Summer day

Today the boys and I walked to the park for lunch. The weather was breezy and warm and I enjoyed eating my salad full of fresh, farmer's market veggies with tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden. The walk home included squirrel watching, stopping to let fuzzy caterpillars cross the sidewalk, a 5-year old analysis about why skunks like their own stink, and best of all, fresh blackberries for dessert picked all along the trail.

All year long I wait for this time--when blackberries are free for the picking all around the city, vegetables are ready to be harvested for salads everyday, the sunshine is out all day long, and the nights are still long and warm.

I love summer. I love Oregon. I LOVE Oregon in the summer. Everyday of rain and gray during the year is worth it just to live here in the summer.

Monday Fun Find #10

If you click on this Monday fun find and find that it has been sold, it's probably because I bought it.

The Versatile Wrap Sewing Pattern

I've wanted for a long time to purchase this pattern from makeitperfect , and featuring it here makes me want it even more. When I was a missionary in South Africa, I brought home a couple of wrap skirts in different styles--they are so comfortable and since being back in America, I have been searching for more, but to no avail. This one seems to be the perfect length and looks very easy to make.

Once I receive the pattern and make a skirt, I'll post pics and then you can all send me your favorite fabric to be made into your very own adorable wrap skirt.

**Just FYI--From today forward, Monday Fun Finds will be posted every other Monday.

The Law Of The Jungle

The River of Doubt, a non-fiction account of Theodore Roosevelt's horrible and spectacular journey down the Amazon River, written by Candice Millard, is, for me, a departure from the books I normally read.

I was originally interested in this book at the recommendation of a friend for its historical significance. It was a challenging read, but finishing the book left me deeply satisfied as well as educated about life in the rainforest, Teddy Roosevelt's generous & adventurous personality, and his respectful style of parenting.

Perhaps because I find myself constantly immersed in the challenge of raising my own children, I am always looking for ways I can improve as a parent. Millard occasionally leaves the story of the river expedition to give some insight into the character's lives before the journey, particularly Roosevelt, as she describes his childhood, some of his experiences as the President of the United States, and a few family stories about the raising of his six children.

Roosevelt's son, Kermit, joined him on this challenging journey down the Amazon, and I enjoyed reading the author's portrayal of the relationship between father and son.

"According to Kermit, Roosevelt had always held his children 'responsible to the law of the jungle.' He never tolerated greed or sloth, especially during camping trips, when, even only a few miles from home, the children's courage, patience, and magnanimity could be tested to their limits. 'Not even the smallest child was allowed to show a disposition to grab, or select his pieces of chicken,' Kermit recalled. 'We were taught that that was an unpardonable offense out camping, and might cause the culprit to be left behind next time.'Roosevelt had witnesed this low threshold for discomfort in some of his closest friends, and he believed that it showed a shallowness of character that he was determined never to see in his own children.

Roosevelt was proud of his son on this expedition. . .not only did Kermit never fight for the best piece of meat, but the few times that the expedition had meat, he was often the man who had brought it into camp" (pp. 252-253)

The "Law of the Jungle" to which Kermit refers, is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling. Here is the opening stanza of the poem:

Now this is the law of the Jungle--as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdle the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back--
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the pack.

I do not claim to be immune from displays of selfishness and greed, but, in my own challenge to overcome these character flaws, I hope to teach my children to work hard and think of others before themselves.

If it makes them better people, I believe I will also hold my children "responsible to the law of the jungle."

And the winner is. . .

Thanks so much to everyone for entering the giveaway! The winner of the random drawing is sweetest petula.

I really appreciate all the nice comments everyone left, and look forward to more giveaways in the very near future.

One Hundred Sales

Just a few days ago, I reached one hundred sales in my Etsy shop! This is an exciting and very fulfilling milestone, and I hope to have at least one hundred more in the coming months.

To celebrate, I’m giving away a mini-version of my Bring Your Own Bags—Starter Pack. (One reusable canvas shopping bag—medium, and two reusable produce bags).

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I will be out of town and far away from a computer for a few days, so I will hold the drawing when I get back on Thursday, August 7th.

Happy Day!

Baby Veggie photo shoot

What could be cuter than baby vegetables? I know--I'm a big nerd. I just can't wait for them to grow up so I can eat them.


This is one of the the mystery vines--turns out it's a pumpkin!

Reuse what you have: Super Foamers

Since I'm sure you don't all have the same blogs on your google reader as I have on mine, I thought I'd pass along a fun idea found on a blog that I read frequently. (Most ideas that circulate around blogland are recycled ideas anyway, which is half of the fun! It would be interesting to trace back an idea to its original source).

This is a super fun activity for kids, and perfect for summertime or bathtime.

Super Foamers

• used water/juice bottles (any skinny bottle with a smallish opening will work)
• bottle of bubbles
• old washcloth or towel
• rubberbands
  

1) Cut off the bottom of your bottle

2) Wrap a piece of washcloth or towel around the bottom and secure with a rubber band (I cut an old baby washcloth in half and folded each piece in half again--it was a great size)
3) Dip the washcloth in water first, then in a plate of bubbles

4) Blow! You will be amazed at the super foam that comes out the bottom.


My boys loved making Santa Claus beards with the bubbles. We plan to bring these back out during bathtime very soon.