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...and still reflecting on all that I was able to do and see while away...some things seem smaller, less significant right now...

...other things seem larger...bigger than before...

Today

Here are some snapshots of words from today, and some of my unspoken thoughts:

“Mom, your hair is dark!” Yes, it has been for awhile now, but thank you for noticing.

“we should get together for…chats. . .what do you think?” Sounds great!

“Mom, did you know that paper holders are magnets.” Hmmmm, well, magnets do hold papers, to our fridge anyway.

On the phone with M, “Logan died in a car wreck yesterday. I just had lunch with him on Thursday.”
“Honey, I am so, so sorry.”

“yes, and an ironing board.” Random, but trust me, it makes my life a little easier.

“If you draw too long, you get a really bad headache.”

“I love you.” “I love you too.”

“You could have anyone do this.” I know but I am here, so can you just take care of it!

“I’m not holding on to You, but You are holding on to me.” On my ipod.

“Thank you, thank you.” As said by L when I shared my grapes with her. Oh that is so sweet.

“Just wait, please.” I am saying this too often.

“Jase really tried for poo poo dog!” I love when kids come up with names for pets, which explains why we had a cat named, Kitty the Cat.

“Will put all these things on the prayer list.” Thank you.

“Is a dog flea collar too strong for a cat?” “Well this ingredient has been shown to be cancer-causing in large quantities.” Thanks, but I’ll pass.

“You are altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me…” On my ipod with A singing along.

“Thanks for your patience.”

"Oh, that is cute!"

"I got hit in the face with a ball." Ouch!

Comedy, insight, tragedy, friendship, laughter, inconsequential, love, irritation, hope, impatience, comfort, joy…what we say, what we hear, what we think…

I will be taking a break from my blog until next Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Lord-willing, I will be back at then! Have a great week!

Hip Green or Unhip Green?

My parent's pass on World magazine to us and I read this quote from the March 8/15, 2008 copy, I had to share it:

"Green is hip, from cradle to grave, but the truly green are the "totally unhip." Laura McKenna says the real environmental-lovers are those who wear old clothes, don't renovate bathrooms, and shop at garage sales. Her advice to EcoMoms and environmentally anxious graffiti artists: "Stop recycling your San Pellegrino bottles and drink tap water."

Click on the link to read the entire article. It is short and well said. And here is a link to the original article, the author is blunt and witty. I like that.

I think I am going to go make a milkshake so I can use up the organic ice cream that does not taste as yummy as the regular non-organic stuff we normally buy.

Hand-Me-Down Pencils

I was recently sharpening pencils at our house and noticed a progression. The new, long pencils are used by the adults and C. The medium size pencils are passed on to A and the shortest pencils are then passed on to B. B is using Handwriting Without Tears and they suggest giving children shorter pencils as opposed to fatter pencils. So far that suggestion has been helpful for my youngest writers.

I am struck by the nostalgia my older writers express when they look at a short pencil and proclaim, "Oh, that used to be mine, I remember that pencil!" or "That was my favorite pencil! ______ gave it to me." There are pencils from the ag festival, from birthday parties... They say the same sorts of things when a younger sibling wears an item of clothing they used to wear. I had never considered, until recently, the memories a hand-me-down pencil could evoke.

Some Quotes to Consider

"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose."
~Ghandi

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
~Albert Einstein

"As soon as you notice the slightest sign of indifference, the moment you become aware of the loss of a certain seriousness, of longing, of enthusiasm and zest, take it as a warning."
~Albert Schweitzer

"The secret of ugliness consists not in irregularity, but in being uninteresting."
~Emerson

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral."
~Antoine De Saint-Exupery

"Is that what they call a vocation, what you do with joy as if you had fire in your heart?"
~Josephine Baker

Look It Up

Last night M asked me to proof read a paper that he had written for his Officer Candidate program. While proofing his paper, I looked up a word on an on-line dictionary. In doing so, I made a hilarious discovery. The Merriam-Webster On-line dictionary not only gives the definition of words, it will speak the correct pronunciation for you. That has great potential for amusement. So I type in the word, “fart” and it tells me how to say it (as if I didn’t know). This cracks me up!

Growing up, “fart” was a bad word, so it makes me laugh to hear the talking dictionary man say it. The kids are in bed and so I feel free to repeatedly push the button and listen to the word “fart” numerous times. I turned it up loudly so M, who was in the other room, could hear. He is not as amused as I am. He just asks, “How was my paper?” “Good!” I reply through my laughter. He is still not laughing, so I type in “bugger” and it has two pronunciations (\ˈbə-gər, ˈbu̇-gər\)! All the better! “bugger” “bugger” “bugger” “bugger” And all M wants is for me to move so he can email his paper.

Later, I decided to check the word “caramel” because I say it correctly, but my friend (you know who you are) says it, admittedly, as it is spelled, but none-the-less, incorrectly. I look it up and, Ah-ha! It does have both pronunciations, but the one I use is first. That should count for something! This dictionary is a great time-waster! And it looks like I am really doing something important, after all I am looking up a word in the dictionary =). “bugger” “bugger” “fart”

That Just Mowed Lawn Smell

One of the unexpected benefits of my little wheatgrass project occurred when it was time to trim the grass. I trimmed and tossed the cut grass into the sink. Later, I ran the garbage disposal and noticed that the aroma of freshly cut grass filled my kitchen, invoking visions of spring. So, not only does the wheat grass make a great decoration, but it can also be used as an air freshener! =)

Being Brunette

Well, I finally took the plunge and went brunette. I have long wanted to test out a darker hair color and finally went for it. I think the hardest adjustment is my eyebrows! My hair stylist assured me that they match the hair, but they are SO dark! This photo does not show them so much.

This is the most drastic hair change I have done. Normally, I don't have my hair colored. I like my natural color, but a change is fun. I do sorta scare myself when I look in the mirror though. It is just so different!

Initial reactions:

C: "I think I will like it, once I get used to it."

My mom: "Your hair is dark!" Stated in an alarmed, "what have you done to yourself" tone.

My dad: "Yikes!" Followed, by kind words so as not me make me feel bad.=) He does not seem to realize that I have grown up a little in that I don't cry over hairstyles anymore (or at least I haven't in ages). He probably remembers all the tears from when I lived at home and had not yet learned that, "it is just hair, it will grow, get over it and enjoy it."

M: "Yeah, I like it." Stated in a not-so convincing tone. He normally does not have an opinion on my hair, and he loves that I did something different, but he would have preferred blond (he has always known me as a blond) or red. He thinks it is fun that I made a change. He told me to color my hair some funky (green, purple) color next time. No thank you! I told him to color his own hair some weird color, but the military prohibits that. =)

A, B and L: They don't care, they don't even seem to notice. I am just mom to them. That is sweet, I like that.

Me: Well, I am glad I did it. Change can be fun and this is a fun change. I do prefer myself blond, but if I had not tried this, I would have always wondered how it would look. And it is fun to have a different color. BTW, it is semi-permanent, NOT permanent. But in my soul and in my roots ("roots" get it ha-ha)-I like blond on me! However, I am going to enjoy this time of being brunette and I love that it will give fun pictures in the photo album for us to look back at and laugh at. I like different hair styles and I like being able to look back at hair styles in the photo album. Personally, I would be really disappointed in myself if all my photos over the years showed me with the same hairstyle.

Words and Assumptions

I am currently reading War of Words by Paul David Tripp and this really struck me:

"Many of the problems we experience when talking with one another emerge from the fact that we have usurped the authority of God; We say what we want to say, when and how we want to say it. We speak as if we are in charge and as if we have the right to use words to advance our purpose, and to achieve what would make us happy. We speak as if we were God rather than his creatures, called to submit to his authority in every idle word we speak...

Many of our problems with words would be solved if we simply paused and asked ourselves how God would evaluate and respond to the present situation. We just let our thoughts run without challenging them. But if our interpretation of events is wrong, our words will not be right.

This is a principle that we do not want to miss: Word problems are often interpretation problems. We do not say the right thing because we do not believe the right thing."

We often say the wrong thing because we do not believe the right thing about God and His character and about other people. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a tells us, “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [2] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.” (Love this site!)

Our speech should reflect submission to God and love for other people. 1 Corinthians clearly states what love for others should look like. Here are some questions, based upon 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, to ask in helping to evaluate our speech:

Do my words reflect patience?

Are my words kind?

Are my words motivated by pride (arrogance, envy, boastfulness, wanting to prove my point…)?

Is what I am saying rude? Even if it may be true, is it rude in tone, motivation, delivery…?

Do my words lovingly respect the ability of another person to make a decision that I may not agree with?

Are my words motivated by my discomfort or by things not going the way I want?

Do my words convey a heart that desires truth, even if it goes against my personal preference or comfort?

Do my words honor the listener or the other person about whom I may be speaking?

Do my words cause someone else to think more highly of or less highly of a person of whom I may be talking about?

Are my words revealing a heart that is assuming the best possible about another person?

Upon hearing my words, will a person have a justified reason, because of my speech, to feel unloved, betrayed, falsely accused, or condemned?

Do my words help to establish an openness in relationships or do they close doors?

Does my speech, although it may have to convey something unpleasant to hear, convey unconditional love for the person?

I usually don't add to a post after I have posted it, but based on some feedback on this, I am going to add the following:

Just as we have to weigh the words we speak, we also have to remember that sometimes the hearer of our words is not thinking in a loving way or may not be in a mature frame of mind (this is all of us at different times). As hearers of words (not just speakers) it is equally important to assume the best of the other person, who is speaking, to not read inappropriately into another person's words, to not be quick to be critical of how someone says something, to not hold a grudge against someone who draws a different conclusion than we do. We need to not be petty and we need to not be looking for every little thing we disagree with to criticize. We ought to extend grace to those whose words we hear just as we need grace extended to us.

No one speaks or listens perfectly. We need to be quick to love, quick to assume the best, quick to forgive when necessary. We need to not keep a record of wrongs or a record of choices that people have made that we do not agree with. Being a gracious listener means we don't hold it over a person's head if they choose a path that is different from the one we would prefer they choose. We should be humble enough to acknowledge that God can lead people in ways that we may not understand or in ways that may not agree with our personal preferences.

Likewise, we should strive to be mature enough to go to a person, privately, and talk with them if we are struggling with their choice of words or with their choices in general. We should not be afraid to confront in a loving and humble way. But after we have gone to that person we need to leave it in God's hands, if further Biblical confrontation is not necessary, and we should then not use a private conversation in a gossipy or slanderous way that would tear down another person. I can think of times in my life when I have done that and I am striving to grow and mature in this area. Our words, intentional, flippant or whatever can inflict damage or they can build others up.

Greenleaf Academy: A Possible Motto

"Put your hand in mine and let us help one another to see things better."
~Claude Monet

Beef!

I enjoy writing about food and have missed doing that. One reason that I have not written about food so much is that I have been focused on other things and my kitchen creativity has not been so creative lately. The other thing is that I am trying to adopt some healthier food patterns, but don't want to write about them prematurely. I want to see what seems to really work for us and then share some thoughts. That said, I do have these random bits to share...

As one of my healthier eating goals, I have wanted to find someone local to buy beef from. Beef from cattle allowed to graze on grass, not given steroids or antibiotics, reasonably priced, respectfully butchered…

Recently, my mom called and told me a farmer friend of hers and a long-known acquaintance of mine, had beef for sale! I spoke with her and she patiently answered my questions about the beef and when I told her how much I wanted, she offered to deliver it! Then she told me some things about how the meat was butchered, such as letting the meat cure (this is important, especially for primarily grass-fed beef) and such, and offered for us to come out and watch the next time they butcher. I was excited. I want my children to have a concept of where our food comes from. No, meat and veggies do not come from the store.

I like to meet and for my kids to meet, when possible, the growers of our food. When we go get eggs, I love that we drive right by the yard where the happy chickens are roaming and foraging for bugs and such to eat. Awhile back we passed a truck that was crammed full of chickens. My kids were bothered and still remember that. We all like that, when possible, our eggs come from healthy chickens that get to live a humane life. We ohh and ahh over how dark and nutrient rich the yolks of those eggs are compared to the pale egg yolks from the store eggs. And the flavor is so much richer. Happy chicken=better egg.

C mentioned to me how she had opened a container of yogurt at the homeschool group and the other kids were grossed out by the bit of water on top of the yogurt. She knew that once she stirred it, it would be creamy and look like “normal” yogurt. We had a great talk about how much of what is considered normal food is full of chemicals and preservatives and junk! Why is a McDonald's hamburger normal? Because it looks the way we have been taught to believe a burger should look! But what is in it?! Anything but normal stuff! We talked about how many of the kids have packaged stuff in their lunches, stuff that is uniform in appearance and texture, but full of junk! I guess that is why so much of that sort of thing is called junk food.

I Was Tagged

1. What were you doing ten years ago?Getting ready to graduate from college and planning a wedding. Wow, was that 10 (t-e-n) years ago?!

2. Five things on my to-do list today?
-order my groceries from Azure
-work on some posts for largerfamilies.com
-do this post
-run everyone to their various places, Mondays are busy like that
-get started writing out a list of some curriculum that I need to order

3. What are your favorite snacks?Hmmmm…smoothies, fruit, cheese, nuts, yogurt, unless I happen to be at my parents house, then I eat doritos. I don't buy them, but I eat more than my share at my parent's house every so often, then I feel gross and remember why I should not do that. Also this Gardettos-type mix that M bought and that I have realized can NOT be left in our house alone with me-it is so yummy, I just eat it and eat it…until pretty soon it is gone…

4. What would you do if you suddenly became a billionaire?Be really stressed over the responsibility over managing all of it, and then I would sit down and make a plan of $ to give to charities or individuals with needs (I know, how gaggy and cliché, but I would-ask M), pay off our house, invest, get our yard fixed up and garage built, go on a family vacation to somewhere tropical and I might buy some new shoes =), several (dozen) pairs of new shoes.

5. Three bad habits...of mine or in general…I guess it is my choice…so: smoking (I don’t do this), interrupting when others are talking (I do this and it is terrible, I have to stop!), being ungrateful (sometimes I do this).

6. Five places I've lived: here, where I grew up, my first place, our first place and that dorm I lived in…

7. Five jobs I've had:picking berries, babysitting, driving combine (that was short lived, I am way too social for that), house-sitting, and being a wife and mom-is that a job, it is my calling, I absolutely love it. BTW, yes I have had other jobs than what is listed, I just felt like listing those.

I finally got this done, Asia!

Quote For the Day

Today, after lunch, as A was wiping down the table he said, "Mom you know what?"
"What?"
"Humans need art."
pause
"They need flowers too."

The Vegetables We Eat book review

On a recent trip to the library we picked up the book The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons. I enjoy the colorful artwork as well as the interesting way the story explains how vegetables are grown. Even the pickiest eater in our home was saying, "Yum!" and "I want to try that!" as we read about and looked at pictures of a variety of vegetables. The book is written in a very simple, easy to understand way.

It explains the difference between annuals and perennials, the 8 different groups of vegetables, how to grow vegetables in a garden and mentions that vegetables can be grown in containers if a full garden plot is not available. The book then shows the process of vegetables that are grown on a commercial farm going from farm to store. I enjoyed the balance of showing smaller farm processes along with commercial farm processes. The book included a page that showed vegetables at a farm stand (it looks farmers marketish) as well as showing people in a store buying fresh, canned and frozen vegetables. The book does not appear to promote one as better than the other, it just gives basic facts.

My kids enjoyed this book and after reading it asked about both planting a garden and when the farmer's market would be starting up again.

I am liking this corner of my home...

I already posted a close up of the wheat grass pots on the table, but I wanted to show the entire corner. I am ready to get the walls painted, then it will look even better, but for now I am happy to have things on the walls and my pots of wheat grass. Today I noticed that they need to be trimmed. That grass grows so quickly!

The mirror was a gift from a friend. It is made from a window from the original house that was here. What a great gift! And then I found the cool green bird hooks that are on either side of it. They are hard to see in the photo, but they are cool! The green is almost the same color as what our kitchen will be when we paint it.

April Fool’s Day

I enjoy holidays and creating fun traditions. But I just don’t seem to do much for April Fool’s Day. I recently read about a mom who made pancakes with cardboard filling inside them on April Fool’s Day. That cracks me up! But, that is not realistic for me right now. I am doing well just to get breakfast prepared and on the table on time. I am not a morning person so trying something like that would likely cause me to be running late and thus to be cranky. I don’t want to create “cranky mom” memories! I have yet to figure out some fun things to do for April Fool’s Day. But I have to say that I did surprise myself with one little thing. A couple of weeks ago when I was planning C’s school lessons, I wrote lessons, for today, that she had already completed last week. She got started and kept realizing that she was doing things she had already done. She finally came to me and asked what the deal was. I was not sure at first. I had forgotten all about it. So, that was a pretty good April Fool’s surprise, for both of us. She really enjoyed her surprise day off!

I would love to hear some fun April Fool’s day surprises or jokes that you have done or had done to you! Maybe next year I can implement an idea or two.