Brother Mischief

“We were at Cracker Barrel the other day”, started a friend from church. “I saw this coffee mug and thought of you.”  She hands me a paper gift bag, and inside is the “Silence is golden” coffee cup.  I chuckled and thank her.  She knows this truth first hand. She has three boys, one now a young adult, one set to graduate high school in a few days, and one in middle school. Her boys would keep any mother on their toes. I have had them all in Sunday School and I have heard their many mischievous brother stories. And it scares me for what a certain family with five brothers has in store!! The story when one boy set an animal trap overnight and the next morning found a skunk in the trap. He decided to wear one of his other brothers shoes to carry the skunk away from the house to dispose of it, getting skunk spray all over the bottoms of the shoes. Then he casually put the shoes back for his bro to wear to school. Mom ended up getting a call from the school and had to run him another pair of shoes.  Or the story of one brother helping another brother pick rocks in the field, and a brotherly altercation left one needing staples in his scalp to repair a large rock sized head wound.  Or the story of when the brothers went on vacation with their cousins and gifted the family with a $300.00 arcade credit card bill.  As Mom’s we relish the silence we get, unless our kids are awake, then just as this seasoned mother knows who bought me the cup, silence probably isn’t in OUR best interest.  Oh, but the laughter that will come from these stories someday. And I’m sure there are some stories Mom doesn’t even know of yet. One’s that may be shared around the family table later in life. One’s they can look back on and appreciate far more than the original immediate responses.  So then, I look forward to my own kids’ stories, and also shutter to think what they’ll get into.  Life is so short.  Someday I hope to be around the family table where we reminisce and laugh at thier stories of childhood brother mischief.

* Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” Psalm 144:4

Let the Coffee Flow

I did it!  I made my coffee bar area.  Or, I merely moved a stand around in the kitchen and set the coffee pot and toaster oven on it.  Sanding, painting and finishing the stand will have to be done on a future date, as it’s raining outside “again”.  When we moved into this house five years ago I envisioned a room to unwind in on early mornings and late evenings. One where I could hear the trickling stream in the field behind our house, where I could watch the sun rise, and draw near to the heart of God.  The door to the left of this coffee bar leads to that place. I never completed that project though.  That all windowed back porch is mostly taken up by a large deep freezer and a pile of items we either need to go through and determine if we should keep or toss.  Large farmhouses with zero storage space cause that phenomenon.  The dream of that room has never been lost. I still long for a quiet spot. Perhaps this coffee station will help spark a deep motivation to see that project completed.  Or perhaps I’ll just be content I no longer have to shove my husbands counter space belongings back over to “his” side in order to brew a pot of coffee.  Time will tell. It’s garden season now, so once the rain gives way to days filled with sun, I’ll be outside planting and weeding our garden beds.  Thankfully I now have the perfect spot to let the coffee flow!

* So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  Romans 10:12

Daddy’s Example

(May 10, 2018)

Driving down the road, I wasn’t sure what mood I’d find everyone in. Daddy in charge of 4 boys stranded in a deserted parking lot, all waiting for me to arrive with a new fan belt and tools to fix a problem. It was almost 9pm, the sun had set and searching for the parked Suburban in the dark didn’t sound fun. “Drive over the mountain, about two-thirds down the other side, we’re parked in an empty lot by a warehouse type building. Look for a furniture place sign across the road.” Reciting these instructions from my husband over and over again in my mind as I drove. In the distance I see a wooden sign, and a large opening on the other side of the road. “This has to be it.” I thought as I started slowing down. I pull into the lot and four little boys jump and yell, as little boys do who are eager for the next part of an adventure. My husband though, was no where to be seen at first. But as I got out of the car I recognized his silhouette guiding a tractor trailer driver to a set of loading doors on the large building in front of us.
M. ran over to my car, grabbed a few tools and the fan belt and headed back to the front of the Suburban. As hubby finished up helping the truck driver the other boys fill me in on why they were parked, who they had met, and how they ate pizza and hot wings while waiting for me to get there.
It doesn’t take long for the hubby to stroll over to the broken down vehicle followed by the truck driver to help replace the belt. Conversation continues between the two men as the oldest children intently watch the work being done, willing what they see into memory.  C. stands near by trying to help hold a flashlight while singing the same verse of “Father Abraham” over and over. The youngest I notice, was in my car and had found the stash of chocolate goodies I was bringing home from a Mother-Daughter benquet, for all the boys to share. He happily filled his face with the treats.
Finally the job was finished, the car was started, and handshakes given in appreciation of joint help.
An evening that could have been stressful, instead was rather relaxed, filled with friendly strangers, and precious learning time between a father and his sons. It is these moments I cherish, just as much as the planned adventures we share. It is these memories I like to look back on and appreciate. What we sometimes see as chaos, can always be recognized as blessings if we just take the time to look for them.

*Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.  Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech … Titus 2: 6 – 8

Dandelion Honey

I have wanted to make dandelion honey for the past couple of years. I’ll admit, it isn’t exactally healthy, but it is interesting.  Every part of the dandelion is edible, however I’m not too sure I’d ever be caught tasting a “puffball” that results when the flower seeds.  The leaves are yummy in salads.  I almost boiled some leaves the other day to share with our youth at church.  We were learning about a group of people from the Democratic Republic of Congo who eat boiled potato leaves as an affordable meal instead of starving.  The dandelion roots can be eaten fresh or it can be dried for brewing tea.  The yellow flower is also edible fresh, or it can be cooked, or soaked in a carrier oil and is full of medicinal purposes.

I wasn’t thrilled to walk around our yard picking tons of dandelions, so I thought smart.  I offered twenty-five cents to my younger children for every filled mason jar of flower heads.  Genious!  I paid $1.00 in rewards and made a certain 4 year old and 5 year olds day!  Peeling the green outer layer off the flower head was the most difficult step.  Without peeling the green off and being left only with the yellow part of the flower supposibly makes the honey a little bitter.  After an hour of seperating the flower I considered making bitter honey, but I pulled through my determination to make it as suggested.

The end result, it is definitely sweet and tastes good spread on bread.  As we anticipate a fresh batch of raw unfiltered honey from local bees, this substitute would unhealthily hold us over in early Spring.  I much prefer honey from a comb, and the fact it takes much less work on my part to buy a jar from a friend, is an added bonus!

Dandelion Honey

• 4 cups yellow dandelion petals
• 4 cups water
• 1 orange
• 1 vanilla bean cut in half
• 2 1/2 cups sugar

Combine yellow petals, water, orange, and vanilla bean in small saucepan.  On low heat, simmer for 30 minutes.  Allow liquid mixture to cool.  Strain (cheesecloth works best) petals, orange, and vanilla bean out of liquid. Heat liquid again on low heat and slowly add sugar stirring well.  Allow mixture to simmer on low for an hour or until cold plate test yeilds a thick honeylike substance.  Jar honey and store in refrigerator.

*I cooked my mixture on a higher setting and the honey hardened more than it should have. This made spreading it more complicated. Next time, I may add a slice or two of lemon while it cooks and simmer on a much lower temperature.  We’ll see how much enthusiasm I have to try it again in early spring next year.😉

 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Baseball season is upon us. Three of our kids are playing Little League this Spring and the ballfield has become our second home.  I enjoy watching them play.  For them, it’s a time to see old friends and make some new ones.  Our children take after my husband and I, they are social butterflies!  So it’s easy to see the excitment they have as they run to their respective team huddles to warm up for the game.  It’s definately a challenge, getting the kids to practices and games on time, making sure they have all their equipment, and keeping the uniform shirts, pants, socks, and hats from magically disappearing in our household of seven.  Every year I learn a little more about sport organization in the house. This year I implemented the “all uniforms stay on the freezer” rule.  After I clean their uniforms, they are folded and put on a small chest freezer in our kitchen.  When the kids come home from a game, they take off their dirty uniform and put it on top of the freezer.  So whether clean or dirty, the uniform in it’s entirety can be found on the freezer (unless it’s in the washer or hanging on the clothes line).  I knew this would be such a simple fix for the “I can’t find my …” episodes.  Last year we added hooks to their bedroom walls to hang their bat bags on.  After a game the bat bags come back into the house, water bottles get thrown in the sink and empty wrappers from snacks and other trash is thrown out.  Then the bags get zipped up, all equipment inside, and hung in their bedrooms.  Every family has to do what works best for them.

It all worked out great in my mind, and some days I do see the “plan” working out well.  But, then there are days it totally fails. Isn’t it easy, though to imagine how a detailed plan should look?  Yet, when the process is physically put into motion, something or someone tends to mess it up.  The kids would rather keep their bat bags in the car because they have a game or practice the following night, leaving all their trash and uncleaned water bottles inside it.  The uniform on the freezer was craftly grabbed off the freezer by the 4 yr old and now he doen’t know where he threw it.  Or the uniform was taken off in a bedroom, and never made it back to the freezer to begin with.  I sometimes feel like a broken record, “Have you gone through your bags?  Throw your trash away!  I’m cleaning water bottles now, not later!  Where is your uniform at?”  I’m pretty sure I say these phrases in my sleep.  Yet, in the same way of not following a perfect plan, we do the same thing to our Heavenly Father.

I’m teaching a new study to the youth girls at church.  Last Sunday I shared once more part of my testimony with them.  I explained that while in college I fell away from God.  The Creator of the universe,  who loves me deeply and passionately, more than I could ever grasp.  The one I vowed to follow for the rest of my life, to let lead and guide me.  I pulled away from His instruction and plan for my life, and decided to take my own path. Many people may look at that wasted time in my life and say “Well, at least you came back to Him.” Or “We all have past mistakes, God doesn’t love you any less.”  And they would be correct.  However, I wonder, what blessings from God I have missed out on.  What punishments have I endured that will effect the remiaining of my life, and could have been avoided?  You see, just as I reprimand our children for not following the implemented organizational plans, our Lord God, disciplines His children who don’t follow His predestined plans.  Yes, He is a loving God.  So loving, He created a world for us to be in together.  So loving He sent His only Son to die for our sins when His presence could not be around the unrighteousness we created in His world.  So loving He pursues us to know and become an example of His Son so we may Glory in His presence for eternity.  So loving, He will reprimand us to help us learn from our mistakes and grow closer to Him again.  I can’t answer what would be different.  But I don’t want the youth I teach, or even my children to have the same sense of regret that I do.  My prayer for them is that they hold tight to the teachings they are growing in.  That the Lord guides their path, the plan He has set just for them, and they choose to follow it, basking in the blessings he has ready for them. Though this will be a personal decision for each of them to daily make, I pray they take God’s perfect plan, and obey His rules.  Because those of us who make a mess of it, have surely made some messes in our own lives.  Many that could have easily been avoided if we just follwed His well thought out plan.  Are you following His plan today?  If you are, you know the sense of peace I experience daily from only His great grace and you also long to know the Lord more closely and intimately!

* And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 28: 1-2