Thank you for opening my first newsletter!
Notes from Me
+Reading: Joy Ike’s article “Grow Deep, Not Wide.” She writes about how being an artist has shifted for her over the course of the pandemic. Here’s a passage where she thinks about the implications of gardening on our spiritual life:
“The thing about growing deep is that it can’t be measured—not by standardized, mainstream, capitalist standards. Growing downward happens in hidden space, beneath the level of others’ awareness. But the deeper the root grows, the stronger it becomes. And the stronger it becomes, the better its fruit will be. And each seed from its fruit will bear even more fruit. Good fruit! The return is exponential, and the generative cycle never ends. Pure abundance. It’s immeasurable.”
+Reading: When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada. She talks about hard-fought contentment.
“If you only try to stave off discontentment, you will fail miserably. Unless you add the massive promise of superior happiness in God, you can subtract all the desires you please and you’ll still be restless.”
Then later,
“Gaining contentment does not mean losing sorrow or saying goodbye to discomfort. Contentment means sacrificing itchy cravings to gain a settled soul […] Contentment requires enormous strength.”
+Music: Moving to this song is my favorite way to start a weekend.
With the Kids
+Reading: Baby Monkey Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin hits home with all three of my sons (ages 2, 4, and 6). It is engaging, funny, and satisfying to read aloud together.
+Strategy We Tried: On a whim a couple of months ago I listened to Julie Bogart’s podcast episode “Tips and Tricks to Calm Down.” She talked about a way to help kids regulate their breathing when they feel frustrated or anxious. Her tip (from 101 Brain Breaks and Brain Based Educational Activities) was to take a couple of scraps of paper and make a game of blowing them side by side down a table. Whoever blows the scrap off the opposite end of the table scores. Playing the game forces deep breaths which helps the unsettled one reset and relax. I tried this the next day with my six-year-old son who was feeling overwhelmed by his reading lesson. The game changed his mood immediately and we both sat back down in our chairs afterwards relieved and a little giggly (he wasn’t the only one who was reset). We’ve played this game many times since then. I’m glad to have this strategy in my back pocket.
In the Kitchen
+Recipe: Here is our favorite type of chocolate chip cookie (based on my mother in law’s recipe). We often serve this a la mode as dessert when we host friends. I double the recipe and keep scoops of cookie dough in freezer bags. I use coconut (either sugar coated or unsweetened coconut work here), but you could also use other nuts. I usually add extra vanilla extract and chocolate chips no matter what the recipe says.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 2/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. coconut
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat butter, shortening, and sugars until creamy
Add eggs and vanilla, beat in well
Stir in flour, soda, salt, then coconut and chips
(Note: I usually chill the dough at least 30 minutes before baking the cookies)
Drop by standard-sized ice cream scoop onto greased cookie sheet
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, rotating cookies sheets halfway through
Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet, then remove to cooling rack
Small Joy
+Lately my youngest son inserts “some” into his questions. For example, “Could I have some book?” or “Could I have some hug?” or “Could I have some little Goldfish?” I’m treasuring this habit of his.
Until next month,
-Susie
P.S. This is delightful.
*the picture at the top is of the cake my sons decorated for my birthday last month.
Congratulations on your launch Susie! Reading this was truly refreshing.