Oh Glorious Day: Currently- October Edition

In my quest to document everyday life around these parts with a little more consistency, I thought it would be fun to do a (hopefully!) monthly "Currently" post. So here goes October!-

In a Day- Playing catch up on chores around the house(always, always, always.) With fall comes school, so there's the goal of fitting some school time in each day.(Doesn't always happen! I'm thankful to only be teaching preschool this year, so there's some grace there.) With so much garden harvest still coming in, I usually try to work on preserving something each day. There are a whole lot tomatoes for roasting and then freezing and drying too. I need to can more applesauce, badly. There are still tons of apples to be used up, it's just a big project! (Honestly, I'm kind of over canning and the like for the year, but I know we will be happy to have all the canned goodness come winter!) October means hunting season (or "pow pow time" as my middle boy calls it!) so Daddy and my big boys have been spending weekends out in the woods.

So thankful I still have a quiet break during my day while all 3 of my boys nap. This introverted Mama needs that little break from the hustle, bustle and so.much.noise! Lately, for some unknown reason, I have been prone to let the clean laundry pile up to outrageous heights, so I usually have that to look forward to :/ One upside to my beloved summer days vanishing is longer evenings with my husband at home! It's been nice to have the after-little-boys-bedtime time to relax together. Lately it's been watching Elementary (aka modern American Sherlock Holmes)

In the kitchen- It may be fall but it's still way too hot to have the oven running very often! I'm just not quite feeling heavy comfort food yet, though the latest issue of Bon Appetit is pretty darn convincing! Eggplant has been an abnormal bumper crop in our garden this year and surprisingly, a hit at the dinner table! We've loved it roasted and baked with tomatoes in a creamy cheese sauce. I've also been loving the easy and filling dish of roasted cabbage and sausages,with some seasonal golden beets thrown in for good measure ;) So simple, but so good! I felt the need to pull the espresso machine back out on to the counter and brew my own version of a pumpkin spice latte- a fall must! Other home brew projects include my first batch of kombucha- not a total fail, but not a real victory either. In need of some research and new techniques there! Oh well, until I have home brewing mastered my pretty awesome husband will keep supplying me with the "good stuff." (aka Humm brand-the best!)

On my heart- A lot lately. For months now, We've been watching Christians around the world being severely persecuted for their faith-being displaced and even killed. The bad news doesn't stop rolling in, even daily it seems and you get to feeling a little powerless in the midst of it all. I pray and, as much as I want to just wish it away, I keep my eyes open and acknowledge that it is happening. My sisters and brothers in the faith are dying for the name of the One we both call Savior. Just because it's not happening here, doesn't mean it isn't happening. I desperately want my little boys to be able to have a carefree childhood, as every child should, but I also want them to have a heart for the world beyond our American Dream. So we share of the word's sufferings and we work thru our fears and cling to a faith precious enough to die for. I keep racking my mind for ways I can help- a way I can do something, anything to change things. The best option I have come across is The Nazarene Fund, a grand goal of relocating 400 Christian families from homes torn asunder by ISIS. This is the charity organization that resonates the most with me and I hope to support their work!
And then, this last Thursday, it all hit too close to home- an hour away from home, in fact. At a community college my sister attended just a couple years ago, a mass shooting broke out that killed 9 and injured many more. It was later found out that the shooter was targeting Christians for death. The day christians were martyred on American soil. It was a heavy day for Oregonians, to say the least. More explaining to my boys about the realities of sin's grip on this world we don't really belong to. And lots and lots of prayer.

On my mind- I've been spending a lot of mental energy on school plans for the boys. I love this stage- everything being a new and exciting discovery and learning being so fun! But I'm also learning that there are so many great educational options out there, to the point it's overwhelming. The perfectionist in me is learning that there is a thing as "too much educational fun" and it's better to be doing something than waiting around until I have the perfect schooling plan mapped out.
Over the summer, I bought a new to me but pre-loved Canon 5D classic camera. It's not the latest and greatest, but it's an upgrade in equipment and potential for me! Especially since having my boys, I have really enjoyed pursuing photography as a hobby. It's fun for me to have a creative outlet that's easy to just fit in through out the day. The benefits of having their childhoods documented is pretty satisfying, as well! I've been checking out lots of tutorials and snapping a lot of "test shots" in my spare time.

My boys are- each learning lots of new things right now! The Biggest is loving school- he enjoys practicing his letters and thrives off of the affirmation of red inked stars and stickers by his best formed attempts. He amazes me with the addition and subtraction he has naturally picked up and does all in his head. It makes my Mama heart swell to hear him talk to Jesus like he's talking to his best friend. I can see the Holy Spirit working in his little boy heart-the struggle between his sin nature and his desire to do good is real. There's something unexpectedly powerful about watching your 4 year old fleshing out spiritual battles, in the way only a little child can. Sometimes I'll catch him, I first assume talking to himself, saying "No, devil, I don't want to do that. That's bad." He realizes just who is behind the lies and selfish desires and he knows Who to call on for guidance.

My Little/Big One turned 3 a few weeks ago and it seems he's changing in leaps and bounds after that milestone. He is a peculiar little individual and I love him for it! He can identify almost as many letters as big brother proudly holds up his 3 fingers when you ask him how old he is. This kid absolutely loves books. He will bring you just stack upon stack of books to read to him and he never grows tired of it! He's working on potty training but refuses to wear underwear, stubborn little thing. he becomes one of the big boys, more and more each day. It makes me smile to see my 2 oldest boys become play mates and friends more as they get older. My middle boy has a language all his own and in sibling fashion. my oldest can some how translate it all!

My baby is growing up on me waayy too fast! 8 1/2 months already-where has the time gone? In baby time that means he's practically not even a baby anymore :/ He just started crawling, mainly motivated by his never ending quest for more food! He's got the biggest smile I've ever seen on a baby (the cheesiest grin too ;) He's ready to join in his brother's wrestling matches and loves to be in the middle of any social setting. He loves to bounce and clap. He waves at people and I swear he's just started to say bye. He officially has 4 teeth and counting. Those silly 2 front teeth :)