You Don't See That Every Day

 We're coming up on one year in our new house. And what a year that has been. I've been looking back over my last posts here and thinking, wow, we had no idea what was in store for us. When we moved in, the college kids were away. They came home for a month at Christmas, and that was so much fun. And then they went back to school and much tears were shed in our abode. And then a crisis hit and the world went crazy.  Having all 5 kids back at home was wonderful, for me. But I know they all struggled. They struggled because they couldn't do what they normally would do at that season. They struggled with the emotions that we as adults were struggling with. They fought loneliness, boredom, anxiety, fear, their siblings, working, homework, sharing a bathroom.  But in the end, would I do it differently? No. We were so blessed to have 7 of us in our home, so that each day wasn't quite the same as the previous. We had plenty of room to roam. We could walk out the door with a di...

Ever had day when the hair just wouldn't work? When the clothes just didn't fit right?  Maybe it's been more than a day.  Maybe it feels like months, or years.  For some reason ladies seem to deal with this a lot more than men. I know, men do have their days too, but we all know a lot of social media is focused on how the girl appears. Yesterday evening a family member was lamenting her hair. She was close to wailing. She just "want(ed) it to be normal". Sound like something you've said, or heard? Thankfully my husband was right there and could talk to this distraught person about how beautiful she is and how wonderfully made she is. God doesn't make junk. But Satan would sure love to distort that. Oh and this family member ....she's only 9. Yeah, it starts at a young age, this desire to be like others, to be 'beautiful' as the world sees beautiful. Her dilemma made me stop and think about how I talk about myself, and how I deal with th...

I found my list! And now that it's on here, I can find it anytime I need to Last year I started a list of all the books I read for the year. And so, just in case you wanted something to read, or were wondering what I did with my spare time, here it is.  (As a side note, some time in October, I started reviewing the books I read on my Instagram page @julikenyon) January 2019 - a book by Louise Penny. Somehow I missed the title on this one, But I love her books! Little Men- Louisa May Alcott Jo's Boys - Louisa May Alcott Kissing Adrian - Siri Mitchell Love's Pursuit - Siri Mitchell Journey to Riverbend - Henry McCloughlin Christmas with Anne - L.M. Montgomery February - The Messenger - Siri Mitchell From the Hood to the Hill - Barry C. Black Children at the hearth - Barbara Swell Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny Nory Ryan's Song ((my daughters school reading book)) 12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson (have to admit on this one, I made it part way throu...

Two months ago we moved into this new home of ours. Someone asked me yesterday if we are settled in. not really sure what she meant, I said yes and no. Most of the boxes are unpacked. But not all of them. We know where to find most items, but we're still asking "Where is ..." questions. We've fallen into somewhat of a routine, but we're still trying to figure certain ways of doing certain chores. With 2 kids gone, the chore list has changed. With only 1 in homeschool, the chore list doesn't always get done each day. Now that the Christmas break is almost over, we'll be reassessing which kids are in which rooms - since the college kids won't be back for a little while. So, there will still be more change, more figuring it out, more searching for that elusive item that I sure hope we didn't get rid of when we move-purged. But it is starting to feel like home. Even though I still marvel at the view every single morning, I am beginning to ...

Back in the beginning of 2019 I started a list... (have I ever mentioned I thrive on lists?) .. of all the books I read in the year. Originally I did this to make sure I didn't repeat a book. In the past I've started a book and thought it seemed familiar and by the middle I realize I've already read it but I'm into it so I finish it. This past year I wanted to avoid that. Plus it was fun to look back on at the end of the year to see what I put into my brain. My average for each month was about 8 depending on the events of that season. December was the lowest with only 3 books read. October was the highest with 10. That was when we were in the rental house waiting to move on with our lives. My favorite book of this year... is too hard to choose! I've read a lot of good ones. I also read some I didn't like and didn't finish. And I reread a few from my past, some classics like Little Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Persuasion, I found as the year went on I liked...

This year (2019) has brought many changes to our family. It's funny how traditions are made and cherished and... protected. For many many many years we have gone to a certain tree farm to cut our Christmas tree. We would bundle up the kids, make sure the baby of that year was snuggly warm, make sure I had a camera! and head out. There were the farm dogs there which the kids loved to pet especially those years we didn't have our own pups. There was hot chocolate and cookies to look forward to in the warm barn after we found just the right tree. But then the kids got bigger and busier and we didn't always go as a complete family. I remember one year the Mr was sick and the Boy took on the cutting and carrying duties. This year was very different from all others. My older kids were still away at college; the two middle kids had a load of homework to tackle, my husband was fixing the plumbing (bc a working kitchen sink is pretty important) .... So the youngest child and I...