Pumpkins and Crows

Its that time of year when cobwebs creep up in front yards and felt spiders the size of preschoolers cling to the sides of trees. Grocery stores are bursting at the scenes with bagged candy and costume advertisements make people blush.

I'm not really that into Halloween--I mean the bats and ghosts side of things-- but don't get me wrong, I love this time of year. There's something in the air that makes October just plain fun. Its a time when its perfectly OK to nibble on handfuls of candy corn and blast the Phantom of the Opera from the CD player. (side note--who would have thought you could Jazzercise to the Phantom? Our instructor put together a spooky set for us and I had no idea what the motions were so when in doubt, keep bouncing--and hope no one notices you. And...try not to fall down the stairs. I have a bad habit of standing in front of the stairwell. I've had visions of myself sashaying my way to a rather abrupt demise.)

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, pumpkins and crows. So I love pumpkins on my front porch. I've also developed a little fascination for crows this fall. Not in a scary way, more like the Nanny McPhee kind of way. You know. Cute. But not creepy. I don't know what it is about October--fall is just my favorite time of year. It makes me happy. There's something about living in Southern California that makes one appreciate cold weather. The other day it was pouring and my one and three-year olds were playing on the front porch, soaking wet, happy as tadpoles after a drought. And me? I was sitting in the doorway--trying not to get wet--reading a book. I know, we're weird about rain.

I've already made my first pumpkin pie cake of the season, every morning there's a fire in our wood burning stove and more often than is good for the 'ol waistline, there's a pot of homemade popcorn crackling away on the stove top. (We don't have a microwave but even if we did, it would still be the best way to do it.) We like ours in olive oil with a drizzle of butter and salt. And if we're going all out, homemade cherry cokes with grenadine and maraschinos. Yum! Its the way my dad did. Its the way his dad did it. If it ain't broken...

Yay for October :D

Adventures in Country Living: Shuckin' Corn

We tried to grow corn last year. But after about $40 dollars worth of city water, a million weeds pulled, and all our hopes and dreams riding on the possibility of those golden kernels ready for harvest, my husband and I plucked two, pitiful cobs from the garden that went straight into the compost. Sigh. And since Costco sells organic corn for $4.99 a bag, we decided to go the modern route this year.

But, a friend of mine had an incredibly successful crop and with baby number five on the way, she felt a little overwhelmed by the crates of fresh picked corn on her back porch, so in a moment of near insanity, a few of us girls volunteered to join her in a corn shucking day. The kids loved it. While we tugged off the husks, filling a Red Rider wagon (my husband just reminded me that was a gun not a wagon. I suppose they are more commonly known as Radio Flyers. oops :D) to the brim, one lucky boy got to haul it away. Where it went each trip, I have no idea, but that's the nature of four-year-olds and we'll take whatever help we can get :) Even the littlest kids joined in and with the mommies seated in white rocking chairs, surrounded by homemade cinnamon rolls and hot coffee, the work was rather pleasurable--and the sleeping cat--no that's not a country calendar your looking at.

You know its organic corn--straight off the stalks--no chemicals involved, when the kids are huddled around the glass jar of corn worms, begging to be the one to dump it into the chicken coop. Now, for a former city girl, this would have normally made me squirm, but since I have been inducted into the world of country living--dirt under my fingernails, camo in my closet and all--this did not bother me as much as I expected. Although I must admit, I am deathly afraid of bugs. Rattlesnake...who cares? Crouching tiger...walk in the park. But pair me against a mosquito eater, and I'm pale as a ghost, screaming my head off--arms flailing. My husband thinks its funny.

So while my friends were not afraid to simply pluck the worms from the corn, I, in my citified way, gently tapped the corn cob against the jar. Plunk. Worm removed. No touching required. (I guess some things never change.)

Many hands make quick work and in no time, we hauled the corn into the kitchen and after slicing it off the cobs, blanched it and packed the ready-to-freeze corn into gallon bags. Its amazing how time flies when there's work to be done. We said our goodbyes and while still finding corn kernels stuck to the oddest places, I tucked my tired toddlers (with dirt caked to their Carhartt overalls) into the car and it was back down the dusty road, headed for home. Another day. Another project.

Happy Homesteading! And Happy Harvest!

A Meek and Quiet Spirit

Twice a month I get together with girlfriends of mine and as our ever growing quantity of children play in the yard, we spend a few hours sipping tea, eating homemade cinnamon rolls and talk about whatever book we're reading together. Right now, we are reading Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. What a blessing this book is! And you don't even need to be a home schooling mom to appreciate it!

In her book, Teri describes a meek and quiet spirit--basically meaning, that as mothers, we should strive to be calm, patient and loving as we raise our children--not prone to anger or frustration. For me, it's been an interesting journey--a journey that has changed my life and our whole home. In trying to focus on keeping a meek and quiet spirit with my children, I have seen such changes in my life and I know that my children are the better for it.

But not only does Teri share how we can gain a meek and quiet spirit, she also explains how easy it is to lose one. Yikes! The biggest stumbling block for me: disorganization.

Am I the only mother who has walked into a messy room or passed a junk drawer only to have their blood pressure rise? Ack! Is there no end in sight? Suddenly, the frustration kicks in and our patience and joy---uh, hello? Where did it go?

We're left feeling hopeless.

I have been that person...trying to prepare dinner with a stack of bills at my elbow and a pile of dirty laundry under my feet. So yes, disorganization can be a robber of a meek and quiet spirit.

So what's the solution? I've followed Teri's advice and created a daily schedule. Her schedule is much more detailed than mine, but for now, mine is working very well. I printed it up on a monthly calendar and its taped inside my computer cabinet, a place this writer mama spends a lot of time (hehe). Every day I have only three requirements. Just three things that MUST be done, no exceptions. 1) Bible time with the kids. 2) A chore 3) My son's homeschooling. That's it, pretty simple!

And there is a reason why I have chosen these three tasks.

The homeschooling is a given. My son is still three so we spend about ten to fifteen minutes a day working on letters, numbers or a craft (In an organized, sit down manner). It's just enough time for squirming limbs to sit still, then he's off to play like a rocket. I say organized manner, because he's learning all day long: While we work in the garden, moving firewood with Grandpa, etc.

By including Bible time into our schedule, I can finally carve time out of my day to read the Word and the kids are looking at the pictures in their Bibles along side me. We usually do this before the baby naps as it tends to relax her. We sit for about fifteen minutes on the couch and it doubles as practice for the kids to learn how to sit still. They join us at the beginning of church and have learned to sit through worship pleasantly, then they skip of to nursery for the second half. Also, I had to go to the DMV the other day, and they sat ever so nicely by my side. It was delightful!

One chore is pretty self explanatory. Although we mom's basically clean from morning 'til night, I like to have one important task that must be done each day (I have one day for the bathroom, another for clearing away papers and filing them away, etc.) Thursdays remain open for what I call my "meek and quiet spirit robber day." Whatever around the house is driving me the craziest, gets penciled into that day. My daughters un-closable closet and dresser have been eating at my nerves so I penciled it in last week and today, I completely eliminated the mess...and that meek and quiet spirit robber is no more! Yay! It's a great feeling ;) And my meek and quiet spirit robber chore for next week...let's just say that there's a Land Rover in my driveway that's going to have a showdown with a crazy writer and her shop vac.

But surprisingly enough, there is one task that is not on my schedule...writing. I could write all day if given the chance, but then my children would be running around like wild Amazonian monkeys. I've struggled with this in the past and finally prayed for God to send me a solution. Then somehow, because my schedule is keeping me organized and on track, I have time to write every single day, usually during nap time and it's been a blessing. That worry is lifted from my shoulders and I no longer fear that my writing is taking away from all the other things I should be doing as a stay-at-home-mom. So although I kept my favorite hobby off the schedule to keep it from becoming too much of a priority, the time for it simply fell into place. :)

For more on Teri Maxwell and Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit, check out: Titus2.com

Change in Blog Schedule

Chatty Kathy here letting you all know that since I have an incurable habit of writing blog posts long enough to be short stories, I'm going to be spacing out my posts from weekly to about every ten days.

Between looking after my children and working on my third novel, there just aren't enough hours in the day so to keep this issue from becoming a meek and quiet spirit robber, I've marked my calendar just like I would have if I were posting every Wednesday, and I plan on keeping with the new schedule. So what's a meek and quiet spirit robber?...See you this Friday with a new blog post!