KinderGardens 2011, Week Thirteen

Our job for this week was to see how many colors of the rainbow we could capture.  It would appear that we have mostly warm colors in our garden!

Zinnias are one of our staple garden flowers.  They come in so many different colors and are so very cheerful!

Cosmos are my other favorite---both for their color and their delicate, lacy foliage.

This is Juli's shot of her portulaca.  She loves the variegated pink the best.

Micah's shot of the marigold he gave me for Mother's Day:

My spaghetti squash, getting more and more yellow each day!  (Fingers crossed...)

Our favorite green---the stripey yellow and green of a watermelon!

I don't know if this qualifies for black, white and grey in my garden, since she's on the other side of the fence, but Silver really wanted to be included.

And that made Sweetie want to get in on the fun, even though the best picture we have of her is this one from the winter.

I hope you're having a wonderful week in your garden.  We've had the perfect mix of rain and sun this past week, so we're feeling very blessed.  (As well as joyful that we don't have the daily watering chore!)

Wonder what colors are growing in the other KinderGardens?  Visit The Inadvertent Farmer to check them out!

KinderGardens 2011, Week Twelve

Week twelve, and lots is happening in the garden.

We picked our first cucumber today, and added it to the pile from Grandma.  Right now it's in brine, waiting to be turned into a pickle.

Right next to it, our first sizable watermelon.  It's almost as big as a size 3 soccer ball.

Praying for our spaghetti squash.  I lost a plant this week due to some weird wilt/fungus, and I'm really hoping the other three plants make it until these squash ripen and turn yellow.

Hooray for cheerful sunflowers!

And for orange nasturtiums too.  I'm not sure why, but I just adore these flowers.  It could be the shape of the leaf, since it's unique.  It could be because you can eat the flowers (even though I don't).  I just think they're really pretty.

We had a monsoon-like rain the other day, which flattened this row of onions to nothing.  I'm thinking I'll go ahead and pull them, since their stalks are smashed.

Baby green beans are surely among the cutest things in the universe.  So, so tiny!

The best for last, a purple beebalm, my favorite color.  What's really great about this plant is that it is a descendant of the beebalm I planted at our first straw bale home.  I transplanted a chunk of it this spring.  My garden usually ends up being an amalgamation of my favorite plants from our previous homes, which I love.

For those who are dry, I wish you rain.
For those in the heat, I pray it will cool to bearable temps.
For those of you with incessant rain, I'm hoping to send this sunshine and too-hot weather.

If you get a chance, hop over to The Inadvertent Farmer to visit the other KinderGardens.  They're all looking great!

Sunday Dinner

We went to dinner with my grandmother tonight---her invitation, and her treat, which was very kind of her.

Her choice is Applebee's, because it has something called Double Crispy Shrimp that she absolutely adores.

It was a win for everyone.  She got her shrimp, Micah and Juli feasted on hamburgers and chicken fingers, and I didn't have to cook a blessed thing on this warm day.

The other fun thing was that our waitress picked up on the fact that it's Nanny's birthday later in the week, and decided to bring her a hot fudge dessert shooter to celebrate!

Shortly after we ordered, Nanny leaned in with an observation:

Nanny:  "Did you see that black man go into the kitchen?"
Me:  "No..."
Nanny:  "Do you remember Mr. S. from when we lived in Baltimore?  If he saw a black man going in the kitchen, he'd leave the restaurant."
Me:  "You're kidding..."
Nanny:  "No.  When we went in a restaurant, he would ask if he could look in the kitchen first, to see if there were any black people working there.  It was so embarrassing!"

It just got me thinking about my soon-to-be 84-year-old grandmother  (84? 83?), and the changes that have taken place during her lifetime.

If I look to the year 2056, when I am 84, what will our world look like?  If as much can change during our lifetime as has changed during hers, then I think we're in for an exciting time in many ways.

  

(This is the static cling I purchased for my car last year.  Like it?  You can order one here.)

Happy Saturday

Things from this week that are making me happy:

---Just like last year, Juli had a fantastic time at camp.  She didn't want to come home, which is a great sign that parts of Lutherlyn touched her heart in those three days.

---Camp visits with friends.  Lutherlyn always draws former campers and counselors back for visits, sometimes bringing their own children.   Last night, we had five different families together for a bit of a visit, which included seven former staff members and our kids.  Whether it's a quick "I've missed you!" or a catch-up visit over dinner, it always makes me smile.  These are the kind of friends with which time has little meaning, where you can pick up where you left off.  Love that!

---It rained last night!  And by rain, apparently I mean monsoon.  We came home from our camp visit to find an additional eleven inches in our cistern tanks, which means we picked up 1100 gallons of water in one fell swoop.  We also came home to no electricity, which was fairly exciting for Juli and Micah.

---It is only 71 degrees outside right now, which is a temperature straight from heaven itself.

---I am alone in my house, looking forward to a day with girlfriends in Smicksburg.  Todd took the kids to camp for breakfast (cinnamon rolls!) and a morning of bike riding.  I am meeting my friends just before 10:00, which means I have an hour and a half to be in my garden and get things done around the house.  Hard to put a price on that one, but it's worth a lot.

Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday, whatever that might look like!
:)

Authors, Artists and Actors

I'm in the middle of a fabulous week.  My friend Angie and I are teaching a daycamp called Authors, Artists and Actors.  We have a small group of incredibly creative kiddos.  (All girls, purely by chance.)  Each day, we focus on a different author and picture book.  There have been crafts, snacks, songs, and activities that all revolve around our chosen stories.  

Inspired by literature, the kiddos had an opportunity to write their own spinoff adventures.

We've been practicing lines and making scenery.  On Friday, the girls will get to present their Reader's Theater rendition of Jan Brett's book, The Umbrella.

It's been a great time, with the girls getting to do the creative things they enjoy most.  We couldn't be more pleased with how all the activities are going.

Not only do they love the activites, but there is a really neat dynamic that has sprung up.  In the middle of each morning, we have a theme-related snack.  Instead of rushing through their snack and jumping to the next activity, this group of girls has used this time each day to have real conversation---talking back and forth on a variety of topics.  This was unexpected, but totally delightful.  In a world where we so often rush from one activity to another, cell phone in hand, this small group of 6-8 year olds has discovered the joy in being truly present with one another.

I think one of the reasons I'm enjoying this week so much is that these are girls after my own heart.  As a child, I spent many summers buried in a pile of books.  I would have loved to get together with other kids for a smattering of literature-based activities, so I'm really pleased that it worked for us to put this program together for the kiddos in our area.

Tomorrow?  Stories based on Cinderella.

Next summer?  Who knows!  We've already had a request for a group for older readers, so we'll see.
We'll take it as it comes.

Need to Know

It's obvious, but I'm going to state it anyway:  this summer is flying by!  We're packing as much as possible into each and every day, which translates into a lot of activity in the month that we've been home from school.  Even so, it's going quickly.

We walked into Target the other day, and Juli nearly burst into tears.
"Look Mom," she said, pointing at the ceiling.
Hung by invisible thread, the cheerful poster announced the arrival of the "Back-to-School" display.

* * * * * * *

For eight years I've wondered about my life and career direction.  I think about sermons where pastors talk about answered prayer, how sometimes God says "Yes," sometimes God says "No," and sometimes the answer is, "Not yet."  To be honest, I've never really liked that last one.  Because it makes it sound like God is holding out on you, as if He just doesn't feel like sharing at the moment.

Instead of thinking of it as "Not yet," I've been thinking of it this way:  God and I simply work on a "need to know" basis.  Here's a sample conversation:

Shayne:  "God, please show me where I'm headed.  I'll work at Target if that's where you want me.  Just tell me."

God:  "Shayne, you simply need to trust that you're where you need to be now.  Later, we'll talk.  You just don't need to know yet."

For the past eight years, I didn't need to know what was ahead.
What I needed to do was focus on the task at hand---whether that was taking care of my children, working within my MOPS group, or volunteering at church or school.

See, here's what I've begun to realize---

Eight years ago, I was cringing from my teaching experience.  Even thinking about going back to my chosen career brought tears to my eyes.  I had no idea what I would do, but it wasn't going to be teaching.

Even three years ago, if God had suggested that I would be returning to teaching, I would have laughed nervously and changed the subject.

But in the past two years, He has helped me to see my heart again.  The bitterness is gone.  The desire to help is back.  And while time does mend wounds, it's my opinion that only God can bring about this kind of healing in one's heart.

So this whole time that I was praying for Him to show me what lay ahead, He knew better.  He knew I wasn't ready to hear about the possibilities.
So we worked on a need to know basis.
I didn't need to know, so He didn't tell me.
Only when my heart was ready to hear, did He show me what the plan could look like.

(Image from www.craft33.com.)

Within the past few months, I have been presented with two perfectly compatible part-time teaching opportunities for the upcoming school year.

Two and a half days a week, I will be working one-on-one with students who struggle with dyslexia.

The other half day, I will be teaching a science lab for K-5 students.
Mondays and Fridays will be spent at home.

Absolutely tied to my areas of certification and interest, definitely perfect for my family's schedule.
It couldn't fit better, and for that I am oh-so-grateful.

So lots going on, and many changes down the road.
Trying to make the most of these summer days with my kids before they step on the bus on August 29th.

Here is a glimpse of what we've been doing.
: )

Trying out Grandma & Granddad's new Spider!  (Not riding, just pictures.)  : )

Exploring at the Amphitheater with friends.

Celebrating a most special graduate!

Hiking for Father's Day.

Visiting Childrens' Museums in Pittsburgh...

...and Rochester, NY.

Holding Lorikeets at Oglebay.

Summer days spent swimming.

Conquering the climb up the mound in Moundsville, WV.

Making memories with our family.

Supervising the construction scene.

Working on the deck for Granddad's pool.

Enjoying the beauty that life has to offer.

: )

KinderGardens 2011: Week Ten

We had a great week of garden growth!  

(Thanks to Grandma and the kids, that is, who watered while we were away for a few days.)

Micah is very impressed with the sunflower growth.  

So much that he...umm...shall we say "altered" the sunflower growth chart?

Yeah.

Thankfully, Juli took it all in stride.  We turned it over and replicated her chart on the back.

Meanwhile, I'm thankful they're still excited to get out there and measure.  

The sunflowers are taller than all of us now, and flower buds are forming!

Look at the droopy leaves!  It would be to our advantage to have rain.  Thankfully, my dad has a deep well and is amenable to sharing his water with our garden.

While I was taking this photo, Juli was exclaiming that the spaghetti squash were going to take over her strawberry patch.

Here's the first spaghetti squash baby.  May there be many more!

Fuzzy picture, but Micah was excited nonetheless to see his watermelon flowering.

I just adore the way the light is shining through this bit of Swiss chard.  Very cool!

Our first nasturtium flower of the year!

Beans plants finally doing what they're supposed to do!  Climb...climb!

On a sadder note...I noticed two spotted cucmber beetles having a makeout session on a sunflower.

I promptly squished them.

Cucumber beetles are not my friends.

* * * * * * *

I hope you're having a marvelous gardening season.  If you'd like to jump in on the KinderGarden fun, check out the other week 10 posts here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Finnish Fireplace...that will soon be finished!

For a few months, Todd has been quite busy with the beginnings of our masonry heater.  (If you remember, we have heated our home for two winters with radiant floor heat fueled by propane.)  That is actually our backup system; it has always been our intent to construct a wood-fueled heater in the center of our home.

If you visited Terra Dei at Lutherlyn, you'll remember the masonry heater constructed between the living and bedroom spaces.  Haven's new heater will be based on the same Finnish Fireplace design, described by Albie Barden of Maine Wood Heat in his construction manual from 1984.

(Terra Dei living space circa 1998, featuring our beautiful masonry heater.)

So...why a masonry heater?  Why not a plain old "woodburner"?

If you picture a typical woodburning stove or traditional fireplace/chimney, you build your fire in the firebox.  It burns---giving off some heat to the room---but quite a bit of the energy goes straight up the chimney and is lost.  

In the design history section of his book, Albie describes the Finnish contraflow design that was invented in 1850 by a Swedish engineer by the name of Wimanin.  

At the risk of oversimplifying, here's the gist of the design:  

1.  You build the fire in the firebox and close the doors.  The fire burns in the main chamber.  

2.  Instead of going straight up and out the chimney, the superheated gas travels through a maze-like tunnel built out of firebrick inside the heater. 

3.   The firebrick absorbs the heat and radiates it outward over the next 12-24 hours.

When Todd and I lived at Terra Dei, that translated into two fires a day---one before leaving for work, one upon return---to heat our entire home.  You're talking about an incredibly efficient system, which saves precious resources and translates into huge cost savings for the homeowner.  

I'll share our final cost once we've completed construction.  

(If you have technical questions, leave them in a comment.  I'll have Todd address any details.)

In the meantime, here we go!

(Lutherlyn friends---this heater base is comprised of block salvaged at camp.  I have remnants of Cabin 19 and the old Dining Hall in my basement!)  So far, our cost has been minimal---about $18 for a chimney cleanout door and another $20 for mortar.

Remember where we had the craft table?  (Right above the purple tempera splotch on the floor!)

Once you lift up the concrete board, we had many pieces of plywood and subfloor.

Juli and Micah were both excited about revealing the hole in the floor, so they were anxious to help Daddy with his tools.

And at my request, Todd kid-proofed the hole in the floor to keep kids safe during this point in construction.
(Note, the cat did disappear beneath the floor for a few minutes the other night.  Lucky for all of us, she decided to resurface quickly.)

To be continued!