September '09 CHEHC Meeting

Crafting. . . .
Skeet shooting. . . .

Fellowship. . . . Food!!!!
A nice warm fire on a pleasant evening. . . . Like-minded home educators gathered for all these things!

Praise the Lord for the freedom He allows in Illinois!

972!

Our total bale count this year was 972. Wow! What an improvement from last year.

Richard dropped past and lent a hand with our last three and a half rows.

Mark and Trey unloaded all that would fit in the small space we had left and covered it with a tarp to keep the weather off.

It all wouldn't fit on the stack, so we left the rest on the wagon to feed to our livestock as needed.

Praise the Lord for his abundant blessings!

Parting at the Park

We travelled to Mt. Carmel for a nice family picnic and to pick up Amanda who had been visiting with Ryan's family.Ryan suggested that we meet at a particular park with a plethora of fun equipment for the family to enjoy!Bill, Bonnie, and Jamie joined the fun. Jamie is recovering from a recent knee surgery and we were all glad to see her. Keep on keeping on, Jamie!After a nice meal of fried chicken and the fixin's, the afternoon passed too quickly, yet we had loads of fun! Can you tell who this is near the huge tire? Don't be fooled! Amanda and Ryan are inside the over sized tire while Rachel and Trey stand behind! There may be a few others hiding inside as well!



Every member of our family had a great time and were reluctant to part ways. . . but especially reluctant were Ryan and Amanda. "Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Hot Off The Press! Volume 13#4

For all of our dedicated subscribers: your newest issue of the Prairie Proclamation should be arriving in your mail boxes! We hope you enjoy our ramblings!

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

Mmmm! Cherry Pie!!! I guess the saying is true: "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" At least that is when Ryan said he fell in love with Amanda . . . after the first bite of her cherry pie.

He had waited in eager anticipation for the next cherry pie; so over Labor Day Amanda made another one, and we all believe it passed the test again this time.

Yum! The plates were licked clean!

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!The 8th of September marked a very special day- the 25th year that Mark and Rhonda have been married. We (Trey, Rachel, Amanda, and Ryan) all decided something special was in order. We set up a romantic get-away on the back side of Providence Prairie. . . . . . complete with lodge (tent), romantic lighting (kerosene lanterns, candles, torches), aromatic smells (flowers, candles), and signs to the honeymoon suite. It was beautiful! We also planned a candle-lit supper on the dock, overlooking the pond. We all dressed in our "fancy" waiter/waitress clothes. . . suits, ties, dresses, etc. We served the special couple a fancy dinner, as romantic music wafted through the air. It was a night to remember. We pray that Mom and Dad continue to live life to its fullest, continue to be filled with love for one another, and live happily ever after.

Labor Day 2009

While the majority of the country sits back in their lawn chairs and sips their iced tea, we often find ourselves sweating together and accomplishing a short term goal that has been sitting on our long term goal list! As per our usual, we labor on Labor Day! Mr. Darnell came to put the finishing touches on the shop site on Saturday morning before the Labor Day Weekend became rainy. We do have hay in the field that needs attention, but alas, with rain, our progress slowed in that area.

With flash flood warnings for Southern Illinois, we decided that our sights needed to shift to a project that had been on our back burner for a while. On a whim, we decided to finish the "mud room" near our back door.

It was the only remaining room in our cabin that still had exposed insulation. The pink fluff was finally to be covered! Hooray! While some traveled to get supplies, others wired and drywalled. The inside of our home became a chaos as everything in the room needed to be relocated. We worked together until the wee hours of the morning and almost finished the project. On Monday, we finished the remaining trim and moved everything back in and decorated. Wow! What a transformation!
The room will remain the piano studio until the shop is completed. In the meantime, it looks like a whole new place! What fun laboring together on Labor Day! Not only do we have time to laugh, visit, sip our iced tea, and have loads of fun together, we actually got something of significance accomplished. Thank you family for the fun!

In God's Time

We have patiently awaited the proper timing to begin work on our shop and studios. After being blessed with the perfect building to relocate, the long awaited process is underway!!!! We have begun the clearing and levelling process.

Mr. Darnell brought his bulldozer and set to work removing a few trees and levelling out the potential spot.


Some measurements were double checked and Mr. Darnell continued with his work. He is a very talented bulldozer operator!

The day's work being finished, the men took the opportunity to view the progress.



It is already beginning to look different!

Before

After

We are looking forward to all the fun that follows! Things are changing at Providence Prairie!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. . ."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1

Singing at Pleasant Ridge Christian church

We had a splendid time on Sunday, August 30th. Our family had the blessing of being able to sing for the 5th Sunday Rally held at Pleasant Ridge Christian church. The building filled and we offered a mini concert before the service. We pray that our brothers and sisters in Christ were blessed and drawn closer to the Lord through our songs. Ryan preached the Word for the service. His message was wonderful, very convicting, and excellently delivered. We are all so proud of him! We came away feeling blessed to overflowing!

Saddleback Caterpillar

What a find! The Saddleback Caterpillar is the young of the Saddleback Moth. It is a very intriguing caterpillar and very colorful. It eats foliage of a wide variety of orchard trees, horticultural shrubs, corn, and other plants. Saddleback caterpillars are pretty easy to identify, but don't pick them up bare handed as the spines on their sides are mildly poisonous and if touched, will sting. God's creatures are amazing and we feel blessed to be able to enjoy them up close!! It's great to live in the country!

Singing at Heritage Woods

We had a splendid time singing at Heritage Woods Assisted Living on August 27. It was a most pleasant break from baling hay! :) We were met by a wonderful crowd that was full of smiles. The residents and guests enjoyed refreshments during our musical presentation. Yum! Thanks to all of the staff, residents and guests for making the evening a pleasant event. We pray that our Lord was lifted up and that everyone left with a song in their hearts!