| precious memories. |







Sweet family memories are some of the most precious things an ambitious teenager can cultivate. :) We teenagers sure can get antsy about the future, and thinking about starting our lives. I know the feeling, and I'm learning from my mistakes, too. But lately I've been realizing, we teens don't often realize how precious these years are, living and serving our family. We'll never have them again, and the opportunity to be a blessing to the first people God ever placed in our lives (our family, hope that came out right) is an opportunity we only get once. And while it often feels more like a cross than a blessing~like when little sister brings a cup of cheerios into the bedroom you share with her and spills them on the carpet you just vaccumed, then, feeling sorry, runs to find the vaccuum and gets distracted with the puppies along the way, or when your brother teases you about that hairstyle you're trying so hard to master ~again! (these are weird examples, I know, but at least they're true to life!) and you lose your patience again, but these little quirks are actually blessings, teaching you patience for a later time in your life when you will need it much more, maybe for a boss you have a hard time relating to or a friend that's said something about you that really hurt. My family has seen me lose my patience many times, but they still love me! They are helping me learn to culvitate patience in my life, and someday I have a feeling I am going to look at the pictures on this blog~ maybe when I'm a mom with my own little lassie spilling cheerios on the floor or my own little guy tracking mud on the kitchen floor, and I just might say, "Those were some of the most precious years of my life." Learning patience and being with my loving family and talking to Mama about my crazy thoughts will definitely be one of the most precious memories I will ever have.
 Anyway, the pictures were of a family campfire we had as a family this past weekend. It's struck me lately that God and family are the most important things by far in life. If I always have Jesus (which I know I will, praise God!) and my family, right now my sweet parents and precious siblings, later Lord willing the family I hope He will choose to give me to raise there won't be much else to desire. And family memories like simple things like having a campfire together and roasting marshmallows together or snuggling your baby sister ( and often a stowaway dog) under the covers at night or  singing together are some of the most precious things God has given to me.
 Anyway, sorry for my long and disconnected thoughts, but this has been laying on my heart lately, and I felt like writing it down somewhere. I sure don't have all this together, and I have a patient family to help me learn. :) But hopefully it has blessed somebody.
 Anyway, thanks for visiting again, and have a wonderful evening!
                      ~Hannah~  
 

| august in perspective. |

Summer is almost over!! Too sad. This has been an awesome summer! We've kept busy, and had fun too of course. :) If summer is winding down, the garden sure isn't. There are lots of ripening tomatoes on the vine, corn, and an abundance of cucumbers and zucchini. We'ce been making lots of tomato sauce and pickles. The canning shelves are getting full. Don't you love that feeling? Seeing lots of jars full of your labors sitting on a shelf all ready for winter? Oh, well, that's how I feel, I guess.

 So things around here are pretty laid back, for the breif present. :) And they are about to get busy. We've enjoyed a leisurely summer break from the busyness of school, playing with our darling puppies that are growing fatter by the day, (for puppies that's good!) and spending time with our sweet friends the S. family horseback riding and more recently going to their beautiful camp and going swimming. In the middle of August we were blessed to see some other dear friends the A family whom we hadn't seen in quite a while. Then of course we've had the garden to keep us busy, and the boys have been getting practised up for the big deer hunts this fall with their bows.

 Right now we are enjoying having Dad home with us for an extended vacation. This is an exciting time of year for us, actually, first week in September we usually spend in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. So of course everyone is very, very excited about that! Tomorrow (Monday) is a big packing and getting-ready day, so we're preparing for that. Then on Tuesday we'll be leaving! Coming home on Saturday afternoon. ;)

 Oh, and I'm sure you noticed that the blog has had a makeover. :) One of the funnest things for me (if funnest is a word?) about having a blog is changing it around. Apologies.

 Well, I've talked (or typed) long enough, and now I'm going to let you sit back and enjoy some long overdue pictures.





Some yummy garden things. :)

And growing puppies!

Recently some cute cousins came up from New York for a visit. They sorta live in the suburbs and love it out in the country.

  The boys got out the John Deere and trailer so that the cousins could have a ride.





My sweet Mama and Dad :)

We went to some friends' home church for church today. It was such a wonderful time of sweet fellowship.

 Sorry Hannah.

 I had to take this cute one of you and Mary Grace. ;)

Thank you M family for inviting us!

Well, I think that will be the conclusion of this post. I have more tomato sauce waiting downstairs to be canned, packing to start, Flash to install, a bedroom to be cleaned, and probably more things that I don't know about yet. But hope y'all had a great August, and I promise to post more later when I'm not so computered out and I have a little more time.

 One last thing. A link to a song I've been listening to a lot this week and really like~ hopefully you all will enjoy it too. :)

  http://grooveshark.com/s/He+Arose/2pTYji?src=5

 Have a wonderful evening!

 ~Hannah