One of the burning questions (in some circles) is whether to accept compensation for blogging. Some say it is reasonable to be paid for writing, and (especially if you are open about it) claim that it does no harm. Others feel that being remunerated for blogging (especially posts which recommend or review products) can create a conflict of interest and may compromise the integrity of a blog.

For many, this is a moot issue: nobody will pay them for blogging, so it doesn’t really matter which side they choose. Until recently, I fell squarely into this category … but no longer. In Kathy’s quest for sleep, her desperation has reached new levels, and she is now offering payment in poker chips, which I can redeem for additional computer-game playing time.

Here’s the pay scale:

• a basic, no frills blog = a 1/2 hour chip
• a good post = a 1 hour chip
• a really top-notch, world-class entry = a 2 hour chip

“But I don’t really have anything to say,” I demurred.

“Look, do you want the chip or not?” Kathy challenged.

Truth be told, I’ve burned through nearly the whole week’s poker chip allotment, and there are two more days before my supply is renewed … I need the chip. It is in this way that even the loftiest ethical standards can be eroded. The problem is, there really are two things I’d like to write about, and I don’t have anything particularly witty to say about either. I guess I’ll just pick one, knowing I’m doomed to a half-hour chip.

The Best Piano Recital, Ever

Today we hosted a piano recital at our home, with Rachel, Daniel and David performing to a small audience entirely comprised of family members. As was confirmed by several of the spectactors, “It was the best recital, ever.” I’m sure it had very little to do with the fact that it was also one of the very shortest recitals, ever.

Kathy whipped out a programme, to add a touch of class.

Rachel has been taking piano lessons from Mrs. Nancy, as arranged by my Mom. In many ways, the whole thing has been very painless for us — my parents pay for the lessons, and they even arranged for a piano to be delivered to our home (since we left ours in the Duckabush). Rachel has made good progress, and we’re very proud of her, although she speaks in considerable self-deprecation and sometimes dreads her lessons (especially when she hasn’t practiced).

Having Mamie and Grandad here to witness the recital was a great treat.

Recently, there has been a new development: David became interested in the piano. Rachel would call David to sit by her when it was time for her to practice, and he started to pick out simple songs on the piano. The next thing we knew, he had somehow wheedled lessons out of Mrs. Nancy (and Grandma) and was playing from his own little songbooks.

David takes his role of piano student very seriously.

Not to be left out, Daniel began to attempt songs from David’s book, apparently belonging to the self-taught school of piano mastery. And so we had three performers in today’s recital. Each of the three made selections from among their favorites, and (after a short introduction), played away happily, basking in the adulation of all four of their grandparents.

Daniel couldn’t let his little brother surpass him in musical achievement …

A Cream Puff improves any recital, in my opinion.

My Mom brought her famous chocolate-drizzled cream puffs, which contributed substantially to the success of the event. She also brought each of the budding musicians a gift, which brightened their day considerably. Indeed, each of the kids wanted to play their selections a second time, once they got over their initial nervousness.

Rachel received the coveted ‘canned raccoon’, a prize she has sought for several years.

We clapped and took pictures and munched happily on cream puffs, swapping stories of recitals we had attended. My sister Posie figured prominently in some of these tales, to the great interest and amusement of the children. I managed to play the one song I know on the piano, although Mom put a bag over my head in the middle of the piece, which (I felt) somewhat lessened the dignity of the moment.

Rachel was quite glad to be done with the whole ‘ordeal’.

Feel free to comment on how the subtleties of wit and phraseology of this post combine to make it worthy of a full hour chip.

Tim
Project 366, Day 38

Last month, you know, way back in 2007, Rachel and I were invited to a Craft Party. Since I don’t really “do” crafts, I try to accept any and all invitations that give the children opportunities to explore their creative side. Thankfully I’ve been blessed with wonderfully talented friends so the children aren’t suffering too terribly.

We were instructed to bring a package of tea. How lovely, crafts and hot tea! Doesn’t that sound like a perfect way to spend a rainy, gray afternoon. Sure enough, the party was a delight.

Heather (our hostess) had a craft area set up for the girls, complete with paints, hot glue gun, pretty stencils and more. There were instructions written up on the board, a model of the completed project and scented candles burning in the background.

The girls were to design their own tea caddies. They each had an unassembled cardboard box (old film packages, I believe), ready for painting and decorating as they liked. After they painted the boxes, they glued them back together, added glass beads for feet and a decorative pull for the top. Best of all was the tea swap! They traded and shared the different teas among them so each girl brought home a full box of tea.

Heather and I met several years ago when a friend brought her to our church’s women’s retreat. I immediately enjoyed her sense of humor and love for the Lord. The next year she joined us again at the retreat and we had more opportunity to visit. I knew this was creative, hilarious, homeschooling mom was someone I wanted as a friend.

This, of course, is Michelle (who introduced us) and NOT Heather, as Heather was the one taking the picture. Clear as mud?

I am constantly amazed at how God brings beautiful, unique, intelligent women into my life. Each one is like a precious gift and I am truly thankful for the way they enrich my life.

Heather is a talented artist and has a home business where she sells gorgeous project kits, ribbon crafts, and other treasures. Her oldest son was born with two congenital heart defects. Her renewed interest in art came about during the traumatic first year of the baby’s life. As she says so beautifully on her website:

Then, as God patched Jacob’s heart with a miracle, He also patched mine. With the guidance of God’s gentle hands I have been creating with my hands and heart ever since. That is why we are called The Patchwork Heart, Co.

I love that name, The Patchwork Heart. It so perfectly captures exactly what the Lord does as He gathers the broken pieces of our heart. He makes us new creations in His image.

Heather also writes for the Girlhood Home Companion magazine.

The Girlhood Home Companion is a beautiful 4-color magazine and companion guide that encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) how to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him.

The very best thing of all is that Heather is MY friend. Despite my incredibly inept crafting abilities, my pathetic lack of artistic talent, and my tendency to ruin perfectly good decorating projects, she still likes me.

The girls hold up their finished projects.

Rachel painted hers in two of her favorite colors - purple and turquoise/aqua.

Here’s a close up.

When you have time, I know Heather would love to have you stop by The Patchwork Heart for a visit. Her winter newsletter/catalog is online and she shares a delicious recipe for apple honey tea as well as other craft ideas.

Thank you, Heather, for a delightful afternoon!

Anyone care for a cup of tea? Oh, I have to ask: what is your favorite kind of tea? As much as I am a serious coffee drinker (love me some Starbucks, as they say), I am very fond of tea. I prefer the non-fruity ones and adore Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Constant Comet, especially with a little bit of milk.

Am I missing a fantastic tea flavor? One of my good friends loves Stash teas and introduced me to chocolate hazelnut. I’m also curious as to where you buy tea? Do you order it online? Is there a particular grocery store that sells a wide variety of teas? Does tea go on sale? What is a good price for tea?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I know there lots of you who enjoy tea and you really should share you wisdom with me!

Speaking of which, I guess I should be sure and refer you back to Rocks In My Dryer where people are sharing tips about everything from coupons, crib sheets and cameras.

Kathy

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. In all kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in rain or snow.

Name the movie and win a chocolate prize.

Sarah and Rachel hold their (now empty-sob) Advent calendars.

Sarah and Rachel share a bedroom. They are six and a half years apart. They share a love for all things beautiful, collectible, and “girly.” They fight over whose turn and responsibility it is to clean the bedroom, over ownership of toys, over what movie to watch or how to spend the day. But through it all they love deeply and fiercely. They adore playing together and every night you can find them talking and sharing thoughts.

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

Kathy
Project 365- Day 364 (the end is in sight)

To celebrate Rachel’s 12th birthday party, we decided to host a Sleepover Extraordinaire. First Rachel invited all over her friends (most of them from large homeschooling families), next I begged the moms to come along (”to keep me sane company”), then we convinced Rachel to let us bring the little sisters as well (that added 3 five year olds to the party), finally we made sure to grab some girls from the old neighborhood.

Yes, all of that meant we needed two vehicles (packed to the ceiling) to take everyone off for the sleepover.

How else do you have a Birthday Extravaganza?

A few of Rachel’s nearest and dearest friends - Hannah, Emily, Sarah, Alivia, Bethany, Jenny, Brigette, Katie, Elizabeth and Abby. Leanne had to go home early so she missed all the photo shoots.

We had quite the assortment of entertainment for the party.

Some friends loaned us their karaoke machine (Thanks, Casey!!). It was a huge hit, playing cds at full volume (or so it seemed) while the girls sang along.

The little girls were very intrigued by the Singing Machine.

For her birthday, Rachel received Dance Praise 2 which plays contemporary Christian music and includes dance steps to go along. Thankfully the girls didn’t ask me to demonstrate for them.

I’d hate to blow them away with my stunning dancing abilities.

Or scare them.

Or give them nightmares.

Tim’s mom gave Rachel an incredible gift for her birthday party. She made nine (yes, I said NINE!!) gingerbread houses, assembled them, and had them all ready and waiting for us upon our arrival.

On Monday morning, she came over with containers of frosting/glue, bags of decorating candy, and instructions on how to create our very own Stunning Gingerbread Homes.

Each family went home with their own gingerbread house, which had the added benefit of encouraging sisters to work together in peace and harmony.

Or at least covered in sugar.

There was even a house for the littlest girls to decorate. And, since I’m a firm believer in more is better, I made sure the last group of younger sisters came over to join Sarah’s posse.

It was so kind of Rachel to allow the little sisters to join the party. Sarah had a wonderful time with Ava, Tarah, Abby, Avery, and Elise.

I’m trying not to kick myself for missing the opportunity to take pictures of all the gingerbread houses lined up in a sugary display of yummy confection. It’s hard work being the mother, hostess, party organizer, chef, AND photographer.

I did manage to get this picture.

Some creative gingerbread ideas:

• A snowman made out of white gumdrops with red scarf.
• A pond designed with blue M&M’s with a gold fish (M&M) swimming in the middle.
• An igloo fashioned out of non-pareils.
• A candy cane cross at the top of chimney.
• A stone covered chimney made out of chocolate rocks.

And much, much more sugary, gumdrop, chocolate creativity.

I’m not sure the girls slept very much. You can see they look a bit blurry here.

Oh wait, maybe that’s the photographer who was a bit blurry. I’m not sure I slept very much either.

A wonderful time was had by all.

1 Birthday Girl
11 Party Girls
6 Little Girls
3 Moms (old girls?)

Thanks to everyone who made it an AWESOME birthday party!!

Kathy
Project 365 - Day 351

My oldest daughter recently celebrated her 12th birthday, and Kathy asked me, “Aren’t you going to write a post about Rachel for her birthday?”

Talk about time flying. It seems only yesterday she was 11 …

One of our many traditions is that, on each child’s birthday, Kathy and I nostalgically reminisce about the actual day of that child’s birth. Rachel’s birth-day is memorable in terms of weather (a very cold Michigan day), in terms of inconvenient timing (born at 4:50 am during a snowstorm), in terms of worry for me (Kathy lost a lot of blood at her birth), and in terms of the joy of having a first daughter. The kids never seem to tire of hearing the story each year — of course, I try to liven it up with snide comments and family jokes.

As important as the birthday is, what happens after that seems much more significant, which is why it is no trouble at all for me to come up with a list about my beloved daughter:

Twelve things I love about Rachel …

1. She has a quick wit, and a clever and quirky sense of humor

Rachel loves to laugh, and has the rare sense of timing necessary to maximize the humor of a remark. Her wry but soft-spoken comments often have me straining to hear what she says, not wanting to miss out, even if I am the one being roasted. She often fires an amusing Parthian shot, just as she exits a room — leaving her victims ruefully shaking their heads in admiration of her verbal prowess.



2. She believes in Justice

If there is anyone who is most like me in my love for justice, it is Rachel. She carefully watches the ebb and flow of family relationships and is quick to point out any improper favoritism (or lack thereof), especially among her siblings. Holding unflinchingly to personal integrity, she knows the difference between fairness and justice and seeks to order her own conduct according to the highest standards.



3. She is kind to David and Sarah

Reading books tirelessly or playing with them, Rachel enjoys her youngest two siblings and cares for them graciously, sharing her time and toys unstintingly. In spite of Sarah’s tendency to use her sister’s things without permission, Rachel is patient and almost unfailingly kind to her little sister, even to the extent of giving her little jobs so she’ll feel useful. Last night, as I went to bed, I ran into Sarah, heading into the bathroom with a plastic cup. “Rachel makes me get her a glass of water every night,” she informed me cheerfully. “Yeah,” observed a gently sarcastic voice from the top bunk. “Every night she climbs up and begs me, asking if she can go get water for me; so sure enough, I ‘make‘ her do it.” Rachel has earned the trust and loyalty of her smallest siblings, and is storing up great treasure in heaven for herself through her consistent kindness to them.



4. She is generous

Buying gifts for her siblings or sharing her stuffed animals, Rachel does not cling tightly to possessions over relationships. Last year when I bought some gifts for a missionary family of our acquaintance, I put them all on the table and allowed the children to ‘buy’ them from me, so that they could give the gifts in their own name. Rachel did not disappoint me, but dug deep into her bank to purchase a number of the gifts. She carefully tithes on her income, and (like her Mom) is open-handed with kind words and encouragement.

5. She is a good friend

Rachel is a soft-hearted girl, and she doesn’t enjoy sarcasm that hurts, or comments that really put others down. She is also somewhat of a thoughtful and solitary girl, often preferring to be alone, yet she seems to thrive (like her mama), on good girl friends. One thing I know: when she has a good friend, she knows how to keep them. Rachel is loyal and true and sweet and fun, and almost always thinks of the needs of her friends ahead of her own.



6. She loves music

Last summer I won an iPod Shuffle, and I immediately thought to give it to Rachel. Ever since she was a little girl, she has always been the first to learn the lyrics to a new song, and has spent many a happy hour singing along in the car or in her room. As she leads worship in the children’s program at church or listens to the Christian radio station, it is exciting to see how her love for music draws her along in her love for Jesus. She is a little more of a hard-rocker than others in our home, but not obnoxiously so; she pushes us to listen to new music and stretch our ears a bit.

7. She loves to serve at AWANA

This year Rachel was invited to serve as a helper in the Cubbies AWANA class, teaching three- and four-year-old children in our church’s Wednesday night program. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that my daughter would enjoy the prospect of trying out her spiritual giftedness (teaching? service? evangelism?) at church. So far, we hear nothing but good things from the adult teachers, who are already campaigning for Rachel to help them again next year, in spite of the temptation of the Middle School program.



8. She has a soft spot in her heart for animals

Even before she could talk, Rachel clearly loved animals, especially kittens and cats. That deep, abiding love has continued, fueled perhaps by our staunch resistance to the idea of having a dog or cat as a pet. Rachel’s advocacy has been the reason for our adoption of both guinea pigs, in spite of the sorrowful demise of Martin, our family’s first pet. One day I was trying to reassure her: “When you grow up, you can have a cat of your own, or even more than one!” Rachel countered with her own assessment. “It is true that I love animals now, but what if I grow up and don’t care about them the same way any more? I should have a pet now, just in case.” It is hard to argue with such logic.

9. She is cheerful

When we named her, we chose ‘Joy’ as Rachel’s middle name, in contravention of our intent to use middle names to honor family members. At the time, we were focused on our joy, but Rachel has made that name her own, in the cheerful and joyful way she relates to our family. She truly takes after her mother in that, for which I (and her future husband, should the Lord bless her in that way) are very grateful.



10. She knows her Bible

Throughout the years, Rachel has paid careful attention to her Bible lessons at home and at church, and understands her Bible remarkably well, for a person her age. Her ability to interpret the scriptures and her knowledge of God’s character are the envy of many of her instructors. It is a delight to my soul to hear her explaining spiritual truths to her younger brothers.

11. She loves Jesus

As the apostle says in 3 John 1:4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Throughout her life, it has given us great joy to know that Rachel gave her heart to Jesus at an early age. Like every other Believer, she struggles with the invisible nature of God, and she recently confided to me, “Sometimes I don’t feel very close to Jesus.” But she prays and she reads her Bible and she walks in righteousness, growing in grace and in favor with God.

12. She asks hard questions and thinks deeply

Of all the children, Rachel has always been the one to ask ‘thorny’ questions. I remember picking blackberries when she was three, and how she got a thorn in her finger even after she prayed that she would be protected from the prickers. “Why does God let bad things happen, Daddy?” she asked. Just tonight, she engaged Kathy in a long discussion about why people take drugs. “Did you ever take drugs, Mom?” Rachel is never afraid of being too direct. Joshua loves using Rachel to ask the questions, when he is curious but too reserved to ask.

The other day, Kathy was shopping with her two girls, and the checkout cashier commented on their resemblance to my wife: “You have Two Mini Me’s there,” she laughed. Not to in any way minimize her uniqueness as a person, but I think one of the nicest things I can say about my daughter is that she reminds me of my beloved wife.

Not a bad start to your life, sweet Rachel.

I love you!
Tim-Daddy