Smart Puppy

If you think schooling your children at home is an amazing feat, I have something even more amazing to show you:






Our resident 9 month old collie puppy, Solo, takes his reading lessons very seriously.




And so does his 4 year old teacher.

Treasure Hunter

That's what I call Luke these days. In the last couple of months, he has come across the most amazing things. Just look at some of his latest treasures -



This arrowhead is absolutely perfect! A friend of ours came out with his 2 sons not long ago, and joined Mike, Luke and Gabe hunting arrowheads. They scoured the bridge bottoms behind our house. They found many pieces, a few almost-intact arrowheads. But, Luke brought home the grand prize. They also brought home bunches of little chips of rock, little slivers, that had come off in the process of making the tools/arrowheads. You could almost see the people of long ago, gathering near the creek, making these sharp points in order to provide food for the family, clothing to wear, etc. We know that at some time in history, Indians have lived on this land, because we have found some evidence here and there through the years, like bits and pieces of arrowheads. I think this one is the best of them all. Very Cool Indeed!



And then, recently, we purchased a piece of property nearby. Once the previous owner had cleared out, Dad and the kids went exploring and searching, to see what was left behind. See what Luke brought home?


A 25-gallon fish aquarium! He tested to see if it would hold water (very important, don't you think?), scrubbed it clean, and now . . .



it is on display, ready and waiting for new residents. How many fish will a 25-gallon tank hold? I don't know yet, but WAY more than that dinky little 5-gallon tank we used to have set up (which we used to think was kind big, by the way).


And now, for the piece d' resistance (I have no idea if I spelled this correctly, but blogger didn't flag it as a spelling mistake - just read it with a french accent please)!





my 18 year old son now has wheels! And dreams, lol.

A '59 Chevy Apache. He won't be traveling very far in this classic just yet, but once he hauls it out of the pasture and gets it into the garage, he'll be hitting the road in no time. Well, maybe it will take some time, but he's already making plans and researching what it'll take to get this thing running.







It inspires me, the way Luke can look at a cast-off object and be able to envision potential, usefulness, and new life. He loves rolling up his shirt sleeves and applying elbow grease along with his creativity and imagination to bring something all worn out back into service.

It makes me think of our Creator - I'm so thankful that He was willing to send His Son to the cross and to take each of us in our imperfect bodies with sinful hearts and make them new again.

"Therefore,if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become now." 2 Corinthians 5:17

It's A Girl!

A beautiful baby girl was born to Alyssa and George only a few hours ago. Now, since she was born in Africa, she was born on February 6, that's today. But, we received the news on February 5. Strange, eh? But no matter - exciting news anyway! Here are a few pictures George sent out this morning, along with all the statistics. We are grateful to God, once again, for bringing this beautiful little life into the world safely, and for blessing their little family.

Jemimah Belle Osebreh
born at 12:19 a.m. on February 6, 2011 in Ghana, West Africa
8 pounds 8 ounces

I love this picture. She's brand-spankin'-new. I can almost smell her - how I'd love to squeeze her and kiss her! Her eyes are so big and alert - she's soaking in the face of her sweet mama, who's been waiting such a long to time to meet her. I remember well those special moments when I first met my own newborns.

Alyssa did a great job! She looks so rested and, well, relieved. She looks beautiful. I'm so glad the delivery went smoothly and quickly. She did labor all day long, but was only at the birthing clinic an hour or two before baby arrived.

Here you see Big Brother meeting Baby Sister for the first time. Arioch loves her to pieces already. He's going to make a terrific big brother. I'm sure he'll be a big help to his mother and watch out for his baby sister.

Blizzard Bliss

So, what does a family do when the Storm of the Century blows through?

First: predictions -- last night at the supper table everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, gave their estimates on how much snow we'd actually receive. There were not very many optimists in the group -- the children all came in with a number much lower than the weather man's prediction.


Second: plans -- what if the electricity goes out? do we have the stuff for snow ice cream? can we bake (a, b, c)? can we (x, y, z)? are the snow pants all clean? where did my other boot go? hey! I KNOW I put both mittens right here!


Next: sleep -- this is not easy when you are 6 years old 'cause 20 inches is, like, HUGE. This is very exciting stuff and it's hard to keep you mind quiet - the potential of what you can do!

And today so far: Take care of the animals first thing, before we have to tie a rope the post out front in order to get to the barn (we've been reading the Little House books lately!) A game of Monopoly. A couple of Mom's old-time B&W movies (the Queen and the Baby are always game for that!). Make a braid from rug yarn (the wind was blowing the front door open - Needed some weather stripping fast!). Check the weather updates, again. And again. And again (we are a housefull of weather watchers!)Lego building. Lego Wars. Brownie Baking. Jigsaw puzzle. Read Aloud (The Borrowers by Mary Norton). Check in on kids in Chicago. Find out if new grandbaby is making an appearance yet. A game of Tractor Tipping.

Still to come: More games! Maybe video games? Definitely garden planning - gotta think Spring! Family Devotions - very enjoyable as we'll get wrapped up and snuggle in as we read scripture and share together.

And most importantly: Cover everyone and everything in prayer.

We are safe, sound, and having a great time. How boring this week would have been without all this weather excitement. Each of us will have a story to tell when it is all said and done. So, off to fire up the tea kettle - time for hot chocolate and brownies!

New Year, Fresh Look

Hello Out There! I'm taking a little time this week to freshen things up around here. I have a few posts in draft, and having some fun rearranging and tweaking. Please come by again soon, I'll be watching for you!
Blessings to you all.

Someone's Been Dreaming!

'Cause we are having a White Christmas! As we are bustling around this morning, getting ready for Christmas at Grandma's, God is clothing the world around us with a beautiful cloak of white. What a wonderful gift! I know it hampers some that are traveling (praying for safe travels, Brent and Melissa!) but the kiddos around here, young and old, are very excited - with plans of sledding, skating, fort-building, snowball-throwing, and snow football!






From Our Family to Yours, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior,
We Wish You a Very Merry Christmas!

Viewing the World Through the Eyes of . . .

my little guys.

Recently I let them take my small camera and play photographer. It was fun to see some of the pictures they brought back. Although, it wasn't until some days later that I saw them. They showed up in my pictures folder, but I had forgotten about their independent photo session. I sat confused for a moment or two, til the light dawned and a faint recollection came over me 'Oh, yeah! that was the day we were butchering 5 deer and I needed something to keep them occupied until I could put them to work!'

I've posted several of their photos, unedited, for your viewing pleasure! No comments, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Gratitude

On the heels of Thanksgiving, as we venture into the time of year we celebrate The Greatest Gift Of All, this thought appeared on my daily devotion calendar:

When you feel grateful for something others have done for you,
why not tell them about it?

Over Thanksgiving weekend we enjoyed a few days of family, food and fun. We took time to give thanks for our many blessings. Our bellies were filled, the dishes were washed, the floors were swept, the kiddos (not to mention the adults) were exhausted. Aaahhhhhh Life is good.




Thank you to all my family - every year you bless me by joining us in our home, helping to make special memories. Thank you for gathering around my table and bringing joy into our lives. I know I don't say it, show it often enough. It means so much to me. Thanks for being here!

And in closing, this little prayer was included in my ready:

Don't let me get so busy that I forget to show gratefulness to others.
Help me to especially appreciate the loved ones You have given to me.
Amen

Sunday Night Supper

Popcorn - our family tradition - a carry over from Dad's growing up years. On Sunday nights, Grandma popped big batches of popcorn, and if anyone was still hungry they could fix a sandwich or dig through the frig for leftovers. Sounded like a great tradition to me, so I carried on when we first married. And 26 years later, still popping that corn on Sunday nights, though sometimes one of my helpers does the popping.


This week, I added something from my growing up years. Braunschweiger, Miracle Whip, thinly sliced onions on Roman Meal Bread. Yum Yum!!!! Took me right back to my childhood. My mom often had the makings for this tasty treat on hand. Sometimes we'd make it on saltine crackers or toast, but Roman Meal wheat bread was my dad's favorite. There was always a jar of MW in the frig. Now we use my own homemade ww bread, and true Miracle Whip is only in my frig when I find a really great deal (which I did recently). I sometimes embarrass my family as I stand in the aisles of the grocery store, salivating as I relive culinary memories. Anyone else have that problem, or am I alone here? I am winning my children over - though a few prefer actual 'mayonnaise' and only Luke and Dad will eat the onions, but the braunschweiger I bought last week is nearly gone.


I wonder what special foods and traditions my children will revisit as they are raising their families. It's gonna be such fun finding out!

Looking Back at Summer

As the cold weather gets ready to settle in, I find myself reliving memories from warmer days. One of our road trips this summer took us south, to Arkansas, to attend the wedding of the oldest son of dear friends of ours.


Their son Brock and our son Brent have been friends since before they were born - it brings us lots of joy to see them each marrying Godly young ladies. Both of the 'boys' have turned out all right, if I do say so myself.




The wedding was lovely. It was fun to see a few familiar faces and getting the opportunity to meet a few new ones. Brent was a groomsman, happy to step in and return the favor (Brock was best man at Brent and Melissa's wedding). Gabriel was the ring bearer.



I don't think a boy has ever taken that honor so seriously, or done such a fine job! Gabe even stood through the whole ceremony, not once thinking about shirking his post.





Weddings always take me back to my own wedding day. And remind me how young we were, and how mature we THOUGHT we were! I love having my brood around me - they like to tell me I'm still young - and I choose to believe them!



(ok, so we look a little tired, maybe a little older? well, it was the end of a very full weekend)


I'm posting just a few candid shots here, 'cause I know most of you checking in like to see the family.



(Luke and Caitlin, the two oldest at home. We sure do have a good lookin' batch of young'ns, don't we?)




(Now, our littles are not so little, but they all agree -- you can never have too many big sisters -- they are very happy Melissa has joined our family)