"I enjoy doing housework...

...ironing, washing, cooking, dishwashing. Whenever I get one of those questionnaires and they ask what is your profession, I always put down housewife. It's an admirable profession, why apologize for it. You aren't stupid because you're a housewife. When you're stirring the jam you can read Shakespeare."

~ Tasha Tudor

Now that the weather is warming quite a bit...we have been spending a lot more time out-of-doors! The children and I worked at tilling the garden and planting seeds the other day...

We've started red onions, white onions, broccoli, different kinds of lettuce and peppers! Below I started some marigolds. I hope they all grow well! :)

The clotheslines are getting a lot of use these days! Oh how I love line-dried clothes (even towels! I prefer a hard, scratchy, line-dried towel to a fluffy soft one! Is that strange!?)...

The children helped me....we worked at raking leaves and taking them away in the wheel barrow! We like to put them in the chicken run so the girls have a place to scratch and keep busy until the evening when we let them out to free-range a bit! :)

 “It's exciting to see things coming up again, plants that you've had twenty or thirty years. It's like seeing an old friend.” 

~Tasha Tudor

I took these photos last week...and I am happy to say that even today...things are looking greener and more cheerful than when I took these photos! :)

Above, you may notice the rhododendron on the corner of the house....it looks like a sick tree now. Last fall I trimmed it. It needed cut back...it was just too big. I started trimming and then there was a big hole....so I had to trim more to even it out....pretty soon it looked like a bonsai tree! Goodness, it looks truly silly but there isn't much I can do now except wait for it to grow again! It's one of those things I just look at and shake my head! haha!

We are still, slowly, working on our house. There is more siding that needs put up and Chris has been working on plans for a back porch (Hooray! A porch with a roof is something quite necessary for a home, I think. That way, you can place a mat out there where muddy shoes/boots can be removed and not track things into the house. We have a *mud room* but oh how we have to sweep, vacuum, and wash the floors so constantly in there. It is tedious and a back porch will be *just* the thing to help that! I am so looking forward to it!

Not having the dormers sided makes the house look pretty rough. The paint on them is chipping and peeling...but I know Chris will get to them when he can. I have truly learned patience as a wife with a fixer-upper home over these past 17 years.

Previous owners enclosed the front porch...which makes it nice to have the extra room...we used it as a school room for quite a few years...however, it is not a lovely room at all...and it would be *much* better suited to be an open porch. It is painted as well and the paint is chipping and peeling. I hate to put the money and energy into repainting it though because truly, it looks odd...to have a section of the house be sticking out painted...while the rest of the house is sided. Gutting it and making it into a normal porch (or tearing it off completely and totally redoing the front porch) takes a lot of time and money....things that aren't in abundance here. Soooo....in the meantime, I try to plant flowers, keep the yard mowed and tidy and do my best to keep things looking neat and taken-care-of.

 I tell you what....dealing with the abundance of leaves that the trees leave behind is no easy task! I wouldn't trade it though! When the leaves grow on the trees and everything is in its full glory...it is truly beautiful (I love trees!).

I have found my favorite garden flags to be ones from Toland. They don't fade and are good quality! I like to get them on amazon when they are priced well (or if I have a gift card or something)! I don't like all their designs either (I am quite picky)...but I do love the tree one (pictured above) and some other ones I have.

Our hens have really been enjoying the nicer weather! They spend a lot of time out in the sun....eating up bugs! :)

One negative thing about having chickens free range...our dog loves (and I mean *loves*) to roll in their droppings. It's really gross and always requires a bath. It's frustrating after just bathing him and off he goes to find more to roll in. Oh dear!

 Well....it's the middle of the afternoon and I only have a part of the yard mowed! I best get out there and continue mowing! Thank you for visiting! I hope your days are going well and that you are able to enjoy some of the sunshine! I hope you'll come again soon! :o)

Cheerfully,
Katy

"Christians are made...

...to glorify God. We are never in our element 

until we are praising Him." 

~Charles Spurgeon

Although our weather lately has been a bit wacky....spring-like one day, cold the next...we are definitely not complaining! We are praising the Lord for what He gives. When praying with our family aloud, my husband thanks the Lord for His beautiful creation (rain or shine...or snow!). 

Our hens are loving the sunshine. Even when it is a bit chilly out, they love getting to free-range for a few hours in the afternoon/evening...

We have spent some time outside...cleaning up leaves, scrubbing the siding, and tidying outside. I ordered seeds and look forward to the time when all the flowers are in bloom and the dead earth comes alive!

If the wood stove were alive, it would probably be confused. We have it fervently going one day and then not the next! Most days though, it has been gently burning...at least to keep the chill out of the house. Even when it isn't *cold* outside, there can still be a bit of a chill in the house. Especially when it is damp out or a cool breeze is blowing...

Playing games indoors...

Our homeschool co-op has an Academic Fair coming up this Friday. It's a time where students can choose projects on Art, History or Science and have them on display for all the parents/friends to see. The displays are judged and some of the students win awards! This year, Madelyn wanted to do a project on John Wayne (Last year she did one on Johnny Cash). She is working on her display board...

After a long break from my knitting (just because of busyness and not getting *into* it again)...I have been working on knitting some dish cloths for a friend. She requested some for her new home that she will be moving into soon. It was a good motivation for me to get yarn back on the needles! Madelyn has been happy to oblige as well! 

Xavier has to get a few teeth pulled today. They are stubborn baby teeth that just won't come out on their own. The adult teeth are coming in wonky and aren't helping to push the baby teeth out. He's quite nervous about it...but it is necessary. Unfortunately, we don't have dental insurance so it's going to be pricey. I'm sure you understand though. None of us is immune to the high costs of living. Thankfully, we have money put away in savings for just this sort of thing. :o)

Thank you for stopping by for a quick visit! I truly always enjoy your comments and emails! I need to get going....things to do! :o)
I hope your week is going well!
I hope you will visit me again here soon!

Warmly,
Katy

"Rest is not idleness...

 ...and to lie on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

~ John Lubbock

The summer is heating up for us here in Western PA, thankfully not unbearably so. When you are out stacking hay, mowing the grass, or going for a run...you definitely get drenched in sweat though. I would like to think that I don't sweat but actually *glisten*...but the truth of the matter is that I drip profusely....and it's not a pretty sight. I am just one of those people who sweat *abundantly* when doing work. 

While doing hay at my mom's, Chris and I were stacking it after others threw it from the hay wagon and brought it to us. Oh my....crazy heat/humidity + a ton of sweat + hay = a couple of scarecrows from the Wizard of Oz! Haha! The hay just stuck to us like glue....our arms, faces, and heads were just covered! To say I was thrilled to get home and shower would be an understatement! :) 

I know this isn't a deeply exciting post...but hey, it's real life. :) Just keepin' it real friends! And with that being said...as the quote says...*Rest is not idleness*....and I take a nap daily if I can. I have mentioned it before in my posts but thought I would again. My children are at an age where I am able to nap for a bit in the afternoon and I do so when I need it (which is most days). Afternoon hits and my eyelids are heavy! So, I work hard....and I rest hard! :o)

As you can see in the photos above and below, our hens have been happy with the weather and have kept us abundantly supplied with eggs! Fresh eggs are really the best! 

Yesterday, Madelyn, Jaxson and I went up to babysit my two youngest nieces while my sister took Eloise to a couple appointments. On our way, we had to stop at Pa's barn because Madelyn feeds one of the horses there. Jax was reading while we waited...

Xavier was with us too (but later we dropped him off at my dad's garage before traveling to my sister's). He works there most days...like an apprentice. He learns how to do things and helps with whatever they need him to do. He loves it. He so wants to be a *man*....although I encourage him to not try to grow up *too* fast! He becomes a teenager in a couple months. This mama isn't ready for that!

Madelyn with Bandit (brown) and Bosk (white)...

We enjoyed spending time at my sister's. I took a couple pictures with my kindle (as I don't have a cell phone that is hooked up with internet or anything fancy). You can see them on my instagram page HERE.

In other news...I am excited to say that Chris got our ceiling fan up in our new living room! That room stays decently cool because the sun doesn't directly shine in it...but the fan makes it even more delightful to be in on the warm summer days!

My aunt gave us a beautiful ceiling fan from her house that she couldn't use anymore. It has a stained glass dome that hangs down and is just lovely. Unfortunately, in our addition, we made our ceilings a normal height so the upstairs was a normal ceiling as well (as opposed to the rest of our house where the downstairs has 9 ft. ceilings and the upstairs ceilings are a bit lower). The new ceiling fan hangs down too low and would only work on our higher ceilings ~ Soooo....Chris took the ceiling fan from our old living room (which is now the school room/library) and put it into the new living room (it doesn't hang down too low). The stained glass ceiling fan from my aunt will go into the school room/library. I will be sure to share it when it is up. :) It's so lovely!

Today, after packing lunches for Chris and the boys (who were all off to work at my dad's garage), I went for a couple mile run. Madelyn went to help at Chris's parents' meat market. So I am here, hanging out laundry, folding laundry, doing dishes and tidying the house. Later this afternoon I am going to head out to my aunt's house, I think, to help her with some organizing!

A productive day today, I think...which is always a good thing. But rest is a good thing too...don't forget that! :) I hope the sun is shining where you are...and that you have a great day ahead ~ the last day of June! I'm so glad you dropped by for a visit! :)

Until next time, Lord willing,
Katy

Linked up at: The Whole Hearted Home

Happenin' Around Here...

We've been busy around here! Homeschooling, housework (as usual), teaching spin class (for me), church, homeschool co-op class days and activities and more! We are going on a fun field trip this upcoming week too!

The new flooring for our addition *should* arrive tomorrow (Monday). I'm not sure how long it will take for Chris (and my BIL or myself) to put it down as there are only evenings and weekends to work on it...and prior commitments that will slow the process down a bit but it's happening, slowly but surely! I can't wait to get everything into its proper place! :) I know, I say that in every post!

Here is a look at what's been happening around here lately...

Morning reading for school (not their favorite thing to do so we pick out books that they will like and that I deem appropriate. Examples are: Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, Heidi, books by Gary Paulsen, Dr. Dolittle, Moby Dick etc.)...

Spring is here...but we are still having many cloudy, chilly days (makes me treasure those warmer, sun-filled todays though!)...

Always burnin' candles here...

Xavier did two school days in one this past week so he could take a "day off" to go to the garage with his Daddy to help Pop-Pop tow and move some cars! I packed his lunch along with Chris's. Here he is just getting home after his day...

The wind lately has been terribly gusty at times. I walked out to get clean clothes off the line just in time to hear a *crack* and see this big tree break and come crashing down!

Our girls have been enjoying the nicer weather and getting a lot of free-range time in the afternoons and evenings. They have been laying beautifully once again! :) Thankfully, we didn't have a harsh winter so they never totally stopped laying although we did get *less* eggs from them during the colder months. We never had to get the eggs from the store though! Whew! ;) Here are three out of the twenty...out exploring...

Our homeschool co-op has an "Academic Fair" every year. Students can choose to do a project on anything they want under three different categories: History, Science or Art. Xavier didn't participate this year (although I am thinking I may have him do something for it next year...it's necessary to get out of our comfort zones from time to time ~ remember I mentioned that we are going on a field trip later this week...? Yeah...totally out of my comfort zone as we head to the city! Eek!). Jaxson was part of a "mousetrap" class who worked on building small machines that when put together, accomplished a task. I have pictures and video but they have other people's children in them and I don't like to post without their permission.

Madelyn wanted to do a project on the history of Johnny Cash (one of her Daddy's favorites)...

Notice her hair is down in the picture above and then all wrapped up...getting down to business...in the picture below!

Here is her display all set up at the Academic Fair...

There were a TON of displays (55 of them, I think). Here are just a few I happened to snap photos of...

My friend's 10 year old daughter made these cute creations below and she won first place!!

One of the displays had a coloring contest to win a prize. Here is Xavier working on his picture...

One boy made this r2d2 out of legos! It had a motor in it and was MOVING too! Isn't it absolutely fantastic!?

My husband was there too, of course! I sure love this guy...

A group of students from our co-op does the Tapestry of Grace curriculum together and meets each week. They put together this whole settlement....each making something to contribute. I *love* miniatures...(have you seen Tasha Tudor's doll house? Awesome!)...

Above, do you see the church in the center with its benches? I love it!

That barn! So cute!!

A village wouldn't be complete without a cobbler shop...

Look at these itty bitty furnishings....aren't they great? I love this close up look...

We do not use the Tapestry of Grace curriculum so my children didn't take part in putting any of that village together but I thought it was just too cute and wanted to share!

Xavier was (truly) over-the-moon to find out that he won the coloring contest! He won a remote control helicopter! Isn't that so fun!?

Madelyn won 2nd place for her Johnny Cash display...I have a photo but she didn't want me to post it...so I won't. :) She's at an age of caring about how she looks in photographs. Sometimes I still stand in awe that I am the mama of a teenager (and X will be a teenager this summer)! I am blessed by this greatly but also aghast that I can be the mama to *teenagers*! I was a teen not too long ago it feels. Wow!

So.....anyway...that is what we have been up to lately! Hopefully I will be able to share photos of our new flooring being put down in the addition! Yay! :)

Thank you for visiting. I always appreciate it. I know we all only have so much time in a day and I am grateful you have a few moments to drop by here and see me!

I hope your week ahead is quite lovely....always remembering to keep Christ at the forefront and all to be done to His glory. By the way...if you are looking for some great sermons/apologetics and such to listen to while going about your daily housework or commuting in the car...I highly recommend the ones from Jeff Durbin! He is *solid* doctrinally and biblically! You can find him HERE on youtube!

Ok...so, I gotta go. :)

*smiles*

Katy