Explanation of photo's

This explains the photo's on the previous post.

#1 and #2 Ephraim was voted #1 out of nearly 9,000 projects on NXTLog for his 4x4. The crane rated first place a couple weeks later.
#3 and #5 Darling Elsie sleeping. I love to look at her tiny, delicate hands.
#4 Asaph, Zuriel, Nehemiah and Naphtali licking up spilled Rapadura
#6 Mama and Elsie
#7 Ephraim
#8 She is even serious about being goofy
#9 Elsie is very interested and amazed at all she sees. She has been known to stare in serious concentration at a blank ceiling for several minutes and usually ends up falling asleep with her brow a little furrowed at the wonder of it all.
#10 We like to eat popcorn during family time if it's a weekend or other special day. Naphtali(age 5) and Nehemiah(age 2) have made themselves an elevated seat this time.
#11 Naphtali
#12 Elsie(5 weeks) is waking up a little after napping with Havilah(age 12).
#13 Nehemiah in front of the back door
#14 Elsie a few weeks old

A few pictures

to see more of ephraim's projects, click here.

Havilah broke her foot, "ouch"

Havilah broke a bone in her foot playing a running game with everyone on Wednesday night. Thursday we spent all day in Bonners Ferry tending to that. She came home with a cast-like splint and crutches. She will likely get a regular cast pretty soon.

I am hand washing our laundry again and loving it. It is fast, easy and enjoyable.

Elsie is smiling more. She is usually very serious but, a couple times a day she lights up our lives with a huge, toothless, whole face smile. This morning before sunrise I was sitting up in bed nursing her. I could feel her warm skin on my skin and hear her heavy breathing. Her head was in the crook of my arm and her cheek was on my breast. The light of the new day began coming through the crack in the curtain and shining on her head making her hair golden against the darkness of the room. There is no experience in the world that is sweeter to me than that.

Examples of God using people

Recently a stranger at the grocery store struck up a conversation with me. After some small talk, she wandered away to complete her grocery shopping. A little while later she sought me out again. "I would like to make each of your seven children a quilt for their beds", she said. We have been emailing back and forth since then. I did not think it was strange when she approached me with this offer. I had been hoping for someone with a 'grandmother' heart who would sew for me and knew that God had sent her. She will make the quilts this winter. In the meantime she has already sent fourteen baby blankets for Elsie.

Our neighbor backed into our yard the other day and dumped about 3 cords of wood rounds next to the wood pile. The next day he brought another cord or so. It's all valuable hard wood. We were troubled about how to get enough wood to get us through the winter. He said that he appreciated our patience when they are noisy etc.

I was returning a DVD with one of my children. I knew that I had late charges remaining of $28. I didn't intend to pay anything on the debt that day. My son said that he thought I should go and pay them whatever cash I had in my wallet. So, I went in and paid the $12 dollars I had. The owner took my $12 and forgave the rest of my debt.

Our dear sister Pat moved into our house in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She has been working tirelessly with the many repair needs of the house. Her daughter and son-in-law have been flying out to the house and spending many hours working on it for us.
The FedEx guy noticed that we were pregnant a couple months ago. He came back last week and wanted to know if we had a boy or a girl. He has clothes to bring over for several of my children.

Someone at Leon's work brought him a box of clothes and blankets for Elsie. Without those we wouldn't have nearly enough for her.

These are just a few examples of people who God has used to bless us. Some of them didn't know us much if at all and we had not expressed our needs to them.

written mid August

I ache to live more outside. The air is so fresh and it blows life right into me. A few leaves are turning their beautiful fall colors-, painted red and gold, and green fading into rusty brown.
We love living out here in Northern Idaho. We look forward to each new day. Several events are worth looking for; visitors, x-fest, our reunion in Cannon Beach, then Christmas and all the beautiful times of sledding and watching the snow fall while we are inside our clean house warmed by the wood stove.
I'm reclining on the couch with sweet Elsie in my lap. She has the hiccups. She is watching me and her arms are moving slowly around. When I look outside I see the laundry line full of small pink clothes and blankets. I hear 6 children working together on a project. The house is untidy but, that's okay. We just had a new baby, it can be out of sorts like the rest of us for a while. It will feel good to get up and bring it back to order. But, not now. This is my special time to rest and dream and hold Elsie while she sleeps and cries.

written when Elsie is 11 days old

My darling Elsie is 11 days old and weighs about 8 1/2 pounds. She has piercing blue eyes and brown hair- softer than anything I've ever felt. --tiny fingers and toes that move gently as though a breeze that I can't feel is blowing them.