Wishes, Dreams and a Good Bye....

Hi There....Welcome back! I'm sorry it has been such a long time since I have been here! I can't believe how crazy my life is. I have been in school for the past three years trying to finish my Bachelor's Degree and this semester I have one of the toughest classes I've ever had, Statistics. Instead of enjoying the fall days, baking apple crisp or jumping in leaf piles with my kids, I have to be inside nearly every moment, studying and doing homework. Fall is my favorite time of year and this year I feel like I am completely missing it!

I am not complaining though, once I have this class done, I will graduate with my Associate's Degree. And if I can keep my grade up in this class, I will graduate with honors! How exciting! I will weather this storm to reap the benefits later! :) One step closer to my dream....

As usual in the fall, my thoughts turn to those of living simply and harvesting the fruits of labor to use for the winter. I think of canned apple pie filling that will turn into warm, delicious apple pies in January. I think of the warm quilts that I am working on that will keep us warm through the cold Wisconsin, winter nights. I think of evenings of cocoa and laughter after a long day of sledding and snowball fights! I think of the days spent making cookies and treats to share with family and friends! I love these thoughts and treasure them dearly, waiting for the day that I can live the life that I have been dreaming of for so long.

You see, my dream, the one that I hold dearest, closest to my heart is to have a hobby farm, here, near my family. I want to look out my window and see the rolling hills with the leaves changing colors. I want to see pastures full of cows, horses, even sheep. I want to have a quilt studio for my sewing and a photography studio for my other hobby. And I want to have cabins for recovering veterans, home from war. A big farm house, with a large porch surrounding it with swings and rocking chairs where you can sit and look out on forever. Yummy smells coming from the kitchen, floating over you as you wander the paths of the garden. I am going to school for psychology to be able to help the vets, but I believe that fresh air, sunshine and a place to relax is a wonderful place to begin the recovery. And we all know that animals can be hugely instrumental in recovery as well.  This is my dream and I try hard every single day to take one, two or more steps toward achieving this goal.

One more note to today's post...a good bye.....My Uncle Harold passed away yesterday morning. He was 90 years old and finally gave in to the cancer that tormented him. He is now dancing with the Lord, with his arms around his loving wife. His parents and siblings and many other beloved family members met him at the gate.....Rest in Peace Uncle Harold, you will be missed.....

What I am  Thankful for Today....
My health
My beloved children
My wonderful loving boyfriend
Having a dream
A beautiful fall day
Sunshine
God's love

Today's Prayers....
My  Uncle and my family as we lay him to rest
My children
Safe travels this weekend
Paul's continued healing
The McKensey family and all that they do
My dad as he faces his heart surgery
For a heart of servitude and forgiveness