Thankgiving and Gratefulness

For the first time in several years I will have all of my children home for Thanksgiving. While the children were growing up I never realized just how wonderful that was. I would be trying to get dinner on and they would all be around my feet. I remember thinking that we should just go out to eat and it would be easier. All those times that I got frustrated with them for being in the way. Now, I am so excited that I am going to have to say Excuse Me a hundred time Thursday as we all jockey around the kitchen. And I am ashamed that I ever considered not having them all with me. My oldest son joined the military at 18. His first duty station was Germany. As a new private coming home for the holidays was just not going to happen. As his time in Germany drew to a close we thought we would once again be able to be together. That was short lived when he got sent to Iraq next. This is the first time in 5 years that I will have all 7 of them home for Thanksgiving. I am so thankful and yet it is bitter sweet. We are a military family. My husband is a soldier as well. He is currently serving in Kuwait and he will not be with us this holiday season at all. In the spring David, my oldest, will be on his way to Afghanistan. He will be there for at least a year. It will be several more years before we are all together as a complete family at the holidays. I will never again take for granted the happy chaos of the holidays. Even the silly arguments about who will sit where are now dear to me. They really do grow up so fast and our time with them is fleeting. Enjoy them. Love them. And most of all be thankful for each and every day with them no matter how stressful. They are a gift from God in every way.

Blessings
Dawn

THE AMAZING DOO

We recently had a opportunity to purchase our grandson a tractor to play with in the yard. We have a large yard for the children to play in, but we really didn't have many toys for the younger children. Doo loves helping me in the yard and garden so when I saw this I had to get it for him. He has gotten so much fun out of it. Although we have to be careful because steering is not something he is really good at yet. It was a real splurge for us, but I love watching him on it. Grandchildren are amazing.

Shopping in Shipshewanna

I recently took my dd Lisa to Shipshewanna, IN to shop at

E & S sales. It is a very large bulk store that I shop at once a month. It is a 2 and 1/2 hour drive so I don't usually take the children with me. Lisa is such a huge help to me that I wanted to have a day with her to reward her for her help. Lisa tends to get car sick. So while I was in the store she stayed in the van. I came out of the store and she was grinning. Not your normal grin. That I just did something that I shouldn't have done grin. I asked her why she was grinning. She told me that she has just broke a going to Amish country rule. She had taken a picture of an Amish person. She told me that she just couldn't help herself. That this huge man on this tiny pony cart and pony just tickled her so much she had to take a picture. Since it wasn't a face on picture I let her keep it. It was kinda funny if you look at it in that way. I explained to her that it was a pony cart and use for children and short runs. I think she likened it to a full sized man on a child's bike of play toy.

Changes Comming

For a very long time now my husband and I have wanted to move. We were both raised in rural enviorments and wanted to go back to our roots. We have the knowledge and heart for the country. We just didn't have the money. My husband is a career military man. We have lived many places over the last 24 years. Of all the places that we have been stationed Kansas was the most like what we had grown up with. I think that we were to young when we were stationed there to recognize what we had. My husband is now stationed in Kuwait where he has been for about a year. He won't be home until this time next year. The next year will be all planning and preparing. We are looking for a homestead. We currently live in Indiana but we are not set in stone here. Being from a military background we are prepared to move to where ever we find what we want. I have been looking as far as Nebraska. We have been to Tennessee to see what is there. It is beautiful. Indiana has many rural areas also as it is mostly a farm state. I am praying for direction in this matter. I know that the Lord will direct us. I am excited though. I do love change. It is all new and exciting. Only this time we will be putting down roots. What ever the Lord has in mind for us will be wonderful. I know that he knows so much better than me. I think now I am just mature enough to listen.
So, if anyone out there in blog land knows of a cheap homestead for sale. Or land that has potential, let me know. We don't want anything fancy. We don't mind hard work. We just want to live as close to the land as we can and free ourselves from all of the (stuff) that the world says we have to have. So with that in mind, keep us in your prayers.

THE AMAZING DOO

I just ran across this picture while looking for a different picture. This little guy is my first Grandchild. He is named after his Uncle David who is named after his Uncle David who is also named after his Uncle David. As you can imaging it gets very confusing around here. At some point in time someone started calling him Davey-Doo. And then we all got lazy and just started calling him Doo. He is an amazing little man who is constantly reminding me that God is Good! He turns every bad day into a good one with just a smile. His Hello Nanny! is enough to melt my heart every time. He is real and I know that he loves me just because I am Nanny. Recently he got a new brother who we needed to name as cute as Doo. So keeping with tradition let me introduce you to Boo.