You really should read it.

xoxo,
edie

It’s a cheeseburger in a bowl. Otherwise known as ‘flirting with your husband 101′. Need I say more?
Here’s what you’ll need:

1 1/2-2 pounds of ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 bag of shredded hash browns (about 15 ounces), frozen
1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups of chopped kale, discard the stems (use 1 cup if you’re scared but it gives the soup so much texture and vitta-mins, as Bear Grylls would say)
1/3 cup ketchup
a squirt of two or your favorite mustard
4-6 oz of shredded gruyere cheese
1 can beer (or just use a little more stock)
1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock
a douse or four of worcestershire sauce
2 T. honey
salt and pepper along the way to taste

Brown the beef and add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients—-except the cheese— and let cook on medium for about a half hour until the hash browns are soft. Then reduce heat to medium low and add the gruyere cheese and cook until it melts. Pay attention and stir frequently after you add the cheese because the it will stick to the bottom and burn if you leave it too hot for too long. Serve with Cholula hot sauce and Fritos and enjoy!

In case you missed it, Sibi is hosting her 2nd annual Pearl Event, where women encourage each other with their stories of suffering and trial and joy and how God is using those life events to bring glory to Himself.

I will be among 4 other speakers/sharers, along with Paige, Sarah, Jane and Sibi. We are all so blessed and excited to be a part and we want to meet you there!

I wanted to let you know that there are 75-ish tickets left and 7 rooms left at the special rate.

It looks like this baby’s gonna sell out and I really hope some of you–the best internet friends in the world—can make it.

We will have a meet and greet on Friday night March 9th at Opryland Hotel, more details to follow.

We are also hoping to still get a few sponsors so if you’d like to help us in any way with donations or providing lunch or providing anything to give away, we’d love to hear from you.

It’s going to be a day of awesomeness and I don’t want you to hem haw around and miss it.   I’m a hem hawer from way back so I know your type.

Just do it.  Today. Sign up for $25 and meet me in Nashville!!!

You won’t regret it.   And if you aren’t completely satisfied with your day of awesomeness, I’ll serenade you with my best Tammy Wynette impersonation.

It’s a win-win.  I know the words by heart.

xoxo,

edie

p.s. Visit the Pearl Event Facebook page here!

p.p.s.  Thank you for all your beautiful emails about the post that was moved but not deleted.  Y’all make a grown woman cry.   You are dear, dear friends

Bible

Lectionary/Small Catechism/Church Festivals

Our church follows the 3 year lectionary and we are currently on Series B.  I print the readings for the year so that we are able to read the next Sunday’s readings at least 2-3 times before church on Sunday.   Since we’ve been doing this, I find that the girls pay more attention to the readings and almost always nudge me to remind me that,  ”Hey, we’ve read that this week.”    We also read about/talk about the church festivals on the day they occur.   St. Lucia day was December 13 and the girls and I made crowns of light and Santa Lucia rolls.   January 18th was the festival of the Confession of St. Peter so we talked about the importance of Peter’s confession for the church.   Issues Etc. is very helpful in this regard because they also follow the church year and have several years of podcasts on the various church festivals.  We talk about the current ‘season’ of the church year (currently Epiphany) and how that season reflects something unique about the life and work of Christ.   We’re also STILL memorizing the Small Catechism.   We take one portion each year or semester and memorize it/talk about it/study it.   We are currently finishing up on the Lord’s Prayer petitions.

We’ve done Old Testament stories twice and New Testament stories twice so I’m thinking of doing church history next year.   I’d love your thoughts on Bible curriculum, especially as your children age and are ready for more ‘meat’.

Memory

Poetry/Scripture/Historical Documents/Lists

I’ve written about my passion for memory work before.  We spend about 30-40 minutes per day on memory work—most of that time on learning new memory. But we also continue to review things we learned in our first 3 years of homeschooling. I know my girls get tired of it sometimes but we have a huge notebook of works we’ve memorized over the past four years and it’s one of the few subjects where there’s instant, tangible evidence that we’re learning great stuff.   We are usually working on 4-5 new pieces at one time along with a comprehensive history timeline that spans the ancient Isrealites through current times.   It has 170 events (corresponding to the Veritas history cards) and sometimes seems daunting.  However, we will repeat it every year and as we get to those topics in history and Bible, the timeline will come alive and be ‘pegs’ on which to  hang more information.    ”The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, 70 AD”  may not mean that much to them right now.   But when we get to that story in history, it won’t be the first time they’ve heard it and they will understand it better as it relates to the history of the Romans and the Jews.   I LOVE the timeline.  This little video clip will give you a ‘feel’ for the timeline and how it CAN be done, despite the fact that there are lots of dates and people and events.

We try to coordinate our memory work with things we’re studying in history, science, math,  and Bible.   So far this year, we’ve memorized:

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
After the Party
The Cow
A list of the 13 colonies
The Presidents
The States and Capitals
Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Romans 8:18-39
George Washington by Stephen Vincent Benet
Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pater Noster (Lord’s Prayer in Latin)
The World is too Much With Us by William Wordsworth
Introduction to the Declaration of Independence
The Children’s Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Santa Filomena by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
John 1:1-7 in Latin and English
Gettysburg Address
Matthew 5: 1-20
History Timeline

Math

Saxon–We just finished Saxon 5/4 and are starting 6/5.

Literature

The girls spend an hour a day reading their literature books. Books they read so far this year:
Black Beauty
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
The Secret Garden
The Princess and the Goblin
Anne of Green Gables
Peter Pan

to be read:

The Little White Horse
Anne of Avonlea
The Treasure Seekers
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
The Prince and the Pauper

We also read together at night (Little Women) and they listen to audio books during their quiet time (currently, Hunger Games).   We love books.  It’s the center of our curriculum.  During their reading time, they read aloud to me (usually a page or two) and sometimes I read a few pages to them.  We read classical books and I use Ambleside Online along with The Well Trained Mind to furnish us with good book choices and good authors.

Grammar

We’re still using Rod and Staff and I love it.   We do a lot of diagramming and a lot of review.   They’re finally getting the hang of it!!!!   They can predictably find subjects/verbs/direct objects/predicate nouns/predicate adjectives/prepositions/object of prepositions.   The hard work is finally paying off!   I am passionate that my girls (along with their mother) become proficient at Grammar so I very actively teach it.  We don’t do worksheets very often but instead work through most of it on the board together.   I’m pretty sure this is why they like Grammar.   I hope it continues!

Writing

This is our 2nd year to use Andrew Pudewa’s Excellence in Writing. It’s a great, step-wise program for teaching writing and we use his method (keyword outlines) to write one good paragraph a week based on something from our history or science curriculum.  For instance, this week, we studied the Transcontinental Railroad so the girls read a few short paragraphs about the railroad and then made a keyword outline from the reading.   The next day, we use the outline to write a paragraph and then use the next day or so to edit the paragraph and add writing elements such as -ly words, strong verbs, ‘which’ clauses, sentence openers, adjectives, etc.   On Fridays,  I often have the girls give a short oral presentation where they basically recite their paragraph back to me.    By the end of the week, they’ve really learned a few key things about a pertinent topic and they get to practice their oratory skills along with their writing and editing skills.

Latin

This is our first year without Mrs. Susan, our Latin tutor and it’s been a learning experience for all of us.   I’m very committed to my girls’ learning Latin.   I think it’s so valuable for vocabulary building and even for better understanding English grammar.   We use Latin for Children and are almost finished with Primer A.   We take it slow, usually a chapter a week, and then do lots of review.   We memorize prayers and scripture in Latin which helps to reinforce what we’re learning.  I’ve been checking into online Latin classes for the future because I’m not sure I can learn it fast enough to teach them.  I’m glad I’ve ploughed through it this year though because at least they haven’t lost any ground.   I’d LOVE it if my girls were translating famous Latin works by the time they’re in high school.  It’s just a good foundation for language of all types and I don’t see us giving it up anytime soon.  If you do Latin at home, I’d love to know what works well for you!

French

We use Rosetta Stone and the only thing I provide is the computer and the software.   They seem to really like it and  do a  lesson a day whenever we can fit it in around our other work.  It’s very low key but again, I love the exposure to language at an early age.

History

We are still using Story of the World and are on unit four.  I can’t wait to start the repeat next year where we start over again with ancient times.   I’ve used Mystery of History as a supplement and these wonderful books while studying the Civil War.   We often use historical figures as a topic for our writing and our read-alouds.   We chose Little Women as our nighttime read because it’s set during the Civil War and we read a biography on Lincoln during that study as well.   We do history in the afternoons and call it our ‘fun’ school.   We don’t test history but just try to enjoy it.   We discuss what we’ve read and I’ll  occasionally have them narrate it back to me but usually, we just read and discuss.

Science

We’re doing Jeannie Albright’s Human Anatomy this year and have thoroughly enjoyed it.   It’s been a perfect segue for discussing all things ‘body’ with the girls.   They’re at the perfect age for it and usually sit spellbound when the topic gets a little juicy.   We’ve memorized the bones and have used topics such as digestion for larger writing projects.   We also do this in the afternoons and don’t do testing. We really only test Grammar and Math and Spelling at this juncture but we do participate in standardized tests every year so I can see how I’m doing. So far, so good! Enjoy some of our memory work and a little scrapbook of sorts of the girls and their days.

xoxo,

edie

good stuff from today’s reading:

Culture yourselves, I pray you. Live on the great thoughts which expand the soul and charge the being with forcefulness, and eschew utterly the wretched stuff out of which so many girls are building up flabby-tissued brains. Enrich your nature with true art. Busy your days with better preparation for your future position than the frivolous play of society, which wastes the energies and belittles the stature of womanhood. Above all, see that you live in open-souled up-look to the Father, the Source and Fount of all high life, in fellowship with the Son, the pattern and exemplar of all nobleness of human form, and in communion of that Spirit of Holiness who ever moveth in you all pure, true pulses, the Lord and giver of Life.

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p.s.  thank you to those of you who sent me your stories.  i’m still reading and responding so thanks for your patience:)  y’all are the BEST internet friends ever.   and so smart.  loves ya lots

i love january.

i know it’s my birthday month and i know it’s the new year but i don’t know very many people who love january like i do.

i always hunker down in january.   i’m fit to be tied with reVolutions and i’m busy making a good start on every last one of them.

i probably read more in january than any other month.   that may be the key to why i like it so much.

there is NO better way to be inspired than to read the right books.   i read 2 books the first weekend of the new year (the flip side of feminism and the church of Facebook) and i’m almost done with 2 more (lectures on womanhood and my not-so-storybook life)

my  soul must be famished.

i’m also always eating cleaner in january and i think the clear head combined with beating down the physical appetites makes for a great combination.

and despite last week’s semi-urgent gallbladder removal, i had already made nice with my running shoes and the 30 day shred.  hopefully to be started back tomorrow.

(i’m healing fast and feeling pretty darn great!)

then there’s the spiritual reVolt.

i never miss devotions in january.   i read extra.   i pray harder.  i make lists of people to pray for and lately have been using Starck’s Prayer Book to guide me.

january is almost always a season of doing hard work, laying down roots,  forging new habits which makes the flowering seasons of spring even more sweet.

i’m also reading and writing a lot about ‘womanhood’.   i hope to publish an ebook(let)  in a couple months full of my own personal journey ‘home’,   the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of woman’s work in the world, how to train our daughters to be ladies, wives and mothers and some fun stuff including new recipes, etc.   on that note, if you’ve left a professional career to stay home with your children, i’d love a short email (possibly to be included in the book) about your story;   your career path, why you left,  the emotional and spiritual consequences for your family and how you’re adjusting to life at home.  it’d also be interesting to know if you’d encourage your own daughters to take a similar path.

hmmmm, what else?

cleaning, reorganizing, you know the routine.

and planning the herb and vegetable garden.

and thinking i may just need to finish decorating the master bedroom pretty soon.

and planning dinners and breakfasts and parties and maybe even a retreat.

and praying and planning for Pearl—which i’d LOVE for you to attend.

i’m passing on my january love to my girls who woke up this morning with their fresh lists and goals and schedules.

they said it was the best day of school ever.  they have caught my january fever and it may take us through to March, if we’re lucky!

january is all the underground, behind-the scenes hard work that it takes to make every other month fruitful and beautiful.

never underestimate the power of january, unassuming and quiet as she sometimes may be.

she’s a force to be reckoned with.

she’s the  leader of  this reVolt, you know.

find a good book and some buried goals and let january make you over.

sending mucho january love your way,

edie

I’m overwhelmed with list-making and dream-seeking and soul-searching .   Hope swells and washes the memory of past failures clean.

I couldn’t care less that I’ve made this list 20 times before and didn’t follow through with it.

As a matter of fact, this tendency toward renewal and resolution  wasn’t even our idea.

We borrowed it from our Father who promised new mercies every morning and fresh starts ‘seventy times seven’ times.

I completely believe deep down in my heart that this year will be different.   You couldn’t convince me otherwise if your life depended on it.

Despite the fact that I made this list when I turned 40, I still haven’t run a marathon or met Todd, Jeff and Craig, or made homeade bagels.

But isn’t part of the reward of our new years’ lists  the longing and the planning and hope beyond all hope that this year surely things can be different?

The gift is there already, in the courage to believe.   And when I fail, I fall hard into the hands of Grace.  There’s no downside—only endless expectation as we  ’groan inwardly’  and ‘wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

And even if you don’t buy into my abiding optimism, what’s the worst that can happen.

What if I don’t keep my resolution to read 42 books this year?  What if I’m a complete failure and only read 30?

And what if I set out to run a marathon and only manage to  run a 10K?    Or what if I still don’t make those bagels?

Here’s why it doesn’t matter.

God has given me everything I could possibly need in His son.  I am forgiven and blessed with the every good gift from the Father.

The rest  is icing on the cake.

But this liturgy of life—the rising and setting of the sun, the coming of another new year—was never meant to be hum drum routine.

It is life-giving ritual and rhythm.  And I hope I never tire of it because it’s the stuff life is made of and it’s pure gift from our Father.

I hope that despite many my frailties and failures I always approach this newness with anticipation and joy.

It’s gonna be a great year.  Revolutionary even.  I just know it.

***********************

Just for fun, here’s my very unorthodox observations and a peek at my list:

First of all, it’s two thousand twelve.   I don’t think I need to say more but I will.   The year of the Apocalypse, or so some claim.   I doubt it but even if the world comes to an end, that’s good because our resolutions will be null and void and we’ll be in heaven.    Here’s why it’s gonna be a good year.

1.  It’s an even year.   All even years are the best.  Stevie and I were both born in even years as were all my kids.   We were married in an even year and I graduated from college and med school in even years.  Need more proof?  Johnny Cash released ‘Folsom Prison’ in 1968 which was the same year ‘Stand by Your Man’ was released as a single.  I rest my case.

2.  It’s 2012.   12 is a very cool number in scripture.  There were 12 sons of Jacob, 12 plagues, 12 tribes of Isreal, and 12 apostles.    12 is 3×4.  3 signifies the trinity or divine perfection and 4 signifies the creative works of God, especially as related to earth.   12′s gonna be a good year.   Apocalypse or not.

3.  It’s gonna be a ‘flowering’ year.   As I’m sure you can relate, some years are for roots and foundations.   Those are the years that you have new babies or you move or start new jobs or your house burns down.  Those years are hard to measure in terms of resolution progress.  But they’re no less important.  In fact, the rooting years are probably the most important of all.   But they’re usually the ones that you’re glad to have behind you.  I’m pretty sure we’re due a ‘flowering’ year here at the Wadsworths.   I could be wrong but I see big huge hydrangea blooms in our future

4.  I’m convinced it’s gonna be a great year because I’m currently undefeated in Scrabble.   ANDDDD……on New Year’s Eve at approximately 11:57, I scored a 94 (or was it 99?) point word to clench the title of reigning Scrabble champion.   And that’s not all.   The word was AVENUES.   See what I mean?

So my advice?

Make resolutions with reckless abandon.   Kick it up a notch and call them reVolutions.  (thank you Katherine!)

And show two thousand twelve what you’re made of.

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Here’s my list, brought to you by Picnik and my very optimistic New Year’s self.  I chose 12 because I like number games and 42 because I’m almost 42.

Did you make a list?  I think you should.

Then I start to reevaluate all of it. Is it worth making myself {and my family} vulnerable?
Should I shut it all down and quietly go about my business? Or perhaps I should be more seeker sensitive and write only those things which culture values.
So, I ran a lot this week. And thought about it. And stewed about it. And repented for the need to justify myself. And ran harder. (It’s been good for my workout)

Then, I pulled on my big girl running shorts and decided that I really like being here, in this space.
I don’t take it for granted. I can handle the occasional critic. And though I don’t imagine that I’ll always write here–I do think it’s where I’m supposed to be for now.
I am completely humbled and thankful for the privilege to do this: to write, to make friends, to encourage, to be encouraged.
Most days, I do it with fear and trembling.
There seems no end to the blessings that I’ve received from meeting you here.
So, thank you. I am indebted to you for your unfailing kindness and encouragement.

Please know that this space is where I share my very own personal views and beliefs. Like Lewis, I don’t write to be understood but to understand.
I pray you will leave here with something helpful for your own journey but I will not change my story for you.
I pray you will read with grace and compassion for a woman who is deeply flawed but desperately seeking the life and redemption only to be found in Christ and often to be found in suffering.

***********************

On a related note, I may or may not listen to semi-angry hip-hop and rock music when I’m running. It may or may not be the only thing that will motivate me to make it back to my car. I call it audio-adrenaline. I usually prefer the likes of Eminem and Alkaline Trio (the clean versions, of course) but this was the song of the week for my misunderstood self. I feel vindicated. And tired. Very tired.

Comments closed because y’all are so sweet that you’re gonna run to my rescue and I promise, I’m over it now and I know you’re there for me!
Also, if I remove this post tomorrow (enjoy the irony) , you won’t have typed your comment in vain!
xoxo
mwahhhhh
peace out, yo.

Please email me Diane and I’ll email you the confirmation of the paid ticket.   Let me know if something prevents you from coming so we make good use of the ticket!  Congratulations Diane!

************************************************

Before you fill up that brand spanking new 2012 calendar, I think you should consider a little road trip with me to Nashville on March 10.

My darling sweet-as-sugar friend Sibi has announced Pearl Event II—The Double Strand, a gathering of women for a day to connect through stories and share through vulnerability and encourage our fellow sisters in our various vocations as women.

My knees are already knocking.  I’m supposed to share my story.    Whilst standing upright and speaking into a microphone.  And ideally without disintegrating into a puddle of tears.

I said yes right away and then got chest pains and hyperventilated.   Then I ate some fudge and felt better.

And then I did hitch kicks because PAIGE IS GONNA BE THERE TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{I don’t know if I can wait until March.}

So I really hope you’ll join us.   We want to meet you and love on you and make sure you know what a pearl of great price you are to our Father!

Sibi’s friends Sarah and Jane will be there as well sharing their stories.  I have lots of new friends to make!

And then Sibi herself will tell her tender story of struggle and faith.

{{Side story:   I met Sibi at Blissdom 2 years ago and I think she  may very well be an angel in disguise.  You’ve never met a  more  sweet or gracious southern belle.  Her description of meeting me cracked me up—she said I was a cross between Paula Deen and Beth Moore, carrying a plate of cupcakes (true story) and dressed like a scrapbook page with heavily applied eye liner (true that as well) }}

Here’s the nitty gritty:

Saturday, March 10, 2012

9:00 ~ 4:00

The Opryland Hotel

Magnolia Ballroom

Nashville, Tennessee

You may purchase a ticket for $25 here. There is limited space so don’t hem and haw around like I’m want to do.

I’ll be getting to Nashville on Friday so we can eat lunch together and shop at Anthropologie and get our smoky eyes done at the MAC counter for free.

I’m so excited to meet you in real life that I’m buying a ticket myself and giving it away to you!

Just leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner at exactly 12:00am on January 1st 2012.

Who am I kidding.  It’s very likely I’ll be asleep but I’ll pick a winner soon, how’s that?

Pencil in the Pearl Girls.

Mwahhhhhh!

xoxo,

ms. edie shaking-in-her-cowboy-boots wadsworth