They Dress Themselves

My self-appointed job is to make sure that their clothing is modest, clean, in good condition, and appropriate for the day's weather and events.

It's up to them to decide how to wear it.

(Anya wearing her favorite boy's vest

upside-down and buttoned over a sundress)

(Isaak wearing an undershirt under his t-shirt,

jeans tucked into rubber boots,

and a dress belt tucked back into itself.)

Because belts are very useful when you're hunting.

It's Official!

We met his former owner today, and she gave me his pedigree papers (which are entirely in German) and said goodbye to him. He's officially OURS!

Meet Devil von der Hegge,

whose father is Balko vom Konigsforst,

and whose mother is Yes von der Hegge,

but we'll just call him Ruger!

More From the Land of Randomness

This afternoon the kids played in the sprinkler.

The big, black, furry kid is a bit of a water hog, but he's learning to take turns.

Our resident buck has decided that he likes to lay in the sand next to the barn.

I caught him there twice today.

However, he does NOT appreciate having his picture taken.

Isaak put Daddy's pile of scrap wood to good use and built a "house" for his men.

Front Porch Sittin'

Yesterday I was sitting on my front porch listening to this:

and this verse popped into my head:

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

The Letter D

D is for (our last name).

D is for Doormat.

D is for Dog.

D is for Dog on Doormat.

D is for Dog on Doormat...

who dares to deliberately destroy and devour dastardly dive-bombing bees.

From the Land of Randomness

Our new neighbor is a real bear. No, really. The big, black furry kind. I looked out my kitchen window one evening, and there was a bear in our backyard. By the time I grabbed my camera, it had wandered into the tall grass behind the barn, but at least I have visual proof...kind of.

See the black fuzzy blob in the center of the picture?

That's my bear.

Look what else we've got! We had a manual well pump installed, so now if we ever lose power, we still have water...and four kids to help haul it.

It's pretty cool.

We've also got quite a few of these. We've even named some of them:

Dinner, Lunch, Stew, and Yummy.

Tonight as I was making dinner, Isaak commented from the living room:

"Mom, being a knight is hard."

And on one of our exploratory hikes before we moved in, our realtor took a picture of these signs on the hill behind the house:

(SCENIC VEIW ... NEXT 2 LEFTS)

Many Hands Make Light Work

My friend Hanna and her two boys came up to visit this week, and we had a great time talking and spending time together again. We also worked hard and crossed a lot of things off my to-do list!

What used to look like this:

now looks like this!

This building isn't really leaning...

but it was surrounded by piles of debris.

And spiders.

Hanna hates spiders.

Remember the laundry room cupboard with the broken top and loose corner joints?

Hanna made me a temporary top for it using rejected countertops we had removed from other rooms!

(And while I may have helped with the other projects, this one was ALL Hanna!)

While Hanna and I were talking and working, the kids were busy too. They piled rocks around the fire pit, rode bikes, played with the dog, read together, explored the creek (under Hanna's 14-year-old's supervision), played games, and generally had a blast.

As well as supervising the younger kids on their creek excursions, Nathanael also spent hours and hours weed-eating. He told me at one point, "My services are rendered to those who serve us." Mike is away again, and weed-eating is not my favorite chore. I spent three+ hours mowing today, and I can't count the times that I was grateful to not have to try to mow a certain spot because Nathanael had taken care of it for me.

They left Wednesday night, and we're still trying not to miss them!

Thanks for coming, guys, and thanks for all your hard work!