What Does Hunter Do?

 

I've had several people ask me what Hunter does when Katie and I are having school. Here are a few shots of Hunter doing some of those things:)

Goodbye to the Randels

Well, it's officially official - James and Jodi have returned from Kansas long enough to pack up their things. The church had a Going Away for them on Sunday evening after church. They are planning on living in Miltonvale, KS for now. James has a job as a welder there. We will miss them very much:(

Hilarious Homeschool Family Song

A Quote for Parents - Past, Present, Future

We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right mayhap our children and our children's children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to His Word.

Charles Spurgeon

Pilgrim Night

Today in History, we studied the Pilgrims and Plymouth Plantation. I found this wonderful book at the library - Food and Recipes of the Pilgrims - it's actually one in a series of books called Cooking Throughtout American History. So tonight became Pilgrim Night at our house! Katie and Hunter helped prepare the meal of: Venison, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Corn, and Pilgrims' Honey Apples.

Hunter's "Uncle Phil" Impression:)

I have had several family members tell me that Hunter reminds them of my Uncle Phil Whittaker (my mom's brother). When I took this picture yesterday, I couldn't believe how much they looked alike! This is one of Hunter's silly looks - but then, my Uncle Phil has alot of those too:) So, to all you family members out there on the Whittaker's side - this one's for you!

Valentine Roses

 

We have no florists that deliver way out where we live, so in order to surprise me today, my wonderful husband got up at 5:45AM and snuck out of the house to go and get me 3 beautiful Valentine roses before I awoke. He also got the kids some Valentine M&M's, and wrote all 3 of us very sweet letters. What a great way to start the day! Thanks, Honey. You're the best Valentine ever;) Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. May your day be as wonderful as mine has been.

Misc. Pics of the Kids

 

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures that I've taken of the kids this week. The top two are Katie asleep in a chair in Hunter's room. We thought it was adorable:) Bottom left - Hunter and Katie playing outside in the puddles of melting snow - it was 42 degrees here today! Bottom right - A poster Katie made and book she read for Lincoln's birthday today.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Here is my usual ice cream recipe. We add-in things like Butterfingers, Oreos, and fresh fruit, as the mood strikes us. Also, we change pudding flavors to suit us.

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

1 box French Vanilla pudding
2 c. whipping cream
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all together in a large bowl. Transfer to ice cream cylinder, and add milk to the Fill Line. Freeze per manufacturer's directions. Enjoy!
Makes 1 gallon.

Making "Snow" Ice Cream!

 

Today, the kids had been so good about helping me around the house and hauling in wood for the fire, that I told them we would make a special treat! So, while the kids were outside gathering bowls of snow to use for the "ice", I mixed up a batch a vanilla ice cream. Here are the results - and mmmmmmmm were they good!

Our Anniversary Month

February 9, 2001 was a lifechanging day in our lives. It was the day that we bound our hearts and lives together for all our earthly days. At the time, we couldn't imagine loving each other more, but now we realize that we had only just begun to understand the depth and magnitude of the love that God bestows when "two become one", and they choose to love and serve Him. We are each others very best friends, supporters, encouragers, and hunting partners:) For all of you who could not be at our wedding, here are a few pictures of that very special day in our lives.

Katie's Broken Nose?

 

Katie was pulling Hunter on the sled and slipped on the ice. She crashed to the ground with nothing but her nose to break her fall. She let out a wounded animal cry (a sound which any mother dreads to hear), and came walking toward the house - blood streaming out both nostrils. She soaked her gloves, 2 hand towels, and 2 washclothes. I had no idea that a nose could bleed so much! It took about 20 minutes to get the blood totally stopped. Anyway, here's our little beauty with the puffy nose. She wanted me to "blog her". We think her nose is probably broken.

The Fruits of my Labor

Katie's school stuff was piled neatly here and there, but had no nice, permanent, tidy home. So, I bought this bookcase (unassembled) at Wal-Mart yesterday (via my husband's ingenius recommendation:). Mike was going to assemble it on Monday for me, as he has to work 12 hours today, but due to 3 things: 1) Mike's strong dislike for assembling, 2) My wanting to greatly surprise my husband, 3) and my marked lack of patience; I spent half of the morning putting this bookcase together. Tah dah! Here is the finished product. I must admit that I am rather proud of myself and quite anxious for my husband to get home. Here's hoping that he notices it;)

Puppies!

 

We have a new addition to our family - our new puppy, Oreo. He is a male Border Collie, and is related to our dog that died, Bear. He's a cute little bundle of fur and energy, and the kids love him dearly already. Mike's brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Kim, liked him so much that they took Oreo's sister home with them to Missouri!

Trip to Telluride

Mike's brother, Jeremy, and his family came to visit us from Missouri. We've been having a great time! Today, we took a trip up to Telluride and rode the gondolas. It was 9 degrees when we got there, and Jeremy had forgotten his coat. Brrr!

Snow Excursion

Well, It Doesn't Show Signs of Stopping!

Does anyone out there have the "corn for popping"?:) We've had about 10 inches so far, and the forecast is for SNOW-SNOW-SNOW! I am snowbound. Mike took the Explorer to work this morning, and I am definitely not going anywhere in our little car on our unmaintained lane. It's a wonderful excuse to be able to stay at home, bake some Apple Muffins, make a pot of soup, and relax! It's definitely a "curl up by the fire with a book" kind of a day:)

12 Days of Christmas - and then some!

This is great! Hope you enjoy it. Happy Epiphany!

Rabbit Hunting

Daddy and Katie had a "date" the other day - RABBIT HUNTING! It was Katie's first time to go, and she was VERY excited. Daddy said that she was amazing - walking across slippery logs and scaling icy slopes! They only got one rabbit, but they had a great time!

Kings' Cake

For the last several years, we have done the 12 Days of Christmas with our kids, starting on Christmas Day. The 12th day, called Epiphany, is in celebration of the wise men arriving in Bethlehem with their gifts for the young child, Jesus. I have seen recipes for the Kings' Cake that is commonly served on this day, but I have never made it (or seen it) before. Since I am teaching an "Epiphany" lesson in Kids' Club tonight, I decided that the Kings' Cake would make a great snack. Here are the results of my 4 hour project! It's really a sweet bread with a lemon icing - I'll let you know how it tastes later:)