Finding Jesus in the Laundry

I don’t know about you, but one of the most seemingly mundane tasks of my week is laundry. As cliched as it sounds, it really is never-ending.

Here’s my ideal: People in my family wear clothes. Clothes get dirty- sometimes really dirty because we live on a farm. The laundry fairy shows up and viola! Clean clothes. Folded and put away.

But because we live in the real world, that’s not how it happens. You all know as well as I do that in the grand scheme of things, laundry can sometimes get pushed to the bottom of the list of things to do in a day. I used to feel as though it was a chore, drudgery, a nuisance. Something that was to be an annoyance, a hassle, an inconvenience and only completed grudgingly and with an ungrateful heart.

Then Jesus got hold of me, and boy did He change my heart around. He showed me grace in the middle of my distain and mercy in the midst of my chore. And I’ve never been able to look at it the same since.

The soft, quiet whisper of the Spirit reminded me what a joy it can be to serve those with whom I share a home. He prompted me to start small. So I did. Instead of seeing the piles of laundry, He caused me to look at the blessings it held.

It holds the blessings of a sister and a brother who enjoy spending time together- even at the ages of 16 and 15. It holds the blessings of a hard-working man who loves his family and me more than we can possibly understand. It holds the blessings of the day to day rhythm of life that comes from living on a farm. It holds the blessings of joy, peace, love, and laughter.

But mostly, what I learned, is that it holds the blessing of enough. Enough.  It holds the blessings of a single-income, homeschooling family for which God provides enough. It holds the blessings of a family who sits together at the dinner table every night. It holds the blessings of a 16 year old daughter who still holds her daddy’s hand in public. It holds the blessings of a 15 year old son who still hugs his mama. It holds the blessings of a devoted husband who appreciates and values his helpmeet in ways too numerous to mention.

And how, do you ask, does dirty laundry hold these blessings? Simple. The life that is being lived is being lived in the clothes that are piled on the floor or in the hamper. The dirt and the grime that is on the knees of my son’s jeans is a direct result of the life being lived. A tear on the sleeve of my beloved’s shirt came from his determination to work and provide a decent income for his family. A stain of poo on my daughter’s coat came from her desire to provide our animals with a safe, warm place for them to lay their heads at night.

After I started seeing the laundry through the eyes of Jesus, He took me one step further. I now pray over each item of clothing as I fold it. I spend quality time with God in intentional prayer of the members of my family. I will ask Him to give them wisdom, protection, favor, guidance, grace, direction, and many others as they go about their day wearing the clothing I’m folding.

My sense of humor has certainly developed as I’ve prayed over my family while folding their underwear. And I think that might have been the biggest lesson for me overall- that there is joy to be found in the mundane. There is communion to be found in the details. But most importantly, that Jesus cares so much about me and my heart, that He met me in the laundry room.  

Mother Earth News Fair

A few months ago I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and this post came up for the Mother Earth News Fair. I had heard of Mother Earth News and had read their magazines while sitting in the library waiting for the kids' summer reading program to end. And I loved them.

I discovered that Mother Earth News puts on a fair in different parts of the country during the year. The closest one to me was going to be in Pennsylvania in the middle of September. I talked with a friend and we decided to attend. Our daughters decided that we couldn't go by ourselves and have all the fun, so they came with us (as a mama, that made the trip even better).  

First of all, the entrance fee is so reasonable it's crazy- if you place your ticket order early, you can get a 3 day ticket for $25. And kids under 18 are FREE. So, yeah, crazy prices.

I looked around and found a B&B for us to stay in for the weekend- again, crazy reasonable pricing. Plus, breakfast was included. The room was clean, the breakfast was hearty, and the other guests were a riot. We all had a great time together.

We left for our destination early Friday morning and arrived at our B&B around noon. After checking in and depositing our bags, we headed to Seven Springs Resort for the fair.

Let me tell you something: I was blown away. Seriously. The venue, the weather, the scenery. Oh, and let's not forget the actual fair itself! The vendors. The workshops. The education. The people. And I usually am not a real big fan of people. But these 15,000 people were just like me! They were seeking knowledge about living life. About being alive. About doing stuff that matters, not just today, but into the future. About realizing that the status quo isn't all it's cracked up to be. About finding a new way to do an old task. About making a difference. About not settling for something that works just because it appears convenient.

You are probably expecting me to describe these people as older, hippie-ish, tree-hugging, no animal product, women in long, flowing skirts, birkenstocks, and long hair everywhere. Ah, no. Not at all. There were so many families. So many people in my generation. I couldn't believe how many people under the age of 45 were there. It was amazing. And so encouraging!

I took workshops on crop rotation, herbalism, goat cheese making, hops growing...can you say 'diversity?' There were over 200 workshops to choose from! I learned so much over the weekend that I felt as though my brain had turned to mush and was leaking out of my ears.

A few words of advice:

• Take good notes. Even if you don't think it matters at the time, take them anyway. You won't regret it- you will regret thinking that you can remember everything you heard in the workshop
• Good walking shoes. Obviously. 
• More money than you think you'll need. Although, most of the vendors are set up to take credit/debit cards now on their smart phones, cash is king
• Go with a friend or friends. You can a) divide and conquer and make it to twice as many workshops if you split up and b) have someone to process information with.
• At least one bag- preferably a backpack- for you to haul stuff in. 
• Don't feel like you have to have basic knowledge in any given area in order to attend a particular workshop. I found that most of the presenters went from basic to advanced teaching within one hour. It was fascinating. 
• GO

If this has piqued your interest at all, wonderful. If not, sorry 'bout your luck.

A Vacation within a Vacation

I'm sitting on my in-laws' front deck listening to the wind in the trees, the wind chimes tinkle, and the grasshoppers....um, whatever noise a grasshopper makes. And I'm loving it. Not a person, except for family, in sight or earshot. Plain and simple- it's beautiful. And peaceful. And quiet.

But you know what? It smells different than home. The wind sounds different than what it sounds like at home. And I wonder. I wonder if I enjoy home as much as I enjoy my in-laws deck. Do I appreciate the sounds, smells, and views at the home of my heart as much as I do here. If I don't, why not?

I've been giving this some thought. What I've come up with is that, yes, I do appreciate it as much at home as I do on vacation. It does become something that can be taken for granted, but for as much as I love my in-laws deck, I truly, deeply, passionately love the area we call home. I love the lay of land, the variety of trees, the whisper of the breeze, and the scents and sounds of home.

I think that getting away from the everyday normal is a good thing every once in a while. I think that it's necessary for personal, spiritual, mental, and emotional development to see new things, try new foods, meet new people, and acclimate to new areas. I think that there is something to be said for learning the roads in a new town or going to a totally random church. To hear a different language spoken at the grocery store or find a regional ice cream that you love. To go to bed and get up with the sun instead of an alarm clock. To really spend time alone, but not lonely, and get to know better that quiet whisper that prompts your soul.

Vacation is a good thing. Getting away is a good thing. But going home? It's even better....

Keeping it All in Perspective

Well, friends, we are almost done with school for the year. ALMOST. But not quite.

Son has finished his Healthy Choices/Healthy Living class and Science. He's almost done with Math- only 5 lessons left. He has a few more History/Geography lessons left in the book. Then we will be focusing on writing for the summer for him. Prayers would be appreciated.

Daughter is done with Science, Healthy Choices/Healthy Living, Wordly Wise, Writing, Botany, and Ancient History. She's got 20 lessons or so left in her current math curriculum and will be doing another entire year of math this summer so that she can take Physics class next year.  Again, prayers would be appreciated.

So, in rereading what I wrote in the first sentence, I think I may have been lying.

In the grand timeline of childhood, we're almost done with schooling. But considering the fact that learning is life-long, education is never-ending, and my motto is that it's a wasted day if you don't learn something new, schooling is a blip. A necessary blip, but a blip nonetheless.

But it's not the main thing to focus on. Love, kindness, compassion, serving others, hard work- those are things that I really want the kids to remember and learn. I desire that they keep the Main Thing the Main Thing. 

I deeply desire that they grow to love the Lord and develop a heart to follow hard after Him and what He wants from them for their lives. He will make a way for them. He IS faithful. He IS all-powerful. He IS so worthy of all our love, adoration, praise, and worship. He IS the only one who IS.

So, yes, schooling is necessary. But it's not all there is to childhood, or teenager-hood, or adulthood, for that matter. 

Can I get an amen?!

Home

What a word. What a concept. And to each person it holds different meaning.

After being gone for 16 days, I couldn't wait to be home. Drinking my own coffee. Eating my own food. In my beloved's arms. Laughing with my daughter. Seeing my own view out the windows. Sleeping in my own bed. 

For as much as I thoroughly enjoyed our time at a friend's inn in Massachusetts, I was ready to be home.

I learned a few things while I was gone. For what it's worth, I think we should all learn something new everyday. And if the something that we learn is something new about ourselves it's a bonus!

I learned that when God plucks me from my normal, everyday life and places me outside of my comfort zone that I shouldn't fight it. I'll miss the blessings He wants to give me because I'll be too busy and too focused on where I'm not instead of where I am.  On the other side of that coin, if I fight it, I won't be the blessing I should be to the people I'm serving. If I'm too focused on me, I can't focus on Him.

I learned that I can do it. Whatever it is. I can do it. I can figure out solutions to problems or situations that I probably will never encounter again. But because of my common sense, life is not really that complicated. It's complex, but not complicated. Love and grace can solve every problem out there.

I learned that there is a reason why God has had me walk down some of the paths He's chosen. His plan is so much more than anything I could have ever imagined. The pieces of the puzzle He put together have made for a very colorful, multidimensional, and multifaceted picture. If left to my own devices, I'm certain that how I would choose to put the pieces together would be rather dull, monochromatic, and flat. 

The most important thing I learned, though, is that I have to bring these truths home with me and incorporate them into my everyday life. Those lessons learned shouldn't be left behind, they should become part of who I am. And that's the best lesson of all. 

Spring is right around the corner

It's almost time!

 

Time for what, you ask? Time for planting. Time for growing. Time for getting my hands dirty in the good clean dirt of my garden. Time to listen to the laughter that comes from sunshine and warmer weather. Time to listen to the birds as they lift their voices in song to our God.

Last year, I was overwhelmed with life and our garden felt the neglect. Oh boy, did it ever. I actually felt the same neglect as our garden did: out of control, no tending, and barely surviving.


This year, I am taking the necessary steps to release myself from the time-sucking activities that drained me last year. I am determined to not fall into the same patterns again. It simply isn't healthy. For me, my family, or our lifestyle.

My family needs the food we grow and preserve. We rely on it. It's part of my job as a homemaker to provide it. I just ordered my seeds for the year: beets, carrots, beans, squash, rutabagas, cabbage, cucumbers.  I can't wait to get out in the sun and feel the warmth on my skin.

Gardening is like life: what you sow, you shall reap. If you allow weeds and crud to take over, the goodness and good things of your garden will be overwhelmed and lost to the shadows. Not this year. Not this time.

Image courtesy of amenic181 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fading Summer

So, it's be a very long time since I last posted. Spring warmed into summer, which stayed warm. And then got HOT. And dry. But alas, summer is slowly losing it's grip to fall. The mornings are getting cool. The shadows are lengthening. The cicadas are being replaced by crickets as daylight comes later in the morning. The spiders are building their webs in the grass and on the tall weeds.


I am looking forward to the first tinges of gold to touch the leaves of the trees. Next week, we start our homeschooling year. The kids are both dreading it and looking forward to it- all at the same time. There have been some really great deals at the stores for school supplies. Stocking up hasn't broken the bank this year!

In the meantime, here's a recipe that I made up for super-easy biscuits that are great when they are split in half, smeared with butter, and covered with fresh, homemade sausage gravy! But don't take my word for it!



Easy Biscuits- makes 8 or so (easy to double)

1 cup flour (either whole wheat, AP, or combo of both)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 T shortening or lard
3/4 c milk (or a little less if using AP flour)
1 beaten egg in a bowl. 


Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture. Stir in milk. Use a light hand. Too much stirring can make tough biscuits.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for 15-20 seconds- just to finish bringing it all together.

Pat into rectangle. Either use a mason jar to cut out into circles or slice into eight squares.

Put on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle a little kosher salt on top. Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.




Enjoy!