God said    87 times in the Bible Do not be afraid.   Do you think he understood us?  EIGHT-SEVEN times. 

Here's the first fifteen, who he said it to, and the comfort he gave them.  I'll share more tomorrow. 

Do not be afraid to;

Abram; for I am your shield; Gen15:1

Hagar; for I heard the boy crying Gen 21:17

Jacob; for I am with you, I will bless you, and will increase your number Gen 26:24

Jacob/Israel; for I will make you a great nation there. Gen 46:3

People of Israel; for the Lord will bring you deliverance Ex 14:13

 People of Israel; for God has come to test you, so you won’t sin. Ex 20:20

People of Israel; for  we will swallow the people up, their protection is gone. Num 14:9

Moses; for I have handed over his army and his land to you. Num 21:34

Moses; for Judgment belongs to God. Deut 1:17

People of Israel; for the Lord has given you the land, do not be discouraged Deut 1:21

People of Israel; for the Lord will fight for you, and carry you Deut 1:29

People of Israel; for the Lord will drive them out Deut 3:2

People of Israel; for you must remember what the Lord did to Pharoah and too all Egypt Deut 7:18

People of Israel; for the Lord who brought you out of Egypt is with you.

Whew,  its been a busy weekend.

We spent most of it yesterday burning up the branches from the tree my dad fell.  I LOVE burning.  Its very fascinating, and satifying work.  I might also be a bit of a pyro

It was a day that threatened to rain off and on, but that was okay, as we had a nice warm fire.  Today its just plain raining.  

I was quite happy Friday night to realize we have a bit of the red leaves along the river.  I need to go back when its lighter, but not today.  I would drown.

The kids were good helpers in the whole burning thing.  Samuel in particular, as its his FAVORITE job as well.  If it hadn't rained all night he'd be outside nursing the fire back to life, shoot he may be anyhow.  He can get what looks like dead coals going without matches I swear.   Its a good productive way for him to deal with his pyro instincts. 

Their is a possibility that a man from church will be out this afternoon to haul off some more of the tree.   This would be nice, as its rather ugly in my yard. 

Kaylin spent a great amount of time climbing the nursling tree's next to us.   Nursling trees if you don't remember are trees that grew up on a previous dead tree.  This means their roots are quite often exposed to air.   There not extremely stable trees either.   This one looks all rather impressive, considering how teensy, tiny she looks while she's up there.   Its actually one of my top 4 favorite trees on our property.  And its far enough from our house, that we shall enjoy it as long as it lives.     And as you can see from the top of it, its actually 4 trees.

I am so greatful that God has given us this beautiful property to live on.     Each time I go outside I just enjoy the beautifully parked out trees, and land.  

Each year I go through which is my favorite season.  I think this year it was fall.  We've had the most fabulous fall.     I was actually ready for the rain.  That may be a first.  *snicker*

We made a tough family decision and decided I *will* be driving the kids to Awana.   They will be starting almost a month late, but they don't care, their just ecstatic, and counting the days down.  We have found absolutely NO after school activities for our children to be involved in.  They don't do soccer, they don't do boy scouts, they don't do 4-H.  Are you getting the picture?  After January they do basketball, and then softball, but nothing for the elementary school kids. 

The homeschool groups are closed until November.  So, Awana it is, for now. 

We are so loving our little church.  Its teensy, but its definitely home.  I wish I could get a bit closer to the women, but time I guess.  And in the meantime, the worship is good. 

 

Samuel got caught taking candy from the SS candy box.   Zeria caught him, mommy found the remnants.   He will be doing more manual labor.  And he will be repaying the candy to the church.  He will also be fessing up to his SS class what he did.   It *is* scriptural, and he has no say about this.  He attempted to lie about doing it, saying he'd "collected" the candy wrappers.  But I just glared at him, and told him he had *one* chance to be honest.  It all came blurting out.

Samuel is NOT having a good month.   But ya know, I feel much better about our route of disciplining.  He knows he's in trouble.  He deals with it, and we move on.  Grounding is just not a viable option.  It makes him angry, and...depressed.  HE feels that nobody loves him, and he's only bad.   Yes, he's been extremely STUPID this month, but he needs to know that God does forgive, as well as discipline.  So the labor does both.  And trust me, daddy is a tough boss. 

I think we will also be asking the SS teacher to place the candy out of sight after they get there reward.   Its just a wee bit too tempting.

We discussed this morning in SS that NO one can not resign from being a parent.  The irony of this, was it was BEFORE I found him the second time.  *sigh*   Parenting is exhausting.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                     

I relate to this cartoon.  Points up.  Its so hard to do anything without being interupted, interupting myself, or some family emergency. 

Yesterday was...full. 

We had to run to Forks to get mud for the drywall.   We all decided to go since it was Rob's day off. 

A couple of the kiddos had spending money, due to being hard workers, and were allowed to buy something.  Samuel had earned money, but he was putting it towards a Gamecube game he bought on e-bay.  Jamari had no money...cause he doesn't work very often.

Samuel decided it was embarassing that he didn't have money, so he decided to shoplift.

Again.

This store manager was much "meaner".   *sigh*   But still didn't truely scare Samuel.   We chose a different discipline route this time.  And Samuel had to do hard-labor with Rob for several hours yesterday.    His other on-going discipline until further notice is he will be riding in the cart in the grocery store like a baby.  

We did a lot of talking about the way to approach things Rob and I.   And decided that removing privlidges doesn't work with Samuel, it teaches resentment, and he forgets the reason he's been disciplined.    Thus the reason for hard labor.   It was productive, and Rob made him work HARD, and its swift.  

I'll tell you in ten years wether we made the right decision.

The color of the leaves of the vine maple.  We went for a drive tonight, and I took my time tonight.  These are the best.  The bottom one is my favorite.  The red color is just not something we used to see in Eden Valley, but the vine maples this far out are frequent, often, and extremely beautiful. 

My husband got creative today.   And well a bit bored.  As a result the kids have some new yard furniture......And I don't think they'll manage to break this.

He's discussing how to turn the big round roller into a table.  Give him a day or two, and they'll have a chain-sawed table too.   He also built a "man-sized" chair.  I don't have a picture of it, as he did it late this evening.  I shall have to go get one tomorrow.  This is all from the tree that my dad took down on the weekend.  May as well put it to a good use huh?

*snicker*

I had my LONG bi-monthly grocery shopping trip today.  The drive however was just beautiful.  The vine maple are all starting to change color, and they were spectacular.  My camera didn't even remotely begin to catch the color.  I'm going to have to go back and try again when I have more time, but I do have this one to share; 

It did manage to catch how intensely blue the sky was today.  Just incredible

Man,

Its a close call,  But I think the pony lost round 6.

Cricket has decided she doesn't like that stinky old bit in her mouth.  She may not be very tall, but she is VERY strong.  And she's been winning the battle of the bridle.

Until I got smart.

I took her over to our rail fence, and put her behind it, so she was pulling the brace into herself, and cross-tied her.   This means she has ropes on both sides of her head.

She wasn't terribly impressed.

I then proceeded to feed her little bits of grain, and talk to her.

And then I brought the bridle near her, and she wigged.

But.

She couldn't go anywhere with the wigging.  LOL  So, after a moment or two she stood still, and let me put the wretched thing in her mouth.  I then gave her more bits of grain, pet her, and talked to her.  Something along the lines of, you know your rather foolish to fight, when I'm gonna win don't you?  *snort*

I then took it out, gave her a break.  And then put it back in.

Zeria is off riding her, and she's being her normal docile self.

Now the thing is KERRI.

IS there a easier way of doing this?

I've been bribing her all week with carrots, and apples trying to convince her I'm not the enemy.  As long as I don't have the bridle in my hands she's sweet and angelic.

I thought of using a hackamore, but her previous owner said she HATES one.   At least my kids can ride her again, she's getting SOOOO fat.  But argh, does it have to be so much work?

Rain bug and the fall colors as showed off by my new camera, and playing with the software that came with it.  We have had the most long and delicious Indian summer.   Sunny crisp cold days that seem to never end.

When my dad was out here he took down a danger tree.  I will take pictures of the butt of it tomorrow.  Anyhow I talked Rob into leaving the branches on it until this weekend.  The kids think its the greatest toy.  Jeremiah LOVES to play hide & seek in the bushes.  I had to plead with him for several minutes before he'd peak out and smile for me.

I'm still learning the settings and stuff on the camera, and playing with lighting.  So it will be awhile before I'm truely happy with things.  But I do have to say, it takes much much much better early sunset pictures.    The old digi would have made that just a blucky blue.  But it cought the subtle pinks in the sky.  I meant to go back out and take one as it progressed, but forgot....Another night, another sunset. 

 

 

My camera just arrived via UPS.

I should be quite excited, and part of me is.

The other part of me is shaking.  Our sunroom doors were open--its warm.

Our dogs were in their.  Its THERE house.

He walked into the sunroom, and the dogs barked.  D'uh its there preogative.

Billy doesn't like the UPS guy, and he got close to him, and wanted to bite, but didn't.

I was there trying to calm the dogs down.  And make them back off.

They were doing there job.

The UPS guy said if Billy did that again it was gonna cost us $5,000.

UMM Hello.

Since when do you walk into someone elses house without knocking and expect the dogs to be thrilled?

We are logging a formal complaint, Rob is on the phone at the moment. 

I'm battling a stomache bug, and the stomache bug is winning.

As a result I won't be online today....

Its not about the destination, its about the journey. 

I'm not sure which famous or not-so-famous person said that.  Although I know it was Jules Vernes theory in writing novels.

Whoever said it could adequately describe going on an adventure with my father.

Being the staid married woman I am I don't go on them anymore.  And...I miss one-on-one time with my dad.   Something that has gotten increasingly rare since I married, and worse since we moved to Clallam Bay.

I've always been a daddy girls.  I did parts runs with him allllll the time just so I could spend more time with him.  These were not fun intresting drives.  These were 6 hour drives one way to some John Deere Parts store, or NC Machinery store that had the part he needed.  If he could get it that day instead of waiting 5 or 6 days for shipping it was worth it.  Every day he was down, he was not only making no money, he was loosing money....

So he'd want company and I always went.  Even if I ended up shelling crab for 5 hours one way on one particular trip.  (LONG STORY)

So, today they came out to pick up there trailer, and for dinner.  Dinner was in the oven, and dad asked if I wanted to run to a mushroom patch he used to pick at when he logged out here.

I foolishly said  yes.

"It's just a 1/4 of a mile hike."  He told me.  I do a 1/4 of the mile all the time, that's nothing.

Silly, silly me.

I have selective amnesia.  I forgot my dad's definition of hike, and mine are entirely other.

My dad logs for a living.  He's up and down canyons for 8-10 hours a day.  He's 60, and I could keep up with him for ten minutes.  I know this.  He proved it again today.  

Anyhow.  The 1/4 mile of a hike.  WAs 3/4 of a mile straight  up a slippery logging road.  Pretty, but steep.  I was wheezing 2 minutes out of the car.  I had to call a break 5 minutes out of the car.  How it hurts the pride. 

Anyhow.  3/4's of a mile later.  My lungs hurt, my head hurts, but I'm at the top of the hill.  My dad however has just begun.  We still have to actually GET to the patch.  So he barrels through the woods, and tells me to get my breathing under control, he'll call me if he finds anything.  He's back there about ten minutes.  I follow him up the road by the crackling branches.  Eventually he finds two little tiny chantrelle mushrooms.  "Okay, come on back.  There's got to be more here."

THERE WASN'T.

I went back there.  I tripped, climbed, crawled (yes literally) up, over and under stumps, fallen trees, blackberry bushes, salmon berry bushes, but thankfully no devils club.  

We found not another one.  But we kept trapsing on.  And on.  I look at my watch and no Rob has now taken the bread out of the oven, and the meat will be out in about fifteen minutes.  "Um, dad we probably should head back."

"Ah, lets just go up here a little bit further.  You go that way, and I'll this.  That way we'll get a better view."  Says the chipper logger in the little boy voice.

I sighed, and agreed.  Its hard to tell him know.

So we went, and went.  And I'm dead.  But the road is umm lost. 

"I think we need to head back dad, dinner's gonna be cold."  "Okay."  He responds.

"The roads this way."  He says. 

And we walk,

and walk

and walk.

Onlly this isn't hiking.  Its climb, step, fall down a hole to your waist with one leg.  Pull yourself up.  My dad is seventy-feet in front of me, and I'm just a dying.

"Its just about another 20 feet.  He informs me umm 3x?"

I finally stand still.  "You stay there, I'll find it."

He finds it.  "Okay, come this way its easier." 

Yeah sure, there's a fallen log that comes up to my chest.  "I can't climb that, my hips quit ten minutes ago."  I inform him.  "I'll go this way."

"I went that way, its brushy, this way is easier."

"No, its not, I can't climb that."

I am managing a calm almost chipper demeanor, while inside I'm dying.  DYING.

I tumble through 7 foot tall salmon berry bushes for about ten feet, and wala the road.

YEEEEEEEEEAH!

Of course I still have to walk 3/4's of a mile down hill.  STEEP...with my bumb hip.   But at least the ground is solid, and I'm not gonna fall.

We walk about 1/4 of it. 

Dad informs me.  "I know there's got to be mushrooms back there, I'm gonna cut through the woods and meet you on the county road, you walk down the road."

I nod, and keep watching my steps.  Its just not worth it to argue with my dad.

I made it down the nasty old hill without falling, though almost did several times as the moss was SLIPPPPPPERY!!!

He went down the canyon.  At one point there was a 20 foot straight off drop.  Okay I think in reality it was 30.   I looked at it wondering how he was possibly gonna circumvent that.

I stood at the van waiting.  I was there (maybe) five minutes. 

Finally I holler out.  "Dinner's gonna be stone cold."

He answers me from 30 feet down the county road.  "I'm almost there."

He made it down just fine.  Silly me for worrying.

"How'd you get down the cliff?"

"Oh, just grabbed a hold of a cedar branch and slid."

I nodded.  I was too tired to do anything else.

And for this?  We found NO mushrooms.  We apparently dropped the two we found somewhere in the woods, they fell out of our container.

But the adventure...well it will convince me to stay out of the woods with my dad for awhile.

Although probably by the time he's 70, I might be able to keep up with him.

But ya know, if I can, I'm gonna be heartbroken.  I love the fact that my logger dad is superman.  And I'm greatful for the memories.

Remind me of this tomorrow, when I can't walk from the sore muscles.  And I sting all over from the multiple scratches.....

ITs not about the amount of mushrooms you pick, its about the time spent with a loved one.