Just one October weekend

Women hanging out...so what if we don't sew anymore...there's tons to do..


We have had such a nice weekend with beautiful weather. We had a full day of school Friday and then spent the evening playing kickball followed by bonfire where we roasted hotdogs and made smores at a friend's place in the mountains. There were kids running everywhere and they all had a nice time (Lily loved petting their horses) Kenny wasn't able to go with us as he was working in Knoxville. Saturday morning I took Josh to a friend's house as they were going to head to Chatanooga for the day and on the way home I made a surprise stop at my neighbor and friend's home to have an early morning cup of coffee. I knew I would be greeted like one of the family and I was right as they served me a pumpkin waffle while in their jammas. Julie's mom and dad have an apartment in her basement and Peggy ("Nana") is a joy to hang out with. Peggy and I decided to take Elijah and John to the huge church garage sale down the road. Hope offered to come play with the younger kids so Paul could spend the day with the Ectors. We had great success at the sale since we arrived at the perfect time for the closing bargains.I noticed a bright colored pink comforter and curtain set for Julie's daughter's room and we bought it with plans to take it home and redecorate her room. My mom had worked so hard on preparations for this sale the last 6 weeks and the results were well worth the time.
Shortly after I arrived at my house I found Sarah with freshly painted nails and glittery eyes thanks to Hope. During the morning Lily had taken the guinea pig out of the cage and left it in the school room. I heard a distressed call from John and discovered a wet limp guinea pig on the stairs. Lacy, our german shepherd, had decided to play with it. I don't know how I could've forgotten what she did to our baby chicks but it never crossed my mind to be aware of this danger. Forty bucks down the drain and a sad little girl! Sarah seemed to recover fairly quickly though and we headed over to our neighbors to begin decorating. We spent the whole afternoon working on two little girls rooms followed by a remake of her living room. Nana made gourmet pizza and set a fall place setting for us on the front deck for all of us ladies (including Lily whom they treat so kind).Toward the evening Julie chuckled as she mentioned that we had one woman cooking, one cleaning, and one decorating.Having others in our lives really helps!! These are the times when I realize that as a society we have lost something precious that used to be an everyday norm. Women were not nearly as restless taking care of their homes and children as they are now.Good friends can really lighten our loads..sometimes they come only through being a friend yourself or just praying that God would bring the right friends into your life.

I have seen that boredom comes from a lack of fellowship, hobbies, outdoor time, serving others together as a family and yes..good books.(we can educate ourselves in any area of choice with decisive passion) It's not all about slaving away over laundry, cooking, and housework. It has helped having the kids have their responsibilities and even regular date nights with your love of your life. These are just some practical aspects that have almost disappeared from American homes.
I am so glad to have had our mothers, great books written on the subject and other great examples that have offered help. In homemaking we may not feel the immediate rewards or even at times we may feel totally unappreciated..But as our example of serving others imprints itself on our children's minds I have seen that as they grow older they realize the stability of steady good meals, a joyful face about the home, and a love between parents really was wonderful.(makes me appreciate all our parents gave as I write this) Now of course, these things are dear to my heart but I don't ever want to give an impression that this lifestyle is a must for everyone. Many cannot be at home with their kids and God works in the busiest of childhoods. His mercy is there in complete broken situations and He forms amazing adults that have come from a childhood full of suffering. I just want to encourage those to keep with it if they are stay-at-home moms. There have been difficult winters where I thought I would loose my mind at times but God has given wisdom when asked for on ideas on keeping life full of purpose and meaning.
Now back to our daily diary...Kenny is glad to be back and we stayed up late talking with the older two boys. This morning he has prepared a dish he enjoyed at a co-worker's home after just the two of us went to the grocery store to collect the ingredients. A cajun shrimp boil -we just finished this meal and all of our mouths are burning. In fact I just pointed out to Kenny that our youngest was licking the half wooden wall to relieve his Hot mouth..gross.(another one of those things you don't think to tell your kids...don't lick the walls, Joseph!)
Now three sons and a husband are off to the golf course while two little ones take a nap.Things are actually quiet around year....I'm taking it in.