Summer update

Wow!  It's been a long, long time!  I've had a few sweet people request an update on the goings on around here so I'll oblige.  Like most bloggers who take a break for whatever reason I've really missed blogging so maybe this attempt will get me back in the saddle.

So my last post was about becoming debt free.  I wish I had some great insight to share with you guys on how to get there but I haven't found anything new outside of the usual just tighten your belt and stick with it. It's hard.  Now, I love a budget and could live the life of a hermit eating nothing but beans but that method does not agree with Jeff at all and our relationship is higher on the priority list than becoming debt free so things aren't going quite like we thought it would.  Having said all that, Jeff isn't a big spender either and he likes a budget too, he just isn't nearly as painfully rigid about it as I can be so he works, unwittingly, to (try to) keep me flexible which is also more important because life is full of unexpected changes and being able to roll with life's punches is practically a virtue.  I don't have that virtue. (Just ask my poor husband!)  And, truth be told, most of my budget abiding-ness is really all in my head anyway.  Just dangle something like a new kitchen in front of me and I'll be all over it like a duck on a June bug while yelling budget-smudget!  I can't keep it together with an offer like that.

In short, we're still working on it but we have set backs and sometimes parts of the budget get put on hold but Lord willing, we'll get there someday.

Now, on to the fun stuff.

We've been enjoying what feels like the shortest and coolest summer in history after what felt like the longest winter in history.  The weather has been strange around here this year.

Gracie and Madison pretty birthday table for Gracie's 12th.  It's so nice having older girls that like to bake and decorate for all of our birthday parties.  They're like my right and left arms!

We've had a few changes in livestock over the summer.  The girls sold all of their goats (which helps explain the 5 foot tall weeds) and now are the proud owners of two cute little duckies.  The one in the water is wearing a duck diaper that my seamstress daughter, Gracie, made.  Ha, ha!

We now have a milk cow thanks to some of the most self sacrificing friends on the planet who took our cows for the summer to rebreed them and trained one of our mamas into a milker.  What a huge blessing!

We didn't really garden this year...the year the weather was pretty much perfect for gardening with all the rain and perfect temperatures.  We thought we needed to focus on other things...ppffft.  Isn't that how it goes sometimes though?

Madison, who has been obsessed with art her whole life, has recently started painting fo reelz and she's pretty amazing for self taught fourteen year old.  She's even sold a couple recently.  This one is not for sale...it's MINE!  Ha, ha! :) Seriously though, mine.  (I love her sense of humor with the cow tongue!) 

I've been sewing like crazy.  I'm probably addicted.  My favorite things to sew are dresses for the little girls and I don't have one single picture of them in any of their dresses I've made this summer.  I've got some other sewing/crafting projects up my sleeve that I can.not.wait to dive into but we've been super busy lately building the (real) kitchen.  

We developed a good sized mold problem under the sink which couldn't be easily repaired because, and I quote my husband, "That's the part that holds all the cabinets together.  I guess it's time for us to build the kitchen."  So we gutted the temporary plywood and contact paper kitchen and purchased all new cabinets and counters.  We bought them from a discount supplier which means we have had to put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, paint, and silicone into it ourselves which makes it all the more rewarding.  I've also been filling every nail hole and covering every knot on our pine plank walls which has been way easier than I ever thought it would be and makes a huge difference in the overall appearance.  It's not quite as rustic looking which was a look I was never going for so I'm glad to kiss that look goodbye!

We still have a little ways to go before it's finished but we're so close and it's only taken two weeks so far!  I'd like to finish it before school starts for us next week but we'll see what happens. 

Speaking of school, my little Evelyn will start kindergarten this year so I'll have four to teach.  Say a prayer for me, please!  Ha, ha!  

I guess that's it for now.  I hope to try a little harder to keep up with the blog because I have so much fun going back through old posts every now and then to reminisce.

      P.S. Will all of you sweet sisters in Christ out there please pray for one of my father's-in-law, Bob as well as Jeff's mom, Jackie.  Bob has been recently diagnosed with stage four liver cancer which is a huge blow to all our hearts.  I know in my head that God's grace is always sufficient for all things but sometimes it's hard for my heart trust the Father enough to lay some of life's burdens completely at his feet and this is no exception.  Thanks.