Monday, December 29, 2008

Pretend Crabs

Busy here- but one quick funny story:
We were at the King buffet in Amsterdam last Friday and Brilyn busted out with this- "Mommy, I need a bath. I am stinky and I have pretend crabs."
So that's all I'll say for now.
XOXO
Joce
PS More about our lovely Christmas later.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas is coming...

Brilyn
Family on the couch
Po diddy
Heading out on the town
This tree not only hugs, but dances

Cookies cooling on the counter, bread in the oven, cheese on the stove, laundry in the dryer, and washer, husband and lovely little children wrestling on the couch (did Cade just lick Joe's nose?) cards in the mailbox, carols on the radio, cow in the barn, no fire in the stove (bad draft, BAD DRAFT!), eggnog in the glass, lights on the tree, snow up to the window frames, and Christmas Pine candle scenting the air.
Here comes Christmas!
XOXO
Joce

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Oooh! Little Banditos! Or, Photo Meme.

I indirectly memed myself over at threecollie's place. And it's a photo meme where you go to your picture folder, open your sixth folder, and post the sixth photo. Then tell the story behind the photo. Here is the photo. Here is the story. It all started with Joe yelling in a whispering voice, "Joce! Come here!" Into the workshop in the barn I went, to find Joe pointing to the ceiling and shushing me. "Listen!" So listen I did, and what did I hear? Chirp trilly chirp. Rustle rustle. CHIRP!

AH ! Baby bandits. And by bandits I mean chicken killers, but I won't go there today, what with the oh-so-cute mug shot looming above.

Joe handed me a broom with which to tap softly and by that I mean pound like a deranged washerwoman on the ceiling whilst he headed out the door with a hoe. One for potatoes, or weeding the garden in case anyone was wondering. And so I pounded the ceiling to scare the little buggers out to the opening in the rafters, and Joe used the hoe to snag and pull the dastardly punks out into the open. And thus we learned where the eggs were going. And also had a lot of fun playing with the little cuties. I mean very naughty chicken killing thieves.

But, there are cute. And I couldn't let Joe kill them. So he put them in a tree in the woods, so they could grow up and them we can kill them when they start harassing our chickens. You can see the logic there, right?

Anyway.

My uncle had a pet coon once, and he was cute too, for about 6 months. And then he just got mean. Plain ornery. That is my disclaimer to any of you who thought, "Boy, if I ever caught such cute little critters, I would keep them and love them and feed them and dress them in cute clothes and hug them and kiss them and love them and keep them for ever and ever and call them my very own widdle wovey waccoons," They are mean and ornery, be ye warned. So. On to the video.




Now, to meme.


Meme yourself like I did. Just say to yourself, I would like to do that! That sounds like fun. And then do it, and link your post to my blog. And let me know about it, and I will link to your blog. Lotsalinkin.


XOXO


Joce


And so while I was waiting for this stupid video to post, I checked my email and found these very punny jokes waiting for me. My foravite is nebmur terhe.


1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. Theceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.


2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.


3. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.


4. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says: 'A beer please, and one for the road.


5. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: 'Does this taste funny to you?


6. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, 'I was artificially inseminated this morning.' 'I don't believe you,' says Dolly. 'It's true; no bull!' exclaims Daisy.


7. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids werenothing to look at either.


8. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.


9. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but Icouldn't find any.


10. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!' The doctor replied, 'I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!


11. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.


12. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.


13. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, 'Dam!'


14. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit afire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.


15. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse. 'But why,' they asked, as they moved off. 'Because,' he said, 'I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.'


16. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt, and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes toa family in Spain; they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, 'They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seenAhmal.


17. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...... A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.


18. And finally, there was the person who sent almost twenty different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one in ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

For all you hard of reading individuals, an update on color of text. Which never was red by the way, but for those of you who thought it was, you won't be able to read this anyway. LOL.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Okay. So I have a minute or two. Ah! There have been so many little things that have happened since I last posted that I said to myself "I need to blog that" and now I can't for the life of me remember any. Huh. Well, here's a new one:
Last night Joe asked me to cut his hair. This is something that has not been done since October. The first week of October. Because, once hunting season commences, there are no more hair cuts for Joe. Because, number one, he is not in the house long enough to get it cut, and number two, he takes hunting season as a chance to get back to nature in his grooming habits, (ie. he becomes a very manly man), and number three, the beard and mucho hairdo keep him warm. So anyway, last night was the night to remove the 'do. And the beard. Because, our freezer is now full.
Now to the funny bit. This morning Cade woke up at 6:00 and I put him in our bed to keep him warm while I went down to get him a bottle. After I set him down, he started crawling over to snuggle Joe. And then stopped dead halfway there. He looked at Joe, looked at me, pointed to Joe and said "Dat." Which means, loosely interpretted, "What the hell is that?" I said, "Cade, go hug your daddy." He, being Cade, responded by looking up at the walls, the ceiling, the foot of the bed, anywhere but at Joe. Finally Joe just pulled him over for a snuggle and Cade allowed himself to be hugged. But he wouldn't look at Joe for anything.
Skip ahead an hour or so, Cade is still giving Joe the cold shoulder and calling him "baby" (now that's just funny right there, I don't care who you are) when Joe asks him for a hug good-bye. Cade starts to come over to Joe, and then, seeing his naked naked face, turns around and backs in for his hug. Pretty much communicating, "You sound and feel like my dad whom I would hug, but, dude, I just can't look at you." Funny thing, that's how I felt all during hunting season.
LOL.
So, that's one funny thing. One other funny thing was the episode of me trying to infect my children with the chicken pox virus. I have issues with vaccines, but that is not the point of this post, so I will skip the why and just get to the what. My friend Hanna, who won the cookies for knowing the source of "-A-R-T-why? because I gottaaaaa" was lucky enough to have one of her babies catch the pox from an unidentified source. When I heard this good news, I immediately invited them over for a play date. When they arrived, I stripped the babies down, scratched the poxies, and let natre take its course. (And, beforehand had instructed Brilyn to lick the baby with the pox. She took that to mean licking chicken pops, which is apparently some new frozen treat. When Hanna and babies arrived, I believe Brilyn was rather dissappointed in the actual form of chicken pops.) But, anyway. I also rubbed Hanna's baby all over both of my babies, all the while Joe was shouting, "I think chicken pox is naturally contagious and that is probably unnecessary and possibly illegal."
Anyway, enough about the chicken pops. I'll let you know if my babies get the pops or not. Should arrive on Christmas Eve if the incubation period turns out to be exactly 2 weeks. That will be kinda neat, don't you think?
Today I hope to fold two loads of laundry, cook three pumpkins, make a pie, freeze the rest, and put up my Christmas village, because, somehow, I haven't gotten to that yet.
Yup.
Oh, one more thing, I am reading a book along with a great group of ladies at church. It is entitled
"Authentic Faith" by Gary Thomas. So far I have read two and a half chapters, and it is already having influence on my daily living. It's cool.
Well, I smell smoke, and Brilyn has asked me about 40 times for some hot chocolate, so I better go attend to my household. And my toast is long gone, as is my coffee, so I really have no excuse to still be seated here.


FYI- I may be posting a bit less often, so please be patient and don't forget about me in my absenses.
XOXO
Joce

Oh, and I will be writing more about our simple Christmas. Let's just say for now, my stress is lower that most other people's, and my bank account is happier.
And, I will post before and after pics of my hubby, so you can see why Cade was so weirded out.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Ah, a quick moment in which to blog. Busy times here at Tillaboro Orchard. And, the truth is that I used to blog because I was at the computer anyway to 'do my homework.' I have been going days without turning it on. And my kids like that. So.
Well, Joe just got home and I am going to go spend some time with him. So that means not with you at the moment. But, hopefully I'll be back soon because I would hate to lose you my good friends and readers.
XOXO
Joce

Monday, December 08, 2008

Winner winner chicken dinner

So, someone just won a lovely prize for knowing from whence the quote, "P-A-R-T-why? Because I GOTTAHHHHHHHH!" came. The Mask! of course. What a great (and by that I mean very very silly movie that I watched overandoverandover when I was younger and can quote pretty much verbatim all the way through and I still can't hear the term lugnuts with out saying It's time for an overhaul!) movie.

And your prize? A TOMMYGUN!
Not really. It's cookies, because tommyguns are illegal to give as gifts. So, Anonymous, please let me know who you are so I can get your cookies to you ASAP. Real homemade special Christmas cookies just for you. Tell Scarlet I DO give a damn, and tell me your name.

Okay, so I was looking for a clip on youtube to show you from The Mask, but I found a clip of Space Ghost instead, so that is what you get. Because it will give you a glimpse into my personality development. I used to watch this an awful lot and I realize the emphasis is on awful now that I am a grown up.

Here ya go:

Now, get outta here kid, you're bothering me.
XOXO
Joce

Friday, December 05, 2008

Frugal Friday

First, my devotional for today:

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods. Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death. AMEN
(I got that in an email that is supposed to be funny but instead ended up being inspiring. LOL.)

Now on to the frugal part.

My dear family and friends, Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below. The choice of color of the slipper is somewhat limited, but I can accessorize with any color you like. How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads: You need four maxi pads to make a pair. Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part. The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top. Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part. Decorate the tops with whatever you desire: silk flowers, novelty pins, ribbons, etc. These slippers are: * Soft and Hygienic * Non-slip grip strips on the soles * Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh * No more bending over to mop up spills * Disposable and biodegradable * Environmentally safe * Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags. I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.
(I won't take credit for this, I received it in an email from Rory.)
Hope this helps you make it through the holiday season.
XOXO
Joce

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I get up at 6:30 to milk and do chores with Joe before he goes to work because it makes it funner and easier. or more fun and more easy. I like it to match.
Anyway. So usually, Brilyn gets up with us (because somehow she is always in our bed by 6:30 a.m.). And, by the time we get back in the house, Cade is up too.
But today? I was able to milk, build a fire in the woodstove, make coffee, and do my devotions before they got up. And, as I was sitting in my living room in the quiet, I started to feel thankful. I was thankful for the smell of coffee, thankful for the aforementioned quiet, the warm glow of the fire, thankful for my precious (sleeping) children, thankful for the sugar maples outside my window (and for the syrup, of course), thankful for God's guiding hand and abiding presence in my life and all the resulting blessings. I didn't start out meaning to feel thankful, but that small moment of peace and quiet let my heart reflect on what is good in my life. Sometimes I forget to remember about the good things because the bad things often require my immediate attention.
So, I wanted to share the gift of a thankful spirit, and I encourage you to take a moment right now to think of just one thing for which you are thankful. And, if you would like, please share it here as a comment to this post.
May the peace of the season descend upon you today (even if it only lasts for 15 minutes).
XOXO
Joce
And Kara wants to know what fruit of the spirit you are eating today. Go tell her about it.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Hi There Folks!
You are now talking to someone who ain't got no homework to do and proper English be damned. And run-on sentences be praised and let's get out the beer and have some chips and dip which is something Brilyn was unfamiliar with but now likes excedingly.
So.
Now there are a few things I will do:
Clean out my bookcase and replace all academic reading with trashy romance novels.
Read as many sappy Christmas romance novels as I can.
Make cookies.
Make supper.
Make more cookies.
Let Brilyn help me make cookies.
And, do this meme from Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/
Ten things from my daily life that begin with the letter P. She gave me my letter and if you want one, just ask me and I'll give you yours.
10 P things:
1. Pee. Cow pee, Brilyn pee, Cade pee. Although Clara's is most worth mentioning since there is a small lake in the barn each morning.
2.
Po diddy. Po diddy got a hair cut. But he still has his ringlets in the back. It's a real mullet. I never would have pegged myself as the mother of a mullet, but his hair is just po diddy.
3. Pizza. We eat it a lot. I make it, I buy it, we eat it all the time. Ralph and Rosies, Picasso's. They are both too delicious to resist. And no one tops Rebisz pizza.
4. Poop. You should have seen that one coming. Somtimes I think I should have majored in poop instead of
5. Psychotherapy. Watch what you say in your comments, I may be analyzing you.
6. Probably not, my brain is constantly being reset by screaming children and requests for drinks.
7. Peanut butter. I hear there are terrible moldies and fungi in there, but I love it and so do my bobbins.
8. Panera. I used to go there EVERY WEEK to hang with Kara. Yeah, I don't get to do that any more for a number of reasons. But it was good while it lasted.
9. Pumpkin, a word I refuse to pronounce phonetically. Punkin is just so much more fun. They doesn't start with P, but for the record, I don't say grandma and grandpa right either. It's gramma and grampa.
10. P-A-R-T-why? Because I gotta!
Name the quote and win something. I'll let you know what it is when I think of something appropriate.
Okay, now don't forget to ask me for your letter so you can have some meme-ing fun too!
XOXO
Joce

Monday, December 01, 2008

Raw Milk During Pregnancy

My friend and milking partner Hanna wondered out loud to me today about the safety of drinking raw milk during pregnancy. So, she sparked my interest and I found a few more reasons I am glad to own a lovely source of raw milk (aka, Clara). I AM NOT PREGNANT, but I will probably be some day.
Anyway, from the Weston Price Foundation:
Modern Baby Books:Full of Bad Advice
By
Lisa Bianco-Davis
Walk down the "Baby & Childbirth" section of any bookstore or library and you will be faced with a bewildering array of books aimed at the pregnant woman. These books are written by doctors, obstetricians, midwives, mothers. . . and others. Unfortunately none of the authors appears to have read the work of Weston A. Price.
My husband and I are expecting our first child later this year. Being a first-time mom who is familiar with the work of Dr. Price, I was naturally curious to see what the pregnancy books had to say on the matter of nutrition. So I went to our local library and checked out an armload of books. I was surprised, not by the variety of the advice between the different books, but by the consistency of the message. Many of the pregnancy books included the USDA food pyramid, and parroted government recommendations. And while some of their advice is useful, much of it is misleading or just plain wrong.
When Weston Price studied healthy traditional societies, he found that they placed a strong emphasis on the nutrition of couples prior to pregnancy and of women during pregnancy and lactation. The foods these societies considered absolutely essential for producing healthy children were seafood (fish and shellfish, fish organs, fish liver oils and fish eggs), organ meats, insects, animal fats, egg yolks, whole milk, cheese and butter from cows eating green grass. When studied in the laboratory, Price found these foods to be high in minerals and vitamins, particularly the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D and K2 (
Price's "Activator X"). He determined that these traditional diets provided ten times the amount of fat-soluble vitamins compared to the American diet of the 1930s.
Let’s look at the modern pregnancy books’ recommendations regarding these foods that were considered essential to traditional societies.
WHOLE MILK, CHEESE AND BUTTER
Nearly every modern pregnancy book I looked at recommended consuming milk and dairy products to ensure an adequate calcium supply. However, not one of the authors points out the fact that calcium from typical store-bought pasteurized milk is poorly absorbed. Nor do they mention the fact that too little phosphorus also inhibits calcium absorption, but the complete destruction of the enzyme phosphotase (needed to assimilate phosphorus) is the standard test for the pasteurization of milk. But instead of recommending raw milk--Nature’s perfect food--they all warn against it! "Drink and eat only pasteurized milk products, and avoid all soft cheeses such as brie, Camembert, Roquefort, feta, and Mexican varieties. These cheeses, as well as unpasteurized milk and raw foods made from it, can give you a form of food poisoning called listeriosis."3
"Pregnant women should completely avoid . . . raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods that contain unpasteurized milk."4
Actually, raw milk is safer than pasteurized milk. Raw milk from healthy, pasture-fed cows has been a staple in many cultures for centuries, and has contributed to fabulous health, not caused disease.
Most of the books recommended using skim milk, reduced-fat cheese, and avoiding butter, in a misguided attempt to keep women from gaining too much weight or to restrict saturated fat and cholesterol--oblivious to the fact that cholesterol and saturated fat are needed for brain development. "Opt for lower-fat versions of the dairy foods that offer such great nutrition benefits: low-fat or nonfat yogurt and milk, nonfat cream cheese and sour cream, reduced-fat cheeses (search out those that are 50% fat reduced)."6
"Because they are an animal source, dairy foods can also contribute to saturated fat and cholesterol intake, so choosing lower-fat or fat-free versions of these foods can help keep your levels down." They claim that "Skim milk has all the important nutrients in the same quantity as low-fat or whole milk."4 But skim milk has none of the fat-soluble vitamins in milk fat that Weston Price found to be so important to maintaining superb health.
A few of the books noted that some people do not digest lactose (milk sugar) in milk well, so they recommend getting calcium from soybeans, tofu, nuts, seeds, broccoli, dark leafy greens, soymilk and fortified orange juice. These authors do not understand that consuming milk in its natural raw state and/or fermented allows many of these so-called "lactose intolerant" people to digest dairy products. They also fail to mention rich bone broths, another excellent source of calcium and other minerals used by many cultures that do not drink milk.
One book, when discussing feeding children, advised against all milk, saying, "Children do not need whole milk. They do not need that for the developing brain. That myth is old, was never true and has been discredited."7 I can see how someone could come to that conclusion. It would seem like an old myth to read that even as late as the 1920s doctors were recommending milk for the treatment of many diseases, and that milk has been viewed as a healthful food far back into antiquity. But at the same time you can find studies in the late 20th century that have linked milk consumption to asthma, frequent ear infections, diabetes and a host of other illnesses. It would seem logical to conclude that milk was never a healthy food, but this conclusion would overlook several important changes that happened to the production of milk during that time frame.
The first important change took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when people in cities began confining cows into concentrated feedlots, and feeding them cheap waste material instead of allowing them to graze on green pastures. This led to illness in the cows, and in the people who drank their milk. The second important change was instituted in order to combat the disastrous health effects of these confinement dairies. Around 1910 most American cities required pasteurization and by 1950 most milk was pasteurized. These changes, coupled with homogenization, have changed milk from a health-giving food into a disease-producing substance.
In contrast, Dr. Price found several cultures that relied heavily on the whole raw milk from cows grazing on green pastures. The mountain Swiss and the Masai are prime examples of healthy primitive cultures that depended on the nutritive value of whole raw milk products. Weston Price observed traditional people going to great lengths to obtain foods high in fat-soluble vitamins for pregnant women. "Among the primitive Masai in certain districts of Africa," Dr. Price wrote, "the girls were required to wait for marriage until the time of the year when the cows were on the rapidly growing young grass and to use the milk from these cows for a certain number of months before they could be married." In the Swiss Alps, the butter from cows eating rapidly growing green grass was a sacred food, considered very important for pregnant women. When cows eat rapidly growing green grass, the butterfat they produce contains the highest levels of vitamin A, D and K2 (Activator X), all important catalysts for growth and nutrient assimilation. Traditional societies always consumed their milk, cheese and butter raw and often cultured them, and they valued the bright yellow butter from grass-fed animals.
Some of the other nutritional topics the pregnancy books covered were the basic food categories, vitamin supplements and the subject of vegetarian diets.http://www.honesthuman.com/?p=165
. For more pregnancy diet advice, go here.

And, from honesthuman.com:
A reader posted a question at the end of the most recent raw milk post about whether it was okay for pregnant women to drink raw milk. Raw dairy products (including cheeses) are on the “don’t” list for expectant mothers because of fear of bacteria. I have long suspected that this was hogwash, and everything in my self-education refutes the entire philosophy behind it.
If I were planning to become pregnant, the first thing I would do is toss out almost many of the current baby/mommy books, because most of them are chuck full of bad advice. This
article on the Weston A. Price Foundation’s site articulates some of the ways pregnant women get bad advice on the diet question, and it has a section on raw milk during pregnancy.
We are nothing but a sea of micro-organisms. Bacteria are not our enemies. Without them we would literally die. (I’m going to post more about this soon, it’s just a particularly time-consuming subject.) And pasteurized milk is hardly free of such “germs” anyway. From what I’ve read, milk is not tested after pasteurization to make sure all the allegedly harmful bacteria are destroyed. They simply test to make sure that the healthy enzyme phosphatase has been destroyed (which helps you digest the milk), and then they assume that the “harmful” bacteria are destroyed. Perhaps that’s why all these people died after drinking pasteurized milk. These stats are from a local
Weston A. Price chapter:
* 1997, 28 persons ill from Salmonella in California, ALL FROM PASTEURIZED MILK.
* 1996, 46 persons ill from Campylobacter & Salmonella in California. FROM PASTEURIZED MILK.
* 1994, 105 persons ill from E. coil and Listeria in California FROM PASTEURIZED MILK.
* March of 1985 19,660 confirmed cases of Salmonella typhimurium illness FROM CONSUMING PROPERLY PASTEURIZED MILK. Over 200,000 people ill from Salmonella typhimurium in PASTEURIZED MILK
* 1985, 142 cases and 47 deaths traced to PASTEURIZED Mexican-style cheese contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes SURVIVES PASTEURIZATION!
* 1985, 1500 persons ill from Salmonella infection
* August of 1984 approximately 200 persons became ill with a Salmonella typhimurium from CONSUMING PASTEURIZED MILK
* November of 1984, another outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium illness from CONSUMING PASTEURIZED MILK
* 1983, over 49 persons with Listeria illness have been associated with the consumption of PASTEURIZED MILK in Massachusetts.
*1993, 28 persons ill from Salmonella infection
*1982, 172 persons ill (100 hospitalized) from a three Southern state area from PASTEURIZED MILK.
*1982, over 17,000 persons became ill with Yersinia enterocolitica from PASTEURIZED MILK bottled in Memphis, Tennessee.
Now, I don’t think the bacteria “caused” their deaths any more than mosquitoes “cause” West Nile Virus. People get sick when their bodies are worn down, when their immune systems can’t take being overworked and under-supported anymore and when they are susceptible. Period. And those principles don’t change just because we are pregnant.
In fact, I think it’s more important to drink raw milk and yogurts during pregnancy than at any other time because the unadulterated probiotics actually prepare the vaginal wall for delivery. A healthy woman with a healthy level of beneficial bacteria in her birth canal actually
gives the baby beneficial bacteria during birth to help fight infection in the first few days outside the womb. (I’ll post links/articles about how eating fermented foods can also assist in this process when I find them in my stacks.)
Sorry her links don't work here, if you are interested go here.

So, drink up Hanna! And Pamela. And Kara. And anyone else who is with child along with Clara.
XOXO
Joce

Wish Lists

I got this as an email from MOPS International today. I don't usually read them, but I am glad that today's was one I chose to read.

From home to home, and heart to
heart, from one place to another. The
warmth and joy of Christmas, brings
us closer to each other.
(Emily Matthews)


All I Want for Christmas …
Carla Foote, Director of Media
Even if you keep the gift giving simple, the whole process of making a “wish list” is an interesting glimpse into the minds and hearts of our children. I remember as a child, sitting with the big Sears “Wish Book” and marking pages. I don’t remember what I wished for, but I remember the process being very important to me. With my own children, I’ve tried to minimize the pressure of consumerism by limiting exposure to advertising. We don’t have a television and when they were younger I would even go so far as to hide the advertising fliers in the Sunday paper to avoid the litany of “I want ____.” This helped keep the wishes more reflective of my children’s personalities, rather than the popular “must-haves.”

My daughter would come up with the most unusual requests that gave me a glimpse into how she saw the world and what was important to her. One year she wanted “street signs.” Somehow in her detail mind, when she was playing pretend villages, she needed street signs in the scene. I did finally find a few small wooden street signs to wrap up and put under the tree. At about six or seven, she wanted a whiteboard for her bedroom. I thought it an odd gift, thinking some toy would be more appropriate. But the whiteboard became a visual “diary” for her where she could draw or write notes to herself. Ten years later, it is still in her bedroom, as a journal on the wall, with notes about books to read, personal goals, running and swimming times.

As moms, we can’t and probably shouldn’t make every wish come true for our children. But by listening to their wishes, we can get insight into their view of the world, their distinct way of learning and playing, and their passions. The wish list also gives me insight into how to pray for my children.

Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, thank you for the unique personality and vision that belongs to my child.



This email reminded me of a recent couple of conversations I had with Brilyn, who is 3 1/2. I aksed her what she thought Santa might bring her for Christmas. She replied, "Well, I already have everything. (pause) But Cade needs a bike." That made my week. Such a simple example of 'Wanting what you have means having what you want.'

But then, a few days later, Brilyn came running out of the playroom to let me know what Santa would bring her- a fishing pole. A pink one.

So like the author of the above story, a child's wish list gives insight into her personality. Brilyn likes outdoor activities. Her idea of what Santa will bring her matches that perfectly.

When I questioned her about what she would use it for, she said, "I'll take daddy fishing, but this time, he can ride on my back and I'll catch the fish."

As you can see, Brilyn has been fishing before. And, her fishing experience on the day the above picture was taken certainly went a long way in developing her outdoor character. Joe fishes the tribs in the winter wearing waders. He walks around in the water to get to the best spots. This day, he went in water too deep as evidenced by my poor little baby's wet feet. The best (worst) part of that story is that she never cried or complained and Joe didn't notice until he took her off his back at the end of the day. Don't worry- no babies were harmed in the making of this story. Her piggies are just fine.
But, I think when she says that daddy can ride on her back she silently thinks, "And daddy can hang there all day with wet feet in the 35 degree weather."

XOXO
Joce

About Me

About Me
I love Jesus, my hubby, my 6 kiddos, my farm, good books and good food.