I now realize how much I have missed this little ole blog of mine.
September was the month that Tate and Eliza BOTH started orthodontic treatment!
Because Invisalign was going so well for Lane, we decided to do the same for Tate and Eliza.
It was a good choice, so far, that is!
We are still creatures of habit around here.
I started that trend and my family follows along, ha, ha!
Sundays are filled with SUCH good habits though!
Church and then the rest of the day all together here as a family!!
I never even know where my phone is on Sundays, much less do I take any photos!
I do have photos of what Sunday evening looks like after everyone is gone – me and my crew clean up and then are greatly rewarded when my hubby makes us all chunky monkeys for bedtime snack!!
School continues on for us here.
I might need to do a post about school and all that has changed here someday soon – but let’s just say it looks a bit different these days!
I am SO very grateful that I still enjoy homeschooling these kiddos of mine!!!
It is really the best way to spend our days here at home.
Our gardens were still exploding back in September!
Our tomatoes were certainly late to the party this past year – were yours??
They finally started turning red in September!
We enjoyed our gardens so much in 2024 and I cannot wait to show you the plans we have in the works for this year!!
I pulled out our zucchini plant the day I harvested all of that produce in the photos above.
It got the BEST of me!
I yanked and yanked on that huge plant – and it would not give – until it DID.
I went flying in the air and down the hill – Tate thought I would need an ambulance, ha, ha!!
Nope. I was FINE besides my pride and bruises on both my knees and one hip.
Arnica oil to the rescue.
So thankful that my daughter Kayla gives me things like Arnica oil and tells me how to use it!
Tate picked all of the basil one afternoon and we dried it in the oven.
Then we ground it up and put it in jars – IT IS DELCIOUS!!
We have grand plans to do a lot more dried basil this year and I am excited about that!
Are you ready for what came out of the kitchen in September??
If you are hungry, like I am, scroll really fast and don’t pay attention!
Seriously though, I really enjoy looking back on the photos I take of food to REMEMBER what I have made!!
I mean, wouldn’t you want to remember to make most of this again??
We still make most everything we can from scratch.
It is such a joy of mine to do that!!
Blake is still our number one Kombucha maker and we enjoy all of his flavors!
Kombucha is a Sunday family day treat and it is the best to share it that way!
Speaking of homemade things – do you remember when I bought these cheap bins for our snack drawer?
Well, our snack drawer is no more!
The kids just were not eating the things that were in there – and I realized it was silly to keep buying all those packaged things!
So the snack drawer is now a junk drawer.
Because of that switch, I was able to use the old junk drawer to put spices in.
This new way keeps all of our spices where our resident chef can reach them without having to climb on the counter!
It’s the little things, folks!
I stopped using a planner in 2024 for awhile.
It was fine without one – I just had a calendar on my phone.
It seemed simpler, and like life had less pressure.
But I honestly am just better with a planner!
I also made a document with lots of meal ideas (to use when I am meal planning) that I keep in the front of my planner.
Thinking on my feet is just not easy for me anymore!
We harvested all of the onions from our garden and cured them on tables.
Finally in September I cleaned them up and put them in storage to use.
I am very sad to say they are gone already, but very happy to say that not one of those onions went bad before it was used!
We are definitely growing onions again this year!!
We had a family Sunday in September at the farm.
Kay is an incredible host and I love being there!!
David always makes us yummy lattes too!
We also had one warm beautiful family day at the park!
We played frisbee golf, brought lunch, and hung out there all day.
It was really fun to have an outside family day!!
Blake and I must have had a date night in September!
Date night has disssaaaapppeeaaarrreeedddddd.
Have any of you found it??
If you have found it, send it back to us!!!
No, really, we need to do that again!!
Things have gotten busier here, yes, but I cannot make excuses.
I LOVE DATE NIGHT!!
Someone please check in with me soon to make sure we have went on one again!!
One of my very best besties met me in town one day to bring me a cooler full of meals for my in-laws freezer.
We literally hugged, switched the load to my van, chatted for two minutes and had to part ways.
I love this lady!!
I still enjoy being on the women’s committee at our church.
It is a huge blessing to be a part of!
I have my team Moschel help me set up our Women’s ministry get together each month.
They are a force to be reckoned with!
Our committee also cleaned the storage room in our church basement in September.
It was a BIG job but very satisfying!!
My trio and I spend a lot of time together.
That must be why I never notice they are growing until all of their clothes are way too small??
Goodness, I cannot keep up with these growing children!!
I bought a lot of Eliza’s new fall/winter clothes on line, but we did go shopping one Saturday morning too.
She is GROWING UP and I am a mess because of it!!
She cleaned and reorganized my Pinterest boards one afternoon and promptly asked me how much money she made.
Smile!!
I enjoy my days with this trio of mine!!!
Tate had a scan and appointment in Madison at the end of September.
Not going to lie, that place is not the same.
They changed his appointment three times, and then called as we were literally getting in the van to travel there to change it again.
Four phone calls later, we still went there that day to get the scan he needed and saw the doctor on video chat several days later.
We took everyone with us, and Blake dropped Tate and I at the hospital and then came back for us.
Everything checked out GREAT and Tate has been released from urology!
This is a LONG overdue post that is also very LONG!
Not even sure anyone is even here anymore, but if you are and made it to the end – BLESS YOU!
I know I will be super glad to look back on this long post someday!!
I have always enjoyed keeping our family memories and it has not changed!!
Let’s end with my signature – just in case there is anyone really here.
Goodness, it has been a long, long time since I have taken a photo of the sky.
I need to start doing that again!
Here is what I posted on my Instagram story this morning and I want to put it here in my scrapbook as well:
Today is special.
Don’t save things for a special occasion.
Don’t dust your candles. Burn them.
Spend more time outdoors.
Be more spontaneous.
Do not waste time.
Put joy and beauty into your day today.
Greet every morning with open arms and say thanks every night with a full heart.
Each day is a GIFT that is to be savored and used.
Amen, amen.
Next up is a very special two days we had back in September!!!
Until then, stay tuned….
Hello Steph,
It was such a pleasure to see your new post! I have been wanting to let you know how much your blog means to me.
I have followed you since you went to China to bring Eliza home. Last fall, I reread your entire blog.
Your attitude toward life, and especially toward your food, has been so inspiring. We share the necessity to avoid grains and dairy. Seeing your beautiful photographs of the meals that you can eat make me realize the bounty that we have available. I have learned so much from you about how to respond to life, and how to always look for the positive.
I am in my seventies, so you see that you are influencing not only your own generation and generations younger than you, but also those older than you.
I read your blog for many years as a “lurker” without commenting, but now please know that your posts do matter, and that there are most likely many more readers that you are influencing.
Jeanne
Jeanne, What a nice surprise to see this comment from you – it touched me deeply, so thank you for encouraging me! To think that anyone would even follow along here is humbling, but to read what you wrote brought tears instantly to my eyes. I enjoy this little scrapbook of ours for the memories it is keeping – but I do pray over each post before I publish it – that the Lord would use it for His glory, not ours. My heart hopes that this prayer is always answered! Thank you again for commenting!! Steph xoxoxoxo