Lay On Macduff

Sneak Peek

2012-02-13T09:13:00.005-08:00

Dr. Voddie Baucham will be the keynote speaker at our annual state homeschool conference this spring. Matt's parents will be attending with us again this year. I have extra informational pamphlets about the conference for anyone who is interested. (Anna L.--when I talked to Stacey a few months ago, she said she hoped to invite you and your family. If she hasn't done so, I am. If you'd like more details, e-mail me.)
The following video is a 5 minute sermon of Dr. Baucham's on the Sovereignty of God and the centrality of Christ.

VBaucham from D6 Conference on Vimeo.

Lydia is Seven

2012-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Lydia turned seven on Tuesday. The three weeks prior to her birthday, I heard something like this every day: "Only 19 days until my birthday," "Only 8 days until my birthday." By the time the actual date arrived, even the little ones knew what day it was.

We celebrated on Sunday with Grandpa Tom, Grandma Jane, Auntie Em and Raphaella. Grace made a loaf of sourdough french bread again, which we dipped in balsamic vinegar and garlic olive oil. I dare say the bread out shown the Emeril's ham I made. Grace also made a lovely from scratch devil's food cake with chocolate frosting. Needless to say, she wore herself out.Grandma and Grandpa gave Lydia a purple dress, which is Lydia's favorite color. (Lydia in the Bible was a seller of purple cloth.) Auntie Em had the bright idea of giving Lydia peanut butter, birdseed and pine cones so that Lydia could make bird treats. This turned out to be a great project in which all of the littles could participate. They were so tickled to hang their finished masterpieces in the trees outside.

Tuesday night, Grace made Cowboy Calzones for dinner, as that was Lydia's request for her birthday dinner. Daddy entertained all the kids with the stories he told of his adventures with the Boy Scouts.

For the most part, Lydia opened her presents unassisted. Jude really really really wanted it to be his birthday too, so Lydia let him open her last present. Daddy also lit the candles on the birthday cake again so that Jude could have his turn blowing them out. Poor kid, he has seven more months to go before his own birthday. Life is hard for little boys.

The Pajama Brigade

2012-02-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Encouragement

2012-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

I read this post on one of my favorite blogs today. It was an encouragement to me as a homeschool mom. I thought others might be encouraged by it as well.

Business Ownership: The Ups & Downs

2012-01-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

Paul's little chicken egg business has not been all feathered fun for the past nine months. Nor has it been all bulging piggy banks. Paul has experienced a few set backs in his business. My first impulse as a mother was to step in and fix it all for him, but then I realized there is value in learning through hardship. (I'm sure Matt was ten steps ahead of me on that one.)

We delayed ordering new chicks last spring as we didn't want to hassle with their more involved care when our family would be leaving for several days for the homeschool conference. This would have left us to find someone to care for the chicks while we were gone and we just didn't feel an inexperienced person would be up to the task, let alone the time commitment. So instead of ordering chicks through the mail, as we had done the year before, Matt decided to buy chicks at the local feed store after we returned from the conference.

At that point, most of Paul's chicken flock was two years old or older, so the hens' peak laying time was ending. He needed to replace at least half of the flock in order to replace the birds that weren't producing as much. We wanted Paul to continue to be able to supply his customers with eggs.

So he and Matt went to the feed store and came home with a total of twenty sexed pullet chicks. They paid the extra price to ensure that all (or nearly all--there's always a mistake or two) of the chicks would grow into nice laying hens. Bear in mind that it takes at least six months for a chick to grow into a chicken and begin laying. That's a lot of coddling and a lot of feed for no return on your time, effort or money. Not to mention the fact that chicks are only available for a few weeks every spring. After that, one has to wait until the following year to purchase any more.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. Paul and Matt purchased fourteen Neon Browns and six Rhode Island Reds. Two of the Reds died early on and ELEVEN of the fourteen Neon Browns turned out to be cockerels (roosters). The tell tale cock a doodle doos beginning at four o'clock each morning were a dead giveaway. Not to mention their more prominent combs and tails and their bullying behavior toward the other chickens.

What to do? Matt called the manager at the feed store and she just laughed and said, "That's the way it goes sometimes." She did offer to "make it right" this spring, so we'll have to see if that offer is still on the table come April. Our usual way of dealing with roosters is to enjoy a good meal of them after they've been cooked on the grill, but this situation was different simply because of its sheer magnitude.

Then Matt thought of asking the woman who farms down the road if she might be interested in our roosters. We had heard that she sold cockerels to customers for eating. Matt and Paul loaded up the roosters in the dog carrier, put the carrier in the back of the Subaru and headed over there. The woman checked over the birds, decided they were healthy and robust and then proposed a trade. She would trade Paul some of her pullets for his roosters and even pay him a small amount once the whole deal was settled. It seemed as if things were finally starting to look up and the year's plans for keeping up the egg production would be realized after all.Those new little adolescent pullets adjusted to their new digs quite well, but they didn't start laying until nearly two months after the woman said they would. So Paul suffered a set back in both time and money, but not nearly as badly as if he would have had to wait until this spring to replenish his flock.

Then another sort of setback occurred. Paul's chickens got mites. I've been told the reason why commercial growers don't allow their chickens on the ground is because of this very issue. Mites are in the ground and chickens like to muck around in the dirt. They like to scratch in it and they like to give themselves dust baths. So the chickens got mites and their egg production plummeted. It took us awhile to find the reason for the lack of egg production. We could never see any mites on the chickens, so we ruled that problem out at first. We wasted a few weeks fiddling with the food, water, bedding and lighting before we figured out what was really going on.

Matt and Paul sprayed all the birds and then two weeks later (per the package instructions) sprayed them again. They also cleaned out the chicken house, sprayed the inside of the house and put all new wood chips in the house and nesting boxes. We thought the problem was solved, but a few weeks later, we realized it wasn't. So Matt and Paul repeated the whole process all over again, this time dusting the soil outside the coop as well. Each spraying required that day's eggs to be thrown away (purely a precaution on our part). Our last option would have been to give them some sort of oral medication, but that would have required that the eggs not be consumed for two weeks. So far we haven't had to resort to that option and we hope we won't have to.

So all the weeks when the chickens were producing less eggs because of lack of maturity and the mites issue, I was buying eggs at the store for our own use so that Paul could continue to fill his egg orders.

The other setback to Paul's business has been the soaring price of feed. I was talking to a friend about this issue as she and her kids also have a little egg selling business. She told me someone said to her something along the lines of, "Oh you must make a tidy little profit on these eggs." (She sells her eggs for $3 a dozen, just like Paul does). I laughed when she told me that story. Paul is not making any profit on his eggs right now. (Matt is actually losing money, as he pays for Paul's chicken feed. Paul gives half of his earnings to Matt to offset the feed cost. Obviously, if Paul isn't selling very many eggs, Matt's even more in the red.)

Now that the egg production has come back up (we're getting almost 2 dozen eggs/day), Paul is having a tough time selling all of them. He made phone calls to his one of egg business buddies yesterday and asked if he might want to buy some eggs from him. (This is not an unusual practice. Paul's buddies sometimes buy eggs from him in order to fill their egg orders if they are running short on eggs for some reason.)
So if it's not one thing, it's another in the chicken business. Right now our refrigerators are burgeoning with lovely free range, expensive eggs. Even with all of our baking and egg casserole making we can't seem to make a dent in them. Matt plans to run another ad at work on Monday to see if he can rustle up a few more customers. In the meantime, I have eggs planned at least once for dinner and once for lunch this week, as well as the usual eggs that some family members eat for breakfast each morning. I guess it'll be another eggstravaganza week at the Macduff household.

3 Lil Boys

2012-01-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

Joel, Jude & Isaac all ready for bed in their Buzz Light Year pjers. Cuteness in the third degree.

Blessed

2012-01-22T19:08:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday was my birthday. I awoke to flowers on the kitchen table and my husband cooking breakfast. Not only did he make breakfast, but he doted on me all day. I felt like a queen. Grace put together a marvelous dinner--a knockoff of my favorite Italian restaurant's food. The bread she made was exceptional. It was a sourdough french bread that rivaled any of the fancy schmancy bread I've ever eaten from high end bakeries.Elizabeth decorated my birthday cake with powdered sugar "snow." She knows how much I like snow, but at that point, our winter here had yet to provide any.Paul engraved my name on a piece of wood with a wood burning tool and then wrapped it all by himself. It's a lovely gift. I have it on the dresser in my bedroom. After I opened it, Joel said, "I really like your name, Mom."We didn't have time to do our traditional family dance to the Beatles, "Birthday" before church, so we got 'er done that evening--times two. Jude did his best John Travolta Saturday Night Fever moves. It was a great ending to a great day.

Elizabeth's 13th Birthday

2012-01-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth turned 13 a week ago Sunday. We had a small family celebration for her that day, but we had a larger celebration for her this past Saturday evening. We had a similar party for Grace when she turned 13.

Our prayer as parents is that we would raise responsible adults who love the Lord Jesus. It's very common in our society for people to shrug their shoulders and say, "that's just teenagers." When Matt and I mark our childrens' 13th birthdays in a special and meaningful way, our intention is the set the bar higher than the very low standard Americans tend to have for teenagers.

Despite moving the party date up two weeks earlier than we had originally planned and despite the fact that it felt like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong (from the church reception area being double booked to discovering right before dinner was to be served that one of the electric roasters had malfunctioned and the contents it held were still raw), the evening was lovely. (It must be noted that our adopted "aunt," Suzy, was a lifesaver. While I was busy losing my mind, she and her husband, Roger, were busy salvaging the dinner. Many others stepped in to help set up and take down.)

After everyone had eaten, we had a time of worship and blessing for Elizabeth. We began by singing Elizabeth's hymn choice, "Rock of Ages." Our friend Sande very graciously stepped in at the last moment to accompany us on the piano. She did a fabulous job despite the short notice and the fact that she didn't even have all the music!

After we sang, Matt took Elizabeth up front so that she could sit in a chair next to her hope chest. Matt and I had a small brass plate engraved to attach to the inside lid of the chest to mark the occasion. It reads, "Handed down from Great Grandma Ethel. Presented to Elizabeth Macduff January 2012. Romans 8:37-39." A picture of Great Grandma Ethel was placed near the hope chest as a visible reminder of the woman who gave life to her family in so many ways.

After Matt explained the meaning of "hope," I got up and spoke for a bit. I spoke of fond memories of Elizabeth as a child, how her Daddy and I desire most for her to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and how she is beginning to display many of the lifegiver qualities that her Great Grandmother Ethel exhibited in her life time.

Matt then asked our family and friends to share the Bible verses they brought with them. This, by far, was the most special time of the evening. Friends and family got up one by one and shared not only their verses, but special words of blessing for Elizabeth.
Then Matt placed his hands on Elizabeth's head and pronounced more words of blessing over her. To end the worship time, we sang, "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry." I don't think there were too many dry eyes in the house by the time the worship came to a close.
We ended the evening by enjoying dessert and perusing the contents of Elizabeth's hope chest. Before the party, Matt and I had placed books that our family has enjoyed (The Little House on the Prairie Series, Anne of Green Gables, etc.), a couple of our family's favorite cookbooks and a few hand embroidered and crocheted linens inside the hope chest. Someday, God willing, Elizabeth will be able to use these items in her own home with her own family. In addition to all of this, Elizabeth was given other special gifts to put in her chest which included old family linens, table cloths, a tea pot, a "Daily Bread" bread plate and some Fiesta Ware table accessories.

By the time the guests left and our family started cleaning up, I realized all my anxiousness over the details was for naught. Despite all the little mishaps, as we sought to honor the Lord, He was faithful in providing a lovely time of blessing for our Elizabeth. She is continuing to grow into a young lady whose heart is seeking after God and her Mommy and Daddy are very proud of her.

Round Three

2012-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Yep, another snow day. Matt said this to me this morning, "Melissa, I hate to inconvenience you, but I'm going to have to report to work . . . . on Monday." Woo hoo!

Paul and Daddy discussed lashing and knotting this morning. Paul wants to be able to haul stuff on his dog sled. He had my kitchen twine and was all set to head outside with it. Mom to the rescue. I'd gotten some brand new marine rope at a yard sale this past summer--30 ft. for $2. Paul is now outside learning the fine art of lashing. Experience is a good teacher.

I may have to venture out today. Paul has an ear infection and I need to get the other half of his prescription (the pharmacy was only able to fill half of the prescribed amount on Monday). There is supposed to be more freezing rain today, so I'm hoping to make the trip before that hits. I'll have to pick up some more milk, too. We're down to our last jug. I'm glad we're not in a state of emergency here. We would have been ill-prepared.

Snow Day, Again!

2012-01-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

Yay! Another snow day! Matt's work was canceled again. We spent the day playing games, taking walks, playing outside and working together in the kitchen. I'm sooo glad I decided to grab a couple of extra gallons of milk and some flour on Tuesday before the big storm hit. Our cars are still sitting in the driveway, covered in snow. No tire tracks on our property--we haven't left here in two days.

The girls and I made these Asian lettuce wraps yesterday for lunch. Last night we had an impromptu snacky dinner/movie night. All the littles spent the night bundled in their sleeping bags on the living floor in front of the fire.

Matt and Paul worked on Paul's dog sled yesterday. They added skies and a weight in the back to make it slide more easily. Paul spent the better part of today outside giving his younger siblings rides. Paul gave me a ride on the sled this afternoon. (I was multi-tasking by having a conversation with my sister-in-law at the same time.)

Matt also built a little lean-to in the chicken yard for Paul's chickens to congregate under so they don't have to be all "cooped up" inside their house while its snowing. I'm sure our feathered friends will be much happier once all the white stuff is gone.
The public schools are canceled again tomorrow. I can't imagine Matt's work being canceled again. In the twenty years he's worked there, I don't know that he's ever had two consecutive days off due to bad weather, so this has really been a treat for our family. We've had a blast just hanging out with no "to dos" except the dishes and laundry. Hip hip hooray for snow days!

Snow!

2012-01-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

By the time our kids went to bed last night, they had all convinced themselves that the snow storm that was predicted for our area would not happen. The older ones told the younger ones it would only rain and they shouldn't get their hopes up for snow.

However, I was up at midnight (I've been nursing a cold) and saw the first flakes begin to fall. By 7 a.m. we had between 4 and 5 inches of the white stuff we've been waiting for all winter. From the comfy coziness of my bed, I heard the thundering of many little feet running across the kitchen floor at 7:15 a.m. Squeals and shouts of "It's snowing!" reverberated throughout the house.

After seeing the snow out his bedroom window, Jude ran to the front of the house to peek out the living window. "It's snowing in the front, too!" he exclaimed. He was so excited that he just kept yelling, "It's snowing! It's Christmas!" He jumped up and down and kissed Daddy over and over.

Breakfasts were quickly consumed and by 7:45 Paul, Lydia, Joel and Jude were outside. Jude thought snow pants and snow boots were sufficient inclement weather attire, but Daddy made him come back into the house to put on a coat, hat and gloves.Everyone played outside for about an hour and then decided they were too frozen to continue on. All except for Paul, who pulled his dog sled from the shed and began repairing it so that he could take full advantage of the snow. It's almost 11 a.m. and he's still out there.In the meantime, all the other kids were treated to hot chocolate. It seemed to me to be the perfect time to bring out the "Snowman Hats" that I'd purchased on clearance after Christmas. The kids were giddy when I pulled the treats from their hiding place in the cupboard and started passing them around.My Wednesday morning Bible study was canceled due to the weather. I just got word that Matt's work has been canceled for the day. Oh, I've just been longing for a day in which life is "canceled" so that we can just hunker down in the house as a family. Being snowed in just couldn't be lovelier.

Grace is having fun using her Photo Shop to edit pictures. In the picture of Paul--the dog sled is in the back ground, Paul is holding an old antique sled (found at a yard sale) in the foreground.

Isaac at One Year

2012-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Little Baby Isaac is one year old and cuter than a bug's ear. He came in at the 40th percentile for his weight and the 70th for his height at his one year well check. We've never had a baby who wasn't wearing size 18 month clothes at a year, so a baby who is still wearing 12 months clothes is new for us.

Isaac may be a little guy, but he's been walking since he was 10 1/2 months old. He is our earliest walker. Matt says that when he walks in the door at night from work, Isaac provides the comic relief in what looks like a movie scene. All the other kids are running, shouting and jumping in a cacophony of chaos in order to welcome Daddy home. In the midst of it all, wee little Isaac toddles through the jumble, narrowly dodging any number of flailing bodies that could easily throw him off balance and to the ground.

Isaac still sports eyelashes that are longer than the legal limit and he still is not sleeping through the night. We've never had a baby sleep through the night before a year (or even eighteen months, for that matter), so this isn't a surprise. It's just a bit wearing on Isaac's aging parents.

Isaac is just the sweetest baby. So easy going, except for when he's very tired. When he is tired, he sucks his left thumb and holds his right ear with his right hand. What a blessing God has provided to our family in baby Isaac.

One Year

2012-01-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Isaac turned one December 29th. It was a bittersweet day. We took Isaac to our pediatrician for his one year well check. The whole family went to this very special appointment. Dr. A has been our family's pediatrician for sixteen years. He was also the pediatrician that Matt and I had when we were little. After thirty five years, Dr. A has retired from medicine.

Our family went to say goodbye to him on his second to last day at the office. We came bearing gifts and hugs and some tears. Dr. A has been so good to us over the years. When Joel was in his spica cast, Dr. A somehow got a hold of the head of the pediatric orthopedic department at Children's Hospital in Seattle. The man called me personally to allay my fears over another recast for Joel. Dr. A has welcomed each member of our family with as much happiness as we have. He will be sorely missed.

After our appointment, I dried my tears and we got organized to head North to visit my Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna. Uncle Keith's birthday is on the 28th of December. Last year my aunt and uncle came here to wait for Isaac's birth. I tried to have that baby on Uncle Keith's birthday, but it didn't work out. We all spent the evening eating birthday cake and watching movies here at home instead of laboring in the hospital. I had Isaac the next day and Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna took excellent care of all of the other kids while Matt and I were away.

So we thought it appropriate that we celebrate Isaac's first birthday with the two of them. My parents drove to Uncle Keith's to join the party too. We feasted and sang "Happy Birthday" to the two birthday boys. Then we watched a good movie and Uncle Keith and Elizabeth made blena batter for the next morning. The recipe is taped to the inside of a kitchen cabinet door so that it can be easily referenced.
In all the years Uncle Keith has made blena, he's always had batter left over. Not this time. The big bowl was scraped clean. He was impressed. I've already received requests from my kids to make blena this weekend for Elizabeth's birthday. I've tried my hand at it before, but wasn't very successful. Blena making is an acquired skill. I guess I'll have to get to acquiring it.After our blena and German sausage breakfast, we headed out to the original homestead. The kids loved exploring the house (complete with old wood burning cook stove), the root cellar, the barn and the extra little house in which my Grandpa Paul and his brother used to sleep in. The main house still has a working rotary phone. My older girls were positively giddy when Uncle Keith said they could use it. Elizabeth starting pushing the numbers. Uncle Keith had to show her how to put her finger in the holes and turn the dial. Then she put the talking end of the receiver up to her ear. Needless to say, the four of us adults got a good laugh. All of the kids are convinced our family could live on that farm and be quite happy.We then headed back into town to eat lunch at the drive-in, but not before we saw the hundreds of sheep that are currently grazing on some of Uncle Keith's farm land. We watched the Peruvian shepherd and his dogs work to get the sheep into the correct grazing area. It was like a well orchestrated dance between the shepherd, the dogs and the sheep. The dogs were especially fascinating to me. Each of the five dogs had their own job and they knew what that job was. They were so excited to do the work which the Good Lord made them to do.We had planned to return home that day, but we were having so much fun, we decided to stay another night. We headed home as soon as we could get going the next day. Uncle Keith's parting thought was that he'd sure like us to come visit after his knee replacement surgery so as to fight off the doldrums. Our big bunch would surely fight off the doldrums, but I'm not sure that's what the doctor ordered. Now that surgery has taken place, I'd wager a guess that Uncle Keith is relishing every bit of peace and quiet (and non-physical therapy moments) that he can get.

Cowboy Mustache

2012-01-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

Our friend Julie knit Joel a mustache for Christmas. "Ya gotta have a mustache if you're a cowboy," she said. I couldn't believe it when Joel put on the mustache right after he opened it. The next day he asked me, "Mom, can I wear this every day?"To celebrate New Year's Eve, our family attended a bull riding event (courtesy of my Grandma). There were cowboys in abundance there, but none so adorable as my own mustachioed rough rider. Joel even wore the mustache to church this morning. Several people wanted handshakes from a real cowboy. Joel gladly obliged and introduced himself as "Cowboy Joe."

The Macduff Men

2011-12-31T22:04:00.000-08:00

I could hardly believe my eyes this past November as I thumbed through the Land's End catalog. Of all things, a Macduff modern dress plaid shirt was nestled in between all the other plaid offerings of the season. Macduff plaid is hard to come by, unless you order it directly from Scotland. And it's never offered in an American style dress shirt. Kilts, hats and scarves are the most common apparel items available for the different clans.

So of course I immediately ordered a shirt for Matt. Then I called my mother-in-law and she promptly ordered one for my father-in-law. The two men opened their shirts at our family Christmas present opening party about a week before Christmas.

Matt's sister, Lori, gave Isaac a little bitty Macduff plaid shirt--so cute. I asked her where she had gotten it. Kohl's--of all places. Two American retailers with Macduff plaid in the same year? Unbelievable.

I mentioned to my mother-in-law that I wanted to get to Kohl's to try to find a shirt for Paul, who is very proud of his surname and Scottish heritage. I just wasn't sure when I'd have the time to get to the store. My mother-in-law volunteered to go.

Mom found one shirt hanging high on a display. She asked a clerk to get it down. It "happened" to be Paul's size. I was tickled when I heard the news. Mom went back to Kohl's later that night. She and one of the clerks combed through all of the clothes racks and found one more shirt--in Jude's size. With just Joel left to outfit in Macduff plaid, my mother-in-law asked the clerk to see if there just might be another shirt in a different store. Yes, there was another shirt in Joel's size and it could be shipped to our door just in time for Christmas. Yay!
Well then, what about the girls? My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to the rescue again. Grace would wear Lori's kilt, Elizabeth would wear Grandma Dianne's skirt made out of the Macduff hunting plaid. Grandma Dianne also had some wool fabric scraps in the clan plaid, so Elizabeth was able to make cute hair clips for both herself and Lydia to wear.
So for Christmas Eve we definitely did the Macduff clan proud, all decked out in a our festive finery. Except me. I wore a black sweater and a black skirt. Someone had to represent the more understated German side of the family.

Lifegiving

2011-12-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I was terribly behind in preparing for my 5 Aspects of Woman Bible study class. When I woke up Thursday morning, I hadn't even finished my own lesson, let alone prepared the lesson plan for the class that evening. "Oh Lord," I prayed, "Please give me something to give to the women tonight."

The lesson that evening was to be on "Lifegiver Created." In the chapter I read for the week's Bible study, two things stuck out to me. First, lifegiving is a struggle. Women down through the ages have struggled to bring forth life, from Moses' mother Jochebed, to Hannah the mother of Samuel, to women of the present time.

The other point I picked up on is that lifegiving is not just about having children, but that we as woman lifegive in a myriad of ways, including with the words we say to others. Our words can tear down, or they can build up. I wanted a real life example of a lifegiving woman to present to my class that evening.

As I flipped through Google Reader and my blog list that morning (right after I had sent my arrow prayer to God), I came upon a recipe for pfeffernuesse. My mind started running and I immediately thought of my Great Grandma Katherine. Within five minutes, I had an outline in my head of what I wanted to present that evening. God had been faithful to answer my prayer.

I quickly made the dough for the pfeffernuesse and put it in the freezer to cool (there was not enough time to let it sit in the fridge overnight). I was so thankful to have step by step directions to follow. My old German cook book tends to have directions like, "until it's the consistency of fresh cream," "add enough flour to thicken" and "do not over bake, should be like custard." I remember making pfeffernuesse from that cookbook years ago and being very frustrated with the whole process.

With the pferffernuesse dough safely resting in the freezer, I set to work on finishing my Bible study and lesson plans. I then called my Uncle Keith to confirm what I knew and get more details about my Russian born German great grandmother, Katherine. Later that afternoon I baked the pfeffernuesse and gathered the materials I needed for class.

That evening when the ladies came into the room, our table was set with bowls of pfeffernuesse, an advent wreath and fresh evergreens, a symbol of life. I showed the ladies a picture of my great grandmother and grandfather, George. Then I told them a bit about my grandmother.
When Katherine had a three week old boy and a toddler boy (somewhere between the ages of 1 1/2 to 2 years old), the household was exposed to Diphtheria by a school teacher the family had been boarding. Both of the children contracted the disease and died within days of each other. They were buried in the same grave.

Katherine and George went on to have four more children (a fifth was lost to miscarriage when Grandma slipped on the ice while bringing water into the house). She worked hard on the farm all of her life. Grandma Katherine was well known for her sumptuous meals. I've been inside that old farm house and honestly, the kitchen in so small I'm not sure how she managed to prepare meals for all those people in there, especially with no running water, let alone a dishwasher!

Uncle Keith told me about all the times he went to Grandma's house for lunch. She would lay everything out on the table. My uncle, being a boy, was always ravenous, but Grandma would insist on praying first. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits," (Psalm 103:1-2) she would pray. Uncle Keith tells me that even now he says that verse to himself every morning as he's exercising.

My Great Grandma Katherine struggled to lifegive. She also gave life to others through her words, passing on eternal truths to her children and grandchildren. As we ladies ended our Bible study, we prayed that we would all become the lifegivers God desires us to be.

For me personally, I struggle to control my tongue, especially in times of extreme busyness and stress. I've prayed every morning this week that I would give life to those around me, particularly through my words. As Christmas approaches, I remember that Jesus was the ultimate Lifegiver, bringing life to me when I was dead in my sins and could do nothing to save myself. I'm so grateful that God the Father saw fit to send His Son, so that He might sacrifice His life in order to save mine.

Christmas is Coming . . .

2011-12-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

Our house has been a flurry of activity the last few weeks. First off, my dad took Matt, Paul and Joel duck hunting. All last winter Joel was told that he would be allowed to go hunting when he turned four. Joel didn't forget that promise and he was determined to go this season. According to Joel and Paul the best part of the day was the big breakfast Grandpa Tom bought them after the hunt. This particular eating establishment sells HUGE pancakes. Paul and Joel each got one pancake. My dad was surprised to see Joel eat so much as he's not normally not a very big eater. I suppose he shivered off a bunch of calories in the duck blind and needed replace what he'd lost.
Our family also took an evening to fulfill our annual tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life together, complete with a snacky dinner in front of the t.v. Much to the delight of the kids, I bought individual bottles of sparkling cider to go with our snacks this year. I couldn't believe how long Jude's attention was held by the movie. He entertained himself (and us) by dancing the Charleston and repeatedly yelling "Hee Haw!" throughout the show.We got to spend a lovely evening the weekend before last with our family worship group. We sang Christmas carols, nibbled Christmas cookies and chatted with new and old friends. We've also been blessed to enjoy a couple of nice dinners with old friends here at our house.

Lydia spent an afternoon with Grandma Dianne, cousin Mackenzie and Aunt Lori watching a performance of The Nutcracker ballet. A good friend of mine found out that Lydia would be attending the ballet a few days prior to the event and gave Lydia a brown taffeta dress to wear that her own daughter had outgrown. The dress was sleeveless, so I went to Goodwill and found a little shrug to go with it. Lydia really got the princess treatment when Grace styled her a hair especially for the outing. Of course, Lydia loved every minute of the special afternoon.

As I've poked around the internet lately, I've been intrigued with the idea of holiday flavored homemade play dough. Grace and I tweaked our family play dough recipe to make a batch of peppermint play dough and a batch of gingerbread play dough. Hands down, this was the smartest move we made this year. The littles have been having a grand time "baking" their own play dough creations at the kitchen table nearly every day. This allows the rest of us to get some uninterrupted work time, so everybody ends up happy.The three oldest kids participated in a recital this past Saturday. It was a major stress fest preparing for the event. Even Paul practiced and practiced and practice some more. It turned out that only two other moms and their daughters showed up for the recital. Better to be over, rather under prepared, I guess. Grace has been practicing her Mozart piece since September. Here's a snippet:

Grace and I have been baking, baking, baking. Grace found a recipe for Danish Kringle, which she mastered pretty handily. It made us all swoon when we tasted it. She also made a couple of kringles for gifts.

I made two batches of pfeffernusse. Matt is not a fan of pfeffernusse, so I wasn't sure how the kids would react when they tried the anise flavored German cookies. I was delighted when they all gave the "pepper nuts" a huge thumbs up. Jude kept saying, "More lil' cookies, more lil' cookies, pwease!" I told all the kids that they were my good little krauts. Even my newest nephew from China liked the pfeffernusse. He's my good little Chinese kraut.

Grace and a family friend went out to run some Christmas errands yesterday. It gave Grace a chance to get a couple of more driving hours under her belt. Elizabeth and I got some time together in the kitchen while Grace was gone. We pumped out a bunch of Gooey Toffee Butter Cakes for our neighbors and Matt's coworkers. I've made these the last couple of years at Christmas time, so I've gotten a system down. With two ovens going, we can get these finished in less than two hours.
I buy little "to go" type containers at the dollar store (they come three to a package) in which to bake the cakes. Each recipe can be divided to make three cakes. After the cakes are cool, I put on the lids, affix a label (these were a gift from a friend) and stash them in the fridge until it's time to deliver them. When I finished baking the cakes last night, the kids asked, "Aren't you going to make one for us?" Providentially, I had enough ingredients for one more cake, so I went ahead and made it. These cakes don't look very pretty, but trust me, they're unbelievably delicious.Elizabeth has been the official present wrapper this year. The only gifts I'll have to wrap will be hers. Perfect. It's so nice to have big girls. For all you moms out there with only littles, it will some day be that you have bigs. And the "Hallelujah Chorus" will ring in your ears. Rest assured, it will happen.

Yesterday I went to Albertsons to do a little coupon shopping. I was feeling a little sorry for myself because I had fewer doubler coupons than I normally do and I knew that there would be a lot of deals I would have to forgo (yes, it's an emotion common to couponers). Anyway, I should have been a bit more mature about the whole thing, but I wasn't. However, I happened upon a happy sight when I spotted a cart full of candied fruits marked down to 50 cents each. Oh joy! I have used up nearly all the fruit that I had stashed in the freezer to make this year's Thanksgiving Bread and fruit cake. I filled my cart full and was delighted when my receipt showed an $80 savings. Woo hoo!In the next few days, we'll bake up some eggnog bread and cranberry coffee cake for our Christmas breakfast. I'd also like to bake and frost some sugar cookies with the kids. We'll continue to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and ready the house for the family and friends we'll have coming later this week. We are so blessed--very rich indeed.

Sleepy Boy

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Poor Isaac John suffered a puppy crash and burn the other day.

Life is but a Vapor

2011-12-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

My heart has been heavy with sorrow for those in my circle who are currently dealing with cancer, loss of loved ones and other burdens. This blog post by Doug Phillips was a good reminder to me today. Our lives here are so very short. They are a gift from the Author of Life and should be treasured as such.

Christmas Activities: The Sacred & The Secular

2011-12-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

Friday night Matt, Grace, my dad and I went to a performance of Handel's Messiah. My dad and Grace got there early enough to procure us good seats. Matt's mom and some good friends sat beside and behind us. The church in which the performance was held was packed, as it was the last local performance of the Messiah after a three decade long run (boo to budget cuts).

My dad, the classical music buff, had never heard a live performance of the Messiah before and neither had the rest of us. I just sat back and let myself be bathed in scripture for nearly three hours. The soloists were all excellent (my dad and I agreed that the bass and alto were the best) and the choir did a very nice job as well.

We were really struck by all the verses that were sung from the books of Isaiah and Hebrews. We studied Isaiah last year in BSF and this year we're studying Hebrews. I had a few teary moments throughout the evening as I reflected on the vastness of what Christ did for me.

We got home after 10 p.m. My mom, sister and the kids were still alive. My sister got to change a monumental poopy diaper in our absence. I do say, "got to" because diaper changing is one of those skills one really shouldn't lose through lack of practice. I owe ya, Ems.

Last night Grace and I packed snacky dinners in paper sacks and popcorn in cute popcorn sacks that I'd been saving for some sort of occasion. The occasion was a road trip to go see a small town's lighted farm implement parade. We ate our dinners on the way in the van while we listened to Christmas music.

When we rolled into town at 6:25 p.m. (five minutes before the parade start time), only to get stuck in the long line of cars all with the same idea we had, I thought we'd for sure miss the big event. Turns out, by some miracle--and I was praying for one--we found a parking spot for our big van and were able to get nine people, their mittens, coats, hats, chairs and blankets arranged at the very end point of the parade so that we didn't end up missing a thing.
The boys especially were very impressed with the big tractors, grape pickers and semi-trucks. I enjoyed seeing the looks of awe on their faces. Isaac was so bundled up he wasn't able to suck his thumb, which he didn't like. However, he started groovin' when a truck playing Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" went by.
We were all frozen by the time the parade was over. We trudged back to our van and realized were weren't going any where fast with all the traffic trying to leave, so I ran into the grocery store and brought back donuts to my crew. The van erupted in applause and "Thanks, Mommy!" So I got to go home with the "Best Mommy of Parade" award which was pretty cool. When tomorrow rolls around and I start cracking the whip on chores and school work, I'm sure that award will be revoked. For now, though, I'll bask in its glory.

Time Marches On

2011-11-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, I was readying the house for some company. While doing my own work, I was also assigning jobs to the children. As usual I was in a hurry because we were behind and the kids weren't pleased with the fact that I was barking out orders. Apron clad, I rushed outside to inspect the progress on the back patio.

Just then, I looked up and saw Jude running across the lawn and suddenly time stood still. I stared at that little toddler boy as his chubby legs carried his little body across the grass. As a stood watching, a vision of that same boy walking across the lawn as long, lithe young man passed before my eyes. It was a though the Lord was saying, "All that you're worried about at this moment in time is so very unimportant. Your children's young years are fleeting."

The last few months my older kids have had opportunities to help others outside of our home and also to travel with Grandma and Grandpa. When one of the older kids is gone, those of us who are left at home notice a gaping hole in our family. It's disconcerting, especially to the little ones. Though I know that the goal of parenting is eventually to release and let fly, I hadn't really considered that the release part would be coming so soon. When you're busy wiping noses and bottoms, cooking, feeding mouths and then washing the dishes, you think things will always be as they are now.

This past summer I reread the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls to the kids. It was just like old times, with my little ones all gathered around me while I read. Even the big girls joined us sometimes.

When we got to the second to last book of the series, These Happy Golden Years, all of the children were listening and even Matt was present to catch the last chapters. At the end of the book, preparations are made for Laura and Almanzo's wedding. When all is ready and the wedding is to be the next day, the Ingalls family eats supper and then Laura brings Pa his fiddle.

"Please, Pa, make some music." Pa took the fiddle from the box. He was a long time tuning it; then he must resin the bow carefully. At last he posed the bow above the fiddle strings and cleared his throat. "What will you have, Laura?" "Play for Mary first," Laura answered, "And then play all the old tunes, one after another, as long as you can."

The passage goes on to describe the many songs Pa played through the years and during the family's many travels. I remember I cried when I got to reading this part the first time around four years ago. I cried this time, too. I had to keep stopping to wipe my tears, catch my breath and gird myself to keep on reading.

After I finished reading the book with its happy wedding ending, we all got ready for bed. Matt said something to me about having a tender heart or some such thing. I said, "It was all too real for me. It won't be much longer before we have our last night with our Gracie." Then he turned away, tears in his eyes.

Yes, time marches on and things are never the same as they once were, but the fiddle still plays and the Lord of the Dance has us ever in His care.

Turkey Tale

2011-11-24T14:36:00.000-08:00

The kids decided to make paper bag turkeys instead of pine cone turkeys yesterday. They all worked happily at the kitchen table while Grace worked on her homemade rolls and I cooked the salmon chowder for dinner.

Then I heard someone say, "Mine's better than yours." I gave a verbal reprimand. The next thing I heard was Joel saying, "I really like the way one eye is bigger on your turkey, Lydia."
Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful

2011-11-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that I don't have to leave my house. I cleared the decks so that I could be HOME today. On the docket: Thanksgiving worksheets and pine cone turkey crafts for the kids, pumpkin pie and cranberry relish making for me.

After lunch, I'll continue reading The Landing of the Pilgrims to the kids and I might even get a nap, which would put this day over the top. We'll have our annual Mayflower Dinner tonight. I splurged this year and bought beef jerky instead of canned dried beef (that stuff is gross). My dad gave us some lovely king salmon that he caught up in Alaska a couple of months ago. I plan to add it to the potato chowder we'll have after we "disembark" the ship (the cold downstairs fruit room).

We'll be hitting the hay on the early side tonight. We've got plans to get Isaac on a better sleep schedule which will involve some tears for both Momma and Isaac, I'm sure. I'll be ever so thankful if that boy can start sleeping for a good chunk of time each night. My brain just might start rebooting and that would be grand.

Sharp Dressed Man

2011-11-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Grace took these pictures of Jude. Notice his favorite shirt. The one he keeps pulling from the dirty laundry to wear again (and again and again). Once every couple of days I peel it off him to wash it, thinking it won't make it back onto Jude's body, but will instead go downstairs into the summer clothes box. Then I turn around and he's wearing the shirt--again!

Also, notice his front tooth. It's grey. He fell off the counter about six weeks ago (shouldn't have been up there, but he was) and knocked his tooth back when he hit the counter edge on the way down. I called my dad. The prescription was simple. Push the tooth back into its proper position and hold it there for ten minutes. All it took was two grown adults and plenty of sweat (Momma and Daddy) and tears (Jude). Dad said the tooth might be a gonner. Or it might turn black. It turned grey. Lovely. Apparently it's a very common childhood occurrence.

Fresh From China . . .

2011-11-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

. . .Two new cousins escorted onto US soil at 6:20 p.m. PST by Grandpa Bob and Uncle Trevor. God is good!

Gift from Afar

2011-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yummy Guatemalan hot chocolate from some missionary friends.

Das Reformation Tune

2011-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

Years ago we were given a little packet of Reformation songs, all sung to familiar tunes. For example, "O Wittenburg" is sung to the tune of "O Tannenbaum." The words go like this, "O Wittenburg, O Wittenburg, you are so small and lowly."

Even though we didn't sing these songs at our Reformation party this year, the older kids taught the little ones how to sing a couple of them. Jude, especially, is often heard singing "O Wittenburg."

Special Guests

2011-11-13T18:28:00.001-08:00

We had the pleasure of hosting Pastor Dave Horn and his wife Sabra for dinner one Saturday evening a few weekends ago--and I do mean pleasure. We enjoyed a Shabbot meal in which we happily slurped chicken noodle soup together, conversed about theology and Dr. Kenneth Bailey and heard about the amazing things that God has done for Pastor Dave and his wife, Sabra (they sold their house and are now full time RVers, traveling the country and sharing the Gospel)!

Pastor Dave lead worship at our church the following morning. I was moved to tears as one of my life verses (Heb. 12:1-2) was set to music. Wow, what an amazing ministry! I especially loved seeing how Sabra displayed the "helper completer" aspect so vividly. She not only completed Pastor Dave's music (through vocals and instruments), but she also set up their travel and CD table and talked with many people about their ministry.

Ever on the lookout for good music that proclaims God's truth, our family is loving Pastor Dave's music, especially the Now There is Mercy CD. The kids love the "Fruit Fly" song that's at the end of the CD. That song never fails to get the kids giggling. Pastor Dave and Sabra will be back here in two years and we can hardly wait for a rerun.

Reformation Party 2011

2011-11-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

We started planning our Reformation party late in the game this year. Who am I kidding? We start planning late every year. However, when Matt told me his vision for this year's party was completely different than anything we'd ever done before, I started to get nervous, especially with the late start date. We normally follow the party plans laid out in Doorpost's Night of Reformation. This year, Matt wanted to start from scratch with an all new party format.

I was already feeling way overwhelmed with my packed schedule and the thought of reinventing the wheel for the party didn't sound very fun to me. When Matt told me he wanted to cover church history from Moses to Tyndale I about fell off my chair. I was told I wouldn't have to do any of the work to prepare for the party, but I knew better. I agreed to the new plan because I knew it meant a lot to Matt and the kids. And just like last year, we found that when we all work together as a family on a project, the Lord does amazing things.

Matt wanted the theme of this year's party to concentrate on one of the five solas of the Reformation--"Sola Scriptura," or "by scripture alone." Matt put together a worship service and thought of games for the kids to play all of which illustrated the truth that scripture alone is sufficient.

Grace took her Daddy's vision for the party and ran with it. She did tons of research, practiced (and practiced and practiced) playing the hymns her Daddy picked out for the worship time and put all the little details of the evening together. Elizabeth and Paul did a fantastic job of helping for the big event as well.

Matt's parents arrived early the day of the party to help as needed. They were extra hands that filled in the blanks for us. We had a total of twelve adults and twenty two kids in attendance. The big kids manned the games and crafts and the babies provided cuteness, so we had about fifteen kids actually playing the games.

After dinner, we all convened in our living room to begin the evening in worship. We then broke for games, which we had stationed all over the house.

The Ethiopian Enuch pinning the 95 Thesis on the Castle Church

Presenting the found scroll of The Law to King Josiah

Packing Tyndale's English New Testaments to smuggle across the English Channel and into England.

Wycliff's lollards smuggling English Bibles into the English countryside.

Showing off a finished matchbox Bible craft

Moses descending from Mt. Sinai with the 10 commandments

Elizabeth in the Throne Room of God. Hot coals (red licorice) to put in party goers mouths.

Pretty girls and pretty hair

After everyone had played all the games, we reconvened in the living room to finish our evening in worship. After all our guests went home and we had gotten our littles into bed, we had a debriefing time. We discussed improvements that we can implement next year, but mostly we came away thinking, "Wow. God is pretty amazing." We hope our guests thought the same thing.

Sunsets of Fall

2011-11-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

by Grace

Catching Up

2011-11-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

This poor, neglected blog. Between weekends full of house guests, the biggest Macduff Reformation party ever, an unexpected couple of days spent with my parents and my hubby leaving town for a business trip, I've hardly had time to breath.

I was lamenting to a friend of mine last week how very disappointed I was that I wouldn't be able to create a household binder (full of homeschooling and chore schedules and procedures) for my Mistress of the Domain project in my 5 Aspects of Woman Bible study. I just didn't have time to do the amount of thinking and planning it would take to figure out how to better use my time (how ironic is that?).

My friend wisely pointed out that I had been working on my Mistress of the Domain project. She said my project had eternal benefits because it was God's planned project for me, not my own. So when I went to Bible study last Thursday evening, I didn't have a tangible project to share with the group, but I had a story to share. The story of how I've been giving my time to the people who fall within my domain.

There are only two things that are eternal in this world--God's Word and people. I've spent the better part of the last few weeks investing in people. Honestly, I wouldn't have had the strength for all that people investing had it not been for my time in the Word and all the dear friends I had praying me through this busy season of my life. God is good. He did provide for my every need, so that I could attend to the needs of others.

Why?

2011-10-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Why is Matt wearing a white wig? Come to the annual Macduff Reformation party to find out!

My Plate is Full

2011-10-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

This week our Bible study group is studying the Mistress of the Domain lesson in the 5 Aspects of Woman Bible study. This lesson covers how the Fall caused our domains to rebel against us. That which the Lord gave us to rule and subdue actually fights back to keep from being ruled and subdued.

Toys that multiply in the family room in the middle of the night, dirty socks that magically appear on the kitchen floor every time I turn my back and chicken poo in my house (again!) after I just wiped some up are all small ways that my own domain rebels against me.

On a more serious note, the point was made in the lesson that as women we either wear "busyness" like a badge or we hide behind it like a shield. In our fallen sin nature, we prefer to do what we'd like to do, instead of what the Lord would like us to do and we use our busyness as an excuse to pursue our own interests.

The next couple of weeks are extremely busy ones for our family. We have numerous ministry opportunities on our calendar. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have chosen some of these activities because I feel I'm just too busy right now to take them on. However, the Lord's plans are not always my plans. When I exhibit the Mistress of the Domain fallen aspect, I'd like to hide behind my busyness and "just say no" and to mark out my territory via "boundaries." However, these are worldly ways of dealing with life. If I call myself a Christian, then I should be more than willing to serve Christ by serving others.

So right now I'm fighting really hard not sit on the pity pot or let my anxiety level soar through the roof. If God's priorities were my priorities, there would be no problem, right?

Homeschooling: Back to the Basics

2011-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

I remember taking to heart something I read when our family first started homeschooling. I can't remember where I read it, but the idea was to write down the reasons why you decided to homeschool. The author suggested doing this before you even began your homeschooling journey, so that when times got tough in the years ahead and you felt like quitting, you could refer back to that piece of paper and remind yourself why you were homeschooling in the first place.

I did that exercise. I wrote down the four reasons why Matt and I decided to homeschool and then I filed the piece paper away and kind of forgot about it. When I cleaned out my files recently I unearthed that piece of paper.

Here is what I wrote eight years ago:

1. To instill (with the Holy Spirit's help) godly values and to grow godly character traits in our children with the ultimate hope that they, too, would each purpose in their hearts to follow Jesus Christ and Him alone. (By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established. Prov. 24:3)

2. To strengthen the bonds within our family so that our family becomes a place of refuge and stability for each member in a world that is increasingly surrendered to the darkness, not to the Light. (Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8).

3. To create a lifestyle of learning whereby knowledge is enjoyable to pursue, not something merely to be memorized and regurgitated. Most importantly, that wisdom is sought above all. (The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Prov. 9:10)

4. That in the end, our children would have a strong foundation, built on the Rock of Ages, so that they may stand firm in the evil day. (Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephes. 6:10-13)

Even though Matt and I haven't looked at this piece of paper since I filed it away, I can say we never lost sight of our goals. Whenever we evaluated a different curriculum, an extra class or a new activity, we asked ourselves if that new thing supported or hindered our goals. Often times, even though the thing under consideration was good, we decided it wasn't good enough. The good is the enemy of the best.

We never once considered quitting homeschooling (except on the nights before end of year testing :) Was it hard? Yes, at times it was unbearably hard and we thought we'd crumble under the pressure. Do we still have hard days and years ahead? Most certainly we do. Yet through it all, by God's grace, we keep pressing on. The Lord has always been faithful to provide for our needs, financial and otherwise.

I'm reminded of something J. Hudson Taylor, missionary to China said, "God's work, done God's way, will never lack for God's supply."

Post Script: The above list was written at a time in our lives when our faith was being tested. It was a test that shook Matt and me to the core. The Lord showed us with crystalline clarity that His Word is inerrant and infallible and that the time we have with our kids is short and that we should diligently work to point them to Jesus, the only Name under Heaven by which one may be saved (Acts 4:10-12 ). I know that the ideas expressed in goal #3 were borrowed from the homeschooling books I was reading at the time (the concept that school didn't have to be done using the traditional public school model in order to be successful was new to me).

Gold for the Homeschooler

2011-10-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

I was decluttering the school room a couple of weeks ago and found a gold nugget in my files. It was a handout from the first homeschool conference Matt and I ever attended.

Entitled, "How to Survive Your First Year of Homeschooling," the handout lists tips for the new homeschooler.

My favorite tip: "Your first year doesn't count." Brilliant. Actually, I would amend that to be "your first two or three years of homeschooling don't count." In our case, the Lord clearly called Matt and me to homeschool. I mean He called us--as in hitting us over the head with a 2 x 4 couldn't have made what He wanted from us any clearer.

However, I'm not a natural teacher. I really struggled to find my groove in homeschooling. Truth be told, I still struggle. Every year, every child, every day is different. Learning to roll with the punches in homeschooling is key. That's been a stretch for me, a Type A person, to learn.

According to the handout, one great thing about homeschooling is that "God has built amazing flexibility into this plan." Our own experience has borne this out. Looking back, some years were heavy on the "school of life" side of learning as the Lord was teaching our family through numerous trials that had nothing to do with homeschooling. Other years were calmer and we accomplished more academically.

Every year I sweat and fret and gnash my teeth when the end of year assessments roll around. After all, the kids aren't really the ones who are being assessed, it's the Momma who's been doing (or failing at) the teaching. Every year, I stand utterly amazed at what the Lord does with our kids. They learn, despite me. God's grace IS amazing grace.

I would also add one tip to the handout that was implied, but not specifically stated and that is, "Above all, stay in the Word." You can't possibly have the endurance that's needed for the long haul of the homeschooling journey if you're not constantly bathed in the Scriptures. Through the years, our family's study of the Bible has kept our compass on true north, even though many times the world tempted us to head in other directions.

The handout ends with this thought on homeschooling: "The blessings far outweigh the struggles. You will accomplish much in a short time. Confidence increases and relationships improve. Blessings are unexpected and rewards are eternal."

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6

Eighteenth Anniversary

2011-10-02T16:48:00.001-07:00

I asked Matt today if he ever imagined on the day he married me that we'd end up where we are today. No, he didn't. But we both agreed it's better than we ever imagined it could be. Praise be to God for His marvelous work in two weak and sinful people. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
Grace made us this nice anniversary cake and had us pose for this picture, much to the delight of Lydia (lover of all things wedding).

Paul is 10

2011-10-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Paul hit the decade old mark this past Tuesday. Sometimes I get my other kids' birthdays mixed up in my head, but I never forget Paul's birthday. He was born shortly after 9/11. I remember our good friends Brian and Julie came over on 9/12 (Matt and Brian were told not to report to work that day) and helped us get things ready for Paul's impending birth. Julie and I organized baby stuff while we watched the t.v.

I remembered wondering why we were bringing another child into this crazy, broken sinful world. A couple of days before my due date Paul got himself into a breech position. It happened one night before bed and then I didn't feel him move all night, so I went to the hospital first thing in the next morning.

It was then that I was told my little baby boy had gotten himself all turned around and upside down. The doctor got him turned, broke my water and we waited for Paul to join the world. Then things turned really bad really fast. Paul was in distress and had to come out NOW. The doctor was able to get him out with the help of the vacuum. He had the umbilical cord all twisted around his neck and he was a floppy blue noodle. The nurses whisked Paul away to the NICU, but Paul quickly recovered and soon he was cuddled up next to me. I was so humbly grateful to God for saving our son's life, even though he would be a part of this crazy, broken sinful world.

So this past Tuesday, after we had eaten cake and ice cream and Paul had opened his presents, Matt retold the story of Paul's birth. The whole family agreed that God must have a plan and purpose for Paul's life.

On a lighter note, Paul chose to have both ham and turkey for his birthday dinner, which we celebrated with Grandpa Tom, Grandma Jane and Auntie Em on Friday. We also had mashed potatoes, sage dressing, corn (which we froze fresh a couple of weeks ago), rolls and strawberry jam and apple strudel (compliments of Great Uncle Keith).

It was a feast o' carbs, just like the meals that Almanzo Wilder enjoyed when he was a boy. I reread the Little House on the Prairie series to the kids this past summer. Paul's favorite book was Farmer Boy. The descriptions of all the sumptuous meals that mother served the Wilder family are what gave Paul the idea for his birthday menu. He had the meal planned in his head several months ago.

Thankfully, I had both a turkey and a ham in the freezer that needed to be used up. Needless to say, all the birthday party attendees were happy with Paul's choices as well.
Yesterday, Paul's godfather, Brian, took him to a rocket launch. He returned home smiling from ear to ear. I got to hear everything I ever wanted to know about rockets and how far they can fly and what type of engines they have and all the rest.
Paul is becoming a strong young man. He has a great sense of humor, he's a terrific help to his Mama and Daddy and his heart is soft to the things of God. We love our Mr. Paul so very very much.
(last 2 pictures taken by Uncle Brian)

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

2011-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first time our little 5 Aspects of Woman group met. Half a dozen women, hungry to know God better, gathered around His Word. The Lord orchestrated events so that our first meeting would fall on the Jewish New Year--Rosh Hashana.

I spent the better part of this week preparing for last night's first meeting. I made and baked the round sweet challah bread which is traditional for Rosh Hashana yesterday morning before running Elizabeth to her afternoon tutoring appointment. I then rushed home and got the rest of the things I would need readied before heading to church.

I left later than I had intended. Traffic was terrible on the way to the church. Once I got there, I realized I had forgotten something (a small thing, but still forgotten). Matt came with me to help me get everything set up for the ladies. We hurriedly put everything together before the women arrived. Matt prayed with me in the kitchen before I returned to the library to begin the study.

The Lord showed me how the themes of Rosh Hashana--repentance, reflection on the sweetness of God and the anniversary of creation all tied in so beautifully with what we will be studying this year as a group and I shared all of this with the women.

The women were gracious in helping me get everything cleaned up when the meeting was done. A friend drove me home and we enjoyed edifying conversation.

I got ready for bed and was completely spent. Yet I still had to get up with Isaac four times in the night. I awoke this morning to a husband hurrying off to work for an early meeting and little ones who all needed me.

I prayed to the Lord as I read my Bible, "Lord, I just can't do this. I just can't lead this study for the next six months." And then I read this in Habakkuk, chapter 3:

¹⁷Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.

He is all I need. He is my joy. He is my strength. Amen.

Paul the History Buff

2011-09-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Paul has always been enamored with history, but since he has begun to read independently, his love of history has really grown.

A couple of months ago, I bought Paul his first G.A. Henty book. He found the subject of the book (I bought my copy used through Amazon), which was about ancient Egypt, to be interesting. However, the books are fairly difficult reads, so Paul was getting a little frustrated.

So I got him started on some vintage Landmark history books. I saw the many titles that were published in this series at the used book store that I visited during our summer vacation. Twenty bucks a pop just wasn't my idea of a good bargain, especially when Paul was devouring a book every couple of days.

When we got home from vacation, I perused my own book shelves and was delighted to find four of the vintage editions, including ones on Lincoln and William the Conqueror. Those books were soon digested.

I looked on Amazon to find other titles, but once I saw that the reprints of the books were mostly published in the past decade, I had reservations about ordering them or getting any of them from the library. My guess is (although I'm not certain) that these have been hit with a revisionist red pen.

I then browsed some homeschool forums that highly praised the vintage Landmark histories, confirming my desire to procure some of these for Paul, knowing that if I did so, they could be handed down to three little boys behind him.

Since then, I've been on the hunt at yard sales and thrift stores for more of the books. I happened upon a small town library book sale when we visited my aunt and uncle last weekend and asked one of the ladies in charge of the sale if she had any Landmarks. She said she had just given her complete set to her adult son. So close and yet so far.

I did find a set of ten Landmark histories on Etsy. They had been sitting in the seller's shop since May, so I wasn't sure they would still be available, but they were. Matt and I ordered them for Paul a few weeks ago and he's now reading the tenth one.So I'll have to keep looking for more books. The library is an option, but the last couple of years it just hasn't been worth it to me to spend that much time there. Our library is in a bad area of town, plus loading up all the littles and keeping an eagle eye on them while trying to approve what the olders want to check out is exhausting. I've found wading my way through the twaddle and questionable content of many of the books to be more effort than what I'm willing to put forth, but I'll probably have to begin making the effort for the sake of Paul.

In the meantime, Paul's reading has lead to some creative history reenactments. Just yesterday he commandeered his little brothers and big sisters to be members of the Corps of Discovery. Paul, of course, was Meriwether Lewis. Joel was made to be Patrick Gass and Grace, being the only red head, played Captain Clark. Paul received this Lewis & Clark compass from his Grandpa Bob & Grandma Dianne and the leather pouch from his Uncle Trevor & Aunt Jessica for his birthday (a few days early)

Tomato Man

2011-09-25T21:40:00.001-07:00

I Just Need to Get Organized

2011-09-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it happened, but I turned around, looked up and saw that summer was completely gone. I think that realization hit hard when I started schlepping kids to their Fall activities. Whoa! Where'd summer go? Now we have things that we actually have to go to? We can't just let our days run free form according to whatever are our whims or fancies of the moment? Ackk! Panic gripped me (and I'm only half kidding).

Our year is even busier than normal this year, due to a couple of added activities. I'm the queen of paring down the activity list to bare bones. My motto is "the good is the enemy of the best." We can't make our family priorities actual, lived-out priorities if we're running hither and yon all over the country side. We are home schooling. However, a couple of things got added to our calendar this year by God Himself and I'm not going to argue with Him.

Since our schedule is as full as it is, I realized I needed to take a crash course in organization. Enter the book, Large Family Logistics by Kim Brennemen. I received the book for my birthday back in January and had yet to do more than a cursory perusing of its pages until a few weeks ago (although I had been meaning to get to it all summer).

Let me just say, Mrs. Brennemen is qualified to speak on the topic of the organization of a large family. She has nine children and she has many household systems in place which keep her home running smoothly. I'm sure she has her bad days, but she does seem to have a lot better handle on the whole large family thing than I do.

I'm not yet finished reading the book, but I'm working hard to apply what I'm learning as I go along. Mrs. Brennemen advocates doing several "10 minute tidies" throughout the course of the day. She says if it takes longer than ten minutes for you and your kids to get the house looking presentable enough for unexpected company, than you simply have too much stuff. Ouch! Decluttering is key, she says.

I always keep a garbage bag in my closet so that as I find things we no longer use or love, I can throw them in there and take the bag to the thrift store when it gets full. However, the idea of the "10 minute tidy" made me realize I need to pare down even more.

I started the culling process in the boys' room. Their room, right off the kitchen and visible to anyone who visits us, is pretty much always in shambles. Paul does a decent job of picking up when he's asked, but the little boys hold Masters in Messes degrees and I always have to clear a path at night time just to get into their room. So the boys' room became decluttering project number one.

I gathered up enough toys to fill three garbage bags. A lot of it was stuff they simply didn't play with anymore, except to dump the items out of their bins and onto the floor. I even got rid of some of the toys I really liked and kept holding onto because I thought they were so neat (i.e.--flying, screaming super monkeys). The after. Sorry, I forgot to take before pics.

Mrs. Brennamen also says that no toys should be stored in bedrooms. This has been the case for our girls' bedroom for a couple of years now and it's worked well to cut down on the messes. I just didn't do it for the boys' room and I reaped what I had sown. No more. Now the toys are all up in the school room/play room (thanks to Grace), which also got the declutter treatment this past week. The only problem for me will be to "inspect what I expect," as Mrs. Brenneman puts it. If I expect the school room to remain clean (we don't actually do school there, we do it downstairs), I'm going to have to go up there more than once a month to check on things.

The after pics of the school room. Again, sorry, no before pics

The decluttering project, still underway in other rooms of the house, is about as far as I've gotten in applying the ideas from Large Family Logistics.

As for the household systems that Mrs. Brennamen suggests, so far I'm just overwhelmed with the thought of even thinking through all of them, let alone actually doing them. Mrs. Brennamen has a rule in her house: 4 by 4. Four loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by 4 in the afternoon. I detest folding laundry. Always have. My mom detested it too, so the job always fell to me when I was growing up. Maybe that's got something to do with it. However, it'd be really nice if laundry baskets of unfolded laundry were not a permanent part of the decor in my bedroom. In almost eighteen years of marriage, I've never known anything different. It's going to take some serious intentionality on my part to change that.

Not to mention making my bed in the morning (although I'm getting better at that one) or having the kids make their beds. And putting window washing and furniture vacuuming on the regular chore rotation (you mean you don't just do those things in the ninth month of pregnancy when you're nesting?).

"I just need to get organized," has been playing like a broken record in my brain for so many years. I'm naturally a neater person and disorder makes me very nervous. However, the Lord has chipped away at that idol of mine for a long time. (Guess what? It's hard to keep a house clean when little children live in it!) I won't be fulfilled if I have a perfectly clean house. Although I sure would like to experience it sometime just to make sure :)

I know Kim Brennemen wrote the book to be an encouragement and help to the mother of many, but my first born guilt genes are getting the better of me as I see how much more smoothly my household could be running if I had some systems in place.

Mrs. Brennemen does keep the main thing the main thing--that is, Jesus Christ smack dab in the center of all family life. Matt and I are doing our best to do the same with our family, but we are also realizing that a little organization could go a long way toward giving us the freedom to serve Christ better.

It's a fine line. My natural desire is to "Stop Everything!" in order to get the house to a cleaner state. However, life must go on and sometimes cuddling baby Isaac or reading another chapter of a great read aloud is just plain more important than a clean house. And I know that taking time to be in the Word as a family always trumps a clean house.

"but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matt. 6:20

I do plan to keep slogging my way through Large Family Logistics. I am leading a group of women through the 5 Aspects of Woman Bible study this year. I figure that when we go through the "Mistress of the Domain" aspect it will be a fine time for me to get together a household binder that details chore systems and the like. After all, the teacher needs homework too!

Sweet Sixteen

2011-09-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

The little girl with the red hair turned sixteen a couple of weeks ago. Matt and I can hardly believe that our Gracie has turned into such a beautiful young lady--both inside and out.

Canada

2011-09-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

(by Grace)

I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Canada with my grandparents a few weeks ago. Besides attending a huge family reunion (Grandma Ethel's kin), we also enjoyed some excellent food and saw Niagara Falls.

Sunset from an airplane (JFK airport to Buffalo airport,NY)

The View from an airplane (It all looks like Google maps)

The reunion was held in Ontario, Canada,about two hours north of Toronto, on lake Muskoka.
(Lake Muskoka is where Grandma Ethel's parents owned a cabin that they vacationed in during the summer months with their children and later, their grandchildren.)

Saturday and Sunday morning were the days of the reunion. Much sharing of fond memories, photographs, and laughter was had by all.(Old Family Reunion - top left:(#2) Great Grandma Ethel) 3 above: Boat Ride on Lake Muskoka

Holding Babies

Aunt Mary (Grandma Ethel's younger sister) and her daughter Kathy.

Aunt Mary was a great help to us during our stay at lake Muskoka by showing us the land, identifying people and photographs and sharing with us a story or two.

Pop Quiz! Who are these People?

George Popadynec and his wife. He is a professional photographer and he gave me several good photography tips.

Shimmering pine needles (Lake Muskoka)

Rainy Day ( Lake Muskoka)

Corn husking Party ( Lake Muskoka )

The two memories of the weekend that really stuck with me are:
1.This House
Its not so much the house, but the story behind it. It belonged to Grandma Ethel's Great Aunt Clara and her husband, William Odell Whiting. They built it after both their hotels burned down. The first hotel burned before it was finished, due to carpentry error. The second hotel burned as a result of a forest fire. They lost a four year-old granddaughter in that fire. (They had already lost a nineteen year-old grandson when he dove off a dock and broke his neck.) After that, W. O. and Clara built this house, a bed and breakfast, in which they lived out the rest of their years. The B & B was passed on to their daughter Nellie, then their granddaughter, then their great-granddaughter, Bonnie. Today its still standing--one hundred years later.

2.Grandpa Bob. A tuxedo. A hot date and the pizza place. ( From right to left: Grandpa Bob, his cousin Joan, his cousin Mary, Joan's friend)

Doesn't that sound like a bad mix already?

So most of us were sitting on the back porch of the Whiting house sharing stories and looking through old photographs when I spotted a picture of Grandpa Bob. He looked (surprisingly) handsome, in about his early twenties. When I commented to Grandma about his looks, she said with a smile, "Yeah. That's why I married him," and continuing she said, "You know about how we met, right?"I quickly rambled off a summarized version of their blind (canoeing) date."I think she's heard that one before," a relative said. "Well, I bet she hasn't heard the one about when I took my cousin out." Grandpa said.

"Really? Which one?"

(points to his cousin Jone sitting next to him)

"I took her out to pizza..."

"Oh."

"...and I think I wore a tuxedo."

"Whhaat? You took your cousin out?... to pizza?..."

"Mm hmm."

"...in a TUXEDO!?"

"Yes."(He had his teasing smile on.)

"Why...would you...do thaat?"

Everyone laughed.

#1. You don't take your cousin out,
#2. You don't "dress up" to take her out,
#3. and you certainly don't dress in a TUXEDO to go out to pizza.

Grandpa then explained that he had just left his brother's wedding, and had some time to kill before the reception, so he asked his cousin if she wanted to go to out pizza with him. Of course she said yes.

Random and Interesting

(Snow Mobile Trail)

Their version of the Great Value brand is No Name. It's kind of weird.

The American teenager's dream of the speed limit

Niagara Falls

We saw Niagra Falls on the last leg of our trip. The view from the Canadian side was the best.

Sunset on the American Falls (Canadian side)
Sorry about the awkwardness of this picture. I stitched several photos together, the result being this. In real life the river is actually straight.

Only for you Jimmy Buffett fans.

We saw this on our walk back to our car and I just had to take a picture. Restaurant, gift shop, margaritas and, of course, Jimmy Buffett music.

Maid of the Mist (Canadian side)

Skylon Tower (Canadian side)

American Falls (American side)

After Cave of the Winds (American side)

Enjoying the Canadian Falls (American side)

The Dark City (American side)

Sunset at the Buffalo airport

I would have missed this sunset if our plane had not had an hour lay over. We were only in the next airport for our transfer to the next flight for less then ten minutes. We did make it home that evening, as planned. It was a God thing. He even got our luggage home in the same night.

Loaded for Bear

2011-09-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Approximately 150 people attended a local government meeting at the county courthouse the other night so their voices might be heard on an issue that will affect our way of life around these parts. Some of my kith and kin were amongst those folks. Matt and a close friend were only slightly shame faced when their sons were asked to relinquish their numerous knives before entering the public meeting space. (The knives were returned to their rightful owners after the meeting.)

Travel: Kids

2011-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

When we went on vacation last month, we planned ahead to ensure that our kids would be able to endure the long stretches of time in the van as well as the excitement that a vacation produces.

First off, I made sure we had snacks (and plenty of them) to eat in the car. Whenever we travel, I hit the Winco bulk section before we go. I buy several different kinds of trail mixes, nuts, dried fruits and yogurt covered pretzels. I then mix the whole lot together at home in my big Tupperware bowl and divide the mixture into small zip snack bags. This is a special treat for the kids (which has gotten more expensive with more kids to feed), but it's traditional for Macduff family road trips.

We also packed picnic lunches on the days we had long drives. So instead of stopping at a restaurant where the kids would have had to be relatively quiet and still (which they had already been doing in the van), we stopped at parks along the way. The kids all got to run around and yell to their heart's content. Plus, it was easier on the budget.

We listened to audio books during the long hours of driving. I had purchased a few good ones at the homeschool conference this past spring (I got a deal for buying them as a bundle) and had tucked them away knowing that they would be perfect for our trip. The books are true historical accounts read by Victoria Botkin.

We listened to A Bride Goes West on the way down to the mountains. We all were completely captivated by this story, so much so that I didn't even have to pull out any of the little dollar store prizes I had gotten to ward off the dull drums and not one "Are we there yet?" or "How much longer?" was uttered. This book is what kept the kids from a complete meltdown when we found out the restaurant at which we were to have our Saturday dinner was without electricity and couldn't feed us. We had to travel another half an hour down the road before we could get to another restaurant. We were near the end of listening to A Bride Goes West when we traveled this extra stretch of road, so the time went by quickly.

We listened to An English Family in the American Wilderness on the way back home. We all really liked this book as well and I for one am glad I'm not a pioneer. In addition, our family is almost done listening to The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinckney and we're looking forward to listening to Abigail Adams: Her Letters.

As I mentioned, I did pack a few dollar store toys for the trip. The morning that all the big people climbed Macduff Peak, I was able to pull out sidewalk chalk, bubbles and balls to help entertain the little ones and pass the time back at the base camp while we we watied for the rest of our party to return.

The other ways we tried to keep kids calm and preserve our own sanity during our vacation was by sticking as closely to our normal routine as possible. We made sure everyone got fed at our normal meal times (with a couple of exceptions), we tried to get everyone to bed at their normal bedtimes and we continued to observe quiet time (at least for the littles).

The Macduff t-shirts that Matt's parents had given everyone on the first leg of our trip came in really handy on the second leg of our vacation. I made everyone wear their shirt (Mom and Dad included) to the aquarium. I knew it would be crowded there and that it would be easier to keep track of everyone if we were all in the same "uniform." The t-shirts made my job of repeatedly counting to seven much more manageable.The result of all the advanced planning before we left on vacation was that the chaos of a week away from home was minimized and we were able to actually enjoy our vacation.

Travel: Budgets

2011-09-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few of the thrifty ideas we recently used to get through a week long vacation with seven kids without breaking the bank. You can read about that vacation here and here.

Obviously, renting a house at the beach during prime vacation season isn't exactly "thrifty," but we saved up for it and we had a great time. The other major costs of the trip were gas and food. I couldn't do much about the cost of gas (we did fill up at Costco once, which helped some), but I knew I could save on food.

Our twelve passenger van doesn't have a ton of cargo space, so I knew packing as little as possible would be essential. However, beach towns are notoriously overpriced when it comes to groceries and the like, so I really wanted to pack as much food, paper plates, cups, etc. as we could possibly manage.

During the weeks before we took the trip, I used every available brain cell I had to come up with a menu plan for the week of our vacation. I also asked friends for ideas. The parameters I was working around were these: the meals needed to be freezable (so that I could make them ahead of time), easy to prepare once we were at the beach house (I didn't want to spend too much vacation time in the kitchen), special (I didn't want the same old fare we have at home) and could not include pasta or casseroles (some people's taste buds wouldn't tolerate these).

I also knew that the first night in the mountains and the first and last nights at the beach would have to be extra easy prep wise, because we'd be busy unpacking/packing. Plus, no menu items could be cooked on a grill because we wouldn't have one. No problem, right?

Here's the plan I came up with:

breakfasts: waffles (made at home, frozen, then toasted each morning), eggs (from Paul's chickens) and sausage.

lunches: leftovers from the previous night's dinner, pb & j or turkey sub sandwiches, chips, fruit

snacks: granola bars and Nabisco mini cookies (bought before the trip with coupons for super cheap or free), trail mix (from the bulk bins at Winco), grapes

dinners: cabbage burgers, tostadas with homemade burrito filling and various toppings, chicken enchiladas (served with mexican rice and refried beans) and white chicken chili (served with cornbread). We also ate pizza two nights.

I made all the dinners and sides ahead of time and froze them in disposable containers. We packed all of the dinners into one small cooler along with some dry ice and everything stayed frozen solid for the whole trip to the mountains (about seven hours), at which point we put everything into the freezer in the rental house.

We ate lunch out twice. Once was a planned outing to Mo's. We sold a few things on Craigslist before we left to cover this one. The other time we ate lunch out was unplanned (more on that later).

When we left the mountains to go to the beach, we stopped at Costco on the way. We were able to stock up on fresh produce, bread, breakfast sausage and more lunch meat there. When we ran out of milk and mustard later that week, I headed to the Rite Aid in Lincoln City. My twenty percent off Wellness card discount actually made those items cheaper there than they would have been at Safeway.

Speaking of Safeway, I don't normally shop there, but before we left I checked the coupon blogs for good deals to be had that week. I knew once we arrived in Lincoln City, I would purchase grapes for 99 cents a pound. I was also able to load a couple of e-coupons to my loyalty card which helped defray the costs of the obligatory ice cream (thanks, Dad) and a few other little items.

When we arrived in Lincoln City, Matt and I visited the chamber of commerce office to get the scoop on fun stuff to do and check for coupons for local activities. The women there were super helpful. They gave us coupons for free kid's admissions to the aquarium in Newport. They also told us about the free-to-borrow sand wheel chair that was available through the local Elks Club. The wheelchair worked out great for my mom who just had had knee replacement surgery. I was also able to pick up some Papa Murphey's pizza coupons there, which came in handy for my dad (since he treated) our last night at the beach. The women at the chamber office also told us about Regatta Park, which we never would have known about had they not told us.

We had a blast flying all of our kites on the beach. Three of those kites were purchased by my dad as gifts to the kids on a previous beach trip that we took together about ten years ago. One kite (a big beautiful one with dolphins on it) we found abandoned on the beach on a different trip some years back. The other two kites, both intricate in design, are kites I purchased at yard sales. The only expense related to the kites was the purchase of a few replacement rods and a couple of new spools of string at the kite store in Lincoln City (not exactly free, but necessary to make some of the kites flyable).In the weeks before the trip, I picked up water socks and sandals for all the kids at yard sales and Goodwill. When I buy used shoes, I just throw them in my front loader washing machine before we wear them. They come out cootie free (at least enough for me, anyway). Grace also found a pair of North Face pants similar to these at Goodwill to wear on the trip. We paid $2.99 for a pair of pants that looked liked they had never been worn.

Before we left on the trip, Matt and I looked into getting a cargo carrier like this one to go on the back of the van, but the price tag seemed pretty steep for something we thought we might only use once a year. Matt remembered that my aunt and uncle had given us a bike rack hitch several years ago. So he and Paul fastened a sheet of plywood to it to make a shelf. Then, to make the surface less slick, they screwed an outdoor mat made of old tires(cut to fit) onto the wood. This provided a "grippy" surface with enough room to accommodate our huge white cooler as well as our small red cooler. The coolers were then tied down with straps. I'm pleased to say that the coolers made to entire trip there and back with nary an accident.So all in all, I would say we were successful at staying within our vacation budget. The two unplanned budget events were two meals that required emergency stops for burgers. One meal was eaten after we left the Newport Aquarium. We hadn't planned on being there so late, so we stopped at 2 p.m. and ate lunch at Arctic Circle.

The second unplanned burger outing was on the return trip. Isaac began screaming in his car seat about an hour from home and we could do nothing to appease him. So instead of pushing through a stressful drive to get home for a late dinner, we decided to stop. A visit to a burger joint, even with shared orders of fries and waters all around to drink (and a diet coke for da mama), ends up costing us around $30. But at that point, Matt and I decided our sanity was worth thirty dollars.

So there ya have it. Vacation Macduff style--not as fancy as some, not as thrifty as others, but it worked for us.

Mr. Jude Turns 3

2011-08-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jude turned three last Friday. That means we've lived in this house for a little over three years. Amazing. Time flies when you're having fun (and when you're chronically sleep deprived).

Anyway, Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jane came down on Friday for Jude's birthday dinner. Then on Sunday, Jude's godparents, Floyd and Peggy, helped us celebrate a second time. Jude was pretty happy with that arrangement because one of his favorite things to do in the whole wide world is blow out birthday candles. Usually, it's someone else's birthday candles, though, which doesn't go over very well. This time he got the candles all to himself.The biggest birthday surprise of the weekend didn't actually come to Jude, but to his Momma and Daddy. For weeks before his birthday, we told Jude that once he turned three, he'd be a very big boy and he wouldn't need his beloved binki any more. Every day, multiple times per day, we repeated this fact to him.

So when the whole family was in the kitchen on Friday morning doing the traditional Macduff birthday dance to the Beatles' song, "Birthday," Grace grabbed the binki out of Jude's mouth. Well, that kinda put a damper on the festivities, at least for Jude. His whole countenance fell. He came to me and put his sad self into my lap and mourned the binki, but by the end of the song, he was up and dancing again.

I fully expected Friday night to be very long and extremely painful for this Momma (the memories of Lydia and her break from the binki still haunt me). I knew Daddy wouldn't give an inch on the binki and I figured Jude would be crying and begging to get it back. Guess what? Jude didn't even mention the "b" word and he slept through the night without any problems. He even slept through the next two nights after that without any problems and he's been doing fine at nap time, too.

Whoa, you can teach old parents new tricks. Who'd a thunk it?

Thoughts On Marriage

2011-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

From Joel: "I'm gonna marry Mommy when I grow up." To which Lydia responded, "You can't do that, she's already married!"

From Lydia (upon discovering that one of our hens was really a rooster): "Oh good! We'll have to have a wedding."

"How come?" Daddy asked.

"Because. The rooster and the hen need to get married so that they can have baby chicks!"

A Dream Fulfilled

2011-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Joel had a life long dream--well, a quarter of a life long dream--fulfilled yesterday at the county fair. He mutton busted. Ever since Joel saw the mutton bustin' event at last year's rodeo, he was sure he wanted to participate this year.

So Matt called at 9 o'clock the morning of event sign ups to get Joel on the roster so he could ride a sheep one of the evenings of the rodeo. Apparently, the phones had opened at 8 a.m. and all forty of the available slots were filled by 8:15 a.m. However, the woman taking the calls told Matt that mutton bustin' would also be available in the "kid's zone" during the day at this year's fair.

So yesterday we headed to the opening day of the fair early so that we could be the first in line and get Joel signed up. Joel was all dudded out and prepared for a wild ride--right down to his lil' buckaroo chaps. It turned out that there were no early sign ups. Joel just needed to be at the mutton bustin' arena by high noon. Rides would be on a first come first served basis.

We wandered around the fair a bit and then got back to the arena at 11:52 a.m. They had already begun the festivities, so we scooted Joel into line behind the other little kids. The guy that runs the company, called Wool Busters, that puts on the event is really a kick. He did a great job of getting the crowd excited for the event. He announced each little rider's name and where they lived before they rode. And he asked the all important question, "Do you want help?" The man's grandsons were available to hold the sheep and keep them from running to make the ride a bit easier for those little guys (or their parents) who preferred a safer ride.

"Sweet Home Alabama" blared on the sound system as rider after rider took his or her turn. Each kid received a blue ribbon after riding--"we call that braggin' rights," the man would say.

Every kid who rode before Joel asked for help. When Joel got into the shoot, the man asked him, "Do you want help?" and Joel answered, "No."

So the man said, "Joel wants to ride unassisted. Is that o.k. with you, Dad?" Matt nodded "yes."

"Just a minute, I have a special song for those who ride unassisted," the man said. So he ran out of the arena and put on George Thorogood's, "Bad to the Bone." Then he returned to the gate and asked Joel one more time, "You sure you want to ride without help?" Joel answered in the affirmative.

"This sheep's name is Tornado. Joel will be riding Tornado unassisted today." Then he opened the gate. . . and Joel lasted about two seconds before he fell off.As the man handed Joel his blue ribbon, he said, "You earned that ribbon cowboy." Joel left the arena and watched from the sidelines as the other kids rode. Most wanted assistance, although a few rode without help. All of those kids were older than Joel and lasted a bit longer than he did.

Later, the man caught Joel's eye as he stood outside the arena and said, "You come back and ride with us again, cowboy." Joel smiled a big proud smile.

We asked Joel if he'd like to ride again. Right now, he's not so sure. He got sawdust in his eyes during his face plant landing and had to go to the first aid station to have his eyes rinsed. He is sure of one thing, though. He still wants to be a cowboy in Texas when he grows up.

Summer Vacation 2011, Part 2

2011-08-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lydia had a hard time our last morning in the mountains and was in tears. To cheer her up, I told her that the house in which we would be staying at the beach had a view of the ocean. When we arrived in Lincoln City late that afternoon, we all tumbled out of the van and Matt let us into the beach house. We walked into the living room and Lydia ran to the window and exclaimed, "Oh Mommy! It's just like you said!"

Even I was amazed at the incredible view of the ocean waves crashing over the rocks and onto the beach. After a loonng day of traveling in the van, our emotions were pretty well summed up in this line from the journals of Lewis and Clark: "Oh joy! Ocean in view!"

I quickly made dinner while everyone else unpacked so that we could get down to the beach and get some sand beneath our toes. The last time we went to the ocean, Lydia was a baby, so she had no recollection of it (although she claims otherwise). So all the littles had a ball running up and down the beach and jumping over the waves that first night. Jude gave the waves a good karate chop or two, just cause he's so tough.

The next day, we just kinda kicked back on the beach. We made sand castles, flew kites and looked for shells. Lydia was tickled to find the "other half" of the mussel shell she picked up the night before. The kids also fit a few games of chess into the day's activities.

We packed a picnic lunch on Tuesday and took it to Regatta Park. The kids loved the amazing "sand castle" wooden play structure. Even Grace and Elizabeth liked it, so that's saying something. The view of Devil's Lake was outstanding. I have no idea why they call it "Devil's Lake." It's not a very nice name for such a beautiful lake. The weather was perfect and the park was not crowded, so it was easy for me to keep an eye on the kids while I sat with Isaac in the picnic table area. Daddy and the kids walked the nature trail that is part of the park after lunch. They got to see one of the largest Spruce trees on the west coast.My parents came to town on Tuesday. They stayed in the bed and breakfast next door to our house. My mom just had knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago and I had prepared the kids for the disappointing fact that Grandma and Grandpa would most likely not be able to join us on vacation as we had previously planned. Leave it to Grandma Jane, though, she came anyway. She pushed her way through the pain and had a great time with the kids for the rest of the week.

Wednesday, we all headed north to Newport to visit the Aquarium, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. We were able to maneuver my mom around the grounds in the wheel chair and Isaac in the stroller. Usually everyone fights over who gets to push the baby in the stroller. Not this time--everyone wanted the privilege of pushing Grandma. My mom's favorite creatures at the aquarium were the Japanese crabs. She especially enjoyed it when they fought over who was the biggest and baddest. Jude loved the sharks, or "harks" as he called them. My favorite part was when we were all loaded safely back into the van. While we were at the crowded aquarium, I spent the entire time frantically counting to seven.

After we returned to Lincoln City that afternoon, we were even able to get my mom on the beach so that she could watch the grandkids frolic in the sand and water. The Elks Lodge in town has a sand wheel chair that they allow people to borrow. Sweet! The wheelchair was a bear to load in and out of the car, but it worked great on the beach. My mom loves the ocean, so it was really a treat for her to be right on the beach and all the kids were so excited to have her there with them.

That night after dinner, we watched my mom's favorite movie, which is also my favorite movie and now has become a favorite of our kids--The Sound of Music. As we listened to "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?," we looked out the living room window to see the setting sun just as it was about to sink into the ocean.

Matt's brother and his family were also vacationing in Lincoln City that same week. They were renting a house with my sister-in-law's side of the family on the opposite end of town. So Thursday afternoon, Jessica and I stole away together to explore a huge used book store. I will say that I exercised an enormous amount of restraint, especially since I was in the worst of company. My sister-in-law is a fellow book lover and she was in all her glory at that store, sitting in the middle of one of the aisles with books stacked all around her. So even though the deck was stacked against me, I only purchased three books. One was a vintage Golden Book, which are my favorite bed time reads. The other two were a McGuffey Reader and a vintage Landmark history book. I drooled over many, many more books, but my pocket book just couldn't take the prices at that place. I'm too used to yard sale prices, I guess.

Low tide was at 7 a.m. on Friday morning, so before we left to go home, we took one last stroll on the beach. We got to see star fish and sea anemones, jump a few more waves and collect a few more treasures to take home. I was amazed at the variety of rocks and shells that were on the beach. I thoroughly enjoyed looking for just one more unusual agate or shell. It was as though God created one huge "I Spy" game for my personal pleasure.

As I walked through the sand to head back to the house to pack up, I couldn't help but think of God's promise to Abraham. The God Abraham served is the same God I serve. He is more powerful than the mighty and vast ocean. Yet, He still seeks a personal relationship with me, and calls me His child through the blood of His son, Jesus. Amazing!

Summer Vacation 2011, Part 1

2011-08-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to have another great vacation this year. At one point, we weren't sure we'd be able to manage a vacation, as Matt's job was in danger of being cut. We had our eyes on a rental house on the Oregon Coast, but held off on putting money down on it until we were sure Matt was going to keep his job--and he did, so we did!

We started the trip with Matt's side of the family in South Central Oregon. This part of the trip was planned about a year and a half ago, for the purpose of spreading Grandma Ethel's ashes on Macduff Peak, which was her wish. Macduff Peak was named after Matt's great great grandfather, Nelson, who was a forest ranger in those parts.
Most of the adults and all of the older children hiked up the mountain on Saturday morning. Matt and his brother Trevor drove the two big vans as far up the mountain as possible and then everyone disembarked to hike to the summit. Grandma Dianne, my sister-in-law, Jessica and I stayed back at home base (Belknap Hot Springs Resort) with eight littles. When the hiking crew reached the summit, they held a small worship service. Our niece, Maggie, picked wildflowers all the way up the mountain and placed them on the plaque at the top.Later, Grace told me that the logging road up the mountain was not very driveable, as it was washed out in one place. The road was also very narrow and very steep. Turning the vans around to go back down the mountain was especially nerve wracking, she said. Needless to say, taking care of eight littles (including a screaming Joel who was absolutely heart broken that he wasn't big enough to go on the hike) seemed much more favorable to me than going up that mountain. I'm sure Matt was glad I didn't go, too. My tendency to let out squeals and winces while he drives normal roads is annoying enough. (Not that he is a bad driver, I'm just a bit of a ninnie, especially when he's maneuvering the big van in and out of parking spaces.)

We spent the afternoon after the hike at Clear Lake. There are no motorized watercraft allowed on the lake. Row boats are available for rent and Matt procured one for our enjoyment. I'm not sure how much he enjoyed rowing back and forth across the lake, but his many passengers did. Lydia and her cousin Mackenzie and second cousin Elaine entertained themselves while Matt was rowing by making beautiful works of art out of the pine cones and flowers they found. Joel did get to go on a "hike" with his Daddy, after all. They found a little trail that ran around the lake to explore together.We celebrated a successful hike and two August birthdays that night at an excellent pizzeria, despite the fact that the original restaurant that had been reserved for the occasion was without electricity and was unable to take our party. It was nice to see Matt's cousin and his family as well as some long time Macduff family friends, Bobbie and Don. (An interesting aside--a few months ago when Matt was on a business trip in San Antonio,Texas, he visited the Alamo. Bobbie and Don happened to be there at the same time. Bobbie was sure that Matt was the same Matt Macduff she's known for so many years, but she figured he couldn't possibly be in Texas, so she didn't say "hi." Later, she read this blog and found out that she had indeed seen Matt in Texas.)

On the way back to the resort after dinner, we took a small detour through this covered bridge and stopped so that Grace could take pictures. As you can see, it was gorgeous--a beautiful ending to a special day.
Grandma Dianne had t-shirts made for everyone. Grace and Elizabeth thought of the design and the Bible verse--Prov. 3:6. On Sunday morning the whole Macduff clan gathered outside for worship time, surrounded by the Lord's majestic mountain scenery. It reminded me of our study in Isaiah this past year and all the times the Lord called on the mountains and the trees to worship him.
For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing,and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12
After worship, we loaded up the van to leave the mountains and head to the beach!

Quick Draw

2011-08-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

The other day I caught Joel practicing his gun draw in front of the full length mirror in the master bathroom. It takes practice to pull one's toy gun from the plastic holster, cock it and aim to fire in a little over a second. Practice, practice, practice. And that's just what Joel did. When he was sure he was proficient enough, he came to show me his "best quick draw." I deemed it the "fastest draw this side of the Mississippi" and Joel smiled a big proud smile.

F-15

2011-08-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Grace snapped these photos of an F-15 as it flew over our house this past weekend.

Character

2011-07-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have been discussing customer service lately. She works in retail and is just as appalled as I am at what is deemed as "customer service" these days. In fact, recently, I tried to make a purchase at a local business and ended up leaving the product there and vowing to myself that I would never frequent that establishment again. The woman with whom I interacted treated me as though it was a privilege for me to be a customer there.

On the flip side of the same coin is what constitutes a good employee. I read this blog entry this morning, written by a homeschool dad who owns his own construction business. He gives a very clear picture of what he wants in an employee. I couldn't agree with Mr. Boyer more. He's right, character matters and as a parent, outside of pointing my children to Jesus Christ, there is nothing more important for me to be diligently teaching my children. (This was a good reminder to me and very apropos, as Matt and I will be planning our homeschooling year today.)

Small Town Livin'

2011-07-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

We loaded up the whole family and headed north this past weekend to visit my Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna. We stayed in the guest house again. It was a long weekend visit, instead of a five day visit like the one we did last year. We packed a lot of fun into a couple of days, though.

We ate our meals alfresco and I reminded Uncle Keith how we used to eat the exact same way in the very same back yard when Grandma and Grandpa were still alive. I've been thinking a lot about Grandma and Grandpa lately. I miss them terribly. I know they would have loved to have been there this past weekend, watching the kids run and play and experience so many things with the wonder that is so common to childhood.

After dinner each evening, we watched old episodes of Rawhide and ate popcorn that Uncle Keith popped in the Whirley Pop. Nothing like old black and white t.v. reruns to tell it like it is. Good is good and evil is evil. And no matter what, good always wins and cowboys always ride and end the show by saying, "Head 'em up! Move 'em out!"

Saturday morning we woke up and Matt asked me what I'd like to do most. "Well," I said, "I'd like to go to some yard sales, but I know there won't be any of those." (This is Small Town USA during the harvest season.) Imagine my delight when Aunt Leanna told me that there was a neighborhood yard sale going on that morning. Yeah for me!

We hit a grand total of five yard sales with unbelievably good prices. I even procured a swimming suit for Paul. He had forgotten to pack his own suit. The little boy at one sale was kind enough to go into his house and find an extra swimming suit of his for me to buy. I paid him extra for the effort. Paul was thankful that he got to go swimming that afternoon with the rest of the crew at the community pool.

There are a lot of trains that run through that small town. Saturday after we ate hamburgers for lunch, we got to see a train up close as it sped along the tracks behind the drive-in. My kids were ecstatic. They waved furiously at the engineer who waved back and then blew the train whistle an extra time just for them. Pretty cool.

My dad made a special trip to town to help his three oldest grandkids fish on Saturday afternoon. Grandpa Tom is an expert at putting worms on hooks and taking hooks out of fish mouths. His skills were put to good use that afternoon. Uncle Keith promised Paul that he would take him for a little more fishing before church the next day. Needless to say, both Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna were surprised to find Paul the city boy on their doorstep at 5:30 a.m. all bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to head to the fishing pond.

Of course Uncle Keith treated the kids to combine rides and special drinks at the local coffee shop. I stayed back at the house with Isaac and got to spend some time with Aunt Leanna. The kids also enjoyed playing with the dogs, Libby and Arie, throughout the weekend.

Sunday we went to church. We took the first pew on the left, just like last year. The opening hymn was "How Great Thou Art." Behind me I heard Uncle Keith's tenor and Aunt Leanna's alto and I was immediately transported back in time thirty odd years or so. Same hymn, same voices, same church, same girl--now all grown up with a family of her own. Needless to say, I got a bit teary.

Later in the service, we sang my Grandma's favorite hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." How many times in my life, surrounded by those I love, have I sung that hymn in that little church? Time marches on and though that small congregation still has many familiar faces, many faces are now absent, saints who have gone on to Heaven. Yet, through tragedy and triumph, those still living gather every Sunday and give glory to God. And the immutable God, the Lord the Giver of Life, always meets His people there with His unfailing love. No matter how wildly the winds of change swirl around that tiny church, she stands faithful to her First Love, a bulwark in the midst of the storm. I was privileged to worship there on Sunday.

After such a fun filled weekend, many a tear was shed when it was time for our family to pack up and head home. Lydia asked, "Can't we stay for one more day?" Joel asked, "Can't we stay for a thousand more days?" Alas, it was time to go, but when we got home, we pulled out the Whirley Pop and ate popcorn as we watched one last episode of Rawhide before snuggling up in our beds for the night.

Happy Birthday Ems

2011-07-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Still my only sister. Still my best friend.

Madder Than a Hornet

2011-07-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Jude, our little tough guy, doesn't get hurt. He just gets angry. Case in point--last night. We were all outside in the back yard putting all the junk back in our shed after a major clean fest (major mouse doo doo). Jude was playing all by himself with one of Daddy's golf clubs. All of a sudden, he started howling and yelling. He was making his angry noises. He was downright furious. He started spinning around and around with the golf club, trying to clobber something, we just weren't sure what.

Matt and I ran over to Jude to ask him what was wrong. He said, "Bee! Bee! Bee sting me!" We asked him where the bee had stung him. He pointed to his ear. Sure enough, I saw a couple of sting marks along the outside of his ear, probably from a wasp. Grace took Jude into the house to apply meat tenderizer. When I looked at Jude's ear about five minutes later, it was red and swollen to about twice its normal size. I gave Jude some Benedryl and then he went right back outside to play again. You just can't keep a tough man down.

Independence Day 2011

2011-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a beautiful Fourth of July this year. We invited family and friends over for a BBQ. The men and the kids set off a few fireworks, launched a rocket and shot a few Red Coats with water balloons and a two man sling shot. The gals and I stayed inside and got some good chatting in. After our company left for the evening, we headed over to the home of long time friends to watch the city fireworks display from their front lawn. I enjoyed watching the looks on my little ones faces as they viewed the fireworks bursting in the sky more than I enjoyed watching the fireworks themselves.

June: Gone Already?

2011-07-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where my summer has gone. I very mistakenly thought that life would slow down a bit once summer arrived, but I was very wrong.

The kids, minus Grace and Isaac, all took swimming lessons. It was Jude's first year for lessons and he was proud to be a member of the big kid club. All the kids made good progress and acquired new swimming skills. Joel seems to be the most natural swimmer of the bunch, an ability he most certainly did not inherit from me. I think I took intermediates three times and then they finally just passed me out of pity or something. I did take and pass the lifesaver swimming class, but not without a monumental amount of effort on my part. Joel just seems to have an innate sense of how to move his body in the water. Even his swim instructor was pleased with his ability to rotate his body as he swims, which I guess is unusual for a kid his age.Speaking of Joel, he got a new cowboy hat. He figured out the hat he had was only a play cowboy hat bought in the toy section of Walmart. So he wanted a real cowboy hat--a beige one. Daddy found just such at hat at the feed store and bought it for him. The only time Joel took off his new hat, boots and Wranglers during the month of June was to get in the swimming pool. Right after swimming lessons he got right back into his cowboy garb. The other moms at the pool thought it was pretty cute--and rightly so.The kids and Daddy spent an evening last week putting their individual goals for the summer on post-it notes and then sticking them to the family room wall. One of Joel's goals is to participate in the mutton bustin' event at the local fair in August. He's confident of his sheep riding abilities, even though he's never tried it. We're going to see what we can do to fulfill this dream of Joel's. Of course Mama thinks that mutton bustin' sounds like a dangerous venture, but Joel has his mind set. And it's very cute to hear him say, "muttin' bustin'."

We were gifted a big box of Bing cherries last week, so Grace and I set to work. Grace cleaned and pitted them all, which is the messy, tedious part. I then put the majority of the cherries in the food dehydrator (in order to make chocolate cherry candy with them at Christmas time). I also canned a batch of jam and made four cherry kuchen.The neighbor was finally able to swath and bale his hay this past week. Every time he rode past the fence separating our properties, he had an gaggle of seven kids waving, hooting and hollering at him. I'm sure he had never before baled hay in front of such an adoring audience.

Isaac learned how to sit up in June. He's also perfected the art of the roll as a semi-efficient means of transportation. He ends up at the other end of the room, not purposely, though he enjoys the journey and the playthings (forgotten by his older siblings) that he finds strewn on the floor along the way.Matt has invited a bunch of people (including two of his bosses, yikes!) from work for a BBQ here next week, so I have high hopes to get the place spiffed up a bit before the big event. The weather is finally getting good and hot, so the kids and I will have to work early in the morning to avoid fading in the heat. I'm sure they'll be pleased to breath deeply of the pleasant morning air and set their industrious hands to such beneficial work.

Flying Solo

2011-06-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm flying solo today in the parenting department. And when I say solo, I mean solo. Matt, Grace, Elizabeth and Paul are off a-farmin'. We've got some friends who are trying to get a family run orchard off the ground and they needed some volunteers to help out with their u-pick cherry operation today. So that leaves me back at the homestead with four littles. It's been awhile since I've been the only adult on base and I'm a bit out of practice.

The old tricks are coming are coming back to me, however. Bubbles, Barney--you know, those things that keep kids mesmerized long enough to enable one to quickly start a load of laundry or to throw some dishes in the dishwasher before all you-know-what breaks loose again. Then it's time to blow the ref whistle, redirect the little dears and get back to folding the laundry--all ten loads of it (not sure how we got so behind on that job--after all, outside of cleaning the toilets, it is the favorite household chore around here).

French Toast Record

2011-06-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I know I broke my own personal record and I think I probably broke the family record in the amount of french toast I cooked up tonight. I used my Grandpa Paul's world famous recipe, as I always do, except this time I made the recipe X 7. That's 42 eggs, 4 loaves of bread and a half of a whole nutmeg, grated.

When I was around the age of twelve, I held the family record for the most pieces of Grandpa's french toast ever consumed in one sitting--as I recall it was eleven. My sister might contest this fact, however. As I remember it, she always thought that she held the record.

My kids absolutely love it when I make french toast for dinner. Even Joel, my picky eater, says "This is the best dinner ever!" especially when I serve German sausage with it (made with the same recipe and by the same company in the same small town where my Grandpa lived his whole life). If my Grandpa were still alive he'd get such a kick out of hearing that his great grandkids were enjoying his french toast so much. I can hear his laugh ringing out now.

Family: If I'm not the record holder for the most french toast cooked (in one continuous cooking session) then let me know and I'll correct this post. I'm sure the Guinness Book of World Records will be contacting me very soon, so speak up now, or forever hold your peace. (I will concede the blena (German pancake) making record to Uncle Keith.)

(And for the record: our family won't be eating all that french toast tonight, we'll freeze it and use it for breakfasts for the next couple of weeks.)

Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

Grandpa Paul's French Toast

6 eggs
1 C. milk (I use half whole milk, half skim)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
cinnamon & freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

Beat the ingredients together and then add enough Bisquick or Wondra flour to make the mixture the consistency of thick cream (I usually add a heaping 1/2 C. of Bisquick). Dip bread into batter. Cook on griddle until golden brown.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've made a big breakfast for Matt, the kids have all written letters & poems of love to their Daddy (including one about "Cowhand Matt") and we'll be heading off to church soon. Later on this afternoon, my Grandma, Mom, Dad & sister will be coming over for a BBQ. It'll be a Father's Day extravaganza, or something like that.

I'm blessed to be the recipient of much paternal love from my dad, my father-in-law, my godfather and my Heavenly Father. I'm also very blessed to be married to an awesome husband who just so happens to be an outstanding Daddy, too. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

All Tied Up

2011-06-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Something tells me we may have been watching a few too many old Westerns around here . . .

Happenings

2011-06-05T17:03:00.001-07:00

Grace completed her driver's training class this last week. She received a 100 percent on the written test and now she has to complete fifty hours of supervised driving before she can take the driving portion of the test. A big shout out goes to Grandma Dianne, who made sure Grace got to and from her outside of class driving instruction appointments.

Since Grace has been gone during the dinner preparation hour three nights per week for the last five weeks, Elizabeth has graduated to sou chef in the Macduff kitchen. She helped me to get supper on the table on all those crazy nights so that by the time Grace and Daddy arrived home, we all could sit down together as a family and share a nice meal together.

The whole month of May I had hoped to buy some asparagus. I used up my last jar of pickled asparagus this past winter and I wanted to get some more canned. Unfortunately, Grace's schedule kept me from getting to that project until yesterday. I couldn't believe asparagus was still available to buy at this late date, but we've had such a cool spring here that all of the crops are a little behind. Yay for me! Grace and I canned an entire box of asparagus yesterday afternoon. We roasted the skinny little spears that were left over for our dinner. The asparagus was super yummelicious prepared in this way. In the future, I don't think that I'll ever cook asparagus by any other method.So I ended up with sixteen jars of asparagus and a clean bedroom. That's right. While Grace and I were busy canning, Elizabeth, unbeknownst to me, quietly worked to get the master in tip top shape. It's such a blessing to have daughters who are growing into such lovely young ladies.

Speaking of young ladies, Lydia has been absolutely dying to go swimming. It's the first thing I hear about when she wakes up in the morning and the last thing she tells me before she goes to bed at night. The girl can talk, there's no doubt about that. I finally told her that I wouldn't even consider letting her get the wading pool out until the temperature hit 80 degrees. Then she went around telling anybody who would listen (and even those who wouldn't), "I get to go swimming when it's 80 degrees!"

Yesterday Lydia repeatedly checked the thermometer just as she has been doing for the past couple of weeks. Late in the afternoon it read 79 degrees. She ran outside, then ran back in again, checked the thermometer once more and began whooping and hollering. The thermometer said 80 degrees. Lydia ran to her bedroom, donned her swimming suit and headed out to the back yard. All the other kids followed after her. The first sprinkler run and wading pool fill up of the season is always the most exciting.

As I was preparing dinner in the kitchen last night, Lydia came inside between dips in the pool and asked me about the menu. I told her we would be eating outside at the picnic table on the back patio. She jumped up and down and exclaimed, "This is the best day I've ever had in June!"

Today in church, Pastor preached on Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer" (John 17). Pastor said, "It's as though we're eavesdropping on an intimate conversation between God the Father and God the Son." Lydia turned to me, smiled and whispered, "Mommy, I eavesdrop all the time!"
As if she was telling me something I didn't already know.

Baby Isaac Update

2011-06-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

Isaac hit the five month mark last weekend. Aside from the fact that he no longer sleeps like the proverbial baby, he is still the sweetest little bunch of cuteness that there ever was. Isaac was sleeping through the night until he got an ear infection. Now it's been more than a month since he's slept through the night and I've given up hope that he'll return to blissful seven hour stretches of sleep any time soon. No matter--Isaac is worth every bit of lost sleep.

With eyelashes longer than the the legal limit, Isaac is quite the charmer. He lives up to the meaning of his name, "laughter," by keeping the entire family beguiled with his smiles and giggles. He almost never cries. (Let's be honest--he's not allowed to cry.) He contents himself very well by sucking his thumb and keeping a close eye on all his siblings and their antics. I'm sure Isaac is taking notes so that he'll know exactly what to do as soon as his motor skills mature.

The other night I was giving Isaac kisses on his neck solely for the purpose of making him laugh. He giggled and giggled and I kissed and kissed. Then I stopped and Isaac pushed his neck into my face because he didn't want the game to stop. Of course I obliged and resumed kissing him because he is just the cutest and smartest baby ever. Who can resist warm chubby baby neck, anyway? Scrumptiously irresistible.

Mamas & Cowboys

2011-05-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Joel is still our little cowboy. I've given up trying to get him to wear nice pants to church. He just wants to wear his Wranglers and boots, so I let him. His cowboy hat is also a necessary part of his wardrobe, but he is required to take his hat off during church. Joel likes to wear his gun holsters to church, too, but Daddy makes him keep the guns in the van because "cowboys don't take their guns into church."Daddy bought Joel a pair of spurs a couple of weekends ago and Joel wanted to wear them to church. Daddy said he couldn't wear them during the service, but he told Joel that he could wear them after church was over. Well, Joel just couldn't stand to wait that long, so right after communion, he plopped down on the floor and strapped those spurs on his boots. I wonder what our Pastor thought (our family sits in the very front row).Lately, Joel has been asking Daddy to buy him a quarter horse and a saddle. Joel knows from a book I read him about horses that cowboys prefer quarter horses. Joel is convinced he'll be getting a horse someday soon. It's not a matter of "if," it's a matter of "when."The other morning Joel came to me and said, "Mamas don't let the babies grow up to be cowboys, Mom."

I replied, "Oh really. Why not?"

"Cause they get dirty. But I'm gonna be a cowboy anyway. You can't stop me."

Something tells me that Daddy going around here singing this song may have prompted Joel's cowboy declaration. That, coupled with the fact that I was not at all pleased when he came into my bedroom the day before we had the above conversation. He was covered in dirt--from the top of his cowboy hat to the tips of his cowboy boots.

Mission Accomplished

2011-05-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

We completed homeschool testing for the 2010-2011 school year today. Good news: our kids were not deemed legally stupid. They've all made good progress in their studies this year and their Daddy and I are very proud of them.

We ate lunch at Dairy Queen (thanks Scott, Katie & kiddos!) after the kids finished their tests. It was a good thing Jude was wearing his yellow rubber boots because he was an ice cream dripping machine.

Grace and Elizabeth decided that our celebratory dinner should include pasta alla carbonara. We used real Parmigiano Reggiano and Paul's farm fresh eggs to make it. It was delish and well worth the carb load. We enjoyed homemade brownies for dessert (thanks Sande!), popped popcorn and watched Secretariat to cap off the day.

Tomorrow we'll all be participating in a clean-a-thon as we have family coming for lunch after church on Sunday. It'll be the first time my grandmother has seen Isaac. It's a good excuse to get the house spiffed up a bit. Our niece and goddaughter, Raphaella, is being confirmed on Sunday so it'll be time to break out the party hats and praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness to her. Woo hoo! God is good!

Keeping Our Heads Above Water

2011-05-19T19:19:00.001-07:00

. . .Barely.

I had a surprise root canal last week. Fun! (The upside--I'm now able to chew on both sides of my mouth, something I haven't done in almost two months.)

Isaac has his first ear infection. Fun! (The pediatrician and I were holding on to the hope that Isaac wouldn't get any ear infections before his six month birthday, thereby greatly reducing his risk of chronic ear infections. Isaac turns five months in a week. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be traveling the road that his sister and two brothers took before him. It's the road that ends in ear tubes. Bummer, but maybe Isaac's just playin' with us. Only time will tell).

Grace has started driver's ed at 911 Driving School. Fun! (I was told by the other moms to be prepared to not have a life for five weeks--guess I can't say that I wasn't warned. Besides, am I really old enough to have a driving child? I think not.)

We have end of year homeschool testing tomorrow. Fun! (It's always a bit nerve wracking--for all of us. Never mind the fact that the kids do just fine every year, because this year may just be the year that they're all declared legally stupid.)

We've had a string of unexpected home repairs. Fun! (I just love spending too much money on things that aren't any fun--electrical, sprinklers, kitchen sink faucet--we're just waiting to see what breaks next).

Good thing I've got a baby in the house. Matt says the best cure for my grumpy moods is a "little Isaac medicine." Who could stay grumpy kissing those chubby cheekers?

Al Fresco Dinner

2011-05-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

What a splendidly beautiful day we had here today. The sun was out, there was no wind and we had temps in the high 70's. For a change of pace and as an excuse to spend some time outside in the delightful spring weather, we decided to have a picnic dinner down by the river tonight.
Grace made the Pioneer Woman's cowboy calzones, which she packed in a cardboard box while they were still warm from the oven. We grabbed some apples, baby carrots and a roll of paper towels, loaded the whole fam into the van and we were off. After we enjoyed our victuals, Daddy and the kids explored some trails that meandered through the brush while Isaac and I watched the seagulls brazenly snatch the remains of Jude's pb & j right off the picnic table where we were seated. The littles also took full advantage of the play ground equipment. Joel was too chicken to go down the big swirly slide, but Jude was not one little bit afraid.
The entire family then took a stroll down to the river's edge where a half dozen or so Canadian Geese were swimming with their goslings. The goslings were making their little chirping noises as they paddled alongside the adults. Their fuzzy down feathers shown golden in the setting sun. Needless to say, we were all quite taken with the parade of geese and their bitty babies, so we lingered and watched them for quite awhile.
On the way home, we spotted a rainbow and it's reflection on the water. God certainly outdid Himself with the array of beauty He provided for us tonight. It was so nice for our family to have such a relaxing evening after a hectic week.

Homeschool Conference

2011-05-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost a week since we returned from our annual trek to the homeschool conference and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. We were so tuckered out when we got home and then we had to hit the ground running on Monday with a busier-than-usual week.

I've decided that getting our family ready to go on a multiple day trip is something akin to packing an aircraft carrier for a six month deployment or preparing for a Lewis & Clark-type expedition. The analogy breaks down when I realize that if in fact I do forget to pack something, I'll be near enough to civilization that I'll be able to purchase a replacement at a nearby store. However, the homeschool conference weekend is so jam-packed, there's really no time for even a quick dash into a store for a forgotten item--so maybe the analogy doesn't break down after all.

Anyway, we did indeed get packed for the trip. We left town last Thursday morning. We were able to meet my cousin and his family for dinner that evening. I only get to see them a couple of times a year, so it was really nice to have a little time to catch up. We got back to the hotel in time to get everyone tucked into bed at a decent hour as the conference started bright and early Friday morning.

Matt's parents joined us for the conference this year, so they finally got to experience first hand what we've been telling them about for the last eight years. Mom and Dad were also a tremendous help with our littles, ensuring that they got good naps in the afternoons back at the hotel so that the rest of us didn't have to miss large portions of the conference. Dad also took charge of our pizza dinner buffet that we put together for Friday night's dinner. Approximately forty five folks that came to the conference from our area attended the dinner. With only a little over an hour to eat that night between conference events, we needed to feed a lot of people fast, so Dad's help was immeasurable.

Our two oldest girls sang in the choral with approximately one hundred fifty other kids on Saturday night. It was really neat to the see the fruit of all of the voice lessons the girls have been taking. The songs the choir director chose for the choral to sing were very God glorifying. It was a lovely evening.
That night we were also blessed to be able to attend the after-conference banquet. This would not have been possible without the help of Matt's parents, who took our littles out to dinner and then back to the hotel while we stayed at the church for the dinner. Last year, we went to the banquet with littles in tow. Suffice it to say, it was not a very enjoyable evening. This year, however, was different. Other than the fact the Matt was absent for part of the evening (he and our friend Jon had to help some other friends stranded on the road home with car troubles) it was very nice. The food was excellent, the speaker was very good, the fellowship was edifying and my girls were over the moon by the time we left for the evening.

Grace and Elizabeth had the privilege of meeting and conversing with the Botkin sisters after dinner. The Botkin girls were very gracious to spend time with Grace and Elizabeth, answering their questions, posing for a picture and signing their books.

Sunday, we were able to make a detour to the zoo on our way home. Last year, we didn't make it to the zoo, much to the severe disappointment of Joel. This year, we arrived just in time to find one of the few available parking spaces and all the kids were delighted. Of course Joel loved seeing all the animals, but I was most tickled with Jude's responses to God's creatures.

When we arrived at the penguin tank, Daddy lifted Jude up to get a better view and Jude said, "Helllloooo penguin!" As Jude observed the Siamang monkey, the monkey decided to jump right at him. Had there not been a sheet of glass between the two, that monkey would have taken Jude down. Jude was pretty rattled, but soon recovered when the crowd of people who witnessed the event started laughing. When we got to the lion habitat, Jude hopped out of the stroller, uttered something like this, "*@#$% (baby gibberish), Yion!" He then performed his best karate chop, hopped back in the stroller and said, "Push, Mom!" I'm sure that lion was very intimidated.
We happened to be at the zoo when they were offering free rides on their beautiful carousel. Joel finally got to be a cowboy, if only for a few minutes. After the kids dismounted their horsies, I said to Matt, "I don't how much you paid to get into this place, but it was worth every penny for me to see that ear-to-ear smile on Joel's face."
As always, this year's homeschool conference was excellent--a time of encouragement to keep persevering in this grand homeschooling adventure and doing it all for the glory of God.

He Is Risen Indeed!

2011-04-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Church, then the annual trek up to my uncle's farm to enjoy dinner with family and shoot skeet. We drove home into the beautiful sunset God painted. After the boys were tucked into their beds, I heard howls emanating from their bedroom--the telltale sign of too much chocolate.

Passover & Four Decades

2011-04-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had a Seder dinner here the night before last. It was the seventh Seder we've hosted. We also celebrated Matt's fortieth birthday that night. Even though our family will attend our church's Seder meal tonight, Matt requested that we have our own Passover celebration here as well. So we did--after all, he was the birthday boy.
We had a lovely evening with Matt's parents and another homeschooling family with whom we've become friends. Each year, we pray about who to invite to our Seder. We try to invite those who have never attended a Seder. We also try to include families with children, as the Passover Seder was instituted by God not only to remind His people of His faithfulness, but also to teach future generations of His faithfulness. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Ex. 12:26-27
My friend who attended our Seder on Tuesday night was especially delighted to be invited. She was invited to Martha Zimmerman's Passover Seder one year when she was in high school, but turned down the invitation. She has regretted that decision ever since, but Tuesday night she was finally able to experience a Messianic Seder and she loved it.
The girls and I prepared our usual menu of matzoh ball soup, beef brisket, apple kugel and fruit salad. My friend brought roasted vegetables and Matt's mom brought the haroset (apple mixture signifying the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks in their captivity). I made the desserts I traditionally serve--Martha Zimmerman's Passover cake and chocolate covered matzoh. In honor of Matt's birthday, I stretched my culinary skills and also made a flourless chocolate torte with raspberry coulis.

After dinner, I gave Matt his birthday present, a bell engraved with the following : "The Macduffs, est. 1993, Eccl. 12:13" Our old bell broke, so Matt has been wanting to replace it. The new bell is very nice and will be more than adequate (it's quite loud) for calling the kids to dinner and family worship time.
After singing "Happy Birthday," we resumed the evening with the children looking for and finding the afikomen. We then proceeded to the third cup, with which Jesus instituted communion. We ended the evening by saying in unison the traditional saying, "Next year, in Jerusalem!" This was especially poignant to me this year, as we studied Isaiah chapter 60 this week in Bible Study Fellowship, which details Jesus' millennial reign. Only God could have orchestrated the timing so beautifully. Pretty cool.
Tonight we'll attend our church's Seder meal. Once again, I'll be providing the matzoh ball soup and the girls will help to serve the meal. I'll be reminded once again of God's gracious provision of a Redeemer for His people--and for me. No amount of working or striving towards righteousness could ever be enough to earn my salvation. "There is no one righteous, not even one." Rom. 3:10. When I should have been left for dead, the Lord Himself became my Passover Lamb, so that I wouldn't have to take the punishment of which I am so deserving. Praise be to Jesus!

related post: 2009 Seder

Wheat Grinding

2011-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

I recently took the plunge and bought a wheat grinder. I bought a Nutrimill with the money I received for my birthday. I guess fortieth birthdays net one a bit more money than run-of-the- mill-ordinary birthdays.I received the grain mill and promptly put it downstairs in our fruit room where it stayed for about six weeks. I didn't have any wheat to grind. This seems impossible with two wheat farming uncles, but it was the situation in which I found myself. In all honesty, my Uncle Keith had given me a bucket of hard white spring wheat, but try as I might, I couldn't figure out an efficient way to clean it, so I quite trying. I also knew that our family would prefer hard red winter wheat for bread making.

I looked all over online for wheat, but the prices were a bit steep, mostly because of the cost of shipping. I have a friend from high school (Hi, Becky!) who offered to take me to her church's bulk food store, but the store is only open to the public on Wednesday evenings. Right now, because it's Lent, we're attending church every Wednesday evening, so I knew it would be awhile before I could get to that store.I finally got the bright idea to call the local health food store to see if they carry wheat and sure enough, they do. Problem solved. Grace and I pulled the mill out of its box and read the instructions--fairly straight forward. We ground our first batch of hard red winter wheat and we were pleased with the results the mill produced.Grace's first batch of bread with the freshly ground flour turned out loaves with a little less lift than we wanted. She added more wheat gluten to the next batch of dough and that seemed to help. I've read that a lot of gals use the hard white spring wheat for their bread baking, which eliminates the rising problem, but results in a less hearty loaf. We like our loaves hearty around here.

I also ground some hard white spring wheat to use in waffles, muffins, etc. Using the flour right after grinding it is the ideal, as no nutritional benefits are lost. However, I don't think that's always going to be possible for me, especially if I just decide to whip up a batch of muffins in between assigning school work and doing a load of laundry. I think Grace will continue to grind the wheat she uses for her bread baking as she needs it. She has definitely spoiled us with her fresh bread.

Does eating a whole loaf of bread with the kids when it just comes out of the oven count as health food? Because if it does, we've been doing some healthy eating lately. Yummy!

The Alamo and Single Parenting

2011-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Matt traveled out of town on business this past week. He went to San Antonio, Texas. I stayed here with our brood.Two hours after he left town, we discovered that one of our toilets was leaking. This was on a Saturday and I had no desire to call for an emergency plumber, so I called my brother-in-law instead. He told me how to turn off the water and empty the tank. Grace taped down the lid because I've learned from experience that signs just don't work with the younger set. Even if they can read, they don't connect the words with the idea of NOT using the toilet.

Although Matt resisted the idea of me packing an extra shirt for him, he was glad I did. A pigeon was nice enough to leave him a gift deposit on his way to lunch one day. Mama's always right. Pack an extra shirt and an extra pair of underwear, 'cause ya never know.

The kids and I managed fairly well without Matt. Early in the week, I realized that I needed to put my "to do" lists away because they just weren't going to happen. Survival mode prevailed--meals, laundry and keeping on our regular schedule became the order of the day.

We were all very glad to have our Daddy back at the end of the week. As tradition dictates when Daddy goes on a business trip, Matt did come home with t-shirts for all the kids. This time the shirts were from the Alamo. Cost of the t-shirt to the recipients--listen to Daddy tell the story of the Alamo, but that's a cost the kids were willing to pay. They love to hear their Daddy tell them stories.

Chicken Run

2011-04-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally did it. We quarantined our thirty two chickens by putting them in a chicken run. They no longer have the freedom to peck around our entire acre, plus the eight acres of our surrounding neighbors' properties, plus the neighbor's lawn across the road. Because one acre was just not enough for our pampered (very) free range chickens. Something about the grass being greener, I guess.
I resisted the idea of a chicken run for a very long time. I like to be able to look out the windows of the house when I'm going about my day and see the chickens pecking and scratching. There's something very satisfying about seeing chickens going about their chicken business. To the naive (to which category I once belonged), it may seem that chickens are fairly innocuous creatures, but they actually can be very destructive.

Last summer our chickens ate all my potted petunias, geraniums and impatiens. I ended up putting all the pots on the hot tub (so attractive) to try to prevent further annihilation by my feathered friends, but even this would not deter them. They just flew right up and continued to eat their feast. I'm sure they enjoyed the lovely view the hot tub afforded them as they munched the last of my tender summer flowers.

The chickens also got into our very high raised vegetable beds and ate the tomatoes, including all of the heirlooms, the desire of my heart. They smashed down all the bean plants and they ate the zucchini flowers (we still had plenty of zucchini, though--ha, ha).

But the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was the poop. Poop, poop everywhere. Poop on the sidewalk, on the back porch, on the newly refinished picnic table and benches and all over the lawn. The poop basically rendered our half acre back yard unusable for any company we wanted to entertain outdoors. And every time our kids came in the house, I had to catch them at the door to check their shoes. All day long, in and out, stopping what I was doing to check shoes.
So we decided enough was enough. Enough with the poop! Matt and Paul built a chicken run in a couple of weekends this past month to keep the chickens contained. They still have plenty of room to peck and scratch and they have their favorite forsythia bush to nestle under (and eat the blossoms off of). They still have access to shade under the chicken house and also to plenty of the bugs and green grass that make their eggs extra yummy.True to form, for our chickens at least, we've already had a few escapees. Some of the chickens have managed to fly out at the run's end and then head over to the forbidden neighbor's pasture, but not before leaving several deposits on our front sidewalk. In general though, the poop problem has been greatly reduced and we do expect a spectacular looking lawn this year due to all the extra fertilizer it received over the winter.

Part of The Family?

2011-03-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been wondering if our family tree may have some roots that run back to the Gambino Crime Family. Our Jude has quite a deep voice for such a little guy. Jude also seems to be picking up some mafioso type lingo and his voice only makes his words sound more authentic. He can often be heard throughout the day saying "Paulie. . .Joelie," as he wanders around the house looking for his brothers. Jude "Baby Face" Macduff

Jude has the physique to back up his baritone voice too. The kid is solid and he's not one bit afraid to take on his older brothers when he thinks he's been short changed by them. He's also not above picking a fight just for the sake of letting a couple of good punches fly. I'm going to have to keep an eye on my little Jude. He just might be recruited by The Family. He's a natural--except for the fact that he's tow head blonde, blue eyed and fair skinned.

A Girl & Her Camera

2011-03-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Grace's camera was stolen last October. She spent a couple of miserable months without a camera, but all four of her grandparents and her mom and dad chipped in to get her a new one for Christmas. She's been tickled pink, snapping hundreds of photos ever since. What follows is only a small sampling:

Feeding the Crowd

2011-03-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday evening our family attended our church's Lenten soup supper and worship service. During dinner, Matt and I got to talking with a couple who attends the early service on Sunday mornings (meaning they're a couple we don't see much, since our family does not attend the early service.)

At one point during the conversation the man's wife commented, "I can't imagine how you feed them all [your kids]." I replied, "Well, I cook big." Really, I come by it pretty naturally. When Matt and I were first married, I consistently and notoriously made too much food. That's just how I was used to cooking. All those summers cooking on the farm, I guess. I've finally reached the point in my life where my cooking big tendencies are actually a plus.

I've always wanted to get into the Once A Month Cooking thing, but I've never gotten off the launching pad with it because it just takes too large of a chunk of time to put together 30 meals in one sitting. Instead, I double (and even quadruple) recipes as I'm able and stash the extras in the freezer for another day.

Taco soup, enchiladas, pizza dough and sauce, spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, muffins, quick breads, waffles, french toast, pancakes, roasted shredded chicken and browned hamburger are all things that I freeze regularly.

I have added two new elements to my cooking routine this year. One is the lunch time burrito. I've been making these in big batches and freezing them in zip lock bags. The kids can grab one and nuke it for their noon meal if they don't like the leftover choices of the day or they don't want pb & j. I just cook a big batch of pinto beans in the crockpot all day, then brown up a couple of pounds of hamburger with taco seasoning and mix the beans with the meat. I then spoon the mixture onto large flour tortillas, add a little shredded cheese and roll them up. I flash freeze the burritos on a cookie sheet before transferring them to zip lock bags. Viola! Our own convenience food.

The other item I've added to my cooking routine is a big Sunday breakfast. I've found that if the kids' stomachs are good and full before church (especially since late service runs past our normal lunch time), they behave much better during the service. So on Saturday night I preassemble and egg casserole or an overnight french toast and put some sausage or bacon in the fridge to thaw so it's ready to be cooked on Sunday morning. If I decide to make pancakes or waffles, I'll assemble the dry ingredients the night before so that all I have to do is add the wet team in the morning. I always quadruple waffle, pancake and french toast recipes.

For example, this morning I made my dad's buttermilk pancake recipe. I used a whole half gallon of buttermilk, eight eggs, eight cups of flour and two sticks of butter. We ate some of the pancakes along with eggs and sausage this morning. Some of the pancakes will be stored in the fridge to be used for breakfasts this week. (We'll spread peanut butter on them to add some protein). The rest of the pancakes will be stored in the freezer and I'll pull them out in a couple of weeks for another week of easy breakfasts.
Matt bought me a huge electric griddle for Christmas. Most wives would have thought this was a really tacky gift, but I actually wanted it. Now we can use our old stove top griddle in conjunction with the new griddle and empty a big tupperware bowl of pancake batter in no time (well, sort of). Same goes for french toast. I'm considering getting another waffle maker for the same reason.

If Matt is the one doing the pancake flipping, he always uses the last of the pancake batter to make a giant pancake. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this one is the size of a dinner plate. It took two spatulas to flip it. Since Matt is the Daddy, he gets the privilege of eating the Big Daddy pancake.

St. Patty's Day Field Trip

2011-03-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

We don't celebrate St. Patty's Day in a big way around here. However, the kids all made sure to put on green clothes today and they even dressed baby Isaac in green. I grabbed a green shirt to wear this morning only because it was the first thing I saw and I was in a hurry. It wasn't until I went into the kitchen and heard all the green clothes hubbub going on that I realized I had made the right choice in my own attire.

The kids and I went about our day as usual, but then I received a call from Matt who said he planned to take the rest of the day off of work so that he could take the family on a little impromptu field trip. I got off the phone and announced that Daddy would be taking the family to a surprise location. Cheers erupted. I never miss an opportunity like that to get a little chore mileage out of the kids. They gladly picked up a few messes, cleaned out the van, ate their lunches and packed snacks while they waited for Daddy to come home and pick us up.

When Daddy arrived, we all loaded into the van and after the obligatory three or so trips back into the house to get things we'd forgotten (at least we hadn't left the driveway yet), we were off. We traveled to the Whitman Mission. I haven't been there since I was in sixth grade. Honestly, I don't have any memories of the mission itself, just all the build up in our social studies course weeks before my class made the field trip.
Flash forward almost thirty years. I now can see why I don't have any memories of the place. There just isn't a whole lot to see. When we arrived at the mission this afternoon, we watched a short video and toured the one room museum. We then went outdoors and walked the grounds. No actual buildings remain, just brick laid in the ground to outline the dimensions of the original buildings. The signs along the path certainly look like they could have been there thirty years ago and the audio that accompanies each sign wasn't as PC sounding as I expected, so I surmised that they are pretty old, too.
The last couple of years, Matt and I have stayed at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla for our little annual getaway. On the second floor of the hotel, a series of paintings hangs on the walls which describe the life of the Whitmans. I think having this history in our minds was helpful to us as we toured the grounds of the mission today and I wish our kids would have had the benefit of that history as well.

However, Daddy, as always, was a good historian. He asked the kids many questions and got them thinking. Near the end of the tour, he asked the kids if they thought that Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were martyrs for Christ and they all answered in the affirmative.Something that really struck me today was how the Lord redeemed a tragic situation which occurred very early in the Whitmans' work at the mission. They lost their 27 month old daughter when she drowned in the river that ran through the property. However, several years later, the Whitmans adopted seven children (including a 5 month old baby) whose parents died as the family was traveling West. Yet, tragically, two of those boys were killed by the Cayuse in the massacre (and 1 died of measles) and the other four were obviously orphaned yet again when the Whitmans themselves were among those murdered.
At one point I commented to Matt that if they replicated the buildings on the property (similar to Ft. Clatsop), the mission might be a bit more interesting. Of course he said that all of that costs money. I countered that then they could charge more than $3 per adult (kids 16 & under are free). But then again, the whole place is kind of a downer and maybe having buildings to explore wouldn't help that.
Our kids had a great time, however, and didn't want to leave, or at least they didn't want to go home so soon, so we loaded into the van and Matt drove us around the countryside. At one point, we came upon a feedlot and one of the kids exclaimed, "Oh look! A ranch!" to which Joel replied, "I hope we see a cowboy! Oh! I bringed my cowboy hat!"

We drove on Stateline Road for awhile, then Matt stopped the car so that the kids could run back and forth between Oregon and Washington and so that they could spit from one state to the other.

Then we drove home and ate the beef stew that had been simmering in the oven all afternoon. I had to ditch my plan of making Irish soda bread as we got back to the house too late, but we did have Tillamook mint ice cream for dessert. Daddy asked the kids questions about St. Patrick and I thought about how St. Patrick and the Whitmans were similar in that they both sought to bring Christ to those who didn't know Him. So, in fact, our little field trip ended up being an appropriate activity for St. Patrick's Day.

Quotable Quote

2011-03-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

Joel leaned into the baby's face this morning and put his nose on Isaac's. This is not an uncommon occurrence and so far, Isaac has been very clear about his dislike of this practice. However, this morning, instead of crying, Isaac licked Joel's nose. At ten weeks old, I know that this was not an intentional act on Isaac's part, but Joel's reaction to it was priceless. He giggled and said, "That Baby Isaac gives kisses like a dog!"

A Rare Bird: Conversation

2011-03-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening Matt and I needed a few minutes to talk--without interruptions. We've learned through many years of experience that having a conversation without interruptions just doesn't happen around here. Usually we save subjects that need more than a few one-liners to address for our weekly date night, but Sunday we really needed to talk about some things related to Matt's job and it really couldn't wait until date night.

So we tried anyway. To have a conversation. With. Out. Inter. Ruptions. We told the kids, "Mom and Dad need to talk. Don't bother us." We went into our bedroom and locked the door. Implied, though not expressly stated was this command: "Don't scratch, knock or kick the door unless the house is on fire or someone is bloody."

Safely inside our locked bedroom, Matt and I began our conversation. Then we heard the fire alarm in the kitchen go off. Matt went to check it out. All was well. Something on the bottom of the oven was smoking, but things were otherwise under control.

We went back to our conversation. Then someone came to the door and started banging on it. Matt asked, "Who is it?" "Me!" was the reply. It was Jude. Then he began yelling, "Open!" "Open!" He wasn't crying. We figured he wasn't bloody, so we just ignored him. Now, where were we?

We got our conversation back on track. Then we heard the noise of a saw cutting through wood. Noises in our basement can easily be heard through the air vents in our bedroom. We paused our conversation for a minute--hope no one gets bloody. Then, once again, we resumed our conversation.

A few sibling spats, a few tears, a few door slams later and we gave up. It was a valiant effort.

So Sunday's little experiment did prove once again that it is indeed impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation in this house. The upside--the house didn't burn down and no one got bloody (although I have yet to give the basement a thorough inspection).

Special Birthday Present

2011-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

The blank wall in our dining room has needed something on it since we moved here two years ago. I tried putting a big framed print there, but after a couple of months, I took it down. The problem was that whenever someone walked along that wall to get around the dining room table, that person would brush against the picture. The picture was always a bit askew and it really bugged me, so I removed it and hung it somewhere else.

This year for my birthday, I requested a new vinyl letter Bible verse for the wall. We already have a verse on the wall in our living room and I thought it would be nice to have something similar in the dining room. Matt ordered a new verse from Fruitful Vine Creations and put it on the wall for me a few weeks ago. He chose one of his favorite verses, a verse from Deuteronomy about not forgetting God.I've written here before about how we are trying to slowly add artwork to our home that reflects our family's desire to honor Christ. The verse on the dining room wall fits the bill beautifully and it has the added bonus of staying put. No more crooked artwork.

Quotable Quote

2011-02-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Joel (in a sad voice): "Mom. I was playin' with Jude and him was da human and I was da dog, but him wouldn't be da human. Him said, 'Ruff, ruff.' "

Busy Days. . .

2011-02-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

Our friend from church, "Granny," who gifted Isaac with a lovely quilt she made especially for him, was brave enough to come visit us in our home. She and her daughter and son-in-law came here for dinner last Friday. Despite the usual Macduff family chaos (complete with Jude's repeated "cock-a-doodle-dos" during the meal), Granny has told me several times since then that she had a wonderful time.

My Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna came down last Saturday to visit. Isaac really turned on the charm for his Great Aunt Leanna--he was Mr. Smiley Man. Unfortunately, you'll have to use your imagination as to how cute Isaac was that night as our resident photographer didn't snap any pictures because she was too busy helping with dinner serving and clean up.
Isaac was baptized last Sunday. We were surrounded by family and friends as we celebrated God's abundant mercy and grace. (If you're interested in a video of the baptism click here.) We shared a nice time of fellowship at a local pizza restaurant after church. That night we had an early Valentine's Day dinner with my mom and dad. We did not repeat the fondue fiasco of 2010. We doled out the chocolate fondue in individual portions this year, which resulted in a lot fewer arguments.

Matt's Valentine's Day started out with a bang. He had to report for jury duty early that morning. The questionnaire he was required to fill out asked how many kids he had. Matt guesses that he was dismissed so quickly because he answered honestly, "seven." They probably figured he'd fall a bit on the conservative end of the spectrum. The kids gave Daddy a "heart attack" for Valentine's Day.We attended our niece Raphaella's last basketball game of the year on Tuesday. Her team got creamed, but we love her anyway.
We had some good friends over for dinner this past Friday. We fulfilled Paul's wish for a bonfire that evening and Matt and Brian had a very stimulating conversation about fuel cell technology. Yesterday I was blessed to attend a "diaper shower" given to me by the group of gals from the Bible study I attended last year. We laughed,cried, prayed and ate together--just like old times. The kids and Matt attended the monthly Macduff Family gathering while I was at the shower. Joel was amongst those folks with February birthdays and he was pleased to get more cowboy-themed gifts.
Last night my parents came to visit. Grandma Jane gave Joel a couple of foam swords for his birthday. Now when Joel and Jude give each other head thwacks (in brotherly love, of course), there's not nearly as much pain involved. The guys (Matt, Paul and my dad) then went to see the "Duck Commander" talk about his love for hunting and Jesus. They all had a good time, especially Paul. Matt was jealous of the Duck Commander's beard.
After church today, we met our good friends at a local restaurant (they're godparents to Joel and Jude). We celebrated Joel's birthday yet again. Joel's godmother has a talented cake decorating daughter-in-law who provided some awesome cupcakes for the occasion. (She also made Grace's confirmation cake this past summer.) Joel, my "nanimal" loving boy, was thrilled. What could be better than chocolate cupcakes with a menagerie of animals perched on their tops? Probably only the toy fighter plane complete with chain saws that Joel received from his godparents. The "Pajama Bible" Joel was given will be perfect for Monday nights when dad and the big kids are away at their Bible study.
Matt has had an exhausting time at work the last couple of weeks and for now, at least, home life isn't any less exhausting. Is it any wonder this is how we found him at 7:00 tonight?

Joel Bobby is Four

2011-02-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our little cowboy's birthday today. Joel is very excited to be four. Four means pull-ups no longer need to be worn at night (we'll see how that goes) and that the next hunting trip the men folk take will include him (we'll see how that goes as well).

Joel received a new pair of Wrangler jeans for his birthday (courtesy of his Great Grandma Fran). He's quite proud to show off the Wrangler logo on the back pocket of the jeans and then tell anyone who will listen what it says--"Cowboy." Joel also got a new gun and holster set as well as a new cowboy hat. He's one happy little buckaroo. "Rawwwwhiiiiiiide!"

Overheard

2011-02-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

The other day Joel crept quietly into my room near the end of our afternoon quiet time and whispered, "Can I get up now?" I told him, yes, he could get up, but I ordered him to be quiet as others in the house were still sleeping. A few minutes later I heard Elizabeth say something to Joel. Then I heard Joel yell, "MAMA SAID I CAN GET UP IF I BE QUIET!"

Music Review: Mosiac

2011-02-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

This past fall, I read a little snippet about Ricky Skaggs' new album, "Mosiac" in World magazine. The album was given a very good review, so I hunted around on the internet and found that NPR's "Fresh Air" program had also given the album a favorable review as did many others.

I ordered the album for Matt as a Christmas present, but I guess I should have just given it to myself, because I've been hogging it (it's in the CD player of the car I drive) ever since Matt opened it. The more and more I listen to the album, the more amazed I am.

I find most modern Christian music unappealing. It either sounds like an imitation of the world's music (i.e.--hard rock, can't understand the words) or it's just plain bad music (i.e.--synthesizers, not real musicians). I know, I'm picky. Blame it on my dad and the thorough music education he gave me in my growing up years (from Bach to the Beatles to bluegrass).

Ricky Skaggs is probably most known for his bluegrass music, but "Mosiac" is not a bluegrass album. Mr. Skaggs calls it a Gospel album. In my listening, I've been really impressed with the different musical genres the album covers, yet the album itself is a cohesive unit.

My favorite songs on the album are "You Can't Shake Jesus," (probably the most bluegrassy of the collection) and "Return to Sender." I also like the song "Fire From the Sky" which tells my favorite Old Testament story of the prophets of Baal going up against Elijah and The Living God (1 Kings 18:17-40).

In my current sleep deprived state, I've found it difficult to concentrate enough to read the good books I received for Christmas and my birthday, but I have been able to enjoy listening to music and "Mosiac" has ministered to me greatly in the past six weeks. Mr. Skaggs wrote the following about the album:

"I really thought we were going into the studio to work on a CD, but what happened was this CD started working on us. Every day there was a visitation of God’s presence that was so obvious…. My prayer for this CD is that at the end of the day, these songs would cause people to know the love of God. That He’s not mad at us, but that He has a passionate love for us that we can’t understand. Really. I can’t cause anyone to believe, it’s not my job, but it’s a total work of The Holy Spirit….A Work Of Love!"

You can listen to a clip of Mr. Skaggs talking about his new album here.

Around Here These Days . . .

2011-01-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

. . . I'm wishing for more sleep. Isaac's lovely sleep performance for that one night during that first week has yet to be repeated and if history informs me correctly, I don't expect to be sleeping through the night again until sometime in 2012. A friend asked me recently if I handle sleep deprivation well. Umm. No. My brain gets all mushy. I forget things. Important things. I make mistakes. Small mistakes. Big mistakes. But baby Isaac is worth all that trouble and more.

. . . Speaking of baby Isaac, he's a smiler. Isaac means "laughter" and he's living up to his name. He smiles a lot in his sleep. All babies do this, but it seems like Isaac does it more than my other babies. And the other day when Isaac and I were taking a nap together, he woke up, looked at me and smiled. A real smile, not a gas induced or a sleepy dream smile, a real smile. Pretty neat.

. . .Matt has grown a beard. Moses would be proud. He also wrote and presented his first professional paper. Apparently it went really well. The guys asked lots of questions after Matt's presentation and that's a good sign. After all, computer data storage is not the big yawn that most people think it is.
. . .We've been trying to go to as many of our niece's basketball games as possible. We yell, "Way to go Elle!" "We love you!" and other similarly embarrassing things from the stands. Isaac sleeps soundly through the crowd's cheers, the ref's whistles and the clock's buzzers. It's not much different than being at home, really.
. . .We celebrated Lydia's sixth birthday a bit early. She's not official until tomorrow, but she's been reminding me regularly since last spring about all her birthday expectations. A pink birthday cake (with candles that she personally picked out at the dollar store about 6 months ago), a camera and a violin. She got her pink birthday cake on Friday night when Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jane came here to help us celebrate. Last night, at the big Macduff family gathering, Lydia received a play violin from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Dianne. Grandma Dianne says that if Lydia takes piano lessons and still desires to play the violin when she is in the fourth grade, the she will buy Lydia a real violin. As far as the camera goes, I think her Auntie Em might have something to do with fulfilling that wish, but I'm not tellin'.
. . . I ordered forty pounds of fresh chicken breasts in my sleep deprived state. (What was I thinking? Oh wait, I wasn't thinking.) The chicken will arrive on Tuesday and will need to be trimmed, bagged and frozen in relatively short order. Good thing I ordered the cookbook "Fix, Freeze, Feast" as a "Happy Birthday" to me present. Too bad I didn't order a new brain for myself as well. Onward and upward. Dinner awaits--not for me, but for Isaac. (Why is it that babies always want to nurse as soon as you sit down to eat?)

Home Ec Training

2011-01-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Grace received a blank cook book from me for her birthday this past fall. My friend Tammy gave me the idea of giving the cook book, as she did the same thing with her two older daughters. When Grace has successfully prepared a recipe, she's allowed to add it to her cookbook. By the end of her high school career, she should have quite a repertoire of cooking skills and recipes from which to draw as she begins her adult life.

I gave Grace a hands on home economics assignment a couple of weeks ago with the cook book project in mind. By "hands on," I mean that I kept my hands off. I told Grace to make dinner. The choice of menu was entirely hers. I gave her one hint--start working by 4 p.m. Grace has proven she can follow a recipe. She has surpassed me in her proficiency with yeast breads. However, getting multiple dishes on the table in a timely manner and at approximately the same time has eluded her. It's simply a matter of practice.

When I have the girls help me make dinner, I'm the one with the overall time line in my head. I'm the one directing which dishes should be started at what time and so forth. Therefore, Grace has not had much practice in this particular area, just because she hasn't had to do it. I used the fact that I was caring for a newborn as a reason to turn the reigns completely over to Grace that night.

She made the Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf--to die (I do mean, to die) for. She also made mashed potatoes, sauteed broccoli with garlic and bacon. She warmed some rolls in the oven to round out the meal. (We've also been working on making balanced menus--i.e.--just chicken and rice won't cut it--let's add a veggie and fruit as well.) Grace asked me a couple of questions during the process of cooking, but mostly, she completed the dinner all on her own. Even though we didn't eat until 6:45, the dinner made up for its late start in tastiness. It was delicious. She was considered the queen of the evening by both her dad and little brother Paul who were over the moon with all that bacony goodness.

We've been blessed to have quite a few meals from friends delivered to our home over the past couple of weeks, so even I'm out of cooking practice. As of this week, we're back on the menu planning band wagon and Grace will be getting even more time in the kitchen to hone her dinner preparation skills.

The Big 4-0

2011-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

I turned forty on Saturday. When Matt and I were newly married and in our mid-twenties, we belonged to a "young couples" group at our church. The group included some forty somethings. Man, I thought they were old and I certainly didn't think they belonged in a "young" couples group. Well, here I am. Forty.

Matt wanted to have a big ta-do surprise party for me, but I objected. Just two weeks out from giving birth, I knew I wouldn't be up for it. So we decided to invite some family and have a smallish party here. My brother even made the long drive down. My parents bought take out from my favorite little Italian restaurant in town and Matt's parents bought a red velvet cake from my favorite bakery in town. Grace and Elizabeth made cupcake cake pops for the occasion. Carb on. At least I'm not on the diabetic diet anymore.
My Uncle Keith (and godfather) retold the story of my birth. "Grandma Schafer told me to go over to Seattle because Jane thought she was having the baby. She really wasn't (her due date was a month away), but as her big brother, I was told to go over to be with her. I got a few miles out of town and my car did a 360 on the icy road, but I trudged on. When I got to Tom and Jane's apartment, there was a note on the door (pre-cell phone and texting days, folks) that said, 'It's coming! We're at Swedish hospital.' "

"When I got to the hospital, Tom and I went out for dinner. When Melissa was born, the nurse held her upside down by her ankles like a chicken. I took the night shift for those first couple of nights home from the hospital. The second night, I used Great Grandma Logsdon's recipe for getting babies to sleep--I put a little bit of brandy at the bottom of the baby bottle. You slept like the proverbial baby, Melissa." My kids were tickled to hear the story retold once again. It changes a bit with each telling, but that's pretty much the gist of it--I don't believe I'm leaving any facts (or embellishments) out.
Saturday night as I ushered in my fortieth year on this earth, I was surrounded by the people I love most and that's the best gift of all. God has blessed me richly and I am so very undeserving, but ever so grateful.

A Well-Oiled Machine

2011-01-10T10:11:00.001-08:00

The older kids have been doing a fantastic job of keeping this place humming along during my postpartum recovery. Grace and Elizabeth have been making sure that the kitchen is always clean, that the clothes washer and dryer are always running and that the little ones are fed and readied for the day.
In addition to her other duties, Grace has been keeping us supplied with whole wheat bread.
Elizabeth is my expert baby holder. The baby is mostly with me out of necessity, but when he's not, Elizabeth is first in line to volunteer for babysitting duty. Isaac seems to be very comfortable in her arms.
In order to keep the household running smoothly, Paul has also been pulling a little extra weight around here. In addition to helping his Dad and sisters, he is still taking good care of his chickens (and their eggs). His egg selling business is going quite well. He's always got plenty of egg orders to fill.
Paul has used every spare minute he's had lately in the building of a dogsled. Yesterday a couple from church dropped off dinner and stayed a little while to chat. Paul was all ears when Mr. L began to describe how he once made a dogsled by steaming elm saplings and bending them into the proper shape. After the couple left, Paul immediately went out to the shed to continue working on his dogsled. Never mind that we don't have a dog. I guess that's just a minor detail that will somehow work itself out. Snow is in the forecast, so Paul is pushing himself hard to finish up his project very quickly.