Water Trouble and A Garden Party!

One sunny day we went to use the water and nothing.. It ended up that the well pump had failed! We were feeling a bit guilty about the whole matter since despite our efforts of being conservative, we knew that adding a family of 8 must have at least helped it to break. The repair man did reassure us though that it was an OLD pump and was surprised it had lasted as long as it had! We all coped pretty well through the weekend actually.. we were able to hand pump water and fill buckets to flush toilets and we filled up various containers of potable water at a friend's house for cooking and drinking. Really it was amazing how smoothly it went.. ;) We waited to plant the garden until the day the pump was replaced.. thankfully the weather was BEAUTIFUL and perfect for planting!

The kids get up early and set up camp chairs to watch the water guy install the new well pump

The first order of business was to pull out the old pump which was some 80 feet down!

The children, watching the show

All we ladies can think about is clean children, laundry and dishes! Oh, and of course planting the garden!

The little ones play in the trailer

Night-night 'baby' Matthew!

After hand rototiling the garden all week, we were all very excited to hear the neighbor offering
one more run through with his powerful tractor!

Stephanie starts measuring out the drip tape and putting in the stakes

A bit o' garden talk

Ryan was a big help too.. really all of the boys helped out so much!

They even built this nice trellis for the sugar snap peas

Sweet sisters in the Lord

The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11

The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11

Blessed to Have Fellowship

Living back in Washington State has brought about one issue for us. There are hardly *any* Anabaptist groups here! That is why when living here before we were a part of a *very* small home fellowship- because there are only a handful of folks in this area who have the same doctrines and convictions that we do. There is a Mennonite church about 45 minutes away but since our family is not Mennonite, that is not an option for us at this time. So coming back we find our small group dis-banded and our friends attending other groups.. none of which we 'fit' into. So, just like in Belize we find ourselves without a 'church'. BUT, the body of Christ is so good! We will be able to attend the small church which we are affilicated with in Oregon every month or so and between times have sweet fellowship with friends outside of official 'Church'. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we as Christians *are* the Church.. And that when we gather together,(regardless of the day) He is in our midst. So although for now Sundays for us may only consist of sitting as a family and listening to a sermon.. and praying and singing, or whether we are blessed enough to meet with friends after their church meetings on Sunday, we can still 'gather together' in one accord, speaking in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. We wonder what it must be like to be missionaries in a foreign country where there are no other families to sharpen one another at all. Truly, we are very blessed.

~Happy Birthday Grady~

Grandma Bonnie wanted to take the older girls to a fun concert in Seattle called 'Ten Grands', a marvelous production which included 10 baby grand pianos! The date of the performance happened to fall on Grady's birthday. So Grady, Ashley and Amanda headed up to the great Mecca of Seattle, where Grady had spent his childhood. They had a wonderful day of visiting Grady's grandma Alma, wandering around Seattle, and eating at the fabulous Benihana- a Japanese restaurant that specializes in preparing the yummy fair right there at the table! The girls told me that they received some very strange looks while wandering around the very 'hip' city of Seattle.. the girls couldn't help gaze upward, mouths agape at the immense skyscrapers, replete with glitz and glitter. Everyone stared.. although most of the stares were quite  polite ones.. think 'Amish Girls Meet the Urban Jungle' Hee Hee! Then it was off to the Benaroya for the dazzling performance.
                                                   


                                                           Happy Birthday Honey! <3

Elliot Bay, Seattle

Seattle skyline

'Girls, we ain't in Belize any more!'

A sweet visit with Grandma Alma

A yummy meal at Benihana

!!!Happy Birthday Grady!!!

An amazing skyscraper in downtown Seattle

A typical Seattle street

10 baby grands decorated to the hilt

A lovely night

I did it!

 Finally, after hearing about it for so long.. I have actually made
KOMBUCHA!

 Kombucha is a fermented tea that is often drunk for medicinal purposes.

The practice of making Kombucha seems to me a bit like the practice of  home-birthing.. no one will actually admit that they think it is proof of super-holiness but it is just an unspoken understanding among most really, really godly women I have spent time with <;)>! Now, unlike home-birthing, I am actually able to do this Kombucha thing! Finally after all these years I can finally fit in with all of my (afore mentioned) super spiritual friends! I am now part of the 'in' group.. but don't worry, if you don't belong to that super elite group yet, all you need is a  SCOBY -< acronym standing for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast>
and a great Kombucha recipe which you can easily google... ;) 

Here are some pics of my fermenting Kombucha, day 2. Following my pictures is one from Google images.. just to show you how it looks once it is finished fermenting.. or brewing or whatever it is called! < :) >

Happy Kombucha-ing!

Warm Spring Days

Well, maybe not as warm as what we are used to in Belize but warm for these parts! ;) We have enjoyed working together to prepare the garden, do spring weeding, cleaning and finishing up our new outdoor kitchen. The 'Mission House' has been abuzz with hard workers, children and adults alike. In addition, the children have taken advantage of the warmer weather and have set up a stand where they were selling both cookies and Mother's Day cards. The King children are very industrious!

'Cookies for Sale!'







Timmy, Grant and Ryan have done all of the rototilling for the garden so far!







It has been so fun to watch the boys' eagerness to help and contribute. They are such willing helpers!

 




Time to add the fertilizer.. and more rototilling!



The girls just love to help daddy!




Someone recently donated some kitchen countertops, cabinets and a nice double kitchen sink




Grady and Jeremy work on the kitchen..




The girls are enjoying the sandbox Nana bought for them! Just like their old one from last year..





Stephanie comes for a 'visit' ;)





It is amazing to see just how much more can be accomplished with many hands!



Time at the 'Mission Home'

We all jokingly refer to the home which we are staying in as the 'Misson Home' as there are always friends and family coming and going.. the house is always full of visitors and activity. Meaningful fellowship is cultivated and the Love of Christ is exhibited and expressed daily.. The house itself is located close to the end of a quiet rural road, nestled among fields, evergreens and rolling hills. The children love to ride bikes on the road as it is not heavily travelled and so less cars to contend with. One clear and cool Sunday evening we all agreed that it was a perfect evening for a walk. It was so nice to spend time with our friends as well as some of their extended family who also were there that night. We found ourselves exploring an old abandonded chicken operation which had all been torn down and turned back into 40 acres of lush grassy fields. The guys went off to explore the creek which runs on one side of the property. We intend on going back to the creek for a picnic once the mud dries a bit and it warms up! What a blessed evening with friends and loved ones.

A Walk to Remember

Picking daisies

What a lovely bouquet Becca!

Ashley with Stephanie

                                              

Special Friends

The grass was so tall, the children practically dissapeared!

The guys get back from exploring the creek

The old chicken farm

Little Laura and Ash

                                                                             Dad and Mom





This is a scary photo of two runaway strollers! No babies were harmed in the snapping of this photo! ;)

Heading back to the 'Mission Home'

A nice quiet moment