Summer Is Running Away....

Summer is running away with me,

 not unlike my first, and only, water skiing trip, 

whereupon I lost my footing- but held to the rope-

as the boat jetted across the lake, 

with me dragging and water skipping behind.

I am fairly lost without a daily routine, you see, 

and this summer has been one of constant coming and going of various people to the lodge,

 all good, 

but leaving me very unorganized and having that haunting feeling

 that I have forgotten something important.. somewhere...but what? and where?

Well, we are having a grand summer.  

If you have been wondering where I have been,

 outside of course! 

 I LOVE the out of doors, you know,

 and find every possible excuse to be out there with the children,

 who have been enjoying the fantastic weather this season has brought us.

Summer is the time that the children live in their swimsuits,

(we have both a pond and an inflatable pool)

 eat on the porch two or three times a day,

 and sleep outside in the grass or tent, and occasionally come inside.

For me, there are berries to be picked, animals to care for, 

parents to visit with, (having just moved them to our neck of the woods)

yard work to be done, children to watch and be read to, 

a lovely walk through the woods calling me,

  a rocking chair on the porch that begs to have my company. 

There are also apricots and tomatoes to can

 as well as other preparations for winter, 

such as putting together winter wardrobes for the six younger children. 

 I usually work all summer on this 

so that I can turn my attention to canning in August and September

 and still have the needed warm clothes for our long and cold winters ready by October.

In less than quiet moments, ( I do have 7 children at home)

I have been reading Psalm 95 to 105 over and over again these past weeks,

 finding joy and encouragement there.

I especially like 103.  I do hope you can take a moment to read it as well.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.

Bless His holy name."

Summer is bound to keep swirling around me, 

and the idealist in me keeps hoping I can find my legs and manage to ride it through gracefully.

The realist in me thinks that is not very likely.

(chuckle)

Oh well, God is GOOD....ALL the time!

Log Home tour part 5: The Spare Oom

Welcome to the Providence Lodge Home Tour!

This is our 5th room featured here.

 If you have been traveling through the tour with us,

 we are now on the 2nd floor of the lodge.

  Right at the top of the stairs and to the left, we come to our extra bedroom.

Being great C.S Lewis fans,

 we have a "Spare Oom", 

and we dearly love to have company in it.

 The Spare Oom was formerly John's room,

 but he moved out onto his own and will be getting married soon, 

so I recently took it over.

To out fit our Spare Oom, we stole the bed from Anna's former room, 

moved grandpa's ugly brown cupboard from the third floor,

 and gathered a few other pieces of furniture here and there around the house 

to give it what I thought a spare oom should have. 

The room is 18x14, planned extra large initially for John and all his gear,

 and with thoughts of future guests,

 which often times come with pack n play's for their little ones,

 suitcases, 

and need for quiet study time.

I wanted this space to be comfortable for either gender,

 so I kept this in mind while decorating and choosing colors.

My mom really likes the blue-green of the bedspread and curtains,

 and since she is our most frequent guest, the color scheme is fitting here.

 It is a very relaxing color, and different from any of the other rooms in the lodge.

Here is a closer look:

Quilts again, 

this time on top of Grandpa's cabinet and ready to add to the bed on a cold night.

Grandpa's cabinet offers lots of character (did you notice the unmatched doors and hinges?). 

 It serves as storage for  all our gift wrapping supplies, as well as a few sewing notions.

The blanket chest houses dress up gear for the boys 

and provides a surface to plop a visitor's suitcase. 

  The chest also makes a great play surface for the children's intricate villages and forts,

(smile)

 which is mostly what the Spare Oom is used for, 

offering a place to get a good play scenario set up and leave for days on end.

The boys are able to close the door or put up a baby gate 

so that Olivia cannot destroy their meticulous array of cowboys and Indians (dinosaurs included, lol)

 or military forces.  

She just doesn't share the same philosophy of war play as the boys.

(chuckle)

Our Spare Oom will soon be pleasantly occupied again...

the children are counting the days until our next "guest" arrives--

their sister Anna coming to visit for a few weeks!!

  HURRAY!

"Hospitality is not defined by a large house, 

fine food, or fancy china. 

 It is defined by the welcoming of the heart, 

the opening of the home, 

and the extending of love to every guest."

 "Lord, may each person who enters our home 

be greeted with a smile, 

welcomed with delight, 

treated with honor,

 served with humility,

 and cared for in the same way 

that we would treat You if You were our guest."

On our woodsy Homestead: Goats and Spinach

I have come to think of our home as more than the lodge..

it is becoming a homestead.

  As we begin raising our own food and acquire livestock, 

the property takes on a more substantial role.

  We are becoming more sustainable, which has been our objective for many years,

 but slow in happening. 

 This year, though, we are bounding forward.

First, our three does have produced a healthy little flock of cuteness

 and are giving us good tasting milk morning and evening. 

 I am so thankful that there were no problems with the births.  

We now have 6 kids, 5 girls and one boy.

One is a "wimpy kid" that has needed bottle feedings and baby jammies to keep warm and thriving.

Jim named her "Aravas," and has taken over feeding her.  

It is warm enough now for her natural coat, 

but she was pretty cute in the lavender fleece jammies she spent the first three days in. 

"Sweetie"

Notice how this baby (Daisy) has a squiggly line down her back.

It is more noticeable here.

 

Growing our own food has become more important to us, not only for economy,

 but for better quality food that is organic and readily available. 

 Lacking a good garden site, soil, and deer proof fence, 

I am growing our food in our house.

  Brian just put in shelves in the south facing windows the other day.

  I have planted leaf lettuce, spinach, roquette, kale, cherry tomatoes, and sauce tomatoes. 

 These I hope to grow indoors year round, providing a continuous stream of healthy greens,

 which have become a daily staple for us.

I also planted bush beans that I will transfer outside at some point.

Meanwhile, we sprouted some lentils to add to our salads.  

It takes four days to sprout a good bunch, with only minutes each day of your time.

Favorite Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach,

 sun dried tomatoes, 

crumbled feta, 

basic dressing.

Today we are adding lentil sprouts and chopped cooked chicken.

Basic Dressing

1 tsp Dijon style mustard

2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp wine or balsamic vinegar

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp stevia

 stir well and use immediately.

To this I often add a few cloves of chopped garlic sauteed in butter.

Any herb you want could be added.

Store in frig.

Happy Homesteading!

Log Home Tour part 4: The Living Room

Sanctuary:  a place offering protection and safety.  A shelter, a place of comfort in times of trouble.  As in plants and animals:  "An area (habitat) set aside for the preservation and care of it's inhabitants to maintain functioning natural systems; to act as refuges, protected areas...often the only hope we have of stopping external threats to the species." -Wikipedia

Welcome to the Providence Lodge Home Tour!

Today I invite you inside to our sanctuary, the Living Room.

To the right of the entry, the Living room takes up the whole north side of the lodge.

The space is 18x28.

Log columns support girders on both the first and second floors.

Here we have a forked top, and yes, the children to climb up and perch in it. 

 I think a bobcat or raccoon mount would be nice...and safer than a child-monkey.

With the couches flanking the fireplace, this is the warmest seating area.
  A perfect place for afternoon tea on a cold or rainy day, visiting, and snuggling.

At the other end of the couches are a few chairs for rocking the small ones, 

and under the stairs, the doll house play area, and the ever popular swing.

And here is a closer look.

Under the round tale is a littles hide out complete with rug, pillows and various stuffed animal friends.

To the right of the fireplace,

 this cushy window seat is the favorite napping location, 

for family and cats.

To the left of the fireplace,
Grandma's sewing table makes a nice side table ...

and it is filled with tiny treasures just the size for tiny hands to play with.

The Living Room is our refuge from a society

that desires to make our boys effeminate and our girls unfeminine;

a world culture that threatens family health.

 The Living Room is the essential and pivotal point of maintaining a functional,

 God fearing, loyal and loving family life.

How so? You may ask.

Coffee in hand, 

here in is the place we start the day with snuggles and laps full of sleepy heads,

curled up in front of the fire (all but three months of the year).

               

Here is the room that offers the most comfort...
the best warmth from the fire,

 the big cushy furniture,

 the place where we rock the babies to sleep,

 where the littles (and Grandpa too) take their naps, 

and those who are ill are cared for.

This too is the place the children do a great amount of reading during the school day.

Where the mama listens to a young child read his first words.

 Where the toddler asks for book after book to be read. 

Where children color and play under a watchful eye..or just near a loved one.

  This is the room where we cuddle together at night and read aloud.

Many an evening will find every child absorbed in drawing or coloring while listening to a story.

 This is the place we seek when we find ourselves chilled,
 tired,
 or wanting company. 

 Here we gather to talk through troubles
and tell of our adventures.

Here is the emotional and physical comfort one finds in a family. 

The Living Room, 

our sanctuary.