Calm

It’s been a calm week here at the Kaiser homeplace. Monday brought a sweet Anya, Tuesday brought a delightful summer day complete with an evening thunderstorm (hail and tornado sirens included), Wednesday brought Meg and four sweet little people that I forgot to get any photos of, and yesterday brought sunshine and gorgeous blue skies although it was a bit chilly. Which is good for fruit trees so that is NOT a complaint.

Wednesday. Grandpa likes to help Ben take hay to the cows. I really think he just likes to drive the 4wheeler.

Something else to try if you’re 14.

Last night after supper we planted five new fruit trees. Four were replacements for old ones that were more work than fruit (ages ranged from 7 to 35 years old)(some of the younger ones never fully recovered from a few run-ins with mowers over the years). One tree replaced a fire blight fatality.

Raiding the horse pen for some pretty rich compost.

Gorgeous evening.

First fruit tree spray of the year.

Ford Tough.

More gorgeous sky last night, and a girl on a horse.

Zoomed in so you can see the girl on the horse.

Wish I knew what year we planted these walnut trees... transplanted volunteers from the tree on the levee. They’re huge. Levi&Echo’s house in distance to the right.

If Jacob is 6’ then trees are 30’.

Still more gorgeous sky.

Pictures hardly do it justice.

 

 

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name . . . worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

I Chronicles 16:29

Something To Try If You're 14

Kids And Jobs

Can I interrupt this blog with a brief soapbox?

Good.

Here are my 2cents on Kids And Jobs. Just something I’ve been thinking about as spring gets closer.

Cent 1. Kids need jobs.

I’ve learned, from my days as a babysitter, daycare worker, grade school student teacher and substitute teacher, and mom, that kids left to play all day will usually get bored at some point which inevitably result in spats, whining, fussing, and general selfishness and unhappiness. Which doesn’t make them very likeable. Or fun to be around. Kids who know they are expected to contribute to the pulling of the wagon are way more likely to appreciate those free times when their contributions are completed. Free time, as with anything else in life, is valued more highly if there is less of it.

If your kids don’t know how to do any jobs – shame on you. Teach them.

If you don’t have time to teach them – shame on you. Get a pet.

Kids take time.

None of this “quality time” business: what a joke. What a lie. It’s got to be quantity. Large quantities. Of YOUR time. Large quantities = quality. You’ve got to work with your kids. Let them work with you. And play with you. And sing with you. And pray with you. And talk with you. And work some more with you. And play some more with you. And talk some more with you. No matter what the age. Kids need massive amounts of time with you just like they need vitamin C and food and water and exercise and a good night’s sleep.

Well, and a rambly tangent besides. Back to jobs.

Don’t forget to appreciate the jobs kids do…praise is as vital to kids as fresh air and sunshine. Give it liberally and give it sincerely.

 

Cent 2. Kids don’t need to be entertained.

One word we have never allowed at this house is boring or any form of the word. I detest that word. Always have. When life is boring, when someone is bored, that means that same someone is boring.

Simple solution:

Teach kids to make themselves interesting. Give them a few ideas, but only a few: read a book, bake cookies, draw a picture, color a picture, do a puzzle, make dandelion chains, cut grass for the neighbor’s pet rabbit, call the siblings or neighbor kids together for a bike race or a trek on the Oregon Trail.

In other words: teach them to make life happen.

Meet resistance?

Give them a job (see cent 1, above).

OR

Kick them outside and let them wander in the Ugly Land Of Boredom until lightening strikes and suddenly, spontaneously, they’re doing something. Something fun. Something creative. Something, anything. Even if it takes an hour or more. Let them wander, and they’ll get there. They’ll eventually stumble on something fun and then they’ll be having so much fun creating and imagining and making and playing that they hate to quit at choretime. I’ve seen it dozens and dozens of times. It always works.

 

That’s it, that’s my 2cents,

End soapbox.

 

 

BONUS ROUND:

***when you take the time to teach little kids to work, all of a sudden  - - like BLINK  - - they grow up and then you have this army of big kids that can accomplish amazing things***

Just sayn’.

 

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work [which includes teaching your kids!] shall be rewarded.

2 Chronicles 15:7

Early Spring

Well, we’ll take it because we don’t have much choice, and we might as well like it, because like one of the kids said, we can’t change it anyway so we might as well. And we are. And I am. But I’m trying not to think about the fruit trees blooming and blossoming because we only have about 6 weeks of potential frosts yet which could certainly end any fruit crop…

kind of hard not to think about fruit trees when it’s time to prune though!

Anyway.

A few shots of life lately.

End of rink.

Almost finished.

Callie the calico cat.

Another sign of spring -

Rascal’s so funny – I stop walking to take a picture, she stops and looks back, just waiting on me.

Our fruit trees look really odd without leaves. Nothing beautiful about them at this point.

My shrinking kitchen. I think this was Saturday – can you name six kids?

Yesterday a certain unnamed someone dropped a dozen eggs down the stairs. I’m not sure how eggs got splattered all over the walls. They just did. At least only 11 eggs broke. And at least the other two dozen eggs that were being carried did not get dropped. Princess benefitted, anyways.

Also yesterday. When one hears a loud unusual crashing noise in one’s basement, one should always check it out immediately. One might find a broken shelf of one’s freezer has spilled one’s frozen goods all over one’s floor after said frozen goods pushed one’s freezer door wide open. Thankfully we were home and heard it – - - I cringe to think what it would look like if we hadn’t heard it right away like we did!

((the open freezer door beside it is being defrosted, no worries there))

Sweet visitors today seem to love being outside, imagine that!

That’s it for this time. Enjoy these beautiful spring days and don’t think about the fruit trees!

Covered By The Blood

Days Are Just Flyin’ By In A Joyful Flurry Of Busyness - - -

Like this - - -

And this - - -

And this - - -

This is how you settle a stoop a little more firmly into the dirt. “One, two, three, JUMP!” Pretty techy, huh?

 

And that’s a little glimpse of what we’ve been up to lately.

Also lately, we’ve been listening to this song which is on an album we got the kids for Christmas. If you’re having a down day, think on these words.  And rejoice for the blood which redeems us!

 

Covered By The Blood

Once in sin’s darkest night I was wandering alone;
A stranger to mercy I stood.
But the Savior came nigh
When he heard my faint cry,
And He put my sins under the blood.

Refrain:

They are covered by the blood;
They are covered by the blood;
My sins are all covered by the blood.
Mine iniquities so vast
Have been blotted out at last,
My sins are all covered by the blood.

From the burden I carried now I am set free,
For Jesus has lifted my load.
O the love and the grace I received in its place
When he put my sins under the blood.

Refrain

I can ne’er understand why He sought even me,
Why His lifeblood on Calvary flowed.
But sufficient for me,
Since He died on the tree,
He hath put my sins under the blood.

Refrain

Now He comes to my heart and removes every care;
He bears all my cumbering load.
In a pathway replete
With His love are my feet,
Since He put my sins under the blood.

Refrain