Saturday, January 26, 2013

A Duck Hunter’s Joy

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Jacob was jump shooting in the corn field next to our house when this beauty jumped up and he took him. Notice the trophy? Last year, one of the few ducks he shot had a federal band(here) and it made his yeeeear. He got his certificate mailed to him, found out the duck was over 2 years old and traveled over several hundred miles in 4.5 months. He made a necklace out of the band and wears it often.

When he retrieved this drake, he was more than a little excited to get his SECOND band. He popped online and in five minutes found this duck had come from even a further distance. It was banded in Brackett Lake, Northwest Territories on Sept 8 of last year. 1133m(!) away just 4 months ago! Hokey pete, that’s a long way.  This drake was 3yrs old or older, I love all the facts that they give.

This young man is bringing home enough duck each weekend to provide a meal for his family of ten, pretty good if you ask me.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Grandpa 6/1939-1/2013

I put this on FB this morning.

“Dear friends, My father-in-law passed away, at home, yesterday morning. It was such a blessing to care for him for those sweet seven months. I will miss the raspberry/white chocolate scones at The Woods he bought us every time we went to chemo, the white chocolate mochas he loooved(I must have ordered a hundred!), his kind gentle words, optimism, joy and perseverance through it all. We are missing him dearly.

 
The night before last, I was asleep in bed and the phone rang at 2am. I answered it and no one was there. I checked the number and it was Dad. I tried to call him back, but he didn't answer so I got dressed to go out to his home, worried. Just as I was getting up, the phone rang again, and it was him! He was laughing and said his goofy phone called me on it's own and he was SO sorry to call me in the middle of the night. We had a good laugh, chatted briefly and said goodbye. That was the last time I talked to him and I am so thankful his *phone* called me!”

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Man Cave

“Where men are made and ladies are always welcome”

At least that is what my husband wrote with a Sharpie marker on the window of the shop door. This is where The Boys would spend the majority of their time if they could.

Our thinking is, if we can train each of our boys to become expert plumbers, welders, electricians, car mechanics, fabricators, home repairmen and what have you, we will be able to sit back in our old age and actually make it off what little retirement we’ll have! Brilliant, ain’t it?!

I ventured out into the freeeeezing cold last night to walk aaaall the way down the driveway to check up on my men in the Man Cave. My husband built his shop himself back in 2004, a year after we moved in. He had dreams of him and his boys working together. ;)

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Here you see the elusive Daniel, doing one of two things he does best….wiring. He installed our ceiling fans, bathroom fan, outside lights and all the sockets in our new addition, too! He has a thing for electricity, running wires, and making connections without getting shocked. I take that back, I just asked him if he has even been shocked when wiring and he said “Twice”.

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Daniel’s signature tattered pant legs and Romeos.

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In the woodshop, he just installed these lights from start to finish. Not that I’m proud.

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Daniels second love is being a mole. While installing the wiring under the house, he discovered he looOOooves being under the house. He has since installed plumbing, sweated in the copper piping under Nana’s cabin and pieced together the PVC drain pipe. He likes to get dirty….very dirty.

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Jacob was making templates to fix some holes in drywall, then learning the whole patch, sand and finish trick. Fixing drywall is something all men need to know, imo. ;) Jake is great at home repair, woodworking, welding and tractor/backhoe work.

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The ‘coon that didn’t get away. The Man Cave is SO redneck.

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The Beast.

I don’t even know how to describe it. It is a 55 gl drum / woodstove conversion with a fan that will about blow you over. It keeps the shop at a toasty 70 degrees when it is 10 below.

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A circuit board city to play with the Hot Wheels.

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The wire feed, my hubby’s favorite toy.

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Micah is the family painter. He is priming his baby sister’s new door. Micah likes to stay clean so he always wears his coveralls. He loves to use the sanders and drills, and looks forward to the day he can use the bandsaw and the big tools by himself.

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His toy.

 

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Her toy. 

 

The Man Cave is meeting it’s goal of making men out of boys. They have many sweet talks about the Lord devotionals are read, and growing up is made easier. Hearts are kept close and skills are built strong. This is one wife who is thankful for the Man Cave.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

"What Happy Is"

A few months back we stumbled upon this song on YouTube. The Josts are a large Christian family who tour and sing together across the Canada and the US, that is all I know about them. You can look up their videos on YouTube. What caught our eye is the fact their 9yr old daughter(at the time) loved to sing and play her ukulele. Well MY 9yr old daughter loves to sing and play the uke. That is what turned her onto this song so quickly.

Emma and Gracie singing "What Happy is" from Squaw Creek on Vimeo.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Second best present

My children all agreed tonight with whoops and hugs that the second best Christmas present is being told there a new little J being knit together by God. If the Lord so wills, a new little brother or sister is due to make his first appearance around August 1, 2013. O.k., we all know Aug 10-12, then.

Now the kids know why mamma has been lazy and on the couch, sneaking up to her bed for a catnap, drinking herbal tea again and turning green at the sight of coffee. Now it all makes sense!

It still amazes me that every…single…child, from 16 to 5 to so overjoyed and excited. All talk turned from Christmas to baby. I am so happy because they are so happy, they continue to get it.  LOVE my family. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Banana Girl

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This is the product of groceries left out for five minutes and an unattended little girl who is crazy about bananas! She was packing them in as fast as she could as she was heading to tuck herself, I presume, into the corner to enjoy her feast.

A little too much premeditation for a 17m old if you ask me. 

Hasten the Tooth Fairy

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Micah has been bothered by a stubborn loose front tooth. It has been wiggly for days. I think he had enough. I guess he walked in the other room, pulled out his Leatherman and twisted the tooth out! Boys are SO gross!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

He fought the log and the..

…boy won. Sorry, I had to do it.

Our lives are consumed with firewood right now. We FINALLY got our long overdue, promised load of logs a week ago, then another half load of logs from my father. Daddy cuts rounds, the two oldest boys man log splitters or axes, depending on the size of the logs, and us women folk stack. It is also a full time job for one person(Jess) to keep the food and water coming...and bandaids for me. 

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I LOVE FIREWOOD TIME. I’m sorry, did I yell that? O.k., I meant it. It is SO much fun, all of us out there, working together, is there a sweeter time? Nope. 

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Even little Elijah ran the log splitter, barefoot and dirty. He was aDORable.

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Danny learned patience and temperance while working with his brother who couldn’t hear commands with his big boy ear muffs and the engine. Winking smile

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Jacob, in his own world, a machine himself. He was fantastic and such a help this year on the tractor. It is like an extension of his body and was moving logs like a pro. Daddy was a happy man.

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Micah split the small stuff. What muscles you have little man. That is all you gotta say to get the biggest grin EV-er.

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Then there’s Gracie. In her Sunday shoes stacking wood. A bit tired and taking a break.

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Danny rolled this log to the splitter, it was h.e.a.v.y.

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That’s my man. With a chainsaw. I like that.

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The cutest toddler again.

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and again.

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…and…he…

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won.

You go Dan the Man.

My family rocks.

Oh…did I mention my husband just ordered another truck load? It definitely warms you twice. Winking smile