Let the little children come

 Being a homeschool / full time stay at home mom with two busy little girls, some days it can get the best of me. Like, when we have worked on a writing assignment for 4 hours! Or the little one tells me she WILL NOT do something 100 times and 100 times I have to remind her (in a soft voice - eye level with her) that she does not make the rules around here.  Those days are hard. I just need to remember why I stay home with them and that I am trying to do God's will for their lives.

(The girls were at the barn feeding. I was in the kitchen cooking while I watched them working.)

But then I read my daily devotion and it touches my heart as a reminder that this job is a big one. And kids love to help and I need to let them do more and more things. We have just started a chore chart and it has been such a blessing! They can't wait to see what they need to check off each morning and evening! Every time they do a job, I remind them they are being responsible for that job in our home! God is so good - and on those tough days, I need to stop and remember that little children are very much a part of God's work as well.

My devotion was this:

Children are great helpers, and throughout the Bible, we read stories of when God used them in special ways. Consider young Samuel serving God in the temple (1 Samuel 3), Naaman's servant girl who directed him to Elisha for healing from his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-3), the boy who shared his lunch with Jesus to feed five thousand (John 6:9), and little Rhoda who told the other believers that Peter was knocking at the door after his angelic escape from prison (Acts 12:13-16). Although they may seem small and insignificant, each act was great in the eyes of God.

Are you ever tempted to underestimate the value of your child's obedience and faithfulness to the Lord? Every time he speaks with kindness to a sibling, remembers Grandma with a special hello when she comes to visit, or invites a friend to Sunday school, he is doing God's work on a grand scale. Like the disciples who thought the little children were wasting Jesus' time, don't become a stumbling block to your child's small acts of love. "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).

Father, thank You for my children. Forgive me for underestimating what You can do through their prayers and acts of love and help me encourage them to love You more.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Take a hike!

 Some good friends of ours owned some land that had a waterfall on it. They sold that land and now it is private property. Which means nobody is allowed to see these beautiful falls. However, the family that once owned the land got special permission to take a group of us in and see the waterfall.

 It was a very pretty day.

 It was a very nice trail too. In fact it was an old road bed. And there was even an old working mill at the falls at one time.

 We made it!

 It was hard keeping the little ones OUT of the water. It was so tempting....but nobody wanted to carry out a cold, wet kid.

 So, they explored.....but it was still just too tempting to want to get in it and touch it and play in the water.....so......

 we let them put their hands in!

 I can say not one of my little ones fell in! However, one of the older kids in our group was not so lucky!!

 New summer hat. "Wook at dem cheeks!!!!"

 Hike back out.

 Daddy's are so smart....and so strong. What mama would have come up with this way to touch the water??? Got to love daddy's!!!

Such a fun way to spend a Sunday!!!

Cabbage Patch Hospital

If you have never been to Baby Land General Hospital for Cabbage Patch Kids...gas up your car and go!

It was Laci's 3 year old birthday treat from her Granny. She was so excited!

 

 This was our first time going to the new hospital. Granny took Lily when she turned 3. But this was Laci's trip. Lily and I just tagged along.

 Rocking the baby.

 All smiles.

 Night night babies.

Mother tree.

 Mother tree had a baby while we were there. And we were really the only kids on that day, so the girls were able to name her.

 The wonder in her eyes made me tear up! (Course, it does not take much for that!!!)

 After the baby is born, she goes to the nursery. The girls could not wait until the new born got her check-up and was cleared to be held.

 Laci named her Chelsea, and Lily named her Rose. Because it was Laci's birthday, she held her first.

 After she was held, they put her back in her bed for all to see.

 Over all, it was a very special day. To see little girls get to be little, enjoy a special day away from home, and spend some time together with family made this a BLESSED day.

Let's Go To The Pond...

This past weekend the weather was beautiful. So the girl and I headed to the pond.

 Rubber boots are a must....we walk through a lot of mud and horse poop to get there.
 
We love to go play in the creek and pond on a pretty day. The pond is not something you would want to swim in....it's DEEEEEEEEEEEP and has lots of mud turtles. I plan to keep all 10 toes, thanks!

 This part of our creek is undergoing some changes. 

 See this part should not be here....it was a wash out section, which made the flow of the creek go in the direction you see above. Hubby will use the back hoe to fill in this part and stop the water from flowing this way. It will make all things right in the man made pond world. I just say, "Aw, do you really have to? This will mess up our play areeeeeeeeeeeea!!!" And he says,"Yes." And I say, "For real? Does this REALLLLY HAVE to be done or do you just want to play on the tractor?" And he says, "It has to."

 Back to sun and fun! 

 Clomping, stomping, and romping.....

 exploring.....

 stirring....

country kids can make anything outside an adventure! We play like we live on a prairie and have to gather up crops for dinner. (We have bowls and cups that we carry with us to the creek when we plan to stay and play.), we also see who can throw the biggest rock and see how big they splash, and of course we TRY to skip rocks.

 Last but not least our little waterfall. It is deep enough to swim in right here, but again.....looks kind of snake-y (is that a word?), and turtles. But it sounds so pretty.

Ode to Cast Iron

It is no secret that I LOVE to cook. And I LOVE southern, old school cooking. I try to think about how women many years ago cooked. I try to think about how easy it is to just make it, rather than buy it. I love to walk through the grocery isle and know that we don't need to buy any packed foods because we make it from scratch. I also love to get recipes from the Amish and try my hand at those. Cooking is fun to me and I love it when a recipe is a hit. Although, I have a bad habit of not wanting to cook that recipe again....it's like I put a check mark on my list and say, "Done that. Move on. Ready for the next challenge." I also love to know that I am serving and blessing my family with food. I love a good meal around the table whether it is my 4 or even more. We have to eat, it might as well be good!!!

 Cast Iron, Cast Iron I use you everyday...

 Cast Iron, Cast Iron I need you in the worst way...

 I love to use you for soups, stews, and more.

 I love when your frying....

 But I love your gravy more!