55 Things I've Learned in 55 Years

I had a birthday. It was a crazy busy week full of work, homework, people, friends, responsibilities and blessings. Monday we traveled to see the totality of the solar eclipse; my science-loving husband's birthday present to me. It was so beautiful and awe-inspiring. We were humbled and amazed.

Saturday, we were able to attend another inspiring Bible Study with our friend, Rabbi Wolicki of CJCUC -you can soon purchase his terrific book, Cup of Salvation.  (listen to the pod-casts, buy the book- it is excellent!)

In the midst of it all,  I received lovely flowers, thoughtful cards and beautiful birthday wishes  and my dear friend Ruth even came and cleaned my house. I am blessed by the simple and profound things of this week. 

With that, I wrote a list ('cause I love doing that)- 55 Things I've learned in my 55 years in this world. Some things on this list are simple, some are profound. 

1. Kindred souls are found in unlikely places.
2. Marriage is a messy sacrament.
3. Laughter is good and healing medicine.
4. In the end, all will be well. If it's not well, it's not the end.
5. Glitter is the herpes of the craft world.
6. Life is never what you expect.
7. You are not responsible for outcomes.
8. You are responsible to be faithful.
9. Do not despise the little things
10. Children are little things.
11. Children are a gift from God. Have many.
12. Growing old is a double edged sword. Honor the elderly.

13. Enjoy your knees while you are young and they still work.
14. Run after wisdom.
15. Don't suffer fools.
16. Search out the Master of the Universe. Nothing else makes sense. He always does.
17. All things work together for good to those who love Him. If you love Him, it will all work together for good.
18. Travel. Talk to the natives.
19. People love to be invited to the party, into the ministry, alongside the work. Invite others in.
20. Don't waste time being timid.
21. Books.
22. All great writing is redemptive.
23. Repetitio mater memoria
24. Listen well.
25. Flowers are always appropriate.

26. Children's laughter is the music of the Universe.
27. Jesus is alive and well, lives and reigns, loves and exhorts. You are His child. He loves you.

28. Ora et Labora.
29. Staying married takes hard work and sacrifice and can bring great joy. Stay the course. Love as best you know how. Extend mercy and grace. Laugh together- be a friend to one another.

30. Marriage vows are before God, not man.
30. Raising children is not for the faint of heart.
31. God loves your children more than you do.
32. There will always be those committed to misunderstanding you. Quit explaining and live your life.
33. Do hard things.
34. Finish well.
35. Be bold and courageous.

36. Let others tell their story. Listen well. They are waiting for a ready audience.
37. Prayer changes things. Mainly those praying. Pray without ceasing. The world needs it, you need it. Don't lose hope.
38. Feeding people is a simple and profound ministry.

39. Serve others out of their need, not your abundance.
40. Life sacrificially. It won't kill you. It might strengthen you.
41. Don't grow bitter. Choose life, not death.
42. Make your bed everyday.
43.Drink water.
44. White sugar is of the devil.
45. God has a perfect plan for your life. The Enemy of your soul has a perfect plan for your life. Choose the Master Strategist, not the master deceiver.
46. Sin makes you stupid.
47. G-rated living keeps you young. Cleanliness is a simple pleasure. Keep you heart, mind and kitchen clean.
48. Grow things- plants, people, blogs, ideas.
49. Find people who are smarter than you and learn from them.
50. Don't be afraid to look up and get in touch with people you don't know but want to. Call them up, email them, write them a letter- introduce yourself; make a friend!
51. Laugh at yourself. Laugh. A lot. Learn the art of humor. Practice it.

52. Take the long view.
53. Time is fleeing, life goes fast. My Gram, who died last summer at 99 said, "Honey, if you think it goes by fast now, wait until you're my age. You go to bed and wake up and it's a decade later!"
54. Sleep is cheap medicine.
55. Live with no regrets

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Deck Everything- with Lights!

Our house is decked-seriously, 3 full stories - decked in lights, along with the arbor, and several trees. Dr. Dh was drinking egg-nog yesterday morning, gave a happy sigh and said, "I love Christmas." And he does. The lights are his stand, in a world and a job that often focuses on loss and darkness, that the Light conquers, loves and makes all things new.

We are history buffs around here and love timelines and historical comparisons, and Dr Dh and I were talking about the fact that 100 years ago both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were fighting in the muck and death filled trenches of WWI. And yet out of that misery and tragedy sprang some of the greatest literature of our time.

C.S. Lewis has been a mentor of mine for many years. Narnia has been a true place, if not physically real, for most of my Christian life. It's been a place of hope and rest, where my own weaknesses and shortcomings are not so huge, where Marshwiggles do crazy things, if only for a dream, where even the weak and meek and lost can make a difference and where SomeONE bigger than everyone else speaks life and worlds and renewal into existence. Lewis reminds us that The Deep Magic IS a real thing.

I've had some hard conversations with some of my kids recently about disappointments- with ourselves, other people, the church. Unfulfilled hopes; future that might not happen, a tribe that doesn't exist or show up. It's easy to get burned out and give up. It's easy to focus on what isn't, instead of what could be; veering way off course from True North.

The last several years have been brutally challenging in one way or another, and I understand my kids' grief over what might never transpire in this life-time. But I have to hold fast to Narnia. For my own sanity, because I'm not very good at plugging along for no good reason; for my own salvation and eternity. While I hope young people never have to endure the rat and death invested trenches of WWI again, I am grateful that they drove C.S. Lewis to create the world of Narnia. It gives me a touch-point. A place to remember, even if it exists only in my imagination; that what's to come is the fulfillment of all of our hopes, dreams and desires. We all need a little magic in our lives, and Deep Magic- the real thing-the magic of a Creator King- is far better than false manipulation. For Narnia and for Aslan!

It's Christmas and Hanukkah and the Season of Lights (if you doubt it, just come check out our decorations!) and the celebration of the Light-of-the-World, the Messiah, the One True King.

Glory to God in the Highest Heaven, 

Glory to God! 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

This Season

So, life these days has been non-stop. Work, Directing Challenge, homeschooling two, a multi-generational household that include an adorable 6 month old distraction, a college student coming and going, laundry, cooking, dishes, managing the stuff from an extra household, furniture from Grandparents and my Gram's estate. Thank-God for a big house with many bedrooms and adequate bathrooms and 4 floors because everyone of them is used- packed to the gills, actually, with people and stuff.
I am missing reading and blogging and writing and crafting and working out and creating something besides records for a data base and Transcripts. Some days desperately missing it as being this old with so little down time is pushing me hard most days.
We have just had one of the most beautiful falls ever, which gave way to a snow storm yesterday. Life is just that seasonal. And one gives way to the other fast enough.

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Treasures

We brought back dressers from my Grandma's house. I have always love them. They are very much how my Grandma was - or at least how I thought of her when I was little -elegant, charming, detailed, whimsical, solid, hardworking, and lovely- all at once.

My Gram was small- I was taller than her at  10, but she was strong and tough as nails. She didn't put up with nonsense, but was generous and unremittingly kind. She taught me how to knit at five and the smell of the yarn, Grandpa's pipe tobacco and Grandma waft past me everytime I look at her dressers. It is the scent of being loved; the fragrance of family, and simple, important things.

Gram hand long, lovely nails, functional, not fussy as she had been a professional seamstress and the owner of a laundromat in the years when women who worked to support themselves and their diabled mother took no small amount of grit and determination. She was an old school craftswoman and her work was beautiful, functional and well made, much like this lovely dresser.

We washed the dressers with warm soapy water and then applied Linseed Oil. The directions say to wipe off the excess, but we put 4-6 coats on and it soaked right in.

Years of living in smoggy Chicago, in a house where pipe smoke was de riguer for decades had dried the wood. But it's looking a bit better today and is going, perhaps oddly enough, in the dining room where it will be seen regularly and stand as a reminder of my lovely Gram, and as a testimony to an age gone by.

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Morning Symposium Teen Edition

A hallmark of our homeschool has been reading and studying together. Last year we included two CC Challenge programs, with me directing one and our read-aloud, collective study time went by the wayside in a sea of keeping up, work, extra-curriculars and learning how to manage a lot of moving parts.  During our end-of-year eval, Cub stated that he really missed reading aloud and studying together. When your 16 year old man-cub is telling you that he wants to spend more time together, it's time to take action and make it so.

My solution? Morning symposium.

Much like Circle Time or the Morning Basket for littles, I've reconfigured it for the older set. 

What we are doing:

Having a set start time with limits. 

Having set subject areas. 

1. The Story of Christianity by Memoria Press
2. History of Art with Art cards by Veritas Press
3. Latin forms and vocab review, LNE 
4. Math speed drills. 

How did I decide what to include? I've had my eye on the MP older Bible studies for a few years and we haven't done a Bible Study together for about that long. Challenge II is going to take on the arts this year, and VP art cards are always lovely. We all doing Latin forms anyway and math speed is something we continually work on.

A simple way to touch base and set the tone at the start of the day along with connection and discussion. That doesn't mean things haven't happened already during the day; it's just that is when we will pause and come together for another cup of coffee and some communal study. Can't wait. 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

What I've Learned from the Fathers in My Life

10 Things I learned from my Dad

1. Hard work.
2. Curiosity.
3. How to question.
4. How to talk to strangers and have a good conversation with almost anyone.
5. Reading opens up the world theoretically.
6. Travel opens up the world practically.
7. Don't give up.
8. Marriage is a good thing and till death do you part.
9. It's o.k, to cry.
10. Teaching people what you know is a gift.

10 Things my husband teaches his people

1. Passionate love for the things of God.
2. Truth is not optional or changing.
3. Live with integrity every minute of your life and live with no regrets.
4. Passionate curiosity about the world.
5. True love, care, sympathy, empathy and respect for people regardless of their circumstances. He sees and honors the Image of Gd in all people.
6. Work hard, play with abandon, live with intention, love with your whole heart.
7. Intellectual pursuit and exploration.
8. Prayer changes us and our circumstances
9. God calls us to be faithful, we don't get to choose the outcomes- we must trust God for those.
10. Reliability. If he promises or agrees to something, it will happen. His word is iron-clad.

10 Things I've learned from my Heavenly Father

1. All things work together for good to those who love Him.
2. We are His people if we choose to be.
3. He is a good, a very good, shepherd.
4. His table is always full.
5. We are all invited.
6. Prayer changes us and our circumstances
7. Vows and sacrament are real things.
8. By Him all things were created and by Him we live and breath and have our being.
9. Life is a gift.
10. He is the Master Teacher.

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

My Grandmother, My Grandson

Two weeks ago we stopped by Gram's house on our way out to meet the newest member of the family, our first grandson. Gram was born in July, 2016. We had a sweet visit- talked about flowers and weather and her plans to accommodate her failing eye-sight. When we left she squeezed my hand, looked into my blue eyes with her lovely brown ones and said, "Go with God." Her hand was firm, her grip strong, her voice steady. This woman has loved me my whole life. I have adored her all of mine.

Then we meet KB and Mr. V and little Baby V for a couple days of helping with the house flip, vacationing/conventioning and holding Mr. Cutie Pie who loves to be snuggled and talked to and shown the sites. I'm smitten, but seriously, look at that little face! 

And then we got a call that Gram had had a heart attack and was in a coma. So we stopped back by the Windy City to see her one last time. 

And then we drove home. And then we got a call that she had passed from this life to the next so we drove back to Chi-town for a funeral. 

It's been two weeks of contrasts, farewells, joy and grief, family and sorting a house chock full of childhood memories and sounds and smells and pictures of people I have loved so much. 

But it was a good week. A beautiful funeral, many loving tributes from neighbors and friends, and the knowledge that Gram died in her own home, which is just where she wanted to be. Laid to rest between Grandpa and Uncle Hank, under a tree. 

We brought back peonies that she brought to the house when she married Grandpa in 1936, pictures and history; hers, mine, ours, others. Her life was full and rich- full of friends and family, disappointments, hardship, hard work, joy, faith and love. 

Little Samwise spent the week with us and his parents and our family- celebrating the good, long life of his Great, Great Grandmother. 

 New life and old. 

My Grandmother.

My Grandson.

I am so grateful for Dorothy Irene's influence and love in my life. I hope that I can be every bit the amazing Grandmother that she was to my sisters and I, and all the many people that she touched and influenced. 

A life so very well lived. See you on the other side, Dear One. 

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. 

"All I know is that Gram gave me great riches, and we wold, all of us, be less than we are if it weren't for those we love and who've loved use who have died." 
~Madeline L'Engle, An Acceptable Time

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Grandson #1 (and more!)

1*

Best Event of the week. 

KB and Mr. V welcomed little Samwise to the family! 

*2*

Lots going on in the blogsphere

Interview with a Homeschool Mom

School Year in Review

5 Common Topics 

Map Memory and 5 Common Topics

Check out more articles on Classical Ed at Trivium Tuesdays

*3*

The Garden. It's straw bale this year because Flower got obsessed passionate about a book. Then, Dr.Dh stepped in and crafted a watering system. We're calling it our Mission to Mars look. It's pretty amazing. Stay tuned for a step-by-step post about the straw bale thing. 

*4*

Beside the garden, Flower is obsessed passionate about sculpting. Here is part of her "heart" collection. Some are "gardens"- some are themes- like the water lilies at 12 o'clock and the dolphin at 6 o'clock. The picture does not capture just how lovely and detailed they are! 

*5*

The kids got their scripts for Shakespeare Camp, happening in July this year. Commence memorizing! This year it's Much Ado About Nothing. 

Between now and then we have 2 practicums, 2 more conventions and the beach. A different one this year, but for those of us landlocked deep in the heart of the Territories, practically any beach will do. We heard about Airbnb from friends of ours who are hosts and as a result we are renting a house for way cheaper than hotel rooms. Haven't heard of it? Use my link HERE and we BOTH get travel credits! Win/Win!

*6*

Feeche is "home" for the summer and working, taking classes, writing, spending time with a certain girlfriend and generally here to eat and sleep.Cub is busy with piano (Math is Motion -a recently released Classical Conversations music theory curriculum- really spoke to him!), karate, reading everything he can get his hands on, Geometry and spending hours and hours and hours outdoors. We super love summer!!

Oh, and have I mentioned Studio C? Good, clean fun!!

*7*

Cause, ya' know... 

KB says, "He has your lips." One of my best features! Can't wait to snuggle this little guy! 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Cutie Pie!

The days are long, the years are short. 

I look at my husband and ask, "Are we this old?" and he says, confidently, "Yes.' 

Thankful to God for this new season of welcoming the next generation! 

 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Baby V!

So, this little guy showed up last night. 

Baby, Momma (and Daddy) are all doing well! 

 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Winter Frenzy Weekly Review

The desk of a Challenge A Tutor- beans and candy, white board markers/ wipes, guide, glasses, note cards and lots of coffee.

Our weeks have flown by and been book-ended by busy week-ends as well. This week was no exception.
Last Saturday we had scheduled a TeenPact Study Day, but the crazy sub-zero weather prevented others from trekking out. We used the time to knock out a chunk of the homework, anyway. Sunday was pretty mellow, but Cub, Flower and I spent at least a couple of hours doing Latin. Feeche got ready for a week away, getting classes and living arrangements nailed down until he can move in to his more permanent quarters up north.

(Catechism pictionary- Radiometric dating-lol!)

Challenge Community Day on Monday; the kids have presentations and papers due almost every week, plus Latin and Math to present, Apologetics and debate. The days are full, fast and fun. Challenge A is still about a lot of Grammar and I have a reward system, candy and games, good discussion and challenge to hand out each week. Love my class of hard-working, opinionated, smart, funny and curious Challenge A kids!

We've had play practice twice a week all month and this week was no exception- 5 hours a week of drama games, blocking, coaching, props and role discussion. Presentation at a whole different level.

It was a quiet week with Feeche gone, and we spent most of it thankful for a very warm house during sub-zero weather and working/ doing homework. What we have discovered about CC's Challenge is that it's not intellectually overwhelming as much as organizationally a challenge to master. The biggest hurdle to overcome for my own kids has been that they can't always everything done in one sitting. This is doubly true for Challenge I. Dividing the work/ projects up throughout the week has been an on-going project.  While CC is strongly in favor of the kids taking ownership for their education, I help them do this by sitting down with them each week and mapping out their schedule- project by project. We put everything down, including church stuff, social stuff, TeenPact, Play and school stuff. It can be a lot of stuff.

We've all been enjoying the Lord Peter Wimsey DVD's Dr. Dh gave me for Christmas (I told them they'd love them!), and discovered that Ian Carmichael lost the tip of his middle finger on his left hand to an accident with the turret hatch of a Valentine tank, Our son in law is in good company, what, what.

We further fed our Anglophilia by watching a version of Persuasion that we haven't seen before. I was out-voted and the running in public without a hat by a lady killed it at the end, but up till then, I liked it. Mr. Elliot is loathsome while Capt. Wentworth is decidedly dashing. To balance out all of that lovely English literary theater, Cub and I are going to see Star Wars tonight.

In between all of the busyness we've had birthdays and relevant parties. Cub turned 16 and Flower 13. Love them. Aren't they just the cutest faces?!

Speaking of cute faces- here's the Geek Squad in their Snorg tees from Xmas: The Mordor Fun Run, The Power of the Dork Side and the Alderaan Weather Forecast.

And in case you haven't heard, we are adding one more cute face this May when we'll welcome our first grandson!

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

15 Sneak Peeks into our Homeschool Life

*1*

 While we have a big house for the number of people actually living in it and could easily have a dedicated space to homeschool in, we always migrate to our open first floor- combo office/living room/dining room/kitchen. We still use our trusty library cart and make frequent visits to the library.

*2*

I have written hundreds of curriculum and book reviews over the past couple of years, both independently and with the imitable TOS Review Crew. I loved every minute of it, but different seasons make different demands and I literally ran out of time. We have super simplified what we do and how we do it and have divested our home and bookshelves of extraneous curriculum and resources. It's way easier to dust now.

*3*

We homeschool classically. Classical Conversations makes homeschooling classically that much more do-able and we love our CC Community, the friends, accountability, great discussion and more!

*4*

We are all closet artists. This fall Feeche took part in NaNoWriMo (even in the midst of college classes), Cub is constantly creating weaponry and drawing and Flower is in a clay phase. Art books, building and drawing materials are always part of what we do.

*5*

Dr. Dh is very involved in our homeschool in a non-traditional way; constantly showing the kids cool info on the NASA and NOAA web-sites, talking with them about politics and theology and showing them cool archaeological dig sites like this one in Israel.

*6*

We've homeschooled for over a quarter of a century in 4 different states (Pacific coast, Midwest, Southwest, and upper Northwest) and graduated 3 kids so far. Does it get old? No. The key? Keep up the challenge. When I'm not inspired, they're not inspired. That's why I look for amazing programs, like CC and TeenPact, amazing companies like Circe, Memoria Press and Roman Roads Media and Master Teachers like Wes Callihan and Jim Nance. Learning all the time, baby. That's our motto.
We homeschool for a couple of different reasons which include academic, theological and social.I wrote a Master's Thesis on homeschooling and the American Educational system.

*7*

I've started class days, co-ops, camps, brought TeenPact to our State and worked several jobs, both paid and volunteer, while homeschooling. I currently work from home for an educational company on the east coast that works with homeschoolers around the world, It's kind of a sweet gig.

*8*

I've chronicled the last 8 years of our homeschooling on this blog. If you are looking for info on homeschooling high school, homeschooling classically, homeschooling multiple kids in multiple stages and ages, you've come to the right place.
Blogging has been a great opportunity! I've met friends from around the world, been entrusted with scores of products, books and curriculas to review, honed my writing skills, and landed a job or two.

*9*

Our family lives in an area that has amazing drama opportunities for homeschoolers. My kids participate in Tantara (Festival of One Act Plays) each Jan, Drama Camp each June and Shakespeare Camp each July. They have also participated in TP's Political Communications Class and Poetry Outloud. They are all adroit at public performance.

*10*

We are all bibliophiles.  Books are just part of our lives and we give and share books cause you gotta breathe and read. Got to do it.

*11*

I have a planner and a plan. Once it's written down, I might actually lose the plan on paper, but it's in my head. I over plan and then go with the flow. It's kind of a hybrid classical/unschooling approach to life.

*12*

We are gardeners. We like gardens, plants on the porch and pots in the house during winter. Growing things make us happy. Flower has big plans for a Straw Bale garden this summer, and the straw is already safely stored in the shed, waiting for spring.

*13*

We have been busy re-storing a neglected 90+ year old homestead on the Territories and putting together our old 4x4 Farmhouse since we were burned out by a house fire 6 years ago. It's crazy to think that it was 6 years ago already. We've been busy building, reading, homeschooling, restoring ever since! About 2 years ago, Dr.Dh and I switched gears mentally and decided that we were no longer still re-building from the house fire, we were reclaiming an old farmstead. This gave us some mental space to live and re-build. And, the house does look amazing. There's just still a zillion a few unfinished projects. 

*14* 

We are DIYers. We've actually enjoyed (mostly) the house re-build and take on more projects than we really have time for.

*15*

I don't have easy answers for homeschooling. 

There is no "If you do this, you will get this outcome" formula that works.

 If you use X curriculum, some kids will love it and some will hate it and some will ignore it. 

If you use X parenting technique some kids will thrive, some will crump and some will ignore it. 

If you read a zillion books to your kids you will have some passionate readers, some blase readers and some readers who do so for info only. At least, one hopes, they'll be literate. 

If you homeschool for academics you may have academic kids. You may not.

If you homeschool for God, you may have Godly kids. You may not. 

If you homeschool for the freedom it affords, you may have kids who value and embrace freedom. You may not. 

So, why invest in something that may or may not pay off? 

We are being faithful in doing what we believe God has called us to do. 

The outcome is His. 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!