Ever since Blake and I returned home from Florida at the beginning of April, I sure have been enjoying HOME.

You all must know by now that I am a homebody – I love to be home, taking care of our home, and taking care of the blessings that the Lord has trusted into our care!

The day to day things here at home are some of my favorite memories.

Like school days with my trio – the things we learn together, their enthusiasm, the cute things they say, and even the cute ways they sit!

Or like library day – we have been going weekly again because one is open for browsing!

We love to read!!

We have mandatory outside time here – which I only have to enforce sometimes, ha, ha!

When we get new books each week is one of those times I have to enforce it.

At least he obeyed and went outside, right?

Blake and I made an intention to get outside more with the kiddos in the evenings and on the weekends.

Everyone gets home from work so late – the evenings go fast!

But we are making a point to spend some time outside anyway!

We also set intentions to have more purposeful time when everyone is at home.

We hade a homemade pizza, game and movie night one Friday night and it was fantastic!!

My trio and I still play games in the afternoons after school too!

Of course there is always kitchen work.

I have the BEST helpers though!

And I am training two cute nine year olds how to do dishes from start to finish!

They have always helped with dishes, but have never been “in charge” of them – and they seriously are so excited about this new responsibility.

Makes me smile!

I love these kiddos enthusiasm!

I may be watching Joanna Gaines’s new cooking show called Magnolia Table.

It may make me want to cook all new things and take fun photos as I do…

I LOVE to try new things though!

I had fun making new toppings for a taco spread one Saturday morning.

Joanna Gaines made chocolate mousse on her show, so I found an egg free recipe and made some too!

The salad box is still going strong as well!

Blake and I also made some plans (while sitting by the pool in Florida) to fix some things and finish some things in our home.

First up was our ice maker!

It broke when this fridge was about six months old and we never did anything about it – I mean, besides train some children how to fill ice trays to make ice ourselves.

When we got home from Florida, Blake ordered the new parts and had it fixed in 40 minutes.

It broke three years ago.

I know, I know.

I’m slapping my forehead too!

Don’t know why we waited so long.

We also made a plan to always have hot water.

RIGHT?

This small house that was being built for one person means a small water heater.

Then eight people move into the small house with the small water heater and never have enough hot water, EVER.

Blake spent over twelve hours putting a water booster on that small water heater (it was the cheapest way to fix it!), and now we have hot water ALL THE TIME!

I cried.

It’s the little things, folks!

Another plan we made was to finally put some photos from our farm days on the wall.

This means SO much to me!

We bought a gallery kit and my fearless guys hung them for me.

Please notice the cinder block underneath the one leg of that ladder, ahem.

Didn’t it turn out so pretty?!

It was hard to choose just nine photos from the thousands of them we have of our farm days!

Since it is spring, I have been spring cleaning.

So needed, even in this little nest – and I enjoy doing it!

Of course I love the time we get to be with Kay’s crew!!

They have been adding to their farm!

Ducks, sheep, and a NEW PUPPY!!

Meet Juniper.

Juni for short.

She’s adorable and so loved already!

We still love our pups too, and even had the privilege of taking Ruby Jane to the vet while Addie Mae was at work.

We had our second hymn sing and have scheduled them for once a month this whole year!

Such an encouraging, life-giving thing to do with your friends!

One day a box of hymnals showed up at our door step.

They were a gift, and this touched our hearts SO, so much!

What a wonderful gift and we will always think of the friends who sent them every time we use them.

I also took my crew to town to finish some spring clothes shopping.

There were needs for some growing children.

We also came home with a new art toy – not needed, but very fun!

They have played endlessly with it!

I ordered Eliza a swim suit on line when we could not find one we wanted in town.

It is SO cute on her!

And comfortable too!

We are gearing up for swim season for sure!

Blake and I ordered a new ladder for our pool while we were sitting by the pool in Florida!

Lane put it together for us.

It is much more sturdy than our old one, and a lot safer too.

There has been a lot of this going on for me too –

Some health challenges.

I am certainly not a stranger to health challenges!

But there are new ones right now.

I’ve spent a lot of time on hold trying to get appointments and insurance approvals and such.

I also spent two hours on a telemed (video) consultation appointment for surgery I need.

I need to have a carpal tunnel release on my right hand/wrist.

We are hoping that will happen soon!

I am just waiting for a test that is needed first, and am on a cancellation list because they did not have any openings until May 18th.

I’ve been on that cancellation list since the beginning of April, so it doesn’t look promising!

I also am having an autoimmune flare that is showing itself on my skin.

It could be lupus related, but we are hopeful, and researching, and praying for wisdom in how to handle this in the most non-invasive, natural way.

I am beyond grateful that it is not anything worse.

And thankful for my crew who gives me plenty of opportunity to rest when I need to.

Date night lately has been going after grocery, because I am physically unable to do it with my hand/wrist hurting so badly.

We have coffee though!

And are together!

I love Blake’s help at the grocery store.

To finish off this long post, here are some photos of Lane’s birthday present – a fishing trip to the dam.

They had a BLAST!

This is what a fisherman looks like in church the next morning.

And this is what a fisherman who made it through church looks like after lunch.

They make me smile!!

April was good, don’t you agree?

May is looking good too – minus that surgery and all.

I cannot believe summer is upon us!!

What a wonderful whirlwind this life is!

I think I need a nap, ha, ha!

Hope you all had a wonderful whirlwind of an April too.

Here’s to SUMMER!!