December Photo Project - Day 19

December Photo Project - Day 18

December Photo Project - Day 17

December Photo Project - Day 16

December Photo Project - Day 15

December Photo Project - Day 14

December Photo Project - Day 13

December Photo Project - Day 12

December Photo Project - Day 11

December Photo Project - Day 10

December Photo Project - Day 9

December Photo Project - Day 8

December Photo Project - Day 4

December Photo Project - Day 3

December Photo Project - Day 2

December Photo Project - Day 1

December Photo Project

A few years ago, my mother began doing a "December Photo Project" on her blog, {Home}... and lovin' it.  MaKenna and I have decided to begin that tradition on our blog this year!  So, starting December 1, each day we will post a new "Christamassy" picture.  We hope this will fill your mind and heart with Christmas cheer and a new vision of what Christmas really means!

{Holly Louella}

A lesson from an Ipod

It started out just ordinary - trying to load a few songs onto my Ipod, I only had about 5 minutes to spare, but it shouldn't take any longer than that.  The computer was going really slow, and when my five minutes stretched to ten, everyone seemed intent to tell me all the things I should be doing.  Frustrated and tired, I yanked the cord from the computer without ejecting my Ipod (a BIG no-no in the Ipod world).  Suddenly everything had been deleted from my Ipod!  In the end, it took us over 1 hour to fix it - not including loading songs.  Later, I started thinking (randomly) of baby Bowen and others like him (you can read Bowen's story at www.bowensheart.com). Unexpectedly, I was struck by my selfishness - While I was nearly in tears worrying about whether or not I would be able to listen to my Ipod, there were parents wondering if their children would make it until morning, there were children wondering when they would be able to eat again, there were families saying tearful good byes to a relative that was being taken off life support.  Our problems that we worry and stress over so much are such a small part of life, that it's incredibly sad the amount of time we spend on them.  Just another reminder to keep things in perspective!

~ MaKenna DeVore ~

Changes

                   To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven; a 
                   time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that 
                   which is planted;                                              ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Change: School - although we have been doing school for nearly 2 months now, we are still working on getting everthing just right.

Change: Street services are starting soon, October 10 is the big day!

Change: Autumn is here - Pumpkins, apples, long walks, oh my!

Change: Acorns crunching underfoot

Change: Soups and yummy crockpot meals are here again! 

Change: Christmas Carols!  Okay okay - I know it's only a few days into fall, but we are crazy and maybe like Christmas just a little bit!

Change: It's baking time!

Change: Watermelon vines are no longer taking over their bed (and our yard), we finally made time to take out all of the extra vines, leaving only the 2 with melons on them.

Change: After a year with no youth pastor, our church has asked Brandon and Kara Shanks to come minister at our church.

These are just a few of the many changes taking place in our lives right now!  We are excited about what is happening, even though it can be difficult to accept.  However, learning to accept the changes around us is part of the excitement, adventure, and experience of life and we can't wait to see what will happen next!

What's on the menu - Muesli

We have discovered a new favorite breakfast - Muesli!

Muesli, similar to soaked oats, is healthy, hearty, and oh so good!!  There are many variations of Muesli, but they all include a mixture of rolled oats, other grains, ground nuts, seeds, and fruit.  

Here is how we prepare ours:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup Amaranth
• 1/4 cup Buckwheat
• 1/4 cup Millet
• Kefir
• Water

Mix together oats, amaranth, buckwheat, and millet.  Add enough water and kefir to wet it**Note: Don't add too much kefir or it tastes sour!**  Refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, add strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or other seasonal fruits.  We also add nuts(almonds or pecans), honey, ground flax seed, almond or soy milk, and cinnamon.

**You can also choose not to soak it and it is more like granola.**

We LOVE this recipe - it fills us up and gives us energy, and it is not too sweet, but so good! 

My Beautiful Piano

Recently, we heard of a church that was giving away a piano and an organ.  After a couple of weeks of making phone calls and plans, I came home from a girl's conference, to find my beautiful piano sitting in our living room!

Holly DeVore

Our First Post and Other Tidbits!

Yay!  Our first ever blog post!  We are so thrilled to have the opportunity of sharing this journey with you!  It is our hope that you will be encouraged and blessed by reading about the day to day life of two girls aspiring to be more.

Holly passionately pursues piano, photography, and songwriting. She spends an exorbitant amount of time reading, cooking, baking, and sewing {not necessarily in that order!}.      

MaKenna is an avid reader, baker and self-proclaimed "dabbler".  Over the years, she has tried quilting, sewing, knitting, photography, drawing, painting, crocheting, and violin, to name a few!

At the moment, we are actively involved in various church ministries, creating accessories for our home business,  AppleJuice, homeschooling, and training to become homemakers.  We love our life and are excited to see what will happen next!