Life in Nebraska ....

Keagan with his best friend Jamin        Five years ago today we were at the Seward Hospital relaxing, enjoying our miracle baby and our Christmas vacation.  We had our plan all laid out to go in on the 27th and have that baby  After a miserable Christmas Day I went home to sleep and got interrupted at 2am.  It was a very nice interruption and we got to have that baby on the 26th instead!     Keagan Michael Burkey is Five today!  He's the one who sings clear and on tune while he plays. He's the one who knows what Mathias is trying to tell us.  He's our skinny little wiggle worm.  He's fiery and full of it and he pushes himself to be as tough and big as his 9 year old brother.  He's our scientist and perfectionist.  We love him.      He told everyone yesterday that we can't have his birthday till Thursday because Jamin has to be here and Jamin can't be here today.  So hopef...

     I'm teaching a class every Sunday of women older than me.  All the studying involved has given me lots to ponder.  The biggest ponder is that it's so out of my comfort zone and so very difficult.  I find myself flat on my face every Saturday night....begging God to open up this passage to me because it seems like it's written in code or something.  Maybe because it's a study of Corinthians. And Paul likes to go around the barn three  times to get to the house. Or it seems like it.  It's a very good study....learning things.  It's also a very convicting study.     I have realized again in the last week that I don't hear and listen very well.  I'm pondering that one especially in relation to my man and my boys.  I need to figure out the balance.  If I would let them, my boys would run my life.....they do anyhow.  But I think we're working on it!  And as I'm watching myself better, I find t...

    We've been sick this past week.  And today started to feel rather yucky too. So after a morning out working in the aggressive Nebraska wind, I felt I needed to create some spots of joy inside the house.  All the while my hard working man kept fighting the wind and dirt till well past dark.  He created a lot more order out there but I didn't get pictures of it all.  It turned out to be a beautiful Saturday at home.         I am really aware of how nice we have things and trying to put each thing into my memory and thank God for them....really treasure them.  When the news isn't so nice and there are so many unknowns around, it makes me stop and really get a perspective on what really matters.  So here are my little spots of joy for today that God gave us.  Thank you God.   We plan to remodel the living room soon. And this wall is coming out. But today I could not bare to look at it blank ...

So many things roll through my head.  The thoughts this week are about babies with stomach flu.  And my baby with a chipped tooth and two other bad teeth.  And thoughts on this home schooling endeavor.  And relationships.  And other complexities of life.       Today, has been a cold grey day.  A day where I hugged the big baby boy and read a toy book to the kids and dreamt with them on how to build a rocket nerf gun for art class.  It's been a day where we saw unusual cars going by our house because of a funeral at the little church at the end of our little mud road. I've spent too many hours on the computer trying to figure out what forms I needed printed out.  In between that I looked up how to build a bench out of weathered wood.        Don't you like it?  I want one like this along the edge of my laundry room.   And then I want a long weathered board with hooks above it.     ...

This feels rather nice. I haven't sat down here to blab on my blog on a Sunday afternoon for a long time.  All summer long it was all about moving and the house.  So now we're moved.  Internet back up.  Which is okay.  But I liked not having it too for a couple weeks.  We still have lots and lots and lots more to do but we are all moved from the old place now and I can work on these things for the next 39 years....or however many years God gives me.     It's very cleansing to move.  I'm going to try to live as if I'm moving all the time.  At least when it comes to cleaning and organizing.  I've discovered cleaning is done it layers.  I think I knew it before but it's amazing how fast those layers of dirt build up. So I have big fantastic plans not to let so many layers build up.  I've been buying hampers that fit our needs.  Baskets and Hooks to help us put away and hang up.  Everything I put away I'm trying to ...

These pictures are all out of order.  But they show you a little of what we did in the last month. Mathias played and handled the big moving day like a pro. Matt's parents and Uncle and Aunt took care of the whole putting the freezers back together thing.   The swarm of kids were here for a bit.... First Morning here....cereal as ususal.  Shilah came and spent 5 days.  We just got back from taking her to the airport.  It is a  sad night here.  We're loving the bar area.  Shilah and I went out to the shop and found some bar stools on Sunday.... One area I am pretty happy about....a small bit of order. Dear Aunt Shilah and my Mathisas. a curtain I found on clearance... The worst of the freezer business.... One small precious who helped moving day.... Add caption Paper bag fun we had one evening Our last chance to walk the woods where we lived before...It was a beaut...

We went to the zoo the other week.   The safari Jeep in the hands on building.... One of the finer moments in a baking Friday.  I came upstairs to find this going on.  Mathias' gift for number 2 day.  Destroying as always!   Staying "waream"....translated warm.   We are on the count down to moving!  A week from now we will be gearing up to be out of here!  My sister Shilah is flying in the 24th to help us for 4 days and we hope to make  much progress in getting settled over there.      Our lives are very busy.  Last week was full of adventure.  Some not so nice.  Some really nice.  The roof Matt had going last week turned out to be much messier and bigger than he thought and it was 2 hours from home.  We saw him in tiny little bits  at bedtime.  And on Thursday we actually ate supper together!  After supper he left to work on the house...