Life in Nebraska ....

Oh God: Keep us loving. Keep us clean. Keep us gentle. Keep us pure. Keep us brave. Keep us honest. When we are discouraged, inspire us to carry on. When we are fearful, increase our trust. When we are lonely, give us a consciousness of they Presence. When we are embittered, empower us with thy love. When we are wronged, help us to forgive. When we are lazy, drive us to our work. When we are successful, keep us humble. When we are defeated, inspire us to take courage and go forward.

Zerrick doesn't do too bad w/ this thing! :) Keagan was quite proud to be standing at the top of his hill! Sanding the picnic table These two babies are about six weeks apart... He was trying so hard to get a drink and then his foot would get on the hole and then he would wonder where the water went... Zerrick is starting to be a big help w/ some of the bigger projects....we like that!

This is for you Mom.... Last Saturday evening I decided to make a raspberry pie for my boys. In this house a raspberry pie is a HUGE thing! I don't make pies very often and my husband and my little boys love pies! And I'm not misusing the work Love here. They truly Love pies! Anyhow, while I was making these pies Matt was away somewhere with the boys helping his dad do something. So I had a quiet house and I made pies. And since it was quiet I could think!!! And I started to remember the one Saturday many years ago when I was a little girl and Mom made ME help her make her Sunday Pies! I felt very pleased and it was so fun! I remember how mom showed me the way you can make fancy crimps to the edges w/ just my fingers and thumb! I thought that was fantastic! AND this was the best pie I've ever tasted made like that! I mean made like mom made pies. Who would've ever thought that when mom started dumping flour in a bowl and taking a spatula and digging out lard and taking ...

Today I made Apple Butter for the first time in my life I think. It was a good experience but I'm really wondering how we're ever going to use it all up. Matt tried some tonight on some of his mom's wheat bread and he decided again that honey on wheat bread tastes better. So all my hard work might have been a big waste of time! But it was a good experiment anyhow... The bottom of the big sticky mess... Why does it look red? It was a deep dark clovey brown... I used the recipe that Jenny said worked good for her last time she made it. The reason for all this apple stuff in the middle of the summer rather than fall apple harvesting? Dave and Beth have an apple tree that ripens in the summer...a summer apple tree. Anyhow, this tree has produced way too many apples to please me and all the rest of the hard working ladies who had to put up much applesauce yesterday. I think it was a total of 130 quarts of apple sauce! WE worked hard if I do say so myself. Anyhow, the app...

This is the finished project.... Just a picture that I like . This is who finished the project. And this is who started it.... And We love it! Thanks so much.... And I'm wondering Ryan, why you didn't see these on my picasa web album????

I'm sure I can't write all the highlights of our trip but I could try to write a few..... One of the best highlights for Matt and I was the chance to catch up on our long road out there. We've been racing from one set of company to the other all summer and life has been TOO busy. So this was a wonderful chance to talk. I think the boys were ready for some time w/ just us too. What else?....It was wonderful to be in Maryland again. That part of Maryland is beautiful! It soothes my soul! It's green and rolling and I can go to the woods and pick a nice bouquet of flowers....which I did w/ Zerrick's help. ~Visiting under the big tent ~Watching the kids play some sort of softball w/ the toddler bat and ball ~Having Ralph help Matt and Dave make hot wings on Saturday evening. ~Running around the homeplace trying to find all 24 clues for the treasure hunt with Zerrick. ~The guys played horse shoes. ~The cool fresh air. ~ making more new friends and catching up w/ the old.....