Where Did Summer Go?

Good Morning! It is fabulous to be back.

Enjoying some good books in the laundry shade

Apparently, things have been quite busy here at Small Wonders, thus no blogging. Since I last posted, We had a Church Campout, 2 Births, 2 Date Nights, A Whole Week of the Fair, Grandparent visits, Swimming, Birthday Parties, and some major family changes.

Liberty loves to copy her older sisters. She is usually toting a book around, and reads at any opportunity. 

 Watch for posts on all of those items, coming soon. I guess I don't blame you for not believing me. I will try to earn that trust back!
In an effort to try to save money I started hanging our laundry on the line. That is, when we had sun. We really did have some nice days here in the Beautiful Pacific Northwest. They were just spread out a day or two at a time then concentrated all into 5 days at once. It seemed to really make a difference on our energy bill. But the biggest difference was that one of my children decided not to wash or dry his hands. I discovered it was because he didn't like the feel of the stiff towels and therefore just decided to skip the whole hand washing procedure. I can't say I blame him, I dug to the bottom of the linen closet for the towels that were soft and fluffy. I decided that we would dry the whites and hang the rest. It was a great solution for all. I love the smell of the clothes after they are dried in the sun. I love that I fold them right as I am taking them down, and I have to take them down to make room for more to dry. No more piles of needing to be folded clothes. I don't love having to touch each individual  item so many times. I love catching each stain and eliminating it before it's permanent. I don't love being gone and getting home after dark when the dew has settled on the laundry so you have to wait for the next day for it to dry again. I also don't love that my daughter, trying to be helpful, hung out a whole load of intimates; not something the neighbors need to see or know. I love love love how fast the clothes dried when they were on the line.

Ruby has taken off in her reading abilities and is even working on trying to teach Liberty. 

It has been a bittersweet summer for me, realizing that my children are growing up(we have no babies in the house). My goal is to raise independent, responsible children who love Jesus, have integrity, joy, and perseverance. I am seeing fruits of my effort of teaching and training and couldn't be more proud of who they are becoming.
I have also confronted my own selfish desires, laziness, and anger. I was able to reevaluate  activities that distract me from my goals and come to the realization that most of the things that rob me of joy are my own fault.  My expectations and lack of training are among the top few. I have been praying and seeking God's direction for our family. I am trying to simplify and be more intentional. Blessings on your day, and your intentions.