... A new book stand in the kitchen window so I can sing all 21 verses of "Immanuel's Land"
while doing dishes
... Watching a friend in love
... Seeing my little sister grow up into somebody really sweet and Godly
... A brother who is tender and thoughtful and misses us so much
... A sister with a swelling belly full of wiggly baby
... A whole quiet day at home by myself (bliss!)
... A new blue dress with brown polka dots that I adore
... Godly men who live lives of faithfulness day in and day out
... Not answering the phone sometimes
... Reading many chapters a day {it's been too many years since I've read much}
... An office assistant who is so reliable and prompt and cheerful
... My mom... here, alive, happy
... My dad, faithful as clockwork
... Pens that work well
... Laundry all done!
... Jana's homemade cheesecake ice cream
... Clean floors
... Miles to run and walk
... Friends who love me more for pointing out how off-track they've become
... Friends who exhort me, instead of just flattering
... Whole nights of sleep
... A car that has been running without a problem for over two months!!
... Really hard, scary births that end really well
... People that understand schizophrenia and cancer
... A strained checkbook, reminding me that less money isn't less joy, happiness or living
... People that come over and love you even when you're hot and sweaty and the house is a mess and tomatoes are all over the table and floor
... Really old holey bathroom floor replaced with new
... Things that make me think, like: "Whatever humbles me, helps me."
... And for all of the other things that are horrifying, depressing, overwhelming, scary, and worse than I even imagined ~ God is still the same unchanging, just and merciful God.
The five of us sisters are the best of friends...
Susanne and Ruth at Goodwill :)
We had a lot of fun thrift store shopping in Springfield while
And there is sooo much milk! We have two cows milking right now,
Okay. There are some perks to growing so much of your own food. Like this salad that we had for lunch the other day. The greens were picked that morning (and they were better than any gourmet salad mix I've ever had!), the eggs were fresh from the chickens, the garbanzo beans were home canned, the cheese was day-old, fresh from our Jersey cow, and the baby radishes were pulled from the garden soil that morning.
Kitchen clean-up after Bible Study at our house last Friday night - Mary (left) and Joy (right)
Last week Mom had a very special surprise - her dear friend, Cheryl S. from Connecticut who she hadn't seen in several decades came to visit!
Cheryl's two oldest children, Jeremiah and Hannah, came along, too. Here Hannah (left) is showing Jemima (and Dalton - one of the little boys we babysit) some pictures of their family.
I'm not sure exactly what is this engrossing to male minds - probably a great deal on a tractor or a piece of haying equipment on Craig's List! We now have wireless internet - a wonderful convenience, and the need to make sure we don't waste too much time online!
Last Saturday was Valarie's wedding reception. We girls kind of grew up with her. Val lived about a mile from our house, across the fields and hills, and we managed to see each other nearly every day for several years! We haven't seen each other much in recent years as she has been living in St. Louis, but we're happy to have her back in our humble corner of the Ozarks now that she is married!
Our "adopted" niece and nephews came to see us over New Year's. They stayed for nearly a week before they had to head back to Nevada. It was delightful to have enough babies for everyone to hold while they were here! 
Dear little Thaddaeus (1)
Sam takes Adam (4) for a walk!
Mary helps Carolanne (2) make chocolate chip cookies
Noah stole the babies whenever he could! (Above: Thad)
Liz and Carolanne
Isaiah David Phillip was so proud of his little namesake - Isaiah David (7 mos)
Ellie with her little Isaiah
Adam has started the violin. It was so fun to watch him play!
Carolanne is such a little lady. She speaks in this sweet little soft voice and likes to call people "honey" and wear princess dresses. Poor thing has three brothers - we're hoping that number five (due in July) is a sister for Carolanne!
A hayride with the babies, the neighbors, and Sarah and Emily B. 
Abe with two of his babies
Bedtime was a circus, but oh, so fun! 
Our whole family :)
Sam on the front porch roof - painting the trim.
Ruth touching up the window frames.
Gwen and Elisebeth - two little girls who wanted to help
Liz helps Thor paint the side of the porch.
And the girls hung up Maddox's swing in the nearby tree so he could watch, too.
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