Filling the Freezer....summer edition

I really feel sorry for those who have to purchase meat and fish from the grocery store. Really, true sympathy. I am thankful for the man that goes out and gathers for our family. I realize that not everyone can and that is fine. It does sometimes take my husband away from home for a couple of days her and here and I am fine with that. Sometimes we are able to go with him and do something else while he fishes. As our son gets older he will go with my husband and that will be a great time added to their already long list of times spent together.I do not know how to purchase beef at the grocery store. For the almost 16 years (16 at the end of this month) that we have been married, we have had a freezer with at least moose(a couple of times in these 16 years I have had to purchase a little meat here and there to get us to the next hunting/gathering season but I am very thankful that it has not been the norm ) Since we have had children we have had salmon and if we are really fortunate, halibut and other fish from the sea such as cod, red snapper and sometimes (like today) prawns!! Can you tell that my husband just returned from a fishing trip? This afternoon he and the blessings processed and packaged halibut, snapper and jumbo prawns. I prepared some prawns and snapper and veggie kabobs on the grill while they packaged. I am thankful that we have made this a family affair; for many years I dealt with crinkled tape, backwards letters on packages and sharpie marks every where. Today, I was able to step back and do something else like feed a baby and prepare lunch and be the fill-in person when need arised. For those of you with younger blessings, keep going...it eventually begins to bear fruit. For those of you with older blessings, keep them near you and teach them to work with you, it really is fun. I had a friend tell me once that her daughter was waiting for her to finish dinner so they could "do" something together. Why couldn't they cook dinner together? Why did this child think that she could only spend time with her mother doing some sort of entertainment activity? My eight year old blessing is learning to do some independent things in the kitchen, she can make salad dressing with very minimal assistance, I still double check the 1 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1/4 tsp. measures to avoid  adding too much or too little ingredients.  Which leads me to this, our children do not spend the night with friends and we really don't split our children up to do things with various and seperate friends. We enjoy them and we are teaching them to work and play and be a family. I know we are often "left out" of things because it is just a girl or boy thing, that doesn't matter to us, what is important to us the family aspect. The day will come when our children will begin pursuing seperate interests and activities but until then, we will be a family, we will tie heart strings and we will teach and train and love and learn. The time is short and we will not waste it.

I am thankful that my husband returned safely, I am thankful that he was able to spend a couple of days with a friend he doesn't see very often, I am thankful for fish for my children to eat. I am thankful for a husband that works hard and also takes care of others, he truly is a servant....And he loves me, despite myself. I am blessed beyond belief.

May the Lord find us faithful.