eat sleep and farm

We're California bound in just a few days! Hence the blog being set to private. I love having new people to meet through this blog, but I hate to post about long trips away, not knowing who's reading it. Sorry if the private setting is annoying to any of you - I will open it back up in July... I think :) Its been 1 whole year since we've gone for a visit to California, so we're quite due for a visit. Visits back "home" are hard because there's a million people we desperately want to see and yet even the amount of time we're going for isn't quite enough. Plus, if gas prices stay where they're at, our trip cost will double {thanks to gas costs} from last year. Scary. I noticed today the prices around here at least are dropping, so I'm hopeful that they'll keep doing that and it won't be AS bad. So if you miss seeing us and wonder if it means we don't care about you, know that we do, very much, its just impossible to fit all o...

.... but I'm not as "into" it as most people. My friend Erin sent me an invite a month ago or so and I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would {thanks, Erin!} Such an odd distraction, you know? I'm still not quite sure what it is, other than photo/idea sharing... but there's been odder inventions ;-) Tonight I decided doing a photo post of Pinterest pics that I love would be fun. Hope you agree. I think its a fun way to end the week and go into the weekend. So enjoy your long weekend, friends! **Also, remember to let me know if you want to be on the reading list when I set this blog to private this Sunday.  am I the only person who's actually dreamed about  having a mud room?  This is what it would look like.  The floor would be cement though. I like cement floors.  ************************************ the daisy lamp is from IKEA. We love it.  When we go to IKEA, we always stop and look at it.  I love the wall color in this picture, but ...

I will be locking down the blog for the month of June. Please let me know if you'd like to be on its list of readers. You'll have to enter your gmail/google password to see the blog {probably only once though} and other than that, everything will be the same. Please let me know though. I'm only adding those who request it. I will lock it down this Sunday, so either comment here or email me by then. Otherwise, see the rest of you in July :) Thanks!

Its a question I'm getting asked quite often these days. I appreciate the question so much because I know how deep it goes. I understand the look on their faces and the care behind the words, "how are you doing?" Then on Sunday I realized I haven't really kept things updated on here, as to how I'm doing. So I thought I'd do that now :) I'm doing really well. Very happy, feeling blessed and also feeling quite back to normal, which is probably the best part. Having a healed up body is something I took for granted. But not so much anymore! I had an ultrasound last week and everything checked out great. Everything has healed up very well since the miscarriage and I want to thank all of you for your prayers and love for us during that time. We feel incredibly blessed.  Emotionally, I'm doing well. Yes, I have moments in my days where I feel sad, I remember lost dreams and hopes and plans. One of the girls will ask about the baby in my tummy and I hav...

The Women's Retreat this weekend was amazing.  I can't get over how much fun it was, and how Spiritually  uplifting, convicting, and encouraging it was, all wrapped  up into one glorious 24 hour getaway.  I'm thankful to Jase, for caring for our home and kids so  I could go away. I love coming home and hearing the fun  stories the kids tell me about all the "what we did with Daddy!"  I'm thankful to our Pastor's wife, Susan, for being God's  instrument to a couple hundred women this week, despite having  the flu :(  God took what we see as sick and weak {the flu bug} and used  her in a mighty way. I was blown away by her honesty & transparency and her love for Jesus, her husband and the church.  I'm thankful for the ways she encouraged us, but also for the ways she challenged us on to a greater, more active relationship with Christ .  I loved hearing that someone was saved this weekend.  When one sinner is sav...

Okay, so its not really " news " to most of you, but sometimes I feel like its brand new information for me, since I have such little faith at times. God provides! {don't worry, there's more}   When you think no one cares when you feel like you're carrying the world on your shoulders when you think YOU are the reason things go well or the reason everything falls into beautiful, perfect {better than even you could've planned it} place, remember one thing... GOD. It really had nothing to do with you. At all.  Sorry if that bums you out, but isn't it better news to know that Almighty God of the universe cares and provides and cherishes YOU?! I like knowing that. As I mentioned in my recap post, we found out a little over 3 weeks ago that we have to move from this house when our lease is up in September. The owners moved to Arizona, they love it there and want to buy a home. Which means they need to sell the home we're living in. We had NO intent...

Jason and I deep cleaned and purged the garage last week. Its one of my favorite things to do- purge - but seems harder to do with 3 little kids who need to be watched closely. Since we're moving again this fall {read the bottom of this post if that news surprises you} we decided we'd purge through the garage for real. Getting rid of stuff that we know for sure now we never use and only store. We've also been trying to simplify life over the past few years. Thought we were doing well with it, but a few things snuck in when we weren't looking :) This basically looks like {for us} less clothing, less decorating for holidays and not having to store up so many things all the time. Putting our energy into storing up those treasures for Heaven and less things to just fill up our home and lives here. In the process of cleaning, we found our wedding box, with my veil in it. I knew the girls would get a big kick out of wearing it, so I brought it in and they were thrilled ...

The days seem to be flying by suddenly, at lightening speed. I wonder if its an end of school year kind of thing. May has never felt so hurried and crazy before. Maybe its because we weren't really living normal life in April? Who knows. Either way, its definitely picked up a fast pace. School is coming to an end {only a few weeks left!} and our social life has picked up quite a bit, with lots of play dates, filed trips and weekly church activities. Just when I think the week is dragging on, the weekend appears. Ahhhh.... the weekend. The pictures in this post are from Mother's Day weekend. I have always wished holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day should be on Saturdays. If you're a church going family, you probably understand why. I like to start those days off relaxing with my family. Its hard to do when you've got to get up and get off to church. Then we come home in time for naps and then its dinner time when naps are over for the kids. So this ...