family
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Is it Worth the Time to Write?
My days are full.
I homeschool my younger two kiddos while trying to keep up with the school schedule for my high school kiddos. Afternoons are filled with sports, often four kids in four different activities. We live on a small farm with a horse, twelve sheep, a pig, two steers, two dogs, three cats and a guinea pig. This time of year the lawn always needs mowed and the lawn mower always needs fixed. The house…well, we don’t have a housekeeper and it shows. I could go on, but I believe you understand.
I’m swamped.
Is it even possible for a busy mom to find success in publishing?
Don’t count me out. Writing isn’t my hobby.
Most of us have a passion, something that’s part of who we are. Honestly, I believe that we all do, but my husband insists I’m mistaken. If you’re a runner (beyond my understanding), you run. If you’re a hunter, you hunt. If you’re an artist, you find time to create.
I AM a writer.
During seasons of our lives, such as when our kiddos are small, these passions may have to be modified. But modified doesn’t equal removed. Yes, sleep is important, but so is not losing who we are, that unique spark that God gave us.
Each day there are sacrifices I make to write. I work very hard to be sure the sacrifices are my own and not my children or my husband’s. That’s not always possible. When I leave town for a conference, they must take over. It’s a gift they give to me.
I’m not involved with a lot of church activities. A lunch with a friend is a very rare treat. When my kids are off having their own lives, I strap my fingers to the keyboard rather than take a nap or watch a film.
There are crumbs on my counter, no towels in the upstairs bathroom, the flowers in the vase are dead and no, that’s not a blanket over the television, that’s dust.
And I’m happy.
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Sunshine!
The sun finally made a full appearance in Oregon. After months of gray, this is an event that should close businesses, stop the presses and halt all indoor activities. We should have a special name for those first sunny days. I’m thinking something like…We Survived Day. Okay, maybe not that, but I’m just beginning to get caught up on my vitamin D so you’ll have to forgive me. Here’s a few shots that show how the Nelsons enjoyed the sunshine.
Jason brought home a trailer load of hay. This is me “helping” with the unload.
Dug this beauty out of the garden. Yes, I do know they grow better if left in the ground, but isn’t it amazing?
Bella gets very excited about trailers loaded with hay. Eating is her very favorite use of time.
Under all that straw is Hazel, Joshua’s 4H project. I’m afraid I’ve already formed an attachment to her. She’s the sweetest pig we’ve ever had.
And she’s awake! Hazel loves people. This is the first year we’ve had only one pig. I worried that she’d be lonely, but she’s seems content to let us scratch her back, socialize with the horse, sleep and eat.
Here’s Hazel with her buddy, Bella.
A weird shot of me with my youngest daughter.
Two oak trees fell with the last round of flooding. My husband can’t wait to get started with the chainsaw, but first we’re going to use the tree as a backdrop for our family pictures. Marci, of MarciB Photography, will be snapping some shots of our crazy crew very soon.
The rain keeps returning, but each downpours seems a little shorter than the last. I believe spring is really here.
What’s your favorite time of year?
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Another Experimental Dinner
I’m an all in kind of person, which sometimes causes my life to look like a swirls of colors blending together. Our homeschool history topics have always had a way of slipping into our meal, movie picks and free time choices. Now that I’m writing a historical, our home has taken on certain elements of the 1930s. So last night my kiddos and husband became my depression era research tools.
Lentils and rice, beef with olive oil and lemon, lettuce with olive oil, lemon and oregano.
Meal time is often an adventure in the Nelson home. If you don’t believe me, check out this earlier post. I’m finding I refer to food a lot in my current manuscript. So, of course, I had to try feeding my family the way Miriam McCallister (the mother in my work-in-progress) would have fed her family.
I went to the internet for ideas. What a treasure I discovered on Youtube! If you haven’t watched Great Depression Cooking with Clara, make sure to do so. In fact, I’ve added her explanation of the meal I prepared right here.
Granted, my characters would probably not have had access to lemons, but starting the family off with a “feast” seemed the kind thing to do. And guess what. They really liked it! They even liked the lentils and rice once they added a touch of salt.
One thing I learned, lentils really grow. They’re like the Incredible Hulk, small and unimpressive one moment, then trying to burst from the pot the next. We’ll be eating lentils and rice again tonight. And maybe again tomorrow.
I have a tendency to cook more elaborate meals with many ingredients. Clara’s meal was easy and I felt good about feeding it to my family. I think we’re ready to go deeper into our research.
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Snow Day Memories
Sure doesn’t look much like spring in my neck of the woods. We woke up to a blanket of snow. It’s gorgeous! And as a bonus, the powers in the school district actually canceled school. You can imagine the rejoicing. Even my younger kiddos who are still homeschooled did a few jumps for joy. Though I would have given them time to play in the snow, the girls were thrilled that their brothers could stay home too.
When I was in middle school, I lived with my dad and his family. Our house was at a high elevation and snow came on thick. One of my greatest memories are of sledding down the steep driveway on sheets of aluminum (I think that’s what it was) recycled from our local newspaper printer.
The road would mash down until it became like ice allowing us to pick up speed. Eventually the aluminum would wear away and our bottoms became the sled.
When our hands were frozen and the plastic bags in our boots had given out and let water in, we’d hike back to the house and strip off the layers of wet clothes. Once bundled up in warm sweat suits, we’d sip hot chocolate and watch the snow from the window.
What do you remember from snow days?
