It's 11:11...

...and all is well!

 

The house is clean; the food prepared; and the people ready for a day of rest and visiting! 

Little-girl-sittin'...

I spent pretty much the whole day with the girls as their daddy went to a farm show and their mommy is working an overnight shift.  Johanna is at the age where she asks questions almost every minute of every hour (that she's awake) of every day!  Tracy Jo is not far behind her.  :) 

 

This evening, Lauretta stopped in over there after her work so we could visit for a while.  It was so cute to hear how the girls said her name!

 

Meanwhile, down on the farm, my family loaded 2 cull cows on the trailer and somebody hauled them to Linton to the butcher shop.  I'm not even sure what else all went on?

 

Tomorrow will be a busy day as the house is a bit of a mess and we'll be getting company from the Williston area on Sabbath, perhaps as soon as tomorrow night even, depending on the road conditions...

 

I pray that God grants you all a good Friday and that you will seek to see His blessings in all of the "usual" parts of life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another car project...

Today Andrew went to Bismarck with my mom as he bought another car to be fixed and resold. 

 

My dad went to Napoleon to put money in the bank; pay some bills; and to buy a huge pin for the loader on the tractor, as the old one broke and did some damage, so Dad was working on that the rest of the afternoon.

 

Jacob has been studying World War 2 in school and received new books in the mail today, so was reading those...

 

I did some mending, cooking, writing, laundering, piano practice (aka: playing)...

 

'twas a good day.   God be praised!

Life...

My dad went to Britton, SD today (about a 3 hour drive one way) to look at a no-till drill.  He took pictures and showed them to us all when he got home.  He did have a little trouble on his trip...  After putting gas in Andrew's little car that he was borrowing, he pulled ahead a bit and turned it off while he went inside to pay his bill.  When he got back in and turned the key, the car did not start.  He tried again---nothing.  He checked some mechanical things and said it was several minutes before the car finally (thankfully!) started! 

 

My mom wasn't feeling the best (please pray for her again) and spent a good part of the day just resting.  She was doing better this evening and even milked Sally for Andrew so he'd get a break.

 

I worked in the kitchen a while, then worked on reading through my blog and jotting down notes to refresh our memories of what all happened this year so my mom can write the newsletter.  Later, I dug out my paperwork for taxes and worked on that.  Ugggg!   After supper, I listened to a few messages by Mr. Voddie Baucham while working again on slip-stitching the binding on my quilt (I've done about 7' total so far---it takes a while).

 

Andrew took the generator off of his grain-cleaner today and hauled it up to the shop.  He said it needs some major work before the cleaning season starts up again.  He'll use the shop-lift to get the generator up where it's easier to work on.  Later, he fired up his snowmobile and drove it up the road to check on the hunter's house (they pay him to do that all winter long, just to make sure the furnace is still running). 

 

Jacob worked on schoolwork.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned before that it is his Senior year!  Where has the time gone???

 

 

^"...teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."  ~ Psalm 90:12

 

 

Miss Broccoli and I...

Paula snapped this picture of Tracy Jo and I last night when she got home from work... 

It's a little hard to see in this picture, but that broccoli is very

 much nibbled on by a certain little munchkin that I love.  ;)

I spy with my little eye...

Two cutie pies, ready for a nap! (Actually, they don't sleep together, as they keep each other awake, but were playing together when I got this picture right before naptime.)

 

Yes, I was babysitting today.  We baked cookies; played that we were camping under a blanket-tent; told stories; solved arguments; made about all the animal sounds we could think of and worked on ABCs and counting and singing....oh yes, and playing cowgirl. 

It was a busy afternoon!

 

Here at home, my dad's been working on paperwork for taxes.  My mom's working on our annual newsletter (very much belated, but better late than never, as they say).  My brothers, well, I'm not sure what they worked on actually?  Jacob probably had the usual schoolwork and Andrew probably did some figuring for the future.

 

I like the quote on my flip-calendar today, so thought I'd share it with you all in closing:

 

"Be on the lookout for mercies.  The more we look for them, the more of them we will see.  Blessings brighten when we count them." 

~Maltbie D. Babcock

 



BLIZZARD!

 

The wind blows, the snow flies.

The cold brings teardrops to your eyes.

 

Makes cows cough, makes them sneeze.

Makes them huddle behind the trees.

 

It's blinding, it's so bright.

The world's all a swirling white.

 

It's a BLIZZARD!

Happiness is...

My family and I enjoyed a peaceful day at home.  We listened to one of several of Mr. Israel Wayne's messages that we purchased while at camp...

 

It is VERY windy outside right now!  I just got in from rolling up the cattle's water-hose and had to battle to walk in a straight line.  There's talk of a huge blizzard tomorrow.

 

Andrew and I were humming "Happiness is The Lord" (a song from our "Youth" ;)  ) while getting ready for chores tonight and were trying to remember all of the words, so I was glad to find this song on YouTube.  Enjoy~

 

 

Hmmmm....

It felt and looked minutely like spring this afternoon (in-between the rain and snow showers) and now it's back to snowing heavily, so I'm thinking we're still in winter? 

 

It was a busy Friday, as usual.  The house is tidy and clean again.  My dad went to Napoleon and bought mineral lick-tubs for the cows again.  Dad and Jacob also went over to get the 4890 home from a field up north, where they'd used it to pull a truck out of the field last fall and never had brought it home. Andrew fixed things around the house and studied some US Constitution material, and took care of business in general.   I spent a good portion of the day in the kitchen (my mom did too) with the result being: a huge meatloaf, baked potatoes, squash-onion dish, sweet potato casserole, I mixed up 2 kinds of salad dressings and a barbecue sauce, a dessert my mom and I can have on the THM plan, and chocolate ICE CREAM.  :)

 

This evening, we finished watching the 2nd half of "Sergeant York"----again (meaning it wasn't the first time that we've seen it).

 

Now we're ready for a day of rest!!!  May God be praised.  

 

~ Have a great weekend everybody!

 

 

Too cold!

It must have been very cold last night, as when my dad went to start my car for me this morning so it would warm up a little before I left for babysitting, my car would barely even try to start!  He then attempted to start the Pacifica, and that would not go either.  Andrew's little car started, but he needed that for going to Bismarck.  My dad put the charger on my car for several minutes and then it did finally reluctantly start. 

 

Later, my dad told us that the farmer's (the one he's hauling for) tractor would not start either.  I guess it was REALLY cold last night!  It's not too pleasant outside right now either, come to think of it, so I'm grateful once again for a warm home.  We really are so blessed!!!!!!! 

 

I did eventually make it over to the Mochs' and the girls and I had a pleasant day together. 

 

My dad hauled the last load of grain for that farmer over to Cleveland.  My mom and Andrew went to Bismarck for farm and kitchen supplies this afternoon.  Jacob stayed home and worked on his schoolwork/reading.  I got home just in time to make supper and my dad, mom and Andrew all arrived just in time to eat it.  :)

 

 We're still hoping to work some cattle tomorrow, but the talk is that there will be rain and snow, so I'm not sure what will happen?  Prayers for safety would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Have a good Friday everyone and stay warm if you live where it's COLD!

 

 

 

 

 

 

God Knew Your Name~

A friend shared this today and I thought the song was so precious!

 

It was a busy day in the kitchen (bread baking, cheese making, pizza preparing, skinny chocolate mixing, and figuring out how to cook and eat artichokes)!  Besides that was the trucking, schooling, fixing, teaching, learning, sessioning, writing, dish-washing, laundering, choring....  While outside, we tried not to do any freezing!  ;)

Gettin' Smart?

Today I babysat my little munchkins...  I can't count how many times we moved all of Johanna's stuffed animals off of her bed and then back on while playing "Teacher".  Tracy Jo is getting much better in the potty-training department, so that's exciting, in a way.  It also means she's growing up far too quickly, and that's sad in a way too!  I got to see and visit with Paula for a while, so that was a special treat.

 

When my dad's old faithful phone recently completely died, my family and I decided to switch our cell-phone service (thanks to Andrew for his help with all of this!!!---he's had a Smartphone for a while and really likes it), so we now have texting capabilities and are having fun trying to figure out how to operate our phones...  :)  I still don't plan to spend a lot of time texting and the like on my phone, but see where it can be helpful to have another option at times. 

 

My dad hauled grain today, two loads I believe.  My mom did sessions for clients.  Andrew worked on computer projects.  Jacob worked on schoolwork.  The cows worked on staying warm in the blizzardy weather...  Please join us in praying for beautiful weather on Friday, as we hope to do some work with the cattle that day.  Thank you!!

 

 

 

 

It's cold outside!

Today was a relaxed day, spent on unpacking; doing odds and ends and the usuals; plus just napping too to try to get "Caught up" on missed sleep during camp.  

 

There was a blizzard going on outside when I woke up, but thankfully it died down over the afternoon.  It is now -12 degrees on the other side of the wall...  I'm sure grateful to God for a warm house on a night like this! 

 

 

Home again, home again!

We are mostly all back (Andrew's not home yet) from a very encouraging, enjoyable, thought-provoking time at the Cabin Fever Family Camp (held at the Crystal Springs Bible Camp---about 45 miles away from our farm).   It was SOOOOOO wonderful to visit with so many dear friends and to meet a few new ones as well from as far away as Nebraska.   Mr. Israel Wayne (http://israelwayne.com/) was the speaker this time and we appreciated his messages so very much and also the little bit of time we had over one of the meals to visit in person!  To see the sincere love in his heart for God and his humility in teaching, well, it was just great!  We got to meet his sister, Sony too and enjoyed talking with her for a while. 

 

It was all so wonderful and I feel very tired (from late game-nights) and refreshed, all at the same time!  Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share with you in a few days. 

 

For now, I need some sleep.  :)

 

Good night! 

 

 

White-out!

When I finally had the courage to crawl out of my nice warm bed this morning, the sight outside my windows was very white.  In fact, I couldn't see out of my windows, as there was so much snow blown onto them.  When I got to the kitchen, I could barely see the swingset across the driveway.   Just as I was getting ready to bundle up and head out to find and feed the animals, Paula called to let me know I didn't need to head over until around noon, as she was going in to work later due to the blizzard.  Thankfully, the wind went down some by the time I left the farm to go babysitting and I could actually see the road.  PTL!  That's always helpful.  :)

 

The girls and I had a fun afternoon (after they woke from their naps), as we played space-ship; read books; and after supper, we went down in the basement and played hide-and-seek with flashlights until their daddy came in...

 

I'm not sure what all my family did while I was gone.  When I got home, they were all out at chores---my mom and Jacob taking care of the milking and small animals and my dad and Andrew were feeding hay and a bit of ground feed with the feed-truck. 

 

I spent a couple of hours this evening working on my quilt and blind-hem stitched about 2' worth of the binding on.  Maybe I'll be finished by spring?  :)

Another meeting...

Today was spent in various ways for my family.

 

My dad hauled grain again for a farmer and got home in time to feed the cows their supper.

 

My mom and Jacob did schoolwork and did the evening barn chores together.

 

Andrew ground more feed and filled the small hopper by the barn so we have feed readily available for our small pens of animals.

 

I made more yogurt; did some other cooking; and sewed the one side of the binding on my quilt, after figuring out from a You-tube video how to make "Mitered" corners.  Now for blind-hem stitching around the entire quilt to secure the binding...   That will take some time!

 

This evening, my dad, Andrew and I went to our District's Republican Executive Meeting in Wishek.   It was great to see several friends there.  We just got home a little while ago.

 

It is VERY windy outside tonight!!!   The house was pretty cold when we arrived home, so my dad checked on the propane tanks and, yes, he had to open the valve on the small tank as the large one was empty.  He and Andrew got the furnace going again, so we should be warm tonight.  :)  God bless the handy-men of the world!

I sliiiiipppped into----

----the ditch. 

Yep, I did. 

Thankfully, I was very close to Zach and Paula's house and was able to walk to the house, and Zach was such a dear and went and pulled my car out for me and drove it up the driveway.  He's going to get tired of pulling people out of the snow here pretty soon though, I think, if my mom and I keep getting stuck!  This was the first time I've ever been in the ditch due to ice/snow, so hopefully it won't happen again for another 26 years or so.  :) 

The rest of the day went well, except that Johanna never did fall asleep and Tracy Jo just took a little cat-nap, so they were getting tired already at 7:00pm when I left.  We played downstairs a lot and made paper airplanes to fly out of our "plane-hanger" (the puppet stage that Paula made a couple weeks back). 

My dad hauled 2 loads of grain today and the others, well, I'm not sure what they kept busy with.  There is a fresh zucchini chocolate-chip cake on the stove, so my mom was baking obviously...

I heard through the grape-vine today that my second-cousin Hristiyan thinks I should be more consistent with my posting here, so I shall try to do better.  ;) 

May God bless and guide you all as you serve Him.

Good night~

PS.  Here's a thought for today that a friend recently shared:

Lovely----like spring~

The sunshine the past few days has been truly wonderful! 

 

Yesterday, we were all busy working around the farm, then playing ping-pong in the shop for an hour or so.  We finished the day with a lengthy meeting in Strasburg (Jacob stayed home to take care of the animals). 

 

Today, my dad hauled grain to Cleveland for a neighbor.  Andrew went to Bismarck for some vehicle title paperwork and to get some needed tax forms.   My mom and Jacob worked on schoolwork.  I kept busy with cooking, laundry, ironing, letter-writing, and cutting out the binding for my quilt (and sewing it together so it's one very long piece) and pressing it to make it easier to sew when I do have time to sew it on. 

 

May you all rest in peace tonight!

 

"In my life, Lord, be glorified."

My prayer tonight...

Johanna's grocery store...

I babysat again all day today.   The girls and I set up a little grocery store and I bought countless items from Johanna.  She filled up her little shopping cart with everything in the store most every time.  :)  Please pray for their whole family, and my family, and so many others who are sick now with colds, the flu, and both....  Thank you!!! 

 

When I got home this evening, I learned that our guys were feeling a little better and worked out in the shop all afternoon.  Yay!

Feeling stronger...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Everyone is feeling at least slightly better tonight.  :) 

 

 

Cookin' in the kitchen with Paula...

I babysat my little cutie pies today.  Their mama, Paula came home from shopping and she and I (and Johanna) spent some time cooking in the kitchen together while visiting.  :)  Special times!!  I'm so blessed to be working for that family!

 

 

A few more pictures...

My dad found my camera, so I have a few more pictures to share...

 

Our little apple-eaters!

 

 No wonder they like coming to my house.  ;)

 The kitchen crew...

 Foosball fun!

Picture post!!

Well, a great week of fellowship and fun has come and gone... 

This morning, our friends headed back to their homes in the south.  We're praying for safety as they drive all day and well into the night. 

 

I asked if our new friends, Melva and her son, Dustin minded if I posted some of the pictures we took during the week, and they said it was fine with them, so here they are:

 

Our friends arrived Friday evening.  We took them over to Zach & Paula's where they slept (in the bed-and-breakfast basement) for most of the time that they were here.  (Thank you again SO much for opening up your home to them, Zach & Paula!!!!!!)

 

   Sabbath, we all went over to the Alfred church as Dustin was the guest preacher there that week.  We spent most of the day there, sharing in the potluck meal and the afternoon music service.

 

On Sunday, some of us went to Bismarck and did some shopping (after Mom got the vehicle stuck in the snowbank and Zach had to come pull us out!). 

 

Monday, we were busy preparing for the new years eve party.

 

Melva and my mom...  They were constantly finding things that they had in common in their lives, even down to what they studied in college. 

 

 Dustin and his backpacker guitar...

 Getting to know each other better....

 Melva helped with a lot of the dishes and cooking while they were here...

 Playing mind-bender games...

My family hosted a new years eve get-together on Tuesday.  Lauretta, Josephine, and Thaddaeus were the first to arrive.

 Josephine...

 We spent most of the time in the shop, as it would have been crowded for everyone to be in the house...

 Potluck time!

After eating and visiting, we spent the rest of the hours playing games until midnight... 

 We played, "Funglish", "Taboo", "Pictography" and "Never have I ever"...

 It was very nice to have the C. family here, as only a couple of us had met them before, although it felt like we knew them through blogging...

 Around 8:00pm, Miranda arrived---yay!  :)

 Just at midnight, Andrew and Dustin set off the huge fireworks that Dustin had brought for the party.  :)  (I don't have a picture of them though.)

 Miranda, Lauretta, Josephine and Thaddaeus spent the night and we had a great time with them all the next day, playing games, eating, visiting, and watching a long movie!

 We ladies had a slumber party in the living room and didn't get many hours of sleep, but had a great time visiting/laughing!!

 Andrew took some pictures of/for we ladies...

 Lauretta...

 Me...

 Me and my dear, dear sisters in the Lord!

 Our photographer...

 The young guys, playing games before the noon meal on Wednesday...

 SMILE~

 Food's ready...

 Thursday, I babysat Johanna and Tracy Jo for part of the day and brought them over to our house for the morning, which they enjoyed a lot.  They've been asking to go to "Your house" for quite a while already. 

Friday, we did our usual cleaning and cooking. 

Sabbath, we had home-fellowship (singing and Bible time) and played some games in the afternoon.

 My brothers and I taught Dustin how to play "Settlers of Catan"...

 And we played Dutch Blitz, and President...

 Melva...

Dustin taught us how to play a new (to us) game called "Bible hats".  It was pretty hilarious! 

 Jacob...

 My dad...

 This was taken early this morning...  If we look tired, it's probably because we were.  :)  We spent a lot of evenings visiting late and then getting up to do the regular chores. 
 It's always a blessing to meet new friends!

 

 

 

"May the Lord bless you indeed, Melva and Dustin!"

Blizzard?

It is snowing and blowing strongly tonight!  I think it may qualify as a blizzard even...

  Our friends are spending the night here tonight, just in case they wouldn't be able to get out tomorrow and come here, as we'll be spending our last day together tomorrow.  :(    It's been great having them here!!!  The time has just flown by though.

May God bless this weekend.~

2014!

I pray that you all will have a truly wonderful new year, filled with God's blessings and the vision to see what those blessings really are! 

It is my "Blogiversary".  :) 

The past 2 days have been full of great fellowship and fun with some fantastic friends!!!  I will have pictures to share, by and by....