What a fast transition from summer, to Fall, and now to Winter.......

This year with not much warm weather and time to mature, our grapes, corn, tomatoes, and some other fruit and veggies didn't produce to the fullest. But we were still able to make lots of jam from our berries, and applesauce, juice, and cider from the apples. Erawyns squash garden did awesome so we have been giving away lots as gifts, already excited for the new year to (growing season) start again.

Our birds have been doing great to the point it is now time to thin them out. We have been getting atleast 6-8 fresh eggs aday. The kids love having breakfast for dinner so that helps me out in the imagination department for dinner planning. The turkeys proved a bit harder to raise and keep from the coyotes and the cold weather. But we still have enough big healthy males to give away for others thanksgiving.

We have been blessed again with a new additiong to the family. Estelle Hope was born to Reese and Natasha on the 13th of November. She is beautiful and healthy and mom and daughter are doing great! With in our trials and sorrows in the family, we have been blessed with amazing JOY ! I don't know a better family than Reese and Natasha who are united in their Love of the Lord a nd lean on him during thier times of heartbreak. Please keep them in your prayers.

It seems so long ago that we were having a hard time last year. Because of our loving family members, friends, and good samaritans, we got through. We were loved and carried through our desperate times. But unfortunately their are still alof of families struggling. We need to still be aware that a little kindness and generosity goes along way, and can really change someones outlook during these times. :)

Starting over

Well, things for the most part are getting back to normal. With Mike now working and especially enjoying his job, a lot of stress and frustration has been eliminated from our daily lives.

Thinking back on last year with all the heart aches that we went through, and living our daily lives with such toxic worry, stress, and pain, Its hard to believe that we have overcome and are given a new chance.

With Mike being unemployed, we have learned to be grateful even for the littlest things. To be humble and forgiving even if it mean biting our tongues. To enjoy our time together and cherish eachother for that time may not be there next time. To always turn a bad situation into a positive one to enjoy all that God has provided for us!

With Baby Case passing away so unexpectanlty, i beleive it has taught me to love with no restrictions. That every little person that is brought into your life is there for a reason no matter how short. And that Through Jesus we will be given to ultimate gift of seeing them again. That continuing our love for that person who is no longer here will have been collected through the years as if there was no absence or separartion. To enjoy every little runny nose and temper tantrum, to get to know my children and enjoy their quirks, rather than having no time between laundry, and vacuuming, and time outs.

With taking my trip to Chile and surviving the earthquake I have learned to be generous with my friends, family, and strangers. That one kind action causes such a ripple into lifes fabric, we have no concept of the ultimate finish, and that it is also continuous-never completely gone. I have also been reaffimed of the bounty that God has provided for us here on earth and that it is our duty to take care of it all as well as providing for our health and the planet. Chile made such a "dent" in my heart. My capacity to love was greatly increased.

I do admit, with not being able to spend the smallest dollar for over 10months, it is difficult now to still be restrained with catching up on much needed supplies, and of course a few treats here and there:) We have had an amazing time! All for now, hope everyone who reads this is enjoying life to the fullest!

! CHILE ! My experience

On February 16th as my husband and kids dropped me off at the airport, i swiftly gave hugs and pecks on the cheeks and i was out the door on my adventure. I was so ready for my time to be my only care taker, and to have some one on one time with me, myself, and I. I was so excited and in a hurry i had left behind my cell phone which would not have worked down there but could have used in case of emergencies.

We had a relatively smooth trip into the country. The last flight was so bumpy with turbulence that a few people headed to the front of the plane and lost their lunch. We were not able to land after 3 failed attempts and headed north for an emergency landing in conception. This would mean we now needed to take a 5 hour bus ride to our destination in temuco, and then off to Nueve Imperial where our beds were.

We were greeted with open arms and a huge table of food! We were loved upon and then sent to our warm beds and different host homes to be ready for the morning.

The next days that followed were wonderful hard working days and days of translation and answering questions about ourselves and where we live. We were along way off on the translation part but at the end of the day we had a bond with everyone and had lots of laughs and fun. Sure enough our hearts grew bigger and bigger with our loving co-workers and friends. Even though their burdens were heavy, and most of the time they didn't understand us and we them, we were very cared for.

Over the course of the 2 weeks, we accomplished tasks that improved their school. We were very grateful to be able to lend a hand and man power to repair, rebuild, and do upkeep on a school compound that housed many children from very poverish homes for a week at a time. We were invited into their homes and churches. Oh so many things that we take for granted and can live without. In their broken window churches with no air conditioning or rest rooms, and sometimes share a space with a dog or two, their joyful celebration to GOD is something that i will always treasure. Theirs is a passion that i wish we sometimes had more of. Their love and kindness to strangers and giving everything they have is how i want my heart to resemble.

Someone down their had brought the subject up of why people just don't send the money for the mission trips and forgo the hassle of the trip. And he explained that one of the important pieces to this puzzle is interaction and relationships. I get that now. I have left behind people that i have been so touched by their giving and kindness. People that have imprinted my heart and make me feel alive more and more with everyone that i open my heart to and love. I have a family down there. I have sisters that i never had with my blood relatives, as well as brothers, fathers, mothers and friends. I feel complete, and whole once again.

The earthquake was in fact a terrible thing, but it didn't take away from my experience at all. If anything, it made it stronger. We shared a frightening experience with them and gave our best to provide love, prayers, and distraction during this time. But i think in the end they were the ones consoling us! We heard horrible stories of people losing their lives, homes crashing down, buildings that had amazing history suddenly erased from time, and a silent and deadly tsunami that stole away people, homes, and villages in the darkness before the sun rose as if they had never existed. We saw cracks in roads and highways, landslides, and buildings falling apart. We saw people going down to the rivers to collect water in jugs, buckets, and pop bottles to bring back to their homes.

I am now home again after 5 days of no sleep and 3 days of traveling. I have a peace inside me that i can't quite explain and a contentment that opens my eyes in a new ways. I will forever love the country of chile and its people. For them and God i will always be thankful!

to be continued due to too many pictures!

Praying for Reese and Natasha

We were so fortunate to get to spend so much time with baby Case over thanksgiving and Christmas. These are times and pictures that we will be treasuring in our hearts forever.

But we ache for the pain and sorrow that his parents are going through. Please pray that they be comforted and given strength during this time no parent should have to endure. With Natasha losing her mother, she has had to go through so much. I am so thankful for her sisters to help her through and be there. Natasha has been a shining light to so many, I hope that we all can now be that for her.

:)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! This is technically our Christmas card unfortunately. It sounded like a great and easy idea at first but then as everyone elses beautiful cards came in the mail and are so dilligently decorating our mantel, I will try really hard next year to physically send them.

We had a snow fall already about a couple of weeks ago and then the weather turned warm and wet. I believe that our grass started to grow again because of this!? We are deffinately not having the snow that we did last year of 3-4 feet around this time. But with the little snow we did have, dad got the girls dressed up and sleds out and made good use of my sloping flower bed.

The girls have brought me home the most beautiful handmade Christmas gifts, cards and ornaments! The school, preschool, and church did a awesome job of decorating our home and tree! Each little item is such a treasure and i can't wait for the coming years and creativity. Our next door neighbors are missing the grandkids so she had us over to make gingerbread houses for each of the girls. We had so much fun i think i might have to make mike and i one too so we can do our own decorating!

Hope this reaches everyone in good spirits and we wish you all a Merry Christmas!

With not alot to do seems like we are always busy with stuff popping up and going on.

We are now back home with Erawyn getting discharged from the hospital for 2 days of fever control, infection, and hydration. I was prepared just to stick it out at home like we always do but called the Doctor just to make sure we were doing the right thing. He saw her and sent us to the hospital which i am so thankful for since i don't do well with fevers. She was farther along in dehydration than what i though so she really needed it. It was a really scary time for both her and I but i truley cherish the time that we got to spend alone together!

Now with the other two not feeling well too, we are hunkering down and trying to take care of ourselves.

With being sick last time, we had to cancel Shallons birthdy party for both sides of the family. We finally did get together and enjoyed lots of cake and treats. Since we were home bound for a bit we hurried and did a bunch of fun things before Halloween came. We got to the pumpkin patch which the kids love seeing all the colored gourds and the rows of apple trees. We took the kids out for dinner at applebees from a gift card that we got from a dear friend. They were so good that Mike and I were really proud of them and now feel very comfortable with taking them out to eat more often. Then the next day was Halloween which started at noon at our church for atrunk or treat and festival, and then off to downtown bellingham to mikes parents store for treats around the block. It finally ended at mimi and papas house for more treats and hot chocolate. A great end to a wonderful and fun day.

Mike got some hunting in before the goose season ended so he had alot of fun doing that. It is pretty nice to live where we are for all the farmers around us gave him permission to hunt so all he has to do is walk off our property and there he goes.

Well, thats all for now, still pretty pooped and have to catch up on house stuff before we snuggle on the sofa again with some movies.

Worst of times and the Best!!!!!!

Wow, never thought i would be able to use that sentence in relation to us! But i guess i have always been alittle dramatic....... : )

Summer i guess is finally at a close. I remember this time of year i was painting the outside of our house during nap time. Getting sun burnt on the ladder, but freezing first thing in the morning. When we wake up it is pretty chilly to where we have to bundle up while watching a.m. cartoons, but too hot in the evening to wear warm jammies to bed.

We had a pretty great summer considering. We got all of our chores and to-do projects done while also waking up in the morning and packing lunch and snacks and heading out for the day to do fun stuff! We went clamming almost every week and have some tucked away in the freezer while getting to make an amazing batch of clam chowder to see if it worked with the clams we got. Marryn and I spent our birthday money and took a day trip to the zoo. Since Erawyn was the only one who has gone before down in San Diego, she had the other girls convinced we were going on a plane to California, cause that's were the zoo is! ; )

Alot of time while we were in town we would spend the rest of the afternoon at the park, or just have plain old smores for dinner and forget the hot dogs! Erawyns favorite food in the whole world is corn on the Cob and watermelon. We made a point to stop at the farm stands a couple times a week to give Erawyn her fill. I guess there is worse things! Funny though shallon can't stand watermelon or corn, same as marryn, but Marryn eats all of daddies tomatoes out of his salad before he gets a chance to sit down. Every other morning i would go out to bring in tomatoes and Marryn would be having them for breakfast.

Our garden did great this year! Already have new plans for next spring that mike and i are excited about. Tomatoes did great so i didn't have to buy any this year to can. My pruning job cut down on the apples this year, but that just means next will be better than ever-hopefully. Right now our grapes are coming on and i am trying to find ways to use them. Fortunately most of them are great table grapes so the kids are eating them up. We had our own blueberries and raspberry and blackberries that we got to make jam out of and also throw in the freezer. We already have a trench dug to separate our raspberries and make a whole new row of baby plants.

Erawyn did great at school! I am so excited for her in this new phase of life. I still remember my days as a kindergartner. Thanks to the Mimi's, Erawyn got some new school clothes that made her feel as special as the occasion. There is one outfit that she wants to wear over and over but sheis doing pretty good picking out her clothes and getting her belongings ready. At the last minute we decided to put shallon in pre-school. It was way too lat to enroll, but with her level, we stopped at a local place that has been around for as long as i can remember tat uses homeschooling curriculum. As you would have guessed, there was an opening so we felt it was right.

Both girls school started at the same time and is only about 1 mile away from each other, so we drive them in. Then i go to pick up shallon at 12 and then Erawyn rides the school bus home for a hour. She is pretty darn excited about it but with the long ride home, we hope to be able to pick her up every now and again.

Enjoying this time

I think it is fair to say that we have started to settle a bit. There was a time of worry (which will always be there) but i think we are doing an excellent job of having a fun summer. We have been packing up the kids about every week with goodies and lunches and heading to the beach for clam digging. Everytime we go, passersby give us instructions so we learn something everytime and bring back more clams for the freezer. Mike and i have gotten in a patten where he cooks them and then passes them to me for cleaing and off to the freezer. We made a batch of clam chowder the first time went went and i got the wynia approval so atleast now i know everyone likes it. The last time we went we brought the Doctors grandson with us who had never been before. He got one clam in his shovel and off he was, shallon even got 2 clams all by herself and was quit proud. Sorry to say i have learned the hard way not to bring my camera out too much on beach trips!

Mike is my hero! He just got my new chicken house and hay shed built. All of which were of free materials that we have had here from the previous owner or from mikes collection from his previous work. Now the posibilites of decorating it are endless. I already got him to put a big planter box out front of it and looking into a little paver patio on the front from leftover paver and to cut down on the mud in winter.

All of my wildflowers and perenials did great this year so i have been busy collecting seeds for new plants and for anyone who wants some. My entry way looks like a herbalist shop so it is kinda funny with all the dried flowers and herbs hanging around. I have also been busy transplanting now that i know whee i want everything. It is way too hot but with all the plants we have, i always have a back up.

My cabbage better than ususal so the other day i made a huge batch of cabbage rolls for the freezer with the neighbors home beef and garden goodies. I hate green beans and the neighbor gave me alot of plants which i gave a try. I had fun putting up and constucting bean poles and tri pods but now don't know what to do with all the beans!

Here are Marryn's birthday pictures. Can't believe how big she is already!

summer has come

Summer has come with vengence! I think last summer we only camped out in our room with the AC for a couple of nights in August. We have already spent a week with the kids in our room at night and it is just the beginning of july!

We never say life is boring, especially with our life on the farm. We have had some very emotional ups and downs. But everyday we are reminded of how life is good and that we have eachother! We have worked endlessly on our home and property these past years, but since Mike's heart attack, we are reminded of the important things in life! With Mike being home now we have had some great times as a family.

Fourth of july was great with the Hilton's at the beach! The girls loved beach combing and playing in the water. If we lived by the water we probably would never see them. The tide was in so i know when we go back with sand on the beach they are just going to love it! While the girls played on the beach and gathered baby crabs, Marryn stood in a pail of water off of grandpa's deck and had a blast. She was cold but refused to get out for she was so enthralled with the water. We then came home with a little bag of fire crackers for the kids and waited patiently for it to get dark. They thought the firecrackers were so great! We said we needed to enjoy this time before they get bored with the little ones and we need to start getting the large ones. After the kids were in bed, mike and i stood on our patio and watched the county and the hills and lynden shoot off their big ones. How fortunate we are to be on the hill where we can watch everyone elses fireworks go off from our home.

We had a small party for Marryns birthday at Mikes mom's house. They got he girls a ball sprinkler and soccer net so we had wet girls running around playing with soccer balls. I had so much fun kicking balls at mike! : ) I think mom and dad are going to be using the kids soccer net more than they!

Spring Heat wave

Listening to the rain come down this morning has never been so welcomed as it is today. After about 2 weeks and starting the end of may, we have had some heat! It got up to 89 degree's in seattle and broke some records, and i swear it felt hotter where we are on the hill. We had to do alot of emergency watering for the sun was just too intense for our plants and flowers. Sprinkler system is out of the question so i am working on a hose quantity to disperse through our property. But everything is growing and looking great! I think the stereo type of manufactured homes being hot and stiffling is beyond and urban myth.

The girls found a dead garter snake yesterday and as best as i could, i tried to explain to them that it was dead. I pulled out the saying " up with God", and not breathing, and eyes closed for good. Well, the darn thing doesn't have eyelids so i had to cross that one off. And they thought the snake was tricking them with the not breathing part, and of course they think being up with God is a party!!! So they did their best and gave the snake some water, then they gave it some grass and dirt and then i finally interceded gently and tossed it in the farmers field. We are still working on that subject i guess.

We are still busy with projects but it looks like it may be calming down soon. All of our fences are almost done. Looking forward to trips to the beach and camping outside (maybe)

Too Busy!

We have gotten alot done and have more to go, but looking forward to all the weddings, holidays, and gatherings for a rest and some fun!

Spring frenzy

We are really getting alot done but then a new idea gets into our heads and another project gets added to the list.

The girls are loving the baby puppies. Everyday they all sit on the sofa or floor and cuddle them for a long time. Babies are already getting big with their eyes open and starting to walk.

Garden is filling up and things are staying alive! I have a terrible time being patient with the starts in my window sill and getting them outside. But with our april snow storms all my starts usually die. I am doing alot of Brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli for in the freezer. In the bottom field is going to be a pumpkin patch with lots of squash and zucchini.

Pups have arrived

The puppies finally came last night. Had everything ready and waiting and went smoothly till the last one. I had to have mike help me this time. If it wasn't for him and his patience, we would have lost the last one. Long story short-the last one was breach and very big. Took both of us to get it and then CPR and alot of TLC. But mom and babies are good and getting rest. 2 black girls, 1 male strawberry , and 1 longhair red girl!

The girls got their gardens going already. We got some planter boxes from mikes work and filled them with soil in the hillside and planted all of our herbs and carrots for the kids to watch grow and eat : ) Everything is perking up and coming out. My raspberry bushes are shooting suckers almost a foot away from the original so i have been transplanting them so I can have another seperate bush.

Mike went helping the neighbors fix our lane and brought erawyn with him. They have an 8 year old little girl which turns out to be her best friend now. They played most of the day and she even stayed behind to have lunch there. It was kinda neat and sad for this is going to be a turning point in erawyn and growing up! But we are looking forward to watching their friendship blosom through the years. What a blessing to have your kids friend as a next door neighbor.

Spring is almost here.........

Been another whirl wind couple of weeks. Haven't had too much trouble with flu season as we did with colds and coughs, but it was no where near what it was like last year.

We have a whole bunch of new additions to the family. Last time it was 2 new baby cows. Well, this time we were blessed with a new puppy named Olivia. She of course is another mini dachshund gifted to us from a past adopted parent of one of lillies first puppies. She is a doll and already has melded into the family, letting the girls dress her up in their doll clothes, and cleaning everybody up after meal time! : )

We started with 9 Rhode Island Red chicks which are now 3 weeks old and huge! I also got an incubator and tried to hatch another 24 eggs but at the end of the time period found out that they weren't fertile or died because they weren't at the right temp. That was kinda gross to get rid of 24 warm scramled eggs! We also got 3 royal palm turkey chicks which are now big too. They get kinda nasty as adults so we are thinking they will be great protectors of everyone down at the field. As much dissapointment as we have experienced, I am determined to be Laura Ingall's!!!!!!

We are celebrating Erawyns 5th birthday this weekend with her cousin Emily since their b-days are 1 week apart. Mikes family will be here and will have a good time with all the treats and cakes. Mom and dad are down in san diego for Reese's Navy Seal graduation which we were suppose to go to. But thank goodness we didn't book the air fare and hotel and car since Mike had his heart attack and had a major change of plans. Can't believe Erawyn is already 5 and we will be registering her for kindergarten on april 1st. She is insiting tha she is going to ride the school bus but I don't think I can let go that much!

Marryn hasn't had very much of a vocabulary until this week. She is saying baby, blancky, apple, and a few other words. The other girls have been interpretting for us so we didn't really think too much about it. We call her our wolf baby since with the first baby it is always so strict and by the time you get to the third, it is almost like they have been raised by a pack of wolves!

I am so happy spring is just about here. The girls and I have gone on a couple nature walksto see all the green buds popping out. We walked around to see that my mint plants that didn't d very well last year due to lawn mowers : ( is coming up with vengence. All the apple trees have been fertilized and pruned hopfully appropriately this year to give us a bigger yield than last year.

Never ending winter!

Been awhile again so i better get this going. Seems as though once things calm down, another things happens and takes up our time.

We got two new baby cows from the Twin Brooks Creamery for our beef cows in the next coming years. Instead of spending money on milk replacer and shots, we got two 10 week olds already weaned and vaccinated. Couldn't pass up on a deal like that. And not having to go out in fridgid temps early in the morning to bottle feed is a plus for me. Mike brought them home on lunch. I jumped into the truck with him and headed down to the field to let them out into the pasture. As soon as we got them out and walking around, our big black cow charged them and they both took off through our 4 strand fence and fell 15-20 feet down the ditch into the creek. That was not a good moment for us. I am proud of the way i am starting to handle stressful situations, but on this day I am embarrassed to say I let out some truck driver language. : ) Mike and I both got into the water and push and pulled the little guys back up the bank and got them situated. All is well. Finally.........

Mike has been having fun cutting for future fire wood and trees that might be a problem with the wind storms we have. He is doing great and has a bit more energy and stamina these days. So sometimes it is already dark before i can get him in the house. Mike has also taking it upon himself to teach the kids to drive the mule. I try not to look. : ) But off the record Erawyn is doing it by herself with voice comand. The girl's great-great grandma passed away last week so that was a sad time for us. She was 96 and the girls were the 5 generation.

Looking Back

Got a house full of sick babies so i thought this might be a good day to get caught up on some computer time. Even though Erawyn is laying down on the sofa watching Wall-E for the umpteenth time and happy, Shallon just will not sit still. Her face is pretty red and swollen with a runny nose and watey eyes and coughing like you wouldn't believe, but she is just bee-bopping all over the place. Wish I had that kind of energy!

We are starting to calm down around here. Getting some things on a schedule so that we can adjust them into our lives. Mike is doing great! His spirits are really up since he feels well enough to complain about so different foods we are eatting, but I am glad he is here to complain! ; )

Winter just seemed to up and leave!?! After all that we went through in december, it now feels like we are done for the year? We had such a terrible snow storm that it wasn't fun for the kids to go out and play in, but since it is still early we might have another chance.

Today is a sofa day and a new year so i thought i would post all my favorite pictures that i have taken through the years before i put them on a disc for saving.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

I have to say that this was one of my favorite Christmas's ever. Now that the girls are getting bigger, we are appreciating the Holidays more. Erawyn and Shallon this year decorated the tree almost by themselves. I always rememberd my mom letting us decorate the tree and then after we wen to bed she would re-arrange them. But she was always careful to wait until we were alsleep as to not hurt our feelings. I had just happend to catch her one year. But since I am lacking in the home decor department, i left most of the decorations as is, for it looked pretty good to me.

We spent Christmas eve with mikes family and had a wonderful time even though we wer in the middle of another snow storm so everyone has to be driven in 4x4 vehicles. And in the event of a sleep over, we had plenty of food and wood heat to have a great time. The snow just kept coming and coming. By Christmas morning we had about 2 feet of snow. We again had to be rescued by my family in their trucks so that we could spend the day at their house to open presents. Mom had unfortunately got called into work that morning so it felt very diffrent without her there. We then got escored back home for the evening and got the animals taken care of and hunkered down in our winter wonder land.

We thank you all for your prayers and support during mikes emergency. Can't believe how thankful we are that it rained the night before so the ambulance could get back to us.

Winter is here!!

Winter is finally here. Fall seemed to kinda go on for alittle too long for me. ut now with he 45 mile an hour winds and below zero temperatures, i am changing my tune.

We woke up this morning to 52 degrees in the house. Most of the kids had climbed into bed with us because of the wind storm or the cold. So we are all hudled into the livg room until our stove gets hot enough to heat the houe. With the wind though it is tough for it is taking the heat right out of the chimney.

We have had a raccoon around the neighborhood stealing ducks, apples, grapes, and ect.... And the other day we finally caught the guy. The trap had been empty for almost a month so when i was out feeding te cows i jumped when i walked by the trap for there was a very large and overweight raccoon staring at me as i went by.

Mike has also started duck hunting with the neighbor. So we are slowing filling up the freezer every weekend. He is having a great time and since we live on a hill surrounded by pastures, it is good pickins. Well, it is off to the neighbors to pick up all of our items that blew over to their house in the storm.