We’ve been very busy lately, remodeling a house and preparing to move…again. While Will and I both enjoy fixing up run-down houses, I admit that I am feeling quite weary. In the last year and a half, this makes the third house we are fixing, and the second time we are moving!

But we are still making good family memories, and our new place here in town will have more room! We will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms instead of two bedrooms and one bathroom. The yard is huge, and across the street is a grassy park where the town children can come to run and play soccer or tag. Will is pleased to finally have a very nice two-car detached garage to use as a shop. Since part of the lot is in flood plain, Will thinks he can hand-dig a well so I can have fruit trees and a garden!

I am sad to leave our street and its people we love so well. But we will be only a few blocks away, and as our neighbor lady said, “You can’t get rid of us that easily!”

I’m also sorry to leave the beautiful new kitchen cabinets that Will built for me a year ago. The new house has old cabinets in a windowless kitchen. But it’s not good for anyone to always have everything too nice, right?! And a bit of paint and decorating can work wonders.

Our boys are getting to be a big help. They will grow up knowing how to wire outlets and run power tools! They tore out most of the old carpet themselves.

I’m learning things, too. With every house, I’ve become more confident with using tools. Will says the next thing I am going to learn is wiring!

Will turned one huge bedroom into two rooms. He had to saw a hole in the wall for a new door. We found a message written on the back of the sheetrock we tore out! All the wires have to be rerouted–so much work.

Sometimes we get tired.

A stray kitten found her way to our house, and the children quickly claimed her as their own. Desiree named the kitten Bloomer, which Elijah and Stuart did not think was proper. But in a fit of kindness, they consented to the name.

Will and the boys find time for creative projects. They built a furnace to melt aluminum so they could cast an aluminum spoon. I never did see the spoon, but here’s their furnace.

And I haven’t even told you about the births I assisted. Three of them came within 12 hours! Here’s one little sweetie. (And yes, four out of the five last babies I helped with were girls!)

Lately I’ve been feeling the fatigue of working so hard on the house plus being involved in the lives of needy people, plus carrying a weight of personal sorrow. I long for a vacation, or at the very least, a few hours to spend alone with Will. But it’s hard to do anything like that here since our babysitting options are few.

Saturday morning I needed to run to Pratt (30 miles away) to pick up a prescription, so Will suggested I take Desiree along and stop at a coffee shop for a little break. I thoroughly enjoyed the time with my daughter. Desiree swigged down her hot chocolate and chattered delightfully. Funny how a little beauty and a little space to rest can make me feel a lot better.

That’s a small sampling of life for you. These pictures were taken with my phone because my camera mysteriously disappeared for weeks. I was thinking about all my boys having birthdays in February and March, and praying I’d find it before then. And praise God, I just found it in the corner of my closet!

Ok, now I’m going to tackle that huge pile of laundry on my couch! Does anyone else have couch-piles or is that just me?

Or maybe I should follow my youngest son’s example.