Camping

Last weekend was the annual Stauffer Family Camping Weekend. We look forward to it every year!

This year was no exception, BUT what made it even more exciting was that my Grandpa (who had heart surgery in mid-March, followed by a stroke, pneumonia, and a feeding tube, only went home last Wednesday) was there! He and Grandma were able to stay in one of the rented trailers while the rest of us tented in the campground. But they were with us the whole time! What an answer to prayer!

It was perfect camping weather, no rain, low humidity, pleasantly warm temp's. The kid's did well, all things considered. They were so hyper the first night that it was pretty late early until the Winkler tent got some shut-eye, but Adam took a decent nap Saturday afternoon, so lack of sleep wasn't an issue as it's been in previous years.

I just love the smell of a campfire. Food cooked over it. Family around. Shared faith. Laughter and tears as you recount the kindness of God despite the curveballs of life. I love the creative spirit and practical ingenuity of this group. I know I've said it before, but my uncles and Grandpa in particular have turned camping into an artform. And I love it!

I took a few pictures but didn't manage to represent each family too evenly. Anyway, enjoy the slideshow!

Double click on the image below. Captions accompany most of the shots. You will probably want to adjust the speed of the slideshow and click on the full screen option as well.

Wordless Wednesday--Something Missing From That Smile!

A How-To Kind Of Post

First of all, let me offer this disclaimer. Not because I feel the need to apologize, but because I want to be sensitive to your level of...sensitivity. :-)


***The slideshow in this post has lots of pictures of raw chicken. It's an instructional post, but knowing how I felt about looking at, much less handling, raw meat before our "buying meat in bulk" journey began 5 years ago, I won't hold it against you if you decide to skip this one. I WILL whole-heartedly encourage you NOT to skip it though. I still don't enjoy the task of cutting up whole birds, but it no longer bothers me in the slightest!


I also am no expert. I know my home economics teacher had us cut up a whole chicken way back when, but I had no clue when I started this venture. Really, no clue. Now, with lots of practice under my belt, I'll share some tips I've gleaned along the way, and in a future post, share a few of the reasons why we've chosen this food source route.


I hope these posts educate and inspire you to give pastured poultry a try...or to at least buy chicken whole and fresh and local. It's alittle more work upfront, but the monetary savings can be substantial, even if you just buy what is available at your local grocery store.


Double click on the slideshow below. Captions will accompany each picture. You can adjust the speed or click pause to view frame by frame. You may also view the slideshow larger by clicking on the full screen option.

Summer Fun

Once again, we decided to brave the madness and go see Thomas the Tank Engine at Strasburg Railroad.

The kids will earn free passes to ride the train later this summer through the library's reading program, so we did the same as we did last year and just watched Thomas come in and out of the station instead of buy a ticket to ride.

There was plenty of fun things to do at the station. Ride the Cagney Train and Cranky Cars, ($1 per person for each without a train ticket) take pictures with Thomas, eat a packed lunch (or buy fair food) and sit in the spacious eating tents complete with musical entertainment, and of course the big tent of merchandise.

Afterwards we got 2 single dips of handmade ice cream to share at Strasburg's Creamery. YUM!

It was great having Pete along for the day. (One blessing of not finding summer employment yet.)

We don't do things like this often, (ie: focus on commercial characters), but watching our kids enjoy themselves and being creative to stay within our budget ($26 total, ice cream included--not bad!), we had a GREAT time making memories.

Flowerpot Bounty

Earlier this spring I planted basil, parsley, spearmint (and a marigold to keep the squirrels at bay) in a large planter pot on our back deck. It EXPLODED into an herbal bush while we were gone last week.

According to a source I found online, herbs with a higher water content like these do well if frozen. I think I may try that, as there is no way I'll use all of these up before I need to clip some more!

I feel like a food network personality with these in my kitchen! :-)

What are your favorite ways to use fresh herbs?

Thoughts On Vacation

1. Once you have kids, vacation is hard and work...but an opportunity like no other to die to SELF, grow in grace, and practice contentment. A few days before vacation was to begin, I confessed to my mom that my attitude wasn't right. I was struggling--getting bogged down by all the preparation, anticipating a week that was more work than relaxation, and having a martyr mentality. I knew that Pete would be gone 2 nights and 2 days, and remembering the previous two beach vacations in which our children didn't sleep, suffice it to say my head wasn't in the game. THANKFULLY, this past week was nothing like the past 2 times! The big difference was that Natalia was older and Adam napped every day and slept through most nights. That meant I got a solid hour or more every afternoon to get cleaned up and relax. Thank you, Jesus, for answering that desire of my heart and providing time to rejuvenate.

2. Many hands make the work load lighter, even if it gets complicated. I love the planning part of vacation. I truly do. It's a sickness. :-) Even moreso, I love the way my family works together. Eager to serve one another. Easy to please. There may be alot of cooks in the kitchen, but no one person carries the load. The kids fight, it's noisy, our heads are rattling...but we love being together.

3. Vacations are a privilege. When I was growing up we didn't really go on vacations other than a weekend camping or going to the humble little hunting cabin my grandfather owned. My husband's family didn't go on costly trips either. It's only been since my teen years that my family has taken a bigger vacation occasionally. And even now, we plan a beach vacation every 2 years, and go before peak season starts. It's just too expensive otherwise.

I am grateful for the sober way in which my family weighs the monetary cost of such things. I believe there is wisdom in it. I think it is challenging for my generation and those younger NOT to assume that they should be able to enjoy the standard of living that many of our parents are only now being able to afford. Not all of our peers are in the same financial boat as Pete and I, but no matter what your household earns in a year, entitlement is the deeper issue. We have been talking about this a lot lately and asking God to show us how to teach our children along these lines.

4. Time away is good...but coming home is better. Everyone needs a break every now and then. Time to rejuvenate, to be refreshed. And how that happens for each person is different.

My husband tends to be reserved in public, but is energized by being around people and going places. I am generally friendly in public, but am energized by being alone and doing quiet things.

Needless to say, these characteristics tend to clash when we're vacationing. :-)

BUT, this past week they didn't, and I'm still trying to figure out how that happened! Even if that mystery is never solved, I'm just thankful we both came home rejuvenated. Another answer to prayer!

NOTES TO SELF:
1. FRACTURED PRUNE (hot, hand-dipped doughnuts originating in Lancaster) is now in OC, NJ! A comparison taste test between DOT's and F.P. is needed!
2. Dry-wicking capris and a running tank are very favorable beach attire--when you don't get in the water past your knees, who needs a bathing suit?!
3. Taking a book to read out on the beach is only frustrating. Instead, play with your kids in the sand and read when they're asleep.
4. Take dump trucks. They are the best sand toys!

Vacation--Part 2

DOT'S DOUGHNUTS--it's a tradition to get them to accompany breakfast once during our week.

Pete had to go home to finish 2 days of teacher inservice, so everyone helped color a sign for him.

Eli, taking a greatly needed snooze.
Bouncing a stripped tennis ball across the water.
All clean and ready for a nap.
Making kites (that we couldn't fly because it was too windy the last day).
Peaceful puzzling...until the fun part was finished and only solid black pieces remained. ;-)
Glued to the tube. (This picture seems to suggest serenity...if only. With a 6-1/2, 5-1/2, 4, 2-1/2, and 2 year old, do I really have to paint a picture of reality for ya?)
Morgan's cherry lips.

Practicing the alphabet.

Vacationing with 6 adults and 5 children looks like this:

Packed up and ready to go home...squinting into the sun for some family pictures.

What a great week with some of the people we love most. (Ryan and Sarah, we truly missed you!)