Party

When Lizi was younger, we started having a pool party for her birthday in our hometown, so extended family and old friends could come. She has a party here on her birthday too, with her friends. The theme for the pool party was always whatever she liked at the moment. It is always a lot of fun and seems to grow every year.

But when Lydia was born, it had to become a party for the both of them. It isn't easy to find a theme that suits a toddler and a preteen. And besides all that, I am so weary of the character-printed tableware, trying to make the all-natural cake look like it came from a bakery, plastic junk in a goody bag that will break before they get it home - you know the drill. This year I just wanted to bless them with a lovely, simple, fun party. Think Hello Kitty meets Dick and Jane.

So over the next few days as we finish up the preparations, I'll try to show you what we've been up to. First up is the invitations:

Aren't they just sweet! The invitation is printed on a half sheet of pastel colored cardstock. I cut flowers and flower centers out of the same cardstock, and stuck them on with foam mounting tape to make them stand out a bit. They are all mixed and matched so there are not many duplicates. Besides that, we have pastel envelopes that are all mismatched too. I was very pleased with how they turned out.

Seventeen is a good number...

...but I'm glad it's not the last number! As you may have read on Chad's blog, we were married 17 years ago today. So I thought it the perfect occasion to write out 17 of the billion reasons I love this man:

1. That he loves me whether the dishes, laundry or house is clean or not. (Even though he'd rather have them clean.)
2. That he always encourages me to pursue whatever dream I have, no matter how crazy.
3. Our two precious girls, who would not be just who they are without him.
4. That he is such a doting daddy.
5. That we speak in a sort of code to each other, a mix of movie lines and things our babies say, or said.
6. That, knowing how much I love thistles, he took up a shovel and rescued one that was about to be mowed to bring it home to me. Without gloves!
7. That he pays enough attention to me to know I love thistles, and why.
8. That he has more integrity than any man I have ever known.
9. That he laughs at my "corny" jokes.
10. That he keeps putting links to my blog on his, like he thinks it's worth reading or something!
11. That he is so patient and kind to me.
12. That he never makes me feel bad for buying MORE yarn or fabric.
13. That he helps me when I need to rescue furniture or whatever from the side of the road, dumpster, etc.
14. That he has figured out that I am just plain stubborn, and if he just keeps quiet I'll change my mind on my own, bless his heart.
15. That he genuinely cares for people and wants to help them.
16. That he works hard to provide for us, so that I can stay home with our girls.
17. That, after 17 years, I would rather spend time with him than anyone. As I said, I'm glad there are lots more numbers after 17. I love you, Chad, and I hope that together we see them all!

Corny

We have to be careful what we say in the garden these days...

What day is it?

Or, should I say, what day is it to you?

The evolution of the English language is interesting to me. We no longer say 'thee' and thou', for instance, and for that I am grateful. You would probably even get some questioning stares if you said something was 'groovy'. In particular, though, we seem to be removing all references to pain and suffering from our language. For example, we no longer 'die', we 'pass away'. And when we are 'interred' (not 'buried') it will be in a 'memorial garden' rather than a 'graveyard'.

I guess we do this to avoid all the pain and offense we can. But I wonder how healthy it is to exclude all of it. Without pain, how do we recognize the absence of it? Without the dark, how do we discern the light? In my life, I have found that the good and beautiful things stand out all the more in times of darkness and pain.

It seems that every year, more and more I hear this day referred to as 'the Fourth of July' rather than 'Independence Day'. I wonder if we began calling it such to avoid the reference to the battles, the losses, and the sacrifices to gain our freedom as a nation. But to my mind, it dishonors those who fought and died so that their descendants could live in a land of privilege and abundance.

So you celebrate as you choose today. But as we go about our festivities today, I think I'll say "Happy Independence Day"!

My motivation for canning

Many women are intimidated, or even offended, by the description of "a wife of noble character" in Proverbs 31:10-31. If this is you, I would humbly suggest that you go back and read it once more, because, in the words of Inigo Montoya, "I do not think it means what you think it means". (Did I just combine the Bible and The Princess Bride in the same paragraph? Yes, I did. You'll recover.) Here's the Kim paraphrase of that passage: Act honorably, don't be lazy, be generous, be prepared, take care of your family, and fear God. That doesn't sound so bad, does it?

I am fortunate to have women in my own family who were, and are, examples of this to me. Women who were strong, diligent, and creative enough to care for their families through wars, the Great Depression, and a lot of other stuff. I grew up watching them and hearing the stories of the ones who had gone before, but I understand much better now how hard it must have been and how tenacious they had to be to overcome. When I learn a skill that is new to me, but would have been something they did every day, I feel a sort of connection with them and that makes me proud.

Canning has been one of those skills. I would not presume to tell anyone how to do it, as I am the newest of newbies. My learning style is such that I like to read about how to do something, and then try it. I found so much information on the Internet, and I know anyone who is interested in trying canning could find what they need there or at a library. I did read somewhere that you should only use recipes written in the last few years, because of new findings about bacteria and spoilage. I did not find canning to be very difficult at all, and I don't even have the equipment to make it easier. (But my dear mother-in-law has offered to buy me some!!)

It doesn't take a genius to see that our way of life in America is not sustainable. Change will have to come if we are to survive. The change may come gradually, or it may be quite drastic and catastrophic. My feeling is that the more self-sufficient I can become, the better I can care for my family through whatever happens. Learning the "old ways," like gardening, canning and living within our means might turn out to be good skills to have.

That's probably more information than you were looking for, Sharon, but I hope it answers your question!