Just wanting you all to know that everyone is invited to the Gospel Echo Sing tomorrow evening at Pleasant View at 7:00!!

   There will be homemade ice cream afterwards to enjoy!!!!! Along with cookies and bars!!!!!

   Childcare will be provided!!

   The main program will be in the sanctuary on padded benches!!

  Ya don't wanna miss it!!

    Tonight there is lots of things that make my heart heavy that I could write about but really nothing that would interest any of you!!!!!

   So I guess that I will deal with the burning questions that life hands out on my own!!!

  WHY?????? WHY????WHY??????

Devon & Dallas

Those pop cans didn't have a chance!!!!!

  Boy this cooler weather is so wonderful!!!!! During the day it warms up just enough to be very comfortable!!!!! I for one am looking forward to things slowing down and staying that way!!!!

    Tomorrow we have a moving day for Arlens they are going into a trailer house which will be closer to work for him!!! We spent all day yest. cleaning and painting--finally considering it done at 8:30!!!!  And now today I am sooooo sore--gotta keep moving or I'll stop completely!!!!

  Was on the phone most of the morn getting things lined out for tomorrow and also for the Gospel Echo sing that we will doing on Oct. 6!!!  Come and enjoy that eve. with us-there is homemade ice cream on the agenda that night!!!!!!!!!More details to follow later!

  Being gone everyday this week has kept us on the go and sorta just letting things slide around here!!!  So this morn while I was on the phone the 4 little ones stayed home with Paul while I finished up my month of cleaning The churchhouse!!  so glad that is done--its not hard just takes time!!!

   And now need to go pick the tomatoes yet (they have done outstanding this year already!! canned 55 pints of salsa recently and sil canned 14 qts of tomato juice out of my patch!!)and after Oaklie leaves run get the chillins from school and meet up with the other 2's mom at school and then take my crew and go help Lisa and mom can apples!!!!!  I told Lisa I'd help her can apples if she helps move tomorrow So I had better get down there and do my fair share!!!!

    Time marches on and doesn't wait for anybody!

    I thought sure that once it starts cooling off, then life would slow down and you could do what ya wanted instead of what needed and HAD to be done!! But so goes,--  Since it was Labor day on Monday, I didn't have any extra children and so decided it would be a good day to ff--iii--na--llll--y get the roof of the motorhome painted which should have been done early in the summer already!!!  It's been leaking whenever it rains which is not a good thing while camping! I had been up there and caulked it all around and it still didn't quit, so now the whole thing is painted with a sealer and if it doesn't work at least the roof is nice and white, (except that no one but the airplane pilots will be able to admire it)  I had just  climbed to the top and poured out a whole bunch when who should drive in -but Ruth Ann-what fun to catch up once again!    I was soooo tired when I was finally done with the last coat,

   Playing ball that eve at the church picnic sounded like a lot of work- but somehow after sitting there for awhile watching the rest warm up, something seemed to revive me and after a few rounds forgot that I had been dog-tired!!!  wow I could play softball every week!  I can not imagine living at those places where only the men play!!!!! Sorry I would have a thing or two and maybe three to say about that!!

    Tuesday we had sewing-which seemed good to sit down and catch up on all the ends and outs and wheres and whys with everyone!   Thanks Emily for sharing the devotions, even tho. I'm sure it wasn't the easiest thing for you to do!!

   Today,  ahhha  TODAY is all mine to do more or less with what I want to do!!!  Except for the 2 dresses that were on the mending pile and the fusses between 2 little girls that needed to be settled, the potty breaks that needed to be taken for those same 2, the one little boy that need some motherly advice, lunch that needed to be warmed up for the 3----The day is all mine!!!

   Tomorrow I go help a friend get ready for her garage sale on Sat.

  Friday is Cody's 7th Birthday which means a small party at school and THEN  I go to the crop night from 6-12 that night anybody wanna join me and my SIL?

  And then we are back to Sat. which is full of townwide garage sales in Thomas!!!

   Blessings to each of you as your week marches on!!

    THE BARN RAISING------

Today we had been invited to spend the day with friends from long ago-He is a great engineer and decided there had to be a safer way of putting up a steel barn ,rather then working off the ground anywhere from 15-20 feet!! So he comes up with this idea!!!! It was all built on the ground and then raised to where it belonged by pulleys that were on top of each pole you see sticking up in the air!!

  He had told us when we were invited, "If it works we'll have a barn raising and a party and if it doesn't we'll just have a party!"  It worked very well as you can tell!

UP,        UP,         UP,

almost there----whew it worked!

The man who did the engineering

Going for a walk by the creek

Mom, we really do need one like this!!!!

Off for a ride

Take a guess-- NOBODY was ready to come home and already they want to know when we will go back!!!! And there were a few that were totally wore out from the day!!

BACK to SCHOOL---

ready for 4th grade--somehow the new dress appeared at VERY last minute!!! 

All ready for 2nd grade

The traditional yearly first day of school picture!!!

WOW this desk is different!!!

Getting it all put away and (moms crossing fingers) hopeing it will stay that way!!!!

  It's sooo good to see bloggers back on xanga--It sure has been lifeless over the summer!!

   Yest. Jessica and Cody had their yearly check-ups at the dentist which we all went to with crossed fingers as hardly ever do we go there and not have a cavity or 2!!!    But PTL there were NONE!!!!!!

  Now today Paul starts school, I get 3 extra little girls over the noon hour and beyond --plus Addison at bus time, my 3 plus the 2 I keep.  You do the math!!!

  The first day Addison got off the bus--Cody asked her "if she went to Kindergarden?"  Addison was  like, "no, I was in preschool" and Devon goes, "which garden is that?" 

  Tomorrow we have a "normal" day and then Fri. the 2 oldest have eye check-ups, we are trying to get this done right to where we won't be having all kinds of headaches as soon as school starts!

   Yest. I kept hearing this awful meowing sound in the flowerbed--upon investigating it was one of our little kittens all rain-soaked as could be!!! So Jessica put her nursing skills to use and by last night it was actually walking a straight line without falling over!! She was feeling quite accomplished with her efforts!!!

Now last night the same thing happened she got all wet in the heavy rain we had--so the nursing skills are being put back to use-don't know if this will be as successful yet or not!!!

  Blessings to all-----

I like this one cuz of our matching shirts!!!

The Stutzman Reuion in Ind.

Playing a corn toss game

TURKEYS  Around 15,000 in the barn with the small ones  and 5,000 in the bigger ones

The cattle sale in Garnett

PAULS GRANDPARENTS

It's so much fun at Raymonds-- baby pigs and milking cows--

in fact Devon came in and told us that we could just come back and pick him up when he's 8!!!!!

Cutting the fake birthday cake made out of starfoam

EVEN IF THAT PARTICULAR CAKE WAS NO GOOD.    BOY THE ICING SURE WAS!!!

DEVON HAD TO GET IN ON THE TASTING TOO!!!!!   You can see the REAL cake on the lower left!