Updated Flower Garden Pic

What is "Hidden Art"?

Edith Schaeffer describes "hidden art" as, "The art which is found in the 'everyday' of anyone's life."  She asserts that "each person has some hidden talent which is unfulfilled in some hidden area of his being, and which could be expressed and developed."

A few years ago, I was complaining to Marc about how I felt as if I had no time to do anything but dishes, laundry, meals, and keeping the kids from killing one other (this is still a problem, but not the point of my story).  After I was finished laying out all my woes, he asked a simple question that had me completely stumped: "What do you enjoy?  What would you like to do if you had time for it?"  I felt a little silly, but my honest answer was, "I don't know."  I was so caught up with the stresses of the mundane, that I forgot what I liked to do.  It had been a very long time since I had given any thought to it.  I had been in survival mode so long that I had forgotten how to imagine, invent, dream... I was on the treadmill of the mundane with no idea of what I would do if I ever got off.  (Honestly, at that point in my life, I didn't care what I did when I got off, I JUST WANTED OFF!) ;)

Marcus encouraged me to start thinking about what I enjoy or think I might enjoy, and start making time (little as it may be) for those things.  So, I did.  I read, wrote stories, sewed, gardened, made jewelry, did crafts with the kids, practiced the piano and the flute... and those were times of refreshing for me. Times where I felt like I actually accomplished something.

So, how did I make time for those things?  In the book, she says, "Developing a creative talent involves discipline, time, and energy- the balance of time is a constant problem.  One is always having to neglect one thing in order to give precedence to something else."  I don't know if anyone else can relate to this, but I lived so much by the standard of "work then play," that I never had time to play or create, because, let's face it, as wives and mothers, our work is never done.

There is a point that you have to say, "Enough." and go ahead and spend time doing something you enjoy, even thought there are dishes in the sink or laundry in the hamper.

Another very important point that Edith touches on is the thoughts of, "if only" and "someday."  "If only I weren't so tied down...someday when my kids are older.....when I have more time...when I have more money...when I retire....then I'll develop my love of music, gardening, painting, sculpting, sewing, baking...."  Someday sometimes never comes.  We must consider the very practical use of that talent today.  What is your talent, your "hidden art"?

In the next several chapters, Edith explores specific forms of art and how they may be developed and incorporated into everyday life.  Can't wait to explore each one!!

Kidmade Books!

 Kate's Book

I was at the local used book store yesterday looking for a particular board book, "Animal Sounds," for Charlie.  I had it when the girls were little, but can't seem to find it for this go around.  Unfortunately, they didn't have it; but when I got home, I thought that we could try to make our own animal sounds book.  I told Kate (our 6 year old) about my idea, and she went right to work!  I was thrilled because I had wanted her to work on her writing today anyway.  She carefully wrote, "The cat says, 'Meow,'" on the first page and drew a cat, and on and on she went!  Claire wanted to get in on the action, so she drew her versions of the animals.  Marc and I were in hysterics looking at Claire's pictures!  And Kate's book turned out so cute!  Ran over to Staples today to get them laminated and bound.  Keepsake forever (and Charlie might just learn his animal sounds)!

Side note: We went all out and got every page laminated, and Claire only drew on one side of each piece of paper, so it got expensive.  If I had to do it again, I would cut the papers in a little less than half so they can fit 2 on each sheet of laminate, or if you want to do it really cheap, just laminate the front and back cover! 

 Claire's Book

"The First Artist" Reflections on and Summary of Chapter One of "The Hidden Art of Homemaking" by Edith Schaeffer

Chapter Summary:

Who was the first Artist?  Who was the first to create beauty? The first words of the Bible state, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1. God was the first artist. He imagined the colors, sculpted the mountains, composed the music of the wind, ocean, and birds. He filled the earth with not only good things to eat, but things pleasant to look at. He designed the heavens: stars, moon, sun, galaxies seen and unseen.When we consider all that He has made, we can't help but notice that beauty matters to God.

Why does beauty matter to God? Why didn't He just create all things functional and practical? Because God's art communicates. It communicates something about who He is. "The heavens declare the glory (greatness) of God, and the skies show His handiwork." Psalm 19:1. There is something about seeing the beauty of creation that sparks awe and wonder. I have experienced this feeling of "awe" many times, but one time I remember in particular was when I visited Crater Lake for the first time. There was something about that place that absolutely took my breath away, and I couldn't help but wonder at the majesty of the One who created it.

When God created man, He said, "Let us make man in Our image" Genesis 1:26. It is an amazing thing to consider that we were made in the image of God. When I think of God, I think: loving, kind, good, faithful, forgiving...and I understand that I was created to be all those things, but for some reason, "creative" is not something that I remember that God is. We were made to be like him; we were made in the image of the Creator. Being creative actually demonstrates that we were made in His image!

Creating is not one of those optional things that we should let ourselves do only if everything "essential" is done.We were actually designed to create. It is part of who God made us to be, and when we create beauty, we are, on a smaller scale, "declaring the glory of God."

Reflection:

I really got a lot out of this chapter. When I realized that I was made to create, it confirmed what I was already thinking: creating really does keep me sane. It is essential, and I need to allow myself time to create. I get so caught up in what needs to be done that I forget to enjoy the journey. I think a lot of moms feel this way...that they don't have time to be creative...they are just surviving...I've been there (today I got all three kids bathed and myself a shower and consider that a MAJOR accomplishment!) ; but I've found that when I take the time to create beauty: when I practice the piano, cook something elaborate, sew a quilt, plant a garden, write out my thoughts...there is refreshing that takes place, and I can't help but feel like this is what I was made for.

The next chapter is called, "What is Hidden Art?"  Hopefully I'll get to that next week! :)

My First Blog Series! Working through, "The Hidden Art of Homemaking" by Edith Schaeffer

So, I've decided to go through a book, chapter by chapter, on my blog.  This is more for me than anyone else, but if you'd like to follow along with me, then be my guest! :)  The book is called, "The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life" by Edith Schaeffer. 

The reason I chose this book is because I have found that in this life of the mundane, making time to create helps me to stay sane. ;)  In this book, not only does she give great practical ideas, she also gives the reasons behind why creativity and beauty are important. 

There are chapters on music, gardening, food, and writing (to name a few that I'm particularly interested in).  So, here it goes!  I'll be posting about the first chapter, "The First Artist" within the week (I hope!!!).  :)

Garden update

Almost totally done with planting.  Just waiting for my "Sweet Autumn Clematis" vine and Jasmine to come in. So fun to watch this change every day, and so glad it'll all be coming back bigger and better next year (yay for perennials!)!  :)

Pressing Flowers with MomMom

Today we spontaneously did a fun craft with my mom.  She and the girls had pressed flowers about a month ago when they were just starting to bloom, so we decided to open the flower press today to see how they turned out.

After ooohing and ahhhing over what we found, Mom brought out a couple of frames that she had gotten at the Goodwill, and the girls went to work creating their very own pressed flower arrangements.

Fun and easy craft!  The girls were so proud of what they had made!

Flower Bed Update

Here's a picture of my flower bed that I've been working on.  Things are starting to grow!  I have some bulbs planted in the back that have yet to appear, but it is slowly getting better :)  I'll post another update in a month or two!  Love this time of year!

Every Little Girl's Dream: A Twirling Skirt

 

Thought I'd share my latest sewing project.  My girls (Claire especially) have been all about dancing and twirling lately, so I thought it would be fun to try to make a skirt that really twirls!    I looked up "twirling skirt" on Google and found out that they are actually called "circle skirts."  I used the instructions from this tutorial: http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-the-circle-skirt.html and found them to be very clear.  This was the easiest skirt I've ever made and the most enjoyed by the girls!

Here's Kate taking the skirt for a spin (I made it for Claire, and fortunately, she loves to share). :)

 

 

 

 

And here it is when not in motion (a rare occurance) :)

 

 

The only thing I did differently than the tutorial was I decided to cover the elastic with fabric because I wasn't happy with how it looked when it was exposed.  Can't wait to make another one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Aren't the Only One

I'm not sure that there are many things more encouraging than talking to other moms that are honest about what life is really like.  These "real" women have helped me to see that "it's not just me," and there is something so nice about knowing that I'm not alone in my struggles as a wife, mother, and homemaker.

Just today, I was at my daughter's school visiting with some of the other moms, and we got to talking about the nitty gritty of our job as mothers and housekeepers.  Mountains of laundry, days worth of dishes, and endless mahem are the norm, but for some reason we dupe ourselves into believing that we are the only ones that deal with endless chaos and even downright filth (just admit it). 

It was so neat to see how the conversation progressed.  It's amazing how honest admission to failures and not having it all together can all of a sudden bring women together in a unique way.  After several people shared stories, and we had some really good laughs, one of the ladies said, "I thought I was the only one!"  How many times have I thought that...

So, I guess what I want to say in all this is this: 

You aren't the only one. 

 

You aren't the only one that forgets the clothes in the washer.  You aren't the only one that fixes peanut butter and jelly for dinner.  You aren't the only one that has a basket full of socks that never get sorted.  You aren't the only one that feels like if you have to go to the store with your kids one more time, you might have a meltdown. You aren't the only one whose kids ask, "who's coming over?" when you clean your house.  You aren't the only one who loses her temper.  You aren't the only one who, at times, doesn't know if she can make it through another day...

 

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  He knows.  He knows what you face every day.  He knows that you don't measure up, but he doesn't condemn, he says, "Come," and he offers rest, because he knows we need it.  We need rest in our souls-- rest that says, "Even though you don't have it all together, all is well.  You are loved."   



My Real (little) Flower Garden

One of the things that I would like to get better at is gardening. 

 

When I envision what I would like my flower garden to look like, images like this come to mind.  I am often a tad bit unrealistic when I think about what I would like to accomplish (can you tell?).  I mean really, this picture was probably taken at Buckingham Palace or somewhere like that....  Because I tend to have unrealistic goals, I am often disappointed by what I have the time, money, and energy to do. Every year, I have had grand plans of turning my entire front and back yards into my own little mini pieces of heaven, but I have realized that lack of time (and lack of palace) make it impossible for me to do what I would REALLY like to do with my yard.

So, this year, I'm aiming low.  Low expectations = less chance of failure and disappointment. I know, I sound like a real go getter. ;)  I am finally realizing that I can't do it all, and that's ok.  There will be a time of life that I will be able to have a large flower garden, but that time is not now.  So right now, I'm doing what I can.  I have decided that instead of making plans for every square inch of soil in my yard (and only actually following through with about half of it, and doing a pretty bad job with that half), I'm going to pick out one flower bed, yes, just one; and I'm going to do what I can with that, and not worry about the rest.  I'm excited to see what I can do when I only have one small section to focus on.  So, here is what I've done so far:

Before

After

I know, it doesn't look very grand yet, but this is just the first step.  I just decided what I wanted to keep and pulled everything that I didn't want.  The next step is to put some compost on the bed.  I am also planning on researching the types of plants that will do well in this part of my yard (it gets morning and some afternoon sun).  I'm excited to see how it progresses! 

Disclaimer:  Before you think to yourself, "How does she have time to do that along with everything else?!  I need to get my act together," just know that I would not have gotten this done if not for my husband who watched the kids and my gardening loving mom who came over and helped me...and, I thought about posting a picture of the inside of my house, but I chickened out.

Also, if anyone would like to join me and take the time to make your own little flower garden, I would love to see pictures of your progress!!  Happy Gardening! :) 

A Guaranteed Trick to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables*

If you have kids, you know the fight.  The standoff at the end of every dinner.  Your child has eaten everything but his/her vegetables.  Then starts the crying and fit throwing and pleading, and often, after a long day, getting them to eat those veggies just doesn't seem worth it.

Here's a little trick that we use at our house to get our kids to eat healthier, and it's seemed to work well for us.  This is NOT a sure fire way to cure a picky eater.  If you know how to do that, then fill me in (PLEASE!), but it IS a way to get the kids to eat the healthiest part of their dinner first, and avoid "the fight" at the end.  So, here it is: we serve the kids in "courses."  I know, it sounds weird and proper and a little snobbish, but it works for us.

 We start with the veggies or salad.  This is what the girls had for their "first course."  Tonight was easy, because they like all these things.  If we were also having something that they didn't like, like peppers, we would either put a little piece there for them to try or skip it all together (they're still eating veggies, they don't need to be made to like everything).  So, once they eat that, it's on to second course.  Sometimes we don't tell them what the courses are going to be, and they like the surprise, but if they are having a hard time with the first course, it might be a good idea to tell them what's coming in the next courses (as incentive).

Second course tonight is spaghetti.  No problems here.  They love it and ask for seconds.  On to the third course:

The third course is usually something like bread.  Kate LOVES bread and hurries to finish her first and second courses whenever we have bread.  Claire doesn't like bread, and we don't make her eat it.  If your kid doesn't like something unhealthy, don't make them eat it just because, "You need to eat your food."  Why make them eat something that isn't that good for them? (there's my two cents).  And on to the fourth course: dessert!

I know what you're thinking.  You give your kids apples for dessert???  No, not always.  I did tonight because Kate had a bunch of candy at her Valentine's party at school today.  Sometimes we have cookies, or yogurt, or blueberries, and sometimes we don't have dessert at all, just depends.  Most of the time, dessert is just that extra little incentive they need to eat a good dinner. 

So, there's our trick.  The only drawback is that there is a risk that your child may ask for the "next course" the next time they go to someones house.  Be forewarned. :)
 

*The title of this blog was a shameless attempt to get you to read it.  There is no guaranteed trick to get your children to eat their vegetables.  ;)

Are You For Real???

picture by Alayna Goebel

No one ever helped anyone by being fake. 

We want to look good.  Of course we do.  No one ever wanted to look bad.  But what if looking bad meant you could make someone else more comfortable?  What if “God gives grace to the humble”?  What if the less you act like you have it all together, the more people are drawn to you?

What is a “real woman”?  Or maybe it would be more helpful to start with what a real woman is not (I can relate more to what a real woman is not, hence the “in training” disclaimer in the title of this blog).  A real woman does not pretend that she has it all together.  She doesn’t act like her marriage is always perfect, that her kids are always well behaved, dinner is always on the table by 6, and her house is always immaculate. 

The problem is that we all struggle with this idea of image.  Like I stated above, we all want to put our best face out there.  But, what if we stopped thinking about what we look like to others and start thinking about what is true?  Do we have it all together? No.  Is that even possible? Of course not.  I actually used to think that I could have it all together, even thought I did have it all together (for moments at a time).  I thought that if I just tried hard enough, stayed focused, had my “quiet time,” and read enough books on self improvement I could actually “arrive”!  My belief in this philosophy would either leave me totally demoralized or self righteous and judgmental (depending on “how I was doing” that week, day, minute).     

So, what changed?  What made me realize that it was not possible for me to have it all together?  What made me want to pursue realness?  First, God had to humble me.  Try as I may, I was/am not perfect, not even close.  I hardly ever make my bed, my laundry often goes sour, my dishes sometimes go undone, my kids throw fits, I spend too much time on my phone, I tune my husband out….the list goes on and on.  Only when God revealed to me that how He feels about me is not based on what I’ve done or not done, but on what Jesus did for me, did I finally feel free to be real.  Jesus lived the perfect life that I couldn’t live and counted it as mine from the moment I ran to him, and that is enough.  I don’t have to pretend that I’m perfect anymore, because my perfection (or lack thereof) has no bearing on whether God accepts me or not, and there is something very liberating about that.   

As I started to live out this freedom, I found that my “fake” behavior was not only an inordinate response to what God has done for me, it was also downright harmful to those that I am around.  As Christian women, I think a lot of times we think that we need to act like we have it all together because, “Come on, we’re Christians, we need to be a good example….people won’t be attracted to our faith if we mess up and admit it freely.”  Sadly, this is a lie that has many negative consequences.  Here’s a few that I have observed from my own life and the lives of others: 

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• The standard of perfection drives people away because they know they can’t measure up. Instead of acting like we can measure up, as Christians, our attitude should be, “Ya, you can’t measure up, and neither can I, that’s why we needed Christ to come and be our substitute.  Because of what Jesus did, God now sees you as His daughter or son, and you don’t have to live under the guilt that comes with feeling like you don’t measure up.  When you simply come to Him, God doesn’t see you as a sinner any longer, He sees you as his precious child.” If we have this attitude of humility, people will be drawn to us rather than driven away.

•   The standard of perfection also makes people feel like if they ever want to come to Church, they need to clean up their lives first.  This is the exact opposite of what Jesus would say.  He would say simply, “Come as you are.”  If we put off the feeling that you need to live perfectly in order to be a Christian, then those who know that they don’t live perfectly will not dare enter the doors of the church or want to be involved in the lives of those who claim it.

• This mentality also negatively affects other Christians.  We all have the tendency to compare ourselves to others.  If you (or I) have someone in your home and we put on a front that says, “I have it all together” it can discourage other Christians and leave them feeling like there must be something wrong with them, or that they just need to try harder and then they can have it all together too.  The last thing that I want people to feel when they are around me is judged, overwhelmed, guilty, ashamed, and uncomfortable.  I want them to feel like they can come and rest and be their real selves.

 

•    Fakeness breeds more fakeness (is fakeness a word??).  When you are fake, you tempt those around you to be fake.  When you are truthful about your struggles, insecurities, failures… you give people the freedom to be themselves.

I want to be real, and what God has given me in Christ gives me the freedom and ability to do just that.  Am I still tempted to be fake?  Of course, but, by God’s grace, and only by God’s grace, I am pursuing realness for His glory.

Here Goes Nothing

Things don't always work out how you plan...story of my life; but, just because things aren't as easy as they "should be" doesn't mean you should give it up all together.

Back in August, I had every intention of starting this blog.  I wanted to really prepare and get a bunch written before I started posting in January.  Well, January came and went, and reality started setting in.  My expectation that I would have the time and energy to have an active and interesting blog was totally unrealistic.  I decided to give up the idea all together...

There are so many things that I would like to do and get better at: sewing, gardening, having people in my home, keeping a clean house, homeschooling, organizing, teaching piano, writing, doing laundry (added by my husband ;))...., and it seems that I don't have time for all these things; and the truth is, I don't.  I don't have time to do any of these things to the capacity that I would like, but, as a wise woman once told me (you know who you are), "Tis the season of life for, 'Do what you can with the little time you have.'"  So, here it goes.  Here's to embracing the time I do have, and hopefully sharing glimpses of this crazy life and what I'm learning through it.