lettuces and parsley

This morning I harvested lettuces. I like that word, lettuces. As in,
"First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes; And then feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley." The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter
I should harvest some parsley too...

morning at the zoo

We've quickly learned that when Florida gives you a cool day in April, you don't ask questions and you don't stay inside. You take it and run.

We ran to the zoo.

We roamed the grounds along with chickens and peacocks and at least one stray turtle.

It was cool enough that we had to wear sweaters. In Florida. In April.

There were no crowds and we could stand around gazing and watching as long as we wanted to. We spent a lot of time with those parakeets. Not so much with the snakes.

I wish I had pictures of the babies- a teeny Siamang monkey that clung to it's mother's tummy as she flew across the vines in her enclosure, or Kigali the gorilla that played with a zookeeper in the nursery. So, so cute.

I do like the giraffe photos.

Today we're catching up on a little schoolwork but it's still so beautiful outside I'm not sure how much more we can do. Weather like this won't last and the books will still be here when the heat and humidity return...

simply, beautifully, quiet.

and another year begins

my loves

the easter story...in a cookie

Earlier this week, I decided that sharing the Easter story with my kids in a fun, new way was worth breaking out some sugar, so I printed off THIS recipe for Easter cookies and we set to work on them one night just before bed.
The cookies are very simple to make with only a handful of ingredients. With each item you add to the bowl, you tell a bit more of the story. For instance, as the kids crushed pecans with a wooden spoon we read John 19:1-3,
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
As mom broke up the squabble you see happening there on the left, and as egg whites, vinegar, salt and sugar were becoming a shiny white batter, we read Isaiah 1:18,
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Then Kate made some goofy faces and everyone licked the beater. Tristan expressed his worry that nuts were going to totally ruin these cookies.
We mixed in the pecans anyway, dropped our batter onto cookie sheets, and placed them in the warmed oven. The kids "sealed" the oven with bits of tape and we left it till morning after reading Matthew 27:57-60,
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 

Next day, we opened the oven and pulled out our crispy white cookies. The kids had a bite and found they were hollow!
Matthew 28:5-6 says,
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
Then they had cookies for breakfast (and Tristan didn't even mind the nuts.)
So in this simple act of making a sweet treat together, we were reminded of the great truth in 1 John 3:16,
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us...

coming clean

I want to tell you about something. I've been putting it off because it's something that can all too quickly wander into TMI territory and this is just not that kind of blog. But I haven't been blogging much because of it so I want to be honest, but as brief as I can.
I've been sick for a very long time.
I've been hesitant to share about it here because, well, I didn't know how, or what, or why...Any attempt to talk about it just felt like whining. And probably was.
I didn't know what was wrong, I just knew that I didn't feel right.
Since Kate was born, I've had a list of various issues from head to toe that have baffled doctors and dermatologists and my husband (oh my poor husband.) I knew the problem was rooted in my hormones, but no one had real answers. I've seen doctors in two different states that could only offer sympathetic nods, puzzled looks, concerned head shakes...and then send me away with a band aid for my sucking chest wound. That's how it felt anyway.
I've known for a long time that I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), but several months ago I began reading about something called Adrenal Fatigue, and the more I read the more I felt like I was reading about me. I began taking an adrenal cortex supplement, fish oils, more vitamins, and watching my sugar (although not as vigilantly as my sister who tells about kicking her sugar habit for good HERE). Still, I was feeling worse every week. Exhausted, moody, irritable, nauseous, dizzy...just to name a few. When I heard about a homeopathic doctor here in town who specializes in women's hormonal health, I was happy to jump through all the necessary hoops required to get a referral and appointment. I had a saliva hormone test done and upon reading the results, my new favorite doctor's words to me were, "the good news is, you can leave here today knowing that you are not crazy." No joke, that's exactly what he said. Music to my ears.
As it turns out, I do have adrenal fatigue but have additionally developed a severe hormone imbalance. This time the sympathetic nod was genuine and it was followed by real answers and real help.
I began what will be a long but natural journey back to health.
It's been a few weeks now and with a natural progesterone added to my growing list of supplements, I'm feeling better every day. I'm making changes that I'll fill you in on more over time. Hormones are only one part of the equation so while I'm feeling better, I know my body has a long way to go before it is healed. And that healing is only going to come through rest, good nutrition, and a healthy home.
I've cut a lot of things from my diet, including all caffeine and sugar -and I do mean all. I've replaced them with herbs, vitamins in numbers I never would have thought possible, and a whole, whole, whole lot of this...

So I'm OK. There's more to this story but I'm still processing. I'm resting. Most of all, I'm hopeful -and that feels really good.

how we began april