Laura Ingalls Wilder

I recently read a biography and some other books about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read Laura's Album by William Anderson. I knew much of Laura's history from going to Walnut Grove and De Smet and from reading other books. I did enjoy reading more about her. I found this very interesting and wanted to share it with you.

Woman's Missionary Society
Congregational Church, De Smet, S.D.
Outline of Work for 1905
February: Alaska
March: China's Dynasties
April: Chinese Provinces and Map Drill
May: Religions of China
June: People of China
July: Christian Missions in China
August and September: Christian Missions (I think this was also in China.)
October: China the Open Door of Opportunity
November: Work Among the Philippinos
December: Mormonism

This listed who the hostess was for each month and other details of meeting times etc. which I'm not typing into my blog. The reason this was in Laura's Album was that in November Ma and Mary were the hostesses, showing that Ma was active in the De Smet community and church. I found it interesting that in 1905 so much focus was on China, with a little on Alaska and the Philippines, but then Mormonism had it's month too. If only our church ladies groups would do something like this today-or at least more ladies would attend LWML where they do do some of this with their mites.

Watch this

Insert whatever denomination of church you go to into this video each time it says Catholic.

The piano

Once there was a little girl that desperately wanted to take piano lessons. Her parents were able to get a very old piano in her old house, but they were not able to afford piano lessons and neither parent could play piano. When she was about 12 they moved and they could not move the old piano. Now her parents had a different financial situation so they could afford piano lessons, but there was no piano. Her dad bought an electronic keyboard and she was able to start piano lessons. Perhaps it was because she was almost a teenager, perhaps it was because she only had a keyboard to practice on, perhaps she became more interested in other things, but the piano lessons did not go well. After about 6 weeks she gave up lessons and knew a little to have a little fun on the piano, but not play well. When she was teaching in her first classroom she really regretted giving up those piano lessons because she couldn't use the piano in her classroom as more than a bookshelf.
When she had her first son she decided that a few years of piano lessons would be mandatory for her son (and any future children) and if he wanted to continue after that then he would be able to. Her plan was for her son to walk next door to church to practice so they didn't have to buy a piano. She signed him up for piano lessons when he was 7. Right before his first lesson was scheduled they found out they were moving. So her oldest did not start lessons.
When they moved they no longer lived right next to church so practicing there was not a possibility. She began watching Craigslist but the pianos were either too expensive or not worth anything. Finally one came up on Craigslist that looked good. Last Saturday they went to look at a piano and talked the owner down a little from the price they asked. Next will be to find a piano teacher for her oldest son. Already today the piano store moved the piano for her us.

Thank you God for providing just the right piano for us!

Possible Christmas Card Photos?

Ram's parents stopped by on Friday on their way home from vacation. We took a few photos while they were here. Lamb 3 wanted to wear his helmet but not his baseball shirt. It was very sunny and Ewe had the most difficult time of anybody not squinting in the photos. These are the best of the photos we took. After photos we went out to dinner at a Brazilian restaurant. I had never been there before. It was a nice buffet plus they bring all kinds of meat to your table. Lamb 2 and 3 were both free and everyone loved the food.

Photo Update

We took my cousin Jessica back to the airport today after her two week stay. Here are some photos from the last two weeks.

 

Lamb 2 and 3 playing with the Shakespeare books we got at a library booksale. (Complete set for $5.)

August 13 we went and bought a flat of blackberries. (I was too lazy to pick them.)  Here is one of the two batches of jam I made. I also froze some and we ate some fresh.

On August 19 we went to the Western ID Fair. Lamb 3 chose to drive this car for his one ride. He wanted to ride the Ferris wheel but Mama thought he was too young.

Lamb 2 rode with Ram and Lamb 1 rode with Jessica on the Ferris wheel.

We all chose a fair food to have for a treat. Jessica shared her cotton candy with the Lambs and we realized that was the first cotton candy they had ever had. The Lambs had snowcones, Ewe had an elephant ear, and Ram had a hot beef sandwich. 

Ewe and Jessica

Before we took Jessica to the airport we went to Birds of Prey. We had only been there once before. It was a fast visit because she needed to get to the airport. Here the Lambs and Jessica are showing their wing spans.

Lamb 2 as some kind of bird

We saw an Eurasian eagle owl up close.

We enjoyed having Jessica with us for a few weeks. We were also able to go to a few extra fun places while she visited. We are going to have another visitor in about a week and a half so we are looking forward to that but also enjoying a little break from visitors so the boys can have a more normal routine these last days before preschool begins.

Wordless Wednesday Addition

Lamb 3

The UPS/Fed Ex truck delivered Lamb 1 and 2's uniforms about noon and I took photos and posted them to my blog. Later in the afternoon Lamb 3's uniform was delivered so last night I took more photos. I don't know what  happened that they weren't all delivered at once. The neighborhood kids are slightly jealous of our boy's baseball uniforms. Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma!

Wordless Wednesday

Lamb 1

Lamb 2

Can you guess one of the places that Grandpa and Grandma went on vacation?

Our home mortgage

We recently received a "deal" in the mail from our mortgage company. They claim that by signing up for their program we could save $13,000 in interest and pay off our loan 4 years earlier. I read all the fine print and did the math and discovered instead of monthly payments there would be biweekly withdrawals from our checking account tied to paydays plus $5 more in payments each month. There is a one time enrollment fee of $295 and a monthly participation fee of $5.42. I quote from the paperwork, "That's a small amount compared to your projected interest savings of over $13,000."
When I bought my first house my realtor gave me the advice to make one extra payment a year and it would work out to paying off the 30 year mortgage about 10 years earlier. From the beginning of this mortgage we have been rounding up and putting extra in each payment. At the end of the year we will round up to make it a full extra payment if we haven't completed that yet.
I think I'll stick with my system and put all the money that I would be putting into fees into paying off the mortgage instead of paying fees. The crazy part is that I would be paying all these fees to them so they would be guaranteed an on time payment each month plus they would save the cost of postage!

Repeat after me...

I think every school child goes through a phase where they repeat everything their sibling says to drive both sibling and parents crazy. Lamb 1 has been doing this recently. Several times a day I hear, "No repete!" At least I have to give the Lambs some credit for using their Latin vocabulary.

Long overdue update

I'm sorry I haven't posted for so long. I'm trying to get caught up to start blogging again regularly.
1. We decided on July 16 that we would be going on vacation this year-leaving on July 22, driving to Indiana, and being gone one day shy of two weeks. It was last minute planning so everyone we wanted to see didn't work out. But we had a great time seeing who we were able to see. We drove through MN and saw many friends there. On the way back we stopped in Cheyenne and saw friends. It was a huge driving trip!
2.  Because it was last minute planning there was lots to do the week before we left. We took 4 boxes of books to Hyde Brothers/Half Price Books and a bunch of stuff we donated to the Seminary. Packing all that was more work than packing clothes. I will blog more about our trip and our bookstore shopping in a later post.
3. When we returned home there was all the "get caught up" after vacation stuff to do plus we got ready for a visitor. My cousin is studying to be a veterinarian and she has a class/internship in the area for a couple of weeks. She came on Saturday. I love having another female in the house. I love having another willing pair of hands to help with meal prep and clean up. I love that the boys bathroom smells like a girl instead of three little boys. (I'll leave what their bathroom normally smells like to your imagination.) The boys loved having another "adult" with us when we went swimming and to play endless games of Skipbo. Today was her first full day at her class so we had a few days together before she began class.
4. Yesterday we went and bought blackberries, I didn't have the time to pick them. Now I know where the place is so next year I will know where to go pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I made two batches of jam yesterday. Today I'm working on freezing/making yummy treats out of the rest. We also bought corn and some of the best cantaloupes I have had in a long time.
5. I've had some doctor appointments recently, routine for my thyroid, etc. but going to new doctors after moving always involves more. I'm working on getting my records here for an appointment in September.
6. We got back to school today- one workbook for Lamb 3, handwriting and math for Lamb 2, and math for Lamb 1. We will ease into school this year and get back to all subjects after Labor Day when Lamb 3 begins preschool. Lamb 3 will go to preschool 3 mornings a week this year so we should be able to accomplish more on the days he is at preschool. After Labor Day I'll post what the boys are doing in school this year-I still want to finish a few subjects from last year before I declare that we are beginning a new school year and what we are studying.
There is more that we have done the last few weeks, but this update will have to do until I sit down and blog some more.