Big News!

Sarah can ride a bike now...

We are so excited for her.

She finally plucked up enough courage last night, with the gentle prompting of her Grandma Coose, and peddled herself down the road!

Hurray for Sarah! Thank you Grandma!

Spring Cleaning

We have been busy around here... spring cleaning and preparing for the warmer months ahead.

My Family gave me a lovely Mother's Day gift...

We even did a bit of yard renovation!

We have added a couple of trees to the garden and added rock around the raised beds.



The Kitchen garden is planted!

Thus far we have planted:

Corn
Potatoes
Beans
Peppers
Carrots
Arugula
Lettuce
Spinach
Garlic
Shallots
Onion
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Swiss Chard
Strawberries
Thyme
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Chives

Seat-work is winding slowly to a close as we fill our days with more hands-on pursuits and lots of reading and imaginative play...


I simply love this time of year.

Sheep Shearing 101

Today the children were able to enjoy a bit of farm life!

We joined a small crowd of young ones eager to learn about sheep and their wool.


We apprehensively witnessed how the farmer clips off the sheep's thick coat...Sarah and I felt a bit sad for the poor old sheep... she went from being warm and cozy to naked in just a few short minutes!

The dog was ready to keep that sheep in line if necessary!

After the sheep was sheared, we learned about the process of cleaning, combing and spinning the wool into yarn.

Of course we had to hold a few baby lambs...

They were adorable...

Glimpses of Beauty

As I was rushing my children out the door, I looked out the window and was stopped dead in my tracks by a whisper of beauty...the light of the morning sun was filling our front porch.

I breathed a sigh of thankfulness.

It is in the simple quiet moments
that I see and feel God in my day...

His glimpses of beauty to behold...
if only we will be still and see.

Spring Is In The Air

Spring has finally come to Idaho...

We spent part of our weekend wandering the country side
looking for orchards in bloom.

There was a nice stop at a local winery for a tasting
and we all relaxed for a while...
enjoying the sun and breathing the fresh air...

The Tasting Room at Ste Chapelle Vineyard

Sarah found a thoughtful spot to write poetry

The view from the vineyard...

Thomas enjoyed climbing trees...

Spring is here!

An Unexpected Visitor

This morning I was gazing out of the window, sipping my coffee, and enjoying the beautiful spring morning. As I took in the scene, I saw a strange lizard like creature slowly creeping out of the grass onto our street.


I called out to Sarah and we quickly ran outside to take a closer look at this interesting creature. Sarah just finished studying amphibians and was fascinated at the specimen just outside her door.


She quickly determined it was a salamander, and would not be of harm, and collected her specimen for further inspection in a handy glass jar. She gave her new friend a bit of water and it seemed happy that she did.


We then snapped a few photos and after a bit of discussion about keeping it, taking it to the herpetology lab at NNU, or letting it free where it could live it's days in its natural environment... we decided the best thing was to release it back.



And so, we walked down our path to our lovely pond with plenty of rocks, water and bugs and set it free...

I told Sarah, "God used us today to save this Salamander's life..." he was destined for disaster on the path he was heading.

Thankful

I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing
because it means my loved ones are nearby.
~Nancie J. Carmody

Spring Tea

Today we had a lovely birthday tea with some of Sarah's
closest of friends...

It has been a blessing to share and grow along side these precious young ladies.

We decided to get creative with our Spring Theme ...

we "planted" Cakes!

They turned out lovely!

and tasted wonderful too!

Sarah's 11th Birthday

Sarah turned 11 years old this week...

She grows more in beauty both inside and out every year...

All the grandparent's were here to help us celebrate!

Happy Birthday!

Easter Memories

April arrived and we did not even notice it until just a few short days ago...

The month of March has been a whirlwind. Our dear Sarah suffered an allergic reaction to medication she was taking after her surgery. We have been very concerned for her as she has developed serum sickness.


She has experienced swelling, hives and pain... it has been debilitating at times... things have stabilized for now and today she is back to her vibrant, happy self.

It always amazes me how resilient young children are.

Our Beautiful Daughter,
Easter Sunday

Easter came a bit quickly upon us, as we were focused on Sarah's health issues, but we did not let this distract us from the reflection of the cost paid ...

The death of Christ on a Cross... his blood shed for our sins.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Sunday came and we rejoiced in the truth that Christ conquered the grave...

My son greeted me in the morning with one of
his favorite hymns,
"Up! From the Grave, He Arose!"

The Children Singing in Church

Grandma and Grandpa
Here Visiting all the way from California!

The children painted eggs, a symbol of the fragility of life and the beautiful gift that it is...

and enjoyed the hunt for these tiny eggs around the house!

Thomas and Sarah on the hunt for hidden treasures in the garden!

We rejoiced together with family as we enjoyed a wonderfully tender leg of lamb, in honor of the Lamb of God, and we rejoiced together in the blessings and bounty that we have in Christ Jesus.

I am so thankful beyond words...

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Amen

Ice Cream for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Sarah is recovering from a tonsillectomy this week. We have been anticipating this surgery for a few months and so glad to have it over and done with!

She remains in good spirits. Although, in pain and swollen, still provided me with a smile this morning.


Before Sarah was bravely carted off to have her surgery, she handed me her sketchbook. She had kept busy sketching scenes of beautiful fields and horses while waiting patiently to submit herself, into the Doctor's capable hands, to remove that offending part which has been causing her daily loss of sleep and sickness. I noticed along the next page she had begun to journal her thoughts. They were interrupted, but the thoughts were deep on the subject of suffering... and questioning why it has to happen in a life.

I could not help but finish her sentences in hope that she would read them later and find comfort in the hope that suffering produces endurance and endurance helps us to finish the race set before us in life... it draws us closer to Him who suffered unimaginable pain and death to give us the gift of everlasting life.

Pain and suffering can draw us nearer to Christ...it brings us to the realization that without help from Him, we are inadequate and helpless to control... it brings us to our knees and reminds us of who we are and who we depend upon the most.

Yet pain can also draw us farther from Him as we shake our fist in anger, "it's not fair"... allowing ourselves to become disillusioned and hopeless.

It is a choice we make... choosing joy, (instead of wallowing in worry and self pity, amidst life's unavoidable circumstances). It comes from a steadfast faith and decision to follow Christ's lead and submit to, rather than hide from, pain. Pain is never enjoyable...it is always difficult and most always long to suffer through... but if we have a mindset of eternity, like Christ, we can submit to our suffering in an attitude of joy, knowing that we have hope in the greater good that our suffering will bring.

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
³because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance.
⁴Perseverance must finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4 NIV

The Countdown Until Spring

This morning my dear little Thomas was sitting on my lap for our morning snuggle and wistfully asked me, "is it Spring yet?". The sun was pouring into the window and the day looked to be one of those lovely warm March days. One of those days that fill a soul with hope that Spring is on it's way...

We decided to check our calendar and count the days!

Fifteen days exactly.

This is the time of year I get out my garden books and start really enjoying the thought of flowers and green again...Oh! and porch life... we live on our porch as soon as the weather is warm enough!

As I read the Friday Garden Column in our local news paper, it suggested that planting cold weather crops like lettuce, spinach and peas are on my to-do list this month. Yikes!... I better get my boxes prepared. They lasted the winter beautifully and are ready for another year filled to the brim with vegetables and herbs.


Today the children enjoyed the afternoon playing in their sand box... in the warm sun. It has been a long winter... we are ready for spring!