Lifesong

Apple Farm

This year we are in a Field Trip Group, which is a very organized and official sounding way of saying a bunch of homeschool kids and Moms go somewhere fun once a month. And educational, of course. This was our first official month, and it was kicked off at the Fruit and Berry Patch on Monday.

The kids learned how apple trees are planted as well as different kinds of apples from Farmer Fox.

(This photo shows only about half the kids. There are a lot of kids in our Field Trip Group.)

Then we all loaded up and took a hayride through the farm. Here is Christian next to his buddy Jake. They were all given cute little apple bags for their apples, which the kids all kept track of surprisingly well.

Ansley and Rylee in the middle of the "hayride." It was called a hayride, but I have trouble calling it that, since there was actually not a piece of hay in sight. So, tractor ride? It was fun either way. I'm not sure exactly what secret Rylee was telling Ans, but it looks interesting, doesn't it?

We made a stop along the way to feed the sheep. And one goat. All the kids really enjoyed this part. Ansley would get a scoop full and let them eat it straight from her hand. She said that it tickled.

Christian, on the other hand, loved the idea of it. But when it came to implementation, he fell a little short. He would grab a handful of it, and then dump it on the ground in front of them. I guess either way, they got fed.

This is Ted. His whole job is to protect the sheep from coyotes, other dogs, or some people, I suppose. He watched us all very closely.

Then we were dropped off at a corn maze. . .

that ended in the apple orchard. Unfortunately, since we were a little late (we had to reschedule this field trip because of all the rain) the apples were past their prime. So we got to see some apples growing on the trees, but they weren't good apples. So we just looked.

But when we got back to Farmer Fox, they had set up boxes full of different kinds of apples, and they let the kids go through and pick one from each box. Then all the kids enjoyed apple cider, and were given a coloring book. We also purchased some mini apple pies from the store. Yum!

It was a fun day! And a nice little break in our normal routine. Ansley and Christian were both SO tired that afternoon.

A very fun first field trip! We are already looking forward to October!

Family Pictures

Last Saturday we headed to Asheville to have some photos taken for Ansley's six year portraits, as well as some family shots. I like them so much I think we are just going to use these as Christian's three year pictures as well! What difference does 4 months make when you're two, right?

So, you can check them out here. The password is "greiner". 

I can't wait to have new photos around the house! There is something about a good photograph that I just LOVE.

I've already picked out several of my favorites. Let me know what yours are!

Today

Today is my Dad's birthday. He would've been 63.

It's a weird sort of day. Not really different than any other day, except that it makes me think of past birthdays and what we would be doing today, if he were still here.

The last birthday gift I got for him was a sweatsuit, because when he was sick he was always cold. I thought it was a practical gift. He died before he ever got a chance to wear it. So I returned it, even though that seemed strange. I'm pretty sure the lady behind the register just thought I was strange for crying over a return of a sweatsuit.

And that's as far back as I can remember. I can't remember what we did the birthday before that, before he got sick. It's sad how memories work. When they aren't explored and thought of, they quickly fade. Even when I don't want them to. Even when I thought I would remember them forever.

It's been raining nonstop today. I do recall that last year on his birthday, it was raining as well. I don't really feel gloomy, unless I start dwelling. I don't think some memories were made to dwell on.

And so I remember, and celebrate, and cherish the memories of a man who always had something to say to everyone he met, who laughed often, and who cherished his family. One day, there will be a sweet reunion in heaven. With lots of talking.

Happy birthday, Dad. You are greatly loved and missed.

Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Two On Thursday

Two on Tuesday would sound better, wouldn't it? I guess I waited two days too long.

I made a comment on Facebook yesterday that I had dinner in the crock pot, and I had a swarm (meaning more than two) of comments requesting the recipe. I wanted to make sure it turned out good though before I posted it. So I have to say: It was YUMMY! One of my favorites. Very easy and very good is all it takes to be a favorite of mine these days.

I love the Crock Pot. It must have been invented by a mother. Probably a very busy mother. Yesterday I was able to put this together while Ansley worked on her math test and Christian checked out spider webs on the deck. All of a sudden, we have a LOT of spider webs all over our deck. I am very thankful that I haven't seen any spiders, just very cool webs. And I only say very cool because they kept Christian entertained for quite awhile. Quite awhile in my world is at least ten minutes. Long enough for Ansley to take a math test and me to get dinner in the crock pot.

But back to the recipe. Here it is! I love a great fall meal, don't you?

APPLE CIDER PORK AND VEGETABLES

4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 7 oz package dried fruit mix
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 lb lean boneless pork, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup apple cider

Place first 7 ingredients in a slow cooker. Dredge pork in flour; brown in hot oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove pork, reserving drippings in skillet. Place pork in slow cooker. Stir apple cider in reserved drippings; pour over pork. Cook, covered, on low 6 to 8 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf.

I wish I had a picture of it on the plate because it did look so pretty and yummy, but I was too busy eating.

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John has a work dinner this evening, and sometimes I am tempted to only focus on the long day ahead of me, instead of enjoying the joy of these moments. Instead of knowing that God will provide what I need all day long, I think "What will we DO all day?"

And then God says "YOU WILL MAKE HOMEMADE CLAY."

Not really. I don't actually hear God speak to me. But I get these ideas, or I feel renewed strength, or just thankfulness that I am home with my kids and we can spend these days together. Where else on earth would I want to be? Maybe Hawaii, but just for a few days, a week tops, and then I'd definitely want to be back here, with the people I love the most.

So we took a break from school this morning to make some homemade clay. All natural homemade clay. It was super easy, the kids made the whole thing, and they have played with it for quite awhile now.

Huh? What? Where were we? Oh, right, the clay. I was seriously distracted by that adorable boy in the above picture.

I don't really like the smell of Play-Doh. It's kinda....gross. And it gets in my carpet and on the kids clothes and smushed in the table. Homemade clay? It smells like chocolate. Yummmm.

But it still gets stuck in the carpet and on kids clothes. It's not magical. But at least it smells good.

So here ya go - bonus on Thursday:

ALL NATURAL HOMEMADE CLAY

1 cup flour
3/8 cup salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
natural dye*

In a medium size bowl, combine the flour and salt. Pour in the oil and natural dye, and stir well. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes. If the clay is too soft, add a bit more flour. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

*NATURAL DYE

Brown - 3/8 cup plus one tablespoon hot water and 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Orange - 3/8 cup hot water and 1 tablespoon paprika

My kids did think it was dough, but after I told them to try a bite, they both agreed that it tasted nasty.

But they are STILL playing with it!

Praise the Lord, O My Soul

I know that many of you are Christians who read this blog, and so I wanted to call on you for prayer. My Mom's neighbor (and worship leader at their church) was recently diagnosed with leukemia. They are such a sweet family. His name is Sam Green. His wife's name is Keli, and they have three daughters Anna-Laura, Sophie, and Bella. He has been admitted to the hospital to receive the chemotherapy and treatment he needs to heal.

The title of my blog refers to this verse, one I prayed over when my Dad was sick:

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Psalm  103: 2-3

We are praying for healing and for His name to be praised no matter what the circumstances.

You can follow his journey on his blog by clicking here. I am sure he would appreciate any notes of encouragement - being in a hospital room day after day has got to be a bit boring at times!

Thank you, friends! 

Freshly Six

Dear Ansley,

Today you are six! I wonder at what point you getting a year older will stop seeming unbelievable. With every year, I find myself thinking "She can't POSSIBLY be ______!" But yet you are.

I tried to convince you this year to just remain five, but you would have none of it. You are excited about being six, and being older and more independent.

And I think that may be the hardest part of you getting older is the slow yet steady movement to being your own person. Not that I wouldn't want you to be, of course, but there is a part of me that will always remember baby Ansley, who loved to snuggle in the morning. And toddler Ansley, whose bright green eyes looked to me when she was unsure of something. And pre-school Ansley, who would try to make friends with everyone she met, and just didn't understand why some people didn't want to be friends. And even five-year-old Ansley - who was literally just here yesterday - she would climb up on my lap for no reason, and tell me she loved me at random times during the day, such as when I was doing laundry.

But now you are six! You do still love to snuggle in laps and say I love you at random times, but usually only in the quietness of our own house, when no one else is around. You give lots of kisses and are very affectionate, but now it's more at times of your own choosing.

Even though six does sound so old to me, you are still a little girl. My little girl. You love dolls, dress up, books, coloring, make believe. So even as I see before me a still-little-but-sorta-big girl, the little girl that lurks in there is still ever present.

You love your friends, though, and talk about them often. A few years ago, I thought I might cry when I stopped becoming your favorite playtime buddy, but I suppose six years of being a Mama prepares me for things like that, so I'm not as emotional as I once thought I would be.

But that's not to say that I don't cry over silly things still. You've been asking to have a slumber party, but I'm fighting it, because that seems like something that big girls do. And you? You are still little. Remember?

You love your brother, and I am thankful every day for the relationship the two of you have. My favorite Ansley loves Christian story is from this summer at the pool. A little boy walked up to Christian and snatched his favorite toy, right from his cute little chubby hands. And by favorite I mean the toy he happened to be holding right then. You were on the other side of the pool. I was getting a snack for Christian, because that's what I do when we're at the pool, I feed Christian. I saw what happened, but it was one of those awkward parent moments. Do you walk over to a boy you don't know and make him give the toy back? Do you walk over to a Mom you don't know and demand her son give the toy back? As I was processing all this, your little ears perk up to Christian's cry. You walk over to your brother, chat for a moment, then you walk straight up to that little boy, and - this is my favorite part - turn around to Christian and say "This boy?" Christian gives the affirmative nod, so you say "That is my brother's toy. Can I have it back please?" He hands it back, and you walk over, give it to Christian, and then hop back in the pool to play with your friends.

It's my favorite story for so many reasons. I love that you feel this powerful tug at your heart when you hear your brother's cry. And that you feel the need to defend him, because he is smaller than you. (Sometimes this need leaves you, and the need to pick on him replaces it.) I love that you didn't even question things like I did - how should I go about this? What should I do? You just go over and make it right. Taking a toy, making your brother cry = wrong. And fixing it is just what big sisters do.

 

Ironically it's the same lesson I've been trying to teach you for almost three years now, and I think it's finally starting to sink in.

I am so thankful for you, my sweet daughter. I pray that the things that I am trying to teach you in these early years will stay with you for a lifetime. Not just the actual teaching, like math and reading, but the lessons that are so much more important than that: from the simple - a brother is a lifelong friend, to treat others the way you want to be treated - to the complicated - to love the Lord  with all your heart, to choose to be joyful, that God loved you so much he sent his son to die for you. These are the ones I pray will remain. I call them the broken record rules, because some days that's what I sound like. Most days, probably. But I can finally see your mind starting to wrap around these concepts, and embrace them and use them to turn a sour attitude into a thankful one, or a hurtful situation into a reason to pray.

I know the lessons I have learned from you in six years will stay with me long after you are actually a "big" girl. You know, a long, long time from now.

You bring me such joy! And that's why I celebrate today.

Love,

Mama

The Party

We celebrated Ansley's Sixth Birthday with a doll party on Saturday. Each girl was asked to bring her favorite doll, and we had fun girlie things planned for everyone. Mimi, JonJon and Missy came in for the party, but John, JonJon and Christian were the only boys allowed at this party. We did a brunch party this year, so I made lots of Ansley's favorite things.

 

I forgot to take this picture BEFORE everyone started eating. Oops. We had cheese blintz with blueberry sauce, mini muffins, cinammon rolls, apple praline bread, chocolate chip scones, strawberry yogurt and fairy mints, with raspberry lemonade and orange juliuses.

After eating, all the girls and Moms (and John) made necklaces or bracelets for themselves and their dolls.

 

While they were making their jewelry, a few at a time went in another room to have their hair done. Two of my super talented friends, Sarah and Lesley, were sweet enough to do the girls hair for them. It was SO cute! I think my favorite part of the party. Sarah and Lesley did a FABULOUS job, and the girls loved it! They used flowers to put in the girls hair as well as glitter for the finishing touch. The wonderful hairstyles - Ellie, Anna, Eliza, Ansley, and Rylee. (Rachel and Julia had to leave early.)

 

And the cute smiles from sweet friends:

 

After the girls were looking all cute, it was time to open presents. Ansley received lots of fun girlie presents, and she enjoyed every one of them over the weekend! We have played games, made lots of Shrinky Dinks and played with dolls all weekend long!

 

We all sang happy birthday, enjoyed yummy cake and then it was time for the party to end. It was a great party! We are so thankful for Mimi, JonJon and Missy who are such a big part of Ansley's life, and to the sweet friends that Ansley is blessed to know. She is one happy birthday girl!

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More photos in the birthday album.

The Day Before Six

An interview with Ansley on the day before she turns six. This is the third year I have done this, and it's so fun to go back and see how the answers change with each year. (You can go back to the archives and see previous interviews.)

M(ama): What do you want to be when you grow up?

A(nsley): A princess. (I'm pretty sure this has never changed.)

M: What is your favorite thing God made?

A: Horses

M: What is your favorite activity?

A: Coloring

M: What is your favorite animal?

A: Horses. Didn't I already answer that? Oh that was what God made, nevermind.

M: What is your favorite bug?

A: (laughs out loud) Worms and ladybugs. And dragonflies.

M: What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

A: Work on a project, like building a doghouse or a fence (interesting to note, she has done neither of these)

 

M: What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?

A: Projects like school. (She has done a lot of this.)

M: Do you think you'll be a Mommy when you grow up?

A: Yes. But I'm not gonna have children. (So we'll have to work on the definition of a Mommy.)

M: Do you think you'll get married?

A: Yes, definitely!

M: Who will you marry?

A: Jackson

M: Who is your favorite friend?

A: Rylee

M: Who is your second favorite friend? (I was really searching for "Mama" in one of these! But it was not to be found.)

A: Jackson

M: What do you dislike?

A: I like everything. Well, maybe mean people. (Good answer.)

M: What's your favorite song?

A: You know the one with the music like this "nananuhnananuh". There are no words, it's just like violins and stuff. [Finally figured out she was talking about Bond]

 

M: How old is Daddy?

A: I don't really know. 72? (Yikes.)

M: How old is Mommy? (I'm a little nervous.)

A: 33. (Yes! Answer this way every year, please. My only explanation for why she got closer to my age than John's age is because my birthday was most recent, so she heard us talking about it.)

M: What's your favorite day?

A: Friday. Or Thanksgiving. I love food.

M: What's your favorite snack?

A: Cookies and muffins and cupcakes.

M: What's your favorite place to go?

A: Red Lobster. And Mimi's house.

M: What's your favorite thing about Christian?

A: Playing with him.

M: What's your favorite thing about Daddy?

A: He works on projects with me.

M: What's your favorite thing about Mommy?

A: She teaches me. These are the same answers!

M: What's your favorite memory from the past year?

A: Painting my swingset and Jack gave me yucky lemonade. (Guess we can stop going on vacations!)

M: What is the best thing about being six?

A: Playing with all my new birthday presents.

M: What would you rather be, a carrot or a fish?

A: A fish because a carrot would get eaten! I would be in a throat.

 

M: What does Daddy do all day?

A: He goes to work.

M: What does Mommy do all day?

A: Teaches. Cleans. (Pretty accurate there.)

M: What is your favorite thing in the whole wide world?

A: My friends.

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A Few More

I found these on Ansley's camera, and thought I'd post them, too.

 

 

 

Rosemary Beach

We have been back for a few days, but between celebrating my birthday, starting school, as well as other activities, I haven't had much time to edit the 900 photos I took.

But I do have one or two or maybe fifty for you to see. So get comfortable, here's our week in photos!

Arrival Day: We were just happy to be there. The kids played on the beach, fully dressed, and were very excited and happy to be there. The weather was perfect and very non-crowded, which is just how we like it. This is the Boy's first view of the ocean (well, that he can remember anyway).

 

 

 

Day One: On the beach, all day long. We didn't worry about naptime this week, we just played and played until someone crashed (usually JonJon). So the kids spent long days on the beach, building sandcastles, playing in the water, getting out on floats, and going non-stop. We got Ansley a mask and snorkel, and she LOVED watching all the fish under the water.

 

 

 

We also enjoyed a round of Putt-Putt. For the fun of it. And because Ansley has been asking to play for months, so why not on vacation?

Day Two: More beach! We brought a big tent canopy this year, which worked out very well for relaxing under or eating lunch or even playing in the sand without getting burned. Christian really enjoyed finding seashells, and they both enjoyed watching lots of fish and various sea creatures.

 

 

Day Three: Did I mention we were at the beach? But the house we rent also has a pool, so the kids (especially Ansley) enjoyed that as well.

 

Day Four: John and JonJon played golf, while the girls (and Christian) spent the day shopping. We went out to eat that evening together. Beach walks and watching sunsets and crab hunting. At some point in the week I captured what may be my favorite picture of the year. I can't remember when - the days start running together when all you do is relax, eat and sleep.

Day Five: This was the only day it was a little bit rainy, so we headed to an outdoor mall for a few hours of shopping (or maybe it was all day).  We enjoyed a yummy meal back at the house.

 

Day Six: We went parasailing! Yes, me, John and Ansley! I'd say Ansley was easily the least nervous out of the three of us. It was a lot of fun. Jonathan and Missy went as well, and Mimi and Christian were on the boat with us, just not parasailing. We have pictures as well, but they aren't on my computer, so I will have to put this in a separate post. Then we ate at Carraba's for my birthday dinner.

Day Seven: We returned home.

A very fun vacation, and one the kids are still talking about! I will put a Rosemary Beach album on the sidebar. I will try to do it now, but if not, I'll do my best to get to it tonight, so you can check back.