School, Sniffles, & Sunshine

Last week I began to feel a head/chest cold coming on, but just as I thought it was going to pass, it hit me full force this week. And then E caught the sneezies and runny nose too. As a result, we had somewhat of a hazy lazy week. Thankfully, J just ordered Netflix, so I was able to stream some education films that go along with what we've been studying. We continued watching "Meerkat Manor" and also found a film about coral reefs. The boys spent some time each day working on writing and reading and did some nature study and sketches. We also enjoyed looking through our South Africa books. For the most part though the boys just played, played, and played some more, while I tried to rest and take it easy. We also spent a lot of time in the backyard soaking up the last of the summer rays, and enjoyed the gorgeous weather we had in abundance this week! I am looking forward to "Family Film Night" this evening, which we are going to try to incorporate back into our lives again now that the nights are becoming cooler. On the menu this evening is "Swiss Family Robinson".

I am also hoping to catch up on a lot of much needed sleep this weekend. :) I am still trying to find a good balance between homeschooling and housework and am finding myself to be completely exhausted by the end of the week. My poor immune system has been trying to work overtime. I realize that I need to start slowing down a bit and taking better care of myself, so that I can try to prevent sickness before it actually happens. Easier said than done when you're a busy mom though!








I personally can not take cold medicine. It makes me feel completely whacked out. Like I'm on speed, but in a sleepy trance at the same time. In my opinion, the best way to fight off a cold is by using natural remedies in combination with Mucinex. ;) Below is my prescription for feeling better quickly..

Plenty of sunshine, fresh air, rest, and relaxation..





Fresh healthy food and LOTS of orange juice and water. Espresso and Rice Dream. Eh.. or maybe not. :) And exercise (in light moderation).. It was so sweet of the boys to leave me a small section of the rug to do yoga on this morning, wasn't it?





Does anyone have any other good remedies or preventative suggestions to add to my list? I would love to hear what helps you to feel better!

Also, "Corner View" started back up this week and it completely slipped my mind, so I plan to do a double post next Wednesday. Hope you are all doing well and that you have a fun and relaxing weekend!

I'll keep my X's and O's to myself this week so I don't pass along my germs to you, Erin

Farewell Australia.. Hello South Africa!

The boys have decided that they have had their fill of Australia and are now interested in South Africa after borrowing (and becoming slightly addicted to) "Meerkat Manor" from the library. We just got home from story time after returning our Australia books and picking up our South Africa reserves. Thus begins a new study starting tomorrow. :)

We ended.. and began our new travels with a trip to the zoo this past weekend. I took a million photos but am only posting the Australia ones for now. I couldn't believe how close we were able to get to the kangaroos. There was nothing but a very low, very easy to jump over fence between us and them. I could have spent the entire afternoon watching them hop around. E loved the koala, which from a distance looks sweet and cuddly enough, but I'm sure it could easily tear someone apart with those fierce claws. We also went into a room full of colorful birds that were flying around somewhat haphazardly. I think they had a little too much nectar to drink. One almost took this girl's head off while we were trying to make a run for the exit. :)









Okay, so I wasn't going to include any extra photos.. but I just have to share this adorable baby elephant with you. Awww.. so cute!



Oh, and if you haven't seen "Meerkat Manor" you have to check it out! And if you just happen to have a ton of money you have been wanting to donate, you can even go on a real life expedition to visit them here.

Btw.. can you tell I finally figured out how to add links to my page? So easy and yet it only took me what.. a year? Ha!

And on a lighter note...

Some images from E's birthday party last weekend... I'm mostly posting these for Pawpaw and Lexi who weren't able to come and also for my brother and Lindsey who live too far away. :( Speaking of.. Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

It was such a noisy blur to me, hopefully everyone had a good time! :)














Birthday boy

Tired papa

One-legged mama

The Summer Kitchen

I meant to write this post several days ago, but other thoughts seemed to have made their way out of me instead. It's morning, we're still in our pj's and the boys are at the table beside me making Lego spaceships. I'm drinking espresso and trying to focus. I used to make the excuse that with kids I didn't have the time to write, and the truth is.. I don't. The only quiet time I have to myself is after they are in bed and by then all of my thoughts have either escaped me or fallen asleep. So I just write here and there whenever I can find the time, even if it means having a 4 year old sitting on my lap or having to stop several times to "Mom, look at what I made!" or "Can I have a snack?" Yes, it's difficult to stay in the writing "flow", but these days I take whatever time I can get.. even if that just means 15 minutes while they are eating cereal or play legos. Although I tend to have more difficulty writing in the evening, I can easily spend hours after they have fallen asleep devouring a good book in the bathtub. The most recent one being, "The Summer Kitchen" by Lisa Wingate.

The other day I was updating my profile on here and decided to delete my interest in cooking and starting a food "ministry". After a couple years of suffering with food allergies and having incredible difficulty finding meals that i can make, my passion has slowly dwindled down to the point where cooking almost feels like a chore. Each day I struggle to find enough food that I can eat and find myself making the same things over and over again to the point of boredom. With my enthusiasm at such a low I wondered to myself how I could possibly help encourage others to eat healthy. I have read many books in the past about people who either can't afford nutritious foods, don't have access to them, or both. They are left with the options of eating fast food or inexpensive junk food from gas station convenient stores. As a result their health often declines as they struggle with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. In many poorer areas this issue has been dealt with by providing soup kitchens and food pantries. And although I applaud the effort involved, to me I feel it may also create a cycle of dependence. I would think that people would begin to rely on these places for survival. So, how do we provide food and help for those in need while allowing them to become a part of the solution?

I found some answers several months ago when I came across the book, "Bridging the Food Gap" and discovered the idea of bringing traveling farmers markets at a small cost to people who don't normally have money or access to fresh organic produce. Some of these farmers even went a step further by offering to let people visit their farm to see how their food is produced, along with cooking classes to teach them how to prepare these fresh foods in their own homes. This idea really struck a chord within me. It makes perfect sense to me, the idea of helping people by arming them with knowledge. Another idea that goes along with this concept is the idea of urban community gardens. It gives people a sense of pride to feel that they have accomplished something on their own and they are able to reap the benefits as a result. It also gives neighbors a chance to come together and help one another. I'm sure that many people who are poor and struggle to provide food for themselves and their families feel a sense of insecurity and almost embarrassment towards having to depend on others for help. What else can we do to help to bridge the food gap?

"The Summer Kitchen" is a fiction story about a women who after befriending a young teenage orphan and giving away a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches suddenly finds herself drawn into a community in need and discovers who she is in return. I found out that the idea for the story came from a place called, "The Gospel Cafe" in Waco, Texas. 3 women bought an old Victorian home that was formerly a crackhouse and transformed it into a restaurant to feed anyone, regardless of whether they can pay or not. What I love most about it is that unlike a soup kitchen, it doesn't just serve hungry and homeless people. ALL are welcome and so it provides a place where people can come together from all walks of life and share a meal. They also have gone out of their way to make the environment feel as comfortable as possible, with tablecloths on the tables and meals served on real plates. I think that those small little details would help to make someone feel included, important, and equal to others. There is no division there as people come together to partake in a meal. To me, this is as authentic as communion gets.

Although "The Olive Tree Community" has become a blog for me, many many years ago it was an entirely different concept that has evolved over time. About 10 years ago I felt a pressing on me to eventually start a cafe of sorts called "The Waiting Room". The idea being very similar to the idea behind "The Gospel Cafe". The name came from the "Sixpence None the Richer" song, along with the concept of sitting in a doctors waiting room with strangers whom you wouldn't normally find yourself in such close proximity to. It's funny how unless there are not any other seats available, we always leave at least one chair between ourselves and the other waiting patients. Are we worried we might catch what they have? Aren't we all there for the same reason? Instead of making friendly eye contact and striking up conversation, we stare at the magazines in our laps, the clock on the wall, yearning for our turn to come so we can get out of this awkward room we've been forced into sharing with strangers and into a smaller one where we can wait alone. Why are we so shut off from one another? And how do we break down those protective barriers that continue to divide us?

I know I have brought up some heavy topics, but these thoughts and ideas have been re-stirring in my soul so strongly recently that I can no longer ignore them. I'm curious to hear about your feelings on the subjects I have mentioned and am wondering.. When do you feel most connected to others? Please feel free to share in response!

Blessings and peace, Erin

Overcome

After writing my last post I came to realize how much I need to use this space again as a place to share what's going on inside of me. I began thinking back to my original purpose for this blog, which was to create a safe environment where I could be myself, while inviting others to join me at the table. A place where we could openly share our thoughts, feelings, dreams, visions, and inspirations. I am still going to continue documenting our homeschooling days once a week, but the rest of the time I would like to re-focus on what it is that moves me, to share with you experiences that have challenged my heart and have helped me to grow. I hope you will continue to walk with me on this journey..


So, let's start at the beginning. I'm going to share some scripture verses to help understand where the name of my blog, "The Olive Tree Community" originated. I consider myself to be a wanderer, a nomad of sorts, never quite sure where my home is, and not sure that it even matters, considering I think of the Earth as only a temporary dwelling anyway. With all that being said, I find myself spiritually and emotionally drawn to trees. The olive tree in particular. After the flood, it was an olive tree branch that the dove brought back to Noah.. and it astounds me that something could be so solid and rooted that it could withstand such an incredible natural disaster. I yearn to have that amount of strength, and yet I recognize how weak and easily moved I am. It's within those broken crumbling disastrous meltdowns though that I feel the strength of God rooted deeply within me the most. I am able to melt into those protective loving arms and feel safe from the storm. I am reminded that no matter how far off I wander there is always a safe place I can return to when I need shelter. I believe that when we allow ourselves to be humble, to shed those layers of protection, and allow God and others to see all of our cracks, flaws, and open wounds that we are in turn restored, renewed, healed.. all the pain and heartache washed away by holy water. Our feet are set upon a firm foundation once again.



I believe that God speaks to us in ways that we might not understand and not always in the places where we expect to find him. For example, I have not been able to focus in church recently, but it is in the late evening hours of time spent reading in the bathtub that I hear God's voice more clearly than ever. Many times it is also when I'm wandering around taking photographs or sitting on the porch swing early in the morning and I can feel His presence alongside of me..

I'm sure we all have our different beliefs, but I am curious to know where and when you feel most at peace, most fully alive, and most completely in tune and aware that there is something so far beyond our understanding and at the same time closer to our hearts than anything else? I would love to hear about your own personal sacred places.. whether it be out in the world or deep within your soul.

Love and blessings,
Erin

Foundations

I feel the need to confess that my enthusiasm towards life has not been at it's highest lately. For any of you who have read my blog from the beginning you might have noticed the gradual shift I have made in my writing. The blogs I write now are filled less with words and more with pictures. I got to a place where I felt afraid of my vulnerability. I was worried that I was exposing too much of myself and so I began to hold back and close off. As a result, without the outlet of writing I began to feel bottled up inside and have been distracted by an aching emptiness. I have been feeding the yearnings with everyday business and activity. My focus has been on homeschooling and housekeeping. I have been spending my days cleaning and crafting, drifting and wandering.. mostly around town on foot with my camera in hand. Taking photographs of other people's homes.. curious as to what lies behind those closed doors and glass windows. Wondering what secrets they hold.. or if any of those people inside ever wonder about me. What do they dream about and long for in those rooms alone with their own thoughts?



We have moved a total of 11 times in 9 years. I lost all interest in my neighbors lives long ago, knowing inside that more than likely we would soon move again. What was the point of growing close to people who would soon be nothing more than left behind memories? After awhile you begin to grow numb and shut yourself off from the outside world. Yet, recently something has begun to change inside me. At some point I became aware of my vulnerabilities and insecurities. I started to realize how truly lonely I am and came to terms with the fact that I can't take on everything by myself all the time. I came to accept the idea that I need friends and support and that it's okay to reach out once in awhile for help. It doesn't mean that I'm weak. But it has been a struggle.. humbling myself, opening up my wounds, allowing strangers into my life. At the same time it has made me more and more curious about the lives of others. It seems that the more I share, the more they share in return, and that feeling of connection to others, to a community of individuals, is simply amazing to me. I am suddenly aware that we all have our own different struggles and hopes and desires and that I am not alone in this world. I am not alone.



I can't tell you why we have moved around so much. Sometimes it was because we needed more space, a bigger yard, better school districts, cleaner parks.. etc. But to be honest, a big part of it is the result of trying to save our marriage. The idea that things would be better if we could just start over someplace fresh and new. That maybe if we found a house sturdy and solid enough it could somehow hold our marriage and our family together for just a little bit longer. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I worry that we have moved so much as a way to escape the past, as if we're trying to outrun the years of arguments and frustrations between us. Each time things are better temporarily, but then eventually those years began to catch back up. So we run again. Maybe if we move back to Ohio, or back to our hometown, or if we can find the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood it will make everything better between us.

I just finished reading "All the Way Home" Afterward I found myself no longer yearning for perfection, but destruction. Sometimes I think if I could just get my hands dirty and start tearing down the walls of myself.. all of those protective barriers.. I would finally find what it is that lies at my very core. I just want to strip myself down of all those years and years of covering up messes and expose myself for who I truly am. Imperfect. Flawed. Broken. Lost. Empty. Weak. And yet.. strong, faithful, loving, passionate, creative, and hopeful.



So here we are now in a new house in a new town once again and something feels different this time. I don't want to leave. The more I wander around the streets and feel the sidewalk under my feet the more grounded I feel. The more I yearn to know what causes this town to breathe.. to pulse in anticipation of what lies around the next corner. Suddenly I am not afraid to look ahead of me instead of always checking my back to see if my past has followed along at my heels. I invite those memories, weaknesses and hesitations to walk along beside me. When they begin to grow weary of the journey I take those pieces of myself, the ghosts of my past, and hold them close, but not so much that they begin to suffocate and grip me with fear.



And then we, my past and I, invited a new friend along for the walk. At first my fears quivered inside of me and began to close themselves off again as I talked about doorways and windows, railing and balconies. But then I felt myself slowly growing more comfortable, my insecurities slipping away.. and I began to share those small bits and pieces of myself as if attempting to put together a puzzle for someone else. As I spoke aloud, I attempted to make sense of the words coming out of my mouth and for a minute it all seemed clear. But then the images gradually began to slip through the cracks in our foundation as I found my way back home, alone once again. As I laid in bed last night my mind drifted off to images of tree roots pushing through concrete sidewalks..



As summer begins to come to an end and signs of fall begin to appear I find myself going inward, searching my heart for what it is that I am truly seeking. I feel that maybe if I keep walking and continue writing.. and if I stop trying to control everything and instead just allow myself to be patient and listen, the pieces might begin to start falling naturally into place again. And maybe, just maybe.. somewhere along the way I'll just happen to run into whatever it is that I have been searching for all along.

It's funny but when I sat down at the computer today I didn't have any intention of sharing these thoughts with you. I actually had planned to write about another book that I just finished, "The Summer Kitchen", which has given me even deepen insight into the empty parts of myself. For some reason or another this is what came out instead. I'm not going to try to understand it or analyze it though. I'm just going to finish up this sentence, hit publish, and trust that everything happens for a reason.

XOXO, Erin

Australia study

This past spring I won a contest and received a set of beautiful handmade cards from one of my favorite blog friends, the sweet and lovely Amber from Adventures of a Rainbow mama. Along with her cards she sent us a package of Australian goodies. The boys have been inspired ever since to learn more about where all the neat stuff in the mail came from.




As a result, we have decided to start our school year off with a study of Australia. We have checked out and read every book at the library on the subject. We spent the past week doing craft projects, including coral reef sponge paintings, outback collages, aboriginal dot paintings, and coloring pages both online and at home of the Sydney Opera House. We watched a DVD we rented from the library and enjoyed seeing camel races, extreme rowing, and sheep shearing contests. This past week was a basic introduction. We will continue studying more in depth for the rest of the month.. or until the boys are ready to move on to something else. :)

Our first week of school was definitely a challenge for me. It's going to take me some time to find a good balance between managing household responsibilities and schooling. Life can be unpredictable and I have no way of knowing what the future holds, so I am trying to take each day as it comes and see how this year goes before making a long term commitment. Regardless of if this is something we choose to continue after this year or not, I can at least say that we gave it a try. The one thing I have learned in my life is that it important to take chances so that you don't look back later in life and regret not having done something. I am looking forward to what comes out of this experience and am going to try to relax and enjoy the process along the way. :)