Happy is that people whose God is the Lord
Well, today’s the big MOVE! The big yellow rental van will be here in about two hours, along with a group of friends. Last night my husband and I recorded our last podcast in the primo studio, and talked about what we’re doing, and why. Hopefully you’ll get that we’re very real people, with mistakes, plans, and hopes. Thanks for listening!
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Blessings,
Good-bye Big House
Over a week later, I *finally* have internet. I must say, though, the world didn’t come to an end without a connection. This past week has been STRESSFUL..I suppose I will be glad I didn’t have the internet distraction to make it worse. Lots and lots of unpacking, finding where to put things, trying to chase after two toddlers, while getting all the bigger and all the slower-er. AND while trying to go back to the old house–a 45 minute drive each way–to do all of those things to get it ready for listing. I will freely (and sadly) admit that my patience has worn thin and I have NOT been the pretty picture of patience and grace every moment of every day. Thankfully, when one of us is falling apart, there are plenty of others in our family to pick up and carry on.
Sorry this is short, but I just wanted to post another podcast update. I have much more to share, but time IS short these days (did I mention we just had in-laws visiting, too?).
Thank you for your prayers and comments! And–yes–we were really tired!
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Hello, Little House
Well, so much for my pretty scene at the pond! Tom and I heard the *crack crack….craaaaack…..* and then, enormous branches came crashing down, smashing the little maple I was so looking forward to watching blaze with autumnal colors. Other branches around the property have come down, too. Free firewood?
It’s starting to feel more like home and less like camping, even as I figure out ways to expand my countertop space to do some canning. Some folks feel sorry for us. I guess my expectations of what a real home is made of aren’t as high. I put higher value into things like honoring the Lord, loving one another, and gratitude for faucets that give clean, hot water. You could practice honor, love, and gratitude in a yurt (and people do!). Proverbs 15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
I continue to enjoy the interesting landscaping, and take so much pleasure in it! It helps offset the disappointment of not having a food garden this year. Here are the flowers blooming at the tips of the branches of another tree. A whole tree with tropical looking flowers!
We continue to work on the house, especially the bedrooms upstairs. It’s goes slowly; we still have to upkeep our old home on the market, and we can only work as time and funds are available (just like anyone else!). How do you like our outdoor shop? Pleasant summer sunshine and breeze…hard to beat!
The good news in everything, always, is that the Lord has not forgotten nor forsaken us 🙂 Give an ear to the update and if He so leads, we continue to appreciate and are humbled by your prayers on our behalf.
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view from our backyard
To listen to Pastor Houston’s broadcast that Tom hosted, click here: Walking With Your Sons on the Journey to Manhood.
The adventures continue! This is half of the very large willow tree that gave our front yard such ample shade this last summer. It came down during the night during a wind storm, and we were all very, very thankful it didn’t fall upon the house. It did break another tree, however, one with really pretty tropical looking flowers. I’m sad to see such lovely landscaping come to such disaster. And the two days we spent without electricity because of it wasn’t too fun, either.
It is in the midst of such things that we are attempting to get our house(S) in order. HouseS?? Yes. In this podcast, my husband shares about all of the different houses we are slowly putting into order, by God’s grace. They are:
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In other news, we are waiting anytime now for our baby to arrive, and I am preparing for that as well. Yesterday I made all kinds of postpartum and baby care herbal products. We have more to share with you all, but that will have to wait until after the baby is born.
Thanks for your support and for all of your blessings! I’m looking forward to settling in this winter and reconnecting with you all on a more regular basis.
Blessings,
The big willow that broke and came down.
It was a big mess.
Thankful for friends with chainsaws.
Join us for our last installment of this series on downsizing our home and upsizing our family (at the same time!).
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This was also a very good (and short!) read. Is “crazy busy” how you answer everyone that asks how you are? Is this really how you want to live your life? Crazy Busy
Blessings,
Well, we moved. Again. And not by choice. But here we are now in our suburban neighborhood rental home and I still feel a bit discombobulated and unsure of what I’m supposed to be doing now in this season. A decade of pursuing a real homestead…to a couple of years in a challenging little cabin…to living in a home where the city picks up yard waste. No more composting or tossing scraps to chickens!
Some things have remained the same. I’m still homeschooling. I’m still meeting with friends for book club. Tom and I still have date nights. But as I am rereading my old blog posts (from my original blog, not this one), I often wonder, “Who was that woman?” It seems like a far away, long ago dream.
It’s harder for me to keep blogging right now. After I wrote Present I felt like I had nothing more to say. I didn’t want to take the time to add one more recipe to the internet or to openly share to a mostly unknown world of readers. I still struggle with wanting to be real, in person, with real people…and of course you can’t really do that via a blog. Or, at least, I can’t. My world has shrunk and it has gotten richer.
I do feel like this home we are in is for a season of rest. We are nearing the end of paying off every debt, and then we shall see what the Lord has in store for us. Will we buy property and mini-farm again? Will we build another house? I don’t rightly know; all I know is that God literally plucked us from one house to another and then He did it again! So, as a friend once said to us, it isn’t our problem–it’s God’s. I am simply having regular days just like all of you: reading aloud, stirring oatmeal, wiping noses and bums, and keeping the laundry turning over. In between, I see God’s faithfulness to provide in every way, and challenging me to keep trusting Him. I don’t deserve the grace He’s shown and is showing me, but I am humbled and grateful.
Well, that was a long preamble to our latest podcast. We already have another podcast ready to record (yay!), but felt like we just wanted to chat with you all and let you know what’s happened and where we are now. Thank you for your sweet notes, emails, and reviews; we feel the love 🙂
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P.S. If you’ve missed the Downsizing/Upsizing series, you can start with part one HERE.
P.P.S. I haven’t disappeared from the internet. You can find snapshots of our days and little mini-mini-blog posts on my Instagram feed. It’s the one place I feel like I can *meet* you. If you don’t want to be a stranger, you can join me there 🙂
Blessings,
Disruption in our lives is never purposeless or pointless, praise God. Despite the causes of said disruption, God is forming us more in Christlikeness through it. Our job is simply to trust His faithfulness and to keep our eyes open to His work.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
To see and hear the entire Downsizing series, click HERE.
Blessings,