A Work in Progress

"I Wonder What Sort of a Tale We've Fallen Into?”

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

There is much that is dark in our lives these days. There are times that are troubled and frightening. We are going places we've never been, putting our hopes in people we haven't met and stepping out our door into a lot of unknown. Times like these find me escaping, when I am able, to familiar places with beloved friends and prose. Tolkein's trilogy soothes me on profound levels.

“The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet it is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

My Christian friends will no doubt wonder why it isn't the Bible I am turning to, but I never said I wasn't. I am and I do, there is indeed comfort and wisdom there and my prayers are unceasing. But it isn't where I find my solace. The balm for my soul lies in old friends in the books I've loved my whole life. Is it escapism? Is that bad? I think not.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. “I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

“Fairy tale does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance. It denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat...giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy; Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien

I have always found the wisdom of Gandalf profound and simple, full of compassion and hope, no less soothing to me than some of the Psalms of David.

“I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien

“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places. But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

We all have our coping mechanisms and reading is mine. Not just reading, rather the picking up of the beloved and the familiar, dark books filled also with joy and humor and friendship and triumph. Among story lines filled with the same things we face in our own world, my books carry me along the difficulties of the protagonists and bring me through along with them as I know we will come through our own difficulties.

“We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien

“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:12:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Rowan said, "Now I know why there was no room at the inn."

2012 Reading Challenges Page

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:51:00 +0000

52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

Hosted over here by Robin, join in the fun! I am really looking forward to this one again this year mostly because there is a great thread on it continually going on the Well Trained Mind forums.

150+ Books Challenge

Amy over at My Overstuffed Bookshelf is going hog wild this year and upping her 100+ Challenge to 150 this year. I don't know if I can pull this one off, I managed 125 for 2011. But I'll play along because I think she is grand.

Join in the fun and sign up here!

Here is my Goodreads 2012 Bookshelf where I keep track. Previous years have their own pages over on the right of my blog page.

Week One
Finished the most recent of Ilona Andrews, October Daye series. Madly in love with these books and lost a fair amount of sleep reading late into the night.
~~Late Eclipses~~
~~One Salt Sea~~
~~Halfway to the Grave, Night Huntress Book I~~
I am currently on Book Two of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series, One Foot in the Grave. I try to steer clear of the "steamier" side of the paranormal genre, these kind of cross the line to an uncomfortable degree for me but the plot is decent and I am intrigued to see where she goes with it. I will say that it is an excellent twist on the genre and her main character is definitely someone I want to know more about.
I found her on Ilona Andrew's website, since I devoured everything they'd written recently and loved them I thought I'd give them a try. Still doing only light reading, my escape from all the stress in our lives right now.

Week Two
On the most recent of the Night Huntress Books, almost done with the series as it is at the moment.
~~At Grave's End~~
~~Destined for an Early Grave~~
~~This Side of the Grave~~
This was the best one yet, the balance of humor is really working with the rest of out now. The emotions are real and the storyline gets better and better.
At last I'm utterly invested in their lives and reveling in being a part of it, one book at a time. I still skip over the steamier parts, but that's just me. Jeaniene Frost is an author to admire.
One Grave at a Time

Week Three
Read through the first three of Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock books.
~~Skinwalker~~
~~Blood Cross~~
~~Mercy Blade~~
and reading the 4th, Raven Cursed
Really enjoying these, they are original and compelling.

Making Christmas Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:46:00 +0000

We had our cookie day at Mom's house this weekend. It is a tradition that goes back to our childhood at Twin Acres and one of our most beloved of annual events.

This year we had 3 generations of us in the house ranging from 70's down to Jenna, the youngest at 11. Typically, my sister and her husband were there first and got to rolling and baking with Mom.

The kids and I and our friend Michael arrived shortly afterwards only to realize that, though I had remembered the 600 other things I was supposed to bring, I had forgotten the 2 batches of cookie dough made the night before and bless his heart, off Mike went to go retrieve it and the beer I forgot too. (You have your traditions, I have mine, don't judge).

Sissy and I rolled and baked, out went the cookies to the porch to cool, until we built up enough to begin the decorating marathon.

My niece and her roommate and my nephew and his girlfriend arrived as well as my little sister's Mom and her granddaughter with gingerbread cookies to decorate too. It wasn't our best year artistically but a great deal of fun was had. Mom buys new fun things to use each year from the King Arthur Flour Company.

We have a ridiculous collection of cookie cutters and utilize most of them. There are the traditional snowmen, Christmas trees, stockings, wreaths, and such. We also make the Christmas Goose, Christmas Owl, Bobba Fett, Christmas monster trucks, cats, doves, swans and miscellaneous others. Oh, and the Christmas squirrel dubbed "Griswold" in honor of Chevy Chase and our favorite holiday movie, Christmas Vacation.

My nephew's handiwork.

This year my nephew's girlfriend brought a sociology project with her. She had a list of questions about family for my Mom. As they were read and Mom answered we were treated to some of my Mom's recollections of her childhood and family.

Then she was asked a question and though we can't recall it, the answer was unforgettable. Mom replied, "I'd love to ask my Mom a few more things if I could." Innocuous enough you'd think but here we were 20 years after she passed away and my sister looked at me, and I at her and the tears just flowed. Then Mom turned around and her face crumpled too. Our Nana, Mary Japp Koch, was just that special. When she died she left a hole behind that can't be plugged this side of heaven. I wish so very much that my girls had known her.

Nana (seated) with Auntie Babs, Hyannisport, Ma

Christmas in Needham, ~circa mid "70's"

Back to cookie making. Mom found the recipe in a Good Housekeeping magazine from a Land O Lakes butter recipe 30 years ago. We have made them every year I can remember.

You can't go wrong. If you don't have a tradition like this yet, perhaps it's time to think about it. So here is the recipe, take lots of pictures and make your own memories to pass down.

Christmas Sugar Cookies and Icing

6 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 lb butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

mix flour and salt and set aside

cream butter, sugar, vanilla, add to flour mixture and stir well

refrigerate 5 hours or overnight

when ready to bake, using hand size amounts of dough, work on floured surface till it is roll-able, roll out a cut with cookie cutters.

bake in a 375 degree over about 10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges

Icing

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp Cream of Tarter

1/2 tsp vanilla

5 cups 10X sugar

food coloring

Use as many bowls as you have colors and have fun!

If you want to pipe decorations, just add a little more sugar so it's thick enough.

Holiday Spirit, Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:22:00 +0000

"Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again" ~anonymous

Yesterday I finally got my butt in gear and cleaned the entire house, with the exception of Rowan's room, and got us all "holidayed up".

We have a tradition of going to a local place to choose our tree, it's just down the street. They have a gorgeous holiday shop inside, a pen with Christmas animals in it, the Christmas sheep, goats and my favorite, the Christmas Llama.

Choosing a tree is serious business. We finally settled on one and to make the final decision, Mike and Jenna joined hands in a chorus of "Yahoo Doray, welcome Christmas", from the Grinch to see if the tree responded properly.

We got our little tree home and commenced with the decorating. Poor Rowan was having a bad day but persevered. The tin icicles Jenna made at Old Sturbridge Village look absolutely wonderful!

Rowan loves setting up her beautiful Fontanini creche that her Nana has been adding to for years.

Percy Jackson had an encounter with the advent candle and singed his whiskers and a fair amount of fur. The splendid aroma of balsam mixed, for a time with the smell of burnt fur. I'm glad he wasn't hurt, it isn't like he's never seen a candle before the idiot.

We are almost done with our Christmas shopping, Mike and I and it's exciting. I'm still knitting a few more items but those will be done in no time and I need to make a few more of the adorable origami boxes I learned how to do. But we are in good shape, the house looks and smells wonderful and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

"Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God." ~George F. McDougall

A Little Behind

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:51:00 +0000

December 1st has really snuck up on us this year. Normally we do the whole tree/decorating ritual on the first Sunday of Advent. This year I still have Thanksgiving decorations up! We are straight out for the duration too so I guess we will have to find a weekday night to get our tree this year.

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” ~Larry Wilde

This afternoon Rowan leaves for another stint up at Old Sturbridge Village as a Junior Intern. Christmas by Candlelight is a wonderful time up there. We go to get her on Sunday, have our time at the Village so I can get lots of photos of this round and head home late that night. I can't wait to see her new winter costume!

Mike plays an annual gig at Highfield Hall on Saturday and the Christmas Cantata is the 10th and 11th.

Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making. ~Leigh Hunt

Annual cookie day is also on the 10th, can't wait for this treasured tradition with my family! We bake and decorate dozens and dozens of sugar cookies to share and eat a fair few while we're at it.

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Somewhere in here both of the girls have Dr. visits to check in with their Lyme Disease and my Dad is having cataract surgery. Then we get to have an early Christmas supper with my Mom and Dad to exchange gifts because we are going away this year for the first time in a long time to celebrate Christmas with the other half of our family.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

This is last years Christmas photo in Charlton.

We have managed to get most of our Christmas presents done, some of them are even wrapped! Mike and I even managed to go out together, alone and do some shopping, a rare thing for us.

It doesn't feel like Christmas yet, but I am waiting for it to hit me, any moment now...

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone. ~Deborah Whipp

Lighting the Advent candles, 2002

Wishing you Grace, Peace and Joy this Christmas Season.

A Whole New World

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:21:00 +0000

http://meggielynne.tumblr.com/

I wasn't sure where to begin this post or if I even should. I wondered whether to give chapter and verse on how and why or when. I've decided to go with the now, the "what is".

Our kids both have Lyme Disease. More properly they have Lyme Borreliosis. And it can be overwhelming sometimes. There. I said it and it's right here in black and white. Our present reality.

If you, like me, once thought Lyme Disease was not a big deal, that you had a tick bite, saw a bulls eye rash and got treated for a few weeks, you were sadly misinformed. You aren't alone.

If you are "lucky" enough to have found the tick, gotten the bulls-eye and gotten immediate treatment, this may have been your experience with Lyme. Thank God for it if it was.

The Infectious Disease Society of American likes to tout the tagline, "Hard to catch, easy to cure". Pardon me, but as a wise man once said, "horse hockey"!

If, like our daughter and many folks we know, you were sent to specialist after specialist, had test after test, treated symptom after symptom and over the years things kept getting worse, then you know how Lyme can behave. It's been called "The Great Imitator". Biologically, I stand in awe of it. As a Mom with 2 sick kids, I loathe it.

I research til my eyes feel like they are bleeding. I highlight and annotate whatever I can find of the latest research and hand over the "Cliff Notes" version for our Dr.'s new file on Lyme.

It can be extraordinarily difficult to wade through it all. More often than not, I end up where I started, knowing less than when I began and completely frustrated. In this I am not alone.

It staggers the imagination all the politics of Lyme, the quackery out there and the snake oil. Desperate people take desperate measures. And hubris runs rampant in the field.

There is good science out there, though it is not as easy to find.

I just bought this one for my Kindle, Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease: Fifty One Case Reports and Essays in Their Regard by Burton A. Waisbreb Sr., MD, FACP, FIDSA

I am looking forward to it not the least of which because he is a member of IDSA.

On the advice of a friend whose son had Lyme, Mike and I watched the film, Under Our Skin with horror. Even if you take it with a huge grain of salt, and we did, it is terrifying. (It is available on Netflix streaming as well)

I listen to friends whose children have it or had it and their struggles and triumphs. I am so grateful for them, it is very easy to feel utterly alone in this. Though I am wary of on-line support groups for the misinformation one can find on them, I have made friendships with other mothers of children with Lyme and their kind words have touched me deeply. (Lymenet is one of the oldest groups out there.)

I pray for our family doctor, for wisdom and discernment and courage to deal with this disease alongside us. I know she feels a little out her her league with this but we are choosing to stick with her. She never stopped trying to find out what was wrong with our oldest. She never dismissed her, never, ever gave up on her. And she is willing to learn. We are so grateful for her. So here we are with a clinical diagnosis of Lyme Disease bolstered by test results for both our girls.

Our oldest is the worst off. There are over 70 symptoms of Lyme Borreliosis and they are system wide. Rowan has 30 of them. We now know, from old tests that she was positive for it 4 years ago so she has had it at least 5 years, maybe longer. Because they were "negative" by CDC standards they were simply marked as such and we accepted them as such. ( I'll link info on that but it is WAY too much to go into)

The little one started to complain of headaches and wrist pain about 6 months ago. It occurred to me recently that it is exactly how her sister's first presented and so we had her tested. Her tests came back exactly the same as her sisters. I was so grateful to know what I was seeing this time around. Jenna has, at present, 9 symptoms.

There is some research showing that the Lyme spirochetes flourish with gluten and sugar in the diet so I am trying to eliminate it in theirs. It isn't easy but gluten free is a lot easier than gluten and sugar free. I am so grateful for the internet for this stuff, many Mom's posting recipes for their families gluten free needs helps so much. Pinterest is also a hugely useful tool to keep it all organized for myself.

Add to gluten free and sugar free the need for dairy free 2 hours on either side of the little one's antibiotics and it gets even more tricky to juggle.

Probiotics are critical to protect them from the harm of the high doses of antibiotics they are taking and they need to be taken 2-3 hours before or after the antibiotics.

Additionally, they are on different antibiotic regimens so I set alarms on my Google calendar for 6 times a day for Rowan and 4 different times a day for Jenna so they take the right pills at the right time. I couldn't do without my phone that syncs to the calendar and alerts me 15 minutes before everything. So many tools at my disposal, I am so very grateful to have.

It isn't easy sometimes, when they can't do school or chores because they feel like crap because they look great. It is hard to fathom sometimes just how sick they are. It is one of the "invisible diseases". They can function normally some days, not so much on others and some days they just spend in pain. Good days we work our butts off to keep up with school. Bad days I let them rest when they need to, there is no other option. I am deeply grateful that we homeschool so that we can work around the bad spells.

We live in a whole new world and there is a steep learning curve. Still, there is so much to be grateful for and so many blessings. This Thanksgiving and daily I give thanks for the abundant grace, provision, timing and love of our Lord who gives me strength.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving

Made Me Cry

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:29:00 +0000

From a Pinterest Link

other link, trying to credit it correctly

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:46:00 +0000

The chickens hanging out on MY CAR!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Frosty Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:36:00 +0000

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Happy WW!

Link up or go for more great photos....

Live and Love Out Loud

Stacey Uncorked

and the WW headquarters, here!

Shhhhh!

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:38:00 +0000

I love this time of year. Still lots of time to work with to make Christmas presents, enough to enjoy the making. The girls and I are very excited this year. We have some super secret present plans and the materials are on the way! I have my own projects, both knitted and sewn that I am excited about too. Thought I would share in case anyone needs ideas this year too.

I am removing my auto-send feature for this post so my family won't see it. I am doing this so that you too can benefit from the ideas we are so excited about. So, if you see my family members, shhhh!!

Project One:

Glass Tile Jewelery

The girls and I are making these for lots of people, the ideas are infinite and we are so excited. We bought materials for earrings, necklaces and key-chains to do with these. I saw some on Etsy I really wanted last year, then found a DYI here. The Hybrid Chick.

Here is an Etsy page with tons of examples. We bought our supplies here.

Ours are going to be mostly book themed. Like this example made at this Etsy Shop..

Project Two:

Knitted Projects

I am in love with my new mad skills on DPNS and the Magic Loop method of knitting small diameters. I am on a roll making tons of mittens and fingerless mitts. These I adore.

Susie's Fingerless Mitts

I am using Plymouth Yarn, DreamBaby DK on size 5's and I am making the small size which are perfect for most of us. The link is for the pattern on Ravelry but I was fortunate to have stashed away the original which has different sizes of the pattern. I would love to play with some Cascade Cloud 9 with these too. Super simple and so beautiful! This is the first one I made.

I've made and had requests for these too, Vanilla Frappe Fingerless Gloves so I am doing more of these too. Simple, done up on straight needles and seamed up the size, your choice of decorations makes these really stand out. (see how hard I was avoiding dpns?)

These are a Galway yarn with antique buttons from an old Scandinavian sweater.

Jenna's have a shorter cuff and no buttons. Hers are cotton.

Bella's Mittens for my Twilight loving daughter. These were it. The project I HAD to make. My fear of DPNS, my intimidation of and by the Magic Loop Method, cables and thumb gussets were in full on crazy but I did it! I did have to undo the first one about 4 times and the 2nd as well when I couldn't undo a cable row, but I made them. They aren't perfect but they are lovely and I hope she loves them. (I would use smaller dpns for the thumbs if I had any to use at the time.)

Project the Third

Major score on some stunning wool sweaters at the thrift shop yesterday. These are so beautiful but SO 80's you could never wear them so home they came and I felted them last night. Going to make gorgeous over mitts and mittens for more presents!

Here are some places with patterns and more recycled sweater ideas.

http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2006/08/cozy_kitchen_ac.html

http://www.frugal-living-now.com/felted-wool-oven-mitt.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_6196303_make-felted-wool-mittens.html

Update...
I wanted to package our gifts in some nice way and didn't want to spend more money.
Thanks to Pinterest I found a DYI origami box and made tons of them! They are so cute!!

Musings on Time

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:57:00 +0000

"A person who has not done one half his day's work by ten o'clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone." ~Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

And so it is.

I am most often, the first person up in the morning, even before the cats (who at least have the good grace to look ashamed about it). It is, more often than not, dark still and on occasion I have dressed with something or another inside out and won't notice til I'm back from errands hours later.

I suspect most people head first and foremost to meet their own needs at the crack of dawn, figuring that, as they must get up, they are entitled to coffee. I have no such luxury.

The cats see to it that they are fed before anything else gets done at all by sheer obnoxiousness. Then the fish, the bird, guinea pig and the dog, get food and fresh water and at that point, I will stick a mug of yesterday's coffee in the microwave. (Where I will promptly forget about it.) Making a fresh pot for Mike, I putter about the kitchen, making dinner in the crockpot, cleaning and making his lunch to take to work.

Finally, my very favorite part of the day. The part I need and crave that is never, not ever, long enough. That soft, still, hushed time of morning that is MY time.

"I used to love night best but the older I get the more treasures and hope and joy I find in mornings." ~Terri Guillemets

This is the time of day I am absolutely most productive, sometimes, even creative. It is the only time of day that I listen to music. I can let it float over my nerve endings and soothe my soul. My Enya playlist is on Grooveshark and all is still and quiet as I sip my coffee, do devotions and Bible study. Email and social media are next, then homeschool prep for the day. Get up to let the dog out, the cat in and the chickens out too. (repeat as needed) Then, if time allows, I may write some. Before I know it, my time is over and I get to talk with my beloved for a bit over more coffee and send him off to work. Time to wake the girls for school and off we go into our day.

"You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by". ~James Matthew Barrie

It isn't always easy to appreciate the day as the hours go by, we get busy or bored or frustrated or not and time goes by. I treasure the time we spend reading aloud each morning, curled up near each other, close enough to touch, to snuggle, to connect before we go our separate ways. Chores, errands and school fill the day but it isn't without moments to cherish. There is comfort in it's very routine, it's ordinariness.

This is the time of year we begin to think about gifts for Christmas in earnest and the projects begin, together and in secret. My evening reading suffers greatly as my hands fly through knitting projects, watching with pleasure as they take form and near completion or as I rip it out yet again because they have not and begin again. Our family television viewing increases as does our discussion time while we work. My busy hands assuage my guilt at marathons of our favorites or something for school. Once in a great while we will listen to a book on tape together and the house is still and quiet as we work and listen and the evening goes by. Sometimes we are all doing different things immersed in our own book or game or project but there is a sense of togetherness, of family-time nonetheless.

"O precious evenings! all too swiftly sped!" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

All too soon comes the hour where, reasonably, I can expect to sleep to some extent. The knitting is put away, the dishwasher has run, the laundry has been folded, the schoolwork checked. The chickens are in, the kids in bed, tomorrow's menu planned. My Kindle and I head to bed for whatever reading I am able before my eyes are too heavy to go further. Prayers of thanks, petitions for cares, praises for blessings sent heavenward as I drift off to sleep.

“Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Weekend in October

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:39:00 +0000

October is perfect. Just cold enough to indulge in reading, writing and knitting, still nice enough in the afternoon for walks or chatting with the chickens a bit out on the deck.

(don't judge, they are excellent listeners)

Cranberry Crumble and coffee makes for a simply thematic and warm breakfast to be had while leisurely reading news and checking Facebook, Twitter and other favorite sites on the computer. I do love having time to go to my favorite message boards on the weekend and catch up. (Although, the sugar high from the crumble is making it hard to type.)

I am reading the Sandman Slim books by Richard Kadrey and this weekend I am plowing through the 2nd one, Kill the Dead. I am really enjoying these odd books. James Stark is the ultimate bad ass antihero. Thank God for my Kindle for immediate access to the third one. Because I am almost there. (Note to self, check digital library before buying.)

Last night we indulged in a Merlin marathon, the 3rd season finally showed up on Netflix, which meant I catch up on knitting projects. I assuage my guilt at staring at the TV by keeping my hands busy, and NOT in a popcorn bowl. At present I am working on a pattern I can't do with needles I don't have and didn't like it when I finished it and ripped it out. There is a mitten pattern I would absolutely kill to be able to make but I am afraid it is well beyond my talents. (I never have learned how to do cables, though Mom is more than willing to teach me.)

Did I mention my efforts to lose weight? I think I have. Well, my Wii balance board and my scale are having differences of opinion about my weight and well, I've got to side with the scale. The scale is showing continual progress while the Wii Fit balance board is making snide comments and asking if I know why I gained weight. I guess it wasn't there when I actually buttoned those size 14's!! (stupid piece of crap)

Heading out tonight to see family and celebrate an anniversary milestone. I love my family. (yes, I am leaving the house AT NIGHT, I do sometimes, you know)

“I don't care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching--they are your family.”
― Jim Butcher, Proven Guilty

Have a wonderful weekend.

Away for the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:43:00 +0000

We had a wonderful time at Old Sturbridge Village this weekend. Though the weather was fairly lousy, off we went for the day on Saturday. It was Friends Day too, which, if you are a member, means some fun things like raffles and such.

The whole family really enjoyed watching the Cider Mill in action. They had one of the oxen yoked to it and around and around he went working the gears that ground of barrel after barrel of apples. It smelled incredible.

Later, we went to a "tasting" of the heirloom varieties of apples they grow at the Village and around Massachusetts. My favorite was one that tasted pear-like, crunchy and delicious. I forget it's name though, dang it, can't find my list they gave me.

Jenna got to make a pot with the potter this time around, she had a wonderful time and he said he would fire it for her. If it doesn't break or get lost, we'll pick it up next visit!

Off we headed for a talk given by the President of OSV, a man I admire greatly for what he has done to revive the place. When it came time for the raffle, we won on the ticket Mike had found in the mud!! This is the photo I took of our prize package A lovely tin punch lantern, 2 of the redware mugs I love and a candle holder. We were thrilled.

Sunday, another crappy day weather-wise, was St. Ann's Autumn Bazaar.

Off we went and purchased a ton of tickets for raffle prizes. They had so many wonderful baskets up for grabs! Baskets of everything you can imagine, all lovely. Jenny won the basket of dog toys and treats. St. Ann's also happens to hold an icon museum and as we had just studied the Byzantine Era, we were delighted to show the girls some of the gorgeous items they had from that period. I am rather fond the of Russian icons myself.

We left Rowan behind for the next stint in her Junior Internship at the Village and headed home. Back in two weeks to pick her up and for Harvest Days!!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:54:00 +0000

The Good

I am absolutely thrilled with my Weight Watchers/Wii combo. Yesterday, I was able to not only get on but actually button those size 14 jeans that have been hanging over my door waiting for me!! They are not exactly comfy yet but that is some serious progress people!

The Bad, albeit a teeny bit hilarious.

Last night from the bathroom there was a scream of epic proportions followed by running and sobbing.

There was a red centipede in the bathroom under the cups when Jenna went to brush her teeth.

Now, saying this kid is bug phobic would be a massive understatement. She absolutely refused to go back in, brushed her teeth in the kitchen, used my bathroom and when I went into her, she was minutely inspecting her pajamas for bugs before donning them and muttering, " I hate everything that ends in "pede" and "erm" and "ect". She slept in our bed declaring she would never use the bathroom again.

Naturally, Mike and Rowan were killing themselves with suppressed laughter and barely restraining comments like, "sweet dreams Jenna, don't let the bedbugs bite". I could have killed them.

So this morning Mike tells me he looked up this criminally minded bug on Google and informs me that those dang things can actually bite and hurt! We will not be mentioning this to Jenna.

The Ugly.

Rowan's Lyme medication, like Becky's chemo meds are now on back-order until December. The generic version as well. Now I have to scramble to get on the horn to our doctor and find out what she wants to switch her to and get it so that she has pills with her when we leave tomorrow for the next part of her internship. SO frustrating!!! We finally get her diagnosed and on an antibiotic protocol and now we have to start again!!

On the plus side, the weather is gorgeous, albeit a tad damp and we are going to see family this weekend. Keeping it in perspective as best I can.

Daybook, September 26, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:43:00 +0000

Link up!

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
It is misty, damp and gray.

I am thinking...
I wish I could just curl up in a chair and read instead of doing school today.

I am thankful...
For my uncountable blessings.

In the kitchen...
My beloved cleaned it for me last night, he knows how much I love that.

I will be putting Cowboy Country Stew in the crockpot shortly, it is a new family favorite.

I am wearing...
Jeans and a t-shirt and I'm contemplating grabbing a sweater.

I am creating...
Fingerless gloves on my knitting needles.

I am going...
Nowhere today, just the way I like it.

I am reading...
Across the Universe by Beth Revis for fun.

Known and Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld for information.

The First World War by Hew Strachan for school.

I am hoping...
My head-cold doesn't get any worse, I am too busy to be sick.

I am looking forward to...
Seeing family this weekend when we bring Rowan back to Old Sturbridge Village for more of her internship.

I am hearing...
My husband collecting things for the day in the basement, the chickens chortling quietly to themselves out back and crickets humming incessantly.

Around the house...
All is quiet, the cats are napping after breakfast, the kids aren't up quite yet and the smell of coffee is no doubt permeating the kitchen, but I can't smell it with my cold.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Pick up some more school materials at the library.

Go to Shakespeare Class on Wednesday.

Make more freezer meals to bring to my brother in law this weekend.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Dawn at our campsite.

Worldless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Another Snapshot of our Life from Rowan's Facebook and Mine

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:48:00 +0000

Jenna: muffled shriek
Mom: There is a bug in the sink....
Jenna: HELLO?? Shrieking? You are supposed to come help me kill the bug...
Dad: How did you know it was a bug Liz?
Mom: Cause that's her "There is a bug in sink" shriek.

Mom: Have you had food today other than pop'ems ?
Jenna: Yea. I had Cheetos.

“The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed.”
~ Maya Angelou

Watching Psych with Mom and Jenna. Dad went to a Red Sox game, so its just us girls. By the way, for those of you who have not tried it, popcorn and chocolate is soo good.

Nothing like a pair of freshly washed jeans...to cut off your circulation.

And me, being the genius that I am, just succeeded in turning my hand purple by holding the wrong end of a sharpie. Again. I think its time for me to go to bed...

Today, in my Shakespeare class, we studied Dr. Seuss. Best. Class. Ever.

Flip-flops! The non-flippy version, in shores now!! ~Jenna

Jenna has "VIP ONLY" signs all over the house so no one will go upstairs or downstairs at her Birthday Party. She is so silly. She told me I was not VIP. I told her, I live here, which got a blank look and a "Fine."

Mom: To Arwen If you step on my foot again, I am gonna punt you down the stairs.
Dad: Which will hurt your other foot.....

Jenna Skyped me then said "Bye. I have better things to do"....Love you too sis.

So I have to clean my room... Apparently, a floor is not a closet. However, someday I will convince my mother that it is, and then I will clean it of my own free will! Yup.

“If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”
― C.S. Lewis

And this folks is why you should do one of two things. A) Put on the timer for the chicken or B) Look at the time when you put it in.

Dad: So I heard washing the dishes makes Lyme disease go away faster....Or was it washing the floor..?
Me: Funny.
Dad: Or was it when the younger sibling did them for her...
Jenna: Ah ah ah ah no. Nice try. That is NOT how is goes.

"Often, a school is your best bet-perhaps not for education but certainly for protection from an undead attack."
— Max Brooks (The Zombie Survival Guide)

A "Day in the Life" or "How It Really Works Around Here"

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:10:00 +0000

The girls got to bed on time and fell asleep. I got up at 6am, fed the animals, made my husband's lunch, sat down for some coffee and computer time then worked out. Following that, I had a nutritious breakfast ready for the kids and woke them. They got up cheerfully, got dressed, made their beds, came down and did chores then we did devotions while they ate. Then the older one started school while I worked with the younger one and all went well until lunch. Then the younger is done and I am free to help the other one and have our rich and delightful history and literature discussions.

Ideally.

Hi! C'mon in! The house is mostly company-ready because that is just how we roll around here. (Whoops, lemme just grab that bra and hide it out of the way form where I threw it.) Have a seat and I'll share with you how it really works, at least today.

I got up at 7am instead of 6am because I was up late reading, Cure Unknown, Inside the Lyme Epidemic by Patricia Weintraub. (I highly recommend it, by the way.)

I didn't sleep well because Mike was in Jenna's bed and she was in ours. Apparently she is in another round of bad dreams because she came in the night before as well.

I fed the pets, made Mike's lunch, and hit the computer to check all my morning news, blogs, boards, Twitter and Facebook. About an hour later, I had leftover white pizza for breakfast, put a pot of tea on for the girls and killed the 30 minutes I could have been working about playing Sims on Facebook.

Jenna woke up and sat curled up on the couch and I went to wake Rowan to take her Lyme meds. She needed more sleep so I brought her a couple leftover pancakes to eat, some water and her pills and let her go back to sleep. Nobody but me has done chores yet.

Things actually progressed well for awhile after that. Jenna and I did Bible, literature and history together while she had her tea and chocolate chip pancakes leftover from yesterday. Then she sat to do her independent work. Grammar and outlining went fine, she did her science and independent history reading and then tackled math. Which didn't go very well. She got confused with terminology between fractions and decimals and melted down. After she had calmed down, we did it together and she remembered it all from last year and school was done for her. At present she is checking her email and working on her book. Chores still aren't done. She probably won't get dressed at all.

The 15 year old still isn't up yet. This is often the case of late and it isn't a matter for discipline or of laziness. The truth is, Rowan has Lyme Disease. And if you are, like I once was, of the mind that Lyme is no big deal, let me just tell you that you couldn't be more horribly mistaken. I won't go into detail but I will say that we have a very sick kid on our hands and so if she needs more sleep, it takes priority over everything else she has to do. It is what it is.

To sum up, the school in my head no longer exists. The school we have we do to our utmost. It is a lesson in balance and faith, trust and letting go. It is so difficult for me to overcome my perfectionist tendencies, my control issues and my schedules and work with what we have been dealt. But I am because I have no choice. And there are many blessings.

“The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow. Today I am blessed.”
~ Maya Angelou

My Kids Make Me Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:56:00 +0000

9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:07:00 +0000

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “

~ President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

No, there is no forgetting. The images of the plane hitting the tower, the towers burning, falling, the smoke, the screams, the horror in the voices of the newscasters. It is burned on my eyes and in my soul.

I sat in speechless terror, our almost 1 year old in my lap in the rocking chair as the scenes unfolded, as the hours passed. I sat still, riveted to the events unfolding on the screen before me, uncomprehending.

The sky was so blue, I remember that well, the perfect, clear, cloud-free blue of September. It seemed so wrong, this perfect day, so incongruous with what was happening. For 10 years now, when the sky looks like that, I think to myself that it was just like it on "that day".

To this day it remains unfathomable.
This is kind of an unfinished post, but I still struggle to write about it. But I will never, ever, forget.

This Year Here at Fresh Pond

noreply@blogger.com (Lizzie) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Though I still feel unready for school as yet, here we go on Monday.

Language Arts:
Going "old school" with Language Arts this book will last 3 years, love that! Intermediate Language Lessons in workbook format with the Teacher's Manual.

Bible and Literature:
I am using those portions of this unit study, Further Up and Further In, Diane Pendergraft. Jenna adores the Chronicles of Narnia, this will be our 3rd year reading them through.

Science is a mix of books on a wide range of topics and Beakman's World.

History

Story of the World 2 with Activity Book and a reading list

Orbiting Logic

Math
Christian Light Education Math

Minimus for Latin
Abeka Enjoying Good Health

10th

English Composition and Grammar/English Literature

Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings

Easy Grammar Grade 10

Science:

Finishing BJU online Biology and heading into The Spectrum Honors Chemistry
Math
Teaching Textbooks Algebra II

Elective:

Logic and Doctrine

Socratic Logic, Peter Kreeft

Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Peter Kreeft with Ronald Tacelli

Foreign Language

Latin II

So You Really Want to Learn Latin Book 2, Galore Park Publishing UK

Fine Arts:

Art of the Western World

The Annotated Mona Lisa

Annenberg Media Course: Art of the Western World

God and the History of Art part 2

Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live book and lecture series

History

Contemporary World History: The Great War– 2011 through books and film

link for syllabus

Elective:

19^th Century rural New England studies (junior internship at Old Sturbridge Village, 250 hours)

Abeka Health in Christian Perspective

Elective:
Shakespeare Set Free, a weekly 2 hour class taught by MaryEllen Oliver

A Work in Progress

"I Wonder What Sort of a Tale We've Fallen Into?”

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

2012 Reading Challenges Page

Making Christmas Memories

Holiday Spirit, Finally!

A Little Behind

A Whole New World

Made Me Cry

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Frosty Morning

Wordless Wednesday

Shhhhh!

Musings on Time

“Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Weekend in October

Away for the Weekend

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Daybook, September 26, 2011

Worldless Wednesday

Another Snapshot of our Life from Rowan's Facebook and Mine

Jenna: *muffled shriek* Mom: There is a bug in the sink.... Jenna: HELLO?? Shrieking? You are supposed to come help me kill the bug... Dad: How did you know it was a bug Liz? Mom: Cause that's her "There is a bug in sink" shriek.

Mom: Have you had food today other than pop'ems ? Jenna: Yea. I had Cheetos.

Watching Psych with Mom and Jenna. Dad went to a Red Sox game, so its just us girls. By the way, for those of you who have not tried it, popcorn and chocolate is soo good.

Nothing like a pair of freshly washed jeans...to cut off your circulation.

And me, being the genius that I am, just succeeded in turning my hand purple by holding the wrong end of a sharpie. Again. I think its time for me to go to bed...

Today, in my Shakespeare class, we studied Dr. Seuss. Best. Class. Ever.

Flip-flops! The non-flippy version, in shores now!! ~Jenna

Jenna has "VIP ONLY" signs all over the house so no one will go upstairs or downstairs at her Birthday Party. She is so silly. She told me I was not VIP. I told her, I live here, which got a blank look and a "Fine."

Mom: *To Arwen* If you step on my foot again, I am gonna punt you down the stairs. Dad: Which will hurt your other foot.....

Jenna Skyped me then said "Bye. I have better things to do"....Love you too sis.

So I have to clean my room... Apparently, a floor is not a closet. However, someday I will convince my mother that it is, and then I will clean it of my own free will! Yup.

And this folks is why you should do one of two things. A) Put on the timer for the chicken or B) Look at the time when you put it in.

Dad: So I heard washing the dishes makes Lyme disease go away faster....Or was it washing the floor..? Me: Funny. Dad: Or was it when the younger sibling did them for her... Jenna: Ah ah ah ah no. Nice try. That is NOT how is goes.

"Often, a school is your best bet-perhaps not for education but certainly for protection from an undead attack." — Max Brooks (The Zombie Survival Guide)

A "Day in the Life" or "How It Really Works Around Here"

My Kids Make Me Smile

9/11

This Year Here at Fresh Pond

Jenna: muffled shriek
Mom: There is a bug in the sink....
Jenna: HELLO?? Shrieking? You are supposed to come help me kill the bug...
Dad: How did you know it was a bug Liz?
Mom: Cause that's her "There is a bug in sink" shriek.

Mom: Have you had food today other than pop'ems ?
Jenna: Yea. I had Cheetos.

Mom: To Arwen If you step on my foot again, I am gonna punt you down the stairs.
Dad: Which will hurt your other foot.....

Dad: So I heard washing the dishes makes Lyme disease go away faster....Or was it washing the floor..?
Me: Funny.
Dad: Or was it when the younger sibling did them for her...
Jenna: Ah ah ah ah no. Nice try. That is NOT how is goes.

"Often, a school is your best bet-perhaps not for education but certainly for protection from an undead attack."
— Max Brooks (The Zombie Survival Guide)