The Story Garden with Mrs. Sandoz

The first Advent Sunday is only a week away.  If you haven't done so already now is the time to start preparing for this special time of putting flesh on Christ.  Today, in our Quaker meeting house, I shared a story I wrote about a personal experience I had with the Incarnation of Christ to help transition us into the Advent season.  I'm sharing it with you all below.   Enjoy! Kristen A Window By Kristen S. Sandoz     It was a dry, hot, African day.   I was headed to a birthday party with my African friends in the up-country of Kenya.   I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing my Levis so I put on the only skirt I had and a coordinating blue T-shirt.   I gave it a second thought and decided to don a necklace with a praying hands pendant, hoping I could dress up my humble outfit with one of the few pieces of jewelry I had brought.   There wasn’t much improvement but I had tried.   Once we reached N...

Ch 3: On the Day of Pearl's Birth By Kristen S. Sandoz 2012 Here we are once again with an adventure before us.   You have met in earnest the Witch Hazel.   However, I’m sure by this time you have so many questions about our heroine Pearl.   How did she come to live with her Aunt Hazel and what happened to her parents?   Were they dead?   Did they abandon her?   Were they really a king and queen? She is a princess, right?   How can this be?   Well, your questions are very insightful, reader, and you will be shocked at the story I have to tell you regarding Pearl.   Be sure you are not reading this up past your bedtime for once you start on this part of the story you will not be able to stop until I have finished.   I would not have you get in trouble on account of me for reading when you should be sleeping.    Well, she is a dear girl!   Truly the daughter of a king.   She does not know this, of cours...

Ch. 2: The Witch Hazel   By Kristen S. Sandoz 2012             Let us start our story today by returning to Hazel and Pearl.   They were both highly regarded among the Outcasters for not only their wisdom and understanding but also for the healing power of their voices.   You can only imagine the intense and melodic sound that comes from one young and radiant voice and one old and, shall I say, well-worn voice.   It is as if the two juxtaposed sounds stirred themselves together into a rich and nourishing formula.   All who came and drank of this formula knew they found a fountain in which to renew their tired souls, weary hearts, and worn bodies.   Of course, the content of the songs Hazel and Pearl sang were of only good, faithful and uplifting things and this helped the hearer in unexpected ways.   One would come to listen to the two ladies sing because of the sound of their voices, but...

Sometimes I get it right.  Not often but sometimes.  It feels so good!  Lately Thing Two has been feeling bad about himself.  He tries to punish himself for being "bad" and gets into these funks where he can't seem to find anything good about himself.  This is so heartbreaking.  Especially as he is my birthday boy (born on my birthday) and can be as sweet as pie!  (I actually called him Baby Pie as an infant).  Like many of us he has believed a lie and follows its trail. So what did I do right?  Instead of lecturing Thing Two on how good I thought he was I played a game with him.  I made it up on the fly.  It's called "I'm Good".  It worked too!  I have to brag because probably 90% of the time I'm beating myself up for getting it wrong.  It just seems so rare to actually feel like I'm doing something good for my boys.  Hmm...guess I need this game too! Here it is. I'm Good Game To Play: Each player ta...

It's cold and flu season and I am excited to tell you about a book that I love this time of year. If you've ever bought a Traditional Medicinal Tea like "Throat Coat" or  "Gypsy Cold Care" you are using a version of something you can make right at home.  Traditional Medicianals was started by Rosemary Gladstar a prominant herbalist.  She wrote a book called Herbal Recipes which has been published for many many years now.  That, however, is not the book I am reviewing today.  Today I want to introduce you to  A Kid's Herb Book; for children of all ages by Lesley Tierra.  If you are a beginner herbalist this is a great book for you, especially if there are children in your life.  Tierra covers 16 basic herbs used for treating illnesses and injuries. Herbs like Mullein; the ear and lung herb, Comfrey; the bone knit herb, Dandelinon; the weed that strengthens, and Licorice; the peace making herb. On this adventure you are accompanied by...

I am about to begin a great adventure with you.  An adventure that is about courage, faith, love, perseverance, and all good things that heroes and heroines must have.  It will not be easy but the journey will be worth it.  I am about to share with you some very personal stories I made up for my boys.  When Thing One was just a wee babe I kept myself busy thinking up stories about a blind boy name Justly while I nursed him late at night.  I gave Justly all the things I hoped for my newborn son.  As he got older I began to tell him these stories in hopes of shepherding his character. I don't know if it will work but I know he, as well as his younger brother, and hopefully his still younger brother to come, beg me to tell them more Justly Stories, as they have come to be known in our home.  I hope you love them too! Happy Tales! Kristen Ch. 1 The Justly Stories: a mother's bedtime tale By Kristen S. Sandoz 2012 Once upon a time in ...

Sometimes we get to laughing an awful lot during our story telling.   Other times a great story is created that we hope to remember for the future.  I have found myself wishing I could immediately capture these moments for posterity.   But alas!   The dishes or laundry or poopy mess in the bathroom calls and I don’t have time to write it all down.   Then the moment is gone.   It’s so sad! Enter my smart phone.   I discovered it has a voice-recording app.   How cool is that!   So now all I have to do is turn it on while we play story games at dinner or when I tell my boys a bedtime tale.   So simple!   Of course if you don’t have a smart phone I don’t know what you could do.   Perhaps a good ol' fashioned tape player? Enjoy! Kristen