Maiden in the House of God

An unexpected pleasant visit...

2012-01-29T23:52:00.002-06:00

This morning, shortly before noon, an elderly gentleman came to buy some computer disc from Andrew. Well, he ended up being a very talkative, jolly fellow and he must have been here at least an hour, discussing everything from computers, to health, to religion, to politics, to the best jokes, to............... It was fun and we found we had several things in common.

We ate a quick, belated lunch (we'd asked the gentleman to join us, but he had to be on his way) and then Dad headed over to a neighbors' farm to load up a load of wheat (I think that's what it was). The boys worked on projects; Mom rested a while (she was suffering from a lack of sleep from the convention!); I cleaned in my room for a while and did some necessary paper-work.

Yes, it was a good day.

They're back....

2012-01-28T22:31:00.002-06:00

My parents arrived home this evening and we are now just waiting for Andrew to get back from Minot. He should be back any minute.

Things went really well here at home for Jacob and I. PTL! There was even a little fruit pizza leftover for Dad's supper. :)

Busy day.

2012-01-27T22:14:00.002-06:00

That it was.

Jacob helped me clean the house. Andrew worked out in the shop most of the day (Jacob helped him out there too.) I made chicken; stuffing; and fruit pizza for supper.

I talked to Mom a little bit ago on the phone and she said they're having a marvelous time. They are just now watching the "White elephant auction", one where all the funds on the donated items goes to NPSAS. Someone just bid $350 on a 20lb bag of garlic! :)

Jacob and I helped Andrew get ready to go this evening by packing him his lunch and supper. He plans to leave at 6:00AM. OH, the phone is ringing.... It's probably Mom again. Jacob just got it.

Well all, have a wonderful weekend! May God bless you REEEEEAL good.~ :)

They're leaving early....

2012-01-26T22:16:00.003-06:00

....My parents are, that is. It's been several years since my mom's had a chance to go with my dad to the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society's annual convention (or, as we call it, "The Organic Convention"). This time, things will be different! Both of my parents are leaving very early in the morning to attend the 2-day convention in Aberdeen. I know they'll have a wonderful time. Dad even arranged for them to have all their meals there with the group (all very healthy food, naturally) as a belated-birthday gift to Mom, so we didn't have to pack them any food except for breakfasts. :)

Meanwhile, back at the farm, my brothers and I will be taking care of the "Critters" and cleaning the house and cooking and playing games and doing some work and......? On Saturday, Andrew will be gone all day, helping his good friend, Jonathan with instructing/supervising an all-day Appleseed Shoot event in Minot. I'm sure glad that Jacob knows how to feed the cows! I'll gladly milk the cow if he'll do that! :)

We had a very good day here at home, Mother and I. Imagine it----both of us home, together, all day! We did a lot of laundry; finished getting our very-belated annual family newsletters ready to be mailed; I made bread, pizza, and buttermilk cookies with icing; we did a kitchen-full of dishes; did some necessary paperwork; chores; and Mom is right now finishing up with their packing.

Our guys were over by Spiritwood all day again today and got the one cleaner all taken apart and brought home. Now they just have the whole other one to do......
I just read this verse in Proverbs (22:29) and thought it was very fitting for our gentleman:

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

Yes, very fitting indeed. Oh, and if there are any mean men reading this, :) , please, won't you just be nice? ~

A few things to brighten your day~

2012-01-25T22:51:00.008-06:00

Maybe you need some help?

Here are the kinds of things that make me smile: ENJOY and *SMILE*~

*SMILE*

"Ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones who got you mad in the fist place?"Good times are had in many barns....

*SMILE*

Good pals can make people smile....

...Remember to sing in the rain!

Awwww..... I thought piggies like the mud?

I don't know if this picture is real or not? I'm guessing there were some people NOT smiling about it if it is indeed real! Just think, if you haven't done this to your vehicle, how wonderful that fact is----and *smile*!

"Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise----then you will discover the fullness of your life."

*Smile*

You don't want to look like these 2 sour-faces!

Yep, you look better when you *SMILE*!

Even birds can smile, in a way....

So can eggs!

So can you, and....

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see...." *Smile*

People say they need motivation to exercise. Well, this might work? "Exercise with T-Rex..."

Babies are just so adorable!

Older children can be pretty cute too!

*Smile!*

Is that a, um, fish?

*Smile*

I might even have room in my very full room for this kind of cat! I wonder how you feed it?

Hmmm, yeah, my fish probably wouldn't be too thrilled with this kind of cat either...!

Realizing God's amazing care and protection of us can make us *SMILE*!

I'm sure this didn't R-E-A-L-L-Y happen, but it made me smile.... :)

Sometimes, your boots just don't keep up with the kind of week you've had!!!

That's all for now. I hope at least a few of these made you, yes, *SMILE*!!!!!~

I'm back at last...

2012-01-24T22:53:00.003-06:00

...after a rather long, unexpected break--from everything. Why, you might ask? Well, it was due to a little bug named "FLU". :( I had it the worst. Mother had it too somewhat and the guys had/have colds. I quite literally spent 4+ days on the couch, missing 2 days of work in town and also a babysitting date.

Yep, this is pretty much how I felt: God has His reasons for such things though, I know, even when we can't see them!

Thankfully, we are all feeling better now, except for my dad who just seems to be coming down with a cold now. He and the boys were over by Spirit Wood all day, working on disassembling 2 grain cleaners that they bought. They are located in an old elevator, so the guys had some shelter, but it was still cold I'm sure and so very dusty in there. My dad's cousin, Jerome helped them for the day too... They plan to go again tomorrow.

I'm not even sure what all went on around here while I was sleeping the days away. I guess if it was anything earth-shattering, then someone else will have to shatter the earth and tell you about it.

It feels good to be back! The Lord is so good.

We're Republicans---officially. :)

2012-01-19T23:09:00.003-06:00

This evening, my parents, Andrew and I attended our districts' (Republican) reorganization meeting in Linton. It was run well and we learned several things, having never participated in such a meeting before.

One of my FaceBook friends shared the following video recently and I thought it was full of good thing to think about for us professing Christians in this critical decision making time:

Let me know what you think!

Pictures I took at camp:

2012-01-18T13:25:00.004-06:00

Here are the slightly-belated pictures that I promised from Cabin Fever Family Camp, 2012. Enjoy! :)

We picked room #:

....just a couple rooms down the hallway from a couple sweet families we know.

It was a comfy, yellow room with many beds to choose from. Jacob and I slept on the top bunks and I do believe mine was the noisiest in the room! None of us slept very well the first night, but the second night was much better. Andrew was home doing chores Friday night and then Dad went home and did them Saturday evening... "Thanks again, guys!"After the first talk by Mr. Swanson, all the young people headed for the gym. Here are some people lined up on one end of the building:
...and more people on the other end, all of them just waiting for someone to say "Go" so they could all run to the middle and try to grab a ball for a game of something like freeze-tag, except, if you were tagged, you went in "Jail". You had a chance to escape from jail if one of your team-mates got someone from the other team in "Jail".

My friend, Hayley, all in a blur, with her yellow ball:

During the "Free time" on Saturday and Sunday, there were many games of volleyball being played! (Can you spot Andrew in this picture?)

Saturday night, after Mr. Swanson's last talk, many people went roller skating. Here is a dusty picture of Andrew: He was so kind as to take me for several spins around the room while I was trying to get used to being on wheels. :) I didn't fall even once, although I almost did several times!

This is a picture of the girls' dorm where our family stayed:

The large gym:

The boys' dorm---which also had a fellowship area:

The dining hall:

The chapel:

More volleyball: (If you look closely, you can spot my friend, Miranda in this picture.) :)

We made several new friends and enjoyed the time of fellowshipping with them and with our dear "Old" friends as well!!! Here you can see Mom, watching the volleyball game along with some other ladies:
That's all of my pictures. I know Mother took more pictures than I did this time and Andrew video-taped Mr. Swansons' talks, so we have several things to remember this family camp by.

I think it delights the Lord when His people get to know each other and find encouragement in one anothers' experiences! I praise Him for getting us to camp this year...............

"You should be a nurse!"

2012-01-17T23:17:00.005-06:00

..."You'd be good at it."

That's what I've been told several times, but, as I really don't WANT to be a nurse, I won't be. :) I just got home a little bit ago from working at the nursing home again. Now I'm done for the week there.

Not a whole lot happened around here this morning, outside of dishes and picking the house up a bit. The boys and Mom are really not feeling well, so I don't think a lot got accomplished around here today outside of whatever Dad did in the shop.

It is very cold out tonight! What a wonderful night to be inside, buried under lots of blankets. Agreed? :)

We had a wonderful time of fellowship!

2012-01-16T22:35:00.003-06:00

My family and I met many new families at camp and visited with several old friends as well. We talked a lot and some of us played volleyball a lot. Andrew and I went roller-skating in the gym Saturday evening with a bunch of young people. Jacob enjoyed playing board games with several new friends and he also talked some people into ice skating with him. :) There were lots of dishes to do after each meal and we did help the Geiger family prepare the meal they shared with everyone too (Mom cut up the biggest bowl-full of broccoli that I've ever seen!).

Friday evening and Saturday, we were blessed with messages by Mr. Kevin Swanson from Colorado. Talk about an interesting speaker! We loved hearing what was on his heart. Mom bought his Proverbs handbooks to go through with Jacob in school and, as they were reading in them today, Jacob said, "I can just imagine how him saying that." :) I enjoyed meeting his daughter also...

Andrew stayed home and did chores Friday night and Saturday morning, then Dad did them Sat. night and Sunday morning, so the rest of us got to have a real vacation! The bunkhouse was nice and warm and the bunkbeds were fairly comfortable, although very squeaky!!!

We have lots of pictures to share in the days ahead, but I just got home from working in town now and am too tired to load them onto my computer from my camera and then wait for them to load here, so that will have to wait for another day.

If you would, please pray for us now as most of us have a sore throat today. Ugggggg.

And we're off...

2012-01-13T16:06:00.001-06:00

...in about an hour. We're almost all done packing. Andrew will be staying and doing chores tonight and in the morning and then I think my dad will come home and do them tomorrow night. :) What fun this will be!!!!!!

Cheerio.~

What I did with my popcorn...

2012-01-12T23:07:00.003-06:00

You remember that bag of microwave popcorn I got a while back at work? Well, I kept forgetting to take it along with me to town and so it just stayed unpopped and uneaten... Just a couple days ago, I read an article though that helped me decide what to do with that corn. Click HERE to learn why I threw mine away!

I just got home from working in town again. Now I'm done until Monday and am VERY much looking forward to spending this weekend with friends and my family at "Cabin Fever Family Camp"!!! I'll try to take lots of pictures. :) My blog may be silent until after it's overwith...?

May God be with you all 'til we meet again.~

I almost stayed in town tonight...

2012-01-11T23:03:00.003-06:00

It is not very nice outside this evening and I debated if I should take up one of the two offers I had from friends to stay with them tonight or go home. I decided to head out to the highway and then, if things looked bleak, I'd turn around and go back to town. When I got out to Hwy. #34 though, the road was fairly good and I could SEE it, so I headed for home---and God saw to it that I was safe. :)

This morning, I worked some more on the family newsletter... I also made lunch (while Mom was doing a session for a client) and pressed the new skirts that recently arrived from New Creations Apparel---my favorite place to shop for long skirts.

Do you have a favorite place to shop for reasonably-priced modest clothing? I'd love to hear about it!

Lending some helping hands...

2012-01-10T21:59:00.005-06:00

Guess what? It's snowing!!! What a novelty that white stuff is---floating through the sky....

Mother said "Praise the Lord for this gorgeous weather" at least 6 times while working calves this morning. :) Yes, it was that lovely out! Just the perfect day. We agreed that it was even nicer than when we worked our calves in November!

My family and I got up on time this morning, did our chores, then drove apprx. 60 miles to our friends' place. After getting a tour of their house from Mrs. K. while Mr. K. fed cows, we all headed out to get set-up for some ACTION!

I realize now that we failed to get pictures of/with Mrs. K., as she was in the house preparing our food most of the time. This is the one and only one that I have with her on... (She's a great cook, by the way!)

Heading out of the house with Mr. K.....

He had a couple barrels handy to set supplies on:

They really have a very nice set-up for working cattle! It was nice to work with such sturdy and organized equipment. :) Hopefully we'll get our own dream corralling built one of these years....

Andrew was the head-gate operator again and did a GREAT job, only letting one of the very first ones escape (when he didn't have the technique of the new head-gate mastered yet.) We were able to get that one back in a pen and worked him later.... Andrew also gave the shot later in the day.

Jacob helped bring the calves along the runway...

Dad offered to do the banding and nobody fought him for the "Privilege". Mr. K. showed us another technique to do while banding, so we'll probably use that in the future. Dad also did a lot of the "Pouring" (putting on a liquid designed to kill any and all lice). Oh, and he knocked off the 4 sets of horns that were found throughout the day.

Mother had the job of giving the Tetanus (vaccine) shot and doing misc. jobs in the morning (she stayed inside in the afternoon to help Diane with cooking and visiting. :) )

Jacob kept the bander filled and handed Dad the knife when needed.

My job was holding the calves' tail so Dad didn't get smacked in the face. Then, I opened the bottom part of the shoot and trimmed the underside of the bulls with a scissor so they'd look nicer when they get sold. I figure I gave 70+ haircuts today---Mr. K. doing the first ones 'til I knew how. :)

Mr. K. kept the calves coming up the alley-way. I think I told you last night how he isn't able to do a lot of bending currently on account of being run over by a (large) calf recently and having sore ribs consequently...

Here are some of the steers, taking it easy...
After we were finished with making the bulls into steers, we ran all the heifers through and "Poured" them also. That was after lunch. By the time everything was done, it was getting close to being dark outside. We went in for more food (supper), visited; did dishes; then Mom played piano and Mrs. K. played organ while some of the rest of us sang hymns and the others visited. We left there about 6:30 to head home and take care of our own animals.

It felt good to help our friends. They insisted on paying us something for our assistance though, so we figure we'll use the money to help pay for going to the family camp this weekend..... :)

Yes, it was a good day (and nobody got hurt too bad---just Dad cut his finger with the sharp knife when he was just getting started. As Mrs. K. is a nurse, she bandaged him up good!).

Was she serving me tea???

2012-01-09T22:11:00.003-06:00

That is the question that was running through my head while I was playing piano this evening and saw (out of the corner of my eye) my mom entering my room, mug in hand. Something seemed suspicious! Then, my dad came in too, something clenched in his fist. Mother set the mug on my piano and Dad reached over and---plink, plink, plink, plink----dropped 4 quarters in. They said they really enjoyed my playing and wanted to show how much. How special was that? :)

Mom and I spent a good portion of our day (finally) working on our annual family newsletter. I was trying to pick a few pictures out of the hundreds we have and Mother was trying to write about this very busy year. We're about a third done, I think...

Dad loaded out 3 loads of hay to go down South and then also loaded a load for our own cows and brought that home.

Andrew went to Napoleon this morning, but spent the rest of the day working in the shop with Jacob and catching up on some computer work (looking up how large District #28 is, etc...)
Oh yes, we also put some "Ron Paul for President, 2012" bumper stickers on various vehicles of ours....

If you think of us tomorrow, please pray for safety for all, as we're going to go help some friends work their bull calves. They'd planned to have it done before this, but Mr. K had got banged up while they were separating out the cows/calves to wean them and has sore ribs, so hasn't felt up to working them. We just recently found out about this and offered to help them. Hopefully it will be as lovely outside tomorrow as it was today!!!

I'll try to get a few PICTURES too.

So glad...

2012-01-08T23:03:00.004-06:00

While at work in town this afternoon, I asked one of my coworkers if she'd be willing to work for me on Sunday and she said she WOULD, and I'm SO glad! :) Why? Well, this weekend, my family and I will be attending (for the first time ever) the "Cabin Fever Family Camp" at Crystal Springs. We have several friends who will be there, so it will be such a wonderful time of fellowship!!! I was scheduled to work on Sunday though, so was very much hoping I could get that day off, and now it worked out so I can! Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!

I'm not even sure what all went on around here today, as everyone was already sleeping when I got home a few minutes ago. I'll let you know tomorrow if it was anything super exciting. :)

Delegate training...

2012-01-07T22:56:00.004-06:00

Mom, Andrew and I had a very interesting time at the "Delegate Training" seminar today! We met up with Mr. Stevens at Steele and gave him a ride the rest of the way to Bismarck, so even our journey to and from the class was very informative and pleasant.

Mom and Andrew had already been through the training once before (in Fargo, a while back), but say that they learned even more this second time through, which I can believe, as I'm a bit lost on a few of the procedures and need to study more if I'm going to be a delegate for Dr. Ron Paul and/or Mr. Paul Sorum! I got to meet Mr. Sorum and have high hopes that I was shaking the hand of the next Governor of our great state! (FYI--he and his wife homeschool{ed} their children.)

The class was from 1:00-6:00PM, although we went over and beyond that by quite a bit while doing a mock session....

Before we left, our teacher handed Mother several of the Paul Family's cookbooks (which also shares the story of Mr. Paul's life---a very interesting and refreshing read), so if any of you would like one, just let me know!

Now.....on to the next step: finding others in our district (#28) who are Ron Paul supporters and who are willing to be delegates to the state convention or, who are at least willing to come to the District meeting and vote for those of us who are willing to be.............................. Got any volunteers? :)

This is such an important time in history...
If we don't stand up for and back up the things/people we believe in now, who knows when the next time may be that we'll have a chance to? Will there be others who are willing to run in this wild race, to stand up for the things that once made this country great? Others who love and want to serve God to the best of their ability? Others who believe in keeping the oath they once swore to, to follow the constitution? People who are not swayed by what everyone else is saying and doing, but who stand on what is right? I hope so, but even more so, I hope and pray that these men of God who are doing this very thing now WILL win this battle! We could use a refreshing change in this Country!!!

Say, by the way, who would you vote for to be president if you had your choice??? I'd really like to hear what you have to say!

Hopefully we have enough cleaners now!

2012-01-06T22:53:00.003-06:00

Dad and Jacob went to purchase and bring home another grain-cleaning unit East of Jamestown this morning. Dad will use this trailer now for his cleaner and move some cleaners around to make an altogether better unit...

Mother cleaned the house and, in the process, went through some boxes of sewing items from our neighbor that's been sitting in her room for a while.

Andrew stayed home and worked on his pickup.

I went over to our neighbors' house and babysat 2 of their children again so the others could go to Bismarck and get Michael's sling/splint off his arm finally. The remaining 3 of us read books; watched Popeye; played with toys and made a "Tent" with one of Amelia's blankets, oh, and cooked and ate. :)

Tomorrow, Mother, Andrew and I will be attending a meeting on delegate training. Should be interesting! I found the following cartoon video a few days ago and thought it was well worth sharing with you all:

Let's be wise, not foolish.................... Take a stand for truth!

Is it Spring already?

2012-01-05T22:19:00.002-06:00

This has been like no other ND winter that I remember! Today the thermometer registered the temp. in the 50s (F) and there was mud on the driveway. It was so lovely, in fact, that I decided to clean out the greenhouse a bit so as to be ready for spring when it truly does come! The warm days are so wonderful for the 10 or so baby calves that have been born as of late too...........

Mother and Jacob spent quite a bit of time on Jacob's school lessons. Andrew was in Bismarck for most of the day, as he took his black Charger police-car up to get the wheels balanced and to get some fancy lettering done on the sides where the word, "Sheriff" used to be. :) (I'm sure he'll be sharing pictures soon.)

Dad spent a good part of the morning in Napoleon, getting supplies and doing some banking business.

Yes, once again I'll say, "It was a good day!"

Quick frog!

2012-01-04T23:15:00.003-06:00

If you know me well, you'll know that I really like frogs! (My grandma obviously knows me quite well, as one of my Christmas presents this year was an adorable, bright green tree frog figurine.) :)

Well, when I saw this video yesterday, I loved it and wanted to share it with anyone who reads my blog who might like a laugh too....

This was a pleasant, usual sort of day. Mother had 5 clients here throughout the day; the guys worked outside/in the shop; and I went to work at the nursing home. I'm pretty tired tonight, so will say good night now. "Good night!"~

The cows are awake tonight!

2012-01-03T23:01:00.004-06:00

Why?

Well, probably because my family (except myself, who was babysitting at Helens') sorted off all the calves today and weaned them. It helps that the cows are able to get right alongside the calves (with a fairly-sturdy metal-panel fence in-between them) so they can at least see their babies and touch noses with them. They are still quite noisy though. Dad recommended we all turn some nice music on tonight to fall asleep to. :)

By the time I got home from Helens' at 3:00, Mom was in Bismarck doing sessions for clients already. Dad and Jacob put in some extra fence posts along where the calves are (a little panel-stay-up insurance) and Andrew and I headed across the road with screwdrivers, a big metal bar, and lots of hot water to try and thaw out the water fountain for the bulls (my family sorted them off today too and ran them across the road to that pen). We never did get the water working (my dad ended up just hauling some water over there for the night), as it was getting dark and we had to eat an early supper and head for Bismarck, all except for Dad who stayed home to do chores.

We 3 younger people met up with Mom at the library for another United States Constitution over-view meeting. We'd invited several friends and were so glad to see some of them show up, plus a few others that had learned about the meeting from other sources. The speaker tonight was a gentleman from MT. It sounds like there is interest in getting another 3-part meeting set up in Bismarck in the near future, so if you're interested, you can let us know for more details (I'll probably be blogging about it too.) :) We learned several things once again tonight (about how our government works--or doesn't, and how it's supposed to work) and how, if we just will work together to hold our Senators/Representatives/Etc... to their oath to uphold the constitution (get new, honest people in charge if need-be), there is hope that this country can turn around from the dark road it's now following. Good stuff!

I know the John Birch Society (named after a wonderful missionary man who was murdered by "Important" people who didn't like all the good he was doing) has had some bad things said about them (FYI: they are MOST definitely not in favor of communism--and actually speak against such things--and they're NOT racists!) but then, that is the case with anything right and true, good and wholesome, isn't it?

This society has been around for many, many years too.... I just wonder how we never heard of them before this last March? I'd strongly encourage people who are concerned/worried/depressed about the way this country is headed to check into your local JBS chapter, or, if there isn't such a thing, to create one. If you don't have any idea how to start, please come to the next meetings that are set up! :)

Remember, "Evil prospers when good men do nothing!"

Yes, I believe the Lord is in control of all that happens and that He can (and does) do wondrous things, but I also believe that He wants us to do our part in fighting for what is right! Got your armor shined up?

Is there a full moon coming up?

2012-01-02T22:53:00.004-06:00

It was quite wild and exciting at work tonight with residents roaming the halls, not being interested in anything and not wanting to go to bed. It was, yes, interesting.... I don't know why, but what they say about a full moon making people more restless sure seems to be true. Also, sudden changes in the weather does the same.

I need to get to bed pretty quick here as I need to head to Helens' in the morning as she wants to attend a relatives' funeral.

So, good night everybody!~

A plea...

2012-01-01T22:47:00.002-06:00

~Poem by Edgar Guest

"GOD grant me these: the strength to do
Some needed service here;
The wisdom to be brave and true;
The gift of vision clear,
That in each task that comes to me
Some purpose I may plainly see.

God teach me to believe that I
Am stationed at a post,
Although the humblest 'neath the sky,
Where I am needed most.
And that, at last, if I do well
My humble services will tell.

God grant me faith to stand on guard,
Uncheered, unspoke, alone,
And see behind such duty hard
My service to the throne.
Whate'er my task, this be my creed:
I am on earth to fill a need."

MAY THE LORD MAKE CLEAR TO YOU WHAT NEED YOU ARE TO FILL IN THE YEAR, 2012!

It was a quite day at home. We finished our movie this morning, as I had to work at the nursing home this afternoon. It was a good day, once again. :)

Happy New Year to all...

2012-01-01T00:41:00.003-06:00

...and to all, a good morning!

We've spent the last few waking hours watching a very in-depth version of Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby", and we're not finished yet, but figured we should get a few winks of sleep in yet this night, er, morning! :)

Happy 2012 everyone.~

Please pray for them....

2011-12-31T10:24:00.001-06:00

Susanna and her girls, looking lovingly at baby Isaac the day of his birth...

Please join me in praying for this family...

2011-12-31T00:10:00.004-06:00

...I just learned that some friends of ours lost their baby today! Baby Isaac was born on Christmas Day and I don't know any details currently of what happened except that he passed away today. Please be in prayer for David and Susanna in the next few days...

Wet shirts...

2011-12-30T23:33:00.004-06:00

I spent a pleasant portion of this day over at our neighbors' house, babysitting 2 of their 3 children. After the noon meal was over, Amelia and James pulled up a chair by the sink and helped me wash the dishes again. :) All 3 of us came away with wet shirts! Children are so precious....

When I got home a little before 5:00, I was set in front of another sink, this time to scrub, no, not dishes, but potatoes and carrots for our supper. :) Then I made a batch of pumpkin bars while Mom cleaned the bathroom; Jacob swept the floor and Andrew scrubbed it. We were quite the busy crew! Mom and Andrew had been gone for most of the day in Bismarck (delivering items that we'd sold on BisManOnline and thrift-shopping, oh, and hanging up some posters about the next informational how-t0-get-back-to-the-constitution meeting being held in Bismarck on Jan. 3rd.) Dad was gone loading out some more hay for buyers, so that left Jacob at home for a while to do some cleaning and schoolwork.

It was a good day----and it is STILL brown outside, mostly!

Facing one of my fears...

2011-12-29T22:47:00.002-06:00

I've worked as a CNA for 1 year and 8 months now and had not, as of yet, actually had to deal with a residents' death. I mean, actually dealing with it, being there to take care of the resident after the fact. I've been on duty, but working on another wing when someone passed away, and have cared for several residents when they were close to death, but I was never actually there when "It" happened. I was really kind of scared about the whole thought of working with a dead person.

Well, tonight, all of that changed. One of our residents passed away this evening at about 9:30. My coworker, April was very brave (she had never done it before either) and we just worked together (washing him up and changing his gown, etc...) and it was not near as bad as I'd dreamt it to be. We just kept reminding each other that he was in a better place now (I believe he really was a Christian), and that he could now be with his wife (who passed away a couple months ago). It was hard, but God saw us through it alright. Death, too, is a part of life, afterall.

Speaking of life though, I'd better get to sleep now, as I need to get up early-ish in the morning and go take care of our neighbors' very-much-alive children at 8:30. :)

May you all have a good night!

A chocolate chip cookie recipe:

2011-12-28T12:37:00.002-06:00

(Compliments of THE GOOD CLEAN FUNNIES LIST)

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

532.35 cm3 gluten

4.9 cm3 NaHCO3

4.9 cm3 refined halite

236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride

177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11

177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11

4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde

Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated
protein

473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume
meats (sieve size #10)

To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an
overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 BTU/F-ft2-hr,
add ingredients one, two, and three with constant agitation.

In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller
operating at 100 rpm, add ingredients four, five, six, and
seven until the mixture is homogenous.

To reactor #2, add ingredient eight, followed by three equal
volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1.
Additionally, add ingredient nine and ten slowly, with
constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the
reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the
result of an exothermic reaction.

Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the
mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in
a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with
Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS,
21, 55), or until golden brown.

Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25C
heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to
equilibrium.

~Author Unknown

Quietest day I've had in a while...

2011-12-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

I worked at Helens' daycare from 10:00AM to 5:15PM today. As there were only 6 little children there, it was the quietest day I've had there in a long time! :)

I came across a bit of trivial trivia the other day and thought I'd share it here, just to make sure all my fellow ND citizens are aware of the laws of this land!!!

Did you know that, according to North Dakota state law:

It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on?

....and also:

It is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback, provided you are in a covered wagon.

Not that it's comfortable sleeping with shoes on and I certainly don't believe we should shoot Indians!, but I just thought you should know. ;)

We had fun, fun, fun...

2011-12-26T23:02:00.003-06:00

I'm reminded now of the song our friends, the Dagleys like to sing:

"Sometimes it's fun to just be lazy and to lay around.
Sometimes it's fun to just be crazy and to be a clown.........

Whether driving along,
Or singing a song,
We're gonna have family fun!

We're gonna have fun, fun, fun,
We're gonna have family fun.
No need to dress like a star,
Just come as you are,
We're gonna have a picnic in the family park
'cause it's fun, fun, fun,
We're gonna have faaaa-mi-ly fuuuun,
We're havin' family,
We're havin' family,
We're having family fuuuuuuuuuun!"

Yes, that's what we had today! Just a full day of family fun! Everything from finishing up our 1,000 piece puzzle, to playing the long game of "Automobile", to watching "The Spirit of St. Louis"........ Sometimes we just take a family vacation here at home, and this was one of those days. :) Fun? Of course!!!

We made Ritz cookies!

2011-12-25T23:12:00.003-06:00

This morning, after cleaning the kitchen up a bit, Mom, Jacob and I made our favorite holiday cookies---the kind that Grandpa Delzer used to make each year at Christmas. They're really quite easy to make. You just make little Ritz cracker peanut-butter sandwiches and then dip them in melted chocolate or white almond bark, then let them set 'til firm. I took a tin-full of these to work this afternoon and the night nurse said they brought back so many memories for her, as she hadn't had them since she was a little girl! :)

Speaking of work in town, it was a busy day, but fun, as everyone was happy and excited. When we got there, most everyone was up already from their naps, so we got everyone out to the dining room to open presents. We CNAs (and the nurse, ward-clerk, and activity lady) helped open presents for the people who couldn't do it themselves, then wrote down what they'd received and delivered the items safely to the residents' rooms. It was pretty fun....

Mother had a happy birthday, I think, although yesterday was more special as we were all together and not working on anything. We played classical piano duets for a little while before I had to head for town, and that always makes her day! ;) (I like it too, of course.)

I hope you and yours had a delightful day, spent with those you hold dear!~

An early birthday party...

2011-12-24T23:12:00.002-06:00

We decided to give Mother her birthday gifts early, as I have to work tomorrow in town and we wanted to be able to "Play" with her new "Toys" today. It was a lovely afternoon! We watched movies; played piano duets (Mom and I); and worked on the new 1,000 piece Terry Redlin puzzle that Grandma gave us yesterday. :) Oh yes, we also had some pretty tasty food to eat!

Here's wishing everyone very happy times spent with family and loved ones! May the Lord keep you safe in your travels also...

Good family times~

2011-12-23T20:53:00.004-06:00

We all hopped in Andrews' car this morning and headed for Grandpa and Grandma Bornemanns' place in Mandan. We got there a little before noon and helped Grandma with last minute meal and table preparations. Dad even carved the....chickens. :)

Mother waited out in the car for a while to meet up with a lady we were selling some beef to. Here Grandma is welcoming her in...

The boys---observing Grandma's bountiful display of houseplants....

After a delicious (and very filling) meal, we looked at some pictures I'd taken along from this past year and the boys played their instruments for a while. Then we sat down at the table for a 3-hour long game of Chicken Foot Dominoes (using all 12 groups of numbers).

Nice flash!

We had fun!

We finished that long game right at 6:00, then ate some more and opened some presents our grandparents had for us. We had to head for home then, as Sally needed milking....

This evening, I gave Mom one of her birthday gifts early: a movie of a collection of O'Henry's short stories made into film. We watched 2 of the stories and really enjoyed them!

Mother has several more pictures of our time with our relatives on her I-pod, so I'm sure she'll be sharing those sometime.

It is a nice thing to be with family! I think our grandparents were pretty happy that we came too, as none of their other children/family is able to make it there this year for the holidays....

Do you know????

2011-12-22T22:36:00.005-06:00

Is there a way to make microwave popcorn without using a microwave? Can I just put it in our on-the-stove-top corn popper? I was given a bag of "Goodies" at work today and got a bag of mic. popcorn and, as we don't have a microwave anymore, I was just wondering what to do with it? Suggestions anybody?

Mother and Jacob went to Bismarck today to do some errands (and Mom had some sessions to do.) They washed the car; bought supplies for Mom's special birthday meal; bought a food gift for my Bornemann grandparents (who we may be seeing tomorrow); and they received several free calendars at various places. :) Just this morning, my dad and I were talking about not having any calendars for the new year. "God hears and answers prayer" and wishes too!

I'm not sure what Dad and Andrew all got accomplished today, but I know they were busy in the shop. I spent the morning working on laundry; making lunch (with fresh halvah for dessert); ironing my work clothes; cleaning up the house a bit; then headed for the nursing home to work there.

Can it be almost a new year already? How time does fly......

"Sunrise, sunset..........swiftly flow the days, seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze......"

Snaw?

2011-12-21T23:16:00.003-06:00

Happy Winter, everyone!!!

I've been searching on -line the last few minutes, trying to find a nice poem about Winter. I didn't find one that I really liked, so have decided to share this funny bit of poetry instead: It was written in 1781 by a certain Robert Burns....

"The wintry west extends his blast,
And hail and rain does blaw;
Or the stormy north sends driving forth
The blinding sleet and snaw...."

I believe that's supposed to be BLOW and SNOW, but it does sound much funnier the way it's written, don't you think? :)

People need the Lord...

2011-12-20T22:52:00.003-06:00

There are so many hurting people in this world, so many people that could have so much more peace in their lives if they only knew that God loves them and wants them to follow His ways---ways of goodness and life and joy and peace!

Over my supper break at work tonight, I listened as a young woman told me of her life, the fear and frustrations she has. You'd never guess by looking at this woman that she had such feelings inside. You just never know what someone else may be going through....

Just now, I read an e-mail from a friend who is going through a hard time. Yet, you'd probably not guess what heartache she's experiencing just by reading her blog. You just never know what someone else may be going through....

So, please be kind to those around you. Please show them God's love. After all, you just never know what someone else may be going through. Behind that smile, there may be a lot of tears in the reserve tank for future emptying.........

I'm so glad that God knows what we're going through all the time, aren't you? He is so good to us!

Eggnog~

2011-12-19T17:51:00.002-06:00

For the few of you that DO enjoy eggnog, :) I thought I'd share the recipe I used yesterday:

HOLIDAY EGGNOG

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
salt
4 cups hot milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
freshly ground nutmeg

Beat 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks; add 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir into milk slowly. Cook in double boiler until mixture coats silver spoon, stirring constantly. Place in pan of cold water to cool. Beat egg whites and dash of salt until stiff peaks form. Add remaining sugar. Add egg white mixture and vanilla to milk mixture. Chill for 4 hours. Spoon lightly in punch cups; sprinkle with nutmeg. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Wait! Is it Spring already?

2011-12-18T22:25:00.004-06:00

It was absolutely gorgeous outside today--in the mid 40s! The sun was shining; the birds singing; the snow all melting.....I even got some mud on my shoes when I took a box of rags I'd cut over to the shop. :) Oh, and besides all that, we've had some very early arrivals in the cattle department yesterday and today! Two of Dad's cows had calves and one of mine had TWINS!!! I thanked God several times today for the lovely weather for those little babies. If they can just get dried off and get up and going, they should hopefully be able to make it through the Winter alright..... Unless, of course, we've just skipped Winter altogether this year, which would be fine with me, except I don't have any seeds ordered for the garden yet!

Our 3 guys worked out in the shop almost all day and are about ready to put Andrew's motor in his car. I think Dad was also working on the 1486 tractor.

Mom and I worked in the house most of the day, working on odd projects that needed doing. I cleaned out my top "Miscellaneous" dresser drawer and got that all organized, which took a while! Mom did several sessions and we both worked together on laundry and dishes... I baked some Peanut Blossom cookies and made a pitcher full of eggnog. Yummy!
Several of my coworkers (at the nursing home) and I got to talking about eggnog one day and I was surprised to find out that so many of them did not like it!! So, I thought it would be fun to take a blog poll, just to find out if this is a nation-wide trend (people not liking eggnog as much as I think they would) or if it's just a Napoleon thing? :)

I'd appreciate if you'd please vote on the poll on my side-bar!

Just got home from meetin'...

2011-12-17T23:06:00.002-06:00

...only this meetin' wasn't quite a church meetin', although pretty close. :) We attended the 2nd of 3 "Constitutional classes" being taught by our friend, Mr. S. tonight in Napoleon. There was just a small number of us in attendance again, but there were some good discussions going and we, once again, learned more than we knew before about our country and the people who are trying to run it now. It is sad to learn of all that's been going on while we are quietly minding our own businesses, trying to enjoy a peaceful life. It is good to learn of hope though too! Together, and with a lot of God's help, we CAN make a difference!!!

The ND field coordinator for the Ron Paul society was also there---a young man, probably not much older than my brother, Andrew. He and Andrew seemed to really enjoy each others' company, and perhaps they'll be working together more in the future..... This young man gave us some bumper-magnets and a couple of cookbooks that Mrs. Paul made, using their familys' own favorite recipes. She also wrote their family history and added that to the pages of the book, along with several pictures of their family over the years. I thought that was a very neat idea!

There is another meeting planned on January 3rd at the Bismarck Public Library (with Mr. Brown from Montana speaking), so it would be great if our ND friends could make it to that! Let me know if you'd like more info......

The rest of our day was pretty quite, until right now, that is, as Lady just started howling! We rested; sang hymns; listened to a DVD message by Mr. Ed Stevens; and played pool in the nice, warm shop. :)

Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep now, although it could be difficult with a hound dog howling loudly right outside the house!

The project I said I'd tell you about...

2011-12-16T20:14:00.003-06:00

You may (or may not!) remember that I wrote in an earlier post about how I worked on a project while Mother was still in Canada, but that I didn't want to tell you about it until she saw it? Well, she found it (the next morning after she got home)---and was she surprised!

The project:
The room (pictured below) used to be another small bathroom, but when Mother was so ill, our guys took the sink, small tub and toilet out so as to be able to fit the nice, big Whirlpool tub in for Mom to soak in as needed. Well, at that time, we had also peeled off most of the old, falling off wallpaper in there. We never got around to painting it though (and my mom probably wouldn't have been able to handle the paint fumes back then anyway).

This little room has proven very useful to many of us in times of sickness or in cases of severely aching muscles! It was a complete eye-sore however.

Want to SEE? Look below:

At this point, Jacob and I'd already put some plastic up to protect the tub... Yuck! Just look at those walls.

The first step was to wash off the rest of the old wallpaper and spots of moldy, mildewy stuff. Then, that had to dry a while. I also put some spackling in the cracks and small holes in the wall. Eventually, I was able to paint on the "Morning Dew blue" and "Nutmeg pink". :)

I took this pictures while the paint was still wet that night:
As you can see, there is some old, water-proof paneling in the bathroom too which still needs some help. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I left it for the time being....

The room is so small that it was hard to get a decent picture!
The bathroom is by no means picture-perfect, but it is a lot better now, if I do say so myself. ;)

This has been a nice, quite day. Dad and Andrew were gone from 5:00Am 'til 8:00PM, driving to Aberdeen, South Dakota and then to St. Cloud, Minnesota for car parts. They were pretty tired tonight!

Jacob fed the cows both times today and helped Mom with cleaning the house.

I helped with cleaning some too, and cooking, and then this afternoon, I went over to our neighbors' house to babysit one of the twins while Kristi took her other son to the Dr. to have his broken arm examined. Poor little man! He's quite the trooper though and didn't seem to let his arm slow him down too much! I had fun with James (after he woke up from his nap, that is) and was surprised by how much he talks already, as I hadn't been over there in a while.... (We enjoyed reading your Holiday letter very much, Kristi! You are a very creative writer. :) )

And that, was our day. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

* PS. Just a friendly reminder to my friends AND family that the next JBS constitutional lesson/meeting is tomorrow evening at 7:00. *

Caring for little people--and bigger people...

2011-12-15T23:16:00.002-06:00

I headed East early this morning to work at Helen's Daycare again (as Helen had a meeting to attend) and then a little before 2:00, I left there and headed for work at the nursing home again. It was a long day, but thankfully I'm not as tired as I thought I'd be. :)

Guess what I'll be doing in the morning? Yes, milking Sally. Andrew and Dad are leaving early (about 5:00AM) and heading for MN to get some parts for Andrews' Charger. They don't expect to be home until after evening chores tomorrow night, so Jacob will be doing the cow feeding and Mom and I are taking turns doing the milking; feeding grain to the calves/heifers/bulls; making sure everyone has water; and taking care of the goats. Oh yes, and feeding the cats and dogs too....

I'd better get some sleep!

Can't think of a title...

2011-12-14T23:04:00.002-06:00

...Maybe it's because I'm tired? Maybe I should just get some sleep.... :)

I got home from work a bit ago; showered; and visited with Mother for a few minutes before she headed for bed. We have a new CNA on board now (as of yesterday) and I just met her today. She seems really nice and like a hard worker too. Hooray!

I need to get up early in the morning so as to be able to babysit at Helens again. Hopefully the roads will be good then. They were pretty slippery on my way into town this afternoon. " 'Tis the season.... Tra-la-la-la-laaaa La-la La-la."

Good night everyone.~

"Cora.....Cowa....Dora....Coooooowaa......Corrrra......"

2011-12-13T22:20:00.003-06:00

Those are the many variations of my name that I responded to today while caring for 13 small children over the coarse of the day (4 of them were school-aged, so came later in the day on the bus.) :)

Several of those little ones sure know how to melt my heart! For instance, one of the little girls (who is just starting to talk now) kept coming up to me, looking up at me with big brown eyes; pacifier in mouth; hair in a pigtail, reaching her arms up towards me. Who could resist such cuteness? Not I!

Then, one of the little boys came and plopped himself in my lap while I was on the floor playing with them. What joy! There were some not-so joyous troubles to work through too, naturally, but we all made it through the day without anyone getting seriously injured. :)

I'm guessing the guys worked on Andrew's car and maybe the tractor today? I don't really know.

Mom got unpacked and settled in at home again. Then she had a client come out this afternoon.

Life here on earth is good, but I especially thank the Lord for His precious gift of eternal life, as that is even "Gooder". ;)

Mother is home...

2011-12-12T23:05:00.002-06:00

...safe and sound. She arrived at about 9:30 this evening. We looked at pictures from her trip and then looked at all her pretty Canadian money. :) She had a wonderful time and is glad to be home too!

The rest of us worked on special projects today. I don't want to write about mine yet, as I haven't shown it to Mother yet. I'm waiting for her to find it on her own....

The guys were happy tonight because they were able to save about $500 by fixing something on the 9030 tractor themselves. They had asked the local machinery shop to get our tractor in to be fixed about 2 months ago, but they've been so busy that they've not been able to do it yet... In the meantime, we've gotten our shop heated, so the guys fixed the tractor on their own, thereby saving all the money they would have spent to have it repaired in the Kintyre shop.

It's been a good day! Be looking for project pictures in the near future----whenever Mom discovers what "It" is. :)

Busy evening....

2011-12-11T23:10:00.002-06:00

After cleaning some and doing laundry this morning, and after making (and eating) tacos for lunch, I went to work in town at the nursing home. For the second half of the shift (which is the busiest, with getting everyone ready for bed), we worked short, so the 3 of us were very ready to head home tonight! Thankfully, that doesn't happen often!

I'm not sure what the guys all did today. I do know they were doing some maintenance on vehicles this morning. They're all in bed now though, so I don't know what else happened here today. Mother will be coming home tomorrow evening, so prayers again for a safe flight would be wonderful!!!

It will be nice to be all together as a family again.~

Guess what we did on this lovely day?

2011-12-10T21:38:00.006-06:00

....You still have time to guess, as I'll post some older pictures first. :)

Did you know that goats love eating banana peelings? Well, they do---amongst other things...

Here are the promised pictures of our pretty-much-finished shop project:

We're really enjoying being able to use the small side-door the guys put in instead of having to open the big door for everything....

This afternoon, while playing a few games of pool, we put a tea-kettle on the wood burner and made ourselves some nice, steamy hot chocolate. :) The guys and I were saying that we've probably spent more time in the shop this last week than we have in the house! It's such a good feeling to have such a nice, bright and warm place for the guys to work in all Winter!!!

I didn't take a picture of the shop today, (after the guys worked in there all day yesterday) but it looks more organized than in the above picture, with things put back in their places.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, have you guessed yet what we did today for fun----and exercise?

Here's a pretty easy hint:

Yes-----we went ice skating/hockey playing, up in the North pasture!

First, we had to push a little snow around. It wasn't too bad really.

Dad joined us younger people on the ice....

We found out that we're a bit on the rusty side of things!

We also found out that the little black puck can really sail far on a smooth surface!

"Get it, brother!"

We all landed on the ice at least once (and some of us a bit more than that), although in the picture below, Andrew was just resting his ankles....

That's me:

The boys..... Our "Goal" was the small opening between the snow piles (where Jacob is standing.)

We have plans for getting an ice rink set up here at home, but have been too busy with the shop project to work on that project. Plus, it hasn't really been all that cold.....thankfully!

We talked to Mom again a little bit this evening and it sounds like she's having a really great time there. Hopefully she'll be ready to come home when the time comes to leave. :)

At Calgary...

2011-12-09T22:26:00.004-06:00

Mother is now in Calgary, Alberta Canada. She said her flights went very well, the one plane being very crowded and the next very empty. She's trying to adjust to using Canadian money currently and said the coins were a little confusing... I hope her Canadian bed is soft and comfortable tonight. :) Tomorrow the class starts, so Mom is very excited---now that the plane ride is over with, for the time being.....

Here at home, Dad went "Up North" this morning and loaded a load of hay that he sold down South again. He and the boys worked in the shop the rest of the day, except for when Jacob came in and helped cut up some apples and set the table.....

Andrew's very happy because he was able to get his Sheriff car indoors and he's started tearing it apart already. Dad and Jacob moved the pool-table over to its permanent location and got it leveled out (and played a few games too, so I hear...).

Meanwhile in the house, I was very busy cleaning and cooking. I worked quite a while on cleaning the laundry room and pantry, as they were very out of sorts! For supper, I made chicken enchiladas (with freshly made tortilla shells), apple raisin salad, and fruit pizza. Yummy! Want to drop in and have a bite? I made a big pan full.... ;)

It's all done--mostly!

2011-12-08T21:40:00.004-06:00

This morning, we all worked together to finish painting the inside of the shop. Mom took several pictures, but I think her camera may still be out in the shop? At any rate, I don't have it here, so don't have pictures to share yet...

The guys installed the small door this afternoon. Now they just need to insulate the big door and then they should be toasty warm in there all Winter! :) The dogs really enjoy being in the shop now also and cozy up by the wood burner pretty easily. What a dream come true this is for the guys---to be able to work out in the shop during the cold months (and not to freeze while out there) while they have spare time on their hands. All the warmer months are so full of farming activities that they don't really have time for special shop projects. It will be fun to see what they all do out there this Winter!

Mother and Jacob went to town this afternoon (Jacob drove :) ), as Mom needed some cash for her journey and also wanted to put up fliers all over town about the 2nd "Constitutional" meeting that will be held in Napoleon on December 17th (at 7:00PM, FYI at Ray's Cabinet shop---using the side door, because if you come in the front door, you'll run into his entertainment center!) Everyone is most welcome to come join us there!!! Please come! Our friend, Mr. Stevens will be presenting the important and interesting information....... There will also be a meeting in Bismarck that my Mom has helped set up sometime in the beginning of January, so let us know if you'd be interested in coming to that one and one of us will get you more specific details.

While the Mom and Jacob were gone, I spent quite a bit of time cutting up old, stained clothes for shop rags. The guys are constantly going through rags out there, using them to clean up oily and greasy parts and pieces----and hands....... I cut up 3 bags full, so that should last them a while!

The rest of the afternoon/evening was mainly spent in getting Mother packed up and ready to leave early in the morning. She will be flying to Canada to take a BT health class that she's wanted to take for 4 years already. She's pretty excited (about the class) AND nervous about flying by herself out of the country to a place where she knows nobody but the teacher, so prayers for safe travels and pleasant company would be greatly appreciated I'm sure!!! She'll be gone until late Monday night.

And that, dear friends, was how this day was spent.

Wishing you all a great Friday,
~Cora

A little splattering of white....

2011-12-07T23:20:00.002-06:00

All five of us worked on painting the plywood in the shop this morning. By lunch time, we were half done with the shop and several of us had quite a few little white polka dots all over our faces and hands/arms! We were using rollers (a couple on sticks to reach the higher areas), and 'though those are nice, they do splatter little drops of paint in every direction! I'm not sure how far the rest of my family got out there today as, after noon, I headed for work in town. Dad headed for Bismarck then to return the scissor-lift. Mom, I know, had a session here at the farm for a client. The boys were going to work on moving everything from one side of the shop to the other so we could paint the other half...... I'll try to get pictures tomorrow---before I get my hands all painty again! :)

A kitchen full of food....

2011-12-06T23:20:00.003-06:00

....Yep, that's what I came home to tonight after working in town!

My mom picked up the Azure order on her way to Bismarck this morning, then bought a few more things at Sams this evening. Apparently, she got home late and so carried everything in and set it in the kitchen to put away tomorrow. Thus---the kitchen FULL of food! Yes, I am very thankful for it too. :)

I spent part of the morning out in the shop, helping put up the last of the plywood sheeting. Mom brought the trailer from the Rent-All place home so the guys can take the scissor-lift back in the morning. It looks like they were able to do some painting in the shop too, as there are paint brushes and trays in the kitchen tonight as well. :)

And that was our day, as much as I know of it....

I will leave you with a thought to ponder from my favorite flip-calender:

"God never puts any person in a place too small to grow in."

PS. The coyotes just started howling like crazy. It's so nice to be safe at home....

Another full day away...

2011-12-05T22:56:00.002-06:00

I got up early this morning and headed for Helen's Daycare to watch the children so she could go with her husband to Bismarck for appointments. Another lady came and took over at 1:40 so that I could quickly change and drive into town (Helens' house is a few miles out of Napoleon) and be in time to work my PM shift at the nursing home. I'm pretty tired tonight and am glad I can sleep in a little bit in the morning! :)

The others worked out in the shop again today. They said that if they have one more good day, they should be done with the sheeting and then can take back the scissor-lift. Then they will put in a small door on the front side of the shop; insulate the large shop door; paint all the sheeting white; move their bench back in place............ There still is lots to do, but we are grateful for the progress that's been made---safely!

I will leave you now with the "Good Clean Funnies" joke of the day.

It's called: Live and Learn

Psychiatry students were in their Emotional Extremes class.
"Let's set some parameters," the professor said. "What's the
opposite of joy?" he asked one student.

"Sadness," he replied.

"The opposite of depression?" he asked another student.

"Elation," he replied.

"The opposite of woe?" the prof asked a young woman from
Texas.

The Texan replied, "Sir, I believe that would be giddyup."

More shop progress....

2011-12-04T21:40:00.004-06:00

I didn't take pictures today, but we did get a lot done in the shop once again. All 5 of us worked in there for most of the day, so we were able to get more insulation up; we got the guys' work-bench cleaned off most of the way and pulled out from the wall; took down more plywood from the wall so as to be able to put insulation behind it; then we put up more plywood over the insulation. :) We were so busy, we didn't even play pool today!

It snowed about 2 inches worth of white stuff this afternoon and evening. It's beginning to look a lot like Winter!

Well, it sounds like Dad's about done talking on the phone with his dad, so we'll be finishing our Bonanza here shortly before heading for bed...

Yep, he's done. So, good bye friends, and good night.~

Recent pictures of the shop project:

2011-12-03T22:03:00.004-06:00

The following photos are from yesterdays work.

Dad took this one of my brothers and I on the scissor-lift......

...and in this one, we're actually working. :)

Jacob swept up all the wood chips/dust from the floor before we set up the pool table.

I never realized there were so many pieces in a pool table! Here, Dad and Andrew are tightening up the stand:

Then, they tried to make the outside frame more square than it was before....

Jacob, working on bolting in the "Slate".

Andrew, mounting the ball return...

After all that was screwed and bolted together, we put the stand on top and attached that. Then all 4 of us carefully tipped the table right side up.

Andrew vacuumed the table-top carefully while Dad leveled it out...

...and then we played a game before chores. :)

We played several more games this afternoon. Mother came out after a while and won a couple games.... :)

What joy it is to be a part of a fun family!

Shop success...

2011-12-02T22:32:00.004-06:00

After helping Mother with house-cleaning a bit, I headed out to the shop once again to help my dad and brothers with the insulating project. Today, we finished putting the sheeting up on the West half of the shop! It looks so much nicer than it did before---plus it's so much warmer as well. We did get a good deal of wood dust in our faces as we pounded pretty much upside-down on the slanted part of the ceiling. I'm so grateful for the scissor-lift though, as I can't even imagine trying to pound nails in while standing on a ladder or a make-shift scaffolding....

To celebrate the progress that's been made, we spent about an hours worth of time setting up the pool table (in the shop). It was all in pieces as the guys had needed to take it apart to get it up the stairs of the gentlemans' basement.... Once it was rebuilt and leveled out nicely, we played one game----------and quickly realized how much room we have for improvement. I ended up with the lowest score, a total of 3 points. :)

It is so fun to play games together as a family. I'd love to hear of your favorite games to play if you have a moment to write!

It was a full day away...

2011-12-01T23:55:00.005-06:00

...and right now I'm thankful for a nice, warm, soft, comfortable bed to rest on each night!

I left the house this morning at 8:00 and didn't get back until 11:00 tonight. The reason? I was taking care of people--large and small!

I watched and cared for 10 small children at Helen's from 8:30AM to 1:30PM (so she could attend her aunts' funeral), then headed straight for the Napoleon Care Center (the nursing home) for an 8 1/2 hour shift. It got to be a long day, but I always really enjoy spending time with the children, so adding that onto my regular work in town was not too burdensome. :)

I am tired however, so shall retire shortly!

Good night.~

Day #30!

2011-11-30T22:43:00.004-06:00

Well, my dear friends, can you believe that the "30 Days of Thankfulness" are up? I can not, and, well......do not, as I believe every day should be a day to give thanks to the Lord for His blessings (and blessings-in-disguise). Why stop at 30 days, right?

The official "Thankfulness challenge" is done though, as tomorrow is the first day of December and November will be officially over! Thank you to my dear friend, Rachel, for inspiring others to give more regular thanks for the things we are grateful for. :)

I am thankful tonight for the safety my Heavenly Father has granted us over the years as we do many dangerous jobs here on the farm!

I am also grateful for my earthly father and mothers' protection of our safety: spiritually, mentally, emotionally......., as well as their looking out for our physical safety...

For example:

You saw in my previous shop-project post the method we were using to get the insulation up in the walls (by way of a brave young man on a very tall ladder, and a very long stick/broom). Well, the ladder worked ok for that job, but when it comes to hammering up plywood on a slanted ceiling, a ladder does not sound like the safest thing to be standing on!

Soooo, my dad decided to play it safe and rent a scissor-lift for a week so we can finish up this project in a much safer way. Hooray! :)

When the guys went to Bismarck this morning, not only did they bring home more plywood and the lift, they also came back with a dream-come-true tool chest that they'd bought (which will come in very handy as they clean off their workbench in the next few days), and a (free!) pool table that Jacob saw an ad on BisMan for... The table does not have any cues or balls with it, so the boys are now keeping their eyes open for those items. Mother grew up playing pool with her dad, so she's really quite good and will probably beat us all at it! :)

But, back to the shop...

Millie and Lady seem to be enjoying the new warmth of the shop as much as we are! (That's the wood stove to the left of them.)

FYI: When working with insulation, it is a very good idea to wear a mask! See all of the dust I didn't breath in?

After part of an afternoons' work, we now have almost all of the West side of the shop insulated! Double hooray!!

Well friends, it's been lots of fun telling you about the things I'm grateful for these past 30 days. It would be even more fun, however, to hear from you!

I'm sure you could tell me quite a list of things!~

Little people say the sweetest things, sometimes!

2011-11-30T09:02:00.002-06:00

A man, in a hurry taking his eight-year-old son to school,
made a turn at a red light where it was prohibited.

"Uh-oh, I just made an illegal turn!" the man said.

"Aw, Dad, it's okay," the son said. "The police car right
behind us did the same thing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Little Johnny's mother was having difficulty gulping down
the birthday cake he had made for her as a surprise. When
she was finished, Little Johnny happily exclaimed,

"I'm so glad you like it, Mommy. There should have been 32
candles on the cake, but they were all gone when I took it
out of the oven."

Day #29~

2011-11-29T21:00:00.003-06:00

I am so very thankful tonight that God provided such nice weather (nice, for the end of November, that is!), as we worked our calves this morning/afternoon. Towards the end of the day, we were getting cold and our fingers were getting numb, but it could have been a LOT worse, so we are grateful! Hopefully next year, we'll get this job done a bit earlier in the year?

Anyway, thank you to those of you who prayed for us as we worked! There were a couple injuries (Jerome got kicked in the hand by a cow and Dad on his shin by a calf), but the bruises are on the minor side of things, so that is a blessing.

Here are some of the calves, needing to be worked...

We were also so very grateful that Jerome came and helped us! Here he and Andrew are waiting for Dad to bring the next calf up the alley way. Andrew's main job was catching the calves and he did a great at it this time---not missing any of the 121 calves we did!

Dad brought the calves up from the small pen at the end of the alley... ...and then banded them. Jacob kept the bander loaded and handed Dad the special knife when needed. We band the bull calves in the Fall, as we've learned that they grow better as bulls than they do as steers.

Mother and Jerome were the main shot-givers, although Jacob and I filled in when necessary...

"Caught'cha!"

I had the job of writing down the calves #, color, gender, etc...; mixing up more vaccine as needed; and tagging any calves that needed a new earring. :)

We have 3 baby calves that were born this Fall sometime. They were too small to catch in the head-gate, so we caught them by hand and "Worked" them. This little guy was quite spry and, though it probably didn't take 3 of us to hold him down, we (my brothers and I) all did so anyway!

Jerome and Jacob, checking out my record-keeping system. :)

The calves on this side of the corralling are "Done".

And now, we can scratch "WORK CALVES" off our to-do list, for another season.

Day #28!

2011-11-28T23:08:00.002-06:00

Please pray for us tomorrow as we will be working our calves.... My dad's cousin, Jerome will be coming to help, so that's a blessing for which to be thankful for!

Speaking of cattle, I was so glad to be able to make my cattle-loan payment today!!! Now I just need to be able to make my operating loan payment in Feb. and I'll be good for another year (the sale of this years' calves should easily be able to cover that, Lord willing and all, of course)....

I worked in town again this afternoon/evening and was glad to meet our new CNA, as a couple of my coworkers have quit in the last couple months and we need the help! She said she knew where I lived and every time she drives by our place, she wants to stop and swing on our huge swingset. :) I said she was more than welcome to do so!

Well, I'd best get some sleep now as tomorrow will be a very busy day, I'm sure.

Blessings to you all~

Cora

Day #27...

2011-11-27T10:33:00.006-06:00

I am thankful tonight for the gift of kindness! I was the recipient today of such an act of generosity, when the sister-in-law of one of our residents asked me today if I would like a silk jumper that she had no use for anymore? I said I would be pleased to accept it, so she came over again later with not only a soft, black jumper, but a silky pink blouse to go with it! I thanked her ever so much and gave her a hug... :) This is the 4th of such acts of kindness (someone giving me skirts/dresses/blouses) since I've begun working in town. I feel truly blessed!

I am also thankful that Blogger uploaded my pictures this morning without any problems! Are you ready for a tour of the shop-project?

First, the guys picked the spot where they wanted to divide the shop (so there is a smaller area to heat), and they built a wall there...
They left room for a door too! They put up some plastic...

...then a bunch of chip-board.... Jacob and I did a lot of the hammering for this part of the wall.

Andrew had to direct Dad so he knew where to cut the door frame out at. :)

Jacob, smacking the nails in....

"Now it's starting to look like a wall!"

Even without insulation in the walls, the wood stove that the guys installed was keeping the inside temp. about 20 degrees warmer than outside.

See that white thing in the background of this picture? That's our wall--with a door even! Mother and Jacob did most of the painting there, while Dad and Andrew insulated the wall and put another layer of chip-board on the other side of it. Dad wants all the walls painted white in there to reflect as much light as possible so they can see while they're working!

Next step=insulate the walls! Before we could start insulating however, the guys had to take down the plywood that was on the sides of the walls:

Jacob and I hammered out the nails so the plywood could be used again...

Dad filled the cracks along the edges with "Great Stuff".

Finally, it was time to begin putting up the insulation in the walls---a rather itchy job, I must say! It took 4 of us to get the long pieces installed....

It's a good thing Andrew's not scared of heights!!!

....and this is how far we got (except we did put up a few pieces of plywood on the left side there)! Before we can put up more insulation, the guys have to tear apart some built-in storage shelves, and their work bench, and then take down the plywood that's behind there. This project will take quite a bit more time, but it's great to be getting a start on it! The guys have dreamed of having a heated shop again ever since we moved here 8 years ago.

Some dreams really do come true!

Day #26~

2011-11-26T22:44:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe November is nearly over! I've found I'm thankful for so many things---many more than just 30. :)

As I do need to pick just one thing tonight though, I'll say that I'm very thankful for good, wholesome games to play together as a family! We all spent a good portion of the afternoon playing Andrew's farming board game, "Agricola"---with the expansion. It was pretty complex with all the new pieces added into the game, but Andrew must have got it figured out, as he won by quite a long shot! I think our family's favorite game is still "Settlers of Catan"---with a couple expansions....

I'm also grateful for a day of rest on which to spend time together as a family, relaxing; worshiping God; studying His word; and just plain old having fun. :)

It sounds like there's another very busy week ahead of us now........ I'm thankful for rest, and for work! Without one, the other would get quite old, don't you think?

Day #25...

2011-11-25T23:14:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful tonight for tools! I spent the afternoon in the shop with the guys, working on insulating the building so as to be able to keep it very warm in there this Winter and let me tell you, tools come in very handy!

My dad and brothers installed a wood burner and had it going all day, so it was pleasant in the shop. :) I'm working on loading pictures of the project here, but for some reason, it's not working as it should, so the pictures will have to wait a while..........

Day #24---an extra special thankful day!

2011-11-24T23:30:00.003-06:00

I am thankful for photos (and memories) of the good old days....

I hope your Thanksgiving was as pleasant as mine!

After spending the morning in the kitchen with Mother, we ate a regular feast! The turkey was tender; the potatoes and browned butter hit the spot; the cranberry sauce was tasty, as always; the dressing, delicious; the pies-----well, they weren't quite cool enough to eat yet, so we had some cake instead!

I did eat a piece of pie when I got home from work in town tonight though!

Oh, and these are our turkeys on Thanksgiving day: If they knew about what happens to most turkeys this time of year, they'd be most thankful that they're 4 years old already and too tough to be appetizing! :)

This is part of what I did in the kitchen this morning:

I took this cake along to work to share at the potluck meal.... One of my coworkers liked it so much that she took 3 pictures of it on her phone and then was showing the pictures to everybody. :)

It was a lovely day and I'm so very thankful for the MANY blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us all!!!!!!!!!

Day #23~

2011-11-23T23:18:00.003-06:00

I think I've probably already said how thankful I am for my family, but I'm just so thankful for my family!!! None of us are perfect, true, but we do work together so well and accomplish many things while having some fun at the same time..... :)

Mother and I cleaned our entryway this morning as it was in desperate need of attention again (tons of potatoes and carrots out there, plus a couple boxes of apples yet, and beets, and honey pails, and....). It looks MUCH tidier now!

The guys meanwhile were working on building their wall in the shop. I went out and helped hammer nails in the plywood for about an hour before heading to town to work at the nursing home. Jacob and I were surprised how out of practice we were, but we did improve by the end of the hour. :)

My parents made a trip up to Bismarck later this afternoon for more building supplies (more plywood and lots of insulation). I hear they just barely got home before me tonight.

It was lovely outside and the temp. even climbed up into the 50s! We are so THANKFUL for the lovely weather this Fall......

Now here's wishing you all a beautiful THANKSGIVING day tomorrow! I pray you find many things for which to be especially thankful for this year. I will be spending a good portion of the day with my elderly friends and younger coworkers at the nursing home.

Day #22------

2011-11-22T22:53:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful for beautiful, peaceful music, like this song:

...and this one:

...and these songs too!

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."
~Psalms 40:1-3

Day #21~

2011-11-21T22:32:00.006-06:00

I'M SO ^THANKFUL^ FOR THE LORD'S GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE!!!!!!

Amen!

We had a really nice day, getting some projects done that needed doing (the guys worked in the shop, getting ready to build a wall so they can insulate and then heat the shop for the long Winter months! Mom and I made another batch of apple sauce/juice and I made a batch of Freezer Tomato Sauce and worked on taking the tops off of more carrots.)

This evening, we all went into Napoleon for the first of several John Birch Society meetings (our friend, Chris S. from Jamestown is teaching the class) and it was SOOO good! Our country has drifted so far from obeying the great constitution that it began with, but there is still hope that things can be turned around! If the good men (and women) of this country will work together, then there is hope indeed! As we know, "Evil prospers when good men do nothing!"

We had hoped there would be more people than the 9 of us there attending, but we ended up getting into some good discussions and are excited to get together again next month. I learned a lot and hope others will join us for the next meeting (tentatively scheduled for Dec. 17th at 7:00PM in Napoleon also....) Let me know if you'd like more information!

Day #20...

2011-11-20T22:07:00.003-06:00

My family went and spent the day with my Bornemann relatives, playing games; visiting; and eating.

I came down with a cold yesterday though and didn't want to spread that around (plus I just didn't feel up to going visiting!), so I stayed home. I cleaned up the house a bit; did a little laundry; rested for a while; then watched the first half of Anne (of Green Gables). :) I am thankful that I didn't need to work in town today so that I could just take it easy and hopefully get over this bug soon! Plus, this way, I was home to do the milking so the others could stay later than usual. All things work together for good.....

A friend of mine asked how the cake I made (in the shape of a hexagon) would be cut? Well, I guess you can cut it just about any way you like, but if you want to do it the CORRECT way, you can choose between the 2 different methods shown at this site and this site. I thought I'd share this here, just in case any of the rest of you were curious about cutting cakes...... :)

I pray you all have a wonderful week,

~Cora

Day #19!

2011-11-19T22:45:00.003-06:00

....for cake!

Just think about it.... What would the world be like without cake to celebrate special events with? I know my mom wouldn't mind (she's on a grain-free diet right now), but most people like their cake! :)

My grandma asked me to make a cake for the get-together she's having at their apartment tomorrow. I had thought she said it was a Thanksgiving get-together, so, as she said I could decorate the cake any way I liked, I started with a harvest theme. Then, while in the busy middle-ness of decorating this afternoon, Mother talked to Grandma on the phone and learned that it was kind of a birthday celebration for Grandma, SO, Grandma is going to have a Thanksgiving-ish birthday cake this year!!!

I hope she doesn't mind!~

Day #18.

2011-11-18T23:32:00.004-06:00

I am thankful for warmth!

The warmth of a cozy home.

The warmth of a family living contentedly together!

The warmth of hot chocolate...

The warmth of my blue, fuzzy robe.

The warmth of the cold, Autumn/Winter time---when you're inside, looking out. :)

The warmth of communicating with an old friend...

The warmth of God's love, shining through others.

I am thankful for warmth!

Day #17~

2011-11-17T22:09:00.003-06:00

I am thankful for patience! Really and truly, I am! Without patience, this world would be a not so very nice place to live in, agreed? :)

I enjoy caring for children, it is true, but there ARE times when they can test your patience levels to the utmost... As I cared for 10 small children (4 and under) from 9 AM to 3:30PM and then 4 more when the school bus came, until their parents came gradually to pick them up, it was a busy day! One young boy there especially tries everyones' patience, which is why I thank the Lord for giving myself and the other children there the patience to show to him. ;)

I am so glad that God is patient with us, His children, as I'm sure we frustrate Him exceedingly at times!

Day #16...

2011-11-16T22:48:00.002-06:00

I am thankful for good health! Last night, I wasn't feeling so good after shooing cows loudly in the cold air for nearly 3 hours, but thankfully, the Lord strengthened me and helped the vitamins and garlic to work and I feel fine tonight. PTL!

It was a busy day once again, and it snowed again. There still isn't much snow that stayed, so it still feels like Autumn.

I worked in town again. Tomorrow I'll be babysitting at Helens' again.

My dad hauled grain again and loaded a hay semi again.

Mother did 4 sessions on people here at home again.

Andrew and Jacob (and Dad and I) worked on fixing up the fence again.

It was a good day. :)

The end~

Day #15~

2011-11-15T20:51:00.002-06:00

Tonight, I am thankful that God kept Jacob and I safe while we ran around and around and around for nearly 3 hours, trying to get our cows back in the fence after they broke out. Half the time it was dark out, so driving around on a 4-wheeler and dirt bike could have been dangerous indeed! We ended up herding them all into our East pasture. The cornfield they had been in just had electric wire around it, and they decided not to respect the wire today. It was quite windy out and snowing a bit, so that's probably why they wanted to get out.

We also spent a good portion of our morning making bread, and most of afternoon topping carrots and sorting through them.... Mom and Jacob were in Bismarck and our dad was gone trucking and then had to load up another load of hay to sell to a farmer in Texas.

Please pray that Jacob and I stay well, as I don't feel so good right now, plus I'm a bit hoarse from hollering.......

Day #14~

2011-11-14T23:51:00.004-06:00

Today, I am so very thankful for the talents that the Lord has placed in each and every one of us! May we know how to use them for His glory!

This evening, my mom, Andrew and I made the 60 mile journey to Bismarck to watch and listen to a group of talented actors and singers from Chicago who put on the play, "Fiddler on the Roof"! It was SOOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!!! I will remember it for ever, if my memory holds out that long. :)

There were so many "Favorite" songs to listen too:

"Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as we gaze......."

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!
Find me a find, catch me a catch.
Night after night in the dark I'm alone,
So find me a match of my own......."

"Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older,
When did they???".......

The choreography was terrific and all the twirly, long skirts were so cute.... Tevye was an especially interesting character and the actor quickly endeared himself to the audience. It was a wonderful evening!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was something that took place earlier in the day too though that I'm very grateful for---that being that my brother, Jacob passed his driving test and now sports a brand new drivers' license. :) "Congratulations, Jacob Austin!" Now, just watch out for those deer!

Let's just say it's been a great day!

Day #13: Today I am:

2011-11-13T23:12:00.003-06:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel so blessed and encouraged when I read the comments you, my friends, leave me! :) I love reading your blogs as well and receiving and sharing ideas..... YOU are a JOY in my LIFE!

Farm update:

Jerome helped us dig/box/bag the last of the potatoes this morning and then we started on the carrot rows. I had to go work in town this afternoon and only recently returned. I hear that the others worked on carrots more this afternoon....

Brother update:

If you would say a quick prayer on Jacob's behalf tomorrow, I'm sure he would appreciate it, as he's going to be taking the driving test to try and get his license. I'm sure he'll do well. :)

Weather update:

It's cooling off each day it seems. I think my dad said the high for Wednesday is supposed to be 28F degrees! The ground is still green/brown though, and we are enjoying each Autumn day!

CNA update:

We lost one of our residents today, due to a blood clot I hear. It was quite a sudden thing. So sad........... It just goes to show that life is a fragile thing and we must be ready to go at any given moment!

Kitchen update:

We need to bake bread.

Random update:

Pickled Jalapenos are very good in potato soup!

Personal update:

I am tired and need to go to bed.

The end.~

Day #12...

2011-11-12T23:00:00.003-06:00

Today is a very easy day to think of something (or rather, I should say, someone) to be grateful for, as this guy:

...turned 21 years old! :)

My dad's cousin, Jerome, joined us for the celebration of Andrew's life. Jerome actually fed his sheep plenty this morning, so is spending the night with us tonight. We had a pleasant afternoon, playing games; visiting; eating; and we watched a movie (about pioneers and Native Americans) this evening....

Mother, cutting the boys' cake. (Sadly, I must admit that, NO, I did not make the cake. Mother knew that I'd be too busy with babysitting and all, so she bought one in Bismarck.)

Jacob's birthday was actually last Saturday, as you probably remember, but seeing as Mother and Andrew were gone all that day in Fargo (learning what must be done to become delegates, and listening to Ron Pauls' speech), we had both the boys' party today. :)

Mom bought this nice collection of hot-chocolate varieties for Jacob, as he'd asked her to buy it a few months ago already, and now that it's getting cold-er outside, hot chocolate seemed like the perfect gift!

Jacob decided to make Andrew search a bit for his present! The gift was inside one of those little boxes, but Andrew had to open up several of them (and dig through packing peanuts) before he actually found what he was looking for. When filling the large box with small boxes, we couldn't find one that would fit in the one open spot, so Jacob thought of the perfect filler: a SQUASH! :)

"Thee" gift ended up being a lit hockey puck. :)

Our parents bought the boys each a very nice, new Bible, as they've had their other Bibles for many, many years and they were falling apart badly. Part of my gift to my brothers was a new case for their Bibles...

And then, we bought Andrew the expansion to the farming board-game, "Agricola", which he received as a birthday gift last year. He was pretty happy!

Mother started a new family tradition too. She said that, when her sons turn 21, she wants to buy them a new tie as they are now "MEN" in everybody's eyes. She got Andrew this eagle tie, and he was having fun trying to tie it properly. Google came in handy!

It was a special day for all.

I'm so thankful for my "Little" brother! He has grown into a fine man of God...

"May the Lord bless you indeed, Andrew! Once again, HaPpY bIrThDaY!"

Day #11...

2011-11-11T22:11:00.003-06:00

Today I was reminded of how precious little children truly are---what a blessing!

There is so much these little people have to learn, and yet how willing they are to absorb all that they see and hear!

May we all be so receptive to what our Father has to teach us each day!

May we reach out and except others where they are on this journey called life!

What joy it was to cuddle one of the sleepiest of the 11 children I cared for at Helens' while she went to her appointments this morning!

What fun it was to read to them and do puzzles with them and to just enjoy life together!

Tonight, I am thankful for children.~

MATTHEW 18:1-6

"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Day #10

2011-11-10T23:03:00.002-06:00

....LOTS OF THINGS! :)

I just got home from working in town and am very thankful for alarm clocks, as I'm not sure I'd wake up on my own early tomorrow morning in time to get dressed, eat breakfast, and drive 20+ miles to be at Helen's Daycare by 8:00. I should probably get to bed as soon as possible!

Day #9

2011-11-09T22:51:00.003-06:00

Tonight, I just want to say how thankful I am for modern transportation methods! These days:

...would have been fun, but a lot colder and we definitely would not travel around the way we do nowadays if we were still in horse and buggy times!

This morning, my brothers got up early and did chores and then I joined them on a road trip to Bismarck. Andrew had sold one of his cars and wanted to deliver it, but needed someone to pick him up and bring him back home after the delivery was made. Jacob rode along because he needed to renew his drivers' permit before it expired tomorrow. We also ran around town and did some errands for Dad and for the farm (ex: we bought gunny-sax for the potatoes). Then, Andrew took us both out to eat at Pizza Hut, which was a very thoughtful treat. :)

We arrived home just in time for me to change into my work-clothes and to head into town to work at the nursing home. I just got home and am very tired, so I shall bid you all a good night.

Day #8...

2011-11-08T19:41:00.004-06:00

Today, I am especially thankful for:

POTATOES!

We've waited this long to dig our potatoes/carrots from the field, as the guys have been so busy and we knew this would be a big project that we'd need their help with. Andrew was home today, however, as was myself and Mother AND Jacob, so we spent most of our day working on bringing the potatoes in.

This Spring, we planted, what was it?, 300 lbs of potatoes so as to have extras this Fall to sell. They produced pretty well and we didn't even get the first row completely dug today (and there are 4 rows to do.)

Andrew went along the row with the small plow and dug up the potatoes. The plants were hard to see, however, and if he didn't get it just in the right location, the dirt would pile back on top of the potatoes, which meant we had to dig for them...

Mom and the boys:

We were very thankful for the lovely day (although it did get pretty cold when the sun set)!

My brothers and I:

Occasionally, we'd find a large turnip that came from the cover-crop planted just beside the potatoes. Jacob thought they made excellent throw-toys (and they really did go far!). We hauled a few in for the goats as well. :)
We took a 5-minute carrot eating break and laid down for a little while to stretch out our tired muscles. Can you see my brothers and I? We're camouflaged pretty well!

It was a great, 'though tiresome day!

Day #7...

2011-11-07T22:34:00.004-06:00

....so many things, but, I'll narrow it down to a couple for this post.

As I was eating my supper with my coworker, Clarissa, we were talking about her life growing up in a forest without electricity and running water... Though parts of that would be fun/adventurous for a while (using a wood-stove; eating by candle-light; etc.) our conversation did make me very glad that we do have the modern advances in this area of life, as it saves a LOT of time and labor!!! Also, if we didn't have electricity, I wouldn't be able to write on my blog anymore! :(

Yes, we are so blessed.....

Day #6...

2011-11-06T22:15:00.004-06:00

Tonight, I just want to thank God for the seasons and the wide variety of weather we have during them. Fall and Winters in North Dakota can be quite cold at times (we had a little dusting of snow today), but I'm glad for that, as we're together more as a family when it's freezing outside and have a lot more time for doing the things we enjoy (reading, writing, playing piano, cooking, fixing things....).

Playing board games is one thing we all enjoy doing together in our spare moments/hours. This evening, we were all together, so we played Jacob's new birthday game:
AUTOMOBILE .
We haven't quite figured out the strategies to this game, but had fun learning all the rules and regulations and Mother was so very happy to win the first game we played! :)

One of Andrew's hobbies is fixing up cars that have engine/transmission problems and then reselling them. He found a good deal on a car this morning (on BisMan); borrowed a friends' car trailer; and he and Jacob drove to Bismarck and picked it up this afternoon. Now he has something to work on again....

Dad spent the afternoon in the cold tractor, hauling hay in from the field. Mother and I worked in the nice warm house. It was a good day.

I really enjoyed reading my friend, Rachel's thankfulness post today and thought I'd point you in her direction if you have time a little extra time for reading. Click HERE. I especially liked this part:

"I love that my God is so BIG He can fill the universe...and so "small" that He can dwell in my heart."

What a wondrous thought!

Day #5 of what I'm grateful for....

2011-11-05T22:28:00.006-05:00

This is an easy one!

Today, I am especially thankful for my brother, Jacob! We spent the day celebrating his (now) 16 years of life. :)

I should clarify "We" for you though. "We" stands for my dad, Jacob and I, as Mother and Andrew went to Fargo for a certain event that I'll let them tell you about when they have time. They left very early this morning and will probably get home around midnight tonight.

In the meantime, "We" had fun, watching Jacob's favorite movies and eating Jacob's favorite foods and doing chores so Jacob didn't have to! It was a lovely day...

Just now, I went back 3 years in my photos that are stored on this computer and smiled when I saw how much younger we all (especially my brothers!) looked. Can you believe it? Jacob was actually shorter than me at that time! :)

3 years makes quite a difference, doesn't it?

Annnnnyway..... Here are a few very recent pictures:

This is what Jacob's supper plate looked like last night...

Andrew, making funny olive-eating faces while Jacob opens one of his gifts...

And here is what Jacob looks like, now that he's 16 years old:

(That green tape-measure on the table there was one of his presents from Andrew...)

"Happy birthday, LITTLE brother! I remember the day that you were born (and when you turned blue!) and you have grown and changed in so many ways since then... I hope this was a special day for you and that the Lord has much joy planned for you in the future... Love always, from your sister."

Day #4...

2011-11-04T22:49:00.002-05:00

Tonight, we had a delicious feast of chicken and stuffing; black olives; chips and home-made dip; and ice cream for dessert. It was an early birthday celebration meal for my brother Jacob (whose birthday is tomorrow, by the way!)

We also had a pretty tasty meal at noon, as we had company (my dad's cousin, Jerome came and bought some more hay from us.) We ate a noodle/hamburger casserole; buttercup squash with apples and caramel sauce; mulled apple-cider; and doughnuts for dessert.

With all the tasty food being cooked up in the kitchen, I decided my post tonight would be about how thankful I am for the abundant food the Lord has blessed us with, especially at this time of the year!

Oh yes, then too, there's the apple butter that's cooking down in the stove tonight.... Mmmm mmm! Anyone hungry?

......."Taste and see that the Lord is good!" :)

Day #3...

2011-11-03T22:45:00.003-05:00

...a time every day that the Lord designated for sleeping in! :)

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." ~Genesis 1:5

Day 2 of "30 Days of Thankfulness"...

2011-11-02T23:14:00.006-05:00

Tonight, as I was driving home from Napoleon in the dark, I was thanking God for His protection of us all as we're on the roads so much these days. I decided that my "Day 2" post would be to thank the Lord for His protection!

For example:

My dad has been hauling load after load of grain and is on the roads for hours and hours almost every day of the week here lately.

Mother goes to Bismarck at least once a week with her health business.

Andrew drives over to Stans', then drives grain cart all day (in the field, not on the road), then drives home again in the dark.

Jacob drives 4-wheeler to check the cows and helps with the driving when he's along with Mom occasionally.

I drive to Napoleon at least 3 times a week to work at the nursing home.

In all that driving, we've never had any serious accidents and I just praise and thank the Lord for that fact tonight!

30 Days of Thankfulness...

2011-11-01T22:08:00.005-05:00

My dear friend, Rachel P. from Young Homemakers has been an encouragement to me once again and has started up an event called "30 Days of Thankfulness". Each day of November, she and I, and many others will be posting about something we're thankful for. It's a lovely idea, not? Want to join us? I know this is extremely short notice, but you could always start tomorrow and end on December 1st, or better than that, never end at all. :)

So, tonight, while milking Sally, I was thinking about what my first post of thankfulness was going to be about. As I won't be doing posts in any sort of order (ex: the things I'm most grateful for before other things...), I decided tonight I'd post about how thankful I am to live in the country......

To have the freedom to own a cow (although Sally is Andrews, to be technically correct) and to milk it and drink that healthy, raw milk is just wonderful.....

To raise goats and chickens and to have a barn-full of happy kitties, one of the kittens this year mysteriously growing long, fuzzy hair.....

To have the joy of owning a huge yard where there is lots of room to build large swingsets and the like....

To have the knowledge that you don't have to pull your shades if you don't want the neighbors to see what your every move is in your house, as your nearest neighbors are half a mile away. (Don't get me wrong! I like having neighbors, but a certain amount of privacy is great too.)....

The freedom there is here to go out in the back pasture and shoot gophers in the Springtime....

The large spaces for the boys to ride their bikes and 4-wheelers around without disturbing others....

There's even room for the biggest garden you could ever wish for.....

To put it simply, I LOVE the country life and am ever and ever so grateful that God put me here! :)

It's a wonderful life!

2011-10-31T22:05:00.004-05:00

Almost every year for as long as I can remember, my family and I have had the tradition of watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on this day/night of death and darkness. This year however, Dad and Andrew were not even home until a few minutes ago, so the rest of us watched the sweetened condensed version of our old favorite. (Be sure to skip the ad in the beginning if you watch it.)

Then we watched "Sergeant York" which is another wonderful old movie (starring Gary Cooper, who becomes a Christian in the film....). That movie can be viewed on YouTube, part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE!

Here are a few pictures from cattle moving day:
(Dad on a 4-wheeler...)
Mom drove the trailer to pick up a couple little calves that were born this Fall....

Andrew's on his dirt-bike in this picture, although it's a bit hard to see him on account of the bright sunshine!

Jacob was on his dirt-bike that day and I drove the other 4-wheeler.

If you look closely, you'll be able to see my other brother in the picture below! I took this photo this morning, when Jacob went out to check the fence to make sure it was still zapping...

Mother, Jacob and I got several things accomplished in the house today. Outside of schoolwork, we got another batch of apples done, and worked on switching our clothes around (Summer to Winter). I also baked a crumb cake so we'll have something sweet to put in the guys' lunch boxes again.

When Dad got home tonight, he informed us that he sold another 7 loads of hay today! What a blessing. He also got a call from somebody who may be interested in buying our Temvik house....

Have a wonderful November everyone! We are preparing for the boys' birthdays which are just around the corner. :)

The cows are home!!!

2011-10-30T22:33:00.002-05:00

Most everything went well and we had them all home and in the harvested cornfield just in time for lunch. Then, I headed for work in town and that's all I know about what happened here, as everyone was in bed when I got in the house tonight. I have two days off now, so am looking forward to getting many things accomplished at home in the next couple of days. :)

We played Cranium...

2011-10-29T22:47:00.003-05:00

...and had some pretty good laughs with it (especially when we had to draw something with our eyes closed, or act something out)! Andrew had bought that game for very little at a second-hand store a while back, but we'd never played it, so today we decided it was time we did. "Cranium" will probably go back to a second-hand store though (unless one of you who reads my blog wants it), as it is really designed for a younger "Audience" and we probably won't ever play it again.....

Andrew and I did chores this evening. We're not milking any goats now, so I was done with my part of chores (hay, grain and water to the goats) by the time he was ready to get his cow in the barn. The calves/cows had spooked again tonight, so Sally ran away into the dark with the rest of the herd and Andrew had to go get his 4-wheeler (which thankfully has a bright headlight) to get her in. Once he got Sally to the barn, I drove the ATV back to the shed in the rain so Andrew could get to his milking. Sometimes I really miss our other milk cows and the fun times we all had together milking twice a day, but then other times it's really nice to not have so many chores to do anymore, especially when it's cold outside!

Well, tomorrow's a new day and a new week. I should get some sleep so I'm ready for it! I think we're bringing the cows home soon----maybe tomorrow even......

It was a lovely, Fall day...

2011-10-28T22:06:00.003-05:00

The boys and I spent part of the morning putting the rest of the electric wire up around the corn field. Now, someone just needs to figure out how to get the water-tank over there... :)

At noon, Andrew helped us load up 26 goats in the stock trailer before he left to help Stan again for the rest of the afternoon (they got done with the corn today and will now move onto sunflowers). Several of the goats we're selling are weathers and then the rest are does that were not good milkers, or doelings that we just didn't want to keep as we needed to downsize. We kept 10 does/doelings and have 2 bucks, so our current herd equals 12! I don't think we've had this few goats for many years! Mom and Jacob delivered the goats to Mandan and then made a trip to Sam's Club to stock up on some supplies. They got home after dark.

This left me home alone (Dad was hauling grain today) to get the house cleaned up (although Mother did clean the bathroom before she left) :) and the supper made. I went out and dug some carrots and potatoes from the field (yes, they're still out there!) and added them to a roast. Next, I sliced some apples, put them in a buttercup squash and made a caramel sauce to pour over the whole thing. Yummy! There was laundry to do too, plus I got a phone call from Helen (owner of the daycare I've helped at in the past) and we visited quite a while, and she asked if I could help on certain dates in the future. I'm looking forward to that as I LOVE being with little children! They're just so full of life and fun. :) Plus, her business is in her home, on a farm, so the environment is very homelike.

We ate a late supper and are now heading for bed as we're all pretty tired.

It was lovely outside today, though a bit crisp and Fall like. We're just praising the Lord for each nice day!

Great guesses!

2011-10-27T23:06:00.002-05:00

I loved reading your guesses, friends! :) Some of you were very, very close and even right on....

The first picture was of the apple butter, when I took it out of the oven. It had been boiling and made all those cute mounds.

The second was of the batch of vanilla I'm making---the pods being Madagascar vanilla beans. I've had a request for the info. on making vanilla, so will point those of you who wish to know more in THIS direction. It's basically like making a tincture, and will keep indefinitely... I ordered my beans from Penzey's Spices on the recommendation of a friend.

My morning was spent in the corn field with brother Andrew, pounding in more posts and then unrolling electric fence wire. It was cold and wet work, but it felt good to be outside. I spent the rest of the day indoors, at the nursing home. One of the ladies at the assisted living there (which is connected to the nursing home) asked me to come over to her apartment so she could give me a couple skirts, so I did that before work today and had a nice little visit with her. I found out that their former farm is only a few miles from ours. She was very nice and appreciated the pint jar of apple butter I gave her. :)

Dad cleaned grain today. Andrew worked for Stan (the farmer he's been working for recently). Mom and Jacob went to Bismarck for the day. Life is never dull!

A mystery picture!

2011-10-26T21:33:00.003-05:00

It's been a LONG time since I've done a mystery picture, so here is one for you now that I took today. It just looked too funny to not take a picture of "It". :)

Please leave any guesses as a comment and I will wait until tomorrow night to publish them so you may all guess without seeing other peoples' answers.

Also, if you'd like, you can guess what I'm making in the jar below:

Happy guessing!

Oh yes, guess what came out of the sky today? Yes, that 4-lettered word: S*N*O*W! Thankfully, it was only a few flurries and they quickly melted in the sprinkles that followed.

Between the flurries and sprinkles, the boys and I started putting posts up around the big corn field so we can put up an electric fence and have the cows eat the remaining corn stalks/husks/cobs that are there. We ran out of small posts, so the boys went up to the pasture and pulled some out of a place that the cows are done feeding in for the year. Dad bought some more electric wire in town today, so I imagine some of us will work on the fence tomorrow....

It seemed like it was a good day for doing things we've been procrastinating, and we really got a lot of things accomplished. The boys got down the Winter clothes from the attic and I got most of mine changed around already. Mom and I made some tomato sauce. She got some cards written out that she's wanted to send for a while. Oh yes, Mom also called a guy to see if he could come pump our septic system before the cold weather sets in, as we haven't had that done since we've been here! It "Just so happened" that he was in the area, so he came and did that job. The boys also fixed Dad's 4-wheeler--the problem being caused by a mouses' nest! I started what's in the jar in the picture above.... Andrew got our R.O. water system set up in the kitchen.......... Dad was hauling grain most of the day.

It was a good day. We even had time at the end of it for playing a game of Rage and the boys played a game of chess too.

"Thank you, Lord, for all that got accomplished in the last 14+ hours.....and that the snow melted right away!" :)

Thank you...

2011-10-25T22:34:00.002-05:00

...to those of you who prayed for me/us today! It was a lot better day and I don't even have much of a headache tonight. :)

It was raining here today off and on. Dad hauled grain; Mom kept the home fires burning (so to speak); Andrew went to Bismarck to get parts for his car (and to get the windshield replaced so it's more sell-able); and Jacob worked on his schoolwork. I worked in town this afternoon/evening, of course. This morning, my main project was making tortillas for the chicken enchiladas Mom and I made. Yummy!

Have a wonderful day tomorrow, doing whatever it is God has for you to do,
~Cora

Busy day!

2011-10-24T22:52:00.003-05:00

After a morning of working on apples again and a few various other projects, I headed for work in town, knowing that the annual inspection there was in progress. Everyone is just a little bit nervous being watched, so it was a stressful day. I think we did alright, but it just adds a bit more stress to the day and my head aches again tonight..... I work there again tomorrow and the state inspectors will be there still, so any prayers on my/our behalf would be appreciated! I think I'll take my bottle of peppermint essential oil along to work tomorrow. :)

CORN!

2011-10-23T22:20:00.003-05:00

The guys worked on bringing in our Organic, non-GMO corn from the fields today. God has been blessing us with warm weather lately. It was just lovely outside!!!

Mom and I spent the afternoon cleaning off the garden some more. We also worked on apples quite a bit and currently have apple butter simmering in the oven. :) We carried more pumpkins and squash downstairs and Mom oiled them (which helps them to keep a lot longer...)

Happy Fall to y'all!

The cows stayed in...

2011-10-22T23:32:00.004-05:00

...and we were all home together for the whole day. It was so wonderful!

After sleeping in a bit this morning, Andrew and I did the chores while Dad went and checked cows. We all got cleaned up then and did various things until lunch time.

This afternoon, we sang several hymns, then watched "IndoctriNation"! It was fun to see "Wally" again (from "The Widow's Might"). Before watching that movie, I knew in my heart that I wanted to home educate my children (Lord willing and all that I marry and have some) someday, but after seeing the film, I was even more convinced that this is the only right thing to do! I feel so blessed to have been home schooled!!!!

After Mother took a quick nap and Dad checked cows again, we all played a 2+ hour long game of Agricola (a farming board game). I was so pleased to have tied for first with Andrew, as I've never even been close to winning before. :)

We ate a quick supper, then Mom and the boys headed out for evening chores while Dad showered and I played in my new piano book... This evening, we watched a John Wayne movie about moving cattle across the plains. I sure am thankful for modern transportation methods!

Before I go, I thought I'd share a neat idea I saw on my friend, Rachel P.s' blog recently. Visit HERE to find out how to make roses out of leaves....

Good night everyone and have a great new week!

Things don't always go as expected...

2011-10-21T22:43:00.003-05:00

Mother, Jacob & My "Agenda" for the day looked something like this:

Clean house

Cook feast--including pumpkin bars

Get down Winter clothes from attic

Make lots of applesauce/juice

Do lots of laundry

Do evening chores

God's "Agenda" for our day looked more like this:

Clean a little bit of the house (and be glad you swept the floor yesterday!)

Cook a quick feast--including pumpkin bars

Make 1 batch of applesauce/juice--which is still in the juicer

Do a couple loads of laundry

Cora: Go to town to put money in the bank and to work the first half of a shift at the nursing home because other people called in sick...

Mother & Jacob: Spend 4 hours of the afternoon up chasing cows/bulls back in the fence and then fixing the fence. Then, try to drive home, but the Ram won't start, so Jacob, drive your dirt bike back to the farm and bring the 4-wheeler back up to the pasture to pick up your mother and finish going around the fence. But oops, Dad's 4-wheeler won't start, so get your brothers' 4-wheeler out of the Quonset, but first you have to get that big heavy door open. Eventually, you manage to do this task, with the help of a pry bar; shop jack; tractor loader; oh yes, and some muscle power!

Needless to say, God knows the plans He has for us and we just have to follow Him, and be willing to bend!

I'm so glad Sabbath is here though!

A new flower bed...

2011-10-20T22:41:00.003-05:00

This corner of the house has been a mess for a while now, (truthfully, for a few years) ever since we had a water-line-trench dug in this spot. It doesn't help that the dogs love to drag all their favorite bones up by the house either!

Jacob and I worked together this afternoon to make the following transformations:
All that nicely composted soil is now a flower bed, in which I planted several kinds of bulbs that arrived in the mail yesterday. :) Poor Lady seems to be looking for her bones in that last picture, doesn't she? "I wonder where they could have gone....? "

Jacob and I also cleaned the house a bit; worked on laundry and dishes; and did the evening chores. Oh, and I baked some cookies.... Mother was in Bismarck all day and Dad and Andrew were away working again.

It was another good day and I'm praising the Lord for the warm(ish) weather He's giving us so we can continue to work on outdoor projects!

Have you ever used peppermint essential oil...

2011-10-19T23:27:00.002-05:00

...to get rid of a headache? I have and I am doing that very thing tonight. It was a busy night at the nursing home and by the end of it, at least two of us had headaches! I'm done there now for the week though, and am glad to be able to work on apples for the next few days. :)