Happy Tractor

 "Happy Tractor"

The leaves are falling

The corn is calling

Out to the tractor to come.

He will reap what he's sown

The harvest he's grown

To feed the family in winter.

"Come," said the corn

"Do not look forlorn,

I have grown and I am ready."

Under a sky of blue

Happy tractor pursues

Each row in a careful way.

Raven and Sparrow

Watch with delight

Happy Tractor's hard work day and night.

"Come," said the corn

"You are almost through."

Happy Tractor will finish before winter's grey hue.

The snow is falling

The barn is calling 

Out to the tractor to come.

He will nestle in tight

For winter's strong might

Will bestow Happy Tractor with rest.

(October 2022)

Happy Tractor was inspired by a nature walk last autumn that was buzzing with noise from the farmer next door. I told the kids he sounds like a happy tractor getting ready for harvest. This spiraled into an impromptu poetry writing session among the children and I. They threw out ideas and rhyming words as we walked, and I put it all together once we got back to the house.

🚜

Thanks for reading,

~ Courtney 

Never

 "Never"

I've never regretted having four

Never wished for less

Never wished for more.

A buzzing house of noise and joy

A sister for each girl

A brother for each boy.

Clatter and clamor are never a bore

And friendship forever is what's in store.

I've never regretted having four.

~ Courtney 

Christmas Eve

 "Christmas Eve"

🎄

My table's set

It's almost here,

My family comes to me

This time each year.

They come through snow

From far and wide,

To eat at my table

And be by my side.

I've worked hard

Progress has been made,

So Christmas 2020 

Will not be delayed.

I've pressed the napkins

Washed the sheets on the guest bed,

Light the candles! build a fire!

This is Christmas at the homestead.

Follow the recipes, frost the cookies

Don't forget to make the dressing,

What a joy to show my children

That to host is to be a blessing.

Never does my home

Feel more dignified,

Than within its walls

We are together, starry-eyed.

So, relax! Enjoy!

It's Christmas Eve,

Let's laugh, eat, be merry

And believe! 

🌟🌟🌟

(Christmas Eve 2020)

~ Courtney 

Tracings

~  "Tracings"  ~

Finger prints on the windows

The smear of a child's wet nose,

Thousands of marks on the stairway

Of clattering heels and toes.

The pirates were coming!

There was a battle at sea,

They were engulfed in danger

And now there's a snag in the upholstery.

Every scuff and scratch

Every woodwork casualty,

Traces back to a playtime

Magnificent! Imaginary.

All they have left behind them 

You may search the whole place through,

And never know the joy and laugher

And games they loved to do.

💙💜💚💗

(Circa 2018)

(Circa 2020)

(Circa 2021)

~ Courtney

The Kitchen Table

Inspiration strikes at the most random times. When the floodgates of ideas open, I will frantically search for the nearest scrap of paper or napkin to jot down the poems that invade my mind. As a result, I have multiple pieces of poetry written in various notebooks scattered throughout the house. Time to get organized! Since I started this blog as a record keeping journal for my family, my plan is to gather all my amateur poetry, (probably no more than half a dozen, honestly) and park them here on the blog for safekeeping. One per post is all I have time for, so consider this your warning on what's ahead for the next few posts. FYI, Micah writes poetry, too, and is far better than me! If I get his permission I'd like to include some of his gems, as well.

 "The Kitchen Table"

Around this table 

Dreams are born;

Holidays celebrated

And values formed.

Laundry stands folded

Meals are served;

Prayers are prayed

Criticism reserved.

The Bible is read

Cakes set to cool;

Watercolor's been tried

Books, papers, and school.

Children are growing

Laugher is shared;

Tea time observance

Negativity is spared.

Understanding is practiced

We love as we're able;

May we never outgrow

The Kitchen Table.

(In honor of our sixteenth wedding anniversary coming up next week, this poem was written as a nod to the fact that our kitchen table was a wedding gift from family.)

Thanks for reading,

~ Courtney 

The Benefits of Snow

 If one were to follow a county road in northern Wisconsin out from the slushy, grey city, and to an old farmstead surrounded by forest and fresh snow, you may find me, small against the backdrop of one-hundred year-old trees, dressed like an eskimo, and breathing in the solitude of a winter moment.

One must first be willing to venture out from the cozy heat, don tall, waterproof boots, then traipse through untouched snow, never knowing if the next step will be a couple inches deep, or a couple feet.

With the onslaught of an active snowfall also comes a reverent silence from nature.

Like a mother placing a blanket on her baby, shushing her to sleep, a heavy snowfall blankets the earth, reminding us that winter is a time for rest.

There was a time in history when people followed the natural rhythms of the seasons. 

The darkness of winter meant quiet evenings by firelight and early bedtimes.

Since the invention of electricity, and the acceptance of it into our homes, we now over-stimulate ourselves with artificial light, tricking our bodies into thinking it's still daytime many hours past dark.

I am thankful it is almost spring, and shifting an hour forward this weekend will return to us our long-awaited evening light. But as I reflect back over this past winter, I can't help but wonder if we push ourselves cruelly when nature intends for us to rest.

I pitched the idea to my family recently that we should consider not taking part in any out of the house evening activities next winter. 

No one jumped at the idea. 

I recommended creating our own cozy family activities that we could enjoy at home instead.

*crickets...

"But what if we tried it for just one winter, like an experiment," I pleaded. 

I'm convinced the benefits would be plentiful!

We would feel calmer and more stable mentally and emotionally.

We would be healthier as a result of getting more sleep and staying out of the germ-filled public.

It would be safer for us, not having to drive through ice and snow in the dark.

Then, after our restorative winter at home, we would be ready to emerge in the spring invigorated and with fresh spirits. 

Nature sets the example for us in this.

Did you know snow holds many benefits for the earth, preparing it for spring?

Some farmers call snow "the poor man's fertilizer."

Snow contains plant-absorbable nitrogen and sulfur, moisturizing the earth.

When winter releases a whole season's worth of snow, the nutrient-rich blanket gently percolates through the soil, watering it completely, so our gardens can emerge invigorated and with fresh spirits.

"For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,

And do not return without watering the earth

Making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

There probably aren't very many weeks of winter weather left, but as long as we're living in a snow globe, I will marvel at the creative hand of God and the renewing benefits of snow.

❆  ❄  ❆  ❄  ❆

~ Courtney 

A Few Thoughts on Homeschooling

 This winter has seemed unusually long, thanks to quite a few illnesses our family has endured lately. As a result, we have found ourselves impatiently awaiting spring.

🌷

(Bookends: my first-born and my baby.)

Add to illness frigid temps and swirling snow and we are prompted regularly to seek the comfort and peace of home sweet home.

Since my long-standing vision for our homeschool has been to prioritize home and family above all else, it is not hard for us to remain content and busy at home for days on end.

A recent visitor to our home asked what made me want to homeschool.

The "on the fly" answer I gave her has been on my mind. I don't often get asked that question much anymore, since I've been homeschooling for so long. It's almost become who I am, in a way.

 Simply put, I wanted to create a family culture where I could impart my values regularly, and talk about the Lord organically, while we "sit in our house, and walk by the way..." (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)

And I wanted to be the one to train their character, to work through their difficulties, and to watch their character flaws in order to correct appropriately. (Proverbs 22:6)

Every school year I've walked in obedience to the Lord in this, and He has blessed our humble efforts.

This year a fresh vision took root in my heart that has been budding...

I wish to impress upon my children a sense of loyalty and ministry to their own family first.

Jesus told his disciples to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and finally, to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Our immediate sphere of influence, our own people, should be prioritized first, before branching out to the rest of the world. It's tempting to think of our relationship with our family as unimportant compared to a lost and dying world, but it is not unimportant in God's eyes. 

Your life ministry starts in your family!

On top of this, we have been plodding along with our Abeka curriculum. I've learned to keep lessons bright and brief, and that a little goes a long way.

Academics, for us, isn't rigorous or stressful.

Thanks to Abeka, diagramming prepositional phrases and making equivalent fractions are not taxing, since every lesson leading up to each subsequent year prepares us perfectly.

Staying faithful to a curriculum has been like moving along comfortable stepping stones, taking us on this educational journey one (very doable!) step at a time.

Homeschooling has not been burdensome, it's our way of life. (1 John 5:3) Each day has a flow, a rhythm that feels natural, snug and happy, yet accomplishes so much.

📚

I want to share three impactful books that have shaped my homeschool:

Charlotte Mason's Home Education taught me how to incorporate nature, nutritious foods, and strong habits into everyday life starting at a young age.

"The mother who take pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days."

Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up From Slavery opened my eyes to the realization that with freedom comes great responsibility. Those who wish to break away from the commercial world or public school system to carve out a life for themselves at home should hear Mr. Washington's observations after the Emancipation:

 "The great responsibility of being free, of having charge of themselves, of having to think and plan for themselves and their children, seemed a more serious thing than they had expected to find it."

And lastly, Mother Culture by Karen Andreola helped me not to worry that my humble little homeschool doesn't measure up to what the regular schools are doing. We can trust God to bring fruit from what we can do, and that homestyle learning is unassuming but more than enough.

"A great many hidden saints, unknown to fame and fortune, are plodding along on the path to pleasing God. Not with fanfare, but with quiet dignity."

I wish all homeschool mothers would read these three excellent books. They blessed me, taught me, and helped make my homeschool what it is today.

💐

~ Courtney