TreasuresInTerraCotta

I have not read through this book in many years, but I pull it off the shelf every time I have to write a word of condolence. I used it when a teen age daughter of a co-worker at church was killed in a car accident. I used it when my supervisors spouse died after a prolonged illness. And I used it this week when writing a letter to two young men, whom I did not know, after a former co-worker of mine, their mother, passed away unexpectedly. The Art of Condolence: What to Write, What to Say, What to Do at a Time of Loss by Leonard M. Zunin, M.D., and Hilary Stanton Zunin. In the first chapter the authors succinctly and, I believe, accurately pinpoint the difficulty we have with condolence. "The wish to condole is such a human trait, yet most of us are at a loss to acknowledge, in a caring and loving way, the grief of others. That's understandable. No one has ever taught us the art of condolence." This book briefly (and not over-clinically) walks the reader through t...

We started Kindergarten Homeschool last week. We did this for one very simple reason: God confirmed to us, over and over, that homeschooling is the right path for our family. We did not choose it because our local school is bad (it is one of the best schools in the district). We did not choose it because we think teachers are awful (we have a lot of family and close friends who are great public school teachers...both objectively and subjectively ). We did not choose it because we have Education experience (we do not). We did not choose it in order to get around the age cut-off (a 7 day difference) We did not choose it even because we always dreamed of doing such a crazy thing (because a short number of years ago I was saying no-way-Gudalupe!). Never-the-less, God moved in our hearts and here we are at the beginning of our homeschool adventure. I do not know how long it will last, but we plan to stay the course until we get God's direction to do otherwise. Here's Calvin on hi...

I don't know why this amused me, but I am sure someone out there can relate. Three kitchen outlets equal: The coffee pot and walkie-talkies The toaster over and the cell phone The radio and the battery charger Is my kitchen the only one that looks like that?

We are in Week #2 of our Homeschool adventure! Here's what I learned today. The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon, but the Moon can block out the Sun (a solar eclipse). The Sun is 400 times farther away from Earth than the Moon. This distance makes the Sun and the Moon appear the same size in the sky...even though they are 93 million miles apart. not to scale illustration from SolarGeometry.com The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1)

We had a Breakfast Picnic today. A wonderful option for HOT summer climates. And just as easy as sandwiches, chips and fruit. When my friend Liz planned one a few months ago I had one of those Why-Didn't-I-Think-of-That-It's-A-Great-Idea moments! So we did it again today. Just me and my boys. We went to a small park near our house. We took advantage of the shade. Because even at 8:30 it was a warm 88 degrees with about 60% humidity. Then Calvin played with (foam, air powered) rockets...one of the best toys ever! And Andrew climbed around on the playground. It was a good day! Have you ever had a breakfast picnic? Are you inspired?

My Thursday Bible study group takes a break in the summer, like many others. And in Beth Moore's words (and my own experience), three months without Bible study equals about 2 1/2 months in a pit. I did not intentionally join Beth's online summer Bible study , but after realizing it was a study of Ruth I ordered a workbook at the last minute and dug in. It has been a fabulous study and, as is often the case, the study has been intersecting with real life and real people over and over. What I am discovering is that God uses his Word to speak a message of conviction to me or to give me a specific prayer for a situation or to whisper a bit of encouragement for someone else. These usually aren't the same verses that I have memorized, but are rather more obscure verses or even the study notes in my Bible or the words of the author of the workbook. Our pastor has become fond of saying, "Really...you've gotta read your Bible." And I whole-heartedly agree. This is...

I finally pulled out my mother-in-law's sewing machine that I've had for about 4 years now. It is an Elna SU Air Electronic made in Switzerland. And it is over 30 years old. I added a little sewing machine oil and it works like a charm. And it even has a home in a sewing cabinet. Unlike the sewing machine I've been using for the past 13 years or so, which resides in the foam packing inside it's original box. Not because it hasn't been used, but because it doesn't have a home. Every time I wanted to sew I would pull it out of the box, set it up on the kitchen table and then head back-and-forth to my sewing tote in the closet for scissors, bobbins, a seam ripper, etc. Imagine my joy when I could reach in a drawer to my right for a replacement needle or a safety pin or thread. Everything is at my fingertips. It makes me wonder why it took me so long to use it. I guess I just wanted what was easy. If I wanted to sew I wanted to sit down at a machine that...

It's been almost a year since I posted 101 In 1001 . A list of 101 tasks or items to complete in 1001 days. Since we're coming up on its anniversary I thought I would take a couple days to complete and cross off a few items. #85 Create shoe storage by the door How in the world are you supposed to corral those kid's shoes?! And teach a little responsibility at the same time? It's not that my kids have a ton of shoes. Ever since reading Shauna's Awareness Report from Kenya I've been aware of how many shoes my kids have and need. From her report there were two things that have been stuck in my mind for two years since. First, the figure of $10. Only ten dollars provides shoes for a child with no shoes. No shoes! And secondly, the looks on the faces of those beautiful children above their red and white checkered shirts. Oh, I can't just mention it without putting one of the pictures here for you. (I'll ask Shauna's forgiveness for blatantly ...

Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlock I loved it! All the way from the Prologue to the Epilogue. Who couldn't resist the first line: The first thing I want you to know is that there really is a state called Delaware. And that's all I'm going to say about Every Secret Thing.

Well, the garden is struggling. Between the heat and the squirrels they seem to be getting the best of the garden. Here are a few high-lights and low-lights. The tomatoes are gangly and rather pathetic. Here's evidence of both the squirrels and the sun at work on a bell pepper. The squash suddenly and mysteriously died. There are still some beautiful bell peppers. And jalapenos. And tomatoes. I finally pulled the cilantro out. The ladybugs had long since disappeared and the usable part of the cilantro had been used. So I planted pumpkin seeds in their place. I have three baby plants looking happy and green so far. All the herbs have gone to see, but I keep using them. And I actually love their little flowers. Oregano with a friendly bee. He's probably not a friendly bee at all. Maybe he is, more accurately, a happy bee. Parsley. Basil. With our beautiful lawn in the background. It's been over 100 degrees for the past few weeks....and for the foreseeable future. ...