Our Home Grown Turkeys

This is our Tom Turkey. We had no idea he had gotten so big. We butchered him about three weeks ago. I knew I was in trouble when I saw how big he was even without feathers and the fact that I had to heave when lifting him.
I had to pluck him and clean him. He was so big I could not do this properly until I had him cut in half by my beef butcher, which they did free of charge!!! This is something I am thankful for.
The beef butcher cut the turkey in half so that I could handle him properly and then
cook him one piece at a time rather than as a whole. I weighed this turkey and it was 41lbs. I knew from experience that I've achieved the best results with a turkey weighing 12 to 18 lbs.
Look how big the two halves are next to my standard turkey pan. Each half weighs 20.5 pounds.

I packed each half in plastic and in foil for the freezer. I am very thankful for this meat and will gladly serve it to my family. I have learned a few things, however, and one being to butcher my turkeys at about 16 weeks rather than as long as we waited, which was too long. I'm thankful for so many things. I thank God for my family and friends. I thank God for good food to eat and water to drink. I'm thankful for our home and that we can freely tell others about Christ. I'm thankful for my Bible. I hope and pray you all have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. Love, Kathi

Voice To Spirit: A Great New Christian Band

I want to share with you this Christian band called Voice to Spirit.I love their music, which is an electronic genre. Words and music are mostly original and created by this husband and wife duo, Mackenzie and Brittany. This is the front cover of their first CD.
This is the back side of their CD. Mackenzie did the art work on their album.
Voice to Spirit came to one of our youth meetings and sang in a park setting.
The teens enjoyed hearing the beautiful music and lyrics.
We had picnic food before the concert began and ice cream after.
Mackenzie and Brittany are dear to my heart. Their songs are soothing and worshipful. Brittany has a beautiful voice, which matches the heart-felt words that they both have written together on many of their songs.
If you have an opportunity to listen to them on iTunes, please do. I'm hoping they will put their music on play list so that I could play it for you; hopefully soon.
Mackenzie and Brittany are pursuing their dream of using their talents for the Lord. I'm proud of them and happy to say that Mackenzie is my nephew, (Rose of Sharon's son), and Brittany is my new niece by marriage.
Again, this is what to look for when searching on iTunes. Bless you dear blogging friends.
"Come before His presence with singing." Psalm 100: 2

Garrett and Grandma Show Us Their Writing and Talents

Grandma has been on vacation staying with us for a few weeks. She has been helping the children with their homework. The kids love having her here and she is equally blessed being around her grandchildren.
One morning she told me she used to teach short-hand, which is a lost art since we have computers and electronic devices to speed us along. She wrote out several sentences for me. The first sentence above says, "Dear Sir, I'm going to town." I thought it was so neat that she could do this and a fun fact about her that we did not know.
Garrett amazes us with his free-hand drawings of bugs. He sat at the kitchen table and began drawing these. I love his creativity and I love it that he enjoys this activity.
Here is a close up of his dragon fly. I'm impressed with the detail he adds.
Garrett finished writing all of his thank you notes to his friends for his birthday gifts.
Even though his drawing ability is quite good, his hand writing has not been. Our solution has been that he tells me what to say, I write it for him, then he traces over my writing. We have been doing this for about three weeks and his hand writing has improved greatly. "I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write." 2 Thessalonians 3:17 Have a lovely day ~~ Kathi

Kathi's Monthly News and The Fish Wrap

I have a lot of news to share with you, so get a cup of coffee and sit down a spell. I am just now finding some time to post a few things we have been doing.
In the news this week Garrett is beginning to like our new library.
He and Jessica enjoy finding a quiet spot and reading together.
We have come here several times. I love change, so it is sometimes hard for me to understand my little boy who does not like change. Things do grow on him and he does accept it in time.
One morning we had breakfast at my parent's home. My dad makes very good scrambled eggs.
My sister Sharon is cutting the cinnamon rolls. Us three girls, Kelli, Sharon and myself had a brunch with Dad and Mom and a meeting to discuss future plans.
Please pray for my sisters and I as we three are what they call the sandwich generation; we are caring for our own children and wanting to be helpful to our parents at the same time. Sometimes this takes much prayer and wisdom for doing what is best for our loved ones.
Back on the farm, I put Victoria and Harrison to work cutting the beans during our bean harvest. I then blanched and froze them.
Jessica happily, though in the picture does not look it, helped her Daddy stain the deck, my dad was up for a visit and looks on in the background. We always enjoy it when Grandpa and Grammie can come up to see us.
Later that day the kids went on a bike ride. Harrison's girlfriend Nikki on the right, also got to be with us on this Labor Day.
We had a pretty day with sunshine.
In the afternoon some of us got on the four wheeler and others walked out to this private area we call "Shady Thicket."
We love this peninsula surrounded by water on three sides. It's shady and private.
Harrison has used it for his air soft gun fights with his youth group and buddies.
We have a mobile campfire pit back here. We move it around when we are clearing various spots out here.
It's a simple ring of metal, which can be easily moved.
Harrison and Nikki enjoy a quiet moment.
It's almost like camping out here. Harrison and a few friends have camped out here.
Even out here Jessica takes the time to send a text to her friend.
I love being with my family and relaxing out here.
Victoria brought her book.
In the garden section of news, Kathi (me), picks the last of her tomatoes for salsa.
My Dad through apples over the fence to our goats and cows and waves at Stacey as he passes by.
Daddy and I bagged up apples for he and my mother.
This photo was sent in from my daughter Victoria. She's enjoying photography.
In the classified section, we had a garage sale on my parent's drive-way. My daughter Jessica was a huge help to me. We sold more things in their neighborhood than from our barn. I really appreciated the use of their drive-way.
In the sports section of Kathi's News, Victoria and I went to many water-polo games to watch her boyfriend play. He was named most valuable offensive player!!
Victoria sits with Gabriel's mother Renee'.
After the game Renee showed us her two little dogs.
Gabriel and Victoria after his game. I joked with Victoria and said she is lucky; boys who swim smell better after their games then do football players, so I am told... LOL.
In the "Who's Who and Hollywood Watch" section of Kathi's News, we find that there was a get together for the annual birthday brunch. My mom, and sisters Kelli and Sharon all have birthdays just weeks apart. So we like to celebrate at a cute restaurant and do some shopping. Sharon, my sister shows us one of her gifts.
My mother Shirley was able to come. She does not get out very much these days, so we are always glad when she can join us.
Kelli shows us some of her gifts. Sharon got her a cute Andy Hardy video and collectible dishes.
This restaurant sells really fun antiques and collectibles, so we walked around and shopped afterwards.
I enjoyed my curried chicken salad. My nephew Hayden was baptised in the river. It was wonderful to see this young man give his testimony of his love for Jesus Christ and commit his life to the Lord.
I love it that his Dad, Eric, got to participate in his baptism. It was very special.
Hayden's grandparents, Alice and Jim watched from up on the river bank.
I thought is was so sweet that they held each other's hands. They have been married about 55 years.
I noticed Hayden's older brother, Grayson watching from this perch and thought it was so ingenious of him to find the perfect spot to watch the baptism. Grandpa Leonard and Jessica both came to the baptism. My mother was not well enough to attend. The rest of my family was sick that day too, Kelli and her family were traveling and not able to come as well.
My sister Sharon, Hayden's mother, and my dad found a log to sit on.
I joined them.
Jessica and I went on a mom date after the service. She like KFC, so that is where we went.
She could use a warm jacket so we shopped around a bit.
We like this outfit and jacket, but not the price. We decided to try another store and did find one we both liked at Ross Dress For Less.
In other news, I had lunch with my mother-in-law Vivian.
We had a wonderful time shopping and eating lunch together. I'm so thankful for my dear family and all the fun things we get to do together. I'm thankful to God for all He has given me. The winds of change are blowing very hard in our lives right now. God is in control and will never leave us. He will guide and protect us. I have peace as I face the future, because God is holding my hand. I do adapt well to change and often find the challenge exciting. I praise the Lord for His love and faithfulness to me. Have a blessed day Dear Friends. Love, Kathi

Teaching the Days of Creation to Little Ones

This is a fun project for mothers to teach their children about the days of creation. These seven numbers are cut out of light weight cardboard from cereal boxes, and covered each with different objects to teach the lesson found in Genesis chapter 1. They are for handling and for display on a bulletin board.
On the first day God created light. Cover the number one with foil.
On the second day God created the clouds. Cover the number two with cotton balls.
On the third day God created plants and seeds. Cover the number three with various seeds. Use Elmer's thick glue. Allow to dry over night.
On the fourth day God created the sun, moon and stars. Cover the number four with black construction paper and add a sun sticker, a moon sticker and lots of star stickers.
On the fifth day God created the birds and the fishes. Cover the number five with BLUE construction paper and add bird and fish stickers. (Mine had been blue, but the sun faded it over the years, as I had it up on our bulletin board.)
On the sixth day God created livestock and wild animals of various kinds and He made His prize creation, which was man. "...so God created man in His Own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Gen. 1:27 Cover the number six with any color construction paper and add stickers of land animals of all kinds and of man and woman. I put a picture of my husband and I.
On the seventh day God finished His work and rested. Cover the number seven in flannel and make a little pillow. Add ribbon so it resembles a bed (although we know from Scripture that God never sleeps or slumbers; He did rest though.)
This is Garrett, my eight year old. He found these in a box, which I had set aside and forgotten about. I must have made these 12 years ago. Garrett enjoyed them as much as my older children had. "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Halloween Photos Easy Robot Costume

Garrett really likes robots and wanted to be one again this year. Here is a simple robot costume we made from foil pans, duct tape, and bottle caps. Garrett loved it.
He got to wear it at school for their Halloween party. He liked it because is slipped on and off easily.
He's playing pin the nose on the pumpkin. I will tell you that I was just a few seconds away from purchasing a $30 costume, when my daughter said, "Let's call home and see if Garrett would want this." We did and Garrett said, "No, Mom. I want a simple home-made robot costume. I was delighted. His outfit cost $2.75.
We all decided to carve pumpkins with my husband on Saturday.
We made some pretty silly faces.
Grandma was staying with us and enjoyed seeing the activities.

Of course we all wanted to smell that good pumpkin smell. The slime and the seeds go along with this activity and amazing young and old alike.
As a child, I loved doing this with my dad. It was a big deal and always fun.
We grew lots of pumpkins in our garden so we had quite the choice for our carved ones.
I just love that pumpkin smell. It brings back so many happy memories.
Here they are all finished.
Now it's time for Garrett to go "trick or treating." We took him to the market and said hi to our friends. They were very generous.
We saw our good friend Tammy and her family.
My husband and I had fun walking Garrett to lots of houses.
Our son Harrison was staying with his friend Logan. They handed out candy for the children and gave Garrett quite a lot. It was fun seeing them along our journey. Josh 1:9............ "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

I'm Starting A New Beth Moore Bible Study: Esther

Each morning I look for some time to read and study my Bible. I like to devote at least 45 minutes to this. Sometimes I set my alarm to 4:15 am just so I can do this. Other times I have the day off and wait 'til the children have left for school. The Lord is faithful and teaches us something new each time we ask Him and purposefully look into His Word. I'm amazed at how I continue learning new things from the same passage read many times over the years.
I just finished this Bible study by Beth, called The Patriarchs. It took me nine weeks, as I did not have the video disks to view, so I finished sooner than those who have them. I think I can buy them off the Internet, and may do that some day. I just loved learning and studying my Bible with the help of this guide. Beth brings the Scriptures to life and points out things that are there, which I have passed over. She will say things like, "In what order were the sons of Joseph named in Genesis 48:1?" The answer is Manasseh and Ephraim. Then she asked, "In what order did Jacob speak their names in verse 5?" The answer is Ephraim first and Manasseh second, in accordance with his blessing which was a prophetic blessing, which was appropriate and had long-term effects. The questions she asks cause me to go back and re-read the passage and absorb the information in a clearer way.

I like Beth's humor through out her study guides and in her chapter titles. If I have not convinced you to study along with Beth yet, I hope this post will intrigue you and give you inspiration to consider it. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12-13

Candyland Birthday Cake for Garrett's 8th Birthday

Our daughter Jessica got the idea to make a Candyland birthday cake from the Internet.
She and her sister Victoria and brother Harrison all pitched in to make this cake special for their little brother Garret. I'm so happy that the three of them work together and followe the directions. Jessica did such a beautiful job creating the gameboard by looking at it while working on it.
Many different kinds of candy was used including Starburst and Gummy Bears.
Harrison opened many candy cane circle candies for the little "fence" going around the cake.
I just love the way it turned out.
Garrett was so surprised and happy with his cake. We all got into the truck to drive to the pizza parlor, taking thre of his little frinds with him.
Garrett looks pretty happy. Several other children will meet us there. Here we are at the pizza parlor. Dad got to join us too.
Garrett got some wonderful gifts from his friends.
This pizza place has a huge play area so the children played between eating pizza and having cake.
Harrison's girlfriend Nikki got to come to and was a nice help to me along with my three teenagers.
Garrett and me enjoying the festivities.
Garrett had one of the best birthday parties ever.
These two mothers were a huge help to me. I was so thankful to have them here.
We ordered three large pizzas and all, but three pieces were eaten.
Garrett getting ready to blow out his candle. I told him to swallow first.
I can't believe my baby is eight years old.
When we got home we had our own celebration. My older teens bought Garrett some really nice gifts using their own money. I was really happy about this.
Garrett wanted macaorin and cheese for his special birthday dinner. This is our special birthday plate. We have a pink one for girls and a green one for boys.
I also served our own turkey which we raised ourselves, green beans, salad and bread.
Garrett wanted sparkling cider too.
We had a wonderful special dinner together and are all thankful for our Dear Garrett. "You will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" John 16:22

Homecoming Dance

Aahh, getting ready for the homecoming dance. Our daughter Jessica fixes her sister Victoria's hair.
With the instructional help from the Internet, Jessica gingerly works on her sister to do her magic.
It's coming along nicely. Jessica, you are so sweet to do your sister's hair.
Look how pretty it has turned out. I love it.
Here is Victoria and her boyfriend Gabriel ready to go to the dance. These two have known each other for two years. They were friends all this time until this summer when they became more than just friends.
Victoria chose this pretty emerald dress and paid for it herself. She chose wisely.
Our son Harrison also gets help from the Internet. He is making a corsage for his girlfriend Nikki.
I thought it was so neat that he thought this whole thing up himself and found the lace and ribbon in my sewing box.
He did not have a pearl needle so he found a pearl bead and figured a way to look like a pearl head pin.
He clipped flowers from the garden and put the whole thing together. It's beautiful.
He then set all these colognes on the counter and asked me which one he should wear. I liked Curve best and he did too, so that's what he wore.
Nikki and Harrison ready to go. They've know each other just over a year and have many things in common. Nikki love her corsage. Dating is all new to our family and we are thankful for the choices our kids have made. These kids are all Christians and are responsible young people. Even though the kids are old enough to drive, I drove the two couples to and from the dance for safety sake. Everyone had a wonderful evening. "The Lord will indeed give what is good." Psalm 85:12

Grandma Vivian's 80th Birthday Party

This was a special day for us. My mother-in-law, Vivian, had her 80th birthday. We bought her a fruit tart for her cake.
She was happy to see all of us and a bit surprised too.
Harrison and Jessica watching Grandma open her gifts.
Garrett's gift was this balloon.
My husband Stacey, our younger son Garrett, our two daughters Victoria and Jessica and myself all pictured here with Vivian. Harrison came a little later than this photo was taken.

Stacey and his sister Kara pictured here with Vivian. We had a really fun time with Vivian and I could tell that she felt very loved. Please pray for our family as Vivian is not as well as she used to be. I am now helping her with her medicines. She is having memory problems and this frustrates her. We want to show her love and spend as much time as we can with her. Please know that I appreciate all of you blogging friends. This is a stressful time and I will do my best to get back to visiting each of you. Love, Kathi

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever." Isaiah 32;17

Old Fashioned Tractor Parade

One Saturday in September a few of us neighbors got together and said, "Let's all drive our old tractors to the cafe in a parade. So, we gathered at neighbors Gary and Trudy's home to warm up our old tractors and eat doughnuts. Trudy and her daughter Toby are not delighted at the rain, but not gonna let it stop 'em either Gary lives here and took most of these photos. He also arranged our little parade. This is the 2nd or third one we have done. He has also arranged parades at the Mennonite Home for the elderly folks who used to drive or own these types of tractors. My friend Debbie is standing next to Gary.Lisa's mother, although in her late 60's is raring to go. I'm standing here instructing my son Garrett not to stand while the trailor moves. My son is Garrett in the center. My friend Lisa's children are on either side of him. I thought it was cute that Lisa's husband Dave belted these small tractors to the trailor for the children. Mason and his aunt are ready to go. The parade is on the move down the half mile gravel drive-way.
Morgan sporting his restored tractor. Down the road they go... My son Harrison drives one of Dad's restored John Deer's. Our family friend Logan drives another soon to be restored John Deere 'B's My husband Stacey, driving his restored John Deere 'H'
The children and us ladies in the rear lead the pack.
Lisa, Toby, Trudy, Teresa, me, Kathi, and my friend Debbie don't let the rain stop us.
Notice the flip flops. It was actually warm, about 65 degrees, and just a sprinkle of rain.

My husband Stacey, again.
Logan
Mason
My son Harrison Driving down the road on a quiet Saturday morning, in our little parade toward the little town cafe. Here we come...
Ahh, we have arrived for breakfast and hot chocolate.
Lisa and Dave enjoying their breakfast.Neighbor Micah thinking about going in for some grub.
Our friends Bart and Debbie hamming it up with our son Garrett.
Thanks for coming along with us on our fun Saturday tractor parade. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31

Jesus Is My Light At The End of the Tunnel

Sometimes the cares of this world and the trials we face just sort of bring us down. "The Bible tells me to fix my eyes on Jesus." I want to do this and let Him handle all my cares as I lay them at His feet. This has been an especially stressful year for me. I want to keep my focus on the Lord and feel His presence. Then, I want to get busy like this little bee, and do all the things I should be doing: taking care of my family, my home, and doing the best at my teaching job. So, that is what I am going to do right now. I like an old song by Chuck Girard called "Lay Your Burden Down." When I lay my burdens down at the cross of Jesus, He sees my tears and hears my cry. He comforts me as no one else could. I'd play that song for you on my player, but it is not available. Have a blessed day dear friends. I know that I will. I am looking to the Lord right now, He is the light at the end of the tunnel. Kathi