We're leavin', on a jet plane...

And so begins the Month of Travel for the H. Family.

We were up and out early, early, early Thursday am (huge thank you's to Uncle H.), headed to the Pacific Northwest. First leg took us the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, which is empty and very nice early in the morning. Snoopy even greeted

us. Then, on to Seattle.

I had a fun and leisurely lunch with good friends, and the rest swam and watched tv. How's that for easing into vacation?

Here's also a funny picture of K- at our favorite Puget Sound area Mexican restaurant. Notice the resemblance? :-)

It makes sense to him...

Overheard:
Trying to prove his sincerity, J. tells his sister, "I know when I'm joking, because I'm me."

And he says he's not a Yankee fan...

List

laundry
packing

Call: meals
nursery switcheroo

Whole Foods-fish pills

Von Maur- return dress

email:chamber group

rental car: Dallas
Seattle 1
Seattle2
Mariner tickets?

Dinner: Monday
Tuesdsay

ESL flyer/snacks

Bible study prep

Stop: newspaper
mail

return library books

consume dark chocolate

:-)

Simple pleasures

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.
-- Simple Gifts, a Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett

A few simple gifts that bring me pleasure-

Sunday afternoon naps
laughing with my husband
fresh brewed ice tea with lemon
dark roast coffee in the early in the morning with friends
tomato off the vine
day lillies
my kids giggling
clean sheets on my bed
walking into church when no one else is there
walking into church when everyone I love is there
my favorite sandals

yours?

Futbolistas

"The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does."

- Unknown (but most certainly a coach!)

L & S finished up the spring soccer season today, on such a beautiful spring Saturday. We all got more sun than we realized that we were getting! They both played hard and both played well. They are glad that they don't have to play against each other for a while though. Both coaches would like to see them on their fall teams- I guess 9 years old is too young to be holding out for the best contract... :-)

Enjoy a few photos from today!

Friday Five- Last Day of School!

The Last Day of School!

Close the books on another academic year! We did it. 36 weeks of schooling complete. We've traveled from Creation to the American Revolution in History. THAT'S quite a journey! We've tackled multiplication facts to Algebra. We've examined all the human body systems, nutrition, and How To Improve Our Survival Skills. All students are writing in cursive, well at least when they feel like it or when it is absolutely required. Everyone is typing (ahem, I guess it's correctly called "keyboarding" now...). We continue in Spanish, and one of us finished Latin 1. ("Sine labore nihil")

But, there's a lot more to schooling than academics.

Today's Friday Five- 5 reasons I am still thankful to school at home!

1. My kids. I know my kids and my kids know me. (ack! The reality of that!) For better and for
worse. There is no place better than home to work on character issues. There are no people better than parents work on character issues. Having our family at home means that it is natural to teach "when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." (Deut. 6:7)

2. The Word. The Bible is the foundation of our day. It's how we start the school day. We can work on memorizing the Catechism, and take the time to explain and talk out what it means and how it applies to our life. We have the privilege of praying for people around the world, for other countries and cultures and languages.

3. Service. We have opportunity to be available. We can serve meals to the shut-in, in rain and snow and sunshine. We can be a home to kids that need a place to go during the day. We can drive folks to appointments, and we can grocery shop for others, and we can set up for church fellowship hall for dinner at 3:30 on Wednesdays.

4. Activities. We are blessed by community. My kids play volleyball and basketball and baseball. They sing in the choir and ring the bells. We can get our piano lessons done during the day and the practicing too. We have friends to take field trips with and play games with and share i-pod earphones with. And that's not just the kids. Me too! I have friends that pat me on the shoulder when the going is rough and pray with me both when we're rejoicing and when we don't know what else to possibly do.

5. And yes, academics. We are learning. We are walking through history. We are putting our hands into science. We are learning new tongues. We read and read and read. Together. They are beginning to OUT learn me! And isn't that what we dream of, that our kids knowledge will exceed our own? And, they are learning independence- the value of studying and discipline, and hopefully, little by little, order. Learning to go out on their own, one step at a time. As parents, we're still standing on the promise of Proverbs 22:6- "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it."

And so, we joyfully look to summer, and the learning will continue, though in a different setting than sitting around our table. We are thankful for opportunities to travel and to play and to spend the summer season doing summer things! And to be refreshed before traditional "academics" start anew in August!

Holiness

I'm currently reading Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. In the chapter I finished today, "Waiting for the Morning," author Dustin Shramek reminds us of God's holiness. Shramek asks, "How does regarding God as holy help us in the midst of our suffering? What help is this when we are trapped in the pit and the darkness threatens to suffociate us?"

He then answers the question, "It helps us in two ways. First, in the midst of our pain, God's holiness is a life preserver that we can cling to in order to keep us from falling into the abyss. Second, it is because God is holy that he himself will keep us from falling into the abyss."

Shramek then reminds us of this statement from John Piper:
"God is holy in His absolute uniqueness. Everything else belongs to a class. We are human; Rover is a dog; the oak is a tree; Earth is a planet; the Milky Way is one of a billion galaxies; Gabriel is an angel; Satan is a demon. But only God is God. And therefore He is holy, utterly different, distinct, unique. All else is creation. He alone creates. All else begins. He alone always was. All else depends. He alone is self-sufficient. And therefore the holiness of God is synonymous with His infinite value. His glory is the shining forth of His holiness. His holiness is His intrinsic worth- an utterly unique excellence."

The comfort? Shramek concludes, "This is our hope in the midst of suffering. There is no one more powerful. There is no one more loving. There is no one more merciful. There is no one more compassionate. There is no other God but God. He alone is Savior and he alone is Lord. It is because God is holy that we can have confidence that he will fufill his promises to us, that his power will be used to help us, that his mercy will be poured out on us, and that his wisdom will design our suffering and everything else in our lives to work together for our good."

Amen, and amen.

Boldly!

from The Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon:

"It was unusually cool for late June, and he savored his short walk to the office, noticing that he was feeling better than he had in years. He had dashed off a note to Walter after his morning prayers, quoting the encouraging message of Hebrews 4:16: "Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Boldly! That was the great and powerful key. Preach boldly! Love boldly! Jog boldly! And most crucial of all, do not approach God whining or begging, but boldly- as a child of the King."

Trunks

Trunks
by J & Su

Trunks are big and
trunks are small.
But elephants have the best of all.
The elephant always has his stuck in front,
but never beneath him,
stuck in the muck.

Citizenship!

We had the unique opportunity of participating in a real-life, real-time civics lesson today. We were witness to our dear AussieB take the oath of US citizenship. She passed the test earlier today- could you? When we found out that she would be taking the oath of citizenship in less than an hour, we zipped right down to the Department of Homeland Security to cheer her on.

26 new Americans took the oath this afternoon, coming from 9 different countries: Australia, Bosnia, Canada, China, Iraq, Mexico, Philippines, Sudan, and Vietnam. The ceremony included a very sweet video, The Faces of America, a welcome message from President Bush, and a video showing America to Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American. And indeed, we all are! We suggested apple pie and ice cream to celebrate, but compromised with delicious pastries and tasty coffee at a French cafe. And isn't that the spirit of America? :-)

Theodore Roosevelt said, "The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able to pull his own weight." No worries, then, about adding this new citizen. She's been doing it for years!


Congratulations B! We wave our flags towards you!

On Mothering

A day late, but I was thinking yesterday, what a hard day Mother's Day must be for many women. I thought of a friend who is mourning a miscarriage, of another waiting on adoption. I thought of those who have difficult relationships with their own mothers, or their own children. Yes, it is good to recognize moms, but I confess, making such significance of one day seems a little silly to me. I thought of this passage, on women, every woman, being "life-givers"...

"Mothers give life, not just birth. Every woman is called to be a life-giver in every relationship and ministry God entrusts to our care. All redeemed women are mothers in Israel. Words of encouragement give life to the discouraged. Ministries of compassion infuse life into the weary and worn. Ministries of availability and hospitality beyond kith and kin model the covenant way of life. Ministries to unsaved neighbors give glimpses of life. When we live the life of hesed, we impart life in myriad mothering roles.

But we were gentle among you,
like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
So being affectionately desirous of you,
we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God
but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8"

(from The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood, by Susan Hunt and Barbara Thompson)

Water Fun!

We took an afternoon to celebrate both the end of the school year and very good rates for home school families at CoCo Key water park last week. CoCo Key is relatively new- opened in the fall- and we found it to be a lot of fun. Especially when you can share it with friends!

Myanmar

It is impossible to read of Myanmar, of the devastation and suffering, of a death toll in the tens of thousands, and not be moved.

From an AP story (Thursday, May 8):
"Entire villages in the delta were still submerged from the storm, and bloated corpses could be seen stuck in the mangroves. Some survivors stripped clothes off the dead. People wailed as they described the horror of the torrent swept ashore by the cyclone."

But what can we do from here? John Piper suggests 6 Ways to React to the Cyclone. Pray for the people of Myanmar.

(photo credit to Khin Maung Win, AFP/Getty images)

Thirty One-derful

A moment of silence this morning for the co-founder of "the world's best ice cream empire," Irvine Robbins. In 1946, Robbins and his brother in law, Burton Baskin, opened an ice cream store in Glendale, California. They had 31 flavors, one for each day of the month.

I am admitedly partial to Baskin-Robbins because it was the site of my first "real" (according to the Internal Revenue Service, anyway) job. I worked at the 31 Flavors across the street from my high school. When I started in 1983, the minimum wage in New Mexico was $3.35. But, I'm pretty sure that I started at $2.65 an hour, with the potential of a 15 cent bonus per hour if we didn't waste too much ice cream. One of the major benefits of working at Baskin-Robbins was that we were allowed two scoops for each 4 hour shift we worked. That went in step with Robbins philosophy to encourage "his employees to eat as much ice cream as they wanted. That way, he figured they wouldn't have to steal it."

I have often been asked if I ever got tired of ice cream. Nope. Never. Not once. Yes, there were sticky summer evening shifts when we would hardly look up from scooping for hours. We'd be covered with ice cream from head to toe. Our brown corduroy pants (bought at the Gap when that's where you went to find a wall full of corduroy pants...) would have hot fudge and marshmellow cream and caramel down the legs. But, we were working with good friends, and not very many folks are grumpy when they are buying an ice cream cone.

My favorite flavors? Chocolate Mousse Royale. World Class Chocolate. Lime sherbet. And, Irvine Robbins' favorite, Jamoca Almond Fudge. But other flavors stand out, too. I hated scooping Chocolate Peanut Butter and Rocky Road- too easy to break the cone. When we were growing up, we'd walk to a 31 Flavors near my aunt and uncle's house, and my cousin Sherry would always order Daiquiri Ice or Grape Ice. My sister's favorite was Mint Chocolate Chip. Sometimes we would all get Pink Bubblegum, and we would each spit the gum into our own cup to save to chomp on later. The only flavor I haven't enjoyed? Peanut Butter and Jelly. I don't really like PB&J sandwiches either.

Thanks, Mr. Robbins, for good ice cream and good memories!
(picture and quote credits to The Seattle P-I, May 6, 2008)

Escape!

Herr Kuhn: "We have reason to believe this prisoner is the mastermind behind numerous criminal escape attempts."

from The Great Escape, 1963

Dory: [Reading a door] "Hey, look. 'Es-ca-pay.' Hey, it's spelled just like escape!"

from Finding Nemo, 2003

The battle of man v. beast continues. He has chewed through the fence. (Note the arch in one of the planks...) He has pulled down the wire, and then chewed through. And now, he is tunneling under.

We certainly don't give him the title "Mastermind," because, ahem, his brain is about the size of a peach pit; but you've got to credit him for tenacity. And, for making us giggle at the contortions he is willing to put his dog body through!

No doubt, the battle will continue!

Considering Worship (Psalm 89)

From Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 89:

The more God's works are known, the more they are admired. And to praise the Lord, is to acknowledge him to be such a one that there is none like him. Surely then we should feel and express reverence when we worship God. But how little of this appears in our congregations, and how much cause have we to humble ourselves on this account! That almighty power which smote Egypt, will scatter the enemies of the church, while all who trust in God's mercy will rejoice in his name; for mercy and truth direct all he does. His counsels from eternity, and their consequences to eternity, are all justice and judgment.

Friday Five- Self Portrait Fun

Today's Friday Five:

What happens when two dressed in pink shirts take a self-portrait? One more girl in pink wants in the picture. And then another girl in pink shows up and hops in the frame.

Five self-portraits.

Soul Consideration

One of my favorite school catalogs is Timberdoodle. Timberdoodle is a family owned operation, located back in the woods near Shelton, Washington. When we lived in Washington state, the children and I would take a little trip to go pick up our order. It didn't save a bit of money, between gas and an inevitable stop for a treat along the way, but it sure was pleasant. We have never been disappointed with either the service or the products from Timberdoodle.

But, in addition, much of what I enjoy about Timberdoodle is the catalog itself. There always is a bit of pondering and wisdom that the family shares with their customers, and the May email catalog is no exception.

From the Timberdoodle May newsletter:

"J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), a profound and faithful pastor, wrote a timeless book, The Duties of Parents. In it he sets forth this admonition:
"Train with this thought continually before your eyes-that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered. Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be so dear to you as that part which will never die.

...This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, "How will this affect their souls?"

It may seem an odd thing to attend a curriculum fair, or browse a curriculum catalog with your child's soul and not the state's scope and sequence as your guide. What are your children's besetting sins and are your choices for curriculum enhancing or extinguishing them?

Further on in his booklet J.C. Ryle says, "...He that has trained his children for heaven, rather than for earth,-for God, rather than for man, -- he is the parent that will be called wise at last."

"Trained for heaven, rather than for earth..."
Soul considerations...

May Day

Early morning coffee, conversation and prayer.
Meals delivered.
Schoolwork complete.
Lawn mowed.
Kids playing outside.
Top down to the grocery store.
Flower baskets hung.
Grilled steak and chicken.
Corn on the cob.
Green salad.
Thunderstorms rolling in.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And your faithfulness by night...
For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
Psalm 92:1-2, 4

Baseball Season Buzz

Before:








































After:

Little Miss Muffet

A bit that really amused us all, from our poetry readings this morning:

The Embarassing Episode of Little Miss Muffet
by Guy Wetmore Carryl

Little Miss Muffet discovered a tuffet,
(which never occurred to the rest of us)
And, as 'twas a June day, and just about noonday,
She wanted to eat- like the best of us:
Her diet was whey, and I hasten to say
It is wholesome and people grow fat on it.
The spot being lonely, the lady not only
Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it.

A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,
As rivulets always are thought to do,
And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,
As poets say dragon flies ought to do;
When, glancing aside for a moment, she spied
A horrible sight that brought fear to her,
A hideous spider was sitting beside her,
And most unavoidably near to her!

Albeit unsightly, this creature politely
Said: "Madam, I earnestly vow to you,
I'm penitent that I did not bring my hat. I
Should otherwise certainly bow to you."
Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease
That he lost all his sense of propriety,
And grew so inept that he clumsily stept
In her plate- which is barred in Society.

This curious error completed her terror;
She shuddered, and growing much paler, not
Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet
Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.
It should be explained that at this he was pained:
He cried: "I have vexed you, no doubt of it!
Your fist's like a truncheon." "You're still in my luncheon!"
Was all that she answered. "Get out of it!"

And the Moral is this: Be it madam or miss
To whom you have something to say,
You are only absurd when you get in the curd
But you're rude when you get in the whey!

Retail!

Coming in October to Regency Court...

Anthropologie

(now, if only Trader Joe's could be convinced...)

Sufficient

from Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges:

"Notice I said that the Holy Spirit strengthens us and enables us to meet in a godly fashion whatever circumstances cross our paths. God's grace is not given to make us feel better, but to glorify Him. Modern society's subtle, underlying agenda is good feelings. We want the pain to go away. We want to feel better in difficult situations, but God wants us to glorify Him in those circumstances. Good feelings may come, or they may not, but that is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we honor God by the way we respond to our circumstances. God's grace- that is, the enabling power of the Holy Spirit- is given to help us in such a way.

God's grace is sufficient..."

"John Blanchard said, 'So he (God) supplies perfectly measured grace to meet the needs of the godly. For daily needs there is daily grace; for sudden needs, sudden grace; for overwhelming need, overwhelming grace. God's grace is given wonderfully, but not wastefully; freely, but not foolishly; bountifully, but not blindly."

(ch. 10- The Sufficiency of Grace, pp. 144-145)

Friday Five- Random thoughts...

This week's Friday Five comes to you from Orlando, Florida, thanks to my husband's company's semi-annual meeting.

Five random thoughts:
1. 84 degrees and a breeze is perfect.
2. Spray on sunscreen is a blessing to a girl sitting at the pool by herself.
3. When in Disney World, some people do things they would never, ever, do in real life, like wear ridiculous hats and clothing.
4. When a science and engineering conference and a model search are being held at the same location, it is pretty easy to distinguish who is there for which event...
5. Sometimes two books and two magazines complete is a good two days worth of activity.

A Thank Offering

from 2 Samuel 22- David's Song of Deliverance:
The Lord is my rock
my fortress
my deliverer
my refuge
my shield
my salvation
my stronghold
my savior
my support
my lamp
my tower.

"Therefore, I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Thy name."

"Happy Working Song"

Here's a scene so close to our household preparing for Grammy and Grandad's weekend stay...
(uh, well, or maybe not quite... :-) )

the One-Word Meme

"Me-me"- a silly quiz about... me. :-)

This is the One-Word Meme. Actually, it should be titled a "One Phrase Meme" because I rarely use one word for anything! I pilfered it from Anne, who doesn't know me. I don't know how I found Anne's blog, but I enjoy it! Her husband is in the Navy, and so was mine, you know, and they live in Hawaii, so did we once, you know, and Anne enjoys books and homeschools her kids and trusts the Lord and... Anne is just a joy to read. (and of course, one can always think about Hawaii...) Thanks, Anne! Visit PTW anytime! :-)

You’re feeling: ready to get going on this day.
To your left: my curio cabinet with little boxes and hearts and music boxes.
On your mind: getting my part of schoolwork finished early this week and preparing for the bible study I'm soon to teach and what the kids will have for breakfast since we are all out of milk...
Last meal included: cheese and green chile. (nachos! yum.)
You sometimes find it hard to: love well enough.
The weather: overcast and still.
Something you have a collection of: little boxes and hearts and music boxes.
A smell that cheers you up: coffee brewing.
A smell that can ruin your mood: poop in the living room! (naughty dog!)
How long since you last shaved: yesterday.
The current state of your hair: disshevled, combed with my fingers. (no video Skype right now...)
The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): stack of books from reading this morning.
Your skill with chopsticks: is good enough to survive in China.
Which section you head for first in a bookstore: Biographies or travel.
Something you’re craving: my morning latte- no milk today.
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: not yet really thinking about the presidential race... (check back in September...)
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: 0
Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: in warmer weather- a chair on our side porch.
You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: college mascot.
Something that freaks you out a little: people with more than two cats.
Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Kettle Lightly Salted Krinkle Cut Chips.
You have never: broken a bone.
You never want to: lose a child-like faith.

Now, the Meme protocol is that I choose ("tag" in meme-speak) others with blogs to answer the same questions. I won't specifically do that, but some of you PTW readers who haven't updated your blogs in a while (you know who you are!), here's some inspiration! It's fun to read what others are thinking... If you do it, leave a comment so I can go look!
Blessings today!

Friday Five- Things That Make Me Smile Today...

Today's Friday Five: Five things that are causing me to smile today, and pictures!

1. New shoes! I found these at the Dillard's Clearance store. They are sort of sandally-maryjanes. Comfy. And sturdy. I'm not really a shoe girl, except when I really like a pair...



2. Green! My old-fashioned lilac bushes and day lillies are growing! I am ever expectant for the lilacs this year. I had great hopes last spring, and we were this close to seeing blooms, when a late and very hard frost killed that notion. I am not a green thumb (I keep my family alive, not plants...), so any little measure of success is reason to rejoice.

3. Dinner is cooking! And it's starting to smell good, besides. BBQ pork sandwiches. mmmmmm......
Avoiding "what-should-we-have-for-dinner?" at 5 pm?
Priceless.

4. Clean laundry. I've lost count of how many loads. Maybe 8 complete, 2 in the washer/dryer, 2 to go. Light at the end of the very dark and very long laundry tunnel. For at least a day, anyway...

5. Saturday! Brunch with the ladies at church. Kid sports. A party for a favorite homeschool grad! Preparation for worship on Sunday. And, a weather forecast that says, "Warmer. Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 60's."

All reasons to smile this Friday...

"A Permanent Attitude"

From our family Bible reading this morning, one we have many occasion to practice, Luke 17:3-4-

"Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Forgiveness is not an occasional art, it is a permanent attitude.- Martin Luther

A Lesson- Three Cups of Tea

From Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin-

When the porceline bowls of scalding butter tea steamed in their hands, Haji Ali spoke. "If you want to thrive in Baltisan you must respect our ways," Haji Ali said, blowing on his bowl. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die," he said, laying his hand warmly on Mortenson's own. "Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may be uneducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here for a long time."

"That day, Haji Ali taught me the most important lesson I've ever learned in my life," Mortenson says. "We Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We're the country of thirty-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. Our leaders thought their 'shock and awe' campaign could end the war in Iraq before it even started. Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them."

("Image courtesy Greg Mortenson, Central Asia Institute.")

More Colors... More Fun!

:::UPDATE::: Thanks to sleuthing friend Marcy, answers to your Crayola color questions here!:::

Surprise! When L & S were picking up the office today, they found a bag of school supplies I had stashed away; clearance bargains I had found back when school started in the fall.

Excitement!
Isn't opening up a new box of Crayolas one of the best of the trivial things in life?
Sharp, unbroken crayons.
Every color new.
And the scent.

Confession: when I was growing up and would get a new box of crayons, I'd organize each inner box by color groups. That will not surprise my husband. I still try to keep his shirts & ties in color order too...

Favorite colors:
L- Metallic "Big Dip o' Ruby" (we used to call that pink)
S- Metallic "Sheen Green"
friend L-Inchworm (a yellow green)
friend M- Periwinkle
K- tie between Robin's Egg Blue and Mango Tango
me- Cerulean (always Cerulean)

Why does Sepia make a scratchy noise? And why no Burnt Umber or Indian Red?
Best new name: "Purple Mountains Majesty"

The crayons and the girls are moving to the porch...
More colors. More fun!

Wedding Dancers

Macarena. Electric slide. YMCA. The Chicken Dance. And the photos you get when you hand the kids the camera. Fun night! Congratulations R & B!! We had a terrific time, and we rejoice with you!

Chiara Masterclass

The quartet that J. plays with, consisting of piano, cello, viola, and violin, had an unique opportunity this morning, to play in a master class this with the Chiara String Quartet. The piece that J's group played was Pax, from "The Rose Quartet" by Catherine McMichael. The Chiara members were great with the student groups, very helpful and constructive in their critique. Here's some video of the performance today...

April 12?

Just a dusting, but... snow?
No soccer today.
Our hope is for the future forecast- 70 by Tuesday...

Friday Five- Amy Carmichael quotes

Confession: I was not so inspired to do the Friday Five today. L. suggested, "what about 5 spring things?" but truthfully, it's just not all that spring-y around here. I thought of some sorts of nonsense, but today I found myself back paging through this jewel, and so, such is my inspiration for today's 5:

1. Reflecting on her childhood: "When told how exceedingly naughty she was, Amy used to think, 'If you only knew how much naughtier I could be, you wouldn't think I'm naughty at all."
(can't most of us relate to that!)

2. On seeking utter holiness: "If we are not clean when we bear the vessels of the Lord,' she wrote in May of 1894, 'we may profane His holy name in the things which we hallow. Our very service a defiling thing!..."

3. On prayer: "We have one crystal clear reason apart from the blessed happiness of this way of life. It is this: prayer is the core of our day. Take prayer out, and the day would collapse, would be pithless, a straw blown in the wind. But how can you pray- really pray, I mean- with one against whom you have a grudge or whom you have been discussing critically with another? Try it. You will find it cannot be done."

4. On mothering, from a card pasted inside the cover of Amy's Bible: "These children are dear to Me. Be a mother to them, and more than a mother. Watch over them tenderly, be just and kind. If thy heart is not large enough to embrace them, I will enlarge it after a pattern of my own. If these young children are docile and obedient, bless Me for it; if they are froward, call upon Me for help; if they weary thee, I will be Thy consolation; if thou sink under thy burden, I will be thy Reward."

5. On obedience to Call: "Remember our God did not say to me, 'I have something greater for you to do.' This life is not greater than the other, but it is different. That is all. For some our Father chooses one, for some He chooses the other, all that matters is that we should be obedient 'unto all meeting of His wishes.' "

Disposition of pride

from Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges:

"Perhaps the larger reason why we do not experience more of God's grace is our misconception that, having been saved by grace, we must now, at least to some degree, "pay our own way" and earn God's blessings in our daily lives...

In fact this misconception that we must pay our own way is more than a mistaken theological notion. It actually springs from the perverse disposition of our hearts- the disposition of pride.

Noted theologian R.C. Sproul wrote,
Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God's grace and God's grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for our pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people- for beggars. We don't want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our own sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there."

Which goes right to the heart of Psalm 71:1-
In Thee O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk...

... or, perhaps, an alternative title would be "Girls Rule!"

Wandering Kudos go out to K.- winner of the H Family Tournament Challenge 2008. She correctly picked the Final Four, the Final Two, and the final score within 2 points! Her secret (and it makes her brother cringe...)? Primarily she goes by colors and mascots, with a little bit of seeding thrown in for good sense. Good thing she likes blue...

Second in the Challenge? Me! Picked the winner for the second year in a row- so I do believe that would be called a streak.

Don't forget the Shining Moment video. For you sports video saps, like me, it's a annual can't miss...

To the H Family men- better luck next year...

(photo credit to KUsports.com)

Same. Different.

Same birthday.
Same age. Same last name.
Same sport. Same club.

Different teams.

L & S are playing spring soccer, and were placed on different teams. Now that's an idea that took some getting used to.

The first reaction of the twins?
S- "I can't take the ball away from L!" (yes, actually, she can, and she did...)
L- ::: puzzled look that said, "different teams?" :::

My main concern abated: they play on the same field at the same time.

The parents sitting around us must have been confused. They must have thought we were schizophrenic, cheering for green, cheering for white, cheering for the kid "L," cheering for the kid "S."

How'd they do? L scored one goal, S had a great assist. One bruised shin (even with shin guards- the victim claimed the other twin kicked THAT hard!), one pulled hamstring, two girls ready to do it again next week.

Go team(s)!

Thoughts on laundry...

if washing 11 pairs of jeans in a front-loading machine...
maybe think twice before putting your 96 load bottle of liquid laundry detergent on top of the washer.
But, if it happens to shake and dance itself off during the spin cycle,
and fall on the floor,
and create a very large and very slimy blue puddle (puddle? pond?),
one that oozes into the very corners of your laundry room,
the good news is that it will help to make your mop look very clean,
and the basement smell laundry day fresh.

I'm just saying...

Extreme Dog Makeover

Before.













After.




Clean puppy kisses to A. and R. :-)

Friday five- Kid Lit

This week's Friday Five- Kid Lit Books I Adore...

Here are five books that I would go back to over and over and over again as a child. I knew them back and forth. I visited them like old family members, and they are part of the fabric of how I remember learning to love reading, getting lost in the other worlds and situations far far from my own.

What a contrast to a Protestant girl growing up in the high desert of New Mexico- All of a Kind Family by Sidney Tayor, and the five Jewish sisters growing up in pre World War I New York City. I searched for pennies with the girls as they would dust. I commisserated with naughty girl who would stubbornly not eat her dinner. I held my breath as they had their ears pierced with a needle and a wax string. I savored their religious traditions as they worshiped together as a family.

In My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, young runaway Sam writes, "I am on my mountain in a tree home that people have passed not ever knowing that I am here." My dream! No hemlock trees, 6 feet in diameter, in my neighborhood, but I did entertain dreams of moving into the craigs of some of the boulders at the base of my nearby mountain. Logical, brave, and independent, that Sam. My kind of guy.

Confession- to this day, I make quick comparisons to life in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House. Road trips? Mary and Laura didn't own a portable DVD player... Laundry piled up? At least I don't have to boil the water first. Long winter? Humph! Never as long as THE Long Winter! Pa, the most beloved of all children's lit fathers. Nellie Olson, the most despicable of all childhood nemeses. I could never be as good or as kind as sweet Mary. I am much more close to Laura, always climbing, always saying one too many things.

"Mercy Maud!" Is there a more funny book than Cheaper by the Dozen, the true story of the Gilbreth family? "Doncha know that (insert any ethnic group here) come cheaper by the dozen?" father Frank would tell onlookers? He was continually trying his time motion efficiency studies on the children, and I too tried to wash starting with the soap up the left side and then down the right. Few families enjoyed themselves as heartily as the Gilbreths, and that was an inspiration to me.

John D. Fitzgerald, J.D, tells the story of his scheming older brother, Tom, T.D., in The Great Brain . Tom could solved problems town leaders were stumped by. His parents were fair in discipline and generous in love. The boys' worst punishment to one another was the silent treatment. It was fun to imagine the adventures in the rapidly growing Old West town of Alden, Utah. And it was fun to see what scheme Tom would come up with next.

Confession- it's awfully hard to limit this to the Friday FIVE. I'd love to hear what childhood books stand out for Wanderer readers!

sold

BETWEEN TWILIGHTS
"Sometimes, between the twilights,
I unwrap my bundle from home
and bury my face in the fabric of my old skirt.

I inhale deeply,
drinking in the scent of mountain sunshine,
a warmth that smells of freshly turned soil and clean laundry
baking in the sun.
I breathe in a cool Himalayan breeze,
and the woodsy tang of a cooking fire,
a smell that crackles with the promise of warm tea
and fresh roti.

Then I can get by.
Until the next twilight."
from Sold by Patricia McCormick

Sold is a hard book, a story that you cannot put down, a story that does not easily leave you. It is told by 13 year old Lakshmi from Nepal, as she is sold into the Indian sex trade and survives. It is raw and it is real. It is a fiction book, but the story is not. This is a story that is taking place today, around the world. According to the US Department of State, "human trafficking is the world's third largest criminal enterprise, after drugs and weapons." According to UNICEF, "worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade." Two million children.

I think of Isaiah 1:17, "Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow."
There is much to do...