I'm quite sure there will be lilacs in heaven. Can you smell them from here? Aaaaah. On top of these beautiful bushes we saw on our walk, a wonderful sister brought me a large vase full of them from her yard, and they are on my table.

My consolation for the fact that the daffodils are done blooming is that the tulips are up! Aren't these pretty? I just loved the effect against the white picket fence. Maybe I have to get myself one of those. :-)

We were brave enough (or crazy enough) to go in search of more geese on our nature walk yesterday, but instead of returning to the nature center, AKA the Home of the Killer Goose, we went in search of the more friendly variety at the lagoons in town. :-) We saw the cutest little goslings! We didn't get too close, we used the zoom lens, but aren't they cute!

Tallman is growing up! He's wanted to be able to mow for years, but I insisted on his waiting until he was 12. Well, now he's 12, and the mowing job is his for the summer, and he's delighted! So is Dad. LOL

I have an Ambleside Online success to report today! I began using parts of Ambleside for our curriculum last fall. The booklists looked so attractive. I jumped right in with parts of years 2 and 4 for my children. One of the books about which I was most excited was Kidnapped--I read it for the first time right before giving it to my oldest son. I was sure he was going to love it! He read it according to schedule, without complaint, but he was NOT as excited about it as I had hoped. He loved the science and nature type books, and gave relatively decent narrations from Kidnapped, but when asked if he liked it, he'd say "It's OK" and occasionally his narrations would make me wonder if he really got all the details sorted out or not. I was mildly disappointed but just figured he needed more practice.
When someone mentioned Masterpiece Theater was doing Kidnapped, we taped it but put it aside so we wouldn't be tempted to watch it until after Tallman had finished the book. So, finally, some time after he finished it, we popped the tape in last night. Imagine my surprise and delight when he excitedly began to fill his dad and brothers in on all the details, and also telling them about all the places the book differed. He remembered so much more than I thought he would, based on his narrations last fall and winter! I had been trying to "explain" things to the rest of the family, too, but after a little bit I had the good sense to shut up and just listen to my son. I was truly amazed at his understanding of the details and his enthusiasm! I asked him later what made the difference, and he admitted that he'd been thinking about the book ever since he read it, and liked it better all the time! It works! It really, truly works! :-) I am pretty happy right now, especially when I "broke" it to Tallman the other day, that one of the poets I had covered, out of order, was on his list of poets for Year 5, and I wanted him to repeat that poet, finding more poems. I thought that my science-and-nature guy would moan and complain at the prospect of repeating a poet. Instead, he said, "Cool! Kipling is my favorite anyway!" and went on to tell me about the poems he liked best. Astounding!
My only "problem"--my 9yo son who will be doing year 3 next year, wants to read Kidnapped NOW. He will have to wait for a while, however, because his dad has absconded with the book. :-)

It's a beautiful Sunday here, sunshine and birdsong and a butterfly just flittered by. It's teasing me, trying to entice me outdoors and off the computer. Smart little creature, isn't it.

Sunday Thoughts:

1. I"m thankful for my new piano. OK, it's really an old piano. We've had a "piano fund" for ten years that keeps losing its money to something more pressing; yesterday we installed my friend's piano which she is giving us. I've always had this dream of my family gathered around singing hymns and carols while I play. LOL Well, it might have to wait for the grandchildren, but at least I have something to work on now. Cheery is interested in lessons, PMM just wants to make noise on it, and we're working on Tallman. My friends who play are amazed at the size of his hands and say he MUST learn to take advantage of those mammoth fingers. We'll see. :-)

2. I was lacking a bit in one of the talks I'll be giving next month, and I'm very grateful that this morning, I found an excerpt from a conference talk with just the thought I need. I'll be pressing it into service, and of course giving credit. :-)

3. This week has brought home to me once more just how critical an influence my reading material has upon my thoughts and mood. I was looking forward to reading a particular book, but got only to page 7 before finding a "fatal word" so I discarded it immediately. (Anyone who noted the titles on my to-read shelf---please take note and read Bill Bryson only with extreme caution--he's just been tossed out of my house on his ear.) So when I began another book I had been wanting to read, I didn't want to quit and toss it too. I began The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald (yes, the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Betty MacDonald) You'd think the author of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle would be clean, especially since it was written in an earlier era. Well. It wasn't exactly awful, such that I HAD to get rid of it, but there were just some pernicious bad attitudes and habits in it, which I tried to shrug off, since the book WAS amusing. I periodically fear at times that constantly tossing books in protest of things that seem not to bother others means I must be unintelligent or at least on the road to becoming an anti-intellectual dud. At any rate, I kept telling myself this had come well-recommended and I should buck up and finish it. But last night I had to admit that it was having a depressing influence, that I just was not feeling the Spirit very strongly, that something was up. When I got up this morning, I had a few minutes to read, but very definitely knew I did NOT want to read that book before church. Well. So I decided just to quit reading the book, period--if it wasn't good for me before church it wasn't going to do me much good AFTER church, either. Then, naturally, there was a talk in sacrament meeting on this very thing. :-) Okay, Lord, I'm convinced again, the book is gone, replaced by something thoroughly wholesome, and I'll toss quicker next time I encounter the bookish equivalent of a spiritual wet blanket. :-)

These are the "stained glass windows" that the boys made as part of their Hands and Hearts Middle Ages Discovery Kit. Cheery's is on the left, and Tallman wouldn't make his own . . . but he consented to help PMM, so their collaborative effort is on the right. They had fun!

We took off early today and went to our local nature center for a nature walk. This stuffed mountain lion is part of a special traveling educational exhibit; we've "met" him on previous trips but decided to snap a photo today. We had a very adventurous nature walk--not from planning. Keep scrolling down. :-)

A redbud in bloom at the local nature center.

Not a terrific shot of the ubiquitous red-winged blackbird, but he was a funny fellow and we wanted to add him to the blog anyway. :-)

Eastern goldfinch at a bird feeder at our nature center. We were in a bird blind.

THIS MONSTER KILLER GOOSE ATTACKED US!
Yes, I know he looks harmless and peaceful now, but under those composed feathers lurks a violent antisocial personality. After chasing us away from one side of a pond, we hastily removed to the OTHER side, only to be treated to a stealth attack! Without warning or noise, we found ourselves suddenly descended upon by a furious Canada goose, who chased off the two smaller children and viciously beat Tallman and me to the ground, mercilessly whipping us with his wings! We still bear battle scars. Bucolic nature retreat? NO! Rather, a scene of many vicious criminal attacks.
Never a dull moment in our family nature study. :-)

Tallman playing at the local playground. We sort of had an interesting experience. In his 12yo, approaching teen-ness, he decided he did not want to leave when we said we had to get home. In fact, he climbed to the top of the rock-climbing wall and nonchalantly sat there as we prepared to leave. We gave him several warnings, loaded into the van, drove by the playground entrance and waited a couple of minutes--still on the wall. Well. So we left him there and drove home. (Relax, this wasn't child abuse, we live maybe a 10-15 minute walk away.) We decided to let him fret a few minutes and exercise himself to get home. Fortunately for him, a friend of mine was leaving the playground and saw him there, and offered him a ride home, but I guess he did experience a few minutes of "Hey, I didn't really think they'd do that!" LOL Parenting is not for wimps. :-)

Cheery receiving his Religious Square Knot award last night, presented by the bishop--his daddy! Way to go, Cheery!

Cheery and PMM playing at a local playground.

A lone pelican.

More pelican pictures!

Pelican pictures!

We had a "wild day" today--we just HAD to go outside and enjoy the world around us a little. We called off school early, about 10 am, and headed out the door. We drove first to a nearby wooded park, where we sat and listened to bird sounds. We watched a really cute mallard duck couple, listened to and watched a beautiful red-winged blackbird, then--treat of treats--saw a bluebird couple. A rare treat in town! We were all thrilled. We did not have our camara, just Tallman's Zire, and he couldn't get a good picture. But we were happy anyway! Then, on our way to Target to buy bubble-gun replacements (we had a major argument over the one unbroken gun yesterday, lol) we drove by the local lagoon system (really ox-bow lakes from when the river was straightened by the Army Corps of Engineers) and saw some American pelicans. That isn't unusual during migration season, but when we drove down behind the mall to take a better look--there were HUNDREDS. That IS unusual! Tallman did get one photo on the Zire, and some video, but it isn't very clear. We will try to return with the digital camera tomorrow and see if we can catch them again. PMM was astonished at how huge they are! We are happy birders today, and now the boys are happily chasing each other with their new bubble-guns. We really needed that today! We are refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the week. :-)

Oh, it's here, it's here, it's finally here! It was a LONG wait for three excited little boys (and two pretty excited parents!) but finally, our pre-ordered collector's edition of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is here! We're, um, on our second time through it since we got it home. It's not quite as perfect as seeing it in the theater, but it's ours and we can see it whenever we want!
We're on Spring Break and the boys had been annoying me a little with their desire to sit in front of the TV, but all other tv, movies, computer, etc. have been forgotten, and two kids have even brought books out to reread yet again, and PPM is pestering me to toss Dr. Dolittle, which he loved, and read him TLTWATW. So Narnia fever has struck my home again!
One boy even wants me to make him "armor" with Aslan's crest. LOL We might seem a little odd, but Narnia, and Lord of the Rings, aren't just movies at our house, and they aren't just stories, but they are part of our family culture and personality.
FOR NARNIA AND FOR ASLAN!!!

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO!
Well, ONE speech is pretty much completed--will need some refining & lots of oral practice later, but the basic info & organization is all done. Naturally, it was the easier one. :-) But still. It is somewhat encouraging to only have ONE left to write. Now, if I could just figure out what I wanted to say . . .
I had a moment during the RS re-enactment conference, while reading in the Book of Mormon, that seemed insightful at the time but now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Basically, I felt I'd been asking the wrong questions--I'd been begging "Lord, what do I say?" and felt I needed to respond more like Nephi--"Lord, where may I go that I might find ore to make tools?" So I've been asking where to go for "ore" but still am lost. So.
At any rate, I now have SOMETHING done, the sun is shining, hope is springing. I read for my Mother's Education Course last night, the conference talk "Perfection Pending" by Elder Russell M. Nelson. Below are some "hopeful quotes" to help me keep the sunshine all day:

We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy--not guilt trips!

The perfection that the Savior envisions for us is much more than errorless performance.

Endowments and sealings are for our personal perfection and are secured through our faithfulness.

"When he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is . . . And eery man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." 1 John 3:1-3

"Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness . . . love God with all your might, mind, and strength . . . [Then] ye may be perfect in Christ . . . holy, [and] without spot." Moroni 10:32-33

We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem to arduous and endless. Perfection is pending.

Rambling on, last night for Family Home Evening, we played the matching game from the Friend that covered the Apostles' General Conference talks. The kids had a good laugh at some of the "artwork" we had to illustrate the talks. I ended up drawing President Monson's "Maka-feke" talk, and tried to draw an octopus, which induced great hilarity. LOL Anyway, we kept "quizzing" each other during the game, by holding up a picture of an Apostle and asking the kids who they were--we've been working on that this year. The older two are pretty good, but our 5yo kept us in stitches last night. Turns out the NAMES are pretty familiar to him, and he can even get the FIRST names matched with the pictures pretty well, but he tends to scramble up the last names. Hence, he'd give us answers like "L. Tom Nelson" and "Dieter F. Wirthlin" or "David A. Monson" It was hysterical! It's funny, he even gets the initial letters correct, just mixes up the last names. Too funny!

I don't really know why I'm posting this, I haven't made it recently and likely will not be making it any time soon, but it really is very very luscious. :-)


Feather Bread from Irions Honey Farm

10 cups freshly milled white wheat flour
3 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup dry milk powder
3 cups warm water
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp dough enhancer (commercial, or just lecithin or vitamin C powder will work)
4 large eggs
4 tsp sea salt
In mixer, mix 5 cups flour, water, dry milk, yeast, honey and oil. Let sponge for 10-15 minutes. Then pulse until deflated, and add remainder of flour, dough enhancer, eggs, and salt. Mix until smooth for five minutes on kneading speed of your mixer. Dough will not clean sides of bowl for at least 2 minutes. Very moist dough! Oil hands and counter top to handle, then shape as desired--it makes 4 lovely 8x4in. loaves, or rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, whatever. :-) Let rise again, then bake at 350 (about 20 minutes for 8x4 loaf pans) Yummy! I found that the dough is so soft that loaves keep shape better if you shape them by braiding. I got so I could do this as fast as I used to be able to just make plain loaves. Beautiful soft yummy bread

Well, it's been a while since I managed to post here. It's been a very difficult week in our ward, and a difficult week for me personally, and I just haven't had it together enough to be posting. Hopefully I'm getting sorted out.
Anyway, I've been drained, and not spending any time on the speeches I need to give in a matter of weeks, and verging on panic.
I do need to make a note--if anyone has been looking at my previous posts and looked at the books on my list of "to be read's" then please consider Crusoe's Daughter removed from my list. I began it and nearly immediately ran into an unnecessary crude scene--it's outta here. :-)
I can hardly believe it--Tallman went tonight with dh to Priesthood Session of conference. I'm not sure I was ready for that somehow! It seemed like it ought to be a "big moment" but he just got dressed and waltzed out the door like it was something he'd done before. LOL I'm not sure that was enough for his mama. The really scary thing is that in seven years, I'll be sitting here ALL BY MYSELF on Saturday nights during General Conference. Yikes.
Anyway. What a week. I am working up to my fourth migraine in the week, my basement is soggy and wet, more rain is expected tonight, and MY SPEECHES ARE NOT WRITTEN. Someone remind me not to hyperventilate.