Swedish Blade Of Corn

Thankful Remembrance

2011-11-16T12:49:00.005-05:00

November 18-20, 2011

It's hard to believe that it's time to bundle up and head to Plymouth again! Our family looks forward to this celebration all year, as do so many others. Please join us this weekend for a lovely time remembering early days of our nation, and to thank those who have given so much for our freedom.

Second only to Macy's, America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration is something you're not going to want to miss.

Hope to see all of our local friends and family there!

~The Farming Family Crew~

The weekend of festivities has become a beloved holiday occasion as well as an important link to our nation’s history and heritage. For 16 years, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life have traveled to the historic Plymouth Harbor and Waterfront to experience a bounty of authentic Americana. The celebration of Thanksgiving becomes history-brought-to-life as Pilgrims, Native Americans, Soldiers, Patriots, and Pioneers proudly climb out of the history books and onto the streets of Plymouth.

~The "Official" Description.

Reformation Day

2011-10-31T11:38:00.006-04:00

"Armed dignitaries of Oxford lead the two prisoners to a ditch near Balliol College. Crowds line the route to the stake. The first prisoner, Nicholas Ridley, aged fifty-five, until recently bishop of London wearing a black fur gown, velvet cap and a pair of slippers walks cheerfully to his death. The second prisoner, a former bishop of Worcester and Gloucester, walks behind him, wearing a shabby woolen coat with a frayed cap and handkerchief on his head. ‘Are you there?’ Ridley calls to his dear friend. ‘Yes, I’m coming as quickly as I can’, replies the seventy-five year old Hugh Latimer, affectionately known as ‘old father Latimer’.

'Be of good courage’

At the stake, the two men embrace one another, kneel to pray, and then listen to a fifteen-minute sermon by Dr. Smith on ‘Though I give my body to be burnt and have not charity it profits me nothing’. For the preacher, love to God equals belief in earning salvation by good deeds and sacraments - especially the sacrament of the Mass in which the priest offers Christ as a sacrifice for sins. The condemned men had preached that acceptance with God comes through Christ alone who died on the cross once-for-all to atone for sin – his death makes the re-offering of Christ in the Mass unnecessary and blasphemous.

‘Repent and come home to the Church and you will save your lives and your souls’, thunders the preacher. ‘May we speak?’ asks Ridley. ‘Only if you renounce your erroneous opinions’, replies Dr. Marshall, the vice-chancellor. ‘Well’, he answers, ‘so long as breath is in my body I will never deny the Lord and his truth, God’s will be done to me’. Death by burning is now inevitable.

Ridley gives clothing and other items to bystanders; Latimer has nothing to give. ‘Shall I wear my belt?’ Ridley asks his companion. ‘It will cause you more pain if you keep it, besides it will do a poor man good’, answers Latimer. Ridley throws the belt into the crowd and prays, ‘I beseech you Lord, take mercy upon this realm of England, and deliver the land from all her enemies’.

At the stake the smith fastens a chain round the waists of both men. The executioners tie bags of gunpowder around their necks and light a bundle of sticks at their feet. Latimer says, ‘Be of good courage master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out’. As the fagots catch fire, Ridley says loudly, ‘Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit; Lord, receive my spirit!’ Latimer prays, ‘O Father of heaven, receive my soul’. Latimer burns quickly, but Ridley lingers longer because the fire burns badly on his side of the stake.

Tears flowed from hundreds of faces as they watched Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer bravely die on 16 October 1555 – 450 years ago this year. As the flames consumed their bodies, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury and a chaplain of Henry VIII watched from his prison window. His turn to die a martyr’s death came the following year on 14 February 1556. These courageous men were just three of some three hundred believers who died during the reign of Mary Tudor, English Queen from 1553 until her death in 1558. A memorial in Oxford, near Balliol College, commemorates the deaths of Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer."

~From Such a Can dle - Latimer and Ridley by Stan Evers

May we always remember the stories of old and keep that candle burning, so help us God. A blessed Reformation Day to you all!

For the Farming Family Crew,
Samantha

New York- July Trip

2011-07-23T17:54:00.027-04:00

It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over, and two weeks have passed since the end of Wilderness!

It's been a whirlwind of a summer, and I ended up blogging less than I expected. So, here's the first of a few summer catchup posts...

Week #1: On-Campus Survival Building a shelter from materials only found in the wild...
Hunting for ferns.
(This became the dreaded job... I must say, I don't blame them ;)

Learning how to properly hold a toad. The animal scavenger hunt: Ancell searching for minnows...

Rosa's giant worm.

Patience.

The cannibal camp spiderweb, try #1.

Getting the hang of it.

Team work.

Another shot.

Lazy afternoon.

The entrance to the finished shelter: complete with patio and fenced-in yard.

Guardians of the bridge.

The look-out seat.

Testing out Shelly's automatic fan.

Is it waterproof?

(I think we decided it was about 80% waterproof... Let's just say, not everyone remained dry ;)

Week #2: Hiking

Our hikers & Matt at the ice caves trail marker. Strolling.

Heading into the caves.

And there was still ice in July!!!

Yours truly & the cool shaft of light.

Aidan's Rock & Eddie's Drop.

From above.

Templeton the Cheese Man.

Sam's Point.

(Appropriately named ;)

From the summit of Indian Head Mountain.

From peak #1 of Twin Mountain.

Even the clouds were amazing!

From the top of Hunter Mountain. Resting in the highest fire tower in NY.

The view.

A much deserved ride down the mountain.

The rest of the group lookin' cool, as always! ;)

From the lift.

The Hudson Valley from Artist's Rock.

Huckleberry Quinn.

North/South Lake from North Point.

Aslan, taking in the view.

A welcome sight.

Beware of the hot dog! ;)

Templeton & his deliciously cheezy creations!

Looking at these pictures is making my mouth water!

" If you don't..." ;)

Kaaterskill Falls.

Aidan: Taking a dip.

In which we conquer Session #1 of our summer adventure!!!

And I can't end a post about my trip without a picture of my adorable second cousin Dalia!

SAMANTHA!!!

2011-07-23T11:18:00.003-04:00

Old Girl...

Ok so now you can get your licens..., And do other stuff...

WE LIKE YOU! Pretty Girl!
Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the game...

On the Auto Train...

Newspaper-Fun stuff!
Moving!

Statue of Liberty...

(Or statue of Paint...)
Samantha~"Lauren, take a picture of me so it looks like I made the sauce"... ;) These are the four tiles Samantha laid all by herself!

I'm a big girl now...

Her Leaflyness :) Turning 17

What a helpful girl! The hay mover...

Learning to ride...

(She is really good "now")

Sam & Jack at Brooks night...

(Brooks as in Brooks Managment)

~Gardening~

(She might not like it but she is a big help)
Posing

Narnia

Doing a cartwheel on Boston common...

Sam & Gretta in a window...

Sam in a window...

Sam & Seamus

~Baking~

Sam

Playing with the flash...

Decorating for Christmas!

Ornamenting the tree!

(Ornamenting is in my dictionary;))

Samantha's feet

~P.U.~

This is one of my favorites...

She also graduated this year!

Ok, so we had this honor the grad night at church... the kids on the stage put together a skit for all the grads(with the help of a couple "adults"). They told the grads to all imagine that they all went to kindergarten together. Also that it was show and tell...

Teacher(Alyson Macrell)~"Samantha, What did you bring today?"

Samantha(Sarah Hocker)~ "I brought my stuffed COW!"

Teacher~ "Whats its name?"

Samantha~ "BEN!"

A graduated Samantha...

~Samantha & Leah~

~Cutie~

Gurtle, Yurgin, & Samantha!

Happy 18th Birthday Samantha...

God Bless~YURGIN & GURTLE :D

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Elmhurst Logo

2011-07-20T19:45:00.001-04:00

What do you think of the logo...

(website not in existence yet)

Benjamin

The Truck...

2011-07-09T15:13:00.007-04:00

Here is the truck Ben has been waiting for...

I don't know what the particular name for it is, but I know it's a Ford. It's a 58 something and it has a lightning bolt on the front logo...

Anyway, here it is...~Lauren

"It's a 1958 Ford pickup"~Mom

See- FORD... ;)
BEN in the TRUCK!!!

Noah joined in the fun!!!

It only needs a LITTLE fixing up...

Tad ah!

So I said, " Show your excitement!"...

There it is...!

Coolness...

There it is Sam... you want to drive it?

Bon Voyage!

2011-07-02T15:35:00.004-04:00

I am off on an adventure... A Wilderness Adventure to be exact!

So, it may be a couple of weeks before we post again (unless one of the other crew members has the time!)

Please be sure to keep an eye out for any poison ivy; and if a moose is chasing you, climb a tree!!!

Have a blessed Independence Day & we'll be back soon!

~Samantha~

David & Grace

2011-06-21T18:02:00.014-04:00

On June 4th our family was blessed to join the celebration of the marriage of David Bussman and Grace Sikora.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Bussman!!! Thank you so much for allowing us to share in your joyous celebration.You only see a sign like this in June if you're in Vermont...

(or the North Pole, but that's beside the point!)

Visiting with old friends.

Noah & Jack.

The beautiful churchyard cemetary.

White lilacs for innocence.

Mother & brother of the bride.

The groom, himself!

Abigail: the lovely flower girl.

Gorgeous Grace & her father.

Adoration.

The giving away of the bride.

(Thank you Mr. Sikora for the wonderful reminder of what a father/daughter relationship looks like!)

Pastor Josh giving the wedding charge.

Mr. & Mrs. David Bussman!!!

The coolest groom's cake ever!!!

(Mrs. Mello, do you think you could make a tiered cake like this one??? ;)

Cake #1

And cake #2

ART

Well thats about it... We did stop at this really cool farm and got ice cream on the way home...

See ya~

Lauren & Samantha

It's A Boy!!!

2011-06-16T19:59:00.004-04:00

Meet Baby Bull #1: the first calf to ever be born on Elmhurst Farm.

Those wobbly legs are good for chasing the chickens!
Welcome to the farm, little one.

(More pictures to come!!!)

Father & Son

2011-06-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

11 .eleven. 11

2011-05-30T17:57:00.011-04:00

"Our little guy is growing up..." ~Sid the Sloth

As of this extremely hot Memorial Day, the youngest of the Farming Family is eleven years old.

Happy Birthday, Noah!!!

Hiking through the woods.
Noah & George the Squirrel.

Harvesting the rye.

Tractor driver.

Trifocal-safety goggles.

;)

Concentration.

I don't want to meet him in a dark alley at night!!!

O_o

???

Indiana Noah.

Power washing.

King Kamayamaya.

Handsome.

Multi-generational Stake & Shake consumption.

Focus.

Bubbles!

Gazing.

He's mine!

Twister.

Doing school?

Noah & Miss Monica.

Muscle Man.

A boy & his dogs.

Singin' on a rock.

(What else would you do on a rock?)

Making his first pine car.

Craftsman.

Mother & son.

Happy Birthday, Noah! We all love you sooo much! May God bless you in the year to come!

For the whole crew,

Samantha

Woof, Woof, WOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFF, WOooOoFFfffF, wooFFF, Woof!!!

(That's Seamus & Amos' version of Happy Birthday.)

Girlies

2011-05-25T10:36:00.005-04:00

Picture perfect rocking chairs...
2 Girls in 1.

3 Girls in 1.

(I feel like Dr. Seuss!!!)

Gurtle.

Samalam.

Yurgin.

And 1 lovely mother in 1!

Graduation

2011-05-23T14:46:00.013-04:00

*Drum roll*

The first of the Farming Family Crew has graduated high school!!! That's right, folks, I'm done! :D

I was blessed with a special graduation time this weekend, so here are the pics:

Intros.
Waiting for the next graduate.
The girls all got lovely roses, and the guys boutonnieres. ;)

Andrew!

Scott???

Holly, looking gorgeous, as always!

Dad: If it wasn't for him and Mom, I never would have made it!

Presenting my diploma.

(aka, My official graduation ceremony!)

Looking back to kindergarten...

(You guys did an amazing job! Do we get to return the favor when your graduations come???!)

The Emmanuel Baptist Church Class of 2011!!!
(Well, most of it...)

Where are we supposed to look???

Me & PJ

(Or should that be PJ & I???)

;)

Try #1

Try #2

Try #3

(What happened to "third time's the charm"???)

Success!

Leah! :)

Lauren & Leah

Thank you to all who made my graduation such a special time, and to everyone who has had such an impact on my life during the last 13 years! (That goes for all my blogosphere friends too!) I love you all sooo much!

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Another Year Of...

2011-04-27T19:09:00.011-04:00

Benjamin.

And it was as fantastic as all the others! It's hard to believe that he's getting ready for his permit test as I post this... He's so old! ;)

Happy 16th birthday, bro! May God continue to bless you as you enter another year of life!!!

Where he spends a good portion of his time :)
Da Gadna.

Ben, aren't you glad you didn't have to do this, this year???

Water balloon bombs with the Tombomb.

The history of mowing.

Ben & his new pup!

Lumberjack.

Doing math :)

Helping hands.

Goin' off the jump.

He's soooooooo cute!!! :)

I LOVE DIRT!!!

On the tractor, again. Handsomeness.

Handyman.

Mr. Muscles

Amazingly handsome!

Pondering.

Industrious.

(And, by the way, this is one of Lauren's favorite pictures of Ben.)

Jetty Dweller.

Potato cannon!!!

Scott?

Giving riding lessons.

Ben & his not-so-little puppies.

Ben's a horse???

Practicing for fatherhood.

AHHHHHHHHHH!

BEN!!!

Ben & Curly.

Walkin' in the water.

Slipper wars with Amos.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

We Y you!

~Samantha, Lauren, and Noah~

Fenway Park

2011-04-23T16:03:00.010-04:00

It's been a while, but we're still here!

This week we were blessed with a trip to Boston with our wonderful Grama, Aunt Faithe, and cousins (and our segregate cousin, Anna, too)! Thanks again, Aunt Faithe, for a wonderful time!!!

The crew.

In front of the park.

Ben's amazing burger... This thing was wrapped in pretzel dough and deep-fried. AMAZING!

Yo Joe!

Nice glasses, Josh ;)

Springtime in the city.

Entering the park.

The view.

The fist thing Ben saw. :)

Attentive listeners.

ART

These benches are original to the park... So, if you're grandfather went to a game at Fenway, he probably sat in one of these seats!

Our lovely Boston.

Taking in the surroundings.

The buddies! (and Joe ;) Yours truly.

Watching the groundsmen.

A lovely spectator.

Where it all happens. ;)

The secret door.

Pitcher's mound.

Our first World Series win.

ART

My handsome cousin.

The buddies, again!

ART

Argyle totally rocks! Nice hat, Josh!!!

Farewell!

Lauren's Birthday Celebrations

2011-03-25T17:33:00.008-04:00

It all started with a party-hat-shaped meatloaf...

Chopping it up :(

ART Da gal & her cake!

Yum!!!

We figured one tea light was the equivalent to 14 normal candles.

That took a lot of huffing and puffing ;)

Ice cream cake isn't the easiest thing to cut :)

Going on a hike.

Cutie!

(I know you've already seen this one, but I love it!)

The wintertime equivalent to puddle jumping.

ART

Muddy paws :/

"It's my birthday, and I can cry if I want to!"

(Or not smile, in her case :)

Yippee!!! Lauren's 14!!!

Singin' on a rock.

Aaaahhhhhh!!!

Dad & his dog.

I close with a picture of mushrooms. Odd, I know, but it's still a cool picture!!!

Happy 14th birthday, Lauren!!! May God bless you richly this year!

Eggs

2011-03-25T17:27:00.005-04:00

That's right! Our dear ladies are now producing eggs! So, if you're in the area and would like a dozen, PLEASE stop by! We're getting about 30 eggs a day, and we need you to help us eat them!!!

The first egg we cracked was a double yolk!!! Cool, huh?!!! Scrambling.

Sizzling.

Bon appetite!

Dad's Birthday Celebrations

2011-03-08T16:55:00.004-05:00

HaPpy bIRtHdaY to YOuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!
My a pie man :)

Thinks to himself: Hurry up Dad!!!

Serving pie.

There are a lot of pictures of Dad cutting the pie... :)

Yummo!

Happy bday, Dad!!!

Happy (Late) Birthday, Lauren!!!

2011-03-08T16:51:00.013-05:00

I know, I'm an awful sister... So sorry Lauren!!!

Happy birthday to the greatest, most fantastic, and unbelievably PaTiEnT sister one could ever have!!!

I love you, Yergin!!!

Peek-a-boo.
Lauren & Amos Our magnificent violinist.
Gorgeous.

On our way to Florida!!!

An artist.

Contemplation (or posing =)

A hard worker.

Goofy.

A superb chef.

A graceful equestrian.

Cooking: definitely something she does best!

Lovely Lady Lauren

Toasty.

A budding seamstress.

Lauren & Seamus

Lauren & Daisy

Fun-ness personified!

Our cowgirl.

Happy Birthday, Lauren!!!

I love you sooo much!!!

~Samantha~

Y Y Y

Happy (Late) Birthday, Dad!!!

2011-03-08T16:46:00.009-05:00

I completely forgot about our birthday tradition... I'm sooo sorry!!!

Here's to a very patient father, who waited a whole month before getting his special birthday post!!! In his element :) "So, you're going to be the next football for the Patriots, right???"

Golfing black walnuts...

A wallpaper aficionado.

Farm Boss wanna be :)

Plowing.

Dad & the love of his life!

Singspiration.

Power washing the old walk while dreaming of the new...

Multi-generational farming.

Laying tile.

Dad & Woody

My fave!!!

Daddy and Violet

Inspecting his cattle.

At the love tree :)

Talkin' to da bull...

AAAHHHHH!!!!

A man and his dog.

Handsomeness.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

We Y you!

{Sledding}

2011-02-04T17:38:00.011-05:00

With all this snow it's about time we went sledding!!!

Dad & Ben cleared a hill in the woods, so we all hiked down for the afternoon.
Ben's slick move...

Lauren chillin' with the pups.

Gurtle & Lauren

Pickin' up sticks.

To quench our thirst...

The Woofas.

Da hill :)

FIRE

What good is a chainsaw if you don't use it???

Dear Dad,

Best idea EVER!

Lovingly, Sam.

Noah!

Hey, the berm actually worked!

Come on, Livy!!!

Some pictures just don't need captions Y

ART

Amos.

Emerging from the forest.

Two thumbs up!!!

Even Mom took a turn.

Hanging out by the heat.

Friends Y

The fellas.

(They were so outnumbered :)

The dogs made it their job to run ion front of every sled that went down the hill.

Here we come!!!

In which we crash and head home :)

~Samantha~

2011-01-31T16:58:00.001-05:00

{Even MORE Snow}

2011-01-24T19:09:00.005-05:00

If you notice, this same photo a few posts ago has a little less snow climbing up the doors...

{Puppies}

2011-01-24T19:07:00.003-05:00

These two haven't gotten much airtime, so here's a post just for them :) Seamus. Amos.

(According to Lauren this is the equivalent of a puppy mug shot...)Coffee buddy. A boy and his d-o-g-s :) Tennis ball wars. The victor :)

{Christmas Past}

2011-01-19T17:04:00.008-05:00

The promised pictures of Christmas Past... Joe looking handsome & Ashley doing what she does best :)

(Aside from bake, that is...)

I wonder who ended up with #1...

Handsome :)

Spectating.

I Y her!!!

Why such a pleased look???

A...

Laughing cow!!!

Love all the stuff going on in this picture...

Wow, Ben, wow :)

I Y him too!

Fascination.

The End :)

{Christmas Eve}

2011-01-18T17:44:00.008-05:00

I don't know how it happened, but we have pictures of Christmas Eve & Christmas Past... I guess I'll be posting the bookends :)

Before heading off to church, GramA and Papa came for supper & to exchange gifts.
Flyin' Fred

Probably his most worn article of clothing :)

Too cute!!!

New scarf & coat... Warm & toasty!

Ben's turn.

"One sock off, and one sock on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John."

(or Ben, in our case =)

Ben's disappointment at one sock fitting & the other not :(

(He's all set now... Thanks GramA!!!)

My extremely handsome brother.

I got a new scarf too!!!

Chickens for my hope chest :)

Cozy!

An odd shaped parcel.

Maple syrup!!!

Mom's socks :D

Dad's new sweater.

Handsome fella ;)

GramA's new water boiler pot.

(I don't know if that's its technical name, but it'll work =)

Papa's blanket. To bring a bit of 106 to 93. :)

Ye old microwave spinner-y do :)

Up next: Christmas Past!!!

~Samantha~

{More Snow}

2011-01-17T19:25:00.004-05:00

With the record snowfalls around here you'll be seeing a lot of the white stuff on the blog :)

SlEdDiNg!!!

Cool.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside it's so delightful..."

Hope you're all enjoying the snow as much as we are!!!

{Brooks Night}

2010-12-22T16:28:00.008-05:00

Our annual Brooks Management Appreciation Night was a wonderful evening of celebration... We missed all those who couldn't come & hope you can make it next year!!!

(Joan, here are the pictures we promised :)

Beef: YUM!!! "HI, TIM!!!"
The beautiful table.

Berry ART

Jack.

Everyone (Well, mostly, everyone :)

MEEEEEE (Sam :)

Sam & the Jackster

#1!!!

Jack eating a... MLT???

The Live Lobster

(Best Yankee swap gift idea ever... Wonderful creativity, Mr. Kevin :)

Coolness.

A sleeping lobster???

Inspecting...

Ewww!!!

The Santa Flamingo.

Fare thee well Santa Flamingo, as you occupy your new home on top of the filing cabinet!!!

See you next year!

~Samantha & Noah~

{Processing Day}

2010-12-22T16:23:00.007-05:00

A couple weeks ago we had our first poultry processing day... Preparations.

Sanitizing. After prayer & much reading, we began our first chicken.

From afar.

Plucking.

(Thanks Grampa, Pastor Pete, and Gretta for all your help!!!)

Scalding at the right temperature is essential...

Once inside, we chilled the birds & then divided them & packaged them.

Is this right???

Teamwork.

Spectator :)

Hard at work.

(I love all the different things everyone is doing...)

Ready for the freezer.

Fine tuning (or plucking in this case =)

Our helper: Michael :)

Snoozing.

Our first processing day was definitely blessed by God... May He continue to guide us as we farm :)

{Wallpaper}

2010-12-22T16:19:00.009-05:00

Our first re-decorating project in the new house... My enthusiasm for vacuuming :)

De-wallpapered.
Begging for entrance.

Our newly painted trim.

We found these little notes all over the walls when we took down the paper.

And we added our own :)

After the striping and painting was done, Dad worked his magic...

Making sure it's smooth.

Removing the hardware.

More notes.

(According to Aunt Donna G.G. was 100 in 1980, it's 2010 and G.G. is 95... how did that happen??? =)

A classic "Boy & his Dogs" picture...

Scrapping away the rough spots.

The first sheet goes up!!!

Around the corner :)

Ben's helping hands...

ART

Nice mug, Ben ;)

???

ART

Cleaning up.

All done.

Ready to do the office, Ben??? :)

~Samantha~

SN*OW

2010-12-21T20:36:00.003-05:00

Outside right now :)

A Rainy Day at the Barn

2010-12-18T18:14:00.002-05:00

Found this in the archives... All we've had is rain... Bring on the snow!!!

Christmas Tree!!!

2010-12-11T17:48:00.010-05:00

In which we set out to find the perfect tree...

My handsome tree searcher :) Inspection.
Y

This is the one!!!

Talkin' to the tree guy...

*Gasp*

Our tree has LEGS!!!

It looked sooo big in the lot...

Time to go decorate...

We don't have a fantastic reshaping story like our friends the Leos, but we did have to trim it a bit :)

Straightening.

Reflector boy ;)

No Axberg tree is complete without the strings of red beads...

Arranging it just right.

Spectator.

Twisting the strands together.

Lovely Lady Lauren and her Beautiful Beads :)

Still beading.

Re-beading.

Finally; Ornaments!

The ornamentizing begins.

(Yes, I made that word up too :)

Many hands make light work.

Ben, making sure it's being documented that he helped too :)

Finishing touches.

The final product.

Note: If you come to see our tree, it has been moved...

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Chrismafying

2010-12-11T17:46:00.009-05:00

Yes, I did make that word up :)

Making our home a bit more festive... Mom, Lauren, and I gathered the wreaths, ribbon, wire, etc. and set to work! Tying the bows

(Mom's an expert bow-maker :) The craftswoman at work... The finished product. Helping hands. ART To prove that I did help :) "Deck the halls with boughs of holly..."

(Or door in our case :) Me, posing :) Busy Bee How many Axbergs does it take to hang a wreath??? Tools of the trade. Finished. What it looks like now :)

~Samantha~

"And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.'"
~Luke 1:35, ESV

Thanksgiving

2010-12-11T17:44:00.005-05:00

I know it's into the Christmas season, but enjoy a memory of your Thanksgiving while reading about ours ;)

Fun times in the kitchen...
Snow dusting???

Tools of the trade.

The gorgeous table!

Mom: our faithful dishwasher...

Lauren: "THOMASSSSS!!!"

Tom: "What?"

Lauren: "You're taller ;)"

Our tall cousin

Posers ;)

Entertaining the younger ones...

Pumpkin ice cream cake, delicious!

Visiting on full stomachs.

Watching the game (way to go Pats!!!)...

Dinner was wonderful, Aunt Donna!!!

Thanks to all for a wonderful time!

~Samantha~

Turkey Day Preparations

2010-11-27T18:30:00.006-05:00

With Thanksgiving comes much preparation...

Apple Pie ART
Lauren & her pumpkin pie filling...

ART

ART (There are going to be a lot of these=)

Spicy ART

One of our cute vacuums =)

ART

Me =)

Cool

Ready for baking...

My finished pie.

(I don't know why, but I don't have any pictures of Laurens baked pie...)

Blessings,

~Samantha~

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!!!

2010-11-25T09:31:00.004-05:00

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

Have a blessed day & enjoy the turkey :)

~The Farming Family Crew~

America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration

2010-11-25T09:22:00.004-05:00

So, I thought our camera battery died before we could take any pictures last Saturday, but I was wrong... Thanks to Dad we have some great pictures of the parade!!!

Noah & the Hedge House float
The live turkey...

The not-so-live turkey :)

Farmalls rock!!!

The America's Hometown Express... During the weekend, they filled the train with non-perishables... Then they donated it all to the food pantry.

The historical Saint Nick & Vintage Church

The train was made out of an old school bus... too cool!

Someone is ready to go :)

And it's off!

Another banner year for AHTC!!!

See you in Plymouth next year!!!

It's Time for Thanksgiving Celebrations Again!!!

2010-11-16T13:34:00.006-05:00

The story of the Pilgrims is one that we ought to embrace as Christians, and Thanksgiving is one of the best times we have to remember God's faithfulness to them. Through all their hardships and trials they remained faithful to God, and He in turn remained faithful to them.
While doing some reading for literature this morning I stumbled across the following quote in an account of Captain Gallop's heroism at Block Island:

"Captain Gallop was a man of lion heart, inspirited by that Puritan chivalry which ever displayed itself in the most amazing deeds of daring, without the slightest apparent consciousness that there was anything extraordinary in the exploit." ~Makers of History by John S. C. Abbott

According to Mr. Abbott it was their Puritan faith that pulled them through... and I must agree =)

All this to say:

Many of you probably remember all the fun we had last year at America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration in Plymouth... Well, even among all the busyness, we're doing what we can to be involved again. This is the most historically correct Thanksgiving celebration, and it has been said that it's the second best holiday celebration in the nation. (Macy's come first, but not for long!!!) For those of you in the area, we'd love to see you there this weekend... For those of you from out of state (or out of the country) please tell everyone you know who lives nearby to attend, and then hop in the car (or buy a plane ticket) and drive out here!!! (I'll understand if you can't come, but we'd love to see you =)

May we remember the faithfulness of God this holiday season, and let's begin where it all began, in Plymouth!

For the Farming Family team,

Samantha

Early Morning on the Farm

2010-10-30T07:12:00.001-04:00

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Farewell

2010-10-28T21:16:00.005-04:00

After having Brad & Cooper in our house for a week, it was time to say "Goodbye"... or "See ya later!!!"Brad, Lauren's hands, Mom, and Cooper

Life with Cooper...

"OK, you go down when I go up... ready, set, go!!!"

Laughter :)

Run, guys, run!!!

The final goodbyes...

Ralfie!!!

Even in goodbyes Cooper brought us laughter :)

Come visit soon!!!

(Next year is too far away=)

Blessings,

~Samantha~

In Boston, Again :)

2010-10-20T07:57:00.012-04:00

I heard that we actually went to Boston with...

TROLLS???

Anyway, since we're not billy goats, on with the pictures!

ART
Cheers to Brad and Coop!

Mr. George

ART

GEESE!!!

Speaks for itself :)

For Sale: The guy or the shirts???

Cartwheel on Boston Common

God Bless America ART

Pollution :(

Funky :)

ART

EMERGENCY ART

Historical ART

Paul Revere

Narnia :)

Olivia

Gretta

Lauren

An interesting perspective...

Faneuil Hall

So there was this fantastic hat for sale in this booth... Gretta and I were going to each get one, until we read the price tag :)

Nice, Bulldog :D

Ralfie???

Coop, I think it works :)

Hats

"Why does this flag have so much blue???"

"Hey, Gretta, where are my sunglasses???"

Coop FINALLY found a hat :)

(We're glad you found it, Cooper)

One way to carry it :)

Best Buds :)

Gretta & I

Boston Harbor

Coop & mini-Cooper

Triplets

(and Gretta=)

Gretta, myself, and Ben

We can't wait for next year!!!

Blessings,

The Fab Four

Horseback Riding

2010-10-18T19:37:00.004-04:00

Lauren and I have been exchanging hard work for riding lessons at the horse barn down the street... We're having tons of fun!!!

ART

Lauren & P.J.

She has the most AMAZING form :)

ART

Did I also mention, that unlike her older sister, she hasn't woken up sore once?!

One of the only pictures where I'm not fixing the way I'm seated :)

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Hay

2010-10-18T15:03:00.004-04:00

"Hay is for horses,

But better for cows.

Pigs would eat it,

If they only knew how..."

The delivery.

Our strong men :)
I helped roll some of the hay into the barn, too... In my slippers :)

Art

Go, Dad, go!!!

5400 lbs of hay... Eat up, ladies!!! Playin'

Christmas picture preview :)

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Open House

2010-10-15T07:04:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday we had an open house so that everyone could come hang out and see where we live... However, no one took pictures once people started arriving... So, here are the pictures of what it looked like before the hamburgers, salad, two-hand-touch football, and donut eating began.

Thanks to Grama, we had some superb set-ups (and no dirty dishes=)
ART

My handsome dad :)

Love this picture!!!

Blessings,

~Samantha~

The Band :)

2010-10-15T06:59:00.005-04:00

Last Friday we had the pleasure of attending our cousins' high school's football game and listen to the AMAZING marching band.

Joe and Josh, you guys are absolutely fantastic! Keep it up, and I hope to hear you guys play again soon!!!

Da Band :)

That's Joe in the center of the back row on the baritone saxophone :)

And Josh playin' a mean sousaphone :)

Blessings,

~Samantha~

Cute Pics :)

2010-10-11T18:46:00.004-04:00

Farm life is always an adventure :)

Myrtle
Uh, Margie???

Cow or dog?

Our sleepin' pups :)

~Samantha~

The Chicks Arrive

2010-10-11T18:18:00.005-04:00

Not only do we have cows and puppies, but now 100 baby chicks too :)

The RI Reds

(They're the layers =)
Noah and Miss Monica

Their home

Chick ART

Gentle handling

One of the broiler chicks

The swimmers :)

For Mrs. Thomas: Miss Monica

Helpers

Brooder ART

Blessings-

~Samantha~

Happy Birthday to a VERY Special Person...

2010-10-09T10:21:00.006-04:00

Mom

Today is Mom's birthday, but you'd never know it. She woke up early this morning to help with the chores, make a place by the wood stove for a struggling chick, and go grocery shopping.

That's our mom.

She's joyful, and does her best to keep us joyous too.
She jumps on board whenever one of us finds something cool, and helps us pursue it...
(Like Jonathan Winthrop :)
She flies halfway around the world with her family to bless orphaned children.

She drinks coffee in the middle of July :)

Y She LOVES Dad Y

She works hard.

She... (well, I like this picture, but I'm not sure what they're doing =)

She knows how to laugh...

WE LOVE YOU MOM!!!

May you have a blessed birthday...

Love,

All your kids Y

(and Dad=)

More Newbies

2010-10-02T20:56:00.005-04:00

You read that right... We've wasted no time!

Today, Margie Mae, Myrtle, and their calves Violet and Daisy joined the farm :)

Violet
Daisy

Sweet :)

The mamas

All four girls

So, who woulda thunk that cows LOVE pumpkins???

Farm ART

Mama and her baby

The boys displaying the result of walking in the cows' pasture... gross

Yours truly,

~A VERY excited Samantha~

Seamus & Amos

2010-09-25T16:15:00.006-04:00

Seamus and Amos are the newest additions to Elmhurst Farm...

They're two 3 1/2 month old black Labrador Retriever puppies!

They are brothers that were abandoned in a ditch in Tennessee and brought here to a shelter. They're the sweetest things!

Seamus
Amos
The two pups :)

~Samantha~

A Visit from Old Neighbors

2010-09-22T20:26:00.007-04:00

The neighbors aren't old, we just don't live across the street from them anymore...

We were very blessed with the visit from our Leonard Street friends!

(We miss having you guys right across the street!!!)

In which Lauren learns to drive the tractor!!!

Definitely a farm girl :)

Go-cart repairs...

Dad: bending the tierod back into shape with his bare hands!!!

Tool ART

Piggy-backs

I love how this picture came out!

Lessons from Mr. Axberg on how to whistle with an acorn shell.

Lauren got it :)

Ryan, still trying.

ART

Everyone joins in the lesson...

Stephen, hunting for frogs.

Track ART

(With REALLY bad lighting ;)

Our own personal waterfall.

ART

A cool picture of Lauren and our new neighbors' dog, Pirate.

Time for the races :)

Ben and Ryan

Thanks guys for such a great day!!!

~Samantha~

We're Still Here!!!

2010-09-13T20:17:00.008-04:00

Indeed we are...

However, I'm updating from our new house!!!

We've been in the house for a couple weeks now, and I'd say we're pretty well settled. So, if you're in the area and want to stop by, please do!

Blessings,

~Samantha~

The piano was the first thing to go.

(Thanks Grampa & Grama for giving it a new home=)

Noah's bubble wrap

Packing, packing, packing...
Lampshade-less ART
Some of the MANY boxes :)

Mom, taping shut the armoire doors.

Ben and Jonathan moving us out :)

This is our largest piece of furniture, and thanks to Nate and Ryan it made it out!
Mom and Dad (and Matthew=) celebrating with a slice of Sarah's "Welcome Home" cake in our new dining room.
The couch that never made it in...

(I'm glad you're enjoying it, Peter=)

Home Sweet Home

Baking Cookies

2010-08-17T17:03:00.009-04:00

The other day, Lauren and I decided it would be fun to do a blog post on something ordinary.

So, baking cookies it is...

Your chef.
Butter is a major ingredient.
The chef must soften it. One of the best ways to do this is to let it sit out; but if you forget to take it out, just rub it between your hands for a few minutes...

Sugar. Lotsa sugar.

And brown sugar, lotsa that too :)

Eggs

Wanilla

Scraping the sides of the bowl...

Flour, 'cause you wouldn't have much of a cookie without it.

The chef must ALWAYS...

...taste the batter.

Finally, chocolate chips.

(Never put in the amount on the recipe card, you should always put in extra=)

Scoop it onto the cookie sheets, bake them, and wallah...

COOKIES!

Mom says the only way to get nice, fluffy cookies is to put lotsa LOVE in them. I have definitely found this to be true...

Blessings to all,

~Samantha~

Tomatoes & Jacks

2010-08-17T09:14:00.005-04:00

Quite a combo, eh?

The results of making sauce... a dirty stove top :)
"Hey, Lauren, take a picture of me so it looks like I made the sauce..."

ART

ART, again

The real maker of the sauce :)

Tasting her delicious concoction.

The cheerful cook...

Me; telling Lauren what needs cleaning.

~*~

Meanwhile...

Noah plays with a jack.

Crank it up...

And elevator yourself down :)

Fun-ness!

Blessings to all,

~Samantha~

Basement Update...

2010-08-16T17:41:00.006-04:00

Just another bit of the project...

The three footings are finished & signed...
Two VERY hard workers.
Another footing, for a different lally column, by Beanie in 1951.
A random picture of our chimney.

The troublesome beam, which decided to intersect the one we're replacing :(

Well, only 8 days 'till the move... the excitement is heightening :)

What We've Been Doing

2010-08-11T15:43:00.007-04:00

The boys were pouring the forms in the basement while us Girls were painting! We had a great and fun day! Enjoy! Cement

Art #1

Art #2

The form!

Art #3

Ben Art (By Noah!)

Workin'

The Boys

Art #4

The Beauty Painter

ME!

Me having fun shaking the paint!

Mom and Samantha moved it!

What to do with newspaper...

Paint anyone?

Some cool pics. of me...

And some of Samantha!

We got a lot done even though we have soooooo many pictures! We weren't just posing:)

God Bless

~Lauren~

Anonymous Comments

2010-08-10T17:11:00.003-04:00

Due to the fact that we've had quite a few anonymous comments lately, we just wanted to remind everyone that...

IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ANONYMOUSLY, UNLESS THERE IS A NAME SIGNED BELOW, IT WILL BE DELETED!

Thanks everyone!

~The Farming Family Crew~

Papa & GramA's Yard Sale

2010-08-10T16:41:00.007-04:00

As part of the cleaning out process, Papa and GramA had their annual (but quite a bit larger than normal) yard sale. Mom, Ben, Lauren, and Noah worked hard for a couple days beforehand to aid them in their work... It sure did pay off!

The Tool Department
Scott, showing off some of the sale items :)

Books, Magazines, Catalogues, Postcards, you name it, she had it :)

Nice

The lady in the pink hat.

Yes, they did bring in a tidy sum :)

ART

And we got to sell some of our overabundance of produce :)

Pickles

Water balloon war!

Ammunition

Cousin Tom preparing to smother the younger ones with...

GramA's new landscaping crew.

???

Tom's old fashioned lawn mower/trimmer.

Frame ART

Sorting Cousins

They definitely fell out of the same tree, the goofy one :)

See?

The young fellas and their fort.

An interesting angle.

Just to prove I was there.

The first ones begin to collapse.

After.

Simply said, it was a fun, busy, hot, heavy-lifting, pickle-selling, cash-counting day.

~Samantha~

Swedish Blade Of Corn

Thankful Remembrance

Reformation Day

New York- July Trip

SAMANTHA!!!

Elmhurst Logo

The Truck...

Bon Voyage!

David & Grace

It's A Boy!!!

Father & Son

11 .eleven. 11

Girlies

Graduation

Another Year Of...

Fenway Park

Lauren's Birthday Celebrations

Eggs

Dad's Birthday Celebrations

Happy (Late) Birthday, Lauren!!!

Happy (Late) Birthday, Dad!!!

{Sledding}

{Even MORE Snow}

{Puppies}

{Christmas Past}

{Christmas Eve}

{More Snow}

{Brooks Night}

{Processing Day}

{Wallpaper}

*S*N*O*W*

A Rainy Day at the Barn

Christmas Tree!!!

Chrismafying

Thanksgiving

Turkey Day Preparations

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg!!!

America's Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration

It's Time for Thanksgiving Celebrations Again!!!

Early Morning on the Farm

Farewell

In Boston, Again :)

Horseback Riding

Hay

Open House

The Band :)

Cute Pics :)

The Chicks Arrive

Happy Birthday to a VERY Special Person...

More Newbies

Seamus & Amos

A Visit from Old Neighbors

We're Still Here!!!

Baking Cookies

Tomatoes & Jacks

Basement Update...

What We've Been Doing

Anonymous Comments

Papa & GramA's Yard Sale

SN*OW