A Pleasant Gift

Upon arriving home one day, we were surprised to find a package waiting for us in the mailbox! Upon opening it, we found some delightful little flip-flops that Diane had created and crafted into a delightful pleasure to wear. Thank you Diane for the special gift!

A Hike at Ferne Clyffe

On Sunday, November 29th, we traveled to the Shawnee National forest to view the breathtaking sights of Ferne Clyffe.

Several years ago, we hiked through the back side of the park while on the River to River Trail. At that time, we had been walking for mile upon mile during the 175 mile hike, and that portion of Ferne Clyffe seemed long and the scenery not overly striking.

In contrast, this trip appeared quite different.

We quickly decided that Ferne Clyffe was as beautiful as its name is spelled!

Along the trail, we discovered many beautiful vistas.

Long talks, laughing together, making memories. . . that was what this day was about.

Beautiful Ferne Clyffe.

Waiting on God

Beyond a beautifully lighted arbor, the kerosene lanterns lit the distance of the lane. The stars were out in all their glory- that would have been the scene you would have found on our evening of Thanksgiving, November 26th on Providence Prairie.

If you looked closely beneath the arbor, you might have seen a young man down on one knee asking to marry a fair young maiden. You may have caught sight of a twinkle as he eased an elegant ring onto her finger. You might have heard the maiden respond with a, "Yes, I will."

So now it is official! We would like to officially introduce you to Amanda's fiance- Ryan Cox. We all feel that he is a gift from God. They chose to wait on God's timing in their relationship and are so thankful they did, because in His time, all things are beautiful. They will share their first kiss at their wedding which will take place on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp in Flora, Illinois. There their friendship blossomed and there they will pledge their lives together before God.

It was definitely a night to remember!

The Handy Pin Cushion

Better watch out when Amanda is sewing. She uses whatever she can find for a handy pin cushion! :) Not only will Ryan's beard come in handy for the Lincoln dinner reenactment, it fit the bill quite nicely when Amanda was in a pinch! We often get a good laugh from Amanda and Ryan's antics.

Processing Pumpkin

We spent an afternoon cooking down and processing several of the pumpkins that remained after Prairie Fest. The resultant pie filling would be good for our freezer.

Our Squeezo Strainer came in quite handy for pureeing it, as did Ryan to turn the handle and plunge!

Now to make a few of those award winning pumpkin pies!

New Neighbors

We have new neighbors moving in on both sides of Providence Prairie. The creatures that moved in to our north are a family of mostly nocturnal mammals.

We stumbled upon Mr. and Mrs. Beaver after seeing their gnawed tree from the road that crosses the creek they are inhabiting.
Each time we cross the bridge, the dam grows more and more.
Slides all along the creek and beaver prints were to be found.

There are many large trees that are chewed upon and one that has been felled and forms a bridge across the creek.

There is much evidence to verify their presence.

As they are mostly nocturnal, we have yet to see one of these shy rodents.

It is said that the loud noise made by their tail slapping against the water can be heard for about a mile.

The neighbor on the south is an Amish family that moved from Arthur, IL to live near like Amish in the community close to Dale.

We welcome them to our corner of the world.

CHEHC Leadership Conference

On the weekend of November 13th, Mark and Rhonda began their journey northward to attend the statewide ICHE Homeschool Leadership Conference. The first day brought them to business in Springfield and so they spent a day there.

They couldn't resist capturing a lovely picture of our state capital building brightly illuminated at night.

After more travelling and wonderful conversations, they arrived in Chicago for the evening of encouragement and networking provided by ICHE. It was great to be able to hear Kevin Swanson speak of generational home education.
They relished in renewing old acquaintances as well as making new ones, and enjoyed an inspiring evening.
Throughout the course of the trip, they were able to watch the DVD series "Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Christian Families" by Vision Forum. It was a very challenging and encouraging set and we are pleased we could afford them the time away to strengthen their relationship and thus our family.