Frills

I love photography, because you can take something ordinary, and make a permanent moment with it, frozen just as it is. And I love that when you are looking with the eyes of your camera, you see a new world that you didn't before, and it's just fascinating. I love the whole process, and when I love an image, the enjoyment is doubled when I can share it with someone else.

And I love the way the afternoon sun shone right through these lilies, and that only after I took this photo did I notice the frills on the edge of each petal. I've never seen them before, but my camera did, and now I celebrate their loveliness all the more.

The House Where Time Stands Still

I chuckle to myself when I take note of how many clocks in my house are out of commission. Either because of neglect, or brokeness. Sometimes, we have even more than this...

This clock was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for .99. It is really, really cute, and broken. Someday, Jim will fix it. Maybe. This clock was at a garage sale. $1. It needs to be fixed too. Ahem.This clock has never worked. It seems to be stuck.

(I'm just trying to be funny here, people.)This clock I got for $1.99 at a thrift store- a real school clock, and it DOES work, but I had to put an old battery in it because we didn't have any AAs here, and so it only kept the right time for about six hours before it started slowing down... Someday I'll fix that. And this one only works if you move the hands yourself.

Frosted Peacock.

Oh come on, don't tell me you can't see it!

Very Funny.

I was having a really discouraging week. The kind of week where nothing absolutely horrendous happened, but several really, really discouraging, frustrating, annoying things happened in rapid-fire action and I was SO done with it. The kind of week when it feels like every time you turn around, life slaps you in the face just for the fun of it.

On this particular day, several days into the schlump, I was, like I said, like, SO done with it.

I got home, kicked off my shoes in protest, and practically threw them. One of them flipped over to reveal Mr. Smiley up there, looking back at me.

Now some people might have smiled and said, "Hey, what a sweet thing to find on my shoe on this gloomy afternoon. That just made my day. How could I not have smiled at that?!"

For me, it was more of a breaking of the last straw..."Ha, ha, HA, life, VERY FUNNY. You stink! You think that was funny? My only consolation is that I have been carrying this stupid sticker on the bottom of my foot for who knows how long, and so over and over and over again Mr. Smiley here has gotten his face scraped and rubbed into the cold hard concrete! With germs all over it! Eat that, you ugly yellow tag-along!"

I'm not saying it was right. But that's what it did to me.

$M: Thrifted.

I think I might have a gifting. In thrifting. No, wait, I'll be bold. I know I do.

When it's a dewy Saturday morning, there's no place to be like the garage sale circuit. And I seem to have an innate sense of direction that leads me to unbelievable things. Things that we've actually been needing, or that I've been wanting, or that are just plain neat. And I'm good at the whole deal- the finding the best places, the judging of the value or worth of the stuff, knowing if I really need to buy it or not, and the bartering. I'm really good at that too.

When we need furniture, I know my way around that whole she-bang too.


I find the greatest stuff on clearance, and my house is filled (but not too full, because I'm a semi-minimalist...if there is such a thing...) with things that were really, really cheap. I'm really bad with math and numbers, but I remember the price of each thing, because they're like little Bargaining Oscars, won by me.


And you never know what treasures are buried under the musty piles of junk at a local thrift store.


This kind of thing exhilarates me. I absolutely love it.


All the other money things, I'm just so-so at, or for some, I'm just a recovering addict. Paying bills? I can get it done average-style because I have to. Setting a budget? I had to learn about that the hard way. Not overspending? It's a daily battle. Of course I don't always win.


What's the Money Thing that YOU are the best at?
(Permission to talk yourself up in the comment section granted).

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. This week, I'm on...

sabbatical: a break or change from a normal routine.

See you next week... sometime. OK, probably Monday, but I'm not makin' any promises.

Flashback Friday: The Love Edition

In the interest of reminiscing a little, this Valentine's Eve, I thought I'd give you a link to this post, in which I not-so-succinctly give an account of how Jim and I fell in love. Love does not inspire brevity, I tell you.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Pillow Talk.

One night not long ago I ran out to the grocery store for a quick run while Jim put the kids to bed. When I got back, these were on my pillow. I thought they were especially sweet right there next to my drool spot.

Room to Grow

Then Your Heart is Full of Love
Lyrics: Josie Carey FranzMusic: Fred M. Rogers
© 1984 Fred M. Rogers

When your heart has butterflies inside it,Then your heart is full of love.

When your heart feels just like overflowing,Then your heart is full of love.

Love is fragile as your tears.Love is stronger than your fears.

When your heart can sing another's gladness,Then your heart is full of love.

When your heart can cry another's sadness,Then your heart is full of love.

Love is fragile as your tears.Love is stronger than your fears.

When your heart beats for a special someone,Then your heart is full of love.

When your heart has room for everybody,Then your heart is full of love.

One day we were busy in the kitchen after lunch. We'd been out all morning so the girls missed Sesame Street, and we watched Mr. Rogers instead. I love Mr. Rogers, and they do too, but they don't see it that often. He was my neighbor when I was growing up too, you know.

I couldn't find a youtube video of Fred singing it, which is what we saw that day, but did find this one. I'm sure I've heard this song growing up, but hearing it that day, it was just so lovely. So full of truth of what Love is. But then there was this line, When your heart has room for everybody,Then your heart is full of love. And it just cut me in half. Right there in my kitchen.

Does my heart have room for everybody? Everyone? I love and live love and give love to many people, but... to everyone? My husband, my children, people in my life... But is there really room for everybody? For even the worst of the worst, for those that hurt me, or who have done unimaginable things in the world? Or just room for the ones I want to love, that it's convenient to love, that aren't too difficult or painful to love- really love- not just feel love for them- but to live out compassionate love on them, actively. Does my heart have room for everyone? I was just cut. I don't think I've loved unconditionally. Not really. I would say I love my children or Jim unconditionally, but, if I'm not willing to love everyone that way...then it is conditional...based on who I choose to be deserving of it, who I choose to give it to. Does my heart have room for everyone? On it's own, no. Never.

Regardless of what I have done, what I deserve, my Jesus loves me completely, without limit or condition. In my own strength, my best will never be enough to love Him in return, or to give real, true love to anyone else. But with the Perfect Lover Christ in me, then my heart does have room for everybody. Everyone.

Burning Love

This morning, while I was downstairs up to my elbows in dirty laundry, my firstborn shrieked and ran downstairs claiming I had to see something, like, RIGHT NOW!!!



I run upstairs, stinky laundry left behind, and saw the big commotion was over... The wick on this candle burned itself into a perfect heart.
For the love.

In the Name of Love.

It's the week before Valentine's Day, the day that commercially reminds us of what should be at the center of each of us, each and every day- Love. Not just the romantic kind, either, of course, and certainly not the empty kind that commercial "love" seems to be. But I really love to think about love, and the many spendid things that it is. It is tough and easy, kind and unselfish, natural and unnatural. A joy and a pain.

So in the name of Love and how much I love Love, the rest of this week's posts will be all for...

$M: Allowed.

For those who asked: Here is how we do an allowance for our kids.

1. We started out small, when they were old enough to understand money, amounts (really grasping the idea numbers and what they can represent, and that things in stores etc. have a "cost"). Grace and Patience were 5 and 3 when we got official about an allowance.

The first system involved a sticker chart, and three simple tasks they needed to do every day. It was on the fridge, the tasks were clearly explained and could be simply completed by each girl, and the condition was if they did the task for the day, they got a sticker. At the end of a 7 day week, if they had a full row of stickers for that task, they got .25 for that row.
If we had to ask them to do the task, they didn't get a sticker for the day.
The tasks were: Water your assigned pots outside (it was summer), make your bed, and clean up/put away your things after quiet time in the afternoon. If they did these, did them well, and did them without needing to be reminded by a parent, they got some bling in their money bags (labeled ziplock bags in the kitchen).
Kids will do a great job at reminding each other, I think, and they'll have fun, as long as you keep it fun, and keep the jobs suitable for each age. Kids love this kind of thing.The girls' tasks have evolved since then. We established a simple and small routine at first, then it could grow to bigger tasks, and bigger paychecks. Right now, they are paid:
.25 a week for making their beds.
.25 a week for cleaning up after quiet time.
$2 a week for sorting and putting away their own laundry.
$1 a week for sorting and putting away Lily and Hudson's laundry.
So that's $3.50 a week. Sometimes an odd task will come up and I'll offer them $___ to do it, etc. It just depends.
They get paid every two weeks, just like Daddy.
They keep their money in their own wallets now, Disney princess wallets from Target, so when they go out and about with their green they're looking stylish.
When Lily is old enough (about 3 1/2 I think, we'll see when she's ready, she will do this for herself, and Hudson will follow in time.)
If they take longer than the required amount of time to do the laundry (a reasonable hour, which is more than enough time), or if they have bad attitudes, they still have to complete the job, but no bananas for those monkeys -This applies to all their jobs. In five months, this has only happened to one of them once, when it comes to laundry. I'm sure it's happened a few times each when it comes to the other jobs. All in all, they think it's fun to be productive members of society.) Also, between sibs, there's always an element of competition, which keeps things lively.You might be surprised at what your kids can do and do well. I'm always reminding myself of that, seeing if there are new things they can take on for themselves at the right time. Sometimes Mamas forget that their babies are growing up! At the time that I first offered to let them try out putting away their own clothes, I didn't know what to expect, and didn't expect much. They blew me away. They folded just as well as I could have, they sorted the socks and unmentionables, and had no problem getting hangers in shirts. Their drawers in the closet are clearly marked with a simple system, one for each girl, so it's simple to put away their things. I just get the empty hangers down for them each week and they do the rest. Kids are very particular about what belongs to who, so they remember very accurately where each thing goes. Occasionally I find one or two shirts misplaced, and that's only because one girl was wearing that shirt 8 months ago, but now it's been passed down and they forgot. Can't blame them for that.
My laundry work load went from laundry for 6, which was very oppressive to me, I just hate it, to laundry for 2. Overnight. I was just amazed. I mean, WOW, Mama, that's a monkey off my back.
And my kids love feeling responsible for a job, independent and in charge of their own clothes, and getting rewarded.

A few extra thoughts, If you're still reading.

My kids tithe 10% of all their income, from allowance and from gifts of money, to our church.

They are very aware of giving too, and we don't ever require it of them, but occasionally they want to give money to something, like bell-ringers at Christmas etc, or to the adoption jar in the kitchen, which was Grace's idea. It's good to just make kids aware of the concept of giving, I think, and sometimes they really surprise me with their generosity.

We don't encourage them to spend their money right away, but we try not to interfere with their decisions too much, it's all just a discerning balance of when to just not allow a purchase, and when to let them make their own decisions (and mistakes) and learn from them. It's hard to keep my mouth shut, but, I know I need to. I might think that useless purse is a waste of money, but then again, I don't need most of the things I buy, either. Touche. It's also just about discerning case-by-case when it's something we'll buy for them, or something they'll buy for themselves.
One is a natural spender (like me!), one a saver, but, all in all, they have a healthy flow of cash, as they really do like to see it grow. Like right now, they have $40 and $50 in their wallets respectively, and that's not unusual, especially post-holidays. Probably won't be when they're older!

Though they have these few jobs that pay when the terms of our agreement are reached, they also have the responsibility of being active members of this working household. We all work hard here. Mama is not the slave, she's your loving nurturer- but no slave! If you're able to do it yourself, you probably do it yourself. If you're asked to do something, you hop to. You clean up your own messes, you help clean up someone else's if you're asked to or want to, and in general, you work in this house, because you're a member of it, paid or not, because that's being responsible for your life and things and others. These jobs are just a way to grow in understanding the value of work and money, and doing a job well, but if you live here, you pitch in, because that's what we do to love and help each other, not because we're getting paid. That's just how we roll. And we're a family of six, so that's how we have to roll, if I'm going to be sane.
As a result, though I'm sure it sounds to the contrary, our house is really fun!

Extaordinary Ordinary, or, Just So I Can Remember What "Normal" Looked Like When We Had a 5, a 4, a 2 and a 1

Tuesdays are Ordinary. This one was no exception.


Here is what I did last Tuesday, as best I can remember it.


4:45. First Alarm. Hubs will turn it off two more times before getting up.
5:45. I half-slept until now, when he left for work. Then I fell asleep accidentally until 6:00, which throws everything off. Whoops.
Got up, got coffee, got quiet time books, got in a chair, sat by the light of the lamp.
Spent "too much time" with Jesus, lost another 15 minutes. Not so whoops, I suppose, but now I was really off.
7:00 Work out. 20 minutes instead of the usual 30 in direct result of said lateness. It's me, a podcast, and my target heart rate.
Make and eat breakfast. Wolf down eggs, jump in shower.
If I had KNOWN that the up-late girls were going to sleep in, it aaaaaall could have coasted just fine.
8:00 I find myself with my main little man Hudson, unaware of the memo about sleeping in. The girls should be getting up right now. I work with intensity to finish dishes, laundry sorting, getting the dogs out, and several other things before they get up. Those are things I usually do while they eat, so I figure I'll feel ahead of the game this way. Or something.
8:50 They roll up the stairs, and grace the breakfast table and their brother with their presence.
I start on the first of what will be 5 loads of laundry (a week's worth).
9:30 I let everyone choose their own clothes, excepting Hudson of course, because we'll be home all day. Boy, they picked some doozies. We do hair. I make another 2 cups of coffee, because I'm cold.
10:00 It's already Hudson's nap, due to the lateness of the ladies. Where did that time go?
10:15 Schooool. Grace and Patience read aloud (boy I am proud of them!), Lily does Kumon worksheets, I make them endure the smell of my coffee breath while we work, we count out dimes, pennies and dollars, their values, and count to 100 by tens because there's no time for the "real" way. We read another book about cities (the week's topic), then we start on a 10-foot-piece of paper project, creating a city of our own (that might get to Home Schoolin' Mamas someday).
11:30 The girls scramble to the couch for the start of Sesame Street, the big shining moment of TV watching in their day.
I scramble upstairs to eat a quick lunch, catch a podcast, and plan our menu and grocery list for the next 2 weeks. I even get to facebook for a stint.
12:30 Lunch for the kids. I prep for that night's dinner.
Then we work on that 10-foot-paper project for a while, and it's really, really fun.
I force the girls to potty whether they feel like it or not, then we read Grace's 5 library book picks for the week, because it's her day.
Then it's time to set up for naps and quiet times in everyone's little corners of the house, while Lily, Hudson and I read Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? in her bed.
Hudson happily kisses his "ti-ter" [sister] "byyyyyye" [goodnight] and licks her face for a kiss. One down. It's sloppy kisses for the other two sisters before I lay him down too. Grace didn't appreciate the slop as much as Hudson did.
2:30 Dogs out. Dogs treats. Dogs kennel. Mama mail. Nothing good. Diet Coke. Silence. Absolutely fabulous. Internet, reading, catching up on an episode of Psych. Silence some more. Ahhh.
Pay Bills because it's the day to do it. Went really smoothly, so woot-woot, it's done.
4:00 Get Grace so we can read together. She reads me a book about princesses and I should not fail to mention again how proud I am of her. Because I'm her mom, and I like to mention how fabulous my kids are. Fab-u-lous.
Grace gets set on Webkinz.com with her pony Sparkles and I work on the treadmill for my 20 minutes (the best cure I can find for my late-afternoon Willy Nillies. Pretty much licks them. I can't believe it took me so long to figure that out. Wearing my work out clothes and being slightly stinky for the rest of the evening on many nights because I don't always have time to shower and change before I start dinner is a small price to pay for not wigging out).
4:45 Everyone's getting up. Snacks, I skip reading to them from our chapter book (George MacDonald's The Light Princess) and talk to their Dad on the phone instead. Love that man.
Make dinner, which was some fabulous beef stew and biscuits.
I had help from Patience, while Grace, Lily and Hudson worked on puzzles, playing, and mess-making.
6:00 Daddy gets home, Mama praises the Lord. The girls clean up. We eat the fabulous dinner.
Patience spotted the secret ice cream in the freezer and asks for some for dessert. We comply, after finished plates.
Dinner clean up while Lily and Hudson play and Jim catches up online and puts air in my tire and...
Grace and Patience run downstairs to sort and put away their laundry, in addition to Lily and Hudson's since they can't do their own (they get paid extra for that!). They know that if they're done by the time the timer goes off (60 minutes), they get a special treat. They work hard and get laundry for 4 sorted, folded, and hung in 28 minutes. Superstars. A handful of conversation hearts for each follows.
7:15 While the girls enjoy their treat (Lily gets some too for NOT "helping", aka interfering, with G and P's work), they chat it up with Dad in the kitchen, followed by a VERY rambunctious wrestling/tag/tickling match in the living room involving all five of them, while...
I sort, fold and put away my own laundry, and Jim's of course too. It's a little service I throw in. I'm sweet like that.
7:30 I retrieve Hudson from the bathtub, where he'd snuck in to play with the toys during the mayhem of the living room. Love him, kiss him, shut off his light and bid him a sweet night. He was initially annoyed with his forced-removal from the tub, but got over it when I handed him "Bankers" [favorite blanket] and he hit the mattress ready for some shut-eye.
Jim gets the girls ready for bed, reads and prays with them, and all is


quiet.


I catch up on some work online, Jim runs on the treadmill. He ran pretty fast (showoff) so it was loud while I was working, but it's just nice to be in the same room with him. And the rest of the night was ours.
10:00 We're asleep baby.

We do have to get up at 4:45, you know.

Cinnamon Dumplings With Apple Cider Syrup

I ran across this recipe in one of my trips through my filed and organized piles of magazines last fall. It piqued my interest, and didn't look difficult, like it might have several years ago when I passed it over, you know, before I developed the confidence in the kitchen that I now posses.

Martha said, "This dessert is as sweetly comforting as pulling on a sweater on the first chilly fall day. It features cinnamon dumplings that are generously drizzled with warm, golden apple-cider syrup. They're easy to make: Just drop dough into a simmering sugar-cider mixture. These are best served warm with a cool dollop of creme fraiche." Martha Stewart Living, September 2005

I thought, "Hey, I could go for that!" We had some leftover cider from after Christmas, and would you believe it?! I had exactly the 4C I needed. Hellllooo, sign that I should make some dumplings!Ingredients
Serves 6
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
4 cups apple cider
Creme fraiche, for serving
Directions
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir together sugar and 3/4 cup water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn light amber, about 14 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has melted and mixture turns medium amber, about 2 minutes more.
Meanwhile, work butter into the flour mixture using your fingers or a pastry blender until flour is incorporated but mixture is still crumbly. Whisk together egg, egg yolk, and milk in a medium bowl. Form a well in the center of flour mixture; pour in egg mixture. Stir gently with a fork until combined.
Remove sugar mixture from heat; slowly whisk in cider. Return to heat; bring to a simmer. Using your hands or a small spoon, divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces, and roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Carefully drop 6 balls of dough into the simmering cider syrup.

This smelled amazing!

Cook, turning once or twice to coat fully, until dumplings have tripled in size and are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to a platter, and cover. Repeat with remaining balls of dough. Divide dumplings among 6 bowls, and drizzle with the remaining cider syrup. Serve with creme fraiche.

They were great! Note: Do NOT tell your husband, or children, how Creme Fraiche is made. They may never eat it if you tell them.

After photo provided by Martha, because I forgot to take one, and you can find the recipe in it's natural habitat here.

Busted.

My children are always so sweet to point out (oh, wait, here, let me break out my flash...) when something needs to be dusted.

Believe me, it got a whole lot worse before I actually got the job done.

Taking the time to take a picture? No problem, of course I got that done.

But still, it's nice that they can make hand marks everywhere so it's plain to everyone that there's a film over all my surfaces.

I love that. Love it. Love them, love their fingerprints and smudges. No, ahem, really, I do.

Bitten...

...by the love bug.
I really love Valentine's Day. I've always loved it, as long as I can remember. I just love it.
I wouldn't really want to over do it on those wonderful red and pink decorations that indicate this time of year, and I've got to leave some room for whatever Hubs gets me on VDay to make an impact, but I do like to break out a little love-liness before the big day- because it's always here and gone so fast.
I admit, we bought and broke out the Necco hearts two weeks ago. But I waited until last week to really show some love.
I found this great bevelled glass tray, or whatever I would call it, on clearance at Target. It was $10, but there was only one left, you know, and it has a really fancy feel, with great potential for Valentine's Day, Christmas, and the occasional other types of things when you need a little shimmer... so it was really worth it to me. And the rest of the year it could be propped up somewhere in my house as a mirror. Love it.

The flowers- oh, I love these. Do you call them Alstromeria, or however you spell it, or do you call them African Lilies? I call them both, and get them often in winter when we don't have flowers of our own outside. So many colors, so cheap (always around $5 for a big bunch) and they last for weeks. Usually about 3 weeks for me, and they're fantastic. I just change the water every couple of days.If you're running out to get flowers any time in winter, never forget to cover them up really well before you take them out into the frigid air! You have to do it yourself at the grocery store, they will never think to tell you that. Also never forget to trim them under water at an angle as you prepare them for your vase...and take off any leaves that would be underwater...so they don't rot. Your flowers will last a lot longer that way. And after a week or so, if the ends look a little discolored, when you change the water you can trim the ends a tad, too, and that will keep things fresh. The rest of this stuff was from around my house.

Even Jim noticed this right away when he got home, which is rare. He said it was pretty, right away, ladies! Sometimes it takes him weeks to notice that I changed something. He's not trying to not pay attention...he's just paying attention to other things...like he always checks the tire pressure and makes sure the oil gets changed etc. in our cars...I never think of that! Priorities.
The girls got some fun new plates at Target on the same day (they bought them with their own money- no WAY would I have gotten them $4 plates on my own if it wasn't a gift!), so, we're all about the love at our house now. Every single meal is eaten on these. Of course.

Oh, and they bought place mats too. I think every little girl just instinctively loves Valentine's Day for all that wonderful pink-ness and romance.
Lily and Patience loved the owl. One of the pictures on the plates has two owls and says Owl [heart] you forever. Ha ha. So cute. I'm all over it.
My lover- of -order Grace got the place mat that looks the most like her plate, so they could match as much as possible. And she adores that the food can be separate now, not touching at all, and then can be sorted again by size or color or shape, as desire demands, because there are so many sections.

I completely understand where she is coming from.
And here is Hudson, for good measure.

I can't believe you got here, to the end, of this post all about a tray...or whatever I should call it. Clearly, you love Valentine's Day as much as me.

Money Monday

Everyone is talking about the economy.

All of the sudden, we hear bad news, advice, and tips for how to save money everywhere.

Funny, it's becoming trendy to save money and shop smarter. Finally the world is catching up with me. *She says sarcastically with just a little hint of smugness*

It's not easy. It's not comfortable. It's downright scary for some people.

It's just not going away. It will probably get worse, before it gets better.

We don't lose hope, but we do live in reality.

The news really got hot with word of a coming recession last year.

It hit home for us when this happened.

And we know Who we trust in, and it isn't the almighty dollar.

We were thankful for the opportunity to walk that month together as a family with Him, and it really was an incredible time for us.

But still, we'd rather not do it again.

Last week, Jim received a sudden, cold memo that all salaried employees at his current job will have their income cut 8.5%, effective next pay period, lasting indefinitely, until some far off fuzzy moment when we can all stop bracing ourselves. And yes, he still needs to work just as much. Nothing is changing, except for that 8.5%, which honestly, we would like to keep, if we could.

It was a sting, but I swallowed it and took heart.

We were really looking like we were going to get happily ahead.

Now we're bumped back to a little more like "just enough". And for that, I'm almost in tears, I'm so grateful. I'll take "just enough".

I'm thankful he has this spectacular job. I'm thankful for all the opportunities it affords him.

I'm thankful his company is taking a step now to stay real, to face the economy head on, and to be proactive.

So hopefully he keeps this job.

And someday we get that 8.5% back. Maybe we will, maybe we won't.

We'll keep trusting in the Almighty, not the dollar. Not that I'm saying that's always simple or easy, but He's the only one that can't shake or crumble. So we'll stay put in Him.

How has the economy hit your home?