"To keep debt, dirt and the devil out of my cottage...

...has been my greatest wish ever 
since I set up housekeeping; and although the last of the three has sometimes got in 
by the door or the window, for the old serpent will wriggle through the smallest 
crack, yet thanks to a good wife, hard work, honesty, and scrubbing brushes, the two 
others have not crossed the threshold."

~Charles Spurgeon

If there is anything that is a miniature picture of heaven upon earth, it is a pair of 
Christians happily united, whose children grow up in the fear of the Lord, and render 
to them increased comfort and joy every day. Oh, how much some of us owe to the 
gospel for the happiness of our homes!

~Charles Spurgeon

Flowers are growing, the yard is mowed, the bees are a-buzzin' and my family is enjoying this warmer weather! The only negative has been gnats that love to swarm around our heads. I'm not sure why they are so bad this year. I am not a fan of bug spray but the essential oil spray I have isn't working well...so bug spray it is. It's just unbearable outside to go without it.

The rhododendron is blooming beautifully...

Jaxson was chasing Madelyn and it was so, so cute to catch on camera...

Whew! Time for a break...

Hosta growing beautifully...

My mom gave me this lovely little worn hutch so I revamped my porch a bit...

I sure do love my flowers! :)

I love to have flowers *in*side when I can too...

And this lovely bouquet was given to me by the young boy I babysat three days a week over the school year. This past Friday was my last day and his parents said he picked these out just for me!

 I hope your weekend is going well. We have had spurts of rain/thunder/sunshine...so we go out and work...then come back in and then repeat! ;) I have stuffed shells in the oven for supper along with two loaves of whole wheat buttermilk bread baking away. Now it is time to spend time with my family and then get to bed for church in the morning!

Thanks so much for visiting! I love to share photos and I know I enjoy visiting other blogs and seeing photos of their houses and such, so I hope you enjoy stopping by to see mine!

Until next time, Lord willing...

Katy

A Recipe, Recital, Yoda Hat & More!

To start this post out right...I thought I'd post this egg smiley face! I didn't mean for it to end up this way...it just did! The bubble nose in the middle made it even more face-like! 

I have to admit, while trying to pick a title for this post I typed things out and deleted them many times. It's a bit of a miscellaneous jumble of things today... ;)


My husband loves pecan pie. When I found the recipe for these pecan pie muffins, I knew I had to try them out! I added some ice cream to them for a really enjoyable dessert. I didn't try it myself...but Chris and the children said they were fantastic!!! You can find the recipe for them HERE.

Madelyn and Jaxson had a recital this past week. They both did a great job! :)

Around home...

Freshly washed eggs from the "girls"...

Sleepy Stella...

Madelyn made banana bread and took it to a birthday party we attended this weekend. Everyone said it tasted amazing! :) Although I didn't try it...I must admit that it smelled divine!

The other day, I looked outside and found my gal reading. She looked so sweet and lovely, I had to capture it with the camera...

Pop-Pop (my dad) brought the mini-bike and go-kart over for the boys to ride. They have a *ton* of fun. Jaxson doesn't like to ride the mini-bike so Xavier drives it the most while Jaxson drove the go-kart (although Jax let X take a few turns in the go-kart too!)...

And last *but not least* here is a finished knitting project that I did for Jaxson! It's a yoda hat! I found the pattern HERE. I don't really need a pattern for the hat part itself. Actually, I did my own pattern for the hat base. I just needed the pattern to knit the ears. I wasn't sure how to do those correctly! :)

If I make another, I will use stiffer yarn. The ears don't always want to stay out properly...so I think a stiffer yarn will help with that. :) *And* although Jaxson isn't smiling *big* in the photo, he does love the hat and will put it to good use this winter! :)

After this crazy jumbled-up-with-many-things post, if you made it this far, I thank-you! :) I hope you enjoyed visiting here today. It's so fun to share what we have been up to! 

Today is cloudy and wet out. The house is dark and cozy. The birds are singing outside and the children are playing Legos. I taught spin early this morning...so my workout is in...now it's time for laundry, housework and a bit of reading or knitting! :) 

Here are a few links you may be interested in visiting during your internet journeys today: 

Always Learning: A Woman's Divine Assignment

The Importance of Thank-You Notes

21 Surprising Statistics That Reveal How Much Stuff We Actually Own

I hope your Wednesday is *grand*!

Kindly,

Katy

Gardening in the *Big* Garden!

 It's that time once again...time to get the big garden planted! :) For those who may be new to my blog, we have our raised beds at home but we also plant a big garden with Chris's parents. We mostly just plant green beans and corn of our own there but we help Ma plant her things too (like peppers, peas, onions, tomatoes, potatoes etc.)...

My pretty girl...

Although I took lots of pictures...fear not! I helped too! I would run over to Ma's car (where I stashed my camera) snapped a few shots and then was back out in the dirt to help!

The children love to take bike rides every chance they get...

My boys...

Today has been a glorious day...the weather has been warm, breezy and beautiful. We have gotten a lot done outside and have been enjoying each other's company! Chris is home today from work (because of Memorial Day). I am so thankful for days such as these!

I want to take a moment before I go....to thank all those who have served our country (as well as the families of those who serve). Your commitment, courage and sacrifice to protect us are so appreciated. I can enjoy days like today because 1. The Lord grants it 2. For the freedom I have to do so because of those who fought for it! Thank-you!!!

Lovingly,
Katy

Bits of Home

It's evening here and I am winding down for the day. Supper is over and cleaned up and I plan on heading to bed soon. It was a busy (but beautiful and enjoyable) day. I spent a good portion of the day outside mowing, weeding, and watering plants. We did some schooling this morning (although we have our official 180 days in already) and I worked on getting the children's portfolios together. The little boy we are babysitting (just until the end of this month) came too. I'm quite exhausted and thought it may be nice to post some pictures from around my home. I get many comments and emails expressing that they enjoy seeing those photos (I enjoy seeing into others' homes too...it's fun to see how others make their homes tidy, organized and cozy!). 

A few places in my bedroom...

Xavier picked up my guitar (that I don't know how to play) and played a bit...

Here are the children's finished portfolios! I am so thrilled to have them finished and have another year tucked under our belts. Now to take these to our evaluator (who just happens to be Chris's brother)...

My mom went to an amish produce/flower auction and purchased a bunch of flowers. She kept some and then was so thoughtful and brought some for *me*! They filled my log planter (that Chris built me for Mother's Day last year) beautifully!...

I can't run the weed-eater. I can mow and do other things around the home....but the weed-eater and I are *not* friends...so these photos were taken before Chris weed-eated...

Look at those crazy hosta!!! They are amazing!!!

Even weeds can be pretty...

Our veggies are starting to grow...

Pearl enjoyed chomping on the weeds in the one raised bed (that Chris has now weed-eated thoroughly!)...

In bloom...

Today was warm and breezy....absolutely gorgeous weather. The chickens were thrilled to get out and enjoy it too...

Chris weed-eated around the house when he got home from work! So here's my beautiful log planter, all tidied-up!

Round about...

I have to admit, I got a little sunburn today on my shoulders with all the mowing. It's a bit itchy! Glad I have some aloe to put on it! Oh how the spring season renews my spirits! The winter was just so, so long (unbearable so) and I am soaking in every moment of this beautiful weather! :)

I was also so blessed that my pastor's wife (and my good friend) and another good friend came over to buy eggs and we enjoyed a lovely time of visiting. It's such a great refreshment to have a nice conversation with friends. After a day of hearing a lot of the lawn mower engine ~ the sweet, thoughtful voices of my friends is a delight!

I am looking forward to crawling into bed after a busy day! :) I hope your week is going well.
Until next time, Lord willing,
Katy

***If you go to look at older posts, you may need to right click and open them in a new window. For some reason, just clicking them doesn't work. :)

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