Miscellany

Miscellany-- noun. A miscellaneous collection of various or somewhat unrelated items.

Olio-- noun. A synonym for miscellany, meaning a mixture of heterogeneous elements; hodgepodge. Also a fun sounding word. Try to use it.

I had so much fun putting together a little miscellany last time, I thought I'd do it again...

I love his simple honesty~

Jacob: "This was a really hard day."
me: "Why was it so hard?"
Jacob: "I just wanted it to be a really special day for me. I just wanted to eat watermelon. Lots and lots."

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Chemical-free home deodorizing tip~

In a saucepan, simmer a halved lemon, a sprig or two of rosemary, and a dash of vanilla.  Just add more water as it evaporates, but don't forget to turn your element off before leaving or going to bed! Apparently this is the Williams-Sonomas store trick.

In the winter time, the same method works well with orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves.

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From my point of view at the table~

After a 13 hour work day for Jon, Jacob was glad to see his daddy. He climbed up the back of Jon's chair in the middle of dinner to hang out.

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Helen Keller said~

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."  

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold."

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."  (This one makes me think of motherhood, yes?)

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A typical week of laundry~

This does not include the pile to be ironed, the bedsheets, and 13-14 beach towels which were washed during the week. Still, laundry is a chore I don't really mind doing.

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Regarding interruptions~

They are an unavoidable part of life. 

For instance, in between loads of laundry this afternoon, I sat down to add to this post. In the few minutes I sat there, boy after boy came in to ask for something, or to tell me something, or to ask me to watch them. You know how it is. Then Olivia asked if I could help her paint her toe nails from the other room. As I walked toward her, Andrew came down with a shaky voice and tears in his eyes. Leaving Olivia, I followed Andrew into his room so he could tell me what was upsetting him. He had switched the night light bulb with his flashlight bulb --just to see if it worked. The current burnt the night light, flashed a spark, and blew a fuse. There was a burnt smell, the bedroom and hallway lights weren't working, and he was upset by what he had done. While I was talking to him, the other boys came by and inquired in a way that lacked sensitivity to their brother, and so I was interrupted to deal with them. And the day goes on in like fashion. Round and round and round!

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Encouragement to press on with teaching God's Word to your kids, even when they don't seem engaged or when you don't know if you're doing it "right"~

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:14-16

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my moth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:10-11

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Some words I've had to learn to understand what my kids were saying~

Selluce = lettuce + salad

Blowhedge = tumble weed

Stample = staple

Nose Goggles = snorkeling mask

Cajuzzi = jacuzzi 

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John Calvin said~

"All the gifts which we possess have been bestowed by God and entrusted to us on condition that they be distributed for our neighbor's benefit."

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On encouraging our kids (and others), and bringing hope~

Look for ways in which the Lord is working in the life of others and encourage them. Give them hope. Faults and failures are obvious. Give hope. Jesus is our hope!

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On keeping kids busy~

Aim to furnish your kids with lots of possibilities for creativity. Be a model of a hard worker; find joy in the work God sets before you. Both work and play are gifts from the Lord.

Boredom is laziness or a lack of creativity.

Here are just a few of the activities that kept the kids busy yesterday...

Scooter-boarding? 

Homemade slime 

Elmer's glue + food coloring + 1 tsp. Borax + Water = Hours and hours of play

Best for an outdoor activity on a clean table.

Andrew's love of various paper creations persists, including Chinese throwing stars. Here he has joined multiple stars to create this piece:

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On prayer~

Pray with thankfulness, even when it seems to be difficult to find the good. For example:

"thank you for sustaining his life"

"thank you for opportunity to teach, by word and example"

"thank you that he is not deceived; he is not pretending to believe"

"thank you that you are mighty to save."

Pray openly and honestly. After all, God already knows your sorry state. Come clean, admit, be humble... and find grace.

"And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account."  Hebrew 4:13

Prayer helps me to rely on Him rather than myself.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:14-16

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Summer reading list:

A Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise (Because I need all the help I can get)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Because Olivia will be reading it in the fall, and, to my shame, I've never read it before. It's a lovely book, and I'm appreciating it from a mother's perspective. I want to be like Marmee!)

Freckles by Gene Stratonn-Porter (Our current audiobook in the car. This one is a sweet story, with characters you'd want your kids to look up to.)

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (Because I've avoided it long enough for being too far out there! It is eye-opening to say the least.)

I recently read Anti-Cancer by David Servan-Schreiber  after a friend recommended it to me. The sections on food and nutrition, exercise, and chemical and cosmetic products were very helpful to me (and therefore to the family). I did, however, skip the portions on group therapy and spirituality for obvious reasons.

The author of this book encourages the use of soy. For many years I have avoided most soy products, but the wealth of scientific evidence he used to support his argument caused me to change my mind for a few weeks. After a little more investigation, I'm back to a no-soy position.

It made me realize I can be easily convinced by something that is in print. And, it makes me love the truth of God's Word all the more. Real truth. Always and forever true. Never changing with new scientific discoveries. 

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His last question before I kissed him goodnight: "Can you please give me another zerbert in my armpit?"

Of course I gave him lots more.

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Our church has a little children's choir that my kids participate in. I love it because they have learned several hymns together, and the lyrics stay on their minds. I often hear one of the boys singing an old song as he plays or goes about his work.

Michael had a fun idea this week: "Imagine if all the kids sang We Are The Free! What if we danced, too?!" That would be awesome. You can listen to the song here.

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Because someday my name won't be the one that comes to mind first~

Neither will his dad's...

(Apparently writing upside down and in the reflection of the mirror was a little confusing when it came to spelling and letter formation... To me it only adds to the charm.)

And because Jacob's 5 year old body is deliciously tough looking~

Andrew, of course, is much too mature (and shy) for such silly photo shoots!

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On a personal note~

I started Physical Therapy this week, and I'm delighted with my therapist, the program, and my prospects! She even wants me to start running, so I'm testing out short runs. Things are looking up!

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me this past month!


Good night.

~Katherine