Weekend Gratitude: Father's Day 2012

Dear friends,

For Father's Day, our older daughters planned a picnic in a local park, Lake Lily, and brought Sonny's Barbecue.  My husband Thad usually cleans up a lot in the kitchen after family celebration meals, so they figured they would take that out of his hands.  As you can see, however, he still managed to clean up, consolidating the leftovers.  I edited the photo using the free download version of Picasa, and you can see the difference in the clarity of the colors. The second one pops out more, especially his face.  It is my submission to the P52 Photo Project for this week's theme of Fathers.  I chose this shot because it is so typical of my husband to be helping out with the nitty gritty of life.  I appreciate that about him.

Original photo

Edited with Picasa

Two of our sons are away at Student Life youth camp in North Carolina, but the other eight kids were there, along with our two sons-in-law and two grandsons.

It rained pretty hard while we were first arriving, but settled down to a drizzle as we ate and then cleared up to beautiful blue skies.  Joanna and I took a lot of pictures (she got some really cute ones!) and posted them on Facebook, but here is a small sample of mine.  She took the one at the end.

Two of our kids sucked the same fingers

Thad and Virginia
(photo by Joanna Knowles)

Happy Father's Day!


Other blog posts from Lake Lily:

• Weekend Gratitude: Lake Sybelia at Sunset, Lake Lily at Dusk
• Weekend Gratitude: Still Life
• Art Under the Stars

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

This post will be linked Saturday morning (June 23) at:

P52 Photo Project 

Bargain Hunting at the Thrift Stores (Featuring Goodwill & Salvation Army)

Hello friends!


Just a quick post to share my latest "thrift hauls" to be linked on Monday to www.SimpleDesign.net.


Goodwill


I took my younger four kids (ages 6, 9, 11, and almost 13) to Goodwill on Wednesday for two reasons: to find some clothes and to buy a cheap VCR to replace our last yard sale one that broke a long while back. (We do have a DVD player, but not many DVD's.  All of our classic kid stuff is in VHS, and it has been calling their names!) We did, indeed, find a VCR for $10 and the kids promptly put it to use within minutes of walking in the door.  Yeah, they watched three movies... 

These clothes cost a grand total of about $24.
Melody also got a lavender polo shirt which is not pictured.
The most expensive items were the new name brand jeans ($8)
and the black sweater ($6). Everything else was under $2.
All told we got quite a deal  for two pair of jeans,
two pair of cargo shorts, five shirts, and a sweater.

These shorts were on clearance for about 75 cents!
Apparently they had marked down everything with a green tag on it.
If I'd known that, I would have been looking!
But even without looking, most of the stuff we bought was marked down.
Kids clothes (above toddler size) are usually about $3.50 per item,
but most of what we bought was $1.50.

My long haired skater dude
in his shorts and shirt

And now for what I didn't buy!

I saw this Corning casserole dish and
it brought back pleasant memories since
My mother had passed along to me
other baking dishes with this L'Echalot pattern.
But I don't have them any more and don't
LOVE the style, so I didn't buy it.
I do have (and LOVE) Corning plates with the wildflower design,
(also from my mother, and used during my teen years)
and would happily buy a matching dish for that pattern.

Another dish I didn't buy,
since I was already getting so much
other stuff. It was only $3,
and it would be great for heart-shaped cakes,
so maybe I'll get it later if it is still there.
I also liked a beautiful square baking dish
in a deep blue color, but part of the trick of thrift shopping
is not having to buy everything you fancy, right?
Truth be told, I already have a lot of baking dishes!

Salvation Army


We didn't find everything we needed at Goodwill on Wednesday, so I took five kids to Salvation Army on yesterday.   We were on a mission to get what two of the boys  needed to leave for youth camp this morning.  


For about $71 total, we picked up 6 pairs of sneakers ($6 each), 6 shirts (50 cents - $3), 2 pairs of men's pants for my 15 year old son ($5 each), 4 pairs of shorts ($1-$3), 1 pair of men's swim trunks ($5), 1 pair of new socks ($1), a nice camera tripod ($4), a TV antenna ($3), and 2 water bottles (under $1 each).  The base prices tended to be lower than at Goodwill, with a larger selection, more on clearance, and everything better organized.


Truth be told, you can also get pretty cheap clothes at Walmart.  One of the boys didn't find t-shirts at Salvation Army, but got some nice new ones for $3.50 each at Walmart.  We also got two pairs of water shoes (for rafting) there for $5 each. Of course, after all that running around, we were up after midnight packing!

Skater shoes -- the ones on the left are Vans,
which means nothing to me but a lot to them.

The Many Moods of Tinker Bell

Our nature photographer checking out a tripod
at the store. He bought a different one.

Yes, I'd say I got a pretty good thrift haul at Goodwill and Salvation Army. I'm thankful that we have both stores within three miles of our house and that my kids like getting most of their clothes cheap!  That's the way they were raised, that's the way I was raised, that's the way my mother was raised, that's the way her parents were raised... It's the "Hess family thrift" passed on down through the generations.  I'm thrilled to be going to a Hess family reunion in Pennsylvania next month.  Good peeps!

Besides the thriftiness, I also want to raise my children to be socially conscious.

I recently started a new blog theme, A Worthy Cause, in which I highlight charitable organizations that are making a difference in their communities and/or globally.

This time, I would like to feature Goodwill and Salvation Army, which both operate thrift stores around the country.  Goodwill is a non-religious organization that specializes in providing job training and other services to people who have disabilities, those who lack education or job experience, or others facing challenges to finding employment.  Salvation Army is a distinctly Christian charitable organization with a huge range of services.


Goodwill (www.goodwill.org)


Our Mission

Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work.

Our Results for 2011

• People served through employment and training programs:  4.2 million
• Mission services provided: 107 million
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help:  189,000
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: $2.95 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 10 million
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $4.43 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 82 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 79 million
• Total number of retail stores: Over 2,650 and an online auction site,www.shopgoodwill.com

On the Goodwill web site, I found a great article: Organization Tips to Take the Stress Out of Summer Travel.  Check it out if you're hitting the road this summer!

Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyusa.org)

Salvation Army's services include adult rehabilitation, housing & homeless services, disaster relief, elder care, youth camps, community care, combating human trafficking & pornography, and more.  They also have churches.  Salvation Army, founded by William Booth, has a long history of honoring both the Great Commission (words) and the Great Commandment (deeds) of Christ with a good balance of "soup and salvation."

How can you help Goodwill and Salvation Army accomplish their missions?

• Donate items to be sold in their thrift stores: furniture, clothing, toys, bikes, electronics, household goods, etc. You can either call them to come pick it up, or you can drop it off at their stores.
• Give money.  Simple!
• Volunteer.

Additionally, you can donate your United or Delta frequent flyer miles to Salvation Army to help relief personnel get to disaster areas, military families to be reunited, and children with unusual medical needs to get to specialists.  You can also donate a car to be used in the adult rehabilitation program.

This post will be linked on Monday at www.SimpleDesign.net for their Thrift Haul series and to the Homemaking Link Up on Wednesday.




Resourcefully yours,
Virginia
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Evening Nature Walk in the Neighborhood

Dear friends,

An evening walk in the neighborhood, noticing and appreciating the beauty...  Even though it was 8 PM, it was still pretty light out.  I was triple-tasking -- fast walking for exercise, talking on my cell phone for community, and taking pictures with my iPod for beauty.  It was an hour well spent.

I hear the birdsong, the frogs, the crickets.  

I not only hear, I listen.

I not only see: I look, watch, observe, savor.

We have lived here for 19 years and this tree is just around the corner.
I'm sure I've seen it before, but somehow I don't remember it.
Have I ever truly noticed it - and then just forgot?
I don't know what it is. Not a tabebuia,
the other brilliant yellow flowered Florida tree
that grows here and blooms for a week or two in the spring.
Not with the fanned leaves.
(My second cousin Margaret e-mailed me after I posted this,
and suggested that it might be a mimosa. 
I am inclined to think she is right!)

A little closer...

Same tree, but now you can see
the silhouettes of the leaves against sky.
A little different perspective: from below the canopy of leaves,
you can barely see the flowers.

Pink crepe myrtle blossoms

Look more closely now.
See the red berries?  Or are they berries?
See the bud opening up in the upper right,
with triangular sepals?
See the structure of the branch, twigs, smooth green leaves?

Another street, another crepe myrtle,
this time with white blossoms.
Variations on a theme.

Sand and leaves in the gutter,
unlikely beauty in unexpected places.
It has been raining here.  The water is a sculptor.
The varicolored sands are the paint.
The shape of the sand looks like India
adorned  with a green and brown garland.

   

Look at the delicate green
and the frilled fringes of lichen
on a fallen tree branch...

and a circular patch, almost flower blossom shaped,
that I almost didn't see,
tucked away as it was on a live tree.
I was already thinking "lichens"
and so it popped out to me -
more variations on a theme.
Did you know that lichens are not just one organism,
but a symbiotic combination of fungus and algae?
The design of the natural world astounds me -
so much complexity bound up in the
seemingly simple beauty.

Shapes, colors, textures, however transient -- whether in a floating cloud, on a discarded branch, a quickly wilting blossom, or fashioned of gutter sediment -- still beautiful.

Take a walk.

Open your eyes and ears.

Join the feast of beauty.

What is in your neighborhood?

For a companion post, my skyscapes during storms and sunsets: Sunlight in Storms

Water! (Featuring The Water Project)

Water in our 50 gallon fish tank
See A Really Fishy Tale

The theme of the P52 Photo Project this week is Water.  

Something so ordinary.  

Something we take for granted.  

Something we often waste every day without a thought.

In America, we drink it, wash our hands in it, take showers in it, water our gardens with it, wash our dishes and clothes and cars with it, fill our fish tanks with it, swim in it, boat on it, build water parks and play in it, create hydroelectric power with it...

And yet how many people in this world do not even have basic access to clean water for drinking and bathing?  How much productive education and work is prevented by dehydration and disease and drought, or by the fact that some people have to spend hours a day looking for water?  Why not, for about $5,000, build a well that gives clean water to a whole community?  Why not?

As I mentioned before, last week I started a new blog theme, A Worthy Cause, in which I highlight charitable organizations that are making a difference in their communities and/or globally.  Today, I'd like to feature The Water Project. The Water Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization bringing relief to communities around the world who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation. They currently have projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Sudan.  Watch here:

From their web site:

Why We're Doing It

We're Christians and we believe Jesus makes a clear call to "provide a cup of cold water" and to answer the needs of those who say "I am thirsty" (Matt 25).

Our belief motivates our action. It doesn't limit our reach.

That said, it's important to note that we work with everyone, for everyone. Our belief motivates our action. It doesn't limit our reach. It forms the basis of our integrity and the assurance that lives can be truly changed.

We work hard to help you help others. Our goal is to make sure your generous gifts are put to the best possible use. We want to see lives changed through hope restored.

We believe that providing clean water restores hope by enabling our partners to make a "whole-life impact" in the communities they serve through their broader development activity. We desire to see access to clean water enable schools to thrive, people to get back to work, farming to provide enough food to earn a living, and suffering to be alleviated as health improves.

We believe the issues facing Africa, India and other under-developed parts of the world are not simply today's problems. We know that a lack of clean water stands in the way of tomorrow's hope. And we're sure that together we can change that.

~*~*~

More words from Virginia: 


While water is essential to our physical bodies, it is also a metaphor for spiritual sustenance.  In John 4, we read a story of what happened at a water well in Samaria.   


Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This morning at church we sang the old hymn, "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say."  The second verse echoes the Bible story...

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.


Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com


This post will be linked Saturday morning (June 9) at:

P52 Photo Project 

You can see my other P52 photos here: P52 Photo Page 

A Desk for Mom (Featuring Habitat for Humanity)

Dear friends,

I haven't had a desk in about 15 years -- until two days ago.  I've cobbled by with the big bookcase next to the comfy chair in my bedroom, and stashes of paper hanging out here and there.  But I'm really trying to be more organized and productive, so I decided to get back on track by setting up my very own desk area instead.  I wanted it in my bedroom so I could have a little privacy, and so everyone else would be less likely to dump their junk on my desk.  (Yeah, that was sure to happen.  They do that in my bedroom too, but I'm going to be fierce about protecting my turf now.)

Eager to get started, I went to ReStore (a thrift store operated by Habitat for Humanity -- more on that later) looking for a desk, and instead found the black chair for $15.  That's my favorite thrift haul for the week.  When I got home, I got so antsy to get going that I decided to rummage around the house and see what I could come up with for a desk.  That's called "thrifting at home" or, what Grandma would say, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!"  In our computer room, I found the desk, which was holding an electric piano.  I shifted that to a different surface, and got my teenage son to help me move the desk, which is now occupying the space where I had the bookcase and chair before.  I had to move some wire shelving, a second easy chair (now in the boys' room), and a small bench that was between the two chairs.  When I moved the desk, I replaced a loose screw, and when I moved the bookcase, I hammered in the loose nails along the backside.  I also had to wash walls and scrub carpet stains.  Then too, I had to shift around the calendar and other wall hangings.  The ceramic bells (from Venezuela) were a gift from my husband when we were first dating.  The SUCCESS poster (bought half price with a coupon from Michael's several months ago, but just now hung) has a quote often misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson but actually written by Bessie Anderson Stanley.

To laugh often and much
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, 
   a garden patch or a redeemed social condition
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. 
This is the meaning of success.

It's really important to focus on truths like that to help me work at what is significant in life instead of trifling away the hours.

The basket of folders and magazines sits
on the (relocated) small bench next to the desk.
There is a small trash can under the bench.
Also, a three hole punch and
a narrow Longaberger basket 
(a long ago gift from my mom)
fit in nicely behind the lap top.
The kids have a bad habit of taking my lap top
to other rooms, and leaving it here and there.
I'm worried that all this jostling and cord bending
will shorten the life, so the new rule is:
"Lap top stays put unless you have
specific permission from mom!"
When I need to take it somewhere,
it goes in a travel bag under the desk. 

Under desk, the blue cabinet with three drawers
holds various kinds of paper and stationary,
health files, and school papers.
(Until recently, it was in our storage room
with other "stuff" in it.)
A file box on top of desk holds labeled folders
and papers to be filed.
It's not the prettiest looking thing, so I put
a more appealing box in front of it.
The framed poem is my 
Seven Blessings for One Marriage,
also a good reminder.  One blessing says,
"Purpose: As you embark on a journey of excellence together
Move forward faithfully and fruitfully as partners
On your mission, a grand adventure of faith and destiny." 

On the bookcase, two organizers hold
office supplies, jump drives, charge cables,
and small personal care items like
tweezers and nail clippers.
The small basket on the right holds
vitamins and supplements divided up
into a baggie for each day.
I need to get in the habit of taking them!
On the shelves above, 
a little Mary Engelbreit style: a card 
("Friends, books, cheerful heart and conscience clear
are the most choice companions we have here."),
gift bag (repurposed to hold my receipts), 
and mini tissue box.

A basket next to the recliner chair
holds books I am currently reading.
I also put a clamp lamp on the bookcase
tilted toward the chair
for extra light while reading. 

So that is my new desk area.  I tried to include some pretty, sentimental, and inspirational items to keep me motivated.  It is a happy place for me.

(Note: I did some more desk tweaking which you can read about here: A Space of My Own.)

As I mentioned in my last post, I started a new blog theme, A Worthy Cause, in which I highlight charitable organizations that are making a difference in their communities and/or globally.  Today, I'd like to feature Habitat for Humanity since I bought my desk chair at their ReStore.

"Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. We build with people in need regardless of race or religion. We welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds."

How can you help Habitat fulfill this mission here in the states and around the world?

• Donate money.  Simple, huh?  Or maybe a car?  They resell those to support their projects.
• Donate extra building supplies and household goods to be sold in their ReStore thrift shops.  Got a spare door -- or even a door knob?  A box of extra tiles left over from remodeling? A gently used dresser, throw pillow or toaster oven?
• Shop at ReStore!  If you're going bargain hunting, why not do it for a worthy cause? I have found ReStore to be very reasonably priced with a good selection of stuff, including nice furniture donated by hotels.
• Volunteer to help build a house or work in a Restore.  Hey, Habitat even has age-appropriate youth programs for kids ages 5 and up to make a difference!  Click the link to find fun ways (like on-line games) to explore what it means to help others with housing.  Teens who are 16 and up can actually be active on construction sites.  What a way to log in your high school volunteer hours! 

What do you think?

What can you do to motivate yourself toward greater productivity and organization?

And, can you help Habitat for Humanity?  Let's, like Bessie Stanley Anderson said, "Leave the world a little better... [with] a redeemed social condition."

Brought to you from the desk of Virginia Knowles...

Blessings,
Virginia
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

This post linked at Simple Design's Share Your Thrift Haul

Organizing Revolution Week 1

Panko Crusted Stuffed Chicken and Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Dear friends,


I mentioned in yesterday's post how much I enjoy having holiday meals with my family, especially when our two married daughters join us.  And in my Mother's Day post I briefly recounted the lovely gourmet meal that my kids prepared.


I found the piece of paper with the recipe they used for the delicious chicken.  I Googled the name and came up with this link, amused to find that my daughter had multiplied all of the ingredients by 7 since there were 15 of us eating!  PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH RICOTTA, SPINACH, TOMATOES, AND BASIL from www.fortheloveofcooking.net

And now for the amazing biscuits ala Red Lobster restaurants (no lobster in the biscuits):

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

6 cups Bisquick biscuit mix

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup melted butter

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. dried parsleys

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix biscuit mix, milk, and cheddar cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds.  Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.  Mix melted butter, garlic powder and dried parsley; brush generously over warm biscuit before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.  Makes 30-36 biscuits.

Other yummies...

Fruit tray

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Vanilla pudding with
bananas and Nilla wafers

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

This post is linked at Food on Fridays at www.AnnKroeker.com

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