View from the Prairie Box

Psssst. Trees? You’re up. It’s your turn to shine. The grass has gotten the message. The tulips have gotten the message. The spotlight is on you now. Dazzle us!

Approximately 95% of my days are spent with words rolling around inside my head. I’ll wake up and be turning phrases over, playing with them until they find their way onto my computer screen or journal. But darn it all, things are a little silent these days. I don’t feel a giant need to write at the moment, which is why the Prairie Box is full of one-pic blog posts.

Maralee, me and Kerri

A few weeks ago Kerri and her two youngest boys came back for a quick visit to Lincoln. Since their move to the Pacific Northwest last December we have missed them greatly! One of the best things about our new home is the space to host friends and family. They get beds to sleep in while I get friends to share morning coffee with. It’s a win-win in my book.

Even better, pretty soon we’ll get to switch roles… Jeremy and I will be staying in the Koenigs’ rooms while they share their morning coffee with me. Sweet!

While our spring weather works on getting its act together, I’ll continue to post little shots that make me happy with their simple beauty.

Little geranium petals, scooped up and gifted to me by my kind-hearted daughter.

Image shot December 2, 2012.

Sometimes you’re having a rougher than normal week and then, BAM!, you hold a puppy. Everything else melts away. World, meet Mr. Darcy, charming new puppy of my friend Mary. Isn’t he the cutest?

I get a bit speechless when trying to describe what these women mean to me. How do you cram well over a decade of life together into a paragraph on a blog? Yeah. That’s hard to do. Suffice to say, our group began studying the bible together just before I was married (that’s almost 15 years ago for anyone who’s counting) and we supported one another through all the ups and downs of adulthood. Friendship, church life, marriage and all that entails, wanting children and actually having children, moving churches, and finally moving away. It was so great to see Jeff and Julie and their three girls on Saturday. Here’s a little evidence of how our families have grown over the years. (Minus my kiddo who, sadly, sat on the sidelines with a virus over Easter weekend.)

A few friends have inquired why Livia chose to study yeast for her science experiment, because clearly most people don’t ponder the how’s and why’s of yeast. What’s worse is that “yeast” is typically followed by “infection” and that’s pretty gross to the average mind. No, Livia chose the topic based purely on the fact that she could use a balloon in her experiment. Yeast, when fed with sugar and kept warm and moist, produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. To test this fact, you can do what we did: add yeast and sugar to a bottle with a balloon placed over the bottle’s mouth, place bottle in a bowl of warm water, and 20 minutes later the balloon will be inflated. Cool!

In addition to the balloon experiment, our science experiment book gave instructions for bread-making. Again, you give the yeast the right conditions for growth (food, warmth and moisture—Livia could tell you all this) and it’ll produce carbon dioxide. The elastic dough traps the gas, which essentially creates little bubbles, which causes the dough to rise. Again, pretty cool! What gave me a bit of pause was the instructions for making the dough. They were very hands-on, as in, the child mixed and kneaded the ingredients entirely by hand. Perfect for Liv and pretty messy for the kitchen. Have I mentioned Livia likes to eat flour and puff out clouds like a dragon? Who wouldn’t really? Making bread is also a lengthy process. After the dough was kneaded it was left alone to rise. By the time we could make rolls with it, we were off to another activity and I placed the dough bowl in the refrigerator to be dealt with the next day. Perhaps this is why Livia told her first science fair judge, who asked how long the bread took to make, that she really didn’t know—her mommy did that part. The bread was a side experiment, not Livia’s main feature, and I bet our young judge wasn’t aware of the in’s and out’s of bread-making either.

In the end, despite the flour that dominated my kitchen for a brief time, I loved watching Livia in her element. Up to her elbows in ingredients, absorbing new concepts, sharing this learning with others. In the process of literally forcing her to write observations on her display board, I was reminded that for some kids, the experiment will always be the fun part and writing it down isn’t as interesting. Liv came home with a shiny red ribbon for her efforts though. And that’s something to be proud of.

An artist friend once commented to me that photographers typically don’t like the limelight; they enjoy hiding behind their camera to capture others who like to perform. I was quick to tell her I actually like being front and center just fine. Years of theater work confirms this, as does the giant wig featured in these images. And yet, I’ve hesitated in posting the photos here. Why is that? Apparently I’m more self-conscious than I thought I was! So here you are, a little art featuring me and a giant wig that I purchased for a party last night. This is me getting over myself. Enjoy!

A quick aside here… After donning the wig I was told by my child that I looked like one of my favorite singers. Lauryn Hill, she said. I have no idea how Liv knows what Lauryn Hill looks like, but I’ll run with it. Thanks for the high compliment! xoxo from Livia’s White Lauryn Hill Lookalike Mama