August Fields

Strawberry picking.

Can you believe I have never been strawberry picking? Yet another joy of michigan living is the abundant strawberry season… Yum!

This will definitely be a new tradition.

I see pies, jam, and dried strawberries in my near future!! Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?

lately.

cannonballs and dives.  daily.

i recently found this you tuber/doctor/fashion blogger.  
Pretty Shiny Sparkly
our family is doing the Bible Bee this summer!  lots of Bible memorization and a great study of the book of Jonah for all age levels.  The Jonah study is a Sword Study and I think any of the Sword Studies would be excellent for homeschooling.  Each child would have an independent workbook at their level for Bible.  Purchase here
it’s been just over a year since i’ve been going to the gym, regularly, at 5:30am.  it took my body about 2 months to stop fighting the early wakeup call.  i have met some wonderful ladies that share that same crazy hour with me and keep me motivated.  i feel stronger and most importantly it helps my mental state of mind.  i’ve had maybe one or two episodes of feeling depressed and that is a HUGE improvement!  go for a walk and release those endorphins mommies! (and stay in the word)

i’m gearing up to teach the play camp, with my sister, at our local Classical Conversations practicum. we completed our first year of CC and i can not say it loud enough…. “we love CC!!”. 
challenge A graduate.  during the course of the year, each student had to memorize every country and its capital and be able to draw it freehand.  sounds super impossible but CC does a great job of breaking it down and making it possible.  this is my oldest daughter on the day of final testing with all she knew for memory of the world.  not every country and capital was named but we are SO proud of all her hard work!
                                       
again, on our final day of testing.  each challenge A student had to present their final thesis.  my daughter’s was:  “why did God create the world if He knew there would be sin?”.
this is one awesome group of CC Challenge A kids!!  
texas cousins came to the mitten!  i haven’t seen these girls in over 10 years.  that is way too long.  check out my cousin abby’s blog.  

i have TWO new nephews!!  ahhhh….. love. love. love. (i have 2 more little nieces/nephew) on the way too!

the beginning of summer.

i decided to capture some ‘posed’ pictures because it seems as of late that i’ve only been taking action shots….  i don’t want to miss the details in their sweet little faces as they grow so fast!

like hank’s super toothless smile!

the kids would stay outside all day if i let them… and honestly some days are mostly all outside days! 
they love to:
– work on the trail (cut back branches, rake the path)
– ride bikes
– play driveway tennis
– swim
– check on the garden
so back to the ‘action shots’…
this started with dancy determined to teach chichi “ring around the rosie”…. well soon after a group effort was in place…. 

mission accomplished!

i usually find him here with a book. 🙂

and the way his thighs touch when he stands like this….. love love love.

11 and 13.

we have recently celebrated our two oldest daughters as they turned 11 and 13.

the birthday box.  dancy has been completely on board with our de-cluttering and simplifying from the get go, so eliminating individual gifts and requesting money in cards was the way we went.

everyone dropped their cards or cards w/ money into the birthday box as they came in.  when it was time for gifts she unwrapped the birthday box and opened each card individually.

She ended up with almost enough money for an iPod.  after some seriously hard earned money from work around the house she had enough and has since purchased an iPod with her own money.

chichi blew out her candle for her 🙂

 this being her 11th birthday i “swept her away” to chicago for 1 night and 2 days!  Her older sister was “swept away” on her 11th birthday as well.

 this is a very special time for just the two of us…  we laugh, talk, share, listen and have FUN!

 i was able to snag 2 seats at the girl & the goat!  this is extremely rare and partly due to the fact that it was like -20 degrees outside… brrrrr……  the food. is. fabulous.  hands down amazing.

 yes, those are green beans.  salty, savory, eat the whole dish good green beans!

 because it was SOOOO cold, we had the city of chicago practically to ourselves.  the aquarium, the stores, the restaurants.

 since this was a very special weekend, daddy picked us up from the train station and took us out to dinner where he gave dancy a very special necklace.  a reminder of how much God loves her, how much we love her.

 drumroll please…… we have a teenager in the house!! and. i. LOVE. it!!  we celebrated with cousins, aunts and nana at an art institute, ate a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.

 these two sisters are best friends.  they’re honest, funny, each unique and very helpful!  I pray that they will continue to be giving, confident, happy, God fearing, and feel loved.

 deanie received 13 gifts for her 13th birthday.  some of the 13 gifts were:
1.  crossbody purse
2.  shorts
3.  eyelash curler
4.  bb cream (a tinted moisturizer)
5.  lulu zippy
6.  sunglasses….

 for her “cake” we ordered cupcakes from a local cupcakery 🙂  she also has recently had braces put on her teeth …. and her smile is as big as ever.  i love that!!  i have loved all the stages and ages my children have gone through and i thought i might be ‘sad’ that deanie was growing up or getting older but i truly am so excited for her and really love spending time with her. 🙂

this is the oldest picture on my computer that i have of deanie (with my mom) 12 years ago!  

simple changes.

The Lord has certainly been displaying His mighty hand in my life.  Well, the truth is He ALWAYS has been, I’ve just been too selfishly consumed in my own thoughts, time, and words to really hear Him.

What it comes down to is this.  My life is not meant to live here on earth in the selfish, unaware way that I’ve been living it.  Others may say, “Sara, you are NOT selfish!  You’re so nice” etc. etc.

That’s nice to hear…….  in my own prideful ears.

Life is too short.  I want to spend more time on eternal investments.  My husband, my children, my family, other PEOPLE.

This book has encouraged me.
10 trips to the thrift store, unloading my suburban, has left me with less of a burden on the homefront (i.e. cleaning, organizing, picking up) and given me more time with my husband, children and others.
I’m not even close to done either.  We’re going beyond 40 bags in 40 days type decluttering.  Less truly is More.

This book has convicted me.  Marriage is hard?  amen.  My husband’s sole purpose is not to meet my unsaid expectations to continually meet my every need?  amen.  Marriage is a Sanctification process that means I must stop being so self centered?  AMEN!!!  Friends,  marriage is a life long, enduring, grueling, glorious, amazing, hard, commitment that, in the end, should be purposed to glorify God, not ourselves.

I believe that everyone’s journey to draw closer to God LOOKS different.  For me, right now, I am being convicted to simplify and serve.  Simplify the blog, my home, Facebook, clothes, everything really.  Serve my husband, my family, others, anyone.  People matter.  All people.  Regarding serving people, or putting others in front of yourself, however you want to word it;  I have learned that doing this just to make my self feel better is, again, just a form of pride and self centeredness.

Serving others to glorify God takes away any expectation of a “thank you” or reciprocation or feeling like I should pat myself on the back.  To simply serve to bring God glory is so so basic.