On Strong Shoulders

My husband and I have been venturing out on an extreme workout routine.

One that involves flipping a tractor tire....

Over and over and over....

Then pulling said tire across a field...

And back again....

Taking a sledge hammer overhead and repeatedly pounding on the tire...

Why, you ask?

Because the calling God has for our lives demands us to be strong.

If we are to work in the fields, if we are to grow an abundance of food for the people who need it, then we must be of sturdy stock. We do this everyday, continually growing stronger and stronger, with muscles stretching and growing, our hearts beating faster and faster, the sweat pouring from our brows. We run with purpose. We trudge on with purpose.

We don't know when or where God will open the doors for us to receive the land necessary to grow food to feed the hungry, but we do know that we will be as strong and as fit as we can possibly muster. When I'm not working in the garden, working around the house, or working my job to pay the bills, I'm flipping a tire. AJ thinks it is the most hilarious thing he has ever seen and enjoys his view from his Nana's lap on the John Deere tractor. That little mighty spectator even has his own little bike tire and rubber mallet as he seeks to grow strong like Mama and Daddy.

We hope he will join us in the fields one day, happy to meet the need of others and do the work set out before us.

(Yes, he is quite a cutie, dimples and all)

I've never been this strong before. In fact, I was always the twiggy, frail girl who couldn't do much on her own. I never thought much of myself, nor did I expect much of myself. But now I have big dreams and lofty goals. I know I'm preparing to build the fields that will feed the hungry bellies of those who need it, by the strength of our backs, by the sweat of our brows, by His provision and dream, we will reap a great harvest.

In due time.

Sitting in Awe

I have little in the way of words these days, but I do know, my heart is overflowing....

And some days, when the world seems like too much, I look at the men in my life, and thank God for this life.

These Dreams are a-Changin'

I wondered how long it would take me to gather the courage to write this post.

Something about putting my thoughts down to words seems to make them concrete, to give them life.

For some time now, my husband and I have known that God was working through us and would be demanding much of us. We felt something deep in our bones that told us to hold on, to trust in the future, and to be willing to do what was asked. So we waited, and waited, and waited.

We prayed harder than we ever had before.

And then the other day, my husband came home and told me what he was to do. He wants to start a non-profit here in our little town to help the youth with their futures as well as meet the needs of the day to day. He wants to provide activities and education, kind of like a Boys and Girls club with counseling and physical activities. My husband is not the type to speak lightly of such situations, rather he is the type who chews on an idea for awhile before speaking up. I know his heart, and I know when he says that this is something he feels called to do, than by gosh it will get done. God spoke to his heart, and he listened.

I kid you not, within a week or so of him telling me this, I was washing up the supper dishes when I heard the answer to my prayers. Not only will we establish a safe haven for adolescents, but we will also grow a garden that will exist for the sole purpose of feeding others. There will be no cost, just an opportunity for others to receive nourishing food, free of charge.

I have no idea how these endeavors will be funded, but I know who will fund them. He will give us a way, guide us in a direction, allow us to be the feet and hands to His work. And we will labor tirelessly and joyously, without regard for the amount of pay. We have seen mountains move, and lives change because of the awesome God we serve.

Forgive my silence on this here blog. We have had lots to think about these past few weeks. For now, we continue to pray that God would give us the tools we need to do His work, and that He would provide us with the patience and persistence necessary to carry out an endeavor like this.

We don't know when or how this all will come to fruition, but we are excited to see what the days hold. For now, we continue to work our own little piece of land, in order to learn from our mistakes and bless those we can with our food. There was a time when we had little in the way of food, but we have been blessed beyond all comprehension. Nary a meal passes over our table without my husband and I both feeling a deep-seeded gratefulness for such a gift. I still cry at the sight of a full pantry.....there is a need and we plan to do what we can to meet it.

My request is this, if you would (and by no means should you feel obligated to), will you pray for us?

May you have a blessed weekend.

Praying More than Talking

We had a nasty virus hit our house the past two weeks, and with it came the abrupt silence on yee old blog.

I was down for the count, doing my best to just work and make meals for the table. My day to day, got up and left with my get up and go.

I've been known to nurse a cough for weeks on end, and I am hoping that my cough will soon leave me be, and that I can get back to figuring out how to do most of it all. Luckily, the hubby managed to steer clear of the bug and the kiddo, while he did get sick, seemed to bounce back pretty quickly after the doctor prescribed a few meds for an upper respiratory infection.

Beyond all the illness, I have found that with the current state of the house, I have found myself praying more than ever.

I pray for families with sick kiddos and the strength to endure those days. I pray for rain and for the farmers, for a bountiful and fruitful harvest in the fields. I pray for the garden out back, a blessing for the table. I pray for continued health for my husband and son. I pray that my own body would recover, quickly. I pray that I would do my best every day at work, and that my job, would continue to be a blessing in our home.

And then, I pray for the really heavy things.

I pray that God would remove fear from my life, that I would live to be a blessing to others. I pray for God to mold me and shape me, to help me become a better wife and mother. I pray for the seed of contentment and the ability to recognize when I am coveting someone else's home, achievements, abilities, etc. I pray that the pangs of the past would release me from my apprehensions and aversions.

But above all, I pray with thanksgiving. My eyes have been a little teary lately, as I look around at all that I have. There is a moment almost every night, when dinner is done, the house is settling down, and we all join together in the living room. There is so much laughter that the walls seem to bellow with us. We play with toys and puzzles, we cuddle and share hugs, we give piggy-back rides, and play fetch with Molly. There is a hilarity the ensues when we are altogether, an on-set of laughter as the sunsets and giggles begin. Without fail, each night, I catch myself smiling with tears in my eyes. This life is all mine. These boys love me, one man and one wee little one. This quiet country road, with our beautiful home, was all given to us by Him.

With prayerful thanksgiving, and a grateful heart, we begin anew each day.

And come sunset, we will laugh and sing and play, together.

Beginning the Catch Up

Welp, this little piece of me went neglected for longer than I anticipated.

For weeks now, I keep telling myself the second I have a moment, I will sit down and get to work on a post, and then....

The garden needs to be watered.

There are veggies to harvest.

The kiddo wants to color.

My husband is free, so we sit to catch up.

I have a job that puts food on the table, and thus, demands my time :)

There are meals to prepare.

There is laundry to fold.

There is a house to clean.

There is company to entertain from out of town.

And, thus you get my point.

So let's start with the garden. This year, I wanted to collect my hard-earned lessons from the two previous years, and make an attempt to have a bountiful harvest. While it's not always comfortable working beneath the heat of the Texas sun, there is something so satisfying about growing a plant from seed, and having that plant give off a nutritious addition to the day's meals. Thus far, I have harvested the following:

• 45 lbs of yellow summer squash
• 10 lbs of yellow onions
• multiple cuts of spinach, with another crop to come this fall
• a handful of green beans with more this week (yay!)
• 5 lbs of basil
• lettuce
• ornamental pumpkins
• lavender

The basil was turned into pesto and frozen for dishes to come in the winter. We love to use it on homemade pasta or homemade pizza. Half of the onions were also frozen for beef and chicken stock later this fall. I have never had beans grow to the point of giving off fruit, so those little ones have been treasured! And the ornamental pumpkins were a complete accident, a product of a mix up at the seed company! But we have enjoyed having them around the house. Also, the squash has been eaten, frozen, given away for a cookout, and used to barter. 

This fall, I am planning on a garlic bed, spinach, lettuce, and hopefully some cabbage.

As for the kiddo, he is growing like a weed, and turning into quite the independent little boy. He is stubborn and wild, happy and joyful, friendly and kind, and a pistol when he is upset :) 

And I absolutely adore him.

He is also my right-hand guy when it comes to watering. He already such a hardworkin' kid, he loves to help out with chores!

My husband's mom had to unexpected leave town for five weeks to take care of her mother (she is fine now :) ) but that meant that my husband was running her farm while tending to home and school. I picked up the slack here, while working for the editing company that I have been with since January. Luckily, I am able to work from home, so the little guy doesn't feel the pinch when mom and dad are exhausted from working, he just happily goes about his day at home, and never has to be shuffled to and fro. In fact, he goes to help daddy some days at the farm....

So while this may  not be the most exciting post ever, it is a journal of sorts for our family, a way to remember this time in our lives. I wouldn't change a moment of it, and find the routine to be soothing. 

I'm Here!

I'm working on a catch up post, but it is oodles long, so here is just a little pick me up....

For the record, next to marrying my husband, this kiddo is the best thing to happen to me.

By a landslide.

When Life Gets Busy....

I could apologize for my lack of blogging, but in reality, summer is a bustling time between family visiting, working every day, and tending the garden, I have done my best to live in the moment.

I mean really be present.

I've been retraining my brain to think in a different way, where I no longer wonder or worry about the future or what could be, rather I just be.

What a difference it has made!! All those years of worry just melted away, and I found myself laughing with my family more, sleeping better, and accomplishing more throughout the day!

That's a win-win-win in my book!

And last week was the icing on the cake, as my parents came out for a visit. We haven't seen them in a whole year, and as you can imagine, one week just flew by.

Yes, he really is this cute :)

Helping Mama water the garden

Grandpa's feet must have been dirty!

Cheese!

Talkin' with Grandma

Making Grandma's chocolate flourless mousse cake

Silly Grandpa!

Loves

And now, with the house all quiet and the company back in California, God has blessed Texas with 70 degree weather and plenty of rain. For us Texans, especially in northern Texas, the drought has been horrid the past four years, and we never see rain this late in summer. Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief and thanking God for giving this quenched earth some very unexpected rain. It has been glorious, revitalizing our spirits and enriching the land.

What a blessed life.