The Simplest Way to Slow Down

A picture of our family at a dear friends wedding, all the children were part of the celebration!

As I begin to write I realize it has been over a month since I have posted anything.
Our life has been anything but simple. I have felt like I am being stretched and pulled in every direction, barely staying afloat. I absolutely hate living like this because as you know nothing seems to get done well, its just maintaining, getting what needs to be done that day done and then looking to the next pressing issue. Don't get me wrong, there has been a lot of fun things happening, but the pace at which I can do things just isn't what it used to be.

So here is the easiest way to instantly slow life down...have all but one person in your family of 7 get really really sick! Exactly one week ago Miss Mary came into our room sobbing, grabbing her head, and with a fever of 102 degrees. I tried not to think of all the things that this could be and instead worked on giving her motrin and tucked her into bed beside me. Eric was out of town, not scheduled to return until Friday evening. By the next afternoon Katherine too had a high fever and both were throwing up, and by evening I felt terrible. Eric caught a flight home(his ability to get home that evening was a total act of God and a whole other story in itself). So as it stands right now Thomas has been the only one fortunate enough not to get this horrible flu. I don't remember ever feeling so miserable!

Staying home for nearly a week has been a challenge, we've missed out on many "amazing outings", lots of music practicing, routine, socializing with friends, and getting anything accomplished! Somehow life has been put more into perspective and so much of what we have "missed" out on doesn't seem to really matter. Yes, it would have been really fun to have 2 great families over for vespers Friday evening and to take my kids on a wonderful field trip with friends, but completely stopping life also afforded lots of time to snuggle up together, to watch some really good movies like Sound of Music, stay in our pj's all day, and to eat lots of toast and applesauce. We also were able to experience the kindness of several friends through yummy meals of soup brought to our home, reminding us how important it is to reach out to those in need.

I was overwhelmed with love and appreciation for my husband who was such an amazing person through all of this. He didn't feel great during this time, yet he got up with the kids at night, administered lots of medicine, read to the kids, took the wellies on walks and bicycle rides, fed the kids meal after meal and cleaned up the kitchen over and over and even managed to get a few trees planted in the yard with the help of the ever faithful and helpful little Thomas!

Clinging to Him

Today has been one of those days...I knew as I got out of bed that it was going to be a tough day. I knew I was starting my day already behind and I knew I needed Him to see me through. I read II Corinthians 4:8,16-18 before it was completely light outside, after I had exercised. I prayed that I could apply these verses throughout my day and shared with Eric what I had read. He opened up his Bible and read Matthew 11:28-30 out loud to me and prayed with me before he rushed off to work, many stresses of his own ahead in his day at work. I started my day close to God and had a feeling of peace as I faced my crew of energetic blessings.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

Fast forward exactly two minutes! I am overwhelmed, Katherine and Mary are at each other, all are hungry, house is a disaster from the busy weekend, twins are into a bag of chips from the pantry, the phone is ringing, Lizzy is nowhere and it is time for breakfast, "Lord, I just can't do this, I can't keep up, everyone needs me, please help me now!" Against my better judgement I give one of the twins a glass plate which crashes to the floor, Mary is sent to her room, I open The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos and begin to read to the girls about Adam and Eve being sent out of the Garden of Eden...about how hard they had to work from that point on just to eat and live...

Yes, this life here on earth is tough and everyone has something hard to deal with. I know as I sit down to write at the end of this horrific, overwhelming day that Satan knows how to bring me down. I was defeated today, I felt like running away from my life and given the option I probably would have at least taken a couple of quiet hours to myself to make a to do list, collect my thoughts, breath, have an ice blended mocha! Since time away was not possible I slogged through the morning feeling more and more sorry for myself and quickly forgetting the amazing assurance and power that I had received in my quiet time with my Lord. Life is good, with so many things to be thankful for.

Thinking back through my day I can see the many times He was right there beside me giving me patience, energy, the right words offered to a wee one, and opportunities to minister to my children's hearts. I cried a lot today and was reminded by my wonderfully thoughtful husband that I was yoked to my Savior. Satan did get the better of me several times today, but as I sit here in peacefulness I know I was not crushed by him for I was clinging to God and I found rest for my soul in Him.

Things I am Thankful for Today...
*A gentle God that is patient with me.

*My five amazing and tender-hearted children that are full of life, healthy and passionate about life.

*My husband, that he loves me no matter what and believes in me even when I completely doubt myself.

*That we decided to go for number four and were doubly blessed with Thomas and Caroline(enjoyed slowing down enough today to video tape them talking...pricesless!)

*An aggressive quarral between Lizzy and Mary that opened up the perfect opportunity to really have a heart to heart with the two of them about habits that have formed and behavior that needs changing, the time ending with all of us in tears and me crying out to God for help in mothering and mentoring these precious hearts.

*Witnessing Lizzy forgiving Mary and telling her that "Old Spotty" had been in her heart and she just needed to tell him right then to Get Out! (Old Spotty is the name for Satan in the book Thee Hannah by Margarite de Angeli)

*Katherine who is such a cheerful helper. She stepped right in today and entertained the babies, comforted her sisters and managed to have time to get her math done and the book she was reading finished too. Thank you Katherine, you are amazing!

So...here is to a fresh start tomorrow, but still clinging to Him or rather yoked to Him.

Be still and know that I am God

Psalms 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Creating

The girls have been creating all sorts of things as of late. Katherine took a sewing class this summer and made a quilt. She had never sewn before and to tell you the truth I was skeptical that she would complete the quilt and enjoy the process. Boy was I wrong! She didn't quite finish it, but she does LOVE sewing. She now has a very old black singer sewing machine in her bedroom (a kind gift from Nanna's best friend, at least until she has a use for it).

I took it to the sewing shop and had it oiled, cleaned etc and she and I read the manual to learn how to thread it. I do not have the best memories of sewing from when I took home economics in 10th grade and have said "I will never sew". Never, say never! I actually think I could get into this!!! It is amazing how your children expand your horizons and keep you learning new things. Thank you Katherine for having the desire to learn to knit and now to sew too. She is a great knitter and I am LOVING learning to knit along side her. She has all sorts of ideas for sewing projects...aprons for her sisters, quilts for her dolls. Time, if we only had time to keep up with all her ideas!


The girls also made rag dolls this past week. What a fun and super easy project. I had bought a kit when we visited Sutter's Fort last month and once again wasn't too sure about a project like that. I figured we'd get to it sometime this year. Kids sure keep you going though...we are studying Westward Expansion, California History, Gold Rush etc. and they were thrilled to start the book Patty Reed's Doll by which tells the story of the Donner Party. They made their rag dolls one afternoon as I read out loud to them. The girls were able to see Patty Reed's doll which is on display at Sutter's Fort. The story is told through the eyes of her doll. An amazing book that we all enjoyed immensely.

So you must meet Molly (Lizzy's doll) and Cassie (Katherine's doll). They have spent countless hours making beds, bonnets, and dresses for them. Some made by hand, some using the sewing machine. I sewed on eyes, nose, and mouth for each. The kit made it easy, but now I have the pattern and we plan on helping Mary make one this week!

Harvesting Together

Living off the Land...




Enjoying the Corn...


Eric and his Dad placing the poles for the berries
A Days Harvest
Mary Harvesting One of Our Favorites, Lemon Cucumbers!




We have been enjoying our first real vegetable garden since we moved two years ago. We have eaten yummy things for the past several months and what fun the girls have harvesting...especially Elizabeth and Mary.

As you can see by the pictures, a few zucchini were missed and became giants. Oh well! The girls enjoyed carrying them around and weighing them for a total of 27 pounds...

We've had tomatoes coming out of our ears and recently froze over 40 cups to use during the "long winter" ahead (as the girls like to call it).


Pluots are our new favorite fruit from our orchard. I have to admit that I was not keen on Eric planting TWO of them. I'd never heard of them before, but Eric wanted to try them out. I was quite happy with the two plums and three apricots we had already. I have to say that I am eating humble pie right about now as they have quickly become my favorite fruit. We only had about 20 on the trees this year as this is the first producing year, but Eric was great about supplying me with a perfect one each day and boy what a treat. They are the perfect mix of sweet and tart, not at all soft and pithy. Just Heavenly!!!

We enjoyed 8 ears of corn to be exact from our two rows of corn and learned our lesson on planting pumpkins too early. They are pretty much over already and we have two months until October. Next year we'll wait until June 1 to plant the pumpkins.
We have stored up a large supply of butternut squash for the winter ahead, at least they will keep.

Anyway, we have enjoyed learning this season and look forward to changing a few things next spring. It has been a great experience for all of us, especially the kids though. It is so fun to see how much of dinner came from our own garden.

Just a quick note...my husband gets a lot of credit for all of his hard work in the prep stages. He layed the irrigation system for the hill (the area with the garden and the rows of berries), prepared the soil, and layed the drip system that kept it nicely watered. I feel so blessed to be married to Eric who loves this kind of thing!
Thanks Babe for all your hard work!

Slowing Down...

This has been a trying week. Last night I was so discouraged, so overwhelmed, so feeling like life is out of control! The twins are 2 and might I add there are TWO of them!!! They get into everything, climb, open doors, move from activity to activity at the speed of light, and heavens forbid EAT 3+ times a day! They could keep me busy (and they do) all day long just keeping them safe and my house safe.

Needless to say I have these three older kiddos who love my attention too. They are full of great ideas and love to bake, cook, knit, sew (in the process of learning), bead (above picture is showing the earrings Katherine and Lizzy made for me as a surprise), and the list goes on. We "started" school this week(really we never stop learning around here, so starting is just an excuse to celebrate and mark a new beginning) and needless to say things have been a buzzing. All are excited about the new books that arrived on Monday and the projects that we have planned to do in the year ahead. These three older girls could keep me busy (and they do) all day long!

So last night I spilled my heart out to Eric about feeling overwhelmed and not having enought time to get things done. I have planned and planned and set some pretty high expectations for the year ahead. He listened patiently while I told him about my very long day and such. His advice was so simple, in the form of a question..."Ayme, what is our goal for our children, what do we care about most?".
We talk about this often, yet I needed a reminder from the leader of this home...
We want to raise children that love the Lord and want to serve Him and who serve others, starting with serving each other in this home. I was reminded of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Today I have had a refreshed vision for how I want this school year to go. These precious 2 year olds will only be babies a bit longer and I want to enjoy them! I want to slow down long enough to really listen to all the new words that are flowing out of there mouths. I want to stop trying to get so much accomplished that I miss an opportunity to share in God's goodness with one of the older girls or thank God for answering a prayer. I want to slow down long enough to really cuddle my "middlest" child, and make her feel like part of life instead of giving her the impression life is zooming around her. She also won't be four forever and she also won't always want to play memory with me. (This is where she is at, loving the game memory where she recently responded during a game..."mommy, you've got to be kidding!" I could have died, as this is something I say all the time!)These days are going to be gone before I know it and will I have given my children the idea that life is all about staying on schedule and accomplishing or that we lived a life that was slow enough to enjoy God's goodness, to read His Word, to meditate on the wonderful stories in the Bible, to help a friend in need, a sister, or a neighbor? I hope the latter...

Thankfulness

5 Things I am Thankful for Today
1. A wonderful, thoughtful husband who is completely giving to me and to the kiddos.(He surprised me and came home early today). We were able to sneek in a date Sunday evening. What fun.

2. A swimming pool that wears the kids out and gives them lots of exercise this time of year

3. The well-used panini maker that provided a wonderfully easy dinner for us this evening and grilled our home-grown zucchini perfectly!

4. That we serve a God who loves us no matter what and forgives us always.

5. Children who are able and eager to clean up from supper and who let Eric and me enjoy conversation on the front lawn while they were doing so.