Crabtree Falls

This week most families across America dealt with school starting. Frantic efforts to get back on schedule and dig into bookwork was the norm, I expect.

Not so with our family.

Nope. While the rest of the world stressed out, we've taken a vacation. Yesterday and today, my dad had two days off work, and we've squeezed as much memory-packing into two days as we could.

Yesterday was spent around the house, with a busy morning and afternoon of canning in the kitchen for me, but oh such a fun evening! We intended to camp that night at a campsite, but we ladies were exhausted from our day in the kitchen, so our menfolk generously settled for a relaxing evening at home. Dad grilled some delicious burgers on his new (to us) grill for supper - which was yummy. Then everyone got out their instruments and filled the house with music.

That's always fun. ...Even if we are playing three different songs at the same time! Mom pleasantly surprised me by doing supper dishes for me (it was my turn) while all the commotion was going on. That alone made for a great evening for me!

Then Dad and I made some popcorn that, though I say it myself, was fabulous. Dad popped the corn in a big pot on the stove, while I melted butter and cheese to pour on when it was done. We lounged in the living room and watched some good old-fashioned black and white tv shows while we ate it.

Then we headed out to the backyard and roasted marshmallows over glowing coals and sang songs 'til late. Is there anything quite like the crispy sweetness of a 'mallow roasted to perfection? Is there anything like family voices blending together under the stars with a sweetness that makes you want to cry? Is there anything like watching firelight bounce and play with shadows on the faces of the seven people you hold most dear? Is there anything like strolling away from the fire, holding hands, looking up at the stars, and singing to the Lord together...alone? Is there anything like that?

It was a lovely evening. Even though it was so late when I hit the sack that I woke up tired today. It was worth it!!!!

Today we ate a quick breakfast (remind me to share that amazing blueberry-banana muffin recipe on here sometime!) before heading out. Dad and Mom were taking us hiking at Crabtree falls - the longest falls on the east coast.

It was worth the long drive. The beauty there took my breath away! And of course just being with my family all day long was great. I had some special heart-to-heart talks with several siblings as we hiked.

But by now I'm sure you're weary of my chatter, so I'll let the pictures some talking for me: (aren't you proud of me for including so many photos in one post? :):):)

These aren't in any particular order. This pic. was taken on the way down from the falls (we hiked from the bottom up). Justin thought it was fun to hide ahead on the trail, and jump out and scare me, who happened to be last in line. :):):) It worked, too!

This was on the way up. You can't see it, but the falls are really close to this stairway. Crabtree falls isn't one big "fall," but a loooooong trail of little ones. We were within sound, if not sight, of it during the whole hike (about 3 hours). I kept saying I want stairways like this in my house someday!!!! I love twisting stairways...and with a waterfall next to it? LOVELY!

Oh yes - pictures of the fall. I ought to include that, huh? *giggle* These are my lovely parents at one of the more level spots on the trail. (I'm not doing too good at cutting out the chatter, am I?)

We finally made it to the top! It was a very steep climb, and we were all glad to sit at the top in the cool breeze and feast our eyes on the beauty up there. Some nearby rocks presented the perfect spot for some pictures....

...I love my siblings!
(LtoR: Justin, Lezley, Tiffany, Heather, me, Curtis)

And because we like to be goofy once in awhile....

This picture of my older sis and me gives you a better look at the view:

And on the way back down we stopped at a few more places for pictures:

Hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into my day. I'm going to bed tired tonight, but happy.

I'm wistful, too. I can't help thinking what a lovely thing family is, but also how temporary it is. I can't hold on to my family forever - someday we will all have families of our own, Lord willing. We will always love one another, but things won't stay the same as they are now. My little siblings won't stay little. We won't always live in one house.

Sometimes it's hard to love so much. Sometimes it's hard to be so close. ...But somehow it's worth it. I wouldn't want to lose the pleasures of today because of fear of tomorrow. Sometimes I am afraid to love, because I am afraid to lose. But that's no way to live.

I've chosen to love with all of myself, and leave the future to the Lord. He is more than able to take care of it. He is more than able to give me the grace to grow with changing circumstances and not only adapt, but thrive. Isn't He good?

I've had fresh proof of His goodness lately. I've been wondering how to share this with y'all....Somehow it didn't want to come out right.

Psalm 20:6 says "Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand." I like that phrase; "Now I KNOW..." There's something about experiencing God's grace for yourself, instead of just "knowing" it's there for when you need it someday.

I've always been afraid of the time when my siblings and I start to grow up and start our separate lives. I knew we'd still love one another, but things would be...different. I wouldn't like it. I knew I wouldn't like it. I was very afraid.

But fear doesn't freeze time.

Things have come.

I've now faced - and begun to conquer - what I feel is the beginning of "growing up and out." To be honest, it's been such a deep, inner, struggle that I haven't written about it here at The Fruit of Her Hands. But now I have tried God's grace and found it true. It has held me. And so I want to tell you: God will come through!

In which we wonder why we even tried

I've been accused before of making private things too public - particularly in the area of this blog. (I've also been accused of not make some things public enough, but that's besides the point.) It seems that I need to be reminded to keep my mouth shut every once in awhile. It's a good reminder - I think a lot of people (young people in particular) in this day and age love to share their most private feelings world wide, with the help of their computers and the web. While communication is nice, there's something good to be said for old fashioned privacy.

However, it just so happens that I love to make people laugh. In fact, when I was much younger in my Christian walk I, (though I blush to tell it), used to stretch the truth or even make up a funny story, just to get people to laugh. Now, though I do my best to stick with the truth, the temptation to share a story that will make people laugh is very strong to me.

Do you know what that means when my siblings do something funny, and the world is at my fingertips, just waiting to hear?

Sigh.

Enough about me and my weaknesses. Let me share a story that had me crying with laughter-tears before it was over, and should be embarrassing to no one, since it was no one's fault. The fact that it comes right on the heels of another tale of mine is pure coincidence, I assure you.

You know, sometimes it's fun to have a blog. It's fun to have a place to record memories, and it's fun to have memories that are shareable.

My Dad got an unexpected 4-day weekend this week. When he found out about it, the house was immediately alive with discussion about what we should do with our impromptu vacation. Staying home and living normal life was out of the question. We knew we'd be celebrating Mom's birthday on Thursday, but we needed something special to do that would take several days.

Camping was the activity finally decided upon. I think we all knew from the start that's what we would do. We camp nearly every time we travel, instead of staying in hotels, and every so often we do it near our home just for fun. We've done it so many times that we consider ourselves fairly professional.

In fact, we have a special camping skill that many people don't have. We know how to camp in the rain! That's right - we have it down to a science. Granted, it's been a forced lesson, but one we've learned fairly quickly. We've just come to expect the water, and we plan for it. Extra tarps, canopies to eat under, water-proof bags...etc.

Actually, I have a hard time imagine what it's like to camp in the sunshine. It seems so odd to think about. What's a campfire without those little droplets sizzling in it? What's a good night's sleep under the clouds without a little moisture leaking through the tent onto your sleeping bag?

Still, it never hurts to hope.

It's been dry here lately. In fact, we've been praying for rain. Our garden needs it (ahem...needed it) badly. After the good rains we had earlier this year, the dry spell seemed twice as dry.

But it seemed like the perfect time for some camping.

We planned to leave in mid afternoon, and get to the campsite, which was about an hour away, in time to set up the tents and have supper - then go hiking in the morning after a good night's sleep. Ah, what lovely things plans are!

The first clouds rolled in near 3:00, but that was okay because false hopes had been raised several times before this month. We continued loading up the van, as our neighbors watched. (Several of them were out there working on various things in their yards.)

The first sprinkles hit the sidewalk just as we finished packing the van with everything. We decided to head off and hope the weather was different an hour away from home.

It certainly was.

The windshield wipers didn't work fast enough. By the time we reached the camp ground (after a few "detours") we didn't even bother pulling into the parking lot. Dad pulled off on the side of the road, and we all yelled back and forth over the rain, discussing our options.

That didn't last long. What were our choices, anyway? We'd camped in downpours before, but not oceans. Back home it was.

As we pulled back onto the road, water suddenly poured onto my arm, and I jumped in surprise.

"Daddy, the roof is leaking!" I shrieked.

Calm down and we'll pass the paper towels back there."

"Paper towels? I need a cup!"

So I rode halfway home holding Curtis' empty coffee cup under the trickle of water that came from the slit above the window.

It didn't take long before I was laughing. My brothers and I joked about how we expected this downpour...but we weren't really joking. I think it would rain if we camped in the Sahara desert.

As we drew closer to home, the rain calmed down. Closer still, the roads began to look dry.

"Not fair - the ground's not even wet here!"

Of course not. We hadn't tried to camp here.

So...after two hours of fun chatting and yelling over the sound of rain on the van roof, we pulled back into our driveway and started to unpack.

"Boy, I hope none of our neighbors are watching," brother Justin said.

They'd watched us load up our tents, 8 sleeping bags, a camping stove, a picnic basket, an ice chest, and drive off.

...And now, two hours later, we were all marching back up the sidewalk and to our front door with our pillows under our arms.

That's when Mom and I lost it. We were laughing so hard we could barely walk to unload the rest of the van. Every time I went in and out of the door, I hoped the neighbors weren't looking our their windows, and I started laughing, imagining what they were thinking if they were looking.

But all is not lost. I promised my younger sister I'd camp out with them in the living room tonight. In fact, they are out there waiting for me now, sleeping bags all unrolled.

It's started raining here now. The basement has about 1/2 inch of water in it.

But it'd better not start leaking through the living room ceiling.

Then again, with our reputation, you never know...

Reflections on the VA 2009 Homeschool Convention, Part 2

I'm back again - this time to finish publishing my notes from day 2 of the convention.

It came to my mind a few days ago that I didn't tell you about our time outside the convention center on day 1. Before I go into details about day 2, I have to finish day 1.

Driving around Richmond is always fun; so much to see and stare at. We don't exactly live in the country, but we're not from a huge city. There is a definite element of drama in visiting the big city. I wouldn't want to live in the downtown of any city, but I like visiting. It reminds me that the world isn't made up of all country folks.

I like walking the crowded sidewalks with my family (particularity my brothers and Dad) beside me. I like looking up at skyscrapers, so high they make me dizzy even when my feet are smack on the ground. I like the sidewalk shops, with doors open to the breeze, giving me glimpses of colorful merchandise packed on the shelves.

I like seeing the people. Many of them have bored, hopeless expressions as they slump on benches waiting for a bus. Teens in black clothes and silver jewels compete with each other in goofiness and bragging. Business men in dress clothes hurry across the crosswalks toward the skyscrapers. Ladies still in their nurses' uniforms park by the sidewalk to stop in a store on their way home from work. If you see another family with children, you know they are headed for the convention center, same as you.

The sidewalks near the conventions center are mainly red bricks. I love brick sidewalks - they're so quaint and sturdy. We did a lot of sidewalk-walking this trip, because on day 1 we got to the convention center late, so the parking garage was full, and we had to park several blocks away.

At first we thought we'd never find an empty parking space, but we finally pulled into a crowded public parking area, and paid for a space. We had driven around so much in looking for a parking space, that we were rather disoriented, and we had to get directions to the convention center from the man in charge. He told us the quickest way was through the alley and out to another street, then to turn left, walk two blocks, cross a crosswalk, and we'd be there.

Through the alley.

This was an experience.

Do you like mystery stories? I do - most of the ones I've read, anyway. You know how they always contain dark alleys and masked men? This alley would have been a perfect story setting.

No - there were no masked men there. And it was broad daylight. But it was mysterious, just the same.

Brick buildings, several stories tall, formed the human-built canyon. The space we entered was about five feet wide - just big enough for a car to squeeze through, if it wanted to.
Above our heads, rusty fire escapes were attached to the buildings, but there were no windows near the ground level. The alley had evidently been paved with asphalt many yeas ago, but in places the tar had worn away, and the old stone road was exposed to our feet. Here and there were puddles of gray water, giving a damp feeling to the cool shade of the buildings. The place smelled like a garbage disposal.

The alley twisted and turned, like the worn pavement under our feet, and took us around a left-hand turn, toward the sunlight. We passed a wide cement stairway going down below the street level, with a chain-link gate blocking the entrance. We wondered where it led. Further on, four brick steps led up the side of the wall on our left, to an antique door that was painted black. A wild sign had the name of some shop on it in bright colors. I wondered what the front door looked like.

And then we spilled out onto the brick side walk that bordered the street. Several people lounged about, waiting for the bus. We turned left and passed several shops on our way down the street. The sun was shining, the heat was reflected from the road, and everything was normal.

Strange.

But kinda interesting. It was an experience.

Well, what do you know? I've taken so long telling you about where we parked on day 1 that I don't think I have time to record notes from day 2. And I still want to post about what's been happening in our garden! So much to say, and so little time. And I'm not really sure why I posted this little tale about an alley. I just thought that perhaps you'd find it interesting.

...I can't think of a way to end this blog post, so I'll say bye for now and get on later to - ahem - record my notes from day 2 of the convention.

Us at the convention with a family from our church. They are on the left, and we are on the right. Center guy in the black jacket is my brother Curtis (he graduated one week later!), then Mom is to the right of him, Tiffany is in front of her, Lezley is beside Tiffany, Dad behind Lezley, Heather next to Dad in the red, me behind Heather in the pink, and Justin beside me in the green. (Sorry about the poor photo quality. Dad's camera is not working very well lately.)

Reflections on the VA 2009 Homeschool Convention, Part 1

I've decided that every day is busy, so I might as well get on with that blog post I keep putting off until "things quiet down a little"...so here I am!

On Saturday my brother Curtis graduated from high school. My grandparents were in town, and we celebrated Father's Day together. Tomorrow is my father's birthday, and in this "in between" day we have green beans to can, sewing to do, and all the little things that make up a busy household. Life is life!

But that isn't the blog post I keep planning. Today I want to share some of my notes from the VA homeschool convention we had the pleasure of attending last week.

When I hear people talk about "sharing their notes" I often prepare myself to be bored, but I hope that these fragments of what struck me during the workshops will be of some help, amusement, profit, or encouragement to you. I don't take notes like most normal people - I don't really write down the main points of the speaker (usually). Instead, I write down things that I want to research when I get home, interesting trivia tidbits, and the like. So please bear with me, and just take whatever bits of this interest you.

We were blessed to be able to spend two days at the convention, and there were three workshops each day, plus a keynote session which everyone attended. I volunteered during one workshop, so I listened to five speakers plus the keynote speaker. To avoid hard choices, I'll simply share my notes in the order I attended the sessions:

Workshop #1: "Finding Hope in the Valleys of Life," by Mr. Steve Demme

My brother Curtis and I attended this workshop because it was our first chance to hear Mr. Demme in person. I wasn't sure what exactly he'd be speaking about, but the title sounded good, and I knew I wanted to hear him speak. For those of you unfamiliar with his name, this is the founder of the math curriculum, Math-U-See - a program I only used my last two years of high school, but which I fell in love with and plan to use with my own children some day. I knew Mr. Demme was an excellent math teacher, but through this session I got a glimpse into his personal life. He has a special-needs son, and this session focused on what to do when life gets tough. I had been having a very hectic and emotional week, and this was a breath of fresh air. You can see from my notes that I did a lot more listening than I did writing.

Notes:
~ The wise man and the foolish man both got rain. (This may seem simple, but it was the first time this thought had presented itself to my brain. Profound!)
~ "God does not exempt us from suffering - He transforms us in it."
~ Learn how to breathe! Just let go and let it out. Psalm 55:22
~ When in the valley, we need three things: we need the body of Christ, we need to pray, and we need to read God's Word.
~ Note to self: check out thefamilythatstaystogether.org, joniandfriends.org. and "When Robin Prays."

Workshop #2: "Building a Family Based Business"

This workshop was geared more towards the business man or engineer who wants to work from home, as opposed to the cottage industry family, but we still were able to take some nuggets of profit away. You'll notice I have more of an "outline" in these notes, because I was basically just copying things off the screen instead of writing my own thoughts down.

Notes:
~ To build a business, you must UNDERSTAND the customer
~ Entrepreneur Guidelines/Steps:
* Define your business views, principles, values, etc.
* Define your own skills, gifts, passions, experiences. List them.
* Evaluate your resources; money, time, physical, family
* Know what you're aiming for - think about the future, how the business might grow, and what that will mean for you.
* Analyse the following: Industry, Financial, Operation, Product/Service, Customer
~ Identify unmet needs, services to meet those needs, and resources to help you.
~ Are you going to buy a business, build a business, or franchise?
~ DO IT! Try, adjust aim, try, adjust aim, and try again. Don't spend all your time aiming and never firing!
~ Write a financial model. Talk to experts in your field.
~ Write market strategy.
~ Check out NewVentureLab.com

Workshop #3: Days of Old Herb Farm

This was a lot of fun. The speaker is a fairly new business gardener; a man who lost his job and turned to his hobby (gardening) to make a living. He now sells books he's written and travels to a few places to speak. I was impressed by his combination of knowledge and humbleness and eagerness to learn and try new things. I loved looking at the photos of his backyard in the presentation.

Notes:
~ A website about a family who produces a $2,000 worth of food on 1/10 acre: pathtofreedom.com
~ If I plant pea seeds and get only 2 or 3 pods, I'm dissatisfied - what about spiritual seeds? Am I happy with low production?
~ Compare prices; grow the most expensive stuff, buy the cheap stuff.
~ Check out Bill Mollison
~ Raise In-Demand Dogs for money
~ Plant corn in circular heaps - the way Indians did
~ Check out John Jeavons "How to Grow More Vegetables."
~ Hexagon planting spacing
~ Have 2-4 hens in a "chicken tractor."
~ Check out "Victory Egg Garden" by George Lansing
~ Use "water glass" for preserving eggs. (This point really fascinates me. Anybody have experience with using water glass? I'm all ears.)

Keynote Session to end Day#1: by Voddie Baucham

Our favorite sessions were those by Mr. Voddie Baucham. Being encouraged academically is great, but being lifted spiritually is so much better. God's hand was on these sessions. My notes don't do it justice; I was too busy listening. This was our first time to hear Voddie Bachaum in person, and we loved it. We even got to speak very briefly with him afterwards.

Notes:
~ Luke 6:40. The disciple will be like his master. (This thought, this promise, holds so much thought packed into one phrase. I will be like my master. This is good if my master is Jesus; it's an encouragement to not give up, and to remind me that He is faithful to complete what He starts. But this is also a warning; those whom I treat like my masters I will become like. It's also a sobering thought as I look ahead to being a parent someday. My children are going to be like me. Whoa! I'd better be following Christ!)
~ People make the right moral choices "not because they heard sermons on this topic, but because they have a biblical worldview."
~ The three foundational skills in education: Read! Write! Reason!
~ Worldviews are formed:
* Informed
*Uncritically
*Inter-generationally
*Intra-generationally
*Over time
~ Elements of a worldview:
* View of God
*View of man
*View of truth
*View of knowledge
*View of Ethics

That sums up my notes from day 1 at the VA 2009 Homeschool Convention. I wanted to share both days in one post, but it's getting late, and I don't have the time to do day 2. I'll have to try again later. I guess you have plenty to digest in this post for awhile. Hope you enjoy at least a little of this!

Beans, Herbs, and Pea Pods

I'm back from the Homeschool Convention! ...Sore body and all. (I guess my tumble was harder than I thought - I had an extremely sore body over the weekend. :):) )

The convention was absolutely marvelous. I know I said before we left that I was hoping to meet some homeschool graduates - I didn't, but I met several very nice other people, and was blessed very much by the speakers I heard. And it was lovely to be able to just spend some time with my family.

There's something odd about me; I have a terrible time taking notes. Perhaps it's because, as a homeschooler, I didn't grow up listening to a teacher talk all day while I took notes, or perhaps it's just my personality, but when I hear someone speaking and know I'm supposed to take notes, I get overwhelmed. I want to write down everything they say. Then, of course, I can't even focus on what they're saying! It took me until I was well into my late teens before I got the hang of note-taking. But even now I don't usually take notes. I prefer to cram it in my head.

But at this convention, I took notes.

That's how good it was.

I hope to share my notes with you over the next few days. I'd like to share some tonight, but I also want to tell you what I did today, since that's freshest in my mind. (I have to organize my notes anyway.)

I canned green beans!

Four quarts, to be exact. All by my lonesome, too! Mom usually does the canning here, but she had something she had to do today and, as any gardener knows, beans don't wait for anyone.

So out I went, around 10:00, to sit in the bean patch and pick. I was thrilled by how heavily the beans have come on - in the two days we were gone, they went from pale purple blossoms to plump green beans. The picking was very easy. I was using a 5-quart ice cream bucket, and I filled it twice. Lezley had gone out and picked before me, and she filled a 4-quart bucket. I was very pleased with my little sister's determination and hard work!

Then I sat and snapped all those beans. Is there anything quite like the smell of fresh raw green beans, the fuzzy rough feeling of the beans snapping between your fingers, and the taste of beans in your mouth, to tell you that summer is on its way? Snapping beans always brings back so many memories for me. It's almost as good as looking through an old photo album.

Mom was out of the house, and as I snapped, a plan formed; what if I was to finish these beans before she got back? What if I was to can them all alone? The adventure attracted me...and so the challenge began. I poured over Mom's trusty Ball canning book as I finished the beans, and then headed out to the kitchen to try my hand at canning. I've watched Mom do it so many times....

I won't bore you with all the details, but I actually canned my first 4 quarts of beans! Mom got home before I had the jars in the canner, but she let me finish them. ..Except I had to run out, so she watched them while they cooked. And Dad helped me fix the canner just right before I started the jars in it, so I guess I didn't do everything. :) But it was still fun.

I also dehydrated my first herbs today. My basil plants have grown like crazy, and I picked a whole colander-full of sweet basil leaves. They filled the dehydrator to bursting. After supper, the leaves were dry and I started crumbling them into a glass jar. The pungent smell of basil hung in the air, and the leaves were sharp against my fingers.

You know what? Not only had the leaves shrunk as they dried, but they continued to decrease in volume as I crumbled them. By the time I was done, the green pile didn't even rise an entire inch above the bottom of the mason jar.

I stared at the little heap. So much work. So much fragrance. And my fingers condensed it all to this little pile. All the moisture removed; only the body of the leaves remain.

What an illustration, I thought to myself. How many people go through life piling up pleasant things, working hard for things they see as huge and important? And how much of what they pile will last through eternity? Will it crumble away? When their life is sifted through at the judgement seat, what will be left? A little pile? What will be left of my life? How much time do I spend on things that don't matter? What will be the size of my pile? When the moisture of worthless things has been dried away, what will be left?

That reminds me of something I heard at a gardening workshop at the convention. I'll leave you with this one thought from my notes:

"You plant seeds expecting to get more in return. If you planted peas and only got one or two pods back, you would be very upset. You expect a big yield; lots of peas! So why are you content with such small yield spiritually? Why is it okay to grow only a few spiritual pea pods on your plant? You would be upset if your garden plant did that poorly. Why aren't you upset about your lack of spiritual pods?"

I cannot answer this question to my own satisfaction.

Virginia Homeschool Conference

Are any of my Virginia-resident readers planning on going to the annual Virginia Homeschool Convention in Richmond? We'll be there, Lord willing!

Yes - the day after I finish farm-sitting we'll be heading off to Richmond. This year we'll actually be spending the night and staying for both days of the convention - something we've only done once before.

To tell the truth, my family has only been to the convention twice in past years. I find it amusing that I've lived all my life in Virginia, been homeschooled through all 12 grades in Virginia, and only went to Virginia's homeschool convention once while actually in school. After this weekend, I will have gone twice while out of school.

Many of the families who go to the convention are younger, just starting out on their homeschooling journey, but there are some families there who, like my own family, have members who are out of school and yet come with their family because they have younger siblings who are still in school. Though I love meeting people of all ages, I have to admit I'm hoping to get to meet some other homeschool graduates at the convention - and isn't making new friends one of the best parts of travel?

And of course it will be delightful just to spend time with my own family as we travel together - 'specially after such a busy two weeks. I've had moments in the past few days when I felt as though I hadn't said "hello" or "good morning" to half my family before it was time to say "goodnight!"

The speakers at the convention this year (Vodie Baucham will be there!) and the topics of the sessions all seem to promise a time that is not only fun but also spiritually-lifting and educational - many of the sessions are focused on entreprenurialism and family-run agricultural home businesses, which I am really excited about. My parents are excited about those sessions, too. :)

I wish I had time to update you on our garden; the tomatoes are around 5 feet high, the corn is almost waist-high, (except for the plants we had to replant), the squash bores seem to be visiting again this year, the beans are loaded with blossoms, the brocolli is almost finished, the peas are yeilding better than we thought they would after collapsing the trellis under their own weight...lots of stuff going on.

But I really don't have time to go into all that. In a little while I need to go finish spray-painting another layer of paint on a trashcan I'm dressing up. I've been cleaning my sewing area and I wanted a brightly-colored trash can to match my red-and-white theme. My sewing area sure needs the makeover! I considered taking before and after pictures to share with you, but truly didn't have the nerve to share "before" pictures. It was that bad.

But it's starting to look good now! Maybe I'll have it done before the convention.

Maybe.

Busy and loving it.

Whew! What a day this has been and I'm sure will continue to be!

We are making a sudden trip up to western New York to surprise our grandparents for mother's day. Mom says it's her mother's day gift. We haven't been up to visit Grandma and Grandpa since last Easter, so we're all quite excited. That, plus the fact that this is a surprise visit, has us all running on adrenaline around here. Folks keep bumping into one another in the hallway and doorways, and I've given up asking "what's that?" every time there's a strange noise, like suitcases falling or ice chests being dumped.

I've been a little busy myself - and loving every minute of it. I spent yesterday packing so I could be free to bake today. I was in the kitchen all morning. We like to make most of our food that we eat on trips - it's cheaper and tastier - and making enough food for 3 days all in one morning is quite the challenge!

I made two pies - one apple, and one peach - for Sunday dinner. Sadly, I didn't have time to make the fillings from scratch, but the crust is my favorite recipe! This is the peach pie:

Here's Banana Bread for a breakfast. I'll have to tell you the story behind these loaves sometime. I had a recipe in front of me, but kept experimenting and throwing new ingredients in, and leaving some out...I ended up with a new recipe. It looks and smells great! ...Thankfully. :) I made dinner rolls for Sunday, too, but didn't get a picture of them. Justin chopped lots of carrots for snacks, and Mom has spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen.
Oh yes - in making all that banana bread, I had 6 banana peels left over. I ripped them into strips, stuck them in the food processor, and - whizz! - got this:
It's great fertilizer for rose bushes - they love it. I spread it on the ground around Mom's budding plant. It blends right in with the dirt, and the nutrients will soak into the ground slowly next time it rains.

Tonight my family is hosting a sort of fellowship game night at our church, (we planned this before we knew we'd be traveling tomorrow!) and we have to leave for that in exactly one hour. I'm sure we'll get back right around bed time, and after that, it's up and on the road sometime after 4:00am!

I have lots to do, so I'm off for now. I'm going to do an experiment while we're on this trip - I've never tried writing posts ahead of time and setting them to publish on certain days, but I'm gonna give it a whirl. ...So you may hear from me in the next couple days, or you may not. We'll see!

We just got great news!

Remember this?


For those of you who have been readers here for more than a few weeks, you might remember the tale of my family's vacation to North Carolina this summer. One of the highlights I mentioned in the recount was the time we spent labeling this mountain of packages. (The photos don't do it justice; there were 9,185 envelopes.)

Inside these packages were bundles of selected books and other literature. They were being sent to pastors in several states in the lower portion of America.

Tonight, a lady from the church that sent these packages out contacted my sister Heather. The lady said that a pastor from Alabama had called her husband and talked for 20 minutes straight about how much the books had blessed him. He said he had just preached the best revival meeting he had ever had.

"I just thought you would like to know, since you helped label the packages," our friend wrote to Heather.

When Heather read the note aloud to all of us, we couldn't help but smile. Imagine! God can use even menial (but fun!) tasks to bless folks. ...Folks that we'll probably never see...until we get to Heaven. Praise Him!

Schedules

Today is officially our "last" day of vacation. Dad goes back to work tomorrow, and the rest of us must get the house back in order so that we can get back on a regular schedule next Monday. My younger siblings will be starting school then.

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the work we've done in the past three weeks:

Our first project was painting all the window shutters. The change to white really brightens up the exterior of the house.

Then we stained the deck. Aren't these little feet adorable?

The most time-consuming project was the kitchen. Here are the boys and Dad putting up new drywall after the old stuff has been torn out.

After such an irregular schedule for almost a month, it's hard to get back into things. I've become completely thrown off. Everything from doing dishes and making supper to waking up at the proper time have suddenly become difficult. Ugh.

But today is the day to sit down and write out a schedule for the new school year. Even though I'm no longer in school, what the rest of my family is doing affects me. My life and activities are woven into the school schedule.

So....

HELP!

*Grin.*

Honestly, do y'all have any suggestions for creating a schedule that works? From past experience, these are a few things I've learned:

~ Don't write micro-detailed lists. They are impossible to follow, and discouraging.

~ Do have a written schedule. Leaving it all in my head makes it easier to disregard it.

~ Do balance physically active things with "head work." It healthier for the mind, body, and spirit.

~ Do make a list of priorities; things I absolutely MUST do. Then list things I WANT to do, that I believe will improve me. Then make a third list; things I'd LIKE to do for fun. Then sit down and work things into a blank schedule, starting with the first list, and not moving to the second list until the entire first list is incorporated. I've never yet made a schedule that had room for all the things on my third list, but that's okay. Sometimes I even have to leave out things from the second list.

~ Do put the written schedule in an easy-access place. If it's buried in a top drawer under old letters, papers, and hair brushes, it will never be used.

~ Don't make a schedule without involving mother! It just won't work. You'll end up planning to go somewhere when she needs you at home.

~ Do leave blank spaces on the schedule, for those things that always pop up.

~ When doing things such as sewing, computer-time, or reading, when it's easy to loose track of the time...KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME!

~ Pray before creating the schedule.

~ Put similar activities on the same day, so it is easier to dress for the day; for example, if I know I'll get hot, sweaty and filthy doing a certain garden chore, I will plan to also clean the rabbit cages that day, since I'll already be in work clothes.

~ Don't fill a schedule with things just for me. Leave room for time to minister to others. Leave time to bake something for someone. Leave time to watch the little ones if Mom needs to go somewhere. Ask in advance, if practical, so I can accurately plan for as many of these things as possible.


Okay, now I've made myself sound like a know-it-all, I suppose. The truth is, I'm not. Even if I was, that's nowhere near as good as being a DO-it-all. Doing it is my problem.

And here I am, typing on the computer, when I have some other things to do. I'd better go. But I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on making schedules, and sticking to them. Remember, all this is so that we can obey Ephesians 5:15-17:

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

Our Vacation to North Carolina

Well, well, well! It's Family Friday again. And there's only one post between this one and last Friday's post. :)

My suitcase is unpacked - and my backpack, two instruments, hairstuff-box, purse, pillow, and other odds and ends are put away. Hey, I travel light! (not really.)

So...I think I am ready to tell y'all about my week with my family.

Over the years, we have kept an informal list of people and places we'd like to visit some day. When looking for a common denominator, we found that a large number of the things on our list were in North Carolina, so, spontaneously, Dad decided to take us on a trip this month.

When we left home, we weren't sure where all we'd have time to stop, nor what day we'd be coming home. That was a very unusual way to start out - at least for us - but the whole trip turned out lovely. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had asked God to mightily bless us on this trip, and He sure answered my prayers!

Saturday

First, Dad had to work in the morning, so we left home right after lunch. Our first stop was at a mission run by friends of ours, who are involved with shipping out many Bibles and Christian literature both here in the United States, and abroad in other languages. They have an apartment connected to the mission which they graciously offered to us during our stay in Asheville.

The place was lovely. It was right outside Asheville, and perfect for our needs.

I don't remember much about Saturday except thinking that a five hour trip wasn't bad at all, compared to the much longer trips we usually take. And I remember being pleased with the scenery all around us.

We ate supper at a fast food place (I'm afraid our diet wasn't exactly healthy this week!), ran out to do a little shopping for the week's food at a nearby grocery store (a really cute store!), and went to bed.

Sunday

We were blessed to be able to attend the church that our friends went to, which was on the same property as the mission. The church family seemed thrilled to have us there, and quickly "put us to work," asking the six of us children to sing and play instruments in both the morning and afternoon services. It was an honor to be able to do that for them. They treated us so special, and were very kind. The sermons were excellent, full of the gospel.

A noon meal was served between services, and again we were overwhelmed with blessings. The pastor's wife was a lovely hostess.

After the afternoon service, everyone was invited to stay and help a little with an interesting project...

...In the fellowship hall of the church there were huge stacks of banana boxes - reaching the ceiling. Each box was stuffed with envelopes, which were packages full of books and literature for pastors in the southern part of the USA.

There were 9,185 packages. The stacks of boxes were enormous.

Each envelope needed to be labeled with an address; this was the special project.

We, and the church members who chose to stay, took our places around some tables, and went to work. It really wasn't work. It was loads of fun. We worked in pairs, each pair filling a post office bag with 45 packages, then progressing to the next. We quit after each pair had filled 4 bags.

Sunday evening was very relaxing. We just talked, ate supper, sat around, relaxed....

Monday

Sunday night, I dreamed of a rainstorm. In my dream, I started crying and praying "thank You!" I continued this all night.

When I awoke Monday morning, it was raining. And I mean raining.

It continued to pour the entire time we were in North Carolina. We found out on Wednesday that the city of Asheville had received 5 inches of rain in three days. We hoped we were getting some back home.

We had intended to go touring that morning, but voted unanimously to instead go help label packages again. So we found the folks who were working in the mission, and asked for permission to go over to the church and do some work. Of course they said yes. :)


Though the hall we were working in was quite spacious, the rain outside gave it a cozy feeling. We labeled, sang songs, laughed, lifted boxes, packed bags, and stacked bags all morning.

At lunch time, we headed back to the apartment for a bite to eat, then decided to see if we could find the bookstore that our friends own in downtown Asheville. Afterward, we planned to head over to take a trolley tour of Asheville's historic area. Sounded like fun to us!

We made it to the bookstore and really enjoyed browsing it. After making a few purchases, we headed out again; this time to find the trolley rides.

Well,... let's just say that we all agreed we hardly needed a trolley tour after the impromptu tour we gave ourselves while trying to find where we were going that afternoon! Asheville is a beautiful city; lots of old buildings, large trees, fascinating architecture, ...and really confusing streets. It took us awhile to find the visitor center, where they sold the trolley tickets.

Once inside the visitor center, at about 3:57, we discovered that the last tour of the day had left at 3:30. Lovely.

Well...our friends had invited us to supper at their house at 6:00. That left us about two hours to do whatever - go get "lost" again, or browse the visitor center and adjoining gift shop.

Though touring the city of Asheville's back streets and highways is fascinating ('specially when you see the same streets over and over again...not on purpose), we decided to restrain ourselves and stay in the visitor center for awhile.

But one can only browse brochures, key chains, mugs, dolls, and T-shirts for so long. At about 4:30, Mom and Dad decided to break the monotony by calling our friends and asking for directions to their house. In doing so, they discovered that going there would take us about 20-30 minutes.

I think our friends forgot to factor in a very important element.

It's called the let's-go-tour-Asheville-no-of-course-we're-not-lost-it's-just-the-streets-keep-moving-on-us-syndrome.

So we left the visitor center at about 4:40.

Despite turning around three or four times on the way there, we had a wonderful evening once we arrived at the house of our friends. This couple really have a heart for the Lord and missions, and just listening to them talk is spiritually refreshing. We got all sorts of first-hand mission news, plus stories of past trips and adventures. The meal was delicious, the fellowship excellent. It was hard to leave.

But we did, hoping to have enough light left to find our way home in the twilight.

Several minutes after sunset, we were at the stop light in front of the turnoff to our friend's house, saying "hey - this is where we came from! We've gone in a circle!"

Ahhh...let me make a long story short and say that we finally arrived safely at the apartment, with more streets of Asheville to add to our repertoire.

Tuesday

This was a wonderful day.

We headed off to Cherokee, two hours away, to do some touring there. My father is 1/8th Cherokee, which makes my siblings and me 1/16th, so we are interested in the history of the Cherokee.

The deluge of water coming out of the sky made our trip a little more...interesting. The mountains all around us were robed in heavy fog - but, actually, it was quite pretty to look at.

Of course, getting in and out at stops made the van a muddy mess, but that was to be expected.

Well, Cherokee has a lovely little visitor center, and we spent quite awhile there, hoping the rain would stop so we could do an outdoor walking tour of a Cherokee village. We had done it once before, about 14 years ago, when we older children were small, and really wanted to do it again. Besides, we knew where it was!

But, though we sat hopefully in the van, in the parking lot where the tour starts, as we ate our picnic lunch, the rain showed no signs of stopping. So we regretfully turned back into town and found a Cherokee museum.

That was good. It was a nice museum, that took us about 2 and 1/2 hours to go through. I got all sorts of craft ideas! I want to try basket weaving, bead work, and making an authentic Cherokee woman dress. The history was also fascinating.

I have some pen pals who live about one and a half or two hours away from Cherokee, and they and their family had been kind enough to invite my family to come to their house for supper that night. I was SO excited to see them!

Well, I remember thinking that Mom and Dad were really smart, because decided that we'd better leave Cherokee about one hour ahead of time.

Hmm. Let me just say that we needed that extra hour. We got to the house about 15 minutes early. Enough said.

The rain actually stopped long enough for us to get into the house without getting wet, and the sun came out to cheer us. (It started raining again, about 20 minutes later.) Not that I needed cheering - I was so excited!

It was great - I love you guys! Thank you so much for the time we had at your home!

I can't say enough about our visit there. It was great. Wonderful. A blessing. Refreshing. Fun. Entertaining. Uplifting. Too short.

I think we actually made it home on the first try.

Wednesday

On this day, we decided to do some Asheville touring, rain or no rain. First, however, we had to do some laundry at a near-by laundry mat. Not knowing how long our trip would be, some folks hadn't brought enough clothing.

I volunteered to spend the morning with Mom at the laundry mat, and I got some reading and embroidery done while we waited for the loads to wash and dry. I also passed out a tract to an older lady who was there.

When we first walked in, we were joined by four other people; a man by himself, and a couple. We had some trouble figuring out how to work the machines, and asked the man for some help, which he nicely gave. Then the woman asked him where she and her husband could find a hardware store;

"We're from out of town," she explained "and we've been camping. We really need to buy a tarp. With all this rain..."

She didn't need to explain.

"Sorry, I'm from New Jersey," the man replied.

The woman turned to Mom and I. We quickly laughed and shook our heads. "We're from out of town, too."

So we foreigners stayed there and washed our clothes.

The jeans seemed to take forever to dry, and it was 11:30 by the time we got all the laundry done. Back at the apartment, we ate lunch, then headed out.

This time, we were sure to get to the visitor center in time for the trolley rides.

It was a great tour. I love old buildings and history, and the tour was full of both. The city of Asheville is beautiful. They say it stood still in time; during the great depression, it crashed from its status as a place for the mighty rich, and had no money to update its old buildings to new ones. Now, new businesses thrive in old buildings, and the city has a flavor all its own.

We even saw the Biltmore Estate, from a distance. At least, we're pretty sure that we saw it. The distance was so far we couldn't be sure, but there just couldn't have been another building around that was that big. Just think; 250 rooms! I wouldn't want to clean it, but I'd love to go inside and take a look.

Wednesday night church services were... moving. It was a true prayer service. The short address before hand was convicting and powerful. Then the men and women separated into different rooms to pray. My mother, sisters, and I were privileged to join with those women in prayer.

I knew the moment we bowed our heads that I was amongst spiritual warriors. I've never been in a room with so many bare hearts. Somehow I knew the Lord was not just "listening," but bowing down His ear to hear attentively. These women knew how to pray. As our pastor would have said, "they had a hold of the foot of God." Many in that room - me included - were in tears by the time they finished.

Then we had to say goodbye. We knew we wouldn't see these folks again before we left, except for the ones that worked at the mission. They had all been so gracious and loving. It was sad to say farewell.

Thursday
Our going-home day started slowing. We spent the morning cleaning the apartment we had used, and tidying and packing. We were ready to head out at about 11:30.

On our way home, we planned to stop at the grave site of a man named Shubal Stearns. If you don't know his name, this is too small of a place for me to explain. I have been studying his life for the past three years, and am still fascinated with every new detail I uncover.

He was a Baptist preacher who lived in the days right before the War for Independence, and had a mighty part in preparing the way for it. His story moves me to tears. It is due to him that the Bible Belt was created in the southern states. I wish I could tell you everything, but there just isn't time to do him justice.

Most of America is ignorant of this man's life, and it took us hours of trailing around on back country roads before we found the small, tidy little church where he is buried, near where his old church building is located.



I can't explain to you the way I felt as we walked over the grounds and explored the old church. Nothing was locked. No one was there. It was as if no one knew how important this place was. We slipped inside, looked around, and left. But I will never forget that spot.

It was a quiet place. Birds were singing, and the road didn't have much traffic at all. The sun was shining brightly - as if it knew we needed to see everything.

Words fail me. I must proceed with my tale.

The trip home didn't seem very long at all. We were back here in time for a late supper, after which we went to bed. Well... most of the family went to bed. I, brilliant person that I am, didn't go to bed at a proper time at all, but stayed up late finishing a story about Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. A fascinating book. Too fascinating. I won't even hint at what time I woke up this morning. It's still vacation, right? :)

And now I have spent my day unpacking, and going to catch that sale at Joann Fabrics...and a few other things. It's a very unexciting way to end this little history, but I'm sure that some of you are getting bored, if you made it the far down the page. This post certainly makes up for the lack of posting I had this week!

So there you have it; what I've been doing while you've heard nothing but silence from me.

Oh - by the way - thanks for your loyalty. I see from my blog counter that most of you have continued to check in with me every day to see if I've posted anything. I was afraid you would give up on me. It makes me happy to know you cared enough to check in. Thanks!

Hello!

Hello again, everyone! I haven't posted on here in five days, and it's nice to be back.

My family spent Easter up in New York with my grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa live in a lovely little village, in the western part of their state. They still have snow up there! We went sledding on Saturday - lots of fun!! We also got to see three of our cousins, and our aunt and uncle. I would love to post pictures, but the camera is in use, so that will have to wait for now.

Easter morning dawned bright and beautiful. The sun made tiny sparkles appear all over the snow. The church building stood tall and white, like a picture on a puzzle.

Dad brought the Easter message, Heather and I played a piano duet, and all eight of us sang a special together. Nearly every time we visit that precious church, our family is allowed to do this; it's a honor and a blessing.

I found Dad's message very thought-provoking; "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." If Christ had died, but had not risen from the dead, we would have no hope! His death is not enough - He had to prove His power over death, for our justification.

But He DID rise! Glory! We need not fear death. He is alive! Because He lives, we will live too. What a Saviour!

.....So here I am, home again after a wonderful Easter, and a lovely visit with my grandparents,...
and with a long "To Do" list! Suitcases to unpack, errands to run, rooms to clean... ...I'd better go for now. Hope your Easter was as wonderful as mine!