I have been laid out on my back this last week sick with a nasty stomach flu. I don’t recall ever being this incredibly sick before. All things went on hold. Mommy could do absolutely nothing. Helpless. It was a fresh reminder of the importance of rest. Rest is a beautiful necessity. Sleep. Sabbath. Since all I could do was nurse my baby, I felt a sweet rekindling in that baby bonding time. Tis so sweet. Moments slip by and my little Eden girl is nearly 4 months old. She has been a rich treasure and joy to our family. It’s hard to imagine what a happy baby she is. She is so peaceful. Such a refreshing blessing after the first two were a bit on the challenging side. Growing in my motherhood does encourage so much more of a flexible and laid back attitude which I appreciate.
Titus, Eden & Karis - my three special gifts
In an effort to be intentional about adopting an attitude and demeanor of rest, I began scheduling in a 15 minutes rest period every afternoon (with a daily alarm on my phone set to remind me as well!). I consider it my “daily pause” in the day. A time to sit down, light a candle, drink a cup of tea, and simply read for just 15 minutes. A moment to stop, think, listen, and glean. To fill my soul after the rush of the morning activities. To renew me again to embrace the rest of my day. Imagine how much you could read if you would stop for 15 minutes? It’s sweet to this soul.
Me and my studly husband
My toddler and preschooler are thriving well at our studies. We have admittedly cut back quite a bit from our more aggressive original preschool year 2 plan as we figured out what was going to work best for us.
We have been focusing on memory work primarily, seeking to establish a broad foundation of language, and I am truly loving it. We are memorizing Scripture, poetry, catechism questions, the continents, the books of the Bible, and the kids are picking it up so fast. Even my two year old just loves reciting for us all that he has learned together with his sister. I love Language Arts for Little Ones. It gives my Karis such fun exercises in narration, storytelling, art work, and poetry (which is the source of most of our poetry memory work).
In November my husband and I took a quick beach trip retreat with the leadership of our church, as Aaron is serving as a Deacon in training at our church right now. It was a sweet time together. We had our three little ones dedicated to the Lord surrounded by our church family this month as well. We were excited to partner with the body of believers in striving to raise them for the glory of God. Thanksgiving was celebrated as a family at home in the peace of our own intimate family. We barbecued a turkey and made our own fixings for the first time. We really enjoyed the sweet family time together followed by a lovely dessert at extended family’s home. We couldn’t beat having some great leftovers for once!
A Beautiful Day to Give Thanks
I look out on this cold December day and see a beautiful partly clear sky with the sun shining brightly. It fills me with delight and reminding me of the importance of continuing my pursuit of recording the daily blessings that God has poured out in my life. Making my way up to 1000 and beyond.
746. Honey and lemon to soothe a painful cough
747.for sweet drawings crafted for children around the world
748. Blessing my hubby with a clean car
749. Finding help for the management of my blog
750. Inspired to simply study God one verse at a time
751. For cleared draining boards at last
752. Seeing our kids immensely enjoy an old classic Disney movie that we enjoyed as children
753. A quick coffee break
754. The sweet rest as a family over pizza, games and a movie
755. Capturing the sweet smiles of kiddos nested in leaves on camera
756. Heart to heart with my hubby
757. Little people helping daddy rake leaves
758. New jeans to replace the wholly that have seen better days
759. Crockpot freezer cooking day
760. Exploring advent ideas for a fun holiday season
761. For sagging pants on the sweet skinny bottom of a toddler
762. For the love of a husband to live life together through the thick and thin
763. Peace and serenity through a cup of tea and candles
764. Overhearing the children’s giggles while playing with daddy
765. Meditating on the nature and beauty of God
766. Crafting our own thanksgiving celebration
767. Fun ideas for a month of Advent
768. Blessing a sister with a shower of goodies as she prepares for a little bundle of joy
769. Finding inspiration through pinterest
770. An adorable family photo captured
771. Love notes tucked away in car dashboards
772. Enjoying real life tools with my munchkins
773. The glorious splendor of fall leaves
774. A thankful tree to cherish sweet thanks from our little brood
775. Dinner table devotions over sweet candlelight
776. Ironing clothes with two helpers- one with starch and the other with lint roller in hand
777. A doctor within a 5 min drive
778. For a lovely nap
779. Leaves blowing in the wind
780. Daddy playing instruments with the kiddos
781. The creative ideas of kiddos playing with blocks
782. Snuggling with my baby as we talk back and forth in our own language forms
As we prepare our hearts for this holiday season, may we continue in this reverential spirit of thanks and rest. May we seek to focus on the building of relationships, of giving generously rather than receiving. May our hearts be in tuned to the Creator’s leading. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Sponsors
We want to give a hearty thanks to our sponsors this month! Stubby Pencil Studio offeres unique and creative gifts in all different realms of non-toxic art supplies, drawing, and crafting. NaturoKits offer wonderful naturopathic kits for first aid relief for families. Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique continues to faithfully sponsor offering an awesome supply of cloth diaper and natural home supplies and Willow Pads as well offering natural menstral care, wool dryer balls, and more.
Family photos taken courtesy of my sweet sister, Christa Taylor Photography.
We made this pear salad for our Thanksgiving feast and it has become our new absolute favorite salad! It is so flavorful and delicious, balancing sweet and savory. I seriously could eat this whole salad at once! 
Just had to pass on the recipe for your own enjoyment. You can make it lovely and festive with dried cranberries and avocado as well.