Musings Before The Modem Goes Dark

At midnight tonight our telephone/Internet/cable service will be terminated. The $166 a month we've been spending on it will be much better spent on essentials. Yes, I am implying here that these three electronic luxuries are just that, luxuries. They are certainly not essentials, although these days its easy for us to become attached to them, even dependent on them, until they feel much more inportant than they are. The telephone sevice has already been replaced by a refurbished cell phone and bare bones basic monthly service. Funny thing, it has yet to ring.

As I contemplate only getting online once or twice a week at the community clubhouse, I again find myself pondering the fate of this blog. I really enjoy blogging, but cyberspace is more and more such an odd place. Things in the online world are just not as real as they are in the flesh. While I've said before that so many good things have come of my journey through Internet groups and blogs, I've noticed some disturbing things too. It's too easy to become dependent on the feedback of others for validation that I'm a good mom, a good home maker, a good person whose writings are worth reading, whose thoughts are worth sharing, or whose feelings are valid. It's too easy in cyberspace to just hit delete or block or unfriend, and do just that. There's not much invested (most of the time) so there's not much to lose. I think too much of the time we forget that there is a real live flesh and blood person with needs and feelings on the other end of those emails, IM's or comments. And after all, in then end, we don't really know that person (most of the time) so we think we're not really losing anything when we move on. Sad, isn't it?

That all being said, I honestly have no idea when I'll post again or if I'll continue this blog publicly. I am looking to God for guidance on this, and waiting to see how our lives will evolve and change as we retreat from the electronic age for a while.

Wishing you all well.

Astronomy Class, Part 2

Friday night we took our telescope out after dark for the first time and worked on programming the computer, which automatically finds constellations, stars and planets. We learned a lot, had some fun, and Ashley especially was very excited by all that we were able to see. All three girls were impressed with how many stars we were able to see through the telescope that weren't visible just with the naked eye. I'm looking forward to many great summer nights spent outdoors together.

Here are a few of the highlights:


Looking with just one eye takes a little practice.



Aspen's first look at a star we could name, Vega.



Watching the telescope find a star all by itself. Aspen was very impressed by its automatic movement.



Using our star chart to verify that we had indeed found Vega. Free star maps and other awesome resources are available at Sky Maps.



Manually finding our next focal point, Antares.
Join us again soon for more out of this world adventures!

Show & Tell Friday

This is one of my favorite memes, hosted by Kelli at There's No Place Like Home. To join in Show and Tell Friday, just find something special to share. It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.



This week I'd like to invite you to our Astronomy class. Our new telescope arrived a few days ago and we've been excited to get going. Rain and other commitments have kept us form being able to do much with it until today so we were eager to get out side and start practicing. Our curriculum is a combo of my own lessons and some taken from a text book. Lesson 1 on the agenda was to learn the specifics of our telescope. I'll be combining this hands-on experience with the text on telescopes in general.



We took our new baby outside, set it up and did some basic programming on the AutoStar function, which is an amazing computerized gadet that will show us specific sights. Then we practiced using it manually to view random objects around our house, and this allowed us to get familiar with how to move it, adjust settings and use it manually in general. Tonight we have plans to go back out and do some night time viewing as well.



I am really excited not only that Ashley is enthusiastic about this, but that Aspen is totally into it. She wants to do and see everything that we do, so we tried to give her all the same chances to move it and view objects right along with us. I like the fact that this will give her the opportunity to learn about the proper care and handling of electronic and fragile equipment as well.

Transitions

I feel like we are entering a new phase of our lives. Lots of things are changing in the coming weeks. Summer has finally settled in, and the days are warm and lengthening. Our visits to the pool are becoming more pleasant, and longer. This summer there are several children near Aspen's age in our complex, which is a nice change from last summer when there were very few. Today we invited over some ladies we know from a little cafe just behind our complex, and they brought their daughter/granddaughter over to play with Aspen in the pool. A great time was had by all. The girls were so cute and thick as thieves and it was really nice for me to have some other adults to talk to. I love these ladies because they are sweet and down to Earth, real in a way that so many people today are not. We stayed at the pool for several hours and after they left, we lingered to visit with some of the other families who were cooking on the grills. For the first time in a long time I felt a sense of community, something I've really been longing for.

This week we are once again turning off our cable/phone/Internet bundle in our home. We're doing it for financial reasons, but I find I am glad in a way. Not having so much electronic entertainment at our fingertips every minute of the day will help us to spend more time doing things of value. At least, that's my hope. I am looking forward to time spent around the dining room table doing school work, puzzles, eating family meals and playing games. I am looking forward to time spent outdoors, swimming, playing at the park and exploring the night sky as we learn about our universe together.

Our telescope arrived today and I am very excited to get started with it. After shopping around a lot, reading reviews, checking sales and running various ones past my brother who is astronomy saavy, we decided on this model. It meets our needs, and we found one for considerably less that the going rate of $300. I'm hoping for lots of family fun surrounding it.

We've also been eating better this week. I've been praying a lot about our grocery budget, and meal planning. This week I tried something that I first read about at Biblical Womanhood, and it was the idea of praying before you go shopping. As we headed out the door with our meal plan and grocery list in hand, I said an earnest prayer for the Lord to guide our spending and to help us stay on budget. We did really well! Not only did we come in at our budget, but it seems like we got more for our money than we usually do. In addition, Aspen was a little angel the whole time, through two different stores, which lately is not the norm. Ashley came with us and the three of us had a great time together. I know it was the direct result of the Lord's hand in our day. After seeing such clear and undeniable results, I have decided to purpose to pray more, throughout the day, to repeatedly hand over control to the Lord, and to let Him be in the driver's seat. Things work out so much better when I do.

Perhaps the biggest transition coming to us, Abby's arrival, is now only a bit over seven weeks away. I remember when I was seven weeks along, and her due date seemed so far in the future. Now it is right around the corner. I'm looking forward to it more and more each day. I love the newborn stage, and I can't wait to hold her and introduce her to Aspen. I can't wait to see Aspen's reaction to her. When Ashley was born, Kelly stayed with my in-laws and Shawn brought her after the delivery. When they came into the room, I was holding Ashley and Kelly's eyes got huge and a giant smile came to her face and she ooohed and aahed over her baby sister. Aspen will be with us at delivery, and I am hoping for a similar reaction.

Oddly enough I find I am almost looking forward to those late night feedings too. As exhausting as they can be, those one on one times I've had with each of my babies have been some of the most special. I was also inspired by the beautiful post The Divine Appointment at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. I have the prayer part printed out to keep near me for those late nights, and other times too.

I'm still planning to blog when the mood strikes, that is, when I have the chance and something worthwhile to write about, so I hope you all will continue to stop by now and then. I plan to keep on visiting and commenting on my favorite blogs and participating in memes when I can. I find my blogging is so much more enjoyable and meaningful when my priorities are where they should be.

Show & Tell Friday

This is one of my favorite memes, hosted by Kelli at There's No Place Like Home. To join in Show and Tell Friday, just find something special to share. It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.



I love anything and everything by Marjolein Bastin. Her art is so lovely and peaceful and I would love to surround myself with it. I've been wanting to start collecting some of her pieces for a while now, but since we've not had any extra cash in our budget, I've been putting that on the back burner. Yesterday, while browsing at our local Goodwill, I came across this set of three canisters featuring some of her Blue themed art. They're in excellent condition, and even still had the original Hallmark price stickers on the bottom. The retail price? $35. My cost? $10.
On top of that, I had a store credit, so they were basically free. I was delighted.

Not only was it a great bargain, but it was a real thrill to find these because it's not often that I find this type of thing at our particular Goodwill. The good stuff always goes so quickly, so this was like finding a real treasure under the X.

I have them displayed on the pass thru from our kitchen to dining room and so far they're empty, but I am kicking around ideas as to what I want to store in them. The big one will likely become a cookie jar (at the suggestion of the kids) but as for the other two I am not sure yet. What do you ladies store in this type of canister?

Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend!

Summer Stargazing

So, this Wednesday's post won't be wordless, but that's ok. One of my daughter Ashley's home school elective subjects is Astronomy. We're doing it as a family project, so that we can all spend summer nights gazing at the stars. I have very special memories of this as a child, because my brother was in college when I was young, and he was taking Astronomy. I would tag along into the yard with him and his telescope and he showed me the moon, constellations and stars and taught me a kid-friendly version of what he was learning in school. It was so cool. I am hoping to duplicate this experience for my girls.

Today our household project was to clean up our garage and get the car back in there. The girls and I all worked hard on this for a couple of hours, and while sorting and organizing stuff we came across my DH's binoculars. They're nothing too fancy, and only have a minimal magnification, but we decided to try them to see how well we could see tonight's moon. They worked pretty well, and gave Aspen her first magnified view of the moon. She was thrilled and wanted to see more.



I pointed out some stars and we were able to see The Big Dipper. Such an recognizable shape made Aspen very excited and she asked to see some others, but I wasn't able to spot any tonight. The older girls also got into the idea and wanted to look too. I am hoping to find a place we can go sometimes where there might be a little less light that would afford us a better view.

Nothing gets me pumped up like my kids being curious about something, and eager to learn about it. I'm so excited to be doing this, and I'm anticipating many summer nights filled with ooohs and aaahs and inquisitive questions and we explore the nigh sky together!

See more great photos at Wordless Wednesday.

Making Home A Haven

Today's challenge for Making Your Home a Haven is multifaceted. Tami has these ideas for ways we can bless our homes today:

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work on cleaning or organizing in an area that you dread getting started on. Just 15 minutes! After that you can stop if you want to. :)

When I read this challenge I knew my 15 minutes needed to be spent straightening our bedroom closet. We've been taking things out and not taking the time to put them back exactly where they go and the result is clutter, a dirty word in our house! It actually took me less than 15 minutes to straighten it.

2. Do something you've been procrastinating about.
This will probably sound funny, but one thing I've been meaning to do and keep forgetting, is to order some summer catalogs. Ashley and I love to use them for ideas for decorating (and daydreaming!) and Aspen loves to cut and paste the pictures for art projects. So today I requested our usual summer fare: LL Bean, Magic Cabin, Posh Tots and Gooseberry Patch.

3. Clean up or organize a pile. A pile of dishes, a pile of laundry, a pile of papers... whatever needs your attention most urgently! :)
Okay this is gross, I admit, but for the past several days we've not bothered to take out the garbage. We live in an apartment, so taking it out means taking the bags that have been put out in the garage to the trash compactor. I try to do this daily or at least every other day but this the past few days it's piled up on us. This challenge inspired me to round it all up and run it to the compactor, which took me all of about 10 minutes and made a world of difference in how I felt walking through our garage.

4. Spend some quality time with your family. Look into their eyes and laugh with them! Do something out of the ordinary for or with at least one of your family members. :)
We did this already today. The girls and I spent a couple of hours playing at the pool today and it was tons of fun. After we got home, I snuggled up on the couch with Aspen and watched some of her favorite preschool shows with her. I usually use her Quiet Time in the afternoon to do chores or some other task, but today I just wanted to be with her, so that's what we did. Now, while she's playing with her Dad, I have to go do all the chores I usually do then. My hubby is making us a treat for supper, grilled chicken on a stick. Yum.