Well. The old stone house was BEAUTIFUL and organized. And what impressed me the most was the PEACEFULNESS of the house. With ten children. (PLUS a family of seven as house-guests, PLUS me and my two children…) There were NOT toys scattered throughout the house! There was not clutter in every nook and cranny! The place was decorated for fall, inside and out, even sporting a huge fresh homemade wreath made from berry twigs and wildflowers-and a birds nest! I would have a trillion photos to share today except the batteries were dead in my camera. I suppose you should be thankful, but I myself am quite bruised from all the self-imposed kicking.
We got to their house four hours earlier than the start of the party so that Matt could shoot some clay pigeons with the guys. Four hours before about 100 people show up for a party, and the ladies and I sat and drank tea while we visited. There was nothing else to do! THAT is how miraculous that woman is.
She evokes an awe in me like no other woman and yet she readily admits that she struggles, like every OTHER woman about how well she does at things; how stressed she sometimes becomes, how she doesn’t do all that she should. She doesn’t say these things in a time where all is well, but has confided in me when times were NOT well. So I KNOW she isn’t just saying it for my benefit. The funny thing is, her admitted weakness only strengthens my respect for her and elevates her in my eyes. I can honestly say SHE is the epitome of what I want to be and what I want our family to look like-HOW EVER many children the Lord gives us and WHATEVER home we may live in.
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The other day the children and I enjoyed a nice walk to revel in all the changes that are taking place. It felt SO good to be free of inside duties (er, well, not FREE but rather waiting…) and to focus on the season. We stayed outside for hours gathering leaves and wildflowers, finding wooly worms and just enjoying one another and all that was around us, even having a picnic for lunch. It was medicine for my soul.
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And for all those who missed the comment my sister made, she has started to blog anew.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I've been able (taken the time) to read your blog, or anyone else's! This post was inspiring to me and I don't even know the wonderful lady you mentioned! (I'd love to meet her though if I ever get a chance to come see you in PA!) God has been showing me and teaching me how to be a better wife, mother, and homemaker so this post was food for the soul! God is giving me such peace and joy in my God-given roles! Oh, I wish you were still near by so we could have a good, long chat! I miss you!!!
Now to catch up on all I've missed the last few weeks!
Your sidebar is TOTALLY at the bottom of your blog (and has been for quite some time!)
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteYou've got some lovely pictures again!! Nut what I don't undestand is that you still have so much flowers around. The sunflowers here are all broown, and the only colourful things around are berries, and ornamental flowerd in garden. The leaves on the trees are colouring though, so it seems that fall is more advances here. And as I notices in early summer, you can pick blackberries before we can, so I think your summer is longer than ours. Our winter is long( and usually grey and wet). Oh, sometimes I wish I was back....
But then, I would never have baked a christmas cake....and I can perfectly well do without pumpkin-pie!
Love, Els
Leah~I am really glad you felt inspiration even if it was just vicariously. She is a remarkable woman and her children are remarkable too. And at that party two other large families showed up-one of them looked about my age and when I went up to talk to her she said she had EIGHT kids and that she was 38 years old. I about croaked!!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder WHY you have not had any free time lately-soon you will have even less! But you MUST PROMISE ME that if nothing else, you will post an announcement and photo on your blog for me to see, okay?!?!
Anonymous~Someone mentioned me having that problem quite a while ago and a friend responded to my concern this way:
"If anyone consistently has to scroll to the bottom to see the sidebar, the likely culprit is what resolution the computer is set to (says my husband). Computers set to the same resolution as yours will see the page set up the same way that you do, and vice versa."
I know NOTHING about computers so I am taking their word for it since on my computer, all is well.
Els~About the time you left visiting us I thought my geraniums were spent, but they have since started blooming again! I have been told that the summers are shorter here than in NY-so your summers must be REALLY short! :-)
The sidebars on my computer are on the side. So all is well here.
ReplyDeleteIs Elizabeth blogging at the same site? I don't have an update. I have so missed her blogging. This is how I keep up with you all.
Tell Matt hello from the Bibbys. We sure love your blog.
Thank you Mrs. Bibby! I am glad you still check from time to time!
ReplyDeleteAs for the location of Elizabeth's site, she changed it because she had some problems with a certain visitor. If you glide your mouse over 'MY SISTER' in the post, it is a direct link to her site. I still need to change it on my sidebar, but that requires republishing-which takes forever since we have dial up. I only do that when I have LOTS of changes to make!
Oh-and thanks for letting me know about the sidebar...that makes me feel MUCH better!
Thanks so much for the info. I will be checking in on Elizabeth. I can't leave her a message though because I don't have a blog of my own. So tell her that I am glad she is blogging once again.
ReplyDeleteI guess now is the time to START BLOGGING! hehehe I left a message for you just the same, but I would so LOVE to get updates on your family too! :-)
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. It's interesting about the sidebar issue. I never had a problem with it until recently. When you first set the new blog up it was fine. Then after a few weeks it relocated itself to the bottom of your blog.
ReplyDeleteHey Rebecca, I would have loved to meet your friend with the large family as well! How wonderful to have her as inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping maybe we can plan another visit sometime soon. I am feeling so much more like myself. Today Lizzie and I spent rearranging the living room and redecorating. I ordered some new curtains which is why I am online here so late. I can't wait till they come but the shipping was horrid. I did so love them and I had birthday money to spend plus the money Rich is giving me for his Reserve weekends. I am hoping to start to ebay some things to so I can declutter and make some money to buy things for the house at the same time!
Let me know if you want to try to do another visit and when works best for you. I'll bet the baby is changing so much since we were there this summer! Have a great week! ~Jen
Your blog is really beautiful. I read the entire thing as I sipped my morning coffee and enjoyed it tons!
ReplyDeleteOops...there's way way more. Ok, so I read one page, but it was great. LOL Now I have a year to catch up on. :)
ReplyDelete