Our Family Jots and Tittles

My apologies that this week's family update is so late! We'll call these - "Tardy Tittles"



Sunday- Chazaq on the climb
Chazaq is climbing EVERYTHING. (Tubs, chairs, table, couch, cupboards, stairs, dog, cats, my skirt...I mean everything!) The kids help in the kitchen and use chairs and stools. This is a HUGE attraction to my little climber. He wants to "help" and see what he is missing. So he climbs up their legs while they are washing dishes, as he tries to race up to get his hand in the water before mommy can intercede from across the room. He is keeping me busy in this area of training. He is trying on tantrums in the process...especially if the kids correct him. He does it less and less with me. So we are progressing. (Halleluyah!) As trying as this time can be when you are trying to get something done....I love it!


Monday- My newest little reader

Gideon is reading! He will be 5 next month. Gideon is one of those kids that never ceases to stop surprising us. He is impulsive and bold and loud, like a bull in a china shop. Yet, he is tender and gentle and timid in some cases. He thirsts for attention and will act up to get it. (We're working on that! You might think we are feeding him red die number 5 with Coke chasers sometimes...but that could not be further from the truth!) However, what we are really seeing in the past year is that he is very bright little boy. His cognitive abilities are strong, he has an amazing sense of humor, he picks things up very quickly and remembers the most amazing things in details from when he was 2 years old. Without being taught, he just "gets stuff". (He takes after his Mamma. ;-) HA - HA!) Reading is now, one of those things. I only recently started spending time with him reading and giving casual instruction. And that is only because he keeps reading and and bring his books to me with questions! Before, I didn't give him enough credit for his attention span. (tisk) Ever since Naomi (6) became a good reader (which happened very quickly too - but was a really rough in the beginning) he decided it was something he thought he aught to do to!


Even though, we are in the very beginning stages, he is picking it up quickly and is very motivated! It is very exciting for us...because this helps with more places to direct his high energy and active brain. Maybe he has just been too smart for his own britches all along. :-)

Tuesday- Chim Chiminey Chim Chiminey Chim Chim Churoo
Ben spent most of the day working on the chimney. We had a chimney sweep come last Thursday, and that helped, but he didn't get it all. The resin started falling and clogging up the shaft again...so Ben had to take matters into his own hands. We were thankful for the chimney sweep, Ben learned what needed to be done. He only charged us a portion of his call too, because he was leery that he didn't get it all. It was night time, and he didn't want to take the chimney apart. Ben however ever, did it in the day time and did take the bottom portion of the stove pipe out to get in there. He saw there was a cold front coming in again and knew that we would be in trouble and from our experience the two weeks prior...we were quite OVER the clogged chimney situation. So this momma was thankful that he jumped in to "get'r done right"! It works like a dream again. No more smokey chilly house.

Wednesday- Back to Cloth

I have gone back to cloth diapers. Today was our first official day. All the kids love to giggle at Chazaq's particularly round rump now. I gave all my Motherease diapers away couple years ago. I am keeping it much more simple this time round. We are using all in one Kushie's Ultra Light. I also have a few Antsy Pants in the mix. We have been using them for some of our toddlers at night time for the last couple years. In the interim, I bought organic diapers, but I am trying to be more frugal with our budget...I still have some in the barn (I buy them wholesale by the case for the discount). We'll save those for travel. I still by the organic wipes, but used to do my own cloth wipes...so I plan to get back to that too. I like to use flannel for my wipes. I have a bunch to cut up, and finish the edges, but my sewing machine pedal just broke (while we were trying to sew my curtain for my new bathroom closet)...so that project is on hold. Some day, it will be replaced with a treadle machine - but that is a whole 'nother post! I was also kind of waiting to finish my quilts, so I could just sew what was left over instead of finding myself wishing I hadn't cut into my quilt fabric! So...those three projects are currently on hold. The budget was hit hard early this month...so I have to wait until our tax rebate comes in to get the sewing machine pedal or our next paycheck, whichever comes first.

Thursday - Cream Cheese Tips

You soften your cream cheese the way you like....I'll soften mine, the way I like!

I don't know when it first happened, I am guessing it first happened one day when my precious daughter was persistent about helping me with something in the kitchen, so I asked her to warm the cream cheese for me. Now it is an "official job" in our kitchen, exclusive to her. (Gideon, smashes it because he is so heavy and Naomi thinks its "a joke".) As you can see, she loves to do it.
Friday- TP Earlier this week papa picked up toilet paper while he was out. With the tighter budget and only having one car, we got uncomfortably low. I usually have it stocked and he doesn't have to deal with it. He brought home a big pack of the quilty soft two ply stuff, I used to use BC (a long time ago BEFORE CHILDREN). Upon my first use, I realized...we were entering into a danger zone...I came out and explained to my honey (because it was likely it could happen again) that next time we want to be sure to get the scratchy, thin, single ply, 1000 sheet roll - Scott Tissue. We need to keep an eye on the kids and explain to them about the using less...or we are going to have trouble. He said, "Do you really think so? Does it make that big of a difference?" I said, I hope I'm wrong, but I think we're asking for trouble. THAT night..."Dad, come quick, the bathroom is flooding!" (Eliana, my 4 yr old pictured above, had just come out) I said, Eliana, honey - was their something wrong with the toilet. She said "yep", When you when did it not flush right? She said, "Yep". I said, "You need to tell mommy and daddy if anything ever breaks so we fix it right away...OK?", "Ok Mommy" (Frantic clean up noises in the back ground as daddy and Eliana go into bio hazard clean up mode. I was pretty bad and we were actually sitting at the table having our Friday evening Shabbat meal when it occured!) She was so carefree about it. Which was actually refreshing (and kind of funny), because she can get emotional very emotional when she is being corrected. Needless to say, we will be blessing someone with a large case of fluffy, quilted super soft TP. It felt like a spa for a half a day. :-)

Shabbat - Went for a hike It was a beautiful day. We decided to go to Horton Sate Park. Is was a WONDERFUL park. We will go back for sure. It is a nice park with trails on the Duck River in TN. We had fun exploring Yah's Creation in the crisp warm air. We listened to Torah Class to and fro. It was a nice relaxing family day.

Much Love,

Ben , Pamela and the Tribe

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday- Hailey and I spent much of the day working on a quilt for my mom. It is her birthday today and we had hoped to have it finished....but it's running late. Hailey spent all last week embroidering the center patch with the Holy Name. We got to talk to Mom on the phone. It stinks that she is 13 hours away now. She lived with us for 7 years, and still resides on the property we sold last year. We hope she will want to join us on the farm again.

Friends from Florida arrived this evening. They have for kids 3 girls (6-10) and toddler boy. They are looking for property to homestead in TN, so we volunteered to be their "watering hole and bunk house" while they were looking. (Sounds fancy doesn't it??) They will be here for the next few days.

Gideon's sick and has been in bed all day.

The stove started smoking like crazy crazy today! It was so bad we had to open doors and our eyes were burning. We don't have an appointment to have it checked and cleaned until Thursday! Father help us.

Monday- Gideon is better. We are working on our budget and happy to find that we have money at the end of our month! Its working! How exciting!

Tuesday- Friends of ours had a mean rooster they asked us if we wanted to put in a pot, since it was going after their kids. They have chickens for the eggs, but eat meat...so we were happy to take him off their hands. It was a cold wet evening, and this was our first live chicken butchering. Papa went and picked him up in a small dog carrier. One of the kids accidentally set him free when we got home so catching him was quite the vent! Naomi's tender heart was tugged by the process. But it was a good experience for everyone. He ended up in a delicious pot of white chili!

While Papa and some of the kids were out running errands and picking up Roosty, I had two kids in naps and worked away at my quilt some more. The winds were howling outside like crazy. I had my quilt pieces laid out on my bed as I was piecing it. Eliana my littlest daughter had since woken up and was being a good helper with my project. When all the sudden we heard a loud "swooosh" outside our bedroom window, we looked up only to see a flash of what was once our soft (and formerly anchored) shed fly away like Dorothy's house in The Wizard of Oz!!! Both our mouths dropped and I raced out the back door to see what I could do. I told Eliana to stay inside where she stood at the porch door (mouth still open) as she watched momma wrestle the shed being pulled by very high winds. It was my hope to get it in the barn. Man was it a fight! It pulled me along because it was a giant parachute. It was no use, it rolled past the back yard and got caught on our first barbed wire fence. I decided to wedge the foot of the shed in the fence (and prayed it wouldn't tear up the fence) in the hopes that it would be held steadfast until Papa got home. I just wasn't strong enough to get it in the barn. I was in a short sleeved shirt and long skirt but bare legs and socks. It was toasty in my little house and I was now chilled to the BONE as icy rain and very strong wind pummeled me. Eliana and I had a good laugh when I got in door. We called Papa and he was at the end of our road. (YES! Pappa to the rescue!) He (and Hailey and Elijah) was able to get it in the barn when he got home and tarped the bikes (which were previously in the shed). I dried off, and warmed up and got back to quilting.

We thought Gideon was over the sickness, but he got sick again later in the day. :-(

Wednesday- Our produce order came in. YUM! We were really ready for fresh produce this month...we were eating out of our pantry a lot over the last month, as I was pinching our food budget so we could use it for other things. Elijah's sick now (no wonder after runing in the very cold rain yesturday and sickness sin the house).

Our friends headed back to Florida, the house seems quiet without them here. It was a treat to have them stay. I think both families (14 people) who just met (last Sukkot) and staying together in a fairly small house and one bathroom did pretty good sharing the space! (We hope they agree.) We have gleaned some inspiration for some furture income from their ideas.

We are plotting maple syrup harvesting and hoping to get an evaporator made in time...but it's not easy to find someone to make it for us.

Thursday- Naomi and I went into the city today. We stocked up on some thing at Trader Joe's and Costco (oops forgot toilet paper!). We got to have lunch together. It was a really "girl's day out" for us. I even turned the air bags off and put her car seat in the front. She really really likes that. She kept commenting on how different it was up front. She really felt like a big girl. It was a memory I will treasure.

The chimney sweep came today. He didn't think He could do the job. The chimney was packed, but he did manage to help it quite a bit. As we suspected the wood we were burning was too green, but the new thing we learned as that the type of cap we had on the top was a not so good one. It had a mesh around the sides to help prevent birds from nesting in the off season, however the combination of the moisture and green wood smoke clogged it and that is what we suspected to be the reason for the rest of the build up. He recommended we get a different stovepipe piece and take the whole thing apart in the Spring to clean it properly. Lesson learned! We just hope we can make it that long as it is...it was only partially cleaned due to limited access (another lesson learned). We will be adding a T at the base for easier cleaning.

Friday- My turn...I have come down with the bug. Urg. My back is killin'. The kids did a great job assisting in preparations for Shabbat today - we were done by noon! What a blessing. Tomorrow will surely be a day of rest for all! Halleluyah!

Shabbat- We were supposed to head up north today, but stayed home 'cuz we didn't want to share our sick bugs. Papa and I worked on a Hebrew study for a lot of the day - that was nice! May back is still hurtin' I think I need to call the chiro next week.

Until Next Week -

Pamela and Ben

(and the Tribe)

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday - Papa starts building Mamma a Closet - Have you ever seen a women do embroidery with a head lamp on? How about a woman with a tiechel (Israeli head scarf) with a head lamp on doing embroidery? Its a sight! Our living room light switch fried (its remote). A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do!

Monday - Momma was sick - I got a bug that wiped me out for about 24 hours. Ben had to work and Hailey and Elijah helped hold down the fort while Pappa was at work. They did a great job! I'm glad that doesn't happen too often!

Pappa started painting the closet. The time to do it is after the kids go to bed because it is a on the main floor and our only bathroom.

Tuesday - Back on my Feet- Still quite achy but on my feet, the kids and I started working together to get some organizing done. The goal - to reduce and re organize things for the new closet papa was building int he bathroom. We had thing out in tubs from the move things on shelves on the back porch I wanted move and a few kitchen cupboards that we going to get revamped int he process. Since I was still pretty achy the kids were instrumental in the process! We got a lot done though. I hope to take pictures when it is finished.

Hailey and I went out to get the various size small storage tubs that was going to make this work. Pappa brought home the trim. My curtain rod was out of stock, so I will have to go back for that. I found a cloth shower curtain I plan to use for my closet door, but it will take some alteration. My quilts have been pout on hold. My eyes are too tired to do embroidery at the end of the day!

Wednesday- Shifting things around - With the bathroom closet mostly done, Elijah and I decided to tackle organizing things on the back porch. Papa and I have been discussing and we picked up Shelves this Sunday at Lowes to retro fit some existing shelves we have, with more shelve to prepare the space to be a more efficient place for food storage until we get our root cellar dug. We intend to do a lot of canning this year. So it was our job to clear out the existing shelving unit, clean the area and move the things out of the space for the incoming shelving unit. Than Papa was going to retrofit and build the shelves when he got home after dinner. We got it all done!

I also decided to do one more thing with the children that was a little more "deliberate". We are always together and

Thursday - Spending the day with a friend - Today was a wonderful day of visiting. It seems to happen so rarely when I can sit with a girlfriend midweek and visit, so this was a wonderful treat. We had lunch together. (Turkey noodle soup that slow cooked on the wood stove all morning and whole wheat rolls that Hailey made.) The weather was beautiful so the kids were able to play out side. She also came with a BIG load of jars I had order for others. So putting our shelves up on the porch happened "just in time". We had no trouble storing them. I will need to hold onto them for 3 weeks as these friend live several hours away and their husbands are pruning in Israel. But we scheduled a Shabbat visit/jar pick-up when they return. (YES!) Anyway, this was a real blessing for me because, being down to one car..really limits our ability to run for things like a co-op truck that arrives when IT wants! :-)

Friday- Preparations went so smoothly today. We were done ahead of time and the kids were back outside playing in the wonderful spring like weather and I was able to tie up a lot of "administrative loose ends" that I had been letting go all week for other things. So that always feels good to enter into Shabbat having accomplished LOTS of things on Erev. That is one of my favorite feelings. My curtain rod even came in! So I will get on on Sunday (hopefully). Sorry no pictures until next week!

Ben tackled the taxes today...Very exciting...we should have some project money to work with. OH....so hard to choose! The projects needed always exceed the funds available don't they? So we will have to make some choices. I am very excited that we have an option though! Dave Ramsey probably would have told use put it all the debt...but are choosing to do it toward the self sustainability farm projects instead. We seem to be doing pretty good otherwise with "cash program". We had money at the end of the month this time instead of month at the end of our money! Halleluyah! Progress hurts so good!

Saturday- Fellowship with New Friends - We had a wonderfully restful day with some new friends this Shabbat. It was such beautiful Spring-like weather, we all sat on the porch as we visited and discussed Scripture and Yah's Calendar and what He is doing in our lives for hours. My neighbor walked over and had "a story blessing" she wanted to tell and origami puzzle she wanted to show the kids. She was very (surprised) and delighted to find 8 MORE kids here than she expected. We blew some shofars together (and she brought a Conch to blow - long story). Than as the sun set, we went in for a delicious Mexican buffet that was "crockin' " for us. Our visit went past the kiddo's bed time so they were "toast" after a full day of play and went straight to bed and were out like lights as soon as their heads hit the pillows. The perfect end to a beautiful Shabbat!

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday- Father/Son Hunting
Today is the "youth" hunting day in TN, so Pappa and Elijah went out twice; in the morning and in the late afternoon. They didn't get anything, but it was good Father/son time for both!

Monday- Stitch and Cut
Hailey and I are back to sewing this week, working on quilts. We are also learning to embroider in the process as we hope to have one square of each quilt embroidered. I hope the recipients don't mind that they receive the results of the beginning of our learning curve in both of these skills! :-)

Tuesday- Suds Everywhere
Last week, we had seemed to have a few calamities, but I forgot to post them as they went along. One was the stove over heating (our fault). The other was the washing machine over flowing! We buy our detergents in bulk and then pour them into smaller containers for daily use. Well...one of the kids was helpful in refilling the laundry detergent bottle. (I didn't realize this good deed.) Then through out the week, the machine was especially sudsy. I did notice that and reminded people that we only use 1/2 the cup of detergent and someone is putting too much in. (We have a front load washer.) Everyone insisted that they knew that. Then...one load the suds started oozing out of the door mid-wash and filling the bathroom floor. We ran to stop it and clean it...then it was discovered what the cause was. The helper filled the laundry bottle with dish soup - not laundry detergent! Oops. It seems that there was no long term damage done....thankfully.

Wednesday- No corners
A couple weeks ago, when I was away all day for dental appointments, on my way out I told the kids, "I will play a game with any kids who have 'no corners' today. Will everyone be helpful and co-operate with Daddy while I am gone?" ("corners" meaning standing in the corner for transgression - or even worse, doing something to merit a switch.) They were all very excited, and agreed. Two of the three littles accomplished their goal. Now this has become a daily check point and really been a motivation for the kids to declare "no corners today", when they have behaved all day. It doesn't always result in a game with mommy like it did on that day, but it does always result in positive recognition for good behavior, and give them something them a little target to hit each day.

Thursday - A Rough Day for Chazaq
Baby Chazaq (1 yr) had a rough night last night. Tummy troubles. Maybe he wasn't ready for broccoli quiche for lunch just yet. :-( He did love it and ate a bunch...but I think it didn't sit well with him. Mommy and Daddy are a little sleepy this morning too!

Chazaq got a couple of good naps and so by the end of the day (around 4) he was back to himself, playing hard. However, we had one more "scare" before the say was out. We gave him a little bit of our lunch (we ate a really late lunch today) which has salmon and tuna in it. I think he had an allergic reaction to one or the other (because they were the most obviously new thing...but I suppose the confirmation of that is yet to be seen). He broke out into big red welts on his arms, legs and butt. Poor kid, the first one we saw popped up while I was reading to the children. The book was interrupted, mommy hopped up and prayerfully and hastily undressed him on the counter under the track light to inspect him. The kids crowded around (because it was highly unusual behavior on my part!). All hoovered over him in concern as these red puffy splotches and swelling were revealed over a large part of his body. I had Hailey fetch some chamomile, nettle and yarrow from the pantry and brew a couple infusions. (For internal and external treatment as deemed necessary) Elijah scrubbed the tub with baking soda, to prepare it to soak him if needed, Pappa (who had come home 30 seconds before the discovery) had soft cotton clothes to change him into and a fresh diaper (after having taken pictures). Elijah checked his bed for any evidence of things for him to have had reactions to (he had just come out of his nap). Then Pappa hit the Internet with naked baby in his lap to double check our diagnoses, while Mamma hit the books. We became pretty confident it was an allergic reaction and decided to watch him closely before intervening. He did not appear to be uncomfortable, and his respiratory was not effected. His body was doing what it needed to do. (YHVH's is such an amazing Creator and Designer! Halleluyah!) In about two hours, the welts that appeared almost instantly (if we have properly isolated the cause) and covered almost a third of his body were gone!!! NO treatment necessary, but as I reflect back on it, I have giggle and realize how blessed this little baby is as his family buzzed around him like a pit crew at the Indi 500 when their was the slightest sign of concern for him.

Friday - Meal Blessings
A friend of ours, Julie, (who has nine kids) posted something on her blog about family hugs at meal time. Ben and I have been talking about being more deliberate with encouraging and bonding and edifying the children. Something that we felt we were not being "regular enough" with. It was easy when you have 2 kids, but when you have 6 and so many littles...it is easy to forget in the daily routine. We have started implementing this idea around our own family table, and it too has had a positive effect on our family. This is how we do it. When we are called to the table, we all stand around the table, behind our chairs. Then Daddy (except for lunch, when he is often away now - then mommy starts it) tells the boys, "lets show some love" and the boys go to the girls and give them hugs. Then they give each other hugs and then momma and girls hug one another. This is such a simple but uniting thing! Mamma and Pappa also make it a point to try to edify the children at this time too. We thank them for things they have done thus far in the day, good choices that have made, things that we have noticed about them, thing like that. This fills their cup and reminds us...how important it is for us to notice and communicate as parents. Again, it really effects the atmosphere of the home. Doing it at meal time, helps mommy and daddy be regular, consistent and deliberate. Meal time always happens, 2-3 times a day, which is why we have chosen it as our "place" to exercise these things. We have done the traditional "blessing the children" thing with prayer on Erev Shabbat meal, (which is good!), however, we really wanted to make that the atmosphere in our home as a daily habit or "lifestyle", again, like it once was. It really helps keep our attitudes and priorities "in check". We may go back to doing it in a more special prayer way again during our Shabbat meal, like we did in seasons past....but for now...this is a very good casual daily habit that is blessing everyone in the family.

Shabbat- Smoky Shabbat

We had another incident with the wood stove this morning. We think it might have been a delayed consequence to our overheating last week in combination with having gotten into some green wood and maybe even the moisture level outside (??) ...but that has yet to be confirmed.

We had smoke pouring out of stove pipe inside. Not good. There seems to be a build of of creosote in our chimney (this can cause chimney fires...we don't want that!). Ben put a call in for "chimney guy" to come take a look at it and clean it out for us. We are hoping he can confirm the cause for us so that we can prevent it from happening again! It also looks like we will be buying some wood from a different source to get us through the next couple of months. This is also a really good reminder that we need to be better prepared AHEAD for next season and from now on.

"The Smith family" came down from Dixon for Shabbat together. Good times as always.

May you stay in Yah's precious will this week! We'll see you next week.

Ben, Pamela and the Tribe

Our Family Jots and Tittles

If you would like to see the picture collage upclose, just click on it.

Sunday - Today Ben went to help out a friend who moved into the area from out of state the same month we did. They (family of 6) have been staying in a one bedroom apartment over a garage on their new homestead property. The wife is expecting #5 in February and they are rushing to get the garage below remodeled before the baby comes. This is so reminiscent of what we were doing just before our baby came last year! :-) It is coming together quickly and even though Ben is back to work now, he is offering help where he can. They will be adding a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bath/laundry downstairs in the 2 car garage space, and converting the upstairs to be two bedrooms and a bath. These are exciting times!

While Ben was away all day, the kids and I started moving some tin roofing to create rows in the yard for our future garden. Garden planning is the main topic in our house right now as we try to prepare for the season. There will be lots more about that being posted in the coming months.

The kids are very excited about the prediction of snow for tomorrow. Clear the schedule...its time for snow play!! (We take it when we can get it down here!)

Our Family Jots and Tittles

I am not sure what happened to this week...but, now it is gone! :-) I don't have any pictures to share and didn't catalog our day each week like normal. So here are some highlights:

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Welcome to our weekly family visit. Get a cup a tea and we'll catch up. Sunday - Today was a wonderful day packed full of adventure - what a full day! Everyone woke up really early because Daddy (and Elijah) were going to a friend's house (Dave) to learn how to butcher some deer that he (Dave) had hanging. We are serious about processing our own meat on the farm whether we raise it or hunt it. We are as "green" as they come....but willing...so with the help of gracious friends we are learning a lot this season! Anyway, Ben wanted to be there by 8:30 and would be there all morning. Today was the day we were planning on celebrating Eliana's birthday...everyone was so excited about the (family) birthday party and company we had sleeping in our den that they were all up and raring to go about about 6 AM , dressed, brushed and ready to get the party started! I tried to entertain the littles and manage preparations in different directions, by decorating, making the cake and wrapping presents. Poor Grama Carol got a glimpse of what it must have been like to be one of The Beatles back in the 60's because my kids just buzzed around her like bees around a hive demanding constant attention. She was such a good sport about it! Since it was her first day here and the birthday day...I let it go on a little while...but I plan to tone it down a bit for the rest of the week...because I know it can be exhausting.

Our Family Jots & Tittles

Sunday
Last night a friend of ours (Paul) came out to stay the night and go hunting with Ben's first time out. Paul got the one and only deer he spotted with one shot, while Ben saw 30 (yes 30), took several shots, and came up with nothing. He had to chalk it up to nerves, as he has decent aim normally. He even set up a paper target later in the afternoon to make sure he wasn't crazy or had defective equipment. Maybe deer have angels too?

Paul taught us how to field dress it! It was a wonderful experience and such a blessing to see it "live" before we have to do it solo. We have been watching videos...but its different in person. I got to watch the very beginning of it, but had to get back in the house to the chores at hand. Good friends are such a priceless treasure!

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday- Naomi (6) is sitting next to me, mimicking my time on the computer. She has a book open horizontally (like a lap top) and she is furiously and loudly "typing". When I type, she types, when I read she sits patiently and waits until I start typing again. I was catching up and reading the ladies forum I help with, when after a little while she said, "Momma, you are not typing!" That is when I realized what she was doing. Now she is reading this blog post...(because she is becoming a very good little reader, she reads everything she gets a chance to)...and she thinks this is very funny! :-) I am so thankful for how far she has come in the short time she has been home. Naomi came home from Haiti 18 months ago and (among so many other things) she has learned to speak, read and write English and is also starting to learn Hebrew. She is one sharp little gal! She is involved in a reading challenge that momma put before her. She wants to learn to play piano and be a in the Torah Keeping Maidens Club, like Hailey. But I told her it was more important for her to learn to read first. We made a chart for her and agreed that we would start piano and TKM Club after she has read 100 books. She is well over half way there!

Monday- Hailey, Elijah, and I have been plugging away at filling capsules. I ground some echinacea, and had some powdered ginseng, vitamin c, and skullcap that we got all capped up. We filled about 1200 caps by hand. We started using caps when we discovered how wonderful Charcoal is for the family medicine chest this year. I have always leaned toward tinctures and infusions for our internal methods...but I am finding that caps come in handy for a few things too! All the kids take them so well...except Eliana (almost 4). She resisted strongly and made quite the fuss (which is no surprise for 3 yrs old)...so I was just letting her take tincture...but she was watching everyone ELSE take the capsules and all the sudden she thought she was missing out on something. She started asking and we said, "no-- you are too small, you make a fuss about it" for a few days. When we finally allowed her, she jumped at it like candy and swallowed it down like a champ. She was so proud of herself...so I guess she is on board now too. If we can always keep things rolling in a positive way for all things this is a big part of our parenting strategy! One of the (many) beauties of a large family who is close knit. :-)

Tuesday- We struggled with our "homestead selves" today about whether we wanted to buy wood or not. Come on! We have 85 acres - with about 40 acres wooded! We think we have enough fallen wood without having to cut living trees and season them! However, we are so behind on gathering, and we ran into wet cold weather, and we got old blue stuck in the mud. We are learning as we go...but just want to "get ahead" of the project. We are kicking ourselves for not having collected wood BEFORE we set the stove up. It all happened so fast...anyway..we caved (all the while swearing we will be better prepared next season). Thankfully our local Amish helped take the sting out a little bit, because we have two Amish mills just up the road where we can get a truck load full of wood for burning for $16 a TRUCK LOAD! This certainly will test our thrifty muscles for next season...because that seems really really reasonable in comparison to the work involved in cutting and collecting our own! :-)

Wednesday-

Gideon and Naomi have really been getting into drawing into this past week.

Gideon's (4) Drawings:

Naomi's (6) Drawings:

Thursday - Today we went on a little field trip to the local library. It is hard to believe that we have been here a year and we have never been to our local library...boy have things changed! :-) It was a good trip though, the kids were all quiet and we were there for about an hour. It is a challenge to go though...we had our little "talk" before we went in, as we needed to explain that not all books are good books and that the library has both, so we are going to let mommy and daddy help us choose good books. We sat in the kids section and read books to the kids. The "looks" we get are interesting when we get in new places as a modest dressing, inter-racial family, that covers (heads) and wears tzit tzit! We have never had any trouble, mind you. Nothing we couldn't handle anyway...most people are kind or just curious. I think it really, really, helps that the kids behave themselves (for the most part). It certainly does from my perspective...or we just wouldn't go OUT! :-) Anyway... Hailey and Elijah are very seasoned in choosing books since they have been strong readers for years now. They are both good at discerning what is appropriate and not, and are willing to bring books to us to check if they are not sure. They are also willing to put a book down or bring it to us in the midst of a story if something is troubling their conscience or they need clarity. Hailey quickly found three large novels with Women from Scripture (Mary, Zepporah, and Sarah) as their main topic. She brought them to us (all the same author) and Ben started to review them. The first page he opened it to in the middle of the book...was well...HIGHLY inappropriate in the way of explicate "romance". He showed me one sentence and it made MY eyes bug! Thankfully...Hailey is happy to consider it "easy come easy go". We are blessed! Elijah finds himself in the science section...he was looking for something to help him figure out how to construct an underground shelter of some sort....(?) But He seemed to think that we had better resources in our own library for that (YES!). So they both left empty handed. I got a "phonics program" that I thought might be fun to play with this month with Gideon and Naomi. We brought home a totally silly book to read to the kids called "Farm Flu" about a cow who caught the flu (and was nursed in the house).

One of the ladies at the library does a children's story hour for little ones on Thursdays and she approached me to tell me about it. That my be something fun to try in the new year. She said she had put some packs together for the class today, but their were only two children and asked if I might like to take a few along for my kids, she was so excited that we had come in (at the end of the night) and these things were going to find there way home with some children as originally planned. I graciously agreed and she disappeared into the back and said she'd bring them out in a bag, so that I can give them to the kids as I saw fit. (Very nice I thought!) When she brought them to me... as it turns out...many of the little items will work out just fine for something that Elijah was planning for Eliana's upcoming family birthday party. We like to make simple homemade "party games" to play and Elijah has taken the initiative in this, since that is right up his alley. He wanted to make a pinata (did I spell that right?)...and now we had little things to put in it! Perfect! :-) It was a good little local family outing for us.

Friday- Hailey and I have been experimenting with making our own homemade lacto-fermented soda using dried sassafras root from my herbal pantry. We might be onto something! (We are totally "making this up" as we springboard from my tried and true ginger beer recipe that I make from fresh ginger. We call this Homeschool science!) We bottled it today...we should have our answer (on this bath anyway) next Monday or Tuesday.

Shabbat- Ben spent the entire day reading "His Hallowed Name Revealed Again". It's about the history of the banning of the use of the Holy name of "God" in both Jewish and Christian history, along with compelling and surprising evidence (not just conjecture) about how the name is to actually be pronounced. Good stuff.

Gideon captured some green caterpillars (from our organic lettuce) last week, and was SO excited to have pets like Elijah. He made them a terrarium and filled it with lettuce. Well...today I realized that they had been neglected and were brown and quite dead. I heard Gideon messing with the terrarium and start shouting, and I thought "oh boy, another childhood lesson about death and dying". Instead he came yelling "Dad, dad!! I have COLOR worms!! They started off GREEN and now they are BROWN!" I didn't have the heart to break the truth to him right then. Later in the day, I saw him carrying the box outside, and I asked him why. He said with a smile,"I am letting my caterpillars go...because they are dead." Simple as that. Remind me not to put him in charge of my funeral planning.

Love,

Ben and Pamela

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Pictures: Pecans up in the tree. Fire blazing for cooking. Canning for a friend in need. Chazaq eating homemade (raw organic) whipped cream off the Pyrex lid, brothers sharing their bath. (Baby taking mental notes as to how these things are done!) I am hoping to take more pictures of our weekly activities. This (like journaling our daily walk) has always been something that I have been hard-pressed to make a habit...but it is my goal to do in this next year - so that we may stay better connected with folks from afar. We hope you like it. :-) (Not to mention getting used to the picture program. Thank you Christine showing me where to go to do it!) :-) If ever they are too small to see the detail you can click on the picture and enlarge it on your screen. :-)

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Sunday

Ben and Elijah finished the chimney today! It was a long day..but he is pleased with the finished product. I didn't have to go up again. They figured a way to pull out two screws and screw in a 2x4 as a brace instead of me! :-) (YES!) Elijah was very familiar with being on the roof from last year's construction. It really was perfect timing, because Monday is supposed to be really wet, cold and stormy.

Monday

A very blustery and gray day. We are tempering the stove today, keeping the fire small and low, to "condition the stove" as per manufacture instructions. Ben keeps checking, and yes...chimney is still there!

Keeping Chazaq away from the stove is a primary concern! It gets very hot to touch and could burn him for sure. We have a wooden play pen that can be "opened up" around it...so that it what we have done for now. It is not impenetrable...so we are on our toes...to train him to stay away from it. It gives us the barrier we need to get to him in time. It seems to be manageable enough thus far, so we don't have to fasten it to the wall with brackets...but we are on "high alert" regarding it and not sure if it is sufficient just yet. Chazaq is creative and can undo our rubber band ties for the kitchen cabinets. He is in that stage of liking to "get into things".

Tuesday

Operation "Wood Collection" is in full effect. Ben and Elijah are really enjoying it. It is "good honest-man work". :-) They take 'old blue 2' (our farm truck) to the edge of the woods and walk in with the chain saw and cut up fallen wood. We have ample woods to harvest fallen wood which is already been seasoned for quite long time...hard to say how long not having applied this year after year...but we are thinking this will be how we do are able to do it. With about 35 acers in woods (around our pastures) and milder TN winter (it is not like we live in Michigan or Maine)...we are thinking we shouldn't have to cut fresh trees. We got some really nice dry cedar that smells so nice. It is nice that the house is not smoky or sooty, but there is a scent of wood fire coming out of the chimney and it lingers from opening the firebox. I really, really like that! It smells like "a homestead" all earthy and warm and old fashioned...yet not "dirty" like camping!

We keep a small pile of wood outside the front door on our front porch and the larger supply in the soft shed been just put up on the side of the house. We have a cabinet on the front porch, so we decided to use that for our kindling. It is all in handy proximity to the stove for yet not dirty inside... a combo we both really appreciate! :-)

Wednesday

We started experimenting with the top of the cook stove today. We made a big batch of cottage cheese (from 4 gallons of fresh milk it renders about a half gallon of the yummiest cottage cheese). My sour dough and bread also like being near the stove to rise as do my many herbal things I have steeping right now.

There is a water reservoir in the back, that gives us 10 gallons of hot water "on tap" in the back of the stove, a gal could get used to that!

It know the stove is very novel right now, as we figure out how to keep it at a temperature we like. The next step will be figuring out how to cook on it, and in it, regularly. I did think we were going to get rid of the gas stove, and put more counter there (which would be so nice by the sink) but I am really liking the idea of having the two ovens and quick convenience of the gas...so we might keep it on for that reason. Either way there is not rush...because adding counter/cabinet is not in the budget...so that settles that for now. :-)

Hailey and Naomi and I went into town today to get a few things. We made a Goodwill run, and got some great deals! Eliana and Gideon needed coats and Hailey got a few jumpers (which lightened some of my sewing!) and Momma and Papa got a few shirts. We came out with 3 coats, 7 shirts and 2 dresses for less than $50! I love those thrifty finds! I still hope to find a winter coat for Chazaq...we sold all of Gideon's smaller things (under 3T) for the orphanage benefit we had 2 years ago.

Our month ran out of money last month...budget is at the forefront of our conversations again. We want to stick to our goal of having the farm paid off in 5 years, but still continue to move forward in homesteading projects...both take money...so we are trying to retrain ourselves in hunkering down with finances. We are learning to better live within our means and WAIT for things. One of those things that we are waiting for is a car repair. Our Caravan is sitting (and will for most of the winter) at the mechanic as we try to juggle money for it's repair. I have lots of unfinished dental work on the horizon as well...

Thursday

Papa, Elijah and Gideon cut another load of wood today..until Ben's chain on the chainsaw broke. There is still a lot to do...but our little shed is slowly getting stocked!

I baked for the first time in the cookstove today. It was fun trying to figure out my fire and keep my temperature consistent. I did it though! I made sourdough baguettes, and had garlic broth simmering on the top all day.

We opened the door to the back porch (otherwise know as the pantry, summer kitchen and Ben's office) when it got too toasty. It warmed up the porch nicely (which Ben was very happy about!). The upstairs isn't cold, but it wasn't getting the heat like it should, so we picked up some simple vents and hope that that will help it rise better. We may try using a fan too. Our fans in the living room also help the heat in the living area if it gets too warm. I had the cook stove up to almost 450 for the bread and I had 6 casseroles on the other stove so our living area was toasty! I also had some electric going too -- 2 dehydrators, the laundry and a crock pot. :-)

Friday

Ya ever have "one of those days" when things don't go as planned? This seemed to be one of those days for me with my Shabbat Menu plan and meal prep for the project we were doing. But Halleluyah I kept (most) of my cool and rolled with punches and we still got a lot done. Not everything I had hoped for and certainly not what I had originally planned...but through determination and prayer as we worked...we got it done! :-)

Shabbat

We had a quiet day home than at the end of the we went up to the Nashville area to meet with a group of friends that just returned from serving in Israel for the past three months. What blessing it was to see so many friends in one place! There was not enough time in the evening. We also connected with a new Torah Keeping Family from the area and drove to Nashville together. We will be spending more time with them next Shabbat. The father has given them a vision to live sustainably off the land as well. They only moved here in October!

If you want to learn more about serving in the vineyards of Israel and seeing the country in a really organic way, from the inside out...please please contact The Wallers at Hayovel.com . It is a very unique in many ways! Just one of those ways is that people of all ages serve, granparents, young adults and families. The Wallers serve as a family whenever possible...it is an amazing ministry that supports Israel in a grass roots way that is really speaking the heart of the people and claiming YHVH's territory for His people. We have not gone yet...but have supported them every since we met them 4 years ago. We know many people who have served with them and they all say that their lives have been changed forever as a result!

For the Tribe of Ben

Our Family Jots and Tittles

I have always wanted to "journal" but never seem to stick to it. I so desire to share our lives with those whom we love but live far from and this is my attempt to do that. I hope to post a weekly update/newsletter every Sunday.

~3 of my precious little helpers~
Sunday
This is always our biggest work day. We are eager to do chores after a nice rest on Shabbat.

Today we plan to:

• Start this week's parsha (bible reading)
• Get our week's school schedule planned and prepared
• Install the chimney for the cook stove
• Keep praying that My brother's family will be able to join us for Thanksgiving!
• Go back to planning the Baker's Food Project (It seems that my "cold" has passed!!)
• Dance Practice (I have been promising it for 2 days and it has not happened!)
• Gathering the details of a jar order for a few friends to gather money and submit it this week.
• Give Papa a hair cut! He has plans to meet with His new boss on Wednesday.
• Make Toothpaste
• Make Leave-In Conditioner for Eliana and Naomi

Monday
OK, today we have entered into "ridiculous"! As many of you know I had a record breaking sinus cold (very unusual) for 3 weeks! We are in the midst of trying to make some food for a family who CANNOT get sick right now due to long term-battle with a their son's disease they are fighting (the very reason they are hoping to have healthy organic food made!). We had volunteers waiting in the wings for cooking days and the whole nine yards...but everyone has been waiting for my "thing" to go away. Yesterday...at the end of Shabbat, I declared to my family...we can start tomorrow (because I wanted to have a good 24 hour period with no symptoms before I started back in). Yesterday we started back up slowly, with the intent to hit it full speed ahead today. Of course this is now Thanksgiving week, so I was hoping to schedule volunteers NEXT week. Long story... I know. Anyway this morning, both Gideon and Elijah are hacking! Urg! I hate to do it, but we have quarantined them both up stairs in their room (in a fun way hopefully!!! Papa is being a nurse for me).
Today was an incredibly productive day! We got 6 pints glycerin tinctures brewing (this method takes three days in a crock pot). We also made almost a quart full of goldenseal capsules (we cap our own powder, with veggie capsules) and started 6 pints of various herb vinegars and onion garlic honey to try herbal infused "honeygar" this season to keep us well. (This will take about 4 weeks before it is complete.) I had two of my staple dry cold/flu herb mixes already mixed up, which helped make the tinctures go faster, and we have restocked our cupboard with herbal teas after having gone through the herbal pantry. It feels so good to be "prepared" again. I have a couple other things I was reminded that I need to restock ...but this was a wonderful "dent"!
While the boys were sequestered. The girls and I also made large 8 quiches/frittatas today in 4 flavors. Spinach Sheep feta, Southwestern, Chicken Italian Sausage and Spinach, and Brocc & Cheese. One of them was our dinner the other 7 for the freezer for the food project! It felt good to get back to it! Naomi must have cracked about 5 dozen eggs - she thought it was the greatest thing ever! I told her she was the best "cracker" in TN and she beamed with delight in herself! (Ben of course thought it was very funny that we were training her to be a "cracker"... a little southern racial humor there.) Hailey got a jump start on Thanksgiving too. She made 2 pumpkin pies. We had 3 ovens going at once (we have two portable roaster ovens which really helps with "big cookin"). The cook stove is waiting for a chimney part yet, so it has not been fired up yet. It has been wonderfully warm here...so we are very grateful...since it is our source of heat this winter as well. (We will be sure to post pictures or a video, when it is finished!
Tuesday
We received a care package from Grampa Fred today. Great Grama and Grampa (his parents) had a tradition of sending Ben and his sisters chocolate turkeys for Thanksgiving every year. It was such a tradition that it became their name sake. Even to this day Ben and His sister refer to them as Turkey Grama and Turkey Grampa. Well Fred is continuing the tradition with our kids (Mamma and Pappa even got one this year! I think might have been due to Ben teasing him about eating the kids' turkeys last year.). Anyway the kids are very excited about it. There was also a book in there that Ben has not put it down since he has started reading it. He keeps reading snippets to me (trust me, it is as if I am reading it too!). He is enjoying it immensely! I am constantly hearing chuckles from different corners of the house, as he reads in the midst of other chores.

Chazaq is cutting his 5th ans 6th teeth. This added to the colds in the house have made him a little more sensitive than normal...but he is still doing good under the circumstances. He just wakes up every two hours in the night to be fed. Thankfully he goes right back to sleep though. He is quickly learning to walk. He was pulling up for months and hurries around on all fours like a flash of light. Two weeks ago , he really started focusing on standing independently and keeping his balance. He would stand up with out assistance or anything to pull up on but then he didn't know what to do with himself. This week that was bumped to the next level. He started taking steps. Oh it is SO cute! The farthest he has gone in one clip is about 5 feet. What a round of applause and hoots-n-hollers he gets from all his siblings and parents. It really made me realize what an amazing support system this little one will have as he grows with a larger family. He was so proud of himself and was eager to get another round of accolades, so he would try again to go further than the last. When he falls he does it with a squeal of delight and claps with everyone else. He is about to turn 11 months old.
WednesdayWe got word that Ryan's family will not be coming for Thanksgiving. :-( Oh how I miss them. It has been way too long since we have set eyes on our precious nieces and nephews. It breaks my heart to think of how much we miss in their lives being so far away from them. I love my brother and sister in law so much. Whenever we get together, it is as if we were never apart - it is a beautiful thing!

We got our produce order today. We order bulk organic produce from a wholesale distributor that delivers to health food stores. Our local availability for produce is so sparse here and our usage is so high...this really works for us. I have learned (for the most part) how to use and store large amounts of produce. What works and doesn't. This takes care of a very large amount of our groceries. They can't bring the semi up our "unpaved" country road, so we meet the truck up at the gas station about 2-3 miles up the road. Load up the back of the van and bring it home. There is one other family that has started to order with us faithfully, as they too are committed to organic and are not growing everything on their new farm yet either. They didn't order with us this week because they have gone away for Thanksgiving.
This time of year it is easier to do this than in the summer, because we can store things on the enclosed back porch because it is cool. We do have two fridges out on the porch too...but with milk and eggs and other assorted projects and food bought in bulk...we actually need to do some things on the porch too. I rarely go to the store, except if I accidentally let something lack in my bulk ordering. We now supply our own eggs again, we get about a dozen a day. This is the time of year that they slow down...but they are going really good this year...production has stayed up we are thankful for that. We sell about 5-6 dozen to some friends biweekly too. But with all our cooking and backing..we have no problem using them! We have learned how to "eat out of our pantry. I must admit, it is pretty easy to do when it is so well stocked. I am looking forward to the day when we are eating fresh out of our garden/greenhouse year round! Right now we have a friend about a mile or two away whom sells us things out of their organic garden and green house. They have the BEST lettuce and greens. I just picked up 13 pounds each of collard greens and turnip green from her. I plan to cook them down and use them like frozen spinach in casseroles and soups this winter. Although I am realizing that probably won't happen until Sunday. I am running out of "week here" :-) Its OK, they are hardy and will keep in the fridge.

Thursday
We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year, just us. It is funny with the since we have discovered YHVH's (God's) Feasts (7 Appointed Times), holidays that used to be a really big deal...just pale in comparison! We had a nice day though. Pappa "released me" from having to make a big to-do about it like I always have. He said, "Ya know honey. Its not like it used to be, you spoil us will big meals and yummy cooking all the time. It's not like it's this once of year event. And since no one is coming this year...if you want to just keep it really simple. I am ok with that. We won't feel slighted at all!" What precious words to my ears. Not like a I dread it..but the fact that he thought that he had gotten used to eaten good home cookin all the time - was a real blessing to me! :-) So I kept to the basics this year. We had a turkey ( I actually baked two while I was at it, so I could use the meat to make some freezer meals). Mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. That was it. I actually wished I had made cranberry sauce..I found that was something I missed, because Thanksgiving really is the only time we make that. I have two more Turkey's in the Freezer (we bought them in a case from our organic supplier) so...I'll make it a point to make with one of those. :-) Another family tradition of ours is cranberry orange bread. We always start making it at Thanksgiving and like to have it for breakfasts/snacks over the weekend. We did make that for Shabbat (Saturday).

We watched a PBS special we found online about "the first Thanksgiving", that was fun. We also let them watch a Animated video, about "William Bradford". So that was a ll a real treat for them. Hailey and Elijah and Mamma and Pappa, played games after the littles went to bed too.
We were gonna bob for apples (it sounded fun and we thought of it when we were making apple pies filling for the freezer earlier that week)...but we didn't get to that. It has gotten cold...so I am not sure if that "make -up" game will be as fun as it would have been earlier in the week when it was still warm. :-)
Ben joked about putting the turkey drippings into one of our essential oil infusers so we could have the "scent of Thanksgiving" for a couple more weeks. :-)
Wellness report: It looks like we have been able to get the colds under control with the herbs. Gideon's is still hanging on but it is "moving" it should be gone soon. It is very hard to keep him inside and still! Chazaq got a second wave of it (I don't give him as many herbs as everyone else gets.) Elijah's only lasted 2 days and he was back to normal.

Friday
Friday is otherwise known as Preparation Day or Erev Shabbat (Hebrew - means to enter into Shabbat, since it starts at Sunset) Normally the day is spent cookin' cleaning and tieing up loose ends from the week to prepare for our Sabbath rest the next day. This was one of those Prep Days that did not go as planned!

Pappa wanted to get the Chimney done. He had taken on the whole stove project after much research and study on how to do it. He knew this would save us a lot of money (something we are learning to make a priority on in this new season!) yet, safety wise...it is something that carries a lot of responsibility with it! He has been doing everything "by the book", with fire protections around the stove to code and the whole bit. (Mamma is very thankful!) Even though he see other people's stoves and says, "they don't" He wants to "Shmar" (Guard and protect - in Hebrew) his family in this process. Anyway....all the internal stuff was done, we got our final part for the exterior elements and it was time (for the most scary part) - THE ROOF. (He fell through the roof last year, putting it on for those of you who do not know this.) Our roof is a very steep pitched tin roof--close to an a-frame in the front. You would think we were trying to manage a Vermont snow fall with this pitch...but it just worked out that way. There are two levels, the main roof, then the porch rooves on front and back. The porch roofs are a milder pitch..but still tilted. I don't know if you have ever walked on a tin roof before, but there are tracks that run vertically and it is slick. The only thing that give you footing is to use the screw heads underfoot of a good rubber boot sole. Well this chimney needed to be installed about 3/4 the way of the steep pitch of that capitol A. So Ben had to put a ladder against that side of the "A" to get to the spot which he had to cut the hole in the roof and install the exterior elements of the chimney. (Which is metal insulated pipe type.) The problem was...How was the ladder going to stay in place. Enter...Mamma - helpmate. Elijah was papa's main helper, but he is still too small in stature to be able to do something like this. (Ben's previously determined assistant (Joey) was away for the Thanksgiving weekend and cold is settling in, so Ben didn't want to wait.) This was my first time on the roof (I was pregnant during the original construction.). Pappa loaded all his supplies up on the roof for the project. I got bundled up and came out leaving the unfinished food projects and the kids to Hailey (she is an amazing right hand to me!). I put one leg of the ladder on a screw head and my two feet on screw heads and hunkered down to allow the weight of the other leg of the ladder against me. These three screw heads were the only things supporting Ben and I both on this steep pitch as we handed heavy tools and supplies up and down this ladder and he cut and worked at the top of the ladder. YHVH brought the sun out and stopped the wind which was such a treasured blessing on this cold day! I must say, I was still and prayed through the process. (For those of you who have never met my husband in person He is 6' 5" and I had size 15 work boot treads hanging off what looked like tiny ladder rungs, staring me in the face when I looked up; me and couple of screws were what was supporting this mammoth of a man!) He was very conscious and thoughtful of me through the whole thing. The sun was gong down fast on us and we realized one of the parts we had was not right. So Elijah (our ground runner) had a great idea to cover the hole for Shabbat and ran for them and brought them up to us. We covered the hole, got all the supplies of the roof and the guys cleaned up outside while I went inside to try to get things back on track. While Hailey did a great job...there was no way dinner as planned was going to get done...so we just cleaned everything up and ordered pizza! I don't normally have wine with Pizza, but this night that glass tasted very good! It took hours before the chill left me but the house was toasty from the oven running...so that was nice. Saturday morning I was a little stiff and bruised. We are so close to having our cookstove/heat source running. This is very exciting!
Shabbat
We see deer regularly on the property. Now that hunting season is open...we are itching to get one. However, we plan to process our own..so we have to keep that in mind with our timing. Especially since it will be our first time and we have no idea what we are doing! :-) Ben made up a little ditty this morning as a deer pranced thorough our back yard and we all went to the window to watch her. They went a little something like this:
"Those who don't want to get shot, come visit us on the Shabbat, but if you come any other day - this is something I can not say. Li li li, li li li lilili liiiiiiii".
Out of the Mouth of Babes:
Sitting at the breakfast table, Gideon says, "Mamma, I haven't had my seasonings yet this morning." As he gestures toward the dish of herbal remedies I have setout to fight his cold.
Much Love,
and the Tribe of Ben


p.s. Here is the slug that Ben snatched our of Chazaq's mouth last week. It measured about 4 inches long and was thinker than my thumb!