God's Creation

Isaac and Jonathan enjoyed their short trek out into God's seldom seen creation.  In fact, they met a road grader on their walk out of the bog, who asked if they were lost, and after hearing that they had actually camped out there, said he thought they were the first white men to ever see that area!  Yes, it's really remote!

They managed to pick up a few friends on the way back - beaver they trapped. 

Silas has been working for a guy washing his equipment.  Nice job when you love John Deere equipment like Silas does!  

Life's hard when you're just a little cowboy!  Looks like a little guy from the old prairie days.

Isaac, Hosanna and Priscilla went fishing today up town.  Sure a beautiful day!  And yes, that white stuff in the distance is still ice on the lake.

 

Whatcha looking for, Priscilla?  Actually, she was looking at loons.

Arthur and I headed to flood country today to do some "city" shopping.  Talk about water!!! Mile after mile of fields of water.   I wonder if they will even get in the fields this summer.  One field was full of pelicans, like hundreds and hundreds of them if not thousands!  A nearby road was completely white with them.  What a marvelous sight of God's creation!  Not sure the farmers would agree!  Saw quite a few farms dry behind their personal dikes, but with roads under water, they were using boats. 

God does care about the little things and delights in giving us the desires of our hearts.  A few days ago after cleaning up flower beds and our herb garden, I thought to myself, "I sure could use some new mulch.  Like maybe three bags of red and one or two brown." Never gave it much more thought because mulch up here is kinda pricey and we have more important things to spend our money on.  Well, today while at Menards, I spotted a bargin section out in the lumber yard.  There was a palllet shrinkwrapped with red and brown bags of mulch!  Seven bags to be exact, all for the wonderful price of $5.00!  Sometimes I need the reminder that God cares about even the little things!

The Last Few Days

Sorry these pictures aren't the best.  For some reason my camera pictures have been a little blurry.  Anyway, I thought the markings on this new dairy calf interesting.  We've been having so many calves which is keeping Arthur and Isaac very busy.  It's a hard job because so many of the mothers like to hide their calves in the woods or get mad when you try to eartag their calves.  With all the very late night checks and very early morning checks for new calves, the guys are getting quite tired.  Well, I'm not sure if Isaac is tired today or not - he should be since he and Jonathan J. are camping out in the bog (think "fens" for you GA Henty fans) for a few nights for a break.  Doesn't sound like fun or a break to me! And I hope Isaac's leg can handle it!

We spent Easter at my parents this year.  (These pictures are out of order) Daniel thought Grandpa's birdfeeders were so interesting.

Isaac snuck out fishing one day with some cousins and got himself a nice 41" northern off the dock in town.  We gave one fillet away and still had a good meal.  It's the longest fish Isaac's ever gotten so he was quite happy.

Ester was so delighted with Grandma's doll.  She even gave it kisses.

And my mom delights in her great grandchildren.

Silas entertained the boys by giving them wheelborrow rides.  Not sure about Davy but Daniel sure loved it.

The guys found time yesterday to butcher a cow.  Jeshua was the meat grinder.  Thanks, Jeshua!

Aaron also came out to help out.  Thanks, Aaron!  So, things have been busy around here.  I'm working on getting a new library table out for this coming Sunday.  Hosanna is busy perfecting her birthday present.  Well show pictures of that someday.  Miriam is finally enjoying having a dry trail to walk on in the woods.  Also took some time to clean up flower beds and the herb garden.  Priscilla and Silas are trying hard to finish up school.   I'm so glad for busy times.  I can't stand being bored without lots of things on my to-do list.  Have a great day in the Lord!

He Arose! He Arose!

Have a great weekend celebrating the

resurrection of our Savior!

To God be the glory

Great things He hath done!

So loved He the world that

He gave us His Son!

Mud - Farewell - Games - The Winner Is - Please Pray

Mud!  Farm work is just a wee bit harder when you have to deal with this stuff.  It's dried up a lot in the last couple of days but rain is in the forecast.  Also on the farm we've had calves, calves and more calves.  It's Arthur's favorite time of year and there's nothing he enjoys more as farm work than delivering complicated deliveries.  So far none have been too complicated this year.  This weather is hard on the calves but they seem to be doing okay. 

Farewell - Arthur's hauling this truck, our big white van, plus a bunch of stuff to the scrap iron dealer.  Yes, he's leaving the truck and van as scrap metal.  Lots of memories in that van but we're pretty confident no one would buy it or this truck.  Plus, the price of scrap metal is really high right now and so it's a great time to clean things up a bit.

Games - Good thing to do with friends.

And the winning name for our new llama is "Nacho"!  Thank you Louise for the cute suggestion.  If there was a runner up it would be Cocoa.  Thanks everyone for the great ideas!

Also, if you think of it, please pray for Texas and thier desparate need for rain.  Gov. Perry has asked for a weekend of prayer and I think as christians we should all be praying as well..  Here is his proclamation:

Proclamation

By The
Governor of the State of Texas
To all to whom these presents shall come:

Whereas, the state of Texas is in the midst of an exceptional drought, with some parts of the state receiving no significant rainfall for almost three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s; and

Whereas, a combination of higher than normal temperatures, low precipitation and low relative humidity has cause an extreme fire danger over most of the State, sparking more than 8,000 wildfires which have cost several lives, engulfed more than 1.8 million acres of land and destroyed almost 400 homes, causing me to issue an ongoing disaster declaration since December of last year; and

Whereas, these dire conditions have caused agricultural crops to fail, lake and reservoir levels to fall and cattle and livestock to struggle under intense stress, imposing a tremendous financial and emotional toll on our land and our people; and

Whereas, throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer; it seems right and fitting that the people of Texas should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this devastating drought and these dangerous wildfires;

Now, therefore, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution of Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on those days for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life in Texas.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my Office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 20th day of April, 2011.

Rick Perry
Governor of Texas

Luke 18:31-32

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them,

"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spit on:  And they shall scourge him and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again."

This is Getting So Embarrassing!!!!

Arthur went to the auction again!  They say llamas need to be in twos so he got another one!  Kinda embarrassing!  As a dairy farmer and beef farmer, you'd think he'd buy a cow!!  Actually this one is friendlier than Valentine and I don't really mind having llamas in my yard.  But what should we call it?  Any suggestions?  They called it "Obama Llama" but we would rather not keep that name!  We need a smaller halter as you can see.

We woke up to a nice cover of snow.  It was pretty if nothing else. Made the roads a bit slushy.

They had to check each other out.  The llamas don't spit at the horses, which are in their pen, but they do kick or even bite them if they get to bothering them. It seems to me the white one kinda protects the black one from the horses.

Okay, another thing Arthur loves to do at this particular auction is buy stuff from a seller of outdated food.  It's really really cheap but fun to get what he might have.  Today it was cases and cases of yogurt.  Not just any yogurt but the kinds we never would buy like White Chocolate Strawberry, Strawberry Mango, Key Lime, Pineapple, etc. Also got a box of bannanas, lots of Bounce, and a few other items.  Fun!  The kids are excited to eat all that yogurt which we froze and eat it frozen. 

We also had a busy day today with a bridal shower for my niece, which was very nice.  Also our church ladies / girls secret prayer pal reveal / exchange day.  I love knowing there is someone out there praying for me.  I also love praying for someone and looking for different ways to bless them and finding things to pray for them.  I always thought if our church didn't have a program like this, I would just pick someone and do it anyway.  Good idea for some of you girls out there. 

So, give us your ideas for a name for our new maze zoo addition.  I'd give a prize for the name chosen but you'll just have to settle for knowing it has the name you chose, if we choose one!

James 5:16

...pray for one another...

The Grandchildren

Isaac was holding sleeping Jeriah when Daniel and David came over and then Naomi gave Esther to Isaac so we got our first picture with all four of them.  Isaac went to the chiropractor today and had his knee joint put back in.  There is some cartilage and ligament damage so he's going to have to take it easy for awhile yet but got the okay to put some weight on it.  It's still swollen so until that goes down it's kinda hard to get an accurate feel for exactly what's wrong but he's chosen to go the patient route rather than rush to get an MRI and surgery.  He might need it anyway, but he'll be patient for awhile first and see if that helps.

Meanwhile, what gorgeous spring weather!!  I was excited to see a few things poking out of the ground!

II Corinthians 4:16-18

for which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Isaac's Bad News

Last night at chore time, Amos calmly came in the house and said, "Mom, Isaac got hurt." I asked questions and went out to see Isaac who was lying on the ground by the barn.  He had been getting ready to spread manure with the manure spreader, was standing on the edge of the spreader and slipped, his leg going between the tire and spreader and his body going the other way.  He said he heard a few cracks and we figure he must've broken his leg in a couple of places.  Arthur wasn't around so, overlycautious, protective mother that I am, I called the ambulance.  If it was broken bad I didn't want to move it.  Well, after a couple of xrays, they decided he did not break it, but most likely heard tendons popping.  He needs to go  in next week and have them do a more thorough check.  So, he just needs to rest it.  He said it feels kinda like a cow kicked him in the knee.  Right away he prayed that God would help him use his time wisely, followed by a thought about how he was going to do his trapping! 

The poor ambulance and hospital!   When he fell, this is what he fell in!  A nice, ooey, gooey, manure puddle!  He though he was going to faint so he quickly got to the barn on one foot to tell Amos and layed down on the ground so he had all kinds of straw stuck to the mess he fell in. 

Look!  Green grass, at least a little bit of it.  There's still some snow piles here and there in the yard.  Well, if you think of it, please pray that the damage won't be too bad on Isaac's leg.

Isaac's Exciting News!!

 Isaac's excited!  He bought some property!  Ten acres to be exact and it has a barn, grainbin, garage, and trailer house on the property, plus a few really old broken down sheds.  He's had his eye on it for about a year now, and, as broke as he is now, it's all paid for, and he has a nice fixer-upper place.  The barn has a pretty good roof and is in good shape although it looks like it needs some fixing.  The trailer is small and older so I'm not sure what he'll do with it.  Maybe fix it and rent it out or sell it or something.  The grain bin has our corn maze corn in it, at least what is left of the corn.

The trees in the background are on his property and have the Bulldog River that goes behind our barn going through the woods.  Our place is on the other side of the power lines in the far back left corner of the picture.   It's really a neat, quiet place that has lots of potential.  I believe his first plan of action is to plant more trees (when it warms up some!) and do some fencing to put some calves over there or maybe his herd of beef cows that's currently with our cows.  I'm happy for you, Isaac!  God is so good!

We had the privilege of watching grandchildren this week. One of the first things Daniel does when he comes over is say, "Papa's cowboy hat?".  He loves wearing it.

The boys also love Jeriah and can't seem to hold him enough.  Davy says, "Hi, baby." over and over.

Here's the Fried Ice Cream Dessert recipe.  It's so simple but so good!

12 Tblps. butter melted

1 1/2 Cup brown sugar

4 Cups corn flakes crushed

2/3 Cup walnuts crushed (we used pecans and peanuts would work too)

1/2 Gallon ice cream, slightly softened

Combine the margarine and brown sugar, mix in the corn flakes, nuts, and coconut.  Layer most of the crumb mixture in a 9x13 pan.  Spread ice cream evenly over the top.  Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. (you can't ever have enough of the crumbs!)  Freeze until ready to serve.  We drizzle honey or chocolate over the top when we serve it.

Have a great day!

Cooking Day

Well, we had time yesterday so we took a few hours to see how much we could get done.  One thing Miriam and Priscilla worked on were Frozen Fruit Cups.  I think they made over 100 and they are such a nice, healthy snack or dessert.  Miriam also made two different kinds of freezer meals.

I made a couple of different meals as well to freeze.  Just so you don't all worry, I don't use aluminum pans, or foil, and never have.  These ones I lined with saran wrap and am hoping once they're frozen it will be easy to peel off and plop in a glass or stainless steel pan.  Every since we first got married I decided never to cook with aluminum or aluminum foil.  I've always heard it could cause a variety of health issues so I just don't bother with it.  Kinda like hair dye.  I had my hair dyed once but after I heard about all the potential cancer risks I'm just not sure it's worth it just to look better. I know, I'm a little over cautious, oh well.  I probably will dye my hair again someday but not for awhile!

Hosanna made tatar tot hotdish and some frozen "Fried Ice Cream" type dessert.  This is so good and tastes quite similar to what you might get deep fried in a restarant.  Plus it's so easy to freeze and have on hand for company.  Hosanna also took her drivers permit test yesterday and got a perfect score! 

We made a couple kinds of soups including corn chowder and my sister-in-law, Linda's, cheeseburger soup.  It's similar to a corn chowder but it has lots of cheese in it and you serve it with cut up pickles and mustard and ketchup in it if you want.  Priscilla also made some loaves of french bread to go with the lasagne.  Thank you everyone for your suggestions!  I want to try the Thai chicken sometime, and yes, we agreed with Krystal that the best frozen food is ice cream! 

Now we need to get busy on the Homeschool Tournament next Friday.  Anyone within driving distance is welcome to come!  Have a great day in the Lord!