And just like that...

Our 2025 season has come to an end. For this homesteading, homeschooling family, now is when real life begins. We have relished the opportunity to share our life with you- our animals, our hard-won knowledge, our peaceful little piece of the prairie.

But the 3-month season takes a toll. We live here and that means we never leave work. Every meal is a business meeting. Everywhere we look, we see a job to do. Our table has had anywhere from 8 to 25 chairs around it since mid-April. We are so grateful for all the help, but preparing and cleaning up from meals is a pretty big job. Then there are all the animals, which aren't so much work in themselves, but the necessity to keep everything clean takes a lot of effort.

Now we will shift gears- in fact, it has happened already. Putting animals out to pasture makes a huge difference. Simplifying meals down to meat and fresh veg for our now family of 6 is a delight. Relearning the skills of pausing for read-alouds and answering questions on-the-spot is so important, because that's the way we want to live our life.

August is the time for a bit of summer fun, making a lot of hay, visiting our kids at their various Bible camps, hosting a field day for fellow homeschoolers, and prepping for a September wedding which will be hosted at our farm. Does that sound restful? No, but as Ma Ingalls used to say "A change is as good as a rest," and we are looking forward to it.

Dead-heading chamomile.