My Hiding Place

A Cottage Tour

Today, I'd like to take you on a tour of this charming cottage belonging to my sister and her husband. Why? You ask. Let me tell you. It is on the market. Yes, Shannon and Ben are selling their beloved little home. You want it, don't you? (ETA: The house is in Lebanon, Oregon. Click on the link for the real estate listing.) Let's go inside and take a look around...

Living. Lovely.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true,

whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable

—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

~Philippians 4:8

Why should we think upon things that are lovely?

Because thinking determines life.

It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment.

Environment modifies life but does not govern life.

The soul is stronger than its surroundings.


~William James

Lovely:

2. delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace
4. eliciting love by moral or ideal worth

It is time to put thoughts into action.

I am completely and utterly impressed upon,

that this is a venture I am to undertake:

encouraging others to live lovely.

Each week, I'll be presenting a 'lovely challenge' (inspired by the 'Make...' list from The Beckoning of Lovely) to be met over the next seven days and shared here at Mt. Hope Chronicles the following Thursday. Anyone and everyone ~ man, woman, parent/no kids, married/unmarried, empty-nester, or young person ~ is welcome to participate in whatever manner they so choose.


If you care to participate at any time, you may blog about the challenge and enter your link here on Thursdays. You may share here in the comments. Or you may follow along on your own schedule without sharing here at all. You may choose to follow the challenge to the letter, or use it as a jumping-off place to create your own lovely. If the challenge doesn't fit into your situation, tweak it or give yourself a new one! This isn't meant to be strict or competitive. Just try to stay in the spirit of things!

There are only a few basic rules:

1. All comments and links must be family-friendly.

2. No whining.

3. No excuses.

Blog posts can include a photo(s), a description of what you did, comments on what the challenge meant to you or other people involved, what you changed to make it meaningful to you, or how it affected your thoughts, actions, or perceptions. Whatever you want to share (big or small... even just an 'I did it!' in the comments) is wonderful!

Speaking of sharing, the more people participating, the more encouraged we'll all be in this endeavor. Feel free to use the above image (or small button on my side bar) on your blog. Invite people to join in. Tell your friends. Share the challenges with co-workers or family members. Small lovely actions add up and encourage us and those around us.

Our Very First Lovely Challenge:

Make Someone's Day

I'm leaving this first challenge completely open. You choose when, where, who, how, and what. Your actions can be small or large. Use your imagination. Will it be someone close to you? A random act of kindness for a stranger? The first move in a troubled relationship?

Come back next Thursday ready to share!!

If you would like to read more about living lovely,
I'm guest posting today at Heart(h) Management.
Stop by and say hello!

The B Family

I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Aimee's family.
We enjoyed an evening at the park together.
I knew I wouldn't be able to wait to edit these photos
and share them here...
See, I told you, Aimee. Grin.
Nothing like instant gratification!

I also couldn't pick and choose favorites,
so, once again, I'm posting a bunch!!

You don't blame me, though, do you?
Aren't they gorgeous?!

With Friends

There is something to be said for remaining on good terms with your previous employers.

Especially when they are as fun as Connie and Bob. And they still invite you to work parties.

We were at Connie and Todd's house for their pool party and BBQ this past weekend.
Todd and Connie know how to host a great party. We almost didn't go home.
Their daughter and cousin took charge of the boys, playing board games,
while the adults had a moment of quiet conversation near the pool as darkness fell.

Todd tried to convince us to stay, telling us what he would make for breakfast,

and that the boys could spend the next day in the pool and on the 4-wheeler,

but in the end we drug our tired bodies on the hour drive home.

Good times.

More From Boy Camp 2009

But the place which you have selected for your camp,
though never so rough and grim,
begins at once to have its attractions,
and becomes a very centre of civilization to you:
"Home is home, be it never so homely."

~Henry David Thoreau

Setting the stage....
(Above is the boys' camp site, below are various scenes around the camp grounds.)

Levi found himself a magic spot and spent many hours here:

I love that my boys have a chance to return year after year to explore the same ground, get to know every rabbit trail and memorize the perfect hand-and-foot-holds on each big climbing rock. In short, to make this magical spot 'theirs' just as it is mine from my childhood.

While some things stay the same from year to year, much also evolves. Large rocks and logs change the landscape (especially at the falls) over the course of each winter. The first time up in the spring or early summer is a time of discovery. What stayed the same? What is new? The creek changes it's meandering path all year long, as the water rises and then lowers.

There are endless places for exploration, discovery, and adventure.

Leif could not have been more ecstatic

to join his brothers on the last day of camp.
He can't wait to be one of the 'big boys' next year!!

Luke, in his second year at 'boy camp,' was in seventh heaven.
He was so excited to be trail leader when I came up with Leif.

Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop: School Room Week

Head on over to Life With My 3 Boybarians for another week of links.

This time around we're sharing photos of our school room.

I've linked this post.

Mr. Funny Face

It's 'Crazy, Silly, Funny Face!' week at i heart faces.

Leif is king of making faces for the camera.
Considering how crazy my boys are, this photo is fairly mild,
but I just took it yesterday while the family
enjoyed the afternoon at a friend's home and pool.
More photos coming, but I'll leave you with Mr. Funny Face today...

Lovely

As I mentioned (for those of you who made it aaaalll the way to the end of my Note to a Friend),
I am on a quest for Lovely. (Much more about that coming up later this week....Stay tuned.)

As a visual person, much of what moves me is
artistry, nature, moments, details,
and emotion captured in images.

I receive so much encouragement and hope from God's astounding artistry in nature.
It reminds me that He is a God of beauty and hope and strength.
I feel as if I have an opportunity to participate in that artistry with my camera,
and focusing with my lens causes me to observe, interact, appreciate,
and drink in what I normally would not take the time to acknowledge.

I am also deeply affected by the friendships and human connection
I've experienced through this blog. You all, with your comments,
support, and interaction, have meant more than you realize.

You are lovely to me.

What encourages you?

I'm (in).

Reading and Watching

Not sure why, but I've had the hardest time settling into a book lately. Summer maybe? Well, Goldilocks has finally hit upon a book that is 'just right.' I picked up Dick King-Smith's memoir, Chewing the Cud, at the library the other day along with several of his delightful children's books for Levi. In this book, he recounts his life in England as soldier, farmer, teacher, and children's author, as well as sharing many delightful stories of animals and people he met throughout his years. For me, it is reminiscent of James Harriot's stories. (While I'm recommending books, do not miss James Harriot's Treasury for Children!)

Dick King-Smith's most well-known children's book, Babe: The Gallant Pig, is one of my favorites. The author says this about the book and the subsequent movie version (which is another favorite):

It was soon plain to us that the adaptation from the book had been wonderfully well done.

There were differences, of course...but the director had stuck pretty faithfully to the central theme of my original story: the tale of an orphaned piglet who is adopted by a farmer and by his sheep-dog. This little pig, by virtue of his intelligence and determination, by his courage, and especially through his realization that politeness pays, comes eventually to win the Grand Challenge Sheep-dog Trials. One particular thing about the film that delighted me was that as soon as I set eyes on the actor who played Farmer Hogget, I saw to my amazement that he was the spitting image of the imaginary figure I'd had in my head when I wrote the book all those years before.

I've seen Babe six times now and every time I've laughed and I've cried....If you were to ask me to choose a favorite from among the dozens and dozens of books I've produced, I would probably say I think it may be the best.

And he goes on to tell the story of how the idea for Babe was first born. And it is true... do not miss this movie, if only for the superb acting of James Cromwell as Farmer Hogget.

Dick King-Smith's books grace our shelves and our library bag over and over again. They are witty and imaginative and innocent.
The Water Horse was also made into a beautiful family movie by Walden Media, the production company behind the Narnia movies, Amazing Grace, Nim's Island, and I Am David.

(Just to veer off course a little, did you know that filming began last month in Australia for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?)

Happy reading and watching!

A Note to a Friend

Dear Friend,

I deliberated a while on how I should respond. A 'life really sucks, doesn't it?' wouldn't really cheer *me* up, a 'my life is lovely' is fairly accurate though not the whole truth and not exactly helpful, and you might want to whack me over the head if I went for the annoying 'you can do it, rah, rah, rah' cheerleader routine. I decided to go with an (endless) conversational tone. The downside is that you won't be able to get word in edgewise (which kinda defeats the 'conversation'), but the upside is that you can quit reading at anytime without hurting my feelings. Grin.

It isn't silly at all, wondering how people maintain a positive outlook in this world. I can completely relate to the discouraged and beat-down feeling. I think we're just experiencing it from completely different angles. Which makes my life look good to you and yours to me. Wry grin.

My blessings: 1. I have a good marriage. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination , but GOOD. And I know how lucky I am. Russ is my polar opposite, which is exasperating at times, but we also create a nice balance together. 2. I have an *amazing* family. My parents live two miles down the road, my sisters (best friends) just 15 minutes away. Even my extended family is amazing. I am just beginning to realize the magnitude of that blessing. 3. I also don't have any adolescents (yet).

My struggles: 1. I am an emotional person and wish I could be more logical/matter-of-fact/suck-it-up. My mom would tell you that she had no idea what to do with me as a child. The sky was always falling. I was shy (but talkative... she got the short end of the stick on that one) and self-conscious. I wish I had confidence and verve. I wish I were witty/humorous. I want to be audacious. 2. I'm low on energy and self-discipline. Always have been. I could sleep 10 hours a night. I *envy* people who can make it on 5. I *envy* people with self-motivation. I am amazed by the amount of stuff some people accomplish. Ahem. 3. I love food + I can't resist food (we aren't talking veggies, here) + I'm always hungry + I'm terrible about exercising = Less energy and other physical problems (headaches...) and being frustrated with myself. Let's see, are we on #4? I'm not adventurous/independent/capable. I wholeheartedly admire women who can travel and do big things. I want to go places with the boys without being anxious or overwhelmed. I admire my adventurous, no-fear sister. She just makes it up as she goes along. 5. I want life to be painless and perfect. Which is just setting myself up for failure.

I know that having adolescents will be tough. Tougher than I imagine. But I don't really want to go there. Right now, I struggle with the physical exhaustion that comes from daily life with three very rambunctious little boys that leaves me at the end of the day feeling like I've been wrestling with an aligator for hours. I grew up with two sisters and a quiet dad. I thought I had parenting all figured out before my first son came along. Now, many days, I feel like I just don't have what it takes to raise well-behaved boys. Honestly, I wonder constantly what the balance is between giving boys independence and letting them be boys and expectations for volume/activity/attitude. Where do I find that happy in-between place with laid-back un-parenting on one side and uptight control-freak on the other side? Add to that the sleep-deprivation. I have no idea why God gave 3 bad sleepers to a woman who needs 10 hours a night. Surely they will sleep well (or take care of themselves in the middle of the night) in a few years, right?!

So, the depression story.... September was the month from hell. It started out with a weird pain in my chest/back/arm and went downhill from there. I have always had anxiety over health stuff. My 'big fear' is that I will get really sick. Now that I have little boys, that fear is magnified. How can I take care of them if I don't feel well? What will happen to them if I die? I looked around and could see all the blessing in my life. But everywhere else, I saw hurting people. I was always sure that my 40s would be my best decade, but suddenly I couldn't find someone in their 40s without health problems. *Everywhere* I turned, I heard stories of people whose children were sick or in trouble. I couldn't find a single person whose life I would want to live. Basically, I wondered how long it would take for the ball to drop in my life. How long can one go without anything in their beautiful life being taken away? I have no idea which came first, but I had tremendous anxiety over how I was feeling physically. I went to the Dr. and he did a bunch of tests, but also suggested depression. He said that all of my physical symptoms happened to be symptoms of depression/anxiety/OCD. Terrific.

How did I make it out of that spiral? Medication. It changed my life. (And a chiropractor for some of the back/arm pain.) By the end of October I was a new person. We went on the most amazing family vacation, and then I reveled in the holiday season. Okay, I also had to start ignoring how I felt physically rather than paying attention to every little ache and pain. I (at least for right now) have to leave/change the channel/avoid stories about hurting people. I don't read stories/blogs about babies/children in the hospital. I leave the room when my dh is watching House on TV. I don't watch the news. That is tough for me, because it makes me feel guilty, but it is just where I am right now. I am hopeful that eventually I can find a balance and be a sympathetic, concerned person while maintaining sanity.

I am a very, very visual person. Blogging and photography have become a very valuable therapy for me. I am able to block out the mess, and focus (mentally, emotionally, and visually--through my camera lens) on what is beautiful and uplifting in my life. It is like being in labor and I use my blog as my focal point. Imagine my youngest on the kitchen counter, naked of course (we're working on potty training), pouring himself a glass of orange juice. About 3 ounces make it into the cup. My oldest is using the couch as a gymnastics apparatus and singing (he doesn't have a mute button). My middle child is taking something apart to see how it works. I'm holed up in the disasterous school room in front of my computer. Ah, look at that adorable picture of a little boy holding a lamb. Hee-hee-hooooooooo. Hee-hee-hooooooooo.

Unfortunately, my blog probably gives many people the idea that I am calm, cool, collected, and content. Grin.

I'm still battling the feeling that *I* am the thing wrong with my life. I don't have anyone to blame but myself when my day goes badly. (See list of struggles above.)

Oh, I don't know if you saw the YouTube video on my blog a while back, but I was really struck by The Beckoning of Lovely. It was real, it was uplifting, it was empowering. I've used it as my new focal point. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt like, suddenly, I had a mission. And it wasn't about being perfect, or witty, or adventurous, or thin and beautiful, or wealthy. There are so many things, little things, that *anyone* can do to make life lovely, for themselves and others. I felt a lot of angst slip away. Now I'm the one who feels silly, typing that out. But there you have it. Smile.

Yes, there are a million things on my 'list' of things to do to improve myself and my life. Be consistent with Bible reading/devotions/spending time with God. Be diligent in daily tasks. Don't yell at the boys. Eat well. Exercise. Stop drinking Dr. Pepper. Be content with the person God made me. And I'm working on it, but those things are *hard* for me, and come very slowly. I'm constantly falling down, picking myself up, and starting all over again. Luckily His mercies are new every morning.

I have no idea if anything I wrote is remotely helpful, but I felt led to share it.

Summer Entertainment

Need perfect family summer entertainment?
One of our favorites is the summer concert series at a local park.
Although the Thursday evening series is well-known and highly attended,
we prefer the much quieter (and much less attended) Monday evening series.
We can show up just as the concert starts (or later), easily find a parking space,
and settle our blanket near the stage, with room to roam.
The boys can still squiggle, talk quietly, dance a little, read a book,
flirt with fellow concert-goers, or devour an ice cream cone.

Leif ran out of staying power before I was ready to leave the concert.
He decided to entertain himself by making faces for the camera.
What a ham.

(I'm having trouble getting the slide show to work. Hmmm.)

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

The Boys are Back in Town

The big boys (Levi, Luke, and Daddy)
have returned from their annual 'Boy Camp.'
Four days of tenting, boating, hiking, swimming,
roasting marshmallows, reading Hardy Boys, playing cards, and
trying daring stunts without an overprotective mom
around to gasp and squeal.

Leif and mom had a quiet weekend before heading
up to camp on the last day to partake of the fun.
Leif cannot wait until he is old enough next year to
join the big boys. While mom loved the one-on-one time
with her not-quite-a-baby-anymore, she is also
looking forward to next year...

Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop

Darcy at Life With My 3 Boybarians is hosting a blog hop during the month of August.
This is curriculum week, when we share what resources we are using.

I've linked this post from earlier this year.
Our year runs January-December
with a laid-back summer routine,
so we'll be continuing with the same resources
and schedule in September.