Jobs and Joys Around Here

 

Saturday we were thankful to bring home our beef from the butcher. Jonathan opted to do some of the meat cutting and grinding ourselves to save money.

Trying to get the grinder to work, but the beef gristle kept clogging up the grinder. It was a very tedious process. We finally just froze the rest of the meat we cut off bones, to grind another time.

Another Saturday was such a warm day, and Jonathan's truck needed to be cleaned out after several months of accumulation--so here the little boys and I are helping him before he has to go to work. We will not post a picture of the inside of the truck--and don't ask any quesions.

 



Danny enjoying getting ready to fry a doughnut the day we got together with home school friends.

Timmy planted some pepper seeds he'd dried from peppers we'd bought.

One warm day, the snow drifts melted and the little boys built a dam to wade in.

The same day we all worked at shoveling wheelbarrow loads of snow from drifts to dump on bare spots on the yard. Lots of exercise working together.

Mom taking her turns shoveling and emptying wheelbarrow loads. 

Sammy's turn. (The result of all this work is green grass sprouting up today out in the yard. Yeah!)

The little children having a merry time with other home school children last week after the older children did several science experiments. Had to take a picture of the little mountain of stones with Pikes Peak in the background!

Danny lovin' on the kitty.

You're just finding out Hannah's hair doesn't always get put back in the morning--and if it does, it is soon looking like this anyway! Time for play doh!

"Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will

While I am waiting, yielded and still. "

I just took note of something today as I glanced at a page of a book, how we notice the eagles, and God notices the little birds.

I have always noticed the little brown sparrows--perhaps because I felt like one of them next to all the beautiful bluebirds and cardinals and swans.

People thought Simon, the one who invited Jesus to dinner, was a pretty nice guy, and disdained the woman who washed His feet with tears and dried them with the hairs of her head. Religious folk were always being shocked at the people that came around Jesus and all the unceremonious and strange ways they did it.

Something usually is wrong with people who cry, isn't it?

Especially with people who do crazy things--unheard-of things like washing someone's dirty feet with their tears for instance?

 Jesus had different ideas.

His eyes flamed as he read Simon's thoughts, and the thoughts of the disciples; 

He always takes the side of the despised, the sinful penitent, the weeping widows,  the worthless sparrows, the helpless baby birds.  

And He leaves most religious folks gulping. 

The chicks the children are raising.

This picture was supposed to be up with the other doughnut one. The girls are dipping doughnuts in icing.

Wonderful Fellowship!

Last week our family was invited to a first-time homeschool support group only a few minutes away. There were five moms and twenty-one children--and a dear old grandmother who could not speak much English, but shared loving hugs and kisses all around.

A mother named Audrey was in charge, and she did a superb job of having organized activities for all the children.

The first activity was to promote teamwork. Audrey divided the children into teams of two, and let each table of teams observe a tray of small items for 40 seconds. Then the teams had a short time to write down everything they could remember.

 

Here are most of the boys at their table, scratching their brains.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen another mom coordinated table activities for the little ones who couldn't read or write yet. 

Carrie and Amanda won the first two activities! They were a great team!

 



The next activity was for each team to sort a cup of macaroni, red beans, and chick peas.

Who can get them sorted into three piles first?

After teamwork activities, more cooperation and cooridination are required. This activity has two teams at once working to scoop cotton balls off the floor--with one partner of the team blindfolded and the other giving directions! Danny was teamed up with a 16-year-old, and instead of telling him directions, he pounded the floor wherever there were cottonballs. He's definitely a kinesthetic and auditory learner! Everyone had a ball cheering each other on.

 

During an instructional activity, the children took turns playing "Who Has the Ball?" Then there was a delicious snack and time for mom and children to visit.

A new friend, sister in Christ, and organizer of this first event--Audrey Zarkovski, whom I've met in Safeway a few years ago. Just when I felt I couldn't make it any longer without some sort of understanding support, God is providing other families with similar needs and vision-- choosing to homeschool but recognizing our need for support and fellowship and interaction with other families of like faith.

Last night, all of us went out for exercise in the snow, by shoveling about 20 or 30 wheelbarrow loads of snow from this 6-ft drift in the goat pen. We spread it over the dry and barren spots of the back yard.

Hannah wanted to help, too! She insisted she did not need mittens. Later when she went inside, Sam found her in the kitchen with muddy mop water all over the floor, sunflower seeds all over the floor, and who knows what else was going on while we were dutifully wheeling snow here and there!

The tunnel the children made in the huge drift before making a mighty crash through it!