A Few Favorites

Perhaps it's not apparent, but I've come down with a slight case of Blogging Indolence. For whatever reason (read: Due to the oppressive nature of the Texas heat, source of all ills), creative energy seems elusive these days. Quiet Time rolls around in the afternoon, and words fail to materialize. I go recline on my bed to read a book. I fall asleep. For about ten minutes.

O mojo, where art thou?

Weltschmerz aside (I just had to say that), I thought I'd share a few little things -- my current raindrops on roses, if you will. In no particular order ...

1. Agricola. Our generous friend Evan sent us this game as a gift. Initially, Tim and I played it late at night with another couple, and it took forever for us to figure out the directions (had to cheat and use eHow) and then play. But, by midnight, we had a good sense of just how fun this strategy-intensive game could be. You people out there who like The Settlers of Catan, this is right up your alley. Also, former childhood Monopoly mavens. Then I taught it to the kids, feeling ambitious one afternoon. We played the "family version," which is slightly simplified. Caroline (age 5) lost interest fairly quickly, but the 8 and 10 year olds hung right in there and played with gusto. It was just long enough to fill a summer afternoon, without unduly taxing their attention span. Score!

2. Behr Premium Plus Ultra Paint. I'm finally getting around to repainting our entryway, which is cranberry red in a way that is not fresh and new. It's dark, people. Gloomy. And this paint (I'm using the Martha Stewart "Parchment Paper" shade) is so high-tech that it covers that red right up without the need for primer. Let me repeat: No primer. Remember, I'm indolent. Score again!

3. BBC Miniseries. Is there a 12-step program for BBC period drama addictions? I merely ask. Because if you believe, as I do, that no finer rendition of Pride and Prejudice exists than the one starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy -- the GOLD STANDARD MR. DARCY -- then have I got some shows for you! First it was Downton Abbey. Then Cranford. Then Lark Rise to Candleford, which the Professor and I are plowing through (yes, I know he is awesome). Then my sister-in-law, who shares my taste, got me hooked on North & South. I love the dynamic relationships, the flawed yet heroic characters, the not-so-perfect looks and settings, the less-is-more treatment of sexuality (aren't undercurrents more romantic?).

Phoebe, this one's for you.


Do you have any BBC favorites? Where should I get my next fix?

4. Studying the Psalms. (I told you: no particular order. Don't get tripped up on my mentioning this in the same list as BBC Miniseries.) For example:

"I say to Jehovah, You are my Lord; no good have I beyond You." (Psalm 16:2.)

Okay, yes, I'm listing some things I find to be good. And I write a good deal about larger "goods," like the family life we try to create, at least most of the time. But ultimately, when it comes right down to it, I have no goodness beyond Him. These treasures and pleasures are temporary -- fleeting by, they remind me that the only Good Life I need and want is found in Him alone.

5. Posting photos that bear little relevance to my writing. No elaboration/elucidation/expostulation required.

Poetry Friday: Peaches

This is Just To Say

I have eaten
the peaches
that were in
the Costco crate

and which
you were probably
hoping
would last all week.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so gigantic
and so wholesale-priced.

-- With apologies, once again, to William Carlos Williams.

{A repost from the archives that once again fits the bill in time for Poetry Friday -- and could also be applied to the organic raspberries I stocked up on this week.} 

P.S. Wondering what to do with an abundance of summer fruit before it spoils? Try a pavlova. I'm not kidding, y'all. It's super easy, light, grain-free, and guest-wowing. Bada bing bada bing. 

Look Back at Me

Our one car was in the shop today. This meant that after weeks of nearly ceaseless activity, we had a day of going absolutely nowhere beyond the neighborhood pool. This was quite wonderful, really -- enforced, temporary withdrawal from the outside world. And two things happened as a result:

1. Ian -- almost eleven years old -- had to ride his bike to swim team practice. This involves a 1.5 mile ride each way, crossing a major street. Daddy practiced the route with him the night before, I escorted him to the intersection and saw him safely across on the journey out, and he called me on his cell phone when arriving at and leaving the pool. (Yes, he has a bare-bones cell phone. It became a necessity when we let our land line go.) 

He was apprehensive. So was I, although I didn't say so. But he did it. And tomorrow will be easier. In a summer of milestones, we've made another crossing. Hooray!

2. Walking home from the pool like little frying ants under the sun's determined glare, Caroline asked me to carry her. Now, she's five. A bit old to be toted like a baby, don't you think? A sardonic "You've got legs!" was on the tip of my tongue.

But I leaned down, scooped her up, and told her how far I could carry her. "Okay, Mama," she agreed. She wrapped her damp arms around my neck, laid her bleach-blonde head on my shoulder, and gently kissed it. And just for a moment, on the same day that one child took a leap forward, another one made time stand still.

Was it the last time I'll carry her like that -- even just for fifty yards? That's the bittersweetness of watching them grow and letting them go -- while some milestones arrive with great fanfare, many simply whisper their way in and out, so that we only know in retrospect that that moment -- photographed if we're lucky, but more likely not -- was a goodbye. And we wave at their disappearing smoke trail, knowing that their future looks too bright for them to ever think of looking back.

The Sprinkles on Top

Who doesn't love a parade? 

We adore our neighborhood parade -- and all the more this year because the dreadful drought our area is experiencing forced cancelation of ALL fireworks. And what is the Fourth of July without fireworks? 

 (Yes, that cute little puppy we bought six months ago is now a 44-lb-and-growing canine wonder.)

Our parade has everything you could want (well, almost -- no marching band.)

Costumed drummers -- check. 

A contest with ample categories for many winners -- check. 

Uniformed scouts carrying flags and leading the Pledge -- check. 

Highly inclusive participation -- check. 

A very short distance to walk in the morning heat -- check. 

We also have little speeches from the major and other city dignitaries, a bit of patriotic singing, recognition of veterans, and free ice cream. 

And, honesty compels me to admit ... my girls, to their great joy and my great shock, actually won first place in the "Bike Group" division. Which proves that sometimes, it really is worth it to run through Target at 8:45 p.m., scooping up any and all pathetic decoration material that's left. 

Sometimes -- like when I'm running through Target and it's my third store of the night to visit and I'm tired from a long plane flight home -- I'd rather just stay home and say "Can we skip it this year, girls? Can we just watch the parade from the sidelines?" 

But we do so much as parents that feels like drudgery. The chores -- just the ones to keep everyone clean and fed -- repeat ad infinitum. The reminders, the teaching and training in good habits, the correction of behavior, the attempts to corral and organize  -- these will always be with us. They're necessary, sure, but they do drain our Family Fun Bank. Not so conducive to the crafting of happy memories. 

So yes, the special breakfasts, the simple decorations, the craft projects, the little extras -- they require a few drops of effort and imagination, often when we least feel the urge. But they need not be elaborate (trust me on this!) to pay big dividends right back into that Bank. 

And don't we all need a little cushion now and then? 

What We're Reading

Read anything good lately?

I'm trying to make sure that we use these lazy days of summer (which are totally not happening; June has whizzed by in a craze of activity) to carve out some daily reading time.

And as always ... not just for the kids!

The girls and I found Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime! at the library the other day. In a word: LOVE. You use the enclosed magnifying class to pore over famous paintings, trying to spot the forgeries among the real deals. It's like a high-class version of Where's Waldo?  They were definitely digging it.

 Ian just finished My Side of the Mountain,  at my encouragement (Remember our survival literature unit? I also got The Cay on audiobook; thanks for the recommendations in the comments!). Yes, I do require some reading that's not either Percy Jackson or Star Wars graphic novels. Shoot me.

Shark vs. Trainis getting reading after reading at our house. Thank heavens, my daughters are not too old for the right preschool-age picture books! Bonus: this gem was written by a local homeschooling dad.

Let's see, what else ... oh, we just finished Socks. Not my favorite Beverly Cleary in the whole wide world, but still fairly amusing.

I've been prowling the British Isles, literarily speaking. Not intentionally, but between Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel (the latest sequel to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie),  and Mansfield Park it's apparently my season for Angliophilia. Read any of them? I'd say Major Pettigrew's my current favorite.

That's all for now! Happy browsing.

(Affiliate links therein, folks. Just disclosing. Over and out.)

Tuesday Travels: Branson, MO -- Part Two

So, to continue the unfolding adventure of my sponsored jaunt to Branson two weeks ago ...

Seatbelts buckled, armchair travelers?

Last week I mentioned outdoor activities in Dogwood Canyon, lunch and a brief tour of the Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks, and the Titanic Museum. Now, if you've ever heard of Branson, chances are, you've heard of its ubiquitous shows. Folks, if you want to sit and be entertained for any length of time, this is the place for you. In the course of four days, I attended five shows. And some of my fellow travel writers attended more. Just between you, me, and the electronic doorpost, I was maxed out by Show #4.

BUT. All crankiness aside, I'd recommend bringing the kiddos to at least one show if you're in town. Recommendations:

4a. The Dixie Stampede. Two words for you: Dolly. Parton. Yup, she's the producer. Need I say more? The dealio is, you sit and eat downhome cooking with your fingers while watching lively entertainment in the arena (complete with horses, buffalo, chickens, and racing pigs). Also, there's a friendly North vs. South  rivalry that gets the audience involved. My brain was involved in a fierce Civil War of its own, as follows:
Me as a Person: Oh my. This is hokey.
Me as a Mother: Oh my. My kids would FLIP for this.

4b. Legend of Kung Fu. These talented folks from China actually performed in the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. (And they didn't lip-synch!) They put on a really impressive extravaganza of martial arts, dance and acrobatics. The kids sitting behind me were absolutely riveted, even at 10:00 p.m. Also, we got to meet the performers and snag post-show autographs in the lobby. I tried to say "thank you" in Chinese. They were probably laughing at me.

4c. The Hughes Brothers variety show. Full disclosure: Didn't attend this one. But, I met two of the five Hughes brothers at a dinner reception and they were super nice. And they homeschool their collective twenty-nine kids, all of whom are part of the show. Gotta put in the plug for nice homeschooling families!

My other recommendation:

5. Silver Dollar City.

Yes, it's a theme park, and yes, I'm generally unimpressed by theme parks -- i.e. places to lose kids and part with lots of money. What made SDC soften my curmudgeonly edges?

- The park builders deliberately kept as many trees as humanly possible. This translates into shade, baby, lots of SHADE.

- All the thrill rides are along the outside perimeter of the park. The center area belongs to the festivals and the craftspeople (leather workers, glass blowers, wood carvers, etc.) that preserve the 1880's theme. Love that.

- Included in park admission is an hour-long tour of Marvel Cave, which has a cavern so large you can fit the Statue of Liberty in at an angle (I didn't try).

- Parents, you can take cooking classes! While one of you rides roller coasters with the kids, the other can learn, as I did, how to make a killer chocolate meringue pie. I wrote down everything the instructor, Debbie Dance Uhrig, had to say. Now I have no excuse not to turn out a grrrrreat pie ... which I will be doing ... ummmmm, really soon!

- Most important, check out the name of the ice cream parlor. Can I make the joke about "good taste?" No? Okay. I won't.

(Fun fact: Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were filmed in and outside of this building.)

And I can't close without tipping my hat to Branson Zipline. Yes, it's not really a budget-friendly family activity, but if you've found and harvested your family's secret cash cache, or you just want go all out with a small group, zipping along through those tall trees is quite exhilarating. And, they say, quite safe. Unless a thunderstorm begins. Then it's not safe. Then you have to wait on a platform sixty feet off the ground until the lightning stops.

But that won't happen to you. I've been there and done it for both of us.

You're welcome.

The Gift of Hospitality

We entertained a few angels last week.

Some of them looked like this.

Was it always convenient to have six extra people in our house, cramming kids and dog into our own room, feeding the guests two meals a day, having very little access to my computer, and staying up late to talk when they arrived home from the church conference some were attending? 

Uh, no. 

Did the kids' rooms get massively cleaned and decluttered? Did I get to watch my daughters play with, and help care for a toddler? Was it oddly energizing to pour out the effort, learning a tiny bit more of Mary's spirit in a Martha week? Did we receive as much love and blessing as we gave, and then more? Did we mourn our guests' departure, feeling their permanent presence in our hearts and ours in theirs?

Definitely. Absolutely. Indubitably. 

244. Hospitality -- given and received.

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2