Tips!

Here it is – the household tips post! I've been thinking overtime about these household tips for the last few weeks. At first I couldn't think of many, but after a while I realized that I have oodles of little tips and shortcuts that I use all the time – they're just so much of a habit now that I don't even think twice about them anymore. Thanks to the people who sent in their tips, I think we've got a pretty good little list!

I hope you enjoy reading through these. If you think of any others, feel free to add them in the comment section below.

• Wrap celery ribs in aluminum foil before you put them in the fridge. They'll stay crisp for weeks! For celery ribs that have already gone limp, cut a little off the bottom (stem) end and put them into a cup full of ice water for several hours to re-crisp them. You can then wrap them in the foil and they'll still keep for a while longer!

• Use dish soap to remove both new and old grease stains on clothing.

• Make your own laundry detergent.

• Organize kid's birthday cards and notes from family and friends by punching holes in the cards and sticking them in a three-ring notebook binder. Along with this, purchase some page protectors and put special programs, bulletins or drawings in the protectors and add to the notebook.

• When making meatloaf, meatballs, ham loaf, etc. - Take a small amount of your meat mixture and fry it in a pan so you can taste it and adjust the seasonings as necessary before you put the whole batch in the oven. This is especially useful when trying a new recipe or experimenting with new ingredients in an old recipe.

• Use white vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner (Use about ¼ cup of vinegar to 2 gallons of water for floors. Use full strength for windows, just put in a spray bottle. You can even use old newspapers to wipe the vinegar off the windows.)

• A Fun Kid's Activity: Pudding Painting! (I saw this on a friend's blog recently) – You use food coloring to tint instant vanilla pudding different colors, then let them “paint” with it on a clean plate (use a spoon, or fingers, whatever works!). Edible masterpieces!

• Make your own play dough.

• Our son loves this one – set out a number of custard cups or other small bowls, a liquid measuring cup with white vinegar, a small bowl of baking soda, spoon and liquid food coloring (in the little dropper bottles). We do this on the floor in the kitchen. He will pour a little vinegar in a custard cup, tint it the color he wants, then spoon in some baking soda. Voila! Colored bubbles!

• Make your own vanilla extract for baking. I saw this recently online. You take some alcohol (vodka or rum) and put it in a mason jar, add vanilla bean pods and let it steep for a couple months. I'm going to try this when my current bottle of extract runs out!

• So it's not really in style, but you can make cut off shorts from kids pants that have holes in the knees. They make great outdoor play shorts for the summer (and your preschooler doesn't care about the latest fashion, anyway).

• Clean and save plastic containers from sour cream, gallons of ice cream, cottage cheese, etc. and reuse them for storing 1) leftovers, 2) dry food (beans, rice, flour, pancake mix...), 3) toys with multiple parts, 4) household odds & ends (nails, screws...), 5) craft supplies (beads, ribbon, crayons...), 6) homemade play dough, and many more! (It's great to reuse what would otherwise be thrown out right away, and if I forget something in the back of the fridge for two months and it becomes a science experiment – I can throw the whole thing in the trash and not feel guilty about it!)

• Save old newspapers to use for starting campfires, as a drop cloth for messy craft projects, cleaning windows, etc.

• Buy in bulk and freeze the extras when you can – baking supplies (chocolate chips, nuts...), shredded cheese, bread, muffins, cookies, meat, butter, etc.

• If you have chickens and they are producing more eggs than you can use or give away, did you know you can freeze them (uncooked) for later use? They will last for up to six months in the freezer. There are several methods for how to do this – look it up!

• When I make pancakes or waffles on Saturday morning, I always make a large batch and put the extras in the fridge or freezer for quick weekday breakfasts. To reheat, simply microwave or toast. (If you put it in the fridge, use it within a week. If you put it in the freezer, layer with waxed paper or parchment paper so they don't stick together, or freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then put them in a freezer bag.) I also make large batches of cookies and freeze them for packed lunches.

• Finally, ENCOURAGE your little helpers!  (Even if it's sometimes messy.)
  
  
  
  
  

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day

 

So... this is about a week late for Valentine's Day...  I had this post all ready to go last week, and then I experienced some technical difficulties, and then I got sick.  Better late than never, right?  :)

My future husband and I met for the first time in the ninth grade. My mom says that she knew they were “in trouble” when I came home from school at the beginning of the year and reported, “There's this new boy in my FFA class... Everyone gets annoyed by him, but I don't mind him.” That boy and I became pretty good friends during our first year in high school. One of my funniest memories of that year is the time when my best friend and I spent part of one class helping him to write a “love note” to an older FFA classmate he was enamored with. I still laugh when I think about it. At that point, I never could have imagined the two of us being where we are at right now.

We didn't keep in contact with each other over the summer that I remember, but when school started the next year we found that we had several classes together - which gave us even more opportunity to get to know each other. It was a few months into the school year when I found out that he was planning to ask me out. He had a class with a couple of my good friends and when he began questioning them to find out what I thought about him, of course – being the faithful sort of friends - they told me all about it. It was during lunch when they told me, I think the date was December 9^th, and I remember that I could not finish my food. I think I was pretty taken aback by the fact that any boy was interested in “going out” with me. My best friend had had a boyfriend for a little while at this point, and – being young teenagers in high school – it seemed that everything anyone was talking about was who was going out with whom, and I had (until now anyway) been feeling a little left out. I remember thinking that I had never thought of him as anything more than a friend, but maybe we were such close friends that it made sense. It took several days for him to work up the nerve to ask me. However, he did not have to work up the nerve to ask other kids their opinion over that time. (This should not surprise anyone who knows him!) I recall when I was sitting in biology class beside him and I heard a classmate ask, “Did you ask her yet?” He ignored the question, and I pretended I didn't hear even though I knew exactly what he was talking about. My parents had told me that I was allowed to date after the New Year, and I believe it was December 16^th when he finally called me. I said yes, but we had to wait to make it “official”. He gave me a really huge, stinky blue candle in a jar for Christmas. He was 15, I was 16. Neither of us could drive, so he used to ride his bike three miles to come to my house. We would sit on the couch in the living room listening to cds and saying which songs we liked. If it got dark before he left, my dad would drive him home. In March we held hands for the first time on a youth group trip to New York City. It was the best. :) On our first real date, sometime after he got his driver's license, we went to a restaurant and when we walked up to the host and asked him for a table for two he said, “Oh, I thought you guys were a brother and sister, waiting for your parents.” We have never forgotten that, and have laughed over it many times.

Yes, I married my high school sweetheart, the only guy I ever dated. <3 We have been married for going on eight years now. Thankfully I can say that it just keeps on getting better! It did take us a few years to learn to live with each other, though I blame that largely on the fact that we are both firstborns – opinionated and stubborn (or should I say... persistent?). :) The events of this past year have brought us closer together than ever. That's not to say that everything is fairy-tale perfect all of the time (we are human, after all), but I know that he will be there for me no matter what – and that means an awful lot. I appreciate the way he works so hard to support our family, helps out around the house and with the kids, is willing to serve others and that he keeps God first. He is a complete extrovert – my total opposite – so he's always encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone, which can be a good thing. He keeps my life interesting... Who else could have such a knack for picking out terrible movies, making up new words or putting things away anywhere but where he found them? I think I would be pretty bored without him around! I appreciate his gifts and talents and I am proud of the way he has chosen to use them to serve the Lord. He is still my best friend. He's my hero, and I feel so richly blessed to have him in my life. 

 

Babe – I love you more now than I ever did before. Thanks for being such a great husband to me and an awesome father to our kids. Happy Valentine's Day!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

-1 Corinthians 13: 13

You Want to Do What?!?

Recently my hubby began taking some night classes. Any guesses what for?
Here's a hint: It involves flashing lights and sirens.
I can't believe it myself. He is taking an EMT-Basic course (and if you actually guessed that one - good for you!). He says he's always wanted to do something like this, but that's news to me! (Just further proof that there is always something new that you can learn about your spouse...) I didn't really believe he was serious when he first came to me with the idea, but he took several weeks to think and pray about it and... here we are! Frankly, I don't understand it - which is probably because I could never do it myself. I get a bit squeamish just thinking about it. I won't even look in his textbook. (Insert shiver here.) But, of course, I am glad that there are people like him who are willing and able to do such a job!
The course began in mid-January and will continue through the end of May. He has two (four hour) classes each week in the evening, with a few Saturdays thrown in. He is very busy with homework and studying between classes, so it feels like it is kinda taking over our life for the time being, but that's okay. I have been helping him study after the kids go to bed, so I am picking up a good deal of medical terminology along the way as well. Not really sure how helpful it is that I now know the name of the bump on the side of your ankle (malleolus), but anyway...
Of the group who began the course, the leaders estimate that only about 1/3 to 1/4 of them will actually complete it. In fact, there have been quite a few who have already dropped out. There are several tests throughout the course, and the students have to maintain at least an 80% average to be able to take the final exam. Their first test is coming up next week, and he has been studying very diligently. He sat on the floor at our friend's Superbowl party this last Sunday and made flashcards for pretty much the entire 4 1/2 hours. I'm praying that all his hard work pays off for him!
As far as the kids go, they are as rambunctious as ever these days. One day I plan to set up the camera and take time-lapse photos of my living room floor... At our last house we were priveleged - no, more like BLESSED - to have a large playroom in addition to our living room. Here, the living room IS the playroom. Despite the fact that almost all of the toys are stored in the kids' bedroom, which is right beside the living room, they very rarely play in there. Instead, they prefer to coat the living room floor with toys so that one cannot walk across it. Every day. On the plus side, both of them are becoming very good cleaner-uppers!
They are growing so fast these days. Both of them are outgrowing their clothes faster than I can keep up with. Our son is beginning to learn better pronunciation. He does pretty good if I remember to keep reminding him about it, but if I let it slide, so does he. This month he learned to say the "L" sound, which means that when he sings his favorite song, God is not "roaring like an ion" any more - lol. Our daughter will turn two in just a couple of months, and I feel like the "terrible twos" are making an early appearance... Okay, so it's really not that bad, but she has been quite the "stinkerwitz" these last couple of weeks. (For those who aren't sure what a stinkerwitz is - it is a PA Dutch-based term of ... endearment ... which means that a person - usually a child - is displaying naughtiness at a level that is humorous rather than punishment-inducing. A good example of this would be - a couple of nights ago, when our little girl came tearing out of the bathroom at high speed, laughing hysterically, while she pulled half the roll of toilet paper across the house. She was naughty, yes, but too cute to scold - she was having so much fun... and I just ended up laughing with her as I collected the tp off the floor.)
This week both my parents and my in-laws booked tickets to come and visit us this spring. We are all very excited, and looking forward to their visits with great anticipation! It is not that far away... but it kinda feels like forever anyway. But, seeing as how it is now February and I feel like we just hit the New Year yesterday, maybe it will go faster than I think!
Well, that's about it for my update right now. I just made some really awesome cookies with regular and white chocolate chips, toffee bits, coconut and walnuts. They are super chunky and chock full of yummy goodness... and they are fresh out of the oven... and I gotta go pour some milk to go with them...
Oh, and don't forget... please send in your tips for cooking, cleaning, housekeeping, child care, etc. (see previous post if you're not exactly sure what I'm referring to)!!! Email me at faithundaunted@gmail.com by February 13th (that's next Wednesday!).
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."
-Isaiah 40: 28-29 (NIV 1984)

Resolve to Train Yourself

So, the New Year is nearly a month old already. Did you make any resolutions? (Did you break any?) I usually make just one resolution each year, which is to remember to write the correct date when I make out a check. So far, so good! :)

One frequently made resolution is to lose weight and/or get in shape. It would be a great idea for us, as Christians, to resolve to get in shape spiritually as well! (And I'm not just talking about resolving to attend church more often!) It's all about growing up...

Several months ago I was working on teaching our son to dress himself. Here's a scene that played out one morning:

M (standing in the room with his jeans down around his knees): "Mommy! Help me pull my pants up!"

Me: "No. You can do it by yourself. Try again."

M (grabs waistband of jeans and fakes trying to pull them up)

Me (silence - then I turn away in an attempt to put a stop to the performance)

M: "Ow! Ow! Ow! Wahhh!"

Me (turning back around): "What's wrong? How did you hurt yourself?"

M (wails): "I hurt my arm pulling my pants up!"
                     (He gets his acting skills from his father.  I'm sure of it.)  :)

Me (stifling giggles): "No you didn't. Come on, you can do it!"

M eventually pulled his pants up without assistance. I guess he knew I called his bluff.

It's futile to resist growing up, isn't it? Sometimes we describe a person by saying, "He'll never grow up," or, "She just needs to grow up." But, what we're really talking about is their maturity level, right? None of us can really resist growing up, because we just can't stop the clock. God has ordained all our days ("All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139: 16b**), and He designed our bodies to grow, develop and change with the passage of years. Likewise, He designed our minds to mature as our bodies grow. We begin to step into maturity when we learn the difference between right and wrong, when we learn to tell the difference between work time and playtime, when we learn to put aside our own selfish desires to put the interests of others first, and so forth. There are those (and we probably all know one or two) who staunchly refuse to grow into maturity. If we are honest with ourselves, there are probably a few areas in our own lives where we try to hold on to our immaturity (even if we know better). I mean, I know I shouldn't eat five or six cookies while I am baking, but I attempt to justify that by telling myself that I should try one from every tray (you know, to make sure they all turned out okay - ha!).

We can tend to do the same thing when it comes to spiritual maturity too, can't we? (Ouch!) When we first begin to follow Christ we are a bit like babies or young children. We learn by disciplining ourselves to attend church, read our Bibles, spend time with more mature Christians, etc. As we grow and mature in the basics, we move on to more difficult lessons/concepts (“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5: 13-14**). But here, as in our physical lives, we can sometimes become stuck. We might reach a lesson that we just don't want to learn. An area in which we do not want to mature. A scripture we would prefer to ignore and never read again. But God continues to work in our lives and on our spirits (especially in the areas we are trying to avoid, it seems). Eventually we have to make a choice. Do we accept the instruction, submit to God and step into greater maturity, or do we stubbornly refuse to change? It is our decision. In my experience, however, when one chooses not to change they will eventually find themselves at the point of making the same decision again - be it days, months or even years later. God most likely won't let it go. He wants to see us mature in our walk with Him, and He'll lead us to the point of change, but the final choice is up to us.

So, the question is: How do we work towards greater spiritual maturity? 

Commitment to a church is a step in the right direction. It is vitally important to be a part of a church body for, among other things, growth, mutual support and encouragement, and to submit ourselves under the authority and leadership of a godly pastor. In fact, I feel that I cannot stress that point enough. We are in danger if we determine that we can manage without any accountability and decide to strike out on our own. Doing so leaves us most vulnerable not only to direct attacks of the devil, but also to the unreliability of our own mind. We should make a commitment to attend weekly worship services, and be very wary of allowing other pursuits to become more important than that regularly scheduled time with the body of believers. 

 

As important as being part of a church is, I find myself asking, “Can I learn everything I need from listening to a 45 minute sermon once a week?” I don't think so. I believe that we need to take some responsibility for our own growth as well. I recall a word study that I did a number of years ago. I had been reading in 1 Timothy when these verses jumped out at me:

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4: 7-8**

Train yourself. This was Paul's instruction to Timothy. The Greek word "train" in this verse is "gymnazō", which means "to train, exercise".* Training is active. It requires exercise. A person does not train for a marathon by running for ten minutes a week, nor does he train for a weight-lifting competition by doing bicep curls with five pound weights twice a week. There must be commitment, discipline and daily exercise to obtain significant results. Likewise, one cannot achieve significant spiritual growth by merely attending church every Sunday. We must take steps to train ourselves - become a student of the word of God, pray for wisdom, participate in Bible studies, listen for God's voice, etc. This type of training will also involve abstaining from things which would be detrimental to our spiritual growth. As a person who wants to be physically fit will not indulge himself in laziness or by overeating, so also a person who desires to be "fit" in a spiritual sense will have to make the decision to avoid certain behaviors and activities. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Corinthians 9: 25**

In addition to Church Life and Self-Discipline (training yourself), we also need to be open to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we work towards greater spiritual maturity. If we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be daily led by Him, submitting ourselves fully to God, we should find that we are developing the fruit of the Spirit – which is evidence of our growing maturity. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5: 22-25** The Holy Spirit was given to us as a counselor and teacher (John 14: 26**) – not with the intention that we place Him in our back pocket to pull out in case of emergency, but for us to constantly rely upon as we go through our day-to-day life.

It was never God's intention that we remain as babies for our whole lives - constantly dependant upon our parents to nourish us and clean up after us and meet all of our needs. In the same way, He does not intend for us to remain as spiritual babies forever. We must mature... both for our own benefit and also so that we can help to raise up the next generation of Christians to come behind us. Could God's command to Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" be as applicable to our spiritual lives as it is to our physical lives? I say yes! Just look at The Great Commission - “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20**. However, we cannot do this with much effectiveness if we are not mature. New or struggling Christians need more mature Christians in their lives as mentors and examples so that they can be raised up and grow into their own maturity, just as youth need mature adults in their lives so that they can grow up to become responsible members of society. There will not be an end to the cycle of immaturity that our society and our churches are now experiencing unless we each determine to set an example of integrity and maturity in our own life and pray that it is contagious!

 

I have been making a more purposeful effort over the last month or so to “train” myself (through daily Bible reading), and I fully intend to continue with that long-term. It is something I know I should have been doing for a long time now, and I did well with it in the past, but I have really let it slip in recent years. I recently entered the smart phone world, and have discovered that my Bible app will not only track my progress (I am reading through the Bible in a year), but will also remind me to read each day. I'm one that often feels a little bit resistant to all the new technologies that are coming out now (I think they are making us dumber in a lot of ways...), but I've got to say – this smart Bible thing is really helping me out!

Consider taking a good look at your own life... seeing if there are any ways in which you could train yourself more this year (and beyond). It's not only good for you - the Bible commands it! Consider making a commitment to God this year in at least one area (examples – prayer, Bible reading, church commitment, etc.). Be alert and watchful for schemes of the enemy that will try to get between you and the commitment you make. Keep covered in prayer. Consider asking someone to help keep you accountable and pray for you. Go and be blessed!

Thoughts, comments, questions? As always you are free to comment below, but now you can also email me at faithundaunted@gmail.com! I look forward to hearing from you!

*Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance, ©1999, 1990 by Zondervan

**All scripture references from NIV(1984)

It's the New Year!!!

A lot can change in a year's time! At the end of last year we were preparing for a 2012 that, in our minds at least, was probably going to look a lot like the year before. Busy, but largely predictable from one month to the next.
At the end of last year, God was preparing us for a 2012 that would look nothing like the year before. Busy, and totally unpredictable. He just hadn't told us about it yet.
Not long after the year began, it became apparent to us that we were going to be facing some major changes in the coming months. We realized that there would be a job change for my husband within the year, but there were a lot of unknowns too. As more time passed, it seemed like whenever one thing about our future became clear there were at least three other things that immediately became more cloudy and muddled. It was a very frustrating time for us - until we began to give our fears and worries over to God and truly trust him with our future. It's not that things immediately came together when we did that, it's just that the unknown became easier to deal with. Ultimately, it was only about a month before our move that things began to clear up significantly.
Things don't look "right" before they're finished. Whether it is a cake, a quilt or a house - if we look at it when it is only half put together it is probably just going to look like a mess. Only the craftsman knows what ingredients still need to go in the mix, or what pieces need to be sewn together, or where to put the wiring so that everything works perfectly together to create the finished product.
We have to learn how to handle the waiting. We can choose to try and interfere in an attempt to speed things along. Or, we can choose to trust the craftsman and wait patiently. Worrying won't change anything at all, but it will make us feel a lot worse. Attempting to speed things up simply won't work, and will probably complicate things even further. Difficult as it may be, if we choose to trust we won't end up eating a cake that's half-baked!
Even though it has been a few months since we have moved and we have begun to establish ourselves in our new community, the truth of the matter is that there are many things that are still in process. God is still at work. (He never actually stops working, does He?) I can't help but wonder what 2013 is going to look like for us!
So from our family to yours - Wishing you a blessed and Happy New Year!
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6: 31-34

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!
May the joy of Christ reign in your hearts this Christmas and may you be filled with His peace.
Be blessed!

Christmas Comes Early

Christmas came a little early this year, as we enjoyed a visit from my husband’s parents.  They were here for a little less than a week and the time just flew by.  Here’s a little of what we did during their visit:

Now is the perfect time for viewing bighorn sheep in our area.  They come down off the high mountain peaks over the winter, so they are easy to find and view pretty close up if you know where to look for them.  Mid-December to mid-January is also their breeding season, so you can often see the rams facing off with each other and butting heads while competing over the ewes.  The rams will approach each other and turn their heads at funny angles, kind of showing off their headgear and sizing each other up.  Sometimes that is enough to decide who “wins”, and sometimes they’ll back off a couple paces, rear up and crack their heads together to decide the winner.  Here is a picture I took several years ago:

Hubby’s parents were interested in seeing the sheep (and I always look for an excuse to go and photograph them), so we headed off up the road one afternoon in search of the critters.  We sure got to see a lot!  We found a number of small groups of sheep and a couple larger groups.  

The last group that we saw was the largest by far, and also the most interesting to watch.  There were a number of nice sized rams, including a group of four or five who were all jockeying for position in pursuit of one hot little ewe.  :)  

The ram that is sniffing the ewe was obviously the senior ram in the group.  He was always nearest to the ewe.  None of the others really challenged him, they just followed along behind (hoping for a lucky break, I guess).  We did see the younger rams engage in some face-offs and a little (not serious) head-butting among themselves.  

We watched this group for a little while before heading back to the house.  Besides deer (which we see anytime we drive anywhere, even in town), we also got to see a large bull buffalo.  He eyed us up a little, then turned his butt to us and walked off.  We didn’t hang around too long.  The bulls that winter in this area have been known to total vehicles that get a little too close!

We also hunted for a Christmas tree.  Really hunted.  None of that tree-lot, $7 a foot stuff we did last year.  Eight bucks buys you a permit that allows you to cut any tree up to 20 feet tall, and you have literally thousands of acres of trees to select from.  Oh, and if you want a bigger tree than that, you just have to purchase one more permit for every 10 more feet you want.  I think we’re covered.  

It was cold and the forecast called for a chance of snow, so we bundled up good before heading out.  Here’s what it looked like heading up to the mountain.  I didn’t think the weather looked too promising.  

As we drove up the mountain, we drove into a thick fog.  Although it wasn’t snowing at the time, the roads were snowy.  I’m thinking we picked a great day to do this...  Then, suddenly, we drove through the top of the cloud and found blue skies!  The trees were covered with a thick white hoarfrost.  There were deer on every corner.  It was gorgeous!  Just beautiful.

Here’s our tree!  It was about 10’ tall, but we only used the top 7’.  

We saw lots more deer on the way home, too.

Tree's up!

We had Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa while they were here.  The kids were very excited, and they both loved their gifts.  Then it was time for supper!  The elk roast had been in the crock-pot all day and it was tender and delicious.  

All too soon it was time for them to head back home.  We look forward to seeing them again this summer!