We Need Another "A"

One of the boys--surely it was David--made a roster of our family with our well-used Fridge Phonics letters.  He did well with it...until he ran out of "A's."  That caused a minor problem--see it?

Poor Jeff.  It's tough being last.  If only David's improvisatory way of spelling "Dad" didn't have such a fatal ring to it!  :)

Besides more "A's," the other thing our family needs is a maid...

...someone to go around behind these two whirlwinds and clean up the mayhem they leave behind.

So far, we haven't had too many applications for the job, and so...

...the messes continue.

But at least, they're having fun!  Cute little chaos-causers!  ;-)

Discoveries

Discovery #1

If you wait long enough--say, two or three or ten years--to sort through a pile of paperwork, you'll find that virtually all of it is outdated and worthless and ready to be put in the pile of kindling to get the next fire going in your woodstove!  It surely makes sorting through old papers easy.  ;-)

The exception to this rule is if you happen to find an old check that you never cashed, and now it's much too old to be worth anything, and you're kicking yourself for, in essence, throwing money away.  That happened to me once, and I still cringe at the memory.


Discovery #2

Jeff did a personality test last evening and discovered that he's an ENFJ.  He wanted me to take it, so I did--haltingly--asking his opinion when I got to the hard questions...like "Do I tend to be unbiased even if this might endanger my good relations with people?" and "Am I somewhat reserved and distant in communication?" etc.  (To that one, he said "yes," but I thought surely, "no.")  Finally he urged me to stop asking him the answers and just fill it out the best I could.  :)

My result?  INFJ.  I think that's slightly different than what I was in college, but I can't remember for sure.  I know the "I" was there, and I'm almost positive the "J" was, too.  But maybe I was ISFJ?  Stephanie, who was a fellow music major in college, was the same classification as I was; she occasionally reads my blog, and perhaps her memory is better than mine and she knows what we were back in those days.

From this site, I learned that only one percent of the population is INFJ, so we're very rare.  I'm also "a perfectionist who doubts that [I'm] living up to [my] full potential."  In addition, INFJs "make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring."  That's good to know.  :)


Discovery #3

Hearing your sleeping child break out in laughter in the middle of the night is a wondrous thing.  What makes him laugh???


Discovery #4

Exactly 17 years ago, on January 23, 1994, I heard a sermon by our friend Jim Nichols entitled, "When God Is Silent."  (I know this because I found a copy of my notes from that sermon when I was going through a pile of {mostly useless} papers!)  Yesterday, on January 23, 2011, I heard another sermon on the same topic, "Know Who's Talking to You," preached by Phil Booker.  Both deal with hearing God's voice; and although I can't recall what specific impact the sermon in 1994 had on me, I know for sure that this topic is extremely important for me here in 2011--specifically, as we continue to seek for God's direction in the area of church fellowship.

The quote that stood out to me the most yesterday was this:

I can't think of anyone in the Bible who followed Jesus and didn't have courage.

Hmmm...neither can I.  But truthfully, does it take much--or any--courage to be a part of the normal American Christian church?

Sometimes the Solution Is Simple

Two days ago, I lamented the disorganized state of my bedroom, including the ever-present baskets of clean clothes waiting to be folded and put away.  Since that time, I haven't carved out any significant amount of time to transform my room; but I was struck by one single, simple idea for how to positively change it.  

Ready for this?  Here it is:

Don't put the baskets of clean laundry in that room until I'm ready to fold them.

Brilliant, isn't it?  ;-)

The thing with laundry is that, although it's one of the household tasks that I've always enjoyed (as I was growing up, I would have chosen laundry over cleaning every time!), it's also a job that feels--and literally is--never-ending.  With six people in our family, we create a substantial amount of laundry every single day, so the task is truly never done.  I've discovered that it fits the rhythm of my days for me to have a load or two of laundry washed and dried by the time I go to bed at night so that in the morning, soon after breakfast and before Shav takes his morning nap and we begin school, I can fold and put away those clothes.  While I'm doing it, Shav--and usually some of his big brothers--play contentedly upstairs which gives them a change of scenery from our living room/kitchen area.  So it's a good system that's working well for us right now.  

However, inevitably those baskets of clothes that were waiting to be folded in the morning would end up on my cedar chest at the end of my bed, and I would have to look at them all night.  Well, not when my eyes were closed.  ;-)  But I would see them before I went to sleep and when I woke up, and they just made the room feel very messy.

I have no idea why I didn't think of this long ago, but I have now decided that I don't have to carry those baskets upstairs at night--imagine that!  The wonderful black bench (an old church pew) in our kitchen is a perfect place to set those baskets after my parents have gone home for the night after eating supper with us and after the boys are in bed.  The baskets aren't in anyone's way; and it's as simple as pie to carry them upstairs in the morning, usually while Shav is in his highchair eating breakfast.

Having a new overnight resting place for my laundry baskets doesn't solve all the clutter problems in my bedroom, but it is one step towards having a more organized, restful room; and for that, I am grateful.  Now, if only I could find some time to tackle my closet...  :)

Missing Her {And a Winner!}

First, the winner of the $20 gift certificate to Christianbook.com!

To determine the winner, I went the decidedly low-tech route of scribbling the name of each person who commented on the first post of this blog and the last post of Life on Sylvan Drive on a piece of notebook paper, then cutting out the names and putting them into a bowl.  Then I went upstairs to see who was still awake, and David was the first to respond as I walked into the big boys' darkened room.  He got the privilege of getting out of bed, coming downstairs, and reaching into the bowl...

...to draw out the name of the winner...

...who happens to be Sara @ Embracing Destiny!

Congrats, Sara!  And many heartfelt thanks to those of you who read my spilled words; I'm simultaneously honored and humbled by your friendship!

********

All it took was finding a letter from my Aunt Joyce in a stack of papers I somehow found time to sort through this afternoon.  And all it took in that letter was one sentence--the last one--to make me miss my grandma fiercely.

This is my Aunt Joyce (and this is a picture of a picture so the quality is low, but it still captures her and a corner of my grandparents' home):

And this is my grandma, with Jeff and me in 1996 (again, a low-quality picture of a picture, but nevertheless treasured by me):

I could write long posts about both of these dear ladies, but tonight I simply want to record how I was feeling today as I unfolded and read Aunt Joyce's letter.  She had sent it in a Christmas card a few years ago; and in her perpetually neat handwriting, she wrote about how she enjoyed reading my blog every so often and how she liked the pictures.  She wrote, "I'm glad you pause to enjoy the things the boys do and say!"  And then she continued--and this is what got me:

As Mother said - the best times are when the kids are home.

I didn't know Grandma said that!  But now that I'm growing up, I can feel her heart behind these words and sense the truth in them.  And suddenly, this afternoon, with my aunt's letter in my hand, I was missing Grandma like crazy, wishing for another chance to make that familiar drive to southern Pennsylvania, to spot the big farmhouse and pull in her driveway, to walk in her door and smell something delicious cooking, to hug her small frame in a warm but gentle embrace, to hear her voice and her laughter, to see the twinkle in her eyes, to walk around the farm and explore the cherished places there.  Just to be with her...

I loved all four of my grandparents and had good relationships with each of them, but this Grandma, being my last surviving grandparent, was special to me.  She's been gone for 12 years, so it's not as if grief for her is a new thing; but for some reason, today it welled up and left me yearning--for her and for her farm.  After her death, it was sold; and I understood why it had to be; but I wished that someone in the family could have kept it.  If there's any geographical place on earth that makes me incredibly nostalgic, it's that farm.

I hope, when I get to heaven, there's a little corner of it that looks exactly like the farm.  And I hope, when I get to the gate, she's right there waiting for me and we'll never have to say goodbye.

When she died, one of my most mournful thoughts was, "But she never got to see and hold my babies!"  I hope, someday in heaven, that she'll finally get to meet all of my children, and the circle will be unbroken.  

But for tonight, I'm still here on earth, missing her.  In honor of her, before I slip into my cozy bed, I'm going to go check on my boys again as they sleep and give them an extra kiss...because, even though we had a couple of rough "piranha hours" this evening, it's still true that...

"...the best times are when the kids are home."  Thank you, Grandma, for reminding me.

With a Snap of My Fingers

If I could snap my fingers and instantly change something about my sons, I would choose this:  the way David and Tobin, my current Sandpaper Boys, relate to each other.  Watching them compete about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G brings back vivid memories of the way Josiah and David acted towards each other a few years ago, back when I dreaded, for example, the bedtime routine because of how they would argue about who got the tube of toothpaste first and who got to hold the book of bedtime devotionals and who got to pray first and who got to turn off the light and everything else they could possibly compete about.  I don't know how many times I would ask them, "What's the most important thing?" and listen for their grudging answer, "Love your brother."  I thought they would never learn to put that lesson into practice because, after all, it's very easy to say the right answer with your lips but very difficult to deny yourself long enough to actually do it!  But watching David and Tobin battle it out these days does one positive thing for me:  it makes me realize how far Josiah and David have come.  ;-)  Being reminded of that does give me hope for the future.  Though it seems incomprehensible some days, I do believe that someday, Tobin will refrain from pushing all David's buttons (an activity in which he shows striking ability!) and David will learn how to respond maturely and let little things roll off his back.  But, oh, if my finger-snaps were powerful enough to change it today, I would!

If I could snap my fingers and instantly change something about myself, I would increase my amount of patience a thousandfold and would never let another harsh word leave my lips.

If I could snap my fingers and instantly change something about my house, I would make my bedroom transform itself into a perfectly-organized space.  For months, that room has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to time spent cleaning and organizing; and it's become much more of a dumping ground than I would like. I love my room!  The dark blue wall color is wonderfully appealing to me, the generous size of the room is fantastic, the special furnishings and decorations make it very attractive in my eyes.  But with a disorganized closet, piles of things to take to the thrift store, a laundry basket or two with clean clothes to be folded, too many books on a bookshelf, etc., it's not the peaceful, welcoming, relaxing and refreshing space that it could be.

If I could snap my fingers and instantly change something about our family rhythms, it would be this:  I would find a way to incorporate regular reading aloud as a family after supper.  Throughout the day, I do lots of reading aloud to the boys, so it's not as if I think they're neglected in that way.  But there's something so very cozy and special about reading longer books aloud together.  Through the past few years, we've had some spurts of doing well with that--for example, I remember Jeff reading some of The Chronicles of Narnia to Josiah and David--but it's certainly not a consistent habit.  I wish I could find a way to change that.

But no matter how much I snap my fingers, nothing seems to happen!

Two days ago, I read this quote at the beginning of a post by Courtney at Storing Up Treasures:

Gradual growth in grace, growth in knowledge, growth in faith, growth in love, growth in holiness, growth in humility, growth in spiritual-mindedness - all this I see clearly taught and urged in Scripture, and clearly exemplified in the lives of many of God's saints.  But sudden, instantaneous leaps from conversion to...consecration I fail to see in the Bible.

~ J. C. Ryle

And I thought, "Really?"

I know from personal experience that, yes, growth in all these areas of being Christ-like is more accurately described as "slow" rather than "sudden" for me.  But then I think about the Apostle Paul and how fast and startling and radical his conversion was, and I realize that sometimes there are sudden changes.  On the other hand, I remember Jacob and his many years of living deceitfully before he, snail-like, showed signs of change and became a man of integrity in his old age.

So which is it?

Surely some of both.

I believe there can be points in a person's life when they make a complete u-turn and drastically change their behavior and character.  It would be terribly disheartening to stop believing in such a possibility.

But at the same time, I'm enough of a realist to know that usually, for most of us (and definitely for my Sandpaper Boys), in the majority of areas in which we need change, that transformation takes place little by little, bit by bit, day by day, moment by moment, inch by inch.  Try as I may, no amount of finger-snapping alters that!

Recipe Box - Mother's Potato Soup

Nobody makes potato soup like my mom.

I don't know how she does it!  It's not like she uses any exotic ingredients or fancy techniques; but for some reason, I like her potato soup better than any other I've ever tasted.  Maybe the secret is in the love that oozes out of her time-worn hands into the soup as she chops potatoes and adds salt and tastes it to make sure it's just right.  Yes, I bet that's it.  It's the love.

I wanted to learn how to cook it so that, when I'm craving it, I'll be able to make it myself and I won't have to call her up and say, "Could you please make some potato soup for our supper?"  When I asked her for the recipe, this is what she told me:

Clean some potatoes, leaving the skin on.  (When I asked her how many potatoes to use, she said practically, "It depends on how big your pan is!")  Dice them into bite-size pieces.  Put them in a pan with water just barely covering them.  Chop an onion, if you have one; or add dried onion, if you prefer.  Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt and as much black pepper as you like.   Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, about 20 minutes or so.  Add milk until you get as much soup as you want.  You can also toss in some parsley, if you like it (we do!)--fresh or dried, either will do.  Then add a nice chunk of butter and let that melt.  (I'm not sure how much "a nice chunk" is, but use your best judgment, and I'm sure it will be fine!)  Next comes the most important step:  taste it to see if it has enough salt in it.

"That's it?" I ask.

"That's it!" she replies with a big smile on her face.

I'm doubtful that my attempts will ever turn out quite like hers, but I'll give it a whirl.  After all, cold winter evenings need a pot of soup to warm them; and this simple but delicious soup will do the trick nicely.  And if all else fails, I'll just call her up and ask sweetly, "Could you please make some potato soup for our supper?"  :)

Why'dja Up and Change Yer Blog Anyways?

Good question!

Here's how it all happened...

First, a number of months ago, I realized that I was getting close to the end of my free storage space from Blogger on my old blog, Life on Sylvan Drive.  I can't imagine why; after all, I'm such a concise writer, and I so infrequently post pictures!  ;-)  My original thought was to try to make it to my five-year blogiversary on that blog before completely running out of free space, and at that point I could simply start another blog and gain a brand new batch of free storage space.  But it wasn't too long until I realized that there was no way in the world I could do that.  Next, I guessed that I could at least make it to my four-year blogiversary (because, of course, if I was going to make a change, I needed to do that after completing a full year; I couldn't "up and change" in the middle of one; it just wouldn't be right!).  :)  Eventually, I realized that I wasn't even going to make it that far, so I caved and spent the whopping $5 bucks to buy more storage space.  When it comes to my blog, I'm a big spender.  ;-)

All of that, however, had gotten my mental wheels turning with thoughts of a new blog:  what would I name it?  what would it look like?  which aspects of my former blog would I want to keep and which would I want to change?  After many hours spent pondering these oh-so-important questions (usually while folding laundry or changing diapers or chopping onions for soup), I came to see that I viewed my first blog with such fondness that I didn't want to mess around with it too much.  I liked the general layout, with the info and photos in the sidebar, the header picture and background I changed every month, the main body of text being on the left, etc.  It was pleasant in my eyes, and I didn't want to change it.  I did, however, want to try a new format for blogging:  specifically, with the body of the text being much wider so I could make my pictures bigger, and the addition of tabs at the top for various categories.

Could I have made these changes to Life on Sylvan Drive?  Sure!  Would I have been a little sad to mix it up on that blog?  I feel sheepish for saying it, but yes.  Silly, sentimental me...

So, these are the factors--some practical, some nostalgic--which contributed to the start of this new blog.  But I guess what it really comes down to is this:

I'm a woman!  And hey, what woman doesn't like to rearrange things from time to time?  Some women change their hair color, some rearrange their furniture, some buy new dishes.  But me?

I change my blog.  ;-)

Despite the new web address and the new format, the content of this blog will, I expect, remain very similar to my former one.  After all, my life hasn't changed that much!  I still homeschool...

...and will sometimes write about it...

...as soon as I can unbury myself from this towering pile of books right over here.  ;-)

I still prepare food for my family...

...and will occasionally post recipes.

I still stroll through my yard, camera in hand...

...and will probably take and share random shots of beauty that catch my eye.

Most importantly, I'm still their mom and will certainly write about Josiah, my thoughtful eight-year-old...

...and five-year-old David, who sometimes gets distracted when he's supposed to be eating lunch because he just has to line up all his lima beans on his spoon handle and see if he can make them all balance...

...and Tobin, who turned three last week but told my husband Jeff at the supper table last evening that it's still his birthday...

...and my littlest sweetheart, Shav, who is one day shy of the 18-month mark.

So even though I have a new blog home, I still have the same dear ones in my real home; and with these boys (and their daddy) around, I'm never at a loss for blogging material!  ;-)