What we're up to...

It's a myth that with summer comes long, lazy afternoons and time spent reading a good novel. Our summer so far has been constant motion, either with farm projects that are waiting to be done, kids activities, the endless task of trying to grow food, or social obligations.  So many days I have thought "I should blog about this..." and I never stay awake long enough to make it happen! 

Food Supply: This summer will be the second year on this garden spot, so I am working extra-hard on keeping the weeding a priority this year.  Today we began enjoying strawberries that we have grown, and have been enjoying lettuce and radishes for weeks now. This week I made our first batch of rhubbarb blueberry jam.

 We planted 13 fruit trees and they are doing beautifully, and added to our raspberry, strawberry, and asparagus patches. My goal is to provide a majority of our fruit and vegetable supply for this year, and the best part is that it's all organic.  We also have our first batch of meatbirds ready to butcher, but every time we set a date to do it, it rains!  (And a wet chicken is just gross, so we keep postponing!)

Farms Projects- We continue to plug away at the to-do list for the farm.  Added a second stanchion for our newly freshened Jersey, Nipper; worked on fencing repairs, and cleaned up all the piles of junk laying around left over from the move (mostly branches and rocks), cleaning out buildings, and scraping up dirt from the cattle yards to put around the house to cover the clay and grow some grass. 

House Projects- Loren did a killer job on the mudroom, putting up cupboards and coat stalls to hold all the coats, chore clothes, boots, and a storage area for mittens and such.  LOVE IT!  I was so proud of him, because he's the first to admit that he's not the handiest guy on the block, but he did a great job on this project. (See the pull out baskets for the hats and mittens?  I guarantee you they will pay for themselves!)

I'm working on turning our old canning room into a room for Quinn and Godwin- it's painted and the border repaired and cleaned- now working on getting some of the water stains out of the wood flooring, then apply a coat of varnish and I can begin moving the kids in.

For Loren's birthday, Bri and I put together Loren's office and got him a new chair for his work area, framed and hung pictures of his family, and made it a nice little work haven for him.

Loren's office

Personal: Both Loren and I noticed that we were getting a little out of shape, so we've  incorporated a morning run into our daily schedules, along with some toning workouts.  I love the feeling after I've exercised, but fitting it into an already tight schedule can be a challenge.  But, we know we need it if we want to stay around for a long time and to be healthy while we are on this earth, so each morning we get up and do it.  You know, just like the commercial says :-)
Loren and I don't really have hobbies- our kids are our hobbies.  And with summer comes alot of activity with them- we've been doing Horse 4H practices, Boy Scouts, 2 Vacation Bible Schools, basketball camps, sleep overs, violin lessons, yadda yadda yadda...  It only gets worse as the summer progresses- coming up: swimming lessons, volleyball camp, County Fair, more 4H activities, mission trip for Bri, and I'm sure lots of trips to the pool.  I'm so blessed to be able to be home in the summer to supervise and chauffeur our kids to all of these events, and to be part of their lives in a way that I couldn't be if I was still working outside of the home.  (Notice I didn't say "if I was a working mom?"  Haha- we are ALL working moms!)

And with that note, I'm heading off to bed.  Gotta haul our 5 youngest to VBS tomorrow morning bright and early...after a good run, farm chores, packing a lunch, serving breakfast, and making sure all the kids are fully dressed with shoes as we run out the door.  Better not forget the swimsuits and towels- it's Water play day tomorrow.  :-)

Project Update

Spring continues to be elusive here in South Dakota.  Last week we had 3 no-school days while thousands of people were out of power due to an ice storm that hit that week. Roads were treacherous but our ever-faithful linemen were out keeping us all connected and warm by fixing downed lines.

It looks so serene, but there's solid ice under that snow.

Even though we can't get into the gardens yet, there are still plenty of projects that need to be done indoors.  In fact, our Honey-do project list never seems to get any shorter....hmm?
Not to worry- we can get some much-needed projects done inside where it's warm, while we wait for spring to show up.

Here is what we are working on...

• Finished reading the Bible, cover to cover. This was one of my New Years goals that I set and I'm so glad that I did it.  It took me 3 months and 2 weeks, but it was a good experience to do it all in one stretch, instead of piecing it together as I have done for years.
• Working on my next quilt- it's to be a pinwheel done with retro fabrics, that I have been collecting for years.  Can't wait to see how this looks on our bed! (I'm not very far yet)

• We're finishing the texturing and painting of our mudroom to make it ready for all the canning we plan on doing in there this summer.  Once the walls are done, we will begin work on the cubbies along the north wall to hold chore coats and overalls, boots, and gloves.  I am thrilled to have a place to store all of the grubby farm clothes and keep the mud and SMELL out in the mudroom far away from the kitchen.

Almost done texturing!!!  See my recycling bins in the lower left corner?  I'm so proud :-)

A work in progress~
 

• My last indoor project is the on-going Decluttering schedule that I'm following to reduce the stuff in our home.  I am currently doing the May calendar and hope to complete that within 2 weeks.  The 15-20 minutes per day assignments really make a difference and I'm all for reducing the clutter in our house. Here is the link if you want to declutter too~      http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/

I'd like to say that I'm using all of the "stuck inside" time productively, but I have to confess to recently watching the entire Harry Potter series on DVD, and I've kept up fairly well reading my favorite blogs.  A girl's gotta have some down time too, right?

 

So how are YOUR winter projects progressing?

Hands and Feet for Jan and Feb

Last year, I started a scrapbook called "Hands and Feet of Jesus".  I am using this to encourage my children (and myself!) to be mindful of making opportunities to help, donate, and do good whenever possible.  I began documenting these activities so that we can celebrate their efforts.  I told the kids that if we can scrapbook their extra curricular activities and sports awards, aren't our just as proud of our good works?

Truthfully, we've been alittle slow on the start since December, but hopefully we will find some substantial activities that we can work on as the year progresses.  Loren knows that I would love to include a Mission Trip some day, or work on a Habitat for Humanity house.  However, these days, with our busy kid-centered lives, it's hard to fit in those large time-committment projects.  Our projects were small these past two months, but we are hopeful that they were a blessing to someone.

January:

• Babysat 2 little boys for a single mom for 3 days when her sitter was sick, our treat :-) 
• Submitted food to our local Food Pantry through Camille's class project.
• Loren and I took our cattle trailer to Sioux Falls to pick up the new chairs for our church, unboxed and unloaded them, and set them up for our Annual Meeting.
• Donated a carfull of outgrown clothes to Goodwill.
• The kids collected all the pop tabs off of our pop cans collected to recycle, and are turning them in to Ronald McDonald House.

 

 

February:

Bri playing violin for the nursing home residents.

• Worked a shift at our local Food Pantry.
• Provided respite for a single foster mom for her two boys for 4 days so she could have a break.
• Donated all my extra kitchen items/pans to Goodwill.
• Bri played violin at our area Nursing Home for the residents.
• Luke, Loren and I worked shifts at last week's basketball tournament to raise money for our Little League baseball League and also for the High School basketball team.

Luke working the concession stand at the Luke Hansen Tournament

      

Matthew 5:16  "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

 

Projects

Because I sometimes feel that the redundancy of my job (mom, housekeeper, chauffeur) would lull me into a daily feeling of intense boredom, I am always making lists. (OMG, don't you just love LISTS?!)

My lists have to do with either goals or tasks that I need to complete to give me a sense of accomplishment for the day.  Because let's be honest, and Phyllis Diller said it best- "Cleaning house when you have kids is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing". 
The discouragement of seeing my work undone every day; clean dishes now dirty, picked up house now a mess, prepared food now eaten, clean kids now a mess...has a way of undermining the good feelings I get from being a stay at home mom.

So, I keep a running Project List so that I can at least have a few goals that are somewhat permanent and so that I can see some progress. The A type personality in me just needs this, know what I mean?

Here is my current Project List for the next 3 months:

Spiritual:  I am participating in the B90X challenge of reading the Bible in 90 days, and some days this schedule is kicking my butt!  However, it helps me to have a plan, otherwise I would linger somewhere in the Old Testament and never find my way out!

Domestic:
1.  I am following the Unclutter your House yearly schedule, because I seriously needed to gain control over my dominion again.  After moving the house and adding 3 kids to the mix, somewhere  along the way I lost control of my home and I need to get it back.  This website provides monthly schedules and weekly emails that give me assignments that take about 15-30 minutes a day.  They are making a huge difference in how organized my house is, and for that, I am grateful.

2.  We are working on converting our Canning room into a bedroom for Quinn, so that requires alot of handyman activities on the weekend to move shelving from the Canning room to the mud room, texturing walls, resanding wood floors, etc... The goal is to get Quinn into her own room and out of ours. (love ya sweetie, but it's time :-)

3.  Get the Mud room completed and plumbing done so that I can use it this spring for seedling plantings and canning later in the summer.  This includes texturing and painting the walls, installing the sink/counter/stove, and finding storage for all the canning supplies and jars. Gotta get ready for all that good garden produce that I'll be harvesting!

Creative:  My goal is to complete 2 quilts before summer- we'll see how THAT goes!  I have started a pinwheel quilt using retro fabrics that I am loving-  I will post pics of it as it progresses.  Then once I know the colors for Quinns room, I will begin a quilt for her big girl bed.  So far, I'm leaning towards yellows.

Personal:  I know from talking with friends that my family already eats healthier than most, but we are going to take it up a notch and introduce a new level of healthy eating for my family.  A more vegetarian diet, getting rid of some of the unhealthy snacking, and removing as many unhealthy chemicals and additives that I can.  My main concern lately is all the aspertame that I'm getting in my Diet Coke, so I have resolved to drastically cut down my DC intake. It may just be what I give up for Lent this year. Even considering a Juicer to get a better hit from all those vegys. 

So, that's what I'm working on these days.  What projects are YOU working on?

Soaring like an Eagle

I know...sappy title, right?! 

Well, I would be remiss if I didn't brag about my teenage son every now and then, especially when he has something this prestigious happen in his life. 

On Sunday, he followed his father's footsteps in becoming an Eagle Scout from Troop 61.
And his father couldn't be prouder!

Loren was in a group of 5 scouts that got their Eagle Scout from the same troop one year, had the gym full of people, and they were on the local news for that accomplishment.  Our celebration was a tad bit smaller, but no less important.  Those that were there were special to Luke and helped him somehow in achieving his scouting awards. 

Good friends, good food, and a reason to celebrate- we don't need any more than that!



Bob and Mike putting on the Eagle Scout scarf

Putting the Eagle Scout pin on

I'm impressed that it's tradition for the mother to pin her son.  I guess they realize how much time, effort, urging, money, driving to events, and just lighting a fire under our sons it takes to get them to this level of scouting!  And BTW, I didn't stick him with the pin :-)

Luke and Loren put Mike in for a Scout Master award

Mike also received an award for being an Outstanding Scoutmaster, and he is!  It takes so much personal time and committment to head any kind of kids group, whether it's coaching a ball team or heading a scout troop. I have so much gratitude to those who are willing to sacrifice some of their personal time to lead and guide our children!

 And I love the philosophy taught to our scouts on the importance of community service and involvement. Loren and I are always trying to encourage our kids to participate in any possible community service projects they can, and we try to lead by example by doing our own "community service".  We have taught Sunday School for over 20 years, coached Peewee baseball teams for all of our kids, Loren has been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader for several years, I've done Cub Scouts and 4H, and we dive in on any community projects that we can.  Hoping that we are teaching by example.

Troop 61 members that were at the ceremony

(When did Luke get so much taller than me?)

 

Food and Family

All in all, it was one of those days when you see past the teenager that is always either sleeping or sitting in front of the tv, and I can see the man that he is becoming.  And I am encouraged by moments of sweetness, maturity, and compassion for others.  We only get 18 years to form and mold our children into the adults we want them to be, and there are many days when I feel I'm running out of time!  But days like this give me hope that we have our kids on the right path and that all our efforts are not in vain.

Yes, I am Superman!

Family Pics

Friday night our older boys came home in response to their summons to gather for a family picture.  Our last such gathering happened over 6 years ago, so I thought it was a good idea to update the 11x13 hanging over the TV.

 Not only are our then-preschool daughters now pre-teens, but now we have a new member :-)

Before the "real" photographer showed up, I took a few pics just to check out the background I had selected.

 

 

 

I'm anxious to see how they turned out, and will post my favorites. I LOVE THESE FACES and can't wait to get them up on my wall!

  Thank you to my kids for their patience and willingness to do whatever our photographer asked them to do. It was cold and blustery that evening, so if we look chilled, it's because we were!

Back AGAIN.

Thanks to the Geek Squad at Best Buy, I am online again.  After a frustrating 6 weeks of having my computer sent to Dell to have the hard drive replaced (after 3 months of use), and even though I repeatedly told them the keyboard was also messed up, it came back with a new HD and a still-screwed up keyboard.  This time the keyboard was replaced, so we are back in business :-)

Today my Devotional book really made me laugh!  "Linger in My presence awhile.  Rein in your impulses to plunge into the day's activities.  Beginning your day alone with Me is essential preparation for success."

How appropriate!  Being the A-type personality and list maker that I am, I often fly through  my morning trying to get as much done as I can, and I forget to take the time to reflect and commune with God before the craziness that is sometimes my day begins. 

So today I took the time, and thought about all of the blessings in my life. 

It started with waking up next to the man that I love, then surrounded by 3 of my children getting ready for school and being able to love on them as they're going out the door, waking up  my little ones to have breakfast and hugging them as they toddle around.  Getting out our homeschool materials for the day.  Going outside to feed the horses and spend a few minutes leaning against their necks and  just breathing in that horsey smell.   I realized that the life that I have was all what I had prayed for years ago, with a few variations, of course :-)

So again I face my day with the realization that I have everything I need- love, family, plenty of food, a home that is big enough for us with room to spare, and God even provided me with horses that feed my soul and a big white dog that I get unconditional love from.  I know that I am so very blessed. 

So again, I ask myself how can I share my blessings with others?  Because you know, I take this scripture seriously.

  Jesus said, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

We've been given SO MUCH, and Loren and I know that we need to reach out to others and share the gifts given to us with others.  The question wracking my brain is "what next?"  What opportunity will present itself.  What task will God place before us?  If only God could email me the details, and I could be prepared, know what I mean??!! 

This year we have taken in 4 new children into our homes- 3 of them are still with us- one permanently  (Quinn-yah! ).  I believe that our next "assignment" will also have something to do with children, and there is this feeling of expectancy.  I'm wondering if it has something to do with our two foster children, who are 3 and 13 and have been with us since July, or if we will jump out of our comfort zone again and tackle another international adoption?  I guess we will need to be patient and see what's in store for our family next.

The waiting is hard, but it's also what makes life interesting :-)

Look who dug out Bri's old ballet gear..
 

Homeschooling with little ones

The little ones don't like to be left out when we are homeschooling, so I schedule about 45 min a day for "Preschool".  I figure that both our Littles could use help in catching up developmentally, and I can't let my "whole 2 years" of preschool teaching experience go to waste, so we're giving it a try.

We are incorporating lots of basics, like colors and shapes, and working on vocabulary, since Quinn is now trying out her new language with a little more confidence.  My favorite part is doing songs with actions, and both the kids have been quick to pick up on The Wheels of the Bus, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider as their favorites. 

Oh, and also the hand play "This is the church..."  That one cracks me up when Quinn is insisting that I say it along with her, as she is pointing her "steeple" at me. Then she does the "where are the people?" part, hiding her fingers.... could she get any cuter??

Today we threw in a little Sensory Art using one of my favorite mediums- Shaving Cream.

Whats not to like?  Easy clean up, doesn't stain their clothes, and the kids smell good when they are done- haha! 

Bri and I find that they are so much better about giving us our school time when we have given them some of their own, so for now, that's our strategy for getting it all done.  And hopefully, we are all learning something :-)

Playing Catch-up

Lots of catching up to do since my computer malfunctioning episode the beginning of August.  Since I'm not big on rehashing, I will make it short and sweet!  Here's a quick summaryof what we've been up to the past 5 weeks~

County Fair:
Because of our move to the new farm, we knew we wouldn't have alot of projects ready for the fair.  I mean, let's be truthful- we are just happy to get the basics of meals, laundry, chores, and schooling done most days.  We don't get too full of ourselves and think we can also get a Jersey heifer broke to lead, matching skirts sewn by the girls, and breathtaking photo collages- we just don't have it in us most days. 
 
This year our motto was : Keep it Simple.

We showed a few chickens...

Bri, Moyra,
Camille, and Lani

 

 

Showed a rabbit or two...

 



Bri received 2nd place in Rabbit Showmanship- tough competition too!

 

And had fun with all of our 4H friends...

The County Fair is usually the closest thing to a vacation that we get, so we splurge on eating Indian Tacos and sweet corn, get the fair bracelets and ride until we are dizzy, and put off housework for 4 glorious days!  It's the last big fling before school starts, and it's our official End of Summer event.

  And yes, we eat homemade pie at the 4H food stand too :-)

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The fair was followed by G's surgery for a hernia repair- not something that he was real keen on doing, but he was a brave little guy and was happy to now have a new belly button as a result!

Clifford made the whole experience so much better!

Just waking up from the anesthesia and a little scared.



MUCH happier now- I think the pain meds were finally kicking in :-)



His follow up went without a hitch, and he's now sporting a nice, new "innie" belly button! 

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 WHAT??!  SCHOOL ALREADY?!!

Luke, Quinn, Camille, J, and Bri

 

 

 

Here was our  "motley" crew on the  morning of the first day of school.  Can you tell which kids are happy to be going to school and which ones are NOT? (G slept in that morning, so he's not even in the picture.)

 

 

We are experimenting with sending Camille to public school this year-it was not an easy decision.  However, after alot of discussion of pros and cons, it came down to 2 main reasons for me wanting her to attend school. 

 

Number 1- I have given her 6 years of high maintenance attention, school and otherwise, and I really feel that Quinn now deserves time with me as well.  Quinn will need help with expressive language and I want to be starting her on preschool subjects to help her vocabulary improve.  The other kids sometimes 'gentley' remind me of how much time and attention Camille has demanded and needed the past 6 years, and how often they have had  to do without.  If I don't have Camille prepared for the social arena of public school by now, then I probably never will.

 

Number 2- Mama needs a break. (Did I say that out loud??)  Most nights, Camille and I were still sitting at the table at 5:30 still doing school, when I should've been preparing supper and seeing to the hundred other things that demand my attention.  Every book I've read on RAD warns parents NOT to teach their RAD child because it presents another opportunity to battle for control.  All I know is that it was very hard on our mother-daughter relationship, and for that reason, I am hopeful that this solution will benefit all of us. We are now 3 weeks into the school year, and I am already seeing a positive change in Camille.  It's amazing when the other 20 4th graders all get their worksheet done in 30 minutes that SHE can too!  Who woulda guessed?

 

 

So let the games begin!

 

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On the farm front, we had the inconvenience of having our yard dug up again to have all of the waterlines replaced-more fun than you can imagine.....really!

 We also sold 4 of our horses that were not exactly "fun" to ride, and used that money to purchase 3 really rideable horses.  What a difference! The girls are really enjoying all their horse time, and we have begun taking them to lessons twice a month at our local rodeo grounds.  They have about a 4 hour class, and they have already done so much better with these horses than they did with their old ones.

So now we have a house full of cowgirls, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Our plan is to get the girls so hooked into riding and loving their horses that they won't be interested in boys for YEARS!  That's the plan anyway :-)

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LIFELIGHT
We are so lucky here in South Dakota to have a Lifelight concert every Labor Day weekend.  3 days full of our favorite Christian singers and groups, and it's all FREE!  Can you imagine, thousands of Christians sitting around in our lawn chairs, kids playing frisbee, rocking out and worshipping together- it takes me to a whole 'nother level of Godliness and goodness and spirituality that brings tears to my eyes. 
The presenters are usually band members that share their Faith stories, and we leave feeling spiritually fed and inspired.  The music is INCREDIBLE and the groups are the ones we listen to on the radio, so we KNOW THE WORDS!

(Nothing worse than a Scandanavian with no pitch, singing songs that she doesn't know- at least I can rock the words if nothing else!)

This year we were lucky enough to hear Santus Real, and 10th Avenue North- 2 of my very favorite groups, so I was thrilled.  And their faith messages were almost better than their music! I gotta think that hearing testimonials like that will influence my kids for the better, and the benefits of the music is a no-brainer.  The coordinators of Lifelight are influencing so. many. people!  I hope their vision continues so that thousands each year can have access to such a wonderful ministry, whether they are expose to Christian music for the first time, or they are fans like my family. 

That is why we donate to it each year, so that this mission can continue.  I cannot say enough good things about it, so if you are ever able to attend a Lifelight concern, run, don't walk!!  You will thank me.

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Well, those are the highlights from the past 5 weeks.  Let's stay in touch :-)

Passages...

I know I'm terribly behind, considering all that has happened here the past few weeks. We have welcomed new family members, and we have had to say goodbye to some as well. 

We have gone from a family of 6 to one of 8.  I didn't think adding 2 kids to our household would take up so much of my time and energy, but I think it's because we have gone from a somewhat normal routine to "Slumber Party Chaos" and it's leaving me and my house looking a bit frazzled.

We are very happy to welcome GW and his sister, J, to our family, and they fit in with this group really well.  However, transitions are never flawless, and trying to learn family rules and routines is hard enough, but to move to another house, get used to new people, and also deal with the grief of having your family and home dissolved can't be anything less than heartbreaking.  So for now, we will do our best to make them feel welcome and loved, and worry about the mess and rule breaking later on.

Camille, J, GW, and Quinn
(and yes, that is my Diet Coke)

We had to say goodbye to my Dad this month- after 2 years of battling cancer, along with various other health issues, he is finally at peace.  He got his wish of not having to live in a nursing home, and only spent a few days in hospice at the end.  Stubborn man! 

His funeral was a lovely gathering of family and old friends, sharing stories and memories, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying.

 Best Friends from Anoka- the Westrums and Molendas

Rod Garrison telling golf stories

As usual- my attempts at a family photo never pan out- Tanner is missing!

Then as we were working through our feelings of loss over Grandpa Rod, we lost another special member of our family....Emma.

 

 

You were always a bundle of furry sweetness, and you loved Bri with all your heart.  We will miss your exuberance for life, your ability to do the splits on the kitchen floor, and your fun filled spirit.  You will always be in our hearts.

  

Hands and Feet of Jesus-June projects

Starting this past January, the kids and I started a little project we call Hands and Feet of Jesus.  I found that when we document and schedule our "good deeds", that we tend to do more of them! 

 BONUS!!

 Each month we're documenting the projects in the form of a scrapbook- maybe as a sort of validation?  Anyway, this is what we've been up to this past month.

Helped run VBS at Our Saviors Church- 5 days and an evening program.  (whew!)

Luke was in charge of Rec and I was in charge of Crafts.

The girls performed Danish Dancing for the residents at the Nursing Home.

Camille sang at the Nursing home.

Bri played her violin at the Nursing home also.

Volunteered at the VBS for Ethiopian, Burundi,and Rwandan children in Sioux Falls.

So glad that we were able to participate in so many incredible projects for the month of June because July looks to be super busy with kids activities and gardening deadlines.

I am also so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a SAHM and volunteer to help out with so many rewarding projects.

What do YOU do to make a difference?

"Bring me the sacrifice of your time; a most precious commodity." 

Jesus Calling- 365 Day Devotional