Her Desk

 

My mother’s desk is just a piece of furniture… beautiful selections of oak carved and curved into function. But to me, it represents all she was… when I close my eyes I can still picture her there, sitting in that old gray office chair, talking on the phone to the left and doodling as she went.  

 

It was from this desk that she served God, studied His word, loved and honored her husband, educated her children, was a friend and support to those needing encouragement, organized our home, planned Sunday school lessons, home schooling group activities, wrote a kind individual reward for each one of her forty 4-Hers and created cherished family memories like poems of her grandparents; this was her command station…this was her place.

 

and now... I sit here and receive the blessings that come with doing the same. How I wish she was here to sit with me…but I am grateful for the time we had and value her legacy as I teach it to her grandchildren…from her desk.   

 

 

 

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her

Proverbs 31:28

 

 

*a special thanks to my father who gifted me with this treasured heirloom.

 

Proverbs 31

The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Meals & Recipes

My mother’s cooking was simple but nutritious and plentiful. You’ll be hard pressed to find a visitor to the farm who was not blessed by an invitation to her table. There was always an extra portion. She strived to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
Proverbs 31:5

Her famous Chili has been served each year in December at my father’s Chili Days for his seed customers.
1 lb. of ground beef (browned and drained)
1 8oz can of tomato soup
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 15oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of chili beans

Blend stewed tomatoes. Put everything into a crock pot to heat. Chili powder and minced onion to taste.

Chocolate chip cookies
I love my mom’s chocolate chip cookies and the dough just as much. We always would have to set some dough without the chocolate chips aside for dad. Mom would get so mad at us when dad would come into the kitchen and help us steel the bowl of dough. We would go running through the house with mom screaming behind us.

A few years into our marriage I wanted to make her cookies and I couldn’t find my copy of the recipe. I was shocked when I called my mom for help and she causally says “just grab the chocolate chip bag, the recipes on the back.” “What” I said, “all these years I thought this was your secret recipe.” I think she got a good laugh at that one.

1 c. butter, softened
¾ c. packed brown sugar
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto sprayed cookies sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.


A few other family favorites are

Tater Tot Casserole
1 lb hamburger (browned and drained)
1 can cream of chicken
1 bag tater tots

Mix hamburger and soup mixture together in a baking dish. Add tots on top. Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes or until tots are crisp.

Cavatini

1 lb hamburger (browned and drained)
1 bag of extra wide egg noodles (cooked and drained)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 pepper
1 glove garlic

Mix everything together in a baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Add shredded white cheese on top and bake for additional 5 minutes or until melted.

Her Bible

My mother lived her life for Christ. She purposed in her heart to be devoted to God in all areas of her life. She took seriously the study of the Word while trying to balance her many roles. She looked to my father as the head of their house hold for leadership and encouragement.


Her Bible is very special to me and my goal is to use it to study from with my children in the same way she taught us.















One of the many special things my mother did to pass on the faith to us was putting Bible verses up around the house. She loved stickers and pretty little note pads. All over our home were verses stuck in places were you couldn’t miss them; in the bathroom, next to the kitchen sink and in notes she wrote to us. I quickly memorized these verses seeing them over and over again. They often carried a similar theme of obedience to parents, God and living a wise life. Some of the verses were

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11




She had notes and verses she wanted to remember written in the front and back of her Bible.

On Home Schooling

These are excerpts from a letter my mother wrote to her cousins about home schooling. She wrote this while I was finishing my 9th grade year. I believe her words reflect how much she loved us, her children, and the joy she experienced while educating us.

She writes… “It always seems overwhelming but I feel committed to this. I guess some day when it is all said and done I have to feel good about how I raised my children that is in every area. I hope that I never say “oh, how I wished I’d….”. I can’t tell you if the education is better public vs home, it is a feeling in year heart, and mind just knowing it is the right thing to do.”

Later she describes what some of her days were like… “ There are days the housework never gets done because we don’t stop due to being on a roll. Field trip days we don’t do as much school. I try to cook easy meals. I have to do at least 2-3 loads of laundry a day to keep up. …The first few years I worked through what I liked and didn’t like. Changed rooms where we did school and desks to find the best way to do things. Some times of the day work better then others do. … sometimes things interrupt and you can’t get much done…We work at the kitchen table a lot.”

About our family she shared… “Our kids are close to each other and for the most part enjoy it. The have a wide range of friends in age groups, which is good they can get along in any group of people. I feel our kids are well rounded with a wide variety of ideas.

Her perspective on teaching… “Every opportunity is an educational one. Just turn it into a fieldtrip, or learning experience. This is the case even if they’re in (public) school. I think a lot of people think once their child is in school then their job as a parent and teaching stop. This is not true.”

In closing she writes… “As you can tell I can talk about this subject for a long time and my heart is there…I enjoy the lower ele. levels so much I will miss them when JR is done. I have at least 6 more years. Just today the kids built out of play-dough a volcano and lake with a boat and waves as a project.”

Remembering 3 Years

I made this video as a way of reflecting on the season of life that surrounded us as I experienced my mother’s passing and the years that followed. I started making my video in the spring of 2008 and finished it in 2009. I forgot to mention in my credits that the funeral photos were taken by Richard Lem on behalf of our family.

A gift for Janet

This is a video I made for my mom's sister Janet. They had a very special bond.