New Blog

Once again, too much time has passed without a post. I'm in the process of having a new blog designed and will be switching everything over to it as soon as it's ready. Can't wait to share it with you! Check back often and spread the word.

Today, we are praying for our vehicle. Climbed in the car to come home (from down the road) and it wouldn't start. The more strange part is that it's making lots of weird noises and lights flash sporadically. We're sure it's electrical, but of course, this wasn't in the budget. We're trying pay off the little debt we have and get to a point where we can have some go-to savings. God is our provider! Jehovah-jireh!

Impromptu Repurposing

Last weekend brought warm sunshine, inspiring a "let's work outside" spirit. After some basic clean-up and looking around the yard, I spied this old crate once used to hold firewood. We grabbed some paint (received for free) and slapped it on. Going for a natural weathered look, caution was not our concern. This "grove" of trees has been calling me to make it more of a sanctuary. Just imagine the trees in all their splendor and some beautiful homemade cushions to top our new bench. And with the fabric yet to be chosen, there will be lots of fun there!

Check back over the summer to hopefully see great progress. I have lots of ideas to make this a place of refreshing with inspiration from Mary Jane's Outpost. Check it out and share your outdoor projects!

Odds and Ends

I've been meaning to post for so long that I have a lots of odds and ends to share!

Kids being occupied. Does your dinner table ever look like this? Ugghh.

Wyatt receiving his first promotion in the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program.

Sweet Girl finishing up a project.

Rewards of a busy, blessed day. First batch of dried apples in my new dehydrator, and first time making lemon curd (mmmmm, mmmm). We also made Italian Wedding Soup for dinner and an angelfood cake from scratch with whipped cream and strawberries. Gotta love those days where you feel like you actually accomplished being a housewife. I love this role and thank God for giving it to me.

P.S. Don't you just love my old-fashioned sparkly countertop?! I have actually grown fond of it except for the fact that it stains easily.

Shelving It

I'd been keeping an eye out for a shelf to go in our dining room. A quaint store in our neighboring town had one before Christmas that I liked. Of course, it was gone when I went back after the holidays. But it was perfectly fine because in it's place was this beautiful shelf! It's actually put together from an old door. It even has a hook-latch up under the shelf. It reminds me of the latch on our old family cabin's screen door. Of course, the picture isn't great, but I hope you get teh idea of it's charm. The color wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind, but I'll just make it work.

Unfortunately, I didn't measure anything before I bought it so it doesn't fit where I had originally planned. It's a bit crammed in the corner instead of in the limelight like I'd hoped, but I love it just the same. I hope to find more great charming additions for our home to share with you! The unfortunate thing is that thrift and antique stores in this corner of the U.S. seem to know that they are "hot" items so there isn't much thrift involved. My acquisitions will probably be far between.

Unwanted Wishes

The other day was one of those days where I found myself wishing it would be over soon. Nothing seemed to go right, the kids were, well, being kids, the dogs were crazier than usual, etc. Fortunately, I came to my senses. How often do we talk about how quickly time goes by and how soon our kids will be out of the house. And here I was wishing one of those days away? The better thing is to take the time to fix my attitude and focus, filling my heart with thanksgiving. Oh, how I pray this is a lesson well learned as I'm sure those unwanted wishes will creep in again.

Blind Faith

Trying to pass the time while Dad was away, we headed to a local area attraction. Who can pass up the awesome wonder of a huge waterfall?! Though there was a bit of fog at our home when we left, we were filled with hope. Less than 10 miles away from our destination, the fog broke and perfectly clear blue skies were revealed. But lo, waterfalls love fog and couldn't let it go.

So as we stood there, looking at this white wall, I assured the kids that there truly was a waterfall out there....I saw it when I was a kid! There were signs that assured them I was telling the truth. The sound was unmistakable, the ground rumbled, and the spray kissed our faces (either that or it was just the fog).

Isn't that just how our relationship is with God sometimes? Our faith tells us that He's there, but we don't feel like it. But that's why it's faith. That's why we get to know Him through His word. It's the foundation that we stand on. So just as I didn't panic when I couldn't see the waterfall because I'd seen it before and the evidence was there, so it is with God. I've seen Him before and the evidence is still there.

Then time will pass and we'll see His handi-work again, proving what our faith already knew. Now, I can't wait to go back to show the kids that glorious sight!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Friends and Skating

Friday was filled with fun and friends. The kids and I are certainly getting hooked on ice skating. But it's even more fun when you have great friends along. All the kids range from 9 to 13. It's amazing how each family is different. There are several sets of kids that are the same ages, but you sure can't tell by looking! It's pure joy to see such a large group of kids playing and laughing together. And oh, how it touches a mother's heart to see them help the sweet little ones who took nasty tumbles.

It was such a blessed day that even a three hour ride home in ugly traffic with three kids and two dogs couldn't steal the joy away.