Speaking of Snowmobiles...

We made this snowmobile sculpture on the first Christmas that Rob came to visit me.  We had the real one sitting nearby.  I can't find a picture of it right now.  What fun!!!

Winter's Drama

We have a vintage snowmobile.  This fall Rob decided he was going to get it running again and sell it.  Lately, we had a change of heart and decided to get it running and keep it instead.

One evening last week, Rob was slaving away on wiring up the new laundry room.  At about 9:30, he said he was "going out to do a few things..."  As I was just crawling into bed, my ears perked up.  What WAS that sound?  A trip to the window revealed what I suspicioned....  that old sled was running again!  I wasn't exactly rejoicing at the moment, because I kept seeing him squirt some kind of fluid in there, and every now and then the thing would backfire horribly.  Smoke or exhaust, whatever it was was rising like Old Faithful.  I was just a little nervous, because when he originally decided to see if it would run this fall, it started on fire!!!!  (We now have fire extinguishers EVERYWHERE!!!)  So, I was really afraid something was going to blow!  I took a few pictures anyway, just to mark the moment.  Hope he doesn't mind me posting this picture.  By the way, today it ran MUCH cleaner!  Fun to see Rob and Evan go scooting off across the field....  I'll keep you posted.

Rainbow Jello

My Aunt Susie introduced our family to this yummy/beautiful Rainbow Jello when I was a kid.  I used to make it sometimes at home, and then again after I got married.  But, since I've become a mother, I guess I haven't made it!  It does take time and patience....  both of which my little girl seems to have lots of!  So, Lana made Rainbow Jello yesterday.  We enjoyed it with our company for dinner today.  Thanks, Lana! 

Cozy

Winter is truly upon us.  What better way to embrace it than with a warm and cozy knitting project?  I am attempting to make a beret for myself.  Possibly it could be big and floppy enough not to mess up my hair when I have to go out for recess duty??  And still look cute?????  Well, we'll see.  But, the fun is in the making of it....  Is anyone else doing any knitting this winter?  Crocheting?  Sewing?  I'd love to hear about your latest project.  "They" say that this kind of project is good for our psyche... It appeals to the woman in us who is responsible to keep our loved ones clothed and cared for.  I like this thought!

Still Thankful

Disappointments come...

We tried to make it to my Dad's for Thanksgiving, and it seemed like the roads and weather and weather reports were stacked against us.  So, we ended up coming home without getting there.  This was hard for me.  Really hard.  Life does hold disappointments sometimes. 

Yet, I'm still thankful.

I'm thankful for Rob and my kids who have been beside me this whole time and still love me.
I'm thankful for safety.
I'm thankful for my "other" parents who took us in with no hesitation and shared their Thanksgiving Day with us, complete with wonderful food, made impromptu!
I'm thankful for a warm, comfortable home.
I'm thankful for my dad and each of my siblings and their families (whom I miss dearly), who is living a life faithful to God. 
I'm thankful that if we all keep faithful in this life, our time together in eternity will be endless!
I'm thankful for our abundance of food and how easy it is to get it.
I'm thankful for a cheerful dog who lifts my spirits with her tirelessly wagging tail!
I'm thankful for my little girl who came and shyly handed me a coupon for a 15 minute massage tonight, and then so generously set a timer for 20 minutes and sweetly gave me a neck rub for 20 minutes!!!  Amazing!
I'm thankful we can look forward to time of fellowship tomorrow.
There are so many things to be thankful for.  So many blessings in this life.  May we all take time to keep counting our blessings!

Thank you for your comments on my last post, Alison and Jeannie.  Sure miss you!  Thanksgiving time certainly has its place in our memories of our young years together as couples, doesn't it?!

Evan and Grandpa David playing Chess.  I believe Grandpa made this Chess board in Shop class.

Lana, catching some sleep along the way...

That First Visit

Rob and I met in October 1992, and then saw each other again for the first time at Thanksgiving.  

It looks like I liked him, doesn't it....?

And I guess he liked me, because he has proven it for the last 18 years!

Special time singing hymns at Grandma's one evening.

Happy Memory Lane Monday, everyone, and may we all give thanks for our many wonderful blessings. 

p.s.  Thanks for having the courage to drive 450 miles to visit me that first time.  I love you, rjk!

Our Coffee Shop

Rob set up a coffee shop in our garage this weekend!  It seems a highly unlikely business venture for us since neither of us is truly a coffee lover.  But, we are going to give it a try!  Hopefully it will be efficient in "serving up" some great organization! 

Okay, so here are the REAL pictures!

Nice!  Don't you think?   By the way...   We did NOT drink all this coffee!  It is compliments of several sources.  I use coffee grounds in my compost, so we get lots of these containers!

Life

An Homey Aroma

Seriously... fresh homemade bread is one of the reasons I don't work full time! 

When I was a child, our company often complimented my mom on her delicious homemade bread.  She accepted the comments simply and graciously, but I love to remember my dad's response:  "Homemade bread was in our marriage contract..."   As a child, I didn't really understand that, and didn't know if Dad was really serious, or joking!  And, get this!  I even thought it was a treat to have store-bought bread!  Now I understand the value of homemade bread.  Even though I often take the "easy way out" and make it in my breadmaker (unlike Mom who made 6 loaves at a time with her Bosch mixer) I still think homemade bread is worth staying home for!  And the aroma in my house cheers me, makes me feel "at home," and greets my children as they arrive home from school.  YUM! 

Halloween at Home

 The kids celebrated Halloween at school on Friday.  I was asked to sub for 2nd grade that day...  How many opportunities will I have to sub for Halloween???  So, I borrowed a costume and got in on the festivities....

Sunday night after meeting, we came home and carved pumpkins, gorged ourselves on a big assorted bag of candy (bought it "just in case we got any trick-or-treaters!" - a favorite line I have borrowed from my dad :), and roasted the seeds.    Mmmm.... good fun and a quiet evening!

We took the pictures after the mess was all cleaned up!  Well, I guess I did take a few during the process.  Must not make everything appear TOO perfect!  For you young mothers, though... it DOES get easier (and considerably more boring!)  The kids actually did a lot of their own clean-up, and no one got sick from the smell or ate any raw pumpkin seeds or innerds!!!

October Memories: Fun Family Moments

I love these pictures I found when I went digging for a Memory Lane Monday post.  Carving pumpkins!!!  Check out that little boy with the big knife!  That's my brother, Ryan.  I loved searching this picture for little details.  Like the little pumpkin candle that we took out of storage every year at this time, the chairs, the soap,the plant, etc.... I'm just so impressed with my mom's smile too - you know that kitchen had to be a goopy mess! 

Okay, here are the four of us in costume.  If you look carefully, two are sitting on their knees.  That will help you figure out who is who!

Fall Family Pictures

Yesterday was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day!  We had fun with a few photos.  I wish I could capture and keep the beauty of this fall we've had....

Happy Birthday to my Brother!

This picture was taken of my brother Randy when he got these new wheels in 1989.  I'm thinking of him today on his birthday, and the pictures I found brought back so many memories of great times we had together.  Happy Birthday, Randy!

Pretty Kitty

Ritzie looks very relaxed and sleepy in this photo.  She does indeed have a knack for choosing peaceful and beautiful spots in my flowerbeds and making them her own.  I KNOW she enjoys the beauty of my flowers, because she often chooses a new place to go whenever something looks really nice.  I try to take this as a compliment, and I don't mind her presence, as she doesn't usually make a mess. 

This morning, however, life was a bit unusual for my pretty kitty.   She's been behind on getting her shots because I KNOW what it's like to take her to the vet....  But, finally this morning we did it.  She survived, and most amazingly, I SURVIVED!  She creates such a yowling ruckus in the car....  Once she gets out of her carrier, she is the most friendly, good-natured (well, we are talking CAT here!) cat for the vets.

Ritzie is a youthful 12 years old.  We got her and her sister as  kittens from Rob's folks right after we moved to This Dakota Garden.  The sister cat decided to leave us after Evan and Lana came along.  Ritzie has stayed faithfully with us and been our mighty mouser.  She even stuck with us when we got Mattie, and has since become "tolerant" of her canine companion.    

Hope

This Gerbera Daisy called my name so sweetly early this spring. I couldn't resist it's bright color in April. It has done so well this summer, that I am inclined to save it... I don't know how it will go, but we'll give it a try. That's why I called this post "Hope." We're supposed to freeze tonight, so I dug it and potted it up. I know it will be a big adjustment for it to learn to live indoors for the winter...

Hoping for the best!

Back home again...

I've been in the classroom the whole month of September (with the exception of time off for convention), so today was my first day home....

10 reasons I love to be at home during the day:

I can spend time reading my Bible whenever I want!
I can take time to exercise, breath deeply, and think.
I feel able to listen to my children when THEY come home from school.
I can bake yummy things like homemade bread and applesauce.
I can almost catch up on laundry!
I can go outside and putter in my yard.
I love the companionship of my sweet pets.
I can take time to call a friend and chat.
I can play the piano or my violin however I want. No one's listening!
I can have a good dinner ready for my DH and kids.

There are many more. Someday I will have to make a "10 reasons I love to teach" list too. Because I truly do. A balance of some of each is best for me.

Special Visitors

It was so special to have two of Mom's cousins, Donna and Marlene, come through and spend a night with us on their way east. SO special!!!

Baby Hummer

This photo is not cropped! I was within a foot or two of this young Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in my garden. He was not afraid of me at all, so I had a grand time shooting pictures of him at my leisure. Amazing!

Our Latest Project

I've had my heart set on a curved sidewalk to tie our new front door and our old back door together. My dear husband is again learning something new. I think it will look great!

Harvest Review

Time in the truck with Daddy I love this picture of Grandpa and Evan in the combine coming up a water-way west of the house

Evan and I went up the hill one evening to check out what is left of some old teepee rings. How fascinating to think of Native American families living up there years and years ago... children playing, women visiting and cooking over a fire, men hunting, etc. It was so quiet up there, it was fun to let my imagination run...

Grandpa out in the field-

I couldn't resist taking this picture, because, you see, I always wanted to be tall!

Off to School!

The kids just headed off to school on the bus. The backpacks were heavy and the footsteps were light! They were both ready to go. Mom? Well, I'll be okay....

Happy Birthday Kyla!

This picture was taken in May 2005 when Kyla came for a visit with her Mom, Grandma, brother and sister.

Kyla, we wish we could transport you over for another little visit! So glad you and Lana got to chat on the phone today. We all hope you have a very special birthday.

Love,
us4

Done for the Day

After an eventful day, all are safe and accounted for and shut down for the night. Most of the home place is cut....

John Deere Achilles Heel

After 10 minutes of cutting this morning, we had a breakdown. This tiny little part caused 300 miles of driving and 10 hours of down-time. Hope to be up and running again Saturday after an early morning run to the JD Dealership.

Home for the Harvest

• I appreciated Alison's harvest update last week, and maybe some of you are wondering how it's going...
• Gary finished cutting for Dad.
• Today was a good day for cutting, with only one small sprinkle this morning to shut them down for a few hours. They are still out "wrapping it up" this evening. Dad finished what was ready over North before we got here yesterday and has been working on the home place again.
• I thought it was fascinating to see a Porcupine waddle out from the field in front of the header while I was riding with Dad in the combine this evening! Lots of wildlife out there!
• Mattie thoroughly enjoyed her swim in the reservoir today.... We thoroughly enjoyed watching her.

Here are a few pictures....

Five and a half years ago

Our Li'l Aussie Niece

Isn't she SWEET?! Mikayla Jayde was born to Steve and Narelle in July. We're sure wishin' we could cuddle her!

Great American Camping Adventure!

Two weekends ago, we set off on a Friday morning to go look at a camper from Craig's list. We talked to the people who had the camper for sale at length, and decided to go have a look! It all sounded good....

After a sore disappointment THAT weekend, and a five hour trip home with no camper following us, we agreed to "forget the whole thing..."

So, on Thursday of last week, we started off AGAIN to look at another camper. (Guess we couldn't "forget the whole thing.") This time we had inside information on the condition of the rig, so we had hopes of better results. We packed for camping (with our tent!) and set off with a campsite reserved near where the camper was for sale for Thurs. and Friday. Camper or not, we were going to camp!

We liked the camper. We bought the camper, and we camped... IN the camper! The weekend was very special, and enjoyed by all. (Mattie included) Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures of the camper itself, but here are a few of our weekend.

Here are the kids in their bunk room!

Rob and Evan kayaking in the Lake

Still young enough to enjoy some good sand!We rented a pontoon on Saturday morning. The kids, Rob and Mattie enjoyed jumping off the swim deck in the front!