Travlin' a hot road

On Saturday morning we hit the road early going to the world's largest yard sale. It's over 500 hundred miles long going through several states. The heat was hot on the pavement but the deals were huge. I bought the girls in my home alot of their winter clothes, super cute things for a little bit of money.       

Taylor and one of her very dear friends who braved the heat with us. We built great memories along

the road as we shopped in peoples yards. We do this every year and look forward to the madness of it all.

 

Every year we seem to have a theme..Last year it was rolling pins, every girl on the trip bought one for her hope chest. This year was dutch ovens.. Taylor and I have been wanting one so bad since our trip to see the West women last year. They cooked everything in their dutch oven and the food was wonderful so we have been on the look out for one. We had also heard you could make some great bread in a dutch oven so when we met a man who restored them for a living we hung out bartering for one of these black beauties.

We ended up coming home with two for $20.00 each, he had made our day. 

We couldn't wait to try making bread and it was surprisingly easy and fast.We all hung out around

the oven and when we pulled the top off not knowing what to expect we were not disappointed

in our little black beauty..

 

The bread was crunchy and beautiful and absolutely the best bread we've ever made..

It melted in your mouth and with a little butter on, it made

our new favorite.

I made oatmeal with brown sugar and honey this morning in my dutchy girl

and everyone agreed it tasted great..

I also bought a bean pot. It's taller and deeper for soups and chili this winter..

 

I wonder where my dutch ovens have traveled.

I've heard it said that they rode under the wagons on big hooks when families made their

way west.

 I'm glad mine made it's way to my home..I plan on keeping mine around for a long long

time..

As usual, I hope to build in their memories a love for a black dutchy girl oven and Lord willing I'll buy each of them their own to ride under their wangon and build memories that will last a lifetime. 

THE OLD DUTCH OVEN

Some sigh for cooks of boyhood days, but none of them for me;

One roundup cook was best of all —

And when we heard the grub-pile call at morning, noon, and night,

The old Dutch oven never failed to cook the things just right.

‘She was covered o’er with red-hot coals, and when we fetched her out,

The biscuits there were of the sort no epicure would flout.

I ain’t so strong for boyhood grub, ’cause, summer, spring, or fall,

The old Dutch oven baked the stuff that tasted best of all.

Perhaps ‘t was ’cause our appetites were always mighty sharp —

The men who ride the cattle range ain’t apt to kick or carp;

But, anyway, I find myself a-dreaming of that bread

The old Dutch oven baked for us beneath those coals so red.

School is in

The girls are  involved in our school and they roll and crawl around us as we learn. My kids don't mind, they're used to it. I was teaching preschoolers colors and I believe the color yellow looks as good as I've ever seen it. Thanks girls for your help.

The view from where I sit. Big brothers reading to little sisters. She crawls over his book and slobbers on his pages and I wonder what he will do. He reaches over and wipes it off and keeps on working. He didn't even look up at me.  I though he might say gross or something but he didn't. :) 

Toes on their books, diapers on their books, they adjust that's what homeschoolers do.

Not as backwards as some might think :)

I love laying in the middle of the floor and having each one come and lay beside me and I teach them

right on my big red rug.

Yesterday was a lay in the floor school day and I taught

geography

math

letters

proverbs

English

colors

flash cards

I'm reading our new (sonlight #3) book Mr. Poppers Penguins and they begged for one more chapter.

I finally had to stop at chapter 5 with them begging for me to keep on.

This is a great book so far...I can see a trip to the ice skating rink after this read.

Her hair a tangle of mess. She was still dripping from the pool when we

called her in to sit at the table and do a coloring project with her sister.

 

Jo came in next and worked on his project. He is really improving in his coloring and cutting skills.

Yep, one of those days.

A little school,

Lots of pool time,

and the reminders that this is my job.

I wouldn't give anyone else the privilege of being with my kids

all day and teaching them. I enjoy it too much. I get the reward of seeing them

read for the first time. Watching them struggle and teaching them that God's word is more

important than multiplication. Being able to teach bible and pray with them.

"We have no bullies in our school room"

(Kevin Swanson said this at the baby conference)

Yep, just a regular day at our house.

Cooking

living

learning

together

We're all smilies

(most of the time)

I'm learning to love where I'm at and that brings sweet contentment.

The dog days of summer....

The heat index 111•.. The heat so thick I can see it. Heck, I think I can smell it. 

Wait a minute, I just tasted the heat. We decided to let our troubles wash away.

The outside pool filled with water and we called our dog Boo to come and take a bath with us. She has had lots of trouble lately so she needed to wash her troubles away. She has been under heavy duty training  so we figured we'd give her a little treat. The water cool and refreshing just like my kids are refreshing to me. They really are. I watch them, study them if you will. They don't get upset over little things. They are joyful and fun spirited and they laugh alot..I want to be more like them.

So I slip into their little pool and they all laugh like I haven't heard them laugh in ages(since yesterday)...

We splash and kick and wash the heat off.They lay their bodies on me and just stay there for a min or so and I can tell they're breathing me in.. Enjoying me being there with them..The feeling is mutual. 

Boo is our German Shepherd puppy who chews on everybody and everything including our chickens :(.....

I'm glad I've spent more time training my children than my dog. 

She's coming around though and I know she will be a great dog one day.

Hands soapy and wild, the smiles contagious as we finish up our job.

Together.

I love these little people in my life, I would not be anywhere else in the world

right now except under the tree that Scott and I planted washing a dog that has plenty of potential.

Heat index hotter tomorrow.. You'll be able to find me here enjoying the heat 

with the ones I love

hoping some of them rubs off on me.   

Weekends are for starting fires

He called and told me he had a surprise and I couldn't say no.

He wouldn't tell me any details except that I needed an over night bag.

I was intrigued.

My sweet husband has always been great at surprises and get-aways

so I packed.

 

The evening started at a corner restaurant with candles and outstanding service.

The food was to die for but the company was simply perfect.

 He poured it on girls!

Shrimp and grits for appetizers and steak for the main course.

It was magical. The conversation was so up lifting and

encouraging to me. We talked about how this past year has been hard

on our relationship. We've had to work extra hard to make sure we didn't let "us" go.

Having alot of kids is truly an amazing blessing but

our relationship has to be strong, fun, and dependent on God for everything.

We can't forget that it started with us.

 It's been 12 months since

our last get away and many, many diapers later we find ourselves almost at

the one year birthday of our twins and this night out was such a huge blessing

of renewal for my man and I. I'm so thankful for our older kids and younger ones

that know what to do and do it while we're away. We don't take for granted that our children

are a blessing to be around and their love for each other and us made this night possible.

Thank you guys!

Our hotel was inside the biggest mall in Birmingham. It was very very nice and he treated me

like a queen. I soaked him in. You know like before you had kids. We talked and laughed and ate so much great food.

We exchanged letters asking for forgiveness of wrong attitudes and expressing our un-dying love

for each other and thankfulness to God for bringing us together.

In my letter I wrote:

"You have been God's greatest gift to me and I'm so very very sorry

if I have treated you other wise."

I'm so very thankful to have him as my husband, protector

and provider.

In a world that sells singleness I will scream

Marriage is a good thing,

a very good thing.

Now we're back home with our beautiful children

and I'm basking in the love....

Tying ♥ Heartstrings

Do I have his love? He smiles at me so much throughout the day and when

at supper his place to sit is across from mine and we sign I love you to each other.

He whispers, "Can I sleep in your floor?"

I always tell him yes.  I have a pallet made next to my side of the bed

and he snuggles in and I reach down and hold his sweet hand.

He peeled an orange today and said "Mom, look your heart"

sigh....   I pray he sees my heart. I pray he sees my love spilled out

over his home as he grows into a young man. 

Our 2nd sonlight book has come to an end. Although this one was not as good

as Charlotte's Web to me, I enjoyed the quirky stories and we loved hearing about the

uncles doughnut shop so in honor of Homer we had a doughnut party. Nothing fancy just

a small reward and simple ways to show them I love them and I enjoy being their teacher

on most days :)

Our little miracle girls are growing up so fast. I love to spend time with them.

Today we blew bubbles, played blocks, and ball

and did some other montessori things with see through containers.

The joy in their eyes as I play with them.

I can't imagine my life without these little girls.

I pray that the time I invest in their life the Lord will

double.Sometimes I feel like there's not enough hours in the day.

Taylor and Channie worked on some small needlework projects.

I could hear Tay reminding her to be patient. She gently pulled 

her into her lap and slowly started showing her how to go down

and up. Channie's little hands doing what her older sister said.

I'm so thankful for my older children. I pray their loving kindness

towards their brothers and sisters will never return void.

Living here with them is a gift. I know that I don't deserve this life but I'm thankfully here and I won't let one day be wasted.

I tie heart strings that can be traced so that when they look at me they know I love my job!

Things we LOVE part 1

This is our family's devotion book. We love it! It's easy enough to do at the breakfast table and supper table. This book encouraged us greatly when we lost William. When we didn't have words of our own we had this book by Charles Spurgeon.This is a great book if your family is not  currently doing family devotions  because it's so packed with words of wisdom but it's really quick.  

I love my family table. It continues to be the heart of my home. School books piled high and our water pitchers sitting around for thirsty souls.

I love this view because this is who we are really.

I love coconut oil. It's great for so many things

but a few are:

acne

hair conditioner

moisturizer

diaper rash

You have got to try coconut oil if you haven't,

you'll love it as well :) 

I love my home-schooling curriculum.. it keeps me honest and organized

and the books are funny ..it keeps up with

all of your records and I love the blue binder. If you have alot of kids

or just a couple this is a great curriculum. It took me 8 years to find a curriculum I love.

Now I'm letting you know, just in case you're looking for one.

I love our kitchen aid. My daughter has mastered the art of bread making in this little

black beauty and the way it swirls the dough around makes you kinda glad you

have one. This one is a keeper for sure. ♥

I love these two cook books. My daughters and I use these cookbooks

at least twice a day. I love the pictures and the recipes. You don't have to double the recipes

because they're already huge.

They are both chock full of colorful and step-by-step photos which I 

love because I learn that way..:) I will buy my daughters-in-law these

books because they're just that good.

The dough recipe on pg. 80 is out of this world.

It is the recipe for the "get you married rolls" that Taylor makes.

I would love to hear about things your family love.

I'll post a few more of our favorite things tomorrow.

love from the Farm

you stole my heart and made it your own

Say, say, oh, playmate,

Come out and play with me

And bring your dollies three.

Climb up my apple tree.

Slide down my rain barrel

Into my cellar door,

And we'll be jolly friends

Forever more-more-more!

Author unknown 

Tent put up by her big sister and her dollies laying all around her she goes to that place

that only little girls can go. Dressing, feeding, and holding her babies; playing pretend.

You ask her "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and 

without a hesitation she says "I want to be a mommy."   

She helps cook and clean and this all takes training and time.

I put all the bowls and glasses along the edge of the counter

and show her where everything goes and in a few days time she can

do it all by herself and I let her. This means I'm busy sweeping and cleaning other

things just in case she needs me.

 My time is not my own right now my job is too important to miss one

opportunity to train so I have no where else to be but in this kitchen

 with my little girl training her to serve her family.

Enjoying her sweet smile and her childhood.

 

 I recently bought a small water pitcher just big enough

for her little hands and I tell her that every night she has to serve her daddy

and brothers water. Every time their glass gets low she must fill it up.

A huge smile came across her little face and 

at the table she sees someone getting low on water she grabs her little

white pitcher and goes from daddy to brothers filling their glass.

The brothers are being taught that being served is an honor, not

something you should expect so they praise her generously and it encourages

her to keep serving. She teaches me so much. Her smile in her service reminds

me it's such a pleasant thing to be served with a huge smile.

Her love for her daddy as she runs to meet him at the end of a day falling

helplessly in his arms and melting every time she sees him.

Yep, she trains me and I train her.

Beautiful simply Beautiful 

Life with these two

Busy Busy Busy 

 

They look all cute and stuff but these two are

T R O U B L E

dare not turn your back for

one second.

They adore each other and I adore the two of them. They kinda make ya joyful,

if you know what I mean. At the end of the day you can lay on the floor and

they crawl all over you and I think to myself how could I ever feel unloved?

Did I mention they're busy? 

It's absolutely astonishing what these little hands

can get into..

I said busy didn't I?

Our life has been richly blessed and for that I'm forever grateful.

  

Teaching him to count

His math book torn and tattered from the years worth of learning 2+2.

His army men serve as his counters and sometimes I look over and he has traveled to the west

 in his imagination and his guns are blazing and a man falls.

I can't help but to laugh.

Oh, the days I have him here are so short.

 I get to hug him and  be the first person to give him a great big

smile in the morning. I get to make him supper and 

special treats. I get to be his one true love for such a short season and

then he will, Lord willing, one day marry and then my daughter in law

will get to do these things. If I look at my time with him as fleeting I'm not so

eager to put down that book. I'm not so willing to let someone else do for him.

I want to do it all. I want to breathe him in and not miss one opportunity

to show him how much I adore him. I want to be the one who teaches him to read.

I want to be his biggest fan and I am; I want him to know that I take my job

as his mother very seriously and it's a great honor to raise him up.

We close our books for the day and he hurries off and I'm left sitting at an

empty table with his men: always reminders to slow me down and enjoy

even the smallest of memories.   

Love is being perfected in me

Loving day in and day out sometimes I grow weary. I doubt myself as wife, mother, friend.

I am constantly before the throne but it seems not enough.

He has placed in my home the blessing of adoption and yet some days

I refuse to be adopted by Him. I know about adoption.

 The process of paper work and the process of loving someone who may not

choose to love you back right away but you keep loving anyway. 

You keep choosing love as your strength because God said to love.

His love is perfect and mine so flawed at times that I realize that I cannot

do this in my own strength.  

So many questions and not enough answers on those hard days but just believing, just trusting

in Him. Not knowing the outcome but trusting in the One who does.

Being amazed that so many people would pass up the journey of adoption

because of fear of hardship or the unknown.

Look into those eyes and tell me that God has not redeemed her little life.

Look into my eyes and tell me God is not redeeming me.

Their mother choosing

not to abort them and our family choosing to stand in that line and say we will not say no.

We don't have all the answers were just willing to say yes.  

 So many willing to turn their heads to the reality of a self righteous attitude. We don't women to abort precious unborn babies but we puff our chest out and say with pride  that we will not be willing

to do hard things in order to raise up these little blessings.

 If she is willing to give a child life then we should be willing to provide that child

with a life and love unmeasurable.

I'm so thankful for these beautifull little girls.

Yes, it cost.

Yes, it's hard some days.

Yes, we have people in our life

that don't understand us. 

But let me tell you I'm not doing enough.

my family is not doing enough.

I met a man and woman at the baby conference in their late 50's

that had 12 children. Their children were adopted from all over the

world with disabilities of every kind and this couple was smiling and joyfully

drowning in love.

Drowning in unspeakable love.

Adoption is hard

but you were made to do hard things