This Week . . .

1.  The patterns I won in a blog giveaway arrived and what fun it was to peruse the box full!  24 brand new women's clothing patterns all in my size!  Some I will probably not use, like the hospital scrubs, but some I am really excited about - numerous skirt patterns, a cute Asian-inspired top (I love Asian tops!), some coats, lots of dresses, too many to mention!  Now to figure out which one to pick first!

2.  I paid $12.44 for a $199.99 light fixture!  For the longest time, I have pictured a light in my head.  Not sure if I saw one somewhere on-line or on TV but I had this vision of a light fixture in my head that would be perfect for the powder room in the new house.  I wanted something rectangular, with a sheer black shade and lots of crystal drops.  I have looked in many big box stores over and over but never found exactly what I wanted.  I found others that would work okay but not the EXACT one.  Then, the other week, I wandered through Canadian Tire when I saw it!  The exact fixture I wanted.  I was ecstatic!  When I got close enough to see the price was $200, I said out loud, "No way!  I refuse to pay $200 for a light fixture.  I will wait for it to come on sale."  So, wait I did.  Then, yesterday, I looked in the flyer and my light was on sale.  40% off.  That brought it to, with taxes, $134.39 (regular $223.99).  Then, to sweeten the matter even more, I have been stocking up my Canadian Tire money for such a moment sometime in the future when I would find that perfect item for the new house.  I didn't know what it was but I have been saving for quite a while.  (For those of you unaware of what Canadian Tire money is, it is a reward system earning you money based on your purchases.  Jay figured out that Canadian Tire has one of the better points systems out there.)  Well, that moment had come.  I had $121.95 in Canadian Tire money bringing the total price of the light fixture to $12.44!  Woo hoo!  That is patience and persistence paying off!

3.  The 3 oldest kids have been attending a 5 day camp (well, they only found out about it on Wednesday so for them it is a 3 day camp) at a friend's house.  They are singing songs, learning Bible verses, spending time in prayer and learning how to tell others about Jesus.  I firmly believe that it is the parent's responsibility to teach their children about the Lord and about life, not leaving it up to the Sunday School teachers or DVBS leaders or whatever.  And I do.  I take that aspect of life seriously.  But when they have the opportunity to spend 1 hour with others that are confirming what we are teaching, teaching in the same spirit and manner, then I encourage them to go and learn.  And we talk all about it when they get home.

4.  I made 19 half pint jars of Raspberry Red Pepper Jelly, thanks to the recipe from here.  I picked the raspberries from the plants here on my yard and bought the remaining ingredients from the store.  Maybe someday in the future I will grow all the peppers, too, but that didn't happen this year.  I love the gorgeous red color and the taste is a wonderful sweet/spicy combination that would be perfect with crackers and cream cheese.  Just a small reminder - don't walk away from your stove for any reason when you are trying to bring your fruit to a boil.  It will most likely boil over the moment you step back into the room but just before you are actually able to stop it.  Not that I have any experience with that! :)

5.  Harvest has started.  This is a wonderful time of the year full of busy schedules and running here and there.  Every day involves numerous trips back and forth from one field or another dropping off a couple kids and picking up a couple more while delivering food to their hard-working dad.  I know that MIL would gladly feed her son but I see it as my joy and my privilege to bring my husband supper, even if it means packing up all the kids and sitting and waiting at the end of the field for him to arrive.  There is something to be said for being a part of the harvest.  We truly see how the Lord is the only one who can give the increase - all we can do is plant.  The rain and the sun come from the Lord, the plants grow only at his command, and we are honored to be able to reap a harvest of plenty. 

6.  I bought a few more crochet patterns and sewing patterns on Etsy.  A certain little lady turns 4 next week so I best get busy making some gifts.  I guess that is what sitting and waiting at the field is good for - crocheting!  I will be sure to show you what I make next week.  Anything fun happen for you this past week?

So Far in June . . .

June has been a fun month full of good times. Some of the things we have been up to include:

Helping daddy in the chicken barns

Church Picnic

Zipping on the zip line

Cheering on the big kids

Watching Pepe excel at baseball

Watching RJ excel at soccer



And to think of all the things I wasn't able to get pictures of like the BEST fireworks ever right here in our little town, a date to see the Titanic exhibition (fascinating, really!), the AJ in soccer and AJ & RJ in baseball (more to come and so will the photos!). I love summer and all the fun things it entails! Now, for the second half of June!

All By Myself

Well, not really by myself, just by myself with 5 kids! No, Jay has not flown away to some great destination, he is not "out with the boys", he is just working. A LOT! By the time the end of Saturday rolls around, he will have put in close to 80 hours this week! That's 2 weeks worth of work, people, in 6 days! Needless to say, I hardly see him and the kids don't see him at all. He leaves around 6 or 6:30 in the morning and comes home around 10 or 11 at night. We talk until about midnight and then fall asleep just to start all over the next day. I know, this is normal for some people. For you ladies out there that have truckers for husbands, I tip my hat to you. This "single parenting" stuff is tiring! And for single moms out there, wow! That is all I have to say! You really do this all day, every day! Day in and day out! So, what is Jay busy with? Working at the hog barn in the mornings (that's after doing the chicken chores very first thing in the morning), some field work if the soil is dry, then catching chickens (it is REALLY good money and with house building coming up, a nice monetary boost) in the afternoons/evenings/nights. While he is gone, I still teach school, take the kids to their sports, built a bat house, planted some garden (potatoes & corn), make food, do laundry, paperwork, all those fun things. I miss my hubby! So, each day I pray for grace and kindness and loving words for my children and strength and energy for my hubby. This past week, I realize how overwhelmed I am with love for my children. I am totally head-over-heels in love with my family. I love the sparkle in their eyes. I love the way they look. The way they move. I am greatly and exceedingly blessed to call them mine! Thank you, Jesus, for surpassing all expectations and bestowing greater blessings on me than I ever deserved. Now, please bring hubby home safely. I sure look forward to Sunday when we can all be together. And, if the weather changes drastically and doesn't rain for the next 4 days like it says it will, we will go to the zoo together on Sunday and just be together. As a family. For family day. Yeah, I cannot wait!

♥♥♥ My encouragement for the day! ♥♥♥

A Time of Transition

For the past 13ish years, things have been pretty stable around here. And by stable, I mean that Jay has had the same job (everything else is always in flux!) He is a hog farmer. Every day that he worked, he went to the same place. At the beginning of our marriage, he almost knew the minute he would leave for work and the minute he would return. I loved that predictability. It makes all of life simpler - planning, cooking supper, spending time together, etc. Eventually, as the operation grew and doubled in size to what is now 13,000 hogs, the days got a little less predictable. What he used to do all by himself now required he hire some employees. So, some days he didn't go to work at all, sometimes he left at 5am and came home early afternoon, sometimes late afternoon. Many days he spends time in the office after working all day. The changes have been gradual but to be honest, I liked the predictability of the earlier days! Now all of that is about to change. Jay's parents own a farm that includes hogs, chickens and land. Jay's dad and uncles work that farm, along with Jay's younger brother. Well, the uncles want to retire and Jay wants to work on that farm. It was the plan to make that move in about 2-3 years. Rewind to this past summer. Jay had an employee that returned to school. His plan was to replace that employee - what he got instead was more than he was hoping. He had a gentleman apply that is thoroughly knowledgeable of hog farms - he has worked on them for many years as manager and assistant manager. So, Jay hired him and in essence, hired away his job. That 2-3 year plan to work on his parents farm suddenly changed to a 1 month plan. Starting November 1, Jay will no longer be full-time on the hog farm. He may work there a few hours a week but his main job will be on his parents farm. And we don't know exactly what that will look like. If you know anything about farming (and I mean farming of the land), winter is a slower time, spring is busier with planting and harvest the busiest. We can anticipate he will work less this winter but we aren't sure exactly. What time will he go to work? When will he come home? Will he go to work at all? It is a transition I must be flexible in and I am a little hesitant. It may mean other things can happen sooner than we first anticipated but this whole transition will be hard for me. As much as I like spontaneity, I love predictability. So, if you want to, keep us in mind and in your prayers as we enter this time of transition that I may be flexible and that my communication with Jay will be clear so I know what to expect. I know this change will be a good thing but it will bring its own set of unique challenges. And, I think I am up to it! :)

Western Producer Article

Western Producer - Manitoba hog producers refuse to throw in the towel

Just before we left for our Minneapolis vacation, this gentleman came to interview us for an article in the Western Producer, a publication for the agricultural community. This is the result. It makes me laugh and makes me cry. A great article!

The Family Behind the Farm - Tickled Pink

I have been waiting for this video to show up on YouTube and now that it has, I can share it with you! This is the commercial we filmed! It is part of a compaign put on by Manitoba Pork showcasing real pork-producing families who not only practice great animal husbandry but also have great families. You can check out more about the campaign and the families participating, including us, at:

The Family Behind the Farm

Enjoy!

The Falk Family . . . Unveiled!

Remember that TV commercial we were filming? Well, it is finally on the air! We are truly famous! :) It has been a little hit-and-miss but for all you local people, check out CTV (channel 7 on farmer vision) or CKND (channel 9 on same farmer vision) during the evening news and you just may see us! It is 13 seconds long but what a great 13 seconds! We finally caught it on tape and now I have watched it over and over and over and over and over . . . okay, you get the point! (Is it vain to want to watch yourself, your hubby, and your dear little daughter that often?) Remember how I also told you we would be on large superboard advertisements in Winnipeg as well as on city buses? Well, we took a field trip to the Manitoba Museum today with a little side trip to Donald Street. If you are in the area, drive southbound on Donald Street and just over the bridge on the west side, right by the Winnipeg Winter Club, you will see this:

Isn't it great? We were actually able to pull into a parking lot right close by so I could take even more pictures!

Then on to the Musuem as that was the point of our trip to Winnipeg. And what do you know? Just as Jay was letting me and the clan off at the door, Pepe hollers at us to look at the bus that was at the stop sign right behind us. We looked and behold, what did our eyes see?

Come on! Of all the city buses that sport advertisements, there was one with us on it right behind us. Notice the "Out of Service" announcement on the little screen? Well, this exact bus pulled into the street just on the other side of the parking lot and sat there. Doing Nothing! At this point, I was inside of the Musuem and Jay was parking the van. I could see that bus across the street, across the parking lot and thought it would be so cool to have our picture taken with . . . well, with us! So, I convinced my skeptical husband ("What if the bus leaves by the time we get there?" "Take all the kids back outside, back across the street, across the parking lot, just for a picture?" ) to take the clan for a run across the street, across the parking lot and lo, and behold, the bus was still there when we got there.

Then the really nice driver, Al, who was in the bus right behind this one, offered to take our picture. While we were standing around, we saw at least 2 more buses with our ad on it! In case you were wondering, check out bus #785, 587, and 206. By the way, if you see any more billboards, please let us know where they are - we would love to check them out - kind of like Where's Waldo, only it's Find the Falks!

TOTAL SIDENOTE: We talked to the really nice city bus driver, Al, only to learn he, too, has 5 children, aged 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Their first two are 11 months apart, second 2 12 months to the day apart, and then 13 months between the next and 14 months between the last 2 (at least if I remember correctly)! Crazy busy! And, when these teenagers were little kids, their parents took them across Canada for 18 months, driving back and forth from east coast to west coast, homeschooling them and working on farms and orchards and bed and breakfasts whenever they could. Doesn't that just sound so amazing? So fun? So spontaneous? So not like Jay at all!!! I want to take the kids to the San Diego Zoo and he thinks we need to wait until they are older. This Al might think otherwise.

So, anyway, we did make it through the Museum, thoroughly enjoying ourselves yet again. What a memorable day! Now, when I get a copy of that commercial on DVD, I will be sure to post it here for all of you to see. At that point, I will explain the purpose just a tad better.

I hope you had as great a day as I did. Now I better go check out hubby's new toy - tell you about it tomorrow!

Waiting . . .

One might wonder why I am sitting and writing a blog at 11:53 pm on a Saturday night. Surely I should be in bed getting some much needed rest before a busy Sunday. But, alas, no. I am wide awake. Waiting. For my hubby. You see, he is still in the combine, just as he has been for the past 12 hours. Yup, he left at 11:30 this morning, and, other than bringing him his supper, I haven't seen him since. (And, just to let you know what a hard worker he is, he was up at 6 this morning to do his chores at the barns {we are hog farmers}, came home around 10, mowed the grass, hung out with the kids, scarfed down breakfast and lunch then off to the fields.) For some reason, when he is gone, I cannot go to bed until he is home. It just doesn' feel right. Especially when I know he is supposed to come to bed. Sometime. Just not sure when. So, I wait. What do I do while waiting? I snuggle into my couch, grab a cozy blanket and a book and settle in for a read, my new-yet-trusty quote book by my side. This time it is "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado. I think I need a constant reminder of his grace. My need for grace is obvious. The fact that Jesus gives it out so freely and lovingly is still a bit surprising. And the quote book? Well, it is just a hard-cover spiral-bound notebook but it contains bits and pieces of inspiration. Things I read that really make me think. Words that say what I am thinking better than I could say them. That sort of thing. Makes each book I read more memorable. Makes it easier to find inspiration if I can jot it down in a book that is easily reviewed. So, if you don't mind, I am going to find those books and that blanket and settle in for a wait!

We Need a Side Car in John Deere Green!

As I mentioned earlier in a blog, I was waiting for the day Jay was "relegated" to the combine. Today was that day. And, as I have every year since we started having kids, I packed up the troops and took them out to the fields for a ride! And what a ride it was! 7 of us, all snug and cozy, in the cab of that John Deere combine.

This was Ari's first tractor ride (well, at least while outside the womb!) and she seemed to enjoy every minute. I am not sure that I have found something she doesn't like. Ali, however, was a different story. Her hesitation was apparent to everyone around. The wails started the moment Jay made his way up the ladder. She was not so impressed with this mammoth machine. And who could blame her? The stubble in the field (just the stubble, not the complete stalks) came up to her knees. The combine is huge to an average adult - to this wee little 2 year old, it must seem extraordinarily huge and just as loud! She did manage to calm down a few minutes after settling into the surprisingly quiet cab. Then she started talking. About the "bombine"! She started turning the steering wheel and putting her handle on the throttle. She was good to go!

Things are a "little" snug when you stick 7 people in a cab meant for 2! So we have decided we need a sidecar. A combine sidecar in John Deere green. That way none of us have to miss out on the action.

Today's machines were working the canola. And canola dust is thick and black. It coats everything. Anything you touch is black. And anything you touch afterwards becomes that same black. RJ figured that out first-hand.

The boys couldn't wait for us to leave and have the cab (and the comfy seats) to themselves. Thus ended the family ride for the year! But it was memorable and we would do it all over again! With 8? Well, that might be pushing it!!