Life at Providence Lodge

One of the joys of September for all of us here at Providence Lodge

 is our annual trek south,

 to camp together in a different neck of the woods,

 forage for wild fruit, 

rest,

 and be outside in the gorgeous fall weather.

The setting is so picturesque. 

 I find the whole adventure quite romantic.

Large family camping includes a fair amount of work, since there is so many people to feed.

But, if you know me, you know I am all about food.

However, I do want to keep things simple for the most part.  

Toasting bagels for breakfast over the open campfire proved to be 

a great no mess and no clean up breakfast.

Loved that.

A not so simple breakfast, but everyone's favorite meal of the weekend,

 is Mr. Hawkin's skillet breakfast 

which includes bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, eggs, potatoes, and cheese. 

 Oh my, yum!

To keep lunches simple, 

we prepared easy favorites such as sandwiches and wraps,

 and something we call a pub platter-

salami, cheese, crackers, apples, and cheese spread, an assortment of pickles,

 and cookies, or better yet, pie. 

This is a usual picnic choice for us.

The wraps were not so simple, but truly scrumptious.  

Anna came up with these, and they have become a staple meal through the summer.

Tortillas, spread with cream cheese, and followed with cranberry sauce.

shredded pork sirloin, chicken, or turkey,

chopped peppers and onions,

topped with fresh tomatoes and shredded cheese.

Our dinner menus included Hamburgers, Chili, stew and Hobo dinners

The last is a little more time consuming. 

 I usually pre- chop all my veggies before camping, but not this year.

We threw the foil packets right on the fire to cook, making this a super easy meal to clean up.

In between all the meals, there was fun, lovin, and rest to be had in the warm autumn air.

Having a large family means there is always someone to play or snuggle with,

 and we find that a very good thing!

Every year 

autumn arrives bringing with it loads of tantalizing fruits

 which when home canned,

 bring their wonderful wholesome flavor to the table all winter.

I remember canning as a child with my mom and my grandparents.  

Every year the grands would fill their capacious car with peaches, pears and apples 

then drive across state  to our house.  

They would help in all the canning, then go home. 

 Their gift of love to our family was a gift that would last for months and months,

 the memories made, will last always.

 No one could peel an apple like grandpa Clyde.  

With the ever present twinkle in his eye,

 he would peel each and every apple all in one string of peel. 

 I watched in wide eyed wonder, always amazed.

Now Grammy and Bethany peel peaches my dad brought across state,

  for another season of multi generational canning. 

Rose and I  listen as Grammy tells of her adventures growing up  on a farm 

with 60 milk cows 

and a thousand laying hens.  

Bethany listens wide eyed, peeling and peeling 

while I fill jars and set them in the canner.  

She will remember these days canning with Grammy 

just as fondly as I remember canning with my grands.

  Good company 

and a big, big stove make the processing go quickly.  

I am very thankful, 

especially when putting food by in large quantity,

 for my commercial Wolf stove. 

 With 6 big burners, we can keep two canners going 

and still have plenty or room for the other big pots for fruit.

 The stove is one of those "God things" which a friend saw on Craig's List and contacted us about, 

and we then purchased for the same price as an average new stove.

Such a blessing!

There is more and more caning to be done, 

for we have foraged apples and plums again this year,

 finding apple trees loaded with juicy, sweet, and large fruit, 

and plum trees

 though not so abundant this year, still provided three box fulls. 

Many hands make light work indeed. 

 Rose, Joe, Jim, Ben and Bethany worked alongside me all day in the kitchen

 making apple sauce and the coveted plum sauce we discovered last year. 

 We listened to worship music 

and tried to encourage Gabe and Olivia to not help. 

(smile)

 102 quarts is a good days work, 

done just in time to clean up and start dinner.

As the summer winds its way to an end,

 and the frost kills the last of the garden, 

my mind starts shuffling toward gearing up for a more regimented schooling season.

 I rock the  baby-turning-toddler in my arms,

 realizing that as the season turns outdoors,
the baby season is turning in the home,
and soon, Olivia will be full toddler.
  This change will need to be thought of and planned for in our daily routine.
 When there are many in the household,
literally every aspect must be thought of and carefully planned
to help the function, peace, and harmony of the home
to run as smoothly as possible.

I have noticed over the years
 that the most practical place to begin in preparing for a new school year
 is with  these littlest ones in mind.


 I start by making a daily routine for us
that incorporates the littles and their napping,
play, and need for mama.
We created a place for them during our school day,
 with cozy little nooks
and drawers filled with items to interest them in playing independently.
Gathering baskets full of board books,
 stacking blocks, magnets, plush toys,
 big wooden beads and such,
we have turned a corner of our living room into a play area close at hand,
 with more children's books,
 a small table, coloring supplies,
 and the kind of toys toddlers love.
These toys are the more quiet kind;
 the louder, messier type can go upstairs in the family room,
 away from our study areas.





Although we have not begun school just yet,
I am spending a small part of each morning with Olivia and Gabe,
helping them into the routine,
so that when we do begin school work, the little ones are already used to it.


They have morning reading with mama - a good snuggle up time filling up their little "love tanks".
Then they are set to play in the living room for awhile...
sometimes one of us will help them in their play essentially teaching them good playing habits,
like sharing and putting the toys away before you move onto something else.
 I am teaching Olivia to color...on paper and not on everything else.
After some play time, they can move to the table with color books,
play dough, beads, or a snack,
then go back to play, perhaps upstairs for a change of scenery.
Next is lunch, then naps, and by that time,
 our students are finished with their work.

Being PROACTIVE by working with the little ones for a few weeks before we begin
 saves a ton of frustration later,
 and allows me the freedom to avoid being REACTIVE with squirrely toddlers
 when I am occupied with a student.
Olivia is 21 months, just beginning to talk fairly well, and want to play with Gabe and Bethany.
She needs to learn good interaction with the other children now,
learn to play nicely...
and it does not happen without intentional teaching.
So for us, the first step in getting ready for school is preparing the preschoolers.
A little preparation goes a looooong way in a big family.


What does our Fall routine look like?
Daddy gets up early and heads off to work before every one else is up.
Olivia and Gabe get up with mama around 6:30am.
The rest of the family are up at 7am.
We like to hang out and snuggle while we drink our coffee and tea in the morning.
(Excepting John who goes off to work right away.)
Eventually, we get dressed and have breakfast around 8am.
After breakfast, each person goes off to do their chores.
Schooling will then begin around 9am.
First off is reading, for an hour.
The older ones have assigned reading and I am free to read to the little ones as described above.
Secondly, at 10 am, we have Math at the table while the little ones have play time nearby.
We then move on to copywork, a good time for the littles to join us at the table and color, etc.
While the smaller ones go off to play again,
the rest will have History,
and then it is lunch time and outdoor play for all.
This is most likely my best chance for a walk through the woods,
 with or without Olivia in the Ergo.
Next is journaling, around 1 or 1:30, and Gabe and Olivia have their naps.
During this quiet time of the day, the older children will have research and Bible study time.
 By 3 pm daddy will be home and we will celebrate with tea and a snack.
The next scheduled activity is dinner at 6 pm.
The children have a strong tendency to get really wild after dinner,
so this is a great time to wrestle with daddy,
and if mama didn't get her walk in yet, she can sneak away to the serene forest.
(smile)
Nearing 8 pm, we settle the children down in the living room to read aloud,
then are off to bed.

After the first week or so on the new schedule,
Brian and I will talk about it and tweek anything that needs adjusted.
 I think it is important to try our best to stick to the schedule,
but also, be flexible as needs arise, or things get out of hand.
 If something happens and we are off track,
 we can work together to get back on time,
 but it is not a something to stress over, or  let fluster you.
I love the structure of a daily routine.
There is something very freeing, beautiful, and satisfying
in going about your days with a systematic approach to accomplish all that lays before you.
 Such a day ends with great satisfaction.

This year's conference was the biggest and best yet. 

 We have attended this conference in Kirkland, Washington for four years.

  Each year we are refreshed,

 encouraged, 

convicted, 

challenged, 

and strengthened by attending.

We also look forward to seeing people whom we only see at this conference,

 and meeting new faces as well.  

We met some great folks this year whom we hope to see again next year.

Last year, we took along our crockpot for conference meals, and ate tailgate style in the parking lot.  

We added to that plan this year, purchasing a folding table and parking near the middle of the parking lot.

We set up a buffet along the side walk, where it was safe for the children, 

and much more atmospheric, (very important in my life.)  

This done, we invited our friends who were also attending the conference to take their meals with us.

  One lunch found 26 of us there together, partaking in hot Venison sandwiches and fellowship. 

 This was so much fun!  Definitely a highlight of the conference.

  One dear friend brought along some seriously good cookies to add to our potluck lunch,

 so good in fact, that I must share her original recipe 

so that you too can appreciate Sherry's divine baking. 

 Recipe below.

  Another dear friend spent his lunch hour reading to the children.  

This loving act so endeared him to their hearts they asked for lunchtime again after about an hour.

The music, both special music for family night and the home school choir were nothing short of amazing.  Selected individuals or small groups performed each evening. 

 One young man played the William Tell Overture on the piano.  

It was incredible.  I have never before heard it on piano.

  The conference is worth just going for these selections.

  Neil Craig leads the choir in outstanding performances year after year. 

 Singing in the choir is a great highlight for Rose and Anna.

We have come home focused on our true priorities,

 motivated to not be weary in well doing, 

and make the most of every day discipling our family.  

We are ever thankful for the good teaching of Voddie Bauchum,

 who was the main speaker, and blessed us each time he spoke. 

 Bethany liked him well too; 

one session when she was with me, and Brian was listening to Voddie,

 she asked if she too could go listen to "the big brown man preach."

Doug Philips will be the main speaker next year.  We are looking forward to it. 

 It would be great to see you there!

"He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit 

reap life everlasting.

  And let us not be weary in well doing; 

for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  Galatians 6:8b-9

This is the time of year that we load up the big red van 

and travel across Washington to Camano Island for a week of vacation.
Munching on fried chicken and grapes, we listened to a dramatized version of Tom Sawyer,
 which kept us all chuckling for the majority of the 7 hour trip, and surprisingly,
 wound up to be one of the least messy meals in voyage ever.
For those who were still restless,
I had packed each child a sports bag with a new drawing pad, color book, pencil, color crayons,
pack of gum, silly putty, and a small figure or two such as superheros, animals or dolls.
We also bought water,
 which is just weird by the way,
 and tied different colors of cloth around the bottle necks to differentiate who's bottle belongs to whom.

Our first priority has been to relax at the guest house.

  Brian and I are doing as little as possible. 

Watching the grass grow is about as active as I plan on being for a few days.

 The whole family is enthralled with the gorgeous GRASS! 

 At home, we have mud, and eventually, there will be spotty patches of weeds in the yard.

  But the lush green grass here is beautiful and beckoning.  

The children have been playing freeze tag, sardines, hide and seek, riding bikes,

 and just rolling down the grassy slopes in the generous yard.

Yesterday was nice and sunny, so we went down the road a  bit to the beach, 

which is always amazing. 

 The sand is mezmorizing, there are endless rocks for boys to throw in the water,

 and bugs and small crabs to discover,

 as well as old clam shells and piles of pebbles and drift wood pieces to collect, 

birds to chase, cliffs to climb and trails to adventure through, 

and waves to be splashed in, of course. 

 It is a virtual heaven for active children to spend their boundless energy playing on all afternoon.