a little life update
the sandhill cranes are migrating, the red-wing blackbirds chattering in the hedgerow. we're in that lion/lamb limbo between winter & spring & we've been raising baby chicks, tapping the maple trees, and prepping the garden beds.
usually i'm eager for spring by this point, but this year josh & i agreed we’d readily embrace an extra month of winter! i imagined the kids & i would be out in the workshop daily at the start of the new year, but with no warmth out in the barn besides a loud & smelly propane heater, we spent our days in the living room gathered around the fire. my prayer for a working fireplace, with ample comfortable seating for all of us, for a cozy homeschool winter, was answered in a delightful way, & it was a memorable season--one of our favorites. we read good books & went deep, together, with the Lord, in that space, & the contentment coals are still glowing.
starting in february each year most of the margins of my time are spent seed-starting, but when i listened to the Lord, He said, “not this year!” as He orders my steps, He's keeping me from overwhelm, & i am so grateful! much as i love raising seed babies, there’s not been a moment of regret. perennial peonies, roses, & dahlias, will form the backbone of my cutting garden, with some yarrow & euphorbia on the side, and i've ordered some phlox, lisianthus, snapdragon, love-in-a-mist and craspedia plants (etc., etc.!) through the mail. i'll have more volunteer celosia than i'll know what to do with, & i'll scatter some zinnia & cosmos seeds. done! the time i've gained by not sowing seeds has allowed me to finally start decorating the main floor of our home. we now have a pink living room & a wallpapered + painted library/homeschool room, and after four years living in an all-white farmhouse, we are loving all the color!
so much has been going on internally here, in my family & within my own soul, & i always sit back & get quiet when that happens. i’ve been putting together a newsletter on flodesk where i can share a few of these things that i wouldn’t share in this public sphere. i don’t know how frequent the newsletter will be, but there’s a subscription link at the bottom of this page if you’re interested! i hope to make it encouraging, & not just newsy, as a companion to this discipleship journal, just more personal in nature ;)
i’m eager to share more thoughts here, but for now i just wanted to stop in & say i’m still here, & i’m praying for all of you!
🤎 elle
