The Lady in the Gingerbread House

The other day, as I began to embark through the snow covered trail, a thought crossed my mind. One that's crossed my mind several times...... it was the Lady in the Gingerbread house. This time the thought seemed a bit more like conviction. It said "this is the last time I'm going to tell you". I turned around and went back to the house. I gathered up some vegetables, a wreath and a Christmas letter. Then I began trudging through a snow covered drive deep into the forest, glad I had had the foresight to wear my tall, extra warm pack boots and heavy down coat. As I walked, I argued with myself. "They probably don't want company" The other voice said "shut up and walk". On and on my imagination argued with reason and conviction. If ever one could peer into my thoughts, they would find a freeway of traffic going on in there. I have to employ several extra law enforcers just to keep all the thought traffic driving in the right direction. On my imagination rebelled and on I kept trudging in the direction of the little gingerbread house.
As I approached, though no tire tracks could be seen in the fresh snow, cheery smoke rose from the chimney. I unzipped my heavy coat feeling a bit overheated from the exertion of hiking in the extra layers. As I trudged up to the door, it opened before I could knock and the two artists ushered me inside. I removed my layers of heavy clothing and side arm, and sat smiling at the Lady in the Gingerbread house. These two artists are amazing people. Husband and wife, they live deep in forest only going out to town once a month for supplies. Often they are snowed in and don't seem to mind. To get their mail, they hike a long way, crossing a frozen river! They know all manner of plant and mushroom life in the area and grow a beautiful garden in the summer. As I made my way into their home, they showed me beautiful paintings they had been working on. For the first time, ever, the lady in the Gingerbread house took me up the stairs into her art studio. Then she showed me a wool quilt she was working on in her bedroom. Observing all of the exquisite work inspired me to no end. Just the house they built speaks of their artistic ability.
We sat down to the table, and as her husband continued his work in the adjoining studio, we visited. She brewed some coffee and cut a slice of cake for me as we chatted. I had never spent so much time with her before, and found her quite intriguing. For over 30 years, this couple has lived deep in this forest. Despite my vast ignorance about art, native mushrooms and plant life, I enjoyed our conversation. When it was time to go home, I left feeling inspired and awed at the simple yet profound life that they have lived together.
Yesterday, when we got home from town, all our groceries had to be pulled by sled up our driveway. It's too slick to drive regular 4wd's on now. The truck we usually have chains on is in our garage being worked on. I had Moonbeam in a pack and pulled up an extra large heavy wet blanket I had washed at the laundromat. My husband was pulling up a huge sled full of groceries. Even Catman had a little sled with bags in it. It was dark and slippery. A couple of times we started sliding backward down the hill with our packs. Usually I automatically get mad and frustrated ranting and raving about this crazy set up of a place we live in. This time I just smiled. I remembered that it is a place with a crazy set up that's paid for. I don't have to go out and work every day to pay rent or a big mortgage. As we got to the steepest part, the older boys came rushing out the doors meeting us and helping take some of the loads. I smiled again as we all got to the door. The power of the whole family working together is amazing. My husband suggested the boys "do some Home EC and cook us dinner". I wasn't going to argue with that idea. After dinner, we played "Risk" and for the first time ever, I won. That was worth smiling about too.

Above Photos : A family hike to nearby frozen lake. Be sure to note our zany cat Puma Kitty!!

Prestigious Blog Awards

Thank You Foodie Girl for "Superior Scribbler" blog award! This is the link with rules and regulations :

http://foodieforme.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-awards-go-to.html

Thank You Prairie Chick for "Over the top" blog award!! Here are rules for that one :

http://prairieprologue.blogspot.com/2009/12/over-top.html

Here are the questions Prairie Chicks came with :

Here are my answers to these questions: 1. Where is your cell phone? uhhh.....2. Your hair? brown 3. Your mother? fabulous!4. Your father? grrr-eat!!5. Your favorite food? chocolate6. Your dream last night? forgettable7. Your favorite drink? coffee 8. Your dream/goal? influence 9. What room are you in? living 10. Your hobby? literature 11. Your fear? apathy 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? deeper 13. Where were you last night? worship 14. Something you aren’t? alone15. Muffins? mmmm..... 16. Wish list item? tropical17. Where did you grow up? N.MN18. Last thing you did? blogged19. What are you wearing? pj's20. Your TV? scifi21. Your pets? prowling 22. Your friends? faithful 23. Your life? overflowing24. Your mood? bliss 25. Missing someone? family 26. Vehicle? guzzler 27. Something you’re not wearing? frown28. Your favorite store? Costco29. Your favorite color? Teal30. When was the last time you laughed? Today 31. Last time you cried? dunno 32. Your best friend? God 33. One place that you go over and over? Wal mart 34. One person who emails you regularly? Dolphin 35. Favorite place to eat? Home

Ok, while my family are horrified by scifi snakes, I am taking this opportunity to award these prestigious awards to very deserving recipients!! Here they are!!

Superior Scribbler Recipients : Prairie Chick, who never ceases in her quest for God. She inspires me to no end!! Marcy at Blessings Each Day, who always has fun humor, interesting facts and a positive spirit. Kimberly at Homeschooling a Handful has been a source of inspiration with her incredible photographic ability and dedication to her home and children.

Over the Top Recipients : The Girls at Modest is Hottest, who are virtuous, wise and stylish! Becky at The Little Blue Cottage, who has a pure heart, hopes and dreams - she's overcoming so many challenges! Indescribable, for her dedication to children all over the world. Also Hannah at The Life and Adventure of the Averites . As a young woman, worked for a ministry until she recently married and now is serving with him on a new adventure! I love following her life because she's made so many wise decisions. It's an exciting adventure!! Last but not least, Heather at Bless Your Family, for all her support, crafty ideas and strong family spirit!

Thank you for inspiring me! Blogging becomes so much more enriching because of you!!

"I Don't Want to Die, Man, I Just Wanna Get Some Water"!

As the fresh fallen snow envelops our little community, I can’t help but be reminded that it’s a little bit like how Love covers a multitude of sin. A few weeks ago, Elasta Woman got a notion - one she had been thinking about for some time. She decided that the community needed to once again become a community and worship together. This young, married woman in her mid 20’s - of depth beyond her years, rebelled against "the norm". Despite the fact that many people refuse to associate with one another, she and Mist organized the first ever "Community Praise and Worship". I’ll admit, I was just a little bit skeptical. There are so many people who hold grudges. I just didn't see how it was all going to work out. After I saw the younger women’s passion and determination, I was convicted into knowing it was a God plan and that I needed to get behind it and support them.
At our women’s group that week, there was a stir of enthusiasm. They brought a host of songs to discuss doing along with lots of other ideas. I had encouraged them to bathe the event in prayer and that’s exactly what we all did. We prayed for it at home. We prayed for it in groups. They met ahead of time and prayed. Lots and lots of prayer went into the occasion. When at last the day came, we loaded into our Suburban picking up a few extra passengers along the way and headed to the community center amidst the new fallen snow.
Lots of people had begun to arrive. We had all decided ahead of time that we were going to try and remain ignorant about who was going. This was because when people asked us, we wanted to say with all honesty "I don’t know". We were pleasantly surprised to see a nice variety of folks. As the music started, and I saw my friends up there singing, I couldn't help but feel like God was looking down upon the variety of people and had to be pleased. Some kind of goodwill overtook us all and the variety of musicians and singers gathered seemed to bring peace and healing to the valley. I’m pretty sure good ground was won and the strongholds of bitterness relinquished its grip. It was almost as if an angelic choir joined in along with us.
The next day in church, one of our favorite mountain men - we call him "When in Doubt Shoot it Out Guy", because he says that kidding around sometimes. Anyway, this lovable older veteran lives in a cabin with out running water. He recalled to us the tale that he had gone out to haul water and noticed fresh mammoth mountain lion tracks near his well. Because of this, he decided it was possibly time for indoor plumbing. "I don’t want to die, man, I just wanna get some water!" he relayed. The kids, of course, had to repeat this tale when we got home. I remembered our music the night before and it seemed to pertain just a little to the mountain man’s famous quote.
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Above Photos - Sock Fashion Expert Makes Cookies "with help", then we all play "The Worst Case Scenario Game"

Be Afraid - Very Afraid - Assault of Greens!!

God has a sense of humor - I just know it!! Just last Saturday, I enjoyed a spinach and feta salad when I was out with my friend "Dolphin Goddess". Actually, she picked out the salad. I was going to go for a burger. We decided to split our meals and it was love at first bite!! Oh my goodness! Spinach, Feta, cranberries, pecans and Feta call my name now! It was one of the best salads ever! God being God, decided to really bless me! Guess what came?! Cases of spinach along with cases of snap peas, lettuce, anise/fennel and celery! Here's the story.

First of all, I apologize for my delinquency of blog reading lately! I've been horrible - terrible!! Every moment of every day seems accounted for!! Soon, very soon, you will be hearing from me :-)
The other day, I received a surprise call about a shipment of greens! Before I knew it, I was hauling cases and crates up my stairway, wondering how on earth I would use it all before it spoiled. That night, I went to bed feeling blessed, yet befuddled! I woke up still at a loss - not wanting to waste anything. My men had already called a meeting in my kitchen strongly encouraging me. "We know you have the urge to hoard this" they said "but you need to sow". Quite possibly this sudden feeling of goodwill had to do with their dislike of spinach - LOL!!
I called my friend, "From MN", who is the most virtuous woman I know. She gave me all kinds of fiendish ideas to torment my family to health. The next thing she said brought peace and inspiration to my soul........ "Environmental Science Day". Its true - there is nothing wrong with taking a day away from school books and teaching children food preservation. It is a needed life skill. You can have the smartest, most learned children and if they are ignorant about life in general, you have failed in an important section of their life. With "From MN"'s advice, I got to work. I can't tell you everybody smiled and got happy about this task. The household, still wary of green, seemed leery, however by the end of the day, I had made a delicious meal my husband was quite pleased with, which contained lots of the dreaded substance...........vegetables!
Here are some diabolical things we did that day (all of which were "From MN"'s ideas)
1. finely chopped and dehydrated fresh Fennel / Anise
2. sorted, cleaned and dehydrated spinach
3. ditto - froze spinach
4. steamed celery (better than flash cooking because more nutrients are retained) - then we ran it through a food processor. Check out my new Goodwill buy! A Cuisinart Food Processor / Blender for $6!! Then we froze the puree in ice trays. Store the cubes in a Ziploc baggies and add to soups - stews - etc.. I am planning to do this later on with spinach as well. Finely milled spinach is not detectable in many foods such as brownies, spaghetti sauce, etc.. Yes women, think diabolical!! Assault your children - full scale attack - with greens!!
By the end of the day, everything seemed less chaotic and more manageable. I felt blessed because I had stored up good things for my family. I also got to share lots with friends, much to the relief and pleasure of my men.

Anybody have any good ideas for cooking with snap peas, fresh anise / fennel, spinach? I'd love to hear more suggestions!!

Homeschool Environmental Science Day

Story to follow on next post

B-E-A-R !!!!!

Deep in the heart of the forest lies a sleeping bear nestled down into a shallow den in the snow. Quite possibly, he lies in a fitful sleep, wary of his run in with 3 certain boys yesterday...........

I had planned a shopping trip to a nearby city with my friend "Dolphin Goddess" for weeks. As the day approached, I set everything I thought I might need aside to make the trip go well - a portable umbrella stroller, diaper bag, water bottle, etc.. Before the sun ever crawled out of His resting place, I was up and making ready. Before I ever left the house, a strange feeling washed over me. I went and checked on each one of the kids and gave them a kiss on the cheek while they slept. Even as I drove away with Moonbeam in tow, I prayed a quick prayer of protection, such as I normally do. No sooner did I get to the bottom of the driveway, but I heard "meow". I was pretty sure Moonbeam had not yet learned that sound and I stopped to throw the cat back out into the new fallen snow. As I drove along the deserted stretch of road to my friend's house, animal tracks could be seen in a plentiful supply.
Soon we were on our way together having a grand old time! My friend, Dolphin Goddess, had made us breakfast burritos for the road. We sipped our coffee, ate our breakfast and drove leisurely to town. Some time, as we were driving along, my three boys were making their way out of their beds and formulating a plan for a grand adventure hike deep into the forest. As the boys were formulating their plans, a bear deep in the forest had just begun hibernation for the winter. He slept, undisturbed in a hollow, never suspecting someone would be blogging about him today.
Over the course of the day, Dolphin Goddess, Moonbeam and I had such fun shopping! We went all over the city. We tried on clothes at a second hand store, shopped till we about dropped at Wal mart and ate an incredible meal. When she stopped to run an errand at the post office, I phoned home to check on the kids. Sock Fashion Expert told me the three boys were out together "breaking trail".
Deep in the heart of the forest, three boys trudged onward in search of adventure. Maybe they were "breaking a trail". Maybe they were just getting in a nice hike. After a week of school and chores, the younger two were probably ready for some exercise, fresh air and freedom. As they continued on into the forest, one spotted a hole. He pointed it out to the others, and boys being boys, decided to check it out. As they approached the hole, they started saying things like "Cool! Check this out! That's the biggest badger hole I ever saw!" "Bear!" "No Badger!" "No bear!" No Badger!" As they bantered back and forth, the littlest of the boys, 7 year old Catman, meandered closer and closer to get a better look. As Super Catman peered into the hole, he saw a snout emerge. The older two boys heard a mournful howl or maybe a growl. Whatever the sound, they would make many attempts to parrot it now and most certainly will for many years to come. After the mournful howling growl, Super Catman, closest to the hole, attempted to back up along with his brothers. As the boys hastily backed up, Super Catman tripped and began sliding toward the hole. The Archer grabbed him and pulled him back. Out shot a little black bear not even an arms length away! The little bear, awakened from his sleep and traumatized, took off running like crazy leaving the boys shocked and with quite a story to tell!
As Dolphin Goddess and I were driving through Starbucks for a pumpkin spiced latte, getting ready to head home, my boys were galloping home with their tale of high adventure! Long after I have worn out the clothes I bought, long after my new holiday decorations lose their glitter, and presents have been opened and used up, my three boys will most likely be retelling the story of their day to their children and to their grand children.

Pictured above : Getting our Christmas Tree

Tis the Season to Give

I've been having a lot of fun making and giving wreaths away! It feels so good to get out in the fresh air and pick different kinds of boughs and plants to put into the wreaths. Then I craft the wreaths and hang them up around the house outside. Each time I go somewhere, I take along a wreath (or two or three or maybe even four)! When I go for a walk, I bring along a wreath to share with a neighbor. When I drive to work, I throw in a few for co-workers and friends who have been good to me. It's a fun, inexpensive way of saying "thank you" that lasts a long time.
For the first time, I was asked to join a little party of women and help them make wreaths! I was just a little bit nervous! They are all crafters from way back! I'm not artistic at all! Well, it was a fun day and I met lots of neat ladies from all over our area. I had such a great time. I was awed at the wreaths the women made and the decor they arrayed them with! Oh they were gorgeous. I learned a lot more than I taught!
We tend to feel stressed out about this time of the year. We have a "status" of gifts we want to live up to. Truth be told, the best gifts in life are not bought with money. Probably one of the best gifts we can give somebody we love is time, understanding and extra grace. May peace reign in your hearts this holiday season :-)
Outdoor.Mom