12-31-10 Another Year Is Dawning

After a night of thunderstorms, we woke up to yet more rain. All told, we had maybe two inches – much needed and appreciated. The sun came out in the afternoon, and at a balmy 55 degrees or so, I enjoyed a beautiful walk with ASK in spite of the pounding headache that plagued me all day. Sometimes rain/cloudy does that to me; I don’t know why. Never did entirely shake the headache, so I listened from home (again) while the rest of my family went to the New Year’s Eve service at church. Dewayne was here which was nice; he focused on Matthew 27:36, where the soldiers crucified Jesus: And sitting down they watched him there.  Dewayne encouraged us to spend more time watching Him – studying our Lord, contemplating His awful wonderful death on the cross and the love that kept Him there. How amazing; He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels, but He died alone, for you and me.  May we spend more time in 2011 focusing on Him and His sacrifice for us.

Dad’s main project today was replacing our cracked sink – no small project, that. Out with the old - -

In with the new - - but it was too small for the hole.

Dad & I ran to Menards and got another one that worked, while the kids did some deep cleaning of the cupboards.

Play-doh for littles.

 

After milking, Levi and Jesse joined the plumbing class.

Done!

Lots of help wrapping little smokies for our New Year’s Eve celebration after church.

Everyone enjoyed our Annual New Year’s Eve Junk Food Buffet…

…followed by our annual year-end review and goal-setting session. We pulled out last year’s list and were both amused and challenged by our successes and failures in 2010, and we then made a new list for 2011. How nice that everyone is most helpful with others’ lists;  many stories were shared as examples of areas for others to work on. Interesting how others can see us so much more clearly than we can see ourselves. It made for a very fun evening!

Quote Of The Day: Dad to Ben, at choretime.  “Ben, if you don’t get your eggs done, I’m going to dump the whole bucket on your head!” This was met with a roar of skeptical laughter from the audience of about five kids, who, in spite of all their encouraging and coaching, couldn’t convince Ben to test Dad’s words. Smart kid, our Ben!

And so our evening passed, and along with it 2010; and we welcomed 2011 with very little fanfare.

ANOTHER YEAR IS DAWNING (Hymns of Zion #150)

Another year is dawning, Dear Master let it be,

In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee.

Another year of mercies, Of faithfulness and grace.

Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face.

Another year of progress, Another year of praise,

Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love; 

Another year of training For holier work above.

Another year is dawning, Dear Master let it be,

On earth, or else in heaven Another year for Thee.

12-30-10 Singing All The Time

Just a song that’s been on my mind lately -

Singing All The Time (Gospel Hymns #156)

I feel like singing all the time, My tears are wiped away;

For Jesus is a friend of mind, I'll serve Him ev'ry day.

        I'm singing, singing, Singing all the time; Singing, singing, Singing all the time.

When on the cross my Lord I saw, Nail'd there by sins of mine;

Fast fell the burning tears; but now, I'm singing all the time.

        I'm singing, singing, Singing all the time; Singing, singing, Singing all the time.

When fierce temptations try my heart, I sing, Jesus is mine;

And so, though tears at times may start, I'm singing all the time.

        I'm singing, singing, Singing all the time; Singing, singing, Singing all the time.

The wondrous story of the Lamb, Tell with that voice of thine,

Till others, with the glad new song Go singing all the time.

        I'm singing, singing, Singing all the time; Singing, singing, Singing all the time.

It’s not a bad tune to be dancing around in one’s head all day!

Today was warm. I don’t know how warm, but the snow that was thoroughly enjoyed with the 4 wheeler and sleds yesterday was 99.99% (or so) GONE by the time we headed out for our afternoon fresh air fix. Disappointing? Not in the slightest – a great time was had by all – especially Kate, when Jacob took a body splat into a nice wet mud puddle while doing chores. He told me about it, and that Kate couldn’t stop laughing at him. I didn’t have much sympathy for him; my only response was, “You would have been laughing even harder if she was the one who fell!” He tried to deny it, but his laughing kind of gave himself away. And I didn’t even get to see it OR get a picture, because I was rocking Joshua before his nap, and Jacob wouldn’t let the girls take his picture. Anyway, I saw plenty of other mud outside, but since Jacob took care of the heavy-duty laundry load, I didn’t see much inside. Now that’s a good kid! Thanks, Jacob!  I even had a clear road on which to walk, but instead took a walk-about the farmyard with Joshua and Jewel. I got plenty of exercise pulling him in the wagon – he’s getting pretty hefty. Levi and Jesse milked twice, with Levi going to Precision in between and Jesse studying here. When his school is done, he’s been spending lots of time working on the distributor on his tractor and really seems to enjoy it. The rest of us did a little bit of school, a lot of ironing, and Tori did a lot of sewing for me (making a skirt for Jewel). Dad was home early from work, and he and I did some errands and had supper together before coming home to catch up with everyone.

Gray but beautiful anyway.

Very intrigued with the pink ice that was hidden under the snow.

(remember, we butchered last week…)

Josh thought “walking” on the ice was so much fun! He did more slipping and falling than walking, but Tori kept him safe.

So thankful our kids are friends (usually).

 

Jewel insists this pink hat is her favorite, even though half the time she can’t see because there’s little elastic left to keep it off of her eyes. Funny how those shapeless hats become favorites…and then somehow they get lost…

Anyway, she was obviously enjoying her swing ride regardless (as they all were).

I guess she can see, but it certainly doesn’t look like it!

That’s better!

I think he’s stuck.

“Mittens? I can’t shovel snow if I have to wear mittens!”

 

FLASHBACK 2007:

Between Jacob and Jesse suspended on their hoes, the elaborate dams they had built, the mud on Jacob and Kate, and the look of delight on Ben’s face, this is one of my all-time favorite pictures. Although the angle of the picture and thus the background are entirely different, these are basically taken at the same place in our driveway, where the melting snow always pools and our kids are always attracted like flies to a picnic. Too much fun!!

And that’s it.

12-29-10 Say “Thank You”

For every time they fuss and fret,

And every time the diaper’s wet,

For hours of sleep you’ll never get --

Remember to say, “Thank You.”

For all the spit-up on your dress,

The lovely house that’s now a mess,

And busy days so full of stress --

Remember to say, “Thank You.”

For there are those with empty arms

Who wouldn’t mind keeping bottles warm,

Who pray the Father, pray the Son,

Hoping for a little one.

And if that dream perhaps comes true,

They won’t forget to say, “Thank You.”

-----Lisa Hyman Johnson

12-28-10 Beautiful

These pictures hardly do the morning justice – it was GORGEOUS, and the sun was out all day, and it was even more gorgeous, just a beautiful beautiful day.  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – God is a magnificent artist.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Psalm 96:9

Routine otherwise, except our favorite Aunt Joyce came out to read and play games with the kids.  Love that!  Levi had the opportunity to work a late shift for Precision, so he was in for a quick supper after milking, then right back out again. The rest of the kids, A. Joyce, and I ate an early supper so we could be ready to leave right when Dad got home from work. A. Joyce left, we raced around doing k.p. and getting ready to go, and we were almost ready when Dad got home and grabbed a quick sandwich for supper (fresh bbq pork on fresh baked homemade whole wheat buns. Mmmmm!!!) before we raced out the door. We had a wonderful evening helping Aunt Shirley celebrate her 70th birthday (a few weeks early, but she & Uncle Dan will be in FL then) and catching up with extended family. It was such a great evening getting to talk to so many – kind of a miniature Steiner Reunion, but without the heat and humidity.  The kids had fun with all the toys in the basement at Chestnut Place, and of course the birthday cake, ice cream, and cookies were a hit with everyone too.  I am SO THANKFUL that I was well again and didn’t have to miss it…and glad we are on school break so children can sleep in tomorrow. Thanks, Diane and helpers, for your hospitality in hosting us all – we loved it!

12-27-10 Viral Gastroenteritis

Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses that results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the "stomach flu," although it is not caused by the influenza viruses.

The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are watery diarrhea and vomiting. The affected person may also have headache, fever, and abdominal cramps ("stomach ache"). In general, the symptoms begin 1 to 2 days following infection with a virus that causes gastroenteritis and may last for 1 to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness.

Yes, viral gastroenteritis is contagious. The viruses that cause gastroenteritis are spread through close contact with infected persons. Individuals may also become infected by eating or drinking contaminated foods or beverages.

Persons can reduce their chance of getting infected by frequent handwashing, prompt disinfection of contaminated surfaces with household chlorine bleach-based cleaners, and prompt washing of soiled articles of clothing. If food or water is thought to be contaminated, it should be avoided.

Copied from the Center for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalm 139:14)

It's just an amazing miracle the way we can be attacked by a flu bug, the result of Adam's fall and the entrance of sin into the world, and our bodies are perfectly created to fight it off. Hallelujah!

Well, I’m no doctor, far from it, but these descriptions sure fit my last two days perfectly. I felt much better today than yesterday, and hope to feel even better tomorrow than today!

We didn’t do much school today; our main projects were a lot of laundry and making chicken noodle soup for supper. Boys milked, and Levi went to Precision; except for not having school meetings, today was pretty routine.

I don’t know who took this; I don’t remember it being this gray anytime today.

Mostly it was sunshiny with gorgeous brilliant blue skies.

Oops!

Ready for Dad to get home for supper-

After supper -

The completed “hotel.”

Farm Gaming continues - -

The kids wanted me to include this story from Bibletime: Dad was quizzing the littles on the story he had just read, about Noah building the ark. They were getting a few incorrect but mostly correct answers. Sarah had just correctly answered kind of a hard question, and Dad commented that he hadn’t thought she would get it. She piped up, serious as can be, and said, “I know my math!” We all enjoyed a good chuckle, all the while trying to hide it from her. Pretty sweet!

That’s it.

12-26-10 Rough

…yeah, I was up most of the night with various degrees of painful stomach cramping/vomiting. Didn’t sleep much. So Dad and the kids went to church without me. There was no alternative, as I felt…well, pretty rough…but I must confess it was very difficult to hear them all getting ready for church and I was laying there feeling awful. I am an absolute wimp when it comes to pain, but the pain of my stomach was eclipsed by my longing to be going with everyone else.  So many times I’ve missed church due to sick children, and I’ve always embraced it as part of motherhood, but this - – they are all healthy on a Sunday, and I’m not – - this is kind of hard. When they sang a song for me before they left, I about lost it – Jewel picked her favorite song, Where The Roses Never Fade. Ok, so I really don’t think I’m on my deathbed quite yet, and that made me smile, but that’s about the only nugget I could find at that point. Nuggets were kind of hard to find today. I dozed through most of the morning service – I know Glen preached again but I wasn’t very focused so missed much of what he said. Before afternoon church started, I caught up on a couple of blogs that we enjoy – – and was encouraged that Mary was so upbeat even though her children and husband have been and were still sick yesterday, Christmas Day. I even left her a comment to that end… which is why I felt doubly frustrated with myself when afternoon singing started at church. Okay, well, here’s some more background to this day: for the last three years, Kaiser Christmas has been the same night as Rinkenberger, so quite obviously we’ve missed Rinkenberger Christmas for three years.  This year, Grandma Rink ran her dates by me before she set the date for certain, so we could be sure and be there. It was so so kind of her and I appreciated it greatly and was greatly looking forward to again being at Rink Christmas and catching up with family again. So… obviously that’s not going to happen, and I am so disappointed about that but powerless to do anything about it. I know we always say or think Lord willing, but when it comes right down to it it’s not always easy to submit to His will when we want our will so badly. But I was doing ok with it, figuring God knows I didn’t need to be at Rink Christmas again this year, no matter how much I thought I needed to be. Then I listened to church online and they sang There Were Shepherds and it was so beautiful – and we didn’t sing it yesterday on Christmas Day when I WAS there, so now when I’m sick at home they sang it, and that’s a highlight of the Christmas season for me, to sing that specific song which we ONLY sing at this time of year, obviously. I lost it; I’m ashamed to admit I cried like a baby. Okay, well, so I was very tired too, and extremely disappointed and thus highly emotional anyway with the way the day was turning out, but talk about salt in an open wound – I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be learning from this, but I hope I’m learning something.  I did feel better after that, so it wasn’t entirely a waste, but still, I feel kind of silly about it.  I mean, come on, it’s just a flu bug (rather, a viral gastro something or other); it’s not like it’s cancer or something really worth crying over….

The Slough of Self-Pity is difficult to escape, but I’m pretty determined, so I took a couple pictures of the absolutely gorgeous day outside, trying not to think about the fact that I wouldn’t be going for a walk in it, let alone sledding…

Curt read in Proverbs, but in the midst of sopping up all my tears, I missed when he said the chapter. Ok, I’m really searching hard here, but I was encouraged that I could pull up my faithful KJV Bible online, enter the last verse he read, and almost immediately know he was reading in chapter 24. He had just started the second reading, in Philippians I think, when Rascal started going nuts because a car pulled in the driveway. What a great watchdog. Anyway, it was 2 teen drivers, one of whom confessed that he hit the ditch coming down the hill south of the house and broke our fence there. Now what a dilemma. Do I walk down there and keep the steers in? Ouch. Or trust that the boys’ assessment was accurate, that the top and bottom wires were still connected but loose? Do I bother Dad at church? What if the steers get out and are halfway to Mackinaw by the time everyone gets home?? What do I do? Dad didn’t have his phone, so I texted Levi and Jesse, and needless to say didn’t learn much from Curt or Glen during the afternoon service. To say I was stressed was putting it mildly. And my boys were texting during church – observers probably thought they were terrible, and it was my fault – anyway, I was a bit upset by it all. I know, I know, it’s NOT that big of a deal, but I was at a point where molehills looked like mountains. Pathetic, huh?

So that was my day. Dad and the kids got home; he and the boys immediately went out to do chores and fix the fence, and Tori managed things in here. I was banished back to my room in the hopes of preventing the spreading of this nasty little thing I’ve got. And there I was ALL AFTERNOON and ALL EVENING.  Sipping on hot tea and chicken bouillon, with nothing to do except read and rest, I should have been happy as a lark, right?  Not hardly. I was glad to hear lots of laughing and fun going on in the rest of the house, and with continuing cramps and some diarrhea too, I knew I didn’t want to be out there, but I still did – minus the cramps, of course. So the time passed, with occasional visits from Dad, ASK, and the kids, from a distance of course, and I got caught up on some reading which was good, and by 8:00 I was asleep.  From later reports I heard that the rest of the house settled down soon then too.

And I’m very thankful that THIS TOO SHALL PASS (like Grandpa Steiner often says) and that I have otherwise very good health!!!!!!

And that’s it.

12-25-10 Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all. What a special day as we started out by worshipping our Creator God and King Jesus with our church family. Glen was here and had some excellent thoughts from Matthew 1-2, one being that Joseph followed the leading of the Holy Spirit many times as he protected Baby Jesus from King Herod who sought to destroy Him. How about us? Do I discern and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in my life as Joseph did? Also Glen pointed out that as Herod instructed the wise men to go and search diligently for the young child, although for an evil purpose, so should we diligently seek God.

After church we enjoyed fellowship with many visitors; it’s a special part of our worship when we can connect again with those we don’t normally see. Home again for a light lunch, ASK came out for the afternoon and supper, and then both sets of grandparents joined us for the evening.

The predicted 3-4 inches of snow was more like 6-7. It was beautiful!

After church scenes:

I opted to do chores with Dad while this crowd had another great time on the 4-wheeler. What would we do without it?

Grandpa demonstrated his unique hold which Dad has told us about.

We enjoyed visiting and a movie that Grandma Kaiser had brought (The Cubs of Yellowstone – the kids loved it!)(We did too – got us wishing for another Yellowstone vacation), and then I put 3 littles through the bathtub and to bed. After all grandparents had left, Dad and I met with Levi, and that’s when my stomach started extremely painful cramping…