May 2025 ~ The “why” behind Motherhood; Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes; Outdoors on the Farm… and more

Thinking: The reason for motherhood

Have you ever considered the why behind motherhood? What is the framework for thinking properly about it? After 25 years of motherhood, I will share two brief thoughts that I think are foundational to our comprehension of this God-given role.

The why behind motherhood is first of all the covenantal love between a man and a woman. It is the beautiful and natural result of that sacred love. Second, our ideas about motherhood are best held within a framework of self-sacrifice (not self-fulfillment or self-glorification).

Yes, it is a giving up of yourself! And this is good, wholesome, and entirely redemptive. God has big purposes in putting us through the school of motherhood, so it will be tough and at times seem to be possibly the least fulfilling thing you have ever done. Hang in there, work is in progress, you are not at the end of the story.

Gardening: Outdoors on the farm

My irises are blooming for the first time since we moved out here (this is our third spring here). I moved the bulbs from our previous house and had given up hope of them ever blooming again. But then~ this!

Continue reading “May 2025 ~ The “why” behind Motherhood; Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes; Outdoors on the Farm… and more”

February 2025 ~ Soup Recipe, Parenting Pre-Teens, Chickens & Eggs…

Eight short sections this month!

A Meal We Love ~ Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

I have probably made this soup recipe more than any other. I love making it in the winter with fresh rolls. It’s simple and adaptable, and it makes great use of those frozen garden tomatoes. (This summer I will have to share about the no-fail, simplest-ever method for freezing tomatoes.)

Continue reading “February 2025 ~ Soup Recipe, Parenting Pre-Teens, Chickens & Eggs…”

Homemade Caramel for those Fall Apples

Every fall brings crunchy, tasty apples, sometimes boxes of them! We eat them whole. We eat them cut up into slices. I like them chopped up in vanilla or plain yogurt, or on cereal. We usually make a few pans of apple crisp to eat with vanilla ice cream. After doing all that this year, we still had some apples Continue reading “Homemade Caramel for those Fall Apples”

Making Bread, in Pictures, with Recipe

This little nip of fall in the air puts me in the mood for baking. One of the great things about starting school this coming week is that homemade bread is part of our daily school routine. We made some bread the other day, and subsequently realized how much we had missed it over the summer.baked loavesOne of the unavoidable little details about raising a family Continue reading “Making Bread, in Pictures, with Recipe”