When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play

"When the cat's away, the mice will play." I have found this little saying to be very true in certain cases. Take this one for example. Mom goes to the store about once a week. On this particular day she leaves at about 10:00 A.M. As she says her good-byes and be-goods we nod, wave and get started on our school. Then her car disappears down the driveway...and we wait...5...10 minutes, until someone can wait no longer and goes into the living room to play ship on the couch. Another and another sibling joins this one until everyone's there, and a wild game is under way. Cushions start coming off the couch, rescues are made to the drowning, and pirates are defeated! But ship gets a little dull after a while and so other games get started. We've made cushion-houses that you could hardly squeeze into; we've played King and Queen, making thrones with cushions stacked high; we've played sandwich: a cushion, a person, a cushion, a person, etc. until the top falls off; we've played pillow fight, trampoline and so on. But then, around 12:00, someone sounds the alarm: Mom is coming! There is a mad dash as the pillows are thrown back on the couches, the living room is straightened (the house, also, for the fun had spread), and everyone goes back to school. Then we calmly go outside and help bring in the groceries. 

This jumping on the furniture was allowed,
since it was an old mattress,
but it still somewhat shows you how wild we were. ; )

A little side note... in this narrative you find out that we were being deceptive, which God sees as unrighteous (The wicked man does deceptive work, but he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. Proverbs 11:18) so please do not follow our example.
Another side note... this was a really looooooong time ago... ; )

A Bike Ride

So, I went on a bike ride today. I love doing that. I love the wind, the smells, the random people, the clouds,  the steeples, the cows. Speaking of cows, as I rode, I passed a group of them grazing calmly in their field. I looked at them. They looked back. And then they started following me, every last one of them! So as I chuckled to my self I turned around to take a better look. They must have been embarrassed because they where suddenly not interested in me and went back to their munching. And so I rode on. Then I quickly turned back and snapped a picture of them. Ha! I'd caught them!

There they are looking at me: )

 Other pictures of my trip....

So, what do you think? I should have gotten these? 

Haha, they were so hard to walk in...

And, no, I did not see those on my bike ride: )

A Banquet

For a while now my sisters, Mom, and I have been volunteering at the Pregnancy Care Center near us, a place where mothers and fathers can find help for unplanned pregnancies and post-abortion trauma. Last Monday they had a fundraising banquet that Mom, Hannah and I went to. It was really good. Their guest speaker was Ken Bevel from the movies "Courageous" and "Fireproof."  

He talked about how important it is to have a father in the home and how they need to take on the responsibility of fatherhood. He also told his story of his growing up years and how he came to Christ. It was a very amazing story. Anyway, afterwards we got to meet him and get our picture taken with him.

Hannah, Mr. Bevel, me, and Mom.

He is a very nice and friendly man.

Have a wonderful day!

It started yesterday

I don’t remember exactly when I wrote this but it was most likely in 2008 or 2009. Yeah, a long time ago....

It started yesterday

When I tripped and fell.

It started with some play

But ended with a yell.

It ended with a crack

My leg is what I mean,

It started in the shack

When I fell through the screen

The group had got quite wild,

Was sprawled across the floor

With tempers not so mild

And many a crashing door.

Cousin Corry leapt from the attic

Right on top my leg

His apology was dramatic

But he didn’t care a peg.

Then we called the doc

And he could set it right.

But I’d need to stay, around the clock,

In bed all day and night.

That is the end

Of my little skit

There is no bend

Or twist in it.

This is purely fiction.

And no, I do not have a cousin Corry.

The Month of August

So it has been a while! And in the time that I've been, gone Gabriel has made a visit back home! And left again. : ( We had a good time with him!

All the girls, Mom, and Gabe.

Hannah had a birthday party a few weeks ago at the park and we all brought a picnic dinner. Sadly I didn't take any pictures but we had a spectacular time! This is what Gabe ordered for dinner and I made for him. : )

I think he liked it pretty well.

 One morning I was drinking a glass of water and looked out the window to this little fawn.

Can you see him?

 There were two babies and a mother and father (with antlers) that were walking all about our yard. So cute!

There's a baby...

 And then Hannah cut my hair... all off...

See how long it was?

That's about seven inches off....
But it needed to be cut.
Thank you, Hannah!

Random pictures...

Lydia

Elisabeth in Dad's boots; )

 And...I started crocheting! This is my first project. : )

 I've also recovered a chair...

 And finished a cable scarf...

 How has the month of August been for you?

Apple Pies and Swing Rides

Yesterday we had a Bible study with some friends of ours and afterwards we made apple pies! These apples were fresh off the trees. So delicious! 

Gotta have an apron!

Doesn't it look great?!

Rolling out the crust.

This is a pie I decorated. 

I can hardly go anywhere without giving someone a back/shoulder rub. I love doing it and most of the time they love it, too! So, while the pie fixing went on around me I gave free massages; )

Yep. She liked it. : )

Mom decorating a pie.

Lovely!

Then we went out to the Giant Swing. So much fun!

Lydia no hands. ; )

It's hard to see but this is the trapeze.

The Giant Swing

 I am going to tell you about our “Giant Swing” and how it came to be.

            Around Christmas of 2007 Gabriel decided it would be a great idea to have a big swing that could be changed into different types of swings: trapeze, board, log, or tire. So he set about convincing all his little sisters to ask for it for Christmas. He also started designing it and persuading Dad that it would be a perfectly great idea. So, after many months of careful planning, and Dad’s approval, he was ready to buy the supplies: cable, rope, nuts, screws, links, and all sorts of swing essentials.

 Finally the big day came to put the swing up. The tree he had selected is a huge oak that we assume to be around 100 years old with the limb he wanted to used being about 40 feet up and hanging over a flat area that we used to call the “Camp Site.” If you've ever been to our land you know we don't have many flat areas at all. :) On this large branch he would hang the swing, but the only problem was that our 32 foot ladder would only reach safely to the base of the branch! This was no problem for Gabe!  With many safety ropes all over him he climbed up the ladder as far as it reached, then shinnied up and across the branch so he could begin hanging the swing.

Once up there we hooked a rope, that was tied to the branch, to a bucket so that we could send things up to him and he could send things back to us. Gabriel worked hard on that swing for many hours until we had a trapeze dangling from the sky! Of course we still did't have anything high to swing off of so Gabriel nailed boards to a tree as steps and made a place about 15 feet up to jump from. After several months of jumping from this and crashing into a large tree at the other end, and after a terrible fall a newcomer made, and after Gabriel wasn't satisfied anymore with how the first jumping place was, he decided to make a new, higher, more stable jumping place where you wouldn't crash into any trees, unless you were a really bad jumperJ. A few more safety devices, changes, and years later, we are still enjoying this wonderful “Giant Swing” just as much as we ever did! Gabriel never has gotten a good tire swing attachment, but we don’t mind all that muchJ. And every time he’s gone up the tree to check on things since then, he has decided to leave off the safety ropes. They were just a nuisance!

Our paratrooper turned preacher friend
trying out the trapeze.

Gabe hooked our baby swing up
 so Lydia could have a ride.
(2007)

Lydia on her first high jump!
(2011, age 6) 

Anniversary!

Happy 27th Anniversary to the best Dad and Mom ever!!! I love you!

And you're still just as cute as ever! ; )

Notice Dad's choice of glasses hasn't wavered:)