going offline

i need to go offline. it has been so nice to get to know all of you and you have been an inspiration to me. i need to be offline for awhile, so blessings to you all.

I guess it's not about the bonnet...

"As you read my stories of long ago I hope you will remember that things truly worthwhile and that will give you happiness are the same now as they were then. It is not the things you have that make you happy. It is love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good. "

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Stout Heart

Originally posted 10-11-2008

I picked up The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew as I was looking for the next book to read aloud to my class. I think it would be a little difficult for 1st and 2nd graders to grasp because it is told with many terms that are outdated. But I am having fun reading it to myself!

This little passage inspired me with its description of Mrs. Pepper:

But she had met life too bravely to be beaten down now. So with a stout heart and a cheery face, she had worked away day after day...and she had seen with pride that couldn't be concealed her noisy, happy brood growing up around her and filling her heart with comfort, and making the little brown house fairly ring with jollility and fun.

Caught up

Wikipedia Commons, Barrow, AK

I have been very caught up in my own life and thoughts lately. My husband is considering a career as an Alaskan State Trooper. (We are currently in sunny CA and it is 80 degrees at the moment!) For now, there is physical training to be done, money to be saved, and the house to be fixed up in order to rent or sell. I'll post with more details if further steps are taken in this direction.

Just dealing with the possibility of raising a family in government housing in the Alaskan bush is a lot to take in. What about dinner as a family? Safety? A garden? But we want to serve people, and we are both up for a challenge, so we'll see where this idea takes us. We will at least end up healthier and with a fixed-up house!

Imagine Hand Waving

Going to come up out of the internet for a breath of air. I'll see you all in a week or so!

Family Manners

My mom used to have these rules up on the fridge when we were little. Found them inspiring as I read them over this week. Family manners should be our best manners! :)

The 21 Rules Of This House
by Gregg Harris

1. We obey God.
2. We love, honor and pray for one another.
3. We tell the truth.
4. We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5. We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6. We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7. When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.
8. When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9. When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11. When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13. We take good care of everything that God has given us.
14. We do not create unnecessary work for others.
15. When we open something, we close it.
16. When we take something out, we put it away.
17. When we turn something on, we turn it off.
18. When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19. When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20. When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21. When we disobey or forget any of the 21 Rules of This House, we accept
the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Thrall and Jaena need to work on all of these rules. You can see how bitter Jane is, and the resignation in Thrall's posture. Where's the love, guys?

The Crazy Room

When I open the door to The Crazy Room, I guess my imagination takes over. The treacherous stacks of paper, the dire germs clinging to the scattered kitty litter, the ancient and heavily-browed Bride Doll (passed down to the oldest daughter of each generation) who watches from the corner in her glass cabinet. Worst of all, there is no cover for the opening in the closet ceiling, and a dim light can be seen emanating from it in the night.

The first time I noticed this, I ran screaming to our bed and got under the covers. I had heard a heavy creaking in the attic before, and knew it was not rats. My mind was filled with images of dragging chains and decaying, animate bodies. I would not be calmed until James had scientifically proven that the light came from the upper side of our hall light panels, and that 60-year-old houses creak something awful. Hence, The Crazy Room.