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Let My People Go!

Valerie Basham

January 30, 2013

While writing yesterday’s post, I remembered something. I remembered that waaaaay back in November, my daughter, Lauren wrote a play that I failed to share with you! November and December were very busy months for us, as they are for most people. Not only were we knee deep in homeschooling and holiday preparation, but we also spent about two weeks passing a virus back and forth.

Lauren has been studying ancient history this year – ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and the mythical gods and goddesses. One of her projects was to put on a play about Moses. In the play, she gave a bit of Moses’ back story – the baby in the bulrushes- then moved on to when he was asking Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go back to the Promised Land. She involved everyone in the family in her play and even made costumes. The cast did a lot of giggling, but I got the point. 😉

Here’s the cast (and crew): Lauren as Pharaoh (holding the doll, which was baby Moses); Mitchell as Moses, Leslie and Laci are guards. I just love the beard Lauren made for Mitchell. She cut out the shape of a beard on paper, then glued polyester fiber-fill (stuffing for pillows) on to the paper! It was attached with tape! The other costumes were made with bathrobes, sheets and towels.

Here’s our audience!

Pharaoh is looking too nice if you ask me. 😉

Moses wants his people to be free!

But he was told “NO!” and the guards carried him away.

Our audience is a little worried.

But fortunately for Moses, the guards are really kind-hearted little girls.

I think this is one of the best things about homeschooling: making up our own fun as we go along.

The Fashion Show

Valerie Basham

6 comments

January 30, 2013

Last Friday, Laci came to me and said that she and Leslie were presenting a Barbie fashion show for the family. We often have “shows”. The kids will write scripts and plan scenery and costumes and even make tickets for us! When they first told me about the show, I thought it was a fashion show using their Barbie dolls, but it wasn’t that exactly. It was really Laci modeling her various princess dresses (which were found at thrift stores, courtesy of Grandma). The first dress she modeled was a Barbie dress, hence my idea that it was a “Barbie” fashion show! Leslie made cards for Lauren and Mitchell to read which described each dress. Like the dummy that I am, I didn’t take pictures of those adorable cards! Leslie wrote things like “Here comes Barbie! Lookin’ fantastic! Yeah!” (with slightly different spelling!). It was precious. They made a runway, and a platform and Leslie made a sign and tickets for us. Terry was away that night, but I got lots of pictures for him, and other loved ones who were unable to be a part of the fun.

Like every night at the Basham household, it was a hoot!

The first dress – Barbie!

She loved twirling…she did it a lot.

Next, is Cinderella, ladies and gentlemen! Doesn’t she look stunning her blue faux satin and tulle?

The girl who loves to pose.

Some people might claim that Laci is acting this way because she’s like her mother…when her mother was a child. Some people think that her mother used to dress up and flit around every time the Miss America pageant came on TV. But I ask you, are you gonna believe some people?

Every time she tried on a dress, she had a little dance with Matt. It was just adorable!

Here’s Rapunzel! (The white rope is the hair!)

And, now, friends and neighbors, Tinker Bell!

Last, but not least, she dressed up as a peasant. Looking at this picture just now she said, “It doesn’t look very peasant-y does it?” I was glad she didn’t go tear up some good clothes to be a “peasant”!

This is the girl who wrote the sign, made the tickets and wrote the script cards. Basically, she’s the girl behind the curtain. Such a sweetie!

One of Leslie’s signs.

After the show, we had a wrestling session. Loud romping and rolling around on the floor. I’m sorry you missed it!

Don’t mess with Matt!

Declaring that he will “FIGHT!”

There’s never a dull moment around here. And I’m loving every minute of it. Thanks for reading!

Motion Shots

Valerie Basham

4 comments

January 26, 2013

These photos are one of the reasons I’ve wanted to get a DSLR camera. I enjoy taking videos, but for me, there is something so intriguing about a still photo. A good quality still photo. Okay, okay, even a bad photo holds a special “something” that a video doesn’t. I haven’t had much time to play with my new camera, but I have been using it every chance I get. Now that we have resumed homeschooling, blogging and photography have been moved to the bottom of the list. But hey, a little practice is better than none! 🙂

I know these photos are not great. I need to figure out the right level of exposure. I just noticed that I can adjust the white balance to various settings – cloudy, shade, incandescent, etc – I can’t wait to try this feature. I have been enjoying the ability to take continuous photos – hold down the shutter and it snaps one picture right after the next. This is a great feature for capturing motion. I took these pictures using the shutter priority mode on my camera, which has been much trickier for me to figure out than the aperture priority mode. All that to say, I was extremely enthusiastic about these results! The kids were willing to jump on the trampoline so I could practice, despite the chilly weather. Oh! And I have not altered these photos at all, other than to re-size them for a quicker upload. Thanks for looking at my amateur photography.

Here’s Laci, starting a flip.

I just LOVE her wild hair and her mid-air position! I could never have done this with my point-and-shoot. And doesn’t it just have a magic to it? Better than a video? I think so.

Almost ready to land.

I captured Mitch doing a handstand.

I think I used aperture priority to get this blur while she rode the bike. I was wanting to show the movement, but still keep her in focus, and I think I did okay.

And she picked out her own outfit.

More pictures to come…if you can stand it, that is! 🙂

Our "Cookie Girl"

Valerie Basham

5 comments

January 24, 2013

Lauren loves baking chocolate chip cookies…well, any cookies, but she gravitates toward chocolate chip. And she really loves bringing two or three of them, fresh from the oven, to me to taste. And I really, really love it when she does that. (Though I’m pretty sure that’s why I haven’t lost any weight lately.) Last week, I was craving chocolate and I said, “Lauren? Would you make me some of your chocolate chip cookies?” She grinned and said, “Sure, Mom.” She even let me take photos of her! I don’t know why God gave me such a beautiful, sweet, smart girl – but I’m so glad He did!

Here she is mixing the batter. Laci is adding the ham to the recipe!

I call this one “Concentration”. Am I original or what?

She’s loaning me a little dough. (I know. Weak.)

The finished product! And yes, they were dee-lish.

This is the tattered recipe that Lauren uses, which is the recipe I used when I was growing up. I copied it onto this PINK 3×5 card for my 9th grade Home Ec. class, when our project was making a recipe card file. Yes, my cards were all pastel shades…what was I thinking?! Anyway, I packed up my rainbow recipe file to take with me to my first home as a married woman, and I baked these as a newlywed. Terry wrote “I love you!” on it around that time, so of course, I can’t part with it this old recipe card.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

*1/2 tsp. baking powder

*1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. chocolate chips

(*Omit these if using self-rising flour)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°
Stir together shortening, margarine, sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.
Stir dry ingredients together (unless using self-rising flour) in a separate bowl then add to shortening mixture.
Add chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until brown.
Cool on wire racks.
Serve with milk. (I think it’s a federal law or something.)

Yes, yes, I’m prejudiced. I sure am proud of my “cookie girl”.

My Parents’ Love

Valerie Basham

10 comments

January 15, 2013

I got my rings repaired last week. My wedding rings had gotten too small – a half size too small – thanks to my last pregnancy. Or maybe it was thanks to fifteen years and five pregnancies? Anyway, it was so exciting to get them repaired! The pink heart ring was given to me by my parents when I was sixteen. I had circled it in a catalog and placed it strategically in their path. A subtle hint of what I was hoping to get for Christmas. My tactic worked, because I got it! It was called “Pink Ice”. Don’t you just love that name? When I was sixteen, “pink ice” was all the rage. This ring is special because my parents gave it to me so long ago. It is also special because it saved my finger.

It’s an interesting story. My husband and I got married on Friday, January 2, 1998. On Sunday, January 4, 1998, we went to our first church service as husband and wife. We had borrowed his dad’s brown Chevy truck for some reason. As I was climbing into the truck, I placed my right hand on the edge of the roof for support as I got in the passenger side. Terry was opening the door for me. I hadn’t yet moved my hand when BAM! He slammed the door before I’d moved! The weight of the door came crushing against my ring finger on my right hand, squeezing my pink ice ring tightly around my finger. I pulled my hand out, somehow, and sat hunched over in the seat. He didn’t even know what he’d done until he got in to drive. One look at my ring – and finger – and he was aghast! He helped me pull it off and off we went to church. Later, he took some pliers and pulled the ring back into more of a circle shape. Miraculously, it didn’t damage the stone! It did loosen it, though, so I was very careful when wearing it from then on. Finally, fear of losing the stone became too great. I stored it away for safe keeping until I could get the stone tightened.

You know how inconvenient it is to go to a jewelry store to get a pink ice ring repaired? Well, it must have been hard for me, because it took thirteen years! When Terry said, “Let’s get your wedding rings fixed.” I immediately remembered my pink ice ring, patiently waiting in my small brown jewelry box. It cost me only $4 to have it tightened and polished! I now have the pleasure of wearing it once again!

My pink ice ring is a special to me in many ways:

It is a reminder of my parents’ love. They bought it for me just because I wanted it. It was not a symbol of purity, like many girls get from their parents, it was a symbol of unconditional love. Though, purity was something my parents taught me with their lives, that’s not what this gift meant. I just meant “love”. (And I did go to my wedding altar pure.)

My ring is a reminder of the strength of my parents’ love. My parents had to be strong to raise me. Just as my ring withstood the pressure of a truck door slamming against it, my parents withstood my stubbornness, lovingly guiding me onto the path of life.

My ring reminds me of the beauty of my parents’ love. Dad is in heaven now, but whenever my ring catches a gleam of light and reflects it, I remember the twinkle of his eyes. With every sparkle of sunlight shining onto the pink stone, I’m reminded of the spark of my mother’s wit and wisdom.

My ring reminds me of the stability of my parents’ love. The dolls they gave me are stored away, some of them have a few stains. Though I do still enjoy looking at them and remembering my childhood, that part of me didn’t last. The host of other toys they bought me are long gone, too! But the gold of my ring has lasted. The beauty of the pink, sparkly stone is something I still think is pretty. I will love it, and enjoy it, until the day I die. Just like the love of a mother and father for their child. It has stood the tests of time, the trials of life, and it will last.

My ring reminds me that my parents’ love is always with me. I used to wear my pink ice ring on my left hand ring finger. On September 11, 1997, it got moved over to my right hand to make room for my engagement ring. Just as a daughter’s love for her mother and father – and their love for her – never goes away, neither will my pink ice ring. I will always have a place for it. It may get “moved over”, but it never gets “put away” for good.

This ring is more to me than just a decoration. This ring speaks to me loud and clear. It says, “Wherever you go, whatever you do, you were loved once. And you will be loved forever.”

The New Year

Valerie Basham

6 comments

January 11, 2013

Just thought I’d pop in and share a random post on things I’m striving for in the New Year. I hate to be too specific, as in say, weight loss goals, because I find myself getting discouraged if I don’t hit the mark. I only lost twelve pounds last year, but that’s okay. It’s better than gaining twelve. And since I hadn’t set a strict goal – I simply wanted to be healthier in 2012 – I am successful! I only worked out 59 days (give or take a few) last year, so to improve this year, I want to at least double that number. That’s probably the most specific goal I’ve set for the New Year.

So, here are a few ideas rattling around in this brain of mine:

N– Never say never. Try new things.
E– Engage myself with my children more.
W– Wonder at God’s creation. From a tiny lady bug to the, fluffy, white clouds, God’s handiwork is to be admired.

Y– Yearn to be closer to God.
E– Encourage my friends and readers.
A– Adapt to any situation without complaint.
R– Remember my dad daily, and strive to keep his legacy alive.

Those are my thoughts; I’d love to hear yours! Happy Friday!

This is My {Game of} Life

Valerie Basham

10 comments

January 7, 2013

Last week, while my in-laws were here, we enjoyed a few family game nights. Games are a fun way to spend time with your loved ones. It’s also a great opportunity to teach good sportsmanship and how to get along with others. During a game of Phase 10 (which I’m terrible at, by the way), we talked about the Game of Life. It brought back memories. I loved that game. I only asked for it for Christmas one year because I saw on the commercial that you could have twins. It was right around the time I asked for twin Cabbage Patch Dolls, but they were all sold out everywhere. Two pink pegs would be almost as good as twin dolls, I thought. Besides, if you got twins in the Game of Life, perhaps you would in real life, I mused. I was nine years old. Nine-year-olds think that games are crystal balls. So, you can see the mere mention of this game brought back happy memories.

While my husband and I were out for our 15th anniversary, I mentioned that I wanted to buy the game for our family. I mulled it over and started to change my mind as we stood in the toy aisle at Walmart. Terry made the call: “Buy it.”, he stated. So we did.

Friday night, we pulled it out and played it with our kids. I was looking for an opportunity to use my camera, so I took about seventeen…hundred photos of the event.

This is the Game of Life. Not to be confused with real life. Or crystal balls.

Dad helped us get it all set up. He was also our banker. He did a great job doling out our thousands to us.

Mitchell is getting ready.

It’s all about the spin, baby.

I bought a small cape house and chose a career in law. Then, I lost my job (waa!) and had to become a Vet.

I feel sorry for those animals. I can’t stand to touch animals. And I’m allergic to cats. I’ve had experience with goats, but…that didn’t go well.

I’m makin’ progress. (I’m the purple car!) I had a boy!

My real life “pink peg” and my man.

Sometimes Life doesn’t go so well.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Matthew was having his daily media brainwash session.

LOOK! I had TWINS! Thank you, thank you! I’m so excited! I am looking forward to raising these wee pegs into fine, upstanding stick people!

After having another boy, my little purple car is full!

While we played the game, Laci, who is not really old enough to play, became a bit distracted. She’s showing me a cut on her hand, in the vicinity of where her thumb is pointing. I never found it. But she insisted it was there.

There was a lot of downtime, since we had to wait for four other players to take their turns. Mitchell showed me his robot arm dance move.

He also read a book and ate a bowl of oyster crackers…which he spilled and cleaned up.

Poor Laci! She’s heartbroken that Lauren didn’t sue her.

Matthew is dropping by to check up on us. “Gettin’ a little loud in here!”

I set my camera on top of the table and pressed the button. It took this photo on auto! I thought it just looked….cool.

This is Laci, shocked to learn that she had sued Mitchell twice. And yes, she was there for the whole thing. Honest.

“What? When did I do that?”

“About twenty minutes ago.”

“NO! I mean, what time did I sue him?”

“7:40-ish.”

She never did believe me.

She started out okay. She was keeping her head (sorta) in the game.

But then, she drifted.

She began to read the rules. Which would have been fine, if she could read that well. But she can’t.

She crawled under the table.

She made faces, like this one.

And this one.

“Take one of me doing this.”

Leslie ended up winning the game with over two million dollars! She also helped Laci by showing her how to pay off her mortgage. A sweet sister, for sure.

I did okay, too! I had just slightly less than Leslie. *sigh* If only real life were this way.

I was really pleased with how my camera handled these indoor shots. I haven’t mastered the settings for taking clear manual indoor photos yet, so I set my dial on “Auto”, but turned the flash off. If I had taken these photos with my old camera, they would have had an orange tint (cast off from the orangy-brown walls), or been too dark. My Nikon’s auto settings worked beautifully.

Oh, and while I didn’t have twins in real life, I did have five children. So one thing from the game did come true: my car is full!

Ministry Musings: My True Calling

Valerie Basham

6 comments

January 6, 2013

It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted anything in my “Ministry Musings” series. Thoughts are jotted down on scraps of paper, in my journals and on my heart, but few have made it to the screen. I hope to get started back again, as the Lord is just recently teaching me some wonderful lessons.

One lesson I’m working on is one that I should have mastered a while back; it’s one of the fundamentals. It is the answer to this question: What is my calling? So much of my life last year was dominated by discouragement and hopelessness. As I prayed, read my Bible and waited on God, I came to the understanding that my problem was that I had forgotten what my true calling was. I’d gotten wrapped up in problems that were not my own. It may not be a bad thing to carry others’ burdens, especially when they’re your husband’s burdens, but the truth is, I cannot control things that I do not have control of. Profound, isn’t it? I am not the pastor of the church. Yes, I am one flesh with the pastor of my church, but I still possess my own realm of responsibilities separate from his. My calling is being a wife (first) and mother (second). That’s it. My calling does sometimes overlap into my husband’s calling. Sometimes he needs help with something regarding his work. Not often, but sometimes. It is my job, and my delight, to assist him. However, I often don’t stop there. I continue pushing my nose into his business. This leads to learning about problems I wouldn’t normally know about. This, in turn, leads to stress and worry and fear in my heart. My beginning was good, but my ending, not so much. I am working on this. I want to help him, then walk away; end my involvement after my work is done. Some knowledge of bad things is unavoidable, but I don’t want to dig for it. Trouble will find me without my hunting for it! (Yes, I hear those of you who know me shouting “AMEN!” You can stop now. No running the aisles!)

Seven years ago, when we were just starting to look for a church to pastor, my husband talked to many pulpit committees. A question that popped up over and over was this: What does your wife do in the ministry? My husband’s answer has always pleased me. He said then, and would say now, “She is my wife. She is a mother. She does work in the church, but only jobs that I would expect any lady in the church to do.” For example, I teach Sunday School. If we had a choir, I would participate. If there is a need to bring food for something, I will gladly pitch in. I go soul-winning or canvassing. I work in the nursery. These are jobs that all ladies should participate in. I do not “lead” women just because I’m the pastor’s wife. I have lead Bible studies and things like that, but it is not mandatory. After seven years in the pastorate, I have decided that it’s best for me not to lead ladies functions. Not right now. My true ministry – my true calling – keeps me busy enough. There may come a season of life when I can do more, but that time is not now.

I’m planning on focusing this new year on my calling as a wife and mother. I am spending more time with my children, enjoying this all-too-brief time with them. I am trying to be a better wife, to be a joy to my husband. These are my goals; this is my calling.

I Hate Goodbyes

Valerie Basham

10 comments

January 5, 2013

My in-laws came all the way from Ohio to see us this last week. Today, they had to go home. I was able to block out the the packing and the loading of the vehicle. I sat on my bed with my fingers in my ears and my eyes squeezed shut. Okay, not really, but the thought crossed my mind. I knew that loading the vehicle meant that soon they would be gone. The place in the driveway where the big blue truck was parked would be vacant. Their company and conversation would be over. Life would be normal again…well, as normal as it gets for us. I sat thinking sad thoughts when suddenly, it was time. My heart started pounding. I got teary. We hugged goodbye. I cried. Terry led in prayer. And then, that feeling came. The feeling when you get to the end of a great story, but you just hate to see it end.

Yeah, that feeling.

They got in their truck. It was at that moment that I felt the strong desire to jam my feet into the closest pair of shoes, grab my baby boy and dash outside to wave goodbye. I hollered (because that’s what we do in the south) to my children to come out and wave, too.

We all stood out in the driveway and waved.

And we yelled out “Goodbye! We love you!”

And they waved and yelled back from the passenger side window.

Granddad honked the horn.

Goodbye, Grandma, Granddad and Great Gramma! We love you.

Come back soon.

Please.

My New Hobby

Valerie Basham

15 comments

January 4, 2013

I have been “window shopping” for a nice camera for a while now. Last year, the price of the one I wanted was…well, way too much for my budget. So, I just kept dreaming. Then, a miracle occurred! The camera I’d been eyeing dropped in price by almost half! I saved up every penny I could, and, with a some help from my tall, dark and handsome husband, I was able to purchase my Nikon D3100 DSLR camera on my fifteenth anniversary! It’s my first ever DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera. I know absolutely nothing about photography. From what I’ve been reading, it can be tricky – balancing aperture and shutter speed, ISO, diopter, exposure – and so much more that it hurts my brain to think about it.

I tried taking pictures inside my home right after I bought it, but that was a disaster. However, I was delighted to see some decent results with my outdoor shots. These photos are not perfect by any means, and I know that. But, I’m just so excited to have begun the process of understanding my DSLR, that I just had to share my first feeble efforts with you!

I read that using a large aperture would bring my subject into focus while the background was blurry, which is the look I wanted. I was so happy when that’s the effect I got in this photo of Laci! I know, it’s a bit washed out and perhaps not perfectly focused, but, you can see her and the background is…wait for it… blurry!

I did edit this photo a bit. It was too dark for my taste, so I used Picasa to brighten it up a smidge. I just loved how the sun’s rays are so dynamic in this picture of our church. I used a small aperture for this one, which was supposed to bring everything into focus, which it did! I know, it’s not perfect, but to be my first time, I’m pleased.

I played around with Laci for these photos -she’s showing her many faces: sad, happy, angry and surprised. Again, a bit washed out. I could have edited it to even it out, but I decided to leave it as-is, so I could remember what my first pictures looked like. I hope to compare them later on and find that I’ve improved my skills.

I hope. (crossing fingers and wishing upon a star)

I’m just so thrilled to have a new hobby! Raising five children, homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, reading, blogging and writing just wasn’t enough to fill my time.

Adios,