What's more important, a House or a Home?

I was chatting with my 9 year old little sister Grace in the back seat of my parents car while nearing there home one evening. We passed a large, stately, brick house surrounded by pine trees and with a giggle she said: "The boys (our little nephews) thought you lived there. That would be really funny if you lived there." Judging from the way she said it, with a sinking heart I instantly thought, "She thinks it would be strange because I live in an old, rundown house trailer which could not compare to such a house as that." But these were her next words as she snuggled up beside me:

"Sissy, I love your little house trailer. It's just so...cosy."

I got a little tear in my eye. In her eyes an old, run down house trailer was better than a large brick house, because of the love inside. 

Sometimes I'm a little self conscious about our house. It's a house trailer from the seventies and has seen better days, that's for sure. Everything inside seems to be falling apart and as time goes on the floor seems to be getting more and more un-level. There's not much storage space and my laundry room is really just a washing machine stuck inside the hallway closet.

We live in a culture of 'we have to have it all right now!' We must keep up with the Jones' and if we can't, by all means, don't let anyone find out! Most Americans are in debt, many of which are in it up to their ears! Only 2% of homes in America are paid for. My Husband and I began our life together with a vision to live debt free. So far we have accomplished that goal, but we've had to set aside present pleasures for future benefits. We don't have a large and fancy house, but it is paid for. We've gone through some tough times and will continue to as we live on my Husband's one income, (which, by the way, he runs his own business). We've made financial mistakes and everything hasn't always turned out as we expected, but we are learning and God has certainly blessed us immeasurably!

Do you ever feel insecure about the building you call home? Perhaps it's old and run down. Is it not what you imagined you'd be living in?

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."

                                                       1 Timothy 6:6

What's more important, a house or a home? I'm not saying you can't have both, because you most certainly can. My question is, if you find yourself living somewhere less than optimal, how do feel about it? It is a good thing to increase your assets, but will you be discontent until you have arrived at 'affluence'.  Don't waste the precious years of your life wishing you had more, "and right now"! Work toward better things, but in the meantime take the house that you have and make it into a HOME.

My little sister loves my home because of the love she feels here. To her it is a cozy, peaceful, wonderful place. We all have a lesson to learn from that.

Enjoying the peacefulness of Home!

~Clair

A Visit Back Home...

This past weekend Trey and I took a trip to Ohio for a visit back home with my family. My parents have their house on the market, with an interested buyer, and will probably not be living there much longer. Their plans are to move to the great State of Wyoming!

 We spent a lot of time together at the house and had a great visit with them. The days were filled with lots of conversation and laughter, as always. (Get the Throckmorton girls together in one place and it will sound like you have stepped into a chicken house full of hens!) We always have so much to catch up on and share with one another.  Trey and I taught Mom and my little sister Grace how to play Farkle Flip (a card game) and had fun playing it many times. Trey was in his element helping Dad work on vehicles and doing some projects around the farm. We enjoyed a family cookout complete with music around the campfire well into the night and then spent the next day with our brother and sister, out on their boat at Rocky Fork Lake. Trey and I both knee boarded for the first time and Trey had his first water skiing experience. Instead of water skiing I chose an exhilarating ride on the back of a jet ski!

Family fun!

Me, Mamaw, Mom, Grace, and Heather

The time seemed to go by slowly. Every day was filled with many simple pleasures. Through it all I was reflective, for I do not know what the future will bring or if I will ever be inside those walls again. The thought of being there for perhaps the last time was hard to comprehend.  Leaving my childhood home, perhaps never to return, caused emotions to rise within me. Change... it is always so hard. We want to peek around the corner and see what lies ahead, but there is a hedge that blocks our view. 

Two Minnetonka Moccasin lovers!

My God is good! He blessed us with beautiful weather, and a wonderful visit filled with meaningful things that we will look back on someday. I can trust in him, because Jeremiah 29:11 says, 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' I don't need anything more than that!

~Clair

Rejoice!!!

So often we focus on our present circumstances and fall into self-pity. When our focus shifts to ourselves we begin to worry and lack faith in God.  Life isn't always perfect, but we need to learn to rejoice because this is the day which the Lord has made...! 

This verse in particular does not tell us to to rejoice because "...God has abundantly blessed us and everything has been going great!"; it tells us to rejoice simply because this is the day that the Lord has made...! Repeat this verse over and over to yourself! Stop halfheartedly 'trying to rejoice' and just REJOICE!

 If you read chapter 118 in it's entirety you will find several verses about rejoicing for a myriad of reasons. If you are having a hard time rejoicing in your circumstances just start with rejoicing because this is the day which the Lord has made...!  Fill your mind with thoughts of rejoicing and your actions will be the evidence! 

Fill your life with rejoicing TODAY! 

Rejoicing!

~Clair

Chicken Tractor

Before marrying Trey I had no idea what a Chicken Tractor was. (It is also called an Ark.) Trey showed me one that he had built and I was instantly impressed! 

To put it simply it is a portable floor-less chicken house. It is especially handy for newly hatched chicks. You put them inside and can move them from one spot to another all around your yard. That way they can learn to scratch around for bugs and other things to eat, while at the same time fertilizing the ground! The term Chicken Tractor comes from the chickens performing many functions normally accomplished  using a modern farm tractor: like digging and weeding the soil in preparation for planting crops or fertilizing and weeding to enhance the growth of crops that have already been planted.

I went away one weekend, which is an extremely rare occurrence, for we generally don't go separate ways. (I was with his family though. =) Trey and I enjoy one another's company so much that we spend as much time together as possible. While I was gone he built me my very own chicken tractor! Just in time for my newly hatched chicks!

It is the cutest and most useful little contraption!

I have and continue to enjoy moving my little chicks all around our backyard. 

Finding pleasure in my work!

~Clair

Baby Chicks!

We had a broody hen that was sitting on eggs. We don't have a rooster so Trey got some fertile eggs from Dad M. for her to hatch. For some reason I just didn't expect them to hatch. 

Several weeks had gone by and I had all but forgotten about the broody hen. I opened the door to her private suite to give her fresh water and was greeted by these precious little chicks!

What a pleasant surprise!

Mama hen clucked at me in a warning tone and I knew better than to try to hold one, even though my fingers were itching to snatch one up.

I have hatched chicks in an incubator many times, which is great fun, but it was the first time ever that I remember hatching eggs under a hen. It was such a fun and exciting experience! I can't wait to do it again sometime!

~Clair