Strawberry Plantin' Time

Oh goodness! I have the most beautiful little daughter in the world. She is so precious.

She was climbing the stairs at a park recently.

This morning, she wanted to eat her breakfast before I or her Papa were ready to sit down and pray. The food was already set before her, and her hands kept finding their way to her plate-- and then, "No. Don't touch it." Tears. :-(

She stopped reaching for the food after about the third time and started reaching for... our hands! We always pray before we eat, holding hands with one another. She was ready to pray, so she could eat! We trained her when she was 9 months old that she could not eat or touch her food until after we prayed. Now that she is 13 months old, she knows the routine well. You know the saying, "Train up a child in the way he/she should go....?" Well, that's actually scripture. One we hold to dearly.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV), "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

My darling child enjoys being outside.

Scripture has a lot to say about teaching and training our children. One of my favorites is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV),

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

Abigail is very interested in strawberry plants.

As the woman of the home, the caretaker of my child while my husband is working hard to provide for us, the daily teaching and training of our child is primarily in my hands. I love one version of Proverbs 31:26 that says "in [the virtuous woman's] mouth is kindly teaching."

I have several strawberry plants that I recently set outside to begin growing. When I first showed the plants to Abigail, she promptly pulled one out by its roots. Oops! Not what I expecting her to do. I replanted the strawberry plant, and then I took Abigail's hands and had her touch the plant gently. "Gentle," I said. "We are gentle when we touch plants." Each day we went outside, I'd have her come to the strawberry plants with me and show her the leaves, or the stem, or a new budding flower and remind her, "We are gentle with our plants." She loves to look at them now and has learned to be gentle.

She's helping me water-- only, she's missing the plants and pouring on the steps instead!

Our Lord is the Master Teacher; He is so kind in His loving correction and guidance.

Psalm 25:4-10 (KJV) says, "Shew me thy ways, O Lord: teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord therefore he will teach sinners in thew ay. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."

My daughter is very teachable. I want to have a teachable spirit, too. What about you?

Be encouraged in His teachings,

~Raquel

Written: April 20, 2016

Blossoms & Blessings

Buds are appearing on the hardwood trees.

Spring has sprung! Or has it? It feels like Summer has made its way into the usually cool, wet Spring season. We are enjoying every 70 degree, sunshine-y moment-- and trying to keep ourselves from thinking what July is going to feel like. (Seriously. It reached 82 degrees F today.... That's a normal mid-Summer temperature.)

We've gone to parks the last few weekends. How could we NOT enjoy the outdoors?

We are seeing fewer (large) wild animals, as they make their way back into the higher altitudes, but we are seeing an abundance of wild plants peeking out. Every season has its glories. For winter, it's the elk and moose and turkey. In Spring/Summer, it's the blossoms and sprouts and greenery. I love it all!

Here's a wild strawberry plant peeking through the forest floor.

Our family of three (four, if you count Titus) is currently in the process of buying our first home on a little sliver of God's Earth. So much has already been established on this beautiful spot we hope to call our home by the end of May, and we are grateful! But we are also dreaming and envisioning making it our homestead, developing it out to provide a sustainable, wholesome lifestyle for us.

This is the driveway of our almost-homestead, looking from the house.

We visit our almost-homestead nearly every weekend, going on hikes and discovering new places. Our sweet little one has had a personal discovery: She likes to walk independently. Thank you very much. She needs to be close to the ground so she can pick up sticks, rocks, grass, and play in the water. You understand, don't you? Oh goodness! She is tremendously precious!! I've caught some sweet moments as she comes into her personality.

Papa and daughter are sitting in Mama's favorite spot on the property.

Titus is next to a cistern full of water we found on one of our hikes.

I have been photographing the various wild edibles and medicinals I see. My hope is to: 1) take pictures of these same wild plants throughout the seasons, 2) gather some of the plants and preserve them (think tinctures, drying, etc), and 3) use them for various reasons. I would like to create a booklet with the photographs I take and the information I learn for our family and friends in this area. Finding a wild edible and medicinal booklet customized to your area can be difficult.

Here's our munchkin next to a dandelion plant: wild, edible, and medicinal!

Our adventures have been many with the snow melt and the warmer temperatures, but I know our adventures in this life are just beginning! I am so excited about what the Lord is doing in us, through us, and for us. I have a beautiful family, and we have a beautiful life. I am counting my blessings every day-- but I can never seem to count them all; they're like the stars in the night sky or the grains of sand on even the smallest beach. They are immeasurable.

Abigail loves the water, and a friend is helping her explore it.

The Lord is truly a good God who desires to give good gifts to His children. Do you know Him? Does He know you as His child?

Matthew 7:11 (KJV) says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Romans 8:28 (KJV) also says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Be blessed and know Him,

~Raquel

Written: April 19, 2016