A mother's job at home.

I have been thinking and studying for a long time now, about the role God has given us as mothers, wives, and homemakers. I believe, that God sees us through to play out the role he has decided for our life. Whether that is working outside of the home, or working within the home.

As for me, my path didn't include a full-time job outside of the home. In 2009, when we found out we were expecting our first child, we both agreed I would quit my job at the bank (while finishing my teaching degree) and stay home to raise our children. Of course no one is READY for this task, financially, but you make it work. Luxuries are not as important, and corners must be cut. BUT, when you feel that God has put something dear and near on your heart you make it work. You make it happen!

Fast forward to the present. 2014. I have been home for five 1/2 years now with my two boys. I feel like I have learned a lot throughout these five years. I am definitely NOT the same person now, as I was 5 years ago when this journey started for me. 

As a stay at home mom, you have many jobs. It is not just about taking care of the children. There are many more aspects of raising a family, in God's eyes. Managing your husband, your children, and your home. 

Some days it seems tedious to do the same monotonous tasks day in, and day out. Know that in God's eyes, taking care of your home is important. Letting chores go undone, is not managing your home well. 

The bible has much to say about your home. 

Proverbs 14:1 says, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."

Proverbs 31:27, a godly wife "looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." 

"At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach."  (1 Timothy 5:13-14)

"To be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." (Titus 2:5) 

There are many days, I don't feel like washing dishes for the 3rd time in a day. Mopping the floors, making beds, doing laundry, cleaning the crumbs from the table, making meals, cleaning up the meals, are all hard work. However, even though you are not out in a workplace doing a 9-5 job where you get a paycheck, your job IS important. Changing diapers, disciplining your children, picking up toys, are all jobs that God can see you working through his plan. It has taken me many YEARS to see this. Some days I wonder if I'm doing what I should be doing. I wonder, I pray, sometimes I cry. "Am I doing the right thing, when nobody even notices that I take care of them?" 

But then, I am given some sort of sign that I am right where I need to be. Don't let this outside, evil world tell you otherwise. Social media can really be a hurtful, harmful thing to a mother's heart. It will make you feel inadequate on some many levels. I let it get me down almost daily.

No, your house doesnt have to be magazine ready, but as a home maker you should make your home a happy home. Take pride in your clean clothes put away, and that your children are well fed by your meals. Give yourself a little praise every once in a while. 

KNOW, that your job is rewarding without a paycheck! 

KNOW, that you are important, and that your job within the home is important.

KNOW, that God has given you this job and regardless of the mundane, do it Well!

A week of Kinder Camp

This week, Karson has had his first experience as a Kindergartner. His school put on a Kindergarten "Camp" each day this week from 8-12. It has been a great way to get acquainted with new friends, the building, and the teachers. 

(Monday)

Transitions are hard. Whether your 29 or 5, it's hard! Karson gained his "not like change" from me. There were a few tears at drop off, that lasted a few seconds, but happy faces were there at pick up. 

(Tuesday)

(Wednesday) Breakfast with Daddy

(Wednesday)

I am hoping for an easy transition when school actually begins. School starts super early this year. August 5th! 7:35 am is going to be an adjustment but I'm hoping after a few weeks well adjust. 

(Thursday)

So, this last month and half I'm soaking in time. Time is the best asset I can give Karson right now. Karson enjoyed everyday. He especially loved recess. What can I say, he's all boy! He saw many familiar faces from his preschool class, and met lots of new friends. 

On the last day, we found out who his teacher will be for this school year. God is going to use Karson for big things I can see it. Now, let's enjoy summer!!

Summer days

This summer is flying by! I am NOT ready to give up my random, easy, and fun days with my boys. I love having them home and I love being with them. 

I never want to forget these days. 

We have had dentist appointments. They love their dentist. It's so fun for kids!

We have celebrated Father's Day with the best man in this world! Our daddy :)

We have swam many many times in mammaws pool. 

We have also swam many times in Nana's pool. Karson is swimming with no swimmes and can swim like a fish under the water. He loves to dive for rings and jump in cannon ball style. 

He MUST have his goggles on :)

We have had picnic dinners with cousin Dane under the big oak tree. 

We have also rescued a cat that showed up on our front porch. We have grown to really love him!

He was very skinny and had a flea collar embedded in his skin. He is doing much better now. 

We have been fishing many more times. In Beech Fork Lake, the creek, Uncle Johns pond, and the river. 

We have attended a few birthday parties. 

And enjoyed sliding down slides at the water park!

On rainy days, Karson likes to organize his tackle box. He teaches me what the different baits are and what they catch. He loves to teach me and tells me to sit still :)

Hope your enjoying your summer. I am soaking every single minute. 

Cooking on the Grill

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is grill out. It makes your food taste so different, and it helps keep the mess out of the kitchen. 

Last week, I wanted something different so I thought to make beef skewers. It's really simple to throw together, and makes for a great dinner.

You just need:

Beef Tips

Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Onions

Wooden Skewers

You could also add Yellow peppers or any other vegetable that you wish.

My boys helped me put these together, and they had a great time with it. 

The teacher in me says this is good practice for hand/eye coordination :)

We also cooked baked potatoes on the grill. Just wrap them in foil and cook for 40 minutes.

Corn on the cob is also an easy food to cook on the grill. You can leave them in the husks, or cook them cleaned up either way. I put some olive oil and salt/pepper on ours without the husks, and they turned out great. 

Hope you'll use these ideas this summer!

Fishing together

My husband Kevin has been fishing since he was 3, and still at 34 years old he could fish everyday. I have tried and tried to LOVE fishing. But really, instead of me loving it, I just love it for my guys.

I really just love to watch them enjoy it. I find it relaxing to sit in my chair and help with poles, and fix snacks, and just watch. I love being outdoors, and with my boys that is where they always want to be.

I think the best part is just the family time. Its normally at a pond, lake, creek, or river and its so quiet. Just being together is really all that matters. Not if we are catching, or the boys are doing it just right. 

Kipton (above) is 3 and really doing well this summer. Last year he just wanted to snack. This year he is actually fishing for about an hour before he starts snacking :) that's a start!

Karson (below) is 5 and fishing is truly his passion. He could and would go every single day. This year he can bait his own hook, and take the fish off. He started at age 2 throwing a line with only a bobber (no hook). Each summer he gets better and better. 

Below, me and Kipton snacking. He let's me hold him during this time :) I love that part. 

Karson likes to organize his tackle box on rainy days inside. He knows the different baits and what type of fish they will catch. He is very interested in learning all he can about fishing. His favorite store is Cabela's. He goes straight to the fishing section. 

He asks me every day if he can go fishing. On days we have planned to just stay home, we will walk down to our creek. It has blue gill and creek minnows, but he doesn't care. As long as he can get a fish, he's a happy boy. He loves to hold the fish and look in their mouth. His daddy showed him last weekend how to filet them to eat. I'm so thankful for a husband who is able and willing to teach our children all there is to learn about fishing. It has been a great spring of fishing.

My tile grout re-do!

When we built our house 4 years ago, we didn't have any plumbing or electric working in the house until just a few weeks before we moved in.

The floor guys put my tile in my kitchen, and I picked out a pretty cream grout for my tan tile. Instead of using tap water, they had to use water from our creek. I was very unhappy with the outcome, but decided what's done is done and thought to myself that I would fix it later. It was not the cream grout I had in mind, but dark brown and then light brown in other areas.

Fast forward 4 years, and I'm just now getting around to re-doing it like I had originally wanted.

We were at Lowes recently picking out new tile for the boys bathroom, and I saw this bottle of "renew" from Lowes. I was a bit hesistant to try it, but thought it could only look better from here.

 I started the process after I had cleaned up the kitchen after dinner. You want to make sure your done serving food for the day before you begin.

You squirt this bottle straight onto the grout, and smear it in with your finger or an old rag. You have to let it sit in for 2 hours. 

I put it on thick because it was all so un even. You can see the big difference. 

At that point, you wait your 2 hours. It is smeared all over the tile. You have to then take a bucket of clean water and wipe the access with a towel. I used a spray bottle of water to get it loosened up before I started scraping the access off. 

This took quite a while. I did it in sessions. Overall,I think it took 4 hours. Then you stay off of it for another hour. 

Then 24 hours later you can wash your tile with warm water to get anything that youve missed. 

I was so surprised with how well it turned out. It made the tile pop so much more. I would suggest this product to anyone looking to renew their grout.

My Favorite things to Photograph

I have a few things I LOVE to take pictures of.

Chickens, and chicken eggs are one of them. So strange, I know. My chickens are mostly free ranging and roam around our property until it gets dark and then they go into their coop. Sometimes it's an egg hunt to find their eggs. We won't get eggs for a few days, and I know they have been laying in other places. 

It makes for a beautiful picture!

I've found eggs under my grill.

On my grill.

In the garage.

In the sandbox.

Behind bushes.

On the gravel driveway.

Even in flower pots. 

If they have to lay, they will lay anywhere!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned along with chickens we have two Maltese dogs. This is Bailey and he is our hunting/farm dog. He is also a lap sitter. He LOVES being with us, and if I accidentally close the door on him he whines and whines. Our other Maltese is Lexi. (no picture) She is around 14 years old, and is starting to get real slow, and sleep a lot. Shes in good health otherwise. She loves to lay under our bed, and in her dog cage on a big pillow. 

I told Bailey one day in our front yard to lay, so he did. Then he looked at me like "Hey, I'm your subject today?" He's really the best dog I've ever had. He is SO loyal.

So, I really enjoy taking pictures of my animals. 

I enjoy taking pictures of my growing plants. Whether it be flowers, or our garden. It's fun to watch them grow and get pictures along the way. These geraniums are so easy to grow on a hot porch. They also look really good with an American flag. It just says SUMMER!

My last, but favorite subject for my camera, are my boys. They are always into something, and that makes for interesting pictures. This particular day, they were going through the rocks in our playground area, and finding the ones that looked "cool and different". They could do it for an hour straight.

What are some of your favorite things to take pictures of? What kind of camera do you have?

I love my Cannon Rebel.

Strawberry Pickin

Last week, I took the boys to a local strawberry patch. This was our first time to pick, and I knew they would love it. 

There were about 5 fields. We were early to get there and had the whole place to ourselves. It was so nice, but hot! 

We all had a bucket. Karson was really into picking, and Kipton ate more than he picked, but that is ok. 

You don't realize how much work goes into strawberries until you are down bending over to pick them. God Bless all of the strawberry farmers who keep our grocery stores stocked.

Let me tell you there is a difference between just picked, and ones from the store. The freshness is out of this world!

After we got home, the question was "What to do with all of these strawberries?" So we first made strawberry shortcake. The next day we had them with our pancakes, and then again for lunch. In an effort to save some for later, I froze the rest. 

I'm thinking a strawberry pie, or fresh milkshake would be so good in July!

The chickens got all of the tops and boy were they happy!

I would love to have my own strawberry patch someday.