We recently returned home after spending about a week in South Carolina with our friends. It was such a refreshing visit, and neither Brad nor I were quite ready to return home. They really are like family, so we always feel right at home when we stay with them.
But alas, here we are and we returned to some craziness indeed. There were various happenings that kept me very busy and a bit on edge, and Lily (who recently started treatment for Lyme's disease) had a bit of a relapse that required an ER visit Sunday night. I had to take Ian to the doctor yesterday to get his finger lanced after he got stung by something in the ocean while at SC and it got infected. It's just been crazy and strange, you guys!
Lily... oh I feel so horrible for her. She's been laying around in bed since Sunday morning, so sick with the Lyme's as well as from side effects of the antibiotics she has to take. It hurts me to see my kids sick, it really does. I'm doing my best, feeding her nutritious foods and loving on her bunches, but she is so nauseated that she basically has to be forced to eat. I called the doctor today and we're going to give it a couple more days before we discuss possibly switching the med. She's on amoxicillin which is actually much milder than some of the other meds used to treat Lyme's. I'm really praying that she begins to tolerate it better so we can stay on course. So for now I'm trying to push protein-rich foods and giving her a daily probiotic.
We came home to a flourishing garden! It always amazes me how much a garden can grow in a week's time. We've been enjoying the bounty of those beautiful plants. Grilled veggies. Blueberry pancakes. Cucumber salads. Bags of berries for the freezer.
I'm also fermenting two jars of cukes. Fermenting is my absolute favorite way to prepare pickles. I throw in a bunch of garlic and some red onions as well as some dill, and the end result is just amazing! Pickles prepared this way never last long in our home.
I've also dove into the world of kombucha brewing. Our SC friends' neighbor brews his own and had some SCOBY's that he gave me to start my own. As with most things, I just jumped right in. I spent quite a bit of our drive home online researching kombucha brewing. The SCOBY is so strange looking. It actually looks and feels like a piece of raw chicken. It's very alien-like!
Today, I'm immersed in laundry (like most days) and preparing for an upcoming yard sale that I'm having. And I'm on my second cup of coffee which hasn't happened in a LONG time. Just need a bit more of a boost today.
Have a good one!
I love home.
What does home mean to me? What image do I conjure up in my mind when I think of home?
I
imagine a cozy, quaint place that is warm, beautiful but simple. A
place where love flows freely. A place where words of encouragement are
spoken and life is breathed into those who enter.
I
imagine a place where the dwellers feel free to be themselves. Guards
can be dropped. Feet can be kicked back. Weary bodies can toss
themselves onto the sofa and cozy up under a well-worn quilt.
A
place where laughter is real. Where learning happens all of the time.
Where good thoughts are shared and discussed. Where life is lived fully
and where joy prevails.
This is what I strive for, this is
what I want for our home. And me, as a wife and mother, well, I have
such an awesome opportunity to influence the atmosphere of our home.
This is my office. This is my place of work. This is my opportunity to
shine as I foster an environment that encourages growth physically,
mentally, and spiritually for my family and all who visit.
What an awesome privilege that is!
So
instead of complaining about the never-ending laundry, I need to thank
God for the healthy bodies that wear all of that clothing.
Instead
of dreading washing the dishes again, I need to praise God for the food
He has so graciously and extravagantly provided. The food that fills
those plates three times a day, that fills our bellies full.
And
the messes that scatter so easily around the house? Oh those can test
me. But those little messes were made by the ones that are dearest to my
heart. I want to be thankful that I have these beautiful children who
are healthy enough to be up and making messes. And I need to be thankful
that I have the opportunity to teach my children to be responsible,
clean-up after themselves, and contribute to our home's well-being.
I
enjoy home. I enjoy keeping my home. I used to think that it was sinful
to want a beautiful home (note that I do not mean large, filled with
extravagant things, or magazine-worthy) for my family. But I now realize
that God put that creative desire within me, that love for beauty, the
attention to the aesthetics. God made me that way. And, of course, I
could use those desires in sinful ways, but I can also choose to
embrace them and make my home a dwelling that quenches the thirst of dry
souls, that replenishes the spiritual tanks of those who enter, that
inspires others to seek the beautiful and simple things of God.
I
am so thankful that God has enabled me to be a keeper of my home. I am
thankful that He has shown me the importance of making our home a
shelter to my family and others.
Lord, open my eyes up
to the great privilege You have blessed me with to be a keeper of our
home. Thank you for our home. Thank you for those that fill it. May it
be used for Your glory, and may all who enter feel surrounded by Your
love and grace.
