Winter Beauty

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and salvation;

he is my fortress,

I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, 

I will not be shaken.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:1,2,5,6,8

My Second Favorite Month

The sky is blue, the fields in view, 

All fading-green and yellow: 

Come let us stray our gladsome way,

And view the charms of Nature; 

The rustling corn, the fruited thorn, 

And ev'ry happy creature.

~Burns

I think September might be my second favorite month.  May is my favorite, but there's something so nice about September.  The air feels different, the sunflowers, thistles, and goldenrod are all in bloom, football begins, and I feel like being outside again.

~Sunflowers in the wind~

Miss E's favorite flower is the sunflower, so this afternoon we drove down the rode a couple miles and picked a jar full for the counter.  Soon we will be finding pretty fall leaves and acorns!

Sunday Drive in June

Here's why I love where we live...

I'm joining No place like home.

Summer Activities

I am a big believer in summer break.

Lazy afternoons, sipping on popsicles or eating watermelon, are just what kids need after a busy school year of activities.  School is good in many ways but it just doesn't leave much time for imagination or exploration. 

So we are enjoying the more relaxed pace around here.

Except when it's wheat harvest and bean planting time, like it was this week!

The men have been working hard this week, and it's a great feeling to know your wheat is all cut and soybeans are planted when it starts raining.

Without home school to worry about I have had a little more free time the last few weeks, so I've been sewing.  I have put a few things in my Etsy shop again, so feel free to check it out!  The link is in the sidebar. 

I hope you are having a little break this summer too~

Happy Mother's Day

~Me and my children~

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!  Being a mom is a wonderful gift from God.  I am so thankful for each one of the six blessings he has given us, and they treated me very well today. (:

This week SJ, our fourth child, found a robin's nest up in a tree.  He had to climb quite a ways up to see it, so he took my camera up there and every half a day he would go up and take another picture as the little baby robins slowly hatched.  It's been really fun to see his pictures and watch the progression!

Cracks in the shell...

Pushing his way out...

Mama Robin was always quite concerned when SJ was taking pictures...

All out, and the second egg (on top) is starting to crack...

We're hungry!!!

Baby birds aren't very cute.

 And this is SJ, he's a very unique child and brings us lots of joy. (:

Our oldest is graduating from high school this week.  I am trying not to think about it because it makes me sad, but we are also very proud of him and the man he has become.  Life goes by too fast.

What do you do with January?

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

~Robert Frost~

Even though this poem sounds nice, January is a hard month. It's freezing out, you are trying to recover from Christmas, the days are dreary and the nights are long.  Plus, how do you decorate?  (I know, it's an unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but still!)  Usually I just try to survive through January and February.  But this year I want to enjoy these months, after all, I don't just want to be miserable for 2 months out of the year.

So here's my plan...

Crafting

 

 

Enjoy the birds at my feeder

 

 

 

Watch lots of basketball games

(Both PD and DJ are playing this winter)

 

And maybe read a few books!

 

I am joining Home and GardenThursday

Tidbits

 

Our harvesting is done and our wheat is planted!  We are thankful to God for giving us a good harvest this year.  He has blessed us in so many ways.  I really enjoy farm life, and one of the reasons is because we live so close to the land.  We are completely dependent on God to send us rain at the right times.

 

I decided to delete my Facebook account.  It was just getting to be too much, if you know what I mean.

 

The trees are getting bare around here, the leaves that are left are mostly just brown now.

 

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year!  I am playing Christmas music already.  For a change I'm going to put my Christmas village under the tree this year.

 

We are going to make a trip out to Colorado to visit family pretty soon, so we are all looking forward to that.  Hopefully the weather will be nice, you never know at this time of year.

 



I was reading some old newspaper articles from our small town from 1918-1920 that I found online.  Our small town now has a population of about 200, but back then they had a revival that lasted several weeks, and they had 1400 people attending each night.  So many of the small towns in our area are looking pretty sad these days.  I wish we could have a revival like that again!

I haven't felt seizurish for a couple months now, thankfully, so the family is starting to let me drive short distances again, yay!

Why I love summer in the country...

---A few pictures I took just this afternoon---

 

dragonflies resting on rocks in the garden

marigolds

dill in blossom

miniature horses grazing

cosmos

a hen looking for a snack

paths through the trees

water running in the slough

cattle munching on hay

a colt resting in the sun

ducks staying cool in the shade

crops growing tall

a butterfly resting on an old board

 

God is our refuge and strength,

and ever-present help in trouble.

 

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:1,10