Clint and I are closing in our tractor "drive through" shed section of our old barn. We challenged ourselves to use all free recycled building materials or leftovers from our own building projects. It has turned into a fun and rewarding project for the entire family! To make the outside look like the rest of the shed, we will likely have to purchase a few pieces of T-1-11 siding and paint. Seeing how much and how quickly we can do something as a family is very satisfying. Everyone brings something new and valuable to the table. Team Asbell rocks!
Nirmal 2, our new mouser
We have enjoyed our trips around but are ready to slow down and enjoy time with our family over the holidays. Clint and I have enjoyed some nights away in our little spot which was nice. We have recently been walking together in our woods, identifying trees, and spotting signs of wildlife together.
Brandon found himself the car he wanted, and he seems very happy with it. He is building himself a custom desk to help him with his next certification. Brandon is a hands on learner, so he buys equipment and works with it to learn the concepts. As a result, he really knows his stuff and receives compliments on how advanced his skills are for his age. He recently helped a company stop a phishing attack from a competitor. Brandon took ethical hacking classes and taught me a couple of years ago how easy it is to bypass a firewall, and retrieve documents off a business or personal computer. Technology is both amazing and frightening!
Brandon found himself the car he wanted, and he seems very happy with it. He is building himself a custom desk to help him with his next certification. Brandon is a hands on learner, so he buys equipment and works with it to learn the concepts. As a result, he really knows his stuff and receives compliments on how advanced his skills are for his age. He recently helped a company stop a phishing attack from a competitor. Brandon took ethical hacking classes and taught me a couple of years ago how easy it is to bypass a firewall, and retrieve documents off a business or personal computer. Technology is both amazing and frightening!
Amanda bottomed out in a parking lot and cracked her exhaust. She had to pay $283 for repairs. She has been working more on her art studio by insulating and putting in the ceiling in the loft area. She has insulated the floor too. She has found free furnishings and building materials. She also found some things she could use through work. She is enjoying her college classes and has been helping me with farm sales. We are hoping she can make a run to pick up livestock for us next month to save us the trip.
Red, a boer mix buck
Joshua is making great strides in his high school course. He is very bright and learns very easily. He has been doing Biology dissections and has performed his first minor surgeries here on the farm. He has a natural curiosity for how the human body works and has a very strong stomach. He is continually asking me questions about first aid, organs, systems of the body, nutrition, and allopathic and herbal medicines. It is drawing my interest to herbal medicine again, so I am learning more too. I love how homeschooling strengthens the parent-child bond in so many different ways!
Caleb has been a tremendous help with the building we've been doing. He will often look at something we are working on and offer suggestions for improvement. Many times lately, his suggestions have been improvements we could implement. When they aren't, he has a teachable spirit and will listen as to why. Not bad for a 13 year old! The president of our hometown's bluebird society has befriended him, sent him gifts, and is encouraging him in building bird houses and creating habitats for all native species.
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Bethany can plan, purchase, prepare, and serve an entire meal from appetizer to dessert. She is a big help to Clint under a car and on the roof. It is hard to believe she is 11 already! She is a cheerful helper. I enjoy listening to her sing while she works. She is learning how to give me valuable feedback which helps me make better decisions as I manage our household and homeschool. She is starting to learn some of the harder aspects of animal husbandry too.
Maggie thinks the goats are a threat to me so she kept herself between them and me. The doeling stood on her back legs and went in for a head butt, but didn't follow through..thank Goodness!
If I tell Emily and Hannah to give the chickens a break from being carried, the chickens just follow them anyway. Emily gets SO excited when she finds an egg! She has enjoyed climbing all over the trees Clint has brought down for our winter heat.
Hey Rich, I think Rosie, Em's Holland Mini Lop, is going to be a mama! Emily says "Thank you!" again.
Hey Rich, I think Rosie, Em's Holland Mini Lop, is going to be a mama! Emily says "Thank you!" again.
Hannah has become the crazy chicken girl. She even asked for chickens for her birthday. She asks first thing every morning if she can go outside and see them! My grandma Ada, who kept many breeds of chickens, would have loved seeing her interact with the hens.
Thank you to Dave for the tickets!
We had a good friend tell us she can't imagine having all of the joy and happiness in her life as we have ours. She said she has never seen any other family take as much delight in each other as we do. She told us we are tremendously blessed and that she wishes she had what we have found. We are grateful for her perspective and are counting our blessings! Thank you, Mary!
Thank you to Dave for the tickets!
We had a good friend tell us she can't imagine having all of the joy and happiness in her life as we have ours. She said she has never seen any other family take as much delight in each other as we do. She told us we are tremendously blessed and that she wishes she had what we have found. We are grateful for her perspective and are counting our blessings! Thank you, Mary!
If we have not heard from you in a while, please drop us a line (see email address in page header). If you come here to read frequently but rarely write, it's a one sided relationship where we share and you read. Give a little back and tell us how you are doing or what's new in your life. Struggling? We will pray for you! Seeing blessings? We will rejoice with you! Know that if you don't write, we will keep right on loving you and praying for you anyway. We enjoy making new friends, love all of our family close and far, and always respond to email. While we share our victories and struggles freely to shine a light on our great God, we care about what is happening in your life too!
Thank you to those who have taken the time to write. We were greatly blessed by it! :-)
Diana, we are praying for you and baby and look forward to the pictures!!
Thank you to those who have taken the time to write. We were greatly blessed by it! :-)
Diana, we are praying for you and baby and look forward to the pictures!!
Psalms 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
