concrete!

Tim has been combining nearby, so he knew the concrete was coming this morning... He thought the kids and I should go over to watch for a while. Yay! for basement walls (and part of the garage) The pumper truck is pretty impressive!





The neighbor's dog also came over to visit... She wanted to be king of the mountain (dirt hills) too. So the girls romped in the field a bit and kept her away from the cattle. She found a mouse to chase... hmmm... a good dog maybe.

another house update

Yes, I'm finally getting the latest pictures posted... I think they started stacking blocks on Oct. 13. This is just the basement (or lower level, some would say). No concrete in the forms yet. They spent the couple of sunny days last week putting up the supports and hopefully checking that windows are square, etc. :-)
Above, the stack of extra forms is sitting where the garage will be.
Below, the plank leads to what will be Tim's study/my sewing room - on the back side of house. So three windows with a good view N/NE towards the hayfield, or at least daylight (other windows are in family room and K&A bedroom).


Tim takes pictures in the daylight - much better, don't you think? He and the boys had to dig under all this rock (not to mention soil outside) to get the water line into the house. But better rock than concrete, eh?
(So the break from fieldwork was useful for something :-))



It was the Popper helping him this weekend - they ran the tubing under the footings that will connect with the outdoor stove. I took a little tour over there this afternoon, but didn't have the camera. It looks about the same anyway. What occurred to me today was how high this house will sit with yet another floor on top of these blocks. (Good thing we didn't go with a two-story) It's all hard to imagine still really.

birthday silliness

The kids tried to trick Tim by wrapping their gifts in extra l.a.r.g.e. boxes... (so I had them use newspapers for wrap)

... and he became Crazy Silly Dad for the occasion... Here he is IN the box... 'inciting the kids to riot' just in time for bedtime.

on that same note

FOR I AM SAVED BY GRACE
words by Dawn Watkins

I need not fear the future days,
Nor doubt my present place;
I need not grieve the days gone by,
For I am saved by grace.

chorus:
The grace of God has rescued me
From fear, regret, and shame.
I stand redeemed and justified
In Jesus' perfect name.

I need not hold to lands and goods,
Nor strive for treasures base;
I need not long for things I've lost;
For I am saved by grace.

I need but trust my Father's care,
And faithful, run my race;
I need but hear His sweet "Well done,"
For I am saved by grace.


[from Creator of It All, Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team]

...grace, truth, peace, mercy, love...

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corithians 8:9)

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6)

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

Just thinking today how thankful I am to know God's gracious work in my life... it's nothing short of amazing.


But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4-7)

God is good all the time!

happy birthday, sweetheart!

This is a somewhat old photo, but I just saw it in the files and I like it! =) Tim had cooled off the kids with some water balloons...


The man turns 45 on Monday! Here's tomorrow's treat: my version of Perkin's pie with Heath Bar and pecans on top. Yum. Seemed like just the thing to follow spinach manicotti (which was already in my freezer - I'm really not SuperWoman!), Caesar salad, and Miss MusicBox's breadsticks. (I do have surprises planned for Monday as well!)


Tonight we enjoyed almost the last of this year's crop of sweet potatoes - extra yummy with pecans, coconut, brown sugar, butter...


And the other week in the grocery store I heard someone say "Kringla" YUM. It's been a long, long time since we've made kringla here. (I'm going to have to give my younger girls a lesson! The Artist shaped most of this pan for me.) And of course, now I like to bake with whole wheat flour, sooo these are almost all whole wheat. Not quite 'kringla' but still good - and healthy enough to serve for a breakfast treat in Sunday school tomorrow ;-)

Tuesday's wash list

• Baked cookies for field guys
• Delivered needed papers to building crew - which required several phone calls and going to the farm office to pick up the emailed info since my i-net was down, and then the crew was off to lunch instead of at the building site when I got there...
• Watered the big steers with the Cattleman - which includes filling a tank in the truck with 200 gallons and wobbling down the highway slowly...
• Talked with insurance guy at length (um, twice?)
• Delivered and retrieved the Popper to/from combine (and rode a round with the Cattleman on my lap - yes, four of us in the combine together - cozy!)

...with a little schooling, laundry, and meals added in somewhere!

Just call it "A Day in the Life..."

But remember: it's all GOOD! =)

interesting series of events

http://www.berneapparel.com/catalog/images/WHJ41TRQ_large.jpg

We'll see if the link works to show you my new ladies' work coat I just bought on Monday at Theisen's. (only mine is light purple -- the Artist got one in desert rose)
No, I can't take a picture of mine to post because my beloved coat is in the washing machine right now. Because... I enjoyed wearing it this morning to help the Cattleman help his dad by moving the water tank and watering the steers here at home. This involved work! messy work at that since I hauled in and coiled up the 3 lengths of hose that were strung out to the middle of the pasture... and picture a beautiful pasture in USE by critters who don't seem to care where they leave their manure. Do you get the picture how clean this garden hose was not?


But it all strikes me as funny that I teased my sweetheart Monday eve about "all the chores" I do that I needed my own work coat for - instead of snitching his ;-) And if I kept it clean enough, I could wear it to town... Then, Tuesday he offered to let us (the Cattleman & me) water the steers at Sandy Creek. I wore it to the field last night to fetch the Popper home from her ride in the combine. Followed by today, when the Cattleman needed help here.

SO I actually did some CHORING in my new work coat! Enough choring that it needed a wash already so that I can wear it to church tonight! ;-)

=)

cosmos

He hath made his wonderful works
to be remembered:
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

Psalm 111:4

now for something concrete

These are the forms as we saw them Thursday eve... they needed some adjusting Friday morning, so I'm glad Tim inspected/measured before the pour :-)


These are the future walls... ICF means Insulated Concrete Forms... the forms stack like Lego blocks, the concrete is poured inside, and voila, you have an insulated wall.


Tim took some photos today... footings are poured, and they are using this special truck to move the rock pile to the basement floor ...at least I think that's what they are doing anyway ;-)

three things

Earlier this week I spent a lot of time surfing around blogs linked to a giveaway carnival. One thoughtful blogger requested in our comments that we list three things we're thankful for... I was happy to comply.

I've been thinking since June that I needed to post a series of Thanksgiving thoughts (thinking complaining comes just too natural for me! and perhaps "Christmas in July" could be preceded by "Thanksgiving in June"?) I didn't get a round tuit then, but here's a start now...

So, three things among many would be -- my romantic, godly dh who is such a great father to our children; our six children, whom God is molding into such beautiful people (in spite of me); the opportunity to pursue our dream of living on our own land with a variety of bovines for plenty of good company and a little profit. =)

God is so good!

little britches

We love this book! :-) Here's a favorite quote from Chapter Nine: "...Always remember, Son, the best boss is the one who bosses the least. Whether it's cattle, or horses, or men; the least government is the best government." I don't think I'm going to be able to read aloud the whole series again, but this is the best book anyway because Ralph's father has so much wisdom to share (and, if you've read this book or the series, you know that he's not around in the rest of the books...) But maybe I'll keep the other books on my List to Read... my youngers don't remember them from the first time through. And, I keep saying that the Ralph Moody books are better* than Laura Ingalls' - and I've been reading those again for my youngers. *Except Farmer Boy - that rates about as high as Little Britches :-)

the diggings

Electrical power seems like a good idea :-) And I like the look of a trench - must be from a combo love of soil and lines? (I'm a farmgirl, remember?!)


Mr. Digger doing his job on Monday...
No, we didn't go very deep since we're looking to keep the creek down below OUT of our house and some sunlight IN the windows.

The kids had a grand time climbing in and out of the basement and up and down the new piles of dirt. I took pictures with the forms in place last night, but the camera is away from home for now. Tim must have taken more pictures of the footings which were poured today. Next week sometime they will start on walls... I think. They have to roof someone else's house on Monday if the weather is good. We are eager to see the blocks stacked! (and to see the sun stick around for a few weeks instead of hours at a time)

sandy creek

The littles and I made a quick stop at the future homesite yesterday. Mr. Builder came and staked it out on Monday. It's really hard to see much here - look for the flags, and if you can see the thin white post in back on the right, that is the back corner of the kitchen. IF and when we get the basement dug, maybe the photos will be more impressive?! Mr. Digger was supposed to dig either yesterday or today. But I don't know if he ran out of time yesterday, or thought better of it, but it didn't get done yet. This rain was unwelcome in our limited wisdom, except that we got a few more days to finalize electrical and plumbing decisions ;-) {Praying for an end to this deluge!} SO, hopefully next week it will dry out enough to dig the basement and get the footings poured -- exciting, eh?!


Aren't these boys handsome?! Love, love, love how good they look out there! :-)

bird watching

The kids and I were quite sidetracked today by this Northern Flicker who has been visiting our yard lately... Today he spent some time in the yard just out the big dining room windows, so they got a good look at him... they were amazed at how BIG he is :-) The book says they measure at 12 inches. We were glad the kitty wasn't nearby - she likely would have lost any battle with him! Of course, when I braved the drizzle to go out and get a photo, he went up this tree and kept maneuvering to avoid my stalking camera ;-) He's in the middle of this photo -- click on it to enlarge, and hopefully you can see him then.

I think the hummingbirds are gone. I haven't seen them much in the last week or so. They were a fun treat to watch this summer - we haven't had many before, but this year we got a feeder for them so they had good reason to hang around here.