Six Years Ago

. . . we got married for life!

"Wherefore they are no more twain,

but one flesh.

What therefore God hath joined together,

let not man put assunder."

- Matthew 19:6

"He brought me to the banqueting house,

and his banner over me was love."

Song of Solomon 2:4

"My beloved is mine,

and I am his . . . "

Song of Solomon 2:1b

I love being Japheth's wife!

Thank-you, Honey, for choosing me!

Being married makes me anitipate even more THE MARRIAGE in heaven . . . and to think that we are chosen by God! And oh, his great love for us . . .

". . . But chosen of God,

and precious."

I Peter 2:4b

"Numbering the People"

One very busy mom once said, "I just can't count how many times I get up with the children" Meaning not that she couldn't count that far, but that if she let herself count she would feel worse that whole day.

Yeah, it happens that way . . . The best way to deal with it is to bounce out of bed cheerfully! I've done it both ways and the "counting" thing just gets one worked up in a bad frame of mind to start the day.

Each time I get to choose how I will respond . . . and lets just say that I've had PLENTY of opportunites to respong right the last few weeks with Wayne teething some more and with the colds going around.

:) "And David's heart smote him after he numbered the people . . ."

II Samuel 24:10

Kitchi Trio

It's done . . . the long awaited cd is done! I've been playing it over and over.

The girls\ladies kinda decided at the last moment to make this cd before Delight Yoder flew to Thailand, and somehow they managed! I know Heidi (This Side of Glory) gave alot of her time amidst taking care of her growing family to get it finished in time.

They blend so well . . .

Email me if your interested in purchasing one . . .


























You will be blessed!

I'm in Love!

. . . with my man!

















and the father of my boys . . . and my little girl . . .

He gives them the greatest delights! Sunday evening he set up a board walk in the living room two 2x4's between two step ladders and had them "walking the plank".

Although the Fig Tree . . .

How long does it or should it take for a person to recoop from a trip?

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom,

neither shall fruit be in the vines;

the labour of the olive shall fail,

and the fields shall yield no meat;

the flock shall be cut off from the fold,

and there shall be no herd in the stalls:"

Or as my version goes today:

Although the house stays a wreck,

and I can't seem to catch up:

Though the children are cooped in

because of the rain . . .

the carrots are getting peeled and spread all over the floor,

and still we need to do some more!

. . . I seem to need a morning siesta

as well as afternoon

though there's no exuse for it now;

It's my month to clean the church

but were's the energy to come from . . .

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The LORD God is my strength,

and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,

and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

To the chief singer on my stringed instruments." Habakkuk 3:17-19

Take Me Home to Minnesota

My dear Father-in-law came up with these words in Wisconsin after a trip in East when the miles dragged on and on . . . And yes, we sang this too on our way back.

Minnesota has been my home for six years now. It has taken a while as adjustments do . . . but for a few years now I feel a part and I feel right at home!

Minnesota Song
by: Robert Stauffer

Take me home to Minnesota
where the wind blows wild and free;
Take me home to Minnesota
among the lakes and the trees;
You can have your crowded shopping malls
and traffic jams galore;
I’d rather sit and meditate
beside a peaceful shore.

Take me home to Minnesota
where the air is pure and clean,
Take me home to Minnesota
on a summer night serene,
When you look up at the stars above
and can touch them, so it seems;
Take me home to Minnesota,
the land of childhood dreams.

Take me home to Minnesota
where there's lots of elbow room;
Take me home to Minnesota
and the cry of the common loon;
I don't fear the chill of winters wind
or the sting of the mosquito,
For those things don't seem to matter much
when your love for this land grows.

When God made Minnesota,
it turned out as it should;
When God saw Minnesota,
He saw that it was good;
From fertile plains, to wooded rills,
to its varied industry,
God made Minnesota beautiful,
its just the place for me!

For My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light

I've been so blessed once again just by reading "Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts Here's another sample of her writings . . .

Release Thy Grief

"My child, lean thy head upon My bosom. Well I know thy weariness, and every burden I would lift. Never bury thy griefs, but offer them up to Me. Thou wilt relieve thy soul of much strain if ye can lay every care in My hand. Never cling to any trouble, hoping to resolve it thyself, but turn it over to Me; and in doing so, ye shall free Me to work it out."

On another note, when we were in VA we had a class reunion . . . So much fun to see everyone again!

"Praise is the Voice of Faith"

"Praise Me out of a heart full of love.

Praise Me for every blessing . . .

and every victory.

Yea, and praise Me when . . .

the most difficult thing to do is praise.

This is the vicory that overcometh the world . . .

Even your faith . . .

and praise is the voice of faith.

It is faith rejoicing for victories claimed in advance.

The song of praise is made of the very fabric of things hoped for.

It becomes an evidence of unseen things.

It is the raw material in My hands . . .

from which I fashion your victories"

- Frances J. Roberts

More Family

Skyler - the "baby" of our family. He's almost thirteen. He's quite the entertainer for the boys . . .
















Mom - They just moved off the farm into a trailer . . . When we got there it just seemed to fit . . . My memories of my Grandma (Showalter) were in their tailer and off Grandpa with his garden.

I think Loraine takes after Mom.













Dad - It's fun to watch Dad blossom so to speak at this age . . . He's having fun being his own boss, working with wood (he bought a sawmill) and planning for his shop and later a house.

We had to tease him though about all the sheds (they were so cute though out of rought lumber, simple and woodsy) there on the place. It looked a bit like a resort ;) "Yeah," he said, " the Last Resort"

Younger Sisters

Karen . . . always remembers birthdays and loves making her own cards. She can really decorate anything, rooms, scrapbooks etc.

When I left home, she was the faithful egg gatherer. Now she spends most of her days as a cook in an assisted living home.








Sally . . . works at the same place as Karen though not as a cook but as a CNA.

I often call her Miss.

She would ride with me to church Sunday evenings when I could get no one else to go with me . . . She also would sleep out on the trampoline with me (unless it was fall and underneath the walnut tree ;)
. . . and, oh, yeah, she's the one that would get up in the middle of the night and have a cup of hot chocholate with me . . . . so many fond memories!

Beauty is . . . a light in the eye

I read this in Matthew 6 and I am sad, I cry, I mourn . . . so many I love, their eyes speak of something between them and God . . .

“The light of the body is the eye:
if therefore thine eye be single, (clear)
thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil,
thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness!”

At times I feel so helpless . . . But I am not hopeless, I read this from Isaiah 58,

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen?
to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free . . .

Then shall thy LIGHT BREAK FORTH as the morning . . . “

. . . and neither am I helpless.

My Brother, Roland

. . . and Patrisha,

and a cousinly kiss

A Farmwife and Mother

This is my older sister, Kendra.


















She is quite busy each day with chores.














This is my brother-in-law Loren Rhodes.

We stayed at their place almost a week. They showed us wonderful Southern hospitality . . . Kendra is a great cook!!!

Here we're saying, "Goodbye"

Aunt Aimee

This is Roland's little girl, Cheyanne, just two months younger than Loraine. I am finally beginning to feel (a little bit) like an Aunt.

Kendra's girls

Courtney turns six today . . . my oldest neice. She was born a few weeks before Japheth and I tied the knot.

She used to be the shyest girl around. When we'd come to visit she'd just stare (at a safe distance) at our boys and think them the oddest creatures!

Now she has blossomed into a lovely playmate.











Regan is shy also . . . She's three.

Now I am waiting, and anticipating getting to know them . . . as they grow . . . and interact with them as adults. Time flies by so quickly!