ready to spin

well, i finally came to the realization that the 18 raw fleeces stored in the garage were just too much for me to handle. the slow process of washing and carding such a large amount of wool was overwhelming. and then we had to move it somewhere when we sold the house. so i took a little trip to High Prairie Fibers and enlisted abi to process my wool. i cannot tell you what a relief it was to have that job taken care of. last week i went back to pick up the processed wool, it is now in clean fluffy strips of roving, ready to spin, and there is A LOT of it! almost 40 pounds worth of roving! several of the fleeces i took in ended up being of inferior quality, not worth keeping. sadly, bathsheba's black fleece was among these. but the rest came out beautifully. i will be spinning all winter long!

B and i love to visit abi's little farm/mill. in addition to their sheep and wool processing, they take in and care for abandoned, homeless, or sick exotic birds. they have an entire building devoted to these birds. B came away with a large flight feather from a blue and gold macaw, it is a prized possession!

a rainbow of wool

dark brown wool from a jacob sheep (?), gray jacob, shalom's gray (cheviot/shetland cross), hosanna's silvery gray (shetland), jubilee's oatmeal (shetland), snowflake's yellowish white (cheviot), roxie's bright white (cheviot).

sweet hosanna's wool on the spinning wheel

everyday gift: wool in a rainbow of natural colors, waiting to be spun

soccer highlights

some might think we are obsessed. others might say we are crazy. but we cannot deny that we are a SOCCER family throughout the fall and spring seasons. with three players, two of which are on travel teams, it is quite a juggling match to get them all to practices and games, on the right field, at the right time, with a clean uniform. (actually, there has been the occasional incident when we are late, can't find a jersey, and must pull it out of the dirty laundry! shhh. don't tell!) tomorrow will be the last games of the fall season and it will be a relief to our schedules. but even with the craziness, i must say that soccer has been great for our kids. i love to see them running and exercising (thank you, Lord, for strong healthy bodies!). i love the lessons in teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship learned. i love the discipline and commitment they are developing. and i love cheering on the sidelines!

oh, by the way, coach just called. he wants to practice indoors for the winter and he reserved a spot for us in the winter league, indoors. we've got to keep in shape, ya know...

so much for a relief in the schedule! ;o)

C plays for the U14 travel team.

it has been so fun to watch him improve his skills

over the years he has been playing.

even with his cast on, S could play soccer,

as long as we wrapped it in protective foam.

it really didn't slow him down much!

B is No. 2 for the "lavender lightning"

all those years of playing against her brothers in the front yard

has made her a pretty tough player!

(i have more pic's of B, but i can't find them on the computer! )

everyday gift: surviving enjoying the soccer season

autumn view

this is the view from the deck of our new house. we have moved in (but are not quite settled yet, in case you have wondered where i have been!) the field in the background is our corn which the farmer has not been able to harvest due to the wet weather. if things don't dry out soon, the crop could be lost. however the "crop" of mud surrounding our house seems to be doing just fine! yikes. i am still hoping that we can seed some grass before winter.

although the summer went way too quickly, i do love the change of seasons, and autumn is one of my favorites. i hope you are enjoying the crisp evenings with some hot apple cider! i have a taste for pumpkin... maybe, i should bake some pumpkin scones today...

everyday gift: the colors of autumn

more about gourds

a few weekends ago we spent a lovely time at the gourd fest. who knew gourds could be so interesting that you could celebrate them so? well, if you have been reading my blog lately you know that B has become quite taken with gourds. she has her own gourd garden with birdhouse gourds ready to harvest soon. so when we heard about a local gourd festival, we knew we couldn't miss it!

B following her dad's instructions to have her picture taken with the biggest gourd she could find.

unbelievable variety!

a sweet kiss.

B and grandy share a common interest in gourds, so this was a special time for them.

B with grandy and grammy

the uncommon gourd was my favorite vendor booth.

incredible works of art. i especially liked the ones that mixed basketry and weaving with the gourds. i love artwork that uses natural beauty in the design. you can see more of this artist's work at her website.

dried gourds. we bought a few to play with over the winter while B's gourds dry in the barn. i think it will be fun for B and grandy to have a special project to work on together.

decorating gourd shakers

gourd bowling!

wonderful gourd arbors

the girls had fun walking through the gourd arbors

grandy with B, identifying gourds with the guide

across the fence was a beautiful view of the countryside with a train rumbling by.

i love the sound of a train whistle.

everyday gift: enjoying the gourd fest with grammy and grandy

success!

i knew you could do it!

everyday gift: learning to fly

we're getting closer!

"Unless the Lord builds the house,

its builders labor in vain"

Psalm 127:1

mark laying the oak floor in the dining room with C as his assistant.

this picture is a wonderful testimony to God's faithfulness. about one month ago mark was having severe back pain. he feared the worst and started consulting with doctors and investigating surgery as a possible solution to his bulging disk. with much work yet to be done on the house, mark was worried that he would be unable to accomplish his part in the home building. hiring out his share of the work would put us over budget.



as you can see, he is doing much better. after visiting his chiropractor, doing some therapeutic stretches, wearing a supportive back brace, and giving it over to the Lord through prayer he is doing very well. thankfully, he has been able to finish framing the basement, hang all the doors, and lay the oak flooring. he is now ready to set the kitchen cabinets and install the trim.

B helping to lay out the floor planks

(we've got everyone doing jobs!)

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat" 2 Thes. 3:10

*smile*

S painting the kitchen



painting the living room

the kitchen is ready for cabinets! we are getting so close!

everyday gifts: oak plank floors and God's healing hand

visiting rocky ridge farm

last weekend we took a very delightful trip to Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in mansfield missouri. it was such a blessing in so many ways. B really enjoyed dressing the part of young laura ingalls and i had fun sewing the prairie dress (except when i couldn't find the directions for the bonnet and had to make it up as i went along, and when the pleats on the pantaloons didn't come out right, and the pattern made a simple dress waaaaay more complicated than need be...other than that, i really enjoyed getting back to the sewing machine). ;o) but i digress...

...while B was busy imagining the life of a 9 year old girl in a covered wagon, i was so pleased to learn more about the woman/farmer/wife/author she became. i have been enjoying two new books that i purchased at the gift shop: On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 and Laura Ingalls Wilder: Farm Journalist. both of these books reveal the true character of a woman who faced and overcame many hardships. a woman whose determination and courage are the epitome of the american pioneering spirit.

barefoot country girl!

B as laura ingalls

"The Little House Books are stories of long ago...the way we live and your schools are much different now. So many changes have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful: to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

standing before the judges. she was very brave!

and to this mama's eye, she was the cutest prairie girl around! *smile*

making friends with one of the other "lauras"

B made friends with a girl just her age at the contest and it was a highlight of the trip! together they played, chatted, and twirled their dresses while they waited through the long procession of laura and almanzo look-alikes. they had decided to become pen pals, but sadly, she slipped away with her grandpa afterwards before addresses could be exchanged.

B in her prairie dress, apron, bonnet, and pantaloons. however, she ditched the stockings and shoes and went barefoot for the look alike contest.

B and grammy waiting for the play to begin in the outdoor theater

the ingalls family portrayed by the ozark moutain players

in the presentation of "Laura's Memories"

we visited the grave site of almanzo and laura ingalls wilder.

stepping back in time

i loved this little window

B sitting on the porch of the rock house

the three of us, my mom, B and i, standing in front of the rock house,

it was a really special time for just the girls to be together.

i know we will treasure the memories of this trip!

rocky ridge farm, mansfield, missouri

"When I look around the farm now and see the smooth, green, rolling meadows and pastures, the good fields of corn and wheat and oats; when I see the orchard and strawberry field like huge bouquets in the spring or full of fruit later in the season; when I see the grape vines hanging full of lucious grapes, I can hardly bring back to mind the rough, rocky, brushy, ugly place that we first called Rocky Ridge Farm. The name given it then serves to remind us of the battles we have fought and won and gives a touch of sentiment and an added value to the place.

"In conclusion, I am going to quote from a little gift book which my wife sent out to a few friends last Christmas:

'Just come and visit Rocky Ridge,

Please grant us our request,

We'll give you all a jolly time-

Welome the coming; speed the parting guest.' "

A.J. Wilder, July 22, 1911

everyday gift: celebrating an american treasure, laura ingalls wilder