Oh Dear, Oh Deer

October 14, our guys took down two deer within an hour of dawn.

My Dear hit the first with the Suburban.

Deer done!

Suburban? ... we wait and see.





Thankful to the Lord that no one was hurt!


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At about the same time, Bow Hunter took one down first shot.



We needed the meat! Thanks, Lord God ... and Carsyn!

New Kittens

New little pets have brought a lot of pleasure in the last few weeks.

Little Look Alike

Here my little girl looks like my cousin "Colleen" at that age:



Our littles had so-o-o-o much fun weeding the orchard making a green carpet.

It was so cool and soft to walk on ... until the sun dried it all to a crisp!

Making Music

In some ways, I guess you could call us a musical family.

Singing in harmony is a recent favorite pastime slowly becoming a ministry. It is always a blessing to sing together. Our hearts are filled with praise to the Father!

Making instruments is another pass time. Our oldest two made their first violin at ages 14 and 11. Since then, Carsyn has had another in the making ... will this be the year that it is completed? Going it alone, without an instructor and in between summer farming seasons draws out the process, but progress is once again being made now that it is winter.


Mostly carved by hand, this project requires a lot of patience, precision and persistance.

Awesome flaming on this piece!


It is so good to see profitable & productive pass times.

Dream Dog

A boy's best friend is his dog, right? And every boy dreams of hooking his dog up to a wagon ... or a sleigh, right?

Our boys did! They have a dream dog!

Misty, willingly pulls firewood through the snow on the sleigh. She makes the job faster & funner!

After practice with the wood, Misty was "trained" and now gives 2 year old (tomorrow is her B-day)"Taya" fun, fast rides too... Faith Mattaya knows how to hang on really tight. She loves it!! It's one of the joys of living in a house full of boys!

It's a Happy Day, Happy Day!

Those are the exact words I heard from three little men.

I've said it before, now I can show you ... cardboard boxes make wonderful toys! In this case, the bigger the better. And this box is HUGE as far as boxes go. I expect we'll have a permanent fixture in our basement ... at least for the winter.


Today is like Christmas at our house...and December 25 is still 5 days away!


A big new freezer arrived in a huge cardboard box. One look and there were six excited young men planning a playhouse for little sister. They had just as fun making it as she's having playing in it.

Sweet Treat

Most candy dishes are filled to overflowing this time of year. Goodie bags are frequently handed out to children at schools, at Church programs and at Grandma's.

There is entirely too much of a not-so-good thing around.

How is a parent to keep their children healthy and happy through it all ... especially if one of the children is diabetic?

We've struggled with that for more than ten years now. Candy is deemed a reward, a good thing when in reality it is not. Especially to a diabetic, but just as certainly to every child.

The truth is sugar is deadly for everyone ... in the long run.

We can't always say "No" to a child when candy is in question. Oftentimes it also hurts them to be singled out as "different" & given their own "special" candy. To them it isn't special, they just want to be normal & get the same junk everyone else gets without limits like everyone else ... BUT diabetics CAN'T.

Sometimes it would be nice to change the world ... yet in reality? Life doesn't work that way.



So, what do you do to treat you children?



We have found a few things that compensate: one is gum & candies made with the sweetener called xylitol. "Spry" is the brand we've come to enjoy ... it was first recommended to us by our dentist. The bonus? Xylitol inhibits cavities and though it does have a carbohydrate count it does not cause a spike in the blood sugar. Win/win!

We have tried the Spry gum in four flavors: cinnamon, spearmint, peppermint, and fruit flavored - they have a new green tea flavor out now.

The Spry mints/candies are in four great flavors: lemon, berry, peppermint, spearmint and a new raspberry that we haven't tried yet, but the rest are yummy!

More candy ideas here.

At our house, gummy vitamins and flavored vitamin C work as "treats" also. Yay for Mom, cause I like 2 for 1's!!!! Acidophilus rates right up there with candy among my littles too. Of course, we limit these to the rating on each bottle.

There are other treats of course, inedible ones like floss pics, erasers, etc, but I'm always looking for more ideas.

Do you have any ideas, favorite treats? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks so much for sharing.


Disclaimer: Check with your physician before using these suggestions. This post is not meant to be taken as medical advice.

Hours & Hours

We are so-o-o blessed to have a hill right on our yard, just outside the door. Our littles, and company, have spent hours & hours of fun out there ... on that hill, using it to one advantage or another.

In winter, it is great for sledding:


In summer, it hosts a great water slide - yep, using the water tank FULL of water in one day.

Building Memories

A recent family field trip to The Manitoba Museum" formerly "The Man & Nature Museum" left quite an impression on our young men. Of course, climbing on the "Nonsuch" and exploring it from top to bottom & stem to stern was the highlight.

In fact, they continue to build memories by making a replica in Lego:

Beautiful Harmony

Faith Mattaya playing "Jesus Loves Me" together with Corbyn ... on her violin! Gotta love it!

Eternal Blessings

A fun shot from our family photo session!

Meaningful Memories

Two years ago today, my little sister went to heaven. At nearly 41 years (she's 40 in the picture above), she had far outlived her life-expectation. She was physically & mentally challenged, yet in spite of her condition she left a legacy, through the efforts of our parents -- because our parents (along with a few other such parents in our community) foresaw the need their challenged children would have when they would be adults.

A pilot project group home was begun in the mid-80's in small-town Hague, Saskatchewan. That first home, Sunshine Housing, was an astounding success. So much so that, by the time of Vonda's passing on September 8, 2008 there were no less than 42 such homes around the province.

My sister Vonda had some of the best years of her life as an adult, with fewer health issues and great opportunities living in "her own home" in Saskatoon. Thanks in great part to the SAI program workers.

And ... the legacy lives on in the life of our youngest brother, also challenged, who even today enjoys a quality of life beyond our best imaginations for them. And of course, many others also benefit from the legacy -- not only those challenged, but also the support staff people and their families who benefit from the career opportunities and love these precious people have to offer. A whole industry has grown out of this legacy. Small town Hague thrives, in part, because of what Sunshine Housing has to offer -- they now have not one, not two, but three houses which are home to challenged adults & offering respite to their younger peers.


A Precious Memory:
As I had requested, my folks sent this picture of my little sister Vonda in a special dress Mom made for her:


The other day, we made another memory -- we dressed up our own little Faith Mattaya in that Holly Hobbie dress Mom made for Vonda. It fits Faith Mattaya at 18 months except for the length. Vonda wore it at about 9 years of age.





Dressing Faith up in this memorable dress is just like playing dolls. We doubled the precious memories!!!!

I am just so glad that we have the assurance of meeting Vonda in heaven one day ... and the knowledge that she is in a better place with no more suffering really blesses me too.

Garden Markets

When we're not busy at the Neepawa market we're getting ready for it ... or the CSA baskets which are more of the same delivered on Tuesdays to Brandon.



We're also trying a roadside market at the end of our lane. Saturday morning and early afternoon there is a lot of traffic going to and from Circle Square Ranch. We've done this for two weeks and so far the net profits have been equal to that of our first market attempts in both Brandon and Neepawa. This is certainly less driving which is a huge bonus!

Who knows? Perhaps we may have the beginnings of a Klasse Woods Country Market??

If it is to be? It will take some persistence, that we know already.

Praying for wisdom. James 1:5

Potatoes

Everyone loves fresh garden potatoes ... just like we do! The smaller, the better! LOL!

Digging ...




... by hand digging potatoes got old fast. We're thankful to have a neighbor who is willing to come help us "dig spuds" once a week. We're shopping for a tractor that can do everything we need it to. Please pray with us that we will find the right one. Thanks.



Washing:

Roof Project Complete

Our roof got re-done last week, between rains. Praise the Lord.

It was done without mishap for which we sincerely prayed & are sincerely grateful. All praise to God, our Protector!

The high side was NOT FUN! Caution & safety measures like safety harnesses & deliberate unhurried work along with common sense helped the men to get the job done well and in good time.




The finish ...



Everyone in the family helped to do their part. Special THANKS to brother Gil for coming out to head up the project despite his hesitations with working with heights.

Waterfall @ Klasse Woods

While we haven't been receiving the torrents of rain that surrounding areas have been -- like six inches within a week just South of the Souris River -- we did receive a good inch this morning within just 20 minutes.

It made our own private waterfall just out the back door -- sound effects and all!



At times like these, we're thankful to have sandy soil -- not much damage to the gardens & field because the water soaks away quite quickly.


Since we haven't gotten a lot of rain this week, we're thankful for this moisture.

To date, we've also not been in too dire need of intermittent rains sufficient to nourish the land.

Maker of the Mystery Marks

If you guessed that a turtle made those tracks in the sand, you are right!

Our boys were thrilled to see this little guy. It was the highlight of their Sunday evening drive.

Dandelion Delights

Dandelions are a seasonal thing. They bloom for a couple weeks and then they are done for the most part. I refuse to chemicalize my yard to get rid of them for in doing such I also put the health of my children at risk. Instead, they delight in picking flowers for Mommy -- and I put them in crystal vases to brighten our home.

Did you know that dandelions are also VERY healthy? Add the tender greens leaves to salads, the powdered root cleanses the blood and even the bright yellow flowers can be use to make Dandelion jelly -- a local entrepreneur that we've met at Farmer's Market & homeschool functions is known worldwide for her "Dandelion Jelly".

Dandelions can also be FUN. Brayden's brilliant idea blossomed:


Then our littles spent delightful hours in the dandelion patch -- enjoying the sunshine, the flowers and being creative.

... making dandelion shields with the tennis racket reminded them of the fun at Grandma's house too. They've spent hours playing SnaPics at Grandma's house (SnaPics were a toy made by Tupperware in days long ago).


It never ceases to amaze me ... the things little minds can come up with.



... and as usual, the cheapest things make the best toys!

A Time to Re-do the Roof

Sometimes living out in the country requires that one does things the hard way. Lumber yards don't readily send out their shingle elevators into the bush country. It makes one thankful for health & strength ... and many willing hands! Thanks God! Thanks guys!

That job done, now praying for some warm dry days to complete the project.

Busy Days

You've probably guessed that these are busy days @ Klasse Woods ... schooling, baking, planting, cleaning, singing, making candles & some new molds, a new wood project ... and the list goes on.


Not much time for posting, but you can check out some of the new things here.

I'm planning a few new project posts coming up soon and there are still a couple more Cambodian posts yet to come...