Yes, it’s fall again. How the years run by. I haven’t posted much, these busy days, but it’s not because I’m not writing anymore. I’ve been doing A LOT of writing on a project for my children, and not so much here.

It has often occurred to me after a person has passed away, that there are parts of their story that would have been interesting to know. And further, it has occurred to me that history is passed down through the older generations sharing their stories with the younger generations. As my generation has grown older and older, I’ve realized if I want my children to have our stories, I need to write them down. So write I have, and my plan is to make a few copies someday, so when my children hit their 30’s and suddenly, involuntarily start to care about their history, they will be able to answer some of their questions by going to “Mom’s book.”

I never thought I would be interested in my history, so if you’re not in your 30’s yet, just wait. 🙂 Suddenly I’m old, and interested in where and who I came from, and what their stories were. “Spare time” is a joke at this phase of life, but when I choose to do something I want to do instead of the things I need to do, “my book” is what I’m working on.

Meanwhile the family is growing up so fast. I now have big helpers, who- when so inclined- can help me whip the house into shape in no time. My two oldest have taken on themselves the job of making sure we have something sweet to eat at all times. I have never been much of a baker, and Cory loves his sweets, so this is a win for everyone.

Anna Grace is 9, and in grade 4 in our homeschool. She is very creative and loves all things crafty… currently she’s really into crocheting. This makes me happy because I also love crocheting, and it’s so fun to have someone else to crochet with. She’s learning to play piano, and is excitedly learning to play Silent Night, for the Christmas season coming up.

Anna Grace reminds me of my sister Tracy so much, that I accidentally call her Tracy all the time. She’s just so responsible and mature. Some days I think she’s more mature than her mother. She’s human, but in general she’s a gentle, generous human, with a whole lot of love in her heart. She’s truly a blessing in our home, and I hope in our community.

Oliver is 7, and I know I say this every time, but he is ALL BOY. Oh my goodness. He keeps us on our toes, and keeps me in the kitchen making snacks. 😆 Some of his current interests (besides food) are taking things apart in the shop, and going with Cory to work. He used to be quiet and shy, but he’s really coming out of his shell, and now seems to love interacting with people.

Oliver is a typical brother, I think. He torments his sisters unmercifully, but he loves them fiercely… if he sees other children mistreating them, he comes to me in tears, to tell me about it.

Oliver thrives on love and more love, and ALL the snuggles. 🙂 He’s in second grade and learning just as fast as his mama can teach him. He will be 8 next month!

September began what we call Birthday Season at our house. Just like the traditional school year, from September until May, we have almost a birthday per month.

Ruth’s was in September; she turned 6. She is loving first grade and she is a ray of sunshine in our home. Creativity is in her nature, she’s constantly making up rhymes and tunes. She dances around the house and sings and imagines all sorts of stories that she tells to the rest of us with great animation. She rather avoids things that resemble chores, (we joke that she’s too imaginative for something so ordinary as work,) but of course she’s still expected to do her part around the house anyway. It just takes a bit more coaching.

Ruth loves people. She’s always thinking of things to do for others, and she often especially remembers her elderly friends in her prayers at night.

Elizabeth claims the second spot in Birthday Season, she turned four this week. She came tripping down the stairs that morning and said “I’m really learning to grow up! I’m already 4! I feel very big and old, Mama!”

She is just so precious and fun. We all dote on our little Ladybug. She has a good sized vocabulary, but still has some trouble with word pronunciation, so we are always cracking up when she calls someone “astwavagant,” (extravagant) or announces that she “pells a kunk” (smells a skunk.)

Smoke is “poke,” a smile is a “pile,” and a smoothie is a”poothie.”

I suspect that some observation and correction on my part will straighten out these funny little pronunciations, but her Papa thinks they’re cute, and that they will resolve on their own, so we are just enjoying them while they last.

She loves to sing. My phone is worn out, so the video feature isn’t working right, or I would have taken the cutest video of her singing Days of Elijah, recently. Her little voice singing “there is no God like Jehovah” just melted my heart.

This brings us to Harrison, the baby, who is suddenly not a baby anymore. He is talking so much, and so well these days. His Papa is his hero, and there’s not much he loves more than tractors. He loves being read to, and will keep carrying books to me as long as I will keep reading them. His vocabulary grows every day, and it’s a rare word that he won’t at least try to pronounce. The stage he is in, is I think, my favorite stage of childhood.

I think I feel more sappy over him than I did over my others, at his age, and then I go to their memory book and realize that I’m just a little obsessed with my toddlers when they’re in this particular age and stage. Too young to get in much trouble, too old to be really needy, and just so hilarious… a tiny person starting to look around and imitate his elders… Oh, it gets me every time. It’s just the best stage.

So there you have what the children are up to, these days. Cory and I are much the same. With some small improvements 😅(We are at a place where we have realized we built a life of too much busyness, and we’ve needed to cut some things out.)

To that end, we recently downsized our beef operation, and discontinued milking cows. This gives us more time to focus on the other obligations in our lives. His job as a well pump tech is still keeping him busy enough, though . Recently I’ve started jokingly referring to him as my boyfriend, as I thought that better reflected the amount of time we were spending together.

We have figured out a way to get around that too, though . 🙂 With fewer farm responsibilities on both of our shoulders, we now have more energy left over at night; so it’s not unusual to find us sitting up till two in the morning, just catching up.

We don’t intentionally stay up so late, we just get started talking, (if you know us, you know we both like to do that,) and next thing we know, it’s 2 am and we’re look at each other, like… Oh no! Morning will be here in a jiffy! So we crawl in bed and try to get some sleep quickly. (Just to do it all over again in a few days.)

That sounds crazy to some people, but it’s working for us. I cherish our late-night gab sessions. I feel like life is allowing us more time to just be best friends right now -and it could totally change, and get busier again- so while we have this window, we’re going to make the most of it.

Some things I am loving these days:

•First, this fall weather! I drove through Spring Hill yesterday morning and I was on a mission, so I didn’t stop, but it was so breathtakingly beautiful. There were several maple trees by the road, the kind I grew up climbing in, the ones that turn to gold in the fall. Their branches reached out over the road, and as I drove through, a shower of gold leaves was falling down, and the road was speckled with gold, and I just really wanted to turn around and drive back through, to see it again.

Has this fall been extra beautiful? Or am I just taking more notice? I don’t know, but here are a few pictures I have taken this fall, that I think are quite lovely:)

•A Book: Just David, by Eleanor Porter… written by the same author as Pollyanna, I don’t know how I missed reading it as a child. But as an adult, i think it is a must -read. The children loved it too.

•Another book Reading Just David inspired me to revisit Pollyanna, and… I didn’t remember it being such a tear jerker. My… I was listening to the audio version on LibriVox, in the car, and I found myself hoping I wouldn’t meet anyone I knew, while driving down the road with tears streaming down my face. 😅 If you read Pollyanna as a child and thought it was ho-hum, I suggest reading it as an adult. As the younger people say… “It hits different.”

•I’m loving a Bible study I recently started attending, and the many other opportunities to get together with likeminded friends and bless one another.

• The children and I have been making beeswax candles, and we are loving those. They’re a fun gift, and it’s nice to smell real scents when we walk in, rather than “off” smelling artificial fragrances.

•Oh , another book! The Life Giving Home, by Sally Clarkson. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! It has tips for making your house a life giving home for your family, and it goes a month at a time, with tips and ideas for each month. I try to read it through once a year.

Here is an excerpt from the November chapter:

“Gratitude, in its very essence, yearns to give. Even so, as we watch God transform and remake [us] within the refuge of home, our thanks will inevitably spill over into other peoples lives. Gratitude isn’t a gutting out of thanks, nor is generosity a painful sacrifice. Rather, both come from an overflow of joy. And neither is formed in a vacuum; both must come from recognizing that God’s goodness to us is so extravagant, that it must be passed on.

The essence of true thanksgiving is that we, having received the life of God into ourselves, then take His life into the world, drawing others into the feast of His grace. And that is the point at which generosity begins. That is the moment when we are compelled to open the doors of our homes, to open our hearts to the hungering people around us. Our thanks becomes incarnate in the grace we extend, the hospitality we offer, the love we speak-each of these things one more aspect of the lives we live as a great and constant giving of thanks.”

• One more little thing to love these days. Our Birthday Season usually ends on May 14, with Cory’s birthday. But in 2026 it looks like Birthday Season could be extended by a few days. We are looking forward to meeting a new Little One sometime mid-May. 🥰

I think this wraps ups our fall update. We hope you are loving the fall weather, and just loving life, as much as we are.

Stay well, and be blessed ❤️