Venture Advance

Our Beeswax Candle business has made strides this winter ... so much, in fact, that we are already marketing them at the Brandon Farmer's Market every Friday.

The sweet smell of beeswax fills our home as Brayden makes his creations in our basement work room. Many of the candle shapes are formed from molds we've made ourselves. The sense of accomplishment is just as sweet ...



As new things go, we've experienced some challenges in the learning curve - like using the correct wicking as well as the correct wick thickness for each candle - but now, some of those hurdles are behind us, the candles burn brightly clearing the air as only beeswax candles can do and adding much delight to our decor.

Delightful, beautiful, functional and healthful, these candles will make great gifts for anyone and everyone - I know I certainly feel like I've received a gift every time we get to do a trial burn test of one of the newest creations.

SWAGBUCKS Birthday

Do you search the web? Do you use Google when you're searching? Or some other search engine? Do they pay you to search? WHAT? They DON"T PAY YOU?

Well, then it's time you sign up with SWAGBUCKS! They pay you to do what you do anyway. I've been searching through SWAGBUCKS for about a year now -- just through my own searches I have gotten almost $40 ... and I honestly do not do a lot of searching, certainly no extra effort is put forth to get this.

Besides that, if I promote SWAGBUCKS here on my blog (like I'm doing now, smile) and any of you sign-up using the link from my blog I would also earn swagbucks everytime you do for the first while. So -- they pay me to advertise for them.

You can do the same ... and get swagbucks also! Go to SWAGBUCKS now to sign-up. Give yourself a gift, it's SWAGBUCKS' birthday.

Little Helpers

In the beginning, work was a pleasure. We know that God created it as a good thing since it was created before the fall of man.

Have you noticed how young children revel in "helping Daddy" or being "Mommy's helper"? Doing a job well or doing something without being told makes little ones stand tall ... then again, we all feel good after a job well done, don't we?

This struck me as being material for a blog post today when I was buying dishwasher soap -- I buy the dishwasher tablets. For two reasons:

1. In my opinion they do a better job getting the dishes clean.
2. Then my little helpers can do that extra little job too. It is a reward that makes filling the dishwasher worth their while!


The cashier that served me had never thought of letting little ones do this job, but she realized right away the value of the idea.

She was equally impressed with another idea that I shared with her - that of storing dishes in the lower cabinets in your kitchen. Again, so that little helpers can readily help to set the table and/or empty the dishwasher. Little ones as young as three and even younger can begin to help around the house. Everyone can earn their keep, so to speak -- after all, everyone likes to eat!

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat..."

These are just a couple ways that we can capitalize on the natural joy that our youngsters have when working. Making it fun and meaningful at that age builds in them the character quality of responsibility and establishes worth in the family.

It also prepares them for life ... and isn't that what parenting is all about?

Farm Fun

There is no end to fun on the farm ...



Like usual, if you click on the image you can get a close-up view of the boys having fun.

Walking with Mama

... makes me tired!

Growing Things

We grow things @ Klasse Woods Natural Farm. It's what we do.

The other day this is what we saw ...



... our little guys were busy planting ice cicles - upside down. Do you think they'll grow?

Who Needs a Tractor?

We do!!!!!

... but in the meantime we are very thankful for what God has provided for us and the ideas He gives us to manage with what we have.

Moving bales with manpower, crowbars, gravity ... and a snowblower!

Passionate Housewives

Through February 19, 2010, you can get a copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God for only the price of shipping. Here’s how:

--- Go to Vision Forum and place Passionate Housewives Desperate for God in your cart.

--- Checkout and enter coupon code FREEPHDG.

--- It should work out that when you checkout you only pay the shipping charges. This coupon code expires at midnight on February 19, 200 (CDT).

This is an encouraging book for busy wives, mothers and homemakers. I was blessed by reading it. Perhaps you need some encouragement right about now? Order the book for yourself -- or share it with someone else ... to encourage them.

Planning for Spring

We're still in the midst of winter - those who have lived here a long time are saying there is more snow than usual already.

... but we're in the midst of planning for spring! Whoohoo!



Members are already signing up for our weekly CSA Garden baskets ... bedding plants are ordered at a local greenhouse, Sprucedale Industires. It is operated by developmentally challenged adults - they were there for us last year when our June garden froze out. We want to support them. It just "seems right" since I also have had the privilege of growing up with a sister and a brother who had/have development challenges also.


AND we're all enjoying browsing through the seed catalogs, choosing our seed packets and deciding how much we will need to plant this year as our membership is likely/hopefully going to double ... plus we'll be able to sell extra at the Brandon Farmer's Market that we've recently joined.

Spring brings a lot of excitement around here!

God's Grace

“Revolution Within, a Fresh Look at Supernatural Living” by Dwight Edwards.

....a quote from the book ...

“Our New Covenant gift of purity springs from something dangerous, something worth a fresh look – God’s grace.



Years ago my family first visited the Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful, clear day, and the sheer majesty of the sight before me took my breath away. So did the shortage of guardrails. Our young boys naturally wanted to race to the very edge and look over. My instinct was to hold them back, safe from any danger of falling. I was only too glad to describe the beauty to them if they would stay back ten yards or so. Somehow they didn’t like that idea. After all, to get the total impact, to fully appreciate the canyon’s awesome beauty, you must go right to the edge.



Grace is like that. If it’s to take our breath away and significantly possess our lives, we must go right to the edge –where the overwhelming astonishment of grace and the potential abuse of grace linger side by side.



All too often the church has erected safeguards and restrictions to keep people back from the danger of abusing grace and falling into license and lawlessness. In doing so we create an even greater danger –keeping people’s view of grace so distant that they fail to have a breathtaking appreciation for the real thing.



If grace makes sense to you, I doubt you’re close enough to really see it. The real thing defies comprehension...but not experience. Grace is God’s irrational, unimaginable kindness...



God’s grace goes beyond anything offered by the world religions. Virtually all faiths have justice as a primary tenet: Man gets what he deserves. Many religions also add the concept of mercy, which is man not getting all the punishment he deserves. Christianity alone introduces the full concept of grace –of getting, with no good reason, what we positively don’t deserve. Grace goes miles beyond mercy.



Grace is the most unreasonable thing in the world. It’s also the most powerful. Nothing is more effective for transforming lives, risky though it is...

Cold Feet?

Did You Know? I found this little idea on a page at the Bulk Herb Store:

"Cayenne powder has been used by researchers in Antarctica to help them bear the extremely cold temperatures. The cayenne powder is sprinkled into their boots before putting them on. As the powder slowly comes in contact with the skin through the socks, it will draw blood to the feet, thus bringing much needed warms to the extremities. The one draw back is the red powder stains light colored socks. From our readings, it seems the stained socks were a small price to pay for the great benefit of being able to feel your toes after a little while out in the blistering cold! After trying this on a number of occasions during the winter near Lake Superior, I'm also convinced the stained socks are worth it."

Since we live, work & play where we have extreme temperatures, it just may be worth a try?!

Snow Fun

Tunnel Fort






Tower Fort





At Christmas, the older brothers "gifted' their younger siblings with the promise of building snow forts with them -- they've made good on their promise. The result? Hours of fun and bonding!

Peek!