1. We visited our favorite fountain in town yesterday to kill a few minutes between bagels with friends and gymnastics class. Only on this particular morning, someone had added what must have been a quart of laundry detergent into the pool. The mix of gurgling, spouting water and a bit of suds created a thick velvety layer of shaving cream-type froth beneath the tumbling water falls.
"Oh look at the bubbles," I said as the children and I approached.
As brother and sister eagerly climbed onto the rim of the font and began dipping fingers into the foam, I recognized the potential mess we had on our hands just moments before we had to have L at her tumbling class.
I attempted a final warning, but I knew it was hopeless.
"Please try to stay dry! We have to be at gymnastics soon and we don't have any extra clothes."
I stepped back and let the experimentation happen. The suds started to fly. The girl stayed relatively dry. The boy didn't.
Needless to say, we made a quick stop by the house for dry clothes.
2. On iced tea
I'll never give up coffee--unless perhaps scientists find some addictive chemical in it that makes you crave it fort-nightly. Wouldn't that be terrible? Until then, I'll keep on sipping.
Sometimes, however, my morning Joe bores me just a little, so I have to go through a once-per-quarter phase of drinking tea. That's happening now.
My summer tea of choice involves brewing two bags of green jasmine in a mug of hot water with a spot of sugar, then pouring it over my 22-ounce tumbler full of ice and twisting a lemon wedge over the top. Mmm.
3. Our strawberry balsamic salad is making good use of fresh berries and makes ordinary salad a little less, well, ordinary.
I cut washed romaine into bite-sized chunks, then top with thin slices of Vidalia onion and fresh strawberries. Whisk together equal portions of balsamic vinegar and good olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then poor over salad and toss.
It's good.
4. On a recent trip to the Mediterranean, my thoughtful hubby, N, brought home a package of Turkish Delight. We had read about it in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, but never knew what it was. It always sounded so exotic and delicious. Turns out, it's a gel-like candy coated in a very dusty layer of powdered sugar. Each cube in our package has a different flavor--rose water, hazelnut, citrus. I think they taste sickeningly sweet and the rose water version reminds me of the way my grandma's house smelled.
I don't think I'll be sending N back to Istanbul any time soon for more Turkish Delight.
5. Do your children sit like this?
I've heard it called "W" sitting. A physical therapist friend who saw L sitting this way one day warned us that it could lead to joint trouble and she really shouldn't sit that way. But she always does and now so does C. I think it's their most comfortable position for floor sitting. N can't possibly contort his body into this position, but I can. I think it's weird, but comfy, too.
6. We're still looking for a home.
7. We say bedtime prayers each night at our house. We thank God for L and C, ask for rest and restoration of energy, request forgiveness for our daily trespasses (theirs and mine) and pray for blessed sleep.
Here's a poem about prayer from one of my kiddos' favorite bedtime books. It's called "Bedtime Hugs for Little Ones" by Debbie Boone (of course, my sweet mother-in-law passed this one to us). The poem title is "Prayer Time" and it goes like this:
We say goodnight
to (Papa),
to Mama,
to the dog,
to the goldfish in the bowl sitting on the dresser,
to our favorite toys.
But remember how much God looks forward to saying goodnight to us, too.
He loves to hear
what we enjoyed during the day,
what we need for tomorrow,
what we felt sad about,
what we felt bad about.
God loves you more than anyone else could,
and He looks forward to that time of night when you can share your thoughts with Him.
And when you say "Amen"
and it's time to close your eyes
and when Mama and (Papa) leave the room,
remember...
He's still there
all through the night
watching over us.
I know some folks use a specific blessing or rhyme for their prayers. I'd love to hear how you all say good night with your children.
Have a wonderful weekend!
First, I am so happy that you are doing these 7QT each Friday. Your photos are so nice, your tidbits are very interesting. Second, thank you for reading that Debbie Boone book to the kids. I was hoping that you'd find it as sweet as I did when my girls were little. I'm sending lots of love and hugs. (and maybe some more books.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nana! I hope you're relaxing a bit after your morning's events. Why did God create centipedes anyway?
ReplyDeleteThat fountain looks like capital F FUN! The messier, the better, right?
ReplyDeleteI've always been curious about turkish delight - interesting.
Mia sits in a W sometimes, not alot, but my brother and I did it ALL the time growing up. I *think* my joints are fine...
Great Quick Takes this week! Your salad looks amazing--it makes me eager to get some good, fresh produce and head into the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteAbout #5: P sits in that W position all the time. We had one doctor tell us it would be harmful to her joints and another tell us not to worry about it, so...who knows. I think it *has* to be a little hard on the knees, but the kids' rubbery little joints are probably fine. If it was too much of a strain I don't think they'd do it, you know?
And #7 is sweet. K has a very specific prayer she says every night to ward off bad dreams. I'm supposed to say it, but she made up the words. It starts like this: "Dear God, please keep K safe all night long. Send the angels down from Heaven to guard her while she sleeps, and ask Mary to check on her through the night. Thank you for all our blessings. For Mommy and Daddy and K and P..." and then, you know, more daily gratitudes and sorrows from there. As for P, she still can't stay awake long enough to have a bedtime routine. I'm lucky if I even get a quick snuggle before she starts reaching for "puppy" and her crib!
Good luck with the continued house hunt! How's it going?
(Oh, and C brought us some Turkish Delight a few weeks ago and I had much the same reaction. C.S. Lewis made it sound so good, but I don't think I would have doomed Narnia for another taste!)
Each night I ask the kids who they want to pray for. All 3 almost always say DADDY!!! And then M always prays for the same 2 students that are in our Chico State Campus Crusade ministry. He loves the students. Such a great little heart.
ReplyDeleteThe girls have to sing B-I-B-L-E and Jesus loves me. Don't even think about not singing it...it doesn't work.
A--That's so sweet about the girls singing. I imagine their voices to be simply angelic. Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteS--Glad to hear your joints are fine after all of that W sitting. I think mine are OK, too, after my years of crouching that way as a kiddo.
E--I'll bet K's prayers take ages to get through--God loves thoroughness, I'm sure of it. I think P and C are cut from the same cast--I see my bed and my lovey and I want to say good-night now, thank you!