There's peace...

Well we're in the swing of things. So much so that a weekend almost seems like an interruption. (A welome interruption of course :) I've been easing into this homeschooling thing and we've now reached our full load, I've yet to scrawl out a concrete schedule, but things are in rhythm.

I'd still like to write out our daily doings, not only for the kids to feel the satisfaction of crossing off their completed subjects but also for myself .. as evidence that we're really getting it done.

There's this overwhelming peace over our days, I know it's from the Lord and I'm ever in awe of His ways. So, so much better than my own.

I read this post today http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.ca/2012/10/teaching-children-to-worship-morning.html  from the blog ' a wise woman builds her home' and what she says rang true. The math and reading are important, but nothing is more important than giving our day to His leading and putting Him first, Our devotion time sets the start of our day.  Like she says it's about whats eternally important.

Sure as shootin there are moments I want to pull my hair out, but there are far more moments that I'm able to enjoy watching them learn and grow.  I'm hardly able to answer without tears when people ask how homeschooling is going. It's exponentially superceeded my expectations of what it would be like. I'd envisioned days of clutter, boredom, whining and a tired old mom who gives until she is spent. (and indeed there are these moments) but far outweighing that are lighbulb moments, peaceful moments, love, character building, sharing, talking, and a great deal of giving...but that kind of giving that feels great....like tithing or gift giving. I get to share all these special moments with my kids and God has given me the ability to teach them..and love them...at the same time!

Lullaby...

The crumbs never seem to disappear. The realness of it all .. all over the house. We're together them and I and I see so much more.

Today he's decided to write a lullaby on his piano and I can't help but weep. The shells officially cracked and the pureness seeps out. He can lay it all down and have it all out right there at those keys. I feel his spirit, its gentleness it climbs right out of his heart and crawls down his arms to flow through those rounded fingers.

Enough to slay me, these three are. Thanks be to the Father.

Navigation..

They're there. Those gnawing anxieties.

Comes with the territory, massive life adjustments provide the perfect breeding grounds for gnawing anxieties. Those barnacles that need to be scraped off my soul ship, they need scraping then cleaning and re-painting.

I can't let them take hold. They leave marks, deep pits. It takes real effort, soul sweat, to scrape them away. If I alone, attempt to navigate those murky waters that permit the slow attachment of soul ship suckers,  I'll need to re-anchor my ship and allow the Captain to scrape away. Turning and Facing Christ.

Cleaning the soul ship is a grace job, I leave that to the Captain. He reminds me that he gave his life for that vessel. Forgiven.

Re-painting her requires real direction, following the lines. Soaking in scripture.

Re-align her navigation - 'Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.'  Colossians 3:2-3

My lighthouse in these dark waters...- 3 John 1:4 'I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.'

Amen.

Alone with the Lord..

This.  http://www.adisciplesnotebook.com/?p=429

This is what I mean when I talk about the pond being my special place. Do you have a spot to spend time alone with the Lord?

Enjoy this sunny day friends :)

Lovely Laneway...

Early on in our building process we decided to roll out a winding laneway. It's still one of my favourite parts about this place. It proved to be a bit difficult when the snow fell and there was no gravel to be seen...(t'was a bit of a guessing game as to where the winding began.) We were thankful for our trusty Dortmans Bros. reflectors :)

It was here before the house began.

The lane held the loo for the building months.

It even held our fine dining :)

So it was time we finished our lovely laneway with the final touch. Chanticleer pear trees. Our tree farmin' friends Tom and Christin showed up with 12 beautiful trees.

Diggin the holes with the skidsteer.

We used our reflectors as guides to help figure out where to plant the trees.

Our lane before trees.

And the final touch! Pear trees lining the lane.

The trees have a great slim top to them, they don't get ridiculously big, and they have flowers in spring and turn red in fall. ... I've already envisioned wedding dresses walking up this lane on a bed of petals. They've a few years before that'll happen ;)

The Pond..

There's this place at the back of our 50 acres that brings me back to life every time I see it. It may not be much to some, but to me, it's impossible to be there and not be filled with serenity.

Welcome to ... The Pond.

This day the pond had a gently floating cover of tree fluff.

God is so good. He's provided me with a place to 'Be Still..'

Le Discing

It's there. Rumbling in the backyard. The big ol' JD is waiting for this little lady (snicker) to get in there and get discing.
Ques que cest - le discing? you ask, well its something we lady farmers (snicker) do after plowing and before cultivating, to work the land in yet another manner..breaking down the clumps and clods and trying to prepare a luxurious seed bed for our...well...seeds.
As am I slightly inept at pulling large implements near fence rows, the hubs has taken it upon himself to disc the headlands for me (he really just needs his fix of the musty cab of the big green tractor, the dust flyin', and the air seat bopping to the tunes of the christian station)

My Turn!