Wisdom Teeth

I had a very interesting experience last Thursday - I had my wisdom teeth taken out!! (so you may not want to read my blog anymore because I don't' have any wisdom - ha ha ha) Anyway, I had to get up at 5:45am (and not eat or drink anything) to get ready and leave by 6:15. We finally arrived at the hospital around 7 (we were told to come at that time) but had to wait around for a half hour because the x-ray people didn't even open until 7:30! So around 7:45 I was finally getting my mouth x-rayed and then we went to the oral surgery department. I was naturally nervous, but pretty soon we were ushered into a small room where I sat on a dentist-like chair. A nurse prepped us on what to do and not to do once the surgery was done, and then mom went back to the waiting room and I followed someone to the surgery room. I was told to lay down on a bed and then one nurse put something on me to monitor my heart, I think, while another stuck an IV in my arm. Then the one who stuck the IV in me told me that in a few seconds I was going to feel like my eyes were really droopy, and that I could close them. So, after a few seconds, my eyes did feel droopy and I did close them, and the next thing I knew I was in a strange room wondering where I was, and coughing! Two nurses were on either side of me and one was putting this lotion stuff on my dry lips. I think I was coughing because mom said they probably put something down my throat (isn't that nice to think of!). Soon I remember where I was and started feeling pretty uncomfortable with swollen cheeks and gauze sitting in the back of my mouth (and still feeling rather woozy!). It was interesting, however, to listen to the nurses conversation. :-) After a little while one of the nurses came over and gave me a pill and some water. I was probably in the recovery room 40 min. - 1 hour. Oh, and I also had an ice pack around my face (I'm sure I looked just wonderful!). When my time was done in the recovery room they put me in a wheelchair (!) and rolled me into a small room. Mom came in and then a nurse explained a few things and gave me extra gauze and some other stuff. Then mom went to pull up the car, and a nurse was supposed to bring me down in 5 minutes, I think, but I waited in that room for about 20 before I was finally put in a wheelchair (both fun and embarrassing at the same time!) and wheeled down to the car. I hope I'm not boring you all with details, but if you ever have to get your wisdom teeth out, at least you'll know exactly what to expect!! :-)

When I arrived home all my siblings and my dad had made me nice get well cards and put up a couple of welcome home signs. :-) Mom had also bought me a little present and a card. Thanks everyone!

So, I spent most of Thursday and Friday laying around, eating jello and broth, watching movies, napping, reading etc. I still am not allowed to eat things like popcorn or chips, but otherwise my diet is pretty much back to normal. I had to wear gauze for two days, and had to sleep with my head elevated. My cheeks were quite swollen and you can still see a bruise on my right cheek. Here's two pictures - in the first one I look just awful, and the second one was taken on Sunday. It looks like I got in a fight! :-)




Thankfully I'm doing a lot better now. BTW, I had to have all three of my wisdom teeth removed (I don't even have a fourth one) because they were impacted. So, I guess that's the end of my exciting adventure! :-)

Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bluegrass with the Bartlett Boys

Here are the lyrics and a movie of this song the Bartletts sang for a concert while we were visiting them:

He's Coming Back to Earth Again

I walked into a church one day
While traveling on my way
I gave my heart to Jesus then
He's coming back to earth again!

(Chorus) He's coming back to earth again
To claim his children here
And if we will abide in him
He'll take us home where there's no fear.

My path seem brighter as I go
And I want the world to know
His precious blood your soul will cleanse
He's coming back to earth again.

(Chorus)

Dear friends I'm singing every day
Take the straight and narrow way
Let Jesus in, turn from your sin
He's coming back to earth again.

Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year our aunt and uncle flew all the way from North Carolina to visit us for 6 days! We had so much fun. Here is a short overview of what we did . . .

They arrived on Thursday afternoon (and grandma came from her nearby nursing home), and that evening we had a delicious Thanksgiving feast!! Yum! Dad, Caleb, Daniel and I woke up EARLY Friday morning (is 4am early enough?) to go after-Thanksgiving shopping. It was quite the experience! Some people were quite rude, some were quite nice, but thankfully we were able to get the things we wanted. We spend the rest of the day visiting a craft fair in the mall and relaxing at home. Uncle Tim and Aunt Lauri both shot Caleb's muzzle loader!







On Saturday we cut down our Christmas tree. It was hard to pick one out of the thousands at the tree farm! But we finally picked one (below), and it turned out very nice.



We really wanted a Charlie Brown Christmas. Okay, okay, here's the real tree we cut down.





On Sunday Uncle Tim and Aunt Lauri went to church in Hawley, and then met us at the Hawley nursing home where we played some music for the residents. That afternoon we watched the Packer/Panther game on our new HD digital TV (bought at the after-Thanksgiving sale). Sadly, the Packers didn't win. And I know the Vikings won, Andrea, but still, the Packers have won 3 SUPER BOWLS!!!! :-)

Mom drove Uncle Tim and Aunt Lauri to visit Grandma Grace on Monday. They had a good time visiting her and seeing her very own lake side room, all decorated for Christmas. (Uncle Tim is mom's brother, by the way.)



On Tuesday morning we all left for town, and we had a fun time walking the mall, going out to eat at Culver's, and riding the Ferris wheel at Scheel's. Then mom dropped Uncle Tim and Aunt Lauri off at the airport, and they were off back to warm North Carolina. Thanks for a great time, Uncle Tim and Aunt Lauri!

My Room

I've been wanting to post pictures of Lydia's and my room, so here they are!! We painted it a little while ago and got new bedspreads, and a new mushroom chair (thanks Aunt Jan!). In case you all didn't know, Lydia LOVES Littlest Pet Shop. Before we redecorated, our room was painted a tan color and had horse bedspreads and horse paintings on the walls. We kind of got out of that horse phase when we realized we weren't going to be getting a horse. They take up a lot of time and cost more than we wanted to give something that doesn't give much back. So, we really like our new bright colors, even though it took forever for us to decide on what to get!! :-)




This is my Hope Chest, with our boom box and Lydia's LPS!




Our bunk beds - in case you couldn't guess, mine is the bottom! :-)

Funny movie made with the Bartletts

Our Trip to the Bartletts

On Tuesday morning we left bright and early to visit our friends the Bartletts who live about 5 hours away (by the way, I'm a detailed person, so this is going to be a detailed story!). :-) We arrived at the place where we were staying around 12:30 and ate some scrumptious chili brought over by Mrs. Bartlett. We were staying there at Metigoshe for two nights in the bunks upstairs. Not all that comfortable, but perfect for falling into late at night when you're really tired! :-)

That afternoon we went over to the Bartlett's farm and took a tour of their new barn, Andrew's workshop, and all their animals, including a horse, a milk cow, lots of goats, four pigs, and innumerable chickens and cats! Oh, and I can't forget to mention Samson, their handsome German Shepherd (he's my dog's brother). After the tour we made a hilarious movie that I'll have to post sometime. That evening we had a good time eating chimi changas (very good, Mrs. Bartlett!), playing music together, and watching a funny movie.

After breakfast the next morning we drove the few miles to the Bartlett's place and had a great snowball fight!! That sure was fun. The rest of the afternoon was spent debating, eating venison sloppy joe's, and then around 4pm we went back to Metigoshe. The Bartletts were doing a concert that night, so we had a nice church dinner with them and then sat down and watched them play. They did a really good job!! I wanted to post a couple movies of them tonight, but it's not working so I'll have to do it another time. Anyway, that night we went to the "living room" area at Metigoshe and looked at some pictures and watched some more movies. We stayed up until around 10:30 each night.

The next morning we packed up and then drove over to the Bartlett's place again to spend the morning. I got a banjo lesson from Jonathan and we all played some more music, then before we knew it it was time for lunch, and then time to leave for home. Have you ever eaten fried chicken in the dark in a van stuffed with seven people? It sure was good, I can tell you that! :-)

Thanks for a great time, Bartlett family!!

Here are some pictures from our time there:

Our bunks at Metigoshe



The animals





Playing air hockey at Metigoshe



The Bartlett's concert



The parents talking at the table



Playing music together



You can view Jonathan Bartlett's blog here: http://jonathanjbartlett.blogspot.com/ I'll try to post some videos soon!!

Hannah

Daniel's Birthday!

November fourth was Daniel's 12th birthday!! We had to leave that morning around 8:30 because I had to give music lessons in town that day, but Daniel didn't mind. The reason is, he got to come with, go to Culver's and pick out a brand new bike (not at Culvers, in case you're wondering)!! His grandparents had given him some money for a bike (which he had been wanting for a while) so he was sure looking forward to picking it out! Later that afternoon, we voted on the way home. Daniel chose waffles, sausage, and jello for supper, with his homemade peanut butter cake for dessert. That evening we watched the Swiss Family Robinson, and, of course the election. Here are some pictures of Daniel's day:



A new bike - yeah!



His new Legos



Opening birthday cards



Eating birthday cake




Here are some of Daniel's favorite things:

Food -- bacon
Activity -- being in the workshop
Fruit -- cherries
Restaurant -- Golden Corral
Bible Character -- Jesus
Dessert -- peanut butter cake
Color-- green
Music group -- Triple L Band
Sport - soccer
Snack - toast with jelly
Place to stay - my grandma's cabin in WI
Drink - pop
Vegetable - corn

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!!

Hi Everybody,

It's hard to believe that Election Day is tomorrow (or today by the time you read this)!! We've all been looking forward to it (or not) for a long time, and now it's finally here! November 4th is also my brother Daniel's 12th birthday, so I'll be posting about that later this week, hopefully.

Here's some challenging words I got in an e-mail today:

Our country faces unprecedented dangers. From the illegal, unconstitutional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the runaway federal spending and the disastrous so-called 'bailouts', we struggle to maintain the vestiges of a Republic our founders fought so hard to secure.

Now, as we prepare to cast our vote for president and vice president, let us remember:

Chuck Baldwin is the ONLY candidate on the ballot who is 100% pro-life, pro-secure borders, against the USA PATRIOT Acts, and against the wars!

Chuck Baldwin is the only candidate who has the coveted A rating from Gun Owners of American and pro-secure borders group Numbers USA.

Chuck Baldwin: your principles- your candidate!

I guess ya'll know who I'm voting for! :-)

Here's a couple of good sites that I would HIGHLY encourage you to look at:

http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2008-VoterGuide.pdf
http://jonathanjbartlett.blogspot.com/
http://visionarydaughters.com/2008/10/qa-regarding-our-position-on-sarah-palin

I guess you can't click on these links because Blogger isn't working, so just copy and paste them.

The words written on that last blog (by the Botkin sisters) are so important that I'm going to paste some of them right here on my blog:

Q: Isn’t a vote for anyone other than McCain/Palin a wasted vote?

A: No. We waste our vote when we vote in panic, in fear of something other than God. When we vote with the expectation that God sees the obedience in our decision, our vote is never wasted.

We must answer to God for every vote we cast. Our vote is not an idle pronouncement. It may be private, but God knows precisely what we have done and why we have done it. Our vote reveals the essence of our faith or our unbelief, and we will be held accountable for our vote. If we vote for McCain/Palin, we clearly violate biblical standards, endorse a clearly unqualified administration, and invite clearly-written Biblical sanctions on ourselves and on our country. Disobeying Scripture is never the way to attempt to fix our imperiled nation, even if it seems like a responsible emergency solution. Our chief concern should be Who is on the Throne, rather than who is in the White House. Our modus operandi should start with sincere and more consistent, biblical obedience in our own lives, homes, and churches. Our strategy for national reformation needs to begin with the understanding that America’s problems cannot be fixed in one election or one presidential term – we need to look at the present crisis in the context of the past and the future. It was the compromises of Christians decades ago that brought us where we are today; we must consider the consequences our voting compromises today may have long after this election is over, when our children will have to reap what we have sown.

God is stronger than the evils that can be caused by the unprincipled conduct of Obama or McCain. If we remember this, we won’t be afraid of voting on principle — we will be afraid of voting any other way.

In the spirit of the Deuteronomy verse we quoted before, we need not worry about the “secret things” which belong to the Lord, but instead the “things which are revealed.” The marvelous works which God has ordained in the future are hidden in His inscrutable counsel, but He has given to us and our children a sure Word which we are called to obey. We are to “do all the words of this law” — this same law which commands us to choose only qualified men to hold civil office.

So, get out there and vote tomorrow!!

Hannah

P.S. And don't forget to pray for our country and those in leadership - we sure need it!

Winning Photography

Just the other day Caleb got a letter in the mail saying that he had won $50! How? From entering this photo of his lab's puppy in a local contest, and winning third place out of about 150 entries! Great job Caleb!

Funny movie

Here is a short movie I made with my brother Caleb about joining the S.W.A.T. team. It's actually a play on words! It's not the greatest quality (and there's one blip in the beginning that I still need to fix) but it was fun to put together!! I enjoy making movies and would like to make some short Christian films in the future, as a hobby.

Enjoy!!

Pictures

Here are some pictures of what we've been up to lately:

Our apple tree - so loaded with hundreds of apples that several branches broke!

Our system for applesauce: First, peel and core the apples

Then boil them with a little bit of sugar and cinnamon until they're soft

Next, blend them to make a smooth applesauce, or just can them the
way they are for a more chunky applesauce

Here's Ethan and Lydia taking the seeds out of our squash for supper

Our pumpkins and gourds

A sign I made with some help from Daniel and Lydia

Our two German Shepherds - the one on the left is my dog, Mercy.
The other one is Roxie, her mother. I edited this photo with Picasa.

Dad's birthday!

October 5 was my dad's birthday!! I won't tell you how old he is, only that he looks younger than his years. :-) Here's a picture of him at the Golden Corral, where we went out for his birthday brunch (can you tell he enjoyed it?):

Okay, okay - here's a nice picture of dad:

Here are some of his favorite things:

Food -- pizza
Activity -- lifting weights, pheasant hunting
Fruit -- raspberries
Restaurant -- Lori's Kitchen
Bible Character -- Jesus
Dessert -- ice cream, m&m's
Color-- dark green
Music group -- Triple L Band
Sport - anything with my boys
Snack - cottage cheese with applesauce on top
Place to stay - home
Drink - white grape juice
Vegetable - corn


Happy birthday to a wonderful DAD!!!! We Love You!!!!

Happy Birthday Aunty Jan!!!

Hi Everyone! Here is a special greeting for our very special Auntie Jan. She is dear to our family and we want the whole world to know it's her birthday on September 30th!! Love you Aunt Jan!!!

FIREPROOF

Here is some information about a Christian movie coming to Fargo. It looks REALLY good, and it is geared toward married couples (so all you husbands and wives out there - make it a date night!). It's called Fireproof, and it's produced by Sherwood Baptist Church. If you have not heard of Sherwood Films, (they've already made Flywheel and Facing the Giants) check out their first movie here. And also the Fireproof movie trailer.

Here is part of an e-mail from the lady who is organizing the tickets and everything. If you want the whole e-mail just write me and I'll send it to you. Also, if you don't live in Minnesota, you can check http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/ to see where it is near you.

" . . . a portion of the sale of the 1,000 tickets I pre-purchased will benefit the upcoming World Vision Step Into Africa exhibit that will be coming to Fargo October 18-20. Get info at www.worldvisionexperience.org If you choose to go to the World Vision event, it is free of charge BUT you must register for that online ahead of time because there is a limit to how many people can go through this exhibit. It will be at Atonement Lutheran Church, but there are many churches & organizations who are involved in bringing this event to town.

When? Sept 26-October 2
Show times Friday-Sunday 1:10, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30
Show times Monday-Thursday 4:00, 6:45, 9:30
The show is rated PG and has a run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes
Ticket price: $8.00 for all showings
Where do you get them? Family Christian Store - If you pay by credit card, there is a $1.00 service charge."

Let's support these good Christian movies!!

Hannah

Busy!

I know it's been a little while since I've written - we've been pretty busy lately! Last Friday we went to our friends' house to film a couple scenes in a movie we're making (a re-make of the Sound of Music - kind of our own version). We sure had a lot of fun! We went to a city park and filmed the part where Maria is running around with the von Trapp children - the parts where they go to the produce stands and have fun running and playing outside. The weather was perfect that day for filming, except for the mosquitoes! :-)

On Saturday and Sunday we practiced music for Monday, when we played music at three different places (all in the same town). The first place was a nursing home, and the other two places were apartment buildings. Dad has gotten to know some of the people in this small town, where he delivers mail. Overall it went pretty well, and I hope that the listeners took to heart the salvation message that dad shared.

Tuesday was my first day of teaching piano/harp. This year I'm teaching at an assisted living home, which I really like. I have eight piano students (and I'm possibly getting two more) and one harp student. I'm also teaching my brother and sister different instruments at home. Teaching music can be both enjoyable and stressful at times! :-)

Another interesting thing I've done this week is vote - for the first time! On Sept. 9 there was a primary election, so I went to the local polling place to register and vote. I'm looking forward to also voting on November 4, although I'm rather worried at how it's going to turn out! I definitely do not like Obama, and I don't agree with McCain either. So, I've decided to vote for the man I want to be president (it is still a free country, isn't it?) - Chuck Baldwin, of the Constitution Party. I would STRONGLY suggest that you look at his website: http://www.baldwin08.com/. If you'd like to see a candidate comparison, go here. This election is, I think, one of the most important in all of America's history. I know that some of you might argue that I'm throwing away my vote (or giving it to Obama) but, as an American Citizen, and a Christian, I need to vote for whom I feel would make a good president, and I believe Chuck Baldwin is the man for the job!

Well, I guess that's all for today. :-) Thanks for visiting . . . hopefully I'll be able to post more in the next week or so!

Hannah

P.S. I got my driver's permit so if any of you are on the

road when I am, you'd better look out! :-)

P.P.S. Andrea, just so you know, I'm really glad that the Packers beat the Vikings on Monday!! HA HA HA!! :-)

My 18th Birthday!!

August 31st marked the 17th anniversary of my first birthday! :-) It was a hot and windy day outside, so I enjoyed spending most of the day inside. I chose omelets, bacon, company french toast, and fruit for breakfast. After eating we paired up to do our Bible time and prepare something for church (we homechurch). Caleb and I did a little skit about Ananias and Sapphira and we talked about what we could learn from that story. Then the others did their skits and talks and we sang several hymns, and dad read a chapter out of a book to us. I spent the afternoon reading, going on the computer, opening some presents, playing a game with some of my younger siblings, and dancing with my dad! Yes, he asked me to put on one of the old-fashioned dresses I liked, and then he surprised me by putting on a suit and dancing with me to a beautiful song on a piano CD!! Thanks dad!

My favorite foods for supper were: chicken, sausage and potato hot dish, jello, garlic bread and Oreo Ice Cream Dessert!! YUM!!

Here's some of my favorite things, and then some pictures:

Food -- Ice Cream, cheese
One of my favorite activities -- reading
Fruit -- raspberries

Restaurant -- hmmm . . . maybe the Golden Corral
Bible Character -- Jesus
Dessert -- ice cream, cheesecake
Color-- pink!
Music group -- various Gospel bluegrass bands
Sport - Prisoner's Base (okay, that's not exactly a sport, but it's a fun outdoor game!)

Snack - cottage cheese with applesauce on top

Place to stay - home
Drink - raspberry/strawberry juice
Vegetable - corn

Me acting silly with Ethan

Holding up a couple gifts (thanks Aunt Jan!)

Caleb made this for me - didn't he do a good job?

Daniel made this for me - he did great too!

Daddy dancing with his little girl

A black and white of dad and his two dressed-up daughters :-)

Thanks mom, dad, Caleb, Daniel, Lydia, and Ethan for a great birthday!

Caleb's Birthday

Today is Caleb's 15th birthday! This morning we had a scrumptious breakfast of ham, omelets, fruit, and caramel rolls (but Caleb got pancakes instead since he's allergic to wheat). On our birthdays we always get to pick our favorite foods for breakfast and supper. YUM! For supper we had a Mexican casserole, coleslaw, and watermelon. Caleb's dessert of choice is Special K bars, which are Rice Crispy bars but with chocolate on top.
Caleb got some pretty neat gifts, including a black powder horn, a wolf slingshot from Alaska (pictured below) and a machete. This afternoon he shot off his muzzle loader that he had bought several weeks ago. I've posted some pictures of him loading and shooting it.

Here are some of his favorite things (thanks to the Wissmann family for the idea!):

Food -- pancakes
Activity -- hunting and shooting guns
Fruit -- apples
Restaurant -- Golden Corral
Bible Character -- Caleb
Dessert -- ice cream with peanut butter cups
Color -- black
Music group -- Triple L Band
Sport - football
Snack - cereal
Place to stay - anywhere
Drink - apple cider
Vegetable - carrots