Heart to Heart with Diane

I love Thanksgiving because I love the history behind it. A little band of freedom-of-religion seeking wanderers came to a new land in frigid November, unprepared for the rigors of life in the new world and nearly starved to death that harrowing winter—all in the hope of being able to worship God as they saw fit. As the winter weather took its toll, the graves on the hill multiplied.

Winter was followed by poor summer crops and starvation was upon them. Half of their group lay buried. Those Plymouth pilgrims who were survivors were put on rations:  5 kernels of Indian corn per day. Through prayer and miracles, enough survived to plant and eat the harvest of 1623, and 51 of them lived to have a child.  It is fascinating to consider that over 10 million descendants today can trace their lineage to these Plymouth survivors, including 8 U.S. Presidents.

Each Thanksgiving, we set the table with 5 kernels of corn on each plate. Indian corn is what they had, and I suppose it took an hour to suck and chew it soft enough to provide some small relief to their hunger. We put 5 kernels of canned sweet corn on each plate, so even the little ones can eat it and solidify the memory of the stories we tell of our Pilgrim fathers. Before we eat our feast, we remember.

Emily always recites the poem, Five Kernels of Corn, and I always feel my eyes brimming. What blessings and bounty we enjoy!  Remember, remember those who were rationed 5 kernels of corn, so that we could enjoy the legacy of religious freedom!

Five Kernels of Corn
by Hezekiah Butterworth

‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
And dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”

O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!

Read the real story of the Pilgrims’ ordeal in my favorite children’s books (click to see):

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I thought you might like a peek at our annual Thanksgiving tradition. I love how it makes us pause to reflect, and find a reason to be grateful!

Each year I put a piece of plain butcher paper up to cover a door in our living area.  Markers nearby encourage every visitor, family member and guest to jot down and illustrate what they are thankful for. Every entry is welcome, even the toddlers’ scribbles.

Day by day the mural fills up and becomes a happy and meaningful part of our holiday decorations. This year’s list includes (so far):

• my cozy warm house
• pie
• sunshine
• “new” (second-hand) furniture
• barn dances
• my cat
• flowers
• holidays
• shelter from the wind, cold, rain
• food: yummy, yummy!
• musical instruments
• lovely golden fall days
• seminary
• home
• dancing
• candy
• love
• family
• snow

Aren’t we blessed!?

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This past weekend, I began the arduous task of cleaning out my schoolroom. In the blitz of raising my 7 children, and educating them, I stashed too often and sorted too little. There was just so much action, so many needs, so much that was more important than cleaning.  And it looks now as if time stood still in my schoolroom, while the years ticked by and the children grew up.

As I sort and toss the broken crayons and the random multiplication flash cards, I am encountering sweet, scrawling handwritten reports and notes from those beloved children who once made this room so full of life and learning. And drawings and project plans and dreams.  Oh, I hope I spent my time with them teaching what really matters! I hope my focus was in the right place.

While you are deep in the homeschooling years, it seems that it will go on and on. It seems that there is time for lots more geography and years for English. Truly, it flees so fast! Shockingly fast. And those little hands that struggled to hold their pencil correctly now wear wedding rings.

It is hard for me to clean out this room. It is difficult to part with those little phonics readers that each beloved child learned to read on. And the adventure stories so attentively listened to while I read them aloud to a rapt audience of shining-eyed children. A whole childhood of training seems condensed into this room.

So what matters?  Not the things I worried about for sure, such as getting into college or learning grammar or Algebra.  Not to discount those issues, but they aren’t the main thing. The main thing is to help raise a person of integrity and goodness. Kind. Faithful. Trustworthy. Pure. Full of love for God, family and freedom.  If that is the result of your efforts, you have been a very successful “homeschool mom” indeed.

Homeschooling allowed me the opportunity to infuse truth and testimony into every subject. Science is the masterful organization of God’s creation, revealed in the world around us.  Math, the order and patterns by which the universe works. English: the gift to express, uplift, commune, influence, testify. History: human lives lived in every circumstance and few as favored as ours. The realization that there are no new sins, and that virtue is never out of date. As homeschoolers, we teach a worldview, not just academic subjects. The children learn to see the world through the window of our values. Transfer of values: the first and foremost subject.

What a wonderful project homeschooling is!  What a noble thing, mothers, to dedicate your strength and energy to! Louisa, 15, is still homeschooling, but as my last child moves through the high school years, I know our days together are numbered.  I have other interesting projects—things to do—but in pondering, I feel nostalgic because there is no career as meaningful and far-reaching as shaping our children’s hearts and minds. There is no project that packs half the power. If you are there right now, in the busy schoolroom stage, know that your efforts really matter. You are making a tremendous difference! Do your best, and make sure you enjoy.  It matters.

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Here’s a simple thing you can do to enhance your emergency preparedness. Buy a case of hand soap, on sale preferably.  Ivory is supposed to be the most pure, without added ingredients.  I just buy the cheapest as soap seems to be soap, right?!

Now, unwrap it.

When my kids were young, we did this as a fun activity, and even toddlers enjoy it! Just dump all the packages of soap you have in the middle of the kitchen floor (not carpet) and let the kids have a ball unwrapping them. The kids love it, and it can be a fun challenge to them. Bare soap bars are stacked in a shoe box with the lid tucked onto the bottom. Everything else goes in the garbage. Simple instructions!

Soap straight from the grocery store will dissolve more quickly in your bath or shower than aged soap.  In fact, if you let your soap sit unwrapped for a couple of years, you’ll be surprised at the mileage you can get out of it. It dries and hardens significantly and won’t melt away when you use it. It stills suds up the same. I have soap that is 10 years old in my storage and it is fabulously long lasting!

Put your shoeboxes of unwrapped soap in a bathroom cabinet or in your laundry room where the soapy smell will be appreciated, and not taint food storage.  Stash it away and let it age, like cheese, and you’ll not only save money and reduce waste, but you’ll never find yourself caught without soap!

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When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits I dreamed of changing the world.

As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I entered my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I sought to change only my family, those closest to me, but alas! they would have none of it.

And now as I lie on my deathbed and realize (perhaps for the first time) that if only I’d changed myself first, then by example I may have influenced my family and with their encouragement and support may have bettered my country, and who knows, I may have changed the world.

—Inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop (1100 A.D) in the crypt at Westminster Abbey in London

Fall in my backyard: My daughter Emily loves lots of leaves!

Here’s a dynamite recipe for healthy muffins, brimming with Vitamin A!  You can use your jack ‘o lantern—just wash him well and pop in the oven at 400° for an hour or so, until a knife easily pierces it. Trim off outer rind and blend flesh until smooth in the blender.  Freeze or use in recipes.

Tender Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

Very yummy, sweet and tender!

Whisk until well mixed:

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Add and mix:

• 2 cups cooked pumpkin, pulsed in blender until smooth
• 1/2 cup water

Stir until just mixed:

• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon each: nutmeg, ginger, cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped coarsely

Spoon into muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Happy Harvest!

Ahhh! Autumn!

Breakfast—the meal that jump starts your family’s energy for the day—needs to be super-nutritious.  And if you have kids, it has to be yummy too.  Try my sneaky method of getting wholesome power-packed food into those beloved tummies!

Scrumptious Sneaky Pancakes

• 2  1/2 cups whole wheat flour*
• 2  1/2 cups buttermilk**
• 2-6 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 yellow squash, grated
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Stir dry ingredients together.  Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients, and crack eggs into it, adding squash and most of the liquid.  (Reserve a bit of the liquid to use to get the consistency right. You will need less if you are using more eggs.) Stir together until just moistened. Don’t worry about lumps. Do not overmix, as it will develop the gluten in the wheat and make them tough.  You want these to be melt-in-your-mouth tender!

The consistency of the batter should not be runny, but thick so the pancakes hold their shape on the griddle.

*Whole wheat flour: For maximum nutrition, use whole wheat flour, freshly ground. If you have soft white wheat, it makes it taste like a pastry!

**Buttermilk:  You can use 2  1/2 tablespoons of dry buttermilk powder + a scant cup of water to make 1 cup buttermilk in recipes.  I mix the dry buttermilk powder into the flour, add the water with the eggs.  It makes it quick to mix up these pancakes!  If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute 1/4 cup plain yogurt plus water to make 1 cup.

I make these with our fresh chicken eggs, putting as many in as possible for a wholesome protein boost, and serve with homemade applesauce fresh from the orchard and cantaloupe fresh from the garden for maximum delight! Tastes like a bakery treat, rather than squash and eggs!

Sneaking in yellow squash and lots of eggs makes this a protein, vitamin boost! While your kids may not like eating lots of yellow squash and eggs for breakfast, in disguise form, they are scrumptious!

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You might enjoy:

Soft White Wheat

Buttermilk Powder

My recipe book

Louisa, my last child at home

The morning sounds in my home are pretty minimal these days.  Louisa goes steadily and calmly about her chores. Daddy goes outside—alone—to feed the chickens and gather the eggs . . . chores the kids used to do. I make breakfast without any bawling babies who want to be nursed, no teenagers clamoring with questions about last minute emergencies, nor any toddlers too hungry to wait for it to cook.  How things have changed in this house!

As I listened to the morning sounds today, I thought about how I wished I could have told myself, as a young mother, that it would be quiet someday. I think while you are “in the trenches”, it seems like it will never be peaceful, calm and quiet . . . ever!  I wish I could say to all mommies that are in the busy time with lots of little ones: “Enjoy!  This is but a moment.  Look into those little faces and memorize them, because they change so gradually, you won’t even see your little girl transform into a young woman right before your eyes.”

The best investment you will ever make is the time you spend with your children. Rather than time spent on them. Not caring for them, but caring about them.  Yes, it is important to do laundry and make meals.  But the time spent talking, learning, playing, working together, joking and laughing together—it is precious!  It will bind them to you in love, and they will come to honor the things you value, because they are sure of your love.

I have often thought that the most powerful people in the world are childbearing women.  They have incredible, God-like capacity to create life! They have tremendous influence in shaping their children’s hearts and minds. The world’s future depends on the childbearing women.

Mommies:  enjoy your busy time to the fullest! Your house will be quiet one day.