Tom and a TED Talk

a TED talk from life around here these days:

Finish your tea.

Breathe deeply during an autumn morning.

Read a few good words while you wait, instead of looking at your phone.

Drop everything and take a walk with your Blessings.

Smile, REALLY smile, and let them finish their story.

Hug your husband longer than a half second.

Pretend you're on the Food Network while you're prepping supper tonight.  

Pick up a pretty leaf.

Put some wildflowers on your mantle.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Autumn Lately

Lately I am:

Cooking~

Cheeseburger Subs!  A friend mentioned them in conversation and I thought it sounded like a great new use of hamburg for our meal repertoire.  They were an easy and fun Friday supper!  I used this recipe as a springboard. 

Doing~

Alllllllll the things.  Wow, motherhood feels like a juggling act.  I'm doing my best to choose the most important things first, rather than the most urgent.  I believe that God graces us for the everyday life.  I want to continue to choose happiness in each moment, whether mundane or exciting.  He's watching, which is something I find dually comforting and motivating.  I'm grateful for His strength and wisdom each day.

Laughing~

About Blossom1 and Blossom2's stories and imitations.  They just got back from their grandparents' house for a few days and the animated conversation has been humor for the soul. It also makes for fabulous supper conversation.

Moving~

We're still plugging away on our noon walk routine.  I can't believe the difference a 20 minute daily walk makes in how we all feel.  We also drove up to the Mid State trail the other day and did a little scouting up there.  It was lovely and I can't wait to get back up on it.  

Thankful~

For God's provision.  He sustains us, He leads us, and He is always faithful.  That truth remains close to my heart lately. 

Reading~

The book of Revelation.  It's a great way to daily remind myself of the big picture.  He's coming soon and my heart's cry is "YES, come, Lord Jesus!"  The very last verse says, 

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's holy people."  

That's what we need today.  His grace to daily persevere.

The Return to the Canadian West series by Janette Oke.  Anything by Janette Oke is comfort reading for me.  I've been reading her works since my teenage years.  This newer series focuses on the adventures of a well to do young lady headed out West to teach in a poor mining town.  I devoured Where Courage Calls in a day or two and moved on to the rest of the series.  It was simultaneously enjoyable reading and encouraging to my spirit.  I was also grateful for the wholesome reads that the older Blossom could enjoy as well. 

Drinking~

Pumpkin Spice everything!  The girls made Pumpkin Spice Syrup the other day.  It was easy!  

1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, and 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Boil in microwave until dissolved.  Store in the fridge.

We've been putting it in everything! Black tea lattes.  Chai lattes.  Pumpkin spice lattes.  Over pancakes!  It's autumn in a cup.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Weekday Walks

We've been trying so hard to get out for a quick 1.5 miles walk every day at lunch time.  Let me tell you, not one day has it been convenient to do so.  That's one thing I've learned about stopping what you're doing and doing something healthy for you.  It's rarely convenient.  

The Blossom naturalists and I always tell ourselves that we're going to pick up the pace, but, inevitably, we admire the wildflowers, investigate the berries, or gather the hickory nuts.  We can't help ourselves, the Creator's masterpiece is simply intriguing.  

One thing I forgot about walks is how perfect they are for a midday reconnection.  As soon as we walk down the driveway, the conversation picks up.  What I thought was just a healthy dose of vitamin D has shown to be a time of conversation I'm cherishing.

I wanna keep a good thing goin'!

Micro Farm Kitchen Comments

I need these shirts:

"I can't; my farm needs me."

"You're not my boss; my garden is."

"Don't stand still in this kitchen; I'll can you."

"I can because I can."

"I eat local because I can."

"Kitchen Master"

Those graphic tee ideas made me laugh!  

I don't really consider gardens and canning and farm life to be some sort of badge of honor.  This is just how we roll.  And, the weather was much more conducive this year, that's for sure!

Canning Quotes:

"I think we should give cukes to Jesus!"

~a Blossom, jokingly

"Canning is just a scheme to see how many times one can clean the same kitchen in one day."

~Me

This year's harvest has been vastly different and vastly better than last year's!  We sure are thankful for that, but the hours in the garden and moreso, the kitchen that that entails can be overwhelming.  

It's a good line of thought to follow.  Just because something is good and rewarding and what you've chosen, doesn't mean it will be easy.  It may be hours of very hard work.  

I am saying this to ME, 

to remind myself that, 

I can love the fruit of something that's hard work, without loving all the hard parts of it.  

"My garden's weeded; all's right with the world."

~Me

Back in the Saddle Again

Back in the book work saddle!  Every day is basically a school day here, but, at some point, we always need to get back around to the book work.  

We take our "steady plodding makes good progress" approach literally when it comes to book work.  I figure how many school days out of our 180 days that we will spend not on field trips and hands-on education.  We take the number of pages and lessons we need to complete and divide them by the number of book work days.  That's how much we do every day.  It sure quells the panic come end of April.  

Every day amounts to a bit of steady plodding, whether we're feelin' it or not.

No day is perfect here and over the years, I've realized that nothing magical happens on the first day of book work in a new school year.  It's still work and the fallen nature of man doesn't love the toil and labor involved in work.  

No matter how good of a teacher I am, 

no matter how colorful the curriculum is, 

no matter how fun I try to make it,

no matter how bright my child is, 

it will always eventually come back to toiling and laboring.  

And we get through that toil in much the same way that we parent them through doing the dishes, cleaning out rabbit pens, stacking wood, and mopping the floors.

There hasn't been too many surprises as to the first few days of book work.  We've had more technical issues than I expected, which I hope will calm down once all this hurricane rain quits blowing through.

I also moved our Rise and Shine time back to 6:30 am.  The last two years, I allowed the girls to sleep in til 7:00 am.  This year, I felt that our mornings are more crucial than ever and now that Blossom1 and Blossom2 are always wanting to stay up later, this might help us stay on the same basic schedule as the Rugged Mountain Man.  All alarms start buzzing at 6:30 am and it seems to be working well.  Devotions, breakfast, outside chores and then, inside chores, all get completed before we start school at 8:30 am.  I'm not fooled though.  Our discipline will be truly tested months from now, in the throes of mid-school year.  

I am so thankful to be on this journey, to be here ~ amidst the hard work, the mountains, and the valleys.