Feast At Keesic Cabin

Robert is preparing the goose  (and hot dogs!)

Phyllis is preparing a big Jackfish to be baked

Auntie Helen is preparing her famous bannock!

Bannock Patties ready to fry

Frying...

Christine made the goose, then turned it into stew..

Jackfish baking over the fire..

While some cooked others were busy putting a roof on the porch

Tea

Moose nose.... (I didn't try this!!!)

What a wonderful feast!  Everything was so tasty!  

Thank you Mike and Helen for having all of us out to your cabin for a fun day!
Full of new learning experiences for my family!

New bunnies!

Jeff and Dylan and I traveled to Thunder Bay one more time for Dylan's Elbow.
He had his Xray and the Dr says it is all healed up now.  Back to riding bike, and playing with out his splint!  I think that was a total of 5 trips to Thunderbay in 2 months!  Hopefully now we can spend the summer close to home, camping and boating!
On our way home we stopped in Eagle River to pick up some bunnies.  We got two, a black female and this cute male.  They are Flemmish rabbits.  This one is only two months old!  They get pretty big.  I guess we will try to have baby bunnies. We'll try it and see how that goes. The kids are all excited.  I just wonder how we are going to get rid of that many bunnies in Red Lake!
When we got home, Alabama came slowly, hoping toward us, apparently earlier that evening she slipped on a rock and twisted her ankle.  She didn't want anyone to know how much it hurt so she bravely held back her tears.  So, I didn't realize how much it hurt her. I made her go to school thinking she'd be walking on it by the middle of the day.  I was wrong!  By supper time when she came in her ankle was swollen up and she was in pain.  So I ended up taking her into the ER and had XRays this morning.   Dr Zielke mentioned her growth plate, and I just had a flash of "oh know!  We are going to be going to Thunderbay for the next two months for Alabama's ankle....."  I don't think that is the case, but the Xrays will tell tomorrow!  
I started helping at the Believers Fellowship Bible Club Wednesday evenings.
I am really enjoying getting to know all the kids that are coming.    Tonight I taught the younger girls. They are so much fun!  We made a little card that says "Jesus is my Shephard"   and we talked about what that means for us.
Well, it is getting late and I guess my bed is calling me.  I'm still pondering what I could do for a layout, or plan for my blog, writings etc.  Good night

Trevor and Daddy's trip to the cabin

My sweet Dylan...

Dylan feel off a dock, about 6 feet.  He broke his elbow at the growth plate.
We had many trips to Thunderbay.  At least the first trip was Dylan's first airplane ride!

On our farm

Lancaster Farmland

When I drive to my children's school, I pass this farm.

Nolt's Pond, New Holland, Pennsylvania

Wendy,

This ones for you - thought you might have some memories of fishing in this pond with dad.

The Barn Door

Pitchforks in the barn

Pictures from Lancaster County

Wendy asked me to take some pictures from around my home area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Things that are unique to this area - or things that are not readily seen in Red Lake.  Here is my first one.  What do you think, Wendy?

My Beautiful Family!

Our Family on the Skating rink 2011 December

My Big 4 year old!  Dylan

Tia with her friend Jamie and Cousin Logan

Alabama and her friend Meaghan

Trevor and his cousin Scotty

Thanks to Stephanie Wright for taking the colorful pictures!

Walk two moons in someones moccasins

I've been pondering some things lately.  

We Canadians and Americans have sooo much!

We say "we are so blessed"  humm...

I was pondering that this morning.  

My family sits down to breakfast and has

more than one option of cold cereal, as well as muffins, fruit, milk..... and more.

Or instead of blessed are we "spoiled" ?  

I ask the question, but really I'm coming to believe that is the truth.  

We have too much!  God help us!  

So as we talked together over the breakfast table we remembered Daddy's trip to Haiti.

The kids were remembering the things Jeff told them about eating rice and beans all the time.

Could we do that? Are we willing to give up our comforts to not be "spoiled"  and ungrateful?  

As hard as that is to answer, I have to think about it.  

The more we have the less grateful we are for what we do have! 

That reminds me of Jungle Jam and Friends story and song..

"The more you have, the more you have to take care of the things you have..."

A Lady in Haiti selling fruit to make money for her family

Jeff said, " in Haiti, they didn't have much, but they seemed to have joy"

At least I see this in my life.  When we have too much we don't take care of what we do have.

That led me to thinking about my Grandparents and what they have lived through with the Great Depression.  We can learn so much from them if we take the time to listen to their stories.

Jeff's Great Grandpa Dan Yoder Jeff and Mike

Jeff's Maternal Grandpa Gingerich

Wendy's Maternal Grandpa Phares and Edna Rutt

Phares and Edna Rutt

Wendy's Step Grandparents  Roy and Catherine Messner

So then I think Oh dear I have really let this life of Materialism take over my world, unwanted!

I try to do my best to live with less, until I go shopping and think "oh we need______"  

Our rescources or Credit cards allow us to buy for the most part whatever we think we need.

Oh and the "cheap" toys and Bargains that you think you are doing a great thing saving money...
Don't let them waste your money!   And Time!

I have a little story to tell you. 

We just bought Trevor a Monster truck for his birthday. 

He really wanted one and after looking around I found one at True Value.  

I knew it might be a cheaply made one, but I reasoned that if he takes care of it it should last.

I was wrong.  I am convinced that the toy makers in China are just laughing at us Americans and Canadians who keep buying junk! 

 I am telling you, his birthday was November 27.  This is December 15. 

 It is broken already and HE TOOK CARE OF IT!  

You probably are saying, oh you know little boys, they just wreck their toys.. 

No, we told him that if he didn't take care of it it would break.  

He was so diligent at putting it away every time he was done playing with it.  He even put it in our bedroom so his little brother wouldn't play with it while he was in school.  

One day, a friend was over and took the truck and somehow it got placed behind the door of the bedroom and it took one person to swing the door open and broke the little wheel off.  

Jeff tried to fix it for him, but said it's no use, it was made so cheaply I can't even fix it!  

What a shame....  

Just maybe this is the issue with our Garbage dump being almost full.!

We keep  buying cheap junk!  That doesn't last!  

Our Grandparents might have some wisdom for us don't you think? 

Good quality, hand-made gifts, that we don't have time to make anymore.  

That we don't want to spend money to make, because you can buy it cheaper.....

As I think about how we get to the places in our lives where we have too much stuff,  I was pondering  how do we react when we see someone else who is stuck in their stuff? What do we say to ourselves or others?  Have you ever watched the show Hoarders? 

We think to ourselves

If only they would.....

If only they wouldn't........

I would never do that......

Can you believe that person does that???

Really?  What if you walked two moons in their shoes?  

This post is a window into my thoughts, scary, Somehow I am going out on a limb and sharing my heart here.  I hope it is a safe place.... what am I thinking this is not a safe place! It's the internet for pete's sake!

You need to Walk two moons in someones moccasins before you can even think about judging them.

It doesn't just go for people caught in the materialism trap, but so many other traps we find ourselves in.

Sometimes we are unaware, sometimes we know we are in a trap, but don't know how to get out of it.

Let's be gracious to each other.  Life is a journey!
How can we make this world a brighter place this Christmas season?

Paper clutter!

Oh my, when will I ever get a handle on papers and books in my home?
I've been on a journey to declutter and get rid of things, which I think I've done pretty good with. Now, the problem is keeping it that way!  My question today is how do you manage your papers, your to do lists, your things that need to be taken care of, you can't forget, but don't have time right now to do them?

I know there is a born organized person out there with some advice for me!
This what I have right now.  The problem is that it is in the main part of the house where anyone who comes over it is one of the first things they see.  Our family enjoys having company, so I would like it to be a little more out of the way, or not as visible.  I can't help but think there is a better way of keeping track and organizing papers that it wouldn't have to be a problem.
So, just asking how you deal with your paper clutter?

So in the above picture,
Top Shelf
The basket has cards we recieve through out the year.  Mainly Christmas cards.
The stackable trays.
1 is supposed to be things for "today"
2 ? To do later ( out of sight out of mind unfortunately!)
3 Scrap-paper
I don't like this method because the first tray starts to get overwhelmed with things I can't do
Right Now, but needs to be dealt with ASAP.  Then I end up forgetting about it until it is too late.
Hummm,  Maybe it is a matter of my routine to deal with paperwork?

Middle Shelf
On left is the girls piano homework we use almost daily.
Then my current card stash that I have ready to write cards for birthdays..
Basket is the kids artwork, school papers... to file later
Hanging file... I brought this up yesterday thinking maybe a hanging file would be a better solution
to my stacking trays that aren't working for me.  I have no plan for this yet.  Any ideas?
Then my journal, Bible and my devotional book.

Bottom shelf
File box
I have a hanging folder for each of the kids scrapbooks
A file for other papers that need to be filed.
A Health/recipe file
This box is not set up the way I think would work the best either.
On top of that is a thin basket that is just collecting Junk
Then the pink basket has sticky notes, office supplies.  The problem is the kids have found this basket and think they can use my special sticky notes for drawing their little creations.  Soon I'll have no sticky notes..
Next is my markers, don't ask me why they are there
Then my Day timer that I'm learning how to use..
Then a 3 ring binder with recipes that I either want to try or don't know what to do with.

On the wall:
I have a white board to write reminders for the day.
Then the cork board has things I need to do right away.  Notes to return to school,
Dentist appointment that I need to rescedule, a gift certificate that is expiring at the end of the year,
My outdoors card that needs to be renewed ASAP
My Flylady calender that I am very grateful for!  I use this ALL the time.

My computer desk:
On the shelf I keep my tax records and my "budget"  records very losely done.
We don't have a budget, but with Jeff going to school now we might just have to change some things!
My three ring whole punch is there and in my small drawer are headphones and computer cords for cameras and ipods and the tv remote.

Anyway, this is probably very boring for some of you, if you got to this part, thanks for taking the time to read and I would love any advice on how I could make this part of my life a little more less stressful!

Edible Playdough!

Playdough and edible playdough were a must last year having both boys home! It helped to keep their little hands busy! If you want I can post the recipes for playdough. Let me know if you can read this one.

Last years pictures...

Mom decorates cakes everyday!  This is one she made

I was just looking back over our last years pictures.  As the year 2010 came to a close we were able to be with my mom on her birthday, unfortunately it was the day we were leaving Pennsylvania to come back home.  Grandma treated the kids to a yummy cone of ice cream.
Happy birthday once again Mom!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to all my family!

Winter is here to stay

This picture was taken last week....

After a week inside, winter is here to stay!
Today was my first time out since Music class on Monday night.  It is absolutely gorgeous out there.   Could it be because I've been stuck inside all week?  Maybe, but the sun is shining and it is pretty!

This is taken this morning, you can see the lake is starting to freeze over.

I Miss You!

A card I made...
Wendy Yutzy 2011