This past Sunday our dear Miss Wilbur, also known as Miss Wheeks, passed away. Our hearts have been heavy, and we miss her immensely. My middle daughter was crushed, because Miss Wilbur was her little girl.

Wilbur had been ill with a skin infection, but had been getting better. We were shocked that she passed and don’t know what happened to her. The doctor assured us that it was not her skin condition.

We miss hearing her wheek for her food at suppertime. She would go stand by her little door and wait on us, wheeking the whole while. We miss saving bits of fruit or veggies for her. We miss shopping in the produce section of the grocery store for her. We miss picking clover for her in the yard. We miss seeing her beautiful soft curls that she had on her rear and her neck. We miss putting her in her outside cage for playtime.

She loved to go on wheelbarrow rides with her brother Autumn. The girls called him The King and her The Queen. (Autumn actually will get in and wait for his ride!) The girls would find all sorts of greens to give her, which she very much appreciated. They guarded his and her majesty from would-be kidnappers.

The children again asked me if our pets would be with us in Heaven. The Bible doesn’t tell us what happens to our pets when they die; however, I believe with all my heart that we will see them again, either in Heaven or on the new earth that He will someday create. I believe this because the Bible says that not one sparrow is forgotten before God (Luke 12:6) and because children are so very precious to Him. Wouldn’t it be just like our loving Heavenly Father to surprise us with a reunion with our beloved pets someday? Just as we love to surprise our children, can you imagine His anticipation of seeing the joy on our faces when we meet these dear family members again?

A Trusting Little Lady

God, in His lovingkindness and perfect timing, sent over the neighbor’s dog to spend several days with us while his master was away. We think he got lonely and took up with us. What joy he has brought to the girls!

Posted under Christianity, Life at Hidden Pines
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This morning I went blackberry picking before it got too hot. Yesterday I had to work many hours in my website designing business and felt so un-domestic, so out of touch with my home and children. I just had to get out and do something domestic. There are tons of blackberries around here in the woods, so I’m hoping to go picking every day. I want to stock our freezer for blackberry cobblers, muffins, and more for the upcoming year. I also have a friend who’s going to teach me how to make jams. I’m so looking forward to that! I’m so thankful that God provided this home for us in the woods, with such a kind landlord. Often I have thought that we would never have a home like this, a home of my dreams. How God loves to surprise His children! How gracious He is!

Last month was a very hard month for my family. There was a burglary and robbery in the family (not us). The robbery has effected my family deeply and permanently. You never know how it effects you until it happens to you. My dad got me a shotgun and taught me how to shoot it. I feel so much safer. I can defend us if need be and can also kill snakes or rabid animals. We all laughed as my father, sitting in my rocking chair on the porch, relayed the story of how his mother toted a shotgun when she felt danger nearby. She would sling it over her shoulder like a soldier. One time some convicts got loose from a road detail, and the authorities came by to tell her. She told them plainly she wasn’t scared. When she had to make a trip to the outhouse that night, she peppered it good with her shotgun, just in case. My Dad said the next morning, when he and his brothers used the privy, daylight streamed in from all the holes in the walls!:) I love hearing about my grandmothers. I’m told often that I’m much like my Dad’s mother.

May was also heartbreaking because my Beloved’s dear mother was very ill most of the month and then went on to be with Jesus. It was terribly hard for me to be so far away from my dearest Tim during this time. I cried so many tears for him and for his mother. I prayed so often, all during the day, for them. I prayed so often that I’d be a blessing and a comfort to Tim. I have not lost my mother, so I did not know how he felt. The Lord did answer and helped me to know what to say. It is comforting for us to know that she is in Heaven, with no more pain and no more problems.

We are year-round homeschoolers, which makes it easier for me during the school year. I can take off anytime I need to. I arrange our schedule to accommodate all the birthdays we have going on in the summer, along with holidays and VBS. The last couple of weeks we have done “light schooling” so that I can get some things caught up around here. I have a list that is 1 1/2 pages long! Things on my list include reformatting the girls’ computer (done), put away paper piles (one pile a day so I don’t get overwhelmed), make homemade cards, organize attic, clean and organize kitchen (started), make phone calls, make CD’s of purchased music, plant flowers (done), and plant seeds. There are many more things on my list. As I look over it, I see I have much more accomplished than I realized!

The children have been swimming in the afternoons, which gives me some much-needed quiet time. We have an above-ground pool that we purchased used from a friend for only $50. She upgraded to a larger one. This is our second summer using it, and we are so thankful for it. Sometimes the chemicals are a strain for me to purchase, but they really are not too high in cost. God truly provides!

We started a family newsletter like the Pickwick Papers in Little Women. We mailed it to family members and close friends. Two stories were about a murder on our street (my dad killed a snake) and a girl buried alive (like one buries another at the beach leaving the head and feet exposed). Our newsletter went over so well and extracted so much laughter and joy from the readers. I have had folks asking about the next edition, which is on my list to do. The girls are honing their writing skills and enjoying making notes like reporters on possible stories. They love, love, love the old tv series The Incredible Hulk, so they enjoy playing the role of Jack McGee.:)

Monday I received our subscription to The Girlhood Home Companion along with The Gift of Family Writing by Jill Novak. They came only a day or so after I ordered them, which really surprised me and thrilled me. I did not realize that the magazine was for Moms too and have just delighted in looking through them. I am reading The Gift of Family Writing and am just loving it. I have always loved diaries, journals, and writing. I have novels that I wrote as a teenager. I have always been fascinated with writers like John Boy Walton and Jo March. The Gift of Family Writing is just wonderful and reaffirms me in my love of writing.

I had quit keeping my journal regularly over the years while raising little ones, and felt because I didn’t write everyday, that I couldn’t write at all (my perfectionism showing itself). While reading Carrie Bender Amish books (that a dear friend shipped to me in a huge box one Christmas!), I started writing again. Carrie Bender books are written in journal form and include little quotes, poems, and recipes with each entry. Sometimes days or weeks or missed, and then the entries pick back up. They are such a joy to read and encourage me in my spiritual life, in homemaking and mothering, and in writing. I purchased some pretty pens and stickers and try to write in my journal after my devotions in the mornings on the porch. I don’t write every day, but I try to write regularly. If I write an email or blog post like this that is newsy, I will print it out and paste it inside. I add Bible verses often and sometimes other quotes and poems. I even keep perfume samples from magazines inside to make it smell nice. I believe future generations depend on us keeping track of history now. My girls have just delighted reading my diary when I was a girl and a teenager. There were a lot of good laughs and a lot of remembrances. I wish my mother and grandmothers had kept diaries!

When we first moved here, our landlord told us that we could not fish in the pond. Undoubtedly he has had people take advantage. Last week he up and told me that we could go fishing anytime we wanted because we have been such good renters. My girls love fishing and were so delighted. While looking at the pond, my dad has often drooled, so he was thrilled to hear the news. He took the girls fishing, and they caught 20 something fish. They were all bream, with one catfish. We had a delicious fish fry at my folks house. How good it feels to eat something that cost nothing, that you got from nature!

We have been watching a family of tufted titmice every day. There are 3 babies who are just about as big as their folks. They fluff their wings nearly constantly and cry for food as they follow their folks around. They try to do what their folks do with humorous results.:)

One day I saw a fox in the edge of the woods, and so we rushed outside to follow him. We lost sight of him, but heard the birds carrying on in a nearby thicket. We got to the thicket, then waited. We heard crashing about, and I told the girls to watch. Foxy came out, looked right at us, then trotted into the woods. What a special gift God gave us to allow us to see him so close up! I just wish I had brought my camera!:(

Wilbur our guinea pig has had to go back and forth to the veterinarian due to a skin infection. We pray that she will get well soon. She has an excellent doctor who keeps in close contact. He loves Miss Wilbur.:)

Our cat Autumn brought home a little baby bunny, which my oldest daughter and I rescued. We kept him for a little while, then released him over prayers that he would be safe. State law says we could not keep him.:(

A Scared Little Fella

A Sleepy Baby

Bunny Buns!

Posted under Book Reviews, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Life at Hidden Pines, Recommended Reading, Simplicity
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While about my house, I kept hearing a voice calling very loudly and noticed that it sounded like it was coming from a pipe. I found this little friend in a steel pipe outside.

Posted under Life at Hidden Pines
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I have not posted a while for many reasons, but life is good, although there are challenges and struggles every day. Some are bigger than others, of course, but the Lord honestly helps us with every one of them.

My father is doing great since a major heart attack in August. We are thankful for that and hope for his continued health. Thanks to every one of you who have prayed for him.

Our homeschooling year is off to a good start. I am excited about our plans for this year. Before our new year started, I didn’t know how teaching my girls homemaking would fit in with all the other schoolwork I felt like they needed to do. The Lord brought some things to mind so that I could work it out. The girls have been loving the new schedule. I am excited that I can give them a good education, while giving them a good background in homemaking. They may or may not attend college- that is their choice to make-, but I’d like them to be prepared for that if they choose to do so. I have taught my daughters that a woman’s primary occupation should be in her home (Titus 2:3-5) and want them to be able to do it well, but I also want them to pursue some sort of business that will allow them to work from home, if needed, if they get married.

My Beloved bought me the Homeschool Tracker software, which is a blessing to me and makes record-keeping much easier. I’m still learning to operate the software though! If you know of any single mothers that homeschool their children and are wondering how you can bless her, giving this software would be very welcome, I’m sure.

The weather is cooler, which is wonderful. I’m so grateful that the Lord made the four seasons, because each one brings change and new things. The leaves in the woods are turning colors, although they are not vibrant and beautiful like in other parts of the country, unless it gets usually cold here. The woods are filled with goldenrod, brown-eyed Susans, and other tiny yellow flowers that I don’t know the name for. I have always wanted to live in a place where I could pick the Susans, so now I have all I want. They look so lovely in simple Mason jars.

We have gotten our first long-desired DVD set of The Waltons. We have dearly enjoyed sitting and watching episode after episode. I feel that good wholesome movies and TV shows are just as worthy of collecting as are good books. Just watching Olivia Walton and Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie as they cares for their homes and families greatly encourages me.

I have finally gotten into a good habit of walking at least 30 minutes, 5-6 days a week. I have set paths through the woods and around the pond behind our house. I bring my digital camera every time in case I find something that needs its picture taken. Bringing my camera keeps me from getting discouraged with my walking and helps me be sure to make time for it every day. We have seen lots of deer tracks lately. We often pass holes on the ground, in hills and in tree bottoms, and wonder who lives there. I have not lost any weight, but I am seeing other benefits of my walking, so I want to keep on.

Our pastor preached today on Matthew 7 and judging others. We are never to judge others’ motives, even when they are doing something that we question, because we honestly cannot know their hearts. (Sometimes we don’t even know our own motives.) We are never to judge people by their appearance. We are to judge by the Bible, calling sin “sin” in the church. But even that is to be done with all meekness and gentleness (Gal. 6). We are to be critical thinkers of the Word, but not critical people.

I was privileged to be able to participate in a teleconference called “How Do You Do It All?”, about balancing family with a home business. It was presented by Mary Jo Tate, a single homeschooling mother of four boys. I have been blessed, encouraged, and challenged like never before. I don’t feel as overwhelmed and am so excited about how the techniques I’ve learned will better my family and make my business much more profitable. The teleconference will be made available for purchase later on if you are interested. Mary Jo has lived it and knows what works. Her conference is worth every penny.

May you have a blessed week in the Lord.

Some images above are from my personal collection. Please do not use without permission.

Posted under Homemaking, Homeschooling, Life at Hidden Pines, Simplicity, Single Mothers
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I have not been able to post lately because life has again gotten busy and even hectic. I have been out of town and my Dad had a terrible heart attack. He is doing simply great and was able to attend church this morning. If the Lord lays it on your heart, please pray for him, my Mom, and the rest of the family. It has been hard on us all, but we rejoice at what God has done! We have much to be thankful for!

Posted under Life at Hidden Pines
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