bread and butter

 This fall is going fast, as it usually does. We are in week 8 of school already. For Bible, we are focusing on Jesus, and each memory verse is an I am statement. Last week was the bread of life, so we had alot of fun, as we like bread! Above is a science experiment, activating yeast. 

Then we put our expertise to good use, and made bread. 

Although the bread is more complicated, I was much more impressed by our next accomplishment: butter!

It's silly, but I was inordinately proud of myself that we made butter by hand. Who knew it was so easy? Really, you just have to shake it. and shake it. and shake it. Hannah asked for some dance music to help her keep shaking. I complied. Soon Rihanna came on Pandora. I went over to change the station, and my little girl said, "Mommy, is that inappropriate?" "Well, it sure is for you." "Oh. I thought so. But I really like it." Great! We're here already! 

The kids, of course, think it would have been great fun to live in colonial times and make their bread and butter from scratch. Me, I'm grateful for SuperWalmart. 

Four years ago, we sold the car we had and used half the money to buy our van, and the other half to pay for the midwife when Charlie was born. That van and I have grown pretty close, with all the time we've spent on the road together! (I thought about trying to add up the road trips, but I gave up. It has been alot of miles) We were hoping it would last until we left, but that was not looking likely. It was needing some expensive work, and we decided not to invest in something that would probably continue to fall apart. And, as we have quite a bit more traveling coming up, we needed something more reliable. So we (mostly Patrick) cleaned up the van really well, and it sold within a few hours! That, combined with a very generous gift, enabled us to pay for the new old van without taking money out of our Outgoing Expenses Fund. Thank you God! 

(Our new red van would love to carry us on a roadtrip to your house/church/small group/SS class. Just ask!)

The kids are doing well learning the Pledge of Allegiance and other things. We noticed this sculpture in the park the other day, of the children doing the pledge to the flag (not pictured.) My ever theatrical daughter wanted to join in. And Charlie decided on a heil hitler approach, i guess. To each their own!

We really do have a big kid now. The first tooth was a little traumatic, but that was mitigated by the promised gift left by a special night time visitor. The tooth fairy sure has changed since I was little ;-).

 Patrick is gone for two weeks, which is the longest he's ever been away. The day we took him to the airport, we took the kids to a drop in daycare place in Sioux Falls (whoever came up with that idea is my hero) while we had lunch together and did one of my favorite things, browse Barnes and Noble. Patrick picked out a surprise for the kids, which served the dual purpose of communicating "I love you and will miss you and maybe this will help your mommy not go crazy if you have something new to play with while I'm gone." Charlie does seem to be following what I've heard about boys. Not really interested in holding a pencil and learning to write or learn his letters, but he just loves putting things together, all on his own. 

We love fall! And fall here is nice. This is the first time in years we have done things like going to the pumpkin patch and not been sweating, as it is in Texas, Alabama, and sometimes Kansas. Minnesota is really known for its apples, so we also went apple picking. The kids helped me clean out these pumpkins. 

While we did it, I told them the pumpkin Gospel story. How God calls us His own, just like picking us out of the pumpkin patch. Then He takes our sin away, like cleaning out all the pumpkin insides. Sometimes it is hard to get rid of our sin, just like we noticed all that pumpkin innards like to stay attached. But when we let Him clean out all the bad stuff, then He can fill us up with the light of Christ, like the candles we put in the pumpkins. To remind us how this miracles happens, we cut out the shape of the cross, so the candle shines through, by the miracle of what Jesus did to take our sin away. 

The coolest part: the whole neighbourhood gang came to help out, so they all got to hear the story! 

 It is my opinion that Halloween is a blight on the face of a perfectly wonderful season. However, I decided that even Halloween can serve a purpose: talking about Jesus! (Wow, I really run that one into the ground, don't I? ;-) What better opportunity to share the true Light, when there is so much celebration of darkness? 

 Hope your family is enjoying this beautiful season, and that the light of Jesus is shining in your life today!