Our Own Journey

Oh my, how the time passes...

I know..I'm only the bazillionth person in history to utter those words, but I've really been feeling them lately!  Maybe it's springtime, and the urgency of planting and cleaning, birthdays coming one after the other, holidays, etc.  Whatever it is, the time is fleeting.   This week we're moving into our new house, and right now it's all about cleaning and preparing for the move, moving, then cleaning out our old house.  We are so excited! Our new home is beautiful, cozy, and nestled in the middle of 15 acres with a gorgeous view.  Hosanna's birthday is next Sunday and we hope to me all moved in before then.

The kids have been enjoying making the short walk to our neighbors to buy eggs first thing in the morning.  It's so cute to see them (especially David who's 4) with that "I'm so big" look on their faces.  We'll miss this once we move over to the other house.  Although we'll still be able to get fresh eggs, we'll have to drive instead of letting the kids walk by themselves.

 

Something I have been doing lately that's been very special to me is recording the memoirs of a dear friend.  Eunice just turned 90 years old in December, and we all found out last month that she has terminal cancer that is quickly spreading.  I've begun weekly visits using a digital recorder to capture her stories which I'll transcribe later on.  I am enjoying myself.  She's a spry old woman, not batting an eye saying things like "I was the black sheep" or "Not soon enough" when I asked when her father died.  She's lived an incredible life, I just wish that I had done this five years ago when she wasn't in so much pain.  What a lovely woman. She's been my mother in law's best friend for over 30 years.  She has always put everyone before herself and been a humble, kind example to us all.  

 

We had the opportunity to visit some wonderful friends that just recently became country folk.  My what a beautiful place they have moved to!  We have kids that are the same age and they adore each other, well, we all adore each other...=)  One thing is for certain though, when snow melts, it turns to mud out there!  The kids had a blast playing around in that muck and I had a great time escaping to the mountains for a day.

Mud...Mud...and Children of course can't resist playing in mud...

 

And I of course couldn't resist taking a picture of Sarah's shoes...

 

Gotta love rubber boots....and devilish grins...

 

And I totally just busted Hosanna stealing the camera and taking pictures of herself.   Little stinker!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone and God Bless!

Laura

New Hope....

Sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day that we forget how blessed we truly are.  Usually when tragedy strikes within our own lives or the lives of others our eyes are opened.  Is this the reason that there is suffering in the world?  To ground us, to bring us closer to those around us, to instill within us gratitude and humility....I really don't know, but lately this is something I have been faced with. 

It's hard for me to comprehend what is going on in Haiti right now, the aftermath of a tragic earthquake that's consumed hundreds of thousands of living souls.  It's like there's a giant black cloud of suffering hovering over their country right now.  A burden so deep, a weight so heavy, the whole world is being drawn in.  Yet through this drawing, this coming together, a new spirit is emerging.   It's like a new hope bubbling forth from the hearts of a people that have suffered more that any of us will probably ever know.  Not only are the people of Haiti coming together sharing and serving one another out of necessity, but it seems that their hope is being renewed.  Did anyone else see the parade of people dancing and singing in the streets?   This is the beauty of the human spirit.  This is what we need to latch on to, to take in and share with all those around us. 

Joy can be found in sadness.  Love can be shared and compassion spring forth when tragedy strikes.  Through the tears that I cry as I visualize the lost children, the grieving mothers, and the shattered families, I reach down into my soul.  I stretch my hand past my self-centeredness, my material desires, and all that keeps my focus on myself, and I grasp hold of that one pivotal piece of who I am, what God has placed inside all of us.  This is my compassion, my unconditional love for my fellow man, no matter who they are or how far they are from me and my life, I will weep for them.  I will pray for them and I will do all within my means to help them.

I will also solemnly thank my Creator for the silent reminder of just how good my life is...How blessed I am...How grateful I am to be alive...

Please pray for the survivors of this terrible disaster, that they will not only have their immediate medical and material needs met, but that they will have hope.  

Please consider donating to a worth charitable cause that is on the ground in Haiti like Doctors Without Borders

God bless you all, dear friends. 

Thanksgiving Trees and Martinmas

I was inspired the other day by another wonderful blog by a very creative mama. She creates  "Thanksgiving Trees" for her own family and she also sells them in her Etsy shop.  I became very excited about this idea as soon as I saw her post about it.  A couple days ago the kids and I set out to find the perfect "tree".  At first I thought I might need to tie some branches together but then I found a huge dead limb with the perfect branch on it.  I took it home and set it in a jar with some rocks and sand to weight it down. 

We had our family time on Sunday in which we all sat down together and wrote our what we were thankful for.

I found some leaf sillouettes through google and we made a few stencils. Then we cut out leaf shapes out of felt together.   There are any number of ways you can make the leaf.  Carrie  takes fall colored material and canvas and sews them together, with a label bearing the thankful things sewn on as well.  You can make them as beautiful as you like. I wanted to keep it simple since my little ones were crafting too.  We just used single sheets of felt , and wrote with a marker on each leaf one of the things from our compiled lists. 

We have been putting up on or two leaves a day onto the Thanksgiving Tree. By the time Thanksgiving comes they will all be hung and we will read together what we are thankful for at dinnertime.

This idea really isn't new, but I wanted to take it to another level.  To complete my new Thanksgiving Tree tradition we are doing the following:

Once we hang the leaves for the day, we remember those things in our prayers, and give a special blessing over them.

We also are trying to incorporate an activity which exemplifies the things we are thankfulful for.  For example, on the day that we put up the "food" leaf, we plan to gather a box of canned food to give to our local homeless shelter.  On the day we put up "aunts and uncles", we plan to make cards and pictures, write letters to send, and also call the relatives, both mine and my children's. (This way they see that we're participating too, and also why we put up an "aunt's and uncles" leaf as opposed to specific people.)

Our first day we put up the "home" and "family" leaves. (I think it's good to pair together activities whenever possible).  Instead of just doing the normal routine of dinner and bed, I asked my daughter what she would like to do to give thanks for our family.  She wanted to eat our dinner around an outside fire, so that's exactly what we did.

 

 

When I put up our "home" leaf, we all gave thanks for it, but I made a special pact with myself, since I have the homemaker.  If I am truly thankful for my home, then I have to put that into action.  I vowed to do everything I can to leave my home clean and clutter free before bedtime, so that we can all wake up to a fresh and productive day.  I am pleased to say that it's been going well.

Today we gave thanks for "holidays and traditions" and of course....we celebrated Martinmas!  Even though we've been battling some harsh sickness within our family this past week, I was determined to celebrate this special day.  Hosanna's cold only lasted only for a day, so she's been feeling held down and left out lately since the boys are still sick.  She's even tried faking her coughs and telling me she wished she was sick to get more attention!  Today's celebration was really for her.  She enjoyed the evening's activity so much of making a lantern for the lantern walk...

 

And after making cookies....settling down around the wood stove to read the story of Saint Martin and the Poor Man..

I am very excited to continue sharing with you what we do to "give thanks" in the coming weeks.  I also hope that you will have an opportunity to create your own Thanksgiving Tree with your family.  If you do, please share it with me!

God bless you all during this special time and season...

30 Days of Happiness

So I've finally buckled down and started a blog.  I decided to start it with an idea from a friend of mine, to spend 30 days intent on finding happiness in each day.  I know it seems somewhat silly, but with the hum drum of the usual chores and activities the days begin to meld into each other.  When we seek out the beauty, newness, and well, happiness of each day, each moment seems a little more worthwhile. 

Today was easy. Things started off with a bon voyage party for a friend and neighbor.  There was superb food, much of it prepared from fresh fruits and vegetables from local gardeners, and good vibes abounded.  After resting a bit, we headed over to Grandma's for a sign language lesson.  No Grandma wasn't teaching, but learning too.  It was a video designed especially for kids by a mother who's little girl is deaf.  We settled in to learn while the summer rain drizzled outside. 

Which brought me to the moments which seemed to bring this day of happiness together perfectly.

 

What is it about summer rainstorms that makes us feel so heavenly? And rainbows of course always top it off....

 

Eating ripe, juicy white grapes off the vine... 

Somebody else discovered the grapes...

 

Cutting some fresh wheat grass to juice in the morning....What a blessing!!

 

And this was from yesterday but I couldn't resist including it....Hosanna and David were being my biggest helpers...They unloaded the dryer (we fluff, then air dry) and both worked together to carry the basket all the way outside.  I thought they would just wait for me but they both decided to team up and hang up the laundry together.  "Here sissy..." David passes the clothes to her while she stands on the slide..PRICELESS!