Six Sets of Lungs

I was positive that I had nearly lost my mind when I volunteered to make 6 sets of lungs for my daughter's school play, featuring the human body.

The play is sure to be cute, with a gaggle of 5 year-olds parading around as singing skeletons, lungs, muscles, and craniums. I felt a bit guilty from last years play as an adult participant, having helped out a big ZERO. So this year, I jumped on the responsibility as a, slightly sewing machine savvy, kindergarten loving, adult.

After hours of work, tracing, cutting, sewing, drawing, filling, fastening, buying, and planning, I finished the dang lungs.

Then, last night we watched 30 Rock, a TV show (though we watched it on the computer) and what do you know, the opening gag was about the goofy main character acting like a kidney in an elementary school play. Though it must be a more common experience than I had imagined, the sketch did reinforce that I have indeed lost my mind. I really would do ANYTHING, no matter how goofy, for my kids. Making lungs out of felt, beans, elastic and a sharpie counts.

My fingers are still blue from the sharpie!

Baby Bag

A bag I made of oil cloth for my friend's new baby!!

Pets on Furniture

Dillweed the dog really is the dullest light bulb on the shelf, which is why he is such a good dog. It is my belief that pets do not belong on furniture (let your pets on your stuff, I'm fine with that). So that is why Dillweed looks so guilty on the table in our atrium.

Small Distractions

What happens when someone's husband drives his car/VW campmobile to the airport, and parks it in long term parking for 4 days, and leaves the lights on? How long did the lights last in the long term parking at Sacramento Metro Field? I can tell you for sure they did not last 4 days, and now I will tell you what happens to someone who has left the lights on in his car for 4 days with his flight returning at 10pm.

He has to get towed to the Wal-mart in West Sac, and buy a NEW battery, and if that doesn't work, he can just pull out a sleeping bag at 1am, lie the seat into a bed, draw the curtains, and sleep the night away in relative safety courtesy of Wal-mart. Tomorrow he can just get up, fix the van, and walk to IKEA for a cup of coffee and some Sweedish Meatballs for breakfast.

What does a person's wife do in this situation. She stays up late, stitching, reading about lacto-fermentation on the world wide web, and blogging at 12:45am about small distractions. I was thinking of blogging about the difference between anger and lamentation, but that has lost its luster tonight. I'm still thinking about it though. I'll let you know how it turns out, about the stranded husband and about the lament.

Seriously Joyful

Today is Palm Sunday.
As I was passing by, a man said, "You look so serious!". I wasn't feeling anymore serious than usual, but it pushed me to quick self-reflection. I responded,
"seriously joyful!". I know that I am very serious, and I take joy very seriously.

Here are somethings I am feeling particularly, seriously, joyful about today:
Worshiping in the morning in a place that felt like home.
Visiting with old friends with the sun warming my back.
Knowing Silas was enjoying the sun and snow, skiing with his uncle.
A brown bag of licorice Silas brought me.
Photos of my friend's new smiling baby in my in-box.
Spring in my yard.
A pint of strawberries in the kitchen.
Kid playing noises.
Friendly neighbors passing.
Gobbling turkeys in the woods outside.

All of that in just one day!!

15 Years!!

Could it really be that Silas and I have been together 15 years? The days are long, but the years are short. We were reminded of the time passing as we climbed what is now the Tarzan Tree House at Disneyland. The first time Silas and I climbed it (and it was the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House), Silas kissed me for the first time! This time, we climbed it with our two very large children, and told them the story of how much we love each other, and how we started in love. Scout was excited, and Justus was embarrassed.

Scout-isms

At breakfast, I asked Scout what she wanted to be when she grew up. She had mentioned that she was going to let her children wear her belt with the rhinestones. I told her she would have to save the belt for 30 years if she was up for it. That got us on the topic of the future. She said she wanted to be a "driving-pick-up-mom". This seems to be the exact thing that I do, or how she perceives me (I do other things as well if you can believe it)!! She then told me she was going to live in the city and pointed in the direct direction of Grass Valley (she is my girl, with a keen sense of direction). I asked her if she meant Grass Valley, and she said yes, the city, cause she hates the woods. Grass Valley has 12,300 human occupants!! Scout said she hates the woods, because of the bears, which seems like a good point. I wonder if a raccoon can scare away a bear?

More Snow

It has been snowing on and off for a few days. Sticky, wet snow...

Whoops

A girl named Scout and a pair of scissors and 5 years of life experience.

25 Random Things

So, there are these posts going around on Facebook listing 25 random things about yourself. I find it very interesting to see what 'random' things people come up with, especially since they are people I know. I also made a random list and am posting it here, though I am not sure why.
I am more quirky than I seem, I guess. Once I started I was thinking about why anyone would put up with me without laughing a lot at me.

1. I don't follow detailed directions well and usually mess up on final details. This is why I delegate the taxes.

2. I figured out I am dyslexic as a College junior in a class teaching me to be a Special Ed. teacher. I thought this was ironic, but explained A LOT, and I also why I am a terrible speller.

3. I am ornithophobic.

4. I wish I could sleep at night like everyone else seems to.

5. I dropped a pepper grinder on my foot from a high shelf and seriously broke my foot.

6. I compulsively listen to a new song I like until it feels right in my head and I can hear all the details.

7. Music is nearly the only thing I really love the details about.

8. I love words and definitions though I can't spell them.

9. My stomach is upset if I am in a group of more than 5-10 people, but I do it anyway 'cause I have to.

10. I gag/barf if anyone else does, if I have to change a diaper, or there is some disgusting mess.

11. I LOVE having clean teeth and inspired ideas.

12. I really only like to buy things if they have been used already.

13. I love being frugal.

14. My two kids are the most beautiful things I have ever laid eyes on, and are for sure, cuter than your kids. My life went from black and white to color the day the first one arrived.

15. Singing satisfies my soul.

16. I always go to the restroom when I get to an new place, just to take a breath, even if I don't need to.

17. Since my birthday is in the summer, I have been in many states and countries for the occasion.

18. I have been in every state in the US but 2.

19. I have bumped into Ted Kennedy, as in, he didn't see us, and we didn't see him, and wham!

20. I love to wear clothes, all the time, and a lot of them. I even like to wear clothes swimming, but that is kinda odd, so I don't.

21. When I go to a zoo, I only want to look at gorillas.

22. I only make our bread and have since 1999. My hands are our 'bread machine'.

23. With few exceptions, my hands are cold.

24. I don't really like ice cream.

25. While in Montgomery, Alabama, I worshiped in Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1st church on the weekend of his holiday. The local paper interviewed me (which seems weird). I sat with his friends, ate Sunday lunch with them, and held hands and sang 'We Shall Overcome". It was one of the most profoundly moving moments of my life, so far. It made history and God's love come alive for me!!

All Around!!

Though we already know that Justus is an all around great kid, he made it official today by scoring well at his gym meet. He is now the All Around Champion for his age group, all while competing at his home meet!!

The guy was all smiles. Someone said he was a grin with eyes!! His smile made everyone's day, especially his momma's!!

Justus on the Rings

Our son Justus, who is 8, is a budding gymnast and has been competing on the weekends in Northern California. He is working so hard and learning so much about himself and trying hard. Also, he is ripped!!

Before & After

Our house in the summer of 2007
















Our house in the winter of 2009

Raising My Sister

With a few exceptions, my daughter is very nearly my sister, just 24 years apart! Here is one example of an outfit my sister might have worn when she was five.

Express yourself, that is what I say!!

Vermiculture Works!

CAUTION: THIS POST NOT SUITABLE FOR THE SQUEAMISH



This bin is in my pantry, along side most of our food. In just 4 weeks (3 really, I took the photo last week) we have some pretty happy worms, and some very happy soil supplements. I love that it doesn't smell, and is so much easier than taking the compost out as much as I have to. Also, so far no bear has been able to come in to eat it!!

Watch out Garden '09, I'm ready for ya.....

Also a thank you to the people who put this together for us (I won't name names).

Santa Baby

Driving to see grandma before Christmas we were listening to Christmas songs on the radio. The obligatory secular songs were looping, you know, the one about a hippo (of course there is a Christmas song about a hippo), and "Santa Baby".
Just to jolt your lyrical memory:

Santa baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue,
I'll wait up for you dear
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Think of all the fun I've missed,
Think of all the fellows that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you check off my Christmas list

As "Santa Baby" was playing, Justus, 8, started to tell a lengthy story. We could tell it is going to be a long one when he takes a looooooong breath before he starts. Scout, 5, was frustrated as she was trying to listen to the song, and hearing her brother tell a story.

Scout kindly looks at Justus and says, "Justus, could you please be quiet? I'm trying to hear about when Santa was a baby."

Weather Proof

No, a tornado did not hit our house and trash cans.

The roof is nearly all on, with only one 12-foot fall by our friend Brad, and the new windows are all in. Fortunately I missed all the fun of lifting them into place, not because I don't like heavy lifting (which is true, but I'll participate), but because I didn't worry about anyone getting hurt. Ignorance is bliss.


We are going to clear the rubble, and reclaim our driveway, but later. I can put up with a mess for a bit longer.


The plastic is so that section of roof will not get icy (as icy).

Hell Bent for Leather

Dad: "Scout (age 5), It seems that if I ask you to do something, you do the exact opposite!!"
Son (age 8): Calmly like he says this all the time....Yeah, Scout, you seemed HELL BENT on doing that.


My son is 8. We live in the woods. He reads books about dragons, and pirates, and magical boys. We don't watch TV.
This is one reason why what he said the other day is funny, beyond the fact that he is just a kid, he is an innocent one.
My brother-in-law, Dan, laid down some vocals for his friend's recording. It is a spoofy album about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song he helped out with was a cover of Judas Priest's fantabulously touching "Hell Bent for Leather".

Clearly my son listened to the song, and understood the lyrics. It also shows what a genius my kid is (I know, I'm biased) to use a phrase he heard once 3 weeks ago, in context in another situation, and have no idea that it might be an edgy thing for a 3rd grader to say.

You can check out the aforementioned music at this link (I didn't embed it on purpose, it is loud) and hear Dan's background vocals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG4ceCLJt_I

Kids say the darndest things....

Crusty Bread

For the most part, I am modest by nature. I guess I just needed to brag a bit about my latest baking experiment. Baking and brewing are a bit of a science experiment for me, and more creative than mopping, cleaning and folding. It also is rewarding to see my kids and family loving something I have made. Seriously, they do not love that the floor is clean.

On that note, I wanted to post my latest loaf of crusty, chewy, European style bread. Let's face it, it is just yummier than a regular loaf. Mine turned out perfectly. It is crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. It took more patience than elbow grease, and I can wait, if it does not take much work. So there is my not-so-modest-side coming out.

That Darn Cat

This is the cat that I drove to my mother-in-laws house for safe keeping while we were on vacation for 3 weeks. This photo was taken when it was a bit smaller and did it's job of hunting with more gusto. I drove this cat 2o minutes away, out to the highway, down a country road, in a pet carrier. I dropped him off and didn't even think of him until we returned.

When we got home, Martha said that the cat had stuck around about half the time we were gone, and then had disappeared. I felt a bit bad (mostly for the kids), but something in me told me that was not the end of the story. When we arrived at our house, there was X-ray the cat. He was hungry. He walked home through the woods one mile as the crow flies. He had to swim across the Deer Creek to get here. How did he know the way?

Clearly he loves his home, not us, but where he lives. I had heard stories like this before, but never thought that they were real. And I don't have a guilty conscience about a 'missing' cat.

Banksy in Bethlehem

I love Banksy. He is a anonymous graffiti artist who has art on walls all over the world. I think only a few people must know who he is and they keep his secret safe. His work sells for millions and he is still alive (incredible!!). I like his stuff cause it is political, or ironic, and timely.

I have been interested in him, and the mystery of him for some time. When passing through the Israeli wall into palestine to visit Bethlehem, I was thinking it would be a perfect place for a person to make a political statement. The place is full of intense irony. As it turns out, as I was thinking that, we round a bend to see some of Banksy's work. I whipped out the camera and did my best to get a photo of it, which I did. I also got Selma's head.

The wall that surrounds Jerusalem is to protect against the violence that Palestine is up to around there. Palestinians don't go to Jeruslam and vise versa, though they are 3 miles apart. One needs a permit to work in one place or the other. The wall helps further divide the two raging inhabitant of the land.

I am not an expert about the strife in Isreal, and yet can clearly see that neither side is seeking peace. They are however trying to protect themselves without peace. It seems as if it is not working. It seems that if there is a leader who is truly striving for peace, then that person does not live long (it seems to be a theme amoung radical peace keepers-watch out Tony).

I wanted to share some other interesting snaps I took.This is a cross I saw on the path that Christ rode on into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. This is an adventure in missing the point if I ever saw one.



This is a photo of Justus in the "manger". You know, the "real" one that jesus was placed in after he was born. I think it was totally taboo for him to hop in, so I kicked him out before a grumpy manger nazi saw him, and after I took a devious photo. Who's kid is that?

A Bit Buttoned Up

Here are the latest photos of our progress on our atrium. The new roof for the entire house is sitting in our drive, and will make the whole house look so different! The new roof will be put over the old one, and is a cream colored aluminum (okay, some sort of metal, I am not sure what kind).

Ironic Burning Bush

In the Sinai Desert is the "real" Burning Bush which God used to tell Moses His plan for him. It is at an old cathedral in the middle of nowhere called St. Catherine's.
Here is an interesting photo I took of the bush!!
I would assume smoking around the Burning Bush would be OK.

Egypt

Shalom!

Blogging from the Holy Land.



Justus' Baptism in the Jordan
The Browns at the Temple Mount. Not our Christmas Card Photo.

Gettin' Dirty

Silas rented a HUGE tractor, and used to to grade our land, and then fill the new room. It was a super fun day, cause Silas got to use a fun toy. I was able to shovel a rake 30 yards of soil around the new room with help from my dad, sister, and friends. I think I personally did 2/3 of the moving. I would like to say that Addi, my sister, is posing with nearly all of the fill, and though she was a HUGE help, the photo is misleading (my back muscles were telling me that I did more than her, but she rode 300+ miles in 24 hours, so she is awesomer).
Fill was expensive enough, that the cost to rent the tractor and was less than buying clean fill. If we had bought the soil and had it delivered, it would have been dumped in our driveway, and then we would have had to wheel it one load at a time into the room. I think we saved money and time.

Somewhat Framed

Here are our walls. We can now use less of our imagination to see what our room will be like.

How Firm a Foundation

Here are the photos of the day that we poured the foundation to our new room. It is a big extension onto our cute little house. Our friends came and helped us out, and it was a big job. I'll post more as the room takes shape!!

Just WOW!!

Cat Allergy

Scout, who is five, asked if we could get more cats. We have one mouser who lives outside, and does his job, though complains a bit about it.
We told her that if we got more cats, then grandma can't come over, because she is allergic to cats. Thinking about this for a second, Scout asked,
"Grandma eats cats?"

The Forms

We are all set to pour the foundation.
Baby steps....








We also packed a cord of wood into our woodshed. An have been playing outside on our slack line. It makes for some great construction breaks.

Just don't fall off or else these babies might come after you...

Out with the Old

We are building an atruim, at least that is what we are calling it for now. So we had to tear down our front porch, and had some help from our family. I'll be keeping a log of our progress.

Google Maps Mania: Google Maps Friday Fun (Part 2)

Google Maps Mania: Google Maps Friday Fun (Part 2)

Enough to Bear

So I think that if you think bears are cool, you are correct. They are cool if you are just looking at them from afar.

Last night to our shock, a bear was near our heads just outside our bedroom window. This has happened before, but before the bear took off quickly. This time was quite different. It came to the window at 11:45 pm, and the dog went mad. He started barking which woke Silas up. I was already awake, knowing a bear was on the porch because it is big and loud. Silas stood up and Conan the Barbarian yelled out the open, though screened, window. The screen seems useless, until if falls off, which it did then i really felt like I was bear breakfast. We are telling ourselves that the extreme yelling out the window knocked it off, but my mind is telling me otherwise, that it was knocked of by the bear in question.

I peeped to silas, "what was it?" then more loudly "what was it?" and he said back, "I am not going to tell you!". Finally he said, oh it wasn't a raccoon, which for sure I knew it wasn't. The snarling, loud thudding being near me, was no raccoon.

Silas saw the bear, he told me "in the field by our house" which really was just off of the porch and heading that way!!

Enough is enough!! I am so done with the bear!! You can't get rid of it, and it is rather scary by your head at night. I am exhausted today, and didn't sleep.....
I can sleep when I'm dead.


PS the photo is near my house, those are me feet, and the bears who made those tracks are just up the hill from me while I was taking that picture. I could see the bears, but they didn't turn out in the photo.

Oh, the Agony

Here are some photos of the madness that was the Agony, a 24 hour bike ride in the Sierra Valley north of Truckee Ca.

My sister Addi, and her husband Yamil, my brother-in-law Dan and his friend Adam all rode 300 miles in 24 hours. Silas, my husband rode 250, our friend Mike rode 270+, and my sister Bethany and I rode 160.

It was quite deflating for me at the beginning because I had 4 flat tire. This meant that we spent 4 hours not riding. We did walk 5 miles, which counted towards our total (in bike shoes in the hot sun, this was the worst part for me).

My awesome sister stayed with me the entire time, even the flat tire times, and we made memories instead of miles. We also earned money for CEM (http://www.christianencounter.org/) fortunately it was not a per mile donation, or then I would feel bad. Thanks to all the awesome SAGgers, my parents especially, and the owner of Tour of Nevada City Bike Shop.

The photos are misleading, because we all look happy, the point is agony, which happened pretty quickly into the ride but there aren't as many photos of that.
And here I am.....There are a few more good pics at
http://picasaweb.google.com/bethany.gregory/Agony
enjoy.

Half-dumb

Scout wanted to know on our recent trip to Yosemite, why the rock was called "half-dumb". This is a good question, if it were the real name of the rock. We thought of many answers for her. One is that it used to be wholly dumb, but has gotten smarter over the years. Or, what was left of the rock is the dumb half, it really is difficult to say, why the rock is called "half-dumb".

That was just one of the awesome and cute things that happened on our trip to Yosemite at the beginning of June. Here are some photos of our clan in the woods.

For me the highlight was the hike up Half-dumb. It was super hard, and every time I finish something that hard, I feel like I can do whatever I set my mind to (within reason). Also it was fun to be with my sisters, their husbands, and my dad. What a fun thing to do with your family, and how awesome it was for my dad to get to do the hike with his posterity.

My dad spent his childhood stomping around Yosemite because his grandpa worked at the stables on the valley floor in the 50's and 60's. It was fun to see what was the same, and what had changed in the last 50 years.



Also because there were so many of us, we all took a huge number of photos on our digital cameras. Here are the links if you just can't get enough of all of this Yosemite stuff.

http://picasaweb.google.com/siandty/NewAlbum61608905PM

http://picasaweb.google.com/yalinca2002/YOSEMITE

Am I Change??

New prophets are rising up who try to change the future, not just predict it. There is a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of (The Irresistible Revolution, p. 24).

I want to be the change I want to see in the world. How can I orient my life, so that I am focusing on others. Besides my children, who are easy to focus on, sometimes they are little vacuums and I have to hover over a bit, how can I really focus on treating others as myself. I think that to get around this commandment, I simply isolate myself so that I do not have to actually practice who I say I am. This way, I do not have to participate in the lives of others, because I know it is hard, maybe even too hard. Think about what I love, gardening, reading, solitary athletics, watching movies? How involved in the life of my neighbor are those?

Can I really treat others as I would like to be treated? Am I really saying that I want to be left alone, by isolating myself? I do not. I want to engage in a meaningful way with whoever is in my path. I find myself, lately, closed to those in my path out of frustration. Even blogging about this further insulates me from relationships.