Barry and Eileen star in this one!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Danny and Debbie star in this one!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

If you have not seen this--WATCH THIS DOCUMENTARY! It is absolutely intriguing! What a powerful story. How much more important for us to be part of the story in our own way!
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

House Day 101--Here are the cabinets!

YEA! The cabinets look great--we are quite happy. Check out the drawer contraption we had them make for the kid's bathroom. The drawers have an insert (removeable) that the kids can stand on in order to make actual use of their vanity. Then, once done using the steps, the inserts can be removed. The maker also installed a sort of lock, so once pulled out the drawer does not slide back in.

House Day 97...Here come the cabinets!

So the day I have been waiting for is nearly here. Nope not the move in date...the kitchen date! I am SOOOOO excited to see the kitchen. They delivered the custom cabinets. Made by, yet again, another Mennonite artisan. They are BEAUTIFUL! A bit darker than we thought they would be but considering the wood takes the stain differently we expected some variation. Nonetheless, we love the darker color too. The kids had a ball running the floors, sliding on the floors (check out all the dust), and Natalie was even in the dining room making "dust angels". Yea!

On the down side, there will be no seeding until spring.

Landis Valley Farm Museum

Two bachelor brothers, last name of Landis, in the late 1800's started a collection of German (PA Dutch) items. They did so to preserve their heritage (ours also) and culture--considering the lifestyle of the country was changing with the onset of the industrial revolution. Their collection was so big it turned into an actual "living" museum. Today both original and replica homes stand in the Landis Valley as well as oodles of actual artifacts from their collection. Artisans show how things were done way back when. We had a wonderful Veteran's Day with my parents celebrating our pioneer heritage--at least the German part of it. And of course, the best part for the kids was the FARM! Those horses were HUGE!

Dan was abe to sleep in too--for an hour! What a holiday!

Note: The hawk was ACTUALLY that close. He was nice and full after such a great meal--a squirrel! Yup, he sat there only feet from us. My father said the closest he's ever seen one in the wild. Must have been on overload from the dinner.

Also Note: Beloved (the movie with Oprah) was filmed here.

House Day 95

So at this point we have all the lighting in. What's left--LR, DR, Hallway flooring,...runner on stairs,...tile around tub,...cabinetry,...kitchen(!),...bathroom and plumbing fixtures,...trim, etc...and 30 days or less! Hopefully the yard gets seeded although the weather has turned cold these past few days. If not, they will do so in the spring with the macadam driveway.

Pretzel Anyone?

Headline NEWS!!!!

OK, so really just front page pic. But hey, had to take the opportunity. We went on this AMAZING trail this past week for the first time. My neighbor friend suggested we go walking there. I have never been before but am super excited to frequent this more often, once we move into our new home--VERY close by. Anyway, my friend had to leave with her kids (after only half hour of walking) to pick up her oldest from school. We stayed longer, walking/biking even more. A man pulls up and asks to take our pic for the paper. And then Friday, front page.

Everett and Fresh Flowers

OK, so these are some pics of dear Everett and the fresh flowers I keep on the table. I decided that we needed some flowers--on a daily basis. I found that the local florist offers specials each week-most often for $2.83. I figure, Hey for $3 I can have fresh flowers to adorn our home. When I buy the daisys they last for WEEKS. Gotta love a daisy. The kids love the flowers and Everett loves "smelling" (rather blowing OUT) them.

Our view at night!

Sorry about all the tree lines street/sunset pics. Here is a night shot for your enjoyment. Don't worry therse pics will stop in 30 days or less. :)

Everett's eating instruments

Everett LOVES taking his time eating. He usually starts eating once we have finished and are beginning the clean up. The other day at lunch Everett decides to get fancy with his eating utensils--the socks on his hands. Yup! Pretty funny I had to snap a pic.

Nice Sunset, Again and Neighbor Friends

Once again, a gorgeous sunset. Dan came home from work asking if we had seen the sunset. It was amazing. Friends were over, as usual. We will miss our neighborhood family once we move into the new home. We have really been blessed these past 6 months with wonderful neighbors. We have a babysitting co-op and LOVE it. The kids play so nicely and it is a wonderful opportunity for us to socialize with other adults.