Just let it rain

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

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Illness has finally caught up with our family for the first time since last fall

and none of us are finding it too fun.

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Illness used to get me down, especially if we had lots of plans in the works

(like we did this week).

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Or when I couldn’t get anything accomplished

because I was being nurse, comforter, herbalist, story-teller, and tea-maker.

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However, as the years have gone by, I’ve learned a little bit more about

what it means to be a mother during these times.

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It’s good enough to “just” take care of them -

to “just” be here as we travel through these low times of life together.

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And I’ve watched my children learn what it means to serve one another

and put others’ needs before their own.

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It is never more evident to me than when we’re sick

The depth of their love for each other.

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So, our week has gone thus…

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Elderberry syrup and Early a.m. visits to bedsides

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Raindrops and Reading aloud for hours

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Steaming cups of honey/lemon “tea” and Soft music

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Books on tape and Beds on couches

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Hand-picked flowers and Humidifiers with eucalyptus

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And a mother who is learning to be slower, softer and just let it rain…

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Related posts: 

The gift of comfort

Thankful in the sick times

Emma 5 months {Laughing on a warm day}

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Starting small

Not long after we moved into this house last February, I found out that I was expecting Baby #5. That meant that right around the time that the spring gardening chores should be happening, I was sick on the couch all day every day. By the time I was off the couch (3 months later), I sadly found that the perennial beds surrounding the house had morphed into tangly messes. They looked as though they hadn’t been tended in several years, with ground covers, scrubby shrubs, perennials, renegade trees and weeds all jumbled up together. It was all too overwhelming to deal with, so I just looked the other way all summer. (A hard thing to do with so many beds!)

One of the small beds near my bedroom door

There are 10 beds around the main house and 3 around the carriage house that, with the exception of the one by the front porch,  are all mangy, jungle-y piles of junk. I’ve successfully avoided them thus far this year as well, but I finally decided that I have to do something about them. I can’t avoid them as easily this spring because I’m spending so much more time outside instead of inside on the couch.

But you see, I have a problem.

I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl.

I’m not good at projects that can’t be completed all at once or at least, all in a week or so. Sometimes, I even get sick to my stomach just thinking about how overwhelming of a project it is! (Sounds silly, huh?) So, I’ll procrastinate and procrastinate the project until I just can’t handle it anymore. However, by then, I’m doing the project out of pure frustration and I don’t enjoy it at all.

So, I’ve decided to finally do something about this problem that I have and I’ve decided that the ornamental beds surrounding my home are the perfect things to cure me of it.

This stuff has to be dug out with a shovel

I’ve set a goal for myself this spring – to work on a tiny section of one bed every day that I am home. And by tiny, I mean tiny. My goal is to clear out at least a 1′ x 1′ area. I figure that it may take me all the way until the fall to work through all the beds, but at least I know that they will eventually look better than they do now.

Here are two little areas that I’ve worked on so far…

BEFORE: The edge of my front garden bed: an evergreen shrub, some kind of ornamental shrub, perennials, weeds, ivy…

AFTER: Dan helped me transplant the evergreen, I moved the dianthus into the planter, tore everything else out but the ornamental shrub, and laid down layers of newspaper and mulch. I even found a couple of beautiful little hostas growing in that mess that I transplanted to a new home.

All of these hostas are either transplants from other beds or divisions from last year’s plants.
You gotta love perennials – free plants every year!

Looks like the left side of this bed needs a bit more work!

I am so thankful to have lots of help from my children.
They cheerfully come and water my transplants whenever I call.

Emma is great company for me as I work.

Since deciding to let go of my expectations of actually completing all of the beds this week (or even this month), I’ve found that I’m actually looking forward to and enjoying my time outside working on them. That weight of “getting it all done now” is lifted and I’m actually having fun!

Hooray for spring!

“I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;

and because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

~ Helen Keller

Is a “thankful list” for everyone?

Do you ever visit my blog on Mondays when I post about thankfulness and think:

“Well, it’s easy for her. I’d have lots of things to be thankful for, too, if I lived out in the country on a beautiful piece of property!”

It’s true that I often list things that I am thankful for that are found here on the farm:

451. A newly discovered tree full of pears

369. The stillness here in this place

281. dinner growing well

That really doesn’t seem fair, does it? Let’s imagine that aspect of my life doesn’t exist and remove it from my list for a second.

“But you have 5 beautiful children. I would be so thankful to be blessed with just ONE! I wish that I had the opportunity that you have to have children. It’s easy for you to be thankful with all of the wonderful things surrounding children!”

It’s true that I often list things that I am thankful for regarding my children.

So, just for today, let’s pretend that I don’t have any. My list would definitely be a lot shorter.

“What about your hard-working, loving husband? Not everyone has such a dependable man, you know. I would have so many more things to add to a list of blessings if my husband was more worthy.”

It’s true. I am blessed with a wonderful husband that I don’t deserve and things that he does or says or is find their way onto my list of blessings.

So, let’s pretend I am an unmarried, childless woman living downtown. What if, beyond that, I’m living in fear of losing my job because of a chronic illness? Or what if I live in literal fear of my neighborhood?

A thankful list wouldn’t really be practical for me, would it?

What if this described my life?

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, inperils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily…”

Would my list ever make it to 1,000 gifts?

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When I read the above list of some of the things that the Apostle Paul went through, it causes me to stop and wonder at these verses.

Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.  – Acts 16:22-25

What?!?!

Singing praises in that kind of life?

At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.  - Ephesians 5:20

What could possibly be on Paul’s thankful list?

How about for #1 : The assurance of God’s love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8: 31-32, 37-39

And perhaps for #2: Mental peace

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6

Or perhaps he listed for #3:  Disciples who have housed and fed me along my journeys

Or even,

#4. Beautiful views on the Mediterranean Sea off the side of the boat

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What about David in the Bible, who had to live in caves for many years while being man-hunted by Saul and his soldiers?

Shouldn’t we find his thankful list to be pretty short?

Let’s imagine…

David’s One Thousand Gifts List:

#1. The awesome skies at night

When I consider Your heavens, 
the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, 
which You have set in place, 
what is man that You are mindful of him, 
the son of man that You care for him?  - Psalm 8:3-4

#2. Your great mercy toward me

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy. – Psalm 145:8

#3. How You raise me up when I fall

The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down. – Psalm 145: 14

#4. Food

The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.

You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing. – Psalm 145: 15-16

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When I read about these men and imagine what their thankful lists could have been like, I realize that even a human being stripped down to the bare essentials – water, food, air – can still find things to be thankful for.

How much more can we, with all the physical and spiritual blessings that we enjoy, cultivate an attitude of thankfulness?

Have you started keeping a list of 1,000 gifts that God has given to you? It is a practice that can completely change your life!

Why not start today by sharing a gift in the comments section below? A gift that is found right where you are today in the life that you’ve been blessed to take part in!

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To read my thankful list, click HERE.

Just getting started with healthy eating?

The girls forming individual loaves of bread

Are you looking into trying to eat more healthy foods? Are you a bit overwhelmed by all of the information out there on the topic? Organic…natural…GMO-free…cage-free vs. vegetarian-fed…grassfed…?

I recently came across a wonderful resource for you!

The author of the blog, Passionate Homemaking, has put together a compilation of articles, books, other blogs, and resources to help you get started on the sometimes overwhelming task of trying to overhaul your food system.

This is an awesome resource! It contains all of the information that I would give you if you asked me about how we try to eat in our family, but she has done a much better job of putting it all together than I would have.

She starts with the premise that you don’t know anything about healthy eating and goes from there, so it’s not overwhelming at all.

So, hop on over and check it out!

Natural Living 101

The course’s author, Lindsay, has also written a thought-provoking article that I think everyone who has decided to pursue an healthy eating lifestyle should read:

Can Natural Living Become an Idol?

I hope that these resources will be helpful to you!

P.S. Her Natural Living 101 page isn’t only for people just starting out. It is a wealth of information for anyone interested in eating healthy, real food.

And on his farm he had a… {2}

Photo credit

Last week during our nature study, we read a book about vernal pools. The author wrote about an unusual insect that none of us had ever seen before. What caught our attention was the picture of the nymph and the strange camouflage it builds around itself. It takes bits of plant material, bark, and other things found on the vernal pool’s bottom and ‘glues’ it together to form a case to move about in.

We decided to head out to the vernal pool at the back of our property on the remote possibility that we may be able to spot one. As we reached the edge of the pool and leaned over, we were totally surprised to see them EVERYWHERE! If we had not read about them, we would have never noticed that they were little insects moving about. They looked like mini pinecones floating about aimlessly until you looked at them very closely. We caught a few in a bucket and could see the heads and thoraxes of the insects moving in and out of their cases.

We had so much fun observing and feeding these cool little insects that we previously didn’t know existed.

Do YOU know what they are?

The Grandma Girl

There once was a girl who grew up wanting to be a Grandma.

She didn’t have much going for her in her life in the city, but she did have a grandmother who loved her very much. The little girl determined in her mind that someday she would be just like her Grandma – a warm, comfy person who loved with no conditions…

The little girl grew into a woman who loved children. She was blessed with four of her own before health issues prevented her from having any more. She had the dream to raise her children out of the city – on a piece of property with room to run, explore, play and grow in safety. The real estate agent laughed in her face when she spoke this dream aloud and then shared the amount of money that they had to spend. Still, the woman had faith that her dream could happen.

When a house on 2 acres came up in their price range, she knew that this was her answer. She sacrificed living in a nicer home to take up residence in a home that was not as nice as what they were used to. As the first year dragged on, her four young children under age six were sick for month after month after month, because of the living conditions of the house. Still, she sacrificed and pressed on as they fixed things up to make the house more liveable.

She was a city girl, yet knowing the health benefits of raw milk, learned how to raise goats so that her children could grow strong. While her children slept in the early morning and while they read stories with Daddy at night, she went out in all types of weather to bring in the milk.

She had no thought of her pride when it came to those children. She wasn’t afraid to ask people to have something that they were throwing away if she thought it could benefit her children. When she learned that a man down the street was selling a piano, she asked if he would take her china cabinet as a trade. He did and thus began a lifetime of music in her home and a lifetime of love of music for her children.

She was firm in her resolve to be with her children as a stay-at-home mother and this meant that sometimes the family income wasn’t as large as some deemed necessary. Where the money lacked, however, she came up with something else. When there was no money for books, she took her children on weekly library trips and hauled home 100+ books each time. When there was no money for new school clothes or supplies, she put things on layaway and worked hard selling Avon or delivering the local Penny Pincher newspaper until she could pay for them.

In spite of little money, she was able to give her children priceless and precious gifts -

~ The skill of listening and caring for others

~ The value of reading, memorizing and loving God’s Word

~ The ways in which to have loving sibling relationships,

~ The value of respecting the elderly,

~ And how to have good, clean fun!

She had learned from her grandmother how to make something fun out of practically nothing and she passed that on to her children. They made forts out of blankets, popsicles with dixie cups and plastic spoons and a slip-n-slide out of garbage bags. They twirled together in the kitchen and made popcorn necklaces. She sang her grandma’s songs and shared her grandma’s hugs.

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Eventually, she and her husband chose a different educational path for their children, one that was deemed ‘radical’ in those days. She silently endured criticism and ridicule from both church members and her own family. Knowing in her heart that this was the best thing she could offer, she sacrificed her standing in the eyes of others and pressed forward. Later, when she kept her children back from activities that she thought would tear at family unity, she was looked down upon yet again. Yet she continued on the path.

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This mother’s heart was always ready to sacrifice her time to listen to her children. She listened gently as children confessed small sins such as stealing Life Savers candy from the grocery store. She brushed away the tears of a heartbroken teenager. She encouraged when faith was weak.

And at the times that she didn’t know how to love properly because of her own background, she pleaded with the Lord to fill in the gaps.

You see, although her children didn’t know it, throughout her years as a mother she battled personal ‘demons’ of the past and the present. She was growing into the Christian that God had planned for her to be, but it was so very difficult. She shielded her children from her struggles for many years, wanting to make their childhoods as happy and loving as could be. Instead of burdening them, she wrestled silently as God changed her heart slowly and steadily.

And as they grew into adults, she shared her testimony of God’s goodness and faith in her life.

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This woman’s legacy of sacrificial love has not ceased, but continues on into today as she is finally living out her dream of being THAT Grandma – the warm, comfy one who loves with no conditions. She shows a love for her grandchildren as though they were her own.

Thank you, Mom, for all that you have given to me and all that you continue to give. Not only have you given me life, but through your own personal sacrifice and example of an honest faith, you’ve shown me how I can live that life to the fullest. Happy Mother’s Day!

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Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:28-30

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I’ve joined this post to the 1000 Moms Project.

Related post: My Father

Books or e-books?

The other day, Dan was checking out of the hardware store with several hundred dollars worth of lumber. The cashier asked him what he was going to do with it and he nonchalantly replied, “Build bookshelves”.

“Bookshelves?!?!?!  she asked incredulously, “Why don’t you just buy an e-reader?!?!”

Dan simply smiled and paid his bill.

That evening we got into a lively discussion about the pros and cons of real (printed) books versus e-books. It was mostly lively because of my opinionated and noisy contributions, although Dan threw a few passionate thoughts into the mix, too. By the end of the discussion, we both found that we were in agreement on this one thing:

We both ♥ real books.

Call us old-fashioned, but I’m guessing that we will always prefer cloth and paper to plastic and metal. Even though an e-book may simply be to the printed book what the printed book was to the handwritten codex, we will continue to build our home library.

I like being able to have a question about a certain subject and search my bookshelves (or the bookshelves of the library/bookstore) for books on that topic. There may be a book sitting there that I hadn’t considered would relate to the subject, but it gives additional insight. Or maybe I’ll come across a long-forgotten book on the subject that answers just what I wanted to know. Perhaps one of my children will be browsing our bookshelves on a boring, rainy day and and a book will catch her eye on a subject that is new to her, thereby opening up a new hobby or pursuit.

When considering e-books, I often wonder, “Who decides which books are converted to the digital format?” Which treasures will quietly pass out of existence if e-readers become the dominant way we ingest books?

Our discussion got me to wondering what you all think about this topic. What about you?

Do you prefer printed books or e-books?

Why?

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The photo above is of the National Library of France, taken from an article entitled “15 Spectacular Libraries in Europe“. The article has some breathtakingly beautiful photographs! (Quick, go and check it out!) I’ve been totally inspired to convert our unfinished basement into a library, minus the domed ceiling, of course. Who needs a pantry, weight room, game room or wine cellar down there anyway? Now, to convince Dan…….