Home | Charis Buckland

Hello there! It’s been little bit since we had a chat! So good to talk again! This summer, I began my first Ph.D. class in psychology, with a concentration in human growth and development, so I took a break for a short season! Whew! It was scary, but I made it!

It’s pumpkin spice season again! It’s where I put my fall wreath on the front door in preparation for sweater weather, close my eyes, and pretend it’s cool outside. We may have pumpkins out for decorations, but we are probably still jumping in the inflatable pool and squirting water guns outside for at least another month. 

Sometimes a rocking chair is all ya need…

Nothing like an oxi clean bucket, right?!

Everyone was prompted at church! It always makes my heart hurt a wee bit, but fun to watch!

New school year, new haircuts! Taking the boys to the barber shop is our new special activity together. They love sitting in the manly leather barber chairs!

We love to visit out favorite local coffee spot. Sometimes children get a special drink…

New school year means new dance year! Izzy Grace tried on her first pair of ballet shoes that actually belong to her!

Everyone celebrated this momentous occasion!

Jenna also assists in her class, so they were excited to begin the semester!

BOWS AND PINK are my favorites!

Wednesday nights of Bible study at church are also back! Woohoo!

We visited downtown and ended up having ice cream. It is still stifling hot, so ice cream is a great treat!

This wagon is the best!

Chocolate, anyone?

Smiles all around.

Maddox just enjoyed his cone! And in the stroller, you must prop the feet up!

SMILE!

Sometimes after church, we go to a restaurant to eat. Last Sunday, we made owl faces at lunch…

We also take this season to audition for The Nutcracker. This is the fifth year of celebrating this Christmas tradition and this year, Izzy Grace will be participating in the ballet fun! Every year when the cast list comes out, there are cheers and there are tears. The first year, it was new and there were no expectations, so everything was fine and fun. As we have become more involved the expectations are higher, there are desired roles and roles nobody wants to dance. 

We have celebrated a year with a Clara! Its certainly was FUN and I was so proud to be her mom! It was fun to spend 30 minutes doing vintage girls with a half-inch curling iron for every rehearsal! This same girl was also a soldier the year before and let’s just say it was less than desirable. One girl has been a party girl and had so much fun! One girl has been part of the Sugar Court which includes sparkles, tiaras, and wings – every ballerina’s dream (at least for our house)! This year, that same girl cried at her role. 

Part of being a mom for me is learning lessons along with my children. I am reminded Godly truths by teaching them what God says. Even for us as adults, we have some Clara years and then we have some less-than-desirable soldier years, where we wear pants and a hat instead of the wings and tiara. We might feel a little discouraged and we might wonder what is going on.

Let’s remember that our identity is not found in what we do, but Whose we are. Let’s never become haughty because pride comes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). This is a guarantee. Let’s remember that every good gift is from God and has nothing to do with our own ability. He is the Giver of good gifts (James 1:17)! He is the One Who gives blessings! 

Let’s also remember that as believers, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) and are children of God (John 1:12)! We belong to Him! No matter what job we have or what our stories are in life, we are special to Him! Whether we are in a Clara era or a soldier era. 

It is difficult to remember Whose we are when we see what others have or what others do. We can become quite frustrated with our current role. We struggle with living in the world and our human wants in contradiction with living for Jesus. What is important to the Lord is often contrary to what the world views as important. We are loved by God so at the end of the day when we lay down to sleep and rest our heads on our pillows, we can sleep in peace knowing Who we belong to. He is watching out for us and even when we can’t see it, His plans are better than we could plan for ourselves.

This year 2026 has been difficult beyond words, so I am holding on to some Bible verses. I find myself staying in God’s Word and only wanting to listen to music with faith-filled lyrics. He is my refuge and my safe place. I am writing verses down that I see frequently that God is reminding me of and labeling them “2026” so I can remember how God redeemed this year when He does. One verse that I have seen repeatedly is Ephesians 3:20 where I am reminded that God can do above and beyond all we ask or think! At a women’s event at church, a testimony was given, and she pointed out that God always writes the best stories. I wrote this on a rock with Ephesians 3:20 next to it and set it on the front porch. 

Whether you are feeling like Clara or feeling like a soldier in life right now, remember that God is working out all things and he is where we find love and purpose. Hugs to you friends!

Love,
Charis

Pic(k) of the week: When a laundry basket is better than the bed…