Cello Studio Class August 2024

I tried something new with my cello studio this summer. We held a studio class with the focus of showcasing progres, not perfection. Each student played a piece of music regardless of whether it was "ready", and we all cheered for each other.

I provided brunch, and families poured into the little fellowship hall where one of my student's dad pastors. I think it was a rousing success and plan to do it again next summer!

 

July 2024 Milestones

"Watching one's small humans age and grow up packs a serious punch. It's like being stuck in a dream unable to speak, like being a ghost that can see but not touch, like standing on a huge grate while a storm rains oiled diamonds, like collecting feathers in a storm. Parents in love with their kids are all amnesiacs, trying to remember, trying to cherish moments, ghosts trying to hold the world. Being mortals, having a finite mind when surrounded by joy that is perpetually rolling back into the rear view is like always having something important on the tips of our tongues, something on the tips of our fingers, always slipping away, always ducking our embrace."

~N.D. Wilson, "Death by Living"

Sarah has been serving as a nanny. Recently she and her small one each drew a picture of their families. When she sent us this photo, I felt joy intermingled with grief. Joy in observing the crayon rendering of such valuable relationships, joy in remembering so many sweet years of building those relationships, joy in watching my children grow into young adults and flourish. At the same time, I experience grief that my favorite people no longer live under my roof, grief that we no longer share daily mundane tasks, grief that their songs no longer float through the rooms.

In July, we hosted Olivia's bachelorette party. All these lovely ladies spent the weekend under our roof, and Sarah coordinated memory-making activities for this group that will help keep Olivia accountable and encouraged throughout her marriage to Connor.

The special weekend also fell on Sarah's 25th birthday. She insisted that we not celebrate because the time was to be focused on Olivia, but we didn't listen to her! Katherine made a beautiful tiramisu, and we surprised Sarah with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday to You".

July 2024 - "He is speaking always and everywhere"

"God is a God of galaxies, of storms, of roaring seas and boiling thunder, but He is also the God of bread baking, of a child's smile, of dust motes in the sun. He is who He is, and always shall be. Look around you now. He is speaking always and everywhere." 

~N.D. Wilson, "Death by Living"

Ways I heard God speaking in July:

-A bounty of fragrant basil on our back patio and fresh tomatoes at the farmers' market produced quarts of spaghetti sauce in glass jars, waiting for the cold of winter to make us reach again for summer 

-Peach upside-down cake to utilize the ripe peaches abundant in July (our favorite recipe is from Beatrice Ojakangas)

-Bushels and bushels of purple hull peas shelled late in the afternoon on the porch, then frozen to be cooked up with some of our favorite beef sausage and enjoyed on cold nights

-PraiseWorks, one more year for Katherine to enjoy being a part of something big and beautiful

-Continuing to read and work through another gem by Curt Thompson, which is nurturing my love for neuroscience at the intersection of Christianity and helping me grow

-This little passage links some trails around my hometown. Our normal bike route was recently disrupted by construction, and this path squeezes in between two houses in a subdivision. Every time I ride my bike here, I feel a little bit like I'm opening the wardrobe into Narnia :)

-Astoundingly, this thick stack of cards has been stretched across my wall for the last year, encouraging and strengthening me. So many people sent snail mail and buoyed me through a hard year of cancer treatments!

 

July Garden 2024

"We have been created as recipients. I look at the stars, at the grass, at my fat-faced children, at my fingernails, and I am oppressed by gratitude." 

N.D. Wilson, "Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl: Wide Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World"

July is the height of garden season here, and I'm always amazed to watch the tiny seeds morph into fruits and veggies. The critters were getting into all of our melons, so we added chicken wire and wrapped plastic bags around the small, hanging melons.

We emptied one side of our composter and dug it into the raised beds so we could plant butternut squash for this fall.

The tigger melons were thriving, as long as we could keep the squirrels away from them. The abundance of melons made up for the total demise of the tomatoes this year :(

We don't have chickens, but I would like to add them to our collection soon. Until then, I'm grateful for friends who share their bounty and who get excited with me when I find a beautiful double yolk.

The sweet blot peppers did well this year. Our Ozark giant peppers didn't get to be giants, but they were prolific and delicious.

 

Sweet Sabbath

"The alternative on offer is the awareness and practice of the claim that we are situated on the receiving end of the gifts of God. To be so situated is a staggering option because we are accustomed to being on the initiating end of all things."

~Walter Brueggman, "Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to a Culture of Now"

 

See the Gifts Summer 2024

"Gratitude is liberation. We are all mortals, called into this narrative in this timestream without our consent. And we will all reach an end. See the gifts. And if they seem sparse, start counting. Omit nothing." ~N.D. Wilson, Death by Living

-Morning bike rides with my best friend

 

-Birthday parties for little Schalchlin cousins

-Tours of the USS Razorback and USS Hoga and a teenaged daughter who is falling in love with all things maritime in WWII

-the thoughtful and inspirational book, "Death by Living" written by N.D. Wilson

-a bountiful farmers market, representing many friends who work hard for this beautiful, delicious, nourishing, local food

-Saturday brunch on the back patio: waffles loaded with fresh fruit and shared with friends.

-Watching Grandma's first experience with a Rubik's Cube

Spontaneous Summer

One of my cello students recommended the trails in the Rattlesnake Ridge Natural Area, so on a sticky Saturday we decided to test my stamina on the Cliffbrake Trail.

We splurged on a sushi picnic from the grocery store, and drove our way around the curves while listening to Secure Love by Julie Menanno. Sooooo many good things to talk about, we often found ourselves pausing the recording to discuss what we had heard.

At this rate, it may take us all year to work our way through the book, but there is no race, and I'm so grateful for the opportunities to thoughtfully process what we are learning. Julie's social media account, @thesecurerelationship, has been a wellspring of information and a spark to kindle personal growth.

As we hiked, I learned that I have about an hour and a half in my energy tank before I crumple, so my stamina is continuing to slowly grow as my body recovers from the cancer treatments. If this trend keeps moving upwards, I have some hiking goals to conquer next spring!

June 2024 in Dallas

The kids (can I still call them that?) are changing like time-lapse videos, the ones where a seed sprouts, climbs, and fruits, all in under 30 seconds. Meanwhile, I'm in slow motion, doing my best to pull an "all-dayer" without a cat nap to get me through. ~Shannon Martin

The last weekend in June, our whole crew met in Dallas to see Sarah perform in the Family Music Theater's "Hunchback of Notre Dame".

A year ago, we were in Dallas to see her perform in Footloose and to cut my hair before it all fell out. What a year it has been! In a way, this trip felt like yet another celebration of the family God has given us and the things He has recently brought us through.

With the addition of Connor, we needed a bigger house for this trip. Our Air BnB was right next to a cute little park.

So I met my favorite walking buddy for walks followed by coffee at Gahwena. Gebauer Power for the win!

The show was stellar, as always. Not only did we get to see several of the Gebauers exercise their creativity with the show,

we also got to hear Sarah sing a solo at the end. Many people expressed how much they love Sarah and enjoy working on the shows with her.

When our crew gets together, we play games and go on walks and laugh and sometimes we talk about deep things, too. What a joy it is to see these young adults sprout, climb, and bear fruit.

June Rasperries

The raspberry bushes from my former math teacher produced bountifully in June.

Katherine faithfully picked, counted, and charted the raspberry production, and we enjoyed eating the vibrant, tart fruit. One of my favorite ways to eat raspberries is in berry blintzes.

Berry Blintzes

4 egg whites

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp sugar, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup all-purpose

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

3/4 cup light sour cream, divided

4 oz light cream cheese

1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp toasted wheat germ

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp butter, melted 

2 cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

In a bowl, whisk egg whites, milk, 1 Tbsp sugar, and salt. Add flour, beat until smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes. Heat an 8 inch nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat For each blintz, pour 1/4 cup of batter in the center of skillet, lift and turn pan to cover the bottom. Cook until lightly browned, turn and lightly brown the other side. Remove to a wire rack. When cool, stack on waxed paper or towels in between.

For the filling, mix ricotta, cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp wheat germ and vanilla until bended. Spoon 1/4 cup onto each blintz and fold ends and sides over filling. Arrange folded side down in a 13x9 baking dish, brush with melted butter. Cover and bake 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Top with berries and sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining wheat germ.

Things Bringing Me Joy in June 2024

In the midst of attending continuing ed classes to keep my teaching license, June held so many beautiful things to enjoy:

-Making the weekly trip through the hills of north central Arkansas to pick up raw milk 

-Reading and listening to books that were recommended by the speakers at the educational co-op, like "Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering Resilient Learners"

-Going on a date with my sweetie because I had a coupon AND a gift card. We tried a fancy affogato flight with four different types of locally made ice cream. Delicious!

-Making thumbprint cookies with a new generation of kiddos

-Pivoting and making sandwich cookies when things didn't turn out as anticipated

-The ability to track my food again with My Fitness Pal, including the delicious chocolate peppermint protein powder, coffee, and raw milk I take to the gym. I'm still working to rebuild my strength and energy after cancer.

June Wedding Showers

We were so grateful for the abundance of people that circled around Olivia and Connor in preparation for their wedding and marriage.

Ladies from our church hosted a community shower

and people from so many arenas of our lives showed up and/or brought gifts to help the new couple get started well on their journey.

Great food and sweet conversations with friends from our neighborhood, gym, homeschool, church, and community created a rich environment for the couple's first wedding shower.

A few weeks later, my mom and I organized a family wedding shower.

My mom organized fun games and made sure things ran smoothly. She's so good at thinking through the details.

I'm appreciating extended family more and more as I observe how we encourage each other through different seasons of life.

Time with Olivia always makes my heart happy.

I was getting really spoiled to seeing our young adults often because we had more opportunities and availability to gather during the summer months!