Archive for Nature

Thankful for Time Away

January 18, 2013 Sarah Beals 3 comments

Sometimes, you just need to get away. :)

This week, we got to go to this gorgeous, historic inn in the White Mountains. Peter arranged this for me before Christmas, because he is a man that dwells according to knowledge. I love that about him. :)

He knows my tendency to be a little tired, burnt out, need-to-be-recharged after Christmas, so this trip was a little gift of love to me. (For those of you in the area, he got a Groupon to stay here which made the stay very affordable!)

Mountain View Grand Hotel in the snow.

For three days I just drank in beauty of my surroundings inside and the beauty of the snowy White Mountains outside.

Gorgeous oil paintings, built in book cases and window seats adorned each hallway in this inn. Lovely!

My favorite spot to read...right by the fire. This spot was a visual feast. Plaid wicker with leather cushions and needlepoint pillows, warm paint colors and textured rice-paper wall paper. Gorgeous!

Beautiful woodwork and fireplace in the dining room.

We spent time reading by the fire, playing games with the kids, swimming and sledding, eating meals that I didn’t have to cook (ahem :) ) and enjoying God’s magnificent creation outside.

Covered bridge in Littleton, NH

 

This old red barn was behind the inn. It was full of animals for the kids to visit. :)

 

I did quite a bit of reading while I was away. I read my friend Joy’s (from GraceFull Mama) new ebook “Cultivating a Heart for Motherhood” while I sat by the fire. You can and should get it free here! It will encourage you younger moms!! I especially love the part on consistency in child training and having fun with your kids! :) )

Peter read this sermon over the few days we were away. It deals with selfish ambition and looking for greatness in all the wrong places. Here’s an excerpt:

There are two kinds of ambition. There is the ambition to be approved and applauded by people, and the ambition to be approved and applauded by God. There are those who want to gain fame and attention and influence and power. The measurement of the ambition to be great before people is always How many serve me? How much power do I exercise over others? How wide is the extent of my influence? Who of us has not suffered many times from this desire to be known, to be admired, to be considered great?

But Jesus points out that true greatness is never found there. The measure of true greatness is How many do I serve? How many can I help?

We discussed how even in the church, people tend to “respect” or get excited about certain people, but not others, even though God forbids this kind of partiality. When someone enters the church and experiences coldness, what message does that send about our Master?

Everyone will go out of their way and give a warm “hello” to the well dressed, the influential/admired guest speaker, the rich family. But are we quite as talkative and friendly when the poor, the dirty and disheveled, the physically handicapped come in to the church? Is the rush to greet them the same?

William Barclay makes this observation on welcoming the Lord when you welcome a child:

Now, a child has no influence at all. A child cannot advance a man’s career, nor enhance a man’s prestige. A child cannot give us things; it’s the other way around. A child needs things. A child must have things done for him. And so Jesus is saying, “If a man welcomes the poor, ordinary people, the people who have no influence, and no wealth, and no power, the people who need things done for them, then he’s welcoming me. And more than that, he’s welcoming God.”

Anyway, I would encourage you to read this sermon as well. It was a blessing. (We also enjoyed this one last week as a family, about hypocrisy in worship that is rooted in traditionalism. Peter warned the kids about “worship” that was just going through the motions or worshipping with a heart that is clinging to sin and won’t let it go. God doesn’t want our forms of religion. He wants a pure, true heart. “spirit” and “in truth.”)

I am thankful for the blessing of time away. God must know that I need that, because He often provides them for us. “Every good gift is from above.”

Do you need to refresh your soul, but maybe can’t physically or financially get away? I’ve been there, myself, and sometimes you just have to be creative, girls! :)

Here are a few ideas that I have used in the past:

Trade off child-care with a friend.

1. Then, order “in” lunch, light a candle, find a cozy spot, grab a blanket and just read God’s word or an instructive book.

2. Go somewhere beautiful–a hotel lobby, a library, a local tea room. Sit and read or just admire the order and grandeur.

3. Go out for coffee with a friend, or go antiquing, sit in a park or visit a nursery and admire the gorgeous flowers.

4. Work on a project in your own home that you’ll enjoy on a daily basis. Arrange some flowers, add some inexpensive art work that makes your heart sing, sew some pillowcovers for a spring-y, fresh look for your couches. Be creative. You can add pops of color with just a yard or so of cheerful fabric and an hour or two of time. :)

I might be weird, but whenever I go away to a beautiful place, like this inn, I take note of the things that I loved and that made the place feel beautiful and comfortable. Usually it is a small vase of flowers, fabulous fabric, candlelight and crisp linens. Be self-aware, and take notice of what makes you happy. Perhaps it is as simple as a plate of chocolate. :) jk

How do you make time for beauty and refreshment when you can’t get away?

My Family, Nature ,

In Love With Autumn

September 19, 2012 Sarah Beals 9 comments

The thought of autumn makes me sigh. After the craziness of the new school routine wears off, I settle into the rhythm of chilly nights and sweater weather. Darkness comes earlier each night, which affords more time for reading, talking and sipping warm tea.

I love fall foliage and outings for lunch with my mom, sisters and friends, choosing Mums and pumpkins for our front steps, making an occasion of visiting by the fire pit, baking apple and pumpkin everything.

Today we all went to observe my dad’s cranberry harvest. More info on cranberries here.

Sea of red berries on the Harju Bogs, Carver, MA

Holly with a wet handful of berries.

Front row seats

Emily and me

Hope reaching for berries.

What could be better than mud, dirt, grass, vines, water and berries? Let's lie in it! :)

Isn’t it a gorgeous sight?

And let’s not underestimate the charm of a good pumpkin lattes.

What’s your favorite fall activity?

 

 

 

 

My Family, Nature

At the Sea-Side

July 30, 2011 Sarah No comments

All will be quiet here as I will be taking the week off to spend time with our family.  Each year, we have a week long family reunion and we always look forward to this break.  Although the highlight is just being together since my sister Amy lives all the way in Missouri, we also enjoy all 14 kids being together,  big breakfasts and coffee time, walking on the beach early in the morning as the sun is coming up, shopping for school clothes at the outlets, swimming, skim boarding, exploring and visiting friends from college. So, think of me sitting in the warm ocean breeze, watching my kiddos swim and explore while I finish up my latest book and catch up with my three sisters. :)

This is one of our favorite childhood poems of all time, and my kids recite is often at the beach:

At the Sea-Side

By:  Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was down beside the sea

A wooden spade they gave to me
   To dig the sandy shore.
My holes were empty like a cup.
In every hole the sea came up
   Till it could come no more.

Holidays, Nature, Random, I know!

From Media to Make Believe

June 16, 2011 Sarah Beals 4 comments

I am going to try to persuade you to do something radical. Are you ready?

It’s called a Media Fast. And our family has benefitted greatly from it.

Media Fast is simply shutting off all media for one week: tv, video games, music, and social media. For the first day, it seems as though there is nothing to do. The kids are walking around shell shocked, and a little mopey. The second day, the old survival instinct kicks in and they start fighting back against the boredom. By the end of the week, you are not quite sure you’ll have time for tv ever again. :)

What happens when you have a media fast?

Your kids interact with each other more. They talk and play games with each other. They tune in to the world around them. They’ll suggest you go out and visit grandma or a friend.

Your kids will read. Reading will replace stories on the tv. Take a tote bag to the library and fill up!

Your kids become creative. My kids tell more stories, make their own music, paint, craft and write letters.*

Your kids will use their imagination. They’ll be forced to! And imagination is a rare and beautiful thing to have in days like ours.  My younger two make soups of mud, sticks and flowers. They play store under the picnic table. They terrorize the geese- okay, just saying that you do need to supervise their fun. :)

Your kids will be bored. Why is this not a bad thing? Because when you are bored, you are forced to entertain yourself. Although boredom sometimes leads to whining**, it can also lead to daydreaming, thinking and other quiet pursuits. My father is one of the smartest, “common sense” people I know, and I attribute it to long hours of time spent outdoors, alone with his thoughts while working on his cranberry bog.

 

What else would you do if you had no media?

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*My second child, Emily, has always told animal stories to Holly and Hope at bedtime. She has an ongoing story about Wendy and Peter Pan, who my youngest girls recently found out were not the Wendy and Peter Pan from the movie, but were actually a gluttonous hedgehog and a turtle with rude manners. This made the story that much more funny.

Peter Pan and Wendy that Holly and I worked on.

This is Mousey. She is forever doing laundry and never stops to enjoy life.

**Want to know a sure cure for whining? When your child whiiiiiiiines that he is bored, be quick to suggest two things: a chore  or a game. I swear by this method. :)

Homeschooling, My Family, Nature

Blooming Between A Rock and A Hard Place

June 2, 2011 Sarah Beals 6 comments

Yesterday, I walked out onto my front patio and noticed a little surprise.

Peter also mentioned them- little pansies growing between our foundation and our blue stone patio.

I saw them again this morning, and thought “How is it thriving there? Blooming between a “rock and a hard spot?” The spigot from our hose is right above it dripping cold water on it…drip, drip, drip.

We can bloom in our environment as well. The conditions don’t have to be perfect. They may be harsh, cold and unexpected. They may not be what you planned. Maybe you have the continual dripping of  problems all around you. Maybe there is someone who is trying to throw cold water on you- trying to harm, undermine, insult or destroy you.  Trials cannot destroy us. (read that post here) And during them, we can still thrive, like my little pansies.

Thank you, Lord, for this example to me this morning, of  a little flower, blooming and doing what it is supposed to do, even in harsh conditions. May I praise you, even in the hard spots of life, and bloom and declare your glory.

 

Christian living, Joy, Nature , ,

Beautiful Day

June 15, 2010 Sarah Beals No comments

The kids and I headed to Falmouth yesterday to spend some time on the beach and get some ice cream.  We were  all so ready for summer. We packed our lunch and headed down, not really having a destination, but just being drawn to the beach after a tiring year of school. The beaches were empty because it was overcast all morning, but by noon it was perfect beach weather. It was low tide, so the  kids played in the shallow pools of water and found hermit crabs, snails, and a big starfish. I am content as a mother when I see my kids scouring the beach for natural treasures. There is something wholesome and innocent about the seaside. It makes me feel like it was good for their soul to be there. Ever notice that  kids never seem to argue or fight at the beach? 

 The warm sunshine, the soft sand and the lull of the noise of the waves turns my thoughts toward God and his greatness. He causes the tides to come in and out. He controls the winds and waves and sea. They all obey Him. It is all wonder and amazement.

Nature , ,

Enjoying the Outdoors

May 22, 2010 Sarah Beals No comments

Since we homeschool our children, we do not take snow days. Instead, we  take “beautiful days.”  When warm weather comes, we can’t stand to be bent over our books, so we head outdoors. The girls swing, I paint and we just plain enjoy the sunshine. Beautiful days are for heading to the park or beach. Yesterday, Matt, Holly and Hope rescued a little mouse from the clutches of our family cat, Oreo. They made a little home for this poor, frightened creature and fed it Honey Bunches of Oats. Although I love for them to “hurt no living thing,”  I did make them keep that little guy outside. Good thing, too, because this morning, he had escaped. 

Homeschooling, Nature

Exciting Find!

May 17, 2010 Sarah Beals No comments

We were all ecstatic to find a small birds nest in our forsythia bush last week. The kids ran to get a ladder, and we all peered into the nest to see two just-hatched robins.  We are enjoying warmer days here in New England and are taking advantage of outdoor time. Holly and Hope have been swinging to their heart’s content, and dragging things out of the pond with their little nets. Matt enjoys romping through the woods and has big plans for a tree house that he and his father are building together. What could be better for kids than playing outdoors? Kids don’t need the latest clothing or technology. They need time to be creative, play and be alone with their thoughts.

Nature