keep doing what God's got you doing

Sorry it's been so long-
We just got an update on Simeon and Patrick. Both of their parents have passed away and their Aunt is applying for guardianship so that she can sign their relinquishment papers. She can not feed, clothe or shelter them. After this update, we realize that they are probably going to be able to come to us soon. We are ready and willing to provide what they need as their family. In consequence of this new information, and the cash it will require, we have canceled our appointments to have our cracked teeth crowned. Their body, soul and spirit are more important than a few of our teeth.

-Less importantly, Leon, Ephraim, Havilah and the Croteau's attended a sustainable agriculture class in Moscow last weekend.
-Ephraim had his goats bred with a Boer goat so we can expect new goat kids in March. They will be ready for the meal table when they are 6 months old.
-My cat had kittens and we decided to keep one which has been named, Arthur by Zuriel.
-I ran into the side of the house while teaching one of the children how to park. :( While I was inside crying about it, Mr. Croteau went to work on it and had it looking much better by the time that Leon got home from work. Leon and Mr. Croteau have it almost back to normal now. It needs new siding and paint.
-Will anyone plan an Above Rubies family retreat in Spokane or my area??
-I made 3 new shirts for Naphtali. I got the patterns from a plain patterns site. I'm thinking that those simple folks aren't that simple. It took 5 of us grown ups about 30 minutes to figure out one of the steps. They look good though.
-I started on 3 shirts for Ephraim and Leon
-today I made 3 loaves of sour dough, tortillas, beans, pizza dough, coconut macaroons, kefir, porridge and other necessary foods (all with hand ground grain). Whew! All that extra work will make tomorrow go smoother. I'm thinking about doing all my bread baking on Thursday to minimize the mess and clear my mind a bit more. It tends to get cluttered and makes me walk around in circles saying, "I do and I don't".
We are starting on another album. It will feature the children more. It will be more of that stuff that most people don't like so they ask us, "what style is that" or they tell us it's, "......interesting". That's ok. We gotta do what God gave us to do.
Ephraim (13) almost always processes the beans and makes the salsa for the burritos on Thursday. He's a great cook.
Havilah (11)is swinging from tree to tree.
Asaph (9)is a totally dependable helper with a great sense of mirth.
Zuriel (7) is trustworthy to take care of Nehemiah. She is never careless with him but, always patient and thoughtful.
Naphtali (4) is hilarious.
Nehemiah (1) is our tiny baby still. He gets carried, kissed and spoiled in all the best ways.

That's about it. I'll update you about the adoption when new news comes in. Jim and Charissa, I'm praying for all your little ones and the ones to come. Pray for Doug and Mellisa Huntley who are going through a long illness. You WILL get through this.