Returning...

Where do I even start????  So much has happened since I last wrote! I have so much to tell. :)

But, it is late, and it isn't really the best time to start the tale of cattle selling and new house projects and other things, so this will have to wait a while longer.

My dad did finish seeding today, thankfully, and I ordered new chicks this morning to replace the batch the cat feasted on. Oh, and Andrew is leaving tomorrow to go to MN to help produce a short film, so he's going to have an exciting few days! 

Much more another day...

Flowers and dead chicks...

This evening, after I got done babysitting, my mom and I got the flower bed and pots ready to go and planted some lovely things in them. :) 

 Mom, enjoying the improved view...

 Lady seems to like it too?

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 This day did NOT start out very well....

 I went out to do my usual chicken chores and, when I lifted the pallet-lid to take care of the chicks, out hopped a CAT!  ALL of the chicks (about 50) in there were dead. I heard one cheeping outside of the tank and found it hiding, so took that one in the house, where it is currently residing. Apparently, the cat dug underneath the tank and went on a murdering spree. I was SO mad at that cat!!!

One of the best parts of the day was when I opened my mail tonight and found a check I wasn't expecting for an amount that will greatly help with purchasing new chicks to replace the ones that were lost.

 Praise be to God for how He works in wondrous ways.

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I had a request for more pictures of the new house... I took these last night.

They plan to come on Monday to begin the task of moving the house on the lot and putting it all together.

 The living room is currently cluttered with supplies for finishing up the house.

 The kitchen is spacious and full of cupboards! Mom is going to love it here. :)

I plan to live in/rent our old house for the time being, and Andrew might stay here too? Maybe.

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More good news:

Michael is coming sometime tomorrow!!! :)

It's here!

Piers!

I was gone babysitting, but my mom got a lot of pictures of the new-house project.  

Andrew, packing things down...

 The pier-guy, pretending to be a gopher?

 Thankfully, God kept the rain away and they were able to pour the cement today too...

Exciting times!

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Please join us in praying for my grandparents as they wait to see how Grandpa does and decide if he can go home from the care center or not. ALSO, please pray for Michael's grandma, Violet who took a sudden turn for the worse today and may not have much longer on this earth. 

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Yesterday was a lot of fun, spent with Lauretta and her mom, sisters, niece, future mother-in-law and future sister-in law....wedding gown shopping. I'm pretty sure Lauretta decided on which one she wants, although there were many pretty ones. After that was over, Josephine and I did some more shopping in Bismarck (plants mostly) and then I drove us to Laurettas' house, where some of us stayed up talking til late and I spent the night. This morning, I brought the flowers/plants home so they wouldn't suffocate in my car; did my chicken chores; then headed over to babysit. 

Andrew is almost done working on his big lawn mower. He took it for a test-drive tonight.  Jacob was working for farmer Dave all day.

Busy days!

Visiting Grandparents...

Yesterday was a mostly peaceful day, except for when my mom started going in to shock (and we're not sure why?). She was the deepest red you can think of, and shaky. Yikes!

Thanks to those of you who were praying. 

This morning, I weeded in the greenhouse while it sprinkled outside. Shortly before noon, I hopped in the Pacifica with my parents, as they were going to Mandan to visit Grandpa (and Grandma) at the care center and I wanted to see them too.  

 The goldfish and tiny waterfall outside of the care center.

 Grandpa still isn't feeling very well and doesn't have much of an appetite, but looked better than I expected. I'm glad he's where he can get help now, and that Grandma can take it a little easier with others to care for him.  They could both use prayers for being able to rest well at night... We visited a couple hours, then headed for the field to drop my dad off to seed sunflowers (and he got stuck on the first round---oops).

 It was time to get the chicks moved out of the house into a larger location (we've lost a few just due to them trampling each other).  My brothers turned this old stock tank into the chicks' new home. They put a pallet (complete with hinges) on top to keep the cats out and cut a hole for the heat-lamp, then we put the tank inside of the chicken barn. Hopefully they'll do well there and stay warm enough.

 The house seems so quiet tonight, and it smells good too, as my mom baked bread. :)

I'm really excited about tomorrow as I'll be going with Lauretta and the ladies in her family to go dress shopping for her!!! She has appointments at 3 different places, so hopefully she'll find the perfect gown. 

This is going to be so much fun!

Minnesota is beautiful!

Just look at it----trees and lakes and flowers...

 My mom and I arrived at the Dalquist farm in the early afternoon on Sunday. Michael took me exploring at his friend, Randy's place. This was the view from one of the hilltops:

 Little robins in the D's woodpile...

 Michael, his mom, Kathy, and my mom, Dawn, obviously discussing something of interest...

 On Monday, my mom and I went with Dale, Kathy and Michael to their Memorial Day family gathering. It was good to meet so many of Michael's uncles, aunts, cousins....and his grandparents (whose home we were at).

 Michael's brother, James as catcher...

 Michael at the bat...

Back at the farm:

Michael cell-grazes the dairy herd, so moves the electric fence every day so they can have fresh grass to munch on...

James and his fiancé, Jenny stopped in Monday evening on their way back to their homes and visited a while. James drove Michael & I up the river a ways so we could get in the canoe and go for a ride. (The Little Elk river runs right through their farm.) That was really fun! We stopped a couple times to get out and look at a field and to look for a goose nest that Michael had found earlier in the year.

That night, the 5 of us watched "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again" (Don Knotts and Tim Conway).....just because it's good to laugh. :) 

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AND THEN: I received a text message from Lauretta! 

 It was a picture of her hand with a RING ON IT, announcing her engagement to a young man named Lee.

I'm SOOOOO happy for them!!!

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The next morning, Michael & I went exploring in some woods that are several miles NE of their farm. We found several different kinds of wildflowers, ferns, mushrooms, ticks, heard a loon, and finally came to the hidden lake Michael knew was back there somewhere. We walked along the bank a ways, then decided to head back (and Michael kept us from getting lost, thankfully). 

On our way back to the farm, Michael drove through this lovely spot again. We went through here back in December when Andrew was along for ice fishing.

 It's even prettier now that it's so green.

When we got back, Kathy took my mom and I for a tour of Randall

(the small town that is right by the Dalquist's farm). 

She took us in the shoe shop first, as we'd heard a lot about that place from Michael.

Then we went in the quilt shop and looked around.

There were so many amazing things to see in  there!

We said our goodbyes at 4:00, as the Ds start chores at that time and we wanted to get home

 before dark. Here is one last picture----Sam in the grass.

As always, it was hard to leave,

but I'm glad that we have something that makes saying goodbye so unpleasant. :)

"Thank you, Lord!"

Home again, home again...

What a WONDERFUL time we had in Minnesota!!  I have much to share about, but that post will not be finished this night. 

I was babysitting most of the day. It was a very sunny, hot morning, so I set up the sprinkler and the girls had a LOT of fun running through it. Zach also filled their new swimming pool with air so the girls splashed in the pool for a long time too. It was a wet day.

 Meanwhile, Vonn just sat around, chewing on his stroller strap...

Sure do love "My" Littles!

My dad got back to seeding sunflowers (it had rained half an inch while Mom & I were away), although it was still muddy in places. 

Thank you to those of you who've been praying for my grandpa Earl. He's somewhat stronger today and ate better too. My dad ended up going to Mandan to help Grandma (and his brother, Ronald) with Grandpa for a couple days, as he was doing so poorly, yet the hospital sent him home. It was all that the 3 of them could do to get Grandpa where he needed to go (to his bed or out of it and to his dialysis....).