March -A Month of Beginning and Finishing Well

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Life has been full, yet I continue to live in a state of thankfulness.

Thankful for the precious commodity of sleep (having lived without it for a portion of my life, I know just how meaningful it is) with absolutely no difficulty in switching over to daylight savings time this year. God is good.

Thankful for good health. Just now in the midst of our first real virus this academic year, I am immensely blessed to have experienced wellness through a busy fall and winter with no more than the occasional sniffle.

Thankful for movement -- my daily walk and stretching times bring me right to my knees

nearly every day as I live out gratitude for my health. Prior to having a hysterectomy, I often wondered if these simple extras were a thing of the past. I do not take this daily gift for granted any longer.

Thankful for a marriage that is entering its 20th year with a man who continues to love and support me in spite of myself. We are dreaming big dreams this year, one of them including a major renovation to our home which is just now on the drawing board . He and I - we're really good at dreaming and have been doing it walking side by side since first meeting and walking the sidewalks of our alma mater nearly 24 years ago.

Thankful every day, in spite of runny noses and bad attitudes, in spite of another meal yet needing to be cooked and eaten and cleaned up after, in spite of schedules and scheduling an endless list of 'have to's' . . . . how I'm thankful for this privilege called motherhood.

Homeschool

Creativity in homeschooling must occur when your 8 year old breaks her right arm. We've been creative with her writing -- doing most lessons orally. Creative with violin -- plucking the strings rather than bowing, focusing on vibrato and strong playing fingers, singing while fingering our songs, making charts to motivate and bring joy to our practice in spite of playing one handed for a month. Creative as she practices her piano - one handed, learning theory and rhythm in a whole new way. Creativity in her play (no climbing, no riding, no falling).

Character development (both mine and theirs) is the biggest daily lesson in our homeschool. One son well-engaged in puberty and another on the brink .... requires daily patience and prayer and lots and lots of hugs, assurance, discipline, and training.

Academics are still going strong. In the midst of a full-fledge study of WWII, we have enjoyed reading and read-alouds, DVD's and discussions about the holocaust, Nazi's, battlefronts and battles, airplanes and their crew, and leaders and their motivations. We have watched and listened to survivor stories and have been truly impacted ... as we should. This is how to study history.

Science Club is going strong as are any number of extracurricular activities. We have brought in reinforcements in the form of graduated homeschool students now in college or beyond who can serve as tutors in areas I am unprepared (or unwilling!) to teach. Algebra II, Advanced Spanish, guitar, and sewing (for the little one) are all areas of study where my children now have the benefit of learning under the guidance of another. They are thriving and I am grateful for the resources to add this to our schedule this year.

The children are developing their own individual bents which homeschooling seems to especially foster. Josiah is accomplishing his goals toward high academic achievement and has earned a significant amount of college credits this year in addition to his heavy academic load and broad range of extracurricular obligations. Isaac has determined that, although academically capable, his passion for physical prowess, strength, and speed is what brings him the most joy. This requires great creativity and prayer in re: to scheduling and sacrifice of time. Isabelle is a voracious gatherer of information and loves putting into practice all that she learns. Microscope experiments, gathering and planting, creating and painting, organizing and nurturing .... she is a lover of all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.

Farm and Garden

Work which has been slow and steady has reaped great rewards on our little farm.

The root cellar is nearly complete and awaits only a door.

A small portable greenhouse has been added to the farm -- completely put together and built by Isaac and his neighbor friend during their weekly engineering time.

We will enjoy growing many of our own seedlings this year within in its light-filled walls.

A new large garden has been added to include the companion gardening of large crops including potatoes, corn, beans, and pie pumpkins. The soil has been amended and will hopefully reap a great harvest over the coming months.

The walled kitchen garden has been planted with its cold weather crops. Isabelle and I wait in anticipation for those first green shoots of lettuces, spinach, radish, and onions to appear. She has an expanded plot this year with high hopes of filling it with medicinal herbs so that she can "better prepare herself for her nursing ambitions". Smile.

Chicks are currently peeping up a racket in the barn, awaiting their growth to be joined with the older birds.

Turkeys will be brought to their rightful pen come June, and two adorable nubian goats kids (both does) will be making their home with us in the coming weeks.

The honey bees did not survive the winter and so a new set will need to be brought to the hives in time for the fruit trees to flourish in their array of sweet-smelling blossoms.

Kale (the giant golden retriever) will soon receive his summer haircut.

The bunny rabbit has been moved to his outdoor location behind the trees where it seems dozens of birds have decided to nest this year!

The cats remain lazy excepting when it comes to finding and destroying those nests!

All is well here on our little piece of heaven. God is so good.

'... His eye is on the sparrow .... and I know He watches me.'

Study of Trees

We've enjoyed a truly beautiful autumn. The weather has been warm, the nights and early mornings chilly and crisp. It is only now that the ground below my feet feels differently and the sun's angles have shifted on our daily walks. This past month Isabelle and I have studied trees for our science unit study. It has been delightful!

Along with tree shapes, sizes, bark rubbings and identification, leaf types and walks galore, we finished off our study with a field trip to a city park filled with a wide variety of leaves. We shared our study with dear friends who came, taught what they had learned, and listened as we did the same.

Dear dear friends and extended family to boot, we are so privileged to share these relationships now. The kids enjoyed the large open spaces, the squirrels, and variety of trees (the Moms enjoyed a diet coke and quiet conversation amidst a picnic lunch and rounding up kids).

A scavenger hunt was on the schedule as well as measuring trees, finding leaves and nuts, and leaves the size of one's hand. It took 3 children to encircle this tree!

Ahh, the delight and wonder found nearly daily on the face of my precious daughter. Does learning get any better than this?

The glory of autumn is coming to an end and the dark mornings and nights are closing in. God has been so good to help us relish it one tree at a time this season. Happy autumn to you!

What do we do all day?

It's interesting to find that the longer we homeschool, the more our family and close friends who don't homeschool find our lifestyle a curiosity. I suppose it is compared to mainstream America, but for us, it's just life and what we've always done. If you'll endure it, I thought it might be interesting to share with you what a typical day holds for the Kronz family.

I start the day early, as does Joe. He's usually out the door by 6:00 a.m. and I've been up for nearly an hour by that time. It's in the wee morning hours that I do my email, blog, and write. I wake Josiah up at 6:30 a.m. to go downstairs and exercise (he lifts weights and rides the exercise bike while watching the local news) while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Isabelle and Isaac are awakened at 7:00 a.m. -- Isaac reads his Bible while Isabelle listens to hers as do I while I shower and prepare for the day. By 7:45 a.m. everyone is dressed and ready for the day including beds made, rooms tidied, and teeth brushed. The animals eat before we do so all the children head out into the cold, dark morning to feed the chickens, cats, and dog before coming in to help me prepare breakfast.

We enjoy big breakfasts here at the Kronz's! I enjoy reading from the Catherine Vos "Children's Story Bible" (the best out there!) each morning while the kids eat. We're also going through the Catechism for Children which opens up the floor for all sorts of theological discussions. This morning however, all of this was interrupted at the shout of "It's Snowing!!" at which point all the kids piled out to frolic in the timid snowfall and plug in the Christmas lights Josiah had set up on the swing set.

While I do the breakfast dishes, the kids dismiss for their first instrument practice of the day -- Isabelle and Josiah head downstairs to do review practice together with their violins while Isaac heads to the piano. The kids are so far along in their music studies that we've found it helpful to break up their practice into two shorter practices rather than one long one. It's during this time that I do my morning cleaning (vacuuming, straightening up, laundry, etc). I love to start our formal school time with a clean house. By this time I've usually completed one load of laundry (I typically do one or two loads a day so that I will have minimal laundry or no laundry to do on the weekend). The boys do their own laundry and have so for about 2 years. They do a great job at it! Now if I could just teach them to iron .... ! The kids head out to the garage to do pushups, situps, jumprope and generally get a LOT of energy out before we begin our academic work.

We start our formal school work at 9:00 a.m. but keep in mind that by this time the kids have studied their Bibles, completed music study, accomplished life skills with their animal care and breakfast preparation, and done some basic P.E. Our formal school work in the morning involves a solid 3 hours of various academia. I spend one hour with each child individually working on different subjects. The other two hours they have designated subjects to study, a schedule to follow, and designated areas in which to study. The older the child gets, the less "teaching" time they need with me. Rather, I serve as a facilitator of their learning as time goes on, rather than as a teacher. Being able to discuss a subject and talk candidly with my children as they mature has been very rewarding as a homeschool mom.

We cover a variety of subjects during the academic portion of our day and as the week progresses. For example, Isaac covered 5th grade Math, 6th grade language arts (English grammar, spelling, and literature study), Spanish, Latin review, Science, copywork, Penmanship, Bible Quizzing, Critical Thinking, History, Geography, Creative Writing, Music, and P.E. during our first semester this year. This doesn't include his participation in Upward's Flag Football, Crossroad's Bible Quizzers, Science Club, or Asprire Homeschool co-op! Josiah's subjects are fewer but with greater degree of difficulty. Isabelle focuses mostly on the three R's, but also enjoys studying art, science, and some homemaking skills alongside me.

At around noon, we break for lunch. This is my favorite time of day because we always engage in an interesting read-aloud during our lunch time. Currently we're reading "An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott. She is, by far, our favorite author and we've read nearly all of her books with "Little Men" being the hands-down favorite. We've also read many of the classics during this time -- "Stuart Little", "Trumpet of the Swan," "Ann of Green Gables" etc. After our reading and lunch break, we take a walk in our neighborhood. I should rephrase that -- I walk while the kids run, bike, rollerblade, or any other contraption with wheels that they can put to use. Our neighborhood walk is just about 2 miles if we repeat a section. This is a glorious time for me to LISTEN to my children. I'm their captive audience without any other household chore calling my name. We've had our best times and our best talks on these daily walks.

When we return home, it's time for the children's second instrument practice. It's during this time that I give them one-on-one attention for their music studies. Mostly I work with Isabelle on her violin and piano. We focus this time on her current learning piece. Right now, all the children are practicing especially hard for a performance they will be putting on as a service opportunity for single and widowed women at a local church in early December. After instrument practice we focus on our history, geography, and writing projects. Typically, Isabelle listens to an audiobook (Black Beauty is the new favorite) and plays quietly in her room during this time; but for the holiday season we are doing a fabulous unit study on the History of Classical Music which involves a lot of listening to both the music and biographies of the famous composers, studying the various instruments in an orchestra, and learning about the musical time periods. Because this is something that she can easily participate in, she has been joining us for this time.

Most often the younger children have completed all their school work by 3:30 p.m. and tumble outside if the weather is at all tolerable. During spring, summer, and most of autumn, I head out with them to do an hour or so of gardening and yardwork which I love to do (most of the time!). During the winter and windy months the kids will often play dress up downstairs or I'll pull the car out and they'll go crazy in the garage. We're also working (secretly and all together depending on the project) on our homemade Christmas presents in the afternoons.

Josiah, now that he is in 8th grade, often is not complete with all of his schoolwork until closer to 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. or possibly even later. He spends the extra hour finishing up seatwork which he wasn't able to complete during his 3 core hours; but also frequently has a paper he is writing for an assignment, a geography project (he and Nana made a fabulous salt map of Europe during the Middle Ages), or a computer assignment for Uncle Jason that he needs to complete (Josiah is fortunate to have his very capable Uncle teach him all about computers, web design, Photoshop, etc. once a week for an informal "class"). When he has spare time, he loves to read the latest Vision Forum blog (www.visionforum.com) and keep up with all that is happening on Generation Joshua (www.generationjoshua.org). He also is best friend to his brother and they enjoy a variety of sports and "manly" pursuits!

At 5:00 p.m. I usually pick a child and we make our way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. This is a blessed time to teach about food preparation as well as just be alone with one at a time. I've found that "three's a crowd" and so, during this often cranky time (for all of us!), it works out best to leave two to play together and one to help me in the kitchen. Joe arrives home by 6:00 p.m. and we share dinner together. Everyone helps with the dishes unless I'm in the mood to be alone and would rather work in silence (this happens frequently -- it's not always easy for an introvert to homeschool!). The kids and Daddy romp, create minor earthquakes, and speak and scream at unbearable decibals during this hour. I try to find a quiet corner, but occasionally they'll suck me into their play. Tonight it involved sitting around the computer making home movies of all of us being silly and loud.

Bathtime and preparations for bed include cleaning up the homeschool room and having FDT's (probably 3 or 4 nights out of the week). FDT's stand for "Family Devotion Time" and involves sharing any offenses or confessions, praying through spoken prayer requests and reading something together. In the past we've enjoyed family stories such as "Ten P's in a Pod", or adventure stories such as Ballantyne's "Coral Island"; but currently we are each taking turns reading portions of the Gospel of Luke and then discussing what we read. When we make this a priority, we all are blessed by it. Bedtime for Isabelle is 8:00 p.m., for Isaac 8:30 p.m., and Josiah 9:00 p.m. Everyone, with the exception of Isabelle (but not for long!), reads prior to going to sleep. The kids always choose right before bedtime to discuss serious matters so it takes a lot of patience at this point to sacrifice my own desires and share in these precious moments of shared secrets, concerns, and dreams. I'm privileged to be here to hear them. I have found that character training is not something that can just be taught with a book or curriculum, but instead must be lived out daily in our everyday walk with God and eachother.

At 9:00 p.m. I escape to prepare for bed, spend time with husband, and finally READ. I'm currently reading 3 different books -- "Parenting in the Pew", "Family Driven Faith", and "Desperate Housewives, Passionate for God" -- but I'm anxious to get to the Francis Schaffer book called "L'abri" I just received in the mail! I never know what time I get to sleep. I just read until my eyes won't stay open anymore. Joe's usually snoring long before that happens!

Thus ends a typical homeschooling day at the Kronz house. Of course, often our days are not typical. Sickness, visitors, vacations (whenever we want!), or holidays come into play. We enjoy engaging in hospitality at least one evening or afternoon a week and greatly value the opportunities our children have to socialize with a wide variety of people of all ages -- from babies on up to senior citizens -- true socialization isn't about being in one room with the same-aged children all day long. This is one of the plethora of reasons we homeschool! And on Wednesdays we forgo all such routine to go to various lessons (piano, violin, and sometimes tennis), stop for cinnamon rolls and read aloud in the quaint sections of downtown Nampa, grocery shop if needed, occasionally go swimming, and every other week attend our homeschool co-op called "Aspire" which is made up of 5 other homeschooling families with kids that my children have literally grown up with now! They are all very close friends and it's an incredible blessing!. The kids still have schoolwork to accomplish on these days as well, but usually less.

Our Saturdays are work days and we all engage in chores of various sizes. The children have all been taught from a young age to work alongside of us. We typically spend Saturday morning doing household chores as well as barn chores and those things necessary to maintain 7 1/2 acres filled with over 100 trees (Idaho-sized trees that is), gardens, pasture, and yard. Usually Saturday afternoons are family excursion times or times to entertain guests. Sundays are quiet after church and our Bible Quizzing responsibilities are complete. Sunday afternoons are typically the only time of the whole week when the t.v. is turned on as we all enjoy watching "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House" on public television complete with a huge bowl of popcorn drizzled in butter! Family walks, hot tub time, and planning for the following school week finishes up our weekend.

Now when you think of us, you can imagine us within the realm of our typical homeschooling day! As you can see -- we don't just sit around, but instead enjoy a variety of tasks (academic and otherwise) which we're fortunate to share as a family. You're welcome anytime!!!

First Day of School

Today is the first full day of our academic school year. Although we've done Spanish through the summer, studied Africa through July, took swim lessons throughout the summer, and began math 2 weeks ago, today is our first day with new school books, new pencils and markers, new expectations, and new fears. Yes, even though my children don't walk down the street to meet the school bus, they have fears as well. Fears that Language Arts will be as boring as last year :). Fears that their attitudes will get them a long list of sentences (I didn't even need to work on penmanship with Isaac last year, he wrote enough sentences each week to get down his manuscript quite well!). Fears that they'll understand what comes next in our new schedule. And fears that new activities or clubs will be all that they hoped they would be.

Of course, there are many things that they don't fear in starting their school year today. They are not afraid of getting lost. They certainly aren't afraid the other students won't like them or think they're cool. They don't really worry about wearing "just the right thing". They don't fret about having someone to eat lunch with. And they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their teacher adores them :)

This is Josiah's transition year as he enters 9th grade. He has Algebra I to complete (he's 1/3 through the text already), as well as Spanish I (we have a wonderful multi-lingual Brazilian tutor who comes twice a week to help him). He has a very full 9th Grade English course which looks a bit intimidating, but which I'm hoping Josiah will end up loving because of its literature component. Biology begins in September with a 530 pg. text and Science Clubs with dissection and microscope study. History is always his favorite and this year we'll get from the Constitution to modern day history. We're all very much looking forward to studying about the Civil War and WWII. He's studying on his own through some inductive Bible studies and has a cross-training exercise schedule to follow daily for P.E. . He's most excited about the major study of government and speech/debate he'll be doing this year. Myself and another mom are coordinating a valley-wide NCFCA (www.ncfca.org) league club. We'll begin in September meeting twice monthly and learning/performing speeches and debates --- possibly even taking in a competition in the spring.

This is also a transition year for Isaac as he becomes a bit more independent in his homeschool day. Now a very young 6th grader, he has begun a 6th/7th grade math program using the same computer cdRom teacher that Josiah has. He handles (other than grading or questions) his math on his own this year. He and I will still do Language Arts, History, and Quizzing together. He begins flag football in a week or two and we all look forward to watching him excel in his most beloved sport! His science will focus this last year (prior to full-on textbooks in years to come) on world habitats and intense nature study. It is important to me that my children are all able to label major trees, rocks, and flowers :) He's most excited about his participation in an engineering class with other boys of similar ages using a variety of mediums -- Legos, K'Nex, Zome, etc. This will be his final year in Children's Quizzing. If he qualifies, he will be eligible to quiz at World Quiz in Orlando this year. Perhaps a trip to Disney World is in our future?!

Isabelle will be in first grade this year and transitioning into 2nd grade work. Joe really wanted me to put my focus on her this year so we have a lot of things planned. Aside from the traditional reading, writing, and arithmetic -- she'll begin (as did the boys at her age) elementary Latin with a great program I've used repeatedly that makes learning Latin fun. I've picked up a wonderful "home-economics" curriculum designed for little ones which teaches basics in cooking, sewing, baking, cleaning, and hospitality. This year she will learn to use the toaster, measure ingredients, peel and chop, sew basic stitches, and dust thoroughly! I have no doubt that this will be her favorite part of our week. She loves science -- it is seemingly her favorite subject -- and I have a lot of wonderful reading planned in this area. She and her dearest of friends, Sarah, will be sharing a history unit-study using the Little House on the Prairie books. As we read through them (one per month) we'll incorporate science and history study as well as work on some fun projects together -- corn cob dolls, making butter, going to the Oregon Trail Museum, etc. We are excited about this! She's just finished up a ballet session and takes on a new hobby by beginning horse-riding lessons in a week. She is thrilled!

We will continue our music studies, although we have recently said goodbye to our beloved violin teacher of nearly 8 years. It was time for a change. Josiah will be transitioning out of Suzuki violin and is now working with a professional player/teacher from Bulgaria. A sweet Christian lady who as is much interested in homeschooling as we are in learning to play the violin! Isabelle is working with Sarah's teacher now and will have the motivation of seeing her buddy occasionally at recitals this year. Isaac and Isabelle will continue piano studies with Jodi -- our dear and talented friend.

All of this combined with living, cooking, reading aloud, weeding, playing, sharing our meals and our hearts, harvesting and preserving our food for the year, completing chores, and studying God's Word together on a daily basis keep our days at home full. Please keep us in your prayers that we would continue daily to seek God's will and may live out His lovingkindness to our children as we again journey through the joys and trials of educating them at home!

February/March 2015

It's been a full and busy winter and I am thankful to see the green starting to sneak its way onto trees, bushes, and grass.  Every year I marvel at God's goodness in keeping His promise: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22 -- thank you Children's Bible Quizzing for emblazing on my memory hundreds of such verses!!).

February is our extended family birthday month.  We enjoyed celebrating my niece, brother, husband, good friend, and finally Isabelle's birthday throughout the month!!  This meant lots of gifts, dinners out, and planning to make everyone feel loved and special (because they are!).  As you can see below, my sweet little girl -- is now a full-fledged young lady.  She is a delightful 13 year old and has awaited with great anticipation the (supposed) joy of being a teenager :-)  She received her first makeup, some new roller blades, nightgown, watch, and art supplies on her birthday morning alongside her #13 pancake.

Her Mama loves her more today than she ever thought possible!  What a gift from God it is to have a daughter!!! 

March saw a flurry of yard-work in preparation for full spring gardens and tasks ahead.  In addition, Isaac and Isabelle participated in our state-wide standardized testing offered (but not required) for homeschoolers.  I think they enjoyed this unique experience and felt that they did well.  Immediately upon finishing testing, we hopped on an airplane headed to Virginia to visit Josiah during his spring break from Liberty Law.  The word "break" is somewhat of a misnomer as he had plenty of schoolwork to do, but we were thankful for the time he was able to share with us and for his warm welcome as we spent time in his home-away-from-home.  Five people in 900 sq. feet can get a little squishy, but we were able to enjoy games, movies, laughter, bickering (yes -- sibling dynamics are alive and well even after a 7 month separation!), and as much home cooking (with vegetables!!) as I could squeeze in :-)

We filled each day with something specific in order to make the best use of our time and to give Josiah opportunity to study without our distraction.  Although we didn't arrive until late into the evening on Friday, we headed out early Saturday to make the 2 hour trek to visit Montpelier - the home of James Madison, patriot, writer of the Constitution, and fourth President of these United States. 

Montpelier was spectacular!! The home and grounds have been beautifully maintained, the museum was educational, and the tour fantastic.  Although the gardens were covered with a layer of snow, we could still get a feel for the expanse of the grounds and definitely gained a better knowledge of the life and personality of Mr. Madison.

Entering the gardens (I'd like to go back in the autumn when I can see and study the garden architecture and plantings.)

Walking the trail down to the family cemetery and burial site of James Madison.

Isabelle and Josiah enjoyed some swing dancing in the beautiful ballroom :-)

Sunday found us attending church with Josiah, enjoying lunch out with a few of his friends, and then visiting the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson which is named "Poplar Forest".  This scenic home and surrounding countryside is just a hop, skip, and jump from Josiah's condominium! 

Hannah and Ian (sweet friends from Liberty Law) joined us as well as another new friend from church.  It was a delightful afternoon filled with conversation, history, and joy-filled memory making!

On Monday, Josiah stayed home to study while the rest of us headed 35 minutes outside of town to visit the historic Civil War-era monument of Appomattox Courthouse -- where the conditions of surrender were agreed upon and signed between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.  It was fascinating to tour and visualize thousands of weary troops await the end of America's bloodiest war.

The surrounding countryside which likely was the scene of several encampments and/or battles was beautiful, even in the wintry landscape.

It was down this road that Lee rode silent and stately on his horse and where his troops surrounded their beloved leader.

A civil war gravesite just down the road -- 10 Confederate soldiers and 1 Union soldier buried side by side -- the majority of whom had died the final day of the war itself.  Very sobering ....

Tuesday dawned rainy but it didn't stop us from heading again towards Charlottesville where we enjoyed an hour long tour of Monticello -- Thomas Jefferson's famous architectural wonder surrounded by amazing gardens.  Although this was our second visit to Monticello, during this trip we were able to enjoy the inside of his 11,000 sq. foot mansion filled with both replica and original furnishings and books. 

Although I don't admire Jefferson's morals, I have always appreciated his detail-oriented and focused effort toward diligence in all of his undertakings.  Seeing the result of one of his biggest accomplishments (aside from writing the Declaration of Independence, successfully completing two terms of office as the third President of the United States, and founding the University of Virginia) was a highlight of the trip for Joe and I.

As corny as it sounds, we are big "Walton's" fans and watch the episodes on our computer when we have a spare evening (getting rarer!).  On the way home, we took a detour in order to tour the small 

"Walton's Museum" not knowing that Earl Hamner - the author of the writings on which the show was based, wrote from his own life experiences.  Although the area and his actual life were much less like the beloved TV series, it was fascinating to learn more of the characters and see the actual home he grew up in :-)

On the way home, Google maps took us to a remote location -- kind of the dirt road version of "over the mountain" (don't ya just love technology?).  Well, once Joe could "hear the banjos a'strummin", we opted to turn around. Unfortunately, Joe didn't see the huge wash out next to the narrow dirt road that completely high-centered our vehicle off the ground!! :-)   We used leverage and weight (Joe's - to be exact) to get our wheel back on the ground, drove slowly out, and were on our way with no injuries and another "Kronz family story" tucked into our belts! 

We enjoyed our final day in Virginia touring Liberty University and enjoying some down time.  The kids and Joe did the sight-seeing while I stayed at Josiah's condo and had some time to bless Josiah by cleaning and cooking -- filling his new freezer which (hopefully!) won't burn all of his home-cooked food stored away for him to eat at his leisure while finishing out his semester.   I really cherish this time actually and spend a lot of it praying for him and over his home.  He's done a great job living on his own but a little TLC from Mom doesn't hurt :-)

Liberty University has its own artificial "snow-flex" -- a semi-mountain with snow-like turf.  The kids enjoyed skiing/snowboarding twice over the week, thus allowing Joe to get some paperwork done in the "lodge" :-)

We left mid-morning after sharing a home-cooked breakfast.  There were still tears but it gets easier to leave Josiah knowing that he's in God's care and where he feels God wants him to be! 

We arrived home to the sights and sounds of baby goats!! Yep, our two goat mamas took advantage of our absence and gave our sweet neighbors many hours of work to bring forth three healthy goat kids.  "Buster", "Bruiser", and "Billy George" are adorable additions to our wee little farm and are thriving, frisking, eating, and sleeping away their days as we all await the joys of spring to come.

September!!

September is one of my favorite months (with October, December, and June being the top three in that order).   School is beginning, the morning light is changing, there is a tinge of chill in the morning air evening walks are a mainstay .... ahhhh.  Autumn is delightful.  Everything is still green but orange is slowly becoming the predominant color....

It is time for pumpkins!! This year we grew a variety of colors in two locations (my neighbor kindly loaned me a portion of her field so I could pursue my hobby of growing pumpkins in earnest!).  My porch is festive as is my mood (most of the time!).  Harvest is upon us and we are truly blessed!

Now, September hasn't been without its challenges as well.  While everything seems picture perfect one minute, a sudden cloudburst (a microburst in our case) can suddenly topple all that is loveliness as we found out one day not too long ago.

A favorite tree, blown by a wind coming from an uncommon direction, snapped right off .... landing smack in the middle of construction (read on).  This might not have been so devastating, except that just a couple of weeks earlier we purposely had 3 huge, encroaching trees removed.  Suddenly we can see a whole lot of sky!!

The storm that blew over the tree was just getting started when it fell.  It lasted for several hours.  Uncle Jason and Grandpa to the rescue!! Amidst three torrential downpours which flooded our yards, rocks, driveway, and barns -- all of us (with a few angels who came to help) cut and moved that (beloved) tree off the construction site and onto the driveway so that our builders could quickly manage the flooding construction pit.  It was a wet, cold, and slightly depressing afternoon ..... but we are counting our blessings -- our house did not flood!! Thank You Lord!

And now for the big news .... after waiting ten years, getting two different architects to draw up plans over those years, and setting the project aside multiple times for various reasons ...... we are finally adding our "Gathering Room" at the back of the house.  The back porch that you see here ....

And here ....

Will be relocated in about 3 months as demolition and construction gets under way.

This is the day of the storm in between cloud bursts.   The construction site flooded quite substantially -- enough that we had to bring in a dump truck load of crushed gravel to soak up all the mud so that construction could resume the next day or so.

This is a common site at my house now.  There have actually been several times where a cement truck was less than 10 ft away from my dining room window!!   Needless to say, life has been interesting, a bit dusty, and certainly noisy :-)

We all cherish the quiet of the weekends now more than ever.

Adding a room onto our basement was the first part of the project and the most detailed and time consuming.  It is nearly finished at this writing and we have hopes of possibly beginning the framing by the end of next week.

In the meantime, life has rushed on.  Joe is working 12-14 hour days in addition to teaching one night at week at our alma mater -- NNU.   He also resumed teaching Science Club once a month to Isaac and fourteen of his peers.  This year's study is Biology and we are privileged to use NNU's microbiology lab to learn more about God's amazing creation!

Of course, there are still eight acres over here to maintain and manage as well as a small passel of animals.  We sold our beloved nubian goats at the end of the summer -- a much needed reprieve from their noise and constant hunger.  Still wanting to have the experience of breeding and selling goats however, Isabelle spent her own money to buy a male and female Nigerian dwarf set whom she hopes to breed for profit.  We are proud of her entrepreneurial spirit and have enjoyed the smaller, quieter, and calmer goats on the property.

Raspberries cut down, trees pruned, weeds pulled and burned, perennials split and planted, the garden put to bed and rototilled, the acreage fertilized, the grapes trimmed, the fruit harvested and preserved, the lawns mowed, the animals cared for ...... well, you get the picture.  It's full over here ..... but what a joy the privilege of work and something to take care of is!! 

Keep watching for updates of the room.  We are excited to share it with you as it comes along

Harvest blessings everyone!

Fall Break Visit to Virginia

After weeks of waiting and counting down days, Isabelle and I set off for our cross-country adventure to visit Josiah!!  We had delays getting there, but nothing could stop us.   As we hugged for the first time in 11 weeks, Isabelle and I were a pool of tears, smiles, and happiness.

We enjoyed nearly four full days with Josiah, who is attending law school at Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Eager to show his little sister all about his new life as a law student, we spent much of Thursday touring the university and law school, including getting to see where Josiah sat nearly every day during his classes.

We have some sweet friends from our home church also attending Liberty University this year.  It was fun to catch up with them, get a tour of their dorm living space, and also to share a meal together.  They are fully enjoying their time as college students!

Liberty's campus is HUGE.  I had to take this picture for Isaac of the football team practicing.  This is just one of many sport's fields within the multi-acre campus.  Notice all the green?  It is a beautiful area filled with rolling hills and massive quantities of trees (all beginning to wear their autumn glory)!

Friday found us experiencing a typical rainy "Drench"burg day so we enjoyed some indoor pursuits including ice skating at the university's hockey rink along with several other students.  Isabelle loved dancing on the ice with her "bubby".   We also went and enjoyed a movie together before heading home to Josiah's condo where he relished in another "home" cooked meal!  I felt very appreciated during our short visit -- especially where cooking was concerned :-)

Speaking of which, as you can see -- I was busy filling Josiah's freezer with meal-sized portions of some of his favorites, as well as cooking meat and breakfast foods ahead.  Hopefully (!) Josiah will  make good use of my efforts in the weeks to come before heading home for Christmas break.

Knowing that we would be missing Josiah's November birthday (17th) as well as Thanksgiving (he will be using that break time to study for his finals which occur the week following)  -- Isabelle and I decided to make a mini-Thanksgiving feast for our final night together.  Since I was born in Canada and the Canadian Thanksgiving is today, it didn't seem too far-fetched to create a special evening to commemorate all we are thankful for -- even with a loved one so very far away.

We enjoyed Sunday morning attending church with Josiah and then finished up our short time together with some rousing games of UNO (a family favorite).  In between all the above happenings, we shared many long walks around the beautiful neighborhood Josiah lives in, a few episodes of the Waltons (via Josiah's computer -- thanks Amazon!), and lots (as in A LOT) of laundry and ironing.  Of course, (it's me!) I cleaned to my heart's content as well, thus leaving Josiah cleaned, cooked for, ready, rested (poor kid slept hard and long while we were there -- he's kept some long hours lately), and refreshed for the second half of his 1L year of law school.  He's doing excellently -- is very focused, making wise decisions, managing his time, and enjoying his classes.  We are so proud of his efforts and thankful for the Lord's continued faithfulness in his life.