Big Family Blessings

Help & Encouragement for Busy Moms

12…Twelve…Wow!

12… twelve… Wow. I know I can’t write much today- or I’ll be a soggy pile of tears in a heartbeat! I think every birthday from now on will be like this. Knowing that there are less years of her in my home day in and day out ahead than behind. No more blinking! My girl, what a year it has been. Yet, through it all Miriam grows in grace and

[ Read More ]

Clover the Pig Thinks She’s a Dog.

Even though I keep talking about our farm, I realize that at the moment, we live on an old farm- not a working farm. Our one farm animal is not a farm animal at all. She’s a pet. When we bought Clover the Pig I knew she would be just a pet, not future food. She’d be cute and fun, and she’d begin teaching the kids about taking care of

[ Read More ]

Clover the Pig- or Craigslist Addiction Strikes Again

  That little Craigslist addiction we talked about…well, it resulted in Miriam getting a piglet for her 11th birthday.   How I love to scroll down the Farm & Garden section of Craigslist clicking on all the cute, adorable pets and livestock.  I tell myself that I’m just seeing what’s out there so I’ll know what I’m looking for in the coming years as we whip our barn and pasture

[ Read More ]

Entering Tween Territory

Somehow I became the mother of a ‘tween’ today.  How did that happen? Eleven years- really???  Just last week I cuddled her in bed listening to her quavery two-year old voice as she ‘read’ me her favorite bedtime story. And a few days before that I’d ask her, “What does the chicken say?” a million times a day just to hear her adorable”Buck-Buck-Buh-Guck” answer. And yesterday, I know, was the first night she slept in

[ Read More ]

High School Soccer Adventure

Sometimes adventuring with 6 children looks a whole lot like a circus side show. The kids and I spent an evening at the local high school, watching my cousin play soccer.  When I say ‘watching‘ it really means that I saw about 5 minutes each of two 40-minute halves. I packed my camera and my Dad’s awesome mega zoom hoping to take photos of the game.  I don’t know what

[ Read More ]

Miriam is 10 years old

This girl… double digits! I just can’t believe that she is ten years old…or that I’ve been Mama for 10 years!  Miriam makes it a pleasure to be a Mama, that’s for sure!  She is one amazing young lady.  While I hate how quickly the years are zooming by, I love watching her grow up. Miriam is my “little Mama,” she takes her roll as big sister very seriously and

[ Read More ]

Quick Weekend Visit

Since we only had two days on the lake with Rob last month, we decided to head back to Virginia for one last summer lake weekend.  The big four kids went up a few days early for some extra time at Grandma’s. I packed their suitcases without looking up the weather.  It’s August  in the south- I knew to expect hot, hotter, or sweltering.  WRONG!  It felt like we went

[ Read More ]

Beautiful Week at Lakehaven

We spent our second week in Virginia at Lakehaven, my parent’s house on the lake.  My Great-Grandfather bought land on the lake long ago and now many of his children and grandchildren have houses there.  Being used to city life and strangers for neighbors, it is quite special to be related to just about everyone on the street!  Some of the properties have been sold out of the family, but due to the close-knit nature

[ Read More ]
Everywhere