Nick's Graduation Picnic

Just wanted to share some photos!

Lace Curtains

A couple of days ago I put up my lace curtains and rolled out my braided rug in the living room. Such a simple thing. That evening my family gathered there and appreciated how much of a difference it made. Our house was now becoming our home.

Moving can be so stressful and tiring. I honestly wanted to just sit down with a book and put it off. In hearing the words of appreciation I am encouraged. I now want to sort through the boxes and continue. I want my family to be able to come home to their comfort and peace after their long day of working hard.

Why do we love certain houses, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in our surroundings.
~ T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
~Robert Montgomery

We Are Moving!

I just spent most of my day purging and packing. I am determined to simplify my life. No more hanging on to things that just get thrown into storage never to be used and then moved to the next house. I thought I had done a good job when we moved from WA to AZ last July. I must have been fooling myself.

I am going through things and asking myself :What is the purpose of this? Do I absolutely love this? Does having this Help me?

It looks like the house we are selling is going through escrow pretty fast and the new owners will have possession upon closing. Meanwhile, my hubby is working hard at getting the kitchen totally finished before we move in and I have yet to do some cleaning there. I am not one who works well under pressure so I am praying I will be able to get the job done without stressing out. :)

Pantry Sweet Pantry

I can't tell you how excited I will be to fill a pantry again! When we sold our house in WA we knew we would be in "limbo" until we found a new house to buy and that our pantry items would be subject to the summer heat and would go rancid. We gave away almost all that was in our pantry and freezer to some large families we knew.

The kitchen in our Buckeye home didn't have enough storage to accommodate what I consider a proper pantry. With this new kitchen I will be in pantry heaven.

What will I put in my pantry? 3 kinds of whole wheat flour, whole rolled oats, stone ground whole grain corn and organic dried fruits are some things.

Oh the joy when once again I can just open my pantry and make something without having to go to the store first!

Life After Graduation

Usually when you hear "life after graduation" it pertains to a scholar who completed his/her course of study. Lately I have been thinking of it in terms of being a homeschool mom who's youngest is graduating.

"Now what?" often pops into my head. Yes I have the work on the house but then what? Whatever it is I choose to do I want it to be something that will glorify the Lord. A type of ministry. I just can't stand the thought of all this time on my hands. Titus 2:3-5 comes to mind. Could I possibly come up with something that will bless young mamas with my extra time? I feel as though the answer is right at the tip of my thoughts yet I can't grasp it.

I wonder how many other mamas go through this. My situation is different in that I am still young compared to other homeschooling mamas because the Lord only saw fit to bless us with 2 children and my homeschooling is done sooner because of it.

Homeschool was such a blessing that I am sad to see the end of it yet I know that the Lord has great possibilities for me if I will just open my heart and listen!