Home school convention

For as long as the children can remember, we've gone to the home school convention every Spring.  For about the first 10 years or so, that was the only fellowship that we had with other home schoolers.  Now we have the home school convention AND Prairie Days.  Being we have become more politically active, this too has brought us contact with other home school families.  In this picture, you can see Andrew visiting with the young man in front of his booth whom Andrew met at the Minot Appleseed Shoot, which is yet another way that we've met folks.  This young man's name is Jessie and he's a Rifleman already--which means that he is a VERY good shot. 

I told Jessie that I'm going to make it to Rifle woman some year and that maybe I'd try again at the one in Minot at the end of April.  He said that he's planning on doing some videoing for the Appleseed Program and I said that then I'll try for Rifle woman at another shoot.  Good grief, it's hard enough to be modest in dresses at a shoot without being FILMED!  He was a nice young man and that's his sister beside him.

Andrew was in charge of selling convention CDs and MP3 downloads this year.  During the slow time, when I was helping in another booth, I heard Andrew playing his banjo.  Somehow, it didn't seem out of place at all--in fact, it sounded kind of home schoolish.  ;)

Our friends, the Chris Stevens family, invited us to stay with them overnight on Friday and Saturday nights.  This saved the wear and tear that driving back and forth would have caused AND the hotel expense.  This is such a special family and I hope that all of you will get to know them as Chris serves as the North Dakota Field Coordinator for the John Birch Society.  Here Cora is with Liberty and Victoria.  How she enjoys spending time with girls!

                                      

This is Mrs. Stevens and the best cook that I have ever met!!!  I am serious, folks, you should taste her home-made pizza--FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS!!!  Thank you, Mirella, for all of the time that you put into making such wonderful food for us while we were in your home!!!  She even let me flake my own oat groats which was THE best oatmeal in the world--freshly flaked--oh my!

Here is little Pristine who truly IS very shy.  Cora told me, though, that after sitting by her for a few meals, those little legs reached out and grabbed Cora's leg several times just to make sure that Cora knew that she was loved.  ;)

Chris and Mirella (pronounced ME Rell A) also have a bright son named Titus.  He and Jacob took on each other in chess.  I was so happy for Jacob because he is forever begging someone to play chess with him.

Pristine isn't shy with her papa.  :)

On Friday night came my very favorite event of the year--the talent show.  I met this woman on Saturday and found her to be a true kindred spirit.  She also sang in the choir and has an awesome voice!

This woman's brother was one of the speakers at the convention.  I was VERY happy that he persuaded her to play her violin for us--it was just heavenly!

This is the Devil's Lake home school group choir.  They are directed by Lori Neinhous whom we know through the Alfred church.  What an awesome choir they'll have in a few years if they keep it up!

Now these are the moms from the Devil's Lake area and are they every good.  It is very hard for me not to salivate when I hear good singing like this.  I did get to sing, though, in the home school choir on Saturday morning but, alas, I have no picture of it because all of us with cameras were all singing in it.  I hope that Andrew posts this song to You tube as it was phenomenal!!!

Of course, one of the best parts of the convention is seeing all of the sweet babies.  During the talent show we sat behind this man who held his little one the whole hour and a half.  She never stirred and it brought back memories of Cora in Robert's arms.

I got this of Cora and Andrew as they watched the families share their talents to bless us all.  This has long been a family favorite.  You'd think that some day I'd be able to talk them into sharing as a family at the convention, wouldn't you?

Then, Cora got this one of Jacob and I.  You know, it used to bother me that I came from the family with the biggest noses in all of Eureka.  My brother they called, Hawk, because his nose got broken in a baseball game.  It doesn't bother me anymore as there's not a thing in the world that I can do except pay someone to surgically change it and I have lots better things to do with my money than THAT!  Besides, I raised 3 children who love me--big nose and all--and that's what matters.

Of course, as much as I love watching parents with their children when they're little, I REALLY like watching parents with good relationships into adulthood. What a beautiful tribute to this mother that her 30 year old son said, "Yes," when she asked him to play a couple of songs with her.  TOTALLY COOL!

                                     

Jacob was videoing our choir practice on Friday night when I looked up and saw his head close to Josiah G.  Those two were babies together--now look at them.

Here's Cora with her dear Geiger friend.  Miranda surprised Cora with a large basket of goodies in honor of Cora's 25th birthday a few weeks back.  There were treats for Cora to eat; some for her to smell; and even one for her car to smell good--when it's ready to hit the road.  We love you Miranda!!

It wouldn't be a complete summary of the convention without mentioning that Cora and I had a ball helping the Geiger family prepare for their 2 main meals--over the noon hour.  I am happy to say that we donated the potatoes for the hot meal on Friday which was just wonderful.  The Geigers are so incredible to take on preparing ALL of the food for the convention attendees.  Praise God for this awesome family!

Cora and I left for home around 6:00 on Saturday to help Robert finish up chores.  The boys stayed and helped people pack up and they enjoyed the potluck that night.  Thanks, ladies, for sharing your left-overs with my hungry boys.

It was a wonderful get-away and I want to publicly thank Robert for doing the chores 5 times by yourself so that we could spend some time with others who love the Lord and serve Him by home schooling their children.

Did I say that I may have persuaded the fellow at the filling station in Jamestown to home school next year?  I was just so excited that it showed so we'll be looking for him next year.  How about you?  Did you ever think about home schooling your precious gifts from God?  Hat's off to those of you who do!!

God bless all who love the Lord,

Dawn

Sabbath treats

Oh, how I love the Sabbath day!  Whether it's a quiet day at home with just the 5 of us, like this photo taken last Sabbath of Cora and her papa depicts,

 OR a whole house-full of people to celebrate with--it is just such an awesome day.    Yesterday we had two wonderful families here although I regret that I forgot to take pictures after lunch.

 This is the S. family from Jamestown who joined us for lunch.  We had shepherd's pie; fruit salad with organic pineapples, apples, and oranges; and apple crisp with whipped cream or ice cream (compliments of Andrew).  Those little people were hungry as we emptied that whole broiler pan full of shepherd's pie.  Please pray for the Lord to bless and protect these special people as they lead us in the up-stream battle of bringing the knowledge of our awesome Constitution back to the people here in North Dakota!

 I truly do love to have a party and it thrills me when the house is full and noisy.  My neighbor, Tamera, remembers when I was so ill that I couldn't stand the noise that her little people made.  I rejoice that I'm so much better now that all of those little people truly were a joy.  Thanks for coming--both of you families!!  Here's the proof that we had lots of little feet around here yesterday.

Chris Stevens is the Field Coordinator for the John Birch Society.  This means that he is OUR field coordinator as we very happily can say that we recently joined this fine organization.  You can learn about the fine work this group does for our country by going to jbs.org.

Just as the Stevens family was leaving, Chris handed me a DVD of the Freedom Project.  He had shared how the John Birch Society is getting into education.  Their main goal in doing so is to teach the next generation the basics of our freedoms outlined in the US Constitution. It is so essential that we all understand our freedoms AND teach them to our children for us to remain a free nation.

 Anyway, Cora and I spent an hour this morning listening to the DVD.  It was very inspiring and educational.  Here is the link to the free information online for your teaching times with your children or grandchildren: http://www.freedomproject.com/latest/videos.  The free videos and articles are under the media tab at the top of the page.

Now, here's something else that is awesome.  There is also a curriculum option with this same theme of preserving our freedoms for VERY reasonable prices which you can learn about here: http://fpeusa.org/  This is for K-12 so I am seriously pondering having Jacob take some of these courses--maybe this year yet.

I've often said that the hardest part about home schooling is knowing which curriculum to use.  This has especially been true in the area of Math with Professor B being my hero for Cora and Andrew but not so with Jacob.  He certainly doesn't mind spending time in front of the computer and, from what I've seen so far, the method of teaching with frequent quizzes is just what he needs.  HMMMMM

Well, I need to get to work but I just wanted to say, "Hi" and share what's new with us.  We're still making calls for Ron Paul in our free moments as the month of February ticks away and our district convention approaches rapidly.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Dawn

PS. Are you making your plans to attend the Home School Convention at the end of March in Jamestown?  We just secured our lodging with the awesome Stevens family--so that is encouraging.  The convention has always been the fellowship highlight of the year for our family as we look forward to seeing many others who love their children so much that they won't let them out of their sight.  With increasing violence in our State, perhaps it's time for YOU to ponder home schooling if you don't already.  Just a friendly nudge.  ;)

More Appleseed pictures

We're still wondering if we'll be able to host an Appleseed Shoot here yet this Fall. Nobody officially from the Appleseed Project has said, "No" yet, but we thought that the end of October would be a bit too chilly when that was proposed yesterday afternoon. Then I thought about what Chris had said, after the shoot at his farm, about doing an informal one for those who couldn't attend. So, being the Geigers are aching to learn about this, I'm wondering if I might be able to persuade Andrew and Jacob to share what they know in an informal shoot. The truth is that I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE MY SHOOTING AND DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR TO DO IT!!!!!! There, now it's out. :)

Anyway, here are some of the pictures from the shoot at the Bartlett's place which Andrew just uploaded from his cell phone last night. Maybe they will inspire more people to want to learn to improve their aim too. :) Here Andrew is driving his new wheels on his first outing away from the family. What a fine young man he has become! I must add that he earned his wheels by running our portable grain cleaning unit for us all Spring! Good job, Andrew! He took this picture of himself with his cell phone so the image is backwards. :)

Now about the shoot. I found it interesting, as I looked at these pictures, to observe the process of learning step by step. First one must be ready, willing, and eager to learn. Here Andrew Bartlett is demonstrating his readiness. First comes the thought......

Next comes the preparation....

Finally it's the real thing--men, women, and children on the firing line learning how to improve their skills.

Then, because learning is REAL work, it's great to take a break and visit with friends. Chris, Jacob, and Andrew Bartlett in the foreground. Instructors mixing with students equals learning when the desire is there. The student must desire to learn what the instructor knows and the instructor must be willing to share with the student what he knows and then there is learning, comprehension, growth. Isn't that wonderful?

I had never really thought of my role as a home school teacher like that before but it really IS a joy to impart to my children that which I've learned in the process of a teacher imparting what he/she knew to me. Somehow, right now, that seems really awesome. Is it any wonder that people called Christ, "GOOD TEACHER?" Not only was he good, but he was a teacher!!!!!!!!! Oh that I would be a teacher like HE is. AMEN?

Well, one of the things on my TO-DO list for today is to send in my letter of intent to home school Jacob this year. It most certainly does seem like a good time to tackle that dreaded task right now--seeing as I'm in such a "Teacher" mood.

To all who teach, may you ponder seriously the affect of the lessons you pass on today! May each one have tucked into it dimensions of eternal consequence, for those are the ones that matter forever.

Blessings to all of you home schoolers as you begin a new school year!!!!!!!!!!!

Dawn

(Revised) Restful but still painful--with pictures added

I am in posting on Andrew's computer as I was exercising and missed the first part of Sunday night Bonanza at the Bornemanns. It's hard to pick up in the middle of something that's already begun--especially a love story which it sounds like it is tonight. I expect Jacob to show up in here at any minute, as he just can't stand the love scenes. "YUK", he says. Anyway, I will have to add the pictures of yesterday tomorrow when I can get back on my computer.

It's been a couple of restful days, but I'm still finding myself in pain today. You see, I am learning that even fun days can be stressful. STRESS EQUALS PAIN TO ONE WHO HAS HAD SEVERE NERVE DAMAGE LIKE I HAD IN 2006-2007. Even being overjoyed to have friends come, if it leads me to neglect my daily health care schedule, will cause me pain. Live and learn.

It was soooooooooooo nice, though, to have Lynette Dagley and her son, Ben, plus Hannah Stover come to visit us yesterday morning for our first ever swing set party. By the way, I said to Robert last night that our swing set party was a BIG success. He said, "It better be, it's a BIG swing set." :)

Everyone seemed to gravitate to the swing set and it was occupied all day except during meals. Jonathan and Jaidra Dagley came up from Mobridge for the day too, and brought Amanda with them, so she could catch a ride home with Ben after spending a week with the South Dakota Dagleys. Eli Dagley was also returning home from there--he's one of Lynette's grandsons.

Here is a picture of my long time friend (14 years) Lynette and I on the swings. I so admire how slim and trim Lynette keeps herself. You inspire me to keep working on my weight, Lynette!!! Thank you!! I feel kind of silly as I had just gotten out of the shower right before they got here and my hair is wet on the pictures. Lovely hairdo, Dawn! Oh well, as Robert likes to point out, "It's your smile that draws me to you, Dawn!" The wind was blowing up our skirts so it was nice and cool as I posed with my friend. :)

Cora and Hannah on the double swing--a little blurry so sorry.

Across the road, where I want to have my health center someday, there is this gorgeous tree that Cora just loves. We all stopped underneath it to have our pictures taken with our dear friends. Lynette and I enjoying the beautiful summer morning and each other. :)

Andrew crawled up the big stack of big bales to "Spy" on us ladies. Cora got him at it here, but not before he caught some pictures of us ladies down below him. :)

Shortly after this our friend, Chuck, stopped by to drop off a CD full of Andrew's graduation pictures. He took the pictures at the graduation but has been too busy to get them to us. He had just come back from the Steele vet clinic where he had taken his dog, Jack. Jack got in the way of the sickle mower and had gotten his foot cut off.

It was amazing how I was drawn to go do some AnimalTalk on Jack--Chuck didn't mind my taking the opportunity to expand my knowledge of working with animals. A lot of links came up to the foot and guess what? Jack needed to be balanced to the mower that took off his foot. Are you shocked? I'm not. :) This is a picture of Chuck and Jacob who are great pals--it looks as though Jacob had his mind on swinging instead of visiting though.

Anyway, we spent yesterday morning looking at the garden; the yards; and Andrew's graduation pictures . Then we had lunch together and while we were eating, Lynette leaned over and asked if I would teach my, "Voice lessons 101" class at the home school convention next year. Nothing like dropping a bomb--although it was a bomb with exciting possibilities. A few years ago I had shared the basics of good singing at the Dagley's music day in a little class I had called "Voice lessons 101". Lynette said that it was very helpful to her and she would like the information to be available to all home schooled students. I told her that I'd think about it.

After dishes were finished, we looked at the wedding pictures of friends and Lynette brought out Polly for a quick lesson in puppetry. I was trying to get her granddaughter, Valerie, to warm up to Polly but no such luck.

However, when Grandma Lynette put Polly on her hand and started talking, Valarie warmed right up and went over to meet Polly. I guess it matters who the puppeteer is when not working behind a screen and when working with children. Valarie and Polly became fast friends under Lynette's charming influence!

At one point in the afternoon I was looking for Cora. Guess where I found her? On the double swing with her dear friend, Amanda Dagley. I got this picture of them from the deck without them knowing that I took it. I think it's so awesome that, as Lynette and I treasure each other, so do our daughters.

Lest you think that the swing set was enjoyed only by the females, you are wrong. Robert and Jonathan were here most of the afternoon--to the point that Robert sun burnt his head. These 2 men have been friends for a long time and it was so great that they got to get caught up on their farming techniques. Robert has such a nice way of sharing with young men that really endears him to those who are seeking organic farming answers. :) Perhaps you can see Jonathan holding his daughter as he swang?

After dishes were finished, we visited and then Andrew worked with the Dagleys on their Prairie Days DVD project. During that time I wrote up a short overview of my lifetime vocal music experiences. They needed the writeup last week, as they are already beginning work on next year's convention. I was surprised to see how much singing I actually have done as I'd forgotten many things.

Lynette also shared with me that our friends, Steve Schadler and Christopher Scigliano, are working together on a project that will be introduced at the home school convention called the Dakota Survival Challenge. Both of these men have lived in survival situations in North Dakota successfully and they have much to share with us as we ponder an uncertain future. Then, next year at Prairie Days, those people who have signed up for the Dakota Survival Challenge at the convention, will share what they learned about surviving in emergency situations. It sounds like a very worthy project.

Ben, Lynette, Hannah, Eli, and Amanda left around 4:00. I got to know Jaidra better then and they accepted our invitation to stay for supper too. It was so nice to get to know Jonathan's family! They left for their home in Mobridge around 7:30 and we did chores and headed for bed.

It was such a lovely summer Sabbath day. However, I neglected my health care yesterday and I woke up at 3:30 this morning in terrible pain in my neck and head. I zapped; took a bunch of clove capsules; did some basic BodyTalk procedures and finally fell asleep around 5:00 this morning.

It's been a pretty quiet day here today as I'm taking it easy and Cora is too. We watched the movie, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. I recommend this movie wholeheartedly as a sample of the power of truth and perseverance. We had a strange experience when it was over though. It didn't seem like the movie would end there and we couldn't find the next part on U Tube. Finally Andrew found it on his computer and it said, THE END, where the other one had ended. I certainly wouldn't have written it to end with the hero in a state of exhaustion and he not in his sweetheart's arms. What a hopeless romantic I am and, come to think of it, Jacob never did show up in here. Maybe he's getting over the "Romance is rubbish" stage a little bit?

Well, Bonanza just ended and it's time for family prayer so I'll close for now. Check for pictures tomorrow.

Parental rights

Ever since we got back from the home school convention I have been feeling burdened to share what we learned there about the need for the parental right's amendment to be added to our country's Constitution. It was pretty heavy and discouraging, but we the people still have the power in this country!!! We just need to be informed about what is going on in order to do what needs to be done. What parent wouldn't want to protect their children?

Since then I've been receiving the updates from the website: parentalrights.org. I've been greatly encouraged to see that the list of cosponsors for the amendment is growing steadily. What do we need to do? Go to this site and read up on why this is so important. Check to see if your representative is a sponsor or not. If he/she is, then write and thank them for doing what is right. If not, then start hounding them. I just wrote another e-mail to mine and asked him to list the reasons for his name not being on the co-sponsor list. What is he anti-family or what? As bad as things are in this country, I think it's pretty safe to say that most of our congresspeople do NOT want to be thought of as being anti-family. Why it's un-American.

PLEASE TAKE THIS THREAT SERIOUSLY. Already some liberal judges in our country have ruled against parents as though the UN is running this country already. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

One family had their children taken away from them because one of the children thought that the parents took him to church "Too often". This was Sunday morning; Sunday night; and Wednesday night. I was raised going to church that often--even more if we were working on music. I guess I wasn't traumatized too much by being in the house of God that often, but we live in a world that hates God. The judge ruled with the child saying that once a week is enough church for anyone. The parents now know that, if they take their children to church more than once a week, they will have their children taken away from them. THIS IS SICK PEOPLE!!!!!

We must work together to ensure that children will be under the care of their parents and not some sick social worker or judge. "What if the parents are sick?" I can hear some brains asking. I ought to know--I lived under those conditions. Well, then a loving social worker should see to it that the children are put into loving foster homes. How many are there of them? No--that is not a good argument for taking children away from their parents for picky little things. The overwhelming majority of parents care about what happens to their children more than any social worker does. Believe me I know, I WAS a social worker.

So, I urge you to take a little time to get informed about this critical issue. Dr. Farris shared at the convention that there is not a lot of time for us to get the masses moving. This is being worked on right now. PLEASE PRAY ABOUT THIS!!!

This is the email I just received from parentalrights.org

Dawn





Saving Motherhood
This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. If you are a mother, we thank you and salute you for the invaluable work you do in fulfilling that vital role in the life of your children, and the heritage of our nation!
Sadly, the United Nations would hold such a sentiment to be discriminatory against women. In 2000, the United Nations CEDAW Committee (named for the Convention to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW) criticized the nation of Belarus for “the reintroduction of such [sex-role stereotype] symbols as a Mother’s Day and a Mothers’ Award, which it sees as encouraging women’s traditional roles.” [See paragraph 361 on page 37 of the UN document here.]
For our part, ParentalRights.org is proud to encourage women in the role of mother, as we are proud of loving fathers for the part they play. The fact is, the role of parents in directing the upbringing and education of their children is a precious and fundamental right. It should not be looked down on, nor stolen, by international governing bodies such as the CEDAW Committee, nor the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), like CEDAW, is an international treaty attempting to dictate domestic policy. Like CEDAW, it has set up a panel of UN “experts” to “advise” nations who are not in compliance with the treaty, setting international law policy which activist judges then incorporate into national law.
Unlike CEDAW, however, the UNCRC does not oppose Mother’s Day. Rather, it constitutes an attack on Motherhood itself, replacing fundamental parental rights with bureaucratic oversight at a federal and international level. Perhaps if we ratified both treaties we could just replace Mother’s Day with Social Worker’s Day, and the UN would be pleased.
The only permanent solution to prevent U.S. ratification of the UNCRC is the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which includes the provision that “No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to [fundamental parental rights].” This would finally end the threat of UNCRC ratification in the United States. While that alone may not preserve Mother’s Day, it can at least save Motherhood from international interference.
Please, as you value your own parents and your rights as parents to raise your own children, take a moment to forward this email to every mother you know – or even everyone who has a mother – and be sure to wish them “Happy Mother’s Day!” To sign the petition or to learn more about the dangers of the UNCRC or the need for the Parental Rights Amendment, visit us on the web at parentalrights.org.
Tracking Our House Sponsors
The number of Representatives cosponsoring the Parental Rights Amendment legislation (H.J.R.42) is 85 and growing. Track the sponsors and look for your Congressman on our Sponsors List.
Ride-4-Rights in California
Vincent Collins of California left Redlands on Sunday and is bicycling his way to Sacramento - a journey of 400+ miles - to call attention to the cause of parental rights. Follow his progress on Twitter.
Join Us On Twitter
Both Michael Farris and ParentalRights are now available on Twitter. Why not follow us? And send us a tweet about YOUR work for Parental Rights!
Volunteer to Promote the Parental Rights Amendment
We need many, many more volunteers to reach our goal of 10,000 signatures in each Congressional district. We need you to join us! Find out how you can help at parentalrights.org/join-the-fight.
Michael Farris on Huckabee
In case you missed it, Michael Farris was on Huckabee Saturday, April 25. See the video here.
State Resolutions Coming in Oklahoma and Tennessee
The Oklahoma state legislature will soon be considering a resolution in opposition to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, while Tennessee lawmakers may soon resolve to call on Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment. Sample wording for such resolutions is available at our website. Read more here.
Answers: Does the Tenth Amendment Already Protect Parental Rights?
If that rumor were true, the Amendment would be unnecessary - but the Supreme Court's ruling on that is crystal clear.

After the home school convention

Isn't life a mumble-jumble of emotions? When I came home from the convention, I was all excited to tell you about it and to post these 2 videos. The first is of our friends, the Geiger family, and the second is of our friends, the Bartlett family. Both families played offertories during the convention--both filled the hall with peaceful, soothing music that nourished the soul. I know that anyone who listens to the videos will also be blessed to hear these young people's music so I suggest that you take the time to enjoy their gifts and beautiful hearts before you read further. I'm sorry for the quality of the videos but I really want you to hear them even though they're hardly professional. :)

Immediately upon our return home from the convention, trouble began. As I wrote earlier, we had record snow fall this winter. Well, it began raining which began melting the snow. All of the culverts were full of snow and with the ground still being frozen, there was no place for all of the melting snow and rain to go but over the roads. When Tamera came to pick up her daughter's birthday cake on Sunday afternoon, 2 roads were already under water between them and us and they live a mile and a half away.

The rain continued to melt the huge snowfall and gravel roads began to wash. The highway to Hazelton was covered with water, cutting off travel to the west. The more snow and rain that filled the riverbeds, the more dangerous travel became in our area. Feeding cattle with the old tractor became almost imposable and Robert pondered going west to get the 9030 which is over in the field south of Hazelton. Earlier we had needed it over there as the 1486 wasn't able to dig the bales out of the snowbanks, but now we need it over here.

My womanly intuition warned that Robert shouldn't take the gravel road as the bridge on the road to Braddock is old and possably not safe. He checked with the people at Titan in Kintyre as one of their staff lives in Braddock. They said that the road between here and Braddock was underwater in 2 places so our hope of fetching the 9030 home to help with feeding died. We praise the Lord that He sent cooler temps today to freeze up the slop and now feeding with the 1486 is much more doable. Late yesterday we heard that the highway to Hazelton is now accessible so I'm sure that one of the guys will make the 35 mile trip soon to bring home their favorite tractor. Of course that means that it won't be over there to load the remaining bales but such is life on the farm. Hopefully things will dry off sometime before we need those bales as we just bought some hay from down south.

Anyway, for the past 3 days here we have had rain, melting snow, a poor tractor, and yesterday a blizzard on top of the rain. In the driving wind and snow, we had to move calves around between the barns in an attempt to simplify chores and get them more room to prevent crowding. Two calves were dead last night from all of the stress and spirits around here are about as low as they were high at the convention. ):

To make matters worse, Linton is flooding. Folks we know are loosing their homes and others up by Hazen left when the water reached the second story of their house. Yesterday afternoon people along the Missouri in Bismarck started being evacuated and this morning parts of the trailer park where we lived up there was abandoned. Come to think of it, I wonder why I am sitting here writing about this as I'm sure that nobody will read it anyway. Still, when it is all over, someone may be glad that the events were recorded.

So, I've been debating about calling this post, "Misery," but who would read it then? It's not my goal to depress people but still, sometimes life is depressing isn't it. Which brings me to my favorite workshop at the convention. It was called, "Dealing with depression." Jacob and I went together and it was an incredible workshop--I'm so glad that we attended it. Now I can see that he deals with depression just as his mama does. It felt so good to just admit to myself that I have a problem with depression.

The workshop had lots of good tips on dealing with this problem and one of them was to TALK ABOUT IT. Do you know that I may not have had the courage to write this if the workshop speaker hadn't said that one of the worst things to do when you are depressed is to keep it to yourself. So there, I admit that I have dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts all of my life. I praise God that He was right here beside me every time I put my finger on the trigger; or mixed up some poison, or turned on the exhaust in the closed garage; or pondered taking a bottle of pills. I praise God that He loved me enough to stop me from attempting, in my selfish way, to "End all of the pain." I praise God that He is pro-life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So if suicide is not an option and life becomes down-right miserable at times, what can a person do to cope? Well, like I've already said, talking about this problem as freely as if it were a broken leg, is a big part of getting the support a person needs during depressing times. Another thing that the woman shared at the convention has to do with Scripture. When a person believes a lie of the enemy, for instance, that they have no worth, they get depressed. If a person just accepts this as a possibility, their depression grows and soon they see that it is true that they have no worth. This feeds the depression and soon suicide seems like a logical conclusion to such a worthless life.

The Scriptures tell the truth which ends this vicious cycle. The Scriptures say that God loves EVERY person so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for EVERYBODY--that includes me. When she shared some of the passages that prove God's love for all people, my spirits lifted right then and there. Jacob and I smiled at each other and our depression lifted. GOD'S WORD DOES NOT LIE--GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE THE SAME--GOD DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO DOUBT HIS LOVE FOR THEM!!!

The last thought I have is something that our family learned about years ago while reading the book, Pollyanna. The movie is good too but the book is better. Little Pollyanna knew, from her father's teaching, that by looking for something good in EVERY situation, she would find something to be grateful for. When something upsets me now, it is a sure cure to find what is good in the situation and focus on it. The Complete Jewish Bible puts it this way in James 1:2-4, "Regard it all as joy, my brothers, when you face various kinds of temptations:for you know that the testing of your trust produces perseverance. But let perseverance do its complete work; so that you may be complete, lacking in nothing."

I have noticed this past few nights, during family prayer time, that many prayers of gratitude have been lifted up. "Thanks for a nice warm house, Lord." "Thanks for the barns for the animals to get out of the storm, Lord." "Thanks for all of the good food that you gave us today, Lord." "Thanks for the 9030, Lord" and then an amendment, "I wish that it was here." :)

Oh that we would learn to be grateful for all things that the Lord sends our way for we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord................

Before the Home school convention

This must be short as I have much to do today to prepare for the home school convention. It's one of our highlights each year as it is the only time that we get to see some of our friends who live far away from us. In fact, some of these friends we wouldn't even have if it weren't for the home school convention. Please be in prayer for the fellowship to be sweet and all minds be open to that which the Lord would have us learn this year. I always learn so much and, now that I'm one of the older ladies with some "Success" in the child-rearing department, it's a treat to get to share some things that I've learned with those just getting started.
Anyway, we are going to do our cleaning for Sabbath today, plus make our food for the 2 days that we'll be gone, plus get our clothing "Perfect"; plus relax and de-stress so that we can be nice and calm all during the convention. Actually it'll be pretty wild. Being it's close this year (75 miles away) we all get to go together. The drawback to that is that we'll rise VERY early tomorrow morning; rush through our 2 hours of chores; drive the 75 miles; try to get beautiful on the way; and be there in time for registration at 9:00. We know that it's possible to do so as we've made it to Bismarck by 9:00 when we start rushing around 5:00. The first day isn't so bad but doing it 2 days in a row is QUITE straining on the adrenals. Praise the Lord that I can do a session on the way because I don't have to drive and then there is always cortices.
I just realized that I have never shared how to do cortices, which is sad, because it can relieve so much pain for people. It's the one thing that Dr. Veltheim wants us to share with everyone, free of charge, because he wants the whole world to be free of pain. Being I just sent this to my newest client yesterday, I can copy it quick and be off the computer in time to make lunch. Pretty neat if it will only work--I'm going to try. YEAH--it worked!!!
Well, the first hand position is at the base of the skull. Keep your fingers closed together and tap with the other hand. You must tap on both sides of the head or nothing will happen. You take 2 full breaths for each hand position. The most important thing to remember is the thought. You continually think, "I am linking the 2 sides of my brain." After you have done 2 full breaths on the first hand position, slide your other hand up the head on top of the first hand. The first hand now taps for 2 breath cycles. Rotate like this to cover the whole middle part of the head. The last position is on the sides of the head just above the ears. Hear you put both hands on the sides of the head just briefly to make contact, then take one hand off and tap. Either hand will do.
This may seem silly but it is linking the 2 sides of the brain together so that it can work as a unit as it is intended to do. Stress breaks down the communication between the 2 sides of the brain and pain and illness follow. We, being made in God's image, are meant to be healthy and when the brain can work as a unit and scan the systems of the body, it can repair ANYTHING. Oh yes, you must breath deeply throughout the entire cortices procedure as the deep breathing allows the brain to scan itself and make the necessary connections. It's a good idea to spend a few moments each day to breath VERY deeply to help the brain scan the systems of the body and attempt to re-establish communication lines. If, however, the communication is severely compromised, BodyTalk is necessary to help get the lines rebuilt. It's really awesome what can be done with this very simple technique! I praise the Lord every day for bringing BodyTalk into my life and giving me the hope of a REALLY healthy body. :)
So I must close but I pray that some of you who read this will give cortices a try. If you have any questions, please feel free to write. When I first took Access and learned how to do cortices, I did it 12-15 times a day as the pain was so great. Within half an hour the pain was gone but it returned quickly. I learned quickly that I'd rather do cortices than take a pain killer as it worked much better and cost nothing. Gradually I was able to reduce the number of times a day that I needed cortices but it's still the first thing that I do every day--after I greet the Lord of course. On stressful days I may still need to do it 5 times a day but that is pretty rare and most of the time I am pain-free. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS. I will post some pictures of the convention afterwards but if any of you are pondering home schooling, please join us at the Jamestown Civic Center tomorrow morning at 9:00 SHARP!!! :)