Raggedy Anne & Andy dolls, made by my Great Grandma Bomen,
played with in my childhood days.

Old kids books- I really love the wording and diverse
language you don’t often find in more recent books.

Aprons~ the floral one made by my Grammy,
(Mum’s side of the family), the red polka dot one found in a
little shop in Seattle, worn by me when I remember to tie one on!

Cookbooks dating back to 1901 (!) and 1939 and falling apart from use. These were my Grandma’s (Dad’s side) and have some hand written recipes, magazine clippings, and notes in them that make me feel like I’m getting a glimpse into her kitchen. I also just received a hand mixer that was my Great Great Grandma Windsor’s on my Mum’s side that has a red handle and a prized position in my kitchen! I like to think that between the recipes, aprons, and such I’ll be able to bring a little of the past wisdom and love into my world now.

In a time where fast food and instant gratification are the norm sometimes you just gotta tie an apron on, cook a meal that takes at least an hour, and linger over it with loved ones a little longer than normal! Cheers!

Hard to believe that 3 years ago Jude came into this world. We suspected from early on that he would be a smart little fellow with a strong will and we were right. At age 3 he can identify many letters, spell his name and write the first 2 letters, identify numbers 1-10, and has an incredible vocabulary and memory. He loves cars, trains, art, and stories. He loves to be on the go and explore new surroundings, especially outdoors. His is a total joy- strong will and all! We love you more than we could ever express Judo and we think you are so much fun!!!

The picture above is the dressed up version of what is becoming a staple meal in our house- home cooked black beans and organic basmati rice (fairly traded, purchased in bulk from Costco). Sometimes we just have bowls of the rice and beans with a little soy sauce or salsa and sour cream. It doesn’t cost much, the rice and beans together form complete proteins in our body, and it reminds us that simple food is the norm for so many people in the world- while we in developed nations feast on more yummy and divers foods in the course of a day than many do in the course of a life time. In many places in South America and the Congo, for example, a typical meal would be a small bowl of rice and beans. As a family, you could commit to eating this meal once a week or month, and deciding as a family where to give the small amount saved to someone in poverty. Or you could donate time as a family in a soup kitchen, or learn together about the many other ways to help those in poverty. A good place to start is thankfulness, and taking a step back once in a while from the excess, to clear our heads of clutter and look outward.

Want to know if you are rich? Click HERE.

Need inspiration for a more outward focused life?
Read ‘The Hole in Our Gospel’ with me.

Want to actively help a child that lives in poverty?
World Vision is one place to look.

Our desire is to live simply so we can give generously!

“Preach the Gospel always. Use words if necessary.”
- St. Francis of Assisi

photo shoots with Jude enjoying throwing the leaves all over his brother,

Owen trying to eat every leaf he could get a hold of,

Jude and Papa raking up a yard full of leaves,

…and of course, jumping in big piles of them over and over, and over!

Andrew also took our Fusion group (our 6th and 7th grade youth group) to a fun corn maze and we enjoyed a big pot full of soup chock full of autumn veggies. Andrew and I have also had some really fun date nights in this past week- we’ve made dinner a little more special by feeding and getting the boys to bed and then enjoying our own meal over a movie, playing a game, or just sitting and talking. I think after you have kids your relationship changes so much and it can be easily drown out by life getting full and focused on the kiddos, so we’ve tried to be really purposeful about our time alone together. We started together as newlyweds and, after the kiddos are out of the house and on their own, we will be alone together- with a solid relationship that was fed and nurtured apart from raising children together. That’s our goal anyway!

What is your favorite date night in idea? How do you find time to connect with your spouse alone amidst the busyness of life?

Usually this blog is light and fun, the original intent was to share pictures and daily doings of our life with family and friends spread out over the world, but every once in a while I just have to share from my heart even though there are different personal beliefs represented by those that read this blog. Here’s the thing, in light of a recent tragedy in our church family I feel that I would not be true to myself if I didn’t say this to anyone and everyone reading: there is Hope. There is Life. There is a light even in the darkest of nights. There is something going on bigger than our little story. Eternity is real, and I believe that no matter what has been done in the name of Christianity the Bible is true, and Jesus really did love us so much that he died for us- in our place- that if we choose Him we choose Life and eternal hope with him. Christians have done all kinds of things to wrongly represent Jesus but the bottom line is He’s the only one that will be faithful when no one else is. He loves us. HE LOVES US!
There is hope. No matter what.

“Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy…

How he loves us, oh how he loves us.”

From How He Loves by John Mark McMillan

The mornings are starting to be a little chilly around here and our schedule is growing full. In the midst of the day to day living I really desire to be purposeful about my time with our kiddos, as moments become hours, hours become days, and days slip by faster than you can say happy birthday! Jude is almost 3, with an excitement for cars, trains, the outdoors, and baby animals. (He cuddled a small plastic dolphin he named ‘Joey the baby dolphin’ to sleep last night and walked out of his room with it this morning!!:) He also has a growing curiosity about letters and numbers, so this month I’m starting some ABC activities- fun and simple little games and books. I’ll focus on one letter a month. I found a great book that goes through the alphabet with a scripture and little story/lesson for each letter that we have started using- the book is called My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt. The devotions are a little over Jude’s head so I just make up one that goes with the verse. The first one is ‘A soft answer turns away wrath’ and I can’t tell you how appropriate that has been for Jude, who is learning not to scream ‘NO’ at people (especially me!) when he gets upset. I’ve also been using the library to check out books on leaves, seeds, China (Jude loves looking at the pictures of the dragon costumes and children) and ABC books. My Mum, who is a kindergarten teacher, (and an amazing one might I add!) has some great ideas for fun letter activities that I’ll share as we do them.

Resources:

*My ABC Bible Verses

*Free printable calendar pages