Homemade Olive Oil Lamp

I came across something some time ago I've been wanting to try to make; an olive oil lamp. It consists only of a canning jar, olive oil and a piece of wire and string for the wick. My husband put it together fairly quickly and it looked lovely on our table. Olive oil burns very, very clean and if the kids tip it over or the glass breaks, it will extinguish itself so it's fairly safe.

Our Summer

Here's a whole gamut of pictures from our Summer here in Ocosta. I'm trying to catch up from August. : )


Okay kids, your daddy took this picture a few weeks ago. You were with him (all four of you), down at the barn and the pasture having fun while mommy had some quiet time.

Here's a toad. Many, many frogs we spied this year but not too many toads.

Here's daddy growing a beard. You should see him now! I love it on him.
He sure looks handsome. ; ) I see his pictures without the beard and I keep telling myself that his face looks naked. Isn't that silly?

Here's another picture daddy took

And another. Finally, daddy got some bees in his hive after 3 years of waiting. See the honeybee going into the hive? Unfortunately, they didn't make it. It's been too cold out and they didn't build large enough to last. Maybe they will remember to come back next year. We'll get honey yet...



Okay kids, when you are older I wonder if you are going to remember this? You all went "slug hunting" to get a little snack for the piggies. Yes, you picked them up with your little fingers. Hmm, maybe you'll still be hunting for slugs later too.



Leah, you look puzzled! A week away from 1 year old. You and Chops (we call Matthew Chops because he used to like to bite), will both be a year old for a few weeks. Wow, two 1 year olds.

Our collards, bib lettuce and another type of lettuce

The collards got quite large. We still have some growing into monstrous size.

Good ole green beans. We can't get you kids to eat your greens at the table, but by golly all daddy has to do is bring you down to the garden and you eat to no end.

See, you little piggy's are just feasting now.

Unripe but a pretty picture. Daddy took good pictures today.

Our common little frogs around the property

Our two piggies. They are in our freezer now. We had pork chops tonight.
The sausage is the best!

Matthew kissing/blessing his pumpkin

Our pumpkin patch a couple of months ago

Here's some pictures of Leah, pretty girl.

I love this picture of you little Leah

Resting on your napping father, Chops.

Yum, yum banana. You are always so cute to me.

Hannah, now it's your turn.

Big, three year old girl!

You two don't always play together much because you are always playing with your sister Elisabeth, Hannah. So, I had to catch this rare occasion.



Doing a little school time. We spend a little time each morning coloring and doing flash cards. You are all doing so well with the letters. I think Elisabeth is going to be ready to start reading here pretty soon.





You look so quiet and proper Hannie. But, we all know you are the "bouncy" one to say the least. : ) I love you.

Our Pumpkins

Here's our first pumpkins. Daddy grew all these from seeds. You all had your own pumpkin. Mommy has already made 3 pies and we ate one of the pumpkins with dinner one evening with butter and brown sugar. It was delicious. We have 11 up the hill here ready to prepare for the freezer or more pies (or pumpkin bread), and I think your daddy shared with me today that we still have 26 down the hill that he could see. : )

Little sugar pumpkins - Aren't they pretty? Daddy was in deep thought last night and shared how sad it is that the devil and the world has turned such a beautiful food given from our Creator God into something so evil. We are just so appreciative to have this blessing of a good, first crop of pumpkins.

Elisabeth and Matthew inspecting one of the pumpkins.

Hannah helping out. They pulled this little wagon up the hill (with daddy's help of course),
full of beautiful, little pumpkins.

Elisabeth holding up her prized pumpkin

Matthew, oh you're so cute...

These are the ones we had for dinner the other night

These were for pie. Amazingly they made 3 pies. Here's a fantastic recipe (use real cream in place of evaporated milk though): http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

A real beauty

Unripe but so pretty

Life Was Here - Our Fifth Child

Written 9/30/2010

Our dear child whom we'll never get to meet while on this earth. We love you so dearly. We miss you greatly. My sorrow is great. Oh how I love you my dear one. My heart yearns for you, for your life still so much but it will never be... here. How much we will wonder who you would have been, how beautiful your face. How much your father wanted to hold you. How much I wanted to nurse you in the quietest time of night. I prayed to have you over moving - ever, if it would've kept God from taking you. Our loss is great. Through you the Lord is teaching us how valuable life is and our family. We love you so much my child. You'll never be forgotten, just deeply missed. I love you.

August 9th (conception date) to September 27th- Nine weeks

 Life was here, your little form was visible to my eye. 

Life was here. I was so excited to see these lines my hands were shaking when I wrote Baby #5. You were our fifth child, a fulfillment of the Lord's promise to us back in 2006 while I was pregnant with our first. Here you are I thought, and so quick. I miss you so much.