Father’s Day! While we were gone on our trip, our oldest child and firstborn son Dalton turned 25. That made Father’s Day the 25th anniversary of “being dad” for Clint. In honor of the day, he received this amazing t-shirt from Dalton’s wife. He loves the shirt and says it’s the nicest tshirt he’s had in years. This from the man who wears clothes from a different century regularly. He wouldn’t buy himself a new t-shirt if we were in a hurricane far from home and the one on his back was ripped to shreds. He would figure something out. The kids and I took him Father’s Day shopping after an out-of-town swim meet (it was a … read more

      Every good road trip deserves, maybe demands, top tier snacks. And decent fuel prices. All good midwesterners know what this means: Sam’s Club. (Sorry Costco people. Do they do fuel?) Before we left Missouri, we made a Sam’s run. Our favorites are their lunch meat, specifically the roast beef, and Boulder potato chips. We try to cut out seed oils as much as possible, and Boulder cooks their chips in avocado oil. Clint found a box full of mini bags and got a little excited: there were BBQ and salt with malt vinegar mixed among the bags of plain salt chips. This … read more

        We’ve had a spectacular June.  Charlie turned 20, Dalton turned 25, and Clint and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.  For anyone keeping track, other milestones this year were Michaela turning 15, Nathaniel turning 10, and Maggie turning 5.  Luke, Mary Caroline, Daisy, and Silas are sprinkled throughout, but without fail from our 5th anniversary to our 25th anniversary we welcomed a baby every five years.  We haven’t taken very many “destination trips” as a couple.  Obviously, this is the first milestone anniversary that we weren’t welcoming a baby. … read more

September 12, 2025, 7:05.  Silas will be 7 in another ten minutes.  We lay in bed longer than we should have this morning, remembering that day seven years ago.  Seven.  There’s something biblically significant about that number. In the Creation account in Genesis, it signifies rest. God’s rest from all His creation work on the 7th day.  In the Law, centuries later, in Leviticus 25, that idea of rest is revisited. Verses 1-12 recount the instructions. “The LORD then spoke … read more

I’ve been helping Michaela start her gardens this past month.  This particular garden has a variety of pumpkins on the cattle panels, cucumbers and winter squash on the white frames, flowers on the outside borders, and a large space where we’ll add our fall cabbage crop.  We like running our pumpkins, cucumbers, and squash vertically. This is only the second summer we have grown them this way, but they’re absolutely beautiful once the cattle panels and trellises are full. But … read more

Sweet Nathaniel cut the brown-eyed Susans, found a jar, and arranged them himself. Sunny Si couldn’t be left out so he cut what we call “little daisies” and found his own jar. They bring me these little treasures and don’t realize that the two of them are my truest treasures. And see the dirty dishes? Look at their arrangement. Close. Intimate. First breakfast, with my love. Quiet, private, shared. Not sure who played monopoly, but we don’t have non-competitive children … read more

Hey y’all! It’s been a hot minute. We’re spring-time busy over here; but not our normal “spring – time, planting-season” busy. In fact, we haven’t started one single seed. (I know. It feels really, really weird and I’m working hard to trust and stay focused on what Father has us working on instead.) And the practice that keeps me focused and on task and “doing the next thing” is keeping our weekly Name for God scripture in front of me … read more

It is spring here on the farm. The big kids are camping with Grandma and Grandpa, the little girls are planting some flower seeds, Daddy is drilling soybeans and I am swinging in my porch swing watching oats grow in my garden spots.                                                                                                                            Yes, oats.     Instead of starting seeds in March I was tending to this little sprout. And I love him more than all the beans and taters in the world. Isn’t he just precious? … read more

Thank you to all the ladies who left me birthday blessings!  I enjoyed reading your comments and responding.  Miss Michaela had great fun putting everyone’s name in her own special cap and drawing out the winner.  She would like to congratulate….Kelly Zabka of the Zabka Clan!!  Of course to her, this was not “Kelly” but “Khloe’s mama”.  🙂  We will mail out your special package in the morning. Happy weekend everyone! Love, Margie and Michaela      

I remember my last visit with my Grandma Houseworth as if it were yesterday. It was the end of August and we were sitting in her yard snapping green beans. She had insisted on tea towels in our laps to catch the stems and we shared a bucket on the ground for the broken beans. Her namesake, Mary Caroline, was helping us snap in between playing cowboys with her brothers in the sunshine. The boys loved Grandma’s collection of cap … read more