this moment {photographer}

joining soulemama in a wordless moment.  so sweet that i want to capture it forever.

thrifty thursday

Wow!  I haven't done a thrifty thursday post in forever!  But you better believe that we are still hitting the thrift store as often as we can!

A few weeks ago when I was out thrifting, I had already made my purchase and on my way out of the door I saw this sitting on the sidewalk:

Isn't that the most precious toy box you have ever seen?  Right now it is sitting at the foot of Moonpie's bed holding all of her stuffy friends.

Moonpie and Buddy share a bedroom.  Just in case you are wondering what her side of the room looks like, here's a little peak:

Maybe one day I'll do a proper room tour!

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What fun treasures have you found out and about lately?

book review {surprised by oxford}

I have recently joined up with the Tommy Nelson publishing company to review new books.  This is a win-win for me.  I love to read, I don't like to spend money.  Bam!  Free books!  Yes!

The first book I chose to read is the novel Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber.  This is the memoir of Ms. Weber's journey to Christianity.  I believe that it is her first novel, however, she is a professor of romantics literature and has had much exposure to great writing.  This comes across in her work.
I love the pictures she paints of Oxford!  When I was a freshman in college, I had the opportunity to study for a semester at Oxford, but couldn't quite make it work.  I've always wondered what that would have been like.  Her description of the different colleges and the surrounding area are so beautifully described.  I was able to "feel" like I was there experiencing the dank basements, the cold, wet air, and the glorious English country side.  That was truly a treat to read!

I am always interested in hearing people's stories, so I am no stranger to a memoir.  I actually have read two memoirs this month!  This story was especially interesting to me as it was about her conversion to Christianity in the realm of academia.  It comes across as a genuine story, and is interwoven with how she met her husband.

Overall I really liked this book.  There were areas that fell flat for me, but I would recommend it as a good read.  I think the most tedious thing about the writing is the redundancy of examples.  When making a point Ms. Weber pulls from several sources (quotes) to drive the point home.  It is heavy with references to CS Lewis and U2.  Heavy.  I grew tired of that after a while, but it wasn't a big enough factor to make me want to put the book down.

So in a nutshell, I would recommend this book.  Had I not received the book for free, I probably would not have purchased it for myself,  however, it definitely would be worth checking out from the library.

checking in

This weekend John officiated a wedding for a family that is very dear to us.  We all went up to Waco for the night and packed lots into a very short window of time.  The wedding was a late evening ceremony on Saturday in the backyard of the bride's grandmother.  It was very sweet and had lots of charming touches.  About five minutes before the ceremony began, Moonpie was doubled over in stomach cramps.  I was so thankful for the venue in that moment!  She was able to lie in bed until the ceremony was over.  We hit the road to get back home right after and the poor little dear began getting sick.  She ended up vomiting 6 times in the car on the ride home and then off and on throughout the night.  She is a trooper, and by the next day was up and slowly regaining her appetite.  Today John came home from work sick, so we are back in for round two.  Ugh.  

In the meantime Buddy and I, being the lone survivors, are doing all we can to fortify ourselves against this bug.  He (and now, Moonpie) is eating lots of yogurt with some extra probiotics mixed in.  I'm taking my probiotic capsules and eating lots of yogurt as well.  I'm also hitting my immune builder herbs pretty hard.  And then there's the hand washing and laundry.  A never ending cycle.

At this point in my mommying (and life) I realize that no plan is full proof, so I'm making an extra large pot of my feel better chicken soup just in case the children have to fend for themselves for the next couple of days.  Fingers crossed they won't have to!  Nothing worse than being sick and having feral children running around!

this moment {gotcha!}

joining soulemama

the chicken killer has been caught!
now, about that possum that's digging up my garden...

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addendum:  about five minutes after a catching this little bandit we heard squeaky raccoon talk coming from the porch.  We check out of the window and saw a much larger raccoon standing next to the cage.  When we opened the front door, he lazily walked off of the porch and watched us from the stairs.  He matched the description of the actual chicken killer much better.  He was very large.  Looks like we're still on the hunt (if you count a non-kill trap and release program as a "hunt").  sigh...

the apparent project {haiti}

my cuties decked out in their apparent project jewelry!

I received a box of happiness on my door step today!  Beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, jewelry pouches, ornaments and key chains made by artisans in the Haitian Apparent Project.

I love the heart behind this non-profit agency.  They were made aware of the problem of child abandonment, realized that this was, in most cases, a direct effect of poverty, and set out to be a link in the chain to end that cycle!  And they're doing it!  They are training men and women in skills, employing them, and paying them a living wage for the work they do.

From the Apparent Project site:

We train each parent in a specialized skill, such as jewelry making, bookbinding, sewing, or another craft, building relationships along the way.Through addressing educational needs, homelessness, joblessness,nutritional problems, medical needs, and building emotionally and spiritually enriching relationships, we are trying to bring dignity and wholeness to the whole person, strengthening each to be a support and encouragement to others.

all images borrowed from the Apparent Project site

While the Apparent Project advocates passionately for the adoption of true orphans we also believe that preventing child abanonment by economically empowering Haitian families is the best way to rescue children. This is why we have created opportunities for impoverished parents to earn an income through our artisan program.

This is why we are called the "Apparent Project". We are trying to help mothers and fathers in poverty be A PARENT to their children. We are educating and taking care of street kids who don't have A PARENT. We are using media and the arts to make the needs of Haiti APPARENT to those who can help, and we are doing this all with the hope that the love of God will be made more APPARENT to those we humbly serve and that He will be known as A PARENT to the parentless. 


I read this and my soul says "yes".  This is the kind of work that I want to be a part of.  The hard work of redemption, of breaking the chains of oppression.  Of mamas and daddies getting to keep their babies while having the ability to feed them and clothe them.


If you would like to be a part of this work as well, would you consider going over to the Apparent Project website and seeing how you can help?  You can donate on a one time basis, on a monthly basis, or do some early Christmas shopping.  Or, maybe you would consider hosting a jewelry party?  It can even look less like a party and more like you putting out a message on FaceBook and your friends coming over and rifling through the box of happiness with you.  Trust me, this goodness is hard to keep to yourself.


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I was first made aware of the Apparent Project through my buddy Heather.  She and her husband Aaron work for an agency in Haiti called Heartline.  Heartline does amazing work, offering prenatal and postpartum care to women in Haiti.  They are midwives, breast feeding educators, and doulas.  And counselors, and pastors, and teachers, and surrogate mamas to their girls.  Right now Heartline is trying to build a maternity care center.  They have recently been entered into a contest to win a $50,000 grant.  Can you imagine how much that money will do to get them closer to their goal?  Wanna help them make it?  Would you please take a minute and head over to The Giving of Life site and vote for Heartline?  What an easy way to make a BIG difference in the lives of women and children in Haiti!  You guys are awesome!  Truly, you are!  

a lesson learned {vitex}

image found here

About two years ago I had some blood work done which revealed an imbalance in my hormones.  Specifically, I was producing too much prolactin.  After some research I discovered that prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland.  A little more digging uncovered that the pituitary gland is most nourished by red meat.  I hadn't eaten red meat since I was about 17 years old.  It became clear that I had malnourished this important gland, and was now paying for it.

I am a firm believer that food is medicine.  But I knew that I couldn't eat therapeutic amounts of red meat to make up for the damage already done (both for financial and taste preference reasons).  I began a supplement with my B vitamins and one month later became pregnant.  We had been trying for so long to get pregnant- we were thrilled!  If you've been reading here for a while, you know that we were heart broken when that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.  A few months after that, my doctor suggested the blood work panel.

When the labs showed my high prolactin levels, I knew that I'd try chasteberry (vitex).  Vitex is a powerful herb!  So powerful in fact, that it can rebalance hormones in a very short period of time.  Finding reliable information on vitex was difficult.  I couldn't find solid dosage recommendations or even for how long to take the herb.  I decided to go with what seemed right to me, based on my experience over the years with other herbs.  Before taking the vitex, I was experiencing:

• irritability
• short luteal phases
• minor hot flashes
• anxiety
• severe moodiness

After a three month cycle on a therapeutic dose of vitex, these symptoms disappeared!  For the first time in years, I felt like myself!  As you can imagine, I continued the vitex hopeful that it could keep me feeling balanced and normal.  

Many of the places I read mentioned that vitex needed to be taken for six months before any significant changes would occur.  When I hit the six month mark of taking it daily, except during my period, and still felt great- I decided to take a break from it.  Just to see.  That was a mistake!  And a rough month.  The next month, I got back on, and felt good again.  

I had read some information that said the vitex should be discontinued after one full year on it, but I could tell that my body wasn't ready yet.  So I stayed on.  I actually ended up staying on for about 18 months!  At the 14 month marker, I started feeling 'off' again.  I considered the vitex, but decided that it was probably just the stress of our life at that time that was making me feel bad.  For the next four months, my symptoms worsened.  I was back to feeling anxious, but this time the anxiety was acute.  It took major prayer and scripture recitation to get me feeling okay again.  I was also extremely sensitive to the heat we were experiencing.  That heat would be a trigger for my anxiety.  It was horrible!   I was having dry mouth.  I couldn't figure out why I was having to drink countless cups of water a day to stay hydrated.  

A light bulb went off one day while we were at a friend's house.  They had the TV on and one of those pharmaceutical commercials came on.  I wasn't really listening, but I picked up on one of the side effects of the drug- dry mouth.  I started thinking about the vitex, and about the quiet voice that had been telling me that I was done with it.  I kept ignoring my body because I was afraid to stop taking it.  I was afraid of going back to the anxiety and the moodiness.  Yet as I looked at my present state, I realized that I was back there again already.  On the herb! 

This month has been my first month off of vitex in 18 months.  I debated about weaning off of it, but I decided to just go cold turkey.  And I have felt great!  The best I have felt all summer!  I go to the doctor next week to get my blood work done again.  Just to see if things look ok.

The experience of taking the vitex has been a powerful lesson learned for me.  One of trusting, one of knowing when to hold 'em and knowing when to fold 'em.  One of listening to how my body is working, taking the time to check in with myself.  And the great reminder that nothing is to be done out of fear.

At this point I would still recommend vitex to a friend.  But I would recommend that it be treated with great respect and caution.

ps:  the information shared here is intended to relay my personal experience with this herb.  I am not a doctor.  If you feel that you need medical attention, please go see your doctor!

this moment {a bit of quiet}

joining soulemama

my sister's birthday

Moonpie's birthday post card (I smudged her real name out)

There is this great picture somewhere of my older sister and I together- I am sitting in some sort of 70's baby carrier and she is sitting next to me in all of her three year old glory.  She is leaning towards me showing the baby blue eye shadow she so expertly applied to her lids, her sweet little face framed by her golden Tennille haircut.  This is one of my favorite pictures of us.  Her being such a big sister, and me just basking in all of her loveliness.
I love my sister immeasurably.  She's all the way out in California, and sometimes I get so homesick for her that it makes my heart hurt.  And if I could have one wish today it would be that I had a Scarry-esque apple helicopter so I could span the distance between us and share some ice cream with her on her birthday.

So,
to the one who taught me how to wear high heels with my Wonder Woman underoos so stylishly
how to read (as a 4 year old)
how to lay out on the trampoline (even though I would get really bored and start bouncing you)
how to pluck my eyebrows (against my will) and
how to see Jesus in every one I meet

To the one that let me sleep in your bed when I was scared
or lonely
or confused by what was going on in our home

To the one who turned on the Christmas carols every Christmas Eve and threatened that Santa would not come if we did not go to sleep
who taught me how to spend my money
who taught me how to give generously

To my one and only sister
my dear
my heart

Happy birthday to you.

I love you.

-m

my sister and moonpie, 4th of July

tree of medicine

 image found in google images

We have had about two weeks of sinus and respiratory troubles making their way throughout our home.   It has been a good time to use one of my favorite herbal treatments, the elderberry.

For thousands of years, elderberry has been known as the tree of medicine.  In folklore, it is said that Native Americans thought that elderberries could heal all and its consumption offered the gift of long life.  Hence the name elder.  Modern science has revealed that elderberry prevents the flu virus from spreading throughout your body.  Or taken as a preventative, it can even prevent it!  That is a lot of power in a little berry!

Elder can be taken (and is very effective) for:

• colds and flu
• fever
• congestion (lung or sinus)
• hay fever
• skin tonic
• burns
• chapped hands
• cuts, scratches
• tonsillitis
• sore throat

Elderberry plants (Sambucus nigra) grow natively throughout North America.  (If looking for it in the wild take care that you do not consume red elderberries as they are toxic.)  Often times you will find elderberry growing right alongside plants that cause allergies.  The remedy with the offender.  In herbalist circles they would call that the wisdom of mother nature, but from my perspective as a Christian, I see that as the providence of God.

During flu season we generally drink elderberry tea on a regular basis, three or four times a week.  I also make up a batch of elderberry syrup and keep it in the refrigerator for acute illness.  However, this time of year, when it is still reaching over 100 degrees everyday, it has not occurred to me to make the syrup.  Fortunately, the dried berries are a staple in my pantry and I always try to have some on hand.

To steep a cup of elderberry tea for medicinal purposes, I generally:

• place one tablespoon of dried, black elderberries into a reusable tea bag
• once the water is boiling and whistling away, I pour it over the tea bag
• place a saucer over the top of the cup so the steam stays put
• mix in a spoonful of honey (which contains its own healing properties)

This creates a very strong tea that children may not prefer.  For children, I would use 2 teaspoons of dried berries.  An added treat for a sick child is to use an organic lolli as the stir stick.  That always seems to brighten their day!

If symptoms come upon you and you have no elderberries in sight, there are some very nice and effective elderberry syrups on the market.  I have tried both this one and this one.

*Curious to know where I've learned this information?  Visit the Vintage Remedies button on the side bar there.  I am currently enrolled in their Master Herbalist program.  Two other great sources are  A Kid's Herb Book and the Vintage Remedies handbook.

ps- I'm not a doctor.  I'm just trying to pass on what has been effective for me and thousands of other people over hundreds and hundreds of years.  If you feel that you need medical attention, please go see your doctor.

making words

What can be more riveting than a post about spelling?  I know- how about another post about spelling- back to back!

I wanted to share one more activity that Moonpie and I did today at the last minute.  She was struggling to come up with more than two -ake words, so we made a game out of it.  I printed out a template used for geometry instruction.  It is a cube you can cut out and tape together.  On one of the cubes I wrote -ake on every side.  On the other cube I wrote different beginning sounds, like 'l', 'm', 'b', etc.  She would roll the cubes like dice and put them together to see what word she made.  Then, she would write the word on her paper (clipped to her very official clipboard).  

It's a very easy way to make word work a little more engaging and fun.  Here are some visuals:

 step 1:  You must dress up like a kitty cat.  This is crucial.  Do not skip this step!  Wait, that wasn't the first step.  Roll the dice.  Yes, that sounds more like it!

 step 2:  put the dice together and see what word you have made.

step 3:  write your word on your very official paper clipped to your very official clipboard.

I have made up another cube with new beginning sounds that we will use tomorrow to keep the list growing.

If you are not a homeschooler, this is a fun way to have your child practice their spelling words, or just practice making words in general.  Some variations would be to put a different word ending on each side of one cube (at, it, ock, etc.) and different starting sounds on the other.  Keep in mind that your child will probably come up with some very creative words.  On their paper you can have a column for non-sense words.  Every word made should be written down.  It will be good practice for you child to be able to differentiate between true words and non-sense words.  Or you can even go nuts and write numbers on each side!  Throw caution to the wind and use the cubes to practice math facts.

Keeping something as versatile as this on hand is an easy way to make language and math work a bit more fun!

homeschool {natural spelling}

My thoughts on teaching spelling are largely influenced by my experience as a second grade, public school teacher.  What I saw time and again was that my students could be successful on spelling tests, but struggled with carrying over what they had learned from that rote memorization into their real life writing.  As with anything else, unless they were really ready and mindful of what they were doing, it really didn't stick.  One way I found to make spelling more meaningful (since throwing out the practice wasn't an option!) was to create individual lists for each child based on their writing journals.  They would have a core of five words that followed a certain pattern (called a word family in early literacy training) and then five words that we would pull from their journals.  This seemed to encourage their interest, since it was words that they used frequently.

I appreciate that in the Charlotte Mason philosophy, teaching spelling is not really practiced until third grade.  Up until that point, it is more encouraged to allow the child to be freed up to write as they wish so the ideas can freely and easily make their way onto paper.  She taught that spelling was more of  a natural skill and encouraged the use of copy work.  The thinking being that the more the child is exposed to proper spelling, the more the child will correctly spell!  I love this thinking.  It jives with me.  (Again, this is up to second grade.  After that, a more intensive spelling program is encouraged.)

I've been thinking about all of this lately because of my Moonpie.  She loves to write.  And she loves for things to be correct.  She will not sit and spell freely.  She wants the words to be spelled the right way.  This creates frustration for her because her stories are slower going than she would prefer.  Because of this, that an extreme interest is there, I have decided to introduce some formal spelling lessons into our day.  In small doses.

The nitty gritty:


If you are in a similar boat and wondering how to teach spelling, here are a few of the things we will be doing this week:

I am pulling from a common misspelling that I see frequently in her spelling- that dreaded silent 'e' ending!  Yesterday, a story she was writing featured the baking of a cake.  She had questions about spelling both 'bake' and 'cake', so we will be focusing on the -ake word family this week.   She will be creating a paper cake to write out her -ake words.  I'll come up with a nifty little poem featuring lots of
-ake words for her to read through and highlight.  We'll be writing our words with sidewalk chalk and what not.  As with any other skill, hopefully she will continue to pick up on the pattern of how words work.  When we come into contact with words that don't fit our pattern, but have the same sound (for instance - the word 'break') we will call that word an outlaw word and put his sorry rear in jail.  My hope for right now is to create a fun environment and one that she can feel successful in!  And even though we are jumping into formal spelling training earlier than I had intended, I am content in knowing that it is something that she is interested in.

(this is an edited version!  i love the irony that i wrote a post on spelling and made a ton of grammatical mistakes!  so much for posting RIGHT when i wake up!)

this moment {date night}

inspired by soulemama

just me, john and mr. lewis.  talk about a third wheel...

eating at royer's round top cafe.  wear your old maternity pants

 and leave the skinny jeans at home.

a chelsea morning

I am just ashamed.  After all of those posts where I complained about the heat this summer, I haven't taken the time yet this week to rejoice (here) in the reprieve we are having.  Highs in the 90's!  Which may sound hot to some, but we are loving it here!  That we can actually walk out of our door without feeling like our faces are going to burn straight off is incredible!  Last evening, Buddy and I went out to get the final load of sheets off of the line.  We walked out and I said "doesn't it feel great out here?!?" and he, being unable to tell the difference between the 70 something degrees our ac was pumping out, and the 80 something degrees that was outside replied "it feels...normal!!!".  And he was right.  Finally, some normal temps!

This is my favorite time of year.  I love the transition from summer into autumn.  The way the sunlight changes as it streams in through our 80 year old windows.  It is this time of year that I understand what Joni meant when she said that the sun comes in like butterscotch and sticks to all my senses.  I feel that way too.  And if the butterscotch sun had a smell, it would be the smell of hope.  This is what paying attention to the seasons can offer you.  The chance to see that just as the seasons shift, the seasons of our lives shift too.  Just when you think the oppression of the summer will not end, autumn sweeps in and offers hope.

This summer has been a difficult one for us for various reasons.  Both in the actual situations and in the ways we had to learn to cope with those situations.  This week even has been hard.  So, so hard.  But then there is that butterscotch sun reminding me in the hope I can have.  And in Whom my hope is found.  I am reminded that the prophet Isaiah shared that He (God) gives beauty for ashes and gladness for mourning.  So when I burn out all of my own resources, and wonder why I still can't stand, I look to my Father, and I'm reminded.  He can make something beautiful out of all of this burnt out mess.  And the hope that He offers clings to all of my senses...if I let it.  And I do.  I am so hungry for the beauty that I open myself up to it.  I am broken and healed all at once.

But the trick,

the trick,

is in the remembering.  The noticing.  The allowing.

That is why I can truly rejoice in the fact that we are having some reprieve around here.

our day in austin

I have a new little niece that will be here very soon!  I cannot wait to see her sweet little face and just breathe her in.  We recently met my brother, my very pregnant sister-in-law (who looks fantastic, by the way), and my sweet nephew for breakfast and park time in Austin.  It was so much fun and truly my dream Friday.  Does anyone else have these fantasies of meeting up with family every Friday morning for breakfast at a great cafe and eating pancakes as big as your face while having lively conversation over the voices of all of the cousins?

While there I was finally able to give them the pants I made for sweet baby Mae.  I was given Anna Maria Horner's book for Christmas, but this was my first time to make anything out of it.  I had only intended to make one pair of pants, but they are so very fun to make!  So one turned into three sooner than I realized.

side A

the flip side

Oh, and there were the head bands.  Because I can't leave well enough alone.

After breakfast and gift giving, we headed to Zilker park for some fun!

At this point we parted ways and headed to Deep Eddy pool for a lazy afternoon of swimming.

We had a wonderful day in one of our favorite cities, with some of our favorite people.
  

happy labor day!

swimming at Deep Eddie pool - Austin, TX

love,
Moonpie and Buddy

this moment {cereal for supper}

a small moment from the week.  one worth hanging onto.  no words.


joining soulemama