Joanne Heim

Today...

I did my interview this morning, finished the outline for a possible book on dealing with marriage crisis, and was crafty! I'd show pictures, but I can't since the gals I was crafting for haven't had their birthdays yet (yes, you, Heidi! and you, Janna!).

I realize I haven't posted photos in waaaaay too long, so I thought I'd share these lovely illustrations. I love vintage books--especially vintage children's primers. These came from Every Day a Surprise, part of the Wonder-Wonder Series and published in 1956 and illustrated by Elizabeth Rice. Like many of the primers I have, this one came from a school library. Audrey loves to read these, and I think I need to get Emma started on them.

Aren't they lovely? I want to print them out and frame them, but I'm not sure where I'd put them.

***

On another note, I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle today. How could I have not read this since again since I first read it in the fourth grade? I think this may be one of my new favorite books. I'll write more about it over on The Newbery Project later (click the link on the left).

Truth about me

**EDITED LATER: Phew! No gray hairs that I could find so far. Hallelujah!**

So I don't usually blog in the morning, but just this very minute I was in the bathroom plucking my eyebrows. Let's just say that I have vigorous eyebrows--if I were to travel back in time one of the things I'd be sure to pack is a good pair of tweezers and a magnifying mirror.

Anyway, I grabbed my tweezers this morning, looked in the mirror, and was horrified to see that overnight long, totally white hairs had grown between my eyebrows. What is up with that? They weren't there yesterday morning. Where did they come from? And why are they WHITE?

Needless to say, I yanked them out with reckless abandon. Out! Out! Out!

I don't have any gray hair--yet--but I'm off to go finish getting ready and examine my part closely in the mirror. Ahhh!

Another great book...

Quick! Before it's time to read to the girls... (which I absolutely LOVE, but I want to get this done too!)

Another helpful book I'm reading is The Five Love Languages of Children. I'm not quite finished yet and I'm not sure I agree with all their parenting stuff, I do have to say that learning about children and the love languages (words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical touch) has been great.

I bought this especially in regards to Audrey--my child most like me and therefore the one I butt heads with the most! And while I'm still not exactly sure which is her primary love language, reading the book has made me more proactive in expressing love to her in all five languages each day. I've seen a HUGE difference!

She's been much more apt to crawl up in my lap (usually an Emma thing), to throw her arms around me and tell me she loves me, to thank me for the things I do for her (packing a lunch, leading her Brownie troop). Hmmm...maybe physical touch is her deal. That and quality time. I'm praying God will make it abundantly clear to me which one it is.

No matter which language is your child's primary means of receiving and giving love, the authors teach that it's vital to express love in all five ways. It does have influence on discipline too--because discipline in their primary language can be much more severe for them than it would be to another child. For example, if words of affirmation speak love to your child, then harsh words cut them deeper than it would another child whose primary language is something else. It's all very interesting and has given me lots to think about.

Of course, reading all of this has made me think about Emma too and set me on a path of figuring out her language as well. Not to mention Toben and the ways in which he receives love best. All in all, a pretty eye-opening and helpful read.

***

Tomorrow I have an interview in the morning, a book outline to finish, and then I'm going to be CRAFTY! I can hardly wait...

Here's what I've been reading...

In addition to the three new Nancy Drews I found at the thrift shop the other day, I've been reading some really great books lately.

First, I finished reading Mark Buchanan's The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. After going through it once slowly, I'm ready to read through it again. One of the things that I love about this book is the Sabbath Liturgy he includes at the end of each chapter--a practical, do-able way to put into practice whatever the chapter has been discussing.

Here are a few of the things I underlined from this book:

"Sabbath, in the long run, is as essential to your well-being as food and water, and as good as a wood fire on a cold day."

"...setting apart an entire day, one out of seven, for feasting and resting and worship and play is a gift and not a burden, and neglecting the gift too long will make your soul, like soil never left fallow, hard and dry and spent."

"Nothing really changes until our minds do. Transformation is the fruit of a changed outlook. First our minds are renewed, and then we are transformed, and then everything is different, even if it stays the same."

"The truly purposeful have an ironic secret: they manage time less and pay attention more."

There's lots, lots more of great stuff in there--part of the reason I need to go back and read it again and let it sink in deep. Keeping the Sabbath--setting one day apart from all the rest--is something I've been trying to do lately and there's lots of helpful stuff in here.

I've also been reading The Five Love Languages of Children and have lots of great things to say about it too, but it'll have to wait. The girls are waiting for me to come and read the next chapter in Meet Molly. Gotta go!

Rest

We were supposed to be up and about today, heading down to Colorado Springs to have Sunday dinner with Toben's family. But I woke up at 11:03 last night out of a dead sleep, feeling absolutely sick to my stomach and way too hot.

I'm still feeling off today and have spent the whole day in bed, napping and reading, apart from a nice long bath. Toben made me some chicken soup and it's sitting okay so far... There's nothing on the calendar tomorrow, so I'm going to take it easy again and just rest.

I struggle when I'm sick like this. I know that rest is so important--and it's something I do in smaller doses on a regular basis, but staying in bed all day like this makes me feel a little bit guilty and lazy. Part of me thinks that if I'd just make up my mind about it I'd be fine. Ridiculous, I know!

Thought I'd share some inspiring quotes I came across recently. Enjoy!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. (Thoreau)

Order is a lovely thinhg, on disarray it lays its wing, teaching simplicity to sing. (Anna Branch)

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. (Robert Montgomery)

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. (Jane Austen)

Teach us delight in simple things. (Rudyard Kipling)

Very little is needed to make a happy life. (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus)

Every season brings its own joy. (Spanish proverb)

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss going too fast--you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. (Eddie Cantor)

Oh my, my, my, my, my!

If you know Beth Moore at all, you know just how to say that. With a thick Texan accent and shaking your head at the same time.

I spent the day with my friend Janna at her church for a simulcast of Beth speaking on "Straight Talk About God's Deliverance." Get this--there were 500 simulcast locations and more than 150,000 women across North America who attended. Wow.

As always, listening to Beth was just amazing. I'm inspired by her love for Jesus, her knowledge of Scripture, and her total dependence upon God. I love this woman. Though I've never met her (yet!), I feel like she is one of my dearest friends because she has been such an encouragement to me during hard times. I'm already looking forward to the end of April, when I'll be going to Albuquerque for a Living Proof Live weekend. Anyone wanna come?

She talked today on Psalm 18--such a vivid picture of God stooping down to rescue us from the mud and mire of the pits in which we find ourselves. As someone who has spent some time in the pit of despair, brokenhearted and alone, I was once again overwhelmed by how much God loves me and how he reached down, took hold of me, drew me out of despair, and rescued me and set me upon the Rock. As Beth would say, "Glory!"

I'm still reeling from the day, thinking through all I heard, and processing it all. I'm so hoping that today's talk will be available to download somewhere, because I'd love to hear it again and let it sink in some more.

The bottom line? "God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight" (Psalm 18:2, The Message). I'm so grateful.

My not-so-perfect life

A friend told me the other day that reading my blog makes it sound like I'm living Little House on the Prairie. Lest you think it's true, I'll come clean--I tend to blog about the happy things in my day, the fun, the inspiring, the crafty.

And while I do love my life and my family so very, very much, my life is not perfect. For example, I have had the HUGEST, UGLIEST zit right in the middle of my nose for the past day or two. (See? It's not even good enough to be a blemish!)

I am choosing to believe that people have actually been looking at my darling little nose ring rather than what they're really staring at...

So now you know, my life is not perfect. I am almost 35 years old and have the hormonal, acne-prone skin of a teenager.

(But, let me share this wonderful tip I read in a magazine while waiting at the dentist office a while ago. To deal with the problem of big, ugly zits, dab some honey on the offending thing, cover it up with a band-aid and go to sleep. In the morning, it will look much nicer. Not gone entirely, but not so red, not so huge, and to the point where if you use a LOT of makeup it's only slightly noticeable. So the other night I went to bed with the Backyardigans plastered across my nose. I have kids and therefore no grown-up looking band-aids! Toben laughed, but it was worth the humiliation to see the improvement by morning.)

Thank you

The mailman came to my door today to deliver a package from Erin. Look at all the goodies it contained!

A gift bag for the girls with stickers and pencils and paper...and Smarties! I love Smarties. They remind me of living in England. The girls are happily munching away on some while I type. And a great Canadian decorating magazine. I flipped through it quickly and am saving it for later tonight after the girls go to bed.

Inside the wrapped package were these darling coasters. I love them--the floral fabric is so happy and Easter-y and is a much needed reminder that Spring will come someday.

Thank you, Erin, for such a thoughtful gift. It brightened my day!

Banana black-bottom cream pie

Toben usually refuses to eat leftovers, but he made an exception for this tonight!

P.S. The solar system project is done, Audrey's practiced her presentation, and she's ready to go. She did such a good job on it!

I *heart* Sunday dinner

So, Sunday dinner was delicious. I'm still so full I can hardly move.

The turkey turned out great--moist, delicious, falling off the bone. All the remains are in the stock pot simmering away for the night...think we'll have turkey pot pie later on in the week.

Here's my turkey secret: Rub the turkey with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place the pan inside paper grocery sacks, rub those down with oil, and clip it all shut. Bake it in the oven for the time shown for its weight on the package. That's it. Take it out when the buzzer rings, let it rest, and carve.

The sweet potato casserole that Bill made was INCREDIBLE. Oh yum. The recipe came from A Return to Sunday Dinner. A great cookbook if you're looking for Sunday dinner ideas.

And the black bottom banana cream pie...words can't quite express. My picture turned out blurry, so I'll take another photo when I have some for breakfast tomorrow! (That recipe came from A Return to Sunday Dinner too.) Oreo crust, chocolate custard, bananas, vanilla custard, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, more bananas. Need I say more?!

We sat around the table for hours after dinner, talking and laughing and having a ball. Just what Sunday dinner's supposed to be like...

Sunday dinner

My friend Bill is coming to visit tomorrow. And since he loves to cook--and since we talk about food a lot when we talk on the phone--we're going to cook Sunday dinner together. This is something we've talked about doing for years, but since he lives in Oregon and I don't, it hasn't happened. We're going to have a lot of fun!

Here's what's on the menu:

Crostini with warm mushroom spread

Roast turkey and gravy
Twice-baked sweet potato casserole
Green beans with carmelized onions and bacon
"Joanne" carrots
Cornbread and homemade jam

Banana black-bottom cream pie
Coffee

Sounds good, huh? I'm going to go put my camera in the kitchen right now so I remember to take lots of pictures.

Audrey and I spent almost four hours at the grocery store today selling Girl Scout cookies. I was able to get my grocery shopping done in that time since some moms came along to help, but there's still linens to be ironed, a table to be set, laundry to be folded, and floors to be mopped...

Audrey's room

I've had an idea for some time about what I want Audrey's room to look like. She's definitely a girl--but more of a bohemian chic girl rather than a princess frilly girl like Emma.

I'd found her bedspread at Urban Outfitters when we moved into this house last October, and bought two because they were on a great sale. But they're really just big sheets of cotton--not very warm, not very poufy.

I LOVE this fabric.

I matched it with some red gingham (oh how I love gingham too!) I'd had to make her a comforter cover. Somehow a bed just looks better to me if it's a little bit squashy.

We added some more pillows, switched the comforter at the foot of the bed to the big green flowery side, and she loves it!

(The bed is one my parents bought for me when we lived in England. It's the first bed Toben and I had--in fact, we had a double bed until Audrey was born--seven years into our marriage. Then we went to a king! It's so fun that Audrey's now having sleepovers in it, especially when I think back to all the sleepovers Heidi and I had!)

Cost Plus is having a HUGE sale right now--lots of clearance things 50-75 percent off the clearance price. We picked up a bunch of paper lanterns for next to nothing, added some clear 3M hooks (no holes in the ceiling), and voila!

Next project--to finish the pillow for the crochet cover I made, make curtains for the windows (I have lots more fabric!), and paint the bulletin board frame Mom gave us today. Then I think we'll be done. (And on to Emma's room...)

Thanks for all the prayers for me and Audrey as we've spent this time together. We've had such a good day--working on the science project, running errands, and putting her room together. As we walked upstairs this afternoon she said, "It's been fun just bonding together, Mom." Exactly!

More snow...

It's been snowing again and I resolved this morning to stop complaining about it and just enjoy it as best I can. After all, it is beautiful.

Audrey and I went to my sister's for dinner...it took us more than an hour to get there (normally 20 minutes at most). So my resolution to be thankful was put to the test. I think I failed.

I did get Audrey's comforter cover made this morning and we cleaned her room this afternoon. We're almost done, just have to deliver the piles we've made to where they belong--kitchen, basement, and so on.

I really want to work on her room some more tomorrow, but she has a science project due on Tuesday that she has put off and put off. Think we may need to focus on that instead. Maybe if we get a bunch done early on for the solar system project we can do both. We'll see...

Toben and Emma had dinner outside, on the beach at Poseidon in Del Mar tonight. Aaaawwwww!

All tucked in...

Audrey's spending the night with me tonight and we're all tucked into bed with new books. Ameila's School Survival Guide for Audrey and The Five Love Languages of Children for me.

After school we headed to the Tattered Cover to drink hot chocolate and do homework. Have to say I was really disappointed with their children's section. They did seem to have lots of picture books, but not very many chapter books. Barnes and Noble is much better. (Tattered Cover only had a couple of American Girl books, and no copies of A Wrinkle in Time, the next Newbery Medal book I want to read for The Newbery Project blog.)

Then we picked up Girl Scout cookies to deliver to all of Audrey's customers. Think we'll wrap up the orders with ribbons and write thank you notes to include too. I'm trying NOT to think about the cases of Thin Mints in the trunk of my car! Yummm...

Emma and Toben arrived safely in California...thanks for all your travel safety prayers for them. Emma and Susan are headed to the zoo tomorrow from what I hear, Toben's in meetings all day, Audrey's off to school and Valentine party-ing, and my day is wide open. Hooray!

Melancholy...

I'm feeling a little melancholy tonight (isn't that a great word?)... Not sure what's up. I've been feeling really tired lately, ready to go back to bed at 10:30 a.m. Part of it is that I've not been sleeping very well; I'm waking up about every two hours all night long. Even though I'm only awake for a few minutes, I'm wide awake for those few minutes and not getting any long stretches of sleep.

I did take some sleeping medicine last night, which helped, and I think I'll take some more tonight. Often I feel like sleeping poorly becomes a habit and that if I can just get a couple of good nights of sleep I can get back on track.

Toben and Emma are leaving for San Diego tomorrow. She's never been on a business trip with Toben and she's excited to go and hang out with Aunt Susan while Toben's at work. I've done laundry and she's all packed; she's in her room packing her backpack with the essentials--movies and little toys. I only handle the non-essentials like toothbrushes and clean underwear.

Audrey and I are excited to have a few days all to ourselves. We don't often get time just the two of us and we're both looking forward to some time together (no school on Thursday or Friday) and have some big expectations to make some memories and just have fun being together. Audrey and I are very alike--and so we frustrate each other a lot! I'm praying this time is really good for us and helps us get back on track together.

Time for jammies...

WIPs and random stuff

Onesie for baby Mac. My first try embroidering on a stretchy, cotton onesie. Not too easy. I appliqued the carrot, rather than embroidering, and then had to use many strands to embroider because the pattern ironed on so thick. Hmm...have to think about that in the future. I think it would have been much easier with fewer strands of floss.

I was SO happy to find the carrot fabric in my stash for this project!

Kristen (and Ava too!) came over yesterday to work on a big floor pillow for Ava's room. I love the fabric Kristen picked and the pink ruffle! It turned out great!

She had some leftover fabric (which she left in my stash cupboard!), so I whipped up a little zippy purse to match for her. I love the shape of this one--it's bigger and more square than the ones I've done in the past.

Here, by the way, is Ava wearing the outfit I appliqued for her. Isn't she a doll?! I just love this little kid and being her Aunt Jo Jo. (Toben is her Bo Bo; aren't we quite the pair?!)

Hmm...what else?

I've been using up leftover wool from my granny square skirt to make a pillow for Audrey's bed. I was totally inspired by some pillows seen in the new Country Living magazine (p. 24). I made a pillow for it to go on today since I finished the crocheting, but it is totally LAME--so I ripped it apart (the basic pillow, not the crochet) and will head off in search of a true pillow form tomorrow. I love this too much to not have it be just right.

Audrey made Valentines for her class this afternoon--my all-time favorite lollipop flowers. New school, new kids who've not seen these from her yet!

A new floor pillow for Toben's office so the girls can lay around (lie around? I can never remember which is right!) while he works. These match the new valance made last weekend from what we had in the dining room in California. So total cost for both--$0. My kind of projects!

Finally, Miss Emma decided to get her ears pierced on Friday while she and Toben were out together. I was gone all day, came home, and was totally "wordless" as Emma would say. (Love the paperclip necklace. We're high fashion, all the way!)

Now I'm off to pop some popcorn and slice some apples...

Photos coming...

...as soon as I can get my computer and my camera to talk to each other. I think they've had a minor argument...

California dreamin'

I'm missing the beach. Can't believe that this was the view on the way to school just a year ago... Next time you drive by (you know who you are!), stop and enjoy it for me!

Full-time motherhood

Sometimes I think it was easier to be a good mother when the girls were smaller.

When they were little, there was no question about spending focused time with them, about meeting their needs, helping them get dressed, bathed, and fed. As babies and toddlers they couldn't do things for themselves and it was my job to do all that for them. And while we did those things together, we talked and sang and played.

But as they've gotten older and learned to do things for themselves, it's become harder in some ways. They have lives apart from me, and don't need me to be there every moment of every day.

It's a constant challenge to remind myself that being a mom is still a full-time job--though it looks different now. I have to choose to sit down after school and ask about their days, to stick around to help pick out clothes when they get up in the morning.

In some ways I really miss those days of knowing every single thing about their days, because--except for nap time--I was there for all of it.

I'm really trying to get back in the mindset of full-time motherhood. Of being focused on the kids when they are home, of really being together and not working on my own work or projects when they're around. Of including them in what I'm doing the way I did when they were smaller.

Living in Colorado

It was 62 degrees today...and even though it's supposed to snow AGAIN this weekend, at least there is the hope of spring. And even though it was warm and sunny, there is STILL almost two feet of snow in the front yard. I spent some time this afternoon shoveling snow and breaking up the three inches of ice/slush on the driveway. I think that tomorrow the driveway may actually be totally dry and clear for the first time since early December.

Oh, I have spring fever. I can't wait for the trees to bud, flowers to grow, the grass to be green. I want to have tea parties in the backyard, eat dinner outside, and plan and plant our summer garden. I want to plant blackberry and raspberry vines along the back fence and baby the rose growing on the arbor so it climbs to the top and thrives.

Spring is coming...someday!

P.S. Toben wanted me to be sure to mention that I got a note in the mail today from Laura Bush. I sent her a copy of Living Simply; looks like she got it!

The best part of my day...

One of my favorite things about having dinner at home together as a family is when one of the kids asks, "What was the best part of your day?" We go around the table and share the best parts of our day.

Tonight Emma did the asking. "Mom, what was the best part of your day?" "Now Audrey. What was the best part of your day?" "Daddy, what was the best part of your day?" Then she sits expectantly waiting for someone to turn to her and say, "Okay, Emma. What was the best part of your day?"

So here's a peek at how it went tonight:

Audrey: "Brownies and knowing that Mrs. V's sister loves Jesus and is in heaven." (Audrey's teacher was absent today; her sister died unexpectedly.)

Toben: "Making dinner for Mom." (See below.)

Me: "Getting out of the car tonight after Brownies, thinking about what to make for dinner, and smelling a delicious smell--Toben cooking spaghetti." (We didn't get home until almost 5:30 and I was feeling a little overwhelmed about getting dinner cooked, the laundry finished, kids bathed, and homework done. Audrey and I walked in the door, washed hands, and sat down to a wonderful meal!)

Emma: "You forgot the other best part of your day today, Mom! Coming to my class...!"

That's the other part of this. Someone else can always tell you what was best if you can't remember or left something out!

Emma: "Having Mom come to my class today." (It was my turn to volunteer in Emma's kingergarten class today. I ripped out workbook pages, sorted early reader books, and took the kids to the library, where I reshelved books while the kids heard an Arthur book.)

Emma: "Oh, and this. Eating dinner together!"

This little ritual always makes me so glad and reminds me to think back over the day and be thankful for the joys in it.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Look at my beautiful mother. The back of the photo says, "Mary Katherine, Engagement Photo, 1968."

I've sat here for a while thinking about what I want to say about my mother. And thinking about her makes my heart so full of gratitude that I can't quite express it. To say she's my role model, my friend, my teacher, my example of what it means to be a woman and wife and mother wouldn't quite say enough.

My mother is a lady. I don't know if it's because she grew up in the South, but there's something about her... I suppose when I think of her, the word that comes most readily to mind is "gracious." She's one of those women who always carries herself well, knows the right thing to say, is delighted to help others.

She is beautiful as you can see so clearly, but she shines with an inner beauty as well..."the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4).

People often say that I look like her. People I don't know well will look at me closely, then say, "You're Kay's daughter, aren't you?" While I'm thrilled to look like her on the outside, what I want most is to be like her on the inside.

Happy birthday, Mom. I love you and am so thankful that God chose you to be mine.

Interview link

Here's the link for my interview yesterday if you missed it and want to listen. It's Living Simply (1/31).