**Daily Joys**

The boys dress themselves alike on purpose! I did it some when they were little but now, they do it to themselves! I love it! :) Here they were getting ready for Country Christmas at our church. You can hear video of them playing their instruments HERE. You can hear Madelyn on the piano HERE. (They are both pretty short videos!).

A little silliness...

Madelyn and me at my Aunt and Uncle's house for a small family gathering (where we had a white elephant gift exchange...and wouldn't you know *Jaxson* ended up with two ***goldfish***!)...

Yes, we are now the owners of two goldfish. I figured they would die quickly but it has not been the case...so I've been changing the water and keeping them properly fed. Although I hate to admit it, I have been caught chatting with the fish on more than one occasion!

 Supper one evening....

Sausage, gravy, homemade buttermilk biscuits and eggs! I even ate some and it was delicious! (I am participating in a weight loss challenge at the beginning of the new year...so I am not being as careful with what I am eating as I know I will be super-strict pretty soon.)...

Home...

One day, Lord willing, these walls will be refinished and lovely...

It's been raining a lot here lately...no snow in December...just rain. It's quite odd to have the temperature be in the 50's! I am not complaining though! I am not a huge fan of snow!

Last night's supper cooked in the crock pot all day. The house smelled amazing! We had beef roast, mashed potatoes and green beans!

Yesterday, we took off a day from our schooling. The boys went to help their uncle get wood for their great grandpa's wood stove. Madelyn went to the meat market to help Ma wrap the rest of the deer meat that had been processed from deer season hunting! I stayed home and spent time cleaning. For some reason, it is easier for me to clean and get many things done when I am home alone. Is that strange? Since the children were out helping others, I took care of their chores (and mine) here at home.
Today will be filled with schooling, housework, a few errands to run and music lessons for the children. I must admit, with all this grayness and rain outside, I really want to hunker down with the lights low, candles lit and a good book (or movie) in hand. :)

Thanks so much for visiting...if you want a few laughs, you can go HERE to see my family do the Bean Boozled Challenge (if you aren't aware of what that is I will tell you. It is a game of jelly beans that have are flavored. Each color jelly bean has a yummy flavor and a yucky one...but you don't know which one you are getting.) It is slow starting at first...but after a few minutes it really starts to get funny. About 3 minutes in we are get to *really* laughing... it's worth watching! :) I am the one videoing it and I just laugh constantly in the background!

I hope your week is Christ-filled and full of joy!
Joyfully,
Katy

Motherhood and The Way Home

"Firmly and lovingly, parents needs to take back the care of our little plants. Mother needs to be home so her children can be home. Then, when they are ready to leave the greenhouse, they will be mature. They will be really independent. They will have strong characters formed by saturation in God's Word and the sight of it in your life. You will have given them roots and wings!"

~Mary Pride, The Way Home

If you haven't read The Way Home *beyond feminism back to reality* by Mary Pride, you definitely need to. It is a *great* read. It is convicting, encouraging and biblical. If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I believe, biblically, women are to be home raising their children. I am also a huge advocate for homeschooling.

I *do* understand there are situations where mothers must work...not because they want to but because they have to (single parent situations, husband unable to work etc.). I also know there are a lot of pressures (and desires) with women to want more stuff and even go to work to give their children more "stuff". Then there are women who want their career and put their children with babysitters or daycare without thinking twice about it.

Situations vary....but the truth of the matter is this: if you have children, God has given the job to *you* to raise them. When children spend most of their waking hours under the care of another then *you* are not raising them...someone else is ~ and that is a shame. Raising souls is one of the greatest responsibilities you will ever have. Nothing is more important. Mothers have the *best* job and so many (unfortunately) hand the reins to someone else. I'm not here to judge but rather encourage...that if this is *you*...sit down and crunch the  numbers... you may have to take off the *extras* but you may be able to make it work. It is truly worth it to find out!

Tending the home is not drudgery. It's not always blissful fun of course, it's work...but it is the woman's ministry. Think of how a society will improve or decline according to the family home! Mothers at home, tending to her husband, the house and the children ~ nowadays it sounds old fashioned and too-good-to-be-true. Now women are almost expected to go to college, join the workforce and earn money, money, money. But this need not be so!

"Homeworking is more than a dirty chore. It is a ministry. Humble, yes. But she who humbles herself will be exalted."

"God intended women to spend their whole lives serving other people. Young women serve their children, their mothers, their husbands, and the community at large. Older women train and assist the younger women, and in some cases become church helpers. Women are not called to pursue motherhood for five years, get a career, and thereafter live for themselves. We are responsible for keeping society healthy and human. And for this, we get respect. Charity at home? What an opportunity! What a ministry!"

~Mary Pride

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Lately, here at home...

Above and below are pictures of my latest knitting finish.

Candle-lover here...(always bought on sale though!)  ;)

Making caramels for the guys (my husband, FIL, BIL, and others) at the meat market who have been working tirelessly processing deer meat after this past deer season (I made them one year and now it has become a bit of a tradition. It's a bit of a pick-me-up for them after a busy couple weeks)...

I am such an apron-lover! Isn't this one so pretty?

Cutting caramels is *not* an easy job!

Here is a portion of the ones I made, cut and wrapped for the guys. I made a double batch (completely unintentionally...but found I used double the brown sugar in my first batch so had to double everything and just make a double batch)...and gave some to my Pastor and his wife for Christmas...

Please know ~ I desire good for others...and I *know* that you will thrive when serving your family in love and glorifying God in the process! This is why I post things such as this....because I desire women to follow our biblical roles and watch society improve and the gospel spread as we are obedient to the Word! We, as sinful people, always try to do things our own way. If we would stick to God's Word...how much better life would be! I can understand unbelievers not abiding His Word...but if we claim Christ as our Savior then there really is *no* excuse for us as believers. We simply *must* be obedient (not out of legalism...but out of a pure love for God and because we know His ways are always best!).

I leave you with this admonition and encouragement:

"Be a homeworker. Work to build up your husband, and help him attain an elder's qualities. Exercise hospitality. Serve people in your home. Be creative. Worship and praise the Lord, first with your family, then with others the Lord will bring. Seek further knowledge and the example of older women who have successfully raised godly children. Become the kind of woman who is now more rare than diamonds, and who has always been more precious than rubies (Prov. 31:10)." 

~Mary Pride

Please, if you can, get the book that I linked to at the beginning of this post (or see if your library or a good friend has it for you to borrow). It's wonderful! Also, I just finished reading "The Holiness of God" by R.C. Sproul. I think I have read it before but it was great the second time reading it too! So much truth and not difficult to understand! I highly recommend it!

Find your way home...it'll be the best decision you ever make. Not always the easiest choice, but so worth it, truly. Your husband, children and home *need* you!

Warmly,
Katy

Linked to: The Art of Homemaking Mondays

When Your Baby Turns Ten....

...You don't quite know what to think. I am so blessed to have a ten year old...and yet, there is a part of me that misses the toddler he *used* to be! Is that how all mamas feel? Oh, this boy. He does this mama's heart good. 

He is my creative bug ~ always creating, drawing, building and making contraptions. He enjoys sci-fi movies/shows (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Star Wars and his recent favorite: Dr. Who).

We held his tenth birthday party at Chris's parents' meat market (as we do basically every year since it is deer season and so many of the family members are there processing the deer). My mom made TARDIS ice-cubes for the punch...

...as well as TARDIS & Bow-Tie Cookies...

Mama and Jaxson (photobombed by Madelyn!)...

A couple of Jaxson's drawings that are hanging on the front of the counter at the meat market...

Chris and Xavier enjoying some sloppy joes...

Jaxson showing off one of the bow-tie cookies...

Some family, friends and loved ones...

Jaxson with his TARDIS cake...

Those who have followed along with me through the eight years of blogging probably remember Jaxson as a little guy....I started blogging when he was only two! It is hardly fathomable to me! But time continues on and Chris and I are *so* grateful for the treasure Jaxson is. I can't imagine our lives without this silly, handsome, blue-eyed, bow-tie wearing, contraption-making boy! :o)

Thank you for celebrating with us!
Warmly,
Katy

Celebrating Audra!

 My niece, Audra, turned one last week! We were so blessed to get to celebrate with a small birthday party at their house this past weekend (She had a *Peanuts* theme and my sister made her dress. Isn't it darling?)...

Her sister, Dinah, has the sweetest little smile...

 Jaxson and Eloise playing "Dr. Who"...

 Madelyn and Audra...

 Hehe...isn't she cute with those pig-tails? (and that is Xavier's leg to the bottom left. I just realized that I don't have pics of him there! Ack! I don't know how that happened! He is in the video that I linked to below though!)....

Happy Birthday crowns...a birthday necessity (Jaxson's face makes him appear less than enthusiastic...haha!)....

 Time for the birthday cupcakes...oh how Audra wanted to get her hands on them!

She reached and reached...

...until she got frustrated!!

 Whew! Time for her little piece of cake...

Three beautiful sweeties...

 Time to open a few birthday gifts...

Audra did a fantastic job at opening her presents! Often, children will get bored with unwrapping boxes...but not her! She loved it!

What's in there?

It's pajamas from Uncle Chris, Aunt TiTi and the kids!

After opening a few other presents...the big gift came in from PopPop and Grammie. (You can watch a video of her getting it HERE. You can see me in the background too!)...

Although blurry, I just love El's face here...

Children are *such* a blessing! I know being a mama is exhausting and difficult....but it is *so* worth it! What a gift God has given us! I am so grateful for my own children and also for my nieces and nephews! They are all treasures!

Thank you for sharing in our celebration of Audra's one year of life! I had even more photos but figured I shared a ton already! ;)

Have a lovely week!
Warmly,
Katy