Enjoying the season...

This past week we had challenges and blessings. Scott was able to get his vehicle back in good running condition and we're thankful that the Lord protected him when he was driving it to and from Prince Albert, not knowing how bad it was. We were also able to have a plumber come out and clear our kitchen sink. We've been doing things pioneer style for the past 3 months. We washed our dishes in tubs and dumped the water outside. It was okay, but I sure am thankful to have it working properly again. It makes dish washing a lot faster and more enjoyable:).

We had several neighbors drop by with Christmas goodies, which seemed to disappear in a very short amount of time:)

We really enjoyed going to a Christmas get together at a neighbour's house on Saturday night. There were 4 other little kids there, besides ours and they really enjoyed playing together. We were able to meet quite a few people that we'd never seen before. We've tried visiting different neighbours, but it's very hard to catch anyone at home these days. We got home close to 9:30, which was later than planned, but it was worth it.

Church was also a blessing. Kathleen is home for Christmas break and it's always encouraging to see her joy at being home and getting to fellowship with church family.

The kids are excited about spending time with Nana, Grandad, the Uncles and Aunt, but are finding it hard to wait, even a couple more days... Time seems to go so slowly when you're a child and fly by so fast when you're an adult:).

Today we are finishing up school, washing all our laundry, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the snow surrounding us. We were all talking the other night about how beautiful the snow makes everything. Our yard doesn't always look that nice, but the snow seems to make it look completely different. It glistens like diamonds when we drive at night and just seems so cheery. We didn't have that much of it when we were growing up, so I always enjoy the first 3 months or so. It's a good excuse to snuggle under blankets and read together, enjoy cups of hot cocoa and the kids giggling as they get pelted with snowballs. Even Samuel is getting to enjoy the snow this year. The other kids wouldn't stay out very long when they were this age, but he doesn't seem bothered by the cold. Perhaps it's because he's our first boy born in in Saskatchewan. It took the others a bit longer to acclimate, but they now love to go out and build the snow forts, etc...

It's only -3 today, and I think that some of the ice has hardened. It just might be a good day for building a snowman and maybe I'll remember to take some pictures...

A Heap Of Snow!

Cookie Delivery Day!

I think this was a record baking year. The cookies above are over half of the kinds that we made and after making about 20 plates to deliver to friends and neighbors, we still have at least 500 cookies:). This was our first year making buckeyes and they're definitely going on the yearly list. Everyone loves them and I think they will probably disappear completely in the next couple days. We had lots of fun making and delivering cookies and that's why the tradition continues each year. I won't have to do much baking for Scott's lunch the rest of this month and next, so that's a bonus. The weather was perfect for delivering today. It was +3, which is tropical, compared to the -20 in previous years.

Overflowing Cookies and Dishes...

Today we crossed the following Christmas Baking off our list:

-Snickerdoodles

-Homework Squares

-Rice Krispies

-Grasshopper Bark

-Double Batch of Sugar Cookies

-Miniature Oatmeal Pies (and one Large one)

-Molasses Cookies



* Only 4 or 5 more batches to go before we start making our Christmas deliveries!!!

Thank you Nana!

They love their Christmas ornaments!

1st round of Christmas cookies...

Here's the first official batch of Christmas cookies that we're making to give away this year. I had some excellent helpers!

So that's where all the food goes:)

Someone is enjoying...

the Christmas tree! We always wait until the evening of American Thanksgiving to decorate. It was harder for the older kids to wait this year, but they managed. They actually did most of the decorating too. I put the lights around and put up the glass ornaments. They took care of the rest:).

This year I'm thankful for a great many things, but especially for my salvation, my family and the warm house we have to live in!

I'm also thankful that I was able to hear from my mom and my 3 brothers yesterday.

Having a new sister in Christ:). My mom was able to lead one of her schoolmates to the Lord this week in California!

A wonderful husband who works hard to provide for us and makes it possible for me to be home with the kids!

Anticipating the arrival of another little blessing in March...

Amazing in-laws that love us, pray for us and come to visit us in Saskatchewan.

Freedom to Homeschool our children.

Friends and Family around the world who love the Lord and seek to share Him with Others.

Jesus, who came into this world to give His life so that we could be saved!

The privilege of serving the Lord.

Godly parents who loved us and made a lot of sacrifices in order to make sure that we were taken care of.

The snow has finally arrived!

It is a good thing that Samuel is warm blooded because he does not want to come inside! Yesterday a family that Scott has been doing carpentry for gave Samuel a set of long underwear. I am thinking that it will come in handy this winter. The older ones had to try out the snow shoes uncle Preston gave them a couple years ago. Problem #1 is that their feet are still too small:). Problem #2 is that there is definitely not enough snow to warrant them needing snowshoes yet:). Love their enthusiasm though!

Hot cocoa in their bellies and snuggling in a sleeping bag are a great way to warm up!

4 years old

and the last birthday for our family in 2015!

Adelaide, her birthday basket and a sucker! I think she would have been happy with just the sucker:). She requested a carrot cake for her birthday. I made it later that day and it tasted delicious, but was not really a work of art. Thus, no picture... Amazing how fast those 4 years have gone by!

9 years old...

I know I am posting this a bit late, but better late than never.

He really liked his cheesecake and his police flashlight!

Look Who Turned 11 !

She enjoyed her first corsage and special date with Dad!

We also set up a special space for her that she enjoys using for displaying artwork and hiding in to read her books:)

Animal Updates...

Well, not so long ago we had a few chickens escape. It has been quite awhile since our last escapade and Jade, our dog, tried to help with the roundup. 3 of the chickens were hurt in the process, but thankfully they all seem to have recovered quite well. While they were in the chicken hospital, the kids decided they needed names. One became Henrietta, the 2nd-Little Red Hen and Kiersten, with her amazing imagination chose to name hers, Hurt, cause she was hurt really bad:). The chickens are actually doing really well! They started laying earlier than expected and we get an average of 25 eggs a day. There are some days where the kids must miss seeing some in the roosts, because they have brought in over 40 at a time, which is too many for 28 chickens to lay in one day! We enjoy sharing them with friends and neighbors and have been using them in our recent baking. Looking forward to making vanilla custard again sometime next week! The goats have continued to give us large amounts of milk. We have tried several new kinds of cheese, but keep coming back to the soft cheese and the mozzarella. Tonight we are going to make mozzarella sticks, which should be super yummy! It has also been a nice treat to use buttermilk in the Monday Pancakes. They are light and fluffy:).

We started trying different recipes with goat meat last week. All have been quite successful so far! The kids seem to like it and it is quite versatile. We had heard that it could be a bit tricky to work with, but it has been quite a nice tasting meat. The kids favorite was when I used it in place of our taco meat. There was quite a bit of it, but hardly any leftovers... That is turning to be the norm around here.

Fall Baking...

This week was fairly nice weather, but with a nice chill in the air. Perfect for putting me in the mood to bake:). Here are some funny pictures included with the baking. Please forgive the poor pictures. I am really of of practice!

Kiersten Has Her Glasses!

Some Pictures...

Where to start...

It's been so long since my last post that most people probably figure that I've given up blogging. Pretty close, but for some reason I'm not at that point yet.

First, the flu took us all out for about a week. Scott ended up with a blockage and infection that put him in the hospital for 4 days. I think they might have been the longest 4 days of his life, poor guy. Anyway, we were all quite relieved when the treatments seemed to clear the problem and they let him come home.

A couple days later Garrison was complaining of chest pains. Scott took him in and they did an x-ray, blood tests, etc... They couldn't find any reason for his pain and thankfully it went away later on that night and hasn't returned since.

All was returning to normal when I received a call from the clinic. They wanted me to come in that afternoon to see the dr. No clue what it was about, just that I needed to show up. The dr. told me that in one of my recent tests they found that I had a UTI. I didn't have the symptoms, so was quite surprised by the diagnosis. Anyway, she said the only safe way to clear it up right now was by antibiotics through an IV. I was supposed to come in each morning and evening for a treatment. Thankfully, the nurse at the hospital was happy to show Scott how to put in the medicine. I'm currently looking forward to the IV being removed on Thursday night, but mostly praying that it's done it's job in clearing up the infection.

Monday afternoon Scott went back to see the dr. because it seemed like his blockage problem was returning. They gave him something to take each morning and scheduled him for a colonoscopy next Wednesday. The dr. said he's really too young to be having these issues. We're praying this test will reveal the true issue and that they will be able to clear it easily. Amazing how quickly life can change. One day everyone is seemingly healthy and the next everyone has a different ailment. Praising the Lord for being with us all through our journey, regardless of good or bad health. He IS the friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He's really been helping the kids to step up the the plate, so to speak. They've taken over chores as needed and proved to be excellent helpers. Yes, there are times that they grumble about having to do more work, but overall they've seen that they were needed and risen to the challenge. The boys even changed some lightbulbs that they noticed had gone out, without being asked. THAT is a blessing:).

We've had some fairly nice days recently, but frost on the ground a couple mornings this week. Thankfully we were able to bring in most things from the garden and didn't lose anything. I've been enjoying the crookneck squash this week, which I get to enjoy all by myself, since Scott isn't able to eat anything with seeds and the kids don't want any.

The kids have made the transition back to school quite well. They are enjoying their work(most days) and look forward to learning new things. Samuel keeps us amused with his antics and quickly picked up calling for "teacher"! Kiersten is learning to read this year and is quite quick to pick up new sounds and concepts. I'm enjoying getting back into a routine. The kids have less time to make messes and the days seem to pass faster than ever. Bedtime seems to be here before we're ready.

So, that is my short explanation for my absence. Really, there has been so much more going on here and around the world with our friends and family. It would take hours to write it all. So, we'll go on from today and hopefully I will be able to write regular posts throughout the next couple months. They are definitely some of our busiest:).

Summer continues...

The past month:

-Garrison's 1st dentist visit = 3 cavities, one tooth that got a cap.

-Elyssia's 1st dentist visit = 1 small cavity, but braces needed and possible tonsil removal.

-Caleb's 1st dentist visit = 1 cavity, some sealants needed, braces in a couple years and possible tonsil removal

-1st Eye Appointments for everyone except Samuel. Elyssia, Garrison and Adelaide = No Glasses

Caleb-Immediate glasses for full time use. Kiersten-Glasses in a couple months, to use for reading.

-Taking the kids to visit Nana and Grandad for 4 days while Scott renovates our upstairs bathroom. Pictures of the bathroom when it's all back together:).

-A visit from some Alberta cousins = water park, water gun fights, watermelon, watching animals, feeding grasshoppers to the chickens, watching Tintin cartoons, a couple rounds of Jenga and one little cousin that became Elyssia's shadow:). Fun times, but I'm guilty of neglecting to take pictures. Maybe next time...

Looking forward to:

The Smith Family coming this weekend.

Dr. visits to check out tonsils

All my in-laws, plus a few adopted nieces from B.C. coming to visit in about a week!!!

All the unexpected things that seem to happen on a regular basis:).

Canada Day Muffins!

Donuts for Daddy's Birthday!

The kids paintings for the Castor Fair(Samuel is photobombing:).

Time at Nana's means lots of yummy food, reading and usually some art projects! We also visited Great Grandma, but Nana has that picture...