Megan's Birthday

We had a informal birthday gathering for Megs birthday...
She REALLY wanted to go to Chucky Cheese, so the fam went there on Saturday. UFDA! I hadn't been there in a long time, and certainly not on a Saturday. Let's just say we won't be going there any time soon again. At least not until the memory fades and we forget what hell on earth that place is for parents! We had to wait in line to even get a table and the place was full of what I will call people of questionable character! The so-called games ate our tokens while spitting out a hundred or so tickets to other children. Mitchell was so excited to buy a toy with his tickets, but of course, our $10.00 spent on tokens won him 30 tickets, which bought him a very small sucker and a one inch long rubber lizard. The girls got equally exciting rewards for their efforts. Woop-de-doo. Happy Birthday Megan...

WARNING: Girl Talk Below!

Have you ever NOT hung up on a research marketing phone survey? The other day, I took one such call, and thought she was going to ask me a series of questions about my movie viewing. After all, the woman's first question was, "Do you have a dvd player?" But, then again, her accent was severe, so maybe I misunderstood her.
Her next question was, "Do you use pantyliners?" OK, what does THAT have to do with me owning a dvd player!?!
For the next 20 minutes I was subjected to such questions as,
"How many Panty Liners do you use? 3-7, 7-14, or 14-30 a month? Do you used pantyliners at the beginning of your period? Do you use pantyliners during low flow days? Do you use pantyliners as a backup for heavy flow days? Do you use pantyliners with tampons? Do you use pantyliners with maxipads?"
OK, I am VERY open about these things with my close girlfriends, but I have to admit, I think I was blushing. How dare she ask me such personal questions! But she continued, and for some reason, I didn't hang up!
"What brand of Pantyliners have you bought in the last month." (5 choices are given, including store brand) Me: "Ummmm. I don't remember." Researcher: "Which choice would you like me to record, ma'am?" Me: "Oh for heaven's sake, just put store brand!"
"Do you agree or disagree that the word, 'sexy' describes Carefree Panty Liners? Do you agree or disagree that the word 'flirty' describes Carefree Panty Liners? Would you agree or disagree that Carefree Panty Liners give you freedom to do whatever you want to do? Is that strongly disagree, mostly disagree or somewhat disagree?"
Really now, do they expect ANYONE to say that a pantyliner makes them feel sexy or flirty? I'm just wondering.

STUPID SNOWBANK!

We native Minnesotans are known to go out in any weather. What, a blizzard? No problem! Visibility is low with blowing snow? No big deal! We just go slow and plunge ahead. (Unless we have a 4-wheel drive truck. Then we go fast!) We go on with our lives and go where we need to go.

Last Sunday was one of those days. It was not snowing, but you'd never know it, because the top layer of snow was blowing fiercely across the open fields. Mostly, the roads were blown clear, but there was an occasional drift. We had just left our house to go to church and were driving down our gravel country road: I saw the drift coming and told Robb to go around it--too late. We plowed into that drift. We had no trouble staying on the road, but I scolded Robb for going through it. He claimed he didn't see it coming. (I have my doubts about that!) The kids thought it was great fun to see the billow of snow, and so they chatted about it as we made our way to church. Robb didn't see the damage till later.

Now, I'd like to know if you have a "stupid snowbank" story....SARA?

Simple Joys

I feel like blabbing! No interesting stories, just a few simple joys to share.

Robb has been working A LOT. (That is NOT a joy - to him or me.) He worked almost every night last week (including Valentines, but we had a early date on Tues.) and then all day Saturday. So it came as a sort of mixed blessing when Megan got sick on Saturday night and Robb had to stay home from church on Sunday with the kids. He enjoyed a lazy morning and I enjoyed a sermon without having to shush kids, or solve fights over crayons in the middle of church. On Sunday afternoon, the whole family snuggled on the couch, (Megan was fine by then,) and watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. Yep, the WHOLE thing. A lovely day of rest!

~

Today was the second day I used my new language curriculum for Mitchell and Megan (Learning Language Arts Through Literature). It's amazing how a new curriculum can breath new life into a homeschool day! I have more confidence that they are learning what they need to, and they seem to like it better than the old stuff. (Well, at least Megan does. Mitchell still claims to hate school.) Yea for new books!

~

When we moved into this house, I held myself back from hanging too many pictures on the walls, because I thought we'd only be here a year or so. Now that we have settled in here and fallen in love with the farm, I've begun to add more "Kristina" touches to the house and decor to make this house "ours". I recently shopped for pictures (at Family Dollar and Walmart, of course) and found some lovely new things. And I bought new towels! Don't you just get happy about new towels!? (See, I told you I'd blab about simple joys!)

A Snake at the Zoo

Yesterday we went to the Zoo. We took in the dolphin show, the tropical fish feeding and the shark feeding. We traveled through the air on the monorail, and we walked the MN trail. We felt anemones and sharks. But the best part was when the kids and their fifteen year-old buddy darted into a short, dark, observation tunnel and found a loose snake curled up in the corner sleeping. They ran out to report the loose animal. The fifteen year-old's concerned mother went to inform a zoo employee of the escapee. She came back with interesting news: the snake was a fake!

Mitchell's invention: a popcorn dispensing hat

Christmas Letter

Greetings from the farm! Yes, we are still in the country, and loving it. The peace, quiet, and natural surroundings agree with us!

We’ve had a good year. Oh, there are always new things going on, new challenges and changes, but it’s been a great year. We just keep our plans in pencil and wait to see how God leads! We continue to study, learn and grow, and we love that He is faithful.

We sold the Driving School this spring. Robb had been thinking (threatening is more like it!) of selling it for a while, so when someone was interested in buying it, he gladly gave it up. We enjoyed our first summer uninterrupted by classes!

Our .com business took a turn as well. We sold the sales website to a competitor and branched out into a different business through our contacts at Wagner. Now we have a “clearinghouse” for rebates and promotional mail-in orders. This business is a little less demanding, and as a result, Robb was able to obtain a job in the corporate scene. Robb now works in Eden Prairie (40 minute drive) for Trean Corp, a malpractice insurance company. Robb is the underwriting data technician…a fancy name for making sure all the data is accurate as the company merges everything into a new database. The company is great, and his boss is not only a believer, but also a home school dad who used the same program my family used for 7 years! What a surprise and blessing it is for Robb to have so much in common with his boss! We are also enjoying the perks of working for someone else: benefits! Another blessing is a new road that will be done this spring, which will shorten his drive to work by ten minutes.

In July, my cousins came from New York and Hong Kong to join the rest of our extended family at Northern Pines Family Camp for a family reunion. As kids, we went every year together. The family gathering was particularly special considering the cousins live so far away, and we expect Laura and Andrea to scatter to the ends of the earth once they graduate! We stayed in a big house on the campus of Green Lake Conference Center in WI and celebrated Grandpa’s 90th birthday and Grandma and Grandpa’s 65th anniversary.

On September 22nd, my twin sister married Thad at Northwestern College. We were all in the wedding, so I was worried how the day would go with the kids. Madison’s meltdown happened in the dressing room (I DON’T WANT MY HAIR CURLED), but she was fine when the time came for her to walk down the aisle with Megan. The pictures did not go as well… (you may notice on our Christmas picture)…in every picture she is sucking her fingers with her index finger planted up her nose! Thankfully, the rest of the festivities went without a hitch. The day was lovely. The happy couple is now living in Sara’s house. Thad fits into the family great and we like him a lot. I, for one, am glad to have my sister married off!

I keep busy doing the same ole stuff. I’m still home schooling and trying to stay sane. Some days I succeed and some days I don’t! Mitchell took his first Achievement test this year, and I am happy to report that, (contrary to his own belief), he is not stupid! Megan and Madison are two peas in a pod and love to help me in the kitchen. All three are busy, busy, busy and keep me sending up what I like to call flare prayers of “HELP!”
Merry Christmas!
Robb, Kristina, Mitchell, Megan and Madison

Frosty Farm

A mere cup of coffee

In the beginning, this story will seem to be about getting a cup of coffee. It is. But read on.

On Sunday we had a family gathering at a couple's home. They shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. We had a lovely dinner of taco soup (provided by us), conversation, and the kids played outside. After dinner Mr. X made coffee. It was unusually strong, but I can't hack regular coffee, so I went to the fridge for some milk. There were two full jugs, and I didn't want to open a new one, so I took out the third, almost empty jug. I poured a little into my mug until I noticed it was not milk. It appeared to be water. Robb joked, "Watch out! It's probably bleach water!" But, knowing that Mrs. X often drinks water out of large jugs, I assumed it was water. I opened a new jug of milk, poured some into my coffee and added sugar. My coffee tasted just right.

We continued the enjoyable afternoon until Miss x (10) interrupted, held out the nearly empty milk jug, and said, "What is in this? It smells like bleach and I drank some." I now realized I had consumed bleach water as well." She and I pondered our fate. I didn't want to take any chances (would you?) so I made a call to poison control.

Did you know that you could drink a whole gulp of bleach straight from the bottle and all you would get is a stomach ache? I learned that from poison control. Thankfully, the only stomach ache I got was from the beans in the taco soup.

Chickens

I have recently entered a new phase of self sufficiency. I now know how to butcher chickens. Yep, I helped a friend kill and clean a few of her birds. It's really not that bad. I expected the chickens to fight a bit more, but they were quite subdued. Maybe they were half frozen! Maybe they figured dead was better than being cooped up in a tiny shed with 16 other birds. Anyway, they didn't protest their end much.

Call me twisted or whatever you wish, but I have harbored a secret wish for many years to see a chicken running around without a head. Yesterday their feet were tied, so they only flopped. The kids watched from a distance and laughed. Debbie thanked Jesus for dinner. I was just satisfied the job was done. For that day, anyway. There are 12 birds left. Maybe we'll leave their feet untied.