A Phone Call from Above

"Hey Daddy, if you die before I do, would you mind giving me a call and telling me what Jesus looks like? Or you could just send me a picture." - Eleanor

Grace Goes to the Beach

Summer is winding down and the fall is gearing up despite temperatures this week which are doggedly hanging on to their last grip on summer.  Grace North Shore fellowshipped together last night at Maple Park in Winnetka.  It was a beautiful evening of picnicking, sea glass hunting, and getting to know new friends.  We have much for which to be thankful...

Back to School

Eleanor and her Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Nelson

Today was a big today for the Little family, a rite of passage of sorts.  Eleanor started kindergarten.  Well, sort of.  For an hour she and I got to explore her new classroom, meet her teacher, and play in her new space.  Kindergarten in Wilmette is only half day- translation... two and a half hours.  Her teacher is fabulous, very engaged, and hilarious.  I think it is going to be a great year.

First day!  

My Big 2nd Grader

For Rynn, starting school was both exciting and a bit scary since she left behind lots of good buddies and a great experience at Richmond Elementary in Portland.  I've been so proud of her as she has been so brave and so positive about her new adventure.  She expressed her first bit of disappointment today when she came home.  She said that she really misses Japanese.  I guess a Spanish teacher came in and sang a few songs, and Rynn said she felt disappointed.  "It made me want to spend the afternoon in Japanese, Mommy," she said.  I didn't cry (in front of her anyway), but I pray that we will be able to find a place to encourage her love of a language that we stumbled upon in Portland.  It is hard to let things go and to understand why God brings about change in our lives.  I'm thankful for the amazing schools and opportunities that are before my children in this area, and I am learning from their positive attitude and courage.  As with any change, there are things we leave behind and new things to embrace.  

Lockers!  I had to wait until 6th grade to get a locker, but here on the North Shore you have to have a locker to house all that snow gear come winter (kids here are required to wear snow pants and boots to school for P.E. in the winter).

lots of excitement and a little bit of nerves about her new school...

A Culture Clash

Today Rynn came home from her second day of 2nd Grade at her new school and said,
"Mommy, I don't know the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag."

I replied, "You mean you didn't say the Pledge at Richmond (her Portland Public School) last year?."

"No, Ms. Murphy (her ENGLISH teacher) thought about it, but then she decided she didn't like our flag so we wouldn't do it."

From the People's Republic of Portland to the heartland of America we have come...

Jonathan Franzen and this week's TIME

"We are so distracted by and engulfed by the technologies we've created, and by the constant barrage of so-called information that comes our way, that more than ever to immerse yourself in an involving book seems socially useful.  The place of stillness that you have to go to to write, but also to read seriously, is the point where you can actually make responsible decisions, where you can actually engage productively with an otherwise scary and unmanageable world." 
- Jonathan Franzen, author of the new novel Freedom, in the latest issue (8/23) of TIME magazine

I don't always grab magazines in the grocery store line, but tonight with a pint of ice cream I picked up the latest issue of TIME.  Not only does it have an article about the world's longest yard sale which happens to go through my old town of Chattanooga, but it also has an alarming article on the danger of Asian Carp taking over Lake Michigan.  Now that we live right down the street from one of the places they are trying to keep these aggressive "kudzu" version of fish from taking over the Great Lakes, I guess I find it sort of interesting.  And the cover article on Franzen makes me want to read.   Not only does the author have cool glasses, but he has become quite famous using the medium of fiction to call people to think about the prevailing ideas of our American culture. The most prevailing idea that is addressed in his upcoming book (and in the TIME article) is that of 'freedom.'  Franzen recognizes that many of us create a state of constant busyness and distraction which allows people 'to avoid difficult realities.'   He calls us to the idea that too much freedom can be a dangerous thing.  He is quoted in the article saying, "One of the ways of surrendering freedom is to actually have convictions and a way of further surrendering freedom is to spend quite a bit of time acting on those convictions."  The writer of the article comments further on this idea saying, "There is something beyond freedom that people need: work, love, belief in something, commitment to something.  Freedom is not enough.  It's necessary but not sufficient.  It's what you do with freedom- what you give it up for- that matters" (p. 46 bottom right of the page).

 I want control over my life and the freedom to direct it. I sometimes buck against relational constraints of family, church, and community and yet these are the very things which bring the depth of meaning and purpose to my life.  Where does the struggle for 'freedom' in our culture become a starting place for applying the Gospel and dialoguing about faith?  Where is true freedom?

 I recommend grabbing this week's issue of TIME.  Let me know what you think...

Chicago Botanic Garden

Grammy is here! Despite the girls desire to stay home, cuddle with their Grammy, and work on their scrapbooks of their years in Portland, we decided to drag everyone through Chicago's summer heat to explore the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Just up the road from our neighborhood about seven miles is the Chicago Botanic Garden, a breathtaking 385-acre "plant museum."  We spent about two hours strolling the grounds and exploring the gardens with Jason's mom, Cathy (aka "Grammy").   

A quiet moment to knit with Grammy and rest in the shade

a world in a willow

flying a paper crane in the Japanese Garden

About 45 minutes into our adventure Eleanor was growing hot and weary.  In an attempt to keep her from walking 25 yards behind the rest of us, I finally let her have my camera which she had been pleading to use.  She gained a new skip in her step and began enjoying the gardens in new ways.

  All the pictures below are taken BY ELEANOR.  Seeing the world through her three feet tall eyes I am reminded of the beauty in the way children see and the value of their perspective.  Sometimes her slow pace can make a mother crazy, but her images reflect the beauty in slowing down and taking time to really see.

a 'happy face' flower poking out to say hello

don't miss the bee in the center!

a squash hammock

my little photographer reflected in Daddy's glasses

Silly Bands

...why didn't I invent these???

You know your child is getting older when suddenly she is aware of trends.  This summer we have discovered the Silly Band. My fellow children of the 80s, remember jelly shoes and jelly bracelets like the ones Ricky Schroeder wore?  They are back in new and exciting shapes, available for trade, collection, and all around fashion.  The more, the merrier.

And yet, even in growing up innocence lives on.  When does the day come when a caterpillar crawling on your hand no longer means "he likes me!  he really likes me, mama!"? 

and yesterday afternoon...

Eleanor gets pensive on a bike ride around Northwestern's campus.

...and for a really thoughtful sermon on Genesis 1 by Jason Harris, the RUF campus minister @ Northwestern, click on Grace Sermons on the right sidebar.  

Kate & Phil

The Lobby of Old Town School of Folk Music

Getting crazy under the L

Last night we got to hang out with Jason's cousin Kate and her husband Phil in Chicago!   Currently back in San Francisco after a two year stint in Chicago, Kate and Phil were in town visiting Phil's family.  They graciously invited us to join them in Lincoln Square for Phil's traditional "Family Fun Night."  Thank you Kate and Phil for being fabulous tour guides, great cousins, and all around fun to hang out with.  How wonderful to have family come visit!  They showed us yet another fun neighborhood in Chicago called Lincoln Square whose lively vibe pulsed with culture and life.

Before dinner, they introduced us to the Old Town School of Folk Music, the largest independent community arts school in the United States.  Ham...we thought of you and miss you!!!

some post dinner ice cream with Phil's mom, brother, & niece

Fresh Picks!

Chicago just got better, and my homesickness for Oregon food has been assuaged.  I discovered Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks last week and my veggie craving desires have been granted.  With the mere click of a mouse I can order a box of fresh fruit or vegetables all of which are local (including WI, IN, and IL), organic, and come from farms which support sustainable farming practices.  Pretty much, Irv & Shelly have done all the hard work to enable me to be self righteous in my eating :).  And ALL delivered right to my doorstep for a price much cheaper than Whole Foods and a lot less effort.  Included in each order is a sheet which has a list of each vegetable in the box, which farm the vegetable came from, and a recipe suggestion for how to cook it.  There is something soothing to the soul in chopping beautiful fresh vegetables in an array of rainbow colors and then watching my children eat them!  And by ordering a 'fresh picks box' I am surprised each week by what seasonal produce arrives.  It has challenged me to try new things such as collards, kale, celery, and cabbage which I might not have grabbed in a quick grocery store run.   Here is a recipe we tried last night which all of us (even kids!) enjoyed:

Red Cabbage (Windy Ridge Farm Hillsboro, WI)

In a blender, combine 1/2 cup Orange Juice, 1/4 cup Lime Juice, 1/2 chopped red onion, 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 TBSP honey, 1/4 oil, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Chop or shred your cabbage and place in a large bowl.  Allow the cabbage to marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes before serving.

Evening at the Dog Beach

Roscoe 

One of the things that I love about our new neighborhood is being so close to water AND to a beach that allows dogs.  Our neighborhood dog beach is wonderful, and I'm not sure how Roscoe would be surviving the new restraints of city life were it not for Gillson Dog Beach.  Actually, not sure how the Little family would be surviving Roscoe without the dog beach.  There is space.  There is water.  And there are some really wonderful people.   

Meeting some new neighbors (and fellow Carolina grads!) 

Roscoe finds a friend

Rynn becomes a Golden Retriever