Where Do I Begin?

It's been a while. Sorry about that, but it's been a nice break for me from spending much time on the computer. Life is very full in the late spring/early summer on a farm. I'll try to remember what has transpired since I last blogged. A brief synopsis:
~Ben chopped the end of his middle finger off on a tilt trailer, losing the entire nail and the meat off the end but missing the bone (praise GOD!) After a night in the ER at Immanuel they said they should leave it alone to heal and it has (praise GOD!)

~Girls took their SATs for 3rd and 5th grades (required by law in Oregon for homeschoolers) and they did AMAZING on it. We are schooling through the summer taking Wednesdays off for horseback riding lessons and other opportunities with friends and sunshine. We are studying the ancient civilizations again and loving it! I'm almost done reading "The Cat of Bubastes" by G.A. Henty to them (great book!)

~Garden is growing by leaps and bounds (see photos) this time of year. It always amazes me what happens in the month of June. We are harvesting peas, zucchini, carrots, beans, onions, broccoli, cauliflower and lettuces...so rewarding!

~I'm taking a Biblical Economics class hosted by a wise woman in our church, Lindy Ko, who opens her home on Wednesday nights for us to come and learn from her life experience. Daughters 8 years and up also come and learn a variety of life skills such as pastel chalk drawing, embroidery, Hebrew dancing and short hand (they love it!)

~Our dear friends in Zambia just adopted on the 4th of July! Check out their story at www.aliveinafrica.com. We are very happy for them!

~Last week my daughters hosted a high tea for the Strang ladies. It was very memorable!

~We hosted a 3rd of July party with 3 other families and they camped out in our back yard. It was fantastic...especially the pie eating contest!

So I think that gets us current on the big things. We are batting down the hatches after today and starting "Bootcamp" around here for the little ones. Ben HAS to be potty trained for cryin' out loud and Hogen needs some additional training before he turns 5 at the end of this month. We are going to lay low until we have seen the progress we desire in their attitudes and obedience. Pray for me to be consistant! Stay tuned to hear how it goes!