Mt. Baker

At last, we have visited Mt. Baker. We look at it almost every day, if the clouds stay at bay. It looms over the southern landscape. It beckons David as he drives home from work. It calls to us all like a taste of Colorado from far away. Mt. Baker. Thanks for a beautiful day!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

With zucchinis and squash, lettuce and peas, and a little corn all in a row... and a random bit of kale in surprising places.

{this moment}

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{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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with Amanda @ SouleMama

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Making Time for Change

This morning, I realized something significant. I'm a 30-day change person. What do I mean by that? Simply that it takes me about 30 days to feel comfortable in a change. Big or small, it takes a while to adjust.

As I was mulling this over, I realized that we have lived in 4 different places in the last 24 months. I could have said the same 4 months ago, when we moved here. Three houses. One apartment. Four cities (to be fair, three were in the same area). Two countries. I've got this moving thing down. But each change took a little while to digest.

I read recently that every habit we have was once something

new that we had to grow accustomed to. My bowl-of-oatmeal-everyday-for-breakfast habit began with that single first bowl of oatmeal. The put-the-vegan-food-leftovers-in-the-compost-bin habit began with the first apple core. It all began somewhere, and took a little while to become a habit. It is true of the less healthy habits as well. My stay-up-late-at-night-when-I-should-be-sleeping habit started with the first late night, which I believe happened somewhere in my early teens and has lasted to this day.

None of this is news, so why was it so significant for me this morning? I realized that it is not only the passing of days that is required for my comfort in a new habit. Time can pass, and I will still be fighting like it was the first time. I have to make time for change. The catchword I've seen floating around is "mindfulness" ... I have to be mindful of the change. To embrace it. To allow myself time to mourn the loss (even if it is a good loss) and savor the novelty. Only then can I embrace the new and peacefully leave the old behind.

Now a little laugh for you. What prompted all this soul-searching? I'm not a morning person. Fact. We have a new puppy. Fact. My husband's alarm goes off at 5:00am, waking me and the puppy ... oddly enough, not awakening him. Fact. I'm mourning the loss of sleep. I'm mourning the loss of morning time to myself. I'm mourning my late nights. Okay, I must admit that I'm not mourning them yet because I haven't given them up yet. But I'm mourning the prospect. Fact. But I realized that it has only been 3 weeks. My 30 days haven't passed yet. I also haven't taken the time for the change.

So as I sat outside in my pjs, wrapped in blankets against the morning cold, looking out over the greenness, I saw as I haven't seen before. The light is different in the early morning. The birdsongs carry a different energy. The grass is wet. Flowers smile. The distractions are less. The world feels new. And I became mindful of the change. Yes, the mourning is great, but there is beauty to embrace as well.

Facing a change? Big? Small? Desired? Against your wishes? Give it time. Be mindful of your mourning and let it flow over you. Be mindful of the beauty and thank God for it. Be mindful of your heart and trust in your ability to face change. Make time for it and you'll find peace in it.

Slow Days

Slow days ... they add such joy to my life. You know the days I'm talking about. When you can spend extra time doing the things you love. When you can simply sit in your favorite chair just listening to the sounds of the day, stroll outside and enjoy a crisp and sunny day, and mostly, just breathe.

Today is one of those days. It is 73 degrees and beautifully sunny. Peace seems to reign in the house. With 4th grade finished, 5th grade not beginning until September, the house relatively clean, our puppy sleeping, the boy entertaining himself, and a relatively short to-do list, it is a slow day. Exactly what I needed after a couple of challenging weeks. Recovery. Healing. 

I will get a little laundry done today, prepare food, do some work on the laptop, run a quick errand. But overall, it is a wonderfully slow day.

Can you remember the last time you took time to slow down? What do you like to spend your slow days doing?

Enjoy

Goodbye 4th Grade!

Can't believe it! We have finished 4th grade! For you homeschool moms, you know what I mean. It is definitely a WE thing. The structured learning doesn't happen without learning on my part ... often we discover things together, sometimes I come to the learning moments with prior knowledge. Sometimes, I knew it at one time, but have to refresh my mind with relevant facts and stories. Not to mention the teachable moments where Google is a lifesaver! Regardless, 4th grade is a memory.

Oh, I'm showing my American-ness. I should be saying Grade 4! {grin} Before we forge ahead to Grade 5 and planning the learning adventures for next year, a recap.

Math: Books 3B, 4A, and 4B of Singapore Math are history. No, they are math. But not math Nathan will have to face again. A year and a half in 11 months. Nice job! The octopus was created while he was studying symmetry. 

Grammar: Charlotte Mason's Simply Grammar was the fare of this year ... slowly and deliberately. Today, as we were looking at his work from the year, Nathan said, "I love Grammar!" I taught him the beginnings of how to diagram sentences this year. Love. He is indeed my son!

Writing: Daily, weekly, some "published", some drafted, enjoyed and forgotten. The year began with a unit study on writing poetry. We worked on non-fiction writing that culminated in a 5 paragraph essay about the Battle of Bunker Hill. Fiction writing is an ongoing joint effort via email with a friend back in Colorado. Ask Nathan what a Wonkaluk is.

Reading: We didn't have any curriculum concerning reading or spelling. Nathan reads at least an hour, usually two or more, daily. And if he has seen it written, he can usually spell it. He has consumed The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger and Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Esther Forbes' Johnny Tremain, Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, Lynne Reid Banks' The Indian in the Cupboard, and a never-ending list of library books. I say "consumed" because he is on his 18th read of The Hobbit, or something like that, and that is typical. He has read each of the above, with the exception of Johnny Tremain, multiple times, and often in a single day. "Consumed" yields the perfect image!

Science: In the fall, we completed two studies about trees. Both were Simple Schooling courses. The first titled "Tree-Leaf-Seed" and the second "Evergreen Trees." Apologia Astronomy has been our curriculum since Christmas. Nathan enjoyed the first half, but the repetition of the exercises got a little old after a while. However, he did create an amazing Astronomy game called "Race through the Solar System" that contains a review of facts from each chapter. If you're using this curriculum, I would highly recommend this activity when it gets a little dry during the last few chapters.

World History: Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times took us on a tour of world history from the nomadic people in the fertile crescent through the end of the Roman empire. Great activities this year included adventures in the catacombs with the early Christians, creating sand paintings like the early South Americans, and making a miniature model fasces when studying the rise of Rome. And who knew that Attila the Hun died of a nose bleed!

US History: We began in the colonies, complete with a model of Jamestown made with salt clay, sticks, paint and popsicle sticks. The adventure continued through a week study of the French and Indian War, and culminated with the colonial victory at Yorktown to conclude the Revolutionary War. In November, we also took a week to study the presidential election process and track the election in its final days. Nathan says that this subject was his favorite for the year.

Brazil: Nathan wanted to study Brazil this year, so we did! Ahh, the beauty of homeschool. We took more of a student-led approach, which meant much more reading, fewer deliverables. But one of the greatest art projects of the year was a wire model of Pele.

Herb Study: Herb Fairies gave us hours of reading and exploring herbs and their medicinal uses. Highly recommend, if you're asking! Eight more months of online curriculum to go.

Century Book: Another of Charlotte Mason's, the Century Book has grown with times and dates from each subject area. Over and over, we gasp and say, "I didn't know those things were happening at the same time!" Highly recommend, for all you homeschool families. We made our own. If you want the templates for the pages, just comment below and let me know.

Art: Thank you, Sarah, for helping Nathan create such a beautiful copy of Van Gogh's Starry Night. It was a perfect Father's Day present for Dad. His days at Boulder Explore were filled with a variety of art mediums including paint, pottery, chalk, pencil, etc. as they studied the great artists. Thank you to others for filling in where I'm very weak!

Boulder Explore: While we were living in Colorado, Nathan attended Boulder Explore every Tuesday. If you live in the area and are looking for an amazing one-day program, check it out. It is free through Boulder Valley School District.

Music: Another year of piano lessons dwindled as we moved to Canada. We'll be picking up where we left off once we start the new school year. Nathan has a keen ear, and has written several songs to go with words found in books he's reading, including his own version of the dwarves' song in The Hobbit.  He not only composed them in his head, but wrote them down to remember forever.

Well, that's about it ... the year in a nutshell. Hope you have all spent the year filling your brains to the brim, too.

{this moment}

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{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

with Amanda @ SouleMama

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17 July ... eh?

How did it get to be half way through July? My Colorado-programmed body keeps waiting for the 90 degree temperatures, and keeps waiting, and keeps waiting. Then it will feel like summer. Incidentally, our pepper plants are waiting too! I wonder if I will keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for snow in six months to mark the winter season, only to be drowning in the grey fall-ish (made me think of "small-ish" which made me think of Dr. Seuss - happy thoughts) rain of the pacific northwest. Will be strange come Christmas time. But ... certainly no complaints. The coolness of the days is such a blessing! I'm loving the fact that I'm still wearing sweaters inside the house. Perfect!

Meanwhile, the days pass so quickly. We've enjoyed a week of VBS, filled with exciting science experiments and great music (which we keep listening to day after day on the CD that was a gift at the end). I spent my days toting a puppy and trying to be the VBS photographer. In spite of our Shadow, I was able to get some pretty good shots. A great week.

And Shadow ... well, I didn't realize just how much a puppy can turn your world upside-down. We're beginning to settle now, and I'm getting about 6 hours of sleep at night. A major improvement. It is much like having a newborn. Okay, not really. But the sleeplessness isn't fun, regardless. No sleep makes for a VERY grumpy and unproductive me! Thus ... a rather silent blog, among other things.

Over the weekend, we ventured up into the mountains. It felt very much like home. Rocky. Lots of evergreen trees. No aspens, oh well. The river was much larger as well. We all needed a dose of the mountains.

This week, we've been going through the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills to determine whether or not I've been doing my job as Nathan's primary educator. He's a whiz! No issues with standardized testing here! We'll see in a few weeks when they return the scores just how many things I haven't gotten around to teaching him yet. Boulder Valley School District will be happy to receive the test scores and find that I'm still fulfilling my part of the bargain, since we are registered there until September.

That's the current update. Not exactly the kind of post I'm hoping to write on a regular basis, but an update for those who love us and like knowing what is going on. Happy Summer!

Rain

Check out Kristi's post

Akiru: rain

for the story of how they began Akiru in Uganda, and where they are today.

Kristi's sister and brother-in-law are dear to me, and the reason that a part of my heart is in Karamoja.

Guitar ... Why didn’t I learn to play when I was younger?

Sometimes I think about the things I regret. Honestly, not often. It just leads to this period of self-pity over things I can’t change. We really can’t go back and re-do life. I have to remind myself to stay focused on one of my favorite mantra's, “Do the Next Right Thing!”

But when it comes to the guitar, I do find myself pining away for the girl I meant to be, the one who could pick up a guitar and play. Just play. For me. For family. For gatherings of whomever, whenever. Just play. That girl may never exist. But then again, she might. You’re never too old to learn. That’s what they tell me. And here I am trying, once again, to learn something new and change myself to that girl I dream of being. The one who can play.

But alas, why didn’t I learn to play when I was younger? Seems like it would have been easier, although I’m not sure why. Maybe an attitude change is in order. Maybe it wouldn’t have been easier when I was younger. Maybe this is the perfect time to learn. YES! It is the perfect time to learn.

So instead of typing, which I won’t be able to do for a few weeks until the tips of my fingers get their feeling back, I’ll play.

Just play.

Morgan Freeman and the Declaration of Independence

I came across this short documentary yesterday on Facebook. It has been around for years, and is usually circulated during the Independence Day celebrations. It seems that 6 months of studying the American Revolution with Nathan in school has elevated my interest this year. As a result, I'm still mentally focused on the Independence Days celebrated in Canada and the United States last week.

There's depth and beauty in Morgan Freeman's eloquent comments, especially as he talks about the ideals of the document, and the challenge that the nation faces when striving to meet those ideals. Well said!

Hope you enjoy! Hope you're prompted to ponder!

http://www.schooltube.com/video/c58324fe0a80a0175750/

A last post on the topic, at least for this year! Time to move on!

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

with Amanda @ SouleMama

. . . . . . . . . .

Happy Independence Day!

It is the 4th of July. In 1776, a group of brave, slightly reckless men signed a document declaring freedom from tyranny, freedom from king and country. They sought the freedom to rule themselves, and in their wisdom and courage, they created a nation.

The story that followed was one of men and women choosing sides. They determined where their hearts and consciences were leading them, and fought to the end. For some, the end was their final breath. Some knew victory. Others saw an end of defeat. But ultimately, a country knew its freedom.

What about today? Do we still live in freedom, or have we given ourselves over to a new and different tyranny? It is not a new question, yet one that still deserves thought. Whether you live in the "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave" or not, are you truly free?

Regardless of the rules and regulations that control my body, I know my mind, my heart, and my soul can forever be free. Easy for me to say. I've never lived in bondage. It is not my goal to diminish the experiences of those who have.

My point instead is that I make my own bondage of spirit sometimes often.

• Suffocating under too much stuff
• Succumbing to the "SHOULDS" (I wrote about this long ago. You can read it here.)
• Living for a nod from mankind

These things I often allow to steal away my freedom. True freedom is simple, although rarely easy.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

In that saving moment, we are set free.

Then Jesus said:

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know that truth, and the truth will set you free. ... So if the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:31-32,36

And what was Yeshua's teaching? Love God. Love People.

So where does my freedom rest? Firmly in the arms of my loving Heavenly Father, who teaches me what it means to love Him, and to love people ... more so each day, if I'm seeking Him. There I find freedom from the world, freedom from myself, freedom to love, freedom to live.

As I think of how our forefathers fought the freedom fight for me, I'm brought to my knees acknowledging Yeshua's fight for my freedom that has truly set me free. I am grateful. Today, I choose Christ. I choose to Love God. I choose to Love People. I choose to live free.

Happy 4th!

My Heart in Karamoja

How can a part of my heart be in Karamoja? I’ve never been there. I have no desire to live that close to the equator. I'm more of an Alaska kind of dreamer. But in the quiet of the days, it is there my thoughts dwell in a continuous state of prayer. Uganda. Hmmm ... Uganda.

On the laptop, my background is a photo of several Karamajong women who make journals. It is called The Akiru Project. Click over and read about them here. They make the paper by hand, and assemble the most beautiful, earthy leather journals, symbols to me of a woman’s strength in the midst of great hardship, of their courage and strength. Check out their Etsy shop as well! 

My heart cries for them, rejoices with them, and rests with them in the quiet of the day.

No, I don’t want to live there. I don’t want to live the rest of my life with malaria. I don’t want my son to either, or my husband. I don't want to live on the other side of the world, away from our older sons, away from family, away from friends. I don't want to have to change and stretch that much.

But in a little hut, with a kitchen hut just a few feet away, live two people whom I love dearly, pray for often, and live vicariously through. And SHE PLAYS THE GUITAR (more on that later)! I had a dream the other night that they built another bedroom/living hut, and we moved into it. We lived simply, squatty potty and all, with no electricity, no running water, no conveniences, no daily commutes, no phones ringing off the hook, no hundreds of emails a day. Just us, living in community with them, sharing our lives and our faith under the next tree.

A part of my heart rests in Karamoja. I wonder if my body ever will?

Added 13 July 2013: 
Take a look at this link to find out more about Akiru, which means ... rain.