Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Since I can never seem to stay caught up on scrapbooking for my dear children, this blog serves as a reminder of the big stuff and the little stuff that I want to remember with my family. Here are some of the blessings that I'm keeping in my heart this day.
Last evening the weather was beautiful again. We ate a simple supper on the porch, then we taught Baby S how to chase fireflies. The big kids, with enthusiastic help from Hank the cowdog, did relay races and all sorts of games that had their Daddy and me in stitches. Baby S ran about laughing and copying everything they did. After soapy baths to wash all the chiggers off, I tucked them all in with kisses and a heart full of gratitude that this precious family is mine.
We generally take Friday's off from school in the summer, so today started with gardening. R tidied the kitchen after breakfast, and the boys watched Baby S while I picked green beans, peppers, squash, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli and the very first tomato of the season.
While I worked my way down the rows, I mentally planned out several menus to use up all that good bounty, including plans to freeze some of the beans since there are so many I don't think even my veggie-loving family can eat them all up right now. Praise the Lord for all this fresh goodness, and for all the work done by my parents and my extended family in keeping the garden going for all of us. It's a huge blessing to feed our children this healthful, fresh produce straight from the field. And praise Him for the rain we are expecting later today and this weekend!
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| A few peaches survived the hail, wind and hard rain a few weeks back. We didn't beat the worms completely, but we did a much better job this year controlling the pests. They tasted great and the kids thoroughly enjoyed every morsel! |
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| Our first year to grow grapes ~ and they are looking good! |
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| HW showing about a third of the big garden. Yep, it's big. |
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| HA can't wait for some good sweet corn! It's almost ready. |
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| The potatoes have been delish, and we still have rows and rows of them left to enjoy. |
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| R is still taller than the corn, but not by much~ |
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| I think most of our rows are about 70 feet long. The melon rows are even longer. Here is HW at the far end of the beans. |
After gardening, R, HA, and HW took a wheelbarrow full of garden scraps (spent broccoli plants and cabbage leaves) to the cows and chickens. As I watched through the kitchen window they joked and laughed together while they lugged the heavy load and forked the greens over the fence. My heart was warmed by watching them at the task together. I love that they love each other.
They came inside, washed up, and went to do R's School while Baby S and I played make-believe with the Playmobil people on the floor. R's School is a family tradition that started two years ago when a young R asked if she could teach the boys. She began carefully preparing lessons and teaching her little brothers for about half an hour, a couple of times per week. R's School has now expanded into several hours per week for the boys. On R's School days, Baby S and I enjoy some quality play time together while the three big kids have a blast doing fun projects, zipping through math flash cards, and playing educational games together. Some of the fun stuff they did today included agriculture worksheets, an art lesson, and building a working clock from lemons. The best part was that I overheard the very start of their school time, as the three kids began with this very thoughtful and humble prayer from eight-year-old HW:
"Dear God,
Thank you for this day, and thank you for all your blessings. Please help us to have a good day at R's School. Please help R to be a good teacher, and please HA and me to be good students. Please help us to do your will. In Jesus name we pray. Amen."
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| Cool! Can't wait to talk to Daddy about it when he gets home. |
It's time for lunch now and we've already accomplished much together. I am so grateful to be able to teach these kids. Days like these refresh my spirt for all the mothering tasks I've been entrusted to do. And today I do them with a happy and full heart, praising God for every good and perfect gift.
