Curious Combination, But Don't Dismiss Us Yet! :)

Hey Everyone! Here's a picture of the snowman Abby and Benj made today. I think it's the biggest one they've ever made!:)

Psalm 147:15-18
"He sends out his command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow."



Psalm 148:8
"Fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds fulfilling His word."

Here are some verses that Sarah just put up about snow and how God uses it to perform His works. The latter has always been a favorite verse of mine. I walk around dramatically quoting it. Actually, one time when the house had been really loud and I was merely quoting that most thrilling verse, Mama looked at me and said, trying to be patient, "Would you please stop quoting lines from movies!" I guess I was a pretty good actress! : ) Now, sorry to add onto Sarah's very pretty verses, but here is something that has nothing to do with that. Sometimes joint posts don't match well! :D
Okay. Please someone, tell me I'm not crazy and that you do this: when I read a book, most of the time I will not cry when I read it, because I don't like crying in front of people, and since I'm usually in the center of all the action, I am seldom alone. But I have a lively imagination. It can be a fault, and a damage to my health ;) Because I was reading the second book in the Scarlet Pimpernel series, and a young woman was about to tell a great secret that would send someone to the guillotine, and Sarah was trying to talk to me. I listened not. In that moment I was living the scene and I couldn't bear interruption. My eyes absolutely flew down the page, I had a raging headache, and my cheeks were flushed, my heart pounding. I then finished the chapter, and was reluctantly able to talk to Sarah rationally. Perhaps I am too easily pleased- these are not harmful thriller books from the twenty-first century. Nay, these are remarkably historically accurate books written in 1902 about the French Revolution. I assure you, they are some of the most exciting books I've ever read. And I am a huge reader. I have devoured most every book in my house and the Walkers, and on Morgan Wilson's shelf. (Just ask Matthew of Morgan, they'll tell you.) I really think Matthew, by the way, that The Scarlet Pimpernel and the other books in the series can vie for the most exciting book with Duncan's War and Co. ! I am not kidding! Thanks King's Daughter for doin' the interlibrary exchange thing so that I could be transported with delight reading something that I hadn't read and that I didn't make up, and that I could devour at my leisure!
In case anyone is wondering, the books center around a mysterious Englishman who calls himself "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (an English wild-flower) and who, along with his trusty band of 20 young men rountinely snatch the aristocrats to safety right under Robespierre, and Merlin, Focquier-Tinville, and others noses. They are so very good books in my opinion, and Daniel's, and I suggest you read them. The only thing I should warn you about, is that there is a bit of language in them, but the more I read British literature, the more I wonder if some of the words we consider bad here in America are bad there. Can anyone clear that up for me? Anyway, thanks for allowing me to go off on a rabbit-trail there. Laugh at me if you will. I laugh at myself, but I am a passionate lover of books, and I do not read them- I swallow them whole! ;) -Rachel (and Sarah)

...And The Entreprenureal Spirit Lives On

Yesterday, instead of spending the entire day playing in the snow, Daniel and Sarah found a way to use it for their benefit. During the afternoon they went out to a neighborhood around here with shovels on their shoulders, and cleared people's driveways and walkways for money. It was hard work, but they were each rewarded with a nice chunk of money. Today Daniel and I are going back out, and we'll do more clean up. My only problem is that it froze super hard last night and everything is really crusty and icy! Dad has set a good example of a provider with this storm. As you would expect, winter is a pretty tough time for landscapers. Nothing grows, so no one needs our help! So Dad saw this storm as a good way to make extra money and leverage our income with his Kubota (sp?) tractor. He got 4 of 5 jobs to clear parking lots. (Blockbuster's, a vet place, two churches, etc.) He was pretty excited, but you can pray for several things: first, that the tractor will work correctly, second that Dad will be safe driving on these roads with a huge trailer and tractor behind, and third, that he will stay plenty warm! We are going to make the Wilson's chicken pie for him for dinner! Well, hope you all are staying warm and enjoying the snow! -Rachel
p.s. although I didn't get chance to go out with Daniel last night, I did wake up at 6 this morning and saw the most beautiful full moon shining on the snow. It was SO bright out there! I was half tempted to go right then in the dark and take a walk, but then I realized that 1) nobody knew where I was, 2) I could get hypothermia or something ;) maybe tonight!!!

My Favorite Illustrator

Hey guys! Before you read this, make sure you go on down to Sarah's post below and see all the pictures of our snowy-day fun! Okay, most of you know that I love Tasha Tudor's illustrations. They are so timeless and beautiful! One of my dreams-that-will-never-some-true-since-she-is-deceased is to write a book and have Tasha Tudor illustrate it. But anyway, Mama found a really neat website about their family, and about her home, and it sells a bunch of really neat things, so if you want to learn more about this intriguing lady, click here. Also, here is the recipe for snow-cream. It tastes so good! I just made it with Gracie, and it is so much cheaper to make than icecream!

Snow Cream:

One gallon (16 cups) fresh, clean snow

1 cup heavy cream or sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients and return outside to stay frozen until you eat it! Yum!

Aaahhhhh, SNOW!!!!!!!!!

This is sweet little Gracie in her first snow (or at least that she remembers:)

Here we are enjoying the snow time.

Here are some tracks we found. I wonder what they belong to?;)

What shall I say except that hoped for and delightful word: SNOW!!!!

Yep. That's right! We have 4 inches on the ground right now and it hasn't stopped snowing. We figure it's been getting an inch deeper every hour or so!!! This morning I was awakened by delighted screams of the younger ones as they looked out the windows to see if "the bald weatherman" ;) was right!!! We had set out our snow gear last night and got all bundled up right away. Rachel and I played around as if we were children frolicking and romping in the snow. It's a very dry snow, which isn't that good for snowman and balls, but we still find ways to get each other thoroughly covered in that fluffy white stuff! We had a little trouble finding the newspaper for Grandma June at the end of the driveway. But hey! What can be better than coming into the warm house, shedding your snowy clothes after romping around for 45 minutes, and getting a steamy mug of homemade hot cocoa???!! Well, I should go now, because everybody else is having a snowball fight and I can't miss any of the fun!!! I hope everybody else is having as much fun as we are!!!

-Sarah

I Spy Something White and Fluffy and 12 Inches Deep! (I hope)

Hey guys! You already know the thought first and foremost on our family's mind today! (SNOW!!!!) Yes, finally, us poor Southeastern Virginians will get snow! They are saying the most we've had since 1989! Whoopie-doodle! I will echo Daniel and Abigail's sentiments that I am looking forward to being childish and undignified! I will play with the rest of them and sled with the best of them, and generally act much younger than my 17 years. Snow! Snow! Glorious, fluffy, white, snow! I am quite giddy as you can see! There is really nothing quite as white as snow! Aren't you glad that Jesus makes us as white as the whitest sort of snowfall you've ever seen? I certainly am! "Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"
When it comes to rare snow, I am not at all a Robert Frost who wants to quietly watch his neighbor's woods fill up with snow with his little pony who thinks he's strange. So, what sort of things do I look forward to in the snow? Let me tell you: Iceskating crazily with the girls on puddles, plunging through and getting muddy, seeing a spot that is totally innocent of footprints, and after thinking about how awful it is to mess it up, purposly plunge my feet into it and make a snow angel, playing fox and geese with a freshly tramped wagon-wheel shape, making a snowman that is round for pity's sake, getting at least one snowball in my face, and having a grand snowball fight with Daniel who always wins, stripping off my wet outdoor accoutrements and tossing them in the drier to dry while I thaw by the woodstove and drink hot cocoa, making ginger cookies that warm you from the inside out with their spicy goodness, cuddling up with a thick old volume of the next three Scarlet Pimpernel books, (pure bliss!) writing a letter in reply to someone elses (if I receive any letters today) guessing what animals make tracks in the snow and where they lead, everyone having extra-rosy cheeks, thinking about how I wish I could be sledding on our old hill, but having lots of fun just the same, watching a movie as a family, and last of all, winkling Daniel into taking a moonlight-snowy walk with me, and enjoying a world transformed by both! (pretty please dearie Daniel? :)
Well, gotta go make lunch, and believe me, I will be on a rampage tomorrow and the weathermen shall know the chill, cruel wrath of Rachel on their little bald heads if they are wrong and the ground is just frozen and bleak tomorrow! I am getting worked up already! I might have to temporarily label them "Provoking toads" if they are wrong! (just kidding! I wouldn't say that to any person.... I might think it for a split second though!) -Rachel

p.s. the picture above is NOT our house:) Just some clip art. -Sarah

Ane Daft Yang Limmer's Skirling

Hi! (the title is Scottish brogue for "One Crazy Young Woman's Skirling" (skirling is the way they describe a bagpipe's sound, so maybe it isn't the most flattering adjective for my singing!))This is me, Rachel! We are about to leave for a very spur of the day ;) get-together with the Wilsons! Yay! I don't think we've done something like this since last February, so I'm really excited! (guys, seeing you for an hour or so after church just wasn't cutting it even for the Dads I guess! :) I am so excited! Anyway, there is something strange going on with my mind- some of you may remember me writing about the odd things I think of when I am working with Dad. Well, I have been reading Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott. (It is all about Scotland and very exciting and I highly recommend it if you want to become familiar speed-reading Scottish Highland Brogue. Anyhow!) So this is the thing: maybe my mind is too occupied with Scotland right now, but the only songs I can think of are Scottish songs, and words to Scottish songs I've read. My mind was like this today:

(singing to myself) "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonny Dune
How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair"

The next minute- "I saw a thrush!
Sitting on a bush
And the song he sang was "A Jug of Punch" o-de-lie-delay!.."

(by the way, the words to the rest of it are not very good so I haven't learned it but the tune is catchy! :)

Then- "My love is like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June,
My love is like a melody
That's sweetly played in tune...."

Then, "....hmmmm (can't think of the words then a rousing: "The Maid that Sold her Barley!"


And then the words I somehow remembered from reading them in a book somewhere:

"Have Ye Heard of Kate Kearney?
She lives on the banks of Killarney,
From the glance of her eye
Shun danger and fly,
For fatal's the glance of Kate Kearney."

So I am trying to think of something else to sing, and by the way, I am almost, almost done with Rob Roy. I hate that Diana Vernon must go to a convent! But I'm sure in the next few pages Rob Roy will help Frank Osbaldistone get her out of that predicament! :) -Rachel

Frugal or Frivolous?

I wanted to post something different-ish today. Okay. We have a customer who has two cars. One's license plate says "Froogal" the other, "Frivolous" (I can't remember how she abbreviates it.) Which one am I? I have often wondered if I am one of Dad's children who is good with their money like he always says we are. Sarah won't spend money unless she really has to. Does that mean I go on shopping sprees all the time? (no) But I like it when I get something new! Do I like spending money more than I like saving it? Alright, so I may not be Senorita Tight-Wad ;) but Dad has certainly trained me to be frugal. And I think I have learned the lesson well. The symptoms that we have listened to all Dad's lessons? When we say we need more clothes, we are excited about going to a thrift-store. You can get the best clothes for a pretty good price there! When someone says they got a new couch our first reaction is, "So who gave it to you?" or "Where did you find it?" When we (in our wildest dreams) think of getting a new 15 passenger, we immediately assume that Dad will find us a great deal on a used van. Another symptom- until I was 11 or so, I didn't know Taco-Bell sold anything but the 89 cent bean-burritoes or hard tacos. Now I know differently, but guess what? Those are still my favorite things to buy there! Yet another thing: when I decide that I'd like to keep my eye out for a particular item, I do not rush to the nearest store and buy that thing new. Dad has trained us to look in the Trading Post, on Craig's List, and places like that. I finally decided that I was pretty good with my money when last night I bought a 10 dollar Celtic folk-songs c.d. from Wal*Mart and spent nearly the whole drive home assuring myself that I could splurge 10 dollars on something I've wanted for awhile. So all this to say, thanks Dad for teaching us to think twice before taking out our wallets! -Rachel

Hullo Folks!

Hey guys! Wow! It seems like a long time since I've posted. (I being the Rachel-who-even-her-own-cousin-has-a-hard-time-spelling ;) Any-hoo! Today was choir practice. We had a loverly time as usual, and almost perfected "Hallelujah, Praise The Lamb" which is beautiful with three part harmony. I get the "angel" sounding part! :) Actually, I am tenor for the first chorus, silent in the verse, then second soprano for the next chorus and the bridge. Very exhausting to remember! But it sounded great. Oh! Sarah and I got a set of real wood bedroom furniture! Yesterday we sanded and oil primed it all. I don't really know what "style" it is, only that it is wavy and feminine, and old-fashioned. We are painting it cream colored like French Provencial sort of. Anyway, we'll do a post with pictures of it and everything when we are done. Let me do something fun: Here are three questions that each of you must answer as honestly as you can:

What is a nickname you hate but that your family calls you? I don't have many nick-names

What is the worst birthday or Christmas present you've ever had? I remember being really bashful because two people had given me the same present when I turned 5 of 6.

Are you a picky eater? If so, are you expecting your spouse someday to cope with that? ;)
I am only a picky breakfast eater, and since I'll be cooking I can eat whatever of the breakfast of the day I want and leave the rest to my husband! :)

Well, sorry this is short, but I'm on a new computer-time budget that we are trying out due to the black-hole blogging can be! ;)
Oh!!! The biggest news! I am completely and utterly done editing my book, so next I'll send it to test families to read and fill out a constructive-criticism sheet, and then off to the publisher or printer! (We aren't positive which yet!) So quite a triumph for an aspiring authoress! :)

-Rachel

Sarah's Hopechest

Hey Everyone! I know I haven't posted in awhile, but to answer Matthew and Oliver's comments, we did state that we'd leave the last post up through Saturday, and Oliver, since there are 2 of us, it's logical that we'd post twice as quickly as most people. Well, this is about my hopechest so I shall begin.

In our family, the girls get hopechests when they turn 13, so I've only had mine for 2 years, and don't have as much stuff collected and made as Rachel.

Here's my Stereoctograph and slides, which I'll explain below.

This is a sampling of my book collection. Among them are

"Letters to Children From Beatrix Potter", "Nurse Matilda"

and a hard-cover volume of the Narnia series.

And this is my antique collection. I got the stereoctograph from "the laundry fairy":)

The books from left to right are "Bowser the Hound", "Jo's Boys", a better condition copy of "Bowser the Hound" (this book is one that my mom used to read to me when I was little), and "Eight Cousins".

So these are my dishes I have. 2 stainless steel bowls, mini bear pans, cup and tsp. measures, themed cookie cutters, a glass pumpkin jar, 4 painted china plates, a china set of salt and pepper shakers, 2 of my 6 crystal plates, etc....

These are my cookbooks, recipe boxes, potholders, and dishclothes.

I crocheted the dishclothes and all the potholders are homemade too.




This is my hopechest. Dad did all the intials on the top.

So there you go! I hope you enjoyed the pictures as many of ya'll have requested that we do more!

-Sarah

Scary Thought, But Give Us Your Real Opinion! :)

Okay guys. Here it is: this is our quarterly "customer satisfaction" post ;) Basically, we have had this blog for four months now, and it is time we get some feedback. So here is the mission: All you guys who follow this blog, or read this blog, or even just occasionally visit this blog, please leave a comment and tell us three things: Your over-all opinion of this blog, your favorite thing about it, and what you think we could improve. Got it? This mission should only take a few moments, and we'd really appreciate hearing from everybody. I'd like to see at least 20 people give us feed-back, because we have 24 followers, and between them, and several people I know who read this blog but don't follow it, I think we can get a tidy little idea of what we should work on this next quarter! (Don't I sound dreadfully like a CEO or something. I hate those little up and down profit charts! :) Thanks to all of our followers, and those people who faithfully leave comments. I'm sure you know how it is when you write a post, and it is "virtual crickets". (Note: in our family, when someone does something that goes over about as well as a lead balloon, we say it was "crickets" meaning like on a movie when it is so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping! :) Okay! Off you go! We'll leave this post on through Saturday, so let's open the flood-gates and start the voting! :)

-Rachel and Sarah (Us Two)

Thanksgiving in January

I am sitting in the office, after just having been on the porch drinking in a lovely sunset in the lovely temperatures out-o'-doors. We are so blessed! I think of the small trials we had today: dead batteries, low tires, etc. Then I think of the people in Haiti, of the sick in the hospitals, even Miss Zara over on the Christian Maidens blog who is having considerable health troubles of her own. I am so very glad that we can intercede with prayer for each-other. I just finished a wonderful book called "Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome" by T. Nathaniel Darnell. It put me in mind of yet another blessing: the ability to be a part of our nation's government. I think of the blessing of having sunshine to dry the clothes, and the blessing of a new dryer that sits in the laundry room having a day-off because of the sunshine and breeze. I think of the greatness of God Almighty in noticing me and calling my attention to the masterpiece He had painted over the Western horizon. I think of the love in my family, of chubby 3 year olds to kiss, of silly 15 year old sisters to make fun with, of a piano to plink out parts for choir with, of the gift of sight and hearing, of ankles that remain unsprained although I have twisted them 4 times since Saturday, of three fine, noble, godly men coming home this moment from a day of hard work, of chickens that give us eggs, and a La Mancha goat that gives us something to laugh at, of the promise of Spring, and flower-seed catalogs to inspire us with more plans for this year, of the mail-lady who must be the disappointment of me when she brings only bills, but who I would gladly hug when she brings me a letter, of friends who have been hospitable to us, addicted us to their pizza, and who gave me the recipe so I could make it for dinner tonight, of herbs to make into healing things, and so many, many more blessings. I have just been struck with these sorts of things today, and standing on the porch enveloped in the peace of a perfectly beautiful evening, the most fitting words flooded my mind. I dared not sing them, since my voice is still croaky, but I said them mentally, and thanked God for his abundant blessings.

"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art."

-Rachel

More From Auld Mary, The Yarb Woman

Hey guys! Pardon the strange title. That is my official name when I do my herbal things. (I got it from a Little House book so blame them!)Okay, here I go! As I have already stressed my love of God's blessing in the way we can use herbs, I won't bore you by repeating it. But here are some of my latest accomplishments (or scrapes. You decide)

I undertook the task of making an all-purpose scrape, bruise, bump ointment, because as we all know, there are countless opportunities to use such a thing, and it is alot of fun to make. Or so I thought. One batch of burned herbal oil later, I have discovered that you must be very particular with a gas stove. You can't heat oil directly on it, so I decided, 'Ah-ha! I'll make a double boiler!" so there I go making a tidy little double boiler out of a pot with a glass bowl nested inside. That batch burned too. We were treated to a very suspicious-smelling fragrance all through the house though! (Yuck!!! :p) The reason? All the water had steamed out of the bottom pot. So I made a slapped-together version of a double boiler, and babysat the oil, and finally had the proper thing finished. I used equal parts of St. John's Wort, calendula, and comfrey in vegetable oil. (I burned all our olive oil! Shame on me! I hate wasting!)Anyhow, after straining the oil from the herbs, (or vice-versa) all that was left to do was add beeswax, and pour off into a glass jar. Voila! There! I have my first first-aid ointment.
Next I'm off the make cough drops. I just got a recipe online, and if they work, I'll post it! But here comes the one that absolutely cracks me up. It is a remedy for all the convenient little sores, burns, sprains and things that the children show you by the dozens at choretime! ;) Anyone should have the ingredients to make it. Ready? Mama's Cure-All Remedy
cayenne pepper
vinegar
garlic oil
strong peppermint oil, etc.

You shall probably get the idea by now. Make it smell bad, and sting, and soon enough there will be no more convenient ailments from the little ones! Isn't that brilliant? A lady at church told me about it. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading about my little mad-cap experiments, and I hope I don't blow anyone up anytime soon!
-Rachel

We keep the post office in business! :)

Hi guys! Hope you all had a great Sunday! I did, excepting the fact that I could not sing. :( It was quite dismal afterwards when Matthew played hand-drum, Daniel his guitar, and others sang! Right now it is raining hard and thundering. Go figure. Weather in Virginia is fickle as a weather vane! Who ever heard of thunder in January? Nevertheless, that is the state of the weather right now.
Okay! So recently I've been looking for ways to use my talents to bless others. I think I've found something that works well: one of my passions, and, not to sound vain, but perhaps, also one of my talents is letter-writing. In my case, the art of letter-writing is not dead! I get much pleasure out of penning a nice, newsy, old-fashioned letter, and to know that whoever gets it will find it pleasing. At least, I hope they will. Anyhow, I was thinking of someone I could write a letter to who might be encouraged, and so I wrote one to the mother of the children I watched this past week. This was before I even knew that she would ask me to watch the kids. She was so surprised and happy to receive a letter that she kept talking about it. Anyway, my point is, that most people only get bills and ads and short, quick, notes in the mail, so letter-writing is a great area of ministry, especially for moms who may need a special bit of encouragement to let them know that someone is thinking of them. I recently found a passage in a book about how Paul (I think it was him) wrote to the churches in his own hand meaning, by hand. As long as you have good penmanship, it should be a rare pleasure to receive a handwritten letter! I think it is neat that Paul and others wrote letters to the churches, rather than just making a trip there themselves and telling them. (Yes, I realize that the culture had plenty to do with that fact. Even so, a letter can be treasured longer than words in some cases! We may not have had the Bible if everything was just oral tradition!)
Anyway, I've just decided that maybe once a week, I'll write a letter to someone that I generally may not have chosen to write to, and start a little ministry that way! -Rachel

Wisdom From Avonlea

We finished watching Anne of Avonlea last night! The first two Green Gables movies still delight me, and I have quite a notion that when I am an old woman and watch them, I shall still wish I could sweep my hair up in a pompadour and wear trailing dresses. But that's just a guess! I think what I love about the movies, is that they show all kinds of people in such a sometimes exxagerating way that you have to laugh, because the characteristics are so recognizable. Take Mrs. Rachel Lynde ;) for instance. We've all met people who take it upon themselves to decide what everyone else should and shouldn't do. And ones who tell people exactly what they think of them. Therefore, all of us older children had to laugh (for the thousandth time) when Mrs. Lynde says of Anne going to Boston, "I don't approve of way young woman go traveling all over the world today! It reminds me of the devil in the book of Job, going to and fro and up and down!" And old, critical, fussy Mrs. Harris when Anne tells her she can go on a carriage ride and "crrritisize everybody who passes by" and she retorts, "Crritisize? Miss Shirley that's not Chrrrristian!"
I just love the simplicity of the storyline, and yet it makes a very entertaining movie! Maybe it's charm lies in the fact that it is about things that are close to home and familiar. In Little Women and Anne of Green Gables, both young women writers are given the piece of wisdom to write about things that are part of their life and important, not, in Gilbert's words: "High faluting mumbo-jumbo". I don't think I'd hit Matthew with a basket if he told me that, or crack a slate over Daniel's head if he called me "mud-head", (my hair is brown, I wish it was red!)
I've taken that piece of wisdom into my writing, even though I never was one to go writing stories set in Camelot. I prefer the pioneer, Victorian,or Civil War times to midievil times anyway! But the point is, you should write about as Gilbert also says, "the people and places you care about! Right here in ____ (insert you family)"
So that is why one story I have written is a book about our family, set in a different time, but correct otherwise. That is why most of my stories center around families and family relationships. This is what I know and care about, where God has placed me, and this is where my greatest writing will be found. Anyway, just thought that would be an interesting post for any fellow scribblers! Hope you enjoyed reading! And please leave a comment if you can! (Because we otherwise shall ban you from our blog! ;) just kidding!) -Rachel

In Which I Return, Bereft of My Voice

Hi Everybody! I (Rachel) am back from my sojourn! I must tell you that I am now officially self appointed as a "mute nanny". I'm not kidding. I have lost my voice. I can only speak in a high-pitched whisper that puts one in mind of Castello (sp?)when he is scared! And I assure you, it did not come from yelling at the children:) This was the fourth day. I spent 10-12 hours a day at the family's home, getting up before there was a hint of dawn in the sky and leaving around dark. Most of the children had colds, and it appears that I have caught some strain of something. I do not feel bad, but I have no voice at all. I could be legally dumb at this moment, and feel that it would be profitable to learn conversational sign language! The Lord really blessed me though, for the children did not try to test me. I felt completely helpless when I realized that I would have to whisper. You've no idea what it felt like! So I just said a quick prayer that was as desperate as, "Lord, you're going to have to be my voice since I don't have one! Please speak for me to these kids in their hearts!"
And you know! They were very patient, trying not to smile while I did an impression of a mouse which was meant to be, "Let's do chores and then play outside."
I was sort of panicking before that prayer. For the other three days I had run myself to ribbons telling them stories, singing them songs, and reading to them. Therefore, I was quite put out to discover my inability to communicate. What was I to do with four young children until 5:30 or 6:00? But I managed to get them to understand that we were going to put on our coats and play outside. Thank you God for making it 50 degrees after freezing temperatures all week! So there I was, playing hide-and-seek and tag like a school girl when lo and behold, there appeared the father and mother of the children! And hour and a half earlier than expected! I felt as if I wanted to cheer and shout and make a hullabaloo, but instead I squeaked out my surprise and happiness to see them so early. And that is the end of my journey. As I told Morgan, "There is nothing like going away to make one appreciate one's own family, quirks included". I also learned something else: it is interesting to baby-sit kids from a conservative Christian family, because (though we are conservative too) each family has their particular convictions that must be dealt with. For instance, the four-year-old of this family informed me that they were not allowed to say "Oh my goodness!" (yes, I am guilty of putting that saying into a story I was fabricating for their amusement! Shame on me! :)
But all in all it was a good experience for me, a help to the mother, and I can say with no malice that they are done with me and I was done with them! Thanks for all the prayer! Oh! Remember to look at the post below this where Sarah displays her awesome baking! :)
(Aren't you glad that I can at least speak on the computer?) -Rachel

My Recent Baking

I know posts about baking are getting old, but here are some things I've made more recently:

Angel Biscuits

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cp. warm water
2 cps. buttermilk
5 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. salt
1 cp. lard or shortening, chilled


Have all ingredients at room temperature.
In choosing lard or shortening, be sure to use non hydrogentated products. Butter may be substituted.(we did the latter)

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes.Stir in the buttermilk, making sure it has first been warmed to room temperature so as not to shock the yeast.

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients(not the lard). Mix well.

Using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender, work 1/2 the chilled shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Work in the remaining shortening until it resembles large peas.

Stir buttermilk and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended. Do not over-mix.

On a clean surface dusted lightly with flour turn out dough and knead 5-8 times, patting together lightly into a flattened circle.

Roll a circle out 1/2 - 3/4" thick and cut using a floured glass or a 3 inch biscuit cutter.

Arrange biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leave 1/3" between for softer sided biscuits, or 1" for more crisp sided biscuits.

Cover with a damp towel or lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, or about 45 min.

Bake in pre-heated 450 oven for 10-12 min. or until golden brown.

This dough can be refrigerated for 3-5 days or frozen for up to a month.


So I served these with chicken soup and they were REALLY GOOD!
Enjoy!





And..............


Apple Spice Cake
3 cps. flour
2 cps. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/3 cp. milk
2 eggs
1 cp. mayo
3 cps. chopped apples
1 cp. raisins

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl. Stir in apples and raisins. If you want nuts, add those, too. You can layer the apples, or stir them right into the pan. Pour int ogreased and floured Bundt pan, and bake at 350F for 45-55 min.


I hope ya'll try these, cause they're very good!!!!!
Next post shan't be just recipes!:)
-Sarah

A Quick Word

Hi guys! So, Rachel got back last night from baby-sitting, pretty exhausted, and had to get up pretty early this morning,too. For today we have the girls' chorale and school. It's sort of funny because I can only work on science and math this week while Rachel's gone, because we do a unit study together and listen to church history,too! Well, okay, um....... I guess I'll just post a psalm I've memorized recently.

Psalms 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the most high
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in Him I will trust.

Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers
and under His wings shall you take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
nor of the arrows that fly by day,
nor the pestilence that walks in the darkness,
nor of the destruction that lays waste at noon day.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it shall not come near to you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
and see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
for He shall give His angels charge over you,
to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread on the lion and cobra,
the young lion and the serpant you shall tread underfoot.
"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I shall satisfy him,
and show him My salvation."

Rachel's Crumb Cake

Cheerio! Since I am going to be so busy the next four days, I thought I'd share a really good recipe I made yesterday for breakfast. Everyone likes Crumb Cake right? This is the good kind: almost more crumb than cake! :) It turned out really well! But I would next time add a little lemon zest to the cake, and a bit more vanilla. Anyway you look at it though, this is a great, figure-fattening breakfast cake! (Like anyone is looking for a fattening breakfast! :)
Without further ado I present:

Rachel's Crumb Cake

2 Tbs. oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white wheat as usual)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour in an ungreased 9X13 baking pan, spreading to edges with spatula. Sprinkle topping (see below) over batter. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, turning pan after 15 minutes. Remove, cool, and dust with powdered sugar before eating. Cut into squares.

Recipe for the Crumb Topping :) 2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar (I used Demerara sugar)
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter, melted

Combine all ingredients until crumbly. sprinkle over batter.


So anyhow, the recipe book said that it would serve 6. I don't know what they were thinking! It served 10 of us with good sized pieces, with left-overs! :)
Hope you enjoy this recipe, and tell me how it turned out if you used it! -Rachel

I Ain't No Mary Poppins! ;)

Hey Guys! I know this is twice today. But this is a really quick thing. Starting Monday I will be watching 4 kids for a family from church at their house all day. (Monday through Thursday this week)I have to get up really early (4 o'clock to be exact) in order to be there by 5 o'clock. Please pray for me because I don't know these kids real well, and the one-year old has never been fond of me. I'm praying that she doesn't scream her head off all day! ;) I'm excited about the opportunity, and it is an answer to my prayers for ways to make money, but I'm still a bit nervous. I just wish I knew what the kids liked doing. The Strother kids were easy because they would sit and let me read to them all day long if I had wanted to. I am praying these children like stories and make-believe sort of things.(Because that is what I'm good at doing! :) Does anyone have any ideas of what to do with children all day? This is a ridiculous question because I constantly watch our kids all day, but I know them well... I guess I should just run the other children's day the way I would with my siblings here at home, but what if the kids are absolute sports fanatics? I don't know a blessed thing about sports, and they aren't allowed outside for long since they all have colds! Horrors! But since God led me to do this, I have full faith that He will provide me ideas and patience and smooth my path for me! To bad I can't take them through chalk-paintings or snap my fingers to clean everything up! Anyway, I'd appreciate any ideas of how to entertain 4 acquaintance-children! :) -Rachel

Sundays At a Home-Church

Hello Everyone! Hope you guys are all having a good day! Here is a list of things we'll be doing: (not that you really want to hear them :)
Clean the house for hosting church
Shampoo the carpets for church
Clean the house for church
Make some food for church
Make iced tea for church
Clean the house for church
Clean the house for church....

You get the idea! But it is a lot of fun hosting church!! At our home church there are about 100 people. I could get Sarah's list and tell you how many kids we have of each age, because there are a lot of kids. But I won't bore you with that! Anyway, the church is probably 3/4 of the way made up of children and young adults. We only have about 10 or 11 families that come. (and that includes a few elderly couples) So make that about 8 true "families" and that is an average of something like 10 kids a family.
Anyhoo! So people start coming to our house around 10:00. Usually we are still setting up chairs in the living room, making iced tea, etc. We all stand around and talk about various and sundry things like the weather, the week's news, and what we will do after church, and then one of the elders (My Dad, Mr. Scott Wilson, or Mr. Don) corrals everyone into the living room. So we seat ourselves on whatever we can find (Sometimes we end up on the floor because there are seldom enough chairs for everyone) and then have worship time. Usually Daniel, Katie Wilson, and Alaina and Justin W. play their guitars as accompaniment. I love the singing time! Though generally, (Ask Aaron K. or Hannah Wilson) I sneak out of the living room to remove my yowling cat from the laundry room and lock her in bedroom. It is my weekly sport :) After that, one of the elders, and one or two selected men share whatever they have brought, and then we have prayer request and prayer time, and usually close with a song and announcements about how the yard is muddy from all the rain so don't go playing football! :) At this point we all are starving, as it is often after 1:00 before we are through, so we older girls and the Moms set out the food, and we go through the line: Moms first, then older daughters, then children, then men, then boys. The boys always complain that there is not a scrap of food left for them, especially not dessert. It is true- they are generally left with strange rice dishes or collards, or something of that sort. So whenever I make a dessert, I try to split it up and hide away some for the boys. I do feel badly for them!
After lunch we move into Bible Boot Camp time, which is like Bible Drill. That takes nearly an hour when all is said and done. After that, everyone breaks outside and plays until they must be torn away to leave. In the summer we have a mighty crowded volleyball court! About 20 kids on each side! Yeah. We trip each other up most of the time! :)A lot of times Morgan and I go walking arm-in-arm around the field or yard just discussing things. I love our little strolls and tete-tetes m'love! *smiles at Mistress Morgan* Anyhow usually the last people don't leave till around 4:30 or 5:00, and then we finish whatever clean-up is left, and then Mama and Dad go out for their date/meeting night. So there you have it; our Sunday around here. Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep with my recitation! I love hosting church because we are always the first ones there, and the last ones there! (Otherwise, we are always late) See some of you tomorrow! :) -Rachel

A Day Full Of Excitement (If I choose to see it that way!)

This morning something really strange happened to me. I was asleep, and had three dreams full of "something exciting happening today". One was that we were having a out-and-out young adult night, one was that I got an invitation for a barn dance in Florida this coming up December, and another that we got 10 comments and a bunch of reactions on our blog! So here I am and wake up, and I can't for the life of me remember what day of the week it is, what I'm so excited about, and everything is foggy. Then I realize it is Friday, and a school day. But then I heard God say to me in a quiet, amused way, "Don't you think the little things I put in your day are exciting? Can't you find enjoyment in the tasks at hand?"
So before even hopping out of my bed this morning, I was blessed with a challenge for today: to find it as exciting as any of the things I dreamed about above. To notice the way He works through each moment. To stop and laugh with Abby, and to tickle Gracie, to amuse Sarah with my algebraic moanings. To delight in making meals for my family and sweeping up mud from a productive pair of boots that is worn by a veyr special little boy who is always going, going, going.... these are the things I should delight in instead of wishing for excitement. Of course not that exciting this are bad! I am the first one to squeal with anticipation when we get an invitation to anywhere, (provided it is somewhere we want to go ;) but I think it is important for us all to realize that duties don't have to be drudgery. Only our ridiculous, shallow minds convert the priviledge of making bread with freshly ground wheat to a chore aligned with cleaning the boy's bathroom! Well, anyhow, that is just a brief idea for today! Now I'd better be off!

Meredith's Tote Give-Away

Hi Guys! There is a really neat Tote-giveaway on Meredith's blog! Check it out here! -Rachel

Here's a Recipe!!!!!!

Hey everyone!I thought I'd share this recipe with ya'll. We tried making it once and it umm.... well, let's just say that they use odd ingredients in the Bible. (does anyone know what coriander is?) So here it is and I'll just let you know that it's not one of those love, joy, peace kind of cakes! :)

A Scriptural Cake

1 c. Judges 5:25
2 c. Jeremiah 6:20
3 1/2 c. 1 Kings 4:22
2 c. 1 Samuel 30:12
1 c. Numbers 17:8
1 c. Genesis 24:20
6 Isaiah 10:14
1 Tbs. Exodus 16:31
pinch Leviticus 2:14
2 tsp. 1 Corinthians 5:6
sweets in 1 Kings 10:2
Mix in order given and follow Solomon's advice in Proverbs 23:14.
I hope some of you try this out, and Enjoy!!!!
Note: You'll have to guess on the cooking time and temperature; we did it on 350 for I don't know, maybe 15 minutes or so.

-Sarah

Dusky Poems

Hi Guys! Here are two poems I was inspired to write this evening. Hope you like them! -Rachel

"A Dusk in Winter"

The dusk is like a bridal maid:
The rose is mantled on her cheek,
A single shimmering diamond-star
Clings to her hair so dark and sleek.
Her skirt of azure gently rests
Within her modest golden hand;
Her veil of quiet darkness flows
After her hem has swept the land.

"An Artist's Prayer"

I've seen the Master Artist's brush
In deer so quiet, dusky-shy,
I've seen His charcoal pencil trace
A tree against the evening sky.
His watercolors have I glimpsed
In fragile petals of a rose.
A pastel masterpiece I view
Each time a day is at its close.
I've seen His sculpture in the way
The waves conform the rippling sand,
So Lord, please take this amatuer
And guide my ever-blundering hand!

A Post in Which We Both Write

First off, can you see a periwinkle and brown background, or an ugly beach building? Our filter blocks alot of Cutest Blog on the Block stuff and Blogger movies, etc. so we can't tell if the new background is working. Please tell us, so we can make the right changes. Now, today is supposed to be our first day of school even though we'll be getting a later start. Yesterday evening the family that was staying with us went back to their house because the heat had been fixed. Then last night Rachel, Daniel, Leah, and I went to a Generation Joshua meeting where we were electing new officers. Daniel will post about that. -Sarah
Is anyone else getting excited by all the seed catalogs that are being sent out? I am, though I haven't any money to buy seeds with! :P
On Monday we had a Girls' Gazette tea party up in our attic. I made fudge which didn't turn out at all. It was like trying to eat a sugar cube it was so grainy, and then I remelted it, added some powdered sugar, and it was still dry and grainy but it still tasted good! I don't think I was cut out to be a candy-maker! (see the taffy post in September `09!) Very cold, but very fun. We felt just like the March girls in Little Women, and all went fairly well. The younger girls didn't act up this time though Abigail did get up and begin tap-dancing like Shirley Temple while we all sang "The Old Kent Road" for her. But apart from that, we were very well-behaved children. We sort of had to thaw out upon coming downstairs though. Thank goodness for our woodstove! The attic is very open. Literally. The wind comes up through all the soffets and eaves and everything else. (On purpose for ventilation, but it is uncomfortable for a teaparty!) We are trying to form a theatrical society up there. I only wonder if any of us are actresses, and if the younger girls could memorize lines! Sarah is a good actress! I cannot keep a straight face to save my life, so I would have to play a comical part. (Ask Daniel about the news show we tried to do once. :) Anyway, it is a good thing that we did the teaparty Monday instead of how we usually do it on Wednesdays, because today we are doing school! Well, have a good day everyone! -Rachel

I Can't Think of A Title To Catch The Eye And Interest Any of Our Followers So Humph!

Greetings people! I hope you read this! I don't like writing posts where we get absolutely no feedback! It makes me wonder if someone sat at there computer in total shock at our audacity or shenanigans or something of that sort, and that you will never speak to me again! Or that you've fallen asleep with utter boredom! Today we don't have to start school because the Strothers slept over. Their heat was broken, and since they have a 2 1/2 week old baby they wanted to come to a place that was warm. He is sooooo cute! I love babies! (Morgan, don't you wish you were here? ;) So! We also borrowed the Wilsons splitter, so we have been splitting wood and stacking it. All said and done we have about 1 1/2 cords done today. While stacking it, we discussed the size of the wood pile mentioned in On The Banks of Plum Creek. In one chapter Laura and Mary are home alone when it starts snowing, and Laura is scared there will be a blizzard, so she runs back and forth outside and ends up bringing the whole stack inside. At the time she was 8 or so. It was quite an interesting conversation. All agreed that the pile couldn't have been huge, but then, it was mentioned that since they used wood for heat and cooking, it must have been substantial. Unless there was a small pile near the house and a bigger one somewhere else. Who knows and who really cares? But it gave us something to talk about. I got squirrel-syndrome stacking that wood. For those of you who don't know, that is a warm, cozy, feeling where I like to "squirrel" away things for the winter. Woodpiles, making jam, freezing peas and beans, all sorts of things occasion it for me! :) It has been rather cold here! But I like seasonable weather! We have had a revelation recently: the Winter Olympics will be on the same week we are in N.Y. with Uncle Lon and Aunt Heather, so we can watch them inside, then have our own in the snow outside! Yay! My favorites are figure/couple skating, luge, (sp?) and downhill skiing. (By the way, this is Rachel) If you think of it, please pray for us around 7:00 tonight, because we'll be voting for Daniel to be president of our Gen-J club, and I really think he is the only guy running who will be able to keep a bunch of kids in order and productive! (I love Daniel)
Well, see some of you guys at church on Sunday! -Rachel

In Which I Divulge The Identity of my Mortal Enemy

Well... ho-hum, bon-hommy, gathering-nuts-in-may! (This is Rachel speaking) This is Two-thousand-and-ten, and all around our circles it is lock-down time! After gallavanting for 6 weeks, having thrilling social obligations and glittering soirees, it is time to go back to everyday-ness. Which ordinarily I don't mind. But you see, I have a mortal foe who waits with open arms for my return. He lurks at every corner. I have many names for him: evil, menance, dastardly, but you all know him better as Algebra. We are thrown together daily during the school-year! Of course it is impossible not to speak to him. Mama would have my head! And I suppose he is for my own good. But his evil eyes wink at me menacingly, though Sarah insists that they are just decimal points. He grins at me from every page, knowing that it pains me to see him. Sarah reasons it away as multiplication signs. I am good friends with English, I would kiss dear old History if I could, I absolutely adore Writing, I find Latin nice to chat with. Then there is Science. He is distantly related to Algebra and when he acts like his cousin, I snub him. But ordinarily Science and I like to speak with each other. But hallelujah (and I am not being flippant, I really mean it) in a few months Algebra and I will be done, I'll dance a jig upon his ugly head, (I really will on top of my math book!) and not speak any longer till I must introduce the Menace to my own children. (Scary thought that. I'd better marry a mathmatician! ;) Yay! Huzzah! Bring out confetti and sparkling cider!
So there you have it. We are starting up school again, I am out to squelch my last few booklets of Algebra, and then revel in the knowledge that I will be onto Consumer's Math, or maybe Geometry. (Which I have been assured I will like better than her cousin: Alebra the Horrid) Sarah is best friends with little Algie. More's the pity. But More power to her. Yuck! But I know the Lord will help me through with the ferlie beast, and it isn't all that hard, only decidedly disagreeable. This inspires me with a battlesong: Ahem-ahem-ahem:





"Algebra ye are a wicked beast,
Upon my sorrows ye sit and feast,
Ye've plagued my heart till my mind is weak,
And I've scarce the strength to write this and speak.
I've been away for a fortnight times three,
Ye're ugly face I again must see.
So I'll summon my courage and tell ye true:
In just a few months ye're fun will be through!"




So there! Take that! Touche! :) Hope I didn't plague your hearts out with my dirge! But now you know what I think of mathmatics and I hope you aren't a best buddy with that most vile, hideous, scary of subjects! -Rachel

My Hopechest (Rachel)

What does the word "hopechest" put you in mind of? For me it conjures up images of pretty young women making and gathering things to put aside for their future home, weaving dreams into the pillowcases they are embroidering, whispering prayers with each stitch in the lovely quilt that they hope to someday keep their family warm with. It really is a chest filled with hopes. I find it interesting that it is called a "hope-chest". I do not know for certain if it will be God's will for me to get married, but I still hope to, and am working towards that goal. So, for awhile I have wanted to do a post about mine. Ever since seeing Meredith's post on hers. Now, since I am only 17 I don't have such a nice store put away, but I have a few things worth taking pictures of :)
Okay. My style is a bit interesting, because I can't exactly pinpoint it. I'd say it's a mixture of New England cottage style, Victorian Country, and English cottage. For example, I want to have old wood floors, quilts, antique-looking furniture, a cast iron stove, etc., but I'd love to have a dolled up Victorian parlor. Outside I'd like a big, wide, porch, a bloomy orchard, an herb garden, and a cottage garden. Whatever. I'm sure it will be lovely. :) So here we go with the pictures from my hopechest that our camera was very obedient in taking!






So this is a picture of an assortment of pans I have. A few mini bundt pans, a big bundt pan, and a couple little bear pans.




This is a really neat shortbread pan I got for my 13 birthday. You press the dough into the pan and then bake it. When it is finished you turn it out and the design is raised on the top! :)




This is an assortment of things for my kitchen: a set of iced tea glasses I bought this summer, two potholders that I made out of material someone gave me, a couple of china plates I got for my 13th birthday, some candymaking supplies, and a couple of stainless steel bowls.





These are some books I've collected and enjoyed. My favorite illustrators are Tasha Tudor and Beatrix Potter, and I also love Ernest H. Shepherd. (He did the Winnie the Pooh books)I have collected these in hopes to share them with my children some day!





Another passion of mine is antique books! Here are several I have collected. Sarah actually has made me envious by posessing a really old copy of Jo's Boys, and Eight Cousins by L.M. Alcott! I love old things!






Here are my aprons. I hope to collect more! An apron is a uniform for a mother! The pink and white one I was given for my 13th birthday, the blue plaid one I made by hand so I don't expect it to live through a single washing! :) My Grandmama gave me the white one for Christmas last year, and I made the green one out of material left over from an apron I made Katie for her birthday!





So this is my leaning tower of Pisa stack of dishcloths. Some I have crocheted, some others knit or crocheted for me. I have 21 I believe. Now, some girls try to get everything in their kitchen coordinated, but I just think that no one is going to be prowling around my sink trying to see if my dishcloths match my curtains! Then there are two hot pads that Maryanna made for me, two baby bibs I made, (they are only lacking velcro to make them finished!) a baby doll quilt I made, and a pillowcase I made. (Also out of hand-me-down material. I crocheted the lace for the edging).





The first of these is a really old hand-embroidered handkerchief. The woman who gave it to me said it was her great-grandmother's, and she is in her 50's so figure that out! Then the second was my Christmas gift from The King's Daughter. She tatted the lace to go around the edge! The third is a handtowel that I painstakingly embroidered all across the bottom. It was a thorn in my flesh for over a year, and I finally plucked up enough courage to finish it this spring. Needless to say it will see more service in being decorous than in being used!





And here are just a few of the many issues of "The Girls' Gazette" that we have published ;) since around 2004! I treasure these things and cannot wait to show them to my daughters!

There is a funny story about my initials that Dad carved on the top of my hopechest. Ask me sometime and I'll tell you about it! So that is the majority of what I have in there! There are some dolls, sketchbooks, old letters, journals, and a china cabinet full of china, along with various and sundry things like a poem I wrote for my husband to read on our wedding day, a dialog I made up for Sarah and I, my first jewelry box to give to my daughter, etc. Well, as you can see, there is still much to collect for my future home, but I love what I have so far!

Our Highlights of 2009

As I've been reading about other people's year, I've had time to reflect on how much God has blessed us this year. I decided to list our favorite memories from this year.

January:
Our first official beginning of a year at our new house


February:
The Gentleman from Virginia, Oldest of Many, and Us Two, go on a trip to New York to visit the "laundry fairies" for a week of winter fun!(see below post for explanation of who they are:)
Go cross country skiing for our first time
Watch President Obama's Inauguration Speech


March:
Had first snowfall
Experienced a Ton of rain


April:
Prepped and re-landscaped a womans house for a city-wide garden tour
Planted a 1 acre garden
Went to our first square dance


May:
Started our "farm" with 16 chicks and 2 little piggies
Grandma June got a successful hip replacement(we got a lot of practice with hospice care)


June:
Our good friend's graduation
Our laundry fairies and their 4 nieces and nephews came down
We took a 15 mile bike ride


July:
Rachel's 17th birthday
A huge family reunion/ Grandma June's 80th birthday party
Went to Busch Gardens with the laundry fairies


August:
Sarah's 15th birthday and Leah's 12th
One laundry fairy and nephews come down again
Dad and Mom take an anniversary trip
We have continual volleyball tournaments
We get broiler chicks


September:
The county fair
We enter our broilers in 4-H and they're placed
We see our first live rodeo(and Rachel swears she'll never marry a bull-rider:)


October:
Morgan's graduation
Dad's 46th birthday
A Rejuvenating week at the Daughters of Destiny Camp


November:
Mom and Gracie's 44th and 3rd birthdays
Anna's 10th
The Gentleman from Va's 19th birthday
The Barn Dance


December:
T.G.F.V's graduation
Several Christmas party type things
Christmas



Okay, so I don't have pictures like everybody else has, but I thought some of you would like seeing our year of 2009 summed up!! Hope ya'll enjoyed this!
-Sarah

Hip-Hip-Hoorah!....*zzzzzz*

Hello all you people out there! Right now I, Rachel am almost half asleep. The reason I am so tired? The same that will probably make all you other people grumpy today. :) We had friends over and stayed up till midnight, then had a Bible-reading a sang a few worship songs to start off the new year, so they didn't leave till after 1:00! Then we had to clean up what was left over, and then wrap presents because Mr. oldest of Many and his "family is comin'" to do a late gift exchange. It is slightly more depressing than "Auld lang Syne" to note that we will officially do Christmas with the Walkers twice in 2010! :( But we are glad to see them anyhow. And Uncle Lon and Aunt Heather are here! They blessed us immensely by telling Mama that she could pick out any washer/dryer and they would pay for it!!! Gone the days of running the washer twice to get the clothes wrung out! Gone the days of running the dryer three times to dry a small load! Three cheers for those good, jolly, joyful laundry-fairies that I am pleased to have as relatives! :) Huzzah!! (Really, that "huzzah" with the exclamation point drained the last scrap of energy I had. I hope I can crawl over to the coffee pot and get a cup. :)Oooooohh! I'm the firstest person to write in the catagory 2010 on the little sidebar! Yippee......yawn. Okay. Before I slump onto the keyboard and accidently hit something weird with my forehead, I'll end this blog post with a challenge for the new year: let us make sure that our "New year's resolutions" if they are something God is trying to work with us on, are not shelfed by February. Even if they cause us some pain in giving up something, it is such a very miniscule price to pay for being right with Him! Remember, we are more than conquerers through Christ Jesus! God Bless You in this new year and may it be a year in which you grow ever closer to Him! -Rachel