My Sweet 6 Year Old

Foreign Lands

Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.

I saw the next-door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.

I saw the dimpling river pass
And be the sky's blue looking glass;
The dusty roads go up and down
With people tramping into town.

If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.

To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairyland,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.

-Robert Louis Stevenson


My Sweet Jay-

Happy Birthday! I love you so much! I love your imagination, your bravery, your curiosity about life and the world around you, your sweet and loving spirit. You are so observant- nothing gets past you. You know your way around Brenham better some people I know! Your snuggles, kisses, and chivalry are some of the best around. You constantly amaze and challenge me. You are a great friend, big brother, son, and such a big boy. I pray that God does great things in your life. I love you, Jaber Daber!

Love,
Mommy

Spring is here...in so many ways!

We can mark our lives in seasons just like the weather. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. This has been a long winter. Not having my own house has been hard. Really hard. I know compared to others out there this is petty but for our family this has been a hard season. But I see bits of Spring popping up everywhere and I am grateful and excited! Here are some bits of a new season in life showing it's beautiful, warm, friendly face...our budding homestead!

Let the clearing begin!!!!

Dozer work

Prepping the house to move

Water well drilling started today!

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb

Dreamy Weather!

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

This described playing outside with the boys all day yesterday. We are going to do it again today...and tomorrow...and for as long as this beautiful Spring weather will allow...

Home Sweet Home

After MUCH waiting, praying, thinking, looking, waiting, and more waiting. This is our new house! I am so happy! This whole thing came together in a week and half from the time we looked at the house to when we signed the contract and gave 'em our check. We have to have it moved to our property. (the land wasn't for sale...just the house) Another development of that week and a half was finding out that there is an acre of land available across the street from where we were originally going to build. So we quickly snagged it and now are in the process of getting the septic, electric, and water well all taken care of before the house gets moved. It has to stop raining first though.
Here are the specs:
Built in 1905
when we are finished with it, it'll be a 3/2
1400ish sq ft (gigantic compared to where we were)
2 bedrooms downstairs and a little loft upstairs
HUGE walk in pantry in the kitchen (i've never had a pantry!)
Wood walls, bead board ceilings, wood floors...the works
It does need some work but it's all do-able stuff. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!
So here's a little tour of our new/old little farmhouse!

Front Door

Entry with stairs that go to the loft

Kitchen

Built in china cabinet in the dining room

Loft

Boy Room

There you have it! I'll have you over for coffee as soon as we get it all ready! I can't wait to show it off!!! God is good...I couldn't have asked for anything more. In fact, it's exactly what I wanted. I'm still in awe of what he has given us. wow....

Parsley

I was recently at my sweet friend's house fixing a meal (because that's what we do...) and she put some parsley in whatever it was that we were making (and by "we" I mean "she") and I said that Cathe Olson puts parsley in everything in The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook. My friend said "well, yeah...it's good for you" so just in case you don't know the health benefits of our good friend parsley either...here you go! I happened to come across this on the whole foods website. So sprinkle a little or a lot in whatever it is that you are making!

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, fresh parsley delivers:

• vitamin C and vitamin K
• natural plant compounds such as flavonoids and limonene
• volatile oils and potent antioxidants that benefit digestion
• carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein

A special note: pregnant women should avoid excessive amounts of parsley.

There are two kinds of parsley: curly and Italian. Use them interchangeably, but remember that curly parsley is milder and works well as a garnish. Italian (flat-leaf parsley) is stronger, thicker and heartier and is best for longer cooking, stewing and simmering. To maximize those health benefits, aim for a 1/3 cup serving.

Here's the rest of the post.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The boys helped me put together some Valentine crafts for our family today! Hunter helped me at the sewing machine and Jay did a great job signing his name on all of the cards.

I love those sweet little hands and that he likes to sign "John" on all the cards instead of "Jay."

Hope your Valentine' s day is super sweet!

I Heart Homeschool

It's been a fun week!

Jay and Hunter (eh, Bumblebee) watching flamingos on youtube.

The Little Artists

(Yes, they are in the painting in the bathroom!)

The littlest brother!