Chatting over the fence a bit

Thank you for your book and film recommendations!  I have printed them out but you have plenty of time to add any comments (or send an e-mail) since I won't be able to start working on the new post until later in the week.  I can do a cut and paste of new comments from Blogger to the Word document.

I will have time over next weekend as Hubby is flying out on Friday to pick up the New England Contingent's old mini van and driving it back to the Midwest.  They offered it for him to use in his handy man business (they bought a used vehicle which will now hold five children and two adults) and he is thrilled.  So... it will be Christopher and I here at home for a few days... just like it was when we homeschooled and Dad traveled a lot for his job.

While I was away from blogging last week, we had crazy weather. It's been a wet and wild spring but I don't remember the state being hit with so many tornadoes as it was last week... perhaps the Palm Sunday tornadoes or the Super Outbreak that hit the Midwest in 1974 (which I road out in a MALL!).   The area was devastated by those twisters and for years and years (and years) afterward, I would start hyperventilating when the sirens went off... if not before.

We get tornado watches quite often this time of year and the occasional warning but last week when the radar showed the twister near us, the guys dragged a mattress to the hallway where three people and one kitty huddled underneath until the storm passed... about twenty-five minutes but it seemed like hours.  Thankfully, we had no damage from hail or wind.

I'll post my Books Read in May list soon, it won't take long.  With so much lawn and garden work (in between rain), I didn't get as much time to read.  Perhaps I'll tell the guys today they are on their own... no food or laundry or conversation... I will be finishing that novel today!

Hmmm... I don't think that will work.  Christopher is due home from work in an hour for lunch.  That means I need to start thinking of food... not novels.  Then I need to stake the cucumber plant before more rain is predicted this afternoon.  Then I need to spray the front porch for spiders.

So much for reading in the daytime... ;)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

My ponderings this week have been all about following our "bent" or that which we were created to do in this journey we find ourselves on as the planet spends around the sun.  I am not sure why my memories went back to a morning Stephanie and I (and a five year old Christopher) were shopping for art and drafting supplies at one of the university's bookstores before Stephanie entered her Freshman year at the University.

Somehow the conversation with the cashier went to the subject of Stephanie entering as a Dean Scholar and when she was asked what she was majoring in, the clerk spouted off, "What a terrible waste of a mind like yours!".  Sigh... although taken back that a total stranger would say such a thing, we were used to it from friends and family for my daughter was known for being quite brilliant and here she was... studying Interior Design (albeit a very difficult curriculum at the University since it was their pre-architecture course of study, too).

I wasn't surprised that she didn't want to be a brain surgeon or a constitutional lawyer or a nuclear engineer or an anthropologist or anything requiring advanced math and science studies.  For since she was a child she manifested those traits which would draw one to a love of design and creativity... and nothing is wasted when one daily must use their brain and all other God given gifts to be a wife and mother to five.  :)

I am convinced that God loves giving us talent and delights as we start in infancy and continue through all our years to discover and unwrap those gifts which are to be discovered, perhaps early and for others (such as Grandma Moses)... quite late in life.  I am learning more about my late blooming gifts these days.

There are some gifts which I came upon early such as the ability to "think in writing" or should it be "writing what I think"?  Regardless... putting my thoughts to pen and paper (or mouse as the case may be these days) came easily from the day I learned to write my ABC's. 

I have few childhood memories but one is serving my father and mother childish snacks I had prepared (perhaps age six or seven) and the other is planting zinnias with my father.  Now a grandmother, I still love writing and cooking and baking and flowers.  :)

But what about those deep seated, well planted, hidden gifts?  Those which hint at us once in awhile, wink at us as we walk by, and whisper in our ear as we drift off to sleep... in that place Tinker Bell told Peter she would meet him... not quite dreaming but definitely not wide awake.

These are the gifts I've been pondering the most recently, thoughts sparked by numerous goings-on here at home.  This August when Christopher moves out, he does not plan to live at home full time again.  So his room will be transformed into guest room cum creative space for Moi' (those plans still in their infancy).  Ponderings have been taking place all year having to do with my Word of the Year... Create!

But they have also been brought up out of a few days of darkness... those which can come upon me suddenly... sparked by who knows what or why.  Sometimes I can put a finger on the plunge into dark emotions, such as a memory of a hurt or disappointment, or the true "Dark Side" whispering accusations enough to send me over the woe is me cliff.

When dark emotions start to overtake me (for whatever reasons but recently by letting myself ponder too much on what I don't have instead of the much larger truth of what good things I have been given)... I know that true spiritual warfare comes from doing the exact opposite the enemy of my soul is attempting to get me to do.

This week I knew it was time to bring Life instead of Death and Light instead of Darkness into my days... and I must tell you it was a wrestling match in my spirit and soul which equaled anything physically.  There were moments my only prayer was going around the house saying "God Help Me", I felt myself at the edge of that cliff, ready to fall into the pit of self pity.

It was not the will of self which brought me back and planted my feet on firm rock... it was the work done by The Rock of Ages.  For all the self help and positive thinking cannot transform the battle for the mind as the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and the transforming Light of the Word... and doing instead of fretting.

So... I dusted off my much neglected Scrapbook Journal and started pages of a garden diary, tried new recipes, wrote down recipes to try soon, made my first pot of tea for the season from my herb garden's apple mint, made a list of ideas for tweaking the blog, read new-ish garden books and old Victoria magazines, and thinking about sewing projects for when the new space becomes available.

Life returns to a parched soul... doing instead of fretting... embracing the new... not allowing the dead brush of past events or hurts or disappointments or pain to blur into the Hope of Today... enjoying the Treasure Hunt for the hidden and forgotten gifts.

The Book and Film recommendations list!

Okay... NOW you can post your favorites.  :)

This time, to make it so much easier for me to assemble into a post (which will stay on the sidebar just like the first recommendations post), please only make a list as I'll show in a sample.  If you can't leave a comment or if you want to expound on your selections, e-mail me at coffeeteabooksandmeathotmaildotcom.

Yes, please list those books and films you listed before on the first list (and second that I was never able to get through).  Even if you notice other people have listed the same author, book, film, etc. do list it again if they are one of your favorites.  It will be interesting to see who and what gets listed the most.

If your favorite books or films are in a trilogy, series, etc., feel free to put the name of the series instead of just one title.  Just the same, if your favorite is just one part of a series, feel free to put down just one title.  Here is a sample:

The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis (has one title for the trilogy because I love all three together)... but... I would post only Pilgrim's Inn from Goudge's trilogy because it is one of my favorite books and the other two in the series are not favorites.  But having said that, there are few rules (other than putting them in list format) so post as you want.

I'm dividing them under the titles of:  Authors - fiction, Authors - nonfiction, Favorite books - fiction, Favorite books - nonfiction,  Favorite books for children - fiction and nonfiction, Favorite films.  I also decided to add two specific nonfiction groupings... Favorite Devotional Reading and Favorite Cooking and Gardening books.

There will be more than one category a favorite could fall under (for instance, a decorating book could also be a favorite nonfiction and some "children's" books are enjoyed by adults)... just put them where you want them.

You can write down as few or as many titles as you want.  This post will remain right here at the top of the blog through Saturday.  Feel free to add more titles if you think of something you have forgotten later.  Comments are moderated so your post will not show up immediately.

The only "rules"... lists only, no comments or prose except through e-mails.  :)

Sample of what comments might look like 
(I doubt your list will be this small).  :)

Authors - fiction

Jane Austen
Miss Read

Authors - nonfiction

Sally Clarkson
Elizabeth George

Books - fiction

Christy by Catherine Marshall
The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge

Books - nonfiction

Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride
Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard

Children's books - fiction and nonfiction

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
The Brambley Hedge series by Jill Barklem

Cooking, Gardening, Decorating, and Homestead Skills books

Susan Branch cookbooks
The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett

Devotional Reading (devotionals or books you use for devotional study)

Valley of Vision
Holy Habits by Mimi Wilson and Shelly Cook Volkhardt

Movies and Films
You've Got Mail
Casablanca
The West Ladies Herb DVD

Weekend stuff and the upcoming list

My, it was a busy weekend here.  Seems like there was lots and lots of cooking on Saturday when Miss M. came to dinner.  Christopher has asked me for a long time to make chili cheese etouuf, one of his favorite dishes from a Cajun restaurant he used to go to quite often.  He bought the ingredients I didn't already have on hand and... although the recipe was two print out pages long... it turned out quite lovely (if I do say so myself).  :)

Since I know people will ask, you can find the recipe... here.  I made the chicken version exactly as indicated but left out cumin (which my husband does not like) and hot sauce (which my husband and Miss M. do not like).  One could add a little more heat by serving Tabasco on the side if one lived in those states that like their food just below Hades level.  

On Sunday, we traveled to the town close to where M. lives to attend church with her family and then have Sunday dinner at their house.  We had a great time as the two families get to know each other better.  I was a little concerned that fatigue would set in with the travel and all but I was able to sit and watch the others play board games and card games so rest was possible.

I was so proud of myself, I didn't even cover my eyes with my hands when Christopher was driving all the back country roads (her family lives way, way, way out in the country).  Okay, so I did mention just a few times that I thought he was going just a tad fast and that was mainly on the hairpin turns.  But we did arrive home just as the sky turned black, later to find there were tornado warnings not too far away (it has been one of those springs)... so I guess I'm glad we did not travel any slower.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), there have been more storms off and on today so the garden needed no attention.  I did walk out to check on the green bean plants, about half of the seedlings have broken through.  All the remaining plants look very good, they certainly love the hot weather.  The tomato plants had to be rotated to the least sunny area of the garden this year so I'm hoping they will be content there.

Speaking of sun loving items growing in shade... I have three peony bushes, one which was already here and planted under the dogwood tree.  The other two were $1.00 clearance starts from Wal Mart a couple years ago that I just stuck in the ground where there was some space... also near trees.  (Well, where I live you are mostly in, under, near, on, over, or around trees so you learn to work with it.) 

Anyway, the peony bush under the dogwood always has good blooms (albeit probably even more if in direct sunlight).  Both of the clearance bushes are growing nicely and one of them is developing lovely buds.   Some things work and some don't but I keep trying.  :)

I love peonies, they are one of my favorite flowers.  A few years ago we had to travel on country roads on a detour for about twenty miles and I noticed many of the farmhouses had peony bushes growing in full sunlight in rows near the side of the road.  It made for such a lovely trip!  I was curious, though, there had to be a story there since so many farm wives planted the peony bushes in the same location... many of the bushes were quite far from the farmhouse.

Now... onto the LISTS!  Tomorrow I will be posting instructions for you to leave your favorite books, etc..  I am going to keep that post up through Friday.  I won't be writing any posts here during that time (so maybe I can actually update the recipe blog!).   I will be moderating comments so you can come back from time to time and read what others have recommended...  tomorrow... not today... tomorrow (Tuesday).

Sunday Afternoon Tea

My ponderings this past week have come about from writing the three homeschool posts.  As I wrote... I remembered... and as I remembered... the word heritage kept coming back to my thinking.

Heritage is one of those words which paints a word picture in my mind.  I think of lace and perfume and pearls and a well used Bible and vintage books and someone's grandmother.

Unless I am at the farmer's market and then heritage brings to mind a pure seed line, not having been messed with by chemistry... good food.  Either way, the word heritage brings a smile to my face.

While my thoughts when writing this week were much about the heritage one leaves for children and grandchildren, in reality we all leave a heritage of sorts as we live our life in the midst of other people.  We all leave behind an influence of our days here on the planet although for some it is good and for others... not so good.

While we are all flawed human beings needing grace, most of the time our flaws do not cause serious harm to others around us... and even when harm has been done, God's healing grace is still available.  How different is the life of one who has forgiven another and accepted God's emotional healing... as opposed to the person who has chosen to walk through life wounded and angry.

However, my ponderings this week were all about the good heritage we leave.  I think some people instinctively are aware of heritage... some mothers and fathers, definitely the poets and artists, the aunt who wants to nurture a love of baking in her niece and the man at church who includes the fatherless boy on fishing trips.  Whether they call it heritage, or influence, or just being a good neighbor... it is the same as we plant good seed in the life of another.

I am thankful that much of my reading as a young woman included words written by men and women who had walked this road before me... a few old enough already to have grandchildren but all reminding me to embrace each day with thought toward the future.

The making of memories, celebrating traditions, reading stories, memorizing scriptures, baking and cooking and talking around the dinner table, playing sports and watching sports played... all activities which come together to make a person what he or she becomes.

I have come to realize that while one thinks first of parents and grandparents, anyone can leave a good heritage.  My most influential adults were not in my family (except for my mother and father).  I know quite a number of people who were inspired to create (whether gardening, sewing, quilting, painting, baking, etc.) by neighbors.  Obviously a person involved in professional ministry will influence others but so do those of us whom others know to be a Christian.

I've been pondering the question... what is the difference between leaving a memory and building a heritage?  In my own thinking... a memory will be left regardless of what we do (for good or evil) but a heritage is based on our influence towards that which is good and beautiful and godly.

When I think of people who have left a heritage to friends and family, I think of those who have run the race for decades and who... in spite of many trials and tribulations along the way... have taught us to live a life of grace.

They have inspired us to have faith in spite of trials, to "do something" to bring beauty to my home, to have a passion for something and someone and Someone, to let music and art and flowers calm my soul, to head for the Psalms when troubled instead of stomping our feet and complaining.

There were people along the way who taught me how to bake a cake, and plant a garden, and that it really is more fun to give than to receive... and that good books will always mean a friend is nearby. The memory of one who has left a heritage in my life will always bring a smile, as does seeing a good heritage being formed in my family.

We will all leave memories of our life... how good it will be to leave a heritage... a legacy... that when friends and family look back, they will know they are better for having us be a part of their life.

Homeschooling - learning as a lifestyle even when we don't homeschool

Do you have certain hours or days in your memory that are more special than others?  There was some sort of intense joy in that moment which has surpassed the years?  One such memory of mine is a day when Stephanie was just at the end of her baby stage and we were shopping in my favorite department store (we probably had gone there after a well baby checkup)... which sadly no longer exists.

"We" spent some time in the china and kitchen wares department... Stephanie in her stroller and Mommy drooling over beautiful china patterns and Cuisinarts.  After stopping for a snack in their tea room (sigh... those were the days) we found our way to the small department which sold books where I purchased what was to become one of my favorite books about parenting and early child development.  No wonder I remember that day with such fondness... sharing fine china, tea time, and books with my baby daughter.

I loved inspiring my baby girl to learn as I would hang colorful crib pictures on the side of her crib, and read to her, and played music (I didn't sing in case she grew up not carrying a tune, either), and talked to her as I made dinner, and took her to the park to see the animals, and just had fun being with her.

I subscribed to a wonderful newsletter which shared ideas about child development for the month your child would soon be entering and I would pick and choose enjoyable activities to "encourage learning".  For those who knew my daughter as she went through school... it worked!

However, it turned out to become so much more than just about raising a little girl.  What was sparked during those early days of motherhood became the joy of learning as a complete lifestyle.  My own parents were very loving but both had left school at the end of 8th grade and while my father taught me a great deal about loving life and embracing beauty before he passed away and mom was always there for me... she never understood my love of reading and learning.  Once I had my own home, it was filled with the fascination of books and learning.

Stephanie was never homeschooled, except in the way all children learn at home... far more than most pick up in a school building.  Children learn the important stuff at home, hopefully much of it before entering the hallowed halls of an "official" building.  :)

Of course, for me the most important learning to take place was to introduce my children to Jesus... not as a tradition or a religion but as the Person... the entire Trinity come to think of it.  We would stop to look at pretty rocks and talk about how God made quartz so plain on the outside and sparkly within or pondered when we put together a meal the fact He could have given us manna to eat each day but instead He created a variety of tasty fruits and veggies (and isn't it interesting how many of the most nutritious foods are also the most colorful?).

When we were outside in nature, how wonderful it was to talk about His variety available to enjoy and how nature reflects His personality... from the beauty of a red rose or a yellow daisy to the apparent use of leftover parts from other animals to make the duck billed platypus.  :)

I wanted them to learn early to pray for needs as well as wisdom and always found it remarkable when the prayers of little people were answered in big ways.  The bookshelves were filled with Bible story books (as I liked them especially as they were just as new to me as the children), really good "Christian" biography and fiction, and... of course... the Bible.  Books to read about people in varied circumstances to whom God was very real.

Sometimes our reason for learning came about by circumstance.  For instance, I remember the first summer we lived in Iowa, which had been a very difficult move for Stephanie (who turned twelve during the move).  We lived in a very small town where there were no violin teachers or beautiful places near Lake Michigan where she had spent most of her early years.  While we both ended up making very special friends there, it was never an easy place for us to live.

One of our only fun activities available was reading.  She was already a prolific reader but I wanted her to begin reading bigger books which required more effort than her Mandy books.  So, to help her earn some extra spending money I offered her 50 cents through $2.00 per book (according to how big the books were... the Russians being $2.00)... these were early 1990's rates.  :)

I think her first book read that summer was Exodus by Leon Uris, which was one of my favorite books and had the affect (as so much of reading does) of  eventually leading her to similar (but more recent) books such as the Brock and Bodie Thoene series about WWII and the founding of Israel.  Her enjoyment of these books was soon "caught" by her father who enjoyed the entire series... good reading after a long day of working as an engineer.

Learning at home does not have to be officially schooling at home.  Each home can and should be a place where learning can take place with enjoyment and with no fear of being laughed at or to have one's first attempts met with a smirk or snicker (although it does happen from siblings)... but you know what I mean. 

Okay, so certain mothers have been known to laugh when certain daughters kept overdoing the salt when they were learning to cook... but that is the stuff of fond memories now.  :)

To me a Christian home should be a place where there is a love of learning... much like my recent Sunday Afternoon Tea post about creativity (inspired by my gazillinth reading of The Hidden Art of Homemaking).  Within us is the very nature of the Creator so we want to learn and to do and to create and to grow things and to make things (even if we do not officially homeschool) it is who we are... we are to be constant home learners.

We learn each time we take up a new hobby, or sew something never sewn before, or try a new quilting or knitting pattern, or build furniture, or bake a bread we've never tried before, or assemble a new soup, or design a garden, or plant a never-tried-before vegetable, or design and build a playhouse or tree house, or decide to raise chickens or cats (chickens are probably easier), or even to paint our first landscape.

We learn with each trip to a new location, each new person we meet and get to know, each new ethnic food we try, each dinner party with exciting conversation, every concert we attend, and every time we give sandwiches and a bottle of water to those in need.

We obviously learn with every class taken and book read but I find myself learning when I sit at my favorite coffee shop on campus, usually waiting for hubby or son, and watch the various students and professors and researchers and philosophers and scientists and the guy from a small town like me... and to listen to all the conversations and be amazed at the smallness of the world... I learn.

I must admit it was easier for me to think about and plan for learning when I had children at home and before the affects of chronic illness took hold.  There came a time last year when I was having some challenges (that yucky period when antibiotics were not working) when I just wanted to sit and do nothing.  When one is physically tired, the mind can become just as tired and the soul becomes weary in its' dark night.

It suddenly struck me one day in the midst of days and weeks of just... nothingness... that I wasn't going down for the count without a fight.  After a lifetime of loving to learn new things... of living a creative lifestyle... of living a learning lifestyle...  I had let the weary-ness of life take away my joy of learning or to find myself tiptoeing out into the unknown with a new project.

I made a decision to purposely begin a lifestyle of learning again... to try new activities, expand my recipe collection, plant flowers I've always wanted to try, etc.  Nothing which takes a lot of time or energy..
and that is why I decided my word for the year of 2011 was... create.  :)

Homeschooling... our ADHD experience

On this post, I have written about my experiences homeschooling an ADHD child.  It is written from a perspective of looking back.  I was thrilled when Stephanie e-mailed me some of her own ideas and then wrote them out on her own blog.  I'll be linking to it at the bottom of this post but it gives a fresh perspective from someone in the midst of homeschooling (and lots of ideas any parent can use).

Christopher had challenges in his preschool and Kindergarten years but nothing like what he came up against with his first grade teacher and the school's demands that hyperactive children be drugged or they could not stay in school (it may not have been legal but they could get away with it).  It all came together in our decision to pull him out of school after we realized our son was being labeled by teachers and other students... not to mention the affects those high levels of Ritalin were having on him.

Being a bookish type person and having had a teaching background in churches as well as the corporation (but not trained as a teacher), I knew I could handle teaching a little boy for a year or two.  Back then homeschooling was legal in all fifty states but still rare, I knew only a handful of other homeschool families very well.  Since Christopher was so easily distracted, I chose not to join the homeschool co-op but they did invite me along for some "field trips".

So... going it pretty much alone I ordered some books and started reading a lot about homeschooling from the pioneer leaders of the day.  As I prayed over the decision to homeschool, I felt God was leading me not to become and expert in homeschooling or ADHD but instead to become an expert on homeschooling Christopher.   In the past I would have automatically learned everything I could about a subject and end up in a leadership position but it wasn't until Christopher's high school years that we even became involved in a co-op.

Our first few months were rather awkward since Christopher had been used to being in a group situation and was not quite sure about Mother as Teacher.  He was also still physically difficult to handle and while he does not like me to talk about it now... there were days when I literally sat crying against his bedroom door as he was kicking and screaming on the other side!  There were days and weeks and months when I thought there was no way God would call me to do something this difficult and demanding (not that He had not before!).

However... very slowly and hardly noticeable at first... the days began to change and homeschooling became enjoyable.  Part of it had to do with Christopher calming a bit (as his doctor had predicted would happen) because he was away from a group situation.  But... if one is around a child who is ADD or ADHD... you know it takes time for them to get used to change.  Christopher began to enjoy our homeschooling experience, too.  Well, except for math but I'll get to that later.

Thus began a journey which started just before he turned seven and continued until he was seventeen and we decided to enroll him in the community college full time for his senior year of high school.  I learned early that ADHD children need to have plenty of time to run and jump and MOVE.  Even when we had our read aloud time, Christopher would be putting together Lego's and by doing so actually absorbed more of what I was saying than he did sitting still... or trying to sit still.

Much of our early science studies were spent studying nature as we walked and hiked and looked up close and far away at the stars and mixed together and took apart and often taking a picnic to the park or the forest or the beach or the zoo or the museum or wherever else we found ourselves learning hands on. 

I learned that he loved putting kits together as well as taking things apart... and soon learned to give him something to take apart so he didn't decide upon an object I still used.  :)

Christopher loved learning about history... especially wars and warriors and everything surrounding them... so we bought books (new but mostly used) and put together a library at home as well as checking books out of the city library.  For a few years, there was one day each week when we would stop by the farmer's market, and then buy a cherry coke and cheeseburger at the candy shop, and then spend an hour or more at the library... memories that still bring a smile today.

In the midst of the years as the little boy grew up, he came to love working on the computer and spent hours talking to "friends" online who taught him how to write computer code and write his own programs.  These friends were monitored by Mother and we chatted about them so often they became like family members (while the intention was safety, I also acquired many to pray for through the years).  Christopher learned to spell better by these guys laughing at his original spelling!

I'm not sure how safe that would be today because there are so many opportunities for unwanted friendships and information to be given out but if you can find a way to make online friendships safe... it worked for us.  Until he was in his high school years and built his own computer, the main computer was always in a central location so it was easy to check up on what site was on at the moment.

Most of our homeschooling years could be called Charlotte Mason meets Unschooling... the former keeping us on track and the latter necessary as we dealt with severe hyperactivity and attention challenges. One important lesson learned about teaching an ADHD child... it only took two or three years to figure it out... is that the homeschool rabbit trails could be just as educational as the original course of studies, at least for this family.  :)

With all aspects of homeschooling, if you try to do "school at home" then you will miss the opportunity educating your child at home provides.  For instance, if you spend hours and hours each day with textbooks and never read "real books", or go to the zoo, or spend an afternoon hiking trails through the forest, or sitting on the shore learning about ponds or rivers or lakes or oceans, or taking the little guys to visit the fire department, or having a picnic when the weather turns nice and bringing the current favorite read aloud along, or putting aside studies when a farm animal or pet is having babies, etc... then the real joys of homeschooling are not experienced.

This is true of all homeschoolers but especially if you have an ADHD child who learns more from doing than just reading (although Christopher loved nonfiction books about subjects he enjoyed in elementary school and suddenly began reading French literature in early high school years).  The ADHD child needs short "table time" events and as I found those first couple of years... you can't wish away how they learn!

As much as I wanted to teach Christopher in the same way I helped Stephanie along in elementary school, it was not going to happen.  They may only be able to spend fifteen minutes on math or spelling while the rest of the kids work longer.  Homeschooling allows that and unless you are in a state that looks over your shoulder all the time... you don't always have to finish the math book or the English book or the history book... at the end of the year.  You'll get it all taught if it is important, it may take a few years.

The ADHD child needs to move and "do stuff"!  That is how I ended up getting a lot of reading accomplished while Christopher took fencing lessons a few nights a week and later participated in fencing tournaments.  Ditto with the reading that took place in a cozy chair while watching his tennis lessons and "tournaments" at the tennis-soccer building.

It is also how I came to be a judge in debate tournaments while he umm... debated.   Not to mention attending plays and concerts and book readings and... well, you get the idea... through the years.  While we worked on basic skills such as math and English in the mornings, the rest of the day during the elementary years were spent doing... or watching great TV shows and videos when he was a little older.

During our homeschooling years I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, had to be rushed to the hospital to intensive care, nearly died because my original doctor misdiagnosed the Type 1 diabetes as Type 2, moved five times (twice from one state to another), experienced two separate years of my husband being unemployed, and then watched his health deteriorate until he had to go on Social Security Disability.  But with determination and lots of prayer... we finished well.

We had to get creative during those months and months I had to homeschool from the sofa.  That was when I found out that shows on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Military Channel, etc. could be Godsends (literally).  Christopher loved shows about wars, history of nations as well as "things", documentaries about conquerors, shows about how things are made, etc.  We still laugh about the time we had dinner with his uncle who was fascinated at his knowledge about the history of bricks.  :)

It would have been wonderful to have Netflix available but we did bring videos home from the library, along with lots of picture books.  We got to know the people at the library so well, we both ended up as volunteers when we moved back "home".

Which reminds me of that big word everyone throws at us... socialization.  It is one area that causes me to chuckle out loud when I am asked about it for there is no one group of young people I know who are more socialized than homeschoolers.  Except instead of mainly knowing the kids in their class, they are around all of humanity from babies to really, really old people.   I have said that homeschooling is one long conversation and it is true... only the conversation encompasses many years and a lot of people.

There were seasons of loneliness when we moved back to Michigan for a few years and had no friends or family nearby but it all worked out and God was not surprised.   The circumstances do not have to be perfect and our experiences would certainly prove that!

Once it became apparent that Christopher was set on studying science at the University... which requires a lot of lab science classes and advanced math... we started him taking a class now and then at the community college, ending with him attending full time his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college.  He transferred to the University his sophomore year (although still having to take a full four year curriculum at the University due to his major).

So... what happened with the kid whose first grade teacher called him a troublemaker and stupid? He was chosen as a student representative for his community college and is assisting them in building relationships between the college and the University.  He's been on the Dean's List in one of the most difficult science curricula at the University and in their honors program. 

He has been voted president of two computer student organizations after serving as vice president in one of them his freshman year.  What amazes his father and I is the fact he is getting A's in his advance math classes (where did that come from?).

The biggest lesson I learned as I look back is that the important lessons of life are taught not semester by semester but moment by moment.  We had to learn that homeschooling was not school at home.  We tried things that didn't work but often led to what did.

Perhaps the best advice I received (which turned out to be so true) was in a book written by a homeschool father from Michigan (unfortunately I can't remember his name or the name of his book, I brought it home from the library long ago).  He had already graduated a few of his children and said there was nothing they had to know before starting college or a job which could not be made up in a year or two of community college.

Thankfully, we have an excellent community college within a short commuting distance where many homeschoolers take classes.  As I mentioned earlier, Christopher was able to take everything he needed for State graduation requirements (which we had not covered) in one year at the college.  He decided to attend for a second year just to prepare him for the demanding math and science classes at the University. 

A community college is a fraction in cost of the Universities... we paid for an entire semester what one class cost at the University (however, the cost of textbooks are the same).

For the cost of a few college classes, Christopher not only caught up but was prepared in such a way as to make excellent grades, developed good study skills, learned how to cope with distractions in large classes, and went on to win numerous scholarships at the University.  His only downside will be graduating in five years instead of four but many college students have to do that if they switch majors, anyway.

My best advice for the parent of an ADHD child... take one day at a time.  Those attributes which are challenging now are exactly the same as they can use later for good. 

When we wonder how God can ever use that child who is giving us so much trouble, He sees how they turn out!  All we can do is just keep going on day in and day out... praying a lot... and never giving up even when it looks like they will never "get" what is being taught.... they are.... just in their own time.

Now... Stephanie's blog post called Ultimate Lists: Home Educating With Sensory Integration Issues can be found... here.

Homeschooling - preparing the kids for college in a "flat world"

This is the first post in a series of three (for now) homeschool-education ponderings.  I've promised to write these for a long time but I was inspired by a friend to put "thoughts to mouse" now.  Tomorrow I plan to write more about homeschooling the ADHD child and then on Friday some general ponderings about education.

I found the recent "Chinese mom vs. American mom" controversy interesting and loved reading various comments.*  However, after reading many of the responses, my own was just a littler different than other American moms.  Most likely because I have known many Asian families and I live in the shadow of a world class university... literally!

My original thoughts were that most American parents didn't take the Asian families seriously enough..  For my friends, if Johnny wants to be an engineer or Susie a scientist... it is not the kids around the corner they will compete with for college space.  It is the boy and girl growing up in China, Japan, Indonesia, India, South Korea... to name a few.  Have you checked the stats lately in science and engineering colleges?  What percentage of undergrads and graduate students are Asian?

Now, I must admit I don't think college is for everyone but if our kids want to get accepted to a major University, it has become increasingly difficult.  My son knew a student with a perfect 4.0 average who didn't get accepted to an Ivy League school!  College admissions are now proof "the world is flat".**

The Asian young people we have known all come from families who remind me a lot of the American parents who came out of the Great Depression... receiving an education is the most important goal they have for their children.  These kids study for hours and hours and high grades are expected... for better or worse.

So what does this have to do with homeschooling?  Please don't hate me but there was one statement I used to hear from fellow homeschoolers all the time that just drove me crazy (albeit it was a short trip).  This was before the era of homeschooling blogs... we had mostly forums.  So many times a mom would write that they didn't get to any of their bookwork but the kids did some character studies that day and everyone applauded.   AAACK!

Now this response is coming from a Charlotte Mason meets Unschooling Mom so why did it upset me?  Because it should never be character or learning!   Putting nose to the grindstone and doing our schoolwork when we don't feel like it teaches lots of character... that which will be needed if our children ever hope to compete with the rest of the world.

Now, there are times when we need to set aside a certain part of home education if it is hindering the general goal of learning and raising a learner.  Like the year we didn't "do math"... no, really... we skipped math for an entire year because it was interfering with our learning as well as our relationship.  Proof you don't know how your student is going to turn out... Christopher gets A's and B's in advanced math now (well, except that Statistics course).

I'm talking about the general day-to-day work involved in homeschooling (and it is work).  I remember the only real advice I gave Stephanie when she started homeschooling... "There will be lots of days you can't do everything but try to do something each school day".  Believe me, there were many days (in fact, most days) we did not get everything I wanted to done.  But I digress...

Personally, I believe our kids are just as smart as anyone else in the world.  I also believe homeschooling offers an amazing option to provide a complete education in the way public and private schools can never compete.  How do I know?   I've mentioned before that when Christopher was in first grade in the public school, I was told he was stupid... he was a troublemaker... he was severely ADHD... and he would never amount to anything.  So hubby and I said adios to the school system and taught him ourselves, thus beginning one of the most difficult but wonderful experiences of our lives!

I can tell you the school was correct on only one aspect, my son was and is still severely ADHD (although he has outgrown the hyperactive stage, as predicted by the specialist he saw as a child).  He deals with it everyday but has learned various ways to compensate.  If he had stayed in the public school system, he would have been left behind long ago.

I suppose homeschoolers are much like the mothers spoken about in the famous (now infamous) book about Chinese mothers... except I hope believe we act in kindness and grace instead of  motivating our children with fear.  One of the things I loved about homeschooling was being intensely involved in Christopher's life as he was growing up, really having a chance to mold and shape him into a man who loved learning and walked with Christ.

In many ways it was his friends and associates who motivated him toward excellence, especially as he participated in sports (fencing and tennis) and Debate.   A little peer pressure in the form of friendly competition can be a good thing.

Do I have any advice for homeschoolers who are wanting to attend college?  Well, there are entire books written on the subject but here are a few things we learned...

Read widely about lots of subjects and read books which will cause the student to learn thinking skills. Knowing how to research and having great study skills will be invaluable.  Read and discuss opinions about cross species evolution (and know the differences in evolution), what other religions believe, what Christians believe and why, etc.

You have to add a little heated sauce to the egg mixture before creating the final product or the egg mixture will curdle.  That's what I told Stephanie's 7th grade counselor was my opinion as a Christian mother about discussing controversial topics as children grow older.  But I'm the one who wants to add the heat at just the right time and not throw my child to the wolves... which is what will happen if you don't discuss the big subjects at home (Stephanie was not homeschooled).***

Yes, the big colleges are sand traps for the Christian youth and many young people have been drawn away from their faith during those four years but the young men and women who have been prepared ahead of time for the persecution they face (which is more or less according to where they go to college) will be lights in the darkness.

While I don't think kids in elementary school should be sent in as little missionaries to the culture, by the time they arrive at college age (and they have been prepared at home for what they will face)... they are the Josephs and Esthers of today.

Have the student interview people who do the work they are interested in studying.  If possible, see if there are ways they can work in the job ahead of time, which is not possible for everything but it is with some professions (a summer job in a daycare if they are thinking of working with kids, volunteering at the animal shelter or a vet's office if interested in animals, a short term missions trip, or attending a summer camp about engineering or science or technology or political science, etc.).

It is amazing what is available if you search and college is too expensive to spend a year or two studying only to decide that is not what you want to do.

Keep good records, at least starting in 9th grade... if you have not given grades before then, you must do it now. Prepare and assemble all information at the end of each high school year, this will make putting everything together for college applications much easier when the time comes!

Keep a list of all books used for subjects (textbooks, "whole books", research books, etc), co-op classes taken (if applicable), any other classes like a music class taken through a local high school, sports the student has participated in, activities such as involvement in community projects and "extra curricular activities (such as Debate, community symphony, 4-H... to name a few), all volunteer activities, etc.

If you keep this information on your computer, make hard copies as well as backing up your computer or you will lose it all and have to rewrite it from memory... ask me how I know.

Consider signing your child up for an SAT training class at a community college, high school (if that option is available), or online.  Also, many public school students I know who wanted to get into high level universities took the SATs more than once for practice and submitted their highest scores (you can take the SAT before your Junior year). 

Start learning about FAFSA (financial aid) forms the year before you have to fill them out.  Find a nice high school guidance counselor, community college counselor (who usually really knows about FAFSA), or even a college financial aid counselor if they are available.  FAFSA can be a pain the first time you fill the form out online but it is your friend.   Keep telling yourself that as you are tempted to throw something at your computer when you fill it out (unless you have an easier time than we did the first year!).

Consider taking community college classes (more about that in a later post).  Also, think out of the box when it comes to post-high school education.  Colleges are now very, very expensive so I would rethink sending a child who doesn't know what they want to do with their life directly to college unless you have thousands of dollars to throw away.  Few major universities these days have a general Freshmen curriculum, specialization begins the first semester and a change in major requires additional expensive years of college.

(Have you seen the statistics which were just announced?  Only 53% of college graduates from the past four years are employed full time.  Yes... just 53% at an average salary of $30,000 a year... and I wonder how many of those are in low paying jobs just to be working... having nothing to do with their studies.)

If the college your student wants to attend does not accept them, ask (very nicely, of course) why they were not accepted and if there is anything they can do to be considered at another time.  Christopher was not accepted at the University's School of Science even though he had been an honors student at the community college.  He kept going back and talking to people in their admissions department and was finally admitted on a trial basis... he went from being on trial to being in their honors program within months.  :)

With today's college expenses and social pitfalls (our university looks like Sodom and Gomorrah on weekends), I'd highly advise against sending my child there just to to "experience college" life or because that is where their friends are attending.  Unless one is studying science, engineering, medicine, etc... there are other options.  Even law students can take pre-law in a smaller college.

Do your homework about colleges and universities... even some Christian colleges have become party schools... and if the university your child wants to attend is rated in the Top Ten Party Schools of the country, you may want to do a lot of praying before sending them there.

Don't assume the "Christian" fraternity or sorority really is... my husband is on the Alumni Board of his former "Christian" fraternity and it has the reputation of being one of the worst party frats on campus these days.

Once your child has been accepted, find out about churches and ministries in that area and make contact ahead of time when you pay the school a visit.  I was quite impressed while working as a secretary to the senior pastor of a church when I received such a call from a parent, asking for information (which I was happy to give her).

Also, once your child has been accepted in the college or university where you know God wants them... buy some t-shirts and a poster, perhaps a bumper sticker... and celebrate!  Stay a part of their life, don't drop them off (hopefully the college is close enough for weekend visits now and then).  This is such an important time in their life when they are making life's major decisions... they still need mom and dad whether they know it or not.

Whatever God is really calling our children to become... He will provide all that is necessary for them to follow that path.  If He continues to close a door about a specific college, keep searching until you find where He wants the student to attend.  He knows a lot more of what they need then we do (even if we think we know what is best).

I believe that God is calling young people to be scientists and engineers and teachers and lawyers and political scientists and nurses and other professions which require advanced degrees.  But I also can already see where the person who is good at building things and fixing things will have WORK even in hard times (especially if they don't have to charge very high prices to cover college debt). 

So, how did we go from public school failure to University success?  Next time I will write about how we homeschooled an ADHD child and not only survived but enjoyed most days...  :)

*    Washington Post article about  "Tiger Mothers ""... here.   The famous Wall Street Journal article... here.

**  Thomas L. Friedman wrote a book called The World is Flat, in which he talks about how our children will be competing for education and jobs in a global market.

*** My two children are twelve years apart in age... God's idea... not mine.  Although it turned out just fine. 

Note:  I have no idea why some typos are appearing... they don't in the original post writing.  For instance, 6ine is still fine when I check and there are others showing up.  Weird...

Good Cheryl, bad sinuses

Congratulations to my long time bloggy friend, Cheryl (aka: Copperswife).  She's been telling us something new was up but I don't think any of us suspected a brand new blog site!  It is beautiful and so well put together. 

Cheryl not only blogs about homeschooling and homemaking but she has written some of the best advice about putting together a home library that I've read.

The brat beautiful friend told me a couple weeks ago that link wasn't working right and she was fixing it when I tried to link to the article.  Of course, it didn't work because she was working on her beautiful new Internet home. 

I know many of you already visit Copperswife but if you haven't, the link to her new blog site is... here.

The Heritage Library link is... here.   It is about the whys and wherefores of having our own home library.

As for the sinus issues... it is a very good thing I put dinner in the Crock Pot this morning.  This cold, damp weather has me literally under the weather.  I fell asleep at 1:30 and woke up at 3:30 only because the doorbell was ringing!  This plunge from hot to cold really gets to me. 

But it is the Midwest and it will change to heat again soon.  Of course it only got so cold again because most of us were tricked by the long range forecast into planting our tomatoes!

Blog posts for the next few days (God willing and the creek don't rise... or freeze) will be about homechooling.  Then next week I'll be asking for book and author recommendation LISTS.  If you want to offer recommendations and add prose, you can start e-mailing me at any time.  I just put in a new printer cartridge. 

Recommendations in Comments will be "list only" so it will be easy for me to go through them and get them to you quickly.

(((HUGS))) back to the sofa... oh, my head.  I'm moving to Aruba.

Mennonite Girls Can Cook, a cookbook review

I want to begin reviewing cookbooks which will help to stretch the food budget and I can't think of any better book to start with than Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

I was thrilled when I found out the ladies of my favorite food blog were writing a cookbook.  You know how sometimes you look forward to a book and it turns out to be such a let down?  Well, that didn't happen with this cookbook.

It is filled with easy to read heritage recipes as well as recent favorites, beautiful pictures... some of them showing the process of making the dish and many showng what the completed recipe would (or should) look like.  Because one of the ladies has celiac disease, there is a nice selection of gluten free recipes.

There is a  full page telling the story of each of the ten contributors as well as a selection of their popular Sunday Bread for the Journey writings.

One thing I must tell you regarding the heritage recipes, many are from a Russian-Eastern European background since the Canadian Mennonites (at least part of them) came from this area of the world.  I didn't know that!  Having said that... there are still lots and lots of great recipes the same as Americans are used to with Mennonite cooking.

As you can see, the instructions and pictures are clear, many of them just right for the beginning cook.  However, there are plenty of intermediate recipes and a few containing multiple steps to complete for the experienced cook.

I love to read cookbooks and this one offers spiritual as well as physical food.  :)

This book is highly recommended!  It is available at Amazon... here.  The proceeds the ladies receive are going to a charity which feeds the hungry.

Happy Birthday, David!

You will always be our favorite Hobbit.  :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

My ponderings this week came about by my reading... and watching.  Once again I was inspired to live a life of beauty while reading vintage Edith Schaeffer (Hidden Art of Homemaking this time around).

The re-reading took place mostly curled up on the living room sofa but also in the doctor's office... as well as at a table in Einstein's bagels (when I felt seriously low blood sugar coming on and had to stop for a carb before driving the rest of the way home)... which really was the truth but also an excellent excuse for snacking on a walnut strudel and good coffee.

Edith reminds us that if anyone should create beauty in their surroundings, it is one who is a follower of Christ... He who is the Creator of beauty.  We are made in the image of the creative God and having been originally born of the garden's soil find ourselves drawn to that which is lovely.

We may live in the most humble of neighborhoods but our home is an oasis of beauty in the neighborhood.  Our home will be free of fast food wrappers on the ground, weeds growing taller than the grass, broken toys thrown about and left for weeks on end, and windows left unwashed... we can do something rather than nothing at all.

I remember the town house we lived in for a couple of years when circumstances left us with few options for housing.  We dwelled in the middle of the four unit building with neighbors such as drunks, a woman we seriously believed was practicing the world's oldest profession, and a group of young people whom we suspected of having a meth lab in their basement (and the police raid indicated it could be true).

I must admit, I cried the first week we lived there but I soon found myself doing what I could with what there was to work with... and overlooking what could not be changed such as the huge trash container sitting beside each front door.

I washed my front window and placed a thrifted garden bench below it, which was all the front "yard" we had.  Flowers in pots were soon sitting on the bench and a wreath placed on the front door.  The result was astonishing and cost nothing... our place definitely stood out as a little garden in the midst of depravity and dirt.

These memories came back this week as I pulled weeds in the side yard, cleaned the front porch of its' winter dirt, planted the garden, and admired how nice the front yard looked after hubby mowed the lawn.  I will never stop thanking God for our house at the edge of the forest.

I've waxed poetic about the reading so where does the watching come in?  Here...

When looking out my kitchen window early one morning, the outside world appeared all dark and rainy and gloomy.  As I looked around, however, I realized my favorite tree was standing out in the darkness as if one had sprinkled florescent fairy dust on its' leaves... literally light in the darkness.

I must admit these pictures cannot even begin to show the brightness of the dogwood on a rainy day but trust me when I say... it is gorgeous.  Each spring since we've lived here, the blooming of the dogwood tree has been met with great rejoicing, not only for its' beauty but that brightness it brings in the season of rain.

As I was standing at my kitchen sink, staring at the way the dogwood tree lit up the dreary surroundings... I thought of Edith's words in the book I was reading.  We are to be like the dogwood tree in a gloomy and dark world as we brighten all around us just by bringing His presence to our own little part of the world.

The dogwood doesn't have to do anything special, it just as to be itself... that for which it was created and blooming in just the right season.

Which is what  we do as we plant the seeds and hang the ivy and sweep the sidewalk and paint the front door.  For some all that can be done is plant morning glories at the base of the porch and look forward to the vines wrapping around the lattice or grow red geraniums in the window box.  I have spent grocery money for a hanging plant on the front porch but the flowers made my heart sing the entire summer. :)

As Edith would say, if one dreams of the English cottage (or the posh condo, or the house in the gorgeous neighborhood) and does nothing with what they have at the moment... they are wasting precious days when something is better than that which would be perfect... and they brighten their lives and their surroundings.

I think living in that townhouse was much like being the dogwood tree in spring as other neighbors set flowers out and hung a vine and swept away the trash left by those who didn't care.  Children were invited in to the small kitchen and would comment on that which was pretty as they ate homemade cookies.  An easy-to-understand version of the Bible was given to the drunk next door (along with a birthday cake) and one of the young men in the "meth apartment" was encouraged to return home to his worried parents.

I was still able to walk two or three miles a day during those years and my favorite route took me through one of the posh neighborhoods with gorgeous yards and beautiful surroundings.  I must admit there were times I walked back to the ugly apartments and town houses with great sadness but knowing that was where God had planted us for that time and that moment to touch those lives... and to bring beauty in the midst of that darkness.

The dogwood is now losing its' blossoms and very soon all traces of pastel colors will be replaced by the vibrant flowers of summer.  Even the tall trees in the forest are becoming thick with leaves and my world is once again shades of green... and all my surroundings remind me there is a Creator.

Clarification!

I'm not quitting blogging!  The e-mail that was resent to those who receive the blog posts through e-mail subscription was from weeks ago when I was so frustrated with comments. 

No... that is behind me and I have calmed down since then.  I don't usually let myself get so frustrated with snarky comments but the two times I almost decided to quit blogging (the other a couple years ago) was when I felt the comment/s were attacking me as a person instead of my ideas.  :)

Hey... you can disagree with ideas all you want!

Poor Blogger... I'm surprised it works as good as it does most of the time.  Christopher is studying to be a computer scientist and I remember the fall semester project when a group of them were going over their code with a fine tooth comb and could not figure out what was causing the problem.  He ended up having a friend not taking the class look through it and he was able to spot their trouble... one line in the middle of hundreds of line of code caused it not to work properly!

Speaking of said student... he pulled off four A's and one C+ this semester.  The C+ being in Statistics which is a little embarrassing with a Quality Assurance Engineer dad (who used to live and breath statistics) and a brother-in-law with a PhD in statistics.

The Stat class suffered when he had three finals in twenty-four hours, two of which were in his core curriculum which he had to do well in to keep any chance of scholarships... the Stat class notes received a brief perusal or otherwise he would get a B!

The pantry lifestyle (Repost)

As I've put together pantries through the years, thought about them, studied other people's pantries, etc... I have come to the conclusion that there is a pantry personality.  I know in my case it was inherited but some seem to have caught it as one finds themselves with a cold after spending time with a sneezing friend.  Either way, it's not a bad gene to have been birthed or caught.

One develops a stocking up way of thinking and after many successes and failures, comes to know what works for their family and... what does not.  A person with the pantry gene finds it hard to pay full price for a can of tomatoes or deboned chicken breasts for they are always on the hunt for the stock up sales, knowing these two items have a rotational sale calendar.

Their purchases are made when that certain price shows up in the grocery store newspaper section.  Other items are more elusive in their stock up prices so an extra can or two or jar or two or sack or two... whatever... find their way in our grocery carts when we have a little extra grocery money to work with... such as the large size of mild olive oil.

Sometimes it requires a lot extra with the co-op orders for those fortunate enough to have one in their community.  One may be eating out of their pantry as they fork over that $100 (or more) check but the return is much like a garden where one plants a seed and ends up with dozens of zucchini.... when the 25 lb. and 50 lb. bags of grains arrive, along with all natural raw sugar, honey, and other basic ingredients... one feels much like the pioneer women of old as they pour enough oats for the entire season in their waiting buckets.

The pantry lifestyle manifests itself in the way we love to cook as we tend to shop the pantry to see what is available and in the cookbooks we peruse.  While I love glossy cookbooks and I do enjoy getting caught up in the occasional long recipe... I find myself stopping most often at the recipe which is simple and based on ingredients I normally keep on hand.  I love to find new recipes which use pantry favorites.

I have found ethnic cookbooks with real and not Americanized recipes to be treasure troves of simple and inexpensive ideas.  So are cookbooks with stories by those closest to the dirt... farm men and women, Amish and Mennonite ladies (especially their mother's and grandmother's passed down recipes), regional cookbooks, whole foods cookbooks, etc.  

There are many new-ish cookbooks out today inspired by the return to locally grown non-processed foods... such as those by Jamie Oliver... albeit their recipes may not all be inexpensive but the simplest among them are (not to mention they provide great ideas from which one can piggy back and steal borrow).

I must admit my pantry has changed through the years just with the various stages of our life.  Since most of my cooking is done for hubby and I these days, you will find more bean (and other legume) dishes on the table. Christopher does not like most beans although I believe it is the texture of most he does not like because he is crazy about hummus and tolerates a few black beans in burritos and tacos.  :)

Since we are having many more vegetarian meals, the pantry lifestyle has come to include a small garden.  It definitely is time to bring back the Victory Garden and the enemy is the rising cost of food everything... and plastic tomatoes in winter.  Our small backyard garden provides seasonal fresh veggies and much needed exercise.  Each year I am surprised by how much even a small garden can produce. 

Thanks to my son and daughter (and their friends), I have been introduced to a variety of ethnic foods and spices which make my heart sing and often my pocketbook, too, for many tend to be fully vegetarian or use small amounts of meat.  I often smile when using cardamon, coriander, garam masala, and even simple garlic or ginger for these were foreign to my mother's kitchen (garlic powder and ground ginger, yes... real garlic or ginger, no).

Of course, having that pantry gene colors every area of my life and when you combine it with the inherited (and now refined through the years) thrift gene... well, it is an adventure waiting to happen... and skills we all need more of in this season of food shortages and increasing costs.  There is always something new to learn or long unused skills to dust off and bring back.

I have learned not to put off basic skills until I may need them later (baking bread, gardening, canning, and all kinds of important "from scratch" skills) for we become better at everything we do the more we actually do it.  At least I learn better from hands on experience.

Have you ever been handed down a recipe from a mother or grandmother and wondered why it does not taste the same when you make it?   After years and years of cooking, I have come to realize a large part of a recipe is not shown on a card or typed in an e-mail... it is the experience in making the dish.

I've been thinking of this as Christopher wants some cooking lessons before moving into his own apartment (with friends) come August.  How do I get him to understand the importance of browning the meat before making the soup or how bread feels when it has been kneaded enough or when to take the skillet off the electric burner and just let the omelet set a few minutes or what a cake looks like in the oven when it is done?  All skills needing practice.

Actually, I have enjoyed learning the old skills in this modern world.  I started making bread when we lived in Married Student Housing at the University long long ago... and continued from there (wishing I had learned even more through the years!)

Rather than letting ourselves get all upset about today's fiscal realities, we can do what the women of old did as they rolled up their sleeves and decided they would not only survive but do so with a certain amount of... panache.

I was just reminding my husband recently, there is a reason the kitchens of the 30s and 40s were so bright and colorful... the women needed the cheerful surroundings in the midst of war and Depression... my kitchen fits in just fine as does my 2011 Victory Garden.  :)

I think Blogger is haunted...

I couldn't get on Blogger for about a day and a half and when I returned, the recent Pantry post was gone.

I had started it earlier in the week and saved in draft to add a few paragraphs.  Instead of the published post, the draft now shows up in the list of posts as it was written earlier... without the additional paragraphs... as if there was never the final published post!

I've had Blogger do some strange things before but never this.  Fortunately, I have the original post that I can restore and republish (hopefully tomorrow) since I have a copy sent to me through e-mail subscription.

Speaking of the subscription... an old post came through on the subscription e-mail today!  A post from weeks and weeks ago.  Did anyone else who subscribes through e-mail get that one?

NOTE:  I went to Known Issues for Blogger and they say the missing blog posts will be restored... they had to temporarily take off all blog posts published after a certain time.  That still doesn't explained the old blog post being sent to those who subscribe.  Computers...

This and that and other stuff

Some of you have written that you are storing teacups in drawers!

Weather in the Midwest is often unpredictable but going from having our furnace on at night a few days ago to a temperature of 87 degrees as I type is just too weird... even for us.  Fortunately we are to get back to normal (or even a little below) by the weekend.

I am working on the yard and the garden a little at a time this week.  Hubby did his usual excellent job of getting the soil all ready for me yesterday and I was hoping to plant green bean seeds today but it was just too hot.  I did do some tweaking to the herb garden but otherwise spent all my outside time pulling weeds and pruning thorny bushes (ouch!) in our front yard where it was cooler.

I will put the hummus and Jerusalem salad recipes on my recipe blog soon, along with the requested recipe for my macaroni and cheese.  I tend to not measure when making mac and cheese so I need to make it again and pay attention to what I'm doing. ;)

I learned about Jerusalem salad from the menus of Middle Eastern restaurants near campus.  As I told Stephanie over the phone, twenty years ago I had no idea I'd be researching hummus recipes!  Israeli salad is very similar to Jerusalem salad but it does not have tahini in the lemony dressing and the recipe calls for the addition of chopped onions. 

They are both delicious as well as healthy... and they'll get cheaper when tomatoes are in season.  Hubby has decided he loves this food but will never understand our passion for Indian dishes.  Of course, this is the man who thinks cinnamon is spicy! 

Hmmm.... there were a couple of other items I wanted to write about.  I'd forgotten about a friend's question regarding the British comedy from the 1970s that is a favorite.  It is called Good Neighbors and it's about a couple who decide to become self sufficient while living in the city.  You can find more about it... here. 

If you like British comedy you will like this.  If you remember the self sufficiency movement in the 1970s and wondered what it would be like to try it in the city... you will like this.  British comedy (even back then) can be just a little edgy and "raw" but absolutely nothing like what can be found on TV today. 

Also, I know there are e-mails that were never answered.  For some of them, I just got behind and could not catch up during that month I wasn't feel well.  Then I found a number of e-mails in the Spam folder that I'm sure were "good"... but I still didn't open them.  Sometimes the Spam folder gets a hic up and throws a bunch of e-mails in there that are not at all Spammy.  If you had a specific question, write again!  :)

Third... an announcement about another Book and Film Recommendation.  Some of you know I've been working off and on for a year now to put together the second round of recommendations from your comments.  However, I just have not found the time to go through twenty-five (or more) pages of comments to assemble the recommendations.

So... I'm going to be asking you again in a couple of weeks (not now!) and this time I'll have you just to list them in Comments and then if you want to explain anything, send me an e-mail.  That way I can quickly get the list assembled and posted.  Be thinking of your favorite authors... nonfiction, and fiction.  I'll be more specific at the time I ask for them.

Speaking of favorite authors, I'm re-reading Hidden Art (aka: The Hidden Art of Homemaking) by Edith Schaeffer most probably for the 10,357th time.  One of my all time favorite books.  :)

The Goldilocks gene

Did you have a nice Mother's Day?  The guys took me out to a new Italian restaurant.  Our final destination decided after two days of going back and forth... and a decision was only made close to 2:00 on Sunday due to my blood sugar dropping dangerously (it was a great excuse to order garlic bread for an appetizer).

I would say it is a defective gene from the gene pool but two of us do not share any DNA... our indecision about restaurants is only related by marriage.  I call it the Goldilocks gene and it can be frustrating whether one inherits it or receives it when the marriage vows are exchanged.  It came from my side of the family.

One could say our indecisiveness is due to a desire to celebrate on a tight budget but that doesn't explain when I'd pick Stephanie up to have lunch together when we lived in the same town.  Ten minutes of her lunch hour would be taken up with where to go for a meal... and we usually ended up at the same places... sigh.  The problem could be the plethora of restaurants to choose from in our town.

Anyway, the pizza was delicious and exactly what my tummy had sent out for... even if for awhile my brain didn't figure it out.  It turned out to be a nice day with an excellent excuse to be lazy and read far into the wee hours of this morning.

This was the first day of summer mode with finals behind "us" (I say us since they affect the family schedule!) and Christopher's working full time at his job which was originally designing Apps for smart phones but has morphed since then.  This summer he will carry both his full time job and part-time hours doing research in computer security for the University,

I've been tweaking my hummus recipe as well as researching Jerusalem salad recipes.  I made both today and all three of us agreed the hummus is now achieving excellence, a result of reading lots of advice online and from my cookbooks.  The Jerusalem salad turned out pretty good but Christopher and I had some ideas to tweak the tahini sauce to make it more like what they serve at his favorite Middle Eastern restaurant... which now costs $4.95 for a side serving!

It is all part of my quest to make yummy restaurant food cheaper at home... and the side benefit is that we don't have to decide where to go!  ;)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

To everything there is a season, 

A time for every purpose under Heaven.

Ecclesiastics 3:1

An interview with a Christian politician sparked my ponderings this week.  He and his wife were considering a return to political life because... as he said, "I feel I can still make a difference".  For some reason (and who knows what makes my brain work the way it does... shiver), memories flooded back to that time in my late teens when I was part of a Christian coffeehouse ministry.

I think it may have been the comment the graduate student who headed up the ministry said to my mother, "Brenda runs in where angels fear to tread".  In some ways, that was true of my generation... especially those of us who were part of the Jesus Movement.

So many of were wooed by the One Who Created Us, who came out of families who did not attend church, we who were  radically saved... a completely different person after saying yes to the Cross.  Our heroes were as diverse as Francis Schaeffer sharing with skeptics in the mountains of Switzerland to David Wilkerson facing street gangs in the streets of New York.

My thoughts went to the difference between then and today and the years in between.  For looking back, I have come to realize the seasons of life and how they change.  There were many years of running in where angels feared to tread, of ministry as well as community involvement, corporate politics and national politics and those important issues which made my heart sing.

There have been seasons of life when there was too much to do and too little time (or so it seemed).  There were seasons of constantly being surrounded by people and those of living in places where I knew no one and extended  family was far away.  There were seasons of plenty and seasons of lack... but most were in between.

All different seasons in life... but all a part of the journey He had planned all along.  Some of which I embraced and others I'd rather give back... but each season of life filled with mercy and grace... and each necessary to walk through before the next bend in the road.

A famous Christian leader once talked about how each major change in his life was met with great difficulty.  He said it reminded him of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in the movie, The Right Stuff... the plane was shaking and it appeared all was about to break apart and then... all was calm. 

Sigh... I no longer run in where angels fear to tread physically but the current season doesn't require that kind of physical and emotional strength... the battles are fought in prayer as opposed to in person.  This is a season of staying home and doing what I can with what I have. 

Most of the time I get more sleep than I did with small children at home (except this past two weeks as I get up early to wake up the finals student).   The house is far easier to keep clean than the toddler years and my reading is all what I choose now that we are past homeschooling.

Seasons of life change and sometimes moving from one to another seems like the airplane is falling apart but it never does.  Not as long as our lives are based on the Rock and not built in shifting sand.  There may appear to be cracks in the structure and the winds are about to blow the windows in and the instrument panel is going a little crazy and just when we think we cannot take the changes any more... He brings the Calm.

Each season of life has its' good and not so great but if He is in charge, each is leading us to hearing those longed for words, "Well done good and faithful servant".  He isn't asking for perfection, he only asks us to remain faithful in each season.

Each season has the grace for only that time and looking back... reliving events and decisions made and what people said and dumb things we did and mean things others did and the woulda's and shoulda's and coulda's... will only cause us to not have the mercy and grace and joy in today's season of living. 

Yesterday is past and there is nothing we can do to change it.  Tomorrow's manna of grace has yet to be provided.  Today, right now, this moment in time... that place we have in our present journey... we can walk through today with strength... He has promised only that.

A little pantry talk... stocking up and sticker shock

It feels like spring!  For the first time this season, I could go outside without a jacket and feel comfortable.  It has been a long... long... long winter.

Thanks for the suggestions about the cake mix combinations.  I have combined pumpkin and yellow cake mix before and a friend has served me a cake made with the spice cake-pumpkin mix.  Very good!  The base of the cherry chocolate cake on my recipe blog is German chocolate cake mix combined with a can of cherry pie filling.  I love having options for pantry meals and desserts.

I must admit, I've been a cake snob and usually like to make mine from scratch.  However, when I made a cake recently using a yellow cake mix and frosted it with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting... Christopher said it was the best cake I've made in awhile.  Sigh...  I may overlook the list of ingredients and keep Cool Whip in the freezer, too.  ;)

This past week has brought two phone conversations about the price of food and stocking up. One of my best friends called earlier today, my friend who lives in the desert in New Mexico.  She called with a question about yeast and ended up talking for over an hour about crazy weather, the small earthquakes they have been experiencing, and the need to be prepared for anything.

Their water situation is now critical so it may necessitate a move to another state.  She is always interesting to talk with, sometimes it is hard to believe we live in the same country with her surroundings so different than mine.

Speaking of yeast... a quick answer to a question I'd forgotten about!  I use Saf-instant yeast, purchased in 16 ounce blocks.  I keep mine in the refrigerator in an ancient Tupperware canister except for just a little kept in a glass jar on my shelf to keep at room temperature for immediate use.  My yeast has lasted two years in the refrigerator this way.  Stephanie uses the same yeast and she keeps the block in the freezer before opening it (also refrigerating it once it is open).  This yeast has never failed me!

The second conversation about food and such this week was with said daughter... talking about keeping a family of seven fed at a reasonable cost.  We agreed we both need to look at ways families stretched meals in the past.  For instance, when I was growing up there was often bread on the table, especially when Mom was serving a crowd.

My mother-in-law also served bread with each meal (both mothers went through the Depression when they were very young).  Italian cooks prepare lots of inexpensive pasta and French families learned to love snails.  I am happy to make healthy bread and serve good quality pasta but not so much the whole "snails as food" thing.

The conversation with Stephanie was hours after I'd arrived home from Wal Mart and had sticker shock at the price of food... at Wal Mart!  I had read the article by the Wal Mart executive who said their prices would increase sharply come summer.  It is not summer and I'm already shocked.  My husband had given me $40.00 to purchase a few items we were out of and even though I'm good at stretching the grocery dollar... it didn't go very far.

The cost of a gallon of gasoline is around $4.25 a gallon here and that certainly hurts us all!  I can't imagine what it means to the trucks carrying food and supplies as diesel fuel is often more expensive.  No wonder cauliflower was nearly $4.00 a pound the last time I looked for it at Kroger (and did not buy it, I may add).

Christopher took me out to lunch recently and the same lunch that cost us just $12.00 a few months ago now cost over $18.00.  He was telling me it was the first time he had been there since the prices had raised but he knew it was coming, they had to just to keep the restaurant open.  Even then, he was surprised at how much the increase was for the same amount of food.

In many ways, this reminds me of the years I was a new bride and inflation was playing havoc with our budgets.  But it also has that feeling of what my mother talked about in the Depression.  At least in the 70s, the wages usually were increasing at the same time... not so for most people now and one in ten Americans is still out of work.

So... now that I've depressed everyone... what am I trying to say... again.  :)

Everything we can do to stock up a little (or a lot) will save us money down the road... and it is insurance we can eat.  I had to overcome the inability to stock up very much and realize anything I do helps in the long run.  I've also decided to do my own fight against inflation by looking through cookbooks and such to see how generations made it through the Depression years ago... and how those with less opportunities do so today (for instance, in the More-With-Less cookbook).

Now... I must also do my part by getting the small garden planted, we had frost recently but the long term forecast looks warmer.  There is a break in the rain to hopefully get some hoeing done in preparation for planting.  Except for the raised bed with my herbs... all I am growing right now are weeds!

Picture:  Cookbook and apples; allposters.com