The Emma, Jane, Miriam, and Jill Show

On Waiting for God

2011-05-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Life Lesson

Our homeschool Bible lessons have led us now to John’s gospel. The girls and I are taking this beautiful book in small, savory bits. We’re listening carefully to the Spirit-inspired voice of an insider, a bosom buddy of our Lord. And we’re hearing reminders and encouragements that address deep issues of aching human hearts.

We’ve imagined the reality of walking with the Lord, eating with the Lord, wiping his feet with our own hair. We’ve re-enacted reclining against God incarnate and sharing a whispered exchange. John makes Christ’s physical presence so prominent, personal, and appealing. Oh, how we long to see him face to face!

And yet, John makes sure we hear how the physical presence is not always as important as physical distance. He is careful to prime us first, in Chapter 11, for what is coming, knowing we’ll need the reassurance. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet…”
Don’t miss that preface: Jesus LOVED the sisters and Lazarus. YET. Believe he loved them before you read on.

The one Jesus loves is sick. The sisters have sent for him. Their confidence is in his presence. After all, he told Martha—in gentle rebuke—that Mary had it right when she planted herself at his feet for his earlier visit. Now they need him. And he loves them.

But he doesn’t go.

Can’t you taste Mary’s shock and sense of rejection as she sits in the house, four days past her brother’s death? The Lord has let her down. She called, and he didn’t come. And when he did finally come, she is too numb, paralyzed by disappointment, to go at first to meet him.

The Lord doesn’t take this lightly. There is no patronizing pat on the head, no smug “watch and see.” No. He knows full well that his delay, though for everyone’s greater good, has been deeply painful. It causes him great anguish in his own spirit to see Mary and the others weeping. I believe he also knows her grief is not just over the death of her brother, but the death of her expectations as well.

While the sisters wait and Lazarus dies, Jesus tells his disciples “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” His absence will be more valuable than his presence. In hindsight, we can see why. It is good for all who wait on the Lord to have this example before us.

Fast-forward to Chapter 16, where we hear something like this again. Jesus tells his friends that he is going back to the Father. The disciples grieve. (Whisper it in our ears again, John, as we get the bad news. Remind us that he loved them.)

“I tell you the truth,” he says. “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you.”

How is it, I ask the girls, that the presence of the Holy Spirit can be better for the disciples—and by extension, better for us—than the bodily presence of Christ himself? To my small mind, it is difficult to grasp—and grasp is exactly what I want to do!

Oh, how I long for a God with skin on! I want to cling to him in the garden. I want to crawl into my Abba’s lap. I don’t immediately care so much about the omnipresence of the Spirit.

I long for the tangible in part because I am still immature. But to walk by sight and touch alone is to stay little. My heavenly Father who loves me does not want me to stay little. It is for my progress toward maturity that I live now outside Christ’s physical presence. It is for greater things—greater glory, greater knowledge of the fullness of his power—that he left in body. But he did not leave us alone. He left us indwelt with the one who will guide us into all truth. Believe it! And yet his physical absence is only for a time. He will return, in bodily form.

Remember, John says: He loves us. And it is for our greater good that we learn to walk by faith, and for his greater glory that our maturity comes to completion.

--Rebecca Cochrane

From November 2010.

Living Out the Redemption Process in Preschool

2011-02-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

"I don't want it," she said. Her stuffed toy elephant was worthless to her, ready to be discarded. He had served his purpose, she had had her fun, and now Miriam was willing to toss him away. So into the "Giveaway" bag he went.

Jill's eyes grew wide with horror. Not the Lell-funt! She loved the Lell-funt. "I want him!" she cried. As long as she had been alive, she had known the Lell-funt. She was not willing for him to disappear from her future.

But the rule is nothing comes back from Giveaway for free. It must be redeemed at a cost. What, dear Jill, would you be willing to give in order to purchase Lell-funt back from Giveaway, to which he had been doomed by his former master?

She searched. It wasn't easy. Every toy has some special significance, some attachment. Sheep? No. Not Sheepy. "Sheepy needs me." Blue Baby? "Oh, no. Not Blue Baby." He's too little anyway. Hardly an even trade.

Finally she settled on something of value great enough to purchase back Lell-funt from Doom and Eternal Separation. And joyfully, she went off celebrating their restoration.

But a dark cloud of gloom spread over Miriam's face as she saw Jill's pleasure with the restored Lell-funt. "Can I sleep with him tonight?" she asked. "No," I said. "He is no longer yours. Jill bought him back at a price. She redeemed him from the pit. He is hers. You are no longer his master. You have no claim on him any longer."

And then, you know what broke loose. All of it. Uh huh. "But he was MINE! I want him BACK!"

Firmly, "No. The deal is done. He has been bought with a price. And nothing will separate him now from the love of Jill."

OK, so it's not a perfect example. But it was close enough for some application, and we'll remember this and revisit this example again, I'm sure. In fact, I don't think I'll ever look at Lell-funt again in quite the same way myself. I won't say it's quite like looking in a mirror, but maybe you know what I mean.

Thomas's Bad Rap

2010-11-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

John 20

I’m nearing the end of the study on the Gospel of John I’ve been doing and then sharing with the girls in the mornings. This morning we got to the story of “Doubting Thomas,” as he is commonly known.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend and then my pastor about this label, and thinking it was perhaps a bit of a harsh judgment on Thomas, that for two millennia he is remembered as “the Doubter,” when the others knew him as “the Twin.” It seems to me that Thomas has gotten a bad rap, because even though he did have doubt, he also responded completely appropriately when he saw the risen Lord, even acknowledging him to be “My Lord and my God!” There’s no doubt in that statement! We even applied to him the principle that “one who is forgiven much, loves much.” And I like that. But I still think there’s more to this story.

So this morning, I was asking myself why it was that Thomas had doubt in the first place. And this little line jumped out at me: “Peace be with you.”

The reason this jumped out at me wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. In fact, the first time I read it, I rather glossed over it. Yeah, yeah, peace be with you…sounds like a common greeting. But I don’t think this was intended as a common greeting from Christ to the disciples at all. I think it was meant to be a transfer of power.

When Jesus says something once, we should pay attention. This is the very first thing he is recorded as saying when he appears in the locked room with the disciples, who were gathered there “for fear of the Jews.”

Earlier this day, they had discovered the empty tomb. Here they are, gathered together in something of a tomb of their own—locked up in the dark (it says it was evening), too afraid of their murderous enemies to go out. And the resurrected Jesus appears and offers them peace.

Now, here’s the thing. They see him, physically raised. The text says that the ones who are there get to see his hands and side. And they were “glad.” Some translations say they “rejoiced.” But it doesn’t say they were filled with peace or relieved of their fear. They saw, and yet somehow even this truth didn’t fully penetrate. So Jesus says it again, “Peace be with you.”

Now when Jesus says something twice, we know it’s important and we should sit up and take note. It should have an effect. He goes on to give them directions: “I am sending you…Receive the Holy Spirit…forgive sins.” He has given them peace, proof, purpose, and power.

And yet, a WEEK later, they are still entombed behind locked doors. This time Thomas is with them. This Thomas, who is remembered as the one who didn’t believe the testimony of the other disciples when they told him they had seen the risen Lord.

And we say, “Oh, Doubting Thomas. He didn’t believe what he heard.”

Well, now I say, “Can we really blame him?” His friends had seen the Lord appear, seen the marks in his body. They knew death had no power over him. They heard him speak the command to have peace and get up and get to work. And yet, nothing changed.

Maybe Thomas doesn’t believe, not because he doubts God’s ability to be raised, but because he knows how he would react to seeing the Lord, and he doesn’t see that reaction from the others. They are still dead in their fears.

I think we often read his words, hearing the emphasis on the seeing or on marks of the crucifixion and that might be the wrong emphasis. “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Maybe the emphasis should be on the word “I” instead. “Unless I see…” Maybe this is because they claimed to have seen, and yet received nothing from it. It doesn’t sound like valid testimony to Thomas because it brought no practical reaction, no active or obedient response, no peace. They are still gripped by their fear of the Jews, as if there was no God in Israel.

But the Lord gives Thomas his chance. He appears again in the same way, and greets them with the same words, now stated for the third time. (Are we listening yet?) “Peace be with you.” And again he offers a view of the physical proof of the cross and his resurrection, and Thomas responds in a way that is much greater and more complete than anything recorded from the disciples at the earlier meeting. Not just gladness, but awe and worship and the fullness of the Christian’s testimony: “My Lord (ruler and director of my life) and my God (omnipotent Creator)!” There’s peace and power in that statement. Thomas simultaneously submitted his will to Christ and acknowledged the power of God to overcome any fear of men in just five small, awe-inspired words. Words pouring out of belief.

In the next scene, we see that the disciples have returned to work. They are no longer hiding in the darkness of a locked room. They are out fishing, and Thomas is mentioned by name as being there.

I think Thomas deserves some credit. Perhaps it was the full belief of the one who saw and did believe, which helped empower those who saw and still could not yet go where he sent them.

I don’t think I’d mind being remembered as a Thomas.

A Few Images from the 2010 Mountain State Fair

2010-09-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Miriam and Jill take on the motorcycles.

Jane and Mary, finally tall enough to ride the MoonRocket--a roller coaster that goes completely upside down.

Yes, my child is up there.

Looks like a good time was had by all. What a thrill!

Emma and Elizabeth getting in some practice for their learner's permits.

A Tribute to Childhood Friendship

2010-09-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

From the time they were old enough to talk, “Jay-ub” and “Meee-umm” were the best of buddies. More than once we heard that the two had to be separated in the nursery for fighting. They grieved the separation far more than the wounds inflicted.

“Miriam, will you play nice at nursery today?” we would ask each week.

“Oh, yes!” was her happy reply.

“Miriam, are you going to hit Jacob?”

“Oh, YES!”

And so it went. A rough-and-tumble fellowship of diaper-clad tots, each able to take it on the chin and come up smiling.

Then came the dreadful announcement about two years ago that Jacob’s family would be moving away. How much can a three-year-old really understand about the depths of friendship and the loss of it?

I daresay the answer is that the understanding runs deeper than we give them credit for.

I will never forget the going-away gathering our church held for the Caines family that summer. While the adults and older kids were providing the audience for a series of amateur performances—skits, poetry readings, sing-alongs—to honor and “roast” the family, little Jacob got up, walked across in front of the entire group, and held out his pudgy little hand to Miriam. No words were said, but she just extended her own tiny hand to take his, and the two left the room together. Both smiling sweetly at each other, he led her down the hall and into the nursery playroom. We all watched them go, and I found myself thinking, “I wonder if he’ll come back for her again just that way in another 15-20 years.”

This weekend, we were blessed with a too-short visit while Sarah and the kids were traveling through.

Miriam, now five, got dressed three times in anticipation of seeing her friend again. First, she chose a casual but nice outfit. That lasted about a half hour. She then decided that she wanted to “look pretty for Jacob,” and so she changed into a lovely dress and had me braid her hair. For the next hour, that was satisfactory, but Miriam will be Miriam. Just before time to leave to meet them, she rushed to her room once more and came out in old jean shorts and a shirt reserved for crafts and gardening, unmatched socks, and her old sneakers. With her chin held high, she announced, “I changed my mind. I want to play HARD!”

That’s my girl. Don’t miss out on life by trying to impress with beauty that is passing. Remember to “play HARD!”

It was so good to see our friends again, and to see “Jay-ub” and “Meee-ummm” still friends, though maybe not quite as focused on each other as they were at one time. I know the day is coming when he’ll likely find girls icky and want to surround himself only with other little boys. My mother’s heart hurts a little thinking ahead to that, but I would venture that with a little more time passing, he’ll likely get over that and come to his senses again.

They say that true friends can always pick right back up where they left off, no matter how much time passes between them. I know that to be the case in my own experience. And a part of me is really hoping it will be that way for them, too.

Confidence

2010-09-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

We were looking last night at Luke’s gospel, as Christ is on the cross. My Captain pointed out that in the words recorded here, when Christ speaks, he shows his utter confidence in eternity. There is no doubt as he is there, dying. He tells the thief next to him with certainty, “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” And just a few sentences later, at the very point of death, with confidence he commits his spirit into the Father’s hands.

I noticed that sandwiched between those two proclamations of confidence was a description of the time when this occurred. “When the sun had failed,” it says.

Huh.

I don’t know about you, but if there’s anything at all that I would say I put my confidence in, it’s that the sun is going to be there doing its job every single day, in summer and winter, in springtime and harvest. I get up, it’s there. I watch it slip away behind the trees out back, but I know it’s still there, doing its thing and we’ll come around to it again the next time. Even the moon gives evidence that the sun is still working.

Nothing in my experience yet has caused me to question the sun’s reliability. No amount of cloud cover, no eclipse. It’s the SUN for heaven’s sakes. You can depend on it!

But at the very time that God was actively fulfilling his promises to save his people, the sun failed. The very sun itself not only pales in comparison to the reliability of the promises of God. It actually fails. There is nothing in the universe that we can count on with more certainty than the reality of the future, in which God’s word is fulfilled. The sun may fail, but there will come a day when those who put their trust in the work Christ did on the cross will be with him in Paradise.

So for this moment, who am I not to commit into his hands with confidence the day in which the sun still shines?

Not Forsaken

2010-09-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

From Matthew’s gospel, the words of Christ on the cross, near the end.

It rings of total despair and abandonment. It’s a question some have considered troublesome for the Christian faith. Can God forsake himself? If Jesus is God, then he’s all-knowing, right? So how can he ask this question of the Father?

It occurred to me tonight that maybe the question is asked by Christ for our benefit—so that we will arrive at the answer.

When a couple gets married, if they use traditional wedding vows, they will say of their union something like “forsaking all others.” The intention is that the relationship that is being established won’t be divided by another. The unity of the couple is sacred and the two are committing to protecting their oneness. From that point forward, they will strive to grow closer and closer to each other—to strive for communion. It’s a lifelong process for most thriving marriages. The symbolism is used to show how the people of God are related to Christ—as the bride to the bridegroom.

But we strive for a unity with a spouse on earth which will never fully reach the unity Christ already enjoys with the Father and the Spirit. He understands the complete oneness of communion.

My pastor has given an example of what happens to two people when they become divorced. He takes two pieces of paper and glues them together. After a time, he then tries to separate them again. He likens the separating of two who have been joined as one to this process of separating the glued pages. They don’t come apart cleanly. There is tearing, there is pain, there are open wounds. Neither is left intact.

When Christ on the cross took onto himself the sin of the world, he had to separate from the Father. He had to carry those sins and the punishment for them far away from us and from God. He took them into the ground for purification. But the separating from the Father was a rending of their total unity. Oh, how it must have hurt! To be ripped from the bosom of the Father, the place he had held from eternity.

And even as he cried out in the anguish of the moment, I think his cry was not so much a question he needed to have satisfied as a question he desired for us to fully understand.

Why, my God, did you forsake him?

And the answer, is “for you.”

God chose to forsake his own son. The son chose to be forsaken. Because of me. To include me in communion with them, God had to tear himself apart.

It is completely incomprehensible that something so perfect as the communion of the Trinity would be rent on my behalf.

Just who does God think I am?

He Is There and He Is Listening

2010-09-01T21:10:00.001-07:00

Today I got a message directly from God. Again.

It happens. Just often enough to keep me firmly in his grasp. Always just when I begin to fall away into the lie, believing that he doesn’t really want to hear from me, that I can’t possibly hope to “avail much” with him. Just when I begin to think that his unknowable will is operating on autopilot or something, he does it again. Just reaches down and reveals, as if he touches me on the forehead, as if to say, “Here. The little bauble you’ve been asking for. I’ve been waiting to give it to you.”

I’m always a little ashamed of my surprise. But never ashamed of my joy when I see that all the time I was praying, he was already working.

What a delight it is to be allowed to know that you prayed in his will, and therefore he is pleased to grant your request! My response is a more fervent prayer life, thanking him for including me in the inner circle. Bringing before him with new diligence many of you on whose behalf I’m already making petition regularly. It’s such a blessing to be allowed a place at the boardroom table, or so it seems. To see the outworking of a larger plan, orchestrated by the master, and be able to say, “Yes! Go with it! I’m with You!”

Leaves me a happy girl.

Walton the Pig Joins Fern's Menagerie

2010-06-28T18:17:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Miriam will turn 5 years old. She has, for years now, had a special love of all things porcine. Her middle name, after all, is Fern, and she has felt a special affinity for all the insufficiently loved Wilburs of the world.

So when Jane found a pattern for a cute pig pillow, she instantly wanted to make it for her little sister. It looked simple enough.

Bill took Jane shopping for fabric. Miriam's room is pale green, and we are planning to add purple trim this summer. So the resulting plaids and polka dots seemed perfectly fitting.

The only trouble is that my ancient sewing machine quit working with several broken parts more than a year ago. I let my little budding engineers disassemble it as a science project one day. So, we were dependent on the kindness of friends for this project.

Fortunately, there's no shortage of that in our lives!

Jane took all the cut pieces, instructions, pins and pins and pins, thread, elastic, and stuffing to the home of her friend Elizabeth Walton, who is quite a crafty person and has her own sewing machine. I envisioned the two girls working together to sew the puffy pillow pig, even if it turned out a little amateurish. That would just make it all the more endearing, right?

But, I did not predict that upon arrival, Jane's interest in sewing would be surprisingly diminished. The interactions, toys, and activities at her friends' home were suddenly much more distracting.

I later learned that dear Lerenda spent most of the day herself sewing Wilbur's companion, which we are now dedicated to calling "Walton."

Tonight I finished the last details: sewing on the ears and eyes, and closing him up once and for all. I expect one little Fern will be delighted come Friday.

So there he is, in all his fine array: Meet Walt, the pig.

I Am Eve

2010-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

I Am Eve

Eve means life. Adam named the woman Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.

But Adam and Eve rebelled against the ultimate Life-Giver, and the Mother of All the Living—and all the mothers of the living to follow her—now has that life-giving experience tainted by death. Now there is great pain in childbearing.

I’ve often thought that the pain in childbearing mentioned in Genesis 3 is not so specific to refer simply to the actual labor pains themselves, though that would qualify. I tend to think that all the pains of motherhood—barrenness, miscarriage, birth defects, loss of a child—are examples of that pain, as is watching your children mature through hard lessons, to fall and have to get up again, to hurt and long for truth that they must wrestle with themselves. Mary, the Ultimate Eve, had her own heart pierced with the proverbial sword, and every life-giver since has felt it alongside her.

I am now experiencing a difficult recovery from surgery. Though not life-threatening, the initial diagnosis was shocking to me. A part of the result of this surgery is the certainty that I will not again carry children in my own body. Am I less Eve, less life-giver, as a result? It is a question I have asked.

As I've been thinking on this state of being, it came to mind for me from a Bible study many years ago that the role of woman in giving life is not simply a matter of producing children. I reflected today on those dear friends I have known who have not been able to have their own families, either due to the gift of singleness, or barrenness, or loss. Are these women not also still Eve? I look at the actions of their lives—the ministry to others, the sharing of their gifts, the words of encouragement they have spoken, the effect they’ve had on other children they have come alongside to support and nurture. They infuse life into the hurt and the weak and the immature and the suffering. This is Eve. This is mothering.

Today, a remarkable thing happened, and this whole idea of life-giving as being something broader and more significant than simply child-bearing literally exploded for me.

Earlier this week, a friend brought me a huge and lovely bouquet of StarGazer Lilies. Oh, how I understand StarGazer Lilies. A double image of the Trinity is represented by two sets of petal threesomes, one superimposed on the other, making the six-sided shape of the Star of David—the symbol of mankind—almost reaching perfection, and yet in mystical union with the Godhead. On the outside, the trumpet-shaped flowers are purely white, without blemish. But look inside, and you see the bright red speckled interior, as if they have been opened up and sprinkled with blood. Now so purified and sealed, each one lifts its perfect trumpet heavenward to stare open and fully exposed at the stars, awaiting the glorious reappearing of our Lord.

These flowers were brought to me cut from the plant. I placed them in a vase of water to prolong their inevitable demise, to enjoy their beauty even while I waited for their death. But these cut flowers somehow didn’t behave according to the natural way of things since the fall.

Aaron’s rod was a dead stick, but to show God’s resurrection power, it budded and produced almond blossoms and leaves. It’s a promise to all who come after and believe.

And so, it seems , it is with my StarGazer Lilies. Today, rather than shriveling and dropping petals, one lily on that cut stem has burst forth with vitality and fertility. It still seeks to bring new life.

What am I to take from this? I marvel at the possibility that this is a message for me, the one who just last week was cut and so, I thought, redefined. But also touched by the Holy Spirit and designed to be in relationship and fellowship while I await his glorious reappearing. Because I am so blessed, I can still bring life and nurture and healing.

Because I am Eve.

--Rebecca Cochrane, June 2010

Jill at 2 years old

2010-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

I think it is entirely possible that she is going to be a stand-up comedienne.

Science Fair 2010

2010-03-03T19:12:00.001-08:00

So Jane recently saw the movie UP, and that got her to thinking. Is it possible to lift a real house with helium balloons?

As it happened, the homeschool Science Fair was just around the corner, so she decided to pursue this as her project. She would try to determine the number of helium balloons needed to lift a small, wood-sided (foundationless) house completely off ground level.

She started her project by contacting a home-demolition company online. They told her that a two-story house with wood siding like the one she described would weigh about 60.5 pounds per square foot, or 121 pounds per square foot of footprint.

We evaluated pictures of the house from the movie and estimated that the house in UP was about 800 square feet, with about a 400 square foot footprint.

Making her calculations.

She did her math to find that the house should weigh about 48,400 pounds. An online website helped her convert that to 21,954 kilograms.

Toy Jeep = 9 balloon units

Using new pennies, which have a mass of 2.5g each, and our balance, she found the mass of several small items around the house. Then she experimented to see how many balloon units (one balloon unit = 1 12-inch latex balloon, filled with helium and tied with a 3-foot segment of nylon kite string) it took to lift each of those small objects: a toy Jeep, a banana (a la Goodnight Gorilla), a toy football.

Then came the big experiment. She would estimate the number of balloon units needed to lift the model house she was using for her project: a 2-pound, 5 ounce (1,049g) plastic dollhouse in a style similar to Mr. Frederickson's house in UP.

I let her make her estimate based on her own interpretation of the facts gathered from floating the other objects. Her prediction was that it would require 180 balloon units to lift the toy house.

We inflated and tied on balloons in clusters of 10. At 80 balloons, it was clear that this house wasn't budging.

Watching the house hover so briefly.

We kept trying, but our helium supply ran out at 208 balloon units. The house still would not clear the ground, but the front corners were just beginning to lift, and if she tossed it into the air, it would hang there for just a fraction of a second before dropping back down with a serious thud.

Held aloft by just one finger, but it's not quite enough.

After looking at her math again, she revised her estimate to 230 balloon units, but we were unable to test it. She will be presenting at the Science Fair on Friday, stating that she still believes her theory is plausible, but that she was not able to prove it at this time.

Oh, well--I guess we'll be in for a repeat in the future. I wonder if there's grant money available for this kind of research.

Jane Gets Glasses

2010-01-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

Our pediatrician picked up a variation between Jane's right and left eyes and suggested we have her eyes checked. Turns out she is farsighted.

She tried on all the frames available, and with the encouragement and guidance of our dear friend Jill Martin, settled on this groovy pair.

Why weren't glasses this cute when I needed them?

The Snow of December 2009

2009-12-19T20:12:00.001-08:00

Deep snow on the deck railing, 8:00pm Friday night.

Deeper snow, just 20 minutes later.

The numbers:
12 inches of snow.
22 hours without power.
12 kids playing and eating Popsicles in the front yard.
1 lost white glove.
29.6 degrees--the max temp reached in my freezer before the power came back on.
55 degrees--the average temp in the house for most of the day.
8 potatoes baked on the hot stones of the hearth, pioneer style, for dinner.
27 soggy mittens or gloves to wash.

Happy Jill in the snow.

Emma, Jill, and Pilot.

Closeup of Jane as she zips past me on the sled.

Miriam sledding--pure joy for our little wild child.

Christmas Play 2009

2009-12-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

Once again, our three older girls participated in the CRPC Christmas play. Miriam reprised her angel role. Emma was a townsperson who was also well-versed in biblical prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah, called before Herod to testify. And Jane was also a townsperson with a solo to sing: Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendor. Another good show, somehow pulled together by the combined gifts of the George family, for whom we are so grateful.

An Update about Jane

2009-11-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Jane saw her pediatric endocrinologist today, and even though there was nothing in particular that shouted out to us a new revelation, I did come away feeling encouraged that we're on the right track.

It had been four months since her last endo appt. Six and a half weeks ago, we had an overnight sleep study done. We still haven't gotten the official report on the sleep study--the doctor who ordered it at our request, and who said up front that we weren't going to see anything out of the ordinary on it, found exactly what he had predetermined to find: nothing out of the ordinary. However, he has been unwilling to sign his name to that report and release it to me or to the other doctors at this time. So, the pediatric endocrinologist went next door and asked to see his notes and the reader's summary prior to our appointment.

Her interpretation was really valuable. While nothing on the study was outside of the broad range of what's called normal, it was clear that Jane has more frequent periods of light sleep than the average child. Not enough to signal an alarm, but enough to put together with her other issues to suggest that deeper, more consistent sleep could improve her other issues.

We've been addressing the suspected sleep problem since July 24 with bedtime doses of melatonin and Benadryl. And since that time, she has had no headaches, no vomiting, and only one difficult school day. Additionally, she has grown 1.9 cm. If that rate of growth were to keep up for a year, then she would actually achieve a growth rate that falls in the "normal" range for the first time in three years.

All this seems to fit together well enough to suggest we're on the right track. So the recommendation now is to just keep doing what we're doing for the next four months and then check back again. If she is still growing and having no headaches or vomiting, then we are to try a placebo for the bedtime meds for one month. If any symptoms return, the endocrinologist says she would accept that as proof that her problems are sleep related.

Additionally, Jane had her second bone-age evaluation done this summer, and the results this time did suggest a small growth delay in bone development. Though that sounds bad, it's actually very good news. It means that it is very likely that there will be a growth spurt later in life, so she may be able to catch up an inch or so, but it will most likely happen a year or more later than her peers. Again, very encouraging news.

She'll always be petite, and there is nothing in the world wrong with that. For now we are just so very thankful to be managing her headaches and other sickness and to see her doing so well in her schoolwork. We are thankful for all of you who have prayed for her and expressed concern, given encouragement and resources, and helped me to stay focused on what's best for her. In particular, I am thankful for concerned doctor/nurse friends (Rob and Bonnie--where would we be without your input and medical sleuthing skills?) who gave me the courage to take additional information and theories to our pediatrician and specialist to give them a nudge in what seems to be the right direction!

Good news all around. We are blessed!

Best Field Trip Yet

2009-11-07T14:23:00.001-08:00

Friday afternoon. Forty-one students--40 5th graders and one 3rd-grader--met in a dewy, damp, and recently manured field to warm themselves by the fire, receive instructions, and then pack in to the nearby woods for a day of camping and team agility trials.

Mrs. Cate gave the team assignments.

Mr. Goffin gave the rules, schedule, and instructions.

Each of the nine teams packed in their own tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and ropes. Their assignment included setting up their sleeping area, campfire area, covered cooking area, lashing projects, and a latrine.

Our girls' team, Team 7, consisted of Emma, Jane (by special arrangement), Rebecca, Aven, Isabella, and Rachel. They surveyed their assigned campsite and began to make plans. This group has a lot of good planners and strong personalities in it.

Spreading the tent.

Working as a team.

The whole team around the campfire site.

They ended up with a very nice campsite, and the judges seemed to agree. Team 7 tied for first place with one of the boys' teams, Team 5.

Under the kitchen tarp.

Our girls got extra points for some of the special attention to detail they gave to their site, like this campfire. The artistic element of using yellow leaves to replicate flames in their fire got special accolades.

Giving credit where credit is due, the boys' team did think of a few extras our girls somehow forgot, like this handy contraption. But they completely left out any consideration of modesty. They put their latrine--well equipped though it may have been--out in the open, in full view of the big house, barn, and all other campsites. The girls were quite a bit more discreet, even if primitive.

Next it was on to the teamwork and agility trials. The students were split into four bigger groups to attack four activities. The goal: every person on each team had to complete the assignment, or else no one succeeded. Never leave a man behind! Here they are on the "launching pad"--a square approximately 2' x 2' onto which all 10-11 children must stand for 3 seconds before they launch into the activity. The White team (ours) made it on the 3rd try.

The first challenge was Shelob's Lair. A giant spiderweb was woven between trees. Bells hung from the web, and a hungry Shelob waited above. The assignment: each team member must cross the web to escape from Mordor--but he must do it without ringing a bell, or else Shelob would hear and descend upon them, devouring them all. To make it an even greater challenge, each passage through the web could be used only once.

We parents were not allowed to offer advice in any way. We could only watch silently while the kids tried to figure out how to get every team member across. After several tries of the most athletic or assertive kids rushing through the easier spots, it finally began to dawn on a few: save the easy spots for last; get the smaller or weaker members across first. They began to see how to develop a plan, work out a process, and help each other in order to achieve success. Had they had just 5 more minutes on this trial, I am confident they would have been able to achieve the objective.

Agile Hank was the first to realize that the plan should include leaving the easier passages for the end, and taking on the more difficult one himself.

It wasn't always easy to stand by silently as the mom of two of the smallest kids on the team. Here Jane is hoisted through one of the higher openings in the web. They got her through without ringing a bell!

Next was a rope swing challenge over a pit filled with man-eating aliens. Again, the entire team had to make it across in order to succeed. One foot down meant you were immediately eaten, and everyone had to start over. Here Jane makes her leap.

And Emma follows suit.

This time, Hank would not go until all his teammates, even the most reluctant ones, had made it safely across. And then, sweet success!

The next challenge stumped them all (and even this grownup). Standing outside a rope boundary, the students were charged with using ropes to remove a bucket filled with toxic nuclear waste, without spilling it. The top was only placed on, not secured. Any tip of the bucket would spill the deadly substance.

They tried hooking the handle and lassoing the bucket, but to no avail. The key was in getting multiple ropes alongside it, then tightening them to lift it out.

The final activity involved navigating an electrified grid. All kids must cross to the other side while in contact with another on the team. If one tweaks the grid, the "electrical current" zaps them all and they must start over. It requires patience with each other, the ability to look ahead and plan for everyone to meet what's upcoming, and excellent communication.

The day ended with a team discussion of 1 Corinthians 12 and restoring their campsites to show no sign of their presence there. I think many of these students will remember lessons from this field trip for the rest of their lives. I know I will.

Fall Fun

2009-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Some images from our fall 2009 so far: a visit from cousin Leslie, lots of apples, time with friends, a new puppy, and fall school days.

Cool weather brings out the inner Teletubby in all of us. We love footy 'jamas!

Growing up: baby Jill is big enough for pigtails.

First cousins: the girls with Hunter in SC.

Found in our backyard: a luna moth caterpillar ready to pupate. (Normally green, they turn reddish brown just before entering the cocoon.)

Just in off the trail: Meet Slim, Curly, and Dusty.

Meet Pilot, our Boykin Spaniel puppy.

Pleasant Sunday afternoon with the O'Briens: Colin and most of the girls.

Colin and his boy, Jack. Cathy and Nell are around here someplace.

Cousin Leslie made it to the Smokies. A pic from our drive up the parkway on our way to Mt. Mitchell for a great view and a Porsche convention. (I've still never been to Spain.)

One idea for occupying busy toddler and preschooler while Jane and I do math: Puzzle Day!

Emma on picture day at school.

Navigating a soybean maze.

Jane identifies the perfect apple--a lovely red Johnagold, way out of reach at the top of the tree.

She reaches, stretches, climbs, until her fingertips can just barely brush against it...

...and finally takes home the prize! Never, ever, ever give up!

Munchin' Miriam.

A real beauty!

Miriam made itty-bitty apple pies.

Wrapping apples.

We have to wait five whole minutes?!

Enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Night-night all!

A Few More Moments from the NC Mtn. State Fair 2009

2009-09-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Jane and her friend Mary, high overhead, in the cable cars. Big enough at last to go on a ride by themselves!

Jane on "Midnight." This is the 2nd year in a row she has been able to ride this particular pony.

Ugh...really? I will truly never understand the Southern tendency to batter and fry. Never.

Miriam and her friend Mark on the motorcycles.

Miriam found out exactly where her milk comes from--and did a great job extracting some!

Aunt Dee, Bill's sister, waiting her turn at the tractor pull. Who doesn't love a woman with power?
And her own Major Award--a trophy! Too bad I didn't realize how great the backlight was, or you might be able to see the pleasure in her smile.

Emma and her friend Elizabeth, sky-high over the fairgrounds. See you on the other side!

IT'S A MAJOR AWARD!

2009-09-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

It's official.

I'm a little bit country.

And I have a First-Place Blue Ribbon from the NC Mountain State Fair to prove it!

Even if we Clemson fans might still be feeling a bit of a "sting" on this day, this one still has reason to be a proud wearer of orange.

Our first stop at the fair this morning had to be, of course, the competitive exhibits hall, where I left the crowning glory of our little garden patch at the beginning of the week. At dropoff, I felt pretty confident the pumpkin was a winner. It dwarfed the large watermelon next to it.

But on Thursday night, the local news showed a few shots from inside the exhibit hall. Clearly, there were a number of nice pumpkins on display, and one or two that were quite a bit larger than mine.

So, I didn't have my hopes set too high when we walked in this morning. The result, then, was overwhelming exultation when I saw that beautiful orange orb so complementarily decorated with the brilliant blue First Place ribbon. I admit, I got teary eyed.

One of the administrators offered to take our family picture. She was so pleased for us. She said in all her years of working with the fair, she had never seen anyone so excited over their winning vegetable. So then I felt a little sheepish. But why should I? It was glorious, so just for today, I'm going to soak that in.

Meet Pilot

2009-09-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

We've been dog-less for four years now--four years since our dear but incorrigible Captain Von Trapp, the ever-barking, very much OVERGROWN, "miniature" Schnauzer mighty dog went to a happier home in the country. We have seen pictures. He is fat and happy. (And fat. Did I say that?)

Yesterday Bill and Jane's dream came true when they brought home this 4-month-old Boykin spaniel puppy. His name is Pilot. We are getting to know each other. So far, he seems sweet and more calm than most pups his age. Jane is thrilled. Jill is uncertain and thinks he's fine when he's in his "crib," but not too happy when he's in her face. Jane, on the other hand, doesn't mind that at all. Here they are nose-kissing.

There's sure to be a lot of adjusting for all of us around here in the next few weeks. Any thoughts on putting diapers on dogs?

History in a Broader Sense

2009-09-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052

We finished up our history course in the spring with the rise and fall of Rome. Then today, a friend sent this link to a unique concert being performed at the Coliseum. It was a moment of reflection for all of us, as we thought of the bloody history of that place, and this moment of redemption.

Autumn is in the Air

2009-08-31T11:55:00.001-07:00

I suppose we all have to admit at some point that summer is really over.

The air is noticeably cooler today, and I'm watching for that shift in the light when it changes from summer's gold to just a bit more silvery during the day.

Some of the leaves are already giving in. I think I can hear them shout "Geronimo!" as they let go every now and then.

Last week, before sickness set in, we visited our garden spot again, and I found a wonderful fall surprise at the back edge, near the fence, mostly hidden under its own huge leaves and not a few gigantic weeds. Our first--and quite impressive--fall pumpkin!

Bill suggested that I enter it in the Mountain State Fair. I don't know if it's a prizewinner, but it surely is lovely, and just the suggestion from my husband--who has seen a lot of fine produce in his day--that anything I grew might be worth putting on display is a prize in itself.

Jill always has had a thing for gigantic orange vegetables. Last year, she hauled a huge candy-roaster around with her until I pried it from her pudgy arms and stewed it in the crockpot. She continued to enjoy it all winter long, just in a different context.

Oh Yes, He Is the Pater Familias

2009-08-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

They call him "Daddy."

An Image from the Island

2009-08-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, this image really struck me.

I don't know this boy, but the little red wagon at the edge of the waves on the open, empty beach gives me such a feeling of serene expectancy. What is he thinking, sitting there all alone?

I don't know, but I do know I can relate. I wanted to pull my own wagon up beside him and just sit quietly, staring out at the sea until he might feel comfortable enough to tell me what was on his mind.

This may become a "story starter" image this fall.

Sunrise to Sunset, Day 4 at Harbor Island

2009-08-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Jane and I greeted the morning about an hour before dawn. We hit the beach early to look for loggerhead hatchlings and watch the sun rise. The beach was all ours, and while we didn't see any baby turtles on their way to the water, we are pretty sure we saw several who had just made it to the rising surf speed on their way a few split seconds before we were close enough to get a very good look.

One nest is labeled to "go" tonight, so our plan is to get the entire family up at 5:00am and try again. Not sure how well I'll be able to focus at that hour...

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon puttering around Beaufort, a charming, historic Southern town offering art galleries, non-chain restaurants, boats on the waterfront, candy stores, old-fashioned ice cream parlors, sportsman's outfitters, furniture and book stores where the staff take time to get to know you still. Each girl took a turn at the gumball machine in the Sweet Shoppe, and Emma came away the winner. A gumball stamped "winner" earns a free ice cream cone. Strawberry today.

After an afternoon nap, we tried crabbing at Johnson Creek, the waterway that runs between Harbor Island and Hunting Island. Bill's awfully proud of his catch--four feisty blues.

Dinner! Not a whole lot to go around, but it still beats PB&J.

A dramatic sky over the Creek before we head in for the night.

We made our last rounds stopping by the lagoon on Harbor Island where birds of all types roost for the night. (Sorry for the blurry shot--not a steady enough hand to hold the camera after dusk.)

And then we walked home on the beach, catching this view of the last few rays of sunlight silhouetting the oceanfront houses before calling it a night.

And as we crossed the boardwalk to close our day, I had to think of Annie Dillard's closing thoughts in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. My right foot said "Glory" and my left foot said "Amen."

Keeping it Simple

2009-08-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Keeping it simple. That ought to be what vacation is all about, right?

That's just what we did today. We spent the entire morning exploring the beach while the tide fell again.

Emma found a large sand dollar.

It was fun to watch it bury itself in the sand.

Jane also found sand dollars. They were quite a bit smaller. More like 50-cent pieces, really.

And Miriam, always the brave one, nearly tackled this quick-moving baby horseshoe crab.

We saw the dolphins briefly today, but not up close. Dolphins and seagulls follow these shrimp boats. (Actually, as you can see, people do too, to get photos like these.)

We also spent some time building a sand complex. It has a high-rise apartment building, a sunken courtyard commons area, and a field of picnic tables for all its inhabitants, in addition to one modest castle.

In the afternoon we spent some time in the pool and walking on the beach at high tide. The bigger girls did some body surfing, but the little ones were a bit timid of the crashing waves.

I tried to encourage Jill by saying something along the lines of, "It's just the ocean making waves," as if it was something a mountain girl might see any old day. Miriam, always curious, wanted to know why. "Why is it doing that, Mommy?"

So, this homeschool mom saw an immediate opportunity. I launched into a discourse about the gravitational pull of the moon, the rotation of the earth, the topography of the ocean floor, temperatures, currents, jet streams... and I saw those bright, green eyes glass over. Her little shoulders slumped, and she sighed heavily. "But MOMMY," she interrupted with complete exasperation, and then, waving her little hand, "Is it saying 'Hi-yo!' to me?"

Oh. Of course. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure it is."

Keeping it simple.

Almost Free Meat from Schwan's!

2009-08-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

If you have never been a customer of Schwan's, you can register at their website now and get up to $10 worth of free food with free shipping. It's open to the first 500,000 new customers between now and the end of September.

I just registered and ordered 8 quarter pound all-beef burgers. The regular prices is $9.99. (This out to be really good meat, in my opinion, at that regular retail price.) It is scheduled for delivery to our door on Saturday. I had to pay only 2 cents for sales tax. Two pounds of beef for 2 cents is not too bad!

Here's the link:

http://www.schwans.com/promos/freefood/freeFoodBegin.aspx

Enjoy!

UPDATE to this entry: I did receive my free 2 pounds of beef burgers from Schwan's, but it wasn't a perfect transaction. After placing my order, I received an email with a date for delivery. It said I (or someone) had to be there to receive it all day, as it was impossible to narrow the delivery window. So, I stayed home, missed a swimming opp with Bill and the girls, but the delivery never came. I called, and found it had been rescheduled to a date when we would be out of town. I finally got the date changed again, and it did arrive early in the morning when we were already going to be home. A catalog also came with it. Honestly, the prices are quite high. The only way I see myself ever ordering again is if there's a major closeout or promotion. But I'm still glad for what will amount to 2 free entrees for our family.

Lessons I'm Learning From the Garden

2009-07-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Bill, the girls, and I have been experimenting with a few patches of vegetable gardens here and there this year. Our back yard is interspersed with fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens, in amongst the lawn and playground equipment. Bill has a plot out at his parents' home, and the girls and I planted a garden with a friend at her home as well.

While Bill has a background in large-scale agriculture, and small backyard plots don't much interest him, the girls and I have been learning a lot and rejoicing over the small rewards we have so far been able to lay claim to.

Here's today's harvest.

The zucchini are growing like mad. The cucumbers are doing well. The Brussels sprouts are almost ready. We are hopeful about the cantaloupes, carrots, and pumpkins. The tomatoes are suffering. The ichiban has flat-out died. Every now and then we get some peppers (bell and hot), and today I picked a handful of green beans--enough for our family to enjoy a meal. (They will be cooked crisp-tender, not mushy.)

I'm learning some lessons as we go along.

Bigger is not always better. Next year, I will plant less and space it out farther.

There's value in old farming ways. Epsom salt in the soil does seem to help prevent tomato blight.

Weeding the garden twice a week is NOT enough to keep ahead of the weeds. (There's bound to be a life lesson here, about the daily need of grace and forgiveness.)

I love the smell of tomato plant leaves.

I do not like the smell of green bean plants, and a half hour rooting around among them will leave enough of that scent on my skin to make me offend myself for as long as it takes to get to the showers.

Wear long sleeves when picking squash. The leaves and stems have invisible pricklies all over them.

Baby cantaloupes are as cute as baby animals. Soft and fuzzy and so full of potential.

Get the corn well established before you plant the beans and squash around it.

Don't forget to be amazed at the tremendous variety that can come from the same plot of soil.

The farmer scatters the seed and knows not how it grows. But the Sower sows.

Planting seeds is a sure sign that the planter is capable of hope.

Jill's Imagination

2009-07-29T18:58:00.001-07:00

Jill, at age 2, is really enjoying her own expanding imagination, and so am I.

Today, she was playing with her big sisters in the den. One of them wrapped her little leg in a bandage they found somewhere. She came toddling in to find me and announced,

"Yook, Mommy. I broke-eeng my yeg!"

Baking Day July 2009

2009-07-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

We started the day with our second trip to the splendiforous Gypsy Mountain Blueberry Farm. This blueberry patch definitely qualifies as one of my "happy places." I look forward to going there each year, and I'm never disappointed. This was our second trip this summer, and I thought the picking was good the first time. We approached today at our leisure, enjoying the company of good friends Cathy and Nell, and the cool of the morning. I didn't push the girls or myself to pick like mad this time, but we still got a good quantity of beautiful berries easily.

I found myself amazed and honored at the quantity of fruit right there at our fingertips. The bushes were bending down with the weight of their bounty. Could picking in the Garden of Eden have really been easier or more satisfying? I'm humbled and grateful to be among the recipients of so much lavish excess. Not only is the fruit sustaining, but it's good for us. It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's abundant beyond belief. Need, beauty, pleasure, all in one package. And in this case, it's practically free for the taking. A gift. One of so many. Who deserves it?

Berry picking is one of those things I could repeat over and over again. And while I don't particularly care to weed my garden spot, I do love to harvest. It's so very satisfying to see something useful come from the earth. So summer helps fill that unfulfilled urge of mine to become a migrant worker.

The berries and now the zucchini coming on madly led us to have a baking day today. Emma and Jane were pleased to help.

We dedicated the afternoon to cooking and decided to make Jane Graham's zucchini bread--just altered a little to incorporate some whole wheat flour into the recipe. Two large zucchini gave us enough base to make 3 loaves.

But that wasn't enough. We definitely put the double oven to good use today. In addition to the zucchini bread, Emma whipped up a double batch of blueberry scones. We'll freeze about half to have for breakfasts or for her to take to school in her lunchbox starting in just a few weeks.

And we had a small pack of rapsberries too--a gift from a friend--which Jane and I added to some of our blueberries to make a Razzleberry Pie.

The inevitable mess that followed such a day of projects was a bit daunting.

It covered just about every horizontal surface in the kitchen and dining room.

But in the end, we think it was worth it. Once order was restored, this is what we were left with.

So, which one would you choose?

Miriam's Candyland Birthday Party 2009

2009-07-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

July 2, 2009: Miss Firecracker, aka Miriam Fern Cochrane, turns 4 years old.

She started the day by going to breakfast with her Daddy--a special treat each girl has been able to enjoy since her 3rd birthday. Then it was home for the day to open family presents.

Ever since we read Charlotte's Web, Miriam has decided that she might prefer to be called by her middle name sometimes, and that she simply must have a pig of her own to sleep in her bed with her. This present was just what she wanted. (And mom is quite happy with it too, especially compared to the alternative!)

Fern has her own little Wilbur. Does this picture look familiar?

After lunch, naps for little ones, and a very quick dinner intended to force some protein into their little bodies, we held Miriam's first "real" birthday party--one with her own special friends invited. The theme was Candyland. Miriam's friends Nell, Mary, and Mark joined us, as did their parents and siblings.The cake, meant to represent Candy Castle, the rightful home of King Candy and Queen Frostine.

Cathy is once again my partner in crime. She was a great sport to play the role of Lady Licorice, evil counterpart to my Queen Frostine.

And she brought along the rest of her family, including this much-prayed for little guy. We call him Jack, and I'm teaching him how to say, "How YOU doin'?"

After spending much of 2 days constructing a rainbow for Rainbow Trail, compiling costumes, creating character cards and a color cube, and cutting apart colored squares for the Candyland path, we were ready to put it all together this afternoon. It looked fantastic! I was confident I had thought of everything, until, as the evening began to cool, a breeze picked up. And when that breeze blew, colored squares took to the winds! Thankfully, we had a bunch of handymen around.

They nailed all 80+ square to the ground so our path would stay put.

The Candyland Kids, from left: Mark, Jill, Nell, Mary, and Miriam. Their mission: to make their way through Candyland to rescue King Candy, who has been imprisoned in Lady Licorice's fortress. (And to collect as much candy along the way as possible.)

Most of the cast and crew at Rainbow Trail.

Our Candyland helpers, from left: Ellie as Princess Taffy--a character we created because I bought and saved some salt-water taffy from our last trip to the Beaufort, SC area; Jane as Princess Lolly; and Emma, as a very youthful Grandma Nutt.

Queen Frostine giving directions.

Jill waiting expectantly for her taffy at Rainbow Trail. (After this, she was pretty much out of the game, sitting on the sides eating the little bit of candy she managed to collect.)

The game in action. Roll the cube, move to that color--unless you roll "Lose a Turn," and then Lady Licorice will descend upon you and force you to take black jelly beans! HaHaHa!

After all the kids managed to breach the walls of Lady Licorice's fortress, they released King Candy and took over Lady Licorice's catapults.

The Candyland Kids quickly loaded each catapult with a strawberry marshmallow, and Ready! Aim! Fire!

Bring it on! Lady Licorice boasted. But little did she know the fury of a group of children forced to eat black jelly beans!

Lady Licorice is DOWN! (What a great sport she is!)

Inside, we took a more traditional approach to ending the evening. A round of "Happy Birthday to You." The presentation of the cake.

Miriam blowing out her candles.

Cutting the cake.

The "surprise inside": Four layers, each a different color and flavor.

Almost the entire crew.
Happy Birthday, Miss Miriam! We surely do love you!

A Milestone; A Mom's Pride

2009-06-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe they're just learning enough street smarts to figure out how to manipulate things to their own advantage. Or maybe they're really growing up and trying to be helpful. Or maybe the truth lies in a combination of both. At any rate, I'll take all the help I can get these days.

Emma just approached me to ask whether there was any laundry that needed to be folded. (Obvious answer in a household of six with a working mom and a dad who works outdoors in a region where the heat index regularly reaches 100 degrees: uhhh, Yes.)

Then comes the deal: "If Jane and I fold the laundry for you, can we watch TV while we do it?"

We are a minimalist TV family, and most of the time I would swear that TV comes straight from the devil.

Even so, I didn't really make a deal with the devil if I said yes, just this once, did I?

Creatively Financing our Homeschool Curriculum

2009-02-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Have I told you recently how much I like Swagbucks?

This is a really good option for anyone who uses the Internet ever to search for anything, and who doesn't have expendable income flowing out of their pockets and bank accounts like Baby Face George in O Brother! Where Art Thou? ("George, some uh yer folding money's come unstowed!")

All there is to it is you sign up (link below), download the tool bar (takes about 2 minutes), and then when you need to search for anything on the Internet, you just type it in that toolbar and click. Results are powered by Google and Ask!, and as you search, you'll be rewarded with points called Swagbucks. Accumulate them to use toward purchasing gift cards (or other merchandise, if it interests you) at the Swag store.

Most of the time, I earn 1-4 "bucks" a day by doing general searches for recipes, research for the stories I write, and research for school. But occasionally, someone hits a jackpot (the awards are random). Once I scored 10 bucks on a search. Bill got a 50-buck award. Those add up quickly. The 50 bucks were worth $5 at Amazon with 5 "bucks" left over to save for the next redemption.

I've been saving my points for Amazon gift cards because I can buy almost all our books and curricula there for home school. So far, I've earned about $35 toward the purchases I'll need to make for the girls for next year. That will buy both Jane's and Emma's spelling/vocabulary texts for next year.

But if Amazon's not your thing, you can save for Subway cards, JC Penney, Target, Sears, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and many other stores as well.

Click here to sign up and give it a try!

Or copy and paste this into your browser http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=245572

Enjoy your earnings!

A Few More December 2008 Memories Before We Close This Month

2008-12-29T20:09:00.001-08:00

Bill turns 40--just 9 days after Rebecca!

Jane makes his cake (with a little help from Mom).

A visit to the Grove Park Inn...

...complete with award-winning gingerbread houses on display.

Scenes from our visit to SC, to see...

Waiting for the word "go!"

A great gift from Uncle Kevin and Aunt Sumer.

Miriam catches her first fish.

...Grandmama, Granddaddy, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Sumer, Great-Grandmama, Uncle Sammy and Aunt Lillian, and Tina Franklin and Patti.

A Christmas tap dance.

"The Griswalds'" house next door. Our den window is just in line with their well-lighted roofline. "Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you keep us up tonight...!" The kids loved it.

Jack O'Brien makes his entrance.

The girls all surround him. A foreshadowing of days to come?

Mom Cathy is THE best-looking 5-days post-partum woman I've ever seen.

Jack and Jill.

Christmas Eve making sugar-cookie men.

An-tiss-ih-pay-yay-shun!

A visit from Mee-Maw.

The American Girl dolls are the best dressed among us. A beautiful two-piece outfit Mayron found at a craft fair in Virginia.

Christmas morning scene at our house while the children are nestled all snug in their beds.

Competition heats up.

Collin and Melissa celebrate their first anniversary.

Jill really loves her bath. She can't wait...literally can not wait...for the next one.

The Boys Are Back in Town

2008-12-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

Bill with a couple of "his boys": Cooper, left, and Collin, right.

Meri, Andrew, Amanda, Daniel, Collin.

Even though God didn't give us any little boys to raise alongside this quartet of dainty darlings, we've been so blessed to know and watch mature some of the finest, handsomest, kindest, most courteous, hard-working, warm-hearted, loyal, and Christ-centered young men this community has also had the pleasure of knowing.

Several have worked for Bill over their high-school and college years. Most we worship with regularly. A few helped us renovate this house we now live in. All of them have played with, teased, and doted on Emma, Jane, Miriam, and Jill.

Now a couple are married. Four are in the military. Three are away at college. A couple are still at home, but not for long. This weekend was a great reunion as all "the boys" were back: Georges, Carters, and Carlsons.

Ellie and Cooper catching up.

Meri, Melissa, and Stephen.

Jane in Meri's lap.

Melissa and Rebecca.

Miriam, Jill, and Emma enjoy the spread.

Jane holds her own with Thomas, Andrew, and Andrew.

The George family was great to host a dinner and include us in the invitation. (Maybe they needed our girls to help balance the numbers a little, as only the two brides and three George girls would otherwise have been present.)

What a difference a year makes. ...........................Nathan holds Jill 12/28/07 and again 12/27/08.

Had it not been for 2008 being a leap year, this gathering would have been exactly one year to the day of the last time we were all together, at Collin and Melissa's rehearsal dinner last year.

Then the next day, there was dancing at the wedding itself. I'll interject a brief look back, because these are just too much fun to forget about:

Emma dances with Collin, the groom(12/29/07) .....Luke bends over backwards for Jane.

Emma and Jane with Cooper 12/29/07.

Cooper & Collin open their gifts: "No one can EVER have too many knives!"

Andrew and Stephen show off their muscles.

But back to this year's party: There was a LOT of testosterone in the room on this particular night. Wrestling, pushups, military stories, gifts of knives and weaponry.

There was also a lot of tenderness and gentle kindness.

Andrew C. cuddling Jill.......................Luke holds Jill, who gets a smooch from Thomas.

Bill with Jill and Collin with Miriam.

Jane with "her Luke."

It was truly a delight to see them all together once again and to be reminded of the impact the accumulated character of these great guys will have as these "arrows" are being shot out of the quiver to go into the world. Watch out, world! I don't think you know yet what's about to hit you.

From left: Daniel and Amanda Carlson, Melissa and Collin George.

Collin gives details of his upcoming assignments.

Cooper tells about his future plans.

Collin and Cooper will be deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. Melissa will stay on in Alaska most of that time, teaching. Daniel and Amanda are moving to Nevada, where Daniel will continue training as a Predator pilot. Nathan's also continuing his military preparations in Utah. Take a good look and give thanks. These are the men who protect us from outside enemies of freedom. And these are the wives who support, help, and encourage them in that task.

Andrew Carlson, Andrew George (Clemson guys--go Tigers!) and Luke Carter will be heading back to college in a few days. Thomas and Stephen are still at home finishing up high school.

I have to put in another plug, here. Considering that all my girls are still in the single digits in age, I can't do much directly to affect this. But one of the prayer requests one of these fellows had was that God might provide the right young lady to be a wife to him. Hello!? Anyone out there?!

Single young women, wake up! This is the cream of the crop. It doesn't get any better than this.

So, what do you say: will it be Bachelor #1, Bachelor #2, Bachelor #3, or Bachelor #4? And Bachelors #5, #6 and #7 are still around here somewhere.

Wish them well. Pray for their safety and continued maturity, in their daily walk and in preparation for the challenges that lie ahead for them. And Godspeed to bring them all back again.

Reunion!

2008-12-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

Four months after moving to another town in another state, the Caines family visited just prior to Christmas. Being together again was great fun, and just like "old times." The kids immediately fell back into their routines. It's great how we can pick right back up where we left off. Here are a few pics of the kids:

All the Caines and Cochrane kids together.

Hannah "reading" to Jill.

Emma and Thomas in a fort.

This looks like mischief to me. Best friends Miriam and Jacob.

Abby and Jane.

Jill and Hannah. Two tired babies. They have played themselves out.

Miriam meets Wasabi

2008-12-25T07:18:00.001-08:00

I warned her. I promise I told her what she was getting into. But she's determined.
You can tell by the stare.

Wow! Hot!

Hot! Hot! Hot!
Then she asked for another.

Happy Christmas to All!

2008-12-23T17:24:00.001-08:00

The Stars of The Emma, Jane, Miriam, and Jill Show

This year raced to an end much faster than we anticipated. In the midst of school, work, deadlines, birthdays, book manuscripts, anniversaries, and saying goodbye to several dear individuals, we've hardly had time to reflect on the upcoming holiday at all.

But that's one of the most amazing things about grace: the ability for the forgiven to rush into the presence of God. The preparations have already been done on our behalf.

Here's my favorite Christmas passage:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven above and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

--Philippians 2:1-11

Here we all are, ready to celebrate. I love this picture of Miriam. It catches her personality so very completely. A special thanks to Julie Preuninger and Lerenda Walton for helping us get these pictures!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Highlights from the 2008 CRPC Christmas Pageant

2008-12-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

What a night!
The much-expanded CRPC Christmas Pageant went off without a hitch. It was a great success. Kudos to the George family for taking on such a big project!

Here are a few pictures, and a video. I may have a few more later, so check back in a few days, when I've had a little more time to crop and sort.

The narrators: Emma and David.

"Caesar" Charles sends out his decree.

Jane's solo: "Silent Night"

The angel chorus. But wait, what's going on here...?

Oh, Miriam! Really?

Miriam Discovers Makeup

2008-12-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

A little lipstick.

A little mascara.

Oh my.

Why I Love Our Wednesday Night Advent Gatherings

2008-12-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

See this? That’s a devoted ring of young children—some really just toddlers—gathered closely about a devoted pastor, sitting on the floor by the light of a few Advent candles, listening to “Holy Ghost stories.”

This experience, weekly throughout Advent, has been among the first of my daughters’ conscious memories. I don’t think we’ve missed a single Advent gathering in the last 8 years—this being the 9th Christmas season. We brought Emma to her first Advent gathering when she was 18 months old, and ever since, it has been my absolute favorite regular gathering of the church.

The reason I love it so much is very simple, but, I think, very special, precious, and rare. I do love it that our pastor is sharing real pearls of wisdom with these children. That is very important. But they get solid teaching in a lot of areas of their lives. The reason I love it so very much is related more to what the context teaches them implicitly rather than explicitly.

This event is so special because we can all be sure that each week, this learned man who never fails to deliver some profound theological message to the church, will get down on the floor and gather these little children around himself in an intimate circle. He will call each of them by name. He will talk to them on their own level and invent some often silly game for their enjoyment as much as their edification.

The kids just love to be around him. And this parent just loves the fact that they feel so tenderly loved in their church home.

The Advent gatherings are for them. They know it. They enjoy the activities, but I dare say even more than that, they enjoy the attention from their pastor.

And I’d also venture to say that he enjoys it as well.

Emma Bakes the Cake

2008-12-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

So I just celebrated another birthday--a big one this time. Wow.

And just to prove how quickly time is passing on by, my itsy, bitsy, baby girl has gotten big enough to bake and decorate a birthday cake for her mom. Double Wow.

She took the task very seriously. She thoroughly greased and floured her pans.

She measured carefully.

Poured evenly.

Tested regularly, and only got the tiniest little burn on her arm removing the pans.

Icing is the fun part.

Especially when it turns out like this. Not bad for a 9-year-old decorator's first shot!

I'm happy with it. But I'm happier even still with her. Isn't she great?

The five Cochrane girls. And in character, Miriam's always taking the cake.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Birthday postscript:

All in all, it was a great birthday, despite the BIG numbers on that cake.

We enjoyed worship in the morning, a steak dinner (thanks to Mayron!) for lunch, with excellent cake afterward. Following a couple of hours of family time, Bill and I went to see the new Baz Lurhmann movie Australia with Colin and Cathy. I'm a big Baz fan. I think his William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is cinematic perfection.

I have to insert a praise here also to Colin and Cathy. "I love you, Man!" (Mans? Men? Folks?) Cathy is 9 months pregnant. Colin was so sick he'd really rather'ed stay home. But they were not only willing but seemed excited to go out to a 3-hour epic movie with us to celebrate my birthday! How great is that? Add to it that they stayed into the evening to hang around, letting me fill up on "quality conversation" (my love language, I recently found out--see Gary Chapman's book if you don't know what I'm talking about), drink a little coffee, eat some more cake, and watch a little football. OK, so I can do without the football, but it meant a lot to Colin, and considering that he can quote from the Highlander movie and Monty Python ad nauseum, and remember, he came out for my birthday while he was sick, I can forgive him just about anything!

In the Spirit of Good Deals...

2008-11-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

Just an update on this post: since I've been using swagbucks as my primary search feature, I've earned more than enough points on my own to purchase a $5 Amazon.com gift card. I'm hanging on to that for awhile, since Amazon is generally the first place I look for any books or curricula we need for school. So it clearly works. I generally do 3 or 4 searches for something or other per day. At some point during the day while in a search, I always get awarded a buck or two. Once I actually got 10 bucks on one search. The award amounts are apparently random and not linked to specific searches, so you just use it as you would any other search engine. And if you get others to sign up through your link, then you also earn a few extra bucks here or there when they use their search account.
Seems like an easy way to pick up a few extras here and there.

...and considering that Christmas shopping is upon us, who couldn't use a few free gift cards to places like Amazon.com or Starbucks or other well-known stores? They make nice fillers for gift baskets or to use toward purchasing gifts.

You can earn free gift cards whenever you browse and search for topics online. Just join SWAGBUCKS at this link. It only takes a minute.
Download the swagbucks tool bar (it incorporates with Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox), and use it when you search. It automatically downloads search results from Google and Ask.
Every time you use the search bar, you are given points. As your points accumulate, you earn gift cards. And if you refer someone to swagbucks, you'll also earn additional points for the referral.

I've heard of some stay-at-home moms earning enough from searches and referrals to do all their Christmas shopping just with gift cards!

Will Make-Believe Ever Really Do?

2008-11-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

Miriam keeps telling me that she wants a kitchen for Christmas.

I was thinking of something along the lines of this:

But today, I find her and Jill doing this:

Makes me wonder if what I had in mind will do at all.

Feed 6 on $5 part 2

2008-11-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

Another example of a satisfying, albeit very simple, meal put together to feed 6 people on $5, with leftovers for the next day!

Our Reformation celebration dinner (see post below) was just scrumptious: a Scottish shepherd's pie with some trimmings (bread, crudites, relish plate, shortbread cookies). I've been craving that shepherd's pie ever since. So I thought I'd give it a shot at home, and even without the recipe to go by, it turned out quite well. Here are the basic instructions, followed by the cost breakdown.

Brown a pound of ground beef in a heavy skillet and drain it well. Season with thyme, sage, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add 1 cup diced carrots and 1 cup frozen peas. (I steamed both in the microwave first to soften a little.) Cook together until carrots are tender enough to put a fork into, but not mushy.

Meanwhile, roughly peel and then cube about 4 medium sized white potatoes. Boil in salted water until soft. Drain and mash with 1/3 cup milk.

Spread the meat and vegetables evenly in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.

Top with the mashed potatoes, and sprinkle with about 3 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or other strongly flavored cheese).
Bake in a 375 degree oven just until cheese is well melted. Serve immediately.

We got 6 very hearty servings from this dish with enough leftovers for a solid side dish for the girls and me at lunch the next day.

Here's the cost breakdown (tax included):

1 lb. ground beef on sale at Ingles for $1.88/lb: $1.92
4 medium carrots, Aldi 2 lb for 99 cents: $0.26
1 cup peas from 6-cup bag for $2.29: $0.39
3 oz cheddar cheese, on sale at Ingles for $3.99/lb: $0.76
1/3 cup milk, Aldi $1.99/gallon: $0.04
seasonings--salt, thyme, sage, Worce. sauce: $0.25
4 medium potatoes (free for us from FIL's garden, but
at Grocery Outlet for $0.78/lb loose) $1.19

Grand total: $4.81
(And for us, since the potatoes were free this time, it was really just $3.62 so even when we add in milk for the girls to drink, the total was just $3.87. Again, nothing fancy, but not too bad! And we were NOT hungry at all afterward.)

My first blog giveaway

2008-11-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just FYI, if anyone is interested. I'm holding my first blog giveaway this week over on my "Sideshow" site. Follow the link at the left to check it out.

Reformation Faire 2008

2008-11-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some images from the CRPC 2008 Reformation Faire. Each year, we celebrate Reformation Day with a church-wide dinner, a play based on some aspect of the Reformation, and games and activities for the kids.

This year, we took a Scottish focus, celebrating our Scottish Presbyterian roots and the work of John Knox. Everyone was invited to dress up as either Bible or Reformation characters, or in traditional Scottish garb. We enjoyed a delicious meal of herb-seasoned shepherd's pie and shortbread. Very family friendly, very filling, totally yummy!

This might have been our biggest turnout ever. We had about 175 people sign up for dinner, and more turned up for the play and other festivities. Here are some more details:

Lovely Queen Esther in her carriage on her way to the Faire.

(I can see why Artaxerxes was so smitten!)

And here's Ruth, blushing and bashful.

I was so pleased that some of our adult congregants were willing to participate in the fun!

The play: John Knox addresses Mary, Queen of Scots.

Our wonderful Troubadours!

Miriam as Miriam at the Fishing Booth.

RRrrrahr!

Children learned the Scottish words "brae," "moor," and "loch" as they looked for their missing sheep in the Scottish countryside.

"Ruth" plays a medieval game called 9 Pins.

The evening was lots of fun, and also included balloon animals, a Scottish Reformation archery game, a Good Form Golf at the St. Andrews' Golf Course game, a cookie walk, Scottish lawn bowling, and even an indoor version of Highland caber tossing--and lots and lots of plaids and tartans.

Feed 6 on $5 or Less?

2008-10-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

I always try to make our big meal of the day—our evening dinner, when we’re all together—for under $10. Sometimes, that’s a challenge. But in order to manage our costs right now, it’s really necessary. Recently, though, I heard of someone who challenged herself even moreso—she tries to make her family’s dinner on an average of $5. Given, her family is a little smaller—there are 4 of them, not 6—but two of ours are so small that we might come close to evening out. So, I thought I’d give it a shot and try for some $5 dinners.

Here’s my first:

Cream of Celery and Chicken Soup with Sliced Tomatoes and Corn Muffins.

I found Campbell’s condensed low-fat Cream of Celery soup at Grocery Outlet and bought 2 cans for $1.00 each.
To that, I added ½ a package (about .55 pounds) of diced chicken tenders bought on sale for $1.98/pound at Ingles. (Actually, I diced and cooked the chicken in salted water with pepper and dry parsley ahead of time to make a soup broth.)
I used 2 full-sized celery ribs and sautéed them in ½ tablespoon of butter with a touch of garlic. To that sauté, I added the chicken, broth, and canned soup.
I bought 2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix for 43 cents each, and prepared those with 2 eggs and 2/3 cup of milk.
I sliced 2 tomatoes to serve on the side—but these were free from a family member’s garden, so no added cost.

Here’s how it broke down by cost:

2 cans of soup: $2.04 (with tax)
Chicken: $1.11
Celery: $0.40
Butter: $0.04
Muffin mix: $0.88
2 eggs: $0.22
2/3 cup milk: $0.13 (milk was on sale for $2.99 this week, but who realized it was this inexpensive?)
Spices, no more than: $0.05
Tomatoes: $0.00

Grand total: $4.87

This excludes drinks, but I drink only water, Bill often drinks water, and the kids usually have less than a half cup of milk each. So even with adding in the cost of 2 full cups of milk, we’re just at $5.25, and we had leftover soup, which will be my lunch tomorrow. I know it’s not a very fancy meal, but for a cold day like today, it’s very satisfying!

Could I have done better by making the corn muffins from scratch? I don’t usually keep cornmeal in the house, so buying just the 2 boxes, what I needed for our family right now, was in part motivated by cash flow concerns. But I’m not against stockpiling if I can get a good price on something we will use regularly.

Can anyone top that? Or match it? I’d love to hear about it!

God Is So Good!

2008-10-02T06:38:00.001-07:00

When you ask godly people to pray, you get action! I'm amazed at how good God has been to our little Jane in the last two months.

Three times this summer and once last fall, Jane suffered debilitating headaches with vomiting. We took her to a neurologist who was concerned because the headaches didn't fit a typical pattern for childhood migraines. He was also mildly interested in her stature, which is far below that of her peers. She had grown only one inch in the last year.

An MRI showed, however, that there was nothing out of the order structurally in her head. An EEG showed normal brain activity.

Since we asked people to pray for Jane, she has not experienced a single headache. And today, I measured her. This is just unbelievable, but she has grown a full inch (maybe an inch plus a sixteenth!) in the last 6 weeks!

What makes this so fantastic is that we were told NOT to expect her to enter a growth spurt! She had a wrist x-ray last year this time to determine her bone age and we were told she was exactly on target for her age. That meant, or so the pediatrician said, that she wasn't likely to have a late onset growth spurt to help bring her up to a more consistent height with other kids her age.

And yet, here we have what can only be considered a real growth spurt, since she's grown as much in the last 6 weeks as she had in the entire year before that!

Ask and it shall be given. I'm convinced we just don't ask earnestly and often enough. We know it is God's will to do good for Jane. We asked, and he answered. Pretty cool stuff, huh?

The Midnight Marathon

2008-09-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's 3:00am. And yes, I know where my children are.

One is right here next to me. She's practicing her typing at the moment.

So far this evening, we have been out for sushi, visited friends, watched a video, talked on the phone to one friend across town (and her dog, sort of),

made cupcakes,

talked to another friend in Alaska who had just finished her dinner,

played with some fabric dolls made just for this occasion by another family of friends (and made a few other craft things from the box of fabric and supplies they also passed on),

and taken a midnight walk through the neighborhood.

We have 4 1/2 more hours to go before we have to report at the doctor's office for Jane's EEG. But we're halfway through the night, so all is going well.

Still on the agenda: at the very least we'll play a few games at AmericanGirl.com, take a bubble bath, and make breakfast for the two of us and Dad (who is sound asleep at the moment). If necessary, we will play glow-in-the-dark catch outside as well.

Jane has been so easy--no meltdowns yet, though about an hour ago she did announce that she wanted to go to bed. I was just sure we'd have had some tears by now, but she is managing everything quite well. I couldn't be more proud of her.

A Request for Input

2008-09-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is Jane. She's 7 years old. She really likes to sleep at night. So do I, usually, when insomnia doesn't prevent it.

We have a challenge ahead. Because of some really bad headache/vomitting episodes lately, Jane is going to have to have an EEG (electroencephalogram) in a week or so.

Because her headaches typically wake her from sleep, she has to have the EEG done while she's sleeping in the neurologist's office.

To be sure she can sleep while we're there, she has to stay up all night the night before.

So I've got to be creative about keeping her up all night without turning it into a wakeful nightmare for the both of us.

Here are my ideas so far. Please contribute more!

--Set up the telescope and look at the moon and stars if the night is clear.
--Bake cupcakes and decorate them.
--Make yeast bread together.
--Take a walk around the neighborhood with flashlights.
--Take a bubble bath.
--Call our friends M & CG in Alaska (finally a chance for the timezones to work FOR us!).
--Someone suggested taking her to Walmart and doing some midnight shopping, and I might do that, but I'm a little afraid of getting reported to child services if no one stops us for an explanation.

Other ideas? It's going to be a long night.

Also, any input on preparing her for the EEG and also an MRI so that nothing catches either of us by surprise or makes the experience scary for her would also be appreciated!

Wrapping up Summer

2008-08-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've added anything here, but that's just a testimony to how full the days have been. We're trying to get things ready for Back to School, but I'm just plugging along so slowly. The homeschool room is still a bit disorganized; I haven't gotten the shelves cleaned out and rearranged for the new year yet. Jane's plugging away and about to finish up the 2nd grade math curriculum--just 5 lessons left--before starting 2nd grade in less than 2 weeks. She's doing great!

Emma and I have been working on making a dress for her. It's a difficult process. I am not a seamstress, though I'm willing to give anything a shot. I'm not sure we're going to end up with anything truly wearable, but at least she's enjoying learning some and making the attempt.

First fitting of the bodice

Thanks to Bill's always generous Uncle Joe and Aunt Shannon, we did get to spend a weekend away from home for recreation. They let us use their Lake Keowee house for a couple of nights just before Bill had to start a grueling new contract job for Duke Energy. We are hopeful that this contract will lead to more work (both with Duke and other major companies), but preparation for it has been hard. There are so many requirements for insurance, bonding, safety, and government regulations that have overwhelmed his time and energy before he could even start work there. But it seems to be coming together and now, a couple of days in to the actual work, he is getting good feedback from the site supervisor. But he is drained at the end of the day and he's gone such long hours that we miss him.

But, I digress. I was going to tell about our weekend at the lake.

Jill just loves Aunt Shannon's lake house. It makes her really happy!

Emma and Jane stick close to Kelly

It was a beautiful weekend. Bill's cousin Mark and his wife Kelly were there for part of the time too. It was really good to spend some time with them, as we hadn't seen them in years. (They left Asheville for Atlanta several years back.) They are just delightful people to be around and our bigger girls latched on to Kelly and claimed her as "Aunt Kelly" immediately.

Jill getting used to her jacket

Swimming in the lake

Miriam on the beach

We enjoyed some kayaking, fishing, playing on the little beach, and swimming in the lake. I particularly enjoyed what I call Shannon's "zen" living. Everything in her beautiful house is perfectly selected and placed, and the order and lack of clutter gives me an immediate sense of peace and serenity when I walk in and am allowed for a short time to inhabit her home away from home.

Jane fishing

Look Ma! The life jacket really works! (Jill learned quickly how to balance in the water.)

Serenity now...serenity now...serenity now!

Mark was willing to take us all out on the pontoon boat too, and as you can see, everyone wanted to drive the boat. Add "boat" to Miriam's rapidly growing list (tractor and firetruck in previous posts).

Mark and Kelly also gave the girls another new experience: tubing!

Miriam and Bill in the tube

Miriam enjoys the whitewater

Jane and I take it easy

(It was my first time too, and it was fun!) Miriam was a little astonished by the height she achieved by bouncing over the waves of the boat's wake, but as soon as she came down off the big splashes, she was quick to signal a "thumb's up," which means "go faster!" Emma was all adventure and couldn't go fast enough, while Jane was content with a leisurely ride at a modest pace.

Miriam gets to steer while Mark watches the "tubers"

It was a lot of fun and everyone was sorry for the weekend to come to an end, but we are so very thankful for the opportunity to get away once this summer as a family, especially in light of how much Bill would be away from us working in the week immediately following.

An Experiment

2008-07-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is an experiment to try to upload a 20-second video to the blog. If this works, though, you'll have to view it with your head tilted 90 degrees to the left. I took the video vertically and can't figure out how to rotate it in the view.

Anyhoo, here's Miriam jumping rope. Or jumping with rope, if you prefer.

Suburbia in Bizarro World

2008-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

This post otherwise known as "My neighbor's friends are a bunch of turkeys."

It's a normal Sunday afternoon. Someone's at the door. Emma runs breathlessly to tell me there's a bunch of turkeys out there. I thought maybe the mischievous teenage boys from two doors down were setting off firecrackers under our car again.

She insists it's stranger than that.

Really.

Our next door neighbor had a big hen and several young "goblettes" in his yard.

As we sat in the grass and watched, two more of the noisy ruffians sneaked past us in our own front yard! There are 9 altogether, and they are going up to actual doorsteps and peering in windows. If it wasn't a hen, I guess we'd have to report a Peeping Tom.

This neighborhood is just going to the birds.

Know Your Place in Life

2008-07-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

Jane finally lost her top front tooth.

It had been dangling for weeks.

Before and after.

Why is this so cute at 7, but not at 70?

Some High Points--Very High Points

2008-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain, July 2008.

Our "stay-cation" may have reached its peak, very literally, in mid to late July. We've been exploring our home and close-to-home spots, and I think everyone will say that staying close to home this summer has had more peaks than valleys. Living in the Appalachian Mountains has to help with that.

We visited our favorite blueberry farm in Marion, NC, in mid-July. It was really too early--there were a lot of berries, but we really had to work to get this haul. In another two weeks, our labors would have been much more fruitful. Maybe we'll go again before August gets here, but even if we don't, we had a nice time, enough berries to put some away in our freezer and share a couple of quarts, and four decidedly purple tongues.

Miriam is a diligent berry picker. She filled half a bucket on her own. I was surpised that a 3-year-old could produce as much as she did. Jane really put her all into it also, producing about half a gallon all on her own. Emma is our resident consumer. She had a great time. Jill thought it was hot and was only happy if being fed continously.

That was a high point, but not high enough. While watching the birds from the back deck one morning, Miriam announced "I want to go into the sky!" I understand. I do too.

It became a mantra for her. On the swing: "Push me really high! I want to go into the sky!" When wrestling with her dad: "Pick me up! I want to go into the sky!" And when we took a drive up to Roan Mountain for a day hike and picnic: "Go to the mountain! I want to go into the sky!

So we did. Here are Emma, Jane, and Miriam sitting on the rock wall of an overlook at the former site of the Victorian-era Cloudland Hotel. The 3-story luxury hotel straddled the NC/TN state line and was a popular vacation spot for the affluent from the 1880s to about 1900. People lost interest in the Cloudland Hotel in the early 1900s, though, and it was dismantled. Nothing remains now except a historical marker and this more recently constructed rock wall. It is inhabited by a small brown field mouse.

Bill packing Jill at the Cloudland meadow--a nice picnic spot.

Among the "Ferns" on the Appalachian Trail, Roan Mountain.

And we went "into the sky" at the top of the Cloudland Trail, Roan Mountain. The view from the top is panoramic and dizzying. It is truly unbelievable just how far you can see and how high up you really are. I believe the markers said it was over 6,000 feet. But Miriam was still disappointed. She raised herself up on tiptoes, lifted her little hands toward heaven, and declared, "I want to go INTO THE SKY!"

Thanks to Nathan Brinkerhoff, a friend from church who is also a pilot preparing to take his skills (and his new wife Julia and soon-to-be-born baby son) into the mission field in South America, each of us (except for Jill) were able to go "into the sky" this past Wednesday.

Here's the plane with Bill, Emma, Jane, Miriam, and our "other daughter" Nell before boarding. Nathan offered free plane rides to our church community at a small, private airport in Hendersonville. We all took along picnics, played ball on the grass, and got a bird's-eye view of a good portion of Henderson and Buncombe counties.

Jane and Nell buckled up and ready to go.

Bill, Jane, and Nell are aboard this flight.

Here I am with Miriam in the cockpit, preparing for take-off.

Emma and her friend Alice rode in the back on our flight.

And here's Miriam. Note the view from the window. She truly did get to go
"into the sky!"

Now that's a high point of the summer.

SAFETY: A Six-Letter Word that Works Seven Days a Week!

2008-07-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love the Fourth of July? The festivity, the fireworks, the chance to do permanent damage to your person... What fun!

Of course, this is from a girl who grew up with bottle rockets threatening to pierce my ears in a few extra places because of all those BOY things going on. I was shocked--again, I say SHOCKED--to find out just how terrifying even holding a little sparkler could be to my safety-conscious 7- and 9-year-old daughters.

In keeping with her personality, Miriam wasn't afraid. She jumped right in (as expected) and even tried to see what it would feel like to light herself with the sparks. (Whoa there, girl!)

Jane warmed up pretty quickly to all the fun. Glad OSHA wasn't around, though. Emma might have reported us for improper handling.

Speaking of OSHA, our backyard has been a hard-hat zone for a few days as Bill has been working on building a new, bigger, better, stronger, faster swingset for the girls. We were unreasonably limited with our 3-seat swingset, and so we used some birthday gift money to expand on the original design. Here are a few pics of the construction and development:

She can drive a firetruck. She can drive a tractor. There's just no telling what this little lady will be capable of. Out came the old set, and the handy contraption attached to the back of the tractor let us auger some massive holes to sink our new 6"x6" posts a good 3 feet into the ground. This swingset just might see our children's children's children.

Setting the posts. (Note the bare feet, upturned shovel waiting to be stepped on, and the booby-trap trip line Bill's about to get caught on.) Checking for plumb and level. Making a few adjustments. (Look at that face--that's the look of love, girls! Click on an image to see it bigger. Be sure to inhale a lungful of toxic sawdust!)

And before you know it, we've got an operating swingset with room for the whole family.
But wait--what was the title of this post? Easy there, Emma--remember what Officer Buckle would say! Yes, I'm sad to say that THIS (above), all too sadly leads to

THIS!

No, it isn't broken. After 3 doctors appointments and a set of X-rays, we determined that it was just a mild sprain. A few days in a wrap, a lower gear on the swingset, no monkey bars or baseball for a couple of weeks, and she'll be just fine.

All this safety talk, paired with the lead found in herbal supplements and teas packaged in China (where they run over plant materials with trucks on the factory floor to dry them out, apparently, and the fumes from the leaded gas they use contaminate the "health" products) and salmonella in tomatoes, has me reading a few more labels lately. Tell me what you'd make of this:

Can you read that line right on the middle of the bag? It says "A premium quality raw shrimp, cooked ready to serve." Hmmmmm. So just what do I do with that?! About the only thing I can think of that's worse than overcooked shrimp would be tainted, poisonous RAW shrimp. Should I send this one to Jay Leno?

Oh well, what can you do? We can't stop living in order to try to keep living.

Enjoy your days!

Three Years With Miss Firecracker!

2008-07-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Miriam--July 2005

Miriam--July 2008

You've come a long way, baby! And what a ride!

This child is non-stop--a climbing, running, chatting, giggling, wiggling, twirling, dancing firecracker! And we love every minute of it. (At least most of the time. I admit to being tired--read, wiped out--often by her bedtime.) She is so very full of life, and what a blessing that is!

Miriam turned three today. In her own words, "I am big now. Now I can have gum!" So her sisters gave her some. She swallowed two pieces and spit a third out in the yard where it will inevitably find its way to the bottom of someone's shoe or bare foot, or worse, into someone's hair while somersaulting. We may wait a little while longer on the gum.

The day was full for little Miriam. She got to go out for breakfast alone with her daddy. She got a balloon at the restaurant and learned (the hard way) about helium and gravity. Her balloon is now on its way to the moon.

Then there were a few presents to open. She loved this hobby horse. I got it through a friend about 2 months ago and hid it away in my closet. I mean, I thought it was well hidden. It was behind my luggage with my wedding dress hanging in front to cover it up.

She unwrapped it, rode it around awhile, and then met me in the kitchen. "Look, Mom! Now I have a horse like yours!" she said. "Like mine? Where's mine?" I asked, a little absent-mindedly. "In your closet!" she informed me. So much for my great attempts to conceal anything from this toddler-sleuth. Boy, are we gonna be in trouble later...

After that, we visited the fire station and she got to drive the truck.

The firefighters at Station 8 ROCK! These guys are awesome. We had such a great time! We learned about fire safety, and what the different trucks and tools are for. We saw the full gear of the firefighter and heard him talk through his mask. And we got to sit in and on some really big, shiny trucks. Thanks, Station 8!

After lunch and naps, we took our Elmo cake to the park for lots more fun.

Our friends, the Jacksons, met us there for some
cake and fun play time. Miriam has a special friendship with "Doc-Doc," and it has been so sweet to watch that grow over the last 3 years.

Miriam with her cake. Miriam and Jane hiding in the boat.

Zac, Emma, and Amber at the tire swing. Miriam climbing up. Miriam jumping on the bridge.

Somersault race begins (even Jill's in it!) Jill on the "grass." The end of the somersault race. Kendall won.

As the sun sets, we all tire out. I think Kenna's pretty wiped out.

Miriam with "Doc-Doc" 2008. Looking back to 2005.

Didn't I tell you she'd come a long way?

Happy Birthday, beloved Miriam!

Summer's Here

2008-06-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it just make you want to say, "You look MAH-VELOUS, Dahling!"?

And she does. This is Miriam, enjoying a day at the pool at MeeMaw's new condo. It was excessively hot that day. We're thankful that summer has reined itself back in a bit as far as temperature is concerned.

Summer for us this year is rather old-fashioned. We're focusing on time at home together, swinging in the backyard, swimming whenever we possibly can, and celebrating birthdays in a much more normal way than we've often done in the past. Just a little cake. Maybe some ice cream. A slumber party or small gathering. A trip to the park. And so on. Three birthdays down and one to go. (Watch for new images in a week or so.)

The rest of the time we prayerfully try to coax some signs of life from our desperate little garden spots. Yesterday Emma and I got 11 blueberries, 1 cherry tomato, and 3 green onions. It was quite a haul for us! The heat and cabbage moths devoured Miriam's little cabbage patch. ("Look, Mom! Mine is all eat up!" she said.) So we plugged it with three extra cucumber plants and a watermelon vine. Maybe that'll work.

This is about the only type of car we can afford to drive these days, so we won't be planning any long vacations this year: gas is too high, income is too low, and there just aren't enough work days in the year under those circumstances to let us take off a string of them in a row. So instead we're trying to see the forest despite the trees. After all, we live in one of the most sought-after vacation spots in the U.S. It's time to rest at home and enjoy the opportunities and beauty around us at a slower pace than the other 9 months of the year.

Celebrating Jill's First Birthday

2008-06-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Jill Turns 1

Here are some images from Jill’s first birthday. She didn’t seem to know quite what was going on, but she enjoyed dancing in her chair while we sang “Happy Birthday to You,” and once she got over her timidity, she had no problem diving into her own little cake.

Miriam was in a hurry to get to the main cake, so she took over.

Jill began to get serious about this cake and ice cream thing.

The natural next step.

Ahh, bed at last.