A blizzard!

Snow + wind = blizzard!

We've been praying for the people who are out on the roads today... We've heard there were quite a few accidents East of us a ways and rescue teams were planning to use snowmobiles to get out to the people in need. I'm hoping to be able to find someone in town to work for me tomorrow, as I do not like to travel when the roads are less than desirable for driving on. Plus, I do not wish to work on the Sabbath (which begins at sunset), but I was scheduled to, as it is my holiday to work. If I must work, I've decided to send the proceeds I get to our favorite mission, Gospel for Asia....

But on to the good news! Mom and I made progress on our letter once again today. I'm working on adding pictures now and am nearly done with June. :)

Dad and I also finished putting together the 1,000 piece puzzle that Grandma gave to Mom for her birthday. It was a very challenging one as there were many, MANY different shades of green in the lovely park....

The boys and I separated milk/cream again today, so ice cream making is on the list for tomorrow. Then this evening, we watched a movie we brought home from the library called "Silas Marner". We had listened to the story on cassette tape a couple years ago and it was neat to see the movie stick pretty close to the book.

Well, I'm getting chilly standing here by my computer, so I think I'll turn it off for the night and find some extra warm blankets to huddle under 'til morning.

Sweet dreams~

Progress was made...

...on our annual letter today. Maybe we'll get it out by the new year?

I thought penguins liked water???

Stink, stank, stunk!

We all went to Bismarck today and, on the way home, a skunk was killed by means of our van's tires. Phew!!!

Mother had sessions to do in her office most of the day, so the rest of us spent time picking out a dishwasher (Mom's birthday present from Dad); buying an iron (ours broke recently); spending time at the library; getting parts at NAPA; and then visiting and doing a puzzle with our Bornemann grandparents in Mandan. At 6:00, when Mom was done in her office, Dad and Grandma went and picked her up (while Grandpa, my brothers and I played Yahtzee) and then we all shared a delicious supper that Grandma had prepared: roast, carrots, potatoes, buns and butter, orange jello salad, black olives, and many treats for dessert! We visited later than we thought we would and didn't get home until 9:30. Poor Sally and goats..... We rarely see our grandparents though, so it was worth the late night choring.

I get to be home all day tomorrow as well, so maybe we can get some work done on our annual-family-update-letter?!?!? It's going to be hard picking pictures this year, as we took thousands! Want to come and help decide? :)

...And I quote Jacob:

"Cora stayed in town last night, as it was REALLY windy, and there were quite a few big snow drifts in our driveway, so when she was pulling in, she got it stuck on one. So the guys went to the vans rescue after chores, and it is fine now."

Yep. That's what happened!

One of the cooks at the nursing home (who's a friend and neighbor) called me at the n. h. after she got home around 8:00 last night, saying that the roads were horrible and she really advised me to stay in town for the night. Also, to further confirm my decision, the night nurse checked on-line and found that HWY 34 was "Closed" going West, so I called home and told my family I wouldn't be coming. I spent the night in the empty (except for a bed, alarm clock, chair and TV) assisted-living apartment that's used for that purpose, but didn't sleep very well, so I woke up early and went back over to the nursing home. (The two buildings are attached.) One of the morning CNAs had just come over from Hazelton and said that the roads were good, so I could head home if I wished. I did wish. I got home just in time to say good morning to Andrew and go out to chores with him.

That was after I got the van stuck though! The guys dug me out and I baked them some pies as a thank you! :) Then, several hours later, I headed back into town to work again. This time, I made it back home, but am pretty tired now from not sleeping well last night. So, well, you know what I'm going to say I'm sure....

~Good night~
PS. Check out my mom's BLOG for a detailed description of her birthday, complete with pictures.

Mother's birthday...

...was special! And, I'll let her tell you about it as she has time. :)

Once again, "Happy birthday Mom!"

'Tis the night before Christmas,

and all through the house
not a creature is stirring...
...not even Lady!

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. What fun! She gets off of chores all day, so maybe she'll have a chance to blog some more? :) She actually posted today about a very exciting accomplishment of our familys', so you may wish to visit HERE and read about/see it.

This is short, I know, but according to the clock, it is bed time, so I'll just wish you all a wonderful time spent with loved ones tomorrow, and then be off...

Music~

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other then the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. If heed is not paid to this, it is not true music but a diabolical bowling and twanging." ~Johann Sebastian Bach

Yes, that was Bach speaking, and I do agree so much, about the twanging part at least! I'm not sure what "Bowling" means in this sense???

Speaking of music, a friend of mine "Tagged" me today and, as I was reading through the questions, the one, "What is your favorite Christmas song" set me to thinking... There are so very many good ones and, though my family and I don't believe this is the time of year that the baby Jesus (or Yeshua, as we believe He was named) was born, we do enjoy listening to the songs of His birth on Rejoice radio at this time of the year. After all, He was born at sometime, and that is something to remember every day of the year! I enjoy many songs about the Lords' birth, but this is one that you may never have heard before, so is the one I decided to share tonight... It's called, "Heaven's Child".

Pictures from home~

My family and I were home ALL DAY together! Wow, what a novelty...

To celebrate, we made our favorite holiday cookies, the ones that Grandpa Harvey used to make every year for Christmas. A combination of Ritz crackers, thick peanut butter and almond bark, these little cookies are a very tasty treat. We ate a few, but I've hid the rest so they last until Mother's birthday, which is what we originally bought the supplies for. :)


Dad decided to share his glasses with Lady this afternoon and, I must say, it did make her look a great deal wiser. :)

I took this picture quite a while ago, when I finished crocheting that baby afghan I wrote about. Here it is:

The pattern is one that our neighbor lady, Gladys taught me, so is special to me. This blanket goes in my hope-chest!

And now, for some fun...

Recently, in the break room at the nursing home, they had these fun pictures that each represent a Christmas song and we were all supposed to try and guess what the songs were. I thought it was fun, so memorized the pictures and quickly drew them when I got home so my family could guess too. They thought I should post them here as well so my readers may guess also, so here they are. If you have any trouble guessing them, let me know and I can give you some clues....

PS. I do not believe in Santa AT ALL, so maybe that's why his hat got to be so funny looking-----because I don't look at him often enough to remember what it's supposed to look like. :)

*Helpful hint* If you click on the pictures, they should come up larger so you can see the pictures easier.

Happy singing~

Also, a quick update of praise may be found on Jonathan's blog, as he came through the surgery well today. PTL!

Marshmallows anyone?

If you receive Dr. Mercola's free e-health newsletter, you've probably already seen this, but just in case you haven't, I've shared it here. :) Watch as these cute children battle with temptation, some successfully, and some not so!

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. "

~1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

I can hardly wait...

...for Saturday to come! My mom's birthday is December 25th and a present I ordered for her came in the mail today and I can hardly wait to give it to her. :)

I just got home a little while ago from working in town once again. It was a very busy night and I'm very much ready to drift off. Soooooooooo, I think I shall!

Happy Winter everyone~

There were pillows all over the road!

...Pillow drifts, that is. I left home plenty early to be sure to make it into town (to work) on time. The roads weren't quite as bad as I'd thought they'd be, so I actually had half an hour extra time to put some gas in the van and then to start reading "Flywheel"--the book that I accidentally bought on Amazon, thinking it was the movie, as I wanted to replace the copy that we'd given to someone else. :)

I thought I might have to stay overnight in Napoleon (in an empty room in the assisted living building, designed for that very thing), but the 2 night CNAs are our neighbors down in Kintyre and they said the roads were pretty good, so I ventured home. I found my dad and my dog waiting up for me. (Actually, Dad informed me my dog had been sleeping, but came to the door when she heard me arrive....) It is such a good feeling to know that people care about you, isn't it? And even better than that, that God cares about you!

Tonight, my hands smell like...

....baby shampoo! :) I spent most of my day over at our neighbors' house, babysitting their 3 little ones so the parents could go Christmas shopping. After supper, I gave the little ones a bath (which they needed--after a day of coloring and gluing pieces of paper together and, well, after eating) and I ended up getting nearly as wet as the children did! They sure are good splashers. :)

My family did odd jobs around the house and my mom had a client come out for a session. My dad mentioned the possibility of a lot of snow tomorrow, so we'll see what comes of that? Just think, pretty soon it will be Winter...

...And with the coming of Winter comes a prayer request for a dear friend of my brothers, Jonathan, who is having a surgery done on the 22nd. Please join us in praying for all to go well there and for a quick recovery for him! Thank you!

Seasons of the Heart~

We just finished watching a movie my mom found at a thrift store recently, and it was very good. It's the story of a little pioneer family and the heartache they go through and the peace they eventually find. It's actually a bit of a Christmas story, so is perfect for this time of year. And the little boy is so cute!

If you wish to watch "Seasons of the heart", just grab a blanket, some popcorn, and the tissue box and click below for the first part of the story. The rest may be found on You-Tube as well...

"Thank you, Lord"!

It's been a busy day around the house, filled with cooking, cleaning, and doing odd jobs that needed doing. What a blessing it is to have food to cook with and people to cook for; a house that needs cleaning and people to make it messy again; and odd jobs that need doing and to have the people to see them through to the end...


I received the following in an e-mail this afternoon and wanted to share it with you all, so you too can be reminded of some the very great blessings we have and so that you and I might think of (and perhaps share a little something with others, consequently?) those who go without.

Here is a piece to ponder:

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ' This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed." How is it that there is no work going on here? ' I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings? " I asked..

"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord. "

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world ' s wealthy. "

"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. "

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation . You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.."

"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."


"If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare."

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair......."

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.
"Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it. "

Everyone's safely tucked into bed...

...all 47 of them---the 42 that we helped get in bed at the nursing home and the 5 of us here at home---plus several of my coworkers too, I'm sure. I'm sure glad I don't have to work at night! That would be so hard to do, I would think...? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay up and work, but to sleep during the day, now, that would be hard!

Off to dreamland~

Halleluia...

...in "Sign" language!

SNOW!

Six or seven inches, I don't know which.

No fun if you're out driving!

One of us went in the ditch...

What, oh what will tomorrow bring?

Little ones~

From noon to nearly 6:00 PM today, I watched and cared for a total of 13 children, some the whole time and some just after school was out. As one of those 13 was a baby of 2 months, and another was a little one of 10 months, I was nearly always very busy, as you may imagine!

When I returned home, my dad was already back from Enderlin and, as Mom and the boys were still in Bismarck, he and I went out in the cold wind and snow and did the chores. It had been quite some time since I'd milked Sally, so she fidgeted a little at first, but soon settled down and ate her oats and corn. :)

Shortly after we got back in the house, the others returned and we ate a belated supper together. It is so nice to have everyone back under the same roof once more!

We were all home today--what a miracle!

And what did we do with our time together? Well, we made some tasty things to eat, such as ice cream and onion rings and lentil soup and chicken and a Hubbard squash dish.

Also, there was some more work done on our website/logo project.

Then Mother had a client come out to the farm for a session, so during that time, we all went to our respective rooms and Dad talked on the phone to a farmer friend; Andrew worked on his computer; Jacob played on his computer; and I wrote out some bills and worked on my new crochet project.

The day flew by as we did the usual household things and talked and dreamed and worked and.....

And that's how our day went.

Oh yes, I also received a phone call from Helen at the daycare I've helped out a few times and she was wondering if I could come take care of the children tomorrow. As it "Just so happens" that I don't have to work in town tomorrow, and everyone here was fine with me going, I said "Yes" and will have the pleasure of seeing some of my little friends again and meeting a couple new ones too, so Helen tells me....

I thank the Lord for...

...a comfortable bed to crawl into when I get home from work------very tired.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

It was a delightful, cold day here on the farm. The last I heard this evening, it was 13 degrees below zero! We spent the day reading, resting, singing, playing Foosball, sipping hot chocolate, and watching a movie.

I also imported the pictures I had on my camera and thought I'd post a few of them here.

These are the ingredients that, when ground together in the Vita-Mix and after a bit of honey is added, make a delicious batch of...

~Halvah~

Brother Andrew worked again on tuning my piano the other morning, for which I'm very grateful...

And this is the hat I crocheted, after my Aunt LV got me started when they were here for Thanksgiving. She crochets many things and has made me a blanket and a shawl in years gone by...

And that is all.

Dad is back in business...

At long last, my dad's semi was fixed (it's been over 3 weeks, I believe) and he went up to get it----along with Mother and Jacob, who did some shopping while in town before driving the van back home.

That left Andrew and I to tidy up the house and to separate the cream, which we got done in good time, and then we pursued our own interests: Andrew working on his computer and myself working on the baby afghan I decided to finish crocheting (I'd found it recently, tucked away in a drawer, where I'd left it 2 years ago.)

When Mom and Jacob returned from town with the cottage cheese I'd requested, we assembled two pans of lasagna. As Mom and I were making the layers, I remembered the time, not so long ago, when Dorena, Miranda and I were assembling lasagna in SD. :) I had asked Dorena if she puts cottage cheese in her lasagna too? She replied in the positive and then I ventured further with, "And do you mix an egg in with the cottage cheese as well?", to which she smiled and said that, "Yes", she did! At this point, Miranda looked at us both oddly and asked why we do such a thing? Neither of us knew.... Perhaps it's because that's how our mothers do it? :)

It is snowing again here. The wind is very cold and is blowing in through the window above my bed, so I think I shall keep my 4 fish company tonight and sleep in the living room on the couch. It obviously is time to dig out the plastic window coverings again....

Well, here's wishes for a restful day tomorrow. ~
May God be with you all.

A pleasant day...

The morning was spent doing things around the house and then, right after our noon meal, I drove over to our neighbors' house and babysat their 3 little ones again (ages 3, 1 1/2, & 1 1/2.)

This time, I was only there 'til suppertime, when their papa came home from work and took over.

The van and I then headed back home, where, upon my arrival, I helped to prepare our supper. Mother went out and milked the goats tonight, so I did the supper dishes and then we all sat down to watch a movie that the guys picked up at the library on Tuesday.

That's what I call a pleasant day!

All things bright and beautiful...

...all creatures great and small...










All things wise and wonderful,

...the Lord God made them all!

Each little flowers that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings!

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all!!!

Pictures!!!

What fun... A couple days ago, Andrew got my mom's pictures (from her camera) loaded on the computer (we'd been having technical difficulties....) Mother has said before that she doesn't mind if I post the pictures she takes, so here is a long post of pictures from Mrs. B's camera. Some of them are pretty old news already, and they're in reverse order, but hopefully you'll enjoy them anyway.

These pictures are from last Friday, when we went up to Bismarck and moved Mother to her new, larger office across the hall from her old room.

Jacob peeking in the new room...
Mother unlocking her new office for the first time...

Andrew, starting to haul things from one room to the next...

Isn't that a spacious room? Mom's really excited about not being so cramped anymore...

Oh, and that's me--"Fixing" the hole in the ceiling. Kind of a silly picture, I know, but I wanted to post it so you can see I was helping too. :) (And I'm standing on a chair. I'm by no means that tall!)

Mother and Jacob, reassembling Mom's corner desk...

See? I told you she's happier to have more room!

Taking a break, after most of the work was done.

This is what the corner of the room (the waiting room part) looks like now, minus the water glasses and plus some larger chairs...

The current room divider... (The guys are working on building a portable sound-proof room divider now.)

The next 3 pictures are from Thanksgiving, when my mom's brother and his wife were at our house...

We had several of uncle Russell's childhood/young manhood souvenirs from when we went through Grandpa's house to get ready for his auction sale this last summer, so Russell had fun looking through those things------and trying some on:

Here's aunt LV, frying up some of her Filipino egg roll specialties...

The five following pictures were taken in the basement of the Kintyre church, where we attended the funeral of an elderly neighbor friend of ours, Leo S. I think my favorite memory of Leo was the time when I was home alone and my dad asked me to go check on the cows' water up in the pasture, as it was nearly winter time and sometimes the water hose by the old farmstead froze up. I went up there and, sure enough, the water pipe was froze. Leo happened to be driving around on his 4-wheeler and stopped in the farmyard there to say Hi. When he saw my troubles, he dug his pliers out of his pocket and helped me squeeze and bang the pipe and hose until the water finally came. :) It is so nice to have neighbors!

Anyway, here are my brothers with 3 of our neighbor children who were at the funeral with their parents...

Here I am with Mariah and Josiah. I've known these two little ones all their lives, and it's really been fun to see them grow up and change and learn and....

Friends and neighbors, Tamera and Mother... (and a speck of dust on the camera lens, obviously.)

Andrew, waiting to say "Goodbye" to Gladys, Leo's wife of many years, and our dear friend! (Gladys would come over to our house for tea or just to visit many times every year, and she'd even pay me to cut her hair for her. :) Now she's living in Fargo, so, sadly, we don't see her very much anymore.

My parents...

Oh, and the next few pictures are from cattle working time last month!

Dad, bringing a calf up the ally way...

Mother, giving a shot...

The "Done" calves...

Jacob tagging a calf...

Myself, taking care of the records...

Dad's cousin, Jerome, covering this fella's eyes while Andrew double tags him with yellow ear-tags to signify that he's a bull. (Andrew bought this young bull from me. :) )

And two more pictures, taken sometime in the last month or so. None of us are very good on our instruments, but we enjoy plunking, strumming, learning and having fun together!

That's all folks. Have a good night!