We finally have our raised beds again!!

Square foot, raised bed, organic gardening is the only way to go, in my opinion. I miss all the open, sunny room we used to have for beds. But this is what we have here. And I am so grateful to have it.

In this small space we have 5 tomatoes, 3 peppers, 1 zucchini, 48 lettuce, 30 spinach, 72 green bean, 128 radish, 168 carrot, 24 kohlrabi, 8 strawberry, 4 cucumber, 8 sweet potatoes. I think. Give or take.

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I’m still threatening to rename this blog “Never a Dull Moment”. Yesterday found us back in Urgent Care. This time with #2 son and a gash to his tongue. (Actually I let him and dh go alone. I’d seen it enough at home and I wasn’t relishing deja vu from when we took Eli in for the same thing a couple years ago.) Too bad we didn’t take #1 (at home) daughter in last week when she sliced part of her finger off. Then they’d have met every member of our family except youngest dd. :-/

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I will spare you the picture, but if you want to see it check my Facebook photos – in the mobile uploads album. He took the pic himself. (Not my FB friend? Request to friend me, just let me know you’re a reader of my blog.)

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That event made the rest of the week kind of pale in comparison. Well, except for the cause of the Urgent Care run – the 15-17″ of snow we got yesterday (and 1 other, noted below.) Mark and the boys shoveled our sidewalk and driveway, both parent’s, sister’s, and parent’s neighbor’s. They were pretty tired out. But sons were building a snow fort when the “mishap” happened.

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Do you see now why I just cook and take pics of food now – and do internet ministry? It is my peace in the midst of a storm. BTW, below is a pic of the Chicken Pizza I made last night. dd had put pheasant in the crock pot – but too late. #3 ds told me he wanted homemade pizza. I told him, “Tomorrow we will. Today we already have pheasant cooking.” Well …. pheasant didn’t get done, so I made the pizza. Was already planning to have a “meat” meal, and had cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer, so…

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The happy event of the week was dd’s 18th birthday! Wow! Time does really fly. She was the blessed babe I held in my arms on the 1 week anniversary of her sister’s death. A true comfort.

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What’s next? Hoping for a peaceful Reformation Day today, and to write my newsletter this weekend. Then Monday it’s time to put together the syllabi and make the shopping list for the

Freedom & Simplicity™ of Good for You-Naturally!™ Seminar LIVE

Health through Nutrition from a Biblical Perspective

If you aren’t registered yet, TODAY is the deadline!

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I probably always say this, but it’s been a busy week here. Here are 2 of the more memorable happenings this week.

On Mon. Mari tried to take off her finger with the food slicer.

Yesterday Jed lost his first tooth.

What I did today – and my boys too. Guess it really was a Food Friday.

Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

Dehydrated Organic Apples

Yogurt not done yet – no picture. I have soy and also raw goat milk. Hoping I didn’t waste my precious, hard to get goat milk trying this.

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What the boys were up to while Ky and I were in the kitchen.

Successful Hunting Today - they each got one

The 3rd death on our property in about 2 weeks happened today. Plus…

Beginning at the beginning -

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Death #1 – our last guinea pig. The boys said she committed suicide. She kept going under her water bottle and pushing up on it, getting wet. They’d move her out. She’d go back and do it again. She died a couple hours later. Interrupted one of our first days back at lessons with an unexpected funeral and burial.

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Death #2 – even more traumatic. A few days later, I turned on the car and started to back out. Heard a horrible clunking in the engine, and turned the car off. Thought dh or the boys had left a tool under the hood or something. Got the boys to come look. Opened the hood. Fur went flying. A stray kitten had tried to find a warm place. It was taking its last breaths when we found it. Couldn’t throw it in the trash, the garbage men had just come that day. Didn’t want to dig a deep enough hole. Called the pound to come get it.

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Death #3 – today. Young squirrel coming down the tree. Black lab jumping up the tree. Dh running for them and calling dog. Dh not quick enough. Squirrel in dog’s mouth. Dh intercepts – too late. Dog chained. Squirrel suffering. Boys and pellet gun mercifully end its misery.

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Just as I was ready to type up our latest death sagas, dh calls. He, 2 sons, and son-in-law coming home from hunting. “Bring the little boys to daughter’s house, so they can watch.” 30 doves to clean. (Guess they didn’t want to bring them here around the dog.) Just what I did NOT want to watch. Boys tearing wings off dead birds and …

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I’ve seen about all the dead things I care to in a while.

Thanks be to God that though I’m surrounded by death in this fallen, decaying world, He has come to give us LIFE and that abundantly and eternally! “Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

We just returned from a short family campout – no internet, no computer!, no housework. Amazing! Although all the mom work continues, just getting away is usually a vacation for me (unless it’s to work 18 hours a day on a book.)

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Relaxing! ? Well …

Dh’s idea of vacation is just going somewhere quiet and doing nothing. He doesn’t like to plan. He doesn’t like to do. Just relax. No events. No concerns. (Does he live in fictional world or what? But just to get off to a realistic start, ds got a concussion from falling off his skateboard shortly before we left, and we were still questioning whether we needed to go into urgent care to have his wrist x-rayed.)

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We went to a reservoir about 3 hours away, up in the sandhills, which are still beautifully green this year. The beach was beautiful – and we were the only ones on it. The water was great. Just a few fishing boats and tubers out. The campground was clean and uncrowded, just a few nice people to talk to. What more could we ask for? Peace. Calm. Perfect vacation.

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Our first evening ended with the traditional s’mores made over an open, wood fire. Well, it didn’t really end then. Shortly after we were all nestled snug in our beds and sound asleep, the wind came, then the rain, – and hail? I may be weird but I LOVE storms, especially when I’m sleeping with windows and doors open – as long as I’m staying dry and warm. I zipped the window up when the wind began to drive the rain in, and was enjoying the sounds and the smells.

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All was well until the wind ripped our door cover off and the rain started driving through the screen. It really was comical to watch dh try to secure us again. The cover was not to be found that night in the dark, wind, and rain, and nothing was going to stick to the outside of the door – not that he wanted to work outside the door. Plan B. Use a different cover and secure it to the inside. Gorilla tape to the rescue. Dh had been singing the praises of gorilla tape all week, as he made repairs with this super strong AND WATERPROOF tape. It was now being put to the test. It was a tough job against the wind and rain, but my man got it done – with assistance from our oldest ds and dd. He was only slightly drenched, as was the camper floor.

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5 yo ds had just rolled over further from the door and the stream pouring in, and went back to sleep. That was kind of my opinion also. What’s a little water on a campout? As I said, a nice relaxing vacation – just not a fictional world one.

Look Mom, no training wheels!

Last week my niece had the honor of playing with her high school band AND the Navy band at Pearl Harbor. This is especially touching for our family, as my uncle was in the Navy band and stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed Dec. 7, 1941. Thankfully he was not wounded, although his ship was damaged.

Nixa and Navy Bands at Pearl Harbor

You can read a news article about my niece’s band and this honor here.

Congratulations, Kayleigh!

In memory of Uncle Bud, who just died a few months ago.

And our weekend is off! Friday we picked up 2 of dd’s friends (young adults, flying in to Denver from their home in Michegan,) that we’d met with their family at Family Reformation Camp 4 years ago. Friday night 2 other friends, that we’d met with their family at Little Bear Wheeler’s family camp 3 years ago, also drove in (from Denver.) For this week the boys REALLY outnumber the girls here. 8 to 4! That is REALLY strange still for me, even though our 4 older girls have been grown and gone for quite a while now. (Youngest of the 4 married nearly 5 years ago.)

The young people have a busy weekend planned, in addition to our family activities. All will culminate (mostly) in the annual Memorial Day cookout at our house, with hopefully at least most of our grown children and grands joining us. We will return the last of our visitors to Denver on Wed. (unless K goes good on her declaration that she’s staying here). We’d love to have her.

Looking forward to a fun but busy weekend/week.