Low-Hanging Fruit

After church today I hung some clothes on the line, let the chickens run around the backyard, and picked a gallon of figs. It was a hot day, but it was nice in the shade with the breeze. There was that country feel to the day.

My mind usually wanders when I work like that. As I was picking the figs, I was reminded of the phrase “low-hanging fruit” that is sometimes applied when people travel to remote and desperate areas to spread the gospel. Those people they are trying to save are the low-hanging fruit: easy to reach.

I got some low-lying fruit today. I also got some I had to reach up for. I even got some I had to climb on the kids' fort and reach over, pull the branch over to me, and then pick it. When I went and sat across the yard in my comfy lawn chair, darned if I didn't see some fruit that was ripe for the picking that I didn't get in the first pass. Should I just sit there and leave it for the birds? Should I get up, put forth a little more effort, and go get that other fruit? Of course, you know what I did. I couldn't sit there knowing there was fruit to be picked.

Would that I was so diligent in picking the fruit in the Lord's garden, low-hanging or not. All my fruit got put in the same bucket. It will all be washed. It will all be preserved. I won't be able to tell the fruit from the bottom branches from the fruit off the top. God's people are like that. No matter where they come from, they are all valuable and worth the effort. They will all be washed. They will all be preserved.

Lord, help me to find all the fruit you want me to pick. Help me put forth the effort for the hard to reach fruit.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” John 15:1

“When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.” Matthew 21:34

Daily Harvest

While we haven't done much with our little plot of town land, we do manage to coax a few things to harvest. The figs have started to come in. We pick them and make preserves every year. This year will be no different. And we got an egg today, too. Not quite a meal, but it's something!

The Toys of Summer

We live in a big city. My kids are city kids. They are quite accustomed to big crowds, lots of traffic, and being able to do all the city has to offer. They are also spoiled at home with toys and electronic devices to keep them as lazy and slovenly as anyone can imagine. And yet. And yet, they are really very simple kids. They would much rather play outside than just about anything.

There is sidewalk chalk.


Such masterpieces.

Roller skating. Of course, it helps if you wear a tutu.


But, really, the highlight of this summer is this:

For those of you who don't have Scouts for sons or engineer/carpenters for husbands, this is a push cart. Hubs and the boy made it a couple of weeks ago. It has seen a lot of action in those couple of weeks.

The steering is accomplished (or not) by the passenger's feet on the front axle. The power comes from whomever is behind it running. Like so:

Poor thing hasn't gotten the steering part down just yet.

No motors. No plugs. No screens. And although they sometimes scare me to death, I can't tell you how pleased I am that they can have so much fun playing like this. This is what childhood should be like.

Are we threatening you?

I don't dress like the Amish, nor do my children, but I do make some of my own clothes! My children aren't always the best behaved on the block, but they do alright and certainly suffer consequences. My family is not over-sized, but we are together most of the time. But stereotypes aside, I thought this article was right on the money. I thought I would share it as encouragement for those walking this road or thinking about it. I really like the idea of being a rebel such as this. You can follow the link, or just read it below.

SONNY SCOTT:Home-schoolers threaten our cultural comfort 6/8/2008 9:39:01 AM Daily Journal

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It's a big family by today’s standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California.

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own
"self-fulfillment."

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/8/2008.

Tuesday's Tip

For today's tip I'm going to state the obvious that may be hidden: avoid high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

I was prompted by an ad I saw in the paper yesterday morning. It was from the people of all things corn encouraging us to get the facts about sweeteners.

Sorry. I don't agree with them. I think HFCS is one of those things that has become a normal and accepted part of our life in America that is also slowly eating away at our health. Of course, it only supplies empty calories like sugar, but it is more than that. HFCS interferes with the body's ability to absorb copper, a necessary mineral that creates hemoglobin in red blood cells. It is also suspected to increase cholesterol and heart disease as well as the incidence of diabetes.

You would never buy HFCS to put in things you bake, but it may be hidden in foods you buy. Now, I know you are buying fewer and fewer prepackaged products, ; ) , but you might be surprised to find it in some of the products you do buy.

While you expect to see it in sodas and drinks, it is also hiding in many baked goods. Yes, even some of your whole wheat and whole grain breads have HFCS. Check your cereal boxes, condiment labels, crackers, and cough syrups.

I found this list on-line. It will certainly give you a head start on what to avoid.

Now, a little bit certainly isn't going to kill you, but you do need to be aware that it is hiding out there in many foods. Just read your labels and make healthy choices.

I know some cool people.

I'm even related to some of them!

I have to brag on my cousin, Wendy. ( Not this Wendy) : ) I have lots of people I call cousin. I am barely related to most of them. Wendy, however, is one of my two real cousins. Our fathers are brothers.

I didn't get any first cousins until I was grown. The kids I played with at family functions were my third and fourth cousins. And while I love all of them dearly, I am enjoying getting to know the "little ones" who are now full grown adults.

Wendy is on a fabulous adventure right now and I wanted to share it with you. She is traveling with Mercy Ships. She is a nurse and being a part of some wonderful stories. She said I could share some of them with you here.

This is the one that touched me the most. In her own words:

This week I also cared for a ten year old boy named Christian. Christian was born both deaf and blind and came to Mercy Ships to have his cleft lip repaired. There are no schools or resources here to help these children or parents. It was amazing to see Christian interact with his mother after surgery and observe their special bond. He woke up very confused and upset, but mother calmed him by putting his hands on her face and pulling him close to smell her. It was incredible to see how Christian immediately knew that his mother was holding him and that he was safe. I couldn’t help but cry when I went to visit him the next day on the ward and he grabbed my hand, smelled it, and then reached out and hugged me (then wouldn’t let go of me) because he remembered me. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of all of these amazing things that Mercy Ships is doing for these people and I’m so thankful for this opportunity.

This is Wendy and her friend, Maria. Wendy is on the right. Isn't she beautiful? I don't think I have ever seen her look happier.


So say a prayer for Wendy and the people on the Mercy Ships. They are doing great work. I am so proud of her!

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip is something I recently found lurking in the back of my cabinet: quinoa.

I bought it awhile back. I saw it sitting on the store shelf, thought I remembered hearing some good things about it, threw it into my cart, and promptly forgot about it. Then a couple of nights ago I was having a foodie block and started digging in the back for something interesting and there it was!

Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a grain. To quote quinoa.net it "comes from the Andes Mountains of South America... It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain...

Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!

Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine, and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine). "

Wow! And may I add that it is quite tasty, too. I made it into a pilaf. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook the basic quinoa. I used chicken broth instead of water and it was really good. I cooked some green onions, garlic, peas, and carrots in a little olive oil and then tossed the whole mess together. I would love to show you a picture of the finished product, but the boy said he liked it even better than the bulgur I make. It didn't last long enough to be photographed.

A box is less than $3.00. I used about half a box for dinner. If you don't have a 13 year old boy in your house, that is a pretty good sized bowl of quinoa. Those little seeds plump up nicely. It is very light and fluffy. Oh, and it's gluten-free if you are watching out for that.

There are lots of other recipes on the web site. I predict it will become a regular at our table.

Enjoy!

Urban Homemaker's Challenge

Let's just make it official. I was scooting around the Internet and I found Sylvia who has officially challenged us to:

reuse when you can

make do with what you have

seek out and use local agriculture

to make what you can for home use

make everything you can from scratch

to seek out and learn new ways to be frugal

to develop a spirit of creativity in managing your home

to feed and clothe your family well, but to live within your means.

Use it up! Wear it out!
Make it do or Do Without!

That's pretty much the way we live around here anyway. And while I do every now and again, I haven't really made a point to blog about it. I will try to do that more often. Notice the cute loaf of bread on the sidebar and go check her out.

Summer Fun

I'm sorry I haven't been around much this week. Things aren't likely to change either. You see, it is summer.

We love summer. We still do some school several times a week, but we play a lot during these months.

Our city is full of fun this time of year. We are fortunate enough to live in town where most of it is going on. Much of it is free!

This past week we had art camp for the girl. She had a great time creating all week long. We were sad to see it end, but next week brings...

VBS! Every morning next week we will meet at church and spend a few hours having a day's worth of fun. I'm helping with the snacks and the boy, being too old to attend this year, will be helping herd children from place to place. That should be interesting.

Throw into that the weekly visits to the museum for Creation Station, the occasional free movie,
time with friends, a camp or two, swimming at the pool, and hopefully some time away, we are hopping all summer.

I'll try to be here as much as possible with news of our fun. I hope you are finding fun for yourselves. What are you doing this summer?

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip: Hang your clothes on the line to dry.

I'm not sure why, but I just really wanted to say that today. It's not going to help you lose any weight. It's not going to make your life any less toxic. I don't think so anyway. But I really like to do it.

Drying your clothes outside uses much less energy than the dryer does, so it is good for the environment. I usually dry them on the line and then fluff 2 loads together in the dryer to get rid of the fuzz and dog hair. We have a lot of that. Labs. : )

It makes everything smell really good. Your sheets and clothes smell like sunshine.

It gives you an excuse to go outside every so often. If nothing else, you appreciate the a/c that much more!

Oh, and hey, lugging that laundry basket around is good exercise! There, that's a healthy aspect of line drying your clothes.

And yes, we have an extension ladder on the top of our clothes lines. Doesn't everyone?

: ) Smile : )

Sweet Michelle over at usr-bin-mom has given me an award. It is called Sharing the Love. See:



It was created by Crystal at Memoir's of a Mommy. She created it to honor the donor of the heart for son's transplant. You can read more about it here. Her intention is to raise awareness for organ donation.

Once you receive it, you are to pass it along. She says,

"SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. "

So, here I go. I pass this on to Missy at It's Almost Naptime, Wendy at Wendy's Wonderings, Megan at Sorta Crunchy, my new friend Lacy at Razor Family Farms, and dear old friend Evan over at Evan's Adventures. Thanks for making me smile. And don't forget to share the love!

Linky Love

I have seen/read so many good/fun things out there lately, so I thought I would share. Go have a look around. Isn't blogging fun!

• Pioneer Woman showed me how to make these and they were sooo good.
  

• If you are up to having your toes stepped on, check out what Missy has to say.

• Another good reason to homeschool from from Quiet Radical.

• I'm still getting to know Lacy, but the more I check out her site the more I know she is a woman after my own heart.

• What is the sweetest sound you hear? I know what Sinead thinks.

• Antique Mommy provided us all some validation - Blogging is good for you!

In Christ's Name

I want to introduce you to a new blogger. She simply calls herself "a Christian". She describes her blog as follows:

This is a blog about Scripture and our salvation through Jesus Christ. I am a messenger of the Lord's word, here to interpret it using real-life examples in the best way that I can.

Her journey has been a long one. She has gone from being raised Muslim, to becoming an atheist, to finding and accepting Christ as her Lord and Savior. While only a follower of Christ for a short time, her knowledge has increased dramatically in the last few months as I have come to know her. She is on fire for God in a way that my reserved and proper self only dreams of being.

I invite you to check her out at http://remainingwatchful.blogspot.com

She's just getting up and running, so let her know that you found her through me.

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip: rethink your favorite foods.

I love food. I love to eat. I love to cook. My memories of people often involve food: what they like, what they are allergic to, what they try to avoid. Half of the first floor of our house is devoted to the cooking and eating of food. It is a part of who I am. Becoming more health conscious has not changed that in any way, but it has made me rethink how I do some things.

I haven't stopped loving cookies. I just make them a little healthier. I changed a basic oatmeal cookie recipe to make it more healthy. I have posted it before here. We make them at least once a week. If you move into my neighborhood, there is a pretty good chance you will get a plate of them.

Is coleslaw your thing? I like it, but I don't want to eat all that mayonnaise or cream with it. A plate of sliced, raw vegetables should be good for you. Toss your shredded cabbage (throw in some broccoli slaw!) with some vinegar and a little olive oil. If you need it a little sweeter, add a drizzle of honey. Just today I had a hankering for the carrot and raisin salad I grew up eating. Again with the mayonnaise! Instead I tossed my carrots with some raspberry balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil. It was yummy!

The kids love chicken nuggets. Rather than deep fry them, I bake them. I coat them with some whole wheat bread that I have pulsed in the food processor and well, heck, I actually have a recipe for these. Here it is:

Baked Buttermilk Chicken Nuggets

Prep time: 15 min
Marinating time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30 min

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2" pieces

2 cups buttermilk (I have used plain yogurt and it works great)

3/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 T dried Italian herb blend or Mrs. Dash

1 t red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl, toss to combine. Marinate 15 minutes.

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, herb blend, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper on a plate. Beat eggs in a small bowl.

Drain chicken nuggets. Roll pieces in egg, coat with bread crumbs, shaking off excess. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake until coating is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. I usually turn once while they are baking.

Makes 4 servings.

They are really juicy and yummy.

The point is, you probably don't have to give up your favorite food to eat healthier. Just find a healthier way to cook it or use healthier ingredients. Be creative. Have fun with it. And tell me your secrets. I'm always looking for something new and yummy.

The Value of Life

I have a very tender hearted little girl. She loves every living thing. And while I think most kids love the furry things, she has a special affection for flies. Yes, flies. They seem to like her, too, which can sometimes be a little unsettling for me. She catches the ones that get in the house and lets them go outside. She wants everyone to have a chance at a good life.

The other day she was playing on the Slip n' Slide. One time when she got to the end of the slide, she noticed a fly upside down in the water. She picked it up and discovered it was still alive, but too wet to fly. She brought him into the house to let him dry out. Here is said fly.


He could crawl all over her hands, but he couldn't fly. As she was playing with him, she decided that he needed a nice place to recuperate. Welcome to rehab fly style.
I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but our fly had a small tree, a pony, a seesaw, and a room of his own. That little box on the right held a bed complete with a Teddy bear and half a pecan shell for a little cubby hole in case he needed some privacy.

All of this work was for naught. Our fly dried off and flew away about the time it was finished. At least, he got a second chance at life. She was content in knowing that her skills as a fly nurse were sufficient for his needs.