Harvest Party Pictures.

We went to our churches annual Harvest Party at Jim's brothers house and the weather was absolutely perfect! I won second place in the Mexican food catagory and Judah brought home a cake from the cake walk. Took lots of pictures of the kids and grandkids. Enjoy!

Celebrating Homecoming!

This is my son Noah and Joy, his date for the annual Homecoming celebration. Noah is my 5th son and he is a pretty awesome kid. These 2 are good friends and they also went to Tolo last year together as well. The night will be spent with a big group of kids and dinner at the Olive Garden. Afterwards they will attend the dance and then part ways and head home to bed! Noah has to milk the cow in the morning:) Oh, do these years fly by, I can remember being 15 and attending dances with my friends. Enjoy your youth Noah, it is certainly fleeting.

A Very Special Father-In-Law.

This is a tribute to my Father-in-law, who was recently diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The prognosis is not good and it makes us all feel very sad. You know, when I first heard the news my first thought was that 33 years knowing him was not enough....I want more time with him. But I will assure you that this man's faith is very strong. He has a very close and personal relationship with Jesus and really lives it. When you call and try to lift him up he is the one who ends up encouraging you! He has spent his whole life as a pastor in the Evangelical Free Church and though retired he still serves as a chaplin in our local hospital. He has been the best of fathers and my husband is lucky to have been raised by him. He is not without his own flaws, but he really loves people and always tries to find the best in everyone. He has been a counselor as well for many years and has probably impacted more people than anyone I know. So if you get a moment during your day, send a little prayer up for him. We would sure like to keep him around for many more years to come!

ps. The beautiful woman with him is my even more special MIL Claudette who has been married to grandpa for 54 years!

My Best Friend Jim.

I have been married for over 30 years to a truly wonderful man. We came from very different backgrounds and yet somehow we found each other. I was 16 and Jim was 20 when we met at his dad's church. I just happened to be visiting that sunday and saw him across the room and was instantly smitten. He came from a strong and loving Christian family, his dad is a pastor in the Evangelical Free Church. I grew up in a home where faith was not present, only an abundance of alcohol and anger. I found a job for the summer with the Youth Conservation Corps and was introduced to Christ in a new and very personal way. So when I went back home I decided to go to the church closest to my rural home and well....the rest is history. I really believe that God directs the steps of His children and have seen it many times over the years. We have had some difficult years and also many good ones. Jim has always been the best one of us and he is a very kind and generous man. As the years pass we become better friends and our commitment to each other and our family is rock solid. I thank God every day for my family and especially for Jim, whose love is steady and sure. And that is a rare thing in the world we live in.

The Bittersweetness Of Down Syndrome.

Well, while Gideon was getting his teeth brushed this morning one of his lower front teeth fell out! To say that we were surprised is an understatement. You see, Gideon has a pretty small single word vocabulary so he did not inform us that he even had a loose tooth. As parents of 13 we have always made much of the losing of the teeth. I have kept every tooth each child has lost and stored them in a pretty little tin. And of course the excitement of seeing what the Tooth Fairy (aka Mom and Dad) has left under the pillow! Well....you know what I am talking about here. So Giddy got lots of hugs and cries of exclamation but I don't think he grasped what the fuss was all about. It made me feel really sad inside. He does not understand about lost teeth or money under his pillow. And I felt a sense of loss in that. I think there will be many things in the days ahead that Gideon will not understand, and though there are so many days when he seems more like a typical kid....it is moments like this morning when I am reminded that he isn't. So here is a picture of my sweet little boy missing his first tooth. I love you Gideon.....for who you are and I am so thankful to God for giving you to us!

My Favorite Fall Recipe

Well, I would have to say tomatos and sweet corn. They are the sweetest harvest out of my garden. I typically plant at least 5o or more tomato plants. This year they are all heirloom plants and they are perfect! Not a blemish on them. My corn did terrible, but the cows will love it. I will share my favorite dish that I prepare with the tomatos.
Wash and chop tomatos into chunks.
Add thinly sliced sweet onions.
Crumble generous amounts of feta cheese and add to dish.
Add blue cheese dressing and mix everything up.
Salt and pepper to taste. I use kosher salt and fresh coarse ground pepper.
You can add green peppers if you like. Or you can make the same dish with cucumbers instead of tomatos. I serve this with some croutons sprinkled on top. It is absolutely wonderful.
This is my version of a German salad my mom always made:)

Milking Time!

This is my son Joel who is 14. He is one of the kids who is trained to milk Rose, our 3 year old Jersey Holstein cross. Noah and Joel milk in the mornings before school and Joel and Gabe milk in the evenings. I help out when needed. Rose gives the sweetest milk which also supplies us with butter, cream, and home made cheese on occasion. She is a big responsibility though as she gets milked two times a day 10 months out of the year. Holidays and sick days included. She is due to have her second calf the middle of February so we will stop milking her the middle of December. This gives her a rest time and us as well. Rose is the most valuable animal on our farm and more than pays for herself in what she gives us.