Memories, Old and New

Colton and Alex enjoying Kyle and My collection of Breyer Horses

Colton and Alex enjoying Kyle and My collection of Breyer Horses

“Clack, clack, dum-da-da-dum.” Ah the familiar sound of plastic horse legs as they fight and run together in imagination and adventure. This was the theme song of my youth I’m pretty sure. I was born horse crazy. My earliest memories involve looking down at a horses mane. But, alas I was a town kid and owning a horse was not within my grasp until I was a young adult. Never the less I always loved them and a huge part of coping with the reality that I couldn’t own a real horse meant owning as many Breyer Horses as possible.

I remember as a child going to the local drug store and staring at the small collection they carried. Once one caught my fancy it meant begging mom to stop there every week, just to make sure the model I was after had not been sold. I was not gifted very many of these treasures. No, I had to work for them and work I did. I would do just about anything when I had my eye on a model horse, whatever chore would put another quarter, fifty cents or dollar in my pocket, I did it.

On rare and special occasions when there was concern that the one horse I really wanted might be purchased before I had saved enough, my dear father would go get it. That horse would be out of reach until every last cent was paid. I have since learned that this was no small feat as these “toys” were not cheap. Talking to my dad about it recently, I was told that some of these horses cost a days wages. Oh how this makes me love my father more, for I know what a days wages are worth now.

And even as I out grew these ponies I have hung on to them all these years. They once decorated my room, then my apartments. As a newlywed they still found their place on a high shelf added to the few that Kyle had received as gifts (he did not see the need for them, but I would not hear of them going.) I never really thought much about why I hung on to them all these years. Yes, now I could give them to my children, but I didn’t want to, not just yet.

Well, years have passed and we have moved many times. These horses have been packed away ever since. The box of these little creatures was uncovered the other day as we were cleaning out the garage in preparation for an upcoming yard sale. Kyle (brave soul that he is) suggested that since they have not left the box in more than three years perhaps it was time to let them go.

What an awful thought, to sell my precious horses. But I let the idea settle on me, who really needs 20 plastic horses? No, not I. My years of enjoying them are over. Not to mention I try so hard not to be too attached to things. So, with a deep breath I struck the bargain that yes, I would sell Kyle’s models and most of my own, reserving only a few of the most precious ones to pass on to the kids when they showed an interest.

So, today I pulled out the box and with ebay on the the screen I began to calculate their worth. Not much, a few gems, but really they were just my toys with far more sentimental value than monetary. Further reason I suppose to pass them along.

But, as I unwrapped each model the boys would ask its name, or what kind of horse it was and before I knew it all the stories with the horses began to unfold again. This time the light of the adventure was not in my eyes, but in the eyes of my children.

Before I knew what happened none of the horses were for sale any longer and the herd was being established on our living room floor, some of the play was so familiar and some very new. But, still the, “clack, clack, dum-da-da-dum” of little horses filled our ears and made my heart pick up its pace for I knew the thrill my children were experiencing as they played and imagined.

And silly as it sounds I am really so happy to see these horses played with and loved again.

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Oasis

5-9-13 0205-8-13 0075-9-13 0255-9-13 0185-9-13 0155-9-13 010Living in town is a bit of a new adventure for us. It may seem strange to think of town living as adventurous, but it really can be…if you choose to make it so.

I grew up in a town though my heart always yearned for wide open spaces and mountains to climb. No, I am not a city girl at my heart and may never be. But I can see God is using this little corner lot to mold me and shape me further into the vessel He desires me to be.
I am happy to still be under construction. It suits me, I am not one to settle. I am one who believes no matter what situation is handed down to us, we must pick up dust off and run on. Do I have this skill mastered? Oh no, not even close. I do however choose today to take this less than perfect piece of earth and call it our home (until God sees reason for us to travel further.)

And today under sunny and cloudy skies, (for this is Michigan after all where the weather changes so often you dare not say it was sunny, or rainy for it was probably both.) I find this little corner lot to be a gift. Handed down from my Grandmother, for it is by her labor I am so blessed to find that with spring we have this beautiful Oasis.

The lush carpet of lawn. Lawn that I would never have given much thought of before comes up through my bare toes, it tickles my sweet girls fingers, and gives a spring to my boys’ long running strides.

The trees overhead with leaves anew offer us shade from the sun and laugh in the wind. These remind us as we gaze into their branches that the magnificence of a tree is lost in the forest. Looking up through twisting branches we enjoy how special each one is and seek out the surprises they hold. We see the home of a robin and watch a squirrel leap from branch to branch, we try to count the swallows though they blend far to well to find them all.

We find that even in the city there is wild life wearily observing us. Are we friend or foe? The squirrels are not sure quite yet, but the children wish to know the stories they chatter about.

And the water, this is our addition to our oasis. Hours have already been spent here by two and sometimes three children, and even in a little pool many great adventures take shape.

No, it is not a vast plain, nor a mountain valley, but this shall be our oasis our respite our home.

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A Hungry Mind Conjures a Sweet Snack

I know its been a while since I have posted anything. Fear not I have not left. During these times of blog quiet, it is typical that the reason for the quiet is I am in a phase of learning myself.
You see I am kind of an all-or-nothing personality. When I want to know something I tend to drop everything else and study and search and feed my mind until I have satisfied the hunger to know ”the whatever” within me.

At this point in time that hunger has drawn me to the area of finance. I know yuck, right? I don’t want to bore you with all the details, but the short of it is that after years of very….creative income, coupled with a few cross country moves and some rather rushed decisions, child births and emergencies we have found ourselves in a less than comfortable financial position. Oh not to fret we are doing fine, but lately I have been wondering since we are now blessed with regular and adequate income (Praise the Lord!) How can we make better decisions in the future?

Of all the things we have done and tried to do over the years, the very best decision we ever made was to dump our credit cards. We did this about two years ago and since then we have lived (though sometimes by a shoe string) a much more peaceful life. Now we are at the point where our other debt is diminishing, and I feel we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. So now what? Well that is what we are in the midst of discovering right at the moment.

And so, while I churn away listing to radio talk shows and reading books my mind wanders for a moment to think of this blog and I remember that though I’m sure none of you want to hear about our financial digging out, I bet you would enjoy a sweet snack.

So without further a due I offer: Lara Bars!

My friend/cousin Kelly first introduced us to homemade Lara Bars at one of our craft day gatherings. They were such a sweet, yummy, filling snack and completely gluten free. My children loved them so much they begged for them until I was able to get the ingredients. You can find the recipe at her blog here. But just in case you are a bit nervous about gluten free snacks, let me inform you that this recipe has all the right things; a little chocolate, a little peanut butter, not too chewy and not too crumbly. Best of all there is no oven required (very important as Michigan seems to have forgotten spring and jumped directly to summer.)

These bars have become a staple in our house. In the process of enjoying these we have also discovered how to make fruit Lara bars by substituting the chocolate and peanut butter for dried fruit. We like Cranberry best, but cherry or mixed berries work well too.
[A quick note about making the bars, it has been our experience that Medjool Dates work best. They are soft and easier on the food processor. If you live in Michigan we find them at our local Meijer store. ]

Well, I think that about catches us up. Hope you enjoy the snack, I know we are going to.

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Celebrating Alex

Alex at 1 week old

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Oh how time flies.

Our dear Alex Moses rocketed into the world on this day three short years ago (an experience I shared here.)
Alex was once described as 70% of our family’s energy, a wonderful and fair description.  This ball of action, emotion, and energy has filled our lives and we would all agree life would not be quite right without him.

Alex has experienced nearly as much change in life as he has grown himself in this short time.  Through it all embracing each adventure and trial with energy and excitement ready to take on anything and everything. 

Oh Alex how we love you and wish you so many more years of blessing and growth.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet boy!

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Mama’s Spring Break

Oh my goodness! We are almost through our first week back to school and back to our regular flow of life. Before I dive into what we are up to now I thought I would take a quick moment to share what this mama did to refresh during our two weeks of break.

First of all, I let the house go. Yep, I admit it. I didn’t keep up on the laundry, I barely kept up on the dishes and dinner was a bit of a scramble each night. Did we survive? Of course!

I love my routines, I really do. But sometimes even our very flexible routines can get to be a bit of a burden. The relief of not doing everything just so is lovely. The chaos that ensues shortly after is not always as pleasant. But then again that is the point – I want that routine to sound lovely again, and it always does.

So, what did I do while I was not doing what I’m supposed to do?

You guessed it, I found a path into my converted closet of a studio and dusted off my sewing machine.

The first project that need my attention: Booties for Addie. Now that she is on the move and now that we are out and about without a snow suit, it was time for something to cover her piggies.

3-27-13 0303-27-13 004I started making these booties way back when Colton was a baby and I always go back to this pattern. For though I love the little low-top style booties and adore the new Mary Jane styles out there. I love that on those not-quite-warm days these cover the little gap between pants and foot and protect little ankles from the chili weather. The bottoms are made of PUL (the stuff cloth diaper covers are made of) reverse side out, which makes these little kicks water resistant and non-skid. Inside is a bit of fuzzy fleece. Perfect for breezy spring (or fall) days.

On to project #2

As I may have mentioned before, there is quite a bit of adventuring going on in and out of this house. And what have my young adventurers been needing? Field bags of course! My creative boys have been making do, sharing one bag that has definitely been put through its paces. And as luck would have it, I have been reading and loving the Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule and Steve Soule (you know Soule Mama.)
This lovely book breaks down the year by the month and offers great insight into the seasons and lots of projects and activities to foster better connection within the family and with nature. It just so happened that one project for the month of April was making field bags.

4-7-13 1224-7-13 008These bags were a cinch. I must say how lucky I felt to find all the materials I needed at our lovely local quilt shop, Sharon’s Quilts and More.
I used a beautiful wool felt for the outside of the bags and doubled up cotton web for the straps. For the lining, Alex has horses galloping through the snow and Colton enjoys pirate treasure and maps guiding his way.

I realize that these projects seem more for the kids than for me. I truly love it when I can find the time to create, It doesn’t matter who it is for. Those moments when I let myself break away from the list and all the things I must do, and choose instead to while away some time doing something I enjoy is precious and rare. Even if the end product is not for me, I feel rested and restored and ready to press on.

4-7-13 010And who could resist offering joy and better equipped adventure to a little one anyway.

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Spring Break

3-27-13 023Ah, finally a moment to breath!

We started our spring break last week and what a glorious week it was. Michigan let us have a little tease of spring and we were happy to shed a few layers and stretch out in the glorious sun.  My boys are all about the adventuring these days. Rock’in the personas of Creation Scientist Buddy Davis, and Archaeologist Indiana Jones. Cowboy heros Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger frequent our home and yard as well. These characters blend with others from their own imaginative mental library. How I love to watch them create and have their adventures. Alex often brings me into their play as the mom. Any hour of the day I can be The Lone Ranger’s Mom, or Buddy Davis’ Mom, or Tom’s (?) Mom. I love to watch their eyes swell and glisten as their imagination takes them away from our tiny corner lot to the vast expanses of the world beyond. A world fraught with villains who steal treasure and vast expanses of wilderness to explore.

3-27-13 018 3-30-13 009With the ebb in the cold weather we have managed to leave our little lot and do some real exploring. At the local park (which had a recent makeover) there are mountains to climb and rivers to fly down (also known as climbing structures and slides.)
The possibilities are endless!

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3-30-13 017Over the weekend we enjoyed hours upon hours at our local Nature Center. It was beautiful time to relax, learn and explore.

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Of course Sunday brought Easter. It was a lovely day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  We enjoyed services at church and an egg hunt. Later we had dinner with family and did some more egg hunting.

The beauty of all this blessed activity is contented minds and bodies who willingly eat all their dinner and climb into bed at night without complaint. They sleep soundly, and in the morning are ready to head out on new adventures as soon as their little feet hit the floor.

And what am I doing on the splendid break? Well, I hope to tell you more about that soon. But rest assured Mama is getting some R&R in too.

Welcome Spring!

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Happy Easter!

We wish you a blessed Easter as we remember the new life we have in Christ!

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But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

Mathew 28:5-8

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