Today

Today is funeral day. May many hearts be comforted as people come to pay their respects for the life of this lady. May the body of Christ come together to serve, comfort and grow stronger. May hearts be prepared and opened as they hear the gospel spoken. May they have the understanding that Heaven is real, that she is no longer in pain and that she knelt at the feet of God, she is home.

Friday Night

Tonight, dinner has been prepared and eaten. The kitchen had been cleaned and now I have moose bones in the pressure cooker and wedding crafts while I watch the pressure cooker.

I haven't felt like posting

Today all six of us had dental cleanings scheduled. Benjamin was not a good patient. He didn't want the dentist's fingers in his mouth...oh my. I liked this picture of my husband reading an Alaska magazine while sitting under a painting of a polar bear.
Now about not blogging. One of my friends from church has been battling cancer and the battle ended this evening. I know she is no longer in pain, she is whole! She has children, two teens and one adult child. My heart breaks for them. I pray for them, I pray for our church family that we minister to them, love them as Christ loves them, be there for them as they grieve the loss of a mother.
I know that pictures of the dentist office and writing about my friend's home going may seem odd, but that is a small portion of what my day held.

Amazingly Wonderful

Recently we have been able to work without the lights for an hour or so a day. Finally,  we are gaining daylight.

Party Day?

Look at all this gear! I had my four plus six today! Fun times, seriously!

My Almost Daily Smoothie

Last week when Benjamin was sick Elisabeth offered to make my smoothie for me while I was keeping my sickie company. She asked me to write it down so now I can share my "recipe" here.

My daily smoothie
I place all the ingredients in a wide mouth quart mason jar
1 t chia seeds
1/2 of an orange
1 kiwi
1 banana
1-2 handfuls of spinach
Big spoonful or two of plain or vanilla yogurt
1 T of my almost gone Alaskan blueberries
1 cup frozen fruit (I buy a big bag at Sam's Club

For most blenders a wide mouth mason jar will fit on the blade andI other parts of the blender. Blend starting on low and increasing speed until everything is blended well.

Gym day

The oldest three Blessings are part of a leadership team with our home school program. They plan and implement service projects such as this gym day. Today was a little different as the school gym we use was set up in an Indiana Jones type obstacle course.  The leadership team acted as guides/helpers in leading the little ones through the course. Benjamin had a blast and the girls got a workout helping the little ones through.

I needed to read this today

Not was, not may be, not will be. "The LORD is my shepherd." He is on Sunday, on Monday, and through every day of the week. He is in January, in December, and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war, and in time of abundance or poverty. -- J. Hudson Taylor

Daddy Has a Birthday

The Blessings got Daddy’s decorations and presents in place before bed on Thursday night.

Dad turned 43, his name begins with O.

A gun rest

The cake was called “In the duck blind”.

Here is part of the decorations for the cake, green heads.

The top of the cake with camo flooded frosting. I messed the girls up on this part because I made homemade frosting and the book called for frosting from the can. Lesson learned.

The picture from the book.

The ducks and cattails.

Ready for singing and candle blowing out.

Really cute little boy.

Target Practice

Elisabeth picked up some nerf bullets the other day. Where do those things disappear to anyway? The big kids started target practicing with cards and Benjamin took his turn because he wants to do everything they do.

Library School

The girls had a couple of days of state testing this week. The first day the boys and I went to gather groceries so the second day we packed up a few school books and spent a while working on some school work at the library.

Benjamin and I spent some time in the children’s room and then we joined Levi in our little room.

The library

Me

Books and knitting bag and patterns

A School Update, Yep, We Still Do That

 

Benjamin and I finished this shape puzzle, I pulled out the preschool stuff and got everything every day accessible for Benjamin.

On Friday, the girls and I got to work on the salt map of the Atlantic Ocean. This will be an ongoing project over the next couple of weeks.

The girls mixed up the salt dough and got busy placing the dough on the map. The first part to be added was North America.

The grid that Daddy helped make.

Measuring the height

In the oven for an hour!

 

While the salt dough was baking the girls made homemade playdough for Benjamin, his first homemade play dough. For shame on me!

The girls played with him and they had a contest, pizza and drinks.