Week in Review

At the end of each week, I like to focus on specific blessings and particular favorites from the previous seven days.  Here are a number of them from this past week ...

1.  A New Concoction - On my quest to cook and eat more nutritiously, I tried a recipe this week for Speedy Hoppin' John Salad.  The kids gave it rave reviews, and I liked it, too.  For lunch one day, I spooned some over fresh spinach leaves and didn't even need a salad dressing.  Here's what it looks like:

1  (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 TBSP. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Combine the peas, bell peppers, celery, red onion, vinegar, oil, thyme, salt, and ground pepper in a large bowl.  Serve at once or refrigerate, covered, with plastic wrap overnight.

I'd like to adapt it by using dried, soaked peas instead of canned ones to cut down on the sodium.

2.  Country Roads - I enjoyed a drive in the country with Elinor Jane to buy wheat berries from some friends.  EJ and I saw curtains of cardinals during the wooded ride, and we both enjoyed the one-hour visit with our friends as well.

3.  Fifteenth Time's a Charm? - I tend to buy cheap vacuums (if you call $100 cheap) that break down after a year to a year-and-a-half.  Our current vacuum is only seven months old, and it already bit the dust.  This time, however, instead of high-tailing it to Stuff Mart for another "cheap" machine, I did some research and went with a higher-end appliance as well as a brand I have never tried before.  Here's the newest member of our cleaning crew:

 

We'll see how this guy fares.  If he doesn't last at least five years, I'm thinking of investing in a half-a-dozen low-snarfing dogs to take over this irksome task.

4.  Errands with Christiana - I can't tell you what a joy it has been to take along a different child with me each week on Errand Day.  Christiana and I had a fantastic time together.  She helped me with my lists, got some practice for future homemaking skills (shopping for food and household items is a 200-level home ec class around here), and acquired a few new goodies as well.

5.  I Love These - I use these Post-it Page Markers on library books to mark sections that I want to write down/quote.  They are also handy to stick on cash with a note jotted on them as to how the money is to be used (e.g., "boys' haircuts," "ILL books," "MB's pay jobs," etc.) since I burn through cash at an alarming speed.

6.  I Love These, Too -  I'm convinced these Ticonderoga pencils are the best brand on the planet.  They sharpen well and write smoothly, and their erasers don't smear what they're suppose to erase.  

7.  Drained But Not Depleted -This was a chaotic week, and I'm glad it's almost over.  However, in a similar vein as 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (sort of), I'm not out of oomph, thanks to the life of Christ in me.


Be thankful.

The Week in Words

Melissa has begun hosting The Week in Words at Breath of Life.  To play, one must - "Write a post of the quote(s) that spoke to you during the week (attributed, of course) and link back here. They can be from any written source, i.e. magazine, newspaper, blog, book. The only requirement is that they be words you read."

I love quotes.  Favorite words and phrases constantly leap off the page at me, so this weekly carnival is right up my alley.  Here are my leaping words and phrases from the past week ...

1.  Joseph is one of my favorite men in the Bible, and from my daily Bible reading last week, I again came across his words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20 (ESV) --

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good ...

Most Christians can probably relate to those words on a personal level.  I know I can, and they're a great comfort to me.

2.  One of my New Year's resolutions/changes/new habits is to cook and eat healthier, and Michael Pollan's little gem of a book -- Food Rules -- was both instructive and entertaining.  Rule Number 20 is one of my favorites:

It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.

3.  I have been reading through some James Thurber books, and one of my favorites is The Great Quillow.  The ten councilmen of New Moon Street (and Quillow the Toymaker) are ready to drive a wagon of supplies to Hunder, the extorting giant.

[Quillow] climbed up on the wagon and the blacksmith spoke to each horse in turn. (Their names were Lobo, Bolo, Olob, and Obol.)

What beautiful anagrams!

Did you read anything that leapt out at you last week?

Friday's Faves

At the end of each week, I like to focus on some specific blessings and particular favorites from the previous seven days.  Here are a few of them from this past week ...

1.  Date with Mr. Knightley -- Mr. Knightley took me to dinner at one restaurant and to dessert at another.   We had a wonderful time, but I tell you, if there is a recession going on, our little village hasn't heard about it.  We had to drive to three different places before we could find one without a line that snaked out the door and into the parking lot with a one-hour wait.

2.  My Hero ... On a Number of Levels - After spending another unsettled night in the recliner while seven-year-old Rocko fitfully slept on the couch with a 102-degree fever and occasionally vomited into a lined trash can, I had a similar evening with him that I did with THJ last month.

The good news is, Mr. Knightley was able to work from home the next day, so I could again stumble back to the bedroom in the early morning hours and crash in my warm, cozy, soft, inviting bed for some restorative sleep.  Even as we age, he continues to rescue me.

3.  An Advantage of Old Age?  -- Thanks to some credit I forgot I had at Audible.com, I was able to get three audiobooks this week.  I've got a lot to listen to now.

4.  A New Approach --Since I developed my high heel hankerings later in life (after 40), I'd love to continue donning fashionable footwear into my 80s, which means I'll probably be spending most of my Social Security checks on shoes.

Just kidding.  Everyone knows Social Security won't be around when I get there.

My current favorite stilettos have one major problem:  my heels repeatedly slip out of them.  I have tried several heel cushions (all of which have failed to work), but when I popped into my local shoe repair store, one of the owners attacked the problem from the opposite direction and suggested these:

I now stride in confidence with no fear of stepping out of my pumps.

5.  Not for the Faint of Heart - I am grateful to have survived a jaunt into The Big City this week.  I venture in that direction as little as possible these days, which is interesting since I used to work in the heart of downtown twenty years ago and could maneuver those streets in the dark as I steered with my knees, applied mascara with one hand, and tuned the car radio with the other (Note to EJ & MB:  Do Not Ever Drive This Way!).

Now I choose to simply perambulate among two or three of our metropolis's four boroughs.  But because the best music stores are in The Big City and because our piano teacher ordered a music book for MB that I needed to pick up before next week, I braved the hub with its puke-inducing on-ramps and hazardous traffic.

I watched in my rear view mirror as driver after driver would ride my bumper a few seconds, then throw up his or her hands and whip around me in a rage, even though I was already traveling at a speed that was a smidge more than the law allowed.

I remembered reading an article several years ago that claimed that this very city ranked as one of the top ten places where folks would not honk at you if you didn't immediately progress through a green light.  Based on this day's driving experience, I figured it was because, rather than waste time using the horn, these daredevils would simply barrel right over you.

When I finally reached my village again, I thanked God that I made it home alive.  Life is a beautiful thing.


I hope everyone has a wonderful, healthful weekend.  Be thankful!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In case you didn't catch it, there are hidden segues in my fave fives again this week.  What I didn't include in the above enumerated list was:

Mr. K on a date (also - Mr. K at night)
Mr. K as a hero, even into old age (also - Mr. K in the morning, even into old age)
Old age advantage
Old age footwear/striding in confidence
Confidence necessary for driving in The Big City

Thank you! Thank you very much!  :-)

Read-Aloud Thursday

I am participating again this week in Read-Aloud Thursday hosted by Amy at Hope is the Word.  I even remembered to include the sign/banner/thingy this week.

In my attempt to remind myself to use the wonderful literature-based curriculum called Five in a Row a second time around (with my boys this time), I am reviewing the picture books used in FIAR Volume 1.  This week's title is Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.

I love this book.  I always have.  When Elinor Jane was a toddler, and I was 13 months pregnant with Mockingbird, EJ used to sit in my lap, and I would read and read and read and read.  When the last of my brain cells would finally give out, and I could hardly stay awake, I would close my eyes and, with book in hand, recite all of our favorite stories from memory.  I even knew when to turn the pages.  Madeline was one of those books.

In an old house in Paris
that was covered with vines
lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.

In two straight lines they broke their bread
and brushed their teeth
and went to bed.

In this book, twelve little girls live in an orphanage in Paris with a caretaker nun, Miss Clavel.  As the youngest -- albeit most fearless -- of the girls, mischievous Madeline keeps Miss Clavel on her toes, especially when she finds her circumstances drastically changed one night.

In recent years, I have read reviews on Madeline that were very unfavorable.  I don't remember exactly what it was about the book that folks objected to, but when someone disliked this title, they strongly disliked it.

But not me.  I like the rhyme and the cadence.  I like that it is set in Paris.  I even like the illustrations, which aren't great art, but somehow fit the story. 

If you haven't read it yet, I won't offer any spoilers, but I will say that one of my favorite lines is

and a crack on the ceiling had the habit
of sometimes looking like a rabbit.

That page always makes me smile for some reason.

 What have you been reading aloud lately?

The Week in Words

Thanks to Amy at Hope is the Word, I learned about a new weekly carnival that is right up my alley -- The Week in Words at Breath of Life.  Melissa's rules are simple:  "Write a post of the quote(s) that spoke to you during the week (attributed, of course) and link back here. They can be from any written source, i.e. magazine, newspaper, blog, book. The only requirement is that they be words you read."

I'm getting in the game late today because I just found out about it, but play I must.

1.  From my Bible reading, I'm highlighting Job 12:2 when Job was answering an onslaught from his "comforters":

No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.

Zinger!

2.  A bumper sticker that read:

YOUNG AT HEART
Slightly older in some other places

3.  My girls have an incredible piano teacher.  She's an understanding, compassionate Christian, and she gave us the following quote (in writing!) from Alan Redpath:

There is nothing
-- no circumstance, no trouble, no testing --
that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ
right through to me.

If it has come that far,
it has come with great purpose,
which I may not understand at the moment. 
But as I refuse to become panicky,
as I lift my eyes up to Him
and accept it as coming from the throne of God
for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart,
no sorrow will ever disturb me,
no trial will ever disarm me,
no circumstances will cause me to fret,
for I shall rest in the joy of Who my Lord is.

Many thanks to Melissa for hosting this carnival of quotes.

Challah

I intended to post this recipe many weeks ago, but alas ...

I have been making challah for over twenty years.  It was only a few years ago, however, that a friend told me that it wasn't pronounced with a "ch" sound at the beginning, but a guttural "h".  I got the recipe from a co-worker at an electric corporation who got the recipe from her mom.  They didn't know how to pronounce it either.  In fact, they didn't even know it was called challah.  The title on the card simply said, "Light Bread."

Challah isn't difficult to make, but it is a multi-step, three-hour-ish process.  And the results are delicious.

Several months ago, I adapted the recipe for the Bosch mixer, and it cut a substantial amount of time out of the preparation.  It also made the prettiest loaves I've ever seen.

First, here is the original recipe:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening

2 tsp. salt

1 c. hot milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. warm water

2 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) active dry yeast

6 - 6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1.  Place sugar, shortening, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2.  Add hot milk; stir to soften.

3.  Beat eggs; add to mixture.

4.  Soften yeast in warm water; add to mixture.

5.  Add 4 c. flour; beat smooth (by hand)

6.  Add 2 more cups flour to make soft dough.

7.  Turn onto floured surface.

8.  Knead until smooth (~ 8-10 min.).

9.  Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn it/flip it once. lightly rubbing some of the grease off the sides of the bowl and onto the dough.

10.  Loosely cover bowl with dish towel; sit it in a warm place.

11.  Let rise until double, ~ 1 1/4 hours.

12.  After dough has risen, punch down a few times, then let rest 10 min.

13.  Shape into 2 or 3 loaf pans or braids (like you'd braid your hair).  I've found that 3 braided loaves are perfect for this recipe.

14.  Loosely cover with dish towel.

15.  Let rise again until double, ~ 1 1/4 hours.

16.  Brush loaves/braids with egg whites for a pretty golden-brown color as it bakes.

17.  Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 min. for braids or 40-45 min. for loaf pans.

For my adaptation, I follow steps 1-6 in the Bosch.

For steps 7 and 8, I set the Bosch on speed 2 for 9 minutes, then I'm able to skip steps 9-12.

When the mixing is done, I can jump to step 13 and finish from there.

I have given these braided loaves as gifts for years, and our family enjoys them as well.

Weekly Wealth

At the end of each week, I like to focus on some specific blessings and particular favorites from the previous seven days.  Here are a few of them from this past week ...

1.  A Gift - I have a new profile pic compliments of Nikkipolani!  Based on a quick personality test, the font that apparently best represents me is called Pistilli Roman, but I couldn't find it easily.  Nikki could, however, and she made the above design for me.  Thank you, friend!

2.  A Favored Phrase -- Speaking of online friends (note the smooth transition of topics), in an email exchange with Janet at Across the Page, she mentioned that a friend of hers used to say of his wife, "She's got voltage."  I. Love. This.  :-)

3.  Wedding Bells - Speaking of husbands and wives (just call me the Sultan of Segue), the girls and I had a marvelous time at a church friend's wedding on Saturday, and Elinor Jane did a great job on the cakes.

4.  Mother of the Bride - Speaking of weddings (well there I go again), I found my wedding hero.  At Saturday's wedding, I watched the mother of the bride for several hours as she prepared for the ceremony and reception, dealt with glitches, and made multiple trips up and down stairs and through halls.  Even when presented with a problem, this gracious lady never complained, sighed, curled her lip, rolled her eyes, or exhibited any grumbling or stressed-out behavior.  During one glitch, she was even comforting the glitcher when she herself (the glitchee) should have been comforted.

When the event was over, I told her what I had witnessed and how much I admired her.  She thanked me and simply said that she wasn't doing this alone, and many people were praying for her.  I  hope I have half the grace she did when my girls get married.

5.  A Pitfall of Teaching - Speaking of my girls (I've really got the gift, don't I?), here's what has been happening lately when I'm driving in the van on errands with Mockingbird, who is close to graduating from a learner's permit to her driver's license:

MB:  Mom, you didn't bring the vehicle to a complete cessation of movement at that stop sign.

My young boys never say stuff like that to me in the van.

6.  Ummm ... - Speaking of my boys (oh, I'm good), we teach our kids obedience as well as polite manners, but we've never had the following problem before now:

Parent to two-year-old THJ:  Son, put your toys away now.

Two-year-old THJ:  No fank you.

7.  One Room Down - Speaking of sons (*swelling applause*), the boys' room has needed attention for some time, and at the beginning of the year, we bought them bunk beds, and I rigged up a space-saving hamper for dirty clothes.  Well, this week, I bought them a bookcase and two more lamps, and their room is now more organized, simplified, and functional. 

8.  Progress - Speaking of things being organized, simplified, and functional (*whoops and wolf whistles*), I made a list of 24 things (and counting) that I want to change in the new year (can someone please remind me why we're not supposed to call them resolutions?).  Based on the info I've heard for years, it takes three weeks to form a habit, and I'm happy to report that three of my items are now occurring habitually, and four others are quickly becoming established.  The older I get, the less I seem to achieve (and the more I feel like the intellectual equivalent of Forrest Gump), so while it might take me all year to implement the entire list, at least I'm making progress.

9. So Far So Good - Speaking of implementing changes (*Lisa accepts an award for being the best seguer ever*), I put my new 3.5 quart Dutch Oven to use this week and made dilled pot roast, New England clam chowder, and PW's pinto beans in it.  Maybe it was just my imagination, but every one of these recipes seemed tastier, probably because the food cooked more evenly and yummily (a technical culinary term).  Everyone raved about all of the meals, so I think the verdict is that the Dutch oven is a definite necessity at Barchester, and when some holiday rebate checks arrive, I plan to invest in a larger sized one (Don't you agree, Mr. Knightley?  I mean, you didn't have any plans for that incoming cash, did you?  Just think of that dilled pot roast and the New England clam chowder and those good ol' fashioned pinto beans  ...).

10.  Begin Again - Speaking of ... uh ... implemented changes that ... um ... one falls behind on (*segue award is immediately rescinded and Lisa shrinks back into obscurity once again*), I fell behind on my daily Bible reading (I won't tell you how far behind), but I was able to catch up on past chapters yesterday.

I am reading chronologically, so after going through the first eleven chapters of Genesis, I read the entire book of Job, then returned to Genesis 12 and following.  Job is an amazing book, and my new favorite chapters in the Bible are Job 38-41.  In the margin of Chapter 38, I wrote, "Read when in a complaining mood.  Or in a conceited mood.  Or daily."  It sounds trite to say it was powerful reading, but it was.

Have a great weekend everyone, and be thankful!

Lentil by Robert McCloskey

I am participating in Amy's Read Aloud Thursday again (finally!) at Hope is the Word, and I am continuing with the books used in Five in a Row -- an excellent literature-based curriculum for the early years.

Lentil

by Robert McCloskey

Viking Press, 1940

Lentil is set in the 1930s and is about a boy -- Lentil -- who cannot sing or even whistle, but who desperately wants to make music of some kind.  So he saves his pennies and buys a harmonica and practices whenever and wherever he can.  When the homecoming parade of the town's most important citizen is sabotaged, Lentil is the only one who can save the day.

Robert McCloskey is one of my favorite children's authors.  I like his old-fashioned illustrations of days of old.  I like the musical theme of this book (even the name of the fictional town is musical -- Alto, Ohio).  And I liked Lentil himself with his thin suspenders, short pants, and bare feet.  It's an especially fun books for boys, but my girls have always loved it as well.

Friday Faves

The Correspondent


At the end of each week, I like to focus on some specific blessings and particular favorites from the previous seven days.  Here are a number of them from this past week ...

1.  A Sign o’ the Season – I saw this leftover Christmas sign in my favorite corner coffee shop:

2.  Third Time’s a Charm – For two weeks in a row, my pastor’s wife/mentor and I have tried to get together for coffee, and for two weeks in a row, scheduling factors have prevented our meeting.  However, this week, we not only got together, but we enjoyed three hours of interesting, in-depth conversation.

We discussed scripture, the holiday festivities, nutrition, fitness, movies, and books.  I was intrigued by some of the titles she has read and hope to add them to my TBR list – The Trophy Kids Grow Up by Ron Alsop (she discovered this one while perusing The Wall Street Journal), The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, and In Season: Cooking with Fruits and Vegetables by Sarah Raven (I’m still not brave enough to tackle The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan).  I was impressed to hear about the kale, romaine, and spinach she grew and ate from her organic garden this year.  I also delighted in hearing about her recent trips to New York and Boston.  We really need to schedule these coffee dates as a standing appointment every month. 
  
3.  Three Weeks and Counting … – I’ve made a number of changes (a.k.a. resolutions) for the New Year, but as we all know, implementing them and actually sticking with them aren’t often practices that continue beyond January.  Well, we’re not out of January yet, but I’m happy to report that one of my changes – taking a different child with me each week during errands – has lasted for three weeks and counting.  These days, I celebrate any sort of progress.


4.  My Pesky Ducks – Rocko went with me to assist during errands this week, but this was also the week that I was unusually addled and scatterbrained.  As a result, I commented to Rocko about halfway through our tasks, “I’m sorry, bud.  I’m still trying to get all my ducks in a row.” 

After a brief pause, Rocko asked, “Ummm … How many of them are still swimming around the pond?”


5.  My New Friend Julia – I have developed a newfound interest in Julia Child.  I don’t know how long this interest will last, but I did check out three of her books from the library and look forward to gleaning what I can from the Queen of Cooking. 

One of my Friday Faves this week is based on the fact that, while checking out these books and discussing the catalyst that sparked my interest, the librarian -- Linda -- told me that her favorite Julia Child cookbook was Julia Child & Company, but they didn’t carry it in this particular library system.  I commented on how interesting the book sounded as well as the specific recipe she was raving about, and a few days later when I was back in the library to pick up some children’s books, Linda handed me the cookbook from her own personal home library and loaned it to me so I could try the recipe we had discussed.  Now that’s great service!

I had forgotten that I received The Way to Cook as a wedding gift 18 years ago, and I think the mere name of Julia Child so intimidated me back then that I never cracked it open.  It’s currently supporting the broken meat-and-cheese drawer in my refrigerator.  When I remembered that I owned it, I pulled the cookbook out of the fridge, thumbed through it, and found that it wasn’t as daunting as I’d originally imagined.  In fact, it’s not simply a cookbook; it’s an instruction manual.  I look forward to reading it, learning new stuff, and trying a few recipes.

I like that Julia cooks with butter.  Where I live, we cook with butter.  Lots of butter (I think it’s a state regulation).  If we didn’t, Paula Deen would personally come confiscate our iron skillets.  So Julia and I are on the same page with butter.


6.  Cooking Experiments -- For some time, I've had the feeling that I needed a Dutch oven among my kitchen tools, but the price seemed a bit extreme.  So this week I purchased an inexpensive experiment from Sam's Club ... 

I look forward to working with my new tool and seeing whether or not a larger purchase is warranted.

December's Books

The Correspondent

I'm happy I can make the title plural this time.  Even though I only read one book in November, I was able to enjoy two books in December, despite the hub-bub of Christmas and New Year's and all the fun family traditions and parties, not to mention the quick (and sick) holiday trip we experienced.  I'm hoping to up that number to at least three in January, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I'm also later than usual with this post this month.  I can't quite seem to shake the holiday feeling and get serious about the new year.  Oh, I'm making lists and stuff -- I do that in my sleep, similar to the way Martha Stewart relaxes by ironing -- but I'm stumbling a bit on implementation.

Actually, I've been having serious motivational problems for months; the holidays are just a handy excuse.  And I'm having trouble focusing, for example, yesterday I felt as if my cranium had been violently jostled like a cup of dice in a Yahtzee game.  My thoughts were jumbled and confused, and I kept forgetting stuff, as if my brain had been cracked like an egg on the glass bowl of reality and whisked into the batter of life.

Maaaaayyybeeee ... I haven't been able to focus lately because my medulla oblongata has been literarily short shrifted.  So maybe if I get back in my reading routine, all the circuits and connections will begin firing properly again, and life will get back to "normal."  So maybe the solution lies within the dilemma.  In which case, I should start reading!  But first, December's books ...

1.  Notes on Cooking by Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich -- I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem of a book, and the review is here.

2.  Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper -- I have never heard God speak in an audible voice, but He does lead and prompt me through the Holy Spirit in a manner that almost seems audible at times, simply because it's so strong.

That's what happened when I saw this book for sale at Timberdoodle (an excellent home education catalog, by the way).  Although I'm very familiar with the Pipers, I hadn't read any of their books and wasn't even aware of this title, but as soon as I set eyes on it, I felt a strong inclination to buy it.

In 120 short pages, Noel discusses what traditions are and how traditions teach, and she spends a lot of time on the difference between "everyday" days and "especially" days, terms which I absolutely love.  Drawing upon Deuteronomy 6, Deuteronomy 11, Psalm 71, Psalm 78, and various other verses, she talks about the reality and the practice of tradition in the Bible, and she gives helpful insights on how to incorporate God-honoring traditions in our own families.

She writes powerfully, and I found myself highlighting about two-thirds of the text.  There wasn't a lot of new information to me, but presentation can have a remarkable effect, and of course, timing is everything.  This is a treasure (no pun intended) I will refer to over and over again.

I like that the Pipers are readers -- all six of them -- and one of my favorite quotes is:

What a precious gift to be a "word family"!

Other favorites are:

Both you and the children may take it for granted after a while, but the tradition wouldn't have developed if you hadn't planned it into your days.

Memory is the mother of traditions.  Almost all of our special days are celebrated because they remind us of something significant in the past.

It was an added bonus to get to read some of John Piper's poetry throughout the pages of his wife's book, and I especially enjoyed his section at the end on worship (partly because we do things very similarly).

Now, on to my reading ...

The aim of literary study is not to amuse the hours of leisure; it is to awake oneself, it is to be alive, to intensify one's capacity for pleasure, for sympathy, and for comprehension.  It is not to affect one hour, but twenty-four hours.  It is to change utterly one's relations with the world.

-- Arnold Bennett

I'm Here ... Sort Of

The Correspondent

I haven't been in cyberspace for several days due to our failed never-ending attempts to get back into a "normal" routine.  It was fun to be schedule-less during the holidays and not think about school stuff, but the holidays are over now, and in the real world, the party simply doesn't go on forever.  So let's get back to real life, shall we?

At the end of each week, I like to focus on some specific blessings and particular favorites from the previous seven days.  Here are a number of them from this past week ...

1.  Credit Acquired -- Remember the library book I lost last summer and couldn't find for four months?  Well, I ended up paying for it and then finding it in the ironing pile in my closet.  The good news is, the library gave me a $25 credit for returning it.  I had hoped to get the cash, but at least I can run up $25 in late fees, and they're covered.  Basically, I'm getting paid to procrastinate.  I'm not so sure this is a good thing.

2.  New Year Frame of Mind -- Mr. Knightley took me to brunch on New Year's Day, and in addition to enjoying each others' company, we also discussed some goals and changes to implement in 2010.  We did a little shopping for some big ticket items for the house, too.

3.  Two-Year Turnaround -- Last weekend, I finally hung a couple of pictures that I had bought two years ago for the master bedroom.  I'm ecstatic that the pics are up, but I'm afraid that two years is my new turnaround time on projects, which means I might need to re-evaluate my goals for 2010.

4.  Although ... -- Here's a project I completed after only a couple weeks of deliberation:  I revamped an entertainment center, replacing the VHS machine, the DVD player, and a pesky switch box with a DVD/VHS combo.  I also successfully hooked up the TV-Guardian, cleaned out the dusty piles of VHS tapes and old cassette tapes nobody will ever watch/listen to again, vacuumed behind the entertainment center, and used about a can-and-a-half of Pledge on the enormous piece of furniture.  There's an incredible sense of accomplishment that follows a project such as this.

5.  Space ... The Final Frustration -- One of the challenges of being a large family is lack of space.  So, one of the big ticket items Mr. K and I bought on New Year's Day was this wonderful device:

It has revolutionized the boys' bedroom, and I am so grateful.  Life is finally getting organized in there.  Hallelujah! 

6.  Speaking of Space ... -- As part of the changes in the boys' room, I removed the large, hardshell laundry hamper that was occupying precious space and invented this get-up:

I simply hung a mesh laundry bag from two large adhesive hooks (capable of holding five pounds each) on the inside of one of their closet doors.  Voila!  Space!  

When I saw how well this system worked, I went back to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought additional sets of everything for the other kids' bedrooms.

7.  You're Probably Wondering Why I Called You All Here -- Actually, meetings are a regular part of our lives at Barchester.  I get tired of repeating myself six separate times, so we assemble every morning, and I only say it once.  Sometimes I write stuff on a dry erase board in case people forget what I said. 

In addition to our morning meetings this week, I had individual meetings with my progeny to assess where they are educationally so I can further plan their academic futures.  Most people would have done this before or during the holidays so their kids could jump right back into the school routine at the beginning of the new year.  But I'm not most people.   How boring would that be? 

Happy New Year!
Happy New Decade!
Be Thankful!

The Story About Ping

The Correspondent

Many moons ago, when my soul sister moved 675 miles away, it took us weeks to return the things we'd borrowed from each other.  It felt like breaking up.  She and her family come back to town once a year, and we see each other when we can.

We're soul sisters because we have so much in common -- practically the same person.  Except she's prettier.  And nicer.  And more talented.  We're also both members of the We're-In-Our-Forties-But-Still-Increasing-Our-Number-Of-Kids Club.

We couldn't get together when she and her family were in town a couple of months ago, so we've been exchanging e-mails.  In the most recent one, she was telling me how she was reading the Five in a Row books to her third child (a six-year-old boy) with the anticipation of reading them to her one-year-old son in the years to come.  Her e-mail reminded me that I have other children to read the Five in a Row books to as well.  So, as I begin this FIAR journey again, I want to review some of these wonderful stories.

The Story About Ping

by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

Ping was a young duck who lived on a boat with his family on the Yangtze river.  Each day, the master of the boat would send the ducks ashore down a little bridge to hunt for food.  At the end of the day, the master of the boat would call the ducks back to the boat, and the last duck to cross over the bridge always got a spank on the back.

One day, Ping saw that he would be the last duck across the bridge, and, not wanting to receive a spank on the back, he hid in the grass all alone.  The next day, the boat was nowhere in sight, and as Ping began searching for food, he was captured by a family on a house boat who had plans to turn him into dinner, teaching Ping that there are worse things than a spank.

I always enjoyed reading this book and tying it in with our geographical study of China.  Like my soul sister, I look forward to picking it up again and reading it to my younger children.  Thanks for the reminder, S.S.!

Added later:  I forgot to mention that this post is part of the Read-Aloud Thursday carnival that Amy hosts each week at Hope is the Word.  Link on over if you want to see what other folks have been reading aloud recently.