Happy Graduation!

13 years ago we started home-schooling.

And this year we had our first graduates.

Congratulations Joshua and Jennifer!

To celebrate Mark and I took just Joshua and Jennifer to Grand Forks.
We had a great time of relaxing and eating, shopping and did I mention relaxing and eating:)
Thank you Megan and Kerri for holding down the fort! You did an amazing job!

What are they planning to do now?
Joshua plans to continue his education on the farm.
Jennifer is continuing her journey of learning to be a godly wife and mother right here at home.
She will also be helping me teach the younger ones this coming school year.

As our motto goes:
LIFE IS LEARNING. LEARNING IS LIFE.

We love you guys and look forward to watching you grow through this next phase in your life.

"For this cause we also since the day we heard it,

do not cease to pray for you,

and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will

in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,

being fruitful in every good work

and increasing in the knowledge of God

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power

unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness

Giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be

partakers of the ingeritance of the saints in light."

Colossians 1:9-12

Do You Need A Starving

In church yesterday the preacher shared a story of H.A. Ironside. He used the text Phillipians 4:19; "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." In this true story of Ironside, through a series of events, he ended up away from home a penniless preacher sleeping in a rail car. Hungry and tired, trying to sleep he began complaining to God, telling Him that He was not fulfilling His Word, that His promise was He would supply all Ironside's needs. Hours later moving to a better spot, he got a little sleep and when he woke up God started dealing with things in his life that he had allowed to slip. He began confessing his wrongs and got to the place where he no longer wondered why God had not supplied for him, but rather he was amazed to think how good God had been to him in spite of his many failures. Later he went to church, and to make a long story short got taken out for a meal and offered a place to stay. When he went to the post office to see if he had any mail he found a letter from his father-in-law which read,"God spoke to me through Phillipians 4:19 today. He has promised to supply all our needs. Some day He may see that I need a starving! If He does, He will supply that." It was then that Ironside realized that God had put Him through that test in order to bring Him closer to Himself and face to face with the things that he had been neglecting. This story really spoke to me. So many times I have heard sermons on this verse. The message always seems to come out, we will never lack, God will give us what we need materially. But the question is......what do we really need? Does God allow trials to happen in our life to bring us closer to Him. Do we bemoan these trials, or complain to Him thinking He is not fulfilling His Word. Maybe some days I need a starving :) So I challenge you. When you are going through a less than ideal time, instead of complaining to God and trying everything in your power to get rid of it, seek God. Maybe there is a reason He allowed this test. Maybe you need a starving. If you are interested in the whole story, Here it is.

Pet Peeve #1

We don't have pet peeves very often.

OK let me rephrase that....we don't have pet peeves that we publicly announce very often!

But here is one that we feel cannot go unnoticed.

Who's idea was it to sell 4 litre ice cream in pails and not put handles on them?

And WHY?????

We personally find the pails much less useful now.

Like take, going to pick strawberries for example.

Have you ever tried to carry pails of strawberries without handles?

So if the person responsible for vetoing handles on ice cream pails is reading this....
PLEASE rethink your decision and put the handles back on :)

Otherwise we are seriously thinking we may have to move to another country

and learn the art of this!

The Race Is On!

Every once in awhile around here, the male competitiveness kicks in and a challenge ensues.
The other day was one of those days.

The challenge?

Two 6 foot deep, 1 foot diameter holes.

The competitors?

The two eldest males of our household.

The prize?

Great Satisfaction.

So off they went to get their shovels and the race began.

Two different men, two different personalities.
Whose strategy was going to pay off in the end.

One chose to dig the hole narrow enough to just be able to work in.

The other chose to have some room to spare.

The sweat was dripping.

The kids figured there would soon be enough water to fill the hole!

And before we knew it, they were to the point of no return.

A quick glance over and Josh realized there was no time to slow down.

We knew the end was near when they pulled out the measuring tape.

Just a few more inches to go and only 45 minutes into the race!

Oh, it was so close.

Heave ho, hurry!

It's amazing what can be accomplished when you mix man power

and a whole lot of determination.

Brooke was trying to figure out how to get them out of there.

She came up with the idea that a helicopter would do just fine!

Soon Mark declared, "I'm done!
The final measurement was made.

Who won you ask?

Well if it was a contest for the one who got the dirtiest;

I think this guy won!

If you ask who was the best sport?

This guy would come very close!

If you would ask these guys...

They would say their daddy won for sure!

Even though the race was a very close one, Mark figures he won with flying colors.

Why?

Because he got his holes dug :)

A Fridge Full...

What could be better than a fridge full of strawberries :)

We picked yesterday so today we are cleaning, freezing, making jam,

and making banana split dessert (recipe on our recipe blog).

The floor is sticky, the counter is sticky, faces and hands are sticky......yum, yum!

We are keeping some around for munching, strawberry milk shakes, strawberries and ice cream, strawberry smoothies,........I think I need to go eat a strawberry!

Happy Birthday Brooke!

To our little miss.

3 years old already.

I remember the summer day very clearly 3 years ago when we welcomed you to our family.

You were such a sweet little bundle.

Brown eyes, brown hair (what little their was), so petite.

Your siblings all loved you to bits.

We went to work at camp for the summer a few days after you were born.

You co-operated real well and we hardly heard a peep out of you all summer.

As the years have flown by, we have enjoyed getting to know you.

A little miss. That's what you are.

You love to be pretty and really seem to enjoy telling your brothers and little sister what to do.

You seem to have it all figured out in your head, and can't just keep it there, you have to tell everyone.

You talk real well. You have actually been talking real well for....well....I can't actually remember. It seems like you talked perfect right from the moment a word came out of your mouth.

Of course you like to experiment with many words, and all of a sudden a new one will come out.

Usually it is pronounced little differently (like dediclious with a little slur, for ridiculous).

Daddy has lots of fun seeing you blush when he sings your song, "Beautiful, Beautiful Brookie"

You love your daddy so much and look forward every day to your special cuddle time.

Joshua is also one of your favorite people and if he is gone you are looking for him all day. He always has a special smile for you that makes you melt.

You are very blessed to have so many protective brothers in your life (that you can boss around!) They take good care of you and teach you many boy things. You like playing with them but don't often get as dirty as they do as you don't really like dirt on yourself.

If you walk through the corral with us you tiptoe around every cowpie. It makes for a rather long time of doing chores:)

You are a very good little helper in the kitchen and I can see that very soon you will be making your first batch of cookies. Your sisters are doing a great job at teaching you how to bake.

You are also very blessed to have 3 older sisters who are training you in the lady way. They often make your hair pretty and dress you up. You will learn many things from them as you spend more time together. They love you very much!

You are starting to play a lot with your little sister Mikaya and are doing the 'girl things' together. It is a transition for you as for many years you have been playing boy stuff with all your brothers. Mikaya is very much into dolls and girl things, so you have been learning how to play house. It is so special to watch the bond between you grow already.

You are our little princess. We love you very, very much and look forward to another year of seeing you grow and mature. Happy Birthday Brooke!

He Was Right!

I guess Boy #1 was right afterall. Christmas will be a little different this year :)

It's Here!

Canning season has begun!

I love this time of year with God's gifts of fresh fruits and veggies.

I just wish it would last longer than just a couple of months.

Maybe someday I will live in a place where I can eat fresh fruit all the time:)

But for now to enjoy this stuff year round I will have to keep on canning.

So today canning started with 13 jars of rhubarb jam. We ran out last year so my goal is to do lots! So I will probably make way too much and then we will have to eat it like it's going out of style (sigh).

And then there was rhubarb left over so we had to make a rhubard dessert (so sad!)

Now I look forward to strawberries (which will soon be ready), raspberries, spinach & lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, gooseberries (which need to be picked today!), carrots, potatoes (very soon I can start stealing the little ones), peas, celery, onions, watermelon, honey dew, tomatillos (never planted them before but was up for the experiment), and just when you think it can't get any better-apples and CORN ON THE COB! Whew just thinking about all that work makes me exhausted!

So here's to the canning season and all you who are preserving your fruits and veggies for the long, cold winter :) Happy Canning!

And of course as soon as I tried to take a picture our ever so cute little model figured she had to be part of the photo!

Popscicles

Back in 1905, young Frank Epperson was outside on the porch,

enjoying a refreshing fruit-flavored soda.

But, it wasn't like the soda we know today.

In those days, you poured soda water powder in water,

stirred, and viola! Instant tasty drink.

So, Frank was enjoying his soda, and for whatever reason, didn't finish it,

and forgot to bring it with him when he went inside.

There it sat. On the porch. All night. With the stirring stick still in it. That night brought record low temperatures,

and when he found his soda the next morning, the drink was frozen to the stick.

Boys will be boys, and instead of taking it inside to clean it up, he tasted it.

It was good!

The story goes then that he took it to school to show his pals, and made them for his friends.

He called them Epsicles. It didn't occur to him to patent his frozen treat until 1923, as he sold seven flavors of Epsicles at a lemonade stand at an amusement park in Oakland, California.

His patent was granted in 1924, and the name was changed to the familiar Popsicle we know today. (It seems his kids gave him the idea, as they were always asking for "Pop's 'sicles.") There are now over 30 different varieties and flavors of Popsicles,

and an estimated 3 million of these frozen treats are sold each year.

Sisters

SISTERS

A sister is one who giggles uncontrollably at things that are not even funny.

A sister can be at odds with you one minute and hugging you the next.

A sister sings the best harmony with you.

A sister eggs you on just to make you mad.

A sister embraces you when you are having a bad day.

A sister does your hair.

A sister helps you do dishes.

A sister is both your mirror and your opposite.

A sister laughs at your corny jokes.

A sister wears your favorite clothes.

A sister helps your remember things you'd rather forget.

A sister tells the truth even if you don't want to hear it.

A sister is a pro at pleading innnocence.

A sister keeps you accountable.

A sister is a God given best friend.

Try Again

Well I hope these pictures work. For some reason our desk computer is giving me grief

when I try to post photos. So I moved to the lap top.

This is our 'siding journey'!

Lots of early hours, lots of late hours, lots of sore muscles where we didn't know we had muscles,

but a great sense of accomplishment when all is said and done!

Before

Never Too Little To Help

We Replaced Some Windows

The Little Ones Wondering Why the Big Hole in the Wall!

Looking Better Already!

Joshua, Our Official "Saw Guy"

Jennifer is Our Designated Painter

And Of Course There is Always a "Little" Help

The Front is Done!

A New Look

Last week was a busy one as we were busy putting new siding on our house.

It's kind of hard to see the true color. It is Richmond Red. We really like it.

We are not done yet, although when you drive on the yard you wouldn't know.

We finished the front and south side. We have the back and north side left.

Here are some pictures of the change so far.

Before

During

After

Happy Father's Day

To our dear Dad

You are one of a kind

Strong

Loving

Kind

Caring

Humble

Funny

You always care if we had a bad day.

You are always ready to stop and listen to our problems.

Even though you are 40, you can still beat us in hockey (right Josh?:)

You are always ready to taste test our cooking (especially if it is cowboy cookies or gooseberry prestie).

You are always ready to make an unpleasant situation pleasant with your jokes and uniqe laughter.

You come up with the best nicknames (like... Fawason, Nifer, Mugo, Kerrisco, Bob, Buz, Boo, Nater, My most beautiful, beautiful Brookie and Mikernania).

You always say "I can fit it in" (and you do!)

If we can't open it, you can.

If we can't shut it, you can.

If we can't lift it, you can.

If we can't drive it you can.

If nobody else can do it, you can.

We Love You Daddy

Love your Daughters

Megan Tries Her Hand At Driving

Well Megan has been begging for some time now for me to teach her to drive. I have been a little apprehensive, and putting it off. But yesterday once again she was on my case, so taking into account her track record of being quite responsible, I decided to let her have a crack at it. Being farmers, we have quite a choice of vehicles, and so I tried to find the one that best suited Megan. Slow, steady and reliable. I can't say she was too impressed with my choice, but hey, take it or don't drive! She started off quite well, slow, steady, slow steady.

After some pracitce I felt confident that I could leave her alone to practice in the pasture. She was out there quite awhile and I figured that no news was good news. There was one thing that I apparently forgot to mention to Megan. Watch out for those pasture holes and slough bumps. Well I guess that would have been some valuable information for when I went out to check on her she was having a bit of trouble. In fact, a lot of trouble, she had lost her front wheel.

As she was feeling a little discouraged I tried to cheer her up and tell her that this happens to everybody..... well almost everybody. Thankful we live on a farm, we were able to hook her up with another mode of transportation. Once again, she was a little disappointed that she couldn't drive something like Joshua's shiny truck, but I figured he might not be too happy if she would happen to have another 'incident'. So the old truck it was. After a little coaching on the different set of wheel, once again Megan was ready to roll. I reminded her of the holes and bumps. She gave me the 'yes mom I know look' and I figured she was good to go. So, confident that she would be just fine, I went back in the house, hoping not to hear of another 'incident'. All was well, no news, and then all of a sudden Megan came bursting into the house. 'Mom, come quick, I have a bit of a problem'. Not the words I wanted to hear. So, I went running behind her, having a quite a time keeping up, being much older, and much more shall I say 'out of shape'. When I got there, I could hardly believe my eyes. How could I have neglected to tell Megan of the one other danger that was out in the pasture. The tree.

The one and only tree. Well, she found it, she hit is and the rest is history.

Megan I hope next time you practice driving again, it will be under much better circumstances. And maybe one day Josh will even let you drive his truck:)

Complaining is Optional

I saw I sign in the restaurant yesterday:

"Pain and suffering are inevitable.

Complaining is optional."

We've had an interesting spring here on the farm with the weather just not really acting like spring weather.

There's always the decision that needs to be made when you start planting, and especially when the weather is a little coolish. Do we wait to plant our oil seeds? is it too early? And you decide. You have to. Hoping that it is the right decision. Farming (and life I guess) is all about that. You make a decision, hope and pray it's the right on, and then go on.

Every year Mark and I go (and this year the little boys and Brooke) and pray over all of our fields, thank God for the blessing He gives, asks Him to protect the crops against frost, bugs, hail, that they get good rains, but not too much rains (simple right!), but at the end of our prayer we pray, "Lord your Kingdom come and your will be done with this field." Why? Because we recognize that we only know the here and now, the today and tomorrow, the present. But God sees the whole picture, He sees the beginning from the end, and He knows what is best. We know He can do the impossible. We have seen it before, crops that had a significant amount of hail, yet yielded as our best one. We know he can make a storm go a different direction, cover a field from frost damage, make rains fall, protect it from bugs. We know He is able. And yet there is always that element, we don't see big picture. Maybe God wants us to go through a trial or two to make us stronger, maybe He wants us to dig a little deeper and seek Him a little more (adversity has a way of doing that!)

It's all a process, a journey, a learning curve. So when we got frost this year that damaged our crops and had to re-seed some of Mark's dads stuff (and maybe more yet) we had to trust. Trust that God knows what is best, that His perspective is eternal and to line ours up with His. To not store up our treasures on earth where moth and rust (and frost) destroy, but rather store up our treasures in heaven. To have our heart in the right place.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt. 6:21

So we learn to trust, to lean on Him, to know that we know that He is in control and be able to rest in that. In every circumstance, health, finances, family.....that our natural response is trust and peace in God. A deep lasting peace that passes all understanding. A peace that the world looks at and says, "How can you be so peaceful when there is trouble in your life."

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7

God is good, all the time. Even if my circumstances seem less than perfect. He is still good, He will always be good, because He never changes.

If I truly trust in the name of my God, the circumstances around me will not shake me, I will not become bitter or angry and complain against God for the hard times. I will know in my heart that He can be trusted with my life because He says in His word that I should trust Him.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trampoline Fun