Little Things

I have a few little things to share today. :)

If you are wondering what this year's must haves are for fall...my boys have the answer!

Jaxson and his umbrella hat, for those drizzly days that are still *OK* for outdoor play...

And both boys were running around with their snowpants on the other day...when I asked the reason, they told me it was so they could play at their *dirt pile* (with their cars) without getting wet or muddy! Pretty clever thinking! **I am sure you will notice Jaxson's unwillingness to be photographed. He was upset at the moment and not in the picture-taking-mood! ;)

I knitted a dishcloth...in hopes of getting a pile ready for Christmas gift-giving...but as I was finishing this one, a friend of mine popped in my head...so as soon as I finished, I gave it to her! ;) I started another one...we'll see if I can get a nice sized group of them done so I can gift them at Christmas! ;) If you would like the pattern, I got it from Deb's blog ~ Homespun Living.

In attempts to get my family away from processed foods, as much as possible, I made my first ever batch of homemade granola cereal. My family loves to eat cereal for breakfast. I used to buy the generic bags of it at our local bulk food store. I never thought of making my *own* cereal until I read THIS post and thought "I can do that!" and I did! It is fantastic and a huge hit! I am happy to say that we won't be going back to store-bought cereal!

We'll be making lots more, soon! :)


Since I sometimes seem to miss taking pictures of Xavier during his schooling, I decided to take one during today's work. :)

A tidy kitchen...


A few treasures I was able to get at the fall festival. (I got most of it all from the same vendor...which just happened to be there to benefit my church's women's group!)

I got the two jars on the shelf, in the very middle, with the labels...

A large, beautiful basket, vintage tablecloths, and beautiful candles...

A fantastic old window with a rustic wreath...

A cute dish towel and handmade pot holder...

And one of my favorite things was this basket...filled with tea and honey (from my uncle's bee hives). Isn't it incredibly cute?

So, today was kind of a hodge podge of things. Things around our home are keeping busy...never a dull moment! When I get a chance, I work on my knitting or soak in a bit of scripture. I am also reading (although usually only a few pages before bed) The Radical Cross by A.W. Tozer! :) I just love books and enjoy soaking them in, as much as I can!

Our house is usually a flutter of activity with occasional times of quiet rest. :) It's beautiful, really. Often times, I wish my house were bigger and that I could open my doors to more children who are in need. In need of love, hugs, kindness, patience, gentleness, and guidance. It is my prayer that God will use me...and our family...as He needs us. :)

Well, I need to get going. Computers can be quite the time-consumer and I never like to fill my time with computing when I could be doing a vast array of other, more fulfilling things! I try to use my time wisely. :)

Best wishes to you. Thank you for visiting. It's always great to hear from you!
Warmly,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Our Fall Festival 2010

Our family's fall festival (7th annual) was held this past Saturday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Bright blue skies and a perfect crispness to the air. I only got a few pictures, as I was busy much of the time, as well as fought a terrible headache all day.

Celtic music played in the background, the smell of grilled chicken filled the air, laughter and fellowship heard all over the festival...it was a lovely time. We sold chicken dinners, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, hot sausage sandwiches, apple dumplings and fresh cider! There were vendors selling their wares, a corn maze and horse & buggy rides! There were also muzzleloader/re-enactors camped out in the field who let people try to throw the axes and shoot the muzzleloaders!

Here is a bit, from the festival, that I have to share with you...

The meat market...all set up and ready for festival attendees! :)


The guys got up early to cook the chicken...(early for them...normal waking time for *me* ;)...


No fall festival event would be complete without pumpkins and mums!

A place for children (or the occasional silly adult) to put their faces in for pictures... (and scarecrows back on the hay wagon)...

The vendors...all set up...


X-man, always such a character! ;)

Jaxson and his cousin...they are *best* buddies! **Jaxson is only a couple months younger than my nephew...but many inches shorter, it seems!** ;)

Miss Madelyn, below, out and about while vendors were setting up! (Obviously my photos aren't really in good chronological order! ;)
I wish I would have gotten a picture of her with Farmer. Chris's dad's cousin, nicknamed Farmer, always wears overalls. He says the *only* good overalls are Big Smiths, which quite honestly, I never even knew existed.
My mom had gotten Madelyn a pair of overalls...and Madelyn was quite excited to show me that hers were the Big Smith brand! When we saw Farmer at the festival...she was quite proud to show him that she was wearing the *right* kind of overalls! :)


Soft and sweet curls...

If you were able to attend the festival, thank you so much for coming out...supporting my family as well as all the vendors. We hope you had a good time! :)

Thank-you to each of *you* for visiting my post, today, to see how the festival went! It's a lot of work, putting it all together, but worth it in the end. Praising God for the gorgeous day and the wonderful turn-out! :)

Until next time, warm wishes for an enjoyable rest of your week!
Joyfully,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

Comfort In His Voice

It's raining. It's quite gray and cloudy and dismal out. Although usually on days like today, I enjoy cozying up to read with the children or spend time knitting while they play...I haven't done those things today. Housework, laundry, bread baking and schooling have taken up too much of the day to really sit much....which is okay....but instead of the cozy feeling of being snug in my dry and relaxing home ~ I am feeling a bit down.

I called Chris at work, quickly (although I don't like to do that much...no need for me to bother him...and I am quite blessed he works for my parents) but today...I just needed to hear his voice. He comforts me so. When I feel anxious or sad or frazzled...Chris's voice makes me feel safe and peaceful. I am so thankful for the man God blessed me with. He knew exactly who I needed.

As I thought about my need for him(Chris)...I also thought about my need for Him. I think we are to have this same sense of peace and assurance as we read God's Word and know His love for us! When times get hard and stressful....when you feel weary and drained ~ His sweet and loving voice is what we need to feel that feeling of calm and security. He *is* our everything. He is what we need to fill that hole in our hearts.

A sweet, Godly woman was speaking about this to a few of us, yesterday, at church. How we try to fill that hole with other things...and ultimately we can only be truly satisfied when Jesus Christ fills our heart. :)

That was on my heart today...and although my day has been busy and there is still more to do...I wanted to share it, quickly, before I forgot. :o) *Although, if it is something God wanted me to share...He would have made sure I didn't forget, huh? :)*

Yesterday, after church, we came home and had lunch and then each took some time for an afternoon rest (And Chris watched some football!). Afterwards, Chris decided to get out his bow for some target practice...the boys were excited to watch him! :)



The littles got out the wagons and had fun playing outside in the cool air...


Pumping up tires, because wagons just don't want to *go* without air in their tires! ;)


Stu the dog, or um....sheep ;) also wanted to check out the wagons...

Madelyn taking X for a ride....


Chris's parents came over for supper, last evening. We had chicken, mashed potatoes and sweet corn. It was nice to spend some relaxing time with them...talking and laughing! The children gave each of them a foot rub, as well...which they thought was such a treat! :)

Although I don't get too excited for the super short days ahead as winter creeps upon us...I must admit, that the earlier darkness does give me a lovely excuse to have the house lit with candles and lamps...it is so peaceful and relaxing and I treasure when it can be enjoyed! :)

Candles are lit around the house, today, as well. The house smells wonderful and we are all keeping busy with our daily tasks! :)

Little ones rest while older ones study...

Jax fell asleep sitting up! :) You can always tell when he falls asleep...his breathing gets really deep and rhythmic.

I have dough rising in the kitchen and need to get supper started. I just wanted to stop and share what was on my heart and also a few photos. :)

Also... the fall festival went absolutely wonderful and I will be sharing some pictures from it, soon! :)

Warm wishes for a delightful evening ahead! xo
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

A Quick *Hello*

A great big merry *Hello* to each of you! :) Thanks for stopping by! I don't have much time but wanted to share a few photos from the past couple of days to share, quickly. Nothing overly exciting...but my simple, joyful and full life ~ which I am very thankful for! :)

Madelyn knitting a dish cloth...

Dough rising in the kitchen...

All our napkins, brought in from the line, ironed and folded...ready for the next time they are needed...

A dishcloth I knitted to be put in a gift basket our family is giving away at the fall festival tomorrow...

Some of my favorite DVDs (although sideways!)...





In my last post, from just the other day, I showed a photo out this same window...notice how even brighter the leaves have gotten?? :)




Buns I made...notice a few got extra toasty...oops! ;)

I made a scavenger hunt for the children and this is what they came back with! :)


I am extremely exhausted....it was such a busy day today. I've been up since around 4 this morning and had a busy day making buns, schooling, cleaning, laundry, ironing, etc. Then tonight we were at the meat market getting ready for the fall festival and having a lil birthday party for my SIL. :) Tomorrow, we are all up bright and early to work at the festival. It's suppose to be a beautiful day (Praise God!) and although fun, it is a lot of work and makes for a very long day. :) So I need to get to bed. Thanks for stopping. I hope you enjoyed the bit of photos I shared and hope you will stop again soon! I hope to have photos from the festival up one day! :)

Warmly,
Katy :)

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26