Garden goodness

We have about 50 tomatoes that will all turn red at once! We're going to can stewed tomatoes and spaghetti sauce for the winter. And then gobble down the rest.

Andy's harvesting lots of green veggies from his garden lately, along with a bunch of mushrooms. It's so exciting and gratifying to eat food grown from your own yard!! (Except for the mushrooms. I think mushrooms taste like dirt and feel like Styrofoam.) I'm thinking of selling jars of pickles with my other stuff at my mother-in-law's church flea market in a couple of weeks. Would that be weird? We have cucumbers out the ying-yang and some thing's gotta give!

Trolley tour

A bottle tree!

We are trying to knock off the last few things on our summer bucket list. This list was a great idea. It's been a fun summer! Jackson and I loved the trolley ride. Josh and Lydie behaved very well, but could have been just as entertained doing a number of other things (like swimming or just staying home and playing :) ). J and I love history and enjoyed the tour guide very much. It wasn't quite as interesting as the Savannah trolley tour, but much more meaningful since we were hearing about our own town. Isn't the trolley station the most darling thing?

Feathers

Last night I felt like I was up all night praying. The past couple of weeks I have prayed boldly for three things to happen by today. Two were very likely, one was a stretch. Seemed liked dozens of times a day I laid these requests, among others, before the Lord.

I woke up this morning to get my answers from God. No, no, and no! He can always answer with a "Yes!" in the future. But for today he granted zero for three. I told the Lord last night that I knew He could do anything, but if He chose not to allow these three things to happen right now I would trust Him. I told him I would remember with thanksgiving all of the ways He has blessed me and close my eyes and plunge headlong into those wonderful memories like a bed of feathers. And that's what I am trying to do now. I am trying to look beyond today and remember all the yesterdays that He has said, "Yes! Yes! Yes!". Those times are faith builders for sure. What a steady feeling it is to ask and receive, but more than that, to have the same desires as God. That's one of the main reasons I love this blog. It's a scrapbook of our story and it's a beautiful one because of Jesus-even in hard times. I can look back and see His loving kindness.

"The Lord sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves."

~Dwight L. Moody

"When such as I cast out remorse so great a sweetness flows into the breast..."

~W. B. Yeats

More feathers for the pile from this week:

::4 free meals and drinks on Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A::

::A pretty night to play at the creek and park::

"Lord, make me see thy glory in every place."

~Michelangelo

To the top

We decided at 6:00 the other night to climb the ~little~ mountain in an adjoining town. (Andy says in the northwest it would be called a "hill".) It was a fairly steep 2-mile hike up and then 2 miles back down. When we arrived we had an hour and fifteen minutes before the park closed at 8:00. We were really excited that we made it in time. But we didn't enjoy feeling rushed.

Truthfully, I did NOT enjoy hiking at the end of the day. It was hard! After a day of being busy around the house and with the kids, I realized it was just not the fun I had imagined. But I think it would be a great, quick hike, and just the right amount of challenge for our kids if done at the right time of day before we are all tired.
The scenery was wonderful!

"The soft blue sky did never melt

Into his heart; he never felt

The witchery of the soft blue sky!"

~Wordsworth

Summer art #5

We decided to find some library books on Georgia O'Keeffe at the library. Then the kids used a pencil to draw a flower that would touch all four sides of their paper (this was their goal, any way). I traced it with a Sharpie. Then they used water colors to paint them. I got the idea from this blog.

The results were beautiful and the project was fun! I had these 99 cent frames from IKEA that have been collecting dust for years. We decided to frame the pictures and put them in the small hallway between the kids' rooms. Perfect!

For the love of books

I decided that I would read more this year as a "discipline". I wanted to be a good model for the kids, to learn things, to broaden my horizons, etc. I decided to allow myself to venture into more fiction, as I had previously read mostly to learn more about a topic or person (non-fiction). It's official, this year I have fallen in LOVE with reading.

Here's how bad it is. When I finish a book, I put the book down and IMMEDIATELY go to the computer to reserve the next book at the library. THEN, for the next two or three days while I wait I become antsy and anxious. I can hardly wait to find myself wrapped up in a new little adventure! It will be a while before I will read non-fiction again. I am hooked. It all started in January with the Harry Potter series. I read each book ahead of J, telling him which chapters I would need to paraphrase due to the intensity. He trailed me along all 7 books in the series. I have never enjoyed reading so much. These books were amazingly well-written.

From there I've devoured a couple of dozen others including The Shack, The Glass Castle, On Folly Beach, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and more. Through some of the novels I have read, I have been inspired to read more poetry, too. Plath, Wordsworth, and Thoreau to name a few. It's made all of my summer adventures so much more colorful!

Now I am diving head-long into the Mitford series. It took a few chapters for me to get going in the first book, but now I'm hooked. I'm so excited. (I know the median age for a fan of the Mitford series is probably closer to my Mother's age. What does this say about me? All I know is, I am completely entertained. (And the content is much more edifying that a certain vampire series that some of my friends are pining over! :) ) Maybe I can get the Grandmommy's club at church to go with me to a book signing in October when her new book comes out. :) ) My book list for the future is enormous. I add to like I am 9 years old and it's a Christmas list.

Several questions come to mind:

1. How does an avid reader stay in shape? If I am to get up early, I would MUCH rather read with coffee than exercise. Bummer. I guess discipline. Ick.

2. Is it strange to have a book on the passenger seat of my car for reading at the traffic lights?

3. As I am trying to maintain some form of self-control and continue to enjoy my children and other responsibilities, I find myself grabbing my current read the minute the kids are in bed. My poor husband. He does a sideways grin (fake) and says, "Wow, another book, huh?" Does this obsession kill a marriage? :)

*Pictured above: The first time in history that I have ever actually read all of the books on my bedside table! Will wonders never cease?

Happy Independence Day!

Pathetic

When he's gone for the day on a business trip, I lose my groove. I forget until then how often I text or call with a funny moment. I forget how often I need a quick prayer or opinion. I forget how the moment his car pulls into the driveway is the best part of our day, no matter where we've been or who we've seen. I forget how much humor, leadership, calmness, and wisdom he brings to our family. I miss him desperately when work takes him away! Here's what a crazy, pathetic day without Andy looks like:

::Lots of activities to wear out the kids::

*Yippee for free summer movies!! The movie was followed up by the library and swimming!

::Spur-of-the-moment shopping trip for spur-of-the moment house projects::

*Finally installed the book rack I promised years ago!
*$25 IKEA frame+old paint=new chalkboard
::Quiet activities while I relax::*"Where's Waldo?" buys me serious down time

*Paper airplanes: Joshua's new obsession

::A date with these two girls while I pray for his safety at his perilous job sight

::Less-than-exciting (pathetic) meals ::

I was SO thankful (and exhausted) when he walked in the door!!

Summer art #3 and #4

Fourth of July pinwheels (directions here)

"God's eye" weaving project (directions here)

*This project requires some hefty fine motor skills. I would say it would be well-suited for 2nd grade and up!

The half way mark

I realized this week that today is the half-way mark of 2010. Since lists are a great form of accountability for me, I thought I would take the chance to see if I am on course with any of my 10 "new year's resolutions".

1. Be a good steward of my body

~Get up early and exercise

~Healthy eating

::more water, regular vitamins, healthy eating on and off, not so much regular exercise

2. Rely on God's word and prayer first thing

::mostly happy with this area (but always thirsting for more)

3. Mentor and be mentored

::need to call my mentor and the girl I mentor ASAP!

4. Spend more time alone with Andy

::Planning a date on Friday!!

5. Spend more time outside

::Yes!! And it's great!

6. Continue homeschool curriculum (more science, plan ahead, flexible)

::I think we did 100% better with science in 2010. I am excited about a new year!

7. Continue with artistic outlets

::Yes! Love this time alone. I was very encouraged by the kids comments about this area of my life. Enforced what I thought which is that motherhood is enhanced when I glorify God by using my gifts and talents outside the home, as well as in the home.

8. Spend regular time with friends and alone.

::A little more. Joined the book club, which I love.

9. Read daily

::Yes! I'm on my 18th book read in 2010. This is a record for me since becoming a Mom. I am REALLY enjoying fiction.

10. Host more people in our home.

::Yes! We have opened our home more to family and friends and it fills like we are using our gifts more, which is so fulfilling.

There. That wasn't too painful. The long and short of it is:

~Take better care of my body. (Is there an echo?)

~Call mentor and mentoree.

~Stay the course.

"And what I must learn is to love with all of me, giving all of me, and yet remaining whole in myself. Any other kind of love is too demanding of the other; it takes rather than gives...To love wholly, generously, and yet retain the core that makes you you."

~Madeliene L'Engle

Small world

We finally had the opportunity to have this couple over for dinner. The husband works with Andy and has become his friend. They are from Turkey and come from Muslim families. The boys and I studied Turkey in history this year. So we've been very excited about meeting them and asking questions.

During dinner we pulled out the library books we found on Turkey and they smiled and told us of their own experiences with the places in the pictures. My favorite statement was "Ah, yes! I was a tour guide there as a teenager!". Small world. They brought two Turkish dishes, and we shared grilled chicken, hashbrown casserole, salad, and apple pie. After dinner, they taught us how to play Backgammon. (And we enjoyed it so much that we bought our own board and played it over the weekend.) Once the kids were in bed, they got their computer out of the car and showed us digital pictures of their wedding, home, and family. By the end of the night, we felt like they were friends. I think our prayers were answered for the evening, which were simply that "they would enjoy our company". I hope this is the beginning of something wonderful.