What’s A Mom’s Biggest Job?
By Kelly | August 14, 2008
The longer I’m a mother, the more profoundly the Lord reveals His divine plan.
“Honor your father and mother.” Seems simple enough to teach to our children.
Have you looked around lately?
Are children generally honoring their parents?
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
That is really all children are commanded to do. This is the foundational instruction we are given as parents–to teach our children to obey and honor us.
Now hold on to this–this is BIG.
As I reflect on what’s happening in the church today–that is, people turning away from the truth of Scripture, formulating their own “truth”, adjusting it to fit what feels good to them–in a word, rebelling against God, I have to ask–why is this problem so prevalent?
People have always sought their own way, but the church as a whole has never seen this level of diversity over truth.
In my sleep it came to me–IF WE AREN’T TAUGHT TO OBEY OUR PARENTS AND HONOR THEIR WORD AS CHILDREN, WITHOUT EXPLANATION, WE WILL NOT OBEY GOD OR HONOR HIS WORD AS ADULTS.
A child who questions his parents’ authority will question God’s. A child who “knows better” than his parents will disregard what God has said. A child who doesn’t reverence and respect the word of his parents will not reverence God’s. Simple.
As I specifically talk to mothers on this blog, I would encourage you to have a renewed sense of vision for your calling.
Of all the things we talk about as being an important part of our jobs as mothers, what could be more important than directly shaping how our children will relate to God and truth as adults???
If you think your job isn’t profoundly important, consider that to what degree you require your young children to obey you will directly affect their relationship with the Almighty! That’s huge!
And consider this…it’s not just about your own children and grandchildren. Imagine that your child grows up to be a pastor or teacher of the gospel. If his ability to obey the truth is impaired, oh what an impairment that is as he leads thousands astray!
But what a privilege!
May it cause us to be all the more vigilant and humble as we seek wisdom and strength each day.
And let us remember first things first–raising brilliant children is fine, but not priority. Getting them to art or piano lessons is fine, but it’s not what really matters.
Teaching them to love the Lord is paramount. The other stuff is hay and stubble. And in His infinite wisdom, God knew the best way to establish that connection between our children and Him, was through the “bridge” of their parents. In obeying us, they learn to obey Him.
And early on, that obedience is to be expected without question and without hesitation.
Teaching my children to obey is not to make me look good in the grocery store and family reunions.
Teaching my children to obey will directly affect their relationship with God, and ultimately affects an entire society.
Topics: Families Against Feminism, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Why teaching our children is so important…
By Jennie | August 12, 2008
[Note: This might seem a rather serious post after all the lovely homemaking topics shared lately, but with the official "school year" starting for most people, I felt it was the right time to share this review of John Taylor Gatto's book, The Underground History of American Education. My step-dad originally ran this review in his Biblical Examiner newspaper. Much food for thought in Mr. Gatto's excellent writings. Be sure to visit his website for more information! ~ Jennie Chancey]
In the foreword he wrote to the 1946 edition of Brave New World, author Aldous Huxley noted with sadness that his grim vision of utopian statism was coming to pass faster than he had imagined it could. When he first wrote the book in 1931, he had depicted a future he believed would gradually come about within 600 years. In that far distant world, the government would genetically engineer babies in test tubes, condition them from birth to fit into a particular stratum of society, teach them to love entertainment and materialism above all else and to discount religion and sexual morality entirely. By 1946, Huxley believed this “brave new world” was already well on its way. I find one comment particularly striking:
“The most important Manhattan Projects of the future will be vast government-sponsored enquiries [sic] into what the politicians and the participating scientists will call ‘the problem of happiness’ – in other words, the problem of making people love their servitude.” [emphasis mine]
What Aldous Huxley apparently did not realize was that government-sponsored inquiry into this “problem” had already been well underway for close to eighty years—and that only fifty years later, people would, indeed, “love their servitude” more than they prized their freedom. The engineers of public education in America (including, but not limited to, Horace Mann and John Dewey) had decided in the mid-nineteenth century that schooling was really about socializing people to accept an assigned lot in life and follow along quietly when the government told them their happiness depended upon it. And it wasn’t done in a back room or under cover. It was all designed out in the open with public proclamations by “great men” like Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller.
John Taylor Gatto served as a public school teacher for 30 years in New York. His experience led him to retire and begin writing about the social and evolutionary experiment that is the American education system. In his own words, Mr. Gatto declared that he had to quit teaching because he didn’t want to “hurt kids to make a living.” Since his retirement, Mr. Gatto has spoken all over the United States about his experiences with forced schooling and has shared what government education does to children—what it was designed to do.
The Underground History of American Education is no overnight read. With over 390 pages, it is an investment of time to read through this book. But it is an investment well worth making. Mr. Gatto calls this book a “long essay,” but I’d describe it as a multi-faceted look into the inner workings of government schooling, spiced with personal recollections and dips into hundreds of historical sources. If you want to understand government schooling from just about every conceivable angle (social, historical, religious, economical, psychological, etc.), don’t miss this book. Mr. Gatto breaks everything down into easily digested sections with subheadings to help you navigate. You could pick it up and dive in just about anywhere to read mini essays on “The Platonic Ideal,” “The Demon of Overproduction,” or “A New Collectivism,” for starters. But I’d really encourage you to go for broke and read the entire volume from start to finish. You will find yourself fascinated, angered, frustrated, and intrigued as you study the many elements that went into the forced schooling revolution—for it was a revolution.
As we look around at our modern economy (built on both governmental and personal debt and massive spending habits), we may wonder how America progressed from the inventive, productive nation it was at its start (with a huge emphasis on personal responsibility and hard work) to the bloated, materialistic culture it now is (complete with advertisements so ubiquitous that it is nearly impossible to escape them). While forced schooling certainly isn’t the only answer, it is a great part of it. Our declining literacy rate, our loss of regional history and identity, our obsession with “popular” culture, and our descent into sexual immorality have all been encouraged or directly influenced by government education. But perhaps most disturbing of all is how government schooling conditions children to see themselves as cogs in a wheel and to turn dutifully whenever told to.
Writes Mr. Gatto, “[T]his is indeed the will-o-the-wisp pursued throughout the twentieth century in forced schooling—not intellectual development, not character development, but the inculcation of a new synthetic culture in children, one designed to condition its subjects to a continual adjusting of their lives by unseen authorities.” Piecing together speeches by early 20th-century businessmen, books by proponents of social reform, and talks given by progressives, Mr. Gatto demonstrates that this “continual adjusting” is necessary in order to prop up our current economy and social order. It is necessary to create more buyers than workers in order to keep everything running smoothly. In fact, one of Mr. Gatto’s more intriguing insights is that all children in public schools are, essentially, government workers! They spend an average of eight hours a day following the ringing of bells, pushing paper, standing in line, and learning to do meaningless copywork—anything but thinking deeply, pondering the infinite, inventing, creating, or working.
In order to accomplish the goal of crafting its own citizenry, the government had to become the de facto parent of the majority of children. This was accomplished in 1847 with the “best interests of the child” test, a New York City Superior Court ruling that authorized the state to intervene in the family. With this ruling, “the American state assumed the parens patriae powers of old-time absolute kings, the notion of the political state as the primary father,” writes Gatto. “And there were signs it intended to use those powers to synthesize the type of scientific family it wanted, for the society it wanted. To usher in the future it wanted.” This sheds quite a lot of light on the current battle over same-sex “marriage” and “partners” crying out for adoption rights. With the power to redefine the family, the state takes ever more control away from good parents—all in the name of “the best interests of the child.”
Conspiracy theorists need not apply, by the way. Some so-called education “reformers” have dismissed John Taylor Gatto’s work as conspiratorial or overly imaginative. But a thorough reading simply does not lead the reader to such a conclusion. As Mr. Gatto so carefully demonstrates from historical documents, books, letters, and public speeches, government schooling was not engineered in the dark or by secret counsels of powerful men. Instead, it was the work of many different factions of society (including Marxists, communists, capitalists, state governments, etc.), all of whom worked toward a common goal: a stable social order. While many who invested their time and talents in public schooling did so for noble reasons, they nevertheless ended up working side-by-side with Darwinian social engineers and utopian socialists. The story of how such disparate factions ended up working together toward a common goal is merely one part of the whole tale, but it is utterly fascinating and disturbing.
As we look into the behemoth of modern government schooling, we must be willing to face the fact that a lot of godly people have advocated it or helped it along. It was not the subversive invention of a small cadre of Prussian Marxists. It was not the brainchild of super-rich capitalists. It was not the final result of a century of social Darwinism. While all of those things did influence and shape the forced schooling revolution, the real finger should be pointed at parents. Why did we allow the wholesale adoption by the state of our children to happen?
Actually, there were violent riots against forced schooling when the experiment began in the 1840s. Mr. Gatto includes press stories of immigrant parents marching against what they saw as a return to the prison-schools they had fled when they moved to America. There are stories of children marched to school under armed guard to thwart parental protests. But those stories are few and far between. For the most part, American parents went right along with the new experiment and objected only faintly when literacy rates dropped. They allowed their hand-wringing to be calmed by promises of “study committees” and “educational reform.” Those hollow promises have continued up to the present, with President George W. Bush’s socialistic “no child left behind” nonsense.
The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as education reform, as Mr. Gatto so ably demonstrates. To truly reform the system would mean decentralization, total local (i.e. parental) control, no “standardized” curricula or tests, and, most importantly, no cookie-cutter end result. To put it plainly, this would be anathema to the proponents of government schooling. The end goal of state education is not intelligent, upright, inventive producers; it is, rather, semi-literate, pop-culture slaves who will buy when told to buy, discard when told something is no longer “cool,” and produce nothing of significance (except a negative balance on a credit card). Except for the few bright, shining students who are singled out for leadership, the majority of government school graduates will be content to live in a “safe” world of consumption as long as they can have their three squares and plenty of entertainment. And the economy sails on…right? As Christians, we should know better.
“Here is the crux of the difference between education and schooling,” writes Mr. Gatto. “The former turns on independence, knowledge, ability, comprehension, and integrity; the latter upon obedience.” When it comes down to it, Christians prop up the system that eats away at their heritage and numbs them to their loss. 80% of children in public schools come from “evangelical” homes, according to recent Barna polls. We feed the hand that bites us.
God created the Christian home to be the foundation of society and culture. This is why God gave the primary responsibility for the education of children to their parents—not to the state or even to the Church (Deut. 6:6-9 & 12:28, Eph. 6:1-4, Col. 3:20, I Tim. 3:4). Within this framework, parents are to train children to love God’s Word, to honor their elders, to work hard, to see money as a tool for dominion, to know their history, and to pass on “an inheritance to their children’s children” (Prov. 13:22). This requires thought, inventiveness, creativity, and a huge amount of love and time. It cannot be done in a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all method. And government educrats recognize this! Patricia Lines, of the U.S. Department of Education, had this to say about parents who educate their own children:
“Homeschoolers are tremendously loyal as family members, they are suspicious of television and other less intimate influences. They eat as a family, they socialize as a family, they attend church as a family, they become members of an extended…homeschooling community.” (Quoted by Mr. Gatto on page 50 of his book)
Now, lest I be accused of naivete, I do not believe for a moment that all homeschoolers are perfect and are never affected by the collectivism that animates government schooling. Nor do I believe that all homeschoolers have the noble goals of the Scriptures firmly in mind as they instruct their children. I feel that Mr. Gatto’s warnings are every bit as applicable to homeschoolers as they are to those who believe in industrial schooling models. It is so very easy to fall into lockstep with a culture that thrives on sameness (all protests about “rugged individualism” aside) and promotes materialism at every turn. Insofar as we homeschoolers have embraced “standardized” outcomes or have begun to look upon education as salvific, we must repent and reform. Utopianism can creep into the mind of the staunchest “conservative.” It only takes complacency and a willingness to discount clear scriptural commands to start us down the road of messianic statism. None of us are immune.
So what is the answer? Mr. Gatto doesn’t offer any easy solutions at the end of his book, though he gives some practical first steps (and if you want the themes of his book in a nutshell, turn to page 383 and start with the subheading “I Would Prefer Not To”). We are living through the apex of the American empire—at the top of the economic rollercoaster. As the richest nation on earth (in comparative terms), we “have it all.” It will not be easy to convince the average citizen that what we have isn’t good in the long term.* And that really brings us to the main point: ending the long experiment of forced schooling is going to take multi-generational faithfulness in bringing up children who will look to God for their worth, who will shun popular culture for the throwaway mess that it is, and who will work hard to provide for their own families as they live in community with other Christians in the local church. It is going to take families throwing out the “regularly scheduled programming” of television, actively building a culture of literacy and a love for history within their homes, sharing hospitality with others, scripturally providing for the needs of those in the local community, and thinking about the impact of their actions upon future generations. The lie of forced schooling is that all that matters is the here and now. The truth of God’s Word is that our actions in the present will affect the future and impact our descendants for hundreds of years to come. Are we willing to make the sacrifices it will require in order to provide a vision for that world yet to come?
I’ve only touched upon a few points from The Underground History of American Education. There is really no way to neatly summarize such a work. Let me urge you to invest the time in reading it and thinking about how the history of American schooling applies to us as Christian parents. We cannot afford to ignore the past if we hope to change the future.
* Note that I originally wrote this review before America’s current recession. When I penned this article, gas was still less than $1.95 a gallon, and there was no “mortgage crisis.” We’re no longer at the top of the economic rollercoaster; we’re all now gasping for breath as the coaster takes the plunge to the bottom. All the more reason for Christians to wake up and train their children toward independence financially as well as spiritually.
[The Underground History of American Education can be downloaded or read one chapter at a time from http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/ You can also order a copy of The Underground History of American Education for $36.00 postpaid (priority mail) from John Taylor Gatto , 235 West 76th Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10023.]
Topics: Ladies Against Feminism | Comments Off
Grandma’s Sweet Pepper Relish
By Kathy | August 8, 2008
There has been a lot of picking and canning going on around here the past couple of weeks. The great thing about living in this part of the country (the southeast) is that vegetation is bountiful! Even if you do not have the land or time to garden yourself there are plenty of local farmers to buy from at a very reasonable cost.
Even with abundant fruits and vegetables available we have to use self discipline and work to get it all preserved and stored. It is much easier just to go to the store and buy everything pre-packaged, but you have to question what are we giving up in the process? I would say we are selling out to convenience and in some cases even laziness. We all have some seasons of life that are harder than others, where gardening and/or preserving are not feasible, but overall most people think it is just too much work.
We should give serious thought to the issues of healthier foods, supporting local farmers, teaching the children how to make the most of what we have and most importantly, the satisfaction of a job well done.
Gardening, canning, sewing, housework, yard work, home maintenance, etc… all take WORK. With the right attitude and perspective you can find satisfaction in your work!
Posted on my homemaking blog is a picture tutorial of Grandma’s Sweet Pepper Relish.
….
Topics: Teaching Good Things | No Comments »
The Power of a Pen, Paper and a Stamp
By Kathy | July 29, 2008
Don’t we all enjoy getting a letter or card in the mail?!
When I was a child, yes, way before email and text messaging, I had an aunt whose husband was in the military so our relationship was a long distance one. She was so good about writing letters and even sending an occasional handmade card; I was always intrigued with her cards. She made her own cards ‘when card making wasn’t cool’. I also had an elderly aunt, that I rarely saw, for some reason she took up writing with me, she was amazing! She once wrote me a letter all in rhyme, it was beautiful!
Don’t get me wrong, I love email, but I also find it sad that there are so few hand written cards and letters mailed anymore.
Today everything is fast and disposable, including relationships. Relationships take time and energy; writing letters or sending cards can help to develop a relationship. There are times that things can be said in a letter so much better than verbally.
A hand written card or letter can be treasured literally for a lifetime and beyond. Letters and cards are a way of documenting family history. I love going to my grandmother’s home and reading letters that were written when she was a teenager. I wonder how much of our history is going into the Trash folder on our hard drives and forever gone? I wonder how much of our journal keeping is being poured into blogs, only to be deleted one day?
There is an element of dying to self and serving others when you set time aside to write a letter or hand make something for someone. It is a beautiful way to love your neighbor. It is a giving of your time and heart. Hand written cards and letters can be an incredible ministry of encouragement for anyone, but especially for girls. Girls that are at home and want to serve God by encouraging others can use their time in such a productive way while they sow seeds of kindness with each written greeting.
Some Things to Consider:
v Keep your words positive and upbeat.
v Usually your goal is to encourage others. No one will enjoy a letter or card that has a negative overtone.
v Share how God has provided for you or done something special.
v Have a balance of reference about yourself and other people/things. You don’t want it to be all about YOU!
v When sending out greeting cards, it is important that you know enough about the recipient to avoid accidentally being offensive.
v Stay away from cards that poke fun, the stores are full of those. You want to be encouraging, perhaps humorous!
v Consider the person’s interest and style, make the card relate to them.
v Think of holidays or seasons that give special opportunity to share the goodness of God. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are times when people are more open to hear/read Scripture.
v Address the Envelope Properly- You should send your card to the home of the recipient, not their place of business. Unless it is something personal like a birthday, get well, etc… it should be addressed to the spouse also, using Mr. and Mrs. Children are usually impressed when they receive an envelope with Miss or Mr. before their name. J
Have a Plan!
v Make a list or calendar of people you would like to minister to with your cards. Note birthdays and/or holidays.
v Set aside one or two days a year and make cards in bulk. Be sure to make some extras.
v Organize and store your cards and supplies.
v Buy stamps ahead of time and put them on the envelope. This is half the battle.
v The difference is not how artistic you are, but it is making it personal. Don’t fret about your card being fancy, just be yourself.
v As much as possible write out all the parts, the greeting, the signature and the address.
v Develop legible or even beautiful handwriting. Anyone can write nicely it is just a matter of self discipline (practice). Don’t you enjoy getting an envelope with pretty handwriting on it?
v Be flexible and don’t give up. If you have a time when you can’t get any cards out, just pick up where you left off. Sometimes life is crazy! J
Opportunities:
v Birthdays
v Sympathy
v Elderly
v Missionaries
v Distant Family
v Nursing Homes
v Sick Children
v Church Members
v Bereaved
v Sick
v Struggling
v Thank You
v For no reason at all! J
Sympathy Card Etiquette
v Mail your sympathy card as soon as possible after the death.
v Always include your last name, even if you know the family well.
v Send the sympathy card to the closest relative of the deceased, usually the widow/widower or oldest child.
v Keep it short and simple, unless you have a special memory you would like to share.
Think of Christmas Cards, don’t we love getting them?
v Do we really take time to read the pre-printed greeting?
v Do the ones with the pre-printed signature make a big impact on you?
v Do you respond differently (emotionally) when there is a handwritten note inside?
v Don’t you love it when there is a picture included?
Christmas cards are a big part of Christmas tradition. This is an ideal time to share the Gospel during such a commercialized, God mocking season. Consider setting aside some time to put serious effort into your Christmas cards. It takes planning and some money, but you’ll be amazed at how Christmas cards touch hearts. Make them personal, let people know they are not just another name on your list, but that you really want to communicate with them. Make them feel special! Remember it is about relationships.
Thanksgiving is another time to send cards or letters to people expressing your gratitude for them.
Not only is card making a way to show love to people, but it can also save your family money! A card from the store can range from $1 to $5. Plan ahead, make your own and save money!
Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31:31
Topics: Teaching Good Things, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Redeeming the Time and Legos
By Kelly | July 22, 2008
A quote by Geoff Botkin keeps resonating….”A soldier is too busy fighting to have hobbies.”
Now before you leave my blog, I think you’ll find that’s not such an extreme statement. As I bring up children (arrows), I must not forget that the spiritual war wages all the time. How am I helping equip them to fight? What activities am I encouraging them to be involved in that are ultimately bringing victory to the Kingdom?
Does mindless amusement add to their armour?
Mr. Botkin clarified that there are many things our children should enjoy and participate in. But shouldn’t we stand in stark contrast to the self-centered, couch-lying, game-playing, “my-world-is-all-that-matters” culture around us?
It challenged me to take inventory of our “past time”, and all our activities. Are we investing our time into things that will ultimately serve others, bring glory to God, assist the family’s economy or other such “Kingdom-building” end?
I want my children to be busy with their hands, not just to be busy, but to be always “others minded”. If it’s music, let them practice to be excellent, in order to reflect the image of God.
If it’s crafts, let them always be learning and striving to create in order to show forth good stewardship, making something of nothing, thereby demonstrating another attribute of God, and thinking of how those skills could be a blessing to someone.
But let me always be teaching them to “Redeem the time”.
Of course I let my children play with Legos….don’t get me wrong. (I’m hoping my son will grow up to be a designer of some kind!) But if we generally understand that we are raising “Kingdom workers” (I don’t mean to overuse that term, it’s just so good!) and show them, each day, how their activities, gifts, and bents can be meaningful, our “good works will so shine before men” that the world will glorify our Father.
Topics: Families Against Feminism | No Comments »
Sourdough Wheat Bread Instructions
By Mercy | July 4, 2008
I have tried many methods and recipes for making whole wheat sourdough bread. However, I had little success until I learned the proper techniques of bread baking in general. To do that, I had to take a step back, if you will, from what I considered “good for you” bread and (Gasp!) learn using white flour first. Bread baking is an art form that only gets better with practice. You may have to throw out a few loaves here and there, but that, too, can be a good learning opportunity. Here are some of the resources that helped me:
1. Buy a starter (cost of a stamped envelope) from Carl Griffith online or Northwest Sourdough
2. Read and Reread www.northwestsourdough.com. I found her instructions to be the least intimidating and easy for a new-comer to follow
3. La Cloche Brick Oven
4. Round basket/colander or something to hold the dough while it rises along with a tea towel or linen cloth. You will then sprinkle it with a ratio of 1/4 rice flour and 3/4 rye flour (or whole wheat).
5. Wooden pizza peel
6. Organic hard red winter wheat berries (or whichever variety you prefer).
The important thing is to make sure that you have all of the right equipment out and accessible. It’s not fun to bake if you have to spend a lot of time finding all of the right tools! I keep my WonderMill on the counter top along with my starter (so that I don’t forget to feed it everyday).
Also, I purchased some books online from Peter Reinhart (a baker/teacher):
The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread
Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
I wouldn’t say this is necessary, I just wanted more of a professional approach. I have found that almost all of the “health food” recipes for sourdough have been heavy as bricks and sour as lemons. No matter how healthy it is, if it doesn’t taste incredible, why eat it??
Once I had all of the right tools, I began to feed my starter. When it was ready, I began making a 1 1/2 -2 pound loaf per day for about 3-4 months. This helped me to learn about sourdough variables: temperature, texture, taste, oven spring, etc. I used “Better for Bread” brand unbleached white flour. After I got that down, and the bread was irresistible, I began adding a cup at a time of whole wheat (in the beginning, you may want to use store bought in case you end up throwing it away). Once I mastered that, I’d add one more cup. A week later 3 cups (about 2 cups white, 3 whole wheat). I was then able to make all wheat; however, I found that I like at least 1-2 cups of white (not for health, just taste). I found that the routine would only take about 15 minutes a day (as long as everything was out) and about 30 minutes of baking. Also, I would vary the proofing/cooking times in order to make 2 loaves per day if needed. In addition, after the first proof, I began to experiment with different fillings such as: date and anise seed, sausage, Parmesan and fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes, etc….
STEPS FOR BAKING A LOAF OF BREAD:
1. Add 1 cup water + 1 cup flour to the starter the night before you plan to bake*
2. Around 2-3 pm, add 1 1/2 cups of starter, 2 cups non-chlorinated water, 3 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour, and 2 cups unbleached bread flour (such as Better for Bread brand) Note: If you are just learning, replace the wheat with white flour.
3. Mix in Kitchen Aid, or knead by hand. This has a three-fold purpose: to hydrate, stretch the gluten, and distribute fermentation. Dough should be slightly sticky, but not wet. Be sure to knead it long enough so that you see it beginning to stretch the dough and form a ball. It should look soft.
4. Let rest for 20 minutes.
5. Knead briefly to see if it needs any more flour or water. You will find that when working with whole wheat, it tends to absorb water at a slower pace than white. And, it may need a little more water, or it may be just right.
6. Cover with food grade plastic or a damp towel and set aside to rise for 4 hours or until it is doubled. How long it ferments will help to determine how mild or sour it is. I prefer mine to be mild, so I am sure not to let it go much past this point.
7. Gently punch down and add 2 tsp. finely ground moist gray sea salt. Distribute while gently kneading. If possible, try to retain some of the existing air pockets. Shape the loaf into a fine loaf, tucking the bottom under with the palms of your hands to gain height of loaf. Note: This is the point also that you may wish to add any other ingredients or you may want to make different shapes of dough, such as a baguette.
8. Let rest for 5 minutes and further shape without flattening again. You just want to use gentle motions to add height. The gluten will soften slightly and better hold the shape you desire.
9. In a colander or proofing basket lined with a tea towel or linen cloth, sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour to prevent sticking (for best results, use 1/4 rice and 3/4 rye put through the “course” setting of your WonderMill grain mill), then gently place the loaf in the basket. Drape the ends of the towel over the dough and place colander in a plastic bag. Tie the bag loosely (be sure to leave room for the dough to expand). The plastic will prevent unwanted moisture loss.
10. Place bag in refrigerator overnight. **
11. At 6 am, or when you first get up, remove dough and open the plastic and the towel. (If your towel sticks, you may add a small amount of water to it. Never pull it off as you will flatten to top air pockets). Let it warm up for about 2-3 hours (or as long as you can wait : >)
12. 1 hour before you are ready to bake, place La Cloche
13. Just before you are ready to bake, invert the colander of dough onto a floured (rice/rye mixture again) pizza peel
14. Immediately, open the oven. With a high temperature oven mitt, remove the top of the clay baker. Quickly slide the loaf into the baker and cover with the hot top. Close the oven.
15. Bake for about 30-35 minutes.
16. Once done, remove the bread (I leave the clay in the oven to cool down slowly to avoid cracking) and place bread on a cooling rack so that air can circulate under as well. Now, here’s the hard part…let it cool for at least three hours or longer. The baking process actually continues as it cools down even though it is not in the oven any more. If you cut too soon, it will appear “gummy” or sticky and you will loose some of the desired air pockets.
17. Slice and enjoy with lots of raw butter and/or honey or arrowroot fruit jam.
18. Repeat…Repeat…Repeat.
At first it may seem strange and cumbersome, but in time, you will form a rhythm that feels natural and your family and friends will love the bread!
Another note of encouragement…I have had MANY “bad” batches of dough (as my husband can attest to!) There have been bricks that would have made better bombs than food. But, like any art, it’s worth the effort to persevere. Remember, people have been making bread for over 4,000 years, and even today bakers are learning new things with the advent of refrigeration and climate control. If you are like most people, it may take some time. Stay with it and you will be rewarded!
*A note on keeping fresh starter: Starter can be keep in the fridge or the counter. You will want to feed it once or twice per week if it’s in the fridge. If it’s on the counter top, once a day will do, or even twice (if the temperature is warm..say, above 74 degrees..) It is alive and it will get sour if it goes too long without food. If this happens, simply discard all but a 1/2 cup and start adding flour and water again. I usually add 1 cup water and 1 cup flour to feed it.
** You can also make this in 8 hours, skipping the overnight fermentation. Just follow steps 1-9, then leave out for 4 hours on the counter top, then proceed to step 11. The taste will not be as developed, but it will still be good!
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Able To Give An Answer
By Kelly | June 29, 2008
As Christians, Paul says we should “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you…” I Peter 3:15
I love this. First, it assumes people are going to be asking us something. Which implies that we are different than them. Different is not bad, people. It is not “culturally irrelevant” to be different. The Bible says it is expected!
What “hope”? How do they see hope which prompts them to question? Of course there are many circumstances, but it is amazing how many times I’ve had opportunity to answer about my hope in Christ as it relates to our children….simply because we are, well, different. Let’s face it: if you have more than three children, you are going to be questioned! Can I get a witness?
“How do you handle them all? How do you homeschool them all? How do you…”
My hope is in Christ! My strength, my comfort, my energy–only in Him!
This past weekend I had such an opportunity at my uncle’s funeral. Since most everyone there had already heard about “the lady with seven children”, questions were plentiful.
But how should we answer? This is crucial.
With love, grace and a smile. Never with pride, never terse or reactive. This is our opportunity to “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father…”
I love thinking of answers before I’m asked them. Because let’s face it, it’s easy to be caught off guard. These are some answers I’ve either given, or thought of recently:
- In responding to questions about having lots of children, I have found that most people just really are curious. Deep down, they want to know why you have had so many. I used to be one of those people. Sometimes I just go ahead and pull down their suspicions by saying we don’t use birth control.
“You know, about ____ years ago, the Lord just changed our hearts about children and we just started saying ‘yes’ “.
“It just made sense to us that if children are a heritage from the Lord, we didn’t want to refuse any.”
Or, the reply I gave to a distant relative last Christmas, after she insisted time and again how much trouble a house full of children must be.
Leaning toward her, with the deepest sincereity and biggest smile I could find, I said,
“You know, it is the hardest work I’ve ever done. But I can’t think of anything else I’d rather pour my life into than raising children for the glory of God.”
- In responding to homeschool questions, remember that most people don’t know much about how it works, and they honestly can’t understand how it could be a good thing to go against the norm so much.
I know I want to remember that God is in control of this whole thing, and His glory is the ultimate reason for all our existence–and that should be evident in our responses.
If a question is related to academics or our credentials, I think a good response is something like:
“You know, we have found the most incredible thing to be true…when we make it our priority to teach our children about the Lord (the fear of the Lord, etc.)–the only thing He even asks of us, the academic part flourishes.”
Whatever your answers, I encourage you to seek the Lord, you and your husband, about being prepared to give a humble one. If an answer is given sincerely, warmly, and with love, I think we have no idea the power behind it.
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Parables Under My Roof
By Jennie | June 26, 2008
[Note: This is a piece I wrote in 2006, but it's just as relevant two years later as it was when I first typed it out, and I thought I'd share it here!]
Some days the Lord sends us parables in the form of our children. I had a living parable delivered to me today while my second-born son, Alex, practiced piano in our living room.
Alex just started piano lessons this fall. In fact, his first lesson was yesterday. Until now, he has contented himself with picking out a few tunes by ear on the keys and watching others play. Alex sings beautifully and loves music, so he has been chomping at the bit to begin “real” lessons. After his first session with his teacher (our dear neighbor up the street), Alex came bouncing into the house, eager to show me what he had learned. He pulled out the piano bench, seated himself, and sat up straight and tall.
“This is the way you sit, Mom,” he happily proclaimed, holding himself at an amazing 90-degree angle. He placed his hands gently on the keys, trying not to “break the bubble” beneath his curved fingers. “And this is how you put your fingers on the piano, Mom!” (This to a mother who took piano for nine years; ah, memories!) Alex happily plunked out a few notes before jumping up and heading on to his next project. But right after breakfast this morning, he made a beeline for the piano, determined to get in his daily practice while he was fresh. I checked on the other children to make sure they were occupied with chores and school work, then headed into the bedroom to dump out some laundry and do some straightening.
That’s when the odd sounds began to issue from the living room.
These were not the joyful sounds of a boy who loves his music. This was more like the agonized outcries of someone in great pain and anguish. My eldest son popped his head into my room. “Um, Mom? I think Alex might need some help. He is yelling at his fingers.”
“Yelling at his fingers?”
“Yes, ma’am. He is mad because they won’t do what they are supposed to do on the piano.”
I stepped out to investigate. Sure enough, Alex sat slumped over the keyboard, close to tears. He looked despondently at his hands and said, “Why do I have these bad fingers?” Suppressing a desire to giggle, I asked my son to come into my room.
“Alex, why are you shouting at your fingers?”
“Because they won’t do what they are supposed to do! This one”–pointing to his right pinky–”just sticks up in the air instead of staying down on the piano key!”
I took Alex into my lap, giving myself time to control a fit of laughter and compose my expression. “Alex, how long have you been taking piano lessons?” I asked. Alex looked at me incredulously. “Only one day!” he said, frustration rising in his voice. “Yes, son,” I replied. “One day. That means your fingers have had only one day to learn what they are supposed to do. They still don’t know where they’re supposed to go. They haven’t learned how to stay still and how to hit the piano keys nicely and stay put when they’ve finished, do they?” Alex shook his head. “How do you think your fingers will learn to play the piano, Alex?” My son wrinkled his brow and puzzled over this for a moment, finally saying, “I don’t know!” I held out my hands. “Alex, it took my hands eight years to learn to play the piano–and I still don’t play as well as daddy does. He has played far longer than that. He has practiced and practiced and played and played, and that’s how his fingers remember what to do.” Alex nodded slowly. “How do you think Daddy taught his fingers to play? Did he yell at them and say, ‘You bad fingers! Why can’t you just play this piano RIGHT NOW?’” Alex giggled. “Do you think Daddy got mad at his fingers and told them they wouldn’t be allowed to play piano until they could do it perfectly?” Alex smiled, seeing where this story was going. “No, ma’am. He had to keep playing, or his fingers wouldn’t be able to play.” I hugged Alex. “That’s right, honey! The only way for your fingers to learn how to play the piano is for you to let them practice. That means they will stumble and bumble and make lots of mistakes. They will be weak at first, but the more you exercise them and help them to learn, the better you will be able to play.” The lightbulb was now on and burning brightly.
After we prayed for Alex to have patience with his hands, he hopped up and went right back to the piano. No more sounds of frustration issued from the living room. And that’s when my lightbulb went on, and the parable opened up before my eyes. Aren’t we parents just like Alex at times? Don’t we get frustrated when our children cannot seem to learn to do something, no matter how many times we’ve shown them? Don’t we wonder how long it will take before they finally get it? And, let’s be honest: aren’t there days when we raise our voices in frustration and say things like, “Move over. I’ll just do it for you,” as we take the mop or the dust rag or whatever it is and finish the job? Yet how do children learn? They certainly don’t learn how to do the dishes in one session. They definitely can’t expertly wield a broom when it is first handed to them. When we say, “Clean your room,” they don’t always know that the socks don’t go in the shirt drawer, nor the Legos in the hamper. Like the weak fingers of a new piano student, our children aren’t born with the skills and knowledge to do tasks perfectly after one command or a single lesson. The only way is to practice, practice, practice…every day, over and over, every week, every month, every year.
As I watched Alex struggling manfully with his “bad hands,” I thought, “There I am.” I have a house full of children of varying skills and abilities. There are days when I doubt that anything is sinking in. I could record, “Please pick that up and put it where it belongs” and just have it on permanent playback some days! Yet I am commanded to love my children and not to provoke them to anger. I am commanded to be “patient, kind, longsuffering,” knowing that this is how true love reacts–even during long days when the littlest people under my roof just don’t seem to understand the words coming out of my mouth. It really is a lot of work to turn a babbling infant into a responsible adult. It means consistency and faithfulness every day. It means counting to ten instead of responding in frustration when yet another shoe is left on the stairs. It means bending down to show the two-year-old how to fetch the toys from under the bed (again…and again, and again). It means a whole lot of prayer and even more grace.
And that’s when the Lord sends us these little reminders that He is here with us; that He is watching us with His infinite care and, yes, with satisfaction. When our hands are weak, He is strong, and He promises to “strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” (Isaiah 35:3). And whole-hearted attempts to obey (even when we are weary and fainting) are pleasing to Christ, “who has already accepted [our] works” (Eccl. 9:7).
I thank God for these parables He has seen fit to place in my household. I pray daily that I may be faithful and not faint or grow weary in well-doing as I remember that I, too, needed years of training when my parents taught me. I needed the daily reminders, the sessions of firm discipline and correction, the loving praise for a job well attempted, and the reminders to press on toward excellence even in the small things. Thank God for my faithful parents, who surely put up with a lot of frustration in bringing up this first-born perfectionist, who spent many an hour crying over her “bad hands” and wishing it wasn’t so hard to learn to sew, or cook, or write a story, or memorize historical timelines, or…. Wow. Thank you, Lord, for giving me an Alex. And a John Nathan, and a Thomas, a Belle, a Felicity, a Tucker, and a Patrick. Seven living parables, if I only have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
Post Script
After mulling over my conversation with Alex, the Lord sent me another postcard in the form of my two daughters, ages 4 and 2. From toddlerhood, I teach all of my children to put away their toys and clothes and keep their rooms neat. My older boys are all absolute whizzes at keeping their room straight and helping clean up clutter around the house. They call it “Tornado Clean-up,” because they fly around the house in a blur, putting things where they belong in record time. Such has not been the case with my daugthers. A total neatnik from birth myself, I have puzzled and puzzled over how two girls can wreak so much havoc in such a small space and profess themselves unable to put it all back. One day, it dawned on me that I hadn’t really shown them how to clean up like I’d taught their brothers years before. I had to remember the time when I spent days and days walking the boys through the steps of picking up the clothes and putting them neatly in drawers; picking up the toys and putting them away in the box; picking up the books and putting them on the shelf. They’ve been so good at cleaning for so long that I had a memory lapse. When this realization dawned on me, I got right to work, showing the girls how to put their room in order, step by step. Some days I was sorely tempted to run around quickly and get it all done. Some days they’d come to me and say, “Our room is clean, Mama! Come inspect!” And I’d walk in, only to find clothes hanging out of drawers, toys scattered under beds, and shoes in the bookshelf. I’d sigh inwardly (sometimes outwardly) and say, “Let me show you again, girls. Let’s start with the shoes.” And we’d walk carefully around the room, looking for things that didn’t belong so we could put them in their right places. This has gone on for a good while now, and there have been days I’ve wondered if anything was sinking in at all. Then came my postcard today.
As is usual before lunchtime, my children scrambled to put away the books, papers, crayons, pencils, and other items from the dining table. They also ran to do a check on their rooms to make sure things were neatly in place. I’d popped my head into the girls room and told them they still had nightgowns on the floor and toys lying around from after breakfast. Then I went back to making sandwiches. About five minutes later, Felicity ran into the kitchen and said, “We’re all finished, Mama!” I smiled indulgently, knowing the room was probably still in a state of minor chaos. Then Belle came in and announced, “You can come inspect, Mama! We did it!” I raised my eyebrows. “Really? Are you sure you want me to inspect?” Both heads nodded emphatically, and I followed them to their room. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I stood in stunned silence in the doorway for a full five seconds while it sank in: beds neatly made; toys put away; nightgowns back in the drawer; not a shoe in sight. Clean as a whistle. “Girls!” I exclaimed, dropping to my knees and holding out my arms. “You did it! You cleaned your whole room! It’s beautiful!” My little ladies beamed and giggled and hugged my neck. “Did you have any help?” I asked, wondering if big brother Alex (the clean machine) might have given them a hand. “No, ma’am! We did it together!” Alex popped around the corner to confirm this statement, saying he’d been working with Thomas to get the dirty clothes in the hamper and hadn’t helped the girls one bit.
What a milestone! This necessitated a call to daddy, who praised the girls for their hard work and for being such a big help to mommy. My little ladies spent the next twenty minutes singing over their sandwiches and smiling every time I caught their eyes. Blessing! The work does pay off. It is worth it. One step at a time. Isn’t that just how God treats us? May we remember and treasure these moments for the days when the shoes are all over the stairs and the bad fingers just won’t hit the keys like we want them to. And that’s my postcard to you!
The Garden Bench by Tissot
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Pineapples, Hospitality and Homemaking
By Kathy | June 25, 2008
Have you ever wondered why the pineapple is a common symbol in architecture, furniture, textiles and in food displays?
The pineapple originated centuries ago in South America. Christopher Columbus discovered the pineapple in Guadeloupe in 1493 and took it back to Europe with him.
American colonists began importing the pineapple from the Caribbean in the 17th century. The voyage from the Caribbean Islands to America was a long, slow one. It was great achievement for someone to be able to give a fresh, ripe pineapple to a guest. Some sea captains would put a pineapple outside their home after returning from a voyage as a sign of his safe return. The pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality in early America.
In the 18th and 19th centuries pineapple symbols were widely used in furniture and household linens.
Today the pineapple is still used as a symbol that says, “WELCOME!”
A lot of old crochet patterns will have pineapples in them. A few weeks ago someone gave me a bag full of old doilies and this one was in it. You can’t tell by the picture, but it is made with a very fine crochet thread. It is beautiful and delicate. Note the pineapples. Here I used a small juice glass with some fresh herbs and a flower to make this doily a focal point.
On the back of this rocker is one of the first doilies I made over 20 years ago. At the time I didn’t know I was doing a pineapple pattern. :o)
We love the Anne of Green Gables movies. I like the part where Diana is boasting about getting married and how many doilies she has received so far, Anne pokes fun of her which leads to an argument. Although the feminist minded Anne is wrong for making fun of her we could learn a lesson here about preparations for setting up a household.
When attending bridal showers these days how often does the bride get something like a hand made doily or a quilt? Does she get items that say welcome, warmth or comfort? Items that will last for many years and could even be passed down to the next generation?
Granted, everyone’s taste is different; not everyone will love doilies or quilts, and that is OK. But I challenge you to really examine the decor of your home. When people walk into your home does it feel like a home? Are there touches of homemade grace? Do they feel welcome? Does your own family feel comfortable and relaxed? This is one of our most important priorities as we seek keep our homes to the glory of God!
You can crochet doilies too! They use the same stitches as used in yarn crochet. I love working with thread. Don’t forget to check out our Learn How to Crochet DVD to get you started with yarn crochet and then you can just apply those same steps with using thread.
Topics: Teaching Good Things | No Comments »
The Importance of Handiwork
By Kathy | June 11, 2008
We were made in God’s image. He created us to glorify Him and one why we do that is by creating with our hands. Creating things with our hands can range from skyscrapers to a pair of crocheted booties. The extravagance of the creation is not what is most important, but the fact that we are being productive. This keeps us from being idle which Scripture warns so strongly against.
When your hands are busy, so is your mind. We’ve all heard the saying, “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” There is a lot of truth there! But it’s not just about busyness; it’s about needing to be busy with a purpose.
We need to be busy equipping our children (and ourselves) with tools to help develop their character and abilities. Learning any type of handiwork or skill takes determination, self discipline, patience, attentiveness, and perseverance just to name a few. It’s not so much about making a quilt or baking a cake, but do you have the character to see it through and do your best? Do you have the skills to do it correctly? That is how handiwork can build virtue in us and our children.
Let’s look at a few verses in Proverbs 31 about handiwork. After all, she is the ideal wife:
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Does your husband trust you to be a good steward with the finances and possessions? Are you wasting time and money? Are there gifts you could be working on throughout the year to save money at Christmas and birthdays? Are there more frugal options in your meal planning and preparations? Are there things you could learn to help your home run more efficiently? Are there activities that you could eliminate to free up time to do more important things? This list could go on and on. :o)
Although I do not work a job outside our home, there are dozens of ways I help save money and make money from home. My husband trusts me. He knows that I take my job as his wife seriously.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
In today’s culture we may not need to go out and sheer the sheep or weave our own fabrics, but we are to be busy with our hands. The key word in this verse is “willingly”. The Virtuous Woman has a willing attitude, not one of drudgery or resentment. I love this verse. It clearly states that we are to be creative; we take something in its simplest form (using wool and flax for example) and we willingly, eagerly, work with it to produce something useful and hopefully beautiful!
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
As I said earlier, it’s not just about being busy, but about creating something “good“. In order to create something good it takes determination, self discipline, patience, attentiveness, and perseverance.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Again, she is creating with her hands and selling her goods. There are countless items you can make to sell. Note that she is not the merchant, but she is selling to the merchant.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Striving to be Proverbs 31 Women and keepers of our homes (Titus 2) we have to put a lot of time, energy and love into caring for our families and keeping our homes. It takes a lot of planning, intelligence and hard work to do our job in a fashion that pleases the Lord and there is no time for idleness. Let us be careful to instill this in our children while they are young, but even more so while they are teenagers. Limit their time of entertainment and folly. Give them resources to inspire and equip them, but most of all parents need to lead by example.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Build a good reputation in the gates (publicly) of being a woman of virtue. Do not be guilty of being a busybody or a woman of vanity. Be a woman that does not waste her life chasing the wind or being idle. Look after your family, keep your home, and reach out to the needy; this brings glory to God, because you are obeying His ways.
I understand the struggle for time to learn a new skill and then finding time to improve on it, but it really is important that we make this a part of our life, especially for our children. We moms know how much harder it is to learn these things once we have a husband, home, and children, that is why I am so passionate about teaching these practical skills to young people. We must redeem the time!
Now that I am a little older and I know how to crochet for example, I can do it to relax, it’s not a strain on my brain; it’s more like a second nature. My family will tell you I never sit down to watch a movie with them unless I have something in my hands to work on. I find so much satisfaction in creating something. When I give something I have made to someone and they love it, to me that is worth more than anything money can buy!
Handiwork is not about being busy, but about being busy with a purpose.
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