Welcome!

I'm Tonia and this is my family. There's Hubs, my wonderful partner; Bug, my darling daughter; and Boo, my charming son. We are the Collins clan. We are a homeschooling family who try our best to live out God's will for our lives every day. There are lots of stumbles along the way, but we love each other and this little life we're carving out for ourselves. Recently we found ourselves called to make some big changes in our lives so we're packing up the McMansion and moving out to a little farm in need of a lot of TLC. We have tons to learn and tons to do and we invite you to share the journey as we turn our not-so-new heap into a home.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Perfection

It seemed like a normal day. We didn't do anything special, didn't even leave the house, but as the sun began to set I found myself reviewing each moment, etching it into my memory. It was a rare, perfect day- the kind of day that we envisioned when we bought the Heap. Someday, when I'm old and gray this is the day I will remember.

The kids did their schoolwork while I did some much needed cleaning. There was no fussing or fighting and they even worked together on their science and history assignments. I love it when they cooperate on work, there is seriously nothing sweeter. When they needed help, I was able to pause my work and help. School was done shortly after lunch and they happily headed outside to play.

In the afternoon, after some quiet time spent reading I allowed them some screen time while I grabbed a little catnap. I'm still recuperating from camp and that little power nap was so amazing.

The alarm buzzing told me my hour was up and it was time to light the grill for dinner. The kids came out to help me harvest a huge amount of fresh goodness from the garden including green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn while the grill warmed up.


While the steaks, chicken, and corn grilled the Hubs played catch with the kids. The chickens clucked and foraged at my feet, hoping I'd drop something. It was a beautiful, warm, breezy night filled with the smell of dinner cooking and the sounds of kids playing- absolute perfection.


Dinner was delicious and beautiful, filled with fresh veggies I'd picked an hour earlier. We're still a long way from that being a normal occurrence, but when I'm able to serve a meal made from only things I grew it literally makes me giddy.


The kids cleaned up the dinner dishes while the Hubs and I went outside and strolled around, discussing plans for fencing and the garden. When they joined us, the three of them went back to playing catch and I snuck away for a shower, but while I was showering I realized I really, really did not want to forget this day so I hurried back outside with a wet head, in my nightgown, to grab one more picture.


What could perhaps be called normal or mundane has absolutely filled up my heart today. Thank you, Lord, for perfect days.

Tonia