Saving Library Fines

You know how much I love the library. But I joke that all my money goes to a monthly "library tithe"!! I used to live in a county that allowed library book check-outs for three weeks...our current county system is two weeks, and I somehow have never made the transition. So dollars upon dollars are given to the library...which I think is a noble cause...but still.

So now I have found Library Elf. It's an email reminder service for all of your library books...when items are about to be due, the status of your holds, etc. You can set your own settings as to when you want to receive email reminders and see what books need renewal or to be returned. I think it will save my life.

And that'll put some extra change in my pocket...because I'd rather spend that money on other stuff right now...like fabric, a new baby boy, and uh, books!

photo by brutebeaute

Earth Love

We don't have any particular Earth Day plans today. Just living and learning quietly yet mindfully. We seek to keep in mind that every day is a day to take care of the Earth...out of worship for the Creator, respect for living things whether animals, plants, or other people, for our own health, to keep the beauty and simplicity in nature's offerings...and there are so many reasons to stop and savor and protect this wonderful world.

I did hang kitchen linens out on the clothesline today. It felt so good to not run the dryer and to use the sun and wind to naturally dry and bleach the towels.

This morning I made some strawberry freezer jam from berries we picked yesterday afternoon at a local farm. It felt so good to make some of our food and also to connect with where our food comes from.

I also plan to use some fat quarters to make more easy-peasy cloth napkins later today. It feels so good to wipe your hands and face at every meal with the softness of cotton....and it adds an element of color and warmth to our kitchen tables.

And have I told you how much my husband and I are enjoying the homemade liquid laundry detergent that we made two weeks ago? Gentler on the earth and the wallet. It felt so good to be resourceful in this way and "self-sufficient". I am now going to stop buying dishwasher detergent and just use the same ingredients I use in the laundry soap for the dishwasher (washing soda and Borax). Simplicity!

These are just a few ways we seek to honor the Lord by taking care of the Earth. And I am always amazed at how much better I feel emotionally and physically and mentally when I live in this mindful way...it's hard to put into words, but as the Earth benefits, so do we.

photo by HoNbLeSs

Sunday Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

~Reinhold Neibuhr~

photo by dreamy mo

Growing Old

So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why doesn't somebody wake up to the beauty of old women?
~Harriet Beecher Stowe~

I stopped by Aldi this afternoon to get some cake mix after seeing this simple recipe...a sweet and easy ending to a long week and just what a pregnant mama is craving right now. As I was waiting to check out, an older woman (probably close to 80?) was in front of me lining her items on the conveyor belt. Her short, silver hair was neatly curled...her face had a just a touch of simple make-up...and she wore a pretty cranberry cardigan with a soft gray skirt. She carefully placed all of her fresh produce just-so on the moving belt along with her small bottle of liquid laundry detergent. She quickly grabbed one of those shopping dividers to place on the belt behind her items so that I could put my purchases up there too...and then she turned and gave me a warm, kind smile.

I was struck by her simple beauty...a beauty that seemed to come from kindness, gentleness and goodness but was also reflected in how she took care of herself. She was neat and feminine in her appearance...seemed to usually live by a routine (the woman checking her out commented that she was surprised to see her in the afternoon since she normally shops there before 9 am...the older woman commented that her daughter was leaving today to head back home and she put off her normal shopping routine for just a few more uninterrupted hours with her)....and apparently eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables because that was the bulk of her food purchases.

As she drove away in her old pale-blue Ford Crown Victoria, I prayed,

"Lord, let me grow old beautifully like she has...to have a face marked with the wrinkles of kindness, warmth, generosity, compassion, gentleness...the love of Jesus".

Not a face that reflects a lifetime of fear and anxiety and worry...facial lines etched from frowning and from fearful concerns. I thought of all the women that Dove used to use on their soap commercials years ago....the Campaign for Real Beauty...real women from all walks of life and cultures with rolls, sags, wrinkles...but with big smiles of celebration that they are alive!

I just finished reading Jon and Kate Gosselin's book Multiple Blessings and loved what Kate said about her grandmother:

"My maternal grandparents were, in my mind, the epitome of God's unwavering, unconditional love. They lived their lives freely giving their heart, their wisdom, and their gifts to anyone who had need, without one string ever being attached. I valued their guidance, grace, and goodness...in Grandma's presence I knew how it felt to live in the shelter of kindness and acceptance...that day was a sweet reminder of how much I longed to be a conduit of that kind of love for my children, just as Grandma always was for me. Jon valued her wisdom and marveled at her knowledge of the Bible. She would relate specific stories to him in vivid detail and then give him chapter and verse so he could check it out for himself if he wanted. Grandma didn't just preach God's Word; she lived and breathed it."

Oh the beauty of a quiet life that is well-lived and loved. May we each have the grace to grow old with the fruit of Jesus' character bearing beautifully in our everyday lives...so that one day as we are just walking about in a grocery store, other young mothers will be encouraged as they see Jesus clothed there in simplicity in us...wrinkled and gray yet warm and bright and welcoming.

A Few Schooling Ideas

This is the time of year when the excitement of learning new things really hits me. Spring is just so awakening! I get a renewed hunger for homeschooling and seeing my children make real-life learning connections. I load up on lots of library books and field guides and art supplies. There's an educational electricity that seems to buzz throughout our home...and not enough hours in the day for all of the budding interests!

This week is Spring Break for my two schooled children, and can I just say how delightful it is to have us all at home? I hear them right now whooping and yelling as Daddy finishes putting together our new trampoline in the backyard. Sweet William has been quietly putting together puzzle after puzzle on the couch beside me. Sam has been drawing and creating his "art" for the last hour. Life is good.

We have joined Eren's new "Summer Unschooling" project and I can't wait to see where it leads. I love that she is bringing about a support system/community who can inspire and cheer each other on this summer as we learn alongside our children....and that the group seems to be a beautiful and diverse mix of public schoolers, homeschoolers and unschoolers. Should be lots of fun!

And I was enjoying reading through some schooling threads at Mothering tonight and stumbled upon a new-to-me concept of using workboxes...it seems to be organizational, fun, great for ADD kids...and I like it because it goes along with the activity bags I recently made for Will. This may be a great system for my oldest son Sam. If any of you have heard of this or have begun using this idea, I would love to hear some of your thoughts!

Other than that, we are just enjoying lots of fresh air, bike riding, and exploring local parks. We are in the midst of deliberations about our schooling choices for next year. It sure isn't easy navigating these educational waters, but thanks be to God that He is in control, and in His love there is no fear.

photo by pictures by Ann

Off To Nature...and Unplug!

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. ~Anne Frank

We are leaving to head to a State Park that is a bit over an hour away for a long weekend of camping and quiet and rest. Getting out in nature away from the computer, cell phones, and demands of daily living brings a calm and healing and rest that I so need right now.

The kids will fish and ride bikes...hike and explore. I wish I had time to make some ultra-cool nature walk bags for them, but I will bring along some field guides and colored pencils and journals. They get dirty and stinky and wet...I love it. Their lives seem to become more earthy and real.

I love to sit by the campfire and read and journal...I'll read my latest copy of Southern Living that I have saved for this trip. And a bit of embroidery will find it's way into my bag too...a dishtowel for April. I also loving camping domesticity...picking wildflowers for a simple picnic table centerpiece, hand washing dishes by the lake, and creating an orderly cooking space.

Mike has a wood-chopping addiction. He loves finding stray pieces of fallen limbs and such for our campfires. He also makes sure we have good coffee in the mornings...we tried using Folger's singles for a while and it was awful. Now we use hot water and a coffee press with freshly ground organic coffee from home....and ahhhhh!!! And I just bought him the Settlers of Catan Card Game so I know our evenings will be spent together by the light of a lantern enjoying some friendly competition (but I do always win! *wink*)

So for only $12/night we are going to go enjoy slowness, family, breathing, room to run, and fun!

Spring Unplugged!