Little Farm House in the Woods

New BLOG!

2009-03-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Click here for my new blog: My Life on a Taffy Pull! See you over there!

There will be no more posts here,
Farmer Boy's Mom (now know as Mrs. Taffy)

My New Blog

2009-03-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Okay...As we were driving through the farmland in Indiana I "got" the name for my new blog! Are you ready? Here it is: My Life On a Taffy Pull. I hope and pray that you can make the transition to my new blog and start following along with our life over there! I would totally miss you if you left...

We are back in Minnesota now. We made it in record time! We thought we were going to be able to move into our house this weekend, but today we found out that we have to wait until Tuesday. So, we are staying in a hotel here in the Twin Cities and will do some business while we are waiting. Besides the necessary things like utilities and driver licenses, we will also make our way over to the MN Children's Museum. We have to get a membership, it's tradition! I will have some fun pictures to share from that!

Until Next Post, which will likely be on my new blog,
Farmer Boy's MOM aka Mrs. Taffy

Need some input...

2009-03-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for some input...I need to rename my blog and I can't think of a name. Well, I thought of a few different names, but none of them seem quite right. So if you have an idea, please leave me a comment! If I choose your name, I'll give you all the credit and maybe even send you a prize! :o)

Thanks so much!
Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

P.S. We are in Ohio again, we'll probably make it to MN today, it will be a full day of driving!

On our way home...

2009-03-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures to share today. We took it easy today. This morning we drove to meet a long-time friend for lunch and he took us on a little tour of a Navy Base nearby. The boys especially loved seeing all the ships!

In the afternoon, we went back to Colonial Williamsburg to watch some more living history. Big Daddy's cousin and her darling baby joined us there.

We are heading back to MN tomorrow. We are going to take our time getting there, as we still don't have a final move in date, but it should be fairly soon! We are so excited!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Washington D.C. Day III and Williamsburg

2009-03-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

We left Washington D.C. Monday morning. But on the way out we decided to drive by the Iwo Jima Statue near Arlington Cemetery. Wow! This statue is so much larger that we expected! This was very powerful and moving!
Later in the day we arrived in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We didn't really have a plan or an idea of how or what we were going to do here. The Lord took care of us in all our ignorance. We got a room, right in the historic area for $69 a night and this includes breakfast and admission into the park for 3 days! Yay! We booked the room for three nights. We did a little exploring last night, but most of the fun and learning happened today.

This is the Governor's Palace. The Governor that was living here during this time period had 7 children! Loved knowing that! We got a fantastic tour of the house and then played in the maze in the Palace Garden.
After playing in the maze, we listened to Thomas Jefferson give a moving speech.
Next we had fun locking up the naughty boys up!
And finally we watched as the day was finished with drummers, leading people to sign up for the war for Independence! We saw many more wonderful things today too! One being Mike's delightful Cousin and her family! They joined us for most of the day and we really enjoyed their company!

We didn't buy any souvenirs here, way too expensive! But I took pictures! :o)

Super Son-That hat was like $35.oo! And the gun $17.00!

Boo-Boo. I think this hat was made for his head! Doesn't he look cute? He totally posed for this picture!

The girls in those sweet little caps that I can't remember what they are called...I'm going to wait and get them bonnets from a Mennonite Store, less expensive, better made and much softer! :o)

We are all really tuckered out tonight. Traveling is taking it's toll on us. Super Son is lamenting over his play mobile, Jubilee just "wants to go home" and the Poet is just way too excited to get settled into our MN house. Boo-Boo was super fussy today, his appetite has come back and I can't keep him full! We cherish this time together though and know that it is starting to wind down. Soon it will be back to the daily grind. Thankfully we will have pictures and our memories to remind of this rare and unique season we've had here. God is Good and I am so thankful!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Washington D.C. Day II

2009-03-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

We saw many many wonderful things today. These pictures aren't really in order, but I will try to explain what each one is.

Here we are in front of the White House. This is our State Name at the World War II Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial.

This was probably my most favorite spot of the day. Lincoln's original words of wisdom, filled with the Fear of the Lord and a desire to please the Almighty, are still here!

The Vietnam Memorial...

Arlington National Cemetery.The changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington Cemetery. An interesting side note: There is always a guard at this tomb, 24/7, rain or shine. They take 21 paces and than stand still for 21 seconds, over and over and over again. The changing of the guard happens twice an hour, on the hour and half hour. If the guard fails inspection prior to his taking over the guard duty, he will be fired from the "sacred" honor.

Today was a great day! The weather was gorgeous, a few of us have pink noses! We got to see Mike's cousin who lives in this interesting city and we are so thankful for what we saw today!

We leave tomorrow. I'm not sure what time we are leaving exactly, but I do know for sure this time we are heading to Williamsburg, VA!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Washington D.C.

2009-03-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm too tired to do a detailed post, but I wanted to share some pictures from our day. The weather was gorgeous and things were just starting to bloom.

This is the room in the National Archives Building where the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution are. This could have been a very moving exhibit...but I have to say that we are all struggling with the fact the God has been removed from Washington D.C. and all it's building and all it's foundations.

I took a moment to really think about how this country got started and why, and it really is a moving thing. Still, if I was here from a foreign country or even just someone who had been in public school my whole life, with no knowledge of truth, I would not know that this country was founded on Christian Principles with a strong fear of the Lord. The statues were all confusing...many naked bodies and Greek gods.

Tomorrow we are going to Arlington National Cemetery. That should put us all in a thankful mood!

We are all pretty tired tonight, in fact all the children fell asleep within 5 minutes of me putting them to bed. We had Chinese Food delivered to the room for dinner.

I'm going to bed now! Hugs to you all!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

New York City/Philadelphia

2009-03-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

After we left Niagara Falls, Big Daddy decided he wanted to drive through New York City on our way to Philadelphia. I know I said we were on our way to Williamsburg, but I forgot that we wanted to visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. So we drove through New York City, which I didn't even think was possible. The strangest thing about New York is that it looks exactly like the shows on TV show it! And I have to mention the size HUGE!! Wow, it truly is a world unto itself!

This picture here is Central Park, which is also GIGANTIC and very interesting with it's large rocks in the landscape. This the first parking lot we saw...we all thought it was pretty cool, like match box cars.

I don't know what this area is called, but it's beautiful. There are hundreds of flags surrounding this area.

More flags...there are flags everywhere in this city!

This area here in right in the middle, near NBC, we were moving so fast I could hardly get a picture. Very live!

We drove through the Lincoln Tunnel and the tunnel that led to New Jersey. These tunnels are terrifying! They are extremely narrow, everyone is going VERY fast and it's my understanding that they are under water! Yikes! We tried to drive over to see Lady Liberty but we were getting tired of paying tolls, we did see her as we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge though!

After we left New York we paid more tolls, probably over $30.00 for the day, and drove to Pennsylvania, where we stayed in a suburb for the night. This morning we visited Philadelphia. Wow! What a neat city! I loved all the brick buildings, seeing where the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall, see the printing shop where Benjamin Franklin worked and wrote the Silence Dogood letter, the Liberty Bell...it was all fantastic!

We are just kicking ourselves for forgetting to bring the National Treasure Movies, we were trying to figure out where different things were happening in the movie and coming to conclusions that it would have been IMPOSSIBLE for them to sneak into the Bell Tower!

Now we are in Arlington, VA, just miles from Washington D.C. We are staying here until Monday. Lots to see and do here. Big Daddy and I have always dreamed of bringing our children here!

Thanks for following along. Your comments make me so happy!

Blessings to you all!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Niagara Falls, NY

2009-03-19T19:05:00.001-07:00

When we drove into town we were sure of two things. 1) We wanted to stay in Canada. 2) We needed to lie down! Phew! After the two days of being sick, lying on a bed after a day of driving sounded heavenly. Most everyone was feeling better, but a few of us were still dealing with (the opposite of throwing up)…mainly Big Daddy and I. We had read and read on-line and really couldn’t figure out if we could cross the Canadian Border without passports. Most sites we read said passports weren’t needed until June 1, but we also read that you had to have birth certificates for everyone. When we drove into Niagara Falls, NY we knew right away we wanted to stay in Canada, the American side is so ugly. They have done nothing to make it beautiful over there, lots of construction going on, but even the hotels were really run down looking. Big Daddy went into the American Customs Agency and found out that indeed we can cross the border with just a driver’s license, saying that if Canada lets you in, they will let you out. (Hopefully America lets us back in as well!) So we took the plunge and drove across the Rainbow Bridge. Sure enough, the Canadian Border guards let us in after several questions. Here we are! Wow! The significance about this place is that this is where Big Daddy and I came on our Honeymoon almost 16 years ago! We have always wanted to come back. Big Daddy got us a nice room on the 27th floor overlooking the Horse Shoe Falls. In case you didn’t know, my spontaneous husband is also very sentimental and romantic!

We drove here in our pajamas…it just made for an easier transition. We pretty much just laid around and watched TV. We went to bed really early and slept until 7. We had so much fun today (Wednesday). Most of us were feeling great, all but one, thankfully she was content to just ride along in the stroller.

I think you can guess who still wasn't feeling well. L

We used the GPS to find a Wendy's for lunch, the menu was pretty similar. Then we went to a grocery store to buy some essentials: Peanut butter and Jelly!

We bought 3 gallons of water, 2 loaves of bread, 1 crunchy & 1 creamy peanut butter, 1 blueberry jam, 1 box of crackers, 2 boxes of yogurt tubes, 1 pound of strawberries and 1 box of oatmeal cream pies (these aren't for eating, they are for a economics lesson). Total Cost $27.50 Canadian. Oh, I also bought one reusable shopping bag for .99, that's my souvenir. J Not too bad…most places we went too would take American dollars and give us the going exchange rate, but we paid with a Visa at this place so we won't know how much it actually cost until we see the bill. We are having peanut butter and jelly for dinner. We head out Thursday morning; this probably won't be posted until Thursday night or Friday though. I don't actually know where we are going next. Big Daddy mentioned "driving through" New York City; otherwise we might be on our way to Colonial Williamsburg!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM
P.S. There's a Starbucks IN THE LOBBY here!

Ohio

2009-03-18T17:24:00.001-07:00

I'm trying things a little differently here. I'm using the blog feature in Word and I'm trying to figure out how to include pictures in the post without having to go through blogger. I don't like how blogger uploads pictures. I have a lot to share since last post. On Sunday we arrived in Wilmot, OH. Amish Country! We found a really nice hotel…A beautiful hotel, with large rooms, good food, beautiful scenery and huge hospitality. Really, there's a testimony here. Monday night, everybody in our family was throwing up. It was really terrible. We spent a nice day on Monday driving through the country side, visiting different Amish stores. The countryside of OHIO is so interesting and beautiful with rolling hills and pristine farms. Monday is wash day apparently because every farm had a clothes line with neatly hung clothes; it wasn't even warm about 50 degrees. I loved seeing all the laundry, something so organized and simple about it. Everything was hung from darkest to lightest, from smallest to biggest, every farm was the same! Here are some pictures of the hotel, before we got sick.

We got a great rate at this hotel, around $70.00 a night, included breakfast and pool and the Disney Channel. We were so sick Sunday night and Monday that we stayed another night. Here's an example of how big of a mess we made; Bee Boy, who said he was feeling fine, went to switch the laundry and on the way back proceeded to projectile vomit all over the grand stair case, then all over the bath room floor in the hotel lobby. How embarrassing! They would not let us help clean it up, not that we could, but we offered to try. We used every towel in that room…the receptionist said she would tell the housekeeper to deep clean our room. And to top it off, when we left, not only did they treat us kindly, they gave a half rate on the second day, because they felt so bad for us. That's the testimony. Here in the heart of an Amish and Mennonite community, they are practicing their Christian Values. We were overwhelmed. Partly because we were so mortified at the mess we made and because of the kindness they showed us despite the mess they had to clean up.

Here are some pictures of the countryside:

Here are some pictures of the fun we had:

Here's a picture of the beginning of the end:

After we were well enough to pack up our stuff, slowly but surely, we drove to Niagara Falls, NY. Did you know it only take 4.5 hours to drive from Wilmot, OH to Niagara Falls, NY? I'll save pictures from that adventure for the next post!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Toll Roads and Laundry

2009-03-15T19:55:00.001-07:00

Currently we are driving on the Ohio Turnpike. I'm not sure what a turnpike is exactly, but I do know it's expensive. Amazing all the toll roads through Chicago, Indiana and Ohio, I'm glad we don't have those in MN!

Yesterday we found ourselves in Indiana for the night. We stopped to visit an old friend. There's not much I like about Indiana, other than this friend. J Kind of a messy, flat, and uninteresting state. We had to do laundry though, so we found a laundry mat and paid way too much money to wash our clothes. I'm thankful for clean clothes though. I was thinking how laundry-mats could be compared to unjust scales that proverbs talks about. The washers cost 3.25 a load and only washed for 30 minutes, the first minute disappearing as soon as you pushed start. Then the washer doesn't really spin the clothes out. I know, I own three front loaders…they should come out almost dry! The dryers cost .50 for 10 minutes, the last three minutes being a cool down cycle; the doors don't shut tight, allowing some heat to escape. Hmmm… I'm thankful I don't have to do laundry like that very often. Last night Boo-Boo was throwing up. I hate it when babies throw up. He threw up about 4 times during the night. We just kept putting the soiled jammies and blankets in the bath tub. He had a couple rounds of "you know what" too. Our room smelled so BAD!! So we didn't get to leave as early as we planned this morning. We had to make a trip back to the laundry-mat to wash the smelly stuff. We didn't leave Indiana until noon. Boo-Boo is doing much better this afternoon. He hasn't eaten much, but he's nursed and had a little water. He's kept those down, but he's not himself yet: pale and sleepy. I was looking in his mouth the other day; this little guy has 16 teeth! 16 months old and 16 teeth- Wow!

Our second day in Chicago was really fun. The weather was gorgeous. We found on street parking that was free and enjoyed a morning at the museum.
The children are doing very well! We've heard a few complaints from the little ones about wanting to go home, mainly they miss their toys. We've heard a few complaints from the older ones about being bored, but we've been playing games and watching movies and stopping a lot. I think Farmer Boy is having more fun that he thought he would and The Poet is reading and writing and looking out the window, very content she is.
Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

A Great Day!

2009-03-14T18:45:00.001-07:00

I have lots to report today. We finally got to have a little fun! Everything has been so rush, rush, rush and wait, wait, wait. But today felt like the first day of our "schoolin' on the road." We left Eau Claire, Wisconsin early in the morning, happy that the weather was above freezing. After a swing through Starbucks, we headed to our little country store and bought some snacks for the day. This little store is really fun, it's full of all kinds of bulk food items, some healthy, some totally not. The children picked out a treat and I bought some pretzels, yogurt covered raisins, cheese curds, raw milk and homemade potato chips-oh yum! Then off we went to Chicago. I know in my last post I said I love Chicago and I was thinking I should say why I like it here so much. I think this is my third visit here and what I like most about Chicago, downtown especially is that there are always children walking around, with their mom's of course. It just seems like such a family friendly city to me.

To start off our visit to the windy city, we went to Lincoln Park Zoo. This is free zoo and so fun! The weather was a balmy 42 degrees, warm after what we've been through! We didn't have much time at the zoo, only a little over an hour, but it was great to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. Jubilee and Super Son were practically sprinting between buildings, they were so happy to be free from the constraints of the truck!

After the zoo closed, Big Daddy dropped us girls off at the American Girl Place while he went to find our hotel. It was crazy! The prime of rush hour, very exciting and noisy! The Poet and I have been here before, we came on her golden birthday and saw the show and had brunch. But this time it was just a quick run through to see the new building and get a little reward for being so good on the trip! Then we had fun driving around in Chicago, looking at both the well-to-do areas and the rather depressed and scary ones. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we were all rather surprised. The difference between a hotel in the middle of South Dakota and Chicago is awesome and not necessarily in a good way! This building is so modern! I'm slightly uncomfortable…We are on the 17^th floor, the elevator is glass, gulp. The rooms are open to a center atrium and all the railings are glass, gulp. Not good if you have a touch of vertigo! The children think its super cool though! Tomorrow we are going to the Museum of Science and Industry. We've been here once before but we didn't have any time to really look around. The next stop is yet to be determined…but I'm sure it will be fun!

On a side note: I finished Phil Vischer's book. It was very touching and basically his testimony of how he actually came to have a personal relationship with Christ. The book answered quite a few questions I had, both about Big Idea and Barney. Interesting huh? And one more thing, I found the popcorn I have been searching for. Actually Big Daddy did and would you believe it was in that little town in South Dakota that our truck broke down at!? God is good—ALL THE TIME!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Just a quickie...

2009-03-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

I just want to give a quick update. Currently we are in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Last night we stayed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both towns had a Starbucks! :o) Nothing nearly as exciting has happened since the last post. We got to see some friends, some family and we are finally free of that trailer! Our next stop? CHICAGO! I love Chicago! On the way we are going to stop by our favorite little Mennonite Country Store-Weavers. We'll take a visit there tomorrow for snacks and a visit there on the way back for staples for my pantry!

Thanks for following along with us!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

White-Outs and Wall Drug

2009-03-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was somewhat dull but also way too exciting! Things started out normal enough. We had a "nice" breakfast in the hotel and got a fairly early start. The roads were okay, not great but not terrible. The worst thing about the roads was the white-outs. Whenever a car or truck would pass us there would be moments of complete whiteness from all the blowing snow. It was so windy! We were making good time though and were so happy to find a Starbucks in Wyoming. You never know nowadays...just because the GPS says a Starbucks is in the area, doesn't necessarily make it true. But it was true this time and we were all happy to warm up with a hot drink. We assigned the older children "buddy's" to help with the chaos we have been experiencing. I found them like this when I came out of the restroom, faithfully doing their duty and waiting so patiently!

We had to drive past the exit to Mount Rushmore. Visibility was about a half a mile and it was 1 degree outside, we wouldn't have been able to see the Mountain and we would have froze our little woo-woo's off in the process! That's okay, we have actually been there before, the year we made the move out to the Pacific Northwest.

We did decide to stop at Wall Drug. If you have ever driven through South Dakota you would understand why you HAVE to stop at Wall Drug. It was fairly interesting...lots of stuff to buy...nothing you really want. It was nice to get out and stretch our legs and take a few pictures.

After Wall Drug we got back in the suburban with the intention of driving to Mitchell, SD (home of the very first Cabela's store). We were planning on staying the night there, doing laundry at the laundry mat and then heading over to the Richmond's in the morning to spend a good part of the day with them and then drive to the Twin Cities. BUT, this is why we make plans very loosely, you never know what's actually going to happen, we broke down...We initially thought we ran out of gas, but it turns out it was much worse. I just can't even begin to explain the complication of this problem. You remember we are pulling a trailer with our little white truck, full of bee hives and firearms. Starting to see the problem? Add to that that it's like 1 degree outside with a windchill of negative a hundred zillion and the fact that Big Daddy is wearing a nylon jogging suit with his berkies and NO SOCKS, it was all very exciting and stressful. One more itty bitty detail...no cell service. I'm not going to include all the details about how we ended up at this Holiday Inn in middle of South Dakota, but can I just say that God had taken very good care of us. The lady at the desk gave us a great rate on an extra big room, didn't give us grief about the number of children we have, let me use the industrial size laundry room (I washed 5 days worth of clothes in under 2 hours! 60 lbs of clothes for 27 minutes of washing time!) The tow truck guy didn't charge us for the trailer, sprint paid for the initial tow (thanks to roadside rescue), the truck is now fixed and Big Daddy just left to go pick it up! It looks like we will still get to see the Richmond's today! Phew! I don't want to seem melodramatic, so I'm not including a lot details here, but we were all so thankful to get into this warm room, safe and sound. And Big Daddy doesn't have a smidge of frost bite (that was my biggest worry).

Hopefully my next blog post won't be nearly so exciting! At least not this kind of excitement, but the excitement of seeing friends and fellowshipping with other believers!

Thanks for your prayers!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Over population

2009-03-09T19:59:00.001-07:00

I just have to start off this post with one comment. Over-Population "Experts" have never driven through Montana. Wow, there's lots of space out here! Looks to me like we have lots of room left for all those extra people! Anyway…All is well with our little bunch. We weren't able to go to Yellowstone like we had hoped; the park is closed until the middle of March because of the snow and bad roads. So we just decided to keep going and try to stop at Mt. Rushmore on the way to the Richmond's. We are driving soooo slowly, the roads are really terrible. Not in all parts but most all of the roads have some sort of packed snow/ice buildup. Big Daddy is driving so perfectly! Still, these roads totally stress me out!

Some high-lights of our day: I finished a book today. It's been a long time since I've finished a book! Big Daddy has been doing all the driving so I've had time to read. I read the Duggar's book, 20 and Counting. It was very easy to read and pretty inspiring. I was inspired by their use of praise with teaching and training their children. I started reading another book, Me, Myself and Bob. It's Phil Vischer's story, I have been wondering what happened to Veggie Tales, their new pirate movie was such a bummer. I want to know why. A quarter of the way into it and it's pretty touching. Another fun thing, we got to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel in Billings, Montana. My old kitchen had (News Flash!! We just crossed over the Wyoming Border!) Cracker Barrel wallpaper on the walls. It was fun for the children to go see a real menu. We all left stuffed. Farmer Boy said this is the first meal since we left that's actually filled him up! I feel like a fool packing our sandals. It was starting to get nice in WA, so I assumed the same thing was happening elsewhere. WRONG! I think the East Coast is experiencing milder temperatures. For the most part the sun has been shining, but now it's snowing.

The children have been collecting brochures from the different hotels we've been to. I brought notebooks, scissors and glue sticks. Each day they have been making collages of different thing from the state we are in or just passed through. Super Son's notebook includes writing different words like the name of the state and some landmarks. The older children are journaling about what we've been doing or what they wish we were doing. J

I've been on a little quest to find some Vanilla Popcorn. Years ago when we were driving this same trail I discovered some delicious Vanilla Popcorn, some of you might remember because I bought a case of it and gave it out at Christmastime. I haven't found any yet…but I'm not giving up!

Hopefully I'll get this post on the internet sometime tonight or in the morning. Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Moving right along

2009-03-07T21:26:00.001-08:00

Lots of questions coming in…I guess I've been a little too vague. Sorry about that! Let me see if I can be a little more specific. We are moving back to MN, we left last night. The reason we are leaving/left is because Big Daddy has been out of work for months and we haven't been able to find any work that can support us on the Peninsula. We still own a house in MN, so we are moving back to live in that house. There are more opportunities for work in MN and the cost of living is significantly less.

Our stuff is being shipped through a company called ABF. They leave a trailer in the driveway, we load it up, and they drive it away. We used two trailers-a full one and another 8 feet in the second one. The second trailer arrived HOURS late so even though we only had a little bit to put in there, it made our departure time super late! We didn't drive out of our driveway until almost 8 p.m. last night. Then as we drove away we started having issues with the car transport we were pulling. We are pulling Big Daddy's white truck behind our Suburban. The transport was tugging and swaying all over the place. It was really scary. So our travels last night only got us to Bellevue, WA, where we stayed in nice hotel with a Starbucks right across the street! J The coffee was nice in the morning and I was so thankful for my pillow, but it was snowing in the morning and we were still having trailer issues. Getting the trailer situated took most of the morning and because of the snow we couldn't take the mountain pass we had planned on. The passes were closed to over-sized vehicles…so as we were driving down the freeway, with our trailer swaying around, snow falling down, we got to witness the awesome sight of or windshield cracking. The crack looked like an etch-a-sketch line traveling across the window. Our detour took us south so we took White Pass, which was supposed to be clear but it wasn't! Talk about stressful! I was in tears. Big Daddy is such a good driver and we didn't even slip once! But it was so scary! White Pass is gorgeous with treacherous drops and high mountain peaks, windy twisty roads…Thankfully Jubilee slept the whole time and never got car sick once!! I honestly didn't think we were going to make it over those mountains, but we did. As we were driving into Ellensburg (which is where we are now) we watched the weather front follow us, it was the strangest sight to behold. We decided to stay in Ellensburg (Big Daddy grew up here) and head out early in the morning. Honestly, we do not have a time table, which is thanks to Big Daddy not having a job. But we have an agenda. We want to drive through Yosemite and watch a frozen Old Faithful and maybe see what the paint pots look like frosty too. We also want to stop in South Dakota to visit our special friends and leave our bee hives in their back yard. Then we are on to MN to drop off Big Daddy's little truck. My sister-in-law is being most gracious to let us leave it in her driveway until we return. We will probably hang out there for a little bit, no time-line really. After we get rid of that crazy trailer and the truck we are off to the East Coast to do some learnin' on the road. We want to go to Washington D.C. and maybe PA. No real concrete plans there either, remember I'm married to Mr. Spontaneous! J We will most likely make more plans the closer we get to getting there. We have to return to MN the first of April, that's when we can move back into our house that we own there.

We can update Facebook through our cell phone and we can blog with Wi-Fi in the hotel room! Pretty snazzy huh?

I hope I didn't forget to answer anything. Today was a long tiring day, but I am so thankful! Thankful for a safe drive over the pass, for a clean hotel room with the Disney Channel, for being with my family, for a husband that loves me, for a my own pillow and the starbucks drive thru right around the corner. Life is an adventure, a journey, an opportunity to be molded by the Creator for His good purposes. There was a lot of molding going on today, for me anyway. Sometimes is kinda painful, but never pointless!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Almost ready to go!

2009-03-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

We are almost ready to go! We had hoped to be gone by now, but you know how it is when you move, things never go exactly as planned. Big Daddy ordered another truck that is due to arrive any time now. We won't be filling the second truck completely but we still have some big furniture to pack up. Wow, my young men are working SO hard! Even my young lady, mostly with child care though...what a blessing!Here's a picture of my dining room. I have so many pictures of this room on my blog that I thought I should include a picture of the boring mess that it is. See the dinosaur? We are going to drive over it when we leave. :o)Bee Boy! Last night he and Big Daddy were out closing up the hives. I wouldn't let him take a shower this morning (no more laundry service here and the towels are packed!) so that's Bed Head for you!Here's my load of stuff that I am taking WITH us in our suburban. Not bad for a family of 8. I don't normally pack pillows and blankets when go a'travelin' but I thought I better since we are going to be gone so long. And this time I decided to bless myself and bring my king size pillow. I never ever do, so this is a luxury for me! I hate to over-pack normally. I packed our clothes in those totes instead of using suit cases. I think I was able to fit more and take up less space. We'll see once we start actually loading the suburban.Yesterday The Poet and I had to run some errands: deliver groceries, buy snacks, get gas, stuff like that. One of the stops on my list was Ross to get her some traveling' clothes. She pretty much wears skirts all the time and I figured out why. Because she gets holes in her knees so stinkin' quick! But I thought she should have a cute pant suit for riding in the car. Which we found for a steal and I found these adorable shoes for her, which she also REALLY needed! She pulled her pant legs up so I could get a good shot--look at those cute socks! She is so happy about these colorful funky shoes! They were a great price too! It's not very often I can buy her cute things that seem playful to me, not grown up looking. She's a tall girl and is wearing only women's size clothes now, so these shoes really are a blessing!

Pray for us! There's many little details to sort through. Thankfully the sun is shining!

Until Next Post (don't know when or where that will be, but I promise there will be one!),
Farmer Boy's MOM

P.S. I think I am going to have to rename my blog and change some pictures...

An amazing talent!

2009-03-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This is Farmer boy, I just wanted to show everybody what a friend gave me for my birthday. A duct tape wallet!

The one on the left is the duct tape one and the one on the right is a store bought one. They are so similar!

Thanks again to my friend who made this amazing wallet.

Until next time, Farmer Boy

The Truck has arrived...

2009-03-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well, the truck came this afternoon. It came later than we had hoped, but at least it wasn't raining. We've all had our moments of frustration today. Some of us more than others, probably me the most...there were a few times when I just sort of walked in circles because I couldn't figure out what to do next, or I would start to do one thing and then couldn't finish because something was in the way! Big Daddy is already saying we don't have enough room in that truck for all our stuff...hmmmm....now what? He may be coming back to get some stuff, we'll see. Here's my big boys working SO hard!Here's my little boy, not working at all, but totally kickin' back enjoying Barney. :o) We had some drama right before bed time that is still making me laugh. I read the children a book before bed, just trying to settle them down and spend a little time with them. All was going well and then Farmer Boy brought in a large toy dinosaur, I have no idea where he found it...Boo-Boo was terrified of it and Super Son had fun tormenting Boo-Boo with it. When we finally finished the book Super Son declared he was going to sleep with the dinosaur and Jubilee proceeded to say, in the most pathetic high-pitched lips pooching out voice, "I WISH I HAD A GIRL DINOSAUR!!!!!!" Baaaahhh Aaaaahhh Waaaaaah Oh for goodness sake!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Packing Chaos

2009-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a few shots of our packing progress. If you saw my FB comment you would know that I don't do well with this kind of mess. Really, taking pictures makes it seem less messy, but everything is in a pretty chaotic stage. We are making really fast progress though and shouldn't have any trouble getting finished by the 4th.

The kitchen...Bee Boy is just packing up my cookbooks. I won't pack the rest of the kitchen until the truck is in the driveway.

Super Son's Room...

The Homeschool Room... I've still got my scrapbooks to pack up.
The Girl's Room...A few toys out to keep Jubilee happy!The living room and front entry way...This guy doesn't seem affected by the mess!
Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Farmer Boy Turns 14

2009-03-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today my sweet first born has turned 14! How can that be? How did this happen? How can I be old enough to have a child this of this size and age? And how did he turn out so nice? I use to worry what it would be like to have a "teenager." Especially a teenage son. I've only ever really heard or seen bad stories...Not totally, but there are more sad stories than happy ones for sure!

Farmer Boy is a great son! He loves his family and strive to please. He is a fantastic older brother and his little siblings (especially Super Son) adore him. Farmer Boy used to want to be a farmer when he grew up, thus the blog name. But he has changed his mind and decided he wants to become a police officer. We think this is a great aspiration as well! He'll definitely have size on his side!

Lately Farmer Boy has been telling me how he'll do things differently when he's a dad...things like how he'll teach science differently! I love it that he's getting ideas and thinking about the future!

A tradition on birthdays, is to either go out for coffee or make them a coffee! Everybody LOVES Mom's coffee! We also like early morning parties and since we had so much to do today, Farmer Boy opened gifts right after breakfast.

A couple new Knives from Big Daddy.

A book light from Mom. Makes reading in the car at night time so much easier!!Here he is after dinner enjoying his favorite hot brownies with warm ice-cream! He had seconds. YUM!We also gave him series one and two of Walker Texas Ranger, thinking it would be fun on our LONG car drive. We decided to watch an episode tonight after dinner too. Look what happened while we were watching it...Farmer Boy enjoying his new show and sharpening his knife! Like that hat? A gift from Grandma Mindi!!

Happy Birthday Farmer Boy! We are so proud of you! So happy your are our son and so happy you were born!! You are PROOF that God loves me!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Splat-baby style!

2009-03-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Please forgive the blurry baby face! I tried, but there's only so much my digi camera can do! Enjoy!

Until Next Post (which will be soon because today is Farmer Boy's 14th birthday),

Farmer Boy's Mom

2009-03-01T09:43:00.001-08:00

I've been dreading writing this post. I guess the basic reason is pride. I don't want you to think badly of me, or maybe more importantly, my husband. We've known for a while now that we are moving back to the Midwest. We have tried and tried to make things work here, but there is no work here. Period. At least not work that can support us. Years back we tried to sell our house in Minnesota, but it just would not sell! And that was back when things were still good in the economy and housing market. So for over two years we were able to make our mortgage payment on that house and whatever house we were living in over here. Finally we decided to rent out our MN house, that's been going on for a year and that lease is up the end of March. Since Big Daddy got laid off God has been so merciful to us and we have been making it, month by month without digging too deeply into our savings. But it's time to go. Time to move back. We've knocked on many doors, Big Daddy has applied for many jobs around the country and we've even taken trips to look at houses that were CHEAP CHEAP! All those doors slammed shut. HARD. We've known for a while now that we would be leaving the beginning of April, and this week we found out some fairly disturbing things about Big Daddy's family that has sort of put us in a somber mood. Somber = Restless, so we decided to leave a little early. Our house isn't available yet, so we are going to do a little "schoolin' on the road" and drive slowly and visit some places on the way. So we actually started packing up today. Shocked right? Remember my post about my spontaneous husband? J

The children are pretty excited. We've moved a lot since we've been married, but I've never had big children to help me pack! Wow! What a difference that makes!

The moving truck is coming on the 4^th and leaving on the 9^th. We'll be leaving sometime between the 4^th and 9^th. There's a lot of details to work through, lots of planning to do, lots of things going through my brain that I don't want to forget. I think it will be fun to blog about our adventure though and I hope you will enjoy the journey with us. Thankfully we got a very generous tax return that is making our move possible, that and you know, that super generous 13 dollars that was added to our paycheck from the stimulus plan. GAG! Guess you have to get a pay check to enjoy that blessing!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

We're back!

2009-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland has returned to the Pacific Northwest! Wow! You can't even tell our driveway from our front yard. And the meanie that I am...I won't let my children play outside! You wanna know why? Well because it's actually pretty warm out, like almost 40 I'd say and even though there's snow, they will just end up getting soaked! And muddy! I just couldn't take all the extra laundry! If this was the first snow of the season I would be more generous...

It's so nice to be back home! Truly, we were so thankful to be able to go to MN to help my sister-in-law at a moments notice, but there's just something so wonderful about getting home. Every year at Thanksgiving we always write down what we are thankful for and one of the things that I ALWAYS list is "MY BED!" I love our bed. We have a memory foam mattress and I absolutely love it! Any time I sleep on any other kind of bed now, I get a back ache! I'm so spoiled. Plus our bed is HUGE, California King huge. Up until 4 years ago, we slept on a queen but that just got too hard on Big Daddy. He can stretch out on the California King and there's room for about 3 other children in there too! Another thing we missed while we were away was our Balancing the Sword time. I just happened to have the camera at the table when this moment happened. There was a cool picture in the book and everyone hopped up to look at it! Take a look at Super Son's hair--that should give you a chuckle!

My sister-in-law is doing much better. She has at least one more surgery, possibly two, before she is completely finished with this ordeal. Thankfully the other two are out-patient procedures, so she won't need as much help. She was so blessed by the work we did on her place. It takes a special person to just let someone come in and dig through everything. I've done things like that for her before, so she knows my "style" and lets me have my way! Here's my motto: If you can't figure out where to put it, GET RID OF IT!

Yesterday was full of laundry, hair cuts and getting settled back into our routine. Today was full of laundry and bill paying, homeschool. We've been able to just get right back into the swing of things here. It's nice. I love being home. I love managing my home.

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

It may be cold out, but there's LOVE in the house!

2009-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures so you can see I'm alive and well! My sister-in-law is improving, though she's still not home from the hospital, they are saying Monday now. That's cutting it pretty close as we are leaving on Tuesday. I don't want to put too much detail on this blog, but your prayers are so appreciated and I want to thank you!

Here's some pictures of my children and my nieces. This one here is "Rosebud," she's the youngest at 7, almost 8 years old. She loves Boo-Boo and has a natural bent toward neatness. She's really enjoyed and thrived in all my organizing and cleaning and she's been a great help! Here's all the girls having lunch. Lori's church brought over dinner, but we ate it for lunch. :o) It was nice and sunny outside today, but only 15 degrees! Brrrr!!Here's a group shot of all our nieces, they are watching Kit Kitridge. On the left is "Miracle." God has healed her from some really frustrating and illusive health issues. She used to be SOOOO picky, but not anymore! She used to always be sick, but not anymore! She used to always be unhappy, but not anymore! She is a joy and so interesting to talk too!

There's Rosebud in the middle. And on the right is who I'm going to call "Pillar." May sound like a strange nickname, but this girl is a pillar! She is strong, trustworthy, hard-working and she NEVER complains! Even when she jumped on the prong from a belt, we didn't even know she was hurt, The Poet made more noise than she did! And not once has she complained since, though, if I ask her about it, she'll tell me it hurts. She is relentless in her willingness to serve and help! She has been such a blessing to me this week! A true Pillar in her mother's house!This is the Basement...I should have taken a picture of what it looked like before, I should have taken a picture of all the bags of garbage and toys we cleared out of here. We've been working hard! I can't take full credit for this transformation. I'm great at seeing how to make it better and then DELEGATE the work to the group! But I was right in there with them and boy was it fun! This kind of work feels more like play to me, it is my gift and if I weren't a mom and a wife, I KNOW I would be cleaning out closets for a living! Oh JOY!

That's it for an update from me. We are going up to the hospital tomorrow and maybe we'll do a little outlet mall shopping--they have a Gymboree outlet here! Help me LORD!

I'm off to have a bowl of cheerios!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

P.S. Big Daddy has been giving me the most incredible foot rubs at night time--he's my hero!

Out of town in a flash!

2009-02-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

In my life spontaneity is the norm. Not because of me, mind you. I am a pretty scheduled, routine kind of gal. I like doing the same things every day. When I was single I pretty much ate the same things every day too, didn't need all the variety my family does. So along comes this 6'7" hunk of spontaneity, and of course I am instantly attracted to him and I couldn't help but marry him. So now doing crazy things, making really fast crazy decisions are a part of my life. And we are experiencing one right now!

Big Daddy's sister is having a medical crisis and we are taking this opportunity to go and minister to her and her daughters (our nieces). We've shipped off three of our sons to our friend's house ( I can't think about my Super Son too much or I'll get weepy--he's so precious to me and loves me SOOOO much) and we are taking the other three with us, leaving tomorrow morning. We have to leave at 3:00 in the morning! Wow!

Thankfully, because I'm so anal about my day, all the laundry was caught up, my house isn't trashed and it didn't take too long to pack my boys and the rest of us. I had cookies in the freezer to take for snacks on the plane and bagels to pack for breakfast.

Please, if you think of it, please pray for my sister-in-law.

I'll try to blog about what it's like to temporarily take over another woman's house and children! It should be fun and interesting! I wonder if she has a coffee pot...

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Boo-Boo gets one month older...

2009-02-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

My little guy is 15 months old today. What a pumpkin! He's mastered the word "NO" and doesn't really like to eat anything good for him, but he's still a great joy and we are so blessed by him!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Get Real with God

2009-02-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

Click on this to read my second article for Totally Tots. I hope you like it...this one sure made me nervous!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Hamburger Bun Success!!

2009-02-13T14:39:00.001-08:00

I'm so happy! I tried my hand at making hamburger buns today and feel like I had good success! In other words, I'll make them again! That's how I decide if a recipe is a keeper...will I ever make this again?

Here's what you need:
3 cups warm water
2 tbls. yeast
2 tbls. sugar
1 tbls. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
8-81/2 cups flour (any kind, I used all whole wheat)
Melted butter and sesame seeds (optional)

~In your kitchen aide put the three cups of water, yeast, sugar and two cups of flour. Mix well. Allow to sponge (rest until is grows and almost doubles in size). Then add in the salt, oil and flour, one cup at a time. When dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, knead for 5 minutes. Let dough rest for another 5 minutes.
~Roll dough out, to about 1/2 inch thickness, on a cutting board and use a wide mouth mason jar ring to cut out the buns.
~Lay buns onto a greased cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Sesame Seeds. Bake immediately, don't allow them to rise!
~Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

The ones that I sort of smashed down a little bit prior to the butter and seeds came out a little larger. I got exactly 24 buns out of this recipe. Two bags of 8 went into the freezer and one bag we are using for hamburgers tonight. There has come a point in all my children's lives when they start to acknowledge the camera, they start to "get" it. Here's Boo-Boo, "getting" the camera. He saw me taking pictures of my buns and started flashing me this cheesy smile! Scrunched up nose and everything! His little face makes me so happy!
Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Watch Out Shirley Temple!

2009-02-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Here's my Jubilee...singing to Super Son. You'll have to excuse the background conversation, someone was talking in my ear, telling me over and over again how the toilet might be running...

Hope this gives you a giggle!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Potatoes Day 6 & 7-Mashed Potatoes, Potato Pancakes and Potato Bread

2009-02-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm getting a little bored of this series so I'm finishing it up, right now! Last night we had plain 'ol mashed tators for dinner. I made a ton though, I think I peeled 25 potatoes. So for breakfast this morning I made potato pancakes. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing in regards to this. My husband ate potato pancakes growing up, so I was trying my hand at that. Everyone liked them except Bee Boy. The Poet loved them and ate almost as many as Big Daddy.Along with the pancakes we had this Farmer Casserole. We should have had a grapefruit to round out the meal, but I forgot about them...Then later this morning I made Potato Bread with more of the left over mashed potatoes. This is my husband's favorite and he's been such a good sport eating my wheat bread (which he likes, but THIS is his favorite) I thought I make him some!

"Hmmmm....smells soooo good!"

Potato Bread

6 to 61/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I used more)

1/2 cup sugar (I used ECJ)

2 tsp. sea salt

2 packages yeast (I used 2 tbls.)

2 cups very warm water

1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes

1/4 veggie oil (I used olive)

2 eggs

Butter to spread on top

Mix 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl. ( I did this all in my kitchen-aide) Add water, mashed potatoes, oil and eggs. Beat on low for 1 minute. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. ( I did this with my kitchen-aide)

*As I'm copying the directions I see that I was supposed to let it rise twice, once in a blob and once in the pans. I only did it once in the pans. You'll see it got a good rise. Do it either way.)

Divide dough in half, put in to two bread pans, cover and let rise until double.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and brush top with butter.

We will have our bread tonight with dinner. I'm making Ham and Cheese Chowder...more potatoes plus a really GREEN salad. And believe it or not, I still have more potatoes to use up. I'm working on making potato salad for Sunday. But after that, we'll take a bit of a potato break!

Practicing Good Stewardship...

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Potatoes Day 5- Beef Stew

2009-02-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm...I don't think that picture looks very appetizing. Sorry. It really was yummy! I'm not going to share the recipe because it's a family secret. Yeah right! I just don't feel like typing it out and I think everybody has their own beef stew recipe or can find one very easily. I used about 12 potatoes to make it. Only two days to go! Nobody has complained!

These picture below were taken yesterday when it was absolutely gorgeous outside (it's been snowing today!). We had so much fun in the sunshine. Farmer Boy's PE including lifting 25lb. Boo-Boo over his head repeatedly. Boo-Boo was just delighted!
Boo-Boo was giving the ball kisses...NICE!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Look who's 4!

2009-02-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Our Sweet Jubilee turned 4 today. She woke up this morning and said, "How old am I Mom?" She had such a fantastic day. What a patient girl! The day started out very normal with breakfast (chocolate milk for a birthday treat) and then homeschool. It was gorgeous outside after lunch so we all played out there for a while. Then it was nap time...how uninteresting is that? But that's when I got to plan the fun! I made her cakes from scratch, the recipe is on the back of the Cocoa box. My wonderful mom gave me the cupcake holder, the candles and the M&M's. Thanks MOM!! The Poet made those adorable doilies from an idea also provided by my mom! She made this so easy for me! Jubilee wanted "Chocolate-Chocolate Truffle Cake and Pizza for dinner." So I made Pizza and cake we ate! After dinner and presents we enjoyed watching the new Veggie Tale Pirate Movie together (which I have to add is a real yawner! But the little ones thought it was fun.)
That ribbon around her forehead is a birthday "crown" I made her, she has long streamers twirling down her back.A Calico Critters house from my Mom. That's good shot of the skirt I made her last week.

A beautiful (read I wish it were for me) Tiara from Grandma Mindy.Farmer Boy bought that balloon bouquet for her, she got them a day early though. She is feeling much better today, she's still a little pale, but has an appetite and energy now.

While we were having dinner together I just kept thinking how glad I am that she isn't my youngest. She's growing up. Why do they have to grow up? Jubilee is like the glitter on our family tree, she's the sparkle and twinkle in our eyes and the joy of our days!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. I'll return to the Potato Series tomorrow! :o)

Potatoes Day 4-Chicken Chili on a Baked Potato

2009-02-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

Oh YUM! This was so good! It's only the second time I've made this and I got the idea from Costco of all places. Here's what you need:

2 cans of Navy Beans or the dry/cooked bean equivalent
1 can of Black Beans or the dry/cooked bean equivalent
3 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 medium onion, chopped or the dried equivalent (I DO NOT chop onions!)
1 can green chili's (4oz)
1 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 chicken breasts, cut up
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the chicken in a pot with the garlic, onions and chili's. After the chicken is cooked thoroughly add the broth and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until the beans are soft. I also added a handful of frozen corn and some chopped red peppers that I had in the freezer.

To serve, take your baked potato and slice it down the middle both ways, open the potato up, put it in a bow and ladle out some chili on top. Top with cheese and sour cream! Oh yum! This is great dinner for growing boys. They left the table stuffed, wishing they had room for more!
Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM

Potatoes Day 3-Twice Baked Smashed Potatoes

2009-02-07T21:09:00.001-08:00

This is one of our favorite Potatoe Dishes! Yum! It's pretty easy and I never make it exactly the same. I peeled and boiled the potatoes like normal to make mashed potatoes. I always mash my potatoes with a potatoe masher, Big Daddy's Grandpa thinks I'm "all-that" because I do it that way! :o) After they were adequately mashed I just scraped out the little bit of butter that was left in the butter dish, the last bit of cream cheese, some salt, about a tsp. of garlic salt and a tbsp. of chopped garlic and enough milk to make it all creamy. I mashed it all together and then sliced a piece of cheddar cheese and broke it up in little pieces and stirred them in to the potatoes. Next I plopped the potatoe mixture into my casserole dish and baked it at 350 until it turned a nice golden color. Then, I sprinkled paprika on top, to make it pretty. :o) YUM!
This was our main course, these are called Cheese-burger Buns. They are whole-wheat rolls filled with hamburger and cheese. We also had apple slices to round out the meal! I'm starting to see a nice dent in my potato bin!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

P.S. I just thought I should add something here. I really had to "MAKE" myself make this dinner. I have three little sick babies and I was really tired and I did not "FEEL" like making dinner. This was a sacrifice for me...but now it's a distant memory and my family greatly appreciated my efforts and once I got over the "feeling" aspect of this job, it wasn't actually hard! Obedience first/Joy next!

Bee Boy Turns 13

2009-02-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today is our second son's birthday. His due date was February 20, but he came early! He was a pretty unhappy baby, but as soon as he learned how to walk he became the most fantastic child I have ever met: happy, easy-going, interesting, lovable! That's our son. He is such a blessing. Today he is in 7th grade (homeschooled) and is almost 6 feet tall. He's interested in engineering, fictional writing, movie making, Bee Keeping and TRUTH. This child is afraid of no man and will gladly share his faith with anyone. This picture below is when he turned 4. I have a video recording of him telling us that he "wants to be a pweacher and a witer." It's one of my most cherished memories. This son has brought us nothing but joy--once he outgrew his babyhood that is, and we are so blessed that he is our son!Bee Boy, today on his 13th birthday. (Same haircut 9 years later...)

Here's our table from lunch. He wanted pigs-in-a-blanket, Doritos, and Moose Tracks ice cream cake for lunch. I added the big tray of fresh veggies, which actually disappeared faster than the chips. Oh the joy a cucumber brings at the end of winter!

My son and I, with his ice cream cake! Isn't he handsome?

We downloaded some awesome Lego movies off the Behemoth website and gave the DVD to Bee Boy after lunch. We all had fun watching that together. In the evening we watched National Treasure while Bee Boy enjoyed a can of Pringles and a liter of lemonade. He got to play on the computer for 2 hours this afternoon and he fired off a few rounds on our firing range with his Dad and brother. Over all, the day was simple but wonderful!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Jumpin' Monkeys!

2009-02-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

When we were running around doing errands on Friday I had to stop at Ross to try to find my ever-growing sons some longer jeans...(this is actually a really hard taks!) We found this cool game for really cheap, seem to fall under my "fast, fun and little one-oriented" rules.The object of the game is to get all four of your monkey's to hang on the tree-first! Four rounds each game and the winner is awarded bananas!Even Big Daddy thought it was fun!Jubliee gets a chance to flip! She was concentrating so hard. It was so loud in here! Go Super Son Go!

"I wanna play!"
And the winner is: Super Son!
I just love loud games that make my family laugh and scream! This one is a keeper, as long as the plastic holds together, I'm sure it will be a favorite for a long time!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Totally Tots-Check out my little guy!

2009-02-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

Potatoes Day 2- Curly Potatoes

2009-02-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

So this was a total experiment. I had a plan for dinner, but Big Daddy wasn't feeling very well and wanted eggs for instead so I was trying to make something with the potatoes that we could eat with eggs. I couldn't find a recipe for homemade hash browns and the few times I've tried they have just stuck to the pan and gone mushy. So this time I experimented and had fairly good results. I used my apple peeler/slicer and made these cute curly-Q potatoes. I added olive oil and ground rosemary and garlic and broiled them until they were golden brown and crunchy. They were a hit! Some liked them with ketchup, some didn't. Either way, I'm sure I'll make them again! We had a yummy fruit salad and grape fruit along with our eggs and curly potatoes.
Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Potatoes Day 1-Northwest Chowder

2009-02-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here's what we had for dinner tonight. I got this recipe from the Taste of Home magazine, of course I modified it, but I will give you the original recipe and you can change it how you want too, if you want too.

8 bacon strips (I used turkey bacon)

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth

4 medium red potatoes, cubed

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 pint half and half (2 cups)

1 lb. halibut fillets, cubed

1 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried tarragon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserve 1 tsp. drippings (yuk!). Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Combine flour and cream until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the halibut, tarragon, salt, pepper and reserved bacon. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Recipe by Pam Woolgar

We all really liked the chowder! On the side we had Garlic Cheese Biscuits. I never have any of these left over!

With my modified version of this recipe I used 11 potatoes! Pretty good start, I'd say!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

7 days of Potatos

2009-02-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have all these potatos....and even more in my pantry, of the large "baking" variety. So I'm going to attempt to make potatos, at least once a day for 7 days in a row and see how far I can get through this heap. My plan is to post the picture and the recipe for whatever potato creation I come up with at the end of the day. I'm in the Pacific Time Zone, so that might be really late for some of you. :o)

Practicing Good Stewardship!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

What I’ve been up too

2009-02-04T10:33:00.001-08:00

Throughout my week of being unplugged I took notes of what I did each day, knowing that it was likely I would forget once the week was over. I was right…last night I was going to blog but forgot to bring my notebook to bed so I couldn't write my post! So here we go, this I what I've been up too:

Day 1

~Drove to airport-almost missed the plane

~It was snowing when I drove home from the airport-WHAT?

~Stopped by Trader Joes for groceries and a potty break

~Stopped by the Super Wal-Mart for more groceries and another potty break

~Took a nap!

~Scrapbooked 8 pages

~Egg Burritos for dinner

~Watched American Idol and went to sleep at 9:00 pm (By far my best night of sleep the whole week!)

Day 2

~Laundry including all sheets and diapers

~Had an awesome Tea Party with the Poet

~Made 3 sets of barrettes at the tea party
~Scrapbooked 8 pages

~Ham and Cheese Chowder for dinner

Day 3

~Whole Wheat Pancakes for Breakfast

~Drove to Olympia and spent the day with my MOM going to thrift stores and out for lunch. (I heart my MOM!)

~I can't remember what we had for dinner…maybe leftovers.

Day 4

~Woke up with a huge kink in my back

~Scrapbooked 16 pages

~Laundry including diapers

~Made cranberry white chocolate chip cookies and froze half

~Homemade whole wheat Pizza for Dinner
~Watched The Pendragon with Bee Boy

Day 5

~Still have a kink in my back

~Sewed 8 doll diapers

~Sewed 4 doll bibs

~Organized children's clothes

~Deep Cleaned children's room's-with their help of course (LOVE doing this!!)

~Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner

Day 6-

~Costco and Sunny Farms

~Bank and Wal-Mart

~Cleaned sewing room

~sewed more bibs and diapers

~sewed a skirt for Jubilee

~Can't remember dinner….didn't write it down…probably means it was leftovers! J

Day 7-

~Cleaned house

~Blogged to make the day go by faster

~"MADE" Bee Boy wash the truck…it was sunny and 50 degrees—he came in with pink cheeks!

~Laundry including diapers

~Made Snickerdoodles to bring to the airport for my hubby

~Cried when I found out the plane wasn't coming until 3 pm, not 10 am like I though…I had to wait longer! WAAAHHH!

Day 8

~Wasted time until we could leave to the Airport!
Day 9-TODAY
I'm happy to report everyone is home safe and sound. Farmer Boy has a snuffy nose and Big Daddy is exhausted, but we are so happy to have them back. Big Daddy brought me home a new bible. Sadly, I'm having a hard time with the teeny tiny print in the Bible my dad gave me in High School. So now I have a nice black leather bible with LARGE print! Ahh, what a relief! We spent extra time "Balancing the Sword" this morning, because we all missed it.

I have been so inspired by David's Faith. We were reading about when he was young man, the whole Goliath story. David had NO FEAR because he served a "LIVING GOD!" That's why he could grab a lion by the beard and kill it, why he wasn't afraid of Goliath—because he served a LIVING GOD! Those are David's words. Really spoke to me about not being afraid of our current President and our economy and the fear of "them" taking my children away. How can I be afraid when I serve a LIVING GOD! Wow!

Sorry this was such a long post! If you've made the end you deserve a reward!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

I'm back...sort of!

2009-02-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just couldn't wait one more day!! Did you miss me? I sure missed all of you! Amazing how I can feel so connected to people through the computer...I can go a whole week without "seeing" anybody but I'm not lonely because I get connected here! Big Daddy and Farmer Boy aren't back yet...we go to pick them up tomorrow. The day is going by sooooooo ssssslllloooowwww. I've hijacked Big Daddy's "BIG" computer to get caught up on my blog roll but I don't have email yet and I don't want to dump my pictures down on this computer, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see pictures of all the things I've been doing.

Honestly, I have been staying unplugged. I felt the pull many times a day to go and check on things, but I made a commitment to myself and to the Lord to unplug. I wanted to stay connected with the children while Big Daddy is away and I wanted to be productive too. I've got so many fun things to share. I've designed a couple really easy and really fun patterns. Big Daddy is going to show me how to make my patterns into a PDF file so I can share!!! The patterns are to make diapers and bibs for your daughter's dolls! So Cute!

Today, on our peninsula, it's sunny and 50 degrees!! I even have the window in my laundry room open and BeeBoy washed the truck! WE love it! We can smell spring, no matter what "Phil" says!

In my "doozy" of a post I hinted at being part of another blog, here's my debut article. Being a part of this group really makes me happy and I hope it's a blessing to you as well!

Since I don't have any pictures to share, or my list of things I've done this past week, I'm going to sign off. I hope you've all been well and I'm excited to get reconnected with you!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's MOM
P.S. If you've sent me email IRL, I won't be able to read it until tomorrow, probably in the evening. I'm planning a welcome home feast for my men: Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Brussle Sprouts, Brownies a la mode! I've got a mission-to keep their hearts and bellies HERE!

To My Sister-in-law...

2009-01-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

To my MN sister-in-law...you know who you are! To the sister of my husband...I've been trying to send you emails and they keep bouncing back to me!!! I want you to know that I love you and I'm praying for you and I wish I was going to be with Big Daddy this week just so I could hang out with you!!!

HOLD FAST!!

Farmer Boy's Mom
Your sister-in-law!! :o)

A little of this and a little of that!

2009-01-26T15:58:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a doozy of a post…I hope you have a minute! :o)

You know most mornings after breakfast we do Balancing the Sword. Well, this morning was a doozy for us. We've been going through the Old Testament and currently we are in the book of 1 Samuel. We read the story of King Saul and how God told him to destroy the Amelekites, taking no plunder. Well, Saul only partly obeyed, he destroyed the people but kept the best of the flocks and fields and the Amelekite King. When Samuel confronted Saul with this, Saul said that the animals were for the Lord—to sacrifice. Samuel went on to say:

"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:22-23a) Yikes! So the part that is convicting there is that stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry! WHO KNEW!!?? We all were very convicted by this and can think of multiple times during the day when we've been stubborn and just not done something, "because." It doesn't take much reading through the Old Testament to see how God feels about Idolatry. Most of the Hebrews problems were caused by idolatry first and foremost. UGH! My husband reminded me this morning, after I was walking around the dining room saying "UGH…" "The Lord disciplines those he loves." I for one am so happy to be convicted of something…it brings me comfort and a reminder of God's love for me.

Later in the day, not really much later, Bee Boy took a science test. We use Apologia Science for the older children and Bee Boy is doing General Science right now. I have them working pretty independently. I give them two weeks to get through a module and at the end of the two weeks, they take a test. Today Bee Boy got 100% on his test! Wow! Good Job Bee Boy! To celebrate his first ever perfect score in Science I made a great lunch. I made this fancy turkey and cheese braid that I adapted from a recipe from a fantastic young cook I know named Dodi. (If you read my menu we were supposed to have this on Sunday but those guests-David and his family-had to postpone for obvious reasons.) To go with the braid I made one of Bee Boy's favorite desserts-homemade brownies! YUM YUM! I'll include the recipe for both at the bottom of this post. Tomorrow begins a week of internet/computer sabbatical for me. I'll be away from my beloved laptop. I should have lots to post about when I get back on-line though and I have a fun announcement to make too. I'm part of a wonderful new blog that will encourage and equip moms in training and educating their "tots." I'm so excited about it and I hope that I can be a blessing to some young mom's out there. ( I think I've officialy become the "older woman" that Titus 2 refers too—I don't mind, at least I can say my hair color is still my own!)

I'll miss everyone while I'm away, but I look forward to reconnecting when I plug back in. I'm sure it will feel like Christmas!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Turkey and Cheese Braid (original recipe from Dodi R.)

*I used my Kitchen aide for this recipe

2 cups warm water

3 tbls. Yeast

4 tbls. Sugar (evaporated cane juice, or raw sugar or honey)

4 tbls. Melted butter

2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup mustard (whatever kind you like-fancy or plain)

6-7 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbls. Dough enhancer (opt.)

1 egg-for brushing on dough
20 slices of deli cut turkey or ham, cut in half
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

~Mix together water, yeast, sugar and two cups of flour. Allow dough to rest until bubbly.

~Add melted butter, salt, mustard and dough enhancer. Mix well.

~Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from bowl. (At some point switch to your dough hook) Don't let the dough get too stiff. Knead 6-10 minutes until dough is stretchy and gluten developed.

~Divide dough in half. Roll out into a rectangle. Down the center of the dough, long ways, put 5 slices of turkey or ham, then put 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of that and add another layer of turkey. Using a knife, pizza cutter or pastry knife cut strips in dough on either side of meat and cheese.

~Carefully fold strips over meant alternating sides to make a "braid."

~Put bread on greased pan. Repeat with second half of dough. Allow to rise, covered, for 30 minutes.

~After dough has risen, take egg and beat it. Then brush on top of bread. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

*Serve Warm. Makes 2 loaves. Serves 6-8 depending if you have teenaged boys or not!

Brownies

*I always make brownies this way, I never use a mix-ever! These taste way better and I think they are just as fast!

½ cup butter

2 cups chocolate chips-semi sweet
1 ½ cups evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar)
1 ¼ cups packed pastry flour or white flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 eggs
~melt butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips over low heat. Stir until melted. Remove pan from heat and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until well blended. Add the rest of the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan. YUM!!!!

Bonus Photo: We were playing where's your: Nose, eyes, ears, etc. Boo-Boo poked himself right in the eye! Owie! But isn't he sweet? I could just eat him up!!!

Prayer Request Update

2009-01-25T05:19:00.001-08:00

First of all, let me just say thank you! Those who responded to my request for prayer and those who didn't, but still prayed, Thank You! David is doing better in that he's not getting worse. They didn't keep him in the hospital and he doesn't have MRSA like they feared. Still, nobody knows what he has, so he could still use your prayers for healing.

Blessings to you all for a happy Sunday!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

PRAYER REQUEST!!!

2009-01-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

Please, if you read my blog...would you please storm heaven and pray for our friend David. His body is covered with unidentifiable sores...what started out as a simple infection in his finger has turned into something else. He is on the way to the hospital...he is the sole provider for his family and deeply loved and needed by them. Please pray for him.

Farmer Boy's MOM

Molasses Cookies

2009-01-22T14:16:00.001-08:00

Okay…per your request, here is my 'healthy' version of Molasses Crinkles. The original recipe came from my Betty Crocker Old-Fashioned Cookbook.

1 cup Packed Brown Sugar

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup non-hydrogenated shortening

¼ cup molasses

1 egg

2 cup fresh ground pastry flour-packed

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. salt

Raw sugar aka Turbinado

Mix brown sugar, butter, shortening, molasses and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients except raw sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24.

Heat oven to 375. Shape dough into 1 ¼ inch balls, roll in raw sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Our Rustic Table

2009-01-22T12:57:00.001-08:00

In light of my last post, I thought I would share what our table looks like. Normally I don't do a center-piece but I was inspired by Nancy Campbell to make the table beautiful. She has lots of great teaching on the family table and how to make the table appealing and inviting. The Poet loves to set a pretty table and we always use cloth napkins at dinner time. During the winter especially, we like to put candles on the table. But sometimes I see a centerpiece as "in the way" or expensive. With my new found inspiration I looked around trying to figure out how to make the table beautiful with what I had around the house. I saw a pretty basket on top of the china cabinet that I use to store mini American flags in, I saw the two candles from the night before and I got to thinking how pretty those candles would look in that basket surrounded by a bunch of green stuff. Since we live in the EVERGREE STATE, there's always green stuff outside to pick. So I sent my daughters outside to find some pretty green things and this is what we came up with.What's really special is that the pine branches in there are leftover from our Christmas tree, perfectly preserved on our back patio and the pinecones we collected in a Starbuck's parking lot back in the fall! Funny! Isn't it beautiful?

We also tried a new recipe and made these healthy molasses crinkle cookies—they fit with the rustic theme. Would you believe we had chili for dinner? Who says chili can't be elegant! I was surprised how impressed my boys were with the table, but it just goes to show you that a little effort goes a long way and even the boy's in our lives appreciate special touches.

Happy Homemaking!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Weekly Menu

2009-01-20T14:55:00.001-08:00

Just for fun and because nothing else interesting is going on, I thought I'd share our weekly menu. I don't always stick to the day, but I like to have some kind of plan so I can choose from the different meals depending on what's going on and what I "feel" like fixing.

Wednesday (21) (This is really our Saturday and we are going shopping tomorrow)

B-whole wheat pancakes with blueberry syrup

L-Eat at Costco

D-Left-overs

Thursday (22)

B-Oatmeal

L-Tuna and Cheese Melts, Apples

D-Chicken Chili on a baked potato, salad

Friday (23)

B-Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Biscuits

L-Mac and Cheese with Tuna, Apples and Carrot Sticks

D-Whole Wheat Spaghetti with meatballs and The Poet's Cheesy Bread, veggie

Saturday (24)

B-7-Grain Cereal

L-Sandwiches, Pears

D-Honduras Burritos w/cheese and sour cream, peaches

Sunday (25) (Having Company)

B-Toast and Applesauce

L-Turkey and Cheese Braids, Potato Salad, Oranges, Barbeque Chips

D-Left-overs or Egg Sandwiches

Monday (26)

B-Oatmeal

L-Sandwiches and leftovers

D-Casserole (from freezer) veggie and rolls

Tuesday (27)

B-Cinnamon Rolls & Milk

L-Pack to go

D-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Applesauce

Baking List: 6 loaves of bread, two dozen cinnamon rolls, 6 doz. cookies, hamburger buns

Snacks: popcorn, hard-boiled eggs, cookies, dried fruit, tea

There you have it; this should feed our bunch for the week! I only have a little shopping list as I have most of this stuff in my pantry or my freezer. I am out of sponges and rubber gloves and dish soap. How did I let that happen? My hands are so sensitive and my last pair of gloves is disintegrating inside, so new rubber gloves will be a relief! Anybody know where I can get coconut oil for a good price? I've never bought it before but have found a few things I would like to try it for but I'm not sure where to get it.

Nancy Campbell considers feeding her family a high calling and an act of service to the Lord. I like to tell my children that the secret ingredient in all my food is LOVE. Find joy in nourishing your family, the benefits are far greater than a full belly.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Titus 2

2009-01-17T18:29:00.001-08:00

If you are raising your daughters in the Spirit of Titus 2, may I suggest this set of DVD's? My friend from Plants and Pillars suggested them to me and I ordered them post haste. I'm a self-taught homemaker and I often feel lacking in several areas. I learned to cook out of necessity when my first two boys were tiny…I had to feed them something, right? Still, I didn't know how to cook a whole fryer until a couple years ago and never felt comfortable pulling the giblets out of a turkey until last year (thank God my oldest son loves that job now!) I've read about moms making bread and cooking amazing things, and I just figured I should be able to do that too. But how do I learn? I learned how to make bread by reading everything on http://www.urbanhomemaker.com/. I feel pretty accomplished in my baking abilities now, but still, I flopped at making hamburger buns!

Today The Poet and I watched The Art of Bread Making. What a fun DVD! Especially for someone who is unsure in the kitchen. These young ladies do a great job of making bread and sharing the joy they get from doing it. I learned how to make hamburger buns today! I'm going to try them soon and see if I can get mine to look as good as theirs did! I also learned that you can put a cast iron pan on a smooth top stove and that you can take that same pan from cooking on the stove to baking in the oven. Didn't know that! Here's what we made to go with dinner tonight: inspired by this DVD. Tomorrow we will watch one of the other DVD's from this set. I've always wanted to learn how to make soap and candles. I'll give my report soon. If you are interested in getting these DVD's for yourself or for your daughter I bought them from http://www.franklinsprings.com/.

Happy Homemaking!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's mom

A little giggle...

2009-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

We were out doing a few errands on Thursday and I found this great Nerf Gun at Goodwill. I bought it for Super Son...but who knew Boo-Boo would think it so funny! You'll have to excuse the background mess...we just got home and hadn't really put anything away yet!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

What day is it really?

2009-01-14T15:21:00.001-08:00

For most of the people I know, it's Wednesday. But for my family it's actually Saturday. You see, since we took that trip last week that sort of set the rotation for our weekends for the rest of the month. Gotta have some kind of homeschool schedule…I told my family it's to keep their minds sharp! So this morning for a treat…since it's not a "school" day I made Cinnamon Rolls. From grain to the table it took about an hour and a half. That's my fastest time yet and they were so yummy! I hope your Wednesday is going well and that your heart is filled with joy despite the media reports and rumors of gloom!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. Of course I frosted the rolls…I just thought they were so pretty unfrosted!

Boo-Boo’s shoes

2009-01-14T14:21:00.001-08:00

My little guy normally wears Robeez around the house and when we go shopping and things. I love these little shoes and highly recommend them. However, they are no good for a busy little boy to play in outside when the driveway it wet!! So…I have been trying from time to time to put hard-soled shoes on him. In the past I couldn't even get him to stand up with hard-soled shoes on. He would just sort of collapse and grunt at me. The other day I was going through some of his clothes that he's about to grow in to and I found another pair of shoes that I hadn't tried yet and he actually sort of liked them. He walked from our bedroom to the office, but then wanted no more of them. But when I put them on him the other day and he realized he was going to go outside with the big kids…well…that's all it took! He was such a crack-up out there! If he would have been able to, he would have run everywhere! He would get going so fast and we'd have to grab him because we have some precarious drop-offs along our drive way! Enjoy!

Until Next Post, (which will be shortly as I have another picture to show you)
Farmer Boy's Mom

A Momma’s Heart

2009-01-12T20:54:00.001-08:00

I was tucking Super Son into bed the other night and we were saying sweet things to each other and it donned on me that before I know it he is going to leave me. All my boys will. My first born is almost 14 and it won't be long until his heart is completely enraptured by another and Mom won't be that one and only woman in his life. The realization just made me so sad. Not sad in a "I don't want my children to get married" way. But in a, "this is it, this is my time with them, my time to mold them and grow them and impart to them how they should relate to a woman, my time to love them without competition." Talk about sobering.

I am so blessed to have 4 sons, so blessed to have two older and then two younger sons. Those first two will leave, but I'll still have the other two around. Farmer Boy told me that he was so glad that Boo-Boo was a boy, because now I had another son to help me when he and Bee Boy move out. Isn't that sweet? That's what I'm talking about…that's blessing!

I have more pressure than ever to do a good job at this mothering thing. What impact does my life have on how my sons will treat their future wives? Does the way I respond to them and circumstances in our home affect their future for good or bad? What kind of memories will they have of life with me? Will they remember me as a whiney, unhappy discontent mom or will they remember me being particular and hard to please? I know they will remember me as a good cook and while I'm thankful for that, I'm a little worried about their future wives…I didn't know how to cook when I was first married! J

I'm thankful for this time of reflection and thankful that I am getting the opportunity to be with these boy's, now, in this place at this time.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. Please don't think I'm biased towards my boys…it's just a "thing" I'm going through right now. I don't think of my girls as "leaving" me. We will always have common ground, especially as they get older. My daughters are precious to me and I'm always praying for more! J

A boy and his monkey

2009-01-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

I took these pictures this morning when Boo-Boo was getting his Barney fix. He WOULD NOT look at me. He was just making funny faces at the TV. Still…he's pretty cute. My mom made him this sweet sock monkey. I might actually love it more than Boo-Boo does, but I think these pictures are going to make a great scrapbook page!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Poetry by the Poet

2009-01-10T09:50:00.001-08:00

Mommy's Coffee

My mom has a favorite coffee cup

Like everyone else in line.

It's red like a brand new fire truck

With a Christmassy design.

She loves her little coffee cup,

And drinks out of it each day.

One of her friends gave it to her,

Whose name I cannot say.

I grind the coffee every night,

Before I go to bed.

So when Mom wakes up,

She can drink it and have a clear head.

She likes whipped cream in her coffee,

With sugar and milk too.

And when I wake up,

She's so happy I could fly to the zoo!!

An original poem by the Poet…

Proverbs 31

2009-01-07T21:01:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 31 could be daunting…but I think it's great fun! In the Spirit of Proverbs 31 this is what we've been up too.

For the past couple years we've driven down to Bob's Red Mill in Milwaukie, Oregon, I can buy 25 lb bags of grain there. Also, we had enough points for a free night's stay in a hotel down there, so we made a family adventure of it. On the way we stopped at a few of our favorite places. Proverbs 31: 13- "She seeks wool and flax." This is the all time best consignment shop in all of Western Washington. I've been shopping here since before Super Son was born and these ladies are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! I found pajamas and blue jeans and a beloved Barney video. And even though my big boy's accidentally left maggots on the floor(I'll let Farmer Boy explain that one)…these ladies would welcome us back in a minute! Proverb 31:14-"She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar." Not only did I get to have chips and guacamole from Baja Fresh, but I also have enough grain to last me at least six months, probably longer. I bought wheat berries, beans, barley, popcorn, oatmeal and steel cut oats. We also went to this Cash and Carry which was right across the street from our hotel. There I bought 50lbs of red potatoes and 10lbs of cheese!

Proverbs 31:21-"She is not afraid of snow (or rain) for her household, for her household is clothed with scarlet." Since the hotel didn't have a pool, like we thought it did, we ended up at the mall where we basically got a sauna (see the nice glow on our faces) and some good deals too! I like to joke with the ladies at Gymboree that I keep having babies so I can keep shopping there. The weather was really terrible and there is flooding all along the roads we took to get home today. I am so thankful and happy to be home. Praying that the families in harm's way are safe tonight and the flood damage is minimal. Two years ago, even the Wal-Mart down there was flooded out! I'm working on a post about Proverbs 31: 15-"She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household and a portion for her maidservants." And Proverbs 31: 11-12-"The heart of her husband does safely trust in her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Just testing this out…

2009-01-05T13:08:00.001-08:00

I'm using the blog feature in Word and I'm just doing a test post here…

Muddle Cuddle

2009-01-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ever read this book to your children? This is by far one of the most fun books you will ever read to your younger children! We have read ours so many times, it has been taped and taped again, yet it is still falling apart!

We had our own Muddle Cuddle experience on New Year's Eve. Thankfully it didn't end the same way the book does:

"We're a frazzle Daddy Tangle on the floor!"

Happy cuddling!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Christmas at Grandma's

2008-12-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Yay! Today we finally got to my mom's house! We have had to reschedule and reschedule and reschedule, because of snow and ice of all things, kinda weird considering where I live...Anyway, we finally made it down to her place today and it was sooooo nice! Her house is beautiful and she had it decorated so nicely! She made us a yummy lunch of chicken pot pie and lobster brownies. She gave each of the children a new ornament, as is her tradition, and I brought her some bread and coffee cake! :o) We had fun visiting, playing with model trains and watching Frosty the Snowman. My big boys played an awesome game of "shoot each other with fake guns and little plastic bb's," with my big-little brother. Grandpa Phil was so nice to let the children finally see what's in that awesomely mysterious space called the attic. It was a great day! Thanks Mom!

We could very well lose power tonight...it's storming again but this time it's wind...I like the wind-it blows away the germs!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Happy Birthday Super Son!!

2008-12-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today is Super Son's 6th Birthday!! We didn't really have a "party." But don't tell Super Son that, he thinks what we did today was just wonderful! It's tradition to let the birthday child make the menu for one meal. This what Super Son chose:

Hot Dogs

French Fries

Apples

Water

Apple Juice

Doesn't really get much easier than that! Lunch was yummy! The cake was delicious and of course the presents were wonderful! Happy Birthday Super Son, my life is richer because of you!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Preparing for a party!

2008-12-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Was your Christmas wonderful? Full of memories and not regrets? I hope so! Christmas launches us into birthday season at our house. Boo-Boo was last month and Super Son's birthday is tomorrow. I remember being pregnant with him...he was due on Christmas Eve. We were all so sad when he didn't make his appearance, we felt like he was missing out on all the fun! He came three days later, fast and furious and almost born at Wal-Mart! I still have the Alpine Trees that I bought on clearance while I was in labor. The nurse asked me how far apart my contractions were and I said about every other aisle. :o) Anyway....it's become a tradition at my house for the birthday child to either make or help me make their cake. I would be happy to do it all by myself, but they like to have their hands in that part of their birthday. Today Super Son and I worked on an Ice Cream cake for his birthday tomorrow.

First he mashed the cookies. I recommend Trader Joe's-Joe Joe Sandwich cookies. You will recognize all the ingredients. :o)

Next we melted a half cup butter and mixed it in with the crushed up cookies.Then we pressed the crushed cookies into a 9 x 13 pan that was sprayed with PAM.Then Super Son placed a few M & M's in strategic places (this step is optional).Next he beat some more M & M's to smithereens. (This really is a great recipe for a busy boy to help with!)

Next we put a half-gallon of softened ice cream in the mixing bowl and dumped in the M & M pieces. We mixed thoroughly. (See what Big Daddy got me for Christmas?)Next Super Son had to clean the beater! I'm not sure that last picture qualifies as "cleaning."Then we spread the ice cream into the pan on top of the cookie crust. Then we stuck it in the freezer and Super Son had time to go burn off all that extra energy! (all those extra casserole dishes are from the Poet and I, who were also making two Turkey Pot Pies during all this fun.)After that set, we made some whipping cream. I recommend making your own so you can say all the ingredients: whipping cream, evaporated cane juice, pure vanilla. Tastes just like cool-whip!Of course, he had to clean the beater and the bowl...but this time he shared!

Come On!!!All that beautiful whip cream was spread on top of the ice cream and we put that baby back into the freezer to set. Tomorrow I will decorate the top with more M & M's and maybe a little chocolate sauce.Lest you think more highly of me than you ought, because of my tidy house and this seemingly flawless project...I never did get dressed today...

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

2008-12-25T13:34:00.001-08:00

2008-12-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!!

Laundry and Ham & Cheese Soup

2008-12-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

So here's the deal...yesterday we decided, rather spontaneously, to leave our winter wonderland and try to finish up a few Christmas errands. Once we got out of our neighborhood and across the bridge, the roads were fair. We made it home, but I'm sure my blood pressure was high! :o) Anyway, we love to be spontaneous, but when we are , I pay for it in laundry.

Also, I wanted to share a new recipe. I've made it twice now and it's been a hit both times.

Ham & Cheese Chowder

3 cups water

4 medium potatoes, pared and diced (I used 12 red potatoes)

1 cup celery, chopped (I've made it with and without)

1 cup carrots, pared and sliced

1-1/4 cups onions, diced (I always use dried onions)

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 quart milk (I've used both whole and skim-good either way)

4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded

2 cups ham, cooked and cubed (I use turkey ham)

Add potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, salt and pepper to boiling water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Melt butter in large saucepan or pot; blend in flour. Gradually stir in milk and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Stir constantly! Add cheese and stir until melted. Add undrained vegetables and ham, heating thoroughly (but not boiling).

Tonight we ate this with Trader Joe's cornbread. Yum!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Let it snow..let it snow...let it snow...

2008-12-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Playing with Candy

2008-12-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Today we made "ginger bread" houses or as the Poet put it, "played with candy." This was a lot of fun! I helped Jubilee with hers, but she mostly just wanted to sample all the treats. Big Daddy took the whole thing a little too seriously! I hope we can protect their masterpieces from Boo-Boo, who can pretty much reach everything on the tables!The Reveal...

He just ate graham crackers and marshmallows.

Super Son decided not to fight gravity and made a flat thing. I think it's a fortress with guns and snowballs.

It's started snowing here again. We are waiting for a storm...we read we could get from 10-18 inches here! That's really absurd, the ocean is less than a mile away from us! Oh well, it just keeps us all home and cozy and the children love it! I'm making barley beef soup for dinner and later we'll probably watch Christmas movies, as long as the power stays on!

Happy Memory Making!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

We are buried!

2008-12-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

You'd think we were living back in the Midwest! Wow it's been snowing a lot here!! It is beautiful outside and the children love it! But honestly, because we aren't in the Midwest, we are pretty much stuck at home. Cities, ours especially, just aren't equipped to deal with the snow. The road we live on is owned privately by the homeowners, there's no plowing going on here. I don't have a problem staying home, I actually prefer it. But I've had to cancel going to my mom's twice now and it's starting to make me sad!! There is still a possibility that we will venture out tomorrow, with Big Daddy behind the wheel we will get there safe and sound, but we just aren't sure yet. One thing that I have to say is that I am SO THANKFUL that the power is still on!! It could be so much worse!

Here's some pictures of our day.

Boo-Boo wishing he was playing outside and our cat, wishing she was inside where it's warm. Maybe if she sits closer to the door she'll feel the heat!

Just look at that tongue...Sadly, I haven't had any hot chocolate while we've been so cozy in our house. But yesterday I made the children muffins while they were outside playing and today they warmed up with some whole wheat cinnamon rolls. So they aren't completely deprived! :o)

Tonight Super Son was hugging me and we were talking about how great it is that he is almost done with his 100 Easy Lessons book. I was telling how much I love teaching him to read and that I love spending that time with him each day. While I was talking he had his nose pressed right up against my neck so I asked him what I smelled like. This is what he said, " Coffee...Candy...Apples, Peaches and Pears." I'll take it!

Enjoying the beauty and the wonder of God's creation buried in a mass of glittery diamonds...

Farmer Boy's Mom

Fun in the snow!

2008-12-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Super Son, Jubilee, and Farmer Boy built an igloo!

We piled lots of snow into one pile and packed it in really tight.

Then we started to dig a hole into the snow.

We made it smooth on the inside and made sure it was just right.

Here are some pictures of what it looks like.

As you can see, I don't fit to well.

When we were done with it, we poured water all over it so that it would freeze! It's a lot safer when it's frozen.

Until next time!

Farmer Boy

2008-12-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to an adorable little town on the water called Port Gamble. This town is picturesque with it's Victorian houses and tree lined streets. The town was hosting an event called Gamble Country Christmas. We went for the Craft show, gingerbread house display and fireworks later in the day. It was freezing and snow was in the air, but it was great fun!

The siding on this gingerbread house is Fruit Strips Gum. We were so impressed and got lots of ideas for the "graham cracker" houses we are going to make this coming Saturday.This is one of the adorable shops in Port Gamble. The entire upstairs was a sea life museum and we saw lots of amazing creatures we never knew existed!And finally, another recipe...I modified this recipe and I was so happy with how it turned out that I had to share it. We had this for breakfast one morning last week.

Pumpkin or Squash Bread

3 cups soft white wheat (pastry) flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 cup sugar (or 1 cup raw sugar/1 cup evaporated juice-this is what I did)

1 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup applesauce-worked great!)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup water

2 cups canned pumpkin (or squash that your mashed and froze on Thanksgiving-yup, that's what I did.)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil and dust with flour (or spray with Pam :o)) three 9x5x3 (or 2 bigger ones).

2. In a large bowl or mixer bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Make a dry well in the flour mixture. Add the oil, eggs, water, pumpkin and mix well.

3.Pour the batter in the pans and bake for 1 hour. Cool lightly in pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool!

Freezes great!

Enjoy!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Elf Muffins

2008-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

I made these yummy Elf Muffins this morning. They were so tasty! It was great fun too! Super Son found the almond. He was so happy! He was awarded with a snowman sucker that he is patiently waiting until after lunch to eat.

Big Daddy will be gone all week...he's doing some extra work that we are so thankful for! So while he's gone I have the computer all to myself!! I hope I don't waste too much time on here! LOL! I just might be blogging excessively this week!

Lots more memories to make, Christmas is coming!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

2008-12-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

The Poet's Prayer was answered!!

Merry Christmas!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's MOM

Christmas Coffee Cake

2008-12-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today we finished the work on the Christmas Coffee Cakes. This is a pretty easy recipe, not too many ingredients. The tradition is for me to bake these up, the original recipe makes 4 braids, we eat the ugliest one right after it's baked, then we give the best looking one away and freeze two for Christmas Morning. Since I have these young men who eat and eat and eat, two will not be enough for Christmas Morning. So I made a double batch. We ate the ugly one, I'm giving away the two nicest ones and I froze 5 for Christmas Morning. I hope that's enough!! :o) Here's the recipe:

Cheese Danish Coffee Braid

Danish:

2 pkgs. yeast

1/2 c. warm water

6 T. Sugar

1/2 pound butter-softened

3 eggs

1 c. sour cream

5 c. sifted flour

Dissolve yeast completely in water, then add sugar and set aside. Cream together butter, eggs and sour cream. Alternating each, add flour and yeast mixture to the sour cream mixture. Combine thoroughly, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, divide the dough into four sections for braiding. Roll each section into a 12x9 rectangle and place on a greased baking sheet.

Cheese Filling:

3-8oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened

3 eggs yolks

8 T. sugar

3 t. vanilla (as I type this I realized I forgot the vanilla...bummer)

Combine all ingredients and beat well. Spoon the filling into the center of the rectangle of dough and, using scissors or a pizza cutter, cut the dough from the outside edge toward the filling into on inch strips. Alternating one strip from each side, fold the strips at a criss-cross angle across the filling so it resembles a braid. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Drizzle with glaze. Makes 4 braids.

Glaze:

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1 t. lemon juice

2 T. orange juice

A little tip... I freeze these without the glaze. I add the glaze after I warm them up.

Enjoy!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Christmas Memories Update

2008-12-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

We've still been making memories here...I just don't have any pictures. I confiscated Bee Boy's computer and turned off the Family Safety so I could do some blogging and shopping on-line.

Saturday the children did some baking. Farmer Boy made a double batch of caramel popcorn-his best batch yet and gave most of it away! Bee Boy decided he wanted to make some haystacks, these are addicting...he did the whole thing himself, I just bought the supplies and made sure Boo-Boo stayed out of the way. I ate way too many! I had to hide them in back of the freezer so we (I) wouldn't eat anymore! They are for Christmas after all. I was going to take pictures of the chaos because both boys were in the kitchen at the same time, but it was impossible! (Well, look what I found...a picture on my camera. I didn't take it, but here are Bee Boy's haystacks.)

Sunday we spent the day with some friends. You can visit her blog at: http://www.plantsandpillarsraisedwithcare.blogspot.com/ She's new at blogging, but she has an interesting life and she is one of my dearest friends! Way back when, probably 10 years ago, I gave her a Little Tykes rocking cow that belonged to Farmer Boy and Bee Boy when they were little. Well on Sunday she let me have it back...what a blessing! Farmer Boy loves it that Boo-Boo is playing with a toy that was his as a toddler. And Super Son and Jubilee have declared it their new favorite! You should hear them giggle--they turned it into a teeter-totter. My husband took a little video after dinner...don't mind the end, Jubilee is fine and they continued doing it for another 30 minutes! If you listen closely you can hear Boo-Boo laughing too!)

Today I've started making our traditional Christmas Coffee Cake. This is the first year I'll be making a double batch though, it's tradition to share it!! :o)

Oh, one more thing that I've done to make a memory is have my big boys bring in every tote of clothing from the garage and spare bedroom and I've made a huge mess in the homeschool room sorting through every bucket! Wow, that's a lot of clothes. I should take a picture...It's a fun project though. I can really see the years we had extra money for clothes and the years we didn't! I haven't saved every thing, but with times being what they are and some things never going out of style-like jeans and Polo's, there's a lot I'm keeping and there's some I'm going to sell on eBay because I have this child who grows 3 inches every week and he needs some new jeans! Anyway, it's a memory because it's such a gigantic mess that will be unforgettable by all concerned!!

I guess that's it for now...I promise to have pictures for the next post, pictures make everything so much more interesting!

Until next post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. See, pictures!! Trying to keep my promises!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2008-12-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Today was a normal day for us, but tonight we decorated the tree. It was really fun to see all the ornaments from years past. I think our "frugal" tree looks very nice.

I did run a few errands this afternoon. Right after lunch I made some dough for rolls for our dinner tonight. The flour I used came right out of the freezer so I thought I would have some time before the dough rose too much. We only went to the dump, the library and the grocery store and I didn't even get out of the car at all, that's how fast. This is what I found when we got home. I have to tell you though, these rolls turned out amazing. I used left over white, pastry, wheat and oat flour and then threw in a cup of 10-grain cereal. They were soft and chewy, perfect for barbecue chicken sandwiches.

And one more picture to show... here they are AGAIN enjoying that silly snowman thing!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Christmas Smorgasbord

2008-12-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would share a little family tradition at my house. We have this singing snowman gizmo that is light or motion activated. It's entirely annoying, but it's sentimental because my late Mother-in-law gave it to us years ago and all the children just think it's the coolest thing. So this year I put it in the bathroom. My hope is that some unsuspecting guest will go to use the powder room and get a good jolt and giggle out of these singing snowman. We haven't had any guests yet, but Jubilee and Super Son would spend all day in there if I let them!!

Today I read about a new tradition I want to try. You know, my goal this month is to make memories because we aren't focusing on gifts. I was looking for some new recipes to try and I found a recipe for Elf Muffins. The fun thing about these is that you are supposed to put a whole almond in one of the muffins and whoever gets the muffin with the almond in it, according to Swedish tradition, is supposed to have a prosperous year or good luck or something. But I decided to change it a little, I'm going to give the child a prize when they find the almond. I'll have do it a couple times to make things really exciting. :o) Here's the recipe:

Elf Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (I'll use soft white wheat)

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 nutmeg

1/2 sugar (I'll use evaporated cane juice)

1/3 c. shortening (I'll use butter)

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract ( I'll more vanilla or maybe cinnamon extract-don't like almond flavoring)

1 1/2 c. apples, peeled and shredded

Topping:

1 c. butter melted

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1 almond-really you could use anything that wouldn't melt

Sift together first 4 ingredients and set aside. Cream sugar and shortening, add eggs and milk, stirring well. Combine these with the dry ingredients. Add vanilla and almond flavoring, then stir in apples. Fill small, well-greased muffin pans two-thirds full with the batter. Insert almond into any muffin cup. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden in color. Remove from pan and cool briefly, then dip into the topping mixture. Makes 36 small muffins.

Ideas for prizes: Mini candy bars, okay, I guess I don't have any other ideas. :o) I'm sure you can think of something. If I ever get to a dollar store I might find some fun little things, but that's not likely.

Here's one more recipe that I want to try before Christmas, maybe on Christmas eve.

Hot Candy Cane

6 cups milk

8 1.5oz peppermint patties, divided

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Peppermint sticks

Pour 3 cups milk into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until heated through, but not boiling. Pour hot milk into blender. Add four peppermint patties; cover and process until smooth. Pour into mugs. Top with a scoop of ice cream and garnish with peppermint sticks. Repeat process with remaining ingredients. Serves 6.

Yum!

Happy Christmas Memory Making!!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

This post is dedicated to my friend Lisa

2008-12-03T20:49:00.001-08:00

My friend Lisa...
We both homeschool.
We both have 6 children.
We both only have two daughters to buy dresses for.
And we both share a love for Starbucks RED COFFEE cups!!

Lisa was so sweet to send me my very own Red Coffee cup, complete with fuzzy socks and chocolate! Can I just tell you how much that blessed me!

And I have to agree with her assessment, coffee at home really does taste better in a Red Cup from Starbucks!! I really did want to include a picture, but I woke up late and let me just say it would have been mean to you to see me like that! But, mmmm, the coffee was tasty!

Thanks Lisa! God bless you for your kindness! Merry Christmas!

Until next post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

To strange for words...

2008-12-01T21:56:00.001-08:00

Hunting for the perfect Christmas Tree

2008-11-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

In our attempt at being super frugal this Christmas, we bought a permit from the U.S. Forest Service for $5.00. With this permit we had some rules to follow, but we got to go into the forest and chop down a tree. What an amazing adventure that was! The views were spectacular, the drop-offs terrifying, the trees hard to come by, and the cracker crumbs all over my truck, but we made a fantastic memory today! The tree is in our living room now, somewhat cornered in by the couch and chair to keep my little one from getting at the ornaments. Still, it looks great and it smells incredible!

We ended our adventure with hot chocolate topped with marshmallows with a candy cane on the side. I'll take the rest of the week to finish decorating things and tomorrow is "family photo shoot" take 2. Then we'll get back to doing school our normal way probably Tuesday.

One more cool thing to share. We have this freezer full of chicken...chickens we grew and butchered ourselves and chicken we bought at Safeway. I'm getting just a teensy bit tired of chicken. When we went over to some friends house last night we did a little trade: a chicken for a roast! They threw in a little halibut too! I'm so happy to have a little something different to make for dinner! Now I'm trying to think of other trades I can do with my friends...I'm thinking maybe some blueberry syrup for some cheese... :o)

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Family Photo Shoot

2008-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the park and had some fun taking family pictures for our Christmas card and for the "family wall." Really, the sky was cloudy, the air cool, the park empty and the pictures very nice, but and this is a great BIG BUT, we forgot to turn off the digital date stamp, so all our beautiful photos have an ugly yellow date going down the side. Bummer! My wonderful sister-in-law volunteered to try to edit them with photoshop, but (another big one...) her ISP doesn't like my ISP so I can't email the images to her. I was still able to order photo cards tonight, had to use that coupon don't ya know, because the frame on the card hid the date. We plan to go back to the park on Monday to retake the kid's photos WITH OUT the date stamp. Pray it stays dry!!

Here's a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Our Day Out

2008-11-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

So we did it, Big Daddy and I left the four older children at home and we went and joined the masses on Black Friday. We did not get up at the crack of dawn though! We left at the respectable hour of 7:45 and after stopping at the library and the gas station, we finally made it to our first stop-Best Buy by 9:00. Wow! The store was packed! Still, I couldn't help but feel a little smug because I don't feel like we are part of the rat race that is Christmas Shopping. If my children didn't read my blog, I would share the simplicity that we are doing in the way of gifts this Christmas. It was easy to find what I was looking for, there was no pressure, no rush, no competition. The only reason we went to Best Buy was to buy Bee Boy a new movie editing software program (that he paid for by the way.) The line was really long and people were really aggravated because all the promises in the ads were just lies.

I packed turkey sandwiches for our lunch and we splurged and bought that most delicious coffee I mentioned in an earlier post! Yummmm!

Big Daddy even bought Jubilee a peppermint steamer because she was such an amazingly good girl while we were out!
We got home around 3:30, put away groceries, hid gifts and then the children put together their Christmas trees for our fun "serving" project.

Let the serving begin!!

Dinner was burritos made with a mixture of beans and turkey, very yummy and comforting.

Tomorrow we are going to get dressed up to take our family Christmas picture, with dinner at a friends house later in the day! I've got to find sometime this weekend to plan December school...I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend as well!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

A Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

We had a real nice day today. The food was yummy, hearts were happy and the mess was cleaned up quickly! It's tradition on Thanksgiving for us to write down things we are thankful for and put them in the scrapbook. Here's an expert from the children:

Farmer Boy: I am thankful for the ability to hunt and own a gun.

Bee Boy: I'm thankful for my family.

The Poet: I'm thankful for God's blessings and love.

Super Son: I'm thankful that the dogs sold.

Jubilee: I'm thankful for my toys.

I think Boo-Boo would say he's thankful for his nukkie! :o)

I hope you'll indulge me just one more picture. I was looking at our scrapbook from last years Thanksgiving and you wouldn't even know I was there, not one picture. So today I requested a few pictures...I like this one below, even though Boo-Boo isn't too happy, he was just so tired, but he was snugly and I like that.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

2008-11-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite holidays! Have a wonderful day tomorrow remembering all the things you are thankful for and loving the people you are with!

My Day in VERBS

2008-11-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

Chicken Boiling

Wheat Grinding
Laundry Spinning

Seeds Sprouting
Dough SpongingBread Rising

Rolls Cooling

Hubby Eating Girl's Watching

Eggs Waiting

Dishes Drying

Diaper Stinking

Lunch Thawing

Children Playing Baby Peeking

Bee Boy Reading

Boo Boo Sleeping

Poet Mopping Jubilee TwirlingFEET ACHING!!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Planning for the Holidays

2008-11-24T21:41:00.000-08:00

Yay! I'm really getting excited here! We have a little tiny bit of money to spend this Christmas. So, instead of spending all of that money of gifts, we are going to use it to make memories!! This is why I'm excited. I'm going to have so much to BLOG about!

To start things off Big Daddy and I are going to take our two littlest ones out for some shopping the day after Thanksgiving. We are going to feel like most people we know, with their two children: one boy/one girl. Just kidding, I don't think we could ever feel like that, but it will be an interesting change anyway. We haven't done much of leaving the older children at home alone, but Farmer Boy is almost 14 so I think/know he can handle it. (As long as he doesn't try to make more cookies!) It's been ages since Big Daddy and I have gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to make it my mission to find enough change for 2 Venti Peppermint Twist Mocha's extra hot!! hmmm....I can smell it now!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Also on Friday the children are going to make what my friend has coined, "service of love" trees. The idea is to make Christmas Trees out of construction paper, one for each child. Through out the end of November and a few weeks of December every time a child does a good deed or act of service for someone in the family they will get a star for their tree. At the end of the designated time, they will cash in their tree for a dime a star. Then we will draw names, the children that is, and whomever they draw, they will use that money to buy a gift for that person. This has so much depth to it I could go on and on. I am having my big boys do it also as they have lots of cash and it keeps things even! They are only limited by their own imaginations here! Please feel free to use this idea...I can't take credit for it. :o)

This is just the beginning. I'm going to have so many fun pictures to share. Hopefully the children won't remember the presents that "weren't" there but the fun that was shared!!

Until next post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

Sunday

2008-11-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

Thus begins a week of baking and preparing! We are taking the week off of school so we can enjoy Thanksgiving and take many days to prepare. Today the girls and I are making Pumpkin Rolls. Some are for dinner tonight, but most of them are for Thanksgiving. I have something planned for each day this week. I love all the prep work, checking things off my list and seeing my freezer and fridge fill up!

I'll try to leave little updates as the week goes on and post pictures on Thanksgiving as well. This is probably our family's favorite holiday, because even though we are facing many trails at this time in our life, we have so much to be thankful for!!

Until next post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

Picture Perfect...sort of...

2008-11-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are doing our morning "Balancing the Sword" time. We love this time together in the morning! I was afraid these pictures would make us look "too perfect" though. So to dispel that untruth I have a little secret to share. Some one, who shall remain nameless, ate too many dried apricots last night and was blessing us with the aftermath of that snack. Said person, did give me permission to share this, but that same person would not let me take a picture of the water glass filled with blown out matches! Sheesh, we should have worn a gas mask to the table!! We aren't perfect by any means, but we sure love the Lord and are finding a lot of fulfilment in studying His word daily.

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Boo-Boo's Birthday

2008-11-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today was a special day at our house. We celebrated the birthday our 6th child, our 4th son. We didn't really have party or anything, we had cupcakes last Sunday. But we sang to him, many many times and he got a few new toys too. It's just unbelievable to me that he is already a year old...I can't figure out how that year went by so fast!Besides being amazed that he is one already, I also got a little dose of a "one year old." Ugh...this age is messy and a lot of work! I think a one year old is so much more work than a two year old! Maybe this year will go by a little slower if it isn't so fun, huh? :o)
Still, he's so sweet, so loving, so happy to be a part of our family, such a valuable member, how can I complain?
Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

All things Poetry

2008-11-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

The Poet and I did some more fun things today. Yesterday I mentioned the sugar cookie dough, well she wanted to make some cookies to take to her friends at co-op next week. Here she is cutting them out. A little over half-way through the project she suggested we make some Christmas cookie cutouts to freeze for Christmastime. What a great idea!! So she did that too and I'm one step ahead for Christmas Cookies. What a blessing she is!

We also worked on cutting out lapbook stuff for her new Apologia Creatures of the Second Day science book. She finished the Botany book in a flash, so I bought her a couple more and the lapbook downloads to go with it. While we were cutting, cutting, cutting, we also watched the new American Girl Movie-Kit Kittridge. Her brother's bought it for her for helping them with the puppies.

This afternoon The Poet was outside taking taking care of the puppies. It was the cutest thing, when I looked out the window she was walking around our "circle" with a big stick (a staff) and the 2 little white fluffy puppies (lambs) following behind her. She looked just like a shepherdess, it was the cutest thing.

We are a little bored now, waiting for the boys to come home...there lots to do still but you know how it is when you are waiting for somebody...time just creeps on by!

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boys Mom

A nice day!

2008-11-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

We had a nice day today. Big Daddy and the boys are off hunting one more time to try and get their prize. The weather is great now, a little chilly, but not raining and wet, so they should be just fine. Since the boys are away, The Poet and I have been having some fun. First we sewed up napkins for Thanksgiving. I found this fabric in my stash (which is minimal), I never could figure out what to do with it. Well, napkins are perfect! We had fun hemming these up while the little ones were sleeping.

The Poet has been craving Broccoli Cheddar Risotto, so that's what we made for dinner. It was de'lish!

And these last pictures are just for fun. It dawned on me this week that I don't really have a baby anymore. My little guy is a bonafide toddler, walking all over my house, helping me with the laundry, signing that he wants a drink or a cookie. Amazing! And in these pictures Boo-Boo really was helping me put the whites into the washing machine! It didn't last for long, but it was sure cute!

Super Son and Jubilee had lots of fun today too, playing outside and watching movies. Super Son begs me to do reading lessons with him even on the weekend, so we did one tonight. Well, Jubilee is sitting there listening to the whole thing so I did a little experiment...I did lesson one and two with her and she did pretty well, considering that she is so dramatic with everything she says. I don't have plans to teach her to read right now, but it's fun to see what she's capable of. I'm a "better late than early" homeschooler. :o)

One other really cool thing that I did today was subscribe to a website, which I have never done before, but I've thinking about it for some time now and today I took the plunge. Since I have the laptop all to myself for a couple days I thought I would plan and print out some lapbooks, especially a Thanksgiving one and maybe some others. The sites I was using kept leading me back to Enchanted Learning. What a cool website! You should check it out, especially if you are homeschooling elementary age children. I haven't explored it long enough to see if there is Junior High appropriate material. I've already printed many great pages and the Thanksgiving lapbook I'm making is going to be so fun for Super Son and Jubilee! I'll post it when we are finished.

I'm thankful today. Little things, like having just enough flour for the sugar cookie dough that The Poet made tonight and Boo-Boo taking good long naps today, have left me feeling more hopeful and much more thankful.

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

A bright spot

2008-11-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today was really a terrible day for Big Daddy and I. Just more of the same garbage we are going through: more unanswered questions, more betrayals, more lies. Not between each other, but almost everyone we have "professional" dealings with. It was a tough day with many tears shed by yours truly. But, and it's a great big but, there was a bright spot toward the end. The boys sold another puppy today, we only have one left now!! And, I got this picture of The Poet and Bee Boy that really makes me happy. I told Bee Boy that I wouldn't put it on the blog...but I had to share this one cheerful thing! I suppose things could always get worse, and likely will, but my children make me happy and keep the important things in perspective.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

A little prebirthday party

2008-11-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Since it's not likely that we will have a party for Boo-Boo on the 17th, we had a little pre-party. Some friends came over today and they happen to have their own little boo-boo who just turned 2, so we took the opportunity to celebrate both little blessings! Super Son is enjoying a "trick" candle brought over by our friends. He sure thought it was cool how it relit itself.

I should mention that The Poet taught herself to play "happy birthday" on the piano and we all sang along with her. Sadly, I didn't get a picture.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. Thus begins a cycle of birthdays at my house: November, December, February Twice, March, April and May!

What I love...

2008-11-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

These pictures here make me so happy...I think it's just a reminder of what I love about this age.

They are well put together and ready for a day away from home.

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

We're back, with pain!

2008-11-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hello!

As you all know, we went hunting this week...

When we went hunting, it was raining...actually it was pouring! Climbing up a mountain, with 60 mph. wind gusts, and pouring rain was pretty difficult. Water got into our boots so we were sloshing around in water. Later we took our boots off because of the pain our feet were having and what I saw on my feet was really gross. I was going to put a picture of it on the blog, but I thought that some people might not like to see a big, puffy, wrinkly, blistered foot.

We got home this afternoon, took a shower, laid around, and took some pain reliever. Our feet hurt, our legs, back, shoulders, arms, etc.

Last night our car got stuck in the mud. :( That wasn't so fun. We prayed and asked God to send some nearby hunter to come help us out...we didn't want to pay a couple hundred dollars for somebody to come help us.

Well, in the morning we prayed one last time and all of a sudden a truck came driving up the road. A man came out and helped us out, and we got out of the mud in a flash...we think he might have been an angel...but we will never now.

But I did learn a lot though. I learned how to track elk, walk in the rain/wind, and all kinds of other stuff.

I hope you all have a nice day!

FarmerBoy

Nothing to say...

2008-11-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

I have nothing to say this morning...just a sweet picture to share. Have a marvelous day!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

bread and hunting

2008-11-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty full day here. The day started early, like 4 a.m.! My big boys and big hubby decided to go hunting. I think it's elk season or something. Don't they look cute?

Like I mentioned yesterday, today was my baking day. I ended up making 6 loaves of bread and 2 1/2 dozen cinnamon rolls. Two dozen of the rolls I froze, the other half we ate. :o) I use this bread recipe when I bake bread. That one loaf had an air bubble that burst at the crust, I've never had that happen before.See that hole? That would be from Boo-Boo...he's taller than he looks!"What?"
The puppy saga continues. I haven't mentioned much about the puppies, there's just been more pressing things happening here. We started with 6: 4 girls and 2 boys. The ads have run out, but today I sold another one for the boys. That would make three sold, three still here. I'm meeting with a family on Saturday that are interested in one of the girls that are left. I had a nibble on our mama dog today...I hope they call me back! I'm glad this is our last batch of puppies. They are so cute and it's just slightly tempting to keep one, but I'm so glad Farmer Boy and Bee Boy have done this as a business, it's been so profitable for them!

Here's an example of how strange my life is right now. As I was cleaning out my purse, just moments ago, getting ready for Co-op tomorrow, I found a rather large piece of a cheese burger. Not sure exactly where that came from, just glad it doesn't stink!

Until next post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Pumpkin Lapbook II

2008-11-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

We finished up our Pumpkin Lapbook today. Super Son and Jubilee really enjoyed it. Some parts of the lapbook were too hard for Jubilee, but most everything was perfect for Super Son's abilities. This is the front cover and the back of the lapbook. Super Son is working on an Alphabet Pumpkin Patch, where he glued the missing letters onto the pumpkin vine. I found it free on-line.

Here's the guts of the lapbook. There is a pumpkin book that talks about the pumpkins that Super Son grew, a pocket holding his handwriting, a mini science book showing how a pumpkin grows, a pumpkin pattern activity and a pumpkin shaped book that has a picture of Super Son with his pumpkin inside. Here is what the pumpkin facts worksheets and handwriting worksheets look like. (Excuse the misspelled word--that'd be my fault. :o))

The pattern activity and mini book...

When we finished Super Son told me how much he loves his Lapbooks! What a great thing to do, I wish I would have known about it when my older three were little.

Super Son is on lesson 52 in his 100 easy lessons book! He is doing great and really seems to be taking to reading. I don't do much school with my littles on Thursdays, I usually bake bread then. I'll do the basics: reading and writing and math. But other than that, they will play with play-doh or play trains/legos or something.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

Pumpkin Lapbook and Update

2008-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile...I haven't had anything positive to say. Things in my life are so out of control right now, the only thing I can focus on is the next meal that I am going to prepare. It seems anytime I say something it laced with spite, anger, doubt and fear. I was thinking today that I wonder if it would be possible to fast from speaking. Probably not realistic with 6 children...but let me tell you anytime I open my mouth I am convicted. I have two sides of myself, the logical side that can look at things and be unemotional and worry-free, then I have the side that comes out of my mouth, this side betrays me. Sigh...I guess it doesn't really matter how much I want to be a certain way, my words reveal the way I really am. James says, "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Ouch! This is were I'm at right now, sad but true.

So, since I really have nothing good to say I'm just going to show you what Super Son and Jubilee did during our school time this morning. This was something I could focus on that didn't require much of myself emotionally, other than the joy at watching Super Son dissect his pumpkin! Super Son actually planted this pumpkin himself! We didn't get it in the ground early enough for it to turn orange, but I think it's beautiful anyway!

Okay, so here is the cover of our Pumpkin Lapbook. I found these pictures on-line somewhere, I just Googled Pumpkin Coloring Pages and found all kinds of free stuff. After Super Son colored his pumpkin, he wrote "pumpkin lapbook" from dictation. I was so proud of this as only a month ago he couldn't do this.

Here they are starting to scoop out the seeds. One pocket in their lapbook is called pumpkin facts and they had to see which of the three pumpkins was the largest and which weighed the most. They also had to guess how many seeds were inside the pumpkin. Super Son guessed a "trillion."It's a little tiresome counting a trillion seeds...he got to 80 and wouldn't count any more!In my cupboard I had some pumpkin seeds from Trader Joe's. I let the children try them after we cleaned up. Super Son said they tasted like "burgers." I asked, "Like cheese burgers?" He said, "No! BOOGERS!" And he pointed up his nose! Gross Super Son! Made me laugh though! We'll probably finish this up this week and I'll post more pictures.

Until Next Post,

Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. Just so you don't have to worry about it: WE ALREADY VOTED!!!

My tea tastes funny...

2008-10-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

We got home safe and sound yesterday afternoon. We are exhausted...it was marvelous to sleep in our own bed last night. Yesterday afternoon we were hanging out with the children, listening to their stories and resting. Well, I was just freezing for some reason, so I asked Farmer Boy to make me a cup of tea. Hmmmm....Candy Cane Lane...The tea was nice and hot in my hands, but the taste....well all I could use to describe it was "fabric softener." Weird. I asked Farmer Boy how he made the tea. He did it correctly. It was so gross that I dumped it out and started over thinking maybe he just didn't let my tea steep long enough or something. Lo and behold, my tea still tasted like fabric softener. I just gave up after that.

This morning as I was preparing our coffee, I opened the sugar jar and guess what it smelled like? Fabric softener!! Why you ask...it's because once upon a time I used this said sugar jar to hold fabric softener in my laundry room. The sugar was forever flavored by the lingering aroma! YUCK! And as I dumped it out I realized that my sweet mom has been flavoring her tea and coffee with this nasty stuff! Unless she drank it black, which I know she does from time to time. Sorry Mom! Now you know why your hot drinks tasted so strange and why Farmer Boy's cookies turned out so weird!

Until Next Post,
Farmer Boy's Mom

P.S. I will post about our trip! Long story way shortened--the house won't work for us! :o(