monday update.

Happy April, blog friends!

There seem to be various and sundry things to update you on, so I’ll consolidate into one post and try not to be too long-winded.

Last week just so happened to be our single busiest week of the semester. We knew it was coming. We prepared in advance for it. But it was still a doozy.

David had not one, but two out of town trips, and I had a couple big commitments here at home. I managed to get sick smack in the middle of everything with a sort of sinus thing, probably pollen-related, which I’m still battling. But God was faithful, my mother-in-law was a life-saver and helped me every single day, and we all had a great week.

Here’s what we were up to:

 

Faces of History

Judah is in the Essentials class of Classical Conversations, for 4th-6th graders, and every spring semester the students work on a big research paper and speech on a historical figure.

This year we’re studying Ancient History, so Judah chose to do his project on Homer. He learned to outline and write a research paper, and then turn it into a 2 1/2 minute speech in the first person. On “Theater Day,” the students dress up as their character and give their speeches in front of other students and family members. Their historical person is a surprise, and after the speech, the audience gets to guess who they are. Afterwards we have a reception to celebrate them.

 

 

He’s known about Faces of History for over two years and has been wanting to be apart of it for that long. It’s one of the reasons we came back to CC this year. He enjoyed the process this semester and worked really hard on all his deadlines without me having to nudge him along.

 

 

Judah practiced lots at home, and his speech was flawless! He told me afterward that he’s never been so nervous in his life.

We’re very proud of him for tackling this hard thing.

All of the kids did a fantastic job, it was great celebrating the fruit of their semester-long labor. Sadly, David was out of town for the big day, but Nina, Mum-Mum and Grandpa were able to come cheer him on. Amelie enjoyed watching and said she feels read to do her own Faces of History project next school year.

 

 

 

Learning to throw a Southern baby shower

This spring I learned how to throw a Southern baby shower, which was a fun challenge.

My friend Kathryn and I gave the shower for our friend at church, Devi, who, along with her husband, is a medical resident. Kathryn assured me this was a toned down Southern baby shower, and was very generous to host and come up with most of the ideas, then we divided up the tasks.

We made a great team and I learned a lot. Like the fact that you always serve Petit Fours at a traditional Southern shower (we got ours from Silver Spoon Bakery), and that there’s an abundance of food. Our break from tradition was to serve La Croix and Fresca to drink instead of punch, and it worked well.

The weather was lovely on Saturday, and a great time was had by all, and I’d like to point out that yours truly won the diaper-a-baby-doll-eyes-closed-and-one-handed race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art Loeb Trail

While we were busy here in Columbia, David spent the first part of the week at a pastor’s conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He arrived home Thursday night, then turned around and left Friday with a group of 13 men from church to hike the 31-mile Art Loeb Trail in North Carolina in one day.

This is the third time they’ve done this hike, and was the most highly attended.

 

 

Three guys drove the group up, and everyone camped at the trailhead Friday night. Then the hikers woke up at 5:00 Saturday morning to hit the trail by 5:30. The drivers met up with them at two check points with food and water, and they finished the hike by 6:30 pm. Eight out of ten hikers finished the whole thing which is by far the highest number they’ve had. Two guys had to drop out early due to rolled ankles.

 

 

We’re very thankful everyone stayed safe and relatively un-injured; they made it home by 10:30 Saturday night with a great Chick-Fil-A story: The guys trooped into Chick-Fil-A after the hike for a late dinner, and because our friend Spencer had a craving for a milkshake. Well after he ordered, the manager came out to report that they were out of ice cream and so there would be no milkshakes that evening. He apologized, refunded Spencer, and passed out free milkshake coupons to all 10 guys.

 

 

Well, Spencer wasn’t having it. He responded (kidding but not), “Oh man, we just hiked the whole Art Loeb Trail and all I wanted was a Chick-Fil-A milkshake!” The manager apologized again and left. He returned a few minutes later and said, “You know, I’ve hiked the trail over the course of several days and know how tough it is. I want to give you guys money to go get milkshakes across the street at Cook-Out.” And he handed David 50 bucks!

So he saved the day. What a nice guy.

 

 

 

On the bookshelf

I’m currently on a biography kick.

Last month I read Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, by Ray Rhodes Jr., and loved it so very much. I highly recommend this book about a largely unknown but very remarkable woman. I want to be like her. Now I’m reading Nate Saint from the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series for kids.

I also have a new, updated-English copy of Pilgrim’s Progress on my bookshelf thanks to a lecture I attended last week by Dr. Derek Thomas, one of the pastors in Columbia. It was excellent and I learned so much about John Bunyan and his time period. This is especially fun because I’m also reading Among God’s Giants, by J.I. Packer, which is about the Puritans. The book can get a bit dense for me, but it’s well worth the work. I’m taking my time with it. And afterward I’ll reread Pilgrim’s Progress.

Isn’t it fun to have books on standby?

I’m also making my way through the Little Britches series. We read the first book as a homeschool group a couple years ago, and now my friend Beth is loaning me the next three. These books have my heart! I’m utterly attached to the characters, especially Ralph’s mom, Mary Emma.

I’d describe the Little Britches series as similar to the Little House books, but for boys. And several take place outside Denver, Colorado, so it’s even more fun to read them after our road trip.

 

A good movie

Several people recommended the movie Instant Family to us, which is about a couple who adopts a sibling group out of foster care. So I rented it this weekend while David was away.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Hollywood on the topic, but it was very well done.

I felt like they did a good job of presenting the needs of foster care and adoption in an honest, redemptive way. They tackled real issues in the film, and some of the things the adoptive parents say are word-for-word what David and I have said.

I sobbed my way through the last, court room scene, which reminded me so much of our own court room day.

 

In the garden and a recipe

We have radishes!

They are small and cute and perfect. We learned to pick them early, rather than let them grow huge like we did last spring. They looked impressive but were far too spicy for anyone to eat.

Here’s a yummy and easy recipe for your radishes or turnips (or any root veggies, really):

Roasted Root Veggies

Preheat over to 400. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Wash and chop a good amount red potatoes into small bite-sized pieces.  Chop a few radishes and/or turnips (I quarter or half them depending on the size). Hint: if you don’t have any, you can sub a roughly chopped onion.

Add everything to the pan. I chop enough to coat the sheet pan in one layer. Add about 1/2-1 tsp of salt (I start low and often add more after roasting), freshly ground black pepper, and a generous 1/2 tsp spice mix if you’d like. Currently, I’m into Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute for roasted veggies. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and toss to coat everything.

Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, then roast 15 more minutes or until tender.

Here’s the great thing about a pan of roasted veggies. You can serve it as a side for dinner, then the next day, make “hash.” Heat up leftovers in a skillet, then add several eggs, beaten, with salt, pepper and a splash of half and half. It’s so delicious all cooked up together, especially if you throw in some chopped spinach, and either feta or grated sharp cheddar cheese.

 

Strawberry picking

And finally, for this Monday update, today we went strawberry picking.

It was 45 degrees and windy — not exactly spring weather for these Southerners. And a tad early for strawberries, really. But the kids had a blast picking and eating to their hearts’ content, running between the rows, and each of our families managed to get a full pail. There were additional quarts and flats for sale at the tent.

Amie said, “Mom, it’s like trick-or-treating, only healthy.”

Every year I buy as many strawberries as I can afford, then freeze them for our green smoothies. They’re delicious.

Happy April!