little tigress

We were actually in the market for a slightly expensive technological device.  But a side trip to the pet store for some fish ended a little differently than we had planned.

Most of us were attracted to some 9 week old kittens, but Micah only had eyes for a patched tabby named "Gabriella" from the moment he saw her.  Once I got around to visiting with her, I understood why.  Her sweet and playful personality quickly won my heart.  When she licked Eric's nose, it was all over.

After a little talk between parents and much begging by children who no longer wanted anything to do with technological devices, we decided to go ahead and bring her home.  We've been without a cat since our much beloved 15-year-old Holly had to be put to sleep last month.  Our original plan was to wait until after our summer vacation for an adoption, but sometimes plans have to be changed.

Getting ready to pounce on my camera string.

We are hoping to visit Yellowstone National Park in a few weeks and one of the spots on our agenda is the Grand Prismatic Spring.  Micah suggested Prisma as a name, and it stuck.

Prisma immediately hissed at Eddie but easily warmed up to him when he was eating a treat.  We think they will get along just fine once she has him right where she wants him.  With his healthy fear of cats already in place, that won't take long.

the answer to drought

Outside my window, lush green grass has been replaced by brown stubs so sharp they will pop balloons.  Excessive heat zaps the vegetation of whatever moisture the struggling plants are attempting to retain.  Even my well-watered garden has deep crevices that reveal soil desperately in need of real, saturating rain.

Psalm 65:9-13

You take care of the earth and water it,
making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water;
it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
for you have ordered it so.
You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
and bless its abundant crops.
You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
They all shout and sing for joy!

There are times in our lives our souls are overdue for a drenching rain.  Perhaps we've been squirting a bit of water on areas that need so much more than what our little hose can deliver: a little sermon here, a good book there, a quick prayer.  God promises to give so much more, and His rain covers vast areas that our own self-watering attempts will never reach.  I long for the showers of God to come and drench my life, to be soaked in His grace, knowing His provision that will spill over to nourish others.

Where to find such rain?

Isaiah 55:10-13

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

There is simply no substitute for spending time praying, meditating on, studying God's word.  It is the rain for the soul, something we intake from God Himself.

It's summer, it's busy, but this is the best thing we can do all day.  In the withering heat of life, let's endeavor to spend time soaking ourselves in Him.

savoring this one

Not because it is a perfect book on parenting*, but because it has made me think.

And because finally I have some words I can use to talk to my child about how God's power is even greater than the enticements of sin.

And because I was one of the kids who grew up feeling like I was pretty good (most of the time) and only really understood what it was to have a Savior when I finally faced my own depravity once I became a mother.

Finally because it's not quite like any other parenting book I have read.

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus

*Reading the critical reviews are helpful in thinking through some of the content presented.

poem of encouragement

Here's to the kids who are different,
Kids who don't always get A's,
Kids who have ears twice the size of the peers,
And noses that go on for days,
Here's to the kids who are different,
Kids who bloom later than some,
Kids who don't fit,
But who never say quit,
Who dance to a different drum,
Here's to the kids who are different,
Kids with the mischievous streak,
For when they have grown,
As history has shown,
It's their difference that makes them unique.

-Digly Wolfe

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." Ps. 139:13-14

celebrating our unsung heroes

No one gets less time on my blog than Eric does, but it's not because he's an insignificant part of our lives. There is no one in our family who works harder, thinks of himself less often, or is more sacrificial in his daily life.  He's the quiet, sometimes goofy, but no less influential leader of our family.

So today, when it came down to how to spend our afternoon, we asked Eric to choose.  He opted for a hike at Sugar Grove.  It was warm but not overly so, and the time together was so special as we watched the kids each take their turns leading and reading the map, and then play in the creek.  Micah discovered his first fossils and shared his love of rocks with his dad (who has an interest in them, too.)

Home for supper, we threw together a frittata.  It is such a quick, easy, and tasty gluten free meal that almost everyone in our family loves--and this is something even my picky eater now goes for!  Eric and I have recently joined Josiah's gluten free experiment for the time being, although so far I'm the only one reaping any benefit.  My stomach hurts much less, and it helps me find more ways to incorporate safe recipes into our meal rotation.  After supper, we enjoyed ice cream in these cones!!  I picked them up at our recent trip to Whole Foods, and was pleasantly surprised to see them available at our health food store soon after.  This is something that really tastes better gluten free!!  I never really cared for cake cones but these are really tasty for a special summer treat.

It was a fun way to wrap up a great day with a great man. 

Happy Father's Day to everyone!  (And a special greeting to my dad, another unsung hero!!)

Dad and Mom, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary a year ago.



A Fantastic Place, by Rachel

Funks Grove is a peaceful place, but be quiet because there is wildlife everywhere. You can hike, bird watch, and play which is quite fun if I don’t say so myself. Surprisingly this place has a creek but only when it rains. As it gets darker you might begin to wonder if there is a fox spying on you.

Hiking is something which you can do quietly if you want to because you can hear the birds talk to each other if you do. As you hike it feels like a fox, who is slyly creeping along, is spying on you. The only bad thing about hiking is ticks they get on you and suck your blood. Otherwise hiking is really fun.

Bird watching is so cool, because you can hear the birds quiet talk inside. As you do this a humming bird quickly flaps its wings and sticks its tongue down in the juice. Then it’s funny when they all flap their wings all at the same time and fly away which is quite often.

Playing in the Imagination Grove is the finest thing ever. They have a creek which flows speedily because it has just rained the other day. As you’re playing in it your feet get wet. On a tower you can pretend you’re spying on evil villains that are trying to attack. This place is NOT QUIET.

All these things hiking, playing, and bird watching are all done quietly (except for the playing part). This place which is as fun as ever also has sap in the spring. It’s a fantastic place, and I love it. I’ve got outdoor genes so this place is on the top in my world.

once in a lifetime

The Venus Transit...mid-afternoon clouds gave way to clear skies.

His favorite part?  The tractor ride back to the van.

vision therapy update

After 5 months of therapy and exercises, Rachel had her recheck today.  The results?  She went from a 6 to a 9 (which is perfect) on her binocular vision, and has normal tracking.  The Dr. said to stop doing exercises until she goes back in December to see how she maintains the improvements over time. 

One of her favorite vision therapy exercises was using this website.  It was nice to have some variety by mixing it in with other things we were doing.

I knew there was a change when I took Rachel to the grocery store with me a couple of months ago.  It was the first time she had been there in quite some time.  As she looked around at all the food, something must have looked different, because she went on and on about how much better she could see.  This is not a 20/20 thing (in fact, her prescription changed from last time) but certainly is a difference in how she is able to use her eyes.

Every week, I have noticed improvements in her school work and handwriting--things that go beyond the normal maturity and learning you would hope to see in the same amount of time.

We're so excited!!

learning algebra at home

Micah successfully trudged his way through this year's math program, but asked if we could switch to something different for next year.  We're trying a 2 week free trial of Thinkwell Math, and after the first lesson, he loves it!  Everything is done online including the lectures, lessons and grading, although you can buy CD's of the lectures for $25 more if you need to free up computer time for someone else.  I had seen Thinkwell offered in Sonlight's catalog as a higher level math course, but didn't realize they offer it starting at sixth grade math!  We'll see how this goes for him...and I'm thrilled he is willing to take 2 weeks of his summer to try it. 

Khan Academy is another great, free online resource for math and several other subjects.  I wish I had remembered to access it this year as another way to see other explanations for some tricky lessons.

I remember my high school math teacher, who offered time before school to help students who might be struggling with a lesson.  It was kind of him to do so, but when we went to him, we got the same explanation we had in class.  It was frustrating to hear something I already didn't understand reexplained the exact same way I hadn't understood it.  The Internet is a great tool to hear things taught in different ways!!

Speaking of math and free trials, Math Rider offers a free 7 day trial of their software to help improve math facts.  Thankfully, Rachel likes the horse jumping format (this might get boring over time for some kids?), and I love the stats page that charts the facts that need to be worked on and improvements made.  It is a bit pricey, but I have another math student coming up that will be able to use it someday, and they offer free lifetime updates.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today, June 3, 2012

Outside my window...it is a perfect Goldilocks day: not too hot, not too cold, but just right.  There are 2 children here asking to take a long bike ride before the day is done.  Since the youngest, who can handle short rides with his training wheels, is currently at Grandma and Grandpa's house, it is a good time to say yes to this request!

I am thankful...for friends I have never met.  Funny how things like diet changes can bring people together who don't even live near each other. 

In the kitchen...we are still finishing up the leftovers from our cultural night on Friday.  If you are looking for something a little different, we really liked this cashew curry recipe which we tried for the first time.  The Austrialian and Iceberg cookies are mostly gone, all the Korean food vanished, and we will be eating leftover samosas for days--we ordered just a few too many, but we are not going to complain since they are a favorite.  In the meantime, I am looking forward to a trip to the library tomorrow to check out some gluten free and Asian cookbooks.  Sometimes, those things can be one and the same, minus the samosas. 

I am wearing...yellow.  I think it is the color of joy, and therefore this is my favorite shirt.

I am creating...a plan for the next school year.  It has been fun to piece it together.  Rachel is going to do Sonlight's Core D+E because there were just too many good books to skip it before moving on.  The extra time she will have with a little lighter reading will allow us more time to spend on some other areas.  Micah is going to study World History Part 2, Core H, since he had ancient history in sixth grade.  Josiah starts kindergarten in Core A.  He is most interested in doing science experiments.  It looks to be a busy year! Meanwhile, I can tell they need a bit of a break this summer, and the teacher is ready for one, too.  We do have a few things to work on every day, and I know they will read!

I am wondering...what prompted one of Micah's former classmates to call him up and come over today after not seeing him for a year.  It is good to hear the basketball bouncing and other teenage boy sounds coming in through the screen door.  And it reminds me to be praying to be a family of godly influence as my children come into contact with people from all walks of life.

I am reading...several things at once, as usual.  At the top of my list are the books Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton and Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray.  This summer my goal is to learn anew how to sit at Jesus' feet and adore Him, finding in His person the power to live each day wholly for Him.  While I can't endorse everything in Barton's book, I do find it quite helpful.  Her analogy of allowing a jar of muddy water to settle so that the dirt eventually rests on the bottom and the pure water rises to the top is so helpful when it comes to slowing down and giving the Lord time to speak to us about the perplexities of life.

I am hoping...to spend less time in front of the computer and more time engaging fully in the moment as I serve and live with my family this summer.

I am looking forward to...seeing my little boy when he comes home tomorrow!!!

I am learning...to let go of my agenda and embrace God's.  When I do that, His plans become mine, and they are better than anything I could have ever thought up myself.

Around the house...we made it through a garage sale, packed up our school notebooks and binders for the year, and are getting ready for a used curriculum sale in a few weeks.  This week my goal is to clean out our desks.  The clutter is disappearing.  Then on to some painting!  Is there ever an end to painting when you have children at home?

I am pondering...the reality of college.  Somehow, something that was once a nebulous idea is becoming a bit more tangible.  Micah received his first college pamphlet in the mail this week.  It does seem early, but yes, he sent for it because he wanted to know more.  What does God have in store for his future?  It is five years away, but will be here in a blink.  It makes me want to savor every moment even more.  This is another reason next year will be a precious time for our family.  Once he hits high school...

A favorite quote for today..."Because we do not rest we lose our way...Poisoned by the hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort, we can never truly rest.  And for want of rest our lives are in danger."  Wayne Muller

One of my favorite things...is leading women in the study of God's word.  I love learning more as they share the insights God has given them.

A few plans for the rest of the week: This will be our quietest week this summer.  Besides an eye appointment and music lessons, the only thing that starts this week is Bible study. 

A peek into my day... when I leave my camera unattended, I come back to find pictures like this on it.

I am taking part in The Simple Woman's Daybook.