My distractions...

Distracted is all I can say..
By the simple things of life like:

This little Latte. She has the brightest eyes I have ever seen.
Happy and loving and all mine. There is no doubt in my mind where she belongs. The Lord has given me a great gift and I open it anew every single day.
Yes, I'm one of those moms that has nothing better to do then dote on my children all day..


























I love doing school with this rowdy classroom. I dressed up like a woman from India; the red dot and nose-ring.(no, I will not share these pictures believe me you don't want me to..) We had the Indian drink lassie and Tandoori chicken with naan bread for supper.


In the midst of my day there is always blood. I guess it's living on a farm or it could be all the boys. Boys are rough there is no doubt...I have learned that blood is not a sign of death in most cases and their hollering doesn't mean they're dying, so I approach their skinned knees and toes kinda nonchalantly. Brothers hold pressure and sisters give great side effects and I'm doing this for the third time for the day reaching for a band-aid....telling him how tough he is...












































It's All in a days work....for me.

My love is big for all these beautiful diversions that keep me reminded of God's great love..I am loved much by him.































I love having a big blanket on the ground and lots of toys for the girls. They love being outside
and I love sharing their day with them outside..






























This is the beginning of my garden. I love having a garden and being able to go out my back door and grab some lettuce.. We have just recently moved a green house on the farm but it needs a little bit of work so I'll keep you posted on how that's coming along...

So as you can see I'm distracted and I love it!!!

come sit at my table

We've sat here for an hour. Laughing, listening, learning....As my eyes drift around my table

I see laughter and happiness around this 'used to be' tree. I slow down here. I laugh more and listen better. I have learned so much as I have lingered around this wood. My candles almost used up for the week. My china has made it through another meal. We use our china almost every night. I don't stress about it. I just use it and when the day comes that a cup gets chipped or a bowl broken I will only be sad that I have one less bowl..but the memories are piling up in the mean time using it.When the kids get older they will know my modest china. They will have memories of eating from it and washing it.

I have seen some beautiful china locked up behind glass doors and never brought out. It will be passed down to some other china cabinet with different glass doors and never used. Only looked at from a distance.

Supper time...

This is my favorite time of the day. Supper around this big ole' table. I greet Scott here at the end of his long day. I refresh him here. I have a table set for the most important company in the world: my family. I use cloth napkins and just throw those in the washer at the end of the night.

I use candles and bread plates and fancy flowers from their father are always in the middle.

The lights are dim and there is music in the background.

You might ask "why go to so much trouble?" and I don't know... I just like the way it feels when everyone anticipates dinner time. Wondering what mama's going to come with next. Yeah, it's a little extra work but in this season of my life what else do I have to do?...besides laundry......

I wish I could tell you

I wish I could tell you that the years were slow in coming. That I knew that one day I would awake and you would be all grown up, but I can't. A blink of the eye and now your grown. That fast!
I love being your mother Taylor! I have so many wonderful memories over the past 17 years of your presence in my life, in our life, that are memorable.... but one memory I have of you that stands out above all others because it shows your heart, is when William died and the rain seemed to never stop and you were gone and I caught sight of you coming from Williams grave and I met you on the porch and you said "I put my coat over Williams grave; it's cold and wet. I guess I'm just always the big sister"
Sure enough when I went down the next day there your coat lay over your brother. always protecting, always concerned. I will never forget that day as long as I live. You are different and everyone says so. You don't like the spotlight and you don't want anyone to feel left out. You are loyal and you love well..There is not a ounce of laziness in you and I'm thankful you're my daughter.. As I have been noticing you growing up it changes me. I've slowed way down. I take in every moment with you and the others. I don't ever miss the chance to build memories..because I know that time goes fast...

You and I have solved the worlds problems many times over with a bag of tortilla chips and salsa and I look forward to the up coming year and all that it brings......


Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom

The rain

The rain came! We slipped on rain boots and played. She splashed and explored.

She gave me the look....the look that made me melt right into the puddle that I was standing in.

The rain came and I spent the morning listening to some great music with my girls and playing in the puddles..

Little flowers never worry when the rain begins to blow because if it never never rained then we'd never ever grow...

Little Flower is growing up..

Behold how good and pleasant it is.....

"If you sit down at set of sun And count the acts that you have done,

And counting find One, self-denying deed, One word That eased the heart of him who heard One glance most kind That fell like sunshine Where it went-

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day, You've Cheered no heart, by yea or nay- If, through it all, You've nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one's face- No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost-

Then count that day at worse than lost. "~Author unknown

For at least two hours Cooper stood holding his bike up for him a bike that was way too big for him but the words came.

Words flowing of encouragement,

"you can do this Cullen".

Cullen believing him and to my surprise pedaling to the words of his brother. Not looking back, just listening to his brothers reassurance and pedaling...

Over and over, one brother holding the other brother, trusting that his brother wouldn't let go.

Cooper running to him when he couldn't stop and helping him up

and then holding again and starting over,until he went further and cheers could be heard through my open windows. Cheers from brothers and from sisters..The chores would have to wait. I went out to the porch and watched, laughed, and lost myself in cheering.

Every-night at supper we sing:

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.

and in Hebrew:

Henei ma tov umanaim Shevet achim gam yachad Henei ma tov umanaim Shevet achim gam yachad

I'm thankful that my children dwell in unity..it is a very pleasant thing...

Help me!

I can't get anything done today because my kids keep me laughing.....

Look inside our day!

"A wise woman builds her house.." proverbs 14:1

My skirt touching the back of my calves and my apron already dirty before 1o:ooam. I notice the weeds popping up in my garden and hear one of the kids crying around the front of the house. This feels like deja-vu all over again. Didn't I just do the same thing yesterday?

Laundry on the line before the sun is hardly up and lunch and supper on my mind. Teaching a little one to read. Correcting wrong attitudes. Making time for my husband, wishing I had more time with him.

Sweeping the same floors that never stay clean. Feeding bottles and changing diapers and more laundry, always laundry.

My car has not left it's spot since the weekend. I'm here building my house; one imperfect board at a time, day by day. Trying my best to be a wise woman that the Lord speaks of but knowing I fail miserably at times.

Stepping out on the same steps that lead me to my yard

where my kids are playing and running and soaking in the dirt that has been a part of them since they were born. I'm stepping over swords and pretend swords made out of sticks of every kind. Telling a little girl how I played kitchen when I was her age and then pretending to eat grass soup and tell her how very good it is.

She says that when she is a Mommy she will play this with her little girl. I think to myself how wonderful that would be. Rocking crying babies and looking down at the wonder they are.

Kissing the many boo-boos that run through my front door and trying to be concerned with each and everyone like only a mother could be:) cleaning noses, and faces and stop for just a moment and realize their getting bigger and push that thought out of my mind...

I walk to my backdoor and up my steps again where I climb back in my home and continue doing the same thing I did yesterday.Learning to love being home and learning to make each day special and new.

You can always find me here. Busy about my day and looking forward to doing it all again... tomorrow :) The kids, my chickens and the goats all learning to live day by day....and looking forward to tomorrow and thanking the good Lord for new beginnings.

There once was a boy who lived in Africa but now he lives with us..

We have spent our weekend celebrating the life of a little

boy..

Joseph Turner

He is now 4 years old and this is our 3rd birthday celebration

with him.

All he wanted was a red bike and that's what he got, along with

a big chocolate cake and ben and jerrys icecream.

He also got lots of hugs and kisses and well

wishes from all our family and friends.

A very special thanks to the best daddy

in the whole world for pulling off

a great birthday party!

Jo, I pray God's blessing over you.

I know the Lord has huge plans

for your life and I'm thrilled

to be a part of God's plan in your life.

You are such a blessing and we love you

all the way around the world and back three

thousand times..

mom

Building bridges to the next generation:

This weekend Taylor and I spent the night in a beautiful bed and breakfast while I learned how to better educate
my kids through the Charlotte Mason way.
It was such a very organized event and I walked away
with so many ideas on how to teach my children.
I couldn't write fast enough..All the women there home-schooled and everyone threw around their ideas and what worked or didn't work for them.

Taylor, loves the Charlotte Mason way of home education and thinks she wants to use this when she has kids (my grand kids) so I had to bring her along and invest in the lives to come.(Not to mention I love her company.:)
She learned the complete CM
method and got to socialize with some wonderful home-school moms.

We were treated to some incredible meals stayed up way to late..laughed and giggled like school girls.

A wish

I looked at the wish and knew it wouldn't come true. Not from a chicken bone, but nonetheless it reminded me to say a prayer. To lift my heart heavenwards and whisper.

He already knew what I wished for, hoped for, needed long before I whispered but He listened again to my small voice. My hopes and dreams rest on Him. My daily bread is given by Him and I'm so thankful for the bread he has provided. He has given me a a beautiful life. My prayer was simple "Lord, let my food not only fill their tummies but their souls as well"..... Let my table, His table, be a place of refuge. A place where the sick are healed, the broken hearted mended, the downcast lifted up. Let the feet that dangle there be well rested when they depart from my table. His table. The one place I can minister to my whole family.Oh, Lord, let me always set a beautiful table before Thee..

When you love someone

She reaches over and pulls him in. She is telling him a secret and he is laughing so hard I wonder what she said. They share the better part of their day either laughing together or being mad at each other.
Sharing is easy.

Sometimes it's not so easy.
She falls down.

Some days

he gently helps her up

and looks at her boo-boo

with such concern.

Other days he walks

right past her and I have

to remind him to be a gentleman

and help her up.

Some days she tells on him

for everything. Some days they

wouldn't tell on each other

for anything...

She can make him laugh,

He can make her cry,

but

they need each other.

She dies more to herself with

Jo than any other person

in our house.

He learns more about love and forgiveness from Channie than anyone else.

I can almost see the Lord giggling when he made these two

brother and sister.

I have learned more about

being a mom by having these two in my life.

They take motherhood to an all new level.

Your love is better than Ice-Cream

These moments in mother-hood

I would not trade for anything

else in the world...

I love the new

everyday..

You are the face of the faith I love..

My emotions overtake me at times.

I can't keep myself focused

on the day because these brown eyes

are all over the place.

They watch me and plead with

me to sit and play awhile

and I do.

(Believe me, you would too!)

Being in love with these two

is one of the easiest feelings in the

world!

Ellie Cate you are the hope I cherish..

I love you sweet girl and I'm

so thankful for your birth.

I will always be here!

Mom