August 25, 2008 by pamela.

Today I’d like to acknowledge  the mothers who came before me… mothers who worked long before days dawned and long after suns set — women who, without conveniences, running water, power and supplies, cared for their families - putting them before themselves and tenaciously pressed on through the years of their lives.  It does not escape me that life for women in many places in the world live such a life today.

I feel as though I cannot personally relate - I have photos in my possession and have heard numerous stories my children have told me about living conditions in places in Mexico & Africa… I’ve listened to Christian sisters share specifics in testimonies of daily life in those and other ‘foreign lands’ and the effort mothers expend to simply survive from day to day.  Still, I’ve not been able to sincerely relate — though I’ve sincerely attempted to grasp the reality of life for women the world over.  I say women… for the simple fact that that’s who I’m relating to.  Stories of men and their lives and work the world over would be another angle to which I cannot relate.

My mother tells me stories of my grandmother and her methods of cleaning, cooking, sewing, making soap, heating kettles, boiling water and doing laundry in large pots, hanging clothes by necessity - not choice - and a myriad of other things she did for her family. Her story is unrecorded… as are the stories of the lives of most all mothers the world over… mothers who got their hands dirty.  Mothers who really worked hard - or mothers who really worked really hard.

In addition to the chicken we have for eggs, we’ve been raising chickens — meat birds — raising them for food.  There’s been one purpose for them. Week after week they’ve been growing.  We after week we’ve been taking care of them.  Saturday that part of the deal ended — they lived up to their end of the bargain.

Friends of ours graciously taught us how to handle the chickens when they lived up to their end of the deal.  As I stood there, a flood of emotion washed over me - a strange mix of sadness, remorse and nausea.  Then, I thought of the mothers who’ve gone before me… mothers who did whatever it took to put nutritious food on the table for their families.  I thought of the mothers who didn’t have the butchering conveniences I had before me, nor the running water for the process.

Now, I wasn’t alone in this whole process, for a couple of our boys were tackling the job with sincere eagerness to do well and Wes was right there working alongside them.  I’m glad our friend prayed before we began the process — I really had a terribly hard time with the initial ‘taking of a life’ and watching the helpless animal struggle for a moment.  The dipping in boiling water was not as challenging and the ‘defeathering’ was even less so.  Then came the moment for which I had not been prepared.  You know those packets with the “giblets” in them - the neat little packages you remove from the store bought chicken or turkey?  Well, there was not a neat little baggie or paper sacklet for the most inward parts of each chicken.  This was clearly a challenge to my sensibilities. By the third one, I realized that this was a job that just plain needed to be done.

And then that thought came to me, once again, that mothers who have gone before me had done this innumerable times. I thought about that for quite a few moments.  I smiled at the thought that I had now crossed into a new territory for myself.  It was another of those accomplishments that made me a kindred spirit to those mothers who’ve gone before me… mothers who got their hands dirty.

Posted in my fiftieth year, My life, Motherhood | Print | 5 Comments »

August 19, 2008 by pamela.

Pretty soon the beautiful hydrangeas will stop blooming for the year…
For now, each morning I love to walk around the yard and see the beautiful variety and  lovely shades of  blues, greens,  purples, lavenders and red hydrangeas… these are  my favourite flowers… but the roses are quite lovely, too.

in the rose garden are candlelight roses, lavender, various pinks, yellow, peach, coral and white… the whites are particularly beautiful this year!

produce from the garden this morning… in addition to many(!) zucchini, yellow squash, beans and onions, Naomi and ‘melia picked some carrots.  They came running in to show me the “married carrots” and the “pants carrots.”  I smiled… at the married carrots… sweet, innocent girls thought the carrots were dancing bcz they were married.  Sweet.  I love the delightfully sweet innocence of children.

Posted in Home Sweet Home, Family | Print | 4 Comments »

August 19, 2008 by pamela.

I’m still pondering: The old paths…

A few days ago I was looking at photographs and was trying to recollect those days… actually, those and a lot of other “days gone by” and I began to consider and ask myself: what good things did I do in those days do I no longer do? What did I leave off doing — and why? Did I get weary? Did I get overconfident? Did I get tired? Did I get lazy? Did I forget? Why did I stop doing the things that were working well? And, when? When did I veer off the path?

Slowly over the last several days and likely into the next several weeks, I am working to restore the old paths… the old paths of home… the routines, the objectives and the disciplines of our home life. A mama has to be the restorer of the breach(es).

Somewhere along the way some of the pavers of the old path slipped away… various floods of life and life’s trials broke up the path — children grew, needs changed, babies were born, children grew up and left home, the tides of business ebbed and flowed, sickness and health, strength and weakness… and so, along the way — here and there, places on the path were washed out.

Probably of all the decisions I’ve been making — or the tasks I’ve been doing lately — setting our home in order has been the most important. Clutter and disorder paralyzes people — and mothers, probably more than they realize, are rendered ineffective if there is much clutter and disorder. Clutter hinders creativity and productivity and disorder hinders unity and accomplishment — both in ourselves and in our children or daily family life.

I hadn’t really realized this was happening — it was so long in existence and so subtle in appearance. I hadn’t realized that I had stopped checking “completed” chores. I hadn’t realized that I had started finishing jobs others had either started and didn’t complete or hadn’t done at all. I hadn’t noticed that things were being overlooked… not put away… not taken care of properly.

I hadn’t noticed that jobs were being done well enough instead of well done! Close or ‘good enough’ is fine some of the time… but ‘good enough’ is not fine for all of the time. Close or ‘good enough’ is fine for younger children “in training,” but for myself and older children who know better, close or ‘good enough’ is not: good. Enough.

More on all this later.

blessings,

Posted in Homemaking, Family | Print | 1 Comment »

August 18, 2008 by pamela.

I’ve been thinking about paths lately… spurred on by reading in Jeremiah and considering ‘the old paths’ and doing the things we know to be profitable in our home/life. I had to smile at the following video. In our home, through the years, we’ve had many, many opportunities to train up boys and girls in the way they should go. This, most notably, is a spiritual training - but, it’s also training in life skills, work ethic and manners. Repetition (both in direction and practice) is the key to accomplishing the objective and to developing abilities. But, more than all that, it’s not just important that our children know how to work as that they do so of their own initiative - that they know what to do and do it well — that they see a need and fill it — that they do what needs doing without being told to do it - and doing so cheerfully.

So, we’re ever in training — ever in training mode.

And it’s not just important that our develop habits or manners — it’s important that they have a basis or a foundation for why they do or don’t do particular things. Beyond basics, they need to know why we tell them or instruct them the way we do. [I see I failed to originally share that our love for and thanks to the LORD is the foundation or the ‘why’ behind the way we go. Otherwise, we’d just be training the flesh to comply.]

From an early age they are learning about virtues, faith, honour, trust and obedience… behaviours of civility and self control and soon they move into reflecting moral understanding and to developing disciplines of responsibility and order and discretion. In time, they start to more deeply grasp the basis for morality along with a personal responsibility for actions, decisions and the benefits and consequences of attention or neglect.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition - we pray the repetition results in a fruitful life - a life fully yielded to the LORD.

Posted in Parenting, Family | Print | 1 Comment »

August 15, 2008 by pamela.

For several months I have been using ‘home-made’ laundry soap and have been very pleased with the results! In addition to the ease of making the soap, the dollar savings has been a great help to me/my family! This may sound terrible, but I’ve never attempted to be very thrifty in the laundry room. As a front-loader user and a Tide–Clorox–Spray’nWash–Oxi-Clean-Downey girl and mom of many, I’ve obviously bought large, washed large and $pent large. Now… after several months of still washing large but not spending large, it’d be pretty tough to go and spend $27. on a box of Tide and $12.00 on a bottle of Downey. Now, I’m spending less than 5 dollars for about 100 loads of wash. I still use hot-hot water & double rinse for white clothes and towels.

I still use the Spray ‘n Wash occasionally and the Oxi Clean, too, on occasion, but for the most part I am using only the home-made soap and Vinegar in the rinse dispenser for rinse aid and softening the fabric. I’m going to try a mix of hydrogen peroxide/lemon juice —or— when I can order some, I’d like to try sodium perborate for whitening the clothes w/o using Clorox bleach.

So, here’s a way of making home made laundry soap. And… by the way, I used Fels Naptha for the first 5 gallon pail, and I used lavender goat-milk soap the last time. I think I prefer the lavender soap and so I ordered lavender bar soap from Azure Standard to use in making my next bucketful of laundry-soap next week. Okay, so I started with these: an empty 5 gallon bucket, water, bar soap, washing soda & borax. I got the soap, washing soda and borax at Fred Meyer (you can find these in most grocery store’s laundry products department).

First, I grated a bar of Fels Naptha soap and covered that grated bar with water in a medium sauce pot - on low - on the stove. I stirred it until it completely melted.

Here’s what the grated soap looks like in the pan — and this is what is then covered with 4-6 cups of hot water and stirred until completely dissolved.

Then I filled my bucket one fourth full of hot-hot water and 2 cups of Borax and 2 Cups of Washing Soda

… and then I whisked and whisked and whisked until the borax and soda were completely dissolved.

…and when then I switched to my large-long handled potato masher and used that to incorporate the liquefied Fels Naptha or other bar of soap. It becomes quite gelatinous and thick after blending. I moved the half full bucket to our laundry area and then I filled it the rest of the way with hot water and continued to blend well.

I then snapped on a Gamma Seal lid - a very cool product - especially if you have arthritis and prying off bucket lids is hard. I have slowly switched all of our former lids to Gamma Seal lids (fits most 3.5-7 gallon buckets). The seems-permanent ‘ring’ is snapped on the bucket and the center of the lid spins off to open and on to tightly close the bucket. I use buckets for grains, cereals, honey, raw sugar, granola… and now, soap!

When my soap is finished, I fill a small 1 gallon rubbermaid bucket that sits on my washing machine. And the rest of the soap remains in the 5 gallon bucket for refills. I use about one HALF cup per load - and less than that on lightly soiled clothes - so, essentially there are 160 portions in a 5 gallon bucket. [I had the math wrong here originally — oops]

My 5-gallon bucket is now empty - ready for the next soap making in a few days. One more note… I add a dropper full of Essential Oil (honeysuckle, orange, lavender mixed in a little bottle) to each load’s rinse water - yep, right into the vinegar in the “fabric softener” dispenser.

And… voilà nice clean, sweet smelling clothes! Happy washing!!

Posted in Recipes, Homemaking | Print | 8 Comments »

August 12, 2008 by pamela.

I forgot to post these photos from our local library in June. I was amazed at the blatant message of the posters - considering that they were located in the center of the library next to the computers. Slowly, desensitization and subtle indoctrination is taking place… you may not even realize it until you start using common jargon to describe sodomy, for example - or until other common words replace evil. Consider - what, at one time might have been called abomination is now (for fear of man) simply called: inappropriate. Now, to take this stand, one is commonly at risk of being called hateful - phobic. But, surely, that’s just part of the enemy’s tactic to silence people who stand for the truth. Standing for truth is not hateful nor is it phobic or fearful — but the defeated foe must employ whatever means possible to deceive and attack.

Here’s what adults and children saw in our library in June.

8/13 edit: For the record… my reason for posting this on my blog is that there are statements on this poster that are just totally absolutely reprehensible and egregious for a public library to endorse by posting this display in the middle of the library for the month of June.

Impressionable, vulnerable, *innocent* children must be protected from: “join the transexual menace” and from the potential for exploitation and abuse of others: “hang out with children and teach them how to cross dress barbie and GI joe” and by the mere suggestion that there are “things you can do to eradicate gender or multiply it exponentially.”

Shame on the Snohomish Public Library. What’s in the books on the shelves is wholly another matter. What’s on display in the middle of the library is the issue at hand here. And this is a blatant, in your face, attack on God, on faith, on the family and society at large. Shame on the Snohomish library for breaching the confidence and safety and assaulting the sensibilities of children and families… the patrons who pay for and frequent this library.

Well, Duh.  But - eradicating gender or promoting exploitation, abuse, confusion and/or abomination is not the answer.

Posted in Society | Print | 6 Comments »

August 12, 2008 by pamela.

Presentation is everything… image is everything… whatever the cost.  My friend used to tell me these things about the country to which she and her husband were missionaries.  My mother said very similar things upon returning from an extended visit to the same country.  I marveled each time I heard this… incredulous that it matters not at all what is but only what seems is important.  The end result… a perfect compromise… regardless the cost or what’s sacrificed.

…we should all understand it like this…”  Truthy not facty - not what is but what seems.

From the UK Telegraph

In referring to the decision to *use* Lin Miaoke for presentation in singing fro the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in China:

The main consideration was the national interest,” he said. “The child on the screen should be flawless in image, in her internal feelings, and in her expression. In the matter of her voice, Yang Peiyi was flawless, in the unanimous opinion of all the members of the team.”

“That was until attention turned to Yang Peiyi’s teeth. Nevertheless, Mr Chen thought the end result a perfect compromise. We have a responsibility to face the audience of the whole country, and to be open with this explanation,” he said. “We should all understand it like this: it is a question of the national interest. It is a question of the image of our national music, our national culture.

“Especially at the entrance of our national flag, this is an extremely important, an extremely serious matter. So we made the choice. I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi - after all, we have a perfect voice, a perfect image and a perfect show, in our team’s view, all together.”

Image is everything - what seems  is the only imperative.   Like the fireworks display for the opening ceremony… the world didn’t see reality.  But— that didn’t matter, because only image mattered.  The fireworks were computer generated graphics,

Gao Xiaolong, head of the visual effects team for the ceremony, said it had taken almost a year to create the 55-second sequence. Meticulous efforts were made to ensure the sequence was as unnoticeable as possible: they sought advice from the Beijing meteorological office as to how to recreate the hazy effects of Beijing’s smog at night, and inserted a slight camera shake effect to simulate the idea that it was filmed from a helicopter. Seeing how it worked out, it was still a bit too bright compared to the actual fireworks,” he said. “But most of the audience thought it was filmed live - so that was mission accomplished.”  [And as a spokeswoman for the Olympics said, “As far as we are concerned, we let off the fireworks - that’s what’s important to us”]

So, what’s all this got to do what Jeremiah?  Well, in reading through the first few chapters this morning, I was marveling at the similarities between the above and much of the “church” (general - mainstream - emergent, etc.) today.   Chapter 2 of Jeremiah, in particular and a few verses specifically:

5  Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? … 7  And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 8  The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.  9  Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead… (11) …but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. 12  Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 13  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water…  21  Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?  22  For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD. 23  How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;  24  A wild ass used to the wilderness…  25  Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.”

And then I consider… how can it be that truth doesn’t matter - that image is the only thing that’s important?  Vanity and pride - lies that entice and deceive men and women into forgetting God and though clothed in rags, masquerading as beautiful and wise.  The “church” today led by ‘pastors’ who do not know the Word of God - who, for their own profit and advancement of their own opinions exploit and lead millions astray.  I think of little Lin Miaoke - totally exploited for the sake of the image of a country - I wonder how she’ll feel when she’s old enough to understand mockery and fraud.

I guess she’ll feel used and ashamed.  But then, maybe she will remain under the delusion of her imprisoning government and continue to deny her own conscience or she will find redemption in the LORD… like those who come into the Light of the Truth of the Word of God - when they come to see the Lord Jesus and realize that all along they had been duped, tricked and rejected the only One who could give them Living water and eternal life.   Only then will she know genuine peace - true freedom.

I think of China… I think of Russia… our own pitifully deceived nation… and I wonder - O, God… how can the world continually reject You - our merciful, sovereign LORD?   O, the power of the enemy of God - the enemy of Creation - the enemy of our souls. O, the arrogance of vanity and pride.

Even so, Come, LORD Jesus.

Posted in devotionals, News DuJour | Print | 1 Comment »

August 9, 2008 by pamela.

I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately… things I like to do, things I used to do… habits and regimens that have been most important in my life… things I’ve left off doing, things I need to prioritize.

I like to write.
I like to blog.
I like to share slices of life.
I like to write about what’s going on. and. what. I. think. about. it.
I like to link to others who think — really think — about things.
I like to hear from you.
I like to share photos.
I like to share stories.

I think it’s all part of the fact that I always thought I was born to be a princess. And, perhaps, that I think everyone wants to hear about something I thought was worth writing about — now, I didn’t say everyone wants to read what *I* thought about something, no, no, no…. I mean, when I see something in the news or a book or a study or hear something on the airwaves, I think others will want to hear about it too.

Problem is, (if you keep reading here) you’ll have to sift out my take on it, put it through your own filter, see what you think and… well, maybe you’ll come back and read again some other day. And then again, maybe not. That’s the cool thing about the proliferation of blogs. There’re hundreds of thousands of blogs from which to choose — dozens and dozens of newspages with hundreds of links everyday — so there’s surely no shortage of stuff to read.

When I started blogging over five years ago, there weren’t a bazillion blogs from which to choose and so it was easy to write, add links for further browsing pleasure and so on. I didn’t use a service like I do now with Wordpress. At first I didn’t keep monthly blogs on my site for future reference… I just cleared the page at the beginning of each month and started in again. But then I realized I would want to reference something and so decided to keep monthly blogs as their own file. Even today I go back to those blogs for info and sometimes just to reminisce - I’m migrating those to this blogsite for ease of navigation and for posterity, too, I guess. Today, there are so many blogs that one could not possibly regularly visit all the favourites. and. still. get. *any*thing. done.

Still… I miss blogging everyday. So… along with several other resolves to resume ’stuff I used to do’ - I think I’ll attempt to do so once again. It’s therapeutic for me — and it’s cheaper than therapy — and, besides, I was born to be a princess.

Posted in Potpourri | Print | 4 Comments »

August 8, 2008 by pamela.

The lights, action, cameras… all eyes on China.
Remember our Brothers and Sisters in chains.

All that glitters is not gold.

Pray for China… pray for persecuted Christians in China.

Posted in Potpourri | Print | No Comments »