Memoria Arts~ Life in the Making

Simple Daybook: January's Change...

Outside my window...

A "For Sale" sign, and bitter, bitter cold. I am amazed the pipes haven't frozen yet; I expect it to happen any hour now. Then again, the constant twirl of the washer might be postponing that.

I am thinking...

That change is frightening, and yet invigorating. I also think that there are a lot of plates in the air right now. My plans for January have been completely upended and it's only the 3rd, but the new plans are so much the better. I've read a plethora of wonderful "new year" posts, with lovely thoughts- read everyone's new word for the year- based on Ali's thing from three years ago.  All inspiring. I can't muster the brain power to talk about everything I've been thinking about: I think the Lord has ordained for it all to "set and set" a little while longer. If I have any word right now, it is "winsome". That's what I think about when I think about what I want to be, want to do.  Or "wise". How about two: winsome and wise?

I am thankful for...

Hands and hearts and dreams and love. Paint that covers a multitude of toddler goo. Space to breathe and move.  Children that manage to weasel under my defenses and make me love them even more.

From the learning rooms...

New semester here we come! Amazingly, all house-showing and moving aside, this will be the first "normal" semester for my boys- one in which I am not pregnant and/or in the newborn fog. I find myself much more excited about the learning days ahead, and I know this has a lot to do with health and a few decent nights of sleep in a row.  I think everyone is ready to get back into our school day rhthym. Breaks are good, but getting back to work brings its own reward.

From the kitchen...

My kitchen suddenly seems quite spacious pared down to the barest of essentials. Hah! I will not be fooled. Needless to say, with showings happening at the oddest of times, I have to retreat to the 'old faithfuls' that can be fixed in twenty minutes or less, freezing double batches, and making as much as possible in the slow cooker. (I figure it has the added benefit of making the house smell really good all day long- something they say really helps with selling!)

I am wearing...

My heart on my sleeve. Everything is right near the surface right now, so full of hope! Yet admonishing myself to patience and waiting for God's perfect timing. 

I am creating...

Stacks and stacks. Box after box is stacking up in the garage. I've had a few ask on facebook why I am packing and painting and the like without an offer on the house or even a house to move to- yet- and the simple answer? Our house is TINY. We have lived in every square inch of it, all seven of us, for the last four years. It has taken a lot of abuse; almost every base board, every wall, the carpet, has the evidence of children. It needed a "washed face" for showing. And, by removing most of our furniture and toys, the house looks much larger to potential buyers. We really want to see our house sell quickly, and I'll do anything that helps that process along!

I am hoping...

To keep my wits about me.

I am hearing...

A new playlist my husband made, aptly named, "Christ". It's perfect. It's also needful. It's helping me to keep focus where it belongs!

Around the house...

Seeing if we can master the twenty minute whole house scrub down for showing. It's hard to keep the house ready for the realtors when we live in every inch of it, but we're pretty close. I hate to admit it, but having most of the furniture, and three quarters of the toys and paraphernalia packed up makes that a lot easier. I don't think we can go very long like this- but I've already purged some things we obviously have no need for. It's good to test how much is really "needed". 

One of my favorite things...

Hearing the kids talking about moving to their "farm". Now, I don't know if that is in the cards for us. Oh, it's a great hope in our family- but we have to do what is financially wise for us right now, no matter how much a little white house and big red barn might be calling to our name. We'll have to see. But I can't help but smile when we go look at properties, hearing the boys discuss their plans as to where the (non-existent, not-yet-purchased) John Deere tractor will go, and where they will hang the tire swing. How much fun it is to be that age and have dreams as big as the sky!

A few plans for the rest of the week:

I know I said that Life in the Making would be moving to the new cyber digs today, but I have had nary a minute to make the final tweaks, and neither has my Geek turned painter and all around handyman. I think that the end of the week is a reasonable goal. I've got tons of stuff and goodies to give away all ready to post and go over there...soon. Very soon. I'll make sure to point you there as soon as it is ready!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The new year is always about hope. This double rainbow happened about 11 am Christmas day. It felt like a benediction! It was amazing- lasting more than an hour. We just sat at windows and stared for the longest time.

 
You can find more daybooks here. 

Best Reads of 2009....

Ah, the plans of mice and men...

So much to tell you about but so very little time! Huge changes going on behind the scenes here at the blog and in real life. Life in the Making is moving to its new home January 4th if the bits and bytes will mind their manners. That is, if I can find the keyboard underneath all the packing boxes...

Our house went on the market yesterday. As my mother said: "I thought I heard a giant leap of faith today!" I want to tell you all about it in detail, why we're making this choice right now, and a million other things. I hope to, in time...but right now, there's those boxes. 

Instead (inspired by Stephanie) I thought I'd do a Best of 2009 series to end out the year. Hope you enjoy!

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My reads this year have been in a practical bent...I haven't had a whole lot of time to read recreationally and I sorely miss it. As you can tell by the titles, I have been studying to improve my 'job performance', particularly in the frugal cooking and money management areas. The reasons are probably obvious! ~big grin~(If you haven't been reading LiTM very long, my husband lost his job a year and a half a go, at the beginning of the crash.) 

 

Hearthside Cooking by Nancy Carter Crump

This was a library read...I happened upon it while looking for something else and it looked fascinating. One of the few books I read 'for fun'- also the book I was reading when I realized that Ben could, really, really, read. (He had been pretending that 'he couldn't do it'. Long story.)- I was drawn to this book for many reasons, but mostly because I live in a rural, mountainous area of Tennessee where these skills have not yet been lost. This book is half encyclopedia, half journal, half cookbook, half history lesson. You'll learn a tremendous amount of information about the roots of 'modern cooking'. It might surprise you!  

 

 

 Food, Inc. edited by Carl Webber

My husband picked this one up, and then I filched it because I was curious- needless to say, he sort of lost his book for a few days. James and I have read extensively on the modern state of food (you can click on my Sustainable Living category for more links and books), so this isn't a random pick. That being said, if you're wondering what everyone is referring to in the media or whatever about the 'food crisis', this is a good primer book from a lot of people involved in non-industrial food production. Joel Salatin, Michael Pollan, and Eric Schlosser are just a few of the writers included. This is now my 'start here' book when people ask about my passion for local, organic, minimally processed food.

 

A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising A Large Family by Mary Ostyn

What can I not say about this book? Blog on steroids with tons of practical, useable suggestions, written in a witty, friendly style. Lots of "I've been there" anecdotes from other mothers of many. Mary Ostyn herself is mama to ten, and has written Owlhaven.net for a long time. I got this about three, four weeks ago- the beginning of December? It's already dog-eared, well-loved, coffee and ketchup splattered because it is going everywhere with me. Lifehacks for moms of many. Hallelujah! (Honestly, an answer to a very desperate prayer!) 

 

 

Family Feasts for $75 A Week by Mary Ostyn

This I bought on a recommendation from Hannah, at Cultivating Home. DUDE. It can be done! I am doing it! It's blowing my mind. You can really eat well and healthfully and have fun doing it for less than we would spend at a good restaurant! This is great for any family- the recipes are written for 4-6 people, but all are easily doubled. This is sort of half instruction manual, lifehack for frugal cooking, and half recipe book. Lots of advice, pointers, and recommendations. Let's put it this way- I think this is going to be my new 'gift to give' for the families in my life! It pays for itself a thousand times over. Heck, it paid for itself in the first week, for me...

 

 Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian

I have to preface this with the fact that this is a book written by a scrapbooker to a scrapbooker. For those of you that aren't into that, just skip down to the next. Now, if you're a scrapbooker like me that used to enjoy it and weren't worried about all the photos and then suddenly, life happened...and you can't stand chronological scrapping...run, don't walk to get this one! (It's rapidly disappearing after the CK shut-down, transfer, whatever brouhaha thing happened.) It gave me the courage to dive back into scrapping after a year and a half hiatus. This system makes a lot of sense to my non-linear, non-chronological, very story focused, moment-focused way of scrapping. It is what it says- freedom to create and have fun again!

 

 "Parenting is Your Highest Calling" and 8 Other Myths That Trap Us Into Worry and Guilt by Leslie Leyland Fields

I read this one at Ann's recommendation. I don't know how to explain why this one was so essential to my development as a parent this year. It's hard. I've spent a lot of time shooting myself in the foot with a lot of these myths, edging on clinical depression (there, I said it...). I remember crying and praying and reading, going to the Bible, coming back to the book, crying, praying, reading some more. It would not be too far off to say that this book had a part in saving me from myself. I was getting to a pretty dark place before this book came along. This was a ray of light. I don't know how to talk about my depression- maybe I'll get the nerve to talk about it more in the coming year.

 

 

 Learning to Live Financially Free by Marybeth & Curt Whalen

Marybeth writes Cheaper by the Half Dozen. She's a homeschooler. She and her family are like a lot of families I know. And while I've read a few books about financial stewardship, this book stands out to me for it's "we're right here in the middle of this", sitting across the dining room table with a cup of coffee, practical conversational style. So many books are from a finance guru who has never been smack in the middle of life with a regular, run-of-the-mill life with a regular-run-of-the-mill income who've gotten into debt. I cannot recommend this book enough. A lot of the decisions we're making right this second have come from working and talking through this book. It is above all, practical. Doable. Full of encouragement!

So that's my round up for 2009! What did you love reading this year? Link me to your posts or the books you love- I am in the process of making my book list for 2010 and would love suggestions!

The Christmas Re-Cap...

I have to confess that Christmas felt a little weird for me this year. I have always been drive-my-husband-bonkers-crazy-in-love-with-Christmas. Especially the Christmas music- I'd play it in July if my family would let me. 

This year, not so much.

On one hand, I enjoyed the extra time of bible study and prayer that always accompanies Advent. I always feel so much quieter and peaceful during the Advent season. But Christmas? The music, the smells, the look and feel of the season? So not working this year. It stressed me out big time. It feels so weird to say that, me-who-loves-all-things-Christmas...

Anywhoo.

The kids, on the other hand, had quite the blast.

They always get spoiled rotten by their grandparents. It's delightful to watch their out and out glee as they get something they've been wishing and hoping and praying for all year round; there is something about bringing that kind of delight to a child. Ben and Isaiah really like their just-like-daddy farm/work boots.(John Deere brand, of course!) Lorelei loved the new doll baby and stroller she recieved. (It is absolutely hilarious to see her have three babies in her sling on her front, back, and hip, and then another four piled into the two seater stroller! Two are usually upside down and at least one is totally devoid of clothes. I get to giggling every time I see her do it!) And David, as usual, enjoyed everything he got, but he really enjoyed the big box that came with a present. He has literally played with it non-stop since Christmas day. So next year, we figure we'll just get him some different sizes of cardboard boxes. *grin*

Here's a smattering of pictures from the fun:

(I love the one of David, even though it's horribly blurry.)

 


 
  Yup. Our Christmas was about all things barn-related. The boys really want to know just when we will be moving to a farm...it may be sooner than we all thought! 

Merry Christmas!

 
From our family to yours... 

Hope you're enjoying this time of celebration! 

So, about that snow...

 
You know, that snow that the boys were so excited about? 

As most of the East coast knows...it started, and then it didn't STOP. Snow and snow and snow, as Lorelei said! Now I know you Northerners are laughing away at us, you who see snow on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, probably ad nauseam, but down here, this is a *big* deal! 

For an area that doesn't see much snow, getting a big snow has one unfortunate side affect- lack of electricity. Our power went out late Friday night, and thankfully returned a few hours later, but a lot of people in our area were without power and water for three days in freezing temperatures. Not good! We had another family of seven whom we know through our homeschooling co-op stay with us Sunday night so that they could get warm and have some "real" food after being in the cold for two days. Brrrrrrr! Their youngest little girl was so happy about the warm bath she'd get- it was all she could talk about until she got one. It made me laugh. There are a few greater pleasures than a warm bath on a cold night, for sure. 

Our weekend plans were totally upended by the storm, but the 'new plans' were infinitely better. We've had so much fun! It was nice to just play and laugh and eat and sleep- somewhat in that order- without lots of other things pressing in. We still haven't built our gingerbread barn, but that is No.1 on our list of things we want to do today. 

My "other" list- the one I've pretty much chucked out the window at this point- is probably going to stay that way. Our Christmas card has yet to be dealt with, among other things. And I wouldn't brave the post office if you paid me good money to do it! I will happily wait until next Monday, when things will be a lot more sane. 

In other news, Life in the Making is moving, very soon. Probably around the first of year. It was/is an early Christmas present from my talented tech-y husband. Don't worry, I'll give you plenty of time to re-point your RSS feeds and all that jazz. I am really excited about what is coming next for the blog- I hope you all enjoy it too. We've been working on it and planning the change for a few months now- some goodies and fun things planned!

 
 

Everything bright and beautiful...

 

Oh who am I kidding? 

It's joyful chaos around here. Love it! 

Right now the kids are playing "Ace of Cakes" and making dinosaur and  princess cakes. Heeeee. Our whole family has a little bit of an obsession for Duff and his whole cake crew. If a "Ace" marathon happens on Food Network, we all pile up on the futon down stairs and watch and giggle. The things you can do with gum paste!

In true fashion, we're going to attempt to make a gingerbread barn tomorrow. I feel sorry for my kitchen counter already. The last gingerbread thing we made was a train at Grandma's house last year. She was wiping blue and green piping frosting from underneath the tables and counters for a few days. Beware the unwitting soul with light colored pants that slid underneath the table at dinner! I still laugh thinking about it!

For his birthday activity, Isaiah really wanted to go to the local light show near us. Two something miles of christmas light displays in all sorts of fantastic shapes- dinosaurs, snow men makers, even a volcano with fire at the top! The kids were in wide eyed wonder the whole time. I personally think it was more fun to watch their faces than the lights. David's eyes where about to pop out of his head- it was like he was trying to look everywhere at once. The hot funnel cake at the end wasn't too shabby either. 

Ever the good mama, I have to go digging for hats and gloves and boots for all the snow that is being predicted for this weekend. I've only been reminded of this wonderful storm warning fourteen bajillion times in the last hour by certain boys who are beyond excited at this possibility. 

It's beginning to look (and sound, and taste) a lot like Christmas!

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

 
Owly boy, you are the light of my life! I am so proud of all that you have accomplished this year. I can't believe how tall and big you are getting! You have learned so much. I can't wait to see what the next year brings for you. I love you all the way up to everything and beyond!

                                                  Mama

A peek around the corner...

I am still smiling at my post yesterday...I hope I didn't sound grumpy. I truly am getting used to this little germ warfare dance with these crazy upper respiratory bugs that seem to come our way. It does get slightly scary at times, I'll admit, but I am glad that it is something I am very familiar with and is dealt with easily enough. I do find it fascinating that we don't seem to catch any of the other bugs (knock on wood)- we've only caught the flu once in the last seven years. My kids don't get the stomach bugs hardly at all, and up until these crazy double ear infections with David, none of my kids had any ear problems either. I'd rather deal with the familiar wheeze and snotty nose than parcel out bowls and trash cans any day. 

When I get "stuck" during these spells (and I say 'stuck' with an impish grin on my face), rocking and reading and kissing the little invalid (or two or three), there's not a whole lot I can do. Pray, read, and nap a little (ha! I wouldn't recommend that with under threes around), and (my personal favorite) watch the other children play. Sometimes I get stationed in such a way that I can see into the children's rooms, but the children aren't aware that I am close by and play and talk naturally. This can set me to giggling some times- the fantastic, outlandish, imaginative stories the boys concoct can get knee-slapping funny. (Which isn't good while holding a sleeping child, but I digress.) 

If I watch close enough, I get to catch a glimpse of my children's personalities and their future selves. In this Advent season, I think of Mary and how "she treasured all these things in her heart" as she watched Jesus grow in wisdom and stature. These little peeks truly seem a gift to me, specially picked out by their heavenly Daddy. And heaven knows, it's these little peeks that carry me through the truly rough days. 

David is truly becoming a little boy, and all the sweet baby chump is disappearing around his face: alas, my favorite part of wee little ones. Such an interesting time , watching them make the transition into childhood from babyhood: they don't need you so much anymore, although they are quick to come running with boo boos to be kissed still; they learn so much in such short spans of time that they (and you) get frustrated when their bodies can't keep up. And oh, how they bargain to get rid of the nap time they still desperately need! It is always both exciting and yet bittersweet. They will not pass this way again in their lifetimes. David's language acquisition is exponentially growing on a daily basis- it never ceases to amaze me what new word will spill forth that I can understand. I am quite partial to his lisped "I love you", and it is so nice to be able to understand what he wants instead of the fuss translation! I've glimpsed such a compassionate nature in him recently. He is the first to arrive "on scene" when a sibling is hurt, offering a gentle touch on shoulder or rubbing the baby's head. He's quite the companion- he doesn't push himself to the front, needing the attention. He'll gladly go along with whatever his siblings have cooked up for play. I've often seen him and Lorelei sitting side by side in the rocking chair, just smiling at each other. I feel that way about him too...he's my little buddy that often comes and sits with me while I am nursing or doing something, and we just smile away at each other! He definitely has a gift for "be"-ing with people. I've learned a lot from a little two year old guy.

Lorelei. My little song. (Lorelei is German, and transliterates as "fairy song".) She hums and sings most of the day long, usually about whatever she is doing at the moment, with made up melodies and harmonies. She is all princess. Where my boys are rough and tumble, she is dainty; where they are loud and boisterous, she is quiet and considerate. She has this thing that always tickles me to death when she does it- if she says something you didn't quite hear, and you ask her to repeat it, or get down on your knees to be closer (as I usually do), she whispers- as if that would make her easier to hear! She has an ability to bring out the best in her siblings and others- it's as if one stands a bit taller, walks a bit straighter, speaks a bit better around her, because they want to give her their best. She truly makes others shine, somehow, in her little magical way. She is also, very much, a little mama. She keeps those jumpy boys in line, and don't you know it! I think in some ways the boys are as much afraid of getting in trouble with her as they are with me...although she probably offers a lot more kisses and lovies to the offending party than I do. I have been finding her 'sugar and spice' approach works alot better than my yelling!

And Isaiah! The zest and sparkle and oomph to our days. For all his SPD struggles (which are more and more becoming speed bumps to coast over versus mountains to climb) which you might think at first glance would cause difficulty to engaging in relationship with others, Isaiah truly has the gift of encouragement. He has this little way of smiling that all but twinkles at you with his eyes and you immediately feel a bit better. He is so good at getting us to look on the bright side of things, and his delight in life is infectious. He is a hoot! Watching them play, you'll hear him say something like "Ben, you can do it! You can make a really tall tower! What a good job, David!" He isn't very skilled when it comes to hand-eye coordination, so watching Ben build a Lego tower is something that really makes him happy- especially if Ben lets him knock it down afterwards! I find a lesson in this- I would be/have been bitter about my limitations in the past. It's like Isaiah doesn't even recognize that he has a difficulty, and he truly rejoices in the accomplishments of others. 

Ben. Ben-the-man. ( A lisped Isaiah pronunciation of Benjamin that stuck like glue!) A mechanical, linear mind that is always going, always making, and always asking, that one. Questions, morning, noon, and night! He is always thinking, thinking, thinking. I swear you could see wheels turn and smoke pour out the gears some days. He has the gift of leadership, definitely. It's his crazy schemes that his siblings get roped into. He is the go-to tent maker, block-builder, game-player. The kids would do anything for him! In conjunction with that, he has the ability to see problems and fix them. That is a rare gift- to be able to see the problem is half the battle! Most people have the ability to fix, but not necessarily the ability to realize what the issue is to begin with. I am fascinated by the boy-man he is becoming. I wonder what he'll pick for an occupation? He reminds me so much of my Uncle David, who is a chemist. I definitely think he'll be in something like that- he has such an analytical mind. An architect, a mathematician, who knows? 

Cuddly little Josiah hasn't shown much of a personality yet, but I think he could compete with David on the smiling and Isaiah on the twinkling. We live to make that wee one giggle and smile! And he is so interested in all that they are doing. He hates being faced in such a way that he can't see what the kids or I are up to: I always have to turn the swing or bouncy so that he can see, and the tears evaporate into thin air. 

I am so thankful for the gift of their company, short time though it may be; I can't wait to see what God has planned for their lives. 

Emerg-en-C(e)...

Glub.

We're emerging from the goo, the ick, the whatever you want to call it.

I hate, hate, hate upper respiratory bugs with a passion.

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At least the house is (Clorox-ed within an inch of its' life) clean. And the laundry (previously beset with germy goo) is done. Like empty baskets, done. This should be worthy of trumpets and public service announcements, parades, and...of course...chocolate. 

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Did I mention I have a love/hate relationship with the Children's Emergency room? I mean, I love that they are there. But I really would like to go a season without seeing those lovely people. Josiah had what I thought was the croup. He sounded awful, but it was all good. And then all of the sudden, Thursday night, he turned. Just like a certain daddy of his. The most unholy sounds coming out of a four and a half month old. Needless to say, I got myself to the ER right away. They met me at the double doors and took him into trauma (he sounded that bad!)- usually you have to sign in, fill out paper work, you know, the red tape parade. Not this time. Straight back. The nurses and doctors were reacting quickly. We were beyond suprised when his SpO2 levels came back at 96%.  We all sort of sat back and went "oh!" and me, I was thanking the Lord that everything was "fine", for the moment, because when Daddy sounds like that, his oxygen saturation levels are usually bottoming out in the low 20s! A couple of x-rays, monitors, and the whole kit and caboodle later, they really think that he did not, in fact, have croup, but did, it appears, have the same sort of nasty (rare) asthma that his daddy does. I confirm that diagnosis- the symptoms are too eerily similar (and scary). I am thankful that he is okay, but yet bummed that he is going to have to deal with this for the rest of his life. The diagnosis, thankfully, isn't going to be a huge change for us, since we already deal with Daddy's asthma on a daily basis- the line for the nebulizer is just going to get a bit longer. 

Father Tim (of Mitford fame) says that he is quite convinced that Paul's thorn was diabetes. I beg to differ. At least for our family, it is plain to see that our thorn is definitely upper respiratory viruses coupled with constrictive asthma. ~grins~ I was able to finish the series (again) while holding and rocking and nursing and administering treatments...

David had another(!) double ear infection in the goo of last week. It seems like every time we all get the crud, his goes straight to his ears. We're definitely going to have to look deeper into that after the new year- his pediatrician has mentioned putting tubes in- and I am praying we can find a more natural solution.

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Me? I'm popping Emergen-C and praying that the Lord keeps me hale and hearty. I always seem to crash after everyone gets better- I'd like to avoid the whole process all together this time! 

I figure, a good nap and some hot chocolate (made with goat's milk, of course) and I'll be alright. 

I won't even think about all the Christmas stuff left undone- Isaiah's birthday is Thursday- and just smile and admire our (partially-denuded) tree. 

Be back soon! (I hope.)

Simple and sweet...

 


I went the simple route this season- only about a fourth of my decorations are out. I like the quiet simplicity of it. What you can't see in these pictures is that the bottom half of the tree lacks ornaments because certain little ones keep pulling them off! It's probably a very good thing that my (very breakable) angel collection is not out this year.