Knitting and Reading

More of my favorite knitting - baby vests.

Plain Vest

Pebble Baby Vest

Ria

The Ria is a  new pattern for me and I love the simplicity of it.  I have a question, though, it seems as if my yarn overs don't result in as obvious of a hole as there should be.  Any thoughts?

My friend shared these copies of the publication, Plough with me and I am so glad she did.

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things today.

The Common Ground Fair

Something on my wish list for many years, we were able to go to this past weekend.

We went on Saturday and it wouldn't surprise me if there were record crowds that day.  With a brilliant blue sky and the temperature about 68 degrees, one couldn't have asked for more.

So many people, but most with happy faces, smiling, enjoying one another and their children.

There is a whole separate area designed for children - hulling and thrashing beans, hammering nails (children hammering with full size hammers within feet of one another - imagine that!).  There was cardboard hill sliding by the band tent.  So many children laughing, forming instant "friendships", and getting along.  Dust flying up everywhere because it has been dry for so long.

One of the highlights for our entire family was the sheep herding with the collies.  We also enjoyed some demonstrations about making sunflower oil and of course, I was drawn to all of the wool.

My purchases included the yarn pictured from Hope Spinnery that was naturally dyed with indigo.  I am using it to knit the the Ria Vest Pattern.  I also loved the artwork by Toki Oshima and found out that she teaches classes to homeschoolers nearby.

This fair is huge and we certainly didn't see everything.  By mid afternoon, we knew that our younger children had reached their limits for the day so we headed out to the trail through the woods that leads back to the hay field that had become a parking lot.

Feeling a Shift

Since our little homestead here in northern Vermont went under contract this past July, we have been praying and searching for where our next home would be.

On September 18th, our home became officially not our own - as we formally closed on it and the new owners took ownership.  We are more than blessed that the new owners are wonderfully kind and are fine with us staying here until the spring when they will move here or until we find our new home.  Knowing that we don't want to look for homes in the winter nor move during mudseason, we have been very busy looking.

We have been looking around where we live now - putting offers on a few different places - weighing pros and cons - praying - offers  not being accepted - minds changing....

Do we stay here with our church or do we move on to a new area - with new adventures and people?

We spent this past weekend in the midcoast area of Maine but inland a bit, close enough to attend the Common Ground fair (something that has been on my wish list for years!).  We stayed at a Christian summer camp and retreat center, staying in a little cottage right on the lake - so beautiful the setting.

We had two properties on our list to see.  Maine has been in our minds for some time because of the little bit of a higher population, more culture, and the lower property taxes.  The first home we saw, made us not want to see the other.  We saw it on Friday afternoon after our long drive over.

Saturday was spent at the fair and we did a little more exploring of the area after.  There is even an Amish community in Unity.  We felt at home among the people, among the rolling hills and farms, and learned that there is a strong homeschool community there - where there is none where we are now.

We told ourselves to enjoy Sunday, arrive home, see how we felt at home, sleep on it, pray some more, and then make a decision this morning.  Unfortunately, God can't make decisions for us, He has left that up to our feeble human minds.  We know that wherever we live, we are to bring glory to Him, put our family second, and then serve the community.

So we put an offer on the house this morning.  The amazing part of it is that the asking price is so much less than anything else we have looked at.  It has seven acres, is an older cape but in good condition with an attached garage for the workshop.  Our payments will be much less than what we had here in northern Vermont and if all goes well, we will have our own wooded acreage to supply our business and maple trees to tap for a year supply of our family's syrup, plenty of grazing room and garden space (although I will be starting from scratch again).

I will keep you posted as our life takes a new direction - a new place but really just a continuation of what we began 6 years ago when we took the leap to support our family with the works of our hands.

Life's Joys and Sorrows

An abundance of apples from our trees - two apple pies, two batches of apple crisp, and apple muffins so far.

A sweet little baby goldfinch  with one bad eye that Sarah nurtured and took care of for three days before Emmy brought her outside and our dog ended her life quickly.  

Emmy's 4th birthday yesterday!  Abby made the cake.  Emmy is all about princesses right now and she still loves singing, dancing, and delighting us all with her bright big eyes full of wonder and delight.  Four is such a wonderful age.

Beyond My Comfort Zone

Do you ever feel like it would just be easier to keep your mouth quiet - to not work at change - to not try to help - to not listen to those crying out in need.  To just not get involved.  I mean why risk feeling alone, uncomfortable, isolated, or like an outcast?

Instead - wouldn't it be so much easier to simply go along with what our leaders (both in the church and government)  say or what the culture of our day dictates?  Wouldn't it be easier to justify inaction by being content, enjoying  the beauty that is all around, and by finding the simple joys in everyday life? 

I know down in the deep parts of my heart, though, that it must be possible to do both.  To both stand up for change when there is injustice, and to also be content at the very moment where God puts you - noticing the simple joys of the day.

Making with Apples

So, I have quite the wonderful thing going on here on our little homestead.  We have two old apple trees that are just loaded with apples this year.  Emily, Sarah and I pick a basket full in the morning.  Sarah enjoys peeling and chopping - so that job is taken care of.  Abby enjoys the baking aspect.  So she prepares the topping for apple crisp.  All I have left to do is a little bit of clean up in the kitchen and enjoy the eating!

A Special Afternoon

Sarah and I are on an overnight get-away.  My father invited us to spend a night of his vacation with him in Woodstock, Vermont.  He treated Sarah to a private falconry class.  She was in her element with the hawk, Niko, a trained Harris hawk.  They felt at ease with one another.  She helped him hunt for crickets in the field and he even stayed perched on her arm as she walked.  Birds are one of her passions - perhaps you have noticed if you have been reading this blog for years how much she loves her chickens.   A special time.

Today is a Beautiful Day - Everyday is Really

So thankful for so much beauty - it is there, everywhere - if we just choose to open our eyes.

The Refugee Crisis

Would you consider doing something?

Not to Please Others but to Serve

Beginning to Harvest

Mike being baptized.

Jesus told us, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Matthew 16:24

To some of the closest people in our life, our decision to stay up here in northern Vermont after selling our home, doesn't make any sense to them.  Don't we want to be closer to family?  Shouldn't we provide more opportunities for our children?  Don't we need to buy a house?  Last week Mike and I traveled down to central/southern Vermont, put an offer on a house in a village and then realized that we simply weren't listening to God's call for our life.  We will probably lose $1,000 but know that following God's will for our life is more important.

Yesterday was  a day filled with tears as we received hurtful words after hurtful words from family.   I am thankful for my father, that even though he was disappointed, understands.

Over the past several years, our family has  begun the hard work of serving in our community through our church mostly, but also just by letting our life speak.  Our pastor shared with us a few weeks ago that he feels God calling us to work here in this small town for right now - to take on leadership roles.  For the past year or so, Mike and I have felt God nudging us to a life of ministry.

So for right now, we don't have a home to call our own, but the buyers of our house have graciously let us stay until April when they move here from Wisconsin.  We will simply keep faithful that God will provide us a house nearby and we are still praying for a modest home with wooded acreage.  But God knows what we need, we really don't.