Crawling, but making progress

Sorry we have been so long in writing. We are pleased to show progress. This is the "Ship to the Solomons" corner. Not shown are the "Stay in the States" corner, nor the "Summer/POC" corner. We have been so blessed by some wonderful families from church. They have helped transport the kids to VBS this week and many days have offered to keep them longer. God is so good to provide all we need!

Weekend Odds and Ends

I just found a really fun website for cooking lessons, recipes, exploring foods in different cultures, etc...and all directed at educating children!

Today is World Juggling Day! Aaron juggles well, but today we will be juggling our "to-do" list as we shop for sleeping mats, water filtration systems, and sandals. Our move is less than two weeks away-got to go get the kids moving for our big shopping day!

Sisters

Don't forget to pause the music if you want to hear the sweet giggles!

Habit Training

As we struggle daily in the chaos to continue and train good habits into our children and weed out the bad habits, I find a gem on another mom's blog. Her gift of words is amazing!

the male house finch we like to watch feeding outside our school room window

The bird-world's full of busy folk

In field and bush and tree;

And people, too, must find their work

To meet life happily.

Alice E. Ball

Blackberry Picking

"Earth is crammed with heaven,

and every common bush afire with God;

but only he sho sees takes off his shoes.

The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."

Elizabeth Barret Browning

Lord, let me see you in the everyday common things of our lives...even while we pick blackberries.

I accidentally took this picture as I was trying to turn off the camera, but you can see how beautiful the day was!

I'm always amazed at how God can create the sequence of growth from the blossom...

to the fruit...

ripe and ready to be picked...

then cooked into a yummy pie!



We enjoyed a sweet time together away from the chaos of packing. Spending time with the kids was a very good thing. We picked over six pounds of blackberries, and we are now having fun sharing them with our neighbors.

I love to cook, but I'm not very creative. A friend shared her "made-up" version of berry pie a few years ago when we went blueberry picking. Thanks, Pat!

Pat's Made Up From Nowhere Recipe for Fruit Cobbler

1. Buy two prepared pastry crusts.

2. Alow them to come to room temp.

3. Line casserole dish with one of the pastry crusts.

4. Wash desired amount of fresh or frozen berries. Drain.

5. While berries are draining, combine 2 cups self rising flour (or all purpose plus 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt), 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt.

6. Dump the dry mixture on the berries and stir loosely to make a sugar-flour coating on berries.

7. Spread evenly into prepared crust.

8. Slice some cubes of REAL BUTTER into the berries. Add a dash or two of vanilla flavoing.

9. Cover with the top crust, and tuck edges in the top of the crust.

10. Use a knife to make 1" holes in the top of the crust.

11. Brush the top lightly with milk or egg white. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

12. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for 40 minutes (check for doneness, depending on your oven temp.)

13. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream!! YUM!!!

As I was crimping the edges of the pie with my thumbs, I was reminded of how much I loved watching my mother make pies and put that finishing touch on her creations. Thanks, Mom, for making everyday moments into memories.

Our house is a very, very, very fine house...

We were so excited to see pictures of our new home in the Solomons. Last summer, the director took lots of pictures (inside and out) of our new home. It isn't finished yet, but the sweet family who served there before us accomplished a lot. Their hard work gives us a great head start!

Some friends shared their pics from our visit Saturday.

They got a better shot of Katherine's "vent hair" than I did.

My sweet bookworm!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Do stop by and visit Peggy's for all the links entered in The Simple Woman's Daybook!

For June 9, 2008

Outside My Window...pink geraniums blooming on the front porch, mid 90's and high humidity (which translates into a great hair day for me!)

I am thinking...how much I am going to miss all of our sweet neighbors. Living in such a transient place, one expects constant change in neighbors, but we have all been here for at least a year, and the Lord has really knit our hearts together. Until furlough...

I am thankful for...a patient and understanding husband and best friend, the other half of a "pair of old shoes" as my mother calls us.

From the kitchen...Texas Golden Chicken and cold watermelon shared with friends

I am wearing...khaki pants and a red t-shirt, barefoot, hair pulled up in anticipation of working around the house

I am creating...a box of books, activities, and "homey things" to keep the children occupied during 7 weeks of traveling this summer and 14 weeks of Pacific Orientation Course until we get our crate in the Solomon Islands (hopefully in December)

I am going...berry picking tomorrow with my family (if we don't get rained out)

I am reading..."Grace Based Parenting" by Dr. Tim Kimmel

I am hoping...Katherine will sleep well this week!

I am hearing...the hum of the ceiling fan, the "trash guys" as they pick up and the dumpsters around the center

Around the house...precious children playing outside, a hungry baby ready for cuddles and her morning nap, the anticipation from the children "Who is coming over today?" (even though the meal plan is posted on the fridge with the names of people coming)

One of my favorite things...Mrs. Myers geranium scented cleaning products

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: finish and mail the newsletter for June/July, go shopping for shoes and bedding for our time in Papua New Guinea, meet with the family who served in the Russell Islands before us, play games with the kids to ensure them that (amidst the chaos) they are still valuable to us, and give lots of hugs and kisses

Here is picture thought I am sharing...my full-of-life four year old (note the spaghetti still encircling her mouth)

Wacky Weekend

Benjamin took this picture of his daddy today. I'm not the writer in the family, but let me see if I can explain the crazy hairdo...

Aaron taught Daniel 4 to the children at church this morning. To get their attention and to help them remember the story of Nebby K, Aaron cut his hair. Since Nebby K grew weird hair and looked very different, Aaron created his own version. I wish you could have seen the looks he got when our family went to "big church"!

Last night at some friends' home, Katherine discovered the air vents. Don't bother to listen to the video. Since Aunt Melissa requested more videos, we wanted to please her, but watching the video really doesn't communicate how hilarious Katherine was! Her hair billowed in the breeze, and we couldn't keep her away from her new favorite toy.

On our to-do list:

In case you are wondering how we are preparing for our move, here are some websites that will give you a taste of the things we need to take with us:

Wilderness Medical Kits

Backwoods Solar Electric Systems
(click on home power basics in the side bar and find "six system examples" - look at #4)

Shoes for each of us

Beds

Bye-Bye & Oops!

Katherine is getting so big! She started waving this week - though she only waves when Aaron opens the door to the van to take her out of her car seat. Sarah has been working hard to teach Katherine to say "oops!" when she falls down or drops something. Tonight while we were reading bedtime stories, Katherine dropped her graham cracker and a rising tone escaped her lips! (Try saying "oops" like you would to a baby and then you'll know how Katherine sounded.) I looked at Aaron to see if I had "put words" in Katherine's mouth, but I knew from the look on his face that he had heard it, too. No doubt about it, our little girl is growing up!

Answered Prayers

Benjamin and his eye doctor

Thanks to those of you who have been praying for Benjamin's eyes (and all of our other medical needs) for so long. His doctor's appointment yesterday was a smashing success. Benjamin is using both eyes interchangeably instead of favoring his strong eye, and he no longer has to wear his patch! The doctor showed Aaron how to do a quick diagnostic test on Benjamin to determine if Benjamin is continuing to use his eyes equally, and we received a list of doctors in Australia.

All of us except Aaron have received medical clearance to enter Papua New Guinea, and the results from his allergy testing yesterday were very good so we anticipate his clearance very soon. We have our physicals on June 16th, and that should finish up our appointments! Again, we know that people all over the world are praying for us and that God is answering your prayers for our family. Thank you for going on your knees for us!