A fruitful harvest

We had a great garden harvest this year and take a look at these heirloom tomatoes!  Beautiful!  I've been able to put up lots of pickled foods and sauces, not to mention what we got to eat fresh.  So tahnkful for God's bounty.

Here is a shot of our garden with the heavy mulch we laid down around it.  It was wonderful not having to weed it this year and very rarely did we have to water it.  It may just be worth all that work.

Family Reunion

At the end of July, we made the long drive to Maryland to have a Murphy family reunion.  It was a full week but since I'm so far behind, I'll just share our "big gang" photos.  It was great to catch up with everyone and make some new memories.

The original Murphy gang - in all their silly glory.

The kiddos enjoying their grandparents.

Oh yes, and Boo had such a great time painting this milk house door with her Uncle Randy.  Grandma loved the end results on her property and a new relationship has bloomed between these two.

Memory Lane

This is Jen and we go way back to Junior High School.  It's fun to look back and remember all the things we've experienced together, even when we eventually moved in together as roommates.  Life gets busy and living in different states keeps us pretty far apart.  What a gift to me when she opted to drive 7 hours to meet me in CO this summer!  Bless her!

We spent two relaxing and refreshing days in Breckenridge, CO, enjoying the beauty of nature and of each others company.  We stayed in this mountaintop resort (look at the top left of the photo and you can imagine the view from our room) and it was amazing.  Most importantly was the joy we had in sharing what God has been up to in our lives and families over the years.  Two days just wasn't enough but it was SUCH a gift!

Camp Como

July has been filled with adventure.  This photo shows you just who accompanied me on the journey to Colorado, a 14 hour drive in a 15 passenger van across the plains of Kansas.  I actually had volunteered to go for just that drive, as an assistant chauffeur, and had no idea what God would have in store for me while I was there.  He worked out all the details to make me available and I just had to trust the outcome to Him.

In addition to watching 3 of my kids "encounter the mountain wilderness", I got to know some fun teens, met some wonderful college students and connected with my kids youth pastor on a deeper level.  We climbed boulders, cliffs and mountains and the finale was a 12,500 ft peak named "Little Baldy".  It was a daunting climb but I kept up with all the youngsters.  I was rewarded with this beautiful view from the top and left a little monument on the rock (above) for another explorer to find. 

Granted, my adventure blessed me in many ways (including one I'll share on my next post) but it did come at a cost to my comfort zone.  Lack of showers, sleeping on the ground in an Indian teepee (that was a struggle), outhouses,  lack of regular showers and the smell of stinky, teenager feet next to my sleeping bag each night.  Despite the "hardships", I'm so thankful I stepped out of my comfort zone, saw the world through the eyes of a teenager again, enjoyed the overwhelming beauty of God's creation, connected with people whose experiences are worlds away from my own and worshiped God Who gave me this escape.  BUT, it is good to be back at home in my bed. :)

A June full of "camping"

Our first week was church Day Camp as we all helped with a 3 day VBS at church.  The older kids filled many roles including a skit (pictured below), Boo was a camper, my man taught kids archery and I was the potter.  Lots of work but lots of fun.

The next week was Boo's turn for a 3 day survival skills camp at the Conservation Department.  The skills they learned were based on the children's book, Hatchet, and were lots of fun I'm told.  Here she is at camp with a good buddy.

During the same week, Spiderman & Goose attended Camp ER where they had hands-on science all week long, especially related to the anatomy/medical world.  They had an incredible time.

The following week was the older 3's turn to experience the same survival camp that Boo had been through. 

Top all this off with a fun visit with Aunt Laura, who rode her little scooter all the way from Chicago.  June was a blur but one filled with lots of fun opportunities.  (I don't see our summer slowing down until August)  :)

Much of May

May was a blur around the house.  The kids helped me unload a truckload of rock and did some beautiful landscaping around the house.  We built the above raised bed for our strawberry plants (the cage is to deter the bunnies and birds), one twice as large for various veggies and moved a dumptruck load of tree mulch around the property.  We're trying a Back to Eden style project on our old garden bed since the soil is such terrible clay.  As you can see below, the weather interrupted some of that as we received around 10 inches of rain in a week's time.  The neighbors newly planted corn gave us a whole new layer of topsoil, wanted or not, and our footbridge washed 30 feet downstream.  Not to mention a flooded basement through the window well and a tree toppled due to soggy ground.  What a doozy!

If life gives you flooding, go play in the mud....

Where did April go?

I can't even pretend to catch you up on the 3 months that have gone by quietly on this blog.  Life has been anything but quiet.  Here are a few shots...  Above is a poster Boo designed and won 2nd place for - earning herself a $5 prize.  Look at that pride and joy.

It became official.  Ethan is taller than I am and to celebrate, he bought me a bag of Swedish Fish, my favorites! 

The kids finished the school year and here they are with friends after a fun field day.  We're so thankful for good friends.