A Photo Series By Pops

 She was reading.

  There was a welcome disruption.

Kisses were given freely.

 Then an inquisition ensued. Soon followed by poses and smiles.

Summer Bounty Fresh & Roasted

 A dear friend, and true master gardener, gave me a bag full of the most gorgeous tomatoes I've ever seen. Deep, bright red, smooth and firm, and oh so sweet. Amazing. I have never, ever grown tomatoes even close to these magnificent specimens.

I've been eating them with my eggs in the morning, but decided to roast the remainders. Their flavor was so amazing fresh, I knew they would be simply inspirational with a little olive oil, salt, and sustained heat!

 Slice into thick wedges and drizzle/rub with olive oil and a little bit of ground sea salt and pepper. Roast in a 275 degree oven for 3-5 hours, depending on the thickness of the slices.

While they roast, your house will begin to smell as though a Tuscan granny has been cooking all day. I kept going in and out of the house just so I could re-enter and inhale the magic once more.

Once they are fully cooked (there should be little if no moisture left), let them cool and then store in the fridge. If you can keep yourself from snacking on them like candy, chop them up for salads or pasta dishes or even in a sauce for some roast chicken.

A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life

While I am still finding refreshment in my Joy of Less philosophy, I am loving this book, if not for the title alone. It's all about celebrating the beauty of home-life and not being too particular about perceived "perfection." Ahhh.

The hefty 250 plus pages are filled with photos, suggestions, ruminations and encouraging quotes such as:

"I think I am better at making a house warm, than keeping it organized."

 Because that's what's it's really about, isn't it??

Parenting: Keeping the Oar In

 Ever get the feeling that your parenting years are rushing by?

 I've been feeling that lately. As though there is a sense of urgency to pull myself out of my habitual complacency and stick my oar back in the waters. It's so easy to just float and let life move us down the stream. Whether I like it or not, our boat is moving. Life is rushing forward ... it's a beautiful ride, but there are plenty of rocks to run into.

Is my oar in or is my oar out?

Time to reexamine some of my own issues and habits and tidy up a bit. Time to refocus my prayers for my children and dig purposefully into the Word. Can you relate?

What is some of the best biblical parenting advice you've ever received?

The words of the mouth are deep waters,
   but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. 

Proverbs 18:4

Just Looking at My Toes

In Which We Watch

 We aren't big TV watchers, but my, how we love a good DVD. Between our local library that carries a staggering selection and our beloved Netflix, we have so many options that are free or darn close to it.

Inspired by Christian's list (which was most helpful in loading up our Netflix queue), I thought I'd assemble one of my own. Don't we all like a few recommendations? Not knowing where to even begin, I thought I would start with one of my most favorite genres: Food.

In no particular order:

1. Babette's Feast

Philippa and Martina turn down a chance to leave their Danish town, instead staying to care for their pastor father and his small church. Thirty-five years later, a French woman seeks refuge, and Philippa and Martina take her in. The feast the woman prepares in gratitude is eclipsed only by her secret in director Gabriel Axel's Oscar-winning drama.

2. Chocolat

Blown in by the north wind, an iconoclastic single mother and her young daughter move into a peaceful French village and open an uncommon chocolate shop during the height of Lent -- directly across the street from a church. At first, the shop's rich, sensuous desserts scandalize the town. But the villagers soon learn to savor the sweetness.

3. Tortilla Soup

In director María Ripoll's bilingual drama, widower Martin Naranjo is a Los Angeles restaurateur with a booming business and three headstrong daughters, who are all on the verge of leaving the house to pursue their individual destinies. He knows he must let go, but things get even more complicated when brassy neighbor Hortensia sets her sights on Martin.

4. Big Night

Despite its superb cuisine, an Italian restaurant run by immigrant brothers Primo and Secondo is on the verge of bankruptcy. But the siblings risk everything to save their bistro when they get the chance to cook up a feast for bandleader Louis Prima. 

5. Julie & Julia

Amy Adams stars in this truth-inspired tale as Julie Powell, who decides to enliven her uneventful life by cooking all 524 recipes outlined in Julia Child's culinary classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 

6. Mostly Martha
German director Sandra Nettelbeck whips up this tragicomic tale about an uptight professional chef named Martha, who finds her world turned upside down when she takes in her newly orphaned niece, Lina, and tries her hand at parenting. Martha's obsession with precision gourmet cooking extends to discussing recipes with her bewildered therapist and verbally attacking anyone who attempts to send her food back.

7. Eat Drink Man Woman
**Haven't seen this one yet, but it's in my queue! Has received great reviews.

Now it's your turn ... any faves for me?

*Keep in mind that you may need to use your own judgment upon viewing. While these movies either didn't contain material we found excessively offensive, or it was solvable with a little fast-forward here or there, your sensibilities may be different.

The Merits of Boredom

While we have certainly had our share of day camps and lessons, I am a big proponent of facilitating summer boredom. For you see, in my experience, it's the unstructured expanses of time that invariably lead to the stuff childhood memories are made of.

They may start off rolling on the floor saying they are bored. But when mother is completely lacking in sympathy, a clothes-line is strung, buckets of soapy water appear, and the washing commences. Not to mention the tent held up by a stick and secured by boulders. (It's for the town mercantile, naturally.)

What's more, mother may be instructed to go away and not return until they are done. Ignore the children for a morning? Well, I'd be happy to oblige.

It's a win-win.

The Business of Getting it Done

Getting caught up on projects around the house lately and readying for school. No time for blogging! Back after a bit, friends.

Old is New Again

When I was little, I played cards with Nannie. Old Maid, Animal Rummy ... oodles of fun. Especially since the illustrations were so very charming. Imagine my delight when I found a reproduction set of the exact cards Nannie and I used to play with.

Perfect for family game night when the little ones want to participate but aren't quite up to Monopoly yet. And more perfect, still, for an afternoon match between Miss Jane and me.

What a Relief

"... our adequacy is from God."

2 Corinthians 3:5

"Jesus Christ is able to untangle all the snarls in my soul, to banish all my complexes, and to transform even my fixed habit patterns, no matter how deeply they are etched in my subconscious." 

-Corrie ten Boom