Hello from our house to yours! This is Lovina's eldest daughter, Elizabeth. I decided to take a moment and scribble a few lines.
The laundry needs to be folded, the dishes for lunch boxes need to be washed, and there's some sewing that beckons, but it's the little things that are important, so I ignore the housework and write about it. I would like.
The children are on spring break from school. They were looking forward to spending a week at home for a while. me too! There's no morning rush, just a slower pace, no alarm clocks to disturb the kids' sleep, and everything is peaceful and quiet. After a good night's sleep and the kids waking up with sleepy eyes and smiling faces, I made a “nest egg” (our family's favorite) for breakfast.
The children picked up their toys, put away their books from their afternoon playtime, and ventured outside to cycle around the circle drive. It was a warm windy night. Abigail, 7, was so excited when her 5-year-old TJ learned to ride a bike without training wheels a few months ago. He became a bicycle expert and gave his older sister a challenge to stay ahead of him. TJ reminds me a lot of my brother Ben when he was little. Like Ben, TJ is always on an adventure. Four-year-old Alison still rides a bike with training wheels, while two-year-old Andrea has yet to master the art of pedaling a tricycle without help.
On Sunday afternoon, Tim, the kids, and I went for a bike ride. Tim pulled an enclosed bike trailer with Allison and Andrea shoved inside. Abigail and TJ were riding alongside us on their bikes. It didn't take long for TJ to become exhausted, but he still enjoyed it. After returning home, we returned to the forest and took a walk through the hayfields. The north side of our property is adjacent to a river, which attracts a lot of wildlife. Abigail was very excited to find a four-leaf clover. TJ ran ahead in search of adventure (not too far away). Alison was singing and skipping, so happy in her own little world. Andrea was content to sit in the wagon that Tim was pulling.
Tim still works as a sawmill worker at the sawmill. He enjoys it and we are grateful that he has a job and is able to work. The things we take for granted in our daily lives are often taken for granted.
We heat with an outdoor wood boiler so he cuts wood from our forest. Tim hand-planted corn on five acres of pasture last spring. We don't have the equipment to plant and harvest corn, so we do everything by hand. I help when I can. Tim doesn't plan on planting corn every year, but our pasture wasn't in the best condition so he decided to switch pastures for a year. It definitely helped with feed costs. Tim grew up on a farm, so working on a farm is nothing new to him.
The children enjoy riding in an open wagon pulled by the trusty old mare Sian while the corn is harvested. It's a fun old fashioned experience. She loves to steal a corncob or two when we're at work. Tim bought Cyan many years ago when I first started dating him. She hopes she will be by her side for many years to come. When I was a child, I remember riding in my girlfriend's grandpa's wagon while watching my parents, aunts, and grandparents harvest corn. Beautiful and precious memories!
Lunch and cheddar pretzels
2 pounds pretzels, optional
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Place pretzels in a mixing bowl. Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over pretzels. Mix. Bake in a cake tin at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
