Marthon

I ran and finshed my Marathon in Oct.
It was fun!
26.2 miles in 5.55, it was a mere 98 degrees at the finish line when I crossed.

New Year, New experiences at the SC

So the blog has been very badly neglected. No surprise there; as this blog does not require food, water or bathing, like all the other beings I manage in my life.

The SasserCollinses have had lots of changes this past 8 months. For one, Jeremy finished school, and has taken a job with a consulting firm. He works remotely most of the time. We feel very blessed that he was able to get a job in the current times, when so many are out of work.

I finished training for my marathon, and ran it on Oct. 2 in St. George, Utah. In 5 hours 55 minutes (and 22 seconds), in 95 degree heat, and I still look forward to running another. :)

Our other major transition is more recent. So often we have questioned: How do we inspire our kids to greatness? How do we instill our value system and love of learning? How do we raise leaders who question, and think critically about the issues of the day? Especially now when they are so impressionable? But being in public school, their day-to-day major influences (classmates, teachers, etc) are from outside of the home. We've seen our daughter come home frustrated about school, learning and not wanting to talk about her experiences.

I really want our children to love learning, for the sake of learning--not struggle with it and just "get by." I want my child to help direct their own education rather than fit some one else' standards (especially someone in Washington!). I really want our children to remember each and everyday, because they wrote about the fun things they did rather than come home and hope we don't ask them about it. So...We have chosen to opt-out of the public education system and become a home-schooling family. This has been a long time coming, and an idea that we have revisited over and over in our lives as parents.

So here we are, armed with great books, number games, a "happy phonics" program that gets the kids hoping, slithering, and climbing to learn and we are blessed by a huge home-schooling group here locally. We are exploring the world and learning together, I think the way our children would want it; and it has already shown it's rewards in a stronger relationship, and excitement about what we will learn next!

This is the conference we are looking to attend with a couple families in the area. And here's a video about TJED...

An Education to Match our Mission (excerpt from "What is TJEd?") from Thomas Jefferson Education on Vimeo.

Baby Chicks and a green house.

So I have not updated the blog lately, spring seems to be a very busies time of year around here. For easter we got five bamtom chicks, that have grown there feathers and are going to be transferred to the hen house to night. Hopefully all goes well.
There is lots coming up in the garden, pees, spinach, chard, radishes, onions, carrots, and lots of strawberry plants. Also the raspberry bush has leaves. We got lots of blooms on our creey trees and the apercott, so hopfully they will frut a little this year. I do not have high hopes, since this is just there first full year. I will still be reling on frinds with over abundances this year for jam.
But the really big news, and I mean really big... Jeremy is building a green house. I was under the impression it would be a hoop over one bed, but no it is larger than our bed room, and has three beds inside. Ya' the man has no small dreams.
I hope to have some pitchers up of all the new soon.
Till than Happy planting..
-p.s. there are last baby plants all over my kitchen table and in the window of my bed room. (It is my only south facing window)

Vegetable Companion Chart

Bush Beans	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Strawberry, Savory, Tansy, Marigold	Onion
Pole Beans	Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Savory, Tansy	Beets, Onion
Beets	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Sage
Cabbage Family	Bush Beans, Beets, Celery, Onions, Tomato, All Strong Herbs, Marigold, Nasturtium	Strawberry
Carrots	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Radish, Tomato, Sage	Dill
Celery	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Spinach, Tomato
Corn	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Cucumber, Melons, Peas, Squash	Tomato
Cucumbers	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, Radish, Marigold, Nasturtium, Savory	No Strong Herbs
Eggplant	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Spinach
Lettuce	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumbers, Onion, Radish, Strawberries
Melons	Corn, Nasturtium, Radish
Onion	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Pepper, Squash, Strawberries, Tomato, Savory	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Peas
Parsley	Tomato
Peas	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Radish, Turnips	Onion
Pepper	Onion
Radish	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Squash	Hyssop
Spinach	Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower
Squash	Corn, Onion, Radish
Strawberry	Bush Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Spinach	Cabbage
Tomato	Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Onion, Mint	Corn, Fennel

Above is a chart of companyon planting, or plant that if planted together are benafficula. This is really helpfull if you are planting in small space gardens. Happy Planting!!

Some life

Wearing both Cassy and Wyatt in the sling.

Baby wearing,

Wyatt playing so hard he passed out.


Me as a fairy birth day queen.

So I have a seven Year old..

Yes it is true, my daughter is seven, and that makes me a mother of a child who will be out of the house in eleven years. But I am not looking ford to that.
Mothering my daughter has been the biggest challenge in my life to date. She and I are very much a like, and this brings out the worst of my demons.
I was 23 years old when she was born, and way to self centred to healthy give the way you have to to a newborn, and thus this is how our relationship began. She a very strong willed, adventures, loving, passionate child. Never meeting a stranger, always exploring the world. and I tried to do my best, and I do the best I can at the time. I just hope we will be friends when she is grown, and can for give me for my short comings.
At the age of seven she is a power house of energy. She loves to perform, has an eminence imagination. She is always making up her own plays, songs, and performing them. Just the other day she was singing a song in the car that went "I can sing this song over and over agen, over agen, over agen" and so it went. I was to say the lest very annoying, but it just made me smile, and laugh.
I hope the sprite to create never leaves this child. I love her so much, and I really hope I can glide her with out killing her spirit. There are so many times in her life, I just do not have a clue on what to say or do.

We had a princes party. It rocked with a pink princess B-day cake and all.

What is art?

What is art? Every one of my advanced level class in collage stared with this question from the professor. And a round robin of bubbling answers wold fallow from the class. We might argue a little, say art is the definition of space and form as it imposed it self on the world. Or Art is an artist interpretation of the world around her. (Yeas I am so bold of a feminist to use her) There would never be a definitive answer. We live in a post modern world, art is or can be any thing, or nothing. I graduated in May of 2002. I guess the new art movement is post 9/11.
I would stumble around this question. I believe it is the same as, who is god? Or what is the meaning of life? The answer in only the answer to who is answering it, and everyone wants a answer.
My four year old told me the other day.. “Mommy you are and artist because you sew pretty things on your sewing machine.” It made my hart smile
I am an artist, one who used to wild a torch and hammer on steal, than turned mother. I have not picked up a torch in 7 years. But do I look at the world any differently? Well of course I do, no one should live seven years with out changing a perspective or two. That would be sad.
I am an artist because I approach the world in a way that interprets it, and spits some thing back out. I wield cloth and cake batter now instead of bronze or steal. I experiment on dinner, birthday cakes, my kids (for better or worse) to see what will happen. I live in constant cayuse, and love it. I experiences the place and space I call home, and learn from it.
What is art?
Art is what is left, once someone has lived, and not just breathed. Art can be felting or as lasting as stone. (By the way the Greek bronze would still be hear had the Romans not melted them down, inferior Romans, made there statues out of marble, it cracks, and is pores, bad for a peninsula where it rains)
I may be draw three pitchers on quality paper a year. Last year I can think of two. I am pretty critical of the fact that I am not “in the art world” so to speak. I stared a juried art show three years ago, that has yet to decline a piece because it get so little work.
So what is art? I am one of throws people who still believes art is beautiful. But it does not have to be refined. It can and offend is sad. Art can make a statement, about the world, or just it's self. Thank you Mr. Polick.
Yet when I sit down in my studio, and let all the random things around me come together in to some shape. Siting there in the sunshine with no interruptions, I tap in to the god with in, and out comes something new, the world has not seen. And my four year old, call it art. So maybe I am an artist?