Our week, August 18 to August 24, 2013

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Our latest wreath for Great-Grandma's door.  I saw an idea similar to this but had to patiently wait until I found just the right, old-falling-apart-but-loved hymnal.  At the Outreach store for $.25, an even sweeter deal.   Everything else are just items we had at home.   We started by using my flower puncher and punched out a bunch of circle shapes.  Then, we used some sequin-type things in our grand box of hand-me-down craft supplies from Neighbor Lee, attached them to some straight pins and poked them in the styrofoam wreath.  Simple enough.  I did try to make it so that you could make out some of the hymns  on some of the circles.  The ribbon was the last added touch.  The page in the middle is "Standing on the Promises", Grandpa Elmer's favorite hymn and a special one to Grandma.  

Monday, August 19, 2013

My last day of work for the Judicial Branch.  There'll be more on this soon.  

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Another day in court for another thief of ours.  This time the whole family went--Seth and children, too.  They were given strict instructions in how to behave in the courtroom.  And then Eden pipes up "And no snapping fingers at the Judge!"  Good rule, Eden :)  Snapping her fingers is a new skill for her that some of the others haven't mastered yet, so she does a lot of snapping.  Anyway, back to the courtroom.  This court case was not without some drama in the courtroom, including 20 minutes of "off the record" heated conversations among the Judge and two attorneys.  Needless to say, the simple sentencing took quite a while and the children deserved ice cream afterwards!  No new news from the defendant either. To make a long story short, he was too high to remember and he may have just been caught in the middle.  We'll never know the truth.  He didn't speak to us, mostly due to a brain injury of some sort and the one sentence he did say in court was unintelligeable and his attorney had to interpret.  We did receive a nice compliment on our speech from another attorney in the room . . . he thought it was a nice "turn your life around speech" and not the normal "we hate you" type of speech.  Oh, this defendant is now in prison for 5 years (which will probably be reduced to 1 year or less just because that's the way the correctional system operates).  

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

We had some visitors for the day to help us with some packing.  Thanks to my college roommate Julie for coming down and bringing her children John & Emma.  Here are the kiddos doing the cha-cha or choo-choo:  John, Eden, Eliza, Emma, Emmet, Ephraim

Thursday, August 22, 2013

I'm taking a 3-week class through our local extension office.  It is called Women Managing Cattle and so far has been very informative.  There are several women in the class and we're all striving to learn more about our cattle operations to make them more profitable, learn what we can do to benefit our pastures and how to market our products.  These classes are geared for women, we have homework, we gain valuable friendships/contacts/support from others AND we have a binder full of info to study or reference.  

Friday, August 23, 2013

More pizza sauce made from tomatoes in the garden.  

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Eden lost another tooth this week.  It is the top one on her left side.  This isn't the best picture of her but she was in a goofy mood!

Building Fence

On Saturday, the 17th, we spent the Saturday building fence.  We have a master plan for the land at Seth's parents' house and it includes a couple of pastures, fenced off from one another, so that we can move cows and newborn calves in the spring.  We also want to keep the cow/calf pairs separate from those who haven't given birth yet.  Thankfully, the weather was agreeable (better than the 100 degree weather this coming week).  

When a farmer is building fence, it was vital and an added bonus to have the farmwife and farm children contributing.  We all had a job to do and that job contributed to the overall completion of the project.  With all of us working together, we were done in less time than Seth thought it would take!  Three cheers for teamwork!

First of all, Ephraim and I were a team together.  We gathered all the posts and then spaced them out on the ground.  That was our first trip around the pasture.  

For our second trip around the pasture, we (or I, Jenny) pounded all the posts into the ground.  I've been told that I earned my PhD on this day  . . .  a certified Post Hole Driver.  It was hard work and I got them all in the ground except for two that just needed a strong man's touch.  

Seth, Emmet and Grandpa Arlin setting the barbed wire around a corner post.  Emmet was a pretty good "go-fer" boy.  He'd go for more posts.  More wire.  More water.  He'd go for the fence stretchers. Anything you needed, he'd go for it.  And he enjoyed it because he got to drive the 4-wheeler.

Whoa!  Who's driving the E-Z-Go!  That's Eliza at the wheel.  She did pretty good, too.  She was a "go-fer" girl for a while!

Eliza has her pliers and she's ready to help.  Eden's got her gloves on and she's ready to attach the barbed wire to the yellow insulators on the posts.  

For our third trip around the pasture, we connected the wires with a wire stretching from one side to the other and then an additional wire connecting the top and bottom wires.  This will ensure a good connection when we electrify the fence.  

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."  Ephesians 4:16

Pinning on Pinterest

I'm fairly new to the world of Pinterest.  But alas, I have joined and there is a plethora of ideas out there.  I'm fairly reserved with my pins.  Taking care to only pin ideas that are do-able for me.   I have a wide variety of boards on which to pin the great ideas, recipes, homeschool helps, sewing projects, etc.  that I find.
Go ahead and check it out here . .  . .
Jennifer on Pinterest.

Our week, August 11 to August 17, 2013

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Seth brought out his hammock and it was an instant magnet for the children.  I think he was able to get a little rest otherwise the children had a great time pushing each other in it, too.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Those peaches I mentioned in an earlier post . . . were made into 7 pints of sliced peaches and 7 half pints of peach syrup for pancakes.  That peach syrup is yummy!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

We were involved in the production of a church video and it was shot on location--a school bus.  We had a good time helping out and the children enjoyed seeing themselves on the screen at church on Sunday.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

I made peach jam with the last of the peaches and got 4 pints and 11 half pints.  I think we're good to go in the jam department now (we have strawberry, mulberry and peach).  

Thursday, August 15, 2013

I did 5 pints of beans and 7 pints of pickle slices.  My garden has been good to me this year.  

Friday, August 16, 2013

My former boss Mary stopped in to see me on Monday and treated us to a Pella Swimming Pool certificate and a Culver's certificate.  We enjoyed the Pella pool for a couple of hours on Friday afternoon.  We haven't been there before and they have expanded with several pools, slides and a nice lazy river.  The boys enjoyed the slide that you go down on an innertube.  It was a fun afternoon!

In the evening we headed to my parents for an evening of freezing carrots!

The girls are scrubbing carrots.  We scrubbed, sliced, blanched and then froze 19 baggies of carrots.  Amber and her kids came over so the cousins had a great time playing outside while the adults finished up the carrots.  

Saturday, August 17, 2013

We spent the afternoon building fence.  More on this later.

New tricks & flips!

A good swing set can provide hours of entertainment. 

 It can provide valuable lessons in learning to share.  

It is place where children learn to pump their legs and swing by themselves.  

It is a place where they overcome their fears of the going down a slide. 

And not long after that they learn to scale up to the clubhouse without using the steps, opting instead to find a more daring way to the top.

We have two swings and one set of monkey bars.  Up until lately, the monkey bars have not seen their fair share of play time.  But the girls, and boys, have been practicing some new tricks and flips!

Eliza is trying to do a flip.  Eliza tends to be the stronger one of the two twins but I hesitate to label her as such.  She might be lighter in weight but she is strong.  But it was Eden who was the first to do flips on the monkey bars and Eliza tends to shy away from doing them.  

Emmet is helping Eden do a flip.  

Oh, an almost perfect landing!

Doing a pull-up.  They get their upper-body strength from their father.  

Emmet trying to assist Eliza in flipping over.  

Now she's graduated to doing some fancy footwork while upside down!

Now all I'm hearing is "Can we go outside so I can practice my flips?"  

Eden will do multiple flips in a row.  She loves it.  And it is so fun to watch her do something she loves.  

Eliza is better at doing pull ups but Eden has abdomen strength to do the flips.  

Each unique in their own way.  

Each having fun on a swing set that provides hours of  entertainment on a perfect summer day.  

Our week, August 4 to August 10, 2013

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Family reunion time, previously blogged about.

Monday, August 5, 2013

All good things must come to an end . . .

 . . . we pulled up the zucchini plant.  No more.  

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Wow, that is some tall popcorn!  If Ephraim is 5 feet tall, his popcorn is over 10 feet tall.  Must have been that boost of nitrogen we applied, along with some watering.  

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Eliza lost her 2nd tooth!  Hooray!!  The permanent one is already half way in.  

Thursday, August 8, 2013

I canned a batch of corn and later in the day Seth canned a batch of corn.  

I spent the evening at the Iowa State Fair with my mom and sister, seeing the sights that we don't normally get to see when we have the family

Friday, August 9, 2013

Our enjoyable day at the fair, previously blogged about.

In the evening (on the way home from the fair) we enjoyed the DeKalb supper.  

Here are just some of the kiddos with a free DeKalb hat.  They had their picture taken with Rick Santorum, the featured speaker for the evening.  He had some great words about where our country is headed, what we can do and how we should raise our children.  Ephraim is the tall one in the middle, in the yellow shirt.  Eliza is on the left in the light green.  Eden is eating her supper so she's not in the photo. 

Saturday, August 10, 2013

A bucket of peaches from a friend . . . more on this later.  

An evening parade with cousins!  We enjoyed the Monroe Old Settler's parade on this lovely night.  

Alyssa, Hailey, Eliza & Eden.  

Let the parade begin.  I think this parade line up was half fire trucks and emergency personnel!

The boys  . . . holding out their bags for the candy that was thrown.  We came home with plenty of the sweet stuff!

We had quite the audience at the parade.  It was fun to hang out with Jim & Amber, Mom & Dad, Scott & Heather, Lori, Aunt Karen & Uncle Dean, Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Bob and the Kopaska family.  After the parade, we meandered the square and saw a few high school classmates.  It was  good evening.  

Movin' up the road

As many of you know, the location where we live now is only a 5-year deal.  A gentleman, with no heirs, left his farm in a trust with the condition that for the next 100 years, it be given to a young farming couple every 5 years.  We are only the third couple to have this opportunity.  Our 5-years are coming to an end when this year's crop is harvested.  A new couple has been selected.  We need to find a new place to live. 

We haven't bought a farm, yet.  Still patiently waiting.  In the meantime, we'll be moving up the road a ways to a home that we will rent while we wait.  This home has been newly renovated in the living room, laundry, dining room and kitchen.  Here are some photos.  

The outside:

We have been in the process of bringing a few things up to the house as time allows.  The kiddos are great haulers!

A look at the kitchen from the living room hallway.  The dining area is on the left, the refrigerator will go on the right.  

An opposite view toward the dining area, looking from the garage entry.  

Standing in the dining area, looking toward the living room.  

A view of the living room.  On the upper left is the hallway to the dining/kitchen.  Straight back is the doorway to the laundry room area.  

Master bedroom.

The girls' bedroom (sorry it's a dark picture).  

The boys' room.  

And the bathroom.  

The bonus about this house:  an extra bedroom and toilet.  :p

Iowa State Fair 2013

We went to the Iowa State Fair on Friday, August 9.  This is the day that worked to meet with some college friends and that has now become an annual tradition.  Our day started early and we started with a special treat of Casey's donuts for the trip to Des Moines.  This year, unlike years past, we stopped at Southeast Polk to take the shuttle in to the fair.  It was okay, but we were there at 8:30am and had to wait 45 minutes to get on a shuttle due to the long lines.

Eliza and Ephraim enjoying the bus ride!

Our first stop was the swine barn.  They had this cardboard cut-out for a photo op!  In this barn we always enjoy seeing the Big Boar and the Avenue of Breeds.  

Can't go to the fair without checking out the equipment!

There was a Lego display/play area this year.  We just took a picture and then moved on.  

Each child got $5 to spend at the fair.  The girls chose the hats that you'll see in the next couple of pictures.  The boys opted to save their money, pool it with some of their own, and then spend it at the Iowa Die Cast Farm Toy Store (smart boys!) and we stopped there before leaving Des Moines.  

Eden eating her corndog.  Here's our lunch plan:  Mama packs a picnic lunch and we each get to buy one thing for lunch.  Most of us got a corndog and then we brought our own chips, fruit, dessert and drinks.  This works pretty well for us.  Then throughout the fair, we can snack on our homemade granola bars.  That way we don't spend an arm and a leg at the fair.  

Eliza, Emma and Eden . . . 

and then we discovered . . . .

. . .  they all had the same shoes!  Quirky, I know but college roommates can still think alike!

A picture of the 6 kids together:

Ephraim, John, Emmet

Eden, Emma, Eliza

We toured the DNR building together.  Here are the girls sliding over on the rails.  

Julie and I

The guys:  Erin, Seth, Scott

Seth & I with Scott & Julie

Ephraim, Eliza, Emmet, Eden, John & Emma

(This picture shows their personalities!)

We said our good-byes and continued on our trip around the fair.  We like to visit the Law Enforcement area.

We stopped in the Agricultural Building to see the Butter Cow and visit the Heifer International booth.

Looks like Ephraim is 5 feet tall at the fair!

Emmet's 4 1/2 feet tall!

Eliza's not quite 4 feet tall!  

And Eden's  . . . 

Oh, Eden's off to the side pouting because she didn't get to be first by the board.  

On our way to the bus stop we stopped by the horse arena and found the concrete ribbon decorated by some friends of ours in memory of their son who passed away last year.

Another photo op by the horse arena!

Checking out some horses!

It was a great day at the fair!  The weather was perfect, the crowds weren't bad at all and we enjoyed our family time.  It was great to visit with friends, too.  The Iowa State Fair is great for making memories!