The Cottage on the Hill

We are having a tag sale (yard sale) this Saturday. I will be so thankful to have that stuff out of my house and shed. I'm amazed at how much we've accumulated in this little house. Most of it is baby clothes. I've become the family "dumping ground" (and I mean that in a nice way) for used toys, clothes, and baby items. I rarely have to buy anything for my kiddos, but I'm also overly blessed with more than they could ever use! Unfortunately, I'm at the end of the line and cannot pass it on. And yes, I've tried freecycle and Goodwill yadda yadda yadda, but this time we're just having a good ol' fashioned sale. I'm going to keep it simple. No fancy set ups and no pricing every little thing. I'm pretty much going to have sectioned heaps...a 10 cent heap, a 25 cent heap, etc. I'm not hauling tables and taking great pains in organization. I can't wait until it's over.

The problem with leaving grocery stores behind and heading to the farm stand is that you can't go back. Once you've eaten farm-fresh foods you realize that what is sold in the grocery stores can't hold a candle to REAL food. What's even better than farm fresh is home grown. I've been buying farm fresh potatoes every year from a local farm, but when I dug up my own just last week, the taste was unbelievable. DELICIOUS! Of course, heading to the farm stores and stands aren't always possible, so back to the grocery store I go. Although, I simply cannot return to processed foods. They're discusting to me. All I taste are preservatives and salt. The flavors aren't even good. Sometimes, you just can't go back.

First of all, thank you to those who responded to my last post. As a matter of fact, I do think several times a day about how much I'm going to miss this. I hold my 4 year old and try to remember him so tiny and new. I hold my 2 year old and think about us co-sleeping. I cradle my 2 month old and wonder at how big he's gotten already! Trace Adkin's song, "You're Gonna Miss This" runs through my head all the time. Secondly, real estate is on my mind again. Old or New is my thought for the day. I love old houses. I love their character and history. I grew up in an old house. However, they are high-maintenance. On the other hand are new houses. There is a new house for sale not too far from were I live now, and for a good price. While it lacks the charm and character of an older home, it is cute. Plus, the idea of everything being untouched and unbroken is appealing. Of course, these are all just thoughts right now. We can't budge from our lit...

Ok, all you moms of many young ones, how do you keep your cool when: Your 4 year old just peed himself because there was a little bit of water on the bathroom floor and he didn't want to go in the bathroom... While at the same time your 2 year old is feeding cookies to the dog... And your 2 month old is screaming for breast milk NOW! Share your trade secrets in comments please.

It's hot in the house. I have a hot baby laying across my hot lap with my hot laptop blowing hot air on me. And once again I am going through the end of the season blahs - the hurry up and get on with the next season mood. I do this every season ending. The funny thing is this morning I was lamenting the end of summer. But I'm also looking forward to the start of the school year.... tights jewel tones crisp apples apple cider donuts baking again corduroy opening windows sleeping under blankets and not sweating just sitting still

Now that things are beginning to settle and due to a health situation in the family I HAVE to return to a Nourishing Traditions diet, I'm hoping to really get my rear in gear with that. It stinks that my garden wasn't that great this year and I simply don't have time to can can can, but I'm doing the best I can and preparing for next year. Right now I have flour soaking in buttermilk for a banana bread tomorrow, and flour soaking in water and whey for spatzle. When we get back on our feet I hope to join a grass-fed meat CSA and return to drinking raw milk.

In one section of our TV armoire the children's DVDs were housed. Daughter grew tall enough to easily reach the bottom row and pull them out. Then, she learned that climbing on something gave her access to the entire load. Consequently, I ended up picking up DVDs several times a day. Also, several of the disks became unplayable since she'd remove them from their boxes and leave them on the floor. Some of the boxes were cracked, too from her standing on them. I tried teaching her not to pull out the DVDs, but they proved too much of a temptation for her. So, I found a CD/DVD storage case that holds 96 disks and zips closed and placed all those DVDs in there. As for the DVD cases, I boxed them up and put them in storage. I love not picking up all those DVDs day after day and I love having extra space.

While washing dishes yesterday and letting my mind wander over all sorts of subjects, I came up with this thought: Is it really a conviction from God, or just something you would like to do? This thought stemmed from reading blog posts defending certain individual's choices in their walk with the Lord or just in life in general. Some of them go to great lengths to explain why they do what they do. Biblical truths can be twisted or even misused. Overall, what they chose to do is harmless, and really, in the world full of "individual expression" be it purple and orange hair spikes or wearing your knee length hair covered, why does it have to be such a big deal? If you're honestly convicted, fine. If you just want to do it, fine....but don't try to prove it's a conviction. I have long hair and for a while I used to be all self-righteous about it and made sure to tell every woman with short hair the Bible verse about a woman's long hair. I pretended it was...

I'm actually kind of sad that Farmer's Daughter was left to such ruin. It would have made such a lovely house. The kitchen had a pantry off of it with a window in it. I always wanted a pantry with a window. The bathroom was sunny and cheerful. There was a living room and a dining room and a center hall with a staircase. Upstairs were 3 good-sized bedrooms. The master bedroom had another little room off of it which would have made a great nursery for the baby. There was also another little room at the top of the stairs which would make a good laundry room or half bath. Unfortunately, Farmer's Daughter is in such ruin. It would take a very dedicated person to bring her back. The bones of the house are good, but everything else is shot.

In just a matter of minutes, we will be going to look at a house! Of course, I don't think we will be able to get it. It's on the auction block and tomorrow is the last day for bidding AND you need to be pre-approved. Try finding a pre-approval on a Saturday! Still, we're going to look at it.....just in case. The problem is, I'm forming an attachment already. I do this with every house I look at. I start picturing furnishings and how I'd paint the walls. Goodness, I've already named this house! I'd call it, "Farmer's Daughter" because the house was built by the neighboring farmer for his daughter back in 1880. Isn't that charming?! The house comes with acreage, too! I'm wondering how broken hearted I'll be in just an hour's time. Of course, I LOVE our little Taigh Beag cottage and the beautiful slice of God's creation it sits on. So I shall be happy here, too. But, I am totally a real estate junkie. You cannot m...

I can't believe I didn't take any pictures! Yesterday, the whole family loaded up and went to a Christian retreat camp nearby to visit some friends who were renting a cottage there. We had such a great, relaxing time! The two older kiddos loved playing at the beach for their very first time! Hubby and I enjoyed relaxation, great company and delicious food. The middle daughter of the host family cooked up chicken parm for the staff of the camp (young men and women of the Lord) and later they all sat around chatted and sang worship songs.

This morning I was thinking how nice it would be for all of us as a family to go to a beach during hubby's recovery. I thought it would be a nice, gentle way for hubby to get some exercise. I just didn't see how it would happen. A visit to a public beach would cost, and we'd be limited to the sweltering heat of the beach. Well, the Lord knew the desire of my heart and we've been invited to a friend's camp at a Christian center to just relax and swim if we wish. This offer also includes babysitting should hubby and I wish to respite together for a bit of time. I hope we can take them up on this whole offer.