The Little Things | December 2021 (Week 3)

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“The Little Things” is my blog version of IG stories...these seemingly ordinary daily moments make up our beautiful life! *Click the images to enlarge & scroll*

“I hope you find, as I did, that happiness comes from noticing
and enjoying the little things in life.”
- Barbara Ann Kipfer

The Long-Awaited Cookies: It’s cookie time! We had to wait for our natural food dye to arrive…which delayed the process a bit! LOL! But we finally made them. Gluten-free…and they fell apart a little bit. So although the rooster might not have a leg, they still tasted yummy! What is your favorite treat to make for the holidays?!

Not a Housecat: We try to have the willpower to resist Prince’s sweet face at the door, but we are defenseless against him. So on most days, our “not a housecat” is a couch cat. But not to worry, he still pulls his weight in mouse catching.

Little Elves: It’s a game changer when your children are old enough to help you wrap gifts! While I used to stay up until all hours on Christmas Eve, now we all chip in and help. Also fun to actually have gifts UNDER the tree because there are no toddlers to destroy them. ;-)

Christmas Giving: Ama and Grandpa were here all week…and we did our Christmas with them. Lots of hugs and tears and fun.

Snowman Friend: We had a mini-blizzard this week with 2 inches of snow and 50-60 mph winds…and Emma was able to roll together a friendly snowman.

Garden Chill: Everything is done in the garden now…except for a few pieces of kale and collards that we snacked on while we were out for a walk. It’s so strange to not be tending the garden daily…but I’m deeply grateful for this season of rest.

Memorial: We have had a few chicken deaths in our flock lately (some were ill and some were naughty)…and this was a little memorial service we had for them, thanking God for allowing us to care for them. It’s always sad to say goodbye. Margarita, Soloman, Barbara, Floppy, and Moses…you were well-loved.

Letter writing: Lucy wrote letters to everyone for Christmas and they were the SWEETEST.

Reading by the fire: This is definitely the room of choice right now…and Ama found my favorite “Grandma Chair” to sit and read in. I found this chair at a thrift store…and I promptly sat down in it and wouldn’t move until I could find Matt to tote it away! It’s comfy and perfect.

Home Sweet Home: Everything feels SWEET right now…prepping for the holidays, enjoying each other’s company, sitting by the fire. Lots of snuggling happening.

Special Deliveries: We spent one day this week prepping gifts and getting ready to mail them out to friends and family. We did all the postage at home with Pirate Ship and our little post office in our little town had no line at all for drop off. Benefits of small town life!

Fort Building: The girls found a special little spot in the woods where they created a “winter home”. They gave me a tour and it was pretty magical. Complete with hardwood floors and a kitchen.

Milkweed Fluff: It’s been so neat to see the changes of the milkweed this season. We have copious amounts of it…and we get TONS of monarchs!

Silly faces: Family photo the night before Ama and Grandpa headed home…I’m so thankful for these moments. This is why we moved back to the Midwest from Texas…to be closer to family. It’s truly a gift.

Daddy & Daughter: Matt and Bella went on a daddy-daughter date to see the new Spiderman movie…as is their tradition when a new one comes out.

Hot Chocolate Face: We stopped by our favorite antique store and had hot chocolate and pastries! I found some red goblets for Christmas dinner and a metal basket for storage. We don’t have a Target nearby, so the antique store is where I shop! :)

The Little Things | December 2021 (Week 1)

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“The Little Things” is my blog version of IG stories...these seemingly ordinary daily moments make up our beautiful life! *Click the images to enlarge & scroll*

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with the leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”
– Leo Buscaglia

King Soloman: Our “baby” rooster is shaking up the pecking order a bit. As he grows louder and larger and more “alpha” in nature, the other roosters just roll their eyes at his teenage antics. So we catch him and snuggle him in front of them to show him who is really the boss.

Sunrise: I always thought I was more of a sunset person…but lately, I get so excited for the sunrise to peek over the horizon. This is the view from my office…of course the camera can never capture the true beauty of the purples and oranges, but you can try to imagine!

All done: Matt has the RV all winterized now after our last roadtrip. It’s a relief to have it tucked away, but our guest housing will have to take on new forms until it gets warmer!

Chosen: We went to Sioux Falls on Wednesday to see The Chosen Christmas event at the theater. It was SO GOOD…it was beautiful to see the birth of Christ come alive. We are currently reading one chapter of Luke every night…leading up to Christmas eve. It’s so fun talking to the girls about their questions about scripture. If you haven’t yet downloaded The Chosen app to watch the binge-worthy two seasons…you need to do that now! My faith has been forever changed because of it!

Mornings: I love SLOW mornings. We get our hot drinks and settle in for the sunrise…which comes up directly out these windows and down our long driveway. Many times, the “not inside cats” come to the door and want to come in to play. And as the fire crackles…I gaze out at the big red barn and sign with contentment.

Tea time: I was encouraging my siblings this week that eventually their toddlers will get big and grow up and sit at coffee shops quietly while they sip their own drink without spilling it! They didn’t believe me. What a crazy thing parenthood is.

Eggs: Look at this egg haul! This is what we had waiting for us when we got home from our Nashville trip! They aren’t laying much these days because of the dark and cold and general moodiness. So it was fun to see this!

Daughters: When we went to Sioux Falls, we decided to stay overnight at a hotel with a fun pool for the girls. It was mostly Emma going down the waterslide 92 times, but the older girls liked hanging out in the hot tub!

Prince: He’s my favorite…but he’s selectively friendly. He has quite a lot of “winter fluff” starting to accumulate, so holding him is like holding a big teddy bear. He’s also the best hunter…and while he behaves like a cranky old man , I often find him snuggling with the younger kittens and grooming them. LOL! I’ll never figure him out completely.

Climbing: The girls all went climbing together this week…Emma had such a great time, she’s a natural! They all want to be like their big sister.

Slippers: Sometimes I just look down and what I see makes me happy. So I take a photo. This was one of those times. LOL!

Paint: We’re spraying the front room white this weekend! I’ll do a separate post on it…but I love how it’s turning out! Progress!

The Little Things | November 2021 (Week 3)

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We had a delightfully busy week with grandparents and snow and birthdays and building things. Click on the photo to enlarge and scroll through.

Schmearing the Brick: The woodburning surround is done and the stove is in! Yay! Be sure to go read the post I wrote about the process!

Spicy: One of the projects of the week was organizing our spices in pretty bottles…Lucy loved putting the stickers on and lining them up in rainbow order.

Mama: Every morning when my mom is here, we go to the office and read our Bibles together. We’ve been reading through the Old Testament all year, and then the New Testament…and then Zooming with our sisters and sister-in-loves each week to discuss. It’s been SO good.

Snow: Our very first snow came in with a roar! We had 50 mph winds and a few inches of snow…just enough to get the sled out and make it pretty for awhile!

Kale: Despite the snow, my kale was still kickin’ under our covering. It’s on it’s last legs, but I love having greens in the cold! Next year I’ll built a proper cold frame closer to the house.

Sage: We dried the last of the sage for tea and spices!

Churchy: On Sundays, we gather in our basement with my sister’s fam and watch Athey Creek. Love our time together! Pastor Brett is a fantastic teacher who teaches expository style…straight through the Bible book by book with no added fluff. I love the prophecy updates he does once a month as well.

Goodbyes: We said goodbye to Nana and Papa after their week here…but we’ll be seeing them next week in Nashville for Thanksgiving…we’re loading up the RV and we leave on Sunday!

Hello: A few hours after they left…Ama and Grandpa arrived for a week’s stay! We had back to back grandparent visits and it’s always so fun! This is high on the list of reasons why we moved to SD from TX…to be closer to family. So when I see them pulling in the driveway, it makes my heart so happy. I grew up seeing my grandparents all the time, and it was such a special time.

Tour: Of course we had to give them the tour of all the work that has been done since they were here last! Matt’s Dad has helped with all of the shiplap and so many other projects around the farm. It’s such a blessing to have him visit and work alongside Matt. This week they did the woodburning stove, and 2 ceilings with shiplap. Matt’s mom is so encouraging and lovely…and she always does a puzzle with the girls when she visits. Which is wonderful because I am NOT a puzzle person. ;-)

Climb: Bella is LIVING at the climbing gym these days…and having SO much fun. Every time she comes home she has a new friend. She’s so excited to move to Des Moines next year to be even closer to an even bigger gym!

Birthday: The 18th was my 45th birthday! It was a restful day…full of audiobooks and bird watching and special gifts and meals. I felt extremely loved. My sister’s birthday is just 2 days before, so we went out for dinner to celebrate! Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes!! I wrote about my 44th year and all the changes it brought to my life…check it out here.

If we are faithful to God in little things, we shall gain experience and strength that will be helpful to us in the more serious trials of life. - Hudson Taylor