My baby has a star

and I have wonderful friends.



I went to Bunco last night, my first time away from the boys since this mess all started. I am so glad I went. At the end of the evening my friends presented me with a large package and a card. I wept. A lot. And that was before I even knew what it was.


They named a star for Little Jimmy. We know he is in Heaven amongst the stars--now he has one of his very own. They had tried to get everything done to present it to me on his due date last month, but were unable to. That's fine. The timing was perfect.


Only one of the ladies knew before last night what's been happening around here. I had her share with everyone, as I was crying too much to. They were wonderful. Afterwards they all gathered around me and prayed.


Nothing has changed as far a the situation with social services, but we're doing better. Pumpkin is running and playing as much as he can--with one arm--and two parents constantly cautioning. He's being such a super kid with it all.


Sweetheart goes into the orthopedic today for his broken hand and to talk to the doctor about what kind of tests can be done to see why he and Pumpkin break bones so easily. We'll see what the doctor says. It's the ortho that Pumpkin saw for his leg, not the one we saw last week for the arm.


This is all far from over, but we are trying to just live, pray, trust and not fear as much as possible. Your sweet comments, and prayers mean so much. My thanks to each one of you.

a day in my life

This morning we awakened to what the weather page called a "freezing fog".

After taking a few minutes to read and begin my coffee, I went upstairs to collect Pumpkin so he could have waffles with Daddy. Always a treat. After settling them, I heard Dumpling so I collected him up and he and I enjoyed our waffles.

Every other week I make a huge batch of whole wheat waffles and freeze them. He just takes out a waffle and pops it in the toaster. This allows Sweetheart a quick breakfast that he enjoys. He really likes waffles. I'd happily make him anything he'd like for breakfast any day, but waffles are what he wants.

After sending Sweetheart on his way, I did a few chores.Using pretty things, like this bowl, make unpleasant tasks go smoother.Pumpkin concentrates hard while he plays.I love Dumpling's little fingers, don't you?The morning work done, I relaxed for a few moments while the boys played.

Taking a few minutes to pray the Midday Office before taking off to meet Angie for lunch. After a few hours at Chick-fil-a, we returned for naps and reading. I enjoyed a few chapters of Mansfield Park. It was a nice, quiet afternoon of rest after so many busy days this week.Changing a lot of these fill the day...

Not sure what happened in this picture, but the swirl effect is kinda cool.

After naps, it's snack time.

Then we're off to play more! It's a tough job, but someone must do it!

Time to make dinner! We're having squash from the garden (again) and some bread I made and froze, and London Broil with teriyaki sauce. After cutting the squash, I scooped out the seeds, rinsed them and will dry them for planting this spring. It'll be the third year of squash from just one store-bought squash a few years ago. Amazing.

After dinner, we'll all visit and play together and then it's time for the boys to go to bed. Then Sweetheart and I will have some time together to catch up and relax. All in all, a lovely day!

Stop by Little Jenny Wren and see what others have done today!

Who'd of Thought?

I'd mentioned in a previous post that recycling has begun in our area. Today was trash day here and the first recycling pick up. I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had filled both recycling bins to the top and only one trashcan with trash. That was without any real effort and really only recycling what was going into the kitchen trash.
Today I cleaned out under the sink so that I can easily fit in the regular trashcan, the compost bin, and a trashcan for recycling. We'll see how that works! Now, when I open the cupboard door to toss something, I can easily decide where it goes.
It's amazing how much we've been throwing away that can be composted or recycled. I started composting this summer and use up most of the food waste this way--especially useful when doing all the canning! I know, some of you have been doing all this forever, but it's new for us!

Living Seasonally, Living Simply

(Time for tea on the tablecloth I made this weekend.)

Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

****
The other day I reflected on our past year and briefly mentioned the idea of living seasonally. Scripture reminds us to "order our days" and "number our days". Life here is brief. It is good to use the days we are given as best we can. Living here in suburbia in America, it is easy to just flow along with the days, not living intentionally. Our calendars are filled with meetings and activities, many of which keep us indoors in our happy, climate controlled spaces.

It may have snowed today, but we are still warm and cozy. If we run out of groceries, we can just drive to the store and we know they will have food. They maybe out of something in particular, but there is still food. We are blessed. There are even strawberries on the store shelves in January in Colorado, never mind that all the strawberry plants in Colorado are covered in snow!

We see the seasons change, not necessarily by the growth or colors of the leaves, but by what the stores have on display. Of course, this does get a wee bit off as Valentines items were up in Target before Christmas and we've all been staring at Christmas decorations in some stores since August. Swimsuits should be for sale soon.

As we have so much at our fingertips, ready for us to buy at anytime--even after all the stores are closed as the Internet never closes. We have power and lights with the flick of a switch. It doesn't matter if it is 2:00 in the afternoon, or the middle of the night. We can live around the clock with ease.

How different life used to be! Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I want to live without electricity. By no means! Nor do I wish to return to a time where today's snow could have left us stranded and frozen. I'm not looking too ideally at the past.

I just think something special has been lost along the way.

As I began gardening a few years ago, I began to sense more of the rhythms of the year. In the winter, I planned and dreamed. In the spring, I planted. In the summer, I worked and weeded and weeded and weeded. In the summer and fall, I enjoyed the flowers, herbs, berries and veggies that I grew.

I felt the weather change. I saw the leaves on my trees change colors and fall. I shoveled snow. I had to wait until the last frost to plant. I grew up in Phoenix where everyone's grass is green year round. I grew up with grocery stores where you could buy anything in any season, even if it was just in a can.

This last year found us spending much more time outside. This is easier as the boys are a bit older. Sweetheart and I worked in the spring in the garden a lot. The events of the summer led to us not being out there as much as we had hoped and planned. That said, we still ended up with a lot of vegetables and are still eating our way through the squash. Plus, I covered the carrots and arugula with straw, so we are still enjoying those-when they are not covered with snow!

We spent a lot of days at the farm this summer and fall as well. While I've gone now and again each year, I was paying more attention this year and really tried to focus on what was ripe and what was not. I usually just noticed a few things as being summer things, but this year I discovered what is ripe in our area in early summer and midsummer, versus late summer and early fall. I found it all fascinating.

I did read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this fall when I found it at the library. I'd seen other blogs mentioning it and thought it sounded interesting. The author's premise was to write about what she and her family experienced in a year spent growing most of there own food and only eating locally produced food, with rare exception. It was an okay book. Do I recommend it? Eh. I found the sections written by her daughter good and when she wrote about her trip to Italy, but otherwise, I found the book to be rather...flat. Just my opinion, yours may be different. I loved the idea behind it.

While it would be interesting to try the same idea, our life is different than hers. Our kids are little. My husband works outside of the home most of his waking hours. We live in a neighborhood with regular yards and lots of rules. We will be expanding our garden, nonetheless this year and adding in fruit and nut trees. I'm also looking at what we're planting with an mind towards canning and preserving. We want to make the most of what we've got.

***

Indoors, life also takes on a natural rhythm if we let it. I've begun praying the hours, using The Divine Hours, compiled by Phyllis Tickle. It's a contemporary Books of Hours used to guide Christians through what are known as the daily offices. Basically, it's praying through a series of prayers, mostly using the Psalms, four times a day. I've not managed to be so disciplined as to hit the half hour or hour marks on the prayer times, but at least I'm praying. :)

It's different and definitely more disciplined. This is a good thing. I find it works best when I just leave the book and my Bible on the kitchen table or on the counter since I'm constantly in the kitchen.

In trying to order my days better, I sat down with my new calendar, thank you Carey, over the New Year's weekend. My sister had made the family calendar with the basic family birthdays listed. I added to this list most of the birthdays of the rest of the family and my friends. I'm still collecting dates. I am planning on sending at least cards out, hopefully on time, this year to the people I care about so that they know I'm thinking about them.

I also added some other traditional Church Calendar dates, as well as dates celebrated over the centuries like Candlemas, Grandparents Day and May Day; things I often only remember too late to celebrate. I was given a Tasha Tudor book that she wrote about the various things her family did to celebrate each month. We'll be trying out a few new things this year! I was also given Mrs. Sharp's Traditions which is just filled with so many WONDERFUL ideas!!!! I've added all sorts of fun things to our calendar. Want to join me for a taffy pull this month? How about a Cupid's Tea to create Valentines together next month?

I am looking forward to some new adventures and creating some wonderful new traditions for our family and friends this year. Care to join me?

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Now, I want to see the beauty of each thing--in its time.

(The next post I'm working on will have a ton of links for some of the things I've mentioned in this post and the Reflections post. Please leave a comment if there is something specific you'd like more information on. )

Anonymous? Welcome Back!

I've decided to allow anonymous comments again. Be nice. :)

Reflections

It's interesting to see the difference a year can make.

Last year just before Christmas, Sweetheart and I had a long discussion about where we wanted to be and how we wanted to live our lives. The overarching theme was one of simplifying and living more naturally. That has led us on quite a journey. What I've discovered is that though living a more simple life isn't any easier, it is so much better.

We slowed down, unplugged from life. Of course, we are still on our computers--probably too much! It's what Sweetheart does and it's sure helped me a lot. In fact, many of our changes have become reality because of what we've found online. I've found a whole community of ladies who are trying, or already doing many of the things I've been wanting to begin.

This last year had us purchasing a grain mill, the Nutrimill. Love it! We've found a local source for wheat in bulk (50lb bags!) all either grown organic, or even better methods. My mill is used constantly as I now bake all our bread; sandwich bread, french bread, rolls, pitas, etc. I use our flour for our waffles, tortillas, muffins, crackers and more. Basically, if it can be baked, I'm baking it from scratch.

We expanded our garden this last year, with more plans in the works for this year. Between our garden, Sunflower Farmers Markets Grocery Store and Berry Patch Farms, we've switched over to almost all organic produce, most of which is also local. (Anybody want some squash? We're still eating our way through those!)

I've learned the value of eating in season. Weird, but true. I'd never thought about it before, but I can know really see a difference in both taste and cost. That led to canning. We had talked about my learning to can and scoured Craig's List for cheap jars through the winter and spring. When summer arrived, I was ready. I bought the most basic supplies and from there canned away!

Canning produce in season meant that I was able to purchase products at the peak of flavor, and usually on sale. So I canned: 75 lbs. of peaches, 80 lbs. of apples, a bushel of tomatoes, a basket of wild plums, green beans, strawberries, pickles, and a bunch of fruit jams and butters. Today we've enjoyed peaches with our breakfast tasting like summer sunshine, and tangy pickles with our lunch. Tonight we'll try the first batch of sauerkraut I made in November from a cabbage I bought at the farm.

Has this been a crazy amount of work? Yup. But we think it's worth it. The laptop is in the kitchen where we usually are. (I must confess that I'm sick of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. It's the only downside.)


We also switch over almost entirely to natural cleaners. Vinegar and baking soda are used to clean almost everything. They do as good of a job, if not better, than all the boughten chemicals I used for so long. Vinegar is used on counters, floors, refrigerators, bathrooms, windows, and more. It cuts grease and has antibacterial qualities as well.

I've even switched to washing my hair with baking soda and rinsing it with vinegar instead of shampoo and conditioner. I'm using oils for cleansing my skin and moisturizing it. Toothpaste is easily made with just baking soda, sea salt, and peppermint oil.

I now make our laundry detergent from just three ingredients and water. Vinegar also is used as a rinse for fabric softening, and for keeping those cloth diapers we're using nice and clean.

(I took a class from a gal who sews cloth diapers before the holidays. Since we'll be trying Toilet Training Take Two with Pumpkin here soon, I just went with cloth diapers in Dumpling's size.) I also use the disposables with him as needed. For example, with all the family here for Christmas, and having to have help after I fell, I've not wanted to make anyone else deal with them. Now that things are back to normal and I'm back on my feet, he's back in cloth.

What else? Sweetheart's ordering the stuff we'll need for soap making and cheese making this week. I'll keep you posted!

Sewing is another area. I'm learning how to use the wonderful machine I have and to embroider. This led to making almost all our Christmas gifts this year. Sweetheart's also been busy with his woodworking.

It's funny. The changes we've made have in turn made us a lot more frugal. Buying ingredients in bulk and cooking almost everything from scratch takes more time, but saves a lot of money and allows us to buy more organic foods without increasing the food budget.

The changes have made us more "green". This wasn't a reason for the change, but has been a nice byproduct. Recycling has just begun in our area this week and between this and our compost pile, we're just not making as much trash. Eating home-cooked meals and not packaged foods really does make for less trash.

While I'm not becoming a hippie anytime soon, I like my lipstick and curling my hair too much, we've really changed a lot. I've read a lot of blogs this year, learning so much from what others are doing. And let's put it this way--most of the ladies in my Bunco group, my major source of friendship and social activity, think I'm a bit odd. (Of course, that no television thing adds to that one!) It's been so good for me to find other friends on-line who are on the same journey.

Living like this has also help me to be more disciplined and be a better manager of my home. Really, other than more dishes to wash, I can't think of any downsides!

Why am I telling you all of this? I don't know. Part of it is reflecting on the year that has passed and planning for the new year. There is another reason though, too. For a long time, I didn't do these things because I didn't know anyone else who did them. Grinding your own wheat into flour isn't a common thing in my neighborhood. I'd only known one person ever who did that, and I thought her a bit odd. Oh, the irony of it! I hope that writing this may inspire you to try something new yourself and to know you're not alone for wanting a different life.

Now, through this wonderful land of the Internet, I've "met" people who do these things as a natural part of their lives. It's made a huge difference. Now I read something and try it! I search for new/old ways of doing things. I think about what I buy. I'm trying to make things myself and not just purchase everything that's offered. I've been amazed to learn all of the things you can do yourself. At times I wonder why it took so long for me to do things for myself.

Eating more seasonally has led to living more in tune with the seasons. Ecclesiastes is right about that for every thing there is a season. I'm paying attention more to the world around me and learning what the seasons are for. God put these seasons and rhythms into being. There are times when we, and the earth, are to be more productive and times when we are to rest. Going full speed through life, never slowing down, isn't how He created us to live. Life is too short to waste always being in a hurry.

I do a lot less things, but what I do I find that I do better. I want to slow down, to listen to the boys play, to have a picnic on a sunny December day, to feel the soap bubbles on my hands as I look out the window at the sunset painted across the sky. I want to hear the birds, feel the breeze, dig in the dirt. I want to give a gift that means something, that's taken a part of me, my time, to create. I want to feel the warmth of the flour after it's been milled, to watch the dough rise. I want to taste the butter melt onto that first slice of bread still steaming from the oven. I want to color a picture with Pumpkin, tickle Dumpling, kiss my Sweetheart.

Does any of this resonate with your heart?

Is anyone still reading? :)

Not everything has been a success, but I've had more successes than I would have if I hadn't tried! Well, Dumpling's awake so I need to go, plus a loaf of bread is ready to take out of the oven. I'll pull out the bread and then go get my little cutie pie. Then, I'll tackle the dishes...

Happy New Year!

Dumpling
Pumpkin and I and a pile of presents...

The cousins!!

What I've been sewing: Aprons for all the ladies...

...and jammies for the kiddos...

*******************************

I didn't mean to fall of the face of the earth, but I did fall off the stairs. A trip to the ER and a lovely air cast later, I am glad to say that my ankle is not broken, but my Mother's hand is. Huh? It's quite simple, really.

Saturday evening we were all bundled up to go out when I went upstairs to get a map off the printer. On the way down the stairs, I somehow missed the last stair, or few, and fell. As I sat on the step trying to not pass out or throw up, Sweetheart called Mom to come over and watch the boys so he could take me in for an x-ray. She drove/sped over and took care of the little guys while we went to get my ankle checked. So far, so good--for her.

Now, fast-forward to Sunday. Mom came over to give Sweetheart a hand with the boys while I layed on the couch with my foot up on ice. They went upstairs to get the boys. No problem. The next thing I heard was an awful thud. Sweetheart was carrying the boys down with Mom behind them. She reached down to pick up Pumpkin's Bunny on the stairs and down she went. We are all glad she wasn't carrying anyone. Except Bunny.

She got her x-rays on Tuesday, and Wednesday had to see a hand surgeon. She now had surgery scheduled for tomorrow. As I cannot drive yet, Sweetheart will have to take her to the hospital. She'll stay with us afterwards.

I'm in the recliner now with the laptop on my lap and the boys playing at my feet. I am up and around now, but trying to not stand or walk too much. While no time is good for something like this, we are all grateful it happened the day after the rest of the family left town and not before Christmas.

We had a Merry Christmas and are enjoying a quiet week this week. It's time to go fix supper now. Blessings to you all and a very Happy New Year!