Holiday Pop Quiz

How was Christmas at the Jones House this year? Choose the best answer for each question:

1. Christmas at the Joneses' was:
A. Warm, happy, and low-key
B. Light on visiting family, but full of good friends, which was a suitable substitute.
C. Written with the apostrophe in the right place

2. Favorite gifts include:
A. Slippers from L.L. Bean, to replace the aqua/dark blue knitted slippers he'd had since high school.

B. Three new lotions from Bath & Body Works, which smell appealing and sensual on Wife but not so much on Toddler, who nevertheless brings the bottles to resident adults and then holds up his palms.

C. Dolls, blankets, money, electronic dinosaur fact game, and playdough, all played with regardless of actual ownership. (Well, not the money, although that was much admired.)

D. Two new Nancy Drew games and the next expansion set for Catan, Knights and Cities.


3. The best thing about Christmas is:
A. Celebrating the Incarnation of an eternal God
B. Presents and feasting and friends.
C. Everybody pitches in to get the house clean by Christmas Eve so Mama will be happy.


If you answered A, B, and C to every one, then obviously you know your Joneses.

(No apostrophe)

(Pictures to follow, possibly, if it happens.)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-- SJ

Scientific Ice Cream

At Dunkin' Donuts last night, I ordered a 31 Below ice cream treat:

Darren to me: "What's that? Is it related to a Blizzard?"

Me: "Um, sort of related. The same genus, anyway."

Darren: "Species being 'inferiorus'?"

Me: "Precisely."

We think we're so clever.

-- SJ

Lights Up

Me: Okey-dokey, outdoor Christmas lights! I've put up the hooks, so now it's time for y'all to get up on the eaves and shine brightly for Jesus!

Lights: We like catching onto stuff! *giggle* We're catching onto each other! Hey, hey, look at us! We're grabbing the stepladder! *snort* We got your glaaassesss! *gigglegigglegiggle*

Me (good-humoredly): Ha ha. Now it's time to catch onto these hooks I put up here for you.

Lights: Where? We don't see them. What hooks? Where?

Me: Right HERE. In front of you! Come on, catch on!

Lights: Stinky old hooks!

Me: Do I have to show you the smashed bulb?

Lights: But we don't LIKE catching on things! Noooo!

*Sounds of scuffle and conflict*

Me (exhausted): There!

Lights: Hip hip hooray for you. You won.

Me: So why are you smiling?

Lights: We know something you don't know.

Me: What?

Lights: You got our plugs at the wrong end and now you have to switch us around.

*gigglegigglegiggle*

-- SJ

Sticky Bits

Oh, hi! I'm back picking up these scraps of ideas I left lying around a few days ago. They're all things I've come across in the past year, and they've stuck with me.

1. John C. Wright is a sci-fi author and blogger. He's an atheist-turned-Christian and fiercely opinionated. Probably since I strive in my daily life to be balanced and understanding to all sides of a question, Wright's unabashed biased rants give me a guilty pleasure. Of course, I rarely finish reading an entire post -- he's also long-winded. (Note: I haven't actually read any of his books.) Anyway, I introduce him because it was on his blog that I read something along the lines of, "Most Christians aren't scared enough that they might be wrong."

It stuck with me because it's very true. Deep down, I'm convinced I know God's mind on nearly everything important. When someone disagrees with me, I don't have to extend grace -- except of the most patronizing brand -- because they're Wrong and I'm Right.

"Be scared that you might be wrong" is an excellent reminder to me that I don't possess the whole truth. I don't know the mind of God. And I may very well be wrong on issues I think are pretty clear-cut. "Be scared" reminds me that I need to give myself a generous margin for error -- and then fill up that margin with grace and humility toward my fellow human beings.

2. I read somewhere recently that Christians need to get over this idea that it's always wrong to be angry. Obviously it's damaging to let anger rule you. Obviously we're called to forgive others for personal offenses. But sometimes we need to be hot and ragingly furious. Abuse -- especially of children -- should make us mad. Human trafficking should make us mad. Malice and bullying should make us mad. Injustice against the poor and weak should raise the blood pressure and get us moving.

Not whether it's Xmas or Happy Holidays. Not the terrible service at Wal-Mart. Not the size of the large fries at McDonald's. Anger is good, but dangerous: let's channel it into causes that will make a real difference.

3. From my recent issue of "Writer's Digest": "First drafts are a failure. A writer is someone who doesn't let failure stop him." Or, in Anne Lamott's more concise words: "A first draft is full of s- ty writing." Why does this stick with me? Because I'm pushing myself to finish my writing projects no matter how, um, bad the writing is. So I type statements like this at the top of my stories to remind me to keep going. (I admit, I wrote "crappy writing" instead -- still not a word I use, so it had some of the same shock value every time I saw it on my personal work.)

Also in the realm of unprintable words: I recently came across the sentence, "I'm lazy as f-." It really bothered me. Not for the obvious reason, but because it MAKES NO SENSE. It's like saying, "I'm lazy as kick." or "I'm lazy as bounce." Besides, of all things f- is, "lazy" doesn't qualify. Somebody was just showing off.

4. A recent general email ended with the sentence, "Fell free to forward." I stared at it a long time, wondering what catchphrase or concept I was missing this time. Fell free? Fall forward? It sounded intriguing. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it was just a typo.

-- SJ

Bookmark

To develop into a post when time allows:

* Not scared enough

* Anger is good

* Failure and unprintable words

* Fell free to forward

Oh -- hi! You're here? Don't mind me. Just making a few notes here. I'll get back to it in a bit.

-- SJ

Available for Marriage (Here's My Card)

Darren and I disagreed on this topic some time ago. I was thinking of it again recently and wondered what a wider opinion would be.

Sometime last year, I came across the account of how a couple met. She wrote about how she'd accomplished a lot of what she wanted to by the time she was in her early twenties, including establishing a sewing business. She realized that what she really wanted was to get married. Her family was part of a loose community of like-minded thinking, and they evidently gathered for conferences every year.

That summer, she arrived with a stack of business cards in hand. She passed them out to the women there, explaining, "I'm single and eligible. If you know any young men, give them my card."

It took several months, but eventually one of her cards landed in the hand of a young man who took her up on it. He called, and after due time (don't know how long) they entered into a courtship.

The story stopped there -- I don't know whether they went on to get married or not -- but Darren and I discussed the girl's technique at length. Here were our two sides:

Con: You'll Get What You Ask For
If you really want to get married, and you are really obvious about it... then you will get married. Probably to somebody else just wants to get married, too. It's only later that you'll appreciate the difference between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now. Some discreet inquiries are in line, sure, but handing out your name with the announcement that you had your dress and shoes and were just waiting for the man? Simply begging for disaster.

Pro: Way to Be Practical
Single young people are already looking for marriage material. This girl was just upfront about it. It's not the way it's done today, but has in the past -- why else were girls "launched" into society? She could be reasonably certain that her name would go out among people who believed the same way she did, so why not make sure it did?

So what's your take?

-- SJ

In the Doghouse

Way back when we had dialup, and it took twenty minutes to download (upload?) a single YouTube video, Darren sent me this link and insisted it was worth the wait.

He was right. It ranks right up there with the Mancold. Here it is again, for your holiday edification and enjoyment:

JC Penney commercial: the Doghouse. Husbands, beware.

-- SJ

Gray

I don't wanna do school.

Math is boring.

Language is dull.

AWANA is tedious.

I've already been through beginning reading and math twice before.

The toddler isn't napping.

The four-year-old is whining. (And she's a champion whiner.)

It will be a battle to get the bathroom cleaned up and the laundry put away. Let's not even mention loading the dishwasher, which I didn't even get done yesterday.

But we'll soldier through and get it done!

And then...

Nobody goes anywhere because we homeschool, so we're still all stuck in the house together because it's a gray and rainy day.

It's one of those days. Is it Christmas yet?

-- SJ

A Parody to Launch Your Week

We saw HP7-1 this weekend. (Please write the term in expanded form: "Harry Potter #7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.") I haven't been excited about the HP movies, but this one was good. Probably because it streamlined the first part of the seventh book, which has its high points but tends to drag.

But I mention the movie here just so I can link to a "preview" that ran before the movie. It's a spoof spinoff, and I laugh every time I watch it. I don't think you have to be "in the HP know" to like it... but I wouldn't know because I AM in the know, if you know what I mean, you know?

My favorite line is the last one: "Sometimes the best defense against the Dark Arts is caring."

Dangerous Wands

-- SJ

Eight Years of Stuart

2002
Arrival by c-section, looking very small, red, and serious. It was a misleading first impression.

2003
"Ba!" By which he meant "bottle," "ball," "birds," and "bear."

2004
Favorite color: Blue
"Stuart, what color is this?"
"Boo."
"No, it's red. What color is this?"
"Boo."
"No, this is yellow. What color is this?"
"Boo."
"Yes! Very good!"

2005
He'd had a very long day yesterday and was up bright and early this morning. He threw a fit when Daddy couldn't understand that "chocowon" meant "chocolate one" which meant "chocolate graham cracker. Please."

2006
"Mama, I love you, especially Daddy."

2007
"I'm an Indian Cyclops!" So much for historical accuracy. He turned to Addie. "Hey, let's go hunt some buffalo. I want some new clothes."

2008
Stuart has developed a taste for trash-talking. Fortunately he doesn't have access to any real insults, so he makes them up. He and Daphne play the Trash Talk Echo Game: "You cuckoo bird!" "You cook bird." "You lamp smasher!" "You lamp mash." "You magnet cranker!" "You magmumble ker!" Yesterday he was calling her "You Monopoly butt!" but he got in trouble for that.

2009
"Where do Biblical eggs get together? At the syn-eggnog."

2010
Stuart, when I teasingly offered him a piece of mushroom-olive pizza: "No thanks. I really don't care for plants on my pizza."

He makes us laugh, dazzles us with his mental agility, and whatsoever he does, he does with all his heart. Happy birthday to Stuart!

Pride and Prejudice

I just rewatched Pride & Prejudice. For dedicated Austen fans, that sentence does not contain enough information. Which P&P are we talking about? The old BBC Masterpiece Theatre one? The A&E six-hour one? Or the new Keira Knightly one? Actually lots of dedicated Austen fans don't really want to credit the last one, so it's with apologies that I admit that, yes, it was the Keira Knightly one.

I'm predisposed toward Keira. If not to actually like her acting, to smile indulgently at her. To begin with, the first movie I saw her in was Bend It Like Beckham, and I liked that whole movie. Secondly, she looks like my niece Courtney -- strikingly like Courtney -- so I feel warm family feelings when I watch her. So I'm more forgiving of Keira than some of my fellow Austen fans.

But it was hard to be forgiving enough for this version of the movie.

Let me clarify that I've seen it three times. The first two times I liked it. In fact, there was a lot to like this time, too. I still think it's a decent adaptation of the story for modern moviegoers. Of course it doesn't touch the A&E version, but it also doesn't take most of a day to watch. Following are my impressions, good and ill (and if you're reading this with any attention I'm assuming you know the story well enough not to need explanations or worry about spoilers):

Good: They condensed the story neatly. The best was where Darcy explained Wickham and Georgiana -- Wickham ingratiated himself into Georgiana's affections, then found out he wouldn't be able to touch her thirty thousand pounds even if he married her, so he deserted her. Slightly modified from the original, but serves its purpose.

Bad: Wickham? Who's he? Oh, right, that guy who gets like four minutes of screen time at the beginning and then shows up at the end. Surely they could have fit more Wickham in.

Good: I like this Darcy, even if he does come off as Colin Firth's little brother.

Bad: Fine eyes. I understand they had to cut out a lot for this adaptation, but did they have to drop the Fine Eyes?

Good: They trimmed extraneous characters (Bingley's other sister, Mrs. Bennet's sister in Meryton).

Bad: They kept in Colonel Fitzwilliam for the sole reason of having him tell Lizzie about how Mr. Darcy "rescued" Bingley from Jane. Granted, that's pretty much his function in the book too, but at least there's room in the book to flesh him out a little more.

Bad: This revelation about Jane and Bingley came during a church service, so they whispered the whole darn thing. I hate whispered dialogue.

Good: Charlotte explaining to Lizzie (but really to the audience) why she accepted Mr. Collins.

Bad: Charlotte ending with, "Don't judge me, Lizzie! Don't judge me!"

Good: Lady Catherine.

Bad: Lady Catherine rousting the family out at night? Please.

Good: Sorry. Apologies. I know. But I liked Darcy's first proposal in the rainstorm. I liked how the dialogue included a lot of what he actually wrote in the letter afterward. Lizzie shouted too much., though.

Meh: Darcy's second proposal.

Bad: Bubbly, precious Georgiana Darcy.

Bad: Keira's Lizzie was supposed to be spirited and independent. But she just came off as a snarky teenager. It was hard to relax and enjoy the scenes because I was always on edge, waiting for Keira to open her mouth and let something snide fall out. Austen herself could outdo any modern teenager for snark, but her characters generally didn't indulge.

One constant annoyance was the time spent -- dare I say wasted? -- on artsy ambiance. If Lizzie had spent less time gazing at herself in mirrors... or gazing out over valleys... or gazing at nude sculptures at Pemberly... there would have been room for Fine Eyes and Wickham.

Overall, there are too many jarring moments for me to lose myself in the story. But it still gets me in a romantic mood at the end.

Maybe that's why Darren bought it for me.

-- SJ

The Cuteness of Pip #3

I thought, "I'll post something on the blog that isn't related to my children." And then Pip did this the other night at supper, so the non-child-post will have to wait.



-- SJ

People, Parties, and Places

My friend Melissa dropped in for a visit last weekend. We've been friends since fourth grade, and it always feels good to be with someone who knows, without explanation, that I've hated Doritos since middle school. Usually in situations like these, a mother dreads that the old friend will talk too much about their wild youth. In our case, we were dorks who never did anything particularly shocking. Makes life easier as a parent.

**
We held our Ninth Annual All Saints' Day Party on Saturday. Our ninth, wow. For past parties, we've asked guests to bring a food related to a certain saint, and provided cards for them to write it down. We forgot the cards this year. Rest assured that the food was good, varied, and connected to the saints by only the most tenuous threads.

One of the fun parts of this annual event is the ever-changing guest list. We had a great turnout this year, many of them newcomers. On the other hand, Leah Garber and Charlessa (Gates) McConnell have come nearly every year.

Next year is our tenth. Maybe all our old friends can return, along with our new ones. We'll call it The Homecoming. On second thought, considering that we're talking about saints and martyrs, a party called The Homecoming rings a little ominous.

As a final note, I realized when planning this party that All Saints' Day Party can be shortened to ASDP -- our children's initials. It's made me laugh all month.

**
Stuart missed the dinosaur craze (about age 4 through 6) the first time around; he was too interested in mythological beasts then. Well, now he's caught it. So today we took the grand adventure of going into Washington D.C. to see the dinosaur bones in the Museum of Natural History. We've been saying for years (nine and a half, to be exact) that we can't wait till the kids are old enough to enjoy day trips to D.C.

Addie and Stuart are finally old enough to enjoy the displays and information. Daphne admired everything on her way past to something else. And Phillip was thrilled with the open layout that let him run as long as his short little legs would carry him.

This picture is a good visual interpretation of respective attention spans.

But for all four kids, everything in that museum paled in comparison to the utter joy of riding the Metro.





What was more fun is that Dana was able to meet us there. Sixteen years of friendship, four kids on one side, and a dissertation away from a Ph.D on the other side. It made the day special.

**
And finally, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that, last week, I took all the kids to the dentist, and they all came away with good reports. Medal please?

-- SJ

Time Change

1. Time changes. What more needs to be said? Lots, apparently, considering that we still have to do it two times a year. Whoever came up with this idea didn't have small children. Or at least didn't have to take care of small children. Look, here's a secret about ages infant to four: They don't switch with the clock. So while all you non-caretaking policy-setting people are setting your clocks back and sighing about that extra hour...

... or preparing to go to bed an hour earlier so you can get up an hour earlier and feel rested...

... those of us who repopulate the world for you are dealing with children who always wake up at the same hour. Meaning that in the falltime, we have to get up an hour earlier. And in the spring? Well, here's another secret about children: you can't move their bedtime forward at night to make up for the hour you'll lose the next morning. So in the spring, we lose that hour of sleep too. See how that works? See? We LOSE SLEEP TWICE A YEAR. This means that, because of a policy of mysterious origins and dubious benefits, there's a bi-annual infestation of monster mamas who have lost sleep for no good reason. Are you really prepared to live with that on your conscience?

Apparently so, because we're still doing it twice a year.

2. In related news, I got a migraine this weekend. That happens when I don't get enough sleep.

3. And don't exult over the "extra hour of daylight" in the summer. It's nice, but who needs extra daylight in the summer? I'm a budgeter: I know how to allocate resources. And it's obvious that it's WINTER that needs extra daylight, not summer.

4. Time changes make me cranky. Darren forbade the children from complaining about it, but he couldn't forbid me.

5. I guess he could forbid me, and I could obey him and drop in a pebble of obedience, but I'd rather just make him ice cream for the same effect.

6. This post was going to include several things that have annoyed me lately, but I seem to have expended most of my creative energy on the time change.

7. Stupid time change.


-- SJ

Edited to add: Do you, time-change people, even imagine what it's like to spend a week with a toddler whose naptime is now an HOUR LATER THAN IT WAS LAST WEEK? Can't you feel the agony of looking at the clock and realizing that it says "12:30" instead of "1:30," putting 2:00 an hour and a half out of reach? I think you need to spend some quality time in daycare centers next fall.

Apples!

We have a tradition here in our home. We've done it every year since last year. Yes, that's only two years, but where children are concerned, traditions get established pretty handily.

A nearby farmer's market sells a variety of apples. Every fall (last year and this year) we buy one of each type and have a Tasting Time around our kitchen table. Everyone has a chart to rate the sweetness of the apples. Before cutting them into bites, we always slice the apples width-wise to admire the star-and-dots pattern inside.

This year we had more varieties than last year, although I think the dry, dry summer affected their taste: some of the apples weren't as tart as we remembered, and some were downright bland. But there were some nice surprises, too. In all, we sampled 14 bits of apples last night.



Only eleven apples are shown here because I overlooked the last bag until after the picture. Notice the apple right in front of Stuart: an enormous Crispin that was bigger than my two hands together.

(Pip didn't join us for the Tasting. He went to bed after he started chunking apples off the table.)

The varieties we tried (not in order of the picture above, sorry) were: Arkansas Black, Cameo, Crispin, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Empire, Fuji, Granny Smith, Nittany, Pink Lady, Rome, Stayman, York, and Gala.

It was fun. We ate lots of apple. I have lots left over -- there's obviously apple bread in my family's future.

-- SJ

Bonus picture: Last year's Tasting!

More Pictures

When Darren's parents visited in September, they got new bikes for the kids. Meanwhile, we served them an Indian meal from recipes that we got in some cooking classes we're taking.

Miss Bev thought the division of labor was funny, and documented it:

Slaving away over the hot stove:


Busy with wrench and instructions:

It was a warm fall. The kids' ingenuity (when it involves something potentially messy) amazes me. Here we have: Trampoline + Hose = Well, obviously!


This was a big neighborhood draw until it doubled in size and Mama hit her muddy-clothes-per-day limit. It got covered over with the old trampoline mat and is designated as The Place Where We'll Plant a Tree One Day. The kids refer to it as "the Lagoon."


-- SJ

The Cuteness of Pip #2

This evening, we sat Phillip in a booster seat for supper. It was the first time he's joined us at the table. I think he enjoyed himself. The other kids certainly enjoyed him. I thought the grandparents would get as much of a kick out of this one as we did while it was going on.



-- SJ

The Cuteness of Pip #1

My mom was saying today that the last time she saw Phillip, he was a baby. So she doesn't really know him as a little boy. So these two videos are for you, Mom. (And for Grandpa and Nana, who saw him when he was just barely a walker.)

Here, Addie is chopping onions -- with Pip's assistance. They're using the new chopper that Darren got for his birthday. He's used it only once, but I've used it lots more than that... as is obvious by the fact that Pip knows exactly what to do with it.



-- SJ

Really really

I just took a load of pictures off my camera, so will be posting some favorites on occasion.

Like this one:


Phillip really, really loves his siblings.

He really, really loves waking them up in the mornings.

He is really, really happy in this picture.


-- SJ

Pictures (because I'm a good daughter-in-law)

A good Halloween was had by all (Addie put it very concisely). Of course you're all pretty anxious that the evening will pass without finding out what the kids' costumes were this year, so I'm writing this post so you'll be able to sleep well tonight. After all, you need a good sleep because most of you don't have the Homeschool Privilege that lets you declare All Saints' Day an official school holiday.

Actually, I think it's mostly my mother-in-law who is actively anxious for pictures. I'm happy to oblige her and let the rest of you get the benefit.

Addie and Daphne were ladybugs, thanks to these very cute costumes from CVS. Stuart was a blue myconid.

Myconid. You know, the mushroom creature.

From IceWind Dale, the computer game. Come ON, what's wrong with you? Are you seriously telling me that you've gone this far in life not knowing what a myconid is? Yeah, well, so did I until I had to make a costume of one. Stuart knew what wanted, though: he'd already had me help him with a stuffed version.



Phillip wasn't really into the trick-or-treating thing. It was windy and chilly and he had a bedtime to think about. But we took him out for a little while, dressed in this coat. It has a special place in the Jones History: all four of our children have worn it.



We went around the neighborhood in company with eight kids, one toddler, and two babies. Partly because we have friends who love us and like to share special occasions with us; and mostly because we live in a small, friendly neighborhood with lots of candy-dispensing houses. The Morgans and the Whelans and the Joneses moved in a large, amorphous group, with adults taking charge of whichever children were handy. It made it very easy to see how Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus on the way home from Jerusalem, assuming that someone else had him.

(We didn't lose anyone, at least not for long. I mean, Stuart spotted Daphne before she got very far away, in the middle of another large amorphous group.)

We've now got enough candy to last us weeks. Or a few days, depending on how well Mama hides it from the kids and herself.

-- SJ

P.S. As we were watching excited, costumed kids run from house to house, chorusing "Trick or Treat!" and even occasionally remembering to say thank-you, I mentioned to Jeremiah (of the Morgan department), "Just look at all this Halloween evil going on!" Both of us coming from the backgrounds that boycotted the occasion.

"You could call it Reformation Day," he suggested.

"I used to observe Reformation Day instead of Halloween."

"Back before you got less Reformed. I guess now you're Deformed."

Winners!

Not, as I originally typed, "Winders."

With the assistance of my three small assistants -- who chose the random numbers without much hesitation because they wanted me to go away so they could continue watching "School House Rock" -- Keeping Up announces the following lucky commenters:

#1 Cute Little Pitcher: Liane! I hope Keith isn't too upset that he didn't win it.

#2 Music: C! Maybe TGM will like L'Angelus as much as Wee Sing, but don't count on it.

#3 Nancy Drew game: the Dozen Halls! And yes, Geni, I WILL come for sweet tea one of these days.

#4 Book: Darcy! DJ liked the Mr Norrell book; I tried it but the characters' situations were too distressing for me.

So, there you have it. Winners (or, winders, if you like), email me at exaltedwater at comcast dot net or on Facebook so we can get your prizes to you.

Thanks for celebrating with us!

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaways Not Forgotten!

I've been without a computer for the past week, hence the bleak, empty cybersilence in this sector. We'll choose our giveaway winners this week. So you've still got a chance to comment and enter. You should do so.

-- SJ

cLASSIFIED aD: tODDLER TO gOOD hOME

tO gOOD hOME: tODDLER, EXCELLENT CONDITION, TWO DIMPLES, VERY CUTE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY. eNJOYS PLAYING IN WATER (ESPECIALLY THE TOILET), GOING OUTSIDE (ANYTIME THE DOOR IS LEFT UNLOCKED), CLIMBING ON THE TABLE, AND HITTING THE CAPS-LOCK KEY ON THE KEYBOARD. rECENTLY TURNED ON BLINKER IN THE VAN W/O OUR KNOWLEDGE AND RAN THE BATTERY DOWN. nOTE: TODDLER'S POWER-OFF BUTTON DEFECTIVE. WOULD WRITE MORE BUT AM TRYING TO BLOCK TODDLER WITH MY LEG SO CAN FINISH TYPING. IF INTERESTED, EMAIL ME. GRANDPARENTS AND AUNTS PREFERRED.

-- sj

He Likes, He Has, He Is

Darren likes carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

He loves royal blue.

He has an extensive knowledge of WWII, Polish history, and the nine levels of angelic hierarchy.

He won't use his hands to mix up biscuit dough.

He is ridiculously ticklish.

He makes funny jokes that we can't publish on a family blog.

He is a believer who is very comfortable in his devotion to an unseen God.

He is a father whom his children respect.

He is a daddy whom his children love.

He is a son and brother who values his family above nearly everything else.

He is a husband who remembers his vow to cherish his wife.

He is thirty-seven today.

He is someone worth celebrating.

I love you, DJ!!

-- SJ

Giveaway #4: Sacraments or Spellcasters

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Darren reads a great deal in two genres: theology and sci-fi/fantasy. One or the other is up for grabs now.

1. Covenants by Lorna Freeman (this is the Fantasy one)
2. Is the Reformation Over? by Mark Noll (this is not the Fantasy one)

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what book you're currently reading. And be grateful that Darren didn't try to initiate you into the Wheel of Time cult (series length: 13 books and counting).

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll randomly choose a comment, but we all know that the winner is probably predestined.

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #3: Nancy Drew

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Hey, y'all, you gotta try the Nancy Drew games! If you're the type who liked Myst, you'll like the original games, which have mysterious objects and impossible scenarios (who in the world would build miles of passageways underneath the ground? In Nancy's world, practically everybody who ever owned any property.) If you like puzzles but not a long, drawn-out game, go for the hidden-objects version. Both types have good voice actors and interesting dialogue.

If this type of game, in any form, makes you want to break pencils in half and then stick them into your monitor, then you should just back away slowly.

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling where you'd like to find a hidden passageway.

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll pick the winner. We'll post it in code, and you'll have to collect seven different tokens and arrange them in the right order before the ceiling caves in. (Not really. That's just a day in the life of Nancy Drew.)

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #2: Music

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Two brothers and two sisters make up L'Angelus, a cajun-folkish band out of New Orleans. Not only do they have great voices, but they play all their own instruments. They're totally homeschool nerds. We love their music and even got to see them live. Twice. In one weekend. It was pretty wild and crazy for us. We'd love to share them with you.

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what your current favorite song is.

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

Next week we'll randomly choose a comment as a winner. We already own this CD so won't try for the prize ourselves.

-- SJ and DJ

Giveaway #1: Really Cute Pitcher

In celebration of ten good years together, we're hosting a giveaway of some of our favorite things.

Sara loves Fiestaware, but hasn't justified buying any for herself yet. But now, she at least gets to buy a piece: Fiestaware Mini-Pitcher. It could be yours!

To Enter:
Leave a comment telling what your favorite way to show love is. Do you buy a gift? Write a note? Give a kiss? Throw a party?

You can enter all the giveaways if you want to.

We'll choose a comment at random next week to find out who wins this adorable little pitcher. Wouldn't it be funny if we commented on the post ourselves and won it? Haha!

-- SJ and DJ

Ten Years

There's a "like" going around on Facebook that says, "Every woman deserves a man who still looks at her like he did the first day he met her."

I can't "like" it because I'd rather Darren pay more attention to me than he did when we first met. Because we can't actually remember meeting. The singing violins, the slow-motion smiles, everybody else receding into the distance, the meaningful looks across the room -- every single one of those classic romance cues missed the memo that Darren and I met on some cold day in early January in 1997.

Things were better on a warm September day in 2000. Much better. One of my cherished memories is starting down the aisle holding my brother's arm, peeking from side to side at the rows of smiling faces. And then seeing Darren standing up front waiting for me. I wouldn't say that the whole world receded and left just us. It felt more like the whole world stood up and cheered for us.

We flung ourselves into marriage: we'd never been in love with anyone else, and we were certain that no one else had ever been in love like we were. Vowing to love each other? Of course! For our whole lives? Sure! Before God and witnesses? No problem! Years later we looked at each other and said, "We had no idea what we were doing."

Today, ten years later, it rained all day. Darren took the day off, and we had a very ordinary family day at home: homeschooling, playing computer, dragging the toddler off the piano, picking up and cleaning up and finally just ignoring the mess. Darren made ham and potato salad for supper, and we shared sparkling grape juice with the kids.

I remarked, "If ourselves of ten years ago could see ourselves now -- we'd be pretty happy about how things turned out."

Darren snatched me away from the sink and kissed me. He thought so, too.

Happy anniversary to the man whom I don't remember meeting all those years ago. You've made up for lost time.

-- SJ

Blogging (or, The Lack Thereof)

This morning I started a long, meditative post about why I've not been blogging as much lately. Three paragraphs in, I got bored with it.

So instead, here's the brisk and breezy version as to why my blogging has trickled off lately:

1. I'm *not* pregnant, so it's not like that is a contributing factor. I just thought I'd mention it sort of as a celebratory thing.

2. I've been channeling what writing energy I have into writing Pieces (as we journalists call it) that I can sell.

3. I've been researching markets that might buy my writing.

4. I hate researching markets.

5. I got my first rejection back yesterday. I'm a little discouraged, because my pool of potential markets isn't very big. The "pool" is more like a "puddle." On the other hand, the only way to become a successful writer is to submit, which involves collecting rejections, so I consider myself well begun.

6. I'm homeschooling. Now, I'm not the do-it-all homeschooling type. I read the advice articles for first-year homeschoolers that said, "Don't try to do it all!" and thought, "Okey-dokey!" In some ways, my natural low-key approach is good. We don't get keyed-up, burned-out, or overwhelmed. But this year I'm having to ratchet things up to get the kids up to speed in a couple of subjects. It's mostly going fine, except on Mondays when I am a living, breathing bundle of inadequacies.

7. I have a one-year-old.

8. Want a list of the one-year-old's current favorite activities? Standing at the kitchen sink while the water is running; pushing chairs up to the counter and eating leftovers from lunch; pushing the water dispenser on the fridge; letting himself out the front door; banging on the computer keyboard; and pushing buttons on music toys and SINGING LOUDLY. The last one isn't destructive, but it's not very tuneful, either. All of what he does is awfully cute. Lucky for him.

9. I've got three things in the planning stage: anniversary festivities, an upcoming party, and aforementioned giveaways.

10. I hate planning things.

11. When I have something to plan, I seize up and don't get anything done until the deadline sneaks up behind me and shoves me into action again.

12. I've got four articles lined up for the next year. Articles that, if I write them well, bring in money.

13. I love getting money for my writing.

14. I just finished two Nancy Drew games. Nancy Drew games are cool. They siphon off a lot of blogging (reading, praying, eating, breathing...) time. I recommend the following games:

The Secret of the Old Clock
The Secret of Shadow Ranch
The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
The Ransom of the Seven Ships
Warnings at Waverly Academy

I also recommend Universal Hint System because otherwise you'll never solve the games and will be reduced to a creature slobbering frustration and shrieking, "What do those stupid hobo symbols mean? How do you beat the coyote game? What do I do after I find the T-rex bone?"

15. Is it disturbing that I wrote more about Nancy Drew games than I did about homeschooling?

16. It's suppertime, and I made green chile quiche, and I'm hungry. So, um, the end.

-- SJ

Anniversary Giveaways

Next week is our anniversary. Our tenth anniversary. Of course, y'all knew that because you've all got it marked on your calendars, but I thought I'd record it for blogging purposes.

In celebration of our tenth anniversary, we'll be hosting a giveaway. Giveaways. Plural.

So stay tuned! (A phrase whose origin is almost obsolete.)

-- SJ and DJ

Kid Bits

Daphne, as we're receiving bread and wine for Communion at church: "Who is doing the 'wining' this morning?"

Stuart, when I teasingly offered him a piece of mushroom-olive pizza: "No thanks. I really don't care for plants on my pizza."

I gave Addie a story I wrote. Instead of ending with a flat-footed resolution, the story finished poised on one toe -- but it was obvious how things were going to turn out. Well, I thought it was obvious. Addie read it and burst into tears. "This is it? I HATE cliffhangers!" Either I need to rewrite the story, or find an older audience.

It looks like Pip's official First Word is "up." When we're outside, he jabs his finger into the air and remarks repeatedly, "Ooph! Ooph!" Especially if there's an airplane in sight: he holds lengthy, if monotonous, discourses on that subject.

-- SJ

Purgatory Picnic

I can't cook a decent meatloaf. No, really, I can't. Nor can I do deviled eggs, and my muffins are always disasters. I recently told Darren that if I had to go to a potluck in Purgatory, that's what I'd have to bring. Which inspired the following evite:
From: Purgatory Picnic Committee
To: SJ
Subject: You're Obligated to Come To Our Picnic!

Dear Sara,

The September Purgatory hike and picnic will start this Tuesday at 2:00 pm. After a vigorous five-mile hike uphill, we'll enjoy a time of food and fellowship near a lake that the children will not be allowed to get in. (Sorry, no childcare is available.)

Please provide the following food:
* Meatloaf
* Deviled eggs
* Muffins

If, as usual, you make disasters of these three dishes, everyone will be on hand to express surprise and bewilderment that you could mess up such easy food. They will also offer lots of advice that you've heard before, and will continue to repeat it until you agree that probably that's what you did wrong.

After the meal, we'll benefit from a two-hour sermon on the Book of Romans (in KJV).

Please note that the table will be set with china and crystal, so please keep your children from touching the dishes.

See you there! And if you don't handle all this really, really well, we'll see you AGAIN in October!

Sincerely,

The Purgatory Picnic Committee

The Joneses Go to Harper's Ferry

Grandpa and Nana came to visit, and a good time was had by all. Especially at Harper's Ferry, which is a recurring tune in the "Places Joneses Love" songbook.


Whichever angel was in charge of the weather got a Best of Show ribbon that day. Everything was blue and green and beautiful.


The Shenandoah River and all its underwater treasures were appealing, alluring, and enticing.


Also, the rocks were pretty slippery. Oops! Daphne fell in!


Addie got utterly soaked, and found a rock too.


Stuart found sea glass, which he wished was a really, really rare find, but settled for its being "rarish."

Appealed, allured, and enticed, Pip tries desperately to fling himself into the river.


Fortunately for him, Mama forgot how slippery the rocks were.


Ah, love conquers all!


And many thanks to two people who put their whole hearts into making our lives better.

-- SJ

When We Were Very Young

--DJ
When Sara and I were first married, we agreed that we wanted our house and yard to be the neighborhood hangout.

And now it is. And it is good.

7 Quick Takes, September 3, 2010

--DJ

It's been a while since I've done a blog post, and I'm out of practice. Let's see what comes of this! :)

Here's the link for the 7 Quick Takes home at Conversion Diary.

1. One of my favorite blogs to go to daily is Gene Edward Veith's thoughts on religion, politics, how the two interact, culture, food, random tidbits... He's a fun writer. Today he linked to a wonderful couple of recipes: Deep Fried Beer and Chicken Fried Bacon. I'll pass on the first, but doesn't the second one just sound so delicious?

2. This link's a little harder to get to, but it's worth it. Kari Jobe has a Christmas video that's really gorgeous. Click here, then go to page 18 and click on the black box at the top left. I think you'll like it. Unless you don't like Kari Jobe (not that I know anyone like this. Right, Sara?)

3. What I'm Reading: The Way of Kings. I have been a big fan of Brandon Sanderson's work ever since Elantris, and so I actually went out and bought the hardcover. Borders then tried to sell me their Rewards Plus program for $20, since "you obviously like hardcover books!" Um, no, this was the first hardcover I'd bought in 2 years. I'm only on page 130 (out of 1000), but I'm really liking it so far. Interesting characters, fascinating worldbuilding, and very cool illustrations and maps.

4. For school with the two older kids, I'm doing Character Building Activities for Kids by Darlene Mannix. Lots of fun activities and worksheets. Addie and Stuart are enjoying it. The first character quality is honesty, and it's already been fodder for some good discussions about how honesty isn't just what you say, but what you do.

5. I've gotten to take 2 Indian cooking classes from Daniel in the last month, and that has been a lot of fun. I hope to make a couple of the recipes for when Dad and Mom come to visit.

6. What I'm Reading: God’s Lyrics: Rediscovering Worship Through Old Testament Songs. Interesting book about modern Christian music and how it could be made better by incorporating elements from the Songs of Moses, Deborah's Song, Hannah's Song, and several from Isaiah. I've just started on it; I'll try to give a review later.

7. In one of Amy's recent posts, she mentioned how most of the kids' berries were gone from their pail by the time they were done picking. She described it as "so fun." I would find that incredibly irritating - when I'm berry picking, I don't eat a single berry until we're home, and I get annoyed if anyone else does. Weird, I know :)

And that's it. Have a good Labor Day!

The Randomizer, Upgraded

Make no mistake, Addie still says pretty random things. Maybe because she can articulate her thinking now, we can often trace her train of thought and understand why she says things. Or maybe we're just used to it now.

Still, here are a few recent Classic Addie comments:

**
(During a dispute about how long someone had gotten to jump on the trampoline)
Me: "Addie, if you didn't use the timer, then I have no way of judging who got the longer turn."

Addie, waving the timer at me: "You put your trust in INVENTIONS more than your OWN DAUGHTER'S EVIDENCE?"

**
(After attempting to get Darren to wiggle her loose molar; he declined and turned his video back on)

"Parents today are too busy paying attention to the TV to pay any attention to their oldest daughter's second loose molars!"

***
(Frustrated at a website that's down for maintenance)

"If they don't fix this problem, I'm going to girl-cott all their products!"

And there you have it. Have a crazy-pavin' day!

-- SJ

In Other Words

Recently seen on Facebook:

Sara Roberts Jones Tried writing a story in 800 words. Um, maybe shoot for 1000 instead. Hey, here's a magazine that accepts 5000-word submissions! Check word count on another story: 6025. Good HEAVENS I use a lot of words.

Rosemary Morris Well, just look at your status: 37 words! I could be your editor if you'd like. Let's give it a try: "Tried writing 800-word story. Came to 1000. Found magazine accepts 5000-word submissions. Mine: 6025. Blah. I'm wordy." That's 19. :)

Sara Roberts Jones Nerd.


(And I meant it to sting.)
-- SJ

Four Years of Daphne

2006
Daphne Michele arrived. She was so tiny, sleepy, and helpless. She made up for it later.

2007
Baby Daphne observes life:
"Life is good, except when it is evil. But I know how to scream to make it good again."
(Here are the rest of her observations.)

2008
A short lesson in Daphnese:

Spoon = Poons
Star = Dars
Straw = Dwas
Sky = Kys
Stuart = Doots

Useful for translating cries such as, "Doots poons! No hit!"

2009
Daphne the news anchor:

"We're here today with Mama, who will tell us if we're going to the grocery store today. Mama? Mama? Are we going to the grocery store today? We are? Later? So there it is, we're going to the grocery store later. Is Daddy going with us, Mama? Where is Daddy? At work? So he can get money to pay for food? For those who just joined us, we're here with Mama to find out when we're going to the grocery store. When, Mama? Later. We're going later. But not Daddy, because where is Daddy? At work? To get money to pay for food? Mama, to get money to pay for food? Right. This just in: Stuart called me a cuckoo bird. Mama, Stuart called me a cuckoo bird. I'm not a cuckoo bird. Mama, I'm not a cuckoo bird. Later, we're going to the grocery store, right Mama? And Stuart called me a cuckoo bird but I'm not. Where is Daddy?"

2010
As Darren posted:

I was reading some nursery rhymes to Daphne today, and we ran across the one about sugar and spice being what little girls are made of.

Daphne wanted to know what she was made of. I told her, "Cayenne pepper and firecrackers."


Happy fourth birthday to our sparkly blue-eyed girl!



We love you!

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, SMJ, PGJ

Cover Letter to the Editor of a Magazine

Dear Editor,

Enclosed is a short story for your consideration. I'd like to explain a few things about it first, though, to clear up any potential confusion.

First of all, you'll notice that it's double-spaced and indented throughout, just like your guidelines said. Please disregard the *backs* of the pages, which might appear to be random photocopied pages of church music. That's what it is, of course, because my three-year-old locked (and lost the keys to) the cabinet where we keep our clean printer paper so I had to pull from our recycling stack. I think you'll appreciate this "green" effort on my part.

Secondly, although I ran it through spell-check, you might discover some unusual errors in the wording. That's because I finished it at about 11:00 one night. Yes, of course I proofread it, but again it was about 10:45 p.m. when I did it. I have four kids, Editor. I homeschool them. That means that they're always with me, all day, until they finally go to bed. So I do all my writing between 9:30 and 11:00 at night. I think you'll realize how significant it is that you're even holding a finished story from me.

Thirdly, about the ending. I was hoping we could work together to tighten it up. I know it falls sort of flat. That's because when I was writing it, at 11:00 at night, I was still fielding questions from children who were SUPPOSED to be in bed, questions like, "Hey, Mama, do you know how to say 'paper towel' backwards? I can say it for you."

Keeping these factors in mind, I'm sure you'll understand the value of the story you're about to read. Simply the fact that it's finished, printed, and mailed to you pretty much qualifies it as miraculous. And who wouldn't want to print a miraculous story? I'll be waiting to hear from you regarding my payment.

Sincerely,

-- SJ

Don't Feel Like Titling This

I've read several good books lately -- not adult, not YA, but juvenile. But I'm not interested in them right now, so I don't feel like blogging about them. But you can check out this one: Addie, Stuart, and I have all enjoyed "The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy" by William Boniface.

I'm taking Saturday morning to plan next year's school. Because I have no idea what I'm going to be doing come September. But I'm not interested in school plans right now, either, so I'm not going to blog about that.

Today was the weekly Switchoff. Amanda, Deidre, and I meet every Thursday morning (well, Deige does when she doesn't have a brand-new baby, which she has had since July 4, happy late birthday Oliver!). Two "helpful moms" stay with the kids while one "lucky mom" goes out for two hours. I was the Lucky Mom today, and I honored the Sacred Sisterhood Rule of the Switchoff by not doing anything I *had* to get done. Instead I drank a hot chai and worked on stories. I did not plan school, which Darren was much too wise to suggest I do.

I recently discovered "flash fiction" -- stories that clock in at 1,000 words or less. I love the idea. I tried it myself. After serious cutting, trimming, and clipping, I got a story down to 1647 words. That's when I decided that maybe telling a story in 1,000 words wasn't my gifting.

I've found some new recipes lately, including how to make my own tortillas, but I don't feel like blogging about them.

Mostly I feel like sitting back in my chair, eating a salad, watching the House Fairies clean up the living room and kitchen, and letting beautiful prose flow from my fingertips into my dana. Since that isn't happening, everybody's just stuck with an entire blog post about what I don't feel like blogging about. Join us next time for more handy tips on how to be the life of the party!

-- SJ

At the Fair

We took the kids to the fair last week. Daphne fell in love with the same ride that Addie and Stuart loved a couple of years before -- the Dragon Wagon:



Addie and Stuart were too old for most of the kiddie rides, much to our surprise (we didn't think we'd ever NOT have little kids). They rode the Cliffhanger with Daddy:



A good time, and cotton candy, was had by all:




Darren and I also realized that if the Dragon Wagon had a long tail and was too slow, it could be called the Draggin' Waggin' Dragon Wagon. Ha! (Daphne was not amused.)

-- SJ

Kid Bits

Phillip is taking wobbly steps on his own now. He doesn't really need to walk: he's a crawling, climbing machine of destruction. Forget the Terrible Twos; Year One runs me ragged.

Today he got into the fridge, as he always does anytime anyone opens it. (He also climbed on the table, spilled water all over my BH&G magazine, let himself out the front door, pulled pie pans out of the cabinet, and inspected the garbage can, to name a few of his other activities today.) Daphne had eaten some of a bowl of pudding, then put it back in the fridge with the spoon still in it. By the time I got into the kitchen, Phillip was helping himself while Daphne exclaimed, "Phillip is learning how to like pudding!"

He isn't saying any words yet, but when his siblings pretend to fall down for his amusement, he remarks, "Oh!"

***

Stuart found a game on Addicting Games.com called Doodle God. You're given three or four different elements, like air and fire and earth and birds and whatever, and you have to combine them to make new things. Somehow I managed to create "humans." Then discovered accidentally that when you click it twice, you get "sex." The icon shows two small figures in a compromising position. Of course Addie and Stuart were looking over my shoulder, and of course I couldn't hide it quickly enough. "Oh, sex," Addie said. "Yay! Babies!"

Um. Yes! SexEd going along just fine in this household, thanks very much! (I hold it against the game, by the way, that babies do not seem to result no matter now many times you click the humans. Addie apparently has a better grasp of the natural order of things than the doodle god does.)

***

Daphne loves playing on Starfall.com. She likes to find the parts that talk about composers and their music. She recognizes a couple of Beethoven's themes from Baby Einstein videos, and now can identify them by symphony because Starfall tells her the name and plays a clip. It's pretty funny to hear her three-year-old voice explaining that "this is Beethoven's fourth symphony! And here is Beethoven's fifth symphony! I used to think it was scary but now I like it."

So there you have it.

-- SJ

Repost: Highly-Recommended Babysitter

This is a repost from March 2008, when Daphne was not yet two years old. We've recently rediscovered these videos, and Daph loves them just as much the second time around. I thought of re-running this post because there are several readers who now have toddlers and might find the recommendation helpful. Or at least take comfort in the idea that you can let your children watch T.V.

March 21, 2008
I recently read what ended up being an unhelpful article on "How to occupy your toddler while homeschooling." Apparently whatever planet the author lived on, her toddler wanted activities for independent play. In our house, the toddler wants to do whatever I am doing.

"Of course you don't want to use the T.V. as a babysitter," the article said with a dismissive wave. Maybe not on your planet. I'd love to use the T.V. as a babysitter, but have trouble finding anything that holds Daphne's attention more than the sight of Mama using a pencil. Then I found it: "Baby Signing Time."

(Kristen R., is this the video you recommended to me? If so, good call. If not, you should have.)

We've used a few basic signs with all our children but nothing elaborate. I brought home the DVD purely for babysitting purposes. Not only was Daphne was transfixed throughout, she actually picked up the signs. Having watched Volumes I & II several times now, she can sign about twenty words. Even better, she's learning to talk at the same time, so she says the words as she signs. It's a built-in translation service.

I like the second DVD better: the music is more my style. As far as Daphne's concerned, she highly recommends both of them. Let's go watch them. Right now. (And Mama hurries off to do school.)

-- SJ

Also, read about my sister's incredibly cute "conversation" with her one-year-old.

What's Different About This Picture?

Here are two pictures of my house. See if you can spot the big difference:

Picture #1


Picture #2




Right! We took the toybox off the porch!

No, wait... We removed the tall prickly evil evergreen from the far corner of the house!

Oh, hey, the flowerbeds are different.

Um, is that a new place to leave the hose?

But of course you're all just kidding, because what you noticed in the second picture -- in fact, you really didn't see anything else -- were those shutters. The once-boring black shutters that are now stylish grey and red. What else is there even to see?

Why, thank you. I admit I spent an entire week repainting them. Very gratifying that you noticed them.

-- SJ

What I Didn't Do, Retake

I recently posted about what I didn't do when I had the chance to throw a perfect stranger for a loop by repeating a conversation I'd heard her have at an entirely different place. Two separate friends mentioned the post to me afterward, and I realized that other readers may have misunderstood my point.

I'm not an avenging Green Angel. I don't much care for the Green Morality that makes people feel guilty for, basically, living on earth. But I do care about being frugal and not being wasteful. It bothers me that I throw out food so easily. I dislike the way I don't try to reuse even glass containers. I wish we weren't all so dependent on electricity and cars. I have no idea how to can fruit. It's irritating that we live in a society where you have to apologize for wearing the same outfit more than two days in a row. I rant and rage when appliances break after five years, and computers are obsolete after two.

Given all that, I don't spend a lot of mental energy disapproving of what temperature other people set their air conditioners on. If she'd been talking about clothes shopping, it would have been just as funny (and I just as unlikely) to sidle up to her and say, "Hey, I think you should have bought the blue shirt at Kohl's after all."

There are so many real things to feel guilty about. Don't waste it all on Ziploc bags and thermostat settings.

-- SJ

Refreshed and Updated

Notice that the blog's wardrobe has been updated? Also, clicking on the title will now take you back to the home page, a feature that hasn't worked for a while. All this due, once again, to the photography and web wizardry of Kelly. In her non-web-designing life, she takes amazing pictures. You should check out her photography blog and see. Really, this is what you should do today.

And meanwhile, Keeping Up is enjoying the freshened-up look. Thanks, Kelly!

-- SJ

The Memory of A Tree

When we moved into our house eight years ago, there was a small Bradford pear tree in the front yard. As the children got bigger, it got bigger. Addie, Stuart, and Mollie all began their tree-climbing skills on this tree. I've played with four babies underneath its shade. Daphne adopted one short branch as her own personal "baby dragon" and liked me to hoist her up on it so she could "fly." That tree meant a lot to us.

About five years ago, a friend mentioned that Bradford pears had a tendency to split once they got too big. About two weeks ago, Debra mentioned the same fact. Are you getting the sense that this story has sort of a tragic ending?

Here's a picture of The Tree from 2007. (In the foreground are the four Evil Bushes that encroached on my front porch until I hired someone to rip them out.)


Six-year-old Addie spent many happy hours in The Tree:



By the spring of 08, The Tree was a pretty respectable size, especially for six-year-old Stuart and two-year-old Daphne:


Last fall, there was enough of The Tree to provide refuge for little boys who didn't want to start co-op.



In the summer of 09, Daphne flew many miles with her Baby Dragon:



My niece Katie caught Pip enjoying The Tree this past spring:



And this summer, Daphne was still flying:


But here's where the story gets sad. This afternoon, a freak windstorm screamed through our neighborhood.














Stuart says he likes the "new version" of The Tree, and there were kids swarming over the fallen branches all afternoon and evening. There have been many tears (all female) over the fact that we have to have The Tree chopped down. Let's don't even discuss Daphne and her Baby Dragon.

We've lost a good friend. We'll miss The Tree.


-- SJ