Time Flies

                                                                        Time Flies

In the car a week or so ago, The Little Boy decided to bring along a book of riddles. " Hey, Mom."

"Hey what, Little Boy?" I respond. "Why did the boy throw the clock out the window?" "I don't know" was the words I chose to use. "Because he wanted to see time fly!" A chorus of giggles filled the car.

No one warned me to prepare my heart for letting go. Oh, the warnings were there, to savor the time, but not warning of the letting go process. The sweet  little white haired lady in the grocery store sucked in by the twinkle in the boys eye, looks at me and says, " Oh, honey, enjoy these days, time flies!"

That boy is not little anymore. He is as I affectionately will refer to him, when I write, as The Big Boy. The Big Boy is no longer round, soft, and cuddly. He has sprouted hair on his chin and along the sides of his face, tall and lean, a man boy....should be the term.

He once was the baby that slept through the night from birth. Wide awake during the day, cooing and trying to communicate even at the ripe old age of eight weeks old, speaking in sentences at ten months. A thumb sucker, he would sit in his rocking chair with his blankie watching "Wee Sing Train" and "Veggie Tales."

If you asked him at the age of two what he wanted to be when he grew up, "a worship leader" was the response he'd give, as he marched around the table strumming his little plastic broom like it was a guitar.

The gift of gab turned into a delightful mixture of humor and whit. He is very funny.

Looking back at the time that flew by, the questions tumble past. Does he really know how much we love him? Did we do all we could to train him and equip him for this next season of life? Will he be light in a dark generation? These questions will only be answered as more time flies by.

My heart is trying to catch up with reality as The Big Boy wraps up his Jr. High education and walks through the doors of high school.

From the moment our children are born, they capture our hearts, and we have to spend the rest of the days releasing them while savoring each moment we share with them.

You might be saying, "Savor?  Whatever! My kids are driving me crazy!!!" But in the scope of time, when you look back at the time that flew by, you will remember far more sweet memories than the less than glamorous crazy moments.

Like the sweet little white haired lady said, "Oh! Honey, enjoy these days, time flies."

The Absolute Best Way to Make Cookies!

The smell of fresh-baked cookies is probably one of the most delicious smells in all the land!  I love making cookies, and I love eating cookies, but I don't always have time to make a fresh batch.  Awhile ago, I discovered a secret way to enjoy cookies on a regular basis without baking every single day.  On occasion, we will make freezer meals to help with dinnertime chaos, and I decided to experiment by freezing my cookie dough in ready-to-serve portions.  My experiment turned out perfectly, and now we have fresh cookies whenever we want with no more work than turning on the oven.  The steps below describe how I make freezer cookies.

Step 1:  Whip up your favorite cookie recipe.  Currently, our favorite is peanut butter chocolate chip (I'll share my recipe soon).  I generally make a double batch.

Step 2:  Layer a cookie sheet with parchment paper (foil works, too).  Scoop out your cookie dough (usually about 1 tablespoon) and place on the sheet.  You do not have to worry about spacing here, but I would not let them touch.

Step 3:  Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 15 minutes.

Step 4:  Remove cookie tray from the freezer and place cookies in a freezer bag.  Label the bag with type of cookie and temperature/time for baking.  Put the bag full of cookies in the freezer.

When you are ready to bake some cookies, put the cookie dough on a cookie tray and bake!  I let the cookie dough sit on the tray on top of the counter while the oven preheats.  I also have learned that I usually need to add 1-2 minutes to the cook time.

Homeschool Spotlight: Review of Seasons of a Mother's Heart

     Hey, guys!  This blog is not home-school focused, but I do homeschool and will write about an aspect of that topic on occasion.  For those of you who do not know me (Sage here!), I am a homeschooling mama, but fully believe that the decision to homeschool is a family matter and not necessarily right for every family.  Heather, my amazingly talented partner in crime for this blog, has homeschooled before but her beautiful children currently attend school.  As I said, each family has separate needs and must do what they feel is best for their life at the moment.

     Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, I would love to share my thoughts on Sally Clarkson's book titled Seasons of a Mother's Heart.  Just a few posts ago, Heather wrote an inspiring post titled Tapestry of Legacy.  If you haven't read it yet, please do!  If you did read her post, you know that she wrote about different seasons of life and how we respond during those times.  Clarkson's book poses that same question, and I thought it would be a great time to share my thoughts after my reading.

     First of all, I thought Seasons was an excellent book to read just at a season in my life where I was getting bogged down with homeschooling.  I was getting overwhelmed with trying to teach an intense child, corral another powerful child, nanny two other adorable babies, and keep up with deadlines for our Rustic Rabbit orders.  I needed a fresh look on this homeschooling journey my husband and I have decided to take and a fresh take on life.

Likes:

• This book combines an encouraging book to enjoy and a Bible study.  I consider this a plus in my book.  I can read a book (a favorite activity of mine) and do my Bible study at the same time.  I'm always looking to multi-task;)  
• Clarkson made me think and reconsider some areas of my life.  Chapter 2 - Changing my Will was, by far, the chapter that spoke to me the most.  We are in the process of paring down everything in our life, and I needed to hear words of wisdom about the importance of my own thoughts.  In Chapter 2, Clarkson address the matter of dedication.  God has called us each for a special task, even if we don't yet know what that task is.  She states, "The thread of my life in these years will be brightly colored and strongly stitched only to the degree that I have dedicated my life to the good work of motherhood that God prepared for me to do in eternity past."  This statement is so powerful!  In fact, I could take out the word "motherhood" and replace it with any calling a person has been given.  If God has called us to do something, we need to dedicate our whole selves to making that calling happen.  

Dislikes:  

• I only really have one complaint about this whole book.  Surprisingly, I wish homeschool had been mostly left out.  Before I read this book, I was assured that you didn't have to be a homeschooler to read this book.  While that statement is technically true, I did feel like Clarkson was very pro-homeschool.  As I mentioned in my statement in the beginning, I strongly believe homeschooling is a personal decision and each family has different needs.  Homeschool will not fit every family, and several times while reading I thought, "Gee, if I didn't homeschool, I'm not sure I would like this statement."  Clarkson's book as a whole is such a great encouragement, and I would feel more comfortable recommending this book to more of my mom friends (the majority of which do not homeschool).  

     As a whole, Seasons of a Mother's Heart is a wonderful read and an excellent book of encouragement and refreshment for homeschooling mothers.  If you do not homeschool and can read it with a grain of salt, I highly recommend it to all moms as it focuses on creating disciples of our children by being a disciple ourselves.   

We The People...Say Thank You

We The People....Say Thank You

Since I was a little girl, nothing could provoke tears and cause my throat to get choked quite like the sight of the American Flag and the sound of a group of people singing our national anthem.

In first grade, in the back of my History book, were several patriotic songs. I would sit in a little corner in my living room and I would proudly sing, "God Bless America" at the top of my lungs.

Perhaps it was because I was raised to cherish the beauty of freedom and respect the price of sacrifice, that the emblems of freedom cause emotion. My great great grandfather sacrificed his life in The Civil War for slaves to have freedom. My grandfather fought in World War I, my dad served by draft during peace time, and two of my uncles served in Vietnam.

So I started to take a look at today's holiday - Memorial Day. A day to memorialize those who served our nation (us) to preserve our freedom. To remember those fallen ones who sacrificed all, reserving nothing for themselves, not even their precious lives. For others we memorialize the loss of limbs, vision or even their memory, for us....We The People.

Honor, respect, reverence, these are powerful words. In our mamby pamby society, we call freedom the ability to act like the latest version of Hollywood or look at things on the internet that really should bring back to mind the old children's song, "Oh, be careful little eyes what you see."

Freedom...we have watered down the definition and called it the ability to spout off stupidity and call it freedom of speech. I recall Solomon The Wise wrote these words, "Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his lips quiet." These "versions" or "definitions" of freedom are almost ridiculous as they cheapen the very fiber of our society.

There is nothing cheap or foolish about true sacrifice. Freedom counts the cost and is willing to take a risk, even if it mean sacrificing all. Freedom chooses self-control and wisdom. Freedom considers how to stay free for future generations. True freedom thinks before it speaks and it carefully guards what it sees lest it be taken captive.

So Memorial Day is to remember those who honored, respected, and reverenced freedom for perfect strangers and future generations.

Sitting by the pool, I look around at the children squealing with delight as they stand under fountains. I hear and see laughter, music, freedom. I look at the tan I have because I live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. A land that honors those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, so I can spend the day with my family in freedom and without fear. To you fallen ones, and you who sacrificed your bodies, I say......THANK YOU.



Tapestry of Legacy

It was raining. The air was chilled, rather cold. The kind of Spring day one might find a blanket, a book, a corner, a fresh brewed cup of "Heaven's Goodness", and curl up and get lost in a story.

"Could you make this into a keepsake?" came the request.

The Aunt, a delightfully, warm, generous woman in her seventh decade, hands over a bag. Inside, a well used beautiful collection of fabric pieces crafted into a quilt.

I shall take a rabbit trail for just a moment, to say, I LOVE QUILTS!!!!! As silly as it sounds, they make my heart happy. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. As a child, at the county fair, I would walk through the 4H building gawking at each of the quilts, longing to touch each and every square, each telling a story.

My love for quilts was fueled as well by the Amish. We would take trips to their stores, bakeries, and quilt shops. I dreamed of learning to make a quilt of my own.

After I married, The Husband's Grandmother came for a visit. We had many cups of "Heaven's Goodness" together, having good conversation as we cut, stitched and quilted my first quilt.

I suppose my love for quilts is because of what they represent: history, time shared, meaningful conversation, joy in crafting, warmth, comfort, and beauty.

I am fairly confident that the quilt The Aunt had placed the request for was not necessarily crafted for eye candy. It was a collection of random pieces sewn together; perhaps they used to be a shirt, pants, skirt, dress, or some other functional item, reworked for a functional purpose once again....a blanket....warmth.

There it was in all of its oldness and glory, some pieces more tattered than others. It was beautiful!

The request for the three keepsakes to be made out of the quilt was an order for The Aunt and her two siblings to have a piece of their family history. The quilt had once been their mother's and even their grandmother's. This quilt had served as warmth for over nine decades, three generations of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Who would have thought piecing together old, tired shirts, skirts, dresses, and pants would provide comfort and warmth for nearly a century.

Solomon The Wise, sitting on the front porch, rocking in a rocking chair, with his grandmother's quilt on his lap, pen in hand, coffee in the other, wrote these words, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children." Proverbs 13:22

Inheritance is not just financial, but spiritual and emotional as well. While "re"haberdashering the old, worn, beautiful quilt into three rabbits, I began to think.

Will my life, like the quilt, a collection of pieces, be a collection of seasons? Joyous, difficult, quiet, restorative, sad, grieving, victorious all pieced together by the thread of time, bringing warmth and comfort to my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, leaving them an inheritance. Nearly a century from now, will I be remembered for warmth and comfort, forged by the seasons that perhaps looked rough and tattered, adding texture and beauty to multiple generations? Or will I be remembered for trying to be polished, a shelf novelty only to be looked at, not being used for its' intended purpose?

My prayer is that no matter the season, I would see it as simply another piece of history to add to the quilt of life, allowing God to use the thread of time to stitch it all together, leaving a tapestry of legacy.