"Selfies with London"

A Wee Ditty


 Mama asked her baby ~
"Will you please give me a kiss?"


London nodded Happy
And responded just like this...


First she kissed me sweetly ~
Then she bit me on my Nose!


Selfie time with London ~
It came quickly to a close...

Maple Syrup Making - (for the Hobbyist who Doesn't know Much).

Behold, our Liquid Gold!
Happiness in a glass jar, Baby.
Finished product:  20 ounces from 5 gallons of sap.
This just screams: "Saturday morning pancakes!"
Tip me over and drink me up.  Oh man.  I seriously have to refrain.
But even better than the scream...it's a promise that Spring is coming!
It's just a whisper...with warming days and freezing nights still...but it's coming!

Maple syrup making is the first of Spring traditions.
And maple syrup making cannot take place in Winter, so I know that it's true.
Spring is FINALLY upon us.

We almost didn't tap this year.
New place.  Only a couple of trees.  Life.  You know...
But my boys noticed the trees, and my hubby was totally up for it...so we just popped in a few spiles and figured we'd let come what may.  And surprisingly, these few little trees are yielding a decent amount of sap!
We boil it almost entirely down outside...otherwise my kitchen would be a sticky mess.
We "finish" it inside when there's only a couple of inches in the pan.
I picked up the coolest book at our local transfer station back when we lived in Hampden.  We called that place "The Hampden Walmart" - because we got the best stuff there.  I'm talking L.L. Bean backpacks to wear my babies in, bikes for the boys, clothes, games, tools - it was like going to a free yardsale every weekend.  We'd drop off all of our trash, and bring home a whole whack more.  Garbage in, garbage out - you know the drill.
Anyway, I found the coolest book called Back to Basics, and it's all about learning traditional American skills like: pickling and preserving, weaving and spinning, woodworking, metalworking, beekeeping, natural dyes, soap making, candle making, fishing, creating - all sorts of super cool stuff that the Hippie in my heart loves to read about and pretend that I can do.
My Dad and brothers tapped trees all throughout my growing up years, but I never really paid attention or got involved - other than sneaking out with a tea cup and drinking the sap every hour or so and loving how the watery liquid slowly turned darker and richer the further down it boiled and the longer it stayed on the heat.

A few years ago, we were driving home from a Family Day Trip somewhere, and we passed a house where the yard was literally lined with sap buckets all the way up their driveway.  I turned to Kev and declared:  "I want to tap trees!  Let's do it!"  In which he promptly replied:  "Okay, Babe." because he's super cool like that.

And that very day, we stopped at our local hardware store; we picked up a handful of spiles, some tubing, and some brand new five gallon buckets, and we had ourselves a little Family learning project.  I called up my sweet neighbor Lew who always got a kick out of our impulsive ideas.  He came over and gave us some pointers such as the direction in which to tap the spiles into the trees, how high up we should place them, which trees exactly were the maples (ahem...we were wrong on a couple of them) and we we were off.
Finishing it off inside.
This is seriously one of the easiest and neatest projects to do with your kids.  It's really kind of a miracle eating the finished product over pancakes knowing that it was watery liquid dripping from a tree just a few days before.  How amazing is that?

Man, God is cool...

If you have a couple of trees, a huge pot, some propane, and a thermometer that reaches around 220 degrees, you're golden.  This family has no awesome equipment, and certainly no sugar shack.  We have a grill with a huge propane tank.  Bam.  Cheap entertainment.  Delicious results.

Once we have close to five gallons, we start to boil it down.
Once it gets to about a third it's original amount, we strain it through a cheesecloth into a soup pan and keep on boiling.  So says the book:  Once it hits seven degrees above the boiling point of water (water boils at 212 degrees, so 219 roughly), the syrup is ready.  You can tell when it's almost ready, because it will suddenly start to really foam and froth, and it will boil right up over the pan if you're not paying close  attention.  That's always fun.

Want to know what else is fun to clean?  This:
 An entire bottle of garlic salt dumped on the table, the bench, and all over the blessed floor.
I went into the bedroom to change my clothes.
London decided to first, douse her brother's yogurt with said salt, and then discovered how to take said cap off of said bottle.  Mama praised Jesus that it was bedtime for said daughter.
Anyhoo....
Where was I?
Oh yes....
Paying attention so that the syrup doesn't boil over.
It's good to pay attention to things.  Especially one's almost two year old Crazy Cyclone of Cuteness..

So, yeah.
That's basically it.
Once it does the heavy, frothy boil - turn it down, check the temperature, and immediately pour it into glass jars that have been sitting in boiling water.  I strain it through a cheesecloth one last time directly into the jars. Screw on hot, brand new lids and the jars will seal themselves.  No need to hot water bath or pressure can them.  Some people still do, just to be safe.  I do not, and I am still alive to tell the story.

Or...
Option number two would be to strain it into any old container that you wish, pop it into your fridge, and make some rockin' pancakes for breakfast the next day - promptly devouring the syrup in all of its delicousness...but that's okay because you still have two more five gallon buckets to cook down.

I chose option number two.
Tomorrow morning is going to be amazing...

The Mama Sabbath.

It's April 9th.
It's exactly three weeks into SPRING, and it's snowing.
This is the view from my side porch:
The horses don't seem to mind.
We got around three inches of snow last night, and it's still coming down.
But, even though it's April and it's snowing -- and those who know me well, know that I am no fan of snow or of being cold....I don't feel Grinchy in the least, because It's also Thursday.  And Thursdays make me happy, regardless.

Thursdays are my Mama Sabbath.
They are the only day of the week where I do not have to go anywhere or be anywhere.
And snowing outside or not -- I am still able to savor the day.
Last Friday, it was Spring.
One day soon, Maine will remember...

Thursdays are like everyone's else's Friday, I think.
Sunday, we live at church.  It's our longest work day, but we're together and it's awesome.
Monday, we hit the ground running with our heaviest school day and a work shift at night.
Tuesday, we do school in the morning, staff meeting all afternoon with a straight shot to work again.
Wednesday, we do school and/or Mom's group at church & then a final work shift to end my week.
Bangor City Forest.  Our Happy Place.
We were on a quest for the early salamander.  No luck this time.  But soon!
And then, it's Thursday.
My poor little house is sad and forlorn with laundry and dishes overloading.
My floors are begging for a good deep clean.
There's the pressure to finish up the school books that haven't gotten read yet for the week.
But, there's a different feeling in the air.
Full blown impy-ness, right here.
They were coming after me with snowballs.

The week-end is almost upon us.
Tomorrow Daddy is home, and we shall play.
So, today is Friday to me.

Our one last day to hit school hard, get the house in order, regroup and re-organize, and get ready for Family Time.  I love it.  Maybe it's all psychological, and maybe it's just because I know I don't have to be anywhere tonight, but I am relaxed Today.  And my boys are happy to have me.  They have missed me, and they love the fact that we have all day together.

Sweet little hornet's nest.  I kind of love them for some reason.
We are constantly assessing and re-assessing our Life.
We are always shifting and re-organizing our schedule - weighing the things on our plates.

Are they life giving?  Are they draining?  Should we keep them on regardless?  Is this good for us?  Is this wise?  Would this be good for the kids?  And even if it's good -- it is Great?  Is it worth the added stress - the addition of something more full?  Sometimes the answer is still yes, and sometimes it's no.  Sometimes everyone around me still chooses the yes, when I feel that it's just not right for our family in this season.  Sometimes people around me choose the no, but I feel that it's still right for us, regardless.

That's the journey of Life and of Family.
And it's unique for everyone.
A rose between two thorns.
Oh wait.....
Some can handle a fuller plate and a tighter schedule.  Some even thrive on it.
Some cannot.
Some Mamas can't handle being home all day every day.
And some Mamas can't take being away.
I find myself a little bit in both camps.

I like having my hands in the mix of several things.
I love my ministry that I have at church - I love the whirling and the swirling of it all.
I love the three waitressing shifts where I've been for five years.  Those people are my family.
And I love being home.

That's why I love Thursdays so much.  Sunday through Wednesday, I've been out a lot - busy and pulled in several different directions.  Work.  Ministry.  Life.  People.  All things I love.

But, Today, is my centering day.
My Biggest Ministry.  My deepest Joy.
My Loves.  All five of them.
Today there will be messes made and there will be messes cleaned.
There will be a perpetual ordering and re-ordering of chaos back to sanity.
There will be Math and there will Science.
There will be squabbles and there may be tears.
There will be a dent placed in laundry, and at least two loads of dishes done.
There will be Life - the mundane and the ordinary.  The beauty mixed in with the messy.
There might even be some moments in the crazy, where I wished I was headed out to a work shift this evening...

Today there will be the Mama and her Loves in their Cozies.
There's going to be a fun lunch in the living room with a movie.  Just because we can.
And there will be the anticipation of Tomorrow... of slowing down with Daddy.
It is my Mama Sabbath.
And it is good.
Slow....see the sacred in the Chaos.
And wherever you are - be ALL there!

“Maybe every once in a while we can take a break from doing everything faster and quicker to reflect on who we are and where we are going.” 
― Joe PlumeriThe Power of Being Yourself: A Game Plan for Success--by Putting Passion into Your Life and Work

Why Easter is so Epic.

I love Easter.
I love it SO much - like a million times more than Christmas much.

Easter books and centerpiece...that got loads of "loving on" this year.
A few of the figurines are missing their hands.  Jesus' arm got super glued back on.
It's all good.

Because Easter is the promise!
Easter is the day that sin and pain and death were conquered.
It's the day that Jesus won...and the day where the whole world knows it!

We know the end of the Story...
It's where Satan is defeated...and it's the promise that ONE day...maybe not Today...and maybe not Tomorrow...but One day...the pain of this life, and the tears of this world will be forever exchanged for an Eternity of Forevers...where sadness won't even be a memory.
We did a sweet kid's devotional called the "Messiah Mystery" in the days leading up to Easter.

If we didn't have Easter...
Well...if we didn't have Easter than this whole life of living would be pointless, in the first place.
Seriously....what is the point of all of this if it isn't about So. Much. More....

This world is not our Home.
The God of Heaven - He came down!  He took on human skin...
And He bled and He died for you and for me.
And He is what makes this life worth living.
He is what this life is all about.
"Resurrection Rolls" with the boys.
I love food with a lesson.
Tasty and teach worthy.
Not gonna' lie.  I ate four of them.
We put them in muffin pans this year...and the "tomb" was actually empty when we bit into them.
First time for everything!
And in the meantime, we watch and we wait.
We groan and we yearn.
We wait with eager expectation, and we watch for Him to show up.
The God of the resurrection heals.  He restores and He redeems...
He loves us where we are.  He loves us no matter what.
And He came down to make us new.
Saturday morning. We celebrated early because Sunday is cray-cray.
In lieu of baskets, I did sand pails...in hopes of the promise of Summer one day.

And Easter is the promise of ALL of that wrapped up into a day of Hope and of Joy.
THAT'S why I love it so much.
I love the reminder.
I love the promise.
Cake.
And we know it's not about the Bunny.
On Sunday, Pastor Kirk said:  "Easter isn't about bad people becoming good.  It's about dead people becoming ALIVE!"

THIS is what I want my kids to know and believe in their deepest souls.
We have fun - we have SO much fun on Easter finding jelly beans, eating fun food, and doing special things.  But, it's not about the bunny....and they know that.
It's still fun to play.
Even though my oldest thought they were Monkeys.
Our church had five Easter services over the course of the weekend.
Over 1,200 people walked through our doors, and over 100 people raised their hands to say:  "I want more.  I know there is more.  And I want this Jesus that you all are so in love with!"

Oh.  My.  Goodness...
This was amazing.
As Jesse would say:  "This is my jam."
This is what I want to be all about...
Sweet and Precious.  Like my boy.
Who doesn't like to be kissed anymore...but who I can't HELP but muckle onto once in awhile.
And so Easter this year was sweet and it was beautiful.
It was fun and it was exhausting.
It was family and it was lots of jelly beans.
It was Uncles and cousins who loved on my kids, and it was meeting new friends in the process.
"Uncle Shawn lets me play with his phone.  I have him wrapped."
Easter was church with loved ones serving hundreds and hundreds of donuts and greeting hundreds and hundreds of people - some who were SO happy to walk through the doors of our church, and some who looked like deer caught in the headlights of a car....scared, unsure, wanting to be anywhere but THERE...and it was my job to just love on them and let them know that this was EXACTLY where they were supposed to be -- right smack dab in the middle of the lot with all of the rest of us messed up broken people...

...In need of a Savior.
...In need of love.  Of healing.  Of hope.
...In need of the Resurrection.

Because He never came to make bad people good.
He came to make all of us dead people ALIVE.
This.
This is why Easter is so Epic.