December Memories and Hope For The New Year

I have about a half hour drive home from work each day. During this time my mind seems to be in overdrive and I do a lot of thinking. I realized yesterday how fast the last few months seem to have gone. December was a full month but it was a good one. We had work Christmas parties and family celebrations. We enjoyed our Christmas lights and wish we would have gone out and explored more of the decorated houses in the area. Work was very busy for both of us and to be honest the stress of it might have taken a smidge of the joy out of our holiday season. We loved giving gifts and we received some special ones as well. Every year I feel like I need to make a list of things I want to remember to do the following year. This year I didn’t do all the things I had planned. It was still an enjoyable and peaceful time. 

I ended the decade with a list of goals and excitement for a fresh start. The new year is always something I get excited about and with it being a new decade makes it all the better. I love lists and goals. I highly recommend making a reading goal of some kind! While I don’t typically think too much of what life will be like in the next ten years, I like to reflect on the past a little. I like to see how we have grown and changed as individuals. I also enjoy looking back and seeing how God has worked in our lives in the good and bad times. When you consider the moments that could have only been a God thing it makes you remember WHO is really in control. Did we ever think we would be where we are in life today? Absolutely not! But here we are and who knows what God has planned next.

So here is hoping that your new year is full of big and little adventures and memories in abundance.  

September Memories

Vermont

Oh September, the month that starts my favorite season! Autumn is officially here and while in Kansas the days don't cool off right away, in my mind I am thinking about fuzzy socks and chilly days. This past month was full of starting with Labor day family time in Wyoming! We all stayed at a house by the lake and it was fun to see family we don't see often. There was also an incredible water fight that really brought the kid out in us adults-we are already thinking on ideas for next time. 

I started attending a Bible study with some women in town and it is based on Lysa Terkeurst's new book. I have been really surprised in a good way about this study and book. We are only in it a few weeks but it is good so far.

 The last part of the month we took a vacation. We love going places and we haven't gone anywhere for a little over a year due to moving, new jobs, etc. So after much debate we decided to go to New England for a week. It was beautiful, our favorite part was Vermont, though it was all fun! We ate great food and were able to walk around and explore a bit in Maine. We stayed near Acadia National Park for a couple of days and explored the quiet side (that is what they call it when you don't stay near Bar Harbor). If you ever visit I recommend not going in the summer. We were there not even at their high season and it was still packed on the busy side. I have been to a lot of national parks and I have never seen one so full of people and zero parking. It had some beautiful areas to see though. It was rainy some of the days so there wasn't as much outside exploring. On one of our last days we went by and saw where Louisa May Alcott lived. A picture of the house is below. There were so many people there we didn't go through the entire house but it was fun to see.
So September went by in a flash and the last three months of the year are before us. I wish you all a wonderful October!

Maine

Maine

Maine

Maine

Fort Knox

Maine

Vermont

Lobster Roll

Louisa May Alcott House

August Memories

The last days of summer have arrived and August is now behind us. The month started out with a trip to see family in Colorado. It was wonderful to see everyone and enjoy some cool weather.

The days flew by as I made a short trip to Texas, my man was out of town a few days, and I had a lot going on at work as well. We also got to be a part of a hymn sing at a nearby museum church building which was fun! That stands out as a great memory for this last month for sure.

This is also the time of year for holidays and birthdays for both our families it seems. It is fun to celebrate the people you care about no matter the age. The next few months will be packed but I am thankful! 

Have a wonderful September!

I thought I would add that these new 40th anniversary editions of Love Comes Softly are now available!!!!!!

July 2019

This post is a tad late but I still wanted to sneak the month of July in! July was a busy event month for us. My man had a few events that included playing guitar and riding his horse behind a stagecoach reenactment. After that we had a friend of ours get married so that was quite the celebration weekend. Meanwhile our garden started to take off and I have been harvesting tomatoes.

We celebrated our anniversary by staying home and eating Chinese food. I don't know that it gets much better than that. July was almost wheat harvest in this area so I snapped a few pictures before hand. Wheat is beautiful green and during harvest.
I really had a slow reading month, it has still been difficult for me to find any AMAZING books. I think this year is just a reading slump. Hopefully this latter part of the year gets better in the bookish world. I am very much looking forward to Autumn.
I have been reading the book of Acts again. A friend of mine introduced me to the YouVersion Bible App. I am really slow when it comes to technology guys so I just discovered that this App is amazing.  I can listen or read it and then share reading plans with other people! This has been so great for the car rides to and from work.
So July wrapped up quickly and here we are almost mid August. Have a great month!

June Thoughts

These flowers are so beautiful.

June zipped by. Between work and mowing my grandparents came to visit, Father's Day happened (we had a fun breakfast cookout with my in laws), and I had a Pampered Chef party. All things that made our weekends delightful. We also had lovely cooler weather most of the month and I was not complaining.

June also means yard sales. I found this gem at a sale for $4. A 1919 copy of Little Women. I was giddy.

I was given this BEAUTIFUL book quilt by my husband's aunt. She is so talented and this is something I will treasure. She even put moose on the back, which are my favorite!

I was really terrible about taking pictures in June. I need to get better at capturing our life happenings. 

We discovered this amazing Quicksicle Maker with my Pampered Chef party I hosted. WOW does this work fast! We can have frozen popsicles in ten minutes! HIGHLY recommend!

Have a wonderful July!

May Memories

 

Well May simply went by in a flash I can hardly believe it. Weather wise we had a lot of rain and cooler days, which was fine with me.  Summer heat and I don't get along. I was extremely busy at work and I think that is partly why the month went so fast for me. We went to see Michael Martin Murphey and that was a lot of fun. My man went to see him a second time (it was a free concert) and got to actually meet him and talk about guitars which will be a great memory for him.


 

 

I also might have bought some more plants- but it is so fun living in a place where things grow! I was invited to join my sister in law and mother in law for a flower shopping day and it was most enjoyable. We were able to plant our garden over Memorial Day weekend. We haven't planted a garden since we moved to our new house so we are experimenting on where we want to put everything. We have some tanks but also planted our squash just right in the ground since it always takes over. I am trying to buy plants that will come back each year so I don't have to keep buying them. Anyway May was all about the plants for me.

We turned off all streaming services for our TV for the summer (with the exception below). We spend more time outside though we do watch movies and such that we already own on rainy days. We did this last year as well and it worked out. Saves us money and less screen time is good. I want to also try and use my phone less as well. It is ridiculous how connected we are to our dang phones. 

I will say we that we have watched When Calls the Heart Season Six. That is the one thing we do watch every week on Amazon. We have been fans since the second season when we went to meet the cast and so we simply have to watch it. This season has been AMAZING. Even with all of the casting issues they have done a phenomenal job with this season and I actually think it is one of the best seasons yet. If you haven't seen WCTH I highly recommend! It really is good. 

I also worked on my to read pile of books and have gotten it down to only a few. I do need some new recommendations though so if anyone has ideas on good books to read I will take suggestions! 

 I hope everyone had a wonderful May and that June is full of fun adventures for you. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Currently April....

April has been all about spring and green for me. Also, our beautiful crab apple tree bloomed and I have spent a lot of time under it staring up in awe. 

April zoomed on by and now as we go into May I am realizing how fast spring will be over and how much I want to do! We have switched from inside projects to all of the outdoor projects we planned all winter. We have lived in our house for not quite a year so we are still discovering and dreaming. The yard and landscape needs a lot of work but my goodness you could spend all the money in the world on such things. So we have been taking it bit by bit, adding flowers, adding a tree, adding mulch, etc. We have our garden area all set up and I will be sanding and painting our picnic table here soon.

While it was a spring month in my mind we did have a blizzard type storm that kept me home one day. I decided to paint one of our bedrooms changing it from a dull purple to a bright white. 

We also made a short trip to the mountains to see some family and enjoyed getting out of town for a weekend. A dear friend of mine came to visit this month, we rarely see each other so it was a fun treat. We went plant shopping and now I am itching to plant all the things. 

Aside from those things life just keeps pushing forward. We started a new Bible study at church and are really excited to learn more. 

I have been slacking from keeping up with my to-read pile so I think this next month I will try to read a bit more. 

April has been a fun month and I am excited for the next month of spring as well before the summer heat takes over. 

New Fence

Thanks for stopping by!

March Life Update

Oh March, the month of crazy weather. I am sitting here listening to the rain and it is wonderful to hear. I feel like we have turned the corner into a wonderful season. Spring and autumn are my favorites. 

Things have been pretty quiet here on the blog. I have been reading a few books, but this month I have been a bit slow in my reading and reviewing. My job has kept me really busy and my brain has just been on overload the past few weeks. Thus less reading more sleeping. :) 

 My husband and I went to a historical symposium one weekend and learned a ton! We both love history and it was fun to listen to multiple historians talk on different topics.

We seem to have been surrounded by sickness the past couple of months. I really think that Young Living Thieves has been helpful for us and our wellness. We haven't gotten sick!

I have been making plans for our yard a lot this month and started pulling weeds already. Also, check out this adorable gift idea:

I did read this book that I picked up from the library. It was the best book I read this month but I warn you it was a difficult read due to the topic of sexual abuse.  Ginny L. Yttrup is a fantastic author and I highly recommend her books.

 




 So that pretty much wraps up the past month-ish for me. I feel like it has gone quickly. Hopefully my April post will include flowers blooming!

Thanks for stopping by!