a few of my favorite things...

I feel abundantly blessed lately--and genuinely happy.  As one who has battled the dark clouds of depression on and off for years, it feels so good to be plain ol' happy!  Thank you, Jesus, and thank you to all the people who have prayed for me and my family these past few years!  I believe a lot of healing has taken place spiritually and also physically this past year.  I know the graces of Medjugorje helped, the prayers of many people, and also some supplements and diet changes too.  I'm also guessing that I'm experiencing a time of "spiritual consolation" right now.  I know it won't last forever and a period of "desolation" might be just around the corner, so I am soaking in all this joy and grace while it lasts!  :)

Truly though, everywhere I look, I see things that make my heart rejoice.  Especially around our property, I feel like every day a new flower blossoms that I never knew was there before.  We recently discovered that we have raspberry bushes all over the property, as well as wild strawberries growing by our pond right outside our back door.  We even have some apple, pear, and cherry trees--another surprise gift that was beyond our hopes when we were looking for a new home!  We also continue to see more wildlife than we ever imagined.  Already we have seen more deer than we can count, some elk, a mountain lion, a fox, a wild turkey (almost daily), and now the boys are having so much fun identifying all the birds we see in our backyard with the new bird book that we bought.  Some of the most exciting birds we have seen are:  the Western Tanager, the Lazuli Bunting, the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Pink-Sided Black-Eyed Junko, the Downy Woodpecker, and many gorgeous Mountain Bluebirds.  I feel like God has given us a mini Garden of Eden!  The other day as Paul and the older boys were coming down our driveway, they saw a doe who had just given birth to a fawn, for it couldn't stand up and fell onto its adorable little face.  The little boys and I saw the fawn the next day, and it was perhaps the cutest thing I have ever seen.  How I wish I had my camera with me!  And just yesterday, when I went out to feed the chickens in the coop, there was a doe waiting outside the coop watching me.  I came out slowly and offered her some of the chicken's food, and she walked right up to me and ate right out of my hand!  She even let me pet her!  It is all so surreal and wonderful--a complete gift.  As Ann Voskamp would say, "All is grace."  We certainly don't deserve any of this, but God loves us so much He just lavishes us with grace after grace.  I continue to be in awe of God's goodness in giving us this new home and countless other blessings too...

Anyway, here are some photos of a few of my favorite things that have been filling my soul with joy lately:

bright and beautiful oxeye daisies

pretty and pink peonies

elegant columbine

oriental poppies practically glowing in the sunshine

If you look closely, you'll see that the pollen inside these poppies is purple.

As I was taking these pictures I saw a few bumble bees collecting the pollen

and they looked so funny because they were covered completely in purple pollen 

(they hardly looked liked bees anymore) and they could barely fly! 

 We discovered a happy surprise hiding inside these honeysuckle branches...

a robin's nest...

with sweet baby chicks!

I can't believe the momma robin let me get this picture!

Paul's mom came for a visit and helped me out so much!

It was fun to finally show her the property (especially because some of the property is actually hers!)

My parents came for a visit too, which always makes me and the boys happy!

My dad helped me plant all the flowers for our window boxes.

Working in dirt makes both my dad and me happy!

Grandma played lots of card games with the boys which filled our kitchen with JOY!

My parents brought with them a gift that will be one of my favorite things forever:

the kitchen table and chairs that belonged to my grandparents on the farm! 

My grandparents passed it on to my parents, and now they have passed it on to my family.

I love how it sits next to the old cookstove that also came from my grandparents' farm.

Our kitchen now feels complete, country-style, and cozy!  

Fishing is one of my dad's favorite things, and he has passed on that love to his grandkids...

Dominic with his faithful sidekick, Natey.

Michael caught one!

Joseph hoping it's his turn soon.

Michael and Nathanael...fishing pals

Grandpa teaching the big boys how to split firewood.

Another reason our property is a blessing---it is teaching our boys to work hard 

and to be proud of themselves for working hard.

The boys caught a tiny baby turtle at the Lake where the big boys went to camp.

They asked if they could bring him home to our pond...

How could I refuse this adorable face?

He is now swimming happily in our pond with our koi fish.

We named him:

Crowder the Legendary Turtle

("Crowder" for our favorite Christian band, 

and "Legendary" because that was the name of the Church Camp where we found him)

This pond makes our whole family happy (including our new turtle, we hope)

This new digital piano (a gift from Grandma Jean--THANK YOU)

is one of the new favorite things in our home.

Playing it is like free therapy for me,

as well as listening to my boys play so beautifully.

Our swing is definitely one of Isaiah's favorite things,

and his sweet smile is one of mine.

Hazel eyes,

angel-kissed freckles,

pink cheeks,

mischievous grins...

these are a few of my favorite things too!

What are your favorite things?

Make a list and thank the Lord!

How do I love May, let me count the ways

May if full of things that make me happy...here's just a few of them:

• First of all, May is the month devoted to the Virgin Mary who I love dearly.  I have lost count of the times that she has untangled the knots in my life and protected me under her loving mantle.  This month my women's prayer group finished the book "33 Days to Morning Glory," and we all consecrated our hearts to Our Lady.  It was very special and I highly recommend Fr. Gaitley's book which beautifully explains why Catholics entrust our lives to Mary:  in short, because she will lead us on the most perfect path to Jesus.  I especially love the May Crowning Mass at my boys' Catholic School, where the entire student body honors Mary by placing flowers at her feet while singing "Queen of the May."  It is so beautiful...it must make Mary and Jesus smile! :)

• May is also the month of Mother's Day, and I have happily continued my dad's tradition of planting flowers on Mother's Day.  This year was too cold to actually plant the flowers on Mother's Day, but a week later I was able to get my hands in the dirt and make our front yard look lovely.  I love planting flowers.  It reminds me of all the years planting flowers side by side with my dad, which was our gift to my mom on Mother's Day.  Also, there's just something therapeutic about digging in the dirt and creating something beautiful.  I am hoping that our pretty flowers will inspire someone to buy our house this summer.  We are putting it on the market in June...  This is the second summer that we are trying to sell it.  To be honest, last summer was miserable trying to keep the house constantly clean with 5 active boys in the house, so this summer we have a much better plan...  The kids and I are heading to South Dakota to spend the summer getting spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa, while my sweet husband stays behind to keep the house ready for showings!  Why didn't I think of this last summer?!  Anyway, please pray for our house to sell quickly and for God to provide us a new home that will be perfect for our family.  St. Joseph, pray for us!!!

• May is also my birthday month.  I honestly forgot how old I was turning this year and had to do the math to figure it out!  :}  I guess that means I'm getting so old that I don't want to know how old I am anymore!  Hopefully it's not early onset Alzheimer's!  Anyway, it turns out I am 36.  This year I was totally spoiled by my husband who bought me a full-suspension mountain bike so that I could bike with him and our boys on some of the very best mountain-biking trails in the country!  I don't know if I will be able to keep up with my adrenaline-junkie boys, but I am very eager to try and to get my exercise in the fresh mountain air and gorgeous scenery!  Paul spent many months searching for the perfect bike in my favorite colors (chocolate brown and sky blue), and he even bought me a sky blue helmet, sky blue pedals, and sky blue handle grips so that everything would be completely color coordinated!  Boy, he sure knows me well. :) 

• And last, but not least, May is also the month of my anniversary.  This year Paul and I celebrate 15 years together!  They have not all been blissful or easy years, but they have been fruitful and sanctifying years.  We have learned how to make handsome boys (I wonder when will we learn how to make girls?), how to forgive, how to sacrifice, how to fight, how to kiss and make-up, how to fake it 'til we make it, how to cling to Christ when we want to give up, and how to keep guiding each other towards Heaven.  Marriage is nothing like I thought it would be, but just what my soul needed to learn how to be Christ-like.  Our anniversary gift to each other this year is something we have been dreaming about since we were courting...  We are making a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, the place where our love first began.  When I made my first pilgrimage to Megjugorje as a senior in high school, I made a deal with Our Lady (dangerous, I know).  I asked her to send me my spouse my first year of college, and if she didn't I would take it as a sign that I was meant to pursue the vocation of religious life, which was something I was seriously considering.  My frugal nature didn't want to waste time and money going to college if God wanted me to be His bride in a convent, so I wanted Mary to help me sort out my vocation right away.  And she did.  At Christmas break my first year in college I came home to visit my family, and Paul was on vacation from the Navy visiting his family in the same hometown of Aberdeen, SD.  While he was home, he happened to chat with my brother Steve (they were highschool classmates and friends), and Steve mentioned to Paul that I had recently made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje.  Paul's curiosity was piqued because his devotion to Mary had grown immensely over the past few years, so he gave me a call to ask me about my Medjugorje experience.  I was delighted to share my story and a sweet friendship was born.  After months of beautiful courtship via phone calls, love letters, and occasional trips to visit one another, it became abundantly clear to my heart that this man was Mary's answer to my very specific prayer request in Medjugorje.  We got married a year and a half after that first phone call, purposefully choosing the month of May to exchange our vows because we truly give Mary the credit for bringing our hearts together.  Perhaps that gives you a better idea of why Paul and I are so thrilled to be making this pilgrimage together after all these years.  We leave for Medjugorje on June 22nd.  Please pray that we have a safe and holy pilgrimage, and we would be honored to take any of your prayer requests with us to offer to Our Lady while we are there...you can send them via the comment section on this post or via email:  pmhurlbert@gmail.com.  

Caught in the act...

For years I have been trying to grow big, orange pumpkins to use for decorations in the Fall, and every year I only get a few teeeny-tiny green pumpkins.  So, last year I did some research and learned about hand-pollinating, where you take a male pumpkin flower and brush its pollen onto a female flower (just in case the bees and butterflies don't do their job well enough).

Male pumpkin flower

Female pumpkin flower

So I tried it this year.  I admit, it was a little embarrassing at first--I may have even blushed.  :}  My husband thought it was hilarious as he watched me go out to the garden many-a-morning to help my pumpkin plants mate. Apparently, he thought it was so funny that he even caught it on camera.  It was the only time I've seen him pick up my camera in 5 years!  :)  What a stinker.

Caught pollinating...

But, I do feel slightly vindicated now that I can see the fruits of my labor.  We got 10 big, beautiful pumpkins this year!  Some of them were still green when I had to bring them inside to avoid our early Montana frost, but even those have now turned orange.  The kids and I had so much fun watching them grow all summer, and now we have our very own pumpkins to decorate our home and to turn into "Saint-O-Lanterns" in October.

Proof that hand-pollinating worked!

Aren't they pretty?

They make our living room look so Autumnish :)

Here's the cutest pumpkin of all! :)

HAPPY FALL!!!

Mother's Day: Full or Worms, Dirt, and Love

I have fond memories of Mother's Day growing up.  My mom never wanted gifts or special attention on Mother's Day.  She preferred to remain hidden, to be last, to serve rather than be served.   My mom loved being outdoors with sunshine on her shoulders and dirt running through her fingers.  So every Mother's Day my dad would buy her flowers---not flowers for her dining room table that would last a week at best, but flowers to plant in the dirt that would last the entire growing season---and together they would plant them.  When I was old enough, I joined in on the planting tradition, helping my dad to pick and plant the most beautiful flowers for my mom on Mother's Day.  This tradition planted the truth in my heart that love is not about giving gifts, but rather about giving yourself.  How thankful I am to God for giving me a mother who taught me such lessons and so many more.  She is an amazing mother, truly a living saint, and I pray that God will help me to become even just half as holy and self-giving as her someday.



Here are my incredible parents... 
Can't you just see their love and holiness radiating from their smiles?
I am blessed to be their daughter.

Shortly after Paul and I were married, I must have mentioned these fond Mother's Day memories with my husband, because he has continued the family tradition of planting and gardening on that day, much to my delight.  So this Mother's Day my heart was full of thanksgiving, for it was filled with family togetherness and the gift of the men in my life giving of themselves to their very undeserving mother...




Thankful for all these boys planting our garden, and planting more love in this mother's heart...

 

Thankful for these sun-kissed rosy cheeks and ratty jeans...

 

Thankful for this father-son duo who worked the hardest of the bunch...

 

Thankful for these dirty toes and that adorable dimpled chin...



Thankful for little hands who love to find worms and to help out...
 

Thankful for the men in my life, both old and new :)
 

Thankful for being surrounded by blossoms everywhere I look...


So thankful to be a mother...
Happy Belated Mother's Day!!!

Thankfulness Captured on Camera

picking camoflaged beans in our garden

 

 

 

pumpkins finally appearing (hoping they will ripen before the frost hits)

 

 

 

 cooking peanut butter cookies while praying the rosary and chaplet of divine mercy

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, perpetually helping me draw nearer to Jesus

 

 

praying our family rosary at this peaceful Mary grotto, making our Heavenly mother smile and this earthly mother more at peace

 

 

lighting a prayer candle for our baby at the grotto, placing our little one in her care

 

 

 

taking Nathanael on a walk to our local Catholic college and visiting Jesus in the chapel; He is always there waiting with his arms open wide...what a gift, yet I often forget!

 

 

 

happening upon a busy back-hoe while on a walk with Nathanael

 

 

 

taking my boys to a Brewer's baseball game...

 

 



eating peanuts while cheering for the home team

 

 

 

watching sweet Michael seriously prepare for becoming an altar server

 

 

 

seeing a huge buck napping under a trampolene in someone's backyard--smart deer...he knows hunting season began and town is the safest place to be

 

God's infinite mercy on this selfish soul of mine...I cling to the cross that sets me free 

 

 

and here's a few more without pictures...

all...day...nausea that reminds me this baby is still with me, growing all...day...long

Joseph laughing out loud on the couch while he reads a Garfield book from the library
leansing tears

removable couch coverings that can be put in the wash after getting puked on

friends who listen to me cry--and then bring me chocolates to cheer me up

cool Autumn air

a successful surgery for my mom (one of her parathyroids was removed), and the healing of her knee that had been causing her lots of pain for months

the way Natey says "back-hoe" (wacko) and loves to play with construction machines

the upcoming visit from my mom while my husband is away hunting--helping this hunting widow not get so bitter

Nathanael being so tough as he braved stitches on his forehead

God speaking to me through Faustina's diary (again), teaching me what it really means to love:

"I see that the smallest things done by a soul who loves God sincerely have an enormous value in His holy eyes. And true love is measured by the thermometer of suffering. Jesus I thank you for the little daily crosses..." (#340, 343)