Making Revisions

I recently read the introduction of a book that helps teach young children  how to read.  In it, the author spoke of the rigorous revision process that the book went through before it was put into print.  It was fascinating to me! After each draft was written, the program was utilized in a classroom of children. If the children had problems with any of the exercises presented in the program, the authors drew the conclusion that the program, not the students, was to be blamed. They would then make corrections to the program to make it more effective.

As a homeschooling mother, I can relate to this type of thinking.  If my child isn't understanding a concept after going over it numerous times, then the frustration sets in.  Yet, instead of thinking that my child isn't trying hard enough, or focusing well enough, I have to step back and place the blame on myself.  As a teacher, it's my responsibility to change the way I present the material until my child has a clear understanding of it.

The same holds true in my personal life.  Our society is obsessed with placing the blame on everyone around us, and not fixing the real root of the problem.   We love to point fingers and pass the buck, when in reality we all need to be making constant revisions in our own lives. When we allow the Lord to show us the junk inside ourselves, and we are willing to get rid of it, we make room for new and wonderful things.

I love the editing process. I like to take pictures and then download them into photo shop.  It's like having an artistic canvas to fix flaws with the click of a mouse.  I can erase wrinkles, blast blemishes, and bring each photo up to it's maximum potential.  I do the same thing in my life....only it's not nearly as fun. I compare my life with the Word of God, and take note of flaws that need fixing.  Then, I take that same amazing tool and use it to help me reach my fullest potential...just like a photo in photo shop. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier to blame the past for the way I am, or to find fault with others.  Yet, when I take the time to recognize that it's me that needs to change and replace the bad qualities with ones that are pleasing to God, it transforms me.  It makes me grow.  It makes me stronger.  It's cleansing.

God's got a whole lot of revision to help me do in my life.  In fact, you won't be able to see the final amazing product until I'm in heaven, free from the sin and bondage that weighs me down in this life.  "And I'm sure of this, that he who began a good work in [me], will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

The great benefit of making "revisions" in your life is that you will be so busy working on your own character, that you will no longer focus on finding flaws in other people. 

 Think of it as though you're just getting ready for your "close-up"!

"Small Town Sightings"- Wordless Wednesday

Wood Cutting

This weekend we made our first wood cutting trip of the season.  We burn a whole lot of wood at our house from late fall to late spring.....therefore, we must start preparations early.  We like to make sure that we are well stocked ourselves, and because we enjoy being out in the woods in the fall, we also cut wood for some of our dearest older friends. 

My husband is cutting rounds to be loaded in the truck.

Our kids are finally reaching the age where they are becoming a big help to us in the loading process.  And the beauty of the whole thing is that they really enjoy it!  They are both so stinkin' competitive that they fight over who gets to use the sledge hammer and wedge to try to split the log in the least amount of hits.

Our girl thinks she's a lumberjack.  If you tell her she's not strong enough to do something, she sees it as a challenge to prove you wrong.

Here's our son splitting logs for the fun of it.  He's trying to set a new world record.

My job is to obsessive-compulsively fill every available square millimeter of space in the back of the truck with wood.  I load each piece meticulously and restack as I find pieces better suited for the space.  It's a bit like doing a jig saw puzzle, and trying to make every piece interlock with the next one.  I try to push the envelope by stacking the wood as tall as possible without the wood falling off of the stack while we're driving down the highway.  We repeatedly lost the same two pieces of wood on this trip, and that means one of two things:

A.  I failed.

B. My husband drove off- road for 20 miles over huge potholes, rocks, and tiny little two track lanes.  He went flying down wash board roads and over cattle guards at 30 miles an hour, and occasionally jammed on the brakes to maneuver hair- pin turns.

I'll let you decide who's to blame.  I imagine the whole situation is a bit like the scene from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" where the sled, covered with a gigantic bag of toys, goes careening out of control down the hill with the loot swaying dangerously from side to side without dropping anything. If you see a big silver truck with dust billowing behind it, you should probably stay back a good distance for your safety.

Oh....I know what you're thinking.....we should use tie down straps.  Naw.  Tie down straps are for people who aren't experts in the field of stacking fire wood.  It's for those novice wood cutters.  We are all professionals here, people.

Sometimes when the saw is running and I have nothing to do, I take pictures of moss growing on wood.  It looks peaceful...like something hanging in a spa...where massages happen... and then I think of hot rock massages...and pedicures...and I'm taken back to a tranquil place in my mind...until I get saw dust in my eye and I'm ripped back into reality. 

Are you getting the same vibe from this picture?  I thought so.

Saturday Evening Fishing

After a relaxing day of football, we decided to take the family down the road to one of our favorite lakes to do a little fishing.  We're always up for a little adventure, and the evening sun was beckoning us to come out and play.  As you can see, my son takes fishing pretty seriously..... the girls, on the other hand....don't.

My middle child kept getting her line tangled up in her brother's, and she wanted to change lures every 3 casts.  My baby chose to put a chunk of Kentucky Fried chicken on her Barbie pole, and just floated it in the water right next to the boat so she could see it.  One time it got stuck in the trolling motor and she cried.

  After an hour of untangling the rat's nest in the trolling motor, getting hooks unsnagged from the weeds, fixing poles, and navigating the boat so I could get pretty pictures of birds, my poor defeated husband finally gave up on catching any fish, and surrendered to the forces that be.  I wanted to take a self portrait of the two of us, and he decided to do his best "Zoolander" modeling pose.  Dork.  I think he realized that the fish weren't biting so he might as well lighten up and goof off.

The lake was gorgeous that evening!

Here's a picture of a Blue Heron that I took.  We were watching it fish on the shoreline, when my son's wild casting scared it away....luckily I have lightning fast reflexes in my pointer finger, and a hair trigger on the camera.  Isn't it beautiful?!!!

And here was the best part of the evening....sunset on the water.

Here's another view 10 minutes later from a different location on the lake.  God paints the most beautiful sunsets.

Another adventurous family outing came to a close, and we all got quiet as the sun went down on another day.  We enjoyed the stillness of evening as we made our way back to the dock by moonlight.

Small Town Fun

In our little mountain community, football is KING, and a major source of entertainment for everyone.  It's not the professional teams, or even the college teams that I'm speaking of.  The talk of the town is the Friday night high school football schedule.  Around every shop, every office, and every diner, people cuss and discuss the latest football scores and highlights of the games.  If you want a seat for a game in my town, you better arrive at least an hour early, or you'll be sitting next to the tuba player in the band.  You'll also have to park 1/2 a mile away, or make your own parking spot in a nearby field.  Nearly everyone dresses up in their Friday best for a football game, and no amount of team spirit is considered overkill. 

Our local newspaper has highlights of every game played on the mountain, and on Friday nights, the entire game is televised on the local radio and cable stations.  Our team coverage is almost like the NFL....only better.  You can always hear someone you know cheering in the crowd over the ever popular cow bell ringing.  Hearing it on the radio is the next best thing to being there in person.

And the rivalries are spectacular!  Our kids are taught from the time they get out of diapers to harass the cross town rivals.  It's just the way it is.  We bleed our school's colors.  Having good friends that live in the neighboring towns makes it even funner.  There's no shortage of good natured ribbing after every game.

In fact, on our mountain, the kids start playing ball at an early age.  By the time they reach high school, they've faced each other on the field for many years.  Our boys will grow up playing  against each other from elementary school to high school.  Today was our son's first football game.  To say that I was a nervous wreck was an understatement.

The game was a real "nail biter", but we came back in the second half to beat our neighboring town with a score of 12-6.  If we would have lost to the Cougars, my son would have moped around for the whole day.  At this age, there are ALOT of hilarious errors that happen on the field, and you just never know how things are going to turn out.

My son is just beginning to understand how to play the game, but he's not alone out there. These boys are all just out having fun, and learning the fundamentals of the game.  They just love to be "boys" and tackle each other.  It's a great release for a  guy with two little sisters at home that he has to be careful with.

Speaking of little sisters, these two gals are my son's biggest fans!  They couldn't wait for the big game.  They ran into their brother's room this morning to wake him up  and get him pumped up.  First they blasted Kenny Chesney's "Boys of Fall", then they played, "We Will, We Will Rock You". I think it worked.  After a plate of waffles with peanut butter and a glass of orange juice, he was ready to play hard.

Here we are before the game, roasting in the hot sun.  My husband is the cool, calm, and collected fan.  I'm the whole hearted screamer who wishes that I could be on the field to yell for my boy.  I got in trouble once today for waving to him.  He waved back, and my husband said I was distracting him.  I couldn't help it.  He looked so darn cute in his uniform.  I'm also the one that gives him the "go out there and kick some rear end" pep talk.  This goes back to my competitive nature.  It's a small character flaw I have, but I'm getting better... my husband only had to calm me down once or twice today.  All in all, it was a gorgeous Saturday to watch a football game.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Sometimes my kids get bored with lunch.  Sometimes deli meat sandwiches or chicken tenders just don't dazzle them.....so I try to mix it up a little.  This recipe is an old standby that my mom made for me when I was in school.  Now I make my own version of it for my kids.  It all starts with a loaf of homemade cinnamon raisin bread.  After I slice it up, I make a spread out of peanut butter mixed with honey (mixing it makes it taste better than just dumping it on the top of the peanut butter).  Then I slice up an apple pretty thin and lay the slices over the peanut butter mixture and top it with another slice of bread. Super easy, and so yummy! 

Here's a simple recipe for a BIG loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread.  I know that adding the cinnamon in a swirl pattern is prettier, but I like my cinnamon to be equally distributed throughout the loaf.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 1/2 cups of very warm water

2 TBS Butter, softened

4 cups bread flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp yeast

1 cup raisins

Mix everything except the raisins until dough is stiff and leaves the sides of the bowl.  Then add the raisins and turn dough out unto the counter and knead until smooth.  Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until double in size.  Punch down, place in a greased loaf pan, and let rise for another 30- 45 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 33 minutes. (High Altitude.)

If you have a bread machine, and you're short on time, dump all the ingredients in the bread machine and mix on the dough cycle.  After the first rise, take it out and put it in a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 30-45 minutes and bake at 350 for 33 minutes. (High Altitude.)  Or, just let it go all the way through the baking cycle, if you don't mind a square loaf. (I'm more of a traditional kind of gal. I like my loaves to be longer.)

**At regular elevation, the recipe calls for  baking at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.**

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday