Busy with Being Busy!

It seems that lately my little blog has been sadly neglected. I suppose it has been rather busy and I dealt with another round of bronchitis. There's been lots of interesting happenings around our homestead, so hopefully I will have find time to catch up soon!

This morning the boys slept in, so I decided to get caught upon a few things. I washed a load of laundry, started two loaves of bread to rise, and even did a little sewing. I got most of the way finished with the bodice for a new blue dress.

I can hardly contain my excitement and joy! A very special box was in my mailbox...all the way from Texas. I think I skipped all the way back to the house. Inside the brown box was a most beautiful and cherished gift, lovingly made by the prayerful hands of a friend! What was the gift you might ask? A beautiful handmade rug from a dear sweet friend, Leslie!

Sister Leslie, I think you looked right into my heart, found the colors of who I am, prayerfully wove them together with the love of your hands and created a treasure that will be cherished in my home!
I had quite a time of trying to figure out where to put such a special rug. It is so special that I wanted it's place to be special, too. I finally decided I'd put my special rug by my chair because so often my little ones gather on the floor here to sing or read a story. They are often right there to watch when I'm doing needlework. This is the chair where I enjoy a rest after a hard day's work, and where I enjoy my coffee, quiet time and feathered friends at my window. It is where I sit for family hymn sings. So I thought such a special treasure should be somewhere that special moments are had daily.

This afternoon we worked outside. It has been hot today, almost record highs of ninety degrees! The heat made the work more difficult, but at least we had a good breeze! We got one raspberry bush planted, and then dug a trench to plant seed potatoes. This evening we are going to try to get a few more bushes planted and such. Today Jacob discovered the joy of running barefoot. The other boys had already learned this valuable life lesson, but Jacob had been hesitant to try. I do believe the heat finally convinced him to take his boots off! He was quite surprised to learn that the grass and dirt really does feel good on your toes! As I was digging the trench, Jacob kept discovering new worm friends. He decided to visit for a while with a few of them...he thought they'd like to ride in his shirt pocket. It was so humorous to see my bookworm outside barefoot in the dirt and playing with real worms!

Our family has discovered a new special treat...Frost Top Root Beer. I had never been much of a fan of root beer, but this is really tasty! And nothing tastes so good as when you've been working hard outside!

Daddy is nearly home for the eve, and we will do a little more work outside. The smothered porkchops have filled the house with an inviting aroma, and the boys are enjoying a slice of fresh bread on the porch. Lord willing, I will plan to get caught up here over the next few days. There so many things I'd love to share!

In His Precious Name,