Here we go....again!!

Kind of giggling at my last post bragging about changes "coming soon!" ...written in 2013!!

Yes...the "itch" is back - I'm feeling the need to get all of these things swimming in my mind and heart into the written word.  A couple of friends suggested I dust off the keyboard and give it another go...so, here I am! (Thanks Chari and BethAnne!! We'll soon see if it was a good idea or not!) ;)

Truth is, I'm hating Facebook.

Lordy, the people!  The PEOPLE!  And I'm just too insecure, immature, neurotic...whatever the answer really is...to deal with the hate and vitriol so, aside from closing and re-opening my silly account four or five times (to the point that my own sister-in-law asked this last time, "Weren't we already friends!?" and the fact that I have yet to hear back from my own mother after I sent her a friend request!)...it's all just gotten plain 'ol tiring!

The homestead is in full swing for Spring and I can't think of anything I love more than wandering it's perimeters, capturing pictures and memories...and sharing the happenings! :)

Those of you interested in how things work around here...stick around!  For the rest...No "like" buttons around here, or a need to leave feedback - you can just quietly delete the emails and enjoy the rest of your day.

Blissful simplicity and peace!!

Onward and Forward!! :)

Huh, What?!

THERE ARE SOME CHANGES COMING...

;)

Blessings

We're rich, and we know it...

...in blessings of course.

And there's no other day that brings that closer to the heart than on a birthday.

The Conductor told us today was one of the best birthdays ever.  Did he get any expensive gifts? No.  

But boy howdy, did he feel blessed to have such great friends!! 

Did the girls and I go and spend a ton of money on a great big birthday cake, one we felt he truly deserved?

Nope.

It was lopsided, and lumpy, and NOT like the picture it was created to match...

but we're all pretty sure it tasted better than any store-bought cake that's out there!

And did we go out to some fancy restaurant to celebrate the joy we felt in having a husband, a Daddy, who we love so very much that sometimes tears squeeze out of the corners of our eyes when we look at him, or catch him smiling at us - or hear him telling us he's proud of us - and our own smiles erupt?

Nope.

Daddy's favorite restaurant is Ron's Hamburgers.  So, we all worked together to make fried pickles, a super-close imitation of their burgers, and set out an ice cold root beer.  (And we tried hard not to think about the fat, calories, salt, or sugar for a minute.  See...a little hummingbird even snuck in a couple of apples!)

And The Conductor grinned and grinned...and thanked with all his heart.

No, we're not made of money.

But we're rich with blessings for sure!

Exciting News!!!

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. This online curriculum can be useful for those wanting homeschool materials or for those seeking help with topics such as homeschool record keeping. Find out how to write your own review!

Planning...His way...

The kids are with their Dad roaming the woods today while I plot out the lessons for the next week. There is blessed quiet time for me to listen for and to ponder the plan that God has set in my heart for theirs...

But, I find my mind - and my heart - wandering...

How I thank the Lord daily that I found such an amazing man and role model for our girls.  They have already relocated huge tadpoles from a distant pond to the one right by the house in anticipation of future bullfrog adventures amidst the moonlight of warm summer nights to come...

...and have rodeo-ed with the new heifer to find a way to get her velvet-brown week old calf into a safe corner for cooing and petting on. Mission was accomplished with minimal casualty...momma even now chews contentedly on her hay.

And now they are rock climbing on a boulder that could have only been put where it rests by the very hand of God himself...massive, moss-covered, slick...the "girly-squeal" emitting kind when footing gets lost and the distance to the cold stream below is suddenly covered in an instant - only to be halted by that same Hand that created the moment.

The sounds of their homecoming are loud and joyful in the garage - so, my task, though seemingly incomplete has, for now, been finished in a plan book kept by Someone else...and I am glad to be able to join in the noshing of the hungry, happy below.

Blessings...

A box-full of treasures arrived on the Plains today from the illustrious "Grandma of the South." <giggle>

To compliment our study of the Middle Ages, we've got coloring books, paper dolls, sticker scenes, fashion plates, and even a cut-and-assemble full color model of a medieval castle!!  I cannot explain how excited we are to get started... especially me as instructions called for an X-ACTO knife, which I did not possess (how that is humanly possible at my age, I'm not sure) so NEW TOOLS had to be bought! :):):) Woot Woot!!

 

And to top it all off, these great "old-timey" books (okay, one is from the '50's - I'm sure there are those of you who will take offense...please don't!!) but the youngest looked at me and said, "They did stuff like this way back then!?"  Couldn't help but smile...

Anyway, it looks like we have hours of fun ahead exploring simple but "cool" experiments like snuffing candles with soap bubbles (using a soap concoction we make ourselves!) playing with static electricity and mothballs and corks, defying gravity with marbles and coins, and so much more!  There's even a section explaining magic.  (The oldest just about squealed with delight!!) 

The "Hobby Fun Book" is filled with fun with pets, plants, water, air, paper (including making "log" cabins with rolled up paper, cardboard doll-houses, covered wagons, tee-pees - oh my!) painting, modeling, chemistry and electricity!

Bravo to these great editors for re-introducing the classics for our homeschool adventures!

Mom got all of these and more from Dover Publishing - we're so excited about their website and products that we're bragging about them...just because!  Can't say enough about the products they supply...

....aand - we can't thank our southern Grandma enough for sending them!

**Yes, Mom...I promise to take pictures every step of the way! :) **

Weight Loss

This has been a big week for me...I've lost a ton of weight!!

No...my clothes aren't fitting any differently and I'm not counting calories anymore.  But I feel so much lighter and freer all the same.

I've wrestled for several years now with a calling, a voice in my heart and my soul that was asking me to change...to be more...to go places and do things I hadn't been able to do because of my own insecurity and fears, to trust and to believe without overthinking...to let go...

...and I hadn't been able to do it.  Most of the time I argued with that voice and I pushed it away.  Other times I re-read the invitation and pondered it a bit...of course, doing what I do best, reading and researching; trying to validate and explain and find a way to make my mind accept.

I was unsuccessful for years.

I was afraid others that I loved dearly would judge me.

I was convinced that I could never live up to the expectations placed on me.

I was terrified of giving up my control...

and I felt heavy.   I felt tired. 

Until...finally...I gave in.  I gave up.  And I lost.

And in doing so, I've finally been able to receive and accept the most amazing gift I have ever gotten...or ever will again...for all of eternity...salvation.

With His unending help, I've shed the weight of the fear I had of my own brokenness.  I have lost the desire to control the things I have no power over.  I am free of the temptation to explain away my faith for fear, or for discomfort...

AND I WANT TO SHOUT IT TO THE WORLD!!!  :)  (Joy is good like that, isn't it?!)

...am I suddenly perfect?  Far from it!! Will I never be afraid, or doubtful, or angry again??  In all honesty, I know that's not true now more than ever.

But I am truly ready to say that...

I believe the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am ready to LIVE like I MEAN it!

"For I am not ashamed of the good news about Christ.  It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes." Romans 1:16 (NLT)

I believe.

And I feel as light as air because of it... 

Onward and Forward!!

Monday's Mantra...

"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
-Hebrews 6:7

We're seeking all of God's blessings this year in our new garden...

...the kind of blessings that you can only find on your knees, digging in the dirt!

( Annnd...Just a few minutes after these pictures were taken, we got over an inch of rain!! Amen! )

Solitude...of sorts...

I couldn't wait to get outside with my camera today.  After literally watching the weather change...the cold air got my creative juices flowin'!

I tried my best to remain engaged throughout homeschool lessons, but truth be told, I found myself with my nose squished against the fogging glass more than once...

As soon as the last question was answered, I threw on a coat, grabbed my camera and ran.  A few moments of solitude...alone time with the not-so-silent wind through the tall grass...

...I admit it.  I ran for the hills without looking back and as I celebrated my momentary freedom...

...I heard footsteps.  Two sets of footsteps.

I turned around to find two bundled little faces with big grins.

"Where are ya goin', Mom?"

<sigh>

So...completely unable to waste those grins, I grabbed each kiddo by the arm, whistled for Chloe and off we went.

The trip was a complete success!  I got to reconnect with nature, feel the chill in the air that I've been anticipating for months, and even got to wipe my runny nose on my sleeve a couple of times...but in the end...

it was the company that made it.

Wishing you all the warm and fuzzy feelings I've had so many times today! :)

More great pics to follow!!
Onward and Forward!!

Change

Something about cool weather...Autumn...makes me giddy.  Perhaps it's the suggestion of cozy quilts accompanied by my favorite tea and a good book, or even just a day snuggled in a soft sweater.  Let's just say, it's MY kinda weather! :)

And with that sentiment, I couldn't wait to change the header on my blog.

Until I looked at it again.

That comfy quilt border and the picture of my favorite swing, where many of my inspirations pour into my head as my hair sweeps the ground - toes skyward.

Well, I could part with the picture, mainly because I can still see the swing from where I now sit.  But, the quilt had to stay for one more season.  I'm actually contemplating a project and making that quilt material-ize. <wink, wink>  Maybe then I can part with this aging blog set-up! :)

Until then....from our little family to yours...

"May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!" 
(-an old Irish Blessing)

Onward and Forward