Memorial Day

Kyle and I joined some of the rest of the clan down on the farm for memorial day. We did lots of fun stuff - working in the garden, cooking out, eating, chatting, etc. but I actually thought to grab the camera for our country walk.

My new nephew, Troy, forging a trail.

The ladies: GJ, Sheila and Taylor. Taylor and I were having fun with hair that day! I love Heidi braids and wildflowers!

The creek that runs beside and behind Kyle's folk's house. It's been testing it's limits lately.

Best climbing tree in the yard!

Spring outting

With our technical difficulties at an end (at least for now) I can finally share some pictures with you all! We have quite a few that have been collecting on our camera. ;-) These are from a Sunday night bike ride at Walnut Point State Park.

Since the roads right around our house usually have huge semi trucks careening along at untold speeds, it's nice to have a quiet, scenic place to ride in, and Walnut Point is the perfect spot!

Who would think that a mere 8 minutes from our little-house-in-the-cornfields there sits a park full of trees, ravines and a beautiful lake? I've heard there are some good walking paths. I hope to try them out sometime when my legs aren't tired out from biking!

In the Meantime . . .

Yes, there has been a strange absence of posts lately. Due to technical difficulties, we are currently unable to transfer pictures from our camera, and our internet time is somewhat limited. However, here's a little of what's been up in the meantime.

• We got our new lawn mower, and the garden has been keeping us busy as well! We're eating lettuce and spinach, and the broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, beans and carrots are all in. Thanks, Kyle!



• We've had more house help, thanks to Caleb and Elizabeth T. My, is that guy fast with wires! Not only that, but our upper cabinets are back on the wall. I can't wait to fill all that extra space. ;-) Thanks you two!



• While the weather has been up and down lately, we've enjoyed the good bits. We got in a bike ride at Walnut Point and enjoyed the trees and wildflowers - the the more because most of them were purple!

I'll post more when we can!

To my Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all you blog reading moms! I hope you had a good day with family, as we did, and were encouraged in your profoundly important calling: the raising and shaping of the eternal beings entrusted to your care!

I've been thinking about my own Mom. It's hard to write any type of tribute to someone who has impacted you so profoundly - the topic requires a book to do it justice! But as was thinking about Mother's Day this past week, there was one characteristic that my Mom exemplifies that stood out in my mind: devotion.

Thank you, Mom, for choosing to make us your career and using your time, energy and skills in vocational motherhood! I don't know how you managed to raise, teach and train us with such devotion while still maintaining the vitality of your helpmate role (although I intend to learn how!). Thank you for choosing to learn the skills and character traits you whole need in your gargantuan task!

I think the word devotion also came to mind, because it implies giving yourself to something with your whole heart! Well, that's you. For as long as I can remember, you have thrown all your energy, creativity and zest into the roles God has given you. Our lives are the richer for it!

I'm so thankful to have gained another example of excellent Motherhood! Kyle's Mom is the dedicated mother of eight, and an excellent manager of her home, great help on the farm and a skilled cook and gardener! It's wonderful to be able to draw from her experience and practical knowledge in so many areas. What a treasure we have in those who have walked the road of life before us!

Thanks and love to my Moms, and happy Mother's Day week to the others!

Weekend Slaves: Okay, so, it wasn't all work!

Of course, you can't work all the time! Kyle and I had a great time with everyone. Here are a few highlights.


I guess there was a pretty intense wrestling match after I went to bed one night - arm wrestling, that is!


Looks like a close match!


The guys managed to hit the city-wide garage sale. Kyle found some good bargains!





And then, there was the music! Kyle pulled out his guitar, and Jason and Jacob both serenaded us. It sounded so wonderful, I picked it up and played around on it for a few minutes. It was too frustrating, I couldn't make it do what I wanted! I had to move on to another, more compliant instrument.


Sorry, I know it's fuzzy, but I couldn't resist posting this, 'cause my hubby is so cute!


Yes, we had FIRE! Nothing like a good burn pile to mess with, and our was pretty sizable when we started out.


Eventually we turned our chairs around to get in some stargazing. We must have seen five satellites in fifteen minutes!


Scum has been all the rage in card games. It's a little hard on a lazy afternoon, because you have to give up your chair every so often. Great fun though!


Somebody with cool sunglasses.


I meant him, not me!


I bet you thought you had made it through without food being mentioned. Well, do you see that bright green thing that my open hand is pointing to? It's a huge tupperware bowl filled with snack mix, heavy on the chocolate! Gotta keep your strength up!

Too fun, guys! Let us know when your in the neighborhood, maybe next time we won't work you so hard. ;-)

Weekend Slaves Part Three: THE OTHER STUFF

Well folks, I must admit that I put the most dramatic news first. The rest of the work the guys did, while EXTREMELY helpful, did not make for a sensational story!


Repairing our door, which now opens and closes without shaking the house.


Dry walling the living room - yea!


A touch of electrical work in the bathroom. Nothing too shocking, thankfully.


We can't have a work day post without the mention of food! That's a future pizza crust in my mixer. It really hit the spot after a long day! Thanks Nate for the menu suggestion.


A little more electrical.


Master Painter Nate finishes off the last bit of ceiling, to my great satisfaction!


Yea, our bathroom now has dry wall! Do you have any idea how long that would have taken, working at it alone during evenings?


We're really in great shape now, thanks to all those humdrum tasks being done. Great job guys!

Weekend Slaves Part Two: THE TOWER

Even if our second work day was trying at times, it got off to a great start! I must post my thanks to three wonderful cooks who sent down "provisions" for all those hungry guys. (Obviously these Moms already know the importance of food at times like this.) The sloppy joes, applesauce, cinnamon rolls, brownies and snacks were delicious, and disappeared very quickly!


No sooner was breakfast over, than I began to hear ominous talk of Nate and Jason taking down . . .

THE TOWER! Since Kyle and I don't watch TV, Nitchfield's TV antenna is a useless lightning attraction. So the guys decided to take it down for us. And yes, it really is as tall as it looks!

Not only is it tall, the wind was also particularly gusty that day, and the tower was visibly moving. Once again, my prayer life got a boost. I bet the guy's did too!

Sorry Nate, I didn't get any pictures of you up there. Some how the sight of you waving in the wind with a sawsall dangling from your belt on a rope was too scary for the camera!


I'm not quite sure how they did it (the details were too scary to be inquired into) but somehow they got it down without killing themselves. I did hear that at one point, it was so nerve racking that Nate started telling himself out loud as he was climbing all of the good points about the situations (Triangles are one of the most secure structures . . . let's see, what else?).


What a team!

It took them about all morning to get it down. That's okay, I was more than glad to have them take their time! This is what I saw out my kitchen window as I was fixing lunch.


Later, they worked on detaching it from the house and pulling out from the ground. You'll have to ask one of them how much concrete this thing turned out to be anchored in!


Ah, the joys of being back on solid ground!


Thanks guys for getting all that down. It's funny, but the sky looks so much bigger now!

Weekend Slaves Part One: THE TREE

What could be better for young, first-time home owners than to have four skilled and energetic young guys offer to come and slave for a weekend? Kyle and I were delighted to host Jacob B., Jason H., Tim J. and Nate for a four day work party. (Can you call it hosting when your guests are doing all the work?)

No matter what you're doing, one common denominator which must be present at a work party is FOOD. Some junk, some healthy, hopefully tasty, and lots of it!

After the necessary energy boost, the guys were ready to tackle . . .

THE TREE.

Fifty some feet of dead, just-waiting-to-fall-on-the-house wood. We have a few dead ones in the yard, but this one was the deadest (more than mostly dead) and the most dangerous in it's proximity to the house.

Kyle, Jason and Jacob study the their Opponent.

Nate climbs up to investigate. When they started talking about climbing with chainsaws, I decided it was time to go in and work on supper!


Rev up the saw, boys!



It wasn't the tree's limbs I was worried about!


Jason's got a strong truck, let's pull 'er down!


Trimmed and ready to go!


If only the rope had been as strong as the truck. It's hard to imagine something that big snapping, but it did. Think it'll hold this time?


The Giant has fallen! Everyone is still whole and healthy.


What a great crew! There wasn't a stick left in the yard by sundown.

"Serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Gal. 5:13-14

Thanks, guys, for living it out!


What factor did we say was important during work parties? That's right, time for some grub!



You'd never know it, but we're supposed to be making sad faces since our plates are empty. Oh well! Boy was it great to have Nate down!


The menfolk feast while overlooking the remains of their fallen foe. I was so relieved and grateful to have that tree down and no one hurt. (Whew!)

It's a good thing I didn't know what they were planning to tackle the next day . . .