it in a bun because our baby grabs it and tries to stuff it in her little mouth, pulling it and often breaking it. She will outgrow it, she will learn not to. My loving husband understands my plight and does not take the least offense that my hair is not free flowing every day. He also does not demand that I like mashed potatoes or make them everyday. He is thoughtful that way, and kind.

Our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father is much the same, do you see?

So often I see people trying to live a "pleasing life" for God, without communing with Him- spending time in His word and in prayer. They are missing the bulk, and most important portion of the Christian life. These same ones spend all their efforts living in rules and regulations that they think will make them closer to the God whom they rarely spend time with. I am not judging; I am stating what I know. I have heard their stories, heard their cries, seen their thirst unquenched and watched as they try in vain to fill that God sized hole in their soul with other stuff.
The greatest commandment is not that we keep a list of rules, the greatest commandment is to love God.

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes all knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

How do we love God? The same as we love people: by devoting ourselves to a relationship, interacting with one another, living in grace with one another, seeking to know one another. Out of this love, we desire to please...I make a caramel desert for my friend when she comes for tea because I know she loves caramel. I do not have to. She will be delighted with whatever I serve- she loves me that much. The loving comes first and remains the priority. The doings are like frosting on a cake, but ya gotta have the cake, for the frosting is not a desert in and of itself. Paul puts it this way in the letter to the Philippians...but notice that the love comes first and then out of it flows fruits of righteousness...
"And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all understanding, that you may discern things that are excellent; that you may be sincere without offense until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." 1:9-11

I love my husband. I love talking with him in the morning over a cup of coffee, I look forward to chatting with him in the evening after the children are in bed. In between, we may message back and forth or chat on the computer..just staying in touch through out the day. A constant communing of heart and soul...we journey this life together, one mind, for one purpose- our lives so entwined it is impossible to extract one from the other. This is relationship in fullness, and it brings great joy and contentment. It is the way we were made to be. With one another. With God.

Tea for Two and Two for Tea

2011-07-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, these two happy children rambled about their little "camp" having a tea party.

It was too precious to pass up.

I felt I had been transported into a Sandra Kuck painting.

They danced, sang, chased robins, drank several cups of "tea",

and finally were drawn away by the lure of kittens darting about their play area.

Tea in the afternoon is always a delightful affair, don't you think?

I smile as I watch them play.

Brothers and sisters engaged in happy play is a joyous occasion for a mama.

For a little while, anyway, the 3,000 times I have told them to

"Be Kind and Loving to Each Other" is paying off.

I am reminded of a favorite quote from June Masters Bacher,

"Every act of kindness moves to a larger one

'til friendships bloom to show what little deeds have done."

Such sweet pastimes as these help in making brothers and sisters best friends.

It is often the simple pleasures in life, when shared with one another, I think,

that make for the most endearing memories.

Mornings on the Porch

2011-07-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Our summer mornings begin on the porch.

The cool crispness of the dewy air combined with the first sunshine of the day,

the birds morning song, and a talk with my Lord makes rising early a pleasure,

even to this sleepy head.

This morning I am reminded by the Psalmist,

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust int he Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart,

Commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in Him; and /he shall bring it to pass.

And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: " 37:1-7

I know very well how we women tend to worry and not trust in our heavenly Father.

But this He does not want.

Instead, He values a woman who trusts in Him and lives without anxiety- -

thus the meaning of a gentle and quiet spirit: the spirit who quietly trusts instead of anxiously frets;

who rests in Him, accepting his plan instead of trying to force our own, relinquishing control.

Today, may we be living in the moment,

being faithful with what He has given us,

talking to Him about our concerns and giving them over to him...our Heavenly Father.

He really can take care of our needs,

and He knows what we need so much better than we do,

so we understand,

and with understanding comes contentment,

peace,

and with peace, joy.

This is what it looks like to trust.

These are my morning thoughts as I sit in my rocker

in front of the beautiful hanging baskets that grace the porch.

The next part of our day is to gather everyone for breakfast on the porch,

then their Bible reading, with chores following.

I have a particularity adorable helper today.

Besides the porch, here are a few favorite spots of mine around the lodge.

A collection of white serving dishes,

mostly gathered at thrift stores, is crowned by this delightful platter with a verse.

I love the hunt of thrifting.

Such finds as these dishes bestir happy moments which cause a smile when I look at or use them.

I remember my great aunt serving tea from this tea cheerful yellow teapot

when I visited her in Holland as a child.

My other great aunt gave me her tea cup collection

when she moved from her home to a retirement apartment,

and since then I have inherited other relatives' tea cups and pots,

so that now we have a great many, and some tucked away in hope chests as well.

Nearly every piece of furniture in our home has been given to us,

and a good portion of the accessories also.

Each item is a standing stone to remember that God does indeed provide,
not measely crumbs,
but good and wonderful gifts,
oft times, beyond what we even dreamed possible.
Our home is a testament to that,
but these gifts are not just material,
they are more importantly the spiritual provisions of faith, mercy, joy, and patience, for example.

He is a very trustworthy God.

He is good, and His mercy endures forever.

I hope you know Him.

I pray you spend your days loving Him,

herein is life abundant,

meaningful,

beautiful.

Indepenence Day Celebration

2011-07-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

The first, of likely many more, annual Independence Day celebrations at Providence Lodge

began ordinary enough, but ended with more than a little bang.

Over 50 friends and family gathered for an all-American potluck,

a bit of target shooting,

and a combined effort at a fireworks display.

Here in Idaho, we are still allowed the freedom of lighting off our own festivities.

After a heartfelt prayer for mercy with the numerous children present,

all went safely.

Ben declared it was the best day ever.

Aside from missing Rose, who was somewhere over the Atlantic in mid flight to Uganda,

it was, indeed a magnificent day.

Our Prayer

2011-06-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Build Your kingdom, Lord

Through our children, Lord

May this generation know You more

Raise up men of God

Who stand upon Your Word

Filled with integrity, whose hearts are pure

Draw our daughters to

A life of trusting You

Servanthearted, wholesome, devoted and true

Give us Wisdom, we pray

As we train them each day

With the vision of leaving a legacy of Your ways

Emmerse us deeply in You

So that it's You that shines through

And by Your grace we will see

Our children's children praise Thee.

Day Journal 8

2011-06-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today began just the way I like best,

my dear husband bringing me a cup of coffee to wake me up.

Soon, the majority of the family was off to church with Daddy, so

Olivia and I enjoyed our quiet time on the porch in the sunshine.

I gave myself until 9 am to be still; time to think, pray, and read the Scriptures.
Then we set off to do a bit of housework.

After the first 8 children, our original backpack baby carrier gave up the ghost.

I am glad to now have an Ergo baby carrier.

It is quite comfortable. An Ergo can be worn front style as well as backpack.

Olivia likes it.

She is one of those people- persons, and would prefer to be doing something with you

than on the floor by herself-

an extravert at almost 7 months old.

After the initial housework and laundry, it is time to make granola.

I have already posted this recipe, but will do again anyway.

I have tried several different recipes and this one is simple,

takes less weird ingredients, and I like the results better.

I always make a double batch, of course, and it goes quickly enough.

Very frugal and easy to make:

GRANOLA
In a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups wheat or oat bran
8 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
In a saucepan:
1 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (I just use pancake syrup)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Heat to a boil, pour over oat mixture, spread in cookie sheet. Bakes for 20 minutes at 325, cool, add dried fruit if you wish, and you are done.

Now Olivia is at the stage of development where she needs to be taught to sit still.

This kind of training we begin for short amounts of time everyday,

then increase the time gradually as she gets the idea.

We call this blanket training.

It has come in so handy with all the other children.

From a very early age they will sit well on a blanket

at church or when ever you need them to be in one spot for a while,

contentedly playing for up to an hour.

She is still getting used to sitting up,

and all went really well until she lost her balance and tumbled over on her head.

We will try again tomorrow.

Next I was off to begin dinner plans while Olivia was napping.

My husband loves sourdough bread, so I had a round loaf all ready for dinner.

But it looked lonely and kind of plain.

Bread is good for you, I am thinking,

so it must be extra good for you with a half pound of butter, a head of garlic- chopped,

and some grated cheese, right?

Right!

First I sliced the bread one direction, not quite all the way through,

then I turned it the other way and sliced it nearly all the way through again.

Then I stuck the cheese in all the crevices while the butter melted on the stove with the garlic in it.

When that was complete, I poured the butter over the bread

and popped the whole thing in the oven to toast up a bit.

The results were fabulous, although slightly artery clogging.

After dinner, we enjoyed the beautiful evening with a stroll down the driveway.

Soon enough it was time for daddy to read "We're going on A Bear Hunt" to the littles,

and then bedtime.

From our home to yours, or where ever your abode is tonight,

Grace and Peace be upon you.

Psalm 63

2011-06-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee;

my soul thirsts for thee, in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

To see thy power and thy glory,

so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,

my lips shall praise thee.

Thus will I bless thee while I live:

I will lift up my hands in thy name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;

and my mouth shall praise thee

will joyful lips."

10 things I am thankful for today:

The sense of smell that our Creator thoughtfully bestowed upon us.

The gift of music, unexplained outside of Purposeful Design.

The Bible, ever fresh and inspiring, applicable, relevant.

God's mercy and grace poured out upon us every day.

His love and atonement generously given through the death and resurrection of His Son.

Loving family relationships that give us a glimpse of our relationship with Him.

God's faithful provision in our lives.

The friendships of dear ones far and near.

The delight of food! (You knew I wouldn't leave that one out).

Leona agrees.

This life: a journey to learn, to laugh, to love.

"Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,

my lips shall praise thee."

Another Rainy Weekend

2011-06-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Another rainy weekend.

We must wait for summer patiently, as we did for spring.

It will come,

but for now, we need to remain content

with another day of 50 some degree weather and rain.

I do love rain, and bad weather in general.

However, as the first day of summer draws near,

we are all expecting that it might warm up and look

like summer soon.

Keeping the troops engaged happily indoors day after day

when they are longing to be outside can be tricky,

but in general they are good little troops,

and if I keep my attitude in good order, they are more apt to also keep theirs.

When I exemplify this before my children,

when I live it,

then I have earned the ability to teach them that boredom is a form of grumbling,

so they need to amuse themselves cheerfully,

for it is training their heart to be satisfied with what is.

A new set of WASHABLE markers for Gabe keeps him deterred from more destructive 2 year old antics.

This idea came

after

he painted his whole self with red fingernail polish..

it...was NOT washable.

The boys never tire of legos.

We have declared a whole room upstairs to lego mania.

Here the boys spend hours creating, building, and playing while listening to audio books.

Some of their favorites are the Chronicles of Narnia, any G.A. Henty, and Jonathan Park,

all available at Vision Forum.

Thus a rainy day, or season, is passed most pleasantly.

The kittens provide indoor entertainment,

as well as reading books aloud,

playing with the baby,

and enjoying food, a favorite pastime here at our house.

We are not entitled to good weather,

or life on our terms.

Sometimes we need reminded of that.

To give way to the "if only's" is to enter into the temptation to grumble and be discontent.

I have been thinking lately that such ways don't make any sense

when we have the unconditional, glorious love of a heavenly Father,

whose grace and mercy flow abundantly.

Yesterday, Brian shared a passage in John 6:27-35.

The people were following Jesus, but they did not hunger for him,

as much as they wanted stuff from him.

They really never had an appetite for Jesus,

only an absorption in themselves,

and in the end, they turned away from him because their sinful desires were never satisfied.

If it rains every day for a year,

I pray I will be content with my Jesus,

my happiness not being determined by my circumstances,

or by the obtaining of everyday desires,

but on my relationship with my Savior.

That is the real meaning of life, I think.

That is what I aspire to,

to hunger and thirst for Him, above all else.

For Jesus to be the bread of life from which I am satisfied.

Then, there will be an end to anxiety and discontent, come what may.

22 Reasons

2011-06-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate 22 years of a covenant that has gotten stronger, deeper and sweeter through it's length. Today, I am giving my husband 22 reasons that I love him more today than I did on our wedding day in 1989.

1. He loves the Lord more than he loves anything else.
2. He is humble and teachable.
3. He displays his priorities of God, wife, children, job, others consistantly.
4. He protects me.
5. He is a loving, fun and discipling father.
6. He likes pretty things.
7. He is romantic.
8. He strives to understand his complex wife.
9. He doesn't take me to the hardware store.
10. He gets up at 5 am with the baby.
11. I can trust him.

12. He still pursues me.
13. He leads.
14. He falls asleep reading bedtime stories. :-)
15. He is thoughtful.
16. He is a servant leader.
17. He has a big heart.
18. He has a beautiful singing voice and a heart of worship.
19. He makes the BEST coffee.
20. He is my best friend.
21. He is ruggedly hansome.
22. He is the real thing; genuine, transparent, truly a godly man.

The Lord has blessed me beyond measure.

Not me only, but our children as well.

Today, I am rejoicing in my dear sweet husband,

thanking the Lord for bringing us together

and celebrating the love of my life.

Little Touches

2011-06-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

It is often the little touches of beauty

that add grace and an air of a special occasion to every day life that I enjoy the very most.

Having no landscape here at Providence Lodge yet,

I sent my daughters out to scavenge lilacs from obliging neighbors.

We now have bouquets all over the house, filling the air with their sweet aroma.

Each handfull sits humbly in a quart jar,

proving that nothing expensive need be purchased to make your abode a special, beautiful haven,

just some thoughtful and creative touches here and there....

a pat of butter served in a heart shape on your sweetheart's pancake,

a few yards of fabric ironed and laid on the table for a luncheon cloth,

a handful of picked wildflowers,

or a candle from the dollar store.

I do truly wish you could smell the lovely lilacs just now.

Such a small improvement, but huge in influence.

Even so, I think it is the small acts of grace that have the most profound impact on our loved ones..

a caring note in a lunch,

a goodnight hug and I love you to your teen,

a smile when your spouse walks in the door.

Little touches.

Big effect.

The Family Portrait

2011-06-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

It may seem simple enough,

but gathering the large family for a portrait is no easy feat.

First, you must choose a time when everyone is home.

Second, I desired that we were all in fairly good shape, no black eyes, large scrapes on our faces, etc.

This is harder than you might think,

especially when one has 5 boys.

Third, everyone's clothes must all be clean at the same time.

Fourth, and hardest, all eyes should be on the camera,

which is virtually impossible, as seen here.

After countless shots, you are finally reduced to just hoping everyone has their eyes open.

Getting a good smile is not as difficult,

as daddy is known for making random comments that easily produce smiles and grins.

One and a half hours later, an acceptable photo is produced, and everyone sighs in relief.

They were all good sports, and it was a fairly painless experience this time.

It was all done in the nick of time,

as John was shipped off to fight fires in New Mexico the next day.

He could be gone for up to three weeks.

By that time, Rose will be on a plane bound for Uganda,

where she will spend the summer in ministry with Next Generation Ministries.

Anna will be absent most of the month of July counseling at camp,

something she takes great delight in.

She still writes to a few of her little girls from last year.

It will be so strange to only have 6 children at home for the summer.

As we scatter for a time, my prayer is that the memories we have made day by day

will be so tender and precious that each person who goes out of our doors

will carry the blessing of home and family upon them wherever they go;

The melody of our homelife will be a song whose voices of love and prayer

inspire them as they are far away,

comfort them when they are lonely,

and continue to whisper love and truth to their ears.

Tea Time

2011-06-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love, to have friends over for tea.

The whole act of tea time....

taking extra special measures to exude grace, beauty and the best of linens, china dishes,

flowers, candles, and the most delectable foods, with a steaming cup of tea....

along with the non hurried afternoon to visit extensively...

joins the essence of fellowship

and the beauty of hospitality in harmonious communion

to create the sublime.

The new Taste of Home's 100 best recipes magazine was more than I could withstand,

I just had to have it, and began trying new recipes right away.

Caramel Praline Torte,

Chicken Bacon Cresents,

Pesto Cheesecake with homemade crackers,

and strawberries, which are outstanding this year,

finished off the menu.

I served our favorite herbal tea, Preacher's Passion, along with the standard English breakfast.

Whether it is one special friend, or a group of six,

the aspect of nurturing a special time to share together is one of my delights in this earthly life.

Although I dearly love food, I relish watching others enjoy the dishes I have prepared even more,

and tea time is an opportunity to pull out all the stops and go over the top

with all those super recipes that we don't usually have.

Collecting the linens and pretty things is also part of the fun.

Most of the china I have has been given to me, and none of it matches,

so I have an eclectic table joined by colors of yellows and pinks.

The table never looks the same twice that way.

When we gather a group together for tea,

everyone brings food for the children ("locusts") which they may partake of on the porch,

then run off to play with friends they, too, do not get to see so very often.

The older daughters usually join us, observing and learning from our conversation,

take the babies on walks, and help with the locusts if need be.

Older boys who do not have work for the day may be found tramping through the woods together,

or holding babies as well.

Is there anything so sweet as a young man holding a little one?

All have a wonderful time, and ask when we are having tea time again.

Again next month, Lord willing, is the answer----

and until then, I will have my nose in the recipe book planning and devising,

and yes, praying that the anticipated day will be

a blessing to all.

J.R, Miller

2011-06-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, we get swallowed up in the day to day activities and events of life

and therefore lose sight of the beauty that God intended for us to enjoy within family life.

Piles of laundry, a sick baby, a hectic schedule

can blind us to the joy of the Lord and the beauty around us,

then we find ourselves empty of joy

and questioning,

complaining,

or irritable.

Sometimes we listen to the world, begging for our attention,

which then grabs us and convinces us that a distraction from real priorities is actually good for you.

There are so many options to tear your heart away from home.

Nowadays, with the internet,

you don't even have to leave home

to be distracted

away from home.

I asked a friend for a description of her mother,

here is part of the startling reply:

"My mother was always fully present with us.

I could bring her a big pile of books and she would always read the whole stack to me.

If I went to get more, she would read those too.

She always had time for us."

Fully present.

That has stuck with me.

Too many times my answer is, "just a minute honey", or "not now dear."

As if whatever task I am occupied in is more important than my own dear children.

Sometimes slowing down, saying no to good things, but distracting things,

and focusing in on our loving Heavenly Father,

our home,

and our family

is what is needed to restore and recharge a weary or overwhelmed soul.

Sometimes,

if you slow down and listen,

you can hear Father calling you to simplify,

purify your priorities,

and turn your heart towards home.

"Sisters, Brothers, Husbands, Wives-

Homelife is meant to be beautiful, ennobling, and victorious!"

God intends for each person, from parents to child,

to play a role in family life,

the ultimate goal of which is

the transformation of the individual

the home

and the society

for the glory of God.."

- J.R. Miller- Homemaking

Life at our House Today

2011-06-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Life at Providence Lodge is usually a peaceful, relaxing, happy place.

Once in a while,

life happens;

accidents, relationship problems, etc.

and in such cases,

we tend to huddle.

We've been in that huddling state since Sunday,

when Ben burned his arm and leg badly.

We are now tending him and his burns,

keeping him quiet and entertained,

and thanking the Lord it wasn't any worse.

We are also thankful to have had the influence of my dear friend,

Enola Gay,

who over the past several years has prompted us to purchase a burn kit with lidacaine

to use in just such accidents.

This we did, and mercifully, it saved Ben a trip to the ER, and gave him faster relief from the pain.

He is a good little patient

and, thanks to many prayers, coping with it quite well.

Still, a mama's heart breaks for her little one when they are hurting,

and all must be done to ensure he is loved and nurtured and happily distracted.

Thus, it feels like life is a little slower.

Everyone is keenly aware of helping Ben.

There is one less whirlwind running through the house.

A current of gravitas wafts through the atmosphere of the home when such pain is endured.

We see God's hand of mercy so evident through each day:

Ben tipped a pot of hot water on himself, but less than half of the water made it out

before someone righted the pot.

We were right at hand and got him to cold water immediately.

We had the proper medications to help him.

We had a Dr. with us at the time of the accident,

along with many other people who began praying for him at once.

What could look like a terrible ordeal, has actually been a bolstering of faith for our family,

little ones included.

Lessons are being learned on being prepared,

how to treat a burn,

caring for someone ill or in pain,

and the more important one of Jesus,

who is the healer of our souls,

not just our flesh.

He will bring forth new life from the dead, rotting debris in our lives.

His Holy Spirit is the comforting salve to which we should administer to our wounds and scars.

Blessed be the Lord, to lovingly give us such vivid pictures to stamp his Truth on our hearts,

and pour forth grace upon Ben in the process.

God is good. All the time.