Ancestors with a Past

A while back I was given a written history of my mother's side of the family. The first of our family to set foot on American soil was Martin Dye in 1665! From this family history I found out that I was an 11th generation American with relatives of many different means and ways of life. There are two stand-out relatives I'd like to tell you a little about.

The first, Avery Dye (I love his name!), was born in 1828. He married a woman named America. Wouldn't it be fun introducing your parents, "Avery and America"? Ok, well anyway, Avery was a Confederate Civil War soldier who was captured and incarcerated in the Alton, IL Yankee prison. While there, he escaped with the Quantrill Raiders. (not nice guys) From there he became friends with the Younger Brothers and rode with Jesse James and his gang to Texas. The James-Younger gang were notorious bushwhackers. (again, not nice guys) Didn't know you were in for a brief history lesson, huh?! After the war Avery escaped the James-Younger gang and returned home to Missouri. He said it was easier to break out of Alton Prison than it was to break out of Jesse James' gang. I can believe it!

A relative with loftier goals and better friends was David "Reuben" Dye. He was born in 1835. He lived on a farm 2 1/2 miles south of Stoutsville, MO. Stoutsville is where my great-great grandparents, great-grandparents and grandparents all lived. After Cannon dam was built in 1984 the town was buried under water. Some day I'll share some of my cherished memories of that small town. Back to Reuben...He mortgaged the farm for $1000 to finance a Star Mail Route from Stoutsville, to Florida, MO. His two partners defaulted and Reuben ran the route alone with a horse and spring wagon to keep from losing the farm. One of his good friends and passengers was Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain.) It is said that Samuel Clemens fashioned many of his book's characters off of people he had known; quite possibly those he met along the mail route with Reuben.

I love ancestors who have an "past" worth remembering and sharing. Makes you wonder what they will write about us someday...look at that girl, she just blabbered and blabbered on about nothing. Ha! :) Oh well, maybe they will run across some good tidbits themselves that will make it all worthwhile.

Changing Clothes

I enjoy the many wonders of spring - the flower's blooming, the gentle rainy days, the lush green colors of the budding trees, the new grilling recipes to try out, the lingering with neighbors, and the joy of watching my kids change out their winter clothes into their summer clothes. We have often called it a "fashion show" at our house.

Today I went through Rhett's clothes with him (not quite as exciting) and then moved to the little girl's room. We went tearing through 3 boxes stored in the closet, trying on shorts, short-sleeved shirts, sleeveless jammies, and spring dresses. Of course, Tara usually gets the largest pile of clothes to try on since she gets ALL the hand-me-downs, but there are still a few for Katie each year. I have some of Ashley's old dresses that Katie can wear now. The sleeves are a tad puffy, but Katie thinks they are gorgeous so if she wants to go retro, then I don't mind either. We tried to save only the items that seemed timeless anyway. It seems like once you have the shelves (we don't have drawers) and the closets organized with the new season's clothes, it really feels like the season has changed.

We purchased a few new outfits and swimsuits for spring/summer this week that still need to be laundered, but overall, we're just about done with the switch. All these "new" things make me want to use my JCPenney's gift cards and add a little spring to my closet, as well. If I do, I hope it will be as much fun for me as it has been for them. How have you enjoyed the changing of the season?

Confessions of a Book-aholic!

Oh, my...I went to the library last night, except this time, instead of standing guard in the kid's section watching over the girls, my husband came along and I LEISURELY got to peruse the stacks. I tried my best to restrain my collection of books to take home, remembering vividly my confession of the 71 books beside my bed already, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for more. I just couldn't.

I've updated my stacks list on the side bar to reflect the new acquisitions...some of them I'm almost giddy about reading! Seriously, do books do this for anyone else?

The first book I cracked open was the Ultimate Bread book. It's so pretty! It makes you hungry too! I could NOT put this book down last night. We turned off our nightstand lights way past bedtime and after I heard my hubby snore I reached for my book light to finish "devouring" the luscious pictures in this book...dreaming of being able to make even just ONE of these recipes. It probably won't happen. That's why I'm confessing to try and prod myself along on this idea. Bread is so temperamental for me; that's why I've worn out two or three bread machines, but I'm fantasizing about the day I can make bread by hand. We'll see...

I have also begun doing the writing exercises taken from A Year in the Life. It's a book about journaling. A line taken from the back cover says, "A Year in the Life gently leads you through one full year of introspective writing, using weekly prompts and topics as a springboard into your deepest feelings." Hmmm.... The first exercise is describing your physical journal with a bubble idea page. I'm usually not a big fan of that kind of free-flowing diagramming (no surprise there to those of you who know me), but I have definite ideas about my journal so I followed the author's instructions and had the most fun I've ever had with the whole bubble concept. I want to share that exercise with you sometime, but want to wait until I actually incorporate some of my ideas and can share via pictures.

The next exercise was to name your journal. Is this all too touchy-feely for you? I just like this kind of stuff so bear with me. I know it's not for everyone. If it's not for you, just read on and get a good laugh. (or skip it for something else that brings you joy!) Here's what I wrote:

I name you cherished friend. You are a safe place to land. I can dump all of myself on your pages and see the good, the bad and the in-between and you do not judge. You take it all in and store it for posterity - to remember it all - a life lived openly. You are a safe place to land.

You do not hug or console. You do not have a hearty laugh. You do not cook a meal or send a card. You do not reassure my doubts with optimistic encouragement. Instead you are faithful and loyal. You are always there, quietly waiting...keeping secrets, holding my heart. You are a comfort. You are a safe place to land - without judgment (except my own), without argument (except my own.) You are my cherished friend.

Now a psychologist could have fun with that, especially a Christian psychologist, but it was just the sentiments that poured out when thinking about my journal. I don't read too deeply into the meaning of what I said. I'm not looking at it critically and admonishing myself that this is what God should be to me in some of the descriptions. I'm not trying to be "all about myself." It's just what my heart felt as I wrote about my journal...flowery, flawed, but true feelings nonetheless. I have a feeling this book will bear out some interesting blog posts in the future, that is, if I don't put it down for the NEXT amazing book.

I truly do have a problem...books...how glorious!

God's Work in India

If you have any time this week, please read this blog. I have been following Angie's blog since near it's beginning and if you want a really good cry...and I mean a really good one...go back and read her entire story of losing their fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline.

I share Angie's blog with you today because she has taken a Compassion trip to India and her posts are wonderful! Don't begin with today's post...go back at least to Monday or Tuesday's posts and see ALL that GOD IS DOING! It's neat to see first hand how the Lord is providing for the children/families through Compassion in this country.

Several years ago Mark, Ashley and I decided to sponsor a Compassion child from Peru. Alexandra, our Peruvian daughter, is such a blessing and encouragement in our lives. For $32 a month we are changing the life of another person and giving her hope for a future. There really isn't a price you can put on that. Maybe $32 seems like a "large" amount out of your monthly budget. I can tell you that there hasn't been one month that I have regretted giving that money to Compassion on Alexandra's behalf. Our family has also given to her on her birthday and at Christmas and I am always amazed at how well-spent our gifts have been. We are clothing, feeding and educating a child that would not otherwise have had the opportunity for this quality of care and she has been introduced to Jesus Christ and she LOVES the LORD. She KNOWS that ALL GOOD THINGS comes from HIM...including, us, her sponsor family.

So, yes, if you do not already sponsor a Compassion Child, then I encourage you to do so. I can't tell you how nervous I was about starting this relationship, but when you look at the faces of the children, you can not help but be heart-tugged. It's well worth your investment.

Ok, so I've given my "pitch" - maybe I'll call it a plea for those less fortunate. Even if you can not or choose not to participate by sponsoring a Compassion child yourself, please go and read Angie's blog posts. It's a behind-the-curtain peek into the WORK of the Lord which is always worth taking time for. Hope you enjoy!

PS...If you have a sponsored child, or decide to sponsor one after seeing Angie's posts, please, let me know. We can rejoice together! Yay! and Thanks!

A Beat Yourself Up Monday!

**Update** Have you ever vented and then realized the spiritual truth after "marinating" on what you said/wrote.... Wow, my focus is so self-centered and my "strength" is birthed from SELF-reliance instead of reliance on the Lord. Yes, we've all had THOSE days, but who was I trying to please? Myself? Those around me?(Mainly my own unrealistic expectations.) Did I even once on Monday stop and ask the Lord, "What do YOU want me to do next?" Nope. What a shame. Often I don't even begin in the right place as I face the day. Oh, I'll have my devotions and then set my "spiritual stuff" aside and face the physical tasks that await, BUT I have a LONG WAY to go on abiding in Christ-leaning on Him through each moment of the day. I STRIVE so hard to DO instead of RELY...to, in a moment of uncertainty, need, confusion, fear or whatever the emotion...to stop (even if just mentally and not physically) and just ask for the guidance or clarity or whatever it is that HE knows I need. Yep, practicing the presence of the Lord in my life moment by moment...that's what I need most of all. Colossians 1:17 states it succinctly, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." ALL THINGS...

I thought I'd double post today. Hope you don't mind. :)

All day today I've been mentally beating myself up because I just couldn't get accomplished all I had set out to do. Of course, the list was a mile long and would actually take me a week + to finish it, but my mind was shoving that little reality tidbit into the abyss of self-loathing. (Don't worry, I don't plan to be this depressing much longer.) It was like running in quick-sand. The more I would move the more I seemed to be drowning in the "to do's" of the day. We've all had days like this...my first choice - put on my "stack list" a book about life management. I know it's a good book; I've already read it a few times. Ha!

Anyway, I fussed, fumed, did a little yelling at innocent bystanders, almost had a good cry (that might have been more productive) and then ate. None of which seemed to rescue me from drowning, duh! In the few moments I had driving tonight, I realized that I was beating myself up for having given my time and energy away to a host of other people last week. Something I thoroughly enjoyed and wouldn't have changed. I cooked, entertained and chauffeured, but, no, I didn't iron, launder, clean, pay bills, plan the school week, buy groceries for this week or even purchase the items I needed for tonight's meeting in a timely fashion. I missed friend's birthdays - sorry, friends, if you are reading this - but I spent quality time with my sister-in-law who very soon will be moving literally half way around the world. I made the best choice last week and so this week I WILL NOT beat myself up for "being behind." Those daily/weekly chores will always be there, but the times to nurture our relationships may not.

So...when you are "behind" on things take a look around at the people you love and ask yourself, "Do they know by how I've spent my time that they mean the world to me?" Then just plug away at that endless list and someday...someday you will see light at the end of the tunnel.

In A Stack...Report # 3

First Mothers by Bonnie Angelo was a great read! The book covered each mother's influence of President's Franklin Delano Roosevelt to George W. Bush - all modern women of the 20th century. Although the book is 438 pages long, you can read the book one president at a time, about 40 pages long. This made it easy to read a little each night and enjoy the book for a couple of weeks.

The book looks at the "special mother-son relationships that nurtured and helped propel the last twelve American presidents to the pinnacle of power." There were good and bad examples. There were fabulous relationships and others that were quite strained within the context of these president's families.

One of my favorite passages of the book: p. 428 “Self-confidence…is fundamental to achieving success in any career, whatever the choice. Personalities may be unlike, motivations may differ, but the one who makes it to the top, the achiever, first believes in himself." And then a little further: "The boy whose mother made him feel that he was indeed very special usually had his head kept to its hat size by his unimpressed – sometimes resentful – siblings, by a critical father, and by the mother’s own instinctive balance of praise and discipline.” This book displays concretely how family dynamics play into a person's psyche...food for thought.

I kept thinking as I read the book that there were a lot of good things to remember while raising my own son...influences of faith, hard work, hope, vision. It encouraged me to believe, as a mother of a 15-year-old son, that my job wasn't actually finished and that I still could have a profound influence on my son, hopefully, for his success in life.

If you enjoy presidential history, you will love this book. If your mom loves presidential history, I suggest giving her this book for Mother's Day. The book gave me insight into those presidents I did not agree with politically (based upon their life experiences)and gave me a little perspective on the changing roles of motherhood when your son begins seeking a wife of his own. I found this book to be thought-provoking, but upbeat and hopeful at the same time.

Ten Things I Wish I'd Known - Before I Went Out into the Real World by Maria Shriver was a fun read too. The author wrote the 125 page book after giving a similar speech at a college commencement. She wrote about the 10 things she wished someone had said to her when she was about to embark on a career. I found Ms. Shriver to be self-effacing, humorous and humble about her place in the world.

This book has a lot of good common sense and is shared forth-rightly with her own life experiences to support her points. I found the book to be engaging and I found myself often thinking, "Yep, I hope my college-age daughter will realize these truths." Although the book is written by a woman, the lessons are applicable to both genders...the points she makes are universal.

I wasn't sure I was going to admit that I was reading a book by a Kennedy clan member and a friend of Oprah, but I'm also not afraid to admit that everyone in this world has something good to offer...this is a worthy read if you're interested in the subject of life lessons. There are a few words that may offend the most sensitive, but overall, her life lessons are sprinkled with a lot of Biblical truths.

Our Week

We have had a busy week. The posts you've seen this week were written last weekend so I could keep up with my blog while my house was overflowing with guests...it worked! All I had to do was come down to the computer, change the time stamp on the post and voilà I looked like I had spent time on the computer, when in actuality it was just a couple of minutes...so you ask, why give my secret away? Because I survived the week and have "lived to tell about it!"

Tuesday - dropped Rhett off at Art class, came home to pick up the house and make a grocery list, picked Rhett up from Art class and made a mad dash to Walmart to buy Tara some birthday presents. (yes, on her birthday - really thinking ahead, aren't I?) After Walmart I dropped Rhett off at home to greet our out-of-town family coming in, ran to the grocery store (gotta' feed everybody), came home to a house full of family, made lunch, made cupcakes for birthday, wrapped presents, visited with family, made dinner, ate cupcakes & watched Tara unwrap a couple of gifts. Then we relaxed in front of the tv for the evening.

Wednesday - made pull-apart bread & scrambled eggs for big breakfast, cleaned up and then went to the mall to play indoors (raining!) and shop at the candy store. Then it was back home for a quick lunch, ballet, playdate with ballet teacher and kids, dinner and then off to Bible study for the evening. After getting home about 9:30pm, my sister-in-law and I stayed up talking for 3 more hours...not smart, but wonderful!

Thursday - my morning started at 6am retching over the pottie because of a migraine (should have gotten more sleep), hubby got an ice pack and I got another hour of sleep and the headache abated. Then it was a quick get-ready so my kids and I could go visit a co-op that we'd like to join next fall. We were there from 9:30-noon. (& it was fun!!) Back home to feed the kid's lunch, a late lunch out with sis-in-law while kid's were napping, back home to prep dinner & eat, watch kid's ride bikes, and a phone call from Ashley saying that she and a friend were on their way home to spend the weekend - so cranked out some laundry to change sheets, cleaned up the playroom, and put together the air bed, collapsed into bed!

Friday - big pancake breakfast, off to an amazing children's park (lots of traffic), back home for lunch, NC family heads for home, took a nap, baked a chocolate cake and wrapped more presents, Dad comes for dinner (table still full with Dad, Ashley & Amber), have our official family birthday party for Tara, put together a week's worth of food for Dad (Mom's out-of-town), watched a movie that Tara chose, stayed up late with Ashley & Amber chatting and watching taped tv shows, collapsed into bed again!

Saturday - girls slept in while the boys took a 10 mile hike, caught up on some laundry, went to the library, more grocery shopping, talked to Mom on the phone, enjoyed general lethargy while being entertained by the college kids. The girls went back to school about 8pm, the little girls went to bed and Mark, Rhett and I disappeared onto our computers until the electricity went out due to lightening. It was off to read by candlelight and enjoy the dark/quiet of the night before falling asleep.

We had a fun and busy week...just having a 1 year-old, a 2 1/2 year-old, a 4 year-old, a 6 year-old, a 7 year-old, a 15.5 year-old, and two 18 year-olds under one roof was excitement all by itself! But we survived it and had a fun week we'll remember for a long time! Thanks for coming, Sis! We loved having you! (you too, Ashley & Amber!)

Fun at the park with cousins!

Crochet, Knit...What's Your Craft?

In the spring of 2006 I walked into my mother's house one day and saw a large box on the kitchen table. When I asked her about the box she seemed frustrated/annoyed and a little flustered. She told me about the contents of the box - skeins and skeins of blue and white yarn.

She said that my grandmother was working on an afghan for my brother, but never finished it before she died. That struck me as very sad, because from the time my brother was 8 years old my grandmother had lived on and off with our family until she died. She and my brother were probably the closest of any of us grandkids. She had completed afghans for each of her grandchildren, but since she had started with her eldest grandchild, she was just getting to my brother, the youngest one.

Mom continued to tell me that his blanket was about 2/3 done at the time of her death, but since she didn't know anyone who crocheted she had left it sit in the box for at least 10 years. She then learned that an elderly friend of the family who lived in FL knew how to crochet and she asked her if she would finish the blanket for my brother. The lady agreed. My mom shipped the blanket and the remaining yarn to this friend with the expectation of giving it to my brother right away. This dear elderly lady received the box and proceeded to "work." A short time later she called my mother and said that my grandmother had so many mistakes in the blanket that she had to rip it all out and start again. In doing that, it hurt her wrists too badly and she said she was shipping the yarn back to my mother. That was the box full of yarn on the table. She had begun crocheting a piece that was maybe 6 inches long, but it was a far cry from Grandma's own handiwork and a blanket 2/3 done. No wonder my mother was flustered. I burst out with, "I'll crochet it. It needs to be done by a family member." My mom looked at me with surprise and then asked, "Do YOU crochet?" I answered, "No, but I'll teach myself and get it done." I THEN got the Mommy look! We've all seen it...the look that says "Ok, dear, whatever you say!" (You may not remember it, Mom, but it's true!) I don't think she believed me. : )

I packed up my kids in the car and drove straight to the craft store and purchased a couple of books, needles, and practice yarn. Over the following weeks I poured over this book that taught me how to crochet lefthanded. (It has directions/illustrations for both lefties and righties.) At first I made coasters as practice. They about did me in...I've never hated coasters so much in my life! Then I made some practice swatches until I thought that I had a good basic understanding of crocheting. I had a feeling that I would learn a few more things if I made a blanket, but I didn't want to do the learning on my brother's blanket so I set out to make an intermediate skilled blanket. I wish I had a picture of that one...it was beautiful. It was a cream colored throw that had a beautiful alternating open pattern to it, but I didn't take a picture of it before sending it off to my grandmother (other side of the family) for Christmas of 2006. I hope to go visit her in the Midwest next month so I'll try and get a picture of it then.

Anyway, after completing that first blanket I felt confident I could complete my brother's blanket. I had just three months to get it done if we were going to surprise him for his birthday. I had to rip out all the yarn since I was crocheting with my left hand and the elderly friend had been right-handed, but it was much easier than the first blanket so I felt confident in what I was doing. Here's a picture of the completed blanket, as Grandma had envisioned it.

I think Grandma would have been proud. And yes, my brother liked it!

After completing that blanket my husband and two older kids suggested that I make a blanket for a special lady in Peru. The three of them had been to Peru the year before on a mission's trip and Mark had worked in the kitchen with several very sweet Peruvian ladies. They all took very good care of him and he enjoyed sitting during their breaks and having coffee together. My big kids were going again in the summer of 2007 and one of the kitchen ladies was getting her house renovated by our mission's team. Our family thought it would be special if I made her a blanket as a house-warming gift. What an honor it was for me to serve this dear woman. I asked the Peruvian pastor's wife what colors I should use and she said in Spanish, "All of them! The more the better." So this is what I came up with:

It was bright and durable and made my whole family smile when we saw it. We were very excited about giving it to her. (I did get some crazy looks when buying that yarn at the store though!) Here is Ashley giving her the blanket for her new home.

(Re: the face paint-Ashley was in a drama, cast as Satan-that's a whole other story.

Now I am working on two "baby" blankets for my little girls and a gorgeous tri-colored blanket for my son. I crochet in spurts so it takes me a while now to get something done, but Ashley mentioned that she'd like to learn to knit so that may be a new craft we take up together this summer.

I highly recommend the book that I learned to crochet with as a great place to start. If you're interested in knitting, then you should check out Sarah's blog here. She's so talented, this girl!

Feel free to leave a comment and share what your favorite craft/hobby is! It was fun sharing my stories/craft with you!

Sweet Sentiments

Today my girls went outside and picked me two handfuls of dandelions. I got to pull out my mini vases and put flowers on my windowsill...it truly is spring! My babies are 6 & 7 years old and I thought, "it won't be long before they stop picking me flowers, coloring me pictures, etc." It may last longer than it feels, but time goes so quickly, doesn't it? I just want to enjoy the journey and each little sweet sentiment they shower on me. Love you, girls! xx00

Circus Time!

I forgot that I didn't tell you about our surprise trip to the circus! On Easter Sunday we had my Dad and another family friend, Jim, over for Easter dinner. We ate a big meal about 2:30pm and just as we were finishing our meal, the phone rang. Some friends of ours had 8 free tickets to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The tickets were for the 5pm show and they wanted to know if we wanted to go. We quickly said "sure," cleaned up the dinner dishes and headed out to the circus. Not exactly your typical Easter celebration, but LOTS of fun!

The highlight for most of my family was the ball with the motorcyclists in it. They started with four cyclists, then added one more...really cool. Then they went over the top for a total of 7 cyclists. I thought Dad might go into cardiac arrest just watching. It was amazing!

The tigers are my favorite...they are HUGE! I'm a big cat fan! They are beautiful creatures. I'm looking forward to Heaven where I'll hopefully be able to walk right up and give a big cat a good rub behind the ears. That might be too much information, huh! Ha! This crazy man in the picture lines up at least 5 of these tigers side by side in a row and then turns his back to put his arms up to the crowd. Crazy, he is! I sure hope they're well-fed before going out there or he might look like a tasty snack.

Ringling Bros. has music, acrobats, high-wire stunts, motorcycles, horses, dogs, & elephants. They put on a spectacular show. Everyone who attended (several of our friends were seated around us) hadn't been in many years and they loved it! We had a great time by the surprise invitation and enjoyed an Easter circus performance. If Ringling Bros. comes to your area, take your kids. I think you'll be glad you did!