Wordless Wednesday: Back to the Prarie

After almost a year without a membership to our local living history museum, we have been enjoying several recent trips. Here are some photo highlights. 

Helping with the chores.

Saw this lamb born!  

My baby enlisted! 

Even Daddy joined up. 

Time for Moderation

Hello friends. I hope you had a great weekend. 

Recently, I came across a very lovely and encouraging site called Unplugged Sunday.  Right way I wanted to join in.  Unplugged any day is very appealing to me.  However as usual, I jumped in feet first without careful consideration of my family's needs.  Ever do that?
So, after presenting the idea and saying we were going to give it a try, the deal went south pretty quickly.  I had to step back and look at the big picture.  What was my goal?

What I really want is for our default not to always involve a screen.  I want us to use our weekends to connect, not scatter in front of a screen.  Then I realized that we had already done that. 

We spent hours yesterday walking about the living history museum.  Today we worshiped as a family, went to the library and a local park.  Yes, we also spent time on the computer, individually.  But we did not totally ignore one another either.  And the time we spent online was not wasted. My oldest son is writing a book and needs lots of time to flesh it out. The big picture also includes a weekend of camping is coming soon.  We will be unplugged for days.  Yippee!  I can't wait.

This Week At Home, No. 27

Hello friends and family.  I am changing my wrap up format again.  I really enjoy reading Annie Kate's Weekly Wrap Up, so I asked it if would be OK to copy hers.  It's all about keeping it fresh, right?  :-)

In my life this week … This was a very social week for us, not to mention being "tired" from coming off of a camping trip.  Lots of laundry this week and putting away after camping.  Planned and hosted a welcome home party for my brother-in-law. 



In our {summer} homeschool this week ... Life got in the way this week.  Actually, that was just fine with me, although, I know we need to try to keep doing some math.  Reading is our strong suit.  The kids are motivated to do the summer reading program.  Visiting our local living history museum weekly is also a good way to learn informally. 

Our green bean bed. 

The first harvest!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing …Spent time with grandparents Saturday, the boys spent the day with a friend on Monday, visited my grandma on Tuesday, I attended bunco Tuesday evening, friends came over Wednesday, more extended family time on Thursday.  Such a social time of the year! 



My favorite things this week were …

• Getting my laundry under control in one day!  (Even after camping!)
  
• Sunflowers about to bloom.  
• Visiting my sweet grandmother. 
  
• Listening to These Happy Golden Years CDs with Grace
  
• Cooler temperatures. 
• Extended family time. 

What’s working for us … Being flexible is working for us, not worrying about keeping a schedule.  Keeping the outside lawn and weeding up is a big job and the kids are pitching in with happy hearts.  The inside of the house is getting picked up and maintained, too.  It helps having company coming often.  Having a membership to our local living history museum is really working for us right now.  I forgot how much I love to go and just walk and take pictures. 

Questions/thoughts I have …Why does summer have to end? 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share …

A great post I just read from Generation Cedar... Are You Wasting or Living Your Life.  

One of my favorite flowers... Hollyhocks. 

This post is linked to

I Have No Complaints

"One wise mother insisted that her children write out all their complaints in 200 words or more. She received few. This is a good exercise for all of us. Make your list and go over it in your prayer time with God."
~Elisabeth Elliot

"Do everything without complaining or arguing." Philippians 2:14

Shakamak State Park Camping Trip # 3

We are back from trip number 3!  And we are three for three with rain during camping trips.  I think that is going to be the norm this year.  I've measured 4 inches of rain in about 2 weeks!  Our backyard started to look like a lake this morning.  

Here are some photos from our trip.  We were blessed to have Grandpa and Grandma visit us while we were there, as they live not too far from the park.

If you'd like another perspective on our trip, visit my husband's blog, Crafting a Remarkable Life.

This Week At Home, No. 26

Monday:
Knowing that the end of this week is going to be super busy, I purposed to make the most of this day.  So, I wrote myself a nice list.  I kept busy with things like, sweeping the deck, weeding, cutting "sucker" trees, making ice cubes, keeping the dishes and laundry going, and changing the master sheets.  I also made a nice batch of pizza dough for dinner.  And I had time to do Wii Fit this morning. Oh, and the weather is worth mentioning.  It is soooo lovely, cool and just how I like it today. 

Yes, Ryan is now taller than his Nana. 

Tuesday:
Another delightfully cool day!  I took advantage and spent an hour on the hammock reading a great book.  Oh, to have another hour just like it would be great, but the lists must be tended to.  We worked hard sweeping the huge deck, weeding, and doing laundry.  I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the upstairs bathroom.  Grandma is coming to spend the night this week, you know.

And taller than Grandma, too! 

Wednesday:
The morning started with a bang!  Lightening, thunder and heavy rain passed our way making our grocery trip more of a challenge.  Had I known it was going to pass through after lunch, I might have delayed.  No matter, it is done.  We spent the rest of the day making the house ready for guests.  It's our first cook out, since learning the burner was upside down!  Perhaps tonight the food will cook in a timely manner.

Watch out for this one! 

Thursday:
Grandma is coming!  After mowing, we walked around our favorite living history museum for 4 hours. They opened a new Civil War exhibit.  It was fun to explore.  We also watched a baby lamb being born!  Some tense moments, indeed!  Thankfully the little baby and momma are fine.  We will check on them next week.  After that excitement, we dashed home through rush hour traffic to grill chicken legs that had been marinating for 2 days.  Jeff's little cousin joined us.  I call her little, but she is almost 20! 

New recruit!

Friday:  Finishing packing and going to go brave the weather this weekend, camping.  The forecast is for scattered thunder storms both days.  Hoping they miss us, but not too optimistic. 

Camp cook. 

Saturday & Sunday:
Camping at a park 1.5 hours away.  It has a great pool.  There will be dry stretches to enjoy it and the 90 degree temperatures. 

Have a great weekend!
~Jenn

PS.  Jeff got the Magic Jack back online, but I am still not crazy about it.  I just wanted to make that note, in all fairness.  It seems to work half the time.  And it could be our computer is old.  Nonetheless (I just love that word) I am not sold. 

Magic Jack ... Not!

Not feeling the love, Magic Jack.  You made so many promises.  You promised to fulfill my basic need to communicate economically.  You promised to be easy.  You promised!  Now it has been more than a month and I am so disappointed in you. 

You only work part of the time.  Garbling words, I hear the rest of the time.  Then, you don't work at all.  One day you just stopped recognizing me as me.  And, we've made such accommodations for you!  We have learned that you don't like to work when someone is on the computer.  You just get all fussy.  And you don't work unless MY account is signed in.  It is not enough to have the computer on as the website promises. 

When I think of the expense, money to buy you, money to buy the first year, money to buy a phone, I get angry.  My life would be so much better if I had never met you, Magic Jack.  So, what can I do?  I'm going to tell all my friends.  Be aware, friends!  If something claims to be "magic", it probably is NOT! 

More Than Just a Grill

Coleman Sierra cleaned & ready to go. 

An exciting thing happened this weekend.  We were gifted a used gas grill, one that we'd never be able to afford new.  One I turned down last year!  All it needed was a little elbow grease and a tank of propane.  Simple.  Easy.  Right?

Wait just a moment!  We put in over 2 hours of sweat equity into that grill.  Made a huge mess.  Made three trips to the hardware store.  Consulted an elder because it was not working right.  Experienced defeat, joy and befuddlement all in two days. 

Consultation in progress. 

But you know what?  Now, we have a grill!  What makes me laugh a little is that this grill reminded me of a longing I had more than a few years back.  You know, during "the basement longing days."  I also had a longing for a "real" grill.  I even told others about this. It was an unfulfilled longing and then I just gave up.  For the last several years I did not even think about it.  And now, I have a real grill!  I actually have 2.  One for home and one for camping. 

Another side note.  This is more than just a grill.  It's a gateway to fellowship.  One that had been closed to me.  I did not fret about this.  We just made do.  And then last week we offered to have our flock group fellowship here at our house, but were turned down because we did not have a grill.  We ended up going to a great water park and the kids probably had a much better time than if they had been here.  And now I have a grill! 

Time for a fellowship! 

This Week At Home, No. 25

In which we try to keep cool.

Temperatures are 10+ degrees higher than normal for this time of the year.  Humidity is thick as pea soup! 

Lovely park pool! 

Saturday:  Spent the day at a state park pool about 1.5 hours away.  Such a hot day!  The 100 year record was broken.  It was 95 degrees.

Sunday:  After church, Grace, Trevor and I joined Mom and went to see Grandma.  Jeff and Ryan went in search of a new lawn mower tire for the push mower, which proved quite a hunt.  The old one was falling apart. 

New duds. 

Monday:  The kids and I were a bit tired after our busy weekend.  We spent a lot of time getting the house back in order.  And we did summer lessons.  In the evening, dance class resumed for Grace.  The boys went with Daddy to play tennis. 

Nice summer haircut. 

Tuesday:  Continued to work at chores.  Truly these are the lazy days of summer!  I have very little to share of this day.  We manage to fill our time with reading, movies, and a lot of Wii.  It's just too hot to be outside. 


Wednesday:  The highlight of our day was going to Target for a few things.  The rest of the day was spent doing our own thing again.  It's still very hot, in the 90's.  This is such unusual weather.  The summer is sure to be a long one.

At Nana's pool

Thursday: Cloudy skies above.  Soaring humidity below.  We want to go to Nana's pool today.  We'll have to see how the storms go.  Right now they are to the north.  We also want to go to the library to get our prizes.  (The kids are putting their sights on winning state fair tickets.  Want to go Dad?) Got groceries in the evening.  Glad that is done!

$1 shirt at Walmart!  He's thrilled. 

Friday:  Need to mow in the morning. Flock group fellowship at a splash park in the evening.

Awesome summer salad!

Saturday and Sunday:  Graduation open house, church, working on the old grill that was gifted to us, dodging storms, hopefully cooler, grilling out with family, and the garage could use a tidy up.  It's toss and go around here!  *sigh*

I'm also participating in The Legacy of Home: Vintage Healthy Home Link Up today.  Come check it out. Here is a link to the post I submitted.  It's about reading out loud. 

The Simpler the Life the Greater the Peace

"The willingness to be and to have just what God wants us to be and to have, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else, would set our hearts at rest, and we would discover that the simpler the life the greater the peace."
Elisabeth Elliot


"Be on your guard against all kind of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Luke 12:15

Am I truly willing to be and to have just what God wants me to be and to have?  The older I get, the closer I get to this state of being.  I remember a time when I was out of control with my wants.  I was also jealous of anyone who seemed to have the very thing I wanted.  Thankfully, I have learned to be content with what I have.

If there is something that I think I want and I do not have it, I can rest easy knowing that there is some reason that the Lord does not wish me to have it.  Perhaps this "thing" might become an idol and take my heart from Him.  Certainly I do not want that.

I remember a time when I had a longing for a house with a basement.  It seemed all  my friends had one.  (They still do.)  What I did have was a house that my husband could afford.  Grumble, grumble, grumble went my little discontent heart.  And then, a few years later, I had no house to grumble about!  Talk about learning a lesson the hard way!  By the grace of God, I learned that lesson well.

I learned not to be greedy for gain.  I learned to be content.  I learned that having a house on this earth is not my right.  It is a privilege.  Thank you, Lord for being a gentle, yet firm teacher. And, as it turns out, I have a sunken family room that is kind of like a basement.  I am getting closer! 

Therefore, I do believe that my heart is at rest with my circumstances.  I may never own another home.  If I do, it will be a gift from Him and I will appreciate it as such. It certainly would take a miracle to be able to buy a house in the next few years. And it is not something I long for, either.  What I long for is to be in the will of the Lord, having nothing more or nothing less than what He wants me to have.

Elisabeth Elliot also says, "Heaven is not here, it's There.  If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.  God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for."


"In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."  2 Peter 3:13

Monday Meanderings

Good Monday morning to you!  Oh, yes indeed, it was another busy weekend for us.  And we are tired.  I find myself wanting to hide from the world outside my doors this week so that I can get some progress made on the house inside.  There are just too many things out of place for me to be at peace.  That said...  Here is a bit of encouragement for you all this fine Monday morning. 

"The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe.  "The beauty of Thy peace" shines forth in an ordered life.  A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul."

 -Elisabeth Elliot

"Those who walk uprightly enter into peace."   Isaiah 57:2

So, What am I going to do?  I am going to make a plan, invite my children to help me, and then I am going to pray that I do not sin in my attitude in the midst of digging out of this mess.  And if I have to, I might just figure out a way to stay home until it gets done!

This Week At Home, Number 24

In which laundry is caught up and it is good to be home.

View from under the beach umbrella on Monday.

Tuesday:
After happily waking up in my own comfy bed,   I spent the day minding the washer, hanging blankets in the sun, taking said blankets down when dry and basically doing little else.   OK, that is not ture.  We started our summer lessons today.  It went pretty well.  I hope to do lessons 3 days a week.  Tuesday evening at Bible study, I struggled to keep up, mentally.  I felt disoriented all day, thinking it was Monday. 

Wednesday:
Finished the laundry!  Worked on oldest child's room while he is away visiting his Nana.  Amazing how much trash was in there, including a lot of plastic water bottles.  Must get him a reusable water bottle.  What brought on this cleaning?  I've decided to bribe my kids into keeping their rooms tidy this summer.  Yep.  I am resorting to bribery.  Wednesday evening I got out the little grill and made chicken legs for dinner.  Do you know how cheap chicken legs are?  *grins*

We do not travel light. 

Thursday:
Amazing cooler temperatures arrived over night, a big sigh of relief!  The windows are open and we are enjoying this while it lasts.  Maybe two days?  I hear the 90's and thunderstorms are coming Saturday.  Did our shopping today.  Oldest son will be back this evening. I want to have his room done.  The other two are working hard in their rooms as well.  I will help them this afternoon.  And if they can keep them clean all week long, they will get their small reward: a dollar bill or a small favorite food item from the store next week. We also weeded the long front bed.  I put down some weed preventer, too.  I hope it works.  I really don't enjoy weeding, but it needs to be done.  I put a radio in a nearby window and listened to praise music and prayed for people who came to my mind.  It turned out to be a nice hour. 

Friday:
Must mow this morning before the weather changes. I also want to go to the library today.  It's time to sign up for the summer reading program.  I also want to stop at the Good Will near the library to see if they have any shorts for the boys.  I am bringing cash and sticking to my budget.  Good Will is a tempting place for me. It's not the spending money, really.  It's the adding more stuff to my house that is the problem.  I want to get rid of more than I bring in.  Which reminds me to load up the van with our donations before we leave them once again! 

 Because I had to stop to catch the umbrella,which was about to take flight, this video is short. 

Saturday:
Hoping to go to a state park swimming pool.  Hoping the weather forecast for 30% chance of afternoon thunder storms is wrong or that the thunder storms go past us. 

Sunday:
Finally a day of rest, after church and Sunday school! Grace is going to continue working in the preschool at church this summer.  She really loves those kids.  And we want to nurture that.  This might be a good afternoon to go see Grandma, too.

They could play in sand for hours.

I hope you've had a good week. Thank you for stopping by! 
Jenn