Justus on the Rings

Our son Justus, who is 8, is a budding gymnast and has been competing on the weekends in Northern California. He is working so hard and learning so much about himself and trying hard. Also, he is ripped!!

Before & After

Our house in the summer of 2007
















Our house in the winter of 2009

Raising My Sister

With a few exceptions, my daughter is very nearly my sister, just 24 years apart! Here is one example of an outfit my sister might have worn when she was five.

Express yourself, that is what I say!!

Vermiculture Works!

CAUTION: THIS POST NOT SUITABLE FOR THE SQUEAMISH



This bin is in my pantry, along side most of our food. In just 4 weeks (3 really, I took the photo last week) we have some pretty happy worms, and some very happy soil supplements. I love that it doesn't smell, and is so much easier than taking the compost out as much as I have to. Also, so far no bear has been able to come in to eat it!!

Watch out Garden '09, I'm ready for ya.....

Also a thank you to the people who put this together for us (I won't name names).

Santa Baby

Driving to see grandma before Christmas we were listening to Christmas songs on the radio. The obligatory secular songs were looping, you know, the one about a hippo (of course there is a Christmas song about a hippo), and "Santa Baby".
Just to jolt your lyrical memory:

Santa baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue,
I'll wait up for you dear
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Think of all the fun I've missed,
Think of all the fellows that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you check off my Christmas list

As "Santa Baby" was playing, Justus, 8, started to tell a lengthy story. We could tell it is going to be a long one when he takes a looooooong breath before he starts. Scout, 5, was frustrated as she was trying to listen to the song, and hearing her brother tell a story.

Scout kindly looks at Justus and says, "Justus, could you please be quiet? I'm trying to hear about when Santa was a baby."

Weather Proof

No, a tornado did not hit our house and trash cans.

The roof is nearly all on, with only one 12-foot fall by our friend Brad, and the new windows are all in. Fortunately I missed all the fun of lifting them into place, not because I don't like heavy lifting (which is true, but I'll participate), but because I didn't worry about anyone getting hurt. Ignorance is bliss.


We are going to clear the rubble, and reclaim our driveway, but later. I can put up with a mess for a bit longer.


The plastic is so that section of roof will not get icy (as icy).

Hell Bent for Leather

Dad: "Scout (age 5), It seems that if I ask you to do something, you do the exact opposite!!"
Son (age 8): Calmly like he says this all the time....Yeah, Scout, you seemed HELL BENT on doing that.


My son is 8. We live in the woods. He reads books about dragons, and pirates, and magical boys. We don't watch TV.
This is one reason why what he said the other day is funny, beyond the fact that he is just a kid, he is an innocent one.
My brother-in-law, Dan, laid down some vocals for his friend's recording. It is a spoofy album about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song he helped out with was a cover of Judas Priest's fantabulously touching "Hell Bent for Leather".

Clearly my son listened to the song, and understood the lyrics. It also shows what a genius my kid is (I know, I'm biased) to use a phrase he heard once 3 weeks ago, in context in another situation, and have no idea that it might be an edgy thing for a 3rd grader to say.

You can check out the aforementioned music at this link (I didn't embed it on purpose, it is loud) and hear Dan's background vocals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG4ceCLJt_I

Kids say the darndest things....

Crusty Bread

For the most part, I am modest by nature. I guess I just needed to brag a bit about my latest baking experiment. Baking and brewing are a bit of a science experiment for me, and more creative than mopping, cleaning and folding. It also is rewarding to see my kids and family loving something I have made. Seriously, they do not love that the floor is clean.

On that note, I wanted to post my latest loaf of crusty, chewy, European style bread. Let's face it, it is just yummier than a regular loaf. Mine turned out perfectly. It is crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. It took more patience than elbow grease, and I can wait, if it does not take much work. So there is my not-so-modest-side coming out.

That Darn Cat

This is the cat that I drove to my mother-in-laws house for safe keeping while we were on vacation for 3 weeks. This photo was taken when it was a bit smaller and did it's job of hunting with more gusto. I drove this cat 2o minutes away, out to the highway, down a country road, in a pet carrier. I dropped him off and didn't even think of him until we returned.

When we got home, Martha said that the cat had stuck around about half the time we were gone, and then had disappeared. I felt a bit bad (mostly for the kids), but something in me told me that was not the end of the story. When we arrived at our house, there was X-ray the cat. He was hungry. He walked home through the woods one mile as the crow flies. He had to swim across the Deer Creek to get here. How did he know the way?

Clearly he loves his home, not us, but where he lives. I had heard stories like this before, but never thought that they were real. And I don't have a guilty conscience about a 'missing' cat.

Banksy in Bethlehem

I love Banksy. He is a anonymous graffiti artist who has art on walls all over the world. I think only a few people must know who he is and they keep his secret safe. His work sells for millions and he is still alive (incredible!!). I like his stuff cause it is political, or ironic, and timely.

I have been interested in him, and the mystery of him for some time. When passing through the Israeli wall into palestine to visit Bethlehem, I was thinking it would be a perfect place for a person to make a political statement. The place is full of intense irony. As it turns out, as I was thinking that, we round a bend to see some of Banksy's work. I whipped out the camera and did my best to get a photo of it, which I did. I also got Selma's head.

The wall that surrounds Jerusalem is to protect against the violence that Palestine is up to around there. Palestinians don't go to Jeruslam and vise versa, though they are 3 miles apart. One needs a permit to work in one place or the other. The wall helps further divide the two raging inhabitant of the land.

I am not an expert about the strife in Isreal, and yet can clearly see that neither side is seeking peace. They are however trying to protect themselves without peace. It seems as if it is not working. It seems that if there is a leader who is truly striving for peace, then that person does not live long (it seems to be a theme amoung radical peace keepers-watch out Tony).

I wanted to share some other interesting snaps I took.This is a cross I saw on the path that Christ rode on into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. This is an adventure in missing the point if I ever saw one.



This is a photo of Justus in the "manger". You know, the "real" one that jesus was placed in after he was born. I think it was totally taboo for him to hop in, so I kicked him out before a grumpy manger nazi saw him, and after I took a devious photo. Who's kid is that?

A Bit Buttoned Up

Here are the latest photos of our progress on our atrium. The new roof for the entire house is sitting in our drive, and will make the whole house look so different! The new roof will be put over the old one, and is a cream colored aluminum (okay, some sort of metal, I am not sure what kind).

Ironic Burning Bush

In the Sinai Desert is the "real" Burning Bush which God used to tell Moses His plan for him. It is at an old cathedral in the middle of nowhere called St. Catherine's.
Here is an interesting photo I took of the bush!!
I would assume smoking around the Burning Bush would be OK.

Egypt

Shalom!

Blogging from the Holy Land.



Justus' Baptism in the Jordan
The Browns at the Temple Mount. Not our Christmas Card Photo.

Gettin' Dirty

Silas rented a HUGE tractor, and used to to grade our land, and then fill the new room. It was a super fun day, cause Silas got to use a fun toy. I was able to shovel a rake 30 yards of soil around the new room with help from my dad, sister, and friends. I think I personally did 2/3 of the moving. I would like to say that Addi, my sister, is posing with nearly all of the fill, and though she was a HUGE help, the photo is misleading (my back muscles were telling me that I did more than her, but she rode 300+ miles in 24 hours, so she is awesomer).
Fill was expensive enough, that the cost to rent the tractor and was less than buying clean fill. If we had bought the soil and had it delivered, it would have been dumped in our driveway, and then we would have had to wheel it one load at a time into the room. I think we saved money and time.

Somewhat Framed

Here are our walls. We can now use less of our imagination to see what our room will be like.

How Firm a Foundation

Here are the photos of the day that we poured the foundation to our new room. It is a big extension onto our cute little house. Our friends came and helped us out, and it was a big job. I'll post more as the room takes shape!!

Just WOW!!

Cat Allergy

Scout, who is five, asked if we could get more cats. We have one mouser who lives outside, and does his job, though complains a bit about it.
We told her that if we got more cats, then grandma can't come over, because she is allergic to cats. Thinking about this for a second, Scout asked,
"Grandma eats cats?"

The Forms

We are all set to pour the foundation.
Baby steps....








We also packed a cord of wood into our woodshed. An have been playing outside on our slack line. It makes for some great construction breaks.

Just don't fall off or else these babies might come after you...