Author: amylynw

Building A Life Out of Words

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

Today my friend, Shawn Smucker, released an e-book called  Building a Life Out of Words.  

Shawn’s story is about faith, one step at a time.  His faith led him to step out with courage to do what he loves: write.  Real life lessons are woven together with humorous stories to make this book applicable not only to writers, but anyone who is living life.  Ventures that are borne by courage and sustained by faith in God inspire me in my own life’s journey.  He and his family are living out a real-life Abraham experience, as they step out, not knowing where they are going.  This trek of trust is thoughtfully and candidly written.  It’s not a finished journey, and I’m excited with them to see what other words will be written in the building of their lives.

Shawn blogs (almost) daily at http://shawnsmucker.com. He is currently traveling the country for four months with his wife and four children in a  big, blue bus named Willie, looking for service opportunities as well as other writers to meet up with. You can find him on Facebook (Shawn Smucker, Writer) and Twitter (@shawnsmucker).  Shawn's e-book is available today!

No More Flush Button

/ amylynw / Leave a comment

Right now the house is quiet.  The girls are playing monopoly and Betty joined the boys on a Home Depot run.  Tonight we’re getting a new toilet for the powder room downstairs!  This is such hip hip hooray news for me!  No longer will I have to explain to guests how they must take the lid off the tank, touch this wacky thing inside the tank, then press and hold the flush button before anything will go down the tubes.  There will hopefully be no more funky smells wafting through the mysterious small cracks around the base of the current porcelain seat.  I am a happy girl, indeed.

Today we ran errands, and it was fun to bless the kids with their very own silly putty.  Staples had a good deal, and they have been playing with it non-stop all afternoon.  I must remember to check pockets this week, because yes, I have made that fateful mistake of throwing silly putty into the load of laundry.  It’s not so silly anymore.

Speaking of laundry, there are clothes to take off the line, supper still to clean up, and piles of papers that reproduced overnight without my permission.  I should hop to it before the home improvement team comes back any minute.  The moment I realized how quiet it was here, I knew I had to push those things to the back burner and just sit.  It’s vital to my soul to take time to reflect on God’s goodness for a few quiet moments.  Just as Matthew walked out the door he commented how our landlords really are the bomb.  God has blessed us richly and when I feel like complaining or giving in to that ungrateful spirit that wells up inside my heart over trivial things… I am reminded of how far He has blessed us.  All the way up to today He has held us, guided us, and showered blessings into our life.  Tonight that bounty comes in the form of a clean, white toilet!

Lemonaide Friday

/ amylynw / Leave a comment

The outdoors calls me so loudly that I’m completely tuned out to the inside mess.  Winter coats still hang, abandoned on the coat rack.  Winter boots, sporting spring mud, lay on the laundry room floor, making dust piles as they dry.  Forgotten toys spill onto the living room rug, traded for much more useful objects like sticks, rocks and freshly plucked flowers growing in the crab grass.  I barely coaxed the two older ones to finish their school reports today, but they’re taking a break from the sweat of the wild to glue their bottoms to their chairs for one last time this week.  Pencils scratch quietly, Betty makes background noises, and the other two littles are busy with their own thing.  Jack colors in his book in a detailed manner.  Elsie talks to Betty and makes her laugh.  Betty wants to go outside, but Elsie tells her, “Betty, you’re going to be a grown up like me!  See?  I can reach this thing!” as she touches the door handle to go outside.  Betty is impressed.

Betty has done some of her own impressing today.  She learned how to crawl back down the stairs!  She is also into wearing necklaces and loves to get dolled up with hair bands and shoes and sunglasses.  Breakfast always includes saying hi to herself in the mirrored tray of her vintage highchair.

Elsie loves to read.  She “reads” from memory with great inflection and pronunciation.  When she was telling me her memory verse (which was Genesis 1:1), she said, “God created the heavens and the sun!”  (instead of earth).  It was cute.  She writes her name perfectly and loves to copy how to write other words.  Her eyes are bright and her smile is huge when she brings me the clipboard with the words she has copied, neatly sprawled across the white page.  She is on the verge of really reading, which is the earliest any of our kids have ever been ready.  It’s so exciting to watch.

Nadine has a pink little vest for her bunny, Toby.  He gets walked every day.  It is really funny to watch people do a double take on what they think is a dog… until they see it hopping down the sidewalk.  Between Toby and Jack, we go through about two pounds of carrots in a week.

To celebrate the first day of spring, Uncle Jon & Aunt Capri, along with Grandma Weldon, took us to the Philadelphia zoo!  We had a blast seeing all the animals.  I despise snakes, but couldn’t quite draw myself away from the rattlesnake, whose tongue kept hissing at me through the glass.  The hippos were also in on the action, giving us huge yawns with jaws that kill.  

We joked that Matt would have to compete with the turtle on how much salad to eat for lunch.  The otters were fun, but watching Betty grin and squeal and point at their antics was the most fun of all.

Elijah let me in on a little secret this week:  “You know what, Mom?  When you play nicely with Elsie she’s really fun to play with!”  I’m glad he discovered this so early on.  He truly is a great big brother.  Lately he would rather be playing with legos than eating, drinking, or sleeping.  Well, maybe not sleeping.  That boy likes his sleep.  He amazes me with his creations and makes a good convincing argument that to buy him more legos would be very educational!  This shot of him at the zoo in one of the play dinosaur eggs cracks me up.  No pun intended.

His outfits as of late are something to behold.  He & Elsie both have no qualms about not matching in public.  That means Mommy must also have no qualms.  I’m getting there.  I usually don’t notice until we’re getting out of the car at our destination, anyway.

Today Jack learned how to make oats all by himself.  He was so thrilled as he measured the oats into the pot, squished up the bananas in the bowl, stirred in the water and then mixed it all together.  “Now I can make oats whenever I want!” he told me proudly.  Of course, after you ask.  That boy is either munching on oats, apples, or carrots.  He is also usually airborne.  He is constantly learning new flips on the trampoline, and even though his skin may be tough, his heart is tender.  He is such a little boy at heart.

On the way home from the zoo, it being the first day of Spring and all, we decided to stop at Rita’s for some free water-ice! After waiting a half hour in line, it was pointless to drive away at that point.  So we stayed a whole hour until we cheerfully received our free treat.

 To be honest, I’m not a huge water-ice fan, and I had a splitting head-ache by the time the whole ordeal was over.  But, the kids were happy and we made a fun memory.

Well, the reports are finished.  School is done for the week.  The kids have squeezed the entire bowl of lemons to make lemonaide, and I’m going to go play outside.

This Cape Is Broken

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

Some say a mom is a superwoman.  I don’t agree.  Didn’t superman do things that were humanly impossible?  As a wife and a mom, my every day tasks are not only human, but they are possible.  Difficult at times, yes, but possible.  If we were called to be superwomen then we were called to be failures.  God never calls us to do anything He has not created and fitted us to do.  I’m often comparing myself to other women whom I find quite beyond the natural realm of reality.  Is it really possible to… ?  Fill in the blank.  While watching my boys catapult off trampolines might not be super difficult for me, making my bed requires great strength.  Perhaps keeping your countertops spotless might come with ease and almost delight for you, yet it is more challenging than childbirth for me.  We are crafted so uniquely and beautifully different from eachother.  I would like to say I admire your ability to color-coordinate all your childrens’ clothes, rather than say I wish I was like you.  I want to be inspired when I visit your clean and organized home and not be jealous towards you.  This notion of doing something well as being synonomous with being superwoman is just nonsense.

Every day is a perfect example of how superwoman has flown the coop here.  One such occurrence out of many today, came when I saw not one but two snakes about to go into our basement from the outside doors.  I screamed so loud for Elijah and Jack to rescue me.  Chicken that I am, I ran inside and watched them through the laundry room window, as they tried to coax one of  the snakes onto the dustpan.  Yep.  Definitely void of any super-human powers in the slithering department.  Unlike my brave mother who hacked a poisonous snake to death to save her babies from possible death.  That is indeed super-human and I know God gave her the strength to do that fearful task.

We each have a power beyond our own, readily available to us.  It is not our “inner self” or anything of ourselves at all.  It is the all-powerful God who created us.  Nothing is too hard for Him.  The moment we think we’re super, we fall flat on our face.  For it is God who is producing in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him.


Superwoman, hand over your cape.  Oh, and here’s a band-aid..

This Side of Heaven

/ amylynw / 3 Comments

No one is ever fully prepared for the reality that life on this earth does end.  Today when I received the tearful phone call from my mom, I was on my way to get ice-cream cones for the kids.  Something so sweet, contrasted against the harsh bitterness of death.  After fighting cancer, Aunt Lyn went to be with Jesus.  Heaven just go better.  In Africa, Aunt Lyn was my mom’s best friend.  I remember very clearly seeing them together outside under the frangipani tree, praying.   I would run past them in my bare feet, carefree and happy.   I didn’t understand the tears accompanying those prayers, but I’m sure now, they sometimes had to do with me and Aunt Lyn’s daughter, Nadine.  Just like I cry too now as I pray for my Nadine and Elijah, Jack, Elsie, & Betty.  I’m so proud to have my middle name from her.  Lyn with one n.  I remember Aunt Lyn always looked pretty, with beautiful nail-polish (often blue!) and stylish earrings.  Her British accent was the finishing touch of her outward elegance.  Her inward beauty went far deeper.  I don’t even know the depths of what she did with her full life, but I know she touched countless lives in war-torn Congo.  She and her husband co-founded an amazing organization called HEAL Africa.  I also know that she raised a beautiful daughter, whom I am blessed to have known my entire life.  It’s on days like this that I wish Africa weren’t so far away.

Today I’m a Chicken

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

I’ve felt a little bit like the Little Red Hen these days.  Sprouting rice, beans, grains, etc.  Then dehydrating them  in the oven before grinding them into flour.  It’s taken about a week from start to finish, with neither step being difficult, just different.  First, they sprouted for a few days.  This basically just involves soaking them once overnight, then remembering to rinse and drain them every 12 hours or so after that.  Old nylon pantyhose and a rubber band over a mason jar work perfectly.  I sprouted quinoa, brown rice, millet, and a few beans for this particular recipe.  The whole recipe can be found here.

After the sprouting was complete, here is the step by step process of making the gluten-free sprouted bread!

It tastes amazing.  Sweet and nutty with lots of chew.  More dense than wheat bread, but some softness about it.  I’m glad Matthew can have some tea with jam and bread now.  This is Little Red Hen, signing off.

A Growth-full Week

/ amylynw / Leave a comment

It’s been the inevitable low after the high.  A great weekend, followed by some real-life hard times.  What better way to break up the monotony than taking a field trip to a local farm/veterinary clinic?  So, yesterday we headed out to some friends’ farm for some animal fun.

Nadine was in her glory, feeding the baby goats and petting the horses.  Betty wasn’t as sure about the goats at first, but soon warmed up to them.  She also got licked many time by one of the dogs until she giggled.  It was so adorable.

 

 

Jack was super brave to ride the horse bare-back in his crocs.  He’s brave in other ways too.  The other day I was watching him from the bathroom window.  He was outside, tying a karate belt to a tree branch.  Next, he climbed the tree and tied the other end to a higher branch.  Then he jumped down and grabbed hold of the loop he just made.  After a quick tug to make sure it was tight, he confidently hoisted himself about four off the ground and started to pull himself up by the rope.  All of a sudden, one end came untied and he fell flat on his back with a thud.  I expected tears, but he lay there for a second before brushing himself off and standing up.  I came outside to make sure he was okay, and before I could ask him, he said, “Mom!  Guess what?  I just made a trap and it works!”  Pause.  “I tested it.”  Oh, my.

I know the Lord has great plans for that boy.  When he’s not being tough, he is super sweet.  He’s been diligently working on his letters and numbers.  I found that counting to a hundred while pulling out a measuring tape is right up his alley.

Betty has been changing so much this month!  She still gives us “the look” with wrinkled nose, furrowed eyebrows and a loud squawking sound to accompany it.  We are working on our manners and today she learned how to give high fives.  Her favorite thing outside is to collect rocks, put them into something and give a high five after each rock.  She’s sporting seven teeth, with more popping through very soon.  She loves to talk with her hands and tell stories with much inflection.  Perhaps a linguist?

There is something satisfying about watching boys whack things with sticks.  Their language isn’t with words, but rather with loud noises and a mutual understanding of sounds and war-like cries.

They are very different than girls.


Girls are pretty and sweet.  Even with a drooly mouth, this one still looks beautiful.

So, even though I’ve been challenged to my core this week on wife-hood and mother-hood, I’m so thankful for the rewards each day.  Hugs, forgiveness, love, smiles, and little glimpses of growth in hearts and minds.

Slimy Breakfast

/ amylynw / 2 Comments

This morning I ate something I’ve never tried before, but read much about.  Odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid… well, they actually expand in liquid.  Poured into some mango juice, they were completely palatable.  Chia seeds.  Yum.  Really, not that bad.  I’ll let you know if I notice increased or at least sustained energy!  We have been walking down quite a unique road for the past three weeks.  White flour is being replaced by the different colors, shapes and sizes of seeds and grains.  Matt has been eating gluten-free, raw, whole foods with an occassional vegan cooked meal thrown in there.  I’m slower to get on the band wagon.  Old haunts call my name from the cupboards that are slowly being emptied of food that has become normal to me.  A new normal is taking their place.  I’m excited but nervous.  Why I should be nervous to embrace a lifestyle that guarantees more health benefits?  I guess because change brings out this hidden fear inside most of us.  There is also a huge learning curve as I sprout and dehydrate different concoctions to make bread that he can eat.  The reasoning behind all this change is really just a culmination of seven years of being plagued by Wegener’s Disease.  Seven years of unsuccessful and expensive medicine, surgeries, and relapses.  We’re determined to give God a chance to heal Matthew by using the things He has already created.  He is able!

Pixie Dust That Glows

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

Four years ago our little Elsie Rose was born.  On Sunday we celebrated that joyful day!

There was a constant sense of urgency throughout my pregnancy, and the doctors wanted her born by her due date or else they told me I would have a C-section.  Long story short, she was born on her due date, just after midnight, six hours before they had me scheduled for a C-section.  I wasn’t planning on showing up for it, but it was such a relief not to have to go through with fighting them about it.  She was born in a hurry… my birth record sheet says 3 minutes from 6cm to when she was in my arms.  It was intense and hugely powerful.  She has always been a super independent little girl.  Her curls have straightened out a bit this year, but her personality is just the same.  She still enjoys changing outfits throughout the day, coloring for hours on end, and playing princess with anyone.  Yesterday she got Jack to play princess with her because she let him wear her new birthday ring.  It worked like a charm!  That boy loves jewelry, sticks, rocks, shiny things, oh, and his new orange bandana that his Uncle Jon gave him this weekend.  He told me that he’s going to wear it forever. 
This weekend, while Matthew and I relished having two nights away at a marriage retreat with church friends, the kids had fun at Grandma Weldon’s.  It was awesome that Aunt Heidi and Uncle Jake kept a running list of funnies that they said.  The one that sticks out in my head is that when Betty was getting her diaper changed Elsie said she didn’t like poopy diapers.  Jack then reassured her that, “There won’t be any poopy diapers in heaven.”

  

This week Betty has been sporting a tiny Pebble-ish pony tail on top of her head.  The loud squawking sounds she belts out speak volumes, as do her brown eyes.


It’s hard to resist such cuteness.  She stood by the coffee table, and waited for someone to shell out the chocolate cupcakes.  She is an unashamed lover of chocolate.

 

One of Elsie’s presents was a specially made-by-Jack cardboard robot named “Elsie-bot”.  She was proud to hold it up in front of herself and be a robot.  I love their creative ideas.


I’m so thankful for my Elsie Belsie Rosie Tootsy Pooky Cutie Pie.  (Those are lyrics from a sweet song her Aunt Heidi wrote about her.)  In fact, I think I will close with that song.  It sums her up so perfectly.

Curly hair, button nose, big brown eyes and pretty painted toes. 
Oh, how I love my Elsie Rose.
Here she comes, there she goes, with  fairy friends and pixie dust that glows
Oh, how I love my Elsie Rose.

In polka dots and pretty bows,
Busy Town is where she likes to go. 

Elsie Belsie Rosie Tootsy Pooky Cutie Pie.  She’s my Elsie Rose!  I love you so!