Tag: life

Be Still, and Know

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Mama

My goodness, what a busy spring and summer we have had here at The Three-Acre Wood! So busy, in fact, that I’ve done very little in the way of writing and I’m really starting to miss that component of my life. Over the last few years as a small-time blogger, I have discovered that I really enjoy journaling about my life and adventures and have found that creating, in the crafty sense as well as in prose, to be therapeutic. I am so grateful to my family, friends and readers who continue to venture along this path with me and just feel the need to say thanks every now and then, especially when I’ve been a bit absent. So to you I say, “Thank you!”

Just this summer, we have been raising chickens and building coops, battling Strep, vacationing in Oklahoma, cruising for seven days in Alaska, planning and prepping for Vacation Bible School, taking swim lessons and all the while working through a hopeful child adoption. It has been amazing but seriously stressful and time consuming, especially on top of all my regular commitments.

With all the activity that has surrounded us lately, a couple of weeks ago I finally reached a point in the middle of the night where my brain and my heart felt so burdened and busy that I couldn’t sleep. Now those closest to me know that I LOVE my sleep and realize it rarely eludes me. . . unless I’m seriously stressed, which doesn’t happen often. After trying several methods to coax myself to sleep I finally grabbed my Bible and headed directly to my Great Comforter. After reading a few chapters on my “Read the Bible in a Year” list I recalled Psalm 46:10. . .

He says, “Be still, and know I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Ah yes, the “be still” verse. . . not one of my favorites until I am at my wits end. But on this way early morning with blurry eyes and a heavy heart, God spoke to me through this verse and His message was twofold. First, I felt that I was commanded to slow down and release some of the burdens of my life (no matter how much I might enjoy them). That message was clear and I vowed to ease up on some of my volunteer duties so that I could take better care of my family and myself. This touched on the “be still” part of the verse but the “know I am God” portion was where I really had to examine my life.

I had become so busy, so pressed for time in my daily life, that I had let my daily quiet time and Bible study slowly slip away. I no longer found myself nourished by The Word, worshipping with God or producing much fruit. I was missing out on the very thing that energizes my soul. . . and that is a very sad place to be. I had put aside the One who loves me, who guides me and who cradles me when I’m way in over my head. My life was out of whack! But as I sat still on an early June morning, I realized who was truly in control of my life and the world around me — it was, and is, my God! I exalt you!

By the way, the photo at the top is from our very recent Alaskan cruise. With views like this, it’s sure is easy to know and exalt Our Creator. *in awe*

We Became “The Three-Acre Wood”

Posted on May 15, 2017May 15, 2017 by Mama

Through the years you have probably heard me refer to our little, very little, slice of property as The Quarter-Acre Wood. (I like to give our “estates” cute little names because it makes them sound more personal and appealing.) The Quarter-Acre Wood is located in a basic suburban neighborhood with a semi-active home owners’ association and several quarter-acre lots. We are at the end of a cul-da-sac which keeps us pretty quiet, but the real draw is the 200+ acres of timber to which our little lot backs. . . hence, the name “Quarter-Acre Wood.”

We have enjoyed the perks of our location for almost five years now and love to watch the wildlife that visits quite frequently, but with the sprawl of housing and business development that seems to be stepping up in our area we have been worried that our country life in the city will soon disappear. In fact, I have seen plans for a housing development right behind us, were it not for a little slice of oddly shaped heaven owned by a defunct corporation since the 70s. Since the day we moved into our home, my husband and I have talked about how we should try to buy this little strip of land as a buffer between us and what might come one day, but I never seriously took up the torch until last summer. On a whim, I wrote a letter to the Atlanta, Georgia, address listed on the county tax site and sent it off without much hope. I didn’t know if the offer of interest would even make it into the hands of the owner; and if it did, I sure didn’t think the owner would sell this piece of property within the city limits for a price that we wanted to pay.

After months of nothingness in reply to my letter, I received a phone call from the owner saying he would be in town in December and if we were still interested he would love to talk. So talk we did and after some negotiations and paperwork, we became the proud owners of some pretty useless, land-locked acreage that serves no real purpose other than to make us happy. In short, that’s how we became “The Three-Acre Wood,” but maybe I should call it The Happy-Acre Wood (at least for me). With plans for chickens, bonfires and hay rides, I am so delighted I made a play for this property, but I’m afraid my husband is quickly viewing it as another source of work for him. Now, would I do that to the man I love???

This is pretty much what our new acreage looked like when we bought it. We have since cleared it out, burned lots of brush and things are very green.

There is a large clearing that I would love to turn into an orchard one day, but the soil is pretty rocky and wet most of the time.

The boys and I (mostly my husband) spent many days cutting and clearing out the fallen and dead timber and making piles to burn. I had my first run-in with poison oak and was miserable for days! I’m a lot more careful when swinging from vines these days.

Here are most of the piles we made just waiting to be burned. That metal arbor is right about the dividing line between our former backyard and the new property.

Armed with a fire extinguisher, a water hose and a shovel, my boys burned about eight piles of brush to make the land manageable. . . and to prepare for chickens!

Even the more menacing parts of the property are fun to photograph.

I Ate My Bacon in the Shower

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Mama

Wow! What a spring! It has been an entire month since I have taken a breath long enough to write down a few thoughts and, counting up all my irons in the fire, I’m surprised I haven’t just thrown in the towel. In fact, just last week I actually ate my bacon in the shower (yes, as the water was flowing), which should have been a huge clue that I’m probably more than just a tad too busy. Of course I have no one to blame but myself for most of my family’s carryings-on, but it has been very exciting around here at the Quarter-Acre Wood so I wanted to share just a few happenings with all of you.

First of all, let me just go ahead and admit that this year’s attempt at the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge was an epic failure. I didn’t even make it halfway to my goal before my timeline simply timed out. On the bright side of things, I did manage to clean out several trouble spots in my home even if I ignored the huge looming storage room under the garage. I just simply close my eyes and stumble around every time I retrieve a flower vase or restock holiday decorations. I’ve only stumped my toes a few times. Okay, not so much, but that method would probably make me a lot happier since I wouldn’t have to look at my mess.
Although I struck out at cleaning my house, I did manage to complete a hefty item on my wish list and that was the Daughters of the American Revolution. After a bit of research and document gathering, I only had to wait a few months for everything to be verified. I became official on April 5 and will be sworn in this afternoon at our monthly meeting. I’m super excited to be a part of this very patriotic group of ladies and thankful to my ancestor, William Crowson, who fought for our country’s independence.
In addition to the D.A.R., I’ve also joined another important group of individuals — the pastor search committee at Park Hill Baptist Church. Our church lost its pastor at the end of the year and now we are searching for the man who will continue to lead our congregation for the coming years. I am very honored and excited to be serving on this committee, but it’s also a lot of pressure! Of course I realize we aren’t alone in this, and with continued prayer we will call the person God has appointed. . . still, it’s a lot of pressure!!
Also church related, I’m coordinating Vacation Bible School again this year, and things are already in full swing. I love VBS, but trying to bring everything together is kind of crazy!!!
One of the biggest (and most expensive) ventures we have going this spring comes with the title of “Land Baroness.” Okay, so that’s a self-imposed title, but I kind of like it. My husband and I finally enquired about the three acres that backs to our property and I’m happy to say we now officially own it. Yay! It’s an oddly shaped property that wraps around the end of our neighborhood, but it’s ours and it’s not part of the homeowners’ association. You know what that means. . . chickens!! We had to find a new home for our feathered friends when we moved here almost five years ago and although it was a very sad day, happy days are here again (if we can just figure out how to keep all our predators at bay)!

Okay, so now that I’ve caught you up on some of the major happenings at the now “Three and a Quarter-Acre Wood,” I guess I should get back to my Saturday morning. After all, I have a chicken coop to assemble and a DAR meeting to attend (these things make me smile, you know).

Page 2 of 15

« 1 2 3 4 … 15 »