The Legend of Thousand Hills Farm

WE WON! WE WON!!!

Pardon the yelling, but; "WE WON!!!" In a thrilling game against long-time rivals, the Mullan Tigers, the Lakeside Knights won!!!!!!!!! We are a little excited around here.  Will scored one touchdown, and Levi again scored 2. The boys played a great game, and it did this Mama's heart good to see them laughing and smiling and bouncing around after a football game. The Knights haven't won a game in 3 years, and hadn't beaten Mullan in 9, so it was a red letter night!

Here's the article out of the Coeur D' Alene press: (Note: it's NOT Doyle!!) They always get Levi's name wrong. The Dole referenced in the TD rundown is Will. Also, Coach Ron Miller told them that "Will Dole played great at middle linebacker" not Levi.

The Dole boys are a force to content with on the grid iron!

Lakeside 30 Mullan 6

PLUMMER -- Levi Doyle ran 75 yards for one touchdown and returned an interception 49 yards for another, and Lakeside defeated Mullan in Northstar League action.

It was Lakeside's first win since Dec. 2, 2005, snapping a 23-game losing streak.

Merlin Weaslehead threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another for the Knights (1-1, 1-1 NSL).

"Our defense played well, grabbing three interceptions and recovering two fumbles," Lakeside coach Ron Miller said. "Levi Doyle played great at middle linebacker and made some hits on people to set the tone. I was very pleased with Merlin Weaslehead; he did a nice job in his first game at QB."

Lakeside hosts Wallace on Friday. Mullan is 1-1, 1-1.

Mullan 0 6 0 0 -- 6

Lakeside 6 6 12 6 -- 30

L -- McCulley 25 pass from Weaslehead (run failed)

M -- Garitone 12 pass from McKinnon (run failed)

L -- Dole 65 pass from Weaslehead (run failed)

L -- Weaslehead 22 run (run failed)

L -- L. Doyle 49 interception return (pass failed)

L -- L. Doyle 75 run (pass failed)

Here's one of the plays. That's Will coming in from the back (you can just see the 6 on his jersey).

The First Game of the Season

Last night was the opening game of our football season. We played at Kootenai. Our boys got 45'd in the 4th, which was disappointing, but I have high hopes that the season will only get better.

The game started well. Our boys pretty much shut down Kootenai's game. It went downhill from there. Levi scored 2 touchdowns, each with about a 65yd run. Will made at least 12 tackles, 10 unassisted. I thought they played well, but I'm their mom.

They were not happy with the way they played, but they have high expectations for themselves, which is a good thing. After viewing game film this morning, I think that they have a little better perspective on the game, and will move forward with enthusiasm. They do have quite a few freshmen on the team, and while most played middle school ball, high school is just a different game.

Next week we play Mullan at home.

My House Is Full of Ding-A-Lings!

While I detest the current trend of children of every age having cell phones ~ there's not much more irritating than seeing some 6 or7 year old walking through a store with her ear attached to a cell phone acting like a teenager ~ we have taken the dive and all three of the older boys now have cell phones. They are just on the go so much, that it really became an issue of keeping track of them and safety.

There was a side effect that I didn't count on ~ kids don't call each other, they text. The phones make a little dingly sound when a text comes in, so now we have 4 phones going off almost constantly! (They insist on texting *my* phone, since I don't really text!) The boys all carry their phones in their pockets, so I have begun to affectionately call them my *Ding-a-lings*!

Redneck Dinner Theatre

D'jew do it?  Or did d'jew?  Who dunnit?  That was the question Saturday night at the SLY (South Lake Youth) Ministry's production of "What Happened to Ol' Man Miller?"

We had an enjoyable evening of good food, good theatre, and a rousing benefit auction. The kids put a lot of work into their play, and did a great job! They also provided most of the food that they served. It was great to watch how their hard work all came together for a good cause, and God really blessed it. It was also an enjoyable evening of catching up with folks we haven't had the opportunity to visit with, some for years, and of worshipping God together under the stars.

Here are a few pictures.

Where is Ol' Man Miller, anyway?

Recapping the last scene.

The questioning of the suspects begin ~ "You always wanted Ol' Man Miller's coaching job, didn't you Ol' Man Dole???"  That's Will being a great redneck cop, and Levi defending his innocence!

And just what do the Duchess's of Hazard have to say for themselves?

Sista D explaining how it was that Ol' Man Miller's wood just jumped into the back of her truck!

And here we find out the truth. No one murdered Ol' Man Miller, because he was a faithful servant, he was taken up to heaven and was no more.

You may wonder what kind of stage redneck theatre uses, why, a semi trailer ~ still attached to the truck!

Good job, SLY guys!

Missoula Children's Theatre

Last week was Missoula Children's Theatre. They did Little Red Riding Hood. Interesting experience this year. They have parts for about 56 children, 16 of which are speaking parts.  18 children showed up for auditions.  They cut a few parts.

Laura has been waiting and waiting to be old enough to participate, and she got to be a raccoon.  Kathleen was a raccoon as well, and Logan was the Little Loveable Wolf, which happened to be the bad guy.  He was perfect for the part!

They worked hard all week, and Friday spent the entire day at the Wellness Center, doing last minute dress rehersal, and two performances.  They learned that the show must go on, as after the first performance, several of the kids went home.  During the second performance, one of the kids quit in the middle of the show.  I hope that MCT will return next year.  We'll see.

Here are some pictures.

Here is Bob the raccoon ~ and yes, when at the audition they had to give their name and age ~ "I'm Bob and I'm stix (6)"

Here's raccoon Kathleen, looking very sober!

And finally, Logan aka Little Loveable Wolf ~ the star of the show! (Well, not really, but he stole the show!)

19 Years

Where does the time go? Mike and I just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary ~ I have now been married for half of my life. We were going to spend a quiet evening at home (Mom was feeding the rest of the clan), but at the last minute Mike decided he would take me out to dinner.  There is a nice little place on Sherman in Cd'A called the Bonsai Bistro that we have been wanting to try, so we went there.

It was nice.  It's Pan-Asian cuisine, and in the lower level, they have an indoor Koi pond. It was nice and cool inside (VERY hot outside!), and it was just nice to have someone else cook dinner! The food was good, and the prices ~ for the most part ~ were very reasonable.  I think the two of us ate for under $40. So, I would recommend it.

I had hoped we would walk the board walk, but it was just too hot.  I am so thankful for our years of marriage.  I look back, and at a time in my life when I was not being faithful to God, He was still faithful to me, and brought Mike into my life.  I never could have chosen so well for myself.  I wrote a little reflection here, and thought you might enjoy reading it.

Cook Book Friday

A Nursing Cover

There's a first time for just about everything, and after nursing 7 babies, I finally have one that benefits from being covered while eating.  The others just would *not* tolerate being covered up.  Ezra, for some reason that only God knows, does not deal well with noise and distractions.  It makes it difficult for him to eat, and almost impossible for him to sleep.  Which, by the way, is not a good thing in our household!  Quiet, it is not.

So, I have looked at nursing covers.  But they are expensive!  And ugly.  And girly.  What I wanted was cheap, attractive and masculine.  Which meant that I needed to make my own.  So, Friday was payday.  While at WalMart, I decided to check out the fabric department and see what they had for fabrics. 

I found just what I was looking for!  And, it was only $4.44/yard.  I only needed 1 yard.  They didn't have the boning, so then I stopped at Hancock Fabrics and bought the boning and D-rings.  Total cost was $6.29!  Much better than the name brand that goes for $40.  I had also bought washcloths at Target, so on a whim decided to add terry cloth to the lower corners to use as burp rags.  So, the cost was slightly more, but not by much.  Still under $8, I'm sure.

It was very simple to make and went together in under 2 hours.  I was very pleased ~ although my fabric slips through the D-rings too easily, so I need to make some sort of adjustment.

Here are some pictures.

Here is a full view.  You can see how the boning makes the neck stand out.

And this shows one of the bottom corners, where I added terry cloth.

Cook Book Friday

Well, I'm changing the name of my Recipe Share Friday to Cook Book Friday. And, I am hoping to be a little more regular with it than I have been.

Birthdays

I have been going to post about the birthdays we recently celebrated, but I was waiting to get pictures uploaded (so, I need Will), but that hasn't happened, so I decided to go ahead and post and maybe later I'll get some pictures added.

On the 25th of July, we had 3 birthdays.  It's Mom's birthday, my dear friend Tiffani's birthday, and it's also our Tucker's birthday.  Tucker would have been 4 this year.  While I still feel the hole his absence has left in our family, his birthday is a sweet day for me.  The first couple of years, it was a terribly emotional day, and while I was thankful for what God was/is doing, I was overwhelmed with grief that I didn't have a little boy celebrating his birthday.  God is so good to us!  He has blessed us with 2 more little boys since calling Tucker home.  They do not replace him, but they fill our arms, and our hearts and lives with joy.  I can look back on the last 4 years and be so thankful for what God has done in our lives.  The way He has drawn us closer to Himself.  I would not choose to walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death ~ particularly as it relates to the death of a child, but I know that what God has brought about in our lives would not have happened in any other way.  I miss my son.  But I know that this life is but the blinking of an eye, and I have ETERNITY with him!  What a joyous reunion we look forward to.

Since it was also Tiffani's birthday, Julianne, Daedra, Tiff, Chantal, and I went to Manitou Park in Spokane and had tea in the rose garden.  We had fresh bread, scones, orange curd, cream, and raspberry ripple cheesecake ~ YUM!  To drink, we had peach sparkling juice and iced tea.  We had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon ~ all the while drawing lots and LOTS of stares, furtive glances, and even a few comments.   The squirrels almost enjoyed Daedra's cheesecake as much as we did!

We didn't see Grammie on her birthday, but we did talk to her on the phone and wished her a happy birthday.  My sister took them out to dinner, so they had a nice evening.

On the 31st, Logan turned 12.  Where does the time go?  Grammie and Pak gave him a beautiful 22 for his birthday.  We gave him the standard gift for our 12 year old boys which is a hunting pack filled with the necessary items.  We had a quiet evening, Logan had requested chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes.  I also made a chocolate cake for him ~ which wasn't bad, but not so good I'm going to share the recipe.   Logan is very tender-hearted toward the Lord.  He attended church camp this year for the first time ~ mostly because it was the same camp our Pastor was at ~ and came home with some really deep thoughts about God and how He works.  I was encouraged!  So often kids come home from camp and they are all pumped up, which is wonderful, but it is usually short-lived.  So, I am hoping because he came home from camp with a more sober attitude that the effects will be longer lasting.

New Jonathan Park at Vision Forum

Vision Forum has just released a new Jonathan Park series, "Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo".  This new audio series covers 100 different critters that are popular at the zoo, from a creationist standpoint.  A great addition to your audio library!

They have also introduced the Jonathan Park Communicator Watch.  Through August 8, you can buy a pair of Communicator Watches for $40.  Christmas is going to be here before you know it, and this is a great opportunity to get something fun for the adventurers in your family!

Click through on the Vision Forum link to the right and check out these great new products!

Hat Fair

As you can see from my last post, I am participating in a Hat Fair!  It was fun putting my post about the boys and their hat together, and I would encourage you to check out Janel's blog to read the other posts.  After reading through them, remember to vote!  I believe you have until the 7th to vote, but details are listed on Janel's blog.

Have fun reading!

The Little Brown Cowboy Hat

Once there was a little brown cowboy hat.  It came to live at our house because we had some little cowboys.  It started out a pretty brown, with nicely shaped brim; after a time, it wasn't so pretty any more, but it was well-loved! 

First, Will wore it.

Then, Levi began to live in it.

And he wore it everywhere...

Keeping it with him even while he slept!

Garth even took a turn with it.

By the time Logan was around to wear it, we needed a new one!

And now, almost 10 years later, several of the last spent in the barn (the hat, that is ), another little Dole cowboy, Si, wears that old hat.

To see more Hat Fair posts, click here.

WIFD ~ Finishing up

Well, I fell short on WIFD!  Confession time ~ I don't know how to upload photos from the camera to the computer, and so I have to rely on Will.  So, if he's not around, I can't do anything that requires pictures not already on the computer.  Some day I'm going to have him walk me through the process, but we just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Last night I had him upload pics for me so I could post about Bob's birthday, and there are a couple of pictures of me, so I'm going to finish up WIFD now.

Thursday was day 5.  I wore a Motherwear sundress.  It's white with multi-colored flowers.  Not a slimming design, by any means, but it is pretty, feminine, and comfortable!  And, it has pockets!  Why they make any clothes for Mama's that don't have pockets, I don't know; but there are so many skirts/dresses that don't have them, it's almost reason for rejoicing when they do!

Not a great picture,  I was cutting watermelon for dessert, but it is a full length shot of the dress.

Here is a close-up of the fabric.  I like it so much that I also have a blouse made out of the same fabric.

Friday was day 6, and I don't have a picture of my outfit.  It was a busy day.  We went to Coeur d' Alene so that Levi could take his driving test so he can finally get his driver's license.  I really think the state has gone overboard with making a kid take driver's ed, then drive for 6 months with a parent, then take a driving test, then take a written test, then letting them get their license.  What ever happened to parents making those kinds of decisions?  Anyway, I'll get off that little soapbox.  So.  We went to Cd'A, and he took his driving test ~ which he passed.  Then we went to Post Falls to WalMart so Bob could get her ears pierced, then back home for homemade pizza!  I wore a Motherhood nursing tank, which is cut waaay too low, so I also had on a plain white tank under it.  With that I wore a gorgeous red skirt that I have.  It is tiered, and at each tier there is a band of denim.  The fabric is a red background with roses all over it ~ it's one of my favorites.

Saturday was day 7.  It was also Bob's birthday.  It was a day I planned on getting several things done, but mostly I ended up holding a fussy baby (seems how most my days go lately).  I wore a Motherhood tank just like the day before, only on Saturday, I wore a pink one.  I wore a spring green tank underneath, but the cut of the undertank must have been enough different, it still wasn't as modest I would like, so I wasn't going to get a picture of it ~ however Mike got me while I was lighting candles so... I also wore a straight denim skirt ~ because they're easy to work in, HA!

I do like the combination of pink and green!

Bob's Birthday

Saturday Bob turned 6!  I can't believe that she's so old already.   Bob was our first baby born in this house, our first homebirth, our first waterbirth, and the first baby where we said, "It truely is a miracle this baby is here."  We've always acknowledged the miracle of birth, but after Bob was born and her cord was cut, we found a *knot* in her umbilical cord ~ and it wasn't a loosely tied knot either.  We stood in awe of the protection of God's hand upon this child. 

Bob tends to be somewhat eccentric in her personality, and is fearless.  We have a rope hanging out of one of our big Maples in front of the house, and Bob loves this "swing".  She will swing so high on it, that it makes this Mama nervous!  She loves to play football with the boys, and yet loves to wear pretty things.  One of her birthday presents was getting her ears pierced.  She had the option of two people doing it, and having it all over at once, but she insisted on only one person and having the ears done one after the other.  Not a tear, not a grimace, she was a champ.  And, she looks adorable with her ears pierced!  One the way home (this was the day before her birthday), Levi told her, "Bob, you should be a NASCAR driver."  She replied, "Levi, I'm 5."  Like, DUH!  We got a good giggle out of that one. 

Bob has a great sense of humor and often has us chuckling over something she has said or done.  She has a very exuberant personality and loves to sing.  Right now she is very into Christmas songs ~ I may have to ban them.

We had a quiet day on Saturday.  The older boys went to a Shock game (arena football), and Logan spent the night at Grammie and Pak's, so it was just Mike and I, the girls and the little boys at home.  Let me tell you, when you have 8 children, but only 4 at home, and those 4 are 7 and under, it's odd!  Takes some getting used to, and it's considerably more quiet than when everyone is home.  We opted to go ahead with presents and birthday cake instead of waiting.  I went toRecipezaar and found a delicious birthday cake!  It's called a Jeanne's Style Birthday Cake. 

Notice, no cute, girly decorations ~ "Mom, you know I love Lightning."  So, Cars it was.  It was small, only an 8"x8", but it was perfect for us on Saturday.  Here is the recipe.

Jeanne's Style Birthday Cake

Base

1/3 c shortening (I used Butter)

1/4 c icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 c all-purpose flour

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

Cake

1/2 c shortening (I used Butter)

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c milk

Frosting

1/2 c milk

2 Tblsp all-purpose flour

1/2 c butter

1/4 c shortening

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c icing sugar

1 dash salt

 1.  To prepare base, cut shortening(butter) into dry ingredients, mix well.

 2.  Pat firmly and evenly into an 8" square pan and bake at 350* F, for 10-12 minutes.  Cool.

 3.  NOTE: The base and cake are baked seperately.

 4.  For cake:  cream shortening (butter) and sugar; add eggs and vanilla, beating well until fluffy.

 5.  Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

 6.  Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 inch square pan.

 7.  Bake at 350* F for 25-40 minutes.

 8.  Frosting: in small saucepan, stir together milk and flour.

 9.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and smooth.  Cool.

10.  On highest speed of mixer, beat cooled flour mixture with butter, shortening, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.

11.  Blend in icing sugar and salt; continue beating until frosting is very fluffy.  This will take at least 15 minutes.

12.  To assemble cake: place shortbread  base on serving plate; spread with small amount of frosting.

13.  Place cake on base. (You can split the cake for layers.)

14.  Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.  If desired, garnish sides of cake with shaved semi-sweet chocolate.

***I used butter instead of shortening on the recommendation of on of the reviews for this recipe.  It was a heavy, almost pound cake type cake.  I didn't split the cake, and there would not have been enough frosting to fill a layer and frost the cake, but if you were going to do something else, like a custard for filling, it would be yummy!  It was kind of a stinker to put together, I ended up breaking the shortbread base, but it tasted delicious!  Also, I only beat my frosting for about 10 minutes before I got tired of it, and it was fine.  Very light.

WIFD Day 4

A day late, and probably more than a dollar short!  Here is yesterday's outfit.  I was also wearing a grey Motherhood nursing tee.  In the evening, Mike and I decided to go for a walk (I'd *really* like to start losing some of this baby weight!), so I'm wearing Ezra.  My wrap was made by a friend (hi Amber!), and is a Moby style.  It works wonderfully!

I don't think I'm quite as hip-y as this picture makes me look, but if I am, I'm blaming it on Ezra!

Speaking of... here he is, 2 months old already!

WIFD Day 3

Today I wore a Motherwear tank dress.  It's a dark blue knit (comfy!), with small light blue and purple flowers all over.  On top, I wore a thrifted short sleeve denim blouse.  For accessories, I have on some of my favorite jewelry, which is marcasite and "amethyst". 

Tuesday's are supposed to be "office day", so I concentrated on getting my desk cleared off ~ can you believe it?  It actually has a flat surface for a top!   I am trying to overcome my "messy" tendancies, but it is a constant struggle.  Maybe this time.

WIFD, Day 2

Well, the plan today was to get some housework done.  I haven't really been able to do much since about 2 weeks before Ezra was born, so there is plenty to be done around here.  Today's outfit is a pink Motherhood nursing tee, elastic waist straight denim skirt, and black Earth Shoe flip flops from WalMart.  As usual, my tee and skirt are both thrift store finds.

Mike took my picture while I was fixing supper ~ Chicken Enchilada Pie ~ and so I am also sporting an apron that belonged to both my Great-grandma Harris and my Grandma Storms.  I love this old apron.  It's getting threadbare in spots, but it's green (my "signature" color), and it is a tangible link to my past.  Not only did it belong to my grandmas, Grandma Harris made it ~ she was an extremely talented woman, and just wearing her apron inspires me creatively!

I didn't get much housework done today, Ezra was a "little" on the cranky side, so I spent most of my day sitting with a baby on my lap ~ days like today remind that it's about the eternal things moreso than the temperal.  It's a good reminder to have.

WIFD ~ And A Chat :-)

Well, we're doing the week in feminine dress (WIFD) over at the Sense and Sensibility Forum, so I thought I would do it here again as well.  Today will probably have two posts, since I didn't post yesterday.  So, here is yesterday's outfit.

My top is a sleeveless eyelet nursing shirt from Motherhood.  My skirt is a 5 tiered, sage green floral rayon, that I picked up at a thrift store (shirt too!).  I love this skirt because it has lovely "flow", and I don't look 25lbs overweight in it!  I wore pink flipflops that I recently bought at Target, and pink toned jewelry.  For church, I also wore a  cream lace headcovering.  It is a large triangle, with fringe around 2 sides, and I wrap it in a manner similar to one I found at Tznius , I only cover for church though, so later in the day I didn't have it on.

We had a potluck and business meeting after church, so it was an even more relaxed Sunday than usual.  By the time we got home, it was mid- to late afternoon, so we just lazed around until it was time for dinner.  Levi BBQed bratwurst and german sausage before he and Will left for Core group ~ I love having older boys with initiative!  It was so nice to have rested for a while, and then come down to supper already fixed.

Will and Levi are gone so much lately with BFS (Bigger, Faster, Stronger), which is a weight lifting program they're running at the Wellness Center, and working that they are rarely home (hence, they're gone so much! LOL Nothing like repeating oneself, right?).  Garth spend most of the last 3 weeks away from home as well; working in the fireworks stands the last week and a half or two weeks before the 4th, and spending most nights at Grammie and Pak's house, then spent the majority of this week at their house as well, visiting with his cousin.  So, it's been quiet here!  Logan was also gone ~ to church camp this last week, so we only had 4 children at home, it's been 8 years since there's only been 4 children in this house and it was an odd feeling!  I am realizing that I need to be more diligent in training my younger ones because it's not going to be that long before the "big" boys are gone.   I'm trying to be more appreciative of them, and the things they do, because the more they are gone, the more obvious it is to me how much I depend upon them ~ especially in helping with the younger children.  Ah well, life continues and things change ~ it just takes some adjusting and getting used to.

Snow, Snow, Go Away, Come Again Some Other Day...

like in 4 or 5 months!  Well, here is another belated blog post.  Although it is June, and supposed to be summer, we woke up on the morning of the 10th to this...

This is looking out our driveway from the front porch

Thankfully, it was warm enough that by late morning, early afternoon the snow had melted, but still!  When Kathleen woke up and saw the snow, she said, "But it's almost summer!"

To which Garth replied, "When you were born in North Idaho, you forfeited summer."

This is what my lovely lilacs looked like that morning.

It was the first time this summer that I was glad that I hadn't gotten my garden in.

I spent most the day fuming about global warming.  I would hate to see what would happen if "they" were to decide we were in for another ice age!