From the Pages of My Life…

 May 23, 2013                    Thursday 5:45 p.m.

            It has been one of those overcast days that make you wish you had the time to curl up on the couch with a good book and simply be cozy! Alas, I didn't really want to spend my day that way, so instead I began my usual “Housewifely” duties.

           

Mid-morning I enjoyed having a phone conversation with Mom and did a 20 minute workout plus about 20 minutes of kettlebell. I was having so much fun that I hardly wanted to stop!

            I made tomato soup and pizza pockets for lunch and boy were they ever yummy and filling! (Chalk one up for Trim Healthy Mama!)

            After lunch Trey so kindly dried the dishes as I washed, all the while amusing me! We then dove headfirst into going through our storage room. It is all a work in progress, but we put an entire box in the yard sale pile and another box to be burned! Yeay!!! I love getting rid of stuff!

            Now, do I continue more housework, read “Emma” (by Jane Austen, the book that I am currently reading), or edit pictures from our trip???

~ Clair

Life...A Whirlwind...

Wow, life has been busy lately! Since our getaway to Tennessee at the beginning of May, (of which I will hopefully be doing a blog post soon),our life has been a whirlwind! After such a refreshing time of peaceful rejuvenation it was rather odd to spring back into daily life so suddenly. It seems as though I've been home long enough to eat and sleep, make a few messes, and then leave again. I've been trying to hold everything together in the midst of it all. I won't have dishes stacked to the ceiling, laundry piled high, dust an inch thick, and a dirty floor if I can help it! So far no one thing has gotten terribly out of hand, just everything has become a bit disorderly.

I had been focusing on decluttering and purging my home of needless junk; that is, before our trip. I'm dreading looking forward to continuing that as soon as I get the everyday things a little more under control.  Less truly is more and I am working very hard to pare down as I know that it will only add to the peaceful environment of my home. 

I'm trying to keep the 'many things' on my list from effecting my attitude, because respecting my Husband and serving God is about so much more than a perfectly neat house. There is so much that I want to do and it seems as though I never have enough hours in my day! It is up to me to make the most of my twenty-four hour day.

 If you think of it just say a little prayer for me. Pray that I will be able to focus on the truly important things and discard everything else. Pray that I do not neglect my home, as the devil would like nothing better.

 I long for the strength that I draw from peacefully working in my home...

 Home truly is my favorite place to be!

Striving to find balance!

~Clair

Memories from the Past: Sleeping out in the Yard???

My family had what some might call a tradition of sleeping out in the yard. I know you are probably all laughing, but it is true! 

We lived on a 20 acre farm in Southern Ohio and took advantage of every opportunity to have some fun! Some member of our family would say, "Hey, why don't we sleep out in the yard tonight!" and everyone would scurry about looking for their sleeping bags, pillows, and whatever was needed depending on the weather. 

The whole family didn't always go, sometimes it was just my older sister and I. We made quite the pair, especially when the coyotes would start to howl! I was terrified of the sound of their high pitched calls, but my sister loved to hear them! I would squeal and try to crawl under her and she would say, "Be quiet and listen! Don't they sound neat?" as she tried to extract my arms from around her. After all these years I still cringe when I hear the coyotes begin to howl to one another. There were a few times that she actually left me outside in the middle of the night because she was uncomfortable and ready to head back inside! So much for protecting me!!!

Sometimes when friends came to stay the night we would sleep out in the yard. I wonder what they thought of that?

It was always so exciting at first. we would giggle and talk while watching shooting stars, until we dropped off to sleep, one by one. If you didn't 'set up camp' in a perfectly level spot you would slide downhill all throughout the night and occasionally have to crawl back up to the tarp that helped protect from the dewy grass. In the morning it was not quite so fun. Your body ached from the hard ground and everything was nearly always soaked with dew. We would hang our sleeping bags and pillows on the front porch railing of the cabin to dry and the day would begin.

What memories we made 'sleeping out in the yard'!

~Clair