Returning with the Winter

Hello friends and family --
I'm back ... well, sort of. I accomplished a major writing goal and so I am able to dedicate some of my regular writing time by returning to blogging. However, I won't be posting as frequently as I once did -- just when the timing is right and the mood hits me (or when my daughter or sons do or say something which I find truly amazing!). Thanks for all the feedback in my absence. Please feel free to leave comments -- especially if they are nice and kind :) I always appreciate hearing from you as well.
Our world is white here. Christmas is now another year away and the lingering of winter has begun. I'm enjoying it for now . . . but the gardening books are making their way to my nightstand. Smile.
Blessings everyone.

Merry Christmas Uncle Kelly!

With love and prayers from your nephews and nieces:
Isaac (11), Josiah (14), Isabelle (6), Kaydyn (8), Alison (nearly 1), Emma (2), Kylee (5)

Christmas Quote of the Year

I overheard Josiah telling Isaac this morning as they were getting ready for the big night ahead,
"Don't even THINK about heading downstairs on Christmas morning without some sort of multi-purpose tool on hand!" Smile.

Merry Christmas from the Kronz Family

The decorations have been placed, the trees are up and twinkling through our days and evenings, the music plays softly, the story books are out with pages wrinkled from use, the Nativity has been lovingly unwrapped, the candles each week are lit for the greatest story every told.
Christmas. . .
Cherish every moment.

Autumn Sabbath

The air is crisp this morning with the promise of warmth this afternoon. Autumn is upon us in its full glory. As I couldn't help grab my camera and take pictures of the sun-kissed and colorful foliage this morning, I noticed the calls of the birds were different. Less urgent, deeper, more meaningful.

It's on days like this that I wish time would stand still. Mornings where you can walk and live and think and breathe in thankfulness. It isn't hard to do when one looks at the small details of life: the berry ripened and ready for winter birds, the stillness of the air over dew-covered grass, the new shade of magenta-orange-red that you've never fully appreciated before, the smell of breakfast lingering in the kitchen, the touch of a child stroking your cheek ....

These tiny gifts of God all bloom into one billowing heap of joy when we allow them to. I'm there right now. Praise God. THIS is my very favorite place to be.

Proud Mama

Isabelle made her own breakfast today. She's learned a great deal in just a few short weeks using our sweet Pearables Home Economics book for little girls. Thus far she has learned how to use the toaster, peel and cut carrots, make scrambled eggs from start to finish, and she's also learned to understand and memorize the food pyramid and basic nutrition. Last week she learned to make French Toast and made us all dinner. I "help" by basic supervision with turning on stoves, skillets, and using knives -- but otherwise, she does all the work herself (including helping with cleanup). This morning she decided to make an "egg toaster". She did a great job and greatly enjoyed eating the fruit of her labor. Isabelle is six years old. I can't imagine what a capable young woman she will be in just a few short years.

Look Nana!

Isabelle has been working on a small nine-patch quilt which she finished this week. She made it as a horse blanket for her miniature toy horse "Caramel". We worked together to choose colors that matched her room and which she liked. We cut the pieces and sewed them together just as Nana has taught us. Isabelle did nearly all the sewing herself (with mom helping her over the "bumpy spots"). The entire "quilt" is handsewn and I, personally, think it is the most beautiful quilt in our home (and we have some pretty incredible quilts thanks to Nana!). This has been a precious experience as Isabelle sews in her little rocking chair each day while I read and discuss our latest chapter in the Little House series. Memories. Precious memories. Isabelle will be starting a different larger horse blanket for her big pony next week. She is gaining valuable skills and self-discipline through these projects. Next on the list -- teaching her to make dinner :)

Christmas in October

One of the many ways that I try to ward off the hurry and chaos during the Christmas season is to do my Christmas gift shopping/making all throughout the year. I often buy things that I know a friend or family member would really like -- as I see it (whether that be May or October). My yearly goal is to have my gift buying and (ideally) wrapping done by Halloween. I have rarely met this goal, but I usually come close. Doing so affords me the time and luxury to truly enjoy the decorating and baking and reading and music and worship during the Advent season.

I love Christmas. More than anything though, I love making it meaningful. I feel frustrated by our culture's constant attempts to rob us of this meaning by focusing on the commercialism therein. Christmas is not about gifts. It's not about hurry or chaos or grumblings or credit card debt. It shouldn't be about obligatory gift-giving or the feelings of resentment that rise because of this.

Christmas is about Christ, His birth, and our celebration thereof. Giving and service and joy are all a part of this ... IF we purposefully make them. Otherwise, if you buy into our frantic and consuming culture, you will find relief on December 26th rather than nostalgia. Follow me as we lead into these Harvest and Advent seasons. Lord willing, He will guide our family into some beautiful moments of remembering and worshiping Him.

For Everything, There is a Season ...

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven . . . a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted ..." --Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

The garden has been put to bed. Ahhhhhh .... Truthfully, this is a dreaded job for me and is incredibly time-consuming. The last 3 years I have hired my dear neighbor's teens to come and complete the task. They enjoy earning some spending money, and I enjoy not spending the hours over many days to get it done. This is a HUGE check off my list and I can already feel myself breathing a bit easier. The kids and I have got the barn and animals cleaned up and ready for winter. Josiah completed cleaning the back windows of the house today after I sprayed off spiderwebs and dust from the siding. Slowly but surely, the tasks are getting completed. I don't want to be caught in another cold spell! The next time, it just may decide to stay :)

Flurry of Activity

We've had a patch of unseasonably cold weather for a few days, freezing the last of the garden and most of the flowers. Now, with the weather more amenable to working outdoors, we are all flurrying about preparing for winter! This evening and last, Joe has worked on canning his grape jelly. This is a tremendous amount of work, leaving little if no time to go out and dig on the root cellar. I spent the evening with Isaac's help, cleaning and preparing 1/2 of the barn to house our garden trellises and outdoor furniture. Unfortunately, at this time of year, everything extra is put on hold while we put gardens to bed, blow out pasture and yard sprinklers, fertilize, clean and stack pots, bring the animals into the barn, put up heat lamps and water warmers, move outside furniture in, and put back food. Trying to live an agrarian lifestyle has many perks, but it is not without more than its share of work! There is a certain expectation put upon yourself that you will make use of those things you've planted or nurtured all through the growing season. It only makes sense to see each project or fruit or vegetable through to its intended purpose. In our society we rush, rush, rush. I feel it here (and create it often enough!) in spite of efforts to be purposeful, simple, and joyous with each task before me. I suppose this is why God created winter ... as much as I dislike the cold and brown, it starts sounding good about now :)

Homemade Grape Jelly

Joe and Josiah harvesting grapes. Isabelle and Isaac preferred to harvest them straight into their mouths!


The kids had the job of taking each grape off of its stem. They had already done this last week with our red table grapes, so they are getting pretty good at it :)


Joe, in his garage kitchen (no, I did NOT want grape jelly all over my kitchen), working diligently to pay careful attention to temperatures and ingredients.


We grow our own grapes each year. They are such a pleasure to have, although they do take several years to grow mature enough to produce in abundance. For three years in a row I have tried unsuccessfully to make grape jelly with our Concord grapes. It's a ton of work, so my lack of success has been very discouraging. There's a different process to go through when making a jelly vs. a jam, and let's just say -- I haven't perfected it! This year, Joe wanted to have a try at it (he has fond memories of his Grandma Kronz's grape jelly) and I gave him a hearty pat on the back and a "Be my guest!" So, this year he and the kids went through the sticky, messy process in order to make a year's supply (24 pints!) of grape jelly (Dad's favorite!).

Biblical Wisdom at Such a Time as This

The Bible is God's source of wisdom to us. Dust it off. Open it up. Start in the gospel of John, chapter 7 and just read. Read every day for as long as you can. Soak it in. Ask God to help you understand. It is not only a historically accurate document, it is LIFE-GIVING. Try. Start. Keep on. You'll be changed ... always, always for the better.

Prayers of a Homeschooling Mother

My heart's goal is to pray over these requests each and every morning. God is so faithful.

God, in Your molding me to be like You, I pray You would help and strengthen me to accept Your will, and surrender my own.

God, I pray that You would bless me -- through good health (physically, mentally, hormonally), through faithful family relationships, and the strength and endurance to be and do as You've called me.

God, I pray that You would grow and mold my husband to be a man completely sold out for You -- and that this would be demonstrated in every area of his life. Give him a vision and turn his heart to the hearts of his children.

God, I pray that You would bless my children, preserve their health, and draw them ever nearer to You so that their lives would be a reflection of You -- not for my glory, but for Yours.

God, I pray that You would continue to guide my path, open doors which make it clear the work You have for me to do.

God, I pray that You would bless my marriage and my family so that we may be a light of hope in a dark world.

Lord, guide my eyes, ears, hands, and heart so that I may make learning come alive for my children. Direct our path on this homeschooling journey.

Amen.

Final Harvest

With temperatures plummeting into the 30's this week, the kids and I scrambled to dig up the carrots and pick the last of the Swiss chard, lettuce, and zucchini. All of the grapes will need to come off in the next day or so, as will the green apples off of their tree to be sliced into the dehydrator. I'm drying some basil and waiting for my pears to ripen in the garage. Ahhhh.... in many ways, I can't believe the season is over! And yet, it will be nice to do other things besides harvest, can, freeze, dry, and eat :) This time of year is ever so bittersweet. Time is just racing by. I am SO THANKFUL to be alive, to smell the autumn air, to tickle my kids, to feel my husband's whiskers across my cheek! I just can't stop counting my blessings ... to God be the glory.

Potatoes

The potatoes are out of the ground after spending two evenings as a family digging them out. My Russets were rather meager -- only one very full burlap sack. The Yukon Gold's fared much better and produced huge quantities of all sizes. These are especially good for mashed potatoes, but I put them in a variety of dishes.

We lay the potatoes on big blankets in a single layer to dry. Then we create quite a dust storm in our ever-useful garage as we wipe off chunks of dirt and put them in their burlap sacks. We've learned the hard way that it is best to store potatoes without washing them first. They last much longer. We've also filled one of our refrigerator drawers with our red potatoes -- harvested a month or so ago because we prefer them small. All of the Kronz potatoes are anxiously awaiting a new home in our still-under-construction root cellar. In the meantime, they are in a storage closet in the basement. By the way, we left many small potatoes behind in their garden beds. Joe tilled them up and next year we likely won't need to plant that bed. It will come back on its own. (Of course, the bindweed will too unfortunately!)

Autumn Checklist

It's that time of year again. In preparation for winter and to make the most of our harvest bounty, here are a few of the things we'll be working on in the coming weeks:
1. Harvest concord grapes -- can juice and jelly
2. Finish harvesting apples -- dry and freeze in slices
3. Continue building and work to complete root cellar
4. Pick and use the last of zucchini and green beans
5. Dig up onions, dry and bind
6. Harvest and hang lavender, rosemary, sage
7. Clean windows inside and out
8. Prune fruit trees and raspberry bushes, pull out dead wood, mulch and fertilize
9. Clean and store outside furniture
10. Plant spring bulbs
11. Clean out potted annuals and dispose. Stack and store pots.
12. Tear out garden after harvesting green tomatoes. Rototill and fertilize. (w/Benton's help)
13. Trim back perennial garden, rake and clean up (w/Dyana's help)
14. Spray down porches and siding to rid spider webs.
15. Make one HUGE pot of gourmet hot chocolate. Add large doses of whipped cream and sprinkles. Sit and do nothing ... for a few minutes anyway :)

This is My Father's World

Glorious autumn! Who can doubt a Creator with sights such as these??

New Member of the Family

It's pathetic I know and I rarely impulse buy ... but -- when I saw this huge stuffed, rideable horse at Costco, all I could think about was the absolute delight of my precious, horse-loving daughter. And so, yes -- all 5 feet of me picked up all 3 1/2 feet of it and carted it home to Isabelle. Originally I thought of her face on Christmas morning ... but then, those thoughts started creeping in -- you know the ones. They say things like, "Oh just give it to her now. Life is so fragile. Who knows what might happen between now and Christmas!" (Does this ever happen to you'all??) And then of course, my rational thoughts came in, "Where in the world are you going to hide this big thing until Christmas?! Come to think of it -- where are you going to keep it now??" Alas, the deed was done and I found myself giddy all the way home from Costco.
And so, when Isabelle went to get in bed last night, there was her new buddy. It makes galloping noises and winnies and she can ride it incessantly if she wants. Yes, her face and sheer pleasure has been priceless. I do believe she has thanked me over 20 times and told us all this morning with her silly grin and in the fashion that only Isabelle can muster, "I'm just CRAZY about that horse!!"
Impulse buy -- yes. Priceless memories made -- absolutely.

Boundaries

I love this spider. He's been in my garden or in my lavender all summer long. He's huge and a bit intimidating, but so very useful. And look at that web! It reminds me of how I've been feeling lately. Sort of like I'm weaving a web around me, hunkering down, closing in, and holding on tight. Life is FULL and I'm needing to set some boundaries (mostly within my own frame of mind) in order to keep my priorities where they belong.

God deserves the first fruits of my days, not my email replies. God's calling on my life deserves my time, not responding to those seemingly "urgent" needs brought forth through phone calls, answering machine messages, schedules to be orchestrated, and outside activities which serve little purpose.

Every moment of our days is filled with choices. Isn't it amazing to think through what yours have been today?

At this stage in my life, this means I don't have as much time to build relationships and meet the needs of others outside of my immediate and extended family (and I hardly do a service to the latter). This is where I struggle. I see others in need and I SO desire to help in any way I can. I want to drop everything. Provide a meal. Go mow that lawn. Babysit with no notice. Go for long walks and be available to listen. Pay the unexpected bill. Ahhhhh ... this is my gifting. But it can wait.

For now, I'm learning ... learning to choose wisely. Learning that being available to the needs of my family means that I can't always be available to everyone else. Learning to pray through those urges to just drop everything and go and DO. Learning to trust that the Lord isn't counting on me to do everything. He's fully capable to save the world -- even without me on the sidelines.

Smile.

I must trust that He uses many servants to accomplish His will. I'm just one small part.

And so, I turn the answering machine off during the day now. I wait and reply to my emails once a day. I virtually never answer the phone. When I hear of a need, I pray first. The Lord will make it clear to me if this is where He wants me to step in. And in the meantime, my calling is ever before me. They call me by this precious, God-given name -- "Mommy".

Pray with me that the path of our priorities would be clear and unburdened. May our "webs" be strong. May our hearts be girded up and strengthened for the journey ahead. May your individual boundaries be useful and purposeful to allow you to fulfill what God has chosen for you right here ... right now.

Quote for the Day

Isabelle has taken to composing. This consists of writing out notes on paper, putting dynamic signs in, and labeling which instrument plays which line. It's very sweet. Currently she is working on "Minuet 4" (we have 3 Minuets in our repertoire of music, so she must have seen the need for a 4th). Today, after I praised her for her talents and showed interest in her latest "composition", I told her that perhaps she would grow up to be a composer. She exclaimed with exasperated satisfaction -- "Oh Mom, I don't know what I'm going to do!? I'm just SO GOOD at everything!!"
(well, I guess her self-esteem is alive and well!). Smile.

Balance

As autumn flowers and foliage (and allergies!!) come into full swing, I find myself making thoughtful efforts towards balance. Each year there are new and different opportunities for me to continue to hone my skills in this area. I have found over the years, that there are times for purposeful activity, and times for quiet. Times for heavy academics, and times when real life provides enough learning for the day. Times when schedules are the rule, and times when grace is the rule. Times when opportunities for service can be fully embraced, and times when the many "good opportunities" must be answered with a "no". Times when I can keep up with the lives of my friends and family, and times when my mind, heart, and plate is full simply caring for those within my own household.
I have come to praise God regardless of which end of the balance I am currently seeking to tip. He is so good to carry me, guide me, provide wisdom for me through His Word. Each year holds new learning opportunities. This year He is stretching me as I continue to seek balance and live within the vision of my husband and therefore, the will of my heavenly Father.
In the meantime, the cold days are just around the corner. The potatoes need harvesting. There are still blackberries to freeze, grapes to can, herbs to dry. Each day there are three precious hearts to mold and shape and love. I'm so very glad "His mercies are new every morning ..." Aren't you?

Tired, but Happy

I just finished telling Joe that this has been one of the most exhausting homeschooling days since I began -- and I didn't even leave the house! Grading and administering tests, practicing instruments, encouraging children, coordinating schedules, facilitating learning, nurturing hearts, discipling attitudes, reading literature, praying through God's Word, ordering violin strings and books, cooking meals, folding laundry, emailing my husband, climbing hundreds of stairs, organizing outside help, arranging lessons and appointments, cleaning up books and toys, reminding of chores, uplifting the downhearted, gearing up for play, singing on the teeter totter, harvesting potatoes, smiling through weariness, snuggling the needy, washing the dishes, riding my bike alongside my three precious ones, laughing at the dinner table, tucking in and saying those precious nightly words ... "Goodnight. God bless you. I love you." Longing for stillness.
Ahhhhhh ... bed will feel good tonight.
Good night fellow travelers.

The Root Cellar

I have been remiss in sharing with you a HUGE project my husband and sons have undertaken -- that of digging and building a root cellar. In our efforts to live out a more agrarian lifestyle, one of the desires we have is to not only grow much of our own food, but also to find better ways to store it. The root cellar is an ideal solution -- particularly for our large store of potatoes (which typically spoil in the refrigerator by January). This has been a big undertaking due to the hard pan Joe hit at about 5 feet. One jackhammer later, he grows closer to finishing the digging each night. It will be just in time as the kids and I have begun to harvest our "patch" of potatoes. The clock is ticking as we approach nightly frosts!

Josiah drives the tractor to move the dirt to various places on the property which need fill dirt.

Isaac and Isabelle love playing on the dirt "mountain". Check out my daughter's back side!

Isaac having a turn at the mini-excavator. He's just "practicing" for now. Soon ...

You get a better idea of the the root cellar's depth from this picture. From the outside, it will just be a small hump roof and will be barely visible from the gravel driveway. I'll keep you posted on it's progress. We figure, worse comes to worse -- we've got a pool all dug! :)

September Cantaloupe Harvest

Our cantaloupes went gang-busters this year! We've harvested nearly 100 of them since August and several have been left in the field to ripen and rot simply because we can't eat or give them away fast enough!! Although we're rather tired of them right now, I know we'll long for their sweet ripe taste come winter.

Homeschool Speech and Debate

One exciting addition to our homeschooling this year is the advent of Treasure Valley Homeschool Speech and Debate Club. Another homeschooling mom and I have joined forces to create this extracurricular option for our outspoken kids. Several families have joined and we have 6 girls and 8 boys from the ages of 12-16 participating. Today was our second club meeting in which the kids were asked to give an open interpretation speech which was to be memorized and last between 2-4 minutes long. Josiah performed beautifully Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" for an audience of 20. Speech and debate is an area of interest that Josiah has had for the past year since his involvement in Generation Joshua (www.generationjoshua.org) where he has gained invaluable information in the area of political activism, civics, and government. I'm excited to see how God uses this forum to teach our kids how to present themselves and their views for audiences large or small! I'm proud of you son!!

Autumn Sunrise

Dill

This is what happens when you allow your dill plant to go to seed. I will be pulling out dill for the next few years I'm afraid! A word of advise from one gardener to another: pull out your dill right when it flowers -- in spite of how pretty it is!!

Tomato Jungle

Daily Prayer

One thing I do with my children at various intervals in our homeschooling journey is focused daily prayer. In different periods of our lives, this has been a memorable part of our day. I remember vividly two little boys with fat nobby knees kneeling at the piano bench in Baltimore. And now, I have one teenager, one preteen, and a grade-schooler sitting on the couch with heart-felt words directed to God each day with a particular focus in mind. Of course, I have a daily, ongoing, personal conversation with my Lord and Savior and encourage my children to as well -- but I've found that it can be meaningful, particularly as a close to our daily Proverbs study, to have a time of focused prayer. The following are our prayer requests we talk to God about each day:
Monday -- Our pastors and their families
Tuesday -- Our nation, its leaders, and our armed forces
Wednesday -- Our homeschool
Thursday -- Our extended family and friends
Friday -- Our vision as a family and our Daddy

An Incredible Resource!!

Dear friends and family -- I have come across an incredible resource that I want to share with you. Franklin Springs Family Media offers many wonderful educational documentaries from a Biblical Worldview. We have personally viewed the three above and each of them has provided amazing, family-oriented insights on raising godly children as well as making and living out choices which often go counter-culture. These were inspiring DVD's which we joyfully add to our library, and we look forward to adding more in the future! Check them out at www.franklinsprings.com.

Applesauce -- Tree to Jar the Homeschooling Way

We raise our own apples and this year had a bumper crop! We harvested them last week and allowed them to continue ripening in the garage. Today was the first day we had enough free hours to make them into cinnamon applesauce. Thankfully the weather was great and my helpers were very willing!


Josiah was the peeler-extraordinaire and loved using our new "fancy" peeler. Isabelle walked around eating the long strips of peel and trailing them behind her.


Another willing helper! Everyone begged for a turn with the peeler. Now if I can only make the vacuum seem as interesting ... :)


My hands were raw by the end of it, but it was worth using the fruits of our harvest and labor to make something we can share and enjoy all year long.


Spooning in the chunky, cinnamon applesauce -- all of our work today was done outside on the back porch.

This was the first batch canned, I made several more quarts -- enough to last us a good part of the winter. An interesting side-note is that during this process we received a documentary DVD in the mail and set up my laptop on the backporch and had ourselves a little educational moment while canning applesauce!! Only while homeschooling.... :)

Brother and Sister

I know, without a doubt, that I will come to cherish these pictures in the blink of an eye. Praise God for precious relationships between brothers and sisters and for the opportunity to educate them at home where this is fully and freely able to happen. He's 11 years old. She is 6. They are the best of friends at times and I cherish moments like these . . . I think they do too.