Halloween

My friend, Lauren, found these peanut butter and jelly costumes for us at a flea market. Such a good analogy for our marriage! 

But the first Halloween costume I utilized was for the gym. With the help of one of the trainers, I snuck an old name tag and dressed up like Mason, who works at the gym I attend. The look on his face when I walked through the door was priceless.

As the light began to fade, our house had several visitors. The first ones were a family whose oldest two study cello with me.

Then we delighted in some of our neighbors and friends who call me JoJo. The Davis kiddos are adorable.

The last of the small ones were Lauren's kids, another set who refer to me as JoJo. Hugs and candy all around!

As the evening progressed, the ages of the trick-or-treaters went up. Seeing high school students dress up and participate in the festivities makes me happy.

These orch dorks sure know how to bring a smile to my face. And just when we had decided to turn off the lights and take off our costumes, I got a text...

"Are you still awake?" (they know me well!) 

"We're in your driveway!" So I grabbed the candy, turned on the light, and popped back out on the porch for some quick hugs and a visit with these cello students.

Presence and Beauty

I've been reading "Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human". I love how Comer frames how we spend our time as a way to make God's presence and beauty visible. For me, that looks like strengthening my body as Katherine and I go to the gym together. It looks like savoring the one Arkansas Black apple that survived this year (unlike the bumper crop we had recently). It also looks like one of my cello student's parents getting out of her car week after week to delight in the beautiful monarchs that continue to flock to our lantana and zinnias. 

"The Anglican writer John Stott said the kind of work we're called to is 'The expenditure of energy (manual or mental or both) in the service of others, which brings fulfillment to the worker, benefit to the community, and glory to God.'

Most of us get the first part of that definition: 'Fulfilment to the worker' -- ideally, your work should be a vocation, a calling, work that you feel God made you to do and that you love. And a lot of us get the second part: 'Benefit to the community' -- it should make the world into a more Garden-like place. But what about 'glory to God'? How do we do that?

Well, if God's glory is his presence and beauty, then, as I see it, we glorify God by reshaping the raw materials of the world in such a way that, for those with eyes to see, God's presence and beauty are made visible." ~John Mark Comer

Autumn Delights

Basketball season has begun, and I'm thrilled to watch my favorite basketball player, Evan, reap the benefits from his summer of hard work in the gym.

Our local farmers continue to provide amazing produce to share before the freeze. For the first time, we tried dehyrdrating squash and zucchini. They are so yummy! And our soups will be happy this winter when we add the sunshine of summer veggies.

"La Fiesta Orquesta" is one of my favorite concerts because we get to watch every single orchestra perform in one night. This year, the high school premiered a new piece by Bud Woodruff, a composer friend of the orchestra, and one of the violinsts choreographed a dance the she performed as the orchestra played.

 

Music Making

Watching Katherine blossom as a musician is such a testimony of God's faithfulness. Going overseas with our kids and knowing they wouldn't have the same musical opportunities took a lot of sacrifice and trust. 

Looking back, I think we have appreciated more the times they could sing in a choir or take piano lessons or play in an orchestra, because it was such a rare occasion. God has redeemed and quieted my concerns in giving Katherine the chance to serve at church and to perform with the Arkansas Youth Symphony Orchestra for several years in a row. 

She is building relationships and growing as a musician. She gets to play music that is fun and challenging.

And since Katherine is a senior this year, she is beginning to realize what a treasure this group is and how much she will miss the music making and the people. What a sweet gift this organization has been to our family for many years.

Middle-Aged Romance

"In both marriage and life with God, it's the constraint of commitment that will create space for love to mature and real transformation to occur. We often chafe against it, but in the end, like a caterpillars in the constraints of pupae, it is where are transformed into butterflies -- entirely new creatures of beauty." 

~John Mark Comer, "Practicing the Way"

The day after we helped our favorite farmer, breakfast frittata was the obvious choice because our dining room table was absolutely covered in bell peppers. My kind husband served me breakfast on the porch, and we enjoyed a slow start to the day.

Romance looks a little bit different than it used to. On this day, it looked like using a coffee coupon for "BOGO" as we hit the road to drive to a Drewry Farms for our last opportunity to grab several varieties of apples. We came home with Arkansas Black, Fuji, and Pink Lady to dehydrate, cook into apple butter, and eat plain.

When we returned, the afternoon was cool and rainy, perfect for beginning to chop and freeze all those beautiful peppers. Even though we gave away many of them, we still had a table full! So we utilized our library's free video website, and watched one of the BBC originals of Miss Marple, starring Joan Hickson. The Saturday was well spent, reconnecting, accomplishing much, and very much kindling the middle-aged romance.

Farm Life

When our favorite farmer unexpectedly needed to leave the state for a few days, we offered to pitch in with the Friday evening chores. Gather the eggs, water and feed the chickens.

Water and feed the turkeys. And the pullets. And the broilers.

Say hello to the pigs.

Glean in the garden. And come home with baskets and baskets of produce.

What a generous heart to allow us to take so many good things from the fruit of her labors. And what a generous God to provide for our family this way and to enough left over to share.

 

Weekend in Dallas

Once again, our sweet Sarah participated in a musical, and we took the opportunity to visit Dallas again. When we travel, we enjoy bringing our food with us and sharing as much as possible. My favorite farmer's Italian sausage paired perfectly with our homemade spaghetti sauce to feed a crowd.

I got an early walk and visit with my dear friend, Ruth.

And Katherine caught up with her lifelong buddy, Claire.

Before Sarah had to get ready for her matinee, the family took a walk along the familiar trails at the International Linguistic Center

Sarah radiates sunshine everywhere she goes, even when hiking in a skirt.

Benjamin and Hannah weren't able to come. Kansas City is a long way to drive for just a quick weekend. But Olivia and Connor were able to make the trip!

The set was absolutely beautiful, and all of "Into the Woods" was extremely well done.

Once again, Gebauer Power also participated in the musical. Cheering these two families on is always so much fun!

Too soon, we headed back home with our fabulous chauffeur and full hearts.

 

Autumn Kitchen Goodness

Some precious little people let me come over and make my favorite apple cake recently. My friend, Lauren, said this recipe is very similar to the one she enjoyed as a child.

The kiddos did a fabulous job chopping the apples and helping me put all of the ingredients into the mixing bowl.

While the cake cooked, we rolled out sugar cookies and cut out fall shapes. Both of these preschoolers are experts in the kitchen because their mama gives them lots of opportunities to cook.

Before I returned home, I had a few minutes for snuggling and reading books. A day full of lovely Autumn activities!

The Quiet Soundtrack of Joy

"You could argue that joy is the defining feature of a life organized around God. But it's rarely the explosive happiness of an emotional high, dramatic yet fickle and fleeting. It's more like a quiet undercurrent that slowly accumulates at the base of your soul, increasingly welling up like a soft melody that over the years becomes the soundtrack of your life." 

~John Mark Comer, "Practicing the Way"

This industrious orb weaver made a home in the azaleas by our front porch. Every morning when I go out to sit on the swing with my coffee, I see this beauty.

Our spaghetti squash are blooming and thriving, but so far the only flowers are male. I realize that is the normal way that squash blooms work, but I planted the seeds late this year. We may not get any fruit before the first freeze!

We turned an eye appointment into a little date recently. I love living close to downtown, so many places and events are within walking distance.

Walking the mile to and from the eye doctor allowed us to chat and share our hearts in the middle of the day, a time when we usually are busy with our own endeavors. What a sweet way to reconnect in normal, everyday life. This "quiet undercurrent" of joy is a rich treasure.

Middle of October

The middle of October was full of so many good things. Our long beans continued to produce abundantly, enough to share with others and still have enough for our own family.

The freezer full of beef, combined with cooler evenings, suggested hamburgers cooked on the grill and eaten on the patio by the firepit.

Aaron and I volunteered on a Saturday to help with All-Region Orchestra auditions. The teachers are so kind to let us come along, since we no longer have any reason to be involved.

One of the highlights of October was hosting this newly engaged couple as they returned from the East Coast. They arrived late and left early to get back for class, but spending any amount of time with Acacia and Josiah is always a joy.

 

Pumpkin Patch

One of our favorite families with little ones asked if I wanted to join them at the pumpkin patch.

Observing all of the experiences through the eyes of a preschooler brought me such joy. Animals to pet, long slides to conquer, a hayride to make us bounce up and down.

We all picked out pumpkins and winter squash. My mantle is now full of them, but the numbers are diminishing as we eat the yummy gourds day after day.

Maybe living overseas for so many years without seasons gives me a particular delight in soaking up every bit of the autumn weather, but I love not having to create my own version of cooler weather and changing leaves. Especially when I get to spend time with cuties like these.