Yes! Still Dreaming of a Homestead

A sweet and relaxing Thursday evening to you, dear friends!  Finding yourselves cozy, I hope?

My feet are up and my cup of tea is near, the hum of the dishwasher is quickly making me quite sleepy and, thankfully, the house is quiet with the babies sleeping peacefully.  Daniel is away on one last mission from these two weeks of intense training.  I won't lie. I will be thankful when tomorrow morning comes and a long weekend can begin.  We have been on what they call "reverse cycle" these past weeks, meaning that we have Daniel home for breakfast and he heads to work around 2 in the afternoon but doesn't return home until early early in the morning.  Sometimes 3 am or sometimes not until 8 am, depending on the mission.  What a man he is to endure this training and to thrive in it!  I am exhausted just watching and I hate to admit it, but the "reverseness" (I think I just created a word and we are going with it!), the "reverseness" of it has really thrown me off-kilter and has affected me more than I had anticipated.  Alas, I think I am out of the irritated-annoyed-what time is it-which meal am I serving? bubble I have found myself in and am back to a somewhat re-oriented-with-normalcy type of routine.  

Somehow I was hoping to write about homesteading… um… let's see… how to transition?

Well, yes!  I am glad you asked.  Our hopes of homesteading are still alive and well and although we can not do much here in this yard of ours in Savannah, we are trying to do all that we can.  Our garden.  Well, yeah, that was not what we had hoped.  Why is it that we can't grow anything?!?  Well, we think it's because we don't receive enough sunshine here in the back yard. Or maybe, too, it is because we have a HUGE pine tree right in the middle of our garden which lends to the soil being more acidic.  Either way, we did not get a big harvest last year.  In all honesty, there was not a harvest at all.  Maybe one tomato?  

We tried a few kale plants and cabbage and carrots over the winter but that seemed to fail as well and so, we have just planted our last effort for a Savannah garden and we planted onions and potatoes.  So far so good but that is how all our other attempts have begun and so we will wait and hope.

And for our animals, we are loving our chickens.  We actually just made quite the big change to our flock.  We had two laying hens but they had come to the end of their prime for eggs and so we, well, we made them into delicious stewed hens.  Might that be a good way of putting it?  

Daniel was the brave one here, as always, and once again, it would seem we always have an audience on such occasions (remember something about a neighbor boy with a bag of chips and us chasing pigs?).  The neighbors just happened to be out, enjoying a gorgeously Spring afternoon when we decided it was time.  And so Daniel just stated over the fence what we were doing and not a minute later, there were the 3 young neighbor boys, already over the fence and standing, mouths wide and eyes wider at the chickens hanging upon our . .  clothes-line.  

Not to waste a beautiful bird, they were into the pot

plucked and cleaned and into the refrigerator.  We enjoyed one this week actually!  I put her in a big stock pot with water covering her and let it simmer for about 6 hours.  Then I added some onions, carrots, green beans, and potatoes and we had a delicious and nourishing chicken soup.  Delicious!

But that wasn't the only change.  We now have 5 new ladies we welcomed here.  3 Barred Rock and 2 Americanas.  They are not quite old enough to be laying yet, we are hoping for mid June.  But they are beauties and we are thankful for them.  Snow White seems to be the only name Tirzah has been using for all of them, so we have our sweet flock of SnowWhites and we are set for now.

We weren't quite happy with our coop set-up however, so we moved it from one side of the yard to the other and we put up a fence so the girls could have an extensive run to enjoy.  And in the move Tirzah found and communicated in the clearest way (loudest scream ever imaginable) that a snake was in our yard.  Thankfully it was just a brown snake, but he was a good two feet long and added quite the adventure to our back yard morning work!

Hard to see here, but to the right of Daniel and Tirzah, hidden amongst the pine needles and leaves is the snake!

Tirzah took this picture, actually!  Us in motion moving the coop.  That thing might not look heavy, but let me tell you!  I think my arms are just now over their soreness… Daniel was the muscle and I simply steered.  

So, yes, we do still dream of homesteading, and we do still love doing what we can, right now!  Never a dull moment, of that I can assure you.

Well, I am going to do What I'm LOVING early this week. . . for tomorrow I will be gone all the day long. . . taking Tirzah out to be with her grandparents in Colorado!

Block Leave, about 3 and a half weeks without work, begins officially on Friday!  We are so thankful and so excited for this time together.  We haven't planned a huge trip, but rather we decided to have some time together here at home, a "stay-cation" if you will.  So, I fly Tirzah out to her grandparents house early early tomorrow morning, and then fly back super late in the evening.  For 9 days she will be with them and I can't even say all the fun things they have planned for her!  She is so excited. . . we have been counting down since about day 16, so she is ready (I think Grandma and Grandpa are even more excited!).  For Daniel and I?  Enjoying one another and the slow days together.  We hope to get a few day trips in, since we really haven't explored too too much of Washington.  But nothing is on the calendar yet.  Definitely some trips out to eat: breakfast, coffee, and dinner.  Most assuredly mornings sleeping in and evenings spent staying up way to late.  And of course, food will be our theme!  (always is!)  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for giving us this time!


So. . .

LOVING the thought of Block Leave!

LOVING the unity that Daniel and I have been having; especially after a long hard week last week of missing one another.

LOVING these chocolate chip cookies. . . we made this morn for someone special whom we will see tomorrow. . .

and loving it all over her smile

LOVING celebrating with Anna and James!  He arrived home today from his 9 month deployment!  Praise the Lord for all that he has done in their lives.  How we give thanks for their presence in our lives and how we have the opportunity to walk side by side in this military season of life.

Anna is on the right.  I LOVE this picture, it makes me cry every time I look at it.  What emotions !!

He's HOME!!

LOVING hearing the sound of laughter, trailing down the stairs.  Tirzah and her Daddy doing what they do best: wrestling!

LOVING funny remembrances of yesterday:

* I was cooking that Roasted Sweet potato with couscous recipe, and as I stood by the stove, stirring the couscous, Tirzah came and stood by me looking in the oven saying "fire.  I see fire."  But I couldn't quite understand what she was saying, and there wasn't anything in the oven.  But then I looked: and there indeed was a fire!  Ooopsies!  But all is well. . . just a little startling to have your toddler tell you of these things.

*One other: thank you so much for your prayers for Tirzah and her bowel movements.  We are doing SO much better in that area.  So much so, (and this will most definitely be too much information but I have to write it because it is the opposite of what we were bearing 2 weeks ago), she was not wearing a diaper and we heard a catastrophe upstairs. . . yes. . . a bowel movement on the floor and all over the socks of Daniel that she was wearing. . . yikes!  But so funny in light that 2 weeks ago we couldn't get her to go, but now, we can't get her to stop! (So sorry to have written this! )

LOVING, absolutely LOVING, that just now as we put Tirzah to bed, Tirzah let her Daddy hold her while we sang and prayed over her.  The first night in 2 months!  Well actually, in 11 months!  Since he left on deployment, Daniel has not held her for her bedtime routine and tonight was a breakthrough.  He simply asked her with the tenderest of hearts, and she said yes.

Remember

Memorial Day 2012

Run to Remember

We set out at 7:30 this morning.  Alison and Lucy in the car with us; Dannielle and her friend Stephanie in the car behind us.

We winded through the roads of DuPont and came to the park where all were gathered.  Shirts of blue, every shade of blue was worn.  Blue to say that we remember.  

We remember the ones who have Fallen.

We remember their families.

We remember their sacrifice.

It will not be forgotten.

We Remember the 6,460 Soldiers who have so bravely given their lives in this current fight for freedom, so that we might have ours, this day.

Wear blue: run to remember is a community across the nation, across the world, that meets to run/walk in remembrance of those who have ultimately served.  Visit their site here to see if their might be a run in your area.

6,460 Soldiers have given their lives.  There was a goal to meet that number with participants pledging miles.  Miles to remember those men and women of valor.  Before the walk began this morning, it was announced that over 13,000 miles had been pledged.  

Amen.

Indeed, their lives are remembered again and again and most especially on this Memorial Day.

And so as we gather again on a Monday, a Manna Monday, we gather to recognize the provision of 

FREEDOMs that we live in each day in this land we call America.

FREEDOM

to wake and worship in the early mon

to walk and show remembrance

to raise our daughter and nurture her freely in the admonition of the Lord

to choose our clothing

to choose our food

to write

to choose what I read

to walk in safety, publicly

to offer my voice, my opinion, even as a woman

to be fruitful and multiply

to pray

to call myself an American

to call this land, this land of the free and this land of the brave, my homeland.

As I step back and think about service, service to my Country, service to my family and friends, I must ask myself:

"Is service really service if there is no sacrifice?"

For on this day we remember too, that sacrifice of service that was given for us years and years ago.  Dying to set people free is an action worthy of God Himself.

As He went to the tree of Calvary and forever, 

for all eternity

has set us FREE.

Thank you to all of those who have served and indeed all those who are serving now.

We remember this day

Commissioning two years ago.
The passing of the baton of service in the Shear family: father to son.
Amen

Provision through our eyes

We all have heard the saying;

let the thousand words be spoken now

through these sweet memories and pictures

yes!  She is sleeping!  This is the most hard-working woman I know and to catch her taking  a rest is such a gift!  And these are the new lawn chairs my parents bought me for Mother's Day.  They are simply the best.

We rode our bikes to church!  This was the after shot: I was so proud of my Mom!  She was such a  trooper.

Taking Tirzah to the zoo for the first time yesterday!  She loved the aquarium and the elephants.  Also the swinging monkeys!

Thank you for covering our family in your prayers.  It has been over a week now since I have heard from my Love.  My heart is a bit uneasy: how necessary it is to hope and trust in Him!

It seems that every two weeks I will have a breakdown, during this season of deployment: it came yesterday when I cried on the phone with my friend Hillary and it came last night when I laid down to rest.  My feet were dragging, emotionally speaking, and I just didn't really want to be walking through this deployment, anymore, honestly.

And yet, this is where the Lord has us and we remember together that He always works for our good.  This deployment is for our good.  This ache in the heart is for our good.  These 9 months, yes indeed, 9 months, are for our good.  For each of these leads us to our knees when we realize we have not the strength left.  Even after 2 weeks my strength, my own strength that is, has worn thin.  I am so thankful for the perfect provision of HIS strength which will, I believe, WILL carry us through.

And so, with His strength in mind, I recall the gifts recorded of this week, Week 2 of deployment:

Tuesday: Watching Tirzah play so diligently at the museum.

Wednesday: a nap on his green chair!  And falling asleep praying over him

Thursday: a 3 hour nap!! For me!

Friday: Treat to have time to myself this morn at the coffee shop and at my one hour massage

Saturday: Getting our new lawn chairs for Mother's Day

Sunday: Biking to church for the first time!  And Mom doing it too!

Monday: Her excitement over the aquarium!  She hardly knew what to say

A glimpse of Platoon Life

I realized that I had yet to write of the changes in Daniel's military world:

He is a Platoon Leader!

That which he has been training for for the past 5 years is now upon him.  That which he has dreamed of, sweated over, and has had his heart beat faster for, is here.

A Platoon Leader.  A leader of 40 men.  A leader that will take these 40 men to combat.

It is amazing the weight of his responsibility.

When we first arrived in Washington, we were both under the impression that a platoon would not open up until they were already overseas.  But the platoon opened up just about a month ago, and Daniel has been leading for the past two weeks.

The life of a platoon leader is many things, but most certainly it is busy!  My husband wakes at 4:50 and is out the door by 5:20 am.

He begins the morning at work by leading his platoon in their Physical Training.

Then, throughout the day, he is given task after task after task to complete.  However, underneath all these tasks lies the responsibility of organized paperwork, training tasks of the day, and fellowship with his platoon.  And, he maintains an open-door policy.  So all his men like to come and talk with him (I mean, I would want to too!).  Needless to say, it is extremely hard to find the time to complete all of his tasks!

Sometimes he doesn't return home until 7:30 pm and as he says: "I could stay until midnight and still not have everything completed.."

Wow.  He is an extremely hard-worker and the best Soldier I know.  Leading a platoon is not for the faint of heart.

My husband and I have been working through this transition to the leadership position.  I selfishly have chosen to not see life from his perspective.  But my eyes were opened this past Saturday as we delivered a meal to one his platoon members, who had just welcomed the arrival of their third child.

Just to see his face, Daniel's, next to that of this man, this man who Daniel would lead in combat, made the realization hit hard.  It is largely Daniel's responsibility to bring this man home.  Home from war.  Home from overseas.

And then I looked at his wife and at the faces of his three precious children.  What a responsibility to bring the husband of this woman and the father of these children, home.  A noble responsibility.

And what a shame that I have not supported as I should have but only looked to the selfish ache in my heart for more time and for more of my needs to be met.  Praise God that I can fall upon His mercy, where no time is wasted time, and I can begin anew and afresh today to support my husband as he leads.


Daniel will lead his platoon into combat this coming April.  For 9 months he will lead them.  For 9 months he is purposed with the homecoming of each and every one of these 40 men.

Would you please join me in prayer for both my husband and for these men?