Starry Sky Ranch

Are you kidding me??

That was all I could say when Asher updated me on the news this afternoon.  Left to myself I can miss what many people consider 'major' news for days or weeks at a time.  My computer is not set to a news feed and my tv moves between HGTV, PBS, and TLC on the days I even get over to it.  I figure since pretty much everyone else on the planet is tuned in, sooner or later word will get back to me.  

Black Friday was more like 'nap Friday' here.  We alternated between dozing, snacking, and playing board games.  I also have been ordering books and art supplies online for Christmas gifts as I nurse Abbie Rose. There is nothing I would like less than fighting the crowds for factory made or plugged in gifts in town.  So when Asher told me crowd size reached 2000 people at some Walmart stores I couldn't believe it. When he told me one man was trampled TO DEATH by one of those crowds all I could say was, "They have lost their flippin' minds!"  

To kill someone for mass produced "stuff"??  

It makes me realize that it is a small circle, relatively speaking, that we move in, where women talk about unplugging, scaling back, and making by hand. It is a small circle populated by folks who would rather own an old book than a new gadget. It is a small circle that gets a thrill out of repurposing things deemed useless by others. It is a small circle that is not feeding on a steady diet of commercials and store ads convincing them they needs things they don't. It is a small circle but one I hope is growing, because this is just nuts. 

It is especially sad because in the end a 70 cent pack of crayons, scrap paper and an adult willing to color is worth more in the eyes of a child than a talking stuffed animal.  A carton of ice cream and a hour to share it with a friend is worth more than anything Box Mart sells, hands down. People matter.  Stuff doesn't. 

Tell you what, it brings to mind a blog post a friend forwarded me the other day.  It has been in my mind since. Do go ck it out. It is a timely reality check. As one of her comments reads:

Clutter is another way of saying "too much stuff". Pulling things out of their hiding places emphasizes how much too much we have. It helps to curb my impulse to buy more. I think that your idea of looking at all that you have instead of thinking of what you don't is a powerful one.

We have so very much to be thankful for. You have to wonder how those crazed customers would explain their deadly need for 'more' to the young woman at the bottom of that post?  

Labor as life skill

This is not a new concept for me but rather one that is reinforced with each birth. This birth has been no different. I have mulled over and over how each contraction went and what ran through my head each time. (I preface this by saying that while natural childbirth has taught me many life lessons, I am certain God has other ways of imparting these to those who have not had this experience.)  For me, however, natural childbirth has become something of a metaphor for motherhood and life in general. 

There is pain to be sure and it is often intense and nearly unbearable at times. There are times when you question your ability to carry on.  There are also breaks, little respites among the challenges, which bolster your confidence and give you a chance to catch your breath and regroup. I reminded myself of the most critical truth the night before labor began as I wondered how many contractions I would go through this time. The answer was simple - one.  All I really had to cope with was the one I was having at a given moment. 

This is one of the most important lessons we can learn and I admit that I often forget.  We only have to face our present challenges. We trouble ourselves needlessly drumming up the past, what might have been, and what may yet be, when our eyes really ought to be fixed firmly only on what is actually before us. 

As important as this, is remembering that it isn't only in childbirth that pain is purposeful.  It is ALWAYS for a purpose.  God works all things for good for those who love Him.  We may not see the purpose right off.  We may not see the purpose on this side of the veil at all.  But there is one.  There always is one. 

A line from one of Bud Macfarlane's books often rings through my head as well - It's only pain. It sounds so simple doesn't it?  The 'only' in that line isn't meant to underestimate the depths of pain - either physical or otherwise - we are capable of enduring in this life, but rather to put both into perspective. It can make you as miserable as you allow it, but it can't completely best you unless you concede. 

It has always been a mystery to me how one of the most momentous events in life was coupled with one of the most grueling. How is it life and death come so closely together. How do pain and joy meet as they do. Why?  I have come to believe this is not a Divine oversight but rather an analogy for life itself, so rarely without great trials, so consistently bringing a tremendous outpouring of blessing at one and the same time. We may never fully understand it, but we can make peace with it and trust that it is all exactly as it should be even when it doesn't feel that way. 

Rick Warren's train tracks analogy (which he came to after the cancer diagnosis his wife got) sums it up well. You can find the whole article here.  I think he nails it:

"I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life... In

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD"

God may not make it easy for us either, but He never fails to make things worthwhile.  

Frosty morning

Moira took these pics around the ranch the other morning.  It was nippy as you can tell. By the weekend it was warm and sunny again. 

I hope your weekend has been restful as well.  

Waste not, want not: children's clothing tutorials

One of the most intriguing things I found in recent weeks were tutorials for making children's clothes out of repurposed sweaters and tees etc.  Soule Mama got me thinking with her baby hats. Then came the woolies.  But I was really hooked with the cotton knit pants. Basically those were made by tracing a leg pattern from any elastic waist pants that currently fit your child. I made oodles of those when the older guys were little.  EASY peasy. Now I am thinking of making a narrow legged version for Tess to wear as leggings.  Little girls can be so hard on tights.  We rarely get more than a couple wears out of them. I am all about free. 

Here is a round up of similar tutorials.  They each have multiple tutorials per post: 

Sew Mama Sew - here and here

Domestic Diva

Her Father's Joy

This week has been all about Abbie Rose, rest, and catching up with my husband. It has passed all too quickly and I have only been here to the screen to edit pictures.  Otherwise my gaze has been fixed on a tiny girl surrounded by a host of brothers and sisters who can't get enough of her.  I have not been able to think of anything to say that does justice to the moment so I just take more pictures. They are supposed to be worth thousands of words anyway. 

The two words I want to say today however are Thank You.  From the bottom of my heart I thank you.  I am a stranger to many of you and yet you have assured me of your prayers time and again. You have joined us in celebrating this blessing. You cannot know very much that means to my family. We are awed and have treasured every single note. So thank you. 

The highlight of my week has been spending it with my husband who has clocked many hours of rocking, walking, laundry, and toddler entertainment. I leave you with a glimpse:

  

Abigeál's third day

Happy Birthday Abigeál Rose

Starry Sky Ranch was blessed with the birth of Abigeál Rose this morning at 9:18.  She weighs 8 lbs 3 oz, is beautiful, and healthy. The kids all are all buzzing and Mom did absolutely wonderfully.  And well, little miss Abbie is already living up to her name - "Father's joy!"    

You get what you inspect...

Melanie had written for some ideas to get littles off to a good start being tidy and responsible for their materials. I will start by saying this is an ongoing effort at our home as anyone who has visited can attest. Further, if I back off of my diligence IN THE LEAST, we are easily sent back to square one.  So please don't look at the pictures of the little ones working nicely and assume they just 'do' this of their own volition each and every time.  This is really a situation where you must control the environment. 

My best advice is very NOT Montessori.  We are in homes, not schools, and have to be realistic about our level of control.  We are not directresses who can set up a lab environment and devote our days to nothing but monitoring said environment.  And really, do we want to be that?  Likely not.  Real life is far richer. It does require some adjusting of ideology however so you don't come to despise the method for the trouble it is causing you. 

In a classroom all materials would be displayed in open shelving for the children to choose from freely. The problem you run into at home is that many homes have far greater age ranges doing the choosing than would happen in a classroom. That means the likelihood of children choosing materials they cannot manage well on their own. It also means that they may access the materials when you are not available to supervise sufficiently, thus developing bad habits.  

To prevent this I would opt for lockable cabinets or a lock on the schoolroom/activity storage area. Do not let them at the materials unattended. You will spend far too much time reteaching and restocking. In smaller homes we have used lockable garage cabinets. We have even kept these outside or in the garage when necessary.  One thing in, one thing out was the policy. It worked well. We have a lock on the school/craft room door in this house.  I can tell you honestly if it isn't locked or if a babysitter gets lax and lets them in there we DO have a mess. We have had messes of monumental proportions in fact. So it's important not to let that happen. 

If they only have the opportunity to do the right thing, then the right thing is what is reenforced. 

This applies to meal times (ie don't let them access food unless you are prepared to follow through with proper cleanup routines) and bedrooms (do they have a system for easy clothing storage which you monitor?) and so on.  If not, think hard about culling to the pt where you can be on top of those routines happening reliably.  Slowly, and only if you really think it will improve life in some way, add back more items. 

Less is more.  

So once you have pared down and gotten a handle on the stuff make a few trays or bags of activities. Take out a mat or rug and tell the child you have a game to show him/her. They may grab at it but ask them to watch and wait a moment while you demonstrate unrolling the rug, laying out the materials, and using them.  Then replace them all in the proper spots.  Ask them to tell you where the materials go.  Walk them through the process.  Then let them at it.  When they lose interest gently guide them through the motions of putting things back. They may balk at first.  Remain cheerful but insist they go back. Remember that the process is really more important than the activity itself as far as instilling good habits go.  It doesn't take long for the habit to be set.  It doesn't take long for it to be undone either so don't gather more supplies than you can easily be responsible for.  

You get what you inspect. 

Some of the latest pics of little people projects here.  Very blurry - they were in constant motion : ) 

Blog love meme

Liz tagged me with this meme/award.  Thank you!  Here is my entry:

1. Where is your cell phone?     Charging in the kitchen

2. Where is dh? At work on base

3. What is your hair color? Dark brown with the occasional gray threads peeking through (hmmm, what to do, what to do...)

4. Your mother? In WI

5. Your father? deceased

6. Your favorite thing?    Spending time with the kids and dh.

7. Your dream last night?   Did I sleep in long enough stretches to dream?  I don't think so.

8. Your dream/goal?  I am living it. 

9. The room you are in?  Family room

10. Your hobby? Stitching is all consuming at the moment. Otherwise reading and scrapbooking.

11. Your fear?  Too many niggling fears to admit. Shame on me. 

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?  Someplace a lot like this, as long as we are all together. 

13. Where were you last night?   Timing contractions, watching snow fall outside the bedroom window

14. What you're not?  Tall

15. One of your wish list items?     new camera  

16. Where you grew up?   WI

17. The last thing you did?  Made a triple batch of bread and soup for lunches while listening to a six year old read

18. What are you wearing?   Black maternity top, tan matte jersey skirt, fuzzy slippers

19. Your TV?   Brings me the Duggar's on Monday nights and PBS Kids when I can't stay awake : ) 

20. Your pet?   The girls out by the barn - delightful dairy goats

21. Your computer?  Mac    Although I have to give a grateful nod to the laptop dh just set up next to my bed so I can listen to soothing music upstairs and read my mail post partum. Thank you!

22. Your mood?  Hopeful

23. Missing someone? My big boys

24. Your car? Ginormous van

25. Something you're not wearing?  Hose.  Swore them off til the baby comes!

26. Favorite store?   Goodwill - hands down!  Followed by Joann's. Followed by Hobby Lobby.  

27. Your summer?   Went by very fast indeed

28. Love someone?   Lots of someone's - big and little, near and far. 

29. Your favorite color?   Yes.  Wait, I am supposed to pick ONE?  Red, yellow, blue, brown.  Have I mentioned I don't follow rules well? 

30. When is the last time you laughed? Listening to little people  makes me laugh through my days

31. Last time you cried?  this week, admitting my birthing fears to dh.  I still think the stork is a way under-explored option......

Be Still My Heart!

I saw a review of the Vintage Moth site today and about fell off my chair.  Wow!  It is chock full of vintage clip art and ephemera for crafting (think: cards, wall art, baby gifts, bags, scrapbooks, journals...) Gorgeous images for whatever creative juices pulse through your being. 

Go!  Now!  Get yourself some blank cds and SAVE THEM.  : )