Should be baking

but I'm not. Should be working on "the renovation room".....but I'm not. Instead I'm watching my eldest son ( he is JUST 10!) taking the tractor out with a bale on it for the beef. His father yelling last second instructions and letting him take yet more steps into the realm of being a man. I'm SO proud of him. His gentle heart, yet full of mischief and fun.

                                      Eathon climbing small rock walls in early Fall

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We just celebrated Thanksgiving with a small crowd this year, but ever so thankful that we are all home and healthy! Was awesome to open our home, to have it filled with laughter and jokes, good food and family. Someone mentioned to me how we were such a tight family, always seeming to do stuff together. Well...took me a couple of weeks before I pondered what she had said and realized how thankful I am for family. Two years ago, we ended up having a total of 3 Thanksgiving feasts. One just wasn't enough, ha!

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This has been the BEST year yet of homeschooling. Finally seem to have a system everyone likes and is excelling at. Both boys are free to do more scheduling of there day which in turns builds responsibility. Reading is improving but even better is the attitude towards reading. So hard for this Momma to learn, I was the girl who would pile 30 books on the librarians desk just to see if I could. I LOVED to read, the adventure, the turmoil, the geography covered while snuggled in blankets in my bed. One day, perhaps they too will love it as much!   

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                                                Eleven years....where did they go?

It can't seriously be eleven years, right? What do you say....we have fun! Goofing off and teasing is daily, we get upset at each other and we are much better at listening and forgiving. We are so thankful for God's grace, His melding together of two people. Pretty sure its only going to get better!

Months of stretching

Been a bit since I last posted, amazing what lives we live and how they change. Sometimes bit by bit and others by leaps that hurt and are exhilarating all at the same time. I read this book recently and it seemed to be an answer to those nagging questions rolling around in my head. What is true happiness? Am I doing all I can for God, serving Him with everything I have? Why do I feel as though life sometimes slips through my fingers with missed opportunities?

Recently joy has been my word to go to, to live life with joy. This has worked well, until I get tired, till I feel like I'm the only one with joy and everyone else is just draining me till I'm a dry hollow shell. Then, well it can get ugly. The answer is not so easy to get to...and yet SO simple. Instead of trying to be joy for my husband, for my kids ( and it is amazing how my attitude influences everyone around me) I am to live fully, serve fully in this moment for HIM. When I crack, I am forgiven, by HIM. When I think, there is no more in me, it is remembered - HE gives all, it is not within my grasp to give anything, but HE gives all. Grace, Love, Joy. And I am filled up with His love.

chilllllllyyyyyy

today is chilly. Not cold, not frigid, just chilly. I'm putting in plea's every once in a while for the wood stove to be lit, but I can't complain as the cook stove IS going and we huddle around it in a warmth inducing stupor.

What I can do is go out and help cut and split some wood, which will do two things. One, it will clean up our hideous back yard/man area that is not suppose to be even looked upon by me for cleaning, flowers or anything outside man world. Two, it will get these jiggly thighs and butt in gear to burn a few precious calories and....make me all warm!

9th Anniversary

Today is our 9th year of being married, 10 years to the day when we went on our first very nervous and very long date ( it was over 9 hours...) I think we both knew from the first that we had a very similar drive, interests and all those pleasantries that make a marriage more amiable, but. What attracted me most to my husband was that he was a man bought by God, created by God and submitted to God.

For our special day....we are doing what we love to do! Taking care of our kids, our animals, checking in with our Amish neighbor, ordering potatoes for this winter and relaxing early. We both could not decide on anything more special than this.

Each year finds us closer, we ride the heady heights and crash to the valleys where we need Him to remind us why we are married and to whom, a sinner.

Today at 2am this morning I was foggily awakened ( really anyone seeing me this early in the morning know that you can have an entire conversation with me in which I will nod, give answers, everything - all the while still asleep!) to a very tight hug and a whispered " I love you"