That's a Wrap!

From the start of a day

when the rooster crows

to the sunset at eve 

when day draws to a close,

I am thankful to God 

for the home He has given,

for new chicks, orange skies, and this life I am livin'

I am a farm woman

first and foremost,

though I don't drive a tractor

(of this I can't boast).

In a pinch, I can shift and grind all the gears,

though my boy is much better

at driving skid steers. 

On this particular night, 

I held the flashlight

so we could gather the bales in the field...

oh what a sight!

Big round bales to feed all the cows;
Now they need to be wrapped,

(this is no time to drowse).

This is the round-bale wrapper, a most wonderful machine...

an amazing contraption, spinning around like an amusement park attraction.

Keeping them fresh, keeping them green.
Wrapping the bales all tidy and trim
like ladies in girdles, all proper and prim.

Now this is the end,

the finished result,
Lined up in the field
Oh let us exalt!

And now, at the end of this hay bale discourse,

may I just say again "Thank You" for this exceptional resource. 

For God has provided for livestock and man

And I aim to enjoy it as long as I can!

Love,

Dianne

Blue Sharpie Marker Notes

I have a surprise downstairs.

I am on the phone. Ryan is trying to get my attention and he hands me a handwritten note. 

Putting up a one finger in his direction to indicate "just a minute", I continue my phone call. 

How much more time?

Another note appears in front of me on my desk. I notice that Ryan is wearing an apron and his eyebrows raise in a question as he waits in my office doorway for an answer. 

I have to take a shower

These little 3x5 inch slips of white paper with messages written in blue Sharpie marker are placed in front of me and as these small, sequential notes keep appearing one-by-one, I am starting to feel like I am viewing the old ads for Burma-Shave.

I love you LETS GO

He's starting to poke his head into my office with increasing frequency. 

Hurry up!

I nod my head and shoo him away. I am trying to wrap the phone call up but his cuteness is 

a little distracting. Just a little. Okay, a lot. 

2

more

minutes

Then, in less than the allotted two minutes:

1 more minute

I'm trying Ryan, really I am. 

Minute up.

I nod my head and mouth the words, "I'm be down in just a sec."

The next slip of paper he lays in front of me telling me "It is Amazing" 

even has scribbled decorations in each corner. 

This is quickly followed by:

Can I have a prize for it?

I give him a look. 

You know, the look.

He continues his thought:

…because you are going to love it. 

I can't help it. I am smiling and I am pretty sure the person on the other end of the phone can tell something is going on. I am trying to sound professional and this boy of mine is tugging on my heart. 

One last appeal.

Please come down before it gets ruined. 

I hang up the phone. 

He makes me close my eyes as he leads me down the stairs. 

The kitchen is straightened up.

The living room is organized. 

He did his best to make the house look nice just for me,

because he loves me. 

He even lined up our ridiculous amount of shoes that are always accumulating in the kitchen.

You want to talk about speaking this mama's love language!

I decided that his love language is quality time and tonight, I'll have a surprise for him. 

Now, where is that blue Sharpie marker? 

Love,

Dianne

Dandelion Trails

Blessings on thy sunny face,

In my heart thou hast a place,

Humble Dandelion!...

(Source: "Canadian Wild Flowers," by Helen M. Johnson)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day was busy (aren't they all?)

with errands, cleaning, cooking and phone calls.

I was out and about, one more thing yet to do;

but then I came home and found such a trail.

From my parked car, 

down the sidewalk and into the door,

everywhere, everywhere, dandelions galore.

Through the kitchen and hall, 

bathroom, bedrooms and all,

I followed a trail,

a Dandelion Trail

which my little boy had made forgetting no detail. 

Carefully, carefully I tiptoed up the stairs,

for the trail, not just in singles, now split off in pairs.

He went to each bedroom, stopping just at each door

laying a posie right on the floor. 

Then in my room,

I found this sweet surprise.

A Mother's Day's gift 

bringing a twinkle to my eyes.

Now as I sit drinking coffee on this Mother's Day morning,

I think of my children who gave me this calling.

To be wise, to be gentle,

to be fierce when I need be,

to be tender, to be funny

to be forgiving, showing mercy. 

Oh gracious, what a journey

this motherhood thing,

but I was raised by a mother

who was wise, who was tender;

she was fierce when needed,

but yet tender and funny.

She was always forgiving, teaching me about mercy,

loving me and my sisters (even when we made life topsy-turvy).

Thank you Mom for all that you are,

for being my friend, my guide, my confidant.

You've given me the example, 

a good one to follow,

of being a mother to my little brood

making me worthy of Dandelion bouquets

making me smile, feeling renewed. 

(Whew, that was a crazy rhyming nightmare!)

Love,

Dianne

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

What's Fair at a Book Fair?

"Mom, this time when I go to the book fair, I'll only get a book."

Thus said the boy who is known for coming home from book fairs in the past with erasers too wonderful to actually erase with, pens with flashing lights, wacky and colorful pencils, squishy hands both elastic and sticky, and miniature flashlights perfect for reading under the covers with if only he had come home with a book to read. 

But this time, this book fair would be different. 

"One book...", he said (in one, long run-on breathless sentence), "…I just want one this one book it's about animals I think it's called Animal Spirits or Spirit Animals or something like that and here's my paper can I get it and it's only $13.00 I think and there's a girl in my class who reads them." 

Okay. What did he just ask me? And was it a question or a statement? Spirit what?!?

He paused for air. I paused to think what I wanted to say. I want my 10 year old son to read. To like reading. But as I paused I realized that I don't even always know what he is reading or what is even out there to be read.  I was super cautious with my older kids, maybe not as much with the middle ones, and with my baby, I've gotten lazy.

Oh boy. 

I've always tried to be fair in allowing my kids to read books, watch movies, or play games that are currently popular. Fair in my mind, in my way of thinking, but not always in their minds. It's not always been easy to know what is "good" or "bad", appropriate or not, depending on age and maturity level. I want my children to read, watch or play whatever is going to build character and helps them to follow God. I didn't want them to become desensitized to the ugly things of the world by being exposed to it so many times that it became normal and no longer held a shock value. Maybe I went overboard and protected them too much. Maybe not. I don't know. 

Like I said, it's hard sometimes to place boundaries, hard to know where exactly to place them and when to remove them and let them make their own choices. 

Back to the book fair. 

Together we read a book review for Spirit Animals: Wild Born at http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Family/Media/book-reviews/w/wild-born.aspx. 

In brief, the plot summary is as follows: 

"In the world of Erdas, children participate in a sacred coming-of-age ritual at age 11. Each child drinks a sip of a special nectar and hopes to be able to summon his or her own spirit animal. The people of Erdas believe that when human and animal unite, the greatness of both is multiplied. People with strong bonds to their spirit animals are able to develop powers and significantly enhance skills they already possess."

It's just a book, right? Sounds innocent enough, right? But for me, it made all kinds of red flags wave. We talked about why someone would want to join their spirit with an animal. Why I didn't want him reading something that says that this is where "powers" come from. That skills we already have would be "significantly enhanced". I think he understood, at least a little, why I felt so strongly that our spirits belong to God and even though it is "just a book", how those ideas can be introduced so innocently and can start to change how we think. 

Kinda scary, really. It was a good reminder that as a parent, I need to stay vigilant. No more being lazy. 

So, how did the book fair end? 

He didn't get anything there, this time around. We went to the bookshelf instead and I introduced him to another Fantasy/Adventure series by Bryan Davis called Dragons In Our Midst. Check it out here: 

http://www.daviscrossing.com/raising_dragons.htm

He's reading it and so far, he gives it a thumbs-up. I think that's fair. 

Love,

Dianne