Just Busy...

I've not been much of a blogger lately. The days seem to go so quickly, with helping everyone to get their schoolwork done, food prep, keeping Samuel out of the bathroom... The weather has been fantastic and I had some kids with no shoes on, wearing shorts outside! I've reminded them that Spring is still several months away, but they're thoroughly enjoying the warm weather and having most of the snow gone.

We've had a couple of encouraging Sundays at church this year. Some people coming more regularly and others who it seems come, just to encourage us every so often. I've been blessed with the opportunity to sing with Elyssia and another friend recently, in addition to our family special. It's hard to describe how much of a joy it is to sing with our little people. To see them excited to sing hymns and other songs to the Lord. We have a couple shy ones, but they're singing out more at home and showing better memory of the words in family devotions.

We had a bit of extra time with Scott this month, which always makes for more excitement around here:). He was able to help Caleb with his first Carpentry project. I haven't taken a picture since they completed it, but will try to do so pretty soon.

We're eagerly anticipating the arrival of a special gift. The dealership let us know last week that the tractor was just about ready, so hopefully they'll be delivering it sometime this week:). It was such an unexpected blessing, that somehow still doesn't seem real. Caleb and Scott have seen it though, so it's not just a "someday dream" anymore. It will be such a blessing in so many ways and I can see it freeing Scott up for other things, due to the reduced manual labor for many necessary jobs around here.

We had a wonderful time at Caleb Village last night. I'm not sure who gets the bigger blessing when we go there to sing hymns with them. They're always so excited to see us and the kids are equally excited to be there. It really makes us want to go there more, but that's something we'll have to pray opens up for us, since the schedule is not up to us.

I think there are probably more things I could catch up on, but I should finish up a couple things before it gets too late. Thanking the Lord for HIS many blessings and encouragements this year. He's used several long distance friends to be such an encouragement to us and we're excited to see what the Lord has for us in the days ahead!

Fun Projects and One Little Climber

#1 is our favourite climber and he's very proud of his little perch! Reminds me of a picture where Scott spoiled Preston's picture by climbing up in the same chairs. I didn't stage this, just noticed what he did and had Elyssia take some pics.

#2 is Caleb with "Joshua", his lego friend. He built this guy with Garrison's help and Kiersten is "photobombing".

#3 is our "Edible Igloo". It's an apple covered with peanut butter and marshmallows. Yummy!

#4 is One of the original window frames from our room. I painted it and added hooks for our hats. LOVE IT!

#1 is the Second Original window from our room

#2 is a flower that we got from the in-laws

#3 is one of 3 little curtains(valences?)that I made from a thrift shop fabric find.

#4 is our "upcycled" message board. I used a broken spoon holder and broken dowel, plus a half used roll of butcher paper. I'm quite happy with the end result!

This last picture was one of Scott's projects and one of mine. He put up the peg board as my Christmas present and My mother in law supervised me making my first jumper! I love how the peg board allows me to have things handy and the sewing projects are definitely faster because of it. So thankful for my amazing husband! This jumper is for Kiersten, but she hasn't worn it yet. She's too in love with her 2 outfits from her Auntie Darlene. She's hardly worn anything else since Christmas:).

I also had an unexpected blessing on Sunday. A friend was downsizing her "quilting fabric" and gave me close to 3 Rubbermaid Totes full! I think this is my "lifetime supply". I'm thinking of Patchwork skirts, jumpers, pillows, curtains, purses, pillowcases and quilts in years to come. Lots for the girls to learn on and also to share with my in-laws:). The Lord has used so many to be a blessing and this is another example of Him giving above all that we ask or think!

We were also blessed by all those who were there on Sunday,the Prayer Meeting and being able to serve the Lord as a family. It's a pleasure to spend our lives serving the Lord and we pray He opens many opportunities for us to be a blessing in the days ahead.

Blessings...

We're all feeling better, which is the number one thing to be thankful for. The weather isn't quite so cold and is supposed to be up to -3 pretty soon! That will feel like summer weather after being in the deep freeze:). I have to admit that the cold days were still quite nice. The sun was shining brightly most days and we were blessed with being able to stay inside. I have some super cute pictures to share sometime soon, but it's too late to upload them now.

We've gotten a lot accomplished this week, including some "exercising of the furniture" as my father in law likes to call it:). We've had a good week homeschooling and working together. We had the opportunity to use the online Abeka classes for free and enjoyed their Bible, Math and Language classes. Elyssia thinks they're very interesting teachers and has learned quite a bit the past couple days. It's nice to be able to refer to certain lessons that she wasn't grasping the concepts for. It's been a blessing to see her enjoy working the problems and it's like a light bulb turned on when the other teacher explained it. I have to say that it takes a lot longer for her to get her work done, when going through it class style. I'm not sure what she thinks of longer school days. I watched several of the sessions with her and all the kids watched the Bible lessons. I think we'll try some of the History and Science next week.

We've also been reading through a book that my mother in law let us borrow. It's called Dale of the Mounted. We've almost finished the book and the boys have "red coat fever!" That means they think being a Mountie would be great:). The girls are also enjoying the book and enjoy snuggling on the cold winter afternoons.

Garrison has also been working on a Lego creation that he plans to enter into a competition. All entry pictures must be in by Feb 15th. I don't want to give away his design, but I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them next month.

It's hard to believe that another week has passed so quickly! Only 6 more days til Samuel turns 1!!! He's an adventurous little fella. He acquired the nickname of "bubby", but I'm thinking he might need a more mature nickname after he's 1.

Til next time...

Happy New Year!

I know it's a couple days late, but we caught the Christmas cold this week and we're just starting to feel a bit better. Everyone's been in fairly good spirits, which makes the time go faster. It's quite cold here and dipping down to -40C with the windchill by tomorrow. Thankful for the warm house that the Lord has provided for us and staying cozy warm under all the quilts we've been blessed with!