Happy Birthday Jeff!

Tomorrow is Jeff's birthday! Happy Birthday, Happy New Year! This is a copy of my most prized possession! Jeff went to a hotel for a business trip and accidentally brought home an extra hanger. I remember him asking me if I knew which one was the hotels, if I could tell the difference, so we could send it back. I couldn't and didn't think of it again. This was the letter that came in the mail with the returned check. I opened it in front of the kids and we talked about how blessed we are to have a husband and father like Jeff. He knows and lives like God truly sees everything. He doesn't want anything to seperate him from his relationship with Christ, or prevent any of His blessings. This little piece of paper shows what integrity this man has, he does the right thing even if no one is looking or will ever see. I would have never known he even sent a letter or check to this hotel. And it just so happened that I got the mail that day. I'm thankful for his heart, for who he is and what he stands for! Matthew 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"


Proverbs 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

Here is a list of what the kids are thankful for (in their own words):

Lydia: DaDa!

Ben: When he loves me! Takes me to the store. Play baseball. Mowing the grass with me on the mower.

Joey: I like buying presents for him. He's a nice dad. He likes to be my dad and helps alot. And trips. He loves us.

Matthew: Going hunting. Pitching to us at baseball. Walking with us around the trail in the summer. How much he loves us. Taking me for rides on the tractor at the farm. He lets me shoot the cross bow and practice shooting. Blessing us in so many ways. Taking us on bike rides, and plays with us.

Emily: I like it when he takes me places or hunting. How much he loves us. He's a good teacher. He's patient with us and plays baseball with us.

Daniel: That he is a Christian and he teaches us about Jesus. He takes us hunting. He's fun! He teaches us alot of things and homeschools us.

Robbie: He always takes time to play with us kids, and scedules alot of special events for the family, and for each of us alone with him. He's very unselfish and gives us all the good hunting spots.

Megan: When we ride in the car together. When he just comes up and asks me, "How are you Megan?", usually a couple of times a day. When he laughs at something funny.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

The Baker

This is the product of Emily's breadmaking. And already 2 loaves are missing! It amazes us all to watch her so easily whip up 25-30 cups of flour in a bowl she cant wrap her arms around! The smell is wonderful and it is so yummy! Thank you Emily for blessing us all so! Matthew 4:4 "Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word uttered by the mouth of God."

Now we just need a candle stick maker! ;-)

Old Post :-)

Megan here, I'm going through the posts on the blog, these posts got written but apparently never got published (?) so I figured might as well let you see them, even though it's a little late. :-)

Mom wrote:
It used to be in the beginning that I HAD to get the kids' pictures taken ON their birthday! Now it just seems normal to let such things slide a bit, and the more children we've added the longer it takes to get things done. Not that they are any less important, they always get done, it's just an impossible pace to keep up.
So that all said, Daniel is now 12! I have told him, as I have my other kids who have turned 12, that, "It's time to be about your Father's business!" I'm trying to quote scripture and let them know that we don't use any of those teen excuses, it's time to be living for the Lord. Well, they always joke, "Do I have to start selling Cutco?"
Daniel is our quiet, humorous, energetic, outdoorsman. He has put 6 deer in our freezer so far, ducks and geese. He's a good aim, and a wonderful part of our family!
He loves drawing and making potatoe heads (that's on the brownies!)

I think this is Emily writing here:
Oct.24th was Daniel's Birthday! He turned 12. It was very exiting :-) Here are pictures,:D


Lydia loves ice! every time someone opens the freezer she will try to get ice!

Pictures

Just going through pictures and found a few to post. There's a few from Thanksgiving, and then some more recent ones.

Cheesecake

Friday night, I made my first cheesecake! The batter was not extremely thick, but it sure tasted good. Here's the recipe:

Marble Cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese


3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 (1-ounce) square baking chocolate, melted
Combine graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and butter; press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform cake pan. Bake at 350*F (175°C) for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla; beating at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend melted baking chocolate into 1 cup of the batter. Spoon the batters alternately over crust; cutting through with a knife to create a marbling effect.
Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 250*F and continue baking for 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the rim of the pan; cool before removing from the pan. Chill.



Recipe courtesy of 'Chef BoyRobbie'. :D

Robbie

19 Years!

Today is our 19th anniversary! 19 years, 228 months, 48554 weeks, 6935 days! Jeff has been my very best friend for over 26 years now. We have experienced better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and health, and the good has always out weighed the bad. He is such a wonderful husband and has always shown a deep love and concern for me. He meets my every need and want. He encourages and calms, and keeps me laughing. He's humble and honest, thoughtful and loving. He listens and is so full of wisdom. He fears the Lord and doesn't think twice about obedience to His Word.
I have wonderful memories of our wedding day, it snowed lightly and everything illuminated the Christmas spirit. We didn't have a lot of bliss those next 5 years, we went through many financial and parenting struggles. Then things turned around when we both surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ in 1994. Things have continued to get better and better ever since. We are so thankful for that decision!
We spent the entire day together! We ran some errands, went to lunch, did some Christmas shopping, and then we did something that we have NEVER done together before! He took me hunting! When he was getting me a camo wardrobe around last night, I said (in a kind of sarcastic way) "This is so romantic!" And he responded so seriously and happily, and said, "I KNOW!!"
Daniel was so sweet and wrote me a long note and gave it to Jeff to give it to me later. It was about a hunters wife who begged her husband to let her come along. Reluctantly her hubby agreed and got her set up in a stand. Hubby was going to take a walk and take a look around, but would come back if he heard a shot. He left, and not 10 min. passed and he heard a shot. As he walked back to the stand he heard his wife saying, "Get away from my deer!" "Get away from my deer!" Then he heard a mans voice saying, "Certainly ma'am, just let me get my saddle off of it first!" So I called home to assure Daniel that I would look for saddles first!
It truly warmed my heart as Jeff helped me put all the layers on in order, he zipped my zippers and fixed my hat. He thought of everything I would need! We walked to the blind and he has exactly 5 steps to every 8 of mine. We laughed at the noise we made getting situated in the small blind, affectionately called "The Palace". He kept asking me if I was cold, and made sure my zipper stayed up all the way in my heater body suit. I didn't get really cold, but I probably would have if we were out there much longer, it was snowing and 15 degrees. And I left my layers on almost all the way home! As we drove around we saw several does snuggling their fawns, that blessed my mothering heart! So I was kind of glad we only saw 3 coyotes while hunting. He even went to get the truck in the dark to pick me up at the Palace!
We got home and the kids showered us with homemade cards, gifts and lovins!
I can't wait until our next anniversary!

Anniversary

Today is Mom and Dads Anniversary!

Last night Mom switched the showerhead in Dads bathroom to the kind that hotels have so he really liked his shower this morning. I'm not going to tell you what Dad got for Mom becuase I don't know if Dad has given it to her yet. To celebrate, they left at about 8:30 to spend the whole day together! They are going to go shopping, move the sprayer up at the farm to my Grandpas, and go hunting! The best part is, Mom's going to have the gun! The challenge is to get a buck bigger than mine or Robbie's! So we're just hanging out at home doing whatever.


Last night we had some fun with Dad.

With Lydia too.

Robbie likes to carry Lydia on his shoulders.

Lydia likes to bring Mom stuff from the pantry.


Friday night we went and got our christmas tree. We looked for 1/2 hour before we found 'the perfect one'. :D It was really cold out, and icy too!

Daniel

Q. Who was the best financier in the bible?
A. Noah. He floated his stock while the whole world was in liquidation.

Saved!

Matthew came to me with a tract in his hand, he came closer to my side and said, "I need to get saved." Since Jeff was out of town I took him to my bedroom, out of the hussle and bussle, so we could have a heart to heart talk. I asked him what it meant to be saved. "Saved from hell when I die." Why do you need to be saved? "Because I've sinned alot!" What do you have to do to be saved? "Pray this prayer." And he showed me the tract. I explained to him that this prayer was just an example of what we should really feel in our hearts as we talk to God. That we can say a prayer, but if we don't truly have a desire to turn from our sins and walk in obedience to His Word, then a prayer doesn't mean much to God or anybody else. He quoted me some verses that he had been learning: Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 10:9-13 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." I asked him if he was ready to make such a decision and that it would change his whole life. He knealt beside my bed and prayed the sweetest prayer. He started out praying for Dad being out of town, so I thought, maybe he's too young yet, then he continuted to repent of his sins, asking to be saved from hell, and change his heart to be more like Jesus. Then I prayed for him and as we stood up he wiped his eyes and said, "I was almost crying!" Simple child like faith. So easy to understand, so easy to believe, so easily rejected by most. One of our favorite verses is 3 John 4 "There is no greater joy than to know that our children walk in truth."

Update from Matthew

Hello
We as a big family love to sled and make snow-men. In the winter I like to make snowmen and have snowball fight’s and we also like to shovel the drive-way! Right know Daniel is trying to make a slide out of snow which I have never heard of so I don’t know how it’s going to turn out! Have you ever been deer hunting if you want kill a big buck like that you know who’s the hero so if you don’t want to waste money on meat get camo on and shoot an eleven point like my brother did or bigger (yahoo) if you want to go my dad like’s to hunt with who-ever so get you’re camo and get some stuff and head for the wood’s and just like I said if ya don’t want to waste money on meat get to the wood’s and my dad all-Most shot a-huge
buck!
Well I’m up still its 9-20 so by ya’ll
See ya
Love ya
Love matt