An Update

The guys are gearing up for deer hunting the next couple of weekends. Meanwhile the girls are gearing up for girl parties. Gotta keep busy while the guys are having fun! :-) Dot has a birthday party to go to, and Deer has a scrap-booking party upcoming here. I'll be busy keeping the men fed, and Darling out of the guy and girl's gear.

My brother is in Ecuador kayaking. Isn't that cool! He works like crazy and then takes off to enjoy a different part of the world. He said his buddy and his kayaks broke, but they have fixed them up. He described it as pretty epic. Knowing my brother - that must have been some crash for him to describe it in that way. He usually is playing things down. I am looking forward to seeing pictures at Thanksgiving. Please pray for his health and safety, if you think of him. Thanks! :-)

Dessert has been under the weather occasionally and we're wondering what's up. He occasionally wakes up with aches and pains in different joints. One morning he had to crawl to our room, because he said his knees hurt so bad. Another morning his hand hurt so he had trouble grasping things. As he's up, the joints loosen up and eventually he feels better. We took him in and they did an x-ray of a couple joints, but don't see anything. He did have one of those small ticks this summer, but no red ring. I'm wondering about lymes, but the Dr. didn't think so, and didn't do the blood test for it. I'm planning to take him back in for a second opinion, but it will be a couple weeks. We are praying for God's guidance.

I've got a few book reports coming up. It has been fun reading them!

The kids have been working on cutting their speeches for speech club. I'll be glad when they are all cut and written, and all that is left is memorizing them!

Dime & Dessert have finished with vision therapy this week. They have a checkup in a couple weeks to make sure their eyes are still working together. I'm excited for them and have noticed improvement in reading, etc. The other two boys have another two weeks, and then we'll see where they are at. I'll be glad when I don't have to make that 40 minute one-way trip twice a week, but it sure has been fun being with all my boys! I really liked that part of it. I think I'm going to have to think of something to do that gets just my boys and me together. I like those guys! :-)

Occasionally, we brought Darling along, and one person commented about seeing 4 brothers and one little sister together. They thought poor little girl with all those boys. I thought - No, so blessed! They all watch out for her and dote on her! :-) And share candy with her. If they don't give her what she wants, or pick her up too much, or pat her on the head too much, she screams, and then they all take heed! :-) She can hold her own! I think she will be much more of a tom-boy than the other girls. She loves Duke & Dessert and wants to do what they do.

Dot's been working on an essay for a contest. It's all done, and she'll be entering it today.
Well, I better get to cooking and cleaning. We have a number of families coming over later today for a Fall Festival. I raked and raked to clean up the yard on Wednesday, only to have the last few leaves come down the next few days. I could spit on that tree! We have had rain, rain, so I needed to rake when it was dry. I'm hoping to get those leaves up today, and maybe mow a little (if it dries out enough). Otherwise, we'll just have to do with a leafy lawn. And Drum will have to pooper-scoop with extra care!! - Hard to see it in all those leaves. (sorry for the yuck) Some days I really would love to not have two dogs.

One last fall quote from the e-mail:

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.
He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

Fun in the Rain

We have been experiencing a lot of rain lately, so lots of rain puddles. The other day, Dime took Darling out to enjoy the puddles. She had a blast and was ready for a hot bath, when she came in.

No More Braces!

Last Tuesday, Dot had an orthodontist appointment. Here is the before:

Here is the after:Yeah!! No more braces!!

Darling Sure Has Fun!

Here she is with her bunny, Pearl, in a big nest of leaves her big brother, Drum, made for her. Big brothers are awesome!
She loves to organizes her dollies and teddy bears in rows. Here are all her dollies. The pink one in the middle she calls, "Giggle Baby". The second one from the left is Baby Moses. He is her bath time doll. I don't know what it is about dolls that makes kids want to take the clothes off of them, but it is a hopeless case to keep them dressed. Which makes Giggle Baby my favorite - the clothes can't come off! :-)Enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with Mom.

Our pond is filling up for the winter! That's our positive way of looking at the rain this morning. It was basically a big mud hole, and now is steadily filling back up. We are really hoping that it freezes smooth this year, before we have a slushy snow that wrecks the ice. We really enjoy ice-skating!

The fall leaves carpeting the ground are really beautiful! I have a few pictures I hope to post, but someone keeps taking the camera - ahem, Dh. Plus, Dot got her braces off!

I made a huge pan of apple strudel the other day. Sooooo goooood! I hope to make some more today. We'll see if I get the time.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells - A Book Review

Cindy Woodsmall's new book "The Sound of Sleigh Bells" is a fantastic book for the upcoming Christmas season. Snuggle in with some hot cocoa. The characters are so well done, the story so moving, and such a wonderful ending! :-)

Beth Hertzler works for her Aunt Lizzy at her dry goods store as a contact between the Enlischer retailers and the Amish craftsmen. She enjoys her job and people she meets. But, ever since her fiance died over a year ago, she's been unable to rise above the sorrow and remorse of that day. She continues wearing her black mourning clothing, and doesn't want to discuss anything personal.

Duty calls and Beth needs to make a buying-and-selling trip. On her trip she discovers a wood carving that catches her heart. Unable to meet the carver, and discouraged by her bishop to pursue this kind of product, she is left with enjoying the one piece she owns. The piece tugs at her heart and she encourages her Aunt to meet the old woodcarver and see what options might open for them. Her Aunt wonders at her love of the carving, but encouraged by a ray of hope in her neice's bleak outlook, she decides to meet the woodcarver and see what happens.

Meeting the young-looking woodcarver who has dealt with a loss of his own, opens a plan that Lizzy is afraid will fail, but is worth the risk to try. She lets the woodcarver think she is Beth and asks him to keep in touch by mail. Puzzled, he agrees.

The next few months are filled with letters back and forth from Beth and Jonah (the woodcarver). Lizzy's well-intentioned deceit requires her to open Beth's letters from Jonah and black out any lines that reveal Jonah has met her before. Beth starts opening up to the "old" woodcarver and starts growing out of the depression she has been in. Would Jonah be safe enough to share the unbearable burden weighing on her heart? If she just shared her secret, would it help the burden to lift?

I know you know that Beth and Jonah eventually connect. Would it be a great story if they didn't? But it is such a twist to hear how it happens. Each one needs to face a "fear". In our lives, we each have fears and difficulties we deal with. God knows how to orchestrate our lives to help us deal with those issues that we need to, but eventually we have to decide to co-operate and do our part for the healing and growing that needs to happen.

Author Bio: Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

To purchase your own book, visit:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307446534

You can also purchase the book at waterbrookmultnomah.com

Would you like to win your own copy? Maybe you need a gift for Christmas? One you have time to read before you wrap. :-) Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing on October 25th.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Snow in October?!

Last night it snowed! It's still white this morning as you can see. Deer keeps saying she feels like it's Christmas with the cold weather. This morning she greeted me with a "Merry Christmas!" :-) I guess I need to go bake some squash bars so that it smells like fall.