Updates

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but life's been busy! I love this time of year, though. We are crazy busy at the market selling all kinds of stuff, along with so MUCH of our own produce! We have our own carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, shell peas, green and wax beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and more tomatoes, green peppers, egg plant, pickling cucumbers, dill, and have also (finally!) started bringing in the long anticipated melons (muskmelons and passport melons...watermelons will start in a week or less). We had a slow start this year on produce, but God has been so good to us! Even earlier this week when we were wondering what to do about all the beans we have (Tony assured me he didn't plant very much and we probably wouldn't have any to can for ourselves....I've already canned three bushel!), an area school stopped in to order 300 pounds of beans! Minnesota started a program a year back or so that supports schools to buy local produce and can/freeze it for student lunches...the state reimburses the school most if not all of the money...we're caught up on beans, now!

I also finally talked with my doctor yesterday about what to do next with all this health stuff. I know so many of you have been praying, and I really appreciate it! Your prayers have helped, and many of my symptoms have gone away or have been greatly reduced. I've learned to recognize (and usually avoid!) many of the triggers as well as things to counter when I'm feeling ishy (that's a word from my MIL, isn't it great?). Getting a couple hours rest, even if it's just quiet solitude, every afternoon is crucial, as is starting the day with prayer, protein, and vitamins! Drinking plenty of water. Not overdoing things (ha!) and cutting back on other things. Anyway, my doc feels that the best thing to do at this point, since things are better, is to just wait it out. If stuff starts happening again in the future, there will be more tests. However, God willing, I won't have to deal with it any more!

I also got an email update on Angela that I'll share with you all.....Angela is back to work for the dentist, she is wearing contact lenses on the eye where the tumor was removed, She will need to have the stitches removed first before she will know if there is any vision lost from the eye, we will know in about four weeks from now. Far as she knows, there is little or no change how she can see out of her eyes at present. Thank you for all of your prayers again.

Tony and I attended a funeral/memorial service for Jane's husband Lowell on Monday. It was definitely more of a memorial service than anything else. There was so much laughter in reminiscing about Lowell, and you could tell from things the family said how much love their was in their home growing up and even now. I learned more things about Lowell that I wish I knew when he was alive (isn't that always the case?) like how he knew so much about plants and flowers -- there was so much I would've asked him, if I only knew! And the shell that used to be home to Lowell's spirit looked so at peace, so relaxed -- after all, he is home now and no longer suffering. One granddaughter did tell her mother that she didn't think he'd be too happy if he knew they put lip stick on him!

My summer Bible study is winding down. My SIL Lori and niece Carrie returned home to Iowa this week, and as she's an integral part of our Bible study group, we usually end when she leaves but will be wrapping up one last chapter next week. What an awesome study on the Harmony of the Gospels! We plan to finish it next year....

Lots of family now. Mark and Beth moved back to Park Rapids (did I write that already?) along with their two youngest Tessa and Steven. Carla and her girls are here right now through this week before closing up their cabin in Canada and heading to new adventures in Rome. Dwight and his business partner along with Juan's son Jose are on their way here after arriving in the States late Monday (early Tuesday) morning. The new house my in-laws are putting up will -- hopefully! -- arrive today to put on the foundation. Things are really happening!

It's also been a blast (usually) enjoying my kids....but that is a whole other blog! There may be time tomorrow to write some more...but after that, hang on tight! Next week is going to be another wild ride as we approach what is usually our biggest day of the year....Labor Day!

And as predicted at our wedding, my love for Tony continues to deepen in ways I never imagined it could. Newly weds are so naive! You think there is no way you could love that wonderful person even more than you do on that day. But then life happens. Kids happen. Ups and downs happen. Health issues come up. Finances go crazy. Things that might break marriages when two people truly are not committed. And when two people truly love each other and are absolutely committed through thick and thin, good and bad, it just deepens love and makes it grow. How I love and appreciate that wonderful man God blessed me with!

And thank you....each one of you....for your prayers and encouragement. And just for being you.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love this time of year. I think I wrote about that a few blogs ago, but it's just a fun time for me. It is just as busy for me, perhaps even busier, than during the summer, but in a much different way. Summertime brings nonstop action, between all the "regular" mom and housewife things (does laundry EVER get caught up??? I'm in the middle of seven loads right now as I type...), and all the things that come with the market and the farm -- scheduling, ordering, working, filling in for employees that can't come in at the last minute (unless I'm already working), paying farm bills, doing paychecks, keeping up with monthly tax reporting, totaling out the day's receipts and getting deposits ready between 3-5 times a week, etc.

However, once the Market is closed, my busy-ness (did I spell that right? I'd think grammatically it should be "business," but then that would be a completely different word....) shifts. During the summer, there is no time to keep up with recording checks for our personal or for the farm account, no time for reconciling accounts, etc. I start concentrating on the paperwork side of things -- updating inventory totals, doing more Quicken and Quickbook entering than I ever cared to do, and trying to reconcile everything, make sure it's all catagorized right, tweak our budgets, frantically going through piled up "don't have to deal with this now" paperwork to make sure there isn't anything in there that really should have been dealt with weeks (months?) before. Okay, so I don't really enjoy this part of the busy-ness either, but it is fun to see the bottom line. Did we stay on budget? Did we actually make a profit the past year? Okay, maybe "fun" is the wrong word to use ... the "bottom line" usually isn't something I really want to see.

But something else starts for me first in September and then in October, usually snowballing right after Thanksgiving, and then letting up somewhere mid-to-late December. AWANA starts the Wednesday after school resumes. I'm currently the overall club secretary, something I started transitioning to last year, and it gets crazy at times, but I love that I can work with not only the (usually) adorable children, but also the dozens of AWANA volunteers and the parents of the clubbers. I'll write more about AWANA another time...my posti is already getting long!

The first Sunday in October is the start of our Christmas program practice for the first thru sixth graders. This is my fifth program I directed at Faith Baptist, and I continue to be honored to lead it but even more importantly blessed by working with the 25-50 children that are a part of the program (and the 3-4 adults that help). The first year, we had less than 30 children in the program, but these past couple years, the numbers have been pretty close to four dozen kids. It's a far cry from the 6-12 kids that comprised the Christmas programs I've directed in the six or seven years before moving to Minnesota (although looking back, I'm amazed at how versital those 6-12 kids were, singing songs and solos and doing multiple parts). The end result is always the same -- a show of our glory to God, our thanksgiving to Him for giving us His Son, a celebration of the birth of the most wonderful Gift of all! More about this year's Christmas program another time....(for those of you locally, it will be Sunday, December 16, starting with piano recitals at 5:30 p.m., at Faith Baptist...hope to see you there!).

One of the things I love doing for the Christmas program kids, for my husband and kids, for my brothers and parents and in-laws, for a few close friends, and for me, is baking dozens and dozens, okay, hundreds of Christmas cookies. Literally. Each child gets a bag of assorted cookies from me as a thanks for doing their best, and I try to get cookies to most family members. Spritz, snickerdoodles, thumbprints, decorated sugar cookies, pastel wafers, candy cane cookies, Russian teacakes, pecan tarts, bon bon cookies, peppermint wafers, gingerbread teddy bears, cardamon cookies, and I don't even remember what else. All I know is I have a blast doing it, even though it takes up so much time. But I go crazy in the kitchen baking cookies for about three weeks of each year and have so much joy giving away most everything made! This year, I've had a few little helpers...(don't worry, I make sure their hands are washed each time they drift to their mouth and/or nose....)

Then comes wrapping Christmas presents -- again, I love to give things and have so much fun throughout the year picking things up on sale that I know someone else will really enjoy (although I'm trying to stay much closer to the budget...but I did make Tony do a "gifts given" catagory in our budget this year!).

There is time spent helping my kids learn their (short) lines for the Tiny Tot Christmas program, going over the two songs they sing, but it is such a joy to see and hear them! Practice yesterday was so fun. Susanna was fine until she'd see me then she'd start crying (it took me back to her infant days) -- but she never did say her line or sing with the other kids. Luke, on the other hand, rattled off his line, and during the singing he was that one child who sings louder than anyone...but thankfully on key and with all the right words! Right now, while Susanna is napping, Luke is serenading her with Christmas carols (even though he is supposed to be napping, too!). They ask all the time for Christmas music at nap time and bed time.

It's also busy (and hard!) picking out gifts for each of the children in the Christmas program. I have a budget of $1 per child, and it's hard picking out things they'll enjoy that won't break before they get home -- once that order comes in, then it's sorting things out, packing them up for each child, and getting cookies sorted for each one, too.

There is the time spent on putting up the Christmas trees and decorating them. But those sparkly lights are so beautiful!

Last night, my husband and I had a date night, first time in a long time. After a good supper at an authentic German restaurant in down town Park Rapids, we went to one of the local churches that was hosting the annual Park Rapids Classic Chorale Christmas presentation. This is an amazingly gifted group of men and ladies in the region, about 50 or so, led by an outstanding conductor/composer. They sang more than a dozen Christmas songs...almost all "religious" Christmas, well, except for this odd song called "Little Tree." The program featured several traditional Christmas carols as well as some of the newer Christmas songs like "Mary, Did You Know" by Mark Lowry and "Welcome to our World" by Chris Rice. As with every year, they also sang a beautiful rendition of Handel's "Messiah" and ended with a rousing version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." This group of singers is incredible. They perform locally twice a year, and in 2005 they had a concert tour of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. This coming May, they'll be doing a concert tour in Italy, including performances in Florence, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome! Who knew so many talented voices lived in this area? (My father-in-law used to be part of the chorale but enjoys just listening now.) And while Erich Knapp is a fine conductor, he did give all credit for everything coming together so well to Faith Baptist's own organist, Jane Wolff! (she's the pianist and trianglist, or whatever the person who plays the triangle is called.)

I've still not even started on our Christmas letter. Isn't it funny how when you're younger, you don't really appreciate Christmas letters sent from others, but as you (and your relatives and friends) get older, you can't wait to get their Christmas letters and see what all has happened in the past year? At least, that's the way it is for Tony and me. It's incredible seeing all these loved ones who I remember as children who now have children of their own. We love getting photos with the Christmas cards and/or letters, and we tape all the photos up on our main door downstairs. They stay up year round so we can be reminded "face to face" of our loved ones. It's sad having to take them down each year...but it's also exciting to see the photos being replaced with the same faces...a year older.

Even more, I love spending time with family....whether it is my own husband and children, family on my side, or my in-laws (depending on where we spend Christmas). To enjoy the time with them during such a special time of year is something I really cherish. Last year, Tony's sister Carla and her family were able to come home from Uganda for Christmas. Dwight was also here from Guatemala, and all of Paul's family was able to be here, too, including his son Andrew who will be spending his Christmas in Iraq this year. This year, we'll be traveling to Ohio, something we hadn't really planned to do, to spend time around Christmas with some of my family, and especially with my last remaining Grandma who was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. I can't wait to see her again, and I also can't wait to have another holiday get-together with several of my California relatives who moved to Ohio within the past year or more! Ah, that promises to be a fun and lively time! I also hope to be able to spend time with relatives on my mom's side of the family, especially the cousins I spent so much time with growing up.

I think during November and most of December I get to bed even later than during the summer, just trying to get everything done, but in all honesty, there isn't anything I'd want to cut back on or cut out. I love and enjoy so much all the many different things that "must" be done before Christmas (and the Christmas program) arrives.

We don't open presents on Christmas -- instead, taking a wonderful idea from my sister-in-law, we have a birthday party for Jesus and concentrate on celebrating Him, complete with birthday cake and all. Last year was the first year my kids started helping "decorate" the cake (or, in last year's case, star-shaped cupcakes with the help of their cousins). This year, we'll be spending a few hours at a nursing home in Ohio bringing Christmas to the residents there as we sing and tell about Christ's birth.

But you know what else? Even though you may be wondering, my focus really is on glorifying God throughout all this (well, except maybe struggling through all the financial stuff). There is so much that leads up to Christmas each year....but there was only one event throughout history that really lead up to Christmas. The announcement to a young virgin that she was choosen to be the mother to a tiny Baby Who would one day save the world. The uncomfortable journey of a very pregnant young lady on a donkey, of all things!, to a city far from home where her Child would be born not in a nice warm comfortable hospital but in a smelly stable, laid in a manger filled with hay. The angels glorifying God, announcing that precious birth, scaring those shepherds probably close to death, but can you even begin to imagine it? Wow! I cannot wait to hear that angel chorus, with me singing right along, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!

And imagine...all my preparations to make each Christmas so special to those around me is nothing compared to the preparations Jesus is making for me up in heaven. The birthday celebration that is so exciting to prepare for down here on earth is nothing compared to the celebration we'll have one day in the presence of Christ and the Father.

Now...back to the many things I should be getting done (like that Christmas letter....and more Christmas cookies....) while I listen to Christmas songs, yippee!

Thanksgiving

First of all, these photos are NOT from this Thanksgiving....they are from last year. Read on and you'll understand....

I trust and pray each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving; a time of relaxing, spending time with family and/or friends, and reflecting on the many blessings God has given to each of us. My cousin Liz (check out her blog, linked on this page) does a great job of listing three things she's grateful for each day on her blog. From the unexpected to the things we often take for granted to some really great sounding foods, just looking at the things she lists helps me remember to be thankful in and for all things.

It was a hard thing for me to do this Thanksgiving though. Since Tony and I have been married, and even the year before, we have spent Thanksgiving in Iowa (except for the first year we were married when we went to Ohio to visit my family instead) with his brother Paul and sister-in-law Lori. I love spending time with Paul and Lori, whether it is in Iowa at Thanksgiving or here in Minnesota. I greatly treasure my friendship with Lori, especially. And Paul, like Tony, tends to be on the quiet side, but his contributions to conversations and on email are something I truly appreciate and anticipate, along with the wisdom Lori also shares.

This year we had planned an extended trip down "south." We'd planned to head down to Omaha first, spending the night in neighboring Council Bluffs, stopping in at the Bass Pro Shop there (my brother Tim works for Bass Pro and is always getting us all kinds of goodies -- we usually stop at Cabela's, a rival store, since it's on the way to Iowa, but this year was going to be all Bass Pro!), which just HAPPENED to have a class on creating fly fishing lures (and Tony LOVES fly fishing, an activity he has not found time to do since we've been married), and then taking Luke and Susanna to the Omaha Zoo. Years back, a group of Carter relatives headed over to the zoo on Thanksgiving, and Tony still talks about what a great zoo it is. After a busy Wednesday at the zoo, we'd take the 1.5-2 hour drive over to Paul and Lori's, spend the night, visit with them, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, as usual. Tony's cousin and his family would drive over from Omaha, there'd be laughter, fun, a football game outside with Billy's rapidly growing boys, wonderful food (mostly prepared by Lori, pies by Chris), visiting, and as the day would wind down, board games inside. Time spent with the Thanksgiving history book that Barbara Rainey wrote, seeing what's on TV, Thanksgiving songs led by Paul (since Dad Carter wasn't plannng on making the trip this year), talking about what we're thankful for, all the stuff that so many people do on Thanksgiving.

Well, Tony's trip to the hospital last week changed all that. An unexpected two days out of commission set everything back, and we reached the hard decision that we needed to stay home in Park Rapids this year. I didn't understand why I was so glum Saturday afternoon and on through Sunday and Monday morning until it hit me.

To me, Thanksgiving isn't just a day to remember to give thanks. I do that every day. I am so thankful for even the things I usually take for granted. My Grandpa and Grandma always replied "I'm thankful" when asked how they were. Luke and Susanna always say "thank you" for just about everything, even when they pray when someone is sick ("Dear God, thank You for my owie, and thank You that You will make it all better....).

Thanksgiving, for me, is more about family. Not just my family consisting of my wonderful husband and children, but extended family. Not just my parents-in-law, whom I am truly blessed to have living so close to us (TRULY blessed!), but extended family from both sides of my marriage now -- Tony's family and mine. Those that we don't see often. Those that we see only once or twice a year. Those that I haven't seen since we were married....and some since even before then. Those that are able to join the rest of the gang every so often, like Dad Carter's sister Gloria and her husband Ken (Billy's parents), like Andrew who spent Thanksgiving this year in Iraq. Granted, none of those "extra" blessings were able to join the group at Paul and Lori's this year, but still, us not being able to be there was really disappointing.

Growing up, we spent so much time with family. We lived about an hour away from most of the relatives on my mom's side and several on my dad's side (although quite a few of his siblings lived in California while I was growing up). We spent time with cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles at least two or three times a month, I think. Many of my cousins were my best friends. As we all grew up and started going our separate ways, we still lived within reasonable driving distance to each other, or at least when we were still single, we were able to spend more time with each other. Now, almost all of my cousins are married and have families of their own, like me. We keep in touch with occasional emails and phone calls, and are even able to occasionally connect if we're all in Ohio at the same time (which isn't often). Trips to Ohio now are even more special since two of my dad's sisters moved back, and I'm able to spend time with them after getting to know them so much better from when we all lived in California.

However, this year has been a year of difficult changes for me regarding family. Two of my three grandparents passed away, and my last remaining grandma was very recently diagnosed with throat cancer. They have all lived long (in their 90s) wonderful lives, loving God and passing on that love to their children and grandchildren, but it's sad saying goodbye and knowing there will be another goodbye, whether from the cancer or just from the results of old age (but there will also be a "forever hello!" sometime in the future, praise God). When someone has always been there and no longer is, it's difficult to even think about. One of my cousins moved to Indonesia with his family to work as language translators. There have been several serious bouts with illness, disease, and trauma throughout my extended family, and even closer to home with Tony last week. Tony and I have also been unbelievably busy with the farm and the market this year, and we haven't been able to get away for our 2-3 day family break, which we try to do each September or October. I was REALLY looking forward to getting away from everything here, uninterupted time with my husband and children, just having a break, but most of all visiting with relatives who are also dear friends.

After spending quite a bit of time in tears ("Mama, why are your eyes dribbling?"), talking with Tony, talking with God, and truly examining my heart, I realize even more how important family is to me. If you're family, you're important (okay, if you're "just" a friend, you're still important to me!). Life changes as we get older, and it isn't always easy to accept. However, we are still linked as family, and if you have also given your life to Christ, we are even more importantly part of God's family.

I felt a bit guilty as I was having my little melt down. My sister-in-law had a big birthday this year (on Thanksgiving! Happy birthday Carla!)...and she's half a world away from her family (other than her husband and children...). One of my favorite cousins hasn't spent a Thanksgiving in the States for who knows how long since she lives in Paraguay (Kar, when's the last time you had turkey and all the trimmings?) with her husband and boys. Another dear cousin spent his Thanksgiving even further away in Indonesia (do they have turkey there, Rog?) with his wife and boys...and another was up north in Canada, like the last several years, with her husband and boys. To top it off, those three cousins are from the same family...when's the last time their parents had all their children home for Thanksgiving...or Christmas? My nephew is far away from all family as he serves our country in Iraq and probably didn't even have time to think about Thanksgiving.

Why am I so sad? God blessed me with a new family five years ago when Tony proposed. The two of us grew to four, and I am thankful and blessed we were able to spend yesterday together, as we spend each day together. We were able to have a wonderful dinner at Tony's parents', and while Jon and Julia were unable to join in the festivities as their children were sick, we had a relaxing day with family (but no board games, bummer!).

I love my family, whether I grew up with you or whether I joined your family five years ago. I love spending time with you. I missed that this year, but please know I treasure the times we're able to spend together...and always will.

Thank You, God, for family and friends, even when I can't be with them all. (and for those of you reading this, please post a comment and tell me about your Thanksgiving!)

Andrew

Andrew is my oldest nephew. My oldest nephew used to be Nathanael, but when I got married almost five years ago, I acquired an additional family with many more nieces and nephews...of which Andrew is the oldest. For those of you who don't know Andrew, he has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor which cracks me up. He also has an impressive vocabulary which is due largely in part, I'm sure, to his parents Paul (Tony's oldest brother) and Lori. Andrew also loves his family and is a great big brother to his younger sisters (who probably didn't always think so growing up).

The first time I met Andrew, it wasn't really Andrew. Tony and I were still dating (if you could call it dating, considering we lived 2,000 miles apart and only visited each other five times before he popped the big question on that fifth visit) and he asked me to come out to Minnesota for Thanksgiving. Well, I came out to Minnesota, and we drove down to Iowa to spend Thanksgiving with Paul and his family and several other extended Carter relatives. His adorable niece Carrie met us at the door with a young man who was introduced as Andrew. It wasn't Andrew...it was a friend of Andrew's. They all got a huge kick out of it, but what did I know? I'd never met the guy before!

My mother-in-law often calls Luke "Andrew" and I consider it funny...but also an honor. I didn't know Andrew when he was growing up (although I've heard some funny stories), but the young man I now know is very impressive. He's a goof ball (notice I put that first), he is a deep thinker with some really great and challenging things to ponder, he loves God and puts his trust and life in Him, he enjoys spending time with his much younger cousins as well as his older aunts and uncles and grandparents, he is protective of those he loves and in some ways he reminds me of a teddy bear, but he also loves his country and is serving in the Army to protect the freedoms and this country which we all too often take for granted.

So why the write-up today about Andrew? We just got word that he was sent back to Iraq a few days ago. We all knew it was coming, but it just seems he was sent sooner he should have been. Andrew already served one tour and did some incredible things over there, had some incredible experiences. He is in a unit that has one of the highest percentages of injuries and fatalities due to the missions they are assigned. While it wasn't one of his favorite things to talk or write about, it was amazing reading and hearing about some of what he went through. This is a young man whose life has been and will be indelibly changed by his service to our country, like everyone else who has served in the military. Regardless of your personal opinions about the war in Iraq, Andrew is one of countless men and women serving our country and doing what many of us couldn't even imagine doing....

I truly respect and honor Andrew, his commitments to God, family, and country, and pray that God will keep His hand of protection over Andrew, giving him wisdom, courage, good health (mental and physical), and peace with all he is experiencing, however difficult that may be. I pray that he will continue to positively impact the lives of those who come in contact with him, whether here or in Iraq or wherever God directs his path. Please join me in praying for Andrew, as well as the many others who are serving our country.

(photos are of Andrew and Luke in 2004, and Andrew, Paul, Carrie, and his friend Erin a few months ago)

Update on Al

Thank you all for your prayers. Carla recently emailed that Al is doing well after surgery. The doctors did find just gall stones and an enflamed gall bladder, nothing more serious than that, praise God! They requested he remain in Canada for a few weeks during recovery, so please continue to pray for a full recovery as well as for Carla and the girls as they are in Uganda without him for the next few weeks (although he often travels for work, so there have been other times he is gone).

My brother-in-law

Just a request to pray for my brother-in-law, Al Kehler. He is Tony's sister Carla's husband -- works for the World Food Programme in Uganda. Tuesday he awoke with stomach problems and stayed home from work. After being quite ill, Carla took him to the clinic where they gave him some meds and did an ultra sound. Results were that he has gall stones and an unidentified "mass" and recommended surgery to see what was going on. He was flown back to Canada close to where his "home base" is later that day.

We are still awaiting word on what the latest news is, but he did go right to the emergency room (after one quick stop) where they were waiting for him.

Please pray for Al and his entire family, and especially Carla and his three girls who are still in Uganda through this emergency, as well as the medical personnel that God will give them all peace, wisdom, and knowledge of what is going on.

Many thanks!

Tuesday Nights

I love Tuesday nights. Tuesday night is bath night, as is Saturday night (which I also love). After supper, Daddy takes over. I get to spend the time cleaning up, reading, catching up on emails or other work, or publishing a new post for my blog. Daddy gets splashed, ends up close to soaken wet, and gets two very loud and happy children ready for bed.

Tonight my in-laws came over for supper along with our nephew Clinton. Pork chops, potatoes, corn bread, Carter's yellow beans, Carter's beets, and fresh-made applesauce (the latter courtesy of my MIL) were on the menu. Left-over goodies from our last pumpkin party (sugar cookies, cupcakes, and rice crispy squares) made up dessert. There are lots of full bellies and not many left overs.

After supper, Luke introduced Grandpa Carter to the Rescue Heroes while Susanna almost continuously said, "Grandfather, are you listening?" No, she usually doesn't call him "Grandfather." I'm almost wondering if someone substituted children on me today when we were out and about town. Grandma asked her if she was going to be three on her next birthday, to which Susanna replied, "No, Grandma, I am not. I am a, a, a GENIUS!" Luke piped in that since he is three, he will be two on his next birthday....and he is a genius, too. (Okay, maybe he needs to work more on that math thing) We're honestly not sure where they got that idea, or where they even heard the word "genuius"!

You know, since becoming a parent, I've come to understand the Father/child relationship we have with God even better. I am thankful even more at His patience towards me when I pull my "spoiled child" routine, or pretend that I can't hear Him. And while I'm not always successful in applying His patience towards me to my own children in similar circumstances, I often stop and think about how He handles the same situation with me....the times when my children are defiant or ignore me or are just too busy doing "fun" stuff to do what they should and am able to control the situation (okay, my reaction) better than I feel like doing. And I'm even more thankful that Tony and I are not in this parenting thing by ourselves.

Thank You, God, for bringing me into Your family, for giving me my family, and for providing a husband who takes over on bath night!

Pumpkin Parties!

So I wanted to tell you all about our pumpkin parties and show you a bit of the action before they're done for this year. I think this is about the 13th or 14th year that we've been having "official" pumpkin parties at our Market in Park Rapids.

For those of you who aren't familiar, my husband's family has been farming and selling wonderful produce in this area for over 50 years now. We start off in May each year, opening somewhere around Mother's Day, and sell bedding and garden plants along with tart rhubarb and tender asparagus. From there, we move on to selling cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries (including u-pick), raspberries, peas (snap and shell), green beans, muskmelons, watermelons (red and yellow), sweet and hot peppers, egg plant, spinach, cabbage, dill, green onions, sweet onions (usually, but not this year), kohlrabi (sometimes), radishes (again, somtimes), beets, beet greens, carrots (occasionally), sweet corn, field corn, and at this time of year we finish up with decorative corn, gourds (big and small, including this year an African wine kettle gourd that weighs upwards of 50 pounds!), squash (at least 8-10 varieties), and pumpkins galore! And when I mean pumpkins galore, I mean pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors -- this year we had pumpkins weighing a few ounces to over 500 pounds; all shades of orange, green, white, etc.; "warty" pumpkins; Cinderella pumpkins, and "Long Island Cheese" pumpkins. (We also raise cattle for beef -- tender, hormone-free, and no worries of e-coli or mad cow's disease!) It makes for a very busy time for us, from about February when Tony and his father start planting seeds in the greenhouses to get seedlings ready until the end of December when Tony is reviewing sales and production and ordering seed for the following year.

However, things start getting less hectic by mid-September, so we like to celebrate fall and all its bounty. And if you've never celebrated with the Carter's, you're missing out! (Remind me to tell you sometimes about past weddings and receptions...I'm kinda thankful I joined the family at the end, but at the same time, it would've been hilarious to see the pigs roped on top of David and Rita's wedding car; Dwight, Tony, and Mark Mag doing the bottle dance; and many other things of which I've only heard about and/or seen photos -- for us, we had a dancing gorilla crash our wedding reception and try to take off with me before Tony could get in the car after our wedding). So you can probably figure that Tony goes all out for these pumpkin parties, too!

I laugh; each year he moans about the work involved and declares "next year we're cutting down! It's too much work!" And yet each year more things get added, things become more elaborate, and we get more and more comments about how "the Carter's continue to out-do themselves."

You'll note the photos I'm going to be posting (not sure where in the blog they'll turn up -- at the top? bottom? Right where I want them to?) -- most of these were taken by my wonderful sister-in-law Lori, the first "outsider" to join the Russ Carter family by marrying Tony's oldest brother Paul(since then, another 6 have willingly joined the family, including the first grandson-in-law, and another 18 have been born into it, and we've had one other donate a body part to the Carter family -- thanks, Jean! More on that in another blog...), and are posted with her permission since I still haven't taken my camera to the store to get the photos transferred to disk.

Tony starts planning, oftentimes even the same year, a new and more complex maze that is made of snow fence, straw bales, and corn stalks. Last year he stuck a huge teepee in the middle of the maze, and a few years back he built a bridge in the maze which he incorporates each year now. Many people have the mistaken thought that they can try and find their way through by climbing up and seeing how to get out from there....but please note I said they have the "mistaken thought"! This year's maze is pretty difficult, at least for adults. I've had more adults come in telling me they had to exit from the entrance....while kids continue to zip their way through with little or no problems! I am including a photo of my lovely niece Carrie (Paul and Lori's daughter) and her friend trying to find their way out. You can see a sign in the background, although you may not be able to read it. Tony made up some wooden signs this past year, and this particular one is a Mark Twain quote "It is easier to stay out than get out!" We also hide plastic coins throughout the maze for people to try and find -- if they do find one and turn it in, they get treats. Some kids come just to find the coins, not the way out (even though they get credit for only one coin, regardless of how many they find). Tony's thinking of hiding real coins next year possibly...what do you all think? He also has a quiz that is divided among five stations within the maze with questions about our farm and such. For those who are patient enough to find all the questions and smart enough to answer them all correctly (no, scarecrows are not filled with baloney or with money), again...treats are rewarded.

We have the teepee up again this year -- a couple dear family friends spend time telling "Tales in the Teepee" -- stories the two of them pick, mainly African or Indian fables about animals and safety and other such things often with a scriptural bent. Appropriate and fascinating for all ages.

Last year Tony made up a carpetball table. Now, I've never heard of carpetball until I moved here, but it seems to be a pretty popular game, especially with kids. Similar to bocci ball but on a long rectangular table, each person has five balls (usually billiard balls) which they place anywhere within a certain area on their side of the table. A cue ball is then rolled back and forth, seeing who can knock the other person's balls off first. I should go back and clarify. Tony made a GOURDball table. Yep, we use gourds instead of billiard balls! Another huge hit.

We have a big wooden crow that soaker balls are launched at with a giant sling shot; we have a wooden cut-out cow complete with fake udders for cow milking contests (you'll notice my cutie Luke "milking" the cow); last year Tony also hollowed out a small pond and we give rides in giant pumpkin boats (yes, real giant pumpkins...I think they could probably hold up to about 200 - 250 pounds, but we try to limit it to about 150 pounds); he also made up a really fun, very fast slide this year that is in almost constant use (again, I'm posting a photo of Tony's sister Rita with two of her girls at the bottom of the slide). And last year we started selling concessions -- locally made all-beef hot dogs, two varieties of soup (different each week, from mixes we sell at the Market), chips, pop, coffee, hot cider, and "sweet treats" -- sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins, cupcakes, brownies, rice crispy squares, and whatever else I have time to bake. But my favorite is a new treat this year -- an apple sundae which, if you've not tried yet, you have GOT to stop in a get one!

However, two of the biggest hits for our pumpkin parties are the pumpkin propeller and the wagon ride. The wagon ride starts out as a fun, restful ride on a wagon pulled by a tractor (the oxen that used to pull the wagon died a few years back after living about 20 years)....but then you start to notice scarecrows....that aren't doing their job as a giant crow gets into the corn field, and at some point a gorilla enters the picture. There is usually a huge musical number or two (remember, this is the Carters!) complete with banjos, guitars, ukeleles, and a wash tub, and sometimes bananas and/or silly string enter the picture. I've included a photo of the scarecrow band as well.

Tony thought up the pumpkin propeller years back and improved on it each year until it reached perfection. Complete with bells, wagons, signs, pulleys, etc., it launches pumpkins (although I did see a watermelon fly one time this year) quite a distance while Tony or Rocky the Scarecrow try to catch them. They're usually successful. It amazes me what Tony thinks up and makes, and it scares me because I already see our son doing the same thing....and he's only 3!!

All in all, it's a lot of work, but it's a blast, and we get a great response...we also have people coming from all over the state and some from North Dakota each year. I love that we can offer an alternative this time of year to families who don't celebrate Halloween (like us) while still featuring fall's bounty of pumpkins, gourds, decorative corn, and squash. (We also have apples, but we don't grow them). So if you're in this area, or you want to take a drive this weekend, come on and visit us at the Market! Pumpkin parties are from 10:30 to 5:00 every Saturday in October and often the last Saturday in September. Last chance you have this year!

Love and blessings,

LindaSue

The Start of My Blog

Okay, so I can't believe I'm actually doing this...I don't have time to be doing this...but I am gonna try. Bear with me (or is it "bare" with me? No, don't take anything off!), and share your thoughts. I'll post and reply when I can.

Let's see....Liz suggested I blog and when I emailed her telling her why I don't have time, she said it could easily be pasted into a blog...so I will!

oh, Liz, I'd LOVE to do a blog, but life is way to crazy to even think about it now. Full responsibility for farm and market is pretty much on Tony and me now...I do all the accounting (bookkeeping, payroll, a/c, a/p, tax payments...still have to do the 3rd qtr MN one tonight before bed), scheduling employees, training employees, covering when they call in sick at the last minute (after scrambling to find a babysitter), planning promotional things for the market, updating the website (which it hasn't been in several months because I forget the password, and when I email to get a temporary password sent, the email never arrives...but I don't have time during the day to call the web host about it), baking for our October pumpkin parties (4 dozen cookies, a tray of brownies, a sheet of rice crispies, two different soups, and two pies every Saturday....only two more weeks to go!), ordering products, and doing inventory -- then there is working with AWANA at church (I've been praying about dropping that responsibility....club secretary for four different groups (each with their own secretary), 85 leaders, and about 225 kids from age 3 thru 6th grade), Christmas program practice just started (I direct, and I love it!), Watkins stuff (which doesn't take up too much time and helps our income which we really need), regular housework (what IS a clean kitchen floor? And when raising a boy, when does the bathroom stop smelling like a port-a-potty regardless of how often it is cleaned? I'm thankful when my four to five loads of laundry from one week is folded before the next round is started...put away? What's that???), raising a 2- and a 3-year old (one of who likes to sit on the toilet grasping body parts while singing "my ***** is a fire hose!," one who is extremely strong-willed, and both who were sick this past week...Susanna is finally well, Luke is part way through -- terrible headaches, very high fever, listlessness, no appetite, stinky toots), and being a wife (to a husband who is also fighting the same sickness and is drugged with Nyquil which is why I can type to you tonight...he doesn't like when I type when he's trying to sleep (computer is in the bedroom...and this is the only time I have to try to catch up on the over 150 emails in our inbox which are NOT spam/forwards/etc.). I was really sick this past week, too, but do moms ever get to take time off, even when battling high fevers, aches and pains, and terrible congestion? Then there's the stress of family....dad and mom just left (they were great helps ....well, not counting the van full of toys they brought -- literally. The upstairs room they stayed in was a total disaster, barely any walking room, due to all the toys they brought on their LAST trip here -- I asked them if they could clean and organize it while they were here, which they did...while adding even MORE stuff to the piles!), almost losing my father-in-law a few times this summer only to find the artery to his new kidney was almost completely blocked preventing it from functioning, and all the other regular family things. Oh, and the farm dog died, too. I haven't really had any time to process Gram and Gramps passing, although I am sad in missing them but happy that Gram's suffering is done and Gramp is finally with her again...and Jesus!

Your blog, as well as Mar's and Kar's, are a highlight of my life....I get such joy when I check them each night after Tony falls asleep (usually around 10:30 or so) and find something new. Mar's reassures me that I'm not the only mother going through the ups and downs of preschoolers/toddlers and yours shows me hope for the future when they get older...but shows me life still doesn't slow down.

Maybe some day...but for now, just thinking of doing a blog gives me a headache.

Okay, so I'm tackling the blog, but after reading the above, be patient with me! Hopefully I'll be able to post during nap times or like now, when Tony is downstairs after having just come home from helping butcher and process the three deer his brother and a friend got last week (venison, anyone?).

By the way, some updates from the above....Liz did tell me that her bathroom STILL stinks (her son is a teenager...same smells? different ones? new ones mixed in with the old? She didn't clarify, and I'm pretty certain it's the last). I've got my answer to prayer about giving up my AWANA responsibilities...same as the last four times I prayed about it. God put me in that position for a reason, and I'll continue to joyfully serve Him there (even if there are times when I have to remind myself that I am joyfully serving!).

And some clarification: This past April, my 83-year-old (now 84) father-in-law had a kidney transplant. He is doing well now, and I'll blog more about that at another time. In June, my Grandma Pavkov (Mom's mom) went home to be with Jesus after going through declining years of Alzheimers and other things that happen when one gets to be 95 years old. I think after her passing, Grandpa survived day to day but had a very hard time living without her. I could imagine he probably asked God to take him home, too, each day...and God answered his prayer on September 23. Grampa was 94...they both lived lives that were wonderful examples to everyone who came in contact with them in any way. I miss them dearly, but I know one day we'll be worshipping with Jesus together, praising God! I also mentioned Liz, Mar, and Kar -- they are three of my most favorite people in the world and I've been blessed to have them as cousins. They're sisters, also having one other sister and a brother, as well. I'm sure I'll blog some about them, too (like how Mar and I are the same age --usually-- she just had her birthday so I'm a "year younger" until June! and we both went through later-in-life pregnancies at the same time...twice...along with her youngest sister who we agreed had it so much easier than us, maybe because she's almost ten years younger! And how growing up they filled a void in my life by being like the sisters I didn't have.) At some other time, when I'm not rambling as much, I'll tell you about our pumpkin parties, post pictures of us, and give you links to Liz, Mar, and Kar's blogs.

Okay, can you tell I'm really tired and not making much sense? We'll see how things go in the future.....and if I can figure all this stuff out (blogging, that is).

Abundant blessings!
and good night....or actually, morning