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Spring and Budding Promise

April 13, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

I know it doesn’t look like much. Yet. But it will soon enough! These are the buds of my hostas and tulips. Spring and budding promise. I wait for them, in such anticipation, every early spring. New England weather is so crazy, and everyone knows how much I despise the COLD. So when I see these buds, it’s proof to me that maybe, perhaps, spring may truly be here. Even if it’s not quite acting like it yet.

More than the hope they give, I know all that they will flourish to be. I’ve seen it! These little pathetic buds are full of promise. I’ve soaked up the joy they give me at every glance, year after year. I have faith, that it will happen once again.

The hostas actually hold a little family history for us. My mother-in-law gave us this cluster of hosta, probably over 11 years ago. She had transplanted some, and didn’t have anywhere to put this one she had left. She had a beautifully gardened yard. The kind you see in Better Home and Gardens. Just lovely. I loved visiting and seeing it. But gardening, plants, flowers,…it all just wasn’t my thing. Seemed like a lot of work to me! So I wasn’t all THAT excited about taking the orphaned hosta. : ) But my husband was kind of excited. He broke it up into 5 plants, and planted them around the big pine tree we had on the side of the driveway there. They never did so well there, I would imagine because of the excessive shade they were in, and the acidity of the pine needles falling.

Eventually we cut that pine tree down, and they did better with more sun. But they looked pretty silly around a stump. And that was getting pulled out. So since the hostas had grown on me some (no pun intended : ), we decided to move them over the short wall, overlooking our yard. They did well there, and as they grew a little more each year, so had I. I began to have a more appreciation for what I call “those domestic kind of things”. I rather enjoyed looking at my hostas popping up through the ground every year, and flourishing into full green hardy plants. They are just beautiful every year now. One might even see me out there raking up around them, keeping their beds clean.

Don’t get me wrong. My yard still does not look like my in-law’s did. (They have since moved.) In fact, my yard is a sore sight at the moment. Where we live, the earth is extremely sandy. We had some major home construction about 2 years ago, for an addition to help accomodate our suddenly-bigger family, and my little green yard has not been the same since. I will never forget seeing that excavator climb up the hill of my Junipers from the driveway, and gracefully crawl across my yard, completely unearthing everything in it’s path. I think my mouth just hung open. That was just the beginning, and well, the yard has been secondary to finishing the inside of our home ourselves. But the hostas and tulips are a beautiful distraction from the mess of the rest.

Speaking of, the destruction of construction brings me back to the story of my tulips. I had planted some tulip bulbs over by the tree, around the same time of my half-hearted domestic efforts, many years ago. I always loved tulips, enough that the thought of having some in my yard gave me enough ambition to actually plant some. To my surprise, they eventually came up! But in the process of our construction, and the need to relocate lots of sandy grassed-earth, formerly know as our yard, the sandpiles were dumped on the location of my tulip bulbs! Looking at the pile that was several feet high, I thought “Well, that’s the end of my tulips! They are buried for good now!”

I was so very wrong. Amazingly, to me anyway, those tulips made their way all the way up from the ground, through several feet of sand, and broke free into the air, to grow and flourish once again. Their leaves are a little more tattered, but I can appreciate what they have gone through; their long and difficult journey, to get where they wanted to be. They truly make me reflect on us, as a family. We have been through a lot in our family life. Just difficult circumstances and the kind of struggles we wondered if we would ever get through. But with what faith in God we had, and, well I won’t say patience, but perseverance, we always did make it through. Just like many people and families in this world, who got through the difficult events that are all part of God’s greater plan, we prevailed. We’ve come out stronger, feeling all the more blessed, and have a bit more clearer perspective on life, than before. Like the sprouts of the tulip bulbs buried many, many yards below the surface, we looked UP. We reached for the Light, looked to God for some strength and determination. We believed, and persevered. And eventually, we reveled in the reward that was ours. Feeling, and living, and reveling in the glory of God.

So there is beauty in those tattered and nubby buds. Spring and budding promise. As the photos below from last year testify, just LOOK what we have to look forward to…..

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us^b] and persevere in running the race that lies before us ²while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12; 1-2

Let it be written on the heart – Scripture Memorization for Kids

April 10, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

John-3-16-homeschooling

We’re sharing a bit about Scripture memorization for kids, today.
We are celebrating the 50 Days of Easter in our family, which is part of the Liturgical year of our Catholic faith. As a way to symbolize each day, my husband and I hung plastic Easter eggs from decorative ribbon, and strung them along the tops of the 3 large windows of our school room, for the kids to wake up to on Easter morning. After morning devotion, they take turns opening one egg a day, and inside each egg is a small way we will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection that day. It may be a fun activity to do later that day, a new project, a family outing, a treat, etc. But in some of them are Scripture for them to try and memorize. We truly didn’t expect the Scripture eggs to be as much of a hit as say…the treat eggs! But surprisingly, they have been a huge hit. Each day they have gotten a Scripture, we write it on our large dry eraser board and set it up where they can all read it, and use it as they wish throughout the day. They get all excited, and spend the day intermittently studying the scripture, practicing with each other, and all breaking out in laughter when one of them gets stuck or messes up at the same spot, over and over.

Of course memorizing Scripture is easier for our oldest. She’s not only older, but also has a deep friendship she has developed with her Bible. Perhaps unusually so for a 10 year old. She has contently spent hours at time just reading and studying it, and copying Passages into various notebooks she has. She knows more Scripture by heart than her parents! <shame>. She’s inspiring, frankly.

Anyway, by the end of a Scripture-egg day, when they all can recite the scripture by heart, complete with the book and verse, without looking at the board, they are thrilled and proud to get their star beside their initial.

It serves them well to be so determined, to accomplish a goal they’ve each set for themselves, and to take such pride in a dry-board marker star, which they have earned through their own hard work. But it will serve them even better, in the scope of their lives, to have these Scriptures written in their minds, and on their hearts. Are they not some of the most powerful tools, and weapons of armor, one can carry throughout their lives.

Paper Plate Painting

April 8, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

(Paper plate painting)

Today was a long awaited gorgeous day out! As our boy Shane put it, “Today it’s really acting like spring!“. Indeed it was. So the kids worked right through their book work in the morning, so they could get out there and enjoy it! We spent hours outdoors in the still, fresh air and bright sunshine. They did a multitude of things, including a science experiment-turned-competition I may share at a later time.

Later on when they came in, they decided they were feeling creative, as they often do, and broke out the paints. Someone had the idea of paper plate painting, since we’re out of large sheets of paper, again. From the plates drying all over the house tonight, I’m guessing they did at least 2 or 3 each. I think I’ll take 2 of each kid’s and put them together back to back, and hang them up for awhile.

All the makings of a good day, to us. Hope yours has been good, too.

So Here We Go, Blogging!

April 7, 2008 By Laura 1 Comment

Getting to this first post on our new blog has been weeks coming, and by golly, I have butterflies!! We’re so excited to get blogging! I have to tell you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when we finally decided to really set up a blog. Naturally, my clear visions and particular-ness lead to extensive customization. In the last couple of weeks, I have been to technical places I’ve never been before (and never wanted to!). But thank goodness for a sweet-little-know-it-all in MO, who helped me through the more in-depth technical stuff a great deal. Through her big heart, she has given me her time and ingenious technical knowledge, with the charity and patience of a saint.

I’m sure I’ll be the main blogger of our family, although our oldest daughter would like to submit posts now and then as well. Michael, my husband is not fond of typing, but is often over my shoulder with his own input on what he wants to say, or any input he has on mine. (Which I love, by the way). I, personally, tend to be wordy. I am working on the skill of brevity, but I can’t promise much. lol. I am an artist by nature, and frankly, details and clarity are important to me. But I can promise LOTS of photos along the way! I couldn’t help myself there if I tried, and thankfully, I don’t want to.

It occurred to me to start blogging about our life at the beginning of the traditional school year. The thought really intrigued me. But truthfully, I was far more excited to LIVE the carefully planned out coming months of what was going to be an exciting homeschool year for us. (Adding to our oldest homeschooled daughter, our 3 new Kindergartners!). Looking back from this point in time, I wish I had, because there’s so much I would have loved to share along the way. But blogging about it now would be an overwhelming task. Perhaps in a future post I can share some photos of our most exciting pre-blogging events.

Here’s what’s behind our blog name: House of Joyful Noise.
Of course, it is in Biblical reference to Psalm 100.
Does it mean we are all 100% happy, 100% of the time? Ummm….no. While it is true that there is LOTS of joyful noise in our home, such as learning, laughing, conversing, singing, pretending, playing, rejoicing, reading, planning, and creating, (I’m sure I missed some), of course we also have days when someone is feeling, well, less than ‘joyful’. Sometimes more than one of us, or even all of us, all on the same day! With everyone having a mind of their own, and I think some kind of gene thing, that urges us to passionately express everything, it’s bound to be loud around here. On those days, my husband and I try to remind ourselves, that our home is crazy and noisy, because there are children in it! How blessed we are; for a perfectly quiet home, would be a home with no children. So there is joy in the noise for us – if we can simply remember to remember that. (That’s the trick sometimes.)

Our multi purposes for blogging:
1) For our supportive and loving family and friends in our life, some long distance or as busy as us, who care to be updated on a more regular basis, as to the little things we have been up to.
2) To offer something back to other homeschooling families, some of whose blogs inspire us with their thoughts for the day, creative projects, or blessings in their own lives.
3) As another way to record our daily family memories and history, as we learn and grow together in so many ways, and help us reflect on a somewhat daily basis, the little things in life worth celebrating, and just taking a moment to give thanks, and in a way, ‘say it out loud.’ Naturally, these will be bits and pieces of a given day, and not everything happening in our life. (That’s just impossible. And unnecessary.) I hope to find the time (if I manage my time well) to blog at least a few times a week.

As a family, we strive to live as simple of a life as possible. But there are mundane tasks and business agendas that have their place in every day, too. There is also the stress that life can bring, that can only be dealt with as gracefully as possible. But this blog will be focusing on the blessings we have been given, the learning and growing that we do, the moments we cherish, and the glory in the details of life, that no matter what, CAN be found in each day, if one is only willing to look for, and see them. It’s the little things, that put the ‘happy’ in our hearts.

– The Richard Family

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