BOOKS I FINISHED - SEPTEMBER 2017

I am a Secret Service Agent: My Life Spent Protecting the President, written by Dan Emmett with Charles Maynard
Silas and Devon each checked this book out from the library. Devon thought I would find interesting, so I read it. Written for young adults, it's Emmett's story of what inspired him to work for the Secret Service, the process of being hired and trained, and descriptions of what he did while on the clock, both in general and specific stories of the three presidents he protected. It appears that there's another version of the book written for adults, Within Arm's Length: A Secret Service Agent's Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President, but I haven't read it.

p. 134, For me personally, no one ever elected to the office of the presidency was worth dying for, yet the office of the presidency was. Presidents are people who live and breath like anyone else, but the office of the presidency must be protected at all costs. Regardless of the president's party affiliation or an agent's personal feelings about the president, I respected and protected the role of chief executive. 

Is the Bible Good for Women: Seeking Clarity and Confidence Through a Jesus-Centered Understanding of Scripture, written by Wendy Alsup

I appreciate how Alsup approaches reasonable questions and concerns about the Bible's view of women in a non-preachy way. In a comfortable "it's fine if we're not on the same page right now, but walk through this book with me before you make a decision" manner, she explains why she believes the Bible is, in fact, good for women. No two people will agree on every point or come to all the same conclusions, but I think she does a great job of handling some tough and/or controversial portions of the Bible with tact, shows compassion for the more sensitive issues, and has a commitment to considering the Bible as a whole before making decisions.

Sex Begins in the Kitchen: Creating Intimacy to Make Your Marriage Sizzle, written by Kevin Leman
We were given this book (with a different subtitle) as a wedding present, if I remember correctly, so we've had it a long time. I noticed it on the shelf recently and thought I'd read it again, just for kicks. Although Leman does talk about sex in the book, it's more about the relationship as a whole and how intimacy in a marriage relationship takes ongoing effort.

p. 160, I've heard women say, "That's not the way I am." but a lot of things you want your husband to do don't come naturally to him either. The question is simply: do you really want to please your husband?

p. 250, Forgiveness is not excusing. It doesn't say, "Oh, that's all right, no problem." On the contrary, it says there was a problem, a big problem, that I have to forgive you for. 

Forgiveness does not automatically make everything hunky-dory. Hunky, maybe, the but dory will take some time. Seriously, forgiveness does improve a relationship, but it doesn't fix everything. It merely puts you in a place where you can start repairing the damage. 

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LEARNING A NEW SKILL

I've discovered that if you make and stick to a budget, know how to stretch a dollar, shop and cook in bulk for the purpose of freezing or dehydrating food for later, plan menus, and have gardened at various times, then people assume you also can your food. If they find out you homebirth and homeschool, then they definitely have you in a "she must can, that's what those folks do" box and are shocked to find out you don't. 

It's true that I  do all those other things, but I don't can. My family never did and I never have. I know it's not hard, but it intimidates me, which I realize is completely absurd given that I spend hours in the kitchen and am comfortable there. 

However, last year I decided I'd just go for it. It's definitely something that fits with our lifestyle, which is why I don't blame people for being surprised to find out I don't can food, and I didn't have a good reason not to try. So I bought a water bath canner set at Costco ... and it sat in the cabinet for a year. I got it with the intention of canning applesauce (I usually freeze it), but the season got away from me and it just didn't happen. 

I'm frugal and don't spend money on things that don't get used. I lean toward minimalism and don't want things in our home that aren't earning the space they take up. Those two facts meant I had to can this year!!

I asked a friend to come over and walk me through a batch of applesauce, but she had a kid wake up sick that morning and had to bail. The apples really needed to be processed, so I decided to put on my big girl pants and just do it alone. I pulled out Ball's Blue Book Guide to Preserving that a friend gave me last summer when I thought was going to can and watched some Youtube videos (one, two, and three). Then I got busy!

I had the kids take some pictures along the way because I wanted picture proof of my little adventure if it was successful. I used my apple peeler, corer, & slicer to process about 20 pounds of apples from our trip to Beilke Family Farm.

Peel, core, & slice. Repeat. Repeat again. And again. And again.

My stockpot was finally full of apples and cooking on the stove. I don't think they sell my exact one anymore, but this IKEA stockpot is very similar to mine. I've had mine for a couple years now and I love it!!

Anyway, back to canning. Our stove has one large burner and three small ones, so I moved the apples to stay warm in the back while I sterilized the jars in the front.

Finally, it was time to fill the jars.

And wipe the jars.

And put the jars back in the pot.

The result? Seven quarts of canned applesauce.

And one gal who's glad she finally stretched her comfort zone in this area!

What's something you want to learn, but are intimidated about? I encourage you to give it a try! Whether it ends up being as great as you hope or something you never want to do again, at least you'll know you gave it your best shot. No regrets, right?

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for lotion and coconut oil for dry skin. What's something that you're thankful for?

WHEN GRACE LOOKS LIKE GUM

I took Silas and Naomi with me to the store last night, each of us doing our own shopping while we were there. Naomi chose this bag of gum and counted out money from her spending budget as we waited in line. The gum was $2.48 and she had $2.51. In coins. Lots of coins. One dollar in quarters. One dollar in quarters, dimes, and nickels. And 48 pennies. I know. I checked as she counted. 

She handed the checker her coins in chunks, thanking the lady for being patient with all the counting required. The checker confirmed the amount, then said, "And now $3.50." Naomi looked at me, perplexed, and I realized what had happened. The bag cost more than she thought. Tears welled up in her eyes as she explained that she's sure the sign said it was $2.48 for the package. I knew that wasn't likely, so I rubbed her back as I gently explained she needed to apologize for the mistake, thank the checker for her help, and leave without the gum. She did, but she was obviously crying by that point. Really disappointed and a little embarrassed. 

Silas had already checked out, so I told him and Naomi to go ahead and start heading to the car while I made my purchase. I thanked the checker for being gracious since she'd counted out approximately a gazillion coins for a purchase that didn't even happen. She said she didn't mind, but that she felt bad because Naomi was crying.

Here's the thing, though. I could have bailed Naomi out. That wouldn't have been inherently wrong, but wise money management is something I'm intentional about teaching the kids. That means sometimes you make mistakes and live with the consequences. It means being disappointed when your plan doesn't go the way you expected, even when you were as responsible as you knew to be. It means living within your means. I would much rather have Naomi shed some tears over gum now and pay more attention in the future than to train her to expect people to rescue her when money situations are hard or she can't afford something she wants. Life skills learned with the small things make the big things much easier to navigate down the road.

Anyway, the kids left and I let the checker know Naomi would be fine. It's just real life. 

As I finished up my transaction the gal behind me leaned forward and asked if I'd mind if she paid for Naomi's gum. I hesitated and explained that I appreciated her offer, but that I also wanted Naomi to feel the little sting of the experience. She said she was a mom and grandma, so she completely understood and supported what I was doing. Then she told me that she'd still love to do it because she could see that Naomi had truly tried to be responsible (she saw all the coin counting) and that her only request would be that Naomi do something kind for someone else in return. I consented and she paid for the gum. I thanked her and left. 

I caught up to the kids and we loaded up in the car to leave. I asked Naomi, who was still in tears, how she felt and what she learned through that gum debacle. She told me. Then I handed her the bag of gum and explained how it ended up in our car. "That's grace, Naomi." She got something good that she didn't deserve. She certainly didn't need punishment or anything for her mistake, but she also couldn't afford the gum and wasn't entitled to it.

We decided to flip back through the parking lot to try and catch the lady who paid for the gum, but she was already pulling out of her spot. We followed her out in hopes of ending up next to her at the stop sign. Success! We pulled up alongside with windows rolled down so that Naomi could holler out her thanks. The gal recognized us, rolled down her window, and Naomi thanked her.

Then the gal told me I'd left a bag at the check stand. Naomi's response, with a grin on her face? "That's grace, Mom." 

DESSERT AT DUSK

Silas owed Tyler a treat from Miranda's Bakery, so he and Devon rode bikes over there on Saturday evening to get it. Silas also took money for himself, Devon for himself, and Naomi sent some cash for a treat of her own. The kitchen had just been cleaned up and we wanted to avoid crumbs all over, so they ate out on the front porch together in the last minutes of daylight. Perfect ending to the day!

SILVER FALLS IN SEPTEMBER

Knowing that the rain would be gone today, I planned to take the little Ws out for a hike at Silver Falls State Park. We did the Trail of Ten Falls, which is 7.2 miles of beautiful scenery that the kids had never seen before. The weather was perfect and the falls were as wonderful as always. I love the peace and power of the water as you make your way through the park, enjoying a gently flowing creek one moment and then hearing the roar of water crashing onto rocks the next.  

We asked someone to take a picture of us just after we got started and they took two, vertical and horizontal.

Then we tackled the seven miles ahead of us, taking some pictures along the way.

Silas took this picture while the rest of us were right about in the center of this picture.

Then he took this one when he caught up to us. Tyler walked most of the way, but he got what I called the short leg discount for some of the time, maybe a total of half a mile.

Silas also took some shots from behind the fall, including this one. I guess an extra picture by him that will make up for the fact that I have less pictures of him than I do of everyone else. Oops.

Some of us were a little more tired and sore by the end of the hike than others, but it was a great way to spend our Friday and I'm glad we went.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that the kids and I had great morning yesterday. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

MOVIES I WATCHED: 6/21/17 - 9/19/17

Abel's Field
A desperate teenager forced to raise his younger sisters and the quiet man forced to take him under his wing. Both make poor choices. Both find healing and the ability to move forward. Good, clean flick.

Queen of Katwe
Based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young woman from Uganda who, as a teenager, became a chess champion. Her success would have been impressive under any circumstances, but the abject poverty and academic deficit she was living out in the process made it really admirable. I really liked this one!

Sing
I watched the movie with and for some little Ws and it wasn't my favorite, but it had good things about it. People following their dreams. Rallying the troops for a worthy cause. Getting priorities in the right place.

Still Alice
I read Lisa Genova's book that preceded this movie a couple years ago, before I knew it was also turned into a movie. I really liked both the book and the movie. I'll just copy what I posted about the book in my monthly book list for May 2015.

"Alice is a highly respected and world-renowned psychology professor and linguistics expert from Harvard who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The reader is brought along for the ride as her family grapples with the ramifications of her illness, her colleagues and community find out about it, and her world quickly starts changing."

Trust Fund
One daughter who rebels, another who is responsible. A dad who loves them both. A family who figures out what matters most.

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MEETING MANDI

Mandi and I have known each other for almost 11 1/2 years, but we've never been able to meet because we live on opposite ends of the country. A couple weeks ago she mentioned on Facebook that she was going to be in my neck of the woods for a conference she was involved with running and we scheduled a tentative time to visit tomorrow. Then she wrote later because as the schedule solidified she realized she probably couldn't get away. Disappointing, but totally understandable. Two days ago the plan changed again and she was able to give a a group of us a couple options for visiting times, one of which I was able to do. Woohoo!

I knew there would be three of us meeting this afternoon - me, Mandi, and Heidi. I'd never met Heidi before, but we have a few mutual friends from different parts of life. She and I recognized each other in the hotel lobby and chatted for a while until Mandi arrived. Mandi joined us shortly, then I saw her smile at someone else who was approaching our group. I turned and saw Sarah, a local friend I've known for nearly 12 years, but don't get to see very often. I knew Sarah and Mandi's worlds had collided a while back, but I had no idea Sarah would be attending the conference. Mandi had given her a heads up that I was popping in for a visit, so the four of us chatted for an hour and a half. 

It was wonderful to finally get to visit with Mandi in person! To see Sarah and meet Heidi was just icing on the cake. I'm so glad it worked out!

Speaking of cake, which reminds me of dessert, I had a little time to kill before we all met up. I parked at Creo Chocolate, a local chocolate factory Naomi and I toured with friends a couple years ago, and spent some birthday money on a chocolate macaroon and fancy chocolate bar. The macaroon was enjoyed immediately while I read a book and the bar will be eaten in small doses over a long period of time. 

Enjoying a tasty treat and saving one for later, seeing an old friend for the first time and another unexpectedly, plus meeting someone new was a pretty awesome way to spend the afternoon! The kids and I got to spend time with Pam yesterday afternoon and I got to visit with Britt earlier today, so my "girl time" tank is full and I'm grateful.

Photo credit for the group shot: Mandi's friend using Mandi's phone for a picture we could all share

APPLES AT BEILKE - 2017

As I mentioned on the day of our visit to Metcom a couple weeks ago, we're cutting back on our participation in our homeschool group this year in order to allow for more family activities. Knowing that we wouldn't be attending today and that the weather would be perfect, we headed to Beilke Family Farm to pick apples. We snapped a quick group picture right when we got there.

Actually we took this one first, but Naomi, who was nice enough to lift Tyler up for the shot, got buried in my mane. Oops.

All the little Ws ... and the apple Devon polished so well he could see his reflection in it.

See? Shiny.

Naomi turned her sweatshirt around so the hood was in front and served as an apple holder. Points allotted for resourcefulness.

Silas took a turn pulling the wagon.

I posed before chowing down on the apple I was holding.

Tyler, who walked and picked with the rest of us, hopped on the wagon at the very end while Silas and Naomi took turns running it down the row.

Good times! Our first visit to Beilke was two years ago and we didn't get around to it last year, but I'm pretty sure we'll be back a few more times before this season is over.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for a little bit of time alone on cool, quiet mornings. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

FREE MOVIES & BURGERS

Devon got a call from the Woodburn library on Wednesday afternoon saying that he'd won a prize from playing a game in their summer reading program. It was a $25 gift card to Regal Cinema, which he was pretty excited about. He hasn't decided how to spend it yet, but he'll have fun one with it one way or another.

Two days later, on Friday night, he asked Tim to drive him to McDonald's just before midnight. A week or two earlier he'd seen an announcement in the Woodburn Indepedent about a giveaway they were doing as part of a grand opening celebration and he wanted to participate. So they drove down, got in line, and Devon paid for a Big Mac out of his spending budget. In exchange for being one of the first 100 people to make a purchase after midnight he was given a punch card that gives him one free Big Mac each week for a year. We don't ever go to McDonald's as a family, but this boy is thrilled about getting a year's worth of free burgers and rode his bike down there on Saturday to get the first one.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for air conditioning. We choose not to use it very often, but it's been an appreciated luxury as the air's been too smoky for leaving windows open the last few days. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

OPERATION: FIX ALL THE TEETH

There are multiple Ws who need braces and others we anticipate having the need at some point. We have a chunk of change in savings that we were going to put toward the cause, with the plan of doing one set of braces per year, but that money needs to go toward other things instead.

I've spent the last few months brainstorming ways I could earn a little extra cash, just enough to cover a pair of braces each year until everyone who needs them has them. I've considered a few options, but I don't want many hours and the schedule has to be really flexible. That definitely limits the options, but one particular idea kept coming to mind, even though it wasn't one I originally considered. I asked some questions, got some answers, and decided to take the plunge.

As of last night, I'm a Pampered Chef consultant (my PC business page and Facebook business page). I'll be doing all of my business through Facebook parties, online orders, and catalog parties instead of parties in hosts' homes, which is a great option in a season of life where homeschooling, parenting, and the rest of life occupy a lot of my time. The convenience factor is huge!

Our family makes almost all of our food from scratch and we eat all our meals at home, so I understand the value of useful kitchen tools that make cooking easier. The fact that Pampered Chef is a reputable company whose products and customer service people have spoken highly of for decades sealed the deal.

If you're interested in hosting a party while helping me reach my goal of fixing all the teeth, then let me know!

METCOM 911

We've been part of a local homeschool group for the last four and a half years, spending every Friday morning together during the school year. It's been a great source of friendships, education, and fun. Nothing changed about the group and we were still happy with it, but toward the end of last year I realized it was time for our family to shift our involvement a little bit. 

We do little or no school on Fridays because we're with our group, but sometimes there were other outings I wanted to go on with the little Ws during the week and we just couldn't sacrifice two days of work. So I decided that this year we'd revert back to the level of attendance we had for our first three and a half months in the group, going just twice a month and freeing up the two remaining Fridays for other activities as a family.

I have a tentative plan for how we'll spend the two weeks we don't join our local group, but I'm holding the plan loosely and we'll see how things go. However, we did start things off according to the plan. Our local dispatch center, Metcom 911, allowed us to visit yesterday. As I coordinated schedules with them we realized Tim would be able to join the kids and I, which was an unexpected perk. 

We started off our time with one of the supervisors, then finished with one of the dispatchers. Among other things, we learned about the geographical area they cover, how many calls they get, agencies they work with, how they determine whether or not to activate Life Flight, what kind of education is required and the training involved, average length of time people stay on the job, explanations of all the computer screens the dispatchers work with, how they keep tabs on what the other dispatchers are doing, what the pedals at their feet are for, and what they personally like best and find most challenging about the job. The supervisor and dispatcher both offered lots of information and we asked lots of questions, so it was an informative and interesting visit. 

I didn't think to take any pictures while we were inside, so we snapped a quick one in the parking lot before we headed home. We're just going to pretend that half of Naomi's face isn't missing.

UPDATE: Metcom 911 posted the following on their Facebook page on 9/7/17. How fun is that?!