Got Milk?

"Why should all virtue work in one and the same way? Why should all give dollars? It is very inconvenient to us country folk, and we do not think any good will come of it. We have not dollars; merchants have;let them give. Farmers will give corn; poets will sing; women will sew, laborers will lend a hand, the children will bring flowers."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote made me think of a friend of mine who has little money so they tithe in fresh milk from their cows. Their pastor is never without that nourishing vitamin rich liquid which in return makes him stronger for Christ's work.

I can think of all the talent and resources my friends have, of which money is the least of these. If we all gave of these things would we need big government to provide such services? What if we paid our taxes with what resources we had? For some it could be money. For others it might be sewing clothes for the poor. Or knowledge waiting to be shared.

I just paid for my CPR certification class with 2 homemade meals. I'm sure I could toss out a few more for the homeless as a means to pay taxes. My cupboard holds and excess of homemade pear preserves laced with warming cinnamon. A congressman can use that as payment right?

My Dad works for the IRS. Maybe I should bring this subject up over the holidays. He is sure to either agree wildly or ask me when I took up the habit of smoking pot!

I do love the quote though. Money really is the least imaginative of our resources.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

We had 22 hungry family members in our humble abode this Thanksgiving. And surprisingly it was a fairly calm day if you leave out the fact that we had 2 small fires. No one was harmed and luckily it happened before anyone arrived. On a positive note we learned that our fire extinguisher has expired and no longer works. Now at least we can replace it before we really need it.


Uncle Allen is really telling a good story here. What would he do if he knew his picture was posted on the Internet?



Archer fell in love with Chaney. For someone who is normally attached to my hip, I hardly saw him all day!




Behind Savannah and Berkley, you can still see flames around the turkey fryer.




Dad, Janette, and Sherry visiting over snacks.







Gigi and Arch







Savannah's favorite part of Thanksgiving is the turkey leg. She gnawed on that thing all weekend.




We are thankful for the opportunity to open our house up to family. We are thankful to have family to open it up to.

The Memory Stitch

Do you know how to sew? Ever used the technique, memory stitch? Here's a short tutorial.

First you must have several women. The memory stitch is a multi-generational event. Extra moms, grandma's, sisters, aunts, and great-grandmothers are needed for wisdom, expertise, cooking, and baby holding. After all this won't be just a 2 hour event! You are going to need some help. If women are not abounding in your house, go out and get some. Or at least draw on the memories of a wiser generation with a phone call while you sew.

Next, decide what project you want to make for and with your loved ones. Below are pictures of my first quilt, a gift for Archer.

Once you begin your project soak up every moment. My grandmother, great aunt, and mom came out to help me with Archer's quilt. About a month later my sister, her 3 kids, my mom, my great aunt, and my grandmother all came out again (I'll have to get pictures from my mom to post). This time my sister and I made labor intense but beautiful aprons. With all the knowledge and experience floating around the room you must be like a sponge and soak it up to create the memory stitch. This tip is not relegated to just the topic of sewing.

The beauty of the memory stitch does not lie within the skill or precision. In every stitch of my quilt and apron I see stories shared over thread, needles, and a few cups of hot tea. And the more crooked the stitch the more giggles I remember. New sewing skills learned that now show on my work display memories like a storyboard. My memories and even my grandmother and great aunt's memories from tales of their young learning years with my great-grandmother are woven through.

Blood (I'm just learning to sew after all), sweat, tears, laughter, stories, memories old and new, the touch of many hands from several generations, and a little frustration are all present on that tiny thread.

I call my apron my "good memories" apron. And every stitch in Archer's quilt holds love and affection from myself and those who taught me. The fruit of my labor from both projects are things I will cherish forever no matter how tattered they become. Or perhaps more so the more tattered they become. And with the realization of what the memory stitch holds, I think I will go curl up on the couch now with a cup of hot tea and the quilt my grandmother made just for me.

October Review

The cat and dog.













Soaking up a mild fall day before the cooler weather hit.

Kids, kids, and more kids

Here are a few recent pics of the kiddos. They were taken at a family reunion last weekend.







At 9 months of age, Archer is ready to explore the world in spite of being a bit of a Mamma's boy. And as you can tell, Savannah as always is highly entertaining. The picture of my kids with 2 extra kids includes my cousin Brenda's girls. I have a picture of Savannah at her first reunion with these two sweeties holding her just like they are holding Archer. They make great pseudo-big-sisters/cousins.

The Buddy System Continues

Last week my long-time friend Rachel came for a visit along with her son Cohen. When I say "long-time" I mean a very long time. She and I met in church at the age of three. I don't remember life without her and I am pretty sure she was my first friend.

Now we have two little guys who were born three weeks apart. They had a good time playing together and Rachel and I had a good time in spite of them never napping at the same time.



We tried to sneak away for some girl time and leave them in Archer's room playing. But, apparently their hearing is perfect and they were able to follow our voices and eventually track us down.



Both sets of buddies are looking forward to more playdates.

Homemade Fireflies

Here is the chandelier I have been working on with the creative help of my mother. What started as a lamp shade now adds whimsy and ambience to our back porch. For now I have tea light candles in my mason jars but I kind of like the idea of years of candle wax piling up on the bottom marking time as if they were geology. Or I might make them all oil lamps with wicks and olive oil. Who knows.