Sugar Baby!

THIS:

is the crowning glory of my garden. I have waited and watched this little baby growing all summer long. Hoping and praying that it would not kick the bucket. And being the amazing gardener that I am, up until a few weeks ago, I thought it was a cantaloupe! One day, the dark green skin finally clued me in as to what it really was. Duh.

All of my other cantaloupes and sugar babies died except for this wee little melon. And tonight, we picked it, cut it, and ate it all up!

Poor little guy. He didn't know what hit him.
He didn't stand a chance with us five little piggies......

Booker Fun

My family never had a lot of money to play around with when the three of us kids were growing up. Dad was a teacher and bus driver at our local high school, and we made the sacrifices so that Mom could stay home. We never lacked for anything, that's for sure. God always provided for our needs. And even if we did lack for a "want," we never knew it! For most of our growing up years, Mom and Dad chose not to have a t.v. in the house, so we never saw any of the commercials and t.v. ads for all of the new bells and whistles that everyone said that we were all supposed to have. We didn't know the difference, and we were happy as could be!

We never went to Disney, and we never travelled any further than the coast of our own state, but boy oh boy - did we have some doozies of good times as a family! Whenever we can all get together and whenever one of us would stop having a newborn, we always try to replicate our camping and canoeing trips - and both of my brothers and I always say that we would never trade our childhoods for the WORLD! We tented and canoed out in the boondocks with all of the cousins right along with us. And on warm summer evenings, we would hook the wagon on back of our four-wheeler and haul as many people as we could over every single dirt path that we could find - stopping to pick raspberries along the way and even go for a spontaneous swim in a river. More often then not, we would have a bonfire in our back yard, or at the very least a little firepit in our driveway so that we could roast a hotdog or marshmallow. Mom would play her guitar, the cousins or neighbors would always drop in, and we just hung out as a family. It was simple. It was cheap. But we were together, and that was all that mattered.

That's the kind of life I'm trying to recreate for my boys. Simple fun. Intentional time as a family. And building memories that they will want to continue long into their adulthood and that they will want to replicate with their own children. Good stuff.

Today's family day marked the beginning of the "Fall" fun tradition that we started last year when Ransom was just days old. He's our first fall baby, Daddy is an avid hunter, and the big boys love whatever Daddy loves, so thus began our "family heater hunting" expeditions. It goes a little something like this:

~ I pack lots of healthy snacks: M&M's, hot chocolate, you know - treats!
~ We drive until we find an old dirt road somewhere.
~ The two big boys hop up front with Daddy to scout out the territory.
~ I sit in the backseat, pull Rancey into my lap, and snuggle him to sleep.

It. is. glorious.
Truly, it rocks.

Daddy gets to scout out potential hunting spots. The boys think it's a hoot sitting up front and hanging out the window like dogs. They also love the treats. I love snuggling with my baby. We stop to pick raspberries and blackberries. I find lots of fun sticks, trees, and rocks to bring home to decorate with. Kev and I laugh our heads off and make fun of the boys' quirky mannerisms.....(does anyone else do that?) Just kidding. We don't really. Well, maybe we do, a little.

And, that's it. Simple fun. It costs zero dollars.



And on the way home, we hear this little conversation in the backseat:

Kaden: "It was a GOOD day!"
Jesse: "Yeah. High five!"

Mission Accomplished.

Right Now

One of my most favorite songs. It ALWAYS makes me cry.

Relish

Okay, I promise the postings about canning and my garden are soon coming to an end. In fact, this may be my last post about it....maybe. The season is drawing to a close, and it is slowly getting out of my system. I'm moving on to greener pastures.

But, this recipe is for my friend Rachael - and for anyone else who has let a few of their cucumbers go by the wayside and realized that they have gotten rather ginormous. It's an awesome way to finish out your cucumber harvest. This relish is a great way to justify not wanting to eat another single cucumber....and yet they keep growing.....but I just can't eat another one.....so I'll just let them grow and see what happens....but oh man, I can't just let them go to waste....whatever shall I do with them.....kind of a recipe.

So, here comes this fabulous recipe to the rescue!

14 humungous cukes - or a whole wack of smaller ones....you can really be generous here
10 large onions - or 20 small ones.....again, it's all "ish" in the amounts

Peel the cukes. Cut them lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Put both these and the onions through a food processor. (Or if you don't have one, like me, just chop all of them up really small.....prepare for a huge crying fest with all of the onions....and plan this recipe accordingly, because onion smell will ooze through your pores for a few days. It's awesome).

Pour 1/2 cup pickling salt over all of this. Stir it up, and let it sit overnight.
(This is how I do it. Baby in sink not required).

Day #2
Drain well in colander. DO NOT rinse.
Heat 4 cups cider vinegar in a heavy pan. Get it hot but not boiling.
Take 2 cups of cold vinegar and whisk it together with 1 cup flour.
To the vinegar/flour mixture add:
~ 7 cups packed brown sugar (a recurring theme here on the unhealthiness of these recipes)
~ 4 TBlsp. tumeric
~ 1 tsp. ginger
~ 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix that all together and add it to the hot vinegar on the stove.
Boil this slowly for 5 minutes while stirring steadily.
Add your drained (but not rinsed) cukes and onions.
Bring to a boil again slowly - do not burn it!
Turn down the heat, and boil slowly for 10-12 minutes.

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and lids.

Yeilds 12-17 pints - depending on how huge your cukes and onions were.
Just to give you an idea of the "general-ness" of the amounts: My first batch gave me 12 pints exactly, and Mom's gave her close to 20! Methinks she had more ginormous-er cukes!

This is really yummy on top of dogs and burgers or just on the side of your plate with any meal. I promise you, you'll never use storebought relish again.

One final note: If you hand chop your veggies like I did, it will turn out with more of a chutney consistency as opposed to a relish. We've found that we actually like the chunkier consistency better. Enjoy, dear friend!

Bountiful Blessings

Just LOOK at what God grew in our little garden this year. We are ALL astounded and amazed every time we walk down to our plot. For my boys to watch this stuff start from a little seed and expand to this bountiful harvest is the absolute coolest thing in the world to watch!


On the agenda for this week to make:

~ salsa
~ canned tomatoes
~ spaghetti sauce
~ hotdog and hamburger relish
~ zucchini relish

....and possibly some apples to be picked and made into applesauce.

I'm noticing a trend in my life - a somewhat OCD pattern, you might say. I get a "thing" that I'm kind of into....and I tend to go crazy with it until I get it out of my system. Last year, during the height of my nesting time and readiness to have Ransom, I got into a jam making "thing." Instead of having all sorts of nice meals in the freezer for the weeks after his birth, instead I had about 100 jars of jam! No meals to speak of.....but plenty of jam should they be starving!

This year, my "thing" has become canning. I want to can and pickle everything that I can get my hands on. I am loving everything about it....except for my dilly beans and my dill pickles that I totally botched last night. No big deal. I'm having a blast learning as I go.

I think I was made to be a farmer and work with my hands. Next year I want my garden bigger, and I want a cow, and I want a goat to eat my poison ivy, and I want meat birds, and another turkey, and a kajillion canning jars for my birthday, and maybe another baby to spice things up........

I'll let you know what Hubby has to say about all of my "wants!"
(I'm pretty sure it'll be a bunch of big fat no's.........one can only push so far!)

A Gloriously Long Week-end

Well, we just got back from a fabulous long week-end up in the County hanging out with my family. I love Love LOVE going "up home" in the fall. It was actually kind of a weird week-end. Literally, one day we were 4-wheeling in our tanks and flip flops and stopping for a wade/swim/fall in a river, and the next day we were huddled around our campfire in jeans and hoodies. Weird. But so like the County that I love. You get a little bit of everything when you go up there! It was so nice. So slow. So much time with my parents and time for the boys to bond with Grampy and Grammy.

Just a few highlights of our trip: KADEN LEARNED TO RIDE A BIKE!!!!! It was amazing. We went on tons of beautiful 4-wheeler rides, had lots of campfires and smores, slept in every day because the boys crawled into bed with Grampy and Grammy instead of us!, visited my old church family, caught and released a skunk from Dad's live trap, watched movies late into the night, saw extended family and friends, brought home lots of nature to play with, visited a little Amish store and got a rockin' salsa recipe I'm going to try this week, and just thoroughly enjoyed stepping back from life for a wee little bit.

And now!!!

We are home to a gangbuster garden where the tomatoes and cukes are ripe and needing to be made into salsa and spaghetti sauce, relishes and pickles; boatloads of laundry because the kids get every speck of clothing filthy when we go up home; a chicken coop to muck out; much wood to be brought in and stacked; and a new week of school to start.....with slightly exhausted and overtired boys....but it was SO worth it!

Happy Labor Day, friends!

Week One - Recap

Okay. We have successfully completed our first week of homeschool here at the Booker Academy. No tears were shed. No hair was pulled out on my part. Jesse's incessant chatter didn't frazzle me too awfully much. Ransom's new crawling moves didn't throw things too much. And twice, I heard Kaden say: "I love school." That's a bonus; although, I am fully and completely aware that we are one week in, so all things are new and exciting. Overall, though, I would say it was a success, and we all enjoyed ourselves.

One of my main reasons in doing this has been to maintain simplicity in our lives for a bit longer. I DO see the irony in that I have just added something else to my plate. However, the way I look at it, is I would either be adding roughly two hours a day, five days a week of driving to my plate (to and from school twice a day) - or roughly two hours a day reading, writing, and sitting around my kitchen table with my boys. When I look at it that way - I would much rather have Kindergarten school work added to my plate as opposed to two hours of driving. Yucko.

Plus, already I am loving the flexibility of our schedule. Today, we kind of crammed two days of work into one (not the greatest idea, and one in which I won't do often. We're both fried) so that we can have a long week-end with the grandparents. So, I do love that.

On the other hand, I have already had a few moments of panic in wondering if I've made the right decision and if I am doing right by him. It was day #2 actually - before we even started school for the day! We only had one little day under our belt, and I was already questioning our decision. This could be interesting! I was having thoughts like: "OH man. I just found out that one of Kaden's very best friends at church just got enrolled in Kindergarten. They would have had so much fun". And: "Oh - if I had made that decision, then Jesse and I could have two hours every single day with just him and I while Ransom naps. Jesse hardly ever gets me all to himself." And the thoughts rolled on....

But, I DO think we've made the right decision. I certainly don't think I'll ruin him for life, anyway! We have two very intentional hours together every single day, and then the rest of the day is life as we know it, which is really good too. And dear little Jesse sits right beside Mama the whole entire time......talking nonstop.....and feeling like he's a part of everything anyway. So, it's good.

Bread and Butter

Well, we are day #2 into our new homeschooling adventure. I'll devote a whole post to this topic later, but for just being two little days into it....although I feel like I have a ton to say - I probably really don't.

INSTEAD!!! I'll share a family recipe for all of those cukes you may or may not have in your gardens, but for sure you are seeing in all of the grocery stores and farm stands. This is a family recipe passed down through the ages; it's the best - and I've had none better.

My dilly bean recipe on the other hand, is NOT a family recipe, it was NOT passed down, and it is NOT good. They taste just like a McDonald's Big Mac - if you're into that sort of thing. Good thing I only made one batch. Kev and Ransom like them - but they eat anything, so that's not saying much.

I actually should be sharing Mom's recipe for relish, as the season is drawing to a close. This recipe if more for the early cukes - but we have a new batch of cukes coming on, so that's why I'm into this recipe. The relish one will come later. Save all of your ginormous cukes that you missed when you were picking over your garden. Those ones are the perfect size for relish.

Okay. Onto Bread and Butter Pickles - the perfect side dish to ANYTHING!

(These are a two step process. Perfect for those of you with littles running all around. You can do the first part during naps and the second part after their bedtime. OR - if you're like me - you can do the first part with your baby sitting naked in your kitchen sink splashing water everywhere, and your older two running around half naked in your yard while squirting each other with the hose. Whatever floats your boat).

Step 1
* Cut up 16-18 heaping cups of smallish cukes (preferably Straight 8's as they have fewer seeds). Keep the skins on them and slice them into 1/4 inch little circles
* Cut up 6 onions into rings - same width
* Place all into a huge bowl, or cooler, or a plugged sink.

* Cover with 1/3 cup pickling salt and mix together with your hands.
* Cover all of this mixture with crushed ice and let sit 3-4 hours or even overnight. (Again - this is nice if you have a lot going on!)
* When you are ready to start Step #2, drain well. Do NOT rinse.

Step 2
* Prep 8 or 9 pint jars by first washing them really well and then sterilizing them in boiling water - making sure the entire jar is covered in water. Just keep the water boiling on them until you're ready to use them. You want them HOT.
* Put the lids into another pot - keep the water hot but not boiling.
* In a huge pot mix together: 3 cups cider vinegar, 5 cups sugar (I did NOT say these were healthy), 1/2 tsp. tumeric, 1 tsp. celery seed, and 2 TBlsp. mustard seed.
* Heat to boiling, stirring often.
* As soon as it starts to boil, dump in the cukes and onions.
* While stirring, heat back to boiling again. As soon as the liquid boils, turn it down to medium. You don't want it boiling anymore, but you do want it hot. You'll see the color of the cukes start to change.

* Take out your hot jars with tongs, immediately put your pickle mixture in (use slotted spoon so you get lots of the good stuff), push down tightly, and then cover completely with some of the liquid leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.
* Take out your lids and covers with other tongs and immediately screw on top.
* Done! Easy Sneezy. No pressure canning and no hot water bath needed. As long as everything is piping hot, they will seal themselves, and the large amount of vinegar allows you to not need to pressure can. I know a lot of people will still do hot water baths, so that's up to you. My Grammy never did, and my mom never does, so I don't. And I find that their pickles are always crunchier, because they weren't cooked further in the bath. Do whatever makes you comfortable.

NOTE: You're supposed to wait a few weeks before eating them, but we never do. My Grammy's motto was to always eat the fresh stuff "in" season, and save all of your canned goods for the winter months. We try, but some things you just have to eat right away!

Tromping - Take Two

Well, last night we decided to go on another little tromp adventure. You see, the first time there was a two-fold agenda: find a place to put up a deer stand AND find this super huge tree that Kev had discovered during last winter's hunting season. But, by the time the tree stand got set up - all three of the littles were beginning to enter meltdown mode. It was way past Ransom's naptime, Jesse kept tripping over every blessed thing in his path, and Kaden found some treasures that he wanted to take back to our yard to play with, so he was completely checked out of hike mode. Sooo, we assessed the situation and decided that we would do a tromp #2 on a later date.

Last evening was that date. And it went much more splendidly. Mostly because everyone found a little something that they were all pretty pleased with. Jesse was pumped to be able to fill his belly:

I was able to add another nest to my collection:

Kaden found a cute little tree frog.....that sadly dried up to a crisp in the night because he was sitting right beside the boys' fan....yucko.

...and a cool little camo moth.

Ransom had a plethora of "snacks" to munch on. This was just a wee sample that I found in his hand:

Pretty much the whole walk, I heard him either "MMMMmmmmm"-ing or gagging from behind me in the backpack. Today's diaper may be pretty.

And Kevy found his tree.

This would make a rockin' tree house if it were on our land. I think I need to be making my little neighbor some more cookies to butter him up......

It's Time

Well....

Tomorrow is the big day. Right after showers, breakfast, and Sir Rancey Pants lays down for his 1st nap of the day, we will be diving into our very first day of homeschooling at "The Booker Fine Arts Academy." I'm just kidding - the name is a large joke. I can't quite imagine any fine arts of any sort taking place around here!

But, it IS the day that we are going to hit the floor running.

For the past few weeks, I have just been waiting for the perfect day to start...wondering if I should get a good head start before everyone else (well, that didn't happen); or if I should keep the schedule that the Christian school that I worked at has (well, I don't have the sweetest clue what they're even doing now that I'm out of the loop); or maybe I should wait until after Labor Day (because that just sounds good, doesn't it?); or I'll just wait until we're done having company for the summer and we find a regular routine (well - "regular" has never described a day of our lives...not sure why I'm thinking that will happen NOW).

So....I've just been sitting on my material and overanalyzing what would be the most perfect day to begin this whole crazy adventure.

By the way - I AM aware that I just wrote a ridiculously long run-on sentence. Don't worry about my teaching abilities just yet. Give me a couple of days.

Well anyway, today I just sort of spontaneously decided that tomorrow is going to be the day. No hoopla. No fanfare. We're just going to do it. So, while the entire house naps this afternoon, I am getting my wee little brain and supplies organized and prepared for Kaden's first day of Kindergarten!

For the here and now - I am SO much more excited about his first day of school starting out at my kitchen table rather than the rush and stampede out the door and half hour drive into town. I am excited to begin. I feel fairly confident that this was the right decision for us. And I'm hoping for great success, enjoyment, minimal frustration and tears from both sides, and my boy rising up and calling me blessed after the most amazing education he will be receiving at the hands of his rockin' Mommy.

Or --- I'll just be content with the minimal frustration and tears. I'd be cool with that, too.

We'll see if I still feel this chipper by Friday! We'll be keeping it real, I promise.

Tromping

ALL of my boys love a good ole tromp in the woods! And now that hunting season is upon us, the search for the perfect tree stand location has begun. So, yesterday - as soon as breakfast was over, we headed out for our little adventure.

Mama was hoping to be able to stay home with the baby, pull the girly card, and avoid all things itchy - but the tree stand is stinking long, so my help was needed. I used to like a good tromp in the woods, myself, until poison ivy decided to become my best friend and stalk me at every turn. But, I decided I was willing to take a hit for the team, so I covered every inch of my flesh with clothing, and we were off.

And there really is something about being in the woods with a whole passle of boys that is just really fun to watch. It's like they become little Davy Crockett's or Daniel Boone's (I don't really know what I'm talking about)......they just come ALIVE! Even Ransom loved it! He was bouncing around in my backpack like a kid in a candy shop sucking down every leaf and stick that he could get his hands on!

It was a good time.

Not a Creature was Stirring.....

"Who can find a trustworthy man? A righteous man who walks in his integrity? How blessed are his sons after him!" - Proverbs 20:6b-7



My Gentle, Tender Heart....

My Passionate Wild Boy......

My Ransom Malachi - "God's Messenger of Hope"

Sleep well, my Loves. Sleep deeply. And for your Mama's sake.....sleep in tomorrow!

The Gift Giver

God grew our lunch today.

He pretty much rocks.

Right Now....

~ I'm trying to make art supplies and craft materials more accessible to my boys.

~ I'm scattering the results of Dad's and my "projecting" and bonding - aka cutting down trees - all throughout my home.

~ I've fancied up the girls abode a wee bit. They ARE ladies, after all!

I've decided to let the weeds win and just focus on my produce. Our scarecrow "Gorgeous," is okay with this. She told me so.

~ I'm loving watching my little larder grow and expand as I'm learning more tricks of the canning trade.

~ And I am reminded daily of my husband's labor of love in changing my fire engine red shutters into a more subdued black.
What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Baby Picasso

We did a little painting like this with Jesse when he was a baby, and I have treasured it ever since. Today it was Ransom's turn.

All you need is a little paint:

Some chubby, bouncy, baby feet! (They can be willing or unwilling....Ransom fell into both of those categories by the time we were finished).

Many willing hands to "help" paint them.

A sturdy peice of canvas (or just plain paper like we used for Jesse).

Um...make sure the paint is washable, as the Picasso's are slightly messy.

And voila! You have a beautious masterpeice to treasure for years to come!

C'est Fantastico!!!

Marmie - The Canning Queen

My Mother is, for me, the epitomy of the definition of "Homemaker." I have always known this, but the longer I am a wife and mother I am continuing to realize the full extent of her love and sacrifice for her family - her outpouring of HERSELF. I feel like I still have a whole lot of selfish inside of me that needs to be fleshed out --- she just lived and breathed service and love.

I don't ever remember seeing a grumpy face if we came and crawled into bed with her in the morning. My boys get that on a regular basis! (Sometimes accompanied by a VERY loud groan when I roll over and see the actual time). I don't ever remember Mom not having time for me or being made to feel that I was interrupting something of greater importance than me when I wanted to talk. She always made the time and made me feel like I was the one giving her the gift of some of MY precious time. I have to continually battle myself and MAKE myself intentionally take a break from whatever I'm doing to go and "ooh" and "ah" for the umpteenth time over another new lego creation.

I'm working on it.

There were always fresh cookies just out of the oven when we came home from school. She was at EVERY soccer game - and involved too! She didn't bring a book or a magazine to look at. She watched ME. She sat on the edge of my bed every night and waited for me to share with her the events of the day. There were no rushed "good nights" so that she could retire to the living room to watch her t.v. show.

She was there. She was present. She was invested. And she still is.

While I lived at home, I had absolutely no desire to learn the fine arts of cooking or canning or preserving. I could care less how to make a perfect loaf of bread or how to make jelly or jam. It was NOT my thing. I was NOT Susie Homemaker or Mrs. Domestic. I was much more interested in going 4-wheeling with the boys, or playing soccer, or what have you......anything that didn't involve the kitchen! And it wasn't for her lack of trying, poor soul!

On our very first shopping excursion as a married couple, Kev suggested buying a whole chicken. I happily complied, and then as soon as he went to work I called Mom in a PANIC! I believe my freaked out words were: "MOM!!!!! How do you cook a CHICKEN???!!!!" And that was the beginning of her helping me navigate my way into a life of homemaking on my own.

This fall, for the first time in my eleven years of marriage, Mom has taught me all her trade secrets for canning and preserving, and she's given me all the family recipes for our favorite pickles, relishes, and all things cucumber and bean oriented!

And once again, now that the shoe is on the other foot and I am now making these things for my little family, I am reminded afresh and anew of the continuous labors of love that she gave to us. From now on, when she gives me a jar of her homemade pickles or relish, I will never again give a glib little "thank you" over my shoulder as I rush out the door.

It's true, the longer I am a wife and mother, the more I love and appreciate my own. Mom, if you are reading this today, your child is rising up and calling you BLESSED. I love you, my Marmie.

My friend.

Another Reason

A letter I stumbled upon that cements, for me, my reasons to maintain simplicity this year:

"Dear Ann -

All of my chicks have left the nest. They are rearing and nurturing their own.

It’s funny that all of the messy piles of unfolded laundry and the mail and important papers that lined the counter, the things I longed to have put in order when they were here --- are still here.

But, they and their sounds and their smells, the fragrance of their presence have gone. Drifted into the memories I hold and cherish.

I do not live in the past but I would love to have one more day when I hear their laughter and their conversation drift down the stairs and the aroma of their shampoo from their bath and the clamour of books and items being prepared for school.

Just the joy of their daily lives intertwined with mine and their activities shared with me hourly. It all escaped too suddenly.

There were many days I wished for just a little quiet. Now the quiet is sometimes way too loud.

So, a little revelation from one who has been where you are, in the middle of domestic chaos:

Enjoy every inch of the mess and those responsible for it, appreciate the unfolded laundry and the scattered papers, books, and shoes, smile at the dirty dishes and tracked floors.

They are all a real sign of real life going on around you. Life to be loved and lived and devoured one minute at a time.

If only there were a way to lasso the days and slow them down and hold on to each moment and each child. If only!

Your friend in Christ......."

Saturday Morning

Relish preparing in one sink.
A grubby baby in another.
To be honest - both a little stinky!

When both are prepped and ready.......which will be more yummy?

NOT even a contest!!!

OH! That neck! Those ears! The buttery skin.......Delish, I say!

What I've Been Trying to Say..........

One of my absolute most favorite blogs of all time - Holy Experience - written by Ann Voskamp had a beautiful post today all about the TRUE sisterhood of women. About true women friendships the way that God would have us love us each other. It was about being real and vulnerable with each other. About forgiving hurts and wrongs done. Unconditional Love where no comparison or jealously lives. Where trust and faith reside. Where there is safety and humility and true sister love. This is the way I want to live. This is the way that I want the friends in my life to see me.......

Here is a small excerpt from her writings:


"We can do it.

We can believe that God alone is our security and love is always worth the risk and there is no better investment than reaching out to someone and locking arms and unlocking your heart. No better investment than finding the time for friendship and the courage to be real and the humility to say we’re sorry. And distrust can cost us the very richest life of all and the price for being safe can be too expensive and friendship is the only thing that will show up at our funerals.

We can do life together and we can laugh about babies who pee on Sunday skirts and boys who lose piano books and daughters who try on seven outfits before deciding on anything and their bedroom floor is proof of it, and we can drive each other to doctor appointments and bring soup when the flu season hits and we can see something on a shelf that whispered the other’s name and we can wrap it up and give it on any day at all for no reason at all but to celebrate a kindred sister.

And we can hold each other’s fragility and we can forgive each other when we crack an artery, and our hearts will break, and we can pray and grant grace and begin again because we've tasted mercy and His name is Jesus.

I am learning to reach out my hand.

“You have been hurt by women. I could see the pain in your eyes… And I've never done this before but... I feel prompted to make you a promise of friendship."
"I promise I will never speak an unkind word to or about you. I will never be jealous of you. I will never compete with you. I will never abandon or betray you. I will love you. I will pray for you. I will do all I can to help you go far and wide in the Kingdom.

I will accept you as you are, always. I will be loyal to you. Before our loving God of grace, you have my words and my heart in friendship for this life and forever with Him.”

And our God is a love body and He hates amputations and He sutures our wounds together with the silver threads of community. And I have found healing here. Trust asks us to live (in) Courage.

In this place, we kneel down beside you. In this place, we reach out our hands. In this place, can you hear us whisper? “You have been hurt. We can see the pain in your eyes —- We offer you a promise of friendship.”

In the places of sisters and sinners and souls made saints, we make big circles around women and together we watch each other's backs and together we bend down when one hunches over in pain and together we pick up the shards of the hearts all shattered.

Because this is the promise of friendship that the true sisterhood always makes good on.This we can do.

And by God's good grace, we will."

Kindred Spirits

An old friend came over today - with her three GIRLS! It was a super spontaneous visit, and after she left, I was struck with the thought that this just needs to happen MORE. Gone are the days of friends just popping in and out of each other's homes for some coffee or to borrow a cup of sugar! Life is too fast paced - we're all so crazy and caught up in our own lives to barely even give our neighbors a passing wave - let alone to actually schedule a good old fashioned visit! Well, today was different. Today, Life got put on hold, and we had ourselves some good chit chat, a hodge podge lunch, and the kids ran wild and free - as kids should do! Interesting dynamics - three boys and three girls all together, but one that worked smashingly! Not a bit of my checklist got taken care of today - no laundry, no baking to speak of, no cleaning, no weeding or working in my garden......but oh - something so much BETTER took place! Thank you for your visit, my friend. I LOVE YOU! It has been too long.

P.S. Your daughters are lovely. I shall give you six goats and a mule in exchange for each to be a bride for my boys.......

Inquiring Minds.........

As summer is drawing to a close (read: screeching by at such a pace, I can barely catch my breathe) it is obviously that time of year where everyone with school age kids are gearing up for school to start. I've had quite a few interesting conversations with friends and family about our decision to teach Kaden at home this year - mainly because NEVER in a MILLION years would I have EVER thought I'd see the day where I would do such a thing! So, those who know me well are equally as surprised as me! It's all good.

This whole journey of parenting never quite looks like we think it's going to look back in pre-children days! Goodness me, for many years before I was married, and for even the first few years of our marriage....... and for even the first few months of CARRYING Kaden, I wasn't so sure of this whole mothering/giving birth thing! (I felt like there was a little alien trying to escape out of my stomach. I should NEVER have watched that movie...) I would much rather have surrounded myself with baby animals as opposed to baby people!

But look at me now....three little hoodlums....and I could easily do another some day. Although Kev says on a VERY regular basis that he is "at maximum capacity!" So, we shall see. But I digress...... All that just to say - you never know what life (read: God) just might throw at ya!

So here we are about to embark on a whole other journey. People keep asking me what my reasons are for doing this? To be honest, I guess I have quite a few. But the really big "main" reasons aren't what most people typically think. My main reasons are not to protect my kids from the big bad world. I went to public school my whole life, and those are the years where my faith grew the MOST! I think there needs to be Christian kids in public schools - along with Christian teachers. We're supposed to be salt and light. I know that's a HUGE topic for debate - not my intention here - I'm just saying that I have many a committed Christian friend who has intentionally decided to send their children to public school for those purposes, and I have deep respect for that.

I think this decision is deeply personal for everyone, anyway. When we were candidating for a pastoral position awhile back, someone asked Kev: "Homeschool? Christian School? Or public school?" And Kev's answer was "YES!" It's a decision that each individual family has to make for themselves and their children. I can honestly see our little family maybe trying out a number of things throughout their school age years depending on where we are at and what we are doing.

For the here and now - for THIS YEAR - my main reasons are as follows:

1. I'm not ready yet (read: I'm not WILLING yet) to have something or someone else dictate my life and my schedule to me. The time will come for that soon enough, but it's not going to be this year.

2. Maintaining - or at least fighting my hardest for - SIMPLICITY. This goes along with reason #1, I guess. I'm not yet willing to drive a half hour both ways for 3 hours of school and then drive a half hour both ways again. I would also be needing to disturb the baby's nap for one of these drives.

3. A simple reason: It suits our lifestyle. It keeps us free and mobile.

4. Because I CAN! There may come a time when this would never even be an option for me, but for this year at least, I am blessed to be able to stay home with my boys.

5. I'm looking forward to this intentional time with my oldest - my boy who is most UNLIKE me and who thinks completely differently than I do. I feel like I need this time with him. We may just about kill each other by the time the school year ends, as well! I am fully aware of this. This is why I'm committing to one year and one year only. We shall see what the future holds for us.

6. Remember my committment to being real? Well here's a biggy reason: I am a workaholic at heart. When I get my mind set on something, I have a laser beam focus until it's finished. I would like to get my master's degree someday. I would also like to go back to school to be a midwife or a nurse. People tell me ALL THE TIME to just pick away at my classes during these years that the boys are little so that by the time they are bigger, I can just fly into my career. Maybe some people can do this, but I cannot. I know that it's a growth point for me - to learn to just "do what I can" and "take whatever grade I can get," but that is just not me. If I started down this path, I would think of nothing else until it was done. I would stretch myself way too thin, and I would be no good as either a wife or mother. I know this. Sooooo, largely because of this flaw, I am trying to instead focus that energy on my family and my home. This year - school being part of that equation.

7. Life is short. I worked at a little Christian school for 8 years of our marriage, and during one of these years one of my co-workers pulled her kids out of school because their Daddy was battling cancer. She told me that this might be his last year with them, so they adjusted their life in such a way that they would have as much time with him as possible. Obviously this is a more extreme reason, but I AM often struck with thoughts like - "If I knew that I had one year and one year only left to live, what about my life would I change?" For me - for this year - I want to give this whole homeschool thing a whirl. I will have no problem at all if next year Kaden tells me that he wants to go to a "real" school. I've put my time in there - I know the good, the bad, and the ugly - and I love that place. That's not really my point. In fact - I'm quite sure that he might even learn more with the Kindergarten teacher over there. She totally and completely rocks. That is not my reason at all for trying this.

8. AND simply enough, I don't want someone else to have more hours of the day to be with him than me - the BEST hours of the day. That time will also come soon enough.

There's more, but that's good for now, I guess. Life is crazy. It is at breakneck pace. I have no idea how Kaden even got to be school age. When I blink again, he'll be out of our home and on his own. And that's okay. That's a good thing. That's how life works. But for the here and now.........we're slowing it down. We are savoring. We're going to try a crazy adventure because we can. Because life is short. Because I want to savor. Because I want to TRY it, and because I feel that this is what the Lord has placed on my heart to do this year.

So, for the Booker family - for the school year 2010-2011 - "HOME'S COOL!"
We hope.

Early Morning Visitors

WELL! Looky at who showed up on my doorstep this morning just in time for breakfast!

Sorry, Turk! Wrong meal - wrong month. How about you show up again, say, noonish on November 25?

Y'all come back now, ya hear?!

We're Back!

First of all, to whoever fixed my blog while I was out of commission........I LOVE YOU. Was it you, Kevy? Esther? Chantelley? Whoever it was - bless the living daylights out of you! My plate was too full and my life was too hectic to even give it another thought for a few days, so I didn't even give it a LOOK for about four days. And then tonight, right after putting the littles to bed, I decided to check er out - and VOILA! - I am up and running again! Blessings upon you my anonymous gift giver!

Busy doings around here these days. Kev, along with some other missionaries, took about 30 missionary interns through our training process this past week. He said it was awesome and very affirming to get to take a wee little break from continued support raising and actually for a few days DO what we are chomping at the bit to DO. So that was great.

The boys and I, on the other hand, kicked it up North to my Madres and Padres to get a little County in our blood. We did some camping in the cabin, boatloads of four-wheeling, wood crafting where I literally cut through my thumbnail with Dad's saw and it was awesome, lots of campfires and frog catching, and - my most favorite thing of all - learning from my mother, the professional, all about pickling and canning this year's veggies. Before this, I had nary a clue as to how to do any of these things. She got me my very own canner and some mason jars for my birthday and we canned a boatload of green beans to teach me. Now my gangbusters garden isn't overwhelming me quite as much.......I have a plan to conquer it!

The car is still loaded, the boys are going bananas in their beds, I am up to my ears in MORE beans that I need to cut up before bed, so I am off! Just a quick check in before bed. Goodnight all!

Birthday Love

We LOVE birthdays, around here! Some years are more elaborate than others, but whatever day we choose to celebrate, we FILL it up with showing the honoree how much they are loved. For the boys, it often involves camping for the week-end, and for Mommy and Daddy - it often involves a day trip of sorts, a meal out, a little gift or two from the boys (usually candy and treats that THEY love), and a nice card and gift or two from one of us to the other.

This week I turn 33! Whew! She's a spring chicken no more. It's all good. I'm very secure in my 30's. :0) We'll see what the 40's hold. You're as young as you feel, right? Anyway, this week is going to be a little crazy ministry and extended family wise, so we decided to take our family day yesterday and all day long, my sweet men showered me with love.

They made me pancakes and eggs for breakfast. The boys colored me an adorable silly card and gave me "MY" favorite candy - swedish fish, sour patch kids, and gum! I was a good share-er. :0)

Kevy wrote me a sweet card, gave me some cold, hard cash to spend however my heart desires, a sweet planner that I've been asking for to keep me organized for school this year, and a rocking c.d. of "songs that remind him of me." Very special and sweet. We did a little day trip, we went to lunch, and just had a really nice day all together. It was lovely.
My mostest favoritest birthday gift of ALL, however, was given to me just a few days before. Hands down, my love language is Acts of Service - beyond anything and everything else. Kev knows this. The poor soul - he knows it well. Whenever he asks what I want for birthdays, Christmas, etc...I know that deep in his heart he's hoping that it's something that money can buy! Usually, though, he gets something like: a window for my chicken coop? a fence beside the road? a new shelf? different colored shutters? rearrange the kids' room? organize the basement?

You get my drift. I would prefer things like this FAR above a dozen roses, new shoes, a new wardrobe, or whatever most girls usually ask for.

WELL!!!! This year.....be still my heart.....the love of my life gave me THE MOST rockin' birthday gift EVER!!! It was a family project that we worked on for about 15 hours......not the most favorite time of my life ever spent together, mind you......BUT......for my 33rd birthday, Kevy turned my fire engine red shutters - all 20 of them - into a much nicer, way more subdued, way less loud, simple, classic BLACK!

That man! He makes my heart all a flutter!!!

Pictures will soon follow. THEN - my next project - early Christmas gift, maybe? - will be to paint the doors a better shade of red. I'd better not push it for awhile, though.......

The BEST summer chocolate cake!

Just thought I'd share with you our family's absolute favorite chocolate cake that we make OFTEN in the summer when zucchini season is on! It is THE moistest, most delish cake that gets better and better the longer it sits. You're supposed to wait until the next day to eat it, but it's usually already half gone in our house. I also love that it's very low maintenance to make AND failproof! It always comes out fantastic.

Okay. Here goes:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter (you can also use Earth Balance to make it a little healthier)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups sugar (you can go real scant here, also - and use raw sugar, as well)
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup buttermilk (which I NEVER have. Put a half Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill it up the rest of the way with milk. voila!)
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix the above ingredients all together in one bowl.

2 1/2 cups flour (use whatever flours you want - half whole wheat - whatever)
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 scant tsp. cinnamon

Mix these ingredients all together in another bowl.
Mix the two bowls together with a 12 oz. bag of choc. chips (or carob chips)
Put in a well greased and floured bunt pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Check with a pick for "done-ness" and look for it to start pulling away from the edges of the pan.
Wait 5ish minutes and invert onto a plate.

Let cool, and wait for the next day to eat it either at room temp. or refrigerated.

OR - in the Booker household, brew up a pot of coffee posthaste and dive in.
THEN - refrigerate the remainders for another peice when the boys go to bed.
THEN - partake of whateve remnants are left on day #2!

Enjoy!