Some things that make me cry
Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon
And it was dark.
So dark at night
And we held onto each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
And we would all go down together ...
Reading profiles for "waiting children", little orphan babies with severe special needs.
Watching TLC's "Hoarders: Buried Alive"
(It made me want to become a psychologist. Ha!)
Reading Julia Child's introduction to "My Life in France".
Thinking of my firstborn, who was born & buried 5 years ago.
Trying to fathom how great my Heavenly Father's love is.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Meet Macdoel
A gas station town along Highway 97.
A speck of a town in Butte Valley.
North of Mount Shasta
(In a cloud cover on a stormy day)
South of Mount Ashland
(The snow capped peak)
East of Ball Mountain
Where cattle wander through Juniper trees.
Where you realize that vibrating phones sound just like cattle mooing.
(The cowboy said that a lot of the cows most likely have pneumonia,
with all the bad weather we've been having.
I guess he's checking them today.)
Where everywhere there are no Juniper trees, there are fields of Hay, Alfalfa & berry plants.
(This view is from our driveway.
Scott will be planting the field in the background soon.)
Scott will be planting the field in the background soon.)
Where you can wake up in the month of May to 17 degree temps
& still be in California.
& still be in California.
And then later in the day it might get to 60 degrees.
Where the "Cherry House" double wide trailer
is one of the nicest houses around.
is one of the nicest houses around.
Where there are Bald & Golden Eagles everywhere.
But, I don't have a single photo of them.
(Sunday Scott drove us around & we saw about 12 Eagles in 5 minutes time.)
Where the static electricity (or elecserious, as Gillian says) is going to drive me insane.
It's best to never wash your hair. Then the heaviness of the grease keeps it from frizzing too much.
Also, never brush dry hair. That brings disaster.
It's best to never wash your hair. Then the heaviness of the grease keeps it from frizzing too much.
Also, never brush dry hair. That brings disaster.
Where it is okay to use an Elk for a coat rack.
Or for hide & seek games.
Where the snow & bad weather keep prolonging our stay.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day at Moore Park
I've seen this pretty park for years & wanted to picnic here. It is on the south side of upper Klamath Lake. It has spacious lawns & gorgeous trees. And, a little playground, too.
After church, we stopped at the grocery store to get picnic food.
We enjoyed lunch & play in the sun, right before more rain came through.
By the way - this little girl turned 1 year old this weekend.
We celebrated by singing Happy Birthday to her over & over again. She loved it.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Parenting Is Your Highest Calling (& other myths)
"Parenting is Your Highest Calling; and 8 other myths that trap us in worry & guilt" by Leslie Leyland Fields is a really good book. Seriously. If you are the sort who wants to read every good parenting book out there, you need to read this one. If you aren't into reading parenting books, read this one anyway! It is excellent.
The myths Leslie aims to bust are -
1 - Having Children Makes You Happy & Fulfilled
2 - Nurturing Your Children is Natural & Instinctive
3 - Parenting is Your Highest Calling
4 - Good Parenting Leads to Happy Children
5 - If You Find Parenting Difficult, You Must Not Be Following the Right Plan
6 - You Represent Jesus to Your Children
7 - You Will Always Find Unconditional Love For Your Children
8 - Successful Parents Produce Godly Children
9 - God Approves of Only One Family Design
The clarity of Leslie's writing is amazing. As I was reading, I was having "light bulb" moments, over & over again. I don't want to attempt to summarize her book. She says everything so brilliantly. I could never compare.
I want all of you guys to have this book. So, I'm going to give one away. In honor of Mother's Day. In honor of my baby's 1st birthday. In celebration of my reading so many books lately. Whatever. It's just a giveaway.
#1 - Leave a comment here, before May 22nd (midnight PST).
#2 - Make sure your comment has an email address so I can contact you to tell you if you have won.
#3 - For a second entry, become a follower of my blog.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Elephants on Parade
They will be completed when I get home. And, be up for sale at a Craft Boutique this summer in Corralitos, California.
Thrifty Thursday: The Big Picture
Here's an interesting article from the New York Times.
It ends with saying how pathetic of a penny pinching attempt it is to flatten your toilet paper roll. Ha! Pretty funny. They are probably right!
It ends with saying how pathetic of a penny pinching attempt it is to flatten your toilet paper roll. Ha! Pretty funny. They are probably right!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Thoughts on the Perfect Mother Myth by Carla Barnhill
One book in one week is a big accomplishment for me. The book was The Myth of the Perfect Mother: Rethinking the Spirituality of Women.
I read this book in order to participate in the Open Discussion, hosted by my friend Linda of Mama Mia McMasters.
After a day or two of reading, I wrote to Linda to tell her I didn't like the book. I was about half way through & considered quitting. But, I didn't. I pressed on through.
I am glad I did. About midway through the book, I think I started to hear her message.
I think Carla's main goal with this book is to identify why so many Christian mothers struggle with serious depression. I do appreciate that. I knew it was a problem. And, after reading this book, I see even more how much of a problem it is. It's huge. The book left me greatly convicted to reach out to the women in my life. But, I didn't think the book gave very many answers to the problem.
The author struggles with depression herself. In that way, perhaps she is uniquely qualified to speak to the problem. She really helped me see into the heart of the struggle.
But, because she still struggles with depression, the book ends without a solution to the issues.
I thought her theological conclusions & historical references were often off the point, or incorrect.
Though, I am no scholar myself.
She blames the Evangelical church for creating this "Perfect Mother" portrait that is false & therefore creating guilt amongst women. Through much of this discussion, I guess I felt a little picked on. She seemed to find the idea of a big, happy, homeschool family to be pretend or something. I'm not sure.
The style of the book is a bit disjointed & there is not a lot of clarity on a lot of the issues brought up.
In her conclusion, she admits to writing with a "crabby" voice. I agree! It did sound crabby. And, I don't know if it helped to bring the message with a crabby voice. Rants & reactions are not very easy to follow.
She talks a lot to the issue of motherhood not being the whole of a woman. I really appreciated this. Motherhood is not the ultimate. It is great. But, not the ultimate goal to reach for. But, the church can often make women feel that way. She addressed the fact that many woman in the church are somewhat cut off from using many of their God-given gifts. If we make motherhood to be the greatest gift, what are we doing to all the women who can never have their own children? They will never be able to serve God in the greatest way? Are they just supposed to wait around, hoping? No. God has something great for them. And it is not inferior to motherhood.
And for the woman who are mothers, is mothering really supposed to consume them completely? Where does the Bible say that they can't or shouldn't use their gifts outside of the home? Being the mother of toddlers doesn't mean that all you like to talk about is potty training & feeding picky eaters.
I am a mother & I love being a mother. But, there are many more parts to me.
The author confesses to being turned off to the idea of "mom's groups" or "play groups". I am so with her. I always think, "I don't like to just talk about my kids all the time & hear everyone else talk about their kids all the time. That would drive me mad."
Maybe I should realize that all those other moms are more than moms. Just like me. Even if they feel completely buried in diapers & midnight feedings, I'll bet there is something underneath it all that they would love to talk about.
Let's try to reach out to the women around us. And get to know more about them. Not just classify them as mother or not-yet-a-mother. There is so much more to all those ladies.
The discussion on the book starts next week, May 10th. If you want to grab the book & join in, go for it. You still have time. The first discussion will just be on the first chapter.
I read this book in order to participate in the Open Discussion, hosted by my friend Linda of Mama Mia McMasters.
After a day or two of reading, I wrote to Linda to tell her I didn't like the book. I was about half way through & considered quitting. But, I didn't. I pressed on through.
I am glad I did. About midway through the book, I think I started to hear her message.
I think Carla's main goal with this book is to identify why so many Christian mothers struggle with serious depression. I do appreciate that. I knew it was a problem. And, after reading this book, I see even more how much of a problem it is. It's huge. The book left me greatly convicted to reach out to the women in my life. But, I didn't think the book gave very many answers to the problem.
The author struggles with depression herself. In that way, perhaps she is uniquely qualified to speak to the problem. She really helped me see into the heart of the struggle.
But, because she still struggles with depression, the book ends without a solution to the issues.
I thought her theological conclusions & historical references were often off the point, or incorrect.
Though, I am no scholar myself.
She blames the Evangelical church for creating this "Perfect Mother" portrait that is false & therefore creating guilt amongst women. Through much of this discussion, I guess I felt a little picked on. She seemed to find the idea of a big, happy, homeschool family to be pretend or something. I'm not sure.
The style of the book is a bit disjointed & there is not a lot of clarity on a lot of the issues brought up.
In her conclusion, she admits to writing with a "crabby" voice. I agree! It did sound crabby. And, I don't know if it helped to bring the message with a crabby voice. Rants & reactions are not very easy to follow.
She talks a lot to the issue of motherhood not being the whole of a woman. I really appreciated this. Motherhood is not the ultimate. It is great. But, not the ultimate goal to reach for. But, the church can often make women feel that way. She addressed the fact that many woman in the church are somewhat cut off from using many of their God-given gifts. If we make motherhood to be the greatest gift, what are we doing to all the women who can never have their own children? They will never be able to serve God in the greatest way? Are they just supposed to wait around, hoping? No. God has something great for them. And it is not inferior to motherhood.
And for the woman who are mothers, is mothering really supposed to consume them completely? Where does the Bible say that they can't or shouldn't use their gifts outside of the home? Being the mother of toddlers doesn't mean that all you like to talk about is potty training & feeding picky eaters.
I am a mother & I love being a mother. But, there are many more parts to me.
The author confesses to being turned off to the idea of "mom's groups" or "play groups". I am so with her. I always think, "I don't like to just talk about my kids all the time & hear everyone else talk about their kids all the time. That would drive me mad."
Maybe I should realize that all those other moms are more than moms. Just like me. Even if they feel completely buried in diapers & midnight feedings, I'll bet there is something underneath it all that they would love to talk about.
Let's try to reach out to the women around us. And get to know more about them. Not just classify them as mother or not-yet-a-mother. There is so much more to all those ladies.
The discussion on the book starts next week, May 10th. If you want to grab the book & join in, go for it. You still have time. The first discussion will just be on the first chapter.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Proof of His Easy Goingness
A few days ago, Scott says, "I need a haircut before church". I said, "Okay, Let's do it."
I got out the hair clipper set, scissors & comb. We set the kids out on the grass with balls & toys. We set up the hair salon station on the deck. I got out the clippers & started the haircut. In my plans, I was just trimming his side burns first. But, I just kept going. My brain was somewhere else.
When I realized what I had done, I nearly had a heart attack. Can you see Gillian in the background? She is in total shock as well.
It was difficult for me to go on. But, I was at the point of no return. It had to be done.
Scott volunteered to finish it for me.
At that moment, I was reminded how exceedingly thankful I am to be married to a guy who is not vain. I can't even imagine how horrified I would be if my spouse gave me such a bad hair cut.
But, Scott just laughed.
I'm getting used to it. I am just concerned for his fresh white scalp being out in the high altitude sun all day. He never remembers to use that convenient spray on sunscreen that is sitting in his truck.
I got out the hair clipper set, scissors & comb. We set the kids out on the grass with balls & toys. We set up the hair salon station on the deck. I got out the clippers & started the haircut. In my plans, I was just trimming his side burns first. But, I just kept going. My brain was somewhere else.
When I realized what I had done, I nearly had a heart attack. Can you see Gillian in the background? She is in total shock as well.
It was difficult for me to go on. But, I was at the point of no return. It had to be done.
Scott volunteered to finish it for me.
At that moment, I was reminded how exceedingly thankful I am to be married to a guy who is not vain. I can't even imagine how horrified I would be if my spouse gave me such a bad hair cut.
But, Scott just laughed.
I'm getting used to it. I am just concerned for his fresh white scalp being out in the high altitude sun all day. He never remembers to use that convenient spray on sunscreen that is sitting in his truck.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)