Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks

Need Gardening Police

We need some help. Today we trudged to the back of our property with our weed buckets in hand to get busy on the overgrowth of choking, hacking, coughing weeds.

Who needs the Swine Flu when you have this amount of weeds? It does take a rocket scientist to figure out how rapidly all the bad stuff takes over the good. Dear me! 

It has rained a lot lately and the weeds know it. Makes them easy to pop out of the ground though; kind of like those annoyingly-temptative bubble wrap packing rolls. You can't pop just one. It soothes our compulsive compulsions. No wonder gardening is such good therapy for our mental and emotional states.

Here, get rid of the urge: Virtual Bubble Wrap.

Anyhoo, I noticed, as I neared, that my mayhaw trees weren't wearing their lovely Red Hat Society apparel. What had happened?

Only a few days ago they were peeking out of the green foliage---little red cardinals happily nodding their red crests.

As I strolled up to them, my worries were realized.

 

Except for a few, they are all browning and bristling. Totally abnormal. It isn't a very big crop (our trees don't seem to want to produce this year), but it's my small crop and I want it to succeed. 

Does anyone know what is causing this? Does anyone know what can be done about it?

I'm afraid this year's harvest is snuff. We've been given the one sheet of bubble wrap that has already been popped and we're feeling kind of depleted.

Does Your Light Shine?

I think what really bothers me about yesterday's pity-party (the one I almost didn't post but I did anyway because my blog is my place to "shout-out"), is that I allowed myself to become so egotistical and self-centered as to let comments and GoogleReaders bother me. What rule have they over me?

That I would allow myself to measure my worth and esteem by the number of comments I get per post or the number of views I get per day or the inclusion of GoogleReader sharings is rather lame.

But writers are known for being somewhat sensitive to the little things.

Still...I'm annoyed with myself.

I lead a blessed life. Yet I fell so low as to count my importance by blog comments! For shame on me!

Emily is praying for a miracle for her little Matthew Karol and I'm sulking about blog comments!

My sister-in-law and friend Melissa are in the hospital fighting for their lives and I'm whining about blog comments!

My friend Audry and the doctors are fighting to save her five-year-old's eyesight and I'm stamping my thumb over blog comments!

Really!

I have no business here. I should be down on my knees praying.

I'll admit to being tired. I've had a tough couple of weeks and it's better to have a "shout-out" here than to have a pity-party at home in the mist of my family.

Still...life is too short for goofing off or counting the comments on one's blog.

Perhaps I should restrict access to the comment sections and delete GoogleReader. It's a thought.

These conversations always bring us back to: Why did I create this blog in the first place?

My favorite categories of this blog are: "Joy of Children" and "Kids Say the Funniest Things." That's why I blog. If anything else comes from it, it is all for God's glory.

And to humor my children. :-) Yesterday when Annie asked to cook with me, she asked me to take pictures and put them on my blog.

Let's define the definition of "egotistical", shall we? LOL

But it delights me to see my children happy, to see them shine, to see them realize that they are good at something...and want to share it. This blog serves two-fold. Annie gets to show off her new skills to all of you but I get to set-up a scrapbook, a memory book, a time machine for my children, my family. They will forget most of this stuff, especially the little daily things like cooking and decorating cakes with friends, chasing chickens at Uncle Rusty's, the birthday parties, and snakes. But it's all here for them to click on and enjoy. And I do want them to enjoy it. And, foremost, I want them to remember that it was a good life. A very good life.

And so I will continue to move outside of myself. That's what God wants. That's what I want. It's a wonderful life and I want to live it to its fullest. It's worth celebrating. I'm an idealist, true, but I can also be an overbearing realist when the need calls. I've fought all my life to throw off the cloak of cynicism because I've seen how ugly it can be. It is not of God.

I read today...just this morning...on someone's blog a quote about it not being the weight of the burden we carry, but the way we carry it that is important. It's the way we carry our duties in life that make Christ's light shine through us. Now I can't find that elusive quote. I've Googled it and checked my GoogleReader and simply can't find the exact quote. But it spoke to me.

How will I carry myself? How will I allow Christ's light to shine through me to others? We are a JOYful people. We shine. Will I allow my life and my reputation be defined by the amount of comments I receive or the number of blog visits or the frequency of GoogleReaders? Or will my life be defined for what I am? A child of God! A daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt, wife, and mother working and living in the body of Christ?

I will continue to move outside of myself and focus on the JOY of my family, the JOY of my children, the JOY of my life, and the JOY of blogging. This is so not about me. It's about the life I love. It's about the people God has blessed me with. It's about glorifying His name and His presence in my life. It's about carrying my baggage with dignity and respect for myself and for the God who made me.

If it does not eek of JOY, I will not blog it (except for prayer intentions). If it does not whisper of JOY, I will cast it off. Life is hard enough. We must search, find, and focus on the JOY. And that is what I plan to do.

A prolific contributor at the 4Real Forums shared this quote today and I want to share it with everyone who is here with me:

"Joy in life is like oil in a lamp. When the oil gets low the wick is consumed, emitting a black vapor, and sending forth only a lurid glow, which does not give light. A life without joy passes away unprofitably, shedding around it only gloom and sorrow. If every morning in a simple prayer-in those fifteen minutes' meditation (which only seem hard when we do not practise it), we opened our hearts to God, as we open our windows to the sun and air, God would fill it with that calm, sweet joy which elevates the soul, prevents it feeling the weight of troubles, and makes it overflow with benevolence. But joy does not mean levity, witty sayings, or repartee...it is habitual serenity." ~ ("Gold Dust", edited by Charlotte Yonge and published in 1897)

My prayer today is that God grants me the "habitual serenity" to desire only His working in my life...and nothing more. I apologize for "emitting a black vapor and sending forth only a lurid glow, which does not give light" in last night's post.

A good night's sleep, a promised day off, a lovely spring day which promises a weeding of a bountiful garden, and some wise words from ladies God sent to me is all I needed to recharge and refocus and relight my wick.

You are all in my prayers. Let your light shine. God bless!

Spaghetti-Stained Accolades

I just came from another lady's blog. It's lovely, heartfelt, and moving.

Her comments register 213 to 361 comments per post. Impressive!

I was envious. I admit it. Me with my 2 to 5 posts per comment. I was uncharitably, unChristianably envious.

Gone were the lovely lip-sings of this past conference in Houston. Silenced were the sweet serenades. Interrupted was my brief interlude. Gone was the unexpectedly delightful acclaim that we all claim not to want, but secretly desire and cherish.

Still I love her blog. It moves my spirit and lifts my heart. I will keep visiting it.

I clicked on to another dear lady's blog. Her GoogleReader links never hold any of my blog posts. Makes me sad because somehow, someway I thought she liked me. At one time I romanced the thought that my writing fancied her...at one time. She called me once and encouraged me in my "God-given talent." Guess through time she realized I wasn't as good or as witty or as talented or as friendly as she previously suspected.

I've lost my touch. I've definitely lost my touch.

So, for a moment I wondered why I continue to click and read and set myself up for failure as a lesser pawn of God. Why do I do that to myself? And I sit here feeling quite neglected, quite unheard, quite unappreciated, quite like Christ must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But then, I'm not Christ; now am I? And my garden blooms.

And to remind me of this, God sent a little angel.

Actually it was a smacking (or was it slurping) sound at my shoulder coming from the spaghetti-sauce stained lips of my tousled-headed child.  Turning from the screen gave me the brightest, most awakening insight of all. Annie's face, her laughter, her wispy fingers on my neck and her bowl of spaghetti filtered through all my senses. Her squeaky, "Mommy, I do love you" was the accolade that trumpeted and awoke in me such an enormous amount of gratitude and appreciation that it brought tears to my eyes.

The appreciation and acclaim I am given within my household is the arcanum that will get me into heaven. I need not look outside the gate walls for anything more. This...the here and the now...is what matters. This...the spaghetti and unbrushed hair...is what matters. This...the silence of the sleeping child in my bed as I type...is what matters.  This...the wilted carrots and springtime clovers next to my keyboard...is what matters.

Nothing outside of this really matters. These are the people who know me...my flaws, my faults, my failings.

And they still love me.

Perhaps I haven't lost my touch (or my audience) afterall.

Cooking with Annie

She's seven but I decided that she was old enough to start chopping and dicing using a "real knife."  

The Pampered Chef paring knife is child-friendly but it made her feel so big and important. This was a big deal!

"Mommy, I'm so good, aren't I? I've never had so much fun in my life! Slicing things up is neat!"

Okaaaay! What am I encouraging here? Tell me.

 

She also felt very superior taking over her sister's job of stirring a very hot pot of olive oil, sliced tomatoes, minced garlic, diced bell peppers and chopped onions.

Who needs a vocabulary list and a home ec classroom when you explain the different cutting methods while the child is chopping in your kitchen?

 

Please excuse the pajama to clothes change in the middle of this production. We don't stay in our pajamas all day long. Really...we do change eventually, even if it isn't until 4:00 PM.

Have I mentioned lately that we are homeschoolers?

Annie dicing and arranging the carrots on the salad.

Annie cutting and layering the pears.

 

Annie sliding the garlic bread into the heated oven.

 

What a delicious looking salad.

 

It wasn't our regular Great Depression fare but it was another Class A meal at the Cajun Cottage! Yummy!

 

April Shower of Sunday Soccer

After a totally-awesome Saturday of homeschooling comradery and conferencing in the heart of Houston and meeting some delightful old Internet, new 4Real friends, it was nice to just relax and play field marshall on the springy, extra-windy soccer fields Sunday:

The day began with very windy wind that chilled the outer layer of your epidermis.

 

But carrying a blanket out on the ball field has always proven to be beneficial and creatively productive for costume adornment and ...

 

picnic settings.

 

Toting water bottles to the referees.

 

Big white fluffy clouds...and lots of wind...made for a beautiful day. (I even napped in a lawn chair when I could.)

 

It's the beginning of a beautiful season of ball!  

From a Devotee

Today at the soccer field, I was telling my in-real-life friends that Danielle Bean would be at the Houston ARCH Conference next year.

My friend Monica told me that her sister lives near Danielle Bean and all of us went, "WOW!" and we looked at her in awe.

"But," Monica laughed and flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder, "I just tell her...'Well, I live by Cay Gibson!'"

And we all laughed because there's really no comparison.  Thanks for being such a good fan (and friend), Monica.  :-)

How Does My Garden Bloom?

Because so many readers have asked about what's in our garden, I will bore indulge show you what we have planted:

First, this lovely plant...I don't remember what my husband told me. I'm thinking potatoes.

Here is a definite potato.

This one I do remember. It's some purple beans. Can you see them? We have green beans too.

 

Eggplant, anyone?

 

Onions...lots and lots of onions.

 

Purple ones and...

 

Yellow ones.

 

Tomato plants, of course. Every good garden has tomatoes...and marigolds. :o)

 

The squash is looking very friendly and has a sunny disposition.

 

Here's one of our newborns snuggled comfortably in his nest.

 

Another one I'm not sure of. Anyone know? I knew this would happen when I snapped the pictures.

 

Carrots...beautiful, long, spidery carrots. We had to weed a few out so Annie got the slackers and I later found them...

 

...here.

 

Crisp cucumbers plants.

 

Our watermelon plants aren't growing too great. Any gardening tips?

 

Thank you for visiting our garden.

 

I have one more thing to show you. Our mayhaw trees have started their crimson crop. Mayhaw jelly, cakes, and pies are on the horizon. :o)

 

My Simple Easter Season Daybook

This is my own Cajun Cottage version of the Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my Window...it's dark 

I am thinking. . . about my sister-in-law

I am thankful for. . . every day of my life and that of individual family members. Every. single. day.

From the schoolroom. . .I am waiting for my oldest son to bring me his critical analysis essay to proofread before he submits it tomorrow. He works all day so I'm use to late-night writing projects.

From the kitchen. . .because of nursing duties at the hospital, I haven't cooked at all this week...guess that's our Great Depression meal for the week.

I am wearing. . . red slacks, black slip-ons, floral shirt, no make-up 

I am creating... new mosaic study guides.

I am going. . .to bed in a little bit.

I am reading. . .The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

I am praying...for my sister-in-law...still

I am hoping. . .my sister-in-law starts to recover soon. Please offer a prayer for her and strength for my brother-in-law.

I am hearing. . . the shower. Everyone is using the new shower.

Observing the Liturgical Calendar...just offering many prayers for my sister-in-law.

Around the house. . . bathroom remodeling. Here is a photo:

We have a shower again! Oh, happy day!

One of my favorite things. . .my new writing corner

 

A few plans for the rest of the week. . .

• Thursday: Dentist for children, Keeper's Club Meeting, and baseball game
• Friday: wedding
• Saturday: ARCH Conference in Houston, TX...I'm looking forward to seeing you there. :-)
• Sunday: working an area soccer tournament w/ our soccer team...Coach Larry had to leave for South Africia so Mark got put in charge.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

 

Our recent weekend trip to St. Joseph's Abbey in Covington, La.

One of the Many Reasons...

we are often running late for co-op classes.

Retro-Easter

 

 

 

 

 

More Easter '09 pictures coming soon!