Our Vacation {The Where: A Sneak Peek}

Between the two cameras and three photographers, we took over a thousand pictures while we were away.  Ack!  It is taking me a while to sort through them and to select which ones to share and to get them in a presentable format, all the while trying to catch up from vacation.  Doing laundry, planting flowers, appointments, winding up our school year.  

In the meantime, I am going to give you a sneak peek and see if you can guess where we've been!

Hints: 

 1) Rocky coastline
 2) Forsythia still in bloom!
 3) Lobster pots
 4) Evergreens

Can you guess where we were? 

Our Vacation {The Why}

As you know if you've read my blog for very long, we are blessed to have most of our family living nearby.  Two of our daughters live at home, and we see our oldest daughter and son-in-law and five grands at least once a week (see Sunday Snapshots).

But our son...he has traveled far and wide, and has lived and worked in five different states since he was married eight years ago.  Last summer when he and his wife and their three children moved across the country, this time from west to east, we were delighted to think that we'd be able to see them more often. They came home for a visit at Thanksgiving. And we planned to visit them this spring.

We've been making our plans, and counting down the weeks, and those nine days finally came and they went by lightening fast, even though we enjoyed long conversations and unhurried days and lingering around the dinner table.  But time never waits.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After two days on the road, we were greeted by these sweet faces--
Ryan and Sarah, and Peter (2).

What a welcome sight!

Some scenes from our week... 
Many scenes from our week...
A gazillion scenes from our week...

These beautiful little girls are Nora (4) and Eve (5.5).

Family devotions

Shavuot

Games

Lucy

Nail polishing by Aunt Kati
(And, no, she did not polish Peter's toenails. ~wink~)

Eve shows me her notebook...for her first year of homeschool!

Papa and Peter share Reese's Pieces.

So that is the why of our vacation...our dear Ryan, Sarah, Eve, Nora, and Peter!  (And Lucy too!) Later this week, I'll tell you about the where.  And then I'll tell you about the bonus.   Of course, there will be more pictures.  But you knew that, didn't you?

Sunday Snapshots: Jiggety Jig

Today began like this...

~ getting ready for our second day of the homeward journey ~

...and then went like this...

~ gorgeous views from the road ~

...and ended like this.

~ home again ~

Home sweet home!  More pics to come...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins With Chocolate Streusel

When my grandchildren came for the weekend, I made these muffins.  The chocolate chips give them kid appeal.  (Who am I kidding?  Chocolate chips appeal to me too!)  The oatmeal makes them healthy.  (Okay...maybe healthier?)  And they just plain taste good!

I love for my guests to be greeted with yummy smells from the kitchen.  Years ago I read a hubby-pleasing pointer suggesting that you provide his olfactory sense with something appealing when he comes in from work, even if it is just some onions sauteing on the stove.  It is a welcoming feeling, just knowing that dinner is "in the works."  I have also heard that the aroma of freshly baked bread can aid in "staging" a house for a prospective buyer.  

So on the morning that my grands were coming, I took a little time out to make them a snack...and to make Gran's kitchen a warm, inviting place.  

Here's a peek at reality...on the counter along with my recipe notebook is the math answer key, as Bekah was reading off her answers as I baked.

By the way, the muffins were a hit--not only with the grands, but also with Kati and Bekah who have both asked me to make them again!  

Streusel Ingredients: 1/3 cup sugar  1/4 cup all purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons butter, melted  Muffin Ingredients: 1  1/4 cups all purpose flour  1 cup uncooked oats (quick or old-fashioned) 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips  1 teaspoon baking powder  1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup buttermilk  1/4 cup vegetable oil  1 egg, lightly beaten Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F.   Butter muffin pans, or line with paper baking cups.      For streusel, combine all ingredients in medium bowl; mix well.  Set aside. For muffins, combine flour, oats, sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.  Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg; blend well.  Add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.   Fill muffin cups almost full.  Sprinkle with reserved streusel, patting gently.   Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Do you like to welcome your guests (or your hubby) with yummy smells?

Hidden Art of Homemaking {Chapter 4: Painting, Sketching, Sculpturing}

Parallel to her perspective on music, Edith suggests that one does not need to possess a great deal of artistic talent in order to paint or sketch as a "hidden art."  I am relieved to hear that.  I never took elective art classes in high school or college, because I did not think that I could draw.  And yet, as an adult I have found pleasure in drawing and painting in my home.  

• I doodle on my lists and on the calendar posted on the refrigerator.  You might see a birthday cake with candles or a sprig of holly.  My children do this too.  Bekah just showed me her doodle of a stack of books and a book worm that she drew on a dry erase board she bought for her bedroom.

• I have done a bit of folk art painting, especially during the '80's when "country" decorating was the rage.  I painted this stool.  A serious artist could find lots of flaws, but this stool pleases me.  

• I have taught my children ( à la Charlotte Mason) to keep nature journals, and I have kept one as well.  (We are very sporadic about this, but something is better than nothing.)

• We enjoy art appreciation in our homeschool.  I find delight in learning things that I never knew about the world of art.

  

It is not necessary to be an "artist" to enjoy art in the home.  

If you're interested in this book discussion, you may read along as I usually do 

(click ~here~ for all the posts in the discussion), 

or join in the discussion yourself!

(Click ~here~ for details on how to participate.)

A Treasured Gift

This is the last in my series of Mother's Day reposts...this one about the role of grandmother.

As an eight-year-old girl, rifling through the pages of the new Sears and Roebuck Wish Book, I fell in love with a doll.  There she was...the perfect baby doll.  She did not talk or drink or wet.  But she looked (to me) like a real baby, and so loveable. 

When my third grade teacher had us write letters to Santa, I knew just what I would ask for..."Newborn Miss Peep."  (I also asked for "a real guitar for not more than $3.99"—don't ask me how I settled on that price limit—but Newborn Miss Peep was at the top of my list.) 

Peep was under the Christmas tree in December of 1968, and she became my most-loved doll.  It was so easy to pretend that she was my real baby.  She wore a white kimono trimmed and tied with pink rickrack, and was wrapped in a pink blanket.  I would take her out on errands with my mom, and I was convinced that when other shoppers looked at us and smiled, they thought that she was real and were admiring my baby.

Peep was my treasure all through childhood, even into the days when I knew that I was "too old" to play with dolls and no longer took her on errands, but loved her and played with her in the confines of my own home.

Then the day came when I had my very own, very real baby, my firstborn, Kristin.  And when Kristin was around eight years old, old enough to take great care of this treasure, I gave Peep to her.  It was right that she, as my oldest daughter, should have this beloved part of my childhood.

Last week, my sweet granddaughter Maddie celebrated her seventh birthday.  On the night before her big day, her mama gave her a very special gift.  Yes, "Newborn Miss Peep" now belongs to another firstborn daughter, and it warms my heart to think of Maddie being "Mommy" to my "baby."  Kristin told her that she could name her doll anything that she chose, but Maddie said that she thought that "Peep" was a good name.  (I think so too, Maddie.)

There is a greater treasure—greater than a childhood toy, greater than my great-grandmother's tea set, greater than my grandmother's sewing basket, or heirloom silverware—that can be passed along to future generations.  That treasure is the Word of the Lord. 

One generation shall praise thy works to another,

and shall declare thy mighty acts.

The passing on of our faith must be just as deliberate, just as tender, as that of passing on a treasured heirloom. 

I am not speaking of some kind of "spiritual osmosis" here, in which faith is absorbed by the children just because their parents are believers, bypassing the fact that each individual must make his or her own choice.  But I am speaking of taking care to share His eternal truths, to share your love for Him, to making choices that are true to His Word, to live your faith.  It begins with loving the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and strength...and then proactively teaching His truth to your children. 

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

The heritage that we give to our children and to our grandchildren is of eternal importance.   

For My Mother...

This is a repost from 2010, but the words remain true, and the sentiments are the same.

In A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner, one of the characters says,

“A mother focuses the lens through

which her children view life.”

Thank you, Mom, for focusing my lens. You have influenced my life in countless ways.

• You shared with me your love for books, for words, for learning.
• You showed me that an orderly, well-kept home was a worthy goal, that a lovely table was worth the effort, that traditions mattered to children—that homemaking was important.
• You shared with me a love for God’s little furry creatures. (And some without fur, such as the spiders that you carefully escorted from our home on envelopes because you did not want to kill them.)
• But I am most grateful that you focused the lens for me to see Jesus. You showed me an “unfeigned faith” (II Timothy 1:5)...and that has made the difference in my life.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  I love you! 

With my mom...then and now.

1961

circa 1963

2012

P.S.  Mom, we must make a concerted effort to get a better current picture of the two of us!  :)

Mother's Day Musings

I cherish these photos, taken by my dear friend Frances when Ryan was home at Thanksgiving.  I cherish them because I cherish the people in them, my own blessings from the Lord.  

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

My firstborn, Kristin

My only son, Ryan

My middle daughter, Kati

The "baby", Bekah

And a post from the archives...musings about motherhood...

I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Yes, as many little girls, I considered being a teacher. I also thought about being a writer. But in my mind, these were only things to do until I was able to be a mother. That’s what I really wanted. Well, in this case, God granted my desire, because two years after marrying my high school sweetheart (Ron, who is now my grown-up sweetheart), we were blessed with our firstborn, a darling little red-haired girl, Kristin.

As delighted as I was with my little treasure, I’ll never forget my feelings the night that we brought her home from the hospital. First of all, I felt completely overwhelming love. But a thought that kept coming to the surface was something like, “Now what?!” I had babysat occasionally and tended the church nursery now and then, but this baby was mine! She was my responsibility. There was no one there to supervise and make sure that I did everything right. There was not going to be a parent who would come to retrieve her in a few hours. HELP!

Yes, He did help. My heavenly Father helped me get through that first night. And the next. And the next. And through the toddler years. And through the addition of another treasure, Kristin’s brother Ryan. And eventually, through the addition of two more precious baby girls and the loss of another. And through the teen years. There were some financially lean years, and some years of heart wrenching decisions. There were times of illness and change. And, no (absolutely no!), I did not do everything right...but oh how great I have found His grace to be!

If I were to name some principles that have guided me as a mother, I would have to include these:

• PRAY
  I suppose that sounds simplistic (although it is not)...but it really is KEY to raising children for the Lord.
  
  I learned this from my own Godly mom. Her own family situation was less than ideal and they were not Christians, so her parenting skills were learned “from scratch”, so to speak. So at each decision, big and small, she went to the Lord for His guidance.
  
  I have tried to make the same habit of praying about everything that concerns my children...from praying for their life mates to praying about specific curriculum choices...from seeking guidance on how to deal with a specific attitude to praying for general wisdom for my husband and myself. After all, doesn’t it make sense to trust the Lord of the universe, the One who created these children, for the wisdom we need in guiding them into His Kingdom?
  
  
  
• VALUE GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU AS A WOMAN
  As much as I had longed to be a mother, I was not prepared for the possibility that other people would not see the value of that role. Most disappointing was that that attitude was also felt keenly in the church. And so I felt a type of peer pressure to fulfill “duties” that conflicted with my primary duty as my children’s mother. But the Lord brought several “older women” (as in Titus 2) into my life to teach me God’s value of Biblical womanhood...although I have never personally met either of them. They are authors of books and newsletters.
  
  The first book that I read that opened my eyes to the grand scope of my role was The Way Home by Mary Pride. What a release I felt from “others’” opinions when I read the ideas in this book! I got a new vision for my role of wife and mother. Many myths of feminism (and many that the church has accepted) were diffused in my mind.
  
  Another author who has “provoked [me] unto love and to good works’ (Hebrews 10:24) is Elisabeth Elliot. Although she is best known for her book Through Gates of Splendor (the biography of her husband, missionary Jim Elliot, who was martyred), she has written so many encouraging words for women. The Shaping of a Christian Family, Let Me Be a Woman, and Keep a Quiet Heart have all inspired me.
  
  I “met” Helen Aardsma through her newsletter. The Mother's Companion was published six times each year, running from January 1995 through December 2003. I subscribed to it for several years, and even purchased some of the back issues, because these were packed full of wisdom that Helen, mother of 10, had gleaned over her years of serving the Lord. (You can visit her website, www.themotherscompanion.org, to read some sample issues, as well as to purchase back issues.)
  
  Through God’s leading, and the teaching of these “Titus 2” women, I learned total contentment and fulfillment in His plan for me in my role as wife and mother.
  
  
  
• KEEP ON
  “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (KJV) I believe that those words are absolutely true...for the Christian in general, including the Christian mother. We cannot grow weary and let down our guard; we cannot faint. There is too much at stake. But how thrilling to know that He has promised that, if we do not grow weary, and if we do not faint, we shall reap! Keep praying and teaching and serving, Christian mother. The rewards are eternal.
  
  
  

Raising the White Flag

I surrender.

To the white.

Or to the gray.

Or to the salt and pepper?

All through my younger years I declared that I would never color my hair.  "I think gray hair is beautiful," I pronounced.  I did...and I do.  The problem was that I started graying at age 35, and I had a two-year-old at the time.  Too much too soon, I thought.  

Then came the day at Arby's.  I was out alone, running errands, and stopped for lunch.  A young mother (only slightly younger than me, I might add) and her little daughter came in and sat at a nearby table.  I noticed that the little girl kept looking at me.  Then she said, "It's Nana, Mommy!"  

Her mother told her that it was not Nana, but she couldn't be convinced.  "It's Nana," she insisted. 

Trying to mollify the situation, the mother gushed in her sweetest voice, "She's pretty like Nana."

I must confess that at that moment I disliked the placating mother and her innocent child, and I held a grudge against Nana for having gray hair.  I bought some Nice and Easy and returned to my original dark brown, a distinctly un-Nana-like color. 

Fast forward around seventeen years.  I am now a grandmother of eight.  I must color my hair more often as there is more gray.  I still think gray hair is beautiful.  Even if it is on my head.  

I am ready to raise the white flag.

Hair evolution (l to r):  dark brown; "camouflaging" highlights; more "camouflage"

When I told my stylist that I was going gray, I told her that my biggest qualm was looking like a skunk.  She recommended that I put in highlights to ease the transition.  Tuesday, I had the second (and final) stage of highlights put in, and there's no going back.  

And now that I am being bold, I just might get my ears pierced!

The Hidden Art of Homemaking {Chapter 3: Music}

Cindy of  Ordo Amoris is hosting a book club discussing The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer.  Cindy has hosted other book clubs from time to time, and, although I read along, I have never been inclined to join in the discussion.  The participants are cerebral and articulate, and I consider myself neither.  This book, however, has drawn me in, for homemaking is a subject that is near to my heart.

In Chapter 3 of The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Edith Schaeffer praises the merit of music in the home, not for the purpose of "performance," but for enjoyment and enrichment.  

For me, music has always been an integral part of family life.  My parents love many kinds of music, and many was the night that I drifted off to sleep listening to music playing out in the living room...Eddie Arnold, The Bill Gaither Trio, Willie Nelson.  Although neither Mom nor Daddy played instruments, that did not prevent us from having "live" music in our home.  There were two sisters from our church who sang and harmonized beautifully, one of whom played the accordion, and they would come to our house, sometimes with a cousin, and they'd sing and we'd all sing and make music together.  

In my own family, music has also been important.  We have required that each of our children takepiano lessons for at least one year, to learn the basic building blocks of music.  Our son Ryan considered it penance and counted the days until his year was over, but later bought his own guitar, took lessons, and still finds joy in playing. Kati continued her lessons a little longer than the required year.  Both Kristin and Bekah loved (and love) to play the piano!

Among my favorite memories are a few family singalongs that we have had.  We gathered music books, old and new, plopped them in front of my niece Amy (piano performer/teacher/lover), and sang hymns, church music, oldies, Disney, until we could sing no more...literally hours!  

Other singalongs have been more impromptu.  One Thanksgiving evening, when some of Ron's extended family came over for dessert, Ryan played Christmas songs on his guitar, while Kristin played her flute, and everyone sang along.  (As an aside, 4-year-old Kati "played" her recorder.  She only played one note, but her rhythm was right on!  We still laugh about that!)  Another time, we all visited Ryan and his new wife Sarah at Christmastime, and sang with Ryan's guitar and Sarah's and Kati's harmonicas.  Good times!

Hymns are an important part of our home life.  We have many recordings of hymns for listening.  (But who can listen without singing along?  Not I!)  We also sing hymns as a part of our school day, striving to memorize the words.  We sing a hymn before we eat our Thanksgiving meal.  We often ask Bekah to play a hymn or two at holiday gatherings.  

Classical music is also a part of our school day, and we enjoy listening as well.  

Music: another one of the "hidden" arts of homemaking.

More thoughts on music in the home...

{31 Days of Hospitality} Day 25 ~ Music ♫

If you're interested in this book discussion, you may read along as I usually do 

(click ~here~ for all the posts in the discussion), 

or join in the discussion yourself!

(Click ~here~ for details on how to participate.)

Weekend Snapshots: Another Grand Weekend

About this time last year, Kristin and Brian had their first weekend getaway ever, as we hosted their five children for a "grand weekend."  It was successful, for them and for us, so we agreed to do it again this year.

This was the weekend and, like last year, I am filled with sweet memories, totally exhausted, and have renewed admiration for my daughter and son-in-law.  (God gives children to the young for good reason.)  

On Saturday morning, as I came down the stairs into the living room, two-year-old Alaine lit up and ran to give me a hug.  Ben (4) shouted, "Breakfast!"  Both made me smile.  

I also smiled as I watched big sister Maddie's tenderness with her younger siblings, as she watched over them like a little mommy.  

I smiled as Gavin (10) read jokes from the book he brought, and he and Papa both laughed at every one.

I smiled as Owen (6) played "Apples to Apples" by himself, the first time he wasn't part of a team...and as he sounded out the words on his cards.  I smiled at his smile as he presented the brownies he made with Aunt Kati. 

Tonight, I will be smiling as I fall into bed and sleep like a rock.  

Refreshing Drops

This week, a couple of days of steady rain gave way to a bright and sunny morning.  I stepped outside my back door before the sun had evaporated all the refreshing drops of previous days.  

Gray days can be gloomy, and we may feel a little sluggish when one rainy day follows another, but the earth needs water, vegetation needs water, animals and mankind need water.  Life cannot go on without it.  

In the same way, our souls crave, they need, water.  And water does not come when the sun is shining and the world is cheery and bright.  Refreshing rains come in the gray, in the gloom.  But if we look through spiritual eyes, we can see the soaking, the replenishing, the met need of a parched soil.  

When the sun begins to shine again, there is growth.

 _____________________________

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,

so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:19

The Hidden Art of Homemaking {Chapter 2: "What is Hidden Art?"}

Homemaking is often a "hidden" art.  If you need accolades or frequent encouragement or the world's admiration, then homemaking is unlikely to satisfy.  Being a "keeper at home" (Titus 2:5) is to do valuable work, but to do it mostly unseen. 

One of my daughters told someone who inquired about her career plans that she hoped to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.  The response was, "Awwww..." (as in "that's so cute").  If she had said that she wished to be a school teacher or a nurse or a marine biologist, would the reply be the same?  I doubt it.  

But that's okay!  Having a vision of the scope of your work and its inestimable value causes the fact that it is "hidden" to be unimportant.  Being a homemaker is fulfilling if done with purpose and creativity!

One of my favorite passages in Chapter 2 of The Hidden Art of Homemaking is this:

People so often look with longing into a daydream future, while ignoring the importance of the present.  We are all in danger of thinking, "Some day I shall be fulfilled.  Some day I shall have the courage to start another life which will develop my talent", without ever considering the very practical use of that talent today in a way which will enrich other people's lives, develop the talent, and express the fact of being a creative creature.

I love this thought! It confirms what I believe about teaching my daughters in the art of homemaking.  Use your creativity now--to serve your family, to serve your friends, to serve your fellow man--as you have opportunity.  

I have three daughters at different stages of life.  Kristin, my oldest, is married and is a homeschooling mother to five.  My second daughter, Kati, is 19 and lives at home.  Bekah, the youngest, just turned twelve.  And each one of my girls is a creative homemaker!  Although the younger two do not have their own homes, they are (as Edith said) using their "talent today in a way which will enrich other people's lives."  

When Bekah asks me to teach her to make banana bread "so the bananas will not go to waste."  When she searches through cookbooks and says, "Let's make this stuffed crust veggie pizza," and adds the ingredients to my grocery list, and then chops and slices and rolls out dough.  When Kati makes two loaves of rosemary bread, one for dinner, one to give away.  When she takes on part time work, tending to the needs of an elderly man.  When Bekah brings in a bouquet of flowers from the yard and arranges them in a vase.  When the girls have creative ideas for holiday celebrations or for decorating their rooms. When they create homemade gifts for birthdays and Christmas.  All of these things warm my mother's heart, for they are using their homemaking talents in ways that "enrich other people's lives."  

Hidden?  Perhaps.  But not from the One who sees.  

If you're interested in this book discussion, you may read along as I usually do 

(click ~here~ for all the posts in the discussion), 

or join in the discussion yourself!

(Click ~here~ for details on how to participate.)