Light

Since that last post was so deep, I'll leave you with these lighter thoughts.

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own. ~Ben Sweetland

Moonlight is sculpture. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home. ~Author Unknown

Firelight will not let you read fine stories but it's warm and you won't see the dust on the floor. ~Irish Proverb

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark. ~Rabindranath Tagore

Friday Rhyming Blues

Here I sit.
Here I Stare.
Shall I flit?
Add some flair?
How 'bout wit?
Who, What, Where?
Shall I quit?
Do I dare?

Sit, flit, wit, quit.
Stare, flair, Where, dare.

Bit, knit, chit.
Bare, mare, hair.

Git, kit.
Chair, lair.

It.
Care.

Gardening 101

Spring is here, and with that comes another year of attempting to grow food for ourselves. We've gotten pretty good at feeding the local four-footed population which includes squirrels, possums, raccoons, rabbits, and probably some deer. I think they probably put a radar out announcing that we're trying it again. Somehow they managed to stay away from our tomatoes, broccoli, and asparagus last year, but they trampled the pitiful row of corn we planted.

Miss Daisy has taken over the garden plans this year. She's color-coded an entire plan on graph paper, the ground has been tilled, seeds bought, some planted indoors, and some planted outdoors. It's a small little plot, so we are trying a mix of wide rows, climbing things, square foot gardening, and (hopefully) a raised strawberry bed.

We still have other gardeny chores that need attending like cutting out the small maple tree that "we can get rid of later." It's providing a bit too much shade ten years later. *smile* Let's see...set up the poles for the pole beans, build a trellis for the climbing cucumbers, build the raised bed. Mr. Tech has decided he will write a follow up to the Joy of Gardening. Perhaps you can imagine the title.

So why perservere? We happen to think gardening skills are rather important to learn. You just never know when we all might be hunters and gatherers again, although we have no desire to pick up the hunting skills at this point in time. Even our fishing pole (note the singular) is in questionable condition. Perhaps we can work on that this summer, too. Or perhaps we can trade for our fabulous vegetables. Perhaps this year we won't have any baby squirrels trapped in the netting over the tomatoes (with an imaginary caption that said "Busted."). I suppose we should have had squirrel stew, but we freed him instead.

Until next time...

Chaos Leads Us To Toiling, Escaping Rest

Three Rules of Work:
Out of clutter find simplicity;
From discord find harmony;
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
-Albert Einstein

Are you having trouble finding that place of quiet rest? I recently read a book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss by that title, and was enlightened by her scriptural insights and how important it is to have that daily devotions.

Do you ever find your mind wandering to other things though and can't seem to focus on what is most important? I do. Too many times. Where does your mind wander? For me, it is often to incompleted tasks, things to do, places to go, and could I have done that better or made a better decision?

I have found that clutter robs us of joy and rest. I still fight this almost daily, and decided to bring in some more help in the form of Emilie Barnes. She has many books on the topic of decluttering your Home and your Life. I found several at the library (and don't everyone go out and request them right away, because I might need to renew them. haha). I'm finding many little treasures in her little book entitled, "101 Ways to Clean Out the Clutter," and I will follow it with "The Quick-Fix Home Organizer: Making Your Home Beautiful and Your Life Clutter Free." Sounds peaceful doesn't it?

Imagine a time when you have simplified your life and your belongings so much that you don't feel guilty (or maybe I'm the only one) cozying up in a chair with your Bible, devotional, or just resting and praying. Oh, I have a long way to go, but don't you think it would be worth it?

So far I have a box ready for City Missions, I've sent a few inches of paper and magazines to the trash or recycling, I have another bagful of linens I'm no longer using ready for the Handmaidens garage sale, and I have a milk crate half full of homeschooling items to take and share with some moms at church.

What are you doing to declutter your life and home?

Just a normal day?

Within the span of an hour tonight, several things have occurred...most of them fairly normal.

Mr. Al: Can I go chop some wood?
ME: Sure. (trying not to sound too amazed)

Miss Rose (to Miss Daisy): Are you mad ALL day?
Miss D: NO. (hmmm...)

Miss Rose proceeds to sharpen her pencils and spill the sharpener on the floor which then requires the small dust pan and broom.



ME (to Miss D): Why don't you put on some Casting Crowns? (hoping to lighten her mood)
Miss D: (in a challenging voice) The one you don't like because it's so rocky?
ME: I don't care.
Miss D: Even if I put it on repeat?
ME: I don't care.
Miss D then puts on the original, starts making up dances, then eventually grabs the guitar and plays along to a couple she knows. I continue making a tossed salad in the kitchen. Moods are lightened as praises are lifted to God...the days worries are washed away.

Biscuits

A sweet friend sent this to me, and I just had to share it.



Biscuits

When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."

End of February Update

This is always a busy time for us...birthdays, catching up on school hours, and wishing for spring. My uncle sent pictures of the robins at his place with a message that maybe they are on their way back here. I will be so glad to see them.

My dear blog buddy, Toby, commented that this part of the year is a long one, because all new curriculum has lost its appeal but that the end is still a ways off (paraphrase). We are in the same boat here. There is very little charm left in anything that was new this year, but we are delighted to have another year of Wordly Wise completed, Miss Daisy is completely finished with spelling (no Natural Speller for me for a year or two. yay!). I suppose the good news in that is that they'll now have more time for history and science. :-)

We also just finished The Bronze Bow, and we need to find a new read aloud that everyone will enjoy. Suggestions are welcome.

In other news, our street is still a mess, we still have a backhoe or some other machinery in our yard, and there are pipes in various neighbors' yards. They removed the 4' one from our yard on Friday. They accidently cut our phone line getting the spot ready for that one. *smile* It's certainly been an adventure, but hopefully all will be better, and with the exception of one time, the workers have all been courteous...the gas guys were the only ones who earned cookies though. They were the sweetest, even if they did accidently poke through my sewer line.

One more birthday coming up...Miss Rose will be 6 in just under two weeks. She's made me all kinds of promises for all the things she would do when she turned six. Part of me wants to hold her to all of them, but the other part of me just wants to keep her little a wee bit longer.