For the Love!: Journal # 37 -- First one at the new house.

Out My Window

I'm outside right now. It's beautiful. Maybe 80 degrees, breezy, setting sun shining barely through the clouds.

Clothing Myself In

Tank top and shorts. I might live kind of like a pioneer, but I dress for comfort these days because there is no one around but my family here.

Around the House

I hooked up the "good" microwave. We were using a cheap one I had picked up because it fit, but the door was kind of stuck for some reason. So I got the one from the old house out and figured out how to put it on the shelf (on a board so it would fit -- it's complicated -- I'm actually very proud of myself).

The kids put up a tent this afternoon. That kept them busy for a while. We would have let them sleep in it, but I could only find the pole for one and they were not going to all fit in a four-man tent.

We have a gas dryer, but in order to get it to fit in our house we will have to stack it on our washer. But it is an old-school dryer, not meant to be stacked, so Gordie is going to have to work up some special something or other to get it to sit on. In any case, it's sitting in the shed now, waiting. But he did get my clothes line up and it is glorious.

The water is still kind of a terrible color, but it doesn't bother me so much. Eventually we plan to try another type of whole-house filter (probably in addition to the current) but other financial concerns are more pressing at the moment. I am kind of sad, though, that the dishwasher cannot get the dishes clean (I assume because of the water -- even with a generous helping of Lemme Shine). But the kids are improving their dishwashing skills every evening. And it makes me feel good to have them contributing in that way. (As I feel like teaching them life skills and making them follow through is my weakness -- I just want to do it myself and have it done and done right! But they will never learn that way, I get it.)

The Baby

Peter is the little parrot these days. He says everything back. It's adorable. -- Tonight he was a little butt, though. He was grumpy at bedtime. I walked him some and he seemed to settle, but every time I went to lay him down he flopped right over and cried. I tried three times, then Gordie came home, so I passed him off. Gordie got him settled, though. He's sleeping peacefully now.

The Children

Zipporah posing in the tutu her grandma got her.

Zipporah just had a birthday in June (post coming, I promise 😊). She is really showing her personality. She is stubborn and curious. She can be incredibly helpful and when she doesn't want to, can be the biggest stick in the mud. She cut her hair tonight. . . It's not too bad.

Miriam turned 6 in May. She is growing a little attitude. She can pick on her two closest older brothers (Jacob & Paul) like nobody's business. She is a spitfire when she wants to be. But she can also be sweet. She loves to play with Zipporah and Jacob, too, but not both at once.

Paul turned 8 in May and he is really growing into his attitude. My sweet innocent little boy is being replaced by a somewhat moody, test-the-rules-all-the-time ball of struggle. But I still love him and hope my charming and endearing Paul emerges again soon.

Jacob is definitely starting to mature finally. He LOVES to read so much. He is eternally with a book in his hand. He finally finished his school work (for last year) at the end of June and commented, "maybe I should work faster next year so I have more summer to enjoy." Gee, ya think? Nothing really riles him -- I had to take away his library books to get him to finish his school work. It felt wrong, but it got the job done.

Samuel just got back from a week at boy scout camp in Colorado. Apparently half the troop had a stomach bug while there. Bummer. But he was in good spirits when he got home. He is really becoming more mature and his helpfulness level is increasing every day. He also has quite a sense of humor. Unfortunately he cannot seem to not argue about things and has a terrible time stopping a conversation if he feels he has more to say (even if he's really already said enough).

Rebekah is now 13. Crazy. I keep waiting for her to "turn terrible" but she is still pretty sweet. She is helpful with her siblings and incredibly smart. She is incredibly crafty and rocking out projects right and left this summer. I always say she is proof that God is merciful and loving. We could not ask for a better oldest daughter.

In the Kitchen

Since our fancy-pants monster stove is a gas giant -- so hot and smelly, we have been turning the gas off to it when not in use. But I've gotten super quick at turning the gas on and lighting it up when I need to make dinner.

I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes a few days ago. Everyone enjoyed that night. Roast is on the menu for tomorrow and I plan to marinate some chicken for later in the week.

Watching/Reading

I'm reading this book called, "Why I'm Catholic and You Should Be, Too." I'm only about a chapter in, but I'm liking it a lot.

I'm also reading "The New Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children." It is not earth-shattering, but affirming. Most of it is stuff I would intuitively do, but possibly feel guilty about. It is reassuring to hear this guy say most of that stuff is okay.

And I picked up this Pope Francis Morsel book by Chris West. But I am only about four pages into it. It is kind of a devotional book, meant to be read slowly and digested, so I am trying to do just that.

Thinking About

Politics, ugh. Abortion, immigration, etc. It makes me sad. But I know running a government is no joke. I don't want to be making the decisions!

*Also we need to find a "daily Mass" that works for us. I like to attend daily Mass at least once a week (so added to Sunday Mass that makes two Masses per week). It is about 20 minutes to Russell. Gorham is 10 minutes, but no daily Mass there. Victoria is about 25 minutes. Hays 30. And the Mass times are all over the board -- nothing jumps out and says, this would fit right in!! But that's okay. Sacrifice can be meaningful, so I'm just starting to plan what might work for us and when.

**And today as I was going on my daily walk, I took some pictures to remind myself our future plan. We built our "temporary house" near the well and road. But we hope to put our permanent home by the creek. We are thinking of doing a burm home -- built into the side of the hill by the creek. We will need to make a road to it, though, from the main road. And we will probably hook it up to rural water. But we hope to use our solar panels (and buy more and more batteries) for power. But we need to get our Hays house fixed up and sold first off. Then we will see where we stand and what our next move should be.

Some of the creek.

Some more of the creek.

This is where we want the house. Built into this little hill. The creek is right behind me in this picture (and down a bit).

Bringing Me Joy

*Getting in a rhythm of life right now. We have finally gone from scrambling chaos to relaxing a little and enjoying what we have out here. -- Especially the nature walks, the peaceful mornings and evenings, the coziness of our little shed. It is quaint (when I'm not hiding from the kids, or wishing they could be a little quieter).

*Aikido. It is always good to connect with my friends and learn new skills. I only wish I could find time to attend more classes. Also, the kids enjoy it, as well.