Squaw Creek Ranch

Today’s Forecast: Fowl Weather

2012-01-20T14:32:00.001-08:00

Jake titled that one ;)

Jacob is turning into quite the duck hunter. Hunting couldn’t be better as the ducks are coming to us to hideout in our ditches. Jake needs an adult to go with him until he is 16 and I got a wild idea to take him today. This is what I learned today….

1. A male Mallard duck is called a greenhead..if you wanna sound cool. You are allowed 5 greenheads and 2 hens a day.

2. Ducks flock to ditches for protection(ha) and running water when everything else is frozen and snowy. And ditches are plentiful around us.

3. Jacob taught me to identify a flock of ducks in the air as opposed to geese or crows. Interesting.

4. Crawling under a hot wire fencing, in the snow, wearing insulated coveralls, ain’t as easy for me as it was 10 years ago.

5. When you clap your hands and scream “Yay!! you GOT one!” Chances are(and they are high) that you will scare all the ducks in the surrounding ditches, thus breaking Eph 6:4a. :(

6. Wow, our countryside is beautiful. We are so blessed by the breathtaking mountains and fields surrounding us. We could not help but worship the Lord!

Walking the ditches behind our house.

Ducks!

And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." Gen 1:20

I love this photo.

"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10

This is the photo where I learned NOT to clap and scream after he makes a kill. The little dot in the middle is a greenhead he just took down. What you CAN’T see are the 5 ducks that just jumped behind me.

Men. Too cool to smile.

And another greenhead.

“You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! “ Psa 8:6-9

He was excited to find that one of his ducks was banded. After filing it online, he gets a certificate and found his duck is over two years old and was in Hay Lake, Alberta, Canada just four and half months ago. They say your chances of bagging a tagged duck are less than 1 in 250.

The day has ended with only one away from limiting out!It was sooOOoo much fun hunting with ma’boy.

Pink Ukuleles

2012-01-14T18:36:00.001-08:00

O.k., so we really want our children to be individuals, right? We want them to chase their own quirky little interests and facilitate them, within reason, the best we are able.

However, I was soooo caught off guard when Emma(9) told us she was serious about buying a ukulele. And not just a ukulele, but a PINK uke. She has been talking about it for weeks, but thought it was joke.

It wasn’t. <sigh>

After a good talk with Daddy, they decided it would be a wise purchase with her money and we would take her to the music store in town. Emma and I walked in and asked Mr. Henry if they had a ukulele, a pink one to be exact. They did. A perfect little pink uke hanging neatly from the rafters, along with a blue, green and yellow one. Who would thunk?

It was love at first sight. Henry gave her a crash course in ukuleleism, we bought a book and off we trotted home, happily plucking out tunes.

She already taught herself four chords and can pretty much play any song under the sun with them. It AMAZES me how quickly children can pick up music! So tonight we sit, being serenaded with old hymns by my Emma and her pink ukulele.

Magnum’s First Day At School

2012-01-06T10:18:00.001-08:00

Mag’s first day of school was last night. It was no surprise that he was the tallest student….and heaviest student…and the class bully(as he sorta flipped his lid at a younger student when he walked by). Oops.

Magnum is not mannered with visitors and chickens…oh, and that one rabbit(rip), hence the enrollment into school. His teacher assures us he will be transformed with a little hard work and effort. He went as far as to say, on command, Magnum will stand, like an angel, and let strangers pet him and love on him…..hmmm….I wonder who that first *stranger* will be? After a three hour class, Mag has three three minute lessons a day as homework for the next week. I am already seeing great progress this morning!

This afternoon the children will start taking turns working him and we even hope to have Gracie controlling this 110lb dog by next Tuesday. If you know Gracie personally, you know there is a pretty good chance she can accomplish this! (We think she is a leader personality)

Mag will be taking the 8 wk Basic Obedience Course from Cedarwood Canine School and hopefully we will take the Off –Leash Course in the next year. Magnum has the potential of being a great family dog, but controlling this beast is now our number one priority.

I am still haunted by our close encounter with the luring this summer.

He is intensively tuned into our children, playing a sheepdog roll, watching their every move from a distance and there in a heartbeat if they call. He has even pulled one of the children down, gently, from climbing up an unstable woodpile. Then there are the times the children will hold Mag, then have another child run and hide under a blanket or in a cabinet somewhere far off. When he is released and told to “Find ___” he will quickly and efficiently find that child and pull the blanket off, it is so fun to watch him with the kids.

A J’s Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T21:04:00.001-08:00

Christmas in 14 pictures.

Emma and her beading set. I have already acquired three handmade earring sets! I do have selfish reasons for buying her beads ;)

Gracie and her Imaginets. She has wanted these for months!

Elijah shooting Daddy’s feet. Elijah(who still can not talk) would look at Daddy, put his gun down, throw his hands in the air then quickly pick up his gun again to communicate he wanted Daddy to put his hands up. Once Daddy surrendered to him, he’d shoot him.

Gotta love boys in the woodshop. Danny made this pistol for Micah complete with .22 casings put in the holes he drilled.

My hunter ;)

Meet Rexford. Rexford joined our family this Christmas and let me tell you, he was another great purchase. We have had to set the timer more than once for turn taking. Even I could sit upon him, if I cared to, and no, I have not, fyi. But it is sure nice to know that if my 115lb son wants to take him for a spin, I can rest easy. He is cute, bouncy and a real healthy boy energy burner.

Lillie, the one eyed dog, blissfully slept through all the hoo-ha.

Gracie finally got matching PJ’s for her and Bitty Baby thank you to Grandma and her good ole sewing machine.

Danny and his heli

Elijah plum tuckered out.

And Gracie with her brand new doll crib that big brother built for her.

It was another blessed Christmas with family celebrating Christ’s birth. Glad the tree is down, the sugar’s gone, the pressure’s off and it’s time to settle into the new year. Looking forward to this weekend’s traditional event celebrating with our dear church friends at Hope Family Fellowship(in Lynden) for the New Year’s hymn sing!

The best part of waking up…

2011-12-19T11:23:00.001-08:00

…Is Mozart in your cup. <sigh>

Thanks to the whoever it was that tried to sweeten my coffee this morning…it worked.

Lyddibugs On The Move

2011-12-18T15:06:00.001-08:00

Lyddibugs On The Move from Jarski on Vimeo.

My baby is mobile!

2011-12-17T22:16:00.001-08:00

Emma found everyone’s shoes and Micah shined them for church. I love the line up,

so sweet to have all those feet ;)

Ollie Bollen

2011-12-17T15:40:00.001-08:00

Doris Jean’s Donuts!

Every year we try to go into town and celebrate a little Dutch heritage by enjoying some ollie bollen. And no, Dee, they do not even come close to yours!

Elijah Wilhem is named after his five of his forefathers that date back to 1560 something. All of them named Wilhem(Vil-um).

Jessica was at a party, so a part of us was missing, but we(they) still downed 1.5 dozen ollie bollen nonetheless.

Grace looOOooved her oly-bawlin, but Micah was disappointed we didn’t end up at the bowling alley as he had thought.

Friday night celebration

2011-12-09T22:17:00.001-08:00

What better way to celebrate than a surprise pajama ride? Paul has been very ill for 5 days. He even missed three days of work! In a nutshell, he has a salivary gland that produces stones maybe once every two years, much like kidney stones, and they have to pass from a gland near his neck out through a duct under his tongue.

For five days he has had this duct plugged by a suspected stone. Swelling, pain, unable to eat and drink thus unable to take meds…it has been difficult waiting it out, to say the least. Well, this morning the stone had arrived to the surface and he pulled it out. Much pain. But it is out and now the infection can drain. He is talking tonight and eating! Praise the Lord it is over and he is on the mend. Thank you for those of you who were praying and checking up on him. So to celebrate Daddy being better, he took the children all on a pajama ride. 4 caramel, 2 strawberry and 1 chocolate sundae, please.

Now, I’m off to bed after last night’s slumber party, I am looking forward to my own bed ;)

Slumber party!

2011-12-09T10:23:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a night! A craft with glitter, a big tent, sleeping bags, Sergeant York(the movie), popcorn, giggles. It started with all five of us ladies, but we made a rule that if you urped milk on the carpet you had to go to bed. Unfortunately, Lydia didn’t last 20 minutes.

We started at 8:30pm with this snowflake craft I found in Family Fun magazine. Q-tips, Tacky Glue and sparkles. Try it! You glue the intersections together, sprinkle sprinkles, flip when dry and do the other side the same. These should last for many years if packed away carefully. LOVE it!

Aren’t they pretty? We are going to hang ours from the ceiling around our Christmas tree.

We built a large tent and all piled in, even the dog ;) Watched most of Sergeant York and ate popcorn. You mammas would be proud, twice I got up to nurse the baby and every square inch of my body hurt from sleeping on that floor and I resisted the temptation to crawl in my bed.

I was surprised at how much my daughters loved this. I really need to do this more, it was so much fun to have a slumber party again!

He got his duck!

2011-11-28T23:18:00.001-08:00

Finally, after many cold mornings of tromping around the irrigation ponds and ditches, he shot his first duck!

A Mallard hen who made us some incredible duck jerky…mmmmm….more duck please.

That was one happy young man.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma reading a story to her little siste…chicken. Yes, folks, she was honestly reading a book to her chicken, The Speckledy Hen, no less. It even came packed in a crate with us to Thanksgiving dinner. <sigh>

Since I finally found my camera cord, we had fun with pictures today. I love the circle of heads and have had this *pose* with all my children for years on my cell phone. LOVE it.

Lyddybug is even getting in on the fun! She is such a ham.

As I was taking the picture, I was thinking hokey pete that’s a lot of children!

“Many hands make light work”

Patience is a Virtue

2011-11-06T17:23:00.001-08:00

Jacob and Daddy are pulling in the driveway as I type. Jacob’s face is happy, but not thrilled, so I know there is yet again, no duck in hand. He took the hunter safety course and passed with flying colors. He bought his ammo, practiced, dressed in everything camo he could find only to spend many walks(with Daddy) around the irrigation ponds to either flush ducks, shoot and miss or find no ducks. Today he flushed up 5 at once, shot and missed….again. It was hard. He prays to the Lord of Creation and knows in His time he will provided the ducks and the kill. It’s still hard(for mamma) watching him come home every night or morning empty handed. It will be a sweet, sweet day when the Lord decides it is time to make the shot and the duck connect. Praise the Lord for teaching my children patience and contentment through His gentle lessons.

“…more than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

Spring is coming!

2011-11-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

O.k., so it is, yet again, a little too early to speak these words out loud…but we dreamed about it yesterday.

Jacob went out to milk yesterday morning and when he got in I asked him if he had watched the goat for 2m. This is something the children have had to do after milking the last few days to catch Junie in heat. For 12 hours, once every three weeks, she wags her tail like a puppy. We watch her like a hawk. Anyhow, he had not remembered and so he put his coat back on and out he ran. Within seconds he came a’running in the house with two thumbs up. I, then, had to emerge from my toasty warm house to double check. The boys loaded her up in the back of my van and off we raced to visit the G’s buck.

We now have a due date of April 2 and the anticipating is building already!

Guinea Pig

2011-11-01T12:36:00.001-07:00

Oreo needs to move on down the road. Anyone interested in a guinea pig? He comes with cage, bedding, food…everything. He’s friendly, will eat all your veggie scraps and is quiet. We are asking $20 for the whole works.

Celebrating Reformation Day

2011-10-31T13:40:00.001-07:00

What better way to celebrate than to make hot sugary donuts? I rendered about 5 gallons of fresh lard last week so we have plenty of fat to fry in, thanks G’s! It is so nice to have lard again!

MmmMMmmmm… I love the snitching hand.

Daddy is working at a cereal plant for a couple weeks. he has a keen eye for play things. He noticed big inflatable bags tossed in the trash, they were used to secure shipments in barges. He asked if he could take one home. It was an instant hit!

This morning the children learned they could launch each other. Jacob became the launch-er and the rest of the kids, the launch-ees.

Danny flew the highest. A couple times he was much higher than this, lol.

The blue blur with pigtails is Emma.

We printed out Luther’s 95 Theses below. We are stopping and reading 20 of them every hour throughout the day and discussing the impact this day had on the Church.
http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/95theses.htm

Stoney Ridge Farm 2011

2011-10-29T15:56:00.001-07:00

First things first, last one to the hay wagon is a rotten egg!

Smile Jessie!

We walked the pumpkin patch and ran the corn maze. This year I lost no children in there!

Our favorite part! Hot apple cider shared with a partner, caramel apple slices and apple pull-aparts. Sugar makes any day brighter.

Did I really just pay a quarter for her to feed a goat? I mean really folks. Next year we are bringing grain in our pockets.

Another family tradition completed for the year!

4 months of blissful baby days

2011-10-29T15:32:00.001-07:00

Liddybugs is 4 months!

What seemed like a long, slow start is now a thing of the past. Between Junie the goat and I, we have a 15lb baby girl. So much for that slow start! I make my own formula supplement using goats milk as a base. She is doing so well and doesn’t seem to have the tummy aches my other babies did on cow based formula.

She is such a blessing to our days and adds much entertainment. Elijah is absolutely infatuated by her and loves his lider-lee-ya so, so much. ;)

The Wintons are coming, The Wintons are coming..

2011-10-05T12:36:00.001-07:00

Woohoo, The Wintons are coming! Our family’s hands-down favorite family bluegrass band is coming to Bellingham.

“For audiences that enjoy down-home, family friendly, God-honoring music with award winning musical ability, there is no better choice. One of the best family bluegrass bands in the country!

Bring the whole family and feel free to invite your friends, neighbors and acquaintances to heard the gospel and some toe-tappin’ bluegrass music! You will be blessed by spending a Friday evening in fellowship with The Wintons.”

Learn more at www.thewintonsbluegrass.com

Friday, October 14, 2011

7-8:30 PM

Spring Creek Bible Church

567 E. Kellogg Rd. Bellingham, WA

No charge, a love offering will be taken.

Elijah’s Got Talent

2011-09-30T20:55:00.001-07:00

None…

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five…

Six!

Guns for sale

2011-09-30T09:06:00.001-07:00

(Ha, got your attention)

Hello ladies, Jacob here. I just wanted to let you and your sons know that my brother and I have wooden guns for sale. We have a couple styles,

This is a flintlock patterned after a vintage pistol.

This is a semi-automatic patterned after my Dad’s G40 Glock.

And this one is a revolver patterned after the Taurus Judge.

All these guns are $3 each or 2 for $5

My brother and I are discontinuing automatic handguns as we’d rather focus on guns meant to hunt animals. We are starting a new line of rifles coming soon, including the flintlocks and rubberband.

All wooden toys have been routered and belt sanded to remove splintering edges. They are untreated with chemicals, guaranteed for 30 days and made of pine.

Mushrooms! A home school outing heads-up

2011-09-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year again, the mushrooms are in their blooming splendor! Oh those outcast fungi condemned to a life of misunderstanding, how beautiful you are.

This is a little late notice and really, I don’t expect anyone to care, I know I am alone in my passion of fungi, but we noticed a poster in town advertising a film that will be shown(for FREE) at the Lynden Pioneer Museum tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 21 from 1:30 to 2:30. Oh the JOY! Can you believe it? We’ll be there, how ‘bout you?

Watch a trailer here

Now these people love mushrooms too, but, eh-hem, not in the same way we do. We love our mushrooms as we see our Creator and His fingerprints on even the lowliest of the plants in His Kingdom. So there will be a bit of the watermelon/seed thang going on.

Boys’ Haircutting / River Bar

2011-09-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

Killing two birds with one stone. Picture’s from our new favorite spot down at the river.

I like to pass on links that I really like and thought this would go well with Fall. I love cutting my boys’ hair. Summer is leaving and taking the buzz cut with it. My four boys have two distinctly different skull shapes, one looks good in longer hair, the other short.

Necessity has caused me to get outside the buzz and bowl cut and learn the classic cut. If you are a beautician, and you see my boys occasionally, please do not critique my boys’ hair, I’d prefer to live in ignorance. Thank you.

To move on, the reason for this post is because I came across this site again(I did a few years back, but never put it into practice). I am excited to try a couple new things as soon as my boys’ hair is longer.

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to -cut-boys-hair-like-a-pro – scissors

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-cut-boys-hair-like-a-pro-part-2-clippers – scissors/clippers

Now get outside and enjoy God’s Creation!

Miker the First Grader

2011-09-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

So, if you have paid any attention, this is Miker’s second attempt at first grade. Last year I succumbed to morning sickness and the business of four other students, this year, I can’t do that.

Miker started Math-U_See, Phonics, Reading, Handwriting and participating in any family studies that are not too far over his head.

With our Timberdoodle order came the Purpllinker. Micah is having a hard time learning his letter shapes and this is reinforcing them by having him build them himself. It is more tricky than it appears! Per his request, I took his picture forming the letters in his name. ;)

I could have had him move to a clean area of the living room, but this morning I felt like being real. My house is a wreck…there, I admitted it.

The Swimming Hole

2011-09-12T13:31:00.001-07:00

We had to put away our huge swimming pool that we had up for two years due to Mamma’s blood pressure. I just couldn’t take it anymore with all the little ones around. But God provided an alternate, safe source of water fun! A kind berry farmer next door granted us permission to swim in his irrigation pond which it ginormous. 12-15ft deep and very wide and long.

Every hot Sunday summer afternoon, which this year has amounted to oh…3 days, Paul packs up the older children and away they go. This last Sunday I saw the above heading out the driveway to the pond.

They hauled that silly trampoline aaaaaall the way down, a good half mile, at a snails pace, to the pond. That is determination.

I hear it was quite the fun.

Flip Jump

Here is Emma and her pet decoy “Ducky”

Jessie took pictures of Daddy striking different poses and the kids would name them.

Side Flop(a variation of the belly flop)

The Airplane

Cannonball

The Ducky Dive

The Racecar

Back Flop

The Running Man

And my personal favorite…the Ballerina. Yes, I have considered using this as blackmail.

Saturday

2011-09-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

Enjoying what I believe may be the last hot weekend of the year? Finished several projects and here I sit nursing, chill’in and watching my sweet children play in the yard. Everyone bathed and ready for church.

I haven’t been able to leave for The Woods Coffee to plan my school year so I resorted to pulling two very late nights(more like early morns) at home to get everything in shape. SO excited to start! SO tired and ready for bed!

“In fact, feminism is a cruel hoax, telling women their natural biological instincts are 'socially constructed' to oppress them. Feminism is elite social engineering designed to neuter both sexes, making women less fit for marriage and motherhood, and men unable to sacrifice for family” ~ Henry Makow

Buckets and buckets of blueberries

2011-08-23T15:53:00.001-07:00

Usually when we go picking, we are paying for the berries so the children have learned to use the utmost self control and NOT EAT THE BERRIES, it’s stealing.

But THIS time, the berries were FREE. I still had several children questioning me “Is it really o.k. to eat them?” They ate a LOT more than they picked, but hey, memories right? We picked eight gallons in an hour and a half which is pretty good for a Mamma, Grandma, Jessica, Jacob and six other munchkins to look after in the field.

The berries were organic, overgrown and HUGE.

See the blue teeth?

It was hot, hot, hot.

Lydia does not like picking berries. She needed a constant companion to rock her or she let everyone know blueberry picking does not suit her.

Yum! Thank you N.S!

Daddy’s Monster Tomatoes

2011-08-22T08:27:00.001-07:00

So he built this greenhouse for me…

I didn’t show the interest he would have liked as I was pregnant, managing a household of nine and busy making goat milk cheeses(one hobby at a time). So he planted everything, his favorite being tomatoes thinking it would keep them from blighting early. Little did we know they’d grow much higher than the eight foot ceiling. He has already topped them.

I picked two of “his” tomatoes this afternoon, one of them weighing 1lb 5oz.

Then there’s the lettuce. Four feet tall and growing faster than we can eat it.

Mmmmm jalapeños. Mmmmm saaaalsa. Thank you VB’s for your greenhouse inspiration!

Northwest Washington Fair 2011

2011-08-20T17:47:00.001-07:00

Another successful family NWWFair adventure. I’ve been going to the Fair since I can remember. Being born, raised, then raising my own children in this same community is a rare and wonderful thing.

This year was Ride Year and that is all we did. Paul took the oldest four and they went into the adult carnival while I took the younger four and we did the kiddie carnival. I big thank you to Grandma who made it possible by purchasing the wristbands for all the children!

Gracie rode the Carousel over and over and over. She liked a certain horse and she named it Calarlie. Elijah and Gracie rode in the stroller, Micah walked next to the stroller with a strap attached to his wrist and Lydia was in the Bjorn. It worked very well and I was able to carry her all day without getting tired or sore, I was impressed!

The Big Kids would ride for a couple hours, then chill for a half hour. Once the green left their faces they’d go right back for more with my husband leading the pack. I am amazed how much riding he did! What a cool Dad!

Jessie offered to ride with the little ones to give them the oomf they needed to go on the “more scary” rides ;)

I let my children in on a little secret , I would get sick on the Ferris Wheel until I was in high school. Such a wimp was I.

“Jessie, Gracie!!” yells the crazy woman on the ground “Wave at me! I want to take your picture!”.

Gracie on “her” horsie, Calarlie.

Emma, her freckles, and her glowing blue eyes.

Micah eating his(ack) footlong hotdog(ack).

Everyone enjoying their nasty processed footlong hotdogs. Ewe, ewe, ewe. The sacrifices parents make…

The cherry on top was that Jess ended up with motion sickness(but no regrets!) so I took Elijah, Gracie, Micah, Lydia and Jess home at about 9:45 pm. Upon arriving home I remembered Jacob had just replaced the doorknobs…and locks. I had not taken a new key. We were locked out at 10pm with an over stimulated baby and two very cranky toddlers. Long story short…for the FIRST time in my LIFE I had locked up every window in the house. At 11:45, Paul finally pulled in the driveway. We had all given up and fallen asleep in the van. Within minutes Daddy had us in the house. After disinfecting the children, off we went to bed and slept happily ever after.

Rabbits gone wild…

2011-08-19T09:39:00.001-07:00

So, if you’ve ever wondered, and I know you have, this is what happens when your children accidentally leave the doors open on the baby bunny cages. We now have many large white rabbits wild, running around our property. No one can catch them. Rabbits are crepuscular(sp?) which means their active awake periods are at dawn and at dusk.

Early this morning I was getting a cup of java and when I looked out my kitchen window there were 5 large bunnies in my driveway. I have no idea how many more there are around here, we lost something like twelve…boys and girls…. <sigh> Oh well, we couldn’t sell them on the Craigslist for the life of us, food was getting to be nuts, so maybe this is a good thing? On the bright side, I guess we created our own controlled hunting grounds for the boys.

And yes, that is fog you see. FOG. F..O..G. Fall fog. Cold fog. Summer is ending fog. So sad.

CH "get to know you" Picnic ~ at Hovander!

2011-08-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

Yay! It’s that time of year again. Our family is gearing up for school this year and what better way to start than the Christian Heritage Homeschooling Kick-off Picnic? Every year we meet new families we have lasting relationships with that just encourage and bless us throughout the year.

We are planning to be there, and we'd like to invite you too!

Have you ever:

…wanted to attend the Christian Heritage Conference?

…Thought about homeschooling?

…Thought about "giving up on homeschooling" and are in need of some encouragement?

…Wanted to to meet other Christian homeschoolers in our area?

…Desired encouragement in passing on your faith to your children and strengthening your family relationships?

Looked for 'God -fearing' friends for you and your children?

This is a splendid low pressure, low cost, low commitment opportunity to see what Christian Heritage is about, and make memories with old and new friends!

Click HERE to read flyer and/or sign up.

Exceptional Usborne Deal

2011-08-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

Last night at the NWWF, I went to the Usborne booth as I received an email from a friend about a deal they had. Over $375 of books for only $69. I couldn't believe it, I came home with a catalog and I am going to put an order together. It is crazy cheap, again, the Lord provides for our homeschool in an amazing way! I love it. Thank you Karen for the heads-up, this is going to be so much fun.

Visit Jackie Broadbent at the NWWF Usborne booth(straight south of the 4-H craft barn) email Jackie@UsborneStore.com or call 425-923-4098 for details. The deal is until July 29th.

We’re alive…really

2011-08-15T22:17:00.001-07:00

<knock, knock, knock>

Anyone here?

Something needs to be done about this blog, this is just too quiet.

I think school needs to start, life needs to slow down and these 9 little puppies need to get OUT of here. This just isn’t right.

Today I spent many hours doing dog business. Grooming, photographing, deworming, cleaning, weighing, all that fun stuff. Jessie spent the day with Grandma at the NWWFair and came home with a NASTY case of hives, poor girl. Paul and Jacob removed a large cross from behind the pulpit at our old church and reinstalled it behind the pulpit at our new church building. I still have orders to nurse Lydia every two hours, but I’m loosing the battle. Attacked the laundry monster. Found the source of that smell permeating from the storage room. Some person, eh-hem, punctured a can of chopped clams and left it on the shelf. Oooohh it was baaaaaad. Two days it took to find that can, two looong days of sealing off that part of the house and leaving the back door open. That was my blessed day summed up.

Article - Facing the Community College Fad

2011-08-01T11:42:00.001-07:00

“When you are considering community college, don’t see it through rose-colored glasses, and think it’s a perfect educational utopia. Keep your eyes open to the fact that it may be more “Rated R” than your student is ready for. If the crowd seems to all follow the community college route, that doesn’t mean you have to follow along yourself. Consider carefully, know your child, and trust your own judgment.” Written by a homeschooling mother here in Washington. She has a wonderful website on how to homeschool through college.”

http://www.thehomescholar.com/community-college-fad.php

A thought provoking article. Now don’t run off proclaiming I am anti-CC , I am not. BUT I do agree we need to go in with eyes wide open, asking about others experiences with teachers, classes etc.

Jammie Ride

2011-07-25T08:48:00.001-07:00

Last night we told the children we wanted to go to bed early and had them all get ready for bed. After everyone was quiet and tucked in Paul and I stood at the bottom of the stairs and yelled “Jammie ride! Grab yer partner, last one in the truck is a rotten egg!”

Squeals rang out upstairs and a herd of children were suddenly stampeding down the hallway. Barefoot and in their P.J.s they piled in the van, everyone with a big smile across their face.

We took a beautiful quick sunset trip into town.

Did I mention smiles?

Ice cream anyone?

Plenty of baby wipes for sticky little hands and one happy family in the end then back to bed. ;)

Preparing

2011-07-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

We sold 3 of our six goats this weekend, and several other farm animals in preparation for winter. Our hay is put up in the loft and now my men are starting on our wood. We go through 7 cords of wood each winter, that is a stack 4’ tall and 168’ long! That is a lot of wood to cut and split. Each year the boys are doubling their strength and worth a lot out there! Praise the Lord for those strong bodies as Daddy isn’t getting any younger.

Micah is the loader/stacker. He has big muscles, he says.

And this is what a cold rainy summer does to a Washingtonian. We had a 75 degree day and I came home to this in the window.

Motherhood Is A Calling

2011-07-16T14:29:00.001-07:00

“Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.”

Every mother should read this article by Rachek Jankovic. You will not regret taking some of your precious time to read it, it is absolutely a hard hitting wonderfully admonishing message.

The perfect dress

2011-07-15T09:55:00.001-07:00

Um…

2011-07-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

Don't’ quite know how to title this one. Paul sent me these two pictures from his i-thing last night. I found them in my inbox this morning and he asked if “we have a problem”.

He found Elijah, late last night, in his bedroom sucking his binky(which we had pulled from him three days ago!) and wearing four pairs of his sisters underpants. Um…does he want to be trained or ???

I love the “rats, whats Dad gonna do now?” look on his face.

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Gotta love boys. Now Elijah is running around with my Avent breastpump “shooting” stuffed animals complete with pumping action and sound effects. sigh.

Day of rest…

2011-07-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

It’s after week 2, I’m *allowed* to resume full duties as I feel comfortable, I feel as if I am not “grounded” anymore! Doing nail art with my daughter, another gloriously convicting sermon at church, came home to a new litter of puppies and we bought another camera that isn’t charging fast enough to take pictures of my lil Lyddybug and enjoying a day of rest with the family.

Lydia – 2 weeks old

2011-07-09T17:31:00.001-07:00

Renee at Little Earthling Photography just finished Lydia’s Part II newborn photo shoot at our home. Visit the link to see a sample of her newest pictures, they are adorable! O.k., I think so.

So our camera dies, wakes from the dead for a pic or two, then dies again. This time…it’s dead. I went 6 days without a picture of my baby so tomorrow we buy a new camera, this is killing me. I can’t believe she is two weeks already. She is doing well other than the cephalohematoma and continued weight loss, but we’ll get there! She held her own today and yesterday at 8lb 5oz so she hasn’t lost in the last 24 hours, that is a blessing. She has gained much more control over her eyes and isn’t as cross-eyed anymore and she is getting her days and nights figured out(whew). LOVEing the newborn baby weeks.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T10:09:00.001-07:00

On July 3, 1776, then-future U.S. President John Adams urged that Americans commemorate and rejoice on this day in the following manner:

“The...day [Independence Day]...will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”

What a gorgeous day to celebrate!

Grab yer watermelon, put on the Sousa and celebrate in the freedom we have!!

Elijah And His Identity Crisis/ Newborn Screening

2011-06-29T17:03:00.001-07:00

Do I really have to explain what is going on here? I mean, really, isn’t this the cutest thing? This is clearly a man having an identity crisis. Elijah will put on Lydia’s hat, steal her pacifiers, her blankies and sit in her chair and watch his movie. Priceless.

My little man is very much in love with his little stister. He loves holding her, changing her clothes, pulling her socks off, and reminding us all where her eyes, ears, mouth and nose are…over and over and…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On a side note, have you ever read the fine print on the PKU testing pamphlet? The part where it says the state banks our children’s blood samples and info for 21 years without our consent? I noticed this after I had Elijah tested and I called Olympia, as the pamphlet stated, and requested my children's samples be destroyed. It isn’t as easy as they make it sound. To make a long story short, they gave me a bad time about the request and said I needed to fax them copies of all my children’s birth certificates. They never would answer me WHY they feel they need to keep the info, at least an answer that made sense. I would have had to pay dearly to obtain copies so I hung up and wrote them a nice complaint letter and they patted me on the head in return and won.

This time I refused Lydia’s testing. I signed the form and emailed the Newborn Screening Dept and reminded them why I did this and asked them again to please consider changing their policies and make it easier for parents to request incineration of the blood and info. A lady immediately emailed me back and apologized for the hassle I was given. She, wanting to see my baby tested, said all I needed to fax her was a copy of my drivers license to prove identity and she will personally see to it each of our children’s samples are incinerated and I am sent proof. I am not a conspiracy theorist, I just simply believe in parental rights and I feel strongly that the state has no business banking our children's blood samples for 21 years, without consent, not providing a reason why and keeping it very quiet that they do this. I That was my victory for the day. ;)

Sunday

2011-06-26T09:41:00.001-07:00

Nothing better than waking this morning and being able to feed my baby, she has been none too happy with me for the last day and a half. She came out very hungry. This morning I was wiping milk off her little mouth and she was absolutely one happy baby.

It does a mamma’s heart good to get that milk in ;)

Introducing…

2011-06-25T21:08:00.001-07:00

A baby with a name! After many discussions and votes, Daddy’s pick for a name wins.

Meet Lydia Joy

Both my babies in my lap, and yes, today when Elijah woke up we both ran for the rocking chair and enjoyed a long, loooong rock-rock together rejoicing over reclaiming my lap.

My baby girl..

2011-06-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

She loves her thumb and has been in love for quite some time judging by how quickly it goes in. My easiest/quickest labor in recent memory, 4.5 hours of actual labor. She is all pink now, even her toes ;), she is an excellent nurser, ABsoLUTEy adorable, good amount of blond/light brown hair and we can't...put...her down.

Name is being discussed.

more pictures

2011-06-24T16:24:00.001-07:00

Here she is!!!

2011-06-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

It`s a Girl!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

This is Jessica posting for my mom.

She doesn't have a name yet. She was born at 1:58 and weighed 8.13. More details to come!!

11am

2011-06-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

3-4 min 40 sec long and just hanging out.

Work'n on a baby..

2011-06-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last night I was awoken to several contractions, then this morning they have been irregular, but there, 2-10min apart. They seem to be increasing in strength, but taking their own sweet time. O.k., there was one and they are definitely increasing in strength ;) I am going to be optimistic and start a batch of cheese. The children are bouncing off the walls and preparing everything for me. It is so fun!

Wednesday

2011-06-22T17:11:00.001-07:00

1. I got aaaaall the way into Bellingham for my midwife appointment when my phone rang and she cancelled the appointment because she had to go to a delivery.

2. Our second best goat, Chloe, dropped dead on the ground early this morning.

3. The Sheriff is on his way out to interview the children and me about Monday.

But look! The sun is out!(don’t start Marie) I decided I am taking the children to hear a live band at the Library tonight and eat free ice cream. I am going to ignore this rotten week, it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t exist…

Feeling Better

2011-06-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

An officer called me back today and we had a great talk. He was so sincere and concerned. He said it was no excuse yesterday, our family should have had a visit and our children reaffirmed they’d try to do everything in their power to help make them safe…but, it was *one of those days*. Robberies, a knifing, domestic violence all suddenly happening in-between 1pm and 5pm, our incident happened at 1:40pm. As he put it, it seemed like the whole county went nuts all at once, lol! There were not enough deputies to cover it all. He said since our children were safe it was not at the top of their priorities. I know the WCSD is understaffed as it is so I really do take that to heart.

He was going to review what happened and get the ball rolling on what can be done. Another officer is going to be involved to see if they can *connect any dots* with other lures, he took the full description of the vehicle from us and he is also going to look into the border cameras to see if any footage was recorded. Much, much better. I think I’ll sleep tonight.

What a beautiful day…

2011-06-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

to have a baby. I’ve been talking to her this morning that it would not make mamma happier than to have a baby on the first day of summer. I drank my tea, I took my herbs and here I sit. Daniel is rather bothered by it and thinks I should be able to will it to happen, lol. Sorry children, according to my last two babies we still have 8 days left. The only difference being the herbs I’ve taken.

I sat up most the night with my mind running wild with scenarios of what could have happened yesterday. I hate the nighttime. Yesterday I just tried to be level headed and not fear. I rest knowing the Lord knows exactly where he is right now and His eyes will never leave him. I am worried for other’s children. It’s made me dust off ole red and make it a little more accessible. Locked up, unloaded and hidden really defeats the purpose of a gun, not that yesterday was any type of scenario to use it, it wasn’t.

I called the Sheriff’s office back and left a message with a lieutenant this morning, I want more answers of standard procedure in cases like this. A friend’s husband also pointed out we have a border camera watching our road, it can read license plates from well over a miles away. I need to exhaust the small choice of pursuits I have, but at the same time I am thankful for this incident allowed by the hand of the Lord to bring glory to Himself and cause me to trust in Him more and be thankful for His constant eye on our children.

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.” Ps 5:11

Not a good day..

2011-06-20T19:17:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are wondering, yes, I will post when I go into labor, because…well, I will be home and what else do you do while you wait? ;)

Second, I’m am walking around in a fog. Some guy pulled up today and tried to coax Emma into his car and “take her for a ride”. He offered her money. I guess there was a conversation and he really tried to get her into the car. Thankfully Jacob was right there, stepped in-between them and took charge, finally telling the guy to leave. The kids are selling at the end of our open driveway where I can watch them well, but the car pulled purposefully behind a tree beyond the driveway.

Daniel ran in the house to tell me and I called 911 and reported it. 40 minutes later(yes, 40) I got a call back from a sheriff. He took no detailed description of the guy or the car. He wanted a license plate number, which the children didn’t get<sigh>, and without that he seemed to just not care at all. He said he’d cruise the area tonight sometime on his shift. That is what bothers me the most. He had no care or compassion in his voice and told me when you live in a rural area, you need to expect stuff like that. Really? I’m calling back tomorrow and ask more questions of the Sheriffs procedure of things like this, I am very, very disappointed.

Meanwhile we are praising the Lord for His lessons taught, His perfect protection. I just can not thank Him enough right now.

Due date!

2011-06-17T08:39:00.001-07:00

This morning I came downstairs to find two large, overstuffed garbage bags filled with clothing, toys and toothbrushes sitting at the front door. As children galloped down the stairs everyone announced day it was. The day we’ve all been anticipating for months! I found the two young culprits who packed their *bags* and we are going to have to re-pack.

I finally found my bassinet and after quite the struggle, put it together. Elijah, however, has claimed it as his own…as he has the swing, the carseat, her crib, etc. This is not going to be pretty.

Paul is still working 70-80 hours weeks with a mid-July end in sight. I….can’t….wait. It was my goal not to complain once going into this and so far, the Lord has sent off warning whistles on several occasions and thanks be to Him, I can say I have not complained yet. I only say yet, because I still don’t trust myself! Now he’ll read this and say I’m complaining, good grief, lol.

The boys rose early this morning and went with Mr. W to help some church friends butcher their first ever set of broilers.

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Wanna good quick read by R.C.Sproul Jr? Check out his latest blog post Ten Ways Not To Look At Children.

I miss my snugglebug

2011-06-14T21:11:00.001-07:00

The view from up here. I don’t know what’s up with the gremlin ear like shadow on the floor, lol…really, my ears haven’t grown that much.

I love what the ticker says this week “our little girl is launch ready” LOL, too cute. I went to the midwife today and nothing much to report..50% effaced. I’ve really, really been missing holding Elijah on my lap…that’s hard on a mamma. He is such a mamma’s boy anyhow and we snuggle a lot.

I can’t wait to see him that first time after the baby is born. I am going to grab him and run for that rocking chair. ;)

Baby has descended more since last week. I assembled the bassinette today, went to Cash N Carry and stocked the cupboards and will wait. I will wait patiently. I will. He’s my Rock, my Fortress and Deliverer, in Him will I trust.

Beautiful Lords Day..

2011-06-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

Beautiful sunshiny day, wonderful church family picnic, EVERY one of them a treasure, praising the Lord for his goodness and graciousness to all of us, and as Daniel put it, I can count down the days until Mom’s due date on ONE hand. Simply grand.

“…and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:2,3

Left Behind

2011-06-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

That’s how I feel. I had a cluster of friends that were due with babies from April to June, eight in fact, and as of this morning I’m the last one waiting. Sheesh. Oh well, I’m the one sleeping at night and savoring every minute of it right now. Baby has descended a bit in the last day and it has made for a slower walk, some twinges and a little more knitting on the couch throughout the day. 9 days till due date, single digits!

Jessie just made her first batch of cinnamon rolls tonight as a treat for Daddy after his long day at work. They were aMAZing, anything I have ever made in 17.75 yrs of marriage can’t even come close to what she concocted tonight, my pride is a bit damaged to say the least.

TTFN

How can one...

2011-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

…be miserable with the flu, when you have kittens crashed in your lap?

Gotta love creative kids…

2011-06-04T08:11:00.001-07:00

That was a hoot yesterday and the best part?

I learned SO much!

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Kittens on the porch enjoying the sunshine for the first time, instead of the hay mow.

Sanity?

2011-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Homeschool today? Check. Library books on counter? Check. Fresh cow heart via Captain Berg the escape cow? Check. Cow tongue? Check. Cow tail? Check. Dissection videos? Check. Fresh wild rabbit in crockpot? Check. A grossed out mommy? Check. 6 knife wielding children? Check. Sanity?......I asked sanity anyone?

His First Rabbit

2011-06-02T21:12:00.001-07:00

We were in the barn playing with Danny’s new sheep when I saw a rabbit sweetly hopping across the serene pasture. Thinking it was cute, I told Paul. He seemed rather excited and I was happy to see his new found appreciation for nature. ;) Then he left. Not two minutes later and my husband called to Daniel to come over and handed him his .22 that he got from the gun cabinet. Daniel has a old bolt action .22 he was given from a gentleman at church and has never made a kill with it yet. Giddy with excitement, Daniel slowly crept up to about 20 yards of it, sighted it in and shot. Missed. He shot again….and missed. He shot AGAIN…and missed…by this point the rabbit deserved to die, he never flinched. Daddy told Daniel to take a deep breath, sight him in and slowly and purposefully pull the trigger. He shot! Straight through the heart and it dropped dead! He is outside skinning and dressing it as I type and I am pulling the crockpot out to cook it in the morning. One happy boy!

Photos taken on Paul’s i-thingy, that’s why they’re grainy.

Move over Old MacDonald…

2011-06-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

Paul came home with 2 – 2m old meat sheep in the back of his truck tonight. One cream and white and one black and silver. Daniel was ecstatic, his dream come true! They are Shetland sheep which are a small hair sheep, but they are our experiment so they will do just fine. I quickly turned them from rams to wethers…I think. They are the cutest little things, but make the most horrid noise, nothing like a baa-baa. That was my biggest surprise. They stick their tongues out and yell blaaaah! at you.

I am hoping…maybe, just maybe…before they go in the freezer this fall I will make a hat out of one of them…or both. That would be SO fun.

When pigs fly…

2011-05-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

I got a brand spank’n new dishwasher. Not from Craigslist or the paper but from a store…it hasn’t even been used yet! I am so giddy. They say it will actually wash the dishes FOR me AND dry them? I have seen these wonderful machines at friends’ homes before. My sweet hubby noticed how many hours are spent standing at the kitchen sink washing, took pity on me and bought me one yesterday, and at the same time purchased our first extended warranty(thanks, Ruth E) so there will be no excuses for the dog gone thing not working for 5 yrs!

He installed it last night and I ran my first load with 2 qrt jars and a nasty mac n cheese casserole dish as a joke. They were spotless this morning! Doing the happy dance…doing the happy dance….

God Provides

2011-05-26T08:19:00.001-07:00

After waking this morning and having a devotion on bringing all our requests to the Lord, I was thinking of my trip to Bellingham this morning and how I need to find hamburger, a lot of it, under $2 lb. While thinking of how to go about finding this beef that I hoped the Lord would provide, I threw open my bedroom shades to see a large beef cow standing right in the middle of my front yard chewing her cud…right smack in the middle of the lawn. I often think the statement "God has a sense of humor" is misused...but I had to chuckle about this one. And unfortunately she belongs to the neighbor.

Monday

2011-05-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

O.k., so I have ran out of creative juices when it comes to titling my blog posts.

I finally, after many attempts and failures, knitted a functional pair of booties! As soon as I can, I’m running back into town for more yarn. I’m in love with this pattern.

Are these not just adorable? What I love is the yarn is stretchy and will stay on the foot. My children have very long feet at birth they wear 3m size socks. I made these a smidge longer so they’ll fit. ;)

This is part of the collection of hats I made for her. After falling into a rolled brim hat rut, a friend sent me a very easy pattern for a ruffled edge, what a breath of fresh air. I am a perpetual beginner.

1 week and 18 days to go till due date. I’ve been telling the children my most favorite moment of life is having that baby scooped up and placed on my chest for the first time, all floppy and wet, they take their first breaths on my chest as I anxiously wipe their little face with a towel. My homebirth babies always make me a little nervous when born because they do not come out screaming like in the hospital, so I love those first few seconds of rubbing them down and getting them going. The day can not come quick enough.

Sunday in Pictures

2011-05-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Fruitful fishing today by two brothers at the irrigation pond. ;)

Edaleen Dairy

2011-05-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

Shorts…sprinkler…friends…what better day than to go to Edaleen Dairy? We go several times a summer and for $13 everybody gets a big ice cream cone, that is a family friendly treat.

I love this picture Jessie took of the red maple tree

Since it has been forever since I posted pictures of the children, thought I’d make up for it.

Elijah was such a big boy and handled his cone all by himself this time, he even left relatively clean!

He reeeeeally liked his ice cream! He ate everything but the last inch and big brother took care of the remainder.

Ems learned how to make the cones *kiss* in her favor. We stopped as soon as we figured it out, she got a lot more ice cream that way!

You’d think it was winter by the way Micah dressed. Just like his mamma(when she’s not pregnant)

Who is this young lady? Surely she isn’t my daughter. Hokey Pete, where has time gone? Sunglasses, jewelry, purse…<sigh>

I took this picture of Grace, but Elijah cracks me up.

Yet again, we were the center of attention. Jess said one lady sat by her stroller staring at our family the whole time, several other small groups all turned their chairs toward us and I felt so awkward! They just stare like I’m not supposed to notice? It’s a nice way to teach my children why we do not stare at people no matter how *interesting* they may seem.

One Happy Farmer Boy

2011-05-20T12:49:00.001-07:00

Micah was invited to help Mr. C feed his cattle yesterday on the Big Green Tractor. Micah likes this picture because Mr. C is behind the big wheel and it looks as if he is feeding the cattle himself!

He even got to ride up next to the Big Black Bull. He confirmed all our thoughts, “He’s big and scary Mamma!”

This made one wannabe farmer boy a very happy man aaaaaall week.

Ahhh, Sun.

2011-05-18T19:11:00.001-07:00

I think I even have color on my skin. We weeded in my mom’s flower bed after music lessons. Came home, put the littles to bed and I tackled my first and second story windows..on a ladder…that shook. I got half way done, frightened myself and will be sweetly asking hubby to finish the last three very, very high windows tonight.

We scrubbed the algae off the play boat then started gardening. Hands and knees, in the dirt, oh happy day! I ripped all new flower beds out in front of the addition, hauled in dirt, planted new flowers and pretty soon hours had passed by and when I went to get up, I really couldn’t. I drug myself in the house, sweet talked my daughter into making dinner and here I sit, inside for good, Tylenol to my right, goat tea to my left. It’s not gonna be a pretty day tomorrow Bob. I blame the sun, it makes one think irrationally.

Hunter Safety Training

2011-05-18T08:23:00.001-07:00

Jacob is taking a class in town on Hunter Safety Training over the next two weeks so he can get his hunting license to shoot a duck. Logging 12.5 hours….to shoot…..a duck. Daddy should be able to do this, but I guess the state says he isn’t good enough.

Anyhow, he came home last night and said the instructor got up there and told the boys that “hunting is a privilege, not a right” I was impressed Jake caught that and it bothered him. He came home and proved the Bible says it is a God-given right, not a privilege, to hunt responsibly for your family, to take dominion. I’m glad I am not going, because it sounds like there is a lot of politically correct non-sense being handed to the children.

Monday

2011-05-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

“Our little girl is gaining an ounce a day”??? Do they HAVE to post that on the ticker above, I mean really, is that something that makes mothers think “aaaaawe”…I…don’t …think….so.

Patched 7 pairs of jeans, in the middle of 4 huge hampers of laundry and praying I do not set off our septic alarm like I did last Monday…whoops, got all 4 c of my goat tea down(pregnancy tea), got more weed pulling done, made three freezer meals and get to go to go hear the Mount Baker Youth Symphony Orchestra tonight, a perfect end to a perfect day.

2011 Soap Swap

2011-05-11T09:01:00.001-07:00

It arrived! It all started three months ago when it was announced on the Soap Queen Blog that they were doing another swap. Feeling a lot more confident this year, I jumped in and made 12 bars of yummy swirled goat milk soap scented with Brambleberry’s Wake-Up Rosemary. After their six weeks of curing, I carefully wrapped each one and I sent them in. We have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for our box to arrive, silly soap people we are. It came yesterday. Some of these people are just incredible artisans. I told the children we are hereby going to bath twice a day now to sample all the soap <jk> well, I might be.

About a third of the soaps were made with goat milk.

BTW Ruth E, I could pick out the rebatches easily, maybe we ARE doing it right? The gingerleaf was a rebatch and they just threw in botanicals and color to make it pertty. Paul said it borders on a Man Soap.

My favorite out of the box? This one..”Energy”. It smells JUST like Smarties and I loooOoooove Smarties. It is even round. ;) It has such a wonderful aroma and a silky smooth lather.

Kittens For Sale/Free

2011-05-08T15:36:00.001-07:00

Why not start early, right?

Yesterday Bailey was huge.

Today Bailey is small. (I should write children’s books)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, if you contribute/condone PETA please skip this post. It all started when we noticed the toms hanging around a couple months ago. We suddenly had three large toms sleeping/marking around the garage, barn and woodshed. There was one tom in particular that was HUGE and obviously took ownership of my two female cats. He was a solid black tom and sired the last litter of kittens, giving us predominantly black cats, which aren’t the easiest to get rid of.

So I did what all good, responsible cat breeders do and decided to manage my cattery and implement a selective breeding program. I had Jacob grab and load a .22 for me and then have the kids watch for the tom. The next day the kids were all excited, Lucifer(named after the cat from Cinderella) was sitting out by the guest cabin. I grabbed my raincoat, .22 and me and my big belly stealthfully snuck out to the yard and hid about 50ft of him. He sat pretty and I popped him! The crowd went wild in the house! He was dead and he was the biggest cat I have ever seen. A couple days later, Jacob told me the gray and white tabby bred Bailey and we today have beautiful, colorful kitties to prove it.

Disclaimer 5/9/11 : We live in the country. These are not *neighbors* cats, these cats are all feral…except ours. They carry disease and are either starved to death or are eaten by the coyotes. We are not going to trap and relocate and all that goofy stuff there are just too many.

The best bathtub toys…

2011-05-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

The kids and I ran to the local farm store to get salt for our water treatment system. Now, this is the same store my eldest son drools over their ducklings. For a couple months now he has gone in and talked to the gentleman about ducks, knowing he’ll never get them…at least not in this house.

One Khaki Campbell named “Belle”

Well…eh-hem..that was, until this dark day when Mr. Aamott was throwing salt bags in my truck he told Jacob he has a couple big older ducklings that weren’t selling because they weren’t cute anymore and that is what people want…cute. “How about I sneak them in your truck?” he says. Jacob asks me and I say “no way”. So he pulled the trump card and asked if he could call Daddy. Me in my wisdom thought “go ahead, Daddy will back me up, he knows I detest ducks” Next thing I know Daddy is happily agreeing and a big box with not a couple, but seven, free ducks is plopped on Jacobs lap. Thanks Matt.

One Cayuga named “Cai”

Five Blue Swedish – Orange Peel, Daffy, Ping, Theoduck Roosevelt and Donald

Swimming lessons

It all just happened so fast. I’m game for most anything, really, I feel like I am an open-minded parent when it comes to pets, but ducks? Worthless.

The Day The Dumptruck Came…

2011-05-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

Having a dump truck come to our house isn’t anything out of the usual, they visit at least once a year carrying some goodies. But this time, THIS time, it landed on a little boys 6th birthday. My sweet little Micah, still complete with all his teeth, skinny as a rail, more energy than a bolt of lightening, got to witness The Dumptruck…on his birthday. Miker, aka Biker, is 6 <sigh>. He is a man who knows what he wants. We have been counting down this birthday since Jan 1. He handed me a paper two weeks ago with colored drawings of his gifts, cake and birthday dinner. WOW, that’s how I like it.

Tonight we will have hotdogs roasted over an open…fireplace…with marshmallows, fruit/jello salad, a watermelon and grapes. He will have a volcano birthday cake and he wants the blue tractor/loader from Lynden Farm and Garden, art supplies and a trip to the Dollar Store. Grandma took him in and bought him new Georgia Romeos, he is one happy boy. He refuses to wear them outside and get them dirty.

What better way to start your morning than to rise and dissect a body? I realized we are heavy on studying plants, animals, rocks, trees, mushrooms and naturey type stuff(my thang), but have never formally studied the human body(not my thang). While at the Christian Heritage Conference I visited Timberdoodle and found this great kit called the Squishy Human Body by Smart Lab. We bought it, got a few books from the library and all the children have eaten it up. Micah can identify all the parts listed in the kit and give it’s basic function, we’ve only had it a week!

The Crawford, Lee and Boyd Families

2011-05-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

This was posted on the Crawfords site this morning - “When I cry, it’s not because I’ve lost my home and all that is familiar to me. It is mostly because I know I don’t deserve this kind of love. And it has been a clear picture of God’s grace to sinners who don’t deserve mercy.

FEMA came by and told us that we would have government assistance available to us. I just smiled….”thank you, but we don’t need”. And it’s true. The hands and feet of Christ have been more than sufficient to provide for our needs….

…May the Lord be glorified. May all who see these stories understand what power and passion lies in the blood of those bound together in Christ.”

http://www.generationcedar.com/main/

Last week, a family with 13 children lost their home, all their possessions and finally, their father after the tornado left. Down the road several more families sat huddled in the Boyd's basement. 2 minutes later most those families’ houses were completely gone. As horrible as it all sounds, their testimony of God’s provision and deep love for them just…well… you need to read it. I encourage you to grab your children and watch each of these three quick videos documenting the destruction less than a week ago and the hope Christ gives to those who loose “everything”. One thing that sent it home for us was all the 15 pass vans tossed and crumbled like toys.

Soap Scent Ideas

2011-05-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

So, we are working on a Squaw Creek Farm Soap, you know, the type that will get the compost, turkey stuff and goat grain from under yer nails. We are using our eggshells as an exfoliant (yes, when ground to a powder they are used regularly in soap, they do not scratch like you’d think) But what scent to use? Any ideas? All the country scents that remind me of the farm are definitely not bottled and sold. I wish I could find “Horse”, “Hay Bale”, “Goat”, “Alfalfa” or “Wet Chicken Feathers”. Alas, they haven’t caught on to those scents, but when they do, I’ll be at the head of the line.

Brambleberry just emailed me to say they received my soap for the May 2011 Soap Swap! We are impatiently awaiting our box-o-soap.

Ready for 2011-2012!

2011-05-02T09:37:00.001-07:00

Bring It On. The last couple years of school have definitely been getting better and easier as we streamline things little by little. Adding students is easier, picking curriculum is easier, and I hate to sound like a commercial, but the Christian Heritage Conferences has greatly influenced our family and homeschool vision over the years. We just had another great weekend there.

We drove down early Thursday afternoon so I could curriculum shop Thursday night and shop I did. Five students now runs me several hundred dollars(not close to thousands, nor will it ever be, still can’t understand why the schools get >5k for a student?!?) and let me tell you, it was fun! It was like a candy store, I had my list and most everything I wanted was right there, free shipping. Over the course of the year we saved, tax refund, puppies, gifts…the Lord blessed our efforts and supplied so faithfully as He has in the past. Praise be to Him.

Things I learned: For my younger children, I am their educator teaching them, most importantly, Godly character using writing, mathematics and reading to build those character qualities. For my older children I am no longer an educator, but a facilitator to their God given interests and desires in education. Having them seek out what educational desires they have. Christ is our Core Curriculum, not math, language arts, handwriting, science, history and the rest. It is real life experiences, the Hebraic methods, walking side by side that will teach my children the most valuable education God’s Word requires..the only education God requires Paul and I to give. I just realized I can not list, in a nutshell, what I learned, there is just too much. As a home educator the pressure builds over time to provide bigger/better/more, which is taking my focus off what our core curriculum should be, Christ.

We have renewed vision and purpose, we’ve gathered all our next years books and have now closed the door to the lures of *bigger and better* and are ready to teach Christ in continued sanctification by the Lord Jesus in our home. I need it just as much as my children.

On a humbling side note, Friday, we were in the parking lot teeming with white vans(let me tell you, tie a string on your antennae if you own a white van!) I was making sandwiches and Paul was organizing foot races with the children to run their energy off. An older gentleman purposefully walked toward our family and right up to my husband. Pretty soon they were laughing and Paul was introducing children, we did not know him, he just wanted to encourage us on our *big* family. “May God bless you” he said as he walked away reaching out his hand to shake Paul's and quickly walked away.

Paul stood there looking a little stunned, looked at me, looked at him, looked at me. “What’s the matter?” I said. Paul held out his hand and there was a neatly folded $100 bill. There were so many times the Lord seemed to affirm us and give us such peace.

I’d love to show picture’s, but again, my camera is now dead for good. It really stinks. Canon and Walmart have let me down. ;)

Voddie Baucham is key note speaker at next years conference and I highly recommend hearing him. He is probably the preacher most listened to in our home via audio, his homepage has a great list of sermon audio downloads.

Easy cheese recipes you can make at home with the children

2011-04-26T08:35:00.001-07:00

Baby Update:

Everything is great. I’ve been drinking my goat feed concoction of raspberry leaf and alfalfa tea, 4 cups religiously every morning. It definitely works. I went to see Ann(my miwife) yesterday and for once in my life the little babe was head down and facing anterior. Ann knelt down and whispered for her to stay there now until the end. It’s a nice thought. I tried to persuade Ann into letting me wait another month for my next appointment but she said no, 2 weeks…then I insisted just 1 more month and she granted me 3 weeks. After that, she decides. ;) I do not like having to drive into B-ham. The only concerning news is that I am 32 weeks along and measuring 36, a bit bigger than my norm. **************************************************************

If you do not want to buy the rennet or starter, you only have to look as far as your fridge. Because these are both high heat cheeses, the left over whey will not have ricotta left to extract. Use the whey to make breads, in place of water in many recipes or an excellent nutritious lemonade served ice cold.

Lemon Cheese

Lemon Cheese has a summery lemony flavor that spreads well on crackers.

1/2 gallon Whole Milk (not ultra-pasteurized)

Juice of 2-3 large lemons(approx 1/4 C)

Cheese salt(or un-iodized salt)

Herbs(opt)

1. Heat the milk to 185-195 degrees over direct heat. Stir in the juice of lemons.

2. Let the milk set covered for 15minutes. The curds and the whey will separate, if you do not have a clear separation after 15 minutes, add a little more lemon juice and repeat process.

3. Pour the curds into a muslin cloth lined colander. Tie the corners of the muslin and hang the bag to drain for 1.5 hours.

4. Turn the cheese out into a bowl and add salt and herbs to taste. Mix in with hands.

5. Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 1 lb cheese

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Queso Blanco (white cheese)

This is an excellent soup cheese. It does not melt and remains in thick chewy chunks in hot soup…delish! It can be deep-fried or used in many different recipes where you want your cheese to remain firm.

1 gallon Whole Milk(not ultra-pasteurized)

1/4 C Vinegar (I use Braggs apple cider)

1. Heat the milk to 185-190 degrees over direct heat, stirring often.

2. Add the vinegar a Tablespoon at a time until the curds separate from the whey. Usually 1/4 C vinegar will work, if it does now up your temperature to 200 degrees instead of using more vinegar. Do NOT boil or it will give it a cooked taste.

3. Ladle the curds into a muslin cloth lined colander. Tie the corners of the muslin and hang the bag to drain for several hours, or until it is the consistency you’d like. I like it at about 5-6 hours.

4. Remove cheese from muslin cloth and store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 1.5-2 lbs cheese

************************************************

This poor little guy was forgotten in the incubator. I missed his due date and never took his egg out to hatch in the hatcher. This morning I awoke to peeps and when I looked in, he was sitting on the egg turner, still in his egg with the top popped open like some space module.

Mak’in Homemade Cheddar – Day 1

2011-04-25T18:11:00.001-07:00

Monday Laundry Day also turned into Cheddar Mak’in Day. Because I am at home all day doing laundry, and making cheese demands just that, I thought they’d go hand in hand. For eight weeks now I have been making a 2 or 3lb loaf of cheddar on Mondays. They age for 1-6 months. We have now sampled our first loaf of cheese and to my surprise it tasted….like…cheddar! For some reason I wasn’t expecting that. At four weeks our cheddar is a little dryer and a little sharper than our store bought mild cheddar, which I loooove.

Here we go. Empty 3 gallons worth of fresh raw goat’s milk into a large stainless pot. Each gallon of whole milk yields 1 lb of cheese. Heat the milk to 85 degrees…slowly, in a double boiler. I take a water bath canner, put three rocks in the bottom to make my DB.

Once at 85, remove and inoculate with mesophillic starter. Cover with a lid and towels to allow the milk to ripen for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes the milk looks the same. Add rennet. Rennet is the liquid that makes all milk curdle in the belly of baby mammals, in this case, I use calf rennet. I was grossed out at first when I learned this, but it is how it works.

Cheese was discovered near the beginning of time by storing milk in a bag made of the intestine of a calf. The rennet miraculously caused the milk to curdle and with aging, caused cheese!

See it curdling? After adding the rennet I stir in an up and down motion, make sure we are still at 85 degrees, then wrap her all up in towels again and let sit for 1 hour.

The fun part! Remove the pot lid and hope and pray that the you can cut curd! If you can’t, you just ruined a pot of cheese, if you can, you are ready to make cheddar.

Ooo, oooo, the curd cut. See that nice cut? Perfecto.

Cutting the curd takes time. You cut it this way, then that, then sideways, then reverse until the whole pot is cut in 1/2 inch pieces. Place the lid back and on let it sit for 10minutes. We are allowing the whey to escape the curds. Miss Muffet, where are you?

Then the curds are gradually heated again to 98 degrees this time, no more than two degrees every 5 minutes. Hold the temp(wrap the pot back up) and let sit for 45 minutes.

Place butter muslin over a colander and strain the curd, preserving the whey for later. Beautiful curd!

Gently stir in 3 t Real Salt or an un-iodized salt.

Line the cheese press with butter muslin or a high quality cheese cloth. place the curds in the mold. Set up and press at 20lbs of pressure for 15 minutes. Take it out, flip the cheese over, redress it and press at 30lbs pressure for 1 hour. Take it out, flip it, redress and now do a final press of 50lbs for 12 hours. Jessie called me on the phone to let me know I’ll be take my cheese out of the press at 3am. I really need to plan better.

Hunk-O-Cheese

Now Jessie’s favorite part. After the cheddar is in final press, pour aaaaaall your whey back in the pot. Since the temp of our milk never went over 98 degrees there is still cheese left in the whey. Now we are going to heat up the whey to 200 degrees and force out the ricotta.

At 190 ricotta starts to form and bubble to the surface. Oh the joy! Grab the salt shaker and a spoon.

The yield was about 3C of blessed ricotta. Had we not already taken cheese from the milk and used whole milk our yield would have been 3lbs.

I keep 2 qrt of my whey and use it in place of water in bread baking(I let it ferment a smidge). I am learning to ferment raw whey for 1 month to culture my own mozzarella instead of having to buy a culture, we’ll see how that goes. Fermenting raw milk products is safe, whereas pasteurized milk just rots, stinks and becomes poisonous.

This is Day 1. It will now take two days of salting and drying the cheddar to build a rind. After the rind is thick and the cheese stops sweating whey, we’ll brush it with a good 1/16” coat of cheesewax. On Day 3, we will label and put it in the cheese fridge to age for at least 4-6wks.

You can make your own cheese with a gallon of whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice, anyone interested in a recipe?

Resurrection Cookies

2011-04-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

I lost my recipe and had to hunt another down so I thought I blog it. This one is taken from here. Thought I’d share. My children all LOVE this family tradition.

Resurrection Story Cookies - A Real Recipe

What a wonderful recipe to share with the children. These cookies are made the evening before celebrating the Resurrection, and are cooked in a warm oven overnight so they will be ready on Easter morning.
You need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees (this is important--don't wait until you are half done with the recipe!)

3 egg whites                        A Ziploc baggie
1 cup whole pecans              A wooden spoon
1 tsp. Vinegar                       tape
A pinch salt                          Bible
1 cup sugar

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Resurrection, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-

A glimpse of summer…

2011-04-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

I was showing a customer puppies this afternoon when I saw a flash of a child run across the lawn with a life vest and soaking wet clothing. I took a deep breath. It IS a nice sunny day, but the fact remains, it IS 54 degrees out…and the water in our pond was colder than that.

I finished up, grabbed some towels and reluctantly walked down to our pond. Sure enough. My five oldest were full on swimming in the mucky yucky freezing water like it was July. They had the knee board in there and floaties, as they kicked their feet, dark chocolate water gushed up behind them. It was gross. They were ecstatic. Yips and yells, chattering teeth and all. I took pictures, but then found the card I used was corrupt so you will have to imagine.

Kids…I tell ya.

Washington has SUN!!

2011-04-17T15:46:00.001-07:00

No time for blogging, get out there and enjoy it!

Taking a few days off blogging…

2011-04-13T14:05:00.001-07:00

We are doing our school testing this week, lost Riley(our big dumb dog <sniff>) yesterday to a truck, coming down with a cold and I think that pregnancy thing it kicking it, lol. I am feeling tired instead of wired. As well as I am working on taxes before that nasty deadline comes Friday and preparing for the all anticipated Christian Heritage Homeschooling Conference!! I wonder what the chances are of our Principle taking me out for dinner tonight….hmm….

Houston…we have an addict.

2011-04-10T18:54:00.001-07:00

I got up this morning thinking about making a batch of soap. Then I went to my soap storage rack, which are all the racks taken from an old freezer and screwed to my bedroom wall. I looked upon my soap, then it hit me “Jennifer, you have a problem”. I counted over 150 bars. I am leaving the realm of “benefitting my family” and entering the “obsession with soaping”. I think it is time to step back.

You might be a soap addict if...

You disdain any soap you didn't make yourself.
You have more fragrance oils than you do spices.
Your cupboards are full of oils to be used for soapmaking.
You use the stockpot to make soap.
You have more "soap" utensils than you do "cooking" ones.
You own a stick blender, and use it.
Your children have learned NOT to taste that interesting stuff in the casserole dish!
You get excited when lye goes on sale.
You've bought olive oil in the one gallon container.
Your house always smells like you've swiped the inventory from "The Body Shop".
You carry free samples of soap in your purse, your briefcase and your car, just in case.
You try writing off your "work cupboard" as a home business tax expense.
You denude your lavender bushes before they're ready so that your lavender soap looks right.
Kitchen? what kitchen? YOU have a test laboratory.
You know the difference between M&P, CP and HP.
You don't have friends, you have test markets.
You see products in stores and recognize which companies sold the molds.
The UPS guy rolls his eyes every time he lugs a box to your house.
You look at all storage containers, candy molds and ice cubes trays at the thrift store as possible soap molds.
You know the difference between EO and FO.
You throw in the towel after stirring that meringue topping after 30 minutes, but you would never EVER give up on a batch of castile.
You call the spices in your spice cupboard - botanicals.

Dressing Warm

2011-04-08T07:53:00.001-07:00

…and off the the Youth Fair! Emma can hardly contain herself. She packed her listed items over a week ago. Jessica is a teen leader and spent yesterday and last night packing wheel barrow after wheel barrow load of shavings into horse stalls…the boys can’t stop talking about it either. I get to spend two days managing walkie-talkies, hungry stomachs calls and potty breaks with little ones. It’s just a hoot.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

Auction Barn Monday

2011-04-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

My sweet blessings and I got up Monday morning with a bee in our bonnet to go to the Everson Auction Market and experience our first auction. We’ve attempted this in the past only to get there, have the baby poop his diaper, be out of diapers, one child slip and fall headlong in the mud and get in there only to freeze our pockets off. So we came home before ever seeing the auction.

This time I came prepared . Camera, money, winter coats and hats, large dog crate in the back of the van, just in case Mamma’s soft heart wants to rescue an animal.

We got there and looked the animals over. Nothing we were interested in…o.k. nothing I was interested in. We would have come home with a new barnyard full of animals had the children had their way. We signed up and got our little bidding card and plopped ourselves down on the bleachers.

It was the small animal day so there were bunnies, chickens, roosters, a duck, goats, a sheep(Emma called it a walking haybale) and chicks. Jacob bid on the duck, but $7 is too much to pay for one duck dinner. Jess bid on a bunny or two for the experience. It was crazy what some ladies were paying for an auction barn rabbit, I mean, really. You do not know how old they are, diseases, reason for selling…all you know is they’re cute. It was crazy people. Sorry Charlie, not good enough for me.

Jacob took one picture and my newly recharged batteries gave up the ghost. So this is it. A little pigmy(ack) doe. It gave me the heebie geebies to walk by goats with diarrhea and bring that back to my barn so I had to disinfect myself and the children upon arrival home(that disclaimer is only inserted so Mindy will still be my friend). We did get a little auction fever though, and think we’ll go back and try it again. Elijah and Gracie sat through the whole thing(45m) and looooooved it.

If you are looking for family entertainment, we’d recommend this one. There are clean bathrooms, a small downhome eatery, good seating and it was cheap fun entertainment for ages 2 to 36yrs. Every Monday is now small animal day, auction starting at 12:30, preview before that. Everson Auction Market 966-3271

It’s Heeeeeere…

2011-04-04T08:09:00.001-07:00

This 2011 the J’s are doing something wonderful. We are taking Spring Break! <the crowd roars> Since our last day of school is figured to be the middle of May our Principle kindly gave us permission to take Spring Break. Isn’t he a great Principle? All I have to do is sweet talk him a’little, bat my eyes, give him a’little kiss on the cheek and he pretty much will do whatever we ask of him, with in reason. I just hope he doesn’t read this.

I have strived to be ahead of our game this year since this baby could not have come at a better time, I had the whole school year to plan for her.

April is a buuuuuuusy month filled with animals, chores, schooling, the Christian Heritage Conference <again, the crowd roars>, 2011-12 school year curriculum planning, the Youth Fair, Keepers At Home, filing taxes <roars replaced by crickets in the audience> and garden planning.

So what are we doing on our first day? Well, it’s 8:05am. I am quietly blogging, drinking Tully’s coffee with gingerbread torani while all the children are STILL in bed sleeping. Does Spring Break get any better than this? Ah yes, C.H. Sprugeon…gotta go.

Fruitful Friday

2011-04-03T16:43:00.001-07:00

Daddy normally works 4 – 10 hour days and is off at 10:30am every Friday. It is nice to have him home so much on the weekends, but that is about to change again. He was just told they are going to 5 10’s AND Saturdays are opt, but encouraged, as they are so busy. Thank you Lord for the hours and employment.

Paul purposed to get caught up on some thingsbeing this his last full weekend and that included getting my greenhouse finished with his boys. I was so excited!

I love the colored sunset coming through. It was noticeably warmer within an hour of closing the door! Now, what am I going to grow in it?

Being Friday and all assignments turned in accomplished(whew), this weeks reward was dirt buckets at the Fairway Cafe. It sure makes the work get turned in!

Jacob built three new panels to extend our turkey pen. Daniel skinned them with chicken wire and all this was done while Daddy worked on the greenhouse. What a blessing those boys are becoming around here in their knowledge of building. All those extra hours taken by Daddy to teach his boys is really starting to pay off.

Jacob even built me some great greenhouse workbenches out of dismantled pallet boards and gathered all my tools to set it up just how he thought his Mamma would like it. What a sweetie. I LOVE those benches.

Mommy and Elijah hiding from the pouring rain and hail.

See? See? A peach blossom!! Time to throw out the high winter boots and put on the Birks. Thank you Lord for that lift given to the heart when we see your handiwork coming to life! Thank you Lord that in the presence of so much sickness and death in the world around us we see Your mercies and love in nature springing to life again around us. Spring returns, bound by the laws of Your nature, just as Your mercies and love shine through out of dark days. Great is thy faithfulness!

Hos 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires.

~ C. Spurgeon

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

2011-04-01T07:46:00.001-07:00

Last, but not least…not just your average crockpot roast beef and a bottle of BBQ sauce, this one gets everyone excited for hours before dinner smelling the delicious aroma throughout the house. These sandwiches are always fun because I let the children pick out the type of bun they would like it served on, I know, yippee ding-dong, but really they LOVE picking it out. We’ve tried everything from the bakery from mini hamburger buns to foccacia to flat bread to tortillas(ack). Serves 10ish.

2-2.5lb roast, cooked in the crockpot until tender, then shredded
3 celery ribs, sliced thin
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 C ketchup
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C Bragg’s apple cider vinegar
3 T chili seasoning
2 T lemon juice
2 T molasses
2 t salt(opt)
1 T Worcestershire
2 t dry mustard
2 C cooked rice as filler(opt)
12 rolls of your choice

After roast is cooked and shredded, place back in crockpot and add remaining ingredients(except rolls;). Heat on high for 30 min, then low 30. Broil open faced rolls on low until crispy, spoon on roast beef. Serve with homemade broiled organic potatoes wedges. Mmmmm….Makes great leftovers for Daddy’s lunchbox.

If your man is extra hungry after a strenuous day around the place, or at work, add a fried egg on top.

"I'll have a stister??!"

2011-03-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

Gracie(3) "Mommy?" Suddenly looking at my belly that is at her eye level as she sits at the table eating her breakfast "You are getting fat."

Mommy(36) "Yes, Gracie, that isn't fat(well, not most of it, lol) It is a baby."

Gracie "A baby? A baby what?"

Mommy "A baby sister, a real baby. It will come out soon and you can hold her."

Gracie, totally shocked "A stister?! For me?!? I'll have a stister?!"

Mommy "Yup, you're going to be a big stister."

Gracie, now staring at my belly now everytime I walk past her "That is my stister in dere, and I get to hold her and she will look like me and be cute" (say "cute" in a squeaky, high pitched little voice)

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese

2011-03-31T07:50:00.001-07:00

The “only and the best” mac-n-cheese we serve in our home. Forget the ingredients you can’t pronounce, once you try this, you’ll never go back to the box. It is easy, quick and you know my favorite word…cheap. Although there were a few years where this meal was too expensive because of the dairy products, but Junie solved that one.

For as long as I can remember I have been served or preparing this dish. Another beauty passed down from my mother and I am pretty sure this recipe may predate her cooking years. It has been served at more birthday dinners in our home than any other meal.

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese

8 C dry macaroni(or shells), cooked
1 pkg all beef hot dogs, sliced thin, fried if you like‘em that way
1/2 C butter
4 C milk
3/4 C flour
4 C grated cheese(save a little for topping)
salt and pepper

Boil macaroni. Make a white sauce(melt butter, stir in flour until bubbly, slowly add milk using a whisk, stir constantly until simmer. Simmer for 1 min) Remove from heat and add grated cheese to white sauce until well blended. Mix cheese sauce, hot dogs and cooked macaroni all together. Sprinkle with cheese, paprika and a little parsley. Bake in a large baking dish at 350 degrees for 40 min or until bubbly. Serves 10-12.

Serve with a side of fresh steamed broccoli and thenb stir it all together(if you allow your portions to touch each other)……ahhh bliss.

Montana Meatloaf

2011-03-30T07:50:00.001-07:00

What meal plan is complete without a meatloaf? I mean really? My mother used to cook the most amazing meatloaves ever….EVER, and I got this recipe from her. Hidden deep inside are freshly grated carrots, cheese topped with a sweet and sour sauce that will leave your dishwasher wondering why the plates are in there, they’re scraped so clean. We of course double this and put it in one of those looooong bread pans.

Montana Meatloaf

2 eggs
2/3 C milk
2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3 slices bread, crumbled
1 onion, chopped
3/4 C carrots, shredded
1 C shredded cheese
1.5 lb ground beef

Sauce:

1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C ketchup
1 T prepared mustard

Combine all ingredients together(except sauce) and press in a loaf pan. Mix up sauce and pour over top. Bake in 350 oven for 1 to 1.25 hours. Let set 10 minutes before slicing.

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On the baby front. I woke up Monday morning feeling a little banana’ish in the belly(some of you can relate). I walked different, I sat different…I happened to go to the midwife that afternoon and after kneading my belly she made a funny look, scrunched up her nose and said lil one is laying with her feet in my pelvis and her head tucked down, like a candy cane, like she’s standing up hanging her head down. What a goof. It causes a very wide feeling. I had one baby who liked to lay perfectly sideways and it kind of feels like that that…just plain weird. 11.5 weeks left!

Jessie is getting soooo excited again to attend the birth. We were talking last night now fun it was last time. We both slept on the queen mattress on the floor together with baby tucked between us. She ran and provided for my every need. She got lots of snuggles with babe and three days of quiet time with mother. We can’t wait for that!

Petting Zoo 2011

2011-03-29T16:53:00.001-07:00

Drawing winners

girls – Melia D

boys – Marcus F

mothers – Crystal P

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WOW, That was FUN! Besides a freak panicking beef cow running through our yard full of children, it was another great year(though my heart is still pounding after that one) Don’t ask.

2009 – 20-some people

2010 – 33 people

Ready for this one?

2011

16 adults, 44 children, 3 little babies for a grand total of 63 people!! Thank you everyone who came, that was a blast(again, except the cow ordeal)

Shoes everywhere…

Elijah went bed just before everyone arrived and slept through the whoooole thing.

This year we had a parking plan and Jess and Jacob parked cars so no one was trapped. It worked very well.

Our attempt at a “how we use our goat milk” table.

Let the petting begin…our little twin doelings were well tamed(or in shock) by the time it ended.

The chicks and the baby bunnies were definitely the hit of the party.

Yes, I cut off close ups on purpose.

Ah, look at the 12 yr old holding the witto bunny wabbit. I LOVE this picture. Doesn’t he look excited?!?

We went from 6 wild bunnies to 6 tame bunnies. And you thought we were just letting your children come over to hold animals, our REAL motive was for you to instantly tame our animals for us!

So, if you’ve read this far you deserve a quick explanation. As the last families were leaving, there were still a bunch of children playing in the yard. The neighbors large beef cow had gotten out of the field next door and he had been trying to get it back in the field. It decided to run…RUN…through our yard of children. Poor little Zeke was running for all he was worth, that poor little thing, I hope it doesn’t give him nightmares. The cow then ran in-between a couple of parked cars(At this point I am thankful for homeowners, but the cow managed to not hurt a thing) and to the back of our property where Mr. C had the gate open, ready to catch her. We have NEVER had that happen, and it had to happen today, of all days. <sigh> Thank you Lord for Your protection.

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Anyone wanna claim these?

Spinach Sausage Casserole

2011-03-29T08:49:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh…casseroles. That is pretty much all we ate before I discovered The Warehouse Gourmet and AllRecipes.com. They’re cheap, they make a lot, they’re an easy 1 pan clean up and there are always leftovers for Daddy’s lunch….well, there used to be.

Don’t let the “S” word in this title scare you off, or assume your children won’t like it. It is requested regularly in our home now, every one of them. Give it a try and don’t mention the “S” word until after they compliment you for the meal.

1lb cooked, crumbled sausage
1 T dry onion
3/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1 pkg chopped frozen spinach or 2 small bunches fresh chopped spinach
1 can cream of celery
1 can milk
1 C sour cream
1 t garlic powder
1/2 lb fresh shopped mushrooms. Diced into smithereens if you want to hide them.
1/2 t pepper
4 cups cooked rice

Mix ALL together, place in 9x13, top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until hot in the middle. We have also served this as leftovers in crisped tortillas the next day for lunch. Yuuuuuuuum.

Suppa Tuscana with Bread Sticks

2011-03-28T08:40:00.001-07:00

Ever since Paul and I were dating we’ve loooved going to the Olive Garden. Paul’s favorite? Suppa Toscana(sp?). Here is my tweaked copycat version that he looOOOoooves and it is a surefire way to give him a pick-up after a bad day at work. You may need to scale our recipes down a bit ;)

12 C chicken broth
2 chopped onions
6-9 links Italian sausage links
9 Lg potatoes
2 med bunches of kale or spinach(we like kale, about 3C – but whatever is cheaper ;) washed and chopped
1/2 C evaporated milk(I just use cream or double goat milk)
Salt n Pepper
6 garlic cloves

Squeeze sausage out of skins into frying pan and cook with onion over med heat until just cooked. Place in large pot and add stock, potatoes and garlic. Boil until cooked. Add kale until cooked. Remove from heat and add milk. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parmesan, pepper and a little chopped kale. MMmmm…

O.k, now go buy breadsticks from the store. 8/$1.49. I can not make breadsticks for the life of me….yet. Melt 4T butter, 2 t garlic powder, 1 T chopped garlic and brush over breadsticks and bake.

This also makes a great base for Refrigerator Soup two days later ;) Freezes well.

Recipe Week

2011-03-27T15:53:00.001-07:00

I know you are probably sick of hearing how much I loved reading Large Family Logistics(on sidebar), but can I say it again? I LOVE that book. I have been using her methods for 13 weeks now and feel the honeymoon is over and I can still say it works*! (*disclaimer - well, as well as it can be for 8 people at home all day, every day.)

Laundry, meals, shopping, baking, cleaning…it’s all getting accomplished(again, see disclaimer). It is such a blessing to ME, my hubby and my sanity ;)

Thanks to LFL I now have a book filled with two months of our favorite dinner recipes that we cycle through, making meal planning a cinch.

So, I thought I’d do a Recipe Week, brought to you by Gracie and Elijah. Why them? Because the Devious Duo have given me some extra sit-down time. Gracie has decided to stop taking naps and play in her room, secretively, for her whooooole naptime….at the same time, Elijah has learned to scale his crib(and the fortified baby gate in his doorway) and join her. It was a constant battle keeping them separated at naptime and confined to bed. My legs can’t handle the repeated stair climb for consistent discipline. Gracie is too young to stop taking naps so I set up a bed on the floor in Elijah's room for her. I bring my knitting, book or laptop and sit in the rocking chair in their room. Inevitably, they fall asleep within 10min and get their much needed rest.

In the 10m of my rocking chair time, I thought it would be nice to post 5 of our all-time favorite meals.

I am not gourmet cook, a creative cook or even a good cook. I am a cook-cuz-I-have-to-cook, so you may just find these old news and boring. No offense taken. My favorite cookbooks? Joy of Cooking, The Warehouse Gourmet and church cookbooks. See?

So, here goes nothing for the next week…

Chicks are in!

2011-03-25T08:49:00.001-07:00

Now, Spring has officially begun. All the baby animals are born, chores are in full swing, milk is on the table, cheese is in the fridge, eggs being brought in by the handfuls. Step out the back door to the deafening peeps of chicks.

After our annual phone call at 7am from our always happy, cheerful Post Office staff(not), I got dressed and bounced in the truck. It is so exciting the day they come. I prayed on the way in there that the Lord would give us a good live rate on the chicks after last year where most of our first set arrived dead as doornails.

I even met Farmer Jon picking up his chicks, too! When the back door to the Post Office opened, there was the most annoying sound of hundreds of chicks peeping…poor people. The lady who answered the door said, as a joke, they had stacked the chicks next to her desk, lol. I bet they hope we all come right away and get them out!

I prayed on the way home. Jacob had the brooder all set up. We clipped the cords on the two large boxes and took them out, one by one, counting as we go and dipping their little beaks individually in the water to teach them to drink. There was one dead chick in each box! That’s it! We had a couple extra chicks and a couple obviously not going to make it so we should end up with all that we ordered. The Lord is so good and faithful to hear our prayers over the menial things like chicks!

They are already eating like all good little Cornish Cross piglets do. Another great experience ordering from Welp Hatchery.