by Ben
When I have free time I read, play inside, or play outside. Outside I usually play in the sandbox, or chase cats with Rascal, or take a walk. The best is chasing cats with Rascal. When I play inside I usually play the computer (for only 20 minutes), read a book, or draw a picture. There are a lot of fun things inside and out that I like to do.
First a few comparison px:
September 4, 2011. The kids waded in when it was this deep; it was estimated to be about 4 feet from the deepest part of the trench to the bottom of the measuring stick.
September 27, 2011. The bottom of the measuring stick is now covered.
November 10, 2011. I guess we didn’t take any px in October because there was no change. This fall has been extremely dry which makes for a slow filling lake.
Tori took this for me yesterday, November 28, 2011, after our weekend of 1.6” of rain. And yes it was a gray day – we never saw the sun all day long!
I cropped that picture to show how the water is just starting to flood out of the trench.
Gray rainy day = cats in closet *smile*
Kenny (black) and Spanky (gray) are our two barn cats who wish they were house cats. They’re such nice cats, very loved and cherished by their owners.
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Jesse unloads the dishwasher for me every night which I appreciate very much, thank you Jesse!!!! No px, but Levi collects and sorts laundry every night too – which I also appreciate very much, thank you Levi!!!!!!!
(that’s a microphone, don’t you know?!!!)
Josh heard the Vitamix going this morning and was so excited for smoothee - - -
- - - which he enjoyed thoroughly!!!!!
Kate had lots of help sifting flour for an angel food cake today -
- serenaded nicely by Ben which of course makes all jobs much more enjoyable *smile*
Gray rainy days also = forts - - -
- - - - and trains!!! *smile*
And I think I speak for all of us when I say we were glad to see the sun briefly late this afternoon. Oh, it was beautiful and we hope to see it more tomorrow!!! Also today was VERY cold – coldest day yet this winter, but it is almost December so that’s alright, right?!
That’s all for this time – good night.
by Kaitlyn
About a week ago we got out Knex. We were just building little trucks and stuff but then on Saturday we decided to make the big ball roller. (We don’t know the name of it. That’s just what we call it.) It is about 6 feet high and about 3 feet wide. It is very neat!! We got it for Christmas last year. Mom also got a smaller set at a garage sale. We had it all the way built in about 2 and half hours. It is very fun to make and to play with. We like to make other things with the Knex also. Jacob’s specialty is making 8 wheel drive semis and stuff like that!! Here is a picture of one of Jacob's semis. It is pretty neat. Actually this semi is only 4 wheel drive or maybe two but I can’t remember! We have a little engine that runs on battery. We also got some gears with the big set so we can make Jacob’s 8 wheel drive trucks really drive.
Here is the big ball roller. I think Mom is going to try to post some videos of it working.
Here is one of Ben’s contraptions!!
It was very fun to make.
. . . is . . .
The magnificent, wonderful, cutting-edge, incredible piece of technology called the ipad. It’s Dad’s that he uses at work, so it only graces our residence when he’s home. I started out pretty anti-ipad (isn’t three computers enough?????????!!!!!) but have to admit it’s kind of a nifty little toy tool. And I finally know what angry birds is. It’s a silly little computer game akin to Frogger of the earliest computer days or Pacman back from the era of Atari. ????? You don’t know what Atari is? You’ve never heard of Frogger? Tsk, tsk, I’m showing my age. Guess it’s time I quit rambling.
Anyway.
Another wonderful Sunday when we were all healthy for church again.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12.
We should NEVER take for granted the privilege of worshipping together and openly. For thousands of believers in the world this is not so; in a time when there is more persecution than ever before in history, we should thank God DAILY for our freedoms and entreat Him without ceasing for our government and leaders so we can retain these freedoms.
We were blessed with a visiting minister again; there were many Takeaways from both sermons. In the morning, we read about the golden calf that Aaron made for the Israelites when Moses was on the mount with God; we learned about Aaron’s failure to accept responsibility for making the calf. Among other reminders, we were exhorted to accept responsibility for our wrongs. May God help us to face our mistakes and not pass the blame.
After church Dad & I braved the cold drizzle to check fences; it was a good thing because indeed a crossed wire had shut down the electric wire. A simple fix but necessary to prevent cattle from roaming the countryside – not a fun idea when it’s cold and drizzly!!!!!!
Then -
Dad made us delicious turkey steaks for supper. We used to have these frequently when we raised our own turkeys, but now it’s been awhile since we’ve had them. They were WONDERFUL!!!!!!
Dad cut turkey breasts into steaks; he dipped them into scrambled eggs then finely ground saltine crackers (ground in vitamix) before frying them in oil. While Dad was working on the steaks, I cooked up a leg quarter of the turkey then diced up the meat and used the broth for the dressing. Mmmmm - - - a winter favorite - - - we don’t all love dressing, but those of us that do REALLY like it!!!!!
Turkey steaks ready to serve -
Mashed potatoes and turkey gravy -
Dressing - (best part, in my opinion!!) – it was soooo good!!!
Blueberry muffins just make a special meal even more special -
We also had strawberry applesauce, always a favorite, and (leftover!) green beans and corn. Dessert was another favorite – Chocolate Declare Cake. MMMMMMMMM are we spoiled or what???!!!!!!!!!!!!
So this blog was started as a history for you kids – but it has kind of expanded into a family resource for all those things we want you kids to know someday down the road - - - recipes to remember among other things. And speaking of recipes to remember – Grandma Kaiser’s sophisticated recipe scrawled on a scrap of paper has eluded me more than once over the years, and duh, I guess it’s time to send it to cyberspace so I have it forever!! (or at least as long as my blog doesn’t get scraped again . . .)
So - - - here’s another recipe to remember - - -
Grandma’s Turkey Dressing
Mix together:
1 loaf dried bread chunks (I used dry morsels, croutons, and bread heels)(saved in the freezer for Weck Breckela)*
1 cup diced celery (more or less to taste)
1 cup diced onion (more or less to taste)
4 or 5 scrambled eggs
2 or so quarts turkey broth
1 teaspoon garlic salt (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon Lawry’s salt (more or less to taste)
about 2 cups of meat from carcass or giblets
Let sit a few minutes until all liquid is absorbed by bread. Add more liquid (broth or milk) if too dry or more dry bread if too moist. All the amounts are dependent on the size of the loaf of bread or how much stale bread you have on hand . . . and it’s rarely the exact same recipe twice, I’ve discovered. But it’s hard to mess it up – although how soggy baked bread can taste so good I do not know, but it does!!!!
Pour into greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cover for the first 30 minutes, stir (I don’t always do this), then uncover for last 30 minutes.
Delicious!!!!!!
*What? You don’t know what Weck Breckela is?!! Well, stayed tuned; that’ll be a recipe to remember for another day!!!!!!
Just one picture on the camera from today but it was too cute to delete! Saturday mornings are play-doh mornings for the littles when their jobs are done; Sarah took this self-photo of herself and her projects.
Good job, Sarah!
In spite of the all-day rain (1.6”), we all had a good day – which ended with another houseful of friends over for supper. We enjoyed our fellowship time but I didn’t do too good with the camera :( . The few px I took didn’t turn out that well (blurry) so they got deleted. (Aah the wonders of digital) *smile*
Also the lake is filling up nicely – I’ll try to post px in the next few days. The water is just about out of the deep “trench” and ready to start filling the flatter bottom area – which will take a lot longer to fill than the trench did. It’s fun to watch!!
Ready to head to the South Grove on a BEAUTIFUL Friday morning!!
Cut clear through, this one was so hung up it wouldn’t topple, until Jesse helped it - - -
Home run!!
These three had so much fun in their little house :)
After lunch we went back down to retrieve the firewood.
Josh loved his tractor ride!
Did I mention it was a BEAUTIFUL day?!!!
Lots of warm evenings ahead :)
