Like Butta'

Well, today I made butter for the first time. It was pretty cool. We skimmed the cream off of the raw milk we get from the farm and using this old Dazey Butter Churn





















I cranked and cranked until I got butter.













Haven't used it yet, but it sure smelled good and felt just like regular butter only smoother. Just another adventure in our family's foray into more natural and healthy food choices.

The Next Evening

It's amazing the difference a day makes. On Thursday the 23rd, I was so furious with my boys, I could spit nails as they say (See post Pushing Buttons.) They had just been pushing my buttons left and right.

But that didn't change the fact that I loved them. I didn't change the fun I have with them and it certainly didn't ruin the fun time we all had being silly and enjoying one another's company at Burgerville the next night.

So please pardon me if I wax philosophical again, but don't you think this is another parallel with how God sees us? We can push his buttons left and right, but it doesn't change the fact that he wants to be near us. Wants to spend time with us. Wants to hear from us every once in awhile. So don't forget that. No matter where you stand with God, he desires a relationship with you.

Are you drifting away? He'd love to hear from you!
Have you pushed him out of your life? He's waiting and watching hopefully for your return!
Have you never met him? He'd love to get to know you!
Have you just been too busy to give him any of your time? There's no time like now to tell him what's going on in your life!

It's so amazing that the Creator of the universe want to know us. Don't let that opportunity slip away

Gooey

The weekend before last the boys were getting dressed up stairs after breakfast and I was getting some stuff done downstairs. Ben came down dressed, but Kyle was still buck naked. Since Kyle still doesn't like to be upstairs by himself, so I asked Ben if he'd go back up with him for a couple minutes while Kyle got dressed.

Well, a few minutes later Ben came back down and Kyle still wasn't dressed. As I was finishing paying the bills, I heard Ben and Kyle conversing about making things "Gooey."

Yup, you guessed it. Toothpaste. I asked them what they were talking about, dreading what it might be and toothpaste was not the best answer, but it was better than it could have been.

So, I got them busy cleaning up their mess. They had "painted" the following:
* Bathroom door
* Both sides of the door handle in the bathroom
* Bathroom sink and counter
* Steps on Ladder to Ben's bunk
* Window sill
* Edge of Bookcase
* And they'd even managed to get a little on the railing and wall going down the stairs.

Needless to say, they haven't been using toothpaste for a few days.

Answers to Halloween Who's Who

It's been a busy week at our house, but I promised some answers.  

Top left - Kyle

Top right - Owen

Bottom right - Ben  

Sorry I didn't get as fancy as Mindy and put new recent pictures up in the respective spots.  I'll leave that to the professionals.  ;)

Simple Pleasures

There's nothing like your kids to remind you of the simple pleasures of life.  Saturday, Ben was making a paper airplane and I offered to help.  

As these things do, it turned into more and Kyle, Ben and I ended up out front throwing paper airplanes around.  We probably spent 30 minutes or more just throwing them as hard as we could trying to make them go across the street or get stuck in trees.  Then I had a great idea.  I ran upstairs with both paper airplanes and through them to the boys from our bedroom window.

But the excitement really started when they wanted to do it too.  Ben managed to clear the roof with his, but Kyle's didn't quite make it, so Daddy got to make a trip onto the roof!  Very exciting for the boys, especially when I acted like I fell backwards back into the window of our room when I was going back in.

So who needs a $300 video game system, or motorized/battery operated toys when 2 pieces of paper can keep you busy for a good hour.

What simple pleasure have you enjoyed in your life lately?