Keeping the Home

A New Blog

2008-01-23T16:47:00.001-06:00

This year, 2008, I'm following my interests more and allowing myself to do what I love to do so very much...create pretty things and photograph pretty things.

If you'd like to see what I'm up to, come visit me here: my new Just Pure Lovely blog.

Please visit!

Lori Seaborg

New Blog Address

2006-02-18T22:50:00.000-06:00

I have been Simulcast-Blogging between this blog (my first) and my newer (and prettier) blog at HomeschoolBlogger. To tell you the truth, I am tired of copy and pasting every post to each blog. In fact, that's the reason why you never got the end of the Decluttering series!

Do you mind just reading the other blog from now on?

Here is the link: Keeping the Home

and here is the address in case you need it: http://www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/KeepingtheHome (the blog is the same as this one; just because it is hosted at homeschool blogger does not mean I only post hs stuff!)

I'd love it if you stuck with me!

Lori Seaborg

Day Thirteen: Declutter Your Home Series: The Home Manager

2006-02-02T22:29:00.000-06:00

In today's post by Mrs. Cat, well worth a read today (click here), she urges us to think of five blessings. Even when things are going rough, as they have been for me lately, I can always think of five blessings, because there are five members of my family besides me! :)

Here are my blessings, right off the top of my head:

After a decade of asking for it, I am so grateful to God that we live in the countryside (on good old American soil!).
I am thankful for Tim, who works hard to provide for us, and who gives me anything I ask, especially when I look at him in just the right way (how else do you think I got him to agree to the goats?).
I am thankful for our four children. Not only did we get four blessings, but we were double-blessed by having two boys and two girls.
I am thankful for this house that I get to work in daily.
I am most thankful that I get to stay at home with our children. They are a treat that I would not miss!

What are your five blessings?

by Lori Seaborg

Day Twelve: Declutter Your Home Series: Mrs. Cat's Story

2006-02-01T19:25:00.000-06:00

Today we have a personal story to read from Mrs. Cat (click here to read it). For those of you who are just now joining, we are decluttering our homes for 21 days on this blog, with the help of Mrs. Cat's blog posts.

I have had a great amount of clutter in my home in the past, too, and could write you a long story to read about it. But for now, read Mrs. Cat's story, and I'll write mine another time. I am experiencing great back pain (not great as in "good," of course!) and just want to lie down for a while!

I hope you've had a good day today!

by Lori Seaborg

Day Eleven: Declutter Your Home Series: Food Tips

2006-02-01T19:24:00.000-06:00

Today's post by Mrs.Cat is about saving money and time in the kitchen. Click here to view the post.

If you'd like more advice on saving money in the kitchen, go visit the advice of Laine at Laine's Letters (click here to view it).

by Lori Seaborg

Day Ten: Declutter Your Home Series: The Kitchen

2006-01-30T23:46:00.000-06:00

I wrote this blog to you earlier, but it deleted before it posted. That is so frustrating!

Here you go again, much later....

This is the link to Mrs. Catherine's post on decluttering the kitchen (click here).

I just want to add a note to you moms of young children, like I have....

I don't think we need to feel guilty or burden-pressed by the idea of the Dinner Hour. It is a goal for us to work toward, and of course, we would love to have a beautiful ritual of a Dinner Hour, with well-behaved children, adoring husband, and pretty things surrounding us, but we are in a stage....just a phase....of years in which our children are young. It won't be long at all until they grow up and we can have our pretty Dinner Hour with their help.

Right now, let's give our Mommy Guilt a break by just taking baby steps. We can begin by concentrating on getting a nutritious meal into our youngsters while teaching them the basics of manners.

by Lori Seaborg

Day Nine: Declutter Your Home Series: The Dining Room

2006-01-28T13:46:00.000-06:00

Today's focus is on decluttering the Dining Room. In our house, our dining room not only looks like a School Room, but it really is the School Room! We don't have a set-aside dining area, as we do school much more often than we entertain!

Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post on decluttering the Dining Room (click here).

by Lori Seaborg

Day Eight: Decluttering Our Homes: The Master Bedroom

2006-01-26T15:09:00.000-06:00

Just a few days ago, I said I felt like I'd been taken off the hook because Mrs. Cat's* focus was on the Family Room and I (pat, pat) have that room in ORDER.

Today, our focus is on the Master Bedroom and I have not only been placed on the hook again, but I have also been placed under a spotlight for all to see the fraud that I am!

Mrs. Cat says of the master bedroom (this is painful to write!), "This room should take precedence over all the others. This room over all the others shows where you place your marriage in your priority list. This room shows how we are feeling and exactly what we are thinking in regard to our spouse."

Is there anyone else who has sore toes from being stepped on by Mrs. Cat??

Recently, I did get our bathroom and our closets cleaned out. Tim was happy to come home to an organized closet one day! I told him that I will maintain it as long as he doesn't purposely (lazily, I meant) mess it up. He has held his end of the bargain, throwing dirty clothes in the laundry basket instead of on the closet floor, and I have kept the closet clean by peeking in there daily and putting clean laundry where it belongs.

In our master bedroom, we have had boxes to be sorted stacked against a wall. They were there for months, so I moved them to the garage last week. The boxes still have to be sorted -- I didn't really fix the problem -- but they don't need to be in our master bedroom while waiting for me to get to them!

If you are overwhelmed by the work to be done, just set a timer for 15 minutes and only work that long. You will be so surprised by how much you got done in 15 minutes!

Here is the post for you to read today (click here)! I am off to work on the master bedroom!

* To those who are just joining in, Mrs. Cat is a blogger who has great ideas on getting the house in order. We are reading her posts for 21 days as we work to declutter our homes.

by Lori Seaborg

Day Seven: Decluttering Your Home

2006-01-25T23:26:00.000-06:00

All I have for you today is Mrs. Cat's post on the challenge she presented (to not spend extra money for these 21 days). Click here to see the post.

Day Six Decluttering Our Home: The Office

2006-01-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

It is so easy for papers to get out of hand, isn't it? I have a computer-paper box just full of papers that I need to sort through. At least there is only that one box to do. I've had a dozen at a time in the past.

The #1 thing that helped me cut down on paper clutter is to take care of the mail the minute it enters the house. I don't even open junk mail, unless it is from a company with which I already do business (I open those because I've been surprised in the past to have a refund check or an important note in what was disguised as junk mail).

We also subscribe to few magazines now. I wasn't taking the time to read them anyway, and then I'd feel guilty about throwing away something I hadn't read! When you get rid of your magazines, take them to your doctor or dentist office. Have you ever noticed how old their magazines are? Ugh!

About the bills.....

What works well for us is a very simple system that we created after years of frustration:

In a three-ring binder (mine is RED so I won't lose it), I have:

several page protectors
college-ruled paper
a pencil case (or use the binder's front pocket)

On the page protectors, I wrote in permanent marker:
"To Do"
"Bills To Be Paid 1-15th"
"Bills to Be Paid 16-31st"
"Paid Bills"

The college-ruled paper is kept behind the page protectors.

The pencil case is kept in the front of the binder. It holds a credit card for paying bills online, a checkbook, envelopes, stamps, and a pen.

Now that I have the binder set up, here is the system:

One sheet of paper is labeled with the current month. "January 2006" is our current paper. It is placed in front of all of the page protectors.

When a bill comes in, I write simple information on my "January 2006" paper, such as:

DUE DATE----BILLEE---AMOUNT DUE---PAID?---HOW/WHEN PAID

For example, when a bill comes from my phone company, I write:

1/08---Bellsouth---$47.00

The bill with its envelope wrapped over it is then placed in the page protector pocket of the date range where it belongs, which in this case is "Bills to Be Paid 1-15th."

When I pay a bill, I simply write the following on the (January 2006) sheet of paper:

1/08---Bellsouth---$47.00---OL 1/01 CC (or PH Lisa 1/01 CK)

My codes:

OL=online; SNAIL=post office mailed; PH=phone-try to get the name of who took the info; TELLER=in person

CC=credit card or bank card; CK=check; CA=cash

I pay almost all of my bills online, and my email program saves the email from the company saying that they received my payment, so I don't usually write down a confirmation number on my paper.

I then write OL 1/01 CC on the paid bill, in case I find it loose later and wonder if I've paid it (this step is not at all necessary, but since we have a mischievous toddler, it is nice). The paid bill is then placed in the PAID BILLS folder.

At the same time, I remove the last paid (Bellsouth) bill, because I know that they received the payment or the balance would have been off. (I do keep medical bills longer if they have itemized information on the bill, because I've had disputes with the hospitals before, and have been double-billed for items. If your credit card company does not have good online records, you might want to keep this bill for record-keeping, too).

The "To Do" pocket is used for things like bills that come in too early to be put in the To Be Paid pockets, such as our Auto Registration Bill which comes too soon. It is also used for forms that we need to sign or offers that we may want to accept. Rather than taking time to do them when they come in, I let the offers or forms wait until our Bill Paying Day, around the 1st or 15th. This pocket is always cleaned out on the 1st or 15th, keeping its clutter down.

A couple of notes:

I like to pay our bills on the FRIDAY before the 1st of the month and the 15th of the month (but making sure there is enough time for a snail-mail bill to get there). Why Friday? Because paychecks often come on Fridays, but also because creating a day of the week to think of bills helped me to form a habit of remembering to do them. If it is not the Friday before the 1st or 15th, I am then happy to ignore my mind's reminder.

I used "I" in the above, but actually Tim and I have found it more pleasant to do our unpleasant Bill Paying task together. Usually, he takes care of any phone calls and I take care of online payments. He does the math, and I am the record keeper.

p.s. Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post on Decluttering the Office.

by Lori Seaborg

DAY FIVE Decluttering Your Home: Family Room

2006-01-23T14:59:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've been let off the hook today. Our focus, in Mrs. Cat's posts, is the Family Room, and that is the one room that I keep continually picked up and clutter-free.

That wasn't the case in our smaller home, and I think it had something to do with the plethora of magazines I used to keep and the toys that I'd store in the room and the plants that were forever being tipped over by clumsy toddlers.

In our current living room, there is lots of furniture: big fluffy chairs and couches to sit on and a big screen television. There is only one basket in the room, and that is the one that holds the pine cones for fire starters. It is set near the fireplace. Next to the t.v. is the DVD player and the XBox -- they are just on the floor. A guitar and a drum are near the t.v., and there is a rug in the center of the room. That's it! It's a large space, but we haven't filled it with knick-knacks and tables and lamps and plants, etc. At our childrens' ages, empty space is something they enjoy more than anything. They love to set up the train track or build Lego creatures on the big rug in the Family Room.

No coffee table, no extra bookcases, no plants . We use t.v. trays when we snack in the room (adults only, except in special cases when we lay a sheet on the floor for the children).

The simplicity of the room allows everyone to enter it feeling calm and relaxed. It tends to be everyone's favorite room to hang out, and I think that has to do with the lack of clutter in the room.

If your kids are also young like mine (we have four under age 10), you might want to consider keeping your Family Room more empty than full, too. This not only gives the kids room to play, but you'll find yourself less frustrated as you don't have to worry about them breaking things or spilling potting soil on your carpet!

Here is the link to Mrs. Cat's post (click here).

by Lori Seaborg

Day FOUR Decluttering Challenge: The Bathroom

2006-01-21T20:29:00.000-06:00

Today's focus is on the bathroom. You can read today's advice in Mrs. Cat's entry, which we have been reading daily (click on this last sentence to go there).

Here are a few of my own bathroom tips:

Wipe the bathroom every day with a Clorox (or whatever brand) antibacterial wipe. I usually use one wipe; sometimes two. Wipe in this order, so that you are going from cleanest to dirtiest, as far as germs are concerned: the doorknob, the light switch, the sink handles, the countertop, the sink, the toilet top, the toilet seat, and the base of the toilet. If you do this daily, you will never have to face cleaning a dirty bathroom again. It will always be maintained and company-ready. Another plus: your kids can do this easy job for you!
Change the hand towel daily. This cuts down on germ-spreading and is a minimal amount of extra laundry to do.
The push-up Aquafresh for Kids toothpaste is a good one to give the kids, as it only allows them to pump up the right amount each time. No toothpaste messes and no waste!
Keep extra toilet paper in the bathroom, preferably within reach of the toilet. This seems like common sense, but I've been guilty of only storing it in the hallway closet!
Have the kids sponge the bathtub and shower area while they are bathing (or before they get out). Just let them use one of those scrunchies (I dedicate an old one to this job) and let them use plain old soap. It does a fine job and isn't toxic for your little ones. When the shower and tub are soaped-up, turn on the shower to rinse.
Recently, I found trashcans at BigLots that are perfect for a bathroom. They are plastic and have a hinge lid, the kind that swing back and forth like a big trashcan at a park or a stadium. They were only $1.99 each and nestle right next to my toilet nicely. I put a plastic grocery bag in mine as a liner. These trash cans are very nice for your used Kleenexes and for your "monthly visitor", as they hide the trash. (I've also seen stainless steel trash cans like these at Tuesday Morning. Of course, they were much pricier, but very chic!)

I'll keep us going on our decluttering again, starting Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

by Lori Seaborg

Mary Jane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook

2006-01-19T14:34:00.000-06:00

Well, it was finally time to remove the Christmas book that I had on the left column on this blog! I mean, how long after Christmas must you wait for me to update my blog? So sorry about that!

I've replaced the Christmas book with the book that I am currently reading, called Mary Jane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook. I like to be sure of a few things before buying a pricey book like this one:

Is it full of useful content?
Is it pretty to look at?
Is it big?
Yes to all of those regarding this book! It is full of useful content such as recipes and craft projects and many little reads that make my heart feel warm and fuzzy.

It is pretty to look at...no, make that breathtaking. Mary Jane's farm is in Moscow, Idaho, which is very near Gold Hill, Idaho, where my father grew up. I love to visit the family's homestead site, with the nearby one-room schoolhouse and tiny church. Mary Jane's photographs bring me back to Gold Hill each time I look at them.

And, yep, the book is big, with 416 pages of 8-1/2 by 11" paper.

I've only had the book for a few days but already I am loving it. It will make a wonderful gift for the women in my life who love the home and garden as I do.

by Lori Seaborg

DAY THREE Decluttering Challenge: Children's Bedrooms

2006-01-19T14:31:00.000-06:00

Honestly, I'd rather skip the focus of today -- the Children's Rooms! Tim and I were blessed greatly with one little one who cleans spectacularly and organizes her room daily. ...... And then we have boys....two that don't want to pick up and don't seem to be able to organize. I have them do daily chores, but they just don't see the messes! Or so they say...

I've removed quite a few of their toys, but I've never done the drastic measure that Mrs. Cat suggests. I'll take things away for a little while, then feel bad about it and return it to the culprit. Mrs. Cat is much stronger than that.

Read her entry for today and let me know what you think!

Lori Seaborg

DAY TWO Decluttering our Front Entrances

2006-01-18T18:43:00.000-06:00

Tim and I spent the afternoon in the back yard, decluttering it. We picked up lumber and stacked it, put branches in the burn pile, and Tim even shingled the roofs for our goats and chickens. Now I want it to rain, so we can test it out!

We also moved the bunnies to be near the goats' pen. This keeps all the animals (except the dog, Toby) in one place. The goat pen adjoins the chicken aviary and the rabbits are attached to the wall of the goats' pen. I hope they enjoy one another's company! I think that moving the animals like this is a form of decluttering, as it allows me to be more efficient in the mornings when I feed the animals.

Today's challenge from Mrs. Cat is our Front Porch area. We didn't get to that at our house today, as we had our 2-year-old outside with us and didn't want her near the front road. Feel free to adjust the challenges to suit your day, also.

Here is your reading for today! Be sure to read what Mrs. Cat says about our goal of not spending extra money for these 21 days. Enjoy!

(a note: I apologize for not getting this up this morning! Tim is off work today, so I plumb forgot to blog it!)

by Lori Seaborg

Decluttering Challenge -- DAY ONE

2006-01-17T10:56:00.000-06:00

Today is our first day to work on decluttering our houses! Are you as ready as I am?

If you missed the Introduction to this topic, please scroll down to read yesterday's post. You are not behind! Especially not yet - we haven't really begun yet.

Your first task today is to read Mrs. Cat's Day One post. Your first assignment is to create a layout of your house.

My layout looks like this:

Front Porch
Foyer and Foyer Closet
Schoolroom
Kitchen
Laundry Room
Living Room
Back Porch
Hallway and Hall Closet
Main Bathroom
Boys' Room and Closet
Girls' Room and Closet
Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom and Closets
(I'm leaving the Garage Monster out of the 21 Day Plan for this time around!)

For the rest of the day, as you wander through your house, pay attention to things that you may want to get rid of when you delcutter. Do you love the item? Does it bring back happy memories, or at least not sad/mad ones? Ask those questions as you decide what really deserve a place of honor in your home.

We are all working together for these 21 days, but since all of us have different rooms to tackle, and different messes in different rooms (for example, my Living Room is already clutter-free, but the Boys ' Room is a mess), we will work independently on each room. So, as Mrs. Cat suggests, and as FlyLady does as well, work for 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break, working as you can on each area. If you don't have a full 45 minutes free today, then just work 15 minutes each day in an area that needs it.

We will focus on certain areas each day as we keep reading Mrs. Cat's posts.

Are you ready? Create your Layout then start your timer and declutter a little today!

I'm with you!

See you tomorrow as we start on the Front Porch area!

Who Is With Me? Declutter Your House in 21 Days

2006-01-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

I know we all have the excuse of the recent holidays, oh, and since today is Martin Luther King's Day, we also have the excuse of a current holiday.....but, whew!, is your house in as much need for a holiday break as mine is??

In this blog at some time or another I've written out our family's daily schedule and a homeschooling schedule, and who-knows-what other seemingly wise advice, but in reality, I'm just a gal spinning her wheels like you are. I have grand plans, but life, and four kids under age ten, somehow keeps me off balance!

Our problem, I can see clearly by the stack of boxes in my bedroom as I type, is CLUTTER. I think it was FlyLady who said, "If you have too much laundry to do, you have too many clothes!" Well, I am guilty of that 100%!

I hope I'm not disappointing you who regularly read this blog, but I think you need a dose of reality! Several of you have written me and commented on how together I seem to have it, or that I am intimidating to you, since you don't have it together quite yet. Well, like I say right on the Home Page of this blog, I am just the girl right beside you, not in front of or behind you. I'm learning right along with you. So often, we tell ourselves that others know all the secrets we don't know, and that everyone else has all her ducks in a row. I've found that is just not true! We are all struggling in one area or another.

I'm committing to getting my clutter under control. A clutter-free house is an easy house to keep clean. I know, because I've had that once, when we moved to this house two years ago. We didn't have any clutter inside (the garage did) and the house was a breeze to keep clean and company-ready. Somehow we collected too much stuff in the two years since our move. I want to have my decluttered house back!

I've sought out the counsel of others who are wiser than I am. I have been helped by FlyLady in the past, and she has some great advice. But for this decluttering, I'd like to try Mrs. Catherine's (a.k.a. Cat) series entitled "It Takes 21 Days."

Are you in this with me? 21 days to a clutter-free house?

If so, read Mrs. Cat's first entry, called "Who is With Me?"

And then let me know who is with me!

We're starting tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17th, 2006!

by Lori Seaborg

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T08:27:00.000-06:00

Computer problems still plague us at home. I am praying daily for a little Divine Intervention! But on the bright side....

not having a computer gives me extra time in my day. I've been cleaning and organizing and crafting. It's the crafting that makes me smile. These have been fun days, even without a computer.

Still, I miss you all! I'm at my parent's computer in Florida right now for the holidays. I'll let you know when God answers our prayers and we are blessed with a working computer!

Have a wonderful holiday!

by Lori Seaborg

St. Lucia's Day - December 13th

2005-12-22T18:48:00.000-06:00

We are going to do a little something on St. Lucia's Day this year. My husband is 25% Swedish and our last name is Seaborg, so it is fitting that St. Lucia's Day is celebrated in our home. The thing is, he is so American that he doesn't know anything about Sweden or Swedish customs, so basically I'm just using that as an excuse to celebrate St. Lucia's Day. Why not add another fun day to keep the holiday season rolling along?

I don't know enough yet about St. Lucia's Day to explain the holiday to you. But I do know that there is a custom of the eldest daughter serving her parents breakfast in bed on the morning of St. Lucia's Day. I am all over that! I hope 8 years old is old enough!

I'll let other sites tell you more about St. Lucia's Day:

Here is a little history on St. Lucia's Day

This is a photograph of a little girl in a white dress with a red sash. She has battery-operated candles on her head and is carrying a serving tray for her parents.

How to celebrate St. Lucia's Day.

by Lori Seaborg

Merry Christmas

2005-12-22T18:44:00.000-06:00

We are having computer problems at home (I'm using my parent's computer tonight). I wanted to let you know I"m still around, thinking about you, and will get back to blogging as soon as I can!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Lori Seaborg

In the Spirit of Giving...

2005-12-07T09:25:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of giving this Christmas, consider going to Freecycle.org and finding a group in your area.

Freecycle groups are people in your area who want to give away and receive free items from each other. Our family has given away clothing, toys and shoes mostly. And we have received a basketball goal and a pile of rough-cut lumber.

I can tell you from experience that when you are generous, the blessings come right back at you. They don't usually come from the person to whom you gave (this is an important point to remember when helping out relatives - don't expect them to help you out later, or you may be disappointed).

One lady who is coming by today for girls' clothing, said she knew our street well because back when she first moved here, Farmer Bishop gave her some furniture. Later, she gave Brandy - the mom up the street with the blond 2-year-old - her extra dryer. Now, she is picking up items from me to take to her grandchildren who lost their home in Biloxi, Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina. See? The blessings continue.

by Lori Seaborg

It's St. Nicholas Day!

2005-12-06T12:28:00.000-06:00

It's St. Nicholas Day!

We are going to have a pizza party (any excuse for a pizza party is a good thing in our house!), bake cookies from Sweden (from a recipe at the St. Nicholas Center, and have a Christmas tea while reading "Santa, Are You For Real?" by Harold Myra.

Because we were out last night, the kids are going to fill their shoes tonight with hay for St. Nicholas' white horse (or on a sleigh). I guess we were supposed to do this last night, but hopefully St. Nicholas will still come! (I can assure you, he will!). In return, the children will have a candy cane and a little gift in their shoes in the morning.

What is your family doing to celebrate Santa Claus (a.k.a. St. Nicholas) today?

St. Nicholas Day ~ December 6th

2005-12-04T17:54:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, when Tim and I were new parents, Tim and I needed to decide what Christmas traditions we wanted to pass on to our children. We definitely wanted our child and future children to celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, because that’s why there is even a Christmas Day, after all. But could we also fit the magical fun of Santa Claus into Christmas without taking anything away from Jesus?

For a while, we just opened our gifts on Christmas Eve and had our feast and a cake for Jesus on Christmas Day. That’s it. No Santa Claus. But as our children grew older, they started asking about the jolly red fellow they saw in the mall, and they kept seeing his image on nearly every sign in sight. There’s something cozy about believing in a magical reward for doing good. I could tell that the kids wanted to believe in Santa Claus.

It was a happy day when I read about St. Nicholas and realized that I could have both – a special, set-aside day for Jesus, and a celebration of Santa Claus, too. And I was also happy – no, delighted – to read that St. Nicholas’ day is December 6th. This gave me a way to extend the holiday season.

Who is St. Nicholas, Santa Claus?

Nicholas was Bishop of Asia Minor in AD 325. He was known for being an all-around great guy, very generous and kind to all. The story goes that Nicholas once threw bags of gold into a window one night, to help pay the dowry of a poor man’s daughter so she could be married. When he threw the bags of gold, they landed into the daughter’s stockings which were hung to dry near the fireplace.

(This is where we get hung stockings near the fireplace)

The Santa Claus that we Americans have grown up knowing – the one who comes down the chimney, wears a red robe, and says, “Ho, ho, ho,” originated in 1822 when Reverend Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem to his daughters. This Santa Claus is a fictional character, but one that many Americans love.

You’ll have to decide which Santa you want to celebrate – the American version of 1822 or the real St. Nicholas of 325. I think you can figure out ways to mix the two, if you like, and celebrate them both on St. Nicholas Day on December 6th each year.

You can read a lot more about the history of St. Nicholas at the website that I’ll mention at the end of this article.

How can we celebrate St. Nicholas Day, December 6th?

This is only our third year celebrating St. Nicholas Day, so I don’t have a lot of traditions established. You will want to visit the website mentioned below for more on how to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. Here is what we have planned for December 6th this year:

On the night of December 5th, the children place carrots and/or hay in their shoes. Legend has it that if a child leaves a treat for St. Nicholas’ white horse, he will leave a gift of candy and a present for the child. I don’t tell my kids that the real St. Nicholas will be coming down from Heaven to do this, but I tell them that since St. Nicholas was such a kind person, he has inspired others to do kind deeds like he did. The kids then get all twinkly-eyed trying to guess who would do a “St. Nicholas deed.”
We like to bake, so this year we will try the St. Nicholas Breads at the St. Nicholas Center website (below), and maybe some cookies from Germany or Switzerland.
Since St. Nicholas was known for giving to the poor and needy, we are going to go through our belongings in the next few days, and have them ready to give away on St. Nicholas Day.
After our trip into town to give away items, we will have an afternoon tea (with our baked items front and center, of course!)

You can read a lot more about St. Nicholas Day at this website devoted to the day: http://www.StNicholasCenter.org . The site is full of recipes from around the world, traditions from other countries, a kids page and much more. I love to visit this site!

by Lori Seaborg

Christmas All Season Long

2005-12-02T00:16:00.000-06:00

”Can you not see it is clear folly to crowd Christmas into twelve very
full hours of one day and expect everyone to enjoy themselves?
Christmastide is, after all, not just a day but a season.
Let us make the most of it. By spreading out the gifts, parties,
and special treats over an extended period, parents quiet down
the choruses of ‘I can’t wait,’ as our little ones discover that
they can indeed learn to wait –
as long as they don’t have to wait very long.” ~

Mrs. Sharp's Traditions

A few Christmases ago, I decided that Christmas was becoming more of a burden than a good time. The day after Christmas, I was faced with a huge mess – wrapping paper scrunched up across the floor; a new toy already broken; greedy, grouchy and over-sugared children; leftovers to deal with; the tree’s needles scattered across the carpet; decorations to pack up; and a few store returns, the thought of which created a migraine. Yes, Christmas had become a burden.

Memory-making is terribly important to me. I determined to figure this holiday thing out before the kids had a childhood-full of grumpy Christmas memories.

I absolutely believe in what Mrs. Sharp is saying in the above quote. Can’t we see that it is crazy (she says folly) to celebrate all in one day? What great expectations we are putting on one little day! We think we are supposed to enjoy family, invite friends, sing carols, open perfectly chosen and perfectly wrapped gifts, enjoy a dinner as large as Thanksgiving, give at least a thought if not a basket of fruit to someone else, and have a tray of goodies to equal all the sweets eaten all year long, plus much more – all in one day.

Are we absolutely crazy??

Well, I was.

So with the reminder in my heart of the true meaning of Christmas, and with the help of Mrs. Sharp in the book above, I decided to change.

Over this next week, I will write you a series of articles about holiday traditions that we have observed in our home. Instead of celebrating Christmas all in one day, we celebrate a holiday season that stretches from Thanksgiving Day through February’s Mardi Gras celebrations. I will focus, in my articles, on December’s traditions.

I will share my ideas with you, but honestly, I’m as eager as you are for new ideas. So please feel free to share your family’s traditions in the comments.

Let’s extend the Christmas spirit throughout the month of December, starting today, December 1st !

Coming Articles (blog posts):

St. Nicholas Day
St. Lucia’s Day
Hanukkah
Christmas Eve
Christmas
Boxing Day
New Years
Twelfth Night

A Little Extra Cash

2005-11-28T09:32:00.000-06:00

If you want to make a little extra cash, and if you enjoy blogging and don't mind copying and pasting your blog posts from Blogger to another site every day......

...you might want to check out Writing Up, a blogging community which was started by two computer and marketing guys. It's free (as is just about everything I do online), and isn't any kind of "sign up," really. You're just creating a blog, just like you did here at Blogger.

How will you make money, then? Google Ads will be placed on your blog there. That's something I've been doing here for a couple of months (see mine on the right column, scroll down -- oh, and click on them so I get a few pennies!). You'll get the revenue from the ads.

What ads will be on your site? I was worried about this when I first signed up to place Google ads on this site. But the ads are based on content. In other words, the ads change all the time based on what you wrote. I have gotten ads from the American Red Cross and Martha White flour and Super Target. Usually, the ads are so great that I find myself visiting the sites! Your ads will not be on the shady side, unless you are writing that way. I once got an ad for meeting singles. I didn't want that ad on my site, so I simply went to Google Adsense and blocked that ad from being on my site.

I'm a huge skeptic when it comes to "make money from home" opportunities, because there are too many scammers out there. But I did create a simulcast blog at Writing Up, because I already know that Google Ads are a fine way to make a few dollars each month (I'm getting around $50 a month between Writing Up and this blog's ads but I've just started, so that should really increase), and because all I have to do is write a blog here at Blogger, like normal, and then copy and paste it at the Writing Up site.

A no-brainer way to make a passive income. That is sooo my style!

How do you get started?

1. Click on my Google Adsense banner (in the right column) and create a Google Adsense account. This is easy to do and - of course - free.

2. Go to Writing Up (click on the name anywhere in this blog) and create a blog there. It's free and very quick to do.

3. Blog every day and wait a little while for it all to kick in. Once it does, you should be getting a little revenue each month (note: Google pays you each time you reach $100, so you'll have to wait until you get to that point before you get your first payment).

by Lori Seaborg

Use the links above to check it out and let me know what you think.

by Lori Seaborg

How to Get More Readers to Your Blog

2005-11-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

Someone recently asked me how to get more readers to their blog. Here is what I suggested:

1. The best way to keep others visiting your blog is to blog! Silly-sounding, but it works! Blog every day if possible (that's something I preach but don't practice), but at least a few times a week. Readers will stop coming to your blog if they don't see new posts.

2. Visit others' blogs and leave comments there. This is my #1 way of promoting my own blog. Don't say, "Come visit my blog" - that' s not in good taste. Instead, comment on the blog post that you just read, or you may say, "I was just writing about this on my blog, too....". Out of curiosity, people will click through to your blog (always, always sign in before commenting or your comment will be "anonymous," and then there won't be a link to click).

3. Add a few friends to your blog. When people see that they are your "friend" they will often add you, too, and they'll be curious about your blog, so will visit it. You can add friends in the maintenance page (where you add new posts). Click on "Manage Friends."

4. When you write a post, now and then end it with a question. In your post on Managing School Time, you might ask, at the end of the article, "So how do you manage your school time?" This encourages commenters.

5. You need to have your blog in your email signature. Write it in its full form, such as http://www.KeepingtheHome.blogspot.com . By adding the http://www, you are making the link clickable. Anyone who reads your emails will then know about your blog.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

by Lori Seaborg

Turkey Carcass Soup

2005-11-25T11:09:00.000-06:00

Wait! You didn't toss out the turkey bones yet, did you? If not, you have the chance to try out this Turkey Carcass Soup!

Thanksgiving Night (tonight is fine):

Toss the turkey bones, skin, yuckies, and all, into a big stock pot and cover the turkey carcass with water.

Add 1-2 whole, unpeeled onions and about a tablespoon of peppercorns and a few garlic cloves, if you have them. (all of these added ingredients are optional. Other options are 2-3 bay leaves, leeks (washed, but toss in all of it), and whole fresh herbs like oregano, chives, thyme).

Turn this pot on low and let simmer all night long (if you have less time, boil the water, then reduce to low and simmer for at least four hours. The longer time, the more rich the stock, though.

The next morning:

Strain all of the whole ingredients from the stock. You are left with rich, brown turkey stock (especially if you had a deep-fried turkey this year!). You can either boil this stock to reduce it (this will strengthen the flavor even further), or - this is what I do - you can freeze some of the stock for later soups (any time a recipe asks for chicken or turkey stock, use your own!).

Keep enough stock in the pot for your Turkey Soup: 8 cups worth, or so?

Later in the day, about 1-2 hours before dinner:

To the stock, add the following leftovers and ingredients:

a Tablespoon of salt (I use Kosher)
Thanksgiving leftover veggies (green beans, carrots, whatever sounds good in soup)
Thanksgiving leftover mashed potatoes (these help thicken the soup)
Thanksgiving leftover turkey meat
chopped onion and garlic (if you'd like)
other Thanksgiving leftovers that would be good in a soup

Let this soup simmer for 1/2 hour to 2 hours (or all day, like I do, but add the veggies - carrots, beans - at the last 1/2 hour so they won't be too mushy).

A 1/2 hour before dinner:

Add some noodles - homemade or purchased, or some biscuits to the soup and cook/simmer until they are done. Or, use serve leftover Thanksgiving dinner rolls with the Turkey Carcass Soup.

This is one of my husband's favorite meals, with homemade noodles or dumplings in it. Mmmmm!

by Lori Seaborg

Creating Herbal Pillows

2005-11-19T20:38:00.000-06:00

In our house, there is always an herbal pillow in the freezer, one under each pillow, and an extra one in a kitchen drawer. Our children (ages 2-10) love their herbal pillows, especially the “Owie Pillow,” which is stored in the freezer.

To make soothing herbal pillows to heat or freeze, you need only three basic items: a grain, an herb, and the pillow.

The Grains:

Grains are used in pillows to retain heat or cold and to give the weight desired. Choose one of the following grains for your pillow:

Flax Seed: Flax seed contains linseed oil, so it retains heat and cold remarkably well. It has a wonderful "weight" to it, making it ideal for eye pillows or for muscular aches (the pressure of the weight is soothing). You'll get only one 6"x 6" pillow from one pound of flax (it's that heavy!). You can find flax seed at your local health food store, but I think the prices online are better.

Buckwheat: Buckwheat has a light weight. It retains cold and heat, although not nearly as well as flax. We like to use buckwheat for a pillow that needs to be lightweight, or for a less expensive pillow that can be tossed around the house. Buckwheat makes great traveling pillows for the neck. You get around 16 cups of buckwheat per pound, so you can make a few pillows with that. You can purchase buckwheat online, also at the above links.

Rice: Just use any grocery store rice! Rice is inexpensive. It retains heat and cold fairly well.

Beans: Look at the grocery store for this one as well. Choose any beans or lentils. They retain heat, not through oils, but just through their density (like a brick would). Inferior to flax and buckwheat, beans still have their uses when you want to save money!

The Herbs:

Herbs that are good for pillows are the soothing and relaxing herbs, like chamomile, rose petals and lavender. Herbs that help with breathing are the mints or lemon grass. You can mix any combination of herbs that you like.

Some excellent blends are peppermint & chamomile (relaxing; helps with breathing and sleeping); lavender & rose petals (soothing; romantic); and lemon grass & spearmint (helps with breathing; invigorating).

The Pillow:

Create pillows in any shape you like, but be sure to use a “breathable” fabric, such as cotton. Herb pillows are often sold in the shape of neck pillows, baby's tummy squares, and "log" shapes for the lower back, to mention only a few. Create your pillow in any shape. If you dislike sewing, use a tube sock or a small muslin pouch.

The Technique:

1. Mix your selected herbs and grains at a 2:1 ratio (eg. 2 cups grains to 1 cup herbs - feel free to change this ratio).

2. Fill the pillow with the herb/grain mixture.

3. Close the pillow securely so the herbs won't slip out.

4. To use for cool therapy, freeze the pillow and use when needed. For warm therapy, microwave the pillow carefully in 30-second increments until it is at the desired heat.

Most pillows retain their herbal scent for about a year.

Some Ideas for Your Herbal Pillows:

· Owie Pillow: Use any of the grains listed and keep this pillow in the freezer for kids’ “owies” (non-bleeding, of course!). This has cured MANY an “owie” in our house!

· Dream Pillow: Create a pillow with any or all of the following: chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rose petals, hops, spearmint, eucalyptus... This pillow will aid in sleeping better. Keep it under your pillow (use a 1:1 ratio on this pillow).

· Labor/New Mom Pillow: I have not been without my rice and herb pillow in all four of our babies' births. Tim used the hospital's microwave to warm up my pillow each time I needed its warm therapy. I placed it on my back during labor for our first child, and on my stomach after Cesearean section for the last two children.

· Headache Pillow: Shape this pillow to fit over your eyes or forehead for headaches. Warm therapy is nice for a headache.

· Travel Pillow: Create a pillow in the shape of a neck roll for traveling. Buckwheat is the best herb for this pillow, as it is lightweight and moves freely.

· Baby's Tummy Pillow: For our colicky infants, a rice-filled square pillow has worked nicely. I warm up the pillow, place it on my arm, and place my baby upside-down with her tummy on the pillow. Or, I place the pillow in her crib and lay the baby on it. Be sure to test this pillow for the proper heat before using. The mints are excellent for babies.

Herbal pillows make wonderful gifts for baby showers, holidays, and birthdays. Be sure to create a few for yourself, too!

A Few Favorite Books

2005-11-09T11:03:00.000-06:00

I just love reading book lists from others. I don’t like to buy a book unless I already know it is good, or at least was recommended from a trusted source. Below are a few of the books that I most adore. Click on the links to see the book online:

This is a beautiful book, full of beautiful photographs. I think this book may be directly responsible for my deep desire to one day have goats (a dream that came true only last week when I acquired two angora does). I love the simple living of Tasha Tudor, who insists on living as if it is still the 19th Century.

Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions is full of Victorian-style traditions and rituals that a family may do for holidays or special days. I pull out the book and browse through it at least once a month, looking for new ideas to make days special. Because of this book, our family now celebrates St. Nicholas Day in early December, which leaves Christmas Day all to Jesus.

I’ve found this book easy to understand. I was able to teach myself how to knit through the book. When I saw a fellow homeschooler knitting one day, I asked her to make sure I was doing it right. I was! With this book, one starts out learning to knit and progresses into more difficult projects through the book. By the end, you’ll be designing your own knitted project.

Our Days

2005-11-08T22:42:00.000-06:00

Hello, all! Thank you for being patient with me last week. We had Tim's sister, her husband and their four kids visiting for eight days. We had EIGHT kids ages TEN AND UNDER for eight days! Can you imagine what our noise level was?

We had a great time, letting the kids run through the splash pad fountain at the mall, visiting the National Museum of Naval Aviation (worth a trip to Pensacola, Florida to see!), seeing more family in Mobile, Alabama, deep-frying a turkey for dinner, barbequeing a few dozen hot dogs, eating s'mores, drinking strawberry and pina colada homemade slushies (a.k.a. non-alcoholic daquirris), ordering steak dinners to go (just us adults, after the eight kids were in bed), playing Rook every night, creating beaded earrings, shopping in our adorable downtown Fairhope, watching the men play basketball, and so much more. Part of "so much more" includes chasing our two angora goats, who escaped their pen on Sunday. That is not fun!!

I'll get back to blogging again now. I've missed you!

by Lori Seaborg

Propagating Mints

2005-11-05T09:38:00.000-06:00

A student in the landscaping class that I teach brought me aPennyroyal cutting this week and a cutting of Spearmint. As most gardeners do, he expected a trade, so I was happy to give him cuttings of my Mountain Mint and Lemon Thyme.

A cutting is a little slip of a plant about 6-10" long that can be placed in a medium until it grows roots. That "medium" might be water, soil, vermiculite, sand, or peat. Propagation is a fancy word for rooting cuttings of plants.To root mints (including pennyroyal and the thymes), your job is veryeasy. Just use your fingers to pinch off a piece of the plant, about6" long. Place the cutting, cut side down, into some soil or anothermedium mentioned above (my favorite is vermiculite, as it holds itsmoisture and is lightweight). You don't need to worry about addingrooting hormone to these cuttings -- they are a natural at rootingall by themselves. Keep the cutting moist, but do be sure that extrawater is able to drain away.

After a couple of weeks, if you are antsy, you may check on your cutting by gently lifting up on the stem. If it is tight, you probably have roots ready. If it pulls up, wait longer.If you have the self-control needed, as I do not, leave the cutting alone for 3-8 weeks (depending on how warm the soil has been) so that you don't damage the little roots by checking on them. When the cuttinghas a nice supply of roots (several at more than 1-1/2" long), youmay put it into a prepared pot with potting soil or into the garden.
Trading cuttings not only saves you money, but also allows you toexperience the gift of sharing!

Contentment, from 2003

2005-10-28T10:41:00.000-05:00

I was searching for an article to send to an editor as a "clip" (example of my writing) today, and bumped into the following, so I thought I'd share it with you all. The "baby" in the post is now 2-1/2 years old. At the time, we were living in a 1290 sq. ft. house in Florida.

These are baby days in our household. Our little girl, Alyssa Belle,was born on February 22, 2003. She's about 7 weeks old now and sucha cutie! We are so busy with her. I have had a hard time with beingcontent with the lack of work I can get done in a day. But time will fly and Alyssa Belle will one day have as long of legs as her 7-year-old big brother. Maybe I'll long for these colicky-cuddly days then, so I'm reminding myself to cherish these days now.

Now that Alyssa Belle is 7 weeks old (tomorrow), already things are getting easier than they were just a few weeks ago. So, today Iplanted my herb garden. Of course, it was planted in little peatpots rather than in the garden. I'll transplant the little darlings once they germinate. There's not a chance to go out and hoe for the plant babies when I have my human baby to tend!

Life these days is all about learning contentment. Either I can moan and rage at my little, overflowing home and its sandy-soil yard andthe lack of time on my hands -- OR, I can thank God for these four children blessing my life and make trade-offs in my mind. "Okay," I say, "no garden in the ground? Let's use pots." "The floors in the house are almost never clean? Let's make a game of clearing as much as we can." All day long, I pray for serenity and think of ways tomake this life of mine spin less crazily.

As I tell my children, "Do all things without murmuring and disputing." (a Biblical Proverb)

Now, that's easier said than done!

~ April 11, 2003

God's Vessels

2005-10-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

I was given a gift today.   Our garage and master bathroom, and even my bedroom have been flooded with Hurricane Katrina donations for the past couple of months.  The boxes get moved, some get emptied, but then others arrive to take their place.  It’s been a lot of extra work.  Worthy of our time and space, I know, but sometimes it almost seems too much…

So two days ago, I offered some of the boxes on Freecycle, a really neat program where you give and take free items within your area.  I was a little worried that we wouldn’t be really helping any hurricane victims, which was the point of the boxes coming here in the first place.  But I mentioned that in the note, and added that the point is that the donations help people, so I’d like them to go out to whoever needs them.

In response, I met the most wonderful people, and my life is richer for it:

First, there was Misti, whose husband just offered a week of his time in Waveland, Mississippi.  He took a week without pay, leaving pregnant Misti and their four-year-old daughter.  They are glad he volunteered his time, but they are noticing the pinch of the lost paycheck.  Misti took two boxes, a case of Huggies, and a dozen outfits for her four-year-old.

Then Brandy came.  Her sister lost all of her belongings when her college flooded in the hurricane.  She had moved into the dorms just two weeks before.  Now, she lives in a “dumpy trailer” as Brandy calls it, in a location that seems a little shady.  But it was given to her rent-free, and there are no other options.  Brandy is the older sister, so she tries to look out for her younger sister.  But she says she can only do so much – they have a baby to care for, too.  I gave Brandy two boxes for her sister.

Natalie emailed me, asking if I had any extra toiletries.  I did, so she drove 40 miles round-trip to pick them up.  She is volunteering at the homeless shelter in Mobile, Alabama this weekend and will create packages of toiletries for them. Natalie was so grateful for the donations; they were running low because most items are being donated to Hurricane Katrina evacuees.  Natalie took eight boxes of donated hotel-sized toiletries.

All of the people touched my heart, but it was Grace who melted it.  Grace emailed that she was “financially spent.” She’s been helping three families who lost much in the hurricane.  Her grown daughter, a mother of two in her twenties, came with Grace to my house.  The daughter’s home was in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and all was lost, even her only transportation.  Grace’s daughter nearly started crying when she talked of the past two months of hardship.  Clearly, she is not over the trauma yet.   I gave Grace three family boxes for the three families she is helping, including her daughter’s.  I also gave her six children’s goodie bags, full of toys, books, and candy for the children.

This is the note I got from Grace soon after she got home:

LORI,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING THE 3 FAMILIES TODAY. IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO MAKE THIS WORLD A GOOD PLACE AND WHEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU WITNESS FOR THE LORD LIKE THAT PEOPLE GET CURIOUS. I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE 12 YEAR OLD BOY GAVE HIS TOY /GOODY BAG TO HIS 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER IN EXCHANGE FOR THE BIBLE. THAT MADE ME SO HAPPY YET SO SAD THAT HE DID NOT ALREADY HAVE ONE. HE IS A GOOD CHILD AND AS A MATTER OF FACT HIS FAMILY IS A GOOD ONE, JUST DOWN ON THEIR LUCK. FIRST I THANKED GOD NOW I THANK HIS VESSEL. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS.

And now it is my turn to thank God’s vessel – you - all of you who donated cash and items for us to share.  And I especially thank God’s vessels who still remember the Hurricane Katrina survivors in your prayers and in your thoughts every day.

Life is not easy for them yet.

Useful and Useless TidBits of Information

2005-10-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

A Laundry Tip:

Folding and putting away laundry are the hardest part of the laundry cycle for me. So I've found that at the times when I have LOTS of laundry to do (almost always), it is less overwhelming if I do linens (towels, sheets) in every other load. Since linens are easier to fold and put away than the clothing of six different people, doing laundry this way gives me reason to procrastinate and grumble about only half of the laundry.

A Kitchen Tip:

Clear counters make the kitchen look cleaner, which makes them seem to collect less mess. I have found places for even my Kitchen Aid, toaster, bread machine, and crockpot in cupboards. When we had a smaller house, I kept a few of those items in the laundry room. This makes the slightly less convenient to pull out when needed, but I think that inconvenience is minimal compared to the time saved cleaning around the appliances. Try it and see what you think.

A Bathroom Tip:

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: If you clean your bathroom every day, you'll never have to clean it! I buy Clorox (or non-brand) wipes. Using just one wipe each day (two, sometimes), I start with the light switch and doorknob to the bathroom, then the sink faucet, I wipe the counter and the sink bowl, then the top of the toilet, then the seat cover, then the toilet seat, and finally - if the cloth is not too disgusting at this point (we do have boys) - I'll wipe the base of the toilet and the floor around it. I've mentioned each area because I want you to remember something I learned in nursing school (yep, I pursued nursing for three years - but, no, I'm not a nurse): go from clean to dirty, wiping from the cleanest area (the light switch) and ending at the dirtiest (under the toilet seat).

A Mopping Tip:

Tim thinks that one of my most endearing qualities is my ingenuity (resourcefulness). I think he only likes it because of the money saved, but as long as I'm endeared, who cares why! Yesterday, he caught me rubber-banding a rag towel around my flat mop head (the kind that is often used for dusting, and comes with a microfiber cloth that attaches to it with elastic). The extra cloths cost $5 each at the store, so I thought I may as well make my own. I walked around with a spray bottle of cleaner in my hand, sprayed the floor, then mopped it with my towel-rigged-mop. It worked like a charm, and the towel can then be washed in the laundry.

An Attitude Tip:

My housecleaning attitude has perked up somewhat ever since I realized that I really do have household servants like the woman in Proverbs 31. My servants are: the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, the breadmachine, the microwave, the stove, the hot water heater, the mixer, and all the other electronic items that make my life easier. Why, even the toilet is a modern-day servant! All that my servants require is constant management. They are quite lazy without management. Each day I have to hand my servants their workload, and I have to keep up with them to make sure they are doing it well. Some servants require less of me, like the Water Heater, who is such a reliable old gal. She doesn't require all that the Dishwasher does, bless her!

Do you have any household tips to share? If so, comment them below!

by Lori Seaborg

Wow! Look!

2005-10-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

I got an email today, saying I'd won in a category for the Juggling with Hamsters contest that was held at HomeschoolBlogger.com. Now, isn't that the most fun kind of email? Read the winners' posts at the above link - they are really great! - and then send an email to Spunky with your choice for the grand prize winner.

By the way: This is the article that I entered in the contest: Feeling Overwhelmed?

Another cool thing is that The Old Schoolhouse magazine asked to publish two of my Hurricane Katrina photos from our Katrina website. Of course, I said, "Sure!" So when you get your next magazine, look for my itty bitty name under two hurricane photos. Now I'm a published professional photographer -- the 3 "P's"! That sounds great!

by Lori Seaborg

October 2005 Keeping the Home Newsletter is Up!

2005-10-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

Keeping the Home Newsletter
October 2005

My latest newsletter was sent out today!

CONTENTS:
* My Latest Obsession: Pine Needle Basketry
* Living Simply, by Crystal Miller
* An Invitation to CelebrateMoms.org
* Links I am Enjoying
* What's Happening in My House

The newsletter is sent out monthly. If you'd like a copy, sign up with one of the following links:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KeepingtheHome (ads, but you can view my newsletter along with your other Yahoo! subscriptions)
http://welovegod.org/groups/keeping_the_home (no ads, and a Christian-run, family-oriented subcription service)

by Lori Seaborg

As Heard in Our House

2005-10-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

"I think I finally realized how a lullaby works." ~ 10-year old son, after listening to me sing to our baby

"Hows that?" ~ me

"It bores her to sleep. It almost bored me to sleep!" ~ 10-year-old

by Lori Seaborg

One of the Three Things: Waiting

2005-10-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Waiting for a little brother or sister to emerge.
Lori Seaborg 2005

2005-10-10T16:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a snooze makes the wait go by faster.
Lori Seaborg 2005

2005-10-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, it's nice to have someone share life with you.
Lori Seaborg 2005

One of the Three Things: My Attempt at Pine Needle Basketry

2005-10-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

A messy attempt, but yielding a strong and joy-causing result. I am definitely hooked on this free and useful art form! (at least until the next craft comes to mind...)
Lori Seaborg 2005

Three Things

2005-10-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

I've been doing three things lately. Just three, because when you're a mama of four, all the other "things" you do are entirely taken for granted by your brood. I hear that one day I will wish for grimy fingerprints on the walls, and floors to mop, and mouths to feed. But for now, I am not wishing any of that; I am living it! Daily. So this is what I've been doing when I'm not doing Mom stuff:

1. Hatching baby chicks. Technically, God is hatching them, but I'm watching it happen (every 10 minutes or less, admittedly). This is our third hatch of chicks since we got our chickens a year-and-a-half ago, but it is our first hatching without the help of a mama hen. She decided to quit being a mother just as they started to hatch, spreading the eggs around (breaking one, sadly), and giving up on the whole agonizing mess. I know how to sound like a mama hen, at least I think I sound like one, so I make noises at the baby chicks every ten minutes as I stare at them hatching. Did you know it takes an entire day for them to pop fully out of their shell? Quite slow, indeed!

2. Making my first Pine Needle Basket. There is something about our first break from the hot summer that makes me crafty (this usually happens in September, not October!). We have Long Leaf Southern Pines on our property and the needles are falling in plentiful supply. So, I thought I'd take up the Native American craft of pine needle basketry. I can't believe how easy it is. Here are the instructions I am using.

3. Starting a Prayer Journal. Honestly, this journal dates back to 2001, but only has a few entries in it. This week, though, I have been faithful to use my prayer journal for seven days now. It only takes 21 days to create a habit, right? I'm 1/3 there. Prayer is the hardest thing for me to do each day. I'm talking about the sit-down-with-Jesus kind of prayers, not the fleeting ones that are in my head all day long. It seems that the kids have a mom-needs-to-be-alone radar. Well, I can't entirely blame the kids. I am also a complete scatter brain, so my prayers easily turn into thoughts about what to do that day, or what needs to be done, and Oh! I need to return the library books, better get them ready.... So the prayers don't get to the heart-to-heart level that they ought. Enter prayer journaling, which for me is a natural fit. I can write my heart out and keep focused. When I do get sidetracked (I always do), I just jot down my bright idea, then get back to my journal. And when the kids interrupt, I lift my pen, answer them sweetly, and start writing again.

I'll keep you updated on these three things. Hope you are having a great weekend!

by Lori Seaborg

A Scrap of Lemon

2005-10-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

I had a scrap of a lemon this morning .... that sounds like a great beginning sentence for a novel, but I don't write those, so you're going to get something a bit more practical out of this... It was the hollowed shell of a lemon, I should really say, although that sounds much less poetic. I'd squeezed the lemon, and the hollowed shell was left.

Anyway, I picked it up at lunch time and scrubbed the sink with the lemon scrap. It shined up my stainless steel sink beautifully, and I think it might have shined the brass drain (which has not been looking so brassy.

My now-smooshed lemon scrap still smelled good, so I plopped it into a pot of water and added some dried ginger and cinnamon pieces. I turned the stove on med-high to get it boiling, then lowered the heat to low (You could just start yours on low to simmer, but I was preparing lunch nearby, so thought I'd get a jump on it).

My kitchen is smelling so good right now. It smells like October!

....All from the scrap of a lemon.

Goals in Baby Steps

2005-10-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd check in with you all and say hello. I haven't forgotten about you; I've just needed a little time to step back and reassess. We've been helping the Hurricane Katrina survivors full-time for a month now (with Hurricane Rita thrown into the mix). Since the need for our help is lessening, as more federal and corporate aid has been arriving in the area, we are slowing down our efforts.

I've been operating with hurricane, hurricane, hurricane on my mind, and all of a sudden I have to remember what I used to do, pre-hurricanes. Oh, yeah, I used to be a mom, a wife, and a writer!

Because it's easier to be goal-oriented when you have a buddy, I convinced Tim to create a list of goals, too. We chose what we want to be doing, or have done, by December 31, 2005.

When creating our goals, to get us thinking straight, we thought of what we'd like to improve physically, spiritually, mentally, professionally, and family. For example, under Physically and Professionally, I wrote:

Physically, by the end of the year, I want to be:
- eating healthily
- exercising regularly
- sleeping regularly
- helping the family choose healthier eating choices

Professionally, by the end of the year, I want to be:
- submitting articles regularly
- writing daily
- working with Celebrate Moms
- done with my web site, so it is ready to go live by New Years
- have a publication or ebook done and ready for sale

Then, to make certain that our goals have a chance of being accomplished, we each wrote down a Plan. On paper, I wrote down:

How to Achieve Goals:

Physically:
1. Eat breakfast, and eat every four hours (I tend to skip meals).
2. Menu plan; keep pantry and fridge full of healthy options.
3. Walk or do other exercise every day.
4. Balance proteins and carbohydrates, and eat veggies and fruits daily.
5. Read in bed by 10:30pm nightly (this is so I will hopefully fall asleep earlier than my normal 1-2am!)

Professionally:
1. Write daily.
2. Work on web site so it will be done by December 31, 2005.
3. Submit articles weekly.
4. Work on Celebrate Moms weekly assignments

Because I am a scatterbrain, and it takes only one pretty butterfly passing across the window before I am outside and chasing it, or one little baby who looks too cute for words and simply must have her photo taken that moment, I broke down my plan into Baby Steps. I looked at my list of "How to Achieve Goals," above, and wrote down something I could do every day. This is what I wrote:

"Each morning (or the night before), write down:
1.   What to eat every 4 hours for the day.
2.   When to fit in exercise.
3.   Writing assignment of the day.
4.   When to spend special time with one family member that day.
5.   When to fit in 15 minutes of extra cleaning.
6. What we will do in homeschool, and when.
7.   When to fit in writing time.
8.   When to fit in website design.
9.   When to read.
10.   When to work on special assignments or special tasks.
11. When to go to any meetings or errands, if there are any. "

So, last night, I looked at the above Baby Steps List, and wrote down a time for each thing on the list. And that is why I am here, blogging, at 12:35pm. Otherwise, I'd be off chasing the blue-tailed skink that just walked across my windowsill outside.

by Lori Seaborg

One Thought at a Time

2005-09-25T16:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I was attracted to the view out the French doors of our river and our back yard. It has been days since we’ve seen sunshine, due to Hurricane Rita’s cloud cover. The sun was shining through the oak and cedar and birch trees, the river was sparkling, the wind was gusting, and the chickens looked as lovely as can be as they roamed among the jungle called “lawn” that needs to be . . .

. . . mowed. Badly. And there are broken limbs that need to be cut out of the trees. The logs that are stuck in the river from the hurricanes, what will we do about those? We can’t canoe until we get their massive selves out of the way. More tropical systems may come our way, like Rita. Oh, just great, look, Rita knocked over the lawn chairs and the tarp is in the neighbor’s yard again. And it is so blasted hot! When is it ever going to feel like late September? . . .

In the middle of those unlovely thoughts came an unexpected one:

“Never complain about anything. Not even the weather.”*

I remembered something that I read a long time ago: We can only haveone thought at a time.That seems impossible for us multi-tasking moms, but it is true.We can only think one thought at a time. That means I can eitherdwell on our hard times, and negative things, or thank God for what I can find that is good.

Once I was reminded of my choice, I decided to again look at the good in the yard, and I thanked God that we are healthy and can do all of those big jobs we need to do. We will have months of lovely weather soon. And . . . I thought with a smile, if it wasn’t “so blasted hot,” I wouldn’t have lemons and tangerines to pick from my trees!

Now, I know that all of you do not have lemons to cheer you up, but you have something!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite sayings:

“Two women looked through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.”

Lori Seaborg

p.s. *Both of today’s quotes are from my favorite nonfiction book, Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow. Click here to view the book on Amazon. Or, click here to view it at Christian Book Distributors.

Today September 23, 2005

2005-09-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

Watching...the wind gusts blow tropical - hot and sticky - air across our trees and yard.

Waiting...to see where Hurricane Rita will land. We will not be affected in any major way, except our beachfronts and maybe a few tornadoes (hopefully not!).

Trying...again, and again, to get our Florida house ready to sell. Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis have hit it this year, so Tim's over there all week fixing the last storm's damage and getting the house on the market, while hoping that Rita doesn't come East.

Knowing...that sometimes when things don't happen in our timing, God's timing is usually better. The hurricanes slowed down our plans for selling the house, but increased the market price and demand. We got a blessing out of a bad thing.

Smiling...when I saw that I'll be one of the Team Members for Celebrate Moms . Click on the name to sign up to get an email when the site goes live. I'm looking forward to working with the talented women who were selected for the team. I'm the only dork among them, I assure you! I'll try hard to act like I know what I'm doing.

Watching...(when I wasnt' watching the wind gusts) Martha Stewart's new t.v. show this morning. But it's not the same as the old one, and I'm not sure I like it as much. What do you think?

Sorting...through all of the donations that were sent for the Hurricane Katrina survivors. It has been a big job! But we are delighted to help them.

Cleaning...my house thoroughly. With all the boxes of donations, the house has gotten completely out of hand. I am here to rein it all in!

Reading...Marriage Undercover by Audrey and Bob Meisner. I thought I was just going to skim the book when I picked it up the other day. It had been in a pile of unread books I'd gotten from a publishing conference I attended last Februrary. A couple of hours after starting to "skim" the book, the children had to remind me that they were starving for lunch. I am amazed at the transparency of the Meisner's as they share how difficult it was for them to go through Audrey's marital affair, her resulting pregnancy, and how God helped them through it all. (Note: The above link takes you to Amazon, click on this one for Christian Book Distributors: Marriage Undercover .

by Lori Seaborg

http://www.survivedkatrina.org (for photos and updates on our Katrina efforts!)

Feeling Overwhelmed?

2005-09-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I blogged about priorities and someone emailed, asking me to repost the following which I last posted in July:

Over a year and a half ago, I was teaching children's choir, teaching adult education classes two nights a week, singing in the adult choir at church, homeschooling two children with two babies underfoot, taking the children two full days a week to extra classes, preparing to move to a new location for dh's job, and running a website as a business. I was overwhelmed!Knowing that I was reaching my sanity's limit, I prayed for God to help me, with a please!

One night soon after my prayer, I walked into our six-year-old daughter's room and saw a basket hanging from her bunkbed with a stuffed animal and a note in it. I remembered that Brittany had told me she had a surprise for me, and to please come and look at it, but I was too busy filling an order for my business. Later, after I sent her to bed, she called me again to see her surprise, but I said was still too busy and I'd come when I could.Much later in the evening, I remembered that I had never gone back to see Britty's surprise. Feeling a little saddened that I was seeing it after she was asleep, I opened the note.

On it was written: "I want to do 100 things for you."For Brittany, a brand-new 6 year old who had four ear surgeries, writing that note would have been very difficult. It touched me to the core. In tears, I said aloud, "I want to do 100 things for you, too."It was as if a light turned on in that moment as I saw how busy I had made my life. Each activity was noble, of course, and worthy of someone's time, but it was not to be my time that was used. That night, in my little girl's room, I felt God's whisper. I heard Him whisper that I am to be first a wife, then a mother for this moment. He reminded me how quickly children grow up. It is only for a blink of time that they live with us. With my focus cleared, I immediately closed my website. I had always given it to God, so I didn't question that he could provide for us financially without my side business. Since we were moving for dh's new job, I was able to gracefully bow out of choir, children's choir, the extra classes, and teaching committments.

My husband became a top priority. I started caring whether or not he had clean clothes. I began greeting him as he walked in the door from work. Our children also became a higher priority. I started reading to them at night and singing with them in the day. I focused on their little faces and the fun we could create together. The house also became a priority. With practice, it became a joy to create meals and decorate and surprise my husband while teaching our children how to manage a home happily.

It has been over a year since Brittany's note and God's whisper. Lately, I have felt God's nudge to write again, as a ministry and as a home business. It is good to help others outside the family. It is good to make a little extra income. But I know that my ministry, business, or activity must never be more important than my family and my home.

If we young mothers talked to older mothers more often, they'd tell us that children grow up quickly. We already know that, but do we realize it? We fill our days to overflowing with activities; we run after ways that we can serve in the church; we start new businesses or keep old jobs; we agree to be the room mother or the leader of a group; we seek to minister to others.

Meanwhile, our families, the very ones that God specifically gave us to minister to, are set aside.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Ask God to help you, with a please. He just might whisper in your ear, too.

by Lori Seaborg

Priorities (in Order of Priority)

2005-09-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

I regularly forget my order of priorities, but when I remember them again, my days run smoothly. I wish I would stay on the right track all the time!

I first learned the order that I use from author Linda Dillow in her book, Creative Counterpart, a book that I very, very highly recommend for anyone who is a wife and a mom! My copy is worn from reading it over and over through the years. Just today, I had my copy of Creative Counterpart out during my "God Time". Some things, always the most important things, it seems, have to be repeated over and over to me, or I'll slip back into my old ways of selfishness. Does that happen to you, too? It seems that my brain has a leak when it comes to all things important. Ah, well, at least we have books to read (such as the Bible!) to keep us on track.

Here is the list of priorities, in order of first priority to last:

God

Husband

Children

Home

Self

Others, which includes anything outside the home, even church activities and ministry

In Creative Counterpart, there is a study section in the back that I am working through (for the umpteenth time). Today's section suggested that we write a specific thing that we can do in the area of each priority.

This is what I wrote today:

For God: Be absolutely committed to a daily time with Him; no excuses, and no skipping! Make prayer a bigger priority.

For Tim (dh): Don't argue; don't complain; each morning, think of one thing that I can do for him that day.

For the Children: Spend time with each of them individually each week. My schedule for this, is: 2yo: Monday; 5yo: Tuesday; 8yo: Thursday; 10yo Friday. I learned this from a dorm mom I had in boarding school. Even though she had 22 kids to be "mother" to, she spent individual time with each child once a week for half an hour. I'm not telling my kids that I am doing this, in case the schedule needs to be flexible, but I will keep it in mind.

For the Home: Right now, I need to work on Menu Planning and making meal prep an easier task. Next, I want to work on decorating by visiting yard sales, and by doing what I can with what we have (scrubbing the walls is free to do!).

For Me: Give myself permission to work on my crafts or reading (or long baths!) daily, without guilt of what housework I think I "should" be doing. Permission granted! Also, walk daily.

For Others: Continue to blog (here!) and keep working on opening a website for other moms. Minister through the Internet, as that helps keep my family first while the children are so small. Also, right now I am helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina through http://www.survivedkatrina.org .

I encourage you to also write down your list of priorities, and think of what you can do in each area. Think of something that is pretty simple, so that you will know success.

by Lori Seaborg

Housekeeping like Nature's Example

2005-09-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

Feeling discouraged about my house’s current messiness, I sighed this afternoon, and looked outside the window to the woods nearby.

But instead of a relaxing and orderly view, I thought, “Well, it’s a mess, too!”

I mean, there are all sorts of different types of plants there in the woods, with no rhyme or matching to them, except for their common green color.  The plants grow every which way, tangling themselves together with the help of fast-growing vines.  Some plants’ green leaves have turned brown; some are now yellow.  There is pine straw dangling from most leaves.  Even the birds can’t fly through these woods.  Rather, they tend to dive to their nests.

I often think that in homemaking we should follow God’s example of creation.  Just as nature has seasons: rainy, dry, winter, summer; our home can have seasons: canning season, candle making season, attic-cleaning season, outside-all-day season.  Just as nature makes use of everything, without waste, so also can we learn to be frugal and careful by making the most of our income, by learning natural health care, and by mulching and composting our gardens.

Could we then follow nature’s example of my messy forest?  Well, we can at least learn from it.

Some of us keep a messy house with little decoration.  We are like my forest in Alabama and Florida, where there is plenty of scrub brush, and you cannot walk a straight line without becoming tangled by the vines. Maybe once in a while, but you really have to look, you might find a bit of decoration in a blooming plant.  If we are like the Deep South forests, we need to work on cleaning our homes more efficiently, so our family will feel relaxed and guests will feel welcome.  We also need to work on adding a little decoration and scent to our homes.

Some of us, on the other hand, keep a house so clean that nobody feels welcome in it, not even our own family.  We are like the desert, sparse and neat.  There is beauty in the desert, in occasional flowers or in painted rocks.  We will not get sick here, and we will enjoy the beauty of the house, but we will not feel like we can relax here.  If we are like the desert, we need to work on being more welcoming, by allowing a little more of the forest into our homes.  We’re doing a great job with decorating and cleaning, but we need to remind ourselves not to be obsessed about it.

The forests of British Columbia and the forests of North Carolina offer excellent examples of good housekeeping to us.  One forest is more majestic, with huge trees and tall mountains, while the other is simpler, with bushes and small trees and large hills, yet each gives us a good idea of what would make a cozy home.  In these forests, you will find neatly kept forest floors, strewn with occasional flowers and scented leaves.  The forest is clean enough to walk through, yet decorated enough to be two of the most beautiful of nature’s Cathedrals.  We feel welcome here.

I first started writing this article to say, “Choose what type you are, then be happy with that.”  But now that I’ve thought more about it, I think we should not be content to say, “Oh, that’s the way I am.”  What’s the point of a home?  A home is to shelter and nurture and serve your family, and to welcome guests.   If our home is not performing that way, we need to think about what we can do to change that.

Look outside your window.  What example is God teaching you through nature?

While you’re looking out the window, I’ve got some cleaning to do!

Lori Seaborg
http://www.SurvivedKatrina.org (visit often for updates and new photos!)

Survivor Story

2005-09-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

Visit our website Survived Katrina for the latest survivor story that I've written. We met the man on Saturday in Mississippi. Click on Hurricane Survivors for his story and photos.

Also on the website is more information on what we're doing.

Lori Seaborg

Saturday's Trip

2005-09-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

Our time in Mississippi was amazing. We received a few dozen thanks, a couple of hugs, and more than one teary eye for our efforts. We were very surprised to see that so many families are living in tents or under tarps in their yards, next to their flooded homes. With all the shelters that are open in the area, we did not expect that.

We handed each family a Family Care Package, full of toiletries, books, pens and paper, a Bible, snacks, candy, gum, Band-Aids, wet wipes, and more. We gave babies a Baby Care Package with toiletries and a baby toy and bottles and a bib; and we gave each child a Kid's Care Package with activity toys in it.

We saw a lot of aid in the area. Churches' parking lots were full of boxes of food and items to get; trash bags of clothing were in store parking lots; FEMA had an occasional set-up.
When we drove through the main street, we thought, "Well, they don't really need us, with all the aid that's everywhere." But then we drove into the neighborhoods, where people are living in or next to their damaged homes. The people we met did not have transportation out, to go get the available aid. Their cars, if they had them, were flooded.

The boxes, full of items that would give the families a bit of comfort for a while, were a good thing to give, but I noticed that the people of Mississippi needed something even more than our donations: they needed a listening ear.

With your help, we were able to be there. Thank you for giving us the blessing of helping these people.

To keep up with what we are doing, and to view recent photos, please go to our new website at http://www.SurvivedKatrina.org .

God bless!
Lori Seaborg

Survived Katrina.org - site launch!

2005-09-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

I'd like to announce our new website to you all! After all that we have been through, Tim and I just want to spend our days helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, for as long as we are able.

A wonderful blog reader donated a website to us, with hosting included!

I have it ready for you to see at http://www.survivedkatrina.org . Be sure to click on "Hurricane Survivors" for the first of our many stories of survivors that we met. They are amazing people, going through extraordinary circumstances.

Please visit the site often, as I update almost daily!

by Lori Seaborg

Heading to Bayou la Batre: How You Can Help Update

2005-09-10T11:36:00.000-05:00

Today, our family is traveling across Mobile Bay and then back down to the Gulf Coast to the little village of Bayou la Batre, Alabama. Bayou la Batre was the setting of the Forrest Gump movie. It is a fishing village, full of shrimpers, who have all lost so much in the storm. Along with their houses (80% of the homes in Bayou la Batre are now uninhabitable), most of the shrimpers lost their boats in the storm, even though they had taken the boats up rivers and canals to try to save them.

They were never a rich bunch to begin with, these shrimpers. Now they have even less. The shrimp processing plant is destroyed, the boats are destroyed, and the homes are destroyed. Most of the shrimpers are your regular Southern folk, but there is also a large Vietnamese community among them, all fishermen.

We have heard that Bayou la Batre is only receiving FEMA food and water. They are not otherwise getting much aid. So, we'll head to Bayou la Batre today and take some of your donations with us. We created "family care packages" and "kids care packages" and "baby care packages" all day yesterday. We'll be able to help quite a few families in Bayou la Batre. Look for photos at http://survivedkatrina.org , which is our new website that a kind blog reader donated to us.

We could still use a few items:

Any baby items, including bottles, formula, toys, diapers, wipes, lotion, shampoo, bibs, blankies, pacifiers, and clothes
Snacks: small-sized packages are easiest to distribute, but we'll take any snacks you send, such as crackers, chips, cookies, candy, fruit snacks, etc.
Bibles: We give one to each family, so we cannot have enough of these. Also think of sending children's Bibles and baby's Bibles
Socks: All sizes, new
Underwear: All sizes, new
Adult t-shirts, gently worn or new
Shaving cream and disposable razors
Towels, sheets
Hand sanitizer
Cleaning supplies such as antibacterial wipes, rags, sprays (if you can ship them)
Feminine products (no pads, we have enough): Tampons or feminine wipes, especially
Paper goods: paper plates, cups, napkins
Toys, for any age
Books, for any age
Send items to us here:

SurvivedKatrina.org
Tim and Lori Seaborg
18930 Highland Drive
Fairhope, AL 36532

As always, CASH is the most useful thing, as we are using it to buy items that we have run out of in creating our care packages. We are also using cash to buy water, gas, and tire care products to take to the ones who need it (since you cannot ship those items). When we see a family who needs it, we hand out $50 shopping cards to WalMart, gas, or home improvement. The families in our area have not received any debit/credit cards from the Red Cross or FEMA yet. 100% of your cash is used to help the hurricane victims. To send cash, go to http://paypal.com , click on Send Money, and send it to: seaborgs@bellsouth.net You should see SurvivedKatrina as the account name.

I will update my website tonight or tomorrow, so look for news from our trip to Bayou la Batre! Go to http://survivedkatrina.orgfor the most current news from our family.

Thank you all so much for your generosity!

by Lori Seaborg

Evacuees, Refugees, or Victims?

2005-09-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

I received an email this morning suggesting that I change my wording from "refugee" to "evacuee":

"The victims of Katrina are not refugees rather they are US citizens displaced by a natural disaster. A refugee is defined as: One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution. This is not the case in Katrina victims."

That definition needs to be attributed to Dictionary.com, as it is a direct copy of their definition. Other dictionaries just call a refugee, "one who seeks shelter," or "one who flees." Usually the term is applied to wars and politics and religious persecution, but our world has not seen many cases such as we have in New Orleans.

Reverend Al Sharpton agrees with my reader that the the term "refugee" is not right, assuming that the term strips the people of their dignity. "They are not refugees. They are citizens of the United States," he says. You can read an interesting article about this discussion here, on the NPR site.

From a personal point of view, and as a refugee, evacuee, or hurricane victim, I can tell you that we just don't care. We're simply Southerners who were caught in a storm. We simply want help, whatever you prefer to call us.

(p.s. Even though I think "refugee" has been accurate in this case, I will soon change my wording at the top of this blog, just because I think the people who are homeless will soon no longer be "refugees," needing to seek "refuge." Even though they won't have homes to go back to yet, the rebuilding will begin and "refugee" will no longer seem fitting.)

Aid Update

2005-09-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

There was a sigh of relief in the area as FEMA finally brought in enough food, ice and water. They stationed a huge relief effort in Pascagoula, Mississippi, which was an area hit very hard by the storm. The food, water, and ice finally did not run out, and there is enough for today. Even Senator Trent Lott had a home totally destroyed in Pascagoula. It was 150 years old. Think of that. We get lots of storms here, yet his house stood for 150 years. Now, it is not even a frame. It is just ... gone.

Are you wondering if your help will even help? When you hear of the nation giving so much, of movie stars giving millions, of so many donations being sent, do you wonder if there is already enough?

The answer, for this storm, is "no." This is one of those storms where you just can't give enough. There cannot be enough money, or enough donations, or enough volunteers.

I can tell you from personal experience through other hurricanes, that FEMA is not quick to give aid. There is a lot of red tape involved with them. It is easy to sign up, but it is difficult to be approved for aid. We had to mail in various documents, proving that our insurance company didn't cover everything, proving income. Then, a FEMA person had to schedule an appointment to come to our home....it is just a long process. And very inconsistent. You cannot know if you'll receive any money, or what amount. Don't expect FEMA to provide these homeless people with all that they need. We need to help them.

The Red Cross has shelters set up in the area, filled to capacity. The Red Cross is doing a wonderful job, as always. Shelter and food is ultimately FEMA's job, but the Red Cross is doing it until FEMA comes through. This is the biggest relief effort the Red Cross has ever undertaken. We need to help them.

The Southern Baptists are stepping in, as always. They provide hot meals primarily (Jeb Bush said in a recent press conference that "the Southern Baptists always have the best food"), and have even partnered with the Red Cross to provide food at Red Cross shelters. They also bring showers and laundry services into an affected area, along with donations and medical personnel. And they provide yard work for the elderly or sick. When we had a flat tire in Florida after Hurricane Ivan, we were blessed enough to have it go flat while near a Southern Baptist church. A volunteer from Oklahoma drove my husband around town to find a tire shop. It took 4 hours (everyone gets a flat after a hurricane), but that generous man was patient all the time. Meanwhile, the volunteers at the site made sure my children and I were fed while waiting.

The Church of Christ are a generous bunch. They have opened an area shelter in Summerdale, Alabama. They also bring in many loads of donations and are very organized at passing them out.

Local churches are stepping in, like the First Baptist Church of Robertsdale and the Church of Christ in Summerdale to be shelters for the homeless, converting Sunday School rooms into bedrooms. Central Christian Church is providing a place for showers and exercise for the 300 homeless who are living in the Robertsdale Coliseum.

What are the needs?

We need volunteers to offer time at the local shelters, babysitting children so the parents can get a break, reading to the kids, befriending the parents.

We need donations of the items I've already listed. One problem is that people have to drive to distribution sites to receive aid. Many cannot do that, and it is worse with this storm because we are in such a gas crisis down here. There is a need for people to go into the neighborhoods to hand out needed items. If you cannot come, then mail items to us and we will get them to the neighborhoods and small rural towns that usually don't receive aid.

You can help. We can help.

Lori Seaborg
Alabama Gulf Coast

A note: If you want to volunteer your time, you may want to join Cindy Rushton and her family in Laurel, Mississippi. They are going to work with their local church to help in that hard-hit area of Mississippi, about 90 miles from the Coast.

Hurricane Katrina: How You Can Help

2005-09-03T15:42:00.000-05:00

You all are a generous bunch. The Deep South thanks you! The need here is great, so I don't think you could possibly give too much, at least for the next month.

We are in an excellent area as far as being able to distribute items. I have already contacted several churches, several homeschool groups and a private school about distributing items. We are able to get items into the hands of refugees spanning from the Florida Panhandle, along the entire Alabama Gulf Coast, and into Mississippi. My husband cannot return to his job since the building was flooded by the hurricane, so he and I both are available to coordinate the distribution of donations.

Since many of you have asked...At this point, we would not be able to receive a semi truck since items are being delivered to our home. We prefer that you send boxes via any mailing system. With a semi, we would have a storage problem until we could distribute items, which would take days in that case. With boxes, we can daily get them into the hands of volunteers.

If you send money to my little grass roots organization (I call it Pocket Change for Katrina), it will go 100% to the victims of the hurricane. We aren't even pulling out gas money, unless someone has specified that. I started this Pocket Change for Katrina because there are financial needs that are not addresed by the charities, and because when I give, I like to know that 100% goes to the victims, not into someone's padded salary. With your money, we are paying for several things:

* Gas money for evacuees to travel to distant relatives, as we see the need (this is a great need, as most lost jobs and/or paychecks are not being distributed).

* Tire care, Fix A Flat, and gas for stranded motorists in the hurricane-affected areas (we had 5 flat tires in just one week after Hurricane Ivan last year, and were stranded 50 miles from home at one point, so we know this need intimately)

* Fast food/grocery food for evacuees as they travel, as we see the need

* Adopting families (as many as we have the money for) at local shelters and giving them $50 WalMart shopping cards and $20-30 gas cards, so they can get a head start (at this point, the Red Cross is focusing only on shelter, food and water, so this is a great need)

To send money, click on the Donate button above. You may also send a check to our address, below.

The donated items we need are based on our personal experience during other hurricanes. Right now, the evacuees and refugees are receiving only shelter, food and water from organizations. Here is what is needed:

* Bibles: I'm certain that few of the refugees left with a Bible in their hands, and they certainly won't get any from FEMA! :)

* toiletry items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, deoderant, combs, brushes, scrunchies, makeup, etc.

* baby items: lotion, baby bath, baby shampoo, formula, diapers, wet wipes, etc.

* cleaning items: whatever is shippable like wipes and some cleaners

* non-perishable foods: They are provided water and meals-ready-to-eat, but these people are not given some of the "comfort foods" that we Americans love so much, like crackers and cookies, dried fruit, small cereal boxes, chips and hard candy.

* children's toys: The children are bored in the shelters. They had to leave favorite toys at home. They could use stuffed animals, small toys, games, coloring books, etc.

* clothing: All types of gently-used or new clothing are needed

Address information:

Tim and Lori Seaborg
18930 Highland Drive
Fairhope, AL 36532

Thank you for being willing to help! We feel so blessed to be in a location where we are able to hand the money and items out to those who need it most.

Lori Seaborg
http://www.keepingthehome.blogspot.com

A Tough Year

2005-09-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

I'll try to return to blogging about "home" topics again soon. I don't want to overwhelm you with hurricane posts. I know that it is hard, sometimes, to identify with something that is so far away. Go to my Hurricane Katrina blog to keep up with what's happening locally.

This one really scared us who are here on the Gulf Coast. We stayed for the storm, too. She blew us around at about a Category 1-2 strength in our area, with 12 foot storm surge. But, if Katrina had hopped East by just 40 miles, our family would be one of those with a flattened house....and maybe worse. Only four miles away from my home there are gutted houses along Mobile Bay.

That's just too close for comfort.

Do you ever get to a low point when things just keep going wrong? Like on one of those days when everything bad is happening, until you finally say, "What's next?".

Well, I'm having one of those years...

Last August, Tim lost his job in a very unexpected way when a fellow employee sent an email to the district level, just packed full of lies, because she was in trouble herself and wanted to divert attention. Tim was fired by that district guy, who had never met Tim, didn't look at his past record of working at the company for over 3 years without a single blemish, and didn't ask Tim any questions. Out of the blue, the district guy sent an email back to Tim's store, and he was fired. It's one of those big employers that won't reverse a decision like that, so we were out of our sole income, just like that.

The day after he was fired, our insurance policies were cancelled by the company. But we didn't receive notice of that for a while.

Only 2 weeks later, Hurricane Ivan hits, causing over $9,000 in damage to our home in Alabama and to our house in Florida that was ready for sale (we moved six months before to be closer to Tim's new job - he'd just been promoted). It was a Category 4 storm and crippled our area to the point that it is still very much in disrepair, a year later.

In April, a record flood causes our entire back yard to flood, flooding our neighbors' house but thankfully not ours. We only lost our chicken coop and a chicken. More stress and worry, but we were okay.

In June, Tropical Storms Arlene and Cindy arrives. More preparations; more excitement and a little stress. We're getting tired of these storms.

In July, Hurricane Dennis arrives, causing $6,000 in damage to our Florida home, which had just gotten fixed and ready to put on the market again.

Now, Hurricane Katrina.

Along with all of that has been the little things....like late bills and flat tires (hurricanes cause that) and all the other things that go wrong, nagging at your psyche until you want to become a hermit and hide away.

Of course, there have been countless blessings, and we have not starved or been naked in all this time. Our babies are healthy, we are happily married, we have a home....

But I feel that Hurricane Katrina was a last straw of sorts. I just feel so beaten down. I think that's why I'm focusing on helping her victims and refugees. For one thing, I can identify with them. But for another, it helps me to not focus on me.

It's been hard to be upbeat for the children, who really have no idea of what just happened. It's hard to be upbeat for Tim, or for me.

When things get this tough, we know logically that God is still there.

But sometimes we just can't feel Him.

by Lori Seaborg

Helicopters

2005-09-03T00:21:00.000-05:00

Often, I fall asleep with the sound of thunderstorms rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico. Or occasionally I might hear crickets or owls in the night, or sometimes I will hear my rooster crowing (he has a broken clock, but what could you expect from a rooster named Princess?).

Tonight, I hear an unusual sound. It is the hum of helicopters overhead.

We don't get many helicopter or airplane sounds out here. We don't live in a flight path, I guess. Not normally.

But we do live in a direct line from Pensacola, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana. I'd bet my last dollar that the helicopters that I hear tonight, one after another... after another... after another... are coming out of our Navy and Air Force town of Pensacola, and are going to help those in New Orleans.

Thank God for that!

It reminds me of another time when I saw military plane after helicopter after cargo plane, over and over, fly over my head. I was standing on Fort Pickens Beach, Florida, at the tip of the island where I could see the Pensacola Navy Base across the Sound. The planes, having just taken off from the runway, were so close that I could see the pilots inside. The children and I waved and waved. I wished for an American flag.

It was the day that President Bush declared war on Afghanistan, after 9-11-2001.

by Lori Seaborg
Alabama Gulf Coast

We Need Bibles for the Refugees

2005-09-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

There is an urgent need for Bibles for the refugees.

I certainly don't think FEMA will be passing those out! LOL! So, we can do it!

We can distribute Bibles throughout the Alabama Gulf Coast, which includes two of Alabama's largest counties. Hundreds of refugees from Mississippi and Louisiana are in our shelters.

We can pass out Bibles, if you can get them to us.

The refugees left their homes with few or no belongings.

Send Bibles via Media Mail to:

Tim and Lori Seaborg
18930 Highland Drive
Fairhope, AL 36532

Or, go to Amazon and have Bibles shipped directly to me.

Thank you so much for helping!

God bless,

Lori Seaborg
(of the Keeping the Home blog and Hurricane Katrina blog)

Olive Baptist Church

2005-09-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

My local church is setting up plans to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, with housing, going, supplying, and consulting.

We were very hard hit by Hurricane Ivan, a Category 4 storm, last September 15, 2004. In July 2005, we were hit by Hurricane Dennis. Our area has still not healed from Ivan, especially. There are many who are still living in FEMA-provided house trailers. Because of our experience, you will find many generous people in Pensacola, Florida, who want to help the latest hurricane victims.

If you would like to offer help through Olive Baptist Church, visit the website (click on the name).

Lori Seaborg

Local News from the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast

2005-09-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

Mobile County public and private schools closed until further notice (some schools are damaged, but another interesting reason for the closing is that the cafeteria food was produced in Mississippi, in a now-demolished location)

Baldwin County schools closed until further notice (An interesting note: Although Baldwin County, on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, and my area, is quickly healing, the schools are remaining closed because of the gas shortage in the area.)

Atlantic Marina Shipyards in Mobile, Alabama closed until further notice

The Port of Pensacola (Florida) is getting calls from across the world, requesting port access. The ships are already in the Gulf, but cannot go to their usual ports Louisiana and Alabama. As of now, the Coast Guard still has the Gulf waters closed, so the Port of Pensacola is unable to assist the ships who need a port.

7am - 7pm, FEMA will distribute water, ice, MREs (meals ready to eat), until supply runs out.

Hot meals distributed across Mobile County 11am - 7pm

Eastbound lanes of Mobile Causeway still closed. Parts of the road are washed out.

Aid

2005-09-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

Many of you have written me, letting me know that you are seeing news coverage of our disaster. You are letting me know that your church is sending a convoy of aid to help us. You are sending boxes of donated items to me to pass out. Some of you are even trusting me, a stranger in cyberland, with cash to hand out to the hurricane refugees who need a tank of gas or a bit of traveling food so they can go back home to see the damage or so they can drive to distant relatives.

Thank you for thinking about us.

Thank you to the Hollywood stars who are pledging donations to the Red Cross. Thank you to President Bush for sending troops and ships. We will most definitely shed a few tears when we see our military come into our waters. This is a military-loving area, full of patriots.

Thank you to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptists, and Samaritan's Purse.

Thank you to FEMA.

On this, the fourth day, we are not seeing much of the aid yet. FEMA keeps trying, but they are running out of food, water and ice before everyone is served. The Red Cross is trying to open more shelters, but it is not quite enough.

Right now, the aid is arriving mostly through the help of our own.

One local man in Mobile waved bags of ice in the air until motorists arrived to take it off his hands.

A man in Gulfport, Mississippi opened his produce warehouse and let the homeless hurricane victims in his town take it all. He said he could feed 40,000 people with that much food, if given the chance.

Today, someone went to the Alabama-Mississippi border with purchased water bottles and passed them out to strangers.

One man at Sam's Club in Pensacola, Florida, bought six generators and several gas cans to take back to his hometown in Mississippi.

We passed a pickup truck heading to Alabama with a grill in the truck bed and a U-Haul trailer attached to it. On the U-Haul was a homemade sign on a florescent green poster: "Sarasota Hurricane Relief". That family, from Sarasota, Florida, knows firsthand exactly what hurricane victims need and want most: a hot meal. His grill will be put to good use in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Soon, we will receive your aid. Today, we are receiving our own.

by Lori Seaborg

FOX News is in Town to Focus on Our Gas Shortage

2005-09-01T23:37:00.001-05:00

FOX News is in our county, showing live video of a mile of cars waiting for gas...that will come in the morning! It is 10pm now. They have a long wait ahead! This particular gas station is the only open station in Daphne, Alabama, they are reporting. Daphne is along I-10, where refugees drive on their way to this county or to Florida to find shelter.

In Pensacola, Florida, today, we were able to get gas after waiting in a line of about a dozen cars. We paid $2.79 per gallon. Not bad. In other places in Pensacola, we saw lines of cars that wrapped around city blocks.

We returned home today to Baldwin County, Alabama, just over the Florida border. We had gone to Pensacola after the hurricane since my parent's had electricity, but we did not. All of our utilities have been turned back on already! We are so, so blessed tonight.

On our way home, there were fewer and fewer open gas stations, until they were completely non-existent.

In Mobile County, Alabama (home to Mobile, and just across the border from Mississippi), there is such a great gas shortage that people are sleeping in their cars at night, hoping the stations will have gas in the morning. To make matters worse, much of Mobile County does not have electricity yet, and without that, the gas cannot be pumped.

The Mobile County United States Postal Service (USPS) is not operating yet, four days after the hurricane. They say that they could deliver mail to most areas, but their trucks need gas, too, and they have none.

Gas conservation is a necessity these days. Especially here.

- Lori Seaborg

Digital Images of Affected Cities

2005-09-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

Go to Digital Globe for great photos of "Before" and "After" Hurricane Katrina.

by Lori Seaborg

The Aid is Coming

2005-09-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

It is heartening to see on the news that President Bush is going to find extra help for us through former Presidents Bush and Clinton. It is heartening to me, because I can see the news. Because my house finally has electricity.

Many thousands, though, cannot see the news. They haven't yet seen photos of the devastation in New Orleans and in Mississippi. They have seen the damage along our own Gulf Coast, but they have not seen how widespread it is.

What we are seeing, is long lines at the few open gas stations, long lines waiting for ice, water, and food.

We are seeing gas shortages and lack of food and water before everyone is served.

We are seeing people dumping the entire contents of their refrigerators and freezer because the food has spoiled without electricity.

We are seeing that the garbage cannot be picked up.

We are seeing that our mailboxes are empty in Mobile County. The USPS cannot yet deliver mail.

We are seeing heat exhaustion. Our every day is like a heat wave. It is 95 degrees today, with 78% humidity. Today is actually a better day than normal, humidity-wise.

We are seeing desperation. Tempers are flaring because people are so hot and hungry and thirsty.

We are seeing our brothers and sisters in Louisiana and Mississippi come to us for help, but we don't have help to give them yet.

It is wonderful that the United States government is sending so much help to us. It is a beautiful thing to hear that other countries have pledged to help us.

It is beautiful to me...and to you....because we can see it on television.

What we are seeing in person here on the Gulf Coast is quite a different thing.

Where is the Aid?

2005-09-01T13:18:00.000-05:00

Michael Chertoff, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security is giving a live press conference right now. He says that millions of meals have been sent, water has been sent, thousands of National Guards have been sent to us.

Meanwhile, in Mobile County, Alabama, the lines to receive water, ice, and MREs (meals ready to eat) are literally miles long. The supplies are running out within hours, and we are being told to return tomorrow. And tomorrow. Tempers are rising, trouble is brewing, people are getting desperate.

Mobile County has around 750,000 residents of its own, and has been significantly damaged by the hurricane. Much of the county is still without electricity.

But Mobile County is just across the border from Mississippi, so thousands of Mississippians are coming into Mobile County to find gas or aid. We have nothing to give them, the homeless refugees, because there is not enough aid.

When you hear the Department of Homeland Security say that so much relief has been dispatched to our area, it sounds like we are fine down here.

But when you see the miles of people waiting in the 95 degree heat for gas, water, and food that is non-existent, you have to wonder: Where is the aid? Why is it taking so long?

by Lori Seaborg

Alabama Online Information

2005-09-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Help Alabama This site is not particularly helpful, but you may want to look at it for a little information on Alabama. If you are curious how close my house is to the water, look for Clay City on this map, just up from Bon Secour Bay. The refugees from Louisiana and Mississippi in Baldwin County are currently being held at the Robertsdale Coliseum. I will be working there, on a shift with the Red Cross. You can see I-10 on the map also, connecting Florida to California. Thousands of refugees came to our area through that Interstate.

Serve Alabama : The Governor of Alabama's site for Faith Based and Community Initiatives. This site lists way you can volunteer or donate to Alabama hurricane victims

Open Your Home: On the day of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, a local radio station in Pensacola, Florida broadcasted calls from listeners. Callers were dialing into the station live, talking about the hurricane. One caller dialed in and asked if there was anyone willing to take him and his family into their home. He had fled Mississippi and had no where to go. He had dogs with him, he said, and the shelters do not accept animals. Within minutes, the radio station was overwhelmed by the dozens of people who called with open homes. Living rooms, extra bedrooms, and entire houses were offered. One woman even offered a corner of her FEMA-provided trailer. We all went through Hurricane Ivan last September, so this is a generous area. I just love it that so many are willing to offer homes to strangers!

Alabama's Governor Bob Riley : Messages from the Governor of Alabama about the hurricane, and about how Alabama is helping our own and other states.

Local Message Board : from WPMI, a Mobile, Alabama news station. People from Mississippi and Alabama often write, asking for information on loved ones.

See the stations below for photos and video footage on the disaster:

WKRG : Mobile, Alabama news station

WPMI : Mobile, Alabama news station

WALA : Mobile, Alabama news station

More links to come, I'm sure! Until then, thank you for reading and thank you for helping!

by Lori Seaborg

Hurricane Katrina: How to Help Us

2005-09-01T00:49:00.000-05:00

The local churches have opened their doors to Hurricane Katrina refugees from Louisiana and Mississippi. There are hundreds and hundreds of them. There is no places for the refugees to stay, so our churches have welcomed them, often with the help of the Red Cross. I am so proud to live in the Bible Belt, where there are many generous churches. We all went through Hurricane Ivan last September, which hit us dead on. We are a more generous community than I think we would have been a year ago.

Our area is affected by Hurricane Katrina, too, but we are already healing. Our electricity is being restored, a few gas stations are pumping, the phones are being fixed, and the stores are slowly reopening. The roads are being repaired. Some houses are totally destroyed, but we can rebuild. We have hope, unlike many of the refugees.

Tomorrow, our family will cross the Florida border into Alabama and return home after having been in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida for two nights to wait for our electricity and phone to be restored at home.

Tim still can't go back to his job, but we feel that we are needed back in Alabama to help the victims. Tim's place of employment is still flooded and the beaches where he worked are ruined. So, he is going to make good use of his free time, and take some tools, gas, Fix-A-Flat and water up and down I-10 (this road runs from Florida to California) until he runs out of gas or money. After Hurricane Ivan, we had 5 flat tires in just two weeks. There isn't a federal program for that!

A couple of you sent me money to help the refugees. I plan to volunteer at a local church shelter, and I will make sure your money gets to the ones who need it for gas and food to get back home to Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. We will also keep an eye out for those who may need your cash while we are on the road.

Some of you have asked what else the victims need. I'll first tell you what the organizations provided, based on my first-hand experience in Hurricane Ivan. The Red Cross provided shelters and food and water. The Salvation Army provided hot food and water. The Southern Baptists provided laundry services, debris removal, and hot meals. FEMA provided ice, water, and meals-ready-to-eat. After a couple of weeks, they provided trailers for those who did not have a home. Later, much later, they provided cash reimbursements for evacuating and for food loss, but the aid was sporadic.

Based on that, you can see a big gap. There is nobody providing diapers, non-perishable foods, shampoo, formula, body wash, cleaning supplies, and items such as those. Nobody has a program for handing out clothing.

If you want to get those items to me, I can get them into the hands of the churches (the Church of Christ is one) and organizations who will be willing to pass them out. I can also put the items into the hands of the refugees that I will personally see at the shelter.

If you want to donate cash online, see my donate link above this post. Please don't apologize for a small amount. We are handing this out as cash, so any amount is helpful. Even $5 can buy a hot meal for one person.

If you want to mail a check or mail items, email me at dreamwords@bellsouth.net for mailing details.

I'm not a charity organization, keep in mind. But I promise on my Bible that I will be honest with your money and your donated items.

I think that with our first-hand knowledge of what hurricane victims need, and with your generosity, we can help quite a number of people.

Thank you so much!
by Lori Seaborg

Hurricane Katrina Aid Update

2005-08-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's hard for me to even comprehend that many of you are able to blog about normal life. It's hard to conceive that everyone in America is not affected by Hurricane Katrina. This disaster feels so large to us, that we assume everyone is talking about it, blogging about it, thinking about it. I think we kind of hope someone would notice.

Do you all know that the mayor of New Orleans now thinks that there may be thousands dead? This is our tsunami, America!

It is amazing how little aid there is here, two days after Katrina left. In Mobile, hundreds of cars lined up for miles, clogging up the roads, to wait for water and ice. Hundreds of them were turned away when the supply quickly ran out.

The local police are working 12 hour shifts on and off. Nobody gets to take a day off. They are trying to maintain order when the traffic lights are not working, the few gas stations have miles of customers waiting in the roads, and tempers are flaring in the heat.

There is not yet any food being distrubuted here. It's "on the way," something we've heard for two days now.

The national news is not covering our tragedy 24/7, like they do other disasters. I wonder how many bodies will have to be recovered before they do?

On the positive side, you can count on the electric companies to pull together. Electricity is being restored. I just called our neighbor, on the Florida-Alabama border, and the power has just been turned back on at our home. We left home to come to Pensacola, Florida yesterday after feeling sick from the heat, with no power at home. Down here, we have a "heat wave" every day in August, so air conditioning is pretty important. Especially for babies. We weren't able to save all of our freezer food, though. That' s a lot of money lost. Almost every home here has that story.

President Bush is going to address the nation at 4pm CST today. Thank God for that! We want someone to finally notice us at the national level.

We hear that the federal aid is going to start.

The Navy is sending ships of supplies into our ports from Virginia. That kind of news brings tears to my patriotic eyes. We will love to see those ships come into our broken ports.

The president is going to release the Nation's gas reserves for us. We are so happy to hear that, because even when power is restored, we feared that we still would not have gas. Our oil comes from Mississippi and Louisiana, both of which can no longer supply us.

The Pentagon is sending 10,000 troops.

It's easy to get judgmental about why people didn't evacuate, but I can understand why. Many of the people don't have transportation, many of them are sick or elderly or weak, many of them do not have the money to pay for the gas to drive an entire state away because the hotels are filled. Many cannot afford a hotel. There are not enough shelters open in a storm. And there is not door-to-door free transportation to take one to a shelter.

I have many stories of broken families, and will keep you updated. One of the most heartbreaking was a man in Gulfport, Mississippi who was walking amongst the rubble. Our local news reporter found him.

He said, "I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. I can't find my wife."

The news reporter asked, "You've lost your wife? Did she get separated from you?"

He said, "My house split in two. I was holding my wife's hand. She said, 'You can't keep holding me up. Take care of the kids. I love you.' Then her hand slipped from mine, and now I can't find her body."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know what to do. I'm just....I'm lost, I guess."

A couple of you sent in some money due to my post on how to donate gas and food money to refugees. Thank you for that. On our way back home tomorrow, we will see many refugees on Interstate 10 and will get your money to them so they can buy enough gas to drive to relatives in other states, or so that they can get a meal from a restaurant.

You may also send non-perishables and children's clothing, and I will distribute them.

Mobile, Alabama is the biggest city on I-10 East of New Orleans, so thousands of refugees are here, in our streets, in our parking lots, and in our churches and shelters that are opening up for them. In Pensacola, Florida, (our home is between these two cities), hundreds of refugees have come. Our church, We will be hosts to the Hurricane Katrina victims from Louisian and Mississippi for many weeks to come.

-Lori Seaborg

Can You Trust Me? Help Hurricane Katrina Refugees

2005-08-31T12:06:00.000-05:00

Can you trust me?

I have been trying to think of how to help the hurricane victims.

People are flowing into our area, and apparently our counties and cities never considered this. For a reason I cannot understand, the Mobile Civic Center, home to many evacuees, closed its doors at 10am this morning and told the evacuees that they had to leave. There are excuses, such as that the parked cars around the Civic Center cause logistical problems for bringing food and ice to that area. That is just an excuse. It could be so easily solved. A woman who was told to leave the Civic Center said, "Where will I go? I have nowhere to go." She sobbed into the camera, pleading for information about her 8-year-old son who was left in New Orleans with his father. She kept saying, "I don't have anywhere to go, but I don't care. Just bring me my baby. I want my baby." Even the male news reporter had to choke up at that one. A man who had to leave the Mobile Civic Center, said, "We haven't had a meal in 2 days. We are out of gas money. How are we supposed to pay for gas? Where do we go, without a home?"

The Pensacola Civic Center is housing many evacuees, but they say that they will close their doors by this weekend. Events have been scheduled, and the Civic Center wants the evacuees out, so they can prepare.

We have evacuees lining our roads and waiting under our overpasses. They are in our store parking lots, waiting. And waiting. They will wait for a long time to come. it is unbearably hot here, 95 degrees with high humidity today. There is a shortage of free food, water, and ice.

FEMA only brought 2 trucks of water and ice to Daphne, Alabama today ("home" to many evacuees, on I-10, across Mobile Bay). By 9:40am, all of the ice and water was gone. Food will finally come today to hard-hit Mobile County, two days after the storm, but it is limited, and will come only to specific locations. When the aid comes, the lines to receive aid are literally miles and miles long. How are the refugees supposed to wait hours in their car, using up precious gas, for food and water? How are the refugees supposed to even find the aid in an unfamiliar town?

Keep in mind that many of the refugees are America's poorest. They somehow managed to find a car to get this far, but with gas prices so high, they can no longer pay for gas to go on down the road. They have no money for fast food, even when our restaurants are open. They only have the clothes that they brought with themselves, in the rush to leave their homes (we did not have more than two days warning with this storm). Many of these people, our poor, do not have credit cards to max out. They not only have no jobs now, but they were living paycheck-to-paycheck, so they have no money in the near future.

Tim and I have had many financial blows in our 13 years together. We have weathered many storms, had our electricity go out many times, lost possessions over and over. We know what it's like to be poor.

Do you know what it's like to be poor?

I am in a unique position to help, and I can do so, if you can trust me. We do not have electricity or phone at our house, we have four little ones, and Tim lost his job due to the hurricane (he worked in Gulf Shores, Alabama, which is still under floods), so the only way that we can help is with your assistance. But it may be a blessing to not be tied down to a job. We can, with your partnership, drive around and help these refugees in our area.

If you want to help, I'm setting up a PayPal donate account (click on the "Donate" button, above). I promise you that you can trust me. I will get your money into the very hands of the victims. I will ask the evacuees where they are from, and I will make sure they need help. And I will put your money in their hands and tell them it is from you. I'll blog their stories back to you. I will keep track, and return any money that is not used for the victims. I will stop accepting money as soon as there are no more victims to help. I will email you, if you'd like, to let you know what I did with your specific money.

If your children want to give, I will hand their money to my 10-year-old and 8-year-old to hand out to victims. We can email your children and let them know where the money went.

I will help the people who have evacuated to Pensacola, Florida right now. As soon as I can return home (we do not yet have electricity or phone at home), I will help the evacuees in Baldwin County, Alabama, and in Mobile County, Alabama, along Interstate 10, where thousands have come. I will go to the gas stations, where the refugees are trying to buy gas. Many of them are sleeping at the gas stations. I will go to the Red Cross shelters and find out who may need financial help to travel.

Your money will not buy these people lodging. There is no lodging available. But your money will buy them food. Our stores are opening, more each day. Your money will buy gas for them so they can return home, or so that they can continue to move down the road. Some of the evacuees want to go to see family far away, in Michigan or Indiana, or North Carolina. Your money will get them into the arms of loved ones.

Please don't feel obligated. But if you want to help, click on the donation button above. It will go to Treasures Planted, which is my old PayPal account I used to use when I had a business website. I will give you an accounting of your money, but please be patient. We will be traveling throughout the area and may not be able to email you quickly.

Please email me at seaborgs@Bellsouth.net, if you have any questions, or post a comment here for a quicker response.

by Lori Seaborg

Hurricane Katrina Aftermath

2005-08-31T01:39:00.000-05:00

I love a good storm, but this one.... no, none of us liked this one...

Hurricane Katrina

We are broken, wishing that what we are seeing is unreal. Wishing that they weren't telling us that they keep finding bodies, wishing that houses were still standing, and roads were already fixed. We are wishing the water would recede. We wish that the curfews would lift and that stores would open. We wish we could get gas. We wish that the businesses we enjoyed and places that we loved have not been taken from us.

At home, we feel that we weathered the storm pretty well. We lost some branches, the river flooded (Backwards! A very strange site, to see the river flow upstream, because of the storm surge, which is very much like a tsunami-type flood), and we did have hurricane-force winds. Tim can't go to work since he works on the beach, which is now covered in sand and floods. But we fared worse with a job loss last August (our sole income), with Hurricane Ivan last September, with the record flood in April, with Tropical Storms Arlene and Cindy in June, and with Hurricane Dennis last month. With all of that experience behind us, we feel that we did fine with Hurricane Katrina. Or maybe we're just numb.

Even in our town, others were not so blessed. Homes just five miles away are still completely covered in water. A church lost its roof. The farmer a quarter mile away lost huge portions of his barn. The main employer in town, The Grande Hotel of Pointe Clear, has had such major damage from flooding, that its 1,000 employees will be jobless, which impacts the community financially in days to come.

In our county, businesses are slowly opening. Today, as power slowly turned on, there were a few gas stations open. The homes are starting to get power turned on. Our house does not yet have power, so this afternoon, we fled 50 miles and used up precious gas to get to my parents' home in Florida. At home, we were losing all of our freezer and fridge food (something we can't afford) without electricity, and it was 94 degrees (all humid!) today - a hot day to not have air conditioning. I don't mind homesteading it a bit, but not in such heat with four little ones.

We cannot believe that only seven days ago, Katrina was just another unnamed tidal wave in the Atlantic. We can't believe that the water rose high enough to cause record flooding in nearby Mobile, Alabama, one of America's oldest cities. In Bayou La Batre, Alabama, the place where Forrest Gump finally got his shrimp boat, survivors are searching through the debris. Toady, a shrimper was helping another man search through the rubble. He was missing his brother. Dauphin Island, Alabama had miles of beach wiped off the map. A woman found out that the home that has been in her family for 47 years is gone now. Vanished. Others will find the same. Only 1 in 10 homes is still standing on that island. On the Mississippi coast, they are finding homes that look like matchsticks, and bodies in the debris. A five-year-old boy was standing in the debris, lost. Someone tried to help him, but the boy didn't know his parents name or his address. He did know his new teacher's name. Somehow, through that connection, they figured out where the little boy lived. When they reached the rubble of his home, they found his parents were dead. In New Orleans, the water keeps flowing. The city that we all love, the most unique city in all of America, with a deep history and a beautiful culture, is drowning. Under Interstate overpasses, hundreds of people are sleeping tonight. Like you'd see a homeless person do. Which is what they are now. They could not evacuate, many of them. They didn't have the money, or the transportation, or the strength. Now they are under an overpass, getting bitten by mosquitoes and trying to bear with the heat and the humidity. And the fear.

Evacuees from Mississippi and Louisiana are here, thousands of them, in South Alabama and North Florida. Our counties are trying to figure out what to do with them. There is not electricity in our areas, and there are not many volunteers since much of our area evacuated, too. But the evacuees can't get enough gas to go on down the road. Some of them stop at the one open gas station, and say, "We just can't put the children through this any more. Please find us somewhere to stay." The news reporters are being offered a handful of hundred dollar bills for a tank of gas. The hotels are filled to capacity for those who can afford to pay. Our civic centers are opening tonight for weary travelers. The Red Cross is opening shelters. On one radio station this morning, caller after caller offered their home, their living room, an extra bedroom, and even a corner of a FEMA trailer, to the evacuees.

We all went through Hurricane Ivan last September. We know how the refugees feel, so our desire to be generous is great. But, then again, maybe we don't know how they feel . We were able to get back to our hometown within 4 days of the storm. We only lost a couple dozen people in the storm. These refugees don't know when they will be able to return. Their devastation is worse than ours. Their body count is highter. The refugees are weary. They are worried about their homes. They are worried about their families and their neighbors, who stayed in the danger zones. We have to help them. And we will.

by Lori Seaborg

Mobile, Alabama:
Our local news runs 24/7, trying to keep us updated on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. You can watch live streaming video online.

New Orleans, Louisiana:
For more information on New Orleans and photos, visit this site.

Mississippi Gulf Coast:
You won't believe these pictures. This is where the eye of Hurricane Katrina hit, after it tapped the tip of Louisiana. I can't believe this happened in our country, much less in an area I know very well. This area of Mississippi was just beautiful, with historical plantation homes lined along the waterfront, live oaks in the front yards. It was a military area, home of the Hurricane Hunters (see my last post). It was also the home of Methuselah, the oldest live oak in America, believed to have been 2000 years old, and a survivor of Hurricane Camille in 1969. I don't know if the oak still stands.

Hurricane Katrina Landfall

2005-08-29T08:42:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina is our unwelcome guest this morning. I can hear her fury against our windows and brick walls. We feel safe, in our brick home in a valley. The winds are mostly in the tall trees above us.

Our power is flickering, so I better keep this short so that you'll get it.

Thought I'd send you a photo. You'll see my chickens in the photo. They were on our front porch, but when the wind became too strong for them there, they went to lower ground and are staying near the azalea bushes.

The river is in the photo, too. It's a tidal river, so the storm surge has already raised it a bit and will do more today. We expect it to flood quite a bit, which is why the chickens are loose.

I'm a weary soul this morning, so forgive me for not being more upbeat.

Lori Seaborg

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina is stalking us. If she affects our area (around Monday?), it will be three major hurricanes (Ivan, Dennis, Katrina) and two tropical storms (Arlene, Cindy) to hit us in just one year.

If you are keeping up with the news, and want to know just how much Hurricane Katrina may affect us, we are located on the Florida/Alabama border, just 10 miles or so north of Gulf Shores, Alabama and 4 miles from the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay (The Weather Channel is in town today!). Go to the National Hurricane Center website, if you want to turn this into a homeschool lesson!

You never know about hurricanes, whether they'll come or not; and if they do come, you don't know whether they'll affect you greatly or not. Still, you must get prepared.

On the positive side, there's something nice about all this preparation: the yard debris gets picked up and put away; the chickens get to roam freely, which they love (we live on a river and have to assume it will flood); the laundry gets done in case the power will go out; the pantry gets stocked in case we are stuck at home for quite a while. I posted once on preparing for a hurricane, so today I will look at that list and work on it.

Before I begin preparing for Hurricane Katrina, I wanted to let you know that I've posted a few more sites that have great forms for your Household Notebook. Go to the post on Creating a Household Notebook to see the list.

I'd like to work on these notebooks with you today, it looks like Katrina has changed my plans.

by Lori Seaborg

Creating a Homeschool Notebook

2005-08-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

In my last article, I wrote about creating a Household Notebook. In my research on that one, I stumbled upon several great sites for free printables for a Homeschooling Notebook:

The Homeschooling Planner from TheHomeschoolMom.com
scroll down the page for some printables for your school schedule, unit study schedule, and even unschoolers' records

Homeschool Planner from Donna Young
Wow! I just discovered this site and I am so excited to have found it! Forms galore!

Homeschool Teacher Forms from Heritage Highland Forms
includes attendance record, report card, lending record, yearly goals, and more

Homeschool Forms Galore! from Heritage Highland Forms
I am so excited to have found this site today, while researching for this blog. This site has over 800 forms for art, Bible, music, nature journaling, and even forms on specific unit studies. This site would also be very useful to those who do notebooking or lapbooking. Definitely work a look!

A Homeschool Notebook is my next project! Anything to help me keep on track, is a good thing!

by Lori Seaborg

Creating a Household Notebook

2005-08-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

To help you get organized, or to help with your sanity, you may like to create a Household Notebook. A Household Notebook is a place for you to keep menus, recipes that you often need, emergency phone numbers, party plans, schedules, etc. You can call it a "Control Journal," like FlyLady does; a "Household Notebook" like I do; or "My Big Book," like my sister-in-law does.

I keep my Household Notebook in one of those white 3-ring binders with see-though covers. I like my Household Notebook large. You may want something smaller. Don't be picky about this detail; just grab an empty notebook from your kids' stash, and do it!

Creating the Household Notebook: Where Do I Begin?

Here are instructions from FlyLady on creating a "Control Journal": FlyLady's Control Journal instructions

Here are instructions from OrganizedHome.com: The Household Notebook

Here are instructions for creating planners for homeschoolers: Homeschooling Planners

Creating the Household Notebook: Pretty Pages to Add to It

I like my Household Notebook to be pretty. I won't use it if it's too ugly to look at!

Below are some great templates for creating a Household Notebook. Just print them out, 3-hole punch them, and put them in your regular-sized 3-ring binder. These pages make creating your notebook - or adding to it - very easy.

Click on the headings below for the printables (the ones with .pdf will open as a printable file):

Basic Planner Pages from OrganizedHome.com
includes menu pages; empty pages; emergency numbers; pantry; freezer; party planning; the front cover of your notebook, and more I use these pages often.

Christmas Countdown Holiday Planner from OrganizedHome.com
a great six-week planner to print out to help you plan for the holidays. I think you could adapt this to any large get-together or other holiday

Financial Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)
includes advice and articles on managing your finances

Holiday Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)
includes articles

Office Control Journal from FlyLady.com (.pdf)
a good one for a work-at-home mom, but I think you could use some of its ideas for your schoolroom

Traveling Control Journal from FlyLady.com (pdf)
a journal for vacations and traveling

The Homeschooling Planner from TheHomeschoolMom.com
scroll down the page for some printables for your school schedule, unit study schedule, and even unschoolers' records

Weekly Planner and Menu Planner from The HomeschoolMom.com (.pdf) Click here for the FlyLady version.
I love this one!

You can find even more printables on the Internet.

Just don't get so overwhelmed with creating your notebook, that you don't get it done!

by Lori Seaborg

Setting Down the Bread of Idleness to Set Priorities

2005-08-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have been eating the bread of idleness lately.

Proverbs 31:27 says, "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." (KJV). You'd think that idleness would be impossible with four children and all the duties that are on my plate. It's not that I'm idly doing nothing, it is that I am busily doing nothing. I have been keeping up with the minimum, but the minimum only. There has been no excellence in what I do.

It is so easy to be busy, busy, and busy and yet have nothing to show for your efforts. I am the Queen of Useless Time. I can sit and daydream out a window like nobody's business. I can wander the house, looking busy while I wander, but not really accomplishing much. I find it difficult to focus on a task because, as the mother of a million kids (4, really), I am usually side-tracked in the middle of a job.

I have great desires from life: to be used mightily by God, to teach the children profoundly in homeschool, to be an excellent homekeeper, to be healthy and look good for my husband, to write wise words that help others. Yes, I am a good dreamer and schemer. But I lack the self-discipline needed to accomplish these goals, even though they are God-given desires. THAT is a fault!

Maybe there is a more appropriate – yet more painful - word than "fault"....I read today that "knowing what God wants you to do, yet not doingit, is sin." (from Write His Answer by Marlene Bagnull) I wrote "Ouch! Ouch!" in November 2004 next to those words in the book. Ten months later, I still say, "Ouch! Ouch!"

To keep from eating the bread of idleness, I need to set some priorities. Here, in the order of priorities (God - Husband - Children - Home - Self - Others) is what I think God wants me to do at this stage in my life. (I got this priority order from Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow, a book I recommend above all others for those who want to learn how to prioritize) :

1. God: Spend time daily with Him at an appointed time (schedule it like an appointment, as if Jesus is sitting in my rocker, waiting for me to join Him!). Pray. Read Scripture. Write down what I learn.

2. Husband: Be kind to him. Smile at him. Be a loving and helpful wife to the person God asked me to take care of for Him. Only I have been assigned this task. What a privilege to be the one assigned to this man! (And thank God he's handsome!).

3. Children: Spend individual time with the kids. Love them unconditionally. Teach them of God. Memorize Scripture with them.Teach them how to be good workers. Make them laugh. Allow them to play. Teach them how to take care of themselves and others.

4. Home: Manage the home efficiently so that it serves us rather than we serve it. Organize it, clean it, and schedule it. Make use of the home's servants which God has provided for me. Our servants are the washer, dryer, oven, crockpot, and dishwasher, among others. Use the home for hospitality as if Jesus just walked in, dusty, hungry and tired.

5. Myself: Love myself enough to say boldly, once a week or as needed, "I need time alone." Do frivolous things for myself that make me happy: buy a new book, buy nail polish, play with my hair, take a long bath by candlelight, buy a new pen or journal, create a beaded bookmark or learn to knit. Walk daily. Garden because I love it, even if it looks funky to others that I mix lettuce with flowers.

6. Others: My outside-the-home mission is to write to others of daily life and daily lessons. Be vulnerable in my writing (as I am here when I tell you I lack self-discipline! Don't tell anyone). Write as if God is sitting here, waiting to read my words. God has clearly asked me to do this for others.

What has He asked YOU to do? Teach Sunday school, lead a children'choir, stock the food pantry, be on the women's committee, help out in PTA, be the soccer coach? Whatever it is, keep focus on that task. Say "no" to anything else. Remind yourself to ask God before agreeing to add another task in this area of serving others. He may want you to focus on just one outside-the-home thing, so you can serve your family better.

Remember, God and family and home and yourself are to be placed before this last priority of others. That sounds backward, doesn't it? But, you can be best used by God when you have first given Him quality time, when your marriage is stable, when your children know they are loved, when your home is managed, and when you have taken care of yourself.

Today, think about each of these priorities in your life: God, Husband, Children, Home, Yourself and Others. Ask God what He wants you to focus on in each of these priorities.

Please don't eat the bread of idleness. I don't recommend it at all.

by Lori Seaborg

Online Handmade Paper Arts and Bookmaking Class

2005-08-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

Anne-Marie Hawthorne, of the Handmade Paper Arts blog, is going to offer FREE online classes on paper arts and bookmaking for the family to do together. The classes begin September 1st, so sign up now!

Recently, I have been introduced to bookmaking. I love the idea of not only journaling my thoughts for future generations, but creating the book to hold those thoughts. I've been bit hard by the bookmaking bug, so I want to learn more. And I want my children to learn, too.

In Anne's class, you and your family will learn techniques such as marbling, stamping, collage, engraving, etc. and you will learn bookmaking techniques, such as:

Pop-Ups
Accordian Books
Star Ornament Books
Piano Hinge, and much more!

You will get the instructions from Anne on the 1st and 15th of each month, then hold the class whenever it is convenient for you. You are given two weeks to complete each assignment.

Click here to learn more about the Handmade Paper Arts classes.

by Lori Seaborg

Our Schoolday Schedule Part II

2005-08-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

The other day, I posted half of our school day schedule in detail. Click here to view that post, then come back to read this last bit. I stopped the first one just before noon. So, at noon....

At 12pm-ish: Lunch

Always something quick and easy, like PBJs or Quesadillas or last night's meat (beef/chicken) put in a taco shell with cheese and lettuce.

After lunch:

The kids clear and wipe the table then they pick up anything off their assigned floors.

I clean up, flip laundry loads, and put away school stuff.

Quiet Time: my favorite time of day!

We've had Quiet Time since our first child was a baby, 10 years ago. It is the key to my sanity as a mother of four. The 2yo naps, the 5yo naps if he seems to need it, or he can read or play quietly (with Legos; Lincoln Logs, etc.) in his room alone. I usually write to you during Quiet Time or I might work on a craft project (bookmaking these days) or read a book. If dh is home, he is more than happy to nap with the baby. The rules: 1. Everyone must be quiet; 2. No chores allowed (that rule was made for me); 3. No electronics allowed.

Our 10yo and 8yo, since they are already trained to be quiet during this time (or else mama will make them take a nap!), are allowed to be in their own room or in the schoolroom, doing one of these choices:

write (a letter, copywork, etc.)
nap
read (sometimes they must read, from an assigned reader)
draw or color
work on their notebook topics (currently: 3-D Drawing and Dolphins)
finish their homework (any unfinished papers from the morning)

After Quiet Time (about an hour):

The children are free to play now, but must be quiet until the baby wakes up. They are usually so absorbed with their Quiet Time activities that they continue them.

I write for another hour, or until soon after the baby wakes up. If you are a mom with a business, Quiet Time will give you two hours to yourself. It will take a bit of training for you to get the kids to respect Quiet Time, but your persistence will pay off.

Around 3pm:

I still don't want the electronics turned on yet, so I have this time set aside for fun "school," such as:

science experiments
nature walks
art
family business (currently: selling eggs to the grandparents!)
tea time
crafting skills (soldering, beadwork, knitting, woodworking, etc.)
landscaping and gardening

Around 4:30pm:
I focus on making dinner while the kids clean up from the above projects. They also check that their floors are picked up.

5 - 5:30pm:
Dinner

After Dinner:
Evening chores: The kids clear and wipe the table and sweep. I clean the kitchen and get the little ones ready for bed, even though they won't go to bed for a while. This is bath time also. Then the kids are free, and can finally play their Xbox, computer games, and Nintendo.

7pm-8pm: Family Time:
The family gets together to:

read from a read-aloud (currently: Little House in the Big Woods)
snack
play board or card games
watch a movie (usually just Friday night)

Then, it's bed time or quiet play until bed time.

Soon, I will post a shortened version of our schedule for you. I've gone into detail so that you'll have all the information you could possibly want!

The moral of the story is: Create a schedule that will suit you.

by Lori Seaborg

Schooldays at Seasons Academy

2005-08-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

I've tried to-the-minute schedules, to-the-hour schedules, Now-we-shall-do-Arithmetic schedules, and unschedules (as in, no schedule at all and the children roam freely). Our new schedule is working like a dream so far, because it is so tailor made.

I think the key to schedule-making is to create one that suits your personal fancy and to let go of how you think it "should" be. My fancy is to be flexible to a fault. But I recognize that I need structure to my days because I don't think the X-Box makes a very good teacher, and I don't like the kids wearing their p.j.s at noon and eating Froot Loops for dinner just because I didn't plan the evening meal.

I looove reading other's schedules. So here is my newest schedule, which is serving to keep us focused without stifling our freedom:

Schooldays at Seasons Academy (Seaborg & Sons...get it?...& daughters, too)

Starting by 7am:

Up and walking with Toby, the dog, up the hill to see the farmer's cows and the sunrise (oops, it already came up!). And to pray while walking. Back at the ranch (that would be the house), visit my birds to tell Princess, the rooster, to crow and the hens to lay lots of eggs today. Go back inside to do a little Bible reading and journaling in my Scriptural Journal with a bit of breakfast. Let the kids wake up slowly and watch t.v. or play on the computer until 8 (we have no "early birds" in this family, so waking up slowly helps). Write out 3 chores for the older kids to do.

At 8am:

Lay out a simple breakfast for the kids (remind self that schooldays are not the days for three-course breakfasts, even if in the mood for it). Go through the house in a circle, starting with the Master Bedroom, picking up laundry, making beds, and straightening. Start a load of laundry. End in the kitchen to clean up after breakfast.

Meanwhile, the t.v. is off at 8am, and the three older children (10, 8, 5) pick up assigned floors (2 each), empty the dishwasher, fold laundry, and do 3 extra chores each (not the 5yo).

Make sure the kids are dressed with teeth brushed. Change and dress the baby (2).

At 9am:

10yo and 8yo start school by doing papers that I placed in a folder on their desks the night before (copywork, Math papers, Language -- all A Beka, we live in the same area as Pensacola Christian College after all, except the copywork which is usually Scripture or American phrases, like the Pledge).

I continue doing chores (more laundry, extra cleaning, baking, dinner prep) within earshot of their schoolwork.

I teach the 5yo a little K5 stuff, or let him watch educational t.v. with his 2yo sister.

At 10am:

Bible class with Mama. We all pull out our Spiritual Journals, which is a cheap composition book in which we created a "Table of Contents" on the first few pages. Each day we (10, 8, and me) write the Scripture verse of the day (today: "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." - Colossians 3:20). We briefly discuss the verse, then the children are to write what they think about the verse, or draw a picture illustrating something about the verse. Our 5yo and 2yo draw on a blank sheet of paper.

After this, in the Table of Contents, we write the date, Scripture reference, and page number of our notes.

I read a section from Hero Tales while the kids draw or color a Biblical-themed picture (Today we read about Martin Luther. I love this book, by the way! Highly recommended for elementary-aged kids. Our favorite lesson so far was Dr. Livingstone, who was so brave against the lions and witnessed to many in Africa).

We again say the Scripture verse of the day, since it will need to be memorized and said to Daddy (for the 5yo, I shorten it to "Children obey your parents").

At 10:30am-12:00pm:

Mondays: Practical Skills (sewing, whittling, soap-making, self-sustainment, animal care, homesteading, candlemaking, etc.) This is my favorite class to teach. Sometimes Daddy gets the boys while I get the girls. I think it is essential to teach our children how to take care of their families independent of the grocery stores. You never know if a time will come when they will need to know this stuff. If they are missionaries in a primitive place, they will certainly need to know it!

Tuesdays: Art and Music (as in, play fine art music such as Beethoven while doing art) Art is currently drawing 3-D objects by shading.

Wednesdays: Practical Skills

Thursdays: Library Day to Research for our Notebook topic (learned from Cindy Rushton). The children choose a notebook subject to study for the week (10yo: 3-D Drawing; 8yo: Dolphins; 5yo was ill today). We go to the local library, where they ask the librarian to help them locate books. They do independent research and independent check-out of the books. Our library has games, headsets, and computers for the children to use once they are done with their research.

Meanwhile, I further my learning by also researching (today: bookbinding, beading, and 20-minute gardening).

This day and time is also open for Field Trips.

Fridays: Work on Notebook topic by drawing pictures of the topic, writing about it, copywork on it, etc. We then place the research in page protectors in a "notebook" (3-ring binder). Lapbooks could also be made on the topic. This work is done independently of me, except with occasional help.

Meanwhile, I work on my own notebook (currently: making recipe mixes) or my own research from the library.

Saturdays: We don't do the rest of schoolwork, above, on Saturdays, but we do spend a bit of time in focus on Nature Study (as in, getting outside and getting dirty -- or, drawing a bug or drawing a leaf through the window because it's 93 degrees with 90% humidity). The kids have to fill their time with something, even on Saturdays, so it may as well be with learning! (Even if they are loving it and not realizing they are learning).

**** It is 12 noon on this schedule, but in reality as I write, it is 5:30pm. My family will turn into Grouchy Bears if I don't feed them soon, so I'll finish this post tonight or tomorrow. I'm being more detailed than I first planned, but I hope that will help give you ideas of how you can create your schedule to suit your personality.*****

by Lori Seaborg

Letting Go of Stuff Part II

2005-08-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I posted on Letting Go of Stuff. I have received many wise words in the comments section of my blog, and want to make sure that you've had a chance to read and be encouraged by these ladies:

"A good spiritual application for this is how many things we have going on that crowd out what God wants to do in us. Keeping busy for the sake of keeping busy or just hanging on to old habits can really junk up our lives." ~ Glory

"I have been doing very well in recent years - at getting rid of things. I started when God told me to cull my books the first time, and the second culling was much easier. A lot of curriculum went in both of those cullings, and the liberty I felt at getting rid of things I really didn't need led me to get rid of more, even a piece of antique furniture I'd been hanging onto for way too long. Still, though, just the other day, when I was pulling a few, last bits and pieces to bless a homeschool mom with, I caught myself hanging onto a particular video curriculum. This I'd gotten for myself, rather than the boys, and I thought that just maybe I'd want to pull it out and watch it again. It was a week later before I admitted I was still showing too many signs of the hoarder and pulled it out to pass along to her as well. " ~ Tammy

"I tell myself if I am serious about giving my children real learning experiences then I don't need these particular books and workbooks for that "one day" that I am sure will never come. By the way, that "one day" hasn't come to our family in 7 years! " ~ Belinda

"I kept all of my first dd's clothes in the event I had a second dd which I did four years later. When I went to retrieve two large containers of them I discovered they had mildewed. What a stench! Trust me, mildew is a smell that doesn't wash out no matter how many times you try. I love your perspective: hoarding might be depriving someone else of a blessing." ~ DreweLlyn

"Give and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over! I have learned this principle over and over and over. With nine children, so close together, I do typically hang on to clothes from season to season because they are just moving right into the next size. However, each year, I purge and try to keep only enough clothes that will fit into one cardboard file box. Each year, we have TONS of clothes given to us. God is so gracious!" ~ Cynthia

"Every August our church sponsors a huge "shopping spree" for the seminary we are closely associated with. They take donations from our church members and then set it all up in our gym and let the seminary students and their families come in and "shop" with special money we give them. They pick out whatever they want or need. I have struggled with releasing some of my stuff, but I realized these students come here without a lot of things, and of course they can't afford to buy all they need. I've heard their testimonies of how God supplied just what they needed through these yearly shopping sprees. They look forward to it, and I have begun to look for things that I no longer use or need to bring them a blessing." ~ Robyx5

I hope you are further encouraged to let go of a few extra things lying around the house! I know I am motivated by the words of these ladies!

Maybe I don't need 12 Phillips screwdrivers after all...

by Lori Seaborg

Letting Go of Stuff

2005-08-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

I’ve been going through our school supplies. We have a tiny wicker bookshelf that has to hold the entire year’s school books. It is a hard thing to know what books have to go.

…Especially when the book that should be cut from the bookshelf has a tag on it that says $8.97…

…And it’s brand spanking new…

…And it says “grade 4” on the cover, and we have three children who will eventually be that age…

But there is just no way we are ever going to use it. I mean, there is always the chance that “maybe we’ll need it someday,” but I’ve learned that “someday” doesn’t often happen when I’m wondering if I should keep or let go of things (…Except tools. It’s not that we need 12 manual Phillips screwdrivers, it’s just that we seem to need them scattered across the house, so that they are always handy - and always lost. I’m a work in progress, so for now let me keep my tools!)

So, except for tools, I’ve learned that I may as well let something go rather than hang onto it with the off-chance that I might use it one day.

A friend of mine once kept two garbage bags of boy’s clothes in case she would one day have a baby boy. Over 9 years, God gave her four little girls. When she was finally blessed with a boy, she went to the attic and dug out the 2 bags of baby boy clothes. A rat had been living in them at some point over the years. The rat was now gone, but its nest – and the horrible smell – remained. All of the clothes had to be tossed out.

We were discussing how we’d learned to bless others with our stuff. My friend said, “Nobody was able to use those clothes since I held onto them. I wish I had given them away.” She had learned a lesson that I have also had to learn the hard way.

How many times have you kept something, but later it shattered because it was crowded among the chaos in the garage, or broke when the kids decided to use it for their mock fights? Have you ever kept your children’s clothes until they were musty? Or books until they were so old that nobody wanted them? We once kept a huge carpet remnant until it became moldy and musty. We kept it because “maybe we’ll get a stain or a rip and need it one day.” Not a chance! When our carpet became stained and ripped, we bought new carpet.

I used to hang onto everything until our 1200 square foot house with no attic, no basement, no shed, and no garage became filled to overflowing. I was about to go crazy in that house with five of us (at the time) and all the stuff we had accumulated in a decade of marriage. At the peak of my frustration, I asked God for some help, and He provided it through the writings and words of several authors and speakers. One of the things I learned was to bless others with my stuff.

God will bless you back when you give.

A couple of years after I had given away all of my maternity clothes and baby girl clothes, I became pregnant with our fourth child, a girl. It is easy for me to doubt. I have to admit that I panicked just a bit. I reminded God that He promises to take care of us. He asks us to bless the poor. He says to take care of the needy. He says He will clothe us. Reminding God makes me feel better, so off I went to choir practice.

“Could you use some maternity clothes?” the girl next to me asked while we were singing that evening. She was the epitome of the Hip Mom, with her leopard-print tops and velvet sweaters. I was floored at God’s provision. He not only provided, but He provided with brand new clothes that were way cooler than me!

Over and over I have experienced God’s provision after I let go of something. It is as if I am making room for His blessing when I make room in my clutter.

I have 2 theories:

1. If you are wondering whether or not you should buy something, don’t buy it.

2. If you are wondering whether or not you should keep something, don’t keep it.

If you’re just beginning, my theories will be too scary for you. I understand; I still struggle with this (remember, I can’t let go of tools!). Try this: box up some extra items from around the house. Label the box “To Give” and set it aside for a week. If you haven’t needed or missed the items, take the box (without opening it!) to someone who might be able to use it.

Bless others, and God will surely bless you back. I’ve seen it happen in my life so many times that I’m telling you it is absolutely true.

Lori Seaborg

3 Things I Learned from FlyLady

2005-08-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

Three things I learned from Flylady when I joined her list several years ago (back when she had only a few hundred subscribers; now there are thousands):

1.) Swipe your bathroom every day and you'll never have to clean the bathroom again. (I use Clorox wipes - just one per day, swiping the sink first, counters, then the commode, from cleanest area to dirtiest). Your toilet will always be ready for company drop-ins! This simple thing has been so freeing to me. I used to think that I had to make a fuss over the bathroom, as in "now I shall gather various cleaning chemicals and then I shall scrub the bathroom for an hour."

2.) Don't put it down, put it away. Flylady says something like, "never touch something twice if you can touch it once". I catch myself all the time starting to set something down "to get to it or put it away later." Then I remember that I don't want to touch it twice, so I'll just put it where it goes.

3.) If overwhelmed, set your timer for 15 minutes and tell yourself to just work for that long. I do this when cleaning out closets, or when I am looking at a dirty kitchen but think I'm too tired to clean it. Also, when my house is way too messy, I set the timer for 15 minutes and ask the family to work with me for only that long. We get SO much done in that little bit of time. The family seems more willing to help me when they know that there is a time limit set, and mama won't say, "Oh, and do this...and this...and...that, too."

by Lori Seaborg

Shopping at Home...From Your Own Stuff!

2005-08-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

The SchoolRoom

Earlier this year, Tim (dh) and I made a schoolroom/library/craft room out of what we already owned. This room is everyones' favorite room in the house. It is always occupied by some learning or creative soul.

We moved into this house a year and a half ago. One of the rooms was listed by the realtor as a dining room, but we are far too relaxed to need a formal dining area. For a few months after we bought the house, we used the room as a second living room, but it wasn't being used all that often (our children are young, so they are still at the stuck-like-Velcro-to-mama-and-daddy stage).

One day, I was day-dreaming about having a schoolroom once again, when I stopped myself. Do you ever get tired of dreaming about something over and over? I do! At some point, I say to myself, "Well stop wishing for it and do something about it!" So, the dining-room-that-was-an-unneeded-second-living-room, suddenly became the new schoolroom. Knowing our budget could not pay for a fully equipped, brand new schoolroom, we went shopping in our house...

First, we painted the room with navy blue paint and white trim with paint we had bought several months ago. We put up a chalkboard given to us. Our used furniture (a couch, love seat, and rocking chair from our old house) was put in the room. We placed a dry-erase board, child's easle, and bulletin board in the room. And we painted a wooden table that we found in the garage, under a pile of tools. Tim made benches for the table out of scrap wood that he had, and painted them with paint we had leftover from old projects. He also made a bench out of a broken bookcase and some scrap wood. I use this bench to hold the CD player and the abacus. Finally, we put a couple of posters up on the wall that we had collected over the years.

The Writer's Nook

More recently, I was trying to figure out where to write, and almost went out to buy a new desk when I remembered the schoolroom success, and decided to "shop" in our garage.

I was able to make a cozy writing space by clearing an old desk, placing it in a corner of our master bedroom, and placing an old bookcase nearby. I decorated the desk with useful baskets and pottery to hold papers and pencils. Tim attached a wire basket to the wall above my desk for picture frames and plants. I moved a rocking chair from the living room, where it wasn't used, to the corner of my new "office." For inspiration, I threw Grandma's 65-year-old handstitched quilt over the rocking chair. In a second corner, near the window, I put a comfortable-yet-kind-of-ugly recliner. With a pile of books stacked on the bookshelves, plenty of paper, pens, (all of which I also found while "shopping" in my home), and my laptop, I am now a happy writer in my little "writer's nook." But I am most happy that the bank account did not notice our home improvements (Tim is also happy about that!).

Why keep wishing for a bigger house, or a schoolroom, or a space of your own? Tell yourself to stop wishing and make it happen! Shop in your home from your own stuff. You'll be surprised at what you can find, or make, with a little ingenuity.

Let us know in the comments if you have any new ideas about this topic of shopping at home.

by Lori Seaborg

My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

2005-08-10T17:09:00.000-05:00

1. Dough Scraper (Pastry Scraper; All-Purpose Scraper)
This gadget is sometimes made of a piece of wood with a metal "blade" on it, or it may be made out of plastic, as mine is. I suggest you get the plastic one, as it is very durable yet can be placed in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize it. I use the scraper to scrape bread dough off my kitchen counters, to scrape a non-stick pan clean (mine is plastic, remember), to scrape dough or other gunk off my wooden spoons, to lift cut veggies or garlic from the counter, and to cut dough. It is also great for cleaning the gunk that gets stuck next in the crack between the counter and the kitchen sink. It is my #1 favorite kitchen gadget. See one on Amazon.

2. Smooth Edge Can Opener
I love this can opener, because it not only doesn't leave a can-edge that can cut you, but it also leaves you with a lid that is useable. If we don't use our can of peaches in one sitting, for example, I can just replace the can lid until the next time. The only disadvantage that I've found is that the can lid doesn't sink into the tuna can for easier tuna-draining. Click here to see one.

3. Measuring Scoops
I found measuring scoops made out of metal at my local Kitchen store
outlet. They look kind of like garden spades. I use them for flour, for grains (rice, beans, wheat, grits), and for sugar.

4. Bread Machine (:::shh!:::)
I can't believe I am admitting to using a breadmachine, and I can't believe that I finally bought one. I've always been a bit of a purist about bread-making. There is something beautiful about kneading bread on a wooden board. While kneading, I usually close my eyes as I rock back and forth, and I think of all the women who are likely kneading at that very moment: Americans, Canadians, Arabs, Israelis, Mexicans, Russians, Swedes, Africans. Those women are kneading yeast breads like mine, unleavened breads like tortillas, and things I can't even pronounce. Then I think of all the women who used to knead but have since passed on, which leads me to think of Mary and Martha, Eunice, Naomi, Ruth, and other Biblical women.

I won't give up kneading, and will still make bread by hand occasionally. But I realized that because of the time involvement, I just wasn't able to keep up with making all of my family's bread by hand. So I bought a Zojirushi bread machine with the money Tim gave me for being our family accountant at tax time.

I've been using the bread machine for dough, mostly. I can schedule this machine to have dough done by a certain time. For example, this afternoon, I put in the ingredients and timed the machine to be done by 6pm. At 6pm, I was ready to finish the dough into Cinnamon Swirl Bread.
Click to see my Zojirushi bread machine, which I bought because of the horizontal loaf, good product reviews, because my product-picky brother has one and loves it, and because of the timer.

Keep kneading by hand once in a while, but in the meantime, enjoy
adding another servant to your home in the form of a bread machine.

5. Grain Mill
I have just begun grinding wheat into flour for maximum nutrition. I waited years to finally buy a grain mill. They are pretty expensive! Finally, I was able to buy one, and I just love this mill, the NutriMill. It creates a flour as fine as that in the grocery store. Click here to see the NutriMill.

Another fine mill is the WhisperMill, but when I tried to order it a couple of months ago, the manufacturer had run out of mills. If you order it, ask first if it is available. I tried to order the Whisper Mill before I got the NutriMill, because it is rated equal to the NutriMill but is $50 cheaper, but could not find anyone who had it in stock. Click here to see the Whisper Mill.

6. Kitchen Aide
My parents buy each new bride to the family a Kitchen Aide. I have this white classic version, which has served me well for over a decade. My parents have always had a Kitchen Aide. They have used it to grind wheat, make sausage, shred cheese, and of course use it to make meringues or cookies (some of those activities require extra attachments). They even took one to Papua New Guinea, where my dad would turn on the generator so mom could mix bread or cookies in her Kitchen Aide. If you love to bake, this mixer would be such a blessing to you. The classic version is made of the same sturdy stock as the fancy ones, so buy that if you can't afford the more expensive ones.

For $100 more, the Artisan version has very cool colors, a pouring shield ($17 value), a slightly bigger bowl, and 100 more watts of power. When I buy a new Kitchen Aide, I will upgrade to the Artisan one, but it's going to take a looooong time for mine to break. My parents' mixer lasted over 20 years, and may be still running. They gave it to other missionaries when they left Papua New Guinea to work in the U. S.

The professional version is about $200 more than the classic version. It has more power, and is prettier, but unless you are doing really big batches of dough, I don't think you need to spend the money on this one. Buy the Classic or the Artisan.

(p.s. As I was researching for this article, I noticed that Amazon.com is offering a great deal right now. You get $25 off a $125 purchase AND free shipping AND no sales taxes (at least in most states). I bought my bread machine, above, on one of these sales and it saved me a ton of money over buying it at a store.)

by Lori Seaborg

Christian Carnival

2005-08-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

For some great blogs that were posted this week, go to the Christian Carnival at:

http://intheouter.net/2005/08/09/christian-carnival-82

Lori's TidBits

2005-08-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

Useful and Useless Bits of Information

1. Quiet Time is the key to my sanity as a mother of four little ones. Each day, right after lunch clean-up, the children lay down for Quiet Time which lasts at least an hour. The 2yo naps, the 5yo naps or reads quietly, the 8yo finishes schoolwork or reads in her room, and the 10yo finishes schoolwork or reads in his room. If Daddy is home, he gladly naps, too. I spend my quiet time reading or writing. I have a rule that I cannot do chores during quiet time.

Quiet Time is not only good for me, but also for the children. They are more rested for the long day and less irritable and tired (they are the most healthy kids I know, and I think this lack of exhaustion is part of the reason. The other reason is the sheer number of germs we probably innoculate ourselves with daily, but that's a confession I didn't plan to make in this blog). Our 10yo looks forward to Quiet Time so he can have a break from his 5yo brother bothering him!

2. When your Child is fake-crying, and you know it is not a serious cry,calmly say, "Go to your room, close the door, and cry. When you're done, you can come out again." Our 5-year-old, angel though he is, pulls fake cries on us often. When I say, "Go to your room to cry," he often stops in mid-cry, wipes his eyes, and continues playing. See? He didn't need to be crying after all. Even our 2-year-old is being sent to her room to cry. She comes out within seconds, happy once again.

3. Moving a nest of eggs that a hen is setting on: You may not need to know this, but I have needed to know it twice. If you need to move a nest of eggs that a hen is setting on, she will follow those eggs to the new location, and she will not reject them.

4. If you need to catch a hen, it's easiest to do it when she goes to bed just before sunset. She'll perch in a tree or up on her perch, and it is easy to catch her then. But if she perches too high for you to reach, don't try to catch her with a broomstick or she's likely to fly out of the tree and not come near you again for 2 days (I know this to be true).

3. Running your sprinklers for 1 hour equals about 1" of rain. Your garden needs 1" of rain per week to thrive (in the hot summer, in very hot areas like the Deep South and SouthWest, it may need 1" every three days).

If you have not had enough rain in a week, water your garden or lawn for one hour. If you have had some rain, water your garden for less.

To check your rainfall amount for the week, use an empty tuna can for a rain gauge. Sink the tuna can into the dirt. If the can is full, you've had 1" of rain.

4. How to water your garden: Your garden will do best if it has the 1" of rainfall all at once rather than slowly. If you sprinkle your lawn daily for only 5 minutes each time, you are encouraging short roots that want to stay at the water level. Short roots = weak plants. By sprinkling the lawn or garden for one hour at once, you encourage the roots to stay at a deeper level.

by Lori Seaborg

Today, August 8, 2005

2005-08-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

Rubbing...my eyes all day, just because I read a blog on "How to Become an Early Riser," so I set my alarm for 6am. I need to now read a blog on "How to Not Be a Night Owl the Night Before Becoming an Early Riser."

Napping...this afternoon with the baby. I wonder if that is cheating?

Missing...four chicken teenagers who have decided that they love freedom more than free food. They are scratching in the woods and won't join the others in the coop.

Wishing...that you wouldn't wonder if I tried to catch those four chicken teenagers. Yes, of course I did, but I didn't want to admit it since I was a sandy, muddy, sweaty mess when I tried, and failed, at catching them. And now you know.

Catching....chickens has to be one of the most horrible things to attempt on a 90 degree, high humidity day.

Letting... you know that Hillary, the annoying hen named after Mrs. Clinton, and the one many of you have written me about, is safely in the coop. We'd be just fine without her, she is like her namesake after all, but she never seems to go away ... just like her namesake.

Singing...Happy Birthday to our Britty, who turned 8 on Sunday, August 7th.

Thanking...God for sparing my life 8 years ago, when I had complications after bringing Brittany into the world. Honestly, the whole birthday party thing should have been for me! But I don't play with Polly Pockets and fake makeup, so I guess she can keep the gifts.

Sneaking...out the door with my friend Leisl who goaded me into canoeing with her - without telling our husband and kids who didn't notice us leave the house - after dark Saturday night.

Laughing...until I nearly cried when Leisl and I got only five feet away from shore and got too scared to go canoeing after all.

Trying...to get out of the canoe with tipping over. I.am.not.a.ballerina.

by Lori Seaborg

Worry

2005-08-07T00:28:00.000-05:00

Below is one of my favorite Bible passages. It is one that I turn to quite often, for I find it quite easy to worry. My worry is about finances. We have never starved or been without clothing, and yet I can worry the night away if I don't catch myself.

If it is at 3am, and something wakes me up, the devil often whispers worries in my ear. If I listen to him, I stay up all night, tossing and turning on my bed, worrying about taxes, bills, insurance, health, groceries, etc.

But if I pick up my Bible and read Luke 12:22-31, Jesus speaks to me. "Do not worry," He says. It is then that I remember that I am loved by a caring God.

This is God's promise for us:

"And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.

For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."

Say that last line out loud. You know it's true!

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!"

Watch the birds that come to your yard. They do not store up their food. They have to find it daily. God provides even for them.

"And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?"

I hear Jesus' sense of humor in that line.

"If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? "

To God, adding an extra hour to your life is as easy as adding a spoonful of sugar to your morning coffee. If you can't do that very simple thing, why worry about anything?

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!"

I grow daylilies. Each daylily opens for only one day and then closes that bud forever. Whenever my daylilies open, I say aloud, "Even King Solomon in all his finest was never dressed as one of these." Inside the lilies are beautiful details. If God dresses these flowers, which are only open for one day, in such loveliness, then how much more will He take care of you?

"And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying."

Of course, you need to shop for groceries and plan your meals, but Jesus is saying that you do not need to worry and obsess over these needs. Focus on God, focus on God's work, and He will provide your basic necessities. Have you ever been naked, without a stitch to wear? Have you ever starved? Let those worries go.

"For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. "

I think Jesus spoke tenderly when He said, "Your Father knows that you need these things." He knows. He cares. He loves you.

"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." (Luke
12:22-31)

Seek God. Let Him take care of the details.

He knows that you need these things.

by Lori Seaborg

Heard in Our House

2005-08-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Brenden (10) and Stone (5) had a little fight yesterday that ended in Stone crying desperately loudly until I scolded Brenden.

"Stone, I noticed that you stopped crying immediately when Brenden got into trouble. If you can stop that easily, you shouldn't have been crying." ~ me, to a perfectly fine Stone a little after the incident

"Well, I just felt better after he got in trouble!" ~ Stone

by Lori Seaborg

Write It Down Where They Can See It

2005-08-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

In a blog I just read, written by Amanda Bennett, she wrote this tip:

" Put the ideas, scripture, or passages that you would like [your children] to learn right where they can see it. For years, I’ve been printing off these items and posting them on the doors of the kitchen cupboard, over the kitchen telephone, and in other conspicuous places that the children face several times a day. Exposure is key -- curiosity takes care of the rest!"

It should have occured to me to post these things for my children....

When I was 10-years-old, our family moved to Papua New Guinea to be missionaries. Our first house in the jungle was a temporary house, with dirt floors (until the natives wove some bamboo for it) and open windows (the natives would stare in the window screens at us all day long, as if we were in a museum). We didn't have running water or electricity. In the mornings, someone would build a fire to heat up water for the day. We used an outhouse as our bathroom.

On the interior of the outhouse door, my mother stapled different snippets of Scriptures and poems that she had torn out of magazines like Our Daily Bread. As I would sit on the plywood toilet seat, I'd read those papers she had posted. Reading the words helped keep my mind off the snakes and spiders that I imagined lived in the outhouse.

Eventually, it was time for us four kids to go off to missionary boarding school, far away from our parents and their bush house. They didn't have a phone or a two-way radio, so while at school, we didn't have communication with them. It was hard for me to adjust, after having spent my first ten years with my adoring parents.

There were many teary nights at school, when I missed my parents. We had many fun times at the boarding school, but the tears still came at unexpected moments. Sometimes the dorm parents, too overloaded with 20 kids to raise, were uncaring. When I became sick and wanted my mama to be there, the tears would come. Over the years, there were sad times when I wanted to just be with my family.

But every time I cried, God would bring comfort to me, in the words of a poem that I had accidentally memorized in that jungle outhouse:

"Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fears.
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tears.

Our God is always in control
Performing as He would
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.

But as a loving Father should
He sometimes lets us cry,
To cleanse the hurt out of our hearts,
To wash it from our eyes.

Yet gently gathers He the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls
And gives them back some day. "

Those words were balm to my hurting ten-year-old soul.

How many times have you had a Scripture pop into your head just when you needed it most? Or a poem, or a famous saying? Only what you have memorized can come to mind! We need to give our children the gift that these memorized words bring. When they are in a tough time, it will be comforting to them to have those words.

Now, excuse me while I write down a few Scripture verses to place around the house. Maybe by the toilet is not such a bad spot.

by Lori Seaborg

Today, August 2, 2005

2005-08-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

In the Oven:
Peanut Butter Cookies

Sounds I'm Hearing:
Toby, the five-month-old Cocker Spaniel yelping at the vacuum cleaner, and the four kids yelping with him. Now, that's loud!

Sights I'm Enjoying:
Seeing my 12 teenage hens come home. They went missing for a couple of days, off on a woodland adventure, no doubt.

Smells I'm Smelling:
Thyme, picked from the terra cotta container it shares with aloe vera

Treasures I'm Finding:
13 eggs under the Holly Fern, after I chased "Hillary" (named after Mrs. Clinton because the hen is horribly annoying) off the nest

On the Nightstand:
"The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers" by Amy Hollingsworth

In the Craft Basket:
Handmade Journals and Photo Albums I learned how to make recently from this program: Book Making

What Made Me Laugh Sunday:
Our kids performed Sunday night at church for their VBS program. As we were getting ready, I yelled to them that they were supposed to wear jeans and a red, white, or blue t-shirt as their "costume" for the program. On the drive to church, I suddenly noticed that Tim (dh) was also dressed in jeans and a red, white and blue t-shirt. He thought I was yelling to him to dress that way! Every time I looked at him that night, I got the giggles.

by Lori Seaborg

A Basket Full of Lovin'

2005-07-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

The following little ideas would be great for a basket for your hardworking Cowboy. Don't get yourself all overwhelmed trying to be perfect! He's hardly going to notice the bows on the sachets or the way it was laid out in the basket. But he will notice his pretty little wife who is spoiling him something awful!

If you are not in the mood to pamper your cowboy just this once, you could always put the following into a basket and give it to newlyweds or to someone on their anniversary. Choose one or all items to put in your basket, and add a cute card that says, "Handmade by ____ ____, " because you want them to know you worked hard at it!

Chocolates (in the craft and grocery stores, you can find melt and pour, or use a good fudge recipe or a turtle recipe)

English toffee: This is like making peanut brittle, except you cook it less long and add chocolate as a layer on the top. My favorite candy! I use the Better Homes & Garden cookbook recipe.

Massage oil: Give a small jar of olive oil with a little essential oil in it (you could also use almond oil or jojoba oils, etc., but olive is at the grocery store). It is rumored that men love the scent of vanilla; try it!

Bath tea: Cut squares of cheesecloth or cotton material, add herbs, and tie off with a rubber band. The user will toss this sachet into the tub as the water is running into it. Chamomile and calendula are especially great for the skin.Candles: You can make candles the long way or the short way (with granules or melt and pour). Add essential oils. If you make your own, use scents that match the massage oil and bath tea.

Body scrub: I love this one especially. Put sea salt or brown sugar or white sugar (I've even seen coffee grains used!) into a container. Add oil (olive oil, almond oil, sunflower oil, jojoba, etc.) to the salt/sugar until the mixture is damp but not dripping wet. Almost slushy. Add essential oils for a scent, if desired. The user puts a bit of the mixture in the palm of their hand and scrubs it on their body. When they rinse the scrub off, the oils remain on the skin, leaving it soft. This is my dh's favorite foot scrub. I rub it on my elbows, feet, knees, and hands for softer skin.

Bath milk: Mix 2 parts powdered milk to 1 part ground old-fashioned oatmeal. Essential oils may be added. The user places a small handful of the mixture into the tub's hot water (note: If you don't want to grind the oats, use a sachet or a cheesecloth for the mixture so the oat flakes don't clog the drain). It will leave their skin soft.

Sachets: If you have some herbs on hand such as lavender, chamomile, eucalyptus, calendula, mints, etc., you could make some pretty sachets for drawers or linen closets. Just sew three sides of a square from your fabric stash. Add a ribbon or a drawstring. Or, sew all four sides and give them as herb squares without an open top. (note: dh may be embarrased to have lavender-scented t-shirts for work. Be thoughtful, now!)

Herbal Tea: Also with herbs, you could create some herbal tea from chamomile and mint. I do a 50-50 mixture. This also makes great cold tea, and doesn't need sugar, IMO. They may not drink tea, but it smells nice. It also looks nice on the kitchen counter in a glass jar.

Hot Cocoa Mixture: For dh, and anyone else who doesn't seem to be a tea drinker, make a batch of hot cocoa.

Dream Pillows: Sew another sachet out of breathable fabric, such as cotton, but this time sew a rectangle. Add a mixture of herbs just like above for the sachets. Add a ribbon. This dream pillow will be placed inside a pillowcase for use. The bedroom will smell pretty and they'll likely be sleeping better with it. My dh loves his dream pillow and wants it every night, especially during the Spring when he has 2-3 months of allergy agony. The dream pillows clear his sinuses up so he can breathe well enough to sleep. In his, I use mints, eucalyptus, calendula, chamomile, lavender, and mugwort - or whatever I have on hand out of those. For a more romantic floral pillow, use: lavender, chamomile, calendula and rose petals. Mugwort may also be used, as it is supposed to help someone sleep.

What are your ideas?

by Lori Seaborg

Bella is Upset at Me!

2005-07-30T16:54:00.000-05:00

Bella is upset at me ... and her nose is in a petunia!

Feeling Overwhelmed?

2005-07-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

Over a year and a half ago, I was teaching children's choir, teaching adult education classes two nights a week, singing in the adult choir at church, homeschooling two children with two babies underfoot, taking the children two full days a week to extra classes, preparing to move to a new location for dh's job, and running a website as a business. I was overwhelmed!Knowing that I was reaching my sanity's limit, I prayed for God to help me, with a please!

One night soon after my prayer, I walked into our six-year-old daughter's room and saw a basket hanging from her bunkbed with a stuffed animal and a note in it. I remembered that Brittany had told me she had a surprise for me, and to please come and look at it, but I was too busy filling an order for my business. Later, after I sent her to bed, she called me again to see her surprise, but I said was still too busy and I'd come when I could.Much later in the evening, I remembered that I had never gone back to see Britty's surprise. Feeling a little saddened that I was seeing it after she was asleep, I opened the note.

On it was written: "I want to do 100 things for you."For Brittany, a brand-new 6 year old who had four ear surgeries, writing that note would have been very difficult. It touched me to the core. In tears, I said aloud, "I want to do 100 things for you, too."It was as if a light turned on in that moment as I saw how busy I had made my life. Each activity was noble, of course, and worthy of someone's time, but it was not to be my time that was used. That night, in my little girl's room, I felt God's whisper. I heard Him whisper that I am to be first a wife, then a mother for this moment. He reminded me how quickly children grow up. It is only for a blink of time that they live with us. With my focus cleared, I immediately closed my website. I had always given it to God, so I didn't question that he could provide for us financially without my side business. Since we were moving for dh's new job, I was able to gracefully bow out of choir, children's choir, the extra classes, and teaching committments.

My husband became a top priority. I started caring whether or not he had clean clothes. I began greeting him as he walked in the door from work. Our children also became a higher priority. I started reading to them at night and singing with them in the day. I focused on their little faces and the fun we could create together. The house also became a priority. With practice, it became a joy to create meals and decorate and surprise my husband while teaching our children how to manage a home happily.

It has been over a year since Brittany's note and God's whisper. Lately, I have felt God's nudge to write again, as a ministry and as a home business. It is good to help others outside the family. It is good to make a little extra income. But I know that my ministry, business, or activity must never be more important than my family and my home.

If we young mothers talked to older mothers more often, they'd tell us that children grow up quickly. We already know that, but do we realize it? We fill our days to overflowing with activities; we run after ways that we can serve in the church; we start new businesses or keep old jobs; we agree to be the room mother or the leader of a group; we seek to minister to others.

Meanwhile, our families, the very ones that God specifically gave us to minister to, are set aside.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Ask God to help you, with a please. He just might whisper in your ear, too.

by Lori Seaborg

Early Mornings with God: Laine's Letters

2005-07-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

I want to encourage you to visit a website that I have thoroughly enjoyed, called Laine's Letters . It is a simple website, with letters for you to read and recipes to try.

I'm pretty sure God put the URL in my path right when I needed it, last fall. I have been so encouraged by the letters that Laine writes to women. She gets up early in the morning to have time with God and speaks of her quiet time often. I found that so inspiring that in late October I started getting up at 6am, which is one hour before the children wake. Often (and oftener!) I mess up and miss that God Time hour (I am such a night owl), but when I have it, my entire world is more right side up.

Check out Laine's site and see if God doesn't use her words to knock you over the head a bit, too.

by Lori Seaborg

Today, July 25, 2005

2005-07-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

In the Oven:
Lemon Bars

On the Stove:
Whole Wheat Pancakes

Sounds I'm Hearing:
Laying Hens Clucking and the Rooster, Princess (we thought he was a girl) rescuing them

Sights I'm Enjoying:
Canna Lillies, Zinnias, and Hydrangeas blooming

Smells I'm Smelling:
Whole Wheat Bread that's rising; oregano, which is getting out of hand in the raised herb garden

Sips I'm Sipping:
A Turtle Deluxe Latte with Whipped Cream from Latte Da, my neighborhood coffee and book shop

On the Nightstand:
"Creative Counterpart" by Linda Dillow; "Thrush Green" by Miss Read; my Bible

In the Craft Basket:
A scarf I'm knitting (I'm a beginnner, so really I should say "a scarf that I'm twisting and undoing and twisting again); Bead Bookmarks; Book Making

Topics I'm Teaching:
Genesis 1; The U.S.S. Alabama Battleship history; Pop-Up Cards

Coming Out of My Pen:
An ebook, a devotional for The Upper Room, and a website I'm creating (technically that is coming out of my computer, not my pen!)

Coming Out of My Head:
"There are only 5 months until Christmas! Not all that much time to figure out how to knit a scarf into a recognizable shape for a gift! Ack!"

by Lori Seaborg

The Disturbed Child May Need Help

2005-07-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

This photo came from a parenting encyclopedia from the 1930's. Do you see the caption? LOL!

Making Pop-Ups

2005-07-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

Heard in our House:

"Well, if nothing else, our kids will know art!" ~ me, to dh, as the kids and I are caught during "school hours" doing yet another art project.

This time, we were making Pop Up Cards, with these easy instructions.

Brenden (10) made an army guy and a Calvin (as in Calvin & Hobbes)

Brittany (7) made a frog

Stone (5) made something indescribable, and it makes weird noises when he opens and closes it (I think those noises came from his mouth, but don't let him know I'm onto him)

Tim (dh) and I were co-artists in making a fish (Tim said it started out as a flounder, then morphed into a rainbow trout. I say it's just a cute fish with big eyes and big lips). We put cardstock as a cover for our pop-up fish, and gave it to our cute little Bella (2). When you open that card, the fish mysteriously sings opera in Mama's voice. Curious!

If your kids are bored today, try these pop-ups! All you need are 2 pieces of paper, scissors (or rip it!), and some crayons.

by Lori Seaborg

Buying a Vehicle on eBay

2005-07-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

We bought our last 2 vans and 1 old truck on eBay and were able to get EXCELLENT vehicles at EXCELLENT prices there! Besides reading the auction well, viewing every photo carefully, and writing to the seller (or calling them) to get a feel for how legitimate they are, here are a few ways to make sure you're getting a good deal:

1.) Don't pay upfront, unless there is a small fee for "good faith". Get yourself to where the vehicle is within the timeframe listed (eg. 10 days to pay -- get to the car within 10 days), so that you can see it without having already paid. If you don't think it is as good as listed, back out! They were not following the auction contract by listing it wrong, so you're under no obligation to buy at that point. We always see our vehicles before paying anything! Keep in mind that you are buying a used vehicle, so don't expect perfection, but if there are any glaring dents or if there is a loud noise coming from the hood, that should have been mentioned in the auction.

2.) eBay insures (for FREE) most vehicles (with a Service Agreement) for up to 1000 miles or 30 days. Look at the auction and you should see this offered. Our 1966 truck that cost only $400 did not have that insurance, because of the age and condition. We didn't mind. On our 2 vans, we did have that insurance. We didn't have to use it, but it was nice to have.

3.) Buy a Vehicle History Report for your vehicle. You'll see this on the auction pages, too. For $14.95 you can get 10 reports. For one, it's under $8. A Vehicle History Report lets you see the vehicle's history. This tells you if it has been in a flood, when it was registered, if its been in an accident, etc. When you buy this report, they give you free buyback insurance that what they've said is correct. When we bought an Explorer from a local dealer in 1999, we were not lucky enough to be offered this information or the insurance. What we bought was a vehicle that had been in the middle of major floods in the MidWest. The dealers up there sent their cars down South, where people didn't know about the floods! We had a lot of problems with that lemon.

4.) Check on the Kelly Blue Book value of the car you're bidding on. With both of our vans, we bid --and won-- only at trade-in price. That's great! We lost many vehicle auctions that went too high. It's worth waiting and watching. You dont' have to wait long, though! Within 2 weeks of our accident that totalled our other van, we had received the insurance check on it, bid on an eBay van, flew on a plane from FL to OH to get it (the auction price was worth the $150 ticket), and drove it home!

5.) Get the title in your hot little hands. With our truck and one van, we bought the vehicles from a regular person on eBay. With both of those vehicles, the title was transferred to us and handed over on the spot. With the other van, we purchased the vehicle from a dealer who had listed the auction. They did not have the title on hand, but the transaction was the same as if you went to your local dealer and picked up a used car. They gave us a temporary title, all the papers needed, and a note that the title would be arriving in the mail from Ohio's vehicle department. Within a couple of weeks, the title arrived. Some people have bought vehicles on eBay and neglected to get the title from the seller, by accepting the seller's excuses. Do NOT allow that to happen!

We've had MUCH better luck on eBay than we have with local used car and new car salesmen. It might be the same for you!

by Lori Seaborg

Clarity, from a Child's Viewpoint

2005-07-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Brenden , our nine-year-old, and I were at the table last night around 10pm. I was letting him stay up late for no reason other than that it is nice to spoil a child now and then. If I spoil all 4 at once, they seem to gang up on me and expect it more. If I spoil only one at a time, it is our secret, so nobody finds out about it. Spending time with them one-on-one is one of my favorite things to do, and yet I have to talk myself into noticing that I haven't done it in a while! Why is that??

Anyway, Brenden decided to make some hot chocolate. He was sitting at the table, noisily slurping it from a spoon. I was engrossed in a book but decided to put it down and join him. I wondered where our conversation would go, as it always leads to interesting places when he is my companion.

To start it out, I asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answer changes almost weekly. He said, in a too-mature voice, "Well, actchically (he says actually, his favorite word, wrong every time), I'm not sure. I might be an inventor, though."

I said, "Oh, my, you'd make a great inventor," as I do about all of his chosen occupations. We talked for a while about inventions and things to invent and inventors.

After a lull in our conversation, I heard myself say, "I want to be a writer."

Brenden, still lost in inventor-thoughts, absentmindedly murmured, "Oh, yes."

"Wait a minute!" He looked at me full in the face, alert. "You already are a writer!"

There is not a book with my name on it; there is not a magazine masthead with "Lori Seaborg" on it; there's not even yet an e-book with my name listed as the author...

But Brenden thinks I am a writer simply because he sees me write.

There is nothing like a child to see you for who you are or for who you have the potential to be.

by Lori Seaborg