40 Days of Gratitude

We are already counting down. Every year is a new challenge to make Thanksgiving meaningful. I once borrowed an idea from my sister and did a Thanksgiving Tree (think twigs in a vase and dried leaves--with thankful sayings written on them--strung and hanging on the branches.) I have also made leaf cut-outs on colorful paper--with thankful sayings on them--and taped them to the window. When the boys were preschool age, we made paper turkeys with colors feathers where we wrote, of course, the things we were thankful for. All fun and a deliberate attempt to get us to think about our blessings.

This past weekend, I was contemplating the upcoming holiday and realized we were exactly 40 days away from the Thanksgiving holiday. So I quickly made up some pages to print out and put them in some journals. I got the family involved and we prepared our construction paper covers, which we decorated with markers and glitter pens. The pages have a fill-in-the-blank-style entries for each day from October 18-November 26: "I am thankful for..." with lines to fill in and with space to draw a picture. I am excited to see what we all decide to write. I hope this might shake up our naturally complaining hearts to see the goodness all around us in a fresh way.

What Am I Looking For?

If we look for flaws in others, we will find them. If we look for evidence of grace, we will find that, too. The one gives us a higher view of ourselves. The other gives us a higher view of our God. It's our choice.

Potato Chip Factory

With a willing friend, the boys and I toured Herr's Foods, Inc. in Nottingham, PA today. Among other snack foods, Herr's makes potato chips. We are looking at "processes" this fall--how products get from concept to you. (For some cool videos on the subject, see http://manufacturing.stanford.edu/hetm.html). I expected an educational tour of the factory to explain the manufacturing process and maybe get a sample of their product at the end. We got both. In fact, I was really impressed with how they use all the by-products of potato making, including selling starch to a paper factory, feeding scraps to local Angus cattle, and heating the building/factory with the heat from the cooling potato chips!

Most of all, I was pleasantly surprised by the human story that was clearly the undercurrent of this thriving business. Jim and Mim Herr (isn't that great? rhyming names!) founded the company 1946 with a few kettles, a potato slicer and peeler, and a delivery truck. Now it is a company led by all of their 5 children, with 1400 employees, 500 sales routes and many, many snack products. The Herrs have spent their lifetime building on good business practices, overcoming obstacles (such as a devastating factory fire in 1951) and being faithful to live by common sense and wisdom. At the end of the tour, a free little booklet of a paraphrase of the book of Proverbs from Jim Herr is available. In the front cover he states that he has tried to live according to these Biblical principles, in dependence on the Holy Spirit and the grace of Christ.

I got way more than asked for on this field trip. These are the days that make homeschooling especially sweet. Although I would not want my name to rhyme with my husband's (if you know us, you would understand!), I hope, like the Herrs, we can build on a sure foundation and bless others with our lives. I hope my sons are inspired by the kind of perseverance, skill, and business practice we saw today.

I think I'll eat more potato chips.

Baby Food

There is something extremely gratifying to me about making my own baby food. Not only is it economical, it is tasty (yes, I've tried it) and easy to make. I love to see my baby eating what I have prepared. Last week, I made peas (pureed) and applesauce.

Step 1: Put about an inch of water in a pot/pan.

Step 2: Prepare your food. For instance, peel, core and slice apples. Or pour the bag of frozen peas in the pot! You can use carrots, pears (cored and sliced, with peels on), green beans (I use frozen), sweet potatoes (scrub skins but leave them on for extra nutrients), prunes, etc., etc.

Step 3: Cook over medium heat until softened.



Step 4: Put all contents of pan into blender. Add water if necessary. Blend on high.



Step 5: Pour into containers. I use 2.5 oz, 4 oz, or ice cube trays. Freeze or refrigerate. Reheat before serving.

So easy, and baby loves it! I prepared about 18 servings in about 30 minutes.

Jeans

A few days ago, I turned the calendar over to see October looking back at me. To me, October in the Northeast means the tips of maple leaves are just starting to turn orange and red. The air turns crisp, dry and cool. It means apple picking, corn mazes and pumpkin patches. School buses, mums on front porches and lawns, and decorative scarecrows through out suburbia. I like fall. As the temperatures drop, October means putting away the shorts and short sleeves and getting out long sleeved shirts, sweaters and jeans.

Now, my jeans and I have a very special relationship. For as long as I can remember, I've liked jeans. When I was in third grade, I received a pair hand-me-down Jordache jeans. I wore those jeans out. I loved those jeans. I remember the skinny jeans of the '80's, with the zippers at the ankle. Sometimes we would fold the cuff of old jeans and roll them up for the same skinny ankle affect. Then, there was the "relaxed fit" of the '90's. I've enjoyed the flared leg and boot cut of the last decade. Looks like skinny jeans are back, but I have yet to buy a pair. Jeans: the essential and versitale staple of the winter wardrobe. So, I pulled out my bin labeled "Fall/Winter Clothes." I took off the plastic lid to see my dear old jeans in there, like a bunch of old friends.

I took out a pair and held them up. I hesitated to try them on. I had not been in these jeans for 18 months. I'd been working on getting back into shape after having a baby last spring, and getting back into my pre-baby jeans would be the ultimate test of whether my work-outs accomplished anything. I was dreading the idea of buying new jeans in a size I didn't plan to wear for more than 1 season. Even more, I was dreading the idea of still carrying around more baby fat than I'd care to admit. But the moment of truth could not be delayed: one leg, two legs, over the hips (that's a good sign) and completely zippered and buttoned. Phew!! What a relief! WOO HOO! I suddenly became shiny and happy, and dropped to my knees in gratitude and smiles! It's good to be back.

I'm sorry for the shallowness of this post, but a pair of good-fitting jeans does wonders for a girl's psyche.

Prayer

One of my favorite topics. Ten years ago, I read a book by Elisabeth George in which she challenged homemaking women to make Five Folders. These are the subjects, she said, in which you will become an expert. She explained that if you focus on these FIVE topics and start collecting as much information as possible and working towards expertise, over time you will be accomplished, even as a busy homemaker. So, one of the topics I picked then and there was prayer. I am by no means an expert at prayer, but deliberately focusing on this subject in the last 10 years has helped me grow in it. Back then, I made a few commitments regarding prayer:

1) When I say I am going to pray for someone, actually do it. And do it again. And again.
2) Take the command to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5) seriously. If God said to do it, it must be possible to do, in His strength. I am growing in this discipline. I have a long way to go, but, thankfully, I have also come a long way.
3) Learn from Jesus' model of prayer. I try to begin prayer with praise and adoration of the One who invites us (amazingly wonderful!) to speak with Him.

This topic of prayer is so rich and deep and wide, I will likely write on it often. Lately, I have been thinking about the specificity of prayer. In other words, prayers for blanket blessings are good, but specific prayers are better. If prayer is designed by God to keep us in relationship with Him, doesn't it make sense to bring the details and specifics to Him? Doesn't it make sense to ask for daily bread, in day by day dependence, rather than for a life of being well-fed? Prayer keeps us going back to the well that never dries up, to the Living Bread. He says that we have not because we ask not (James 4). He invites us to be part of moving mountains, in His name. I am encouraged to pray specifically, often, and much. As John Piper said, "Load His shoulders down, if you believe they are strong." He can handle it.

Sleepover

My young birds are learning to fly on their own. When they left yesterday afternoon for the sleepover, I had this weird combination of feelings churning around inside: Worry - Will they be ok? Yes, they will. They are in good hands. Pride - They are growing up! So happy to see them trotting off confidently after a hug good-bye, without a look back. Happiness - They are going to have a great time! They have been talking about this all week! But the dominant feeling was Empty. I walked back into my house, and the baby was napping. Hubby was not home from work. And it was raining outside. A quiet combination that only exacerbated the Empty. I fast-forwarded a few years and wondered if this what it feels like to have an Empty Nest. I let myself think and feel this for a few minutes, because when those boys come bounding into our house again with all their energy, accidentally leaving shoes and jackets by the front door floor, pounding up the stairs and talking loud enough to wake the baby, I will be happy and not annoyed. I will tell them I missed them, but in an I-love-you kind of way, not in a Don't-leave-me kind of way. And I will gladly listen to their breathless reports of all that they did on their 24 hour adventure away from home, because it is good they are learning to fly.

Beginnings

The quotable C.S. Lewis said, "With the possible exception of the equator, everything has a beginning." So this begins my blog, conceivably scratched into cyberspace for infinity. You will likely find me writing on a variety of subjects which are both close to my heart and fresh in the experience of this 30-something, homeschooling mother: my faith, prayer, relationships, parenting, marriage, my sons, education, culture and an occasional political opinion. The best way to start is by starting, so let's go.