Longing for the simplier days to come....

Wow, this school year has started out with a bang. We have been driving quite a distance twice a week, in order for my girls and my not so little man, to play volleyball and flag football for the last couple of months. It has been really tough on us all but worth it for the kids to get to spend time with their friends. It all ends next Tues. and I have to say I am ready to be home and living our more simpler life.

When we have not been on the road we have been accomplishing a great deal of this......

My oldest has now taken on the job of helping her brother with his Teaching Textbooks Math. I have to say I love, love, love, this program. The kids have also enjoyed the occasional board game. Oh, how we love board games. This is an exciting game of Pictureka shared with a cousin.

When we are not schooling or playing we have done our fair share of work around the farmette. Here's the man of my dreams and my not so little man making much needed repairs to our very old barn. It's not much to look at but oh, we are so thankful for it!!

We have moved old hay around and gathered new hay for the animals to eat through the winter.

And here we have our first square foot garden planted with all kinds of fall produce. It's our test plot. The lettuce is doing great but we are still waiting on the broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.

The real star of the show is a little black pig. She has grown so much and we really enjoy her around the homestead. She loves all of the fallen pears on the ground from our pear tree. Who would have known we would like a little pig so much. However, Katherine is not positive that she won't be going to market in the spring too. Ha Ha

And here you have our princess Phoebe doing what she loves best.....

She loves a good belly rub. Who would have ever thought that a man who shoots very large guns for a living would be caught giving a pig a belly rub? All I have to say is he is so good to us!!

Here's our, what we call, real pigs. They are being raised for our freezer. We normally get a pink American Yorkshire but we have the hardest time sending a nice pretty pink pig to market. So the man of my dreams found these not so pretty brown Duroc pigs. I am thinking it's going to be a little easier to see these go. Oh, and yes, that is one of our barn cat's visiting. He spends the majority of his day in there. Who knows what that's about........ Last but not least, we found this little guy/girl in the barn this week. We are thinking it is a white dove. He has bands on both feet. He has been hanging around our barn for the last few days.

He lets us get close enough to throw food to him and take pictures. Very strange but really neat.
Oh, and our big news around the home is that this amazing girl will be 19 on Monday. Oh, where does the time go. She is one of the most amazing young women I know. Her walk with the Lord is something to be marveled at and I am so glad that God chose me to be a part of her life. Happy Birthday Sweet Katherine. We love you more than words can tell.
Life should be calming down around here and we will be back on a track of truly Keeping the Home. The only way for me to really keep my home is to be at home!!!

~~~

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.~~~ Titus 2:1-5