Watching

Just watching my littlest guy having

a quiet moment in the Nature Box.

What a privilege it is to witness the little moments.

I pray that you all have many treasured moments today.

In God's Love, Tami

Keeping House

As I adjust to line drying all of our washing, I am soaking up every bit of encouragement I can find. "Keeping House - The Litany of Everyday Life" by Margaret Kim Peterson is a book that was recommended awhile back by Little Jenny Wren???? I can't remember.

I have been reading the chapter on "Clothing a Household". On page 100 I found a little gem of encouragement that I needed.

"Putting away things that get daily or weekly use is a way to exercise a kind of providential forsight. We will, in fact, need these things. Every morning, people need something to put on. Having clothes ready to wear in the drawer or in the closet is part of creating a expectation that in this home we care for one another. Our needs are not a personal emergency but are anticipated and provided for ahead of time as a matter of course".

AMEN! I really needed to hear this.

and on page 102:

"Clothing is so basic a reality that simply making sure everyone has something to wear can be a powerful way of making a home a nurturing and hospitable place, a place that helps us remember that we are all on pilgrimage together."

We are adjusting well to our new routines, and it feels so wonderful to not be using so much electricity. We are also handwashing all of our dishes now. The dishwasher has been working poorly for a long time. It requires me to basically prewash all of the dishes anyway, so I am now using the dishwasher only as a giant drying-rack.

Cutting back on our electricity usage in these ways really is fulfilling. We are trying to think of creative ways to simplify just about everything these days.

I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive week. We are enjoying a little bit of rain the past few days. A relief after a month with no rain. Our garden is so grateful.

In God's Love, Tami

Rocks In My Dryer

...not literally, but it sure sounds like it.

My clothes dryer has seen better days and I am sad to report it needs a costly repair. I am nearly positive that the repair man is going to tell us a new one would be cheaper. UGH!
Our dryer does get a mighty workout, so I am not surprised.

I would really like to know if there are any families out there that *do not* use a clothes dryer at all.

During the summer months I would say that I use my clothesline about 80% of the time. I am wondering how hard it would be to just line dry all of my clothes, even inside during the winter.

Any tips, suggestions, and equipment ideas would be so helpful.

We are having a lovely and much cooler day here. I am thinking of making a yummy *Pasta Lasagna* for dinner. It is a family favorite. I will post a recipe later.

I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive Tuesday. In God's Love,Tami

Five Things

I have not been the best at keeping up with tags and memes. This season has been so full that I find little time for extras. My apologies to the sweet ladies who have nominated and included me. I truly appreciate your kindness.

I have a few minutes today to participate in a "5 favorite things" (excluding family) tag. Mrs B. from Her Peculiar Life tagged me.

Let's see........

1. Top of the list always is the freedom, love, and salvation that I receive from our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The warm summer sun on my face with just a whisper of wind to keep me cool.

3. Waking up before my family to the quiet stillness of my home, and having Jesus welcome me to this new day.

4. Watching my children play together and grow in love and friendship.

5. God's faithful provision of food and shelter for my family.

Anybody who wants to join in please do. This is an informal invitation to all who read. What are your five favorite things? Enjoy!

Have a truly blessed and productive Monday! In God's Love, Tami

Around the Gardens

There are so many beautiful colors exploding right now.

These are my beautiful Crocosmia. The hummingbirds cannot resist the little trumpet shaped blooms. We here the little clicking chirps of the hummingbirds and know they are around.

Every fall I dig up the bulbs and redistribute them around our courtyard garden. What A delight it is to see them multiply.

We put together this little birdbath out of a 12" terracotta saucer and the base of an old parlor stool. I just love reusing old things in the garden.

I pray that you are having a beautiful and blessed week. In God's Love, Tami

Above Rubies

I received the latest issue of "Above Rubies" magazine this last week. Can I tell you just how much of an encouragement this magazine is to me. I was reading through the first article titled "From Our Home to Yours" and was immediately convicted and encouraged at the same time.

Nancy writes:

"I wrote about catching moments to pray and read the Word of God even in the midst of mothering your little children. When raising my little ones I could not leave and go off to have a Quiet Time. I had to do it in the midst of noise and everything happening around me. I remember one time feeling such a need to pray. I went to my bedroom, taking my little ones with me. They played with toys while I kneeled at my bed and prayed. I was enjoying the presence of the Lord and oblivious to their noise....Don't despair dear mother. God created you with the ability to do many things at once! You can cope! The only thing that stops you from coping is your negative thinking! Believe that you can do it. Rejoice in everything that is happening. Embrace your motherhood and have a great time!"

Somewhere along the line I have convinced myself that if I don't have my quiet time in the morning before my family rises, that it isn't good enough. UGH!

God wants me all the time, any time.

I am a person that has internal dialogue with God all day long. I am very good at "tuning out" the background noise. Until now I didn't realize that some days this *is* my Quiet Time with the Lord.

I realize now how hard I have been on myself regarding my morning quiet time. Failing at that has made me less likely to seek Him at other times of the day, as if it's not the right time for Him. But, I can seek Him anytime and He is there.

If you would like to subscribe to Nancy Campbell's magazine "Above Rubies" I would so encourage you to do so. Go to http://www.aboverubies.org/ - this is a free publication and they rely solely on the grace of God and the generosity of their readers to make the magazine.

I pray that you are all having a beautiful and blessed week. In God's Love, Tami

The Best of Days

Oh, the sweet smell of laundry dried on the line. My husband says it reminds him of summertime as a child. Every summer spent at his grandparents house in Hawaii, his grandmother line drying each and every bit of washing.

A good breeze and the warmth of the morning sun.

Our strawberries are starting to ripen. I hope to have a larger strawberry garden next year with lots of yummy jam an syrup to make.

Oh how I love Sugar Snap peas. They rarely even make it into the house. We gobble them up right off of the vine. I planted 8 plants this year. I will triple that next year.

Ahhhh. Watermelon. Need I say more.

Enjoying a week of simple summer pleasures. I pray that all is well.

In God's Love, Tami

Camping Fun !

Here we are all ready to go! I think the dogs were just as excited as the kids. If you can believe it we crammed 6 people, 2 dogs, and all the camping gear including 2 coolers, 6 chairs, a huge tent, a portable canopy, 6 sleeping bags, 6 pillows, assorted blankies, etc.....into and on top of our mini-van! It was an amazing and truly hysterical sight to see.

Isn't this just gorgeous. Washington State has some of the most beautiful land that God ever created. Just breathtaking.

I love all of the old homesteads. Red barns are my favorite.

Here is where we stayed. A place called Lake Pearrygin in a cute little city called Winthrop. It was such a beautiful and fun filled weekend. Aside from a little sunburn and mosquito bite epidemic, we had a perfect time. We hope to make this a yearly trip. It had been 10 years since the last time we stayed here.

All has been busy, busy around here. The weather has been just beautiful and we are soaking up every moment of it.

In response to a few requests for my biscuit recipe. I am still tinkering with it, and will post when I've got it just right. And yes, I did add whole wheat flour in a 1 to 4 ratio. But thank you for asking, and I will post the recipe soon.

Enjoy all of the wonderful joys of summer! Bless you all this week. In God's Love, Tami