Prairie Lasses

L-R Aleya, Sierra, Hannah, Megan
Front: JoAnna, Katie

 

Home Again

Weary travelers have returned home. It is so much fun to leave home but it is so nice to come home. Rachel is fighting the flu, Aleya has signed a contract with a cold company, every couple weeks she receives another shipment of a viral strand. Tomorrow we try to find a working groove again. It generally takes me several days to figure out what needs to be done on the ranch.
Isn't it interesting, how a house can feel so homey. What makes your home, homey?

Daily Events

So far today I have played a game of Chess, a game of Deep Sea Treasures, and a game of Pig Out. These games are very fun and enjoyable. We have not managed to get our rook game in yet this week. Our day was also filled with time spent at the Erie Wildlife Refuge where we watched a video on baby animals. This was a big hit until the baby wolves were large enough to devour the majestic buck. This caused some alarm among the young lasses. I then spent an hour in the gym playing an assortment of games and settling minor differences and spats. What is you favorite family oriented board or outside game?

Davy Crocket Visits The House On The Prairie

While diligently attempting to post, Ben's trusty laptop locked up. Hence we try again. I was in the midst of posting about my mother's unique ability to find incredible gift ideas. This year she had someone make some bonnets while she made long dresses and pinafores. Currently we have young lasses imagining they are living out on the prairie. They also were given some dolls. Mothering is being nurtured. So, apparently, we have our own living Little House On The prairie. The young men received some homespun hunting garb complete with a Davy Crocket coon skin cap. They have been hunting for wild game in the hall outside the apartment. If you venture down for a visit you may want to be very stealthily. I hear they are an excellent shot.......
My mother has the ability to think outside of the box. Coming up with ideas which generate young lads and lasses to use their imagination. Imagination is a wonderful thing.

Why I Am Not A Mother

I am sure you are dying to know how my day went with the children. The ladies left around ten, taking the two oldest girls with them. This left six children in the house. The day went fairly well until afternoon naps. My boys went down around one-thirty and should have slept until three-thirty or four. Aleya went down at one and should have slept several hours. Not to be my little friend, they were all up by two-thirty. Whining, fussing, and other assorted noises that grumpy children tend to make. After about thirty minuets they all seemed to calm down. I decided to feed the boys a tad early so they could go back to bed. It was then I discovered their were no bottles made and their was only one clean bottle in the entire house. So with Jayden wailing in the background I made one bottle and started the dishwasher. Jayden's Uncle Rod fed him while I consoled Jackson. After several years I thought I would just rinse Jayden's bottle out and reuse it. Why, I didn't think of it earlier I do not know. At some point in the midst of these hectic activities, Aleya and her cousin, Alyssa, decided it was time to start annoying each other. At one point Alyssa told Aleya Okay, I'm just gonna go away...... I must say it made me laugh. So, the moral of the story is this, God made women with the emotional make up to handle these situations with ease while men, in general, throw up their hands in despair.

Kauffman Family

Day After Madness

Well today is the day everyone will begin to return the unwanted and unfitted items they received. I have nothing to return, thank goodness..... just to fill you in on our schedule for today. The ladies would like to go out for lunch, ladies noon out. What does this mean for me? Well it means babysitting. Grandpa will help but you need to remember their are 8 children five years old and younger in the Kauffman family. Hopefully they will all sleep, nice thought anyway. Tonight after work is the guys turn......
I know I keep hammering on this idea but I would like to know what you did to make the time you spent with family special. Or do you dread spending time with your family? Whether you admit it or not this is the way life is for some people. Are you one of them?

Merry Christmas

Did santa slip down your chimney last night? Did he eat the cookies adn drink the milk? If you are wondering why your house is so smokey this morning it is because santa is stuck half way down. If I am not mistaken the dog and the cat ate the cookies and lapped up the milk. Speaking of cats, their was one Christmas about 15 years ago where we picked up a cat for my brother at the pound. This cat was amazing. He was Garfield through and through. However, he was very sick when we got him and wined and fretted causing much distress for several days before his presence could be known. He had the unique ability to playfully swat at things. However, he could become very annoyed with the human race in general. For instance, if he felt he was not getting in the last smack he would lie in wait for you in some obscure corner. When you strolled by he would leap out of the shadows, swatting with precision at vital body parts such as ankles, knees, and toes. He would make one precision strike before dashing off. I was not there when he got sick and died. He lived a life of ease and contentment once he joined our family. I would love to play a game with him again. Who knows, maybe another Cosmo will enter our lives some day and produce many interesting memories for my family. Their will only be one difference. I do not intend to let another Cosmo be the king of our castle.......
So may your Christmas be filled with the joy of giving. May you remember and treasure the greatest gift that has ever been given. God bless you as you and your family make memories that will last longer than any of the monetary gifst you may recieve.

Love Language

Gary Chapman wrote a book several years ago called The Five Love Languages.
1. Words of affirmation
2. Physical Touch
3. Gifts
4. Quality Time
5. Acts of Service
My language is words of affirmation. Rachel's is quality time. Sierra is quality time Aleya is acts of service and Jayden appears to be physical touch. We are not sure what Jackson is yet.
What is you love langauge? Are you aquainted with the book?

Trippen

We have begun the tripping part of the holiday season. I81 was very busy but traffic was moving very nicely. The worst part of our journey has now centered in the Berkley Springs conglomeration, instead of Madison Heights. Rt. 522 is two lanes through WVA and traffic moves at a snails pace. I also drank far to much coffee. This annoys my wife because it lengthens the trip.... The children did very well. We were afraid they would be fussy and crying. Sierra has been with Grandma Kauffman for almost two weeks. It is such an awsome feeling to have a daughter throw her arms around you and snuggle up against you. It sure makes a father feel special. My goal is to some how develope the relationship so she wants to visit with me when she is a teenager. What is the best way to do this? What do daughters want from their fathers?

Food For Thought

I have been developing my culinary skills lately. I enjoy concocting interesting, if not edible, breakfast delights. Tonight when I got home their were no smells to greet my nose. Ah ha, a chance to further develop this skill. I found 1 lb of sausage in the freezer which I cooked in a skillet on the stove. I wasn't to sure where I was headed but sausage was going to a be a major part of the meal. I decided I would scramble some eggs and mix the pork into the eggs. I then discovered we only had five eggs in the house. I poured a nice amount of milk into the skillet along with my five bewildered eggs. By now my wife was beginning to wonder about the edibleness of this concoction and she suggested we toss some cheese to keep the eggs company. I must say this was a very good meal. I now have a recipe for scrambled sausage/cheese/eggs. We shall call them saeseggs. Pronounced sauchyeggs. By the way toast and milk were an integral part of this meal.

Finalized Another One

Carol Anne, the notary who swore us in, is in the process of calling the court room in Fl. to finalize Jayden's adoption.

Lysteria

No, this is not the same as hysteria. This a rare disease found in the bovine species. Well, I don't know how rare it is but it is rarely found in my bovine population. This disease is also known as the circling disease. Cattle are known to begin wandering in circles and other strange symptoms. We had a cow with such symptoms about a month ago. She fell and did not want to get up. This tends to aggravate the human species. After much pleading and other assorted means of bribery, I rolled her frame into the skid-steer bucket and carried her to greener pastures. That evening she was back on her feet but was showing signs of blindness in one eye and an odd determination to go in circles. However, I was still unsure about her disease so I treated her not. The next day I asked for input from another wise dairyman. His advice included calling the vet. What a novel idea. I called the vet. I was advised to give her penicillin and a few other drugs. I gave her, Mandy, 100cc at noon and another 100cc that evening. Then I reduced the rate back to 50cc for four days. Lysteria is a result of bacteria on the brain and penicillin fights this bacteria. The normal dose of this potent drug is 20-25cc once a day. As you can tell the dosage we were using was much higher than this. This morning the test we run to check for antibiotics in the milk showed they were finally out of her system. A month of bad milk. Amazing.
Sometimes I feel like I have lysteria. I tend to go in circles and appear to be blind in both eyes…..
Maybe all I need is a big dose of penicillin........

Home Place

Christianity: What Is It?

What do you think of this? "Christianty is more than realizing you are a sinner and asking forgiveness." Do you agree?

Marriage

I saw a very interesting little article in the paper today. Someone from Cornell has done a survey. They discovered people who are married are happier than those who are not. Those who are living together are happier than those who are only in a significant relationship however, they are not as happy as those who are married. They are suggesting that commitment seems to have something to with one's happiness. I must disagree. To say that people who are married are happier than those who are not seems a little bit ridiculous. I know a lot of people who are unhappily married. They are living in survival mode. I am fairly certain this is a chronic problem in Mennonite churches as well as in the world. The other thing I found interesting about the article was the picture they had put with the article. Imagine a lovely couple sitting on the coach. The gentleman has his arm around the lady and they appear to be enjoying each other. However, in the man's hand was an electronic device called a remote. He has it pointing towards something. Because they appear to be staring at something and not at each other, I assume they are watching TV. Now, I find it hard to believe they can be very happily married if they spend a significant amount of time watching someone else live a fake life......

Computer Games

I am wondering how often computer games are played in your household. Do you as a parent allow your children to play them? How much are they allowed to play. Do you consider them a terrible waste of time? How do you decide whether a game is worth playing? How many hours/minutes do you. the parent, spend playing computer games? This question would also be for those of you who are not parents but spend time on the computer.
I may narrow this down some in a follow up post.

Open Book Test

Those of you who have access to a Hoard's Dairyman will be able to find the answer to this test with relative ease. There will be three questions on this test and the first question is worth 90% of your grade. The other two questions are worth 5% each
1. What is Cheddar Cheese named after?
2. What kind of coffee am I drinking?
3. How much snow did we get this morning?

Resolutions Part II

For all of you who are dying to know my thoughts and opinions on New Years Resolutions I will now attempt to give my thoughts.
After some thinking about it some the last couple of days I have come to the conclusion God may not have as much to do with it as we think. Okay, I now sound like a heretic but hear me out before telling me to take a long walk on the short pier. I know some people who are very disciplined and, since weight seemed to be a hot topic among those who commented I will use it as an example, would not have a problem losing weight. Just because someone is disciplined enough to make something happen doesn't mean they have relied solely on God/Jesus/Christ to help them get the job done. Granted, it would be easier if people would ask God for help. The basic reason resolutions fail is based on one simple fact. This is the fact. Are you ready?
Resolutions fail because Tomorrow Never Comes.
So, why doesn't tomorrow ever come?
1. We don't think we can do it?
2. We don't really care?
3. Nobody else cares?
4. We are basically good people?
5. God isn't a part of our lives or an integral part of our lives.
I don't think you need to be a Christian to achieve your goals but you do need to be a Christian to change your eternal destination. If you want to change your eternal destination you will be concerned about living a Christ Like Life. This is the core of Christianity. Most of my resolutions have been centered around changing something in my life which has spiritual significance. I failed many times because I did not really care. My Christianity was not important enough to me to make tomorrow a reality.

Love Part II

Ah, I see.....
Nobody knows what love is......

Love

What is it? How would you define love? If you were writing or compiling a dictionary; what would your definition be?

Mary, Did You Know?

Mary, Did You Know? Is the title to a song which was written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. First, I must say Mark Lowry's music and stories gave my mind a new perspective about Christianity and God. This song is another example of his unique ability to paint a picture of thoughts and ideas concerning questions Mary must have been facing. Did she know what was going on? How did she feel when the angel spoke to her for the first time? If you are a fan of the Gaither Vocal Band or Bill Gaither's ministry you will probably be familiar with the song. Here are the lyrics.

Mary, did you know

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new,
This child that you delivered
Will soon deliver you?

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would calm the storm with His hand?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked were angels trod
And when you've kissed the little baby
You've kissed the face of God?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again,
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb.

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Was Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy
Was heaven's perfect Lamb
And this child you're holding
Is the great I Am?

A few thoughts about this song that have always amazed me. Mary kissed the face of GOD!!! Did she realize who she was kissing when Jesus was a baby? Sure, she knew He was special but did she know who He was? Did she know He would perform all those miracles? The thought that really gives me chills is about deliverance. She delivered Jesus like any woman delivers a child. Did she know she was delivering the deliverer? Did she know He was heaven's perfect Lamb? The challenge is to remember that Jesus Christ is the perfect Lamb. This is why He came. To be our deliverer. How can we help our children and those around us realize Christmas is more than gifts, food, and good times? How do you do it?

Resolutions

Are New Years Resolutions helpful? Have you ever made any? Did they work? What kind of resolution did you make? I am a resolution skeptic. I doubt they make much difference in any ones life. Why?

Standing Tall

Ice Storm

Year In Review

Some of you may actully get this in the mail, others won't. Don't bore yourself.....

Another Christmas

You know, it amazes me how often this letter of news and events needs to be written. In short, I cannot believe it is almost Thanksgiving. Where the year has gone I don’t know, where all years go I guess.

This year has been full of joy and pain. My brother-in-law, Rod, lost his mother to cancer in February. It was difficult to watch our nieces and nephew grieve over the loss of their Papa Grandma. We drove to Ohio for the funeral in separate vehicles so my wife could stay and help out for a week or so and I could come back home. Several days after I got home Aleya contracted a really nasty virus and was a very sick little girl. Rachel took her to the emergency room at the local Hospital. They then transferred her to a children’s hospital in Cleveland where she was admitted. I specifically remember talking to Carla on the phone and asking her how Aleya was doing to which she responded, “She is dying!” Well, I thought that was what she said. When she said it, she had this catch in her voice and I thought she was crying. This caused some consternation and I asked her to repeat her comment. That was when I realized she had said “Aleya was fine!” I felt like I should be in Ohio so I hopped on a plane, one way ticket, and went to be with them. Aleya was discharged 2 days later and we headed back to VA.

In March we received a call from social services. They were wondering if we would be interested in fostering to adopt, a baby girl. We said yes, and Kari lived with us for 3 months. Needless to say, it was very difficult for us when the judge ruled in favor of her being put into a relative’s care.

The 1^st week of June we were at our Zehr camp out. We had a relaxing week with the family, it helps when the cabin is as big as two or three houses.

The middle of June found my wife and the girls traveling to Ohio again while I went to Harrisonburg,VA to record another album, Deliverance, with Voice Of Praise. We finished recording Friday evening and decided to go home before we began the mixing process on Monday. Saturday night I was busy on the computer till early in the morning, about 1:00. I went to get a glass of water before going to bed and noticed there were 6-7 messages on the answering machine. I hit the play button and heard this message. “Honey, where are you? I need to talk to you! Daneille called and they have a baby boy for us!” This was a surprise to say the least. I was trying to decide what to do when the phone rang. Rachel was on the line and we began to discuss this turn of events. We boarded planes (Rachel in Ohio, and I in Lynchburg) Sunday morning. We had, unplanned, connecting flights in Atlanta and landed in Fort Myers around five. We met Daneille, our baby’s birth mother, and our beautiful little baby boy, Jayden Robert Santello. After supper on our way to the hotel we were blessed with a rainbow in the sky. We thought this was God’s way of showing us we were doing the right thing. God gave us a rainbow when Aleya was adopted and here He had given us another one for this adoption. When the rainbow turned into a double-rainbow we were really amazed and wondered why. Was this a freak act of nature? I think not.

Tuesday morning, as we were preparing to leave Naples, we realized there was a message on our voice mail from Daneille and sounded very urgent. We were afraid something had gone wrong and this was the beginning of yet another failed adoption. When Daneille answered the phone she told us “A boy was born this morning in Daytona Beach, do you want to raise twins?” After praying and calling our parents we made the decision to raise twins! We met our 2^nd precious son Jackson Milo Tyquan Thursday morning at the hospital in Daytona Beach. When we told our family about our 2^nd son they said, “The mystery of the double rainbow is solved! We remembered the double rainbow and marveled at our Father’s confirmation. Finding the new normal has been a long process but we think we are discovering what it is.

Sierra turned five the end of October and has been a big help with the boys. We are amazed how she can quiet Jayden and Jackson when they are out of sorts. She has learned to set the table, empty the dishwasher, help with the cleaning, and other assorted tasks. She taught herself to read this year and often has her nose in a book. She enjoys playing “house” with Aleya. Aleya is often her daughter and Aleya has started to call Sierra, “mom,” even when they aren’t playing. Sierra enjoys going along with daddy to feed or milk, but is very nervous when cows or calves are close enough to touch.

Aleya is a very busy girl who turned two the end of September. It has been a joy to watch her grow. She is the biggest copy-cat of all. Sierra will do something and seconds later Aleya will do the same. She is so full of energy! She loves animals. She is learning to talk which makes everybody smile. She too enjoys going with her daddy. She loves to clean as she walks around with a wet cloth and wipes everything, including her brother’s faces, which they don’t really appreciate. She loves to be a little helper, setting the table is one of her accomplishments. She is also learning how to be a mama and is often seen rocking her babies and carrying the diaper bag on her arm while pushing the stroller and putting her babies to sleep. We have so much fun watching her as she plays.

Jayden is 6 months and Jackson is 5 months old. They have discovered each other and enjoy smiling at each other. Jayden goes everywhere in his walker and has mastered sitting up. Jackson has recently learned to scoot where he wants to go. They never seem to tire of being Sierra’s and Aleya’s real baby dolls.

Rachel has been doing a wonderful job at taking care of all us kids. I have been amazed at the amount of work she gets done. The way she raises our family and is able to make life fun for everyone. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife.

Well, the time has come to close. I trust as you enter into the Merry Christmas season you remember and give thanks for the little boy who came to earth so many years ago. We are thankful for the way God has worked in our hearts the past year. God bless you as you serve Him.

Glen, Rachel, Sierra, Aleya, Jayden, and Jackson Zehr

Finalized

Today at 1:30 Jackson Milo Tyquan Zehr legally became our son. We placed a call to the court house in FL in the precence of a notary. After answering the phone we needed to be sworn in. We said the information we would give them would be the whole truth and nothing but the truth. When Aleya's adoption was finalized the judge asked me why we wanted her. It caught me so off guard I wasn't sure what to say. (What would you say if someone asked you why you wanted your child?) I had been thinking about what I would say this time and then the judge never asked. We will be recieving Jackson's new birth certificate in 4-6 weeks. We are so thankful for the way God is working. Jayden's finalization is in a two weeks or so. I must say adoption is very unique. How many of you have been through an adoption process? Are you adopted or have you adopted?

Memory Lane

I would like to take a very short trip down memory lane. This memory revolves around a snowy evening about twenty years ago. Our family went for a stroll in our corner of winter wonder land. As I recall there was roughly 6 inches of snow. I remember sitting on a sled while daddy did the strolling and we, my brother and I, did the riding. (I believe my sister was riding on the sled my mother was pulling. This journey took us to my aunts house about 300 yards away. I remember making potatoe chips, they were soooo good, and playing table games. (I think we played spoons or something and Uno.) After an evening of fun and laughter we bundled up and trundled back through the snow to the farm house we called home. I find it interesting how my fondest memories revolve around winter and cozy evenings spent wandering through the snow or inside reading while it snowed.
What is your favorite winter memory from years long gone?

Twelve Days Of Christmas Part II

Thanks to J. Herr for finding the website containing this information. Just so you know, this is a cut and paste post of which I take no credit for.......


The Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas
You're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.
It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.
Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I'm not aware was ever practiced anywhere else. Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death; then the party was taken down from the gallows, and disembowelled while still alive; and while the entrails were still lying on the street, where the executioners stomped all over them, the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts - one to each limb and the remaining torso.
The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."
The other symbols mean the following:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
The torture or persecution is incredible. Apparently persecution is running rampid in muslim countries today......

Twelve Days Of Christmas

This Christmas song is one I used to detest because it is so repetitious. Yesterday I read a short history on the song in a little newsletter. This newsletter was thrown into the trash before I could copy down a few things. Each character in the song has a hidden meaning. For instance, the Partridge in a pear tree is a reference to Christ on the cross. They did this because of the persecution the church was facing. I cannot remember what the other things were types of. Can you help me out?

1936

I heard an interesting story the other morning on the radio. Jerry Edwards, WRVL 88.3 FM, likes to tell his listeners some interesting fact from years past. This storyhappened in 1936. One morning this week he told a story about a father and his son. These men married sisters!!! He would be an Uncle to his dad's children, if he had any. Is it possible he could be his own grandpa?

Opinions

I have discovered in my short life span that my opinion generally doesn't matter. This tends to annoy me. Does my opinion really not matter? Lest this sound like poor me, let me hasten to explain. Do you ever get the feeling when you are talking with someone that they are not listening to you and their main objective in the conversation is to change your mind? Now, I realize their have been many times my opinion has needed to be changed. For years I have never been too vocal about much of anything because I don't want to offend someone or I do not want anyone mad at me. I remember my father telling me 5-10 years ago that it took him 50 years to realize he could have an opinion without feeling guilty about it. Maybe this is why he has now covered his face with the hair that naturally grows there. So I am realizing I can have an opinion and if someone is in disagreement with me that is okay. Is this a common problem or am I the only one with this dilemma?

Traditions

Traditions can be wonderful things. We have eaten several meals by candle light in the last week or so and the girls think it is wonderful. Why? I don't know. I remember as a child we would eat by the light of a candle on special occasions. For some reason it was very special. Another thing we did as a family around Christmas was looking at slides. This was quite an ordeal because we had to borrow the projector and screen from my grandfather. First, we would have some sort of finger food available. We would sit in the living room laughing and reminiscing about life in the good ole days while munching on popcorn or fudge. Of course, the good ole days may have been last week but it was fun to laugh about them. The slides would spark the brain into remembering other interesting stories. These stories always begin with You remember when.... What sort of things are you doing with your family to help them treasure or remember their childhood? What traditions are you establishing in your home that your children will use when they are married.