Birthday Activities

Judith wanted to go to Glow Putt for her birthday, we didn't have anyone over to dinner due to our evening schedule so we asked friends to join us for mini golf.

Judith, Liberty and Elisabeth


  

Benjamin golfed, crazily. Wonderful husband kept up with him.

We were the only people there so that was great, the kids could move as quickly or slowly as they pleased.

Judith and Katie, thanks for coming Katie!

The birthday girl!

Golfing girls

Happy Birthday to Judith!!

Judith turned 10 years old today, where has the time gone? Not so sure. But here we are!

Judith made a log cabin cake, I just made the fondant in the colors she chose and let her loose to do as she pleased.



Now are are out the door to go to Glow Putt indoor min golf and then to sign language class.
Happy Birthday baby girl!

They Hunt, Therefore They Are

My wonderful husband really enjoys waterfowl hunting and he is passing that enjoyment on to Levi. On this particular afternoon they returned with five ducks from a local hunting spot.

Of course, Benjamin is glad of their return and needs to inspect the ducks.

And all this duck hunting is more enjoyable with our chocolate lab, Emmy. She is a good dog.

Benjamin liked the ducks “mouths” for some reason.

Week in Review---Week Three

Week Two was cut short to process moose and enjoy the remainder of the week with Dad. Worthwhile for sure.
Week Three was a pretty great week.
Sunday 
Worship Services at church this week, I had junior church so Judith and served together. Levi began a new Sunday school this week, Otis and I will be in our class for the remainder of our days so no more changes for us. We had a leftover Sunday lunch and some down time as a family then back for the evening service. 
Monday
Monday mornings we leave early for piano lessons after lessons we stopped off for one last goodbye to friends who were moving out of state (the story of our lives, friends come and friends move away, we are just thankful for the time we have with people and are thankful for modern technology to keep in touch). After lunch we got into the remainder of our school day, the Blessings each take some school work along to piano and they finish up when we get home.
Monday evening I headed into town to meet up with a friend to plan our geography curriculum that we are working on together and to just get together.
Tuesday
A good school day at home. Glad to get to stay home all day. We had two added Blessings arrive for the remainder of the week.
Wednesday
 School day with friends until after lunch time. Made bread in between helping with lessons. A friend came over for the after noon and we canned for the afternoon.
Thursday
Pretty much a home, uninterrupted school day. Benjamin is getting a cold.
Friday
Gave the kids a day off, Levi went duck hunting with Dad. I didn't take Benjamin to his two year old library story time. The girls had pottery so we did go to pottery. After pottery we made a trip to Sam's and picked up pizza, came home and had pizza and watched a movie while waiting for the guys to come home.  I canned up four quarts of chicken stock before going to bed. They got five ducks and one goose that went home with the guy that went with them.
Saturday
They guys went duck hunting locally so they would only be gone for a few hours in the morning. I made a big breakfast. After breakfast I began working on dinner and my Saturday in the kitchen. I do enjoy Saturdays in the kitchen. After Benjamin's nap we took a quick trip into town and then came home for dinner and playing outside and then the Saturday evening bath routine. The Blessings have enjoyed having the girls here even though they are seeming to drop like flies with this cold, but thankfully they just seem to have colds.

Am I the Only One and Standing in Line. Really?

This week I had the opportunity to spend some time on two separate occasions with two of my fellow home educating Mom friends. Now this was a rare treat but it was also very needed in my week as I do not often get such opportunities. 
First I will address the "Am I the Only One" part of my title. Somewhere in the conversation my friend asked me the question, "Am I the only one that sees my kids imperfections", or something along those lines, maybe I shouldn't have used quotations...anyway. Do you know how many times I have asked myself that question? That is what I said to my friend that night. Really. I am serious, I know they are not perfect, they are great Blessings and I love them dearly but I know that they are not faultless. I just want to shout from the rooftops, take off the rose colored glasses! Wake up, no one is perfect. Stop denying! I feel her pain and I guess that is why we are friends, we live in reality and I love her family, imperfections she sees and all. Oh well, my imperfect Blessings can keep on living with their imperfect parents in their imperfectly kept house in a fallen world. Enough on that soapbox.

Next soapbox, my other friend was sharing with me some of the reasons people give for sending their children to school. Now, I do not think that every family should educate at home, it is a huge challenge and takes a lot of time and commitment that many are just not able or willing to give. But this one reason cracked me up, learning to stand in line, really? I laughed so hard on this one. I wonder if my children know how to stand in line, I have never taught a class or unit study on standing in line. Oh wait, they learned to stand in line at the grocery store and the library and at DMV and the hardware store.  Yep, my wonderful husband and I have taken them with us from the beginning so our Blessings have been line standers since they were born, well, let's say at least two or three when they were released from their seats or strollers during the training process of learning to follow verbal commands and working on self control and obedience. I am not sure I want my Blessings to stand in line with their peers, they stand in line with Dad and Mom until they will stand in line alone or with their own family.


Please take this post for what it is, this is my blog. Therefore, I can post my humble opinions or rantings from my soapbox, just be thankful that I keep the soapbox put away most of the time. I could really get on my soapbox everyday. Be thankful for what little self control that I do have.

Putting up Food

August left many wondering if summer would be ending sooner than later. I kept telling people that it would be fine and that we would have some nice days yet. We have had a beautiful fall, I dare say the best fall in 18 years, maybe.
I have enjoyed canning and freezing garden produce or anything I can pick or buy. I have shown the pickles, dill pickles may not be my thing, I have made some jam, canned green beans, and put anything that can be frozen in the freezer. I might even try to can potatoes to extend their life. There is cabbage that is being made into sauerkraut, that is a new one for me.

Fall

My husband returned from his moose hunt and there is moose in the freezer.

This afternoon we headed up north to get a closer look at the fall colors. We stopped at the truck stop for dinner.

Here the crew is throwing a little football in the parking lot.

The gas pumps at the truck stop, not everything in Alaska is huge.

Benjamin is drawn to puddles.

The trees have turned and the leaves are falling, winter is on its way.

My Blessings

Judith and I

We have very few pictures of the two of us.

Judith kept hiding around the other side of the van from Benjamin, he kept saying, “Where’s my Judoo?”

I had to include this not so clear picture, this guy had some kind of sheep horns on his head and he was sitting on some sort of animal skin…interesting.

Continuing on with Last Week’s Review

I knew I should not have posted my weekly review on Thursday night. Friday morning we left home around 10:30 am to stop by the post office and then off to Benjamin’s 2 year old story time. After story time we picked up lunch and we were off to town for pottery class. I had a feeling that I would get a phone call from my husband that they were on their way into town. And not long after we got to pottery the phone rang. He was on his way home and we were not home. After pottery we met up at the grocery store before heading home. Oh, no moose came home with them but they came out to resupply and head back the next day.
Saturday the girls spent the day with a friend who is moving away and the boys and I spent the day at home. I cooked and Levi watched college football in relative peace. Benjamin played and boy was it quiet during nap time. We had to take a quick trip into town after naptime to deliver a meal and make a quick trip into Sam’s.
And that was the end of our week.

The Zukes

The zucchini are still attempting to find was to stick around through the winter. I made zucchini dill pickles and dill relish, which was a little strong tasting to me. We’ll see how the taste with something.

Little Hand and Wooden Trains

Both of the boys have wooden trains and many other wooden trucks, cars and aircraft. Benjamin loves putting the train together and driving the train ion the road.
Judith took these pictures the other night before bedtime.

Looking for Berries…

This evening we went out on a lowbush cranberry scouting trip to see if they were ready. Some were, some weren’t. We only picked a pint or so but it is a pint that we didn’t have before we went out. I think they might be ready next week, we will keep checking.
Everyone enjoyed rambling around outside after four days of school inside.
Judith found some ripe berries.

I am trying to get in front of the camera a little more so the Blessings have some pictures of their Momma.
Judith and I

Benjamin tasting a ripe berry, he likes picking berries.

Running with Is.

Levi took pictures most of the time we were out.

Benjamin likes a ride through the brush.

Finding a few more ripe berries, lots of past their prime blueberry bushes.

See that house? That is our house, these berries have been this close for all these years and I am just finding them…shame on me.

Low bush cranberries

Berry picker

Berry eater

Playing around with the camera, he looks intense!